The twins got up the next morning. They quickly got dressed for the day and packed up for another day of adventuring. As they headed into the lobby, they saw Liz at the complimentary breakfast counter.
"Hey," Liz noticed the twins, greeting them.
"Morning!" Kristine greeted back. "Jason and I are heading back on the road towards Saint Brandon. Do you want to tag along with us?"
"I think I'll stay here for another day," Liz replied. "Knowing that I'm ahead of Amanda and Bran at this point, I can chill and train my pokemon up for the Tranquility Gym."
"Keeping one step ahead of the competition, huh?" Jason chuckled.
"I guess you can say that," Liz snickered. "But you two are my competition too. You're probably gonna go to Saint Brandon and get yourselves the Tranquility Badge inside five days, but I'm sure I'll be right behind ya."
"Okay," Kristine nodded. "Well, we'll be heading back out. I suppose we'll be seeing you again soon?"
"You bet," Liz replied. "I think I may want a shot at Jason the next time we meet."
"I look forward to it," Jason accepted the challenge.
"Anyways," Liz began to turn her attention back to the food. "I'm hungry. Later, guys!"
"Good luck!" Kristine waved.
The twins left the pokemon lodge and headed on the dirt path that would take them to the main road. There, they saw Julian and Amanda doing an inventory count before heading out.
"Hey, guys!" Kristine greeted as she approached the two. "What are you up to?"
"Hey, Kristine," Amanda smiled. "We're getting ready to head back to Fort Lexing. We've spent enough time here, and I think it's time to rechallenge Aria."
"That's cool," Jason replied. "Good luck!"
"Thanks," Julian added. "But there's one thing I like to do before we leave."
Julian had a big smirk on his face, and he pulled out a pokeball. "Jason, we have to battle."
Jason accepted the challenge. "It's on!"
"Does a standard three on three sound good?" Julian asked.
"Sure does!" Jason nodded.
The two took ten steps backward to simulate the battle floor.
"I guess we can be the refs!" Kristine said as she and Amanda stood at the edge of the center of the field.
"Okay, Jason!" Julian faced him. "You go first!"
Jason pulled out his first pokeball. "Okay then," he had the face of determination. "Let's go, Ralts!"
"Ralts!" Ralts bowed her head as she was summoned.
"Okay, Pancham, you're up!" Julian responded, sending out Pancham.
"Pancham!" the panda-like pokemon stood there with his arms crossed, smirking while chewing on his left on the corner of his mouth.
"Julian makes the first move!" Amanda said.
"Let the battle begin!" Kristine added.
"Pancham, use Work Up!" Julian commanded.
"Pancham!" Pancham flexed his muscles, keeping himself pumped up.
"Ralts, Magical Leaf!" Jason responded.
"Ralts!" Ralts used telekinesis to raise sharp leaves into the air and hurl them at Pancham.
"Dodge, Pancham!" Julian yelled.
Pancham jumped out of the way of Ralts' Magical Leaf.
"Charge Ralts and use Slash!" Julian followed up.
"Pancham!" Pancham ran at Ralts with his paws at the ready.
"Ralts, Confusion!" Jason issued.
"Ralts!" Ralts raised her hands. Pancham's eyes became purple, and he was tossed into the air. Ralts then slammed Pancham back down through telekinesis.
"Get in there with Comet Punch!" Julian continued the attack, seeing that Pancham was quick to get up.
"Ralts, Magical Leaf!" Jason responded.
"Ralts!" Ralts fired another barrage of leaves at Pancham.
"Punch through those leaves, Pancham!" Julian kept up the momentum.
Pancham used Comet Punch to repeatedly punch through the leaves, effectively fending off the attack.
"Close in with Karate Chop!" Julian followed up.
"Pancham!" Pancham jumped into the air and lunged at Ralts with an open fist.
"Double Team, quick!" Jason commanded.
Ralts projected multiple copies of herself. Pancham sliced through one of those copies just a second later.
"Comet Punch, let's go!" Julian yelled.
Pancham rapidly punched through Ralts' copies.
"Ralts, Confusion!" Jason issued.
Ralts revealed herself from behind Pancham, and once again, Pancham's eyes turned purple. He was tossed into the air before being slammed back to the ground through telekinesis. He struggled to get up, and he appeared to be dazed and confused.
