POKÉMON: CRYSTAL
(POCKET MONSTERS: HUNT FOR THE CRYSTAL MONSTERBALL!)

(Episode 5)
"Dangerous Pursuits"
(Watch out! Crushing defeat!)

Written by TG

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Last Time on POKÉMON: CRYSTAL...

Team Rocket was successful! Left with doubts, the children were told to return home: their Pokémon Journey was over. A clandestine accident at a Pokémon Center gave Beth & Tim a last chance to deal with Pokémon. The accident, though, captured the attention of Team Rocket. In a battle filled with suspense, Beth defeated Annie of Team Rocket. The battle earned both children respect, and their second Pokémon, from Professor Oak. But will the adventure be over already? Find out..

-=-=-=-=-

It was four days after they had left Professor Oak's Pokémon Research Center. The trip through Kero City had gone by quickly. Now Tim and Beth were laying in the shade of the Terreth Forest. The early morning was cool, and a light mist filled the forest. The Rouya River was faintly audible over the sounds of the forest.

Beth looked around as she rolled up her sleeping bag. She and Tim had let their Pokémon sleep out of their Pokéballs. Now, her Meowth was gone; so was Tim's Marril. She shook Tim, "Wake up, Timmy.. Wake up!"

Tim yawned and stretched. "What did ya wake me up for??" He looked around, then got panicked. "Where's my Marril!?"

Beth pulled Tim to his feet. "That's what I woke you for, my Meowth is gone too. Put your shoes on and get your stuff together, we've got to find them."

A few moments later, Tim and Beth were walking through the forest. Leading them was Beth's Ivysaur.

Tim looked around in the mists wearily. "Where is it taking us?"

Beth shrugged. "Maybe Ivysaur knows where they went."

The Ivysaur stopped. The sound of water was much louder. "Ivy... Ivysaur."

Beth bent down next to her Ivysaur. "The river?"

The Pokémon nodded.

The group walked forward, and the mists slowly drifted away to reveal a deep river winding through the forest. On the shore sat Beth's Meowth, Tim's Marril, and a third Pokémon.

Beth and Tim stopped.

Tim pulled out his Pokédex. "What's that?"

The Pokédex lit up and quickly processed the request. "Golduck, the evolved form of Psyduck, a water-type Pokémon. Golduck typically possesses a powerful confusion attack, and can attack with its sharp claws."

The three Pokémon stopped and looked at the humans. The Golduck leapt in front of the Meowth and Marril, poised for attack. The Marril and Meowth quickly leapt in front of the Golduck and chattered with it. It looked over at Beth, then ran at her.

Beth put her hand down, "No Ivysaur, stay.."

The Golduck slid to a stop in front of Beth, "Golduck?"

Beth bent down, "Hi.. my name's Beth.. Do you want some food, Golduck?" She pulled out some Pokémon food and offered it to the Golduck.

The Golduck took the food and scarfed it down. Then it grinned and winked at Beth. It spun around and leapt straight into the river, disappearing below the water's surface.

Tim looked up at Beth, "What was that about?"

She walked over her Meowth and picked it up, "I think that Pokémon knew me..."

Tim walked over to his Marril, weary. "You mean it might've been Mom or Dad's?" He pulled out some food and gave it to the water Pokémon and Pikachu.

Beth nodded, before walking back to the forest canopy. "Probably Mom's."

After a quick breakfast of fish (for the children), and Pokémon food (for their Pokémon), the group began to walk eastward along the river.

Beth looked over at Tim, who was awefully quiet. "Something wrong?"

Tim shrugged. "Nothing you and your Ivysaur can't handle.."

Beth looked sideways at him. "Are you mad because I got an evolved Pokémon?"

Tim shrugged again. "I just gotta train Pikachu and Marril hard."

Beth shrugged. "Whatever.."

There was a low growl in the forest. Beth and Tim stopped.

Beth looked to her right, "Um, did you hear that?"

As Tim turned, a form leapt into the clearing. It had reddish-brown fur, which bristled. Its fangs glistened as it growled again.

