CHAPTER 17

A New Friend

Zora and Omelet left the Gym and returned to the Pokémon Center to heal up. Before celebrating, however, Zora remembered they had an encounter in the Bell Tower that was also located in Ecruteak City. She put Bambi in the front to prepare for their encounter, which was going to be a Gastly, as the only other things that lived in the tower were Rattata.

They went to the gate leading to the Bellchime Trail, gained access via Zora's new Fog Badge, and they went down and up some stairs before getting outside.

The Bellchime Trail was surprisingly… quiet. There was no wind, no rustling, no street music, no sound of talking anywhere near them. Not even the sound of Pokémon cries. The only sound they heard as they went towards the tower was the sound of their own footsteps, rustling through the orange and golden leaves scattered across the ground.

They stood in front of the tower and just admired it for moment. Then they went inside. They found a ladder, but a man walked over to them and blocked their way.

"A long time ago, there used to be a Pokémon at the top of this tower, namely Ho-Oh," the man informed. "But it flew away, and no one has seen it since…"

Zora and Bambi shared glances. "Ho-Oh, huh," Zora repeated.

"If anyone who could restore deep trust between people and Pokémon were to come here with something linked to Ho-Oh…" the man continued. "…It may come down for such a person…"

After that tale, the man returned to stand beside the ladder. Zora tried to step forward again, but the man simply got in her way again and made her back off. Zora then tried to go around the railings in the middle of the floor, but the man spotted her and continued blocking her way, apparently not thinking she was 'worthy' of traversing the tower.

"I just want a Gastly!" Zora exclaimed as the man returned to his spot by the ladder. "LET ME PASS!"

But Zora was unable to pass, so she gave up and left the Bell Tower.

"How rude," Zora grumbled as they walked back to Ecruteak City along the Bellchime Trail. "I just wanted a Gastly. Is that too much to ask for?"

Bambi didn't say anything, just walking quietly by as they arrived back in the Pokémon Center. By that time, the ordeal had been more or less forgotten. Instead, Zora went to the lounge and brought out all her Pokémon to celebrate their victory against Morty, as well as to take a break from their journey and training.

"You both did really well, Omelet and Dingbat," Zora praised with a big smile. "I'm very proud of you both."

"They stood no chance!" Omelet said cheerfully.

"Yeah, we're the best!" Dingbat said proudly. The two Flying-type Pokémon gave each other a high-five with their wings.

"So what's next?" Kale asked. "Where's the fifth Gym?"

"Let me see," Zora said and brought out her notes and Pokégear. "It looks like the fifth Gym is located in Cianwood City. It's located across the water. It seems we'll need to use Surf in order to go there."

"But we don't have Surf," Bambi pointed out. "What do we do?"

"We'll have to find it," Zora said. "Maybe someone here in Ecruteak has it. We'll just have to search the city for it. As for who will learn Surf, I think that will be Goofy, our Slowpoke."

"Are we going to train him up as well?" Crisper asked.

"Maybe," Zora replied. "It would be nice if we could evolve him into a Slowking, but we don't have a King's Rock, nor do we have anyone to trade with. And even if we did, I'm not sure if that's safe…"

Coco nuzzled against Zora's arm, and Zora pat him on the head. "Maybe we don't need him," Coco said. "Maybe we just use him when we need to cross the water, right?"

"Perhaps," Zora replied. "But Surf is a pretty good move in battle, too. I do want to have a Water-type on our team. I'm just not sure if it should be Goofy. I'm also not sure which one of you I should replace. You're all pretty strong and good in your own ways…"

"Don't worry about it," Crisper said. "It's okay if some of us stand by in the PC and wait to be used in a different time, if it's appropriate then. It's better that we all live than die because of the close bonds you've formed with us."

Zora thought for a moment about Crisper's words. She smiled. "Maybe you're right, Crisper," Zora said. "When the time comes, I will sort out the team so we can function the best way possible. Now, the fifth Gym specializes in Fighting-type Pokémon, so we'll need Flying- and Psychic-type moves. In other words, we'll need Omelet and Dingbat again. Dingbat should probably evolve into Crobat before we enter the Gym."

"Ooh, I can't wait!" Dingbat exclaimed excitedly.

Kale poked Zora on the shoulder with his nose, catching her attention. "Zora, Omelet may be strong right now, but you said it yourself," Kale said quietly, while the others were chatting and playing amongst themselves. "Things are going to get tougher from now on. Omelet won't be able to stand against these dangers forever. Not as he is right now. Maybe we should let him stay behind in the box."

