Giovanni's Earthbadge, Chapter 21
Together, Deneb and I were off to Viridian City on our bikes first thing in the morning. Mom had packed us a delicious lunch, and even some of last night's leftovers in case we were extra hungry. I even had to keep her quiet before leaving, so she didn't let Deneb in on the fact I was headed to Johto. That was something I had to do myself. With Vulpix in her basket, we sped out of Pallet Town, intent on making it to Viridian City before noon.
We stuck to the main road, not wanting to tire our Pokemon with pointless battles against wild ones in the tall grass. It was around here where my first battle took place. That Rattata nearly bit my finger off. The fond memories seemed to come back to Deneb, too.
"You remember when you first came down this road, Star?" He asked not long after we left Pallet.
"Well, not the first time, but as a Pokemon trainer, yeah." I pointed over to some random tree. "Around there, I think, I ran into my first ever wild Pokemon."
"I caught a Spearow here myself, my first catch. Still have him with me."
"My first catch was on Route 22, the day after we met on the road. I caught a Mankey."
"Lucky, I tried finding one, but I didn't have any luck that evening."
Most of the ride was pretty quiet, with the occasional snippet of conversation here and there. I guess we were both stuck in similar dilemmas. I didn't want to get any closer to Deneb, seeing as how I was off to Johto soon, and he probably didn't want to say much after what happened at Celadon City. We seemed to get along just fine yesterday on the beach, but that talk was mostly battle prep. As we approached Viridian City, though, I just had to ask Deneb.
"Are you looking forward to Victory Road?"
"I'm a little scared, to be honest. Compared to most other trainers, we've only been out on the road for a couple months. Many others spend almost a year working to earn their badges, makes me feel like we took all the shortcuts."
"And your Pokemon? You think you'll be able to win with them?"
"I'd be more worried about your Pokemon, Star," Deneb said, looking over at Vulpix. "When do you plan on evolving Vulpix?"
"Evolve? What do you mean?" Until that day, the thought of having Vulpix turn into something else, even if it was a bigger version of herself, had just never crossed me. I knew that a Vulpix only evolved when exposed to a Fire Stone, so I was always happy knowing she'd never evolve on her own.
"If you're planning on entering the tournament at Indigo Plateau, I don't think Vulpix will be much help. Maybe it's time to have her evolve?" Deneb's suggestion was simply preposterous.
"Not happening. Vulpix has always been my friend, and I won't force her to evolve, especially not for some battle."
"Okay, your Pokemon. Just letting you know, those fights won't be easy."
What I wanted to tell him, of course, was that I wasn't going to be in them. Of course, I bit my tongue.
~o~
We finally arrived at Viridian City. As we made our way to the gym, I noticed the Pokemon Center was almost back to normal, since it was destroyed when I first started out. I remembered Nurse Joy telling Mom it was some kid and his Pikachu, which reminded me of Pewter City. Could that have been the same boy?
We rode up to the gym, parking our bikes just outside the building. We stood together at the door, not sure if we were ready to enter. After I took a few deep breaths, Deneb opened the door, taking me by the hand to lead me through the door. Were I not so preoccupied by the impending battle, I'd have been embarrassed by the gesture.
The arena was massive, far larger than even Brock's. But like Brock's, it was covered entirely in dirt and sand in small patches, the large Pokeball symbol in the center hardly noticeable. Sitting high above the arena, on the far side of the gym, as usual, was the leader. Even at such a distance, I knew the man all too well. Dressed in his black suit, sinister eyes piercing through us.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Gym, Star. I see you've brought company, and it isn't Lance." Giovanni hadn't forgotten me, which sent a bit of a chill down my spine.
"We've come to challenge you Giovanni! We both challenge you to a double battle for a badge!" It took a bit of work to keep my voice steady.
The man stood from his chair, towering over us from his platform roughly ten feet in the air.
"Come now, Star, you know the League rules state only one challenger can face me at a time." My heart skipped a beat. If he followed the rules now, I'd probably never be able to beat him. I scoured my mind for only a moment before speaking again. My last shot.
"I didn't know you followed the rules, not after what happened at the Silph Building!"
