Pre-chapter Conversation
Izzy, Sadie, and I were standing on a beach, enjoying the rays. I took in a deep breath.
"Ohhh… Oahu…" I sighed, getting teary-eyed. "Finally, I've returned…" Izzy turned to me with a weirded out look.
"What?" I shook my head.
"Err… I mean, welcome to week five of the fic!" I yelled at the camera before growling. "Last week was Hell on Earth."
"Because this fic got deleted and you were blocked from posting for the second time in two weeks?" Izzy teased. I gave him an icy glare for that one.
"Don't push me, Izzy. I'm not in the mood." I threatened, still feeling pretty pissed about last week. I brightened up when I realized where we were again. "Here we are in sunny Oahu, Hawaii, the setting for the remaining chapters of the fic!" Izzy suddenly looked shaken.
"Uh-oh…"
"What's the matter with you?" I asked, feeling concerned for my partner.
"Th-the Menehune, Boss. We're in their territory! We're dead when night comes!" He screamed. Sadie looked on in confusion as I shook my head.
"I swear, if you just saw the movie, you'd know that you don't have anything to be scared about!"
"N-no way! I don't need the nightmares!" Izzy replied, cowering. I sighed before I realized something.
"Hey, I just remembered. I know how to ward off the Menehune!"
::WHAM!::
"YOU SEE ME SCARED AND YOU ONLY NOW REMEMBER THIS!?!" Izzy yelled as he pummeled me with his mallet. "So big mouth, what am I supposed to do to remain safe!?!"
"Ouch…" I groaned as I stumbled around, stars flying around my head all the while. I shook my head and turned to Izzy. "Hoothoot and Noctowl." Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"What do they have to do with the Menehune?"
"Duh, Izzy! The Menehune are afraid of them! If you have them stay outside your window at night, they'll protect you by using Foresight!"
"Finally! Freedom and peace of mind!" Izzy said with a grin as he held his hands together. I sweatdropped.
"Right… Anyway we better get to business." I turned to the camera. "For the first chapter of this triple update, Sam will battle the gym leader of the Pacific League in order to compete in the tournament. Who is this mysterious gym leader (three guesses who) and can Sam defeat him or her? Also, at long last, Team Rocket's 'identity' is revealed. Enjoy!" I waved at the camera.
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Rocketmon Ch. 14: Battle against the Volcano God
We begin this chapter at one of Honolulu's pokémon centers. It was shaped like a pineapple. A huge red P above the entrance signified its purpose. Banners telling the trainers to finalize registration decorated the front.
"Yo! The next Pacific League champion has arrived!" Lars yelled with a huge grin as he burst inside the center.
Everybody inside stopped what they were doing and stared at him like he was insane. Lars goofily bounded towards the front desk as Sam, sweatdropping from embarrassment, followed. Everybody else went back to their business except for one. The caped guy (whose identity still hasn't been revealed!) was looking at Sam as he walked to the front desk. He turned back to his video conversation.
"Boss, Sam has just walked in here. He passed your test." He said.
"Excellent. I knew he would." The person on the other end replied. "Proceed with the plan only if he gets through tonight." The caped kid nodded.
"Understood."
"And by the way, good luck with tonight as well."
"Thanks. Talk to ya later." And the caped boy hung up.
With Sam…
"This is it, Pikachu." Sam said as he waited in line. "All we gotta do is register and we're in."
"Pika." Pikachu nodded. It was soon Sam's turn. At the desk stood a woman wearing a nurse's outfit. She had pink hair. Beside her stood a chansey (a real one this time!).
"Welcome to the pokémon center. Are you here to finalize your registration for the Pacific League?" She asked. Sam nodded.
"And to heal my pokémon." Nurse Joy nodded in response.
"First, we'll take care of registration. Please hand me your pokédex and gym badges." Sam did as he was told, producing the items. Nurse Joy plugged the pokédex into a computer and begun typing. She then put Sam's badges in a scanner-like device and typed some more commands. After a few moments, Sam's picture appeared on a big screen that was behind Nurse Joy.
"Sam Dullard from Ocean Shores, California, USA." A computerized voice said. "Welcome to the Pacific League." Nurse Joy gave Sam his pokédex and badges.
"Well Sam, congratulations on making it to the league. You have to do one more thing before you can enter the tournament." She said.
"What's that?" Sam asked.
"You have to defeat the Pacific League gym leader in a battle." Nurse Joy replied. "When you step outside, you should see a volcano to your left. Go there tonight. You and many other trainers will be waiting there for further instructions. For now, you are free to explore the island and do as you please." She then handed him an envelope and a brochure.
"This is the hotel you will be staying at for the duration of the competition." She continued. "Now that that's taken care of, I'll take your pokémon now." Sam handed her his poké balls and Pikachu. "It'll be a few minutes. Next!" Sam walked over to the video phones.
"I better call Mom. I wonder if she heard about what happened with the S.S. Pineapple."
Back in Ocean Shores…
"::Sniff:: OH SAM!!! MY LITTLE BOY IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!" Paula bawled. She was dressed in black. She was walking around her house, which was full of candles and old pictures of Sam. The death march was playing in the background. She had just paced past the biggest picture of Sam in the house when the phone rang. The record playing the song scratched.
"Oh for the love of—! Can't you see I'm in mourning!?" She yelled in a blunt tone. She walked to the family video phone and lifted her veil. She roughly picked up the receiver. The screen turned on and displayed the words, "Audio Only."
"What do ya want!?" She yelled into the phone. The person on the other end stuttered in fright.
"M-m-m-m-m-mom?" Paula gasped.
"It can't be!" She quickly turned on the visual and started crying at the sight of Sam, who seemed to be cringing at the sight of his mother in her current state. She hugged the screen. "OH SAMMY!!!!!! IT'S YOU!!!!!!!!!!!" She started crying again.
"Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Sam yelled as he covered up the screen. Everybody in the center was looking at him strangely. He sweatdropped and chuckled nervously. He sat back down and picked up the receiver. "Are you alright?" Paula calmed down a bit and glared at him.
"Am I alright!? I should be asking you the same thing! I thought you died!" She sobbed again. "I heard on the news that you went down with the S.S. Pineapple! You don't know how worried I've been! Why didn't you call sooner!?!"
"I just got into town. I lost track of time. How long has it been since the ship sunk?"
"About a week." Paula replied. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the pokémon center in Honolulu."
"So you made it there after all." Paula sighed with relief. "Now I know that that awful Team Rocket attacked the ship, but what happened after that? How did you escape?"
Sam told her everything that happened. From calling a truce with Lars and Team Rocket to getting blasted by Otto's former gyarados to running from all the giant pokémon that turned out to be robots. When he finished his story, Paula looked like she was on the verge of having a heart attack. She glared at him.
"SAMUEL L. DULLARD! WHEN YOU GET BACK HOME, I'M NEVER LETTING YOU OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!!!!!" She roared. Sam had to hold the phone away from his ear to avoid becoming deaf at a young age. "I expect you to call every single day until you get back!"
"Yes ma'am." Sam said sheepishly. Paula caught her breath and sighed.
"Well anyway, good luck. I love you."
"Love you too, Mom." Sam replied before hanging up the phone. He sighed. Just then, a beeping sound reached his ears. He knew that sound too well from all the times he went to Ocean Shores' pokémon center. He walked over to the front desk to pick up his pokémon.
With Lars…
"AYE MOM! STOP SCREAMING ALREADY!!!" Lars yelled. Like Sam, he was talking on a video phone. Sandy and Raoul were on the other end. Sandy was bawling just like Paula was.
"We were worried about you, Lars!" Raoul yelled.
"THANK GOD YOU'RE ALIVE!" Sandy cried. "I THOUGHT I LOST BOTH OF MY BOYS FOREVER!!!" Lars sweatdropped.
"Could you please stop screaming already!? I don't want to have to use a hearing aid before I hit twenty!" His mother's words sunk in. "What do you mean?" Raoul took the phone again.
"Maurice is nowhere to be found. He's been gone since you left to go to the Pacific League." Lars raised an eyebrow.
"He's gone?" His parents nodded.
"We think he may have snuck onboard the S.S. Pineapple." Prof. Rodriguez said.
"I think he wanted to watch his big brother battle." Sandy said in a sweet tone. Lars' eyebrow rose higher.
"Let me get this straight. You think that Twister snuck onboard to watch me battle?" He struggled to avoid laughing at that one. "If anything, he'd want to watch the Squid."
"So Sam made it there after all." Raoul said thoughtfully. Lars raised an eyebrow again.
"Why should that matter?"
"Well, he hasn't contacted me since he got his first pokémon from me. Very irresponsible if you ask me. It couldn't hurt to call at least once in awhile."
::SLAP!::
"Enough about that! What about Maurice!?" Sandy yelled.
"Ouch…" Raoul groaned, rubbing his swollen cheek. "Well, have you seen him, Lars?"
"o.O;;;; Uhhh… I think I would've said something sooner if I did!" Lars answered. His parents glared at him. He chuckled nervously. "Uhhh… I mean I haven't seen him yet, but I'll call you as soon as I see him."
"That's better. Well, keep in touch." Sandy said.
"Yes and good luck." Raoul said.
"Thanks." Lars replied with a nod as he hung up. Since he already took care of registration, he decided to leave.
"Man! I can't believe getting into the Pacific League requires so much paperwork!" He grumbled to himself. He then stopped and put on a thinking look. "The twisted one's not at home… He may have snuck onboard the ship… What if…? What if what Squid said was true?" He then thought back to the other day.
::::Flashback::::
"Again with this!? Squid, you're acting like those bunch of shoobies are the shrimp, Rocket Dork, and his sister!" Lars yelled at Sam.
"That's because they are!!!" Sam screamed.
::::End flashback::::
'If that's true, then that meowth is…' Lars shook the thought out of his head. 'No way! The Squid is crazy! I better go do some last-minute training.' He walked out of the center.
'But still… I better keep a look out for Twister if Mom and Dad are right about him coming on the ship.'
A few moments later, Sam walked out of the center. He immediately looked to his left. The street led to a forest that went up to a volcano.
"There's the volcano." He said to Pikachu, who was on his shoulder. "I hope the gym leader won't be too hard to beat. I wonder who he is, anyway."
"Pika chu." Sam started walking.
"I guess I better go to the hotel and drop off my stuff." He walked along the beach when he saw who else but Otto, Reggie, and Twister (in their normal clothes). They were facing away from him. Pikachu squeaked and hid behind its trainer's head.
"Hey guys!" Sam yelled, waving at them. The trio turned and immediately put on looks of nervousness. They quickly got over it though and grinned.
"Hey Sammy!" They yelled. Sam ran up to them.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked with suspicion heavy in his voice.
'You guys better not screw up the league.' He thought bitterly. 'This is probably the only way I can get things back to normal.' The trio started sweating and tried to come up with an excuse.
"W-well…" Reggie started.
"Ya see…" Twister continued.
"We…won a contest?" Otto finished.
"Yeah! That's it!" He and Reggie yelled.
"You see, Squid, there was this contest on the radio and we won three tickets to the Pacific League!" Otto continued.
"So we can cheer you on!" Reggie played along. Twister scratched his head.
"Contest? We didn't win any contest, you guys. We were stuck on that—" He didn't get any further when Otto and Reggie slapped their hands over his mouth.
"What was that, Twist?" Sam asked. Otto and Reggie chuckled nervously.
