Chapter Three
Roku and Kachi had stayed at the Pokemon Center over night. Both had been waiting up for Muchuru's operation to end, and both had fallen asleep on the bench where they sat. The nurses were kind enough not to wake them, and just cover them both with blankets before closing the Center for the night.
Kachi now stood in the sunlight, cradling her Smoochum in her arms. She was in near perfect health, but the nurses had suggested a few more days rest before any battling with her. Kachi didn't have that time to wait, she would have to go on to the Gym without her. She had left Roku, who had still been sleeping when she had left the Pokemon Center, and walked to the doors of the Gym.
The Gym seemed empty, desolate even. It sent shivers up Kachi's spine, and the hairs on the end of her neck stood on end.
"Hello?" she called, her voice quivering even as she was.
"Hello? Hello? Hello?" came the echo back. The Gym seemed like no more than a cavern, a huge, empty cavern.
"Is there anybody here?"
"Any body here? Here? Here?" the echo came. All of a sudden, from the darkness, came a voice, a voice that was most definitely not an echo. It spoke crisp and clear through the still air.
"I fight only with four Pokemon, so I request that my opponent do the same. You may choose your four over there, there is a PC."
Suddenly, though Kachi could not find the speaker, she found the PC. She walked up to it, and, her hand shaking, she began to move the mouse and click. A few more clicks, and she had chosen her line up. She chose a Bellossom (named Kabana), she chose a Kadabra (named Maho), she chose also a Sloking (named Pokey, after when it had been a Slowpoke, and she had called it that for short) and last, she chose Muchuru. She knew the doctor had said no in the fighting department for Muchuru, but when she had tried to deposit the fiesty little Smoochum, it had cried and lamented to the point where Kachi gave up and put her near the end of her line up. Hopefully she wouldn't have to use her.
"Alright," came the voice. "Let the battle begin for the Earth Badge begin!" From the shadows where the voice seemed to be coming from, a pokemon came. "Go Pikachu!" said the voice, its calm tone not changing at all.
"Go Kabana!" Bellossom burst from her pokeball.
"Thunder!" came the voice, still calm.
"Solar Beam!" shouted Kachi over the sounds of thunder. The lightening that always acompanies thunder struck the Bellossom, but she was not phased. Electric types are awful against plant types. The solar beam hit Pikachu with a bang, and Kachi had thought that he would be knocked out. Oh no, this was one tough Pikachu!
"Thunder wave!" came the calm voice.
"Solar Beam!" shouted Kachi once more.
The thunder wave knocked Kabana to her feet, and she did not rise. She was paralyzed! "Oh no!" cried Kachi. As the Pikachu attacked once more, she searched through her back pack frantically for a Paralyze Heal. Soon the contents of her back pack was scattered all over the gym, but still no Paralyze Heal. She looked frantically in one of the small side pockets she thought she had forgotten, and, low and behold, there was a Full Heal, the cure for everything! She smiled and let her Bellossom drink it down. Soon Kabana was back on her feet and in no time the Pikachu was beaten. Kachi sighed with relief. She hadn't realized the battle would be this hard, and it was only the first Pokemon!
The voice sent out a Charizard next, and Kabana soon fainted. The Bellossom was returned to her Pokeball, and Kachi sent out Kadabra. The strong psychic attacks soon knocked out the Charizard, but when it came to the Venasaur that came next, well, that was different. The PP had gone way down on all of his attacks, and with no way to attack or defend himself, he soon fainted. Kachi sent out Pokey, the Sloking. With a few strong water and psychic attacks, Pokey managed to beat the Venasaur, but just barely. Next came a Blastoise. Its powerful Hyrdo Pump pumped the poor Sloking into oblivion. Kachi gasped, she only had her Smoochum left. She took a deep breath, and sent out the pokemon.
Muchuru stood tall and proud, though she looked terribly tiny next to the towering Blastoise. "Hydro Pump!" came the voice, but Kachi had already called, "Sing!"
"Smoo - oo - oo - chum, Smoo - oo - oo - oo - chum!" Came Muchru's singing, to the same tune of Jigglypuff's. Blastoise rocked back and forth methodically to the rhythm, and was soon asleep.
"Good job, Muchuru! Now try an ice punch!" The attack was not very affective, but it was the Smoochum's strongest. Kachi sighed, this would be a long battle. It would take forever to get the Blastoise's health down to fainting if she only had this attack! But she had no choice, and so she used the attack again.and again.and again.
Ten minutes later the still sleeping Blastoise finally fainted, though it was hard to tell when exactly he fainted, and Muchuru might have kept on attacking even after he had fainted if Kachi had not run to her, tears in her eyes.
"Muchru! We did it!" she said, hugging her Pokemon close. Suddenly, from the shadows, a figure emerged.
He was tall, and most likely about Kachi's mother's age. He smiled at Kachi.
"Well done," he said. Kachi stood, Smoochum in her arms.
