Sacrifice and Subjugation

by MetalDargon

Not just anyone can be the Champion. But what determines whether or not someone has the potential? How does one truly prepare? In a world fraught with danger both near and far, a boy pursues the answers to those questions. But the Pokemon League is a brutal institution, pushing trainers to their mental and physical limits . Only the strongest succeed...

21. Chapter 21: To the Fiery Isle

Chapter 21

"S-so…" I stuttered. "Glemdrin and Azrael are…"

"Half-brothers," the Champion finished.

"What does this mean?" I asked, nearly paralyzed with astonishment.

"Well, this knowledge will probably not have any immediate impact," the Champion stated matter-of-factly. "I would imagine that you would continue to train the same way as you always have and to continue along the same course on which you have set yourself. This information actually means more to my family. It means that Buliwyf chose to mate with Kira."

"I mean no disrespect to Glemdrin or Buliwyf, but I'm curious to know what makes him so special?" I asked with as much reverence and humility as I could muster. "He's an old dragon which means that he's lived for hundreds of years, but don't many dragons live for a long time?"

"A fair question," the Champion responded, pacifying Glemdrin's rumble of discontent. "It is true that many dragons live for many hundreds of years – especially trained ones – but Buliwyf is particularly sacred to my family in Blackthorn City.

"To give you the story in short, Buliwyf's lineage gives name to my family's clan. His line is the Wataru line, as "Wataru" was the name of the first Dragonite to pair with my ancestors. Since that momentous pairing, which occurred long before the Pokemon League was established, generations upon generations of my family have devoted their lives to the reverence of Wataru's lineage. Over time, we became known as the Wataru Clan.

"Once the First Champion formed the League, the Wyr Watarus, or descendants of Wataru, have gifted the Wataru Clan with their young. And rarely, the oldest surviving Wyr Wataru will grant us with his brood. Buliwyf Wyr Wataru is currently the oldest descendant of Wataru, and until yesterday evening, we believed that Malrin, Buliwyf's partner who passed away over 25 years ago, would be his final mate. Now we know that he chose another, even if she is dead as well."

I took in all of the Champion's words, becoming more and more enchanted by his explanation. Standing silent in front of him, I also noticed that Azrael was affected equally. His large head hung near mine, but was focused intently on the large man in front of us.

"This is important because it is almost unheard of for someone outside of the Wataru clan to partner with a descendant of Wataru, especially the offspring from the oldest," the Champion continued. "This means that you will be given a level of privilege and hospitality not afforded to anyone else by the Wataru clan, should you ever decide to visit. By virtue of having Buliwyf's brood, you now have the opportunity to learn the history behind our clan at the Wataru Temple in Blackthorn. If you ever find yourself there, I recommend you take advantage of this honor."

"Y-yes, Champion. I most definitely will," I stammered. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, MacAfee. There is much more to my family's history than what I have told you, but if you want to learn, then you will need to make the journey to Blackthorn. Continue to stay out of trouble, if you would kindly; I would hate to deprive you of that honor."

I nodded as Champion Volker turned and jumped up to mount Azrael's half-brother. Glemdrin's dark eyes peered into Azrael's yellow eyes in the meantime, and Azrael remained quiet. Only after the Champion and his golden dragon flew into the sky did Azrael and I react.

"Can you believe that, Azrael?" I marveled. "Your father is the oldest Wataru dragon!"

Azrael had taken on a not-so-subtle air of pride and held himself to match. After I finished speaking, he looked up to the sky and let loose a hair-raising roar, scattering all wild pokemon in a mile's radius.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

Route 19 lay to the southwest of Fuchsia, covering around 25 miles of land before hitting the coast. While I traveled along the path, where there were plenty of trainers along the way who were much older than I, I was able to become much better acquainted with Lazarus. The multitude of trainers gave me many opportunities to direct Lazarus in battle, and the distance to the ocean gave me ample time to train him with my team.

That being said, Lazarus was still far behind in level compared to the rest of my team. We spent three days taking it slow to the coast, and by the time we arrived, Lazarus was falling into our routines well. He was particularly talented with electrical punches, bolts, and beams, and his static would cause my hair to perpetually stand on end while he fought. Also, like many other electric-type pokemon, he was very fast; if he was at the same aptitude as the rest of my team, he would have been much faster than everyone.

He was able to easily dodge attacks and he could resist elemental attacks fairly well, but he was weak to physical attacks. Unlike the majority of my team, I also found that Lazarus did not have any particularly dense or reflective areas of his body aside from his hands, which he could use to deflect attacks. Lazarus's only defense, then, was his speed.

I introduced Lazarus to bludgeon tag on Route 19, but I altered the rules slightly so that he would not get hurt. For example, Lazarus was allowed to dodge, instead of take, half of the attacks used against him. That way, he would continue to grow tougher while training his speed as well. I found that Lazarus still struggled despite his speed because my pokemon were trained well and were almost as fast as he was. The hours and hours of training and bludgeon tag had taught my team how to cover short distances very quickly, and they were capable of keeping up with Lazarus and overcoming his speed.

However, I found that Lazarus was just as eager to improve as the rest of my team, which made it easier for me to work on his areas of weakness. By the time I reached the coast, I was directing him in battles with ease and there was a sense of mutual respect between him, myself, and his team.

On the coast sat a small town which I would have mistaken for a suburb of Fuchsia if 25 miles of route had not separated it from Fuchsia. It was small enough that pokemon were not restricted, meaning that I could have walked down its streets with all of my pokemon at my side if I wanted. However, courtesy dictated that I treat the town like any other large city and only travel with one or two pokemon outside of their pokeballs.

I chose to travel with Dante and Lazarus while I traversed the city. I was still trying to build as much rapport with Lazarus as possible, and I always liked to give Dante practice in concentrating amidst densely populated areas. Salty air assaulted my nostrils and Wingull cried in the sky as I looked for the Pokemon Center, foreseeing multiple days of training. I checked in and then made my way to the beach.

The beach was comprised of fine-grain sand, a multitude of sunbathing chairs and umbrellas, and a few lifeguard posts. The weather was clear, the temperature was cool, and a salty breeze swept over the mildly populated seashore. As I trudged along in the resistant sand, I was challenged to a pokemon battle by one of the sunbathing residents who saw Dante and Lazarus beside me.

"Hey there! Looking for a swim?" he asked. "How about a quick battle, first?"

I nodded and released Rufus because I knew that once we left for the ocean, I would rarely get the chance to use Rufus in battle until we reached Cinnabar Island. Meanwhile, Lazarus and Dante stepped back and observed. Rufus appeared before me and it took him a couple seconds to realize that he was facing an opponent; a small, basketball-sized shell with amorphous appendages sticking out of small holes.

I had never seen one of them before, so I was a bit surprised when it started moving the way it did. The appendages launched the little shell into a spin that sent it careening towards Rufus at breakneck speed. Rufus was also caught by surprise and jumped to the right to avoid the rollout, but he was clipped on the side.

The snarl that spread across Rufus's muzzle indicated that the hit was not a light tap. "Dodge! Flamethrower!" I yelled, and as Rufus sprang into action, I continued, "Keep your distance!" Rufus blew an intense stream of fire onto what I would later learn was a Shuckle, but it kept rolling as if unaffected. It zoomed towards Rufus once more, catching him on his hind leg as he tried to dodge.

"Flame charge!" I yelled, trying to switch tactics from ranged to close-quarters. Rufus met the incoming rollout from the Shuckle mid-way and was thrown back with a yelp while his opponent continued to spin violently away. Seeing that the change in approach backfired horribly, I yelled, "Dark Pulse when it gets close!"

Before I could continue to illustrate my command, the Shuckle launched itself for a fourth attack at a speed which was much faster than all previous attempts. Rufus was able to predict what I was going to command, for he acted exactly as if I had continued to say, "Throw off his rollout." As soon as the Shuckle was within five feet of Rufus, Rufus released a concentrated pulse of dark energy, diverting it away from him and interrupting the progressive technique.

The Shuckle seemed to freeze as it stopped, as if the attack caused it to flinch. I took that opportunity to yell, "Hyper beam!" Before the slow creature could react, it was hit with a beam of pure energy, flinging it backwards into a faux-rollout. When it stopped rolling, the amorphous limbs re-emerged from the nigh-impenetrable shell, and it turned itself around to face Rufus.

"Flame-charge!" I yelled, and Rufus sped off to ram his sluggish opponent before sending it flying away with another dark pulse. The Shuckle landed, but this time it transferred its momentum into another rollout. It switched directions as it spun and surged towards Rufus, who let loose another dark pulse at the last second to throw off its attack.

Seeing that the rollout technique was not working, the trainer yelled, "Rock throw!" The Shuckle then lifted three rocks about its own size from the ground and projected them at Rufus, who dodged two of them and caught the last one on the same leg which had sustained a hit from its rollout.

Rufus yelped in pain and started to limp, keeping his weight off of his injured leg. I returned him afterwards, preventing any further harm from coming to him. At that point, I was angry. I sent out Azrael next and said, "Bulldoze and dragon claw," before he sprang into action.

