Hallo! I decided to update sooner to make up for the last one. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Is that clear? Of course it is.
….
Mauville City
"We're finally here," Sara said eagerly as she exited the winding route. Without further ado, she ran towards….
The Game Corner.
"Ooee!" she squealed as she started pressing buttons on a random machine. Not surprisingly, nothing happened. "Why can't I play this game?" she said exasperatedly to no one in particular.
"Because you need special tokens to play them, of course," a dull voice sounded behind her. Sara turned around in alarm only to find a depressed man staring at the slots yearningly.
"Where can I get the tokens?" Sara enquired, barely able to control her excitement.
The man pointed towards a counter where several women stood serving customers. "Over there. But don't count on winning; the chances are very slim. And here -" he handed her a slim case "- you need this Coin Case to get some Coins. I wish I had some Coins," he said ruefully. "I lost it all at the slots. Tricky, gambling is."
Sara wasn't listening to him. She was busy counting her money to change into Coins. She grabbed the Coin Case without saying thank you to the man and hastened off to exchange her money for Coins.
The man watched her with an evil glint in his eye. "Another victim for the Mauville Game Corner," he snickered. "Innocent people are so easy to manipulate."
Meanwhile, our overenthusiastic trainer dumped all of her money onto the counter. "I want to exchange all this for Coins," she said confidently. The woman attending to her nodded absentmindedly and started counting the money. The money then exchanged hands along with a stack of Game Corner Coins.
Some time later….
Sara walked out of the Game Corner sadly. "I can't believe I lost all my money at the slots!" she wailed. She sighed and continued wandering aimlessly to find a Pokemon Center. She could not buy some healing Potions at the Pokemon Mart due to her being broke.
"Hello! Please set your Pokeballs here on this tray for me to heal!" a familiar sounding female voice greeted her. Nurse Joy then came out from behind the curtains, humming a cheerful tune. She stopped when she caught sight of the trainer before her.
Sara stood there in awkward silence. "H-Hi," she said in an attempt to end the eerie quietness that surrounded her.
"Are you Miss Sara whose three pokemon caused havoc in the Pokemon Center in Slateport?" Nurse Joy reprimanded, suddenly reverting from her cheerful demeanor to glare sternly at Sara. The girl quailed under the nurse's stare.
"Then please leave," the nurse said firmly.
"But -" Sara protested. The people in the Center were giving her weird stares by then. It made her uncomfortable.
"Out."
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of debating with the young nurse, Sara managed to persuade her to let her stay, on the condition that none of the three troublesome pokemon will be released during their stay here.
Reluctantly, Nurse Joy took the Pokeballs containing the rest of Sara's pokemon. She refused to heal any of the troublesome trio, however. In the end, Sara had to resort to begging some potions and Ethers from passing Chansey to heal the three outside the Pokemon Center grounds.
A young boy came out to meet her, only to be knocked down by a hyperactive Skitty. He rubbed his sore buttocks grumpily as he delivered his message: Her pokemon are fully healed now, so can Miss Sara go and claim them? Sighing, the brown haired girl recalled her pokemon and went back into the Center to retrieve her remaining three pokemon, who at least were more matured and have better manners.
"Hey Sara!" a timid boy piped from the front of a Gym. A portly man of about forty was standing in front of the door of the Gym, blocking the entrance. He turned around to face Sara.
"Ah, right timing, little one. Please explain to Wally here that his pokemon are not ready to challenge a gym just yet," he said exasperatedly. Behind him, Wally scowled and made a face.
Sara tried to keep a straight face. The faces Wally made were really hilarious to look at. "Why do you want me to say so?" she asked curiously.
"Because this boy wants to challenge the Gym and I think that his pokemon do not have enough experience to take them on. In addition to Wattson's electric fences, he would be defeated in the blink of an eye!"
"Am not!" Wally said defiantly and stuck out his tongue. The man scowled at his behaviour.
"Sara, please battle with me to show my uncle that I'm capable of battling," the scrawny boy pleaded, ignoring the disapproving clucks from his uncle.
"Well, okay." She was out of cash anyway. Pulling out a Pokeball, she cried, "I choose you, Combusken!"
Wally smiled appreciatively. "Go, Kirlia!"
Uh-oh, Sara thought with a sweatdrop. I guess he wasn't joking when he said he had trained hard. His Ralts had evolved into a Kirlia, just like mine. This is going to be one hard battle.
"Kirlia, use Confusion!" Wally ordered.
"Dodge then Double Kick!" Sara called. The Young Fowl pokemon leaped high into the air, evading the lethal attack. It then stretched its leg out before it, preparing a Double Kick attack from the air. She then came crashing down on Kirlia. Instead of lifting her leg to deliver a second kick, she pinned the Emotion pokemon down to the ground.