"Thank you, sir."
"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Ash Ketchum. Perhaps you have heard of me?" Kachi nodded.
"You, you are the best trainer ever." she said, nearly breathless. Had she really just defeated the best trainer in history?
He laughed. "Are they still calling me that? Even when perhaps there is another trainer who surpasses I?"
"Who?" exclaimed Kachi, eyes widening. "Who are they? I must find them, and fight them!" Ash smiled.
"Why it's you, my dear." He studied her face for a moment. "You look so much like your mother." Ash trailed off as he remembered his rival, Gary's sister. So pretty, so very pretty.but while Ash had been off training at Silver Mountain, she had found another.a man who dumped her after Kachi was born. Not because he didn't want a child, but because he wanted Professor Oak to take care of the baby full time, and give up lab work. She wouldn't, and he left.no one had heard from him since.
"Hello?" asked Kachi, waving her hand in front of Ash's face. "Hello?"
"Sorry, sorry. As I was saying, you are the best trainer I have seen in a while. I hope to see you go on to get the other eight badges in Johto, and someday the elite four. And, maybe someday, you will take my place at Silver Mountain, a place that has been vacant for far too long."
"Take the place at Silver Mountain, but - but that's for the best trainer in the world. Why do you want to give up that title? Why did you give up that title by leaving?"
"Many things, child. I found some things were more important than training at Silver Mountain.but I also found that it was too late for those things. I toned down my powers, and took over this Gym. Someday, someday I will go back to full power, and you will have to beat me. You will gain the title, but before you do, think for a while, and make sure there's nothing you'll miss by taking the title. Nothing you'll be too late for once you realize its gone." Ash was so sad, his eyes seemed like the saddest in the world, even next to Kachi's. He patted Kachi on the back. "You best get along now, and here, take this. It's a couple of tickets for the SS Aqua. It goes from Vermilion to Olivine, in Johto. It only leaves from Vermilion on Wedesdays and Sundays, so I suggest you get going, m'dear!"
Kachi smiled and put the tickets in her backpack. "Thank you sir! I'll be seing you again, and next time it'll be for the title of best Pokemon trainer in the world!" She rushed out of the gym, waving to Ash. He smiled and waved back, but it was a sad smile. The poor girl didn't know what she would lose by winning the title.
"Oh, and say hello to your mother for me!"
Luckily, she was already out of the Gym by the time Ash said this, and she didn't here him mention her missing mother. Phew!
Roku and Kachi had stayed at the Pokemon Center over night. Both had been waiting up for Muchuru's operation to end, and both had fallen asleep on the bench where they sat. The nurses were kind enough not to wake them, and just cover them both with blankets before closing the Center for the night.
Kachi now stood in the sunlight, cradling her Smoochum in her arms. She was in near perfect health, but the nurses had suggested a few more days rest before any battling with her. Kachi didn't have that time to wait, she would have to go on to the Gym without her. She had left Roku, who had still been sleeping when she had left the Pokemon Center, and walked to the doors of the Gym.
The Gym seemed empty, desolate even. It sent shivers up Kachi's spine, and the hairs on the end of her neck stood on end.
"Hello?" she called, her voice quivering even as she was.
"Hello? Hello? Hello?" came the echo back. The Gym seemed like no more than a cavern, a huge, empty cavern.
"Is there anybody here?"
"Any body here? Here? Here?" the echo came. All of a sudden, from the darkness, came a voice, a voice that was most definitely not an echo. It spoke crisp and clear through the still air.
"I fight only with four Pokemon, so I request that my opponent do the same. You may choose your four over there, there is a PC."
Suddenly, though Kachi could not find the speaker, she found the PC. She walked up to it, and, her hand shaking, she began to move the mouse and click. A few more clicks, and she had chosen her line up. She chose a Bellossom (named Kabana), she chose a Kadabra (named Maho), she chose also a Sloking (named Pokey, after when it had been a Slowpoke, and she had called it that for short) and last, she chose Muchuru. She knew the doctor had said no in the fighting department for Muchuru, but when she had tried to deposit the fiesty little Smoochum, it had cried and lamented to the point where Kachi gave up and put her near the end of her line up. Hopefully she wouldn't have to use her.
"Alright," came the voice. "Let the battle begin for the Earth Badge begin!" From the shadows where the voice seemed to be coming from, a pokemon came. "Go Pikachu!" said the voice, its calm tone not changing at all.
"Go Kabana!" Bellossom burst from her pokeball.
"Thunder!" came the voice, still calm.
"Solar Beam!" shouted Kachi over the sounds of thunder. The lightening that always acompanies thunder struck the Bellossom, but she was not phased. Electric types are awful against plant types. The solar beam hit Pikachu with a bang, and Kachi had thought that he would be knocked out. Oh no, this was one tough Pikachu!
"Thunder wave!" came the calm voice.
