Responses to reviews are at the end! Also, I've decided not to put the Pokémon list at the end of every chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Xxx
Colors of Celadon!
Cynthia had left Saffron City the day she visited the Psychic. The blonde wanted to get away from the polluted air of Saffron as soon as possible and had enjoyed the wild.
Now, after two weeks of travelling, the blonde reached Celadon City, the "City of Rainbow Dreams". She had a Gym Leader in her crosshairs, Erika.
She had done some research on the Gym Leaders during her travels, and had developed a few strategies, mainly revolving around Braixen and Nidorino. The latter could use some Gym Battling Experience anyway.
Cynthia decided to start her day, and got out of her room. All ready for her Gym Battle. She headed down the stairs, collected her Pokémon from Nurse Joy, and walked out.
'After this battle, I'll go to the Celadon Departmental Store.' Cynthia thought. 'I can use some TMs now. Then, I can relax for a bit and plan my next move.' Celadon City was famous due to its Celadon Departmental Store and the Celadon Game Corner.
The Celadon Game Corner was like a casino where you earned points and used them to buy prizes. Cynthia considered visiting it after the Departmental Store.
She reached the Celadon Gym, shaped like a Gloom. Cynthia knew a bit about the Gym Leader and her preferred Pokémon. She liked to battle passively, opting for status ailments and traps instead of a head-on approach.
That's why the blonde had chosen Nidorino and Braixen for this Gym Battle. Nidorino had enough raw power to hopefully overpower Erika and Braixen had her Type Advantage. The third choice was Buizel. He had yet to debut in a Gym Battle anyway.
The blonde had juggled with the idea of visiting the Departmental Store first and then battle Erika. The upside to this was that she'll be more prepared due to the TMs she planned to buy.
The downside, and the very reason she decided to battle Erika first, was due to low funds. The blonde had spent a lot in Cerulean City and while she had plenty left, they were not enough for the TMs.
TMs, short for Technical Machines, were circular packets of information that contained the information for particular moves. The League had researched intensively prior to their creation.
All Cynthia needed to teach a difficult or time consuming move to one of her Pokémon was to buy a TM, insert it in TM case, place the pokéball, and begin the process.
The selected pokémon would be able to use the move then. A few tries a bit of practice was recommended to master the use of the move so it could be utilized without any issues.
All this efficiency came at a pricey cost, literally. One-use TMs price varied. Simple moves, like Return, had a comparatively lower price as compared to Blizzard or Hyper Beam.
Multi-use TMs, which could be used more than once, cost about a thousand pokecash. Pricey, but efficient. Cynthia wanted to buy the Multi-use versions of the TMs.
But for that, she'll have to defeat Erika first. Once she did, the prize money would be enough for her to buy the TMs.
Cynthia reached the Gym, a large building formed like a Gloom, most likely due to Erika's favorite being said Pokémon. The blonde entered the gym, heading straight towards the receptionist.
"Hello there." The receptionist greeted cheerily. "Would you like to try our perfume? We have a large range of perfumes, ranging from natural smells to special fragrances."
"Actually, I'm here for a Gym Battle." Cynthia replied apologetically.
"Oh." The receptionist pressed a button on her desk and picked up a phone lying on it. "Erika, there's a Challenger." She put the phone down and smiled at the blonde. "Can I get your ID please?"
"Sure." The blonde replied, handing over her black and golden pokedex. The receptionist quickly registered her up and handed it back.
"Just head down the corridor. You'll find the arena." Cynthia nodded and walked in the pointed direction. She quickly found the arena and entered inside.
The blonde had expected the battlefield to favor the Gym Leader in some way like in Cerulean and Pewter. Though her doubt had been proved, it was surprising.
The battlefield was a grassy plain expanse. The blonde did not know how the grass favored Erika or her Grass Types. Usually, the advantage was clear as day.
For example, the Cerulean Gym had water to provide more mobility to any Water Type and pose a nice challenge. Maybe the grassy field relaxed the Grass Types and helped them fight more efficiently?