Zora looked from Kale to Omelet and Dingbat, flying around the Pokémon Center in a game of tag.

"I was considering that as well," Zora admitted. "Having a Poison- and Flying-type like Dingbat on the team has more coverage than a Normal- and Flying-type like Omelet. Even if Omelet is immune to Ghost and only weak against Fighting, he's still so small. He will become frailer the stronger Pokémon we encounter, even as he grows stronger himself alongside you guys."

There was a moment of silence between them, while Omelet darted around the Pokémon Center, above people's heads, making them look up at the egg-shaped bird. A moment later, a boy walked through the doors, and Omelet almost flew into him, but he managed to stop midair, being just inches away from the boy's face. Zora quickly got up from the couch and went over.

"Omelet!" Zora called, and Omelet quickly retreated into her arms. Zora turned to the boy. "I'm so sorry, he only just recently evolved, he's still getting used to flying."

"Oh, it's okay," the boy said.

The boy straightened his hat, which seemed to be a beret, in a rose color and with a white Poké Ball logo on the sides. He was wearing a red shirt, a blue coat, a white scarf and black pants. Zora noticed a strange-looking wristwatch on his wrist, as well as a belt with six Poké Balls.

"You're a Trainer too?" Zora implied and smiled. "My name is Zora."

"My name is Sid," the boy introduced himself as. "And yes, I'm a Trainer too."

"How many Badges do you have?"

"All of them."

"What? All of them?"

Sid pulled out a Badge case and opened it to show them to Zora. There were eight shiny Badges located inside. Though…

"They don't look like my Badges," Zora remarked and got her own Badges out to show them. "They're not Johto Badges, are they?"

"No, they're not," Sid replied. "I guess I forgot to tell you. I'm from the Sinnoh region, and these are the Sinnoh Badges from the Sinnoh Gyms."

"Oh," Zora said. "Do they work here in Johto too?"

"It appears so," Sid said. "Pokémon I've caught or traded here, even at high levels, obey me without question."

"What are you doing here in Johto if you live in Sinnoh?" Zora asked curiously.

"Oh, I just wanted to explore some of the other regions," Sid answered. "I've already seen everything there is to see in Sinnoh."

"So you came here with a plane?"

"No, I flew here on one of my Pokémon."

"You can do that?! But Sinnoh is so far away! Isn't your Pokémon tired?"

Sid chuckled. "I guess it is," he replied. "But it's resting in its Poké Ball, so it's fine."

Sid looked down at the Pokémon surrounding Zora, having gathered around their Trainer without either of them noticing. Apparently they were curious about the boy talking to their Trainer. Sid gazed around at each of them.

"Your Pokémon seem strong," he remarked. "Though it's a bit of an odd bunch…"

"It is?" Zora said and looked down at her team. "Perhaps it is…"

Sid's smile suddenly fell and his eyes widened, as if a thought just crossed his mind. "Can I see your Pokédex?" he asked.

"Uh, sure, here," Zora said and handed over her Pokédex.

Sid looked at it. "You've got four Badges, yet you've only registered twenty-eight Pokémon on your Pokédex," Sid remarked. "How many Pokémon do you have?"

"Uh…" Zora drawled out, trying to remember. "Twenty-two."

Sid's face seemed to darken as he handed back her Pokédex. He gestured for her to follow him, and they retreated to the lounge to distance themselves from the other people in the Pokémon Center.

"You…" Sid said quietly. "…You wouldn't happen to have something called Nuzlocke, do you?"

Zora stiffened at the question. "You… How did you know?" she proclaimed.

"Your Pokédex, your team, your small amount of caught Pokémon," Sid listed. "It all adds up. You're a Nuzlocke Trainer."

"But how did you find out so easily?" Zora asked. "How do you know about the condition?"

"Because I used to be a Nuzlocke Trainer myself."

Zora and her Pokémon all perked at the information. "You were a Nuzlocke Trainer yourself?" Zora repeated. "In the Sinnoh region?"

"Yes," Sid said. "I learned about my condition the hard way. Before I became an official Pokémon Trainer on my tenth birthday, I had a Shinx named Sparky. A few weeks before my birthday, he was killed by a Darkrai that had infiltrated my home town, Twinleaf Town."

Zora perked by the name. "Darkrai? Is that a Pokémon?"

"Yes," Sid replied. "It's a Pokémon that puts people and Pokémon to sleep, after which it induces them with nightmares. This one didn't actually attack anyone, but… I wanted to prove how strong a Trainer I was, how good I was going to be. I was naive. So I sent Sparky against Darkrai, and obviously he was easily defeated. However… after the Darkrai fled, when I checked on Sparky… he was…"

Sid lowered his head and trembled a bit, apparently still hung on the memory.

