DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters, place names, etc. The only characters I own here are the lovely Samara Kantaris (or rather, she owns me...hehehe) and her 'rival' Ivan...and Kate Roscoe too. I guess Stella's mine as well, you could say. None of the other characters are mine (although I heartily wish I owned Lance and Giovanni, but unfortunately I don't...)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's been so long! First there was my work experience, then there was coursework...then there was just life in general...then there was more coursework...lol I'm sure you get the idea. Anyway here we go, on with the next chapter!
Thanks for the review, Lunar Sphinx! Again, apologies for the delay on this chapter.
Enjoy :)
"Hey, there, mind if I sit with you?"
Kantaris was sitting in a spacious café. It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, and it was one of those days when, if you're inside with the sun shining in on you through the windows, it's really warm, but if you were to go outside, you'd be freezing.
Kantaris looked up at the girl who had just spoken. She was tall and willowy, with curls of blonde hair, the type that looked all perfect and bouncy. Her eyes were a medium shade of blue, and her smile was so broad, it seemed to radiate light. She was wearing shorts and a plain T-shirt, and she clutched a backpack in front of her with both hands. Kantaris flickered her covetous gaze over the attractive silver bracelet that the girl wore.
"Sure," Kantaris said with a shrug, pulling out a chair.
The girl carefully placed her bag over the side of the chair and sat down with her legs crossed. She pulled a mirror from her pocket and checked her reflection for a few seconds before replacing the mirror. She clapped briefly, obviously satisfied that she looked okay. Kantaris watched her out of the corner of her eye whilst finishing her sandwich. Suddenly the girl looked at her, smiled excitedly and said,
"I recognized you and I just had to come and talk to you. I've been looking for you for a while, actually. I hoped you hadn't left town so soon and thankfully, you're still here. Isn't that lucky?"
"Oh, really? Sure. Lucky." Kantaris pushed her plate away. She could just tell this was going to turn into a similar experience to the one she'd had with Ivan. She looked at the girl challengingly. "Where did we battle, then?"
"Oh, we haven't battled yet," the girl said. "I saw you coming into Cerulean with that Rocket."
"Did you, now?" Kantaris was too tired to bother coming up with a more intelligent reply. "So what?"
"So..." The girl lowered her voice. "Are you a Rocket yourself?"
"What if I am?" Kantaris picked up bits of crust and nibbled on them. "You gonna arrest me or something?"
"No," the girl replied apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm so nosy sometimes. It's just unusual to see someone from Team Rocket in the Gym here. Yeah, that's it! Sorry, let me start again. I saw you in the Gym!"
"Uh-huh," Kantaris said, still not very interested.
"I saw you beat Misty too! I'd say you're pretty good for a beginner! And your Misdreavus is the cutest!"
"How do you know I'm a beginner?"
"You're on the Gym Challenge. And I noticed you only had one other badge so...I presumed you hadn't been on a Gym Challenge before..."
"Yes, well, you're very perceptive."
"I've been there myself. I guess it takes one to know one." The girl shrugged, but it was a cheerful, carefree kind of shrug. "You want a coffee? You look kinda tired."
"Sure thing," Kantaris replied uncertainly. This girl was a bit weird, but if she was buying drinks Kantaris didn't see the problem with chatting to her for a little while.
The girl came back with two mugs of coffee. Kantaris drank hers a little too quickly, burning her tongue in the process. The girl laughed and bit her lip sympathetically. She offered to get Kantaris some water, but Kantaris declined.
"Mind if I smoke?" Kantaris asked. "Don't tell me it's a bad habit. I know."
The girl shook her head and dismissed Kantaris' 'bad habit' comment. She obviously wasn't bothered, so Kantaris took out a cigarette and lit it.
"So, where are you from?" the girl asked enthusiastically. Then she checked herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, there I go again. If I get too nosy, just tell me."
"Tell me who you are," Kantaris said slyly, sipping her coffee, "and I won't think you're nosy at all."
