Chapter 3: Offers
I hope I'm doing this right :/
"Here you go Ally, your pokemon are as good as new." Nurse Joy smiled, handing me Dante's and Electrike's pokeballs.
I smiled my thanks and left the pokecenter.
Rustboro City wasn't really my thing.
The big city smelled of car fumes, and the sounds of the city just were appalling to me.
Dante nearly got hit by like five cars in the first thirty minutes of leaving the pokecenter.
I had to put him away for his own good.
Growing up in Petalburg City had made us lack in street smarts.
I kept forgetting to look both ways before crossing the street, I kept getting lost in the alley ways of Rustboro.
I truly hated Rustboro. No, I despised it.
My eyes brightened at the sight of a small route that was said to lead to a small cave.
I rushed into that route like my life depended on it. I released Dante again, who seemed happy to be away from Rustboro.
"Thank Arceus we're out of that stupid city!" I grumbled, rolling around in the grass like a little kid.
Dante happily did the same. "Jol!"
I laughed.
When I sat up a little pink cat-like pokemon sat right in front of me, its eyes wide.
I screamed and jumped a little at the sight.
I sighed in relief when I realized that it was just a skitty.
"Ski?" Skitty mewed, starting to chase her own tail.
I laughed. My cousin had a Delcatty that would always do that.
Skitty's head eventually rammed into my knee cap.
"Ski!" Skitty cried as she fell.
I picked her up by the scruff and set her back on her feet.
Skitty sat down and looked up at me expectantly.
"What?" I asked. "Ski ski!" Skitty cried, shaking my leg.
"Uh..." I said, lost for words.
Dante snickered at me, knowing that girly pokemon like Skitty weren't really my type.
I awkwardly got up and began to walk deeper into the route, hoping to discourage Skitty from following me.
Dante poked my leg and looked back.
I stopped and followed his gaze and sighed in annoyance at the sight of Skitty following me.
"Why are you following me?" I asked, exasperated.
"Skit ski!" Skitty cried, running around in circles, surrounding me.
My eyes widened.
"Whoa whoa, no! Dante... does this thing want to come with me?" I asked, lifting up my leg as Skitty nearly rammed into it.
Dante smirked at me before nodding.
I bit my lip before speaking. "Erm, Um Skitty?"
"Ski?" The little Pokémon stopped running and looked at me with a huge grin spread across her face.
"Do you uh um… maybe, possibly might maybe want to uh-" An impatient Dante gave me a light thunder shock.
"Ow! Ok ok geez!" I snapped.
"Doyouwanttocomewithmeandifyoudon'tthenI'mtotallyf inewiththat!" I said as quickly as possible.
Skitty tilted her head. "Skit?"
I face palmed myself before saying it again. "Do. You. Want. To. Come. With. Me?" I said slower.
Skitty leapt to her paws and bounced all around be, rubbing herself on my legs.
"Ty Skit!" Skitty beamed.
I sighed and pulled out a poke ball.
"Fine, but if you're coming onto my team, you are using mostly electric type moves." I grumbled, tossing the ball at Skitty.
In two clicks Skitty was mine, much to my dismay.
I turned to Dante. "Happy now?" I asked.
Dante smirked at me in reply.
As we were making our way back to Rustboro, the scientist that had hidden behind me back in the forest ran up to me.
"Hey it's you! Um, I just wanted to say, thanks for saving me back there. Team Aqua and Team Magma meant business. Please, come with me. I have a gift for you." The man urged, dragging me into a really tall building in Rustboro.
"Whoa! What is this place?" I gawked as the scientist led me into an elevator.
"We're in Deven Goods Co. I work here and even though I lost an important package, I'm still ok thanks to you." The scientist explained, walking out of the elevator.
I followed him, Dante at my heels.
We stopped at a desk. The wheelie chair turned to face us. "Oh! You must be the girl from the forest that Professor Calvin was talking about.
Here, take this. It's a Pokenav, our latest piece of technology. Thanks for saving Calvin, he's one of our top scientists around here." The man smiled, handing me a small pokedex like object.
I smiled my thanks.
"Oh and, by any chance are you heading to Dewford and Slateport city?" He asked hopefully.
I nodded. "My Pokémon and I are traveling all over Hoenn, so yes." I replied, Dante nodding in agreement.
"Would you mind delivering this letter to my son? He lives in Dewford, he's always in the cave there.
And could you deliver this package to the Oceanic Museum to their captain?" The man asked, presenting the small package and letter.
"Sure." I shrugged, taking the package and letter and placing them carefully into my small backpack.
"Thank you so much! Here, I don't think the Pokenav expresses my thanks enough, take this." The man rolled a poke ball to me.
I picked it up and examined the poke ball. "What Pokémon is it?" I asked curiously.
"It's Pikachu, an uncommon Pokémon from Kanto. I saw your jolteon and I figured you'd like it." The man observed.
I smiled and thanked the man before clipping Pikachu's poke ball to my belt and leaving Rustboro.
I wasn't interested in beating the pokeleage like most teens my age were.
