CHAPTER 16

The Fourth Gym

Zora left the Burned Tower and returned to the Pokémon Center to heal up her team. Afterwards, she went to Route 37 to train up Omelet, Bambi and Kale to level twenty-two before they would enter the Gym.

Zora decided to train Omelet first, since he was the most important player in this Gym. Omelet defeated eleven Pidgey, one Stantler, three Vulpix and one Pidgeotto before he was ready to take on the Gym Trainers. Afterwards, Bambi took out five Pidgey, two Stantler and one Pidgeotto before he too was ready. Finally, Kale beat three Pidgey and a Pidgeotto before he was ready too. By the time Kale was done with his training, he learned Magical Leaf, and Zora replaced Synthesis with it.

With the entire team – with the exception of Coco – all at least at level twenty-two, Zora returned to the Pokémon Center, healed up the team and went to the Gym to fight the Gym Trainers, having Omelet in the front. However, before she entered the Gym, she hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Omelet asked. "Are we going or not?"

"Maybe it's a bad idea to fight the Gym Trainers now after all," she said. "With Coco at his current level, I mean."

"Why's that?"

"Well, the Gastly and Haunter in the Gym only know Curse, Night Shade, Mean Look and Confuse Ray. Some of them also know Sucker Punch, but that only works if you use an attacking move, like Extrasensory. Curse is the most dangerous move here. But if you get confused, locked in battle and cursed at the same time, I'm not sure how long you will last."

"What does that have to do with Coco?"

"If you were to get cursed but not locked in battle, I could switch to Coco… but no, even if we trained him up, he won't have any super-effective moves against the opponents… I could evolve him into Umbreon… but that would take a long time."

"Hey, don't we still have U-Turn?" Omelet asked. "Can we use that?"

Zora hummed in thought. "Maybe," she said. "It could work. If I teach U-Turn to Dingbat, I could switch to him when you defeat a Gastly or Haunter that has locked you with Mean Look, so your Curse will be lifted. And if Dingbat gets locked by Mean Look and Curse too, he can use U-Turn to switch to you. Yes, this could work…"

Zora pulled out Dingbat's Poké Ball and took the TM for U-Turn. She slid the disc into the ball and taught Dingbat U-Turn, replacing Astonish with it. The disc slid back out and was broken in half. Zora discarded it in a nearby trash can.

"Well, that's done now," she said. "Guess there's nothing left to do but enter and fight the Trainers. Let's go, Omelet."

They entered the Gym, which was in complete darkness. There were four Gym Trainers to battle before Morty, and the bridge they had to traverse was also dark, making the journey through the Gym even more difficult and hazardous.

They faced the first Gym Trainer, who had five Gastly. Omelet took out all of them with one Extrasensory each, without a problem.

They then went and fought the second Gym Trainer, who had two Haunter. The first was taken out with a speed boost from the Quick Claw. The second managed to trap Omelet with Mean Look, but it too was taken out in one hit.

Zora refused to let Omelet learn Follow Me, instead continuing onward to face the third Gym Trainer, who had one Haunter, but which was stronger than the previous two ones. It used Sucker Punch on Omelet before he took it out with Extrasensory, but he didn't take much damage from it. Zora still opted to return to the Pokémon Center to heal up before facing the final Gym Trainer though.

The last Gym Trainer had a Haunter and two Gastly, one stronger than the other. The first Gastly was taken out in one hit without a problem. The Haunter used Mean Look to trap Omelet in battle, but it too was taken out in one hit with Extrasensory. The second Gastly was sent out, and it too was taken out with a single Extrasensory. The last Gym Trainer was beat without Omelet taking any damage.

Although Omelet was probably the only Pokémon Zora would use against Morty, and though Omelet had reached level twenty-five by now, being on par with Morty's Gengar, Zora still decided to leave the Gym and train up the others first.

By the time they exited the Gym and entered Route 37, the sun had set, and the nocturnal Pokémon had come out. Bambi was the first to be trained, taking out eighteen Hoothoot, five Stantler and two Vulpix before reaching level twenty-five as well. He wanted to learn Charge, but Zora declined.

Afterwards, Kale was trained up, beating two Hoothoot and two Stantler and grew stronger. However, after healing up at the Pokémon Center, as they ran through the grass…

A roar sounded, and a huge Pokémon appeared before them. Zora's heart skipped a beat.

It was Raikou. Raikou, the legendary Pokémon of thunder, had just appeared before them. And it was level forty.

"Ohhhhh snap," Zora said with a shaking voice. "There is no way we are fighting this…"

Zora wasn't the only one who was scared. Kale shook beside her, staring up at the huge yellow and black-striped beast.