"My name's Katrina Roscoe. But people just call me Kate. I used to train at Misty's Gym, but...Misty said I got too good – which I never completely believed – so I decided to take the Gym Challenge."
"So you're on the Gym Challenge too, huh?" Kantaris silently prayed that this girl wouldn't even mention the word 'rivalry'.
"Not anymore," Kate replied. "That was...let's see...three years ago!"
"Three years ago? So what are you doing now? Did you win the League or something?" Kantaris' heart skipped a beat. "Oh, my God...am I talking to the Champion here?"
"Oh, no, I didn't make it," Kate said. She shook her head, and her hair bounced around on her shoulders. "I got all my badges, trained really hard...but when it came to the Elite Four up at Indigo Plateau, I couldn't cut it."
"You've been to Indigo Plateau?" Kantaris was slowly drowning in admiration, and a lump of ash was building up at the end of her cigarette unchecked.
"Yeah. But, like I said, I lost. I wasn't all that bothered. I just thought how cool it would be to have access granted to Mount Silver, and be able to catch all those cool Pokémon...but I guess it wasn't meant to be."
"So you...? What did you do, then?" Kantaris put her cigarette in the ashtray. She had been about to say 'So you gave up?' but upon consideration, it hadn't sounded very nice.
"I did lots of things! I came back to the Gym for a while, then I did some Pokémon breeding...you know, raising Pokémon from eggs and stuff – that was really cool – and now...I do a bit of everything, I guess." Kate stirred her coffee slowly as she spoke. "Mainly helping out at the Gym, if I have nothing else to do. How about you?"
"What is there to tell? My name's Samara Kantaris. I'm from Saffron. I'm seventeen – nearly eighteen – and...I haven't really done much that you could call 'achievements'. I fell in with Team Rocket when I was about fourteen, been with them ever since...and no, I don't regret it." Kantaris gave Kate a sideward glance. "I've been to Pokémon Stadium...and now I'm on the Kanto Gym Challenge. And that's it."
"What are you hoping to get from the Challenge, Samara?"
Kantaris blinked. She hadn't really thought that there was much to get from the Gym Challenge except the obvious: the Championship. She'd never even heard of Mount Silver, and she didn't know all that much about the Elite Four either.
"It sounds stupid," she confessed, "but I set out to take the League. And I still wanna do that."
"That's awesome!" Kate clapped again. "The Championship is the biggest thing going! You get a place in the Hall of Fame, plus you get to go round Mount Silver, where nobody else goes."
"Mount Silver?" Kantaris had to take the opportunity to ask, even though she felt stupid doing so.
"It's an obscure mountain, not far from the part of Cerulean City where I live, actually. Only Champions are granted access." Kate's eyes glazed over slightly. "And who knows what sort of super-strong Pokémon you could find out there? It must be such a privilege."
"What else did you want from the Gym Challenge, apart from going to Mount Silver?"
"Oh, just the experience, really. I wanted to help other trainers, but I didn't feel like I could do that unless I'd proved myself, if you know what I mean." Kate finished her coffee. "Technically, I'm not a Pokémon Master seen as I didn't beat all of the Elite Four. But I'm definitely a lot wiser than I was! Oh, it's just so worth it. It's so great to meet someone else who's following the same path, you know."
Kantaris leaned forwards towards Kate.
"If you've been to Indigo Plateau," she asked nervously, "you'll be able to tell me what it's like...won't you?"
Kate leaned back and tightened her lips thoughtfully. After a few seconds, she said,
"Are you...one of these really sensitive people, Samara? Or can you handle brute honesty?"
This was a bizarre question. Kantaris' face was expressionless.
"Just give it to me straight," she said finally. "What's it like up there?"