Beth slowly slid her Pokédex out and flipped it open. It came to life with a small question mark, awaiting a request. "What's that Pokémon?"

The small device chirped, then displayed a similar picture as the beast. "Growlithe, a fire-type Pokémon. This canine can make use of bite and roar attacks. Caution is advised when dealing with wild Growlithes, as they can be extremely vicious."

Beth looked over at Tim. "Um, I'm not sure if my Pokémon will do very good.."

The small device chirped again, then displayed a small fire symbol. "Fire-type Pokémon are powerful against Fire, Grass, and Bug-type Pokémon and attacks. They are weak against Water, Ground, and Rock-type Pokémon and attacks."

The Growlithe padded the ground, watching the two humans.

Beth closed the Pokédex. "Your Marril... I'm pretty sure it's powerful against fire-types. Besides, you deserve to catch this one."

Tim smiled. "Okay.. Marril, GO!" He threw the Pokéball, and Marril appeared.

The Marril watched the Growlithe wearily. It sniffed the air, uneasy.

Tim pointed at the Growlithe, "Marril, water gun attack!"

The Marril squirted at the Growlithe, but it leapt back in time. It then growled and spat out firey sparks, singeing Marril.

Tim sighed, then got a determined look. "Marril, bubble attack!"

Beth looked surprised, "Bubble attack, Marril knows that?"

Marril leapt back and blew a stream of bubbles at the canine, which tried to swat them away. The bubbles sizzled as they popped on the canine, and it growled in pain.

Tim nodded. "Marril, water gun NOW!"

Marril squirted again at the canine, and it howled in pain as it was thrown backwards. It lay on its side and slowly got up. It stared intently at the Marril, and then at Tim, before its legs gave out again.

Tim pulled out a Pokéball and threw it. As it lightly tapped the Growlithe, there was a discharge of energy that surrounded the Growlithe. In a flash, the Growlithe's form had disappeared into the energy and been sucked into the Pokéball. The small red & white ball sat on the ground, shaking a little, then quieting down. Tim ran over and grabbed the Pokéball, hoisting it in the air. "Yes, I caught a Growlithe!"

Beth ran over, grinning. "That was so cool. I never knew your Marril knew bubbles!"

Tim nodded, then minimized the Pokéball and clipped it on his belt. "When I was at Professor Oak's reserve, me and Marril practiced."

Beth put her Pokédex away. "Now you've got a fire-type. That'll really balance your team out."

Tim nodded, then started a brisk walk eastward again. "Now I've got three to your two."

Beth sighed and ran to catch up. "Whatever!"

-=-=-=-=-

"I'm so proud!" She hugged Beth tight. "And you saw Golduck, too?"

Beth nodded. "It didn't attack or anything.."

She nodded in return. "I'm sure.. Did it come with you?"

Beth shook her head. "It jumped in the water. But Timmy caught a Growlithe."

Her eyebrows raised. "By himself?"

Beth nodded. "His Marril defeated it."

Her mother nodded slowly. "Well, I'm very proud of you two. I never would've imagined that you would both have at least two Pokémon so soon.."

Beth sat back on the couch, looking concerned. "Um, yeah..."

Her mother got up. "What's wrong?"

Beth sighed. "Mom, I wanna keep going."

Beth's mother put her hands on her hips. "This from the young lady who was perfectly content to grow up and never deal with Pokémon."

Beth grimaced. "That was before... Now I want to be a Pokémon trainer."

Her mother sat down and put her arm around Beth. "What changed your mind, specifically?"

Beth reached over to the reddish-pink bag, and pulled out a glass tube. She carefully pulled the map out and showed it to her mother. "This had alot to do with it.."

Her mother's face betrayed her anger. "I'll kill him. He swore he wasn't going to do this."

Beth rolled the map back up and tucked it into the glass tube. "I talked Professor Oak into it, Mom. I guess after he saw the way I handled Ivysaur in that battle.."

Her mother leapt up. "What battle!? When was this?"

Beth tucked the map's tube back into her bag, looking sheepish. "Remember that Pokémon Center we helped the Professor evacuate? We caught Team Rocket trying to steal some of the Pokémon, and there was a battle..."

