Chapter 63: The Path To The Pokemon League
"So this is Tohjo Falls, huh?" Julia peered into the cave entrance before her, surprised at how wide it was. It was big enough to hold a hundred people in one line, if such a thing was possible.
Vines and vegetation hung over the arch, with one big string of it standing low enough that the kids could touch it with their hands, or pull on it if they wanted. Perrine held a hand behind one of her ears, and she caught a rushing sound. "I hear water inside."
"It's probably the waterfall," Ethan pointed out.
Caiseal was the first to take a few steps inside. "Wow. It's dark in here," He said. The cave seemed to lead into a dark, black void, and he couldn't see anything inside it.
Ethan pulled out a PokeBall. "I got this covered. Go, Porygon2!" Out from the PokeBall came the round, less angular Porygon that Julia saw earlier.
"Oooh! A Porygon2?" Immediately, Perrine squealed in awe of the Pokemon. "I've never seen one in person before!"
Although she already knew about it herself, Julia examined it with her PokeDex to refresh her memory. "Porygon2, the Virtual Pokemon, and the evolved form of Porygon. Porygon2 is an upgraded version of Porygon made by scientists and endowed with artificial intelligence enabling it to learn new gestures and emotions all on its own. It can even remember unnecessary information, such as how many steps one can walk from the ground to the top of Mt. Coronet. It is also capable of exhibiting behavior that was not programmed into it. Originally, Porygon2 was designed for space exploration and planetary development, and is able to survive in the vacuum of space, but it cannot move around very well in zero gravity, and its inability to fly beyond 50 feet in the air put a stop to that idea. It is able to generate electricity and manipulate the air around it to enable levitation. As of the late 2000s, Porygon2 have become very popular with trainers because of their friendly, helpful nature, as have the other members of its evolutionary family."
As stated, Porygon2 did levitate about two feet from the ground, low enough so Ethan could pet it without bending down. "Hey, buddy. Want to shed a little light on the subject here?"
Figuring out what he was asking, Porygon2 nodded and in an instant, its whole body glowed in a white light, illuminating the inside of the cave. When Caiseal looked into the cave again, a path was visible, and small rocks jutted from the cave walls.
"Good thinking, Ethan!" Caiseal exclaimed. "I can actually see where we're going now."
"I would have had Hikaru use Flash, but she's tired from the battle earlier," Julia pointed out.
The kids made their way into the cave, engaging in small talk as they walked. Perrine was the first to ask Ethan, "How'd you even get a Porygon2 anyway? Aren't they super rare?"
Ethan rubbed his nose with his index finger. "Not as rare as they used to be," He said.
He went on to explain that he came across it as a Porygon while in Goldenrod City. Ethan found himself in the slums and didn't know his way around, and he found some kids throwing rocks at it. Ethan stepped in to stop them, using Typhlosion, a Quilava back then, to drive them away. The Porygon wound up getting attached to him and never left his side. Not wanting to leave it alone, Ethan decided to have Porygon join his team. When he was in Mahogany Town, a few weeks before the red Gyarados incident, someone noticed his Porygon and gave him an Upgrade to help it evolve.
"Awwww! That's so sweet!" Julia cooed. She always liked hearing about people saving Pokemon from bullies and abusers, this being no different. The story reminded her of when he stood up to Kirsten, Lakeisha, and the rest of their posse on her behalf back in school. "Porygon2's super lucky to have you as its trainer."
"Poriiiii!" Porygon2 warbled, its ovular arms whirling around in a circular motion.
The sound of running water grew stronger the further in the kids went. Before long, the quartet found themselves in front of a large lake that stretched over several acres. A large waterfall rained down at the very back of the cave, sending ripples all across the lake. Some Magikarp leaped into the air before diving back in.
"Oh no!" Caiseal exclaimed suddenly.
"Huh?" Julia turned around. "What is it, Cash?"
"I completely forgot!" Caiseal shouted. "None of us have any water Pokemon big enough to cross water!"
Just like that, all the energy was sucked right out of the girls. He was right. None of them had any Pokemon that could swim across water, let alone one big enough to carry four people. Perrine left Luminita at home, and while Caiseal had Flippy with him, she could only carry one person. If she carried all four of them one at a time, she'd get tired quickly, and the last thing Caiseal wanted was to put her through something so unnecessary. Julia wished that she still had Geraldine. She was big enough to carry all four of them, but considering she wasn't here, that was an option they couldn't pursue.
Oddly enough, Ethan wasn't worried at all. "I guess it's a good thing we decided to join up. Don't worry, guys," He told them reassuringly. "I got this," He pulled out another PokeBall. "Come on out, Lapras!"
Out from the PokeBall came a large, dinosaur-like Pokemon, with a long neck, four flippers, a blue hide decked with darker spots and a cream colored underside. Its ears were tightly curled inward, resembling cinnamon rolls, and a heavy, grey shell with blunt knots covered its back.
"Puuuuu!" Lapras let out a friendly coo as it materialized in the water, leaning its head down so Ethan could pet it.
This time, Julia found herself in awe. "Oooooh! A Lapras! It's so cute! I've always wanted to see one in person!" Julia exclaimed.
