Pokémon - The Journey Begins

Chapter 29: Tests of Fear and Courage



Matt woke up in the Pokémon Center at a later time in the morning; for it was already Friday, and his match was later in the afternoon. When he looked outside the window, he saw many people walking around in the streets, chattering amongst themselves. He went to look at Lizzie's bed, but could see nothing. He stood up and looked carefully to make sure that she wasn't there, then he lay back down. He checked the time.

"11:30?!" He shot up. "Lizzie's match is in an hour!" He quickly jumped out of bed, changed into a new set of clothing, brushed his teeth and ran downstairs in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. As expected, the place was packed wall to wall with Pokémon trainers, as Matt pushed through them to get to the front desk.

"Good morning; you certainly slept well," Nurse Joy greeted with a smile.

"Yeah, hi. When did Lizzie leave?" Matt asked.

"She left to see the opening ceremonies. She didn't want to wake you up, so she left on her own!"

"She could have woken me up." He looked at his watch, then back at Nurse Joy. "Are my Pokémon ready? I have to find her."

"Of course, they're right here and ready for battle. And good luck to you."

"Thanks," he replied, placing the minimized Pokéballs and Greatballs on his belt, then picking up Squirtle. "I'll be on my way now!" He dashed out of the Pokémon Center, and while fighting through the crowd, started darting towards the stadium.

"Um...Matt?" somebody called from behind. Matt recognized the voice, and quickly turned around.

"Lizzie!"

"Yeah, I was kinda hoping you'd be awake by the time the opening ceremonies started."

"I didn't say that you couldn't wake me up."

"Well, you must have been tired, and you probably would have been grumpy through the whole thing. Besides, it could have ruined your concentration through this afternoon's match."

"Since when have I lost my concentration during a Pokémon match? Your match starts in an hour, right?. And who did you say you were fighting again?"

"I don't think I told you; his name is Andy."

"Andy? From Pallet?"

"You know him?"

"Well, kind of...I saw him when we were chased off by Team Rocket during the tournament way back in Dellesse."

"I see...well, Team Rocket made a big mess in the stadium."

"They did?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, they began taking some Pokémon by force; luckily they didn't reach mine, but eventually a Moltres appeared and managed to get rid of them."

"A Moltes?! Who did it belong to?"

"Well, it's Moltres' flame that lights the stadium."

"Damn! I should have been there." He shook his head. "Nobody got hurt or anything, did they?"

Lizzie giggled and also shook her head. "No, Team Rocket is just starting to become a little bit clumsy ever since they've started to get shut down."

"Heh, that probably explains a lot. So, have you figured which three Pokémon you're going to use?"

"I'll go with Val, Articuno and Sandshrew," Lizzie replied. "How about you?"

"I've been thinking of using Onix, Charmeleon and Zubat. I'd like to get Zenigame in, but I can't just make a quick swap while battling."

"Re-look your strategy; I'm sure you'll do fine," Lizzie smiled.

"Will you be off then?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, I want to look at the Pokémon Mart. They might have some good items."

"All right. I'll just look around the stadium to find out where I'm battling."

"Okay, see you!"

"Good luck!" Matt and Lizzie walked off in opposite directions.

Matt saw many food stands all around him. Many trainers and fans alike were walking from in and out of the buildings and food stands. "I wonder if most of these folks are just fans, or if any of them are Pokémon trainers."

He continued walking along, as overheard the conversation of three three kids bragging about their Pokémon and talk about their special abilities. Matt chortled. "If I was that young again, I'd probably brag about my Squirtle's techniques, too, so it would be hypocritical for me to criticize."

"Squirtle..." Squirtle replied.

"All right, Zeni. Let's look inside the Mart for some items." Matt looked around the large crowd, hoping to find a Pokémon Mart. Fortunately, at that time of year, many stores were selling Pokémon goods. He managed to push by a crowd, and entered a store. He suddenly felt a blast of heat, while ceiling fans were running at their maximum speed. Matt figured the air conditioning was broken. As he took a good look around the store, he noticed nothing but shelves, completely packed full with Pokémon goods. "Wow, this place is huge!"

He looked around in every department. In medicine, capture, and breed. Strangely enough, none of them seemed to have any of the items he was looking for.

"I think we've entered a souvenir stand by accident," Matt picked up a nearby poster, unraveled it and looked at it. "Look at this. Posters, clocks, back packs, note books, pens...shampoo. Ugh. I think I'm in the wrong place."

"Hey, kid, the mart's upstairs, all right? This is the souvenir section!" one of the store clerks yelled. He took a good look at the clerk. He wasn't very tall. He was fully dressed in white, with short, greasy black hair and angry brown eyes.