"Hello there Challenger." Cynthia was greeted. She looked up and saw the Gym Leader Erika standing opposite her, dressed in an elegant kimono. Everything about her excluded grace and made Cynthia feel a bit self-conscious.
"Hello Erika." The blonde replied. A middle aged man, no doubt one who worked at Erika's Perfume Shop, took the place as the referee.
"The battle between Gym Leader Erika and Cynthia Carolina of Pallet Town is about to begin! Each side will use three Pokémon and the battle will be over when one side is out of usable Pokémon! Only the challenger can substitute Pokémon!"
"To a good battle." Erika told Cynthia. The blonde nodded. "Let's go Tangela!" A round bundle of seaweed like vines came out and hopped on one foot to another excitedly.
Cynthia gripped Nidorino's pokéball. The Poison Type had dibs on Erika and she wouldn't argue. "Nidorino! Battle Dance!" The Poison Pin Pokémon appeared, roaring at Erika.
He glared intimidatingly at Tangela, potent poison dripping from his horn to further solidify his fear. Tangela didn't seem to care, however, and kept bouncing playfully.
"Begin!" Nidorino immediately focused himself with Focus Energy, awaiting Cynthia's next command. Tangela, likewise, used Growth per Erika's command.
"Poison Sting now!" Cynthia commanded. Nidorino lowered his horn and fired tiny needles of potent toxin towards Tangela.
"Power Whip Tangela." The Vine Pokémon flipped excitedly and a few of its vines raced forwards, hitting the needles and whacking them out of their path.
"Poison Jab!" Nidorino roared and charged Tangela. Erika smiled gracefully at that.
"Restrain him." Tangela threw his vines forward, wrapping around the charging Nidorino's body and pulling his legs out from under him. Nidorino crashed down and struggled against the vines, thrashing wildly. "Mega Drain."
"Focus Energy into Confusion Nidorino!" Cynthia ordered. Nidorino focused his attention again and his eyes got a pinkish tint. Tangela felt a psychic assault on himself and his grip loosened a bit. "Now Poison Sting!"
"Don't let him escape Tangela." Erika ordered. "Use Shock Wave and then Slam!"
"Shock Wave?!" Cynthia exclaimed in surprise. Nidorino felt current run through his body and growled in pain. Two vines slammed down his face, shutting his Poison Sting up. "Gr." The blonde glared at the Vine Pokémon.
"Slam him down." Tangela's vines tightened around Nidorino. Cynthia stared on in disbelief as her Nidorino was lifted in the air, and then slammed down hard. She had seriously underestimated Tangela's power.
"H-how?" Cynthia uttered in shock. Erika simply smiled.
"You may have thought you could win through brute force, am I right?" Erika asked. Cynthia nodded slowly. "Sad for you, I won't allow that to happen anymore."
Nidorino moaned in pain as Mega Drain sucked more energy out of him. "Nidorino try Confusion!" Cynthia urged. Nidorino focused on Tangela again, using his limited psychic capabilities in an attempt to overcome Tangela.
"Shock Wave dear." Erika commanded. Nidorino's Confusion was cancelled due to the electricity running through his body. "Keep him down Tangela. Take your sweet time." Cynthia looked at the Gym Leader. "Our Challenger seems to have underestimated us."
The blonde felt ashamed at the accusation and looked down. Her mind raced to find a single way to overcome Tangela's vines but all came at a dead end.
"Nidorino…" Cynthia muttered. Nidorino's struggle grew feebler by each passing second.
"Stop Mega Drain Tangela." Erika commanded. Cynthia looked at Erika and found utter disappointment on her face. Tangela stopped and awaited further commands. "I'm getting bored. You have five minutes to figure out a way or I'm ending this."
Cynthia felt her limbs go cold. Erika was challenging her- no, taunting her, to find a way. She clenched her fists and looked at Nidorino. The Poison Type was panting, his struggles having left him tired.
"You can return him if you like." Erika informed her. "Tangela, release him." Tangela released Nidorino and bounced happily on his feet, oblivious to the tension in the gym.
