Chapter 26:
Sparks and Recreation
Location: Chargestone Cave
Chargestone Cave is such a fascinating place. There is a special magnetic field present that makes rocks charged with blue electricity, with some of them even floating. Of course, I wasn't going to get distracted. I knew exactly what Hilbert thought of this place, and I wasn't going to be drawn in too much.
"Let's go looking for a Pokémon," I thought. I ran through the cave, hoping for something to get attracted.
Sure enough, something did! It was a navy Pokémon. Its most noticeable feature was its large, red nose.
Nosepass (ノズパス)
164
Rock Type
Compass Pokémon
3'03" (1 m)
213.8 lbs (97 kg)
Its magnetic nose always faces north and draws iron objects to its body to protect itself better.
"Wow, a Rock Type! Time to take it down. Servine, I choose you!" I shouted. "Leaf Blade!" Servine slashed Nosepass with its glowing green tail. Nosepass however had high Defense, so it only took about half damage. Suddenly, Nosepass lifted a rock using magnetic force and threw it at Servine. It was Rock Throw! "Okay Servine, Leaf Tornado!" Servine span round and round and fired leaves at Nosepass. It was down.
"Fascinating," I thought. "Nosepass weren't found in here when Hilbert was present." I got out his Journal and looked through. "Hmm. I wonder if that Fossil team is still here? I hope I don't get an Archen wound."
Through the Chargestone Cave I went. It was strangely soothing being there. Of course, Pokémon are abundant, and the next one I came across was Ferroseed.
Ferroseed (テッシード)
175
Grass/Steel Type
Thorn Seed Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
41.4 lbs (18.8 kg)
It absorbs the iron it finds in the rock while clinging to the ceiling. It shoots spikes when in danger.
"Growlithe, go!" I shouted. "Use Flame Burst!" I wasn't going to deal with Iron Barbs, so I had Growlithe use a move that doesn't make contact. It was Super Effective. Ferroseed then started spinning. It rammed its twirling body into Growlithe. "Gyro Ball, and a strong one at that! Okay Growlithe, one more Flame Burst!" Growlithe fired another ball of flames at Ferroseed, dealing the final blow.
So, it turns out I wasn't alone at the Chargestone Cave, because there were Trainers, well, training. Wanting to get my team buffed up a little more, I walked in front of an Ace Trainer.
"The magnetic waves here are so intense my hair is going on end!"
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainer Corky
"Azumarill, go!" I yelled, sending out my Water Type.
"Sandslash, go!" replied Corky. Suffice to say, I think I had this. "Use Sand Tomb!" Sandslash made sand appear from below Azumarill's feet.
"Aqua Tail!" Azumarill's whacked Sandslash with its blue-glowing tail. It was a Super Effective hit and almost took down Sandslash.
"Use Slash!" Sandslash swiped at Azumarill. It was a Critical Hit.
"Bubble Beam!" I shouted as Azumarill fired a jet of bubbles at Sandslash. It was finished.
"Strong Pokémon. Okay Klink, you're next!" The revolving gears were my next foe.
Sand Tomb made escape impossible, so I had to work with what I had. "Azumarill, Aqua Tail!" Unfortunately, it missed.
"Charge Beam!" Klink fired a yellow beam at Azumarill. Azumarill was hanging on.
"Another Aqua Tail!" This Aqua Tail was thankfully at hit. Klink almost fell apart.
"Another Charge Beam!" Klink fired an even stronger yellow beam at Azumarill, finishing it off.
"You did your best," I told it. "Okay Trapinch, come out!" I sent out Trapinch so that Charge Beam wouldn't be a problem.
"Gear Grind!" Klink went over to Trapinch and trapped its head within its gears three times.
"Come back with Bulldoze!" I shouted. Trapinch shook Klink off, then sent a shockwave through the ground. Klink was finished.
"Oh yeah, I'm getting more charged up than this cave! Okay Unfezant, go!" Out came an Unfezant (the male variety, which is the one with the pink plumes).
Unfezant (ケンホロー)
016
Normal/Flying Type
Proud Pokémon
3'11" (1.2 m)
63.9 lbs (29 kg)
Males swing the plumage on their heads to threaten others, but females are better at flying.
