Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I only own Violet Hawke as my OC.
Summary: Violet Hawke wanted nothing more than to be a Bug Pokemon Trainer, but with how people viewed those types all she got was ridicule until the day she bumped into the local Professor. Now on a journey, she tries to make her goal a reality, but with an Organization coming out of the shadows she has to decide just how much she's willing to risk to realize her goal.
Chapter 18: Cinnabar Island Part 1
Surge kept his head up high as Giovanni stared him down in the base hidden beneath the Viridian Gym.
Even though he was prepared for the consequences, there was something about the man that made Surge a little uneasy.
"I believe the orders I gave were to leave that girl alone." Giovanni began in a harsh tone, a look of barely concealed fury showing in his eyes. "Care to explain yourself, Lieutenant?"
Taking a deep breath, Surge matched Giovanni's harsh look with his own, showing that even if he was feeling uneasy he wasn't going to cower away.
"With all due respect sir, leaving her alone is a stupid decision." Surge said with no hesitation, making Giovanni's eyes narrow.
Not many people can get away with doing that to his face, but it's one of the few reasons Giovanni respected Surge.
"I gauged her strength when I battled her at the Gym, she's getting strong at a pretty quick rate, faster than anyone should, leaving her alone would only ensure we have a threat to deal with in the future." Surge explained his actions. "Even with only a Beedrill, Butterfree and Parasect, she was able to come up with a plan to defeat four of my Magnetons who are up to par with my real team."
That made Giovanni pause, not expecting that.
After hearing how Professor Oak showed up on Seafoam Island, he thought the former Champion was the one who defeated Surge.
"That's why she needs to be removed now before she can become a greater threat."
Giovanni went quiet in thought as he left the girl alone because he knew that the child wasn't actively searching for Team Rocket, she only ran into them through bad luck at Mt. Moon.
And given her Pokemon he figured she wouldn't be an issue, especially after looking into her himself. Not that he thought Bug Pokemon were weak, he has a Beedrill of his own from when he began his career as a trainer. No it was because no matter how strong she was getting, she was nothing more than a child.
He might have to get involved if she does interfere more however.
But he forced that thought away and leveled a glare at Surge. "That doesn't excuse your actions, not only did you disobey your orders but you were revealed to be a part of Team Rocket."
Years of secrecy and working in the shadows gone up in flames because of this one mishap.
"I don't regret my actions." Surge said, his shoulders squared only to be surprised by how quickly Giovanni stood up, showing how pissed he was.
A rare sight for any of the executives.
"Shut up and think for a moment, because you were revealed, the Elite Four now know how deep we were able to infiltrate them, they'll suspect the other Gym Leaders and your attack on the SS. Anne is going to make the Elite Four come down even harder on our organization forcing us to use resources we can't afford to lose," Giovanni had to work hard to keep his tone even, clasping his hands behind his back before his Persian who was sleeping nearby walked up to stand next to him. "Not only that but your foolish actions showed our plan on capturing the Legendaries, the only reason you weren't left to fend for yourself was because you managed to succeed in capturing Articuno."
If he failed that then Surge wouldn't even be standing here.
And Giovanni had no qualms about letting him be arrested and interrogated as like the Grunts, the Executives had a psychic block placed on them to prevent any betrayals.
The only one who didn't was Sabrina, but Giovanni had no concerns there given how loyal that girl was.
Forcing himself to calm down, Giovanni turned away from Surge, walking back to his seat, pausing to scratch his Persian's head, making the Pokemon purr. "But what's done is done, we need to move on to the next phase of our plan."
And they need to harness the Legendary before the League can find them because Giovanni could probably take down two of the Elite Four, but all of them at once was beyond even his strength.
And that's not even counting the fact that he wasn't a match for Lance given how powerful the Champion was… Not yet at least.
Not only that but Blaine needed to hurry with his work on cloning Mew, but they have yet to get any sort of DNA from that Mythical Pokemon, speaking of which-.
Giovanni pulled out a Pokeball and tossed it to Surge who caught it, his eyes widening as he saw his Electabuzz inside of it. "How-?" Surge asked, not expecting this.
He knew the Electabuzz was dead.
"One of the successes of Blaine's cloning procedures, consider it payment for capturing Articuno." Giovanni said, knowing how attached to the Electabuzz Surge was.
Even if this wasn't the exact same, the man would need it for his team.
"You're dismissed."
Surge hesitated but gave a salute, his face showing how caught off guard he was with this new addition to his team before he walked off as Giovanni sat back down and brought up the different results of the Serum that their Organization produced.
The Kangaskhan, Muk, Snorlax, Electabuzz and Tentacruel.