Cynthia's hand quivered as she considered Erika's leniency. Returning Nidorino? Should she? Nidorino was having a tough time against Tangela anyway and all of his moves were kind of useless.
Cynthia grabbed Nidorino's pokéball. "Nidorino." The blonde called out. "Return for now." Nidorino was called back into his pokéball and the blonde grabbed another pokéball. "Braixen Battle Dance."
Cynthia's starter appeared on the battlefield, giving a challenging look to Erika and Tangela. "Stay alert girl. Our opponent is very tricky."
"You have the first move dear." Erika smiled. "Make it count." Cynthia ignored the jab and ordered a Flamethrower.
Braixen had used Flamethrower accidently in a training session prior arriving in Celadon. Cynthia had made her starter work on the technique.
"Now we're getting serious." Erika laughed. "Protect Tangela." Tangela formed a green barrier around himself that blocked the hot Flamethrower.
"Howl into Quick Attack!" Braixen let out a roar not unlike a fox's howl and rushed towards Tangela, stick in hand. She reached him just as his Protect wore down, and delivered a nice hit with her stick.
Tangela was sent stumbling to the side and Braixen lunged towards him in a Bite. Tangela sent his vines flying towards Braixen and wrapped around her. Braixen's bite narrowly missed Tangela.
"Flamethrower!" Braixen inhaled and unleashed another torrent of flames. Tangela was unable to react in time and was swallowed by it. The vines around Braixen loosened and the Fire Fox cut them off with Scratch.
"Oh my." Erika muttered. Braixen's Flamethrower carried on for a few extra seconds before wearing off. "Power Whip please." Cynthia knew the danger of those vines and reacted accordingly.
"Whack them away with Fire Hit!" Braixen wielded her stick and, the top swallowed in flames, began to bat the vines away. "Create some distance between yourself and Tangela!"
Erika simply watched the exchange. She looked at Cynthia and smiled slightly. "Poor you." She muttered under her breath. Braixen unleashed another Flamethrower, forcing the vines away and almost getting Tangela.
The Grass Type's had quite the amount of burnt vines and that satisfied Cynthia a lot. She looked at Erika who seemed relaxed for someone losing.
Though her head start couldn't exactly be called winning. Not when it was granted due to pity…
"Sunny Day Tangela." Cynthia raised an eyebrow at the move. Erika couldn't be serious. Sunny Day would actually raise Braixen's Firepower. "Now Synthesis."
"Don't let him!" Cynthia hurried. So that was what Erika was planning to do. "Flamethrower again!" Braixen inhaled and unleashed a large amount of flames towards Tangela, boosted by the brighter sun.
"Protect." Cynthia bit her lower lip in frustration as Braixen's powerful Flamethrower was blocked yet again. Tangela quickly healed up since Synthesis was also boosted by Sunny Day.
"What's next Cynthia?" Erika asked tone bored. "Since it's clear you cannot defeat Tangela through force alone." Braixen panted a bit, tired from using Flamethrower so much.
'Hypnosis is my only option now.' The blonde thought. 'But for that, I'll have to get Braixen near him. Risky, but my last resort.' Tangela had fully healed by then and was dancing happily.
"I'm waiting." Cynthia snarled, glaring at Erika who smirked back. The blonde felt anger flare up inside her at the smug look on the Gym Leader's face.
Let's see how she'll like it when Tangela was knocked out! "Quick Attack!" Braixen burst forwards, closing in on Tangela quickly. Erika let Braixen hit Tangela and bounce him back.
"Grass Knot." As Braixen was closing in to hit Tangela again, a knot formed at Braixen's feet in the grass. One of her feet got stuck and Braixen slammed down on her face hard. "Power Whip!"
"Fire Hit!" Cynthia urged again. Braixen spotted the Power Whip coming and swung her stick against it. A brief struggle ensued between the vine and the stick.
Braixen clenched her teeth tightly as she used her entire strength against the vine. Her sitting position was making it very hard to win. Another of Tangela's vines flew forward, undetected by Braixen, and smacked her hard.
Braixen's stick was knocked out of her hands and sent flying away. Cynthia stared in disbelief as Tangela began to repeatedly whip Braixen hard.
