Chapter 23: The Lake of Rage
A/N: I really should have taken a moment to acknowledge this last time around, but Tale of a Legend has crossed 200,000 words! To contextualize that, this story is now longer than: Moby Dick, Eragon, Crime and Punishment, any individual Lord of the Rings Book or Harry Potter Book, and we're still going! Tale of a Legend doesn't even get close to some of my favorite stories on this site in volume, but I've enjoyed writing it, and we'll see where we get with it when we get there! Also very quickly tossing in some updated sensical numbers of character ages and dates, etc.
Current date: January 7th 2016
Ethan: Dec 11th 1997 (18)
Steven: Oct 18th 1990 (25)
Blake: May 16th 1996 (19)
Beginning of Ch 1: Jan 2015
Enjoy!
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Ecruteak City looked as I remembered it from the last time we were here. Worn cobbled streets decorated the ground, the rock a slightly warmish hue. Brittle yellow grass poked out from beneath the snow cover near the edges of the road. That was different. The last time I was here it was early autumn and the ground had been covered in red and gold leaves. The dark red tiled roofs of most buildings were covered in snow, except for the Pokemon Center. They would have cleared it off after every storm to make the building easily noticeable.
The Tin Tower stood proud to the northeastern corner of the city. A sort of internal warmth seemed to radiate from it despite the frost covering every exposed surface of the building. The Burnt Tower looked even more desolate in the winter, the ruins covered in snow. I focused on the tower and tried to imagine what it would have looked like in the past. It was originally the Brass Tower, so it's accents would have been a different color than the Tin Tower.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose as a chill passed through the region. Everything seemed a touch greyer in my field of view when I blinked. The deep red of the roofs had bled out into a dull desaturated color almost like the stone streets. Slowly and carefully, I turned my head, looking at the Pokemon standing off to the other side of the street. Its blue and white coat was as immaculate as the first time I had seen it, the massive crest atop its forehead polished and clearly visible against the flowing purple mane. Lucario's pokeball on my belt jerked to one side, clicking open as the aura Pokemon almost spasmed out onto the roadside by me. I tried to reach a hand out to hold it, but I was moving millimeters. Lucario stood up, rigid as it looked at the tower, eyes glowing blue.
'You wonder what the tower looked like child? Before we were born?' Lucario's voice was still recognizable, but distorted. It seemed less smooth, less deep and gravelly.
My back straightened slightly of Suicune's volition and I blinked, the view before me changing drastically. The Brass Tower stood proud in the Northwest corner of Ecruteak City. Heavy wooden beams formed the frame of the tower, rising nine tiers high. Walls of wood and screens filled in the gaps, and tiled roofs extended over the edge of each tier. Brass gilding and highlights sparkled in the setting sun to the west. Intricate brass carvings and decorations formed a support of sorts laid against the screen walls, telling a story of their own.
I blinked once more and I was left staring at what was now the Burnt Tower. Charred grey where there was once wood and brass. Snow falling through what should have been deep indigo tiled roofs.
"You're not really here are you?" I turned towards Suicune, looking at the regal beast. The ribbon like strands of its main were flowing in the air despite the lack of a breeze, almost cinematically. Suicune shook its head, moving Lucario's in tandem as it examined the state of the city.
'Your time will come.'
Lucario's eyes lost the blue glow and color slowly bled back into the world as Suicune disappeared, leaving behind no trace that it was ever there. Not a footprint, no marks anywhere, nothing.
'Perhaps we should move on Ethan-gold.' Lucario gestured vaguely towards the eastern gates of the city.
"Are you okay?"
'The North Wind did no harm. It was disorienting trainer-friend. Its thoughts and memories are deep and ancient, and incomprehensible to most minds. It is different from acting as a psychic conduit. Aura does not take grip of you the same way psychics will.'
"If you say so." I let Lucario stay out as we walked towards the eastern gates. The exit to Route 42 was standard. Through a gate building with a police officer on duty behind the desk as people passed in and out. We were on our way with a polite nod to the blue haired woman standing behind the counter, out into Route 42.
Compared to most of the Johtan Routes, 42 was quite narrow. Mount Mortar loomed to the North with its infamous cave system and waterfalls making it quite difficult to traverse. To the south, dense forestry made an effective border, leaving a route less than a hundred feet wide traveling directly east. Most trainers took on Mount Mortar. It was navigable, easily if you knew what you were doing. The way was well documented, and there were countless exits onto random outcroppings of rock on the outer face of the mountain so you could step out and get your bearings if you wanted to.
To be honest, I wasn't really in the mood. I recalled Lucario, continuing my walk forward to the lake shores that I knew lay ahead. I spent the better part of two hours walking until I reached the lake edge. I reached for my belt and released Samurott into the water. The aquatic Pokemon barked happily at being in the water. It had gotten quite regular ocean dives while I was onboard the H.S. Katherine, but water was always enjoyable. I called out the water type and we set off across the water, spending a good forty minutes crossing the lake with a few small diversions and distractions.
It was good to be out in the wild, with other trainers than the ones I already knew. The vast majority of the swimmers in the water were minding their own business, training their Pokemon or their athletic skills on their own in the relatively peaceful waters under the shadow of Mount Mortar. By the time we made it across the other side of the waters, the sun was starting to set. I recalled Samurott and continued on my walk down the open land. From looking at the map, I knew that yet another lake was to come on the way to Mahogany Town, and sure enough, within another half hour I had reached the banks of the second lake. The sun had almost set behind me, so I released the four Pokemon from the original squad I had brought with me. Typhlosion, Knight, Lucario and Samurott.
Samurott immediately slipped into the water as I started to set up my camps. Quite helpfully, Lucario found enough rocks to make a campfire border and some tinder, which Typhlosion promptly set ablaze. Once we had a roaring fire going and I had my tent and sleeping bag all set up by the side, I sat down, watching the four of them with a small smile. Samurott had come out of the water and was sitting calmly by the fire, taking the occasional prod from Knight and replying when the big dragon wanted to talk to it. Lucario and Typhlosion were exchanging some bit of conversation that I couldn't understand as well, sitting around the other side of the fire.
"So, guys. Like I told you, we have some new teammates… I guess. It's been a while since we've had someone new join the team. The last time was you Samurott." The water type perked up momentarily at the sound of its name before sitting back down. "But they might be a little bit hostile. They were in the middle of a fight when we met them, and they might not like them."
I frowned for a moment, mulling over how to move forward while Knight shifted.