Matt looked at a sign nearby by a flight of stairs; indeed it did say that the Pokémon training accessories were on that particular floor. "Oh, I see...thank you," Matt bitterly answered. He walked up the stairs and muttered: "Sheesh, you don't have to be so rude about it." Upon reaching the top, he saw what he was expecting to see.

"At last." Matt gently placed Squirtle on the floor. "You can roam around a bit, but don't cause any trouble all right?" Matt walked over to the medicine section and looked at some potions. He then gave it a wry look. "What kind of potion is this? It's a different colour."

"Oh that?" the cashier replied. She smiled, as Matt took a good look at her. She was wearing the same uniform as the man downstairs, however she had long, shining red hair, and blazing green eyes. "That's a Hyper Potion. If you've been around Super Potions, they're even better than those."

"What?!" Matt quickly placed it back on the shelf. "I've heard about the toxins they've placed in that. I'm NOT putting that on my Pokémon!"

"Huh? Oh, right, those. They've been banned, but now they've found a better way of mixing the potion together. This time, they've managed to use safer items, and it's at a much lower price. We're trying to get rid of the old Potions as much as we can, since the Super Potions and these Hyper Potions are at more of a demand, particularly at this time of year."

Matt nodded. "Okay, I'll take a couple of these. And do you have any Pokéballs anywhere? Well, not the old Pokéballs, but the other kind. The Greatballs."

The cashier nodded and pointed. "All three Pokéballs types are half price."

"Three types? I thought there were only two...that is, unless you're selling the rare Masterball here..."

The cashier smiled. "No, they're still working on the prototype for those. But the Ultraball just came in stock. Go take a look."

"Oh, that's right!" Matt replied, suddenly remembering his battle with Arrmun. He had pulled out an Ultraball which contained Magmar inside of it. Matt approached the Pokéball shelves and picked one up and looked at the price. "Twenty-five? That's out of my price range, even with the bargain you're holding here. I can only afford maybe three of these." He took three Ultraballs and picked up five Greatballs. He placed them on the counter along with his Super Potions. "When do you think the Masterball will be completed?"

"Oh, I really don't know. If they ever come around to completing it anytime soon, they'll probably be sold only in the bigger cities, since it's supposed to capture every single Pokémon possible without any chance of flaw." The cashier punched in the items Matt was purchasing on the numbers on the cash register. "That all comes to 94.17."

Matt handed the cashier a one hundred dollar bill. "I think I might have seventeen somewhere. Ah, here you go." Matt handed the coins over and received his change, as his items were being placed in a plastic bag. "Capturing Pokémon without flaw? But that takes away the experience of Pokémon training. If you're just going out capturing Pokémon without training them, then none of them will be able to pick up any battle experience. Using Pokéballs with a higher capture rate is okay, but no flaw? That's no fun."

The cashier nodded, then forced a smirk. "Those are very valid points."

Matt picked up his Squirtle. "Thanks, will you be watching any of the battling?"

The casher shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm only able to see the matches in the evening."

Matt nodded. "Well, I fight in a few hours."

"Then, good luck to you!"

Matt smiled. "Thanks!" Upon leaving the Pokémon Mart, he once again was forced to push through a crowd of people. He was stopped many times by tourists who asked if they could have a picture of he and his Squirtle. He hesitantly agreed. Afterwards, he sat down on a nearby bench and checked his watch. "I have plenty of time, but it still would be good to check out the Grass Field and hang around that area for a bit. Lizzie's battle is about to start in half an hour anyway, and I would like to get a good seet."

* * *

The crowd began to stand up and cheer loudly as the music from the large speakers around them began to quickly dim down before there was total silence. Matt looked around at the lively crowd as his heart began to beat rapidly. He then looked down at the battlefield, which was very typical like a stadium, he thought. A large, sold-out surrounding crowd many stories high facing the competitors in the middle; their entrances on opposite sides of the long field, which was possibly the largest battlefield Matt has witnessed so far. "I can't believe Lizzie's up! Sheesh, I'm the one getting nervous, and I'm not even battling!"

"All right!" the announcer from the stadium yells in a loud voice. "Welcome to this year's Pokémon League Battle Arena in the Grass Field!" The crowd roared and whistled. "We're happy to announce the very first battle! We have right now, Lizzie Penta from Cerulean City versus Andy Stine from Pallet Town! Let's get the match underway!"

Lizzie and Andy both walked out from opposite sides from the arena onto the battle field as the crowd began to roar louder and louder.

Matt and Squirtle were even on their feet applauding and cheering. "Come on, Lizzie! Don't get nervous! You can do it!"

