Episode 29: The value of power

"Litwick, use flame burst!" Niko commanded. The Candle Pokémon charged forward, unleashing a small fireball from her mouth towards an undefined target. The attack ultimately exploded in midair, slightly melting the snow around it. "Great job!" Niko said, wanting to pat his Pokémon but decided against it. Litwick was, as one could imagine, quite hot.

Since saving a shiny Haxorus from Team Plasma in the Nature Preserve, Niko and his friends had continued their journey northwards towards Icirrus City, where they hoped Niko could get his seventh gym badge. Along the way, he continued training with his now-full team of Pokémon, all of whom were showing progress, albeit in varying degrees. Servine had now mastered leaf blade, but Boldore was struggling with getting the move rock slide down pat. Niko figured that the move would be relatively easy to understand, given that the Ore Pokémon was quite adept at using rock blast. Nevertheless, he continued to help Boldore get over this.

Tynamo was still struggling with reaching his limits with regards to his electricity usage. This didn't seem to concern Niko in particular, but it wasn't helping the EleFish Pokémon's confidence, which was understandably shaken. On occasion, Niko would have Tynamo practice against another Pokémon—usually Servine or Boldore, due to their relative resistance to electric types—to help ignite some sort of passion inside of the tiny Pokémon. It didn't seem to work.

Solosis and Litwick didn't have much to learn. Niko wanted Solosis to—somehow—upgrade her psychic abilities, but he didn't exactly know how she would do that. As for Litwick, Niko was still getting a handle on her moveset as well as working on her social interactions. He quickly noticed the introverted nature of the Candle Pokémon, and tried to figure out ways to help Litwick deal with that, especially around so many new and unfamiliar Pokémon.

Sitting down, he turned to Warren and Charlotte, who were engaging in their usual activities—Charlotte with her reading and Warren with his writing. Since leaving the Nature Preserve and Celestial Tower, the conversation between the three had been oddly scarce. Niko was used to it, to be sure—on his previous journeys he had moments of little to no conversation with his friends. However, this was the first time this had happened with his new friends, and so it felt awkward to him, at least initially.

Part of him thought that Charlotte was frustrated with him, relating specifically to their most recent adventure. It was clear from the start that she didn't want to, and Niko felt particularly guilty for forcing her into it. He tried to shove the thought away, but he couldn't help but feel even the least bit paranoid.

The trip to Twist Mountain took several day, most of which was spent with Niko and his Pokémon training when they could. Otherwise, they were wading through the increasing deeper snow, to the point where the trio was moving at a sluggish pace, especially since the snow was now past their ankles. This made it more difficult for Charlotte—the shortest of the three—to walk, and so they took their time getting through route 7 and to their destination. Along the way they would see the occasional Pokémon—sometimes a Deerling or even a Cubchoo, but not much else. Charlotte surmised that they might have migrated. Pidove, for example, aren't found in this part of the region during the winter.

Several days later, they made it to Twist Mountain. It was, simply put, a massive mound of Earth that was held together by other mountains in the range. Niko looked up at it, and sighed heavily.

"So…we're crossing though this?" He asked, turning to Warren and Charlotte.

"Guess so. It's the quickest way, right?" Warren replied, turning to Charlotte.

"That's what I read, yes." She said plainly. "Let's go. It shouldn't take more than a day or so to get through, I don't think."

And so they entered through a cave entrance massive enough to fit a train. As they walked through, Niko noticed train tracks that looked halfway put together. "I guess someone is trying to make it easier to get through?" He asked.

"Looks like it. Maybe Clay has something to do with it." Warren suggested. "I read somewhere that he owns a mining company. He's probably behind all of this." He looked down at the train tracks. "I like trains."

"You do?" Niko and Charlotte asked simultaneously.

"Yeah, since childhood. I don't know why—they're just so cool. The way they work, and how efficient they can be. I like older-style trains, though, but that's just me I guess. I'd love to see this when it's completed."

"Maybe we can come back one day." Niko said optimistically, which seemed to cheer Warren up.

The trio continued walking along the half-completed train tracks for what seemed like several hours until they entered a massive chamber. Here, they noticed walkways running down deep into the mountain, each leading to different tunnels. The chamber looked to be shaped like a terrace, with each level flattened so the paths were walkable. They looked down further to see construction workers digging and moving heavy steel beams around with the help of Gurdurrs—the fighting type Pokémon.

"Yeah, they're definitely doing work here. But for what?" Niko asked as he and Charlotte noticed Warren walking down a set of stairs to a lower level. "Where are you going? Wait!" Niko said, running off after his friend. Charlotte, sighing a little, joined them.

"Just going to check this place out. Why not?" He asked in response to Niko's facial expression, which suggested bemusement. "We've got the time, right? Let's not waste it."

"Right, but…"

"No buts, Niko. C'mon!" He said, patting Niko on the back and continuing down the pathway. The trio walked down to the bottom floor, where cranes, miners, and Pokémon were all working to construct something. As they toured the area, the miners and Pokémon would occasionally look at them as if they were aliens.