Azrael sent out a single bulldoze, which sent the Shuckle careening back. The shell wobbled a few times before the trainer recalled it.

"Holy cow… You're that champion, aren't you?" the trainer asked, aghast. "That Houndoom, that Gallade, and now that Garchomp…"

"Next pokemon," I said, ignoring him.

"Right," he replied, and sent out a large bird with an absurdly large gullet. Recognizing it as a Pelipper, I recalled Azrael and motioned Lazarus forward.

"Charge bolt," I commanded, while the other trainer gave his own orders. The bird flew up into the air and caught Lazarus in the shoulder with a beam of ice. Lazarus shrugged it off and began to glow bright bluish yellow before releasing a bright yellow beam towards his flying opponent. The electrical beam was devastating to the Pelipper, whose water and flying types were both weak to it, and it immediately fell from the sky with blackened feathers before Lazarus could finish his combo.

The glow that had accumulated over Lazarus's body remained after his attack, and I could feel my hair standing up. The trainer recalled the Pelipper and sent out a Kingler, who clicked its massive pincers menacingly. "Thunderbolt!" I yelled.

My opponent yelled, "Dig!" at the same time, but Lazarus was so much faster than the bulky crab that his slightly empowered bolt of electricity struck it before it could start digging. The crab faltered for a second before twitching uncontrollably with paralysis. Before I could call out more commands, the trainer recalled his Kingler and raised his hands in defeat.

"I give. The rest of my pokemon are no match for that Electabuzz," the trainer said while counting out several paper bills.

"Good battle," I said in good sport. "What was that first pokemon you used? I've never seen one before," I asked.

"Oh, it's a Shuckle!" he said with enthusiasm, which belied his unhappiness for losing the match. "They aren't native to Kanto."

"How did you come by one?" I asked. "It was a pretty good battler, and a peculiar one at that."

"I was just walking down the beach one day and I thought he was a large rock," the trainer responded with a laugh. "When I stepped on it, it moved and, well, one thing led to another and I caught him. And yeah, I've heard that before. He is definitely the most interesting pokemon I've ever trained. He has quite the personality when you get to know him."

"I'm sure," I said. "By the way, where is the closest island in the direction of Cinnabar? Or is there somewhere I could buy a map?" I asked.

"Well, they sell pretty detailed maps at the Pokemon Center in town," he answered, making me groan inwardly for missing the maps when I checked in. "If you fly that Garchomp of yours, you could easily make it to Cinnabar in a day, I think."

"Thanks, but I'm looking to take a wetter route there," I said.

"Oh, okay. Well then make sure you pack lots of fresh water and watch out for sea predators," the trainer told me.

"What kind of predators?" I asked.

"Tentacool and the occasional Tentacruel are pretty much year-round dangers, but since it's getting close to winter, pods of Wailmer and Wailord are passing by during their southern migrations. They and many migratory fish pass pretty close to the islands, so that inevitably draws bigger predators like Sharpedo and even Gyarados," the trainer explained.

"Gyarados, huh?" I mused.

"Ah-hah, I wouldn't think about that, dude," the trainer said, catching my contemplative look. "Those things are the meanest buggers in the ocean. In packs, they're even worse. Best case scenario, you get eaten. Worst case scenario is you die AND you start a rampage. You piss one off, you piss them all off, and we don't need a rampage from a bunch of city-leveling dragon-fish!"

I immediately thought back to the Rhydon incident and agreed. I wasn't too serious about going after one anyway; I already had a strong water type. Just the thought of seeing wild Gyarados, though, was awe-inspiring to me. "Good," the trainer said, "Oh, and if you plan to take shelter from the weather, pokemon, or whatever when you make it to the Seafoam Island Chain, then make sure you pack very warm clothing. Normally, the Seafoam caves are pretty cold. Since it is so close to winter, the temperature will be dropping like a Geodude in a pool."

"Good to know," I said. "Anything else I should know?" I asked.

The trainer thought for a while before saying, "If you haven't thought of it yet, then I would recommend not using a whole lot of electrical attacks while in the water. It won't end well for anyone close by. You know, electricity and water…"

"Yeah, thanks," I said. Then I took half of the trainer's money that I had won and gave it back in thanks.

"Thanks, dude!" he said, smiling. "The name's Tom, by the way. If you need anything else while you're here, then you can call me. Here's my number." He gave me his number and I saved it to my list of contacts on my PokeDex under the name 'Tom Shuckle'.

"My name's Zach. Thanks again, Tom," I said before heading off with a wave. Tom had given me very valuable information, which was worth more than the money, in my opinion. In retrospect, it might have saved my life.

For the rest of the day, I battled other trainers on the beach who all seemed to have water-type-heavy teams, and I practiced riding Ceto in the water. "Surfing" was much more difficult than I imagined. First, the water was very cold, making the entire endeavor more uncomfortable.

Second, even though Ceto was strong enough to carry me on her back while she manipulated the water below her to stay afloat, her scales were sharp and slippery. It was much too easy to fall off and hit the water with a splash, negating the entire point of using the surf technique for travel, which was, of course, to avoid the water.

Even when I just let Ceto swim normally, which was just as fast as using the surf technique, and tried to hold on, I encountered the same problem. Her scales were too slippery and I could easily stab myself on her sharp, venomous barbs. It showed me that I would need to buy or make a saddle of sorts for her.

Incidentally, there were not many people swimming. I saw a couple of people on surf boards being pulled by various water-type pokemon, and only a couple people just swimming. As a result, the water was clear and I was able to experiment with water travel without interruption.

Near the end of the day, I returned to the Pokemon Center, ate dinner, and bought a simple map. According to the map, there were small islands ranging from 15 to 30 miles apart from each other, stretching from the coast to the Seafoam Islands and then to Cinnabar Island. Some of the islands were very small and even consisted of formations of large jagged rocks that could hardly be considered islands.

After reading over the map, I went to bed early with Rufus and Gilles beside me.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

Screaming pierced the darkness of the room. With the screams came the light from a small candle, which cast a dull and eerie glow about the room. The screams were obviously from Raeda, but I could not see her anywhere in the room, which was bereft of any furniture aside from the chair in its center in which I sat.

Amidst the screams, I heard what sounded like a wooden chair slowly rocking back and forth on a wooden floor. I looked around and saw no such chair, but then I felt a drop of liquid hit the top of my shoulder. Hesitantly, I looked up to see a figure hanging from wooden rafters with a rope around his neck, swinging slightly to create the creaking noise.

I recoiled at the sight and tried to leave the chair, only to find myself strapped down. I struggled, but I only managed to move the chair, whose excessive weight belied its simple, frail appearance, about a foot backwards. The sound of the chair scraping across the granite floor screeched louder than Raeda's cries, and tears welled in my eyes from the pain it caused in my ears.

When I stopped moving, the body hanging above me stopped as well. The body fell to the ground in front of me and rolled to the far wall. I was horrified to see the face of the trainer who I had failed to save from the Meteors with a round bloody hole in his forehead. Then, even more horrifically, he started to stand up slowly. He rose in such a way that he was facing the wall in front of me, so that I could not see his face.

Once he was standing, he turned around to reveal the figure of Prescott. Prescott was hunched over, and where his eyes should have been were empty black holes with an undiscernible black liquid running from them. I was paralyzed with fear as he slowly moved towards me, dragging his feet on the floor. When he stood hovering above me, his mouth opened. No teeth, tongue, or recognizable oral anatomy could be seen in his maw; only blackness.

Prescott's mouth opened wider and wider, stretching past his jaw's limit. He grasped both sides of my face with twisted, gnarled fingers and brought my face up to his. The black holes of his eyes bore into mine, and I could see the faint glow of something far in their depths.

The smell was abhorrent and the assault on all of my senses caused me to struggle once more, but to no avail. The sound of a low wind leaving a cave came from Prescott's maw, nearly silent at first but growing in volume until it overtook Raeda's screams. Prescott's grip tightened and I tried to scream, but found that I was gagged. The black abysses still stared into my eyes.

In that moment, my emotional state shifted from fear to frustration at not being able to act, and then to anger, and I slammed my forehead into Prescott's nose, jarring him from me and releasing me from his grip. I then found that the bindings that held me to the chair were no longer restraining me. I stood up quickly and glared into Prescott's depthless eyes, noting that the glow was extinguished.

Prescott's mouth elongated once more and started making the hollow howling noise. As he did so, I turned, grabbed the chair, and whipped it around. The howling stopped, replaced by the sound of a crash as the chair connected with his upper body and shattered, jarring me awake.

I was sweating profusely and I looked around the room. Once again, Rufus was sound asleep with no indication that he sensed something out of the ordinary. Gilles, who had stirred at my awakening, drifted in front of me, his natural grin replaced by an unsettlingly stolid expression. "That Banette better show itself soon so you guys can kill it again. These dreams get old quickly," I said with sigh.

