Summer and Yuki met a girl named Frieda while traveling through Union Cave and helped her and a man find his Lapras. Unfortunately, Boulder and Raven of the re-emerged Neo Team Rocket tried to stop them. Errol was able to defeat them, but was badly injured in the process. When they arrive in Azalea Town, the girls run into another situation at the town's famed Slowpoke Well. What is going on?

Chapter 9- Down the Slowpoke Well

In a deep well, a boy and his Electric type trained for their next Gym battle.

"Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!"

The Electric type charged his attack through his antennae and aimed the bolt at a large boulder, smashing it into tiny pieces.

Weldon smiled. He was finally able to train without Caleb criticizing him every five minutes. "Six more badges to go, Electabuzz. I gotta admit, these Gyms are tougher than the ones in Kanto."

The Electric type nodded but gave his Trainer a big grin.

"You're right. We have been improving since the Elite Four challenge." He sat on a rock moistened by the groundwater. "I wonder how Summer's doing."

His Pokémon snickered and the boy immediately blushed. "Not like that! I meant her Gym progress. I am still her rival!" This made Electabuzz burst out in laughter, causing his Trainer to become defensive.

"Forget it… Come on, let's get out of here before Caleb realizes where we've been."

But before they could climb out, they saw something suspicious in another part of the well and decided to investigate.

Yuki and I took a rest in the Azalea Town Pokémon Center. After our adventure in Union Cave, we definitely needed it.

"So, should we do any training before your Gym battle, Summer?" Yuki asked.

I leaned back on the couch, still trying to process everything that happened earlier. "I think that's a good idea. With Errol unable to battle for the next few days, I need to figure out who I should use."

Suddenly, a man's voice rang outside. "WHY THOSE NO GOOD, DISRESPECTFUL HOOLIGANS! HOW DARE THEY ENTER SLOWPOKE WELL WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!"

An elderly man in a dark blue robe and wooden sandals ran towards the eastern edge of town.

Nurse Tsutsuji, her nurse cap accented with a pink azalea pin, walked over to see the origin of the shouting. "There must be some drama at Slowpoke Well again. Anyway, I'm sure Kurt can handle it. Enjoy your stay!"

Not accepting the nurse's nonchalant words, we decided to see what was going on. As we left the building, a little girl around the age of seven passed by and tried to catch up. "Grandpa, you shouldn't enter the well without your Pokémon!" But her cries were too far to reach him. She panted and saw us. "Excuse me, but can you help my Grandpa Kurt? I'm worried he's going to get into some kind of trouble."

I nodded. "Sure. We kind of heard him yelling something about Slowpoke Well?"

She pointed to a large well made of grey boulders far from the small buildings of Azalea Town. "It's just over there. But be careful not to disturb any Slowpoke there. They're very sacred to the townspeople."

"We will. Go ahead and get back to your grandpa's house." Yuki turned to me. "Come on, let's go."

We waved goodbye to the girl and ran to the well, where a Slowpoke snoozed under a wooden sign.

[Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokémon. It catches prey by dipping its tail in water at the side of a river. But it often forgets what it is doing and spends entire days just loafing at water's edge.]

I read aloud the information on it. "Slowpoke Well, also known as the Rainmaker Well. Locals believe that a Slowpoke's yawn summons the rain. Records show that a Slowpoke's yawn ended a drought 400 years ago."

Yuki twirled her hair. "That sounds really familiar… Wait...wasn't that the clue in the Rainbow Scroll?"

"Hey, you're right! Then I wonder if that's the reason why someone suspicious is inside."

"I'd like to know how they knew about coming here. Come on, I see a ladder. Let's climb down."

We took turns descending down a sturdy bamboo ladder, only to find the man from earlier clutching his left ankle.

"Of all the times to be old…" he grumbled. He then noticed us when we stepped onto the wet dirt. "Hey, what're you girls doing down here?"

"We heard you yelling about some hooligans," Yuki replied. "And your granddaughter wanted us to help."

The man softly smiled. "That's my Maizie. I guess I can use your help. Since I can't walk further, can one of you stop those hooligans?"

"I can do it," I offered. "I have the most battle experience."

