Critical Hit: Kanto Adventure
Part 2: Road to Indigo Plateau
As Red and I entered the room, we saw a man sitting on an orange couch. He was wearing a black suit, and was probably middle-aged or so. There was a desk in front of him, a computer to the side. The rest of the room had plants and large machines behind the man. He looked annoyed to see us but there was something else in those dark eyes. Respect, maybe?
"So," he began, standing up from the couch. "I must say, I am impressed you got here."
He slowly walked around the desk until he was standing right in front of it.
"Team Rocket captures Pokémon from around the world," he continued, staring intently at both me and Red. "They're important tools for keeping our criminal enterprise going."
"Thanks for explaining that," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "But who the heck are you?"
"I am the leader, Giovanni," he replied, glaring at me. "For your insolence, you will feel a world of pain!"
Red suddenly stepped in front of me, pushing me back a little while both he and Giovanni tossed a pokéball that released an Onix and Venusaur respectively. Venusaur began the battle with Razor Leaf, large leaves flying out and attacking Onix. It was greatly weakened from the attack, and countered with Bind, wrapping its large body around Venusaur and constricting. Venusaur then used Vine Whip to make the rock snake Pokémon faint. Giovanni returned Onix to its pokéball, and sent out a Rhyhorn. Venusaur used another Razor Leaf, this time causing more damage than normal to Rhyhorn. Rhyhorn fainted from the attack, causing Giovanni to call back the Pokémon.
Red did the same for Venusaur and sent out Vulpix while Giovanni sent out Kangaskhan. Vulpix attacked with Flamethrower, which Kangaskhan endured through. Kangaskhan used Bite, hurting Vulpix. Vulpix used another Flamethrower, finishing off Kangaskhan with the attack.
"What," yelled Giovanni, returning the faint Kangaskhan to its pokéball. "This can't be!"
"All right, Red," I said happily. "You did it!"
I looked over at Giovanni, who looked quite furious. However, he quickly composed himself, looking at us calmly.
"I see that you raise Pokémon with utmost care," said Giovanni to Red. "A child like you would never understand what I hope to achieve."
Giovanni then walked by us, heading for the door. He stopped and looked back at us, determination obvious in his eyes.
"I shall step aside this time," he said, a smirk slowly appearing on his lips. "I hope we meet again."
He walked out, leaving Red and I alone in the room. I looked at the desk, and saw something lying on the floor near the couch. I ran around the desk and picked up whatever it was. It looked like night-vision goggles or something. On the side of it, though, was a name that said "Silph Scope" with the Silph Company's logo on it as well.
"Red," I yelled, surprising him a little. "This is it! This thing is the Silph Scope that we need!"
"We should get out of here," said Red, looking at the doorway. "Rocket Grunts might show up any time now."
"Okay, let's go," I said, putting away the Silph Scope in my bag. "Onward to… Um, where do we have to go next?"
"Back to Lavender Town."
"Shit."
We ran out of the room, heading for the elevator. I pushed the button for the top floor, and we waited as the elevator began to move. When the elevator reached the designated floor, we dashed through the halls until we saw the staircase that leads up to the Game Corner. We ran up the stairs and stopped when we reached the top, regaining our breaths from all that running. That sure was tiring. Red walked over to the poster on the wall, and pushed the button underneath it. The floor shifted under me, making me jump off in surprise, and closed up the staircase.
I guess it's to keep the citizens here from knowing about the secret Rocket headquarters underneath the Game Corner. Red and I walked out of the building into the bright midday sun outside. Red took off his backpack, reaching in and taking out his bike.
"We should head over to Lavender Town now," he said, getting on his bike.
"Do we have to go back to Pokémon Tower," I asked, feeling a little apprehensive about the whole thing.
He didn't answer, but looked over at the road leading out of Celadon. I could tell that meant "yes," he just didn't want to scare me. I sighed and took out my bike out of my bag. I got on, and we rode our bikes to the Underground Path in Route 7. We made our way through the path until we reached Route 8. We rode our bikes the rest of the way to Lavender Town, getting there in a few minutes. Before heading to Pokémon Tower, we stopped by the Pokémon Center first to heal up our Pokémon. As we walked to the looming tower, I could feel my legs get heavier with each step.
