"Go, Gastly!" Morty yelled, releasing his first Pokemon onto the darkened
field. The Gastly seemed right at home against the black tile and walls. It
floated around its master, awaiting its opponant. "Alright, Paras. Let's
see what you're made of."
Out of the Pokeball came the near-freshly caught Pokemon. It crawled up onto Eric's shoulder, nipping him on the cheek. "Ack. Okay, okay. Just go out there and show that Gastly for me. Use Spore!"
"Gastly, Hypnosis!"
The Paras leapt off of Eric's shoulder, causing the trainer to get hit by the hypnosis. He hit the ground, asleep, Mistral and Edd leaping up and hitting him to try to get him back up. "Get up! Get up!"
The Paras's Spore attack overcame the Gastly, and its eyes slowly closed.. then shut completely. Little Z's hovered off its body. Eric came to, his face red from the slapping of his companions, but he got back to his feet. "Ahh.. Paras. Use Growth, then Leech Life!"
The Paras concentrated, absorbing energy from around itself.. it grew a little bit, but then shot a small string towards the Gastly. The string stuck to the top of the sleeping Pokemon's head, and began syphoning a green energy from it. "Gastly, wake up!" No good. The Pokemon was still fast asleep from the effective Spore attack. And the Gastly was shrinking, little by little, as the energy was sucked out of it.
"Arrgh. Gastly, return!" the Gastly disappeared, causing the small string to disappear in mid-air. "Alright. Haunter, go!"
The next Pokemon to come out was a bit similar to the Gastly, except it had hands, and would've been a degree more scarier if it had been encountered in a dark alley. ~"Haunter, a gas Pokemon. Much like the Gastly, the Haunter can float through walls to get to whatever's on the other side. This Pokemon is much more mischievous, as it will mimic peoples shadows in the moonlight to scare them."~
"Alright, Paras. Spore!"
"Haunter, use Curse!"
The Haunter pulled a needle out of nowhere, and pricked itself. It became a bit droopier than it had been before it had pricked itself, but little ghosts were now issuing from the Paras. The Haunter was able to avoid the Spore attack, to add to that. "Paras, Stun Spore!"
The Paras began to shake, sending a dust of spores off onto the Haunter. The Haunter locked up, just hovering in mid-air. "Hypnosis, Haunter!" The Paras was looking steadily worse, and, as it fell asleep, it was obvious that it was down for the count. "Alright, Paras. Good job for your first battle. Return!" It disappeared into its Pokeball, and the second Pokeball was brought out. "Pidgeotto!"
The bird Pokemon appeared from its Pokeball, eyes set upon the Haunter. "Alright, Pidgeotto. Prepare to take the next attack."
"Haunter, Hypnosis!"
"Pidgeotto, Mirror Move!"
The Pidgeotto brought its wings up, revealing what looked like a mirror.. the mirror revealed the Haunter's attack, which bounced off the mirror, slamming into its user. The Haunter gave a yawn, and fell asleep, resting its hands under its head. "Perfect! Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!"
In a thrust of its powerful wings, it began to create a small whirlwind throughout the stadium. Everyone had to grab onto their loose belongings, lest they lost them, as the Whirlwind picked up the Haunter, twirling it around and around. It woke up, became dizzy, and simply fell over. Down and out. The Haunter was recalled into its Pokeball.
The next Haunter to come out was about the same as the first. Since the Gastly evolution was restricted to the same movelist, it was pretty uneventful. When the Haunter was finally recalled, Morty grinned. "Time for my secret weapon, so to speak. Gengar, go!"
~"Gengar, a gas Pokemon. The Gengar is the last evolution of the Gastly family, and is powerful in many respects. Be sure to avoid its Shadow Ball and various Ghost and Dark attacks."~
"Well, I don't have to worry about Ghost attacks. Pidgeotto, use Mirror Move again!" Eric commanded, pointing towards the Gengar. "This game's ours."
