Chapter 36 – Rage
Arthur woke up as his head bounced off the window of the coach transporting both him and Lyra back to Ecruteak city from Olivine. The trip which had taken them two and a half weeks by foot had been reduced to two extremely long days on the coach. Still, the trip had left Arthur feeling exhausted. Well the trip coupled with the amount of thoughts passing through the young man's head. Jasmine had left Arthur with much to think about regarding the future.
"Finally awake?" Lyra asked sitting beside Arthur.
"I suppose. We almost there?" He wasn't able to tell looking out the window as night had set and the world beyond was veiled in darkness.
"That's what I'm hearing yeah. Are you thinking about moving on right away?"
"I doubt that's all that smart to begin the trek through the mountains in the dark. Let's hole up at the Pokemon Centre for the night, and get an early start in the morning." Lyra nodded in agreement.
Two rows back, a young man kept his hood pulled up and left his face covered in shadows. The last thing he needed was to be recognized by the stubborn Arceus forsaken Arthur sitting in front of him. Zeke was paying attention to where the two trainers were headed next however. He planned on following them or getting ahead of them so that he could show them what true power meant.
Pryce's breath misted in front of him through his scarf. The Ice Path was potentially the coldest area in all of both Johto and Kanto. The unique makeup of the coastal mountains gave rise to a frigid tunnel connecting the valley town of Mahogany to Blackthorn city, which was nestled higher in the mountain range, and even closer to Mount Silver.
At least once a month the gym leader made the trek up the mountains to check on the ice type Pokemon who resided in the tunnels and along the mountain side. He was late this month however, due to his assistance in helping with Amphy in Olivine. And Pryce knew there was absolutely no chance of Clair coming through the passage. The young woman was far too headstrong to come and check on those she considered beneath her. Even though the training the wild Pokemon here would provide her would be invaluable. The dragon types she trained were weak against ice types, an advantage that had made Pryce the victor in the last three matches Clair had challenged him to. Pausing for a moment to allow his Piloswine to join his side, Pryce stared up the mountain face towards the entrance of the Ice Path and the growing storm clouds.
"Looks like we may be here for a few days" the gruff voice said. The swine Pokemon's tusks raised and lowered as it affirmed what its trainer had just noted.
The mountainous trek was colder than either Lyra or Arthur had been expecting. With winter so close by, the passes were starting to be covered with snow and the winds were even colder. Luckily, both trainers had prepared themselves and were wearing appropriate cold weather clothing.
"I wish we had decided to do this in the summer rather than now..." Lyra said as she followed Arthur's lead. The young man in front of her just laughed.
"Ah it's not that bad! I mean, at least the lakes aren't frozen over yet" Arthur replied with a smile.
"Oh yeah that's just wonderful." Blaze slowed his walk slightly to be just slightly in front of Lyra. The heat emitting from the fire type washed in front of the young woman who quickly bent down and scratched behind the Quilava's ears. "Now I know why he isn't feeling the cold" Lyra said to the fire type.
The two hiked through the low mountain passes for three days before coming upon a lake which had two possible ways of being crossed to get to Mahogany town. The first was directly across the lake on a barge. The second was a more treacherous route through mount Mortar. Both Lyra and Arthur agreed that they would take the barge across. The wait was not that long. For once, timing was on their side and the boat was just docking as Lyra and Arthur walked up. Paying the fair, the two boarded the craft and were whisked across the lake, the only ripples coming from their boat.
Not an hour later, the two trainers stepped back onto dry land. The far side of the lake was more heavily forested than the side closer to Ecruteak. Due to this, the pace the trainers had been travelling at was slowed slightly. The densely packed trees along the mountain made the hike a tad more difficult. It also made the walk much quieter as neither Arthur or Lyra were saying much. In fact, nothing would have been said if Blaze hadn't suddenly stopped and turned to face south.
"Something up?" Arthur asked. Lyra stopped right behind the two of them, a slight frown creasing her brow.
"I hear something" Blaze responded in a small voice. The hushed tone that the fire type spoke in put both trainers on edge. Lyra was reaching for her Pokeball but Arthur held out his hand stopping her. His attention was in a clearing up ahead, the same as Blaze. He couldn't explain it, but Arthur knew that there was something there as well. Without a word, both Blaze and Arthur moved forward at the same time, causing Lyra to follow suit more slowly. The group crept forward into the clearing, coming across a rather different scene than they were expecting.