Pidove -Lv 21- Tranquill -Lv 32- Unfezant
"Okay Unfezant, Air Slash!" Unfezant slashed the air, sending a shock wave Trapinch's way. It hit.
"Come back with Rock Slide!" I shouted, as Trapinch made rocks fall from the ceiling onto Unfezant. It was a Super Effective hit. "More like that!" I said.
"Not so fast. Unfezant, Roost!" Unfezant nestled down, healing itself.
"Healing aye? That won't get you anywhere! Trapinch, another Rock Slide!" Trapinch used another Rock Type move. I was hoping for another Super Effective hit, but to my horror, it did neutral damage.
"I appreciate your knowledge of Type advantages, but Roost throws that a bit out the window. It heals a Pokémon at the cost of its Flying Type that turn. This means that Rock Slide isn't Super Effective. You're stuck between a Rock Type and a hard place whilst Trapinch slowly gets weaker."
He was right, so I recalled Trapinch for Growlithe who took an Air Slash. And another, but that was the point. "Growlithe, Fire Fang!" Growlithe bit Unfezant on the wing for a Critical Hit.
"Roost!" Unfezant nestled down and healed itself up. Just the opening I wanted.
"Reversal!" Growlithe started glowing blue. It then charged into Unfezant. Due to Growlithe being quite weak and the Super Effective hit, Unfezant went down.
"Truly a shocking battle. Congrats!"
I crossed the bridge where Hilbert fist came across the Shadow Triad. I was surprised in the two years since he went on his journey, no one had bothered to install railings or ropes because, whilst the bridge was sturdy, one fall will take you into the bottomless abyss below. Across the Bridge was a Ranger.
"I hope you don't plan on draining any of the electricity; Pokémon live in tandem with it!"
Rosa Vs. Ranger Louis
"I choose Ampharos!" Louis shouted, sending out a yellow Pokémon with a long tail with a red orb on the end.
Ampharos (デンリュヴ)
027
Electric Type
Light Pokémon
4'07" (1.4 m)
135.6 lbs (61.5 kg)
The tip of its tail shines so brightly it can be used to send sea-navigation beacons to distant foreign shores.
Mareep -Lv 15- Flaaffy -Lv 30- Ampharos
"You're up Trapinch!" I shouted.
"Okay Ampharos, use Take Down!" Ampharos rammed into Trapinch with all its might. Except it wasn't Trapinch, it was Zorua.
"Now Zorua, Foul Play!" Zorua grabbed onto Ampharos' tail and made it shine brightly in its eyes, doing damage to it. "Okay Zorua, good enough. Come out Trapinch!"
"Ampharos, Thunder Punch!" Trapinch came out just in time to not get damaged by the Electric Type move. "Okay then, Take Down again!" Ampharos charged into Trapinch. Trapinch went flying through the air.
"Trapinch, Dig!" When Trapinch landed, it dug a hole underground. This helped it dodge another Take Down. "Now!" Trapinch came back above ground and bit Ampharos. It did a lot of damage and took down Ampharos.
"Oh, I guess you're not trying to syphon electricity. Move along. Oh, and one more thing. If you see any dust clouds, it might be an item."
Across the Bridge was an entrance which would take me down to the next floor. But before I went down, I saw a dust cloud. Remembering Louis' advice, I went in.
It was a Fire Stone! To my knowledge, it would evolve Growlithe into Arcanine! I didn't want to do that just yet though.
I went down to the next floor. Thankfully, on the floor, was a Doctor! I knew what to do; beat him and he would heal my Pokémon.
"That's what I'll do!" he said, looking at what I was writing down.
Rosa Vs. Doctor Kit
"Okay Minccino, go!" I shouted.
"Go Gothita!" Kit replied.
Gothita (ゴチム)
136
Psychic Type
Fixation Pokémon
1'04" (0.4 m)
12.8 lbs (5.8 kg)
It stares intently at everything. It can become so obsessed with watching that it doesn't even notice attacks.
"Minccino, Tail Slap!" Minccino attacked Gothita five times. It took it down to a half of its health.
"Gothita, come back with Psyshock!" Gothita fired blue balls at Minccino. Thankfully, Minccino took it.
"One more Tail Slap!" I shouted. Minccino slapped Gothita across the face five more times. It was down.
