CELEDON UPSET
By Aesop
EMAIL: enowon@juno.com
I don't own the ideas or characters of Pokemon and I don't profit by writing this. This continues the story of Reese and the pokemon he gathered in an effort to win the league championship. As before, any continuation of this story line will be contingent on reader response.
"Must've been quite a match." Reese commented, looking at the smoldering remains of the Celedon City gym.
"What?" the gym leader, a young woman that Reese had learned was named Erika, turned to look at him. Then she scowled. "That's not funny. People could have been hurt or worse." She regarded the intruder, a tall lanky man perhaps two years her senior. He looked only slightly abashed.
"No one was though. Every last human and pokemon made it out safely. That's what's important." He smiled at her winningly. "You must have had contingencies in place for such an emergency and practiced them." Erika blushed faintly under his attention.
"Actually, people are usually fleeing the smell of my gloom."
"Well, that works too." Both chuckled despite the situation. "I suppose a gym battle is out for the foreseeable future?"
"Afraid so," Erika nodded. "Without the gym I've had to find new places for my pokemon and the trainers who work with me to stay. We're really scattered at the moment. It'll be at least a week before I get organized enough to start accepting new challengers." She looked him over appraisingly. "You're still collecting badges? A bit old to be just starting out aren't you?"
"A bit. Its kind of a long story."
She shrugged. "I've got time."
A few minutes later they were seated at a small café not far from what was left of the gym. Reese told her about his encounter with Starmie and the beginning of his time as a trainer. He also told her about his encounter with Team Rocket.
"They were the ones who destroyed the gym," she scowled again. On her it was more of a pout, he thought. Actually, it made her look rather cute. He knew better than to share that insight though. Then her expression changed. "If it hadn't been for Ash, Gloom and my other pokemon might not have gotten out. Team Rocket wanted our secret perfume formula."
"Did they get it?"
"Part of it." She smiled smugly. Reese raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but she didn't seem inclined to share the joke. "I don't think they'll be tempted to try again though." They moved on to other topics.
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"Why a magikarp? They're not very capable." Erika looked dubiously at the pokeball he was holding.
"True, but they evolve into gyarados. If this one is treated and trained well I could wind up with a very strong ally."
"Ally? That's a curious way of looking at it."
"It's a way that suits me. Tell me, is that gloom you keep your pet? Your servant? How do you see her?" She considered this carefully for a moment.
"She's my friend."
"An equal?"
"Um, well…" He shrugged.
"The pokemon with me are free to come and go as they please. Several who found my training program too arduous have left. I expect a lot of the pokemon I train. If they're not committed they don't have to participate and they don't have to stay if they don't want to. I've found that some pokemon don't want trainers if they're given a choice. I've had my offer rejected a few times. Sometimes violently."
"Interesting approach," she hedged with a tone that suggested she thought she was dealing with a weirdo.
"It works though. As you'll see when you're ready for a match." Erika knew a challenge when she heard one and smiled.
"I can put one together in three days. Meet me in the city park near the central fountain. In the meantime, you might want to challenge a few trainers. Capturing pokemon in the wild is a lot different from facing one directed by a trainer." She left to go back to the gym, and Reese headed for the park. There was a workout due and he knew a place frequented by trainers. Erika was right. He had only faced one or two other trainers, not including Team Rocket and he wasn't sure they counted.
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He let out his pokemon in a meadow, in view of several trainers. "Okay guys, today its speed and agility. Let's start with a race. Starmie, Dukes, and Rat will go to the end of the meadow and back again."
They took their places and started off at his signal. The others watched, except for Slowpoke whose attention span left something to be desired. Rat took an early lead with his usual burst of speed, but the others quickly overtook him as the burst of speed wore off. Rat didn't fall behind as before though. Reese was happy to see that the raticate was learning to pace himself. Starmie drew ahead when it came time to turn around. It was literally able to turn on a dime. Starmie put on a burst of speed and soared ahead, easily outdistancing the others as Reese knew it would.
