Pokémon - The Journey Begins
Chapter 12: A Victory and a Tournament
Recently, Matt challenged the leader of Vermillion City, Lieutenant Surge to a Gym Battle. Matt fought well, but lost the match due to a powerful Thunderbolt from his Raichu. After some very appreciated help from Nurse Joy, Matt is ready to take on Surge for another round; with possibly Lizzie to follow.
Approaching the large, steel doors of the gym Matt opened them and entered inside. Squirtle, Lizzie and Jordan followed. Much to everyone's surprise, Surge was already battling a small boy with some other people watching from the sidelines.
"Raichu, Thundershock!" Surge commanded.
Raichu concentrated, and sent forth a blast of electricity towards the small rat Pokémon. Taking the attack head on, the Rattata collapsed, and was not moving. Quickly, the boy picked up his Pokémon and dashed towards the entrance; Matt, Lizzie and Jordan stepped aside. Matt watched the next two people battle Surge one after another, but both lost miserably. They, too dashed out the front doors.
"Why do they keep using the same Pokémon? Rat, then bird, then rat...it makes no sense!" Lizzie said. "I mean, these are the types of Pokémon he's been beating all along; they can't make him step down as gym leader because of that!"
"I'm sure the league will understand, unless of course Matt is able to beat him," Jordan stated.
Surge chuckled and approached his Raichu, patting it on the head. "Wow, you're gettin' better at pummelin' each trainer we see. We'll have to time you one of these days and see how long it will take to defeat each trainer."
Matt intentionally forced a cough. "So, what you're saying is that everyone is a bad trainer?"
Surge quickly turned his head towards the entrance and saw Matt. "Oh, it's you again! You fought pretty good the last time. Are you willing to give it another go?"
Matt nodded. "You bet."
"Okay, Raichu. Get ready," Surge said.
Matt walked towards the challenger's side, then looked at his Pokémon belt. "Hmm...Bulbasaur, Pikachu, or Charmeleon..." Matt said quietly, trying to decide. "Pikachu wouldn't be very good, he and Raichu are both electric. Plus, it's just a baby..."
"Okay, let's go already!" Surge yelled out. "Raichu's on the field, where's your Pokémon?"
"Hold your horses, I'm coming," Matt replied, enlarging a Pokéball. "Size is also a factor in this, so, I'm deciding to go with Charmeleon!"
Jordan widened his eyes. "He's chosing Charmeleon? But...he hasn't even battled with it yet!"
As the Pokéball struck the battlefield, Charmeleon's form took shape. A large, red, dinosaur-type Pokémon with long, sharp claws, and a horn on top of its head. Like Charmander and Charizard, the tip of its tail held a fire. It took hold of Raichu, and glared at it, with determination in its eyes.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Surge muttered mockingly. "Your Pokémon there is in bad shape; I hope that it will hold out okay."
"Just a sec..." Matt said. He walked up to Charmeleon, who wasn't sure who its new trainer was. He put his hand on top of Charmelon's back, as it turned to face him. "I'm aware that you once had a trainer, and I'm not so certain why you were let go. However, I am willing to take a chance with you; I believe in you. Would you battle for me?"
Matt felt rather awkward after saying such a ridiculously cheesy thing, in his opinion, but to his delight Charmeleon nodded. It then turned around and faced Raichu, with the same blazing determination in its eyes.
"Slash attack!" Matt yelled out.
Never letting sight of its opponent, Charmeleon launched itself off the ground, holding its claws right in the air. As it landed, it noticed that Raichu was defending itself. Upon landing, Charmeleon slashed right across the Raichu's gut. Raichu collapsed in pain momentarily, before jumping back up and striking Charmeleon with its head. Charmeleon was sent tumbling, but quickly scrambled back on top of its feet.
"It's so confident," Lizzie muttered.
"Ember attack!" Matt commanded.
Charmeleon took in a deep breath, as a small fireball grew in its mouth. Raichu, who was hesitating, stood still, before backing up a little bit. Charmeleon launched his head forward, then unleashed a string of several fireballs, each hitting Raichu. Raichu struggled as its fur was now engulfed in flames. It rolled on the gym floor, it jumped, it was trying everything possible in desperation. Surge was stunned.
"Finish it off!" Matt shouted.
Charmeleon leaped from its previous position, sending forth a kick. It struck directly on the face of Raichu, sending it crashing violently into the gym floor. Charmeleon landed, standing still, waiting to see if the opponent would move. Raichu struggled, trying to pull itself to its feet. It was still slightly engulfed, though now its vision was blurring.
"RAICHU!" Surge screamed. "That's it, stop! Raichu has a concussion, you win, you win!" He dashed forward, putting out the flames with a nearby blanket.
"Ha-ha!" Matt jumped into the air, victorious.
Charmeleon also celebrated. It looked like it hadn't won a battle in a rather long time.
Surge sighed. "Well, my sixty-four straight victories have come to a surprising end. Here ya go. You won it fair and square." Surge tossed something small and glimmering towards Matt.
Matt caught it and stared at it. It was in a shape of a lightning bolt, or a Pikachu's tail. "Four badges. All I need are four more, then I can compete for the Indigo Championships." He held out a Pokéball and absorbed Charmeleon back inside.
Surge groaned and stared at Raichu. "This is terrible. Raichu won't be able to battle for a while, so if your other friends wanted to--Oh, Jordan! I recognize you from the Elite Four! I am honoured by your presence. Is there something you wish of me?"
Jordan's eyes widened, surprised by the sudden call of his name. "I was here the entire time that Matt was here, twice. Why does he recognize me now?"
Lizzie walked over and whispered something into Jordan's ear. He then whispered something back into her ear, and she did the same to him once more. Jordan nodded, then stared back towards Surge.
"Possibly a Thunder Badge for this girl right beside me."
"What?!" Surge cried out. "You can't just demand a badge!"
"Very well," Jordan replied, pulling out a Pokéball. "Then perhaps I will battle you, for another one."
"Raichu is in no shape to battle; come back later."
"All right then, I will. Remember the Charizard I beat you with last time?"
Surge's eyes widened. He then clenched his fists, walked around, pacing, muttering, cursing under his breath, then stopped. He sighed, and pulled out another badge from his pocket. He tossed it towards Jordan. He caught it.
