Thread: Pokemon: Legend of the Blessed Aura (Hoenn)

Chapter 14: A Clean Slateport

“So, where will you be going next?”

“Well, according to the Pokenav, my next destination should be Mauville City, so I’ll be heading to Slateport City and going north.”

“I hear that there are Contests in Slateport City! You should apply for one!”

“Nuh-uh! You know I’ve got stage fright!”

“Oh, come on! You’re performing for three judges!”

“Oh. Well, maybe so, then.”

“Anyway, we’re getting back to school ASAP, because we’ve got a research paper to present.”

“Jeez! I’m glad I got out when I did!”

Alexis and I were walking to the docks, where the class was waiting for the boat back to Littleroot Town. About an hour before, we’d said goodbye to Brawly and his friends after surfing. After a while of walking, we made it to the dock.

“So, how’re you going to make it to Slateport City, anyway?”

“Uh…good question. Mr. Briney was the one who brought me here, so-”

“Did I hear my name?” a voice called out. We looked to see Mr. Briney coming up in the S. S. Wingull.

“Hey there, Mr. Briney! Hey, Peeko!”

“Wingull!”

“So, how be things around here? Say, where’d ya find her? I say, ye and that lassie sure are cute together!”

“This is getting old,” Alexis and I said to each other.

“Hahahahaha! Anywho, where’re ya heading?”

“I’m taking her to her ferry going back to Littleroot Town! Then I need to find a way to Slateport City!”

“Nonsense! Come with me, I’ll get ya there!”

“Really? Thank you! Just a minute, I’ll get Alexis to her ferry, then come back!”

“That’s okay, Mike! We’re nearby already! You go on with Mr. Briney!”

“…okay. Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“For now. I hope to see you again soon,” she said as we hugged. She then ran to the ferry, waving the whole time.

“I’ll see you soon, Alexis! Take care of Poochyena!” I called as I waved back.

Once she was out of view, I got on Mr. Briney’s ship, and we started our voyage. It took us about six days, and I started thinking what I would do for that Contest. The night before we got there, Mr. Briney told me:

“Why don’t ye demonstrate that there Beldum’s Take Down ability for that there contest?”

“Hm, how so?”

“By having it hit targets! The precision and speed are what count!”

“I see…” I started to formulate a routine in my head. “Do you have a Frisbee?”

“Sure! Take it! Will it help yer appeal?”

“You bet it will!” We tried it out for Mr. Briney.

“Wow! That’s some routine! But, if ye make it past that round, I hear ye’ll have a whole string of battling after that! And Beldum’s Take Down won’t be enough! Let me fill ye in on a little secret…”

And so, we spent the night training. The next day, we made it to Slateport City. I said goodbye to Mr. Briney and Peeko, then headed toward the Pokémon Center to heal up. After that, and checking in on Mom and Dad, I headed to the Contest Hall. After registering, I sat in the waiting area with the other Coordinators. Beldum looked nervous, but I tried to cheer it up.

“Relax, Beldum. We’re ready for this thanks to that training. Besides, Alexis said it’s just for three judges.”

“Beld.”

“This Alexis girl was obviously pulling your chain, sir!” a voice said. It was coming from a man with long blond hair, a magenta jacket, an orange bow tie, brown pants, and flannel sleeves. “My name’s Robert. I’ve been a Coordinator for as long as I can remember, and I guarantee that these performances are for hundreds of people in an audience as well as three judges!”

“WHAT?!? Oh, man! I’ve gotta get out of this! Where’s the exit?! Where’s the-”

“Don’t worry. Beginners always get a little fright in their first Contest. If you just maintain composure and stay true to Beldum, you two will do your absolute best!”

“…well, okay. Okay. Okay, just got to maintain composure.” I took a deep breath. “THIS IS GOING TO BE A DISASTER!” I shouted.

“Haha! Well, just keep that outstanding courage and you’ll do fine,” Robert said.

“Sorry, I’ve just got stage fright. Ever since this one guy sabotaged a role I was playing and the audience laughed, I’ve been afraid of the stage.”

“Imagine that they’re not there, but that you’re just practicing. That’s a good technique,” he said.

“…okay! I’ll give it a try! Thank you, and best of luck today!” I said. It was then that he was called to the stage. I watched his performance with his Milotic, a Pokémon that looked like a sea snake with pink locks. They were incredible, using Twister, Hydro Pump, and Safeguard in conjunction. Later on, I got called up, and Beldum and I made our way to the stage. We stood next to the MC, Vivian, and behind us were the judges. The first was the Contest Master, Mr. Contesta. The second was the President of the Pokémon Fan Club, Sukizo. The third was Nurse Joy.

“And now, our final entry: Mike McCarver, a rookie from Littleroot Town!” said Vivian. I was greeted with applause, which was flattering.

“Okay, Beldum! Showtime!” Beldum came out of its Poke Ball. I got the mindset that there was no crowd there, and felt the confidence inside me. “Okay, use Take Down on this target!” Beldum hit the target I was holding into the air. I then slipped a Frisbee into its claws. “Take Down again!” Beldum charged toward the target. “Reverse Release!” Beldum spun around, tossing the Frisbee at the target and keeping it in the air. Beldum flew to catch the Frisbee, and it repeated this process a few times, all the while getting applause from the crowd.

“Wow! Even though it’s only one move, Mike has found a unique method for Beldum’s attack! What an amazing display of precision and power!” said Vivian.

I couldn’t believe how good I was feeling; I was over my stage fright! Just after Beldum hit the target for the sixth time, I said, “Now, Beldum! Finish up with a spinning Take Down!”

“Beldum!” it said as it spun into a Take Down and smashed the target to pieces. Beldum then came over, and then I jumped on its back without it stopping. I slipped a little bit, but got my balance back in time. We went into the air so that I could catch the Frisbee. As we floated down and reached the ground, I jumped off Beldum’s back and we bowed.

“And they finish up with a super-strong Take Down followed by a display of camaraderie and teamwork! Absolutely stunning!” said Vivian.

“Although the Take Down seemed one-note, the Reverse Release was a tremendous technique!” said Mr. Contesta.

“Indeed! And Beldum’s spinning Take Down was truly remarkable!” said Sukizo.

“I was won over by the display of trust between the two when they flew up together! How magnificent!” said Nurse Joy.

“And that’s the judges’ comments! Now let’s check out the score…” she said as the points were tabulated, then she exclaimed: “…26.8! A good score for a first-timer!”

“YEAH! Way to go, Beldum!” I said.

“Beldum!” it replied happily.

After I made it backstage, Robert congratulated me, saying Beldum and I made a great team. Just as we shook hands, Vivian made an announcement: “And now, we’ve determined the top eight for the battle portion of this Contest!”

“Oh, yeah! Now she’s speaking my language,” I said.

“And here they are!” she said as they were put up. I saw Robert at the top and me in the fifth slot.

“Yahoo! We made it! Well, Robert, I’ll see you in the final stage!” I said to Robert.

“I certainly look forward to it, Mike!” Robert replied.

Beldum and I cruised through the quarter and semifinals, beating a Zigzagoon and a Dustox with ease. Robert and I met on the final stage, ready to battle. We shook hands for good luck to each other, then took our respective places on the field.

“And now, the favorite of this Contest, Robert, and the rookie, Mike, will face off for the Slateport Ribbon! Trainers, you have five minutes to lower your opponent’s points! Whoever’s points are lower after five minutes will be out! Begin!”

The timer started, and we sent out our Pokémon.

“Let’s go, Milotic!”

“Showtime, Beldum!”

The two emerged, ready to battle. Vivian was making commentary throughout the battle, but it was too much to keep up with, and I was focusing on the battle more than anything.

“Beldum, start off with a Take Down!” Beldum zoomed toward Milotic with a Take Down.

“Milotic, counter it with Hydro Pump!” Milotic’s Hydro Pump knocked Beldum against the wall. I lost about a fifth of my points for that. “Now use Twister!” Milotic’s tail fired out a cyclone at Beldum.

“Beldum! Go right through it with a Spinning Take Down!” Beldum spun through the Twister with no effort at all, nailing Milotic and docking Robert a few points.

“Milotic, use Iron Tail!” Milotic’s Iron Tail swung into Beldum, but at my command, Beldum turned around and grabbed it with its claws. Robert lost a few more points, but he was still in the lead.

“Let’s take those points down a few! Use Take Down!” Beldum charged toward the wall. “Now, Reverse Release!” Beldum’s spin threw Milotic into the wall, docking Robert many points and putting me in the lead by a slight margin. “Way to go, buddy!”

“Beld!” it responded.

“Use Recover,” Robert said calmly.

“WHAT?!”

“Milooooo…” it said as it recovered its energy. That cost me quite a few points and gave Robert the lead again.

“Now use Hydro Pump!” Milotic’s Hydro Pump knocked Beldum into the wall. “Now combine Twister with Hydro Pump!” Milotic’s attacks combined into a water spout.

“Beldum, look out!” Beldum flew to the side, barely getting hit by the attack. “Now for our secret attack! ZEN HEADBUTT!”

“What?!”

Beldum glowed blue as it zoomed toward Milotic, hitting its head and causing it to flinch. That cost Robert a few points, but I’d lost more than half by that time, so he was still in the lead.

“Come on, Beldum! We can still win this thing! I know you’re strong, so let’s do it!”

“Beldum! BELDUM!” Beldum responded. It then glowed light blue. It looked as though Beldum had doubled, then grew a base to connect the two of them. However, when the glow faded, the base had two red eyes, and many spikes around it with one as a nose.

“Amazing! Mike’s Beldum has evolved into a Metang!” Vivian shouted, astonished.

“Metang!” Metang called back to me.

“Wow. I can’t believe it,” I said to myself. I then noticed one of Metang’s hands, looking as if it had sparks. It took me a second, but I figured out what that was about. “What do you think, Vivian? Should we stop here, or keep going?” I asked Vivian.

“Well, uh…that’ll be up to the judges!” she responded.

“I’m sure Metang will be able to give us a tremendous performance! I know that the evolution was!” said Nurse Joy.

“Yes! Remarkable, too!” said Sukizo.

“Well, I don’t see why not. All right, continue with two minutes, thirty seconds,” said Mr. Contesta. The timer immediately started.

“Okay! Metang, give it a Zen Headbutt!” Metang charged at Milotic.

“Milotic, use Iron Tail!” Milotic’s Iron Tail kept it from taking major damage, but both Robert and I lost points. “Use Hydro Pump!” Milotic then fired a Hydro Pump at Metang.

“Metang, use Confusion!” Metang’s Confusion caught the attack and sent it right back into Milotic, causing some damage and costing Robert many points.

“Now, Milotic! Recover!” Milotic started to revitalize itself.

“Stop it with Confusion!” Metang’s Confusion stopped Milotic in its tracks and lifted it into the air. “Now, Metang! Use Thunderpunch!” Metang’s arm glowed with sparks again, and it punched Milotic and sent it flying into the wall. Robert’s points took a major hit.

“Milotic! Use Flail!” Milotic leapt at Metang.

“Metang, use Iron Defense!” Metang hardened up its surface and defended against the attack, decreasing the points deducted.

“Iron Tail!” Milotic aimed its tail at Metang.

“Metal Claw!” Metang’s claws glowed and went toward Milotic. As the attacks hit, the Pokémon were flung backward. After more points were deducted, the timer buzzed.

“And that’s it! It looks really close, so our judges will examine this and come up with a winner!” said Vivian. I then looked up at the scoreboard, and saw that Robert and I were almost out of points, but they looked even. I wondered what that meant. “All right, folks! Upon careful examination, the judges have determined that both scores are equal! Therefore, in the event of a tie, the judges declare both Coordinators the winners! Congratulations!” The audience went wild.

“Way to go, Metang! You were incredible!” I said as I hugged my newly-evolved Pokémon.

“Tang, Metang!” Metang happily responded.

“Good work, Milotic. Your performance was beautiful!” Robert said to Milotic.

“Miloooo!” Milotic happily responded.

“Mike, I’m impressed. I’ve never NOT defeated an opponent in a Contest with Milotic before. Not only that, but this is the first time I’ve tied with somebody! You and Metang are truly amazing,” Robert said as he held out his hand.

“Thank you, Robert. You and Milotic were great as well. Good luck in your upcoming Contests,” I replied as I shook his hand.

“And best of luck to you at your Gym Battle in Mauville,” he replied.

Later, everyone gathered around us as Mr. Contesta gave Robert and I blue ribbons. Metang and I looked at each other and smiled, knowing that this experience helped us to gain confidence for the upcoming battle at Mauville City. In the meantime, the word “showtime” kept going in my head. Showtime…I liked the ring of it.

Originally Posted by Articuno's Frost

I've only read the first chapter so far, but you've got some real talent! I'm interested in reading the entire thing! You keep on writing, and I assure I'll keep reading ;) Great job!!

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and rest assured I'll post the whole thing!

Chapter 15: The Wrath of Paul

It was the day after Robert and I had won the contest. He had gone off to Rustboro City, while I was going to make my way north. I’d finished getting supplies and everything, so I made my way north. I was around the Pokémon Center when I heard a harsh voice say:

“It was your fault that battle didn’t go well! I don’t care if I won in the end; you messed it up for me!”

I looked in the direction. It was a boy with purple hair and dark blue clothing. He was talking to a Pokémon that looked like a giraffe with a dark head with fangs for a tail. I pulled out my Pokedex to find out what it was:

“Girafarig, the Long Neck Pokémon. Girafraig has a second head on its tail that bites those who approach it carelessly.”

“Wow, that’s an interesting Pokémon,” I said to myself.

“Not even your knowing Mirror Coat is enough to redeem you! You’re out of here!” the boy said angrily.

“Rig?! Rig…” Girafarig responded.

“Hey, hold up! You shouldn’t release a Pokémon just because you lost! Who do you think you are, anyway?” I said, running over.

“Hmph. Mind your own business. This thing didn’t perform up to snuff, so it’s useless to me!” he replied. “And as for who I am, I’m Paul, an expert trainer from the Sinnoh region.”

“Well, Paul, you’re not very much of a trainer if you’re just going to break your bonds with your Pokémon just like that!”

“What bonds?”

“…what.”

“Bonds are a waste of time. They make you soft and weak! The only way to win is with power, and that’s what I look for in all my Pokémon! If you’re not powerful enough, then you’re not fit to be in my group!”

