Pokémon- Ep. Series #9
Down Victory Road
Episode 31: BULBASAUR'S GUARDIAN SPIRIT
Narrator: "Tracey and Celina have just left their inn at Viridian City and flew back over to another area to start off their Pokémon journey. Tracey's arm is fully healed now, and there's no need for him to wear a cast. Now they run across a little adventure in a small town with a very large tree at the foot of the mountains…"
"Ivysaur! Ivy-Ivysaur!" Ivysaur ran around the grassy park, excited by the amount of other Ivysaur, Bulbasaur, and Venusaur.
"Did you know?" Tracey looked to Celina as they stood their bikes near a bench. "This town is send to be guarded by a mysterious Venusaur spirit that lives in that large tree over there."
"It's so big!" She drank her can of Caterpie Soda with her eyes glued to the tree far off. "How old do you think it is?"
"Thousands of years, at least." He grabbed a sketchpad and spoke while he drew the Ivysaur playing on the ground. "Because it's a fact that the belief of a Venusaur guardian spirit living there is three thousand years old."
"It just goes to show how prominent Pokémon are in our history." She peered over at him, busy with his work. "Hey, you're getting really good at drawing."
"You know, I think I've gotten better." He smiled as he flipped through the pages of his book. "Traveling with you gave me so much experience with sketching monsters."
"I'm glad we're on our travels again." She sighed and looked up at the tree, a beautiful landmark as the breeze blew through the air.
Tracey could feel some kind of emptiness in her, she wasn't as short tempered and quick to anger as she was before. The only thing he could remember was up till Celina's argument with her mother at the inn. Her father's passing and Alana's death had subtly taken over her.
"I'm glad of it, too." He smiled. "Because it gets your mind off of last week's events…" He thought as he continued to sketch.
"Ivy-Ivysaur! Ivysaur! Ivy…saur…" Celina's Pokémon chatted happily with others of its kind. (Translated into English): "There's a guardian spirit in that tree, I heard…"
"Everyone's heard of that, saur-saur!" A Bulbasaur told it. "Some believe, some don't. If you can find it, it grants you one wish."
"You guys are just wasting your time." A grumpy Ivysaur lay down on the grass and looked lazily to them. "There's no such thing as a dumb Venusaur spirit."
"It's the biggest plant I've ever seen." Ivysaur stared at it with its reddish eyes. "And those beautiful pink flowers fill this entire city with a lovely scent! It must be great to live around here."
"Hey, you're that old Bulbasaur from the Mysterious Garden!" A Venusaur stomped over. "How are you doin'?"
"F-f-fine thanks…" It edged away from the overly enthusiastic, seemingly hyper Pokémon.
"Yeah, I overheard you guys chatting about that Venusaur Tree." It grinned. "If we can find it, I wanna ask it for a wish!"
"A wish?" They blinked.
Celina sighed as she stared into the blue skies and the wind whipped through her hair. Her purple eyes seemed distant, but her voice assured.
"Tell me about the legend…" She quietly asked as she leaned back and looked over to her friend. "The legend of the Venusaur spirit…"
"Well," Tracey rubbed his chin trying to remember correctly. He avoided her face; her subtle attitude frightened him. "She's so peaceful and quiet now…" He thought as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Many years ago, there was a Venusaur Lord that defended the townspeople in battle, and then a tree grew out of its body- the Venusaur Tree. There are a lot of seed Pokémon in this city because of that." The Bulbasaur and Ivysaur gathered around him as he spoke, listening intently. "It's rumored that if anyone ever found that Venusaur somewhere on the top of that tree, it would grant you a wish."
"…If you found it, what would you wish for?"
"What else?" He shrugged. "To become the most famous Pokémon Watcher in the world, money and girls included." He grinned perversely, daydreaming about it.
"I'd wish for…everything to be back to normal."
"…" Tracey stared at her, his expression becoming dark. "I knew that's what you'd want." He set his pencil down, thinking. "But don't you think there's nothing we can do about it? It's just how it was supposed to turn out in the end."
"I wonder," She suddenly shot up. "Could the Venusaur Lord grant me that wish? Could everyone be back again?"
"Wouldn't you rather use the wish to do something wiser, like getting your seventh and eighth badge and becoming a Pokémon Master?"
"The Pokémon League is four months away." She reminded. "I can always get those badges. But…I can't always have Alana and my dad back."
"…Then what are we waiting for?" He grinned and stood up with her. "Let's start climbing that Venusaur Tree!"
"Oh, they're going to do it!" A Bulbasaur exclaimed to another.
"They're going to go to the top of the tree!" An Ivysaur told a Venusaur.
"…Then I'm going, too!" Celina's Ivysaur followed them eagerly.
"Let's see, we'll need rope and mountain climbing tools…" Tracey started to make a mental note of everything they needed.
"What's the point of that?" She pulled out two Pokéballs. "Pidgeot and Fearow are there for us!"
"Ivy-ivy-saaaur!" The Pokémon scrambled up.
"Do you want to come, too?" Tracey hopped on the Pidgeot's back. "There's room for both of us on this!"
They were soon soaring up into the air, the tree being thousands of feet up. The two flying Pokémon had to maneuver in a spiral around the large tree trunk- flying straight up was more difficult and the riders would fall off.
"I'm going to find that Venusaur." Celina's emotionless face stared straight up to the leafy canopy. "And I'm going to have Alana and my father back!"
"In a few minutes I'm going to be a famous Pokémon Watcher." Tracey smiled to himself as he drifted into daydream-mode once again. "All the girls I want…"
A while later…
"That took…longer than I thought...it would…" Tracey panted heavily.
The two trainers and three Pokémon were resting on a large branch, the leaves and flowers surrounding them.
"It's enormous!" Celina danced around on the wood, noting how good the environment was for a Pokémon to live in. "That Venusaur has to be around here somewhere…"
"You just wait and see." Ivysaur ran after its trainer. "I'm gonna make a wish, too! That Venusaur Lord exists, I can feel it."
"It's peaceful and beautiful up here." Pidgeot chirped.
"I heard many flying Pokémon live in this canopy." Fearow commented.
"I know who would enjoy this!" Tracey pulled out a Pokéball. "Marril, check this out!"
"Marril! Mari!" The blue mouse popped up.
"Hey, use your Marril to help us find the Venusaur!" Celina explained. "Marril has a great hearing sense, and if you can use your dictionary of Pokémon calls, it can tell us if it hears something!"
"Great." He pulled out a small orange device and pressed a button, emitting a Venusaur's cry. "Tell me if you hear anything like it, Marril."
It flicked its ears about, but had a disappointed look on its face.
"Nothing, eh?" Ivysaur started off on its own, hopping from branch to branch.
"I'll find it myself, hanging with these humans are wasting my time."
"Ivysaur, where are you going?" Celina ran after it.
"I know! Venonat, let's go!" He called out the bug Pokémon. "Tell me if you detect anything with your radar that resembles a Venusaur!"
It stood still, concentrating, and suddenly perked up. "Veno-venonat! Nat-nat!" It started to run in the same direction Celina and her Ivysaur went.
Before Tracey could see them, he heard his friend calling out.
"Come here! You have to see this!"
"Whoooaa…" He pushed the leaves away and gasped at the site.
There was a strange chunk of gnarled wood in the shape of a Venusaur, and a small fat tree grew from its back.
"It's the spirit!" Ivysaur happily exclaimed.
"It looks more like a plant to me…" Pidgeot cocked its eyebrow.
"Do you think its actually it?" Celina's purple eyes trembled as she imagined what to do. "Then it will grant me my wish!"
"It's so strange!" Tracey quickly got to sketching it. "I swear that's not coincidental, how similar it looks like a Venusaur."
Celina ran up and carefully approached the figure, as if it were alive. It was large, and she only came up to its chin. Its eyes seemed to be closed, as if in sleep.
"Oh, great Venusaur Lord that guards this town," She quietly placed her hand on its side. "Grant me my wish…Bring Alana and my father back!"
Everything was tense as they all waited to see what would happen.
"Nothing." Ivysaur kicked at the branch underneath it. "I had a feeling this was fake."
"Maybe you have to give it an offering or something." Marril suggested.
"…Damn, it didn't work." Celina just stepped away. She smiled to herself, but in a manner that scared everyone. "I was so foolish to actually believe some spirit would bring my father and Alana back! What was I thinking?" She laughed, but her tone was not true.
"Calm down, Celina!" Tracey tried to stop her uncontrolled and maniacal laughter. "Just…don't laugh like that. This trip wasn't exactly wasted…"
"Forget this. Let's go." She bitterly started walking to her Fearow. "I should have known it was just a stupid legend." Celina sighed before grabbing the reins to her Pokémon. "Nothing's going to change what happened. They're dead, and there's no such thing as a Venusaur that grants wishes."
A crack of thunder startled everyone. They looked up into the once clear blue sky, but storm clouds filled the air and everything darkened. Rain quickly followed, pouring heavily down upon them.