"Oh nothing." Otto said.
"We'll see ya later, Squid." Reggie said as they started backing up, Twister trying to say something the whole time.
"Y-Yeah… And good luck if we don't see ya." Otto said before the trio ran away.
"Pika…" Pikachu sighed with relief. Sam grinned.
"I wonder how long it'll take before they try something." He laughed to himself as he and Pikachu went to find the hotel.
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"Wow! What a room!" Sam yelled as he dropped his surfboard and backpack.
He had checked into the hotel, which was right by the beach. Ahead of him was a balcony. To his left was a huge, king sized bed that had a blue comforter. It was decorated with a green palm tree pattern. A normal phone was next to it. A few potted plants were by the balcony's entrance. A computer was to the left of the door. A TV was standing by the right wall. Right next to it was a small refrigerator.
Sam picked up his stuff and walked inside. After he closed the door, he laid his stuff against the wall. He pocketed the key card that was inside the envelope he got earlier.
"There are a few hours left before we have to go to that volcano." He said to Pikachu as they sat on the bed. "I should think of my strategy to use against the gym leader tonight. Because we're gonna be by a volcano, it makes perfect sense to think that he'll use fire pokémon. So, I'll take some water pokémon with me."
"Pi ka chu." Pikachu agreed.
"Guess I'll take only two or three with me. No point in filling up my entire team in case he has electric or grass types with him." He stayed silent for a few minutes, trying to think of what to do. He lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Oh man. I may be a good Chess player, but I don't know that much about pokémon battles despite being stuck here for the last few months." He stood straight up.
"That's another thing. I arrived at the site of the Pacific League, but I'm no closer to figuring out a way home than I was before." He sighed. "I better cool off." He grinned. "And I know the perfect way!" He grabbed his surfboard and ran out, followed by Pikachu.
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"Yeah!!!!" Sam cheered. He and Pikachu were riding on his surfboard, putting on a show for the beach goers.
Sam hasn't had much time to surf in the last few months because of his training, so this was a real treat. Pikachu seemed to be enjoying itself. Sam made the board go through a couple of barrels. He got tubed a bunch of times. In fact, he didn't wipe out much, if at all, which was a real surprise for the Squid.
Sam started to ride another wave when suddenly a tentacle grabbed the nose of the board!
"What the—!" The tentacle picked up the board and shook it around. Sam and Pikachu held on for their lives.
"Pika!"
"What's going on!? What has us!?" Sam yelled frightfully. The tentacle then reared back and tossed them towards shore.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
::CRASH!::
Sam and Pikachu struggled to get their heads out of the sand. When they got up, they brushed the sand off and turned towards the waves. The owner of the tentacle emerged as the other beach goers ran away.
"What is that?" Sam asked as he took out his pokédex from his pants, which were lying nearby with his shirt. He pointed it at the pokémon.
"Tentacruel. The jellyfish pokémon." The pokédex started. "Known as the 'gangsta of the sea.' It can sting ya with all eighty of its tentacles. It's very poisonous."
"I don't care! I'm gonna get my revenge on that thing for ruining such a great surf session!" Sam roared, putting away the pokédex and grabbing an empty poké ball. "Go get it, Pikachu!"
"Pika!" Pikachu said with a nod and charged towards the water.
Tentacruel stretched out its tentacles and made them go towards Pikachu in an attempt to whip it. Pikachu darted out of the way. It dodged for a few more minutes before Tentacruel's central jewel glowed blue and shot a beam of the same color. It almost hit Pikachu, but the mouse jumped out of the way. The beam hit the sand and made a small pillar of ice appear.
"That's an Ice Beam." Sam said. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu dodged one more Ice Beam and started charging electricity.
"Piiiiiiiiiiiikaaaaaaaaaaaaaachuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!"
::ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!!!::
Tentacruel's body glowed yellow as Pikachu's attack shocked it. The water type had Xs for eyes.
"Tentacruel…" It groaned as its body started smoking.
"Alright!" Sam yelled, getting ready to toss the ball. "Poké ball! Go!" He tossed the ball, which promptly hit Tentacruel. The poisonous water type glowed red and was sucked into the ball. It washed up on shore and started shaking. It shook three times before stopping.
"I got it…" Sam sighed in relief. Because he already had six pokémon with him, the poké ball glowed white and disappeared. "Let's go, Pikachu. I've had enough surfing for one day." He picked up his dry clothes and his surfboard and started walking back to the hotel. He then heard clapping. Sam stopped and turned towards the source of the sound. It was his friends, who were in uniform. Team Rocket was clapping. Their expressions were nothing short of menacing.
"It looks like the Squid caught his very own squid. Congrats dude." Twister said, giving Sam a thumbs-up. Sam inwardly cheered as he faked a gasp.
"Oh my. Team Rocket is really my friends." He said unenthusiastically. Otto and Reggie gasped.
"TWISTER!!!" They both screamed, pounding him over the head.
"Nice going, big mouth!" Otto yelled.
"A few months of secrecy down the drain!" Reggie added.
"I KNEW IT WAS YOU THE WHOLE TIME!!!!!" Sam roared, breaking the trio out of their fight. They gaped at him.
"You knew?" Reggie asked. Sam nodded.
"But how?" Twister asked.
"Yeah! Our disguises were perfect!" Otto yelled.
"Perfect my ass." Sam said with his arms crossed. "I knew it was you since that night at the pokémon center."
"And you didn't say anything?" Twister asked. When Sam shook his head, the trio got teary-eyed.
"That's a true friend for you." Reggie sobbed.
"He didn't even call the cops on us, despite all we did to him." Otto cried into his arm.
"After all that, he still thinks of us as his friends." Twister cried as well. "For that, we should leave him alone." Sam grinned at that.
"You mean it!?" He asked excitedly. The trio got over their moment and gave him a wicked grin.
