Bruce's Log-Day 20

I woke up early, and immediately flew to Viridian City. I wanted to take Giovanni by surprise, and I walked into the Gym, my eyes dark, moving slowly as a single, powerful beam of light shone down on me.

"Bruce… I knew you'd come."

"I don't care whether you knew or not. I know now what you're after, and let me tell you right here, right now; I'm not going to allow it."

"Very noble of you, but you forget, on this battlefield, I hold all the advantages."

The rest of the lights came on, revealing Giovanni, surrounded by his strongest team. I called out my team, staring him down, slowly walking toward him.

"HA! Your overconfidence will be your downfall, pest! Rhyhorn! Take Down!"

I didn't flinch as the heavily armored Pokemon charged towards me, calling my own Pokemon behind me.

"Starscream. Confuse Ray. Follow up with Swift."

"Swift?! You must be joking! Rhyhorn will easily-"

Suddenly, the four-legged creature fell to the floor, beaten.

"WHAT?! A fluke! Dugtrio, Slash!"

"Kratos, Quick Attack."

Once again, Giovanni's Pokemon fell, defeated, unconscious as I walked past it, gradually moving closer and closer to my opponent.

"Tch. Nidoqueen, Body Slam!"

"Dyno, Sonicboom."

"NIDOKING, HORN ATTACK!"

"Baxter, Dig."

"RAAAGH! RHYDON, HORN DRILL!"

"Poseidon, Hydro Pump."

One after the other, Giovanni's Pokemon fell, scattered across the field, and I stood before him, his face covered with sweat, his cruel smile extremely nervous.

"HOW?! THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE! NO TRAINER IS SO STRONG!"

He started to move back, only to find Jenso standing behind him, his nostrils flaring. Giovanni looked back at me, trying and failing to hide his fear.

"F-fine, you've beaten me. So take your damn Earth Badge and leave!"

He threw the badge to the floor, but I didn't stoop down to pick it up, I didn't look up at him, I only spoke quietly.

"Jenso. Slash attack."

"Wh-what?!"

Giovanni narrowly avoided being sliced in half by Jenso's claws, scrambling to his feet and running cowardly.

"Have you gone mad?! You've gotten what you came for!"

"No, I haven't. I didn't come here for the right to enter the Pokemon League. I came here for revenge."

Giovanni's eyes widened, but his smirk came back as he reached into his coat, pulling out a smoke bomb, lifting it over his head.

"Kratos. Sand Attack."

Kratos kicked up a blast of sand from the floor of the field, blinding Giovanni and causing him to drop the smoke bomb, but not setting it off.

"Starscream, Wing Attack."

The leader of Team Rocket threw himself to the floor, barely dodging Starscreams assault.

"Poseidon, Bite."

Giovanni rolled across the floor, only just keeping himself from being caught within Poseidon's jaws. It was only a momentary save, however, as Jenso quickly snatched him into his claws and smashed him up against the Gym walls, fire building up in his throat as he glared furiously into Giovanni's eyes.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I SURRENDER! I SWEAR I WILL NEVER ABUSE OR KILL ANOTHER POKEMON SO LONG AS I LIVE!"

"Didn't you hear what I told you? I don't care if you surrender or not, I'm going to make sure you never do anything else, ever again. Jenso, Fire Blast."

Giovanni lay on the floor, motionless, unconscious, the wall just above where his head had been held completely incinerated. Jenso snorted as I recalled him and the rest of my team. I stooped down and picked up the Earth Badge, turning toward the utterly defeated Team Rocket leader.

"At least, that's what I would have said and done a few days ago. But I've matured past that since then. Matured past the point that you never did. Goodbye, Giovanni. For your sake, I hope we never meet again."

I walked out of the Gym, having completed the hardest task of my life. Showing mercy to the one person I hated the most.

After giving everyone a chance to get more sleep at the Pokemon Center, I headed toward Route 22, and, same as nineteen days ago, I saw Gary walking toward me.

"Hey, B. You get all eight badges too?"

I nodded, and he smirked, producing a Pokeball.

"Cool. Let's battle. Just for a warm-up. Nothing serious, right?"

I smirked back at him, and accepted. The match went in my favor at first, until I called out Baxter to battle his Alakazam. At that moment, Gary's eyes suddenly turned white, and his voice became cold and monotone.

"Psybeam."

"What? GARY, NO, DON'T!"

It was too late. A single instant. A flash of bright light. Baxter flew into the air. He crashed to the ground. I couldn't move. Blood, gurgled chirps, silence.

"I-Bruce? What happened?"

"Gary…"

"What did I.. No, is he? Oh god.. What did I do? What happened?"

I fell to my knees. Jenso roared, attacked Alakazam. Gary recalled him. Gary's confused, frightened voice. Baxter's blood on my hands. His quills utterly still. Jenso's roar again. The roar stopped, my small, shivering whisper.