"This is dangerous!" Tracey yelled over the thunder as they ran for shelter under a higher branch. "A lot of time lightning will strike this tree and it'll catch on fire!"
"We're going to get hurt if we stay up here, but it's much more dangerous if we try flying down!" Celina quickly zapped all her Pokémon into their Pokéballs. "You'll be safer in here, you guys."
The two jumped into a lowered area of the trunk, sheltered from the rain. As the lightning flashed again, they could spot the figure of a wooden Venusaur a little further off.
"…Looks like we're setting camp here." Tracey pulled out their sleeping bags, but realized how small the area was. "Hmm…"
"It's too early to sleep." She quietly told him. "Why don't you just draw something, or get dinner ready?"
"Whatever you say…" He stared at her for a brief moment before digging through his orange backpack. "We have some rice and stuff left from lunch."
As time passed and night settled in, the storm raged on relentlessly but the sky got darker. Tracey reluctantly went to sleep while Celina stared at the Venusaur figure.
"I hope that thing catches on fire." She bitterly muttered in her mind. "It sure fooled me…I shouldn't ever believe in that kind of stuff, I never did before. Maybe… everything that happened changed me…more than I think."
Thunder struck the tree, but it only caused a large branch on the other side to fall off. Tracey was up quickly and shivering in fear while Celina thought of what to do.
"If we don't think of something quick, that thunder might strike closer than we want it to!" He warned.
"We can't leave, I'm not crazy enough to fly around in that!" She snapped.
A large flash followed by a large crash rang through the air as the thunder struck them almost directly, causing both of them to fly into the air and start falling rapidly.
"Satsuuukiiiiii!" Tracey yelled as they fell downward.
"This is so familiar…" Celina thought as her purple eyes widened. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else, not focusing on her deadly fall. "The blinding light, the explosion…" She looked to her friend, who apparently fainted in fear as most people do. "This is just like…just like…when I lost Alana!" She reached out for Tracey. "I'm not losing him too! Not like daddy, not like her!" She grabbed his hand and brought the unconscious boy to her chest. "Kenji! No, wake up!"
She was sure he was dead already as they fell faster and faster. The ground was far off, giving her time to think. Celina's mind became unclear as she drifted into unconsciousness also. Suddenly she felt like she had landed on something like a mattress with a very pleasant scent.
Looking around, Celina realized they were both in a large pink flower, abnormally huge and big enough to fit the two. They drifted slowly to the ground as she thought of what occurred. When they touched the ground, she quickly shook Tracey back and forth worrying that he wouldn't wake up.
"Unh…my head…" He slowly opened his eyes as his eyes focused on her. "What happened again…?"
"The Venusaur Lord granted me a wish." Celina smiled serenely. "That's what happened."
Celina and Tracey walked their bikes along as Ivysaur trotted behind them. It was early morning and the sun hadn't even risen yet, but they were leaving the city already.
"I still don't get what you're saying." Question marks appeared above his head. "We were falling, and then Venusaur made a big flower save us?"
"That's what I'm guessing…" She smiled. "It really does exist, right Ivysaur?"
"Ivy-saur! Saur-saur, Ivysaur!" It grinned up at her.
Episode 32: KENJI NO HATSU- A RIVAL IN APPLE CITY!
Narrator: "It looks like these two ambitious trainers have come across yet another city, and another great topic for an episode…"
"One day I'll find that annoying narrator." Tracey rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I also need to find that cool woman that talks during Pikachu's Summer Vacation-"
"What the heck are you talking about? Anyway, look, Apple City!" Celina eagerly hopped back on her bike as she spotted the big modernistic city further off.
"…Apple City?" He stopped in his tracks as a large sweat drop appeared on the back of his head. "…Umm…"
"What's your problem, Kenny?" She rolled her eyes. "It's a great place to stock up on supplies and also check out the sites!"
"Did you just call me…Kenny?" Tracey scratched his head. "Besides that…"
"Forget I called you that, let's go!" Celina rode her bike as quickly as she could, disappearing along the forest path.
"She hasn't rolled her eyes like that in so long…" He grinned as he gathered all their camping materials up and put them on his bike. "I'm glad she's back. But…this city…it brings back so many memories…"
"Sugoi~!" Celina stood in the middle of the city, staring up admiringly at the tall buildings. "Being in a big city like this will get my mind off of-"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to check a few stuff out around here." Tracey walked up quietly. "I have…business to attend to."
"Okay, sure…" She squinted suspiciously. "But can I keep your Marril for company?"
"You miss Mew, don't you?" He thought to himself as he smiled kindly and handed her a Pokéball. "Take care of it."
Marril and Celina wandered around the streets and stores, buying takoyaki and ice cream and little Pokémon shaped candies. The city was almost as busy as Tokyo, and they were able to get away from the noise at the Apple City Park. Spotting a cameraman and a group of people a little further off, Celina walked over to investigate.
"So I don't agree with what the Pokémon movie was about at all." A familiar goofy voice was heard from the center of the people. "Clefairy Tales exaggerated too much to be called a factual movie."
"Clefairy Tales…" Celina closed her eyes, remembering how hard Tracey and Alana had worked on the movie. "Wait a minute…Professor Oak!!!"
"Oh, Meraki-san!" The man smiled and waved back. "Yes, this interview is over." He told the cameraman.
"What are you doing in Apple City?" She asked while the people packed up in the background. "What about Clefairy Tales?"
"Well, people have been questioning the origin of Clefairy ever since that came out!" He crossed his arms sternly. "Don't tell me you haven't seen it…"
"Not exactly." She sighed. "I thought people would stop talking about it after the leading actress died." She commented coldly.
"I heard about that!" Another familiar voice made her gasp. A small boy with reddish brown hair appeared, dressed in a green outfit and a strange Pikachu on his shoulder. "Long time no see, right Ms. Celina?"
"…Hiroshi…" She turned around and faced Richie, a smile lit on her face. "It's been so long, Richie! How's your journey?"
"It's been great! I just got my eighth badge from Cinnabar Island." He raised his cloth full of badges.
"You already have it?" She sighed, in unhappiness and envy. "Things came up while I was there, I couldn't have…"
"You don't have eight badges?" Professor Oak had already started to walk away. "The Pokémon League is far away, but by now even my grandson has his ninth badge."
"Anyway, I didn't expect to meet you here!" Richie continued. "Hey, let's go see the Pokémon movie right now, and then I want to drop by a friend's house."
"Sounds great to me." She grinned. "I have to meet Tracey at the Pokémon Center, but I'll just tell Joy to give him a message."
* * * * * *
In the theater…
"I must leave now, my love…" Fiorello Cappuccino was on the big screen, lying on the grass dying. Alana, or "Hikaru", and "Harvey" sat down next to him crying. "I'll never forget you, Hikaru. Harvey, save the Clefairy. Send them back to space…"
"Don't leave me, Misuke!" Alana started to sob.
"This movie is horrible!" Richie muttered.
"I think Fiorello acts alright." Celina shrugged.
They left the movie theater and headed to a house far off, at the edge of town. It was a big home and obviously belonged to a fairly wealthy person. Richie knocked on the door and a little girl that looked like him answered.
"Cousin Richie!" She exclaimed as she jumped in his arms.
"Mimi, it's great to see you again!" He hugged her.
She had brown-red hair like his, but it was short and curled inward at the bottom. Her large blue eyes had a brilliant innocent look, and Celina estimated her age to be about nine years old.
"You're pretty…" Mimi looked up at her. "What's your name?"
"I'm Celina Meraki, from Pallet Town." They shook hands. "So this is who you came to see, Richie? Your cousin?"
"Not really, I was hoping to find my uncle." He shook his head. "He's never around, he works nonstop ever since… You see, a while ago my aunt, Mimi's mother, was involved in a car accident and died." Richie began.
"My father says she's in the she's in the sky now, a star." She looked over at a poster on the wall, advertising Clefairy Tales. "I know! I can find the alien Clefairy and tell them to take me into space with them! I can see my mother then!" Mimi danced around.
"…Mimi, Clefairy don't do that." Richie told her.
"Maybe they're aliens, but it doesn't look like more are coming and any are leaving." Celina kindly said. "And your father leaves you alone?"
"I came to stay for the night." Richie smiled. "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind."
"I have to find Tracey then." She left quickly on her bike.
At the Pokémon Center she found Nurse Joy waiting for her.
"He left already." She told her. "I really don't know where he might be right now, but maybe the restaurant across the street…"
Celina wondered as she walked over to the small café, and noticed it was closed but the lights were on. Peering in, she spotted the boy sitting at the counter with a worried look on his face. A pretty woman appeared, smiling kindly with her glossy brown hair in a bun. She seemed quiet and peaceful, and her dark eyes glittered as she handed Tracey some tea.
"Arigato, Mother." Celina could hear him distinctly say.
"Mother?" She wondered aloud. "Tracey must live here!" She leaned against the door, being able to hear everything that they said.
"So how are you doing? Eating well?" The woman patted her son's head. "You certainly look healthy for one that can't cook any other food than for Pokémon."