"Something similar happened to me," Zora said, making Sid look up. "I had an Eevee called Fluffy, who I've had since I was four years old. But a few weeks ago, I got impatient on the prospect of becoming an official Pokémon Trainer, so I took him out into the tall grass and fought a wild Rattata. It killed him so easily, it was ridiculous…"

Sid looked surprised at Zora. "A Rattata?" he repeated in disbelief. "Was your Eevee level one or something?"

Zora cringed at the outburst. "He was," she admitted. "He was too weak to fight yet on his own, but I didn't realize that until he just… died."

They fell silent for a moment, looking away from each other. Then a thought occurred to Zora.

"Can you understand Pokémon?" she asked.

Sid looked back at Zora. "Yes, I can," he replied. "Can you too?"

"Yes," Zora replied. "And while I'm still sad over Fluffy's death, it's thanks to him that I've been able to get these four Badges without losing any of my Pokémon."

Sid blinked surprised. "You haven't lost a single one yet?" he repeated astonished. "You're really lucky. You must have done a lot of research. Your Pokémon do look pretty strong…"

Sid gazed at Crisper and Omelet. "Say, do you need help evolving that Graveler?" he asked.

Zora looked down at Crisper, who looked between Zora and Sid. "Well, I do sort of want a Golem," she replied. "But isn't trading dangerous for us Nuzlocke Trainers?"

"Not if it's quick and the new Pokémon don't get trained," Sid replied. "And if you need to evolve that Togetic, I have a Shiny Stone you can use, too."

Zora looked surprised at Sid. "You… you would help me with that?" she asked in disbelief.

"Sure thing," Sid replied with a smile. "When I was on my Nuzlocke journey, I wish I had someone I could trade with, to help my Pokémon get strong. So I wouldn't have to lose anyone…"

Zora hummed. "So it's okay?" she asked. "You're sure my Pokémon or yours won't die if we trade them over to each other and back?"

"Absolutely sure," Sid replied. "I've traded and helped a few other Nuzlocke Trainers when I got my own curse lifted."

"Oh, so you managed to defeat the Champion?"

Sid fell silent. "It doesn't matter," he said, "whether you beat the Champion… or lose your whole team. If either happens, the curse gets lifted."

Zora's face seemed to darken too. "Did… did you lose?" she asked. "Everyone?"

"Like I said, it doesn't matter," Sid replied. "I can catch Pokémon, breed them, trade them, I can do whatever I want now, and no one dies. What I can also do now is help others that are in the same boat I've been in. Like you. I think it's very impressive you've kept all your Pokémon alive up until now. I would like to see that keeps happening. I'm rooting for you. And I want to give you my support too."

Sid gazed down at Crisper, standing next to Zora.

"I will help you evolve that Graveler," he said. "I will help you evolve any Pokémon that needs to be traded to evolve, and I will give you any evolution stones you may need. I've got plenty from the Sinnoh Underground."

"That's really too much," Zora said. "I can't accept that…"

"It's fine," Sid said with a smile. "I want to help. I have helped before. Everything will be fine. Trust me. I have a Pidgey in my storage. I can give it a Shiny Stone to hold, trade it for your Graveler, your Graveler will evolve into Golem, and then we will trade our Pokémon back to each other. I can even give your Graveler, or Golem, an item to hold to give back to you once it returns to you. Is there another Pokémon you have which evolves with an evolution stone?"

"I do have a Vulpix," Zora said. "And I do kind of want to use him at some point."

"So you need a Fire Stone," Sid concluded. "No problem. I have plenty of those, too. I can give your Graveler, or Golem, a Fire Stone to hold when I give it back to you."

"Why can't you just give the stones to us, boy?" Crisper said with a hint of a snarl.

"It's not that easy, Crisper," Zora said.

"Why not?"

"It's… It just isn't!"

Sid smiled as Zora and Crisper argued. "Okay, I said I understand Pokémon, but that's only my own Pokémon," he admitted. "I can't understand other Trainers' Pokémon, nor wild ones."

Zora turned back to look at Sid. "Same!" she said. "Hey, did you happen to have a strange dream before your Shinx died? Something that told you that you were getting special powers, but with a consequence as well?"

Sid's smile fell, and he seemed to be in deep thought. "Maybe," he said. "I think I did. Did you have such a dream?"

