This is by far the longest chapter in the whole fic. I advise you to lay down, make yourself comfortable and take your time~ This is the final chapter of the Curse story arc.
THE CURSE – FINALE
Unlikely allies
Long trek towards the Mt. Moon was spent trying to avoid roaming trainers. None were in the mood, losing their Pokemon hit them hard. However, surprisingly, one of them approached them from the distance in the end. It was a young man, seemingly a bug-catcher. Presently, he had an empty look about himself, fiddling his bug catching net. Both Leaf and Clover assumed a battle stance, nevertheless readied to fight him with their remaining Pokemon.
"Stop! Please, I don't want to fight you! I'm out of Pokemon!" he yelled up. Leaf put her hands akimbo.
"How ironic! Lock your eyes with the trainer, and you'd better start finding rocks and pretending they're Geodudes!"
"No, please, don't!" he was frightened. Clover knew Leaf enjoyed this.
"Oh, I don't think my Pokemon agrees. You know, I have just defeated a Bug Pokémon trainer around here. He also said he didn't have any Pokemon." she said.
"I swear! My precious bug Pokemon were taken! This is why I approached!"
Leaf's expression changed.
"Huh? You too?"
"Yes… it's a Curse of the Clefable! Many Pokemon were spirited away! Best watch out, trainers, else you will also lose your precious friends!" he seemed sincere, if out of his wits with fear.
Clover scoffed.
"A Curse of the Clefable. Is it a local superstition made to up the production of cookies?" she asked.
"No, no! I've seen its wicked spirit! The local Clefairy were taken hostage and now, the vengeful spirit of their ancestor returned, taking with itself an army of Pokemon! It will use this ghastly army to destroy the thieves! Heed me, trainers, and don't advance any further!"
"Leaf, do you believe him?" Clover asked.
Again, Leaf stuttered for a moment. Then, she cleared out her throat and said:
"Not at all. But if my Pikachu was stolen by some dingolbats, I'm going to teach them a painful lesson."
"Music to my ears."
"You can't go! Are two of you crazy?!" the bug trainer was adamant.
"Beat it, loser." Clover said, not even realizing how much of Gary rubbed of on her.
"Ah, nobody ever listens!" he yelled, as they left him, approaching the wooden steps towards the mountain root.
It was a pathway, very similar to the one in Japanese shrines. There were red arcs above the steps, with bamboo stalks left and right. As they approached the top of these stairs, they've realized the bottom of the mountain was a veritable bazaar. Most people wore yukatas, just like in the time of festivities. Some wealthy individuals, possibly wanting to flaunt their elegance and style, wore traditional kimonos with colorful embroidery of legendary bird Pokemon.
Drummers passed by, dancing wildly, striking their big drums with huge sticks. Right behind them, exotic dancers whirled in a multitude of dazzling colors, followed by a line of local men carrying a large paper Gyarados. It was quite intriguing to see, if a little bit intimidating. At the end, they have scarcely entered the festival before being approached by a local man, obviously eager to greet newcomers.
"Ah! Young trainers! Worry not, worry not, you don't HAVE to wear yukata to be welcome here at this annual Mt. Moon festival of Moon! Tonight, the Clefairy will use the rare Moon stone to summon their celestial power as they always did!"
"Aren't you aware the Pokemon are being stolen as we speak?" Clover asked.
"A Curse of the Clefable? The local superstition! There's nothing like that happening here. Granted there are always thieves, but not here, oh no! Here, you can relax and bask in the beauty of the moon! Fortunately, you arrived at this opportune time!"
"Sure, sure. We will explore the festival at our leisure." Clover said, winking at Leaf and they both knew they'd be deep inside the cave before this guy even turned his back around. If the Pokemon thieves were here, they would choose this as their hiding place.
Stark in contrast to the festival outside, impenetrable darkness of the sacred mountain was silent and foreboding. They've relied on the flashlight to find their path, having no Pokemon that has known the Flash yet. A fainted horde of Zubats appeared in their way and somehow the scene made Clover feel even worse. The deeper they went in, somehow the possibility that the bug catcher wasn't lying intensified by the moment. Unwillingly, Clover found herself afraid of the deep darkness.
"I'm totally not nervous." Clover feigned bravado.
"I'm… well, I'm totally scared! Yes! I'm shaking in my boots! Dark spirits, creepy, yay!" she yelled up.
"Leaf, are you okay? You're trying way too hard to hide something, you know?"
"What? Who, me? I always hated ghosts! Yes, ghost Pokemon are scary!"
Clover wanted to ask something, but her words were cut short by a terrifying shriek from the darkness. Two flaming red eyes observed them from the darkness. Clover screamed so hard, her soul probably left body for a split second. Leaf followed her scream just a split-second later. One could barely tell which one of them bolted away faster. As they were running, they have heard a laughter from the shadows.
Both of them promptly stopped, finding the laughter strangely familiar.
"I should have known Pallet wimps would find their way here."
It was Gary Oak, removing a Gengar mask with glowing red eyes.
"Oak!" Clover said, suddenly remembering all that happened. It filled her heart with grief, and she looked down.
"Beans." he uttered, apparently all too aware of the situation.