"I told you, I'm traveling with another person." He smiled up at her. "She cooks pretty fairly. Sometimes she reminds me of you."
"She…?" Tracey's mother grinned slyly. "A girlfriend?"
"It's not like that." He sighed. "We're really good friends, though. Come to think of it, she's taking care of Marril right now."
"…I can see right through you, Kenji!" His mom laughed. "You've always loved girls, never one of those boys that wouldn't touch a girl for his life. You like her, don't you?"
"…No." He thought for a minute and then smiled. "We're really good friends, though. I've been able to see so many Pokémon with her!"
"That's wonderful." She smiled beautifully.
"I wonder why he didn't just tell me his mother's here." Celina thought as she started to walk away. "She's so pretty. Mrs. Sketchit reminds me of…" Her mind flashed back to when she slapped her mother at the inn, not caring as she ran away crying.
"Celina?" Tracey's voice made her spin around. "You…you found me."
"Yeah, Joy told me you'd be here." She rubbed her arm nervously.
"…I don't know why I didn't tell you earlier about me living here." He quietly sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, you must be Kenji's traveling partner!" Mrs. Sketchit hopped out of the restaurant and shook her hand. "And how pretty you are! Tracey, you sure have good taste in girlfriends!"
"Mom, I told you-"
"Come inside! You look starved! Such a skinny young woman…" She ushered Celina inside.
"So you own this restaurant?" Celina asked as she poured her some hot tea.
"Yes, it does well." She smiled proudly. "I'm glad you're helping Tracey see the world and all those Pokémon…and that he's being fed well, also."
"I was planning on staying here for tonight." Tracey told her. "How about it?"
"Well, like I said, I ran into another trainer while walking around." Celina pet Marril lovingly. "We were going to stay at his cousin's house, but I can always call him up."
"It's settled then! I'll set up a bed on the ground while you call him." Mrs. Sketchit hurried off.
"Oh yeah, I met Professor Oak here, too-"
"He was here? In Apple City?" Tracey grabbed her by her shoulders and started to jostle her back and forth. "Where'd he go? Which direction?"
"I…don't…know!" The rattling of her brains inside her head could be heard.
"Hmm…" His mother was standing nearby, watching. "Kenji, if you want to show you love her try hugging a little more gently."
The both fainted to the ground, groaning.
* * * * * *
"It's been forever since I was in a house like this." Celina smiled to herself as she covered her face with a blanket, blocking out the morning sun. "I should be training, but…" Her mind started to become dark as the reality of all that happened came back to her. "Let me think, has there ever been a battle that I didn't have that reassurance that Mew would be there for me…?"
"Marril! Mari-Marril!" The blue Pokémon leapt onto the blankets on her side.
"Hey, come back! Oh…" Tracey quickly turned away. "Hey, Celina, I want to talk with you privately as soon as you're dressed."
"Aren't I-" Celina's cheeks became red with anger and embarrassment as she realized she was in nothing but a skimpy under dress. "Right, I'll talk to you later."
They sat down in his room on his bed and the noises of Mrs. Sketchit downstairs made sure they wouldn't be heard.
"You see…" He started nervously. "I just remembered why I didn't want to tell you about my mother…"
"Because…?"
"Because…" He sighed. "My mom's always been bugging me about every girl I meet, and it seems like she's so protective of me that she wants to marry me off immediately to a girl like her, that will take care of me like a baby."
"And you said that…I reminded you of her…" Celina shook her head.
"Bad mistake. She bothered me all night about proposing or something." Tracey stood up to leave. "You better talk to her, because my words aren't getting through."
"I will." She promised. "But right now I'm going to check on something."
* * * * * *
"I'm glad you came back." Mimi ran around Celina in circles.
"Did you find Tracey?" Richie asked as he put his hat on.
"Yeah, we're going to stay at his house." She looked down at Mimi. "Thinking about all that's happening is making me drift away from my Pokémon journey." She shook her head. "But I have something to do, and I have to do it before I go on. This girl, she lost her mother… Tracey, well, his mother really loves him and he doesn't take it for granted…" She remembered how she struck her mother, again. "I feel regrets…"
"I really have to keep up with my training." Richie twirled his Pokéballs on his fingers. "If I don't, I might not be ready for the League."
"…Training…" Celina raised a Pokéball from her belt. "How about it, Hiroshi? Three against three! I challenge you to a match!"
"Alright! Let's go!"
They were outside Mimi's house, standing at the designated "at-least-twenty-feet-apart" rule.
"Go, Happy!" He threw the ball high in the air, calling out the Butterfree.
"I choose you, Arcanine!" She felt a sudden rush of familiarity as she threw the Pokéball physically, without telekinesis. "Flamethrower attack!"
"Butterfree, Psybeam!"
The Butterfree was surrounded by chunks of flame, and Celina smiled in sure victory. But it appeared again, injured but well enough to send the Arcanine flying with a blast of PSI energy.
"Argh…" She clenched her teeth as she looked down at the Pokédex screen, where it showed the HP of her Pokémon. She started to sweat as she felt the pain of being thrown against the ground. "Take Down, now!"
"Confusion!" Richie shouted. The Arcanine quickly tackled the opposing Pokémon, knocking it out. "You did good, Happy. Let's go, Sparky! The enemy's weak!"
The Arcanine jumped up to deliver another Take Down, but the Pikachu's Thunder attack had it K.O-ed in an instant.
"You're trying to make a match of this, ne?" She grabbed another Pokéball with her remaining hand as the other held her side, where she felt sharp pains. "Go, Sandslash!"
"There's no way I can beat a ground-type with a Pikachu!" He tightened his fists. "Swift, Sparky!"
"Dig underground!"
The stars shot at the Sandslash before it could start digging, causing it to flinch and giving Richie another turn. Celina stepped back in shock and as another wave of pain overcame her.
"Finish it off!" He raised his hand in the air. "Sparky, Slam!"
The Sandslash was smashed to the ground under the weight of Sparky, putting it out of the match. Celina dropped to her knees, struggling to maintain her composure.
"No!" Celina whipped out her third and last Pokéball. "Ivysaur, go! Use your Razor Leaf attack!"
"Sparky, Thunderbolt!"
The sharp leaves whipped forward, but the electric attack had blasted them away.
"What's…going on…?" It had already occurred to her that the pains were caused by a telepathic link to her Pokémon, but she had never felt them as seriously. "I'm losing…and it's never hurt so much…"
Richie looked in her direction, a mournful look in his eyes as he realized what was happening.
"This is because Mew left…" She thought. "My best Pokémon is gone, and now I just don't have the strength to go on without it. It used to share it's courage and PSI power so that it wouldn't hurt much when I was in battle, but now…"
"Sparky, Thunder!" Richie called out suddenly.
The Ivysaur flew back as electricity flew all around it. Celina barely held herself up as her head pounded.
"I can't win!" She cried out in desperation. "I can't win without you…"
"Stop!" Richie's voice echoed in her ears. "Stop, Sparky!"
The blasts of electricity were gone, but Ivysaur was already knocked out. Celina was, too.
* * * * * *
"I understand now." Back at Mimi's house, Richie and Tracey and Tracey's mother stood around thinking as Celina lay on the couch with a wet cloth over her forehead. Richie continued. "I've always heard stories of great Pokémon trainers getting knocked out after losing a battle. Now I understand it's the pain that both Pokémon and trainer share when the Pokémon gets hurt. Only a great Pokémon trainer can keep up a strong telepathic bond! It's hard work."
"Irresponsible, if you ask me." Tracey stood up from her side. "She should've known to quit the match."
"No, I should've known!" Richie cried. "I saw her there in pain during the match, and I didn't care! All I thought about was winning the battle, so I told my Pikachu to keep fighting! That's when she blacked out…"
"She'll be fine." Mrs. Sketchit assured her. "A Pokémon match is never fatal. She just wasn't used to the pain."
"…I lost." They all twirled around to see her, lying on the couch with a cold look in her eyes. "The first time I ever lost in an actual Pokémon battle, not counting that time I backed out." She sighed. "I knew I had to back out of that match, don't blame yourself, Richie."
"Ooh, you're hurt!" Mimi ran up and handed her some tea. "Drink up! My mother told me tea is good for young women."
"So many things were on my mind…" Celina sipped the hot cup. "But now I know I can't win a match. Ever again."
"Don't discourage yourself! Of course you can!" Tracey urged her.
"You fought well, I swear that was one of the hardest battles I've ever been in!" Richie added.
"You have a lot to look forward to, Celina." Mrs. Sketchit assured her. "Don't worry about one little Pokémon battle."
"I'm sure you'll win next time!" Mimi said.
"…No." Celina stood up. "You're all wrong. I need to go on with my journey, though. Let's go, Tracey."
"Go on?" Mrs. Sketchit blocked their way. "Without marriage?!"
"Yes, without marriage." Tracey rolled his eyes, Celina-style. "You can quit with the idea, Mom."
"Wait!" Mimi ran up and grabbed onto Celina. "Are you sure Clefairy won't take me into space?"
