Pokémon - The Journey Begins

Chapter 26: Next Gym!



Matt was outside, early the next morning; he was out on the deck, looking in the direction that the cruise ship was sailind. He continued to wonder how much longer it would take to Cinnibar, very eager to try and earn another badge.

Matt's Squirtle, Lizzie and Jordan were still asleep inside the ship. Neither of them could understand how Matt could get up so early in the mornings, since there really was no explanation for it.

Matt yawned as he continued to look out towards the sea. He noticed that it seemed to get brighter every minute. The sun must be rising, he thought. Good, it's a new day, and I really want to give my new rejuvinated self a try.

"Having a hard time sleeping? Or are you sick?" a man behind him asked.

Matt turned around. "No, sir. I'm just an early bird. And I'm not sick."

The man smiled. Matt saw that he was wearing a white sailor suit. Could this be the captain? "Well, just making sure, because you've been staring out to sea for an hour."

This comment made Matt feel rather uncomfortable. "You were watching me?"

The sailor laughed, then shook his head. "No worries, kid. It's not like I'm stalking you or anything. I was just unsure whether or not you were sick. Because I've had a lot of passengers sick in my earlier days."

Matt chuckled nervously. "I...I can see that." He blinked and turns his head to the side.

The sailor smiled. "Aww, don't worry about it. So, do you like the ocean?"

Matt turned his eyes back towards it. "Yes, I think it's rather neat."

"You a Pokémon trainer?"

Matt felt rather uneasy again, being constantly applied with one question after another. "Yeah...why do you ask?"

"Just curious is all."

Matt eyed the sailor. "Are you bored or something?" he asked, before suddenly realizing how impolite that question was. "Sorry, it just seems that way," he added.

"Nah, it's all right. I'm actually on my break."

"Your breaks are an hour long?" Matt asked.

The sailor laughed. "No, I was watching you from inside. The other sailors like to smoke, so I always come outside on my breaks. Second-hand smoke is bad for you, worse than smoking itself."

"I don't blame you," Matt added. "So, do you know when we'll be reaching Cinnibar?"

The sailor looked at his watch. "Well, it's 6:43 now; we should be there by nine this morning."

Matt smiled. "We're gonna be there much sooner than I thought! Thanks. I'll make sure my friends are awake at that time."

"No problem. I'll be going back down below."

"Have fun," Matt replied.

The sailor smiled. "Don't worry, I think I'll open a window on my next break."

Matt chortled. He smiled, then looked back out to the sea, seeing more of the sun then he could even a few minutes ago. He took one last look and decided that he wanted something to eat. He started walking back inside, but then realized that they didn't serve breakfast for at least another hour.

"It's been a while since I've spoken to Professor Oak, or my family. I think I'll go do that now--oh wait, they're still asleep. Oh, I'll call them anyway, and leave a message or something."

Matt walked inside the lobby, and looked for a telephone with an added computer monitor. He had forgotten the professor's number, so he had to use his Pokédex. After a few rings, a very tired professor picked up the phone. "Hello...?"

"Professor? Did I wake you?!" Matt suddenly felt rather guilty.

The professor rubbed his eyes. "Oh, it's you, Matt! No, you didn't wake me up; a flock of Spearows attacked my garden about twenty minutes ago. It took me a while to chase them away. Now, I can't seem to go back to sleep."

Matt tried to hold back his laughter. "I'm sorry to hear that. I never knew you had a garden!"

"It's where I grow vegetables for the Pokémon that are sent back here. By the way, I've been going through my files lately, and I've noticed that you already qualify for the Pokémon League! Where are you now?"

"I'm on my way to Cinnibar; I'm actually going to try and get the Volcano Badge," Matt replied.

The Professor gave Matt a bizzare gesture and looked at him. "But...don't you have it already?"

"No, you see, I have the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Marsh and Soul. I don't have the other two."

"That's very odd, did you get badges from elsewhere, then?"

"Well, I picked up a couple of hidden gym badges. Blue and Red Crystal I believe they're called."

"Impressive, I never thought that anybody would go looking for those. Mostly, trainers who have collected all of their badges look for hidden gyms."

"Well, we kinda stumbled on them by accident. We really weren't looking for them."

"I see. So, it's only about three months until the Pokémon League. If you wish, you can quit and come back to Pallet Town for a little training."

"For three months? It's that long of a wait?"

"Hey, it gets you well prepared, doesn't it?"

"I suppose so...I'll think about it. I'll get the badge in Cinnibar, and then come back. If the gym leader decides to return in Viridian, I guess I could pay them a visit, too."

"Just let me see for a second." The professor typed something up on a computer and located the Viridian Gym. "Nope, still abandoned. But the problem is, since Viridian doesn't have very strong Pokémon, it's very difficult to find highly skilled gym leaders."

"Well, if the Pokémon aren't very strong at that level, then shouldn't it be a starter gym?"

"That is a rather large debatable topic. But the leader is gone. How about you finish up in Cinnibar and come straight to my laboratory? I've found a strange egg, and I want to show it to you. How long do you think you'll be?"