"Pancham!" Julian yelled. "Snap out of it!"
"Fighting types are as a disadvantage to psychic types like Ralts," Jason smirked. "Ralts, let's finish this with Magical Leaf!"
"Ralts!" Ralts fired one more barrage of leaves at Pancham. The flurry of sharp leaves struck him as he stumbled backward and fell, unable to get up.
"Pancham is unable to battle!" Amanda declared.
"Ralts is the winner!" Kristine added.
"Ralts!" Ralts took an elegant bow.
"Good going, Ralts!" Jason commended.
"Return, Pancham!" Julian recalled him. "Ralts was a hard matchup for you. You did fine."
He then faced Jason. "Let's see how Ralts can handle this! Go, Pidgeotto!"
"Pidgeotto!" the bird Pokemon chirped as he was summoned.
"Pidgeotto, let's use Quick Attack!" Julian commanded.
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto took to the sky and charged at Ralts.
"Double Team!" Jason responded.
Ralts projected multiple copies of herself. Pidgeotto flew through one of them.
"Pidgeotto, use Twister!" Julian followed up.
Pidgeotto flapped his wings, projecting a horizontal twister that ripped right through Ralts' projections. The real Ralts just stood there, embracing the Twister.
"Ralts is just standing there like nothing's happening," Julian seemed puzzled.
Jason smirked. "Ralts is also a fairy type. Fairy types are immune to dragon-type moves, like Twister."
"Can't believe Twister is considered a dragon move," Julian muttered.
Pidgeotto's Twister soon dissipated.
"Ralts, use Magical Leaf!" Jason commanded.
Ralts fired another barrage of leaves.
"Use Gust to fend it off!" Julian responded.
Pidgeotto flapped his wings once more, this time projecting a vertical gust of wind that sucked up all the leaves.
"Confusion!" Jason followed up.
"Use Sand-Attack now!" Julian quickly issued.
Ralts began to wave her arms when Pidgeotto quickly swooped in and used his wings to kick up dirt, covering Ralt's entire body with dirt and sand.
This forced Ralts to lose her concentration.
"Good!" Julian acknowledged. "Now use Quick Attack!"
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto charged Ralts, striking her and sending her flying back.
Ralts was quick to get back up.
"Ralts, Heal Pulse!" Jason commanded.
"Ralts!" Ralts waved her hands as a light blue aura pulsated in front of her. Then, using telekinesis, she pulled the aura towards her, enveloping herself within. As a result, she was able to heal some of the damage done to her.
"Hmm…" Julian was pondering what to do. "I think I know the answer to Ralts," he said. "Return, Pidgeotto!"
Julian recalled Pidgeotto and sent out his third pokemon. "Come on out, Turtwig!"
"Turtwig!" the Grass-type Pokemon was ready to battle.
"Ralts, you're doing great so far!" Jason commended. "Do you want to continue?"
Ralts faced Jason and nodded.
"Okay, let's do this!" Jason acknowledged.
"Turtwig, Razor Leaf!" Julian commanded.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig used the leaf on his head to project razor-sharp leaves aimed at Ralts.
"Double Team!" Jason responded.
Ralts projected multiple copies of herself. Turtwig's Razor Leaf soon tore through those copies.
"Turtwig, Tackle!" Julian followed up.
Turtwig charged at Ralts.
"Confusion!" Jason issued.
Suddenly, Turtwig's eyes turned purple as he was flown into the air by Ralts' telekinesis. He then slammed back to the ground.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig hopped back up.
"Turtwig, Absorb!" Julian commanded.
Ralts suddenly fell on one knee as an orb of energy was sucked right out of her. It was absorbed right into Turtwig's leaf.
"Now Razor Leaf once more!" Julian commanded.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig hurled a barrage of leaves.
"Magical Leaf, Ralts!" Jason commanded.
The two projected barrages of leaves collided, but Turtwig's Razor Leaf broke through, powering through Magical Leaf and striking Ralts head-on.
"Ralts!" Ralts fell backward.
"Now, let's finish this with Bite!" Julian followed up.
Turtwig rushed at Ralts, biting her arm hard and tossing her across the field. She tumbled twice before falling flat on her stomach, unable to get up.
