Pyrite Town Arc

3: Adamant As Steelix

Tracey drove the jeep through the streets carefully maneuvering through the crowds. The town may have been run down, but the streets were still bustling with activity. There were stalls and stands selling wears and goods such as food and similar products. Ash had to keep himself from gagging at some of the smells. Some of the food cooking smelled worse than the polluted ocean.

Serena huddled close to Ash and Pikachu as a few of the men passing leered at her and Delia, who gave them a cold stare. Ash had to hand it to his mother, though, the woman had become quite frightening upon leaving the boat. Like she was on guard every moment she took a breath. Pikachu was sparking his cheeks constantly in warning to anyone that got too close.

Finally, they began to reach the edge of the port town, and something actually caught Ash's interest. There was a man sitting on a wagon filled with hay, which was pulled by an odd, horse-like Pokemon he had never seen before. And it looked way too small to be pulling the cart that it was hitched to. He took out his Pokedex, pointing at the Pokemon.

"No data available." The machine said, much to his surprise.

"A new species?" Ash asked of the professor.

The man nodded as they pulled up beside the cart, his interest peaked as well, considering that the cart itself wasn't only laden with hay, but also a large cargo of Pokemon eggs.

A few people were milling around in front of the cart, considering the eggs, and even buying a few. The cart owner was a dark-skinned man, with black hair down to his shoulders, and a grin as wide as the hat he wore. "Ey, come to see me eggs, ya?" He spoke out in a deep, rich voice, that obviously wasn't native, judging by his accent. "Many good'uns this bunch. Make strong battlers!"

Professor Oak stepped out of the jeep to examine some of the eggs, "Some of these look very healthy," he commented, one egg in particular catching his attention, reaching out to touch it. It was a white egg, with blue swirls around the bottom, not unlike a Vulpix egg. But when the man touched the shell, he flinched when he felt just how cold it was. "What kind of egg is this one?" He asked of the vendor.

The man tipped his hat back and looked at the egg, "Ah, t'at be the little pixie egg! Mama what gave me 'er mighty strong critter, take long time to get."

"Pixie?" Samuel asked.

"Ya, man, the little fox with lot's o' tails," he said, "Very pretty t'ing, ya ask me, very pretty. Maybe buy egg for pretty ladies d'ere?" He pointed to Delia and Serena, who was marveling at the eggs in the cart while Ash stood protectively.

The professor looked up at the man, "Do you mean this is going to hatch into a Vulpix?"

"Yah, t'at be the one," he said, "Very hard to get, but she be worth the trouble, ya ask me."

"Bray," said his Pokemon bound to the cart.

"But Vulpix are a Fire type," Tracey asked as he felt the coldness of the egg for himself, "This egg's ice-cold, and the Vulpix eggs I've been around have always been hot to the touch, and certainly not this color."

The man regarded the young Pokemon watcher, "Where ya'll comin' from?"

"Kanto," Ash supplied.

"Then you never seen Alola Pokemon," he grinned, "Over t'ere, t'ings be a little diff'rent see. Sandshrew and Vulpix? They Ice Pokemon."

"Really," the professor picked up the egg, "I'd heard about some species that changed types in that region, but I never thought I'd find one so close to home."

"Ya like?" The man said, grinning, "I give to you for five hundred, special for pretty ladies."

Ash stepped forward and pulled out his wallet, "I'll take it." He handed over the money for the egg, at which the man grinned as Ash took the egg from a smiling professor before placing it in Serena's lap.

"Ash! I can't take this!" Serena yelped, clasping the egg as it threatened to role, "I've never raised an egg before!"

Ash just grinned at her, "Well, I can always help you out with that. I've raised a few myself, you know?" He stepped back into the car and sat beside her.

The egg vendor waved at them as they started the car back up, "Where ya'll folks be goin', now?"

"We're headed for Pyrite Town," Tracey said, "Do you know any other ways to get there besides going around the inlet?"

He shook his head and crossed his arms,, "Nah, man, the long way the only way," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "Couple o' years ago, people 'round here try to build a bridge cross that place, but all t'at noise? It upset the Gyarados livin' t'ere, and make'em attack bridge. Busted it all to pieces they did. People gave long time ago bout that bridge. Long way round gonna be just as dangerous though."