"Fine. It's yours, babe," Surge muttered. "Don't you tell anybody about this, all right?"
"I was going to ask of you the same thing."
"Babe?!" Lizzie said, with an angry look in her eyes. She angrily and violently grabbed the badge from Jordan, nearly breaking it. She then turned around and kicked the doors open, exiting the gym. Matt laughed in response. He then faced Surge again.
"Well...thanks for the battle. Nice Raichu. Hopefully I'll get one for myself someday." He walked towards the front door, while Jordan was already holding it open for him. Matt thanked him and passed through. Jordan then followed, closing the door after him.
"Where did Lizzie go?" Matt asked. As he looked around. He saw Lizzie kicking a tree. Matt stood still, saying nothing.
"Babe?! BABE?! Who does that muscle-bound jerk think he is, calling me 'Babe'?!" Lizzie continued to kick the tree.
"Oh, come on Lizzie. He thought he was being nice," Jordan said. Lizzie momentarily stopped kicking the tree and growled. She then turned and glared at Jordan.
"I DON'T like being called 'Babe', is that too hard to understand?!" Lizzie started kicking the tree again.
"I don't see the reason why you're so offended," Matt replied. "Surge just thought that you were good-looking, that's all."
Suddenly, Lizzie stopped kicking the tree, then turned around to face Matt.
"He...he really thought that?"
Matt groaned heavily and threw his arms up in the air in disgust. "This is ridiculous," he said, looking at his watch. "It's about late afternoon, and I don't want to just stay at the Pokémon Center until the next day. I'm really not in the mood to camp out right now; it's rather chilly." He pulled out his map and stared at it. "Ah. Okay...the closest gym here is in Dellesse Village. I wonder what kind of badge that they give out?"
"Huh?" Jordan took the map and looked; Matt pointed to what he was looking at. "Hmm, this must be an updated map; I never heard of this gym when I was training. I wonder if the gym there is classified as official; unless it's a trainer gym like A.J.'s."
"Why don't we just go there anyway?" Lizzie asked. "We'd probably have to pass through there anyway to go to the next Pokémon gym, right?"
"That's true. But since it's not that far off, we could spend the rest of the day training," Matt said. "We need to keep exploring. My Bulbasaur and Pikachu are going to have to start getting some fighting experience sooner or later..."
Jordan nodded. "That's true. Come. According to the map, we need to head east. Let's pick up some supplies at the Pokémon Mart then get going that way."
Matt, Lizzie, and Squirtle agreed. They all went to a rather small Pokémon Shop and picked up some Pokéballs, Potions, Antidotes, and on sale for just that particular day a couple pieces of Rare Candy. Afterwards, they were on their way.
"Are you sure that we should have grabbed some of that Rare Candy?" Matt asked. "I mean, isn't that a little bit expensive for just...candy?"
"It increases the abilities of a Pokémon, so it's kind of like they've had some battle experience." Jordan said. "It's not really a lot, but it's better than nothing. How about giving one to your Pikachu, Charmeleon and Bulbasaur?"
"But you only bought four of them," Matt said. "I don't want to use them up, since you spent your money on them."
"Do it anyway, it's not that big of a deal..." Lizzie said.
"All right..." He took out three Pokéballs containing Bulbasaur, Charmeleon and Pikachu and let them out. He then handed them each one Rare Candy. They each sniffed at them, unsure of what it was before eating them. Matt was expecting some sort of change, though nothing happened. Jordan explained that nothing should happen until much later when the candy is fully spread in the body; it takes several hours.
"Let's see what I can do about those nasty bruises." Matt pulled out a potion and kneeled down in front of Charmeleon. "This may hurt a little bit, but you'll feel better in about a day or so." Matt sprayed some of the potion on Charmeleon, and some of its cuts and bruises automatically vanished, while the larger bruises remained.
Matt them walked over to Bulbasaur and did the same thing. "Feel better now?"
"Saur, saur," Bulbasaur replied with a small grin on its face.
Matt then walked over to the baby Pikachu. "Now, this may hurt a bit; try not to move, okay?" Matt sprayed a little bit of the potion on the Pikachu's leg. Pikachu squirmed a little bit, then it let out a small bolt of electricity directly at Matt.
"Matt!" Lizzie and Jordan yelled out at the same time.
Matt fell to the ground flat on his back as a short spasm ran through his body. He then got up to his feet and laughed. "Sheesh, that Pikachu sure has some spunk. Don't move or shock me this time. This will only hurt for a second." This time, Matt was able to do it with success. The scar on Pikachu started to fade slowly, but not entirely.
"Wow, these Pokémon Remedies are really improving!" Jordan said. "I was just given a bottle of water when I was training..."
Matt returned all of his Pokémon back inside their Pokéballs. "You know, if removing these bruises and scratches was so simple to do with the medicine we bought, why couldn't they do it at the Pokémon Center? Didn't they try or something? Very strange."
Lizzie shrugged. "Maybe it's not in their contracts or whatever, let's just get moving, shall we?"
Matt and Jordan nodded. Matt picked up his Squirtle and everyone began to walk near the exit of the city, to a long dirt path, which is to lead them to Dellesse Village.
"Hey, what's that?" Lizzie pointed to the distant sky.
Matt and Jordan both looked.
Matt gasped. "It's a funnel cloud! Come, we need to find shelter, quickly, before it touches down!"
Jordan shook his head. "It might not be anything..."
"It's getting awfully windy, not to mention the sudden increase in humidity," Lizzie added.
"I think it's going to touch down soon. We need to find the nearest Pokémon Center..." Matt said.
"Vermillion City is too far back. We need to get to Dellesse Village!" Lizzie said.
"It's nothing, guys, come on," Jordan said, trying to calm Lizzie and Matt down. "Look, animals can usually tell, Pokémon too, and Squirtle doesn't seem to be getting in a fritz."
The three begin to run on the path that is supposedly to lead them to Dellesse Village. On the way, they see several Pokémon on the way. Matt and Lizzie each captured themselves a Sandshrew, an Ekans, and a Rattata. An extra three to add to their collection, although neither of them is certain whether they'll be used in battle or not. Jordan bragged about how he already captured them years back. Matt groaned in response.
After an hour's worth of walking, they finally reach the entrance to Dellesse Villiage.