"Scratch! Then Flame Burst into Flamethrower!" Cynthia ordered. Braixen tried Scratch against the vines, trying to make an opening. Tangela sneakily closed in on the distance between them, using his vines as distractions.
"Constrict." Erika smiled. Cynthia's eyes widened as Tangela wrapped his vines around Braixen. The Fox Pokémon was lifted in the air. "Mega Drain."
Braixen struggled against Tangela, feet kicking wildly. "Flamethrower now!"
"Choke her." Erika commanded simply. As Braixen inhaled, one of Tangela's vines wrapped around her neck and tightened. Braixen let out a gasp and struggled even more.
"Wha…" Cynthia's voice died down in her throat. Erika brushed some hairs out of her eyes and looked at the blonde.
"What's next?" She questioned. "Since it's evident your Braixen cannot fight much longer."
"Hypnosis!" Cynthia ordered. Braixen gathered her remaining willpower and stared into Tangela's eyes hypnotically. A few seconds passed as Braixen tried her best to lull Tangela into sleep.
"Pathetic." Erika shook her head. Cynthia stared in shock at the happenings.
"W-what?!" Cynthia exclaimed. "Why isn't it working?!"
"Leaf Guard." Erika retorted simply. "Blast her with Solar Beam Tangela. Sunny Day first." The sun's intensity returned and Tangela began to quickly gather energy.
"Braixen!" Cynthia hollered in concern. Tangela finished charging his attack and held Braixen at a distance, the Fire Type limp and staring at Tangela with defeated eyes.
"Let it rip." There was a flash, and a huge explosion swallowed the gym. Cynthia was too stunned to react, letting the shockwave blow over her. She fell down on her knees, eyes full of tears.
"I could've ended this way before." Erika called out. "But I wanted to see how this would play out."
"Braixen…" Cynthia muttered. The smoke cleared slowly but eventually. A tear dropped from Cynthia's eye at her starter's condition.
Braixen was still in Tangela's grip, limp and hanging in the air. The damage from the Solar Beam showed around her torso. Tangela placed Braixen down gently and danced happily.
"The Pokémon always has to suffer due to their trainer." Erika said sadly. She returned her Tangela and turned on her heel. "I'm ending this battle. Return when you are actually prepared."
She left the battlefield, leaving only Cynthia and Braixen. The blonde returned her starter and got up. 'No way.' The blonde wiped her eyes with her sleeve, composing herself.
She exited the Gym quickly.
Xxx
Cynthia entered her room and, slamming the door behind her, collapsed down, crying. She felt utterly humiliated. "Pathetic." The word in her minds, replaying itself over and over.
"H-how?" The blonde choked. "How did Erika outplay me like that?" She had spent the entire Route 7 preparing for her. One of Erika's lines repeated at that.
"Take your time Tangela. It seems our opponent has underestimated us." Had she? Cynthia pondered on that. Leaf did say Erika was easy to beat through brute force…
Maybe Erika had too much experience with Pokémon with a type advantage against Grass Types? Or maybe Cynthia had battled carelessly? The blonde pondered over the questions for some time, reanalyzing the battle.
Yeah. She had been careless. The blonde didn't show it, but all the victories against trainers had gotten to her head. She had defeated Gary, after all.
Cynthia got up and wiped her eyes. She had been too careless in the fight. She had to remedy that. The blonde walked in the attached bathroom and splashed water on her face.
She stared at herself in the mirror, looking in the reflected grey eyes. She sighed and wiped her face, planning her next move.
She wouldn't leave Celadon before defeating Erika. That was for sure. Her ego would simply not accept it. The blonde would simply train for Erika's Tangela and research on her a bit more.
Then she will crush the Gym Leader and wipe that smug look off her face.
The blonde subconsciously balled her fists at the thought. Yeah, she'll teach that excuse for a gym leader! The blonde exhaled to control her temper.
"I should buy some TMs first." Cynthia decided. She got up and quickly gave her a look over. "This is presentable." Cynthia nodded and walked out of the room.
