CHAPTER 7
A gentle breeze blew across the plains. The afternoon sun warmed his brow and intensified his sweat, and he clenched his fists as he thought about his position. The battle had raged on for a while and he had been badly driven into a corner. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get a scratch on his opponent.
He had short brown hair and blue eyes, wore shorts with a long-sleeve shirt and a baseball cap turned backwards.
He looked at his pokémon, a Raticate. However, Raticate had hit its limits a long time ago and gasped for air as it tried to focus on its opponent.
The young boy racked his brain on what to do. There had to be some way to turn the situation around. However, no matter how he looked at it, the next move would be Raticate's last. He wiped his brow and decided to go for broke.
"Raticate, Hyper Fang attack!"
Raticate got down on all fours and rushed toward its opponent, baring its fangs. The opposing trainer didn't seem worried. She was a young girl of thirteen, had deep purple eyes, and her blood-colored hair extended down to her knees. She wore loose-fitting black cargo pants with a gray tank top that showed off her slender figure. She simply crossed her arms and ordered her pokémon to attack.
Her pokémon replied without hesitation. It zoomed across the field and attacked Raticate. The next moment, Raticate lay sprawled on the ground with its fur charred and teeth crushed. The young boy ran up to his pokémon and took it in his arms.
"Raticate, are you okay? Say something!"
Raticate didn't respond. The female trainer recalled her pokémon and then walked past him. He turned toward her and stood up.
"Hey! What's your name? You didn't have to go that far! Just look at what you've done! You nearly killed Raticate!"
She stopped walking, but didn't turn around. The young boy froze amidst the silence. His eyes widened in fear as an uneasiness crept up in his throat. For some reason, she gave off a presence beyond his comprehension.
"It deserved it. It was weak, like you."
She continued down the road leaving the trainer to watch as her hair billowed in the wind like a scarlet cape.
After Ayden achieved his first gym badge and they rested at the Pokémon Center, the group left Pewter City and walked down Route 3. Everywhere they looked the beauty and sounds of nature treated their eyes and ears. Flocks of bird pokémon flew around the trees and different types climbed up the branches.
Jin couldn't believe it. He had finally left Pewter City to realize his dream. The chance to explore the world and see pokémon in their natural state. He even had friends to join him along his journey making it even better. He took in deep breaths as he savored every moment, every second of the start of his journey.
"This is like a dream come true. I've never travelled this far out of Pewter before. Just look at all the different pokémon just in this route alone. I don't even know where to begin."
Mendy giggled.
"Don't worry, Jin. I'm sure you'll settle on the perfect pokémon to officially start your journey with. Who knows? Maybe you'll encounter a rare one."
Jin beamed and adjusted his glasses.
"Of course! Just a little ways from now is Mt. Moon! That's the location of the pokémon, Clefairy! Many people have speculated for years that Clefairy came from outer space and crash landed here on earth! This is my chance to see one up close and study it!"
As Jin continued his rambling about Clefairy, Nami leaned toward Mendy and whispered into her ear.
"Man, Jin is really fired up about this. I've heard Pokémon Watchers can be eccentric, but I didn't think it would be this extreme."
Mendy whispered back.
"Oh come on, give him a break. He's finally doing something that makes him happy. And that's what this journey is supposed to be about, right? Making our dreams come true."
Even though she said that, she couldn't help but feel envious of Jin. He had something she didn't. Something she wanted more than anything.
Nami stared at Mendy for a bit. She had known her for years, and could tell when she had a lot on her mind. She smiled, wrapped her arm around her shoulder and pumped her fist into the air.
"Yeah, you're right! We're not gonna stop until our dreams are reality! We're gonna be the greatest water-type trainers ever! You, the best water-type gym leader; and me, the world's greatest water pokémon specialist!"
They cheered and laughed as they rejoiced in their comradery. Mendy felt better the more she laughed. She could always count on Nami to have her back no matter what.
In the middle of their celebration, they saw a young boy frantically run down the road, carrying his Raticate. As he ran by them, they took notice of its burnt fur and broken teeth. The young boy tripped and landed on his shoulder.
"Just… hang in there, Raticate! I'll get you to the Pokémon Center soon!"
He struggled to stand, but fell to his knees. He'd been running for a while and barely had any energy left. He looked up and saw some people running toward him. Mendy arrived first. She took off her backpack and rummaged through it until she found a small purple bottle.
"Here, I have some Potion, let me spray this on Raticate."
The young boy nodded. Jin crouched down and examined Raticate. He looked through his backpack until he found some Burn Heal and then quickly applied it to the scorched pokémon. The boy's eyes widened as the color of Raticate's fur returned to normal and its injuries disappeared. The boy looked up at Raticate's rescuers and then broke into tears.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I don't know if Raticate would've made it! Thank you!"
Ayden walked up and stared at the boy. The injuries Raticate sustained could hardly be from an ordinary match. If Team Chaos had done this, he needed info and fast.
"Who did this? What did they look like?"
The boy dried his tears and looked up at Ayden.
"It was a girl, a girl with long red hair!" Ayden silently breathed a sigh of relief. "We were having a battle, but she just wouldn't stop! Her pokémon was powerful, but merely beating us wasn't enough for her! She just kept going and Raticate ended up getting badly hurt!"
Mendy's anger reached its boiling point. Seeing Raticate beat up that badly left a foul taste in her mouth. How could a trainer do that to anyone? If she went around doing this, she didn't deserve to be called a trainer. Someone needed to teach that girl a lesson and she knew she had to do it.
"Which way did that girl go?" He simply pointed down the road. Mendy nodded and flung her backpack over her shoulder. "Alright, guys! Come on, let's go!"
She dashed down the road with the others quickly following her. Jin barely got his items back in his bag before taking off.
"Wait, Mendy! What are you planning to do?"
Mendy didn't bother answering. She only had one thing on her mind, to take down this so-called trainer.
The girl with the blood-colored hair sat against a tree eating her lunch. The day dragged on, and boredom crept up on her as she took a bite of her rice ball in frustration. None of the trainers she fought gave her the challenge she needed. She had to find tougher trainers to defeat if she ever wanted to get anywhere on this journey. She needed to get stronger and fast, otherwise, she would never stand a chance against them, against him.
When she finished her lunch, she picked up her bag and continued down the road. It didn't take long before she spotted another trainer. He wore sunglasses and a baseball cap over his medium length blonde hair. She kept her eyes on him as he attempted to catch a pokémon.
The young trainer stared down a wild Pidgeotto as it flapped its wings in an effort to get him to bring on whatever he had. He took out his pokéball and threw it. A Pinsir, a brown bi-pedal bug-type with two spiked horns on its head, popped out and glared at Pidgeotto.
The trainer ordered Pinsir to attack Pidgeotto, but his plans were foiled as Pidgeotto flew away from another attack.
He turned and saw a trainer with long blood-red hair walk up to him. He looked back at Pidgeotto as it flew through the sky.
"What was that for? You made me lose my chance at catching that Pidgeotto!"
She placed her hands on her hips.
"Let's have a battle. You look like a decent enough trainer. Show me what you've got."
The male trainer's temper flared. He had to get back at this girl for ruining his chance at catching Pidgeotto.
"Fine, I'll make you pay for what you did."
Mendy ran as fast as she could down the road. She had to hurry, she couldn't let this trainer get away with hurting another pokémon like that.
Jin and the others followed. They tried to catch up, but somehow Mendy kept getting further ahead of them. Jin turned to Nami.
"I don't get it. Why's she so adamant about finding this girl?"
Nami remained silent. She had a good idea of why she wanted to hunt down this trainer. However, considering what they just saw, this trainer had power to spare. She worried Mendy may not have what it takes to stop her.
"I don't know. For now, we have to try and catch up to her."
They all stopped running when they heard a loud bone-chilling scream echo throughout the woods. Mendy looked around frantically, but she couldn't tell where it came from. Her attention turned toward an explosion not too far from where she stood, and she charged after it. Nami tried to call out to her, but Mendy ignored her. All she could think about was stopping this trainer.
