Yay, chapter 14 is up! Please read, review and enjoy! ^^
Author's note: It seems I've made a mistake regarding Oshawott's Razor Shell attack. Up until a few days ago, I never actually saw the attack in action and I assumed that the shell is thrown rather than used as an actual blade. The only excuse I can offer is that Oshawott's method of executing the attack is only temporary and he will grow out of it once he evolves. Sorry for any confusion! ^_^'
P.S. I do not own Pokemon.
Previously, Hikari managed to defeat the Nacrene City Gym Leader Lenora and earn the Basic Badge. However, the celebration is short-lived when Hawes reports that Team Plasma is causing trouble in the museum!
"Dear! Come quickly! Team Plasma is threatening to steal some bones!"
"What? What's going on?!" Lenora ran toward the doorway leading out of the Gym. "Hikari, Tatsuya! You come, too!" she called back.
"Right behind ya!" I said as Tatsuya and I dashed out of the Gym. "What's Team Plasma doing in a museum, of all places?" I asked Tatsuya as we ran.
"Hawes said something about bones," the older Trainer answered. "Maybe they're gonna try to revive some of the fossils in the museum."
"Is that even possible?!" I said in complete surprise.
"Oh yeah! But whether that's their intention or not, we've gotta stop them!" he said, his voice filled with determination.
We burst into the museum to find half a dozen Team Plasma grunts surrounding the Dragonite skeleton. Lenora was the first to step forward, and boy was she mad! "Now, you wait! Enough fooling around!" she yelled at them.
One of the grunts turned toward us. "So you've come, Gym Leader. We, Team Plasma, claim this museum's Dragon Skull in the name of Pokemon liberation!"
"You're crazy!" Tatsuya exclaimed. "There's no way you'll get away with this!"
"Shut it, kid!" another grunt shot back. "To show you we're serious, we'll steal it right before your eyes!"
The first grunt pulled something out of his pocket. "Well, then, here's our smoke screen!" He threw down the item in his hand and a thick cloud of smoke filled the room.
"Wait!" I shouted before coughing from the smoke. I could hear the others coughing around me.
I then heard Tatsuya's voice shout, "Shiftry, use Defog!" There was the sound of a Poke Ball opening, and a gust of wind cleared away the smoke. Once the smoke was gone, I turned to see a large brown Pokemon with a white mane that covered most of its face. It had fierce yellow eyes and a long pointed nose, and its hands each consisted of three long green leaves.
"Shiftry, the Wicked Pokemon. By flapping its leafy fan, it can whip up gusts of 100 ft/second that can level houses."
"Whoa…" was all I could say. But then Shiftry pointed behind me. I turned around and I couldn't believe it! "The Dragon Skull! It's gone!" I cried. I heard Tatsuya growl in frustration.
Lenora didn't say anything for a few seconds. She just stared at the now-headless skeleton. "What's going on?" she finally asked.
Hawes was really freaking out. "Oh! Oh! We have to go after him!"
Tatsuya nodded. "Let's go! They couldn't have gotten far!" And he sprinted out of the museum with the rest of us right behind him. But when we got outside, there was no sign of Team Plasma. "Huh? Where'd they go?"
"Where'd who go?" a voice asked. I turned to see a man with wavy brown hair. He was wearing a light green shirt, a red scarf, and red and green striped pants. "Good day, Lenora. Find any good Fossils lately?"
"This is a surprise visit!" Lenora said, her previously angry face replaced with a smile. "Are you suffering from artist's block again? Hikari, this is Burgh. He may not look like it, but he's Castelia City's Gym Leader!"
"Oh yeah, Tatsuya mentioned you yesterday! Nice to meetcha!" I said holding out my hand to shake.
Burgh blinked for a minute before responding. "…Eh? Oh, nice to meet you too. And it's good to see you again, Tatsuya."
"You too, Burgh," Tatsuya said shaking his hand.
"Seems hectic or something around here," he said, noting the state of our group. "What's up?"
"What's up?!" Lenora shot back. "Someone just walked away with an exhibit, that's what's up!"
Suddenly, I heard two more people coming our way. I whirled around thinking it might be Team Plasma, but it was just Cheren and Bianca. "Oh, hi, Hikari!" the blonde Trainer greeted cheerfully. "What's everybody doing here?" She blushed when she saw Tatsuya. "Oh, hi, Tatsuya."
"Hey, Bianca, Cheren," he said with a quick wave.
