"Well, good morning," a familiar voice cracked through his defenses, into
his concious mind. "I've been trying to wake you up for an hour now."
Eric opened his eyes, looking over at Whitney. She had gotten dressed, and was leaning in through the door. Eric rubbed his head, and glanced around groggily. He couldn't remember when he had gone to sleep, and he let himself come back to reality. The events of last night returned to him, but Whitney didn't seem to be affected by what had happened.
He moved to a sit, and picked up his shoes, sliding them onto his feet. He had only now noticed that they were Devon Corporation. His mother had gone all-out when she went shopping. "Your friends have been watching me train my disciples most of the morning. I told them that you fainted, so you wouldn't get in trouble," she winked at him, moving through the door. "They're waiting outside, but.."
Whitney hopped onto the bed next to him, as he was pulling on his other shoe. He wasn't quite sure wether or not to thank her for covering for him, but he didn't think Mistral would be so dimwitted as to believe a claim like that, especially from Whitney. "Why don't you stay a while? C'mon. It'll be fun. I'll let you play Gym Leader for a while. I bet you can whomp anyone who comes in. How about it?"
"No thanks," Eric forced a smile at her, moving to a stand. "But i've got to get back to my gym circuit. Now that I have your badge, and i've gotten my supplies in check, I need to get to the next city.." Whitney didn't have much trouble wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him close. "Enough with the hostility already. I'm content with the fact that you're more interested in Badges than in women, but you'll come around sometime."
Perhaps Whitney was right. Well, he had said that for himself, anyways. Perhaps when he became Pokemon League Champion, if he ever did, then he'd save a bit more thinking room for the opposite sex. Right now, there were more important things on his mind. "Yeah. Sorry."
"Don't be. I can understand completely," Whitney smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Now, go out there and have fun with your companions. Oh, and don't hesitate to call me on your Pokegear if you need me, okay?"
-----
"Alright. You can pass. You'll be entering Route 35. You can go into the national park, or just head straight into Route 36," the security guard muttered lazily, leaning his chair back up against the wall.
"Thanks," Eric nodded, moving to the door. He opened it, allowing Mistral and Edd passage to the sunlight outside.
"So, how's your head, ya?" Edd asked, glancing up at Eric, grinning. Eric could tell Edd hadn't believed Whitney's cock and bull story, but what made it worse was that he had his own thoughts on how the date went. "My head's fine. I hope I didn't worry you guys?"
Edd laughed, looking over at Mistral, who was following along, seemingly oblivious to everything around her. "Well, Mistral nearly bust a major artery when you didn't show up before the Pokemon Center closed. We got inside before it did, and went to sleep. We figured that you were late, but we didn't know you had hit your head."
"He fainted, and hit his head on the ground, Edd. There wasn't anything he could do.. speaking of which, why did you faint, anyways, Eric?" Mistral inquired, looking over at him with those innocent eyes of hers.
"She wanted to see my Gastly, so I released it, and it thought it'd be fun to knock me out," Eric explained. Edd nearly fell off his Lairon in laughter, and the Lairon struggled to move its center of gravity, so it wouldn't fall over. "What's so funny, you little punk?"
Edd rubbed his eyes, trying to contain his laughter. "Oh, nothing. I just remember watching a Gastly do that to its trainer before. It was pretty funny, ya."
They passed a sign that read, 'Keep going North to enter the National Park.' Mistral, however, had other plans. "I did a little research while you were gone, and there's this great spot of water off of Route 36 and 37 that have Shellder in it. What better place to continue your Slowpoke training than there?"
"But I wanted to go to the Bug Catching Contest at the park.. It's Saturday, y'know," Eric muttered, though, the prospect of getting a Slowking was certainly overpowering as compared to catching Bug Pokemon. He already had a Bug Pokemon, anyways, but he had watched a competition on TV, where a lucky trainer caught a Scyther.
"Aw, c'mon. We can always come back after we beat Morty in Ecruteak City," Mistral edged him away from the guard house for the National Park, and towards the side path that wound towards Route 36 and 37. Eric struggled, but Mistral insisted that she lead them off the path, when they had reached a signpost that read, 'Route 36/37'. She lead them through the trees, and soon enough, there was a relatively large river with a steep bank. It was obvious that it lead out into the ocean at some point, so it was obvious that Shellder and other ocean Pokemon might have wandered into the river.
Eric brought out his fishing pole from his backpack, as did Mistral, who was quick to toss her bobber into the water. She laid down on the grass of the slope, holding the pole in the air. Eric put his together, and laid out next to her, throwing his own bobber into the water. Other than the sounds of Pidgey, and the call of a Farfetch'd, it was pretty quiet.
