Chapter 30: A Quarrel Among Friends
In the far north of Johto lies a large lake, so large that it could almost cover an entire city, with clear water that always reflected the sky above it. When the sun was high above the sky, shining her light down on everything, it was a pool of liquid amber. When the moon and stars came forth to take the sun's place, the water seemed to be a piece of space brought down to Earth for everyone to see. As of now, the morning sun's light pierced through the water's surface, awakening all who slept under the lake. Few people know of the wonders that lie under the sea, and those who do venture deep in the depths see a world unlike any other.
A school of fish Pokemon were already awake and alert, using their weak, white pectoral fins to swim within the lake. Magikarp were never known to be strong swimmers, as their bodies and pectoral fins grew weak over the millions of millennia they lived. But the lake environment proved to be ideal for them since Magikarp and Gyarados were the only inhabitants of said lake. One Magikarp in particular was all too happy to be swimming around in the morning. Her tail fin wagged back and forth, pushing the water behind her, allowing her to swim forward. The barbels protruding from the sides of her mouth were a pure snow white. Magikarp with yellow barbels were male. True to form, she saw one male Magikarp just ahead, one with a slight nick in his tail.
"Magikarp magikarp…" ("Today's the day I tell him how I feel!") The Magikarp mumbled to herself, lost in sweet, lofty thoughts. Already, the Gyarados were awake, swimming underneath them to make sure everything was okay. She began to dream about meeting with a mate, evolving into Gyarados with him, and bearing him a dozen children. Such a life would be wonderful, as she thought. Soon, a bright purple light caught her attention. Curious, the Magikarp descended to the source. Upon closer inspection, some strange flowers were emitting the purple light.
"Karp karp!" ("These are perfect!") Using her pink mouth, the Magikarp turned sideways and attempted to pluck the flowers out from the sand. Since Magikarp are physically weak, this one had trouble pulling it out right away. Unbeknownst to her, two more Magikarp gathered around, putting their mouths on her tail and pulling on her. Finally, with a good yank, the glowing purple flowers were pulled right out.
The Magikarp turned around to find two of her friends, one with white barbels and another with yellow ones, smiling behind her. "Hey there! Did you help me just now?"
The two Magikarp nodded. "Thanks!" The smaller Magikarp replied.
"Are you going to try and court him?" The Magikarp with the yellow barbels asked.
Keeping the purple flowers in her mouth, the small Magikarp blushed as she joined her friends. "I'll try. I'm the only one who hasn't sought out a mate yet."
"There's no rush," Her larger friend, who had white barbels like she did. "Nobody's expecting you to find a mate right away. It's not all there is to living."
Even so, Magikarp promised herself that she would court him today, or else some other female Magikarp-one probably much bigger than she-would court him. With the flowers tight in her mouth, the small orange fish made a beeline for the school of fish up ahead. She was a girl on a mission, and this time, she was going to complete it. Nothing would stop her.
The water's luminous glow sent green light washing over everyone's forms, even the small Magikarp. The glowing purple flowers caught the green light, turning a strange yellowish color with a slight pale pink hue. All of a sudden, a subtle thud made the water above ripple all over. Blinking her confused eyes, the small Magikarp flapped her pectoral fins, ascending to the surface. A black shadow crossed the water's surface, but she couldn't quite make out its form. Just what was that? Curiosity overtook her, pushing away her intent to confess her feelings to her beloved. Dropping the flowers she worked so hard to pull out, the small Magikarp ascended to the surface.
Closer, closer, closer...finally, with a "Karp!" She pushed through the water, splashing as she squeezed her eyes shut. The sun was high in the sky, shining her light onto the whole lake. Blinded, Magikarp kept her eyes closed for a short moment. Finally, she peeled them open, forcing herself to adjust to the excessive amount of light. She looked around to observe her surroundings. So far, there was nothing but water, though she could see the forest from where she was. But where was that shadow? She didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Karp? Karp?" ("Was I imagining it, then?") The diminutive Magikarp asked herself. Tricks of the light were known to happen. But she couldn't shake the feeling that what she saw was real. Something didn't seem right.
"Hey!" Her two friends popped up from underwater, with her male friend carrying the purple flowers she dropped. "What are you doing up here?"
"Hello!" The small Magikarp swam over to them. "Sorry. I thought I saw something flying over the lake," She explained.
"We better get back down. Mom and Dad say we can't stay on the surface for very long," The male Magikarp explained, even with the purple flowers in his mouth.
That was when it happened. A strange, piercing sound caught their ears. It was so piercing that all three Magikarp grimaced upon hearing it. Since they had no hands, they couldn't block it out, and their pectoral fins were too weak to block out any sound, nor could they manipulate them further than their bodies were capable of. All they could feel was pain. The small Magikarp found herself splashing and writhing on the lake's surface, unable to do much of anything other than splash and scream, "KAAAAAAARP!" Nothing about this sound seemed real.
White light overtook the small Magikarp's vision, outshining the sun's radiant light. Her whole body felt as though it was being pulled and yanked to its very limits, almost to the point of coming off. Her tail exploded into something large. Her head and body suddenly grew and expanded in size. She could feel her two friends grabbing her and pushing her down under the ocean, underneath the surface. The pain consumed her entire being. She couldn't even open her eyes at this point. This white light...was it evolution? She had seen her friends evolve into Gyarados before. She had watched them evolve, and she heard them say it felt great.
