Pokémon - The Journey Begins

Chapter 22: Team Rocket Gets the Advantage



"Oh, God, this can't be good," Matt muttered. "If...if I call back Zenigame, I'll lose. But,if Zenigame gets struck by the Pokémon blowing itself up, the match will be called a draw. I don't want to risk that, but what am I going to do?"

"Let's end this quickly," Koga began. "Voltorb, give it a Thundershock."

"What the...?! It knows electric attacks?! Zenigame, quickly, Skull Bash!" Matt yelled.

Voltorb charged up to fire an electric attack, but Squirtle quickly launched itself from where it landed after its previous attack, stricking Voltorb roughtly with its head. Voltorb was sent rolling, hitting the gym floor a little bit roughly, but because its body was a perfect sphere, it was able to roll, absorbing some of the collision with relative ease.

"A Voltorb doesn't normally learn electric attacks. Koga must have taught it to use it," Jordan replied.

"Huh? How could Koga do that?" Lizzie asked. "I know Matt taught his Zubat a technique, but it was pretty much based on what it already knew."

"With a Technical Machine, or T.M.," Jordan replied. "It's basically an item that allows certain Pokémon to learn certain moves. You need to be careful which Pokémon you want to learn with certain types though, because once you teach an attack to a Pokémon, the T.M. is no longer useful. It's trash. Normal type Pokémon can learn more moves of other Pokémon than any other type, I believe. I'm not sure whether this is true yet or not, because I've never had the opportunity to use one myself, but you can surprise a few trainers by giving a simple Nidoran an Ice Beam, or a Solar Beam or something of that nature, which could be pretty cool."

"Hey, maybe that's what these are then..." Lizzie pulled off her backpack and placed it on the floor and kneeled down next to it. Jordan watched to see what she was doing. She pulled out a few of them, and showed them to Jordan..

"These are fantastic! Why haven't you told me you had some HMs?" Jordan asked.

"What are those?" Lizzie asked.

"Hidden Machines. The great thing about this is that you can use these more than once! Pokémon can learn special abilities like Fly, Surf, Flash, Cut and Strength!" Jordan explained.

"Cool," Lizzie replied, putting the strange items back into her bag. "But we should be quiet, now."

"Good idea. It's not very nice to talk while he's concentrating on a rather difficult situation as this."

Koga let out a chuckle. "This certainly is amusing. Come on Voltorb, try a Sonic Boom attack," he commanded.

Voltorb concentrated its energy, then released a loud, thunderous sound, which seemed to jolt through Squirtle's body like a blast of lightning while at the same time feeling as if a train bolted through him. It began to drop to one knee, panting for breath.

"Damn it!" Matt shouted. "A water attack won't do much damage, but what other options do I have?" He began to think. "Perhaps Squirtle is possibly more mobile than the Voltorb, but it seems to have been trained rather well." He stop and thought of other strategies, but was unable to think of anything he could use that could possibly work.

Koga began to become impatient. "Well, are you going to make a move, or what?"

An idea suddenly came into Matt's head. "Zenigame, try a Bite attack," he commanded. "I hope this works..." he crossed his fingers. "Please work."

Squirtle quickly pounced on the Voltorb and tried to sink its teeth into Voltorb's hard body. Squirtle's teeth didn't even pierce the Voltorb; the attack didn't work.

"Heh, you set yourself up. Thunderbolt," Koga calmly replied.

"No!" Matt shouted.

Voltorb charged itself up and released a small amount of electicity, right through Squirtle's body. Matt watched in terror and in helplessness; there seemed to be nothing he could do. As the attack finished, Squirtle fell onto the gym floor, and was not moving. For the first time in a while, Matt has lost.

Matt cursed under his breath and pulled out Squirtle's Pokéball. "Squirtle...return." Squirtle was absorbed back inside the Pokéball. He minimized it, and placed it back onto his belt. "Damn it! How the hell was I to know that he trained Voltorb with electric attacks?"

"Matt, don't get too upset," Lizzie replied. "You can try again a little later. But now, it's my turn, if Koga has any other conscious Pokémon to battle me with..."