Each one of them made stronger than they usually are, but at the price of dying in the end.
The first two were disappointments and considered failures due to one being a baby Pokemon while the other was easily taken down by Brock.
Yet the last three showed immense promise after some changes to the formula.
The Snorlax hospitalized half of Bruno's team. The Electabuzz putting Will, an Elite Four Trainee in a coma after nearly killing two of his Pokemon and now the Tentacruel going toe to toe with a Legendary, weakening it enough to be captured.
Imagine if that formula was perfected and injected into a Legendary.
Or even better, was added to Project Mew to make it even stronger.
But they needed to hurry before they're discovered.
And to harness the legends they needed a test rattata.
'Didn't one of those kids have an Eevee?' Giovanni mused in thought, wondering if they could use its unique genetic code to help with the formula.
Food for thought.
A call interrupted his work, so he shut everything off and answered. "What is it?"
Koga's voice came through. "We've succeeded in capturing Zapdos." He answered, sounding hoarse and tired. "But we've lost ten grunts in the process."
More casualties, something they couldn't afford, but Giovanni kept that to himself. "Good, report back to base and get ready for your next mission, I'm sending you to Lavender Town."
Even with the setbacks, things were coming along nicely with two of the Legendary Birds now in their possession.
Now they need only Moltres and they'll be ready to begin harnessing them.
But right now they needed to refocus on gathering more resources to replace what they lost.
And possibly send a small group to begin taking over Johto on the off chance they fail in Kanto, a group that will take to the shadows and not draw attention while looking into the Legendaries there.
Violet just stared at the cup of hot cocoa that was in front of her, sitting in the Pokemon Center on Cinnabar Island while Prof. Oak was making a call, most likely to the League to update them about what happened after a day of rest.
Green was already gone, saying something about catching a Pokemon while he was here, already taking his jacket back since she didn't need it anymore.
That just left her alone with her thoughts given how her team were being checked by Nurse Joy at this moment.
She kept replaying everything in her head.
The attack on the SS. Anne. Being Stranded on Seafoam Island. The reveal of Surge being a part of Team Rocket. And finally Team Rocket succeeded in capturing Articuno.
Everything just went wrong in every way possible here.
She didn't know what to do.
What can she do?
'You can either wallow and wait for them to find you while you're still weak or you can get stronger to avoid this happening again.'
Green's words went through her head and Violet found herself clenching a fist.
He was right.
She can't keep going on her journey, praying that she won't run into Team Rocket again.
After what happened, she now knows that they will do whatever it takes to kill her, she needs to get stronger for the next time she does run into them. No more being the victim.
And to be stronger she needs to face the next Gym.
With one being on Cinnabar Island.
The Fire Type Gym Leader Blaine, a former member of the Elite Four.
Taking a deep breath, Violet knew what her next move was.
She doesn't care if she'll be at a disadvantage in this Gym, that's nothing new and she succeeded in beating Brock despite being at a disadvantage.
Violet wasn't going to back down and she'll make sure to beat this one.
Hearing footsteps, Violet glanced up to see Prof. Oak who looked more tired than usual as he sat down across from her.
"I just got off the phone with Lance," Prof. Oak began, just him dropping that name made Violet's eyes widen in surprise. "Capturing Surge has become a top priority with the Elite Four, but they're preparing for the worst case scenario considering what just happened."
Not to mention how now the Elite Four aren't sure which Gym Leaders to trust right now with one of their top suspects being Erika given how she trained under Surge to become a Gym Leader.
And they were also keeping it all under wraps because if it got out that a Gym Leader was in Team Rocket, all of Kanto would be in a panic, no one would be sure of who to trust and they would probably suspect one of the Elite Four to be a part of the criminal organization making their job of protecting Kanto even more difficult than it was before.
While Prof. Oak agreed with them for that reason, he knew that if it got out in another way, the results would be catastrophic.
If he didn't quit drinking he would've gladly poured himself some whisky right now regardless of how early it was.
"Once your Pokemon are healed and Green gets back, I'll have Exeggutor teleport us to Pallet Town-." Prof. Oak began only for Violet to surprise him.
"I want to battle Blaine while I'm here."
Prof. Oak blinked in surprise, sure he knew she was doing the Gym Challenge, but after what happened, he figured she would take a small break.
"I suppose you could, we do have time, but why now?"
Especially with her team, he's not doubting her strength, seeing how far she's come with only three Pokemon, but Blaine was a different matter altogether. Violet will have every disadvantage possible. From the typing to her Parasect being in the worst case scenario thanks to her ability.
"I want to get stronger." Violet said as if it was that simple, and perhaps it was for her. "After everything, I need to push my team to their limits."
