Chapter 31: Rampage of the Red Gyarados
"Are we there yet?" Julia groaned, her legs feeling heavy from having walked for what seemed to be an eternity. The kids walked through a particularly thick forest, with big trees that seemed to block all sunlight, preventing all but only a few little sunbeams from coming through. Hikaru sat on her shoulder, clutching her soft brown hair with her tiny hands. Lucretia walked alongside them, her ears perked up in case any danger befell them.
"Hang on. Let me check," Perrine pulled out her PokeGear. "We should have arrived by now," When she turned it on, the two screens showed nothing but flickering static not unlike what she would see on TV sometimes. Nothing else was displayed on it. "Huh. This is strange," She touched the screens with her finger a few times. Nothing happened. She turned it off and on again. Nothing changed. "My PokeGear's not working."
"Mine too!" Caiseal had pulled his out. Like with Perrine's, his deep blue PokeGear showed nothing but static. "Maybe we're not getting reception out here?" She wondered aloud.
Julia pulled out her own PokeGear as well. Just like with her friends, even hers wasn't working. Little to no reception couldn't have been the cause. She had seen her PokeGear with no reception, and even if she could barely call someone, the screen would still work, and even display a little message that said 'No Service.' Never before had the screens show nothing but static.
"This IS weird," Julia said, raising both eyebrows, looking just as flummoxed as everyone else is. But more than that, she found herself glaring at her PokeGear in annoyance. Without the map function, they wouldn't be able to figure out their location or find out if they were heading towards Mahogany Town or not. Whatever was making their PokeGears go haywire was making it very hard for the kids to find their way around.
That wasn't the only strange thing, however.
"Eevuiiiii!" All of a sudden, a shooting pain shot right through Lucretia's entire body. Unable to continue standing up, she lurched over, collapsing to the ground. Her pained cry made everyone turn their heads in her direction. The sight of her furry friend collapsed on the ground made Julia aghast.
"Lucretia!" Julia ran to her fallen friend, who was using her front paws to cover her long ears. Seeing that made alarm bells ring in her head. Why was Lucretia covering her ears? She didn't hear anything strange or loud. Not long after that, Hikaru fell to the ground, also covering her ears and yelping in pain.
"Pichaaaaaa!"
"Hikaru! Not you, too!" She cradled both of her friends with both arms, feeling completely helpless. Just what was going on? Her two friends were covering their ears screeching in pain.
"What's wrong with them?" Perrine asked.
"I don't know!" Julia wished she had an answer. Not having one was making her fear and anguish increase exponentially. The cries her two friends let out were that of Pokemon that were in excruciating pain. That sound was too familiar, yet too frightening, to mistake for anything else. She yanked out her PokeBalls and recalled them, wondering if that would help.
"We seriously need to find a Pokemon Center. Like, now!" Caiseal exclaimed. Julia could feel the worry radiating from him, especially from the way he raised his voice.
As soon as Julia stood back up, all three of them froze. A harsh, growling sound echoed on the wind rustling the trees. It wasn't so loud that it would hurt their ears, but it was loud enough to not only be close by, but enough to make them want to cower. It sounded like a large Pokemon letting out a roar.
"What the heck was that?" Perrine shivered, clutching her backpack.
Caiseal pointed his index finger further down the road. "It sounded like it came from this direction!" The kids sprinted in the direction of the noise. Their tired legs felt heavy, like cinder blocks, and their running only exacerbated the burning pain. But they weren't going to let that stop them from figuring out what's going on. Julia was especially lost in thought, as even though the loud roar sent fearful shivers down her spine, it wasn't the actual roar that made her scared. It was her translation of the roar that made her skin crawl.
"Someone help meeeeee!" That was what she heard. Someone was in trouble, probably a Pokemon.
Finally, the kids made it to the end of the woods, with a lake stretching farther than their eyes could see welcoming them. The sun shined down on the lake, turning it into a pool of liquid amber. So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary. All of a sudden, before the kids could even comprehend where they were at, something large and red popped out from underneath the lake water. A large sea serpent with crimson red scales and a mouth so large, even a child could easily fit and be swallowed whole. With a mighty roar, the red sea serpent writhed in the lake, splashing water all over.
"Look out!" Caiseal grabbed both girls by their arms and pulled them back, away from the water that rained down on most of the area. Julia used her free arm to cover one of her ears, as the red sea serpent's pained cries were too much for her hypersensitive ears to bear, and not just because they were loud.
"Is that...a Gyarados?!" Perrine yelped.
Caiseal pulled out his PokeDex to check it out. The red Gyarados continued to growl and writhe, like it was trapped in a cage. "Gyarados, the atrocious Pokemon and the evolved form of Magikarp. Their fangs can crush stones and their scales are hard like steel. Large and vicious in temperament, they are capable of destroying entire cities in a rage, and were feared in ancient times. They were often used in wars because of their powers and ability to leave blazing ruins in their wake. When Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, its brain cells undergo a structural transformation. It is said that this transformation is to blame for this Pokémon's wildly violent nature. When they go on a rampage, they remain enraged until it demolishes everything around it, unable to be calmed until then. Even so, there do exist kind, calm, and gentle Gyarados that have never gone on rampages even once, so they are no different from other Pokemon."
The kids blinked in surprise. Something was really odd. The Gyarados shown in the PokeDex was blue, like the lake water. They looked up at the Gyarados thrashing in the lake. That Gyarados had red scales that blazed like fire. Its coloring was completely different than the one displayed in the PokeDex. Unless…
"...Is that a shiny Gyarados?!" Julia yelped as she and the kids hid behind a tree. That was the only explanation she could come up with. Gyarados were normally blue, and if this one was red, it just had to be a shiny one.