"Okay, Dellesse Village should be right over there!" Matt said. He was right. He saw several houses and some small conveniant stores. "Wow, this looks really nice! You can't get lost in THIS place! There should be a gym here; come on let's look!"
"We can't just look around! We have to get inside! That tornado is..." Lizzie hesitated, before finishing: "...going to touch down. Where's the funnel cloud?"
"See? I told you it was nothing! Must have been just some strange cloud. Other than that, like I said, Squirtle--or Zenigame wasn't panicking, so there really was no big deal for panic." Jordan took in a deep breath. "But regardless, we're here."
"Ugh..." Matt muttered. "All of that running for nothing. Thank God nothing happened. Come on, let's go explore the villiage."
"Can we take a break at a bench? All we've been doing is just walk, walk, run, walk without a trace of stopping," Lizzie complained.
"Okay, fine. We'll take a break. But I feel like looking around, I need to buy some more accessories. There are some things I want to look at." Matt took out his wallet. He then picked up his Squirtle. "Zenigame and I shouldn't be too long." Matt then left for one of the Pokémon Marts.
"We stopped at a mart before we left Vermillion," Lizzie commented, sitting on a nearby bench. "I wonder why he's going to another one."
"Well, he said accessories, so that could mean anything. But there are some magazine shops; maybe he meant to go in there. The place we were in in Vermillion didn't have any magazines or trainer's guides or anything like that like they normally do." Jordan sat down beside her.
"That's true...hey, you never really told us much about yourself. You've been a Pokémon trainer for seven years, I think you said. Tell me about it."
"Well...I don't know if I should. I wouldn't mind telling you of course, if you're willing to sit and listen to the whole thing," Jordan said.
Lizzie nodded. "I'll hang onto your every word..."
"Okay..." Jordan took a teep breath. "Well, I started when I was thirteen. It was rather illegal at the time, because you technically couldn't start until you were ninteen until recently. Since all of my brothers and sisters were already gone, I decided to be extremely competitive. I would train hard, with every single Pokémon of mine I would make strong, then eventually evolve. The one I started with was a Charmander. I made him the strongest of all, letting him fight nearly all the time.
"Because of my age, I couldn't enter the Pokémon League for a long time, but two years ago I finally got in after the eight badges I gained. It took me a long time, but it was worth it. Interestingly enough when I was finally the proper age, I thought I would get in trouble because of all the Pokémon I had already registered. Of course I had to lie, so I said that most of them were gifts. Fortunately it worked. At first I was really nervous if there was anyone as strong as I was and if all of this hard training would really pay off. I was victorious in beating every trainer that everyone had to take precaution of me by spending extra time training their Pokémon just to face me. It was somewhat flattering.
"After finishing first two years ago, it was finally time for me to challenge the Elite Four. And I would have to say that if I didn't train as hard, I wouldn't have lasted very long. The battles were really long, and really tough. I managed the first two, but the last two were the hardest. I managed to barely defeat them, and before long, I became a Pokémon Master. Five years just for that."
"Anything after that?" Lizzie asked.
"Well, I was a Pokémon Master for only two years, which if you ask me isn't very long, but surprisingly enough, the trainers started getting better. I was appointed as the top of the Elite Four after the strange disappearance of one of them. I think his name was Last. But anyway, these new trainers blew past the first three, but when they came to me, they quickly went down. I'm not saying that just to brag or anything, this is the truth. Of course, the league officials -- bastards -- thought that I was 'too good' and just because these trainers fell quickly in front of me, they didn't like that. However, just recently, this one woman, Lilaine busted through and took me down in a hard battle. Since she was the new Pokémon Master I was forced out. It was peculiar, because she showed up with all crystal badges, and just challenged us. Of course, we had to accept.
"Right after my defeat, the league officials came to me and pretty much told me to leave, which didn't make much sense. Of course it was upsetting; I was actually quite ticked off. It was almost like they gave this woman all of those crystal badges, and immensely rare, extremely strong Pokémon. Now she's even stronger than me, and what will they do once they get tired of this woman? It's peculiar.
"Basically, now I'm just travelling looking for new leagues to participate in," Jordan said. He then sighed. "Whoo...that was basically the entire story."
"Oh,then we're interfering with you by having you travel with us," Lizzie replied.
Jordan shook his head. "No, no, not at all. I really don't mind. Basically I was just wandering around here, so it's mostly my fault. It was just my decision on a whim; I don't really need to go to other gyms. Personally, I'll just accompany you to Cinnibar Island so I can find a ship to take me back home, to Mason Town."
"So you'll be leaving?" Lizzie said.
"Oh, not for a while. You see, you two both have a lot of Pokémon to catch, and more badges to get. So seriously, once we get to Cinnibar, I'll be leaving," Jordan explained. "After I get home, I might be going to the league that's all the way out in the Chloral Continent, but I'm still not exactly sure. I don't have to make a decision right away, but regardless, once I get to Cinnibar, that'll be it.."
"I see..." Lizzie said, rather disappointed. To her, it's not every day that a former Elite Four member and Pokémon Master appears to travel with new and basic trainers. The thought of Jordan's departure saddened her.
Lizzie and Jordan now were silent. Lizzie leaned forward, resting her head into cupped hands, whose elbows were on her knees. She looked to her right, watching Matt look though a bag full of accessories. Behind him was Squirtle, walking directly behind them. Matt approached them and placed the bag down on a small empty space on the bench.
"Yikes, I'm almost out of money...."
"What did you buy?" Lizzie asked. "We had already purchased what we needed back in Vermillion.
"I know, but I've been seeing advertisements for some kind of new Pokéball everywhere, but I haven't actually been able to find it until now. Here, have a look." Out of the bag, he took out a minimized Pokéball and displayed it to everyone with his hand open. The Pokéball orginally is half red, half white, with the button to enlarge the ball in the center. However, the Greatball was made of a material much more durable than a Pokéball, and is less likely to break. The top half was also blue, instead of red. Because of the durability, Pokémon captures are now easier to make.
"What is that?" Lizzie asked.
"This is a Greatball. It's stronger than Pokéballs and can capture Pokémon a little bit easier. They cost a little bit more, because of the material I think. This thing's a little bit heavier than a regular Pokéball. Oh, and I brought this, too." Matt put the Greatball back inside the bag, and pulled out a tent.