"Yes," Zora replied. "And I read about it online. It seems the things we've experienced have been experienced by almost every other Nuzlocke Trainer in the world as well. Everyone having strange dreams, everyone having the ability to understand Pokénese, everyone's Pokémon dying in battle or in other certain situations that are so trivial to normal Trainers."

"It seems there's a pattern," Sid remarked. "It all starts with a dream. But why? Who gave us those dreams? Whose voice is it? What is it that gives us this weird curse? And why is it that defeating the Champion of the Nuzlocke Trainer's region lifts the curse? What is happening…?"

Zora placed a hand on Sid's shoulder, getting his attention. "We can worry about that later," she said. "Let's trade."

They went into the Union Room, which was the part of the Pokémon Center where Trainers could trade Pokémon with each other. All of Zora's Pokémon were put back in their balls, including Crisper, who was going through the trade.

Before they started the trade, Sid sent his level two Pidgey out of its Poké Ball to give it a Shiny Stone to hold. Afterwards, it returned to its Poké Ball. The two Trainers walked together over to the trading machine with each their Poké Ball in hand.

"You ready?" Sid asked as they stood at each end of the machine.

Zora took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm ready," she replied.

Without further hesitation, Sid and Zora placed Crisper and Pidgey's Poké Balls into the trading machine and activated it. The Poké Balls began running through the machine, and they saw on a screen the images of their Pokémon going from one end to the other. Within a few seconds, Sid's Pidgey arrived at Zora's end, and Crisper arrived at Sid's end.

The machine opened its two ends, allowing the Trainers to withdraw the Poké Balls. Both Pokémon were sent out from them.

"Hello," Sid's Pidgey greeted and held forth the Shiny Stone between its talons. "You need this?"

"Yes, thank you," Zora said and accepted the Shiny Stone from Pidgey. She put it away and looked over to Sid's end.

Almost as soon as Crisper had left her Poké Ball, she started glowing white, and a few seconds later, a large Golem stood in her place. Crisper had reached her final evolution. Zora smiled.

"Looking good," Sid said, also smiling. He took out a Fire Stone from his own bag. "Here, Crisper, hold this."

Crisper silently accepted the Fire Stone and held it in her claws. The next second, both Pokémon were returned to their Poké Balls.

"Now we trade them back," Sid explained. "Same procedure as before."

"Okay," Zora replied.

They put the Poké Balls back into the trading machine, activated it, and watched as their own Pokémon returned to them. As the machine's ends opened again, Zora took her Poké Ball out again, having gained Crisper back on her team, now having evolved into Golem. Sid took his Pidgey back and put it with his other Poké Balls.

"Was that it?" Zora asked.

"That was it," Sid replied and sent out his Pidgey. "See? My Pidgey is okay. And your Golem is good too. Anytime you need help evolving another Pokémon through trading, I'll be there to help. I know! I'll give you my phone number! Then we can stay in touch, and you can tell me when you need my help."

"Good idea," Zora replied.

They exchanged phone numbers, and then they left the Union Room together, returning to the reception room of the Pokémon Center.

"How long are you planning to stay in Johto?" Zora asked curiously.

"Eh, at first I was thinking two weeks, maybe a month," Sid said. "But now I think I'll stay for at least two more months. Maybe more. I'd like to see you finish your journey and lift your own curse. And I'm willing to help you anytime you need me."

"Alright," Zora said. "Thanks for the help, Sid. I really appreciate the support. I will make sure your help won't go to waste."

Sid smiled and nodded. He didn't leave right away. He seemed as if there was still something he wanted to say.

"Is there something else on your mind, Sid?" Zora asked.

"I…" Sid drawled out. "…No, it's nothing. You just worry about your journey. Remember, anytime you need my help, call me. I'll come to you, and I'll lend you my help."

"I know," Zora said. "I guess… I'll see you later then."

Sid nodded. "See you later, Zora."

They left the Pokémon Center together, then Sid sent out his Pidgey again and flew away on it, holding on its legs. That tiny bird sure was strong, being able to hold an eleven year-old boy in the air.

"Well, now that that's done, we can go see if anyone in Ecruteak has the HM for Surf," Zora said.

"Okay…" Crisper replied quietly beside her.

Zora looked down at her Golem. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"No, it's nothing," Crisper replied. "Let's go."

Zora hummed but decided not to dwell on it. She put Crisper back in her Poké Ball and sent out Omelet instead to follow after her.

"Well, let's search the city for someone with Surf," Zora said.

