Author's Note: This should have been up a while ago, but I had final exams. By the way, thanks for the reviews! They're much appreciated!
Chapter 4: Peril in Petalburg
It was just a little after noon when Tyson, Rika, and Derek finally arrived in Petalburg City. They had returned their Pokémon back into their Pokéballs earlier.
The first thing they noticed upon arriving was that the city was much larger than Oldale and Littleroot. The streets were filled with many cars and people. The group were definitely somewhere in the shopping district since they walked along a chain of shops. Although Petalburg wasn't known as a great city to shop in, the group had never seen some of the items in the store windows. There were stores selling clothes and others that sold special Pokémon food. There were even stores selling Pokémon toys!
"We should go shopping sometime," Rika said quietly. She still seemed a little down about the whole Derek thing and Mudkip's fear of other Pokémon.
"Yeah! This is place sure isn't Oldale!" Derek exclaimed, "I still need to buy a medal case!"
"What about my gym battle?" Tyson asked, "We can shop after I win."
"Yeah, okay, whatever," Derek agreed.
"Derek..." Rika started, determined to get the apology over with.
"What's up?"
"I...I'm sorry for yelling at you and it wasn't Rapid's fault for flying into Mudkip. And, since we're traveling together, we should be friends," she raised her hand for a handshake.
Derek was surprised at the sudden apology. He didn't think Rika was ever going to do that. Tyson was also a little shocked but expected it sooner or later, just not this soon.
"Well, um...Sure thing!" Derek shook Rika's hands with a firm grip, "And I'm sorry too! You know, for all those comments and stuff. I'll try to do it less often but I'm not making any promises!"
Rika smiled and felt a little better. Now she had to help Mudkip.
"Anyways, so what about my gym battle?" Tyson asked again.
"I don't really feel like going right now. I want to teach Mudkip that other Pokémon aren't scary. Can you check your PokéNavi and see if there's any parks around?" said Rika.
"Sure thing," Tyson took out the machine and turned it on, "Let's see here...Petalburg City map...Here! There's a small park five blocks from here and the gym's almost on the other side of the city."
"Thanks. I'm going to take Mudkip there for a while."
"But I want you to see my first gym match," said Tyson.
"I know, but I need to help Mudkip," Rika replied.
"Yo! I'll go with you to your gym battle!" Derek shouted suddenly.
Tyson looked disappointed that his old friend couldn't see his first official gym match but he understood. After all, there's always the next gym.
"Alright. I guess we'll see you at the Pokémon Center later then."
Rika nodded and with that, they parted ways for a while.
Back in Route 102, Theo and Tara were just waking up in a forested area. They had stayed up late trying to dodge Magnemite's Thunder Shocks. Earl ordered it to shock them since they failed the mission.
"That was one of the most dreadful nights I have ever experienced," Theo commented as he rolled up his sleeping bag.
"At least we didn't get shocked too much," Tara yawned.
Magnemite also woke up and it turned on the television to show Earl.
"Morning! Or should I say afternoon?" Earl was sitting in his usual chair in the usual barely lighted room. He was just taking the last bite of his nachos and judging by the traces on the keyboards, he also had tacos.
"I have your next orders here," Earl fixed his glasses and picked up a clipboard.
"Are our orders not to capture Pokémon on this route?" Theo asked.
"Not anymore. You're to meet up with the Flying Ace in Rustboro City,"
"Flying Ace? What a show off! Doesn't he have a real name?" said Tara, "Just who is this guy anyway?"
Earl flipped the page on his clipboard.
"He's a specialist that the boss hired. Apparently, there's something in Rustboro that he wants. Oh, and before you ask, it doesn't say what it is."
Theo and Tara looked annoyed. They hated being left in the dark about their boss's true intentions. In fact, they suspect that almost everyone on Team Emerald have no clue why they're doing some of the missions. All they know is that they're being paid with good money.
"Well, if you don't need anything else, I'm off to get watermelons,"
"Didn't you like just finish eating?" Tara asked, confused.
"That was lunch. Now it's time for my post-lunch pre-afternoon tea snack."
The TV turned off and Magnemite continued floating in midair. Theo and Tara quickly gathered the rest of their stuff and headed towards a hot air balloon a little deeper in the forest. The balloon itself was a replica of a Magnemite and the basket was black in color. They climbed in and prepared to take off.
Tyson and Derek finally arrived at the gym after walking through many neighborhoods. It was a fairly large building with the words "Petalburg Gym" on the front of it. The building wasn't very modern. In fact, it looked like an old dojo of sorts. The gym was surrounded by a stonewall and behind it was another building, probably where the gym leader lived. There were also two practice fields on both sides of the gym.
The two friends walked up the step leading to the main doors and attempted to open it but it was locked. Tyson was perplexed but Derek pointed out to him a note taped to the side.
It read:
The Petalburg Gym will be closed until further notice. Gym Leader Norman has important business in Littleroot Town. Sorry for the inconvenience.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Tyson shouted in anger.