Her mother sat back down and examined her, then carefully touched Beth's forehead. "So this wasn't from a piece of the building collapsing? And the reason you and Tim received Pokémon from Oak wasn't just for helping move some Pokéballs?"

Beth nodded, feeling guilty. "I used the Ivysaur against Annie's Blastoise. The car they had stolen exploded during the battle."

Her mother leapt up again. "I can't believe this! It's like the years haven't changed anything, except now you and Timmy are dealing with those wackos! This is all Oak's fault, that little..."

Beth grabbed her mother's hand. "It's not Professor Oak's fault.. Mom, Team Rocket has a piece of that artifact, and we've got to stop them."

She sat back down, still angry. "It's not fair that you two have to deal with Team Rocket. Especially if they have a Blastoise and that Pikachu. It would be better if me and your father did this."

Beth frowned. "Mom, how long has it been since you had a Pokémon battle? Or traveled cross-country?"

Her mother sighed. "It's been a while.. Almost sixteen years." She looked sad. "When we moved to the Terreth Forest... We let alot of our Pokémon go and promised we'd put the past behind us. That pretty much included Pokémon battles."

Beth squeezed her hand. "What's wrong?" It was her turn to look concerned.

Her mother waved her hand, as if to brush the question off. "Your father swore Team Rocket didn't have any connections on the Terreth Coast. I just wanted to find a place that was safe to raise you, and Timmy. I really didn't want you two going on any Pokémon journeys." She wiped away a few stray tears.

Beth pulled her into a tight hug. "I promise, we won't let anything happen."

-=-=-=-=-

Tim kicked a stray pebble as he stood next to a building. "What're they talking about?"

His father stood in the doorway and shrugged. "Probably whatever it is women talk about."

Tim looked up at his dad. "Do you really want me and Beth to stay home?"

His father folded his arms and sighed, looking contemplatively at his son. "Your mom and I aren't very keen on letting you two deal with Team Rocket. They can be dangerous sometimes. Your mom and I had alot of run-ins with them."

Tim nodded. "I got three really good Pokémon. So I'm ready for anything." He looked at his father in confused when the older man laughed. "What?"

His father smiled. "You sound just like me, when I was your age. I thought nobody could beat me."

Tim nodded again. "Beth said you almost lost to mom in a Pokémon battle."

He smiled again. "That's true. I was just starting out, and I didn't have very many Pokémon. In fact, I had the same number you have now, three."

Tim got an eager look. "What were they? And what was mom using?"

His father got a far-away look. "Lemme see... I had an electric-type...a flying-type...and a bug-type I think. It was a long time ago."

Just then, Tim's Pikachu hopped over. "Pikachu?" He picked it up and it got onto his shoulder.

His father stared at the Pikachu, then looked at Tim with a big smile on his face. "I had a Pikachu that used to do exactly that. It hated to be inside a Pokéball, and I never forced it to ride in one."

Tim nodded, then itched behind Pikachu's ear. "Professor Oak said Pikachu don't like Pokéballs, that they're afraid of tight spaces."

His father nodded. "He was most certainly right. Did you know that his grandfather gave me my very first Pokémon?"

"No..."

Tim's father nodded again. "Yup, I had gotten there late, and it was the last one he had left. He gave me a Pikachu." He snapped out of a far-away look and turned inside. "Follow me, I've got something for you..."

Tim let his Pikachu run back to the others, then followed his father inside of the large room where he had gotten his first Pokémon. "Is it another Pokémon?"

His father stopped at small closet and started to rummage through it. "Nope, not a Pokémon. It's something that's been with me for a long time. I've been meaning to give it to you, but I kept forgetting. Ah, here it is.." He came out of the closet with a dusty baseball cap. It was white in the front, and red in the back. It looked worn, and had a small, styled L on it. He slapped the hat on his thigh, shaking away some dust, and handed it to Tim.

Tim looked at the cap, examining the worn brim. "A hat?"