"J-jenso.. H-help me…"

"Bruce, I don't.. I mean, I didn't… I-"

Gary's Pidgeot. He was gone. Baxter's black eyes. Staring up at me. Tears splashed onto his face. Poseidon's anguished roar. Kratos' stoic sobs. Dyno's frustrated thunder. Starscream's broken screech. Jenso's low growl. My body shook. The ground moved lower beneath me. Streaks of tears poured from my eyes. My heartbroken scream echoed outward for miles.

"BAXTER!"

I didn't take Baxter to the Pokemon Center. I knew he wasn't coming back to us. I felt his body grow colder and stiffer as more blood leaked from his wounds. The red, sticky fluid dried on my hands, as my eyes continued shedding tears, as my feet continued walking. I knew where he would have wanted to be laid to rest, and I wasn't going to fly there. I was still in too much shock, too traumatized by his death to even speak. My team followed in my wake, Poseidon merely sweeping aside all the Bug Pokemon of Viridian Forest. I felt people stare as I passed through Pewter City, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop, my body was moving for me. My mind was in denial, too disturbed to give my limbs any commands. Starscream repelled all the wild Pokemon of Mt. Moon with his screech. I slid down the ledges of Route 4, and entered Cerulean City, dirty and thoroughly covered in dried blood. I continued to ignore the stares I attracted, and kept walking past the wide-eyed trainers of Route 9. Wild Pokemon continued to appear, but my team continued to keep them at bay, until we reached our destination. Gaia's burial site, in front of the Pokemon Center just before the entrance to Rock Tunnel. My voice suddenly started working again, and I whispered to Baxter as I lay him onto the ground, digging into the earth with my own hands.

"I know you two were a good pair. I hope you can rest easy alongside her."

My work was slow, my hands covered in blood and stained with tears, but I didn't care. I kept going, determined to dig Baxter's grave myself. My palms grew raw, my arms got dirty, but still, I kept digging. Finally, I lowered his body into the ground, covering it up with steady handfuls of dirt. The tears didn't stop falling, they soaked into the soil as I buried my friend. My eyes were dark, focused on blocking the shock and shrouds of depression from my mind. I knew, despite how much I had loved him, I couldn't afford to mourn Baxter's death, not just yet. Slowly, I walked to the waters edge of Route 9, rinsing his blood off of my hands, washing my face.

'Forgive me, Baxter. But it's too dangerous to let my emotions take over right now. I can't let myself grieve, not before we deal with the threat of Mewtwo. Blaine told me that I had to keep my thoughts disciplined, restrained, guarded.'

"My failure to do that was what got you killed."

My team looked over to me, I could feel their saddened confusion. Only Jenso knew what I meant, as he always did, and he walked to my side, growling questioningly.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I've known Gary since we were both toddlers. He acts like a tough guy, but he isn't a murderer. He knows what loss is too. No matter what may have happened since we saw him last, he would never wish that kind of loss on anyone else. A powerful psychic mind was in control of Gary's body when he ordered Alakazam to attack, I could see it in his eyes. But that still leaves another thing that worries me."

I stood, turning to everyone, having gathered around me, listening intently to my every word.

"If Mewtwo is able to control someone's body and actions from so far away, why didn't he just take over my body and make me commit suicide or something?"

It was then that I heard a familiar voice in my head.

'Because you have a little extra protection that your friend didn't.'

I craned my neck up to see Kadabra and Alakazam levitating above us, along with a dark-haired figure between them as they all lowered to the ground.

"Sabrina?"

'Nice to see you again, Bruce of Pallet Town.'

"Blaine sent you to follow me?"

It was around noon, still very early in the day, yet so much had happened that I was completely exhausted. I sat near the tall grass with Sabrina and her two Pokemon beside me, while mine, excluding Jenso, were all around Baxter and Gaia's graves, mourning our most recent loss.

'That's correct. I must say, I didn't think it possible for you to be much stronger than we had battled, but your victory against Giovanni proved me wrong. Very admirable for you to spare his life, as well.'

I subconsciously lowered my guards around my emotions, speaking in a saddened tone.

"Oh. So you were watching?"

'Through your eyes, yes. Had I been put through the pain he made you experience, I am not certain I would have been so merciful.'

I didn't feel much uplifted by her praise, though she did break me out of my trance before I was able to sink into depression.

'I know you're heartbroken for your Sandslash, and I'm truly sorry that he was a casualty of the campaign you have chosen to take up against Giovanni and Mewtwo.'

She must have been conveying the same thoughts to Jenso, because he immediately roared furiously, lunging for her. Alakazam was only barely able to restrain him with his psychic abilities as I tried to calm him.

"Jenso, she's not the enemy. She's not trying to sound cruel, okay? Just chill."

He snorted at me angrily before launching into the air, flying off into the sky before I could stop him.

'I didn't mean to upset him. I'm sorry.'

I slumped back to the ground.

"Don't be. This whole mess is my fault. He just feels guilty for not being able to stop it from happening. It's also a huge blow to his pride."

'Pride?'