"Ralts is unable to battle!" Kristine declared.
"Turtwig is the winner!" Amanda added.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig cheered.
"Return, Ralts!" Jason recalled her. "You did excellent out there. You took on Julian's entire team all by yourself! Leave it to the rest of us."
"Your Ralts is quite powerful," Julian commended. "Just wait until she evolves."
Jason grinned. "I look forward to it." He then pulled out his second pokeball. "Go, Taillow!"
"Taillow!" Taillow chirped as he bounced forward.
"Return, Turtwig!" Julian responded. "Go, Pidgeotto!"
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto took to the sky as soon as he was summoned.
"Follow him, Taillow!" Jason commanded. "And use Quick Attack!"
"Taillow!" Taillow soared after Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" Julian responded.
Pidgeotto turned around and used his wings to project a gust of wind at Taillow.
"Dodge it!" Jason yelled.
Taillow steered out of the way of Pidgeotto's Gust.
"Now use Twister!" Julian followed up.
Pidgeotto projected a vortex that sucked Taillow right into its influence.
"Taillow, get out of there!" Jason yelled.
Taillow was unable to escape Twister.
"Now use Quick Attack to knock her out of the sky!" Julian commanded.
Pidgeotto soared into his own vortex and struck Taillow, sending her pummeling down to the ground below.
"Oh no!" Jason was concerned.
"Taillow…" Taillow was slow to get up, but she was dazed from Pidgeotto's Twister. Moreover, she was intimidated by Pidgeotto's presence above.
"Use Gust one more time!" Julian issued.
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto flapped his wings, enveloping Taillow into a gust of wind. She was tossed aside, struggling to stand back up.
"Now use Quick Attack!" Julian wanted to finish this.
Pidgeotto swooped in and struck Taillow, sending her flying back. She was unable to get up.
And it seemed that Julian had the upper hand all of a sudden.
"Taillow is unable to battle!" Kristine declared.
"Pidgeotto wins!" Amanda added.
"Good job, Pidgeotto!" Julian cheered.
He then faced Jason. "Now, let's see this comeback kid we've heard about the other day."
"Alright, then," Jason recalled Taillow. "You did your best out there."
He pulled out his final pokeball. "We're not going to lose, Jolteon!" he yelled. "Let's go!"
"Jolteon!" Jolteon charged at Pidgeotto.
"Thunder Shock!" Jason shouted.
"Jolt-eon!" Jolteon fired a bolt at Pidgeotto.
"Dodge it!" Julian yelled.
Pidgeotto was quick to dodge Thunder Shock, but he barely managed to do so.
"Swift! Knock him out the sky!" Jason commanded.
Jolteon fired a swift of stars aimed at Pidgeotto.
"Use Gust!" Julian responded.
Pidgeotto projected a gust of wind that diverted Jolteon's Swift, sending the stars left and right, passing right by him.
"Twister!" Julian yelled.
Pidgeotto projected another horizontal vortex.
"Quick attack! Now!" Jason commanded.
Jolteon ran right through the vortex at lightning-fast speed before the vortex was able to solidify into a threatening attack. He struck Pidgeotto head-on, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Thunder Shock!" Jason followed up.
Jolteon projected a bolt of electric energy at Pidgeotto, effectively shocking him. Pidgeotto smashed to the ground, and as the smoke cleared, it was obvious that he could not get up.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" Amanda declared.
"Jolteon is the winner!" Kristine added. "Good job, Jolteon!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked.
"Hey, I think we're getting the hang of this," Amanda mentioned.
"We make good referee partners," Kristine replied.
"Return, Pidgeotto!" Julian recalled him. "Excellent job!"
He faced Jason. "Okay. "I see why it's inadvisable to pin you against a wall because you're just going to throw more punches."
"Jolteon and I have plenty left in the tank!" Jason replied.
And Turtwig already took a hit, Julian thought. "Let's finish this, Turtwig!"
Julian threw out Turtwig's Pokeball.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig roared, ready to go.
"Turtwig, Razor Leaf, let's go!" Julian commanded.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig projected razor-sharp leaves at Jolteon.
"Let's use Swift!" Jason responded.
