Chapter 21
Medicham stood strong, dazed, keeping his stance steady in the wake of the towering
rock snake. Onix bellowed, flinging its tail around, hurling the collection of rocks into the
air. They peaked, and collectively fell, arranging themselves in mid-flight around
Medicham, all hitting him, encircling him, effectively restricting movement. Medicham
struggled to move, heaving off the boulders, which formed the roof of the formation,
leaving a scattering of smaller rocks, their tips buried deep into the ground.
"Medicham," Setijin began, "Bulk up!" Medicham agreed to Setijin's suggestion quickly,
outstretching his arms and flexing his spindly but deceptively powerful arms. He seemed
to throb and grow with power, breathing heavily out, a newfound physical presence
welling inside of him. He slung his fists, effortlessly opening a passage through the rocks.
He hopped out of the debris, and watches as Onix made its next move.
"Onix, use earthquake!" Errol ordered. Onix threw its head and upper body into the air,
bringing it back down to the ground, flat, sending shockwaves throughout the entire field.
The weaker rock formations crumbled, more debris was thrown into the air and loose
dust, Medicham brought to his knees, attempting to maintain balance. As the shockwaves
died, the stadium erupted into noise, Medicham picking himself up and charging
forwards, ready to assault Onix. The snake edged forwards, quickly curling itself up,
awaiting Medicham's attack. As Medicham leapt into the air, bringing its leg around for a
kick, Onix forced its spiraled body outwards as a counter attack, throwing Medicham
backwards to the floor, heavily thudding downwards, straining as he attempted to
clamber back to his feet.
"Medicham, hang in there!" Setijin cried, Medicham moaning his name in pain, Onix
slithering forward, neck and head raised imposingly. Medicham heaved itself back up,
calling out his name, leaping forward yet again, dropping to the ground prematurely,
catching Onix off guard. The snake charged in counter attack again, Medicham's altered
attack threw it off balance, stumbling as it attempted to turn, the fighting pokémon flying
up behind it, cracking it around the back of its almighty head with a punch, his fist
encased with ice, the tiny crystalline shards shattering around it, sinking themselves into
Onix's rock skin. Medicham hopped back down to the ground, Onix flailing in pain,
inadvertently swinging its gargantuan tail into Medicham, scraping along the floor.
Setijin's pokémon flipped over onto its back, struggling as Onix turned once more,
growling, awaiting orders.
"Onix, finish it off! Body slam!" Errol called. Onix howled, stretching itself out, reaching
high into the shimmering night sky. It stood still, the crowd falling silent, waiting in
anticipation. Medicham's struggles faded, as Onix very slowly started to collapse
forwards, speeding up on decent. Setijin stood frozen; his eyes open wide, the cold air
bringing tears. He heard and felt nothing; all he could see was Medicham, lying flat,
about to be flattened. At that moment, thought flooded out of his brain, leaving him with
one painful image…
The air was fresh and crisp, floating lightly around a sunny spring morning blessed
Fortree Village. The leaves of the trees hummed with green and dew, as did the grass,
bouncing sagely underfoot. Just outside the tiny tree top community wandered a boy, no
older than 16, with shoulder length brown hair, scruffily swiped up at the front, donning a
baggy white t-shirt and dirty blue jeans. He walked, hands in his pockets down the path
out of town, admiring the forestry.
As he walked, he heard a feeble whimper from the undergrowth. He approached, out of
curiosity, wading through the long grass, mysteriously colored plants and flowers, deep,
thick and darkened tree trunks, following the sounds. He pushed back bush after bush,
eventually reaching a small pathway, very badly maintained, the path thin and broken,
trees leaning unstably over it. In the center lay a Quilava, battered, evidently the loser of
a recent fight. By its side sat a tiny Cyndaquil, in tears, nuzzling its supposed mother in
desperation.
The boy's heart melted, cautiously approaching the pair. As he neared, the tiny Cyndaquil
squeaked in fear, curling into a tiny ball, the specks of red on its back bursting into flame.
It struggled to stay balanced, tipping over to one side, supported by the enormous roots of
the tree next to it. Tiny sparks and embers littered the wood, gently digging themselves
through it. The boy backed away, watching as the Quilava struggled to its feet. It barked
feebly, its baby unfolding itself, hopping forwards. The Cyndaquil charged with
newfound courage, leaping at the boy. He fell backwards, catching the tiny mouse like
pokémon. It struggled in his hands, the boy shuffling back to his feet. He bent down,
preparing to release his assailant, before looking up at the unfurling horror.
The Quilava howled helplessly for its child as the flames swept around the trunk of the
tree next to it. The scorching red limbs of the flames wrapped themselves around
themselves over and over, thinning the wood away, heating the area around it. Musty
gray smoke billowed from the blaze, reaching high into the atmosphere. The boy and the
Cyndaquil watched as the tree teetered, Quilava barking frantically, strewn on the floor.
