Versus 2: Falkner
"You go on. I'll see you up at the next floor," Clyde said, stopping short of the last step.
"Huh?" Zachary looked at him in confusion.
"Go on. I'll see you at the next rest floor…if you win," Clyde stated simply, going down a few steps.
"How are you going to get upstairs if you're down here?" Zachary argued.
"I have my ways," Clyde reassured. "Just go. See you upstairs, Zachary. I have faith in your victory."
Zachary looked at the older man before relenting, trudging up the last few steps. Clyde stepped back and was swallowed into the darkness below. A trapdoor snapped shut over the stairs the moment Zachary was off the steps, making him jump. After a moment of regaining his nerves, the boy looked around warily.
The room was big and empty aside from a few decorated wooden pillars lining the walls. It seemed pretty plain in appearance, varnished wood panels replacing stone bricks in the walls, floor, and ceiling. Massive windows allowed sunlight and fresh air into the room, driving away the dreary darkness of the Gym floor. Another stone staircase rose up behind the arena drawn out on the floor.
Two young men stood on the other side of the room. Behind them stood an older boy with dark blue hair covering one of his eyes. There seemed to be a cruel glint in that lone blue eye as the young man looked up at Zachary, a smile crossing his face. It was anything but harmless joy. It was downright frightening.
"Ah, look what we have here, boys! Another challenger at long last!" the young man exclaimed, arms raised in a welcoming gesture.
Zachary stopped in his tracks. "…Falkner," he realized.
"So you know my name. Good," the young man, Falkner, smirked. "I am the elegant master of all Flying-type Pokémon, the Gym Leader of Violet City! I shall be your first challenge here at the castle…if you can beat my loyal trainers, Abe and Rod, first."
That's impossible! Zachary thought, arms shaking. Falkner? Here? But…he died almost a hundred years ago, along with the other Gym Leaders! How is he alive? And here, of all places? This is messed up! This is…!
"Done staring?" Falkner asked, eyes glinting darkly at the boy. "Keep that up and this battle will be over before it begins. Abe, Rod, show this kid how strong Flying-type Pokémon are!"
"Yes, sir," the first one, Abe, nodded as he stepped onto the drawn field. "Spearow, time to see some action!"
A brown bird with puffy feathers on its head emerged from the Poké Ball. "Spearow spear!"
"Dedenne!" Chip whimpered, tugging on Zachary's hair.
"Huh?" The raven-haired boy snapped back to attention. "Oh… Sorry, Chip. I guess I zoned out."
"You gonna fight or talk, kid? Falkner's been waiting on this for a while now. Don't disappoint him!" Abe barked in annoyance.
"Zachary! My name is Zachary!" the boy shot back. "Chip, get in there!"
"Denne denne!" Chip squeaked, leaping out onto the field.
"About time," the bird keeper grinned. "Spearow, use Peck!"
"Chip, Thunder Shock!" Zachary ordered.
"An Electric-type user," Falkner grumbled, arms crossed as he moodily watched the battle. "Goodie…"
"SpeaROOOOOOOW!"
The bird hit the ground hard, feathers singed and smoke rising from its body. Abe froze, watching its motionless body in terror. Zachary smirked victoriously.
"Good job, Chip! You w—"
Zachary's praise was interrupted when there was light in front of him. Abe was disappearing into bits and pieces of glowing white light. Rod gave a cry of terror, lunging for his friend, only to be held back by Falkner.
"Don't! You knew the risks when you agreed to be my Gym trainers," he warned harshly.
"But…" Rod squeaked, tears stinging his eyes.
"It's all right. Just…take this punk out for me…okay?" Abe requested, looking at Rod as the last of him disappeared.
Rod nodded. "I will! You won't be forgotten!" he declared.
"…What just happened?" Zachary asked softly as the light faded.
"Those who lose in this place lose more than just the battle. They themselves are lost," Falkner replied, looking at the ground with arms crossed.
"He…died?" Zachary squeaked, crashing to his knees.
"Dedenne denne! Denne…" Chip whimpered, crawling into Zachary's lap. "Dedenne…"
"Get up," Rod ordered coldly. "…I said get up! You're not getting to Falkner, kid! Not after what you did to Abe! Get up and let's end this!"
"But you'll…" Zachary choked, staring up at the bird keeper in fear.
"Our fates were set in stone when we came here at this castle's creation. Fighting is the only reason we are here," Falkner declared, glaring down at the challenger. "So do as Rod says. Get up and fight. If you win, you'll have to face me. You'd best be prepared."