Leaf looked at him, saying:"I guess I should leave you two alone, now."
"NO!" Both of them said.
"Fine… fine."
Gary leaned on the wall.
"So you returned begging for another chance? Seems like the weak thing to do, but then again, it's no less than what I expected from you."
"Stuff it, asshole. I came here with regrets, but seeing you, I have recalled why I whacked you in the first place."
"Because you're weak and can't deal with losing, obviously." he uttered.
"Look who's talking! One sign you're losing and you RUN AWAY from trainer battle! That's completely against any rule of competition! Nobody does it!"
Gary looked down at his hands.
"Sure, but I never played by rules. You know me enough to understand this."
"Once an ass, always an ass. I should have known." she let out a sigh, saying:"Listen, it's all water Pokemon under the bridge. We're best friends, and I will forgive you. My Pokemon ran away, and Leaf's was taken. If you're feeling any regret about what you've done, help us."
Gary looked her right in the eyes, and his were devoid of usual sass.
"My precious Squirtle was stolen and I came here looking. Listen, Beans, I'm not angry at you for slapping me. Not anymore. When my Pokemon was stolen, I've felt like a major asshole for the first time in my life. If only I knew it would be our last battle together, I never would have run away. I've never done so before. I rightfully deserved to be robbed for my weakness."
"So you will accept my apology and help us? Make yourself clear, Oak!"
"Yes! Okay? I will!"
"Good."
"Wimp."
"Asshole."
Then they both chuckled.
There were, strangely enough, no Pokemon deeper in the cave, not even Zubats. It genuinely seemed as if, over the night, every single one just disappeared and all that was left was a fainted horde and a deep, dank cave. Oddly enough, now that they advanced deeper in, an overwhelming light started brightening their path. Somebody placed gleaming lights at certain spots of the cave. Gary confidently led them around corners, revealing them places he already examined. There were still many deep corridors they haven't even gone through, and it took them hours of searching to finally find out there's literally nothing inside. When they were already ripe to leave, a sound of the voices halted them.
"Do you hear that?" Clover urged her friends.
Gary turned around, saying:"What? I can't hear anything."
However, Leaf had the hearing of Zubat, because she swiftly rotated her head towards voices.
"There! Four people. Three guys and a girl. They're talking about Pokemon, but I can't quite gather the details. We'll have to get closer."
Three friends pressed on, sticking to the shadows to prevent being detected. At the end, they crept near and noticed it was, in fact, Ash Ketchum. Oddly enough, he was with Brock, the gym leader from Pewter. There was another girl there, one they've never met. She had a blazing orange hair. They all talked with the young man, one Clover was familiar with.
In fact, she safeguarded him from being robbed by Gary.
Leaf wanted to mutter something but the rest of them shushed her.
"Team Rocket is responsible for this! If they are, we cannot miss! We should focus on that and let the lights guide our path!" the young man uttered.
"Are you sure it's Team Rocket?" the girl answered.
"Y-yes.. yes, I'm sure."
With that, all four of them left. Clover and the others entered their temporary camp, sitting at rocks they've pulled in.
"Well, we're not the only ones here. That guy, the nerd, he's the one you robbed." Clover said.
"The wimp with a fossil?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Hah, should have figured Ash would hang out with him. Well, losers attract losers. So, Leaf... what's bringing you here?" he asked. There was something in his voice, almost mocking. Clover was confused, for a moment it seemed as if he knew she would come back.
Leaf seemed like she harbored a specific hatred for Oak's grandson, and she could barely hold herself from instinctively saying something obscene. Still, she considered her friend's feelings and uttered:"Just an adventure."
"An adventure? Hardly a place to be adventuring. Trainers pass through Mt. Moon, but not now with the rumors of it being haunted and all."
"I'm certain you know all about those rumors." she uttered, trying to hold the spite.
"Come now, you're not really thinking so low of me? I'm capable and handsome."
"I think of so many things about you... I can hardly choose one, Gary."
"Now you're just hurting my feelings." he chuckled, saying:"But where is your brother?"
For some reason, this question enraged Leaf even more.
"You really want to know, don't you?"
"Fine, be that way. If you won't say it, Beans will."
"Even if I knew, I wouldn't. Leaf is my friend too, and I respect her."
"So you don't know where he is. I'm impressed, Leaf." he mysteriously smirked, making Clover even more confused.
The uncomfortable silence ensued, in which every one of them looked through their Pokedexes, counting the number of Pokemon they've caught. Every time one of them wanted to start the conversation, it rapidly died out. At long last, Clover had enough.
"Oh come on! What are the two of you hiding?! You're acting strange all the time, have you secretly eloped with each other behind my back?!"
"Beans, your friend is cute, but you know, her temper leaves a lot to be desired for. Even if she approached me and begged, I wouldn't want to kiss her. I would rather kiss a Jinx!"
"Cute? That means so little coming from you! Also, I would rather kiss a… a Caterpie!"
"Did I say cute? I meant crooked!"
"See? He's just insufferable! Let's just find our Pokemon and go!"
Clover let out a sigh.
"You really know how to make a woman feel special, Oak." she uttered.