“You don’t get it! Bonds are a Pokémon’s greatest strength! As long as it receives support from its Trainer and its companions, there’s nothing it can’t accomplish! So, logically, it’s YOUR fault you lost!”

“…what’s that?!”

“You couldn’t give Girafarig the support it needed, so you’re the one who didn’t perform up to snuff.” As I was saying this, Girafarig was looking at me with hope in its eyes. Paul, however, got more and more enraged until he blurted:

“HOW DARE YOU!!!”

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it? But why take my word for it? Just ask any trainer, and they’ll say the same thing.”

“NOBODY TALKS THAT WAY TO ME, YOU BASTARD!”

“Dude. Take a chill pill and a breath mint.”

“I challenge you to a one-on-one Pokémon battle. Our very best! Your “bonds” against my power! And trust me, power is what will put you in your place! GROTLE, STAND BY FOR BATTLE!” He sent out a giant turtle-like Pokémon with small trees on its yellow shell. My Pokedex couldn’t pick up a thing about Grotle.

“Okay, then. ESPEON, SHOWTIME!” I sent out Espeon. “Use Swift Attack now!” Espeon’s Swift hit Grotle, but it didn’t budge.

“Grotle, use Energy Ball!”

“Energy Ball?!”

Grotle fired a green glowing orb, sending Espeon a ways back.

“Counter that with Psybeam!” Espeon fired its Psybeam, once again hitting the mark but not moving Grotle.

“Use Razor Leaf now!” Grotle fired razor-sharp leaves at Espeon.

“Use Quick Attack to dodge, then hit it with an Iron Tail!” Espeon dodged the attack, then nailed Grotle with an Iron Tail. This time, Grotle moved about half an inch.

“Grotle, let’s finish it here! Giga Drain!”

“Uh-oh. That doesn’t sound good.” It was worse than it sounded, unfortunately. Out of nowhere, Espeon was surrounded by a green light, and fell to the ground, having lost strength to Grotle’s benefit. “NO, ESPEON! Try to get up!” It took a little bit, but Espeon got up. “Now use Psychic on Grotle!” Espeon’s Psychic lifted Grotle. However, it seemed to be doing a lot more to Espeon than to Grotle. “Throw it!” All Espeon could do was toss it to the side. Unfortunately, there was a river there, so before I could tell it to stop, Grotle was in the water, grabbing on to the edge to keep from being swept away.

“Hmph,” Paul said.

“Uh-oh! Espeon! Can you get it out of there?!” I asked.

“Espe…” Espeon said, shaking its head.

“Paul! You’ve got to return Grotle to its Poke Ball!”

“Why would I do that? I’m not gonna carry Grotle! It has to use its power to get out!”

“IT WEIGHS TOO MUCH! CALL IT TO ITS POKE BALL NOW!!”

“Ask someone who cares.”

“You are USELESS! Psyduck, help me out!”

I called Psyduck out of its Poke Ball, then we both jumped in. As I was diving in, I could’ve sworn I saw Grotle grin, but that's not important. We got underneath Grotle and tried to push, but Grotle was too heavy to move. Despite our power, we couldn’t lift it. I even had Psyduck try Confusion, but it wasn’t enough. I felt myself running out of air, so I tried to head back up. That’s when I felt a tug at my leg. I looked down to see that I’d gotten tangled in some seaweed! I kept trying to get it undone, but even with Psyduck’s help, I couldn’t do it. A few seconds later, I blacked out, as far as I remember.

When I came to, I was in a bed, and Espeon, Metang, Meditite, Psyduck, and Girafarig were all above me. When I sat up in the bed, they all immediately smothered me, especially Espeon. “Guys, come on! Lay off!” I said, laughing. Suddenly, I remembered what had happened. It was then that Nurse Joy came in.

“Well, it’s good to see that you’re up! How are you feeling?”

After coughing a bit, I responded, “Fine. A little waterlogged, maybe, but I feel okay. What exactly happened?”

“Well, you nearly drowned trying to save a Pokémon, is what I figure. When I came out, there was a boy with purple hair and a Grotle in the river. He suddenly returned it to its Poke Ball, then brought it back out, and said, ‘excellent, Grotle’. Then the two left!” I grumbled to myself as she continued, “I looked to where Espeon and Girafarig were shouting at and saw you in there! It was then that Girafarig fished you out along with your Psyduck’s help, then we brought you here! You’ve been out for days!”

“Really? Wow, thank you, Girafarig.”

“Rig!” the Pokémon said, nuzzling my face.

“Well, that’s just great. Paul’s gone, and some people I know are going to have a fit when they hear about this!” I said.

“That, um…” Nurse Joy stammered.

“What? What is it?”

“Word of this is already on the news! There are reporters outside!”

“…well, can’t call home for a while. Anyway, thank you, Nurse Joy.”

“No problem! Be sure to drink plenty of hot liquids before you start doing anything!” she said as she left.

“Thanks again, Girafarig. I’m glad you saved me,” I said to Girafarig.

“Rig, rig!” Girafarig responded.

“You know what? Paul’s still wrong! Bonds are the most important aspect of being a Pokémon Trainer! We’ll prove it to him next time we meet!” The whole gang agreed. “Girafarig, how’d you like to come along with us?”

“Rig?”

“I’d love to have you on my team. What do you say?”

“RIG!” the Pokémon said, nuzzling me again.

“All right! WE’VE GOT A GIRAFARIG!”

With a new rival to add to the list, and a new Girafarig to add to the team, none of us knew what kind of surprises lay ahead. But we were optimistic about one thing: that our bonds would get us through whatever trials came our way. However, little did I know that one of the greatest trials of my life was about to descend upon me…

Chapter 16: A Visitor’s Rampage

After I’d fully recovered, (not from the abuse Alexis put me through over the phone), I finally started Route 111 going to Mauville City. Many electric Pokémon populated this area; I saw a bunch of Plusle and Minun playing together and practicing their Helping Hand. I also saw many Electrike racing around with each other. Just as I made it near the Trick House, where many Trainers usually hung out, I saw a familiar figure. It was Paul, and he was leaning against the tree, smirking when he saw me.

“So, you made it out of that one, did you?”

“No thanks to you.”

“And I’m guessing you now have my Girafarig.”

“Many thanks to you.”

“Hmph. Good luck with THAT weakling. Next time we battle, it won’t be another draw. Next time, I’ll overpower your Pokémon, and I’ll beat you!”

“You just keep telling yourself that, but as long as you don’t care for your Pokémon, you’ll never be a Champion.”

“Hmph,” he said as he began to walk off. Just then, I heard a giant crash. I looked, and something had attacked the Trick House, as one of the pieces had fallen and Trainers were running around and panicking. I thought it was Team Rocket, but what emerged from the wreckage was not them. Instead, it was an orange humanoid-like thing with a purple gem in its stomach. It had no mouth, two beady eyes, and sky blue and orange limbs. I took out my Pokedex.

“Deoxys, the DNA Pokémon. Believed to be from outer space, Deoxys is able to alter its cellular structure so as to change its appearance and abilities.”

“That’s not good!” I said. Deoxys started attacking the Trainers after changing its appearance; specifically, its hands changed to four tentacles, and it fired multi-colored balls at Trainers (the attack was called Psycho Boost). They didn’t hit, but it scared the Trainers into freezing up on the ground in fear. It then grabbed Paul using Constrict.

“HEY! LET ME GO!” Paul shouted, but Deoxys wouldn’t let go. Instead, it sent out a purple aura which went into Paul. As soon as it did, Paul’s eyes glowed red, and he stopped struggling. Deoxys set him down, and then Paul said: “I am Deoxys! I have come to this world to make it my own! Do not attempt to resist or your lives will be forfeit!”

I ran up to them and shouted, “Why have you come here? Why not somewhere else?”

“My, my. What courage. If you must know, this planet is populated with humans who disrespect their Pokémon! I have come to put an end to this species so that Pokémon may be the dominant species! And I shall rule it all!”

“You’re insane!”

“I prefer ‘proactive’. Now stay out of my way,” it said as it fired another Psycho Boost. I stood my ground, and it just missed me. It then fired a Zap Cannon by me and I still didn’t move, so it changed back to normal and said,“You sure are courageous, small human. Perhaps you should just follow and battle for me. If you do, you won’t die..by MY hand, anyway. What do you say?”

“Sorry, but I’d be letting down too many people to just throw my life away like that,” I said, thinking about Alexis and the others. “What about you? You just seem confused, but I can help you get back on track. By witnessing the bonds I’ve developed with MY Pokémon, you’ll learn that not all humans are what you think we are. How about YOU join ME?”

Deoxys lowered its arms at this, befuddled. “…bonds? I don’t know what you mean.”

“I’ll show you. Come out, Espeon! Metang!” I let out Espeon and Metang. “See, we’ve been through some major battles together, and been in some major pitches, but I’ve retained my faith in these Pokémon because I know they are capable of so much,” I said as I stroked Espeon’s back. “Also, I know they’ve retained faith in me because I believe in them, and our friendship has reinforced that faith,” I added as I patted Metang’s head. “So you see, the faith and friendship that one shares with another is a bond. And it’s not exclusive; you can form bonds by making friends, too!”

Deoxys grabbed its head in confusion. “…friends? Bonds? It all seems so confusing to me, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about. All right, how do I get these so-called ‘friends’?” it asked as it lowered its arms again.

“Well, I’ll be your first friend, if you want,” I said as I held out my hand. Deoxys hesitated, but it slowly moved its hand towards mine. Just before they could meet, a flame shot at Deoxys. It took to the air and fired another Psycho Boost behind me. I looked and saw a police force led by Officer Jenny and her Growlithe, a red dog-like Pokemon. “No! I was about to get through to it!” I said to Jenny.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that deceit!”

“Sorry, but we need to stop that thing from causing more destruction! We need to restrain it by any means possible!” Jenny replied.

“Are you out of your mind?! It’s too powerful! I can still-”

“We’ll have to weaken it, then! Growlithe, use Flame Wheel!” Growlithe surrounded itself with fire and charged towards Deoxys.

“Just try to weaken THIS!” Paul said as Deoxys summoned rocks, causing a Rock Slide attack to nail Growlithe and knock it out.

“FINE! Espeon, Hidden Power!” Espeon fired its Hidden Power, but Deoxys used Confusion to fiddle around with it and throw it back at the police force. “Okay, try a Homerun Attack times Seven!” Espeon fired seven Shadow Balls into the air, jumped at them with Quick Attack, then used Iron Tail to hit them all at Deoxys, but Deoxys used Protect, negating all damage. It then went back to attacking people.

“Can we even tire it?! This seems impossible!” said Officer Jenny.

“Well, there is one way to stop this, but I doubt Deoxys will stay still long enough for me to use it,” I replied.

“Well, there must be a way to keep it from moving or something!”

“Wait…THAT’S IT!!!” I exclaimed. I then ran over to Paul and looked at his belt. He had six Poke Balls on it, so I grabbed one at random, hoping I’d found the right one. “GO!” I shouted as I threw the Poke Ball. Sure enough, out came Grotle, looking confused. “Listen, Grotle. Paul is under Deoxys’ control, and there is a way to get him back, but we’ve got to work together. You with me?”

“Grotle? Grot…Gro-TLE!” it said, ready to help. So, I explained the plan to the Pokémon.

Soon, Espeon, Metang, Grotle and I were hiding in bushes. I had set the Master Ball out on a pedestal near Paul. Deoxys flew by, but the Master Ball caught its eye. It stopped and then floated down to where the Master Ball was. I heard Paul say: “Hmm, now THIS is an interesting Poke Ball. I’ve never seen something like this, so who knows what it could do? I’d better get rid of it." Deoxys reached for the Master Ball.

“NOW, GROTLE! GIGA DRAIN!” I shouted.

“What?!”

“GROTLE!” it shouted as it drained Deoxys strength away. Thanks to Espeon and Metang’s Confusion attacks, as well as the Giga Drain restraining it, Deoxys couldn’t move, so I knew that that was my chance.

“What’s going on here?! No matter, I’ll kill you all!”

I then ran up, grabbed the Master Ball, and jumped at Deoxys, shouting, “I DON’T THINK SO! MASTER BALL, GO!”

With all my might, I threw the Master Ball at Deoxys. It broke free from the attacks, but not in time to escape the Master Ball. It hit Deoxys, and Deoxys went into the ball, while Paul screamed, “NOOOOOOOO!!!” The ball wiggled around for a good while, but it finally clicked.

“I…I can’t believe it! I CAUGHT A DEOXYS!”

“You did?! That’s incredible! It’s a legendary Pokémon from outer space!” said Jenny as she ran up.

“Even so, don’t let this get out! Just tell the media that it was a mysterious Pokémon and it just disappeared! I’m sure Deoxys doesn’t want the kind of attention the media gives, and neither do I.”

“Well, I suppose that the truth could stay in my report. However-”

“What happened? Did I blank out? You! What just happened? Where’s that Deoxys?” Paul said, returned to normal.

“Um…it flew away after Grotle came out of its Poke Ball and used Giga Drain. That REALLY scared it off! I admit: Grotle’s a powerful Pokémon!” I said.

Paul looked at me with a stern face, so I thought he didn’t buy it. However, he said, “Of course it is. Let’s go, Grotle!”

“Grotle!” it said, then followed him to the west. Grotle looked back at me and smiled, and I gave it a thumbs-up in return.

After they’d gone, a purple aura emerged from the Master Ball. It implanted into me, and I heard myself say, “You may have captured my body, but you have not tamed my soul! I won’t battle for an inexperienced human like yourself!...jerk.”

Then the aura left me, and I said to it, “Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, Deoxys. I hope that we’ll be able to patch things up and forge a friendship later on in the road. In the meantime, it’s great to have you.”

The aura returned to me, and I said, “Hmph. Well, let’s get going, then!” And then, the aura returned to the Master Ball.

“Was that Deoxys speaking through you?” Jenny asked.

“Yeah. Seems its only means of communication is through people. It won’t be a bother.”

After that, I said goodbye to Jenny and continued down the road. With a new Pokémon to add to the team, I was more than ready for the Mauville Gym. However, with Deoxys’ attitude, I now had one more item to add to my agenda: to find some way to open the door the Deoxys’ heart and become its friend, no matter what.

Chapter 17: Reunion by Rematch

“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”

“I don’t have a mouth. Besides, on my planet, sustenance is acquired through deep meditation. And it helps my mood, so please leave me alone.”

