Pokémon Crimson Gold
Chapter 12: A Slowpoke tale
Ethan and Chikorita finally made it to route 33, which was just east of Azalea town. Both the two were nearly starved and insanely hungry by the time they got out of Union cave, which they were trapped for over a week.
"Finally, were free of that damned cave!" Ethan said as hell fell to his knees. Chikorita jumped from his shoulder to comfort him.
"Stupid Pokégear. I could've accessed a map on it if it wasn't for the fact that it had no signal in there." He complained. "Ugh, I'm so hungry I could eat a Tauros!"
"Chika Chika!" Chikorita said, patting Ethan on the back.
Ethan took one look at his Pokégear, only to be met with shock. He had thirty missed calls from his mother, something which instantly scared him.
"Oh crap! I ignored mom for a week, she's going to kill me!" Ethan said, dialing her number and calling here.
Beep! She picked up after not so long.
"Hello mom, it's me Etha- WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Destroying Ethan and Chikorita's ear drums in the process.
"I-I was stuck in this cave for a long-time mom, I had to battle like, a million Zubat. I had no signal." Ethan reasoned.
"That is no excuse young man! You haven't talked to me in a week! You expect me to just believe that you were stuck in a cave for that long!?"
"I swear on my first gym badge!" Ethan said happily, lessening his mother's anger.
"Your first gym badge, wow honey. You really already got it?" She asked.
"Yes I did, I defeated Gym leader Falkner of Violet city. Right now I'm getting close to Azalea town, and I'm going to have the biggest feast of my life.
"Alright then sweetheart, just make sure you remember to give me a call at least once a day. Don't... don't be like your father. Always make sure to call." She said.
"Y-you don't have to compare to dad. I promise to always call, anyways. Love you, bye mom." Ethan said.
"I love you, bye hon." Mother said, hanging up.
"Whew, that was tough, huh, Chikorita." Ethan said. "Now let's go get us something to eat, Azalea should be really close now.
"Chikorita!" Chikorita said happily.
Upon entering, Ethan instantly took a liking to Azalea town. The place was small, giving a nice neighborly feel, sort of like back in New Bark Town.
Ethan instantly stopped by at a Pokémart. He immediately went to the sweets and chips isle of the place and burnt out half his wallet. He hadn't had real food since going on his journey across Johto, this was all he could really afford for himself.
Ethan sat on the floor in the Mart, along with his Chikorita and Flaaffy, who was digging into his chips and candy, and he had gotten his Pokémon quite a few Poképuffs.
"Oh man, isn't this good you two?" He asked, stuffing his face in.
"Chika!" "Flaaffyyy!"
It was then when one of the clerks walked up to him.
"Excuse me, sir, you can't be eating there." They said.
"Oh come on, I'm just a traveler, as soon as I'm done eating I'm going straight to challenging the gym I'll be moving on from this town." Ethan pleaded.
"Apologies sir, but I'm afraid you'll have to move on, right now. So to speak." The clerk said.
"Yeah I get it." Ethan said, getting ready to leave.
Ethan left, with Chikorita on his shoulder and Flaaffy walking by his side.
"Hmm, what to do, this place doesn't seem to have a hotel. I wonder if anyone would be willing to let me crash?" Ethan asked himself.
While looking around for the gym, Ethan took notice of a Pokémon battle which was happening near the gym. It was racking up commotion from all the civilians there.
When Ethan got there, he took notice of an older man, he was using a Wooper fighting a strange man wearing a skintight black uniform with an R on it, he was using a Raticate.
"You can't stop us Old Man!" The man in black said.
"I'll do what I can!" The old man said. "Wooper use Water Gun!"
"Predictable. Ratticate, dodge and use Quick Attack!"
"Ratta!" Raticate yelled, it swiftly dodged the Water Gun and smashed into the Wooper, instantly knocking the poor thing out.
"Ah, Wooper!" The old man said, coming to the side of his Pokémon.
"Haha, the trainers in Johto are a joke." The man in black said smugly.
The crowd did not take nicely seeing this. Seemed like the strange man had been engaging in suspicious behavior earlier.
"What did he say about us, Johto trainers?"
"Someone ought to teach that guy a lesson?"