He smirked, saying:"I have a lot of girls drooling over me. You two are more like sisters to me anyway."
"Ouch." Leaf and Clover practically uttered at the same time.
After a moment of silence, Gary took a mask and put it on his face.
"Leaf, how about we put the masks down? I think it's high time to fess up."
Leaf let out a sigh of relief, stretching her arms. She looked at Clover and for some strange reason, Clover felt a knot of anxiety forming in her throat.
"Finally," Leaf said:"I grew tired of pretending I'm afraid of this place, and acting like a total idiot in front of my friend. Clover, the reason I got you here is because I knew you would never agree to meet Gary otherwise. You would never even try to apologize, and Gary felt bad for doing what he did.
He was trying to make things right by faking he's a local superstition, a vengeful Pokemon, so he could keep superstitious trainers from interfering as he takes on the whole Team Rocket on his own."
"You overlooked the fact how Red was taken by the Team Rocket."
"Yes, and I'm still angry over that. Sorry, Clo. If I told you Gary essentially allowed them to capture my brother, you would definitively not want to come here. And I know you care about him."
Clover stared at them, only realizing it now.
"You liars! Both of you! Why do you do this?!" she asked.
"Listen, Beans. Leaf and I have had our Pokemon stolen by this Team Rocket. Red had their own agenda with them. Even before you came here, we have been trying to defeat them. They have proven too much, and I have had to allow them capturing Red. He demanded it, because it allowed Leaf to escape. Your girlfriend loathed me ever since. She thinks we should have just kicked their asses together, and that it's somehow my fault the Red decided to play a hero."
Leaf went scarlet with anger.
"You could have! My brother is an idiot, and you know him enough, you should have prevented it from happening! What if they butcher him?!" she was livid.
"If this didn't happen, they would capture you too, and then who would run back to get help?! I had to stay here to prevent others from falling into their trap!"
"You know what, you fucking- Fine! You're right, okay?! But if my brother is dead, you won't leave this place either!"she was shaking with anger.
"You have so little trust in me." he said.
Clover nevertheless had many unanswered questions.
"So, you two have been in cahoots since the start. You could have fooled a wittier person. What's your plan anyway, Gary, Leaf?"
Gary was looking down the gloomy corridor, creating moaning and screaming sounds. Few screams echoed in the distance, and the distinctive sound of running footsteps swiftly died out. Upon her question, he pulled the mask down a little bit.
"Team Rocket stole the Pokemon, knowing the locals would pin the disappearances on folk tales. Apparently, every Pokemon found inside this cave during the Night of the Moon disappears. It's a damn superstition, but when Pokemon actually started disappearing, what else would they think? I knew it was a lie, and I wanted to keep the superstitious fools away as I tried finding Team Rocket. As you can see, between turning trainers away and stumbling in the dark I had no luck, yet."
"But how do you plan to do this?" she asked, again.
"Well, I had the first stroke of luck today. The fact we have discovered this lit-up area of the cave means there is somebody here. If we follow the light, we will find the Team Rocket too. With the three of us here, we can defeat them."
Clover turned to Leaf, taking her arm.
"You are an idiot." she uttered.
"For lying to you? Yeah, I'm sorry for that."
"Yes, you're a stupid, insufferable idiot! But that's why I care about you. You literally went against yourself so much, hiding the truth, knowing how much I care about Gary. Knowing I would never come if I knew he was here."
"You forget I'm your best friend after all. I know all about your quirks and bad sides. It all ended up fine, has it not?"
"It did. And thank you… I was so miserable, but my pride would never allow me to actually meet him on my own. You're the best."
"Don't mention it! Now let's stop talking about guys, and move on to kicking some butts!"
"Music to my ears!"
They have followed Ash and others, basically just trailing their litter, until they stopped at the wider area. Here, Ash was already talking with somebody they didn't recognize. It was a pair of Team Rocket goons, but they haven't worn their usual black clothing with berets. Clover's first impression was that they looked like a band of obnoxious fools, being as intimidating as Togepi, which was not much.
Ash was currently engaged in a heated verbal argument with a red-haired woman who looked at him like he's ten levels beneath her, and equally dumb.
"Listen, twerp, we're engaged in a serious business here. Clueless twerps like you should just butt it!" she said.
"Hand over these Pokemon and we will let you go, goons!" Ash said. She practically laughed in his face.
"You? Thinking you can defeat us? Don't make me laugh, boy!"
"As if I didn't do this before! Pikachu, go!"
Just as he was ready to send Pikachu, Clover and the rest stepped out of the shadow. It confused him enough to recall his Pokemon, and to give the goons a pause.
"Who are you?" he asked, as clueless as usual. Gary stepped out of the shadow.
"You recognize me, loser?" he asked.
"Gary!" Ash yelled.
"That's right! And I'm going to wipe these idiots from the face of this world!"
"Who are these guys, then?" he pointed at Clover and Leaf.
"I believe they can speak for themselves."
Clover looked at the cages, trying to find her Ivysaur. Hearing the question, she answered:"I'm Clover. You wouldn't know me, I prefer hanging out with my friends or just being home. This here is Leaf."