She finally made it through and arrived just in time to see a female trainer with long red hair recall her pokémon. She turned and saw the other trainer cry over his. Her eyes widened when she saw the state of his Pinsir. Burnt and beaten with its pincers broken in half. The red-haired trainer shook her head.
"You were just like the others… not even a warm-up."
She walked away until Mendy called out to her. She stopped and turned to face the purple-haired girl.
"What do you want? Are you this guy's girlfriend or something?"
Mendy took a moment to catch her breath. She looked up and eyed the girl carefully. A girl with long hair the color of blood, exactly as the kid described her. She straightened up and furrowed her brow.
"No, but I am here to stop you! What you're doing is wrong! You can't just go around hurting other pokémon like this! Why do you have to take things so far? Why are you doing this in the first place?"
She stared at Mendy with an expression Mendy saw resembled that of Ayden's, emotionless, but hers seemed almost dead; as if her eyes held no sign of life at all.
"And who are you to tell me what I can or can't do? My business should be none of your concern."
Mendy took a step forward.
"It is my concern, because I'm a trainer too and I plan on becoming a gym leader someday! I won't stand to see someone fighting like this! Pokémon battles are supposed to be fun! It's a chance for both trainers and pokémon to connect with each other on a stronger level!"
The girl placed her hand on her hip.
"You know, you've got a pretty big mouth talking all high and mighty like that. Just who the hell do you think you are? I suppose it's easy to talk like that when you're so ignorant. Do you really think pokémon battles are supposed to be fun? You have no idea what this world's about, do you? It's either take down, or be taken down. The weak are fodder for the strong. That's the reality. The only connection a trainer has with a pokémon is master and servant."
Mendy stomped her foot.
"You're wrong! Pokémon are not meant to be servants! We're supposed to be friends! To fight together and grow stronger together! That's what we're meant to do!"
The girl shook her head. This girl didn't have a clue. Already blinded by the false reality of this world. There's no such thing as bonds or friendship or love. There's only power, and those who didn't have it, were destined to be killed off. She turned and walked away.
"Believe what you want, Princess. You'll learn sooner or later."
Mendy balled her hand. She couldn't let her get away. She had to set her straight right now. She pulled her pokéball out and held it up.
"Where are you going? I'm not finished with you yet! I'm gonna battle you right now and show you what I'm talking about!"
The girl stopped. She turned toward Mendy and raised an eyebrow. In her eyes, she didn't look all that strong. No matter how she sliced it, it would be a waste of time. However, she couldn't turn down an opportunity for easy experience. She pulled her pokéball out.
"Fine, a one-on-one fight. I'll be more than happy to teach you the truth."
Nami and the rest caught up and eyed the girl and Mendy. Nami stared at Mendy and hoped she would be okay. Both girls threw their pokéballs at the same time. Mendy called on Squirtle while the girl called out Monferno, a monkey-like fire and fighting-type with orange and yellow fur. It stood on its hind legs with its fists raised up like a boxer. The flame on its tail flickered in anticipation as it glared at its opposition. It took several practice punches before standing completely still, awaiting the orders of its trainer, giving off the vibe of a killer.
Mendy eyed the girl's choice. By standards, Mendy had the advantage, but she couldn't shake off an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. The girl didn't seem worried at all, neither did Monferno. She couldn't let that distract her though. She had to win this no matter what.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"
Squirtle jumped into the air and fired a stream of water at Monferno. The girl stood still and remained calm as the water closed in.
"Monferno, Flamethrower!"
Monferno reared back and launched a devastating attack at Squirtle's Water Gun. The flames evaporated the water instantly. Mendy's eyes widened in horror at how she could negate Squirtle's attack so easily. She took a step back, but then Nami's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Mendy! It's okay! Hang in there! You can do it! Show her what you've got! We know you can beat her!"
Mendy looked back at Nami's cheering. Her words reminded her of why she chose to fight this girl in the first place. She had to stop her from doing all those terrible things to other pokémon. She had to show her the right way to have a battle. Mendy gave Nami a nod and smiled.
"Thanks, Nami! Squirtle, let's try it again, use Water Gun!"
Squirtle fired another attack at Monferno, and again, the girl didn't seem worried.
"Monferno, Mach Punch!"
Before Water Gun could reach it, Monferno disappeared. Squirtle looked around for it, but didn't see it until it appeared before him. Mendy couldn't believe the speed it had. She didn't know what to do. Even after all the encouragement Nami gave her, she couldn't believe the level difference between the two. Its speed and power towered anything she could do. Before she could even think of a counter move, Monferno had punched Squirtle in his center, sending it flying toward the trees.
The girl still remained calm.
"Monferno, continue using Mach Punch!" Before Squirtle collided with the tree, Monferno appeared behind it and punched it toward the other side the field. Mendy watched in horror as it kept up the same pattern again and again. "Now, follow up with Flamethrower!"
Monferno caught Squirtle and pinned him to ground. Squirtle opened his eyes just in time to see Monferno launch its attack at point blank. Mendy fell to her knees and teared up as the flames burned Squirtle's light blue skin.
"Please! Enough! Stop it!"
When the attack finished, charred spots covered Squirtle's body and his shell had been dented. Monferno looked at its work, grinned, and tossed him to the ground.
Mendy looked at Squirtle and froze at what had happened to him. She gathered him in her arms and cried.
"Monferno, Mach Punch!" Mendy's eyes widened. She would still attack, even when the battle had ended? Monferno ran towards her, readying its fists for its next attack. Mendy tightened her hold on Squirtle and braced herself for the attack. The girl saw Mendy cover Squirtle and grinned. A desperate attempt at saving her pokémon from its inevitable fate. "Monferno, continue the attack!"
Monferno continued toward Mendy and aimed its fist at her. Nami called out to her, but Monferno moved too fast for her to get away.
Before Monferno reached its target, a bolt of electricity zipped through the air and caused Monferno to break the attack and jump a safe distance away. The girl looked up and saw a Pikachu charge up its cheeks and its silver-haired trainer right behind it. She squinted her eyes in annoyance.
"What's the meaning of this? You're interrupting our battle."
Ayden stood calm.
"That's enough. You've won. Recall your pokémon and leave."
The girl stared at Ayden and then glanced at his Pikachu. She'd fought many trainers before, but he seemed different. She couldn't help but feel impressed with the way he stopped Monferno's attack. She trained Monferno to withstand any type of attack in order to finish off an opponent. The fact Monferno backed off meant that attack would've been really dangerous if it connected. Something told her, he had to be in a league of his own.
Mendy looked up and saw the girl recall Monferno. She kept Squirtle safe from the attack, but the damage he'd already suffered churned her stomach. How could she have let this happen? She tensed up when she saw the girl look toward her with an emotionless and solid expression.
"Now do you understand? This is reality. The ones with power are the ones to survive. To think, all this could've been avoided if you just kept your nose out of my business. Now look at you, a weak-ass trainer crying over a weak pokémon. You're worthless."
Mendy froze. That word again. Why did she have to be branded with that word everywhere she went? Why couldn't she do anything to help Squirtle? Why? A tear fell down her cheek as she sobbed over Squirtle.
Nami ran up to Mendy as she cried and placed her arm around her shoulders. Nami called to her, but she didn't respond. Tears continued to fall, but the rest of her body didn't move. Nami balled her hands. She would never forgive her for this. Nobody insulted Mendy and got away with it.
"Just shut up! How dare you do this to her! Who the hell are you anyway?"
The girl shifted her gaze to Nami.
"The name's Raye. Tell your friend to remember that the next time she thinks battles are meant to be fun."
Nami could barely hold her rage in. If she wasn't trying to comfort Mendy, she'd have choked this girl by now.
"Why you little…!"
Raye cut her off by shifting her gaze over to Ayden.
"I'm curious about you. You seem different from the others. There aren't many trainers who can make Monferno back off the way you did. You look like you know what you're doing. What's your name?"
Ayden stared at her with the same emotionless expression.
"Ayden."
Raye walked up to him, leaned in and whispered.