The trunk and thick shards of bark cracked violently as the tree fell towards the ground,
like a crumbling tower, Quilava's cries falling to a whimper, before dying out completely
as the shadow rapidly expanded around it…
"Not again…no…" Setijin whispered to himself, Medicham still as Onix threw itself
down towards him. Setijin flinched forwards, before crying, "Not again!"
As feeling, thought and memory erupted inside Setijin, Medicham awoke, weakly raising
his arms, and focusing. Setijin shook the thoughts out of his head to watch his pokémon.
Onix slammed its vast chin into the floor, the crowd exploding in cheers, the field quickly
becoming enshrouded in dust and mist. Everyone waited, the debris settling, Onix lying
outstretched, Medicham supporting its head with his hands outstretched. The crowd
cheered again as Medicham curled its legs up, and kicked Onix away gently, rolling out
of the way as Onix's head came crashing back down to the ground. Medicham lay,
wriggling feebly once more, Setijin running onto the field to comfort him.
"Stop!" he shouted. "Stop the match!" He ran, sliding down to his knees as he neared
Medicham, scooping his head and body in his hands, his puffed legs still dangling on the
floor.
"Cham…Muh…muh…medicham…" it wheezed.
"It's ok buddy. Its' over now," he whispered, Onix slithering back up, Errol fisting the air
triumphantly, the stadium screaming with excitement and the announcer taking control.
"Setijin has forfeited the match: Errol is the winner!" he shouted, Errol and Onix howling
victoriously, Setijin still on his knees with Medicham, smiling reassuringly at him. He
stroked his head as Medicham slipped out of consciousness, the stadium officials steadily
making their way onto the pitch.
"What happened?" Winona called from the bathroom. Lucia turned her head to call back.
"Setijin forfeited…" she replied slowly.
"What? Why?"
"Medicham seemed out for the count. Not surprising after that last attack," she explained.
Winona grunted angrily, barging out of the bathroom, rubbing her hands with a plush
white towel, discarding it on the floor as she finished.
"Typical. I leave the room for one minute and I miss the most exciting bit!" she
complained. Lucia smiled at her.
"Calm down. There are replays!"
"It's just not the same!" she protested, dropping to the bed. "What is it with me and bad
timing?"
"Yeah, its odd. For a graceful bird type gym leader, you really do lack co-ordination!"
Lucia joked. Winona shot forward, pushing her face in front of Lucia's.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"The boy forfeited?" Drake repeated in confusion. Steven leant over the table of the
meeting room, facing Drake.
"Is the prospect of friendship still not sinking in Drake?" he remarked snidely.
"Friendship? What does friendship have to do with that? That Medicham had already
lost…he just took the easy way out!"
"That's really cold-hearted, even for you!" Arc interrupted.
"Look, all I'm saying is that the boy lost a lot of dignity points by weaseling out of the
battle!"
"How is protecting a friend weaseling out of a battle? More to the point, how does
protecting a friend loose dignity points?" Steven asked sternly, before pausing. "And
what on earth are dignity points?"
"Let's just leave the 'ogre' alone now Steve," Arc replied. The two sat back in their
chairs, and began conversations to other trainers either side of them.
"H...hey wait! Don't ignore me!" Drake called, standing up and slamming his hands on
the table. "Acknowledge me!"
"Do you hear something Arc?" Steven asked sarcastically.
"Not a thing…maybe a little wind, but nothing else." Both grinned smugly at each other
as Drake slumped back in his chair, pouting, swiveling his chair around to face the
window.
"Don't need them anyway," he mumbled to himself, arms folded.
Errol stood atop the podium, waving his arms in the air, now wearing a small golden
medal, with a blue and white striped ribbon, the medal containing a small picture of a
Charmander on it, the words 'Novice Tournament Champion' written in tiny print
beneath it. Onix wrapped itself into a spiral next to his trainer, roaring happily. Setijin sat
back in the waiting room, packing his things up, as a pair of officials, one the one from
before, the second a woman with long blonde hair, wearing the same blue suit. The
woman handed him his pokéball with Medicham in back before handing him a small
silver medal.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"You know," she began, "This tournament entry will go down on your trainers card. IT
will count towards a lot, and you should be proud you made it this far." Setijin nodded.
"I suppose so," he smiled. He shook hands with the two officials TV crews and
journalists burst in through the entrance, armed with pens, note pads and cameras, all
barking questions at the same time. The two officials stood side by side, arms
outstretched forming a barrier around them, looking towards Setijin for his decision.
"Will you be interviewed?" they asked. Setijin paused in though.
"Yeah, ok," he replied unconvincingly, the two spreading apart, the crews spilling in,
encircling him, all inquiring at once.
