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

Last time, on Dragon Ball Z...whoop, let me try that again!

In the last saga, Mike McCarver ventured through Hoenn with his Espeon and crew, winning Gym Badges and making rivals as well as new friends throughout their travels. He made it to Ever Grande City and won the Hoenn League Championship. Now, journeying with his long-time best friend/girlfriend Alexis Jameson, and his new Pokemaniac buddy Ed Takeshi, he's headed for Kanto to keep winning badges and keep having adventures.

...but that's just a hunch. Enjoy!

Chapter 53: Thieves and Thievery

“Hey, you! STOP!”

We had finally made it to Pallet Town, the first step on our journey in the Kanto region. We were passing by the lab of the famous Professor Oak, a Pokémon researcher of the highest caliber, and a good friend of Professor Birch’s, when there was a crash.

“Look over there!” Ed said. He was pointing to a girl who looked about….I don’t know how old. She had a sky blue sleeveless shirt and matching boots, a red skirt, and a white hat, and she was running away with a Poke Ball in her hands. A man in a lab coat and a guy with black hair, a green shirt, and khaki shorts were running after her.

“Sorry, boys! This Pokémon is mine! Later!” the girl said as she ran away.

“We’ll just see! Marill, use Water Gun!” the guy in green said. He sent out a blue mouse-like Pokémon that was pretty round, and its tail was a sphere as well. It fired a Water Gun at the girl, but she dodged, going left.

“Mike, we’ve got to stop her! She stole a Pokémon, and Professor Oak needs it back!” Alexis said to me.

“Wait, how do you know that’s Professor Oak?” I asked. She and Ed fell to the ground.

“Oh, COME ON! Even YOU can’t not recognize THE Professor Oak!” Ed said.

“….um, nope!”

“Look, that’s him, okay?! Now let’s get the Pokémon back! Mightyena, go after that girl!” Alexis sent Mightyena out after her.

“Good idea! Raichu, help ‘em out!” Ed sent out his Raichu, who sped after the girl.

“Don’t leave me out! Espeon, go for it!” I sent out Espeon, who joined them.

Once the girl made it outside the city, the three Pokémon split up and then surrounded her. She didn’t move, and we caught up to her.

“There’s no way out now! Hand over the Pokémon!” I said to her. She turned to me and adopted a sad-little-girl face.

“I…I just wanted a Pokémon of my own. Was that so wrong?” she said, all weepy-eyed.

“What’s wrong is for you to steal it! Professor Oak needs those Pokémon for new trainers looking to begin their own journey!” Alexis said.

“Blah blah blah! I’m looking to begin MY journey, so it’s all fair!” she replied, dropping the act.

“Who are you, anyway?” Ed asked.

“The name’s Andrea! I’m from Viridian City and I’m ready to climb my way to the top of the Pokémon League!” she said.

“Hmph,” I said, chuckling.

“What’s so funny?!” she asked, glaring.

“That won’t happen as long as I’m here! I’m going all the way to the top, and you won’t stop me!” I said.

“Let’s just see! How about a battle?!” she said, flustered.

“You’re on!” I said, ready to battle.

“Hold it, Mike! I’m the one who needs training here!” Alexis said, coming forward.

“But she-” I said before Alexis placed a finger on my mouth, cutting me off.

“I’ll take her on AND get the Poke Ball back. ‘K?”

“…‘K.”

“Having to have your girlfriend fight your battles for ya? Pretty pathetic! Go, Charmander!” She sent out a Pokémon that resembled an orange lizard with a flame on its back.

“Let’s do it, Treecko!” Alexis said, sending out Treecko.

“Wait, I take that back; YOU’RE pretty pathetic for choosing a Grass-Type to my Fire-Type!” Andrea said to Alexis.

“I’ll make you eat those words! Treecko, use Pound attack!” Treecko slapped Charmander with its tail.

“Charmander, use Scratch!” Charmander slashed at Treecko with its claws.

“Treecko, give it a Bullet Seed!” Treecko fired a Bullet Seed at Charmander, knocking it back for a loop.

“Charmander, don’t you take that! Use Metal Claw!” Charmander used Metal Claw to lay the hurt on Treecko.

“Come on, Alexis! You can do it!” Ed and I chanted on the sides.

“Treecko, use Pound again!” Treecko used Pound, inflicting damage.

“Charmander, Ember attack!” Charmander fired a stream of small flames at Treecko.

“Treecko, knock ‘em away with Pound!”

“WHAT?!? That’s crazy!” I said. However, Treecko hit the Ember with its Pound, scattering it everywhere. Treecko looked a little singed, but overall okay.

“That’s impossible! Treecko should be seriously hurt!” Andrea said.

“Treecko! Finish it off with Quick Attack!” Treecko rammed inot Charmander with blinding speed, knocking it out.

“Charmander!”

“Is ours!” a voice said. Out of nowhere, two metal spheres opened up and trapped Treecko and Charmander inside.

“Oh, no! They followed us!” I said, looking up at the ever-persistent Ashley and Olson. They were in their usual hovercraft, and the spheres returned to the bottom.

“So, welcome to the Kanto region, runts!” Olson said.

“Here’s a welcome gift: minus two Pokemon!” Ashley said.

“No you don’t! Espeon, use Psychic!” Espeon used Psychic.

“Misdreavus, use Shadow Ball!” Ashley sent out Misdreavus, who fired a Shadow Ball to distract Espeon.

“Espeon, Signal Beam!” Espeon’s Signal Beam hit the hovercraft and caused the engine to malfunction. It spiraled into the ground, and the spheres came rolling back.

“Treecko, are you all right?” Alexis asked Treecko as she released it from the sphere.

“Treecko!” Treecko said, unharmed.

“You’re going to pay for this, you crooks!” Alexis said.

“Stealing is one thing, but two wrongs don’t make a right!” Andrea said, rescuing Charmander from its sphere.

“Char!” it added.

“That’s wrong! Two rights make a wrong…somewhere there’s three wrongs…SHUT UP!” Olson said. “Ashley, let’s get them!”

However, Ashley and I were focusing on two stones on the ground that emerged from the impact. One was azure with a starburst pattern on it, and the other was a dark purple rock with a matching glow.

“What are these?” I asked.

“Not a clue,” Ashley replied.

“The azure one is a Dawn Stone, and the purple one is a Dusk Stone. They have the power to evolve certain Pokémon!” Professor Oak said, having finally caught up.

“Wow, sounds interesting!” I said, taking the Dawn Stone.

“I wonder what I could evolve with it?” Ashley said, taking the Dusk Stone.

“Who cares?! Go, Cradily! Use Sludge Bomb!” Olson sent out Cradily, who fired a Sludge Bomb.

“Espeon, Confusion!” Espeon’s Confusion reversed the Sludge Bomb back at Cradily.

“Raichu, hit ‘em with Thunderbolt!” Raichu shocked Cradily and Misdreavus with a Thunderbolt.

“Treecko, finish them with Bullet Seed!”

“Charmander, finish them with Ember!”

Treecko and Charmander fired their respective attacks to make the hovercraft blow up, sending Team Rocket into the air.

“I guess that was OUR welcome gift!” Ashley shouted.

“Great, now where’s Returns?” Olson responded.

“WE’RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!” they screamed, vanishing in the sky.

Later on, we were back at Professor Oak’s lab, and Andrea was returning Charmander to Professor Oak and Tracey Sketchit, the guy in green who was Professor Oak’s assistant.

“I know what I did was wrong, but I didn’t know how else to get a Pokémon of my own. There just aren’t many around Viridian City. Anyway, I’ll return Charmander to you now. More worthy trainers deserve it,” she said, giving Charmander to Professor Oak.

“Char? Char, Charmander!” the Pokémon protested.

“Huh?” Andrea said.

“Sounds like Charmander has deemed you a worthy trainer, Andrea!” Professor Oak said. “That may just be all it takes: just one battle!”

“Really? Charmander…” Andrea said.

“Go ahead and take it! Of course, it would’ve been more appropriate to ask, but through the experience, you and Charmander have shown a tremendous bond!” Professor Oak said.

“Here’s your Pokedex and Poke Balls!” Tracey said, handing her the items.

“Thank you!” Andrea said. I could’ve sworn I heard her add “suckers” under her breath.

“Be sure to take care of Charmander!” Tracey added as she began to leave.

“I will! And you,” she said to Alexis, “…be sure to keep up with your training! After all, you’re only measured by the strength of your rivals! And that goes for you, too, if you really plan to make it to Indigo Plateau!” she said to me.

“Count on it!” Alexis and I said. Andrea then departed rather quickly.

“Well, Mike! Thank you for all your help!” Professor Oak said. “I look forward to seeing you compete at the Indigo Plateau!”

“And good luck to the rest of you as well!” Tracey added.

“Thanks!” we all said. We then departed, having a newfound sense of accomplishment in a newfound region.

Chapter 54: For the Beauty of the Earth Badge

After a day of going north and training on Route 1, we finally made it to Viridian City, where Andrea was from. We decided to heal up at the Pokémon Center, stock up on supplies, then head to the Gym. We arrived at a giant building that looked like it was split into two sections with two different levels of height. Just then, a red car drove up. In it was a guy with a blue tropical shirt and sunglasses as his most notable features.

“Hey, you here to challenge the Gym Leader?” the guy said.

“That’s right! I’m here to win my first badge in the Kanto League!” I said.

“Well, well! You’ve got some spunk! You competed in Leagues before?”

“Yes, sir! I just won in the Ever Grande Conference in Hoenn!”

“Whoa! That’s awesome! Well, have you considered the Battle Frontier?”

“No, I want to save that for another time. Ed here is going for the Battle Frontier!”

“Hiya!” Ed said.

“Okay! I’m glad we have another prospective Trainer ready to challenge the Battle Frontier! I’ll get you set up right away!” he said to Ed.

“Hello, Scott!” a voice said. We turned around to see a woman about as old as Professor Oak, with blonde hair, a purple dress, and a cane behind us.

“Hey, Agatha! I was just in the neighborhood, and found this young man! He says he’d like a battle with you!” Scott said.

“I hope that’s all right!” I chimed in.

“Yes, I suppose I can spare some time. Come on in, Mike!” Agatha said. I was surprised as to how she knew my name. We went in the Gym, which was a gigantic blue hall. She took her place on the far side, and I took my place on the opposite side.

“This official battle between Agatha, Leader of the Viridian 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!” Scott said, standing on the side.

“Come on out, Arbok!” She sent out a giant purple snake-like Pokémon with markings on it.

“Let’s do it, Girafarig!” I said, sending Girafarig out after it. However, Girafarig was very intimidated by Arbok, probably because of the patterns on its head.

“Arbok, use Poison Sting!” Arbok sent out a flurry of needles at Girafarig.

“Girafarig, Confusion!” Girafarig caught the attack and sent it back.

“Dodge and use Wrap!” Arbok dodged the attack and wrapped its tail around Girafarig, squeezing it.

“Girafarig, use Psychic attack!” Girafarig barely managed to use Psychic to get Arbok off of it.

“Arbok, give it a Glare!” Arbok glared at Girafarig, causing it to freeze in fear.

“Girafarig, use Psychic!” Girafarig, however, couldn’t move.

“Arbok, finish it with Iron Tail!” Arbok readied an Iron Tail.

“Girafarig, c’mon! Use Charge Beam!” Girafarig fired a Charge Beam, but Arbok dodged and nailed Girafarig with Iron Tail, knocking it out.

“Girafarig is unable to battle! Arbok is the winner!”

“Well done, Arbok!” Agatha said. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that, kid!”

“All righty! Metagross, go!” I sent out Metagross against Arbok.

“Well, well! A Steel-Type! Arbok, Fire Fang!” Arbok leapt forward wit a Fire Fang.

“Metagross, Psychic!” Metagross’s Psychic stopped Arbok in its tracks, slamming it against the ground.

“Arbok, use Toxic!” Arbox fired a Toxic right at Metagross. However, it had no effect.

“Sorry, but Metagross won’t be affected by that! Metagross, Meteor Mash!” Metagross nailed Arbok with a Meteor Mash, knocking it out.

“Arbok is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!”

“Good job, Metagross!”

“You did well, Arbok. Take a rest. That’s the first time in a while somebody’s knocked out one of my Pokémon! All right, Golbat! Go!” She sent out a Golbat.

“All right, let’s wrap this up quick! Metagross, use Gyro Ball!” Metagross spun at Golbat with Gyro Ball.

“Golbat, dodge and use Supersonic!” Golbat dodged and fired a Supersonic at Metagross, causing it to become confused.

“Metagross, shake it off! Use Take Down!” Metagross used Take Down on a wall to the right.

“Golbat, Air Cutter!” Golbat hit Metagross with an Air Cutter. It wasn’t supposed to affect a Steel-Type very much, but it looked like it did a ton of damage.

“Metagross, use Thunderpunch!” Metagross flew toward Golbat with a Thunderpunch.

“Golbat, use Wing Attack!” Golbat dodged and hit Metagross with a Wing Attack, knocking it quite a distance.

“Metagross, home in and use Psychic!” Metagross, finally free of confusion, grabbed Golbat with Psychic. “Now nail it with Thunderpunch!” Metagross hit Golbat with a Thunderpunch, which paralyzed Golbat.

“Golbat, give it another Supersonic!” However, Golbat’s paralysis prevented this from happening.

“Metagross, finish it! Psychic!” Metagross flung Golbat all around the room with Psychic. When it finished, Golbat had passed out.

“Golbat is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!”

“Well done, Golbat. Take a good rest,” Agatha said, returning Golbat to its Poke Ball. “I’m most impressed, Mike! You’ve shown tremendous promise! However, I’m afraid your winning streak ends here! Gengar, let’s go!” She sent out a Gengar, which was a purple Ghost-Type Pokémon with two horns and big red eyes. “Use Shadow Ball!” Gengar fired a Shadow Ball that moved too fast for us to counter. With just one hit, Metagross went down.