Gilles nodded and I sank back down into my pillow.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

The next day I decided to do some shopping before I made my way to the beach. I kept only Dante with me because he was the only one of my pokemon allowed to enter certain stores due to his non-bulky, humanoid appearance. The first store I visited was a surfer business, but I did not find anything of use. I then visited a sporting goods store and found exactly what I needed.

It was similar to a raft. It was a polyethylene flatbed around four feet wide and ten feet long. The front of the raft was angled into a point that would make it more dynamic in the water, and the edges were raised to keep water out of the bed. There were two waterproof storage compartments inside the front wedge, and in the back, there was a rope tied to a ring at the tip of the bow.

The raft would be perfect. I would tie the rope around Ceto or Azrael and they would pull me. I decided to leave and come back for the raft later after I finished shopping for supplies. I walked out the door of the building and took in a deep breath of the salty air. J'KUN!

I heard Dante yell into my mind at the same time that he stepped in front of me with an extended blade raised. I heard the PING! of something hit his metal weapon, and then the sharp echo of a rifle shot. Immediately, everyone in the vicinity scattered and screamed for cover. After two seconds, Dante disappeared from in front of me.

Half a minute later, he reappeared in front of me, but he was not alone. The body of a woman lay before him with a large, wicked gash stretching from the left side of her neck to her right ribcage. She was plainly dressed with no significant characteristics about her. An empty one, Dante said with disgust.

"A Meteor!?" I exclaimed, shocked and exasperated. "Are there any more?" I asked

I don't know, J'Kun. I cannot sense any other mindless ones. But there are many Yeshka around.

"Thank you, Dante," I sighed. "How did you know?"

I felt it about to happen. It was a flash in my mind.

"Amazing…" I said. "I could have just died…"

But you did not, J'Kun.

"True enough. But right now, it's not the Meteors I'm afraid of killing me," I said with trepidation. As if on cue, sirens pierced the silence and police cars came streaming down the street. "You're going to have to go back into your pokeball for a while," I said, and Dante nodded.

Two hours later, I found myself in an interrogation room. The police had found where the Meteor was camped out – on a rooftop – and had retrieved a rifle. In the meantime, I was held for questioning. Champion Volker had arrived and was sitting in the chair across from me, and I explained what happened. The Champion nodded and said, "Well, you've managed to make yourself some enemies, MacAfee. This is a pretty clear-cut case. You're lucky that your Gallade was there to protect you, because you were almost assassinated."

Something in the Champion's tone told me that these were the repercussions for my actions. The Champion stood up. "The way I see it, you didn't do anything wrong here, so you are free to go. Keep your nose clean." With that, he motioned me out of the room. I left, thanked him, and returned to my day, albeit a bit more shaken up and paranoid.

I bought supplies, keeping Dante out with me at all times, and I was still checking over my shoulder constantly. It was after noon when I finally returned to the beach with my new raft in tow. After a few hours of testing the raft, I felt that I had enough experience to depart, but I chose not to leave immediately. There was one more thing I needed to take care of.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

Raeda's screams echoed in my short-term memory as I awoke, and the baritone laughing reverberated from the woods around me. The damned ghost finally showed up, and it only took a week. I probably could have made it to Cinnabar in that time, but I was not interested in dealing with a malicious ghost at such a vulnerable time as traveling overseas.

Gilles and Rufus were all over the Banette instantly, for we had been expecting it. The Banette's laughter turned to shrieks as Gilles and Rufus tore it to pieces. To finish the ghost, Gilles threw its head to Azrael, whose teeth warped into a vicious, dark crunch and destroyed the remains.

With a sigh of relief, I fell back into my sleeping bag and slept soundly. In the morning, Dante teleported me back to the town and I shopped for rations before heading to the beach. I packed the raft so that the only things I carried were my bow, ammo, knife, pokeballs, and a water bottle. I then lashed the boat to Ceto's back.

With one last look while grounded in the sand, I pushed the raft into the water and hopped aboard. The raft was large enough to carry me and Rufus or Dante at the same time, but for the sake of keeping the weight down for Ceto, I kept the raft clear. Instead, I released Gilles, who floated along above us as Ceto cleared the large crashing waves to set us on tranquil water.

With no more resistance, we set our course to the southwest. Ceto pulled me along steadily at an easy pace, and after two hours, when the mainland was far in the distance behind us, I released Azrael into the water beside the raft. I then released Dante beside me and said, "Now, like we practiced."

Dante nodded and Azrael huffed, sending water spraying over the raft. Dante then jumped on top of Azrael and they both disappeared. Shortly after, Dante reappeared behind me on the raft, and I looked up to see Azrael catching the wind high above me. Since Azrael was incapable of taking flight from the water, Dante needed to teleport him high enough that he could have time to stabilize in the air.

Azrael then sped off. Half an hour later, Azrael flew back into sight from slightly to the right of the front of Ceto, and Ceto changed her course to head towards the direction from which Azrael was returning. I nodded to Dante, recalled him, and then recalled Azrael once he grew close enough.

From there, it was smooth sailing. Every two hours, I repeated the process of releasing Azrael to maintain our bearings. In that way, we never wandered very far off course. Ceto made a valiant effort to keep her pace, but by late afternoon, I could feel that she was struggling. We had slowed considerably, and instead of feeling a smooth pull, I could feel her tugging.

With Ceto's health in mind, I stopped her, thanked her, and replaced her with Azrael. Azrael could not swim as fast as Ceto, but he could pull me just fine. With Ceto resting in her ball, Azrael pulled me the rest of the way to the first small island, which was another four hours away. It was nearing sunset at that time.

When we arrived on the island's shores, I pulled the raft onto the beach and tied it to a tree. Then I released my whole team. "Great job Ceto and Azrael for getting us here. You two can take a break. The rest of you, it's time for a short practice while I hunt for dinner. Dante, work on teleports. Gilles and Rufus, you two are on batting practice. Concentrate on letting the ball get as close to you as possible so that you can work on your reflexes. Lazarus, you're with me. We're fishing!"

With my orders given, Lazarus and I made our way to a random side of the island, which was about half of a square mile in size, and scoped out some schools of fish. Many were very small colorful fish, but there were also some schools of Goldeen, which looked fat and appetizing. I looked over to Lazarus and said, "Use thunderbolt until I tell you to stop."

Lazarus nodded and lifted his hand. Crack! The bolt of electricity arched from his open palm to the surface of the water directly above a group of Goldeen. I saw all of them spasm and then float to the surface. A dozen palm-sized colorful fish also floated to the surface while every other fish in the vicinity scattered. Crack! Another bolt hit the same spot and the Goldeen seized once more. I held up my hand and watched the fat fish for any movement.

The water around the floating fish was becoming discolored with shades of red. "Great job, Lazarus! That's an easy meal!" I waded out to fetch the fish, which required multiple trips. In the end, I came back with six Goldeen and 14 smaller fish. I threw two of the football-sized Goldeen to Azrael, who snapped them up like truffles, one to Rufus, one to Lazarus, and kept one for myself. I gave all of the smaller fish to Ceto.

While I was doling out portions, I noticed that there were more figures darting around underwater where Lazarus and I had fished. When I took a closer look, I saw that the figures were different fish with red and blue colorations. They were swimming around in the bloody water looking for carrion, and I was able to identify them as Carvanha.

This was both good and bad news. It was good news because now there were conveniently more fish to hunt, and large ones at that; they were the size of soccer balls. The bad news was that I knew that the evolutions of Carvanha are Sharpedo. It was nerve-wracking to know that Sharpedo were roaming those waters, and that they were probably not far behind the Carvanha.

"Lazarus, we have more!" I called, and threw one of the small fish into the water closer to the shore. The Carvanha entered a frenzy and swarmed the small fish while Lazarus readied an attack. Crack! Crack! Crack! Lazarus issued three separate thunderbolts before I was satisfied that the carnivorous fish were dead. I then retrieved them, bringing back five large fish.

Practice was waylaid before it even started for dinner. Rufus made a fire so that I could cook a Goldeen and a Carvanha for myself. I then gave half of the cooked Carvanha to Dante and the rest of the Carvanha to Azrael.

After we finished eating, practice began anew, and Lazarus worked on stamina. Luckily for us, no Sharpedo arrived, for I knew that Azrael would have wanted to use them for practice. The night was calm and I slept soundly knowing that my team and I were happy and well.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

We left early the next morning. Ceto pulled us away from the island and I watched it disappear on the horizon as the sun rose above its silhouette. The ocean was calm once again, though on the journey between the first and second island, I encountered some of the dangers that Route 19 has to offer.

As we were traveling, Ceto suddenly stopped. She then backed up and hit the raft, jarring me. I called out for Gilles, who made himself known with a cackle. "Gilles! Help her!" I yelled.

I looked for Ceto's assailant and saw a transparent blue jellyfish reaching out for Ceto with long tendrils. "Gilles, tear it apart with shadow claws!" I ordered, and he dove into the water. I saw a dark shadow underwater striking at the Tentacool, and moments later, Gilles returned to the surface of the water with a giggle, his prey floating lifelessly.