"Sure! I'm always happy to help a young'n like you. So you want a ride to Dewford?" An elderly man asked, a Wingull perched on his shoulder.
I nodded. "Can you?" I asked hopefully.
The man nodded and led me onto his boat. In seconds we reached Dewford. I thanked the elderly man with fifty bucks and left to go find Mr. Stone's son.
Right as I was entering the cave, a hiker ran out, looking flustered.
"Don't go in there! T-Team Magma's in there!" The man gave a girly scream before running back to the small town.
"Team Magma eh? This'll be interesting." I said blankly to Dante before entering the cave.
The grunts began whispering excitedly to one another when I came in.
I put my hands in the air. "Well? Are you going to fight me or what?" I asked, my patience quickly drying.
The grunts gave no response.
"Um hello? Anyone home!" I snapped, frustrated that the grunts wouldn't answer me.
Dante sparked his annoyance and gave a sharp glare at the grunts.
The grunts parted and gestured for us to walk through.
"A trap? I'm not falling for that!" I snapped at the grunts.
"It's not a trap, Commander Tabitha wishes to speak with you." One of the grunts explained.
I rose an eyebrow. "Fine. But I swear, it'll be you two to die first if you're lying." I threatened before walking deeper into the caverns.
Surprise and anxiety gripped me as none of the grunts, despite my insults refused to battle me.
"They're treating us like we're some gods." I whispered to Dante.
"Jol…" Dante agreed.
"Ok, waaaay too dark in here. Do you think Pikachu knows flash?" I asked.
Dante shrugged. I pulled out Pikachu's poke ball.
"Pikachu." Pikachu smiled at me in the darkness before jumping onto my shoulder.
"Hey Pikachu, can you use flash?" I asked.
Pikachu nodded, emitting a blinding light that easily lit up the entire cave.
"Thanks Pikachu." I thanked, deciding to let Pikachu stay out to let my 'Electric type master' image shine.
My blonde hair and yellow eyes matched Pikachu's and Dante's coats, making us look even better.
I was surprised when more grunts diverted me into a small tunnel.
The room the tunnel led to was only a small igneous rock island, the rest of the floor was nothing but lava.
There stood the same man who I saw in the forest.
Dante and Pikachu glared at him, their bodies sparking.
Tabitha turned to face me, I suppressed a chuckle when I saw his uniform.
"Got a new Pokémon?" Tabitha asked in a friendly tone.
I glared at him. "None of your beedrill's wax!" I snapped, my glare intensifying.
"Why so hostile?" Tabitha asked, clearly playing it cool.
"I want to punch you so bad…" I growled, my fists clenching.
Tabitha just laughed and put his arm around my shoulder. I was too surprised to react.
"You see all this beautiful lava? We need to gather all of this and dump it in the ocean, then we'll have more land. And more land means Team Aqua is put at an even bigger disadvantage. I had a grunt stay behind and watch your battle with Shelly. The flaws you pointed out about Team Aqua's plan were good. No, great. Clearly Team Magma has more sense than those idiots. We could use a grunt like you. With all of your electric Pokémon we can destroy Team Aqua in a heartbeat. Join us."
I was stunned.
"J-Join YOU?" I asked in disbelief, forgetting that he had me by the shoulder.
Even Pikachu and Dante looked stunned.
Tabitha nodded.
"Join us. We'll get you fixed up with a fire type and you'll be on my team. I'll bring you everywhere with me. You've already earned the respect of most of my grunts." Tabitha persuaded.
"Not so fast!" A familiar voice yelled. I turned and saw Shelly and her team in the doorway.
"The girl's ours! Archie wants her to be with Team Aqua so that's what's happening Tabby!" Shelly snapped.
I broke away from Tabitha and got ready to fight.
"Pikachu go!" I called. Pikachu leapt off my shoulder, eager to fight.
"Fine, but don't forget I can easily kill you with one push over the edge." Shelly threatened, gesturing to the lava pool behind us.
I gritted me teeth, remembering the threat of the lava.
"Go, Golbat!" Shelly called, knowing that her Sharpedo wouldn't last long out here, and since Mightyena had failed her last time.
"Pikachu, thunder!" I commanded, determined to get out of here.
Pikachu easily took out Golbat.
I ran and scooped up Pikachu and shoved Shelly aside.
Dante at my heels, we ran out of the small spaces.
I ran as fast as I could, Pikachu in my arms.
"Dante, return!" I yelled, returning jolteon to his poke ball before quickening my pace.
I heard people trailing me, but I didn't look back.
As soon as I got out of the cave entrance, I yelled, "Pikachu, thunderbolt on the top of the cave let's go!"
Pikachu didn't question my logic and electrocuted the mouth of the cave.
The mouth of the cave collapsed, trapping Team Aqua and Team Magma in the cave.
"Good job Pikachu." I said, returning Pikachu to her poke ball.
I paused for a second, hearing voices from inside. "Yes?" I asked stupidly.
I picked out Shelly's and Tabitha's voices as they spoke in unison. "Ally, you may have gotten away this time, but you have to pick a side eventually. You won't last long caught in the middle!"
Dun dun dun! Cliff hanger!