"What's that for?" Jordan asked. "We're not camping out tonight, are we?"
"There isn't enough to afford a Pokémon Center, so we'll have to sleep outdoors," Matt replied. "And this is enough to fit at least five people in it. Good price, too." Putting down the tent, he picked up Squirtle and placed him beside the bag on the bench.
Jordan looked around. "Well, should we at least look for the Pokémon gym, then?" A thought then occured to him, as if a light bulb suddenly flickered on inside his head. "Whoa, wait a second, if there's no Pokémon Center, then how will our Pokémon be healed?"
"Oh! I nearly forgot. Since the Pokémon Center - or as they called it, the shelter didn't have any curative items or machines or anything, the store offered me some Super Potions and Ether for our Pokémon for half the price," Matt said, looking in the bag again. "Okay, we'll goscheck out the gym, then we'll go to that little restaurant over there for dinner."
Lizzie and Jordan nodded in agreement. They both got up and stretched; Matt placed the shopping back in his backpack as Squirtle leaped off of the bench. They then searched through the small villages. Many of the buildings were made from the wood used by the trees; most of it was mostly a big, wide open space. They found restaurants, some houses and other buildings, but no Pokémon gym could be found.
"Okay, are you sure that this is Dellesse Village?" Lizzie asked. She then took out Matt's map and looked at it. "What the...the gym isn't even indicated here!" She turned it over, reading an information chart. "'Cities, Towns and Villages with Gyms: Dellesse'. Is this gym hidden?"
"If it's a hidden gym, why is it indicated on the map?" Matt asked. "Then again, it could be a trainer gym."
"That's what I said earlier!" Jordan shouted.
"Oh...right. Well, anyway, let's eat," Matt offered. He then pointed to a restaurant nearby. "Unfortunately, I'm pretty much out of money."
Lizzie let out an aggrivated sigh. "Okay, I'll pay...but only for this time!"
"That's not going to be enough," Matt commented, before looking at Jordan. "Sorry, but could you pay again? I swear once I get some more money I'll pay you back."
"Okay, fine. But don't start making a habit out of this; I'm not very rich," Jordan ripped out his wallet from a back pocket of his pants and counted his money.
Matt gazed at all the large numbered bills Jordan took out. Twenties, fifties, hundreds. "Not very rich? How much money exactly are you holding in that thing?"
Jordan growled. "Will you keep it down?!" he whispered harshly. "This place better have some good stews or soups, or whatever. I suddenly had this craving come over me."
Matt nodded. "Me too..."
"You had soup as part of your lunch!" Lizzie said. Matt shrugged. "But I'm not really too, too hungry. Just a simple hot dog will be fine for me."
Squirtle tugged on Matt's pantlegs, looking up at him.
"I think Zenigame wants something, too. Perhaps we could purchase something for him."
"Hey, I'm NOT made of money you know!" Jordan said.
"Could have fooled me!" Lizzie said. She began to laugh as Jordan glared at her. "Hey, lighten up, it was just a joke! Joke, as in funny, as in 'ha ha ha'? Oh forget it, you have no sense of humour."
Matt picked up Squirtle as everybody began to walk to the restaurant for a meal. Both Jordan and Matt ordered a bowl of Chicken noodle soup, Lizzie ordered a Jumbo Hot Dog, and Squirtle was able to enjoy a full course meal of green vegetables.
Jordan looked out the window. "If they have the trainer gym listed on the map, why can't we find it?"
Matt put down his spoon and looked at Jordan. "It has to be here. More parts of this village could be in other parts of the forest, because on my map it shows them all broken up."
There was then a loud burp right next to Matt. To everybody's surprise, they looked in that direction. Squirtle's plate was completely empty, as everything around them was suddenly silent as if others heard the loud noise as well.
"That's the last time I bring YOU out to eat in public," Matt commented, returning to his soup.
Squirtle covered his mouth and blushed.
"Oh geez, what do you expect from Pokémon?" Lizzie muttere, taking a large bite out of her hot dog. "Let's just have a peaceful dinner." Lizzie put down her hot dog and took a sip from her drink.
As the rest of the group finish their meal, Jordan reluctantly paid. They then returned outdoors when the sky became a little bit clearer, and the sun's face was shown for the first time that day.
"That's typical. We freak out after seeing a funnel cloud, and now suddenly it's clearing out," Matt said. As he lowered his head, Matt noticed a large sign, which drew his complete attention. "Hey, look at this! A little Tournament!" He picked up Squirtle and began walking quickly towards it. Jordan and Lizzie followed. Matt then walked over to a sign-up sheet with a man standing beside it. "When does this tournament begin?" he asked.
"Two days after we get eight people competing. We only have four right now. If all of you three kids sign up, there will be seven," the man handed Matt a pen.
"Great! Let's all take a little break from training and go through this little competition!" Lizzie said. "Jordan, why don't you join in too?"
Jordan shook his head. "I can't do that. Not with my background. I don't think I'd be permitted."
Matt finished signing his name, and looked back up at Jordan. "Aw, come on, it'll be fun!" He then turned back to the man sitting behind the desk. "What's the grand prize?"
The man took out a poster and unfolded it on top of the desk. "A Golden Pokéball."
"Whoa! Coming through!" Jordan shoved Matt aside, pushed the poster aside and signed his name. Afterwards, Lizzie also signed up.
"With the three of us entering, hopefully one of us will win that prize!" Lizzie said.
"Come on now, who just entered the tournament along with you? Yeah, that's what I thought," Jordan replied.
"You can't enter with all of those Pokémon," Matt said. "I mean, if you suddenly blasted through every competitor at the tournament, don't you think the league officials might not like that?"
"Oh, who cares what the league officials think--hey, wait a minute, how do you know about that?" Jordan asked.
"I picked up bits and pieces of your story. Quite interesting, actually. Come on, let's go prepare!"
The three began to train for the competition, by going out in the forested area of Dellesse, in which wild Pokémon could be found. They checked every day wondering if the eigth person had signed up for the tournament, but no positive news was heard until their third day at Dellesse, when the list was full, plus a few more people.