"You might be right, Jule," Perrine remarked. "But it's dangerous. We should probably-"
A harsh roar bereaved Perrine of the opportunity to finish that sentence. The roar was so loud, all three kids fell to their knees, their hands flying to their ears in futile attempts to block it out. Julia was able to open one of her eyes to see what was going on. A black airship with a red R emblazoned on it hovered over the thrashing red Gyarados. A cannon appeared from the bottom, shooting out what appeared to be an electric net. It flew right toward the red Gyarados.
"Please don't take me! Don't take me away!" The red Gyarados's pained roars sent shivers down everyone's spines, Julia especially.
All of a sudden, two strong beams of light shot out from underneath the lakewater, shooting right through the electric net, ripping it to smithereens. Two blue Gyarados ascended to the surface. One of them, one with white barbels, coiled itself around the red Gyarados, almost protectively, whereas the one with blue barbels adopted a battle stance, glaring at the airship. If looks could kill, whoever was driving the airship would be dead by now.
Julia found herself able to translate their growls. "Why are they doing this to me, Mom? What did I do?" The red Gyarados's pained growls and whimpers wounded Julia's heart. So Team Rocket was here, and they wanted to capture this red Gyarados.
"You did nothing wrong, my child! We'll protect you from these ruffians!" The Gyarados with white barbels kept its growls low and soft, keeping herself coiled around her daughter.
The father Gyarados launched another beam from its mouth. Unfortunately for the Gyarados, it didn't hit the airship. After a few more attacks, it finally managed to hit the airship. But when the beam made contact, a spherical force field appeared, as if shielding it from the beam of light. The father Gyarados stopped attacking, tilting his head to one side in confusion.
"Team Rocket…" Caiseal clenched his teeth and balled his fist simultaneously. It was no surprise that Team Rocket would want to catch this red Gyarados. After all, shiny Pokemon were rare. "I can't believe they're still around!" He slammed his fist into a tree trunk, not caring that some of the bumpy bark was digging into the skin on his hand.
"That red Gyarados is hurting…" Julia mused, wearing a strangely dark expression on her sympathetic face. "Her parents are trying to protect her," She balled one of her fists. "I can't stand here and watch this go on!" Her conviction to help that red Gyarados and her parents grew exponentially with every second that passed. The father Gyarados continued to fire beams at the airship to no avail. "We have to help them!"
"Hey!" A voice made the kids turn around to find four Team Rocket grunts in full uniform staring at them. Three of them were wearing black uniforms, and another in white. "What are you kids doing on our turf?!" A grunt with a black eye patch covering his left eye barked.
Their turf? Julia glared at them so intensely, she wished just staring at them would stop their hearts, if they had any. This lake didn't belong to them. What gave them the right to decide what was theirs? No Pokemon abuser deserved that, especially with the red Gyarados writhing and roaring in pain. Perrine seemed to share her sentiments, as she pulled out one of her PokeBalls.
"I'll take care of these punks! Kitsune, go!" Perrine threw one of her PokeBalls, and Kitsune materialized quickly.
"Now that they've seen us, we better eliminate them!" A TR grunt with a thick accent exclaimed.
"I'll deal with them myself! Go, Stantler!" A muscular looking TR grunt threw a PokeBall, and a beige, deer-like Pokemon materialized in front of Kitsune. The deer had a large, brown nose that took up most of its face, and resting on its head were two cream colored antlers shaped like the letter U, which had black orbs right in the center of them. Its large, round tail was about the size of a big beach ball. "Use Shadow Ball!"
"Flamethrower, Kitsune!"
"Niiine!" A stream of fire escaped from Kitsune's mouth, right as a sphere of black energy shot out from the Stantler's mouth. As the two made contact, the flames managed to make the Shadow Ball dissipate. But it wasn't enough to make the attack make contact with Stantler.
Caiseal used this time to pull out his PokeDex and examine the caribou Pokemon before them. "Stantler, the big horn Pokemon," Julia grimaced upon hearing that. Sure it had big horns, but calling it the big horn Pokemon seemed redundant, plus it looked like a deer or a caribou. "The eye-like orbs at the base of its horns produce a pleasant odor and has a bewildering effect on anyone who smells it. It can also create startlingly realistic illusions by shaking its horns. Those who stare at its antlers will gradually lose control of their senses and be unable to stand. Stantler's magnificent antlers were traded at high prices as works of art. As a result, this Pokémon was hunted close to extinction by those who were after the priceless antlers. Stantler form herds, and live in mountainous terrain. The curved antlers subtly change the flow of air to create a strange space where reality is distorted. When a Stantler's antlers fall when it reaches old age, the orbs can be grounded into a kind of powder that helps people with sleeping problems or insomnia."
"Use Psychic, Stantler!" The muscular TR grunt commanded in a loud, booming voice.
"Odooooo!" The black orbs in Stantler's horns began glowing in an eerie purple light. Soon, energy gathered into the horns before morphing into a beam of light that struck Kitsune right on her side. She attempted to dodge, but it came too fast for the elegant fox to evade.
"Kitsune!" Perrine clutched the top of her vest with both hands. The yellow fox fell onto the ground, with a subtle burn mark on her side. Even so, Kitsune managed to struggle back to her feet, growling at the caribou Pokemon, baring her white fangs. The Stantler was completely unfazed, and its expression didn't change one bit. There was no fear.