"He can't just walk in this town and act like he owns the place!"
The man in black went up to the old man and stepped on his hand.
"Gahhh!" The old man screamed. "What are you doing!?"
"The standard fee for losing a battle is money, right, now hurry up and pay!" The jerk said.
"That's not right, picking on an old man!" A mysterious voice announced.
The man in black faced up to see a young man, sitting on the ceiling of the Azalea gym. He has bright purple hair. His shirt had different shades of green and he wore a stylish neckerchief, along with yellow-striped knee socks.
"Oh yeah, what are you going to do about it?" The man in black said.
The boy jumped from atop the gym, readying a Pokéball. He jumped right in the face of the man and his Raticate. "I'll have to stop you."
"Now, go Ariados!" The boy said, releasing his Pokémon,
"Aria!" Ariados screeched, striking some fear in those in the crowd.
"Woah, Ariados!" Ethan said, pulling out his Pokédex to scan.
"Ariados, the Long Leg Pokémon. It spins string not only from its rear but also from its mouth. It's hard to tell which end is which."
"Go you can do it kid!" Ethan yelled, cheering the purple haired boy on.
"What a weak looking Pokémon. Take it out Raticate with Fury Swipes!" The man in black told his Pokémon.
Ratticate came forth, swinging its arms at the Ariados, but Ariados managed to easy dodge all the swiped, much to the Man in Black's surprise.
"Alright then, you're better than I thought." He said, complimenting the boy. "Ratticate! Use Crunch let's go!"
Ratticate tried to take a bite out of Ariados' leg, but Ariados easily out maneuvered it with no issue.
"Now, String Shot!" The kid said.
The Ariados shot web from its mouth, instantly tying up the Ratticate with string from head to toe. Raticate wiggled around and squirmed, but the web was too strong.
"Now Ariados, end it with Poison Jab!" The kid yelled, knowing he had won.
And like that, after one hit, the Raticate was knocked out.
"How could this be!" The man in black said, returning his Raticate. "T-this isn't over!" He yelled as ran off into the distance.
That kid is strong, Ethan thought.
The crowd began to move on from the sight. The boy went and helped the old man up,
"Thank you, Bugsy. We are lucky to have you as our gym leader." He said, happily.
This caught Ethan by surprise, how could a kid that scrawny be a gym leader.
It was then when two more men in black walked up to Bugsy. They readied their Pokéballs, it was clear they were on the same side as the man from earlier.
"You shouldn't have gotten involved kid." The man on the left said.
"Now prepare for a battle!" The man on the right said.
"Fine by me, I can easily take you both on." He said, readying a second Pokéball.
Ethan jumped to Bugsy's side, pulling out a Pokéball himself. "Hi. Ethan. Mind if I help you?"
"If you wish, I appreciate the help." Bugsy said.
"Another scum bag to defeat huh," The one on the right said.
They both threw their Pokéballs, the one on the left had a Ekans, the one on the right had a Hypno.
"Go Flaaffy!" Ethan said, unleashing Flaaffy from its Pokéball.
"Flaaffyy!" Flaaffy said, giving a stern battle cry, it was side by side with Bugsy's Ariados.
"Ariados, Bug Bite!" Bugsy directed.
"Flaaffy, Take Down!" Ethan yelled.
"Ekans, Toxic!" The man on the left ordered.
"Hypno, Headbutt!" The man on the right commanded.
It was a fast sweep, Ariados and Flaaffy's moves hit first, instantly wiping out the Ekans and Hypno.
"Bastards!" They yelled as they ran off after retreating their Pokémon.
"You must have trained your Flaaffy well." Bugsy said to Ethan.
"You to," Ethan said. "That's a sick Ariados.
"Who were those three?" Ethan asked.
"They were Team Rocket." The old man said, Ethan turned to see him.
"Ethan, right? This man right here is Mr. Kurt." Bugsy told him.
"Team Rocket, I've heard the name before," Ethan said.
"They were a group of super criminals from the Kanto region not too long ago. They were chumps, stopped by a young kid!" Mr. Kurt said.
"I'll stop you right there, Mr. Kurt. Sure, they were chumps, but not because they were stopped by a young kid. I mean look at us too, kids can be just as strong Trainers as adults." Ethan said.