"Why don't you have a fishing pole, Edd?" Eric asked, glancing over at him. He had released his Pelliper, who had already scooped up a Goldeen, and was struggling to keep it in its mouth. "Never bothered to buy one. Once I got Pelliper, I never needed a water Pokemon."
"You might want to get a secondary water Pokemon," Mistral advised. "Because against electric Pokemon, your Pelliper won't do too well."
Edd rubbed his chin for a moment. "Is that so? So that's why he fainted so quickly against electric Pokemon.. I always thought it was because he was weaker."
"Looks like Edd could use with a bit of teaching," Eric snickered, looking down at the bobber, which floated in the water, untouched.
Mistral glanced over at the two. "Edd has an excuse. He's a junior trainer, he's learning,"
"Yup. It's a fun life. But being around such an inspirational Pokemon trainer like Eric helps me learn alot about what the Gym Leaders are going to be like when I run the circuit," Edd commented, stretching, closing his eyes against the bright afternoon sun.
"So, how did the date go?" Mistral asked, causing Eric to cringe slightly. He was hoping she wouldn't bring up the subject, but that might've been the reason that she even lead them out here in the first place, instead of letting him enter the competition.
Eric took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. "Fine. We went out to dinner at this nice restaurant, I told her about myself, she told me about herself. Then we went back to her Gym, and that's when the incident occured. Before I fainted, though, I pointed out to her that she should use her Miltank's 'Milk Drink' ability if her Miltank's running low on energy."
"I thought that was odd that she wasn't using that when the Mankey had attacked it, but I suppose it wouldn't have mattered once the Primeape was on the field," Edd commented, stretching again. "Ahh, nothin' like lazying around on a sunny day. Too bad it won't last. Winter's coming soon, ya?"
Eric felt grateful that Edd had changed the subject. "Yeah. Pity. I was enjoying the warm weather."
Mistral sat up quickly, tugging at her pole. "I've got a bite!" Eric leaned over, and grabbed her pole, to assist her with bringing out the Pokemon that had taken the line. After a few hearty tugs, the water gave a loud splash, and out of it came a Shellder, which plopped onto the shore helplessly. It stuck its tongue out, and looked around at the people around it.
"Perfect!" Eric dug through his pocket, pulling out the Slowpoke's Pokeball. Not having enough room to throw it, he simply allowed it to open in his hand, the red light releasing the Slowpoke, which looked around stupidly.
"Slowwww..?"
"Alright, Slowpoke. Step two, have that Shellder bite your tail!" Eric commanded. The Slowpoke had already seen the Shellder, and clambered slowly towards it. The Shellder, more than happy to oblige to its wishes, clapped its bivaulve, moving closer to the Slowpoke. The Slowpoke turned, exposing its tail to the Shellder.. and then..
"Alright! It's evolving!" Eric grinned. His Slowpoke glowed a bright white, and began to grow taller, bulkier. However, it was at that point, he felt the tugging at his backpack. "What the..?"
Opening the accessory pouch on his backpack, where he had stowed his TM's, a glowing ball shot up out of it, and hovered in the air for a moment. Mistral looked from him, to the ball, and Eric gave a slow shrug. Before anything could be said, the ball shot over Eric's shoulder, absorbing into the glowing white form of the evolving Slowpoke.
"That was the King's Rock.." Edd concluded, quirking his eyebrows in interest. The backend seperated from the glowing mass, and leapt into the air, landing on the head. "I think it's evolving into something else.."
"It's evolving into.." Mistral muttered, her eyes wide in what looked like fear. It was hard to tell. The bright light suddenly leapt off the form of the newly evolved Pokemon, who put its hands behind its back, watching the light float harmlessly to the ground.
"Well, hello there, Eric. I was wondering when you'd figure out the combination," the form spoke clear english. "You can call me 'Slowking', or you can call me whatever you want, since you're my trainer. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow so ambitious as yourself.. someone who would take a weak Slowpoke and use him in important battles and events. Why, it would bring a tear to my eye, if I had tear ducts."
Mistral looked the Slowking over. It looked like a regular Slowbro.. no. It had a smarter aire to it. It didn't look as dopey as the Slowbro, and different yet, was the Shellder that latched to its head. It had a large red jewel in the middle, near the top.
"My god.. So that's the trick to getting a Slowking. Using the King's Rock.. So the other methods of getting the Slowking work, but are too slow and take too much time. But if I put the King's Rock up to the Slowpoke while it's evolving, it evolves into the Slowking," Mistral said aloud, her eyes still wide in shock.