Jolteon fired a volley of stars, colliding with Razor Leaf head-on. Both moves canceled each other out as small explosions rippled throughout the middle of the field.
"Quick Attack!" Jason followed up.
Jolteon leaped forward and ran through the smoke. He emerged from it, catching Turtwig off guard. Jolteon struck him directly, sending Turtwig tumbling back before he managed to get up.
"Thunder Shock!" Jason issued.
"Dodge it!" Julian yelled.
Turtwig managed to avoid Jolteon's Thunder Shock.
"Rush in with Tackle!" Julian followed up.
"Turtwig!" Turtwig began his assault.
"Double Team!" Jason issued.
Jolteon projected multiple copies of himself. Seconds later, Turtwig ran through one of those copies.
"Quick attack!" Jason followed up.
Jolteon's Quick Attack blindsided Turtwig. He stumbled to the ground, struggling to get up.
"End this with Swift!" Jason ordered.
Jolteon fired one more volley of stars at Turtwig. He was unable to dodge them as he was struck over and over again by the exploding stars.
A cloud of smoke enveloped Turtwig. As it cleared, Turtwig was flat on his stomach, unable to get up.
"Turtwig is unable to battle!" Kristine declared.
"Jolteon is the winner!" Amanda added.
"Good job, Jolteon!" Kristine commended.
"Which means…" Amanda continued.
Both Amanda and Kristine then raised their hands towards Jason's side and announced at the same time, "Jason is the winner of today's match!"
"Jolteon!" Jolteon howled.
"Return, Turtwig!" Julian recalled him. "Good job, buddy."
"You too, Jolteon!" Jason recalled Jolteon. "Get some rest. You did great out there."
"Jolteon took out Pidgeotto and Turtwig without a scratch," Julian said. "And I thought I had the upper hand."
"It was a good battle," Jason maintained good sportsmanship. "I think you're ready for Aria."
"I hope so," Julian replied.
"We've gotten better since our battles with her," Amanda said. "We should definitely head back there for a rematch."
"You're right," Julian agreed. "We definitely have it this time."
He then faced Jason once more. "And I have you to thank."
"I guess I have you to thank, too," Amanda said to Kristine. "Both of you defeated Aria, and you showed us what it takes to beat her."
"Well, anytime," Kristine felt flattered.
"Until we meet again," Julian waved goodbye. "We'll be battling again, Jason!"
"I look forward to it," Jason spoke with determination.
"Well, it was great being a referee with you," Amanda faced Kristine. "It's time to head back to Fort Lexing."
"Good luck!" Kristine wished. "You'll get Aria this time; I know it!"
"Thanks," Amanda smiled. "We'll see each other again!"
"We will," Kristine nodded.
Julian and Amanda departed back on Route 104, heading southeast back to Fort Lexing.
"Well, shall we continue onto Saint Brandon?" Kristine asked.
"You bet," Jason affirmed.
The twins walked back onto the main road, but they headed northwest on Route 105 towards Saint Brandon. The route was surrounded by lush valleys and fields full of colorful flowers. They spotted the occasional flying pokemon soaring about, and the grass and bug types that resided in the fields did their best to remain concealed. Jason and Kristine saw other trainers out there, some practicing with their pokemon and others attempting to capture pokemon. This begged an important question to Jason.
"So, Kristine," Jason inquired. "Who's going to be your fourth pokemon?"
Kristine shrugged. "Whoever wants to join me, I guess," she simply replied. "Planning and reality are two completely different things."
"You're right," Jason agreed. "Taillow wasn't planned, neither was Ralts. Eevee's evolution was especially not planned."
"Don't forget, I persuaded Fletchling and Pikachu to come to join me," Kristine continued. "So my fourth Pokemon is anyone's guess."
The two continued down the quiet Serenity Pass. At night, they camped at a flat field. Then, after a nice, uneventful rest, the two conducted their morning training regimens before packing up and heading out.
"Another day in paradise," Jason mentioned.
Kristine chuckled. "Feels like that, huh?"
"How long until Saint Brandon?" Jason asked.
Kristine pulled out the handbook and flipped the pages until she found the local map.
"Looks like we're two days away," Kristine answered. "Nothing out of the ordinary, except for Darklight Cave, which is a bit off the path. It's full of zubat and geodude."