"Geez, I don't know. Since Cinnibar is relatively close to Pallet, I'm guessing in a few days time, maybe...?"

"Sounds good. You seem to be doing well. How is your Squirtle?"

"He's grown a lot. I think that he may evolve soon."

"Do you want him to evolve?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I don't think I'm quite ready to control an evolved Pokémon yet."

The professor loaded Matt's data. "It says here that you own a Charmeleon."

"Well, it was abandoned, and I picked it up. I just mean that I'm not quite ready for the quick change. I'm not sure if it'll listen to me or not. I have a friend with a Charizard who just suddenly decided to do what it wanted, and he disciplines his Pokémon very well."

"You'll do fine," he replied, looking at his watch, and shaking his head. "Well, see what you can do at the Cinnibar gym, and come back to Pallet. I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a short break."

"No, I guess not." Matt laughed. "If it isn't for another three months, then of course I'm going to relax."

"I'll talk to you soon, and thanks for calling! Now, I'll just have to clean up my garden." The professor hung up as the monitor on Matt's side went blank. He then hung up the receiver, which then completely broke the connection. Matt looked at the clock inside his room. It was now nearly 7:00. Did I really speak to the professor for that long? It didn't seem like it, Matt said to himself. Oh well, I'll go and get ready then.

Matt went back into his room and found a pair of clean clothes. He then showered and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he was ready for the day.

Matt saw that Jordan and Lizzie were still asleep. "Sheesh, you'll never get anywhere if you only decide to sleep the whole time. Ah well, more food for me!" He then looked at his Squirtle, who was still asleep. "Heh, I guess you don't want anything either."

Matt walked down to the dining room which had a buffet ready; everything was hot and fresh. Matt filled a plate full of pancakes, bacon and eggs. As he sat down on a clean, empty table with a glass of orange juice he stared at his food. "I don't remember the last time I ever had a breakfast like this. I only managed to eat an energy bar. The only 'real' meal we've ever had was lunch. Well, since it's all you can eat, I might as well fill up now. It should help me think for the battle in Cinnibar." Matt then quickly finished up his plate and went for seconds.

After eating for half an hour, he checked a nearby clock. "We must be really close soon," he said aloud. He finished his orange juice, and walked back into his room to prepare himself for the day.

* * *

After exiting a very crowded Pokémon Center on Cinnibar Island, Matt, Lizzie and Jordan were grabbing their breaths, since they had to push through a ridiculously large line-up of people just to get through the front doors.

"What is UP with this place?! It seems like it's just for tourists only!" Lizzie shouted.

"How annoying," Jordan commented. "I don't recall Cinnibar being completely loaded with tourists; a Pokémon Center is a place where Pokémon are supposed to be healed. I'm sure there are other places to do some sight-seeing."

"No kidding! It was so packed we couldn't even get our Pokémon healed!" Lizzie frowned. "But it's not like it matters. Our Pokémon haven't done any battling the past couple of days, well, except for my using Matt's Bulbasaur for one attack. But other than that, if we really needed to get in there, we couldn't!"

"I swear to God we were the only Pokémon trainers there. Hell, I think we're the only Pokémon trainers here!" Matt said, shaking his head in confusion and disgust.

"Come on, we need to find the gym. Let's just get the damned Volcano Badge and get off of this island," Lizzie complained.

"I think we all do. The gym's just a little ways to the east if I remember correctly," Jordan pointed.

After passing through mountains of groups of tourists, Jordan continued to lead the way; remembering where the gym was. As they pass through the intersection, they crossed the street and stopped. They stared what was ahead of them and could not believe their eyes. In front of them were large pieces of debris, charred. It was almost as if it was burned to the ground relatively recently.

"Don't tell me," Matt began. "This can't be the gym. It's impossible Don't tell me we traveled all this way for THIS."

Jordan took a good look at the damage. He picked up and inspected a piece of the debris. "It appears that this was a recent event. How did this happen?" He looked around, wondering if there were any other places where the gym could temporarily be placed. "It doesn't look like there are any other places where the gym could be. Unless you want to waste time in this crowd looking for one."

"No thanks..." Matt commented.

Lizzie released an angry sigh. "Are you kidding me?! I still need another badge! One more, that's all I needed! One!"

"I'd better double-check. Matt pulled out his map and observed it carefully. He shook his head. "It had to have been a more recent event; because I purchased this map the day I left home. It says we're in the right spot."

"Perhaps the gym here just shut down, due to lack of Pokémon trainers?" Jordan suggested. "But then again, that wouldn't make much sense, would it? Official gyms couldn't close down. And even if it did, I think they would find better ways of demoloshing a building other than burning it down."

"So, I guess for a while, there's no Volcano Badge." Lizzie sighed. "It isn't fair."

"Well, thankfully this isn't a major problem, I mean we all qualify for the Pokémon League now with the hidden badges and all."

"Not me!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"Huh?" Matt looked at her.

