~Author's Note~
Hey! I'm back! This took a long time to type, mainly because I was distracted by a pokemon tournament. WHICH I WON! Granted there were only four people there, but hey! Winning is fun. Ok, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 9
As Arthur traveled down the path, he ran into Francis.
"Bonjour, mon ami!" he called.
"What do you want, frog?" Arthur said irritably.
"I can't say hello to a friend?"
"No. Now let me by." Arthur said.
"Let us battle, my friend!" Francis said.
"Why-" Arthur thought for a moment. "On second thought, alright. It should be fun to give you the bitter taste of defeat!"
"Ohonhonhon! I am strong! You cannot defeat me! I remember how you cheated last time!"
"I didn't bloody cheat!" Arthur yelled while pulling out Mudkip's pokeball. Francis pulled out a pokeball as well.
"Go! Wailmer!" Francis called, throwing the pokeball.
"Mudkip! Show the frog what you can do!" Arthur called, releasing his first pokemon. Mudkip called to Arthur in agreement.
"Alright, Mudkip! Let's use Tackle!" Arthur shouted.
After the attack landed, Francis called to his wailmer, "Quickly, Wailmer! Use Splash!" The pokemon bounced up and down on the grass it was fighting on.
Mudkip and Arthur shared a confused glance. "What the bloody hell was that supposed to do?" Arthur asked.
"Why would I tell you?"
"You don't know, do you." Arthur stated.
"Shut up!"
They kept up the cycle of Tackle and Splash for two more rounds, when Francis decided to change it up a bit.
"Wailmer, Rollout!" He called.
"Mudkip! Dodge! Quick!" Arthur yelled. Luckily, Mudkip was agile enough to evade the attack, and use Tackle before Wailmer came at him again.
That Tackle finished off the Wailmer. Francis recalled him, and sent out his first pokemon. Evidently, his little Treecko had evolved into a Grovyle.
Grovyle was faster than Mudkip and was able to use Absorb before Mudkip could attack.
Arthur recalled Mudkip, and almost sent out Magikarp, but then thought better of it. Magikarp was a water-type. If he sent him out, then Francis would have the last laugh. Arthur couldn't have that.
He grabbed the white pokeball with the pink crosswheel pattern. Francis' eyes widened at the sight of the special pokeball.
"It's all you, Arceus!" Arthur called.
'This is the one you want to beat? Alright. This should be easy.'
"Judgement!" Arthur called. Arceus's eyes glowed, and the pink orbs appeared to attack Grovyle. The psychic-type move finished Grovyle.
Francis recalled Grovyle, and Arthur decided to switch pokemon as well.
Arthur sent out Magikarp to fight it out with Francis's last pokemon.
Francis pulled out a yellow pokeball with a pink and purple crescent moon pattern. It seemed to glow with a soft inner light. "Go, Cresselia!" He called.
Francis noted Magikarp. He laughed. "You actually have that pathetic excuse of a pokemon?"
"Says the one who used Splash three times in a row!" Arthur and Francis started arguing senselessly. Cresselia just floated calmly, watching the scene unfold in what may have been amusement.
No one noticed Magikarp start glowing and changing shape.
When the glowing stopped, Magikarp was much longer, and looked very different. He was no longer Magikarp. He was Gyarados. The pokemon roared mightily.
That got Arthur and Francis' attention. Both of their jaws dropped at the sight of him. Arthur recovered first and grinned mischievously.
"You were saying?" Arthur asked.
"Um, uh, Cresselia! Future Sight!" Cresselia's eyes and moon-like tail glowed, but nothing much happened at the time.
'Arthur! Gyarados knows Dragon Rage now! Use that!' Arceus said.
"Got it. Gyarados! Dragon Rage!" Arthur said. Gyarados released a purplish-blue beam of energy from his mouth. The attack did a great deal of damage, but Cresselia wasn't finished yet.
She attacked with Psychic, which gave Gyarados a bit of damage, but not much. Gyarados retaliated with another Dragon Rage, finishing off Cresselia.
When Francis got over the initial shock of a second loss, he shouted, "Non! This cannot be! You must have cheated again!"
"I never cheated! You just can't take the fact that I'm a better trainer than you!" Arthur yelled.
"I will defeat you, Arthur! I will!" Francis called, riding his bike away.
"No. He won't." Arthur mumbled to himself. He started walking when he stubbed his toe on a rock. "Ow! Bloody-" He looked at the 'rock' that he kicked. It was brown, but not rock shaped. It was rectangular. "Arceus, I just kicked one of your plates. Care to come get it?"
Arceus came out of her pokeball. 'Yes! Here, take the Mind Plate. This one's the Earth Plate.' She took the Plate while Arthur put the Mind plate in his bag.
She turned a shade of light brown on the crosswheel, hooves, and eyes. She seemed pleased to have found another one of her precious plates.
After Arceus had returned to her pokeball, Arthur continued down the path. A few minutes at a steady pace had him at the entrance to Mauville City.
His first stop was at the Pokecenter to heal his pokemon, weakened by the battle with Francis. After doing so, he saw a bike shop next door. He went in, figuring that it would be easier to continue his journey on a bike as opposed to on foot. He found the owner to be friendly enough.