“Metagross is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!”

“Metagross, you were awesome! Return!” I said as I returned Metagross to its Poke Ball. “All right, Espeon! Showtime!” I sent Espeon out to face Gengar.

“This should be interesting!” Agatha said. “Gengar, use Confuse Ray!” Gengar sent out a Confuse Ray that ensnared Espeon and caused it to begin attacking itself.

“Espeon, snap out of it!”

“Hypnosis!” Gengar’s eyes glowed red, and it sent out a red ray toward Espeon.

“Espeon! Shadow Ball!” Espeon inadvertently fired a Shadow Ball, pushing Gengar back a ways.

“Well, well! Ready for my maneuvers, are we? You show great technique! Gengar, Hypnosis again!” Gengar sent out another Hypnosis.

“Espeon, dodge using Quick Attack!” Espeon, through nothing short of luck, dodged the Hypnosis with Quick Attack, accidentally ramming into a wall.

“All right, Gengar! Hit it with Focus Punch!” Gengar’s Focus Punch nailed Espeon. “Now finish it with Shadow Ball!” Gengar fired another Dream Eater.

“Espeon, Signal Beam! Hurry!” Espeon suddenly snapped back to reality, firing a Signal Beam at Gengar, knocking it out. However, the Shadow Ball nailed Espeon right after that, and Espeon looked like it couldn’t continue.

“Gengar and Espeon! Both Pokémon are unable to battle! Therefore, this match is a draw!” Scott said, raising the two flags.

“Espeon! Are you all right?!” I said, running up to it.

“Espe,” Espeon said weakly.

“Mike, that was amazing!” Alexis said, running up. “But how’s Espeon?”

“It’ll be okay after a rest. I hope. But I wonder, what becomes of the badge?”

“You mean this badge?” Agatha said, placing a badge that looked like a green plant in my hand.

“Wha-”

“In the event of a draw, it’s up to the Gym Leader to determine whether or not the challenger gets a badge, depending on how well they performed!” Scott said.

“Of course, even though I’m just a member of the Elite Four acting as a substitute Gym Leader, it falls on me to decide!” Agatha said.

“The Elite Four?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” I asked, astonished.

“Well, I didn’t tell you because you might’ve been intimidated!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard something along those lines before,” I responded, thinking of Phoebe.

“Anyway, I think you are very much deserving of a badge, Mike! Your father was right: you and your Pokémon really are something! I deem you worthy of that Earth Badge, proof of what I would call a victory here at the Viridian Gym!” Agatha explained.

“Thank you very much, Agatha! Yes! WE GOT AN EARTH BADGE!” I said, holding the badge into the air.

“Espe!” Espeon added.

“Wow, Mike! To receive praise like that from a member of the Elite Four is awesome!” Ed said. “Now I’m ready for my battle! Scott, where’s the nearest destination for the Battle Frontier?”

“Oh, sorry! I forgot to tell you that-” I started, but Scott interrupted.

“Well, the closest would be the Battle Tower at Tohjo Falls, but-”

“All right, then that’s where we’ll go! Mike! Alexis!”

“Right!” Alexis said. “Agatha, thank you for showing me a spectacular Gym Battle! The truth is, I want to become a Gym Leader someday myself, so I want to see all that I can!”

“That’s a good start! Viewing others’ battles can get your brain going! Keep at it, and best of luck to all three of you!” Agatha said.

“Thanks!” we said.

“I’ll see you around, guys!” Scott said. We all then went our separate ways, ready for Ed’s first step on the path to conquering the Battle Frontier.

Chapter 55: Symbol Pleasures

“There it is! Tohjo Falls!” Alexis said excitedly.

“They say they call this place Tohjo Falls because the waterfall marks the separation between the Kanto and Johto regions! Man, you could stare at the waterfall all day!” I said, looking at the Pokenav and then the waterfall.

“Well, that’s all well and good, but I’d personally like to get to the Battle Tower! Where is it again?” Ed asked.

“Uh, north,” I said, after consulting the Pokenav.

We had finally arrived at Tohjo Falls, where Ed was looking to win in the first facility of the Battle Frontier: the Battle Tower. We made our way north, above the waterfall and along a riverbank, until we made it to the Battle Tower.

“So Mike, tell me how these things work again?” Alexis asked.

“Soitenly! Now, there are seven facilities in the Battle Frontier spread out all over Kanto. Each of them has one Frontier Brain that you must challenge. If you manage to beat them, you’ll earn the respective Symbol for that facility (the Frontier version of badges). If you manage to collect six symbols, then Scott will reveal the location of the secret final facility: the Battle Pyramid, where you’ll have the chance to earn the last Symbol, making you a winner in the Battle Frontier!” I said, wearing glasses and feeling braces grow on my teeth.

“Wow, that’s gotta be hard,” Alexis said. “But this might give me another learning opportunity!”

“Exactly!” I said.

“But how do you know about the Battle Pyramid?” she asked me.

“Well, I came across it near Mt. Pyre, and I helped the Frontier Brain, Brandon, uncover some ruins and catch a legendary Pokemon. Along with-”

“Hey, you slowpokes! Can’t you see Ed’s already inside? You’re burning daylight!” a familiar voice said. I looked to see Mark inside, waiting for us.

“Mark?! What are you doing here?” I asked, running over.

“You’re supposed to be in Johto!” Alexis said when she caught up.

“I am! This is Johto, technically. Anabel just hired me and my Pokemon to help her clean up after her last battle! Anyway, we should get inside! They’re getting ready to battle, and I need to judge!”

We followed Mark inside, where Anabel, a girl with short, violet hair and a fancy-looking shirt and pants was waiting. We introduced ourselves, then sat down on the side. Mark went to the center, between Anabel and Ed. “This official battle between Anabel, Salon Maiden and Frontier Brain of the Battle Tower, and Ed, the challenger from Lilycove City, 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, my friend!” Anabel said. She sent out an Alakazam, a yellow Psi Pokémon with whiskers and two spoons.

“Go, Aggron!” Ed said. He sent out Aggron to face Alakazam. “Start off with Thunderbolt!” Aggron fired a Thunderbolt at Alakazam. Anabel, strangely, didn’t say a thing. Out of nowhere, Alakazam nodded its head and used Confusion to reverse the Thunderbolt right back at Aggron. “What the-?!” Suddenly, Alakazam flew at Aggron with a Focus Punch. “Aggron, look out!” Aggron’s timing made it so that it only got nicked by the Focus Punch.

“I don’t understand! She’s not giving Alakazam any attack orders!” Alexis said.

“Maybe Alakazam can do it alone? Y’know, like Deoxys,” I suggested.

“You’re way off,” Mark answered. “Anabel has the ability to mune with her Pokémon!”

“I’m sorry, MUNE with them?!” I exclaimed.

“That’s right! She can sense their feelings and communicate with them through that ability! And since Psychic Pokémon are so intelligent, they can sense what’s in her head too! Therefore, they’re battling without having to speak out loud!”

“That’s insane! That means Ed is going to have a hard time determining her moves!”

“That’s all the more challenge for me! And I like it! Aggron, use Take Down!” Aggron charged at Alakazam and nailed it with a Take Down, which looked like a critical hit. Alakazam stood up after the attack and used Recover to recover some of its energy.

“It’s recharging its energy!”

“Then this is the time to strike! Aggron, Thunderbolt!” Aggron let loose a Thunderbolt that electrocuted and paralyzed Alakazam. Anabel looked quite shocked at that. Alakazam tried to do something, but was too paralyzed to move. “Okay, Aggron! Finish it with Solarbeam!” Aggron charged up and fired a Solarbeam at Alakazam, which knocked it out.

“Alakazam is unable to battle! Aggron is the winner!”

“Way to go, Aggron!” Ed shouted to it.

“Aggron!”

“Well done, Alakazam! Take a good rest. Now go, my friend!” she said, then threw another Poke Ball, which released a Metagross.

“Wow! I like her taste!” I said. Alexis glared at me when I said that, so I just sat back down in shame. Just then, Metagross used Earthquake to shake things up. Aggron was too shook up to move, so Metagross then nailed it with Meteor Mash.

“Oh, no! Aggron, use Endeavor!” Aggron nailed Metagross with an Endeavor right as Metagross landed a Metal Claw, causing Aggron to faint.

“Aggron is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!”

“Well done, my friend!”

“Meta!”

“Aggron, don’t worry! You set up the dominoes, so I’ll knock ‘em down! Go, Arcanine!” He sent out Arcanine. “Hit it with Flame Wheel!” Arcanine charged at Metagross with Flame Wheel, but Metagross used Psychic to stop it. “I thought you’d do that! Arcanine, Overheat! Full Power!” From where it was, Arcanine fired an Overheat at Metagross, which caused Metagross to fall to the ground, KOed.

“Metagross is unable to battle! Arcanine is the winner!”

“Way to go! Good thing you found that Charcoal, pal!”

“Arr!”

“What’s Charcoal?” Alexis asked.

“It’s a special item that Pokémon hold, and when held, it increases the power of their Fire-based attacks. Nice thinking, eh?” I replied, pointing to a necklace on Arcanine with a piece of Charcoal.

“Held items! That’s really smart! Great thinking, Ed!” Scott said, having sat down behind me and Alexis.

“Gah! Scott, where’d you come from?” I asked, surprised.

“I just had to get a glimpse of this battle! I didn’t think Ed had a chance against Anabel, but he’s been doing a great job! His Aggron and Arcanine are really something! But Anabel still has her third Pokémon to use! And I can assure you guys it’ll be tough!”

“You did excellent, Metagross. Rest up. Now, Ed! It’s time for my final Pokémon!” Anabel said.

“Bring it! I’m ready for whatever you throw my way!”

“Go, my friend!” Of all the rotten luck, she sent out an Espeon of her own.

“Wow, she’s using an Espeon! I wonder how that’ll affect Ed?” Alexis asked.

“Quite a bit, it looks like,” I said, looking at Ed’s pale face.

“Why would that affect him?” Scott asked.

“Because of my Espeon,” I replied.

“Espe!” Espeon said, having come out of its Poke Ball. I could see Anabel and her Espeon eyeing us from a distance. Espeon and I looked at each other, nodding, and then turned back to Ed, who couldn’t make a move.

“Espeon, use Psychic!” Anabel’s Espeon used Espeon to hurl it around the field until it fainted. Ed just kept staring without giving Arcanine a command.

“Arcanine is unable to battle! Espeon is the winner!”

“Arcanine, return,” Ed said as he returned Arcanine to its Poke Ball. He began to stall, unable to move.

“Man, didn’t think Ed would be like THIS. He’s white as a ghost!” Scott exclaimed.

“Ed, you’ve got to focus! You’ve got the strength to win! All of your Pokémon do!” He looked toward us. So did Anabel, with an intrigued look on her face.

“Espe! Espe Espeon!” Espeon shouted to him. Suddenly, Ed got a determined look on his face.

“...sorry. I remembered how strong your Espeon was, and got nervous. But that’s over! We DO have strength: the strength of friendship! ARTICUNO, SHOWTIME!” He said as he sent out Articuno.

“Hey, no fair stealing my bit!” I shouted.

“Articuno, use Ice Beam!” Articuno fired out an Ice Beam at Espeon, but it dodged with Quick Attack. “Okay, now use Water Pulse to shatter the ice!” Articuno’s Water Pulse caused the ice that had formed to break and create ice shards that pummeled Espeon.

“Oh, no!” Anabel said, finally breaking her silence.

“Now, Articuno! Use Steel Wing!” Articuno flew at Espeon with a Steel Wing. However, Espeon caught Articuno with Psychic. “Try an Avalanche!” Articuno fired an Avalanche from where it was that nailed Espeon for double damage. Espeon quickly got up and hit Articuno with Zap Cannon, paralyzing it. “Articuno, Rest!” Articuno began to rest, revitalizing itself. However, Espeon nailed it with a few more Zap Cannons.

“Come on! It’s got to wake up soon or it’s done for!” I said.

“Articuno, wake up and use Water Pulse!” Articuno woke up and fired a Water Pulse to counter another Zap Cannon. The collision created smoke. “That’s it! Articuno, Mist!” Articuno sent out a cloud of mist at the smoke, adding to Anabel’s and Espeon’s lack of vision. “Now let’s clear the air, once and for all! Ominous Wind!”

“WHAT THE-?!?” I heard Mark say. Articuno flapped its wings, and from them came a purple gust of wind. The attack cleared the smoke, but blew Espeon into the wall behind Anabel as well. When Espeon landed, it passed out. “You guys and your special attacks and your-oh yeah. Espeon is unable to battle! Articuno is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Ed from Lilycove City!”

“Yes! We did it, Articuno!” Ed said as he went out to hug Articuno. We ran over to him, congratulating him, while Mark and Scott talked on the sides.

“You and Articuno were amazing, Ed! At this rate, you’ll have the Battle Frontier won in no time!” I said.

“Articuno’s such an amazing Pokémon! I wish I had something like it!” Alexis said in awe.

“Ed, I was amazed with your technique! Your use of the smoke and Mist to cloud our vision really was a great maneuver!” Anabel said after returning Espeon to its Poke Ball.

“You guys were great, too! If Frontier battles are as much fun as this one, then I look forward to the Battle Frontier!” Ed said, shaking her hand.

“Well, thank you! Here, this is for you!” she said, handing him a gold circle-like badge with a marking of what looked like a solid upside-down cone on it. “This Ability Symbol is proof that you won at the Battle Tower!”

“Thank you very much, Anabel! I WON AN ABILITY SYMBOL!” Ed said, holding the Symbol out.

“Gyao!” Articuno added.

Later, we were outside the Battle Tower standing opposite of Anabel, Mark, and Scott.

“Okay, Ed! The next place you want to go is the Battle Factory near Cerulean City! And Mike, your next Gym Battle will be in Pewter City!”

“Thanks, Scott!” we said. Anabel then came over to us.

“Hey, Mike. Be sure to stop by again if you can. I’d really like to battle you and your Espeon sometime!” she said.