"Solar Beam!" shouted Kachi once more.
The thunder wave knocked Kabana to her feet, and she did not rise. She was paralyzed! "Oh no!" cried Kachi. As the Pikachu attacked once more, she searched through her back pack frantically for a Paralyze Heal. Soon the contents of her back pack was scattered all over the gym, but still no Paralyze Heal. She looked frantically in one of the small side pockets she thought she had forgotten, and, low and behold, there was a Full Heal, the cure for everything! She smiled and let her Bellossom drink it down. Soon Kabana was back on her feet and in no time the Pikachu was beaten. Kachi sighed with relief. She hadn't realized the battle would be this hard, and it was only the first Pokemon!
The voice sent out a Charizard next, and Kabana soon fainted. The Bellossom was returned to her Pokeball, and Kachi sent out Kadabra. The strong psychic attacks soon knocked out the Charizard, but when it came to the Venasaur that came next, well, that was different. The PP had gone way down on all of his attacks, and with no way to attack or defend himself, he soon fainted. Kachi sent out Pokey, the Sloking. With a few strong water and psychic attacks, Pokey managed to beat the Venasaur, but just barely. Next came a Blastoise. Its powerful Hyrdo Pump pumped the poor Sloking into oblivion. Kachi gasped, she only had her Smoochum left. She took a deep breath, and sent out the pokemon.
Muchuru stood tall and proud, though she looked terribly tiny next to the towering Blastoise. "Hydro Pump!" came the voice, but Kachi had already called, "Sing!"
"Smoo - oo - oo - chum, Smoo - oo - oo - oo - chum!" Came Muchru's singing, to the same tune of Jigglypuff's. Blastoise rocked back and forth methodically to the rhythm, and was soon asleep.
"Good job, Muchuru! Now try an ice punch!" The attack was not very affective, but it was the Smoochum's strongest. Kachi sighed, this would be a long battle. It would take forever to get the Blastoise's health down to fainting if she only had this attack! But she had no choice, and so she used the attack again.and again.and again.
Ten minutes later the still sleeping Blastoise finally fainted, though it was hard to tell when exactly he fainted, and Muchuru might have kept on attacking even after he had fainted if Kachi had not run to her, tears in her eyes.
"Muchru! We did it!" she said, hugging her Pokemon close. Suddenly, from the shadows, a figure emerged.
He was tall, and most likely about Kachi's mother's age. He smiled at Kachi.
"Well done," he said. Kachi stood, Smoochum in her arms.
"Thank you, sir."
"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Ash Ketchum. Perhaps you have heard of me?" Kachi nodded.
"You, you are the best trainer ever." she said, nearly breathless. Had she really just defeated the best trainer in history?
He laughed. "Are they still calling me that? Even when perhaps there is another trainer who surpasses I?"
"Who?" exclaimed Kachi, eyes widening. "Who are they? I must find them, and fight them!" Ash smiled.
"Why it's you, my dear." He studied her face for a moment. "You look so much like your mother." Ash trailed off as he remembered his rival, Gary's sister. So pretty, so very pretty.but while Ash had been off training at Silver Mountain, she had found another.a man who dumped her after Kachi was born. Not because he didn't want a child, but because he wanted Professor Oak to take care of the baby full time, and give up lab work. She wouldn't, and he left.no one had heard from him since.
"Hello?" asked Kachi, waving her hand in front of Ash's face. "Hello?"
"Sorry, sorry. As I was saying, you are the best trainer I have seen in a while. I hope to see you go on to get the other eight badges in Johto, and someday the elite four. And, maybe someday, you will take my place at Silver Mountain, a place that has been vacant for far too long."
"Take the place at Silver Mountain, but - but that's for the best trainer in the world. Why do you want to give up that title? Why did you give up that title by leaving?"
"Many things, child. I found some things were more important than training at Silver Mountain.but I also found that it was too late for those things. I toned down my powers, and took over this Gym. Someday, someday I will go back to full power, and you will have to beat me. You will gain the title, but before you do, think for a while, and make sure there's nothing you'll miss by taking the title. Nothing you'll be too late for once you realize its gone." Ash was so sad, his eyes seemed like the saddest in the world, even next to Kachi's. He patted Kachi on the back. "You best get along now, and here, take this. It's a couple of tickets for the SS Aqua. It goes from Vermilion to Olivine, in Johto. It only leaves from Vermilion on Wedesdays and Sundays, so I suggest you get going, m'dear!"
Kachi smiled and put the tickets in her backpack. "Thank you sir! I'll be seing you again, and next time it'll be for the title of best Pokemon trainer in the world!" She rushed out of the gym, waving to Ash. He smiled and waved back, but it was a sad smile. The poor girl didn't know what she would lose by winning the title.
"Oh, and say hello to your mother for me!"
Luckily, she was already out of the Gym by the time Ash said this, and she didn't here him mention her missing mother. Phew!