"How long until Braixen gets healed?" Cynthia questioned Nurse Joy.
"She has taken quite the damage dear." She replied. "It'll take some time before she's ready for training." The blonde nodded.
"Thanks." Cynthia nodded. Nurse Joy smiled back brightly.
"Erika is being exceptionally brutal nowadays in her battles." Nurse Joy told the blonde. "I don't know exactly why but I wish you good luck for the next time."
"Thanks." Cynthia smiled back. "I'll get back at her soon enough." Nurse Joy nodded.
"See that you do." Cynthia left the counter after taking her leave, heading straight for the Departmental Store.
Xxx
The Departmental Store was very large, perhaps the largest store in Kanto. One of the very reasons Celadon was the most populated city in Kanto, surpassing even its skyscraper twin Saffron, was the store.
The Departmental Store had everything one could ask for. Accessories of various brands, both for the wealthy or travelling trainers, supplies for trainers, edible items etc.
Cynthia stared the variety of TMs hung in their own dedicated system. The blonde stared at them, overwhelmed at the diversity. She had expected something like this, but the amount was sheer.
Had she not planned the TMs her team needed, the blonde would have taken a long time. But since she had, the time was lessened. "I could use these." The blonde said, taking the elemental trio of Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Flamethrower.
It came at a good deal with a 15% discount for new trainers. The League had done a lot for new trainers so they wouldn't die off in the wild due to their inexperience. Death wasn't something unknown and annually, a lot of rookie trainers died. It just wasn't something discussed in the news or in daily chat.
"Hm." Cynthia said, staring longingly at the Solar Beam TM. Roselia seriously needed some firepower and this would fulfill it. But the TM was pretty expensive and she had limited budget.
After tossing the idea around, Cynthia decided to buy it. Braixen could use it too for coverage. A Sunny Day Solar Beam combo wreaked havoc in battles. Erika was enough evidence.
"That's all I guess." Cynthia said, staring at the four TMs. She gave the remaining TMs a look over and made some future notes. She'll definitely return in the future and buy a few more. As she decided to leave, her eye ran over one particular TM.
Cynthia bit her lip at that. The Normal Type TM hung in its packet peacefully, awaiting its buyer. "I could use that." Cynthia muttered. She needed some defensive moves. "But I already have a lot of TMs."
The blonde had a bit of internal struggle. In the end, she grabbed the TM and put it in her basket. 'Eh, one TM cannot hurt.' The blonde shrugged. She turned swift on her feet at that and reached the counter.
The blonde had sufficient supplies left to last her for the journey back to Saffron. The huge amount they had bought at Cerulean wasn't fully spent just yet.
"I'll like to buy the Multi Use ones." Cynthia reminded the cashier. He nodded and ordered an employee to set the TMs as such.
"Your Trainer ID please." Cynthia handed over her pokedex and she quickly made her bill. "You're a rookie." The blonde nodded. "Good for you, you get a nice discount." She winked and handed over the TMs and her Pokedex.
Cynthia's eyes widened a bit at the amount deducted. "Thanks." Cynthia managed and grabbed her Technical Machines. The cashier nodded.
"Do come again." The blonde nodded and made her getaway out of the Departmental Store. The blonde walked straight to the Pokémon Center, putting her expensive new purchases safely in her backpack.
"I don't have much left." Cynthia lamented, checking her remaining pokecash. The amount she got from the trainers on Routes wasn't that high, and she had lost to Erika as well.
Let me tell you a bit about how Pokecash works. Pokecash was the currency of Kanto, similar to how Kalos had its own currency called Kuros. It was transferred in two methods.
The first method was the old way of notes. There were various notes of different amounts, and they were exchanged by hand, unsurprisingly. The method was old, though, and replaced by the second one.
The second method, which Cynthia used, came in the form of Online Transferring. Pokémon Trainers had their ID in the form of the pokedex and the ID could be used in a variety of ways such as containing the money of a trainer.
Robbery and theft wasn't uncommon in the wild. Since Kanto was too large to be patrolled by Pokémon Rangers all the time, trainers had to protect themselves which resulted in a lot of deaths.
