"The Old Chateau..." I muttered under my breath. I turned to my partner. "Let's do this."
"Krookodile," he responded. The large red crocodile had his small black eyes locked on to the mansion that stood in front of us, clearly bothered by the sight of it. It took a lot to shake him - as a Dark-type Pokemon, he wasn't rattled easily. If this building was intimidating him, then he must've really sensed something about this place was off.
My Krookodile and I were in the back reaches of the Eterna Forest. We had combed the entire forest, toiling to find this hidden mansion that the rumors spoke of. Finally, in the middle of the night, we had found the rotting building we had been searching of. Now, the hard part could begin. We were going to capture Rotom.
I had spent the past four months hunting Rotom. It was one of the rarest Pokemon in all of Sinnoh, right on par with the legendary Pokemon in terms of elusiveness. Since learning of the Pokemon's existance, I had been determined to capture it. As a Pokemon collector, I just had to have a rarity like Rotom in my collection. And now, my hunt for Rotom had taken me here: the Old Chateau.
I stepped up to the door. A tingling, unnatural sensation coursed through me as I put my hand around the doorknob. At that moment, I just knew that this was no ordinary building. For some reason, I felt a little scared, but I pushed my fear to the side and entered the building.
For some reason, the lights were on. I had expected to need to call out a Pokemon that knew Flash to light up the place, but that didn't seem to be necessary. This only served to haunt me a little more, though.
Continuing with the trend of oddities, the mansion was spotless and looked well-kept. It was rotting on the outside, but the interior looked as though it had been perfectly maintained. There wasn't a speck of dust on the floor, and it even smelled nice. The place was supposed to be abandoned, but it certainly didn't look it.
Two long, winding staircases connected a second floor to the first floor, and directly ahead of me there was a hallway leading to another room. An intimidating statue stood beside the door, but I didn't give it a second glance. I was already creeped out enough by this place; I didn't need anything else to give me some more heebie-jeebies. I figured I'd try the hallway first. I didn't know where Rotom was hiding, but I knew I was going to search every corner of this place to find it.
The hallway took me to a large dining hall. A table large enough to seat maybe eight people comfortably stretched along most of the dining hall, and there were a few doors off to the side. I looked into them both, but I didn't find much of note. One door took me to a kitchen, while another opened up to a small library. I inspected them carefully, but neither place contained any sign of Rotom. I sighed, and headed back towards the foyer. As I was about to turn into the hallway, I saw something in the corner of my eye and turned.
There was nothing there. I frowned - I could've swore I had seen an old man sitting at the dining table just now.
"Did you see that, Krookodile?" I asked. My Pokemon hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. I frowned. That he had hesitated bothered me - had he maybe seen what I thought I had seen? What had it been? It certainly hadn't been Rotom... Had it been a ghost?
"Krookodile," my Pokemon murmured, as if to comfort me. I guess my feelings were showing, and I snorted in disgust. I wasn't a weakling that would freak out at any little thing. Whatever I had seen wasn't Rotom - I had already established that. That meant whatever it was, it wasn't important.
"Let's keep going," I said.
We went back into the foyer, and climbed up one of the flights of stairs. There was another hallway up here, and two rooms off to the side. I quickly peeked in the two rooms, but they were both just storage rooms that contained books. It looked like Rotom was hiding somewhere on the other side of that hallway, then.
The hallway took us to a corridor with five rooms lined up on the far side. It looked like these were the bedrooms. We tried the center one, but it only contained two beds and some bookshelves. Next, we tried the room to the immediate right. This one had one bed and some paintings on the wall. As we turned to leave the room, I felt eyes on the back of my head. I turned, but there was nothing there. I glared at the portrait, but it didn't move again. I made a mental note of this so that I could come back later to inspect this a bit more closely if Rotom didn't show up anywhere else, but I expected Rotom to be hiding somewhere with some more electrical appliances.
We went on to the room on the far right. This one was completely empty, which was eerie in a way. We turned to leave, but I paused. I thought I had glimpsed something out of the corner of my eye, and while I fully expected to see nothing out of the ordinary, I turned around.
As I had expected, the empty room stared back at me. I sighed. This time, I felt like I had spotted a little girl out of the corner of my eye. Was it another ghost? Goosebumps crawled up my spine, but I had already settled this issue with myself earlier and walked out of the room. There were two rooms left to try, both on the left side of the corridor. We tried the closer one first.
Bingo. There was a television in this middle of this room - the first electrical appliance I had seen so far in this chateau. Was this Rotom's hiding spot?
The television screen was a blank and blinding white. I frowned. How would I deal with this? There were a couple of buttons underneath the display, and I clicked them randomly.
"Rotom!"
The television exploded. Krookodile held an arm to cover me, and I realized he wasn't affected by the sparks flying out from the television. I looked closer at the television, and realized it hadn't exploded after all. The machine looked the same as it did when I had entered the room. However, blue sparks of electricity were wildly flailing about from the television. That was why Krookodile hadn't been harmed by them - as a Ground-type, electricity didn't affect him.
There was no doubt Rotom was causing this. These blue sparks weren't a natural color - they were a light sky blue, almost. I frowned. How would we get this thing out of the television? To capture it, we would need to battle it directly. It wasn't as though we could battle the television....
"Wait... Krookodile, I have an idea!" I exclaimed. "Attack the television! Use Mud-Slap!"
Krookodile nodded, and spat out a small blob of mud at the television. As I had expected, the blue tendrils of electricity all gathered to block the attack. Rotom, being an Electric-type, would want to protect the television (and by extension, itself) from Ground-type attacks like Mud-Slap. It had the Levitate ability, but that was rendered moot when it was hiding in a television. This knowledge must've realized Rotom as well, as it came out of its hiding spot - just as I had planned.
An orange ball appeared within the blue electricity, and the electricity seperated itself from the television as the orange ball floated away from the television. The electricity was now following the orange ball as its new core - that ball was Rotom!
"Rotom!" Two electric blue eyes appeared, staring at me. They looked extremely aggravated - it looked like I'd pissed Rotom off. Two jagged bolts of blue electricity flew towards me, but Krookodile blocked them with his arm. I smiled.
"Give it up, Rotom!, you can't beat my Krookodile! I handpicked him as my partner in my hunt for you!" I crowed, putting a hand on the back of my Krookodile. "As a Ground-type, your Electric-type attacks are rendered useless against him. He also happens to be a Dark-type as well, which gives him an edge against a Ghost-type like you offensively."
Rotom growled, and blasted another bolt of electricity towards us. Once again, Krookodile locked it. "You're a feisty thing, aren't you? Well, Krookodile, let's make sure it knows what we're about by beating it into it. Use Assurance!"
Krookodile nodded, and tossed a jab at Rotom. Rotom took the punch right in the face, and the small Pokemon was knocked into the wall.
"Rotom!" it cried in pain. Assurance was ideally used right after the user had taken some damage to get the most out of it, but it worked just fine in this case due to the natural type advantage Assurance held over Rotom.
"Great job, Krookodile!" I called. "Keep piling it on, use Snarl!"
Krookodile nodded, and let loose a nasty growl. The sound of the attack ripped into Rotom, and it whined as Krookodile's horrible cry overwhelmed it. I took out a Poke Ball. We were getting close.
"Alright Krookodile, let's set it up for the capture! Trap it in a Crunch!" I commanded, gripping the Poke Ball tightly in my hand. Could I pull off the capture right here, right now?
Krookodile jumped towards the dazed Rotom, and clamped down on the Pokemon with his jaws. Given the electricity surrounding Rotom, I doubted any non-Ground-type Pokemon could've managed this feat. This wasn't an issue with Krookodile, though. This was exactly why I had selected him to battle Rotom.