"Is this it?" Kale whispered. "Are we going to die now?"

"I can't move," Zora uttered. "My legs won't move. I can't run."

"I can't move either," Kale said with a terrified voice. "Please don't hurt us…"

Raikou stared at the two of them, seemingly contemplating something. It took a step back and took a stance.

Suddenly Zora felt the ability to move again, and she grabbed Kale by the head leaf and ran off full speed, restraining herself from screaming. They retreated to Ecruteak City and hid behind the trees at the entrance.

They both gasped in exhaustion and fear. They peeked out from behind the trees. Raikou was gone.

"Do you… do you think it's gone?" Kale asked with a shaking voice.

Zora took out her Pokégear with shaking hands. She checked the map function, now noticing two head icons matching those of the legendary beasts. Entei and Raikou's faces were present on the screen, Raikou having moved down further south, Entei being closer to Cherrygrove City. There was seemingly no icon matching Suicune, making it apparently untrackable.

"It looks like it's still out there," Zora informed. "Looks like we can still catch it later… when we're ready."

Knowing the danger was over, they got out from their hiding place and tip-toed their way back into Route 37, looking from side to side in uncertainty.

"That was scary," Kale said, his voice starting to calm down now.

"I never expected Raikou to just pop out like that while we were training," Zora said, also starting to calm down. "To be honest, though, it didn't seem like it wanted to fight either. I thought it was going to attack, but I think it just ran away. Perhaps we can try catching it and Entei in the future, if we ever run into them again."

"Wait, what if they end up being our first encounter in a new area?" Kale pointed out in realization. "What do we do then?"

Zora thought for a moment as she went through her notes. "I think the chance is pretty low for that," she said. "But with the map function, we're able to keep track of their location, so we can avoid having them as our first encounter. We should be fine…"

After that scary situation, they went back to training. Kale beat another eleven Hoothoot and six Stantler before finally reaching level twenty-five. After that, Zora trained up Dingbat until he had defeated eighteen Hoothoot and eight Stantler.

When it was Crisper's turn, she only had to take down one Hoothoot, one Stantler and two Vulpix before reaching level twenty-five as well. When that happened, she also evolved into Graveler, much to Zora's delight. Zora did refuse to teach her Rock Blast though, as it wasn't much better than Rock Throw or Rollout.

Zora was unsure whether to train up Coco right away or if she should wait with that. Umbreon would learn Pursuit at level fifteen and Faint Attack at level thirty-six, and Eevee didn't learn Bite until level twenty-nine.

"Then again, Umbreon doesn't learn Bite at all," Zora speculated. "And Bite is not a bad move either. Perhaps we can train up Coco to level twenty-five after all. Maybe we should wait with evolving him until he reaches level twenty-nine or thirty. Perhaps twenty-nine would be fine, he might be able to learn Confuse Ray upon evolution."

"So we're training the kid?" Crisper asked, now standing with two legs and four arms.

"Yes, we're training Coco," Zora said. "We'll start in Route 29 tomorrow. Which means we'll go to my house in New Bark Town and stay overnight."

"Ooh, that sounds neat," Crisper said. "Let's go!"

They journeyed all the way back to New Bark Town, running from any wild Pokémon they encountered, and walked to Zora's house. Mom greeted them with a big smile and got to see how much Zora's Pokémon had grown, especially Kale who was now a Bayleef.

"Oh, that Eevee is adorable!" her mother remarked and picked up Coco. "He looks just like the one that ran away a few weeks ago. Fluffy, you remember?"

Zora cringed and swallowed a lump at the mention of Fluffy. She simply nodded. "We'll stay overnight, mom," Zora informed. "We're training Coco tomorrow, so everyone's ready for the Gym in Ecruteak City."

"Your fourth Gym battle!" her mother exclaimed with excitement. "You're growing up so fast, Zora! I'm so proud of you! Have some dinner before you and your Pokémon go to sleep, alright?"

"I will," Zora said with a smile. "I'm glad to be home, mom."

Zora's mother cooked up some dinner for the two of them, while the Pokémon got some berries to feast on, along with some other Pokémon food. Apparently her mother had done some more shopping while Zora was gone, expecting to get visits now and then. Zora appreciated the support, but she also felt guilty about lying about Fluffy and not telling the truth to her.

After they finished their dinner, Zora and her Pokémon went upstairs to her room, getting ready to go to bed. That's when Zora told the new members about Fluffy.

Coco naturally seemed most shocked about the story of the other Eevee named Fluffy, having been killed by a level two Rattata. Fluffy himself had only been level one, having never battled since hatching from his egg when Zora was four years old. Zora noticed the Eevee's distressed look.

