One More Step Up the Ladder 14
Connor clenched his fist as the girl who had poisoned his family's Miltank walked away.
"Who in the right mind poisons a Pokemon," Connor growled, "I can't believe the doctors couldn't find out that Bessie was poisoned."
"Don't worry, I've got an idea," I said, "Have you tried using Pecha Berries?"
"Tried that, it didn't work," Connor said.
There goes my plan, I thought, unless…"Have you tried Lum Berries. They supposedly can cure any status aliment Pokemon have."
Connor shook his head, "Those things are incredibly hard to find," He said, "But, My dad might know of a place where we can find some!"
"Shall we head to your family's ranch?"
"Yes, come on Jesse," Connor exclaimed and ran off to the west. I followed after him as my Pokegear rang.
"Hey Jesse," Jarod's voice said, "Where are you?"
"I'm going to Connor's ranch," I said.
"I have a good idea where that might be," Jarod said, "But me and Tess are just going to relax."
"Some help you are," I sighed.
Jarod laughed, "I do what I can Jesse," he said and hung up.
Connor and I came to a two story red house that looked like something you would find in the middle of a plain. There was a white barn out back with a few silos. Connor opened the door to the house and the two of us walked in.
"Mom, Dad! I'm home!" Connor yelled.
"I was beginning to worry about you sweetie," A womanly voice said from the living room.
"Yeah, we heard some thugs where in the area stealin' Pokemon!" A deep, twangy voice said from the kitchen. A man with a leather vest, denim shoes, and a white cowboy hat walked out of the kitchen, "What in tarnation is that blue haired kid doing here?"
"He has a plan to make Bessie better," Connor said, "But I need to know, are there any Lum Berries around here?"
"Lum Berries," The man said and scratched his head, "I remember seenin' one several years ago on one o'my walks."
"Fantastic!" Connor exclaimed, "Where were you taking the walk?"
"I think it was to the north," The man said, "Yer not goin' out to get one o'them?"
"Look Dad, there is no time to explain," Connor said, "Just trust me on this."
"Alright son," Connor's dad said.
Connor looked at me and sprinted out the door. I ran after him but trying to keep up with him was like trying to keep up to an Arcanine. It was no use. Connor cleared several branches and looked high and low for some kind of sign showing where the Lum Berries could be. When I finally caught up to him, I could see that his breath had escaped him and was probably taking a vacation somewhere in Unova, "How hard can it be to find some Berries?" He asked me.
"I think I know someone who could help us," I said and sent out Emily, "You think you could find some Lum Berries for us?"
Emily sniffed the air for a few seconds before catching a whiff of something, "Oh yes I can! Come on! Follow me!"
Emily jumped into one of the bushes and I looked at Connor, "Follow the Pokemon."
"Okay," Connor said, "Whatever you say…"
The two of us follow Emily as she jumped over logs, ran up trees, bounded across a stream, and let us to a tree that grew something that looked like a pepper.
"That's a Lum Berry alright," Connor said as Emily walked up to the tree. Instantly, she was caught in a snare trap.
"Is that one of yours," I asked Connor.
"No," Connor said.
"Finally," A female voice called from the bushes, "We've found a Zorua! The boss is going to be happy with us!"
"Indeed, maybe we'll finally get that promotion!" A male voice said.
"Will you guys be quiet!" A high pitched squeak said, "There might be trainers nearby."
I walked over to Emily and began to untie the knot, "Who the heck would trap a Lum Berry tree in the middle of nowhere?"
"That would be us!" The female voice said, "And that Pokemon is property of Team Rocket."
"Really," I sighed, "I think not!"
"It will be ours!" The male voice said as a white female with long red hair jumped out of the bushes.
"To protect the world from devastation," She began.
"To unite all peoples within our nation," A purple haired man said as he jumped out of the bushes and landed next to the woman.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love," The red haired girl said.
"To extend our reach to the stars," The purple haired boy said
"Jesse,"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight."