"I think Electabuzz will be less… annoyed. Rhydon on the other hand… Be ready for fireworks. Not the literal kind. Well. Maybe. Neither of them should be nearly as strong as any of you, but I want us to be prepared. With Rhydon we may have to show it who's in charge. I mean, we may have to with Electabuzz as well, but I'm not sure. I figured it was probably best we do this outside a city."
Typhlosion growled in agreement as I reached for one of the two new pokeballs on my belt, pointing it at an open spot near an outcropping of large boulders. I pressed the button, watching the light shine out of the pokeball and form rapidly into a familiar yellow and black humanoid form. Electabuzz's eyes flitted left and right almost immediately as it took stock of its surroundings. Its gaze fell upon the four Pokemon arrayed near the camp fire, lingering on Typhlosion.
"Electabuzz. Welcome to the team. This is Typhlosion, Lucario, Knight and Samurott."
A light crackle of electricity ringed around the Pokémon's fists and its eyebrows furrowed as it looked at the rest of the team. Typhlosion growled in a low voice, issuing a warning to the newcomer with a hard gaze. Electabuzz refocused on the fire type, carefully examining it before the sparks on its fists died out and its slowly let go of its fighting stance.
Immediately Samurott relaxed, taking a few steps towards the water and slipping in. Electabuzz looked to it in utter confusion as to how the water type went from a hundred to zero so fast, just a little bit weary.
"I'm a trainer. We're a team. Like you noticed, the rest of your new family is pretty strong. We're on our journey, and it looks like you're coming with us now. Sound alright?"
Electabuzz nodded wearily and sat down opposite the now smiling Knight as I pulled out a bag of Pokemon food and poured some into a large feeder Knight had put together out of the nearby rocks with a little bit of fire to shape them. Electabuzz moved over towards the friendly dragon and began to eat slowly. A half an hour passed as the four Pokemon present engaged Electabuzz willingly in chatter, making themselves amicable. I cast an eye towards Lucario. The fighting type's eyes were glowing ever so slightly as it kept its finger on the aura pulse, helping acclimatize Electabuzz to the group.
"I'm going to recall you for a while so we can deal with Rhydon, and then we'll try and work things out between the two of you." I explained to Electabuzz, recalling the electric type after a slow nod of comprehension. I exhaled slowly once it was just the five of us again, looking at the rest of my team.
"You guys handled that well. Thank you. I'm proud of you. I'm sure Specter would have been a bit annoying. But now for the difficult part." I steadied my hand and picked Rhydon's pokeball off of my belt and released it, watching the light coalesce into the massive rock type's form.
Typhlosion's hackles were raised as it looked at the new comer. Samurott was taking this one a lot more seriously. Knight was still smiling, but it was standing straight up, visibly taller than Rhydon. Lucario had taken a defensive stance, but its eyes were glowing as well. The Rock type roared loudly as it saw us, lowering its head and charging forward.
Samurott's water pulse blasted into its side, knocking it off course and into a cluster of boulders on its flank. The rock type stared at Samurott with a look of indignance. Samurott merely snorted in reply, looking at Rhydon and spitting a weak water pulse at it. The water splashed over it, just wetting it as Rhydon roared again, charging Samurott directly this time. Samurott stood its ground defiantly as Lucario jumped in the way, holding off Rhydon's unenergized charge with a single Drain Punch, sapping the rock type of some of its strength and glaring at it. Eyes locked, red met red as Lucario put a little bit more force through its paw, shoving Rhydon back towards the cluster of boulders it had formed near.
"It's no use. Any one of these guys could take you out." Rhydon's eyes narrowed and Typhlosion growled in reply, attracting the rock type's attention. The two stared each other down as I waited. Lucario's eyes were glowing as it tried to calm down Rhydon.
The rock type's gaze turned to me, looking past all the Pokemon. I met it, holding strong as I looked at its red eyes.
"I'm in charge here. We're a team, and we're going to be the best team there ever was. You can sit around and sulk. Or you can work with us and we can actually get somewhere." I glared at the rock type. Unlike Electabuzz it made no gesture, but it did take some of the food laid out and eat it. "There's no fighting in this team, and that includes Electabuzz."
Rhydon's eyes narrowed as it looked at me, and once again Typhlosion issued another warning growl. I released Electabuzz closer to the other Pokemon this time, watching as Rhydon stared it down. Electabuzz's stance was highly defensive, and I could see the uneasiness in it as it tried to match Rhydon's gaze. The rock type eventually sat down where it was, eating some more of the food and remaining there, as well as some of the smaller rocks lying around it.
Knight continued attempts to engage it over the course of the next hour while the others and I all ate dinner, waving and talking. Truthfully, nobody seemed to really connect with it. It was apathetic at best. Lucario seemed to have the most success, simply by virtue of communicating with it empathetically through the use of aura and calming it down. I shuddered, thinking of what it would have been like without Lucario's help, or with a Gengar antagonizing everyone.
Eventually, I recalled it, letting the rest of the team talk to Electabuzz a little longer. As time passed, I recalled the majority of them, letting Typhlosion stay out with me in the tent. I laid out a rug for it to sleep on and crawled into my sleeping bag, grateful for the heat it radiated after we had put the fire out, knocking out for the night.
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Later the next day…
Lucario and I were trundling down the remaining stretch of the route, Rhydon walking slowly and grudgingly behind us. A black-haired trainer in a white t shirt with glass was looking around off to the side and came running over the moment he saw us.
"You! I challenge you to a battle!" he must have been in his mid-twenties. I looked at him carefully.
"How many badges do you have?"
"Five."
"Alright. Three Pokemon." I looked back at Rhydon. The disgruntled rock type was still lumbering over slowly. "Rise and shine pal. This is your time." Rhydon made its way over at the same pace, leering at the trainer opposite it. to my relief the man didn't seem too intimidated by the rock type. He released a large Piloswine to stand opposite Rhydon, ready to take us on.
"Rhydon! Hammer Arm!" I called out. The rock type growled and stepped forward, swinging a massive glowing orange fist into Piloswine's side. The hit sent the ice type hurtling backwards towards the trees and onto its side.
"Piloswine! Powder Snow!" The large ice type released a heavy breath of cold white snow, flying straight at Rhydon.
"Rhydon move!" The rock type bore the brunt of the hit instead, charging straight through it with Take down to slam into Piloswine.
"Ice Shard!" Another freezing attack assaulted Rhydon, wearing down its strength in turn and slowing it down.