Leaf turned to Ash, waved, then turned to the red-haired goon.
"Where is my brother, you uncouth wench?!" Leaf yelled at the woman. She chuckled.
"How rude. Forgive me, but wench is not my name. Since we got acquainted with you, how about we tell you what we're all about?"
Ash rolled his eyes, as well as the red-haired girl and Brock. Even Gary scoffed, obviously knowing what will come next. A man with a striking blue hair took the covered cage on the side, placing it in front of himself. Then, he actually produced a radio, placing it on the floor. It started blasting some weird, almost comically villainous melody.
"Prepare for trouble!" the woman yelled.
"And make it double!" her cohort answered.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
The cover from the box popped up, and a Pokemon jumped out of the cage.
"Meowth, that's right!" it yelled.
Clover was absolutely thrilled by seeing a talking Pokemon.
"IT TALKS!" she yelled.
"So what? I talk, yes. It was easy." he uttered.
"This is so cool! Tell me, how does it feel to be a Pokemon? Can you tell me how the Pokemon feel about trainers? You are so fascinating!" she jumped at the opportunity.
Meowth was obviously too flattered by the attention.
"Yes, you see, I am an expert at Pokemon! I can tell you everything! You see, it's all about-"
He couldn't finish the sentence because Jessie hit him right over the head.
"Stop talking to our enemies, you useless cat! Now get there and fight them!"
He covered his head, tears welling in his eyes.
"Y-yes! Prepare to tremble! I'm going to end you!" he yelled up.
Clover let the Weedle out of the ball. She wasn't alone, however. Leaf also let her Squirtle, and Gary allowed his Pidgey to roam free. There was also Ash's Pikachu, one Staryu and a very angry Geodude. Faced with so many Pokemon at once, Meowth started backing away.
"What are you waiting for?! Attack them!" Jessie ordered.
"A-aye! Fall, fiends!" he screamed.
He didn't have a chance to land a single scratch before being sent flying away to the other side of the cave.
"You should be more kind to that Pokemon, you ugly, fat cow." Clover uttered.
"Ugly… fat.. THAT'S IT! You're going down, brat!" Jessie was apparently riled up by this. This was everything Clover was waiting on. Jessie's Ekans proved to be a total pushover. Clover thought it was weak, underleveled and skinny. Apparently, Jessie spent more time taking care of her looks than properly training. With so many Pokemon at the other side, Jessie lost her battle, and James couldn't do much, even with the Koffing and its smokescreen which was blown away by Pidgey's whirlwind.
They were pushed to the corner, losing the fight before there was a sound of footsteps coming from the corridor. Four intimidating looking grunts ran inside.
One of them, a tall, muscular black man with strong whiskers, stared at the duo with mocking pity in his empty, dark eyes.
"You two are a nuisance. Why the boss keeps you around, I will never know. Get out of here, or I will kill you."
They whimpered in fear, running away as fast as they could, dragging Meowth with them. Other grunts were equally scary: A green-haired woman with a huge gash over her face, a skinny man looking like a drug addict and another man with red eyes and mask covering his mouth. A black man approached them first.
"There are many of you. We will play this by rules. Maybe some members of Team Rocket play unfair, but we're not without principles. We will fight, one against another. If we win, we will get all of your Pokemon. You will run away, else I will kill each one of you, personally. If you win, we're leaving you all the Pokemon we have caught and will retreat. For now."
It was quite a scary situation, but neither Clover not others wanted to back down.
"Where is my brother, you dark-skinned ass?!" Leaf asked.
A man chuckled at her insult.
"The boy with a red hat? Don't worry, he's safe. He put up quite a fight, that's why I didn't kill him outright."
"That's it. I'm going to fight you!" she uttered.
"Oh, how interesting. I'm going to use both of you and your Pokemon as my personal slaves once this is done. Interesting! I accept your challenge! My name is Leon, by the way."
"And I am Leaf. Remember that once I pound you and your Pokemon to the ground!"
FIRST BATTLE – LEAF VS LEON
Team Rocket was smaller in number and this alone was enough to show they were certain about their chances, enough to think they will be able to battle twice their number. Ash, the girl who called herself Misty, Brock, Leaf, Clover and Gary faced four grunts and they had to decide between themselves who will fight whom. They have allowed Leaf to fight this grunt knowing he was the one who kidnapped her brother.
Now, Leaf only had one Pokemon – her Squirtle, while her Pikachu was taken. Leon had two Pokeballs at his waist same as the rest of the grunts, but he grasped one that looked worn-out, scratched and dented like it was repeatedly thrown against the wall. He pressed the button, and strangely enough, the Pokemon a trainer chose was the Ponyta.
The fiery looking Pokemon had an anger about itself, there was a visible faint red ring around its neck. It had multitude of even, scarlet lines over its back and traces of suffering in its eyes. When it locked eyes with the trainer it winced a bit, and when he issued the command it shook for a split second before obeying.
Leaf looked at the Pokemon and the corner of her eyes filled with tears.
"You! What have you done with this poor Pokemon?!" she yelled.