"Dangerous how?" Professor Oak asked.

"Cause t'at place go round to Steelix territory, man," he said, "Budula try to go toward Phenac City last year, yah, an' me find out real quick t'at they don't like no one goin' round t'ere 'ome. Onix and Steelix in dis place be way diff'rent. Onix, they be made o' crystal, and the Steelix be made o' diamond. Beautiful t'ing to see, yah, but Budula no want to go back round t'ere again. Them t'ings meaner than me angry Mudbray here."

"Mudbray!" The Pokemon whinnied and kicked the cart lightly, making it rock back and forth.

"Hey, don' break me eggs, Muddy Buddy!" Budula yelled at the Pokemon, who just brayed back.

Professor Oak chuckled, "Thank you for the warning, Budula. Is there any way to avoid them?"

Budula shook his head, "No, big chief Steelix? He keep big territory. Only way to get through is go fast, an' hope you can outrun the lolo 'efore he hears y'all coming. Y'all no stop for nothin', ya hear? Y'all good people, an' me no wanna see y'all hurt. Pyrite Town gonna be only chance to lose 'im. He no like going near t'at place. Much noise, and he no like a lot o' noise."

"We'll keep that in mind," Ash said, smiling at him and waving as the jeep started moving again. "Good-bye!"

"No good-bye, little brudda," Budula said, grinning, "Alolan say aloha. It mean good to see you, and until we meet again!"

Serena smiled as she cuddled her egg, "Then aloha, Budula, and thank you."

Budula waved at them as they moved away, "They goin' to Pyrite Town, eh, Mudbray, t'at's no good. Heap big trouble o'er t'ere."

"Mud..." the little mule Pokemon lowed.

=x=

"I think I can feel it moving," Serena commented as she held the Pokemon egg close, stroking the shell, "Does that mean it's close to hatching?"

Ash nodded, placing his hand on the cold egg, "It should be really close. We lucked out finding this one."

Delia giggled at the pair. They almost looked like a couple waiting on their first child the way Serena was clucking over her egg. Like a mother doting over the bump in her belly, mush like she herself had when she learned she was pregnant with Ash.

"If that egg really is an Ice type Vulpix, then the research we could do between the two species could revolutionize the evolutionary study of Pokemon in general," Samuel said, looking over the seat at the pair. "But all in all, I just hope the little one will be healthy in this environment. It's quite hot out here."

Tracey chuckled as he drove along the sand, "It is a desert, Professor. But even in the desert like this, some types of Pokemon can thrive." He said, looking up just as a Skarmory soared overhead. "What I'm worried about is getting to Pyrite Town and avoiding those Onix and Steelix."

"We've dealt with a crystallized Onix before, Tracey," Ash said, "Remember back in the Orange Islands?"

"Yeah," the older boy nodded, "It was beautiful, unlike anything I've ever seen in that species before."

Delia smiled, "Well, perhaps we'll see one that's gentle?"

"Maybe," Tracey sighed, "But I doubt it. If they're territorial, then we'd better not stop for anything."

Ash placed his hand on his belt where his Pokeballs were. The last time he'd seen such an Onix, it had been resistant to Water type attacks, so Greninja was out. Sceptile was a little iffy. He hadn't been able to see if the Pokemon had been weak against Grass types, but he did know that it had been severely weak against Fire types. So Charizard and Braixen were their best bets if a fight broke out.

Depending on how big the herd was, it was likely all hell was going to break loose.

The desert was passing them by rapidly as Tracey kept them close to the inlet, hoping the salty waters would discourage any Rock types. "Ash, what are we gonna do when we get to Pyrite Town?" Tracey asked, "If we're gonna get the Snag Machine back, then we're gonna have to work our way to Realgam Tower, or at least get some information on this Dakim guy, right?"

Delia shook her head, putting in her two cents, "In Orre, it's better not to draw attention to yourself. If you make it in the rings, you'll gain respect, and plenty of money, but anything fishy, and you'll have the worst of the worst on your tail."