"Hammer Arm!" Rhydon's fist slammed into Piloswine, knocking it straight into the ground again as the rock type followed it with a Rock Blast, knocking straight into Piloswine's side.
"Piloswine return!" the trainer recalled the fainted ice type, looking at Rhydon carefully.
"Rhydon return!"
"Hey, you can't do that!"
"Rhydon forfeits. Call it one all." I replied, clipping the pokeball back on my belt. I needed to get a grip on Rhydon.
"Fine. Heracross!" a large bug type Pokemon with a massive horn atop formed across from me.
"Electabuzz!" I called out my other new Pokemon, firmly believing this one would actually behave while we fought.
"Bullet Seed!"
"Dodge them!" Electabuzz deftly stepped around three of the incoming shots, getting clipped in the shoulder by the fourth and final shot.
"Electroball!" I called out, watching as the attack went sailing through the air. Heracross batted it off a glowing horn and charged the electric type. "Dodge and Thunder Punch!"
Electabuzz barely avoided Heracross's attack, slamming a crackling fist into the bug's underbelly.
"Discharge!"
Electabuzz followed through promptly by releasing stores charge straight through Heracross, electrocuting it thoroughly. The bug type floated backwards on its wings, settling down near its trainer.
"Signal Beam!"
"Light Screen!" Electabuzz managed to get the shield up in time, holding it just long enough to ward of the attack before it shattered.
"Shock Wave!"
Electabuzz released a follow through attack, the pathfinding bolt striking Heracross hard and leaving burn marks on its carapace.
"Heracross! Megahorn!"
"Avoid it!" Electabuzz managed to leap out of the way again as Heracross clumsily lumbered forward under the increased weight of its shining horn. "Thunder Punch!"
Another thunder punch sailed into Heracross, this time tossing it to the side and knocking it out.
"Alright! Good work Electabuzz!"
"Sneazel!" The small dark type Pokemon formed on the ground in front of the trainer, grinning as it surveyed the area, eyes zeroing in on Electabuzz.
"Shock Wave!" Electabuzz's attack hit Sneazel, knocking it straight backwards. It righted itself and scampered forward, emitting a dark pulse right at us.
Instinctively Electabuzz pulled up light screen, but the dark type attack tore through it like paper, hitting Electabuzz and knocking it down.
"Thunder Punch!" It proved to be a mistake as the dark type wove around the moves, striking Electabuzz twice more.
"Discharge!" This one hit Sneazel, knocking it back. It scampered to its feet once more as Electabuzz slowly stood up, only to be knocked out by another Dark Pulse.
I recalled the Pokemon and gestured at Lucario, who was standing by the side. The fighting type assumed its stance, ready to end the fight. Sneazel prowled about near its trainer on all fours, watching carefully. Taking in the lack of activity on our side, it bounded forward, claws glowing. Lucario reached out with one paw, tracking it accurately, and smacked it back to its trainer with a glowing paw, knocking it out.
"Woah." The man looked at Lucario like some kind of god-Pokémon, recalling Sneazel. "Thanks for the battle dude." He looked at Lucario another moment before he walked off towards the nearby exit to Mahogany Town.
'The rock Pokémon needs to understand that there are others stronger than it. It might be prudent to have one of us fight it.'
"Yeah. It might make a bit more sense if there were an external opponent that could thrash it, but that seems unlikely. I don't want to put it out in battle with Pryce, because that could go pear shaped for us. Maybe one of his gym trainers…"
'Perhaps. Let us continue on.' I walked with Lucario to the gatehouse, making it there in another ten minutes and stepping through it. Mahogany Town was a small settlement. Houses were scattered around the area, mostly wood with slanted roofs for snow to slide off. A few water towers marked the edges of the city, and the gym was visible in the center of town. A Pokemon center was visible down the road towards the east end of the town. I walked there at an ambling pace, stepping inside. It had been quite a while since I had last been in a Pokemon center. We hadn't stopped in either Olivine or Ecruteak, but we'd be here for a bit. The building was just as I remembered it, every bit the traditional Johtan Pokemon Center. the wallpaper was a plain cream, and the lobby housed a few couches, a TV running the live news, and a coffee table. to my left was the nurse's station, with a healing deck for simple battle healing and an entrance to the medical bay.
Right on cue, a Chansey walked out of the medical bay, happily smiling as it handed a report to the pink haired nurse on duty. I stepped up to the counter, waiting while the nurse – Joy, her nametag said – scanned over the report and tossed it in an out tray.
"Welcome to the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center. How can I help you today?"
"I'd like to heal my Pokemon please, and check into a room for two days."
"Of course. ID and pokeballs please." The nurse smiled kindly as I handed over Electabuzz and Rhydon's pokeballs along with my ID card. She took a second to scan the card chip and hand it back to me, along with a key. "Your Pokémon will be ready in half an hour."
"Thank you." I collected the key and headed off down the corridor to find my room, opening it and setting my bags down. I spent the next half an hour washing up and resting before stepping back out to collect my Pokemon from the nurse.
"Here you go. Have a pleasant day!" Nurse Joy handed me my Pokemon and waved me off with a smile as I walked out the door.
"You as well!" I returned the wave, stepping out into the cold crisp air of Mahogany town with my jacket on. The majority of the town was covered in snow, as was to be expected during the winter months. I walked towards the gym, stopping about ten feet away to read the sign on the door.
"Dear visitor, the Mahogany Town Gym is closed today. Please find the Mahogany Town Police Department with any issues, or leave a message in the mailbox below. We will be open and accepting challenges tomorrow."
"So much for that." I sighed and kicked some snow, walking aimlessly around the town for a solid twenty minutes before I spotted the Northern gatehouse. I frowned for a moment and tried to recall the map. Route 42 was to the west of Mahogany. I'd just come from there. 44 continued east to the infamous Ice Path and to Blackthorn City. North went to Route 43, and to the Lake of Rage.
"That could be fun. At least it might be a decent spot to train." I rubbed my hands together, pulling my gloves out of my jacket pockets and donning them before making for the northern gate. The gatehouse had two guards, standing at each end of the doorway out to the route beyond.
"It's One Thousand P to go to Route 43 kid. Fork it over or turn around." One of them looked at me with a nasty sneer.
"What's it for. This is a public road." I frowned, one hand carefully ready to reach for my pokeballs.
"It's a new toll. Boss's orders himself." The other one grinned smugly, holding a hand out.
"Boss?"
"Uh… Pr… Pryce. Gym Leader Pryce."
