Chapter 8:
Complex with Me
Location: Virbank City
I saw Roxie's delaying of my Gym battle to be both a disappointment and a benefit. The disappointment? Yes, I would have to wait. Waiting isn't exactly fun, I know. BUT. It would give me some more time to prepare. Why? Well, I only had two Pokémon. Snivy hadn't even evolved into Servine yet and Azurill isn't exactly strong. Mr. Cheren once told me that some Pokémon only evolve when they are very close to a Trainer, a way which many Baby Pokémon evolve. So, I didn't want Azurill to get knocked out.
So, per Roxie's suggestions, I decided to go and catch a Pokémon at the Virbank Complex. A worker who worked there told me Roxie uses Poison Types which my strongest Pokémon is weak to. So, it only made sense.
Location: Virbank Complex
The Virbank Complex was a giant construction site; not exactly a playground. There were green cylinders everywhere and brass pipes to walk across. But a lot of people were training there. It was weirdly legal, so I wasn't going to stop them. Plus, if I did, I would come off as a hypocrite. What did you think I was there to do?
"Excuse me," said a Worker. "You here to train?"
I nodded. "Why? Everyone else is doing it."
"I have three new workers, and they need to get fired up. If you come across them, could you give them a battle to fuel their ambition please? Otherwise this place will never get finished."
"Right on!" I said. A challenge; nice!
I spotted the first Worker straight away.
"You alright?" I asked.
"Sure," the Worker said. "I just don't know what to do."
"I do!" I said. "A battle will give your brain the workout it needs!"
The Worker adjusted his hat. "Okay! Let's do it!"
Rosa Vs. Worker Mitchell
"Okay Snivy, go!" I yelled.
"Come out Elekid!" said Mitchell. He sent out a yellow Pokémon with black stripes and horns that looked like a power socket.
Elekid (エレキッド)
056
Electric Type
Electric Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
51.8 lbs (23.5 kg)
Spinning its arms around to generate electricity makes the area between its horns shine light blue.
Baby Pokémon.
"Elekid, use Swift!" Elekid fired stars at Snivy. It hit, but that's because Swift is a never miss attack.
"Okay Snivy, Growth!" Snivy got a little bit bigger. Its Attack and Sp. Attack rose.
"Use Low Kick!" Elekid ran over to Snivy and kicked its legs, tripping it.
"Leaf Tornado!" I yelled. Snivy started spinning as it fired leaves at Elekid. It was down.
"Alright! I know what to do now! Time to charge things up!"
I was happy for Snivy, but I noticed. Was it getting a little… too strong? I mean, don't get me wrong. I like my Pokémon getting stronger. But I didn't have much to balance the EXP. It was time to catch a Pokémon.
I walked into the tall grass and ran around for a bit. Sure enough, something jumped out! It was orange with black stripes and was furry. It was also darn cute!
Growlithe (ガーヂィ)
051
Fire Type
Puppy Pokémon
2'04" (0.7 m)
41.9 lbs (19 kg)
Extremely loyal to its Trainer, it will bark at those who approach the Trainer unexpectedly and run them out of town.
"A loyal Pokémon sounds just right! Okay Snivy, go!" I yelled. "Use Leaf Tornado!" I hoped it wouldn't knock out Growlithe because it was a Grass Type attack on a Fire Type. Yes, Growlithe survived! Growlithe fired flames at Snivy; it was Ember. "Okay, let's do this. Pokéball, go!" I shouted. I threw the ball and Growlithe went inside. I waited and waited…
I caught Growlithe!
"A new Pokémon!" I shouted as Snivy danced happily on the spot. As happy as I was, I quickly ran back to the Pokémon Center to heal my two battered friends up.
Upon return to the Complex, I put Growlithe first; I needed to give it some experience after all.
Deciding to take it easy first, I walked into the tall grass. I ran about, seeing what I could find for Growlithe's first opponent under my care.