"Nah!" They yelled. Otto and Reggie got their poké balls ready.
"Go! Weezing!" Otto yelled as he tossed his poké ball.
"Go! Lickitung!" Reggie said as she tossed her poké ball as well. The two pokémon appeared. "Lickitung! Tackle attack!"
"You too, Weezing!" Otto ordered. The two pokémon charged head-on towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu! Use your Thunder!" Sam yelled.
"PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAAACHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!" A huge lightning bolt emerged from Pikachu and struck Team Rocket's pokémon, who were propelled into the trio, shocking them badly.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
::BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!::
The trio was sent flying.
"Hey! I just thought of something!" Twister yelled.
"What!?" Reggie asked.
"The Squid knew it was us all along and he still had that rat shock us!"
"Hey yeah! Once a Benedict Squid, always a Benedict Squid!" Otto yelled.
"It looks like Team Rocket's grinding off again!!!!!!" They all yelled as they became a star.
Later…
"Ok. I know what to do with these stones that I got on the S.S. Pineapple." Sam said. He was standing in the hotel's courtyard. He was wearing his normal clothes again. On a nearby table, Pikachu sat along with the box containing Sam's evolutionary stones. Sam grabbed two poké balls from his pocket.
"Go! Weepinbell and Growlithe!" He tossed the two balls, releasing the grass and fire types. They appeared, looking rather confused. Sam walked to the table, grabbed the leaf and fire stones, and walked to the pokémon.
"I'm going to evolve the two of you to help me win the Pacific League. Will you help me win?" He asked. The pokémon nodded. Sam took a deep breath, then tapped Weepinbell with the leaf stone. In an instant, both the stone and Weepinbell glowed white. After a few seconds, the stone disappeared out of Sam's hands and Weepinbell stopped glowing. It was now a vicious, but strangely happy-looking, victreebel. It nuzzled against Sam lovingly.
"Glad you're happy." Sam said, pushing Victreebel away playfully. He turned towards Growlithe. "Ok. It's your turn."
"Groooooowlllll!!!" Growlithe barked happily, licking Sam. Sam applied the fire stone to it. Like with Victreebel, Growlithe and the stone glowed brightly. When the glowing subsided, the fire stone disappeared and Growlithe became an arcanine. It knocked Sam to the ground and licked him. Sam laughed as he tried to get the huge puppy off him. After calling back his two new pokémon and putting away his stones, he walked over to the pokémon center.
"I better switch my pokémon around so that I'm ready to face the gym leader." He said to Pikachu, who jumped on his shoulder.
"Chu."
Later…
It was now night and light was coming from the forest by the volcano. A clearing by the volcano's entrance was set up for what seemed to be a party. Tables were set up all over the place. Coal pits were set up along the perimeter to cook ham and any other meaty delectable the caterers had at their disposal. A stage was by the entrance. A green curtain was used as the backdrop. Torches and Chinese lanterns were placed all around the area. Flowers also decorated the area.
"Wow. Cool set up." Lars said as he walked into the area, followed by many trainers, including a suspicious guy wearing a red suit with a volcano pictured on it and sunglasses and another suspicious guy who seemed to be dressed like a pirate. His blue striped get up was complimented by a blue bandana that had a skull and crossbones on it. Like the guy in red, he was wearing sunglasses. Behind them walked the mysterious kid in the cape and sunglasses. Who do these guys think they are, Otto!?
As the many trainers sat down, the curtain on stage rose, revealing a band, which started playing a relaxing island song. Hula girls danced on stage, accompanied by some magby and charmander, who were wearing grass skirts. Stuffed pigs and other meat products were placed over the coal pits. Fruit, seafood, and drinks were served to the anxious trainers as they watched the show.
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"Aw man! How could you let me oversleep, Pikachu!?" Sam yelled as he ran through the forest up to the party. Pikachu was hanging on for dear life. The blond was carrying his shoes.
"Pika!" Pikachu replied.
"Well, why didn't you shock me!?"
"Chu!"
"You did? Well, why didn't you bite me!?"
"Pi!"
"Oh. Well, you should've done something else!" Sam yelled. Pikachu sighed and gave up. The trainer got to the clearing. "Whew. Made it." He stepped forward and sniffed the air.
"That's odd… Smells like fried calamari…" Sam sniffed the air again and put on a thinking pose. "But this is a luau. Why would they serve calamari? Unless…" His eyes widened and he looked down.
He was standing in a coal pit!
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Sam jumped up at least twenty feet and landed on his burning feet. He hopped into the party, causing everybody but Lars to point and laugh at him.
"SOMEBODY HELP!!!!" Sam yelled. Everybody continued to laugh. Lars crossed his arms.
"-.- Leave it to the Squid to make a grand entrance." He said as he grabbed a poké ball. "I'm gonna regret this. Go! Wartortle!" He tossed it and the turtle appeared.
"Water gun." He pointed at Sam. Wartortle nodded and shot its attack at Sam, drenching him and Pikachu completely.
"Ahhhhh… Thanks. I needed that." Sam sighed after the attack ended. His feet were smoking. He put his shoes on his burnt feet and sat down at an empty table.
A few hours later…
"Ladies and gentlemen!" A man said on stage. "It's time for the main attraction!"
"It's about time!" Lars yelled impatiently. Most of the audience agreed with him. The emcee coughed.
"Anyway, tonight, all of you will battle our esteemed gym leader, the Volcano God reincarnated!" Sam looked slightly confused.
"Volcano God? What's that about?" He pulled out his pokédex. It displayed a picture of an ancient-looking pokémon. It was red and had huge spikes along its body. It had sharp claws and looked to be a giant.
"Groudon. This legendary pokémon has the power to increase the land masses of the world by generating great amounts of sunlight." The pokédex started. "It is known as the Volcano God in Pacific cultures. For this reason, it is pursued by the Bloods of the pokémon world."