And this Gym is perfect for that.
Win or lose, she needs to do this.
Prof. Oak gazed at her carefully before giving a nod.
It was her choice after all.
"Alright, after you battle Blaine we'll head back to Pallet Town." Prof. Oak relented, taking note of how Violet was acting. "Do you mind if I see your Trainer ID?"
The question caught Violet off guard before she gave a nod and pulled it out to hand over to the Professor.
"You'll get it back once we're in Pallet Town," Prof. Oak explained, confusing Violet. "You know how your current ID is blue?"
"To show me to be a rookie right?" Violet remembered that lesson from school on how depending on the skill of the trainer their ID comes in different colors.
"Normally trainers don't go to the next rank until a year after they begin, but after everything you've more than earned it, rather impressive considering how long you've been a trainer."
He was amused at how Violet's mouth dropped in shock.
Having your Trainer ID updated like that was a big thing as a Trainer.
It basically shows how skilled of a trainer one is and allows for them to be able to buy items that Rookies can't such as Hyper Potions, Full Restores and Ultra Balls.
None of them were within her budget sadly enough.
There were five ranks.
Blue for Rookies, such as what she was which signified them as beginners and allowed for them to get simple medicine for Pokemon which was more than enough.
Green for Intermediate Trainers, usually reserved for those who have eight badges or a year of experience.
Bronze was for Advanced Trainers who have up to three years and some League Titles, some of them becoming Gym Leaders at this point.
Silver was mostly Ace Trainers who work for the League and have at least eight years worth of experience.
Finally you have Gold for the Elite Trainers, or rather those who become a part of the Elite Four, only a handful of people can make it that high.
Not many trainers make it past Bronze, finishing their journeys at that point.
"Slash!" Green ordered as his Sandshrew was battling a Vulpix, deep within the Ruins of the Cinnabar Mansion, having explored it for quite a bit, training up his team against the countless fire and poison types there, switching his Magikarp and Cloyster in and out to help train them up.
None of the other fire Pokemon caught his attention, not even some of the Vulpix's he ran into near the entrance who he defeated easily, not considering them to add to his team with the exception of a Ditto that he caught during his exploration.
This one however was pretty strong.
It already defeated his Raticate and Eevee, being up to their level, even if its move pool was rather limited, its use of Quick Attack to dodge and Confuse Ray to keep him on his toes impressed him.
Its Ember was powerful as well, though that could be because of its drought ability making it feel like harsh sunlight was inside of the building.
It wasn't actual sunlight but it could be used like one for certain situations just like the ability Drizzle which makes a small rainstorm appear in a small area powering up water Pokemon and weakening fire types, not real rain but similar enough.
He knew adding this Pokemon would power up his team, especially when it evolves and learns better moves.
Plus the ability would be very useful in taking care of Violet's Parasect the next time they battled.
But the Vulpix slammed into Sandshrew who was badly damaged showing that the fire type might get a third win.
Though the Vulpix was panting heavily showing that despite this winning streak, she was getting tired.
Moving to return Sandshrew and send out his Pidgeotto, Green stopped when Sandshrew gritted her teeth and gave a cry, glowing in the process.
Hmph, it's about time.
He said nothing as brown spikes erupted from his Pokemon's back, sharp white claws erupting from her hands and feet as Sandslash stood there, glaring at the Vulpix who didn't back down.
Vulpix tried another Quick Attack, but Sandslash quickly curled up into a ball, using Defense Curl, just in time for the fire type to ram into her, the spikes injuring her and that was enough for Green who threw a Great Ball, watching as the Vulpix was sucked in, barely putting up a fight and being captured, watching as the Pokeball disappeared with Vulpix ending up at Pallet Town.
His team was coming along nicely. A new addition and an evolution.
Taking a few revives and potions out of his pack, Green got to work healing his team up, wanting to take advantage of the strong wild Pokemon here to train up a bit.
Violet had to focus as she walked around countless tourists that were on Cinnabar Island, enjoying the sights and the warmth, the latter she shared considering the cold of Seafoam Island was still fresh in her mind.
But she pushed that thought out of her mind as she wondered what she'll face at the Gym.
Unlike Brock who didn't use rock moves against trainers with no badges, Blaine would no doubt try to fry her bugs with fire moves which will make moves such as String Shot and Harden useless, so she can't rely on them like she did in the other gym battles.
Then there were the powder attacks that Silk has, given the chemicals in them they were no doubt flammable which could cause an explosion if she tried them against fire Pokemon.
Finally there was Parasite who would be struggling throughout the whole thing, though Dig would really come in handy.