"That's where Dad caught Geodude," Jason recollected.
"Yeah," Kristine nodded. "But there's a bunch of zubat in there. They give me the creeps."
"Come on now," Jason chuckled. "Zubat's not all that bad."
Further down the road, the two encountered two people, a man and woman, standing there gazing over in the distance to the twins' left. They wore olive-green uniforms, and they appeared to be wondering what to do.
The twins began to walk by the two as the woman turned to face them.
"Oh, hi!" the woman greeted. She had short, wavy brunette hair. "I just need a moment of your time."
"Uh, yeah, sure," Kristine stopped and faced the woman.
"Hi there," the man turned to face them. "Name's Steve."
"And my name's Diane," Diane added. "Pleasure. We're pokemon rangers employed by Team Tranquility, who is responsible for monitoring the ecosystem in this area. I'm afraid we have a situation in our hands, and you're trainers, by the way, aren't you?"
"Sure are," Jason replied. "Do you need any help?"
"We've been attempting to rescue an injured machop since dawn," Steve explained. "It appeared to injure its leg from a fall. Fighting pokemon tend to train themselves beyond their absolute limit, and we fear they may have suffered a broken leg or a torn ligament. When we approached Machop to offer aid, it became wary of us and saw us as threats, thus retreating down this path towards Darklight Cave."
"Darklight Cave is known to host a massive Zubat roost," Diane added. "Machop's presence alone can greatly disturb the roost and send the Zubat on a frenzy. Unfortunately, we don't have the pokemon to go in there and rescue Machop while ensuring the security of the Zubat roost."
"Wait," Kristine was puzzled. "I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I thought pokemon rangers have pokemon as their partners?"
"You're technically correct," Steve nodded. "Diane and I each have flying Pokemon that act as scouts for us. But we're not the conventional rangers. Our job is to aid travelers and pokemon alike by providing medical assistance and surveying the ecosystem in this area. It is our oath to maintain the balance of wildlife, which is why the machop retreating to Darklight Cave puts us in a sticky situation."
"So you want us to go in there and retrieve this machop?" Jason asked.
"You're both adventurers," Diane replied. "We will never ask you to put yourselves in harm's way, but if we go in there, not only would we endanger ourselves, our pokemon are not fit to encounter a swarm of zubat."
"How bad of a shape is that machop in?" Kristine asked.
"We think it could be serious," Diane answered.
"If the zubat become angry, they could kill machop," Steve added.
"If the zubat would actually kill a pokemon, why should we risk our lives and our pokemon?" Jason crossed his arms.
"Jason," Kristine faced him. "I think we should go in there and rescue machop. It just seems the right thing to do."
"You won't go in alone," Diane replied. "We will go in with you, and we are equipped with repellent to drive off the zubat. We just need capable pokemon to fend off attacks if the zubat choose to be aggressive."
"Well, I got three pokemon," Kristine mentioned.
"And I got three capable pokemon," Jason added.
"Should be more than enough to get to machop," Diane said.
"Keep your pokemon inside for now," Steve suggested. "Once we get to Machop, leave him to us to patch him up, then we'll get him out of there."
"I'll have Justin reward you both," Diane added.
"I think we'll just settle for a gym battle with him," Jason replied.
"That can be arranged," Steve nodded.
"Once we get inside, point your flashlights only forwards," Diane cautioned. "And make sure to stay close to us."
"Gotcha," Kristine nodded.
"Thank you so much for helping us," Steve said. "What are your names?"
"I'm Kristine Kyar," Kristine replied. "And this is my brother Jason."
"Ah, so you're siblings?" Diane seemed intrigued.
"Yep," Jason nodded. "Twins, as a matter of fact."
The four started to move on the path towards the cavern.
"Jason and Kristine," Steve continued. "How long have you been trainers?"
Kristine shrugged. "About a month, I think."
"So you're relatively new," Diane noted.
"It honestly feels like we've been doing this for a while now," Jason added. "It feels like it's been much longer than a month."
"How many badges do you have?" Steve asked.
"One," Kristine replied. "We both challenged Aria in Fort Lexing, and we both won."
"Very nice," Diane replied. "Once you get to Saint Brandon, Justin would be more than happy to challenge both of you once he hears about your efforts. Just don't expect him to go easy on you."