"o.O;;;; Bloods?"
"Team Magma! Duh!" The pokédex retorted. "Anyway, despite the fact that it's known as the Volcano God, it's actually a ground type. Pacific folklore suggests that this pokémon lives deep in the earth's core and generates the world's heat."
"Wow. That was lengthy and informative!" Sam said after hearing all that.
"As I was saying," The emcee started. "You will battle the gym leader. The matches will be five-on-five with no time limit. If you win, you'll get the gym's badge and will be allowed to participate in the Pacific League tournament. If you lose, you will not be allowed to participate." The crowd gasped at that. The emcee continued.
"You only get one chance to defeat the gym leader. If you lose, you will be allowed to stay and watch the competition, free of charge, of course." Just then, music started to play. It seemed to consist of drums, ukuleles, and trumpets.
"And now, it's my pleasure to present the Pacific League gym leader!" The crowd roared as the music continued playing, starting to get louder and louder. The music became near deafening as it played faster and faster. The music then stopped as a spotlight flashed in the middle of the stage.
The curtain opened to reveal someone standing in a groudon costume made out of red flowers. Sticks served as the costume's spikes and claws. The owner of the costume lifted it to reveal—
"KEONI!?!?!?!" Sam yelled, shocked.
Yes, the gym leader of the Pacific League is none other than Keoni Makani. His brown hair was tied in a ponytail. He was wearing a black shirt and shorts that were adorned with flame patterns. He was also wearing a pair of sandals. He seemed to have a look that was somewhere between sad and serious. Sam turned to the camera.
"¬.¬ I so saw that coming."
(Me: -.- Ok. Show of hands. Who knew that it was gonna be Keoni? ::Raises hand::)
Sam raised his hand, as did everybody else in the area except for Lars.
(Me: o.O You honestly didn't know?)
"Of course not! I was never in the same episode as that kid, so I don't even know him!" Lars replied.
"That's true, ya know." Sam said.
(Me: Yeah… I just realized that. Carry on.)
::PAUSE!::
I was riding in a helicopter above Oahu, watching the action through a TV screen. Just then, Izzy and Sadie entered by flying in on a fearow. He smirked and shook a condoling finger at me.
"Actually, Boss, Lars was in the same episode as Keoni." I growled at him.
::SUPER WHAM!!!::
"I KNOW THAT, YA IDIOT!!!" I roared as I pummeled him. "I ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN WELL BEFORE THE MOVIE CAME OUT!!! SO BACK OFF AND GET BACK DOWN THERE!!!" I grabbed him and tossed him towards Oahu.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Meowth!" Sadie shouted in surprise. She put on a parachute and dove after him.
"Man, that's one extreme kitty." I said.
::UNPAUSE!::
"Our gym leader will now say a few words." The emcee handed the mic to Keoni, who stepped up.
"Thank you." Keoni cleared his throat. "To all the bruddahs and sistas who joined us on this night to honor our Volcano God, the great Groudon, I wish you the best of luck against me and in the rest of the Pacific League, as well as in all aspects of your futures." The crowd clapped after the speech was done. Keoni handed the mic back to the emcee and hopped off the stage.
"Thank you, Keoni. It will be an hour or so before we're ready to begin the battles." That was instantly met with boos and food being thrown. Sam walked up to Keoni, whose previously saddened face lit up with joy.
"Sam! Hey cuz!" He said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"
"Hey Keoni. Long time, no see." Sam replied. "I guess I'm here to battle ya." He chuckled. Keoni put on the serious look he had earlier, but hid it when he saw Pikachu.
"That's a cute pokémon you got there." He said as he picked Pikachu off Sam's shoulders and petted it. Pikachu sighed contently as the gym leader continued to pamper it.
"Wow. Pikachu hardly ever lets anybody near it except for me." Sam said. "Especially not Otto, Reggie, and Twister."
"That reminds me. Where are they?" Keoni asked. "I usually see you with them. Didn't they come here to compete?" Sam shook his head.
"It's a long story."
"We got an hour, brah." Keoni walked over to an empty table with Pikachu. Sam followed. They ordered some food. "So tell me. Where are they?"
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"Aw man. Is all this true?" Keoni asked with shock. Sam had told him everything that happened so far. Of course, he left out the part about coming from an alternate dimension. No one would believe him. "So they're all part of Team Rocket?" Sam nodded.
"Yeah. They've been trying to steal Pikachu for the last few months."
"I see. And they're on the island? We must call the police!"
"No! Don't do that!" Sam begged.
"Look Sam, I understand that they're your friends, but they're criminals now. We have to do the right thing." Keoni said. Sam shook his head.
"It's nothing to worry about. They may be members of Team Rocket, but they're harmless. I swear."
"But still, I can't take that chance. Not with these many trainers in attendance."
"I'm telling you, they won't try anything. If they attack the stadium, you can disqualify me." Sam said. Keoni shook his head.
"That won't be necessary. I believe you." He said that with a hesitant tone. "If you honestly think that they won't attack the stadium or any of the trainers, then there's a good chance they won't. Now, let's get off this subject."
"Right." Sam nodded. "It must be pretty cool to be the gym leader of the Pacific League." The sad look returned to Keoni as he shook his head.
"It's not as cool as you may think, brah. It's pretty boring. Every year, it's the same thing. Battle well over two hundred trainers who came from all over the world. I win a decent amount of matches, but I lose most of them." He sighed. "That's why I haven't been able to visit you guys lately. I'm always training for next year."
"That's tough, bro." Sam said.
"I would much rather quit and become a pokémon breeder, but I have to obey the ancient laws of Groudon." Keoni sighed again and got up. "The hour is about up. We gotta get ready." He started walking towards the entrance to the volcano.