I stayed close to Red as we entered the tower. I felt sick to my stomach, but I still followed Red, walking up the stairs to the second floor. We made our way through the path of graves, and I couldn't help but remember when Blue and I were waiting here for Red. At the end of the path, another priestess stood by a staircase.
"Even we could not identify the wayward ghosts," said the priestess when we walked by. "A Silph Scope might be able to unmask them."
At that, I reached into my bag and took out the Silph Scope. My hands were shaking a lot, making it difficult for me to have a good grip on the device. Red took it out of my hands, a look of worry in his eyes.
"Do you want to wait outside," he asked me, concern obvious in his voice. "You're shaking like a leaf."
"That was lame," I said, my eyes looking to the side. "And, no, I'm going with you. I'm not staying here by myself again."
To prove that I wasn't going to run away, I walked ahead of him, going up the stairs to the upper level. The third level was definitely different from the second one. It was strangely foggy, making it difficult to see. Red showed up beside me, handing back the Silph Scope.
"We'll split up," I said, doing my best to sound brave. "That way we can find the way out sooner."
"I don't think we should do that," said Red, staring at me. "It would be best if we stay together."
"I want to do this on my own," I retorted, giving him a stern look. "I don't need you to hold my hand through everything! I already told you that I'm not a kid!"
Red remained silent, but then nodded, walking down a path of tombstones. When he disappeared into the fog, I already began to somewhat regret what I said. I was trying to be brave and face my fear, but I'm not sure if that was a wise idea. "Heh, you're still afraid of ghosts and all that? That's so childish," I heard Blue's voice say in my mind. I balled my right hand into a fist. I may be scared out of my mind, but there was something I had to do. And that something was to prove Blue wrong. For a long time, he's been better at me at almost everything, but that all changed when I won my first Pokémon battle against him. Now, I'm going to prove him wrong that I'm the better trainer and that I'm not afraid of ghosts anymore. I can do this!
Or not. I looked around the graves, wary of any ghosts that might be around. I grabbed Breeze's pokéball and tossed it, releasing the Pidgeotto. The bird Pokémon looked up at me curiously, and then checked its surroundings.
"Breeze, you'll stay by my side no matter what, right," I asked, the bird Pokémon staring at me with such seriousness that it could rival Red. Breeze chirped, flying to my side to reassure me that he won't leave. I sighed in relief, and petted his head. Knowing that my Pokémon will protect me gave me the confidence I needed to get through this.
"All right, Breeze! Let's do this thing," I said, walking up a different path than what Red took. The fog was a little thick, but I think I saw a person not too far away. As I got closer, I saw that it was another priestess. Maybe she can show me the way out.
"Hey, excuse me," I called out, walking up to her. "But do you—"
She suddenly groaned at me, staring at me with a really creepy stare. She began to groan some more, sounding a lot like a zombie. I almost screamed but I bit my tongue, taking a couple steps back while she tossed a pokéball that released a strange Pokémon. It had a round black body—or was it its head?—with a foggy purple gas around it.
"Breeze, use Wing Attack on it," I said, watching as Breeze performed the attack on the foggy Pokémon. It fainted from the attack, which caused the priestess to gasp.
"Oh! I'm saved," she said, returning her Pokémon to its pokéball.
"What the hell," I asked, freaked out at what just happened. "Did that Pokémon possess you or something?"
"That was my Gastly," she replied with a smile. "The ghosts can be identified by the Silph Scope."
"But, you didn't… Never mind! I'd rather not know," I said, walking back the way I came from. I quickly went down the path I saw Red take, Breeze flying behind me. That's when I saw another priestess, who also saw me.
"Be gone! Malevolent spirit," she yelled at me, sending out a Gastly.
Breeze flew in and used Wing Attack on the Ghost-type Pokémon, quickly making it faint.
"Whew, the spirit left," said the priestess, calling back her faint Pokémon. "But I think the others above have been possessed."
My hair was standing on end when I heard that, and I walked away as fast as I could. But that caused me to run into another priestess. This one ran up to me, laughing as she did so. When she had approached me, she suddenly screamed, making me jump in fear. She also had a Gastly, which didn't stand a chance against Breeze's Wing Attack. There was a strange look on the priestess' face, as if something had just occurred to her.