"Yo! Calm down! It's not like you can't just wait for the guy to come back," Derek said.
"But it says "until further notice". That could be weeks!"
"Well then let's go shopping!"
Just as Tyson and Derek prepared to leave, a boy of about the same age as them approached the main doors. One glance at him and you could tell he was rich. He wore an expensive looking black jacket, which covered his red shirt, and a pair of blue jeans. His dark blonde hair was spiked upwards with gel and his eyes were a menacing green.
The boy walked passed Tyson and Derek, giving no notice to them. He tried to open the door before noticing the note.
"Curses," he mumbled under his breath.
"Yo! Too bad the gym's closed, eh?" Derek tried to be friendly.
The boy shot an almost evil glance at him.
"How about battling me?" he asked. His tone suggested that it was more like a command instead.
"Tyson! You should battle him!" Derek suggested.
"Sure, why not?"
The three of them walked over to an empty practice field and prepared to battle. It was fenced so they had to open the gate first.
"One on one," the boy stated, "Treecko!"
He threw a Pokéball that had a black top instead of a red one and a small gecko of sorts materialized. He had large yellow eyes that curved as if it were angry or perhaps evil. He stood on two legs and seemed almost motionless.
"That Treecko's a different color!" Derek cried, while getting out his Pokédex.
Tyson also took out his Pokédex and they both scanned the Pokémon.
"Treecko, the wood gecko Pokémon. Treecko has small hooks on the bottom of its feet that enable it to scale vertical walls. This Pokémon attacks by slamming foes with its thick tail." Along with a normal picture of a green Treecko, it also had a picture of a shiny (different colored) one.
"That's odd. His Shiny Treecko is different than the one shown in the Pokédex," Tyson commented.
He was right. The shiny picture shown was more blue and had a red tail, while the boy's Treecko was black throughout except for his eyes and the front of his body, which was red.
"I think you discovered a new colored Treecko!" Derek exclaimed.
"Something like that," the boy sneered, "Now stop wasting my time and send out your weak Pokémon so it can lose."
"Who said I'm going to lose? I choose you, Torchic!" Tyson threw the Pokéball.
"Chic! Torch?" The chick looked at Tyson as if it were asking if now was a time for battle.
"This is a Pokémon battle, Torchic! Just do your best!"
"Quick Attack!" The boy screamed out the command.
Treecko dashed towards Torchic in a black blur and knocked him backwards. The chick was a bit shaken up but got back up immediately.
"Treecko! You're pathetic. You can't even beat that Torchic in one hit," the boy said coldly.
"Treecko," the Pokémon apologized.
"Torchic, Ember!"
"Evade!"
Treecko leaped into the air and Torchic's Ember barrage hit the ground instead. The gecko came back down towards Torchic, pounding him with his tail.
"Torchic! Are you alright?" Tyson was worried. He knew this trainer was strong even though it looked like he just started his journey too.
"Chic..." the chick replied weakly but still stood up. Torchic's eyes showed that he was angry.
"Finish with Quick Attack!" The boy commanded.
Treecko disappeared into a black blur again and knocked Torchic backwards, causing him to faint!
"Torchic!" Tyson ran towards his fallen Pokémon and picked him up.
"Pathetic," the boy muttered and proceeded in returning his Pokémon.
"Dude! You just lost!" Derek said.
"You don't have to state the obvious!" Tyson shouted angrily.
The boy headed for the gate but was stopped by Tyson's cry.
"That Treecko of yours is pretty tough! What's your name, by the way? I'm Tyson!"
Without turning around, he replied with a single word and left.
"Vince."
Tyson and Derek also left and headed for the Pokémon Center to heal Torchic and to see if Rika was there.
"Your Torchic is going to be fine. He just needs to rest for a bit. If you're in a hurry, I can put him in the PokéHealer."
"No, that's okay. I think we're going to spend the night here."
Tyson was glad that Torchic was okay and that Nurse Joy didn't have too many Pokémon to take of today. He and Derek sat on the couches in the center and wondered if all Pokémon Centers had the same design.
Rika wasn't there yet so they waited and watched the TV that was in the corner of the ceiling. It was just a news report but something caught Tyson's attention. The news reporter, Gabby, stated that there was great fire in Littleroot Town and a little girl went missing. What was really interesting was that people say they saw an Absol before it happened. Tyson wondered if it was the same Absol that he and Rika saw back on Route 101. Gabby went on saying that Norman went there to help.
"So that's why he wasn't at the gym," Tyson commented.
"Yo! It's Rika!" Derek pointed.
Rika ran through the doors and panted. It looked like she had been running a marathon.
"Rika, what's wrong?" Tyson and Derek went over to her.
"Tyson! Derek! It's Mudkip! She ran away after some stupid kid's Spinda lost control of Dizzy Punch! It was right after she started to make friends with this retired coordinator's Marshtomp too! We looked everywhere but we couldn't find her! You have to help!"