Perrine pulled out her PokeDex. "Lapras, the transport Pokemon. Lapras are a gentle, friendly Pokemon that are intelligent enough to understand human speech, and enjoy ferrying people across water over long distances. Their smooth skin is very cool to the touch. In previous years, many Lapras were hunted and poached, with their hides and shells sold on the market, and almost faced extinction. In the late 1980s, the World Union for Conservation of Pokemon declared them a protected species, declaring it illegal to hunt or kill them, and over the next few decades, their dwindling numbers rapidly increased to the point where they are no longer facing extinction. However, because of the new overabundance of Lapras in the wild, the fish Pokemon population has gone into a subtle decline. Lapras are a popular transportation Pokemon in regions such as Kalos and Alola. In the evenings, or if it's in a good mood, Lapras like to sing, either for fun or so it can call upon more of its kind. Their melodies are considered very enchanting."
"What are you guys waiting for? Hop on!" He told them, gesturing towards Lapras' shell.
Without hesitation, the quartet hopped onto Lapras' back and let the transport Pokemon ferry them over the water. That was one problem solved. The kids made a mental note to catch some decently large water Pokemon in the future, should they ever find themselves in this kind of situation again.
"We really owe you one. Thanks, Ethan," Caiseal said. "Sorry we're using you like this."
"It's no biggie. Trainers should always help each other," Ethan reassured.
Lapras let out another coo, echoing Ethan's statement.
Julia looked over Lapras' neck and tensed up. "Umm...why are we going towards the waterfall?"
The roar of falling water grew from a dull hum to an explosive bellowing the closer Lapras swam. Normally, unless someone wanted to see them up close, people went away from waterfalls.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ethan asked. "We need to go up the waterfall or we won't make it to the League."
"WHAT?!" Julia yelped.
Going up the waterfall? Actually climbing it? Was that even possible? Julia felt her heart fall to the pit of her stomach. "Isn't that, like, really dangerous? What if we fall off Lapras' back and get killed?" She hated the whine her voice took on. But climbing a waterfall? She was sure doing that was practically signing her own death warrant. The knobs on Lapras' shell weren't big enough to really hold onto, and Julia was sure if Lapras actually climbed the waterfall, she herself would wind up sliding off, falling into the water, maybe hitting her head on a rock and bleeding to death. If there were straps and seat belts that could keep everyone in place, that'd be one thing, but there weren't any.
"Don't worry," Ethan reassured, gesturing towards Porygon2, who was levitating right next to them. "Porygon2 knows Psychic, so if you guys ever do fall off, he can use his powers to catch you. Kinda like telekinesis."
Porygon2 nodded, affirming Ethan's point.
As much as she wanted to believe him, hearing that didn't make her feel any better.
"It'll be okay," Perrine said. "Just hold onto me. We won't let you fall off."
Without a word, Julia wrapped her arms around Perrine's waist and moved closer, burying herself in the fabric of her friend's vest.
Before long, the waterfall was right in front of them. The kids found themselves getting wet just from being ten feet away from it, what with the water spraying and splashing all over the place. "Alright, guys. You better hang on tight, because this might get kinda bumpy," Ethan warned.
Ethan and Caiseal clung to Lapras' neck. Perrine had her arms around Caiseal's neck, and Julia remained firmly clutched to Perrine, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Lapras! Use Waterfall!"
The transport Pokemon let out a wail, its eyes glowing a turquoise hue. Lapras swam closer to the waterfall, and upon making contact, it began sliding right up, avoiding the sharp corner of the wall that connected it to the ground by moving its body in a curve. A wall of water overwhelmed the Pokemon from all sides, threatening to push it all the way down. The kids held on tight as water splashed all around them. Lapras swam and pushed onward, its eyes locked onto the top of the waterfall. Gradually, the kids found themselves getting higher and higher off the ground. Julia kept her legs firmly on Lapras' shell, her whole body rigid with fear as she prayed that they'd make it up safely.
Then, Lapras' body rocked, like a car hitting a speed bump. No longer did they feel water crashing into them. The kids opened their eyes, with Julia turning around to see what was behind her. It was the waterfall, and in front of them was solid water. In that instant, the fear melted away. Julia raised one arm into the air and let out a cheer.
"We made it!"
Lapras trilled, echoing Julia's statement.
"I knew we would," Ethan said, using one hand to stroke Lapras' neck. "Thanks a lot, Lapras. You did great."
In response, Lapras gave a light coo.
Ethan then turned around and said, "That was the hard part. The rest of it is gonna be smooth sailing, though we will be going down another waterfall. But that's usually easier than going up one."
Now that, Julia didn't mind. She exhaled a sigh of relief, her limbs relaxing. It helped that Lapras was moving slowly. Julia was not in the mood for a Pokemon swimming really fast in here. Lapras swam through the water at a steady, rhythmic pace, and the passengers on its back decided to kill some time by sharing stories and talking amongst themselves.
"Hey, Jule," Ethan said after half an hour. "I never got to ask you this before...why did you hate Pokemon battles so much?"
Julia raised her eyebrows. Only now did he think to ask? Julia shrugged. Better late than never. "It's kind of a long and stupid story," She wasted no time relaying the tale to him. With every word that came from her mouth, Ethan's eyes shrunk, like he heard a horror story.
"Whoa! Seriously? That really happened to you?" Ethan yelped, unable to completely process what he had just heard. "And a teacher actually had the gall to blame you for the whole thing?"
"Yeah. It was pretty rough."