Celina closed her eyes for a moment, whipping out a Pokéball in a blue flash. She handed it to the amazed little girl, who opened it to see a Jigglypuff.
"Take good care of Jigglypuff!" She suddenly smiled. "Now you won't be as lonely anymore."
"Thank you! Thank you!" She squeezed the pink balloon.
"You sure you'll be alright?" Richie hopped up. "Would you mind if I came with you?"
"You want to travel with us?" Tracey grinned. "I don't see anything wrong with that."
"Alright then!" Celina opened the door to leave. "Let's go!"
The two boys eagerly ran out of the house, chatting loudly as boys do.
"Watch Tracey and make sure he doesn't get hurt!" Mrs. Sketchit waved.
* * * * * *
"Hold on a second." Celina stopped to go into a Pokémon Center just outside Apple City. Tracey and Richie continued to talk while they healed up their Pokémon. She walked over to the videophone and dialed home.
"Moshi-moshi." He mother quietly answered.
"…Mom, it's me." She smiled at her.
"Are you alright? Is everything okay?" Mrs. Meraki seemed worried.
Celina answered all of her mother's questions, thinking at the same time. "I took my mother for granted. Mimi's mother is dead, and Tracey doesn't see his mother as much as I do because of his goal." She suddenly perked up. "Mom, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for acting like the way I did before."
"…" She stared at her. "I forgive you, Satsuki. I always do. Just be careful and remember that I love you, alright?"
"…I love you, too."
They hung up on each other, and Celina stared at the blank screen for a moment.
"Are you done yet?" Richie came up and handed her the belt of Pokéballs.
"Of course! Now let's go on to the next city!" She grabbed the belt and snapped it on her waist.
Episode 33: "UNREALITY"
Narrator: "Now Richie has decided to follow Celina as they continue traveling. But where are they heading to now?"
"We've been in an entire circle." Tracey pointed to his map, showing they were back near Pallet Town again. "What a waste of time."
"What's this?" Celina picked up an orange she found on the ground, reading the sticker. "It says this is from Valencia Island…"
"Then let's go to the Orange Islands!" Richie suggested cheerfully. "There are a lot of trainers I can battle to raise my experience level and get ready for the Regional Championships."
"Right now we're in the islands just south of Pallet Town." Celina thought aloud. "Many trainers hang around here to train water type Pokémon before the League."
"Then let's visit a friend of mine!" Tracey started to run.
They arrived on a beach with a cliff hanging over the water. They spotted a small house on the cliff and ran over to it. An elderly man with long purple hair and kind green eyes greeted the three of them.
"Kenji! It's good to see you again." They shook hands.
"Celina, Richie, meet Victor!"
"Do you live with someone?" Richie examined the photo frames on the walls. "It looks like you're with a Pikachu here!"
"That's Puka." He explained. "You see, instead of me having to capture Puka, it came to me on a piece of wood on a wave, when I needed it most. We've been best friends ever since."
"Pikaaaaaa!" An old Pikachu with blue eyes scurried in.
"Blue eyes?" Celina wondered.
"Like the ocean." Tracey leaned down and pet it. "A few years back, I spotted this Pikachu with mysterious blue eyes at the beach. Since I was already trying to sketch these kind of things, I followed it and met Victor."
"Hmm…Hey, what's with those flags on that big rock over there?" Richie asked.
"The surfers will try to surf up there and put their flags in." Celina explained. "My brother is really into this sport, so I know a lot about it."
"Yes, and only one person was ever able to place his flag at the top." Victor told them. "That was Jan. He was a great surfer, and rode the famous wave, Humounga-Dunga, to the top of that rock! He's a legend now."
"That wave only comes around once every twenty years." Tracey said.
"Obviously you do a lot of surfing, too, Victor!" Richie smiled at a picture of the very young Victor standing with a strange man with a red surfboard. "Hey, who's this? And that's the same surfboard you have right here…"
"That's Jan, of course!" Puka hopped into Victor's arms as he stood up. "That was forty years ago… These pictures here, that was twenty years ago."
"And Puka's with you in this photo." Tracey pointed out. "So you've been together for a long time."
"Like I said, Puka came to me when I needed it most…" He closed his eyes as a flashback came to him. "Jan had left me his surfboard that day he became famous when he rode Humounga-Dunga. I vowed to do the same, but twenty years later…when it was my turn…" The flashback showed the younger version of Victor falling off his surfboard and nearly drowning in the water. "I didn't make it. I failed… and after that, I refused to surf, but then…a Pikachu came to me. What made me think the most was how it would stand there, at the edge of the cliff, and able to feel the waves in its body- just like Jan did."
"I get it!" Richie reached over and took Puka into his arms. "It's like that ancient Japanese belief that a spirit of a person will come back in the form of another creature to help that person when he or she is in despair. So I think Jan came back in the form of Puka to you, Victor!"
"Hahaha! Maybe…" He grinned. "Hey, it's perfect weather today to go catch some rays and surf a little. How about it, kids?"
"Alright!" The next scene shows all four (five, counting Puka) of them on the beach.
"Geez, do you have to be so modest?" Tracey shook his head and Celina grabbed a blue Marril surfboard, dressed in a whole piece bathing suit with black shorts. "It's so hot out here!"
"That's just you." Richie giggled as he picked up a green surfboard. "You'd think after all this time you'd finally be able to admit-"
"Urusai! Shut up!" She shot up into Tracey's face, holding the board threateningly over his head. "There's plenty of girls in skimpy bikinis that leave little to the imagination here today! Go bug them."
Richie and Tracey looked at each other and then dashed off, leaving their surfboards behind.
"Boys will be boys!" Victor laughed as he stood in the blue water. "Come on, the water's great!"
"I wonder if Victor was ever like that…" Celina thought to herself as she ran into the waves. "I bet he spent his entire young life just worrying about the next big wave to be as great as Jan. And what a waste! He was such a cute guy, too…"
The waves started to get stronger, but many people were just urged on more to ride them, trying to put their flags into the rock. Tracey and Richie had been rejected by a lot of girls and decided to join Celina as she struggled to surf.
"New at this, eh?" Victor grinned at her.
Suddenly, a huge tidal wave smacked into them. Puka and Victor went under, as did everyone else, but they were the only ones to appear. A strong current dragged Celina, Richie, and Tracey deeper.
* * * * * *
"Unh…" Celina opened her eyes groaning in pain. "What…Where am I?"
"Oh, you're awake!" A male voice surprised her. "I found you on the beach, nearly drowned. It looks like you got too close to that rock over there when the wave hit, huh?"
"Thanks for letting me stay here…" Celina looked down and realized she was still in her bathing suit. It took her a millisecond to look up and realize what was going on. "You're…You're…"
"Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name's Victor!" The young man stepped out as she nearly fainted.
"That's the young Victor…" Her eyes widened in fear. "This had got to be a dream…"
* * * * * *
"Unh…" Tracey opened his eyes, groaning in pain. "What…Where am I?"
"I was so worried about you!" Celina ran up and hugged him.
"It's a good thing you're alright now." Nurse Joy came out, and he realized he was in a Pokémon Center.
"Are you okay?" Tracey stared at Celina, who was latched onto his waist. "You seem so different…"
"Why wouldn't I be worried about my fiancée?!" She shot back.
"No, Tracey's mine!" Nurse Joy jumped up angrily.
"Tracey loves me!" Officer Jenny hopped into the scene.
He nearly fainted. "This is a dream… A weird, weird dream…" But he grinned to himself as he stroked Celina's hair. "Why shouldn't I enjoy it, though?"
* * * * * *
"Unh…" Richie opened his eyes, groaning in pain. "What…Where am I?"
"Mr. Hiroshi is awake!" He heard a woman say.
"Oh, are you alright?" A woman came in with a cup of water. "You nearly drowned out there, sir!"
"Like I asked, where am I?" He noticed he was lying in a large bed in an expensive looking room, which was obviously in a mansion. "No way, I can not afford to pay for this hotel stay!" He hopped out of the bed and started to search for his hat.
"S-s-sir?" The woman seemed nervous and worried. "You're not in a hotel, we're in your estate! You must have amnesia…you'd think the world's greatest Pokémon Master would take better care of himself!" She giggled.
"World's greatest Pokémon Master?" He nearly dropped dead. "This is either a dream, or someone's messing with my head… But I like it!"
* * * * * *
"What year is this…?" Celina walked around his house, trying to remember if anything was different from the older Victor's house.
"Why do you ask? It's the same year it was when you hit that rock!" He laughed as she blushed heavily.
"Oh my gawd, I'm out of here." She started to walk away.
"Wait! I don't even know your name!" Victor grabbed her wrist.
"He sure feels real…" She thought as they stared at each other. "Can this be a dream? How is it possible? Last time I remember I was getting dragged beneath the water by a rip tide, and now I'm in the past by twenty years!"
"What's the matter?" He looked down and immediately let go of her. "I'm sorry, I must've scared you by holding onto you like that."