"You're in way over your heads, you little brats!" The muscular grunt bellowed. "Stantler, use Psychic again, and crush their minds!"
"Odooo!" Once again, the orbs on Stantler's horns glowed.
Unable to stand back and watch, Caiseal leaped into the fray, having already pulled a PokeBall out. "Heracles, get out there and use Brick Break!" With all the strength in his arm, Caiseal threw the PokeBall. As the white light materialized into Heracles, his arm was already glowing in an orange light. The lone Stantler barely had any time to comprehend his appearance before the blue beetle's glowing hand struck a blow on its side. The blow was so strong, Stantler found itself skidding across the grass, its hooves leaving small grooves as it attempted to stop itself from sliding any further.
As that happened, the trio of Gyarados finally fled back underwater. As much as they wanted to do it quietly, away from Team Rocket's sight, they obviously couldn't. Their large size and the big splashes they made as they descended underwater caught everyone's attention, and nothing the Gyarados could do would be able to prevent any noise they made. The TR grunts turned their attention toward the lake, seeing the Gyarados' tails as they retreated underwater.
"Don't let them get away!" He roared.
Caiseal pointed at the grunts before shouting at the top of his voice, "Use Megahorn!"
"Heracrosssss!" Like a brave warrior, Heracles held his horn upward, which glowed in a harsh, pale green light. Letting out a mighty roar, Heracles charged right at the grunts, his sword ready for knocking them off the face of the planet.
"Stantler! Use Psychic again!" The muscular grunt bellowed.
"Odo!" Before Heracles' horn could make contact with them, the blue beetle found himself frozen in place. Every single muscle in his body tensed up, and no matter how much he struggled, nothing he did would allow any movement. Stantler stood proud, the orbs in its antlers glowing in a harsh purple light. All it did was lift its head up, and before long, Heracles was thrown right in front of the kids. They just barely managed to evade the blue beetle falling on top of them.
"Heracles!" Caiseal ran over to his fallen friend before cradling him in his arms. "You okay, buddy?"
"Crosssss…" Heracles barely managed a croak before he fell unconscious. This told Caiseal that he was in no condition to battle anymore.
"Good job. Take a good rest," Caiseal recalled the blue beetle, taking him out of harm's way.
"Kitsune! Flamethrower again, and make it a good one!" Perrine commanded, taking charge this time.
"Niiiiiiiine!" Once again, Kitsune spilled forth a stream of fire.
That was when another grunt, one dressed in a white uniform, pulled out a PokeBall. "Sudowoodo, block it!" As the white light materialized into a Sudowoodo, the rock tree Pokemon held its arms up in a shield-like position. The red hot flames didn't even manage to leave burns on its rock hard skin. With Sudowoodo being a rock type, it was inevitable. "Use Rock Throw!"
"Sudowoodooooooo!" The imitation Pokemon held its arms in the air, allowing white portals to appear in mid-air. Said portals dropped a pile of rocks that almost fell right on top of Kitsune.
"Extrasensory!" Perrine managed to call out.
"Nine!" Hearing Perrine's command, Kitsune managed to find time to look right up at the rocks that almost piled on top of her. As soon as her eyes glowed, a psychic aura surrounded the rocks, freezing them in mid-air. With a swing of her head, she threw the rocks right back at Sudowoodo.
"Rock Smash!" The grunt demanded. On cue, both of Sudowoodo's branch like arms glowed in harsh orange lights. Letting out a valiant battle cry, Sudowoodo began smashing the rocks it produced like they were nothing but hard candy, breaking them into smithereens.
As much as she hated it, all Julia could do was watch as her friends battled the Team Rocket grunts. Even so, doing nothing but stand around drove her crazy inside, even if she knew she stood no chance against them. Her Pokemon wouldn't be able to fight them, as she didn't want to risk them getting hurt by whatever was making them suffer before. The cries of other small Pokemon took her away from the ensuing battle. Some Rattata, Oddish, Mareep, Hoothoot, and Pidgeotto had fallen to the ground, with the armless Pokemon screaming and writhing in pain, unable to cover their ears, rendered helpless. The others covered their ears with everything they had, arms or wings, and it did nothing.
Whatever they were doing, Team Rocket were utterly destroying these Pokemon, wild or captured. Every single shrill cry from the Pokemon ravaged her hypersensitive eardrums, going right down to her heart and ripping it into two, morphing right into a pained sadness. It broke all the shock and horror she felt from this whole situation. The paralysis finally broke when she kneeled down onto the grass, lurching forward to cradle a crying Oddish and Hoothoot into her skinny arms. She knew it wouldn't do anything to ease their pain or make whatever was hurting them go away, but...someone had to be there for them. Someone had to make some attempt to console them.
"It'll be...okay…" She choked out, her words cracking with every sad emotion that consumed her. She knew it wouldn't be okay, for them at least, but she had to believe in something. "It'll be okay...we'll help you...we promise…" She found herself close to breaking into tears.
Pained screams pulled her out of her mind. Julia could only watch as Perrine, Caiseal, and Kitsune were both thrown against two nearby trees. They fell to the grass, helpless and wide open for an attack. Some writhing Pineco dropped to the ground, also screaming from whatever was making them suffer.
"Perrine! Caiseal!" Julia could only scream. She wished there was something she could do.
"What do we do about this one, sir?"