"Is that something Dad told you?" Ash asked, holding Pikachu in his lap.

"It is," she said, nodding sadly, "Before he came to Kanto, he said his life was rough. Fighting for your right to live out here is an every day occurrence for most people that don't have Pokemon. Your father spent his early years as a wrangler. Since Pokeballs were harder to find back then, they had to catch and wrangle what Pokemon they could by hand without the aid of their own. It took weeks, even months to tame them enough."

"Do people still do that?" Serena asked whilst stroking the egg.

"I'm sure they do," Delia said, nodding as she reached over and stroked Pikachu's fur. The little Mouse gave a happy coo and hopped over into her lap so she could reach him better. "As Pokeballs are still hard to get around here, people do still need Pokemon to make a living here at the Colosseums."

Ash sat back in thought, looking up at the sky as the clouds passed by slowly, "So, say I win at the Pyrite Colosseum, what then?"

Delia sighed, "As we told you, you'd control the town as the leader, sort of like a gang. Though some probably wouldn't listen to you, and may even move on to a different location, but the fact of the matter is, you live in Pyrite Town, you follow the rules of the strongest person, and that means the person that wins against the current Colosseum King."

"I'd suggest letting Professor Krane fix up the town," Professor Oak said, "As much as I've heard about it, Pyrite really is the worst of all the settlements here. Then we can work our way up the ladder until we get to Realgam Tower, or encounter this Dakim and take the machine back."

Ash thought about the Pokemon he knew Dakim had. Both were weak against Fire types, so Charizard would definitely do well against him, but he thought about calling for some of his other Fire Types for training. Pignite and Quilava especially.

"HOY!"

Startled, Tracey hit the breaks hard at the shout, nearly unsettling the others, "What the hell - ?!"

The sound of sand shift under feet came rapidly as a man bumbled right into the Jeep, "Oh, man am I glad you guys came along!" He yelped, "You gotta get me outta here! Those things are right on my tail!"

"What things?" Delia asked, "And what are you even doing out here?"

"No time!" He yelled, waving his arms frantically. "Please, I don't wanna be buried like the rest of them!"

Tracey was about to question him further when the ground started to shake. "Oh, no, please tell me you didn't run into those crystallized Onix?!"

"Damned right!" He hopped into the jeep beside Delia, who tried to shove him away from her, "Now step on it!"

Tracey did not need to be told twice, and shifted the jeep into high gear before stomping on the pedal, "Get skinny, guys, this is gonna be rough!"

"Pikachu!" The yellow rodent yelped and dove under the seat for safety just as the jeep sped off.

Ash took out Charizard's Pokeball and tossed it into the air, "Come on, Charizard, it's time to go to work!"

The newcomer looked shocked, "You've got a Charizard?!"

"RAGH!" Charizard bellowed as he burst forth from his ball, and soared over the jeep.

"He's huge!" The man yelled.

"Charizard, we've got a bunch of Onix and Steelix on our tails," Ash yelled to his Ace, "They're all made of crystal and diamond, so use your Flamethrower and hit and run tactics to keep'em off of us until we get to town!"

Charizard grunted out a small puff of smoke before lifting higher into the air.

Serena took hold of Braixen's Pokeball and released her onto the floor, "Braixen, I need you to help Charizard keep the Onix and Steelix away from use using Flamethrower."

"Brai!" The bipedal fox nodded and hopped up behind them unto the back of the jeep.

"Be careful!" Her trainer cautioned.

And earth-shaking rumble bounced the jeep off of the sand as the first Onix surfaced right beside them.

"GADZOOKS!" The professor roared, "That's the biggest Onix I've ever seen! It must be over sixty feet!"

"Charizard!/Braixen!" Ash and Serena yelled at ounce as their Pokemon launched their attacks at the beast. The two streams of Fire connected with a tremendous force, scorching the the large Pokemon away, and back into the sand.

Professor Oak leaned back over the seat to get a better look, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" He roared, "Never in my life have a I seen such a beautiful Onix! It looked like it was made of glass!"