"Great. It looks like we will be on our toes from here on out," I said. I released Azrael and told him to keep an eye out for trouble. He swam next to us from then on with Gilles above him. Not ten minutes later, I noticed a commotion where Azrael was swimming. He had engaged with another Tentacool and was lashing out at it with dragon claws. He returned to the surface soon after and continued to swim as if nothing had happened.

"Great job, Azrael," I said, and he responded with a huff. Three more similar incidents passed before we encountered a Tentacruel. The creature's body was larger than my raft. Its many tentacles were over ten feet long and it used them drag Azrael down under the water without warning. I saw Azrael sink suddenly out of the corner of my eye and I peered over the edge of the raft to see large, bulbous red crystals in a thick transparent membrane behind a myriad of dense tentacles, which were clutching Azrael.

"Gilles, get down there and use Dark Pulse!" I yelled. Gilles dove into the water, and when he was close enough to the Tentacruel's face, he sent a pulse which knocked it back slightly and rocked the raft. Unfortunately, the pulse also hit Azrael. The Tentacruel did not let go despite the pulse and Azrael's thrashing. Another pulse rocked the water underneath us, causing the raft to lurch upwards, and I yelled, "Ceto, ice beam!"

Ceto sent an icy shard into one of the bulbous crystals, and Gilles started slashing at the tentacles holding Azrael under the water. While the tentacles were being severed, a sizzling beam of energy shot from beneath the water. Azrael then emerged on the surface of the water with several severed tentacles latched onto his body. Azrael's movements were twitchy and strained, and I recognized that as a sign of a venom infection.

I immediately returned him, watching the tentacles floating, and tried to get a good look at the battle. The water was calm and Gilles was floating above the water. The Tentacruel was nowhere in sight. "Did it run?" I asked, and Gilles nodded. "Great. Good job anyway," I said. I then rooted around in my storage container for an antidote and administered it to Azrael's pokeball.

We continued on after I released Azrael. Luckily, the next island was only 22 miles away as opposed to 30 miles. It was a bigger island than the first and it hosted more wildlife. There were many more fish and therefore plenty of food for us all. Since we reached the island in the afternoon, we had most of the day to train and enjoy the peaceful ambience of melodic waves, fresh air, and beautiful foliage.

We left early in the morning once again, noting that the next island was a jagged rock formation and was 20 miles away. Throughout the day, we encountered more Tentacool and even another Tentacruel, but we were able to drive it away like the previous one.

Midway through the journey from the second island to the third, I noticed the sky darkening and my heart sank. I surmised that a storm was building, and I made a decision to turn around and head back to the island we had started from. Knowing that the next island consisted of rocky precipices allowed me to decide that the second island was much safer.

So we turned around and headed back. The storm caught up with us just as we arrived at the island, pouring rain down upon us as I brought the raft in. The wind also picked up and made it very difficult for me to secure the raft. When I successfully pinned it down in the middle of the island, Azrael dug a hole underneath it big enough for me to crawl next to him. I then recalled all of my pokemon except for Azrael and snuggled up for the night.

The night was loud and wet. I thought I could hear the sounds of creatures outside of our little burrow, but I never ventured out to affirm that theory. The winds threatened to blow away the raft, but Azrael was able to keep it pinned down by lying on the ropes that were not attached to the tree. In the morning, we left once more after fishing and eating a quick meal.

We did not encounter another Tentacruel that day, but we had more than our fair share of encounters with Tentacool. Once we reached the large rocks of the third island, I spent an hour finding a safe area to approach. When I did, I needed to climb up a jagged incline to an area that was flat with the raft on my back. We made camp and I ate rations for dinner.

Since the rocky precipice I found myself on was not very big, training was cancelled for the day, but even then, we had multiple training opportunities throughout the night. Before we went to bed, we witnessed a pod of Wailmer passing by. They made themselves known with spouts of water and slaps from their tails.

After that, we were assaulted regularly by pokemon such as Seel, Sealeo, and Slowbro who tried to take refuge on our rock but found it occupied. Instead of finding a different rock, most of them attacked us to drive us away. Fortunately for me, I had a gigantic dragon, a ghost, and a lightning rod to drive them away instead. I did not get much sleep that night due to the amount of pokemon that challenged us, and neither did my pokemon, but that did not stop us from setting course early the next morning for the next island.

The next island was only 15 miles away, but it was another jagged rock formation, and the island beyond that was another 25 miles. With our early start, we were able to bypass the rocky island and arrive at the fifth island by nightfall while dealing with Tentacool and Tentacruel. The journey ate into my supply of antidotes and potions. That night, I deduced from the map that we were over three-quarters of the way to the Seafoam Islands. Knowing that, we woke early to fish for a meal and then left with the intention of making it to the Seafoam Island chain before the end of the night.

We had come to expect the multitude of Tentacool that plagued us on the way, so there was little that differentiated that day from the others. That is, aside from our near-run-in with wild Gyarados.

It happened when we were within visual range of the first large island of the Seafoam chain. It was still a hazy silhouette on the horizon, but we knew that we were close. After a particularly intense battle with a Tentacruel, I noticed the large tails of Wailmer slapping down onto the water a few hundred yards away.

I had Azrael, who was pulling the raft at the time, alter our course slightly to take us a little closer to the friendly giants. When we were about 150 yards from the pod, one of the Wailmer spun sideways, and I saw a very large blue serpentine figure wrapped mostly around the whale. Its enormous jaws were latched onto the Wailmer's side and it was thrashing its head violently from side to side, sending blood and chunks of blubber flying everywhere.

Before I knew it, more Wailmer were being assaulted from underneath, some by more than one of the great draconic serpents. Some of the Gyarados rose out of the water with terrifying roars that sent shivers down my spine and blasted the fleeing whales with beams of energy.

It was a slaughter. They frenzied among the carcasses of the Wailmer while I quietly, yet fervently, beckoned Azrael to pick up the pace towards the island. We did not pass unnoticed, however. A couple of the behemoths caught sight of us speeding away and let loose territorial roars. I looked back to see two gargantuan heads above the water moving towards us. "Azrael, move it!" I yelled, and he started swimming as fast as he could. I also released Ceto and exclaimed, "Help Azrael pull!"

Ceto swam between the boat and Azrael, and gathered some of the rope. She pulled with Azrael, and we managed to keep enough distance between us and the large pokemon all the way to the Island that we were safe from their attacks. I was, however, legitimately frightened for us. When we landed, I jumped off of the raft and ordered Azrael to keep dragging it into the nearest cave while I ran beside him and returned Ceto.

I was hit by the cold as soon as I ran about 100 feet in to the cave. The temperature must have dropped ten degrees, and it kept dropping as we ran further inside to escape the threat of the Gyarados. By the time we stopped, I was shivering.

I released Rufus and Lazarus at that point, the former for his heat and the latter for his light. Lazarus lit the area as if he was a giant glow stick, and Rufus immediately started heating up. The heat warmed me up slightly, but I was still uncomfortably cold. I dug through my belongings in my raft until I found fresh pants, socks, and a heavy coat, which I had packed due to Tom's advice.

After I had very quickly changed clothing, I was much more comfortable and I could focus on my surroundings. We were in a cavern with an abundance of stalagmites and stalactites, and ice clung to the walls and the ground. After the small amount of time I had spent near the entrance of the cave, it was not difficult for me to imagine why many of the legends about the Seafoam Caves existed.

The Seafoam Caves are ice-cold year round despite the hot temperatures of the summer. I do not think scientists have been able to explain how the caves remain cold all the time, which only adds to the mystery. It has been said that no one has fully explored the caves, for it becomes much too cold in its lower levels for most people to survive for prolonged periods of time.

The most popular legend behind the Seafoam Caves is that Articuno, the great ice raptor, lays dormant in the lowest level of the caves, and its sheer presence keeps the caves devoid of heat. It has been said that if Articuno ever awoke and left the cave, the world would be plunged into an ice age.

If there is such a magnificent and powerful creature, I believed that it would probably be best to leave it alone, even if I was actually capable of reaching it. I was in the highest level of the cave system and I was already having difficulty with the temperature, so I could only imagine how cold it must be in the lower levels, and I had no desire to explore its depths.

I stayed at the top level for the rest of the night as I waited for the Gyarados pack to move on. During that time, I ate dry rations and huddled up next to Rufus for warmth. With the help of Lazarus's glow, I saw many different wild pokemon moving through the icy cavern including Piplup, Prinplup, Seel, Dewgong, and Swinub. Perhaps they were not as territorial in the highest levels because we were rarely challenged by wild pokemon. They mostly just avoided Rufus's heat.