None of them said anything about evolution being painful, much less to the extent she was feeling right now.
Finally, the pain was gone. She found herself opening her eyes. "Gyaaaaa…" ("What in the world was that…?") That was when she noticed. Her voice had suddenly grown deeper. Much deeper, almost to her mother's tone of voice. She didn't sound youthful like before. Upon opening her eyes further, she saw a large, red tail underneath her.
Wait, a large red tail?
"What happened to you?!" One of her friends suddenly screamed out loud.
The pokemon looked down. A whole crowd of Magikarp and Gyarados surrounded her, all with horrified expressions on their faces. Even the Magikarp with the nick on his tail, the one she wanted to give the flowers to, was aghast...and then he swam away with his tail flapping side to side, like he couldn't escape fast enough. She could hear her heart breaking. She didn't even attempt to court him, and he ran away like she was some kind of monster. Other Magikarp and Gyarados swam away in fear.
She was frozen. What happened? All she could ask was, "...What's wrong?"
"You evolved! But...you're different!" Her male friend shouted.
Evolved? She had evolved? The Pokemon looked all around herself. Her tail had grown. Just like a Gyarados. Something told her to go up to the surface to see better. Once the water stopped rippling, she looked down.
She saw a Gyarados stare right back at her.
A red Gyarados.
Wait, why was she red? She had evolved, like she had wanted, but...why were her scales red? Was this why her crush and some of the others swam away? Was this why everyone looked at her with those horrified expressions? The piercing sound from before sent pain throughout her entire body. No longer did she see a Gyarados. No longer did she see a red Gyarados.
She saw a monster. Was that why they swam away? Because she looked different? She didn't know. But...the idea that they might be right sent her heart and soul asunder.
"Why...why do I...look like this?" She asked herself in a low, trembling voice. The other Magikarp and Gyarados simply exchanged confused glances, helpless to do anything to console her. What could they do? They had no answer for this strange phenomenon, as this had never happened before.
The already shattered pieces of her heart broke even more. Her small eyes increased in size. Despair and fear suddenly morphed into anger. All she could do now was scream, in the highest voice she could muster. "WHY DO I LOOK LIKE THIS?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MEEEEEEEEE?!"
All she could feel was pain.
The morning after the kids arrived in Cadmium Town, they got back on the mega bus and headed for Ecruteak City. After two and a half hours on the road, they finally arrived. Before they even got to the Pokemon Center, Heracles' PokeBall turned white and disappeared into thin air. Caiseal expected this, as he was carrying one more pokemon than the expected amount trainers were supposed to carry. The kids stopped at the Pokemon Center to get their friends healed up for the trip to Mahogany Town. But Caiseal made his way to the video phone.
He punched in some numbers and held the phone up to his ear. The tiny screen flashed some static which, at first didn't generate any imagines. The phone continued to ring. Four times it rang before someone answered. At the same time, the static finally pulled itself together, producing an image of a woman staring right at him. The dark skinned woman's black hair was arranged in a neat, proper bob cut and a light blue headband pulled her bangs back. The moment she saw Caiseal, her brown eyes glimmered with joy.
"Cash! Hey there!" The woman exclaimed, her voice bubbling with happiness. "It's been so long since I heard your sweet voice!"
Caiseal flashed a soft smile. "Hi, Yvette...Mom," He answered in a low, wistful whisper. "How are you?"
"Everything's been great, Cash!" Yvette waved her free hand around as she talked, a habit she had never been able to break, not that anyone minded. "Geoffrey got a promotion! He's managing the auto shop now!"
"Wow, that's awesome!" Caiseal's eyes widened.
"So enough about me. How's your journey going?" Yvette asked. She was one of those women who had a voice that would make anyone turn around and listen. Caiseal was no exception.
"Me and my friends just got back to Ecruteak City," Caiseal began. "We're on our way to Mahogany Town so we can battle Pryce," He explained further.
"Sounds wonderful!" Yvette crooned. "By the way, I see you caught a Heracross! He just popped onto the transporter. He's quite the little charmer. He's been in the backyard picking flowers and handing them to me!"
The blonde boy found himself speechless. Heracles giving flowers to his adopted mother? Since when was Heracles a womanizer? Then again, he had only just caught him, so he didn't have time to really get to know him yet. "I named him Heracles," Caiseal said.
"Heracles! Isn't that a fine name!" Yvette exclaimed. "By the way, while we're on the subject of pokemon, do you want me to send him over?"
Caiseal didn't waste any time answering. "Sure. Can you send Geo over, too? I'll bet he's really missing me."
"No problem!" Yvette closed her eyes lovingly, wagging her finger as she pointed to her end of the screen. "Who are you going to send over?"
"I think I'll send Flippy and Ravenclaw to you. But I'll ask them first," Caiseal pulled out two PokeBalls and opened them, allowing Flippy and Ravenclaw to pop right out. Flippy didn't even notice Yvette, as all she did was yawn, opening her mouth so wide, three starter pokemon could fit right inside. As usual, Ravenclaw perched onto Caiseal's shoulder. "Hey guys. Do you want to hang out at my house?"
"Quaaaaaaag," ("Suuuuure. Why nooooooot?") Flippy let out a soft, carefree groan, like all she wanted to do was lay around.
Ravenclaw fluttered her wings to stretch them out a bit. "Murkrow murkrow!" ("That's fine with me. I kinda miss hanging out with your mom.") She replied in her usual harsh squawk.
