Chapter 27: Dragon's Den Challenge
After Angelina healed her Pokémon the next day, she and Jeremy headed for the cave behind the Blackthorn Gym. The man standing at the side of the entrance allowed them to enter. Inside, they found a ladder that led down further into the Dragon's Den; upon reaching the bottom, they found a cave that was mostly filled with water, with small patches of land along the wall like the one they were standing on.
"Seamus? What are you doing here?" Angelina asked, slightly annoyed at the sight of her rival. "Get out and go away."
"Or how about…. no! I'm here to beat you into the ground, Angelina. All of your Pokémon will be bloody pulps when I'm through with you, and your little boyfriend can't help you either!" Seamus challenged, throwing out his Pokeball and revealing a blue bat-like Pokemon with a large mouth and four fangs. "I choose Golbat!"
Angelina knew what to expect, so she chose her Pokémon with little thought. "Spritz, come out," she hurled a Pokeball in front of Golbat and the white light revealed her Azumarill. "Use Icy Wind!" Azumarill to a deep breath and blew out blue wind and snowflakes at Golbat.
"Golbat, Agility!" Seamus commanded. Golbat started flying around Azumarill, going faster and faster. "Good job. Now, use Steel Wing!"
Golbat's wing turned into solid metal and struck Azumarill, but the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon came right back by tackling her opponent.
"Great going, Spritz!" Angelina encouraged. "Use your Bubblebeam to finish Golbat off!"
"Never," Seamus growled. "Your Pokémon is a weakling, unlike mine. Golbat, Leech Life!"
Golbat barred its fangs and started diving towards Azumarill, but was knocked down by a stream of white bubbles.
"Damn you, Golbat. You should have won against her wimpy Pokémon!" Seamus cursed as he switched Pokemon. "Now go, Ninetales!" An elegant fox-like Pokémon with gleaming red eyes and nine golden tails appeared. "Flamethrower!"
Ninetales shot flames out at Azumarill, but the aqua-rabbit dodged the attack.
"Hydro Pump!" Azumarill blasted a powerful jet of water that slammed Ninetales into a wall.
"Ninetales, Confuse Ray!" Ninetales's red eyes start glowing and shot a purple ray of light at Azumarill, confusing her.
"Come on, Spritz! Shake out of it! Use Bubblebeam!"
Azumarill was trying her hardest to focus and come to her senses, and finally succeeded, but Ninetales was already on top of her.
"Ninetales, Iron Tail!" Seamus commanded. Ninetales entire tail glows white and struck Azumarill with all of his might, sending her flying into a wall. "Good, now use Flamethrower!"
"Spritz, Roll Out!" Angelina cried, and just in time. Azumarill curls into a ball and started rolling in great speeds as Ninetales released a blast of intensely hot flames from its mouth. The attack was almost completely negated as some of the flames simply went around Azumarill as it slammed into the Fox Pokemon.
"Come on, Ninetales! Stop it with Quick Attack!" Seamus ordered.
Ninetales shook off the impact and took off after Azumarill, leaving behind a white trail of energy.
"Evasive maneuvers, Spritz!" Angelina called out to her Pokemon as she rolled against the wall to pick up more speed and missed being hit by Ninetales. "Now jump up and finish with Bubblebeam!"
Azumarill jumped high in the air, then opened her mouth and released a steady streams of bubbles towards the Pokemon at point black range. Ninetales was staggering backwards as it was being pelted by the bubbles, then fell to the ground unconcious, no longer able to battle.
"Ninetales! I cannot believe you lost!" Seamus grit his teeth irritately. "Return! I will send out an even stronger and better Pokémon." He regain confidence and threw out a Pokeball. "Scizor, go!"
"Spritz, Roll Out!" Angelina commanded, but the metallic mantis Pokemon was too quick.
"Scizor, Metal Claw!" Scizor zoomed around the area and came up right behind Azumarill, slashing her across the back and knocking her out.
"That's all right, Spritz, you did good. Come back." Angelina smiled, switching Pokemon. "Let's go, Charcoal!" she sent out her fire Pokémon and started the bout. "Keep your eye on him, Charcoal! Don't let him get out of your sight! Use Flamethrower!" Charmeleon released a stream of fire from its mouth and struck Scizor. "Fire Punch!"
"Scizor, Agility!" Seamus commanded.
Scizor was weaving in and out of Charmeleon's punches, but wasn't fast enough because he got scorched a couple of times.
"Agility again! He won't be able to hit you now!" Scizor increased his speed and moved away from Charmeleon, and then awaited his next command. "Now Double Team!"
Scizor created illusions of himself all around the room, and they were all using Agility. Charmeleon was barely able to keep his eye on the real Scizor, but was able to do it anyway.
"Charcoal, use Flamethrower again!" Angelina commanded.
Charmeleon breathed another stream of flames at Scizor, but it missed. 'This is impossible,' Angelina thought. She knew that as long as there are hundreds of Scizors going around and around Charmeleon and all around the room, she did not stand a good chance of winning. Little did Angelina know, things were about to get worse. A lot worse.
"Scizor, Substitute!"
Scizor, all of them, stood still for a moment, and then in a flash of light they all had miniature versions of themselves. Charmeleon still had an idea of which Scizor was the real one, but even if he was right, he still had to face his clone. Angelina had a plan, however.
"Charcoal, Flame Burst! Destroy all of the illusion Scizors!"