"Keoni?" Sam said, stopping the gym leader.
"Yeah?"
"Maybe after the league ends, we can hang out and surf before I go back." Keoni turned to Sam with a grin.
"I'd like that. Good luck." And he continued on to the volcano.
"Now then, everybody line up here." The emcee said, standing by the volcano's entrance. All the trainers walked up and formed a single file line. "All of you will now go into the volcano and battle Keoni. Follow me and good luck." He walked forward, followed by everyone else. Sam and Pikachu were pretty far in the line. The front of the line walked into the volcano while most people waited behind. The line stretched as far as the coal pits.
'Oh great. Looks like I'm in for a long wait…' Sam thought with a groan. He took out his laptop. 'Never leave home without it.'
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A few hours have passed and Sam was only at the volcano's entrance. He looked ahead and noticed that he had to go down some stairs. People were starting to walk up from inside. Some were crying while others were walking in utter disbelief and some seemed to be breathing sighs of relief while others were jumping for joy.
A few hours later…
"Yeah! I did it!!!" Sam heard Lars' voice scream. He looked in despair as his rival walked with an air of victory around him. Lars had the goofiest grin on him. Goofier than Twister, if you can imagine it. He walked past Sam.
"I'm gonna be the greatest trainer in Ocean Shores when this is over!" He gave a laugh that made Sam shudder.
'How much longer!?' He thought.
ANOTHER few hours later…
"Ok. Now you're just doing this to bug me." Sam said.
(Me: Maybe, but I gotta bug someone.)
"So bug your stinkin' fan character!"
(Me: Nah. He gets bugged enough as it is.)
Anyway, Sam and Pikachu were about three quarters of the way through the volcano. The boy heard footsteps approach.
'Heh. That battle was too easy.' The caped boy thought dully as he walked up the stairs, clutching his new badge. His meowth, looking slightly singed, was perched on his shoulder.
'I hope Sam makes it through the battle. We won't have a story otherwise.' Just then, he passed by Sam and stopped. Sam looked up. The caped kid gave him a mischievous glance before continuing on. Sam scratched his head.
"What was that about?"
Later…
"®.® Heh heh. I'm a little teapot, short and stout. Here is my handle. Here is my spout." Sam sang dazedly.
"®.® Pika chu pi ka…" The pokémon sang in the same tone.
"o.O;;;; Snap outta it, will ya!?" The emcee yelled. Sam and Pikachu shook their heads and looked around. They had reached the bottom of the stairs and were standing in front of a pair of steel doors. Just then, they opened, revealing a girl, who was crying.
"Outta the way!" She shrieked as she ran. "I gotta get to the pokémon center!" The doors slammed shut, leaving a shocked and slightly scared Sam. The emcee turned to him with a grin.
"It'll be a few minutes." Sam shuddered at the man's calm disposition before he realized that he must deal with this sorta thing every year. He started sweating as he realized how hot it has suddenly gotten.
'We must be pretty far down.' He thought while wiping sweat off his forehead every few seconds. The emcee's walkie talkie beeped and he answered it. He nodded and turned to Sam.
"Ok. It's time for your match." He said. The doors opened with a creak, granting Sam and Pikachu access. The kid's glasses got foggy as he entered the chamber. The doors slammed shut right behind them. Sam took off his glasses and wiped them. When he put them back on, he gasped.
He was standing in an inferno! Ahead of him was a battlefield that was suspended on chains over a pit of boiling lava. Two stone bridges connected the field to the outside perimeter. At the corners of the room stood giant tikis, which were decorated with flowers. On the left and right sides of the room stood two giant statues of Groudon. Like the tikis, they were decorated with flowers. Every few seconds, a column of fire would shoot up from the lava below the field. Sam looked ahead and saw Keoni standing at the far end of the field. He had a stern look on his face and his arms were crossed. Sam walked forward, crossed the bridge, and stood at his end of the field.
"Well Sam, I was wondering when I would battle you." Keoni said. "Do you have any questions before we begin?"
"Yeah." Sam replied. "Do you know what time it is? I forgot my watch at the hotel." Keoni fell over.
'He's testing me.' He thought as he got up. "I think it's about one in the morning."
"Oh. No wonder I'm so tired." Sam said with a yawn. Keoni fell over again.
"This is an official gym battle!" The referee, who was standing under the left Groudon statue, said. "Keoni, the Pacific League gym leader VS. Sam Dullard of Ocean Shores. This battle will be a five-on-five match with no time limit. The Pacific Badge is at stake. Let the battle begin!"
"You may be one of my best friends, Sam, but I won't lose!" Keoni said, grabbing a poké ball from his belt. "Go! Magcargo!" He tossed it and the lava snail appeared.
"I respect that, Keoni, but I'm gonna win!" Sam proclaimed, grabbing his own poké ball. "Go! Tentacruel!" He tossed it and the jellyfish he caught earlier today appeared.
'A water type! Why does it always have to be water types!?' Keoni thought with disgust. You would too if you were a fire type trainer. "Magcargo! Smog attack!" Magcargo reared back and fired a green cloud at Tentacruel. Sam smirked.
"Did you forget that Tentacruel's also a poison type? Tentacruel! Poison Sting!" Tentacruel charged forward, right through Magcargo's attack, and struck the snail hard with its beak. Magcargo was thrown backwards. "Now use Bubblebeam!"
"Oh no you don't! Magcargo! Use Light Screen!" Keoni ordered. Magcargo righted itself as Tentacruel's two biggest jewels glowed brightly. The water type fired two huge streams of bubbles as the fire type created a clear barrier. The Bubblebeam slammed into the barrier, but didn't even scratch it.
"Oh man." Sam said as Magcargo's Light Screen faded.
"Now use Flamethrower!" Magcargo reared back and launched a stream of fire at Tentacruel.