His father grinned and took the cap from him, then carefully slid it onto his son's head. "Not just any hat, this is an official Pokémon League cap."

Tim pulled the cap off and adjusted the strap, then slipped it back on, looking uncomfortable. "Uh, it's old...and dusty."

Tim's father shrugged. "I wore this cap in my days as a Pokémon trainer and when I finally became a Pokémon master.. I even wore it when I was running a Gym."

Tim lit up. "Wow, you ran a Gym?? You didn't tell me you were a Gym Leader!!"

He nodded. "It wasn't for very long, but I had my own badge and everything." He closed the closet, and then walked to a frame hanging on the wall. In the frame were fifeteen different badges, then a last badge underneath the rest. This last badge was a styled "P" colored and shaped as if it were formed from lightning.

Tim looked at the badges. He always felt in awe whenever he got to see his dad's badges. But he had never known what this one meant. "P is for Pallet?"

His father nodded slowly. "Pallet.. Pokémon.. My Pikachu..." He turned back to Tim. "Tim, promise me you'll always take care of your Pokémon..."

Tim nodded, confused. "I won't let them get hurt if I can help it."

He nodded in return. "Good... If you take care and love your Pokémon as your friends, they'll always watch out for you. That was the first thing I learned, and it's what sustained me in the darkest of hours."

Tim smiled and nodded in understanding, looking outside at his own Pokémon.

"Good, now let's get back.. I bet it's almost time for dinner."

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The night passed uneventfully. The children revelled in the treat of sleeping in their beds again. When morning came, both children packed up their stuff again, with a little less fighting. Finally, they were standing outside their home again.

"You sure you don't want to stay another night?"

Beth blushed a little, before pulling back from her mother. "Well.. It was nice to sleep in soft beds, but we have to get moving if we're gonna get those pieces."

She pulled Tim into a tight hug. "Promise me you'll at least try to listen to your sister..."

Tim looked down at the ground. "I.. guess..."

She elbowed her husband, who pulled something from his pocket. "I happened to find these last night, and I think you two should have them.." He carefully placed a small item in each child's hand.

Beth looked down at the small "P". "It's.. your Gym badge!"

Tim quickly snapped it on the inside of his light-green jacket. "Does this mean..?"

He smiled. "No, they aren't very official.. But you can think of them as your first badges."

Beth hugged her father tight. "Thank you Dad!"

Tim looked up from the badge. "I've got a Lightning Badge!" He hugged his father.

Both children waved as they started down the roadway into the Rouya Mountains.

He put his arm around her and squeezed gently. "You alright?"

She wiped away a few tears. "It's alright... Ash?"

He looked down into her eyes, "Misty?"

She wrapped her arms around him. "I don't want to lose them.. I don't want to go through that again.."

He held her as she started to cry. "I know... I know.."

-=-=-=-=-

Beth looked over at him as he fiddled with the hat. "Why did Dad give you that old thing, anyways?"

Tim shrugged and adjusted the band again. "He said it was his when he was a Pokémon trainer. I think it looks pretty cool."

Pikachu smiled, "Pika!"

Beth rolled her eyes. "About as cool as an Ekans wrapped around your head..." She looked up at the low mountains. The snow had partially melted, but they were still beautiful. She sighed.

Tim tapped her arm. "So where are we headed?"

Beth stopped for a moment and pulled out the map. "Hmm.. according to this, and the translations should be right, we're going into Stonedge Gap." She pointed down the road, which started into a small cleft in-between the hills.

Three hours later, the pair were staring into the maw of the Gap. Stonedge Gap was a tiny strip of roadway which wound its way between the hills, up into the Rouya Mountains. As they followed the roadway, it slowly climbed higher, and the climate became colder. The roadway ended abruptly, and became gravel and rock.

Tim looked around, holding Pikachu and shivering. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"

Pikachu shivered, "Pi-kaaa.."

Beth pulled the jacket tigher around herself, "We keep following this path. It eventually comes to a mine, which is where Professor Oak said some scientists had found some ruins."