"It's alright." She stared at him uneasily. "I just don't feel comfortable with strangers, I guess. I'm Celina Meraki."
"Victor Sanosuke." He hesitated before shaking her hand.
"If this is twenty years back…then I know what I should do!" She started to leave again, but then paused as she noticed Victor's puzzled face. "I know he's the younger Victor, I can see that. This is too real to be a dream, and yet it's unreal… The same long purple hair and green eyes… Wait, I have to think of what's going on! No, don't think of how good-looking he is!"
"Umm…is something wrong?" He seemed to be worried for having to repeat the same question over again. "I bet if you just stepped out onto the beach you'll fell better."
"That's right! Thanks for everything!" She plastered on a fake smile and started to waltz out the door again. Celina didn't have eyes on the back of her head, but she could feel Victor staring at her with a broken and hurt look on his face. Sighing, she turned around and faced him. "Do you think you can show me how to surf? Then maybe this won't happen again…" At the same time she thought, "Then again, maybe it will. And it's my only hope of getting back to reality!"
They were soon at the shores, where Celina was distracted by observing every little detail she could remember, seeing if it was the time period.
"Here's your surfboard, I found it next to you on the sand." He handed it to her.
"That's Victor's old surfboard…" She thought. "Something's incredibly wrong here…But what I was hoping to do was to go home to Pallet and check things out around there. And I'm such a fool for leaving my Pokéballs behind at Victor's house when I went out to go surfing!"
"Surfers are always warned to watch for those strong currents." Victor interrupted her thoughts as he held the red surfboard Jan had given him.
He had her attention immediately when she noticed he was in red swim trunks. She turned around and noticed there were several girls nearby blushing and swooning uncontrollably.
"It just takes a lot of practice to get good at this sport." He continued talking. "In a few months we're expecting Humounga-Dunga to arrive, so I'm kind of training for that. Like a trainer trains for the Pokémon League." He laughed.
"Oh…" She watched him, a strange feeling growing inside her. "If only this were real… I should've known he would be popular around the girls. If I could stay I would… NO! I have to swim over to those rocks and try to figure out what happened!"
* * * * * *
"Shut up, he's mine!" Celina's eyes flared.
Tracey yawned in boredom as the three young women bickered and argued over him. "This isn't as fun as I thought it would be…" But at the same time he worried. "What's going on, though? I'm in some kind of parallel universe, a dream."
"He's my fiancée and I'm going to keep him all to myself!" Celina grabbed him by the collar of his green shirt and kissed him passionately.
"Mmph?" He looked to Joy and Jenny, whom were fuming. "Oh yeah, and then there's this whole thing about Celina being my wife-to-be… Ack! Get me out of this nightmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare!!!" He choked and started to suffocate from a lack of oxygen.
* * * * * *
"The greatest Pokémon Master in the world!" Richie kept repeating over and over, leaping up and down. "I'm the greatest! A master!"
"Our master is not feeling well." His maid whispered to another. "We should call a doctor…"
"Woo-hoo! I'm a Pokémon Master!" He shouted with glee. "I don't know what happened, I'm pretty sure this is a dream, but at least I'll get to know what it's like to be one beforehand!"
* * * * * *
At an outdoor restaurant on the beach, Victor chatted cheerfully with Celina as her mind drifted.
"I want to stay here with him…" Half of her mind thought. "But you have to find out what's going on and get back into real life! Reality!" She blinked a few times in confusion. Victor's eyes were closed as he smiled happily, his elbows on the table and fists supporting his chin as he leaned forward. "And he's so…glad to be around me! This is so unreal…"
She noticed that the world froze, nothing was moving. Celina stood up in surprise and fear as looked around at the seagulls floating still in the sky, the waiter in a half step, and Victor just sitting there.
"Celina? Are you okay?" A strange voice asked her.
"Who are you?! What's going on?!" She shouted angrily. "You brought me here, didn't you?!"
"Calm down!" The voice reassured her. "Don't you recognize me?"
"…" She squinted in familiarity. "Cid."
"Glad you could remember!" Her older brother's voice seemed far off.
"What's happening? Why in the world am I here?" She angrily pounded the table. "I need to go back and get on with my normal life!"
"There's a problem…" He sighed heavily. "I'm talking to you right now through my latest invention. Unlike Bill, Masaki, that great Pokémon technology mastermind, I work with human inventions. What happened is that you're in a coma right now, and you're stuck in there until you force yourself to wake up!"
"So you're talking to me in my sleep." She nodded her head, finally understanding.
"I can't do the same with Tracey and Richie, for some reason they don't want to stop and think of what's going on!" He seemed worried. "I can't see what's going on, but I do know that as soon as I stop talking to you, everything's going to unfreeze."
"So what do I have to do?!"
"You have to wake yourself up, like from a dream." Cid sternly told her. "Find something, like pain or something, to make all of your mind realize this isn't real!"
Everything was moving again as Cid lost his connection to her. Celina turned to Victor, who was starting to sit up to leave.
* * * * * *
"I hate this!" Tracey whined.
Celina, Joy, and Jenny were all over him, smothering him in affection and fighting each other in the process.
"You don't hate me, right?" Jenny squeezed him tighter.
"He wouldn't have proposed to me if he had anything for a geisha like you!"
"Remind me, Celina," He began nervously. "When did I propose to you?"
"The day you met me!" She giggled and held onto his hand.
"Then this is a dream." He shook his head. "Because I know I never felt anything for you like that…ever. …I understand now!" Tracey jumped up and smiled. "I know this is all fake because I never loved Celina, so I would've never proposed!"
The scene quickly changed to a bed, where Tracey opened his eyes slowly. Cid and Victor were looking down at him smiling.
"You did it!" Cid shook his shoulders. "You found something that was so unreal that you woke up from your coma!"
"The others are still out of it." Victor motioned to two other beds where his friends lay.
"We're in a lab on the beach." Cid explained. "This is kind of like Professor Oak's summer house, but he's in Celadon City right now so…" Tracey dropped to the ground, lamenting about not getting to meet him. "Anyway, I was passing by just as I saw you three being tossed into that large rock over there by a big wave. See this machine?" He pointed. "It can go in the minds of people in a deep sleep and communicate to them. But the thing is, it can also help bring a person to wake up by pointing out something so weird and unlikely that he or she will realize it's all fake."
"And people wake up from dreams when something they finally know it's a dream, and actually want to wake up!" Tracey exclaimed.
"So, what was it that you were thinking about?" Victor asked.
"I- uh…" He laughed nervously.
* * * * * *
"I am a Pokémon Master, tra la la la laa!" Richie hopped on his bed and ran around his room.
"Maybe you would like some fresh air?" The maid looked nervous.
"Of course!" He dashed out of his room, grabbing his cap on the way. "I have to see what the rest of my mansion looks like!"
He was outside eagerly dashing around his garden full of Pokémon. There was a fountain full of water types, and flowers and grass Pokémon were scattered everywhere.
"If you don't remember, let me tell you." One of his maids said. "You won the Indigo Plateau battles and became the champion. Now you own this lovely estate named after you, Master Richie!"
"Wait a minute…" He looked around frantically. "Where's Sparky?!"
"Sparky?" She seemed confused. "You mean as a Pokémon? I'm sorry, I know every last Pokémon you own, you never had one named Sparky."
"I don't have Sparky? What about Zippo?" Richie started to panic.
"I'm sorry, who's Zippo?"
"No! This is a nightmare!" He cried. "This is too horrible to be real! No Sparky? No Zippo? No Happy?" Tears started to fall from his cheeks. "I want to wake up! Now!"
A second later he opened his eyes at the lab as Tracey, Victor, and Cid ran to his side.
"You okay?" Cid asked, relieved and worried at the same time.
"Who the heck are you?" Richie jumped back in surprise. "What happened?"
"All I'm going to tell you," Cid began. "Is that the only thing we have to worry about now is my little sister opening her eyes again!"
* * * * * *
"I need to find something weird…really weird…" Celina was on the beach, scanning her surroundings. "Oh yeah, and finding young Victor isn't weird!" She added sarcastically as she spotted him riding the waves skillfully. "Why would I want to go back, anyway? I have him with me, and there really isn't anything more I could want… Or is there?"
Celina grabbed her surfboard and headed out into the ocean again. Victor grinned when he saw her, but his expression turned into pure fear as she paddled over to the large rock again.
"Look out! It's dangerous!" He began to swim toward her quickly.
"I don't care! I know just what I need is down there!" She jumped into the water and started to swim under.
Opening her eyes in the ocean, she looked around on the sea floor. It was all normal, just as she saw it before she blacked out. There were a few Goldeen and such swimming around, and there were a few aquatic plants growing out of the bottom of the rocky mass. Strong hands grabbed her from behind and lifted her back out onto the surface again.
"Calm down, Celes!" A girl's voice exclaimed cheerfully.