"Water Pulse!" Sam ordered. All three of Tentacruel's jewels glowed brightly as it launched a torrent of water at Magcargo. The two attacks collided, but Tentacruel's attack washed out Magcargo's Flamethrower and drenched the snail. Magcargo had a dazed expression as it fainted.
"Magcargo is out of the match!" The ref yelled, holding up a red flag. Keoni growled and called back Magcargo. He put on a smirk as he grabbed the poké ball containing his next pokémon.
'He may be using a water pokémon, but this next one will destroy him!' He thought. "Go! Rhydon!" He tossed the ball and the huge rock type appeared. Sam smirked again.
"This battle will be easy." He said to himself. "Tentacruel! Water—"
"Rhydon! Thunderbolt!" Keoni interrupted. Electrical energy crackled at the tip of Rhydon's horn. Rhydon shot a lightning bolt at Tentacruel, knocking it out almost instantly.
"Tentacruel is out of the match!" The ref called, holding up a green flag.
"Aw man… Two Thunderbolts in one day. Talk about unlucky." Sam sighed as he called back the smoking Tentacruel. Keoni laughed at him.
"You see? Most of the trainers I fought earlier thought they could take the easy way out by using water pokémon! Boy, were they shocked when I whipped out this bad boy!" He laughed again as Sam brought out another poké ball.
'That's new. I never thought Keoni had an evil side to him.' He thought with a shrug. "Go! Marshstomp!" He tossed it and the evolved starter appeared. Keoni laughed harder.
"I see you need another lesson, brah! Rhydon! Thunderbolt!" Rhydon's horn glowed again and fired lightning at the water type. It struck Marshstomp, but had no effect. "What the—!" Now it was Sam's turn to laugh.
"I knew you were going to try something like that, so I switched one of my regulars for Marshstomp, who is part ground!"
"And ground types aren't affected by electric attacks…" Keoni said before slapping his head. "Crap!"
"Marshstomp! Use Rain Dance!" Marshstomp did as it was told, doing a one-mon conga line. Clouds formed above the field and it started to rain. The fiery lava below the field was unaffected by the downpour, but it got cooler inside the room, which was a relief to everyone in the room, except for Keoni, who was well aware of the attack's effect.
'Water attacks are now stronger, while fire attacks are weaker.' He thought with a growl. "Rhydon! Iron Tail!" Rhydon charged forward as its tail glowed brightly.
"Marshstomp! Muddy Water!" Sam ordered. Marshstomp reared back and fired a stream of dirty water, which connected with Rhydon, stopping its attack and blinding it. Rhydon stepped back, trying to recover from the attack. "Now use your Iron Tail!" Marshstomp ran forward as its tail glowed brightly. It whomped Rhydon hard, knocking it out.
"Rhydon! No!"
"Rhydon is out of the match!" The ref yelled. Keoni called it back.
'You may have ruined my strategy, but I can still pull a victory.' He thought as he clutched the next poké ball. 'But first, I'll get rid of this rain.'
"Go! Camerupt!" Keoni yelled as he tossed the poké ball, releasing the camel/volcano combination. "Use Sunny Day!"
Camerupt's eyes glowed brightly as a ball of energy as bright as the sun came out of one of its smokestacks. It floated into the air and made the clouds dissipate, ending the rainstorm. The room temperature rose to at least thirty degrees higher than what the original temperature was. Everybody started sweating badly, except for Keoni, who was aware of what the change in weather meant.
'Now fire attacks are stronger while water attacks are weaker. He's finished now.' He thought with a grin.
"Marshstomp! Muddy Water!" Sam ordered. Marshstomp fired its attack, but due to the intense sunlight, the water evaporated almost instantly. The mud in the attack landed on the field with a splat.
"Camerupt! Eruption!" Keoni commanded. The entire field shook as lava shot out of Camerupt's mini-volcanoes in geysers! The lava fell and landed on Marshstomp, burning it badly. It may have been a water type, but the sheer heat of the lava and the artificial sunlight knocked it out.
"Marshstomp is out of the match!" The ref yelled, holding up the green flag. Sam called back Marshstomp.
'Ok. I'm up by one, but it'll be hard with that camerupt out.' He thought. 'That's it! I'll fight fire with fire!' He took out his next poké ball.
"Go! Arcanine!" He tossed it, releasing his pooch.
"Ha! It may be a cool fire type, but business is business." Keoni said. "Camerupt! Magnitude!"
"Arcanine! Extremespeed!" Before Camerupt can even use its attack, Arcanine dashed across the field at an immense speed and rammed into it, knocking it backwards.
"Ugh! Camerupt! End this with Fissure!" Keoni roared. Camerupt righted itself, raised its front legs, and slammed them onto the field, producing a powerful shock wave that went towards Arcanine.
"Agility!" Sam ordered. Arcanine sidestepped out of the attack's path and darted around the field, eluding everybody's sight. "Now use Swift!" Arcanine stopped right in front of Camerupt and blasted it with stars. The fire/ground type had a dazed expression as it fainted.
"Camerupt's—" The ref started.
"I know!" Keoni yelled, calling it back. He immediately got another poké ball. "Go! Marowak!" He tossed it and the bony ground type appeared. "Focus Energy!" Marowak closed its eyes and glowed blue.
"Arcanine! Flamethrower!" Sam said. Arcanine reared back.
"Marowak! Bone Club!" Keoni ordered. Marowak's eyes shot open and it charged forward as Arcanine fired its attack. The ground type swung its bone, splitting the fire type's attack in two. It didn't stop there though as it went past Arcanine. Marowak stood, holding its bone with its eyes closed. Instantly, Arcanine collapsed.
"Arcanine's out of the match!" The ref yelled. Sam called it back. The effects of Sunny Day wore off as the energy ball Camerupt created earlier disappeared. Sam took out his fourth poké ball.