Cheren cocked an eyebrow. "Guys, is there some kind of problem?"
"I'll say there is! Team Plasma stole a Fossil from the museum!" I answered. "Lenora, these are our friends, Cheren and Bianca. They're Trainers, too."
"I see," the dark-skinned Leader muttered. "OK then. Let's split up and search. I'll head this way," she said pointing to her left. "Cheren and Bianca, I want you to stay here at the museum. Burgh, Tatsuya and Hikari, you three search Pinwheel Forest! Got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" Tatsuya and I said as we saluted at the same time. We then looked at each other and… was that a blush I saw on Tatsuya?
"I'm counting on you, everyone!" Lenora said before taking off down the road.
Once she was gone, Burgh looked at me and Tatsuya. "So, are you raring to round up our robbers?"
I tried not to laugh when I answered. "Yeah, let's get 'em!" Before I left, I went over to my friends. "You guys'll be OK here, right?"
"For now, all we need to do is protect the museum, right?" Cheren asked nonchalantly. "We'll be fine, you do your part." Then he turned around and headed inside the museum.
"Hey, wait for me!" Bianca cried as she ran inside after Cheren. And with that, Tatsuya, Burgh and I rushed toward Pinwheel Forest.
Once we reached the edge of the thicker part of the forest, we stopped for a few minutes. Burgh walked a couple steps ahead of us, and then turned around to face me and Tatsuya. "If they manage to scuttle off into the forest, we might have trouble."
"What do you mean?" I asked tilting my head.
"There are two ways out of Pinwheel Forest – the road that goes straight and the path that winds through the woods," Tatsuya explained.
"Right," Burgh said with a nod. "I will take the straight road after them! If they're not there, I'll block the exit."
"OK, then Tatsuya and I will take the other way to see if Team Plasma is hiding in there somewhere," I said, but I still looked at Tatsuya to see if that was alright.
The older Trainer nodded. "It's basically a single path, so I'm sure we won't get lost."
"Good. Let's do this for Lenora's sake!" Burgh said as he stuck his hand out. Tatsuya and I placed our hands on top, and so did Oshawott and Victini. We then went our separate ways.
Pinwheel Forest was pretty thick, but there was still a path that had been carved out by many others who had passed through over the years. Having spent a lot of time in the forest that surrounded Nuvema Town, I was in my element here. It wasn't long before we found the first grunt. "Hold it!" I called as Tatsuya and I revealed ourselves.
The grunt clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You stubborn brats! When I'm through with you, you won't be able to chase us anymore!" He then called out a small crocodile Pokemon.
"Sandile, the Desert Croc Pokemon. They live buried in the sands of the desert. The sun-warmed sands prevent their body temperature from dropping."
I was about to grab a Poke Ball when Tatsuya stepped forward. "I'll handle this one." He then reached for one of his Poke Balls and let it fly, revealing Shiftry once again.
"Sandile, use Sand Tomb!" Suddenly, a harsh sandstorm began whipping around us. Tatsuya and I lowered the brims of our caps to shield our eyes from the sand, and Oshawatt and Victini hid behind our heads.
"Shiftry, Energy Ball now!" The Wicked Pokemon followed Tatsuya's command and conjured a green ball of energy in his hands before launching it at Sandile. The attack hit home, and Sandile was down for the count.
The grunt started running. "Come on! You're just a kid – a kid on an ego trip!" he shouted back. He tripped over a root, causing him to fall forward.
Tatsuya immediately rushed up, knelt down and grabbed the grunt's collar. "Spill it! Where's the Dragon Skull?" he demanded with an intense look on his face. It was kinda scary, really.
"Too bad! I haven't got anything!" the grunt smirked. "If you want to get it back, you're just gonna have to look for my associates!"
Tatsuya growled and reluctantly released the grunt. He then walked back over to me, his expression a little softer. "Sorry you had to see me like that. I can be a little… intense when it comes to these kinds of people. You wouldn't believe how many Pokemon robbers I've run into during my travels."
I shook my head. "No, it's OK. I totally understand! These guys make me mad, too."
"Good to know," he smiled. "Let's keep going. You can get the next one."
"Yay!" I cheered as we continued down the forest path.
Sure enough, we found another grunt further down. She spotted us and put on a sly expression. "My, my. Could you be looking for something?"
"We could be looking for Berries, but we're not!" I joked, resulting in a snicker from Oshawott and Tatsuya. Then I got serious and called out Pansear to battle the grunt.
