Chapter 49:
Road in Ruins
Location: Victory Road
It had begun; the road to my destiny. But I didn't let that distract me from the other mission; find Hugh.
"WAIT!" From above me, I heard shouting. It was N on Reshiram. He flew down to me.
"Hey!" I said. "Listen. Hugh's run off. He believes that there is no hope in Liepard listening to him. Could you help find him?"
N shook his head. "I don't mean to be rude, but I need to keep a low profile. Plus… I don't like this place. The ruins of the castle are here, and I don't like being reminded of it."
I wasn't going to argue with him. "I completely understand. Here to wish me luck?"
N jumped off Reshiram. "And to give you this!" He gave me the HM for Waterfall. "This will help you discover secrets." After that, he flew off.
Deciding that time was a wasting, I entered the cave.
The first room was fascinating. It was ruins, of presumably the Team Plasma castle. There were different crumbled bridges, but some were still intact.
I walked across a bridge and an Ace Trainer spotted me. "I will be the first challenge in your series of last obstacles!"
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainer Billy
"Serperior, go!" I shouted.
"Come out Golurk!" Billy replied.
Golurk (ゴルーグ)
272
Ground/Ghost Type
Automaton Pokémon
9'02" (2.8 m)
727.5 lbs (330 kg)
Golurk were created to protect people and Pokémon. They run on mysterious energy.
Golett -Lv 43- Golurk
"Okay Serperior, Leaf Blade!" Serperior sliced Golurk over the chest with its tail.
"Use Mega Punch!" Golurk punched Serperior very hard in the face, with the damage amplified by the Iron Fist Ability.
"One more Leaf Blade!" Serperior did just that. This one finished of Golurk.
"Okay then. Go Sigilyph!" Billy sent out, whatever Sigilyph was supposed to be.
"Let's switch strategies. Okay Arcanine, go!" I shouted. "Night Slash!" Arcanine swiped Sigilyph.
"Use Psychic!" Sigilyph attacked with a Psychic attack, but it had no effect.
"Use another Night Slash!" Arcanine finished off Sigilyph with one more slash across the face.
"Well, you cleared your first obstacle. But you have many to go!"
I got closer and closer to the door outside. To get there though, I had to face a Psychic.
"I predict… that great things lie ahead!" she said.
Rosa Vs. Psychic Alia
"Arcanine, go!" I yelled.
"Metang, you're up!" Alia replied.
"Okay Arcanine, Night Slash!" Arcanine slashed Metang across the face for neutral damage.
"Brick Break!" Metang brought its metal arm down onto Arcanine, revealing it to be Zoroark.
"Nice one. Okay Zoroark, Night Slash again!" Zoroark slashed at Metang a second time.
"Brick Break!" Metang hit Zoroark once more, landing a Critical hit and knocking it out.
"Zoroark! Well, if that's how it will go, here's the real deal!" I sent out Arcanine. "Use Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot fire at Metang, sizzling the metal plate to fainting point.
"You're good. Okay Cofagrigus, go!" Alia shouted.
"Use Crunch!" Arcanine chomped down on Cofagrigus. It was a direct hit, but it didn't do as much as I wanted to because of Cofagrigus' monster Defense. Plus, Arcanine's Ability changed to Mummy.
"Use Shadow Ball!" Cofagrigus fired a black ball at Arcanine. It did a lot of damage.
"That's enough!" I shouted, recalling Arcanine. I sent out Flygon who took another Shadow Ball. "Use Earth Power!" Flygon created a shock wave through the ground that hit Cofagrigus and lowered its Sp. Defense.
"Use another Shadow Ball!" Cofagrigus fired another Shadow Ball at Flygon, who dodged it.
"Another Earth Power!" Flygon hit Cofagrigus with one more attack, knocking out.
"HA! Prediction correct!"
After that battle, I went outside. There was a black bridge in front of me that led across the river, the other side having a small slope that had the next cave in.
One the other side of the bridge was some tall grass. I tried walking through, but I came across a wild Altaria. No biggie though, and there was a reason for that.