"No…" Her purple eyes glimmered. "It can't be…" She turned around to face the young woman. Green eyes, brown spiky hair, and a pretty smile, just as she suspected. "Alana…"
"Are you surprised to see me?" She giggled as she splashed a little water onto her playfully. "You nearly drowned down there? What were you thinking?" Alana looked at her briefly and then giggled again. "Oh, you were just being your crazy self."
"This is too unreal!" Celina grabbed tighter onto the surfboard that she had been placed on. "Alana, you're dead! I never could admit it to myself that you were gone, but now…now seeing you again makes me accept the facts!" Celina looked to Alana, who was still smiling, and Victor, who seemed confused. "No, this is all wrong! You're dead, Alana! This is all too unreal!"
It was just a moment later that Celina moaned and opened her eyes at the laboratory. Everything was normal, even her brother's goofy and adorable expression.
"You're awake! Finally!" Cid immediately snatched up her Pokéballs and handed them to her, knowing that would be the first thing she would look for. "You were able to find that special object that would allow you to snap out of it."
"Let's just forget about it, okay?" She grabbed her belt and sighed warily. "I just need to get back on our journeys and forget this ever happened."
"Actually, I found a lot of interesting things around here." Richie looked around. "I think I'll stay here for a bit, training for the Pokémon League!"
"Good luck." Tracey said as they started to head out the door.
"Bye, Victor! Bye, Richie!" Celina waved. "Thanks, big brother!"
Narrator: "So now Celina and Tracey are back on their normal travel again. The Pokémon League is just a few months away, and she still needs two badges…"
Episode 34: MEET MONDO- TEAM ROCKET'S AID
This scene opens back at Route 12, where Celina has already passed months earlier. It was full of water Pokémon and trainers so they decided it was a good place to train for a while.
"Yana kanjiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Three familiar voices could be heard yelling as they crashed into the water nearby.
"Oh, it's them." Celina peered over from where they were camped out at the shore. "It looks like they're having trouble swimming."
"Help! Don't just stand there!" Jessie shouted as they tried to climb on top of each other. "We're going to drown!"
"Let's go, what are we waiting for?" Tracey was just about to dive in.
"Wait…who's that?" She spotted a boy paddling ferociously on a canoe.
"Jessie! Meowth!" He was dressed in a Team Rocket uniform like theirs and seemed like the average young boy. He had short glossy brown hair and large brown eyes that seemed to add typical young innocence to his personality. "Get in quickly or you'll get a cold…"
"It's you…" James seemed ungrateful as they climbed in.
"And who might you be?" Celina appeared next to them. They all dropped, Anime-style, as they realized the water only came up to her knees and the level was only about a foot high, allowing her to stand next to them. "I've never seen you before…"
"My name's Mondo." He tried to act as arrogant as possible. "I'm in Team Rocket, too, and I work as Jessie and James' aid."
"We have to recite the motto now!" Jessie shot up and realized. "Prepare for trouble!"
"No, we're not going to prepare for trouble." Tracey shook his head. "How can a group that drowns in a foot of water bring trouble, anyway?"
"Learn your manners, boy!" She snapped angrily.
"Maybe our motto's lost its touch…" James wondered.
"Forget that, we have to get back on duty and find those pests again!" Meowth shouted at them. "After being stuck in a cave with a sleeping Aerodactyl and other prehistoric Pokémon, I don't feel like messing up our job again!"
"Woooooooooow!!!" Tracey shot up and grabbed Meowth. "You talk! You talk just like a scratchy-voiced human! You can speak our language!"
"You never noticed?" James stared at him. "Who are you again…?"
"What's this? You guys were stuck in a cave with extinct Pokémon?" Celina rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Well, we wouldn't have been if that stupid Ash and his friends didn't ditch us there!" Jessie shook her fist angrily. "And then we woke the Aerodactyl up and were Hyper Beam-ed over here!"
"Yeah, I read about Grandpa Canyon being opened for Pokémon trainers to dig for Pokémon fossils in Pokémon Times." She replied. "Anyway, I think you're too young to be a member of Team Rocket." She shot a glare at Mondo. "What are you? Twelve at most?"
"About that age." He shrugged as she walked next to the canoe and he paddled along. "I always help Jessie and James and Meowth when they're in trouble."
"That must happen a lot…" She grinned.
"I would help them capture that Pikachu they want, but that's not what I'm here to do." They all stepped out onto dry land. "I have a Ditto, too." He called it out.
"A Ditto!" Tracey got to drawing it immediately.
"I had no idea you had a little boy helping you out all this time!"
"Well, it's not like we can get out of this all ourselves." James muttered.
"Well, that's enough talk!" Jessie started to run off. "Later, Mondo!"
"Right…" He was blushing uncontrollably as he waved. "Later, Ms. Musashi."
"Ooh," Celina leaned on Mondo's shoulder while she smirked slyly. "Someone has a little crush on an older woman…"
"Oh, it happens a lot." Tracey continued to sketch. "Trust me, boys sometimes go for older girls."
"Me? No way!" Mondo started to walk away. "Ms. Jessie is a fellow member of Team Rocket and I respect her for that!"
"Reeeeally?" She pinched one of his cheeks, the sly look still on her face. "Oh, but you know she's way out of your League."
"Leave the kid alone." Tracey started over to their camp again.
"I always wondered how they would get out of those tight fixes Ash always gets them into." She began to think carefully. "But still, if you like Jess, tell her!"
"What? You're kidding, right?" He nearly fainted. "What would she do if she knew? I'd be banned from Team Rocket! And besides, there's him…"
"Oh yes, James." She started to daydream about him, but quickly brought herself out of it. "Well, I bet she knows how you feel already."
"I want to be just like them, though!" Mondo's brown eyes glittered. "They're just so cool! Walking around and reciting their motto! Wow!"
"I never knew there were Team Rocket fans out there." Tracey stupidly commented as Celina collapsed in Anime fashion.
"Oh yeah, Jessie and James don't have fans." She mocked him and rolled her eyes sarcastically. "You know what? I'll help you become more like them!"
"R-r-really?" He stuttered. "Would you? I admire them so much!"
"Yes, and I know just how to start!" Celina whipped out a Pokéball and called out a Meowth. "I'll give you this Meowth for your Ditto! Even though I already have one…" She muttered.
"Does it talk?" He asked, eager to trade.
"No, but it can't be that hard…"
"You're pathetic." Tracey sat on the shaded area of grass under the tree. "I can't believe you're helping that kid become like them! It's a waste of time, and I heard the gym in Viridian City reopened! You can get another badge now."
"Hey, wait a minute…" Mondo thought to himself for a minute. "That's right! My Boss opened that gym when he had a really strong Pokémon or something, but it was destroyed by Jessie and James."
"Ack! Destroyed?" Celina dropped to her knees and sighed. "There are other gyms, so let's focus on what we want to right now."
"I dress like them and I have a Meowth…" He said. "What else is there that I can do besides this?"
"Hmm…keep in mind that not only does he idolize them," Tracey whispered. "He loves Jessie!"
"Tell me, doesn't it bother you that Jessie and James are…together?" She asked.
"Why would it bother me? I still think they're both really cool!" He smiled.
"This is going in circles!" Tracey gave up. "Mondo loves Jessie but admires James- stand up and be a man!"
"Otoko gi hake!" He repeated happily. "I need to be a man! That means fighting James in an all-out Pokémon battle over Jessie!"
"Wha?" Celina was confused. "Kenny, what the heck did you do to him?"
"I feel like messing with people's minds, don't ask."
Mondo was already dashing down the road at a hundred miles per hour, shouting something about "Jessie, his love". Celina and Tracey were quick to pack up their things and hop on their bikes.
"You know what?" She called out to him as they pedaled as hard as they could. "This is like the time we were in Pallet Town and you found out Eve was at the foot of the nearby mountains." She laughed. "A guy moves fast when it comes to girls."
"Jaaaaaaaaaaames!" Mondo yelled up at the sky, where the trio was floating away in their Meowth hot-air balloon. "I challenge you to a battle!"
"What? What's he doing here?" James looked down curiously. "A Pokémon match? Over what!"
"Whoever wins gets to stay with Jessie!" He yelled.
"What?!" She seemed angry. "You're going to fight over me?!"
"Wait a second," Meowth hopped on her head and looked down. "He's got only one weak Pokémon while you guys in total have four!"
"Correction, five." Jessie threw Meowth back down. "What's your point?"
"We need the experience level, of course!" It continued. "Don't tell me you two blockheads actually think your Pokémon are strong…"
Sweat drops appeared on the back of their heads as they stared at Arbok, Lickitung, Weezing, and Victreebel.
"You're right, and this battle might keep that boy from drooling all over me now."
"Fine then. I accept your challenge!" James shouted down to him.
Celina and Tracey were seated in the shady grass nearby, watching the ensuing Pokémon battle. Jessie and Meowth stood to the side as James smiled threateningly.
"It's quantity over quality." Celina told her friend as she typed up something on her Pokédex. "Any real trainer knows four Pokémon are better than one."
"Well, uh…" Tracey laughed a little. "That's why I let Mondo borrow my Pokémon."