“Deal!” I said, shaking her hand. “And Bro! Best of luck in the Johto Contests!”

“And you in your battles, little brother!” Mark replied.

The three of us then started on the new path that lay ahead for us on the way to our new goals.

Chapter 56: Bad Times at Viridian Forest

“Okay, Treecko! Use Pound!” Treecko used Pound on a tree. Out of it came a Caterpie, a green worm-like Pokémon.

We had made it to the Viridian Forest, where Alexis was attempting to catch Pokémon. Although Treecko and Mightyena were getting valuable experience, she just couldn’t succeed at catching a Pokémon. However, her luck was bound to change sooner or later…

“Treecko, give it a Quick Attack!” Treecko slammed into Caterpie with a Quick Attack. It reeled a bit, then used Tackle to knock Treecko a ways back. “Treecko, strike back with Bullet Seed!” Treecko fired a Bullet Seed at Caterpie, but the attack had little real effect. Caterpie then wrapped Treecko up in its String Shot, just like the last two Pokémon we’d encountered. It then proceeded to run away.

“Alexis, have Treecko use one of its moves to get out of there!” I said.

“I know what I’m doing! Yeesh!” she shouted. “Treecko, use Pound!” Treecko tried to move, but couldn’t. I placed my head in my hands in despair. “C’mon, Treecko! Get out of there! Try a Quick Attack!” I could see the shimmer of a Quick Attack, but Treecko just couldn’t break out.

“Look, do you want my help?” I asked.

“NO! I’m going to do this by myself, Mike! I don’t need you to babysit me all the time! Treecko, use Bullet Seed!” Treecko’s Bullet Seed managed to get through the String Shot after a while. Unfortunately, Caterpie had been long gone. “RRRRGH! That’s the third time today!”

“Listen, if you need help-”

“Mike McCarver, you are not to help me at all! I’m learning how to become a great Trainer, and I have to do it on my own! Don’t set one foot near me until I’ve caught my Pokémon!” she said as she stormed off. We waited for a few minutes.

“Wow, she’s bent on it. Shouldn’t you go anyway?” Ed asked while preparing lunch.

“Maybe, or I could do something else to help Treecko here,” I said, bending down to Treecko. “Don’t worry; she’s just like this, but she’ll remember you, I promise. She just needs to go blow off some steam. In the meantime, why don’t I teach you a helpful move?”

“Treecko!” it replied, accepting the offer.

“All right, Golduck! Showtime!” I said, releasing Golduck from its Poke Ball. “Now show Treecko an Aerial Ace!” Golduck hit a tree with Aerial Ace, and out of it came a Beedrill, a yellow bee-like Pokémon. It came at us with its two drills for arms.

“It’s using Twinneedle! Get out of the way!” Ed shouted.

“No way! Golduck, Treecko! Aerial Ace!” Golduck pulled off a perfect Aerial Ace, but Treecko slipped up in the middle and fell. Beedrill fired a Poison Sting at Treecko, but Treecko knocked it away with Pound. It then tried another Aerial Ace, which hit, but not with the same power that Golduck put into it. “You’re getting there! Treecko, try it one more time!” Treecko lunged at Beedrill, this time with its arms flying behind it. Suddenly, it executed a perfect Aerial Ace, knocking Beedrill back and causing it to flee.

“Way to go, guys! Although I gotta say, Alexis is either going to be really mad or really proud!” Ed said.

“That’s right! She’s been gone way too long! Guys, we’d better go find her!” I said.

“But she’s been gone ten minutes.”

“THAT’S WAY TOO LONG!!!” I shouted. Golduck, Treecko and I all grabbed him and carried him with us. After he finally agreed to run, we made our way through the forest. We passed some Weedle, who were like Caterpie, except poisonous, and we also passed a hive of its evolved form, Kakuna. Suddenly, we heard a scream. Not far away was Alexis, who was backed into a corner by an Armaldo and a Cradily. Mightyena was in the hands of Team Rocket, who were in a giant mecha this time.

“St-Stay away! Get back!” Alexis was saying, fear filling her face.

“C’mon, runt! Just agree to come with us!” Olson said.

“You’re going to be the perfect bartering chip for that boyfriend of yours and his Espeon!” Ashley said.

“Did someone call me?” I asked. Everyone turned to me, Golduck, and Treecko.

“Speak of the devil! Cradily, use Constrict!” Cradily wrapped its tentacles around Alexis, who tried to escape but couldn’t.

“NO! YOU LET HER GO OR ELSE!” I said.

“Or else what?” Team Rocket taunted.

“Treecko! Aerial Ace!” Treecko used an Aerial Ace to knock Cradily for a loop, then release Alexis. I ran over and got her, while Ed got out Arcanine.

“Arcanine, use Flame Wheel!” Arcanine smashed into Armaldo with a Flame Wheel, setting it the mecha it crashed into on fire.

“GAH! IT’S HOT! IT’S HOT! IT’S HOT!” Team Rocket screamed.

“Well then, let’s cool you down! Golduck, Hydro Pump!” Golduck’s Hydro Pump blasted the mecha into a bunch of trees, and Mightyena was able to escape.

“Mightyena, are you okay?” Alexis asked, hugging Mightyena.

“Rar!” Mightyena responded.

“That’s good. Thank you for…helping me, Mike,” Alexis said apologetically.

“No worries, it’s all good. Let’s all wrap this up! Golduck! Treecko!”

“Arcanine!”

“TRIPLE AERIAL ACE!” we said together. The Pokémon attacked from all sides, which caused the mecha to blow up.

“TEAM ROCKET’S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!” Team Rocket screamed, flying into the distance.

“Wow, Treecko! When did you learn how to use Aerial Ace?” Alexis said, hugging it.

“Tree!” Treecko said, pointing at me and Golduck. She just looked up at us and glared.

“Uh…ah, heh-heh…well, it’s a funny story…wait, LOOK!” I said.

“I’m not falling for it, ding-dong! You two butted in! And I told you not to help!” Alexis snapped, irritated.

“No time! Look!” I pointed towards a Caterpie about twice its original size.

“Oh, wow!” Alexis said. “All right, Treecko! Let’s go get it! Use Pound!” Treecko used Pound to just budge Caterpie. Caterpie launched a String Shot at Treecko in response. “Use Aerial Ace to dodge!” Treecko pulled an Aerial Ace, which let it avoid the String Shot and greatly damage Caterpie. “Now finish it with another Aerial Ace!” Treecko used Aerial Ace to knock Caterpie out. “Poke Ball, go!” She threw a Poke Ball, it took Caterpie in, wiggled, and finally clicked, signifying that Alexis had caught it. “All right! I did it! Thank you so much, Treecko!”

“Treecko Treecko!” Treecko said proudly.

“That was amazing! You figured out how to avoid the String Shot and-” I cut off what I was going to say because Alexis glared at me again. “Okay, I’m sorry. I should’ve just kept my nose out of your business. It won’t happen again.”

“I should hope so!” she shouted. I turned away, ashamed of myself. “I mean, it’s an indignity to have to have others teach MY Pokémon moves that I should be teaching them!”

“Well, Mike’s to blame for that, really,” Ed tattled.

“I just thought all Gym Leaders needed an Ace up their sleeve, right? That kind of move that nobody expects! I mean, think of that battle with Roxanne all the way back! She pulled a Thunder Wave out of nowhere and almost had us! It’s things like that that can really throw a challenger off their game, and so Gym Leaders always need a secret move to keep on hand as a trump card! But if you want to do it yourself, that’s fine. I just thought we were on this journey as a team, and teammates help each other, so-ah, never mind.” I began to leave, but then Alexis caught my hand before I could go.

“We ARE on this as a team. I just want to prove to myself and to you guys that I can do this! That I can make my Pokémon the best they can be! It’s my responsibility as a Trainer, and I need to not have to have others do it for me! That said, I didn’t come on this journey to be a loner like you’re making me out to be! I wanted to be with you!...and Ed! The point is, I don’t want you doing things for me, but I don’t want to not be able to rely on you guys. ‘K?”

“…K.” I replied, looking down. I couldn’t believe I’d do that to my own girlfriend, let alone my best friend.

“…look. I know your heart was in the right place, and it was very sweet of you to do all that for me. It’s just that I need that feeling of independence. Do you think you can give that to me?” she asked.

“Sure. So…we’re good?”

“We’re GREAT,” she said just before we started to kiss. Ed grinned and shoved a very curious Treecko and Golduck back to camp. “This was definitely a team effort, so here goes: WE CAUGHT A CATERPIE!” Alexis shouted, holding Caterpie’s Poke Ball up.

“Now YOU’RE talking to the sky?!” I asked.

“It’s just something a teammate of mine does! He’s kind of an idiot that way!” she said. We then went back to the camp hand in hand and laughing. I felt relief due to the fact that we’d survived another obstacle in our relationship, and that it could hopefully only go up from there.

Chapter 57: Boulder Over

“Go, Mightyena! Use Iron Tail!” Mightyena nailed Nidoran with an Iron Tail.

After finally emerging from the Viridian Forest, Alexis had found a female Nidoran, a blue rabbit-like Pokémon with small poison barbs. She had sent out Mightyena to battle it, and was quickly gaining the upper hand.

“Great, Lexi! You’re doing awesome!” I shouted.

“Keep it up!” Ed added.

“Thanks, guys! Now use Sunny Day!” Mightyena used Sunny Day to intensify the sun’s rays.

“Why do that?” Ed asked.

“Aha! I see what she’s trying to do!” I replied.

“Now use Fire Fang!” Mightyena used Fire Fang to bite Nidoran, causing major damage and knocking it out. “POKE BALL, GO!” The Poke Ball ensnared Nidoran and wiggled until it was caught. “Yes! I CAUGHT A NIDORAN!”

“Arr!” Mightyena added.

“Way to go! That was an amazing combo!” I said.

“Thanks, Mike! It just popped into my head!” she replied as she and I high-fived.

“Impressive, young lady,” a gruff voice said. We looked to see that it was coming from a man in a yellow shirt, green pants, very tanned skin, and brown hair with what looked like shut eyes. “With skills like that, I assume you’re here to challenge the Pewter City Gym Leader?”

“Oh, n-no! I do want to BECOME a Gym Leader someday, but no, I’m not here to battle!” she said, blushing (to my annoyance). “But Mike here is here to challenge the Gym Leader!” she said, grabbing my arm (to my relief).

“Well then, let me be the first to welcome you, Mike! I’m Flint, Leader of the Pewter City Gym!” he said, shaking my hand.

“Nice to meet you, Flint!” I replied.

“Well, shall we go to the Gym, then?”

He led us to a Gym almost like the Rustboro Gym, except it was like a giant boulder on the outside and like a cave on the inside. On our way in, we waved to his wife and children, and one of the children, Forrester, followed us in. We took our places on each side of the field, while Alexis and Ed watched in the wings above. Forrester took two flags and stepped to the middle on the side. He then said: “This official battle between Flint, Leader of the Pewter Gym, and Mike, the challenger from Littleroot Town, will now begin! Each trainer will be allotted the use of two Pokémon! Only the challenger may make substitutions, and battle will end when both of either Trainer’s Pokémon are unable to continue! Begin!”

“Go, Golem!”

“Golduck, let’s do it!”

He sent out a Golem while I sent out Golduck to face it.

“Let’s make this quick! Use Hydro Pump!”

“Golem! Use Rock Slide to defend!”

Golduck fired a Hydro Pump, but Golem’s Rock Slide prevented the attack from getting through.

“Wow, that’s awesome! But still, Golem can’t stop this! Golduck, use Aqua Jet!” Golduck nailed Golem with an Aqua Jet.

“Golem, give it a Rock Tomb!” Golem’s Rock Tomb trapped Golduck.

“Golduck, get out of there! Try a Hyper Beam!” Golduck’s Hyper Beam broke the Rock Tomb, but it looked exhausted.

“Golem, Defense Curl!” Golem curled up into a ball, raising its defense.

“Golduck, use Psychic!” Golduck’s Psychic lifted Golem into the air. However, because of Golem’s weight, Golduck couldn’t keep it up for long and ended up dropping it.

“Golem, Rollout!” Golem’s Rollout nailed Golduck. Since it had used Defense Curl before, Rollout’s power was doubled. As such, Golduck was knocked out.

“Golduck is unable to battle! Golem is the winner!”

“It’s okay, Golduck! You did great,” I said, returning it to its Poke Ball. “Metagross, it’s showtime!” I sent out Metagross, who looked a little angry. “Metagross, what’s wrong?” I asked.

“Meta…” Metagross said to me.

“Seems that Metagross considers Golem an enemy, what with all the times we’ve been facing Olson’s Golem. Maybe that’s what can fuel the fire in this battle!” Deoxys translated.

“Okay, then! Metagross, use Meteor Mash!” Metagross charged at Golem and, before Golem could dodge, nailed it with Meteor Mash. “Now use Gyro Ball, but grab it when you get close!” Metagross spun into a Gyro Ball and grabbed Golem’s arm, catching it in the spin. “Reverse Release!” Stopping its spin, Metagross let go of Golem and flung it into a boulder. When the dust from the impact cleared, Golem was knocked out.

“Golem is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!”

“Way to go, Metagross!” I said.

“Meta!” Metagross replied, looking both happy and satisfied.

“That’s one powerful Pokémon! Of course, so is this one! Onix, let’s go!” He sent out an Onix. “Let’s do this for Brock! Use Rock Slide!” Onix slammed the ground, and boulders nailed Metagross. They didn’t seem to do much damage, but they were enough to make Metagross flinch.

“Metagross, hang in there!”

“Mike! Onix is getting close!” I heard Lexi call. Sure enough, Onix was closing in on Metagross.

“Bind it now!” Onix wrapped its tail around Metagross, restraining it.

“Metagross, use Hyper Beam to escape!” Metagross, however, was still flinching.

“Now, Onix! Headbutt!” Onix bashed Metagross with its head over and over again.