"You're mine, Rotom!" I yelled, throwing the Poke Ball at Rotom. Rotom was sucked into the capsule, and it began shaking.
It shook once... twice... and then...
The Poke Ball exploded - for real, unlike the television. The red half of the shell knocked lightly into my arm, as Rotom reappeared before us. It seemed to have regained its moxie a little.
"Rotom!" it cried, tossing a black ball of energy at Krookodile. This was Shadow Ball. Rotom seemed to have learned a little, then - instead of using Electric-type attacks, it was now using Ghost-type attacks, which certainly would do damage to Krookodile. As a Dark-type, however, the impact of Ghost-type attacks would be halved. This wasn't an issue - I just had to get back on the offensive and set up for another capture attempt.
Rotom wasn't willing to give me that opportunity, however. It used another Ghost-type move, one that was going to be a lot more problematic than Shadow Ball. The blue electricity around Rotom began glowing, and all of a sudden, a bright flash of blinding light emanated from Rotom.
"Argh!" I winced, falling backwards. I heard Krookodile fall over as well, somewhere over to my right. This must've been Rotom's Confuse Ray attack.
I heard a zap, and then the shattering of a window. I wrestled with this for a moment, then realized what Rotom was trying to do. I quickly tried to get back on my feet and shake my head clear, but by the time I had shaken off the effects of the Confuse Ray, it was too late - Rotom had fled through the now shattered window.
"Fuck!" I swore. I was too close to capturing Rotom to let it go. I quickly returned my confused Krookodile to his Poke Ball for now, then called out another Pokemon.
"Your turn, Hydreigon!" The blue three-headed dragon appeared in a burst of light, each of her heads screeching in joy as they inhaled the fresh forest air.
"We don't have any time to waste, Hydreigon! You see that blue light?" I pointed to the rapidly fleeing Rotom, which was now but a bright blue dot on the horizon speeding away from us. "Follow it - that's Rotom!"
I climbed on to Hydreigon's back, positioning myself in between her thin black wings and grabbing one of the horns on her center head. "Let's go!"
Hydreigon immediately took off, and the cold midnight wind tore through me as Hydreigon followed Rotom through Eterna Forest. We skimmed over the treetops, staying as low as possible to maximize our speed. I gripped Hydreigon tightly, knowing I couldn't afford to fall off and lose Rotom. The Pokemon was zipping in between the tips of the trees in front of us, but it stood out like a beacon under the night sky. We were beginning to catch up to it.
"Alright Hydreigon, let's make our move!" I yelled. Like with Krookodile, Hydreigon had been hand-picked to help me capture Rotom. It was my go-to option if Rotom tried to escape, and one I was grateful to have since Rotom was indeed trying to lose us. Not many Pokemon were capable of learning Fly while resisting both Electric and Ghost-type moves, but Hydreigon fit the bill perfectly as both a Dark-type and a Dragon-type. "Let's use Signal Beam!"
Hydreigon nodded, and her left and right heads immediately locked on to Rotom. The Pokemon was still well away from us, but with three sets of eyes, Hydreigon's accuracy was always spot-on, even when her target was moving. Signal Beam was an attack that could go the distance, and Hydreigon wouldn't miss.
"Hydreigon!" she screeched, firing a multicolored beam of light from her center head. The Signal Beam flew towards Rotom, and just as I knew it would, smacked into the feisty Electric-type.
"Great job yet again," I said fondly, patting Hydreigon lightly. Rotom immediately dropped, plummeting into the forest. Hydreigon and I flew over, then slowly floated down in between the branches. There was Rotom, downed on the forest floor. I pulled out a Poke Ball.
"Frame it for the capture," I said softly, determined to capture it this time. "Use Dark Pulse!"
Hydreigon growled in acknowledgment, and all three of her heads gathered. Black energy formed in between her gaping jaws, and the Dark Pulse was blasted towards Rotom. I gripped the Poke Ball tightly. As soon as Dark Pulse struck, I was going in for the capture. Rotom was not getting away again.
The Dark Pulse smashed into Rotom, and the Pokemon let loose an odd wail. It sounded almost like air being released from a balloon. Then, I saw what Dark Pulse had left in its wake - or rather, what it hadn't. There was a bit of smoke where Dark Pulse had struck, but Rotom wasn't there.
"What the..." I trailed off. This made no sense at all. I was certain the attack had struck, but Rotom wasn't here. What had happened?
I stepped off of Hydreigon, walking over to inspect the ground. Just as I did, however, Hydreigon let loose a scream. I immediately turned, and to my surprise, was greeted by my Hydreigon crashing to my feet. There were no signs of damage on her body, but sparks were crawling all over her skin. She had been paralyzed.
"Rotom..." I heard the cackling of the poltergeist, and looked up to find it staring back from where Hydreigon had been a moment ago. I frowned. Clearly, this was all part of some scheme the Pokemon had pulled. I guessed that instead of attacking Rotom earlier, Hydreigon and I had fallen prey to a decoy - probably a Substitute. Then, it had probably used Thunder Wave on Hydreigon when our backs had been turned. Whether or not my guess was correct didn't matter, however. As Rotom floated away, cackling as it left, I knew I was in a tight spot. Hydreigon couldn't fly in this situation, and I didn't have any other Pokemon that knew Fly.
Well, there was nothing for it. I returned Hydreigon to her Poke Ball, and began running. I kept my eye trained on the faint blue light that was just visible in between the tree trunks. I wasn't faster than Rotom, but I didn't think I was slower either. I just knew that Rotom couldn't run forever. It should already be getting tired, whereas I had been following it on Hydreigon's back up until now. I just had to hope it would tire out before I did.
My chase with Rotom had taken me to the very edge of the Eterna Forest. Very quickly, the trees gave way, and I found myself in an open clearing. I had followed Rotom all the way out of Eterna Forest, and if my memory served my correctly, then this was Route 205.
"Rotom!" the Pokemon cried, dismayed to see that I was still following it. It was hovering over a pond, but began floating across the pond when it saw me. Fortunately, there was a bridge that I could use to cross the pond instead of having to go around.
I ran across the bridge, following Rotom as it flitted through the sky. It was easy to see it now with no trees in the way. To me, that meant it wasn't getting away.
After crossing the pond, I suddenly found myself facing Eterna City. It was one of the oldest cities in Sinnoh, and one of the largest ones as well. It wasn't quite as glamorous as Veilstone City or Hearthome City were, but to be honest, I preferred the history of a place like Eterna to all the bright lights of other cities. I found the tall and tranquil buildings of Eterna to be very calming.
I was very surprised that Rotom had managed to take me all the way to Eterna. Still, I wasn't planning to give up on it now, or ever at all. I kept pace with the Pokemon as it zipped up the streets. It was now transitioning into the morning - soon, the early risers of Eterna would be waking. I had better settle this quickly. It could be very troublesome if I had to battle in the heart of the city among angry residents.
Rotom wasn't giving me an opportunity to battle it, however. For some reason, the Pokemon seemed to be re-energized upon entering the city. I had to go all-out to keep up, and I wasn't getting any sudden bursts of energy, either. I was beginning to tire.
Rotom darted past apartments and other buildings. It didn't seem to be flying around randomly - it was almost as if Rotom had a specific destination in mind. But, where was Rotom going? Where could it possibly find shelter in this city?
As we turned a corner, I found my answer standing tall over my head. A tall skyscraper jutted out from the ground, and it was no ordinary tower. It had a large observation deck at the top, and the observation deck had three large spikes sticking out of either side. To cap things off, a large yellow ring rotated around the building. An intimidating chain link fence closed it off, making it evident that this building wasn't one that accepted visitors.