A loud crashing noise could be heard as Celina bashed Tracey away with her mallet. Jessie was in her blue bikini fanning herself under the blazing sun.
"Ditto, I choose you!" Mondo called out.
"You gave him the Ditto he gave to me?" Celina was moving in for the kill.
"Arbok, go!" James called out.
"Wait a minute," Tracey struggled to rub his chin, considering most of his body was in a cast. "How come is was you who told him to admit his feelings to Jessie, but you don't want him to win this Pokémon match?"
He face faulted as he realized Celina was waving a flag around the air with James face on it, yelling: "Go, Kojirou! Go, Kojirou!"
Ditto had transformed into Arbok, and the two identical Pokémon were in a Wrap-match. Mondo won in the end, surprising everyone.
"Then I choose you, Lickitung!" James copied Celina's Pokéball throw, grinning sheepishly as he spotted her boiling mad in the background. "He only has one Pokémon, and because it's already so weak he's going to be a pushover!"
"Right, a pushover…" Jessie was reading her Japanese vanity magazine.
"I choose Marril!" Mondo threw the ball.
"Ooh, James is in for it now." Celina watched with Tracey's binoculars.
"It better listen!" Tracey said. "Marril's a little devoted to me so…"
"Meowth! When did he get another Pokémon?" Meowth's face drooped.
The Pokémon and their trainers continued to battle.
"This Pokémon match is lasting longer than I thought it would!" Celina suddenly grabbed a microphone and acted as the announcer like in the Pokémon League championships. Using her Pokédex and her knowledge of Pokémon, she was able to call out each Pokémon's attacks. "And it looks like Venonat is using Sleep Powder! How long before the opposing Weezing wakes up?"
More time passed, and Jessie and Meowth lay sleeping on the ground as Tracey drank some hot tea in the background.
"Are you still watching that battle?" He asked, handing her a cup.
"They're both down to one Pokémon!" She exclaimed. "What will they do now?"
"Weezing, wake up! Wake up!" James pleaded.
Mondo watched as Venonat got ready to deliver a final blow with Confusion.
"No, stop! Venonat, stop battling please!" The boy raised a white flag, a signal of retreat. "I quit this match…"
"Oh, and Mondo has left the battle field!" Celina continued with the announcer act. "James is the winner, and the prize is rightfully his!"
She and Tracey ran up and shoved James into Jessie, sly smiles on their faces.
"Poor kid, though." Tracey looked over to where Mondo was sitting at the beach. He walked over a placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry about it. You did the right thing, not defeating your idol in a battle."
"I…I just knew Jessie wouldn't like me that much anymore if I beat James." He sighed. "Do you think I'm a wimp? I mean, that wasn't very manly of me…"
"No, you proved yourself to be grown up by what you did." He assured him. "No wimpy guy would've done what you did."
Team Rocket had already set off in the distance, waving to Celina from up in their Meowth balloon. Mondo looked up and then grabbed his scooter, eager to continue following them.
"You got our Pokémon back, right?" She asked as he walked up.
"That was a waste of a whole day, promise me we won't deal with them again."
"You know what? I kinda like being an announcer." She twirled the microphone in her hand.
Episode 35: AT THE END OF THAT PATH CALLED VICTORY ROAD…
Narrator: "Now Celina and Tracey find themselves at Tangelo Island, stopping by at Pokémon Park, the tourist destination there."
"It took so long to get here." She frowned as she sipped her lemonade. "And it's so hot…"
"I think I can spot some nice water Pokémon on the beach." Tracey said.
"My water Pokémon would enjoy it!" She whipped out a Pokéball. "Especially this little Lapras that man in Saffron City gave me."
"This baby Pokémon belongs in a school…" Tracey pet the Lapras on the beach as it waddled into the water. "It's too young to be trained by a person."
"…" Celina was paying attention to a group of people cheering nearby. It was obviously a Pokémon battle, and her purple eyes gazed sadly as the familiar noises of a cheering crowd echoed in her mind. "…I miss it."
"Why mope about it?" Tracey seemed exasperated. "If Sabrina and Hayuko and Yuri and Yamato…if they can battle just fine, why can't you?"
"Mew's gone." She quietly said.
"It wasn't your only PSI Pokémon."
"But it was my best friend." She sighed again as the winner of the battle ran up and hugged his Pokémon gratefully. "It never had to tell me, but I knew Mew was helping me in battles. It hurts so much when a Pokémon gets hurt, you don't understand!"
"Is pain everything?" He added. "You feel the exact same attacks as your Pokémon does, don't be selfish."
"Sabrina once told me that all people were psychic, they just didn't realize it." Celina started to wade around in the water. "…It's been so long since I last battled a gym leader. I only have six badges and I probably won't have enough for the Regional Championships. It's time for me the face the facts…I'm not a good trainer."
"No, I never said that!" He broke into a shout. "You're a good Pokémon trainer, Celina, one of the best! Don't lie to yourself."
"I've been lying to myself long enough." She looked to Lapras. "All those promises I made…to friends, family, and myself. I promised I would become a Pokémon Master, and nothing would get in my way."
"Nothing's in your way but yourself."
"…" She squinted at him, thinking. "I never told you, did I?"
"Tell me what?"
"About my dream…" Celina sat down on the sand. "…That night that we had separated to get out of Rock Tunnel, remember how Richie helped me?" He nodded. "That night when we were laying in our sleeping bags, he made me think… and have doubts. I had a strange dream that night, where… there was the Indigo Stadium with thousands of cheering people. And…and I wasn't there. And neither was Alana. I would never travel down Victory Road, that rocky path to the Pokémon League." She shook her head. "There were so many things pointing to the direction which fate would lead me."
"Don't give up…don't." Tracey stepped forward, a pleading look on his face. "You've worked so hard, try to remember!"
The scene zooms into the dark abyss of her eyes, drifting through her mind to the times…
"Take care!" May told her as she handed her a Town Map. "This will help you. Keep in touch!"
Celina found Alana waiting patiently at Route 1. They chatted and said their good-byes also.
"This is so…" Celina began.
"Kawaii!" Both of them cried simultaneously.
"I know you'll make it to the Pokémon League! I hope to meet you there." Alana told her as she hopped onto the bike that her mom gave her and pedaled away.
Alana Miyamoto ended up being the first to leave Pallet Town. Celina turned around to look upon her home one last time.
"Good-bye, Pallet Town." She thought to herself.
"I had such hopes at the beginning of my journey." Celina told him, her mind drifting to another memory…
Waves of psychic energy burst from Butterfree, hitting the opposing Pokémon to the other side of the arena. The battle was over.
"You…won…" Brock said slowly as he attached the ball containing Onix back onto his belt.
"Did you underestimate my skill as a trainer?" Celina asked as she recalled her Butterfree also.
Brock handed her a Boulder Badge and a TM 34.
"The Technical Machine will teach Bide to whatever Pokémon is compatible with it." He told her as she took the items into her hands.
She carefully placed the badge by the League symbol on the cloth around her head.
"Thanks for the match, Brock." She said as she turned to leave the gym.
"That was my first gym match…" She recollected. "Then that day…"
"Just who are you, anyway?" Celina was reminded of the fact that she still didn't know his real name.
"Haha!" Kenji laughed, extending his hand to her. "My name's Tracey. It's a pleasure to meet you, Celina Meraki."
"Same here," She closed her eyes and shook his outstretched hand, "Tracey."
"Myuu…" Mew giggled.
"Marril!" Marril laughed.
"When we first met…" Tracey remembered. "And then those times…"
Celina and Tracey stood far apart from each other, as according to the League rules. Staring into each other's eyes, they both thought the same thing: It was their first battle against each other ever.
"Marril, go!"
"Mew- I mean, Vulpix, I choose you!"
"Marril! Marriiiiru!"
"Vuul…pix!" Mew struggled to say.
"Marril, Hydro Pump!"
"Vulpix, Mega Punch!"
"Mega Punch?" The crowd murmured. "Since when does a Vulpix know Mega Punch?"
"Mariiiiil!" The blue mouse cried as it flew down by Tracey's feet in a one round knock out.
"Your famous one attack K.O." Tracey muttered, petting, but not recalling, his Marril. "You win."
The lighted board above her head flashed the word: Winner.
"Hahaa!" Celina laughed as Mew leapt into her arms. (Still in the form of a Vulpix) "You did great, Mew." She whispered.
"How could I forget?" Celina stared out at the ocean. "And then…"
"Marowak…" Otoshi stared at his Pokémon. "Celina, Tracey, Alana, I would like to join you on your Pokémon journeys!"
"No problem!" Tracey grinned.
"The more the merrier!" Alana closed her eyes as she smiled.
"We would all like to have you around!" Celina laughed. "Welcome to the team, Otoshi!" She bowed to him. "You like that, don't you, Mew?"
"Myuu!" Mew closed its eyes and nodded its head in happiness.
"And I'll never forget that time…" Tracey reminisced to months before…
"Go, Mew!" The ball opened up, and the rare and exclusive Pokémon appeared.