"No wonder," Ethan folded his arms, lamenting having ever yelled at Julia earlier today. Just remembering the reunion made him cringe in disgust, especially now that he knew for sure that Julia didn't ditch him solely to string him along. He couldn't believe he had never asked her about it before now. It surely shed a new light on Julia's reaction to having seen him battle all those years ago. "I'll bet it was really traumatizing. If someone ever did that to me, I'd probably be scarred for life, too. Now I feel even worse about having said all that stuff to you. Again, sorry for that."
"It's okay!" Julia waved both hands. "It's all good! I wanted to mention it earlier, but decided not to because I didn't want to sound like I was making excuses. Besides, you had every right to be angry at me."
Their voices echoed inside the cave, and Julia could feel her ears vibrate just a little bit. But she didn't mind. The vibrations didn't hurt, and sharing the story with him made her chest feel a little lighter. Ethan smiled. "Well, I'm glad you told me anyway. Now we can start fresh."
Start fresh...Julia didn't mind that idea at all.
Her ears eventually caught the dull roar of falling water. It grew louder the more Lapras swam. Ethan turned around, facing the water. "Looks like we're heading for another waterfall," He turned back towards the trio. "Hold on tight, because we're going down."
"Pooor!" Porygon2 trilled, floating right beside them, ready to use Psychic to levitate them, should something bad happen.
Julia clung to Perrine, who clutched Lapras' neck tightly. Caiseal held onto Ethan, and the quartet readied themselves for the sharp drop. Then, air rushed right through them as they descended from the top of the waterfall. Julia didn't dare open her eyes, afraid of what she might see, and her grip tightened around Perrine's waist. Not seconds later, the speed in which they fell slowed, and they felt like they were floating. Everyone opened their eyes to find a veil of purple light surrounding them. Perrine opened her eyes and turned to her right. Porygon2's eyes were glowing purple, its beak pointing them towards the bottom of the waterfall.
They were floating. Gradually, Porygon2 lowered everyone, Lapras included, down onto the water, causing very little disturbance to the lake. Water still splashed around when Lapras settled, but because they floated down slowly, rather than crashed into the lake, the landing didn't send water flying all over the place. Porygon2's eyes went back to normal, and everyone let out big sighs of relief.
"Safe and sound," Julia exclaimed.
Lapras cooed in agreement, as did Porygon2, who floated over to Ethan.
"Thanks, Porygon2," Ethan reached his hand out to scratch underneath Porygon2's chin. "I owe you one."
Shortly after, once they made it to dry land, they descended from Lapras' back, and Ethan put it back in its PokeBall so it could rest. It didn't take long for them to see a light at the end of the tunnel. "There's the exit!" Perrine pointed out.
When they exited Tohjo Falls, Julia had to squeeze her eyes shut, as the sudden light blinded her. But now they were out and back into green pastures and high standing mountains. From here, they had to walk through Routes 26 and 23, with the former being mostly flat land with the occasional lake and forest, and the latter being a more rugged, mountainous path. The quartet wasted no time making their way down Route 26, admiring the scenery around them, happy to be out of the dark cave, and passing the time by further exchanging stories of their adventures. After about a two hour walk, they stopped for lunch, just before heading up Route 23. Some Pokemon popped up every now and again, such as Ponyta and Doduo, either racing across the plains or picking some berries off a tree.
But it was Route 23 that wound up taking quite a toll on them. Winding paths spread out before them like ribbons scattered on the ground, with many of them consisting only of large rocks piled precariously on top of each other. One misstep could easily lead to a slip and fall. The only way was up, and the kids ascended the path. Every footfall seemed to drain the energy right out of them. Julia in particular heaved and huffed with every step, her legs feeling like jelly after only spending an hour just walking up the path. She wished she had kept Twilight with her. Riding on her back would spare her legs the agony of the painful ascent, and Ponyta were well built for traversing this kind of terrain. Many days were spent just trying to put one foot ahead of the other, and with no Pokemon Centers nearby, the kids often camped out in their tents. After a few weeks of traveling on foot, Julia was having trouble keeping track of how long they had been on the road. She did know that the Pokemon League was due to start soon, and it had been early November when the kids made their way back to New Bark Town.
"How much...farther...until we get to...Victory Road?" Perrine huffed, face red from exhaustion.
Caiseal pulled out a map as Ethan stopped to catch his breath. "According to this, Victory Road is just past the top of this hill," He said, pointing towards the apex of the hill.
"Yay!" Julia threw her arms up with melodramatic flourish. "Finally!"
Pushing through their exhaustion, the quartet made it to the top before descending right down, and before long, Victory Road was right in front of them. Moss and lichen lined the cavernous entrance like a veil, with several vines dangling from the top and the sides. It wasn't as big and imposing as Tohjo Falls was, and when Perrine peered inside to get a look, she could make out the inside of the cave much better than she could the falls. Boulders jutted from the walls on both sides, with tired mud splashed on its surface like paint on a canvas. The kids couldn't tell if they were regular boulders or an Onix's horn. Looking up, Julia could see two Zubat hanging from the ceiling further down, their blue forms dark against the light from the outside.
"This looks scary," Julia whimpered. She knew they'd be safe, since they all had their Pokemon with them, but her whole being trembled with fear. Just seeing those Zubat made her as rigid as a steel pole.
"I have an idea," Perrine pulled a PokeBall out, releasing Fuwari. The Skiploom greeted her with a chirp. "Hey, Fuwari. Can you put a Leech Seed on this boulder here and keep doing so when we go farther in?"