Stinger and Silk can fly so they'll have an easier time dodging and Silk's confusion could help redirect the fire moves to keep them at bay.
Gust might make the flames stronger or blow them out, Violet had no clue on that but Supersonic would be invaluable if she can get that off.
Twineedle despite being a bug move could still poison a Pokemon, so she can try for that too.
That was all she could do for now, she didn't have any other techniques to counter fire types, something she'll definitely need to change in the future.
Eventually the gym came in sight as Violet went to walk in, only to end up walking into the doors given how they didn't slide open like the other gyms do.
Rubbing her face in annoyance, Violet tried to push the door open only to realize that it was locked.
Don't tell her that the Gym Leader wasn't even here!
"Are you challenging the Gym?" The sudden voice surprised Violet as she turned to see a man fishing nearby, chewing on a toothpick.
This man looked a little older than Professor Oak, with a long mustache and shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a pair of sunglasses to cover his eyes, the light glinting off them as he gave Violet a look, he also had a tropical buttoned up red shirt and blue shorts, sandals nearby as his feet were in the water.
"I wanted to, but he's not here." Violet muttered, not seeing the man grin in amusement.
"Don't worry this happens all the time, Blaine just has a bit of a test for his gym challenge." The man elaborated, earning a surprised look from Violet.
"A test?"
The man gave a nod, his grin getting bigger. "I turn once, what is out will not get in. I turn again, what is in will not get out. What am I?"
He barely refrained from chuckling at Violet's very confused face. "What?"
"It's a riddle, a pretty simple one, I have four for you to solve in order to find the test."
"Or you can just tell me." Violet tried, not wanting to waste any time or keep Professor Oak waiting.
The man tutted, waving his finger at her. "Sorry but this is a part of the test, Blaine is rather picky about who battles him." He said watching as Violet groaned.
Riddles, of course it had to be riddles.
She's never done one before.
"... What was it again?"
The man wasn't that bothered as he repeated it to her, watching her cross her arms in thought. "I turn once, what is out will not get in. I turn again, what is in will not get out. What am I?"
Turn once, turn twice. A safe lock?
No that didn't sound right.
A door knob?
Looking towards the door, Violet noticed a keyhole and just like that it clicked as she slammed a fist in the palm of her hand.
"A Key!"
The man grinned, happy to see that she got it. "Exactly, the test is to find the key to the Gym, Blaine began doing this because of all the tourists."
There was some bitterness in his tone that Violet noted. "What's stopping them from doing these riddles?"
The man just grinned and began a second riddle. "I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone and cities with no buildings, what am I?"
Violet felt her eye twitch at her question being ignored.
But she began to think, hoping that she wasn't wasting her time with these riddles.
Lakes with no water… Unless there's a drought that should be impossible. Mountains always have stones and she's yet to see a city with no building.
You would think that something like that would be on a map-... Oh, now she gets it.
"Map."
"Indeed, you need the key and the location is hidden on the map." The man revealed, now making Violet suspicious as to who this was, but she pulled her map out and glanced at Cinnabar Island.
"Alright what's the third riddle?"
"Pretty eager aren't you?" The mask asked, having some fun, happy that she was answering the riddles easily. "I am always hungry and will die if not fed, but whatever I touch will soon turn red. What am I?"
Always hungry? Sounds like a Snorlax but they don't die if they're not fed, they don't turn anything red upon touching it either.
This one was a tough one.
What turns something red upon touching it?
Thinking it over, Violet remembered all of the times she started a campfire.
"Fire."
But wouldn't that mean the key was hidden around the gym?
"Correct, now for the last riddle." The man said, turning back to focus on his fishing as he reeled in a Magikarp, only to throw it back in. "What building has the most stories?"
That was actually an easy one.
"A library."
The man didn't answer, leaving for Violet to frown.
Key. Map. Fire. Library.
What do they have in common?
Looking at the map, Violet remembered the historic Cinnabar Mansion which was said to have a huge Library that caught on Fire due to an attack during the war. It was enough to place it on the Map.
"The Mansion." Violet glanced at the man who turned towards her, his grin betraying the answer. "The Key is inside the Mansion."
"And protected by a powerful Pokemon, only true trainers can get it, tourists can't get close." The man said to her. "Good job deciphering the riddles, not many are patient enough to do that."
Well that and he purposely pisses people off for his own amusement while doing this.
Violet pursed her lips in thought. "You're Blaine aren't you?"
Even if the Fire Gym Leader was supposed to be bald, she figured that was a wig.
And if he was, it would explain how he knew so much about where the key was.
"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. What can you keep after giving to somebody?"