"Ah. You must be Mistral. A pleasure to meet you, as well. And, Edwardo Hugo Davidson the Third.. it's a pleasure to meet you, as well," the Slowking bowed to each person in turn. "I believe that I shall be moving outside the Pokeball now, of my own free will, since I can now keep up with the group?"
Eric's mind fell back to Whitney's advice. Was he really being watched? And if he was, who was keeping track of his advances? "Well, what're Pokeballs like?"
"Dreadful things they are. They simulate the type of environment we'd like the most, but it's not the real thing, and it's awfully cramped in there. Please, allow me to follow you outside the Pokeball, and dispense advice to you. I can even translate, if you'd like," Slowking smiled, wallowing down into the water. "Now, if you don't mind, i'm going to wade about in the cool water. I miss how it refreshed me as a Slowpoke."
Eric slowly moved to a sit, as did Edd and Mistral. Edd, who was in shock, edged closer to Eric. "He knew my full name. I've never told anyone my full name."
"Wait a second.. Edwardo Hugo Davidson the Third.. You're the descendant of Teron Davidson, one of the first Pokemon League Champions.. One of the first to defeat the Elite Four of those times," Eric muttered, looking over at Edd. "Well, I guess I shouldn't judge you after one of your long dead ancestors.."
"Yeah. I am. Just don't tell anyone, ya?" Edd smiled, laying back, staring up at the clouds. "Though, I wish I could have a Slowking."
-----
"Ecruteak City is home to the infamous Burned Tower, where the three Legendary Dogs were said to be found. I wonder if they're still there," a trainer asked the female trainer he was with, as Eric's small group passed them on their way into Ecruteak. "Nah. I doubt it. I just want a Magmar."
Mistral glanced at Eric, who was looking straight ahead at the Burned Tower that loomed in the horizon. The Legendary Dogs wouldn't be there.. he knew that for a fact. They were off running through the many winding routes of Johto. There would be no way to catch them unless they came to him again, which was slim to none in the way of his chances.
"Are you okay?" Mistral asked Eric, as they passed a sign that read, 'Welcome to Ecruteak, home of Morty and the Fog Badge!'. A picture of Morty standing next to a Haunter added emphasis to the specialty of the Gym Leader there. "Yeah. I've never been better. I'm back on the Gym circuit, and i've never been better."
"I'm looking forward to seeing Whirl Islands. Someone told me that Gyrados cause the whirlpools, but I doubt it. Though, if they're right, I might just catch me one," Edd nodded, looking quite determined. Eric glanced down at the Lairon-riding trainer.. he would definetely have a much better start than Eric had. Infact, he wouldn't be surprised if Edd breezed through all the badges.
"Well, look who it is. Eric, what took you so long? I was beginning to think that I had lost you," a familiar voice called him to his right. Eric stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Eugene was sitting on top of a large boulder, Pokeball in hand. "Nice lookin' Pokemon you got there. Isan't that a Slowbro?"
The Slowking turned to look at Eugene, and narrowed its eyes. "I daresay, you're the one that called me weak. Well, we'll just have to see how true those claims are after I -- mphh!" Eric put a hand over the Slowking's mouth.
"Uh. Yeah. That was why I went off the route, to catch a Shellder to evolve him," Eric explained, Eugene quirking an eyebrow. "Well, Slowbro or not, it's still probably just as useless as the Slowpoke. Alright. Got time for a Pokemon battle?" Eugene challenged, hopping off the rock. "You know I was going to challenge you sooner or later."
"You're on. Alright, 'Slowbro'. You're first." Eric nodded towards the Slowking, who stepped forward, rubbing his hands together menacingly. Whitney was right about having a secret weapon.. though it wouldn't get him a badge, it would certainly be useful against his rival.
The Pokeball in Eugene's hands opened to reveal a small, yellow form. A Jolteon. It let out a cry, and focused its eyes on Eric's Slowking. "Alright, Jolteon! Agility!"
"Okay, Slowking. You don't even need to guess where it is. Use your Psychic attack!" Eric commanded, clenching his hand into a fist. The Jolteon was running circles around the slower Pokemon, looking confident.. well, up until it got slammed by an invisible force, going skidding to a stop infront of Eugene.
"Okay, Jolteon. Get up, and try again. Thunderbolt!" Eugene commanded, pointing towards the opponant. "Slowking, Light Screen!"
The Slowking raised a paw, and formed an invisible barrier. It shone slightly in the sun, the only indication that it was there. Mistral had wandered off from the group, but Eric was too busy to look for her. The thunderbolt collided with the invisible barrier, and disappeared. Eugene narrowed his eyes.