"Go Serperior!" I shouted. "Use Dragon Tail!" Serperior's tail went blue, and it hit Altaria, forcing it out of battle.
That's right; I had been using TMs! And I was willing to test them on an Ace Trainer.
"Amazing how this place is in ruins!" she said.
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainer Shelly
"Cinccino, go!" I shouted.
"Go Swoobat!" replied Shelly. "Use Psychic!" Swoobat blasted Cinccino with Psychic energy.
"Use Rock Blast!" Cinccino blasted some rounds of rocks at Swoobat. They all hit, and Swoobat was down in one.
"Okay then. Go Lilligant!" Shelly said next, sending out her Grass Type.
"Okay Zoroark, go!" I yelled. "Use Flamethrower!" Zoroark had gotten understandably bored of Night Slash over and over again, so I gave it Bug Type coverage. It did about half damage to Lilligant.
"Use Energy Ball!" Lilligant fired a green ball at Zoroark.
"Now use Flamethrower again!" Zoroark shot another barrage of flames at Lilligant, fainting it.
"I guess I'm the ones in ruins now."
I was almost at the entrance to the next portion. Thankfully, there was a Doctor right next to the entrance, so I didn't need to get too tense.
There was also an Ace Trainer however.
"Oh my Arceus… IT'S THE RIOLU KID! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainer Beckett
"Whimsicott, go!" Beckett shouted. "Get it? Like Dr. Drift? One of Riolu Kid's biggest foes?"
"Arcanine, go!" I replied. I had no time for him to be fanboying. I needed to find Hugh.
"Whimsicott, Giga Drain!" Whimsicott drained HP from Arcanine, but due to typing, it didn't drain much.
"Use Flare Blitz!" Arcanine charged forward covered in flames and attacked Whimsicott. It was down in one.
"Okay then. Unfezant, go!" he shouted, sending out the Flying Type. "Get it? Like Mandibuzz? Another one of Riolu Kid's enemies? And he uses an Unfezant?"
"Flare Blitz!" Arcanine charged forward again, almost finishing off the Unfezant.
"Air Slash!" Unfezant swiped the air and it hit Arcanine.
"Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot fire at Unfezant, finishing the fight.
"Getting my butt kicked by the Riolu Kid! It's always been my dream!"
With that said though, I needed to see the Doctor. My Pokémon had become a bit bruised.
"Okay, let's get you checked up… SIKE! You need to beat me first!"
Rosa Vs. Doctor Logan
"Go Azumarill!" I shouted.
"I choose Clefable!" Logan shouted, sending out a pink Pokémon with wings on its back.
Clefable (ピクシー)
090
Normal Type
Fairy Pokémon
4'03" (1.3 m)
88.2 lbs (40 kg)
Their ears are sensitive enough to hear a pin drop from over a mile away, so they're usually found in quiet places.
Cleffa (B) -Happiness- Clefairy -Moon Stone- Clefable
"Clefable, Metronome!" Clefable started waggling its fingers. We we're curious to see what it could come out as. Clefable ended up using Storm Throw, a move that always results in a Critical Hit.
"Speaking of Fighting Type moves, Superpower!" Azumarill got buff and attacked Clefable. It knocked it out in one.
"Okay, enough joking around. Let's get you healed!"
With my Pokémon back in tip top shape, I entered the next cave. It was dark, wet and more like a standard cave with no remnants of ruins like outside.
I couldn't walk five steps without a Pokémon appearing. In this case, Onix. No biggie; I had it covered.
"Serperior, go!" I shouted. "Use Leaf Blade!" Serperior swiped Onix across the face, doing tons of damage. Onix's tail then went shiny, and it whacked Serperior with Iron Tail. "Do it again!" Serperior hit Onix one more time with a Leaf Blade, knocking it out.
Whilst I wanted to continue walking, two Ace Trainers had a different idea.
"Well well well, look at what we have here-"
"Don't scare her! Sorry, my brother was part of a gang once."