Satisfied with their answers, Caiseal put them back in their PokeBalls. First, he sent Flippy. The Transporter turned the ball into light before it disappeared. A new PokeBall appeared in its place. Heracles' PokeBall. Then, Caiseal exchanged Ravenclaw for Geo. The exchange was complete. The blonde boy took both PokeBalls and put them in his pocket.
"Thanks, Mom," Caiseal told her gratefully.
"No problem, Cash. They arrived safe and sound," Yvette's strong yet sweet voice put the blonde boy at ease. Very few people had the power to make Caiseal feel as though he mattered, that his existence mattered. Yvette was one of those people. "Geoffrey and I will take good care of them for you."
"I know you will."
"I take it you're coming back here after you're done with your stuff in Mahogany Town, right?" Yvette asked. Caiseal answered with a nod and a simple yes. "The minute you get here, there'll be a nice big dinner waiting for you! Or breakfast, if you get here in the morning. Oh! You should bring your friends over! Geoffrey and I would love to meet them!" She exclaimed, her brown eyes gleaming at the thought of meeting Perrine and Julia. "You've told us so much about them."
"Yeah. I'll do that," Caiseal replied in a low voice.
It was here that Yvette's smile turned upside down, right into a frown. Caiseal didn't have to look at the monitor to know that her expression changed. "...Are you still having nightmares?" She asked, her voice peppered with concern.
There was no way he could deny that. "Yes. I am. The girls had to wake me up a few times," Guilt weighed down on him like someone placed a pile of bricks on top of his soul. Now, even he was frowning. "I feel really bad about it. I know you say I can't help it, but...they deserve better than to deal with my baggage."
"From what you've told me about them, they seem like nice girls," Yvette said. For just a moment, her smile returned, but smaller this time. "The fact that they're willing to help you with that tells me a lot about their character, and if you ask me, I'm pretty good at reading people," She continued. Caiseal's hand gripped the phone tight, his fingers locking onto it like it was the only thing keeping him alive. "Don't bottle everything up, Cash. I know you tend to do that and then you explode and take it out on others. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, honest," He knew she meant well, and didn't protest. "Oh! Sorry! I have to go. I have to get back to my ironing. But I'll let Geoffrey know you called, okay?"
Caiseal nodded. "Thanks, Mom," There was no doubt about it. He would take Yvette over the person who gave birth to him any day. At least Yvette cared about him.
"You take care of yourself, now!" Yvette exclaimed, pointing to the monitor like she was a defense attorney finding a contradiction in a witness testimony. "Remember, brush your teeth, take good care of your pokemon, eat healthy foods, don't push yourself too hard, and be nice to your friends! Bye, honey!" She waved her hand with a big smile before hanging up.
"Bye, Mom," With that, Caiseal hung the phone up.
"Took you long enough!" Perrine's irritated voice pulled the boy out of his reverie. Just hearing it made him stand up in alarm, like he heard someone sneak up on him.
"Jeez! You scared me!" A hand flew to his chest.
"Sorry. I want to ask Mom and Dad if they can send Chirin and Baloo to me," Perrine told him. "You were on the phone for almost half an hour."
He didn't know why, but a pang of irritation shot through him as he stood up from the chair and walked to where Julia was. Perrine sat down and used the video phone this time. Julia sat on a small chair brushing Lucretia's fur once more, this time her big fluffy neck was being brushed to perfection. Next to her, Hikaru and Rina were tapping their hands together, playing a game of patty cake. Caiseal rubbed a hand through his curly mass of hair that had grown even longer since he started his journey. Some of those messy curls had gone down to his chin. In a way, they were a good barrier from watching Perrine talk with her parents. As much as he hated to admit it, he did take up too much time on the video phone when he could have easily talked to Yvette on his PokeGear.
But he had missed seeing her face and hearing her sweet voice. He'd much rather see Yvette than his real mother any day.
"Do you like getting brushed, Lucretia?" Julia crooned.
"Vuiiiiii," The happy Eevee squeaked lovingly, basking in the brush bristles combing through the thick fur around her neck. That told Julia all she needed to know. Dangling alongside the fake jewel was the Soothe Bell, tied on the ribbon that held up her favorite accessory.
Julia looked up to see Caiseal sitting on the chairs next to her, looking irritated. "Is something wrong?"
"Nah. Just happy to be back in someplace familiar," Caiseal replied tersely.
"Vui vui?" Lucretia's ears twitched.
"Yeah, me too," Julia agreed. "Hopefully nothing bad happens here this time around," The memories of what happened the previous time she was here were strong in her mind. The same with Lucretia.
Caiseal could barely hold back a chuckle. "You got that right."
"Hey guys!" Perrine came running back to her friends, holding two PokeBalls in hand. Obviously Chirin and Baloo, since she told Caiseal about it. Her orange waves of hair bounced with every step she took, and her blue eyes were glimmering with enthusiasm. "Sorry I made you wait! We ready to head to Mahogany Town or what?"
"Hold on there, Perrine," Caiseal stood up, holding one hand out, gesturing for her to calm down a little. "We need to plan this out," He pulled his PokeGear out, pulling up the map card so the Johto map could be displayed. Julia and Perrine followed suit, displaying the maps on their PokeGear as well.
"Vuii?" Lucretia leaned closer to get a look at Julia's PokeGear.
"There's two ways we can get to Mahogany Town from here," Caiseal explained, pointing to two areas on the PokeGear. "The first way is through Mt. Mortar."
