Author Note – So this is the first gym battle, and the longest chapter yet with about 3,800 words… enjoy.
Chapter Six
Cole took out his PokeDex and set up a route for us to follow while I took out our Pokemon. Since Cole was already here, we decided that it would be smarter for him to just battle the gym leader now instead of later. Serra took his place on my head while Navi sat contently on my shoulder. Cedio and his Navi took their place around him as he set up the PokeDex, and then we were on our way.
I looked around at everything, not seeming to remember much of what the city looked like. People walked around with their Poekmon, some of which I had never seen. We followed the path, making mental notes to go back to certain places such as the food market and a telephone booth (to use the phonebook to talk to Professor Lark). The city life seemed so much different than what we had in Colonia; everyone was bustling around in a hurry, no one waved at you or said good-morning. The houses seemed cramped together, as if the architects had said, "Hey, let's just see how many houses we can all build!"
I think Cole felt the same way since he was marveling at all of the new sights, openly gaping at the new Pokemon. After what seemed like forever, we finally reached the gym. The gym really didn't seem like anything special. Blake's Gym was written across the top of the forest-green building, and the building seemed like the biggest one that they have in Philadelphia. When Cole and I approached it, the doors slid open to the sides and we walked straight in.
A woman quickly approached us with curly blond hair and a smile to match. "Hello, trainers!" she said cheerily. "I hope you had a wonderful journey. If you would, please, tell me how many gym badges you have?"
"Er… none," I replied.
Her smile didn't change as she led us forward through the room. The room was small, only a few feet each way, and when we reached the other side I saw a keypad that blended in with the wall. The woman punched in some numbers, and the wall sunk in on itself and slid to the side. In the room I saw absolutely nothing except inky darkness. "Which one of you youngsters wants to go first?" she asked.
Cole took a step away and she grabbed me by the shoulder. "How many Pokemon do you have, honey?"
"Two," I said quietly.
"Please put your Pokemon in their PokeBalls," she said in a monotone voice, clicking the keypad again. I replaced my Pokemon into their respective capsules and she turned back to me, smiling again. "This is an obstacle course. You can use both of your Pokemon once you get onto the course. During the course you will have to do battle with trainers. At the end of the course you will encounter Blake, the gym leader. Defeat him and the obstacle course and you gain the badge. Do you have any questions?"
I shook my head and she smiled even bigger, if that was possible. "You can keep your shoes out here, if you want," she told me. "It's a little muddy in there." I felt my mouth go slack, but I took off my shoes anyway, feeling embarrassed and a little wary of going barefoot in a public place. "Then in you go!" Without waiting for me to say anything, she shoved me into the darkness and I felt something cold and slimy under my feet.
The lights overhead turned on and I rolled up my jeans to my ankles, trying to clean off some of the mud. If there was one thing that my parents had drilled into me it was how to appear proper. I sighed and looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was standing in the middle of mud, obviously, and it seemed to be the only type of floor around. Behind me was the wall that I came through, and every other way was a high, ten-foot hedge. In front of me were two paths and I instantly understood what this was – a hedge-maze.
I guessed it was only fitting for the grass-type gym to have a hedge-maze, but still. If there were more obstacles than the maze itself, this was going to be a little aggravating. I had always hated mazes, but that didn't matter right then, all I had to do was get through and beat the obstacles and beat the gym leader and then I would be out…
I decided to take the path on the right, keeping both of my PokeBalls in my hands in case I needed my Pokemon on a moment's notice. I walked for about a minute, taking as my turns as I could. There was probably some kind of trick to get through the maze, but I did not know the trick and –
"GROAWR!"
I heart leapt to my throat and I cursed, staring down at the mud in front of me. I took a few steps back and then released Serra and Navi. "Okay, you guys," I said quietly, continuing to back away. "We have to beat whatever comes at us."
And a single white string shot out from the mud, attaching to the ceiling, and something burst out of the mud, splattering the brown debris everywhere. Navi and Serra shrieked and I backed away farther, staring at the Pokemon that sat atop the mud. I recognized the Pokemon as an Iusum, but it seemed so much bigger and stronger. It was pitch black with longer legs that seemed to be about two feet long each. Its body was fully armored with an exoskeleton, and the spores on its back were even larger.
"This is Magum," said a voice. At first I thought it was the actual Pokemon, which actually scared me, but then I noticed a boy on top of the hedges. He stood quite still, barefooted and all. He took a seat on the edge of the hedge and spoke bluntly. "I'm hoping that I can get rid of you here. Blake already had to deal with some brat today that wouldn't leave until she got a badge even though I ripped her Pokemon apart." When he saw my expression, he quickly added, "Not literally.