"What the hell is that?" I muttered, immediately disgusted by the building. It stood against all of the history and tradition Eterna City represented - it was almost as though this building was a direct insult to the city itself.
"Rotom!" The Pokemon floated over the fence and towards the building, entering through a motion sensing door. I felt a sour taste in my mouth - a motion sensing door. In Eterna. This building was a disgrace.
I had bigger problems than my distaste for the building, however. I couldn't enter the building, not without trespassing. I didn't know if Rotom knew that or if it just considered this building to be a friendly hideout of some kind. Either way, though, I couldn't follow Rotom here. I spat in disgust.
"Fuck this," I muttered angrily. I couldn't follow Rotom into this building, but it had to come out eventually. I would have to keep tabs on it until then. Luckily for me, the third and final member of my party happened to be perfect for this job.
"Alright, it's time for you to pitch in too," I murmured, tossing the Poke Ball lightly. My final Pokemon, Magneton, appeared in a flash of white light. The trio of magnets hovered above my head, rotating and looking around uneasily.
"Magneton!" it buzzed, its three eyes darting in every direction.
I smiled. My Magneton was always on edge, but that would come in handy here. "Okay Magneton, I'm going to need you to do me a favor here."
Magneton's eyes all snapped on to me. As shifty as it was, it always gave me its undivided attention when I had something to say. I was very fond of this Pokemon for that reason.
Continuing, I explained my plan to Magneton. "I'm going to need you to watch this building, alright? Rotom's hiding somewhere in it, but I don't want to break in to hunt it down. So, I want you to keep an eye on it for me. I know you won't let anything by you. If Rotom so much as pokes its head out of a window, split off and send a Magnemite to me, alright?"
Magneton nodded furiously, and I smiled. "Oh, and try not to arouse too much attention, alright? It'd be really awkward if people thought you were trying to break in or something. Anyways, I'll be in the Pokemon Center if anything happens." Magneton nodded once more, then turned its attention to the building, sizing it up. It floated up to the observation deck, and began circling the building curiously.
I walked away, knowing I could leave this to Magneton. I had brought it to use as a back-up to Krookodile in battle - as a Steel/Electric-type, it would be able to take any attacks that Rotom might dish out. With Magnet Pull, it would also have come in handy if Rotom began playing with some appliances. However, it would serve an even more important purpose now. Having three seperate bodies and a magnetic field around it would make Magneton the perfect Pokemon to watch this building for Rotom and alert me should anything happen.
I made my way to the Pokemon Center, remembering having walked past it earlier while I had been chasing Rotom. It was very close to the building that Rotom was hiding in, only a few blocks away. The familiar red roof should be visible to Magneton from where it currently was, so it shouldn't have any problems in finding me. Now, I was probably going to use this time to rest up and regroup. I walked in to the Pokemon Center, and was greeted by the familiar and friendly voice of Nurse Joy.
"Hello!" The pink-haired nurse smiled at me. There wasn't anybody else here - it was still really early, then. Apart from Nurse Joy, there were only a few Chanseys discussing in low voices. The friendly orange interior of the building was a huge comfort to me though, especially after having been out in the forest all night. The familiar chime of the Pokemon Center played softly in the background, and I smiled as I walked up to the front desk.
"Hey," I said, then realizing how tired I sounded. My voice was hoarse, and I realized my eyelids were really heavy all of a sudden.
Nurse Joy laughed a little, and offered me a room. I accepted gratefully, and handed her the Poke Balls of my Krookodile and Hydreigon before heading for my room on the second floor. The moment I shut the door of the small room, I went straight for the bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
When I woke up, I woke up with a goal in mind. I wanted to find out more about that weird building. It struck me as peculiar that Rotom had went straight for that particular building, and I wanted to see if I could find out anything about it. So, when I walked back down to the first floor of the Pokemon Center to hand the room keys back to Nurse Joy and reclaim my Pokemon, I had a few questions to ask.
"Say," I started as I refitted my Poke Balls on to my belt, "do you know anything about that tall building not too far from here? The one with the observation deck?"
"Hmm... I'm sorry, no," Nurse Joy responded.
"I do."
A smooth female voice licked my ears, and I immediately turned. A tall woman stood behind me, a friendly look on her face. She looked relatively young, with long blonde hair that trailed down to her knees and covered half of her face. She dressed in all black, with a long black coat that was even longer than her hair. Underneath the coat, she wore a simple black shirt and pants. I frowned. This woman really reminded me of somebody I had seen before, but I couldn't place my thumb on it.
"Is there a problem?" she asked, a little taken aback but what must be an unfriendly look on my face.
I laughed a little and sheepishly scratched the back of my head. "No, no, not at all. Did you, uh, say you knew something about that building I was talking about?"
The woman nodded. Motioning towards a couch to the side, she said, "I'll tell you all that I know."
I nodded, and gave a quick thanks to Nurse Joy before following the woman to the couch. I noticed that now, unlike when I first came into the Pokemon Center, there were a handful of Trainers lounging around. For some reason, they all seemed to be staring at me. This was a little strange and very nervewracking, but I tried to put it to the side for now.
I sat down on the couch opposite the woman. She asked, "So, what do you want to know?"
"Hmm... What is that building? Who owns it? Those two are probably the biggest questions I have at the moment," I responded.
"That building is the Galactic Eterna Building, and as the name implies, it's owned by Team Galactic," she answered.
I furrowed my brow. "Team Galactic? What's that?"
"Team Galactic is..." The woman hesitated for a moment, as if debating what to say. "Team Galactic is a group whose goal was to recreate the Pokemon universe."
I was about to explode with questions at this, but the woman held up her hand. "Try not to interrupt until after I'm done. After I've explained everything, I expect most of your questions should be answered." I nodded grudgingly, and let her continue.
"Team Galactic, as I said, was a group whose goal was to recreate the Pokemon universe. They were responsible for the incident up at the Spear Pillar about six months ago. Back then, they summoned both Dialga and Palkia, the legendary Pokemon that govern time and space respectively. The simultaneous appearance of both Dialga and Palkia caused an instability in the space-time continuum, which led to the appearance of the legendary Pokemon Giratina, who is also the deity of an alternate universe called the Distortion World. Giratina's appearance threatened to rip apart the fabric of time and space, just as Team Galactic had planned. However, Giratina was defeated, and Team Galactic was stopped."
My jaw dropped more and more as the woman offered her explanation to me. Why had I not heard about this before? This was something that very well could've been the end of our universe, if I understood things correctly. Who was this woman? How did she know all this? But what I wanted to know most was...
"Who stopped them?" I asked in a barely audible whisper.
The woman smiled brightly. "I did."
My eyes widened now, to the point where I honestly thought my eyelids would flip inside-out. "Who... who are you?"
"My name is Cynthia," she responded quietly.
This was all I could take - I felt like I could black out at any point now. I understood now why I thought she looked familiar, and even why all the Trainers had been staring at me. This was Cynthia, the Pokemon Champion of Sinnoh, and I was talking to her!
"Well, I guess you know who I am," Cynthia remarked sheepishly, blushing a little as she observed the stunned reaction on my face.
"Y-you're..." I couldn't get the words out of my throat. I was still in shock.
"Yeah, I'm that Cynthia," she said, almost reluctantly. It seemed she was trying not to make a scene out of things, and I immediately felt a pang of guilt as I realized I might have been doing just that. Still, I couldn't believe I was sitting here next to Cynthia!
"What are you doing here?" I asked quickly, trying to be as quiet as possible.