"Pupu!" Fuwari nodded and floated towards a bounder, shooting a seed from the flower on her head. It landed right on the rock, and a ribbon of vines wrapped around it.
Seeing the confused looks on the group's faces, Perrine explained, "I'm gonna have Fuwari mark some of the rocks so we don't get lost."
"Good idea! I wish I had thought of that," Julia said, remembering she had brought Papillon with her this time around. She could have had Papillon use String Shot and make a big silk rope, but wondered if doing so for a long time would just stress her out. Leaving marks like Fuwari's Leech Seed was probably less taxing. It helped that Porygon2's body began glowing as soon as they went inside, illuminating the inside of the cave straight away.
As the kids made their way inside, Caiseal spoke. "Alright, you guys. Victory Road is known to have some really strong and dangerous Pokemon, just behind Mt. Silver. First off, we stay together no matter what. Second, we need to be extremely careful," He advised. "It doesn't look like there are any lights in here, so keep an eye out, like for a sudden pit, falling rocks, or sleeping Geodude."
Julia held her hand flat to her forehead, doing a captain's salute. "No need to tell me twice!"
"You sound like you've done this before," Ethan noted.
"Caiseal's actually been stuck in a dangerous cave once before," Julia told him. "So this isn't his first rodeo."
The kids kept their eyes open, looking all around to make sure the path before them was clear. But at one point, Ethan's foot caught on a rock that seemed to stick up out of nowhere. With a yelp, he fell flat on his face. Julia ran over to help him up, and he groaned as he glanced at the offending rock. Porygon2's light revealed that the rock had eyes, a mouth, and two long arms. A Geodude. The rock Pokemon gave an annoyed glance before floating away.
"Sorry about that, little Geodude," Julia said just before it disappeared. "You okay, Ethan?"
"Yeah," He looked down to see if he had scraped his knee. There was no sign of blood or any other injury, just a spot of dirt and gravel, but his foot trembled from the sudden jolt of pain. Nothing too bad.
Fuwari held her hands to her mouth, snickering to herself alongside Porygon2, who let out a warbling giggle.
They stopped for a bit so Ethan could wipe the grime off his knee with a napkin, then went back to their trek. The cave seemed to expand in size the further in they walked. Jagged stalagmites jutted out from the ceiling, pointing downward, like rocky icicles, with plenty more of them lining the walls. Fuwari marked some of them with Leech Seed, so the kids would know they had come through here.
"So how long do you think we'll get to the Pokemon League?" Julia asked Caiseal. "What time is it?"
"Let me check," Caiseal opened his PokeGear, and his breath hitched when he checked the time. "Whoa! It's 7:30 PM already?!"
"I didn't realize it had gotten so late," Perrine said.
Ethan scratched the hair sticking out from underneath his hat. "Last I checked, Victory Road stretches out pretty far," He told them. "I think by the time we get out, it'll be almost midnight,"
"That's really late," Julia piped in.
Caiseal and Perrine exchanged looks. "So should we camp out here for the night?" Perrine asked.
"We didn't see any Pokemon Centers around here, so as much as I don't like doing so, this might be our best option," Caiseal said.
Camping out inside a cave...Julia shivered. Sleeping in a dark, scary looking cave, completely exposed, open to attack from all sorts of strong, dangerous looking Pokemon. But there weren't any inns or Pokemon Centers on Routes 22 and 23, and they did have their camping gear. What else was there to really do? She reminded herself that their Pokemon were with them, and they could protect their trainers if need be.
"Pupu?" All of a sudden, Fuwari floated towards an opening that led down another path. Her ears perked up, then she yelped and floated over to the trainers, flapping her hands frantically. "Pupupupuuuuu!"
"What's wrong, Fuwari?" Perrine asked.
Fuwari pointed towards the path that led downward. Julia knew what Fuwari said, but knowing that Ethan didn't know about her ability, and was unlikely to believe her if she told him, she decided on a different tactic. "Maybe she hears something down the path."
"Let's follow her," Caiseal suggested. Everyone agreed, making their way down the path.
Once they got further in, they heard what was making Fuwari so frantic.
"Help! Someone help! Please!" A terrified male voice echoed from further in.
"Sounds like someone's in trouble!" Julia exclaimed, her previous fear melting away. "Hellooo!" She wrapped her hands around her mouth and called out to whoever was yelling.
"Oh, thank Arceus!" The source of the voice came running towards the kids. A young kid about twelve bounded up the path, glasses obscuring his eyes, a bush of black hair atop his head, stopped to catch his breath. His deep, copper skin almost blended with the darkness, had Porygon2 not used Flash, and he was wearing long, blue jeans, tall brown boots, and a thick, heavy tan jacket. "You have no idea how happy I am to see somebody here!"
"What's wrong? We could hear you screaming," Perrine asked.
"You gotta come quick!" The boy gripped Perrine by the arm and pointed down the path. "One of my friends is hurt real bad! She needs help!"
Everyone's jaws fell ajar. Someone was hurt? From how frantic and scared the boy was, it sounded serious. They wasted no time following him, and the boy escorted them to where his friend was.
Down by a cluster of rocks were two trainers, a boy and a girl. A tall, stocky, heavy set kid with an olive green mohawk was leaning over a young girl lying on the ground, her face in a twisted, pained grimace. The girl's black, braided pigtails were splayed across the dirt, and she wore a light grey tangzhuang decked with pink flowers. One of her black pant legs was ripped, and her leg was a ghastly mix of red and purple. The larger boy held a wad of towels to her shoulder, and Julia could see it stained with dark, red blood. This was definitely a serious situation.