"Anyway… Magum, Stun Spore."
I backed away even quicker as the Magum hoisted itself on the string, its spores facing me and my Pokemon. It shuddered greatly as yellowy powder was released from its spores. "Don't breathe it in!" I ordered, grabbing Serra and pulling him away. "Navi, cut the string and from high up and then use Peck!"
I pulled my sleeve over my nose and stared as the powder fell to the ground. Navi followed orders, climbing up a hedge and then gliding over to the string. He attached himself to it and snapped at it with his beak. It snapped and fell limply to the ground along with Navi and Magum. Navi quickly recovered and started to poke Magum with his beak.
"Magum, Rollout."
"Navi, get off of there!" I yelled out. "Serra, use Grass Knot!"
Serra pushed his tentacle into the mud, and I hoped that he knew what he was doing. Navi wasn't quick enough, and was crushed against the mud, rolling with Magum. I cursed, and then gasped when Magum flew into the air with Navi. Navi took this chance to break off and he glided to my shoulder, ruffling his feathers. I stared as Magum crumbled on the ground when it fell. "Fall into the mud and Rest," said the boy.
My reflexes were too slow. As soon as I yelled to Serra to use Grip on Magum, it had sunken into the mud and fell asleep to recover. Serra searched around using his vines, and then I looked at the boy to see him smirking. "I think that's long enough…," he muttered more to himself than anyone. "Magum, wake up. Use Cross Cut."
"Serra, get back! Navi, use Agility and then Slash!"
Serra moved just in time as Magum burst from the ground, slashing wildly with its legs as if they were scissors. Navi glided from my shoulder elegantly, and then went to a breakneck speed, slashing away at Magum with his wings and claws. I saw the boy grit his teeth and he took out a PokeBall, opening it up. A red beam flew across the area in a second, enveloping his Magum and pulling it back into the PokeBall.
"Nice job," he said quietly. He tossed me a bottle of liquid and I caught it easily. "That's a potion made from rocidem berries. Give half to each of your Pokemon when they get tired."
I slipped the concoction into my pocket and nodded at him, taking the path that was farthest away from him. I continued to walk farther, not minding the mud on my feet anymore. If anything, it kept my feet warm and it felt nicer than before. And of course, as soon as I started to get used to the mud, the ground turned to grass.
Navi was a doing recon for me, going a few feet ahead. After about a minute, I felt like he was more of a scapegoat as one of the hedges opened up and sprayed a purple powder. Navi sniffed the air once before collapsing. I stared for a moment, not believing what I saw. Once the powder had disappeared, I ran towards my Pokemon and knelt down beside him.
I opened up my backpack, searching for something that would cure Poison Powder. I abruptly stopped, looking where the powder had come from. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and picked up Navi just in time. I leapt back just as the earth where Navi was shook and splintered with tiny cracks. The cracks grew larger and larger, and I ran straight at it, hoping to get past the thing before it was too late. I leapt over the cracks and as soon as I landed the earth opened up, spraying debris of earth everywhere.
"Cefer, Sting Missile!"
I turned back to look to see that the boy from before had followed me. He was sitting on the edge of the hedge just like before. His Cefer looked two dimensional, and its tail was poised over its body, shooting dull needles at us. To my surprise, Serra was able to easily keep up with me, using his tentacles to catapult him forward.
The ground right behind me ruptured again, and Cefer shot more needles at us. The hedge opened up just like it had before and shot out blue powder. I closed my mouth and stopped breathing, not taking a chance with any kind of powder. My feet were growing tired, and my lungs were giving in. I finally broke through the powder and gasped in air, taking a moment to rest.
"Cefer, Pinch," said the boy, and Serra and I moved just in time to avoid the Cefer.
"Serra, use Tackle!"
Serra slammed into Cefer and they both toppled into the powder that still lingered in the air. I cursed and ordered Serra not to breathe in the powder. I gave out a few more attacks for Serra to use, and I heard the sounds of battle. Soon enough, the powder cleared enough for me to see the two Pokemon. I pursed my lips and took a chance, hoping for the best. "Serra, Poison Powder, Stun Powder, and Sleep Powder!"
I wasn't sure if he knew any of the attacks, but I prayed that he did. He leapt out of the way, wrapping his tentacles around the hedge. He shuddered greatly and multicolored powders released from the top part of its green body. As soon as the powders were released, Serra catapulted himself out of the powder and onto my shoulder, taking in huge amounts of air.