Cynthia laughed. "I'm here to visit a friend of mine, who's on vacation here from Kanto. His name is Professor Oak - I take it you've heard of him too?"
Of course I had. Professor Oak was the number one Pokemon professor in the world, and he was even more famous than Cynthia. Cynthia was here in Eterna to meet him? It dawned on me that that meant Professor Oak was here in Eterna as well, and my head began swooning for real.
Cynthia laughed again, amused by my reaction. "Back to Team Galactic, however. As I said, they were defeated - by me. They are now a defunct group, as their leader Cyrus decided to remain in the Distortion World after his defeat. The Galactic Eterna Building is now an abandoned building, and no one has entered in months. Say, what's it to you, anyways?"
I found myself bewildered and flattered that Cynthia was interested by what I was up to. Trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, I answered, "I'm hunting a rare Pokemon named Rotom, and I've chased it to the Galactic Eterna Building."
Cynthia lifted an eyebrow, clearly finding me interesting. "That's pretty cool. What's your name?"
"Chiron," I answered, a little reluctantly. My name was not one I was proud of, nor was my past. I couldn't refuse Cynthia, however, not after all she had already told me. I only hoped that she wouldn't inquire further into my identity.
"Chiron," she mused, "like the centaur from Greek mythology?"
I nodded, and she asked, "Who's your father?"
I winced. This was exactly what I hoped against. Cynthia immediately noticed my reaction, and quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm probably pruding into private matters here."
"No no no," I said, knowing that what Cyntha had told me might have been extremely classified information and she had told me without knowing a thing about me. It would be wrong of me to get hesitant over something as simple as my past, as painful as it was. "My dad, he ditched my mom and I when I was only four. He broke my mom's heart. My mom told me not to live a life of crime like my dad, and she never spoke of him again."
At this, Cynthia held up her hand again. "Stop. These are clearly painful memories for you, memories that I have no right to know of and memories that I do not want to know of. Thank you, but it's alright - you don't have to share."
I nodded, extremely grateful towards Cynthia. She was such a nice person. "One more thing, though. Why did you tell me everything?"
Cynthia shrugged. "Why not?"
I was wrong. Cynthia wasn't just a nice person - she was the nicest person of all-time. I had never met anyone so pure-hearted before. If she had told me she was an angel, I would have believed her.
"Oh, look at the time!" Cynthia exclaimed. "I've got to get going, I can't leave the professor waiting. Chiron, it was very nice to meet you, and hopefully we'll meet again. I do look forward to having a battle with you and Rotom in the future." She winked, then stood up.
"Thanks so much," I said, and I meant it. Words couldn't describe how grateful I was to Cynthia, but hopefully she'd understand. She nodded, and shook my hand before walking out of the Pokemon Center.
I slumped back on to the couch. I was still stunned from what just happened. I had not only talked to Cynthia, but had a full-blown conversation! Not only that, but she had been so respectful, too. She had even said she'd like to meet with me again, and even have a battle with me... and Rotom. Then, the full meaning of her words hit me. And Rotom. By that, she had told me to go for the Plasma Pokemon.
I smiled. Cynthia had told me the Galactic Eterna Building was abandoned. That meant nobody would really care if I quietly broke in and snooped around, especially if the building belonged to a bunch of crooks anyways.
Before I left the Pokemon Center, I walked over to the PC beside the front desk, and withdrew three more Pokemon. Combined with Krookodile, Hydreigon, and Magneton, this would give me a full team of six. I wasn't letting Rotom get away this time.
I walked out of the Pokemon Center now, ready to capture Rotom for good this time. I noticed that some of the Trainers were still eyeballing me. Only now did I notice that they were admiring me with curiosity and envy, however. I smiled, feeling extremely fortunate to have met and made friends with Cynthia.
I made my way back to the Galactic Eterna Building. It was now evening, with night most likely well on its way. The sun was still barely visible to the west, the rays of light poking through the apartments that made up the western part of town. I had slept through most of the day, then.
I arrived at the Galactic Eterna Building very quickly - within five minutes, even. Magneton swooped down to greet me almost immediately.
"Magneton!" my Pokemon buzzed, wondering why I was here.
"You've done good, but you don't need to watch this building anymore," I said, "We'll just go right in - it's deserted."
Magneton nodded, and I continued, "I'm going to keep you out of your Poke Ball, though. Since Rotom's probably hiding in some electrical appliance again, your Magnet Pull ability will come in handy when tracking it down."
Magneton nodded again, and I grabbed two of its magnets as it lifted me over the chain link fence. It dropped me down in front of the entrance, and the door opened for me. My lip curled in disgust, but I walked in nonetheless.
As I expected, the lights in the building were off. After so many months of disuse, it wasn't surprising that this place was out of juice. That should only make it easier for Magneton to track Rotom, however, as it should be the only source of electricity here, or at least the strongest source.
"Magneton, use Flash!" I said. First things first, we needed some light. The tips of Magneton's magnets began glowing brightly, and the light lit up the room.
It seemed we were in the lobby of the building. It was a pretty ordinary looking lobby, with a reception desk, a couple of couches off to the side, and even a television. For some reason, I was a little surprised to see such an ordinary-looking lobby in a building this bizarre. With the chain link fence and all, this place didn't really seem like one that would need a lobby for visitors. I spotted a big yellow G on the wall behind the reception desk - that was probably the Team Galactic logo.
"Magneton!" my Pokemon buzzed. It looked like Magneton had found something.
"What is it?" I asked, turning to my Pokemon. Its magnets pointed to the left side of the lobby, where the television was. So, Rotom was hiding right on the ground floor. There were two sets of stairs to the right - I had expected to climb a little higher. But, this was fine.
I followed Magneton as it took me towards the television - then past it. I frowned, but the television looked pretty dead like the rest of the lobby. It didn't look like Rotom was hiding in it. Where was Magneton taking me, then?
Magneton turned, going behind the television. To my surprise, there was a back room behind the television. There was a label on the door that said "Authorized Personnel Only". There was a key hole in the door, which would've been a problem. But, knowing who this building belonged to, I didn't really regret my next decision.
"Magneton, just blast it down. Use Charge Beam!" I commanded. Magneton nodded, and blasted a large beam of electricity into the door. The door was blasted off of its hinges, and I walked in.
A small room awaited me. I frowned - it was a strange room. It was mostly empty, apart from some high-tech machines and computers against the far wall - probably Team Galactic's stuff. There were, however, five electrical appliances lined up in the center of the room: a lawn mower, a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a washing machine, and a rotary fan. For some reason, they were all orange - the same color as Rotom.
"What is this room?" I muttered, looking around. The collection of objects in this room was just bizarre.
"Magneton?" Magneton looked at me. It seemed it had sensed something in this room. I looked at the electrical appliances. Rotom was probably hiding in one of them. When I had lured Rotom out of the television back in the Old Chateau, I had angered it by clicking a few buttons on the television. I guess the best thing to do here was just some trial-and-error - I'll fiddle with each of the appliances for a bit until Rotom jumps out of one of them.
"Krookodile, come out!" I said, calling out my partner. "If Rotom suddenly jumps out from any of these machines, be ready to fight!"
The red crocodile roared as he jumped out of his Poke Ball, eager for a rematch with Rotom. Clearly, he wasn't happy with the end result of the last battle with Rotom.