"You mean that big mountain that's supposedly really hard to navigate?" Julia asked. She had read about Mt. Mortar in some books about Johto before starting her journey.
"That's the one," Caiseal answered, satiating Julia's curiosity. "Anyway, while it is hard to navigate, there's a cave that goes straight from Ecruteak to Mahogany. So long as we don't stray off that path or go deeper than we need to, we'll be fine," He explained further. "But we also have the option of going on Route 42. We do have to cross some bodies of water, though."
Perrine gave the blonde boy a scrutinizing look. "None of our Pokemon can cross the water, and the water Pokemon we do have are too small to carry us three," She pointed out. Both Julia and Caiseal looked down at their feet. She was right. Luminita wouldn't be able to handle their combined weight, and Caiseal had switched Flippy for Heracles. Then again, even if Caiseal did have Flippy on him, carrying three kids would be too much for her to handle, as she was about the same size as the kids. So that left Mt. Mortar as the only option.
"Wait a minute," Julia suddenly piped in. "Don't fishermen hang out there a lot of the time? Don't they usually have boats that can carry a bunch of stuff, people included? Maybe we can ask-"
Before Julia could finish, Caiseal held a hand up, cutting her right off. "We can't do that," He interrupted. Julia fell silent, despondent from the instant rejection. "There's no way we can just ask a fisherman to take us to Mahogany Town on their boat," He continued further. "They might think we'll try to rob them. Plus, it'd be kinda inconsiderate to force them to take time out of their schedules to help kids who can handle things themselves."
Good point. Julia looked down at Lucretia, who rubbed herself against her leg to try and cheer her up. Hikaru hopped on her shoulder, but neither was enough to pull their trainer out of her funk. As much as she hated to admit it, Caiseal was right. It'd be rude and inconsiderate to just ask someone to help them with something they could try and do themselves. Plus, getting through Mt. Mortar was just about the only option at this point.
"Hold on!" Perrine suddenly exclaimed as they left the Pokemon Center. "Mt. Mortar isn't the only option we can use! There are actually boats that we can use ourselves!"
Caiseal gave her a scrutinizing look. "How do you know?" He asked, adopting a slightly bitter tone.
"See here?" She pulled up her PokeGear and brought up the map function again. Near the water's edge were three wooden boats, all of which were big enough to accommodate three people and a few small Pokemon. "We can use these!"
"Come on!" Caiseal argued. "Those look like they'll sink if we so much as step on them!"
"It's better than going through a dank, dark cave!"
"You think your idea is so great? Why don't you swim across Route 42?! Julia and I can go through Mt. Mortar all by ourselves!"
Julia shivered. Already, her two friends were arguing. But she couldn't help but wonder if something like this was really worth arguing about. All she knew was that it needed to stop. "Well, let's just go and see for now!" Julia exclaimed, silencing them both. "If there are boats we can use, then we can use them!" She suggested. "If not, then we can go through Mt. Mortar. How's that?"
Although the kids stopped their arguing, Julia could tell her suggestion didn't alleviate Perrine and Caiseal's flaring moods. With disgruntled sighs, the kids conceded defeat. For how long, Julia wasn't sure. She hoped it would be the end of this silly little squabble. They needed to get to Mahogany Town, and arguing wasn't going to get them there.
Too bad the squabbles didn't end there.
Once everything was settled, the kids marched away from Ecruteak City, going through some woods with thick trees. Since the sun was still out, they could see where they were going. Dead leaves crunched underneath their sneakers upon contact, and yellowish white sunbeams danced across the soil they left their footprints on. Finally, they came within the vicinity of an opening. They managed to pass through, being welcomed by a blue sky and clear waters framing a large mountain towering right over them. They could see a tiny island just up ahead, one they could easily traverse to by boat.
There was just one thing missing.
"Awwww man!" Perrine's confidence morphed into shock as she ran her hands through her mass of orange hair. "There aren't any boats!" She groaned.
Not a single empty boat was in sight. Julia looked across the water, seeing some fishermen on their boats floating about, fishing rods and all. Even though the island seemed close, it was still too far for the kids to swim, if they even knew how to swim. Julia was sure she'd drown the moment she went into the water. Disappointment swept right through them.
Except for Caiseal. "Ha! Looks like we'll have to go through Mt. Mortar!" He exclaimed in a strange, uncharacteristically mocking tone. Julia turned to look in his direction, raising an eyebrow. That wasn't like him.
An angry pang shot through Perrine, and before she could stop herself, she shouted, "Don't you dare make fun of me about this! Why are you so obsessed with going through this durn mountain anyway?!"
There it was, the squabbling. Julia put Lucretia down on the ground and covered her ears. Yelling always made her feel as though everything was exploding around her. Caiseal and Perrine suddenly began shouting back and forth, hurling words at each other for seemingly no reason.
"I knew this wouldn't work out from the start! But did you listen to me?! Nooooo!"
"You think going through a cave full of Zubat and rocks and holes is safer than riding a boat?!"
"Why aren't you listening to me?!"
"Why are you being such a stubborn brat?!"
"I know how the wilderness works, unlike you! I've been in more dangerous places!"
"Oh, really?"
Perrine and Caiseal were throwing words at each other like they were in a cafeteria engaging in a childish food fight. In fact, this whole thing was childish. As much as she wanted to keep her distance, the urge to intervene finally seized her. She threw herself in between them, holding both arms out to keep them away.