"Think that was cool, wait until you see the big fellas," the stranger said, catching his breath, "Name's Willy, by the way, and thanks for taking me with you. I owe you guys big time!" He said, reaching out to shake the professor's hand.

"You're a wrangler?" Delia asked in an icy tone.

"Yeah, one of the better ones," Willy said, shrinking away from the woman, "Me and a few other's were out looking for some Trapinch, and bungled into that Onix nest. Some of the guys got buried, but the others that got away left me for dead. It's every man for himself when those Onix are on the move!"

"Here comes another one!" Tracey yelled, swerving around a large lump in the sand that had suddenly appeared, where an Onix burst from the ground seconds later, and bulldozed after them. "That's bigger than the last one!"

"Better step on it, kid," Willy shouted, "These guys are wicked fast in sand!"

"I'm giving her all I've got!" Tracey yelled, "Ash, see if you can get it off of us!"

Ash nodded, and signaled Charizard. The pseudo Dragon took the hint and rolled through the air, whizzing down like and arrow toward the in coming Onix. The Rock Snake saw him coming and reared up, unleashing a massive Dragonbreath attack at him, but the Fire type rolled to the side and let loose with a Flamethrower right in the Pokemon's face as he shot up into the air again.

Onix roared in pain, and dove back into the sand to smother the flames. Willy was looking around frantically for anymore that might be coming toward them, "They won't let up until we're close to a town. For some reason they hate the noise of the larger settlements around here and won't go near them."

"And how far is Pyrite Town?" Serena asked.

"Too far," Willy said, chuckling nervously. "All I've got are my Linoone, and they can't do anything against these guys."

Ash growled as another billow of sand rose up a few meters from them, this one larger than the last. "Oh, shit!"

"Ash Ketchum, you watch your language!" Delia said out of motherly habit before he pointed to the cloud, "Oh, shit! Turn, Tracey! Turn!"

"I'm trying!"

Ashe looked up at his Pokemon, "Charizard, use Blast Burn on that sand cloud!" He roared, and Serena turned a stunned look on him.

"Ash, that's dangerous!"

"No choice!" Ash groaned as Charizard glowed blue before a ball of compressed flames came to his claws as he hurtled toward the sand. He slammed his claws into the ground, unleashing a might explosion that nearly caught the jeep as the beast beneath the sand roared and rose. "Holy sh-" Delia clapped her hand over his mouth before he could finish. But that wasn't to say she didn't agree.

Pikachu peeked out from under the seat, and yelped, diving back in at the sight before him. If Professor Oak thought the two Onix from before were big, the the Steelix in front of them now dwarfed them both. It was enormous!

"Ah, man, that's the leader!" Willy yelled, "Quick, you gotta pour on the gas! Pop it into four wheel drive!"

Tracey did as he was told and shifted gears once more, shooting the jeep forward. "Now what?!"

"Keep close to the water, and get ready to cut across it!" Willy yelled, "There's a shallow spot that goes all the way to the other side, and takes us almost right into Pyrite!"

Steelix roared as Charizard buzzed him with Flamethrower, having recovered from his Blast Burn attack, and shot after his trainer and friends as the beast tried to douse the flames, and barreled after them. The Steelix was right on their tails in a moment, snaking its way through the sand as if it was flying.

Braixen kept the Steelix at bay by breathing fire right at its face as it gave chase, keeping well away from the flames, yet wanting nothing more than to crunch the jeep in its jaws, passengers and all.

"Turn!" Willy yelled, and Tracey twisted the wheel on a hard right, rushing into the water. Serena screamed, tucking her precious Pokemon egg against her stomach as she ducked down from the salty spray of water. Ash covered her with his body, taking most of the water on himself, and grabbing Braixen as she nearly fell into the water herself.

Tracey didn't stop there, and powered on ahead as the tires found purchase on the submerged sand bar, kicking up a trail of water in their wake. Steelix stopped at the water's edge, roaring loudly at its lost quary.

"Why isn't it following us?" Ash wondered aloud, "The crystallized Onix were never bothered by water?"

Willy sputtered out a mouthful of water and shook his head, "Neither is he," he said, jerking his thumb at the gargantuan Pokemon, "But he know's this is Gyarados territory, and he steers clear of them. They won't bother us though. It's too close to land for them to bother with us." he flopped back in the seat, "Whew-wee, that's something I won't be doing again for a while!"