Hikari is challenged by Team Plasma Grunt!
"Purrloin, use Fake Out!" The grunt's Purrloin burst out of its ball and leapt toward Pansear. It clapped its paws right in front of the High Temp Pokemon, creating a shock wave that sent it backwards. "Now Fury Swipes!" Purrloin took advantage of its opponent's state of shock and started scratching away.
"Come on, Pansear! Use Lick!" But instead of licking its opponent, Pansear shot a fireball which exploded on contact with Purrloin.
"Alright!" Tatsuya exclaimed pumping his fist. "Pansear learned Flame Burst!" Victini cheered next to him.
"That does it!" the grunt yelled. "Purrloin, Pursuit!" The Devious Pokemon rushed forward and rammed into Pansear.
"Pansear, Flame Burst one more time!" Pansear let one more fireball fly and it hit its target, knocking out Purrloin.
Hikari defeated Team Plasma Grunt!
"Alright, mind telling us where the Dragon Skull is?" I asked crossing my arms.
The grunt shrugged. "Sorry! I'm empty-handed. Do I look like the kind of girl to carry a heavy load?"
I sighed. "Good point. C'mon Tatsuya, let's keep looking." I recalled Pansear and continued down the path.
We ran into one more grunt, but Tatsuya made quick work of him. It turned out he was stalling for time, so we rushed down the path hoping to catch Team Plasma before they got away.
Finally, we reached a small clearing where we saw a single grunt carrying the Dragon Skull. "Need a hand?" Tatsuya called.
"No, I got it," he replied before looking behind him. When he saw us, he nearly jumped. "Pursuers? Uh, ha ha. Kids like you – beat some of us?!"
"'Fraid so, pal," I said crossing my arms. "Now hand it over! That belongs to the museum!"
The grunt sighed, placed the skull on the ground behind him and pulled out a Poke Ball. "That can't be helped, but… I'll take you on now!"
Hikari is challenged by Team Plasma Grunt!
The grunt called out a Patrat while I called out Pansear. "Use Fury Swipes!" Pansear immediately slashed away at its opponent.
"Crunch!" Patrat leapt forward, but Pansear managed to dodge the Crunch attack.
"Flame Burst!" One fireball later, and Patrat was down.
The foe's Patrat fainted!
After that Patrat was recalled, another one took its place. Again? I thought. Seriously, what is it with these guys and Patrat? Needless to say, that Patrat didn't last very long either.
The foe's Patrat fainted!
"You're doing great, Pansear!" I encouraged my Pokemon.
"Pan pansear pansear! (Just doin' my best!)" Pansear said with a smile.
Finally, the grunt sent out a Sandile. I recalled Pansear and Oshawott hopped off my shoulder and onto the battlefield. "Torment!" At the grunt's command, Sandile Tormented Oshawott, making it mad.
"Bad idea, buster! Oshawott, Razor Shell!" Oshawott grabbed its shell and threw it right at Sandile, knocking it senseless. "Now Water Gun!" A blast of water, and Sandile was knocked out.
The foe's Sandile fainted!
Hikari defeated Team Plasma Grunt!
"Fine! Take your stupid skull!" the grunt shouted, stomping aside so we could get to the skull.
Hikari obtained the Dragon Skull!
"Yes!" I exclaimed as Tatsuya and I dashed over to the skull. "Now we just have to get it back to the museum!"
But before we even moved it, I heard the grunt say something to himself. "So the dream our king had – the dream we had – won't come true…"
"Huh? The king? What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. Whatever he was talking about, the mention of this "king" seemed to make Tatsuya clench his fists.
Just then, an old man wearing dark brown robes walked up to the grunt. "How are you holding up, fellow subject of the king?"
The grunt looked shamefully at the old man. "Gorm of the Seven Sages! I'm mortified that this skull, which we went to so much trouble to obtain, was stolen from us so easily."
Who's this guy? I thought. A higher-up in Team Plasma?
The man called Gorm placed a hand on the grunt's shoulder. "It's not important. We can afford to abandon the Dragon Skull. According to the results of our research, this is not the legendary Pokemon for which Team Plasma is looking. It is completely unrelated."
"You guys thought that this was a legendary Pokemon?" I asked in surprise. That explained a lot!
"Indeed," Gorm answered, turning toward me and Tatsuya. "But we will not allow anyone to disrupt our plans and get away with it. We will fix it so you never interfere with us again."