"Cefer, get out of there!" yelled the boy, but it was no use. Cefer had already involuntarily breathed in the powders. It gave a great shudder before falling limp. The boy cursed and returned the Pokemon to its PokeBall. He gave me a glare and threw another bottle at me, full of purple liquid. "It's an antidote to Poison Powder. Just pour a little bit onto your Navi and it should be fine."
I nodded and said thanks before walking out of sight. I put Navi down and opened up the bottle, pouring a little onto his torso like the boy suggested. Within a few seconds, Navi had given a great shake and opened his eyes. I smiled at him and it gave a hoot before perching himself onto my head. I laughed a little, and we continued onward.
It felt like forever as we walked. I sighed and looked around; I tried to figure out if there was something different. Of course, I couldn't find anything different about this part of the maze compared to another part. The ground was made of grass again, and when I looked forward, I almost tripped. I caught myself and ran forward, staring at the piece of paper on the ground. My face contorted into a grin as I picked up the paper. On it was a map of the maze, clear as day.
I tried my best to locate where I was in the maze, and noticed that certain points were marked out by circles. There were four circles in all, and a square that was all the way in the back right corner. The paths with mud were marked with brown, the paths with earth were marked with beige, and the grass paths were marked with green. I noticed that three of the circles had a slash through them, and I assumed that they were the three traps that I had sprung before.
And then I noticed that next to the square was a photograph of a Pokemon-sculpture made completely of hedge. It towered over the hedges like a giant, and suddenly, an idea formed in my head. "Navi, climb to the top of the hedges and look for this," I said, pointing to the picture. Navi cawed and leapt from my head onto the hedge, climbing upward. He looked in every direction, and then cawed again, using its foot to point towards my left.
Another idea then formed in my head. I pursed my lips and then pushed my hand into the hedge. I grabbed a sturdy branch and pulled myself up, slamming my feet in the hedge to make footholds. I clambered up, Navi and Serra watching me with interest. Finally, I reached the top, and to my surprise, the hedges were quite sturdy and the top was as solid as concrete. I sighed and looked around, trying to figure out where I was. I looked to where Navi had pointed and saw the sculpture of the Pokemon, but I had never seen it before. I frowned at it, but took another chance. I went to the very edge of the hedge and then sprinted to the other side as fast as possible, leaping off the end.
My heart seemed to drop as I barely reached the next hedge. Serra had attached himself to Navi's back and they had glided across the hedge. "We're heading to that thing," I said, pointing to the sculpture. "Go ahead of me, but not too far."
I went to the edge of the hedge again and sprinted, leaping off the edge. This time I wasn't as lucky. I lost my footing, but managed to sink my hands into the hedge and pull myself back up. I continued to do this procedure for about ten minutes before I reached the final hedge where Navi and Serra sat contently. In front of me was the sculpture, portraying a four-legged Pokemon with a mane made of tendrils. On its backside was a tail that had a little tuft of something at the end of it.
"That's Lero," said someone. I jumped and caught myself right before I fell off the hedge. I looked and saw the boy from before. "My name's Dustin Izumi. What's yours?"
"Uh, Axel Zanetti," I replied. Navi and Serra glared at Dustin darkly.
"Blake is down there," he said. "I should probably stop you… but whatever. You better use that potion on your Pokemon before you battle him. Your Pokemon will need as much strength as possible."
"Thanks for that," I said quietly, "but I don't think so."
I took the bottle out of my pocket and threw it with all my might away from me. If Dustin was surprised by my actions, he didn't show it. Instead, he jumped down gracefully from the hedge and looked up at me. "I guess you're smarter than you look… anyway, here's a real rocidem solution. God, I can't believe I dropped that map before… and to think that you were able to get here. Whatever. Just go lose to Blake and leave. I need to sleep some more – for real."
He threw a bottle at me and it was full of rocidem juice. I hadn't noticed it when I first received the first bottle, but it wasn't the right color. It was probably a poison or something. This, on the other hand, was the correct color, and most definitely rocidem juice. Dustin walked away and headed deeper into the maze. I looked over at my Pokemon and gave them the juice to drink. They each took a little bit of the bottle each, and I could see the result that it had on them, giving them a new energy.
"Let's go…," I murmured, and jumped down from the hedge.