I began clicking random buttons on each of the electrical appliances, going from left to right. I started with the lawn mower, trying a few of the buttons on the handle. When nothing happened, I moved on to the refrigerator, opening it up and twisting the temperature knobs on the inside. It didn't budge either, so I moved on to the microwave oven and clicked a few of the buttons on the control panel. To no surprise, it didn't give me anything. I eyed the last two appliances: the washing machine and the rotary fan. Rotom should be in one of those two, but for some reason, I was feeling uncomfortable with the fact that Rotom hadn't appeared yet. I twisted two of the knobs on the washing machine and hit a few of the buttons on the rotary fan's base, but just as I had feared, nothing happened.
"What the hell..." I moaned, taking a seat at a table to the side. I rubbed my eyes in exasperation, then noticed a red notebook on the table. I immediately snatched it - maybe it held a clue about Rotom! I flipped the notebook open, and began reading.
"It was by pure chance that I obtained information about the Pokémon Rotom.
Remarkably, Rotom has the ability to enter and merge with special motors.
It's now known that Rotom can stay inside a motor almost indefinitely.
However, it will emerge if it enters a Union Room or a Wi-Fi Club.
Rotom will also emerge from the motor if it is left at the Day Care.
Rotom may also forget certain moves when it leaves a motor.
This Pokémon requires exhaustive observation and analysis.
To ensure I get all the credit, my Rotom research must be kept secret.
They will come to recognize me as the scientific genius Char..."
The notebook trailed off to an end there. I frowned, flipping to the next page, but it was blank. So was the rest of this notebook. It looked like the original owner never bothered to finish his original entry. Setting it down, I sighed. This notebook contained some really interesting information about Rotom, but it didn't tell me much about where it might be hiding. All the clues pointed to Rotom hiding in one of machines, but it wouldn't appear for me. I sighed again, rubbing my eyes tiredly. Even though I had slept through the day, I was still tired from my midnight hunt of Rotom.
My eyes darted to the machines and computers against the far wall. Maybe they had something to do with Rotom? But, like everything else in this building, they were out of power. Either way, I wouldn't know what to do with them anyways. I had never had much success with technology. I was about to let out yet another sigh when I spotted a second notebook on one of the computers. I rushed over, and picked it up. Was this the one that could help me? It was a lot older than the other notebook - the front cover was scratched up, and the pages were all bent and faded. I took it back to the table, and began reading.
"Our encounter was a sudden one.
It was when I found my toy robot, one that I had earlier misplaced.
At that instant, a Pokémon startlingly emerged from the lawn mower's motor!
Clutching my robot, I stared, transfixed by the peculiar Pokémon."
"The Pokémon hovered in the air, held aloft by a power unseen.
As if curious and unafraid of my presence, it floated toward me.
Crackling sounds accompanied it, as if from static electricity in the air.
Remarkably, it seemed the Pokémon was the source of this power!
In alarm, I flinched, certain that my face would be subjected to a shock.
Much to my surprise, the Pokémon seemed to favor me with a smile."
"Finally, I came to realize that the Pokémon only wished to be friends.
I have decided to name this most wondrous Pokémon 'Rotom.'
Simple though it may be, Rotom emerged to me from the motor of a lawn mower.
Motor and Rotom... Surely the link is obvious?"
"Rotom is a Pokémon that is simply sensational.
The fact that it can turn invisible is simply the beginning.
What makes Rotom unique is its ability to enter and operate machinery!"
"Rotom and I became fast friends. We were perpetual companions.
The electricity from its body forbade contact, however.
We could not touch, let alone hug or hold hands, but we cared not.
For we were bonded on a much deeper, incorporeal level."
"A feeling of mischief got the better of me one day.
Seeing Rotom hovering, I decided to startle it--normally I would not.
Perhaps frightened, Rotom discharged power beyond its usual range.
I fell, stunned, into the arms of unconsciousness..."
"When I came to, to my horror I realized that Rotom had disappeared.
I searched high and low for my friend in dismay and desperation.
'Don't chastise yourself.'
'The fault is mine. No harm done.'
'Let us play as we always have.'
Though my words poured out, my friend could not be found to hear them..."
"My search for Rotom carried me far from home.
It was in the town's rubbish heap that I again found my old toy robot.
Curiously, our eyes met, then the robot waved a hand as if in greeting.
I knew then that I had found my lost friend.
I ran to and hugged Rotom tight, talking on and on."
"The robot's eyes lit up happily as I held it.
I'm certain that, within it, Rotom was emitting lots of electricity.
Somehow, I felt I could understand Rotom's thoughts better than before.
Also, I realized that we would remain friends throughout our lives..."
I sighed. This notebook was a lot longer and retold a very interesting story between the writer and Rotom, and it was something I was probably going to take and reread a bit closer on my own time. However, right now, I needed something that would tell me where Rotom was.
My watch began beeping. It was eight o'clock now - night.
All of a sudden, things started happening. The lawn mower began running, and a storm of leaves were fired at me. I braced myself, but they never reached me. Both my Krookodile and my Magneton were standing in front of me, with a protective energy bubble around us. They had used Protect to shield me!
"Thanks a lot, you guys," I muttered, patting them gratefully. I had to admit I was touched by their actions, although now wasn't the time to be getting sentimental. What was going on?
I glanced over Krookodile's shoulder. The lawn mower was glowing green, and green electricity was wildly firing in all directions out of it. This was just like the television - Rotom must be hiding in the lawn mower!
"Krookodile, Magneton," I said, getting their attention. "the moment Leaf Storm ends, we're going to attack and lure Rotom out of the lawn mower, okay? Rotom will probably want to protect those other appliances, so we'll target those. Krookodile, use Mud-Slap on the refrigerator and the microwave oven. Magneton, use Spark on the washing machine and the rotary fan."
My Pokemon nodded, and readied themselves. When the stream of leaves stopped, they dropped the Protect bubble, and went at the appliances. Krookodile spat out a small glob of mud at the refrigerator and the microwave oven, while Magneton discharged a small spark at the washing machine and the rotary fan.
"Rotom!" Just as I had expected, Rotom flew out of the lawn mower to protect the other appliances. The orange ball flew in front of the appliances, and blocked my attacks with its familiar blue electricity.
"There you are," I muttered. "Krookodile, this is your battle."
Krookodile nodded, and stepped up to face Rotom. Rotom growled at him angrily, firing a Shadow Ball at my Pokemon. Krookodile laughed a little, and smashed the black ball of energy with his fist.
"Skipping the Electric-type attacks this time?" I laughed. "Smart... but Ghost-type attacks won't do much of anything to Krookodile either. He's a Dark-type, after all. Didn't we go over this last time?"
Rotom bristled. It began glowing again. It looked like it was beginning to remember our last encounter now, and it was going to use Confuse Ray again. I was prepared for this, however.
"Krookodile, use Substitute," I whispered.
Krookodile nodded. A second Krookodile appeared in front of him in a thin poof of smoke, and Krookodile hid behind the copy. I turned my head as Rotom let the Confuse Ray go, and waited for the attack to subside.
When I turned my head back to face Rotom, it seemed confused at what had happened. The Substitute Krookodile stood there motionlessly, not swayed at all by the move. Of course it hadn't. Copies created by the Substitute move were immune to any sort of status, and that included confusion. I smiled. After Rotom had got one over us back in the forest with Substitute, but now, we could get one back for ourselves. From the look of things, Rotom hadn't realized what was going on. I subtly motioned for Krookodile to stay hidden behind the copy, and he nodded.
Rotom snarled at us, clearly bothered. It raised a tendril of electricity at us, and fired a bolt at the Substitute. It looked like it had forgotten Electric-type attacks failed to do anything against Krookodile. This was our opportunity to strike. I waited for the ThunderBolt to collide into the Substitute, then I made my move.