“*sigh* Okay. Where exactly is your planet, anyway?”

“…um…”

“Never mind. You don’t have to answer that.”

It was a day after I’d captured Deoxys. We were still on Route 111, and we’d stopped for some lunch. Deoxys was a ways away from us, meditating. After Meditite had finished eating and Metang had finished with its tree, they went next to Deoxys. Metang rested on the ground, and Meditite got on top of it and also started meditating. What surprised me was that Deoxys welcomed their presence and still chose to be like it was. Later on, I was walking along the road, and I found a white hat that looked familiar. I picked it up, wondering where I’d seen it before, and my answer came in the form of, “Hey, Mike! I see you found my hat!”

“Brendan! How’s it been going?” I asked as he ran up.

“Pretty good! I’ve been training hard and taking names before I start going after badges! How about you?” he replied as I gave him his hat and he put it back on.

“I’ve been catching Pokémon and I’ve earned two badges at the moment,” I said as I got out my badge case and showed him the Stone and Knuckle Badges.

“Quite an impressive feat! Your Pokémon must be really powerful!”

“Yeah, but…” I thought about Deoxys. “I’m having a problem with one of them,” I said as I faintly heard Deoxys’ aura come out behind me. “See, it doesn’t eat. It’s not pressing for it to eat, but I’m still concerned. What do you think will-”

“I’ve got just the thing! Try this bag of Pokeblock!” he said as he handed me a bag. Inside were little block-like candies. “My dad said it’s the ultimate in terms of Pokémon diet!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard this stuff is a Pokémon’s favorite, depending on the color. Are you sure you want to give me all this, though?”

“It’s fine! I needed to take a load off, anyway, because I’ve got another whole bagful!”

“Oh. Well, thank you, Brendan!”

“Say, can I see how your Eevee’s doing?”

“Oh, yeah! Come on out!” I said as I let Espeon out of its Poke Ball.

“WHAT?! It evolved already?!” Brendan said, shocked. “And it’s looking great, too!”

“Espeon!” Espeon responded gratefully.

“Yeah, it evolved in our first Gym Battle! Speaking of which, how about WE have a battle? I’m dying to see your Pokémon’s strength!”

“Okay! Let’s make this a three-on-three battle!”

“All right. You’re up, Psyduck!” I said as I released Psyduck.

“Let’s do it, Seedot!” he said as he released a brown, acorn-like Pokémon. “Use Bullet Seed!” Seedot fired a barrage of yellow bullets at Psyduck.

“Use Confusion to send it right back!” Psyduck’s Confusion sent the Bullet Seed back at Seedot, but the attack had little effect.

“Seedot, Tackle attack!” Seedot lunged at Psyduck.

“Psyduck, use Fury Swipes!” Psyduck slashed away at Seedot, stopping the Tackle.

“Now! Bullet Seed!” Seedot fired another Bullet Seed at Psyduck, this time hitting the mark. “Now use Leech Seed!” Seedot fired a brown seed that hit Psyduck and trapped it in the vines that sprouted from it. No matter what attacks I shouted, Psyduck couldn’t move. The Leech Seed drained its energy until it passed out, unable to battle.

“Psyduck, you did great! Take a rest! Let’s go, Girafarig!” I said as I sent Girafarig out of its Poke Ball.

“Rig!” Girafarig responded, raring to go.

“Bullet Seed, Seedot!” Seedot fired a Bullet Seed.

“Girafarig, use Mirror Coat!” Girafarig glowed with a bright aura, absorbed the attack, then flung it back with double damage. Seedot was knocked onto its back. “Okay, use Crunch attack!” Girafarig jumped at Seedot, then turned around midjump. Its tail then opened its mouth, which chomped Seedot’s foot.

“Seedot! Try to break out of there!” Try as it did, Seedot couldn’t break free.

“Finish it with Psybeam!” Girafarig fired a Psybeam at Seedot, causing it to faint. “Great job!” I exclaimed.

“Awesome job, Seedot! Take a rest,” Brendan said as he returned Seedot to its Poke Ball. “Go, Aron!” He said as he threw a Poke Ball. Out came a small Pokémon in iron plating, Aron. “Use Metal Claw!”

“Arrrr!” it said as it jumped at Girafarig with a Metal Claw attack.

“Girafarig! Dodge and use Psybeam!” Girafarig fired a Psybeam, but Aron dodged it. “Use Psybeam again!” Girafarig shot a Psybeam from its horns at Aron, but it didn’t do much damage.

“Aron, use Take Down!” Aron hit Girafarig with a Take Down, sending it back a ways.

“Girafarig! Try a Thunder attack!” Girafarig fired an electric bolt from its horns, and it did moderate damage. “And again!”

“Counter that with a Metal Claw!” Aron’s Metal Claw took out its target, but before I knew it, the Thunder attack nailed Aron, causing it to faint as well. We returned our Pokémon to their balls, congratulated them, and then faced each other.

“You’re doing well. No wonder you’ve won two badges already!”

“You too. I’d think that if you’d gone for badges, you’d have probably won four by now.”

“Now, let’s wrap this up. Come on out, Marshtomp!” He sent out a blue fish-like Pokémon that resembled his Mudkip from before. It had probably evolved.

“Showtime, Espeon!”

“Espe!” Espeon said as it leapt into action.

“Anything about this seem familiar?”

“Our starters facing off? Yeah, good times.”

“And just like before, look where we are!”

I looked, and saw all the water around us. “Aw nuts.”

“Marshtomp, use Mud Shot!” Marshtomp fired a Mud Shot at Espeon.

“Espeon, use Confusion!” Espeon’s Confusion caught the Mud Shot and fired it back.

“Dodge and use Muddy Water!” Marshtomp jumped over the attack and then summoned the water around us. It turned brown and formed a wave that crashed into Espeon.

“Espeon, use Psychic to send Marshtomp into the air!” Espeon’s Psychic sent Marshtomp flying and caused it to slam into the ground multiple times. “Now, use Morning Sun before it’s too late!”

“Espe!” it said as it regained energy.

“Marshtomp, Rain Dance!” In the air, Marshtomp sent a glowing blue orb into the air that summoned rainclouds to block the sun. Espeon looked startled, as the attack seemed to have only revitalized half of the usual energy.

“Espeon, Swift attack!” Espeon fired the stars at Marshtomp.

“Use Water Gun to repel them!” Marshtomp’s Water Gun fended off the attack. It was then that Marshtomp started to glow with a blue aura. “All right! It’s Marshtomp’s Torrent!”

“Who?”

“No, Torrent! It’s an ability that the Mudkip evolutions have that raises the power of Water moves in a pinch! So use Muddy Water again!” Marshtomp summoned up another Muddy Water.

“I have an idea. Use Sunny Day!” Espeon fired a red orb into the air, causing the rainclouds to dissipate, thereby cutting the damage Muddy Water would’ve done with Rain Dance. “Now use Morning Sun again!” Espeon’s Morning Sun revitalized a ton of energy.

“Marshtomp, hurry and use Iron Tail!” Marshtomp charged at Espeon with an Iron Tail at the ready.

“Hidden Power!” I said to Espeon. The white orbs surrounded it and became a beam that knocked Marshtomp a LONG distance away (must’ve been super effective). It was a safe bet to say that Marshtomp was unable to battle, and Espeon was the winner.

“Marshtomp! Are you all right?!”

“Marsh…tomp,” Marshtomp replied.

“That’s good,” he said. “Mike, your Espeon is something else! We’ll keep training until we can beat you two!”

“Whenever you guys want another match, let us know! We’re always up for it, right Espeon?”

“Espe! Espeon!”

“Marshtomp!”

We then parted ways, after shaking hands. He went towards Slateport City, and I towards Mauville City. Before we got there, we took another break. Everyone was out of their ball, and Deoxys was meditating again. Everybody else seemed to like the Pokeblock, so I took some to Deoxys.

“No thanks. I don’t need to eat anyway.”

“I’m sure there’s some way you can take this in! You’ll love it.”

Deoxys sighed and reluctantly took the Pokeblock in its hand. From the vertical line on its face, Deoxys sent out a ray that took the Pokeblock in. Deoxys looked deep in thought for a while, then said, “Hm. Sour, yet sweet.” It paused, then looked at me and said, “…I like it.” It then closed its eyes and didn’t say another word.

I smiled and said, “Anytime.” I then went back to the others, and we finished up, packed up, and began the last leg of our journey to Mauville City.

Chapter 18: The Dynamo Duo

At long last, the crew and I finally made it to Mauville City. As soon as I got there, I dropped everyone off with Nurse Joy. I then went to the Bike Shop, because Mr. Jameson said that was where I could use the Bike Voucher I’d received.

When I stepped in, I showed the head guy the voucher, and he said, “Ah yes! That voucher will get you a free bike! Now take your pick from these two types!” I looked at the two types of bikes. On the one hand, the Mach Bike was able to go at high speed, and that might make my trip a little faster. On the other hand, the Acro Bike was able to do wheelies and hop, which might help me get places I normally couldn’t. It was a tough choice, but I decided to go with the Acro Bike. I thanked the man and left. No sooner did I leave than I saw a yellow robotic lion with lightning on its arms and a thundercloud-like mane. It was known as Raikou, a Legendary Pokémon from the Johto region, and it was chasing people around. It soon came after me, and so I got on my bike and sped away. However, it started to gain on me, causing me to think to myself, WHY DIDN’T I CHOOSE THE MACH BIKE?!? It was when I looked back that I noticed a red light on its head, and it looked like it was covered with sparks. That had to be what was making it malfunction. I rounded a corner, causing Robo-Raikou to skid to a stop. I turned back around, and sped right at Raikou. The two of us were within jumping distance of each other when I did a wheelie. The wheel hit the red light, causing it to shatter. I was inevitably knocked back, but Robo-Raikou shut down. As I got up, a man looking in about his fifties ran up. He had several lightning bolt symbols on his light brown jacket, and the top hair on his head looked like a lightning bolt.

“Are you all right?” he asked, helping me to my feet.

“Yes sir. I’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry for Robo-Raikou. I don’t know what caused him to malfunction.”

“Robo-who?”

“No, Robo-Raikou! I built it to be modeled after the Legend of Thunder itself!”

“Wait, you built that robot?”

“That’s right! I’m the Gym Leader, Wattson! And in my spare time, I make electric traps for trainers who come to my Gym! This one just happened to go haywire for some reason.”

“It’s all right! I needed to try my new bike anyway! Say, do you think I could come to your Gym later today? I’m looking to earn my third Badge!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, yeah! Swing by anytime you like! I’ll go ahead and shut down the traps for you to enter safely! See you later!” he said as he carted the Robo-Raikou off.

“…..okay…” I said, terrified.

Later, after I’d gotten my Pokémon back, I made my way to the Mauville Gym. Once I got there, I saw another familiar face along with a new one. They were arguing for some reason, and Wattson was just watching this argument. I moved in close, and this is what I heard:

“Come on, Uncle! Just give me this one chance! Ralts and I are ready!”

“Wally, there’s a difference between Gym battles and practicing with wild Pokémon. I don’t think you’re ready.”

“I beg to differ!” I interjected. Everyone looked back at me as I came forward. “If Wally thinks he’s ready, then who are we to argue? He knows himself better than we know him, so all we can do is trust him!”

“Well, Mike! You came for your Gym battle!” said Wattson.

“I did, but I’d be happy to wait. Wally did get here before me, after all,” I replied.

“Thanks Mike!” Wally said. “I know we’re ready!”

“But Wally-” his uncle interjected.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! I’ve got an idea!” said Wattson. “Watt, come here!” Out came someone who looked like a researcher with brown hair and glasses.

“You called, Mr. Wattson?” he asked.

“Yes, Watt. It appears we have two challengers here for a Gym challenge today! How about you and Ampharos join me for a Tag Battle?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Wattson!”

“Okay, Wally. You ready to do this?” I asked.

“You know it!” he replied.

We then made our way into the Gym’s arena. It seemed relatively normal. Wattson and Watt stood on the left, and me and Wally on the right. Wally’s uncle took the red and green flags and said: “This battle between Wattson and Watt, Leader and Assistant of the Mauville Gym, and Mike and Wally, the challengers, will now begin! Each trainer will be allotted the use of one Pokémon for two teams using Tag Battle rules! Trainers may not substitute their Pokémon, and the battle will end when both of either team’s Pokémon are unable to continue! Begin!”

“Magneton, let’s go!” Wattson said.

“Go, Ampharos!” Watt said.

“Come on out, Ralts!” Wally said.

“Espeon, showtime!” I said.

We released our Pokémon from their Poke Balls. Espeon and Ralts were at the ready on our end, and on the other end were two Electric Pokémon. Magneton looked like three metal balls with an eye in each, and the body as a whole had screws and magnets coming out of it. Ampharos looked like a giant yellow sheep (no wool) that could stand on two legs, and had two red orbs, on its head and tail.

“Okay Magneton, use Shock Wave!” Magneton fired a blue stream of electricity at Espeon.

“Espeon, send it right back with Confusion!” Espeon’s Confusion sent Shock Wave back to Magneton, but it did hardly any damage.

“Ampharos, Thundershock!” Ampharos fired a jolt of electricity at Ralts.

“Ralts, use Confusion!” Ralts’ Confusion sent Thundershock back to Ampharos, but that didn’t do damage either.

“Ampharos, use Thunderpunch!” Ampharos lunged at Ralts with a Thunderpunch.

“Espeon, use Iron Tail to defend!” Espeon’s Iron Tail intercepted the attack and knocked Ampharos for a loop.

“Magneton, use Zap Cannon!” Magneton’s Zap Cannon hit Ralts, immediately paralyzing it.

“No! Ralts, try to move!” It couldn’t. I tried to think of what Wally could do.

“Ampharos, use Fire Punch!” Ampharos’ fist gained fire, aiming right for Ralts. I got an idea.

“Espeon! Use Psychic on that Fire Punch!” Espeon’s Psychic stopped Ampharos and separated the fire from Ampharos’ fist. “Now, release that fire at Magneton!” Espeon used Psychic to throw the fire Magneton’s way, causing it major damage as a Steel Type.