Yuki nodded. "Good idea. I can take Kurt to the Pokémon Center. Should I come back to help?"

"I think she'll be fine," Kurt advised. "Besides, there's another Trainer in the well. Perhaps he can help you."

"Okay, I'll try to meet up with him." I wonder who it is...

"Good luck, Summer," Yuki whispered. She let out Ume, and the pair carefully helped Kurt out of the well. When they were out of sight, all I could hear was dripping water.

I need some help finding whoever's here without being seen. Normally, I would use Errol, but he's still injured… Maybe she can help; she's doing a little better now.

"Swirls, come on out."

The Poliwhirl lightly touched the moist floor and was ecstatic. "Awesome! A Poli paradise!"

I quickly hushed her. "Swirls! We need to be quiet. We don't want those strangers to find that scroll."

"Oh yeah. Gotcha, Dudette."

"Let's see where that path takes us. Hopefully the scroll is down there."

As we walked through the room with sleeping Slowpoke and large pools of water and approached a ladder that led to the bottom floor, I heard a noise from below.

"I think someone's coming upstairs! Quick, Swirls, let's hide behind that rock!"

We ducked into a small gap between the gray boulder and the tunnel wall. We observed two men emerge, and I immediately recognized their black uniforms: Neo Team Rocket.

"So is the boss able to find out where that artifact is?"

"Supposedly. But can we really trust that guy?"

"Well, he seems to know what he's doing. And Admin Archer trusts him fully. Anyway, the boss said some kids may be snooping about. Let's spread out and give them a warm welcome."

Both of them snickered as they marched towards the entrance.

I can't let them see us. We tried to get out the gap, but we slipped and crashed onto the ground.

The voices echoed in the tunnel. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but let's find out."

"Swirls, use Hypnosis," I whispered.

When the Grunts returned, the Water type two purple rings emitted from her eyes quickly put them to sleep.

"Nice job, Swirls."

She giggled. "No probs, Dudette."

"Now, let's go downstairs and stop their boss."

We slowly descended and found a large room filled with thirty sleeping Slowpoke on the ground and small rocks. In the distance was a man with in a black uniform, white gloves and boots, and green hair.

That hair...it can't be... Wait, what was his name again?

"Where is that scroll?!" he yelled. "I've been searching this room for an hour and I can't find it!" Surprisingly, his screams barely bothered the sleeping Pokémon.

As I thought of a way to approach him, I heard someone hissed, "Summer, over here!"

We looked to our left; it was Weldon and his Electabuzz hiding behind a row of rocks. Swirls and I tiptoed to their hiding spot.

I whispered, "Weldon, you're the Trainer who's down here?"

He nodded. "What're you doing here? And why is that guy here?"

"I think they're looking for something that will destroy the region. We need to stop them."

"I agree. Here's what we should do-" Suddenly a Pokégear rang, echoing throughout the room. Weldon turned pale. "Oh no... That could only mean one thing..."

"Well there you are, Weldon!" We fearfully looked at the entrance and saw Caleb glaring at us.

"Caleb, not now!" Weldon growled. "Can't you see there's something more important?!"

But the agent ignored the boy's plea. "Look, you purposely avoided me and now you're fraternizing with your rival? You've done enough damage to your reputation, now come with me. We have to go to Goldenrod City!"

Two purple rings from Swirls touched his eyes, and Caleb collapsed into a deep sleep. The Neo Team Rocket member heard the commotion and snickered at the turn of events. With the stealth tactic obliterated by Weldon's annoying agent, we revealed ourselves to our familiar enemy.

"So, the two most hated children of Neo Team Rocket have finally appeared in my presence. Now, I'll get my revenge! You'll regret hearing the name-!"

The Grunts from upstairs charged past us and shouted, "Admin Proton! There's an intruder in the well!"

"Can't you see they're standing right in front of me?! I was trying to tell them my name, you idiots!"

The Grunts were dumbfounded. "Sorry, boss."

Weldon snickered, causing the admin member's face to darken. "You're name's Proton? I thought your name would be something cool, like Archer."

The admin growled, "How could you remember HIS name and not mine?! Whatever... Since I can't find that dumb scroll, I'll just take out my frustrations on you two! Grunts, let's destroy them!"