"Krookodile, use Foul Play!" I commanded. Krookodile jumped out from behind the Substitute, and lunged at Rotom. Rotom was knocked back into the appliances, clearly weakened. Foul Play was the strongest Dark-type attack in existence, and used trickery to its advantage.
"Great job, Krookodile!" I called, moving my head to my belt to pluck an empty Poke Ball off of my belt. However, just as I did so, Rotom darted into the lawn mower, and I realized what it was trying to do.
"Krookodile, return!" I yelled, pulling out Krookodile's Poke Ball and returning him to his Poke Ball. I picked up a different Poke Ball off of my belt. "Hydreigon, it's your turn again!"
My Hydreigon exploded out of her Poke Ball, eyeing Rotom as it zipped into the lawn mower. The blue electricity around Rotom turned green and surrounded the lawn mower as Rotom began controlling the machine. Green eyes appeared on the surface of the lawn mower, and the blades on the bottom of the lawn mower aligned into a haunting smile. Rotom cackled at us.
"Rotom!" it cried, spitting out another storm of leaves at us. I was ready for this, however.
While Hydreigon had been picked to deal with the original Rotom, she was my best option against this version. My hypothesis was that, in the lawn mower form, Rotom was no longer an Electric/Ghost-type. I suspected it was an Electric/Grass-type now, and as the first notebook had alluded to, it gained access to a new attack in this form. This attack was probably Leaf Storm, which Rotom had already used on us once. Hydreigon, as a Dark/Dragon-type, could take Grass-type attacks as well she did Electric and Ghost ones, however, so she was the perfect Pokemon to turn to against this form.
The leaves slammed into Hydreigon, but she stood her ground easily. After the Leaf Storm had subsided, I attacked. "Hydreigon, use Flamethrower!"
My Pokemon nodded, and her three heads aligned to breath a large stream of fire at Rotom.
"Rotom!" the Pokemon screamed, and it immediately flew out of the lawn mower. Hydreigon's Flamethrower missed as Rotom immediately darted into the next appliance: the refrigerator. Purple electricity surrounded the refrigerator, and purple eyes blinked out at me from the top compartment of the refrigerator. I frowned. What type was this Rotom?
Rotom opened its mouth, and blew out a stream of frigid air and ice. This was Blizzard, the infamously powerful Ice-type attack. Hydreigon screamed and tried to dodge, but she was too late to act and the Blizzard smacked into her flank. She came crashing to my feet at Rotom's hands once again, and I frowned.
"I'm sorry, Hydreigon," I murmured, returning the fainted Pokemon to her Poke Ball. Sizing up this form of Rotom, it seemed like an Electric/Ice-type. I looked to Magneton, who had been hovering behind me this entire time. "It's your turn."
Magneton bobbed its heads furiously, floating out to face Rotom. "Alright, let's use Flash Cannon!"
Brightly glowing energy began forming in the center of Magneton's three bodies, and Magneton fired a beam of the energy at Rotom. Rotom, like with the lawn mower, abandoned the refrigerator. Flash Cannon destroyed the refrigerator, but Rotom had already moved on, this time to the microwave oven.
"Shit." There was no doubting what type this Rotom was, as a devilish face appeared on the refrigerator oven. Red electricity surrounded the oven, and Rotom opened the oven up. It was attacking.
"Magneton, retur..." I stopped. It was too late - Rotom was already blasting a stream of fire at the Steel-type, and like Hydreigon, Magneton dropped to my feet. I frowned. This Rotom knew Overheat - a fearsome Fire-type move. "Great job, Magneton - you deserve a rest."
I returned Magneton to my belt, and picked out another Poke Ball. This was the first of the three new Pokemon I had brought with me this time. "Golurk, it's your turn!"
The stone giant appeared in a flash of light. This rare Pokemon was one of my favorite Pokemon, with its ties to ancient history. However, right now I needed the blue behemoth to fight. It was a Ground/Ghost-type I had originally planned to use against the original Rotom, but it would serve me just fine against this variation.
"Golurk, let's use Stone Edge!" I commanded. It nodded, flattening its stone palm. It jabbed right at the microwave oven containing Rotom, and Rotom screamed as it once again fled the appliance, leaving it to be destroyed by Golurk.
I frowned. This game of run-and-hide was getting us nowhere, though Rotom was running out of appliances quickly. I could play for a little longer, I figured.
Rotom entered the washing machine, and like with the microwave oven, it was obvious what type this one was going to be. Deep blue eyes popped out, and electricity of the same color appeared around the washing machine. Unfortunately, Golurk was too close to avoid the Hydro Pump that Rotom fired at it. I could only grimace and return Golurk to its Poke Ball.
"Against a Water-type, you'll be the best Pokemon for the job!" I said, tossing the Poke Ball of my Sawsbuck. The Season Pokemon appeared, already in full-blown Autumn Form. She had a brilliant mantle of red leaves resting elegantly on her antlers, and cream fur was visible on her chest and limbs. She was supposed to sponge any of the Electric or Ghost-type attacks the original Rotom might have used, but she would also come in handy against this Water-type variant.
"Take out Rotom for good!" I called. "Use Horn Leech!"
Sawsbuck nodded, and dashed towards Rotom. She jabbed her antlers into the washing machine, but once again, Rotom had hopped out of the appliance.
"Sawsbuck!" my Pokemon cried, trying to dislodge her antlers from the washing machine. However, she was stuck. I fumbled with my Poke Ball, knowing I had to recall her before Rotom got to her. The last appliance left was the rotary fan, and that couldn't possibly bode well for a Grass-type like Sawsbuck.
I had no chance of returning Sawsbuck in time, however. By the time I had the Poke Ball off of my belt, Rotom had already claimed the rotary fan and was making its move. The rotary fan, with yellow electricity surrounding it now, began spinning wildly. I saw a rush of air slam into my Sawsbuck, and the Pokemon went limp as the Air Slash fainted her.
I frowned. I still had two Pokemon left, however. Krookodile was still waiting for an opportunity to have an honest fight with Rotom, but I had to get rid of this last appliance first. Fortunately for me, the last Pokemon I had brought with me was perfect for handling this Electric/Flying-type form of Rotom.
"Steelix, it's finally your turn!" I called, tossing the last of my three new Poke Balls. The large Iron Snake Pokemon appeared, his massive body immediately taking up half of the room. As a Steel/Ground-type, he, like Sawsbuck, was capable of taking any Electric or Ghost-type moves Rotom could dish out. Against this Flying-type Rotom, however, Steelix would work very well. Before evolving into Steelix, Steelix had been an Onix - a Rock/Ground-type. While no longer a Rock-type, Steelix retained his proficiency with Rock-type moves. That would come in handy against this Rotom.
"Steelix, use Rock Slide!" I ordered. Steelix obeyed, slamming his body into the rotary fan. I was hardly surprised when Rotom slipped out of the fan - Steelix's attack completely flattened the fan.
"Rotom!" the Pokemon cried in dismay as Steelix destroyed the last appliance. I smiled - we could finally fight for real.
Rotom snarled at Steelix. It was now in its standard form, with its original light blue electricity crackling around its natural orange body. The electricity began glowing, and I recognized this attack, which was becoming increasingly familiar. Unfortunately, Steelix didn't know Substitute, and I could only turn my head away to avoid being affected by the Confuse Ray myself.
"Steelix!" my Pokemon howled as Rotom's move confused my Pokemon. That wasn't a problem, however - now that Rotom had no appliances left, I wasn't going to use Steelix anymore.