Thankfully, the first encounter just so happened to be the perfect one! It was the one and only metal ball with magnets on the end of it; Magnemite!
Magnemite (コイル)
048
Electric/Steel Type
Magnet Pokémon
1'00" (0.3 m)
13.2 lbs (6 kg)
The electromagnetic waves emitted by the units at the sides of its head expel antigravity, which allows it to float.
"Growlithe, use Ember!" Growlithe came out and shot flames at Magnemite, halving its health. Magnemite then came back with a Sonic Boom. It was a loud wave that deals exactly twenty points of damage. "One more Ember!" Growlithe fired one more flame at Magnemite. It was down.
Deciding that I had enough messing around, I went looking for the next worker. I went up some of the stairs where there were the pipes that I could walk across, and that's exactly what I did. Well, tried to do. It wasn't easy keeping balance. Hilbert at least had Gothitelle which could just float him back up to where he fell, but I didn't have that luxury. Nope. I had to balance.
I thankfully made it across and went down some stairs to another Worker who was working on some water.
"What am I to do? I don't think I can do this!"
"Yes, you can!" I said. "Come on, I'll show you!"
"Really?" he asked. "Okay, I will take you up on your offer!"
Rosa Vs. Worker Nathan
"Okay Azurill, go!" I said.
"Go Riolu!" Nathan replied. I didn't want Azurill going up against a Fighting Type, so I sent out Growlithe who took a Quick Attack from Riolu. And another.
"Now Growlithe, Ember!" Growlithe shot a flame at Riolu. It burned it! This meant that Riolu's Attack was halved. So, its next Quick Attack didn't do as much. "One more Ember!" Growlithe fired one more flame at Riolu, knocking it out.
"Good one, thanks. Okay Lillipup, go!" Nathan said as he sent out his other Pokémon.
"Growlithe, Ember again!" Growlithe continued firing fire. It hit Lillipup for a Critical Hit!
"Tackle Lillipup!" Lillipup charged into Growlithe; it almost went down.
"One more Ember!" I shouted as Growlithe burned away the rest of Lillipup's HP.
"My ambition is here! Thank you so much!"
One more worker to go. I looked around the massive Complex and found him. He was working on something with fire.
"Oh, hey. I'm scared I'll get burned."
"Are you scared to battle though?"
"Heck no!" he said.
Rosa Vs. Worker Isaac
"Go Magby!" Isaac said, sending out an orange Pokémon with a yellow beak-like mouth.
Magby (ブビイ)
053
Fire Type
Live Coal Pokémon
2'04" (0.7 m)
47.2 lbs (21.4 kg)
It's small, but its body temperature is over 1,000 degrees F (537 ֯C). Embers escape its mouth and nose when its breaths.
Baby Pokémon
"Magby, start with Ember!" Magby fired a flame at Azurill, but it missed!
"Bubble Beam!" Azurill fired bubbles at Magby and almost knocked it out.
"Fine. Faint Attack!" Magby ran up behind Azurill and punched it. Like Swift, Faint Attack doesn't miss.
"One more Bubble Beam!" Azurill shot one last round of bubbles at Magby, and it was down.
"Yeah, this is heating up! Go Koffing!" The other Pokémon was a round purple Pokémon with a skull on its front. It was spewing out gas from all the holes on its body.
Koffing (ドガース)
046
Poison Type
Poison Gas Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
2.2 lbs (1 kg)
Toxic gas is held within its thin, balloon-shaped body, so it can cause massive explosions.
"Growlithe, go!" I shouted. "Ember!" Growlithe shot a flame at Koffing. It was a direct hit.
"Koffing, Tackle!" Koffing rammed its body in Growlithe. Growlithe took a few steps back.
"One last Ember!" Growlithe finished of Koffing with a final Fire Type move.
"Okay! Yes, I just need to be careful!"
With that sorted, I went back to the Worker who gave me the request.