"Okay, Slowking. Hit him with another Psychic so he can bring out a Pokemon that might stand a chance," Eric grinned, watching the Jolteon get hit soon after by the same invisible force that had hit it only moments before. The Jolteon fell over, and was summarily returned to its Pokeball. "Well, your psychic Pokemon would make short work of my fighting Pokemon.. so i'll throw out my next best Pokemon. Skarmory, go!"
The Pokedex was out quicker than the Pokemon. ~"Skarmory, an armor Pokemon. One of the newly discovered Steel-type Pokemon, this Pokemon has incredible defenses, and its sharp wings give it excellent speed and attack."~
"Alright. Slowking, use Disable, so it can't move!" Eric commanded. The Slowking pointed towards the Skarmory, who stopped moving completely. It glowed a faint blue, before floating into the air slightly. "Now, use Curse, and crack its armor with a Headbutt!"
"Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" It let out a weak cry, but seemed unable to move. Which was a pity, because the Slowking was gathering power. Finally, the Slowking bent over, and charged at the Skarmory.. it released the Disable at the last second, slamming its hard shell head into the Skarmory's chest, sending it flying hard into the boulder behind it, where it flipped into the air, did a complete one-eighty, before falling near the sign, knocked out.
Eugene was quick to recall his Skarmory, before moving over to Eric. He held out his hand, which Eric took, shaking it. "That was an interesting fight, but I didn't stand a chance. I thought that you'd still have a Slowpoke, not a powerhouse like your Slowking.. I've already got the Fog Badge, so I won't hold you up. I'll train harder, and find a Pokemon that can counter your newly evolved Pokemon.. until then.."
"Take care," Eric called after Eugene, as he walked off towards the entrance to Route 38. He waited until his defeated rival retreated into the guard house, before turning to Mistral, who was sitting beneath a tree, happily chatting away into her Pokegear. When she saw Eric looking, she said a few more words, then pressed a button on the Pokegear, pocketing it. "Hey. Did you guys see the battle?"
"I was amazed. Your Slowking is truly powerful. If it is as powerful as I think it is, then you won't have a problem against Morty," Edd nodded, still rooted to his spot just behind and to the left of where Eric was. "Most of his Pokemon are part poison, which is weak to Psychic. You have the battle in the bag."
Slowking moved over to the small group, arms behind its back. "Yes, well, Morty uses alot of Pokemon, so why don't you make the battle more fun and use other Pokemon, and not just breeze through it? I don't mind being last."
"He's got a point," Mistral pointed out, nodding towards the Slowking, who nodded back. "Just don't use your Primeape. It won't land any hits."
"But Morty is out," Edd muttered, pointing a thumb back at the Pokemon Gym. "Out to lunch, I think. Or might be out healing his Pokemon, if Eugene beat him."
Eric gave a shrug, sitting down next to Mistral, enjoying the shade of the tree. Edd soon joined them, hopping into Mistral's lap, who blinked in surprise, before shoving him off. "That seat's reserved, you little twirp," she muttered, grinding her fist into the top of the small trainer's head.
--------
"Welcome to the Ecruteak City Pokemon Gym," a man with glasses smiled, arms open wide, moving close to Eric, as they entered the Gym. He tried to escape, but was embraced by the man, who quickly held him in place. "Y'know what, kid? You've got some potential. I hear alot about you. And I know you're the next person to get into the Pokemon League." Eric opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by the man's index finger to his lips. "Shh. Don't say anything. I've heard alot of good things, and, if i'm not mistaken, you're the fifth person in the world to own a Slowking. Congratulations, by the way. I think that you'll be the next champion. You'll reign for years, I bet. What do you say? Huh? I can give you all the advice that you need to defeat Morty."
"I know how to beat Morty," Eric muttered, shoving the man off him. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to challenge Morty before I can battle him."
The man shifted his glasses, and dusted off his front. "Alright, well, i'll be at the next Gym. You're gonna need alot of help with that one. If you need any help, Champion-bound Eric, just give me a ring on your Pokegear, or look for me in the Gym. Now, I think i'll stick around and watch the action. I want to see you beat Morty royally with your new Slowking."
Indeed, Morty did seem nervous at the sight of the Slowking. He gripped his hands nervously.. he knew that, because his Pokemon were part Poison, that the Slowking would have an easy time with them.. even destroy them all before they even had a chance to move. Eric moved across the dark tiles towards Morty. "Alright, Morty. I challenge you to a match for the Fog Badge."
"Challenge accepted," Morty muttered reluctantly, moving over to his side of the Gym. Eric moved to his side, Mistral and Edd taking a seat behind him to watch.
"Ecruteak City Gym Leader versus Eric! Four Pokemon will be used in this match, so choose wisely! Ready? Begin!" The flags came down, signalling the trainers to release their first chosen Pokemon.