"The look in your eyes, is the same as mine. You too have seen the same hell as I have, haven't you?" Ayden stared at her in bewilderment. "I can tell, like me, you harbor hatred. It's something you can't explain, right? Something that burns inside you and you can't get rid of it no matter what you try. It's just something you know you have to do. Yes, I understand exactly how you feel. I look forward to the day you and I battle. We'll see whose hatred is stronger."
She turned and walked down the road. The group stared as she disappeared into the distance.
The group arrived at the entrance to Mt. Moon where they decided to take break. Everyone remained silent as the recent event with Raye still weighed on their minds. Mendy sat staring at Squirtle's pokéball. Every second of the battle plagued her mind and the guilt grew the more she thought about it.
She could still see Squirtle's face as he got pummeled by Monferno, screaming for her to help him and she didn't. She didn't know what to do. Why couldn't she help him?
"I'm sorry, Squirtle. I'm so sorry."
Nami sat beside Mendy and tried her best to get her to cheer up, but to no avail. She placed her hand on her shoulder and moved her closer.
"Mendy, it's going to be okay. We'll get Squirtle to a Center and get him healed up. Jin and I even gave it some treatment ourselves, so he'll be fine for now. Come on, let's get through this cave."
Mendy gave her an unenthusiastic nod. Jin clapped his hands and then turned toward the group with a smile.
"Alright! Who's ready to get through this cave! Let's see if we can meet some rare and possibly extraterrestrial pokémon!" He pumped his fists into the air, but didn't expect to be met with lack luster enthusiasm from his group. He then looked around. "Have either of you seen Ayden?"
The girls looked at each other and then at the entrance of the cave. He had already gone in before any of them. Nami and Mendy couldn't believe it. He slipped away from them again.
Ayden walked slowly through the damp catacombs of Mt. Moon. Lights had been installed throughout the caves affecting the behavior of the pokémon. Paras, an orange cicada-like pokémon, plucked out their mushrooms and planted them into the ground while Sandshrew lay on the ground boiling in the heat from the newly installed lights.
Piik nudged up to Ayden's cheek and Ayden stroked her head.
"Yeah, I feel it too. Whoever did this is after more than just messing with the pokémon here."
He heard Jin's voice as he and the girls ran up to him.
"Ayden! Wait for us, man!"
Ayden turned and saw them run toward him. Their voices coupled with the sounds of their feet escalated the amount of noise. Nami walked up to Ayden in annoyance and her voice resonated throughout the caves.
"What were you trying to do, huh? Leave us behind? You were trying to sneak away and get out of paying for Mendy's bike, weren't you?"
Ayden clapped his hand over her mouth and pinned her to the wall. She struggled until he signaled for her to quiet down. She and the group fell silent and listened for what Ayden heard.
Ayden slowed his breathing and closed his eyes. The lights in the cave already made the situation bad enough, but Nami's voice more than likely ticked something off. He opened his eyes and then dropped his voice to a whisper.
"Piik, get ready."
Piik nodded and jumped off his shoulder as the group listened intently for what would come. Jin gulped down his nerves and Mendy slowly inched toward Nami. The cave soon erupted into pandemonium as a swarm of Zubat flew toward the group. The light-blue bat-like pokémon surrounded the group and swiftly attacked. Jin, Nami, and Mendy covered their heads and screamed while trying to swat them away, resulting in nothing but angering the bat pokémon further.
Ayden eyed the Zubat carefully. He didn't want to do it, but he had to do something to keep them from going on a rampage.
"Piik, Thunderbolt!"
Piik launched the attack, hitting every Zubat. As the Zubat fell to the ground in a heap, Jin, Nami, and Mendy fell to their knees and caught their breaths. Nami wiped her brow and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What was that all about?"
Ayden walked up to her, knelt down, and then spoke in a firm yet annoyed whisper.
"I'm gonna need you to keep quiet. In case you haven't figured it out yet, the pokémon in this cave are confused and angry. The slightest pitch of sound could be enough to cause them to attack us. If you don't want something like what just happened to occur again, I'd suggest you shut your mouth and pay closer attention to your surroundings."
He stood up and walked further into the cave with Piik close at his heels. Nami stared at him holding in her anger the best she could. She couldn't believe him. He thought just because he lucked out on getting a badge, he could just tell others what to do?
Mendy helped her back on her feet.
"Are you okay, Nami?"
Nami dusted herself off then turned to Mendy.
"No, I'm not okay! That jerk thinks he knows everything! And where does he get off putting his hands on me? As soon as we get to the next Center, I'm washing my face at least ten times!"
Mendy shook her head at Nami's exasperation.
"Anyway, he may be a jerk, but he does have a point. We should take extra care while going through these caves. Whoever put these lights up is after something. Come on, let's go." They walked until they realized they stood in the middle of a fork. The looked at all the hallways then at each other. "You didn't happen to see which way they went, did you?"
Nami laughed awkwardly.
"I thought you had that covered."
They dropped their shoulders when the realization hit them.
Jin hastened his pace until he caught up with Ayden. He looked around at all the lights and the affects they had on the pokémon.
"Hey, who do you think did this? This is awful." Ayden walked in silence, his mind submerged in thought. He had an idea of who might be behind it, but he had to be certain. Jin placed his hands behind his head and sighed. "This is just great. I finally get a chance to explore Mt. Moon and something like this happens. Now my chances of getting to study rare pokémon have just been shot."
He looked up and saw to his surprise a Clefairy hopping down the next hallway. He couldn't believe his luck. A Clefairy had appeared right in front of his eyes. He couldn't let this opportunity pass him by.
A moment later, another figure ran past them, a tall man wearing all black with a silver 'C' embroidered on his chest.
Ayden widened his eyes. Just as he thought, Team Chaos caused all this. He couldn't let Jin know they were after him. He had to find a way to get him away from Team Chaos. Before he could think of a way, Jin took off down the hallway.
"I don't know who that guy is, but he's not gonna catch that Clefairy! I have to study it!"
Ayden tried to catch him, but Jin had already rounded a corner. He cursed under his breath and ran after him.
Clefairy hopped down the hallways as fast as she could until she ran into a dead end. She turned around and stared at the tall man in front of her. Her body trembled as the man creeped closer and pulled out a pokéball.
"I don't know how you were able to escape, but I'm gonna make sure you learn to stay where we tell you!"
He wound up and threw. Clefairy covered her eyes and braced herself for the impact. She suddenly heard a voice echo throughout the caves.
"Vulpix, Swift!"
Multiple golden stars whizzed through the air and hit the pokéball inches before it touched Clefairy. The ball fell to the ground and rolled to a safe distance.
The Chaos Grunt turned around and saw Jin standing behind him with Vulpix ready for battle. "I don't know who you are, but I won't allow you to catch Clefairy. It's such a rare pokémon and I want to study it in its natural habitat."
The Grunt laughed and pulled out another pokéball.
"You think I care what you want, kid? I'm gonna show you what happens when you meddle in other people's business. Go, Poochyena!"
Poochyena popped out of the ball and growled at Vulpix, and she responded in kind. Jin adjusted his glasses and chuckled.
"You obviously don't know who you're dealing with, my friend. Allow me to give you a bit of advice. Never stand in the way of a Pokémon Watcher and his choice of study! Vulpix, Quick Attack!"
Vulpix charged at Poochyena as fast as her legs would carry her. She zoomed across the ground and slammed into Poochyena. Poochyena skidded across the floor and shook off the attack.
"Poochyena, Tackle it!"
Poochyena charged at Vulpix, but she side-stepped just in time. Jin smiled.
"Great job, Vulpix! Use Ember!" Vulpix reared back and fired small bursts of flames at Poochyena, knocking the pokémon back up to the wall of the cave. The attack left cinders on Poochyena's fur, infuriating the wolf pokémon. Jin snapped his fingers in excitement. "Alright! Now, wrap this up with one more Ember!"
Vulpix reared back again, but was hit from the side. Jin turned to see another man dressed the same as the first with a Poochyena at his heels. He turned to his partner in disgust.