"Hey, Zack!" The boy with the glasses shouted, waving towards his friend. "I finally found somebody who can help us!"
"Oh, goodness!" Julia was the first to run over to them. "What in the world happened here? Is she okay?"
"It hurts…" The girl choked out. "Ugh...can't move…"
"Hang in there, Yue," Zack reassured her, but Julia could tell from the quiver in his voice that even he didn't sound so sure. He looked up at her and said, "We were just hanging around until this Rhydon came out of nowhere and started barreling through the cave walls in a frenzy. We all tried to battle it, but it wiped out some of our Pokemon in no time flat, and we tried to get away, but some rocks fell on top of Yue. One big one broke her leg, and…"
Reluctantly, Zack pulled the wadded up cloth away from Yue. The quartet recoiled. Jutting out from Yue's left shoulder was a long, sharp rock the size of a machete, and blood stained the entire left sleeve of her shirt. More of it began to trickle downward, and Zack immediately put the wad back on her shoulder.
"Oh, lord!" Caiseal looked away from the awful sight, but began rummaging through his bag to see if he had anything that could help.
"We want to get her out, but we're afraid if we move her, we might make things worse," The kid with the glasses cried. "There's no cell reception either, so we can't call for an ambulance!"
"Darn it!" Caiseal growled, slamming his backpack shut. "My pack of gauze is too small for this!"
What could they do? They were all just kids, with none of them having any kind of medical knowledge or experience whatsoever, save for some things they caught on TV. Julia knew for sure they couldn't just yank that chunk of rock out of Yue's shoulder. If they did, she might bleed out or worse, and manipulating her broken leg was definitely not an option. Julia scrambled to find something in her brain that would help in at least getting these trainers out of here without worsening Yue's pain. Think, think, think.
Gradually, a solution formed in Julia's mind, as seamlessly as weaving cloth.
"Ethan. Can you have Porygon2 use Psychic on Yue to levitate her? He can get her out of the cave without causing her any further discomfort."
Immediately catching on, Ethan flashed a wide grin. "That's a great idea!" But the grin turned into a frown as soon as he remembered something else. "But Porygon2's using Flash right now. If he stops, we might not be able to see."
"It's okay! Hang on a sec," Julia pulled out a PokeBall. "Come on out, Hikaru!" The orange Pikachu appeared from the PokeBall. "Hey, girl. Would you mind using Flash, please?"
Hikaru nodded, and her body glowed in a bright orange light, illuminating the inside of the cave. The light from Porgon2's body vanished, and its eyes glowed purple. A similarly colored aura appeared around Yue, and she was slowly lifted into the air, but still low enough for Zack to keep the wad on her shoulder.
Perrine stepped forward to talk to the trio. "We'll help you carry her out of Victory Road. Once we get outside, we can call for help, and we'll stay with you guys until she's safe and sound. Is that okay?"
Zack playfully smacked his friend on the back. "Man, Alex! You really lucked out finding these guys!"
Alex broke into tears. "Indeed we did! Thank you so much! Really! You're lifesavers!" He wailed with relief, taking Perrine's hand into his own and shaking it up and down like he had never done so in his life.
With that, the kids decided to make their way out of Victory Road. Staying in there wouldn't have been good for Yue, and they weren't very far into the cave anyway. Fuwari's Leech Seed marks helped in showing them the way back, so there was no chance for them to get lost.
"You know...I could get used to this," Yue quipped, using one hand to hold the wad to her shoulder, relieving Zack of the responsibility. "I wonder why I never thought of this myself. Then again, my poor Hypno got his butt whooped by that Rhydon…"
"We'll be out of here in a few minutes, so it won't be much longer," Julia reassured her, keeping her eyes on the grey shirt she was wearing. Although it was hard to see because of the darkness, even with Hikaru's body lighting up the cave, Julia could make out the pink flower patterns on her shirt. She found the girl's clothing to be quite pretty. Except for the blood stains, of course. She wondered if Yue was from further East.
Before long, they made it out of Victory Road the way they came, and the sky was a deep, rich blue. Ethan wasted no time using his PokeGear to call for help, telling the operator exactly where they were. Porygon2 gently put Yue on the ground, taking care not to disturb her broken leg or the rock lodged in her shoulder. The kids kept her comfortable for about thirty minutes, which was enough time for an ambulance to arrive. Paramedics secured Yue's leg and wrapped thick gauze around the rock in her shoulder to keep it steady, as they didn't want it to wiggle around and cause more bleeding.
"Is there another path that leads to the League?" Julia asked, having noticed that the ambulance came from around the cave. "I thought Victory Road was the only way to get there."
"Nope, it's not the only one," Zack chimed in to explain. "There's another road that goes way around the cave, but not many people know about it," He pointed towards some bushes further up. Julia squinted, barely making out an opening that led to a dirt path. "Usually only police cars and ambulances use it, in case somebody gets hurt."
Yue smiled as she was lifted onto a gurney. "Well, at least this way, I can make it to the League before you guys do. Haha," She gave a playful retort, finding the knowledge that she didn't have to go through Victory Road to get to the League appealing.
Alex turned to the quartet again and bowed. "Seriously, thanks so much for helping us. You have no idea how grateful we are."