"Is that so? Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Morty yelled. The Gengar rolled up a bit of itself, which turned into a ball of disgusting looking sludge. "Gengar isan't part poison for nothing."
The ball was thrown, and, since the Gengar was part poison, the attack that was reflected didn't effect it. The Pidgeotto, now held down with the sludge, and looking worse by the second, was struggling to keep in the air. "Damn. Alright. Pidgeotto, return!"
The Pidgeotto disappeared into its Pokeball, just as the Gengar had another Sludge Bomb prepped. "Alright, let's give my other new Pokemon a go. Dratini, go!"
The Pokeball opened to reveal the Pokemon that had been given to him.. a Dratini. It let out a cry, and looked back at its trainer for orders. The Gengar nearly dropped the bomb in laughter. "Dratini, Twister!"
Morty hadn't been expecting that. The Dratini began to spin quickly, creating a small twister where it had been. It was much faster like this, and it beared down on the Gengar in only a few seconds. The Gengar disappeared into the winds that were created by the Dratini.. until it came sailing back out of the attack. The ghost Pokemon hit the ground, swirls in its eyes, as the Dratini stopped the spinning, moving back over to its trainer.
"Gengar's been KO'ed.. Eric is the winner! Congratulations!" the referee announced, pointing the green flag over at Eric's side of the gym. Mistral and Edd gave a cheer, running over to him to offer their congratulations, but the older man was there before they were.
"Hey, what did I tell you? Huh? You've got skill, kid. You beat him with a Psychic Pokemon, and i've never seen such skill with a Pidgeotto before. Did I mention you've got a good chance of taking the Pokemon Leauge by storm? I mean, hey, you were great! Next up is Olivine City, she uses Steel Pokemon, but she's pretty surprising. You'll see. Take care, now!" the man spoke quickly, tipping his hat, brushing through Mistral and Edd to get to the front door of the Gym.
"Man. That guy's rude, ya?" Edd commented, brushing himself off. "It's like it's a big deal that Eric's been taking on the Pokemon League."
"Well, it is. He's setting the bar for trainers all around the world, so I think it's important that he keeps up his appearance," Mistral pointed out, matter-of-factly.
Morty stepped over to Eric, and gave a nod. "I've never went against a trainer that didn't use Psychic Pokemon.. I'm impressed. Here. You deserve this Fog Badge. Take it, and get moving to Olivine City."
The Badge was accepted, and placed into the Badge Case along with the others. "Thanks much."
------
The sun shone brightly the next day, as the trainers made their way down Route 39, causing the morning dew on the tall grasses to shine. The day was relatively peaceful, and not a cloud was in the sky. A flock of Pidgey migrated overhead, signalling the start of fall. The trees were already beginning to change colors, and many trainers were off to the south, seeking a warmer climate, or were over in Kanto.
"You know, now that it's getting to be about that time of year, shouldn't we be switching into warmer clothing? I mean, i'm going to, but I don't know about you two," Mistral shrugged, looking around at the trees. Eric was sifting through the tall grasses, while Edd was feeding its Lairon long reeds of grass.
"Yeah. But let's not worry about it right now," Eric shrugged, turning up a rock. "The weather around here won't start dropping for atleast a couple of weeks. Besides, if i'm lucky, i'll be through the Pokemon League and be in Kanto before the cold weather comes through."
Edd hopped onto the back of his Lairon. "Don't get too cocky now, Eugene seems pretty determined. The Pokemon League is more challenging than you think."
"True. But, have you seen the trainers during the Pokemon League Competition? They're lacking in ability, and I think that once i'm done with my Gym Circuit --" Eric was soon cut off, as a Tauros erupted from the nearby bushes, prompting him to leap out of the way, as it was heading straight for him. The Tauros ran across the Route, disappearing into the trees on the other side.
Edd looked over at Eric. "What was that all about?"