Tim pulled out a thicker jacket and slipped it on, wrapping it around Pikachu. "The higher we get, the colder it gets... At this rate, we'll freeze before we reach these ruins."

It took another hour before the children passed into the Rouya Mtns. The winds blew almost non-stop, and cut through the children's jackets. Already, the air was thinner than both were used to, and they were forced to stop every fifeteen minutes to keep from tiring out. It was at one of these break-points, at a small cave, that Tim slid to the ground.

Pikachu looked up at its master, "Pika-chu?"

Beth looked back, "What're you doing? Get up!"

Tim shook his head. "Beth, we've been walking for hours. I'm hungry, and cold, and tired. Let's stay here and eat."

Beth sighed and pulled Tim up. "Okay.. Let's make sure it doesn't have anything wild, and then we'll hide inside." She started to walk inside the cave.

"Hide, you say?"

Beth looked back at Tim, "Yeah, I said hide."

Tim shrugged. "I didn't say anything.."

Beth looked around. "Well if you didn't..."

Tim's Pikachu pointed skywards, "Pika-Pika!"

"Prepare for trouble...

Beth ran out and looked up, "Oh... great!"

"Make it double.."

Annie hung out of the helicopter door, "To protect the world from desolation.."

Leigh waved from inside the cockpit, "To unite the peoples of every nation.."

Annie threw down three ropes, "To denounce the evils of peace and love.."

Leigh looked gingerly over the side, "Uh... to extend our reach to the moon above.."

Annie slid down the rope, landing in front of the children, "Annie.."

Leigh continued to look over the side uncertainly, "Leigh..."

Annie looked up angerly, "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of thought..."

Leigh grinned sheepishly, "So surrender now, 'cause falling ain't hot!"

Pik slid down the rope, looking annoyed. "Pi-KA.."

Tim put his own Pikachu down. "Let's get this overwith."

Annie looked skyward again, "Leigh, get down here this instant!"

Leigh looked down the rope, "But if it's such a long drop.. Can't you and Pik handle things?"

Annie looked down at Pik, which shrugged. "Fine, Pik, get ready to hit them with a thunderwave attack."

Beth walked up a few feek from Pik, throwing a Pokéball, and her Meowth appeared. "Meowth, remember that Pikachu?"

The feline and rodent Pokémon shot each other a look.

Leigh looked at the controls, which were beeping. He looked down at Annie, "Uh, Annie?"

Annie put up her hand, "Shut up, Leigh.. Pik, thunderwave that lil' brat!"

Beth pointed at Pik, "Meowth, use your slash attack!"

Pik charged up and let go just as Beth's Meowth was leaping at it. Suddenly, a yellow streak flew at the it, as Tim's Pikachu absorbed the thunderwave and slammed Pik to the ground. The Meowth landed behind the struggling Pikachu, trying to sort out who to attack.

Pik kicked the other Pikachu off. Both stared off and let off dual thundershocks. Everybody was knocked to the ground by the explosive discharge.

Leigh watched as electronics of the helicopter shorted out and the machine began to sputter and weave. He unstrapped himself and grabbed the rope.

Everybody looked up. Time seemed to slow.

Leigh was slowly leaping from the vehicle, as its rotors spun, dipping downward toward the mountainside. Tim started to reach for his Pikachu. Beth slowly looked back at her brother, starting to mouth the word "No."

It happened in a flash. The helicopter smashed into the mountainside, exploding in a fiery rain of metal and fuel. As the burning remains of the craft slid down the mountainside, part of mountain began to slide with it. An explosion of fire, metal, and dust hid the Gap.

The only sound in the Gap was the howling of the wind.

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Next Time on POKEMON: CRYSTAL...

Who survives? Who dies? The two survivors are left with questions, mistrust, and personal anguish. A trudge through freezing snow, and possible death await. Life hangs in the balance, on Episode 6 of POKÉMON: CRYSTAL...

"Life, Death, and Pokémon Battles"

It's a terrifying situation.

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Pokémon and certain characters are , ®, or © Nintendo and are used without permission.
"Pokémon: Crystal" serial fanfiction & concept © 2000 Brightblade Productions