"I heard that," Tracey muttered, "That was terrifying!"

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked as he hopped up in Ash's lap and shook out his fur.

Ash groaned as he was showered again before he recalled Charizard while Serena did the same with Braixen. "How far does this go?"

"About eleven miles, give or take," Willy sighed, "Again, thanks for saving me. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Serena looked at the man and said, "Can you tell us anything about the Pyrite Colosseum?"

Willy nodded, "Sure can. It'Luvs a five round, no rest battle. Depending on the King's fancy, you either do a single or a double battle." He said, looking at the girl, "Why? You planning on entering? Good way to earn some good cash."

"No, I am," Ash said, "Who's the King?"

Willy shrugged, "Gal that goes by the name of Lovrina." He said, "She's a real babe, but a whole lot of bad news rolled up into a hot little package if you know what I mean." He growled, "Want my advice? Don't tangle with her. She's one mean bitch, and she's never lost a battle."

"She's strong, huh?" Serena asked as she began to worry, and turned to her boyfriend, "Ash, maybe we - "

"She's strong enough in her own rights," Willy went on, "Her Pokemon aren't all that impressive, it's just her tactics. She likes to cheat. If you don't knock out her Pokemon before she starts that up, then you've already lost."

Delia hmphed, "I told you the people were rotten around here."

"Hey..." Willy slumped, "Not all of us are bad, you know?"

Ash considered his options, "What kind of Pokemon does she use?"

"She uses a Roserade, a Luvdisc, and Beautifly," Willy said, "Like I said, nothing special. But if she thinks she might have trouble with a trainer, she'll get rid of them, and take what Pokemon they have. She's done it before. Just drives them out into the desert and leaves them for dead. When they don't show up for the King's match, the forfeit, letting her keep her crown."

Serena growled, "Okay, now I seriously don't like this girl!"

"You shouldn't," Willy said, looking ahead of them, "Careful up here, the water gets a little deeper."

"Right," Tracey said, slowing down as the sank a little lower in the water before leveling out again.

Willy looked at the raven-haired teen, "So, you planning on trying for Lovrina's title?"

Ash nodded, a familiar fire in his eyes, "You bet!"

=x=

Jessie, James and Meowth all groaned as the sun beat down on them while they crossed the desert, "Who's idea was it to follow the twerps again?" James asked, his throat parched.

"Not mine," Meowth grumbled.

Jessie growled at both of them and stomped the ground angrily, "Will you two shut up?!" She yelled, "If we just follow them, we're bound to come to a decent town, unlike that stinky, smelly port we landed at!"

"Yeah, but what do we do when we get there?" Meowth asked, "It ain't like we can get jobs in a place like this."

"We'll figure something out," James sighed, "I've got enough money to keep us fed for a while, thanks to my parents, but we should see what this place has to offer."

Jessie nodded and was about to agree when the ground started shaking beneath her. "Meowth, please tell me that's your stomach!"

"I'm hungry, but not that hungry!"

The ground exploded as a massive Onix rose to the surface, sending the three former Rockets flying.

"We didn't even do anything!" They yelled, "And we're blasting off again!"

Back on the ground, Onix looked around for whatever had woken it up, and, finding nothing but sand, decided to burrow back down to finish it's nap.

Morale of the story? Softly trend the sand and let sleeping giants lay.

You'll have to excuse the grammar in this chapter. My character, Budula, is basically me when I've not had enough rest, and had way too much sugar. But that's the way he talks normally.

Anyway, Ash and Co. are on their way to Pyrite Town after a run in with an angry Steelix, and Ash is primed and ready to take on Lovrina, The Colosseum Queen of Pyrite while Serena now has a new Pokemon to care for when it hatches.

AN: The idea of the Crystal Onix and Diamond Steelix came from an episode of Orange Island Adventures where a guy goes off to find a rare Crystallized Onix. So the question is, why couldn't it evolve into a stronger type of Steelix?

Aloha, everyone, and don't forget to review!