"I dunno, but.. wait a second.. do you feel that?" Eric lowered his voice to a whisper, tensing up for a moment. The Route grew eerily quiet, causing a few trainers that were walking north to stop. After a few moments, the ground began to shake beneath their feet. "What's that supposed to be.."
"STAMPEDE!" Edd yelled, pointing into the trees. Sure enough, the bright glints of the eyes of the Tauros gave away their presence in the forest. All types of Bird Pokemon were launching themselves out of the trees in surprise, as they closed in on the route. Mistral meeped, and ran over to a tree, climbing it easily, using the branches to get to the middle of it. Edd was quick to command his Lairon to head north, where several other trainers were already headed. "Eric! C'mon and climb a tree!" Mistral called down to him. "Don't just stand there, you'll get trampled!"
Eric quickly ran in the opposite direction he was facing. Mistral slapped her forehead, and let out a sigh. "That's the wrong way to run! Head for a tree.. yah!"
The Tauros erupted from the forest and the brush, causing Mistral's tree to sway violently. Edd was pretty safe with the small group of trainers that were now watching the Tauros stampede.
"Okay.. okay.. Let's see.. Gastly, Pidgeotto, Paras, Slowking.. Wait a second. Where's Slowking?" Eric glanced back behind him. The Tauros were approaching fast, and he wasn't even half-way across the route. That was a bad sign. Eric stopped running, and crouched down, closing his eyes. Well, this was it. That many Tauros would surely be enough to trample him atleast once or twice.
However, as the hooves hitting the ground became deafening, he opened his eyes, looking around. The Tauros were moving around him, splitting into two parts to become smaller groups. They seemed to be scared of him, and therefore, avoiding him. As the last of the Tauros rumbled by, Eric stood, looking around. The dust that had been kicked up was thick, and it was hard to see anywhere, but up.
As he waited for the dust to settle, something heavy hit him in the chest, easily lifting him into the air, sending him back a ways. He rolled to a stop, moving to a stand.. the wind was knocked out of him, but he didn't feel any pain. Staggering to stand up, he noticed the source of the problem.. an Ursaring. A large bear looking Pokemon, with a ring on its chest, and menacing looking claws. It seems that the Tauros had eluded it, but its new target seemed easier to catch.
"Damn. Alright," Eric muttered, wrapping one arm around his chest, using his free hand to pull out a Pokeball. "Let's see you pick on someone that can take it. Primeape, go!"
The Primeape appeared in a flash of light, and the Ursaring looked down at it, turning his attention away from the trainer infront of it. "Primeape, use Seismic Toss!" The Ursaring looked pretty surprised that it would be picked up by such a smaller opponent, and let out a loud snarl, as it was swung around. It was released after a moment, where it landed on the ground, skidding to a stop. "Hit it while it's getting up with a Body Slam!"
Eric's Primeape charged, arms raised over its head, looking pissed, but not as pissed as he had seen it against Whitney. The Ursaring moved to a stand, only to get knocked off its feet by the crushing blow that was dealt to it, and it went sailing forward again. This time, it didn't get up. "Perfect. Good job, Primeape."
Eric pulled out a Pokeball, and enlarged it. With the flick of his wrist, he chucked it towards the dazed Pokemon, hitting it.. but the Pokeball merely bounced off. The Primeape was breathing heavily, and its face looked a little red beneath its white fur, as it waited for results. "Well, what the hell.. That means that it's been captured already.. So that means.."
"Well, well, I wasn't expecting to meet against a Primeape. I'm impressed, but that was my weakest Pokemon. I have a few other that are much stronger, and might prove a challenge," a voice called behind him. Eric turned, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes rested upon the form of a tall, skinny man. The trainer's face and hair was obscured by its cap, but it wore a white suit, with a big red 'R' on the front. "But, let's get down to business, shall we? If you join us, Team Rocket, we'd be glad to give you the recognition you need. We at Team Rocket are good at spotting trainers that are determined and have potential to help us in our goal. I've already pulled a few strings with my boss, and he says we can get you a high ranking position.. all you've got to do is follow me, and i'll take care of the rest. How about it, hm? Make it easy on both me, and you."