'At this castle's creation'? You mean Falkner has been here…for nearly 100 years? That's not possible, Zachary thought, shakily getting to his feet.
"Let's go, Pidgey! Time to rub these guys out of existence! For Abe!" Rod ordered, pulling out two Poké Balls.
He tossed one out, unleashing his first Pidgey. Chip reluctantly scurried onto the field, looking concerned. Rod was quick to shout out an order, forcing Zachary to have Chip retaliate with Thunder Shock. Watching those two Pidgey fall was painful. When it was over, the same light engulfed and broke apart Rod.
"Dang… I guess I lost," he lamented. "Sorry, Falkner. Guess it's…up to you."
"You will not be forgotten. Either of you," Falkner stated, watching his last Gym trainer fade away into nothing. "Goodbye."
"Bye…" Rod disappeared, leaving no trace that he ever existed.
Falkner sighed before squaring his shoulders, approaching the field. "Well, congratulations. You've managed to defeat my Gym trainers. Now you get to face me."
"Will that…happen to you too?" Zachary asked.
"Most likely. I don't see why it wouldn't," Falkner replied.
"And you're okay with that?" Zachary questioned.
"Nobody's okay with dying. It's just a matter of accepting the inevitable and doing what you can before it happens," Falkner answered, pulling out a Poké Ball. A glaring red glint entered his eye and a cruel grin crossed his face. "That doesn't mean I'm just going to let you win, of course. My job is to give you a challenge. Do the same to me, understand? Give me a challenge!"
He shouted the last sentence as he flung the first Poké Ball forward, releasing a Pidgey. The brown and cream bird ruffled its feathers, glaring at Zachary. With a nod from the boy, Chip darted forward, sparks dancing along his whiskers.
"Perhaps you have an advantage with that Electric-type. It doesn't mean I'm out of the running yet!" Falkner declared, smirking. "Pidgey, Sand-Attack!"
"Use Thunder Shock!" Zachary ordered.
Chip yelped as sand was flung into his face, obscuring his vision and making most of his strikes miss. Pidgey dive-bombed him a few times, causing a good amount of damage. After a few failed hits, the Dedenne finally managed to hit Pidgey with a jolt of electricity. Another strike right after that downed it for good.
"Chip, return! Kirby, you're in!" Zachary ordered, pulling out a Potion to heal Chip with.
The Magikarp flopped uselessly out on the wooden floor of the field, gasping for air. Returning his Pidgey, Falkner smirked at the sight of the fish. Pulling out his second—and his final—Poké Ball, he sent it out to unleash a large bird with a crest of pinkish-red feathers atop its head. The bird eyed Kirby, confused and a bit hungry.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" Falkner ordered.
The whirlwind crashed into Kirby, sending the fish tumbling across the floor. When it recovered, a set of talons crashed down on it. Pinned to the floor, the Magikarp could only wiggle wetly and gasp.
Gonna have to let Kirby faint here, Zachary decided. Then I can send Chip in and finish him!
"Pidgeotto, use Tackle. Finish him off," Falkner ordered. Then he looked at Zachary. "Lesson number two, kid. You shouldn't rely on conventional means such a fainting when you're in here. I'm afraid the rules are different for you now."
"What?" Zachary blinked, confused.
"Watch and learn."
Falkner snapped his fingers. Pidgeotto attacked, driving its beak deep into Kirby's side. The fish gave a choked gasp, blood rushing from the wound. Chip gave a shrill screech of terror. Zachary froze, jaw dropping in shock.
"…Kirby!" he shouted. "Chip, use Thunder Shock!"
"Denne!" Chip charged, cheeks sparking angrily. "Dede…NNNEEEEEEEE!"
Electricity exploded from the orange mouse's body, hitting the bird head-on. The Pidgeotto gave a pained squawk and flapped away, landing near Falkner and shaking itself to get rid of burnt feathers. Chip perched defensively in front of Kirby, tail and fur rising in anger, sparks shooting up his whiskers, eyes shining with tears as he glared at the bird.
Zachary stumbled over, falling to his hands and knees behind Chip. He scooped up Kirby, pulling the bleeding fish into his lap. Kirby gasped, breath ragged and sounding gurgled as blood ran from its small body.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Zachary whispered, staring down at the wound in shock. Tears ran down his face, falling on Kirby's scaly form. "…Why? Why didn't you faint? Why are you…?"
"The fainting mechanism is deactivated when you enter this castle," Falkner explained, eye narrowed at the boy crying over a Magikarp. "We die when we lose a battle. Our Pokémon suffer the same fate. It's only fair."