Then, I realized Rotom wasn't where it had been a moment ago. For a moment, I thought it had tried to get past me and escape with the Confuse Ray, but then I saw it speeding towards something on the opposite side of the room - the lawn mower. My jaw dropped as I realized that had survived. That appliance had been the only one I hadn't destroyed in battle earlier, though I hadn't realized it until now. Hydreigon's Flamethrower had followed the fleeing Rotom, rather than destroying the appliance. I began panicking - the Grass-type Rotom form could finish off all I had left: Krookodile and my confused Steelix.
"Shit!" I swore, throwing Krookodile's Poke Ball at the lawn mower. I had to get there first and prevent Rotom from claiming it.
Fortunately, I was able to. Krookodile appeared in between Rotom and the lawn mower, and bared his fangs at Rotom.
"Yes!" I exhaled, and returned my Steelix to his Poke Ball to give me some more space.
"Rotom!" it whined. However, it was defeated. Nothing it could do would affect Krookodile much, and by now, it had to be worn out. I didn't expect it to be able to put up much more of a fight.
"Let's end it, Krookodile!" I yelled. "Use Crunch!"
Krookodile leaped forward, clamping Rotom in between its jaws. As I had suspected, Rotom was too tired to do anything. I finally picked up the empty Poke Ball off of my belt that I had intended to use almost ten minutes ago.
"You're mine, Rotom!" I called, tossing the Poke Ball at the exhausted and immobilized Rotom.
Suddenly, the Poke Ball shattered.
"Who are you?"
I turned, immediately freaking out. A short old man stood at the entrance to the room. He had droopy eyes hidden by small red glasses, and short, pale purple hair. He wore a lab coat over something that looked remarkably like a space suit. Beside him stood a tall pink Pokemon with a large grey crown on his head dotted with a red jewel and a red-and-white ruff around his neck. I recognized the Pokemon as a Slowking. He was probably the one who had destroyed the Poke Ball, most likely with a Psychic attack.
I eyed the two of them nervously, and then I spotted the familiar logo on the old man's chest. I balked.
"Are you... with Team Galactic?" I asked.
The old man smiled. "Yes, yes I am."
"What are you doing here?" I asked, fear creeping into my heart as the reality of the situation hit me. "I thought Team Galactic was disbanded months ago!"
The old man lifted an eyebrow. "I should be asking you the same thing. What are you doing in my private research lab?"
His eyes scanned the destroyed room and appliances behind me, with a weakened Rotom in my Krookodile's jaws. Then, his eyes turned to the table and the two open notebooks on it. Annoyance flickered across his face as he look at me. "Did you... did you read my notebooks?"
I knew lying was pointless here, so I nodded nervously. "Are you the man who discovered Rotom?"
"Yes, that is correct." He laughed. It wasn't a friendly laugh. "You know too much about me. It looks like I'll have to remove you."
"It is true that Team Galactic was disbanded after the Spear Pillar incident. However, I maintained this lab, having an alarm set up to notify should Rotom ever return here to the place I researched it for so long."
Now I understood why Rotom had deliberately come here when I had chased it out of the Old Chateau. This place was like a second home to it. I turned to look at Rotom, and to my surprise, it was glaring at the old man with intense hate.
I frowned. Something wasn't right here. The second journal had contained many of the happy memories these two shared together. Why was Rotom giving the man such an icy stare?
The old man laughed. "Rotom... I see you remember everything still. All the testing I put you through here, I guess that's hard to forget, eh?"
I realized what had happened between these two. After they had shared wonderful memories back when the old man had been a child,
Rotom growled at the man, but he returned his attention to me. "I'm sorry for this, but unfortunately, you've wormed your way too deep, and you won't be getting back out. Slowking!"
His Pokemon opened his mouth, and fired a stream of water past me. I turned, and saw Krookodile take the attack to the face. He immediately crumpled, and Rotom tumbled from his jaws on to the ground.
"Krookodile!" I cried, returning him to his Poke Ball.
"Oh right, your Poke Balls. Slowking, remove those from him."
At the old man's words, the Poke Ball at my belt were ripped off of my belt by an unseen force and thrown to the side. I winced, but all of my Pokemon were fainted with the exception of Steelix, and he wouldn't be able to defeat Slowking anyway. I couldn't see any way out of this situation.
Turning to face the man again, I asked, "Who are you, anyway?"
The old man snorted. "Like I have any reason to tell you. But, I think I will, since in the end, you'll die anyway." He paused for a moment, then said, "My name is Charon."
My eyes widened, first in surprise, then in hatred. "Charon? Then I think you'll know who I am. My name is Chiron."
Now it was Charon's turn to be surprised. For the first time, he seemed to have truly lost his composure. His knees buckled, and he slumped to the ground. He began muttering something incomprehensible to himself. I continued. "That's right. I'm your son."
There was no doubting it - this old man in front of me was my father. The man who I had been named after, and had grown up hating the most. The man who had ditched my mother and I for the darker side of the world; for crime.
"Y-you..." Charon wiped his hand across his forehead, sweat visible on his brow.
I approached him slowly, also shaking. Years and years of pent-up frustration began building up in me. "Because of you, my mother was heartbroken for years. We had to break our backs for money, and you're the reason everything was so tough. All so you could do what? Play scientist with Rotom?"
Charon's expression turned into anger. "That bitch... She never respected me or my science. She-"
"Shut up! You never cared for either of us! All you cared about were your own twisted experiments!" I roared, stomping my foot in anger.
"Slowking!" Charon's Pokemon stepped in front of him protectively, and blasted me backwards with some kind of attack.
I tumbled to the ground beside Rotom. The Pokemon eyed me with curiosity, and I could see it was just as beaten up and exhausted as I was.
"I'm sorry," I muttered to Rotom. I had been the one who had chased it back here and caused all of this to happen to both of us. Rotom didn't say anything, but continued to stare at me.
Charon returned to his feet, readjusting his glasses. It was his turn to slowly approach me now. Nervously, he said, "You... I can't let you live. You're going to die right here, right now."
I looked around, looking for something I could fight back with. My Poke Balls were all scattered along the opposite wall, and there was no way I could get to them. Even if I did, I only had Steelix, who couldn't do anything in this situation against Slowking. My eyes settled on Rotom.
"Rotom..." I began. "Will you fight for me?"
Rotom hesitated for a moment, then weakly lifted itself up. It nodded, slowly at first, but then more energetically. I smiled. It looked like I had touched this Pokemon's heart with my story, and it was more than happy to exact its own revenge on Charon as well.
Charon laughed a little. "I know all there is to know about Rotom. It can't beat my Slowking!"
I returned to my feet, standing up beside Rotom. "Really? Rotom is an Electric/Ghost-type. Your Slowking is a Water/Psychic-type. Do you think you can overcome the natural type advantage."
Now, a devilish smile crossed Charon's face for real. His Slowking also smiled, almost seeming to glow with an evil aura. "Do you think that, knowing that, I would come here unprepared? Slowking, use Mud Sport!"
Slowking obliged, spitting mud into the air. Mud Sport was an attack that would cover an area in mud and nullify Electric-type attacks. I recalled that a few Slowking were capable of using the move. But, I didn't panic as Slowking's mud splattered all over the room.
"You still have to deal with Rotom's Ghost-type attacks!" I shouted. "Use Shadow Ball, Rotom!"
Rotom opened its mouth, and black energy began gathering to form the familiar ball that Rotom had so often used against me. However, Charon smiled.
"Slowking, Me First!" he cackled. His Slowking opened his mouth again, and begin firing a Shadow Ball of his own. I started sweating as I realized just what Charon's plan had been.