I knew that further down in the caves I would have the chance to find Jynx, Sneasel, Froslass, and even Lapras, but the prospects did not outweigh the danger, lack of interest, and physical discomfort that I felt. Also, I did not feel comfortable abandoning my raft so that I could spelunk. So, I only mused about the fascinating creatures that dwell in the Seafoam cave in the comfort of Rufus's warmth.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

The next day I emerged from the icy cave and greeted the cool air with gratitude, for it was much warmer than in the cave. I changed back into my travel clothes, lashed the raft to Ceto, and headed out. From there, we encountered the normal hordes of Tentacool that I had come to expect while we circled around the islands. At the end of the day we made camp on a peaceful little island ten miles west of the Seafoam Islands and continued to train. From there, with few problems along the way aside from the regular hazards, it took us two more days to reach Cinnabar Island.

The most noticeable characteristic of Cinnabar Island is Mount Kalama, the enormous volcano that looms over the entire island. Like the Seafoam Islands, Mount Kalama was also the source of many legends, chief among them being that of the great flaming raptor, Moltres. Supposedly, the great bird slumbers in the magma streams that feed the volcano, and that its snoring causes the volcano to erupt. The legends say that if Moltres ever leaves the volcano, the world will be cursed with long droughts and extremely high temperatures.

Mount Kalama was the first thing that could be seen in the distance while on approach to Cinnabar Island. It perpetually smokes from the top and it erupts frequently. One reason that the island has been able to survive its regular eruptions is because of the gym. The fire pokemon of Leader Shiro Zaiden have kept lava, pyroclastic flows, and other hazards of the volcano at bay, and his predecessors have done the same for as long as Cinnabar Island has been populated.

As we grew closer to the island, I noticed that the volcano was surrounded by smaller mountain tops and fairly dense forests. On the map, Cinnabar Island was very large – about 750 square miles – and it resembled the shape of a peanut shell. Cinnabar City resides on the western side of the island, and was a most welcome sight to behold after over a week of traveling on the ocean. As we grew nearer, individual Wingull swooped down towards us out of curiosity and filled the air with their squawking.

I ignored the birds, and once we arrived at the shore, I stumbled out of my raft and released Ceto from the makeshift harness. She relaxed in the water while I pulled the raft onto the sand. I also released Rufus, who sat down nearby. Sometime during the next half-hour in which I was just relaxing in the sand, I was approached by a cameraman and a reporter. On the reporter's shoulder sat a white and blue Wingull.

"Hello, sir!" the reporter called enthusiastically. When he approached me, he held out a hand and said, "Jack Jones from the Cinnabar LeagueWatch."

I shook his hand and he looked at a flat screen in his hand. "So, Zachariah MacAfee?" he said, looking from the pad to me.

I nodded and asked, "How did you know?"

"You beat the Fuchsia gym twenty days ago, and you told the reporter there that you would be taking the island route. It generally takes a trainer about a week to make the journey and you were last seen leaving the beach on Route 21 a little over a week ago. We were expecting you!" Jack said with a big smile.

"Ah," I said stoically.

"We were wondering if you could tell our viewers if you will be challenging Leader Zaiden any time soon?" he asked.

I sighed and said, "I just got here, so I'm going to take a couple days to get reoriented. I don't plan to challenge the gym until I explore a bit of the island."

"That's great! After all, Cinnabar Island is a beautiful place to sightsee. How long are you planning to spend sightseeing?" Jack asked.

"I don't know… A couple days maybe," I responded uncomfortably.

"Oh! So you will be challenging the gym in a few days, then?" Jack asked excitedly.

"No. After I rest up, I will be training for a few weeks before I issue my challenge," I said.

"That's smart! One could expect nothing less from this year's JIC Champion! Are there any particular sights you want to see on the island?"

"I haven't really looked into what the island has to offer, yet," I responded impatiently.

"Well, aside from the many high-quality seafood restaurants, there is the Cinnabar Museum, the famous Cinnabar Cinnabuns bakery, and, though it is over a month away, the Cinnabar Relay. Are you planning on sticking around for the race?" Jack rattled off.

"Th-thanks," I stammered, taken aback by the reporter's tenacity. "Well, since I don't know much about the Cinnabar Relay, I will need to investigate what it is at the Pokemon Center," I said, placing emphasis on at the Pokemon Center.

"Well, you should let us know when you decide so that your fans have something extra to look forward to. Until then, we look forward to your challenge!" Jack said. Then he turned to the camera and concluded the interview.

"Fans?" I asked.

"Of course!" Jack responded. "You didn't think that becoming the JIC Champion and keeping an unbroken gym record up to the seventh badge would go unnoticed, did you?"

"…Maybe…" I responded, lowering my eyes in embarrassment.

Jack laughed and said, "Well, reality check; people know who you are." He then bid me farewell and trudged off with his cameraman.

I was left standing in the sand, annoyed. I dragged my raft to the Pokemon Center and checked in. Then, carrying the raft on my back, I visited a sporting goods store from the same company I had bought the raft from. They offered storage for the raft and I paid the fees without hesitation. Then I headed back to the Pokemon Center to look up information on the Cinnabar Relay.

Later that night, I found rules for the Cinnabar Relay on a tourist website. The race takes place on the first Saturday of the new year, and the contestants race each other around the entirety of Cinnabar Island. During the race, trainers must stop at different locations to pick up a metal baton, and then transport that baton to the next location. The trainers may only interact with one baton at each pickup site, but they may set reasonable geographical traps or hazards for other trainers.

Pokemon may also attack one another after three minutes have passed from the onset of the race. However, trainers may not directly target other trainers. Pokemon can attack each other, but if one attacks a trainer, it is disqualified. However, accidents happen and trainers do occasionally get hurt, so it is generally up to the mounted officials' discretion to judge an injury as accidental as opposed to intentional.

The racers must make three laps around the island by the end of the Relay, and they may not travel more than 100 yards inland. There are two pickup locations during each lap around the island, and their locations are broadcasted with beach-side flares. The race also includes trainers of all levels of experience, from one-badge trainers to post-league trainers.

After reading the rules, I spent the rest of the night planning for the near future.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

The Cinnabar City Gym was intimidating. When I visited the gym to watch a gym trainer battle, I was astounded by the conditions in which trainers were forced to battle. The gym was only one floor above ground, but it sank deep into the earth. Inside the gym on the ground level was a large ring circling the top of the arena where spectators could sit and peer down. The seating ring was separated from the arena by a thick glass window, and from the seating, I saw that the arena was almost entirely enclosed.

Vents lined the ceiling and red rock walls bordered the dirt field, which only had a small pool of steaming water on one side. From the seating, I could perceive heat waves in the arena and dark blotches of sweat-stained clothing on the two challengers. Lastly, as I observed the matches, I could see both of the trainers wracked with fits of coughing throughout their fights.

After my visit to the gym, I left for the smoky forests of Cinnabar Island. I found that the temperature, though cool at the base of the mountain, steadily increases as one moves further into Cinnabar's mountain range. The sheer amount of lush foliage and wildlife confused me at first, given that there was a very active volcano at the center of the island. But I discovered the reason why the forests had not been reduced to ash once I reached the peak of a shorter nearby mountain.

I could see enormous earthen walls trailing around the side of Mount Kalama on the section facing the city. There were two walls which met about 100 feet from the summit and curved to direct the flow of lava around to the other side of the volcano. There were also several other walls staggered further down the mountainside in case the lava flowed over or destroyed the first wall. However, even seeing the system of lava redirection could not answer the question of how the gym defended against pyroclastic flows, so I made a mental note to inquire about that at the gym.

Scientific curiosity was not the reason I was traversing the wooded peaks, though. I had decided to spend roughly a month training in the island's interior before challenging the gym. I had decided to do so for a few reasons. The first was because I wanted more than a couple weeks of practice to ready my team for the next gym. The second was so that I could participate in the Cinnabar Relay shortly afterwards. That way, I could continue on my journey with as little delay as possible. The last and newfound reason was that I wanted to train my body to at least tolerate the conditions in which I would be battling.

As it turned out, the wildlife offered a very respectable challenge for us. After all, they had to be hardened and tough to survive in the harsh environment of the Smoky Mountains. Many different species of pokemon inhabited the forests, including fire-types. The fire-types that we uncommonly encountered in the lower regions of the mountains were Vulpix, Tepig, Emboar, Chimchar, and Monferno. We spent the majority of our time in the lower regions of the mountain and near the coast on the far side of the island, away from Cinnabar City.

Training was difficult for several reasons. The first was the reason why the mountain range was called the Smoky Mountains; the air was smoky and heavy in most areas, making it uncomfortable to breathe. I even returned to town so that I could buy a gas mask, though I only used it when I traveled to higher elevations. The Mountain Ash and Blackwood trees had also developed strong, flame-retardant wood which was difficult to burn. Lastly, we needed to return to town for water regularly since fresh water was difficult to find.

The training was good for my pokemon, I thought. The harsh conditions helped to toughen them up and improve their abilities while under uncomfortable conditions. The month we spent in the Smoky Mountains was miserable, but we all came out from it tougher, stronger, and more confident in ourselves. And, by remaining vigilant and aware of our surroundings, we avoided potentially dangerous situations with the native pokemon populations and the environment, such as poisonous water, extreme hotspots, and unstable terrain.