The three men sent out their Pokémon: a Rattata, a Zubat, and a Weezing.

Weldon pointed at the Zubat. "Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!"

I followed suit with the Rattata. "Swirls, Water Pulse!"

The strong attacks made direct contact and easily knocked the two Pokémon back to their Trainers. The force pushed them into the nearby pond, splashing the Slowpoke along the shore. The men, terrified at the turn of events, scrambled out of the water and towards the exit.

Proton groaned as he placed his right hand over his face. "The Grunts now are terrible compared to the ones in the past." Then he smirked and placed his hand on the brim of his cap. "But I'm much stronger compared to those two. Weezing, Smokescreen!"

The Poison type exhaled dark smoke, covering the room.

Weldon confidently said, "Nice try, Proton. Electabuzz, Shock Wave!"

The Electric type formed an orb of blue electricity with his hands and shot blue lightning bolts into the cloud. To my amazement, the lightning was able to find Weezing and I heard the Poison Gas Pokémon growl in pain. But when the air cleared, Weezing slammed into Electabuzz and Swirls, knocking them back.

Proton snickered. "My Pokémon has much more endurance. Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"

"Block the Sludge Bombs with Water Pulse!" I countered.

As the orbs of sludge and water collided over us, Weldon shouted, "Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!"

The yellow lightning bolt made contact with Weezing once more, but he and his Trainer laughed. "Weezing, Payback!"

"Oh no," Weldon gasped as the Poison type formed a ring of black energy around his body. "Quick Electabuzz, end Weezing with Thunder!"

Electabuzz's Thunder might not be able to charge up in time. "Swirls, help out by using Hypnosis!"

Swirls jumped in between the two and shot two purple rings at the advancing Weezing. His eyes slowly drooped, and the strength of the energy ring diminished.

"Now, Electabuzz!"

The powerful Electric attack shot from the ceiling of the well and connected with the sleeping Pokémon. Proton gritted his teeth as his Pokémon laid on the ground, unable to move. "Why you! I'll stop you myself!" He charged at us with his arms forward, only to trip over a Slowpoke lying near the path. "Get out of my way, you useless Pokémon!" He got up, kicked the Water type into a nearby pond, and continued his rampage.

A burst of anger flowed through my body. "How dare you hurt that Slowpoke! Swirls, Ice Punch!"

Weldon added, "Electabuzz, Shock Wave!"

The Electric attack bent around the sleeping Slowpoke and struck Proton's right side. This stunned the New Team Rocket Admin, giving Swirls a large opening to slam her light blue fist into his chest. As he became encased in ice, the Slowpoke woke up and realized the enemy was in their presence was now immobilized. The surrounded the trapped Proton in blue energy and shot him out of the well.

I heard his muffled remark, "I'll get you two if it's the last thing I do!"

The largest of the Dopey Pokémon, most likely the leader, drawled his words, "Thank you for helping us getting rid of those hooligans. We thought that pretending to be sleeping would get them to leave."

I sweatdropped. I don't think that really solves this problem.

"What are they saying, Summer?" Weldon inquired.

"Don't worry. It's not that important." I knelt in front of the Slowpoke. "Slowpoke, I'm looking for the same item that man was searching for. But I want to use it to help the region. Do you know where it is?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know, but I was told by the past leader what to do in such a case. Please have you and your companions take a deep breath." He called to the fellow Slowpoke, "Everyone! In gratitude for these two youngsters in protecting our well, we must reveal the secret. Now, yawn!"

The thirty Slowpoke opened their mouths wide and released puffy white clouds. We held our breath until the clouds merged to form a large, dark cloud above our heads. Suddenly, water fell from the clouds, creating a small indoor storm. The moist environment caused the blue walls to turn dark grey, and I noticed something on a brick at the southwest corner. I walked towards it and saw it was a rainbow carving. I carefully wiggled the brick loose, and inside the stone was a small scroll.

"What's that, Summer?" Weldon wondered as I put the brick back in.

"It's a long story, Weldon. But it's related to the fate of Johto."

My rival chuckled. "Look at you, traveling, meeting new people, defeating evil teams. You've been really busy since the Indigo League."

I grinned. "You've been busy too, with the Elite Four challenge and your duties as a Regional Champion."