------
End Chapter 12
Eric opened his eyes, looking over at Whitney. She had gotten dressed, and was leaning in through the door. Eric rubbed his head, and glanced around groggily. He couldn't remember when he had gone to sleep, and he let himself come back to reality. The events of last night returned to him, but Whitney didn't seem to be affected by what had happened.
He moved to a sit, and picked up his shoes, sliding them onto his feet. He had only now noticed that they were Devon Corporation. His mother had gone all-out when she went shopping. "Your friends have been watching me train my disciples most of the morning. I told them that you fainted, so you wouldn't get in trouble," she winked at him, moving through the door. "They're waiting outside, but.."
Whitney hopped onto the bed next to him, as he was pulling on his other shoe. He wasn't quite sure wether or not to thank her for covering for him, but he didn't think Mistral would be so dimwitted as to believe a claim like that, especially from Whitney. "Why don't you stay a while? C'mon. It'll be fun. I'll let you play Gym Leader for a while. I bet you can whomp anyone who comes in. How about it?"
"No thanks," Eric forced a smile at her, moving to a stand. "But i've got to get back to my gym circuit. Now that I have your badge, and i've gotten my supplies in check, I need to get to the next city.." Whitney didn't have much trouble wrapping her arms around him, and pulling him close. "Enough with the hostility already. I'm content with the fact that you're more interested in Badges than in women, but you'll come around sometime."
Perhaps Whitney was right. Well, he had said that for himself, anyways. Perhaps when he became Pokemon League Champion, if he ever did, then he'd save a bit more thinking room for the opposite sex. Right now, there were more important things on his mind. "Yeah. Sorry."
"Don't be. I can understand completely," Whitney smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Now, go out there and have fun with your companions. Oh, and don't hesitate to call me on your Pokegear if you need me, okay?"
-----
"Alright. You can pass. You'll be entering Route 35. You can go into the national park, or just head straight into Route 36," the security guard muttered lazily, leaning his chair back up against the wall.
"Thanks," Eric nodded, moving to the door. He opened it, allowing Mistral and Edd passage to the sunlight outside.
"So, how's your head, ya?" Edd asked, glancing up at Eric, grinning. Eric could tell Edd hadn't believed Whitney's cock and bull story, but what made it worse was that he had his own thoughts on how the date went. "My head's fine. I hope I didn't worry you guys?"
Edd laughed, looking over at Mistral, who was following along, seemingly oblivious to everything around her. "Well, Mistral nearly bust a major artery when you didn't show up before the Pokemon Center closed. We got inside before it did, and went to sleep. We figured that you were late, but we didn't know you had hit your head."
"He fainted, and hit his head on the ground, Edd. There wasn't anything he could do.. speaking of which, why did you faint, anyways, Eric?" Mistral inquired, looking over at him with those innocent eyes of hers.
"She wanted to see my Gastly, so I released it, and it thought it'd be fun to knock me out," Eric explained. Edd nearly fell off his Lairon in laughter, and the Lairon struggled to move its center of gravity, so it wouldn't fall over. "What's so funny, you little punk?"
Edd rubbed his eyes, trying to contain his laughter. "Oh, nothing. I just remember watching a Gastly do that to its trainer before. It was pretty funny, ya."
They passed a sign that read, 'Keep going North to enter the National Park.' Mistral, however, had other plans. "I did a little research while you were gone, and there's this great spot of water off of Route 36 and 37 that have Shellder in it. What better place to continue your Slowpoke training than there?"
"But I wanted to go to the Bug Catching Contest at the park.. It's Saturday, y'know," Eric muttered, though, the prospect of getting a Slowking was certainly overpowering as compared to catching Bug Pokemon. He already had a Bug Pokemon, anyways, but he had watched a competition on TV, where a lucky trainer caught a Scyther.
"Aw, c'mon. We can always come back after we beat Morty in Ecruteak City," Mistral edged him away from the guard house for the National Park, and towards the side path that wound towards Route 36 and 37. Eric struggled, but Mistral insisted that she lead them off the path, when they had reached a signpost that read, 'Route 36/37'. She lead them through the trees, and soon enough, there was a relatively large river with a steep bank. It was obvious that it lead out into the ocean at some point, so it was obvious that Shellder and other ocean Pokemon might have wandered into the river.
Eric brought out his fishing pole from his backpack, as did Mistral, who was quick to toss her bobber into the water. She laid down on the grass of the slope, holding the pole in the air. Eric put his together, and laid out next to her, throwing his own bobber into the water. Other than the sounds of Pidgey, and the call of a Farfetch'd, it was pretty quiet.