Medicham stood strong, dazed, keeping his stance steady in the wake of the towering
rock snake. Onix bellowed, flinging its tail around, hurling the collection of rocks into the
air. They peaked, and collectively fell, arranging themselves in mid-flight around
Medicham, all hitting him, encircling him, effectively restricting movement. Medicham
struggled to move, heaving off the boulders, which formed the roof of the formation,
leaving a scattering of smaller rocks, their tips buried deep into the ground.
"Medicham," Setijin began, "Bulk up!" Medicham agreed to Setijin's suggestion quickly,
outstretching his arms and flexing his spindly but deceptively powerful arms. He seemed
to throb and grow with power, breathing heavily out, a newfound physical presence
welling inside of him. He slung his fists, effortlessly opening a passage through the rocks.
He hopped out of the debris, and watches as Onix made its next move.
"Onix, use earthquake!" Errol ordered. Onix threw its head and upper body into the air,
bringing it back down to the ground, flat, sending shockwaves throughout the entire field.
The weaker rock formations crumbled, more debris was thrown into the air and loose
dust, Medicham brought to his knees, attempting to maintain balance. As the shockwaves
died, the stadium erupted into noise, Medicham picking himself up and charging
forwards, ready to assault Onix. The snake edged forwards, quickly curling itself up,
awaiting Medicham's attack. As Medicham leapt into the air, bringing its leg around for a
kick, Onix forced its spiraled body outwards as a counter attack, throwing Medicham
backwards to the floor, heavily thudding downwards, straining as he attempted to
clamber back to his feet.
"Medicham, hang in there!" Setijin cried, Medicham moaning his name in pain, Onix
slithering forward, neck and head raised imposingly. Medicham heaved itself back up,
calling out his name, leaping forward yet again, dropping to the ground prematurely,
catching Onix off guard. The snake charged in counter attack again, Medicham's altered
attack threw it off balance, stumbling as it attempted to turn, the fighting pokémon flying
up behind it, cracking it around the back of its almighty head with a punch, his fist
encased with ice, the tiny crystalline shards shattering around it, sinking themselves into
Onix's rock skin. Medicham hopped back down to the ground, Onix flailing in pain,
inadvertently swinging its gargantuan tail into Medicham, scraping along the floor.
Setijin's pokémon flipped over onto its back, struggling as Onix turned once more,
growling, awaiting orders.
"Onix, finish it off! Body slam!" Errol called. Onix howled, stretching itself out, reaching
high into the shimmering night sky. It stood still, the crowd falling silent, waiting in
anticipation. Medicham's struggles faded, as Onix very slowly started to collapse
forwards, speeding up on decent. Setijin stood frozen; his eyes open wide, the cold air
bringing tears. He heard and felt nothing; all he could see was Medicham, lying flat,
about to be flattened. At that moment, thought flooded out of his brain, leaving him with
one painful image…
The air was fresh and crisp, floating lightly around a sunny spring morning blessed
Fortree Village. The leaves of the trees hummed with green and dew, as did the grass,
bouncing sagely underfoot. Just outside the tiny tree top community wandered a boy, no
older than 16, with shoulder length brown hair, scruffily swiped up at the front, donning a
baggy white t-shirt and dirty blue jeans. He walked, hands in his pockets down the path
out of town, admiring the forestry.
As he walked, he heard a feeble whimper from the undergrowth. He approached, out of
curiosity, wading through the long grass, mysteriously colored plants and flowers, deep,
thick and darkened tree trunks, following the sounds. He pushed back bush after bush,
eventually reaching a small pathway, very badly maintained, the path thin and broken,
trees leaning unstably over it. In the center lay a Quilava, battered, evidently the loser of
a recent fight. By its side sat a tiny Cyndaquil, in tears, nuzzling its supposed mother in
desperation.
The boy's heart melted, cautiously approaching the pair. As he neared, the tiny Cyndaquil
squeaked in fear, curling into a tiny ball, the specks of red on its back bursting into flame.
It struggled to stay balanced, tipping over to one side, supported by the enormous roots of
the tree next to it. Tiny sparks and embers littered the wood, gently digging themselves
through it. The boy backed away, watching as the Quilava struggled to its feet. It barked
feebly, its baby unfolding itself, hopping forwards. The Cyndaquil charged with
newfound courage, leaping at the boy. He fell backwards, catching the tiny mouse like
pokémon. It struggled in his hands, the boy shuffling back to his feet. He bent down,
preparing to release his assailant, before looking up at the unfurling horror.
The Quilava howled helplessly for its child as the flames swept around the trunk of the
tree next to it. The scorching red limbs of the flames wrapped themselves around
themselves over and over, thinning the wood away, heating the area around it. Musty
gray smoke billowed from the blaze, reaching high into the atmosphere. The boy and the
Cyndaquil watched as the tree teetered, Quilava barking frantically, strewn on the floor.