"Jenso's always been the strongest of the team. He's always made that fact perfectly clear to all of our opponents, expressing his sort of 'Alpha' status. Because of that position he holds, he's very proud of his battle skills and his strength. Maybe you read that off of him already, but his pride is one of the most crucial pieces that makes Jenso who he is, and whenever it's broken, he always has to find the strength to restore it within himself."

'Why is your Pidgeot following him?'

I looked up, watching as Kratos flew off after Jenso.

"Kratos has a similar sort of pride, but he's much more stoic about it. He's more stoic about everything, actually. He's probably going to help Jenso pick up the pieces of his pride."

'…I see. And that pride extends farther than just to their ability to handle themselves in battle, doesn't it?'

I nodded, pulling up a handful of the tall grass, weighing it in my hands, thinking about Gaia.

"Yeah. Jenso's pride makes him more than just the 'Alpha'. It makes him the protector of everyone else on the team, and of me. That's why Baxter's death is eating at him so much, because Baxter was with us for so long. He feels like Baxter died because he let his guard down, he allowed himself to believe that the worst was behind us. And I'm guilty of the same thing. I thought that we had grown so much stronger, I thought that we were ready for anything life could throw our way. I let myself forget how bad the pain was, let myself think we were invincible. It's not Jenso's responsibility to protect my Pokemon, it's mine. And now, with Baxter, I've failed, again."

Sabrina was about to say something, probably tell me off for letting myself grow emotional, but I stood up suddenly, despite my exhaustion.

"But Jenso told me something once, with his flames. He told me that we must grow stronger from our failures, our losses. I know I'm not invincible, Baxter reminded me of that, and I'm not going to let anyone else on my team be sacrificed just to remind me again."

Sabrina stood, speechless for a moment as I started walking toward the Pokemon Center before speaking to me again with her thoughts.

'You're amazing, Bruce of Pallet Town. Truly, I have never seen such a prime example of willpower and resiliency in this world before. Train hard, and if ever you feel like the pressure may suffocate you, just remember, Blaine and I are with you, as are your Pokemon.'

I turned to thank her, but she was already gone, only her Alakazam and Kadabra left behind to keep my mind protected from invasion by Mewtwo. I walked into the Pokemon Center, withdrawing Tyrone, the Gastly I had captured in Lavender Town days ago. I called him out as I walked back outside, Kratos and Jenso having returned, and I told them my plan.

Kadabra teleported everyone to Lavender Town, and Tyrone wasted no time in causing a disturbance, scaring dozens of people and cackling.

"Tyrone! This isn't the time! We've got work to do!"

Mocking disappointment, Tyrone followed me into Pokemon Tower, snickering as I put on the Silph Scope, entering the higher levels of the building. I used two Teaching Machines to teach him the techniques Psychic and Dream Eater, though it did nothing to make him any more serious as I called out.

"Spirits! I know you're here! I'm not here to hurt any of you! I need your help!"

One by one, Gastlys and Haunters materialized, grinning as they circled around me, their voices whispering eerily.

"I know you don't trust humans since Team Rocket tried to destroy your home, but I need you to help me train Tyrone."

They all cackled, their laughs echoing throughout the room, until a familiar voice broke through it.

"Listen to the boy, my friends. Don't you recognize him? He is the one who drove the bad ones away."

The laughing ceased, their grinning disappeared, moving aside as Mr. Fuji walked toward me.

"Hello, my young friend. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, and how may I and my friends be of assistance?"

"You're friends with all these Pokemon?"

"Of course. I'm happy to say that all the orphans that were in my care have been adopted since you were last here. I have since taken it upon myself to become familiar with the spirits that inhabit and protect our precious Pokemon Tower. But I digress, what brings you here?"

I told him everything, and surprisingly, even Tyrone listened intently. I described the small war I waged against Team Rocket in Saffron, how Gary had helped me with my leg, how I had to rescue Jenso from Giovanni. I told him about Sabrina, Blaine, and Mewtwo. I told him about how I had fought Giovanni, and then against Gary, how I had seen his eyes change when he ordered his Alakazam to attack Baxter. I told him about how Blaine had described Mewtwo's powers, how I had decided to keep that power out of reach of those who would try to harness it for evil purposes. When I had finished, an house had passed, and everyone was quiet. Mr. Fuji was the first to break the silence.

"I had suspected that the new grave the spirits were constructing was referring to your Baxter, but I had hoped against it. My condolences."

He stood up, the dozens of ghost Pokemon rising with him.

"But as you said, the threat will not simply lessen if you take time to grieve now. You are a most noble young man, Bruce, and it would be my honor to aid you in your training of Tyrone in preparation of your battle against the Elite Four."

I smiled gratefully, Tyrone grinning wickedly as he prepared to battle his fellow spirits.

By the end of the day, Tyrone had grown much stronger, evolving into Haunter. I stayed with Mr. Fuji in his home again, and as I close this log entry, I still have to exert enormous willpower to keep from falling into the black hole of depression over Baxter's death.