"What am I doing," she asked, looking around. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock, and she grabbed me by the arms.
"I'm so sorry," she said, close to yelling. "I was possessed! I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"N-No," I replied in a low tone.
"Really? Because I can see that you're trembling."
"I'm fine," I said, pulling away from her. Holy crap, people really are possessed here! I rushed my way through the path of tombstones, finally reaching the staircase there. Red was also there, looking through his Pokédex.
"There you are," he said as I walked up to him. "I was going to go find you. Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, looking down. "Let's keep going."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
Really, why is he so worried about me? I mean, I'm scared but I want to keep going. Wasn't it obvious that I wasn't turning back? I went up the stairs, Red following me, to the next floor. I had Breeze go back to his pokéball and had Static follow me around through here. Red and I split up again, he headed down the left path and I went up the right path. I saw something lying on the floor nearby. I figured it might be useful and walked over to pick it up. However, a priestess appeared out of the fog, her sudden appearance scaring me.
"Be cursed with me," she said in a low voice, grabbing my arm. I quickly yanked my hand away, Static glaring at the woman while his cheeks began to spark up. The priestess brought out a pokéball, which contained a Gastly. Static used Thunderbolt on Gastly, causing it to faint. The priestess sent out another Gastly, her blank stare really creeping me out. And why do these priestesses all have Gastly? Why can't they have something else? Static used another Thunderbolt, ending the battle quickly against the Gastly.
"What," said the priestess, her eyes looking a little dazed. "We can't determine the identity of the ghosts."
Okay, I think she has lost her mind. I slowly backed away and went for the item I saw. It turned out it was just an Elixir. I continued on through the maze-like graveyard, picking up a few items that happened to be lying around. Of course, it was only a matter of time before I ran into another lunatic—er, priestess.
"Beat me not," she said, running up to me and sending out a typical Gastly.
She needs to work on her grammar. I had Static used Thunderbolt, fainting Gastly and bringing the battle to an end.
"Huh? Who? What," stammered the priestess, looking absolutely confused.
"When? Where? Why," I said, going along with what she was saying. "You're okay now, right?"
"May the departed Pokémon rest in peace."
Typical that she'd say something completely irrelevant. Static jumped up into my arms, obvious that he would much rather be carried than be walking around. I held him as I walked away from the priestess. I have to admit I'm doing pretty well. I felt sick to my stomach, but other than that, I felt all right.
"Ghost! No," yelled another priestess, jumping from behind a tombstone. I screamed because I was definitely not expecting that. Static gave me a light shock, unpleased that I screamed near his ears. She threw a pokéball, a Gastly appearing from it. Static jumped out of my hands and gave Gastly a Thunderbolt. The ghost Pokémon fainted from the attack.
"Where is the ghost," she asked, her eyes darting around all over the place. "I must have been dreaming."
I heard footsteps heading towards us. I squinted my eyes to see through the fog, making out a silhouette. The silhouette was none other than Red.
"Leaf, I heard you scream, but… You're all right," he asked me.
"Yep," I said, giving him a thumbs-up. "See? I told you I'd be okay!"
I returned Static to his pokéball, and released Flare from his.
"So it didn't evolve yet," said Red, staring at Flare.
"No, he didn't. But that's okay! He's perfect the way he is."
Red nodded, and went up a nearby staircase. I followed him, with Flare following me, up to the next floor. It was another floor with more tombstones and thick fog. This wouldn't be so scary if the damn fog wasn't here. And how the heck can there be fog inside a building? A gravesite just wasn't enough for this tower so it needed to have a fog to make it difficult to see. This freaking sucks. There was only one through path so Red and I stayed together as we made our way through the maze.
"You shall join us," said a voice, giving me goose bumps. Another priestess walked in front of us, apparently hiding by the tombstones. Red sent out his Gyarados while the priestess sent out yet another Gastly. The Gastly didn't last very long due to Gyarados' Bite.
"What a nightmare," gasped the priestess. "I was possessed."
No shit! I quickly walked by, leaving Red to catch up to me. I walked until I saw another priestess standing on a weird glowing pattern on the floor.