"There has to be a writ somewhere if you're going to change the law and turn this into a toll road." Something was off about the way the two of them were acting.
"Here kid. I'll call the gym for you." One of them picked up the desk landline and jabbed a number in, handing it over to me.
Carefully, I took the phone and put it to one ear.
"The Mahogany Town Gym has now instituted a toll policy on Route 43 going North to the Lake of Rage. A written permit is being drafted in the Mahogany Town Courthouse right now."
"So, there's now a toll?"
"Yes, one thousand p. Thank you for complying."
I put the phone down as the voice on the other side answered, reaching for my pokeballs.
"There we go kid." The man smiled, thinking I was reaching for my pocket. "Fork it over. One Thousand p."
I sped up and snatched Lucario's pokeball off of my belt, releasing the it with Samurott.
"You're not guards. The Mahogany gym is empty right. It's closed today."
The smirk on one's face melted into a frown, the other one glaring as he snatched a pokeball off of his belt and released a Koffing.
"Knock it out!"
Lucario and Samurott worked swiftly, knocking the comparatively weak Pokemon out with three swift blows. Lucario swung around deftly and slammed an Aura Punch into the Golbat which had been released from behind. The flying Pokemon was knocked into the imposter, tearing a gash in the guard costume and revealing a bright red R on a black uniform beneath it.
The duo bolted out the back door, recalling their Pokemon before I could run after them. I sprinted out the door, looking left and right, but they were gone. I stepped back inside, jumping over the counter to try and access the phone or find something else when a crashing sound caught my attention. Lying behind the counter, mouth taped over and trussed up like a rogue Taurus, was the actual gatehouse guard. He had used his feet to yank a cord and bring the phone crashing down to catch my attention.
I rushed over, pulling the tape off his mouth gently and setting to work untying him as he took a deep breath.
"Thank you, son. Thank you so much. I'll call the police." The guard grabbed a hold of the phone, dialing up and calling the Mahogany Town police department to the scene.
I waited for ten minutes until I could hear the sirens blaring and the police department walked in, questioning the guard for a few minutes and taking his report before turning towards me.
"Who are you?"
"Ethan Photon, registered trainer from New Bark Town." I handed over my ID promptly, preempting the man's next question. He examined it for a few moments, taking notes down before handing it back to me.
"What happened here?"
"I walked in, and two imposters dressed as guards demanded a toll. I didn't believe them, so I questioned it. They said Pryce ordered it, and that they'd call the gym and prove it when I didn't see a writ. They called some other number I suppose, because the Mahogany Gym's empty right now. I just came from there. I got my Pokemon out and tried to get them down, but they managed to escape. They were wearing Team Rocket uniforms beneath the guard suits. Then I found this guy tied up behind the counter."
"Alright. Thank you, Mr. Photon. You can go."
"Good day officer."
I stepped back out onto the Route, Lucario and Samurott with me as I took a breath and leaned against the wall. Goddamn Team Rocket. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been in nearly as many odd situations as I had.
"It's a good thing their men aren't particularly well-trained battlers."
'Agreed.' I recalled Samurott and released Electabuzz, walking along with the two bipedal Pokemon by my side. The terrain was mostly flat, dotted with patches of tall grass and trees all around. Two small ponds were visible off in the distance down the five-kilometer stretch.
"Alright guys. Let's go, and maybe get some training and battles in along the way for Electabuzz."
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Two hours and a dozen battles later…
The shores of the lake of Rage were wet from the constant waves thrashing against the land surface. A light drizzle characterized the gray skies and the cold, dense air of the region. Ice shards floated about in the corners of the lake, drifting with the waves. Off in the distance I could see a Gyarados arc in and out of the water, its body visible as an arch as it dove back in.
I released Samurott into the water and the majority of my team to stand around me as I watched the waters. Knight sat down next to me rather than taking to the skies. Typhlosion shuffled under one of the great dragon's wings to avoid the drizzle. Lucario however, seemed ill at ease as it paced relentlessly, constantly looking around. Electabuzz wasn't quite as bad, but kept casting glances towards the sky and towards Route 43. I cast an eye to the skies and saw the darkening swirl of clouds above.
'There is a storm coming.' Lucario frowned and looked off to the lake.
"I can see. It looks like it might be a bad one. We might want to leave soon."
'The weather is worsening, but that is not what I meant trainer-friend. Something is coming. Something is happening. The aura in the lake is a muddle. It is unclear, murky. It is like trying to see through a swamp. But there is a storm brewing under the water.'
I stood up, off of the rock I had been sitting on as the thunderstorm hit, water pouring down from the sky in a torrential downpour. Electabuzz seemed terribly discontent, but its focus was fixed on Route 43.
'The new one feels it there is something in the air. Something unnatural. Be prepared trainer-friend. I believe it is too late to turn and leave.' Lucario assumed a defensive stance just in time, prodding Electabuzz to turn and face the lake. Knight rose to its feet and called Samurott back to the shore. I released Rhydon into the mix, pointing at the lake when it growled at me.
The massive rock type snorted and turned towards the unruly waters, red eyes narrowing as it took in the stormy scene beyond it. The lone Gyarados that was diving in and out of the water in the middle of the lake had been joined by some of its brethren, and evidently, the twenty-five-foot sea serpent was the weakest of its pod. The same pod which had stopped simply diving in and out of the water and was now roaring into the skies, worsening the storm and firing attacks into the air.
Hydro Pump's fired into the skies, raining down on the forest and the lake shores around us. the few trainers and civilians who were around were panicking. I heard a man's scream from my left and turned my head to look. People were running, and they had good reason to. The Gyarados pod had started moving towards the edges of the lake in their anger, firing destructive attacks and worsening the storm as they churned through the choppy waves, making for shore. I could see it right there, a number of their eyes were focused on me, and the bulk of the pod was being dragged in our direction.
"Electabuzz, shockwave and electroball! Try and scatter them! Knight, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse! Samurott, mess with them however you want. Typhlosion, Solar Beam will be too slow here, try to stick with Flamethrowers or Focus Blasts, I guess. Lucario, give them hell with Extreme Speed and Drain Punch. Rhydon…. Stone Edge and Rock Blast!"
The team of six set to work on the pod off Gyarados immediately. Around a dozen of the fifteen or so beasts had diverted to face us. I sincerely hoped that more wouldn't come. Realistically, very few wild Pokemon would be able to compare to us, but these were Gyarados, and those that had made the Lake of Rage their own nonetheless. Perhaps the only thing we had going for us was that while they were targeting us, they were unfocused and enraged, the way most Gyarados in the wild tended to be.