Matt's first complete competition, and it happens to be a small tournament in a small village. Matt is anxious; he cannot wait.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Chapter 12: A Victory and a Tournament
Recently, Matt challenged the leader of Vermillion City, Lieutenant Surge to a Gym Battle. Matt fought well, but lost the match due to a powerful Thunderbolt from his Raichu. After some very appreciated help from Nurse Joy, Matt is ready to take on Surge for another round; with possibly Lizzie to follow.
Approaching the large, steel doors of the gym Matt opened them and entered inside. Squirtle, Lizzie and Jordan followed. Much to everyone's surprise, Surge was already battling a small boy with some other people watching from the sidelines.
"Raichu, Thundershock!" Surge commanded.
Raichu concentrated, and sent forth a blast of electricity towards the small rat Pokémon. Taking the attack head on, the Rattata collapsed, and was not moving. Quickly, the boy picked up his Pokémon and dashed towards the entrance; Matt, Lizzie and Jordan stepped aside. Matt watched the next two people battle Surge one after another, but both lost miserably. They, too dashed out the front doors.
"Why do they keep using the same Pokémon? Rat, then bird, then rat...it makes no sense!" Lizzie said. "I mean, these are the types of Pokémon he's been beating all along; they can't make him step down as gym leader because of that!"
"I'm sure the league will understand, unless of course Matt is able to beat him," Jordan stated.
Surge chuckled and approached his Raichu, patting it on the head. "Wow, you're gettin' better at pummelin' each trainer we see. We'll have to time you one of these days and see how long it will take to defeat each trainer."
Matt intentionally forced a cough. "So, what you're saying is that everyone is a bad trainer?"
Surge quickly turned his head towards the entrance and saw Matt. "Oh, it's you again! You fought pretty good the last time. Are you willing to give it another go?"
Matt nodded. "You bet."
"Okay, Raichu. Get ready," Surge said.
Matt walked towards the challenger's side, then looked at his Pokémon belt. "Hmm...Bulbasaur, Pikachu, or Charmeleon..." Matt said quietly, trying to decide. "Pikachu wouldn't be very good, he and Raichu are both electric. Plus, it's just a baby..."
"Okay, let's go already!" Surge yelled out. "Raichu's on the field, where's your Pokémon?"
"Hold your horses, I'm coming," Matt replied, enlarging a Pokéball. "Size is also a factor in this, so, I'm deciding to go with Charmeleon!"
Jordan widened his eyes. "He's chosing Charmeleon? But...he hasn't even battled with it yet!"
As the Pokéball struck the battlefield, Charmeleon's form took shape. A large, red, dinosaur-type Pokémon with long, sharp claws, and a horn on top of its head. Like Charmander and Charizard, the tip of its tail held a fire. It took hold of Raichu, and glared at it, with determination in its eyes.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Surge muttered mockingly. "Your Pokémon there is in bad shape; I hope that it will hold out okay."
"Just a sec..." Matt said. He walked up to Charmeleon, who wasn't sure who its new trainer was. He put his hand on top of Charmelon's back, as it turned to face him. "I'm aware that you once had a trainer, and I'm not so certain why you were let go. However, I am willing to take a chance with you; I believe in you. Would you battle for me?"
Matt felt rather awkward after saying such a ridiculously cheesy thing, in his opinion, but to his delight Charmeleon nodded. It then turned around and faced Raichu, with the same blazing determination in its eyes.
"Slash attack!" Matt yelled out.
Never letting sight of its opponent, Charmeleon launched itself off the ground, holding its claws right in the air. As it landed, it noticed that Raichu was defending itself. Upon landing, Charmeleon slashed right across the Raichu's gut. Raichu collapsed in pain momentarily, before jumping back up and striking Charmeleon with its head. Charmeleon was sent tumbling, but quickly scrambled back on top of its feet.
"It's so confident," Lizzie muttered.
"Ember attack!" Matt commanded.
Charmeleon took in a deep breath, as a small fireball grew in its mouth. Raichu, who was hesitating, stood still, before backing up a little bit. Charmeleon launched his head forward, then unleashed a string of several fireballs, each hitting Raichu. Raichu struggled as its fur was now engulfed in flames. It rolled on the gym floor, it jumped, it was trying everything possible in desperation. Surge was stunned.
"Finish it off!" Matt shouted.
Charmeleon leaped from its previous position, sending forth a kick. It struck directly on the face of Raichu, sending it crashing violently into the gym floor. Charmeleon landed, standing still, waiting to see if the opponent would move. Raichu struggled, trying to pull itself to its feet. It was still slightly engulfed, though now its vision was blurring.
"RAICHU!" Surge screamed. "That's it, stop! Raichu has a concussion, you win, you win!" He dashed forward, putting out the flames with a nearby blanket.
"Ha-ha!" Matt jumped into the air, victorious.
Charmeleon also celebrated. It looked like it hadn't won a battle in a rather long time.
Surge sighed. "Well, my sixty-four straight victories have come to a surprising end. Here ya go. You won it fair and square." Surge tossed something small and glimmering towards Matt.
Matt caught it and stared at it. It was in a shape of a lightning bolt, or a Pikachu's tail. "Four badges. All I need are four more, then I can compete for the Indigo Championships." He held out a Pokéball and absorbed Charmeleon back inside.
Surge groaned and stared at Raichu. "This is terrible. Raichu won't be able to battle for a while, so if your other friends wanted to--Oh, Jordan! I recognize you from the Elite Four! I am honoured by your presence. Is there something you wish of me?"
Jordan's eyes widened, surprised by the sudden call of his name. "I was here the entire time that Matt was here, twice. Why does he recognize me now?"
Lizzie walked over and whispered something into Jordan's ear. He then whispered something back into her ear, and she did the same to him once more. Jordan nodded, then stared back towards Surge.
"Possibly a Thunder Badge for this girl right beside me."
"What?!" Surge cried out. "You can't just demand a badge!"
"Very well," Jordan replied, pulling out a Pokéball. "Then perhaps I will battle you, for another one."
"Raichu is in no shape to battle; come back later."
"All right then, I will. Remember the Charizard I beat you with last time?"
Surge's eyes widened. He then clenched his fists, walked around, pacing, muttering, cursing under his breath, then stopped. He sighed, and pulled out another badge from his pocket. He tossed it towards Jordan. He caught it.