“Ampharos! Quick Attack!” Ampharos used Quick Attack to knock Espeon back a distance. “Now use Thunderbolt!” Ampharos unleashed a powerful electric attack on Espeon, but Espeon seemed okay.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! Magneton, hit 'em with Thunder!” Magneton fired a massive electric bolt. Ralts couldn’t move, and Espeon couldn’t react quickly enough, so they got hit. What I noticed was that a stray spark hit Ampharos, and it cried in pain. I knew then how to win this. Espeon and Ralts struggled, but got to their feet.

“There’s got to be something we can do!” Wally said worriedly.

“We can have faith,” I replied.

“What good is it if we lose? My uncle was right, I wasn’t ready for this!”

“Don’t be so sure! Look!” Wally looked to his uncle, who was smiling, as if to say Wally had his support.

“I can’t believe it! All right Unc, I’ll win this for you, too! Now Mike, is there a way to damage these guys?”

“I think there is. I noticed it when Thunder hit Ampharos.”

“…oh, I see! How can we do it?”

“We’ve got to work together to make it happen! What other attacks does Ralts know?”

“Um…Magical Leaf, I think. There’s also…”

“How about Façade?” I said, thinking about Ralt’s paralysis.

“Yeah! It knows that one!”

“That’ll be enough. Okay, Espeon! Hit Magneton with Psybeam!” Espeon fired a Psybeam at Magneton.

“Ralts! Hit Ampharos with Magical Leaf!”Ralts fired multi-colored leaves at Ampharos.

“Magneton! Dodge and use Zap Cannon!”

“Ampharos! Dodge and use Thunderbolt!”

The two attacks fired at our Pokémon. Wally and I nodded to each other, looked at our Pokémon, and said, “CONFUSION!” Espeon and Ralts caught the two attacks and fired them back…at the OTHER opponent. Magneton got blasted with Ampharos’ Thunderbolt, while Ampharos was nailed by Magneton’s Zap Cannon.

“Magneton! Get up!”

“Ampharos! No!”

“Espeon! Finish it with Shadow Ball! Espeon’s Shadow Ball did enough damage to knock Magneton out.

“Ralts! Finish it with Facade!” Ralts glowed yellow and lunged at Ampharos with a punch that took Ampharos down.

“Magneton and Ampharos! Both Pokémon are unable to battle! Espeon and Ralts are the winners, and victory in this match goes to the team of Wally and Mike!” Wally’s uncle said as he raised the green flag. We then congratulated our Pokémon with hugs and high-fives.

“Uncle, I did it! I won a Gym battle!” Wally said as he and Ralts ran over to Wally’s uncle.

“I’m sure your parents would be proud of you, as am I,” Wally’s uncle replied happily.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! You’ve certainly got some spark, Mike! And you really passed it along to Wally over there! I’d say whatever sickness he’d had before, this battle got him over it! Your teamwork and tactics have put you over the top! And so, I present you with the Dynamo Badge, proof of your victory here at the Mauville Gym!” said Wattson as he gave me a badge that was a yellow circle inside a yellow circle with two lines coming out of it. Wally was getting his from Watt at that time.

“Thank you, Wattson! Espeon, WE WON THE DYNAMO BADGE!”

“Espe, Espeon!”

After that, we said our goodbyes and left the Gym. Wally thanked me for my help in him getting his confidence back.

“You’re welcome. Just be sure to keep training for the day when we finally battle!” I said.

“That’ll be at the Hoenn League! And I’ll win!”

“Until then!”

We then departed ways, him west to Verdanturf, and me to the Pokémon Center. It was then that Deoxys’ aura went into me.

“Well, it appears that you are not as incompetent as I had originally thought. You appear capable, but it’ll still be a LONG time before I listen to you.”

“You’ll learn to have fun. Where were you?”

“Behind your friend’s uncle. By the way, where’s your bike?” I stopped dead in my tracks.

“OH NO! Where is it where is it where is it where where where where where-”

“Heh,” Deoxys chuckled, “Just kidding. You folded it up and put it in your backpack, remember?”

“…………………………………………….”

“You’re right. This just might be fun after all!"

“Yeah, FUN.”

Chapter 19: Just Deserts

I started on my way to Fallarbor Town, because not even my Acro Bike could get me to Lavaridge Town. The plan was to take the northern routes to Fallarbor Town, then go south from Fallarbor Town, then take the tram up to Mt. Chimney, then down from there into Lavaridge. While I was here, I decided I’d visit the desert. In science class, I’d heard that a tower was often seen there. At first, the only things I saw were a few Trapinch, orange Pokémon with sharp teeth, making their way into the ground through tunnels. At one point, I saw a school of Vibrava, the evolved form of Trapinch, fly out of a crevice in the ground and then split in the sky. Many Cacnea, cactus-like Pokémon, would wave as I walked by, so I waved back. All of this was interesting, but still no tower. I did manage to see some boulders shaped strangely, though. I was just at wit’s end when out of nowhere, a tower appeared right in front of me. It was tall, and it appeared to be made out of sand. I went inside, and the whole thing was solid, to my surprise.

“What is this place?”

“I’ve seen something like this back on my planet. I believe it’s called the Mirage Tower. It appears every now and then in random areas, and is supposed to hold an ancient treasure,” Deoxys said through me.

“Treasure? That’s interesting. Well, due to my wanting to see this treasure, as well as everything else in this place, I say we explore.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m sure you want to see this place, too. In fact, everybody come out!” I released the Pokémon from their Poke Balls. “Everybody stay together. We never know what could happen here.” We traveled through the first floor of the tower, not finding much of anything. As soon as we came to the second floor, we saw two sculptures made completely out of sand. One was of a trio of birdlike Pokémon, each with particular shapes, surrounding a dragon-like Pokémon with weird eyes. Another was a trio of beasts, and one of them looked exactly like that Robo-Raikou Wattson had. Above them was some kind of peacock-like Pokémon. “What are these Pokémon?” I asked.

“How should I know? They didn’t exist on my planet!”

“Espe!”

“Guys, keep it down. We don’t know what’s in here.”

“I don’t have to do as you say!”

“Metang!”

“Come on guys, can we focus?”

“I repeat: whatever.”

We made it to the third floor. It was a circular room that was smaller than the previous two floors. Gathered around us were Pokémon sand sculptures. One looked like a giant whale, another like a plated giant, and the third like a serpent dragon.

“These must be legendary Pokémon! They must have some sort of signif-” I stopped short, seeing that Psyduck was about to lean on the whale. “PSYDUCK! NO!”

“Psy?” it asked, already leaning on it. All of a sudden, red lines filled the sculpture’s crevices, and it roared. Psyduck ran back to me, terrified. We backed up, but then we heard another roar. Behind us, the giant had woken up, gained blue lines in its own crevices, and glared. My Pokedex told me that they were Kyogre and Groudon, respectively. They started to fight, causing sand to fall.

“We’ve gotta do something to stop this! Girafarig, use Thunder!” Girafarig fired a Thunder attack at the sculptures. It caused Kyogre to draw back, but Groudon just looked annoyed. Groudon fired a Mud Shot at Girafarig. “Psyduck, use Water Gun!” Psyduck jumped in front of Girafarig and sprayed water at the attack. It held off Groudon’s attack for a while, but eventually was overpowered by the Mud Shot. “Girafarig, use Psybeam!” The attack knocked Groudon back, but Kyogre fired a Hyper Beam that almost knocked Girafarig out. “Damn, there’s just no end!” I said.

“Do I have to do everything? Yeesh,” said Deoxys as it touched the serpent dragon. It came to life, then roared. Groudon and Kyogre stopped, returned to their points of origin, and all three went back to sleep. It was then that the door opened, allowing us to move on to the second floor.

“Well, great job, Deoxys. I never would’ve thought of that.”

“Rayquaza paid us a visit once. Said something about being able to calm the spirits of the land and sea, something like that. I figured, since a Rayquaza statue is here, why not activate it, too?”

We moved on to the fourth floor, which was another circular room surrounded by statues of dragon-looking Pokémon. The door was open, so we left that room without touching anything. We made it to the fifth floor, where there was another Rayquaza statue. Underneath it was a chest with two little weird rocks on top.

“So, this is it, eh?” I said. As soon as I said that, Deoxys flew up to the statue, examined it, then said:

“Hmm, another Rayquaza sculpture. Must be a deity around Hoenn. MY deity, of course, is Arceus.”

“Who?”

“No, ARCEUS! Oh, never mind,” Deoxys said, then sighed.

“Well, I wonder what the treasure is…” I said as I reached for the chest.

“You’re gonna keep wondering!” a voice said.

“Cuz we’re taking it for ourselves!” another voice said.

I spun around, and to my surprise (yeah right), there stood Team Rocket. “Hey guys, how’s it going?” I said.

“Oh, you know! Thieving isn’t the most beneficial job, so we just gotta make do with following guys like you around!” Olson replied.

“It certainly WAS easy to make it up here by doing that! Now that you cleared the way for us, we’ll take it from here, if you don’t mind!” Ashley said.

“You know, if they stored something here, they probably wanted to KEEP it here, you nimrods!” I retorted.

“Who are THESE people?”

“They’re from a group called Team Rocket, a group of people who do meet your initial expectations of humans.”

“So they use Pokémon for evil purposes?! I won’t allow this! Your days are numbered, evil-doers!...Okay, that was over the top.”

“Wait, what’s THAT Pokémon?” asked Ashley, confused.

“It must be psychic if it can speak through humans! But it’s no match for us!” Olson replied.

“Right! Go, Vileplume and Misdreavus!”

“Go, Golem and Haunter!”

They sent out their Pokémon, ready to battle mine. Just then, there was another roar that scared their Pokémon back into their Poke Ball. It even scared Team Rocket to the point where they were grabbing each other and screaming, but I turned around to see what it was. The Rayquaza statue had come to life! It roared again, and I got down on the ground to avoid being eaten. I accidentally hit the chest, causing the two rocks to fall. Rayquaza’s Roar sent them at Team Rocket.

“GAH! TEAM ROCKET’S-” The rocks hit them in the face and caused them to fall down the stairs. It was then that Rayquaza returned to a normal statue. I got up to see that Team Rocket was indeed gone, and the rocks were gone as well. I was puzzled, but shrugged and continued on. I opened the chest, and inside were two orbs, blue and red. The third thing was a yellow aura shaped like an orb. I picked it up, and it suddenly assimilated into my hand, even though I didn’t feel anything. Since nothing was left, we decided to leave, taking the red and blue orbs. On our way out, I decided to pick up a gold necklace that was lying on the second floor (I thought it would make a nice gift for Alexis). As soon as we exited the Mirage Tower, it immediately fell into the sands below. With our adventure in the tower finished, we resumed our journey to Fallarbor Town. But even more questions filled my mind: What was Rayquaza? What did those two orbs have to do with it? And what was the significance of those two rocks? The answers were just blowing in the wind by that point.

Chapter 20: Showdown with Skarmory

During my time in the desert, I’d decided to catch some more Pokémon. I caught a Cacnea, Sandshrew (a mouse-like Ground-Type Pokémon surrounded by a thick shell), and a Trapinch. When I reached the outside of the desert, I immediately saw tons of new Pokémon to capture, so I got right to it. I saw this little panda-like Pokémon with spirals for eyes and brown spots in random places, a Spinda. It seemed harmless, so I decided to use this as an opportunity to perfect Meditite’s Energy Ball. Ever since I’d seen Paul’s Grotle use it, I thought it might be a good idea to have it in our arsenal.

“Okay! Go, Meditite!” I said as I unleashed Meditite from its Poke Ball.

“Spinda!” the Pokémon said in surprise. It then lunged toward Meditite with a white fist.

“It’s using Dizzy Punch! Try an Ice Punch!” Meditite fired an Ice Punch at Spinda. The punches collided and sent the two backwards. Spinda then started to do its Teeter Dance, trying to confuse Meditite.

“Meditite, use Psychic attack!” Meditite’s Psychic stopped Spinda in its tracks and lifted Spinda into the air. “Okay, now let’s do it like we’ve been practicing! Energy Ball!” Meditite readied a green orb in its hands, and then fired it. Unfortunately, it dissipated before it could reach Spinda. “Okay, that could use work. Try Hi Jump Kick!” As Meditite jumped into the air, Spinda jumped after it with another Dizzy Punch. The two attacks collided in midair, then both Pokémon fell to the ground, with Spinda knocked out. “Meditite, are you okay?”

“Medi,” it said as it got to its feet.

“Sorry about that,” I said. “Now then. Poke Ball, GO!” I said as I threw a Poke Ball at Spinda. It hit, and Spinda went inside the Poke Ball, wiggled around for a bit, then clicked. “Great! WE CAUGHT A SPINDA!”

“Medi…” Meditite said, looking down.

“Come on! You were awesome! We just need a little more practice at that Energy Ball and you’ll get it perfect! Let’s keep going!”
We forged on ahead. We saw several more Spinda playing with each other, and there were two that came over and brought us along to play. Meditite and I looked at each other, grinned, and agreed. I then brought out all the rest of my Pokémon to play, but Deoxys went off to meditate. We spent some time playing with the Spinda, and they had quite a collection of toys. We held the jump rope for them (even getting a few turns ourselves), I tossed the Frisbee for everybody, and we raced with them (Espeon tied with this one Spinda). Suddenly, a giant net appeared and grabbed all the Spinda. I looked to see who threw it, and saw this burly blonde guy in a uniform with a red R on the chest. He had to be from Team Rocket, of course, but he was in this giant robot with legs, so he was certainly a step above Ashley and Olson.

“Who are you?!” I shouted.

“Heh, look. The runt patrol showed up! Name’s Attila, and I’m an expert in rounding up Pokémon!” he replied.

“I can’t begin to go into how much I’ve been called a runt! Now, let those Spinda go!”

“Sorry kid, but what fun would THAT be? Go, Muk!” He sent out a Pokémon that looked like a giant purple blob. “Use Sludge Bomb!”

“MUUUK!” it said as it fired a Sludge Bomb at us.

“Espeon, use Swift Attack!” Espeon’s Swift cancelled out the Sludge Bomb. “Girafarig, use Thunder on the robot! Metang, hit Muk with Meteor Mash!” Metang knocked Muk out with a fist filled with multi-colored meteors, while Girafarig hit the machine with its Thunder. The machine twitched a little bit, then dropped the net. The Spinda gathered behind me and thanked us.

“NO! You’re gonna pay for that, kid!” he said as he returned Muk to its ball.

“You’d better give up while you still can! You’re impossibly outnumbered!”