"To be honest...I don't know if that was the right decision." I wanted to ask about it, but Caleb started to stir. "You should leave, Summer. I don't want you be here when Caleb wakes up. He'll just bore you to sleep."

I chuckled and my Pokémon climbed out of the room first. I turned to Weldon and uttered, "Weldon, I'm happy we got to speak to each other again."

"Me too. See you soon, Summer."

I followed Lightning and Swirls out of the well and back to the Pokémon Center. There, Yuki and Maizie waited for me inside.

"How'd it go, Summer?" the Sinnoh native asked.

"Good, it was Neo Team Rocket who were causing trouble. We should talk about this later."

I showed her the scroll as Kurt limped towards us in crutches. I hastily put the scroll in my backpack, and we approached the man.

"Are you okay, Grandpa?" Maizie asked as she hugged him.

He chuckled and returned the gesture. "I'm fine, although Nurse Tsutsuji's being overly cautious." He then addressed us. "Thank you for taking care of those hooligans. Come over to my house; I want to give you girls something."

We made our way to his house, just west of the Pokémon Center. It was a small hut with seven trees bearing unusual fruit. They were round and varied in the following colors: white, yellow, black, red, green, blue, and pink. A sign in front of the door read, "Kurt- Pokéball Maker."

Maizie opened the door for us, and we entered a small living room with an oak table covered with various carving tools. Two blue pillows were placed around the table, most likely giving the two a comfortable seat on the hard tile floors. The little girl quickly fetched some more blue pillows from a closet and laid them on the floor for us to sit on. We took off our shoes and graciously sat on the soft cushions. Kurt sat on the bigger cushion while Maizie sat on his left.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," he stated. "I am Kurt, a custom Pokéball maker. I maintain the tradition of Pokéballs created from the Apricorn fruit, which were the main catching devices for hundreds of years."

"I've heard of them," Yuki exclaimed. "They're perfect for Pokéballs because of their round shape, thick peels, and flesh that is easy to hollow out."

"Well, well! You do know your fruit! I can make seven different types from the trees in my yard. Because you helped me out today, I want to give each of you a special Pokéball." He opened a metal chest on the table. Inside were a dark green Pokéball divided by three thin yellow lines in a red diamond and a light green Pokéball with yellow, red, and orange teardrops pointing at the button. "These are a Lure Ball and a Friend Ball."

Maizie eagerly nodded. "The Lure Ball gives you a better chance of catching a Pokémon that are found using a fishing rod. The Friend Ball allows you to better develop a bond with the Pokémon that was caught in it."

"Wow, those are amazing enhancements!" I turned to Yuki. "You can choose first, Yuki."

"Sure." She analyzed her options, then announced, "I'll take the Friend Ball."

"Then that leaves me with the Lure Ball."

"Excellent choices," Kurt said as we took our selected items. "I hope you'll find the right Pokémon to catch with your new Pokéballs."

"Thank you, Kurt." We got up, bowed, and waved goodbye. The family returned the motion, and we headed back to the Pokémon Center.

When we got there, Swirls tapped my arm. "Hey, Dudette. Can you aid me in masterin' a new wave?"

"New wave? Like a new move?"

"You got it. I wanna get a mondo power."

"Well, we can train for a bit before the Gym battle."

"Radical! Hang ten!"

As she ran to the battlefield next to the building, I couldn't help but wonder why she was so eager to learn a new move. But as long as she was motivated, all I could do was help her achieve it.

Summer's Pokémon:

Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Peck, Air Slash (learning)

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Ice Punch

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Slide, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Yuki's Pokémon:

Momo (Wartortle, male): Quiet Nature, moves: Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Blizzard, Aqua Tail

Ume (Swellow, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Roost, Wing Attack, Quick Attack, Swift

Ichigo (Minun, male): Sassy Nature, moves: Discharge, Hidden Power, Helping Hand, Spark

Kiui (Hoppip, female): Jolly Nature, moves: Bullet Seed, Synthesis, Tackle, Sleep Powder

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of the events at Slowpoke Well?

What does the scroll contain?

What move is Swirls trying to learn?

How will Summer do against the Azalea Town Gym Leader?