"Fine. It's yours, babe," Surge muttered. "Don't you tell anybody about this, all right?"
"I was going to ask of you the same thing."
"Babe?!" Lizzie said, with an angry look in her eyes. She angrily and violently grabbed the badge from Jordan, nearly breaking it. She then turned around and kicked the doors open, exiting the gym. Matt laughed in response. He then faced Surge again.
"Well...thanks for the battle. Nice Raichu. Hopefully I'll get one for myself someday." He walked towards the front door, while Jordan was already holding it open for him. Matt thanked him and passed through. Jordan then followed, closing the door after him.
"Where did Lizzie go?" Matt asked. As he looked around. He saw Lizzie kicking a tree. Matt stood still, saying nothing.
"Babe?! BABE?! Who does that muscle-bound jerk think he is, calling me 'Babe'?!" Lizzie continued to kick the tree.
"Oh, come on Lizzie. He thought he was being nice," Jordan said. Lizzie momentarily stopped kicking the tree and growled. She then turned and glared at Jordan.
"I DON'T like being called 'Babe', is that too hard to understand?!" Lizzie started kicking the tree again.
"I don't see the reason why you're so offended," Matt replied. "Surge just thought that you were good-looking, that's all."
Suddenly, Lizzie stopped kicking the tree, then turned around to face Matt.
"He...he really thought that?"
Matt groaned heavily and threw his arms up in the air in disgust. "This is ridiculous," he said, looking at his watch. "It's about late afternoon, and I don't want to just stay at the Pokémon Center until the next day. I'm really not in the mood to camp out right now; it's rather chilly." He pulled out his map and stared at it. "Ah. Okay...the closest gym here is in Dellesse Village. I wonder what kind of badge that they give out?"
"Huh?" Jordan took the map and looked; Matt pointed to what he was looking at. "Hmm, this must be an updated map; I never heard of this gym when I was training. I wonder if the gym there is classified as official; unless it's a trainer gym like A.J.'s."
"Why don't we just go there anyway?" Lizzie asked. "We'd probably have to pass through there anyway to go to the next Pokémon gym, right?"
"That's true. But since it's not that far off, we could spend the rest of the day training," Matt said. "We need to keep exploring. My Bulbasaur and Pikachu are going to have to start getting some fighting experience sooner or later..."
Jordan nodded. "That's true. Come. According to the map, we need to head east. Let's pick up some supplies at the Pokémon Mart then get going that way."
Matt, Lizzie, and Squirtle agreed. They all went to a rather small Pokémon Shop and picked up some Pokéballs, Potions, Antidotes, and on sale for just that particular day a couple pieces of Rare Candy. Afterwards, they were on their way.
"Are you sure that we should have grabbed some of that Rare Candy?" Matt asked. "I mean, isn't that a little bit expensive for just...candy?"
"It increases the abilities of a Pokémon, so it's kind of like they've had some battle experience." Jordan said. "It's not really a lot, but it's better than nothing. How about giving one to your Pikachu, Charmeleon and Bulbasaur?"
"But you only bought four of them," Matt said. "I don't want to use them up, since you spent your money on them."
"Do it anyway, it's not that big of a deal..." Lizzie said.
"All right..." He took out three Pokéballs containing Bulbasaur, Charmeleon and Pikachu and let them out. He then handed them each one Rare Candy. They each sniffed at them, unsure of what it was before eating them. Matt was expecting some sort of change, though nothing happened. Jordan explained that nothing should happen until much later when the candy is fully spread in the body; it takes several hours.
"Let's see what I can do about those nasty bruises." Matt pulled out a potion and kneeled down in front of Charmeleon. "This may hurt a little bit, but you'll feel better in about a day or so." Matt sprayed some of the potion on Charmeleon, and some of its cuts and bruises automatically vanished, while the larger bruises remained.
Matt them walked over to Bulbasaur and did the same thing. "Feel better now?"
"Saur, saur," Bulbasaur replied with a small grin on its face.
Matt then walked over to the baby Pikachu. "Now, this may hurt a bit; try not to move, okay?" Matt sprayed a little bit of the potion on the Pikachu's leg. Pikachu squirmed a little bit, then it let out a small bolt of electricity directly at Matt.
"Matt!" Lizzie and Jordan yelled out at the same time.
Matt fell to the ground flat on his back as a short spasm ran through his body. He then got up to his feet and laughed. "Sheesh, that Pikachu sure has some spunk. Don't move or shock me this time. This will only hurt for a second." This time, Matt was able to do it with success. The scar on Pikachu started to fade slowly, but not entirely.
"Wow, these Pokémon Remedies are really improving!" Jordan said. "I was just given a bottle of water when I was training..."
Matt returned all of his Pokémon back inside their Pokéballs. "You know, if removing these bruises and scratches was so simple to do with the medicine we bought, why couldn't they do it at the Pokémon Center? Didn't they try or something? Very strange."
Lizzie shrugged. "Maybe it's not in their contracts or whatever, let's just get moving, shall we?"
Matt and Jordan nodded. Matt picked up his Squirtle and everyone began to walk near the exit of the city, to a long dirt path, which is to lead them to Dellesse Village.
"Hey, what's that?" Lizzie pointed to the distant sky.
Matt and Jordan both looked.
Matt gasped. "It's a funnel cloud! Come, we need to find shelter, quickly, before it touches down!"
Jordan shook his head. "It might not be anything..."
"It's getting awfully windy, not to mention the sudden increase in humidity," Lizzie added.
"I think it's going to touch down soon. We need to find the nearest Pokémon Center..." Matt said.
"Vermillion City is too far back. We need to get to Dellesse Village!" Lizzie said.
"It's nothing, guys, come on," Jordan said, trying to calm Lizzie and Matt down. "Look, animals can usually tell, Pokémon too, and Squirtle doesn't seem to be getting in a fritz."
The three begin to run on the path that is supposedly to lead them to Dellesse Village. On the way, they see several Pokémon on the way. Matt and Lizzie each captured themselves a Sandshrew, an Ekans, and a Rattata. An extra three to add to their collection, although neither of them is certain whether they'll be used in battle or not. Jordan bragged about how he already captured them years back. Matt groaned in response.
After an hour's worth of walking, they finally reach the entrance to Dellesse Villiage.