Knight's Thunderbolt blasted through the air, drawing charge from the storm around it as it slammed right into one of the Gyarados, sending it falling into the water with a massive scorch mark on its belly. Electabuzz followed suit, firing shockwaves into another of the Gyarados. Lucario had taken to the air almost with a massive bound, leaping onto one of the offending sea serpents and slamming attacks into it, before using it as a springboard to wrangle with the next, leaving it a weakened target for the ranged fighters.
Rhydon seemed to be having the time of its life. Massive, jagged rocks were torn up from the earth and the lakebed and sent hurtling into the Gyarados all around as it roared its challenge to the water Pokemon. Samurott was invisible in the lake, attacking from underwater where none of the Gyarados were watching. Typhlosion's flames poured onto the Gyarados, not the most useful attack in this scenario, but what else could we do?
"Electabuzz move!" The electric type looked over to its left and promptly jumped to the side. A scalding Hydro Pump narrowly missed the electric type, just wetting its fur as it was. Typhlosion was doing the most to avoid the attacks as one of the most vulnerable to the water type attacks being thrown around casually. Lucario was using the chaos to its advantage, getting one Gyarados to attack it when it sat atop another and jerking the massive serpents back into the attacks with its strength.
"Rhydon, duck!" The rock typed ignored me and roared its dissent to the sea serpents as two of them fell to the onslaught from the team, pounding its chest. The Hydro Pump angled at it hit it straight in the side, blasting it into a nearby boulder and knocking the Pokemon out cold. I recalled it hastily, looking at the Gyarados that did it.
The beast's scales were mottled, and its eyes were glaring as it readied another Hydro Pump to fire. The pod's strength fell down to seven, and then five as we kept up the attacks on them, not willing to give up. I stared at them, watching them as it sank in how powerful these beasts were. All it took was one blast to knock out Rhydon. The next to go was Electabuzz. A stray hyper beam clipped it hard, blasting it into the tree line behind before I managed to recall the Pokemon.
Only two Gyarados remained. The one that had knocked out both Rhydon and Electabuzz, and one other.
"Knight, Thunderbolt! Typhlosion, keep its attention with Flamethrower! Lucario and Samurott on the other one!"
The two closer fighters leapt into a tangle with the weaker of the two Gyarados, their fight disappearing in the background of the streams of fire being exchanged between the larger, tougher Gyarados, and Typhlosion. Indigo dragon breath met flamethrower, splitting apart as the hotter fire roared into the sea serpent's maw. A massive thunderbolt blasted into Gyarados's back, knocking it into the water. Lucario and Samurott hurried over from the other knocked out Gyarados, dealing a flurry of closer ranged blows to the enraged water type.
A last thunderbolt from Knight sank into it as Lucario and Samurott made their way back to the lake shore, the serpent finally unconscious in the water. I heaved a sigh of relief and cast an eye to the sky as the storm persisted, raining harder than it had before.
'We're not done.' There was a hint of trepidation in Lucario's voice as it resumed its fighting stance, looking at the center of the lake.
A massive whirlpool was forming near the center of the lake. Froth was churning out of the edges as the waves were ripped apart and pulled into expanding swirls of water spinning rapidly around a sinking point in the lake. A Hyper Beam blasted out of the eye of the whirlpool and into the storm, sending lightning bolts sparking to the ground as a Gyarados slowly emerged from beneath the water.
The pale cream underbelly was visible as it slithered out and up into the air, head pointed straight upwards. The serpent's body was thicker than any of the other that had come before it, and it seemed longer already despite how much of it was still under water. It reared its head before leveling it and setting its sights on us, the only other creatures remaining in the storm. My eyes immediately flicked to its crown. The tines seemed bigger than the other Gyarados as it was, as did the spiky fins running down its spine, but that wasn't what caught my attention. No, the size of the Gyarados I could have accepted. There were Pokemon which naturally grew to be larger than the average for their species. Rhydon was an apt example.
No, what caught my gaze, and most likely the eyes of the rest of my team as well, were the scales. Glittering red scales as tough as a Dragonite's ran down its entire body, coating its back, head and tail.
"What the holy hell?" I followed the curve of its body up from its tail to its head, eventually settling on its red eyes and furious, loathsome gaze. This one wasn't as distracted as the others. This one could see and think clearly. This one probably had the best chance at actually killing us.
So of course, we were going to fight it.
"There's one of it, and four of us. Let's show him what we're made of!" I shouted, pointing determinedly at the beast. "Knight! Thunderbolt! Lucario, Flash Cannon! Typhlosion, flamethrower, Samurott, Ice Beam!"
Lightning danced across the sky as Knight blasted into flight, rocketing around the red Gyarados with an unbelievable speed. It wove left and right, ducking and dodging the Dragon breath attacks that were sent into the air. A bolt of electricity sparked from Knight, connecting to Gyarados and setting the Pokemon alight as it was electrocuted. Typhlosion and Lucario took the chance to follow through, firing in tandem. Flamethrower encircled Flash Cannon, providing it with a layer of protection.
Gyarados fired back with a Hydro Pump, wiping out the flamethrower layer of the attack. It had served a purpose however, as Flash Cannon made it through and crashed into Gyarados, sending it careening backwards. Samurott's icy blast followed through in a timely manner, freezing the lake around where Gyarados was emerging from it and trapping the beast around its middle. My water type partner kept pouring the ice onto it as Gyarados thrashed, cracking it. It was a tense game as the ice froze and cracked in different spots. Knight chipped in, accelerating the freeze as ice crept up some of Gyarados's underbelly, fixing it in place as it tried to thrash about.
My eyes widened as a Hydro Pump blasted straight into Typhlosion. The torrential blast of water picked up the fire type and carried it straight into a massive tree, wiping out most of the leaves along with it. Typhlosion slumped to the ground as the watery blast abated, slowly standing up and looking on at Gyarados. It growled aggressively and bounded back to the lake shore where Lucario was standing. The hit had taken its toll.
Knight rained in another Thunderbolt from above, the blast massively damaging Gyarados. The serpent finally cracked through the ice gripping its midsection and crashed into the water with a splash, sinking below the surface.
"Keep your eyes open!" I shouted as my team readied their stances.
The surface of the water bubbled momentarily and a dark outline rose to the break the surface tension of the waves and emerge from beneath once more. The enraged Gyarados roared its dissent and blast a Hyper beam at Knight. The attack barely missed, going under Knight's belly as it fled, saving itself from the serpent's wrath.