"Alfonse! The hell you wasting time for? Hurry up! We have to get going!"
Alfonse cracked his knuckles.
"Yeah, I know, Dietrich, but this kid interrupted me."
Dietrich shook his head.
"Just can't seem to handle things on your own, can you? Fine, I'll help you take care of this kid, then we'll take that Clefairy back with us. The Captain will be really pleased with this."
They turned and stared Jin down. Jin backed up as the thought of a two-on-one battle drained all the gung-ho out of him. A voice echoed into the room and drew their attention.
"You won't be taking anything. This just turned into a tag battle."
Jin turned and nearly broke into tears at the sight of Ayden. Alfonse and Dietrich took a long look at Ayden. The silver hair and the blue-cheeked Pikachu; they smiled when they realized the Carrier had entered the room. Dietrich laughed at the realization.
"This just got even better, Alfonse! To think, we'd be able to score a chance to catch the C-."
Piik shot a bolt of electricity at them before he could finish the sentence. Ayden couldn't let Jin or anyone else know these guys were after him. He had enough on his plate already. He turned attention to Jin.
"Come on! Let's end this quick! We have to help the pokémon here! Who knows what these people are planning to do!"
Jin nodded.
"You're right. Whatever they're up to, can't be anything good. These guys have a way of toying with both people and pokémon. I can only imagine what you've gone through, Vulpix, but now's our chance for some payback! Vulpix, Ember!"
"Piik, Thunderbolt!"
Both pokémon launched their attacks and landed direct hits on the Poochyena, knocking them out. Both men recalled them and took off down the cave.
"We'll remember this, you brats!"
Jin knelt down and patted Vulpix on the head.
"Excellent work, Vulpix, you did a great job. Thanks for the assist, Ayden. We would've been beaten badly if you hadn't shown up."
Ayden shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. Come on, we have to hurry. There's bound to be more of those guys somewhere in this cave."
Jin stopped Ayden before he took off down the cave. He walked over to Clefairy and extended his hand to her. Clefairy stared at it with caution.
"It's okay. We just want to help. My friend and I are worried about the pokémon in this cave. There are bad people doing terrible things, aren't there? Will you help us to stop them?"
Clefairy looked at Jin a little longer. Even though she felt scared, they did do a good job in beating those people. She gave Jin a nod and then hopped down the cave. Jin pumped his fists.
"Yes! Looks like Clefairy's gonna show us the way!"
Ayden nodded.
"Alright, let's go!"
Mendy and Nami continued to eye the multiple paths. They had one chance of getting it right, otherwise they risked running into more Zubat or worse. Nami fell to her knees.
"Great! Just great! How many times can we lose track of that jerk!"
Mendy thought for a second, then snapped her fingers.
"Hey, let's get Marill to help us out like it did in Viridian Forest!"
Nami beamed. Why didn't she think of that? Sometimes she wonders what she would do without Mendy.
"Mendy, you're a genius. As long as we have Marill with us, we can keep track of that jerk no matter where he goes."
She dug into her backpack until she found Marill's pokéball. The moment she pulled it out of the bag, she felt something crawl up her leg. She looked down and saw a Paras inch its way up her shin.
In the moment of surprise, she screamed and kicked the Paras away. Paras sailed through the cave until it landed on the back of a Sandshrew. In its irritation, Sandshrew swatted Paras away with its tail sending it flying to the other side of the cave where it landed on its back on top of several Diglett. The Diglett ran through the cave in fury, shaking the interior. The ceiling rattled, disturbing the Zubat resting there. They opened their eyes and flew around the entire cave. Several of them launched a Supersonic attack causing others to do the same.
Mendy and Nami shrieked as the Zubat approached. They swatted them away as they circled around their heads. Mendy found an opening, grabbed Nami's wrist, and pulled her away from the swarm. They ran down one of the paths with the Zubat following closely behind them.
"Nami! Why did you do that?"
"I panicked, okay? Shut up!"
They ran down the cave as fast as they could. They could feel the Zubat inching closer to them. The flapping of their wings grew louder and their screeching became ear-splitting.
Mendy saw a side hallway and motioned Nami toward it. They both jumped in at the same time and covered their heads as the Zubat flew over. When the last one flew by, they slowly sank to the ground in relief.
Mendy wiped her brow and took in deep breaths.
"Great, now… we're even deeper… in the cave… and we still have… no clue where we are."
Nami gulped down as much air as she could.
"Don't… blame this… on me."
Mendy heaved in breaths.
"I wasn't, but that actually sounds like a good idea."
In the midst of their break, they heard voices coming further down the cave. Mendy tapped Nami on the arm and lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
Nami nodded and dropped her voice to a whisper as well.
"Yeah, I think it came from over there."
Both girls stood up and kept quiet. They hoped the voices belonged to some good people who could help them out of the cave. They waited until two figures emerged from the shadows. Two men wearing all black with a silver 'C' on their chests stood in front of them. Both men had muscular features with one being clean shaven and the other had a goatee.
The clean-shaven one nudged his partner in the arm.
"Hey, Klaus, look what we've found; a couple of girls lost in a cave."
Klaus smoothed down his goatee then cracked his knuckles.
"Yeah, I see 'em, Marzell. It's a shame they wandered here. We should do the gentlemanly thing and help show them the way out."
The girls backed away from them as much as they could. Nami furrowed her brow and moved in front of Mendy.
"Who are you guys and what are you doing here?"
Klaus and Marzell laughed and got their pokéballs ready.
"Sorry, little lady, but we're not obliged to answer that." They threw their pokéballs into the air, releasing two Poochyena. The Poochyena growled at the girls, baring their fangs and giving them vicious looks as though they would bite off their legs if given the chance. Klaus smoothed down his goatee again. "Why don't you girls just do us a favor and hand over your pokémon before you end up getting hurt? We promise to let you both go free if you cooperate."
The girls stood their ground. Nami gripped Marill's pokéball and pulled another one from her bag. She looked over at Mendy and thought about her last battle. With Squirtle being the only pokémon she had, she didn't have a way to defend herself.
"Mendy, stand back! I've got this! Marill, Staryu, I need your help!"
Marill popped out of the ball and looked around with a smile on its face while its zigzag-patterned tail swaying from side to side. Staryu emerged beside Marill. The red jewel at the center of its star-like frame glistened under the lights in the cave.
Mendy turned toward Nami. Nami couldn't be thinking of taking them both on by herself, could she?
"Nami? What're you…?"
Nami kept her focus on the two men.
"Look, I'll be fine. Just stand behind me. You can't battle anyway. Squirtle's too exhausted, remember? Don't worry. I'll take care of these guys in no time."
Mendy's eyes widened. She thought about the last battle and how badly Squirtle got beaten. She couldn't bring Squirtle out to fight now. He still hadn't recovered. But she couldn't let Nami fight both of them all by herself.
Just then, Squirtle popped out of his pokéball and stood in front of Mendy. The moment he landed, he fell to his knees. The wounds from the previous battle still took their toll on him.
Mendy looked at him in shock.
"Squirtle! What're you doing? Get back in your ball! You're too injured to fight!"
Squirtle looked back at Mendy and shook his head. No matter what, he had to fight. He had to protect his trainer.
Mendy didn't know what to say. Squirtle still wanted to battle, to protect her, even after all he'd gone through. His devotion to her made her smile as tear fell down her cheek. If Squirtle steeled himself to risk everything, then she as his trainer, had no reason to give anything less. She knew the risks, but she decided to put her faith in Squirtle.
"Nami, you ready?"
Nami gave a nod.
"Yeah, let's do this."
Klaus and Marzell braced themselves. Klaus smoothed out this goatee and launched the first attack.
"Poochyena! Attack the turtle! Shadow Ball!"
Poochyena reared back and launched its attack at Squirtle.
Nami grinned.
"Marill, back Squirtle up with Water Gun!"
Marill hobbled over to Squirtle's side and launched a stream of water at the Shadow Ball. An explosion occurred at the moment of impact that shook the cave.
Mendy smiled.