“No way, runt! I’ll take these Spinda the old-fashioned way! Go, Skarmory!” Out came a giant bird with steel plating, Skarmory. It swooped in, ready to fight.

“Okay, hang on! I’ll take you on, one-on-one! You win, the Spinda are yours! I win, you scram!” I said.

“HAH! Fine, I accept!” Attila replied confidently.

“Okay, Girafarig. You ready?”

“Rig,” Girafarig replied.

“Meditite!” Meditite interjected.

“Oh, you want to battle, Meditite?”

“Medi.”

“…okay, then! Showtime, Meditite!”

“Medi!”

“Okay, Skarmory! Use Aerial Ace!” Skarmory looped around, and then dove right at Meditite.

“Get ready to dodge, Meditite!” I said. Just then, Skarmory sped up then disappeared. “What happened?” Out of nowhere, Skarmory reappeared and struck Meditite with its beak.

“Good, Skarmory! Now hit ‘em with Swift!” Skarmory fired a Swift attack.

“Send it right back with Confusion!” Meditite’s Confusion sent the attack right back, but it did little damage at all.

“Skarmory! Use Steel Wing!” Skarmory’s wings glowed white as it flew toward Meditite. The attack sent Meditite into a boulder.

“Meditite! We’re gonna have to try Energy Ball! Go!” Meditite charged up an Energy Ball, but it once again dissipated.

“HAHAHA! Energy Ball?! Seems it doesn’t quite have the ENERGY! Skarmory, Air Cutter!” Skarmory fired several boomerang-like gusts, sending Meditite flying into the rocks.

“Meditite!”

“Me…di…”

“Skarmory! Finish it off with another Steel Wing!” Skarmory dove right at Meditite.

“MEDITITE! WATCH OUT!” I said. Just then, Meditite was surrounded by a glow. As far as I could see, its height doubled and it became much slimmer. When the glow faded, it had gained pink padding on its head and legs, and its mouth was a perfect circle.

“MEDICHAM!” it shouted. It then leapt at Skarmory and knocked it out of the air with a Hi Jump Kick.

“Wait, what the hell is that?!” Attila exclaimed.

“Let me see,” I said as I took out my Pokedex.

“Medicham, the Meditate Pokémon. Medicham is the evolved form of Meditite. Through the power of meditation and yoga, Medicham has a sixth sense as well as psychokinetic powers.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! I can’t believe this,” I said, shocked.

“Medicham!” it said to me, smiling.

“Okay, let’s get back on track! Use Brick Break!” Medicham’s hand glowed white and then slammed down onto Skarmory’s head.

“SKARMORY, USE AERIAL ACE!!!” Attila said, enraged. Skarmory dove in.

“Wait for it…” I said. Medicham started to meditate, and I closed my eyes. We both knew that we had to hone our senses to find where Skarmory was coming from. As soon as a rustle hit my left ear, I shouted, “TO THE LEFT! REVERSAL!” Medicham turned to the left and intercepted Skarmory’s attack with a fist that knocked Skarmory far back because Medicham had already lost so much energy. “Great job! Use Recover!” Medicham glowed yellow and regained some of its energy through its psychic powers.

“Skarmory! Use Steel Wing!”Skarmory came down at Medicham again.

“Medicham, you can do this. I have faith in you. We all do!” I said. I don’t know why, but it was like I could feel the Pokémon sending Medicham their hope. “USE ENERGY BALL, FULL POWER!”

“Me-di-CHAM!!” it cried as it fired a massive Energy Ball. The attack sent Skarmory crashing into Attila. No sooner did they get up when the Spinda ran over and sent him flying with all their Dizzy Punches.

“Way to go, guys!” I said. As soon as I said that, everybody jumped on me, and we all started to laugh, especially the Spinda. From the corner of my eye I could see Deoxys watching us from the tree it had been meditating in. As soon as it realized that I was looking, it quickly turned away. We played with the Spinda some more, then said goodbye and left. Having seen another member of Team Rocket, I began to wonder: just how many of them had made it into the Hoenn Region? Would we be able to stop them again? I kept pondering these questions as I moved all the closer to Fallarbor Town.

Chapter 21: Deoxys’ Decision

After making it to Fallarbor Town, resting at the Pokémon Center, and then getting all the supplies we needed, we took the tram up to Mt. Chimney. I let everybody out to see the views, but Deoxys once again meditated.

“Don’t you want to see this, Deoxys?” I asked.

“No,” it replied gruffly.

“Okay, what is WRONG with you? You don’t like humans to the point where you just become all emo?”

“I’m angry about that Team Rocket. They’re taking over the world, one Pokémon at a time. You’re just going to let them go, just like that? Beat them, then let them live?”

“It’s just part of what makes us human: looking out for one another, and for Pokémon, too. I may not be proud, but I’d never go as far as you’re boasting.”

“Hmph,” Deoxys replied. “I’m certainly not human, so don’t expect me to look out for you.”

“What makes you think I’m like Team Rocket?” I asked angrily. However, Deoxys didn’t say another word for the rest of the ride.

Once we reached the top, we exited the station onto the mountain. We decided to look at some peculiar rock formations. One of them was more peculiar than others, but when I went to examine it, it unfurled and revealed itself to be Golem. It roared, and I drew back in surprise, but then glared in the direction of two very familiar laughs.

“TEAM ROCKET! You guys will just never quit, will you? “ I shouted.

“Of course! Not until your Espeon is ours!” Ashley replied.

“And all your other Pokémon, too!” Olson added.

“Over my dead body! Metang, Meteor Mash!” Metang’s Meteor Mash sent Golem flying back at the two. They managed to duck and send their other Pokémon at us. “Hold on a minute! What happened to those two rocks?” I asked.

“It just so happens that they happen to be fossils of extinct Pokémon!” Ashley replied.

“Our branch at Cinnabar Island is working on reviving them as we speak! Of course, we won’t need them to take your Poke-pals this time!” Olson added as his Haunter fired a Night Shade.

“You shall not pass!” Deoxys said as it fired its own Night Shade to overpower Haunter’s. It then used Psycho Boost to create a distraction.

“Good work! Everybody, let’s get out of here!” We made our way to Jagged Pass. I returned everybody but Deoxys to their Poke Ball, got out my bike, and started speeding down Jagged Pass.

“I distracted them. They’ll never know which way we’re going. Although I don’t understand why I didn’t-” The reason Deoxys cut off was because it was speaking through me, and I had just slammed into a boulder.

“…ohhh, holy crap, that hurt,” I said, grabbing my nose.

“Oh, get over it. You humans are so weak against pain, it almost scares me.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’m embarrassed to say that I’m under the control of a being that writhes when subjected to pain.”

“For the record, you’re not under my control.”

“Feh, might as well be. I mean, you’re basically depriving me of my freedom! You, a being who would just use Pokémon to fulfill your own desires and dreams and-”

“YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY DREAMS!” I shouted, pissed off. “My dream from the start was to go on a journey with my Pokémon! Not to be some big-time champion who just shows off, but to travel across the world, making bonds with everyone and everything I come into contact with! But I guess you’re too absorbed with your pride to see that! If you really don’t like this ‘confinement’, then just go!” I said. I took out the Master Ball and dropped it to the ground. “Go. It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but…I guess I didn’t expect it to be like this…”

“What are you waiting for? You couldn’t wait to be rid of me! You didn’t want to develop ANY kinds of bonds! I couldn’t get you to open your heart at all, so I’m doing you a favor to show you that no matter what, I still value your life! So GO!” I shouted through tears.

“I…”

“VILEPLUME!”

I looked up to see a Solarbeam coming right at Deoxys. I shoved it out of the way, then got hit. A lot of stuff happened, and I blacked out. When I came to, I saw a purple face, and something was carrying me. I looked around to see that Ashley and Olson had caught me, and I was in Haunter’s grip.

“What’s going on?!” I shouted.

“Well, from the looks of it, you’re tied up, we’ve got your Poke Balls, and all your Pokémon!” Ashley said. “And now Orwell here is about to throw you into the lava!...but that's just a hunch.”

“Enjoy your-THE NAME IS OLSON!” Olson said.

The two once again got into an argument. I struggled, but I just couldn’t break free from Haunter’s grasp. I was hoping that they’d continue arguing until I broke free, but apparently not.

“Look, just shut up and throw the kid over, Olson!”

“THE NAME’S OL-oh, that’s what you said! Okay, Haunter-”

“Wait, one last request. Can I talk to my Pokémon one last time?”

“Oh, I suppose so. Come out,” Ashley said as she released the Pokémon from their balls. They all were shocked when they saw me and moved forward.

“Uh-uh-uh! One more step and he goes over right now!” Olson said. Espeon and the others stood down.

“Guys, this is it. They’ve got us outmatched. Girarig, you’re a great Pokémon. Paul was dead wrong about you.”

“Rig...”

“Psyduck, take care of yourself. Always keep that optimism with you.”

“Psy-yay-yay…”

“Medicham, I’ve always admired your spark. Keep it up.”

“Cham…”

“Espeon, Metang…goodbye.”

“Metang…”

“Espeon…” Espeon was the first one to tear up, then the others quickly followed.

“Okay, enough mushy stuff! Back inside,” Ashley said as she returned the Pokémon to their Balls. “Okay, do it!”

“Roger! Toss him!”

“Haunter!” the Pokémon replied as it tossed me over. I couldn’t see everything that happened, but I was going down, stopped, then was swept into the air. Then, I heard myself say,

“You may be a pathetic human, but you’re still my trainer!”

I looked up, then saw Deoxys. “You…you rescued me? You didn’t leave me behind, after all…”

“It’s just one of the things that makes us human, I guess. No matter what, you really are my friend, and I’ll stand by you until the end!”

“…thanks, Deoxys. Want to finish this together? Without rhyming?”

“You know it,” it said as it helped me to my feet.

“What?! But we got that Master Ball, too! How did-”

“Balls? Hey, good idea! Let’s get the Poke Balls with Psychic!” Deoxys used Psychic to levitate all of them. It even moved the Poke Balls back to my belt. “Now give them a Focus Punch!” Deoxys winded up a white fist, then used it to knock Golem into Vileplume.

“GAH! Haunter, use Hypnosis!” Haunter sent out a wave of red eyes towards Deoxys.

“Dodge and use Rock Slide!” Deoxys’ Rock Slide trapped Haunter.

“Misdreavus, Perish Song!” Misdreavus took in breath to sing.

“Stop it with Confusion!” Deoxys used Confusion to stop Misdreavus and flung it at Haunter just as it got out of the rubble. “Let’s finish this! Psycho Boost!” Deoxys changed forms, then charged up a Psycho Boost from its crystal. The impact sent Team Rocket and their Pokémon into the air.

“NOOOOO! TEAM ROCKET’S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!” they screamed.

“Whew, that was a close one.” I said.

“Yeah. I still don’t see why we can’t just eliminate them, but it’s your call.”

“Hey, I’m sorry for all those things I said. Maybe I am just a worthless human. But I’m still happy to have you as my friend.”

“Well, it’s okay. I was acting up like usual. Anyway, I’m happy to have you as a friend as well. However, consider this a freebie.”

“What?”

“I still want to see what you can do, and if you’re more capable than what you’ve shown so far. Win in the next Gym, and I’ll start cooperating with you from here on out.”

“Okay. We’ll win it,” I said as I held out my hand. Deoxys slowly moved its hand out, and then shook mine. I knew that if we could win this next Gym battle, we’d officially gain the trust of our new friend. Not just me, but the rest of the team as well. With a new goal set, I finally set foot in Lavaridge Town, ready to make it happen.

Chapter 22: If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Then Get the Badge

At last, we’d arrived in Lavaridge Town, ready to win our fourth badge. We stopped off at the Pokémon Center, and I took a peek around. Everything was centered around hot springs, so I decided that after the gym battle, we’d definitely take a trip to these springs and take a dip. Anyway, after the Pokémon were ready, I made my way to the Lavaridge Gym. It sort of resembled a coliseum, but it had small flame decorations in the front, which hinted me as to what type of Pokémon the Gym Leader would use. I went inside to find the battlefield a wreck. There were two Slugma, which looked like snails made of lava, and a Torkoal, a Pokémon looked like an orange tortoise with a hard shell. With them was a girl who looked about two years older than me; she had red hair (and I mean RED hair), a small black tee, and blue jeans, and all four of them were cleaning.

“Excuse me?” I said. She turned to me and started to freak out.

“Oh, no! A challenger! Uh, come back tomorrow! The Gym Leader’s…uh, busy! Yup, lots to do! Mag, Meg, Torkoal! Let’s kick it up a notch!” she whispered as she and her Pokémon started to work faster.

“Whoa, slow down! I’m in no hurry! The only question here is: are you the Gym Leader here?”

“Well, I’m studying to be one! My name’s Flannery, and my grandfather is the Gym Leader here! Of course, you’ll have to be excellent to beat him! He’s one of the best Gym Leaders around!”

“I guess then I’ll have to put a blemish on his record!”

“My, that’s some spunk!” a voice replied from above. We looked up to see an old man in robes looking down at us.

“Uh, Grandpa! Um…keep going! FASTER!” She and her Pokémon kept cleaning the Gym. The old man came down next to me.

“Well, it’s good to finally meet you, Mike! I swear, you’re the spitting image of your old man!” he said.

“Oh, so you’re a member of the organization too?” I replied.

“That’s right! You can call me Mr. Moore! But keep it down,” he whispered. “My granddaughter doesn’t know about it! Anywho,” he said as his voice returned to normal, “I’m afraid that the Gym match will have to wait until Flannery’s done cleaning the Gym. My last challenger used a Rock-type and boulders were thrown everywhere! We won, but clean-up won’t be easy!”

“Unless you’re a Psychic Pokémon trainer!” I replied. “Espeon! Girafarig! Help me out!” I released the two from their Poke Balls, and using their Psychic powers, they cleared the boulders out of the Gym in almost no time.

“Wow! That was fast,” Flannery replied, astonished.

“Indeed! Now that that’s out of the way, I’m ready to battle! But don’t think I’ll go easy on you!” Mr. Moore said.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way!” I replied. Besides, if I wasn’t giving it my all, I wouldn’t be truly winning this for Deoxys…

We took our places on the field: Mr. Moore on the left, and me on the right. Flannery took two flags, stepped into the middle, and said: “This battle between Grandpa Moore, Leader of the Lavaridge Gym, and Mike, the challenger from Littleroot Town, will now begin! Each trainer will be allotted the use of one Pokémon with no substitutions! The battle will end when either Trainer’s Pokémon is unable to continue! Begin!”