“Metagross, c’mon! You can break out of this! I know it!!” I shouted. Just then, Metagross managed to move an arm above, then slammed it down on Onix’s body, causing Onix to let go of Metagross.

“Incredible! Mike! Metagross just learned Hammer Arm!” Ed called out.

“Awesome! You the MAN, Metagross!”

“Metagross!” it replied happily.

“Onix, encircle Metagross and get ready to use Wrap!” Onix moved its entire body around Metagross.

“Metagross, combine Gyro Ball with Hammer Arm!” Metagross spun around in place, then used all four of its limbs to slam down on the ground, cracking it and throwing Onix off. “Now finish it with Meteor Mash!” Metagross nailed Onix’s head with a Meteor Mash, causing it to fall to the ground, knocked out.

“Onix is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Mike of Littleroot Town!”

“Metagross, you were awesome! And Hammer Arm’s timing couldn’t have been better!” I said as I went out and hugged Metagross.

“Meta, Meta!” Metagross responded.

“That was incredible, you guys! There really IS something to be said for faith!” Alexis said as she and Ed came to meet us.

“I’d say it was more Metagross’s skill in handling Hammer Arm that clenched it for us!” I replied while being mobbed by the two of them.

“Indeed, that was a tremendous battle. Now, here is proof of your victory here at the Pewter City Gym: the Boulder Badge!” Flint said as he gave me a grey badge looking like a stone.

“Thank you, Flint! All right, WE WON THE BOULDER BADGE!”

“Meta!”

Later on, after saying goodbye to Flint and his family, we began to head for Mt. Moon. Afterward, we would go toward Cerulean City, where the Battle Factory and Ed’s next challenge waited for us.

Chapter 58: Scaredy Bat

Having won my second Kanto Gym Battle and earned the Boulder Badge, the group and I decided to make our next destination the Battle Factory located near Cerulean City. However, the only way to get there was by going through Mt. Moon, so we decided to go through.

“So, what’s so special about this Mt. Moon?” I asked.

“Well, apparently, a ton of Clefairy and the members of their evolution gather around a giant Moon Stone and do a dance once every year!” Ed replied.

“A Moon Stone?” Alexis asked.

“Right, kinda like the Dawn Stone,” I said as I got out the Dawn Stone. “These stones have the ability to evolve certain Pokémon at the first touch. However, they’re one-use only, so we’d have to be careful who we’d use it on if we were to get our hands on one.”

“If your Nidoran evolved into a Nidorina, it’d be able to evolve into a Nidoqueen with a Moon Stone!” Ed said.

“Really?! Well, no sense in not being prepared! I’m going to get one of those Moon Stones!” Alexis exclaimed as she ran toward Mt. Moon’s entrance.

“Your fault,” I said to Ed.

“Right, sorry! We should go after her,” he said sheepishly. We followed her into the cave, where lights were strung everywhere, oddly. Just then, there was a loud scream, which we followed. To my horror, there was a swarm of Zubat attacking Alexis, probably for her just rushing in there like that.

“Guys, PLEASE give me a hand here!” she screamed from within the swarming Zubat. However, I froze up. I don’t know how to describe it, but seeing them attack Alexis made me space out. I could feel my body rushing forward to push her out of there, then I felt the attacks on my own body, then a white light. All of a sudden, Alexis, Ed, and Aggron were all looking at me with the ceiling beind them.

“What…happened? Alexis, are you all right?” I asked as I sat up.

“ME?!” Alexis said, distraught. “You passed out because of those Zubat and you’re asking me if-”

“Yes or no would’ve sufficed, Lexi.”

“…Yes, I’m okay. But you can’t keep doing that!”

“I’m sorry! It’s just…my body acted on its own!” I explained to them what I was feeling during the whole situation, and they looked shocked. “I just hope we don’t run into any more of those things!” I said, feeling a chill go down my spine.

“Are you SCARED?” Ed asked jokingly.

“Not a chance! I just…could we move on?” I said, quickly jumping to my feet and trudging ahead. I couldn’t let them see me sweat.

“Mike, it’s all right! Fear isn’t-” Alexis said as she put her hand on my shoulder. She cut off because I screamed like a little girl.

“WARN ME NEXT TIME!!!” I shouted as I spun around. “Let’s…let’s just move on!” We went inside, seeing more lights on the walls.

“Zubat hate light, so it’s no surprise that they would attack out of pure agitation. The question is: who would string lights down here?” Ed pondered.

“Probably somebody looking for a Moon Stone!” Alexis said.

“That or somebody who gets a thrill out of scarring me for life!” I said, practically shivering.

“Mike, I’m not too happy with your EXTERNAL scar, so what makes you think I’ll like this internal one any better?” Alexis commented.

“You’re right. I’ve got to stay calm, I’ve got to stay calm, I’ve got to stay-”

“Hey, Mike?” Deoxys asked through me.

“Yeah?”

“Look up.” I did, and I turned white as a ghost (I could tell). We were in a darkened room, but I could see the glimmer of Zubat fangs.

“What are they all doing here?” Alexis whispered.

“I’ll ask them. Zubat, what’s going on around here?”

“Bat, Zubat zubat!” was the response.

“It says that two humans set up lights throughout Mt. Moon and are digging around, looking for something.”

“Well, let’s just find them and get out of here!” I said. It was then that a Zubat came out of nowhere and rested on my head. “……fast.”

“Mike, that Zubat seems to like you! Don’t be that way towards it!” Alexis said.

“Okay, can I be that way away from it?” That earned me a slap to the face.

“Guys, let’s just go! Zubat, you want to help us?” Ed asked.

“Bat, Zubat bat!” Zubat replied.

We made our way further into Mt. Moon, where some Clefairy, white fairy-like Pokémon, were gathered and chatting. Deoxys translated that the route to their gigantic Moon Stone was blocked off by large boulders. This was apparently the time of year when they did their Moon Dance and certain Clefairy evolved into Clefable, a pink fairy-like Pokémon, having been exposed to the Moon Stone.

“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem! We’ll just have to smash right through!” I said. Suddenly, Zubat launched off my head and into an alcove above the boulders. Next thing I knew, an Onix broke through the boulders and then dug into the ground. Zubat flew back through and motioned for us to come. “Wow. Uh…thank you,” I stammered. We went through, with the Clefairy following us. The road suddenly forked into three paths, also blocked by boulders.

“How will we navigate through here?” Alexis asked.

“Well, there’s no way of knowing which way is the correct way! After all, they’re all blocked!” Ed said.

“It’s my turn, then! Medicham, triple Dynamicpunch!” I said as I sent out Medicham. It hit all three boulders with Dynamicpunch, breaking them apart. Suddenly, loud sounds came out of each tunnel.

“This is bad! The soundwaves could confuse the Clefairy into which way leads to the Moon Stone!” Ed said.

“Well, I may not like it, but what have I got to lose? Zubat, use Supersonic to find the right way!” Zubat sent out its Supersonic into each tunnel. After that, it motioned us toward the middle path, and so we went through. Eventually, we found a supersonic generator, which Medicham broke with Brick Break. We all then made our way through until we reached a room with a giant rock in the center. Upon seeing it, the Clefairy began to celebrate.

“That must be the Moon Stone they were looking for!” Ed said.

“Wow! So we might be able to see the Moon Dance after all!” Alexis said, overjoyed. However, a large wind current suddenly appeared and sent all the Clefairy up into the air. They were sucked into a vacuum which led to a case with some Cleffa and Clefable, the other members of Clefairy’s evolution line. Attached to the case was the usual hovercraft belonging to Ashley and Olson, who let out their usual laugh.

“The only dance around here is going to be our victory dance, runts! The Clefairy are ours!” Olson taunted.

“Give them back! Right now!” I shouted.

“Like we’d give rarities like these to you! No way, they’re going to Giovanni!” Ashley said. They then took off.

“We’ve got to go after them! Zubat, think you can help us?” Alexis asked. Zubat nodded and chased after Team Rocket.

“Armaldo, hit it with Ancientpower!” Ashley said as she sent out her Armaldo. It then gathered a white ball of energy into its claws and hit Zubat with it.

“Come on, Zubat! You can do it!” Ed shouted.

“We believe in you! No matter what, we know you can win!” Alexis shouted. I grimaced at this.

“Well, I know that you’re wasting your time! You’ll never be able to break through our case! The material it’s made from can resist those feeble attacks of yours!” Olson shouted.

“Armaldo, show it how feeble it really is! Use Water Gun!” Armaldo’s Water Gun knocked Zubat a ways away.

“ZUBAT! DON’T LET THEM GET TO YOU! DON’T GIVE UP!” I shouted on impulse.

“Mike?!” Alexis said, befuddled.

“I’d been letting my fear get the best of me, but nothing is too strong to get in the way of my bonds with my friends! I see now that Zubat is my friend as well, and it’s supported us all this time! Now I’m returning the favor! Zubat, give it your all!” I shouted. Just then, Zubat glowed with a bright light. It doubled in size, gained feet, and when the light faded, it had eyes as well. “No way! Zubat evolved into Golbat! Awesome!”

“Gol, Golbat!” Golbat said back. It then fired out an Air Cutter to break the case. The Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable flew out into the cave.

“WHA-?!” Ashley and Olson screamed.

“That’s showing ‘em! Medicham, use Shadow Ball!” Medicham fired a Shadow Ball. Golbat fired one to accompany it, followed swiftly by Shadow Balls from the Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable. The ensuing explosion sent Team Rocket into the sky.

“TEAM ROCKET’S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!” they shouted, AGAIN.

“Way to go, everybody!” I said. The Clefairy and the others started jumping up and down to celebrate again. “And especially you, Golbat!”

“Golbat!” it replied happily.

That night, we were all watching the Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable do their Moon Dance before the full moon above and the Moon Stones below. At one point, Alexis turned to me.

“Mike, I’m glad you were able to overcome your fear. But just so you know, fear isn’t a sign of weakness. How you handle that fear is really what defines you,” she said.

“I know. I guess I was too wrapped up in the fear I felt to think straight, but when that fear vanished, we were able to get things done, me and Golbat. Right?”

“Bat, Golbat!” Golbat agreed.

The next morning, after taking down those lights, we said our goodbyes to the Clefairy, and followed Golbat to the exit.

“Thank you for everything, Golbat. I owe you a lot!” I said to Golbat. As thanks, Golbat and the other Zubat swarmed me. I laughed the whole time; they were just pinning my torso to the ground playfully. After we said goodbye to them, we started on the path to the Battle Factory. Suddenly, Ed tripped over something. Alexis picked it up, then got wide-eyed.

“IT’S A MOON STONE!! Just like I’d hoped!” she exclaimed, fawning over it.

“Alexis, that belongs to the Clefairy! We should return it!” Ed said.

“You’d skip your battle just to go back to Mt. Moon?” she asked indignantly. Ed’s eyes became a ping-pong match as he pondered over what to do. Alexis used the opportunity to run away.

“HEY! GET BACK HERE!” Ed shouted after coming back to reality. He ran off after her. Strengthened in body, mind, and spirit, I happily strode forth after them. Just then, I looked up into the sky to see a rainbow, and an orange bird-like thing flying by it.

“Wait a minute! That’s-!” I said, recognizing it from the Mirage Tower. It was the giant peacock-like Pokémon that was a statue. “Huh. What was its name again…huh? Hey, guys! Wait up!” I said, chasing them down.

Chapter 59: The Manectric Event

Having once again defeated Team Rocket at Mt. Moon, we finally arrived at the Battle Factory, the site of Ed’s next Battle Frontier challenge.

“Boy, they weren’t kidding when they called it the Battle Factory! This place is a dump!” Alexis commented.

“Well, I’m sure the Frontier Brain’s battling isn’t nearly as sloppy as his facility! You ready for this, Ed?” I asked.

“Nope. These people can be unpredictable, Mike. You never know what to expect. I figure that I should go with Raichu. I’ve been working on a new move with it and figure that this is the time to test it!” Ed replied, getting out Raichu’s Poke Ball.

“Normally, I wouldn’t leave something like that to chance, but go for it!” I said, then remembered all the times I did that and shirked back.

“Hold on. This will be Raichu’s first official Frontier Battle! You think this is the right time to chance a move like that?” Alexis asked.

“If it’s a move that’ll help him win, who are we to deny him the chance?” a familiar voice said.

“Scott!” Ed said as he spun around.

“Howdy, kids! I see you finally made it! Let me fill you in on Noland, the Factory Head! His-uh?!” Scott stopped short because a giant tank-like vehicle was headed our way. It was swerving about like it was seriously out of control.

“LOOK OUT!! IT’LL RUN US OVER!!” Ed was screaming.

“Come on, Mightyena! Hyper Beam!” Alexis said as she sent out Mightyena.

“You too, Deoxys! Night Shade!” I said as I sent out Deoxys. The two fired their attacks at the tank, which was enough to launch the tank backwards. It finally stopped a ways away, and the hatch opened. By the time we got there, a man with a red hat, a white tank-top, and dark cargo pants and matching gloves had jumped out on onto the ground.

“Thanks! This thing just won’t stay in control!” the man said.

“Noland, you still working on that thing?” Scott asked.

“You know it! This steam-powered automobile just has a few bugs to work out! Anyway, howdy, Scott! Who’re your friends?”

“My name’s Mike! I’m from Littleroot Town!”

“I’m Alexis!”

“And I’m Ed!”

“Ah, I’ve heard of you all from Anabel and Brandon! So, I guess you’re here to challenge me to a battle?” Noland asked Ed.

“That’s right! So, what are the rules?” Ed asked.

“Come with me! It’s lunch time for my Pokémon anyway! Feel free to have yours join in!” Noland said, leading us to the back.

“Thanks, Noland! Everyone, come on out!” I said, sending everybody out.

“Lunch time!” Alexis said, throwing her Poke Balls.