"So," Sabrina looked unimpressed. "The strongest PSI Pokémon in the world. But it can't possibly beat my Alakazam!" The Pokéball flew out, and the Pokémon appeared.
"Don't let the size of it frighten you, Mew!" Celina called out. The two strong psychic Pokémon were facing each other, behind the two white lines set by the arena. "Muscle over mind! Use your Mega Punch Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack!" Her voice echoed through the air.
Mew's fist glowed a bright pink, and then it flew at Alakazam, punching it in the face and sending it falling. All was tense as it struggled to stand up again. Sabrina's eyes were glued to her Pokémon, and the smile on the little girl's face was gone. Celina's fist was closed tightly at her side, and her three friends sat huddled together on their knees. Alakazam stood up, but dropped to the ground again.
"Yeeeeeees!" Everyone cheered in happiness.
"I did it!" Celina was happiest of all. She ran into the arena to Mew, who jumped into her arms. Sparkles surrounded them as Celina held Mew tight, laughing and whispering "thank you" into its ear. It merely purred in satisfaction.
"In Sabrina's gym a lot of different things came up…" Celina continued.
Mew floated back in the air, joined by Yuri and Yamato's Pokémon. Twenty-four Pokémon stood before Black Fog, with their four trainers behind them. The Pokémon charge up, ready to attack, but a loud explosion surprised everyone.
"What's going on?" Otoshi looked around. The ancient structure was collapsing on them, large chunks of rock and stone falling to the ground. "Everyone out of here! We'll be buried alive!"
"Black Fog used its Self Destruct!" Celina realized. Everyone called back their Pokémon and raced away. They were at the exit when another loud explosion, caused by some highly reactive gas in the thousand-year-old tower, sent them flying out.
The four of them lay on the ground of rubble as the sun shone brightly above. Yuri opened her eyes and spotted her friends next to her, smiling when seeing Yamato, who used himself to pillow Celina. His arms were around Celina's shoulders, and when he opened his eyes and looked down at her, for the first time in years it seemed, he smiled.
"Meeting him also brings up that time when…"
"You fight well." Yamato brushed aside a strand of blonde hair from his face.
"You, too-" Celina was interrupted by a strange feeling.
She felt herself being pulled to him, and gasped when she saw a blue light surround her- Yamato's color light. He brought her directly in front of him, his face not even an inch away from hers. He leaned down, bringing himself even closer to her, and she could feel his breath on her lips.
"You fascinate me." That's all he said, in a hot whisper, before pressing his lips against hers.
It surprised her. He wrapped his arms around her, but she pulled out of his grasp.
"I…I'm sorry." She turned and started to walk away quickly. When she opened the door, she found Hayuko, Otoshi, and Yuri leaning against it to hear all that happened.
"Umm…" They looked at each other nervously as she stood in shock.
"Oh! Otoshi! Hayuko!" Yuri acted surprised. "How dare you eavesdrop on them? People need privacy, you know!" She crashed a mallet on both of their heads, knocking out their teeth, and dragged them away, smiling nervously.
"It took you forever to get over that." Tracey frowned. "I don't get why you never liked to be hit on by a guy…That brings up something…"
"I know neither of us had time to buy each other a gift." Tracey said, pulling something out of his pocket. "But I found this lying around and decided to give it to you."
"……" She took a Pokéball out of his hand and opened it up. It was a Jynx, waving a Santa Claus hat in the air. "A psychic Pokémon!"
"Yeah, I traded some weirdo in Cerulean City a Poliwhirl for it just a few minutes before I met you." He rubbed the back of his head, still smiling. "It's rumored that Jynx is Santa's helper-"
He was cut off when Celina brought her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Tracey was a full head shorter than her, and he realized that as he placed his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to his body.
"That was a great Christmas…" Celina closed her eyes. "And New Year's was unforgettable…"
"……" Celina's eyes widened as she realized what he was asking of her. Alana and Tracey had snuck up quietly and hid in the bushes, waiting to see what she would do. She looked to his outstretched hand, and then to the Indigo Stadium far off. "What if I am the one you are against at the Pokémon League?" She asked quietly, untying the band of cloth that her badges were kept in from her head. "I've been training, too, and we both share the same goal…" Mew was chatting quietly with Marowak. "Otoshi…" She leaned down without hesitating, grabbed his stick, and placed it in back his palm. He wrapped his hands around the stick and her hand, holding her in place. Celina looked down at her badges. "I hope I see you at the Regional Championships."
"Satsuki…" Tears formed in his reddish brown eyes. "You are a good trainer, putting Pokémon first in your life." He tightened his hold on the stick. "One day I hope to meet your level and rank as a trainer. I've decided that I will stay here in the mountains and train alone, like a kendo should. That way, I will be able to get to the Indigo Stadium quickly when the time comes."
"We'll miss you." Celina smiled as she slipped her hands out of his grasp. "It's going to be different without a major rival to travel with!"
"And remember when we were on Seafoam Island?"
"How could you possibly know if I'm ready or not?!" Alana shouted angrily. "Give me a good excuse why I shouldn't marry this man!"
"Because Alana…" Celina stared into her watering green eyes. "I-"
"Alana, I-" Tracey raised his hand to intercede.
"Alana, I love you!" A familiar voice suddenly made everyone gasp. Cid stumbled into the scene, a hiking backpack on his shoulders. He was sweating, but with a sad smile on his face.
"Siduko!" She dropped her bouquet.
"Cid!" Tracey's jaw dropped.
"Big brother!" Celina turned to him, her eyes glowing with pure happiness.
"Alana, don't marry! I love you!" He dropped the stick he was using and outreached his hands to her.
The sun was beginning to set on the beach of Tangelo shores as Celina and Tracey spent hours chatting about the past. He seemed to be happy and cheerful again, but a thought kept eating away at Celina's mind. Standing up, she looked off at the ocean again.
"I'm letting Lapras go." She suddenly said as she walked up and pet the Pokémon. "You'd do better in the wild, wouldn't you, Lapras?"
It cooed and nodded its head as Tracey watched intensely.
"You're right, maybe it should stay with its own kind again until its older." He stood by her side.
They watched as it swam off and dove under water where they couldn't see it anymore.
"These islands are just full of Pokémon." Celina commented, the wind blowing through her hair. "I think it's perfect for a Pokémon Watcher…"
"It is." He put his hands on his hips. "Maybe we could stay for a bit…"
"…" Celina slowly took off the cloth around her forehead and unfolded it, revealing her six glimmering badges. "Talking with you made me think about how much we've been through together…But you know," She looked at him sadly. "Just like everything else, it's time for us to separate."
"…What are you going to do, then?" His brown eyes glistened with held back tears. "If you don't want to be a Pokémon Master…"
"There's no point in you following me." She took his hand. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but for now Pokémon battling is far off. I'm going to travel a little more, on my own."
"It's not going to be the same!" Tracey suddenly grabbed onto her, hugging her tightly like a boy would hold onto his mother. "I'm going to miss you so much…"
"No, you're not." She smiled as she leaned down and kissed his forehead.
His eyes closed but then reopened, glowing a mysterious blue color. Tracey stood in a trance as she looked at him one last time, smiling as she walked away.
* * * * * *
"How much will he remember?" Cid asked at the Pokémon Center.
"Not much." She replied. "He will know that we traveled together, but just for a little bit. All the important things about Pokémon that he learned…I made him think he learned those on his own."
"…So what now?" Her older brother looked down at her. "You probably already heard, I'm going to an excellent Pokémon science-based college far off and I won't be at home anymore…"
"Was it disappointing…when you found out I wasn't going to be in the Regional Championships?" She interrupted, her mind somewhere else.
"…Listen to me," He began, a friendly smile lighting his face. "Victory Road is that mountainous cave leading to the Indigo Stadium, right? The actual Pokémon League's definition of Victory Road is the long and obstacle-filled area that true Pokémon trainers pass through as part of a test to their actual skill. There are people they would meet and battle and make friends with, and sooner or later they'd find their ways out of it and arrive at the doors of the Stadium."
"…" She began to understand what he was leading to.
"For you, this road wasn't the literal cave maze." He continued. "It was your entire journey! Think of all those obstacles, and all those people you met."
"…I see." She smiled as she handed her brother an object. "And I must go now. I have new memories to make."
He watched as Celina walked along, the red rays of sunlight reflecting off her raven black hair.
Music played in the background as scenes flash by showing Celina back at Cerulean City, laughing with Daisy, Lily, and Violet. Then at Sabrina's gym, eagerly greeting everyone she knew there.
"I see now." She repeated in her mind as she happily found people she had known from before. "I was never fit to be a Pokémon Master. It's amazing how Pokémon change a person's life, isn't it?"
~ FIN ~
Author's Notes: Well, that's the end of Pokémon- Down Victory Road. I want to thank everyone that read this story, my translator, and all the sites that were kind enough to post it up. This fanfiction series is like an OAV to the actual Poketto Monsutaa Anime. Thanks again!
-Satsuki Nesigame