It was because Giovanni was so far away, so tiny in the distance, that I seemed to draw up courage from within. Up close, I wouldn't dare say any of this to the man. Deneb, on the other hand, remained silent, judging the leader with his own eyes.
"I have to admit, it has been terribly boring complying with my duties here. The last few trainers that challenged me proved to be quite disappointing. I'll accept your challenge then, Star, and your friend's. Please step into the challenger's podium."
Behind us, a portion of the ground rose up a step. We followed his orders and walked onto the platform. Once on, the thing rose up another few feet, putting us on the same level as Giovanni. We were still too far to see his face clearly enough.
"I'm guessing he'll be using earth types, Star, so go with any water type you have," Deneb whispered into my ear.
"The rules for the match are as follows: four Pokemon versus four. Since you two wish to challenge me together, that means each of you get two entries. Should either of you exhaust your two Pokemon, the battle is mine on both your accounts." Even now, he was bending the rules to his favor.
We agreed to the terms. It was technically still an even playing field, but I knew that even with all our battle prep, Giovanni could still coordinate his two Pokemon more efficiently than we could. We were walking into this battle with quite the handicap, mostly on my account.
"Very well, release your first Pokemon." Giovanni dropped two Pokeballs from his podium, exploding to reveal a Rhydon and a Persian. Like Deneb had suggested, I went with Lapras, and he chose his Venusaur. I looked at Deneb, and he looked back at me. We had practiced how to coordinate our attacks on the beach the previous day, so now we'd see just how well we prepared. With a sound of a bell, the battle had begun.
"Persian, Quick Attack! Rhydon, Dig!"
"Venusaur, ready Solar Beam!"
"Lapras, cover Venusaur with Withdraw!"
Rhydon buried into the ground, while Persian vanished from our sight. Venusaur backed up a little, storing up his power for Solar Beam, while Lapras slid in front of him and balled up in his shell. Persian rammed right into Lapras's shell, bouncing back. I took the chance to counter the attack.
"Lapras, Ice Beam!"
"Persian, Faint Attack!"
Lapras came out of its shell, only to take Persian's attack directly. Lapras reeled back a little, losing his focus and shooting the Ice Beam into the air instead. I started to realize the mistake of going in for the counter.
"Lapras, Withdraw!"
"Persian, Fury Swipes! Rhydon, Fury Attack!"
Lapras made an effort to hide again, but Persian was too close, and managed to start swiping at him before he could. After several painful scratches, Rhydon came flying out of the ground, knocking Lapras into the air. On the way down, Rhydon grabbed Lapras, repeatedly driving its horn into Lapras's soft underbelly.
"Venusaur, Solar Beam on Rhydon!"
"Persian, cover Rhydon!"
Venusaur let out a mighty roar, ducking forward to unleash a massive beam of rainbow colored energy at Rhydon. However, Persian managed to leap in front of Rhydon, taking the blow in his place, and fainting. Rhydon continued to attack Lapras, until finally it threw him over to a side. Lapras was knocked out as well. I called back Lapras, and Giovanni did the same for Persian. Without wasting a second, he released his next Pokemon, Nidoqueen.
"Star, I need some back up here!" Deneb's eyes were fixed on the battlefield, and his Venusaur was left wide open.
"Going!" I reached for Primeape's Pokeball, knowing he was my strongest critter. If Nidoking was Giovanni's last Pokemon, I knew only Primeape stood a chance. I released the ape, who was quite small compared to the competition out on the field.
"We need to get rid of that Rhydon, it's too strong!" Deneb shouted.
"I'll distract it, you ready another Solar Beam!" I pointed to Rhydon. "Primeape, Karate Chop!"
"Nidoqueen, Earthquake! Rhydon, Horn Drill!"
The dreaded attack, and Giovanni's Rhydon was also capable of using it. I was about to order Primeape to avoid the attack, when Nidoqueen caused the entire arena to shake. The quake was strong enough to stop Venusaur from charging up the Solar Beam, knock Primeape down, and even us on top of the podium in the air! Rhydon was unaffected, however, and went charging towards Primeape, the horn on its head spinning at blazing speeds.
"Primeape, run!"