“Go, Typhlosion!” Mr. Moore sent out a Pokémon that looked like a beast with a solid flame along the back of its neck.

“Psyduck, showtime!” I sent out Psyduck, who looked a little intimidated by Typhlosion.

“Typhlosion, start off with Swift!” Typhlosion fired a Swift at us.

“Psyduck, Confusion!” Psyduck caught the Swift with Confusion and fired it right back.

“Charge through it with Flame Wheel!” Typhlosion used Flame Wheel to break down the Swift barrage and knock Psyduck back.

“Psyduck, you can do it! No matter what, Typhlosion is a Fire Pokémon! Use Water Gun!” Psyduck hit Typhlosion with Water Gun, but the attack didn’t even faze it.

“Typhlosion, show them how we wrap things up! Use Thunderpunch!” Typhlosion used a Thunderpunch to knock Psyduck far back.

“No, Psyduck!”

“You see, we’re prepared for every contingency, Typhlosion and I! Not even Water Pokémon stand a chance! “

“PhloSION!” his Pokémon added.

“We won’t give up! Strength isn’t always the answer! You also need trust! Trusting in yourself and your Pokémon!”

“Duck!” Psyduck added.

“Well said! You need the right balance of trust and strength if you’re gonna win! Your trust is overwhelming, but your strength is lacking! So let’s take it down some more! Typhlosion! Thunderpunch!” Typhlosion lunged at Psyduck with another Thunderpunch.

“Psyduck, Disable!” Psyduck used Disable to stop the Thunderpunch from activating. “Now, Water Gun!” Psyduck’s Water Gun sent Typhlosion back a ways, but had little effect.

“Typhlosion, Flamethrower!” Typhlosion fired an intense stream of fire at Psyduck.

“Psyduck, Confusion!” Psyduck’s Confusion sent Flamethrower right back. Once again, it didn’t do much damage. “He’s right! Our power isn’t enough! Maybe it’s over…” I said, looking down. I’m sorry, Deoxys. I failed you. I guess I’m not strong enough-

“Psyduck!” I looked up to see an angry Psyduck using Scratch on my face.

“OW! What was that for?!”

“Psy, psy-yay-duck!” it said, adopting a familiar pose. That’s when I remembered: Psyduck had encouraged me to never give up. If I didn’t give up for Gyarados back then, why would I give up on Psyduck AND Deoxys now?

“Thanks, Psyduck! That’s just what I needed! We’re back on track now, Mr. Moore! Our bonds will defeat your power!”

“Psyduck! PSY!” it said. Just then, it got a light blue glow around it. Its figure got slimmer, its fingers received webbing, its beak got sharper, and its overall size increased tremendously. When the glow faded, it looked like an entirely different Pokémon. Also, it was blue. “Golduck!” it said happily.

“Whoa! Your Pokémon evolved?! Grandpa, should I call off the match?” Flannery asked.

“No, evolution isn’t against the rules! Let’s see where this battle goes!” Mr. Moore responded.

“Let me see what the Pokedex has to say about this one,” I said as I brought out my Pokedex.

“Golduck, the Duck Pokémon. Golduck is the evolved form of Psyduck. Golduck is very adept at using its webbed hands and feet, making it the fastest swimming Pokémon of all.”

“All right! Let’s do it, Golduck! Hydro Pump!”

“GOL-DUCK!” it said as it fired a Hydro Pump at Typhlosion. The attack did much more damage to Typhlosion than any others before.

“Now try an Aerial Ace!” Golduck rushed at Typhlosion with blinding speed, disappeared, then struck right after reappearing.

“Typhlosion! Thunderpunch!” Typhlosion aimed another Thunderpunch at Golduck.

“Golduck! Psychic attack!” Golduck’s Psychic grabbed Typhlosion, then flung it at a wall. “Now, let’s get back in the game!”

“Gol-DUCK!” it replied. Suddenly, its body was surrounded by water, and it dove at Typhlosion.

“Typhlosion! Get out of there with Quick Attack!” Typhlosion just barely managed to get away. “Amazing! Your Golduck can use Aqua Jet!”

“Who?”

“No, Aqua Jet! It’s a powerful Water Attack that involves both water and body! However, you won’t get another chance to use it after this! Use Fire Blast!” Typhlosion fired a star made of fire at Golduck.

“Golduck, use Confusion!” Golduck’s Confusion sent it back at Typhlosion, doing some damage.

“Now you’re battling, Mike! But like I said, there needs to be a balance of power AND trust! Typhlosion! Let’s end this with Flame Wheel!” Typhlosion charged forward with fire surrounding it.

“You’re on! Golduck, Aqua Jet!” Golduck charged forward with water surrounding it. The two collided, then kept going, not budging an inch.

“Typhlosion, give it all the flame you’ve got!” Typhlosion moved forward a bit.

“Golduck, douse that flame!” Golduck pushed it back. “Come on, I know you’ve got the power to win! FULL POWER!”

“GOLDUCK!” the Pokémon shouted. Suddenly, it overpowered Typhlosion and rammed it into the wall. When Golduck moved away from the wreckage, Typhlosion looked flattened and wiped out.

“ALL RIGHT, GOLDUCK! WAY TO GO!”

“Whoa, what power!” Flannery said, astounded.

“Flannery, make the final judgement!” Mr. Moore said with a smile, to my surprise.

“Oh, sorry! Uh, Typhlosion is unable to battle! Golduck is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Mike from Littleroot Town!”

“Golduck, great job!” I said as I high-fived with Golduck.

“Golduck!” it replied happily.

“That was some impressive battling, young man! I’d say you’re ready to take on anyone and anything!” Mr. Moore said as he and Typhlosion came up to us.

“Thank you, Mr. Moore. Yours and Typhlosion’s skills were amazing, too!” I replied.

“Yeah, but be sure to come back when I’M Gym Leader!” Flannery interjected.

“Yes, that’ll be a fun match, I’m sure. Anywho, yours and your Pokémon’s power is inspiring! Keep your power and your bonds strong, and you’ll be a Pokémon Master before you know it! I now advance you along that path by presenting you with the Heat Badge, proving you defeated me here at the Lavaridge Gym!” He said as he handed me a flame-shaped badge.

“Yes, sir! Golduck, WE’VE WON THE HEAT BADGE!”

“Gol-DUCK!”

That evening, Mr. Moore, Flannery and I went to the hot springs along with our Pokémon. They were quite astonished when they saw Deoxys, but his manners put them at ease.

“Well Deoxys,” I said. “You still think Earth is a bad place?”

“My mistake! This is a great planet and…humans and Pokémon can… live in harmony and…some stuff...boy, this hot spring feels great.”

“If I were you, though…” Mr. Moore said, “I would keep Deoxys a secret. If word got out about it, things might get dangerous and you two might attract a lot of unnecessary attention.”

“We’ll think about it,” I replied.

“And like I said: be sure to come back when I’M Gym Leader! I’ll give you a match you’ll NEVER forget!” Flannery said as she winked. I don't know if my face was red from that, or the hot spring. Anyway, with another badge, another goal, and another friend’s trust, I got newfound courage and took another step on my way to the Hoenn League Championship.

Chapter 23: No Shedinja, Sherlock

“Hey, look! A blimp ride to Petalburg City! How’s that sound?”

“Sounds good. I’ve never flown ON something before, so this will be interesting.”

After leaving Lavaridge Town and training for a few days, I decided that this was the time to return to Petalburg City to face Norman in a rematch. He was tough before, but we’d improved as well, and now that I’d gained Deoxys’ trust and power, there was no way we could lose. However, we decided to take a little shortcut via blimp. It was by the forest next to Lavaridge Town, and admission was surprisingly cheap. However, we could’ve guessed that from the long line of people gathering at the blimp. I bought a ticket, then got on. A strange looking duo of pilots showed me to my room.

“Here’s where you’ll be staying tonight! Enjoy your trip on the Lugia!” they said as they turned to leave. They didn’t show me their faces, but I did notice that the female had a blue earring.

Hmm, where have I seen that before? Ah, oh well, I thought to myself, then shrugged. Anyway, we spent the evening exploring the blimp, and dinner was exquisite, even for the Pokémon. That night, we watched the sunset.

“Something on your mind?” Deoxys asked me. I did seem kinda down.

“Well, I was just thinking about Alexis,” I replied.

“Who?”

“No, Alexis! She’s my best friend, and I just can’t get her off my mind lately. It’s…I don’t know!”

“Hmm. There I can’t help you.”

“Espeon!” Espeon said. It then had a conversation with Deoxys.

“Ohhh! Now I get it!” Deoxys replied. Then it and Espeon shared a little chuckle.

“Okay, what’s so funny?” I asked indignantly.

“Hey, Espeon! I think Mike wants to play tag! Let’s run!”

“Espe! Espeon!”

“GET BACK HERE! YOU SMART-MOUTHED LITTLE…!” I yelled as I chased them.

Later that night, we were still on course. We decided to watch the view from inside, as it was getting cold outside. As I went to watch the view, I heard someone screaming, “HELP! HELP!” A girl about my age with dark hair, a white shirt, and a plaid red skirt was running through the hall. It appeared that she was looking for something.

“Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! What’s wrong?” I asked.

“My Shedinja has been kidnapped! Please help me get it back!” she said.

“Okay, just calm down and tell me exactly what happened.” I replied.

“Well, first, there was…no, it’d help if you saw it. Please come to my room!”

“Wh-WHA?!” I stammered.

The girl introduced herself as Nikki, grabbed my arm, and took me to her room. In there, she showed me a note that said: “Thanks for the Pokémon! –A”

“So, there’s a thief named A on this blimp?”

“Somehow, A took my Shedinja! Even its Wonder Guard didn’t prevent this!” she replied.

“Okay, Espeon! Come on out!” I said as I released Espeon from its ball. “Help me search for evidence with Flash!”

“Espe!” Espeon replied as it lit up the room with Flash. We then started to look for a while until I heard, “Espe! Espeon!”

“What’d you find?” I asked. Espeon’s Confusion pulled out an earring shaped like a blue diamond.

“That’s gotta belong to A!” Nikki said.

“And I’ve got a feeling I know who A is!” I said, remembering that Ashley had the same kind of earring.

We made our way to the pilots. Nikki and I explained the situation to them.

“My goodness! How terrible!” the female said.

“If we see this ‘Team Rocket’, we’ll let you know right away!” the male added.

“Please do. My Shedinja means the world to me,” Nikki said, almost in tears.

“Don’t worry. I’m formulating a plan,” I said to her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

“Really? What?” she asked.

“Come on,” I said. As we walked out, I glanced at the female. On her ear, there was only the marking of a piercing.

Later that night, we were hiding in the closet in my room. Espeon was laying out in the open, pretending to be asleep, and we’d set up a decoy in my bed. Just then, the door opened. In came the pilots, just like I’d planned. They looked at the bed, then snickered to each other and moved towards Espeon. Just then, Espeon opened its eyes and flashed its gem, causing the two to freak out.

“Gotcha, Team Rocket!” I said as I jumped out of the closet.

“Give me back my Shedinja!” Nikki said as she jumped out.

“Wait, you’re mistaken!” the female said.

“We’re just pilots! We’re just performing night duty!” the male said.

“Really? Then how about explaining THIS?!” I said as I held out the earring.

“My, what an interesting earring!” the male said enthusiastically.

“Indeed! I don’t think I’ve seen an earring like it!” the female said, looking a little nervous.

“That’s true, seeing as the earring just like it is ON YOUR OTHER EAR!” I shouted.

“Gah! Wha-?!” the female said as she felt her other ear.

“The jig is up! Hand over Shedinja, Ashley!” I said.

“NO! How could that little runt figure it out?! Let’s high-tail it, Orson!”

“IT’S OLSON!”

Of course, the two ran.

“They’re getting away!” Nikki said.

“Oh, no they’re not!” I replied. Just then, there was a loud bang. We opened the door, and true to form, Metang had nailed them with its Meteor Mash. The attack sent them into a door, which then opened to reveal a brown, floating cocoon-like Pokémon with a white halo above it, who was stuck in a cage.

“SHEDINJA!” Nikki cried, then ran towards it.

“Shed! Shedinja!” Shedinja replied as Nikki freed it from its cage.

“Oh, I’m so happy to see you’re all right!” Nikki said, hugging her Pokémon. At this, Espeon, Metang and I looked at each other and smiled.

“Don’t think for a minute that you’re going to win! Go, Vileplume!”

“Get them, Haunter!”

Ashley and Olson sent out Vileplume and Haunter, who lunged at us.

“Shedinja! Use Double Team!” Shedinja’s Double Team confused the enemies.

“Espeon! Use Psychic!” Espeon’s Psychic sent Vileplume and Haunter crashing into Team Rocket. Ashley inadvertently opened the window because of the force.

“NOW! SHADOW BALL!” Nikki and I said together. Espeon and Shedinja fired twin Shadow Balls at Team Rocket.

“Metang! Finish it with Meteor Mash!”

“Tang! Me-TANG!” it said as it punched Team Rocket out the open window into the night sky.

“NOOO! TEAM ROCKET’S PHASING OUT AGAIN!” they said as they vanished into the moon.

“Okay, THAT one didn’t even make sense,” I said.

We went and found the real pilot tied up in a broom closet, so we set him free, and he got us back on course. The next day, we landed in northern Petalburg. Nikki thanked me for my help, we said our goodbyes, and then went our separate ways. Now, revitalized and ready to go, we made our way to the Petalburg Gym for a rematch. However, I wouldn’t be alone…

“Well, there you are! I’ve been waiting for you!”

“Wh…WHAT THE-?!”

Chapter 24: Balance Badge Match, Take Two

“So, how’d you get out of class today?”

“Today’s a free day, so I got my dad’s permission to come here. So here’s the skinny: we’re going to the Gym, then you’re coming home! You promised to visit, remember?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll go.”

The mysterious person who had been awaiting my return to Petalburg City was none other than Alexis. She’d come to see my next Gym battle, then to force me to come home. As much as I didn’t want to, I had no choice but to obey. I swear, the things I do for girls. Anyway, we went through Petalburg City, noticing all of the posters and souvenirs of Norman as we went along.