“Let’s go, guys!” Ed added as he sent his Pokémon out. At that, Sergio, Noland’s assistant, brought out Pokémon food as well as Noland’s Pokémon. There were several: Venusaur, Rhyhorn, Machamp, Breloom, Rhydon, Lairon, Pinsir, Camerupt, Sandslash, Golduck, Trapinch, and Manectric. “Wow, your Pokémon look really well-trained!” Ed said. Noland gave no response, as he was staring at Ed’s Articuno.

“Uh, Noland?” I asked.

“Uh, uh, what? So, uh, Ed! Who’d you like to face?”

“Wait, who would I like to face?!” Ed responded.

“That’s how it works here, Ed! You get your choice of opponent, so choose wisely!” Scott said.

“Wouldn’t that put Ed at an advantage?” Alexis asked.

“No. He may get type advantage, but it’s experience that counts. Plus, seeing as Noland’s a Frontier Brain, he’s probably learned to deal with type disadvantages. If anything, this is even riskier than if you didn’t have a choice,” I answered.

“Wow,” Ed said. “…I really can’t decide who…”

“Mane!”

“Rai!”

We turned to see Noland’s Manectric having an argument with Ed’s Raichu. They had both wandered over to the same tree and were fighting over the same Pecha Berry.

“Mane, Manectric! Mane!”

“Raichu, Raichu!”

The two of them became enraged to the point where they were butting heads and sending sparks out of their bodies.

“Forget it, I’m not translating this one,” Deoxys said, lounging against a very confused Rhydon.

“Raichu, cut it out!” Ed said as he grabbed Raichu.

“Manectric, what’s gotten into you?” Noland said as he went over to Manectric.

“I think we’ve found our combatants!” I said to Ed. As he contemplated this, he suddenly grinned and nodded.

“Okay! Noland, I’m choosing to fight your Manectric with my Raichu!” Ed said.

“Rai!” Raichu replied, grinning.

“Well, well! That’s a bold choice!” Noland said.

“Crazy, Noland. The word is crazy!” Alexis refuted.

Noland and Sergio led all of us inside the Battle Factory, which looked like a building still under construction. The battlefield was a simple field, which we were about twenty feet above.

“This is NOT the most pleasant situation,” Ed said.

“Oh, come on. I can’t be scared of bats but YOU can be scared of heights? That’s freaking ridiculous,” I grumbled.

“Come on, you two. Let’s go to the higher concourse; give these two their space!” Scott said. He led me and Alexis to a higher level.

Sergio, flags in hand, took his place on a platform suspended over the side of the field, while Noland and Ed took places on either side. “This official battle between Noland, Factory Head and Frontier Brain of the Battle Factory, and Ed, the challenger from Lilycove City, will now begin! Each trainer will be allotted the use of one Pokémon with no subsitutions! Battle will end when either Trainer’s Pokémon is unable to continue! Begin!”

“Come on, Manectric!”

“Raichu, I choose you!”

The two Pokémon were sent out, glares in their eyes.

“Manectric! Start off with Thunder Wave!” Manectric fired a Thunder Wave at Raichu.

“That’s not going to do anything! Raichu, take it in!” Raichu stood there and took the attack as if it wasn’t being hurt.

“Manectric! Quick Attack!” Manectric zoomed at Raichu and hit it with Quick Attack, sending it into the wall.

“Wha-?!” Ed stammered.

Clever move, using Thunder Wave to get Ed overconfident to the point where he’d lower his guard, I thought.

“Okay! Now use Quick Attack again!” Manectric raced at Raichu with Quick Attack.

“Raichu, wait for it…” Ed and Raichu stood there, waiting for Manectric to get close. As soon as Manectric lifted its right front foot before the left at close range, Ed shouted, “Now! Focus Punch to the left!” Raichu used a Focus Punch and intercepted Manectric, knowing it would go to its right. The impact sent Manectric flying, but it recovered in midair and landed on its feet.

“Manectric, let’s try Rain Dance!” Manectric used Rain Dance to make rain fall from out of nowhere. “Now use Thunder!”

“Raichu, you use Thunder too!” Raichu and Manectric sent out dual Thunder attacks to counter each other.

“I don’t get it! Why would they both use Thunder at the same time?” Alexis asked.

“When it’s raining, Thunder can’t miss its target! Plus, water conducts electricity, so the attack would’ve done major damage to a soaking target!” Scott replied. “Noland is always thinking ahead with combos like that, and Ed’s going to have a tough time keeping up! That Focus Punch maneuver was good, but Noland’s got one more trick up his sleeve!”

“Manectric! Use Charge!” Manectric glowed with a yellow light with sparks flying about it.

“Raichu! Thunderbolt!” Raichu’s Thunderbolt hit, but didn’t do much damage.

“Now, Manectric! Full Power Thunder!” Manectric fired a Thunder in Raichu’s direction.

“Raichu, I’m sorry, but we have to try that new move now! VOLT TACKLE!” Raichu rushed at Manectric with electricity surrounding it. An attack in a similar class of Take Down, Raichu’s Volt Tackle absorbed Manectric’s Thunder, adding to its power. When Raichu reached Manectric, there was an enormous explosion. We couldn’t see anything until the smoke cleared. Raichu was struggling to get up, while Manectric just stood there.

“Seems your new move might’ve backfired, Ed! Remember that Volt Tackle greatly damages Raichu! Time to-huh?!” Noland stopped short because Manectric fell to the ground, knocked out.

“Manectric is unable to battle! Raichu is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Ed of Lilycove City!”

“Raichu! You did it! Super job!” Ed said as he ran out to the field and picked Raichu up.

“Rai, Rai!” Raichu responded happily.

“You did awesome, Ed!” I said. By then, we’d made it downstairs and were congratulating him.

“Wow, I’m sorry to have doubted you, Ed! And you, Raichu! I’m sure glad I’ve never faced you two in battle!” Alexis said.

“Aw, shucks!” Ed replied.

“That was a clever strategy, using Volt Tackle to absorb Manectric’s electricity and use it against us!” Noland said as he, Sergio, and Manectric came over. “You showed true skill and trust between you and Raichu! I proudly present you with the Knowledge Symbol, proof of your victory here at the Battle Factory!” He handed Ed a gold symbol with three diamond shapes engraved in it.

“Yes! WE WON THE KNOWLEDGE SYMBOL!” Ed said, holding it up in the air.

“Rai, Raichu!” Raichu added.

Later that evening, we were all having dinner and planning the next route.

“Okay, guys! If you’re heading to Cerulean City, then you could either go for the Battle Arena in Saffron City, or the Battle Dome in Lavender Town!” Scott said.

“Well, after Cerulean City, we’ll be heading northeast to visit Bill, the Pokemaniac, so it might make more sense to go to Lavender Town after that,” I said, remembering that my dad had given me an assignment to meet him ASAP.

“Okay, then! You’ll be facing Tucker, the Dome Ace! But be ready for a lot of talking, Ed!” Noland said to Ed.

“Uh…?” Ed wondered.

“You’ll see!” Noland said, chuckling.

After that, we continued on our way to Cerulean City. After learning from this battle that anything can happen, I started running strategies through my head, seeing as anything could happen in my upcoming Gym Battle and on the road ahead.

Okay, pretty good story. I suggest that you add more narrative (basically stuff that isn't dialogue or related to dialogue like 'he said' 'she said'). Also, indent at the beginning of dialogue. It makes for an easier read so it's not just a block of text. Or, if you'd rather not, this could be turned into a pretty decent play. Also, I noticed that when you introduced the two antagonists there wasn't much of a warning. Don't just put them in there and expect us to understand how they got there.

Chapter 60: The World is Your Cloyster

“At long last, we’re in Cerulean City!”

“Wow, it feels good to see civilization again!”

“And with good timing; I need to go get us some supplies!”

“Okay, I’ll head to the Pokémon Center!”

“And I’ll have myself a look around!”

We’d finally made it to Cerulean City, the site of my third Gym Battle. We’d decided to split up: Ed had to go restock on supplies, Alexis wanted to take her Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, and I decided to go around town, see all there was to see, and maybe play with my Pokémon some. I even let them out to see the sights with me. It wasn’t long before I got a message from Dad on my Pokenav.

“’Mike, we have a problem. There is a large group of Team Rocket grunts gathered in Cerulean City. See what you can do about it.’”

“Okay, we need to keep our eyes open for members of Team Rocket, guys.”

“The most obvious place would be the Gym. If they were going to steal Pokémon, they’d probably go there,”

“Think you can find it?”

“Sure,” Deoxys responded. It sent its aura into the air, and it exploded into an aurora. After a while, it dissipated, and Deoxys turned to me. “It’s to the west. C’mon!” We made our way to the Cerulean Gym, which looked like a carousel with a Dewgong on the front above the “Cerulean Gym” lettering. There was a Team Rocket member guarding the entrance, but he wasn’t looking at me. We all hid in a bush nearby, and I snuck around and whistled from behind a tree. He looked, got mad, and ran at me. Things happened, and he ended up knocked out and minus a uniform.

“Okay, everyone. Return,” I said as I returned them to their Poke Balls. “Deoxys, take control of this guy.”

“Wilco,” Deoxys responded, its aura leaving me and going into the Rocket soldier. “Okay, let’s go.” I led him inside, past the main lobby, where several other grunts were gathered. The admin let us through to the Gym’s main room, which resembled the Gym in Sootopolis City, except with floating platforms in the center.

“Gee, I wonder what type of Pokémon the leader here uses,” I muttered to myself sarcastically.

“Or where they are,” Deoxys added. We made our way to the storage room, where our favorite orange-suited madman was waiting.

“Giovanni, sir! I’ve found an intruder! He tried to sneak in through the back!” I said, hiding my eyes and scar.

Giovanni turned from the cage he was looking at and looked at us. “Very good. Leave us,” he said.

“Yes sir,” I replied, letting Deoxys go. Remember, when there’s trouble, bring the aura back to you right away. Having you battle and try to fool Giovanni might be a little taxing, I thought.

True. It would work better if it was all happening in the same place. Anyway, you try and take out those grunts in the lobby, I heard Deoxys respond through my thoughts.

I walked out into the room with the pool. I thought of how I could run a distraction to take out the grunts, until Espeon popped into my head. “Okay, Espeon. Let’s do it,” I said, letting Espeon out of its Ball. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Espe!” Espeon replied.

A little later, I was chasing Espeon into the lobby.

“Look out, it’s loose! It got in here somehow, and it’s attacking everything! I need help catching it!” I said to the grunts while avoiding Espeon’s Psybeam.

“CHARGE!!!” the grunts all yelled. They leapt at Espeon, but Espeon kept dodging with Quick Attack and using Psybeam to fight them off. Amidst the chaos, I leapt at a grunt from behind and knocked him out like I did the first guy. This continued until all the grunts were unconscious.

“Okay, let’s get the ones outside! Go, Girafarig and Golduck!” I sent the two out from their Poke Balls, and we went outside. Using their attacks, Espeon, Girafarig, and Golduck took out the grunts, at which point I tied them up. “Okay, that should take care of all of them! Deoxys is probably running out of cover by now; let’s get back in there!” We rushed back into the Gym, where Giovanni was waiting with the unconscious grunt I knocked out.

“Well, well. It seems I have a little rat to deal with! It’s been a long time, Mr. McCarver,” Giovanni said to me. It was then that I ripped off the uniform (I was wearing my clothes underneath).

“Giovanni. By the authority of the PWE, you’re under arrest for theft and global terrorism!” I said, pointing to the gold Poke Ball on my cap. Giovanni just laughed.

“Young fool. Do you really think that little patch makes you important? In the end, you’re still just a little boy, and I have to punish you greatly!” At that, more grunts filed in and went towards the Poke Ball storage room.

“NO!” I shouted, going forward.

“Halt!” Giovanni commanded, causing the grunts to stop where they were. He then turned to me and said, “I’ll make you a deal. Face me in a double battle, here and now. Lose, and you’ll swear your loyalty to Team Rocket! Win, and we’ll leave this Gym. What do you say?”

“I don’t make deals with criminals!....then again, seeing as you have the upper hand in this situation, I guess I have no choice. Let’s go!” We made our way onto the floats on the pool.

“Kingler, Cloyster! Go!” He sent out his Kingler along with a Cloyster, a Pokémon that looked like a spiked oyster with a black head in the center.

“Golduck, Girafarig! It’s showtime!” Girafarig jumped onto a float while Golduck jumped into the water. “Espeon, be ready in case they try something funny!”

“Espe!” Espeon replied.

“Kingler, use Bubblebeam! Cloyster, Icicle Spear!” Kingler fired a Bubblebeam while Cloyster glowed and fired icy spikes.

“Golduck, underwater! Girafarig, Mirror Coat!” Golduck dived beneath while Girafarig sent the attacks right back at Kingler and Cloyster. However, Girafarig looked like it took more damage than those two.

“Cloyster! Clamp!” Cloyster jumped at Girafarig, shell open.

“Girafarig! Use Charge Beam!” Girafarig let loose a Charge Beam, but Cloyster dodged and clamped onto Girafarig’s body.

“Now you’re all mine! Kingler, Guillotine!” Kingler sped through the water at high speed. I tensed up, thinking, there’s nothing I can do! If this attack connects, then-

“Golduck!” Golduck said as it nailed Kingler from beneath with its beak.

“All right, Golduck! Get Cloyster off of there with Confusion!” Golduck forced Cloyster off Girafarig’s body with Confusion, flinging it back at Kingler.

“Kingler, grab it and throw it back! Cloyster, use Ice Beam!” Kingler caught Cloyster before it could hit and threw it back at us. Cloyster used an Ice Beam to freeze most of Golduck’s body.

“NO! Golduck, get out of there! Aqua Jet!” However, Golduck couldn’t move, no matter how it struggled. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Girafarig looking horrified.

“This will end it! Cloyster, Take Down!” Cloyster rushed at Golduck with Take Down.

“Golduck, look out!”

“RIIIIGGG!” Girafarig shouted. Its front hooves glowed violet and they both hit Cloyster, causing it to fall into the water, dazed.