Angelina wasn't sure if this plan would work or not. Her plan was for the flames to go away from Charmeleon, hitting every single Scizor in the area, eliminating the fake ones. Charmeleon did exactly what Angelina wanted him to do; releasing a stream of fire from its mouth into the air as the flames then formed a ball of fire, which then bursts, sending out multiple streaks of fire that eliminated Scizor's clones, leaving just him and Scizor.
"Now finish with Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon released its final stream of fire at Scizor's face, knocking out the Pincer Pokemon, leaving Seamus with three more Pokémon.
"Scizor, you're pathetic! You were trained better than that! Return!" Seamus scolded and brought out another Pokeball. "Come out, Feraligatr!" the white light revealed a bulky blue-colored crocodilian Pokemon, ready to kill. Angelina did not intend to have Charmeleon face a monster like that, so she recalled him and sent out Pikachu.
"Sparkette, Thunder!" Angelina commanded. Lightning bolts came from the ceiling and struck Feraligatr, doing a tremendous amount of damage. Feraligatr came right back with an Iron Tail, which knocked Pikachu into a wall, but it wasn't enough to knock it out.
"Feraligatr, Ice Punch!" Seamus commanded to Feraligatr. Blue ice crystals went in circles around Feraligatr's fist. Feraligatr swung at Pikachu, but she dodged the freezing punch.
"Whoa! Great job, Sparkette! Quick Attack!" Angelina said ecstatically. Pikachu turned into a yellow blur and attacked Feraligatr, making it fly back-first into a wall and unconscious.
"No way! That was a one-in-a billion chance of happening, that you knocked out my Feraligatr; you just got lucky!" Seamus yelled angrily. "Come back Feraligatr, my prized Pokémon." He recalled and took out a fifth Pokeball. "Well, my next Pokémon is just as strong." He threw the device. "Alakazam, I choose you!"
'Where is she?' Clair thought to herself. Forty-three minutes have passed and Angelina still has not shown up. She was starting to get worried. Not for her safety, no. For her own reputation. 'If she can beat me,' Clair thought. 'And she can't reach me here, my reputation will be ruined.' Another ten minutes passed, and she was about ready to leave. 'She is not as powerful as I thought he was. Well, no one will have to know about this. I just won't reveal my loss to anyone. Well, it's time for me to go.' She put the Rising Badge back in her pocket and turned around to leave when someone stopped her.
"No, Clair. You must wait. Give her five more minutes," the voice said. "She is the one, she can conquer us, I know it. She has great strength. She could be as twice as powerful as me," the man said to Clair. She knew who he was; he was the only other Dragon trainer in the world.
"All right, Lance," Clair replied. "Five more minutes, but no more."
"That's a good girl. Maybe I'll see you soon," Lance said, disappearing into the shadows.
"Sneasel, come back," Seamus said reluctantly. He just lost to Angelina again.
"You did great, Shadow, you deserve a rest," Angelina smiled, recalling her Absol. Seamus tried to say something to Angelina, but she and Jeremy ran past him so they could catch Clair before she left. That would certainly not make Angelina's day. It took them four minutes, but they finally reached the spot where Clair was located.
"It's about time," Clair said impatiently. "I was about to leave."
"Well thank goodness you didn't," Angelina responded. "Sorry I didn't come sooner, I was in a battle with my rival. Well, I think you said that if I reached you here I would get the Blackthorn Gym Badge."
"Yes, this is now yours," Clair said after she put out her right hand, holding a badge that was black and dog-face shaped.
"Thanks," Angelina smiled and took the badge. "I got the Rising Badge!" she quickly pulled out her badge box and placed the badge in the final slot.
"It is my duty as the final leader to direct you to this year's Silver Conference," Clair informed, "Travel toward New Bark Town and head north to Mount Silver. The Silver Conference is held near the base of the mountain in Silver Town." she said.
"Thanks," Angelina and Jeremy said in unison.
"You deserve it," Clair responded.
Angelina and Jeremy followed Clair out of Dragon's Den and at another gate behind the gym.
"Good bye," Clair waved with a smile on her face, "And good luck with everything you do!"
"Bye Clair!" Angelina and Jeremy waved back in response.
The duo was traveling down a dirt road with Blackthorn in the background and Angelina smiling from ear to ear.
"You're one step closer," Jeremy said, "With all the gyms defeated, I'm really impressed."
"Thanks," Angelina responded, "But I couldn't have done it without my Pokemon and you, of course! And now back to home.… I can't wait to see Mom!"
"Back in Pallet Town, right?" Jeremy asked. "Won't that detour us from Mount Silver?"
"No, the Silver Conference is the first week of next month," Angelina replied. "We'll stay at my house until we have to head out that way."
Angelina and Jeremy head back to the Pokemon Center for a night's rest and await for the next day to continue on the dirt path to Pallet Town!
§To Be Continued§
*Angelina battles and defeats her rival Seamus in Dragon's Den
*Angelina's Charmeleon knows Flame Burst, a Generation V move learned at Level 32.
*In HeartGold/SoulSilver, the trainer has to answer questions from the Master of the Dragon Clan for the treatment towards their Pokemon. Angelina just finds Clair and receives the Rising Badge.
*Lance makes a short appearance in this chapter.
*Angelina has all eight Johto badges and Clair explains about the Silver Conference
*Angelina and Jeremy head back to Pallet Town
Thank you for reading! There's only nine chapters left, and I'll still update ASAP!