"It's the scariest place in the world," Kate replied, with a short laugh. "The road to the Plateau is probably the toughest you'll take, and if you don't keep your head, it's almost impossible to even get to Indigo Plateau. And then, when you get there, your heart really starts racing. You're on edge right up until the moment when it's your turn to go through those doors into the Halls of the Elite Four. You have to go in alone, just you and your Pokémon. No phones or radios are allowed, either. The chambers are huge, but they have no windows. As soon as you walk through that first set of doors, they slam shut behind you. From there, you have to battle the Elite Four in succession, only stopping in between to use whatever supplies you have with you. And if you lose, they send you out and you have to start all over again...that is, if you have the guts to start again. Sadly, I...well, I didn't fancy doing it again."
"Is that so?" Kantaris asked, unsure of what else to say. What Kate had said didn't worry her. On the contrary, it sent tingles of excitement down her spine. "What are the Elite Four like?"
"I couldn't really say for sure," Kate replied, "because the roster changes every couple of years. New trainers get to Elite status, the old ones drop out to give others a chance. The bunch I faced was probably different from the ones you'll face when you get there."
Kantaris liked the way Kate said 'when' and not 'if'. It made her smile. But the thought of the Elite Four intrigued her, and she had to press the matter. She couldn't see how there were just four trainers/Masters singled out as 'Elite'. Why four? Why not five?
"Who did you go up against?" Kantaris drank the last of her coffee seen as it was getting cold.
"Well, I didn't get very far. But there was an old lady called Agatha there. She was my first opponent. She used mostly Poison Pokémon, from what I can remember. And then I lost to Lorelei. I think she was new. She used Ice Pokémon, anyway."
Kantaris nodded slowly. She knew it was a death wish, but she had to ask,
"How tough were they?"
"They are the four greatest trainers in Kanto," Kate replied, "tougher than Gym Leaders. We're talking teams of five or six hard-hitting, high-level, high-impact, fully-evolved Pokémon! That's why, when you beat them all, you're worthy of the title 'Pokémon Master', even if you don't beat the Champion. I remember when I beat Agatha: it was the greatest feeling ever, knowing that I'd beaten someone so tough. I held my own against Lorelei too, but I accepted she was better than me in the end. Just a little." Kate winked.
"But if they're the four greatest trainers in Kanto," Kantaris mused, "then what does that make the Champion?"
"The most formidable trainer in the country, maybe the whole world." Kate answered seriously. "It'd be great if the Indigo and Johto League Champions had a grudge match. Then we could really see who was the world's greatest Pokémon Master!"
"So there are only two leagues in the world?"
"No, no, there's the Orange League and the Hoenn League, but they're different. They have their own Elite Four teams. The Indigo and Johto Leagues are the only two leagues on the mainland, though."
"So what if someone was Champion of all of the leagues?"
"Then...wow! They'd be, like, the undisputed ruler of the Pokémon world, and nobody would dare challenge them, and they would become a legend...!" Kate smiled broadly. "But that would be really unlikely. There are so many good trainers – and excellent upcoming trainers – out there. It must be hard enough to hold one Championship down."
Kantaris nodded slowly.
"Who's the current Champion, then?" she asked.
"No idea," Kate replied. "But whoever it is, he or she will be pretty damn tough, if you'll excuse the language."
Kantaris fought the urge to snigger, but made a mental note to watch her language. Kate obviously disapproved of swearing.
"So where are you headed now?" Kate asked, finishing her coffee.
"I dunno, to be honest. I'll go wherever there's a Gym."
"Oh. I thought you might be going to Lavender Town. There's no Gym there, but it's a really nice place to stop by." Kate frowned thoughtfully. "Rock Tunnel's a bit of a drag, though."
"Where would you say I should go if I'm looking for the next Gym?"
"Vermilion City's probably your best bet." Kate smiled brightly. "I'm headed there myself!"
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm catching the S.S. Aqua in five days' time." Kate reached into her bag and pulled out a ticket. She waved it proudly.
"Cool. Where you going to?" Why the hell am I asking? I'm not even interested!