By using Mud Sport, Charon had encouraged Rotom to use its Ghost-type advantage rather than its Electric-type one. Now, Charon was taking advantage of that for himself, and using Me First, a move that would have the user copy the target's attacking move in advance and use that at an increased power level. It worked perfectly here, as Rotom, being a Ghost-type, was weak to its own Ghost-type moves. But, as Slowking's Shadow Ball ripped through Rotom and sent it flying into the far wall, there was only one part that didn't fit.
"How?" I asked. "How can your Slowking be faster than Rotom? Me First only works when the user is faster than its target, but there's no way Slowking can be faster than Rotom!"
Charon began guffawing. "Exactly. That's why, before this battle began, I used Trick Room. Look around you - look at the walls!"
I looked at the walls, and indeed, a faint blue glow was just barely visible. At first, I had mistaken the glow as Rotom's electricity lighting up the walls, but now I realized this was Slowking's move.
"But when? When could you have..." I trailed off. I remembered now. Back when Charon and Slowking had been laughed a moment ago, just before they had used Mud Sport, I remembered I had seen Slowking glowing a little. I thought that just had been my eyes playing games with me, but now I realized the beauty of Charon's plan. The reality of it hit me, as I realized just how well-prepared Charon had been. How could I defeat him now? He had every advantage over me right now, and Rotom was only running on fumes now. As I turned to look at the Pokemon, I began fearing that maybe, it was already out of adrenaline. Maybe that last hit had been the last one.
"Rotom..." the Pokemon muttered, weakly trying to get up. It was almost done for. How could we beat Charon now? He knew exactly how to counter Rotom, and to add insult to injury, I had just destroyed all of the appliances.
The appliances. My mind's eye flickered to the one I had forgot survived - the lawn mower. It transformed Rotom into a Grass-type and gave it Leaf Storm - exactly what I needed right now. Where was it? My real eyes scanned the room, and found it where it had been - on the left edge of the room, where it had begun. But, it was a few feet away from Rotom. There was no way Charon and Slowking would allow Rotom to get to it.
"Hehehehe," Charon snickered, not realizing I had found a bit of hope. "What are you thinking right now?"
As I immediately began panicking, thinking he was on to me, he said, "That's right - you're finished. There's no chance left for you. As much as you hate me, it looks like it won't matter. I'm going to kill you right here, and right now. Slowking, use Psychic!"
"Slowking!" Slowking cried, and I saw my moment of opportunity. As an invisible force slammed into me, I jumped. My jump pushed me towards the lawn mower, and to Charon, it would look like his Slowking's Psychic had blasted me towards it.
I crumpled into the lawn mower, and moaned in pain. The pain was much more intense this time than it had been the last time Slowking had used Psychic on me. My side was numb, and my back had smashed right into the lawn mower. But, it didn't matter right now - I had to get the lawn mower to Rotom.
Charon cackled, stepping closer to me. As he did, I rolled over slowly, trying to turn so that I was facing the lawn mower. I had to make sure Charon didn't catch on, however, and tried to make it look like I was dazed and rolling out of pain.
Charon cackled again. "Does it hurt? Don't worry - you're not surviving the next one. Slowking!"
"Slowking!" the Pokemon cried, and I knew it was now or never. My hands quickly grabbed the engine of the lawn mower, and I rolled it towards Rotom.
"Rotom, use Leaf Storm!" I ordered, and then I blacked out as Slowking's Psychic attack slammed into me.
I opened my eyes.
Lights. I was looking at lights. Where was I?
Then, I realized I was looking up at a ceiling. I tried sitting up, but my back wouldn't budge.
"Don't move," a voice said. Female. Familiar. Friendly. "Your back is still sore from the battle. They say you broke a few ribs, too."
I moaned loudly, trying to make sense of what was going on. Who's voice was that? I knew who it was... but who was it?
"Hi!" A smiling face I knew appeared over my head.
"Cynthia?" I gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"We heard something had happened in the Galactic Eterna Building about four hours ago, and rushed over there," Cynthia recalled. "The police was there, and we saw them bringing out an old man and a Slowking in handcuffs. We asked where you were, and they directed us here."
"Oh, okay." My head was hurting like crazy, and I scrunched up my eyes. "Wait, wait. We? Here? Who's we and where am I?"
"Oh." I heard Cynthia's tinkling laugh, and it was joined by another laugh somewhere off to my left. Male. Unfamiliar. Friendly. "This is the hospital, of course! Where did you think you would be in your condition? And... I'm with Professor Oak!"
"What!" I exclaimed, and Cynthia immediately shushed me.
"Try not to be too loud, okay? The nurses were hesitant about letting even us in!" Cynthia laughed again, and then I heard Professor Oak's voice.
"Hello Chiron, Cynthia told me everything. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling well... thanks," I said quietly. Professor Oak was here in my hospital room, and he was talking to me!
"That's good to hear," Professor Oak responded. He paused for a moment, then said, "So, if you don't mind telling us, what happened in there?"
"Uhh..." I moaned, trying to remember. Then, I remembered. The battle with Charon! All of my Pokemon had been knocked out and cast away! And Rotom... I had ordered Rotom to attack Charon just before blacking out! What had happened?
"Where's Rotom? Where's Charon? Where are my Pokemon?" I immediately asked, my eyes wildly turning to Cynthia.
"Charon got arrested, remember?" she said. Now that she mentioned it, I did remember her saying something similar a moment ago. I put two and two together - Rotom must have succeeded. "As for your Pokemon, they have all been reclaimed and are currently being healed by Nurse Joy."
"What about Rotom?" I asked worriedly.
Professor Oak spoke this time. "Ah, yes, about that. How did you find that Pokemon?"
I ignored his question. "Where is it?"
"Calm down," Cynthia said. "You'll wake it up."
Cynthia stepped away for a moment, then returned with something else that was familiar in her hands.
"Rotom!" I exclaimed quietly. The Pokemon was sleeping, and its cloak of blue electricity had disappeared. I remarked silently how cute it was when it was sleeping. Cynthia left again, setting it down somewhere off to the side before returning.
"It refused to leave your side, accompanying you all the way here," Cynthia explained. "It's exhausted, though, so you should probably let it sleep for a while."
"How did you find that Pokemon?" Professor Oak repeated. His voice was friendly, and it seemed he was only curious. I saw no harm in telling somebody like him, and I retold everything that had happened since I had first stepped foot in front of the Old Chateau. When I was done, Cynthia looked blown away.
"Charon... was your father?" Cynthia looked extremely surprised. "I remember that he was the one who had developed the Red Chain-"
"Shh!" Professor Oak snapped. "That's supposed to be top secret!"
"Oh yeah, sorry," Cynthia said sheepishly, winking at me. She had already told me so much that was top secret that she had completely forgotten about the top secret part. She'd probably tell me about the Red Chain later, too.
"I wanted to study Rotom," Professor Oak started, "but after hearing your story and all Rotom has been through, I think it may be best if it stayed with you."
"Stayed... with me?" I wondered aloud. I wonder if Rotom would. I had never captured it - we had only fought together against a common enemy.
"Absolutely!" Professor Oak laughed. "There's no doubt that that Pokemon has bonded with you after your battle with Charon. In fact, the police say it was guarding your body furiously when you were unconscious, and that it was very difficult for the paramedics to convince it to let them to take you. Even then, it insisted to come here with you, as Cynthia said earlier. I'm sure it would be ecstatic to join you!"
I mulled it over for a moment, and then Professor Oak started. "Oh! In fact, you can ask it now!"
Rotom floated up to me, looking extremely worried. "Rotom, rotom rotom!"
"I'm fine, Rotom, don't worry." I laughed softly at it, thinking about what Professor Oak had said. "Would you, Rotom? Would you join me?"