Bugsy laughed. "I'm not a kid, I'll have you know I'm actually eighteen."
This caused Ethan's eyes to light up, Chikorita almost fell from his shoulder.
"Eighteen, no way you're five years older than me!" Ethan said. "Know what, we're getting off topic."
"Now those Team Rocket goons have come to Johto for unknown reasons. It seems like their wreaking havoc wherever they go." Mr. Kurt said with a disgusted look on his face.
"Yes, that Red did a good job in driving them out of Kanto, but unfortunately they just relocated to out home. I cannot allow it." Bugsy said.
"Red?" Ethan asked, not sure of who or what that was.
"You have much to learn I can see, but you seem strong. How would you like to help me out?" Bugsy asked.
"With what?" Ethan wondered.
"This isn't the first Team Rocket sighting we had in this town. They had been cutting Slowpoke Tail and selling it for a quick buck." Bugsy said.
"The bastards!" Kurt came out and cursed.
"Cutting off Slowpoke tail. That's been outlawed for years, course I'll help!" Ethan said, he looked to Chikorita. "You ready girl?"
"Chika!" Chikorita yelled.
Both Ethan and Bugsy began to set out for the old well just outside the village. Where Bugsy had mentioned earlier Team Rocket was apparently sighted at.
"So, if we go in this well, were bound to see some Slowpoke with their tails cut off." Ethan said, feeling sick in the stomach.
"No doubt, I just regret not being able to do something about this earlier." Bugsy said. "You see, I'm the gym leader of this here town, I have responsibility to protect it, people and Pokémon alike. Bugsy uttered.
"That must be rough, you must feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders." Ethan said.
"Hmm, maybe. I see that badge pinned to your clothes. You must plan to come challenge me once this is all done and taken care of, right?" Bugsy asked.
"Yes. Right once we take care of this Team Rocket." Ethan said.
"Well, here we are." Bugsy said, right there was the well, as he said, it was situated right outside of the town.
The well was rather small, there was a ladder they could use to go down and up. Before they could go down they were stopped by a Team Rocket grunt. He was munching on Slowpoke tail on a stick.
"Stop right there. This is no place for kids." He announced.
"Disgusting, eating part of a Pokémon." Bugsy said angered.
"I can take him," Ethan said.
"Be my guest." Bugsy agreed.
Chikorita leapt from Ethan's shoulder and assumed a battle stance.
"Sorry, but we don't listen to Team Rocket's orders!" Ethan yelled.
"Then battle it is!" The grunt said, pulling out a Pokéball. "Go, Nidoran!"
A male Nidoran appeared, letting a stern shout.
"Alright Nidoran, let's start with Horn Attack!" The grunt yelled.
Nidoran rushed to Chikorita, trying to jam its horn into her, but Chikorita easily managed to speed around her with no problems.
"One Razor Leaf should do the job Chikorita!" Ethan said.
Chikorita fired off a Razor Leaf, and despite the type disadvantage, it easily managed to defeat the Nidoran.
"Bullies!" The Team Rocket Grunt yelled as he ran off, dropping the half-eaten Slowpoke Tail he was eating.
Bugsy walked up to his leftovers and grabbed it. His face fueled with Anger. He snapped the stick in half. "Let's go and stop these guys."
"Let's." Ethan agreed.
Ethan and Bugsy upon entering, were instantly acquainted with many Slowpokes with their tails entirely cut off.
"This is awful." Ethan said, feeling sick with what he was seeing.
"I won't forget this!" Bugsy said.
It was then when the two saw a light coming from behind a cave corner. Ethan and Bugsy came from around the corner quietly to see what was up.
"Shh, don't let them see us. Not yet." Bugsy whispered to Ethan.
Ethan nodded, he looked next to him to Chikorita and put his finger to his lip, Chikorita understood.
A man stood there in front of them, he had teal hair and similarly colored eyes. His uniform consisted of an open-collared black shirt with yellow stripes and the "R" rocket logo. He was talking on his Pokégear with someone.
"Yes, it seems like we have Azalea town under our foot. We can relocate here as a base of operations if we so desire, yes, boss." He seemed to be talking to someone important on the Team Rocket hierarchy.