"We won't," Jason chuckled. "Aria sure didn't go easy on us, and she was just our first gym battle."
"Aria is a good woman," Diane added. "She works with us all the time to help create a better world for humans and pokemon to coexist."
The four continued down a dirt path. Then, they proceeded cautiously as the road sloped down right into the mouth of the nearby cave.
"This is Darklight Cave," Steve said. "Get your flashlights out."
Jason and Kristine pulled their flashlights out.
Diane pulled out a bottle containing the zubat repellant and sprayed a barrier around the entire group.
"Don't venture off too far," Diane warned. "As long as we stick together, the repellant will take effect."
The four walked into the cave; already, they could hear the screeches of multiple zubat.
"Careful of the geodude in here as well," Steve cautioned. "They'll be hiding here, and they may disguise themselves as rocks."
"Noted," Kristine replied.
The four proceeded onwards with their flashlights pointing straight ahead.
"Geodude," they heard a voice on their right.
Jason instinctively pointed his flashlight to his right. The geodude that he shined the light on covered its face as it rolled away.
"Keep it forward," Diane politely reminded. "We don't want the pokemon to think we're threatening them."
"Yeah, sorry," Jason nodded and kept his flashlight forward.
The four walked down towards the depth of the cavern, where the light from above became dim. They came across a fork leading left and right.
"Keep them straight," Steve instructed.
"We need to figure out which direction," Diane said.
"How about we split up?" Kristine asked.
Steve shook his head. "Too dangerous. We need to stick together."
The four heard screeches of several zubat on their left, followed by grunting from another pokemon.
"Machop must be in that direction," Diane assumed. "Everyone point their flashlights left on one, two, three!"
The four shifted their flashlights left at the same time.
"Okay, let's go!" Steve said.
The four continued left down the tunnel.
"Let's pick it up!" Diane suggested as the noise became louder. It sounded as if the zubat were attacking something.
The four crossed a smaller path taking them left, where the noise was coming from. They followed the path as it curved around, and as they turned the corner, they encountered six zubat swarming Machop.
"Machop!" Machop grunted. With a chop of his hand, he swatted one Zubat away.
"Zubat!" the others screeched and began attacking Machop.
"Ralts, let's go!" Jason summoned Ralts in a quick attempt to free Machop. "Use Magical Leaf!"
"Ralts!" Ralts jumped out and began to project leaves through psychic energy. She then hurled them at the zubat.
The zubat were being knocked out of the air one by one. Realizing they were being attacked, they all retreated by flying over Ralts, Jason, Kristine, Steve, and Diane and back out to the main tunnel.
"Machop!" Machop backed away with his fists at the ready, wary of the strangers approaching him.
"Machop, we're here to help you!" Diane attempted to persuade the Pokemon.
Jason pulled out his pokedex in hopes of finding any information that would help their situation.
"Machop, the superpower pokemon," the pokedex explained. "Machop are prideful as they are independent. Some machop go on their own adventures to learn various fighting styles and techniques. Their strength is unparalleled, given their height."
"I think he might just fear outside help because he thinks it makes him weak," Jason said.
"Machop, don't be afraid," Steve spoke softly. "We only want to cure your leg and make you better."
"Machop!" Machop had none of it, and he stepped backward, displaying a severe limp in his step.
Kristine saw the pokemon was suffering from the pain that he endured, and he was scared to be confronted by strangers. So she decided to take matters into her own hands and approached Machop. She squatted on her knees and got to eye level with the Pokemon.
"Hi, there!" she spoke sweetly to him. "My name is Kristine." She pointed to Jason. "This is my twin brother Jason," she then pointed to Steve and Diane. "And these are my new friends Steve and Diane. Were you training hard this morning?"
Machop looked at Kristine and gave a nervous nod.
"I thought so," Kristine smiled. "Is that how you hurt your leg?"
"Machop…" Machop nodded in shame.
"It's okay!" Kristine continued. "These things happen. Let me tell you a story."
Machop simply nodded.