"Ah Arthur, why am I not surprised to see you here?" Eusine stated. He barely glanced in the young trainer's direction, his attention rather focused upon the legendary Pokemon he was facing down.
"Suicune" Arthur breathed. The aurora Pokemon looked at Arthur with knowing eyes.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Eusine said. The man was completely enraptured. He took a step forward but froze when Suicune turned its head back to him.
"What is it doing here?" Lyra asked.
"I'm here to protect this place from people like him" a feminine voice said. It took a minute for Arthur to realize that it was Suicune talking to him.
"Protect it from what?" Arthur asked.
"Humans have experimented here. It's caused a pain to this land unlike anything I've felt before. And it is people such as him who are fault for it" the legend growled. Eusine was staring between Arthur and Suicune not understanding what was going on. Lyra on the other hand was catching on far more quickly even though she could only understand one side of the conversation.
"What do you mean experimented?"
"Pokemon are being forced to evolve. I was going to the lake to help but this one was following." Arthur recognized the unspoken warning that had been voiced.
"Eusine, I would back away if I were you" Arthur told him.
"I can't do that. Suicune, my grandfather was an expert in legendary Pokemon, and since my birth both of us have been completely in awe of your grace and beauty. I would have you join me in my quest to understanding the legends of the world!" The purple suited man reached down for a Pokeball but paused when he saw Arthur and Blaze walk in front of the legend. Even Suicune looked surprised.
"Leave Eusine. Suicune isn't here for you and I can tell she won't be going with you."
"Are you going to make me? I am this close to my dream young man, and you are standing in front of it! I will take you down if need be!" Eusine yelled.
"I defeated you once, Eusine. I can and will do it again. Now leave Suicune alone." Both men stood their ground glaring at one another. Lyra was waiting for Eusine to make a move, and fearing for the outcome. There was no way this legend hunter could understand how strong Arthur was becoming. Blaze was the only indication of how dangerous Arthur could be, as the calm demeanor the fire type was exuding was belayed by the lit fire on his head and the battle stance he had assumed. Minutes passed before finally, without a word, Eusine turned around and walked away from the clearing. Arthur visibly sagged as soon as the man was out of sight. Lyra walked over, eyes filled with wonder as she took in the beauty of the legendary Pokemon.
"You were going to fight for me." It was not a question but a statement. Arthur turned around and looked into the blue eyes of Suicune and nodded. "Why?"
"Because he's only interested in what you mean to a trainer as a status. Your power, not what you represent. A trainer with a legendary Pokemon is someone of immense power and someone to take note of to the rest of society. But those who actually befriend a legend and work with them know that it's more than that. They have a role to play in helping the world with its balance." The statement seemed to catch the Pokemon off guard as much as it caught Lyra off guard.
"You're different from others around you."
"I could say the same about you" Arthur replied. Something akin to a smile spread across the legends face.
"What did you mean by those experiment comments?" Lyra asked. The legend turned its head towards Lyra and came closer. The young woman froze, unsure about what would happen next.
"Do you understand me as well young one?" Suicune asked.
"No she doesn't, but I can translate for you" Arthur informed.
"You trust her?"
"With my life." Lyra's eyes shot to Arthur, the later who was wearing a small smile.
"Then allow me to explain; I came this way not long after I met you once more on the island in the ocean." Arthur was relaying what Suicune was saying to Lyra so that she would understand what was going on. "I sensed something amiss with the lake in these mountains."
"Which lake?" Arthur asked.
"Suicune must mean the Lake of Rage" Lyra responded. Arthur frowned as Suicune continued.
"The Pokemon living there are experiencing much agony and there is something in the water which is causing problems but that I am unable to solve. The waters surrounding are similarly affected but not as bad as the big one nestled in the mountains."
"Something you can't fix? That's why you know it's a man caused problem." Arthur started pacing as he thought about what was said.
"Arthur, if what Suicune is saying is true, then we need to get to the Lake of Rage soon."
The man walked through the halls of the Plateau with calm and measured grace. The news he carried was far from light, but it was something that could not be rushed. The staff who helped run the league quickly got out of his way though, as the look on his face was one of concentration and almost unawares.
As Koga reached the top of the tower, he took three deep breaths, preparing himself for what he was about to deliver. Knocking, the doors opened, admitting the ninja into the Champions quarters.
"I hear you have news" Lance said as he took a drink of water. Karen was already there studying some papers and a laptop.