"Why don't you have a fishing pole, Edd?" Eric asked, glancing over at him. He had released his Pelliper, who had already scooped up a Goldeen, and was struggling to keep it in its mouth. "Never bothered to buy one. Once I got Pelliper, I never needed a water Pokemon."
"You might want to get a secondary water Pokemon," Mistral advised. "Because against electric Pokemon, your Pelliper won't do too well."
Edd rubbed his chin for a moment. "Is that so? So that's why he fainted so quickly against electric Pokemon.. I always thought it was because he was weaker."
"Looks like Edd could use with a bit of teaching," Eric snickered, looking down at the bobber, which floated in the water, untouched.
Mistral glanced over at the two. "Edd has an excuse. He's a junior trainer, he's learning,"
"Yup. It's a fun life. But being around such an inspirational Pokemon trainer like Eric helps me learn alot about what the Gym Leaders are going to be like when I run the circuit," Edd commented, stretching, closing his eyes against the bright afternoon sun.
"So, how did the date go?" Mistral asked, causing Eric to cringe slightly. He was hoping she wouldn't bring up the subject, but that might've been the reason that she even lead them out here in the first place, instead of letting him enter the competition.
Eric took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. "Fine. We went out to dinner at this nice restaurant, I told her about myself, she told me about herself. Then we went back to her Gym, and that's when the incident occured. Before I fainted, though, I pointed out to her that she should use her Miltank's 'Milk Drink' ability if her Miltank's running low on energy."
"I thought that was odd that she wasn't using that when the Mankey had attacked it, but I suppose it wouldn't have mattered once the Primeape was on the field," Edd commented, stretching again. "Ahh, nothin' like lazying around on a sunny day. Too bad it won't last. Winter's coming soon, ya?"
Eric felt grateful that Edd had changed the subject. "Yeah. Pity. I was enjoying the warm weather."
Mistral sat up quickly, tugging at her pole. "I've got a bite!" Eric leaned over, and grabbed her pole, to assist her with bringing out the Pokemon that had taken the line. After a few hearty tugs, the water gave a loud splash, and out of it came a Shellder, which plopped onto the shore helplessly. It stuck its tongue out, and looked around at the people around it.
"Perfect!" Eric dug through his pocket, pulling out the Slowpoke's Pokeball. Not having enough room to throw it, he simply allowed it to open in his hand, the red light releasing the Slowpoke, which looked around stupidly.
"Slowwww..?"
"Alright, Slowpoke. Step two, have that Shellder bite your tail!" Eric commanded. The Slowpoke had already seen the Shellder, and clambered slowly towards it. The Shellder, more than happy to oblige to its wishes, clapped its bivaulve, moving closer to the Slowpoke. The Slowpoke turned, exposing its tail to the Shellder.. and then..
"Alright! It's evolving!" Eric grinned. His Slowpoke glowed a bright white, and began to grow taller, bulkier. However, it was at that point, he felt the tugging at his backpack. "What the..?"
Opening the accessory pouch on his backpack, where he had stowed his TM's, a glowing ball shot up out of it, and hovered in the air for a moment. Mistral looked from him, to the ball, and Eric gave a slow shrug. Before anything could be said, the ball shot over Eric's shoulder, absorbing into the glowing white form of the evolving Slowpoke.
"That was the King's Rock.." Edd concluded, quirking his eyebrows in interest. The backend seperated from the glowing mass, and leapt into the air, landing on the head. "I think it's evolving into something else.."
"It's evolving into.." Mistral muttered, her eyes wide in what looked like fear. It was hard to tell. The bright light suddenly leapt off the form of the newly evolved Pokemon, who put its hands behind its back, watching the light float harmlessly to the ground.
"Well, hello there, Eric. I was wondering when you'd figure out the combination," the form spoke clear english. "You can call me 'Slowking', or you can call me whatever you want, since you're my trainer. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow so ambitious as yourself.. someone who would take a weak Slowpoke and use him in important battles and events. Why, it would bring a tear to my eye, if I had tear ducts."
Mistral looked the Slowking over. It looked like a regular Slowbro.. no. It had a smarter aire to it. It didn't look as dopey as the Slowbro, and different yet, was the Shellder that latched to its head. It had a large red jewel in the middle, near the top.
"My god.. So that's the trick to getting a Slowking. Using the King's Rock.. So the other methods of getting the Slowking work, but are too slow and take too much time. But if I put the King's Rock up to the Slowpoke while it's evolving, it evolves into the Slowking," Mistral said aloud, her eyes still wide in shock.
"Ah. You must be Mistral. A pleasure to meet you, as well. And, Edwardo Hugo Davidson the Third.. it's a pleasure to meet you, as well," the Slowking bowed to each person in turn. "I believe that I shall be moving outside the Pokeball now, of my own free will, since I can now keep up with the group?"