"Now Peck it!" Sara cried. Combusken opened her beak and nipped Kirlia's shoulder, hard. She registered Kirlia's look of shock before the Psychic Pokemon passed out. Both Sara and Combusken stared at the fallen pokemon in confusion.
"That was unexpected," Sara said jerkily.
I agree, Combusken said. As for Wally, he stared disbelievingly at his pokemon, not bothering to recall it.
"Wally…why don't you recall it?" Sara said gently.
"You're right," Wally said in barely a whisper as he mustered a crumpled smile. He then held out the Ultra Ball he used to capture his pokemon when it was just a Ralts. Kirlia became one with the beam of red light and disappeared into its Pokeball. "I guess I'm not ready to challenge a Gym. Thank you for battling me," he said shyly as he went to the west, away from the Gym. His uncle started to follow him.
Sara turned to go until she heard someone call her name faintly. Turning around, she saw Wally's uncle huffing and puffing to catch up with her.
"Oh yes. It…suddenly dawned on me…that you…might be the person who…had help Wally…catch his Ralts. Why don't you…visit us sometime in Verdanturf? Wally would…be very happy," he wheezed. Sara stared at him before accepting his offer.
"Okay, thank you! Bye, Mr…?"
"It's not important. It's enough that you know me as Wally's uncle."
"Okay, bye!"
Sara waved at the retreating man then turned to face the Gym. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Mauville Gym, here I come!"
….
"Let the battle commence!" the commentator yelled.
"Right. I choose…Kirlia!" Sara said quietly. She doubted if that was a good idea. Probably not, she reflected.
"Go Voltorb," a plump man with a white moustache and a balding head said. He wore a brown sweater and frequently stuck his hands into his trouser pockets. His mouth was always twisted upwards in a smile.
"Use Charge."
"Kirlia, use Psychic to levitate the Voltorb into the air then try to crush it." Kirlia concentrated really hard until her eyes turned red. At the same time, the same red glow covered Voltorb, bringing it up into the air. There it stayed, suspended by Kirlia's power. Small dents appeared on its sphere-like body that resembled a Pokeball.
"Break free with Spark then Thundershock," Wattson hollered.
"Kirlia, let go of it then use Light Screen!" Sara ordered. Immediately, a transparent shield appeared around Kirlia. Both Electric-based attacks bounced off harmlessly away from Kirlia.
"Great thinking, Miss Sara. Voltorb, continue Charging as long as the shield lasts."
"We can't let it do that, can we Kirlia? So continue using Confusion on Voltorb until it is confused." Kirlia concentrated once again, sending lethal psychic waves to the Pokeball-shaped pokemon. She achieved her goal on her third try, when her hopes started to wane. Voltorb's eyes turned into spirals as it rocked about unsteadily, shooting electric bolts everywhere.
"Try finishing it with Psychic," Sara concluded. The Voltorb keeled over and lay on its side (how can we tell anyway?), unconscious.
"Voltorb is unable to battle! Sara and Kirlia wins the round!" the commentator yelled. Behind him, spectators cheered.
"Good job, Sara. Let me see whether you have what it takes to take down my pokemon. Magnemite, you're up next!" Wattson praised, throwing his second Pokeball out into the field.
"Mag-ne-mite," a pokemon droned. This pokemon had two magnets, one on each side, and a single eye in the center of its round metallic body. A screw popped out of its head.
"Magnemite, start off with a Charge as the Light Screen disappears." Sure enough, the Light Screen surrounding Kirlia dissipated as the last of the electrical sparks were absorbed into Magnemite.
"Kirlia, use Double Team!" Sara said, recalling the new move Kirlia had mastered during a battle with a wild Electrike earlier. Instantly there duplicate images of the Emotion pokemon, all moving about in a circle so that no one could see neither head nor hide of the pokemon. All they saw was a green white blur.
Magnemite hovered confusedly in the air, too slow to follow Kirlia's every movement. "Magnemite," Wattson called. That caught the pokemon's attention.
"Just use Shock Wave to hit all of them."
"Try to evade it Kirlia."
Wattson shook a pudgy finger. "Nope, no evading this attack, young lady. Shock Wave will hit, no matter what."
Oh no, Sara thought worriedly. She was right to worry. Kirlia fell victim to the powerful attack, striking her down. The pokemon struggled to stand, to no avail. Static coursed through her body, showing that she was paralyzed.
"Kirlia…can you go on?"
Yes. That was all she said.
"Okay then. Use a Psychic on it," Sara said halfheartedly. She knew that her pokemon was weakening and would go down soon. Kirlia's eyes glowed red, as did the Magnemite. Unfortunately, Magnemite's tough metal body could withstand the strong attack, leaving it unscathed.
"Use a Thundershock to finish it off." A bolt of lightning shot down from the ceiling, hitting Kirlia heads-on. She flinched visibly before crumpling to the floor.