"I do." Koga slowly closed the doors behind him and with a measured pace walked over to the kitchen island. "Team Rocket has made a move."
"What?" Karen said sharply.
"Something has happened at the Lake of Rage. The Magikarp residing there are randomly evolving into Gyarados and are beginning to rampage."
"How did this happen?" Karen yelled. Lance to his credit was remaining exceedingly calm.
"They've been planning this for years" Koga said quietly. Both Karen and Lance looked at the older man.
"What do you mean?" Lance inquired.
"We all know that Team Rocket has used science to serve their purposes in the past. I have a feeling this is a line of thinking that they were using before Red crippled their organization in Kanto. But with Archer having control of things here in Johto, he still would have been making moves for something like this."
"So he's been putting all the pieces in place, waiting for the right time to strike."
"That sounds like Archer" Karen said. She got up and walked over to the window.
"What would you like us to do now?" Koga asked.
"Do we know where Archer is yet?" Lance asked.
"No we don't, but there are rumours of something happening in Goldenrod. I don't know what but the underground is even more dangerous these days" Karen informed them.
"Alright, we need to know what's going on there. Koga, head to Goldenrod. See if you can't get some info from Whitney and figure out what they're up to. Karen, I'm going to need you to remain here with Bruno and Will. They can't know we're coming, not yet," Lance said in response to Karen's outraged look.
"And what are you going to do?" she demanded.
"I'm going to the Lake of Rage. Whatever is happening there needs to be stopped. Something like that cannot be in the hands of Team Rocket."
"Be careful Lance. We don't know what we're dealing with here."
"I will be." Koga nodded and took his leave. Karen stood by the windows facing Lance.
"You know you can't do this alone. Even the champion can be overwhelmed by the number of people Team Rocket has access to."
"I won't be alone Karen. If I can't do this myself, you'll be the first I call." Karen's eyes shone with tears as she watched the champion grab his cold weather gear and suit up. Within minutes, the champion was ready for a flight across the snowy peaks. His Dragonite was as well, though it wasn't overly impressed that they would be flying through cold and not warm currents.
"Be careful" Karen said quietly to Lance as he was about to mount up. The red haired champion looked into the dark masters eyes and smiled.
"Don't you worry about me. I'll be fine."
With Suicune as their guide, Lyra and Arthur were led through the mountain passes on routes shortening their journey to the Lake of Rage by close to a week. The legendary kept the pace high, but tolerable. The small group made it to the lake just ahead of the closing storm clouds which appeared ready to unleash their fury at any moment.
"I must leave you now" the legend said to them as they stared down into the valley and the lake beyond. Even from this distance they could tell something was wrong. The lake was rippling far too often to be normal winds creating the waves, and there appeared to brilliant flecks of light emitting from below the water's surface, however, Arthur couldn't be sure that those pinpricks were not simply just the suns reflection.
"Where will you go?" Lyra asked when Arthur relayed what the aurora Pokemon had said.
"Wherever I am needed. I must thank you however. You have taken this burden upon yourselves. It is not something ones as young as you should need do and yet you have. Be careful, be mindful and above all, guard your hearts against the evils lurking below." Suicune came up to each trainer and placed its forehead against their chests before bounding off at incredible speeds. Both Lyra and Arthur watched until Suicune was out of sight before beginning their descent towards the lake.
It took another day before Arthur and Lyra reached the shores of the Lake of Rage. The amount of people coming to the lake to witness what was unfolding here was much more than either younger trainer had expected. The first thing Arthur noticed however was the uncomfortable look of most of the Pokemon at the lake. Even Blaze wasn't appearing to be his normal self.
"Hey you alright bud?" Arthur asked his partner kneeling down to see what the problem was.
"No there's something wrong here. I can feel it in my bones. Something is off." The fire type was visibly shaking so Arthur decided to return Blaze to his Pokeball.
"That's not good, if it's affecting all the Pokemon around here."
"Yeah the question is what's affecting them though." Both started forward, Arthur casting one look towards the sky which was a pearly grey colour. The darker storm clouds weren't far off. As the two made their way around the shore, they stopped and spoke with the various people and trainers who had come to the lake to find out what was going on and why their Pokemon appeared to be in pain.