"Okay, okay. That was pretty good. Solosis, go!" Kit yelled.
Solosis (ユニラン)
139
Psychic Type
Cell Pokémon
1'00" (0.3 m)
2.2 lbs (1 kg)
Because their bodies are enveloped in a special liquid, they can survive in are fine in any environment, no matter how severe.
"Psyshock Solosis!" Solosis fired its own blue balls at Minccino. Minccino could only take one more.
"Minccino, Swift!" Minccino fired stars at Solosis. I wanted to at the very least get some sort of hit in.
"One more Psyshock!" Solosis did just that, fainting Minccino.
"No!" I shouted. "Okay, you asked for it. Go Servine!" I shouted. "Foul Play!" Servine went over to Solosis and hit it.
"Psyshock!" Solosis used another Psyshock, but it did nothing.
"One more!" Servine used one more Foul Play. This Dark Type move fainted Solosis.
"Sorry for being sneaky earlier. Let me heal you up." Kit did just that as Servine transformed into Zorua. However, that wasn't the only transformation that was about to occur.
Zorua was starting to glow. It got bigger and bigger before finally evolving into its sleek new form; Zoroark!
Zoroark (ゾロアーク)
152
Dark Type
Illusion Fox Pokémon
5'03" (1.6 m)
178.8 lbs (81.1 kg)
Stories say those who tried to catch Zoroark were trapped in an illusion and punished.
Zorua -Lv 30- Zoroark
"I can't believe it!" I said. "A Zoroark! This is great!" As I was praising it, Zoroark's claws started glowing. It then swiped the air. "And you learned Night Slash in the meanwhile! It just gets better and better! Okay, let's get a move on."
You know, I was originally a bit scared to go into the Chargestone Cave. But honestly, whilst I understood Hilbert's bad experience, I was enjoying myself!
As I reached the stairs that went back up to the first floor, I came across a Tynamo.
Tynamo (シビシラス)
177
Electric Type
Elefish Pokémon
0'08" (0.2 m)
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)
One alone can emit only a trickle of electricity, so a group of them gathers to unleash a powerful electric shock.
"Zoroark, go!" I yelled. "Use Night Slash!" Zoroark's claws started glowing red. It then slashed at Tynamo for a Critical Hit. Tynamo came back with Charge Beam, but Zoroark took it. "And another!" Zoroark slashed at Tynamo again, this time giving me the win. "Alright, let's get out of here!"
Upon emerging at the first floor, I could feel the breeze from outside. I was almost out. Before I made progress though, I saw another dust cloud. I went over and it was…
"A Shiny Stone!" I said. "This will evolve Minccino! But let's let it learn a few moves first. If I evolve it, or Growlithe for that matter, too early, then it won't be able to learn a lot of moves it learns in its first stage."
There were two Trainers waiting for me before I came out of the Chargestone Cave. One was a Hiker.
"I'm willing to see if the rocks have changed their Defense. Want to try?"
Rosa Vs. Hiker Otto
"Servine, go!" I shouted.
"Aron, I choose you!" Otto sent out a small-grey cute Pokémon with a hard looking face.
Aron (ココドラ)
166
Steel/Rock Type
Iron Armor Pokémon
1'04" (0.4 m)
132.3 lbs (60 kg)
In order to build up its steel body, it eats iron ore. This pesky Pokémon is known to eat railroad tracks.
"Okay Servine, Leaf Blade!" Servine swiped Aron's face, but Aron's Defense was very high. It only did about a third.
"Come back with Iron Head!" Aron's head started gleaming. Then, it charged into Servine. Servine was flung back.
"Leaf Tornado!" Servine span round and round, firing leaves at Aron. It almost knocked it out due to Aron's low Sp. Defense.
"Another Iron Head!" Aron charged into Servine once again. Servine did well enough to protect itself though, but it was getting tired.
"One more Leaf Blade!" Servine sliced at Aron one more time, knocking it out.
"Okay then. Time for my newest Pokémon, Probopass!" Otto sent out a Pokémon that looked like Nosepass. However, its nose was much bigger, it had a woolly black moustache, a red hat thing and three small noses circling around it.