"Squirtle!"

Matt shifted his attention toward the large scoresheet as both Andy's and Lizzie's faces appeared along with three brightly lit images of Pokéballs appeared. He then turned his attention towards the battlefield as Lizzie grabed a Pokéball, along with Andy as they both toss them it into the battlefield. Both Pokéballs of them sprang open upon contact as the crowd began to roar even louder. Lizzie's Vulpix appeared, while Andy drew forth a Nidorino.

Matt grasped the arm rests on his seat. He saw both Pokémon run at all ends of the battlefield, firing their specialty attacks towards one another. Matt began to get restless; he would draw his head closer to the battle, then back off and relax. He clenched his fists. Suddenly, the Nidorino fell in battle, and was not moving. Matt jumped to his feet cheering, as other members of the crowd did so as well. "Way to go, Lizzie!" Matt yelled. "Just two more!"

As the large scoresheet dimmed a lit Pokéball under Andy's image, he drew back his Nidorino and sent forth a Poliwhirl. Matt felt a shiver down his spine as his heart began to beat. "Vulpix is a fire Pokémon,; she might lose this one instantly."

Matt witnessed the Poliwhirl firing several water attacks, but Vulpix did its best to dodge most of the attacks, taking minimal damage. "Come on...come on." Matt suddenly jumped when Vulpix unleashed a powerful fire attack, similar to the one Magmar used on Onix. The attack completely consuming the Poliwhirl in the flame, then collapsed on the field, not moving. Matt jumped up and joined the cheering crowd again. "YEAH! ALL RIGHT! You're almost there, Lizzie! Don't give up!"

Andy began to get frustrated, as he kicked the air while calling back the Poliwhirl. Another Pokéball under his face dimmed on the scoresheet, as he threw forth his last Pokéball, as a Geodude appeared. The crowd let out a loud gasp before sighing.

Matt applauded, still standing out of his seat. "Keep going, Lizzie!"

Both of the Pokémon continued running back in forth, using plainly physical attacks at one another; but in the end, Geodude came out the victor, as Vulpic collapsed. The crowd began to cheer as Lizzie called the Pokémon back.

"It's okay, Lizzie!" Matt yelled.

Lizzie pulled out a Greatball, enlarged it, and threw it. Matt smirked; he knew which Pokémon it was. As Articuno appeared, the audience began to cheer even louder along with many gasps in awe.

Andy was furious. He began running towards the referee standing in the middle of the battlefield, and began complaining, while pointing to the Legendary Bird. Due to the noise level of the crowd, and how far up he was in the stands, he couldn't hear anything. But due to his rapid body language, and wide lip-sync, Matt could tell that it was about the Pokémon Lizzie sent forth. In the end, Andy returned to his side of the battlefield, shaking his head in disgust and disappointment; he was forced to use his Geodude to fight.

Matt's heart began beating faster, but he knew that this was the end. After charging a beam in its beak Articuno jolted its head forward towards its target and released its powerful Ice Beam. Geodude was struck point blank by the attack, and was completely frozen in a large block of ice.

The crowd began to roar loudly, as Lizzie began to jump in her victory. Matt looked at the scoresheet as the final Pokéball under Andy's name was dimmed. Eventually, all of the Pokéball images vanished and noticed that virtual fireworks began to go off as it displayed: 'The winner: Lizzie!'

Matt jumped, waving his fists and arms in excitement, cheering and whistling along with the excited crowd around him. Lizzie had already won, but he had been acting as if he had won. The crowd had just witnessed possibly one of the most exciting battles in the tournament. As both competitors left the battlefield, Matt grabbed Squirtle, and tried to make his way out of the arena to see Lizzie.

Around the exit, he looked around before spotting her and quickly ran towards her. "Lizzie! You did great!"

"Thank you!" She quickly hugged Matt. "I couldn't see you, where were you sitting?"

"Right in the center, I had to see all of the action. Oh, by the way, what was Andy upset about when you pulled out the Artiuno?"

"He probably sensed some sort of cheating, since Articuno is a very rare Pokémon. But the thing is--"

"The one you have isn't the legendary one..."

"Exactly. But still, he probably thought that I had stolen it or whatever. It didn't matter. There was no proof, and I wasn't pulled from the match. Not to mention nobody approached me to make sure I was cheating or anything."

"But still, way to go! I still have my battle to do in another hour and a half."

Lizzie nodded. "I'll see you battle. But now I have to find Andy. I need to congratulate him, too. He fought really hard."

"All right. See you later."