“Whoa! Girafarig learned Double Hit!” I said, examining the Pokedex.

“Golduck?” Golduck asked, surprised.

“Rig!” Girafarig responded, using Double Hit to free Golduck from the ice.

“All right! Golduck, use Aqua Jet! Girafarig, use Charge Beam!” Golduck leapt at the opponents with Aqua Jet while Girafarig’s Charge Beam spiraled around it. When the dual attack made contact, it hit both Kingler and Cloyster. Giovanni looked absolutely befuddled.

“No! This can’t be!” Giovanni said, upon seeing that his Pokémon were knocked out. “Everyone, get out of here!” he said to his grunts, who filed out. I noticed that some of them had bags over their shoulders. “I said we'd leave, didn't I? Heh!”

“Wait! Damn loopholes!” I said. I started to go for them, but they were knocked back into the room. I looked to the door, and saw Alexis standing there with a green Pokémon that looked like a cocoon with horns.

“You start the party without me?” Alexis asked.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Caterpie evolved into Metapod not long ago!” she replied. Suddenly, Metapod began to glow bright blue. It morphed into a Pokémon that looked like a purple butterfly with big red eyes.

“Whoa! It evolved again!” I exclaimed.

“It's a Butterfree now! Go get ’em, Alexis!” Deoxys encouraged.

“Wow! Okay, Butterfree! Sleep Powder!” Butterfree swooped over the grunts with a blue powder that caused them to fall asleep where they were. However, Giovanni had escaped. Later on, after Officer Jenny and her force made it to us, Ed came along with Deoxys, Tracey Sketchit and a girl wearing a yellow tank top and jean shorts with red suspenders. In her hands was a Togepi, a Spike Ball Pokémon with little white arms coming out of an oddly patterned egg shell.

“Everything okay here?” Ed asked.

“Yeah, just had a little rat problem. Good to see you again, Tracey. And you are…?” I said, then asked to the girl in yellow.

“My name’s Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here to help defend the Gym; Togepi and I had an errand to run!” Misty responded.

“Toki toki brriii!” Togepi added.

“That’s all right. I don’t suppose after all this clears up, you could possibly battle with me?” I asked.

“Ah, you get right to the point, don’t you? All right, come back tomorrow. I’ll be waiting!” Misty replied confidently.

With my next Gym Battle set, I couldn’t think about anything but victory hopefully waiting for me the next day.

Originally Posted by NeedleStorm

Okay, pretty good story. I suggest that you add more narrative (basically stuff that isn't dialogue or related to dialogue like 'he said' 'she said'). Also, indent at the beginning of dialogue. It makes for an easier read so it's not just a block of text. Or, if you'd rather not, this could be turned into a pretty decent play. Also, I noticed that when you introduced the two antagonists there wasn't much of a warning. Don't just put them in there and expect us to understand how they got there.

Thank you for the input. That indent thing annoys me; I indented it in the original draft, but when I placed it here, it all shifted to the left no matter how many times I edited it. Any way out of that would be great. K thx. I suppose I should've toned down the dialogue, but when it comes to battles, dialogue is inevitable. As for Team Rocket, the reader isn't supposed to know how they got there. I mean, Ash never does, and the story's being told from my point of view, so I wouldn't either. Well, with a few exceptions, but that's in future chapters.

Chapter 61: Gyarados Cascades Down

It was the day after we’d stopped Giovanni and we were at the Cerulean Gym. As soon as we found Misty, she led us to the pool. She stood on a green float in the pool, and I stepped on a red one. Tracey took two flags and stood on the sides while Alexis and Ed watched from the stands.

“This official battle between Misty, Leader of the Cerulean 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!”

“Let’s do this! Misty calls Starmie!” Misty sent out a Starmie, a Pokémon made of two gray stars and a red jewel in front.

“I thought she’d use a Water Pokémon! Girafarig, I choose you!” I sent out Girafarig. “Start things off with Charge Beam!” Girafarig used Charge Beam, which did quite a bit of damage.

“Not bad, but watch this! Starmie, use Rapid Spin!” Starmie spun through the air and came toward us.

“Girafarig, give it a Double Hit!” Girafarig jumped and used Double Hit to both step on and jump off Starmie. When it landed, however, it staggered a bit on the float it landed on. Aw man, it doesn’t look like Girafarig will be able to keep its balance on these things, I thought.

“Starmie, use Bubblebeam!” Starmie fired out a Bubblebeam which nailed Girafarig’s head. Girafarig lost its balance and fell in the water.

“Oh no! Girafarig, use Psychic on yourself to get out of there!” Girafarig started to levitate using Psychic.

“Starmie! Another Rapid Spin!” Starmie spun at Girafarig again, this time hitting its mark. Giragarig fell back into the water.

“Girafarig, try using Psybeam from where you are!” Girafarig tried Psybeam, but Starmie dived underwater.

“Starmie! Double-Edge!” Starmie, with a white and orange aura, slammed into Girafarig and knocked it out of the water and onto the hard surface behind us.

“Girafarig, you okay?”

“R…Rig…” Girafarig said, slowly getting up. Just then, Starmie fired out a Hydro Pump right in Girafarig’s direction. Girafarig kept struggling to stand up.

“No! Girafarig, you’ve gotta dod-” I stopped short, getting an idea. “-use Mirror Coat!” Girafarig used Mirror Coat to send the attack right back at Starmie. The impact caused Starmie to fly across the room and slam into the wall. When it landed, the jewel’s color faded.

“Starmie is unable to battle! Girafarig is the winner!” Tracey said.

“Way to go, Girafarig!” I said to it.

“Rig, Rig!” Girafarig responded.

“You were great, Starmie. Take a rest. I’m impressed with how you turned that around, Mike! Let’s see how you handle this! Corsola, go!” Misty said as she sent out a Corsola. “Use Spike Cannon!” Corsola fired a series of glowing spikes from its horns.

“Girafarig, use Confusion!” Girafarig’s Confusion caused the attack to reverse and nail Corsola. The Pokémon didn’t seem fazed by the attack, though. “Okay, use Thunder!” Girafarig fired a Thunder at Corsola.

“That’s an interesting twist! But I’ve got a surprise for you, too! Corsola! Mirror Coat!” Corsola used Mirror Coat to turn the Thunder around and hit Girafarig with it. After the attack, Girafarig fell to the ground, passed out.

“Girafarig is unable to battle! Corsola is the winner!”

“You were awesome, Corsola! I love you!” Misty called out to it.

“Girafarig, take a good break,” I said, getting out its Poke Ball.

“Rig, rig,” Girafarig said, shaking its head.

“Huh? What?” I asked, confused.

“Girafarig says it wants to watch the rest of the battle,” Deoxys translated.

“Okay, but don’t strain yourself. You fought good and hard.” I then turned to Misty. “Not bad at all, but we’re just getting started! Now, Medicham! Let’s do it!” I sent out Medicham, who did its poses on the float. “Sorry Misty, but Medicham won’t be falling into the water!”

“Just watch, I’ll knock it down! Corsola, Water Gun!” Corsola fired a Water Gun at Medicham.

“Dodge it with Meditate!” Medicham used Meditate to levitate and dodge the Water Gun. “Now use Brick Break!” Medicham flew at Corsola and slammed down with a Brick Break.

“Corsola, underwater!” Corsola dived under.

“Medicham, keep going!” Medicham, much to the astonishment of the others, slammed down on the surface of the water with Brick Break. The resulting split in the water flung Corsola up into the air. “Dynamicpunch!” Medicham jumped at Corsola and knocked it into the wall with Dynamicpunch. Surprisingly, it landed right next to the indentation Starmie left. Anyway, Corsola was knocked out.

“Corsola is unable to battle! Medicham is the winner!”

“Awesome job, Medicham!” I said to it.

“Medicham, Medicham! Me-di-CHAM!” it responded, doing yoga poses.

“Corsola, good job. Return,” Misty said, returning Corsola to its Poke Ball. “I’m impressed, Mike!”

“Hey, Mike! Keep it up!” Ed called.

“You guys are doing great!” Alexis added. I gave them a thumbs-up in return.

“All right, here’s the one to end it all! Gyarados, let’s go!” She sent out a Gyarados. That made me think of my Gyarados back at Professor Birch’s lab. “Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!” Gyarados fired a Hydro Pump at Medicham.

“Medicham, send it right back with Confusion!” Medicham caught the attack with Confusion and fired it back.

“Hyper Beam!” Gyarados fired a Hyper Beam that cut through the Hydro Pump and hit Medicham. Medicham went flying into the air. “Now finish it with Dragon Rage!” Gyarados unleashed a blue energy stream that knocked Medicham into the wall behind me. Medicham landed next to Girafarig, passed out.

“Medicham is unable to battle! Gyarados is the winner!”

“Good job, Gyarados! Keep it up!” Misty called out.

“Medicham, you were great. Return,” I said, returning it to its Poke Ball. “Okay, Misty. I’m gonna have to play your game. After all, ‘when in Rome’, right?”

“Where?”

“*sigh* Never mind. It’s showtime, Golduck!” I said, sending Golduck out.

“Wow, your Golduck looks so cool! It’s a shame I have to beat it!” Misty called out.

“Gee, I’m flattered. Let’s go, Golduck!”

“Golduck!” Golduck replied, giving me a thumbs-up.

“Rig! Rig, Rig!” Girafarig called out, causing Golduck to blush and turn away.

“Enough of that, you two! Anyway, use Hydro Pump, Golduck!” Golduck fired a Hydro Pump at Gyarados.

“Flamethrower, Gyarados!” Gyarados unleashed a massive Flamethrower that cancelled out Golduck’s Hydro Pump.

“Okay, we’ll have to try something different. Use Blizzard!” Golduck fired a Blizzard at Gyarados.

“Gyarados, dodge and use your own Hydro Pump!” Gyarados ducked under the Blizzard and fired a Hydro Pump at Golduck.

“Hah! Golduck, use Confusion!” Golduck readied to use Confusion.

“I thought you’d do that! We’ll just have to use Hyper Beam to counter Hydro Pump when it comes back!” Gyarados fired a Hyper Beam.

“That won’t be so soon! I never said I was using Confusion on the Hydro Pump!” Before you could say ‘what do you mean’, Golduck’s Confusion made the Blizzard freeze the Hydro Pump. “Now use Confusion again!” Golduck used Confusion on the newly formed pillar of ice. It surpassed the power of Gyarados’ Hyper Beam and struck the Atrocious Pokémon in the head. It slammed against the wall, but slowly rose.

“Gyarados, try using Dragon Rage!” Gyarados hit Golduck with Dragon Rage. It didn’t do much, but it was enough to throw Golduck off. “Now use Thunderbolt!” Golduck got hit with a powerful Thunderbolt, but was barely able to keep going.

I need a strategy! I thought to myself. One more Thunderbolt and Golduck’s done for. Dragon Rage is enough to throw us off, so we’ve gotta take it down first. But how?! I don’t know how to beat that!!...wait. Wait!

“Gyarados, use Dragon Rage again!” Misty said.

“Well, here goes something! Golduck, fire Blizzard, then hit it with a spinning Aqua Jet!” Golduck sped into the Blizzard with Aqua Jet. Believe it or not, the Blizzard froze Golduck, making into a long icicle. After going through the Dragon Rage, Golduck struck Gyarados, shattered the ice, and landed on the diving board above it.

“What the-?!” Misty exclaimed.

“LET’S FINISH THIS! GOLDUCK, FULL POWER HYPER BEAM!!” Golduck, while diving from the diving board, fired a Hyper Beam. The impact caused an explosion around Gyarados. When the smoke cleared, Golduck was folding its arms and standing on Gyarados, who had passed out.

“Gyarados is unable to battle! Golduck is the winner, and victory in this match goes to Mike of Littleroot Town!”

“WAY TO GO, GOLDUCK! YOU RULE!” I shouted, running along the side of the pool.

“Rig, RIG!” Girafarig said, running along with me.

“Golduck, Duck…” Golduck said embarrassedly.

“You guys were great! I never get tired of watching you turning it around!” Alexis said, embracing my neck.

“That was your most epic battle yet!” Ed said.

“Thanks, guys. And thank you, Gol-” I cut off my sentence because Golduck was a little distracted by Girafarig’s praise. “-never mind. Keep on keeping on.” I said, smirking.

“Man, I can’t think of many more exciting battles than that! You guys were super! And so, I present you the Cascade Badge, proof of your victory here at the Cerulean Gym!” Misty said, handing me a badge that looked like a drop of water.

“Thanks a ton! All right, WE WON THE CASCADE BADGE!”

“Golduck!”

“Rig!”

Later on, we’d said our goodbyes to Misty and Tracey and were heading to the Pokémon Center for the evening.

“So, Bill lives north of here?” Ed asked.

“Yup. Then, after we visit him…” I explained, “…we’ll head southeast to Lavender Town, where the Battle Dome is.”

“Sounds like an assignment, Mike. You going to tell me, sweetie?” Alexis said, giving me the “do-it-for-me-weepy-eyed” look.

“…fine, it’s an assignment from Dad. I swear, the things I do for girls…” I responded, then commented under my breath.

“What girls are you talking about?!” Alexis asked, pissed.

“Did I say that?! I meant to say ‘there’s some interesting things about girls’…”

And so, we spent the next hour arguing and another hour making up. Anyway, with my third badge in hand, I felt my confidence build along my path to the Pokémon League.

Chapter 62: Guess Who’s Coming to Cerulean?

We had just finished getting everything organized and were just leaving Cerulean City to visit Bill. We had finished passing the Unknown Dungeon and began to head east. Around a grassy area, we saw a white hat.

“Hey, does that look familiar to anybody else?” Alexis asked, picking up the hat.

“You know, now that you mention it…” Ed said.

“Oh dear Lord,” I said, pointing down into the grass. It was Andrea, taking a nap. “…let’s get out of here QUICKLY.” We started to snaek off when we were stopped by a red lizard-like Pokémon with a flame on its tail.