"Stop it! Both of you, knock it off!" She yelled, her voice almost bordering on angry. Thankfully, she was able to keep herself calm. Getting mad would only make the situation worse. "This isn't going to get us anywhere. Look, I don't know why you're both so mad, but are we gonna sit here yelling all day," Julia's voice adopted a strangely authoritative tone. "Or are we gonna go through this cave and get to Mahogany Town already?"
Julia was sure they would continue to fight. Whenever she would try to break up her parents arguing, or her sister arguing with them, she was always either ignored or told to shut up and stay out of it. Oddly enough, that didn't happen. Instead, both Perrine and Caiseal fell silent. They let out some grunts before crossing their arms and turning away from each other, but they stopped arguing. For now, anyway. She could tell from their body language that they didn't seem to want to reconcile just yet. Immediately, her face turned dark. Her gut was telling her that somewhere along the line, they were going to argue again.
Even so, the three kids found the entrance to the cave and took a look inside. They didn't see beyond two feet to realize that it was pitch black. Perrine pulled out a PokeBall. "Come on out, Nita!" A white light shot out from the PokeBall, materializing into the blue angler Pokemon.
"Chinchou!" ("Hello!") She greeted with a smile, her antennae bouncing.
"Would you mind lighting up your antennae so we can see inside this cave?" Perrine asked politely.
"Chooou!" ("Sure! Leave it to me!") The Chinchou happily obliged, doing a faux sailor salute with one of her fins before her antennae glowed in a soft yellow light.
The inside of Mt. Mortar was very different from Union Cave. Tall rocks resembling spears shot up from the ground-stalagmites, as Julia had seen pictures of them online. There were none protruding from the ceiling. For the most part, the cave floor they walked on was fairly flat, with no hidden holes or rocks in the way or anything of the like. With Luminita walking in front of all three of them, happily leading the way, they were able to stay on the path and go straight, along with seeing paths they advised themselves not to take.
However, even with all of these things, Julia still didn't feel safe. Sure, Hikaru and Lucretia were both walking alongside her, which was great in her mind. But she couldn't shake this strange sense of unease that seemed to completely consume her inside and out. What if a Zubat were to pop out and attempt to bite them and poison them? Or what if a whole horde of them were to surround them and attack them, leaving them for dead? What if rocks came tumbling down and trapping them inside, rendering them unable to move or get help? What if the path caved in from beneath them, taking them down into depths they couldn't escape? Already, she found herself wishing she was back home.
All of those fears were compounded by Perrine and Caiseal's quarreling. Even after they got into the cave, walking a considerable distance, Julia could tell the tension between them was thick. Both of them were stomping on the ground they walked, stamping their shoes and making loud stepping sounds. Julia knew that sound like the back of her hand. She had certainly done a lot of stamping when she was in a bad mood. Amara was also a frequent offender. But hearing it from her two friends exacerbated the anxieties that were plaguing her mind.
"Will you stop that?" Caiseal hissed. "It's driving me crazy."
"I'll stop if you stop. You're just as guilty," Perrine hissed right back.
Growing more annoyed, Caiseal continued to stamp as he walked. "Why don't you stop first?"
"Why don't you stop being a stubborn Ponyta?"
'Great. Just great. After all this time, they're STILL fighting!' Julia wished they'd just stop already. Just what were they even arguing about anyway? She wanted to ask, but she learned from experience that if she asked someone a question while they were in a bad mood, it usually resulted in them shouting at her. If there was one thing she hated above everything else in the world, it was getting yelled at, especially when she did nothing wrong. But she had to do something to break the tension.
"So...exactly who's the gym leader at Mahogany?" She asked, keeping her voice low but audible.
"Pryce Snow," Caiseal answered. "He's an old geezer who uses ice types."
Julia found herself looking up. That was when she saw it. A blue bat Pokemon suddenly flew into her face. "YEEEEEK!" Immediately she shrieked and threw her hands up to try and push it away.
Then the sound of fluttering wings caught their attention. Lots of wings echoing in the cave walls. Before they knew it, a whole horde of blue bat Pokemon surrounded them, baring their tiny but sharp fangs. Julia was quick to curl into a ball and cover herself with her arms. Caiseal was throwing his bag about in an attempt to make them go away. One blue bat bit onto a clump of Perrine's hair.
"Ow! Ow! My hair!" Perrine yelped as the blue bat pulled and pulled. Had it pulled any harder, it might have pulled the whole chunk out, roots and all. "Nita, use Electro Ball!"
"Chiiiiiiinchou!" Luminita readied her two antennae. A sphere of crackling yellow electricity materialized before she smacked it with her antennae. The ball struck the Zubat point blank, throwing it against the wall. Perrine's hair was free, but she could feel that part of her head throbbing.
"Thanks, Nita."
"Chinchou!"
"Go away, you pests!" Caiseal screeched as he smacked two more Zubat with his backpack.
"Hikaru! Use Thunderbolt, and Lucretia, use Shadow Ball! Make them go away, please!" Julia begged, her voice bordering on hysterical, as she could feel one Zubat attempting to dig its fangs into the back of her shirt. Lucretia was quick to launch a Shadow Ball right at that moment, forcing the lone Zubat to retreat.