Eric had heard about Team Rocket before, but not for a long time. Not since they were snuffed out by a few trainers with much higher potential. They were your usual band of ne'er-do-wells that went out of their way to try and capture rare and elusive Pokemon and cause major uproars, just to name a few of the things they normally did. They usually specialized in Pokemon that were of the Normal or Poison type, though a few people varied from this path, like their old boss, Giovanni, before he ran for the hills, leaving his gym in Viridian City abandoned, making himself scarce.
"I'll think about it," Eric muttered, trying to make his tone as indefinite as possible. He didn't feel up to fighting until he could gather up his allies to back him up. He was usually a target for groups of people looking for revenge, or doing something they shouldn't, and they usually turned out for the worse.
The man shrugged, and nodded. "Well, i'll tell the boss what you said, and he'll surely give you some time to think about things. You get great pay and benefits, too. I'll return sometime in the future, and see how you've been progressing. Until then.." the rocket recalled its Ursaring. "Oh, yes.. We've also got a little something you might be looking for, soon." The rocket grinned, and moved off towards the south, and Olivine City. Soon after, Mistral came running, looking out of breath.
"Oh my god, you're not dead?! I mean.. I thought you were dead for sure! I saw you disappear in that stampede, and.." Mistral muttered, tackling him off his feet. He landed on the ground, cringing slightly. "Oh. Are you hurt?"
"No. I took a hit from a Tauros, but i'll be alright. It's nothing major. I'll be fine in a few days," Eric lied, looking up at her. Her eyes were shiny with tears, but she hadn't been crying. She climbed off him, and gave him a kick in the side. "Well, don't ever do something that stupid again, okay?! You had me scared to death!"
"Sorry.. Where's Edd?" Eric asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him since he galloped off on his Lairon. Him, and Slowking."
Mistral glanced around, but she didn't see anyone, so helped Eric up. "You recalled Slowking into its Pokeball, remember?"
"I did?"
"Yeah. You did. It was back in Ecruteak after you defeated Morty. I don't think you were paying much attention to anything around you, since it expressed its dislike, but you recalled it anyways," Mistral explained, looking around again. "Where is Edd.. Hmm.."
Eric glanced around again, before rubbing his chin. "The man before said something about, he had a little something that i'd be looking for.."
"Who're you talking about?" Mistral blinked, looking confused.
"Before you came along, a tall man in a white suit with a big red R on the front approached me and offered me a job at Team Rocket. When I said i'd think about it, since I wasn't prepared for a fight, he mentioned that he had a little something for me that i'd be looking for soon. If you put two and two together, he was likely talking about Edd," Eric concluded, shrugging.
"But how? He was with some other trainers. They would've helped him out, surely."
"Unless those trainers were Rockets, too.."
Mistral scratched the back of her head, and sighed. "Where did the man go?"
"South, to Olivine City."
"Then they were probably heading for Whirl Islands," Mistral nodded, pointing south. "It's the best hiding place, since it's out over the water, and it's hard to get to without a good water Pokemon or a flying Pokemon."
Eric nodded, heading south. "Well, we'll beat the Olivine City Gym Leader, and then head for Whirl Islands, and see if he's there or not. I'm sure they're not going to be torturing him or anything."
"I suppose they wouldn't stoop so low, but i'd really like to get to the Whirl Islands, first," Mistral muttered, wringing her hands nervously.
"Listen.. We'll spend the night at the Pokemon Center, and then defeat the Gym Leader. Immediately after that, we'll get my Pokemon healed, and head out for Whirl Islands. I promise," Eric nodded, smiling. "It's going against my better judgement, but.. i'm sure he'd understand. And besides, we don't even know for sure if he'll be there or not."