"Fluffy was my first Pokémon, but he was weak," Zora said. "It may sound harsh, but he was. He wasn't strong enough to fight even a level two Rattata on his own. I didn't know better. I didn't know about my condition until it happened. It's thanks to Fluffy that I know. And because of Fluffy, I was able to research and take notes to make sure none of you guys died. Your survival so far is all thanks to Fluffy's sacrifice, before I even became an official Trainer."

They held a minute of silence for Fluffy, despite his death having occurred almost a month ago by now.

"His sacrifice will not be in vain," Kale said. "I don't blame you for not telling us, Zora. But I'm glad you did. We'll do our best to not die."

"You bet!" Coco exclaimed. "I won't end up like him! I will defeat our opponents and become strong, and I will survive! You just wait and see!"

"I'm counting on it," Zora said with a smile. "Now, let's get some sleep. You have a long day of training ahead of you tomorrow, Coco."

The next morning, after waking up, they ate breakfast downstairs before taking off, saying goodbye to Zora's mother once again. Zora returned everyone to their Poké Balls except for Coco. Unlike Fluffy, Coco was strong enough to fight opponents on his own, but he was still frail enough that any of these low level Pokémon on Route 29 could kill him, so Zora had to be very careful.

Coco's first opponent was a Pidgey.

"Use Tackle, Coco!" Zora ordered.

Coco used Tackle and did a lot of damage, almost knocking the Pidgey out. It tackled in return, but did almost no damage. With another Tackle, the Pidgey went down.

"I did it!" Coco said excitedly. "My first victory!"

"Good job!" Zora praised. "But… have you never battled before? You're level five."

"That Bill guy gave me some yummy candy that made me feel stronger after I ate them," Coco said. "But no, I've never battled before."

"Oh," Zora said. "Well, get ready for a lot of battles. This was only the beginning. Keep up the good work!"

Zora decided they should move from route to route when Coco had reached certain levels, the first goal being level ten. Coco reached that level after defeating another twenty-seven Pidgey, thirteen Sentret and two Rattata.

Afterwards, they decided to head to Ilex Forest for the next training. On their way there, throughout the many routes they took between Route 29 to Azalea Town, Coco defeated two Pidgey, one Sentret, two Weedle, one Kakuna, one Bellsprout, one Ekans, one Mareep and three Zubat. They ran from any Geodude or Onix they encountered in Union Cave, as Eevee would not do anything against Rock-type Pokémon.

They stopped by Kurt's house and picked up some Friend Balls and gave him some Blue Apricorns to work on until she returned another day. Once they arrived in Ilex Forest, Coco took out twenty-nine Weedle, twelve Kakuna and one Paras until he reached level fifteen. Afterwards they picked up Dummy to cut the tree blocking the way, and Zora put her in Crisper's spot. They exited the forest on the other side – after taking out another two Weedle and two Kakuna that got in their way – and started training in Route 34, where the wild Pokémon were close to his level, though still a little under.

They first went to Goldenrod City and put Crisper back on the team, putting Dummy back in the PC. Afterwards they returned to Route 34 to continue training. As soon as they entered the tall grass, however, Raikou popped out at them again, giving them both a scare.

"Go away, go away, go away!" Zora shrieked.

Coco growled at the Raikou in defiance, to Zora's horror. Instead of attacking, however, Raikou simply turned around and ran off. Zora took deep breaths and held a hand on her chest to calm her beating heart.

"I really have to check that map so we avoid surprises like that," Zora wheezed. "That was a bold move you just pulled off, Coco. How are you faster than Raikou?"

Coco looked up at his Trainer, also shaking a bit. "I don't know," he replied. "But… I'm glad it decided to go away. I was so scared…"

Zora knelt down and pat the Eevee on the head. "You did well not dying," she praised. "Let's keep training. Maybe one day you will get to fight Raikou face to face. Or perhaps Entei or even Suicune."

Coco looked up at Zora with big eyes, gleaming with excitement. "Okay, let's continue!"

Coco ended up defeating ten Drowzee, seven Rattata, two Abra and two Ditto before Zora realized they could teach him Headbutt to make training go faster. As such, they paused Coco's training in Route 34, instead heading back to Ilex Forest to teach him Headbutt. Coco defeated two Weedle, two Kakuna and one Zubat on the way in and out of the forest. Now knowing Headbutt, Coco defeated another five Drowzee, seven Rattata and two Abra before reaching level twenty. At one point, Raikou appeared again in Route 34, but this time Zora avoided the encounter by hiding until it left.

After that, they healed up in Goldenrod City, went to Route 36 and continued training. However, as they entered the grass, a roar sounded, and this time Entei leapt out at them from the tall grass. Again, both Zora and Coco got startled. Coco threw sand at Entei, but it immediately ran away.