Aside from drilling, we made occasional trips to the areas of higher elevation and closer to the peak of the volcano. In climbing the smoke-filled mountains, we put our stamina and strength to the test, and we found rarer fire-types in the process. I ended up catching a Charmeleon, a Magmar, and five Magcargo while training in the peaks surrounding Mount Kalama.

The Charmeleon and the Magmar attacked us out of territorial aggression, and I decided that catching them was more preferable than killing them. I actually sought out Magcargo to catch simply because they are a rare delicacy in many fine dining institutions. Prepared Magcargo are only found in more expensive restaurants because it takes a very skilled chef with the proper facility to prepare them. The chef must remove the superheated slime which covers the slugs' bodies without damaging the soft flesh beneath or letting the slime seep into the flesh. The prepared dish in the end is supposedly very chewy and tasty.

My foray into the Smoky Mountains was both lucrative and bolstering to my team's resolve. My team had become more capable under strenuous conditions, and I had groomed my body – in the short term, anyway – to perform well amidst sweltering heat and murky air. A few of them had also practiced more impressive combos for use in battle. When we returned to the city a week before New Year and a day before the Winter Solstice, I immediately signed up for a gym challenge. However, due to the holidays, I had to wait until the day after the Winter Solstice for my first battle with the gym trainer.

On the day of the Winter Solstice, I received a call from my parents and a message from Sheila, Keith, and Aoro wishing me happy holidays. While many people were all having a cozy, snowy Winter Solstice, I was having a cool, snowless island holiday. Since it was the Winter Solstice, and knowing that my gym battle was the next day, I chose to celebrate the holiday, but not to have too much fun.

I went to a local outdoor bar and had a couple drinks amidst joyous islanders, and I stopped drinking as soon as I felt the slightest effect. I remember watching holiday parades on a television screen inside of a gazebo after one too many people recognized me and would not leave me alone. At one point in the evening, cheering rang out in the vicinity, and all of the television channels were switched to a national news network.

On the screen was Champion Volker. He was standing beside a man with a thin scar across his cheek and short black hair, as well as a reporter. The reporter had asked Volker a question and he was saying, "-eteors have been dealt a devastating blow. Last week, the League launched a large-scale operation against key Meteor bases using information gathered from psychic memory extraction. Today, on the Winter Solstice, the League is pleased to announce that the Meteors have been effectively routed. All of their known major militant installations have been overrun, their leaders captured and their memories extracted for any more information about other unknown bases. All that remains are the small cells that will not be able to operate effectively without organized leadership."

"So Kanto can rest easy knowing that the Meteors are no longer a threat?" the reporter asked excitedly.

"There will always be the threat of death throes from the remaining cells," the Champion explained. "The militant terrorist organization was far reaching, and though we routed all major bases of operations, smaller groups of Meteors may lash out in a final effort to keep the organization alive. But the League can assure you that we will be watching vigilantly for any signs of such activities."

"This is a great holiday season, indeed, and the people of Kanto thank you for your service," the reporter said, graciously. "Now I understand that you, Master Chief Ace Officer Virgil McCormick," he asked, looking at the scarred man, "are the most distinguished soldier who participated in the operation."

"The Master Chief's platoon was responsible for the assault on four separate installations, including the principal base of operations," Champion Volker answered for him. "His platoon was responsible for bringing in Jared Mason, the highest ranking Meteor."

"How did you feel, Mr. McCormick, knowing that your platoon was responsible for such an important mission?" asked the reporter.

"Well, I was definitely honored to be given that responsibility. My team was, as well," Virgil responded in a deep voice. "When we were given the mission dossier that explained who we would be extracting, my platoon cheered. It was a great honor for us all, and it was probably the proudest moment in many of our lives in serving this country."

"I think I can speak for all of Kanto when I say that your service is greatly appreciated and that you are considered a hero," the reporter responded in praise.

At that point, I heard someone in the bar yell, "Damn right, he's a hero!"

"Is there anything you would like to say to the people of Kanto?" the reporter asked.

"Actually, there is," Virgil replied, and I noticed Champion Volker shuffle nervously. "You can look forward to seeing me at the next Indigo Conference." Champion Volker then looked slightly relaxed.

"That is wonderful news!" the reporter exclaimed. "You will have quite the crowd, I'm sure."

With that, the reporter switched to the news anchor, who said, "That was Master Chief Ace Officer Virgil McCormick. He earned his eighth league badge in 2065 with a gym record of 8-0. After that, he conquered the Johto and Sinnoh circuits and then participated in the 2067 Indigo Conference, where he placed fourth. After that, Mr. McCormick joined the Rangers and then the Ace Trainers. Folks, what a great…"

The anchor's voice trailed off as I stopped listening. The news that the Meteors were finally defeated filled me with so much happiness that I left the bar and released my pokemon outside of city limits and spent the rest of the night with my team. Then, I returned to the Pokemon Center and went to bed.

- (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) - (-o-) –

The waiting room was incredibly hot. I was sweating just waiting for my match. Rufus accompanied me and looked as if he was enjoying the heat. Aside from me, there were only three other participants, and they looked to be much more uncomfortable than I.

When I was called to the arena, I looked up to the glass behind which sat the spectators, and saw the stands nearly full. Somehow, word had reached the news that I was finally challenging the gym, and people had decided to come out to watch. I also believed that the good feelings that came with the holidays and the news of the Meteors' fall gave everyone a reason to celebrate and go out to watch a pokemon match in person.

The heat inside of the arena was absolutely oppressive. The smoke in the air caused my eyes and throat to itch, but I held back the urge to cough. My stats reached the screens inside of the seating area as I met with a tall man wearing a black tank-top, cargo shorts, and sandals. His skin was tanned and dirty, and his voice sounded gravelly when he said, "Welcome to the Cinnabar City Gym. My name is Caleb Bradford. This gym is a bit different than the others, if you hadn't already guessed, in that you will be fighting under less-than-optimal conditions. The rules are simple for your first fight; three on three, one switch-out, and if you pass out, you forfeit. Link your team of three."

I obeyed and linked Ceto, Azrael, and Lazarus. The League's standard level for the seventh badge is 45-50. Lazarus was the weakest member of my team by level, at 47, and everyone else was above 55. So, I felt that my team was more than ready. After that, I was told to take my position.

I led with Lazarus while Caleb led with a Charmeleon. I immediately ordered Lazarus to form a light screen while the fire lizard shot a line of fire at him. The fire hit Lazarus through the screen, but dealt only minor damage to him. After that, I yelled, "Charge-Bolt!" while the Charmeleon launched some fairly large rocks at him.

The beam impacted the Charmeleon, and Lazarus dodged all of the rocks before letting loose an empowered thunderbolt. The arc of lighting struck the lizard, but it continued to throw rocks. "Again!" I yelled. Lazarus loosed another electrical beam, and his fur started to glow even more brilliantly than before, but the Charmeleon was recalled before he could finish with a thunderbolt.

The next pokemon that was released was a Flareon. The flaming fox immediately wreathed itself in fire and shot towards Lazarus, who was fast enough to hit it with a powerful thunderbolt. Lazarus was hit in the side soon after, flames crashing over him. The Flareon faltered as well, sustaining recoil damage. In that short amount of time, Lazarus shot another charge beam at his opponent, and his body glowed even brighter. By this time, the temperature in the room had risen, and sweat was sticking to my clothes.

The Flareon leapt at Lazarus with an open mouth full of fire, and sank its fangs into Lazarus's thigh. In response, Lazarus's fists crackled with lighting and he slammed them down onto the fox's head. The Flareon fell to the ground and was returned. Lazarus, I noticed, was heaving, and the fur on his thigh was alight. I recalled him before the fire could spread or the gym trainer could send another pokemon at him, and then sent out Ceto.

Ceto's opponent was revealed to be a large badger-like pokemon. Upon seeing Ceto, it stood up on its hind legs to a height of six feet, and flames erupted from its shoulders and back. I recognized it as a Typhlosion, a vicious fire-type capable of devastating physical and ranged attacks.

I immediately yelled, "Focus-Beam!" and Ceto focused inward. In that time, the Typhlosion shook, and a dense smokescreen formed around him and the vicinity. Ceto then released a bubbling beam of water into the smoke, and an angry cry was heard. "When you see him, use hydro pump," I commanded, and Ceto waited.

A few seconds later, a plume of fiery liquid arched out of the smoke and landed all around Ceto, hitting her and causing her wet scales to steam. Before the Typhlosion released another lava plume, I yelled, "Disperse that cloud!" and Ceto sent a violent twister whirling down the center of the arena.

The cloud of smoke was whipped away, but the Typhlosion had released another fiery plume, which hit Ceto again. "Now, Ceto!" I ordered, and she drew water from the small pond at the side of the arena. As she condensed the water, the Typhlosion's body erupted in fire, it balled itself up, and then it started rolling quickly towards Ceto. The temperature in the room rose even higher, making my mouth feel dry and my arms feel as if they were being sunburned.