"I have tamed it well. It obeys my every command! The trainer I stole it from thought it was nice to pet it, to give it berries and such. That's weak way of thinking! Pokemon are tools, weapons! Weapon cannot be allowed to feel, else it will turn against you!"
"I will not try to reason with you, you monster." she uttered, letting her Squirtle enter the field.
"Believe what you wish, brat. The ends will justify the means! Ponyta, use the stomp attack!"
Ponyta dashed in, as fast as one would expect from a horse. Squirtle had no time to defend itself, before its powerful hooves basically hit it square over head, stomping it into the soft ground. For a while, Squirtle wasn't moving. However, Leaf didn't panic. When the Squirtle rose up, looking almost unharmed, everyone but her looked surprised.
"Surprised? It's a boon having a nerd brother." she said, pointing at something hidden beneath the hard outer shell above Squirtle's neck. It looked like a small glittering pearl and it infused the Pokemon with some strange power.
"It's an Eviolite." she said:"Red ordered it from Unova over the Internet, one for me and for himself. It raises the defense and special defense of the Pokemon. Atop of giving my Squirtle an item, I have also given it Iron pills, and have trained it minding that he only defeats Pokemon with strong armor such as Geodudes! One stomp won't bring it down!" she yelled.
Leon heartily laughed, savoring a moment.
"How interesting! You show more promise than other weaklings I have robbed!"
"Bragging is fun, but we need to move things forward. Squirtle, bubble attack!"
"Ponyta, use double team!"
Leaf watched in shock as the number of Ponyta on the field seemingly doubled, tripled, quadrupled until there were so many she lost count. Bubbles have missed the target as one of the illusory Ponytas dissipated in a thin air.
"You're not the only one using items, Leaf! I have bought this technical machine, teaching my Pokemon move it wouldn't learn otherwise. You will never defeat me with such a sluggish Pokemon!"
"That so? Squirtle, stay in one spot. Don't. Move. Withdraw!"
Her Squirtle dug his feet, disappearing inside the hard outer shell.
"Ponyta, Sunny day, now!"
"Another TM? Great…" she let out a sigh as the night sky above the open cave ceiling turned as bright as the day, bathing the room a scorching sun. The temperature steadily rose until it became hard to endure. Ponyta reveled in heat, but one could easily notice everybody else suffered.
"Ponyta, now, flame wheel!"
As Leon ordered, Ponyta obeyed, creating a cloak of fire around itself which turned like a scorching fiery ring. It started running swiftly and the flames seemed like infernal stallions, neighing with the rolling sound of churning magma flows. As Ponyta neared Squirtle, the heat was overwhelming. Nevertheless Leaf waited and then, she struck.
"Squirtle, use the water gun! Douse its flames!"
Squirtle followed the orders, however, in such a scorching heat half of the water simply turned to mist and the attack wasn't strong enough. Squirtle barely managed to endure the hit, flung over the cave like a ragdoll. It hit one of the empty cages, nearly bending its heavy iron bars. Its outer shell burned, and it looked down on its last bit of energy. Tiny turtle crumbled down on one knee, yet shakily but steady it rose up again, against all odds.
It inhaled deeply, defiant stare building inside its eyes. The water started churning inside of its throat. There was something menacing about the stance, making both Ponyta and Leon take a step back, uncertain what will happen next. Dexter buzzed in Leaf's pocket, so she took it out.
"Torrent. Squirtle's special ability. When Pokemon's in trouble, it doubles the power of its water moves."
"Alright! Squirtle, use all your power! Focus your water gun attack on the Ponyta that just attacked you!"
Leon could only watch as the water churning inside Squirtle's throat turned into the veritable torrent, powerful aquatic blast that rent the air. Water caught the fiery Pokemon unaware, it was frozen in surprise before it got swept away by the might blast. Leon looked here and there, still uncertain of what has occurred. As the illusory day faded away and the moon appeared again, Ponyta was found laying on the side. It wasn't moving.
Dexter started buzzing, again.
"Your Pokemon has gained enough experience to level up!"
Surprisingly enough, little Squirtle suddenly grew taller, its skin becoming more leathery, tougher than before. Appendages like wings grew out of its head and it seemed more menacing, more meaner than before and not just because of the strong teeth growing in its mouth.
"It… evolved!" Leaf was surprised.
"War… tortle!" newly evolved Wartortle exclaimed.
Leon cursed, returning the fainted Pokemon into the ball.
"Savor your victory, brat. I might have lost, but your friends stand no chance."
"Don't you have another Pokemon?" Leaf asked, pointing at his waist. Leon gave a swift glance at the ball. There was something in his eyes, like a regret. However, neither Leaf or anybody else ever learned what it meant.
"I indeed have. Nevertheless, you have one Pokemon, and you have proven your strength. I concur defeat."
Leon lost, however, there were three more trainers to defeat. The next person accepting the challenge was a woman with the scar over her face. She looked most menacing of them all, with her empty merciless eyes and twitchy lips she seemingly couldn't keep closed. Scar might have been the least scary of her features.
She had six Pokeballs on her waist.
"Hah! Hah-haha-haha! I'm going to blast you! I'm going to splatter you all over these walls! Walls! End you!" she screamed.