Eric's mind fell back to Whitney's advice. Was he really being watched? And if he was, who was keeping track of his advances? "Well, what're Pokeballs like?"
"Dreadful things they are. They simulate the type of environment we'd like the most, but it's not the real thing, and it's awfully cramped in there. Please, allow me to follow you outside the Pokeball, and dispense advice to you. I can even translate, if you'd like," Slowking smiled, wallowing down into the water. "Now, if you don't mind, i'm going to wade about in the cool water. I miss how it refreshed me as a Slowpoke."
Eric slowly moved to a sit, as did Edd and Mistral. Edd, who was in shock, edged closer to Eric. "He knew my full name. I've never told anyone my full name."
"Wait a second.. Edwardo Hugo Davidson the Third.. You're the descendant of Teron Davidson, one of the first Pokemon League Champions.. One of the first to defeat the Elite Four of those times," Eric muttered, looking over at Edd. "Well, I guess I shouldn't judge you after one of your long dead ancestors.."
"Yeah. I am. Just don't tell anyone, ya?" Edd smiled, laying back, staring up at the clouds. "Though, I wish I could have a Slowking."
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"Ecruteak City is home to the infamous Burned Tower, where the three Legendary Dogs were said to be found. I wonder if they're still there," a trainer asked the female trainer he was with, as Eric's small group passed them on their way into Ecruteak. "Nah. I doubt it. I just want a Magmar."
Mistral glanced at Eric, who was looking straight ahead at the Burned Tower that loomed in the horizon. The Legendary Dogs wouldn't be there.. he knew that for a fact. They were off running through the many winding routes of Johto. There would be no way to catch them unless they came to him again, which was slim to none in the way of his chances.
"Are you okay?" Mistral asked Eric, as they passed a sign that read, 'Welcome to Ecruteak, home of Morty and the Fog Badge!'. A picture of Morty standing next to a Haunter added emphasis to the specialty of the Gym Leader there. "Yeah. I've never been better. I'm back on the Gym circuit, and i've never been better."
"I'm looking forward to seeing Whirl Islands. Someone told me that Gyrados cause the whirlpools, but I doubt it. Though, if they're right, I might just catch me one," Edd nodded, looking quite determined. Eric glanced down at the Lairon-riding trainer.. he would definetely have a much better start than Eric had. Infact, he wouldn't be surprised if Edd breezed through all the badges.
"Well, look who it is. Eric, what took you so long? I was beginning to think that I had lost you," a familiar voice called him to his right. Eric stopped, and looked over his shoulder. Eugene was sitting on top of a large boulder, Pokeball in hand. "Nice lookin' Pokemon you got there. Isan't that a Slowbro?"
The Slowking turned to look at Eugene, and narrowed its eyes. "I daresay, you're the one that called me weak. Well, we'll just have to see how true those claims are after I -- mphh!" Eric put a hand over the Slowking's mouth.
"Uh. Yeah. That was why I went off the route, to catch a Shellder to evolve him," Eric explained, Eugene quirking an eyebrow. "Well, Slowbro or not, it's still probably just as useless as the Slowpoke. Alright. Got time for a Pokemon battle?" Eugene challenged, hopping off the rock. "You know I was going to challenge you sooner or later."
"You're on. Alright, 'Slowbro'. You're first." Eric nodded towards the Slowking, who stepped forward, rubbing his hands together menacingly. Whitney was right about having a secret weapon.. though it wouldn't get him a badge, it would certainly be useful against his rival.
The Pokeball in Eugene's hands opened to reveal a small, yellow form. A Jolteon. It let out a cry, and focused its eyes on Eric's Slowking. "Alright, Jolteon! Agility!"
"Okay, Slowking. You don't even need to guess where it is. Use your Psychic attack!" Eric commanded, clenching his hand into a fist. The Jolteon was running circles around the slower Pokemon, looking confident.. well, up until it got slammed by an invisible force, going skidding to a stop infront of Eugene.
"Okay, Jolteon. Get up, and try again. Thunderbolt!" Eugene commanded, pointing towards the opponant. "Slowking, Light Screen!"
The Slowking raised a paw, and formed an invisible barrier. It shone slightly in the sun, the only indication that it was there. Mistral had wandered off from the group, but Eric was too busy to look for her. The thunderbolt collided with the invisible barrier, and disappeared. Eugene narrowed his eyes.