As soon as she saw the muscular grunt and his Stantler and Sudowoodo standing before her, Julia froze. Was this how her journey was going to end? The muscular grunt towered over her, both in height and body size. He could easily break her in half if he wanted to. He looked down at her, his large smile showing off his pearly white teeth, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was a "I'm going to kill you" kind of expression.
"Don't think you're going to get away, little girl!" He intoned.
But then…
"Mercury, use Dragon Pulse!"
"Dragooooooo!" Out from the skies came a rainbow colored, dragon shaped blast of energy that blew the Team Rocket grunts out from the forest. Julia curled into a fetal position, clutching the Oddish and Hoothoot in her arms with all the strength she had. When she opened her eyes and stood back up, she saw the TR grunts cowering in fear.
Flying before her was a large, chubby, cuddly-looking dragon with pale orange scales, two beige antennae shooting up from its head with one of them being shorter than the other, a small horn right in between them, and innocent olive green eyes. Its thick arms and legs had three claws on each hand and foot, and it's strangely small wings had teal membranes. Its striated, cream colored belly stretched from its chin all the way to the very tip of its tail.
However, that wasn't the only thing she noticed about the cute, chubby dragon Pokemon. Someone was riding on its back. Someone with spiky carmine red hair and a big black cape. As the dragon Pokemon settled onto the ground, the caped man hopped off of his friend, giving the Team Rocket grunts a cold, stern glare that could easily stop their hearts of looks could kill.
"I'll only say this once!" The spiky haired man bellowed. Even his Pokemon glared at them despite its cute, cuddly appearance. "Leave the Lake of Rage right this instant! The next time I see you running around, my Dragonite and I won't show any mercy!"
In order to empathize their point, the Dragonite let out a mighty roar. "Dragoooooo!"
"Bwaaaaah!" The Team Rocket grunts scurried away with their tails between their legs, with no wish to endure the wrath of his Dragonite. Even the airship finally ascended back into the skies, flying off to who knows where.
"Jule!" Much to Julia's surprise, Perrine and Caiseal were awake and back on their feet. As soon as they saw Julia, they ran right up to her. "Are you okay?" Perrine asked.
"I'm fine. But are you okay?" Julia answered before asking them the same question. The worry in her voice was unmistakable. "I saw you two get thrown against that tree."
Caiseal crossed his arms. "I've been through worse," He retorted. Perrine was quick to recall Kitsune, seeing that her fox friend was in no condition to battle.
That was when Julia noticed it. The Oddish and Hoothoot she carried in her arms were no longer screaming their heads off. Even the other Pokemon nearby were back to normal. The Pokemon gathered around and rejoiced before marching back into the forest. The Oddish and Hoothoot leaped out of her arms to join their friends, happy that whatever was causing them so much pain finally stopped. Julia was unable to stop herself from smiling as she watched them trot into the thickets. But she didn't want to stop smiling. Finally, they were okay.
"It looks like the Pokemon are back to normal," Julia mused out loud.
"Sure seems like it," Caiseal agreed.
"Oh!" Julia turned around to face the man who rescued them. Just one look at him made her mind flash back to earlier before. "Hey! I know you! You're the man I bumped into earlier!"
The spiky haired man could only smile. "I apologize for not coming by sooner," He told them. "But I'm glad you're alright."
"Thanks for saving us, sir!" Julia bowed before him gratefully. "You really-"
"OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH YOU'RE LANCE CIPRIIIIIIIS!" Everyone's poor ears were assailed by Perrine squealing in a high pitched voice unlike anything they've ever heard from her. Perrine's blue eyes were gleaming like stars, and she was jumping up and down, clasping her hands into a tight ball, squealing like she was a kid in a candy store. Both the caped man, Julia, Caiseal, and even the man's Dragonite, Mercury, found themselves taken back by the orange haired girl's fangirlish squealing.
All of a sudden, Perrine sprinted in front of the man and shook his hand up and down in rapid succession. "I'm sooooooo happy to finally meet you! I'm Perrine Innocenti, and I'm one of your biggest fans ever!"
"Alright alright!" Julia wrapped her arms around Perrine and pulled her off of the confused man. "Calm down, girl! What's with you? We almost got killed by Team Rocket goons!"
"HELLO?!" Perrine yelled. "Do you have any idea who's standing right in front of us right now?!" She pointed her index finger right at the spiky haired man. "That's Lance Siegfried Cipris, the current champion of both Kanto AND Johto! Basically the strongest Pokemon trainer in not just one region but two!"
All Lance had to say was, "...You actually know my middle name?"
"Drago?" Even Mercury wouldn't help but tilt its head to one side.
"Whoa! No way!" Now Caiseal found himself swept up in Perrine's joy. "THE Lance?!"
Perrine turned around, looking right up at the confused Lance, her starry eyes twinkling with uncontained joy. "I've collected every single book and magazine that features you, I bookmarked every single internet article on you, and I want to battle you and become champion someday!"
"Well…" Lance found himself both flattered and surprised at just how devoted this girl was. "...Thank you!"
"Perrine!" Once again, Julia pulled her friend back. "This is NOT the time to be getting all googly-squealy over a pink haired guy with a cape! Team Rocket's still on the move, and for all we know they might capture that red Gyarados and hurt her really bad!" She scolded her friend rather harshly, raising her voice enough to make Perrine turn her attention right toward her.
The champion in question-Lance-could barely hold back a chuckle. But as much as he appreciated Perrine's flattery, Julia made a good point. But he wasn't quite sure what to make of Julia calling him a pink haired guy with a cape. "She's right," Lance began. "The situation here is very dire, so let's save the how do you dos for another time," He told her, his suave voice adopting a more solemn sound to it.