"Hello! Welcome to the bike shop! My name is Rydel. Nice to meet you." He greeted.
"My name is Arthur Kirkland. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Your shoes look pretty dirty. Did you come from far away?" Rydel asked.
For the first time, Arthur noticed all of the mud, dirt, and grass that covered his running shoes. "Oh, I guess you're right. I did come from far away. I'm from Littleroot Town." He said.
"Littleroot? A little while ago, two boys came here and bought bikes. One said that he was from Littleroot."
"Oh, that must have been my little brother, Peter."
"Anyway, you came from far away. How would you like a bike?"
"I would like one, but I don't know how much they cost. How much is one bike?" Arthur asked.
"You walked all the way here. You earned this bike. Take it for free." Rydel walked to the wall and selected a bicycle that could switch gears. "It can also fold up and fit in your bag, so don't worry about having to leave it outside of buildings."
"I don't know if I can accept this as a gift." Arthur said. "Are you sure?"
"Go on and take it. You earned it, and you might need it." Rydel said.
"Thank you very much." Arthur said, awed by the man's generosity.
"No problem. Good luck in any of your endeavors!" He said cheerily.
"Thank you!" Arthur called as he left the store. "What a nice man." He said to himself.
'I agree. He was very kind to give you that bike.' Arceus said.
Arthur walked the short distance to the gym, and was surprised to see Peter and Raivis blocking the entrance.
"Come on, Raivis! Let's challenge the gym and see how good we are!" Peter said excitedly.
"Wait a minute!" Raivis said. "I'll admit, you're doing a lot better, but it's not such a good idea to challenge this gym. It's too difficult."
"I can do it! With my pokemon, we can beat anyone! Then Arthur will have to accept me as a trainer!" Peter said, looking determined. Then he turned to see Arthur looking at him with a large eyebrow raised.
"I'll recognize you as a trainer, will I?" Arthur said. "I don't see that happening anytime soon."
"I've gotten a lot stronger!" Peter said to his brother. "You'll understand after I win a battle with you!" He said, pulling out a pokeball.
Arthur sighed pulling out a pokeball of his own. "Alright. If you win, go ahead and challenge the gym. If I win, you stop blocking the door and let me pass."
"Alright! Here I come!" Peter called.
Peter threw the pokeball, releasing his torchic. Arthur sent out Mudkip. Arthur told Mudkip to use Water Gun and Torchic was down.
Peter took out another pokeball, but it wasn't a normal one. It was a light pink color. When Arthur saw it, he was stunned. He knew by now that when you saw a strangely colored pokeball, there would most likely be a legendary pokemon inside. How had Peter, of all people, been chosen?
A small, levitating mouse-like pokemon emerged when the pokeball was thrown. Peter had shouted, "Get him, Mew!"
Arthur decided to have Mudkip use Mud-Slap on Mew, which lowered her accuracy.
Mew used Psychic, which knocked out Mudkip, just by the sheer force of her telekinetic power.
Arthur sent out Gyarados after that, and told him to use Dragon Rage. This KO'd Mew.
Mew was Peter's last pokemon. He was upset at his loss, but surprisingly took it better than Francis did. "I'll beat you eventually! I'll get lots stronger!" He moved out of the way.
"Thank you, Peter." He entered, and was mildly surprised when Peter and Raivis came in after him. "Why are you following me?"
"Because I want to see how you do against this gym leader!" Peter said.
"Alright, do what you want." Arthur walked up to the area where the gym leader was. He saw a tall man with short blond hair standing next to a small blonde girl with shoulder length hair. The girl seemed to be around Raivis and Peter's age.
However, being the thirteen year old boys they were, Raivis and Peter had an awkward time talking to her.
Arthur talked to the tall man. He said, "Hello. I am Arthur Kirkland. Are you the gym leader of Mauville City?"
"I am. My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. I use electric-type pokemon."
"Beilschmidt. Where have I heard that name before? Oh! I think I met your brother! His name is Gilbert, right?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, it is. How do you know him?" Ludwig asked.
"He gave me a ride to Dewford and Slateport on his boat. He told me to tell you, 'Your awesome brother says hello!'" Arthur said.
Ludwig facepalmed. "Ja, that's Gilbert. How did you get him to take you on his boat? Did you bribe him?" He asked.
"Actually, some wanker stole his wingull. I helped get him back." Arthur said.
"Oh, you saved Gilbird? That explains it. He loves that bird more than beer!"
"Hm. So, shall we battle?" Arthur asked.
"Ja. Let's begin." Ludwig said. He pulled out a pokeball. He released a small, yellow mouse pokemon. Arthur released Mudkip.
Ludwig's Pikachu tried to use Thunder Wave, but Mudkip used Mud-Slap before he could. The attack made Pikachu miss, and allowed Mudkip to attack again. After the second attack, Pikachu was down.
Ludwig produced another pokeball from his bag. He released a pokemon that looked suspiciously similar to the pokeball it emerged from.
"Was that a pokeball inside of a pokeball?" Arthur asked, confused.