"Come, child," she said, beckoning with her hands. "I have purified this space. You can rest here."
I was a little wary at first, but I figured what the hell. What could possibly happen? Flare stuck close to me as I walked onto the weird pattern. I didn't feel anything, but Flare looked really relaxed. I noticed a rectangular piece of paper in the middle of the pattern. I picked it up and examined it. It had a strange pattern too. Well, no one is going to use this, right? I'll just keep it for now. I put the tag in my bag, seeing Red walk into the pattern.
"Hey, Red," I began, getting his attention. "What are we doing here? I mean, I just realized I came into this tower without thinking why I have to be here."
"Team Rocket is somewhere in this tower," replied Red, giving me a serious stare. "Don't you remember?"
That was when I remembered the conversation I overheard in the Pokémon Center. Team Rocket had killed a Marowak who was trying to escape from them.
"Those bastards," I said, balling my hands into fists. "How can they kill a Pokémon? They really are horrible."
"You're doing surprisingly well for someone who's afraid of ghosts and the like."
"D-Don't remind me!"
My body started to shake, realizing that it was indeed in the middle of a graveyard. By psyching myself up, I was able to forget where I was, focusing entirely on my goal. But Red had to go and make me aware of the fact that this tower was a burial place for dead Pokémon. Flare growled at Red, not very content that he had upset me.
"I-It's okay," I said, trying to make my voice sound strong. "I'm not going to let this little fear get in the way of what I have to do."
Red just smiled while Flare growled loudly, more than ready to take on any opponents. I walked out of the glowing marking on the floor and went straight to a nearby priestess to show my resolve. Even though I was terrified out of my mind.
"Zombies," yelled the possessed priestess.
"Where," I screamed, panic already setting in. She suddenly tossed out a pokéball, sending out a Gastly. Damn it, I'm getting really sick of these priestesses having the same Pokémon.
"Go, Flare," I said, pointing at the ghost Pokémon. "Use Flamethrower!"
Flare looked back at me, smirking a little before using the fire attack on Gastly. The Ghost-type Pokémon fainted from the attack, causing the priestess to gasp.
"I regained my senses," she said, sounding quite pleased.
"You're welcome," I said, walking away. I saw Red battling another priestess with his Gyarados. The Gastly that belonged to the priestess didn't stand a chance against the large water Pokémon.
"I fell to evil spirits despite my training in the mountains," said the priestess, a disappointed look on her face.
"Let's go, Red," I said, grabbing his arm and leading him down the path. "The stairs to the next floor should be around here."
I spotted yet another priestess by the stairs, a blank look on her face. I guess it's time to use my exorcism powers, not that I have any. But they seem to get better after I battle them, which is kind of weird. I walked up to her, prepared for any freaky sayings she'll probably say.
"Give me your all," was all she said before sending out a different ghost Pokémon than the usual Gastly I've been seeing. It was pretty big and purple with floating claw-like hands. I had Flare use Flamethrower, which surprisingly brought down the Ghost-type Pokémon. I thought it would be tougher than that.
"I was under possession," commented the priestess, a shocked tone in her voice. I walked away, and Red and I went up the stairs to the next floor. A priestess immediately saw us, running straight for us with a panicked look on her face.
"Give me blood," she screamed, making me scream too. Red sent out his Gyarados while the she sent a Gastly. Gyarados' Bite brought down the Gastly quickly. The priestess sent out another Gastly, which also fell to Bite. She then sent out a third Gastly—seriously, why do they all have Gastly? It's really repetitive!—and Gyarados brought that one down too.
The priestess brought a hand to her forehead and said, "I feel anemic and weak."
We moved on until we heard what sounded like maniacal laughter. It made a chill run down my spine. A priestess appeared out of the fog, sending out a typical Gastly to battle us. I sent Flare out and had him use Flamethrower. With her Pokémon fainted, the priestess had a confused look on her face.
"What's going on here," she asked us.
"Um, you were possessed, but you're okay now," I replied, unsure whether to give her more information.
"So, that's what possession feels like."