"Once upon a time, my brother and I were traveling up a hill," Kristine continued. "We were on our bikes, and long story short, we got into an argument, and I rode off, leaving him behind. I was so mad at him that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. So I ended up falling right down the hill. My bike was totaled, and I just rolled and rolled to the bottom. I banged up my foot and my ribs real bad, and I needed someone to help me. Do you know who helped me?"
"Machop…?" Machop shrugged.
Kristine pointed at Jason. "He helped me. He saw that I needed help, and it didn't matter that we argued a few minutes before. He came running down the hill, putting himself at risk so that he could get to me. He then picked me up, climbed back up the hill by himself, and carried me to the nearest pokemon center."
Machop faced Jason, beginning to realize that accepting help might not be such a bad thing. He looked back at Kristine.
"Without Jason's help, I would have been in serious trouble," Kristine continued. "It's okay to accept help when you truly need it. There's nothing weak about it. I'm a competent person myself, and I have pokemon who are loyal to me, and I'm loyal to them as well. Heck, we just went into this zubat cave to rescue you, and I'm afraid of zubat. That shows some bravery, doesn't it?"
Machop attempted to stand tall. "Machop!" he spoke confidently.
"Would it be okay if we carried you out?" Kristine asked.
Machop pointed at Kristine. "Machop."
"Would it be okay if I carried you out?" Kristine rephrased.
Machop simply nodded.
Steve and Diane approached Machop. He backed up once more.
"These two are pokemon rangers," Kristine spoke softly. "Please, let them help you. I'll make sure they won't harm you."
"Machop…" Machop looked at Kristine. He began to trust her.
Diane kneeled to Machop. She pulled out some wrappings. "Let me wrap your leg up nice and tight," she said.
Machop stood there as Diane wrapped his leg.
"There," Steve smiled. "That should be better."
Just then, the group heard a loud swarm of zubat screeches coming their way.
"Those zubat must've brought their entire swarm," Jason said. "I'll go deal with them!"
He ran around the corner, bringing out Taillow and Jolteon in the process.
Machop limped to Kristine's back and grabbed hold of her shoulders.
"We need to exit here, and fast!" Diane said.
"Right," Kristine nodded and boosted herself up with Machop on her back. "Let's get out of here!"
Kristine, Steve, and Diane ran out where Jason was. He and his pokemon faced left to see an incoming swarm of zubat.
Kristine threw out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Pikachu!" she yelled.
"Pika!" Pikachu ran forward to the front line, holding down a defense against the incoming zubat.
"I want all of you to run to the entrance!" Jason yelled at the others. "I have a plan."
"Then let Espeon and Fletchinder help you out!" Kristine replied as she summoned the two Pokemon.
"Espeon!" Espeon greeted.
"Fletchinder!" Fletchinder chirped.
"Get Machop out of here, sis," Jason asked. "I got this."
"I know you do, but be safe anyways!" Kristine replied before running off.
"Okay, everyone, we will fire off a move one by one," Jason instructed. "I will call the shots. Once you make your move, retreat out of the cave. Got it?"
All six Pokemon shouted their respective names in compliance.
"Good! Here they come!" Jason acknowledged.
The zubat swarm closed in on the gang. There had to be dozens of them.
"Ralts, Magical Leaf!" Jason yelled.
"Ralts!" Ralts projected sharp leaves at the swarm. Many zubat dodged the attack, as others were struck. Nonetheless, this delayed the swarm.
Ralts then began to run back towards the surface.
"Fletchinder, Ember!" Jason continued. "Taillow, Supersonic!"
Fletchinder spat out a ball of flame, striking one Zubat head-on and forcing several others to dodge it. Taillow's Supersonic sent several more in a daze, knocking them out of the sky. The two pokemon then flew to safety.
"Okay, here we go," Jason felt the pressure mounting. The zubat swarm was slowed down, but they continued to advance nonetheless.
"Jolteon, I want you to stay with me, but use Swift!" he commanded. "Espeon, you use Swift, but you get out of here! Pikachu, fire Electroball and do the same!"
The three Pokemon complied and fired everything they had. The double volley of stars and the Electroball smashed into the Zubat swarm head-on. The two Swifts alone struck many, while the Electroball rolled right through many more. As small explosions dotted the distance before Jason and the pokemon, smoke began to cover the area.
Pikachu and Espeon began their retreat.