"Olivine City. My boyfriend's working away there and I said I'd go visit." Kate had obviously decided it was time for another question. "Are you attached?"
Kantaris smiled awkwardly and thought for a moment. Kate was looking at her as if to say, 'Come on, it's not a hard question!'
"Not exactly," she replied delicately with a little sigh. "But...I guess you could say...I'm with someone. But it's just a casual thing."
"Aww, that's nice," Kate said, showing her sentimental, romantic side. "Is he a trainer?"
"He's a Gym Leader," Kantaris answered smoothly, unable to hide her pride.
"Really? Omigosh, that's so totally awesome!" Kate clapped her hands again. "Where's his Gym? I might have battled him! What's his name?"
Kantaris laughed. She had no intention of saying any more than she had to.
"You won't know him," she said. "He's only part-time."
She wasn't lying, exactly. She was just being economical with the truth. Kate seemed to be satisfied with Kantaris' answer. She nodded, and Kantaris breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"If you're heading to Vermilion," Kate said, changing the subject, "you could come along with me, if you wanted. It's quite a way away. It's not a hard route, but it's just a long way to travel on your own."
"How long does it take?"
"About three days on foot, but if you came with me, we could be there in a few hours." Kate winked. "I have a Pidgeot, you see. If I wanna get anywhere, I fly."
"That'd be cool..." Kantaris had never flown on a Pokémon before. "But I really need to get some training done, you know. I won't get anywhere if I shirk opportunities to train up and catch new Pokémon."
"You're right." Kate blushed. "That was inconsiderate of me. I'm so absentminded at times."
Kantaris smiled but said nothing.
"Hey, I have an idea!" Kate said excitedly. "There's no rush for me to get to Vermilion, as long as I'm there in time for my ship. I could walk down with you, if you like."
Kantaris wasn't exactly brimming with joy at the prospect of traveling alongside such a sickeningly cheerful character, but she decided 'what the heck'.
"I guess I could use company. And it's not like I've been to Vermilion before, so a bit of guidance wouldn't go amiss."
"Oh, that's so cool!" Kate clapped (yet again). "I haven't been through Diglett's Cave for ages! It'll bring back so many memories! Tell you what...I'm gonna go home and get my stuff, okay? Will you meet me at the Pokémon Centre in the town centre in a couple of hours' time?"
"Sure, why not?"
Kate was a little annoying, but it would do no harm to keep her around for as long as possible. She'd been on the Gym Challenge before, ergo she'd have inside information on Gym Leaders and their tactics. Yeah, she'd prove useful.
That afternoon, Kantaris was hanging around by the Pokémon Centre, having checked out of the hotel early. She was bored, so she was pacing. She was beginning to think that Kate had forgotten about her – she seemed ditzy enough.
But a few minutes later, she heard Kate yelling,
"Hey, Samara!"
Kantaris looked round to see Kate running over, a rucksack on her back and a large sports bag on her right arm. She had changed into jeans and a tank top, and her blonde curls were pulled back into a high ponytail. There was a visor perched on top of her head, and a pair of sunglasses on top of that.
"Sorry I'm late..." Kate said breathlessly, putting her hand on Kantaris' shoulder. "Typical me."
"No worries."
"So!" Kate smiled brightly. "All set for the next lap of your Gym Challenge, Samara?"
"Could you please call me Kantaris? Everyone does. I'm kinda used to it."
"Okay, sure! Just remind me, if I keep forgetting..." Kate giggled. "I'm like that with names, you know."
There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and Kantaris was just about to suggest that they hit the road when a young man approached them. He had short, curly hair and freckles, and he was looking particularly worried. Kantaris was half expecting Kate to ask him if he was okay, but instead, Kate let out a deafening squeal of,
"Oh, my gosh! Aren't you Bill?"
"Why, yes, that's right," Bill replied, blushing and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Oh, wow!" Kate turned to Kantaris. "Bill's the coolest, don't you think?"