Gary didn't fear women, least of all crazy ones. He might have only had one Pidgey, but he was ready to fight with it no matter what.
"You're nuts. I'm going to destroy you." he uttered.
"Fun! Fun, fun, fun!" she screamed again, clawing her face so much the blood trickled between her fingertips. Without even telling her name, she lobbed the Pokeball against the floor and it produced a Koffing. It was even uglier than ordinary Koffings, but it was considerably larger and almost bloated. Its face looked comically small when compared to the body.
"What's wrong with that thing?" Gary asked.
"It's full of gas, boy! Gas! It's going to blow! Ahahah!" she yelled up.
BATTLE NUMBER TWO – GARY VS CRAZY GRUNT
Gary had to find a good strategy to fight this woman, but it seems she was unpredictable in every possible sense of the word. When his Pidgey entered the field, he couldn't find the way to blow it away. Its weight and bloatedness made it impervious to gust, it was hard to be damaged by the tackle.
She didn't even try to defend against these blows, instead letting his Pidgey attack.
Sometimes, when the Pidgey attacked, gasses would billow out of its bloated, bulbous body, making the tiny bird retch. Also, each time it did, the Pokemon would become more and more bloated.
"I see." he said. Trainer was just standing there, grasping her cheeks, looking at her Pokemon like she's madly in love with the thing.
"Pidgey, stop attacking." Gary ordered.
"Pii?" Pidgey asked.
"She wants you to attack the thing. It's growing larger and larger each time I do. I'm not sure what this means, but I'm having a bad feeling and you should keep yourself back."
Finally, the mad grunt spoke up.
"Haha! Hahaha! You think this will help?! Alright, Stinkbomb, attack!" she ordered.
"You've given it a name? It's a perfect match. Pidgey, move out of the way!"
As the Koffing flung itself, Pidgey flew high in the air and avoided the clumsy attack. Grunt didn't relent, however. It seemed she was expecting this, and her strategy surprised him. When Pidgey was above, she raised her finger and ordered:
"Stinkbomb, now, use your Poison gas!"
Her Koffing let out a cloud of noxious gas right at the place where the Pidgey flew away. When the cloud dissipated, Pidgey suddenly looked sickly, shaking and shivering. It was apparently in a rough shape.
"You cheater!" Gary uttered.
"Now, Stinkbomb! Blow the choir-boy AWAY!" she ordered, and Gary could only watch as she flicked the match against her sole and threw it at her Pokemon's general direction. Ensuing explosion send shock-waves across the room, throwing everybody prone. She was standing there, her hair blown away, literally shaking in delight.
"Ahhh, ahhh, ahhhh!" she moaned, clawing her face even harder.
When the Pokemon exploded, Gary fell down flat, feeling a sharp pain all over his body that forcefully pushed all the air from his lungs. A flash of bright light nearly blinded him, and the loud sound reverberated in his eardrums, ringing so loudly he worried about losing the hearing. At the end, he barely managed to pull himself up.
Koffing rolled down on the ground, fainted but proud of itself. Pidgey was down on the ground several meters away, not budging an inch, smoking like a smoldering twig. Everybody else was practically knocked down, except the trainer who apparently knew her Pokemon enough to pick the right place to stand when the explosion happened. She merrily plucked her Koffing, putting it back in the ball.
Since Gary had no other usable Pokemon, he looked down and pulled Pidgey back.
"Give me your Pokemon!" she ordered.
"I'm not giving you a thing, bitch. Only if all of us lose, you will get our Pokemon. Until then, stay back and gloat over your small victory."
"Give it, give it, give it!" she screamed, trying to wrestle his ball out. This irked Leon, who grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back, quite forcefully. She squealed, staring at him in fear.
"Do this one more time." he uttered."And I will cut your hands off. Am I clear?"
The way he said this was affectionately gentle, and it kind of made it even creepier because you could tell he was actually quite serious.
"Y-yes! Perfectly clear, boss!" she uttered.
"That's better. Now scurry off. We've made an honorable deal and you will respect it."
"Of course! Respecting the deal, ha-ha!"
The next trainer going into battle was the addict-looking man. Since Gary and Leaf already had their matches, Brock and Misty pushed Ash to fight but considering his demeanor he was raring to go anyway. Clover decided to remain last, eyeing the cages in hopes she will spot her Ivysaur.
Skinny grunt looked at Ash, considering him for a moment, trying to withhold a mocking glare.
"Have ye ever tried the Pokemon medicine?" he asked.
Ash looked at him, quite confused by the question.
"No…?"
"Well, ye're missing out, bub."
Without even waiting for his reaction, the trainer lobbed the single poke-ball he had at his waist. It was a Golbat with large, gaping mouth. It currently looked malnourished and starved, which made it quite similar to its trainer.
The vagaries of this combat are altogether uninteresting. It was as one-sided as one could imagine from the hopped-up trainer and his malnourished Pokemon against the overpowered Pikachu. Ash just used his thunderbolt, and the Golbat was quickly brought flat to the ground, forcing his trainer to concede defeat. Leon wasn't pleased, at all.