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainers Webster and Shanta
"Durant, go!" Webster shouted, sending out the grey Pokémon.
Durant (アイアント)
194
Bug/Steel Type
Iron Ant Pokémon
1'00" (0.3 m)
72.8 lbs (33 kg)
Individuals each play different roles in driving Heatmor, their natural predator, away from their colony.
Durant has no known evolutions.
"Heatmor, go!" Shanta shouted.
Heatmor (クイタラン)
193
Fire Type
Anteater Pokémon
4'07" (1.4 m)
127.9 lbs (58 kg)
It draws in air through its tail, transforms it into fire, and uses it like a tongue. It melts Durant and eats them.
Heatmor has no known evolutions.
"Are you sure this is a good pairing? Never mind. Flygon, Arcanine! Go!" I shouted. "Use-"
"Stop it!" We saw Heatmor trying to eat Durant.
"Hold on. Arcanine, Flamethrower! Flygon, Earth Power!" They both used their respective moves, and knocked out Pokémon in one sweep. Heatmor had a Critical Hit on it.
"Thanks for saving us. Okay Ferrothorn, go!" Webster sent out Ferrothorn whilst Shanta sent out Galvantula.
"Galvantula, Thunderbolt!" Galvantula shot electricity at Arcanine. Arcanine was paralyzed upon impact.
"Flygon, cover for it! Use Hyper Beam!" Flygon shot a strong beam at Galvantula, almost taking it down.
"Ferrothorn, Power Whip!" Ferrothorn whacked Flygon with one of its thorny pods.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Arcanine spat fire at Ferrothorn, knocking it out.
"Signal Beam Galvantula!" Galvantula hit Flygon with a colourful beam. It was fine. However, Flygon couldn't move because it needed to recharge and Arcanine couldn't move because of paralysis. "Use another Thunderbolt!" Another lot of electricity was sent Arcanine's way.
"Earth Power!" Flygon sent a shockwave through the ground, and it hit Galvantula, knocking it out.
"Sorry if my brother scared you!"
I was getting there. But there was a fork in the path. Well, there was also a path that went straight ahead into another tunnel, but it was blocked off by rocks that needed to be pushed with Strength. So, I decided to go right.
Before I reached the outside area, I was spotted by a male Ranger.
"If you want to see the view, you'll have to go through me first!"
Rosa Vs. PKMN Ranger Eddie
"Okay Arcanine, go!" I shouted.
"I choose Electabuzz!" Eddie replied. "Thunderbolt!" Electabuzz swirled its arms round and round to charge electricity, and then it shot the electricity at Arcanine.
"Come back with Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot fire at Electabuzz for a direct hit. Electabuzz was burned in the process.
"Nice try. Electabuzz, Facade!" Electabuzz ran up to Arcanine and punched it. It did a lot of damage.
"We can still win. Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot one more round of fire at Electabuzz, knocking it out.
"Good job Electabuzz. Okay Probopass, you're next!" Out came the big-nosed stone.
"Come back Arcanine. Go Flygon!" I shouted. "Earth Power!" Flygon shot massive energy through the ground towards Probopass who got hit big time. It stayed standing due to Sturdy.
"Flash Cannon!" Probopass shot a beam of light at Flygon, who shrugged it off easily.
"One more Earth Power!" One final move and Probopass was down.
"Okay, the view is yours to see!"
Eddie was right. The view was absolutely amazing. From where I was, I could see Humilau City, Undella Town and the Giant Chasm. It was amazing how far I had come up. All I needed to do was scale the last part of the cliff and I would be there.
I decided that dawdling wasn't going to get me anywhere, so I continue scaling the path up. I sprayed some Max Repels on me to prevent wild Pokémon from appearing.
Partway up, I was spotted by a Black Belt.
"Yeah, I'm different. I am a Black Belt of the Bug Type!"
Rosa Vs. Black Belt Martell
"I choose Cinccino!" I shouted.
"Go Pinsir!" Martell replied.
"Okay Cinccino, Rock Blast!" Cinccino fired five rocks at Pinsir, almost finishing it off.