Matt walked off of the battlefield, and with his head down walked and stopped beside Jordan. He kicked the air and let out a frustrating grunt. "This just isn't fair. I've trained my Squirtle hard; he should have stood up to at least two or three of those Thundershocks."

"Matt, it doesn't matter what level your Squirtle is at. Remember, this is a gym leader, not your typical Pokémon trainer. I mean, come on, your Squirtle was able to defeat the Venonat, but you were stuck to fight with a Pokémon who knew an electric attack. Come on, you and I know that water Pokémon are virtually defenseless against electric attacks. Next time, you'll pick a better Pokémon to fight with," Jordan explained.

"Heh, yeah, right," Matt replied.

"Matt, don't be so serious about it. It's not like that was your one and only try in the world. You'll get another chance, believe me. Now, stop moping and watch how Lizzie handles herself."

"I'll keep Voltorb out," Koga said.

"Good then. I choose Sandshew!" Lizzie threw a Pokéball, as Sandshrew appeared.

"Hmm. She's using Sandshrew, not a bad choice," Matt watched carefully.

"Well, good selection," Koga commented. "Voltorb, Sonic Boom attack."

Voltorb once again unleashed the loud, thunderous attack. Sandshrew stood still, taking the attack head on, feeling the same effects as Squirtle did with the attack. However, it shook it off, and was awaiting its command from its trainer.

"Sandshrew, Fury Swipes," Lizzie commanded.

Sandshrew launched itself forward, and clung its legs directly onto Voltorb's face. It then swiped at it several times at a rapid pace with its claws, causing sufficient damage to it..

"Voltorb, Self Destruct," Koga commanded.

"Sandshrew, run back!" Lizzie yelled.

The Sandshrew desperately leaped off of the Voltorb, trying to get away from the explosion, but it underestimated the size of the explosion. It was tossed into the air and crashed hard into the gym floor. It slowly pulled itself to its feet, feeling a little bit hot from the extreme blast.

Koga had called Voltorb back inside its Pokéball before enlarging another one. He tossed it into the battlefield. "Let's see how well you do against Venomoth." A large, purple moth-like creature with huge eyes appeared onto the field.

"Shoot, flying has the advantage over ground. Well then, Sandshrew, try a Swift attack!" Lizzie commanded.

Sandshrew jumped to its feet, and took aim. It then unleashed several small, but irritating energy sparks towards the Venomoth. Venomoth suffered efficient damage from the attack, but Lizzie noticed that her Sandshrew became suddenly fatigued, so she was forced to bring it back.

"No worries, this is a Bug Pokémon. Val, your turn!" Lizzie released a Pokéball as a Vulpix appeared. "Val, Flamethrower."

"What?!" Koga yelled out. "Blast it..."

Venomoth was defenseless against the strong, scorching stream of flames released from the small fox-like Pokémon's body. It began to steam, as its own body was smoking. It then collapsed onto the gym floor; it was not moving. Lizzie had just become the victor of the match, and earned the badge for the gym.

"Yes!" Lizzie jumped up for joy.

Koga searched deep in his pockets for the right badge. He found it, and flicked it towards Lizzie. "Congratulations, you are my first victor in a long time, Lizzie. You should be proud."

Matt whipped out a Pokéball and enlarged it. "Okay, Koga. I'm ready for another round..."

Koga shook his head. "Sorry, only one chance per day. Come back tomorrow," Koga replied.

"But...but..." Matt stammered.

"You also realize that I only obtain a certain amount of Pokémon with me," Koga said. "I only have one conscious Pokémon left to battle, so that would put me at an unfair advantage. Check out Fuchsia City, then come back tomorrow if you wish to challenge me. My Pokémon need rejuvination." Koga opened a door and closed it behind him. The gym leader had left.

Matt let out a frustrated yell. "Argh! Why couldn't I challenge him again?!"