"Thanks for the save, Nami! Squirtle, jump on Marill and use Water Gun!"
Squirtle hopped on the ball of Marill's tail. After he got into position, Marill launched him into the air. There, he reared back and launched an attack at Poochyena.
Marzell grinned.
"Don't get cocky! Poochyena, Shadow Ball!"
Poochyena launched its attack to counter Squirtle's. The explosion knocked Squirtle back and he landed on his stomach.
Mendy stared at Squirtle not knowing what to do. She knew he had reached his limit, but she didn't have the heart to try and stop him.
"Squirtle, can you keep going?"
Squirtle looked back at her and gave a nod.
Mendy smiled.
"Alright! Let's try another Water Gun!"
Klaus grinned as Squirtle wound up for another attack.
"Poochyena, Sucker Punch!"
Before Squirtle could launch his attack, Poochyena slammed Squirtle in the stomach, sending him flying across the cave.
Mendy watched in horror as Squirtle collided against the cave wall and fell onto his back. Her mind instantly went back to her battle with Raye. Seeing Squirtle get injured again paralyzed her. All she could think about was how could she let Squirtle battle in his condition.
Nami looked over at Mendy. She knew this would happen. She had to try and end the battle as quickly as possible. She then looked back at Klaus and Marzell.
"How dare you? Staryu, Double-Edge!"
Staryu jumped into the air and flew rapidly towards Marzell's Poochyena. Marzell grinned. He'd been waiting for her to come in close.
"Poochyena, Thunder Fang!"
Poochyena bared its fangs as they sparked with electricity. It caught Staryu in its jaw and crunched down on it. The electricity surged through Staryu's body, weakening it with each passing second.
Nami clenched her fists.
"Marill, help Staryu! Use Rollout!"
Marill got a running start then curled itself into a ball and rolled toward Poochyena. The more distance Marill covered, the faster it went.
Klaus saw an opening and took it without hesitation.
"Poochyena, Roar!"
Poochyena reared back and then hit Marill with the most deafening roar it had ever heard. The attack terrified Marill out of its Rollout and forced it back into its ball. Nami stared at it and tried to recall it, but Marill wouldn't come out.
Marzell grinned.
"Thanks for the backup. Poochyena, finish that Staryu off!"
Poochyena bit harder on Staryu, causing the pokémon to flap around in an attempt to escape. After a moment, Staryu stopped moving and went limp in Poochyena's jaw. Nami recalled Staryu then stood up to guard Mendy.
Klaus and Marzell laughed.
"I'm starting to think their pokémon aren't even worth it. Maybe we should put these girls out of their misery and then go back to what we were doing."
Klaus smoothed down his goatee as he thought about Marzell's proposition.
"Indeed, we should get back to finding the Carrier, but I think it wouldn't hurt to take these pokémon with us. At least they'll receive proper training."
Mendy glared at them. Carrier? What did they mean by that? She snapped out of her thoughts when they ordered another attack. The Poochyena reared back and geared up another Shadow Ball. Mendy closed her eyes and Nami braced herself.
Suddenly, a voice boomed through the cave and caught everyone's attention.
"Double Kick!"
Nami and Mendy suddenly felt something whiz past them. They blinked and saw the two Poochyena fly to the other side of the cave. The voice came through again.
"Mach Punch!"
Before the Poochyena reached the walls of the cave, the figure punched the first in the stomach and pinned it to the wall. It disappeared then punched the second. It repeated the motion several times, before it backed off into the shadows.
While this happened, both girls couldn't see what attacked the Poochyena. Things cleared up when they saw the figure's trainer emerge out of the shadows. Mendy's eyes widened as she stared up at Raye. However, she wasn't like how she presented herself when they first met. Her face showed nothing but anger. As if it took everything she had to keep herself from going berserk.
"Monferno, Flamethrower!"
Monferno reared back and launched the attack at the Poochyena. Mendy and Nami both ducked out of the way as the fire engulfed the two pokémon and they yelped as the flames slowly incinerated their fur.
Klaus and Marzell stood in shock. Their pokémon fell to the ground charred and out cold. The two men didn't bother recalling them. They took the chance and ran for the exit. Raye saw them in the corner of her eye.
"Where do you think you're going? Monferno, Mach Punch!"
Monferno went straight for both men. The men blinked and Monferno appeared in front of them. The air left their bodies as Monferno struck them in their stomachs.
They landed on their backs and spat blood as they held their stomachs. Marzell tried to lift his head, but Raye stomped on him, keeping him flat on the ground.
"You're not going anywhere. With Monferno's attack, you most likely have several ruptured organs and a few broken ribs. But that's just the start of your suffering."
Mendy looked up at Raye in shock. Her demeanor had completely changed from when they first met her. Bloodlust filled her eyes. She had to do something to stop her. These men, regardless of what they've done, didn't deserve this kind of punishment.
"Raye, enough! You've won! Let them go!"
Raye didn't look back at Mendy. She kept all her attention on the two men.
"Shut up! What do you know? You have no idea what these people are capable of! You think they're just simple pokémon thieves? These people are far more dangerous than that! They'll do anything it takes to get what they want! Even if it means killing innocent people!" Mendy and Nami sat stunned by her words. Raye balled her hands and clenched her teeth, holding back tears as she spoke. "Eight years ago… eight years ago, they took my sister away from me! I was powerless! Weak! I tried to stop them, but they killed her, right in front of me! I was lucky enough to still be alive! When I woke up, she was gone! She didn't move! She didn't breathe! No matter how many times I asked her to wake up, she wouldn't! All because of them. They did something to her! Not even the doctors could figure it out! I swore I'd get stronger and get my revenge! Monferno!"
At her call, Monferno jumped onto Marzell's stomach. He cried out in agony as she put more pressure on his face.
"It hurts, doesn't it? The pain! The pain of not being able to do anything while someone else takes something precious from you! You're gonna experience exactly what she felt when she died!"
Marzell caught enough breath to speak.
"P-Please… we… weren't… there. Please… spare… us."
Raye's expression turned to absolute disgust.
"You… you dare beg for mercy after what you people have done? After what you did to her? Where was her mercy? Did you stop when she was crying for her life? Did you? Monferno, let them taste the fires of hell! Flamethrower!"
Monferno wound up for the attack. Marzell still pleaded for her not to do it, but she didn't listen.
Monferno closed in to launch the attack, but a stream of water blew it off Marzell. This took Raye by surprise. She turned to see Squirtle breathing heavily on his knees. She couldn't believe it. That thing actually managed to hit her Monferno?
"Monferno! Take it out!"
Monferno charged at Squirtle, but missed when Mendy recalled it. It zoomed past Mendy and collided with the cave wall. It cracked and boulders avalanched onto Monferno's arm. It tried but couldn't free its hand out of the rubble.
Mendy took the chance and tackled Raye off Marzell. The girls struggled against each other until Mendy finally pinned her to the ground. Raye calmed down long enough to speak.
"What do you think you're doing? Are you siding with them?"
Mendy shook her head.
"No! I'm trying to make you see what you're doing is wrong! Pokémon aren't meant to be tools for war or for you to seek vengeance!"
The look on Raye's face didn't change. Her anger simply rose.
"Monferno is my servant, and I'm its master! It will do what I tell it to! It's no business of yours!"
"And what about your sister? What do you think she'd say if she saw you like this? Living for revenge? What kind of life is that? And even if you get your revenge, then what? What will you have? You'd have wasted your whole life by then!"
Raye clenched her teeth.
"You and your stupid preaching! Don't go acting like you know everything!"
She kneed Mendy in the stomach then punched her in the jaw. The impacts knocked the wind out of her and she fell to her side. Nami's eyes widened as she saw Mendy lying on the ground. She ran up and held Mendy in her arms.
"Mendy! Mendy! Are you okay? Say something!"
Mendy stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at Nami's worried face and then gave a nod.
"Yeah, I'm okay, Nami, don't worry."
They looked up at Raye who stared down at them with clenched fists.