“This guy is really that good?” Alexis asked.

“Oh, I know from experience that he is,” I replied.

“So he beat you?”

“Yup. That’s why I’m definitely using Metang again. However, besides it and my secret weapon, I don’t know what to use.”

“Secret weapon?”

“Oh, you’ll find out later. Wait! I’ve got it! Okay, let’s go!” I said as I grabbed her hand and we ran toward the Gym. It didn’t take us long to get there, but what was surprising was that there was no line today. We went inside and looked around, but found nothing.

“You think he’s on vacation?” Alexis said.

“Maybe out with his family. I know he spends a lot of time with them,” I replied.

“I can take you to where he is!” a familiar voice said. The intern who had judged our battle, Kenny, was there doing some work.

“Hello there, Kenny! Where exactly IS Norman?”

“Caroline took May and Max out today, so he’s in the greenhouse out back! Come on!” he said. We followed him to a giant greenhouse that looked like a jungle on the inside. There, I kept hearing laughing until I saw Norman playing with his Pokémon. There was a little ape-like Pokémon, Slakoth, Norman’s Vigoroth, and a giant ape-like Pokémon, Slaking, who was just lying there.

“Mr. Norman! You have some visitors!” Kenny said.

“Ah, Mike! It’s good to see you back! Your father had informed me of your progress! Quite impressive that you defeated Mr. Moore! So, I’m assuming that you’ve come for a rematch?”

“That’s right. This time, we’re REALLY ready to face you!”

“That’s the spirit! All right, let’s do it!”

“…right here?”

“Yeah! This environment is a great place to have a battle! What do you say?”

“All right, I’m in!”

We took our places at two points in the greenhouse, and his Pokémon surrounded him. Alexis sat on a bench on the side, while Kenny was standing at the midpoint between me and Norman. He took his two flags out and said, “This official battle between Norman, Leader of the Petalburg Gym, and Mike, the challenger from Littleroot Town, will now begin! Each trainer will be allotted the use of three Pokémon! Only the challenger may make substitutions, and battle will end when all three of either Trainer’s Pokémon are unable to continue! Begin!”

“Go, Slakoth!”

“Medicham! Let’s do it!”

Slakoth came from the trees, albeit slowly. Medicham jumped out of its Poke Ball and adopted several yoga poses.

“Start things off with your Brick Break!” Medicham leapt at Slakoth and then slammed down with its fist. However, Slakoth just leaned back and dodged the attack. “What?!”

“Slakoth, use Shadow Ball!” Slakoth fired a Shadow Ball at Medicham, and it did more damage at close range. Medicham managed to land on its feet, however. I had Medicham try again, but the exact same thing happened.

“Okay, with that kind of dodging, we can’t risk a Hi Jump Kick. In fact, it moves too slow for my usual attacks, so maybe we should slow ourselves down as well. Medicham, Meditate!”

“Medicham!” it replied as it used Meditate.

“Slakoth, use Blizzard attack!”

“Slakoth!” it replied as it fired a stream of sleet at Medicham.

“Okay, use Ice Punch to make your way through that attack!” Medicham whipped up an Ice Punch, then leapt toward Slakoth fistfirst. The Ice Punch seemed to negate the effects of Blizzard, so Medicham made it through without problems, and delivered a punch that actually managed to freeze Slakoth, to my surprise.

“No, Slakoth! Try to break free!”

“Let’s give it a hand, Medicham! Use Hi Jump Kick!” Medicham jumped up into the trees, then delivered a powerful Hi Jump Kick. It freed Slakoth from its icy prison, but also knocked it out.

“Slakoth is unable to battle! Medicham is the winner!” Kenny said, raising the green flag.

“Great job, you guys!” Alexis called from the sidelines. Medicham and I both gave her a thumbs-up.

“You did great, Slakoth! Take a good long rest,” Norman said. “Okay, Vigoroth! You’re up!”

“VIGOROTH!” the Pokémon said as it leapt from the trees.

“Okay, use Meditate!” I said to Medicham.

“Fury Swipes, Vigoroth!” Vigoroth charged forward with incredible speed. I’d been focused on taking it slow because of Slakoth, so I didn’t know what to do. Vigoroth slashed away at Medicham until it fainted.

“Medicham is unable to battle! Vigoroth is the winner!” Kenny said, raising the red flag.

“Oh, no!” I said. I couldn’t believe a little surprise like that threw me so easily. “We won’t let your effort be in vain, Medicham,” I said as I returned it to its Poke Ball. “Now, let’s bury the past once and for all! METANG, GO!” I threw the Poke Ball, and out came Metang. As soon as it and Vigoroth laid eyes on each other, they immediately glared.

“Interesting decision on your part, Mike. But, if that’s how you want to play, fine! Vigoroth, Flamethrower!” Vigoroth fired a Flamethrower at Metang.

“We’re not falling for that twice! Use Confusion!” Metang’s Confusion caught the Flamethrower and nailed Vigoroth with it. “Now use Confusion on Vigoroth!” Vigoroth was lifted into the air and slammed against a tree. When it got back up, it had a weird smile and was dancing around.

“Oh, no! Vigoroth’s confused! Use Scratch!” Vigoroth started to scratch its own face over and over again. “No! Try to fight it!”

“Hate to hit a Pokémon while it’s down, but for Vigoroth, I’ll make an exception! Metang, finish it off with Meteor Mash!” Metang’s Meteor Mash nailed Vigoroth in the head, knocking it out.

“Vigoroth is unable to battle! Metang is the winner!”

“Excellent work, Vigoroth! You take a rest!” Norman said.

“Vigoroth…” the Pokémon said, fatigued.

“I’ve gotta say, you and Metang have redeemed yourselves quite well. Your Pokémon’s Confusion certainly threw me for a loop! However, your comeback ends now! Slaking, let’s do it!”

“SLAKING!” the Pokémon roared. It then jumped up from where it was and into the field, ready to battle.

“Metang, use Take Down!”

“Metang!” the Pokémon said, charging forward.

“Slaking, use Focus Punch!”

“Slaking!” the Pokémon said, also charging forward.

The two Pokémon rammed into each other, then stopped after impact. They stood there for a while, but then Metang faltered and fell to the ground, knocked out.

“Metang is unable to battle! Slaking is the winner!”

“Great job, Slaking!”

“Slaking slak!”

“Metang, return!” I said as I returned Metang to its Poke Ball. “You were amazing! Take a good rest! Okay, you ready?”

“You know it! Let’s go!”

“Uh, are you talking to yourself?” Norman said, confused.

“Well, now I’ve seen it all. I knew you were strange, but not INSANE!” Alexis called out.

“Hmph. I’ll show you just who I was talking to,” I said as I got out the Master Ball.

“Huh?”

“DEOXYS, SHOWTIME!” I threw the Master Ball, and Deoxys emerged in Attack Form. Its aura activated in me again.

“I’m ready to do this! Let’s go, partner!” Deoxys said, making me do the same motions as it was while saying that.

“You know it!” I replied.

“Wait, that’s a Deoxys?!” Norman exclaimed, astonished.

“What the-?!” Alexis asked.

“Tell you later!” I shouted to her. “Okay Deoxys! Use Zap Cannon!” Deoxys fired a Zap Cannon which hit Slaking pretty hard. It was paralyzed, but it didn’t seem that way at all.

“Slaking, use Focus Punch!” Slaking tried a Focus Punch, but Deoxys moved out of the way.

“Try a Constrict!” Deoxys’ tentacles wrapped around Slaking, restraining it. “Now use a close-range Hyper Beam!” Deoxys used Hyper Beam to hit Slaking with incredible force. Deoxys then released Slaking from its grip and moved back over to my side.

“Slaking, put everything you’ve got into YOUR Hyper Beam!” Slaking charged up a Hyper Beam.

“Deoxys! Extremespeed!” Deoxys changed to Speed Form and zoomed through the greenhouse, darting from tree to tree. Slaking kept firing Hyper Beam after Hyper Beam, but just couldn’t hit. Finally, Deoxys hit Slaking’s feet, causing Slaking to lose its balance for a bit.

“Okay, Mike! Your skills with Deoxys’ speed are incredible, but you need to beat me with power! That’s what’s implied by the Balance Badge: you need to have a balance of good defense, speed, AND power! That’s what all three of my Pokémon represent!”

“I see! In that case, let’s win with power! Deoxys, Focus Punch!” (Deoxys adopted Attack form at this time.)

“Slaking! Focus Punch back!”

The two flew at each other with glowing white fists at the ready. Just then, Deoxys turned back to me, and when I nodded, Deoxys ducked under Slaking and made its punch into an uppercut. Slaking was sent flying above.

“FINISH IT! FULL POWER PSYCHO BOOST!”

“You got it! EAT THIS!” Deoxys said as it charged up and fired a Psycho Boost at Slaking. When the smoke cleared from the attack, Slaking fell to the ground, totally wiped out.

“I…can’t believe it!” Norman said, shocked. He then regained his composure, grinned, and said, “…and yet I do! Impressive work!”

“Slaking is unable to battle! Deoxys is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Mike from Littleroot Town!”

“Deoxys, you rock!” I said as I ran out to it. We then high-fived and laughed. Alexis came out to meet us, hugging both of us at the same time and congratulating us while doing so.

“I’m really impressed, Mike. Not only were you able to capture such a legendary Pokémon, but you were able to truly bond with it and create trust. It’s that bond that gave you two your strength, just as I’m sure it does with all of your Pokémon. Am I right?” Norman asked.

“You couldn’t be more right, sir!”

“Hahaha! You’ve got what it takes, kiddo! You have my support along the way to Ever Grande City! And as proof of that, AND proof of your victory here at the Petalburg Gym, here is your Balance Badge!” he said as he gave me a badge shaped kind of like a dumbbell.

“Yes! WE WON A BALANCE BADGE!” I said.

“Quit talking to the sky, dork!” Alexis said.

“Say that again!” I said.

“Hahahaha! Humans! Honestly!” Deoxys said, amused.

And so, with another badge in my possession, I was ready to move on in my quest to conquer the Hoenn League. But first, it was time to head home for some R & R.

Chapter 25: At Childhood’s End

“Come on! Faster!”

“I thought I WAS going faster! Get off my back!”

“If I do, I might fall off! Speed up!”

“This Acro Bike wasn’t meant for extreme speed!...in fact, it wasn’t even meant for two people!”

Alexis and I were returning home. We’d just finished passing through Oldale Town and were on the final stretch to Littleroot Town. After a while of biking, we finally made it into town. Once we got in, I folded up the bike, stored it, and we began to walk. Many people that were familiar and also unfamiliar to me said hello. According to Alexis, Mom had made my status in the Hoenn League known in the papers (figures). I got many requests for autographs, and many requests to see my Pokémon. Fulfilling all these requests took time, but once we were done, we high-tailed it to the park.

“Man, being famous is no fun. I can’t see how Steven puts up with it!” I said, exhausted.

“Well, you ARE making a name for yourself AND representing our town. Don’t you think that we’d be even a little bit proud of you?” Alexis replied, sitting down on a bench.

“That’s true. I just wanted the simple things, I suppose. Adventure, excitement, competition…”

“Friends?”

“Friends indeed,” I said as I sat down next to her. “I can’t imagine what life would have been like without friends, human and Pokémon alike. And especially you! I mean…way back in our childhood, you saved me, remember?”

“Uh…”

“Yeah. When I turned ten and Mom denied me a Pokémon license, I just became all sorts of emo. I wouldn’t even talk to Mom or Dad because of the anger. Only through you and your kindness was I able to calm down and return to reality. I tell you, we’ve been great friends all of our lives, but THAT moment really solidified our relationship.”

“You think so?”

“Well, that and when I gave you Poochyena, of course.”

“Yeah, I think so too…oh, wait! D’oh! We have to go to my house right now; I’ve got something I want to show you!” Alexis said as she jumped up.

“Okay! Let’s go!”

We rode over to Alexis’ house, passing by Rick, Curly, and Larry. We waved to them, and got waves back from Curly and Larry. Rick just jumped up in astonishment, and then started shouting something in rage (We couldn’t hear him, we were laughing too hard). Anyway, we made it over to Alexis’ house. It was ginormous, even bigger than my parents’ mansion, and making it to Alexis’s floor was a bit of a chore (heh, I rhymed). When we got there, we went to her rec room and sat down on a couch.

“Okay, Mike! Go ahead and let out your Pokémon! I’m sure they’ll want to explore!”

“You got it! Everybody, come out!” I let them out of their Poke Balls. “Explore this place to your heart’s content!” Girafarig and Golduck went downstairs, while Medicham and Metang went upstairs. Espeon and Deoxys decided to stay where they were.

“Here goes!” Alexis said, then let out a whistle. A few seconds later, a giant black and grey wolf-like Pokémon ran into the room. Upon seeing me, it rushed over, pounced on me, then started to lick my face.

“Whoa! HEY! Cut it out! Haha! S-stop it!” I said. The Pokémon sat up.

“Arr!” it said happily.

“Mike, THIS is Mightyena. The Pokémon that evolved from the Poochyena you gave me!”

“Wow, cool! I can’t believe it evolved!” I said as I got out my Pokedex.

“Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon. Mightyena is the evolved form of Poochyena. It chases down prey in a pack and will never disobey the commands of a skilled Trainer.”

“Wow, that’s great! I’m glad you got it to evolve!” I said.

“Yeah! It did about a week ago! The thing is, we’d been practicing some moves together!”

“Moves?”

“Yeah. I mean…I’d been thinking about traveling around with you. You know, not right now, but sometime in the future. Maybe?”

“I don’t know. I mean, it can get dangerous out there. Think about Team Rocket! They’ve got new Pokémon, and if we got split, they might overpower Mightyena!” She folded her arms at this and gave me THE LOOK. “Okay, HOW did you know that Mightyena was strong against their Pokemon?”

“I did my research. Anyway, you wouldn’t think to have me around on your travels? I’ve never been so insulted! We’ve done everything together, and now you’re just going to shut me out?” she said with a scowl.

“NO, NO! I’m just worried about you! I mean, what if something separated us and some strong wild Pokémon attacked y-” I tried to argue, but she just placed a finger on my mouth and cut me off. Her scowl changed to a grin that said, ‘just kidding’.

“Then I’ll have to count on you to save me! ‘K?” she said.

“….’K.”

“Espeon espe espe!” Espeon laughed. Deoxys was laughing as well.