"Oh! I'm...Julia, by the way," Julia introduced herself shyly, keeping her eyes on Mercury. "Julia Parisa."
"Caiseal's the name."
"Good to meet you all," Lance replied. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."
"What exactly is going on here, anyway?" Julia asked. "All the Pokemon, ours included, were screaming and covering their ears like they were hearing really loud noise."
Lance crossed his arms, his expression growing darker the more he heard. "I've been hearing rumors about Team Rocket making trouble here, so I came here to investigate," He explained. "It seems the rumors are true," He put a hand on his chin, briefly ruminating. "But at this point, I haven't found out what's causing the Pokemon around here so much pain. Some policemen I work with heard something about a radio signal coming from Mahogany Town..." He faced the kids once more. "Dare I ask what you kids were doing at the Lake of Rage in the first place?"
All three kids shrunk away from him, sensing the stern tone in his voice. "This place is very dangerous and full of wild Gyarados."
"We got lost," Julia took the liberty of explaining. "We were just trying to get to Mahogany Town. Our PokeGears aren't working, so we couldn't figure out where we were going."
"I see," Lance uncrossed his arms. "In that case," He pointed to a small dirt path that led away from the Lake of Rage. "Follow this path straight through, and you should reach Mahogany Town in no time."
As happy as she was about Lance helping them, Julia was unable to get that red Gyarados out of her mind. Hearing her cries for help, her pained roars...how could she be asked to just leave Lake of Rage and not do anything to help? Someone had to help that red Gyarados somehow. Sure, Lance was the champion and probably had very strong Pokemon, Mercury the Dragonite being one of them, but what if they proved to be too strong? The urge to speak up finally seized her.
"Mr. Cipris?" Julia choked out. "Let us help you!" She finally declared. "We can help you stop Team Rocket!"
The champion wasted no time shooting her down. "Absolutely not!" He cut her off immediately. "I will not allow you to put yourselves in grave danger. Should you be severely hurt or killed…" He looked down at the grass beneath his boots. Julia could see his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth chewing on a part of his lip. "...I would never be able to forgive myself."
"He's right, Jule," Caiseal agreed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You've seen how strong they are. They almost wiped the floor with us, and they'll be sure to use that radio signal thing or whatever against our Pokemon," In his heart, Caiseal actually wanted to side with Julia. He knew Lance was looking out for them, and respected that, but he too felt that sitting around and doing nothing would just drive him crazy. He wanted to help that red Gyarados as well. That Gyarados did nothing to deserve being targeted by Team Rocket. But he had to admit, Lance made good points. Should he and the girls get hurt or killed, their blood would be on Lance's hands forevermore.
"I'll handle things here," Lance assured them kindly. "Go to Mahogany Town. I'll make sure Team Rocket pays for what they've done."
Julia wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe him so badly. Still, the worry gnawed at her heart like a rattata wanting to steal food from someone's bag. Even after she and the others ambled on the dirt path, all she did was silently worry for the red Gyarados. Her growls continued to echo in her ears, with no intention of releasing her from their grasp.
Just below the water's surface, the Gyarados family flocked to the bottom of the lake as fast as they could. Joining them were a school of concerned Magikarp, who completely surrounded the red Gyarados as she rested down on a pile of rocks that she considered to be her bed. Seeing the pain on her large face told everyone all they needed to know about what those dreadful humans-Team Rocket as that one particular group called themselves-did to her.
The red Gyarados had always wanted to evolve. She wanted to evolve like her friends, find a mate, have children, and live the rest of her days in peace. Now, that dream had come true, but in the worst way possible. Not only that, she wasn't even blue, like her parents or other Gyarados she knew. Instead, she was red, just like when she was a Magikarp. The pain she felt from her evolution still lingered, and nothing she did could shake it off no matter what. It hurt so much. Her whole body felt as though it had been pulled into two. Not even the comforting darkness of the deepest depths of the lake nor the cool yet frigid taste of the lakewater could calm her down.
Magikarp of all shapes and sizes fixated their gazes upon her, both with concern, sympathy, and confusion, wondering what happened. Others simply stared at her shiny red scales out of a strange, morbid curiosity that they couldn't control. The two other Gyarados found themselves locked in conversation. "It's those humans! They forced our child to evolve, and now look what they did!" The father Gyarados barked. Despite being a water Pokemon, bubbles floated out from his wide open mouth with every growl, gurgling away toward the surface.
"What can we do?" The mother Gyarados implored, guarding her child like any good mother would. "Who knows what strange machines they could use."
"We can overpower them easy!" The father Gyarados continued, waving his tail up and down, causing small currents to ripple through the lake. Some Magikarp were accidentally blown away, not that the father knew that. "Our attacks are powerful! We can kill them all with one Hyper Beam! They'll think twice before messing with us!"
"But won't that make things worse?" The red Gyarados finally let out a low, concerned growl. As much as she appreciated her parents' willingness to protect her, she had already seen what Team Rocket could do to her. If they could hurt her, the others could also be easy targets, and even her parents wouldn't be spared.
The father Gyarados floated down to his fearful daughter, his anger morphing into fatherly worry. "I'm sorry I couldn't prevent this, my child," He apologized, his deep voice consumed with rue and woe. "But no matter what happens, I won't let them take you away from me," He coiled his long tail around his daughter's neck, pulling her close.