"What makes you think you know anything about me? What could a worthless person like you ever know about losing something important to them? Every day, I'm haunted by that memory of seeing my sister dead in my arms! Wasting my life? I've already lost it! These people stole it from me! I've lost everything! The only way I can find peace, is by killing the man who killed her!" She recalled Monferno and placed the ball back on her belt. "Let this be a warning to you. If you get in my way again, I won't hesitate in taking you out as well."
She walked out of the cave leaving Mendy and Nami together with the defeated Chaos members. Nami turned her attention back to Mendy.
"Mendy, can you stand? How're you feeling?"
Mendy staggered back up and held her stomach. She wiped the blood from her mouth and stared at the exit Raye took with her words resonating in her mind. "Worthless". Why did it have to be that word? Tears flooded her eyes, and she fought with everything she had to keep them from falling.
Nami placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you did the right thing. You couldn't just let her go through with it. Come on, let's go find the others."
Mendy wiped her tears away and gave a nod and Nami called Marill out of its pokéball. Marill still shook from the effects of Roar.
"Marill, we're looking for the others. Can you tell us where they are?"
Marill gave a hesitant nod and listened in for Jin and Ayden. Its ears twitched and wiggled as it concentrated. Finally, it opened its eyes and ran out of the cave. Nami cracked a smile.
"Come on, let's hurry."
Mendy gave a nod and they walked out together with Nami as her crutch.
Ayden and Jin followed Clefairy as she led them deep within Mt. Moon. As they turned a corner, Clefairy stopped hopping and stayed close to the wall. Ayden and Jin copied her and peaked around the corner. They saw a large clearing surrounded by tall jagged rock formations. The formations left an opening allowing the sunlight to stream in and illuminate the clearing. In the center was a large spherical stone that glistened in the sunlight, showing the reflections of everything in the room as if it were a kaleidoscope. Ayden and Jin recognized it immediately as the Moon Stone.
Jin stood in awe. He had never seen anything like this before. He couldn't take his eyes off it. He stood up to get a closer look until Ayden placed his hand on his shoulder and held him back. Jin looked back at Ayden.
"What? I'm just going to get a closer-,"
Ayden held a finger to his lips and ushered Jin to look closer within the clearing. Jin obliged and his eyes widened as he watched several members of Team Chaos walk back and forth carrying Clefairy in cages. Others chipped away at the Moon Stone until they held chunks in their hands. When they got what they needed, they went over and held it against the Clefairy.
Clefairy reacted to the Moon Stone and a blinding flash of light absorbed them. When the light dissipated, Clefairy had evolved into Clefable. The Chaos member grinned at the result.
The members moved the caged pokémon from one side to the other keeping the Clefairy and Clefable separated. One grunt finished setting a cage down and smiled at the angry Clefable inside. He went back over to the other side of the clearing and stared down at the frightened Clefairy.
"Alright, now we'll get the rest of you evolved, send you to our boss, and give you guys to the Experiment Sector along with what's left of the Moon Stone. Alright, men! Don't take too much out of the stone! We still need it for the other half of the plan! Also, keep an eye out for the Carrier! According to our men, he's somewhere in Mt. Moon!"
Jin balled his hands in anger.
"This is terrible. How could they do something like this to them?"
Ayden focused all his energy in keeping his anger in.
"I know, what makes it even worse is that's not just any Moon Stone. It's way more precious to them than that. The Clefairy worship that stone and they let it decide which among them would be the next to evolve. The Clefairy see that Moon Stone as their god."
Jin's eyes widened.
"Their god? You sure?"
He looked down at Clefairy and it nodded its head. Jin adjusted his glasses.
"This is unreal. I knew the Moon Stone was important to them, but I didn't know it was their god."
"Yeah, but these guys couldn't care less about something like that."
Jin turned and whispered to Ayden.
"We've got to do something! We can't just let them get away with this!"
Ayden nodded.
"I know, but we need a plan. We can't just go in and start attacking. There are too many of them for us to fight alone. There's no telling what kind of pokémon they have up their sleeves."
Suddenly, they heard one of the Clefairy scream. A Chaos member hit it with a whip as it tried to get away. When it hit the ground, he continued to whip it. The Clefairy covered its head, but it was barely able to stop the pain.
Jin clenched his teeth. He looked down and noticed Clefairy had disappeared. He looked back into the clearing and saw Clefairy hopping toward the Chaos members.
"Clefairy! No! We have to come up with a plan!"
The other members took notice of Clefairy's arrival and focused their attention on it. One member stepped out from the rest. He had a scruffy beard and a square jaw, a large build and easily towered the other members. His shoulders displayed a gold bar.
"Look here, men. Looks like we missed one. Someone hurry and get it in a cage and put it with the rest!"
One member stepped up out of the crowd.
"As you command, Lieutenant Rüdiger!"
He pulled out a pokéball and threw it. It burst open and a Zubat appeared. It flew straight toward Clefairy, but quickly fell to the ground by a bolt of electricity. All the members looked to see who launched the attack.
Ayden and Jin appeared in the entrance with Piik charging up her cheeks gearing up for the battle. Jin took out a pokéball and held it up.
"Sorry, but your plans for the Clefairy stop here! We're not gonna allow you to hurt any more of them! Go Vulpix!" Vulpix popped out of her ball and joined Piik on the field. She bared her teeth and her fur stood on end. "Now, release all the Clefairy and leave them and the Moon Stone alone!"
Rüdiger scratched his beard and stepped forward. Ayden and Jin looked up at the giant who stood twice their size. He leaned forward and stared at them and immediately took notice of Ayden's hair and Piik's cheeks.
"I'm Chaos Second Lieutenant Rüdiger, leader of this operation. My promotion is at stake for the success of this mission, and I'm not about to let some kids ruin it for me. When this is over, not only will we have some rare specimens and the Moon Stone, but the Carrier will be with us as well." Jin looked at Rüdiger in confusion. What did he mean by 'Carrier'? Rüdiger straightened up and went back behind his barricade of soldiers. "You all, take care of them."
At his command, all the other members pulled out their pokéballs and threw them. The room became filled with Poochyena, Zubat, and Houndour. Jin took a step back at the horde of opponents before them.
"Aw man! I didn't expect us to be outnumbered by this much. Any ideas?"
Ayden remained calm as he took a step forward.
"Just one."
Jin looked at him as the other pokémon closed the gap between them. Ayden raised his fingers into the air and snapped. Piik knew what that meant. He wanted her to use every ounce of her power to attack the enemy. Piik charged up her cheeks and unleashed her attack. The electricity hit every opponent, shocking them to the ground and knocking them out.
Jin looked at Piik then at Ayden. Since when could she do that? What kind of training has he been doing with her?
When the attack finished, Piik stumbled and then sat on the ground. Ayden ran up and gathered her in his arms. The attack took a lot out of her and he only needed her to do it when they were in a tight spot. The snap was Piik's signal to use that particular move. Unfortunately, with her energy depleted, she wouldn't be able to battle for the rest of the day.
"Way to go, Piik. Rest up for now, okay?"
Piik nodded and relaxed in Ayden's arms.
Rüdiger looked behind him and saw all his subordinates had been defeated. He grinned. He knew they wouldn't stand a chance against the Carrier in the long run, but he'd thought they'd at least last a few minutes.
"Well, looks like you're tougher than I thought, boy. You've done well to make it this far, but you're gonna wish you hadn't."
He pulled out his pokéball and threw it. It burst open and a large bipedal purple pokémon with reptilian-like features emerged. It roared and pounded its chest as it geared up for battle. The cave shook with each stomp of his foot.
Rüdiger's subordinates cheered, elating in that they would get to see his famous Nidoking in action. Cheers of 'Take 'em down, Boss' and 'Destroy them' echoed throughout the room. Rüdiger scratched his beard and grinned.
"You'll find my Nidoking is on a completely different playing field than my subordinates' pokémon. You won't be getting any cheap shots with him."
Jin stepped forward.
"Oh yeah? Well we'll just see about that! Vulpix, Fire Spin!"