For once, Primeape's disregard of my orders proved helpful. Rather than try to run, Primeape stayed on the ground, using it to support his back as he held Rhydon's deadly horn at bay with his bare hands! I could see from the podium as the spinning drill was burning through his hands, but Primeape didn't let go, forcing Rhydon back further.
"Nidoqueen, Fury Swipes!"
"Venusaur, Body Slam her!"
Nidoqueen tried to beat the considerably slower Venusaur to Primeape, as a single attack would send Rhydon's Horn Drill attack right into the monkey. Fortunately, Venusaur managed to stop Nidoqueen in her tracks, but Primeape's hands were starting to lose their strength in holding back Rhydon.
"Venusaur, Vine Whip both of them!"
Over a dozen live vines shot out from Venusaur's back, half of them wrapping around Rhydon's midsection, and the other half whipping at the floored Nidoqueen. With a single motion, Venusaur lifted the large rock Pokemon off the ground and Primeape, sending it flying towards Nidoqueen. Deneb must've planned that, as the spinning horn dug into Nidoqueen for a moment before Rhydon stopped the attack. Nidoqueen wasn't dead, but she was pretty roughed up. Giovanni recalled her.
"Bravo. You're certainly a better trainer than your friend, kid." Giovanni released his final Pokemon, the Nidoking. It was now his two strongest against ours. Primeape was in bad shape, and Venusaur was looking pretty tired already.
"Star," Deneb whispered, formulating another plan, "I need Primeape to cover Venusaur again. We can't take them both on at the same time, we have to knock one of them out."
"Primeape can hardly fight anymore! What should I do?"
"Rhydon, Nidoking, Dig!" Giovanni had no reason to wait on our planning, and now both his Pokemon were out of sight.
"Never mind that plan, tell him to run!" Deneb said as he turned his gaze back to the arena.
"Primeape, get out of there! Don't stop moving!"
"Venusaur, wait for my signal!"
It was almost comical, seeing Primeape dashing about the arena, moving in all sorts of erratic patterns. In the meantime, Venusaur just stood there, an easy target for Giovanni's Pokemon. Just what was Deneb planning? After another few tense seconds, something started digging out of the ground around Venusaur.
"Poison Powder, now!"
The large green Pokemon released a giant cloud of purple dust, covering the area all around him. The two Pokemon sprung out of the ground, clawing away at Venusaur, despite the harmful powder landing all over their skin. Deneb wasted no time in calling Venusaur back, preventing the full assault from the two opponent Pokemon. Right after, he released his second choice, a Fearow.
"Fearow? Isn't that a bad choice for this battle, Deneb?"
"Just watch: Fearow, Fly, and take Primeape with you!"
The large bird took to the sky, swooping down to pick up Primeape. Since both of Giovanni's Pokemon had been poisoned before Venusaur fell, it was only a matter of time before they fainted. Giovanni had other plans, however.
"Nidoking, Seismic Toss Rhydon!"
The large purple Pokemon grabbed hold of Rhydon, leaping high into the air. Rather than throwing him back down, he swung him straight towards Fearow and Primeape.
"Primeape, Mega Punch!"
I called the attack in just in time. Fearow backed up a little, giving Primeape a chance to reel back his fist, and sent Rhydon flying back towards Nidoking. Both Pokemon went crashing back to the ground, Rhydon hardly able to get up after.
"Fearow, swoop down on them!" I picked up on Deneb's plan, and followed up.
"Primeape, Low Kick!"
By the time both critters were back on their feet, Fearow swooped down across both, with Primeape's foot out and stiff. The kick sent Rhydon crashing back into the ground, and Nidoking nearly spun in a full circle. Rhydon wouldn't get up again. Fearow lowered back to the ground, dropping Primeape off. Nidoking could hardly move at this point, tired from the blows and the poison eating away at him.
"Primeape, finish with Thrash!"
"Fearow, Sand-Attack!"
The large bird flew in fast, stopping just shy of Nidoking's face. The sand it kicked up with his huge wings blinded Nidoking completely, allowing Primeape to deliver the full force of his Thrash attack on Nidoking. After a few seconds of watching the powerful beating, Nidoking also fell over.