"No, but that is what many people think. This is my Voltorb." Ludwig answered.
"Ah, I see." Arthur tried to tell Mudkip to use Mud Slap again, but Ludwig made his call first.
"Voltorb, use Self-Destruct!"
"What?" Arthur yelled. The Voltorb exploded, knocking itself out as well as Mudkip. Arthur recalled Mudkip, and Ludwig recalled Voltorb.
Arthur sent out Gyarados, and Ludwig sent out a Magneton. Gyarados used Dragon Rage which, surprisingly, left Magneton paralyzed. Magneton couldn't move, and was vulnerable to attack. The next Dragon Rage sent Magneton down.
The next pokeball thrown was another strange one. Arthur was not surprised to see this. He found that Ludwig was a respectable person and would be a good choice for a legendary pokemon's companion.
The pokeball was yellow with electric blue lightning patterns. The pokemon that was released from the pokeball was interesting as well. It had fangs, a purple mane, and yellow fur. It had a rather canine appearance, and very large.
Arthur tried to have Gyarados use Dragon Rage, but Raikou was far faster than him. Thunderbolt was the only move necessary to knock out Gyarados.
Arthur brought out Arceus's pokeball. When she was released, everyone was certain that the battle would soon be over. However, Ludwig and Arthur had different opinions on what the outcome would be.
Ludwig called for Raikou to use Thunderbolt again, but the attack had no effect. The power of the Earth plate absorbed and negated the electricity without harming Arceus.
Arceus's attack was Judgement. The orbs of light appeared, but this time they were a light brown color. They targeted Raikou, and attacked. They knocked out Raikou, earning victory for Arthur.
Ludwig walked over to Arthur, putting out his hand. They shook hands, and Ludwig said, "That was a good battle. You are a good trainer."
"Thank you. You are good as well." Arthur said in reply.
The blonde girl came toward Arthur and said, "My name is Lilli. I enjoyed watching your battle with Ludwig."
Ludwig said, "She is the little sister of Vash Zwingli, gym leader of Lavaridge Town. She came to visit me, but I am too busy to escort her back. Would you mind taking her there for me?"
"I don't mind. I was planning on heading there anyway." Arthur said. Peter and Raivis jumped up eagerly.
"We'll go too!" They said in unison.
Lilli laughed. "I'll be happy for the company."
Both of the boys turned glowing shades of red.
They all walked out of the gym, and Lilli called, "Good-bye Ludwig!"
"Good-bye, Lilli!" Came the response.
They exited to the north, and started walking to Lavaridge Town.
By nightfall, Arthur, Peter, Raivis, and Lilli had managed to make their way to the base of a large mountain. They decided to make camp for the night, and take the cable car to the top of the mountain in the morning.
They didn't have a tent, so they simply unrolled sleeping bags that they had brought with them, and slept on the ground.
Arthur decided that it would be best if someone kept watch while the others slept. He presented this idea to Peter and Raivis. They agreed. You never could tell when a wild pokemon would come by.
Arthur took the first watch. While the three slept, he sat on a rock, and Arceus stood beside him.
'You're not expecting anything to happen, are you?' Arceus asked.
"Not particularly. But it's best to be safe, right?" Arthur whispered, not wanting to wake anyone up.
'I suppose.' After Arceus said this, Arthur felt ridiculously paranoid. He jumped at every noise.
His paranoia was not a bad thing, however. Without warning, four people in blue appeared from the shadows. They attacked, but luckily Arthur was able to wake up the others. Peter called Mew out of her pokeball, Raivis called Regirock, and Arceus was already out.
None of them expected Lilli to have a special pokeball of her own.
It was yellow and covered in stars. From the pokeball came a small, star-shaped pokemon.
Peter had Mew use Protect around all of them, though it wasn't very strong due to the range it had to cover.
Regirock and Arceus were on the offensive, attacking anyone who tried to get too close to them.
Jirachi stayed close to Lilli, ready to protect her if necessary.
Eventually, the attackers broke through Mew's Protect, and a poochyena was able to land a dark-type attack on her. Mew, knocked out, was called back to her pokeball.
Though the Protect was gone, Regirock, Arceus, and Jirachi continued to defend their trainers and Peter.
The poochyena that had knocked out Mew also landed a dark-type attack on Jirachi, knocking her out.
A multitude of wingulls using Water Gun eventually overpowered Regirock.
Arceus was the only one left standing. She said to Arthur, 'Tell everyone to get down quickly!'
"Everyone, get down, now!" Arthur yelled to the younger trainers. They all hit the ground, and Arceus unleashed a powerful attack. One she would only use at the most desperate of times.
Hyper Beam.
On the ground as they were, they escaped the full force of Hyper Beam. However, there was a consequence for being in such close proximity to such an attack.
Arthur passed out after the attack. He assumed that the same thing happened to the others.
When he woke up, he was alone at the camp with Arceus.
The attackers, Peter, Raivis, and Lilli were nowhere to be seen.
~Author's Note~
HAHA! I feel like I made a good cliffhanger. The ending was supposed to be part of the next chapter but I felt like keeping you in suspense. Please review!