Resisting the urge to groan at yet another riddle, Violet didn't have to think too long about that one. "Your word."
"Correct, if you get the Key, you have my word that we'll battle Miss Hawke." Blaine knowing her name caught her off guard before Violet remembered how Misty said the Gym Leaders talked.
Though given what happened with Surge, Violet felt like she had a good reason to be paranoid.
But the Mansion could be good training, so she wasn't going to complain.
Walking off towards the direction it was at, Violet didn't see how Blaine glanced back her way with a thoughtful look.
He wasn't expecting to see that girl yet given their different types, or at all really after hearing about Surge's attack on the SS. Anne. Yet here she was.
Blaine wondered if he should try to finish what Surge started but discarded that thought immediately.
Unlike the soldier, he wasn't one to pull something like that.
Giovanni didn't want to waste any resources trying to kill her and he agreed, they needed to keep focus.
And he had his own jobs to do after this small break to calm himself down from some failures.
Both from not being able to go anywhere with Project Mew due to a lack of DNA from said Pokemon and from the multiple failures of the serum he was trying to perfect.
He was repeatedly hitting a wall with them and the many failures of the serum resulted in quite a few deaths from other Pokemon, enough to make him sick.
Yes he knew the importance of finishing it, but it didn't make it any easier, seeing the pain those Pokemon went through.
Perhaps the battle with that Violet girl will help him out here?
Upon making it to the mansion, Violet was surprised to see Green exiting, the boy not even looking that surprised. "Training?" He asked as the girl gave a nod, not wanting to say anything about the key that was in there.
Otherwise they might compete for the key and she didn't want to focus on that right now.
"Tch, at least you're working on it." Green walked by her before pausing. "There are a ton of fire Pokemon in there, some of them were strong enough to knock out half of my team."
That warning put Violet on edge, but she steeled herself and gave a nod only to blink when Green pulled a green TM out of his bag.
"I also found this in there, I have no need for it." Green said, pretending that this wasn't unusual for him.
Truthfully he found two TM's in there, one of them being Blizzard which he used on his Cloyster immediately to help give her an ice attack since her premature evolution would stunt her growth move-wise.
This one was SolarBeam however and while he could teach it to his Vulpix after evolving it, he knew that the Exeggutor he planned to get could learn it naturally.
And he figured that with how often his rival gets into trouble, she could use a move like this to help her survive considering he wasn't planning on being her babysitter each time she gets caught up in something.
Plus if she learns how to use it right then she'll be stronger which will in turn give him a better challenge that will make him stronger.
"Are you going to take it or what?" Green asked, a bit annoyed that she was just staring in shock. "If you don't want it, I'll just sell it."
That snapped Violet out of her shock as she accepted the TM. "T-Thank you." She stammered out.
Green just walked off, not even bothering to acknowledge that.
As he walked out of sight, Violet sighed.
She just can't get a read on him.
But she pocketed the TM, planning on using it later before she entered the mansion.
Immediately after entering, Violet sent Stinger out, watching as Beedrill took to the air, looking around for any threats before glancing at Violet in concern.
It seems he was worried about what happened on Seafoam Island.
"We're looking for a key so we can challenge the next gym." Violet explained, seeing his cautious nature turned to one of excitement.
After everything that happened, a gym battle was what they needed.
A nice break from the life and death situations that's been happening lately.
So he flew on ahead, keeping close in case some wild Pokemon attacked Violet who looked around, the floors creaking with each step showing how old this abandoned mansion was.
As she walked, Violet wondered what her next move after battling Blaine would be?
Perhaps she should take a small break from her journey and relax at home? Prof. Oak did say that they would be heading back to Pallet Town so she could walk home.
A week of relaxation could do some wonders before she continues her journey.
Though she would lose valuable time given how the Indigo Tournament was getting closer and she needs to have all eight badges by then.
… But should she really be worrying about this? Team Rocket captured a Legendary Pokemon.
That seemed a bit more important than some tournament.
'What am I thinking?' Violet chided herself, passing by some empty rooms, taking note of the Rhydon Statue before coming to a pair of stairs.
Every encounter with Team Rocket nearly killed her because of how outclassed she was. Their Executives were powerful and while she was stronger than before she was still a speck compared to them.
So imagine their leader.
While Violet didn't know what to imagine, she shivered, not wanting to run into someone who can command the executives like that.
Yes she'll try to be even stronger to avoid another near death experience, but would it be enough?
"Bzzt!" Stinger's cry caught her attention as she looked up to see him battling a wild Grimer.
Just like with the SS. Anne, Violet felt like she couldn't breathe upon seeing the poison Pokemon, taking a step back shaking in fear before closing her eyes and forcing her to be calm right as the Grimer slammed into Stinger, making him fly back.