"Yeah. Right."
------
End Chapter 13
Out of the Pokeball came the near-freshly caught Pokemon. It crawled up onto Eric's shoulder, nipping him on the cheek. "Ack. Okay, okay. Just go out there and show that Gastly for me. Use Spore!"
"Gastly, Hypnosis!"
The Paras leapt off of Eric's shoulder, causing the trainer to get hit by the hypnosis. He hit the ground, asleep, Mistral and Edd leaping up and hitting him to try to get him back up. "Get up! Get up!"
The Paras's Spore attack overcame the Gastly, and its eyes slowly closed.. then shut completely. Little Z's hovered off its body. Eric came to, his face red from the slapping of his companions, but he got back to his feet. "Ahh.. Paras. Use Growth, then Leech Life!"
The Paras concentrated, absorbing energy from around itself.. it grew a little bit, but then shot a small string towards the Gastly. The string stuck to the top of the sleeping Pokemon's head, and began syphoning a green energy from it. "Gastly, wake up!" No good. The Pokemon was still fast asleep from the effective Spore attack. And the Gastly was shrinking, little by little, as the energy was sucked out of it.
"Arrgh. Gastly, return!" the Gastly disappeared, causing the small string to disappear in mid-air. "Alright. Haunter, go!"
The next Pokemon to come out was a bit similar to the Gastly, except it had hands, and would've been a degree more scarier if it had been encountered in a dark alley. ~"Haunter, a gas Pokemon. Much like the Gastly, the Haunter can float through walls to get to whatever's on the other side. This Pokemon is much more mischievous, as it will mimic peoples shadows in the moonlight to scare them."~
"Alright, Paras. Spore!"
"Haunter, use Curse!"
The Haunter pulled a needle out of nowhere, and pricked itself. It became a bit droopier than it had been before it had pricked itself, but little ghosts were now issuing from the Paras. The Haunter was able to avoid the Spore attack, to add to that. "Paras, Stun Spore!"
The Paras began to shake, sending a dust of spores off onto the Haunter. The Haunter locked up, just hovering in mid-air. "Hypnosis, Haunter!" The Paras was looking steadily worse, and, as it fell asleep, it was obvious that it was down for the count. "Alright, Paras. Good job for your first battle. Return!" It disappeared into its Pokeball, and the second Pokeball was brought out. "Pidgeotto!"
The bird Pokemon appeared from its Pokeball, eyes set upon the Haunter. "Alright, Pidgeotto. Prepare to take the next attack."
"Haunter, Hypnosis!"
"Pidgeotto, Mirror Move!"
The Pidgeotto brought its wings up, revealing what looked like a mirror.. the mirror revealed the Haunter's attack, which bounced off the mirror, slamming into its user. The Haunter gave a yawn, and fell asleep, resting its hands under its head. "Perfect! Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!"
In a thrust of its powerful wings, it began to create a small whirlwind throughout the stadium. Everyone had to grab onto their loose belongings, lest they lost them, as the Whirlwind picked up the Haunter, twirling it around and around. It woke up, became dizzy, and simply fell over. Down and out. The Haunter was recalled into its Pokeball.
The next Haunter to come out was about the same as the first. Since the Gastly evolution was restricted to the same movelist, it was pretty uneventful. When the Haunter was finally recalled, Morty grinned. "Time for my secret weapon, so to speak. Gengar, go!"
~"Gengar, a gas Pokemon. The Gengar is the last evolution of the Gastly family, and is powerful in many respects. Be sure to avoid its Shadow Ball and various Ghost and Dark attacks."~
"Well, I don't have to worry about Ghost attacks. Pidgeotto, use Mirror Move again!" Eric commanded, pointing towards the Gengar. "This game's ours."
"Is that so? Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Morty yelled. The Gengar rolled up a bit of itself, which turned into a ball of disgusting looking sludge. "Gengar isan't part poison for nothing."