The Typhlosion was faster than Ceto, but she was able to release the pressurized water right into the flame wheel before it hit her, putting out the fire and stopping the Typhlosion's momentum. The Typhlosion did not move from the ground after it collapsed from Ceto's hydro pump. The Typhlosion was returned and the gym trainer approached me. I noticed that the gym was silent, so I looked up to the seating area to see people cheering, but their sound was being blocked by the thick window.

"Congratulations, trainer. You may now challenge Leader Zaiden. I noticed that you are particularly resistant to the gym conditions," he said. "I commend you for training yourself to resist the heat and the smoke. Stop by the participants' counter on your way out to schedule your battle, and good luck!"

I thanked Caleb and left after returning Ceto to her ball. When I reached the participants' counter, I could hear the crowd cheering, and several people were waiting for me in the lobby. I hurriedly discussed when my leader challenge would take place, and found that it would take place at noon on New Year's Eve.

I left the Gym shortly after amidst pats on the back and congratulations. New Year's Eve, huh, I thought to myself. Either no one will show up to my match, or everyone will… Ugh, it will probably be the latter. As if to answer my uncertainties, Jack Jones from Cinnabar LeagueWatch was waiting for me right outside of the gym's front doors.

"Well, congratulations Mr. MacAfee! A quick word for your fans?" he greeted, and I sighed, realizing that I would not be able to get away that easily.

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The next few days were full of light training in preparation for my gym battle. We returned to the Smoky Forest, but only stuck to the lower regions. By returning to the mountains, we were able to avoid unwanted attention while staying close to the city.

The days passed quickly and before I knew it, New Year's Eve was upon me. I was one of four people who were challenging the gym that day as sort of a New Year's Special for Cinnabar Island Gym. Out of the four of us, I was fighting last, which meant that I had to wait almost an hour in the hot waiting room. When all three trainers had gone and I was finally called to the arena, I recalled Rufus and excitedly exited the waiting room.

The first thing I noticed was that the seating ring was so full that many people were standing. The second was Leader Zaiden standing in the middle of the field waiting for me. He was young in comparison to the other gym leaders whom I had faced before; probably in his late twenties. He was a bit taller than me, and his bright red spiked hair was clearly dyed. Moreover, Leader Zaiden was wearing nothing but red athletic pants, showing a chiseled, athletic torso devoid of any burns.

Leader Zaiden waited for me to approach before extending a hand and saying with a smile, "Welcome to the Cinnabar Gym, again. This is the seventh gym in the circuit, and home to Kanto's most fearsome fire-type pokemon. I am Gym Leader Shiro Zaiden, and I accept your challenge. Link your pokemon."

I did so, noting how quiet the arena was. An announcer was undoubtedly making an introduction for me in the seating area. "Great! You are allowed three switches, three items, and if you pass out, you forfeit. Now, take your position on the far side of the field and good luck. Perhaps the JIC champion can give the audience their first victory to celebrate."

I obeyed once more with a smirk, walking over to the side of the field with Lazarus's ball in my hand. Once I reached the side, I released my Electabuzz, who cracked his knuckles in expectation. Leader Zaiden then released a Rapidash, whose fiery mane flared brilliantly. The fight began intensely, with Lazarus casting a light screen over himself while avoiding a particularly hot fire blast which raised the temperature of the gym.

Lazarus then hit the large stallion with a charge beam, empowering his future electrical moves. The Rapidash then sent another ball of fire streaming at Lazarus, which hit him as he issued another charge beam. The blast sent Lazarus tumbling backwards. I yelled out to Lazarus as the Rapidash sped forward to him, wreathed in flames and with its horn lowered. Lazarus managed to jump out of the way, but the Rapidash reared and changed directions.

Lazarus let loose a powerful thunderbolt as the Rapidash exploded in fire, directing most of it into a cone which hit Lazarus directly. Both pokemon recoiled from the attacks, and Lazarus collapsed. I groaned and returned Lazarus. I sent out Gilles next, who cackled maniacally.

Gilles used his shadow to instantly move behind the Rapidash as the stallion attempted to spew fire at him. Within seconds, Gilles had forced the Rapidash down to the floor in a bloody mess with shadowy claws. Leader Zaiden recalled his fire stallion and sent out a Houndoom.

Knowing that the Houndoom held type-advantage, I switched out Gilles for Dante. Dante eyed his opponent competitively and I said, "Get in close and Sweep-Break. Watch out for pulses."

Yes, J'Kun, he responded. He then teleported behind the Houndoom, who let loose a powerful stream of fire at Dante's previous location. Dante kicked out the Houndoom's legs and then slammed his fist into its haunches. The Houndoom whipped its head around, with fire still pouring from it, and barely hit Dante before he teleported away. Dante appeared with a reddened arm and teleported in, again.

This time, Dante was hit by a dark pulse as he appeared and was thrown back. He teleported before he hit the ground, and he appeared twenty feet away on the other side of the Houndoom. "Again! Dodge!" I commanded, and Dante teleported in, only to teleport away quickly before the Houndoom loosed another dark shockwave. He then teleported in again and delivered the same combo as before while the Houndoom was vulnerable.

The Houndoom faltered after the brick break, and Dante finished it with a slash across its side. Leader Zaiden recalled the fiery hound and said, "Excellent choice." He sent out a Talonflame, which was slightly larger than Keith's.

The fiery falcon took to the air and performed a series of ultra-fast maneuvers towards Dante. Dante erected a reflective screen around him before he was hit by the fiery falcon. It raked Dante with its talons before flapping erratically, creating a fiery explosion around it as it lifted off into the air. Dante was hit with the fire and sent a few psychic cuts into the air towards the Talonflame, but only one managed to graze its right wing.

The Talonflame circled in the air and made short, successively quicker jumps until it faced Dante. "Thunder wave!" I yelled as it flew closer. The Talonflame passed above Dante, did a fast acrobatic backflip in the air, and shot straight down towards Dante, but Dante released a wave of electricity that caused the falcon's muscles to seize uncontrollably.

Dante moved out of the way and the falcon slammed into the ground. Dante was upon the Talonflame immediately, slashing ferociously with his arm blades until Leader Zaiden recalled it. The next pokemon, and last in the first phase, was a magnificent enormous canine. It stood five feet at its shoulders, and over seven feet at the top of its head. It had orange fur with black jagged stripes, and a bushy white mane. It was a fabled Arcanine.

"Extreme crunch," I heard Leader Zaiden say, and before Dante could obey my command to heal, the Arcanine shot forward like a bullet and impacted Dante with all of its weight, sending him careening backwards. The Arcanine kept moving with the extreme speed technique and delivered a devastating Crunch attack.

Dante could not teleport while in the Arcanine's jaws, so I yelled, "Thunder wave!" Electrical static wracked the Arcanine, who dropped Dante soon after, and I yelled, "Teleport and heal!" Dante obeyed and put room between him and his adversary before glowing with purple light. In the meantime, Leader Zaiden administered a full heal spray on his Arcanine and the canine eyed Dante angrily. "Double-Team!" I yelled, and Dante split into four different versions of himself.

The Arcanine barreled into one of them and it disappeared, but I saw the Arcanine's nose twitch before it turned around and lunged for another of the images. Dante disappeared, and all of his images disappeared as well before the Arcanine could land the attack. All of them reappeared on random sides of the arena a second later and I called out, "Grab'n'break!"

The Arcanine whipped its head around while letting loose an intense flamethrower around it. The flames hit multiple images which were advancing towards it, but the real Dante stepped forward behind the Arcanine, and his eyes glowed green before the Arcanine was lifted from the ground and propelled towards him. Then, Dante teleported in front of the Arcanine's trajectory, 15 feet above the ground. As Dante fell, the Arcanine passed beneath him, and Dante slammed his fist into its back.

The Arcanine crashed into the ground and tumbled forward. Dante landed on the dirt behind the Arcanine and followed up with several psychic blades which tore into the stunned beast. Leader Zaiden quickly recalled the magnificent canine and said, "Impressive combo! Haven't seen something like that in a League match before. Now, on to phase two!" The heat in the gym was almost unbearable, and my clothing was drenched in sweat.

A peculiar looking pokemon entered the field next. It was a six-foot-tall bipedal pokemon with a flaming head, tail, and shoulders. It had a mix of colors over its body and its clawed hands had wide holes in their centers. It was the evolved form of Magmar; Magmortar.

Dante teleported to one side of his opponent and started delivering wicked slashes, but the Magmortar turned on him and delivered a strong punch to Dante's head, releasing a fiery pulse from the barrel of his palm simultaneously. Dante was flung backwards by the sheer force of the blow, and when he landed, the Magmortar had already lined up a shot with its cannon-like arms.

Two separate Fire Blast attacks shot from its arms and Dante could not move in time. I raised my pokeball to return Dante, but the attacks both hit him. The fireballs blasted Dante back farther and he lay limp on the ground. Instantly filled with fear, I attempted to recall Dante and he thankfully disappeared into his pokeball, though the ball told me that he needed medical attention immediately.