"Superpower!" Pinsir got buff, then charged into Cinccino. It was down in one.
"That is strong. Okay Arcanine, go!" Out came my Fire Type. "Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot fire at Pinsir, dealing with it.
"Nice one. But can you deal with Heracross?" So… he is a Black Belt who uses a Fighting Type. Why is he getting so worked up?
"Flare Blitz!" Arcanine set itself alight and charged towards Heracross. However, it missed.
"Heracross, Rock Slide!" Heracross made rocks fall from the sky onto Arcanine. It was Super Effective.
"Try another Flare Blitz!" Arcanine charged into Heracross with its flame covered body, and this time it was a direct hit! Heracross was done for.
"Hey, I can train whatever I want! Thanks kid!" (I only battled you dude).
Up the cliff I continued. All the while I was worried about Hugh. He legitimately thought he failed his quest, which I can understand. But in my eyes, he didn't. There are just a few more steps on it. I could tell that from experience.
It wasn't long before I came across another Trainer; this one being an Ace Trainer.
"You're almost at the top! Don't stop! Oh, wait. You're stopping to battle me."
Rosa Vs. Ace Trainer Carroll
"I choose Fraxure!" Carroll shouted.
"And I choose Serperior!" I replied. "Dragon Tail!" Serperior's tail turned blue, and it hit Fraxure. It was a Super Effective hit, and Fraxure was forcibly sent back. I now had to contend with… Vanilluxe.
Vanilluxe (バイバニラ)
257
Ice Type
Snowstorm Pokémon
4'03" (1.3 m)
126.8 lbs (57.5 kg)
Swallowing large amounts of water, they make snow clouds inside their bodies and, when angry, cause violent blizzards.
Vanillite -Lv 35- Vanillish -Lv 47- Vanilluxe
That wasn't going to fly, so I recalled Seprerior for Arcanine who took an Ice Beam easily. "Okay Arcanine, Flare Blitz!" Arcanine charged into Vanilluxe with its fiery body, and knocked it out in one.
"No! Okay then. Fraxure, go!"
I had this. "Use Outrage!" Arcanine got angry and started violently attacked Fraxure. It went down in one fell swoop.
"Okay, I can stop stopping you now!"
At the top of the cliff, I had a little breather. I had come so far, but no sign of Hugh. I was wondering if he was even in Victory Road…
In all seriousness though, I understood why he was upset. You go to all the trouble of retrieving a loved one's best friend, only to bring it back brainwashed. But I knew I could help. Hugh is among the bravest people I ever knew. After all, he's my best friend.
When my break was up, I headed towards the final room. But there were two Veteran Trainers I had to face first.
I walked in front of the first one. "You are almost there dear; the point where the two Roads meet."
Rosa Vs. Veteran Portia
"Serperior, go!" I shouted.
"You're up, Zebstrika!" Portia replied. "Use Flame Charge!" Zebstrika covered itself in fire, and galloped into Serperior for light, but still Super Effective, damage.
"Leaf Blade!" I shouted as Serperior swiped Zebstrika across the face.
"Another Flame Charge!" Zebstrika attacked Serperior again. I was starting to panic.
"Dragon Tail!" Serperior hit Zebstrika with its tail and forced it to switch. The Pokémon that came out on the other end was Sawk. "Okay Serperior, Giga Drain!" Serperior drained HP from Sawk.
"Poison Jab!" Sawk's first went purple, and it jabbed Serperior in the face. If it wasn't for Giag Drain, Serperior would be down.
"One more Leaf Blade!" Serperior used Leaf Blade once again. It was a Critical Hit! Sawk was finished.
"Okay Zebstrika, come out!" Portia shouted as I switched for Flygon. "Zebstrika, Stomp!" Zebstrika jumped up and stomped its foot down on Flygon's head.
"Use Earth Power!" Flygon made a shockwave through the ground that hit Zebstrika, finishing the job.
"Okay then. Last up is Starmie!" Portia sent out the Water Type. "Use Surf!" Starmie made a large wave that crashed down on Flygon.