We had won the battle.
~o~
"On behalf of the Viridian City Gym, I bestow you trainers with the Earthbadge, symbol of victory in the eyes of the Pokemon League."
Giovanni, finally before our very eyes, handed us each a badge. The final one looked like a little green leaf, the symbol of our victory indeed. He turned around to return to his podium, but I just had to gloat a bit more.
"How does it feel to lose, huh?" Deneb nudged me to stop, but that man deserved every insult I could throw at him. Thankfully for him, Mom never let me swear, so I didn't know any at the time.
"I'd listen to your friend, Star. You'd be wise not to insult me personally."
"What are you gonna do, huh?" I barked defiantly.
"Star, stop! Don't you know gym leaders can take away your trainer card?" I looked at Deneb, finding it hard to believe that leaders actually had that kind of power.
"He's right, you know. So I suggest you leave my gym, before I decide to use my power. Know what happens to Pokemon in the possession of the trainer if I were to revoke their card?"
"And what about you? You're the leader of Team Rocket! Doesn't that mean anything to the League!?" Deneb didn't say anything, either because he didn't know, or knew it was completely unfair. Of course, Giovanni had no problems letting me in on it.
"Being an official Gym Leader, I am immune to any and all baseless accusations. Not even Lance himself can do anything about it, since he has no proof I have any ties to Team Rocket." I couldn't believe my ears.
"You mean, you can just sit here, in plain sight, and no one can do anything about it!?" Deneb tugged at my arm after my little outburst.
"Star, unless Lance brings hard proof that Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket, he doesn't have to hide himself while he's here. It sucks, but there's nothing we can do. Let's just go."
The last I saw of Giovanni was his smug grin. I was furious, to say the least, that he was standing right there, and no one could touch him. I realized it must've been worse for Lance, knowing all along who Giovanni was, and never getting the proof he needed to stop him. And every time he seemed to get close, I was always around to ruin the plan. That wasn't the last I saw of Giovanni, but I wouldn't see him again for some time.
~o~
Outside the gym, Deneb arranged his final badge on his backpack. I did the same on my trainer card, still fuming at everything I just heard. Deneb noticed, so he gave me a pat on the back.
"Relax, Star," he said, looking at the building behind us for a moment. "I'm sure Lance will eventually find what he needs to stop Giovanni."
"How do you know Lance?"
"Every trainer knows Lance, Star. He's the current Pokemon Champion of both Kanto and Johto!"
"What!?" All that time, I was being saved by the Pokemon Champion himself. To think!
"Just how did you know Lance, but not that?"
"Well, I met him a couple times, in Celadon and Saffron. He only introduced himself as Lance, not as the Pokemon Champion. I never knew!" That was probably a weak excuse, given that being a Pokemon Trainer, I should've known all the same.
"Figures, he wouldn't go around saying who he was openly. I'm a bit jealous you got to meet him in person before me!"
Deneb hopped on his bike, and I got on mine. Our next stop was the Pokemon Center. I'd have to tell him soon enough, but I was trying to hold out as long as possible. After we gave our Pokemon to Nurse Joy, who still had to work outside since the center wasn't quite finished yet, we sat down nearby to have our lunch. Though the food was delicious, I could hardly enjoy it.
"What's wrong, Star? Aren't you hungry? We should be jumping up and down like crazy people! We're finally on our way to Victory Road!" Deneb was eating as fast as he possibly could, barely containing the joy of this latest accomplishment.
"Deneb," I said, finally unable to hold it in anymore. "I'm not going."
"What? What do you mean?" He looked at me, the joy of our victory gone in an instant.
"I'm not going with you to Victory Road."
The silence between us lasted for quite a while. I continued to push my lunch around in its container, while Deneb just sat there, staring blankly in my general direction. I couldn't bare to look at him directly.
"Star, what are you talking about?" He finally asked.
"Professor Oak asked me to accompany him to New Bark Town, in Johto. I thought about it for a while, and decided to go with him."
"You mean," Deneb said, hardly able to get the words out right, "You mean, after all you've been through, you're just going to give up on entering Indigo Plateau?"