The red Gyarados closed her eyes, losing herself in the warmth of her father's lovely blue and beige scales. Oh, how lovely it felt to be in his embrace. Then the realization hit her like a Hyper Beam attack. If he and her mother were to confront Team Rocket, they could kill them...and it would be her fault.
"Surely, those humans will come after her again," The mother Gyarados told her husband. "They may be gone now, but I can sense they have no intention of giving up without a fight."
"Same with us!" The father bellowed. His roar was so loud, some of the Magikarp wound up flying right into the red Gyarados's hide, their weak bodies being easily blown away by the roars of larger Pokemon. The red Gyarados's father barely noticed. "I'll never hand her over to them! Come Heaven, Hell, or high waters, they'll deal with us first!"
'Oh, father…' The red Gyarados could barely hold back tears. Even in the midst of danger, her parents still wanted to protect her at any cost. Even so, the guilt that weighed down on her heart was as heavy as the shiny red scales that covered her hide. If Team Rocket ever hurt her parents, she wasn't sure what she'd do. Already, the water's surface rippled once more.
Finally, she made her decision. "...if you're going to fight, let me fight alongside you!" She declared. "I won't let you get hurt because of me!"
The Magikarps' mouths all fell agape. "Think this through!" One of them implored, waving his pectoral fins back and forth vigorously. "For all you know they might be too strong!"
"And even if you and your parents do defeat them, who's to say there won't be more of them?!" A female Magikarp reasoned.
The mother Gyarados turned to the school of Magikarp with motherly concern on her somewhat vicious-looking face. "We appreciate your concern, my friends. However, at this point, there are no other options we can utilize. Go back home and tell your parents everything. We will handle things here," She told them reassuringly.
"Mother...Father…" Although the pain from her evolution still lingered, it managed to subside enough for her to actually move around. "I'm sorry I brought them here. Let me at least do this for you."
Without a word, her father coiled his body right around her, trapping her in a tight but loving embrace. "You did nothing wrong. Don't ever say such poppycock, and I would be more than happy to have you fight alongside me. Lake of Rage is our home."
He was right. Lake of Rage was their home. It may not seem like much to those Team Rocket people, nor other humans in the grand scheme of things, but this large, colossal lake was their home. Their fortress, their sanctuary. It was only natural that these Gyarados would want to protect their home from intruders...and protect it they would!
No one but Team Rocket knew where their base was. Deep beneath the Earth's soil was a base with walls of solid steel, lined with bronze, cat shaped statues with red eyes that could see all and forget nothing. Standing before a large screen was Archer and a shrewd looking old man with plum purple hair and a matching goatee. His black eyes fixated on the big screen before him, and his black uniform had yellow stripes going down the torso all the way down to the silver belt around his waist. Other TR grunts scurried around the room, performing their assigned duties.
"The evolution inducement wave we created is a big success," The purple haired man rejoiced in a raspy, husky voice that made him sound like he was nearing his fifties. "That red Gyarados will be the key to improving it even further and making sure Project R reaches fruition!"
"Yes, Petrel," Archer answered in a solemn, stoic manner. The teal haired Rocket executive kept his arms crossed the entire time. "But in order to make the proper adjustments, we must first capture the red Gyarados and examine it."
"I'm afraid it won't be so easy," Petrel reminded him in a shrewd manner. "You've seen how ferocious they are. They can easily blast our machines into smithereens if we so much as come anywhere near the lake," He waggled his eyebrows. "Surely you have a plan to address this?"
"Obviously we can't go to the bottom of the lake," Once again, Archer was quick to answer his older senior. "Our technology is too weak against them. Hmmm…" Archer put a hand on his chin, losing himself in rumination. Finally, an answer popped right into his head. "Since the evolution inducement wave is still in its infancy, is it possible to adjust it so it can simply lure Pokemon out from the depths of Lake of Rage?"
Petrel rubbed his glove covered hands together. "I don't know if we can...adjust it, per say. But one of our technicians has his own radio signal that might be able to do just that," Petrel replied, waggling his eyebrows once more. "Rest assured, dear Archer! Project R will be the greatest undertaking in Team Rocket history! I will see to it that it reaches fruition at any cost!"
Archer flashed a devious smile at his senior. "I have no doubts about that. See to it at once, Petrel."
Before Petrel could leave, some titanium doors opened all by themselves. Proton, dressed in full uniform, came running right up to the two Rocket Executives. "Commander Archer!" He held a flat hand to his forehead in a mock sailor salute. "Commander Samson has just informed us that three children and the champion of Johto have seen Team Rocket attempt to capture the red Gyarados."
Both Archer and Petrel's ears perked right up. Three children? "Explain further, Proton," Petrel commanded.
"Unfortunately, they're the same children who thwarted our attempts to capture Raikou twice back in Olivine City," Proton elaborated. At that point, the screen displayed an image of three children. Two girls and one boy. "Lance Cipris knows about us as well. The children are coming here to Mahogany as we speak."
The two Team Rocket executives fixated their gazes on the big screen once more. They had heard of these kids being a thorn in their side back in Olivine City, but they hadn't quite believed it. A bunch of ten-year-old kids ruining an evil organization's plans to capture a legendary Pokemon? Such a grandiose thought was ludicrous in the eyes of these executives. On the other hand...Lance Cipris was not a man to underestimate. They knew this well. But they had heard J mention the kids a few times before. If they were to find their base and report their plans to the police...they needed to nip this in the bud, and fast.