"Okay, Dellesse Village should be right over there!" Matt said. He was right. He saw several houses and some small conveniant stores. "Wow, this looks really nice! You can't get lost in THIS place! There should be a gym here; come on let's look!"
"We can't just look around! We have to get inside! That tornado is..." Lizzie hesitated, before finishing: "...going to touch down. Where's the funnel cloud?"
"See? I told you it was nothing! Must have been just some strange cloud. Other than that, like I said, Squirtle--or Zenigame wasn't panicking, so there really was no big deal for panic." Jordan took in a deep breath. "But regardless, we're here."
"Ugh..." Matt muttered. "All of that running for nothing. Thank God nothing happened. Come on, let's go explore the villiage."
"Can we take a break at a bench? All we've been doing is just walk, walk, run, walk without a trace of stopping," Lizzie complained.
"Okay, fine. We'll take a break. But I feel like looking around, I need to buy some more accessories. There are some things I want to look at." Matt took out his wallet. He then picked up his Squirtle. "Zenigame and I shouldn't be too long." Matt then left for one of the Pokémon Marts.
"We stopped at a mart before we left Vermillion," Lizzie commented, sitting on a nearby bench. "I wonder why he's going to another one."
"Well, he said accessories, so that could mean anything. But there are some magazine shops; maybe he meant to go in there. The place we were in in Vermillion didn't have any magazines or trainer's guides or anything like that like they normally do." Jordan sat down beside her.
"That's true...hey, you never really told us much about yourself. You've been a Pokémon trainer for seven years, I think you said. Tell me about it."
"Well...I don't know if I should. I wouldn't mind telling you of course, if you're willing to sit and listen to the whole thing," Jordan said.
Lizzie nodded. "I'll hang onto your every word..."
"Okay..." Jordan took a teep breath. "Well, I started when I was thirteen. It was rather illegal at the time, because you technically couldn't start until you were ninteen until recently. Since all of my brothers and sisters were already gone, I decided to be extremely competitive. I would train hard, with every single Pokémon of mine I would make strong, then eventually evolve. The one I started with was a Charmander. I made him the strongest of all, letting him fight nearly all the time.
"Because of my age, I couldn't enter the Pokémon League for a long time, but two years ago I finally got in after the eight badges I gained. It took me a long time, but it was worth it. Interestingly enough when I was finally the proper age, I thought I would get in trouble because of all the Pokémon I had already registered. Of course I had to lie, so I said that most of them were gifts. Fortunately it worked. At first I was really nervous if there was anyone as strong as I was and if all of this hard training would really pay off. I was victorious in beating every trainer that everyone had to take precaution of me by spending extra time training their Pokémon just to face me. It was somewhat flattering.
"After finishing first two years ago, it was finally time for me to challenge the Elite Four. And I would have to say that if I didn't train as hard, I wouldn't have lasted very long. The battles were really long, and really tough. I managed the first two, but the last two were the hardest. I managed to barely defeat them, and before long, I became a Pokémon Master. Five years just for that."
"Anything after that?" Lizzie asked.
"Well, I was a Pokémon Master for only two years, which if you ask me isn't very long, but surprisingly enough, the trainers started getting better. I was appointed as the top of the Elite Four after the strange disappearance of one of them. I think his name was Last. But anyway, these new trainers blew past the first three, but when they came to me, they quickly went down. I'm not saying that just to brag or anything, this is the truth. Of course, the league officials -- bastards -- thought that I was 'too good' and just because these trainers fell quickly in front of me, they didn't like that. However, just recently, this one woman, Lilaine busted through and took me down in a hard battle. Since she was the new Pokémon Master I was forced out. It was peculiar, because she showed up with all crystal badges, and just challenged us. Of course, we had to accept.
"Right after my defeat, the league officials came to me and pretty much told me to leave, which didn't make much sense. Of course it was upsetting; I was actually quite ticked off. It was almost like they gave this woman all of those crystal badges, and immensely rare, extremely strong Pokémon. Now she's even stronger than me, and what will they do once they get tired of this woman? It's peculiar.
"Basically, now I'm just travelling looking for new leagues to participate in," Jordan said. He then sighed. "Whoo...that was basically the entire story."
"Oh,then we're interfering with you by having you travel with us," Lizzie replied.
Jordan shook his head. "No, no, not at all. I really don't mind. Basically I was just wandering around here, so it's mostly my fault. It was just my decision on a whim; I don't really need to go to other gyms. Personally, I'll just accompany you to Cinnibar Island so I can find a ship to take me back home, to Mason Town."
"So you'll be leaving?" Lizzie said.
"Oh, not for a while. You see, you two both have a lot of Pokémon to catch, and more badges to get. So seriously, once we get to Cinnibar, I'll be leaving," Jordan explained. "After I get home, I might be going to the league that's all the way out in the Chloral Continent, but I'm still not exactly sure. I don't have to make a decision right away, but regardless, once I get to Cinnibar, that'll be it.."
"I see..." Lizzie said, rather disappointed. To her, it's not every day that a former Elite Four member and Pokémon Master appears to travel with new and basic trainers. The thought of Jordan's departure saddened her.
Lizzie and Jordan now were silent. Lizzie leaned forward, resting her head into cupped hands, whose elbows were on her knees. She looked to her right, watching Matt look though a bag full of accessories. Behind him was Squirtle, walking directly behind them. Matt approached them and placed the bag down on a small empty space on the bench.
"Yikes, I'm almost out of money...."
"What did you buy?" Lizzie asked. "We had already purchased what we needed back in Vermillion.
"I know, but I've been seeing advertisements for some kind of new Pokéball everywhere, but I haven't actually been able to find it until now. Here, have a look." Out of the bag, he took out a minimized Pokéball and displayed it to everyone with his hand open. The Pokéball orginally is half red, half white, with the button to enlarge the ball in the center. However, the Greatball was made of a material much more durable than a Pokéball, and is less likely to break. The top half was also blue, instead of red. Because of the durability, Pokémon captures are now easier to make.
"What is that?" Lizzie asked.
"This is a Greatball. It's stronger than Pokéballs and can capture Pokémon a little bit easier. They cost a little bit more, because of the material I think. This thing's a little bit heavier than a regular Pokéball. Oh, and I brought this, too." Matt put the Greatball back inside the bag, and pulled out a tent.