"Magnus! Hyper Beam!" Another voice shouted from the skies above. Commanding and loud, it filled me with hope as another Dragonite rocketed in from above, blasting a Hyper Beam into the red Gyarados's belly. The sea serpent was knocked backwards by the attack, and it fell almost in slow motion. Its red eyes were wide with disbelief at the power of the attack as a pokeball sailed towards it, engulfing the beast and flying back to the trainer's hand.
Knight flew back to the shore, joining the rest of us as the unknown flier – though really, it was easy to guess who it was – dove down and landed nearby, walking over. The storm died down as Lance straightened his cloak, putting away the oddly plain purple pokeball which presumably contained the newly captured red Gyarados.
"Ethan. What a surprise. I heard the reports about Team Rocket agents at the city gates so I flew over here to see what was going on." He nodded at me and looked out at the lake, taking in the carnage as the waters slowly settled down. "What happened here?"
"There was a pod of Gyarados. Maybe fifteen or so. They set upon everything, so we took them on, then this one emerged."
Lance merely raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a critical eye. His gaze shifted to my four standing Pokemon, examining them before he nodded again and looked towards the lake.
"Something unnatural is happening here." He frowned and put a hand in his red hair. "This many Gyarados don't live in the lake of rage. Gyarados pods are rarely larger than twelve, and there isn't nearly enough space for one to inhabit the lake for longer than a day. And this behavior is odd."
"I've never seen anything like that red Gyarados. It's insane. What was that?" I asked, looking at where the whirlpool had been as a brief image of it emerging from the lake jumped to the forefront of my mind.
"It's an extremely rare genetic mutation found in Pokemon. Some researchers have taken to calling it the 'shiny' gene." Lance frowned. "I believe Professor Elm from Newbark Town researches it. He had a promising research specimen a while ago which turned out to be a dead end unfortunately."
"I'd heard about that." I bit my tongue as Lance scratched his head.
"As far as we understand, it has very little bearing on a Pokémon's physiological or mental development other than the discoloration. It is very rare though. It's believed to be barely more than one in ten thousand Pokemon to have this gene."
"Interesting." I glanced over at Lance's Dragonite. This clearly wasn't Mel. It was a little shorter, but its entire body seemed stronger, and it was a little older. Its smile was a little quieter than Mel's. Where Mel gave off a cheery, bubbly vibe, Magnus seemed more like its trainer. Pleasant, determined and strong, but not bouncing off of every wall.
"Ethan this is Magnus, my oldest partner. Magnus, this is Ethan. He's a friend."
Magnus gave me a small wave, turning to Knight. The younger dragon had engaged it much the same way it had engaged Mel and the two seemed to get off into a conversation as they took to the air.
"Let's go back to Mahogany Town and continue this discussion there." Lance turned towards the sky and whistled. Magnus turned so sharply that Knight almost crashed into it, flying straight down to the ground.
Knight followed Magnus down and we climbed onboard the two dragons, taking to the air again and flying straight back to Mahogany Town. Lance's brows were furrowed, and his eyes were unfocused as he flew. Magnus easily navigated the sky back to Mahogany Town on its own, Lance's hands holding the reins on his saddle with plenty of slack. We flew behind the pair, letting the older man think as we proceeded to Mahogany and landed outside the gym.
The sign was still up, but the lights were on inside, and Lance confidently pushed the door open and strode in, his cloak billowing around him as he nodded to the receptionist and walked through a door to our right. I followed him through wordlessly into a corridor that led through some cubicles to an office with a solid mahogany door. Intricate carvings decorated the dark wood all around the edges.
Lance opened it effortlessly and strode through. I caught the door as it closed on its own, stopping at the weight of it. Heaving it open again, I stepped through into what seemed to be Gym Leader Pryce's office. The man himself was sitting behind a massive desk that matched the door. He was on the shorter side, especially in comparison to Lance, but there was no slouch in his spine. His hairline was high, and the short hair he had was almost entirely white. Wrinkles were visible on his face, but his brown eyes had just as much life and sharpness in them as Jasmine's. A pale blue coat covered his red waistcoat and white shirt, with a matching white scarf around his neck.
"And this is…?" Pryce cast a sharp look at me with an eyebrow raised, one hand on his desk.
"Pryce, this is Ethan Photon. He's been a trainer of interest, and was involved – on our side – in the altercation with Team Rocket today. Ethan. This is Pryce, Gym Leader of Mahogany town."
"It is an honor sir." I bowed my head towards the gym leader. Pryce was legendary across Johto. Trainers often chose to avoid his gym along with the Blackthorn gym and take on smaller towns for their badges. He was a veteran of the last two wars, and a Johtan hero.
"Hmph. At least this one has some manners, unlike some of the challengers coming through here." Pryce's eyes remained fixed on me for a moment. I met them, refusing to show any weakness from my side as he seemed to evaluate me. "Very well. I've discussed the altercation with the police Lance, and I imagine you know everything from there, which brought you here."
"Yes. That aside, some…. Worrisome things occurred at the Lake of Rage." Lance removed his head from his hands and sighed, looking at Pryce.
"A pod of Gyarados were rampaging. Ethan dealt with them for the most part before I arrived, but an alpha emerged. A red Gyarados Pryce."
"An entire pod of Gyarados?" Pryce's brow was furrowed as the gears spun inside his head. Only after a moment did he raise his head. "And a red Gyarados you say? Just like the namesake of the lake I imagine."
"You would be right. It's a beast."
"This is going to be quite difficult to deal with." Pryce rubbed his temples with his fingers, staring into the wood of his desk.
"I'm not sure about that." For the first time since he'd arrived, a small smile (a wry one at that) took form on Lance's lips as he placed the odd purple pokeball in front of the old gym leader.
The white-haired man looked sharply up at Lance, picking the pokeball up.
"You caught it? Is this…?"
"A prototype." Lance answered simply, accepting the pokeball back and slipping it into his cloak.
"Interesting. Very interesting." Pryce laced his fingers together in front of his face, looking across the desk at the door. "There is something unnatural about this. I'll dispatch analysts to the lake."
"That's a good place to start. Thank you, Pryce." Lance sighed and slumped a little in his chair, hands in his hair.
"We must find them and flush them from Mahogany Town. I will not have them in my territory, wreaking havoc." Pryce rose from his desk slowly.