I walked forward toward the grass sculpture and saw that there was an inscription on the side of the Pokemon. "Ex duodeviginti unus," someone said from behind me. I twirled on my heel and felt Serra and Navi on my shoulders. I stared at a man in front of him, scrutinizing him. He had dark hair that fell in his eyes and he wore a green t-shirt with jeans. "Out of eight, one. It's Latin. Beautiful language, but impossibly hard to learn. I'm Blake." He offered a smile. "I guess it's time to do battle now… Lero, Leraro, let's go!"
Blake threw two PokeBall into the air and two Pokemon were released. One of them was small, as if it were a cub. I realized that the sculpture was of this Pokemon. Its mane was made of green vines like Serra's tentacles, and its fur was beige. At the end of its tail was a green bulb, and at the bottom of each of its paws was a white and lilac flower.
The second Pokemon was larger and more elegant, but definitely more deadly. The white and lilac flowers on its paws were now tangling vines that whipped around, scratching at the ground. The mane made of vines around the first Pokemon's neck was a replaced by large white and lilac petals, along with its tail's end which had budded into white and lilac flowers.
"This is Laro," he said, pointing to the smaller Pokemon. He pointed to the other one and said, "This is Leraro. Let's make this quick… Leraro, Laro, Petal Dance."
"Navi, use Agility and Slash," I ordered as fast as possible. "Serra, uh… get in the middle and use Stun Spore."
Everything happened so fast that I could hardly tell what was happening. White and lilac petals were floating in the air, slashing around on their own. Blake's two Pokemon danced with elegance, trying to slam into Navi as much as possible. Even so, Navi was too fast, and that just meant that they were both dodging the other. Serra got into the middle of the battle and shook himself, its head opening up just the slightest. Yellow powder flew out from his bulb and he was quickly knocked aside by one of Blake's Pokemon.
"Navi, get out of there! Help Serra!"
Navi glided out just in time as Leraro and Laro froze in place, shivering slightly, trying to break free from the paralysis. Navi glided over to Serra and poked him, making sure he's okay. Serra leapt up and prepared for more battle. "Serra, use Bind!'
"C'mon, you two, get out of there!" Blake yelled.
"Navi, Agility and Slash!"
My Pokemon went into action immediately. Serra bounded over to Laro and attached its tentacles around its body, squeezing. Navi climbed atop a hedge and then glided down, going at a breakneck pace again, slamming into Leraro.
"Leraro, Solarbeam!"
Nothing happened.
"Navi, use Peck!" I ordered. "Serra, use Whip!'
Serra detached himself and started to use its vines to slash at Laro furiously while Navi pecked at Leraro.
And suddenly there was a blinding light and all I saw was Leraro whip around, throwing Navi at Laro. Navi slammed into the cub-like Pokemon and fell, and Laro leapt out of the way, leaving Serra and Navi out in the open. There was another blinding light and the petals around Leraro's throat shined greatly, and a beam of pure light flew through the air, straight at my two Pokemon.
"Get out of the way!" I managed to yell at them.
I threw my arm over my eyes and I heard a huge crash. When I opened my eyes again, I gaped at what I saw. Leraro was collapsed where it once stood, probably tired from the beating and the incredibly strong attack, but that's not what surprised me. Serra was limp in one of the hedges, pushed in it due to the incredible strength of the attack. But Navi stood right where he was before…
Except he was different, he had changed. Navi had grown larger, his feathers darker, grey lines striking through the feathers. His beak was a bright orange with a yellow hue, but what scared me the most were his eyes. They were pitch-black with a deadly glare. Without any orders, he flew up into the air, swooping towards Laro.
"Bite!" called out Blake.
Laro leapt up and tried to clench its jaws around one of Naro's wing (that's what I concluded – that he must have evolved). Even so, Naro dodged it easily, slamming into Laro and they both went hurtling towards a wall. Blake stared for a second with a smirk, and then recaptured his Pokemon. Naro looked around, obviously confused by his enemy disappearing. I took out my two PokeBall and put Naro and Serra back into them.
"Nice job," he said. He threw a pin at me. I examined it closely, staring at the leaf-shaped pin. "That's your badge. You're really… good. Resourceful."
"Thanks."
She walked over to a keypad that blended into the wall and poked a few buttons. The wall pushed in and then slid to the side. "There you go," he said. "Be safe on your journey." I nodded politely and walked through the door, back to the original room.
Author Note – Here are the Latin roots of the new Pokemon.
English Latin
Spore Iusum
Big Magnus
Lion Leo
Earth Terra
Plant Sero