Vulpix jumped into the air and launched a stream of flames at Nidoking. Nidoking stood unfazed as the flames danced around its body, building a wall around it. It lifted its foot and stomped the ground, forcing the flames to dissipate.
Jin took a step back. The flames just bounced off of it. They didn't even hurt it at all. Ayden pulled out another pokéball and threw it. It burst open and Heracross emerged. Heracross looked around with its claws intermingled with each other. He looked up and gazed at Nidoking staring it down. The sight of Nidoking's fierce face and destructive-looking physique caused it to run back behind Ayden.
Of all the pokémon Ayden would call him out to face, he wanted him to face that? A Nidoking? It looked like it could break the back of anything stupid enough to get caught by it. Heracross shook his head and shivered behind Ayden.
Jin face palmed. Things just took a turn for the worse. How could Heracross cower at a time like this?
Rüdiger laughed along with his subordinates.
"Is this your lineup, boy? You expect to defeat me with that coward of a pokémon?"
He and his subordinates laughed even harder giving Heracross more of a reason to shrink behind Ayden. He closed his eyes and hoped with all his being that Ayden would call him back into his pokéball. He opened his eyes when he felt Ayden's hand on his head. He looked up and saw Ayden staring at him.
"I know I'm asking a lot out of you. But we really need you right now. Our other pokémon don't have the strength to stand up against his Nidoking. This is the time to face your fears. I know you can do it."
Heracross gazed at Ayden. Did Ayden really have that much confidence in him? Did he really think he could take this Nidoking? If Ayden felt that way, then he couldn't just stand back and let that confidence go to waste, no matter how scary that Nidoking looked, he couldn't let Ayden down.
Heracross nodded and then stepped out in front. Nidoking roared and its voice carried throughout the room. It sent shivers down Heracross' back, but he stood his ground. He'd come this far, he couldn't back down now.
Rüdiger scratched his beard.
"Looks like it grew a backbone. Nidoking, let's break it in half! Use Tackle!"
Nidoking revved up its energy and charged straight at Heracross.
"Heracross, Endure!" At Ayden's call, Heracross planted its feet into the dirt and stopped Nidoking from advancing. "Heracross, push it back!"
Heracross tried to push Nidoking, but Nidoking pushed Heracross back inch by inch, causing Heracross to exert more energy just to keep its grip on it.
Jin adjusted his glasses.
"This is unreal. The amount of power that thing has."
Ayden shook his head.
"It's not just power. It's Nidoking's ability, Rivalry. Nidoking's power increases when it's fighting an opponent of the same gender."
Jin's eyes widened as a thought came to him.
"Ayden, I think I may have a solution to that. Vulpix, let's help Heracross out!" Vulpix nodded and ran up to the battling pair. "Vulpix, Baby-Doll Eyes!"
Nidoking turned its attention to Vulpix as it gave him the biggest pair of puppy-dog eyes Nidoking had ever seen. It blushed and dropped its shoulders. It couldn't believe something so innocent had stepped onto the battlefield.
Heracross took the opportunity and finally pushed Nidoking back. He grabbed it by the horn and the stomach and gave it a toss back across the room. Nidoking soared through the air and then landed hard on its stomach.
Rüdiger clenched his teeth and balled his hands. How could his Nidoking be made a fool of? He couldn't let these little brats get the better of him. His promotion depended on the success of this mission. He had to shut them down.
"Nidoking! Get up, you lazy idiot! Don't let them overpower you again! Hit them with Earth Power!"
Nidoking roared and stomped its foot, shaking the ground harder than before. Fissures formed and the walls cracked and crumbled around them. The Clefairy and Clefable bounced around in their cages and Ayden, Jin, and their pokémon fought to keep their balance.
Heracross stood his ground. He had to take the attack. He had to overcome his fear.
The ground underneath Heracross cracked into a circle and glowed. After a moment, it erupted enveloping Heracross in a cylinder of fire and rock. Ayden and Jin watched as the attack engulfed him and burn his body from every angle, but Heracross stomped the ground and broke free of the attack. Jin smiled and Ayden nodded while Piik and Vulpix cheered in the background making Heracross blush. That's the kind of determination Ayden knew he had. Heracross' will power to protect exceeded all of his expectations.
Rüdiger couldn't believe his eyes. How could such a weakling break free of Nidoking's attack? It didn't make any sense. He could hear the whispers of his subordinates behind him angering him even more.
"Nidoking, you idiot! Don't let it recover! Quit fooling around and get serious already! Use Thrash!" Nidoking crossed its arms and focused all its energy. Its body vibrated causing the entire room to shake. Steam emanated from Nidoking's body as its power reached its peak. Its muscles bulged out and its eyes turned a crimson red. Rüdiger grinned. "You've all been rather lucky up to this point. But now that Nidoking is using Thrash, your hope for winning just got shot to hell. Nobody and nothing can stop Nidoking when it's using this attack. It's the perfect offensive move. Nidoking, end this now!"
At his command, Nidoking charged straight for the group. Heracross met it half way, but instantly felt a difference from the last time. Its strength had doubled from before.
Nidoking broke free of Heracross' grip and hit Heracross with a barrage of attacks. The attacks came in all directions and strengthened with each blow.
Heracross stood his ground though. He had to keep fighting to help Ayden and the others. Jin clenched his teeth as he watched Heracross endure the beating.
"Vulpix, come on. We've gotta help Heracross." Ayden held up his arm and stopped them. "Ayden, what're you doing? Heracross needs help! He's not gonna last much longer at this rate!"
Ayden shook his head.
"I know. However, this is Heracross' fight. He wants to prove something not only to me, not only to everyone else, but to himself as well. He wants to prove he can get stronger and rid himself of being afraid. This battle will prove that. This battle will help Heracross evolve into a new level."
Jin dropped his shoulders. He couldn't believe how much faith he had in Heracross. He nodded, but still pleaded his concern.
"I get what you're saying, man, but we've gotta do something and quick! Nidoking's pounding the crap out of him!"
Ayden placed his hands in his pockets.
"Just keep watching, Heracross just needs to hang on a little bit longer."
Jin and Vulpix turned their attention back to Heracross as Nidoking decorated his body in bruises. Heracross could hear the cheering from the others telling him to hang in there. He didn't know how much longer he could last, but if Ayden had a plan, he had to risk everything to make certain it succeeded.
Rüdiger crossed his arms and laughed.
"Now do you see? This is Nidoking's power! No one has ever taken this attack and kept on their feet! It was this power alone that ranked me up! Nidoking, end this now! Earth Power!"
Nidoking stopped attacking Heracross and stood still. The command came through, but Nidoking couldn't process it. It stood there as if it didn't know what to do.
Rüdiger balled his hands in frustration.
"Nidoking! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Attack!"
Nidoking slowly raised its arm then lowered it on itself. It wobbled back and forth from the force of its own attack. Rüdiger paused in shock.
"W-what's going on? Why is Nidoking doing that?"
Ayden took a step forward.
"Guess none of your opponents prior to Heracross, were strong enough to take your Nidoking's attack head on. Thrash is a powerful move, but looks like you forgot about its secondary effect."
Rüdiger's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about? What secondary effect?"
Ayden shook his head.
"Second Lieutenant and you don't even know the effects of your own pokémon's attack? That's pretty pathetic."
Jin suddenly realized what Ayden had been waiting for the entire time.
"Ayden, you mean…"
Ayden nodded.
"Exactly, I was waiting for the moment when Nidoking would be done in by its own move. Thrash's secondary effect causes the user to become confused. That's why I chose Heracross for this battle. I've never seen a pokémon with a higher defense than my Heracross."
Rüdiger clenched his teeth and balled his fists to the point veins appeared on his face and hands. He couldn't believe this. There's no way he could've messed up like that.
"You're lying! There's absolutely no way you could've predicted all this would happen! It's impossible! Are you expecting me to believe you've had all this planned out from the beginning?"
Ayden nodded.