Red and I continued on. I figured Flare needed some rest so I had him return to his pokéball. I felt okay for now, and I have Red to keep me company. A priestess suddenly jumped in front of us, tossing a pokéball that contained Gastly. Red sent out Fearow this time, having the large bird use Pursuit on Gastly. Gastly fainted from the attack, making the last—I think she's the last—priestess to be free from possession.
"Something fell out," she said, calling back her Pokémon. "My hair didn't fall out! It was a malevolent spirit!"
We slowly backed away and made our way through the path. We eventually found the staircase to the upper level, which made me wonder how many floors this place has.
"Be gone, intruders," I heard a voice say, making my hair stand.
"Red, did you hear that," I asked him, feeling a little nervous. Before Red could respond, a hazy purple gas appeared before us. It had large, glowing yellow eyes, and it didn't look too happy to see us. I reached in my bag and pulled out the Silph Scope, peering into it to look at the ghost. I gasped at what I saw. It was a Marowak. Was this the spirit of the Marowak the Rockets killed? Had this happened before I knew anything of what Team Rocket did, I would have run away, screaming my lungs out. But… In order to get rid of Team Rocket, I had to prove to this Marowak ghost that I wasn't on their side. That and it also felt like the ultimate test to get over my fear.
I reached for Terra's pokéball, and sent her out. Terra used Magnitude, but it was weaker than usual and it didn't harm Marowak much. Marowak, on the other hand, began to focus intently. I had Terra use Magnitude again, further weakening Marowak. The ghost then used Leer, lowering Terra's defense. Terra then dug a hole, leaving the ghost alone. She then appeared again, striking Marowak with Dig. Marowak used Leer again, lowering Terra's defense more. Terra used another Magnitude, defeating the ghost Marowak.
The ghost Marowak pulled away, but she seemed calmer now than before. It stared at me intently, and then closed its eyes, slowly fading away. I sank to the floor, pulling the Silph Scope off my face with trembling hands. That look in her eyes was telling me one thing and one thing only.
"Leaf, are you all right," asked Red, kneeling beside me. I chuckled a little out of nervousness.
"Even after that, I'm still afraid of ghosts," I said with slight disappointment. "But I'm not going to fail Marowak. She told me to get rid of Team Rocket from here, and that's what I'm going to do."
Red nodded and helped me to stand up, which was a little difficult because my legs felt like noodles. Once I was sure I could stand on my own, we went up the stairs. This floor was a little different from the last floors we went through. This one had golden tombstones, which looked pretty nice despite being creepy. I peered through the fog, and saw some dark silhouettes.
"Red, if it's Team Rocket, I'll take on the first one so you can get through," I said, grabbing Terra's pokéball. I walked up to the first silhouette, which turned out to be a Rocket Grunt.
"What do you want," he asked harshly. "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to kick your ass," I said, tossing Terra's pokéball.
The grunt growled and then sent out a Zubat. Terra used Rockslide on Zubat, making the Pokémon faint. I then called back Terra and sent out Static. The grunt sent out another Zubat, which was going to make things pretty easy for me. I had Static use Thunderbolt, which quickly took out Zubat. The grunt then sent out a large blue bat Pokémon. It looked vaguely like Zubat. Maybe it was its evolution? Well, it's most definitely a Flying-type so…
"Static, use Thunderbolt," I told my Pikachu, who quickly performed the attack. Golbat took the full force of the attack, fainting from it.
"I give up," said the grunt, calling back his faint Golbat. "I'm not going to forget this!"
He walked away, going down the stairs nearby. I looked forward, seeing Red battle another grunt's Drowzee with Gyarados. Knowing Red and his team, Drowzee won't hold on his own for long. And I was right.
"Enough," said the grunt, looking quite furious. "Pokémon are only good for making money. Why not use them? You stay out of our business!"
He then returned Drowzee to its pokéball, leaving the area. I moved on to challenge the last grunt there. That's when I saw an old man there, looking a little worried at what was going on. Holy shit, Team Rocket held him hostage this whole time? Guess this means it's up to me and Red to save him.
"You're not saving anyone, kid," yelled the last grunt, running at me with a pokéball in his hand.
"You can read my mind," I asked in surprise as he sent out a Zubat.