"Thank you! Now production can continue!" He handed me a TM. "This is TM94. It contains Rock Smash. It may come in handy. Well, maybe not against Roxie."
I thanked him back. It wasn't time to end the day though; it was only 15:00. I wanted to get some final bits done after I visited the Pokémon Center again.
Location: Virbank City Pokémon Center
Hugh had caught up with me at this point. He was a little further behind because I battled Mr. Cheren before him, but he wasn't complaining.
"Hey!" I said. "How you doing?"
"Very well," Hugh said. "Have you beat the Gym Leader yet?"
"Tomorrow," I said. "I'm just getting some last minute stuff done at the Virbank Complex. It's a great place for toughening up!"
Hugh smiled, then sighed. "I haven't seen a single Team Plasma Grunt yet. I set out to take back what's mine. Well, my Sister's."
I patted him on the shoulder. "Let's focus on the now. Your battle may have to come a day after mine, but that's plenty of opportunity for training!" After I healed, I said goodbye and headed back to the Complex.
"Wait!" Hugh said. "Can I come with?"
Location: Virbank Complex
I was exhausted, so I decided I would only spend an hour training. I knew I needed to reserve my energy for Roxie the next day.
"So," Hugh said. "Why have you not told me about this Journal?"
"I just couldn't," I said. "Yes. You are my best friend. But I don't want to be made fun of. I was bullied enough at School. Plus, this is evidence. What if they just lock it up somewhere and never use it? Especially when there is a clue, and it might have to do with Team Plasma."
Hugh's ears perked up. "Tell me."
Instead, my eyes were focused on some rustling grass. "Hugh, look." I whispered. "That could be a rare Pokémon. Watch this."
"But-" Hugh said. "Team Plasma?"
I slowly walked over to the shaking spot and encountered an Audino.
Audino (タブンネ)
036
Normal Type
Hearing Pokémon
3'07" (1.1 m)
68.3 lbs (31 kg)
Using the feelers on its ears, it can tell how someone is feeling or when an egg might hatch.
Audino has no known evolutions.
"Snivy, go!" I shouted. "Use Leaf Tornado!" Snivy spun a bunch of leaves into Audino. Its HP was really high though. However, its Accuracy fell. A Double Slap from Audino missed.
Snivy kept using Leaf Tornado on Audino until it was down.
"Okay, cool. It's down. So what is-"
"What?" I said. I saw that Snivy was glowing. "Could it be?!" Indeed it was; Snivy was starting to evolve!
Snivy shone brightly, and then revealed its evolved form; Servine!
Servine (ジャノビー)
002
Grass Type
Grass Snake Pokémon
2'07" (0.8 m)
35.3 lbs (16 kg)
When it gets dirty, its leaves can't be used in photosynthesis, so it always keeps itself clean.
Snivy -Lv 17- Servine
"Look Hugh! My first Pokémon evolved!"
"Okay okay," Hugh said. "What is the link then?"
"Fine. In the final page on the Journal, it cuts off. There is apparently a flying ship, which is what I presume I saw the Plasma Grunt back on the Floccesy Ranch jetpack to. I'm not saying Hilbert is certainly there, but it could provide some clues."
Hugh just stayed silent. "Okay. I will look for it."
I shook my head. "You know, you need to calm down."
"How?!" he shouted. "My Sister's Purrloin was stolen by those tyrants. How can I not?"
"Because we're on a journey!" I said. "This is supposed to be fun! Find new Pokémon, see the sights, take on tough battles, it's not all about Team Plasma. Follow your dream, but don't let it take over you entirely."
Hugh breathed heavily. "I'll try. But mark my words; Team Plasma will pay. I'm going to do some training. I believe Tepig is nearing evolution."
With that, he walked to the Complex. I just shook my head as I did some training as well.
Well, I think I can safely say I am prepared to take on Roxie! Mr. Cheren was strong enough, but Roxie will be even stronger!