And since the amount of money one earned indirectly depended on their skill, many trainers would prefer to steal instead. That's why the League had set the new method up.
Since money was, in a way, stored in a pokedex, which also served as an ID for a particular trainer, the chances of theft had reduced greatly. Due to this advantage, most trainers had set their pokedex in such a way that their money was automatically deducted or added after a battle.
"Oh well. I'll get more after I trash Erika." Cynthia smiled. The blonde nodded enthusiastically at the thought. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she destroyed her and ripped the smug look off her face.
The blonde decided to put the thoughts on the back burner and decided to roam the city a bit. She had a lot of time to pass anyway since her main battlers Braixen and Nidorino were resting.
"I also need to take lunch." Cynthia reminded herself when her stomach growled. First, she'll get lunch and then roam around Celadon. Yup, that sounded about right.
Xxx
"Cynthia?" Nurse Joy called out. The blonde looked up from her vanilla ice cream cone. "There's a phone call for you." The blonde nodded and got up.
The blonde reached the video call and smiled brightly at the face on the opposite end. "Ryan!" She exclaimed. Her childhood friend grinned back.
"Hey Cynth." He greeted. "How's it going?" The blonde licked her ice cream before replying.
"Epic." She replied. "Just challenged Erika." Ryan's eyes lit up.
"Let me guess. You defeated her cleanly? She does have a reputation for being a pushover." Ryan commented. Cynthia's face colored at that.
"Well," She began. "Let's just say I lost and leave it to that." Ryan stared at her in surprise.
"You lost?" He asked. Cynthia nodded. "How?" Cynthia savored the taste of her ice cream again before replying.
"Her fighting style has turned pretty brutal." Cynthia defended herself. "Nurse Joy said that Erika had been pretty hard on the newer challengers. She just doesn't beat them, she… humiliates them."
"Lemme guess, you were humiliated as well?" Ryan asked. The blonde nodded. "How come? Don't tell me that it was a completely one-sided battle." Cynthia's face reddened.
"In my defense," Cynthia replied meekly. "I didn't expect such a battle." Ryan sighed.
"What are you gonna do now?" He asked.
"Will challenge Erika again." The blonde answered. "I'm not giving up on the Rainbow Badge."
"And after that?" Ryan questioned. Cynthia licked her ice cream, taking some time for the response.
"I'll most probably go to Vermillion and fight Lt. Surge." She answered. "I haven't planned it yet."
"Well, that is the best route for you to take at the moment." Ryan answered. He smirked when Cynthia licked her ice cream again. "Glad to see your love for ice cream hasn't changed."
"It's been a while since I had ice cream." Cynthia whined. "Let me enjoy it." Ryan waited so Cynthia could finish the remaining cone. Once she did, Ryan moved to the next question.
"How's your friend Ash?" Cynthia, who had been wiping her face with a tissue, froze. "I cannot see him anywhere. You're normally together most the time."
'Oh yeah, he doesn't know.' Cynthia thought. "We split up." The blonde answered. "He's most probably in Rock Tunnel." Ryan nodded slowly.
"Argument?" Ryan questioned. Cynthia shook her head. "Then?"
"It's a long story." She answered. "I'll tell you about it someday." Ryan nodded, letting it be.
"You're getting a nice tan." Ryan commented. "It suits you." Cynthia smiled at the comment.
"I would've commented on your appearance but it is the same old so…" Cynthia teased jokingly. Ryan made a painful look at that.
"Ow, burn." He joked. The two laughed. "Hey, have you wondered where you'll travel after Kanto?" Cynthia shook her head.
"It depends." She answered. "Life is pretty unpredictable. It can change within a minute."
"Someone's speaking deep." Ryan remarked. Cynthia stuck her tongue out playfully. "And there goes the maturity."
"How's Sinnoh?" Cynthia asked.
"Missing it?" Ryan asked back.
"Missing its cold temperature. It's been a nice while before I've been there." Cynthia admitted.