"Flygon, Hyper Beam!" Flygon breathed in and shot a powerful beam at Starmie. It did a lot of damage, but left Flygon open.
"Use Psychic!" Starmie lifted up Flygon with Psychic energy, then threw it against the wall. "And finally, Shadow Ball!" After that, Starmie created a black ball which it fired at Flygon, dealing the final blow.
"No! Okay Serperior, I choose you!" Serperior was sent out to finish the job with one more Leaf Blade.
"That was good, but can you defeat my husband?"
Well, that was tempting. Yes, I took on the challenge. Not that I had a choice. I walked in front of the other Veteran.
"After you beat me, you will be where the Roads meet."
Rosa Vs. Veteran Sterling
"Go Beartic!" Sterling shouted.
"I choose Zoroark!" I replied. "Start with Flamethrower!" Zoroark shot fire at Beartic, doing a lot of damage.
"Brick Break Beartic!" Beartic slammed its fist down onto Zoroark for a Super Effective hit.
"Another Flamethrower!" Zoroark finished Beartic off with one more fiery barrage.
"That was good, but can you take on Throh?!" Out came a Fighting Type. I knew better than to pit Zoroark up against that.
"Go Azumarill!" I shouted. "Use Hydro Pump!" Azumarill shot a blast of water at Throh, but it had very high HP. So it didn't do a ton.
"Use Body Slam!" Throh jumped up and landed on Azumarill, paralyzing it.
Deciding enough was enough, I switched strategy. "Go Serperior!" I shouted.
"Use Storm Throw!" Throh picked up Serperior's long body and threw it on the ground.
"Come back with Giga Drain!" Serperior drained a lot of Throh's HP. It was starting to get weaker.
"Use Rock Slide!" Thron made rocks tumble down from the cliff above, and it missed.
"One more Giga Drain!" Serperior sapped the rest of Throh's HP away.
"My final Pokémon is Golurk!" Sterling shouted. Easy peasy.
"Giga Drain!" Serperior sapped some HP away from Golurk.
"Use Mega Punch!" Golurk punched Serperior in the face.
"One last Giga Drain!" Serperior drained away the rest of Golurk's HP.
"Thanks. You may now go on through."
With that, I walked into the final room before the Pokémon League. And in there, I found him. He was just standing there, looking at his Pokéball.
"Hugh!" I shouted. "So glad I could-"
"It's over," he said. "I couldn't save Liepard. I've battled Pokémon after Pokémon, but it just won't listen. I still have it right here, but not for long."
I grabbed Hugh's arm. "No you don't! You've- I mean, we've worked our butts off just to get Liepard back, and you release it?! What will your sister think?"
"I'll explain to her."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Okay. Listen. I know you're stressed. But now is not the time to give up. It just turns out your quest is a lot longer than you originally planned. And I won't allow you to stop right here!"
"How many more serious injuries will it take?!" Hugh shouted.
I stepped back a bit. "Let's… have a battle. If I win, you continue helping Liepard. But if I lose, well, I'll leave that up to you."
Hugh stopped for a minute. "Well… you know what? Sounds like a plan!"
My face beamed! "That's the Hugh I know! Let me heal my Pokémon!"
As I did this, I saw Hugh smile a bit. But there was also a look of concern in his eyes. I knew why.
"So… what are we waiting for?"
"You're on!"
Rosa Vs. Hugh
"Okay Unfezant, go!" Hugh shouted.
"And I choose Cinccino!" I replied. "Use Rock Blast!" Cinccino fired multiple rocks at Unfezant. All five hit, and Unfezant was almost down.
"Use Aerial Ace!" Unfezant dove down into Cinccino. It was fine.
"Rock Blast again!" Cinccino fired more rocks at Unfezant, and it fainted.
"Okay Simipour, you're next!" Hugh said.
"Bullet Seed!" Cinccino fired multiple seeds at Simipour, and the entire rounds hit.
"Brick Break!" Simipour chopped Cinccino on the head, landing a Critical Hit.