“…let’s talk about this some other time. AFTER some more ‘tag’!” I said as I started to chase Espeon and Deoxys around again. Alexis laughed and joined in.

Later that evening, I decided to leave because I figured my parents would want me to come see them as well.

“Lexi, I promise I’ll come see you tomorrow after school.”

“Sounds good! But, when are you planning on leaving?”

“Well, the next Gym’s in Fortree City. I figure in about two days, I’ll go for it.”

“Okay.”

“All right then, see you tomorrow.” I then turned to leave.

“Mike, I-” She cut off. AGAIN. I turned to her and put my hands on her face.

“Don’t you DARE say ‘nevermind, it’s nothing’,” I said to her.

“Fine,” she replied.

Before I knew it, I was kissing her. It’s an amazing feeling; that first kiss that feels like…well, it’s hard to describe it, but the whole world disappears and there’s nothing left but the passion between you two. In layman’s terms, I pretty much lost myself in it. After it was over, we both backed away, smiling. Without saying a word, she went into her house and I took the road back to mine. I felt myself growing up after that experience, and the future never looked brighter. However, dusk was going to fall soon…

Chapter 26: Disaster in New Mauville

I won’t sweat the details on what happened the next day. I met with my parents, showed my old classmates my Pokémon, trashed with Rick, took Alexis out on our first date, etc. However, there was this one conversation Deoxys and I had with Dad. We were in his study, and he was telling me about the burden of owning a legendary Pokémon.

“They can be extremely difficult to control, son. They may not listen to you, they may attack you, or other things could happen.”

“I admit that Deoxys was hard to control at first, but that was because it didn’t deem me a worthy trainer. Now, we’re getting along, we’re learning to work together and we’ve forged a powerful bond.”

“Very true. But even so, I still think it’s a bad idea to use me in any more Gym battles unless the leader is a part of the organization.”

“I can see that. They’d understand and try to keep things under wraps,” I replied.

“Just be careful with Deoxys, Michael. I’ve had encounters with legendary Pokémon, and I can tell you they’re dangerous. Once in my travels, I came across a Lugia who was wilder than a hurricane. I still don’t know just how I escaped from that. The point is, you need to watch your back; you and Deoxys both. Okay?”

“Yes, sir!” we replied.

The next day, I said my goodbyes to everyone, then continued on. My next destination was Fortree City, so I thought I’d go in the direction of Mauville City first. It took me about two weeks, because I got into a lot of battles. I mostly lost against powerful wild Pokémon, but the trainers were a piece of cake. I even managed to capture a few more Pokémon, like an Electrike, a Gulpin, a Slugma, and others. When I made it to the outskirts of Mauville City, I saw this wreck of a laboratory on a little island. Standing by it was Wattson, the Mauville Gym Leader. Intrigued, a got onto Metang and floated over to where he was.

“Wattson!”

“Huh? Hey, if it isn’t Mike! What brings you to this nick of the woods?”

“I was passing through on my way to Fortree City! Anyway, what are YOU doing HERE?”

“Well, power’s gone out in Mauville City. I decided to come here, New Mauville, to reactivate the power, but there’s a breaker that’s been creating stray electricity that caused Magneton and other Electric Pokémon to go berserk! They all stay in there, just guarding the room where I can reactivate the power! I can’t go in, though, because these Pokémon attack people, and all my Pokémon will be affected!”

“No sweat! I use Psychic Pokémon, so they won’t be affected! Espeon and I will help you out,” I said after I’d returned Metang to its Poke Ball.

“Well, okay. If you’re sure.”

I brought out Espeon, and the three of us went inside together. The place was dark, so I had Espeon use Flash to light the way. Pretty soon, we ran into some Electrode. Espeon’s Psychic blew them away, and we were able to continue. We soon came across some Magnemite, but Espeon’s Psychic was enough to keep them at bay as well.

“Where exactly is the power breaker?”

“It should be about two more corridors down! Let’s go!”

We made our way to the room he was describing. We entered, and snuck in quietly. When Espeon used Flash, I saw this giant Pokémon. It was yellow with some black on its pointy wings. Its beak was quite long, and the Pokémon looked familiar. Suddenly, I remembered the statue of those bird Pokémon I saw in Mirage Tower, and this Pokémon was among them. It was the legendary Pokémon Zapdos!

“Wait, why would a Zapdos be here?” I asked Wattson.

“It IS an Electric Pokémon; I wouldn’t be surprised if it were affected by the breaker’s stray electricity,” Wattson replied.

“DOOOOOOS!”

We looked to see that Zapdos had woken up from its nap. Just like Wattson suggested, Zapdos looked severely affected by the breaker.

“Espeon, let’s go! Use Psybeam!” Espeon fired a Psybeam at Zapdos, but it dodged. Zapdos then fired a Thunder attack our way. “Okay, dodge and give it a Psychic!” Espeon moved out of the way, then used Psychic to hold Zapdos in place. It took a little while, but Zapdos broke free in time. It then dove at us with a Drill Peck attack. The attack hit Espeon and flung it against the wall. “Espeon, can you get up?!”

“Espe! Espeon!”

“Okay, then! Try our Homerun attack!” Espeon fired a Shadow Ball into the air, leapt after it with Quick Attack, then used Iron Tail to propel it at Zapdos. However, even after the attack hit, Zapdos still looked strong as ever. Zapdos readied a Steel Wing, then flew right at us. We barely managed to jump out of the way. “Espeon, hit it with a full power Take Down!” Espeon charged at Zapdos, but Zapdos’ Drill Peck stopped it, then Steel Wing rammed Espeon into another wall. “Espeon, NO!”

“Espe…Espe…”

“MIKE, LOOK OUT!”

“For whaAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!” I turned in time to see Zapdos in front of me, and it scratched my right cheek with its razor-sharp talons. I clutched my face in pain, unable to give Espeon any more commands. Zapdos then hit me with a Steel Wing, hurling me into a tanker with static around it. I felt the electricity coursing through me. Fortunately, an aura surrounded my body, almost the same as that yellow orb I assimilated. When I finally moved away from the tanker, the aura disappeared, but according to Wattson, some of it coarsed into the wounds. Then, I clutched my face again, but from what Wattson told me, Espeon then jumped up in anger.

“ESPEOOOON!!” it roared at Zapdos. Apparently, it glowed with a striped barrier around it, poised to do a Take Down. However, Wattson said:

“Incredible! I didn’t think it was possible, but your Espeon has just learned the move Giga Impact!”

“Giga-who?!” I said through the pain and blood.

“No, Impact!” Wattson said. “It’s the physical equivalent of Hyper Beam, but I thought that it was just a myth!” It was then that Espeon rushed at Zapdos, the aura blazing about it. Zapdos fired several Thunder attacks, but Espeon dodged them all and rammed Zapdos into the wall. When Espeon moved back, Zapdos had passed out. “Listen, I’m going to go turn off the breaker, turn on the power, and find Magneton! Stay here,” Wattson said, then ran off.

“Wow, Espeon. I can’t believe-” (I stopped because of the pain) “-that you learned such a powerful move! And you beat a legendary Pokémon with it!”

“Espe…”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Meanwhile, there’s one thing to do,” I said as I approached Zapdos. “POKE BALL, GO!” I threw the ball at Zapdos, and it went inside. It took a WHILE, but Zapdos was finally caught. I was about to do my thing and talk to the sky, but I passed out. When I woke up, I was once again in a Pokémon Center, with Espeon, Wattson, Magneton, and Nurse Joy above me. “What…what happened? OUCH!” I said.

“Careful, you’re still healing up from the stitches!” Nurse Joy said.

“Okay…what exactly happened to me?”

“Well, you passed out from the experience. After you and Espeon defeated and caught Zapdos, I restored power and shut down the stray breaker. When I came back, you were standing up as if not in pain at all. Your eyes were glowing, and you said we needed to get you to a Pokémon Center. After that, the glow left your eyes and you passed out. What happened to you?” Wattson explained.

I paused, knowing that it was Deoxys’ doing. “…I don’t know, I guess I knew the gravity of the situation, so I suggested we go someplace where we could recover. As for passing out, I’m not sure. Wait, let me see the stitches.” I went to a mirror, and saw three dark lines where Zapdos scratched my face. “Ah, man. Alexis is going to go ape when she sees this! Oh yeah, and my parents too. Dad was right; I should’ve avoided legendary Pokémon.”

“I’m sure it wouldn’t have attacked you if it weren’t for the breaker. Plus, it was my fault entirely for getting you into that situation. Don’t worry about it, these things happen. How you handle them is what separates the simple sparks from the wild watts!”

“Wattson…thanks.”

Later that day, I called Professor Birch to check on Zapdos. It was doing much better, and getting along with my other Pokémon quite well. I then called my parents, and then Alexis. I almost lost my hearing, and that’s all I’ll say about that.

Chapter 27: Televised Tactics
After I’d finished recovering from the incident at New Mauville, I made my way north-northeast, on the road to Fortree City. I had Golduck use Surf to get across the river east of Mauville City. I saw many Tentacool and Wingull as we swam by, and some Zigzagoon on the shores. Once I’d made it to where the path winded north towards Fortree City, I returned Golduck to its ball and started making my way north. I passed a white fox-like Pokémon, Absol, and a wind chime Pokémon, Chimecho. They were very interesting and seemed like good catches, but I wanted to make it to make it to Fortree as soon as possible. When I got to the waterfall, I saw this woman reporter doing a segment on the waterfall, and in front of her was this guy who was holding a camera for her. When they finished up, they started to pack up, but then they saw me, and the woman rushed over.

“Hey! You’re that Mike McCarver kid, aren’t you?” she said.

“Uh, yeah. That’s me,” I replied.

“Great! Get the camera back out!” she said to the cameraman.

“Okay! Rolling!” he said as he aimed the camera.

“We’re here with accomplished up-and-coming Pokémon Trainer Mike McCarver! We just caught him nearby the Weather Institute! Mike, where are you currently headed right now?” she asked as she held the microphone in front of me.

“Um…I’m heading for Fortree City. Who exactly are you two?”

“Oh, my gosh! I’m SO sorry, I forgot to introduce myself again! I’m Gabby, Hoenn reporter extraordinaire! Working with my cameraman Ty, we’ve found dozens of scoops around Hoenn! Our station has been intrigued by your battling ever since your victory at the Rustboro Gym!”

“What exactly is this scar on your face?” Ty asked.

“Well, I was attacked by this giant bird Pokémon, but I forget the name,” I said, knowing I should keep Zapdos’ identity a secret.

“Oh, my! What happened?” Gabby exclaimed.

“Well, it’s all still fuzzy, so I don’t remember,” I lied.

“Well, we’re glad you survived it! Say, would you demonstrate your battle skills for us?”

“How so?”

“A double battle with Ty and myself, of course! We want to see what you’re made of!”

“Sounds good!” We then took places on opposite sides of each other, and Ty was still holding the camera.

“Go, Exploud!” Gabby said. She sent out a large behemoth of a Pokémon with pipes all over its body and an enormous mouth.

“Come on out, Magneton!” Ty sent out a Magneton.

“Espeon, Medicham! Showtime!” I sent the two out from their Poke Balls. Espeon poised for battle. Medicham adopted its usual poses, then also got poised for battle.

“Exploud, use Hyper Voice!” Exploud shrieked, sending out a series of blue rings from its gaping maw.

“Medicham, use Confusion! Espeon, use Quick Attack!” Medicham held the attacks in place, and Espeon jumped right through them with Quick Attack, then hit Exploud.

“Magneton, use Thunder Wave!” Magneton fired out a Thunder Wave at Medicham.

“Medicham, use Hi Jump Kick! Espeon, counter Thunder Wave with Psybeam!” Espeon used Psybeam to cancel out the attack, while Medicham jumped at Magneton and nailed it.

“Exploud, get them with Focus Punch!” Exploud lunged at us with Focus Punch.

“Medicham, counter that with Ice Punch!” Medicham aimed an Ice Punch at Exploud.

“Magneton, use Take Down, full power!” Magneton charged forward with a Take Down.

“Espeon, use Giga Impact, full power!” Espeon charged back with a Giga Impact.

Medicham and Exploud were pretty much at a stalemate trying to punch through the other’s punch, but Espeon took out Magneton easily. Soon, Medicham was able to finally break through Exploud’s punch and freeze Exploud.

“Oh, no!” Gabby said.

“Well, at least I got it all on camera!” Ty said.

“Way to go, you two!” I said.

“Espe!”

“Medi-CHAM!”

“Mike, that was an impressive performance!” Gabby said. “I’m sure our viewers will love to see it!”

“Have you ever considered performing in Pokémon Contests?” Ty said. “What you did with that Hyper Voice was pretty impressive and stylish!”

“Well, I’ve been in one, and even though I tied with a very skilled Coordinator,” I said, showing them my ribbon, “I think I’d still prefer battling to Contests.”

“I see! Quick one: do you use all Psychic types?”

“Pretty much. I mean, one is a Water-type, but it excels in Psychic-type moves.

“Last question: what do you have to say to the next Gym Leader?”

“Oh, okay! Ahem: Look out, because we’re coming for our next badge!”

“Bold words! And that’s the story! I’m Gabby, signing off!”

“Aaannnnnnnndd…we’re out!” Ty said, putting down the camera.

“Wow, you’re something special, Mike! Your Pokémon are astounding!” Gabby said.

“It comes from daily training! Together with these Pokémon, I’m ready to make it to the top!” I replied, striking a pose.

“Well, thank you for an amazing segment and an amazing match!” Gabby said.

“And best of luck in Fortree City!” Ty added.

“Thank you both very much! Goodbye!” I said while leaving.

“Espe! Espeon!”

“Cham, Medicham!”

And with that, we were on our way. I couldn’t believe that we were making such a buzz in Hoenn, but I was glad to see that it wasn’t because I was the one to end Norman’s unbeaten streak. Anyway, I decided that I needed to keep our progress under wraps from then on out, because there was the possibility of people finding out about Deoxys. After making it up the waterfall, I let everyone out for a break, and went fishing. Dad had refurbished my rod and given me a new lure so as to catch stronger Pokémon. I fished for a while, catching a Carvanha, a Barboach, and even a Feebas, which were extremely rare. However, after they were all transferred to Professor Birch, I heard a voice behind me.

“Long time no see!”

I spun around. “No way!” I said.