The ball was thrown, and, since the Gengar was part poison, the attack that was reflected didn't effect it. The Pidgeotto, now held down with the sludge, and looking worse by the second, was struggling to keep in the air. "Damn. Alright. Pidgeotto, return!"
The Pidgeotto disappeared into its Pokeball, just as the Gengar had another Sludge Bomb prepped. "Alright, let's give my other new Pokemon a go. Dratini, go!"
The Pokeball opened to reveal the Pokemon that had been given to him.. a Dratini. It let out a cry, and looked back at its trainer for orders. The Gengar nearly dropped the bomb in laughter. "Dratini, Twister!"
Morty hadn't been expecting that. The Dratini began to spin quickly, creating a small twister where it had been. It was much faster like this, and it beared down on the Gengar in only a few seconds. The Gengar disappeared into the winds that were created by the Dratini.. until it came sailing back out of the attack. The ghost Pokemon hit the ground, swirls in its eyes, as the Dratini stopped the spinning, moving back over to its trainer.
"Gengar's been KO'ed.. Eric is the winner! Congratulations!" the referee announced, pointing the green flag over at Eric's side of the gym. Mistral and Edd gave a cheer, running over to him to offer their congratulations, but the older man was there before they were.
"Hey, what did I tell you? Huh? You've got skill, kid. You beat him with a Psychic Pokemon, and i've never seen such skill with a Pidgeotto before. Did I mention you've got a good chance of taking the Pokemon Leauge by storm? I mean, hey, you were great! Next up is Olivine City, she uses Steel Pokemon, but she's pretty surprising. You'll see. Take care, now!" the man spoke quickly, tipping his hat, brushing through Mistral and Edd to get to the front door of the Gym.
"Man. That guy's rude, ya?" Edd commented, brushing himself off. "It's like it's a big deal that Eric's been taking on the Pokemon League."
"Well, it is. He's setting the bar for trainers all around the world, so I think it's important that he keeps up his appearance," Mistral pointed out, matter-of-factly.
Morty stepped over to Eric, and gave a nod. "I've never went against a trainer that didn't use Psychic Pokemon.. I'm impressed. Here. You deserve this Fog Badge. Take it, and get moving to Olivine City."
The Badge was accepted, and placed into the Badge Case along with the others. "Thanks much."
------
The sun shone brightly the next day, as the trainers made their way down Route 39, causing the morning dew on the tall grasses to shine. The day was relatively peaceful, and not a cloud was in the sky. A flock of Pidgey migrated overhead, signalling the start of fall. The trees were already beginning to change colors, and many trainers were off to the south, seeking a warmer climate, or were over in Kanto.
"You know, now that it's getting to be about that time of year, shouldn't we be switching into warmer clothing? I mean, i'm going to, but I don't know about you two," Mistral shrugged, looking around at the trees. Eric was sifting through the tall grasses, while Edd was feeding its Lairon long reeds of grass.
"Yeah. But let's not worry about it right now," Eric shrugged, turning up a rock. "The weather around here won't start dropping for atleast a couple of weeks. Besides, if i'm lucky, i'll be through the Pokemon League and be in Kanto before the cold weather comes through."
Edd hopped onto the back of his Lairon. "Don't get too cocky now, Eugene seems pretty determined. The Pokemon League is more challenging than you think."
"True. But, have you seen the trainers during the Pokemon League Competition? They're lacking in ability, and I think that once i'm done with my Gym Circuit --" Eric was soon cut off, as a Tauros erupted from the nearby bushes, prompting him to leap out of the way, as it was heading straight for him. The Tauros ran across the Route, disappearing into the trees on the other side.
Edd looked over at Eric. "What was that all about?"