"What's that for?" Jordan asked. "We're not camping out tonight, are we?"
"There isn't enough to afford a Pokémon Center, so we'll have to sleep outdoors," Matt replied. "And this is enough to fit at least five people in it. Good price, too." Putting down the tent, he picked up Squirtle and placed him beside the bag on the bench.
Jordan looked around. "Well, should we at least look for the Pokémon gym, then?" A thought then occured to him, as if a light bulb suddenly flickered on inside his head. "Whoa, wait a second, if there's no Pokémon Center, then how will our Pokémon be healed?"
"Oh! I nearly forgot. Since the Pokémon Center - or as they called it, the shelter didn't have any curative items or machines or anything, the store offered me some Super Potions and Ether for our Pokémon for half the price," Matt said, looking in the bag again. "Okay, we'll goscheck out the gym, then we'll go to that little restaurant over there for dinner."
Lizzie and Jordan nodded in agreement. They both got up and stretched; Matt placed the shopping back in his backpack as Squirtle leaped off of the bench. They then searched through the small villages. Many of the buildings were made from the wood used by the trees; most of it was mostly a big, wide open space. They found restaurants, some houses and other buildings, but no Pokémon gym could be found.
"Okay, are you sure that this is Dellesse Village?" Lizzie asked. She then took out Matt's map and looked at it. "What the...the gym isn't even indicated here!" She turned it over, reading an information chart. "'Cities, Towns and Villages with Gyms: Dellesse'. Is this gym hidden?"
"If it's a hidden gym, why is it indicated on the map?" Matt asked. "Then again, it could be a trainer gym."
"That's what I said earlier!" Jordan shouted.
"Oh...right. Well, anyway, let's eat," Matt offered. He then pointed to a restaurant nearby. "Unfortunately, I'm pretty much out of money."
Lizzie let out an aggrivated sigh. "Okay, I'll pay...but only for this time!"
"That's not going to be enough," Matt commented, before looking at Jordan. "Sorry, but could you pay again? I swear once I get some more money I'll pay you back."
"Okay, fine. But don't start making a habit out of this; I'm not very rich," Jordan ripped out his wallet from a back pocket of his pants and counted his money.
Matt gazed at all the large numbered bills Jordan took out. Twenties, fifties, hundreds. "Not very rich? How much money exactly are you holding in that thing?"
Jordan growled. "Will you keep it down?!" he whispered harshly. "This place better have some good stews or soups, or whatever. I suddenly had this craving come over me."
Matt nodded. "Me too..."
"You had soup as part of your lunch!" Lizzie said. Matt shrugged. "But I'm not really too, too hungry. Just a simple hot dog will be fine for me."
Squirtle tugged on Matt's pantlegs, looking up at him.
"I think Zenigame wants something, too. Perhaps we could purchase something for him."
"Hey, I'm NOT made of money you know!" Jordan said.
"Could have fooled me!" Lizzie said. She began to laugh as Jordan glared at her. "Hey, lighten up, it was just a joke! Joke, as in funny, as in 'ha ha ha'? Oh forget it, you have no sense of humour."
Matt picked up Squirtle as everybody began to walk to the restaurant for a meal. Both Jordan and Matt ordered a bowl of Chicken noodle soup, Lizzie ordered a Jumbo Hot Dog, and Squirtle was able to enjoy a full course meal of green vegetables.
Jordan looked out the window. "If they have the trainer gym listed on the map, why can't we find it?"
Matt put down his spoon and looked at Jordan. "It has to be here. More parts of this village could be in other parts of the forest, because on my map it shows them all broken up."
There was then a loud burp right next to Matt. To everybody's surprise, they looked in that direction. Squirtle's plate was completely empty, as everything around them was suddenly silent as if others heard the loud noise as well.
"That's the last time I bring YOU out to eat in public," Matt commented, returning to his soup.
Squirtle covered his mouth and blushed.
"Oh geez, what do you expect from Pokémon?" Lizzie muttere, taking a large bite out of her hot dog. "Let's just have a peaceful dinner." Lizzie put down her hot dog and took a sip from her drink.
As the rest of the group finish their meal, Jordan reluctantly paid. They then returned outdoors when the sky became a little bit clearer, and the sun's face was shown for the first time that day.
"That's typical. We freak out after seeing a funnel cloud, and now suddenly it's clearing out," Matt said. As he lowered his head, Matt noticed a large sign, which drew his complete attention. "Hey, look at this! A little Tournament!" He picked up Squirtle and began walking quickly towards it. Jordan and Lizzie followed. Matt then walked over to a sign-up sheet with a man standing beside it. "When does this tournament begin?" he asked.
"Two days after we get eight people competing. We only have four right now. If all of you three kids sign up, there will be seven," the man handed Matt a pen.
"Great! Let's all take a little break from training and go through this little competition!" Lizzie said. "Jordan, why don't you join in too?"
Jordan shook his head. "I can't do that. Not with my background. I don't think I'd be permitted."
Matt finished signing his name, and looked back up at Jordan. "Aw, come on, it'll be fun!" He then turned back to the man sitting behind the desk. "What's the grand prize?"
The man took out a poster and unfolded it on top of the desk. "A Golden Pokéball."
"Whoa! Coming through!" Jordan shoved Matt aside, pushed the poster aside and signed his name. Afterwards, Lizzie also signed up.
"With the three of us entering, hopefully one of us will win that prize!" Lizzie said.
"Come on now, who just entered the tournament along with you? Yeah, that's what I thought," Jordan replied.
"You can't enter with all of those Pokémon," Matt said. "I mean, if you suddenly blasted through every competitor at the tournament, don't you think the league officials might not like that?"
"Oh, who cares what the league officials think--hey, wait a minute, how do you know about that?" Jordan asked.
"I picked up bits and pieces of your story. Quite interesting, actually. Come on, let's go prepare!"
The three began to train for the competition, by going out in the forested area of Dellesse, in which wild Pokémon could be found. They checked every day wondering if the eigth person had signed up for the tournament, but no positive news was heard until their third day at Dellesse, when the list was full, plus a few more people.
Matt's first complete competition, and it happens to be a small tournament in a small village. Matt is anxious; he cannot wait.
TO BE CONTINUED.