"Proton," Archer began. "If what you say about these children is true, then do whatever you can to make sure they don't report us to the police," He explained, his suave voice adopting a cold, hard edge to it. "Deal with them however you please."
Once again, Proton did a sailor's salute. "Yes, commander!" It must be confessed that Proton had been anxious about wanting to deal with these children. They had ruined his feats back in Olivine City. Now seemed to be a great time to give them their just desserts. Nobody messed with Team Rocket and would have the liberty of getting away with it. Not if he had anything to say about it.
Archer turned to Petrel. "Tell the technician to adjust the radio signal," He told him. "And tell everyone to be on the lookout for Lance Cirpis."
"As you wish, Archer, my boy!"
Walking along the long rows of trees, a yellow, giraffe-like Pokemon with a long neck realized something was wrong when unevolved Pokemon-Mareep, Hoothoot, Oddish, Pidgeotto, anything of the like-suddenly all fell to the ground, screaming like they were in pain. Being merely a quadrupled long neck Pokemon, all it could do was stand there, puzzled. Just what was happening? Why were they screaming? Whatever was happening, this was nothing the giraffe-shaped Pokemon had ever seen before.
But before long, the small Pokemon stopped screaming and went back to their normal lives, like nothing had ever happened. That was quick. An Oddish happened to be passing right by, trotting along and singing a little tune to itself without a care in the world. Curious, the long neck Pokemon approached the Oddish, yearning for answers.
"Oddish? Is that you?" The giraffe Pokemon asked.
"Oh!" The small Oddish turned around and smiled, happy to see a familiar face. "Hi, Girafarig!"
"I saw you screaming like you were being tortured," Girafarig trilled, leaning closer to lower himself at eye level with the tiny plant. "What happened to you?"
"You won't believe it!" The Oddish squeaked. "It was so weird! I was just going on a walk when all of a sudden this...weird feeling came over me," He explained further. "I felt like I was being ripped apart and set on fire at the same time! It really hurt, too! I heard this really loud sound that almost made me go deaf!"
A loud sound? Feeling like being ripped apart and set on fire at the same time? Girafarig could only squint as he tried to comprehend what his friend was telling him. There had been no such events before. Perhaps the most curious of all, he himself hadn't heard that strange sound or felt the same sensation other Pokemon did. At the same time, he was happy that the sound seemed to have disappeared for now. No longer did any other Pokemon around him scream in pain.
"I'm glad you're okay, though."
"Did you feel it, too?"
Girafarig shook his head no. "No, I didn't."
"That's strange. Everyone else I knew heard and felt it," The Oddish elaborated. "But then again, that might be a good thing, since I wouldn't wish that pain on even my worst enemy!"
"You'd best be careful."
"You too, Girafarig!" With that, the little Oddish trotted back home, carrying its stubby, root-like legs one at a time as he went into a nearby thicket.
Girafarig's curiosity outweighed the potential danger he could find himself in. Just what was this frightening sound that could cause the Pokemon so much pain? He walked along the trees once more, then halting to a stop. Three humans, two girls and one boy, were within his vicinity, walking along another dirt path. Girafarig stood silent, watching them as they trekked along the path. It didn't take long for Girafarig to figure out that they were humans. Relatively small humans, just a foot shorter than he, and they didn't look like they could cause any trouble. But his peers always told him to steer clear of humans. Humans were a relatively common sight around these parts, and all they usually did was pass through or stop by to catch Pokemon. Almost every Pokemon, from the gossipy Mareep to the shy Oddish would either go out to see them or steer clear. Girafarig had seen a few a couple times, so seeing these kids didn't set off any instincts to run away.
"Lance was right! I can see some buildings from here!" The orange haired girl exclaimed, holding her hand over her eyes to see further into the distance.
The blonde haired boy stretched his arms out, taking in the sunlight. "Finally, we can get the heck out of here!"
The long neck Pokemon noticed that one of the humans looked rather despondent. The brown haired girl was silent the whole way, always looking down at the grass beneath her feet. Girafarig kept his gaze fixated on the humans, his ears up and alert. "I...I can't stop worrying."
"About the red Gyarados?" The orange haired girl asked.
Red Gyarados? That was a new one. Girafarig's curiosity began to override his instincts. Since when was there a red Gyarados? Surely, they were just making up stories. At the same time, however, Girafarig knew the Lake of Rage well. It wasn't an ideal place to go, but it was overrun with Magikarp and Gyarados. Wait a minute...Girafarig had seen a strange machine fly over the forest, heading to Lake of Rage. Was that the cause of the sound he and the Pokemon heard earlier?
Girafarig received his answer when the sounds of combat echoed through the forest. Two humans dressed in black uniforms suddenly appeared before the three kids. Accompanying them were Pokemon the Girafarig had never seen before-one was a big purple cobra, and the other a big blue bat with an equally large mouth that looked as though it could swallow even a big apple whole. Suddenly, the boy and the orange haired girl sent out two more Pokemon he had never seen before-a green dinosaur with a flower around its neck and a large rock Pokemon with a head, arms, and legs.
'New Pokemon?' Girafarig thought, keeping himself hidden in a nearby thicket. 'I've only seen Oddish, Mareep, Pidgeotto, and the occasional Hoothoot and Venonat. Actually, scratch that, I've seen Noctowl and Exeggcute too. But I've never seen those before.' Girafarig had lived his whole life in Route 43 and never ventured outside his home even once, so it was only natural that he wouldn't know much about Pokemon outside his home.