He spat on the ground, now glancing at the remaining grunt, one with the covered mouth. There was something incredibly creepy and unsettling about the man. His red eyes twitched here and there, stopping on the Pokemon around cages, then his hands would twitch just slightly before he would take a deep breath and resume the calm demeanor.
Clover wasn't certain about facing such trainer. However, just as she placed her finger on the Pokeball, she remembered something odd. For some reason, her Weedle still didn't evolve. It was already level ten, all the battles she had should have already turned it into Beedrill. However, something was stopping the natural chain of events.
To further prove to herself whether something was wrong, Clover took her Pokedex out to check out the summary section of her Pokemon. Indeed, the Weedle was at tenth level, but for some reason it didn't evolve. She was quite certain of doing nothing to prevent the level-up, so what went wrong?
Fighting the unsettling, menacing trainer in front of herself with only a Weedle made her feel uneasy. Professor was right: she should have spent more time catching other Pokemon, maybe finding herself a powerful Pikachu, or an agile Pidgey. Maybe she should have just run after that Mankey. Now it would be a strong fighting Pokemon.
Instead, what she had was a tiny worm. She loved it, but would it be enough?
Misty and Brock both have refused to battle altogether. Misty blurted out some excuse, something in lines of:"My Staryu is hurt and I can't allow it to fight." Brock was adamant about letting the younger trainers prove their worth.
Thus, the only wall between losing all of their Pokemon, and maybe even their lives was a tiny Weedle.
The trainer stepped up, staring at her with his red, piercing eyes.
Without a word, he took the only Pokeball he owned. She hesitated to place the Weedle in danger, but she couldn't back away either. Pokemon showing up on the other side of a field was the big, mean-looking Fearow. When the Weedle appeared on the field, it produced the most terrified shriek she had ever heard, quickly running to hide behind her back.
Grunt's eyes filled with mockery, as if he remembered something from before.
"I remember you." he uttered.
THE LIBERATION
Clover vs Akira
"My name is Akira, if there are to be names." he uttered, and his voice sounded like the crashing of ocean waves at the cold day in December.
"My name is Clover. What's this about remembering my Weedle?" she asked.
"I liberated it from the foolish weakness of dependence. How weak could it be then if it hides behind its trainer now, just like it hid behind the Pokemon it considered it's friend?"
"You! You're the one who murdered that Beedrill in the Viridian forest!" she yelled.
"Murder? What a savage, crass term. I have delivered it from the shell of this painful life full of avarice and pain. This Weedle you protect, it could only benefit from such experience. Pain brings strength, strength brings victory. Death brings freedom."
"You're absolutely mad. I will not let you hurt my Weedle again!"
"Send it forth, then! Let me watch the anguish in its eyes as it's separated from its life, reborn anew! Let it experience awakening as it casts away this shell it calls living!"
Leaf approached Clover, placing a hand over her shoulder.
"Beanstalk, don't fight this thing on your own, please! He's not going to fight fair, let me help you!"
she whispered into her ear.
"No, Leaf. We have to play it fairly."
"We could just unite our power and crush them! Please, Beans!"
"I'm going to play my stubborn card, and refuse. Stand back."
"Why… fine! But if the things go south, I'm not going to stand back."
"I will not take this chance from Weedle. A young samurai taught me a valuable lesson: one should always strive to overcome their weakness. Weedle needs to do this. I believe in my Pokemon."
"But you-"
"Trust me."
Akira threw them another menacing glare, saying:"Whispers are always the sign of weakness. Will you fight, or you merely want to hide behind the words?"
"I accept your challenge. My Weedle will win!"
He laughed, staring at the tiny worm.
"Then my Fearow will achieve the flying victory and savor the meal! Go forth, my Pokemon!" he ordered, and Fearow spread its wings, flying high in the air.
As it did, Weedle whimpered as the tears welled in its beady eyes. It hid even harder behind Clover's legs. It tried its best to move its head forward, but couldn't even budge. There was a shadow in its eyes, like a shadow of remembrance. As best as it tried, it simply couldn't move an inch. It seemed as if he battled a fight within itself, rather than one on the field.
"Weedle, come on, you can do it!" Clover ordered.
However, it simply couldn't do anything. And then, the Fearow reared up and attacked. Clover stood up in front of her Pokemon and the Fearow simply took her down instead. It hit her straight over the chest and she fell down, but she simply refused to let it hurt her Pokemon, shielding it with her body.
"So, that's what you want to do? Then my Fearow will liberate you both! Fearow, don't stop attacking!"
Gary almost ran to the field, screaming:"Beans, stop this! Are you crazy?!"
"I won't let it hurt my Pokemon! I don't care about my life!" she screamed.
Fearow didn't stop attacking. She was bloodier and bloodier as it pecked her, but she didn't want to move even when it was obvious the thing will kill her if she doesn't. Weedle still covered, unable to move from the fear. It was frozen and paralyzed in fear, and yet, it didn't move from under her body to attack.
Clover tried her best holding on to the consciousness, but the pain was too strong. It reminded her on that time she almost died in the barn, two years ago. The burning sensation was similar. This was the best time to give in, to simply close her eyes and fall asleep. The pain will be over, she will feel nothing.