Finally, with a great howl, Hikaru shot thunder bolts in every possible direction. Two of them almost hit Perrine and Caiseal, had they not managed to evade them by ducking. The streaks of lightning managed to hit almost every Zubat, electrocuting their tiny bodies from the inside out. Their shrieks and screeches made everyone's hands fly to their ears. Julia squeezed her eyes shut, as the flashing lightning bolts were blinding, making her eyes hurt. When the attack ceased, the Zubat regrouped and flew deep into another part of the cave, the echoing of their flapping wings becoming faint until it disappeared altogether.
Julia found the energy to stand back up. "Phew! Thank goodness they're gone!" She could still feel her heart racing, even as she put her hands over her chest. "I thought for sure we were done for!" One of her fears had come true. Even so, she managed to compose herself enough to pull her PokeDex out.
"Zubat, the bat Pokemon. They don't have any eyes or a nose, so they are blind and cannot smell anything. However, their large ears make them sensitive to sound, and they can emit ultrasonic waves from their mouths in order to check for obstacles and intruders, using them as a sonar. It's said that they did have eyes, but living in dark spaces all the time deprived them of their vision as their eyes closed permanently. During the daytime, they usually stay in caves or under the eaves of houses, as their bodies are susceptible to severe sunburn should they be exposed to excess amounts of sunlight. They always use their ultrasonic waves during flight, and they normally travel in groups."
When she closed her PokeDex and calmed down after hearing that, her anxiety immediately returned when Caiseal suddenly marched over to her, hazel eyes flaming. "What's the matter with you?!" He yelled. Julia's hands immediately covered her ears, but it wasn't enough to block out the noise. "You almost got us killed!" He shouted, his face contorting with anger.
"I didn't mean it, nor did Hikaru!" Julia protested in her defense and Hikaru's. There were few options she could have used in the heat of the moment. Plus, Zubat were weak against electric attacks. She felt it had to be done. "We were just trying to help! Honest!"
"You put us all in danger with your screaming!" Caiseal yelled further. "Zubat don't like sudden noises! You should have known better!"
Before Julia could protest, Perrine interrupted her, but not in a way either of them expected. "You're no stranger to putting us at risk, Cash!" Perrine barked, her voice adopting the same anger that she displayed when she yelled at Kitsune back in Cianwood City. Julia found herself backing against a cave wall, feeling trapped. Trapped by the walls. Trapped by their fighting and arguing. Perrine pointed her index finger at Caiseal, glaring at him before continuing. "In fact, this is what I hate about you! You're reckless, always get mad at the drop of a hat, and you always want everything to go your way! That's pretty pathetic, don't you think?"
Pathetic. Reckless. Always getting mad. Caiseal had never seen this side of Perrine before. But her words definitely shot through him like an arrow. Even Julia found herself wide eyed and aghast. Unable to control it anymore, Caiseal marched over to the girl and yanked on her vest, pulling her so close their noses could almost touch.
"You don't know anything about me!" Caiseal roared.
"Yeah! I don't! You never tell us anything even though we're your friends!" Perrine snapped back, with no intention of shutting up. "We always do stuff for you but all you do is drag us down!"
Drag them down? Perrine would never say that. This couldn't go on. "Stop it, you two!" Julia yelled. "Stop it!"
Her pleas went unheard. The kids continued to argue. "You're the one dragging me down!"
"Oh, I'M the one dragging you down?!" Perrine finally pried his hands off of her vest. "Kinda ironic you'd say that, because you told me once that you wanted to ditch Julia back when we first met, and you said that she'd drag us down!"
"Don't bring her or that into this!"
"Why don't you ever be honest with us?!"
"Stop fighting, please!" Once again, nobody paid any heed.
Perrine and Caiseal continued to hurl insults and false accusations at each other. None of them were aware of the pain shooting through Julia's body as she helplessly watched them argue. This whole fight was just plain stupid. Pointless. Childish. Immature. Nothing Julia tried would make them reconcile. Even being civil and diplomatic didn't do any good despite having been told it was the best option. The fact that she didn't know what this fight was even about made it hurt all the more.
Why couldn't they just listen?
Finally, what little anger she had reached a boiling point. With a scream, she ran over to them and bonked them on their heads with her little weak fists. They didn't leave any marks or bruises, but she made sure that they hurt.
"Owwwwww!" Both Perrine and Caiseal covered their heads, groaning from the pain. But when they watched Julia and the three Pokemon march ahead of them, they stopped. Where was she going with them? Perrine and Caiseal exchanged confused glances before running to catch up to her. "Julia, wait!"
Julia stopped before turning on her heel, facing them with a red face drowning in tears. That was enough to make them freeze completely. Even Hikaru, Lucretia, and Luminita stopped in their tracks, wondering what was going on. "Pikapi…" That was all Hikaru had to say on the matter.
"I was SO happy when you guys decided to be my friends!" Julia screamed in the loudest voice she could muster. She was so sick and tired of it. Tired of always having to listen to yelling and fighting, and be helpless to say or do anything about it. It was time to let it all out. "You two are some of the few friends I ever had in my entire life! I was so happy when you said you wanted to come on this journey with me! It's because of you that I managed to get this far! Everything's been great! But all day you've been nothing but mad, mad, mad!" She found herself stamping her feet on the ground. She had to get this anger out somehow. She didn't care if she came off as bratty, childish, or immature, or even if they might have thought she was behaving that way right now. They needed to know how she felt about this whole thing. They needed someone to realize how stupid they were being.
"Julia…" Perrine found herself speechless, other than that.