"Don't mention it," Perrine waved her hands dismissively. "We're just happy you're all okay."
"Are you guys headin' to the League as well?" Zack asked.
"We sure are," Caiseal told him.
"Cool! So are we! Maybe we'll see you all there when Yue's better!"
"I hope so!" Ethan exclaimed, giving Zack a friendly pat on the shoulder. "But for right now, you guys stick by your friend and take care of her. Okay?"
"No need to tell us twice!" Alex nodded in agreement.
When the ambulance drove away, the kids parted ways with Alex and Zack, watching as the two of them made their way down the side road. A good alternative to going through Victory Road with a berserk Rhydon on the loose, even though that path was likely a lot longer. Julia looked inside the cave, and it was completely pitch black.
"So...should we camp out here for the night?" Julia asked. "I don't know if I like the idea of sleeping in a cave with an angry Rhydon running around."
Caiseal wasted no time pulling out his tent and any materials that could help set it up. "I say we hit the hay tonight. We can go back in first thing in the morning, and we'll get to the League by the afternoon. Sleeping in Victory Road might be too dangerous."
Nobody had any arguments there. The kids set up camp and went to sleep for the night. Porygon2 and Fuwari remained outside their PokeBalls for extra security, and Julia kept Hikaru out of her PokeBall, feeling safer with her friend by her side. Plus, Hikaru's long ears could hear noises she couldn't, so if anything happened, she'd be the first to hear it and let them know ahead of time. With that thought in mind, Julia drifted off to sleep.
The kids all woke up at seven in the morning, ate a quick breakfast, and made their way back into Victory Road, refreshed and ready for anything. This time, they managed to walk further in than they did last night. Fuwari continued to mark various boulders with Leech Seed, and Hikaru used Flash to light the way instead of Porygon2, figuring the latter could use a break from doing that. The kids stayed together at all times, keeping an eye out for any dangerous Pokemon heading their way. But at one point, a Zubat came flying in front of Julia's face.
"Eeeek! Go away go away go awaaaaay!" Julia wailed, flailing her arms in an attempt to brush the Zubat out of her face. Thankfully for her, the Zubat took the hint and flew away, but even after it left, she froze in place, shivering and whimpering. "Nnngh!"
"What's wrong?" Ethan asked. "You okay?"
"She's scared of poison types," Perrine told him.
Julia took a few minutes to compose herself before they got back to their trek, and they hadn't encountered any more Zubat since then. Probably because Hikaru's glowing body scared most of them away. They weren't sure how long they had been in Victory Road, but there was one thing they did notice: Other than Alex, Yue, and Zack, they hadn't seen any other trainers here. One would think the cave would be crawling with trainers, since the League is just around the corner. The kids chalked it up to the League still being some ways off, and didn't want to get there too early. At least with this, they could get through the cave without much trouble and sign up for the League without doing a lot of waiting.
At one point, Caiseal pulled out his PokeGear to check the time. "Wow. It's almost eleven right now," He exclaimed, pulling up the map next. He smiled at what he saw. "Oh cool! After we go through this last stretch, we'll make it to the League by eleven thirty!"
Perrine threw her fists into the air. "Woohoo! Record time, baby!" Fuwari floated around her with just as much enthusiasm.
"You got that right!" Ethan cried out, throwing one fist up.
Julia smiled. Her legs had started to feel heavy from so much walking, so knowing they were finally going to get out of Victory Road assuaged any worries she might have cultivated.
But their happiness was short lived.
The ground beneath them began to shake. Caiseal fell to his knees. Perrine and Ethan hugged each other for balance. Julia clung to a nearby boulder. The rumbling escalated, like a small earthquake was going off.
"What's happening?!" Caiseal yelled.
Hikaru's ears perked up, as she caught a strange sound. "Pikaaa!" She pointed towards the wall a little further down.
Nobody had the chance to ask her what she heard, as rocks exploded from the wall. The kids barely managed to scurry five to six feet away, avoiding any debris that might have fallen on them. A roar broke the silence, and although the ground stopped rumbling, the kids could tell whatever caused it was right in front of them. A large hole appeared where the wall once was, and a large, grey, armored Pokemon with a drill for a nose barreled out from it. Its red eyes gleamed with fury, and its cream colored abdomen was covered with nicks and scars, probably from other Pokemon. The Pokemon towered over all four of the kids, and when it saw them in its line of sight, it let out a piercing, animalistic roar.
"Is that the Rhydon the other kids told us about?!" Perrine yelped.
Nobody dared answer, not that they had the chance to do so, as Rhydon immediately charged at them. The kids leaped out of the way, but the bipedal rhinoceros turned right around, its horn rotating faster than a power drill. Julia didn't need to look at it to see that this Rhydon was out for blood.
Caiseal wasted no time sending a Pokemon out. "Flippy! Use Water Pulse!" The smiling Quagsire materialized quickly, and fired off a sphere of water, sending it flying towards Rhydon. Although the attack made contact, it did nothing to slow it down. Rhydon slammed right into Flippy, sending the mud fish Pokemon rolling across the dirt. She hoisted herself back up, but Rhydon wasn't done yet.
"Fuwari, use Energy Ball! Help Flippy!" Perrine cried.
"Pupuuuu!" A green ball of light materialized over Fuwari's flower. She bent down and fired it off, and the green sphere hit Rhydon straight on the head. This time, Rhydon was pushed back two feet and felt the light burn its hide, but only slightly.