He had also never seen a Pokemon battle between both Pokemon and humans before, and boy, was he astounded. He had never seen such a sight, and with how intense the events playing out before him were, he had to wonder how humans and Pokemon could work together like that. Soon, he was shaken from his wonder by the sounds of combat and screaming. The blue bat sunk glowing green teeth into the rock turtle, sucking away all of its energy and knocking it completely unconscious. The purple cobra suddenly fired a harsh beam of black and purple energy that ripped through everything. The kids and their Pokemon were helpless to do anything and were rendered completely unconscious.
Awe morphed into fear and shock, and both seized the long neck Pokemon. 'What are those people planning to do with them?!' He thought, immediately growing worried for the children. A green haired man and another TR grunt approached the unconscious children with smug smirks on their faces.
"What do we do with these kids, Commander Proton?" The grunt asked.
"They know too much. We'll take them to the hideout for now," The green haired man, Proton, replied. "Then see what J wants to do with them."
Whatever he planned to do with them, Girafarig could sense that nothing they planned was good. 'Something's gotta be done,' The Girafarig thought, his fear suddenly morphing into a strange kind of courage. '...I think it's time I do something for once!' He leaped out from the thicket.
"Ugh…" The first thing Julia noticed upon waking up was that the room was extremely dark. Only one dim light was on, and it was barely enough to light up the entire room. The second thing she noticed were steel bars and a padlock keeping them inside. "We're trapped!" Julia yelped. She looked down to see Caiseal and Perrine lying on the cold, steel floor, along with a Pokemon she was sure didn't belong to any of them.
"Guys! Wake up! Wake up!" Julia pleaded.
"What?" Caiseal was the first to wake. He sat right up like a jack-in-a-box, followed by Perrine regaining consciousness. "Where are we?" He asked.
"I have no idea…" Perrine was just as flummoxed as everyone else was.
At that moment, titanium doors pulled right open. Proton marched right into the room with his Arbok crawling right behind him. Trembling just from the sight of the cobra, Julia hid behind Perrine. "Let us out of here!" Perrine yelled.
"You know too much," Proton told them in a cold, callous tone of voice. "Do you really think Team Rocket would let you kids just leave and dilly-dally away without proper punishment?" His trusty Arbok stuck its tongue out, wiggling it left and right as it hissed at them.
"What did you do with the red Gyarados?!" Julia yelled. "What do you even want with her anyway?!"
Proton squinted at the younger girl. "That red Gyarados is the stepping stone for Project R."
"Project R?" That wasn't something the kids heard before. Then again, anything by Team Rocket obviously meant trouble. "What's Project R, anyway?" Caiseal barked, glaring at Proton like he wanted to break out of that cage and beat him bloody.
All Proton did was shrug. "Since you'll be permanent residents of Team Rocket, I don't see why I can't fill you in. Project R stands for Project Revolution," Proton began, crossing his arms as he explained everything in detail.
Team Rocket recently began construction of a radio signal called an evolution inducement wave. It was programmed to force Pokemon to evolve to their final stages without the need for training experience, evolution stones, etc. So far, the only Pokemon to evolve was the red Gyarados, and she retained her red coloring from her Magikarp stage, which told the TR executives that the radio signal still needs additional improvements in order to be perfect. But the fact that it worked at all on the red Gyarados was proof that the evolution inducement wave was a great success in and of itself. When the evolution inducement wave was perfected enough, Team Rocket plans to evolve every Pokemon they possibly can and create their own army so the world can be theirs.
Caiseal rolled his eyes. "Snoooooresville. Dude, taking over the world is so cliche. I'm pretty sure not even Team Rocket can do that!" He snapped with a twinge of sarcasm. "Besides, don't you have any more original evil plans? Like, I don't know, using Pokemon to make people like you more than they do now?"
"Caiseal!" Julia scolded. As much as she liked Caiseal for actually saying something, did he really have to resort to humor in this dire situation? "This is not the time for silly jokes!"
"How much lower do you guys plan to stoop?" Perrine hissed. "You're not gonna get away with this!"
Proton put a hand on his side. "And what do you kids plan to do about it, hmmm?" He asked. The kids could only exchange pained glances. "If you even so much as try anything, we won't be merciful in the slightest, even if you are mere children."
Right then, a lower ranked Team Rocket grunt approached Proton with a clipboard in his hand. "Commander Proton. Operation Seize the Red Gyarados is ready to commence."
"Good," Proton replied. "Ta-ta, children. Once this mission is complete, I'll be the first to deal with you," With that, Proton and the grunt left the room.
The kids were all alone, trapped and caged like animals about to be sold to the slaughter. Even so, they hadn't lost hope. No, they didn't even think about giving up. Julia eyed the padlock. 'We'll save you, Miss Red Gyarados. I swear on my life!' She promised herself. She'd rather die a thousand deaths than let Team Rocket hurt any more Pokemon.
Uuuuuugh. Why does job hunting have to be soooooo hard?! Then again, my dad did say that your first job is always the hardest one to find. Can't give up now. Anyway, the red Gyarados arc has started! I've been DYING to write this arc for months, and now I'll be able to do so! This one's gonna be a doozy! Look forward to more chapters to come out soon!
Random Fact: The last name I gave Lance, Cipris, is a Czech name that means "dweller by the river's edge." Since Lance's Japanese name, Wataru, means crossing, like crossing a river, I thought it was fitting. Syyyyyyymbolism! *waves hands and arms in wavy fashion* Also, his middle name, Siegfried, is his German dub name.
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