"I got to thinking, Deneb. When I started this journey, I did it because you left Pallet Town. I wanted to follow you, I wanted to be on a Pokemon adventure, just like you. Right beside you, actually." I put my plastic fork inside the container, and sealed it shut. I wasn't going to be eating anything after all.
"Star, I promised you we could go on together, after we came back to Viridian City! Why-?"
"After we talked in Cerulean," I continued, cutting him off, "I thought, 'if I just get through all these gyms, I can finally be at his side'! That was what kept me going, what kept me battling all those people. Then, I met Sabrina."
"Star, about what I said that time..."
"It's okay, I was still confused, then. After that, I started to doubt myself, wondering just why I really was going through with the gym challenges. Was it because I wanted to, or was it because you wanted to, and that was the only way I could stay with you? Well, I pushed all that back, and just kept moving.
"Finally, a couple days ago, the professor asked me if I could go with him to Johto. I was still planning on going to Victory Road, but then he told me what was really past it all. The tournament, the battles, it just wasn't for me. That was your dream, not mine. I was just following your lead."
Deneb didn't say anything. Thankful, I kept talking. Had he said anything else, I might not have made it through all that without crying. It was hard enough as it was.
"So, when I told him yes, I realized something. A Pokemon adventure, that was your decision. The Pokemon League, too. What had I chosen? When Oak offered me that trip, I realized what I wanted to do. It was the first time I made a decision for myself." I reached for Vulpix, and gave her a hug.
"I'm going to Johto, to continue my own adventure. I won't be trying to get into the Pokemon League, not anymore."
"I..." Deneb started, but cut off. He was probably going to say he understood, which was what anyone would've said. He may have even felt a bit responsible for dragging me all around Kanto, if unwittingly. Since he was having trouble coming up with an answer, I said one final thing to ease his mind.
"It wasn't your fault, Deneb. After all, the gym battles were really helpful, and they do make a great roadmap!" I gave him a smile, a smile that would hopefully allow him to relax. Unfortunately, it was just barely ruined by a single tear that escaped my left eye. I went to wipe it off, but Deneb reached out and stopped me.
"I wish," he said, scooting over a bit closer, "I wish things had been different. Maybe I should've let you join me."
"Then it wouldn't have been your dream, but mine."
"Then I could've made it our dream, instead." Deneb leaned in closer, and instinctively, I closed my eyes. His lips touched mine, and we both shared each other's first kiss. It was a moment too magical to describe in words. A moment I wish never ended.
~o~
I gave Mom a call on my new Pokegear, telling her to come pick me up. By car, it'd only be an hour or so, and I really didn't want to make the long bike ride back home alone. Deneb left a little while after we finished eating. I watched him ride off down Route 22, while Vulpix sat on her hind legs and waved as he left. Of course, it wasn't the last time I'd ever see Deneb, but it would be a long time until I did see him again. But, after all, like he once told me.
'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'. Something he read in a love poem somewhere.
Mom arrived when the sun was starting to set. I got into the car, and didn't say much the entire trip back. She probably assumed I was sad over the debate I had with Deneb over not going with him to Victory Road. Of course, mothers can't contain themselves, so she eventually asked along the drive back.
"You get into a fight with Deneb?"
"No, it was okay."
"Then why are you sad, honey? Didn't get that last badge?" To answer her, I just handed her my trainer card. After she saw the eight badges on the back, she handed it back to me.
"Then what's wrong, baby?"
"I'm not a baby, Mom."
"Talk to me, Star! I don't like it when you're so quiet like that."
"It's nothing, I promise! I'm just sad to see Deneb go."
It wasn't enough to satisfy her curiosity, but enough to get her off my back. I sighed as I looked out the window of the car, watching the trees zoom by. I passed my finger across my lips, remembering a moment that now seemed so long ago. We wouldn't be together for a while, but at least it was pretty much set in stone between us. That kiss finally proved what I had suspected almost since the day I met Deneb.
He really did love me back.
I couldn't be sure, but I think Mom caught on to what I was thinking about that evening in the car. At least, I remember her smiling after she saw me smiling at myself through my reflection. And she never brought it up, something I still thank her for to this very day.