Then, Rhydon's hand glowed in an orange light. The drill Pokemon raised it high in the air before slamming it down on Flippy's head. The force of the hit was so strong, half of Flippy's body sunk into the ground, like she was little more than a mole prop getting whacked by a mallet.
Julia pulled a PokeBall out. "Neji! Use Sucker Punch!" On cue, Neji popped out of his ball and landed a solid punch on Rhydon's cheek, pushing it away from Flippy. Without another word, Neji used its front paws to dig the dirt out from around Flippy.
Rhydon let out another deafening roar. Julia's hands flew to her ears, as did everyone else's. Its footsteps thundered as it barreled towards them yet again. Fuwari fired another Energy Ball, holding it off for just a little bit to let the kids find safety, but the drill Pokemon smacked her out of the way like she was a Beedrill. But Fuwari reoriented herself before she could hit the cave wall. The Pokemon traded blows back and forth. Even Flippy, who managed to get out from being stuck in the ground, got in on the action. Water, grime, and light hit Rhydon from every direction, but the drill Pokemon swung its tail and limbs wildly, with no restraint whatsoever. The kids found a large boulder to hide behind, but they could tell that Rhydon would find them soon enough.
"That thing sure is tough!" Caiseal exclaimed.
"Can our Pokemon even stand a chance against it?" Julia asked, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "You saw what it did to that girl from last night!"
When she turned to Ethan, her breath hitched. Ethan was...smiling? He stared at the Rhydon, watching as it struggled to defeat three Pokemon, with a big smile on his face. "Ethan? Are you listening?"
"You know...I wanna catch that Rhydon!" He proclaimed.
Caiseal, Perrine, and Julia all exchanged wide eyed stares. He wanted to catch that Rhydon? A Rhydon that not only broke a girl's leg, but nearly killed her by destroying part of a cave enough to send debris into her shoulder? Julia thought about pleading with him to drop that idea. That Rhydon was too dangerous. But a voice she didn't recognize prevented her from doing so.
"Why won't anyone let me sleep?!"
Was that...Rhydon's voice?
"All I wanna do is sleep, but all these darn humans and Pokemon keep waking me up! Just leave me alone! Is that too much to ask?! What do I need to do to get some peace around here?!"
Was that why Rhydon was rampaging?
"You actually want to catch that thing?!" Caiseal cried out.
Ethan swiped his nose with his thumb. "You bet I do! Besides, I never turn down a good challenge, and if I catch this Rhydon, it won't bother anybody who tries to walk through here!"
He had a good point. If he could ever hope to catch this Rhydon, any trainers coming through Victory Road won't get hurt like Yue did. Even so, this Rhydon was putting up quite a fight. Fuwari bombarded it with Energy Ball attacks like no tomorrow. Neji kept digging holes underground to make it lose its balance. At one point, one of Rhydon's feet fell into a hole, and the drill Pokemon fell on its rear end, but it got right back up. Maybe...they could all fight this one together.
"Hey Ethan," Julia said. "Do you want us to help you weaken it? I think I have an idea of how we can beat it."
When she told him of a potential strategy she thought up, Ethan was completely on board, having already pulled a PokeBall out. "Let's do this! Go, Lapras!"
Neji, Flippy, and Fuwari scurried away as Lapras materialized in front of Rhydon. The drill Pokemon didn't even blink, as it proceeded to dredge its foot into Lapras' shell. "Use Hydro Pump!" Lapras opened its mouth and fired a highly pressurized blast of water right into Rhydon's face, sending it rolling across the ground, similar to how Rhydon manhandled Flippy earlier.
"Awesome!" Perrine cheered. "Fuwari, use Energy Ball one more time! Make it count!"
"Puuuu!" Fuwari generated another green sphere of light, firing it at Rhydon's abdomen instead of its head. Rhydon barely got the chance to dodge it, as its body was too heavy for it to move that quickly. It didn't help that Lapras' attack soaked it to the bone, exacerbating the pain.
Caiseal threw his arm outward. "Flippy! Blind it with Mud Shot!"
"Quaaag!" Flippy leaped into the air as six spheres of glowing mud appeared before her. Using her tail, she smacked all six of them like they were baseballs, sending them in Rhydon's direction. Rhydon stood back up and did away with two of them by rotating the drill on its nose, but one of them fell right on its eyes, blinding it. The rest of them pelted Rhydon from above, making it fall to its knees.
"It's working!" Julia cried out. "But don't let up!"
Julia and Ethan met eyes and nodded.
"Hikaru!"
"Porygon2!"
"Use Flash!" Both trainers shouted in unison.
Both Hikaru and Porygon2 did the same before letting out battle cries, letting their bodies shine white. When Rhydon attempted to charge at them, the light from their bodies blinded it further. Rhydon held its arms up, but it was futile.
"Now, Ethan!"
"Alright! Lapras, use Sing!"
Lapras opened its mouth, and a low, calming melody echoed throughout the cave. Hikaru and Porygon2's bodies dimmed, and Rhydon could see again. It attempted to charge at Lapras once more, but the energy in its body seemed to slip away. Its legs grew heavy, and its eyes began to close, refusing to stay open. Rhydon willed its eyes to stay open, but its body refused. Then, Rhydon let out a yawn before falling on its stomach, grumbling away as it allowed itself to fly away to dreamland. The kids exchanged worried glances. Was it over? Was Rhydon asleep? Lapras' song ended a few minutes in, and everyone stopped to watch if Rhydon would suddenly wake up and start rampaging again. It didn't.