Eventually, one miner approached them. "Howdy, kids! What are young people like you doing down here?"

"Just exploring. We're on our way to Icirrus City." Niko explained.

"Ah, Icirrus City. Hard to get there at this time of year."

"What do you mean?" Niko wondered.

"Well, most of Twist Mountain's exterior is covered in snow, obviously!" It wasn't so obvious to Niko, and he made that known with a simple facial expression. "Anyway, how 'bout a quiz to pass the time! I'm on break, and would love to chat with some visitors!"

"Uh…sure?" Niko said. Warren and Charlotte simple shrugged, letting the miner continue his conversation.

"Alright, first question! Which place is famous for an old rust crane truck?"

"…Virbank City…?" Warren suggested.

"Correct! Well done!" The miner said happily. "Second question: Trucks on route 4 come in three different colors: red, blue, and…what?"

"Yellow…?" Charlotte answered, taking a moment to remember their day at the Performance Festival near Nimbasa City, where Niko caught Solosis.

"You guys are smart! Third question: Which Gym has a yellow drill car?"

"Driftveil Gym." Niko said quickly, remembering seeing mining equipment in Clay's underground gym.

"Damn! Fourth and final question: How many bulldozers are there here, in Twist Mountain?" The miner crossed his arms to wait, as if assuming that the trio would take a while to answer. He seemed amused at the fact that they all looked around in search of these bulldozers.

After a few minutes, they exchanged mental notes, and Niko delivered their answer. "Three…?"

"Wrong! It was two! Well done, though! 75% correct!" The miner said, reaching his hand out to shake Niko's. "Thanks for entertaining me on my break, but I have to get back to work. Enjoy your trip!" He then turned around and went back to a Gurdurr, presumably his own.

"That was odd." Niko finally said with a shrug. "I guess let's just keep going?"

Warren and Charlotte both nodded when they heard a destructively loud voice bellowing across the ground floor. Turning to see the origin of the sound, they realized the person wasn't even talking to them. He—and it was a big, burly man—was addressing a construction worker.

"IF YOU CAN'T GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, I'LL FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN!?" He shouted. The man was massive. He was tall, dark-skinned with pale yellow hair and eyebrows. But that wasn't even his most unique quality—he was dressed in a martial arts uniform that reminded Niko of Bruno from Kanto's Elite 4. However, this man was wearing a white top that was tied together at the waist with a black belt. Bruno, by contrast, didn't wear a shirt.

"Who's that?" Niko finally asked out of curiosity.

"It's Marshal of the Unova Elite 4." Charlotte said, almost in awe. "I've never seen an Elite 4 member up close before. Oh all of them, Marshal is the one I'd have expected to see last."

"Why is that?" Niko wondered.

"Because he's…well, I've just never been into martial arts, or mining, since he's clearly into that as well."

"Is he a fighting type specialist, by chance?" Niko asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Kanto has someone similar—Bruno." Charlotte nodded, as if completely understanding.

"You should battle him, Niko." Warren suggested, almost instinctively. Niko, for his part, reacted in much the same way—which shock.

"No! He's an Elite 4! Why on Earth would I do that?"

"Because you absolutely should…?" Warren said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's not every day that a trainer gets to challenge an Elite 4!"

This was true—Niko had rarely gotten a chance. But when he did, he took it. It made him think back to the first time he ever challenged a member of the Elite 4—Agatha, at Kanto's Pokémon Tower. He got clobbered by her ghost types, but it taught him a valuable lesson in how strong these trainers were. It also made him think—if he ever won a Pokémon League, he'd have to face off against the Elite 4 of that region. If his goal in Unova was to go all the way, he'd potentially have to face this trainer that was now only a hundred meters away. The mere thought of it was daunting enough.

While he was deep in thought, Niko noticed Warren on the other end of the ground floor, talking with Marshal. Niko could hear Charlotte's sigh as their friend walked back to them, Marshal just behind. When they were close enough, Niko realized how freakishly tall the Elite 4 was in comparison to him—and Niko was the tallest in his group!

"Hello, Niko." Marshal said in a deep voice. "I'm Marshal of the Unova Elite 4. Your friend here tells me that you're an aspiring Pokémon Trainer, and that you want to request a battle from me. Is that correct?"

"I suppose so." Niko said, equally plainly—it didn't seem like Marshal was much for talking himself.

"I rarely accept battles from strangers, but it's been a while since a quality battle, and your friend here tells me that you're quite strong." Niko gave Warren an ugly look. "I accept your challenge. Let us make this a one-on-one battle, yes?"

"Sounds good to me." Niko said. He and Marshal then took several steps backwards to create a makeshift battlefield. As they did so, construction workers and miners crowded around the edges of the imaginary field, as did Charlotte and Warren.

"If something happens to his Pokémon, this is your fault." Charlotte warned her friend.

"Niko will be fine!" Warren said optimistically.

"You've never seen Marshal battle before, then. I have. He's almost merciless."