Probopass (ダイノーズ)
165
Rock/Steel Type
Compass Pokémon
4'07" (1.4 m)
749.6 lbs (340 kg)
It freely controls three units called Mini-Noses using magnetic force.
Nosepass -Lv Up in Magnetic Field- Probopass
"Take a break Servine," I said, sending it back. "Okay Trapinch, you're up!" I knew a Ground Type would do the trick.
"Probopass, use Rock Slide!" Probopass made rocks fall from above. They fell on Trapinch.
"Now Dig!" I said. Trapinch went underground. Probopass couldn't do much so it just used Rock Slide. "Attack!" Trapinch came up from underground and attacked Probopass for almost half.
"Probopass, Power Gem!" Probopass fired a shining diamond at Trapinch. It wasn't very effective like Rock Slide.
"Bulldoze!" Trapinch made a shockwave that made its way through the ground to Probopass. Probopass was getting weaker.
"Use Rest!" Probopass went to sleep. All its health recovered in the process. This was going to get… annoying.
"Keep it up with the Bulldoze!" Trapinch kept sending shockwaves to Probobass whilst it was asleep. "And again!" Trapinch used another one.
I saw Probopass waking up. "Now Rock Sl-"
"Dig!" Trapinch went underground, dodging the Rock Slide. Bulldoze had lowered the Speed of Probobass so much that even Trapinch out sped it. "Now!" Trapinch came back above ground, attacking Probopass. It was down.
"Wait, it must have an effect! The waves must have triggered my Nosepass's evolution!"
It was time for the final Trainer. It was an Ace Trainer. After this, I would be out of the electrified wonder.
"Almost there! Let's give you one more jolt!"
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainer Mary
"Come out Servine!" I shouted.
"Go Tirtouga!" Mary replied.
Tirtouga (プロトーガ)
126
Water/Rock Type
Proturtle Pokémon
2'04" (0.7 m)
36.4 lbs (16.5 kg)
This Pokémon was restored from a Fossil. It swam skilfully and dove to depths beyond half a mile.
Revived from a Cover Fossil.
"Okay Servine, Leaf Blade!" Having not learned my lesson about high Defense in this cave, Servine slashed at Tirtouga. It barely held on, despite the Type advantage.
"Use Crunch!" Tirtouga chomped down on Servine's tail. It did okay damage to it.
"Now use Leaf Tornado!" Servine span round and round, firing leaves at Tirtouga. It was finished.
"Nice one. Go Magmar!" The other Pokémon of Mary's was a yellow and orange Pokémon with a long tail that had a flame on the end.
Magmar (ブーバー)
054
Fire Type
Spitfire Pokémon
4'03" (1.3 m)
98.1 lbs (44.5 kg)
The scorching fire exhaled by Magmar forms heat waves around its body, making it hard to see the Pokémon clearly.
Magby (B) -Lv 30- Magmar
"Thanks Servine. Okay Azumarill, go!" I shouted.
"Magmar, Confuse Ray!" Magmar created a wave in the air that hit Azumarill, confusing it. I really didn't want that to happen.
"Aqua Tail!" Azumarill instead hit itself. It was starting to get annoying.
"Fire Punch!" Magmar's fist caught fire, then it punched Azumarill for not a lot. But it did burn it.
"Aqua Tail!" Azumarill finally got in an Aqua Tail hit. However, it wasn't a OHKO like I was hoping because of the burn.
"Now use Clear Smog!" Magmar spat clear smoke at Azumarill. It hit.
At that moment, Azumarill snapped out of the confusion! "Alright! Let's finish this! Aqua Tail!" Azumarill hit Magmar with its tail, defeating it.
"What an electrifying finish! Good luck at the Gym!"
With that victory, I walked outside.
Location: Mistralton City
Finally, I had made it to the location of my sixth Gym challenge. And it only took a day's trek through an electrified cavern to get there. "Let's rest up," I said. "In fact, we all deserve one tomorrow. Just some light training on Route 7 will do the trick, or maybe none at all!"
So… I liked Chargestone Cave! I clearly had a better experience than Hilbert. And hey, I have what I need to evolve two of my Pokémon when they're both ready and Zorua evolved into Zoroark! I'm sure its mother Zoroark is proud. No Gym battle tomorrow though; I need a breather.