"I did. I knew you would teach Nidoking the most powerful of attacks. However, given Nidoking's type, earth and poison attacks wouldn't be able to do much against Heracross, would they? So, you decided to go for broke and use Thrash. You were so confident in Nidoking's power you never thought there would be a pokémon with a defense high enough to match Nidoking's strength. And now, Nidoking's confused and Heracross is in the perfect situation to bring it down with his next move."
Rüdiger laughed. Now he knew he was bluffing. There's no way Heracross could defeat Nidoking. Not in its current condition.
"My Nidoking may be confused, but it'll only be temporary, the effects will go away and then I'll take you down, you little brat."
Ayden shook his head.
"By the time the effects wear off, Nidoking will have already been defeated. Let me show you what I mean. Heracross, you ready? Use Reversal!"
Heracross gave Ayden a nod and positioned himself for the next attack. He balled his hands and focused all the damage he had received prior and channeled it into his hands. Heracross wound up and struck Nidoking in the chest, knocking the air out of the confused pokémon. Nidoking fell backward and hit the ground. Heracross fell on his knees gasping for air. He actually beat that scary-looking Nidoking. Rüdiger stared at his defeated pokémon with unbelieving eyes.
"But… how? How could it lose… with just one attack?"
Ayden walked up and stood next to Heracross.
"Reversal is a move that becomes more powerful the lower the health the user has. Thanks to your barrage of attacks, you've helped clench the match for Heracross."
Ayden patted Heracross on the head.
"You did great, Heracross, take a long rest."
Heracross smiled. Ayden looked back at Team Chaos.
"Now, let all the Clefairy and Clefable go and leave them alone!"
Rüdiger couldn't take it. His Nidoking, his record, his promotion, everything fell apart. He had to do something. He had to make sure the plan still succeeded.
"Everyone, grab a cage and some of the Moon Stone and get them back to headquarters! Do it now!"
At his command all the members scrambled to grab a cage or a bit of the Moon Stone. Before they got too far, Jin turned to Vulpix and Clefairy.
"Vulpix, Clefairy, let's take 'em out! Vulpix, Fire Spin! Clefairy, Metronome!"
Vulpix jumped into the air and shot the attack at the Chaos grunts. The flames danced around them trapping them all inside a wall of fire. Clefairy raised her two index fingers into the air and waved them back and forth.
Jin stared at Clefairy as she prepared the attack. He knew the risks of using Metronome, but he placed his faith in her just as Ayden placed his faith in Heracross.
Clefairy finished charging the attack and her fingers glowed a bright blue. Static charged between the two fingers and she fired the attack. Electricity rained down on the grunts shocking every one of them to the ground. Each one twitched on the ground as the electricity surged throughout their bodies.
Jin smiled and ran up to both Vulpix and Clefairy wrapping them both in a hug.
"You both did great! That was awesome! Clefairy, you and Vulpix make a pretty good team. I was wondering, would you mind if I took a few notes of you and your friends for a bit?"
Clefairy looked at him for a moment, then smiled. Jin smiled back and then turned to Ayden.
"What should we do with them? Should we call the police?"
Ayden nodded.
"Yeah, but first, I have an idea."
Mendy and Nami walked into the room and breathed a sigh of relief when they found the others there. They looked around in awe at what they saw. Clefairy and Clefable littered the room and a bunch of Team Chaos members stuck in cages. Nami grinned.
"Looks like you guys were busy, huh?"
Jin laughed.
"Yeah, you can say that. We were just lending a helping hand to our friend over there."
Clefairy jumped up and down as all of her friends gathered around. They all formed two big circles and danced around the Moon Stone.
Mendy smiled.
"This is so amazing. I'm glad we were able to see this."
Jin took notice to Mendy's condition.
"Hey, you okay? What happened to you guys anyway? I looked back and you two weren't there."
Mendy took a quick look at herself and then waved her hand.
"N-No, everything's okay. Nami and I just ran into some wild pokémon and I tripped trying to get away is all. Nothing to worry about."
Jin upturned his eyebrow then shrugged.
"Well, okay, if you say so. We'll be in Cerulean City in a bit. We'll get you some bandages there."
Mendy's heart sank when he mentioned his plan.
"Um… sure, yeah, sounds great."
Rüdiger banged against his cage. His body folded midway, making him resemble an elephant stuck in a cage built for a tiger.
"Hey, you little brats! Open this up now! Let us out!"
Ayden walked up and knelt beside Rüdiger's cage.
"The police from Pewter City will be here soon to deal with you all. Until then, sit tight and watch the Clefairy and Clefable dance."
Jin crouched in front of Clefairy and patted it on the head.
"Hey, we have to get going now, but thank you for helping us out back there and for allowing me the chance to study you and your friends."
Clefairy looked up at him with a sad expression. She didn't think he'd have to go so soon. Clefairy turned to its friends. She was glad they were all safe, but she had a lot of fun teaming up with Ayden and Jin and wondered if she could go with Jin from now on. The Clefairy and Clefable looked at each other for a bit and then smiled. Clefairy turned back to Jin and jumped up and down vigorously. Jin looked at it then his eyes widened.
"Clefairy, you don't want to come with us, do you?"
Clefairy nodded her head and Jin smiled. He adjusted his glasses and pulled out a pokéball.
"Okay then, welcome to the group, Clefairy."
He tapped Clefairy on the head and she disappeared in a beam of red light.
Ayden tapped him on the shoulder while Mendy and Nami clapped their hands.
"Congratulations, Jin."
Jin called Clefairy out and she hopped up onto his head. Jin looked up and saw Clefable come over and present it with a piece of the Moon Stone.
"Is it really okay for me to have it?"
Clefable nodded and Jin took the stone into his hands.
"Thank you. I promise, I'll take good care of it."
They bade goodbye to the Clefairy and Clefable then left the room and headed toward the exit.
Rüdiger and the others tried to shift around in their cages to get as comfortable as they could, but nothing seemed to help.
"Damn! I'm gonna get that kid when I get out of here!"
They heard footsteps from down the hall and instantly fell silent. Raye entered the room and glared at the members.
They all felt relieved when they saw her and begged her to help them out of the cages. She walked up to them and knelt down in front of Rüdiger.
"Depending on your answer, I just might let you all go. Tell me, who was it that orchestrated a mission to Solaceon Town eight years ago?"
Rüdiger smiled.
"I don't know what you're talking about, little girl. Now hurry up and get us out of these cages."
Raye stood up and pulled a pokéball out.
"I see. You too will feign ignorance, huh? That's a real shame. You had one chance, and you blew it. In that case…," She tossed her pokéball and Monferno came out. "You all can die. Monferno, Flamethrower."
Monferno launched the attack and surrounded the trapped members in the inferno. The members struggled against the cages, but the flames heated them up. Their cries for help and for her to stop echoed throughout the caves, but Raye simply ignored them. She stared at the members as they suffered in the fire. As much as she enjoyed the sight of them being tortured, it did nothing to sate her. She eyed the Moon Stone, broke a piece off, and stuffed it in her bag. With the cries of her victims ringing throughout the room, she turned and left.
Ayden and the others walked down the dirt road until they came to a fork with a sign in the middle. Jin leaned over and read it.
"According to this, Cerulean City is just down this road. Alright then, Ayden, you can get your second badge there and we can also stock up on supplies while we're at it."
Ayden nodded.
"Yeah, you ready, Piik? Let's go get our second badge."
Piik pumped her fists into the air as Jin and Ayden walked down the road, but Mendy and Nami stayed behind. Nami placed her hand on Mendy's shoulder and whispered into her ear.
"Hey, it's okay. We'll go get Squirtle healed up, watch him get his stupid badge, and blow out of there as soon as possible, okay? We won't be there for long. I promise."
Mendy gave a slight nod. They proceeded after Ayden and Jin and continued down the road toward Cerulean City, the one place she never wanted to return to.
Here's chapter 7! Sorry for the long wait. Things have been getting a little busy lately, and this is by far my longest chapter. Thank you again for taking the time to read my story. I hope you've been enjoying it so far. Chapter 8 will be posted in the upcoming weeks. As always, please let me know your thoughts on the story and have a great day.