"Are you forgetting that I couldn't get the Red Crystal Badge?" Lizzie shouted, frustrated. "Because Team Rocket chased us away during the tournament, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," Matt replied, admittingly forgetting. But with the gym burnt down, and another one that doesn't seem to be in sight, what are our options?"

"I suppose I could go challenge the leader in Viridian...if there is a leader," Lizzie suggested rather doubtfully.

Matt shook his head. "No, I called the professor this morning, and he said that they can't find a trainer good enough to be a gym leader."

Jordan looked at his watch. "Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to you, but...remember where I said I would be parting?"

Both Matt and Lizzie looked at Jordan with disbelief in their eyes.

"I said I could only go as far as here, I'm expected at the laboratory, which I hope hasn't been burned down, too."

"Oh...right...will you be leaving now?" Matt asked.

"What are you talking about?" Lizzie asked. "I thought you were going to explore other Pokémon Leagues; that's what you told me!"

"Yes, yes, I know." Jordan sighed. "But I said that I wasn't certain of what I was going to do. I would actually prefer checking out their laboratory here, making sure that they know about Team Rocket. I also need to contact the Elite Four back in Viridian City to make sure that they know as well. They've been starting to spring out practically everywhere; I checked the news today.

"At any rate, I'm sorry I couldn't stay much longer. I really had a lot of fun traveling with you guys. We've learned a lot from each other, I'm sure. Even though I was a former member of the Elite Four, I always manage to learn something new, even from new trainers such as yourselves."

"When will we see you again?" Lizzie asked.

"I'll try to make it to the Pokémon League to watch both of you compete. Not to mention I still have some business to attend to there, as well."

"Sounds good to me," Matt replied.

"You both are very good trainers. Don't get discouraged now, all right?" Jordan smiled.

"Hey, we're pretty much the best around! We'll be fine!" Lizzie replied, winking.

"It's going to be a dull couple of months, I promise you that much," Jordan replied, giving off a stiff laugh. "But hey, I'll try to give you guys a holler if possible."

Matt extended his hand. "Until later?"

Jordan took it. "Of course."

Lizzie ran up and gave Jordan a long hug. "You make sure not to cause any large explosions, all right?" She asked.

Jordan laughed. "Don't worry, I won't." He then said his last farewells as he then turned around and walked away. Matt and Lizzie didn't take their eyes off him until he was entirely out of sight.

Matt then looked at Lizzie and smiled. "So, will you be heading back to Cerulean, then?"

Lizzie nodded. "I'll say hi to my parents, then head down to Viridian."

"All right then, I'll be at home, too. I'll start training, and maybe even bug Professor Oak once in a while." Matt laughed at the thought.

Lizzie giggled and gave Matt a large hug. "Even if I don't get the badge in Viridian, I'll be sure to get another one somewhere."

Matt smiled and blushed. "You come and visit me afterwards, all right? I need to have a sparring partner for when I train."

"No problem! Will it hurt if you wait two weeks for me to come and kick your butt?"

"I beg your pardon?" Matt teased. "I believe you've made a mistake."

"No, I don't believe I did." She laughed. They both smiled and started at each other. "Well, if neither one of us goes soon, then we'll never leave!" Lizzie smiled.

"Who says we have to go separately? We both need to go back to the port. I need to go back to Pallet, and I don't know where you'll be headed."

"I'll be going onto one which will hopefully take me as close to Cerulean as possible, but I'm not exactly sure. I'll have to check their schedule and their route. Shall we go together?"

"All right."

* * *

Matt stared into the sunsetting sky from his single bed in the guestroom. He then pulled out his note book and decided to update his journal. He spoke as he wrote in his room. 'Far too much happened to me today. I landed at Cinnibar to look for the gym. Unfortunately, it seemed to have been burnt down, and now, nobody can compete for a badge there. Ah, well, I already have eight badges, so I qualify for the league automatically. Jordan had to go back to the lab for some research, and I've been reading about special Masterballs that are being tested; I hope he can bring back some of those. I personally wouldn't mind testing them out for myself.'

'But then, Lizzie reminded me that she didn't get the second hidden badge, and now, she has to go and collect a badge from either Viridian Gym, but she might have to try somewhere else, because the leader has been gone for as long as I can remember....

'So, now both two of my greatest friends have parted temporarily. While I'll see Lizzie sometime soon, I'm hoping I can see Jordan before my commencement in the Pokémon League. Now all that's left is to go home and bug my parents. And, I just remembered something, too! The professor wants to show me some sort of egg that he found. I wonder if he'll let me have it? Wouldn't that be cool?' Matt then closed his journal and tucked it away into his backpack.

He then stood up and looked out the window. "It took a long time, but now, it's time to get serious." He looked back at his Squirtle, who was staring at the small aquarium placed in the room. Matt walked over and picked him up. "Hungry, buddy? You're starting to give those goldfish a rather ominous look!"

Squirtle nodded. "Squirtle!"

"Great, let's grab some dinner then!" Matt equipped his belt with some minimized Pokéballs (just in case) as he left the room, closing it behind him. For the first time in nearly two months, he would return to the place where he had spent nearly sixteen years of his life.



TO BE CONTINUED.