"I dunno, but.. wait a second.. do you feel that?" Eric lowered his voice to a whisper, tensing up for a moment. The Route grew eerily quiet, causing a few trainers that were walking north to stop. After a few moments, the ground began to shake beneath their feet. "What's that supposed to be.."
"STAMPEDE!" Edd yelled, pointing into the trees. Sure enough, the bright glints of the eyes of the Tauros gave away their presence in the forest. All types of Bird Pokemon were launching themselves out of the trees in surprise, as they closed in on the route. Mistral meeped, and ran over to a tree, climbing it easily, using the branches to get to the middle of it. Edd was quick to command his Lairon to head north, where several other trainers were already headed. "Eric! C'mon and climb a tree!" Mistral called down to him. "Don't just stand there, you'll get trampled!"
Eric quickly ran in the opposite direction he was facing. Mistral slapped her forehead, and let out a sigh. "That's the wrong way to run! Head for a tree.. yah!"
The Tauros erupted from the forest and the brush, causing Mistral's tree to sway violently. Edd was pretty safe with the small group of trainers that were now watching the Tauros stampede.
"Okay.. okay.. Let's see.. Gastly, Pidgeotto, Paras, Slowking.. Wait a second. Where's Slowking?" Eric glanced back behind him. The Tauros were approaching fast, and he wasn't even half-way across the route. That was a bad sign. Eric stopped running, and crouched down, closing his eyes. Well, this was it. That many Tauros would surely be enough to trample him atleast once or twice.
However, as the hooves hitting the ground became deafening, he opened his eyes, looking around. The Tauros were moving around him, splitting into two parts to become smaller groups. They seemed to be scared of him, and therefore, avoiding him. As the last of the Tauros rumbled by, Eric stood, looking around. The dust that had been kicked up was thick, and it was hard to see anywhere, but up.
As he waited for the dust to settle, something heavy hit him in the chest, easily lifting him into the air, sending him back a ways. He rolled to a stop, moving to a stand.. the wind was knocked out of him, but he didn't feel any pain. Staggering to stand up, he noticed the source of the problem.. an Ursaring. A large bear looking Pokemon, with a ring on its chest, and menacing looking claws. It seems that the Tauros had eluded it, but its new target seemed easier to catch.
"Damn. Alright," Eric muttered, wrapping one arm around his chest, using his free hand to pull out a Pokeball. "Let's see you pick on someone that can take it. Primeape, go!"
The Primeape appeared in a flash of light, and the Ursaring looked down at it, turning his attention away from the trainer infront of it. "Primeape, use Seismic Toss!" The Ursaring looked pretty surprised that it would be picked up by such a smaller opponent, and let out a loud snarl, as it was swung around. It was released after a moment, where it landed on the ground, skidding to a stop. "Hit it while it's getting up with a Body Slam!"
Eric's Primeape charged, arms raised over its head, looking pissed, but not as pissed as he had seen it against Whitney. The Ursaring moved to a stand, only to get knocked off its feet by the crushing blow that was dealt to it, and it went sailing forward again. This time, it didn't get up. "Perfect. Good job, Primeape."
Eric pulled out a Pokeball, and enlarged it. With the flick of his wrist, he chucked it towards the dazed Pokemon, hitting it.. but the Pokeball merely bounced off. The Primeape was breathing heavily, and its face looked a little red beneath its white fur, as it waited for results. "Well, what the hell.. That means that it's been captured already.. So that means.."
"Well, well, I wasn't expecting to meet against a Primeape. I'm impressed, but that was my weakest Pokemon. I have a few other that are much stronger, and might prove a challenge," a voice called behind him. Eric turned, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes rested upon the form of a tall, skinny man. The trainer's face and hair was obscured by its cap, but it wore a white suit, with a big red 'R' on the front. "But, let's get down to business, shall we? If you join us, Team Rocket, we'd be glad to give you the recognition you need. We at Team Rocket are good at spotting trainers that are determined and have potential to help us in our goal. I've already pulled a few strings with my boss, and he says we can get you a high ranking position.. all you've got to do is follow me, and i'll take care of the rest. How about it, hm? Make it easy on both me, and you."