She looked at her Pokemon before closing her eyes, and then it finally locked its eyes with hers. Something inside of it awoke, some realization. Defending your friends takes courage, enough to endanger own life. When the Weedle realized a truth, Clover smiled weakly, saying:"You understand it, Weedle, don't you?"
"Wee-dle!" it yelled, and all of a sudden it started growing in power. She let out a sigh, laying on the back, heaving as she watched the Pokemon growing the stronger, harder shell then it used to have before. It was standing like this, like a cocoon, and then Fearow reared up to attack the Pokemon once again.
Clover merely observed as the Fearow grabbed Kakuna, raising it up in the air.
"Now, Fearow, use Drill peck!" Akira ordered. Fearow used its long beak and drilled a hole in the Kakuna, and then it fell down on the ground. It wasn't moving. Clover let out a sigh of surprise, staring at her Pokemon, unable to move a muscle out of the strong pain she felt all over her body. All of a sudden, a light broke from the shell. It started cracking all over, before it finally gave way and a Beedril appeared out of the casing.
"Beedril… I have a Beedril.." she managed to utter.
Beedril looked at her, then looked at the Fearow in front of its eyes. They were both the same size now, and it seemed Akira didn't expect such turn of events.
"Bug is still a bug! Fearow, take it down!"
Fearow made a great turn in the air above, falling down on the Beedrill like an airplane. However, Beedril anticipated such attack. It quickly removed from the spot, appearing right above Fearow. Fearow could barely look as it started pummeling its back with powerful jabs of its gigantic needles. It was attacking it mercilessly, screaming in anger.
Fearow was paralyzed with pain as Beedril pummeled it further, until the Pokemon fell on the ground. It tried moving, but it couldn't move away swiftly enough. Beedrill made a flying turn in the air before turning itself into a large drill. It was turning around itself swiftly, one could barely make out its form and as it collided with Fearow's back it let out a pained scream.
It finally stopped moving.
Beedrill approached Akira, raising its large drill as the grunt watched in horror, unable to move.
"Beedrill… stop..." Clover uttered.
"Beedrill! Bee-drill!" it angrily uttered. She barely gathered enough strength to say:
"I know you want to take revenge.. I understand... He killed your friend. But please, don't become like him."
"Bee-drill!" it was still angry.
"We've won. You've saved us, Beedrill." she uttered, before finally losing consciousness. Beedrill produced a sharp, glittering needle on its back, pushing it forward as if it wanted to impale his throat. Akira almost fell backwards, screaming in terror, but Beedrill stopped mere inches above its neck.
Then it turned around and left, leaving the trainer practically foaming at his mouth, passed out in fear. It stopped above Clover, ready to shield her from more harm.
Leon clapped:"Bravo! A victory. Rather unexpected from the kids such as yourselves. On my honor, we will leave this place. You shall have your Pokemon. Here's the key." He threw the key in their direction, and Leaf caught it in the air.
"We are merely grunts, kids. Our boss is prowling the Kanto, looking for powerful trainers to join our cause. One day, you might meet him. Until then, hone your skills. He is more powerful than all of us combined, and he will crush you. So long!"
He took Akira and flung him over the shoulder, collecting their Pokemon and everything else they carried with themselves. In a matter of minutes, they were gone. They have even left the large Moon stone they placed on the pedestal, which was a further proof Leon was true to his word. However, Clover was still blacked out.
Leaf held her hand, saying:"You're the craziest, bravest girl I have ever met, sister."
Gary looked at her:"Just like her dad."
"You've met him?" she asked.
"Sure, I have. He's nothing like us, weak rookies. He taught me how to fight with Pokemon when grandpa was too busy researching. I was only six, but he didn't care."
"So who is he? Clover never said, and her mom refuses to answer my questions."
"His name is… no, actually never-mind. If Beans won't say it, I won't tell you either."
"Come on! You grow conscience now?!"
"Like I would say something so important to someone like you."
"Whatever! It's not important anyway! Beanstalk is hurt, so let's try and help her!"
As they tried to bandage her wounds, others scattered around, releasing the Pokemon from the cages. There were so many of those here, it was hard to count. A blotchy Ivysaur separated from the crowd, approaching her fainted trainer. Pikachu was also with them as well as the Squirtle.
"Ivy..." Ivysaur uttered.
"Ivysaur! Oh, my Pikachu is also here! Look, Gary, your Squirtle returned!" Leaf was overjoyed. However, Ivysaur looked sad. It nuzzled her trainer's hand. "Ivy..." it uttered again.
"She's sleeping. She will be okay."
Ivysaur reared up on its hind legs, opening Gary's bag with her nose. Gary could only watch in surprise as the Pokemon pulled out a yellow crystal.
"Hey, that's mine!" Gary uttered.
"Ivy-saur!" Ivysaur assumed a defensive stance.
"Wait, you think the Pokemon medicine will help her?" he asked.
"Ivy-Ivysaur!" it uttered.
"Well, if you think it will, it's worth a shot. We're too far from a hospital." he said, taking a Revive to grind it down and combine with water. He then poured the liquid into Clover's mouth and she ingested it. However, none of it helped, and she remained asleep.