The trunk and thick shards of bark cracked violently as the tree fell towards the ground,
like a crumbling tower, Quilava's cries falling to a whimper, before dying out completely
as the shadow rapidly expanded around it…
"Not again…no…" Setijin whispered to himself, Medicham still as Onix threw itself
down towards him. Setijin flinched forwards, before crying, "Not again!"
As feeling, thought and memory erupted inside Setijin, Medicham awoke, weakly raising
his arms, and focusing. Setijin shook the thoughts out of his head to watch his pokémon.
Onix slammed its vast chin into the floor, the crowd exploding in cheers, the field quickly
becoming enshrouded in dust and mist. Everyone waited, the debris settling, Onix lying
outstretched, Medicham supporting its head with his hands outstretched. The crowd
cheered again as Medicham curled its legs up, and kicked Onix away gently, rolling out
of the way as Onix's head came crashing back down to the ground. Medicham lay,
wriggling feebly once more, Setijin running onto the field to comfort him.
"Stop!" he shouted. "Stop the match!" He ran, sliding down to his knees as he neared
Medicham, scooping his head and body in his hands, his puffed legs still dangling on the
floor.
"Cham…Muh…muh…medicham…" it wheezed.
"It's ok buddy. Its' over now," he whispered, Onix slithering back up, Errol fisting the air
triumphantly, the stadium screaming with excitement and the announcer taking control.
"Setijin has forfeited the match: Errol is the winner!" he shouted, Errol and Onix howling
victoriously, Setijin still on his knees with Medicham, smiling reassuringly at him. He
stroked his head as Medicham slipped out of consciousness, the stadium officials steadily
making their way onto the pitch.
"What happened?" Winona called from the bathroom. Lucia turned her head to call back.
"Setijin forfeited…" she replied slowly.
"What? Why?"
"Medicham seemed out for the count. Not surprising after that last attack," she explained.
Winona grunted angrily, barging out of the bathroom, rubbing her hands with a plush
white towel, discarding it on the floor as she finished.
"Typical. I leave the room for one minute and I miss the most exciting bit!" she
complained. Lucia smiled at her.
"Calm down. There are replays!"
"It's just not the same!" she protested, dropping to the bed. "What is it with me and bad
timing?"
"Yeah, its odd. For a graceful bird type gym leader, you really do lack co-ordination!"
Lucia joked. Winona shot forward, pushing her face in front of Lucia's.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"The boy forfeited?" Drake repeated in confusion. Steven leant over the table of the
meeting room, facing Drake.
"Is the prospect of friendship still not sinking in Drake?" he remarked snidely.
"Friendship? What does friendship have to do with that? That Medicham had already
lost…he just took the easy way out!"
"That's really cold-hearted, even for you!" Arc interrupted.
"Look, all I'm saying is that the boy lost a lot of dignity points by weaseling out of the
battle!"
"How is protecting a friend weaseling out of a battle? More to the point, how does
protecting a friend loose dignity points?" Steven asked sternly, before pausing. "And
what on earth are dignity points?"
"Let's just leave the 'ogre' alone now Steve," Arc replied. The two sat back in their
chairs, and began conversations to other trainers either side of them.
"H...hey wait! Don't ignore me!" Drake called, standing up and slamming his hands on
the table. "Acknowledge me!"
"Do you hear something Arc?" Steven asked sarcastically.
"Not a thing…maybe a little wind, but nothing else." Both grinned smugly at each other
as Drake slumped back in his chair, pouting, swiveling his chair around to face the
window.
"Don't need them anyway," he mumbled to himself, arms folded.
Errol stood atop the podium, waving his arms in the air, now wearing a small golden
medal, with a blue and white striped ribbon, the medal containing a small picture of a
Charmander on it, the words 'Novice Tournament Champion' written in tiny print
beneath it. Onix wrapped itself into a spiral next to his trainer, roaring happily. Setijin sat
back in the waiting room, packing his things up, as a pair of officials, one the one from
before, the second a woman with long blonde hair, wearing the same blue suit. The
woman handed him his pokéball with Medicham in back before handing him a small
silver medal.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"You know," she began, "This tournament entry will go down on your trainers card. IT
will count towards a lot, and you should be proud you made it this far." Setijin nodded.
"I suppose so," he smiled. He shook hands with the two officials TV crews and
journalists burst in through the entrance, armed with pens, note pads and cameras, all
barking questions at the same time. The two officials stood side by side, arms
outstretched forming a barrier around them, looking towards Setijin for his decision.
"Will you be interviewed?" they asked. Setijin paused in though.
"Yeah, ok," he replied unconvincingly, the two spreading apart, the crews spilling in,
encircling him, all inquiring at once.