"Arthur come here" Lyra finally said down by the water. Arthur wandered over to see what Lyra was pointing at. Just a little ways into the lake a brilliant white light was glowing, much like a beacon cutting through the fog. The small shape elongated and grew in size, enough to cause Arthur to worry about the people standing too close.
"Lyra I think we should back away..." Arthur's voice trailed off as the dark shape which had detached itself from the darkness surrounding it exploded up towards the surface. Bursting out of the water, a massive red coloured Gyarados appeared, roaring its displeasure and pain for all those at the lake to hear. The roar was so loud, that it actually echoed off the mountains surrounding the crystalline waters. Its white frilled gills were expanded out making the head of the serpent appear even larger than it was. The one point that Arthur took careful note of however, was its eyes. The ruby coloured irises were filled with pain and anger, a combination which screamed trouble for everyone there.
"Everyone back up!" Arthur yelled as soon and the roar died away. People didn't need a second telling as most started screaming and running the opposite direction. Arthur on the other hand reached down and pulled a Pokeball off his belt, releasing Lucky. The Gyarados had keyed in on the running people and was preparing a Twister attack. This was made even worse by the untimely arrival of the storm. Rain began lashing down cutting down Arthur's vision. Lucky was still able to fly though and so Arthur urged him on. The cyclonic winds tore through the water and sent rain in every direction. They were so strong that even Lucky, who intercepted the attack, had trouble staying aloft through it.
"Use yawn Lucky!" Arthur yelled out hoping to hell that his Pokemon could hear him through the howling storm. It was a few moments before Arthur could tell if any affects had be done, but the sudden outburst of purple draconic flame illuminating the red scales of the rampaging Pokemon in an eerie light. Lucky cried out in pain as the flames enveloped him, causing Arthur to quickly recall his flying partner. The Gyarados tracked the red beam of light back to where Arthur was standing and screamed its displeasure at him. Arthur for his part stood his ground, which absolutely terrified Lyra who had scrambled back up the shoreline.
"Gyarados! Hey! We're not here to hurt you!" Arthur shouted out. The part water type seemed to be oblivious to Arthur's shouts and a moment later, crashed into the shallows sending up a small wall of water. Lucky's yawn attack must have landed causing Gyarados to fall asleep.
"Alright Syrio, I'm going to need your help." The green mantis appeared in a flash and began sizing up his opponent.
"That's a lot of sushi."
"Too bad we're not looking for any."
"You sure? I'm more than willing to dice this big boy up" Syrio replied. Arthur sighed.
"Yes I'm sure. We just need to prove we aren't here to hurt him. Use your false swipe a few times."
"Ugh fine." Syrio moved in and landed to strikes to the water serpent before the dinner plate sized eyes snapped open.
"You dare attack me!" the Gyarados roared.
"Whoa shit, Art dude, you didn't tell me he'd wake up!" Syrio narrowly dodged the red tail which was whipped around in an attempt to crush the bug type.
"Gyarados! We're here to help!"
"I have a name you tiny human! But I care not for why you are here! My brethren are in pain and judging by how you've reacted, you must be the cause of it!"
"Hey pal, we weren't the ones who went Zubat-shit crazy and starting attacking everything!" Syrio yelled back. "Like my trainer said, we came to help figure out what the hell is going on. So cool it and let us help!"
"You speak to much tiny green one. Die now!" Another dragon rage attack poured out of the Gyarados' mouth and enveloped Syrio. The Scyther shouting in pain this time but came out still breathing and ready to battle.
"You're going to have to do better than that to take me down!" Syrio yelled before launching himself forward once more. The bladed arms arced down landing another false swipe causing the red serpent to visibly sag and breathe more heavily.
"Syrio wait!" Arthur yelled, causing the Scyther to return to Arthur's side. Slowly the young man walked forward. "Gyarados..."
"That is not... my name..." the giant Pokemon breathed out.
"Then what is your name?"
"My name is... Procellous."
Arthur's team:
Blaze (Quilava) - lv. 34
Boo (Haunter) - lv. 34
Lucky (Togetic) - lv. 32
Muscle (Machoke) - lv. 33
Delphin (Vaporeon) - lv. 34
Syrio (Scyther) - lv. 34
And here is the newest addition to Arthur's team. The shiny Gyarados caught at the Lake of Rage. It's anger towards humans is understandable and you may or may not learn more about his attitude as our story progresses. Currently, Arthur's team is still full. But around the corner lurks something far darker, and now our story shall begin to pick up the pace! Let me know your thoughts!