"What the heck are you two even fighting about, anyway?!" Julia howled, waving her arms up and down in an attempt to shake the anger out of herself. "You two are acting like a bunch of babies fighting over toys! This isn't like you! I'm sorry if I made things worse, okay?! I didn't mean to, and I was just trying to help! But I don't get it! You've been fighting all freakin' day and I can't stand it! You're both being stupid right now!"
The last of Julia's voice echoed in the cave, rendering everyone silent. Julia sniffed and stared at the ground, allowing more tears to drop off of her chin and melt into the ground. Perrine and Caiseal exchanged shocked glances. What she said finally sunk in. Caiseal finally asked, "...What ARE we fighting about?"
"I...I guess I've been mad all this time because you took too much time on the video phone earlier," Perrine finally confessed. Guilt weighed down on the both of them. The anger that lingered in their hearts morphed right into remorse.
"...I wanted more time to talk to my adopted mom. I probably should have been a little more considerate," Caiseal mused, the anger in his voice having dissipated.
As soon as they said that, Julia's mouth fell agape. "WHAT?!" She screamed. "You've been mad all day because you wanted time on that dumb video phone?!" She had heard of silly reasons to be angry for a long time, but nothing like this. "YOU TWO ARE SO STUPID!" Julia screamed once more before marching away. Now she was angry.
This time, the fighting finally ended. The trio walked along the cave path in total silence. Before long, the light at the end of the tunnel presented itself. Luminita's antennae stopped glowing, and once the kids found themselves outside, the sun was still shining, warming their bodies. The fresh air wafted through their nostrils. Just one whiff of it made them feel energized again. Finally, Perrine and Caiseal turned to look at each other with masks of remorse on their faces.
"Sorry, Perrine," Caiseal apologized first. "I should have been a bit more considerate...and I shouldn't have let myself get so mad over this."
Perrine clutched one arm. "Me too. I should have waited until you were done, or at the very least talked to my parents on my PokeGear first...and sorry for saying all those mean things to you."
"Likewise. So...we're cool now?"
"We're cool."
Julia turned around, watching them reconcile. The anger in her heart was slowly beginning to dissipate. Good, they were apologizing to each other. Still, she couldn't believe the whole thing started because they wanted time on that video phone. Then again, Amara was guilty of making mountains out of molehills a lot of the time, even before she was put on the blacklist. Even Julia was no stranger of doing such things. Once they sorted things out with each other, the kids approached Julia.
"We're sorry, Jule," Caiseal apologized first. "You're right. We were being completely stupid over nothing."
"Yeah. You were," Julia didn't mince any words.
"We never should have dragged you into it," Perrine said. "Again, sorry."
She could tell they seemed sincere. As long as they weren't fighting anymore, that was fine. A smile touched her face. "Okay then! You're good! We're out now, so we can relax a little!"
"By the way, how long were we in the cave anyway?" Perrine asked.
Julia pulled out her PokeGear. The time read 11:36 AM. "We went inside at about 10:50, so...a little over half an hour?" The brown haired girl scratched her head in bewilderment. "Wow. I thought we were in there a lot longer."
"Pikapi!"
"Eevee!"
"I'm getting hungry. How about some lunch?" Caiseal asked as he let his Pokemon out of their PokeBalls. Perrine was quick to pull some food out of her bag, having bought some necessities before they left.
"Graveler! Graveler!" Geo wasted no time wrapping his large, rocky hands around Caiseal's body, pulling him close. Caiseal could feel his friend's bumpy hide rubbing against his clothes.
"Hey! Good to see you too, Geo!" Caiseal exclaimed. The anger in his heart had disappeared completely.
Once Geo let go, however, no one expected to see the giant rock glow in a harsh white light. Geo's second set of limbs vanished, and his body turned round. The kids watched in awe as Geo changed shape. When the light dissipated, out came a brand new Geo. He had a brown, turtle like head sitting in the middle of a round mass of plated green rocks, with red eyes staring right at them. A set of clawed arms and legs protruded out from his body, with three fingers on each hand, and five toes on each foot.
"Whoa! Geo...you evolved! Awesome!" Caiseal couldn't resist hugging his friend. The two of them laughed and rejoiced in the evolution.
"Golem!" Geo let out a soft, sheepish growl.
Julia pulled out her PokeDex once more. "Golem, the megaton Pokemon and the final evolved form of Geodude. Golem is known for rolling down from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon's course. It is enclosed in a hard shell that is as rugged as slabs of rock. It sheds skin once a year to grow larger. Once it sheds its skin, its body turns tender and whitish, and their discarded shell hardens and crumbles away. Its hide hardens when it's exposed to air. Its boulder-like body is so tough, even dynamite can't harm it. It is capable of blowing itself up. It uses this explosive force to jump from mountain to mountain."
"You rock, buddy!" Caiseal cheered, jumping up and down with a big smile on his face.
"Golem goleeeeeem!" Geo began rolling at a slow speed, circling all around the group of kids. Even the other Pokemon began to chase him around, happy to finally be out of those PokeBalls after so long.
"We are SO gonna beat the Mahogany gym leader!" Caiseal announced. It was here that a rumbling sound made everyone turn in his direction. The blonde, curly-headed boy's cheeks turned red when he realized his stomach was roaring, begging for food. The kids and the Pokemon found themselves laughing. The tension and anger was completely gone.