"I will find them, and crush them." Lance's gaze hardened as he contemplated the thought. "Pryce, is there another room Ethan and I could use to talk?"
"Stay here. I'll be a while." Pryce waved his hand, picking a cane from a stand in the corner and walking slowly towards the door. "Ethan Photon… should I expect you in my gym? Or are you merely one of those who stops in Mahogany Town on the way to a more… agreeable… gym leader."
"I have every intention of challenging your gym, Leader Pryce, but it may not be tomorrow." I nodded respectfully as the man stepped out of the room, catching a glance of his cane. The handle was carved out of old mahogany, smoothed to fit exactly in Pryce's grip over the years, but the shaft was made of ice.
"Well. What's with the lockjaw?" Lance looked at me with a quizzical expression as I realized I was sitting stiffer than a Machoke.
"It's a bit unreal to just… sit here and talk to you… Lance… The Indigo Champion." I admitted, shrugging.
"You've had plenty of discussions with Steven, the Hoenn Champion, while you were training with him." Lance cast me a wry look as a hint of embarrassment showed itself on my face.
"Well… It's a bit different. I respected Steven before I met him. Of course, I knew who he was. I'd seen his battles. But it's exactly what you said. He's the Hoenn Champion. You're our champion. Here. For kids like me, we grew up watching you ascend to the Elite Four and to the rank of Champion after the war. You brought Indigo back from the ashes, and you cleaned up the Team Rocket mess all while everybody my age was waiting to be old enough to become trainers."
"Ah." Lance leaned back and furrowed his brow. "Well, how about we start on a clean slate. I've never really had a proper discussion with you, and some of what you've said is muddled up, so let's start here."
The Dragon Master straightened in his chair, smiling lightly, and extended his right hand out towards me.
"My name is Lance Blackthorn, of Blackthorn City. It's good to meet you."
I stared at him for a moment, before mentally shrugging and taking it for what it was worth. I reached out and grasped his hand, shaking it firmly.
"Ethan Photon, from Newbark Town."
"Right. To dispel what you said. I didn't have much of a hand in taking down Team Rocket in Kanto. To be completely honest, that was mostly the work of two young trainers, about your age. They kept running into Team Rocket and systematically dismantled the organization, helping all of Indigo more than anyone could ever have imagined at the time. Viridian City Gym Leader, Blue Oak. A girl named Green. And a trainer from Pallet Town called Red. The League just cleaned up the remnants left behind. It was our biggest failure as the Indigo league during my time as champion, and clearly, we haven't done a good enough job. Team Rocket has to be behind the happenings at the Lake of Rage."
"Huh." I frowned as I recalled what I knew of the three trainers Lance had mentioned. Green was a traveler and one of the people widely credited by Professor Oak for helping collect the data for the Pokedex. She was known for collecting some of the hardest to find Pokemon across Kanto. Blue Oak, the infamous Samuel Oak's grandson, and the runner up of the Indigo Conference. He had gone on to become the gym leader of Viridian City in the wake of Giovanni's departure. He was intense, arguably stronger than Giovanni himself, but battled at a more achievable level for trainers still collecting badges. The Earth badge was still revered as one of the most difficult badges to acquire, not just in Kanto, but in the entire world.
Red was a living legend. The trainer who took defeated the Indigo League and took down team rocket. His involvement in taking them down was public, but not the extent apparently. He won the conference, besting Blue, and then taken on the Indigo League Challenge. And he actually won. Every conference winner was given the right to an annual league challenge. The first would follow their conference victory, and be widely televised. The others typically wouldn't. Red opted for one inside the Indigo League Castle. He was granted the right to take on the sacred challenge. The four elite four one by one, with just the medicine you brought with you along the way, and then the champion. It was a rite of passage for champions. He had won. And then he had turned down the position of champion, disappearing from the face of the earth.
"I imagine Steven's told you I knew your dad." Lance's words snapped me out of my reverie and I sat up straight, looking at him. "I can tell you a little, but mostly things you'd already know. I worked with him for a while, but not long, and not in as close of a capacity as Steven did." Lance looked at me carefully. "I can tell you he was a brave man. He was a menace to fight. I saw you working with the quarterstaff out at the farm on route 38. You looked just like him."
"He fought with a staff?" I asked, leaning forward as I learned a little bit more about my father that I had never known.
"Yes. He was fantastic with it. I'd suggest you acquire one. There are few better places to get one than Mahogany or Blackthorn."
"I'll remember to do that."
"Honestly… it's a bit difficult to tell you more than Steven could about him. If you really want to know more about his days as a trainer, I would suggest that once you have time, you visit Unova. Try and find the man who trainer him. Andrew Grace, I believe it was. He will be both a blessing to your skills as a trainer, if he does teach you anything, and a great friend for you."
"Steven told me you wanted to join the Indigo Corps." Lance looked up and looked me in the eyes as he spoke. "What do you want to do?"
"Honestly. I'm not quite sure anymore." I replied quietly, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. "I've met a number of Ace Trainers now, and I know it's a route that I kind of want to take, but I'm not sure what I want to make of it. I know I want to keep training. I want to take on the Frontier League Conference."
"Then let me try and give you some more clarity on the structure of the path you're on. No doubt Steven has told you about the corps, but it's a bit messier, and different than it was, even just five years ago." Lance grimaced slightly.
"We've separated the corps and the league a little more than they used to be. The Indigo corps now operates itself as our military and national service. Something like the rangers of the Unified Regions. The Guard are slightly more public than they used to be. They don't quite… disappear anymore, but they simply remain rank fives in the public record."
"The thing about the corps is that you can systematically make it up to being a rank three if you've got the grit and the strength, and a brain. Beyond that it gets a little hazy. The strength and skill of trainers sort of… plateaus from there. We've shifted our structure so that we still maintain quite a close relationship with the guard and the corps, and we are still in charge, but we draw trainees now, from where we wish. The corps promotes is trainers as who they think will run the corps the best. Our trainees could very much be members of the guard, and they are often trainers skilled enough to be. Will most certainly didn't come from the corps however. We picked him straight out of the conference. His attitude… he's not the type for the corps. You would fare better, certainly. Come the Silver Conference, you may well find yourself with an invitation letter from them. I can't say for certain."
"It's not a bad path if you want to become a better trainer and take on the Frontier League Conference. A rank three badge is your automatic entry ticket into the conference." Lance sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"What if I want to work my way up to the Elite Four?" I asked, crossing my own arms in response.
"Do you plan on taking on the Blackthorn gym as well, or going somewhere else?"