"…Why didn't anyone tell me?" Zachary demanded, shoulders shaking.
Falkner smirked, amused. "Because it's more fun that way. That's why."
"Magikrrpppphhh…" Kirby choked as he died.
The moment the fish stopped breathing, Zachary moved. Lifting his head, he glared angrily at Falkner. Falkner's grin widened, giggles escaping him.
"Oh, how I've missed that look on challengers' faces!" he declared with a laugh. "Shall we finish this? Or will you retreat to cry over your Magikarp?"
"…Thunder Shock," Zachary ordered.
Chip fired a burst of lightning at Pidgeotto, who flew away at the last second to avoid it. Falkner stepped back, laughing madly.
"And the battle continues! This is great! Show me more, kid! Give me a challenge!" Falkner cried, arms flung out in joy.
"Thunder Shock! Tear that bird down, Chip!" Zachary shouted, jumping up to his feet and glaring up at the bird circling near the ceiling.
"Dede…NNEEEEEEEE!"
More electricity tore into the sky, chasing the Pidgeotto down. The mighty bird flapped to and fro to avoid it, the electric death hot on its tail feathers. Chip kept up the strikes, never wavering in his ordered objective. He would avenge Kirby no matter what!
Falkner's laughter hit a lunatic crescendo. "Yes! Yes! I've been waiting for this ever since back then! Oh, how fun this is! Keep it up! Hit me with all you have, boy! GIVE ME A CHALLENGE!"
"DEDENNEEEEEEEEEE!"
A monstrous blast of lightning exploded from Chip, engulfing the Pidgeotto. A pained shriek escaped the bird as it disappeared in the blast, bright white light and smoke flooding the room. When it all cleared, Pidgeotto crashed to the floor in a heap of burning feathers. Chip gasped for breath, whiskers still dancing with excess electricity.
"…We won," Zachary realized, dropping to his knees again. "We won…"
"You're really strong. Determined too. That's good. You'll need that in order to beat the others," Falkner stated, arms lowering back to his sides. The red glint in his eye died, the crazed grin fading to a sad smile. "It looks like I couldn't beat you. Oh well… I guess maybe I wasn't worthy enough to."
"…Falkner!" Zachary cried as the Gym Leader began to break apart into fragments.
"Don't cry over me. Nobody will over you if you lose," Falkner said harshly, glowering at the boy. The harshness died, fear suddenly swallowing his face. "…Father? Father, no! No! How could I have lost?"
What the…? What's going on here? Zachary wondered, frightened by the sudden swing in Falkner's emotions.
"Why? My father's bird Pokémon were the strongest! How could I have lost to a kid like you? No! I… I don't want to die!" Falkner cried, stumbling back before looking up at the ceiling, eye flooded with tears. "Please! Give me another chance! I didn't agree to this! I didn't…!"
Falkner was cut off when he completely shattered into glowing white fragments of light. It soon faded away, leaving nothing but a glinting piece of metal behind. Zachary shakily got to his feet and approached where the Gym Leader once stood, reaching down to collect the abandoned item.
It was the Zephyr Badge.
A loud creak made the boy jump. The trapdoor at the top of the stairs leading to the next floor had opened, welcoming him to continue on.
Zachary sighed before heading up the steps, Chip on his shoulder and Kirby's body in his arms. The floor below was coated in red stains from where the Magikarp had died and scorch marks from Chip's lightning bolts. Nothing else was left in that room. Not a single sign of life.
Zachary was glad to leave it behind. He never wanted to see that room again.
"Ah! It looks like you won, Zachary! Congrats!"
Clyde was there on the rest floor, hands clasped to his chest in joy as the raven-haired teenager emerged from the staircase. The room looked identical to the previous rest floor—grassy ground, trees that reached the ceiling, sparkling pond, small house, and the stairs leading to the next floor. Clyde happily waltzed over, shaking Zachary's free hand quickly.
"Congrats again, kiddo! I hope he didn't give you too much tro—"
"Why was he here?" Zachary demanded, yanking his hand free of the guide's grip. "That was Falkner! He died 100 years ago! Why was he here?"
"He did?" Clyde questioned, giving a nonchalant shrug. "I guess you must've been misinformed."
"Don't mess with me! And the trainers vanished when I beat them! Did they die? How? Why? What happened? And Kirby! Why did he…? Why is he…?" Zachary looked at the dead fish in his arms.
Clyde withdrew a few steps, lips pursed and eyes hidden securely behind his sunglasses. "I see you finally know what happens in here…and why nobody ever leaves. Are you angry? There's no point in being so. You can't leave until you win…or meet the same fate as them."