"Good work! Let's keep the pace up. Obstacle course. Slowpoke, Weedle, Cinder just as we ran it last week." The pokemon went into their routine, a team exercise to test skill and cooperation. Reese noticed he was gathering an audience. After a while, someone approached him. He had become wrapped up in the workout and was surprised by the voice behind him.
"Not bad. You and your pokemon might even be worthy of a match with me." Reese looked around at a boy around 11 years old with reddish-brown hair watching him with an unbelievably conceited expression.
"What an honor," Reese said dryly. "I know I'm already impressed." The boy preened. "How does someone so short manage to look down his nose at everyone?" Several of Reese' pokemon, who had stopped to watch the exchange burst out laughing. The boy's jaw dropped as if he couldn't believe anyone would dare address him in such a way.
"I'm Gary Oak of Palet, and I challenge you to a pokemon match!" Reese shrugged.
"Okay kid. You got it. Two on two?" Gary nodded and pulled out two pokeballs.
"Go Nidoking!" The large pokemon emerged from his ball and roared and stomped.
"Dukes. He's yours." The burly machop stepped forward confidently. He sized up his opponent and cast a questioning glance at Reese. "Remember your fight with Tauros?" Dukes nodded and moved forward to meet the challenger, or as Dukes liked to think of him, the loser.
"A machop? You must be new at this. There's no way that that little thing can win! Nidoking! Tackle attack!" The Nidoking charged forward, intent on trampling Dukes. For his part Dukes didn't look concerned. He waited patiently till the thundering beast was almost on top of him. Then he jumped, landing squarely on the nidoking's back. The large pokemon screeched to a stop with a startled cry. Dukes grabbed hold of a double handful of thick hide and held on tight. His grip got the nidoking's attention and he started trying to shake Dukes off. When that didn't work Nidoking reached over his shoulder as best he could, but couldn't reach his assailant. Losing his temper, Nidoking started to buck.
"Maaachop!!" Dukes cried gleefully as his mount twisted and turned. Gary stared in astonishment for a moment, then he recovered from his surprise.
"Nidoking! Drop and roll!" The large beast threw himself down and tried to roll over on Dukes. For a creature of his size, he was surprisingly quick. Dukes barely leapt clear. The machop then leaped again, coming down feet first on Nidoking's stomach. Breath went out in a rush but the larger pokemon managed to land a convulsive kick of his own that sent Dukes flying. Nidoking scrambled to his feet and prepared for another charge.
Dukes shook off the kick and scrambled to his feet in time to dodge another tackle attack. It took Nidoking a while to slow down and turn around. Dukes used the time to get his breath back. When his opponent returned he was ready. Leaping high, as if to repeat his first gambit, he drove his foot into the face of the nidoking that had stretched up to swat him out of the air. The force of the kick drove the beast over on to his back and Dukes landed two quick, hard blows to the side of the head. Nidoking groaned and stopped moving as he lost consciousness.
"Nidoking is unable to battle," cried an onlooker, evidently a long time fan of pokemon league matches. "Machop is the winner!"
"Impressive," Gary admitted grudgingly as he recalled his nidoking. "But it's not over yet." He drew out another pokeball. "Arcanine, go!" The fire pokemon emerged and stood growling at Reese and his pokemon.
"Starmie, you up to it?" Starmie said it was and moved to meet the challenger.
"Arcanine, flame thrower!"
"Starmie evasive! Use water gun when you have a shot." The Arcanine was fast. It evaded the initial blast and struck back. Gary shouted orders that gave Reese some warning of what was coming. Reese gave his more complex instructions in a code that he and his pokemon had long since worked out. As the Arcanine launched a fire spin attack at Gary's direction Reese called to Starmie. "Shower!"
Starmie directed its water gun attack straight up. Gravity took over and the water washed over it quickly extinguishing the fire. "Pattern delta, H3, rapid fire, K8 buzz saw." Starmie swept by the Arcanine as it was gathering itself for another attack. It moved quickly and passed so close that the fire pokemon yelped and leapt aside, losing focus for a crucial second. Starmie fired off almost a dozen bursts of high-pressure water. The Arcanine was bowled over.