"The last time you visited Sinnoh was two years ago, right?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah. In time of Ash's birthday." Cynthia grumbled. That wasn't certainly a pleasant memory.
"Sinnoh's the same." Ryan began. "I recommend coming to Sinnoh after the Indigo League."
"I'll think about it." Cynthia said. "It was nice talking to you Ryan." Cynthia began. "But I'm afraid I have to cut this call in half. I need to sight see Celadon a bit. And train a bit too. Erika wouldn't defeat herself."
"Ok then." Ryan said, adjusting a bit. "Chat you later Cynthia. Give your Mom my regards." Cynthia blinked. She hadn't talked to her after Cerulean.
"I will Ryan." She nodded. "Bye." The blonde cancelled the call and leaned back in her chair a bit. 'I haven't talked to Mom at all. She'll be most probably pissed.'
The blonde decided to nip the problem in the bud and dialed up her mother's number. "Arceus help me." Cynthia prayed. Sophie was terrifying when she was angry.
And the call connected.
"Hello?" Sophie's voice rang from the other side. Cynthia squeezed her eyes shut.
"It's me Mom. Cynthia." The blonde said. The blank screen came to life and showed the face of Ash's Mom. "Hello." Cynthia greeted timidly, flinching at her look.
"Hello Cynthia Carolina." She greeted. "Thanks to sweet Arceus that you took the time to call your Mother."
"I forgot Mom." Cynthia murmured.
"And only now did I cross your mind?" Sophie questioned. "Wow, I'm honored. It's been what, more than one Month?" She asked.
"Most probably." Cynthia added and then shut up immediately.
"The last time you called was when you nearly died." Sophie responded flatly. "What's up this time?" Cynthia stared at her unbelievingly.
"Nothing Mom." She answered in a surprised tone. "Do you really believe me to go looking for trouble?"
"Can't blame me." She retorted airily. Cynthia clenched her fists at her tone. It reminded her too much of Erika. "So, are you and Ash travelling together?" She asked, trying to peer behind her.
"Nah. We split." Cynthia answered in the most neutral tone she could manage. "No thanks to you." The blonde added.
"It was for your own good." Sophie defended. "It was his plan that got you hurt." Cynthia shook her head sadly.
"I don't even know what to say on this." She sighed. "Are we going to continue arguing on this or will we move on?"
"I did regret my decision once." Sophie began. "Separating you and Ash. It was an impulsive decision, and not my most favorite one." She admitted. Cynthia stayed quiet, taking the new line in.
"Then-" She was interrupted again.
"But I can see the results now." Sophie said. "You're better off alone than with him." Cynthia stared at her.
"I wonder why I even try." Cynthia snarled and cut the call. She clenched her teeth in anger and had half a mind to do something she'll surely regret later on.
'Calm down.' Cynthia told herself. The blonde breathed in and out, relaxing herself. "She won't be getting a call from me anytime soon, that's for sure." Cynthia decided, getting up and walking up to Nurse Joy.
"How can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Can you tell me on how I can get the Pokégear?" Cynthia asked. Nurse Joy nodded and handed her a form.
"Just fill this in and we'll check if you're eligible for it." Nurse Joy replied. Cynthia nodded. The blonde asked for a pen which Nurse Joy provided pretty quickly.
"Thank you." Cynthia smiled and sat down on one of the various couches to fill the form. The form was pretty simply, asking about a trainer's information. Cynthia easily filled in within minutes and handed it back to Nurse Joy.
"Wait here for a few minutes please."
Cynthia was flexing her new Pokégear after a few minutes.
Xxx
"Finally!" Ash cheered, picking up the pokéball containing his newest capture. "Great job Viper." The Snivy nodded and climbed up to Ash's shoulder, panting. "Tired much?" Snivy gave him a deadpan look. Didn't she look tired?
The duo of trainers retreated to their campsite. Ash had moved his campsite further as part of the plan. He would leave Rock Tunnel within the next couple weeks. They had trained a lot and only a few parts remained.
Only after the first week did Ash realize the downside to his plan. The lack of sunlight in Rock Tunnel, the wild Pokémon, the claustrophobic surroundings, and training daily had its toll on him pretty quickly.