"You're not answering my questions," Zachary growled. "Why does that happen? What happened to them? And Kirby! Why did he die?"
Clyde sighed, looking to the side. "The trainers aren't exactly dead, per say. They will remain that way until you lose, in which case they'll reappear in order to challenge the next person that enters this tower. They'll only really die if someone defeats this castle. The same goes for Falkner, so you can relax on that part."
"Only if I lose," Zachary spat bitterly, glaring at the guide.
"As for your Magikarp…I'm sure Falkner explained that to you himself," Clyde admitted, lighting up a cigarette. "He seems to take great joy in revealing that particular rule to new challengers. Fainting is nonexistent in here. It's life or death, for both humans and Pokémon."
"How could you do this?" Zachary choked.
"I don't make the rules. I just enforce them and inform you about them," Clyde corrected, breathing out smoke.
"Any other surprises I should know about?" Zachary demanded, bristling.
"Not really," Clyde replied.
"Are all the Gym Leaders like Falkner? Are they all from 100 years ago? Will they all die if I beat them?"
"Most likely."
"Most likely? Give me a straight answer!"
"That's the thing. I'm just a guide," Clyde explained pointedly, taking the cigarette from his lips to speak better. "I'm here to ensure you're prepared for the Gym Leaders. I help you train, I give you hints, I fetch necessary items, and I attempt to secure success for you through indirect means. I cannot give you the answers to everything. That's not how it works."
"Then what can you tell me?" Zachary barked.
"The same things I told you when you asked for advice about Falkner," Clyde answered. "I can give you the highest level, how many Gym trainers to expect, basic strength level, and hints to their typing if you have anything advantageous to use against them. I cannot tell you who they are, the city they hail from, the badge they carry, how many Pokémon they have, or their Gym typing."
Zachary frowned before pulling out the Zephyr Badge. "And what's this for?"
"As proof that you beat Falkner, of course," Clyde chuckled. "Keep a good hold on those. You'll need them if you ever reach the end. Trust me on that, Zachary."
.o.o.o.o.
Zachary spent the rest of the day training on the rest floor. Chip grew a few levels, fighting the fish Pokémon in the pond. Despite his fears of the new rules, the boy forced himself to search out what kind of Pokémon he could capture. Worries plagued him about the next Gym Leader and, though the obscurity concerned him, he sought out Clyde near the rest house.
"Need something?" Clyde asked, finishing off his cigarette from earlier.
"What can you tell me…about the next Gym Leader?" Zachary forced himself to ask.
Clyde gave a small smile of satisfaction. "I knew you'd come ask eventually," he commented. "The next Gym Leader is not much stronger than Falkner but she can be quite an annoyance with her signature technique. I wouldn't underestimate her, especially in light of what you learned in your last battle. Your Dedenne will do nicely against her. Her highest is Level 12 and she has three Gym Trainers."
"That doesn't sound like Whitney at all," Zachary muttered.
"Who said this castle only had one set of Gym Leaders in it? This is Gym Leader Castle, not Johto Gym Leader Castle," Clyde pointed out.
"Then this could be any Gym Leader at all," Zachary realized. Another Gym that Chip can defeat...
"Do you need something else?" Clyde questioned lightly.
"…What do you suggest in terms of catching Pokémon?" Zachary hesitantly asked.
"Anything goes," Clyde shrugged. "Though…a Fire-type, Rock-type, or Flying-type might do nicely, just in case your Dedenne can't cut it."
Something weak to Electric, Fire, Rock, and Flying-type, Zachary noted.
"Nightfall's coming. Perhaps you should turn in soon? You can continue training tomorrow before you head upstairs…unless you're staying here for longer?" Clyde stated curiously.
"No, I'm going upstairs tomorrow at some point. I just need to plan more," Zachary countered, walking away. "Are you staying here too? I only saw one bed in there."
"I have my own sleeping arrangements. The house is yours, Zachary," Clyde reassured with a smile.
"…Whatever," Zachary huffed, continuing back to the trees.
Clyde smiled softly before a glimmer of soft blue caught his eye. It was a glowing butterfly flapping close to his left hand. Clyde's eyes narrowed, a twisted smirk reaching him. The butterfly suddenly thrashed, soft blue consumed by brilliant red. The butterfly flew away, vanishing into the wall and flying outside of the castle.
Time to begin, Clyde thought, stepping away from the rest house and into the shadows beneath the stairs, where he vanished into nothing.