The Magmortar's fire attacks had raised the room's temperature to well over 110 degrees, and I chose my next pokemon with that in mind. Ceto appeared in front of me and I issued my commands. Ceto drew all of the water from the pond on the side of the arena and brought it in front of her to block two blasts of fire. The fireballs caused a large portion of the water to evaporate and spread around the room, raising the humidity dramatically.

Ceto then sent a wave of water surging towards the Magmortar, and it jumped about ten feet into the air. The water hit its legs and chest, but the fire on the rest of its body remained untouched. It landed with a splash in a small puddle and raised a single hand. Crack! A bolt of electricity arched from its hand and hit Ceto, causing her to cry out in pain. I saw her mood change as she brought the rest of the water back to her. As she condensed a large portion of the water, the Magmortar sent another bolt of electricity at her.

The surge of electricity caused her body to tense up with paralysis. The Magmortar then ran forward at a speed faster than it looked capable of reaching, and it slammed a fist crackling with electricity into Ceto's side. I quickly recalled her and sent out Gilles, feeling nervous. While I did so, Leader Zaiden administered a restorative potion to the Magmortar's ball, healing it.

I exclaimed in frustration and ordered Gilles to hypnotize the Magmortar. He did so and I yelled, "Toxic and Hex!" He flew towards his opponent with a cackle. When he was ten feet away, he spewed black liquid onto the Magmortar, who did not stir from its slumber. Gilles's arms then elongated and started lashing out violently. The Magmortar awoke with a pained roar and sent out a confusing ray, which hit Gilles.

Gilles laughed uncontrollably as he started to float around in the air aimlessly. The Magmortar then raised both of its barrels and issued two Fire Blasts, which exploded upon impact with Gilles shadowy form. Gilles was wrenched out of his confusion and screeched in pain. "Venoshock!" I called out.

Gilles spewed more black liquid at the Magmortar, who shuddered as the liquid coated its skin, and then vomited blackened blood. It was mad, and it raised its cannons again. It shot a fireball from one and a lightning bolt from the other. However, Gilles had used his shadow to instantly flank his attacker, and slashed into it.

The Magmortar turned on him and I heard Leader Zaiden call out, "Overheat!"

My heart skipped a beat and I quickly yelled, "Destiny Bond!" Gilles reached his arms forward, and the shadows which composed them surged forward and entered the Magmortar's body through its mouth and nostrils. The Magmortar followed through with its orders and released most of its pent-up heat through its cannons directly into Gilles.

Gilles shrieked in pain and fell from the air as a shadowy blob. Though, as his form hit the ground, so did the Magmortar. Gilles had ensured that if he died as a result of the attack, so would his attacker. The gym leader and I both returned our pokemon. "Smart move," Leader Zaiden commented. I was having difficulty concentrating due to the heat in the room, which had risen above 120 degrees.

I released Rufus next while Leader Zaiden released his last pokemon; a Charizard. The Charizard issued a roar of challenge and Rufus snarled at his opponent. "Con-pulse!" I yelled. Rufus issued a pulse of dark energy in a concentrated cone which hit the Charizard in the face at the start of the battle. The Charizard snarled and shook its head before engulfing Rufus in an intense inferno.

Rufus, being a fire-type, was affected minimally by the attack, but even then, he retreated from the intense heat. He responded with another dark pulse, which hit the Charizard in the wing. The Charizard, having had enough of the dark attacks, flared its wings and drove them back hard. The dragon shot forward towards Rufus and collided with him using an effective aerial ace technique.

Rufus was caught in the dragon's fury, and though he tried to escape, the Charizard smashed its forehead and fists into Rufus with devastating fighting-type techniques. I saw the shimmer of the Protect technique multiple times during the Charizard's barrage of rock smashing. Then I saw Rufus shoot away while wreathed in flames, indicative of a flaming charge directed away from the dragon.

"Pulse then hyper beam!" I yelled. Rufus obeyed, sending a concentrated pulse of dark energy once again at the Charizard. It hit the dragon on the same wing as before, and I heard a sharp crack when it hit. The Charizard flinched in response to the pain, and Rufus charged up a hyper beam. The flinch allowed Rufus to charge the beam for slightly longer so that when he released the beam, it was more powerful than normal.

The beam struck the Charizard in the chest and drove it back, its feet sliding across the wet dirt. The Charizard then started building up its own hyper beam, and I yelled, "Protect!" before it could release the beam. The beam clashed with Rufus's Protect, but Rufus was not harmed. Quickly after shooting the hyper beam, the Charizard sent a pulse of draconic energy in the shape of a slender cone at Rufus, who was caught in the chest and blown onto his back. He did not move from the ground.

With a curse, I recalled Rufus and released my final pokemon, Azrael. Azrael roared at his opponent upon his appearance, and then rushed forward on my command in a swift dragon rush. He collided with the Charizard, who used its own protective technique in the last second. "Bulldoze!" I yelled, unfazed.

The Charizard was confined to the ground due to its wing hanging limply to the side, so it could not avoid the large swell of dirt that pummeled it. However, the Charizard was not finished. It let loose another dragon pulse and caught Azrael in neck. Azrael staggered back and the Charizard followed up with another, driving Azrael back.

After the second attack, Leader Zaiden administered a healing potion to the Charizard's ball, and the Charizard's wing snapped back together. With a pained roar, the Charizard looked at Azrael with renewed fight in its eyes. I quickly shouted, "Tomb and Whip," before the Charizard could act, and Azrael reduced the dirt below the Charizard into a swirling tomb of quicksand. The Charizard sank underneath its weight before it could take off into the air, and Azrael whipped his tail, slamming it into the side of the Charizard's head.

I quickly jumped into the air and stomped with both feet, and Azrael lifted a foot into the air. He brought it down hard and the ground shook violently. The Charizard, which was caught partially underground, was viciously jarred amongst the rocky earth, but still managed to charge a hyper beam from its position. It blasted Azrael and sent him stumbling backwards, but by the time Azrael caught himself, the earthquake had rendered the Charizard unconscious.

Leader Zaiden returned his Charizard and I fell to my knees. The mix of heat and excitement had made me dizzy and I could no longer keep on my feet. Before the heat could affect me more, though, I heard the whooshing sound of air being sucked somewhere, and the temperature in the gym cooled drastically.

Before I knew it, a bottle of water was being handed down to me from Leader Zaiden's outstretched hand. Azrael was beside me as well, beaming down at me with pride. I took the bottle and drained it before saying, "Great job, Azrael!" Azrael leaned down and let me grab a bulb on the side of his head to lift myself off of the ground. He then gently nipped my on the shoulder, though it did not feel so gentle.

I still laughed, and Leader Zaiden laughed as well. "Great job indeed, trainer," the gym leader remarked. "Congratulations on earning the Volcano Badge." He held out the badge and I took it from him. "With this badge, you will be presented with the TM for Fire Blast. One more badge lies between you and the end of the Junior League. You have maintained an undefeated record so far, so keep training and keep that record intact. It is a rare and magnificent trainer who can beat the league without a loss. Now, good luck and happy New Year!"

With that, he patted me on the back and motioned me to the exit. I returned Azrael and left, hearing the cheers of the fans growing louder and louder as I reached the Victors' Booth outside of the lobby. Though claiming my prizes at the Victor's Booth was at the forefront of my mind, my path was inevitably waylaid for a few minutes when I spotted a drinking fountain next to the bathrooms.

After retrieving my prize money and my TM, I entered the lobby and was greeted by what seemed to be the entirety of the spectators. The sound was deafening, and I could not even reach the gym exit before I was approached by Jack Jones holding a microphone.

With a sigh, I allowed him to interview me once again. I answered his questions as succinctly as possible so that I could leave for the Pokemon Center as soon as imaginable. Even though I wanted to leave, I could not help but notice the faces of the people in the crowd. They stood around watching me with admiration. While I did not care so much for the attention, I realized and appreciated the fact that those people were part of the humanity that I was training to protect. Their support took on a new meaning for me, and I allowed it to fill me with pride and joy.

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Current PokeDex Update

Trainer: Zachariah MacAfee; KA523VI979

Pokemon in Possession:

Azrael – Garchomp

Gilles – Haunter

Rufus – Houndoom

Ceto – Seadra

Dante – Gallade

Lazarus – Electabuzz

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Author's note: I want to briefly clarify and reiterate a few things here. First, I understand that, in the games, Fuchsia City comes before Saffron City in the progression of gyms, but for the sake of keeping the gyms in an easier geographical circuit, I switched them. Second, I understand that the term "Wataru" is the name used for Lance in the Japanese version of the games, but seeing as I like how it sounds and that there is no name for Lance's clan that I could find, I decided to use it anyway. Third, I guess some people would have liked to have seen the MC further explore the Seafoam Caves, but unfortunately that is not the way things went. Fourth, again, this is an anecdotal story told from the perspective of the MC. Having said that, the MC is finally beginning to understand that his actions have consequences. Also, the Meteors are now gone! I wonder if that is the end of the MC's troubles… See you next time!