“Char!” it roared.

“…and I choose you!” Andrea said, still asleep. She then looked around, puzzled, until she saw us. “Hey! You’re not a legendary Pokémon!”

“Nope. It’s us!” I replied. “It’s been a while, Andrea! How’ve you been?” I asked, helping her up.

“I’ve been doing awesome! It’s funny seeing you here! Cerulean City's got a gym, in case you didn't know!” she replied, kinda smart-alecky.

“Oh, I know!” I said, showing her my badge case.

“You got the Earth Badge?!? But…but that’s impossible! You must’ve won by luck!”

“To be honest, I tied with Agatha. She deemed me worthy of the Earth Badge after that.”

“Oh. Well, you’re still just a joke!”

“HOLD IT!” Alexis interjected. “You’re going to insult his skills when you don’t have any yourself?”

“Wha-oh, that’s it! Let’s battle, here and now!” Andrea said, pissed.

“Oh, dear…” I said to myself. Later, Ed was standing between them.

“This official battle between Alexis and Andrea will be three-on-three with no substitutions! Begin!”

“Come on out, Oddish!” Andrea said. She sent out a Pokémon that looked like a plant with feet and green leaves on its head.

“Mightyena, you’re up!” Alexis said, sending out Mightyena. “Use Sunny Day!” Mightyena used Sunny Day to brighten the area.

“Oddish, use Acid!” Oddish fired an Acid at Mightyena, but it didn’t do much damage.

“Mightyena, use Fire Fang!” Mightyena’s Fire Fang did a ton of damage to Oddish.

“Nice, but this sunlight benefits me, too! Oddish, Synthesis!” Oddish turned up to the sun and glowed with a light as bright as the sun, regaining its energy.

“No! Thanks to Sunny Day, Synthesis causes the user to regain more energy than usual! Keep going, Alexis!” I shouted out.

“Okay, Mightyena! Use Shadow Ball!” Mightyena fired a Shadow Ball at Oddish.

“Oddish, dodge and use Sludge Bomb!” Oddish dodged and nailed Mightyena with a Sludge Bomb.

“Mightyena, Iron Tail!” Mightyena tried to hit Oddish with an Iron Tail, but it dodged again.

“Oddish, finish it! Another Sludge Bomb!”

“Mightyena, Sucker Punch!” Mightyena zoomed behind Oddish and nailed it with a Sucker Punch. “Now finish it with Fire Fang!” Mightyena bit into Oddish with Fire Fang, causing Oddish to faint.

“Oddish is unable to battle! Mightyena is the winner!”

“Good job, Mightyena!”

“Raar!”

“All right, so you got lucky,” Andrea said as she returned Oddish to its ball. “Let’s see how your luck lasts against this one! Mankey, go!” She sent out a Pokémon that looked like a brown monkey with a pig nose, Mankey. “Low Kick!” Mankey jumped at Mightyena and hit it with its foot.

“Wait, wha-?!” Alexis said, caught off guard.

“Now use Karate Chop!” Mankey hit Mightyena with its paw, causing Mightyena to pass out.

“Mightyena is unable to battle! Mankey is the winner!”

“Mightyena, you did great. Take a rest,” Alexis said as she returned it to its Poke Ball. “Let’s go, Butterfree!” She sent out Butterfree to battle. “Use Sleep Powder!” Butterfree sprayed its Sleep Powder everywhere, causing Mankey to look around, confused. “WHAT?!” Alexis shouted.

“Sorry, but Mankey’s Vital Spirit keeps it awake during battle! Mankey, hit it with Scratch!” Mankey jumped at Butterfree with its paw forward.

“Butterfree, use Confusion!” Butterfree used Confusion to catch Mankey in the air and flung it around from tree to tree.

“Mankey, use Rock Tomb! Hurry!” Mankey, upon hitting the ground, slammed it. Just then, a Rock Tomb came and trapped Butterfree.

“Butterfree, no!” Alexis shouted.

“Mankey, finish it with Karate Chop!” Mankey slammed Butterfree and its Rock Tomb with Karate Chop. Butterfree landed and fainted, but not long after, Mankey passed out as well.

“Mankey and Butterfree! Both Pokémon are unable to battle!”

“Okay, get in there, Charmeleon!” Andrea said to the red lizard Pokémon.

“Char!” Charmeleon responded, moving forward.

“So, her Charmander evolved,” Alexis said. “But…that means its gotta be really powerful! And without Mightyena and Butterfree, I don’t think I have what it takes!”

“Then do us all a favor and surrender! You’re just embarrassing yourself!” Andrea jeered.

“Come on, Alexis! Don’t give up! Type doesn’t matter! Just like Mankey’s Vital Spirit kept it going, I know YOU’VE got the spirit to keep going, no matter what the odds! You can do it!”

“Espe Espe!” Espeon added, having come out of its Poke Ball.

“Go get ‘er!” Ed said.

“Guys…” Alexis said. “…thank you! Andrea, there’s no way I’ll EVER give up! Not with such great friends by my side! Treecko, I choose you!” she said, sending Treecko out.

“Hmph, fine. Charmeleon, use Ember!” Charmeleon fired an Ember at Treecko.

“Treecko, dive right through it!”

“WHAT?!” I shouted. Treecko jumped into the attack, coming out a little singed.

“Now give it a Bullet Seed!” Treecko nailed Charmeleon’s stomach with Bullet Seed, but Charmeleon just shrugged it off.

“Charmeleon, another Ember!” Charmeleon fired another Ember, this time knocking Treecko back.

“Treecko, use Pound!” Treecko, in mid-fall, nailed Charmeleon with a Pound.

“Lexi, don’t get so reckless! Treecko won’t-” I called out.

“Charmeleon, strike back with Metal Claw!” Charmeleon’s Metal Claw hit Treecko hard. “Now hit it with a flurry of Embers!” Charmeleon fired Ember after Ember.

“Treecko, I know you can do this! Give Charmeleon your Aerial Ace!” Treecko swept from side to side, avoiding the Embers with blinding speed until it hit Charmeleon with an Aerial Ace.

“There you go! Great job, you guys!” I shouted.

“I’m impressed. Normally, most Pokémon wouldn’t last this long against Charmeleon. But then again, I haven’t pulled my trump card yet!” Andrea said, grinning.

“Bring it on! We’re ready for you!” Alexis retorted.

“Treecko!” Treecko added.

“Be careful!” I said.

“No backseat battling!” she responded, irritated.

“It’s been fun, but it's time to end this! Charmeleon, Flamethrower!” Charmeleon let loose a Flamethrower which completely surrounded Treecko. When the flames subsided, Treecko was on the ground, then managed to get up. “This…this isn’t possible!” Andrea said, completely shocked. Alexis looked shocked as well, but then closed her eyes and returned Treecko to its Poke Ball.

“Andrea, I surrender,” Alexis said. I stood there in utter astonishment, but when I realized that she didn’t want Treecko getting hurt anymore, it made more sense.

“Very well. By means of technical knockout, Treecko is unable to battle! Charmeleon is the winner, and victory goes to Andrea of Viridian City!” Ed said.

“Well done, Charmeleon! You were on fire (no pun intended)!” Andrea said to Charmeleon.

“Char, Char!” Charmeleon responded happily.

“Well, Lexi, guess we’re tied now! But make no mistake, you’re still no match for me! As for you,” she said, pointing to me, “…I rescind my previous comment. Anyway, smell you later!” she said, heading back to Cerulean City. I went over to Alexis, who was crying.

“Don’t let her get to you, Alexis. You’re a great Trainer, bec-” I said, but then she spun around at me.

“Don’t try to suck up to me! A great Trainer doesn’t suffer a loss like that! I mean, great Trainers are ones who can win all the time! Look at-”

“Well, then, I’m not a great Trainer either!” I said, glaring. She stared for a second, but then looked down, realizing my loss to Mark. “Look, we all suffer losses. The point of them isn’t to dwell on mistakes, but to learn from them and realize what you can do differently next time. And we’re here to help you learn and get better! ‘K?” I said, my arms now around her waist.

“…K.” she said, slowly smiling.

“By the way, I was GOING to say you’re a great Trainer because you knew when to call Treecko back. It wouldn’t have been worth it to push it any more in its condition,” I said, helping her up.

“And that you realized that makes you a great Trainer!” Ed added as he came over. “So, it’s all right!”

“…yeah, I guess it is.” Alexis said, hugging us. “With you guys around, I know I’ll be ready for Andrea the next time!”

“Count on it!” I said.

After recovering from a loss, I had no doubt Alexis gained more experience than any Gym Battle probably ever would. Keeping that optimism high, we continued on our journey.

Chapter 63: Bill of Right

“There it is: Bill’s house!”

After the previous day’s loss to Andrea, we finally made it to Bill’s house…well, it actually looked more like a lighthouse. We were here to deliver Bill some new data from Dad and the PWE.

“Apparently, Bill’s some sort of Pokemaniac?” Ed asked.

“Yup. Bill is quite knowledgable about the world of Pokémon. However, this data we’re bringing him is apparently about Sinnoh, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t have all the data on the Pokémon there,” I responded.

“Well, why are we bringing it to him? If your dad emailed you the data, then wouldn’t it be simple to email it to Bill?” Alexis asked.

“Not a chance, Bill’s computers are a wreck, so he wouldn’t be able to access the data if we sent it to him. Plus, think of all we could possibly learn from him!” I replied.

We went inside, and found nothing but a pitch-black room. We split up to have a look around. I turned on the lights in a room that looked like a research lab. Just then, I saw a Farfetch’d, a duck-like Pokémon with a leek in its wing.

“Hey, little guy! Are you lost?” I asked it.

“No, this is my home! Who are you?” it responded. Some things happened, and Alexis and Ed found their way into the room.

“Mike, we heard the scream! What’s wrong?” Alexis asked. Dammit.

“Hey, is that a Farfetch’d?” Ed asked, leaning in close.

“No, I’m a person and my name is Bill! “ the Farfetch’d responded.

“Bill?! As in-?!”

“That’s right: I’m the Pokemaniac who lives here! You must be Mike, David’s son!” Bill responded.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Alexis!”

“And I’m Ed! But how did you become a Farfetch’d?!”

“I was testing those transportation pods over there. See, I was going to switch places with my Farfetch’d, but there was a slight hiccup and we were merged together! Please, you have to help me!”

“Okay, we will!” I responded. Ed followed his instructions and redid the pods, and then I set Bill in one. “Ready?”

“Ready! Hit it!” Alexis pulled a lever, and the pods glowed. This went on for a while, but then they opened. Out of one came Farfetch’d, and out of the other came a man with green hair, a maroon outfit, and ruffles. “Bloody hell, I thought I was going to be trapped that way forever!”

“Farfetch’d!” his Farfetch’d added.

“No worries! Glad to finally meet you!” I said, shaking his hand.

“And to you as well, sir! Thanks very much! Anyway, I understand you have something for me?”

“Yep,” I said, reaching into my pocket. Just then, a flame shot through one of the windows. We all ducked as more flames came through. “Golduck, use Hydro Pump!” Golduck came out of its Poke Ball and used Hydro Pump to counter the flame. “C’mon, let’s go!” They used the opportunity to escape with me and Golduck not far behind. We made it outside to see a giant flying fortress a little distance away from the lighthouse. In front of it came a Salamence, a blue dragon-like Pokémon. On its back was a woman with gray hair, a dark jumpsuit, and a visor in front of her eyes.

“All right, hand over all the data you have, NOW!” she shouted at us.

“Who are you?!” I responded.

“If you must know, I am J. Pokémon Hunter J. I take whatever I am assigned to take, and so I’m going to-”

“Wait wait wait, if you’re POKÉMON Hunter J, then why are you after data?” Alexis asked.

“Mind your own business! Salamence, Flamethrower!” Salamence fired a Flamethrower at Alexis, but I grabbed her and we jumped out of the way.

“Golduck, fight back with Hydro Pump!” Golduck shot a Hydro Pump at Salamence, putting out its flames.

“Hmm, impressive. Perhaps you could entertain me for a while. Drapion, go!” She sent out a Drapion, a purple scorpion-like Pokémon. “Use Poison Sting!” Drapion fired a Poison Sting at us.

“Golduck, Confusion!” Golduck used Confusion to send the attack right back, although it didn’t do much damage. When I looked up at Hunter J, she was gone.

“Look out!” Ed said. Just then, Salamence came flying over us, and J snagged the data out of my hand.

“Too bad, but it looks like I win this time! Now I’ll just go ransack the-UGH!” She was cut off by a Solarbeam that nailed Salamence. “Who dares to-?!” She was cut off again by two familiar laughs, then a Golem crashing into Salamence with a Rollout. The impact caused J to drop the data, which Golem caught. It then went back to Ashley and Olson, who took it triumphantly.

“Hunter or not, you’re no match for us!” Ashley taunted.

“Whatever data’s on here won’t be going with you!” Olson added. “TOO BAD!!”

“Hey, give that-!” I yelled.

“Hey, give that back to me!” J interjected. “Salamence, Dragonbreath!” Salamence fired a Dragonbreath at Team Rocket’s hovercraft, and the explosion caused them to fall to the ground.

“The nerve! You know how many paychecks we go through to finance those things?! Let’s get them, Orwell!” Ashley shouted.

“FOR THE TWENTY MILLIONTH TIME, IT’S OLSON!” Olson yelled.

“These guys are a few biscuits short of a tea party,” Bill said.

“You JUST noticed?” Alexis asked.

“Vileplume, use Petal Dance!” Vileplume fired a Petal Dance at Salamence, which it narrowly dodged.

“Golem, Hyper Beam!” Golem’s Hyper Beam nailed Drapion and launched it into Salamence. J jumped down from Salamence’s back just before impact.

“My, your Pokémon aren’t that bad. I guess I’ll just take them as a tip for this job,” J said. She got out a device on her arm that looked like it had a tiny cannon on it. She fired a shot at Vileplume, turning it to bronze.