Kantaris bit her lip, not sure how to reply. She'd never heard of this Bill guy before, and he didn't look like anything special, and here was Kate obsessing over him. She made a mental note to ask who he was. Luckily, Bill broke the silence.
"I'm sorry, ladies," he said in a soft voice, "I overheard you talking and you mentioned that you were on the Gym Challenge."
"That's right. I am." Kantaris answered swiftly, placing her hands on her hips so that Bill had a clear view of the two badges on her coat.
"Oh, good. Then you're just the sort of person I'm looking for!" Bill exclaimed. "I need you to take care of this for me."
He handed Kantaris a Pokéball and, being the way she was, she took it without question. Kate's face was a picture.
"What is it, Bill?" she asked politely.
Kantaris was thinking that it didn't matter what the hell it was, an extra Pokémon was an extra Pokémon. And if this Bill guy was as good as Kate seemed to think, then it'd probably be a good Pokémon. Oh, well. His loss.
"It's...well, it's an Eevee," Bill looked as though he was in a rush to get somewhere.
Kantaris gasped silently and fitted the Pokéball to her belt before Bill had the chance to change his mind about giving it to her. What the hell was he doing, anyway? Giving out an Eevee to someone he'd never met before, when for all he knew, she could be...well, she was! A Rocket! Kantaris smirked to herself and shook her head in amusement.
"And you want her to raise it for you?" Kate asked, giving Kantaris a little hug. Kantaris cringed.
"I can't take care of it at the moment, I have so much on..." Bill said, edging away. "Um...thanks! Take care of it, okay?"
He ran off into the crowd, leaving Kate staring after him with starry eyes. Kantaris scoffed and shifted her bag so that it felt more comfortable on her back. She started walking, and Kate followed.
"Who the hell was that?"
"That was Bill!" Kate exclaimed, glancing back over her shoulder to see if Bill was still there. "Didn't you recognize him?"
"Recognize him?" Kantaris laughed. "I don't even know who he is!"
"You mean you've never heard of Bill's Pokémon Storage System?" Kate shot Kantaris a look of disbelief. "You must have! All trainers use it!"
"Um...I think I heard of something like that..." Kantaris replied flatly with a shrug.
Whatever it was, it didn't sound all too interesting. But, what the heck. She'd gotten a free Pokémon out of the guy. An Eevee! Wow. Kantaris half hoped that she'd run into Ivan again soon, then she could show him that she'd managed to 'catch' an Eevee.
Half hoped. That's all.
The journey down to Vermilion City was long and not especially interesting. In fact, the only thing marginally interesting about it was Kate herself. Kantaris had found her to be annoying at first, but as they got talking and Kate mellowed down a little, probably due to Kantaris' seriousness, she changed her mind considerably. Kate wasn't so bad.
On the way, Kantaris did a lot of battles with trainers on the roadside. During her battles, Kate would stand and watch patiently, folding her arms and saying nothing. She never battled herself, and Kantaris began to think that she had given up Pokémon battles for good. And yet this couldn't be true, because why else would anyone wear a belt bearing six Pokémon? Maybe they were just for protection or companionship or something.
Kantaris longed to challenge Kate to a battle, but she knew that this would be a bad idea. Firstly, she would stand no chance of winning. Kate was a veteran compared to her, and her Pokémon would be highly experienced. She'd thrash her, no doubt. And secondly, challenging Kate to a battle would put her in an awkward position: Kate would want to say 'no' to avoid an unfair battle, and yet it was impolite to decline a challenge.
Kantaris resorted to asking,
"So...what Pokémon are you carrying with you?"
"Well, I have Pidgeot..." Kate ticked them off on her fingers as she spoke. "And I also have Mr. Mime, Rapidash, Meganium, Azumarill and Smoochum."
"Smoochum?" Kantaris had never heard of a Smoochum.
"Yeah. She's my baby Pokémon. Raised her from an egg myself." Kate grinned. "She don't battle much at the moment."