Eric had heard about Team Rocket before, but not for a long time. Not since they were snuffed out by a few trainers with much higher potential. They were your usual band of ne'er-do-wells that went out of their way to try and capture rare and elusive Pokemon and cause major uproars, just to name a few of the things they normally did. They usually specialized in Pokemon that were of the Normal or Poison type, though a few people varied from this path, like their old boss, Giovanni, before he ran for the hills, leaving his gym in Viridian City abandoned, making himself scarce.
"I'll think about it," Eric muttered, trying to make his tone as indefinite as possible. He didn't feel up to fighting until he could gather up his allies to back him up. He was usually a target for groups of people looking for revenge, or doing something they shouldn't, and they usually turned out for the worse.
The man shrugged, and nodded. "Well, i'll tell the boss what you said, and he'll surely give you some time to think about things. You get great pay and benefits, too. I'll return sometime in the future, and see how you've been progressing. Until then.." the rocket recalled its Ursaring. "Oh, yes.. We've also got a little something you might be looking for, soon." The rocket grinned, and moved off towards the south, and Olivine City. Soon after, Mistral came running, looking out of breath.
"Oh my god, you're not dead?! I mean.. I thought you were dead for sure! I saw you disappear in that stampede, and.." Mistral muttered, tackling him off his feet. He landed on the ground, cringing slightly. "Oh. Are you hurt?"
"No. I took a hit from a Tauros, but i'll be alright. It's nothing major. I'll be fine in a few days," Eric lied, looking up at her. Her eyes were shiny with tears, but she hadn't been crying. She climbed off him, and gave him a kick in the side. "Well, don't ever do something that stupid again, okay?! You had me scared to death!"
"Sorry.. Where's Edd?" Eric asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him since he galloped off on his Lairon. Him, and Slowking."
Mistral glanced around, but she didn't see anyone, so helped Eric up. "You recalled Slowking into its Pokeball, remember?"
"I did?"
"Yeah. You did. It was back in Ecruteak after you defeated Morty. I don't think you were paying much attention to anything around you, since it expressed its dislike, but you recalled it anyways," Mistral explained, looking around again. "Where is Edd.. Hmm.."
Eric glanced around again, before rubbing his chin. "The man before said something about, he had a little something that i'd be looking for.."
"Who're you talking about?" Mistral blinked, looking confused.
"Before you came along, a tall man in a white suit with a big red R on the front approached me and offered me a job at Team Rocket. When I said i'd think about it, since I wasn't prepared for a fight, he mentioned that he had a little something for me that i'd be looking for soon. If you put two and two together, he was likely talking about Edd," Eric concluded, shrugging.
"But how? He was with some other trainers. They would've helped him out, surely."
"Unless those trainers were Rockets, too.."
Mistral scratched the back of her head, and sighed. "Where did the man go?"
"South, to Olivine City."
"Then they were probably heading for Whirl Islands," Mistral nodded, pointing south. "It's the best hiding place, since it's out over the water, and it's hard to get to without a good water Pokemon or a flying Pokemon."
Eric nodded, heading south. "Well, we'll beat the Olivine City Gym Leader, and then head for Whirl Islands, and see if he's there or not. I'm sure they're not going to be torturing him or anything."
"I suppose they wouldn't stoop so low, but i'd really like to get to the Whirl Islands, first," Mistral muttered, wringing her hands nervously.
"Listen.. We'll spend the night at the Pokemon Center, and then defeat the Gym Leader. Immediately after that, we'll get my Pokemon healed, and head out for Whirl Islands. I promise," Eric nodded, smiling. "It's going against my better judgement, but.. i'm sure he'd understand. And besides, we don't even know for sure if he'll be there or not."
"Yeah. Right."
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End Chapter 13