"What's up with those freaking legendary beasts?!" Zora exclaimed as she started to calm down. "Leave us alone already!"

After that, they continued training. They trained in Route 36 until Coco reached level twenty-two. That happened after beating nine female Nidoran, five male Nidoran, eight Pidgey and three Vulpix. He also learned Quick Attack and forgot Tackle.

Finally, they went to Route 37 and trained Coco to level twenty-five, at which point he had defeated another ten Pidgey, nine Stantler, two Vulpix and three Pidgeotto, as well as avoiding encountering Entei at one point and Raikou at three points. Now, everyone on the team was ready to take on Morty and his Ghost-type Pokémon.

Zora went to the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak City, healed up the team, went over their strategy again, and then went to the Gym, making sure to put Omelet in the front to take on Morty's Pokémon. Zora took the Quick Claw from Omelet and gave him a Chesto Berry to hold instead. They carefully treaded through the dark Gym, crossing the narrow bridges and avoiding falling into the darkness below, until they reached Morty's platform.

Zora took a deep breath and stepped forward. Morty smiled upon their approach.

"It's good of you to have come," Morty said. "Here in Ecruteak, Pokémon have long been revered. It's said that a rainbow-hued Pokémon will come down to appear before a truly powerful Trainer."

Morty paused for a moment. Zora remained silent.

"I believe that tale, so I have secretly trained here all my life," Morty continued. "As a result, I can now see what others cannot. I see a shadow of the person who will make the Pokémon appear."

Zora gulped. A truly powerful Trainer, she thought.

Morty smiled widely and drew a Poké Ball. "I believe that person is me! You're going to help me reach that level!"

Morty sent out his first Pokémon, a Gastly. Zora looked down at Omelet, and they nodded at each other. Omelet went forth to face the Gastly.

"Use Extrasensory, Omelet!" Zora ordered.

Gastly tried using Spite, but it failed as Omelet hadn't made a move yet. Because of its mistake, Omelet took it out with a single Extrasensory. Morty returned the Gastly to his Poké Ball and sent out his first Haunter.

"Use Extrasensory again!" Zora ordered.

"Use Curse!" Morty ordered.

The Haunter landed a Curse on Omelet, cutting down its own health. It was taken out by Extrasensory, but in turn, Omelet got hurt by Curse.

"Get back, Omelet," Zora said and drew a Poké Ball. "Come out, Dingbat!"

As Dingbat got out, Morty sent out his Gengar.

"Use U-Turn, Dingbat!" Zora ordered.

"Use Sucker Punch!" Morty ordered.

Before Dingbat launched his U-Turn, Gengar Sucker Punched him, but it barely did anything. Dingbat returned to his Poké Ball, and Omelet was sent out instead.

"Use Mean Look!" Morty ordered.

Gengar locked Omelet in place, but Zora wasn't worried.

"Use Extrasensory!" Zora ordered.

With an Extrasensory, Gengar was almost knocked out, but not entirely. The Gengar drew a Sitrus Berry it was holding and ate it, regaining some health.

"One more Extrasensory!" Zora exclaimed. "Take it out!"

Gengar missed a Hypnosis, allowing Omelet to take it out with Extrasensory. Morty returned the Gengar to its Poké Ball, but the smile remained on his face.

"No, it's not over yet," he said. "It's not over yet! I still believe we can do it! Go, Haunter!"

Morty sent out his second Haunter, his final Pokémon. Zora took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Omelet, Extrasensory," she said.

Haunter used Sucker Punch, but Omelet managed to land a critical hit with Extrasensory and took out the Haunter. Leader Morty was defeated, and Zora had beaten the fourth Gym. She sighed with relief.

"Great job, Omelet," she praised. "You too, Dingbat. You did well, too."

Morty sighed and recalled his Haunter, but soon put his smile back on.

"I don't think our potentials are so different," he said. "But you seem to have something more than that… So be it. This Badge is yours."

Morty handed over the Fog Badge to Zora, and she put it away with the others.

"By having the Fog Badge, Pokémon up to level fifty, including traded Pokémon, will obey you. Also, Pokémon will be able to use Surf. Here is another thing… I want you to have this, too."

Morty handed over a TM labeled TM30. Zora accepted it and put it in the pocket with TMs and HMs.

"It's Shadow Ball," Morty explained. "It causes damage and may reduce Special Defense. Use it if it appeals to you."

"Ooh, thanks," Zora said with a big smile. "Thank you for the battle. Goodbye."

Zora and Omelet left the Gym, giddy from their victory and ready to celebrate with the rest of the team.