Kate took out her sixth Pokéball and released the Pokémon from within. It was small and pink, with cute blonde hair and long, fluttery eyelashes. It had a babyish look about it.
"She's gonna be a Jynx someday!" Kate said, picking up her Pokémon and giving it a kiss.
Kantaris raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. There was something new everyday with Kate. Or maybe she herself was just ignorant when it came to Pokémon.
On their final day of travelling, they reached Diglett's Cave. And it was just the right day to be ducking into a tunnel: it was pouring down with rain. The two girls ran into the tunnel and Kantaris was surprised at how warm it was in there. Like Mount Moon, Diglett's Cave wasn't too rocky. It was soft and dusty, as though it had been built from some sort of sand. It was dark, though, until Kate let out one of her Pokémon and yelled,
"Flash!"
There was a blinding light that left colors dancing in front of Kantaris' eyes. When they cleared, she saw Kate's Mr. Mime walking in front of them, holding a beam of light.
"Nice!" Kantaris said.
"Flash. First of the Hidden Machines. Useful, you know!" Kate reached into her pocket, took something out and threw it towards Kantaris.
Kantaris almost caught it, but it slipped through her fingers. She bent down to pick it up, and as she did so, she heard something. It was a low humming, and it sounded like it was coming from the walls or from further down the tunnel.
"You hear that?" Kate whispered.
"Uh-huh..." Kantaris stood up and pocketed the small bottle that Kate had given her.
"That's the Diglett!" Kate hissed excitedly. "They built this cave!"
"Oh."
They carried on walking, and the humming gradually grew distant. The Diglett were obviously moving in the opposite direction to them. Kantaris was talking to Kate (or vice versa, rather) about the effects of a Hidden Machine. Kantaris was contemplating which of her Pokémon she should teach Flash to, and she wasn't concentrating on where she was going. Then Mr. Mime let out a sudden shout.
"How cute!" Kate remarked.
Kantaris looked ahead. There was nothing there. Then she looked down at the ground. Less than a metre in front of her was a small, adorable Diglett. Kantaris stood staring at it for a few moments.
"Diglett!" it exclaimed suddenly.
Kantaris jumped as if awoken from a trance and instantly pulled Staryu's Pokéball from her belt.
"Water Gun!" she yelled.
The first few sprays of the attack hit the wild Diglett, but then it dug underground.
"Swift!" Kantaris ordered, not about to let herself be outdone.
A ray of golden stars jumped forth, following the Diglett down its burrow. There was a small crash and the ground seemed to shake. Then everything was still.
"Where'd it go?" Kantaris whispered.
"Diglett!" The Diglett emerged at her feet again and blew a cloud of dust at Staryu. Staryu responded by delivering an angry, savage Tackle.
"Okay, that's enough!" Kantaris called out. With one hand she retrieved Staryu and with the other she threw an empty Pokéball.
The Pokéball glanced off Diglett's head and hovered above it. The Diglett disappeared into a swirl of red energy and vanished into the Pokéball. The Pokéball wobbled around on the ground, and Kantaris jumped on it just as it was about to fall into the burrow hole.
Then, just as soon as she'd got hold of it, the Pokéball leapt out of her hands as if it had a mind of its own, and flew off down the tunnel.
"What the f...?"
"That's Bill's Storage System!" Kate replied casually as if she hadn't just seen a Pokéball fly off on its own. "You must be carrying six Pokémon already."
This didn't make any sense.
"Where the hell is my Diglett?" Kantaris asked, staring after her Pokéball hopelessly.
"Calm down!" Kate tugged Kantaris' arm. "It's gone to Bill's PC. That's where all your Pokémon are stored, save for the six you carry with you! Didn't you know?"
"I want my Diglett." Kantaris was soaking wet, starving, tired...and now, miserable.
"You can get it when we get to a Pokémon Centre!" Kate said impatiently. "Come on...let's get going, already."