"Okay, Jolteon," Jason said. "Me and you are getting out of here. Stay with me and use Thunder Shock on anything that gets close to us!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon nodded.
Jason and Jolteon ran back towards the fork and made a right up the slope. Just then, a few zubat managed to catch up to them, intending to inflict harm.
"Jolt!" Jolteon fired Thunder Shock at one of the zubat, knocking it out of the air.
Jason kept running up the slope. With two more zubat right after him, Jolteon turned around to face the zubat.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon fired another Thunder Shock, zapping the zubat from the air. He then ran back up to catch up to Jason.
Jason saw the light shine down on him. He ran right towards it, with Jolteon at his side. With no more zubat chasing them, they had a clear path to the exit.
Jason and Jolteon ran out of the cave, with Kristine, Steve, Diane, and all of the twins' Pokemon waiting.
"We're all good," Jason caught his breath.
"That was one heck of a plan," Kristine patted Jason on his shoulder.
"I knew our pokemon could hold them off," Jason replied.
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked.
Kristine pulled out her pokeballs. "Good job everyone, now return!" she recalled them.
"You too, guys!" Jason recalled his pokemon. "Thank you."
Diane kneeled towards Machop once more. "Let me feel your leg now that we're safe," she spoke.
Diane felt around Machop's leg and detected the strained areas around his leg.
"It feels like he has a severe sprain," Diane continued. "But he needs to go to the pokemon center in Saint Brandon to verify the injury."
"It could've been a lot worse," Steve smiled. "I think he'll be just fine."
"Right," Diane said. "But we'll have to cut our routine short and head back to Saint Brandon."
"Machop!" Machop limped over to Kristine. He reached for her belt to pull out an empty Pokeball. He then flipped the pokeball over for the front to face him before handing it back to Kristine, extending his arm.
"You…you want to come along with me?" Kristine asked.
"Machop," Machop nodded.
"Machop must respect you so much that he wants to travel with you," Steve noted. "Amazing!"
Kristine took the pokeball and kept it pointed at Machop. Machop then kneeled before Kristine.
"Machop Machop!" Machop swore.
Kristine squatted at eye level with Machop. "Stand back up," she smiled.
Machop complied and stood up.
"I'm going to be traveling all over Inventum," Kristine continued. "We'll be going on all kinds of adventures, and we're competing in the Inventum League, which means we will see tons of battles. Once you get better, you'd be fighting those battles too. Does that interest you?"
"Machop!" Machop nodded with confidence.
"Then I welcome you to the team, Machop!" Kristine smiled. "We're going to have a lot of fun together."
"Machop!" Machop saluted.
"Now get some rest," Kristine tapped him with an empty pokeball, thus bringing him inside it. He became bound to it with no resistance.
"Do you think you can have Machop taken care of at Saint Brandon?" Diane asked.
"Sure can!" Kristine assured her. "He's my responsibility, now."
"Thank you so much for everything!" Steve showed his gratitude. "We'll continue our rotation. I wish you the best of luck on your journey."
"You've done a great thing today," Diane smiled. "You're both going to be great trainers."
"Thank you," Kristine nodded.
"We'll let Justin know how much you went out of your way to save Machop," Jason added.
"Take care, both of you," Steve waved goodbye.
Jason and Kristine exchanged farewells with Steve and Diane as they departed back on the road towards Saint Brandon. With a clear path towards the city, the battle for the Tranquility Badge just seems around the corner…
Progress at the end of chapter:
Jason:
Jolteon - Thunder Shock, Double Team, Headbutt, Swift. Special Ability: Volt Absorb
Taillow - Wing Attack, Quick Attack, Supersonic, Peck. Special Ability: Guts
Ralts - Confusion, Magical Leaf, Disarming Voice, Heal Pulse. Special Ability: Synchronize
Magikarp - Splash. Special Ability: Swift Swim
Kristine:
Espeon - Confusion, Calm Mind, Swift, Quick Attack. Special Ability: Magic Bounce
Fletchinder - Wing Attack, Ember, Agility, Quick Attack. Special Ability: Gale Wings
Pikachu - Thunder Shock, Electro Ball, Quick Attack, Double Team. Special Ability: Static
Machop - Low Kick, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Leer. Special Ability: Guts