"Weren't you listening?!" Lizzie began. "You're only allowed to challenge a Gym Leader once per day. Come on now, I've wanted to see Fuchsia City for a long time. Come on, let's stop by at the Pokémon Center, then go and check out the shops!"

"You REALLY should think about conserving your money," Jordan said; "I was already told that you spent a lot of money buying perfume from Celadon City. That stuff doesn't come cheap!"

"I know that. I meant that we should buy Antidotes, Potions and some more Greatballs."

"Lizzie, even Greatballs are expensive; we should start going back to the Pokéball for just a little while. You didn't seem to earn that much money from the gym leader."

Lizzie counted the amount of spare change that she picked up. "That's plenty! It should be enough to at least buy us dinner!"

"Oh, for crying out loud..." Matt muttered.

"Dinner? How about some fishing rods?" Jordan suggested.

"That's right! We should go to the lake to capture some Pokémon there!" Matt replied.

"Okay then, it's settled! Now if we can only remember how to get the hell out of here." Lizzie looked around. "I can't remember which way we took to get in here."

"This way," Koga pointed, appearing again in front of an exit. "This will take you right outside."

"Thanks," Matt replied. "I'll go first." He stepped through the door that Koga pointed to, without knowing where it lead. He then let out a shout as he fell through and landed on a large, red mat at the very entrance to the gym. He then let out an exasperated sigh and looked back up. "Koga, are you insane?! Why couldn't you have inserted a staircase instead?!"

Koga let out a chuckle. "This was MUCH easier, and a little bit more thrilling! Come on, it's not that far of a fall; who's next?"

"Matt, you'd better catch me down there!" Lizzie teased, about to jump through.

"Hey, I'm not willing to get my bones crushed by your landing on me," Matt muttered.

"What did you just say?!" Lizzie stomped her foot. "What kind of man are you, anyway?!"

"Whatever, I'll get the bikes ready; you just come down here."

"Damn, I almost got him to do it, too..." Lizzie muttered.

"Are you really THAT interested in him?" Jordan asked as Lizzie blushed. "Well, you're not answering me, not to mention that you're blushing, so I'll have to say that--"

"Shut up!" Lizzie gave Jordan a slap across the face. "Don't spoil my moment! I almost had him feeling bad!"

"Him? Heh, good luck..." Jordan commented, rubbing his face. "That one hurt. If you knocked a tooth loose I will never forgive you."

"You're both such babies. Ally-oop!" Lizzie jumped down and landed on the mat. "Hee! That was fun. Huh? Matt?" She looked around, only seeing the bikes in the entrance. She looked around the room, but he was nowhere to be found. "Matt? Where did you go? Jordan! I'm going outside; I think Matt's out there!"

"Nature probably gave him a call!" Jordan replied.

"Yeah, like I really needed to know that," Lizzie shuddered.

"Well, just making a possible suggestion. Clear the way!" Lizzie moved as Jordan leaped onto the mat. "Can't remember the last time I did something like that. Now, where's Matt." Lizzie and Jordan walked out of the entrance to the building.

Lizzie turned around the corner and let out a shout. "Matt!" What she saw was Matt's body, lying completely flat on the ground, completely unconscious. "Oh my God...what happened?!"

Jordan looked around. He caught a glimpse of an object that came towards his face, but that was the last thing he saw.

* * *

Jordan slowly woke up and rubbed his head, for it was throbbing in pain. Lying flat on the ground, he looked around. The air was heavy, moist and cold; he saw a completely bricked wall, and bricks on the ceiling. There was little lighting, as he slowly pulled himself to his feet. To him, this atmosphere seemed like a prison. "What the...where the hell am I?"

"So you're awake," a familiar character said. Steady, echoing footsteps could be heard, as Arrmun walked in front of the prison bars.

"You!" Jordan ran towards the prison bars and tried to grab Arrmun. "You rotten thief. You were the one who tried to steal my Pokémon!"

"Ah, so I my intuition was right; I knew I had recognized you before." Arrmun brushed his hand through his hair, almost as if that last remark flattered him. "My name is Arrmun, and I think in your current position it would serve you better to address me as that other than 'you'."