“VILEPLUME!” Ashley screamed.

“And now for the other!” J fired another shot, turning Golem into a statue as well.

“GOLEM, NO!” Olson shouted.

“Look out!” I yelled. Just then, a bunch of men in suits appeared out of nowhere. They picked up the statues (while holding Team Rocket off), placed them into capsules, and took them back to the giant ship.

“That’s just sick!” Ed said.

“It’s bad enough to steal Pokémon-” Alexis commented.

“-but to petrify them, too?!” Bill finished.

“I won’t forgive you for this! By order of the PWE, you’re under arrest!” I said, pointing to the patch on my hat.

“Heh. And just what have I done wrong?” J asked defiantly.

“What do you think? Theft of other people’s belongings, and even worse: other Trainers’ Pokémon!” I answered.

“Well, I was hired to do this! What’s so wrong about doing my job?” she asked.

“Theft is always a punishable and never justified offense! And you said it yourself: ‘I’ll just take them as a tip’! You weren’t HIRED to take those Pokémon, so you’re doing it for yourself!” I answered.

“Heheheh, good kid. You don’t miss a beat, do you? But that amounts to nothing! Salamence, finish him off with Dragonbreath!” Salamence fired a Dragonbreath at me, but I just stood there and took it.

“MIKE, NO!” Alexis called out. However, I was unharmed because I had a yellow aura-like shield around me. Confident that I could, I'd tapped into the power of my scar (it was mainly luck, though).

“How-how did you-?!” J stammered.

“You’d be surprised (and fancy that: you already are). Golduck, Blizzard!” Golduck fired a Blizzard that froze Salamence midair.

“You won’t get away with-” J started, but one of her men interrupted her.

“Ma’am, we’ve just gotten a call from our employer! He’s cancelled the deal!” he said.

“Damnation! All right, we’re moving out! But don’t think you’ve seen the last of me!” J said as she returned Salamence to its Poke Ball and returned to the ship.

“Believe me, if I’ve seen the last of you, it’ll be too soon,” I responded, watching the ship take off.

“Well, at least we stopped her from stealing the data!” Ashley said with a hint of sadness.

“Yeah, now we can-” Olson said, until Bill ran over.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thank you for protecting this data! You have no idea how much it means to me; it will help my research advance quite a long way!” Bill said, taking the data in his hand. “I know! As a way of saying thanks, and hoping to make up for your Pokémon being taken, here! Take these with my gratitude!” He gave them each a Poke Ball.

“Wait…wait, they’re-” I started.

“Good Samaritans, aren’t they?” Bill asked.

“….yeah, sure.” I said. By then, Ashley and Olson were happily hugging their new Pokémon. Ashley’s was a Jolteon (I don’t know how Ashley survived Jolteon’s spikes), and Olson’s was a Vaporeon. I got out my Pokedex and started with Jolteon, then Vaporeon.

“Jolteon, the Lightning Pokémon. Jolteon is the evolved form of Eevee. In moments of extreme pressure, Jolteon’s hairs become electrically charged needles that it fires at its opponents.”

“Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon is the evolved form of Eevee. The cells of its body closely resemble water molecules, and it can dissolve into water.”

“Well, I guess we should say thanks!” Ashley said.

“We’ll take good care of them! And we’ll see you runts later!” Olson said. They all then ran off.

“TEAM ROCKET’S RUNNING OFF AGAIN!” they said as they left.

“Oh, what jokers! Those blokes are making jests about being from Team Rocket! They’re silly!” Bill said

“Hello Kettle, my name is Pot. You’re black,” I said to the others, who chuckled.

So, having completed the mission, Bill thanked us and we said our goodbyes, hoping to see him again someday. Even though Ashley and Olson hadn’t intentionally helped out today, I got the impression that we’d be seeing more of that in the future. With more experience under our belts, we progressed to Lavender Town.

Chapter 64: Crawdaunt Boil

After a few more days of traveling, we finally made it to Lavender Town. It was a pretty bright town, with a dark, creepy tower overlooking everything. Our first order of business was to go to the Pokémon Center and seek out Scott in preparation for Ed’s battle at the Battle Dome. As luck would have it, we found Scott talking to Nurse Joy.

“Hey, Scott! How’s it going?” Ed asked.

“Hey, it’s our up-and-coming trainers! You came to get ready for your battle today?” Scott replied.

“Yep, I’m all set to win my third symbol! Who’s my opponent?”

“The Dome Ace, Tucker. He’s quite a competitor, as well as an accomplished performer! His philosophy is to make everything a spectacle with his battling! Of course, his combinations are both stunning and dangerous, so you’d better be ready!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, and once your Pokémon are all healed up, give me a ring! I’ll have someone escort you guys to the Press Conference!”

“Pr-PRESS CONFERENCE?!” Ed shouted. “You’re going to have me talk to reporters?!?”

“Yup. See ya there!” Scott said, leaving the Center. As soon as he did, Ed passed out.

“Ed, wake up!” Alexis said. “It’s not going to be bad, you just need to answer questions! Talking in front of people isn’t hard!”

“Easy for the freshman Debate Team leader to say,” I commented.

“Okay, true. But this isn’t much different! If you need any-”

“WHAT I NEED IS TO GET OUT OF HERE!” Ed said, jumping to his feet. “I mean, the Battle Frontier isn’t that important, right?”

“Ed, you GET IN THERE AND ATTEND THAT PRESS CONFERENCE! IS THAT CLEAR?!” Alexis said, pissed off.

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” Ed shrieked. I just laughed at this.

After our Pokémon were revitalized, Scott had Officer Jenny bring us to the Press Conference. Ed looked terrified the whole time, but Scott had convinced the reporters to go easy on him, so he didn’t have any nervous breakdowns. After that, he showed his Pokémon off to the public, who “ooed” and “ahhed” at them. Once the conference was over, we were escorted to the Battle Dome. There was nothing special about it, it just looked like a regular dome from the outside. Once inside, Scott and some men found us.

“Hey, guys! Ed, these guys will take you to the battlefield. Mike, Lexi, you two come with me. We’re going to the balcony!” he said.

“Best of luck, Ed!” I said.

“He means break a leg! Performance, right?” Alexis said.

“…right, yeah. Whatever.”

We made our way to the upper concourse, where there was a section all to ourselves. Once there, we looked down at the screen on the wall. Suddenly, everything went dark, and the screen lit up.

“A virtual unknown from Lilycove City, this young Pokemaniac is looking to ride to the top of the Battle Frontier! Having won two symbols already, he is a force to be reckoned with! Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pride to introduce the challenger! Please give a warm welcome to Ed Takeshi!” With that, a spotlight hit a part of the battlefield, and Ed was waving to the crowd, who began to cheer.

“Wow, for someone so afraid of speaking in public, he sure seems calm!” I said.

“And now, let’s give it up for the master of theatrics himself! Standing in Ed’s way of receiving the coveted Tactics Symbol is our very own Dome Ace! An expert tactician and performer, he’s ready to take on this challenge! Time to start the show; heeeeeeeeeeere’s Tucker!” A man in a purple outfit, dark hose, and purple hair with a gold headband on his head went circling the Dome, causing a lot more cheering from the fans. As he flew by us, he even blew a kiss to Alexis, causing her to blush and me to get jealous. After a while, he finally landed.

“Well, are you ready for the battle of your life?!” Tucker asked, causing more cheering. “And how about you, Ed? You ready for this?”

“Ready, willing, and able!” Ed responded. Just then, a judge riding a flying machine went to the center.

“This official battle between Tucker, Dome Ace and Frontier Brain of the Battle Dome, and Ed, the challenger from Lilycove City, will now begin! Each trainer will be allotted the use of two Pokémon using Double Battle rules! Trainers may not make substitutions, and battle will end when both of either Trainer’s Pokémon are unable to continue! If the challenger would like,” he said as a machine rose near Ed, “…you may use this machine to switch Pokémon you have with-”

“No thanks,” Ed said. “I’m going with who I have!”

“Very well. Begin!”

“That’s the spirit! Now to show you the fusion of water and fire!” Tucker said as he sent out a Swampert and an Arcanine.

“Whoa! That’s quite the combination!” I said.

“Great combo! I think I'll try it! Arcanine, Corphish! Let’s do it!” Ed said as he sent out his Arcanine and Corphish.

“Hmm, a strong-looking pair! Let’s see you overcome this! Arcanine, Extremespeed!” Tucker’s Arcanine zoomed ahead.

“Let’s fight fire with fire! Extremespeed back, Arcanine!” Ed’s Arcanine zoomed into Tucker’s Arcanine and the two butted heads to a standstill.

“Swampert, use Mud Shot!” Swampert fired a Mud Shot at Ed’s Arcanine.

“Corphish, counter that with Bubblebeam!” Corphish fired a Bubblebeam to cancel out Swampert’s Mud Shot and even nail Swampert in the process.

“Arcanine, Fire Blast!” Tucker’s Arcanine shoved Ed’s Arcanine off and fired a Fire Blast at Corphish, sending it flying. Even though Corphish was resistant to Fire-type attacks, the attack seemed to do a ton of damage.

“Arcanine, give it a Flamethrower!” Ed’s Arcanine used Flamethrower, but Tucker’s Pokémon moved out of the way.

“Swampert, jump off Arcanine and use a Water Gun with a spin!” Swampert jumped off Tucker’s Arcanine and spun, making a Water Gun with enough range to hit both of Ed’s Pokémon. Arcanine still looked in good condition, but Corphish had taken too many hits.

“Corphish, get in back! Arcanine, use Aerial Ace!” Ed’s Arcanine jumped at Tucker’s Arcanine with Aerial Ace.

“Arcanine, Aerial Ace back!” Tucker’s Arcanine collided heads with Ed’s Arcanine again. “Now, Swampert! Hit his Arcanine with Hydro Cannon!”

“Huh? What’s that?” Alexis asked. Unfortunately, she got her answer. Swampert charged a blue orb of water and fired it at Arcanine.

“Arcanine, no!” Ed shouted. It was then that Corphish jumped in front of the attack and took the hit. It was then launched into Tucker’s Arcanine, who was knocked back a ways.

“Well, it seems that Corphish is quite brave! But bravery won’t cut it here! Arcanine, finish it with Overheat!” Tucker’s Arcanine fired an Overheat at Corphish, scoring a direct hit.

“Corphish! NO!” Ed shouted.

“Get out of there!” Alexis and I shouted.

“Told you guys, Tucker’s a master tactician. It seems that his plan was to take out the weaker link first, and that was Corphish,” Scott said.

“Don’t count them out just yet!” I retorted, because amidst the Overheat, there was a bright light. It grew in size until the Overheat wore off. It was then that Corphish was gone, replaced with a green crab-like Pokémon with a star on its forehead and large legs underneath.

“This is unbelievable! Corphish has evolved into Crawdaunt!” I said.

“Crawdaunt?” Alexis asked, getting out her Pokedex. In it, Crawdaunt looked red rather than green.

“Crawdaunt, the Rogue Pokémon. Crawdaunt is the evolved form of Corphish, and is hot-tempered and quick to challenge others to battle. Because of this, other Pokémon cannot live in areas inhabited by Crawdaunt.”

“Wow, cool!” Ed said. “Crawdaunt, let’s get back in the game! And I know just how! Sludge Bomb!” Crawdaunt fired a series of Sludge Bombs in the opponent’s direction. “Arcanine, use Flamethrower!” Arcanine’s Flamethrower turned the Sludge Bombs into flaming Sludge Bombs. They were then scattered at the feet of Swampert and Tucker’s Arcanine, causing them to lose focus.

“What?!” Tucker said, astonished.

“Crawdaunt, full power Crabhammer! And Arcanine, full power Aerial Ace!” Crawdaunt nailed Swampert with a Crabhammer, while Ed’s Arcanine hit Tucker’s Arcanine with Aerial Ace. The attacks sent the opponents crashing into each other. “Now, time for a showstopper! Cradwaunt, Whirlpool! Arcanine, Fire Spin!” Crawdaunt sent out a Whirlpool while Arcanine used Fire Spin to entrap the opponents from both sides and damage them. When the attacks cleared, both of Tucker’s Pokémon were KO’ed.

“Arcanine and Swampert are unable to battle! Crawdaunt and Arcanine are the winners, and victory in this match goes to Ed of Lilycove City!”

“YEAH! We did it, guys!” Ed said as Arcanine and Crawdaunt dogpiled on him. Tucker came over to him.

“I’m impressed, Ed! What seemed like a stroke of luck turned into one of the greatest strategies I’ve seen yet! You’ve proven yourself a worthy Trainer. And doesn’t a worthy Trainer deserve A HAND?” he said. The audience then cheered for Ed, with me and Alexis cheering the loudest. Scott folded his arms, smiling.

“That Ed is something else! Outwitting Tucker is no easy task!” he said.

“Again, well done, Ed! You’ve truly earned the Tactics Symbol! I wish you luck through the rest of the Battle Frontier!” Tucker said, shaking Ed’s hand.

“Thank you very much,” Ed replied. As Tucker was walking away, Ed said, “Wait! What about the Symbol?”

“I already gave it to you! Look down, but always keep your head up!” Tucker said. Chuckling, he left. Ed looked down into his hand to see that Tucker had slipped it in during the handshake.

“Wow, did I get suckered in! Whatever, I WON THE TACTICS SYMBOL!” he said, holding out a symbol that had a disfigured H engraved in it.

Later on, we were talking with Scott outside.

“Ed, you never cease to amaze me. Now then, your next site should be the Battle Arena in Saffron City. And Mike, there’s a Gym there, so be ready!”

“Right!” we said.

“Before you leave, though,” Scott said, “Some of these reporters want to talk to you, Ed!”

“WHAT?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Ed objected as he was swarmed by reporters. Alexis and I laughed at this. And so, with a new symbol and a new Crawdaunt, Ed had taken another pivotal step on his journey to the top of the Battle Frontier.