"Focus Energy and Twineedle." She ordered, knowing that it would still be strong despite how the Grimer would resist it.
Stinger listened immediately and stabbed forward, after focusing, sending Grimer flying back, the focused attack doing some major damage before the wild Pokemon took off with fear in his eyes.
Stinger crossed his arms, looking very proud of himself, having a bit of a grudge against those Pokemon because he remembered Mt. Moon just as vividly.
So winning against one felt good.
He was so caught up with his victory that he didn't notice the ember flying towards him until it hit him, making him cry out in pain and surprise, being burnt in the process while a pack of Growlithes began to surround him.
Seeing that, Violet didn't hesitate to send Silk out who immediately blasted them back with Confusion leaving for Stinger to hesitate before being stubborn, saying that he could've handled them.
Hearing that, Silk just shook her head and made a few noises at him, asking if that was before or after being cooked.
Stinger jabbed one of his stingers at her in retort, but it was light hearted given how Silk was shaking with laughter, but the Butterfree focused as she kept an eye on their surroundings, using Confusion to catch another Grimer that tried to ambush them and send it flying down the stairs into the basement where they heard the crash of it landing.
Seeing the danger was taken care of, Violet walked forward and pulled out a burn heal to treat Stinger, making him grimace a bit before sighing in relief.
"You need to work on your surroundings a bit Stinger." Violet gently chided with a smile, standing up after treating him. "But you're both doing good so far."
If they can keep this up, then finding the key would be a cinch.
So she continued on, walking downstairs to see the unconscious Grimer and while she grimaced, Violet pulled out an Oran Berry and tossed it, watching as it landed in its mouth, melting in the process.
It had the effect of waking up, giving her a surprised glance before slinking away, knowing it couldn't beat her.
Violet let out the breath she had as it disappeared.
While they made her uneasy, she didn't want to leave it unconscious like that, it wasn't the Grimer that attacked her after all.
From there it didn't take too long to really explore the basement, the wild Pokemon not really being too much of an issue.
Not to say that she was being cocky, no she was being very careful, using Esper Spore any time she saw a fire type to take it out of commission before it could do anything, usually before it saw her. Perhaps she was being too cautious but she didn't want her team to be too injured for the fight with Blaine.
Eventually she saw a rusty old key on a table and made to grab it only for a Flamethrower to barely miss her, Silk using Confusion to pull her out of the way in time as a Magmar landed between her and the key.
This must be the Pokemon that Blaine had protecting the key, makes sense given how the average tourist wouldn't be able to make it this far, much less beat the Magmar.
Unlike the other fire types, none of the spore attacks Silk knew would work given how the burning flames on Magmar's body would make them combust.
So she pulled out her Pokedex and scanned it.
"Magmar, the Spitfire Pokemon. Born in an Active Volcano, its body is always cloaked in flames allowing it to hide perfectly in a fire. Warning: Magmars are very temperamental and are known to hold grudges with those who defeat them, enough to hunt its opponent down if it wants to. Current Level is 55. Gender: Male."
Eyes widening at the huge power gap between this Pokemon and hers, Violet looked terrified, especially as the Magmar just scoffed at seeing her two bug Pokemon who looked just as terrified, but ready to battle.
This Pokemon was way out of her league.
'No, stop, you can win this.' Violet told herself as Surge was out of her league too but they managed to beat his Magnetons despite the power gap.
So they can win here.
Knowing that she would need everyone, Violet sent Parasite out to join Stinger and Silk, outnumbering the Magmar. "Quicksand now!" She shouted with Parasite listening with no hesitation. "Stinger Poison Sting, try to poison it. Silk, Supersonic, keep it unbalanced!"
If they played this smart then they can win.
Seeing the enemy in action, Magmar just smirked and unleashed a Fire Blast at the Pokemon with them barely getting out of the way in time.
All it would take would be one hit, especially with Parasite who, despite being in the state she was, felt immense fear at the idea of being hit by that.
Seeing the sonar from the Supersonic coming towards him, the Magmar just punched it with his Fire Punch, giving a taunting grin only to feel annoyed when the barrage of Poison Stings hit his back, his flames burning the poison before it could take effect.
So it focused and teleported.
'Oh come on!' Violet mentally complained at fighting another Pokemon who can use Teleport before Stinger cried out in agony as Magmar appeared behind him, unleashing a Fire Punch, sending him flying before taking him down with a Psychic, making him slam into Silk to stunning her.