Ash sat down, taking off his cap and running a hand through his unruly hair. They had grown a lot from when he left Pallet Town. He'll have to visit a barber in Lavender Town.
"What do you say Viper?" Ash questioned his Grass Type. "When should we leave Rock Tunnel?" Viper shrugged and walked off. Ash shrugged. The Grass Type wasn't being social, that much was evident.
"What do I do with her?" Ash asked sadly. Viper wasn't opening much at all. It seemed like he had hit a brick wall after the Hidden Village scenario.
A yip got Ash's attention and he looked to the side. Mystic climbed to his shoulder, nuzzling her face against his. Ash chuckled a bit and scratched her behind the ear, earning a pleased growl.
"Enjoying Rock Tunnel?" Mystic shook her head. She loathed this tunnel. If Ash didn't leave within the next week, she'll personally blast him with Shadow Ball.
Just yesterday they had a run in with a large group of Zubat, led by a Golbat. Zeus had played a big hand in blasting them away. They barely sent them away and Viper had been poisoned too.
It was fortunate enough that Ash had an Antidote and managed to heal her. Rock Tunnel is a pretty dangerous place to be in. It was pure luck they hadn't run into a territorial strong Pokémon. Mystic wasn't sure they were strong enough to battle it.
"Cynthia would've surely hated being here." Ash predicted. "It's a wonder I'm staying here." Mystic rolled her eyes. Less wonder and more misfortune for them.
Ash suddenly felt a slight shock go through the ground. "Did you feel that?" Ash asked Mystic. The Evolution Pokémon nodded and got off his shoulder, standing alert.
Ash got up and looked around carefully. "Mystic, can you call Zeus and the others here? We may or may not be in trouble." Mystic wondered if she had jinxed themselves.
The Evolution Pokémon ran off to find the others, leaving Ash alone. Ash quickly packed up his campsite, finding it much safer to leave and camp somewhere else. They were in no position to fight.
Mystic returned quickly, yipping at Ash urgently. Ash stared at her in question. "What happened girl?" Ash questioned. Mystic gestured to a direction with her tail. "Something the…" Ash trailed off as he saw a figure loom in.
A large Rhydon stomped in front of him and Mystic, roaring. But that wasn't what got his attention. Nope.
A Seadra was in his hands, unconscious and badly bruised.
Rhydon was wet and he seemed pissed off. Mystic and Ash stared at Rhydon with widened eyes.
Yup, Mystic had jinxed them pretty badly.
The Rhydon was a territorial and experienced Pokémon.
They were screwed.
"Mystic, where are the others?" Ash questioned. Mystic shook her head. She didn't know. Rhydon threw Oceanus to the side and settled his gaze on Ash.
The Rhydon roared suddenly and charged them.
And a battle for survival began.
Xxx
And here we go! Hope you like the brief changes I have made regarding the layout. Please review! You don't know how much your reviews motivate me!
Response to Reviews:
Poke-ranger21: Maybe, maybe not…
Mark Andrew: Correct bro. And don't worry about Ash and Cynthia not meeting or trying to reach the other at all, they will meet soon in the near future. And I have thought about the path I'm taking with our protagonists and have planned about it. It's necessary for Character Development. I did say in the beginning about no Aura stuff but I'm beginning to reconsider about it. Don't worry; it won't pop out of nowhere. It'll have a solid background and not just ancestor stuff. And yeah, I'm bored out of my skin due to the virus. Pray it goes away bro. I'm sick of it, not literally.
Thanks for the lengthy review bro! I really like these types of reviews more than one worded ones. I appreciate it!
UltimateCCC: Nice prediction bro!
Guest: I'll prefer not to reply to you because it seems you already have made your mindset. I just want to say that the assumptions you have made are wrong, and will be proven wrong in the near future. The two have chosen different roads, not different dimensions or galaxies lol. That's all I want to say. If you want to read Conqueror, stick around. If not, it's your wish.
MaxSlayer: We're not in the Endgame Yet. About the egg, maybe. Maybe not.