Starmie kept moving, and before the Arcanine could shake off the attack Starmie slammed into it from behind.
"Arcanine!" Gary was incredulous. He couldn't believe he'd lost. Running to his downed pokemon he cradled the fire pokemon's head and assured him that it was all right. He then recalled the pokemon into its pokeball and stood to face Reese. "Incredible. I don't know how you managed it, but you beat me. That's never happened before." Reese sincerely doubted that, but he saw no point in disagreeing. Gary shook his head. "Glad my cheering squad wasn't around to see that." He turned and walked away leaving an incredulous trainer behind him.
"Cheering squad?" Reese said to no one in particular. He recalled his own pokemon and set out for home. No one else seemed interested in challenging him after that display.
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He found two matches the next day and one the following. Only one of them, a Charizard proved serious challenge to his pokemon, but the tauros Dukes had defeated two weeks earlier managed to knock it out. Finally, the day of his first gym battle came.
"I hope you're ready for this," Erika said smiling across the park meadow that separated them. "I'd hate to think you were wasting my time."
"I think I can hold your interest," Reese demurred. "Two on two?" Erika nodded and pulled out her first pokeball. The small group of trainers and curious onlookers that had gathered for the match leaned forward, eager to see what the Celedon City gym leader would use.
"Go Tangela." The vine pokemon waddled forward apparently ready to fight, though Reese could see nothing of its expression beneath the vines.
"Okay. I have something special for you then." He drew out a pokeball containing a creature rarely seen around Celedon. "Go cydaquil." Erika blinked and stared at the cute little creature that trotted out to meet her Tangela.
"I've heard of them, but I don't think I've ever seen one."
"I found him in the mountains. I think his trainer abandoned him. He was in bad shape when I found him."
"Oh poor thing!" Erika cried. Reese smiled, both touched and amused by her soft-hearted response.
"Save your concern for your Tangela. Cinder is fully recovered." He addressed Cinder next. "Quick attack." It was a tactic he had found most useful. It was a common, straightforward attack that didn't give anything away, while allowing him to gauge his opponent's response. Cinder shot forward with amazing speed, and bowled over the slower grass type. Reese took a moment to be pleased with the results of his training. The races and obstacle courses he had devised had made the little creature much stronger.
"Tangela poison powder!" The vine pokemon was on its feet almost immediately, more surprised than hurt.
"Flare," Reese responded with an almost bored tone. He had anticipated that tactic. Knowing that Erika would want to end the match quickly. Cinder gave off a burst of fire that burned away the incoming powder. "Flame thrower." Tangela tried to dodge, but seemed to trip over its own vines in its haste, and the debilitating heat washed over it. When the attack ended it lay there unresponsive and Erika recalled it.
"Very good. Now lets see how you handle my strongest pokemon. Go Gloom!" Gloom came forward to face Cinder and let out its famous stench. Cinder began choking and sneezing and couldn't continue.
"Okay Cinder. Come back." He drew out a new pokeball. "There is one pokemon that can handle that smell," he informed her. "Your up." Erika blinked in surprise as another gloom materialized near her own. "Elmer," Reese called.
"Elmer?" Erika looked confused. "That's a strange name for a gl-. Oh my!" Elmer referred to Elmer's glue, which was a less effective adhesive than the sticky nectar that Reese' gloom sprayed over Erika's. It not only hampered its movements but clogged the pores from which it excreted its various powders.
"Strange powder," Reese called, unconcerned that Erika would know what his next attack was. Her Gloom, unable to move or counter-attack, was soon snoring peacefully. Erika recalled it.
"I've never been beaten that quickly before," she marveled. "But you've certainly earned your badge." She produced a gym badge and gave it to him. "You've trained them well."
"I've tried. Good match." He looked around at the audience they had gathered. "I could use this time to give some of my other pokemon a work out though. Anyone interested?" No one was. Erika had never been beaten that easily before, and they were in no hurry to share in the experience. Reese shrugged, disappointed. "Very well. I'm off to Saffron City next then. Farewell Erika." He recalled Gloom and set out for Saffron City and his next badge.
THE END