A Meowth jumped out of the bushes and exclaimed, "Meowth! That's right!"
I growled, "Team Rocket huh? Well I guess Connor and I will have to take you down!"
"Right you are," Connor said and took out a Pokeball, "Come on out Scyther!"
"Trey, come on out!" I exclaimed.
Jesse sent out a Seviper while James let his Carnivine come on to the battlefield.
"Scyther, use Wing attack!" Connor ordered.
"Trey, use Flamethrower on Seviper," I ordered.
Trey opened his mouth and bathed the fang snake Pokemon in flames just as Scyther flew over the tide of flame and his Carnivine with one of its wings. Unfortunately, Scyther was smacked by a long vine. The sound of the impact was so loud I figured it could wake up a Snorlax! Scyther shrugged the blow of like it was nothing. Then again Scyther was a bug and flying type so grass type attacks wouldn't be too terribly effective on him. Seviper's tail began to glow with a purple light and slammed into Trey, sending him right into a tree. My Charmeleon got up soon after that and tried to bite Seviper with his fangs dripping with hot magma. Scyther put its claws in an X formation and sped toward Carnivine. When it got to its target, it attacked with godly precision as an X-shaped scar appeared on Carnivine's chest. Trey failed to bite Seviper and was quickly bitten back, its fangs piercing Trey's leathery hide.
"Jesse, is this what you meant when you said that we'd be doing more violent stuff when we got better?" Trey yelped before biting Seviper. Scyther turned around and cut Carnivine with another X-scissor. Trey looked like he was going to be sick. I knew that very second that he was poisoned.
"Seviper, Venoshock!" Jesse ordered as Seviper sent a strange liquid out from its mouth. The attack hit Trey and sent him flying back.
"I can't go on like this," Trey said.
I sighed and recalled him, "You're going to need more training," I sent out someone who was fit for the job, Nelly.
"I'm already battling again?" Nelly asked me, "Man you must like me!"
"You're one of the ones I can put up to the job," I said, "Now, use Shock Wave!"
"Sure thing boss," Nelly said and sent a quick jolt of lightning from his body. The attack hit Seviper as it hissed.
"You sssure are a lot sstronger than your friend!" It exclaimed.
"I do my best," Nelly smiled as Scyther cut Seviper with black colored claw. Nelly saw that opportunity to bite into Seviper's skin and send several jolts of electricity into its body, "And that is how you bite snakey!" Seviper howled in pain and collapsed on the ground. Jesse recalled her Pokemon and sent out what looked like a Woobat who zoomed toward Scyther. When it got close it seemed to cut the wind violently and caused a wave that hit Scyther. Woobat then attacked with a blade of air. Nelly saw this chance as a time to unleash another Shock Wave, sending the Woobat a few feet back. Scyther darted towards the Carnivine and hit it with an X-scissor, knocking it out. James sent out a Yamask as Woobat hit Scyther with an Air slash, effectively knocking it out. Connor sent out his next Pokemon, a Vaporeon.
Nelly gave one look at the Vaporeon and smiled, "Do everything I saw, alright?" The Vaporeon nodded as Nelly ran forward, his body giving off electricity every which way, "Now!" Nelly said and jumped in the air, "Hit me with an ice beam!" Vaporeon looked at him oddly and fired a rainbow colored beam at Nelly. The beam hit his back and launched him towards the two opposing Pokemon like he was some kind of missile. Nelly hit the two Pokemon and knocked both of them out! As Nelly fell down he shook his head.
"Gosh, everything is so blurry," He said as he tried to remain balanced. All of a sudden, his body began to glow white. His body transformed into that of a Luxio, "Awesome! I bet Trey will be happy to have another evolved Pokemon on the team!"
I laughed as Jesse and James ran away. I looked at Connor, "Nice Job."
"Thanks," Connor said and smiled. I nodded, I was just happy that Nelly had climbed one more step up the ladder.