"Calm down!" Derek suggested.
The three of them went outside and was about to start searching when a man in a brown trench coat appeared. He had on a light brown hat that covered his dark hair. Both his hands were in his pockets.
"I know where your Mudkip is," he stated in a deep voice.
"What? Who are you? How do you know about my Mudkip?" Rika asked.
The man chuckled and took out a badge. It was shiny gold and engraved on it were the letters P. D.
"P.D.? Pay Day?" Derek was confused, "Are you here to give us money?"
Rika pushed Derek aside.
"Pokémon Detective, genius," she commented.
"I am Detective Jones. Pokémon Detective extraordinaire!" he gave a super hero type pose before returning to his stance.
"Right..." Tyson said under his breath, "So, anyways. How do you know about her Mudkip?"
"Well, Tyson-"
"Woah! You must be a great detective if you already know his name!" Derek cried.
"Hence the extraordinaire part..." said Rika.
"It's really quite simple. There are many clues. I saw you at the park when your Mudkip ran off," Jones pointed at Rika, "Then, when you were inside the Pokémon Center, you mentioned the names."
"Wow!" Derek was very impressed.
"So what you're saying is that you followed Rika all the way here and then eavesdropped on us?" Tyson asked.
"To me, it was more like noticing obvious clues."
"Will you forget about the clues! Where's Mudkip?" Rika was starting to get worried.
"Follow me," Detective Jones instructed.
The group did what he said. The detective led them all through the city. They saw many of Petalburg's sights, such as the Petalburg Manor and the famous statue of Petalburg's founder.
After almost two hours of walking, the sun began to go down and soon Tyson, Rika, and Derek were starting to get hungry and annoyed.
"We've been walking forever! Do you or do you not know where my Mudkip is?" Rika demanded.
The detective turned to face them.
"Of course," he answered.
"Then where is she? It feels like we've been walking in circles!" Rika shouted.
"Your Mudkip is right over there," Jones raised his right arm and pointed at a flower shop. It was a large shop with a big window that displayed many different kinds of flowers. A small sign hung above the door and it said "Petalburg's Beautiful and Sweet Scented Flower Shop."
Rika ran into the shop, almost tripping through the door.
"Hey! Didn't we pass this place three times already?" Derek inquired.
"Yeah, I think you're right," Tyson agreed.
The two of them entered the store with Detective Jones behind them. As soon as they entered, they could smell the flower's scent. Judging by the looks on their faces, the sign didn't lie. All sorts of flowers were in the store. Some hung from the ceiling while others were just sitting on tables.
Rika was hugging Mudkip beside a small fountain. Two young ladies, probably the owners of the store, and two Bellossoms were also there. The two of them were obviously twin sisters. They were wearing almost the exact same clothes and they each wore a single flower in their hair.
Mudkip seemed very happy to see her trainer again.
"Oh Mudkip! I'm never letting you out of sight ever again!" Rika promised.
"Kip! Mud!"
One of the two ladies noticed Tyson and the others.
"Oh, hello. Are you with Rika?"
"Yes we are! And I must ask why such a-" Derek started to make another joke comment but got pushed aside by Tyson.
"How did Mudkip end up here anyways?" Tyson asked.
The other lady had an answer for him.
"Well, I was out with Bell, who's my Bellossom. We were shopping when we saw Mudkip hiding in inside a telephone booth. She seemed so frightened when Bell approached her but after Bell used Sweet Scent, Mudkip calmed down. I brought her to our shop to make sure she was alright."
"Thanks so much for taking care of her!" Rika thanked.
"No problem. Oh, and your Mudkip seems to be somewhat afraid of Pokémon..."
"Yeah, in fact I was trying to get her to be friends with one earlier."
"Well, she seems to be okay with our Bellossoms here. But, she's still frightened every time they get close."
"You know what they say! Pokémon take after their trainers!" Derek said out of nowhere. That got him a punch from Rika.
The group thanked them again and left the flower shop. They headed back to the Pokémon Center.
"So, how did you know where Mudkip was?" Tyson asked Detective Jones.
"Clues are often easy to find. I simply watched the event that the lady described earlier. I knew she owned the flower shop since she had a rare flower on her head," he answered with a tone that made him sound like a know-it-all.
"Then why didn't we go in there? We passed the store at least three times," Rika asked, still holding Mudkip.
"Well, I thought it'd be fun to wait it out. After all, what's a mystery if the answer is revealed so soon."
"We walked for practically two hours!" Tyson complained.
"Yes, well, you all needed the exercise."
"No we didn't! We're on a Pokémon journey! We're going to get all the exercise we can get!" Tyson replied.
"I'm sorry. I have to go. Another mystery needs solving. Goodbye and so long," the detective left the group and headed for another direction.
The three of them were too tired to wonder where the detective was going. They just wanted to get a good night's sleep, since they knew that tomorrow, they had to go through the Petalburg Woods.