* * *

Matt's battle was about to start. He was sitting on a bench, close to the entrance to the battlefield. He looked at it; it seemed much larger than it did in the stands. His heart began beating very hard. "Okay, try to concentrate. If you lose, it's over, remember that...no no, I can't think like that. I have to stay strong. I can't let negative thoughts destroy my concentration." He took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go. Round One."

"All right, folks!" the announcer yelled. "It's time for our third battle of the day! We have Pallet Town's own Matt Tenks versus Cerulean City's Gill Rhone! Let's get the battle underway!"

Matt took in a deep breath. He walked out onto the battlefield. He then looked around at the thousands of fans who were cheering. After arriving at his end of the battlefield, he tried to find Lizzie by glancing all around him. He even tried finding his family. He couldn't find his parents or his sister.

Matt then took in another deep breath. "I'll see them after the battle. Okay, let's see what you have." Matt shut his eyes and picked a Pokéball at random. "Okay...go!" He then enlarged it and threw it far in front of him. Charmeleon appeared. The crowd roared and whistled in response. "The battle hasn't even started yet, and they've acted like something incredible just happened."

Matt took a good look at his opponent at the other end of the field. Dressed mostly in blue, he was wearing thick sunglasses as his dark, brown hair was glimmering in the hot sun above. Matt watched as he threw his Pokéball onto the field as a small, purple butterfly-like Pokémon with large bug-eyes and two small antennae appeared. The crowd roared.

Matt's heart began to beat, and his speech stammered. "Ch...charmeleon! Use...Flame--ugh...what was the name of the attack. Flame Thrower!" He smacked his head. "Concentrate you moron, it's just a pesky little Butterfree."

Charmeleon released a stream of scorching flames, as Butterfree tried to avoid the attack. Its wing was grazed, and slightly engulfed. However, it flapped around, receiving minimal damage in general to the attack.

The trainer at the other end ordered an attack, as Matt watched, trying to lip-read. "I can't hear! The audience is too loud!" He then saw the Butterfree flutter its wings at a rapid pace while releasing some strange, glimmering powder. "It's either Sleep Powder or Stun Spore. Charmeleon! Get out of the way!"

Charmeleon swiftly dashed towards the sidelines, and managed to evade the attack, as it was ready to strike, looking at its trainer from the corner of its eye, waiting for its next command. Matt clenched a fist. "Okay! Try a Slash attack!"

Charmeleon moved forward and launched itself off the ground, raising its right claw in the air. It took a hard swing, but missed. It tried to rebound by swinging its tail to attack, but Butterfree managed to dodge it.

Matt saw the trainer order another attack, as he became frustrated. "Damn it, what the hell is he saying?!"

Matt watched as Butterfree unleashed a blinding light, which knocked Charmeleon off of its feet. Matt was confused, he didn't know which attack it was. As Charmeleon brought itself to its feet, it stumbled when attempting to stand up straight.

"Damn it!" Matt exclaimed, as Butterfree dashed forward, knocking Charmeleon off of its feet with a Tackle attack. Charmeleon was not moving; the referee rose a flag as Butterfree had won the first round.

The crowd began to roar as a Pokéball image dimmed underneath Matt's face on the scoreboard. Matt pulled out a Pokéball and absorbed Charmeleon back inside. Matt took a deep breath and thought about who to use next.

"You're too nervous; it's starting to really embarrass me..." a voice said behind Matt. He turned around.

"Arrmun?!" Matt exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

Arrmun stood still, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed at the entrance to the battlefield. "I came here hoping to find a real match; I've been watching you so far. You're a nervous wreck."

"Hey, I'm trying my best here!"

"I'd hate to go back thinking that this was the kid who helped me make my big decision to leave Team Rocket. I'd never think that I'd see you turn into this kind of mess when the pressure was on."

Matt became angered. "Of all the times to be insulted."

"Hey!" the referee called from the center of the arena. "Come on! Don't hold up the match!"

Matt pulled out another Pokéball, facing Gill. "You want to see a nervous mess, you jerk? Well, let's see just how much stronger my Pikachu has become!" Matt threw a Pokéball, as Pikachu sprang out.

"Okay! Pikachu! Thunderwave attack!" Matt commanded.

Pikachu, upon finding its opponent flying around, released a series of flashing rays, which absorbed the Butterfree and stalled it. Butterfree fell flat to the ground, unable to move, however was still conscious.

Gill began yelling at the Butterfree, and Matt smirked. "Thunderbolt attack!"

Pikachu charged up its cheeks and cringed before tossing its paws up into the air while releasing several volts of strong electricity. The Butterfree was struck head on, without the opportunity to avoid it. It was down; not moving.