The first house they checked was right next to the Pokémon Center. The guy living inside didn't have Surf, but he did give Zora a Dowsing Machine for agreeing with him that treasure hunting was fun. He also had a book on the history of Ecruteak, which Zora decided to read a bit of. It was about the two towers, one of which was the roost of Ho-Oh. It also told about Raikou, Entei and Suicune, as well as the burning of one tower which caused the legendary birds to disappear from Ecruteak even to this very day.

After reading and getting the Dowsing Machine, Zora left and went to another house, behind the Gym. There was an old man and his grandson, both of whom spoke of another powerful flying Pokémon, both like a bird and like a dragon. They didn't have anything though, so Zora left again and went to another building, located just behind the Pokémon Center.

It was the Ecruteak Dance Theater, Zora read on the sign. They stepped inside the building, where a few people were present, as well as a Psyduck.

"Hey! Hey!" someone yelled.

Zora and Omelet looked up on the stage, where a single Kimono Girl stood in an elegant yet odd position, as if having been interrupted during a dance. In front of the Kimono Girl stood a Team Rocket grunt, having entered the stage, apparently not satisfied with the performance.

"Stop dancing such a serious dance!" he exclaimed. "Show me something like a hula dance!"

The Kimono Girl was clearly offended by the order. "…You mustn't push such a request on me," she replied quietly.

The grunt bounced surprised and irritated up and down. "Huh? Are you telling me you don't respect what the customer wants?"

The distressed Kimono Girl took several steps back from the creepy grunt. He grinned.

"Well, then I'll show you how to dance," the grunt said. "I'll show you a great one! Wahahaha!"

He began spinning around, not as elegantly as the Kimono Girl probably would do it, but it was certainly a sight to behold. Zora and Omelet shared gazes.

"Let's go teach that grunt some manners, shall we?" Zora said with a smile.

"Yeah!" Omelet replied with a determined look.

They stepped forward, hearing the people in the audience complain about the grunt's horrible dance, and proceeded to go up the stairs and onto the stage. The Kimono Girl watched silently as Zora passed her and stepped in between her and the grunt, together with her Togetic.

The grunt continued dancing until he noticed Zora standing right in front of him with crossed arms and a stern look on her face. Next to her, Omelet copied her posture and facial expression, which looked kind of cute.

"Huh? Who are you?" the grunt asked surprised. "You dare to get in my way? Go, Koffing!"

The grunt stepped back and sent out his Koffing, intending to do battle. Zora looked behind her.

"You better stay behind me," Zora said.

The Kimono Girl made sure to stay behind Zora, while Omelet was sent forth.

"Omelet, take it out with an Extrasensory," Zora said calmly with a smile.

Omelet let loose an Extrasensory and immediately took out the Koffing, being much stronger than it.

The grunt gasped in shock and returned his Koffing to its Poké Ball.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "You make me look like a villain!"

"Aren't you?" Zora asked, her arms still crossed, as were Omelet's.

The grunt stepped back in disbelief. "Oops!" he said with a nervous smile. "I have an important mission. If they find out I was wasting time here, they'll make me start over as the lowest Team Rocket Grunt! I better leave now!"

The grunt immediately skedaddled from the Dance Theater in a matter of seconds. Zora and Omelet high-fived and turned to the Kimono Girl.

"Everything's fine now," Zora informed with a smile. "He won't be bothering you anymore."

The Kimono Girl stepped forward and seemed to relax now that the grunt was gone. She smiled back at Zora. "You must be Zora, correct?" she asked. "That was indeed excellent. Kind and strong… Good at raising Pokémon as well… That person does know what to look for in people…"

Zora and Omelet cocked their heads in curiosity. The Kimono Girl chuckled.

"Ohoho! That was just me talking to myself," she admitted. "Never mind."

Zora shrugged, and they stepped down the stairs, though before they could get all the way down, a man in a hat, the owner of the Psyduck, approached them.

"Wonderful!" he praised. "You were so courageous for your age!"

"Oh, it was nothing," Zora said modestly and waved. "It was just a Koffing…"

The man shook his head at her modesty. "It was a rare sight to see!" he continued. "I want you to have this."

The man took out a disc with a label on it, saying HM03. Zora stared at it for a moment.

"Don't be shy," the man insisted. "Take it!"

Zora accepted the HM and put it in her pocket with TMs and HMs.

"That's Surf," the man explained. "It's a move that lets Pokémon swim across water with ease."

"Thank you," Zora said and smiled.

The man smiled back and nodded, then returned to his seat in the audience. Zora looked down at Omelet with a bigger smile.

"Tomorrow, we're going to Cianwood City!"