Ethan pulled out a black and yellow Ultra Ball. "Alright! You're mine!" Ethan threw it right at Rhydon's head. The capsule opened, Rhydon turned white, and was sucked inside. The Ultra Ball landed on the ground, wobbling from side to side. Julia crossed her fingers. Perrine and Caiseal stared at the Ultra Ball hard, with Fuwari and Flippy by their sides in case it popped out. Ethan, Porygon2, and Lapras all held their breath. They didn't breathe.
There was a sudden ping noise.
The Ultra Ball stopped moving.
Everyone fell to their knees, exhaling huge sighs of relief. Even Lapras and Porygon2, who barely moved much, got in on it. But Ethan's exhaustion was replaced with triumph as he pulled the Ultra Ball out and held it into the air with a big smile on his face.
"Yes! I caught myself a Rhydon! You rock and you rule!" Porygon2 swiveled around in the air, while Lapras clapped its two front fins, cheering joyously.
Julia used her hand to wipe some dirt off her shoulders. "Wow. That wound up going a lot better than I expected," She kneeled down to pet both Hikaru and Neji on their heads. "You guys did great. Nice job."
Perrine did the same with Fuwari, who smiled under her trainer's praise. "You were awesome today, Fuwari. You rocked."
Fuwari flung her stubby hands out and chirruped. "Pupupupuuuuu!"
Then, her whole body flashed in a white light. Gradually, Fuwari enlarged in size, and the kids watched in awe as three, round appendages began to bloom from her body. In a few seconds, the light vanished, and Fuwari was no longer a Skiploom. Her body was a rich blue color instead of green, and the flower on her head had been replaced with a leaf and a big cotton ball. Furthermore, her arms had increased in length, with cotton balls at the ends. Her eyes were still the same shade of red as they were when she was a Skiploom.
"Jumpluff!" Fuwari raised her fluffy arms up, rejoicing in her evolution.
"Yay! You evolved!" Perrine wrapped her arms around her blue friend and held her close.
"Well, what do you know? Looks like we both got new Pokemon!" Ethan pointed out. He caught a Rhydon, and Perrine's Skiploom evolved into Jumpluff.
Julia turned to Ethan. "So what do you plan on doing with Rhydon?" She asked.
"Well…" Ethan looked down at the Ultra Ball in his hand. "I have always wanted a Rhydon of my own, so I think I'll keep it. Maybe I can teach it a thing or two," He explained, taking the time to put Lapras and Porygon2 back in their PokeBalls.
Reasonable enough. Julia smiled, knowing for sure Ethan would take good care of Rhydon. For all she knew, maybe they'd become friends. She certainly hoped so.
"Alright. What do you say we get out of here?" Caiseal suggested, using his thumb to point towards the cave path.
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was high time they left Victory Road.
Just like that, they were back to walking, their eyes gleaming with determination, though mostly relief from the knowledge that nobody else would get hurt just trying to get through here. Then, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Knowing what this meant, the kids broke into sprints, running towards the exit. Finally, they had reached the end of Victory Road, and beyond it…the kids were more pumped than ever before, even in spite of how eventful today and last night had been. They could all feel that they were going to have unforgettable experiences ahead of them.
The light blinded them as they exited the cave, but when their eyes adjusted, their jaws dropped in awe of what they saw before them. Two archways led up a large flight of stone stairs, and PokeBall statues lined the premises. A large, gold and silver building whose architecture looked ancient and modern at the same time loomed over them, as if to say, "You've finally made it. Now take your first step to glory!"
Here was the Indigo Plateau, and by extension, the Pokemon League! The quartet had made it at last!
A/N: There's a new poll up!
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle
Papillon (Butterfree, Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Compound Eyes
Attacks: Confusion, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Quiver Dance
Neji (Furret, Male, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Dig, Hyper Voice, Sucker Punch, and Quick Attack
Karin (Smoochum, Female, Impish Nature)
Ability: Forewarn
Attacks: Pound, Confusion, Powder Snow, and Sweet Kiss
Lavinia (Scyther, Female, Rash Nature)
Ability: Steadfast
Attacks: Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, and Agility
Ladybug (Ledian, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Early Bird
Attacks: Bug Buzz, Swift, Drain Punch, and Reflect
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
Baloo (Wigglytuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Hyper Voice, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Body Slam
Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: X-Scissor, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain
Fuwari (Jumpluff, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Bounce, Giga Drain, Fairy Wind, and Energy Ball
Chirin (Ampharos, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Cotton Guard, Power Gem, Signal Beam
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
Apollo (Typhlosion, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Rollout, and Smokescreen
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Dark Pulse, and Roost
Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Ice Beam, and Slam
Electra (Elekid, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Low Kick, Quick Attack, and Leer
Ethan's Party:
Typhlosion (Male, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Smokescreen, Dig, and Fire Blast
Porygon2 (Mild Nature)
Ability: Download
Attacks: Tri-Attack, Psychic, Flash, and Discharge
Lapras (Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Shell Armor
Attacks: Waterfall, Body Slam, Sing, and Ice Beam
Rhydon (Female, Brave Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Hammer Arm, Earthquake, Stomp, and Drill Run