With that out of the way, they were back to being friends. Once lunch was made, the kids and their Pokemon happily gobbled on whatever food they either made or brought with them. Lucretia was the first to finish her food, and once Julia finished, the little Eevee ambled up to her trainer and gently tapped on her leg with one paw. It was soft, but enough to get Julia's attention, as the girl looked down at her furry friend.
"You wanna play?" Julia asked.
Lucretia squeaking "Eevee!" was the only answer she needed.
The two got up and began running around the meadow. It was wide and vast, perfect for a trainer and Pokemon to just run around and frolic happily. Frolic they did, as Lucretia and her trainer began running around. With her arms stretched out, taking in the warm sun and the fresh air, Julia immediately felt invigorated. Caves were no fun, as they were dark, dank, and closed spaces. Lucretia hopped around happily, almost as though she were dancing. The two of them were in a state of unadulterated bliss, lost in both their minds and surroundings.
...That is, until Julia found herself bumping into some strange, soft mass. It was enough to pull her out of her reverie, and she backed up the moment she hit whatever it was she bumped into. Her eyes slammed open as she looked up at the source of the mass. It was another person, far older and taller than she. A handsome albeit surprised man with light skin, soft brown eyes, and ridiculously spiky carmine red hair that could easily be mistaken for a reddish pink color. His wild hair stood up as if was a flame blazing in a fireplace, with the strands defying gravity at every turn. The man was wearing a black shirt underneath a bright red jean jacket, navy blue jeans, ash grey boots with two orange stripes on each one, and a black cape with a wine red under layer.
Her joy immediately turned into instant guilt. Just when she was happily enjoying herself, she ran into someone, almost getting them hurt. She could barely hold back a fearful, pathetic squeal as she bowed in a 90 degree angle before the flummoxed red haired man. "Sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" She cried, bracing herself for whatever punishment the man wanted to dispel on her. A harsh scolding? Yelling? Perhaps even a slap across the face? She wasn't sure, but she figured he was blazing with anger.
But...there was nothing. She looked up for just a moment. Instead of seeing a contorted, angry face, the spiky haired man in the cape composed himself with a calm, cool smile. Julia stood back upright, rigid with fear. "It's quite alright," The man assured in a suave, rich voice. He didn't look angry in the least. No furrowed eyebrows, no clenching his teeth, no raised voice, nothing of the sort. "Just try to be more aware of your surroundings, miss."
"R-R-Right," Julia sputtered sheepishly, the guilt weighing down on her like a rock slide attack.
The man found himself glancing at Lucretia, who kept herself close to Julia by nuzzling against her leg. His smile stretched farther this time. "Is that Pokemon yours?"
"Uh..." Julia looked down at Lucretia, then at the caped man, then back at Lucretia. "Yes. She's my friend. One of them, anyway."
"I see," The man crossed his arms. "She seems to like you a lot. Take good care of your Pokemon."
"Yes sir!"
A soft vibrating sound pulled the man's gaze away from Julia. He pulled out a black cell phone and held it up to his ear as he turned away from the girl. "Yes?" He nodded twice before his eyes widened, like he saw a ghost. "Is that what happened? I see. I'll be there as soon as I can," He slammed his cell phone shut before suddenly sprinting away, his long cape fluttering in the wind. With his disappearance, Julia's guilt morphed into confusion.
"Who the heck was he?"
"Eevee vuiii."
"Hey, Julia!" Caiseal called out from about twenty feet away. "I brought some cookies with us!"
"Ooooh!" Unable to resist the allure of cookies, Julia and Lucretia ran right back their duo of friends, becoming a trio once more.
Aaaaaaaand the Red Gyarados arc has started...well, this is just a prologue for it, anyway. I thought I had all the filler chapters done, but then I looked at my outline in my notebook and completely forgot about this one. Well, fillers are done and the Red Gyarados arc begins in the next chapter! Promise! Good thing, too, because I've been DYING to get to these chapters for months now! Be on the lookout, as I'm gonna try banging them out this month!
Random Fact: Perrine is actually a corruption of the French male name Pierre, which means stone. So you could say Perrine is strong like stone despite not really owning any rock type Pokemon...though her name actually comes from a French novel called Sans Famille, whose main character is named Perrine.
Update: Added an extra scene I forgot to put in originally.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Volt Tackle
Lucretia (Eevee, Female, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Anticipation
Attacks: Quick Attack, Helping Hand, Bite, and Shadow Ball
Tokiko (Togetic, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Magical Leaf
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Fire Fang, and Scary Face
Rina (Nidoran, Female, Bold Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Scratch, and Bite
Rino (Nidoran, Male, Modest Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Double Kick, Poison Sting, Peck, and Horn Attack
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Vine Whip, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain
Chirin (Flaaffy, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Charge, Power Gem, and Signal Beam
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Body Slam
Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: Scratch, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain
Luminita (Chinchou, Female, Naive Nature)
Ability: Water Absorb
Attacks: Supersonic, Water Gun, BubbleBeam, and Electro Ball
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
Apollo (Quilava, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Flame Charge, Quick Attack, and Smokescreen
Viole (Gloom, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Sludge Bomb, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Stacey (Pinsir, Female, Serious Nature)
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Attacks: X-Scissor, Swords Dance, Seismic Toss, and Double Hit
Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure
Geo (Golem, Male, Brave Nature)
Ability: Sturdy
Attacks: Steamroller, Rock Slide, Heavy Slam, and Magnitude