"Alright I'll do that. Goodbye," he said, hanging up. The man turned and looked over his shoulder. "What do we have here, you two, behind the corner, out now!" He announced.
Ethan and Bugsy walked from behind the corner, finally revealing themselves.
"I am Bugsy, the gym leader of this town. And I will not allow you Team Rocket fools to try and use this town for your own evil doing." Bugsy said, heroically.
"Oh, well if we're going to introduce ourselves, I am Proton, often called the scariest and cruelest guy in our organization. I really urge you two to give up and run to your mommies. It's not wise to mess with our business." Proton said, he took notice of the Pokéball in Bugsy's hand, and reading his own.
"Alright go, Scyther!" Bugsy said, throwing his Pokéball.
"Scyther!" Scyther roared.
"Go Chikorita!" Ethan said, Chikorita leaped from his shoulder and onto the battlefield.
Proton smiled and pulled out two Pokéballs, he unleashed on the left, a Crobat, and on the right, a Weezing. The two Pokémon radiated with poisonous energy.
"Scyther! Fury Cutter, quick at Crobat." Scyther rushed forth and landed a fury cutter, directly on the Crobat.
Ethan was amazed at the speed of the Scyther's movements. So much so he was distracted by the Weezing, who sent a Smoke Screen at Chikorita blinding her.
"Chikorita no!" Ethan yelled; he couldn't see anything amid the smoke.
Chikorita leapt from the side, managing to dodge a Heat Wave attack, which would have been super effective.
"This guy's good. If we're not careful we could lose here." Ethan quietly muttered.
"Alright Chikorita Razor Leaf, fortunately Weezing wasn't too fast, and it was stricken by the leaves, but it bounced back like it was nothing.
Proton smiled, he waved and took his leave. His Pokémon would be fighting on their own without guidance.
"That bastard's leaving." Bugsy said, angered, he grabbed and threw another Pokéball, unleashing a Butterfree.
"Butterfree! Please follow that man over there!" Bugsy asked, and Butterfree went off to go.
Back on Ethan's side, the opposing Weezing was too strong. It had landed a Toxic attack on Chikorita, poisoning her.
"No Chikorita!" Ethan yelled.
Weezing then, managed to get a direct hit on Chikorita using Heat Wave, unfortunately knocking her unconscious. Ethan ran up and caught her in her hands.
Ethan looked up to see the Weezing, who came towards Ethan and Chikorita, it seemed like he was going to try and attack them both. It was then when Scyther came up and landed an X-Scissor on Weezing, knocking it out with just one hit,
That Scyther's a beast, Ethan thought. While holding Chikorita in his arms, she was coming to.
"It's over," Bugsy announced. His Scyther had easily defeated both the Weezing and the Crobat, without much trouble.
"If that guy's a top dog in the Team Rocket hierarchy, then Johto's not in for much." Bugsy said, returning his Scyther.
"Y-yeah," Ethan said, looking at his barely conscious Chikorita.
Butterfree then returned to Bugsy. It looked like it had found something. It then went and flew ahead.
"Come on, let's go follow it." Bugsy said, chasing after it, Ethan followed.
After a solid five minutes of running, the two encountered something that struck horror down their spines, a landfill, filled with at least fifty Slowpoke, all with their tails removed, some appeared to even be lifeless, dead.
Ethan fell to his knees. "Those animals." It was all he could say.
"Proton may have gotten away, but we found something far more important, thank you Butterfree," Bugsy said, returning it to its Pokéball.
"Ethan, thank you for your work here today, I'm sorry you had to see... all of this." Bugsy said, trying to stomach what he was seeing.
"Y-your welcome." Ethan said.
"I'll wrap things up here, the Police are probably going to have to be involved, however. I'm afraid you probably won't be able to get that gym battle today." Bugsy said.
"I get it, that's fine by me anyways cause I'll probably need to train my Chikorita up a bit more if I'm going to want to face that Scyther of yours." He said, getting back to his feet.
As Ethan left, he knew, if he was going to beat Bugsy, he was going to need more than luck.
And like that Ethan is shown, he's going to need more than luck if he's going to want to beat Bugsy...