"One more Bullet Seed round!" Cinccino fired one last round of seeds at Simipour, knocking it out.
"Okay then. I choose Bouffalant!" He sent out the big-brown Pokémon.
"Tail Slap Cinccino!" Cinccino slapped Bouffalant on its furry head five times. Bouffalant's fluffy head absorbed a lot of the hits.
"Head Charge!" Bouffalant charged into Cinccino, knocking it out at once.
"Nice one. Okay Arcanine, go!" I yelled. "Flamethrower!" Arcanine shot fire at Bouffalant, who dodged out the way.
"Use Earthquake!" Bouffalant made the ground shake, and almost took down Arcanine in one fell swoop.
"Use Flare Blitz!" Arcanine charged towards Bouffalant covered in fire and did a lot of damage to it. However, the recoil damage also knocked Arcanine out.
"Okay Zoroark, you're next!" I shouted. "Night Slash!" Zoroark darted forward and slashed at Bouffalant, dealing the final Critical Hit blow.
"Okay Emboar, you're next!" Hugh sent out his big-beefy Emboar.
"Thanks," I told Zoroark, switching for Azumarill. "Okay Azumarill, Hydro Pump!" Azumarill fired a jet of water at Emboar, who somehow survived. It wasn't Hugh's strongest Pokémon for nothing.
"Emboar, Rock Slide!" Emboar made rocks fall from the ceiling onto Azumarill.
"Come back with Aqua Tail!" I replied, as Azumarill hit Emboar with its wet tail. It finished it off.
"Okay. Next up is Eelektross!" Out came the Electric Type.
"Aqua Tail again!" Azumarill attacked with its tail, and Eelektross was hit.
"Thunderbolt!" Eelektross zapped Azumarill with its electricity, paralyzing it. "Now use Dragon Claw!" Eelektross' claw went blue, and it swiped at Azumarill. It was finished.
"Urgh. Okay Serperior, go!" I shouted. "Use Leaf Blade!" Serperior swiped at Eelektross. It was a Critical Hit and Eelektross was down.
"Okay. Let's… do this. I choose LIEPARD!" Liepard came out, snarling like crazy.
"Liepard!" I said. "Remember me? It's Rosa! Remember me? Hugh is the brother of your first Trainer! You're no longer with the Shadow Triad!"
But Liepard was too angry to listen. But not as angry as before. "I… think its calming down."
"Okay Serperior, Leaf Blade!" Serperior swiped at Liepard.
"Come back with Night Slash!" Liepard, did just that! "It's listening!" Liepard shook its head and calmed down. Only for a second though. "Keep at is Rosa!"
"Use one more Leaf Blade!" Serperior hit Liepard with one more move, and it was a Critical Hit! Liepard was down!
"I… don't believe it…" Hugh said.
After the victory, me and Hugh looked out at the same lookout point that Hilbert was once at. There was clear evidence of a landslide, and the entire Victory Road had now been destroyed.
"Well," I said. "You're getting there."
"Yeah," he replied. "Hey, Rosa. Can you do me a favour?"
I nodded. "Go ahead."
"Be the best Champion you can be!"
Woah, I wasn't expecting that. "But you wanted to become Champion to! Why are you giving up?"
"I'm not. Whilst Liepard is starting to listen, I have a long way to go. If it's fine with you, I'm going to return to Aspertia City and see if Liepard can remember my sister. I'm sorry if I've shocked you with this."
"Not at all," I said. "I understand. Going down a different path is necessary for this. And yes, I will be the best Champion of all time. But this doesn't mean the end of an adventure!"
Hugh put hit thumb up, and we both hugged. "Thanks Rosa…" He loosened his grip and sent out Unfezant, flying off into the sunset. Me? I was going in the other direction.
Location: Unova Pokémon League
Above me was the grand building that was the Pokémon League. Inside would be the Elite Four. Tomorrow, I would be facing it.
So. I've arrived. Hugh has gone off to continue his own quest, and I won't stop him. As for me, it is now time for me to follow in Hilbert's steps.