Taking action to unleash another Flamethrower, the Magmar was caught off guard when the ground beneath him collapsed, showing that Parasite was moving as quickly as she could, the dirt from the Quicksand smothering the Pokemon a bit.
That gave Violet enough time to reach Stinger, reaching into her bag to pull out a Potion.
It wouldn't heal everything but it should be enough to get him to wake up.
Silk seemed to have recovered while Parasite kept Magmar busy and fired a Gust, the mixture of the dirt and wind making the fire on Magmar's body weaker, practically pissing the spitfire Pokemon off.
It wasn't teleporting, so perhaps it had to focus before doing that? That meant as long as they kept it busy it wouldn't be able to disappear out of sight.
Stinger pushed himself up despite not being fully healed and rushed back into the fight, unleashing Rage on Violet's command with his stingers slamming into the distracted Magmar, this time injecting the poison into the Pokemon, ignoring the burning sensation from its Flame Body ability taking effect.
It was a battle of stamina now given how the Magmar was Poisoned and the Beedrill was burned and if it was one on one the Magmar would win, but another Confusion hit him before Parasite jumped out, unleashing a Scratch barely avoiding being burned before diving back into the ground.
The Magmar felt its jaw clench up in annoyance at having bugs push him this far before stomping a foot on the ground, making flames erupt from his body pushing them back, using Psychic to pull the Parasect out of the ground, not knowing that the bug was beginning to use Bide before pulling her in for a Fire Punch.
The moment he made contact, Parasite hissed in agony, her dry skin coming back to bite her, nearly taking her out of the fight with barely any sense of consciousness remaining.
Seeing that set Stinger off who was barely holding back his Rage after using it as he began to combine it with his Fury Attack, losing control of himself while Silk flew in front of Parasite, ready to defend her while Bide was continuing to gather energy.
Tanking the Raged induced Fury Attack, Magmar easily grabbed Stinger by the arm and slammed him into the ground, stunning him and breaking him out of the frenzy he was in.
It was about to take Stinger down for good, but the distraction allowed for Parasect to finish focusing on Bide, now unleashing everything back at the Magmar who had no time to react, sending it flying back through a few walls, knocking it through several different rooms.
They waited with bated breath only to sigh in relief as Magmar didn't get back up, unconscious from the blow he just took.
Violet let the breath she was holding out, scared out of her mind from how intense that was.
What was Blaine thinking in letting that Pokemon be the test to get the key?!
Seeing her team relax despite being nearly unconscious, Violet returned them, ignoring how her Pokedex was beeping, showing that Stinger and Silk ended up learning a new move from the fight.
She'll look into them later once they're all healed up.
To Be Continued…
Party Data
Starter
Name: Stinger
Species: Beedrill
Type: Poison/Bug
Gender: Male
Nature: Naughty (Up Attack/Down Sp. Defense)
Characteristics: Capable of taking hits. (Up Defense)
Lv. 35
Caught at Lv. 3
Ability: Sniper
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, Harden, Fury Attack, Focus Energy, Twineedle, Rage, Rest, Pin Missile and Agility.
Became Violet's Starter in Chapter 01: The Phantom Pokemon.
Evolved into Kakuna and again into Beedrill in Chapter 03: Dangers of the Forest.
2nd Pokemon
Name: Silk
Species: Butterfree
Type: Bug/Flying
Gender: Female
Nature: Bold (Up Defense/Down Attack)
Characteristics: Thoroughly Cunning (Up Sp. Attack)
Lv. 34
Caught at Lv. 5
Ability: Compound Eyes
Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Harden, Confusion, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Supersonic, Whirlwind, Gust and Psybeam.
Joined the team in Chapter 03: Dangers of the Forest.
Evolved into Metapod in Chapter 03: Dangers of the Forest.
Evolved into Butterfree in Chapter 04: Rock Hard Determination.
3rd Pokemon
Name: Parasite
Species: Parasect
Type: Grass/Bug
Gender: Female
Nature: Naive (Up Speed/Down Sp. Defense)
Characteristics: Hates to Lose (Up Sp. Defense)
Lv. 34
Caught at Lv. 7
Ability: Dry Skin
Moves: Scratch, Stun Spore, Bide, Dig, Leech Life, Body Slam and Spore.
Special Move: Quicksand
Was captured in Chapter 06: Trials of Mt. Moon
Evolved in Chapter 12: A Surging Battle
Day Journey Started: April 4th, 20XX
Current Day: May 11th, 20XX
Time Spent as a Trainer: 1 Month
Green Oak's Team
1st Pokemon
Starter
Species: Eevee
Type: Normal
Gender: Male
Lv. 35
Caught at Lv. 5
Ability: Adaptability
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Growl, Quick Attack and Bite
2nd Pokemon
Species: Raticate
Type: Normal
Gender: Male
Lv. 34
Caught at Lv. 3
Ability: Guts
Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Hyper Fang, Bubblebeam, Focus Energy, Dig and Thunderbolt.