Tatsuya immediately slid in front of me. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" he said in a low, threatening voice.
"Oh sweet!" another voice piped up. We all turned to see Burgh coming from the other side of the clearing. "The Bug Pokemon were getting all worked up, so here I come, and what do I spy with my little eye? This important-looking guy! Are you here to help your friends, whom I defeated?"
Then Lenora showed up behind us. "The others didn't have anything…" She stopped talking for a second when she saw Gorm. "And who are you supposed to be? Is this guy the big boss?"
"So it would seem," I said with a nod.
Gorm looked all of us before speaking. "I am one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma. Ghetsis, another of the Seven Sages, will liberate Pokemon with words alone! The remainder of the Seven Sages have ordered their compatriots to take Pokemon with full force! But the odds are a little against us now." He then looked at my companions. "To you, the Bug Pokemon user Burgh, the Normal Pokemon user Lenora and the Trainer Tatsuya, I say… Know your enemies, know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
"How poetic," Tatsuya muttered sarcastically.
"This time, we shall retreat quietly," the old man continued. "To secure the liberation of Pokemon, we will steal Pokemon from Trainers! Even though you are Gym Leaders, we will not tolerate any further obstruction from you." He then turned away from us. "In any case, we will settle this matter someday. I hope you are looking forward to that time as much as I…" As Gorm started to walk away, another smoke screen was thrown down.
"Not again!" I exclaimed in-between coughs. When the smoke cleared, Team Plasma was gone and the Dragon Skull remained on the ground.
Lenora shook her head. "They're a speedy bunch," she muttered. She then looked at Burgh. "What are you planning to do, Burgh? Are you going to chase them?"
"Hmmm…" Burgh thought for a minute before making a decision. "We got back the stolen skull, and if we corner them, there's no telling what they might do. I think I'll be heading back, Lenora…" Then he turned toward me. "Well… I'll be waiting for your challenge at Castelia City's Pokemon Gym."
"Yeah, me too!" I said with a nod. "See you then!"
Burgh smiled, and then as he walked past Tatsuya, said to him, "She really is cute. I'd hang on to her if I were you."
For the second time today, Tatsuya blushed furiously. "Now hold on a second! She is not. My. Girlfriend!" he shouted after Burgh, not even noticing the giggling Victini behind him.
"Yes, indeed. I'm certainly looking forward to it," the Castelia Leader said, completely ignoring the irritated Trainer. Then he disappeared down the path.
Lenora walked up to me. "Hikari! That's the Dragon Skull you two worked so hard to get back, right?"
"Uh-huh, and it's all yours, Lenora!" I said as I stepped aside.
The Nacrene Leader gave a warm smile. "Hikari, thank you so much. With a kind Trainer like you taking care of them, the Pokemon with you must be happy."
"Osha osha! (You bet we are!)" Oshawott piped up from my shoulder.
"Here is a token of my appreciation," she said as she reached into her apron and pulled out a small black stone. "Please use it carefully!"
Hikari obtained a Moon Stone!
Tatsuya, who had calmed down by that point, looked over. "Whoa, that's a Moon Stone! Some Pokemon evolve when you use it on them."
"That's right! And thank you for your help too, Tatsuya," Lenora said as she patted his head.
"No problem, auntie," the older Trainer said with a smile.
Then Lenora lifted up the skull. "Now I must take the Dragon Skull back to the museum. See you!"
"Take care of yourself!" I said as I waved goodbye. Then Lenora left the clearing.
A few seconds later, Tatsuya fell backward onto the grass. "Hey Hikari, after all that excitement, do you wanna just lie here for a while?"
"Yes definitely!" I said, quickly following his example and falling right next to him. Oshawott and Victini also laid down on the grass.
As we watched the clouds go by, Tatsuya said, "You know, we've really only gotta cross a bridge to get to Castelia City. Do you wanna go together?"
My heart skipped a beat. "Sure!" I blurted out, my cheeks practically burning.
Tatsuya laughed. "Great! We'll camp out here, then." Then he looked back up at the clouds and closed his eyes, apparently dozing off. After a while, I also fell asleep, happy that I would be traveling with the boy I liked.
And so once again, Hikari has thwarted Team Plasma's plans. Tomorrow, she and Tatsuya will head to Castelia City, where Burgh waits for her challenge at the Pokemon Gym. Stay tuned!