I quickly sent out Terra to battle against the Zubat. Rockslide was more than enough to defeat Zubat. I called back Terra and sent out Static while the grunt sent out another Zubat. Thunderbolt brought it down quickly. The grunt, who looked a little frustrated, sent out a Rattata. I had Static use another Thunderbolt, making the opposing Pokémon faint from the blow. I returned Static to his pokéball and tossed Breeze's pokéball while the grunt sent out a Raticate. Breeze attacked with Wing Attack, which Raticate endured through. It then countered with Hyper Fang, hurting Breeze a bit. Breeze then used Quick Attack to finish off Raticate, ending the battle.
"Don't fight us Rockets," said the grunt, returning Raticate to its pokéball. "You're not getting away with this!"
The grunt ran off, disappearing into the fog. I looked back at the old man, who seemed relieved now. He was wearing a white shirt and dark brown pants with a pale yellow apron over it. Red and I walked up to him to see if he really was okay.
"You came to save me," asked the old man, looking at us happily.
"Um," I began, but was unable to finish. I mean, I only came here to get Team Rocket out with Red. I had no idea that this guy was taken hostage.
"Thank you," continued the old man. "But, I came here of my own free will. I came to calm the spirit of Cubone's mother. I think Marowak's spirit has finally left us."
"Oh, I did that," I said, feeling proud of myself. "But, who are you, anyway?"
"I'm Mr. Fuji," he replied with a smile. "I must thank you for your kind concern. Follow me to my home, Pokémon House, at the foot of this tower."
He began to head for the stairs, Red and I following him. We went through all the floors again until we made it outside. I was exhausted, but neither Red nor Mr. Fuji was showing any signs of breaking a sweat. How do they do that?
"Here we are," said Mr. Fuji, standing in front of the Volunteer House. "Please make yourselves at home."
He walked in, holding the door open for me and Red. The kids that were there looked happy to see Mr. Fuji. Even the Pokémon were happy.
"Ah, you haven't given me your names," said Mr. Fuji, standing by the table.
"Oh, I'm Leaf," I said, and then pointed at Red. "And that's Red."
"Okay, Leaf, Red. Do you have Pokédexes?"
"Yeah, we do. Professor Oak gave us each one when we first started our adventure."
"Your Pokédex quest is one that requires strong dedication. Without deep love for Pokémon, your quest may fail."
"Well, I really care about my Pokémon. They're my friends, after all."
Mr. Fuji smiled, and then reached into his apron pocket.
"I'm not sure if this will help you, but I'd like you both to have it."
He handed us these flutes with what looked like pokéballs on it at the ends.
"Upon hearing the PokéFlute, sleeping Pokémon will spring awake. Try using it on Pokémon that are sleeping obstacles."
"Sleeping Pokémon? Why does that ring a bell," I asked out loud, trying to remember where I heard that before.
"The sleeping Pokémon blocking Route 12," replied Red, putting away his PokéFlute in his backpack.
"Oh, right! Now I remember," I said, also putting my PokéFlute in my bag. "Thanks, Mr. Fuji, for the PokéFlutes!"
Red and I walked out of the house, and went to the Pokémon Center. We sat by a table while we waited for our Pokémon to heal.
"So, what do we do now," I asked Red.
"I heard there was another sleeping Pokémon by Celadon City," he said, staring at the table. I looked through my bag and pulled out the Town Map. I opened it, looking for Route 12 and Celadon City.
"Well, if it doesn't bother you, we can split up," I said, pointing at the map. "I can go down Route 12, and you can go to Celadon City. Then we can go around and meet up again in Fuchsia City."
"All right, but will you be okay on your own?"
"Hey, I just went through my worst nightmare in that damn tower! Of course I'll be okay!"
"I was just making sure."
I know that he's trying to keep me safe because he promised my mom he'd watch out for me, but his constant worrying is a little too much. Now there was something else I had to do. Right next to proving Blue that I'm the better trainer was proving Red that I can take care of myself.
A/N: Okay, I know that pretty much everyone who reviewed asked for romance. The thing is... It's a little difficult to write it when the main character is oblivious. However, I know how I can make it work. Well, I'm glad that I got to hear Lavender Town music again. I wish those Channelers said creepier stuff though. It would have made the chapter more fun. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing my story! I'm really happy that you are all enjoying the story so far.