3rd Pokemon
Species: Pidgeotto
Type: Normal/Flying
Gender: Male
Lv. 34
Caught at Lv. 2
Ability: Keen Eye
Moves: Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Whirlwind and Wing Attack
4th Pokemon
Species: Kadabra *Stored*
Type: Psychic
Gender: Male
Lv. 27
Caught at Lv. 9
Ability: Magic Guard
Moves: Teleport, Thunder Wave, Mega Punch, Bide, Seismic Toss, Confusion, Kinesis, Disable and Psybeam
5th Pokemon
Species: Sandslash
Type: Ground
Gender: Female
Lv. 26
Caught at Lv. 13
Ability: Sand Veil
Moves: Scratch, Sand Attack, Dig and Slash
6th Pokemon
Species: Cloyster
Type: Water
Gender: Female
Lv. 24
Caught at Lv. 12
Ability: Shell Armor
Moves: Tackle, Withdraw, Supersonic and Blizzard
7th Pokemon
Species: Magikarp
Type: Water
Gender: Male
Lv. 17
Caught at Lv. 5
Ability: Swift Swim
Moves: Splash and Tackle
8th Pokemon
Species: Ditto *Stored*
Type: Normal
Gender: None
Lv. 30
Caught at Lv. 30
Ability: Limber
Moves: Transform
9th Pokemon
Species: Vulpix *Stored*
Type: Fire
Gender: Female
Lv. 32
Caught at Lv. 32
Ability: Drought
Moves: Ember, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Roar and Confuse Ray
Heh well this escalated quickly, who expected for me to update this quickly? After the long break I took from this story I felt the urge to continue it, especially since I finally finished up with the SS. Anne/Seafoam Island Arc. Now we're on Cinnabar Island and whether or not Violet gets the Volcano Badge for her fourth badge will remain to be seen.
Then you have the Magmar, note the Pokemon was holding back a bit given the difference in levels, it's a trial for trainers to get the key, if it didn't hold back Violet's team would be burnt to a crisp, but I think it shows how far Violet came with taking it down regardless.
Finally you have Blaine being shown as a mixture of all his counterparts, more on him will be shown in the next chapter and we have a lot going on in the background that will be expanded upon later like the capture of Zapdos, I plan to go back and have it shown either in a flashback or one of the one shots I have planned.
So let's get the reviews out of the way.
Pokemonking0924: Yea, they are bonding a little bit, I think it shows in this chapter where Green flat out gave her SolarBeam instead of keeping it for himself, mostly so she has a strong move to rely on if she needed to use it. Surge is in trouble but Giovanni still needs him and can't afford to lose his Executives at this stage. They have two of the Bird trio, making them even more of a threat. Oh yes Violet is definitely going to work on preparing for different weather conditions now. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too.
RonaldM40196867: Yes they are and I plan to have it maybe around forty given how much content is in it. I want to keep it below fifty though, but Idk.
Guppy72: Thank you and yes the Manga is a great help and what this story is based off of the most.
Zapking5: I can understand that and holy shit, that's terrifying to think about. Anyways I'm more basing them off the Manga version then the game. And don't worry while the birds are capturable the Legendaries such as the Creation Trio are uncatchable, controlled with the right items sure, but uncatchable.
Number13teen: I know what you mean, I kept coming back to this story, only typing maybe ten words at a time before groaning in frustration with that chapter. That was something that showed that I needed to take some time away from it. Now I'm back and feeling more motivated then ever to type this story. Figured this story could use some logic and you're right Violet is terrible at survival skills besides the basics, she has to have some weakness given the strengths she does have. Good thing she's a quick study. Same here, I know I would've froze my ass off immediately upon being there for a second. I was kind of stuck in how I wanted to handle Articuno because they're Legendary for a reason, but I didn't want to make them god-like, especially since the god-like ones don't show up until much later, so I wanted to have it handled carefully. Bid is such an underrated move, it has its strengths if played correctly, just need to think outside of the box for it. After some debate I decided to have the fire gym next, whether she wins or loses will be up for debate though. Yes it was Sabrina, I'm very excited to type her character as she's one of my favorite Gym Leaders. And no problem, I love Ash/Red as a character but there are too many stories about them when Pokemon you can create a number of characters and combinations depending on what team you use. But it's much easier to focus on typing them with a mono team because of the limited number you can use. Plus writing a female protagonist for Pokemon is pretty fun.