"Go! Starmie!" His faithful starfish appeared after he tossed the ball. Keoni slapped his head in exasperation.
"I thought we were done with the blasted water types! Marowak! Bonemerang!" Marowak reared back and tossed its bone at Starmie.
"Starmie! Hydro Pump!" Starmie aimed its points at the bone and blasted it with a huge amount of water, slamming it right back in Marowak's face! Marowak fainted. The ref opened his mouth.
"-.- Do you really have to say it?" Keoni asked, calling Marowak back. "It's time for you to face my best pokémon, Sam!" He grabbed the poké ball containing his final pokémon.
"Magmar! Go!" He tossed it and the fire duck appeared.
(A/N: Honestly! It looks like a duck!)
"Well, Keoni, it was great battling you, but all good things must come to an end." Sam scoffed. "Starmie! Hydro Pump!"
"I'm not out yet! Magmar! Fire Blast!" Both pokémon launched their type's strongest attacks. They collided and both pokémon struggled for dominance for a few moments before Magmar's attack fizzled out. Starmie's attack went full blast towards the fire type, who skillfully jumped out of the way.
"Magmar! Finish this with Overheat!" Keoni yelled. Magmar ran up to Starmie, jumped, and grabbed on to it. The fire type then heated its body to a super high temperature. Starmie tried to shake it off, but it was no use. It started to catch fire as Magmar jumped off. Starmie landed on the ground and slumped over. It was done for the match.
"Starmie is out of the match!" The ref yelled, holding up the green flag. "The match is now tied with both trainers having one pokémon apiece." Sam called back Starmie and took out the poké ball containing his last pokémon.
'I may not have used you much, but please win the match.' He thought. "Go! Graveler!" He tossed the ball and his final pokémon appeared.
"Magmar! Another Fire Blast!" Keoni ordered.
"Graveler! Rollout!" Sam ordered. Magmar fired its attack as Graveler rolled forward. The rock type crashed into the person-shaped fire attack. Graveler broke through the attack and rolled into Magmar, tossing it backwards.
"Magmar! Submission!" Magmar dashed forward, grabbed Graveler in a devastating choke hold, and slammed it into the ground. Graveler dizzily got up. "Use Flamethrower!" Magmar fired its attack.
"Defense Curl!" Sam blurted. Graveler got into a ball, allowing it to resist the flames. "Now use Rollout!" Graveler rolled forward and crashed into Magmar again.
"Magmar! Overheat!" Keoni ordered. Magmar ran forward, getting ready to grab Graveler like it did Starmie.
"Graveler! Use Substitute!" Graveler glowed brightly. When the glowing subsided, a doll-like clone of Graveler appeared. Magmar grabbed onto the doll and used its attack, destroying it, but distracting it long enough for Sam to counterattack.
"Finish this with Double-Edge!" Sam yelled. Graveler ran forward and rammed into Magmar, throwing it backwards. Because it was so worn out from using all those fire attacks, it fainted.
"Magmar is defeated! The winner of this match is Sam Dullard!" The ref yelled, holding up the red flag. Keoni called it back with a sad expression. It quickly turned to an expression of happiness as he walked towards Sam.
"Congratulations Sam. You've beaten me, but for some odd reason, I'm happy. Here." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a badge that was shaped like Groudon. It was made out of ruby. "This is the Pacific Badge. You've officially made it into the Pacific League." He handed it to Sam.
"Thanks! I got the Pacific Badge!" Sam cheered.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as well. Sam called back Graveler and started to leave.
"Good luck in the Pacific League, Sam! I'll be cheering you on!" Keoni yelled, waving. Sam waved back.
"Thanks dude!" He left the volcano and walked to the pokémon center. After dealing with the long line, he got his pokémon healed and walked back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.
Tomorrow, the Pacific League begins!
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Post-chapter Conversation
Izzy, Sadie, and I were riding in an elevator to our hotel room to retire for the night.
"Man, that chapter was tiring." Izzy said, stretching his arms. "I don't think we've ever stayed up this late to do filming."
"Meow…" Sadie agreed, trying to stay awake.
"You said it." I yawned. A few moments passed before I smirked at my partner. "So Izzy, was it fun to see your 'delectable pineapple' again?" He growled at me.
"Boss, DROP IT!!!" I grinned at him before turning to the camera.
"Anyway, will Sam get through the matches in the Pacific League? Will Team Rocket interfere? And why was Sam brought to this dimension? Find out next time!" The elevator stopped and we stepped off to continue to our room.
"So you think you'll be able to sleep well?" I teased Izzy. The younger boy shrugged.
"I hope so." He gave me a nervous look. "Are you sure that stuff about Hoothoot and Noctowl is true?"
"It should be." I replied. "After all, if in the Rocket Power Dimension, the Menehune are afraid of owls, then they must afraid of the owl pokémon in this one, right?"
"Makes sense, I guess." We finally made it to our room. I slid in the key card and opened the door. What awaited us was a horrific sight.
"WHAT THE HELL!?!" We both yelled. Sadie looked equally shocked as we surveyed the room. All the sheets were ripped up and everything was out of place. What scared us the most though was the writing in blood on the wall behind our beds.
"'The Menehune were here.'" I read. "Well, at least now we know they're capable of reading and writing."
"What's the deal!?" Izzy yelled at me. "I thought the hoothoot and noctowl you put out on the balcony were supposed to protect us!" We looked at each other for a few seconds before looking at the balcony. All three of us screamed and hugged each other for protection.
Hoothoot and Noctowl were perched on the balcony, but they were only skeletons!
"B-Boss…" Izzy shuddered.
"I know, Izzy. I'm royally freaked out too." I replied. My face became a ghostly white.
"M-meowth…" Sadie said.