"Kirlia," Sara whispered in a broken voice. I shouldn't have pushed her that hard, she thought guiltily. Oh well. What had happened was over and done with. "Return. I choose you, um, Skitty." Might as well let that obnoxious kitten have a taste of a real battle.
"Start with Thundershock, Magnemite," Wattson ordered.
"Dodge that attack, Skitty!"
What attack? She mewed blankly. Turning to see the single big eye of Magnemite directly in front of her, her smile became a huge grin.
A ball! She squealed as she tried to play with Magnemite. Her sharp claws scratched the surface of Magnemite's metal coat, causing a horrible high-pitched screech. Sara covered her ears in disgust. Just then, the Thundershock attack hit Skitty on the head. The Kitten Pokemon flew all the way across the battlefield to crash into a pillar with a sickening thud.
Ow… Skitty mewed. Let's do it again, she said groggily. Ooh, lots and lots o stars….
Sara stared disbelievingly at the naïve Skitty. I can't believe I actually allowed it to battle! What was I thinking? She wailed inwardly. She threw a Pokeball towards the unconscious kitten. It returned to her gloved hand, containing the silly kitten within.
"Um…Skitty is unconscious! The winner is Gym Leader Wattson and Magnemite!" the commentator said uncertainly. That Skitty didn't seem to have put up a fight at all.
"Ah, so my last pokemon will be…Combusken!" Sara groaned. She was already down to her last pokemon thanks to a playful Skitty. Great. Her day couldn't be getting any worse. Can it?
Her pokemon appeared in the battlefield with a screech. She landed on her two feet and shot a small flame into the air, unconsciously hitting Magnemite's body. That was enough to take it down.
"Magnemite is unable to battle. This round goes to Combusken and Sara!" the commentator shouted over the noise of the crowd.
"You're good, Miss Sara," Wattson complimented. "Now let's see if you can withstand my last pokemon: Magneton!"
What seemed to be three Magnemite infused into one appeared. Electricity crackled around its metal body. "Mag-ne-ton," it said in a robotic voice.
"Start of with a Charge attack."
"Combusken, fire an Ember at that Magneton!"
The battle ensued in full force. Both pokemon were equally experienced, making it a stand-off. Bolts of lightning and jets of fire appeared randomly around the arena. Neither pokemon seem to be closer to being defeated than the other was.
Sara decided to change her tactic. This isn't getting them anywhere. "Combusken, use Double Kick on Magneton." What surprised her was that each kick delivered was Super Effective, causing Magneton's life to be drained to half. Everyone ooh-ed and aah-ed at the sight of the battered Magneton.
"Don't let it get you, Magneton! Use Shock Wave!"
The ceiling turned dark. Somehow, dark clouds obscured the roof of the room. Spectators shivered; the atmosphere had dropped dramatically. Small flashes of lightning came down from it. Combusken stared at it with unease, knowing that there was no escaping it. Sure enough, a huge yellow bolt of electricity came crashing down from the biggest cloud, smacking Combusken to the floor. She lay directly underneath the Magnemite-turned-Magneton.
"Now shoot your Flamethrower at Magneton!" Combusken opened her beak. A spurt of flame came out of it, smoldering the Electric and Metal element in white hot flames. It licked hungrily at the metal casing. Slowly, it melted. Magneton fainted from the extreme heat.
Sara pumped her fist into the air. "Yay! We won! Go Combusken! Uh, Combusken?" she asked uncertainly. A white light had surrounded the Young Fowl Pokemon, shifting its shape.
"Whoa," Sara whispered in awe. A totally new pokemon now stood proudly where her Combusken had formerly stood.
"Blaziken!" she screeched. True, she looked fiercer now, but she was still Combusken at heart despite her physical changes.
"Congratulations, Sara. I hereby present you with a Dynamo Badge!" Wattson proclaimed as he handed her a small badge. Sara held it in her hand with pride.
"My third badge," she said happily. "Great job there Blaziken." Her newly evolved pokemon gave her a thumbs-up.
Why don't we visit Wally? I'm sure you'll like it, she suggested.
"Eh, you just want to show off, don't you?" Sara teased. Blaziken glared at her but laughed along. "Come on, let's go. Thanks so much, Wattson."
Wattson chuckled good-naturedly. "Sure! You gave me a reason for a good laugh, Sara! The battle we had was intense! Mwahahaha!"
"Um…" Sara said with a sweatdrop. "I'll be going now. Blaziken, return!" Turning to go, she tossed a wave over to the old Gym Leader. His loud laughter followed her all the way to Route 117.
I seriously doubt that any Pokemon Center would be willing to heal Skitty, Blaziken hinted before disappearing into her Pokeball. Sara groaned and embarked upon her journey to Verdanturf.
"I'll worry about that when the time comes…."
….
Whew, finally done. I know this chapter is rather bad, I was rushing to complete it before I have to continue with my assignments.
Please leave a review! Do remember that reviews are very much appreciated.
Ja Ne.