"Okay, Slowking. Hit him with another Psychic so he can bring out a Pokemon that might stand a chance," Eric grinned, watching the Jolteon get hit soon after by the same invisible force that had hit it only moments before. The Jolteon fell over, and was summarily returned to its Pokeball. "Well, your psychic Pokemon would make short work of my fighting Pokemon.. so i'll throw out my next best Pokemon. Skarmory, go!"
The Pokedex was out quicker than the Pokemon. ~"Skarmory, an armor Pokemon. One of the newly discovered Steel-type Pokemon, this Pokemon has incredible defenses, and its sharp wings give it excellent speed and attack."~
"Alright. Slowking, use Disable, so it can't move!" Eric commanded. The Slowking pointed towards the Skarmory, who stopped moving completely. It glowed a faint blue, before floating into the air slightly. "Now, use Curse, and crack its armor with a Headbutt!"
"Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" It let out a weak cry, but seemed unable to move. Which was a pity, because the Slowking was gathering power. Finally, the Slowking bent over, and charged at the Skarmory.. it released the Disable at the last second, slamming its hard shell head into the Skarmory's chest, sending it flying hard into the boulder behind it, where it flipped into the air, did a complete one-eighty, before falling near the sign, knocked out.
Eugene was quick to recall his Skarmory, before moving over to Eric. He held out his hand, which Eric took, shaking it. "That was an interesting fight, but I didn't stand a chance. I thought that you'd still have a Slowpoke, not a powerhouse like your Slowking.. I've already got the Fog Badge, so I won't hold you up. I'll train harder, and find a Pokemon that can counter your newly evolved Pokemon.. until then.."
"Take care," Eric called after Eugene, as he walked off towards the entrance to Route 38. He waited until his defeated rival retreated into the guard house, before turning to Mistral, who was sitting beneath a tree, happily chatting away into her Pokegear. When she saw Eric looking, she said a few more words, then pressed a button on the Pokegear, pocketing it. "Hey. Did you guys see the battle?"
"I was amazed. Your Slowking is truly powerful. If it is as powerful as I think it is, then you won't have a problem against Morty," Edd nodded, still rooted to his spot just behind and to the left of where Eric was. "Most of his Pokemon are part poison, which is weak to Psychic. You have the battle in the bag."
Slowking moved over to the small group, arms behind its back. "Yes, well, Morty uses alot of Pokemon, so why don't you make the battle more fun and use other Pokemon, and not just breeze through it? I don't mind being last."
"He's got a point," Mistral pointed out, nodding towards the Slowking, who nodded back. "Just don't use your Primeape. It won't land any hits."
"But Morty is out," Edd muttered, pointing a thumb back at the Pokemon Gym. "Out to lunch, I think. Or might be out healing his Pokemon, if Eugene beat him."
Eric gave a shrug, sitting down next to Mistral, enjoying the shade of the tree. Edd soon joined them, hopping into Mistral's lap, who blinked in surprise, before shoving him off. "That seat's reserved, you little twirp," she muttered, grinding her fist into the top of the small trainer's head.
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"Welcome to the Ecruteak City Pokemon Gym," a man with glasses smiled, arms open wide, moving close to Eric, as they entered the Gym. He tried to escape, but was embraced by the man, who quickly held him in place. "Y'know what, kid? You've got some potential. I hear alot about you. And I know you're the next person to get into the Pokemon League." Eric opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by the man's index finger to his lips. "Shh. Don't say anything. I've heard alot of good things, and, if i'm not mistaken, you're the fifth person in the world to own a Slowking. Congratulations, by the way. I think that you'll be the next champion. You'll reign for years, I bet. What do you say? Huh? I can give you all the advice that you need to defeat Morty."
"I know how to beat Morty," Eric muttered, shoving the man off him. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to challenge Morty before I can battle him."
The man shifted his glasses, and dusted off his front. "Alright, well, i'll be at the next Gym. You're gonna need alot of help with that one. If you need any help, Champion-bound Eric, just give me a ring on your Pokegear, or look for me in the Gym. Now, I think i'll stick around and watch the action. I want to see you beat Morty royally with your new Slowking."
Indeed, Morty did seem nervous at the sight of the Slowking. He gripped his hands nervously.. he knew that, because his Pokemon were part Poison, that the Slowking would have an easy time with them.. even destroy them all before they even had a chance to move. Eric moved across the dark tiles towards Morty. "Alright, Morty. I challenge you to a match for the Fog Badge."
"Challenge accepted," Morty muttered reluctantly, moving over to his side of the Gym. Eric moved to his side, Mistral and Edd taking a seat behind him to watch.
"Ecruteak City Gym Leader versus Eric! Four Pokemon will be used in this match, so choose wisely! Ready? Begin!" The flags came down, signalling the trainers to release their first chosen Pokemon.
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End Chapter 12