"I wouldn't dream of getting my last badge anywhere else." I grinned, looking at Lance's knowing smile.
"In that case, I'll see how you fair against my cousin. If you make it to the conference… then we'll see what happens there." Lance gave me another wry smile before he stood up. He pulled a card out of his cloak and handed it to me. "Here. In case you run into anything else. Have a good day Ethan. I imagine we'll meet again soon."
With a nod and a small wave, Lance led me out of the gym and headed off, walking away towards the eastern side of the town. I stared at the back of his cloak as he walked off for a few minutes until he had almost disappeared from view before I made my way to the Pokemon center.
"Hi, can I check my Pokemon in?" I asked the nurse at the counter. She was sitting behind it with her feet propped up, flipping channels as she enjoyed the lack of activity.
"Of course." She smiled lightly, scanning my ID and looking over her shoulder. "Chansey, would you be a dear and see to this trainer's Pokemon?"
The Pokemon happily walked up from behind the counter with a pokeball tray, accepting the lot of my Pokemon and walking up towards the machine. I stood there quietly, watching brief clips of TV as the nurse kept channel surfing. Chansey returned after a quarter of an hour and handed me my pokeballs back, giving me a chance to look at all of them.
I took them and walked over to my PC, slotting Electabuzz and Rhydon's pokeballs in and replacing them with Scizor and Specter's pokeballs. With Team Rocket out and about, I wanted to be prepared. Rhydon might be a bit better, after the dressing down it had gotten from the Gyarados, but I wasn't about to bet on it. Electabuzz, well… it was weaker than Rhydon as well right now, and I didn't want to endanger it, or the others.
Stepping out into the fresh air, I released Typhlosion and Lucario, walking alongside the pair of them. We aimlessly wandered about town, heading in the general direction of the marketplace.
"You know guys, I really hope we don't find anymore trouble today. It's been way too long of a day for five o'clock."
Typhlosion nuzzled my leg as we walked, warming up my calf muscles and alleviating a little bit of the dull ache that had been building up in it all day.
"Thanks buddy."
'Perhaps we should look around for a staff in this market.' Lucario gestured at the open square where traders had their stalls set up and the locals had their own permanent shops. We walked around for a bit, looking at the wares people had. For the most part, people had trinkets and produce.
Finally, we happened upon a merchant with some boomerangs and other wooden pieces lying around his table so I walked up to him.
"Do you have any quarterstaffs?" I asked him, looking around the things he had lying around.
"Hm… quarterstaffs… I don't believe so."
"Oh. Thanks." I sighed, turning around.
"Check the old shop. It's been turned into a souvenir store recently, but they still have the old wares, the local master crafted weapons. They'll be trying to sell their stock out, so you might get a hold of one that's not an antique." The merchant called out helpfully.
"Thank you!" I gestured to Lucario and Typhlosion, who had been poking about a few other shops, and we started walking towards the old shop. We'd passed by it earlier. It was closer to one of the corners of the town, but it wasn't that far out of the way. We made our way there, stepping inside the building.
A small bell rang as I entered, then again as Typhlosion and Lucario walked in. The room was dimly lit, and paneled all around with dark wood. The shelves and aisles had purple tile roofs, kind of like thin, tall buildings that had been scaled down. A lone man stood behind the counter in a pale-yellow shirt, with dark glasses on.
"Keep an eye on your Pokemon." The man called out from behind as I waved politely and wandered around the aisles.
There were six staffs in a rack against the back wall, all carved from mahogany, but varying in build and design. I picked up one with intricate patterns all around it. Little Sneazels scampered around a forest, picking berries of trees. Weavile poked their decorated heads out from behind the trees and an Abomasnow had been carved in, emerging from a cave in the woods.
"Wow."
'It is quite beautiful.' Lucario remarked, looking at the staff with a keen eye.
I held it in my hands and spun it around slowly, taking care not to hit anything. It was balanced, but it felt weak. I could tell it was an antique, and it probably wouldn't have held up for long. I looked at the next two, both imbalanced (at least in my hands), before settling on the fourth. I carried it over to the counter and looked at the man.
"How much?"
"A thousand p." He looked up from his magazine just for a moment, returning to the pages quickly.
"Come on. Some of those back there look it, but this thing? Really? Seven hundred." I crossed my arms and set the staff down on the counter. It was fairly plain, with just a few ringed patterns, but it was sturdy.
"Nine hundred."
"Eight."
"… alright." The man opened the cash register and put away the money I handed over, writing me a receipt and walking off to a back room as I picked up the staff and looked at it.
Another employee emerged from the back room, walking over to the bookcase in the back corner of the shop. I looked over as he slid it open, revealing a staircase beneath it. The man turned around, hefting the box he was lifting and caught my eye. Immediately his expression shifted and his gaze hardened as he hurried down the stairs. The bookshelf slid back into place above him as I sprinted towards it, heaving against it and trying to move it.
"Guys that was him! It was the Rocket agent from the Mahogany gate!"
I frantically pulled my phone out and dialed Lance, hoping he would pick up.
'There's an entire network of tunnels and rooms underneath us. There's many of them.' Lucario had knelt to the ground, one paw on the floor and its hair flared up as it sensed the auras beneath us.
"Lance! It's Team Rocket! They're in a hideout beneath the Souvenir shop in the corner of town! There's an entire base here! Hurry!"
"I'm on my way Ethan! Wait for me!" I shut the call, looking around. Lucario had tried hefting the bookcase aside to no avail, when the poster next to it caught my eye. There was an odd bulge in the center of it. I lifted the unsecured lower half up, revealing the switch behind it and pressed it. The bookcase slid open, revealing a plain corridor and stairs leading down to it.
"Alright guys. We wait for Lance and we go invade. It's a good thing I swapped out Rhydon and Electabuzz for Specter and Scizor."
Lucario snapped its head to the side and held a paw to me, before turning back towards me.
'Trainer-friend! There's no time! They've passed the word along to clear out the base! We have to stall them if we want anything to be here when the Dragon Master arrives!'
"Damnit why did I have to jinx this." I ran down the staircase, Typhlosion growling in a low voice the entire way. The open doorway beneath it looked into a plain corridor with busts lining the sides a wide interval. As far as I could see there was nobody there. I pulled my phone out and sent Lance a quick text about the bookshelf incase someone closed it from above and looked down the corridor again. I took a deep breath and gripped my staff as I looked on into the Rocket hideout.
"Alright. We're going in."