"So can Niko, if he's pushed far enough." Warren said, despite a lack of evidence to back him up.

"Whatever you say…" Charlotte replied, shaking her head.

"As the pupil of Champion Alder, and a master of the fighting type I, Marshal of the Elite 4, challenge Niko of Pallet Town!" Marshal announced. "Conkeldurr, I choose you! Kiai!" He then took a fighting pose, as if he were about to engage in physical combat himself.

Out of Marshal's pokéball came a short, but wide sepia-colored Pokémon that resembled an ogre. Its nose was large and red, with its face also having a prominent brow, a wide mouth, a gray tuft on its chin, dark rings around its eyes and a bulbous feature sticking up from the back of its head. In each of its hands it carried concrete pillars. Thick violet bands and tendons adorn its shoulders, chest, back, and thighs. For good measure, Charlotte pulled out her pokédex to examine this Pokémon:

"Conkeldurr, the Muscular Pokémon. Fighting type. Rather than rely on force, they master moves that utilize the centrifugal force of spinning concrete."

"Oh man…" Warren said, now in shock. "That'll be hard for Niko to beat."

"I told you!" Charlotte said in a scolding tone.

Niko, for his part, tried to not register a response. He'd dealt with plenty of fighting type specialists before—Bruno, Chuck, Brawly, Maylene. Each time, he managed to at least hold his own, if not outright win. However, Conkeldurr seemed to be a different kind of opponent. And his team of Pokémon was far less developed.

"Rufflet, let's go!" Niko shouted, summoning his faithful Eaglet Pokémon. "We're up against a member of the Unova Elite 4, so let's give it our best, alright?" He asked. Rufflet nodded happily, eager to be in a battle once more. "Use hone claws!"

"Conkeldurr, bulk up!" Marshal commanded. The Muscular Pokémon stepped forward, shaking the ground underneath it, and puffed out its chest and arms, increasing the size of each. "Now, stone edge!"

The Conkeldurr then slammed one of its concrete pillars into the ground, suddenly shooting pointed rocks out of the ground in a straight line until they hit Rufflet. The Eaglet Pokémon was shot directly into the air before falling back down, when Marshal commanded Conkeldurr to repeat the move once again, hitting Rufflet successfully.

"Rufflet, aerial ace!" Niko shouted to the dazed and confused Rufflet. He fortunately re-oriented himself in time to dodge a third successive stone edge, instead diving down to strike at his massively strong opponent. "Great job, Rufflet! Now, fury attack!"

Rufflet charged in talons-first, striking at Conkeldurr with everything he had. Unfortunately, that was all he could muster, since Marshal called for Conkeldurr to use hammer arm. One of the concrete pillars began to glow before it struck Rufflet in the side, launching him across the right side of the battlefield and into the side of a yellow bulldozer. Rufflet crumbled onto the ground, unable to battle.

"Conkeldurr, return." Marshal said, lowering his head as he did so. He then watched as Niko rushed over to Rufflet, picking up the small Pokémon.

"Rufflet! Rufflet are you alright?" Niko asked, raising his voice a little in hopes that Rufflet would hear him.

"It's only unconscious." Marshal said bluntly, now walking towards his defeated opponent. "I'm sorry if my Conkeldurr did too much damage—he's not exactly used to fighting weaker opponents."

If it was an attempt at slighting Niko, he hardly noticed. Marshal was right—Niko and his Pokémon weren't anywhere close to ready to challenge the Elite 4. If Rufflet—or any of his Pokémon, really—were to defeat the Elite 4, much less win the Unova League, then they would need to evolve. Which made Niko briefly wonder: was Rufflet capable of evolving?

"Thanks for the opportunity, Marshal. I really appreciate it, even if you creamed me." Niko finally said, looking up at the Elite 4. "I'm sorry if I wasted your time."

"It's not an issue, Niko. You've got a long way to go, I think. Conkeldurr is, without a doubt, my strongest Pokémon. Had I chosen someone else, you might have had a better shot, I believe. If we ever meet again, I will accept a rematch, but you best be more prepared to face me."

"I—we will. I promise you that." Niko said, now returning Rufflet to his pokéball. Marshal shook his hand, and the Elite 4 member walked off. That's when Niko realized he was barefoot. My god…how does he do that? Niko thought to himself.

"Niko…I'm so sorry!" Warren said, quickly apologizing as soon as his friend walked back over. "Is Rufflet going to be okay?"

"He will be, I think. Tonight I'll give him some Lum berries. Those usually cheer him up." Niko said with a smile. Charlotte, in particular, looked worried. "You alright?"

"Concerned about Rufflet. Warren needs to be more careful when he's approaching random strangers to battle you, I think." She said, giving their friend a side-eye.

"I'll work on it. But first, we need to get to Icirrus City!" Warren said, slapping both of his friends on the back.

"You've got that right." Niko said, giving his friend a smirk. They then walked off, in the same direction they were going, through the ground floor of Twist Mountain, and towards their next destination. Along the way, Niko had a lot to think about.