The crowd began to roar as Matt smiled. "Well, Arrmun? Who's a nervous wreck now?" He suddenly stopped to think. His heart stopped beating so quickly; Matt was able to think clearly. He smiled again. "Okay, show me what else you have."

Gill pulled out another Pokéball and threw it into the arena. A Weepinbell appeared.

"Electricity's no good. We'll have to rely on our speed. Pikachu! Use Agility!"

Pikachu, with its incredible speed, dashed in circles around the Weepinbell, as it tried several attacks. Launching its proven Razor Leaf and Vine Whip attacks proved ineffective as Pikachu's speed was a major factor in the match.

"Move in for a Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.

Pikachu swung in at a rapid pace and struck the Weepinbell directly from behind, causing some damage. As it regained its footing, PIkachu struck it again, knocking it off of its feet as it tumbled roughly onto the battlefield below. It was not moving.

The crowd roared again as Matt jumped. "That's it! Just one more to go!"

Gill called back Weepinbell and brushed his hands through his hair. He then pulled out his final Pokéball and threw it into the arena. Matt watched in awe as an Onix appeared.

"That Onix is...huge!" He quickly pulled out a Pokéball. "I'm not putting my Pikachu through that. Return!" Matt kneeled down towards Squirtle. "Okay, it's two to two; I'll need you to stay light off your feet. All right?"

Squirtle nodded.

"Good, because we're gonna need one or two Hydro Pump attacks to take this brute down. But be careful, it's very fast, all right?"

Squirtle nodded again.

"Okay, go!"

Squirtle joined Onix in the battlefield as the crowd cheered.

"Hydro Pump!"

Squirtle jumped into its shell and whirled it around at a rapid pace, releasing several long, mighty streams of water. Onix took the brunt of the attack receiving heavy damage, howling in pain. Quickly after Onix was attacked, it quickly wrapped its tail around Squirtle and began to squeeze it.

"Damn it...!" Matt muttered. "It was just a trap...Zeni! Can you use a Water Gun attack?!"

Squirtle remained trapped inside of its shell, trying to move outwards.

"Zeni! Hurry!"

The crowd began to cheer, as it may have looked like Squirtle was about to be crushed inside of its shell.

"Okay then, try another Hydro Pump!"

The shell was far too tightly wrapped in order to spin around; however, a large stream of water was released into Onix's face. Onix fell back, shouting in pain, as its grip around Squirtle's shell was loosened, as it tumbled towards the battlefield. It then exited from its shell and moved into a battle ready position, though it was not necessary. Onix collapsed onto the battlefield, and although it was mostly made of grass, it caused a light, thunderous tremor. The crowd was on its feet, and Matt dropped to his knees.

"I...I did it."

Gill called Onix back inside of its Pokéball and stormed out of the arena. Matt remained on his knees, as his Squirtle approached him.

"Hey...that wasn't so bad! Now that I have some battle experience, I think I'm ready for the next match!" Matt pulled himself to his feet, as some of the audience members began to leave. "I'd like to see the look on Arrmun's face."

Arrmun as a matter of fact was in the audience, joining them in applause. Matt could even see him. He continued to look at him. "What is he doing here...?"

Arrmun turned from where he was standing said to himself: "And now, my friend, we are even." He walked off, and left Matt continuing to wonder. He eventually decided to pick up his Squirtle as he left the arena.

"Matt!" Lizzie ran up and hugged him. "You were fantastic! You were all worried at first, but then, bang! Three unanswered victories! That was really--hey, what's wrong?"

"I saw Arrmun."

"You did?! He was here?! What did he say to you?!"

"I guess it was some sort of pep talk, because it helped me for the rest of the match." He shrugged. "Oh, and were you able to find Jordan?"

Lizzie shook her head. "I honestly looked all around the stadium to find him, but I didn't see him at all. Maybe he's still doing research at Cinnibar Island. Why don't we phone him or something?"

"I suppose we could do that."

"Hey, lighten up, you just won, remember?"

"Yeah. Did you get to find Andy?"

"No, he left right after our match. I even went in the Pokémon Center, but Joy just said that she healed his Pokémon and just left."

"Why would he do that? At the end of the tournament, all participants get a trophy just for signing up. Perhaps he was bitter."

"Some people probably just don't like to lose." Lizzie smiled. "Well, we both fought well today. How about we get some supper?"

"Lizzie, it's not even four yet! Wouldn't that be kind of early?"

"Are you kidding? Late lunch, early supper, what's the difference? And we get to eat free anyway! Let's find a REALLY fancy restaurant to eat in!"

"Okay then," Matt replied, laughing. "After all, we do both deserve to be fed like champions. At least for now."



TO BE CONTINUED.