Jordan released his grip on the prison bars and clenched a fist. "I never thought you would have the nerve to steal them again, not after the scar I gave you."

It was three years ago, when Jordan had an encounter with a petty thief. Arrmun at the time was wearing something very similar to what it was now, only at the time Team Rocket did not exist. Although he was threatened with a knife, Jordan refused to give up his Pokémon, and with his Charmeleon at the time, ordered him to attack Arrmun directly, causing him to leave a large gaping gash across his cheek. Arrmun ran away, and he never dared to lay eyes on Jordan again. However, that was before he joined Team Rocket and climbed their ranks as one of the elite. With the security of Team Rocket around him, now he believed that he could do anything.

Arrmun grabbed his cheek with the scar. "I'll never forget what you've done. I'll never forget how much those claws hurt. But, it wasn't you who I was after. It was that other stubborn trainer, with the Squirtle."

"You leave the kid out of this!" Jordan exclaimed.

Arrmun shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, for it was he who sent Cloë and Zach to prison, some of Giovanni's most liked members, of course for their ranking. He was without a doubt upset. Giovanni strongly believed that this pest held some very valuable Pokémon to capture. So, he sent his best elite fighter...myself."

"You scum! Matt has done nothing to you!"

"Oh, but he has. That punk trainer has hurt Team Rocket's pride. He was able to foil some of our best members, and this frustrates me, as well. However, whatever frustrates me frustrates Giovanni even more."

"So he hurt your precious team's pride? Ha, it looks good on you. That kid has a dream of becoming a Pokémon master like I once did. I will avenge him..." he looked for Pokéballs on his belt, but they were not there.

Arrmun let out a laugh. "Oh, come now, did you really think that we would be stupid enough to just leave your Pokémon right where it is? Particularly the Pokémon held by the former member of the Elite Four?"

"Damn you..." Jordan muttered.

"Well, I'd better check out on your little friends." Arrmun walked away as Jordan kicked the wall in frustration.

Matt had been awake for a little while in his cell, constantly thinking about where his Pokémon could be, but mostly Squirtle in particular. Beside him was Lizzie, who was still unconscious. Matt easily noticed the bump on her head where she had been hit. Matt let out a sigh. "I hate you Team Rocket. I don't care what happens to me, but to do this to Lizzie? I really hate you."

Matt lifted Lizzie's head up to give her a kiss on the lips, but he decided not to. He didn't feel right giving his first kiss to her when she was in this current state, so he decided to give her a small, warm, gentle kiss on the cheek. "This is good enough for now." He placed Lizzie's head back down softly on the floor.

"So you ARE awake..." Arrmun said, walking in front of the prison bars. Matt took an angry glance at Arrmun, then shut his eyes and looked away from him. "My, my, my, you certainly are rather stubborn as usual. What's wrong? Don't you have anything to say to me?"

"Shut up..." Matt replied, "just shut up! You're nothing but a coward!" He turned his face towards Arrmun and stood up.

"Oh...really?"

"Yes, really! You surround us with guns, and now you knock us out to bring us to this God-forsaken place? What will it take for you to realize that your presence isn't wanted? Look what you've done to me! Look what you've done to my friend!"

"I am SO sorry if I had shattered your ego and pride," Arrmun sarcastically replied.

"Shut your face! It's bad enough that you've taken our Pokémon, but stalking us like this, and doing this to Lizzie while we're unarmed, that's unforgiveable. I can't believe I allowed Lizzie to thwart my desires; I should have killed you when I had the chance back in that gym."

"You're still thinking of that are you? It's unfortunate, because you most certainly did have the chance, and you most certainly did throw it away like a broken Pokéball. And now, because of your foolishness, you can be alone with your girlfriend. But don't worry, we'll take extra good care of your Pokémon." Arrmun then walked off into the distance, with the sound of a metal door slamming following soon after.

"You will NOT get away with this Team Rocket," Matt muttered, clenching a fist. "Mark my words Arrmun, I will kill you...."



TO BE CONTINUED.