Author's Note: This chapter gets somewhat graphic with depictions of Zero's illness. If you're uncomfortable with descriptions of vomiting, reader discretion is highly advised.

...

Chapter 4: Fight at the Museum

"Are you going to come with me to watch my rematch against Brock?" Mark asked Zero. It was later in the day now, about mid-afternoon, and the two boys had just gone to a café to eat lunch. Mark had developed a new strategy during the meal, and he felt ready for his second battle against the Gym Leader.

"No, I don't think so," Zero said.

Mark's happy smile turned into a disappointed frown. "Aww, why not?"

"I'm going to check out the Pewter City Museum," Zero explained. "If I finish up there early I'll see if I can catch whatever remains of your match."

"Well, you'll be missing out! You won't be able to see my secret weapon in action!"

"Oho, and what would that be?"

Mark took one of the Poké Balls off of his belt and waved it in front of Zero's face. "This," he said simply, releasing the creature from its capsule. Out popped a golden-yellow cocoon Pokémon with a stern, almost angry look in its eyes. Zero recognized it as a Kakuna.

"Honey evolved?" Zero asked, reaching out to touch the Kakuna. It emitted a sharp hissing sound and lunged toward Zero, who yelped and reared back.

"Indeed she did!" Mark exclaimed proudly. "Turns out our PokéDexes have an experience share feature, and she gained enough experience from Falcon defeating Brock's Geodude that she evolved into a Kakuna! With Harden, she'll hopefully be able to raise her defense high enough to stall out Geodude with poison, and then Tulip can come in and defeat the Onix! It's ingenious!"

"That might actually work," Zero said, nodding. "The Geodude didn't seem to have any Rock-type moves to hit your Pidgey with, so if you use Poison Sting enough times you might just be able to poison it. And using Harden enough times will let you withstand its Tackle attacks!"

"Exactly my thought process!" Mark said. "Well then, I'd better get going before the Gym closes."

"And I'm going to go before the museum closes," Zero said. "See you later, Mark! Good luck!"

"Thanks, man! I'll definitely win this time!"

The two friends fist-bumped and prepared to leave the café. Mark rushed out the door, excited to re-battle Brock, but Zero stayed back for a few moments. He left a twenty-Poké note on the table as a tip for the waitress, then left for the museum.

.

"Brock!" Mark shouted, slamming the Gym doors open once again. "I'm ready for a rematch! Let's do this thing!"

"I knew you'd be back," Brock said calmly. He stepped down from his pedestal again and walked over to Mark. The two shook hands again. "So, you think you can beat me this time?"

"I know I can," Mark replied confidently.

"Well then. I wish you the best of luck." Brock smiled and went back over to his side of the battlefield.

The referee stood on the sidelines and held up his flags once more. "The rematch between Brock of Pewter City and Mark of Littleroot Town will now begin! Both Trainers may use two Pokémon each! Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"

"Alright, Geodude! Go!" Brock said, releasing the muscly Rock type again.

"Predictable," Mark muttered, his confidence rising. "Alright, secret weapon! Do your thing!" he yelled as he sent out Honey the Kakuna.

Brock burst out laughing. "First a Flying type, and now a Bug type? How's a Kakuna your secret weapon?" he taunted.

Mark smirked. "You'll see, Brock. Just watch."

"Battle, begin!" the referee declared, waving both flags downward. It was time.

"Geodude, use Tackle!" Brock commanded. Geodude responded immediately, launching itself forward to ram into Honey.

"Honey, use Harden!" Mark said, responding to his opponent's movements. Honey hardened her shell, raising her defense. It shined in the fluorescent lighting of the Gym.

The Tackle attack hit Honey head on. She hissed loudly in pain as it hit her, but the Harden definitely softened the blow. She stood up taller than she had before, bracing herself for another attack.

"Keep using Harden, Honey! Maximize that defense!" Mark cheered on. The Kakuna obeyed, continually hardening her exoskeleton. Brock had his Geodude keep attacking with Tackle, but each attack got weaker and weaker as Honey raised her defense higher and higher.

"So this is a secret weapon," Brock mused. "Good strategy!"

"Thanks!" Mark replied. "You haven't seen the last of it, though! Honey, use Poison Sting!"

"Tackle, Geodude!"

Honey dodged the Tackle attack from the Geodude and sent a poisonous barb straight at it. It let out a low grumble as it was hit. The attack didn't seem to do much—after all, Poison Sting wasn't a powerful move to begin with, and Kakuna's attack power was quite pitiful—but Geodude looked to be almost ill after taking the blow. Mark's strategy had succeeded—Honey had poisoned the Geodude!

"Alright, Honey! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mark cheered. Honey turned toward her Trainer and hissed happily, celebrating the praise she received from him. "Now we just have to win this, girl! Use Tackle!"

Tackle wasn't very effective against Geodude, as it was a Rock type, but it got some good chip damage in. The poison whittled it down further, and just as Mark said he would, he was able to use the poison to stall it out. Soon, Geodude had fallen to the ground, knocked out.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" the referee called out as Brock returned his fallen Pokémon to its Poké Ball.

"I'm impressed," Brock commended. "But can your Kakuna withstand my Onix's Rock Tomb?"

"We'll just have to see," Mark replied.

.

The Pewter Museum of Science—a place Zero hadn't visited since he was a child. He and his father used to go to the museum all the time when Zero was younger, but as of late, Blaine had been too busy with Gym challengers to spend time there with his son. Zero didn't mind, though; he knew how important the Gym was to Blaine. He was ecstatic to be back, and he was curious to see if there were any new exhibits.

"Hello, young man!" the curator said cheerfully as Zero entered through the automatic doors. "If you're here to explore the museum, that'll be fifty Poké."

"Alright," Zero said. He fumbled around in his bag for a moment and pulled out five ten-Poké bills, then handed them to the curator.

The curator nodded. "Enjoy your visit!" He then studied Zero closer and gasped. "Hold on, you're Blaine's boy, correct?"

"Uh, yeah, I am," Zero replied, alarmed that the curator remembered him. "My name's Zero."

"Ah, that's right," the curator said. "I remember you now. We have a lot of new exhibits you might enjoy. It's been a while since you came here. Where's your father?"

"He's at his Gym on Cinnabar Island. I'm out on my own. I just got my own Pokémon several days ago."

"How nice! Have you challenged the Pewter Gym? Y'know, following in your old man's footsteps?"

"Uh…" Zero was hesitant to let it out that he wasn't interested in the Gym Challenge. "No, I haven't gotten around to it yet," he fibbed.

"Rock types are a challenge for a Fire-type Trainer," the curator said, smiling. "I'm sure you'll figure out a strategy."

"W-well… I'm not a Fire-type Trainer…"

"But surely you are! Your father is!"

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna train them too…"

The curator saw that Zero was obviously uncomfortable and decided not to push the boy further. "Alright then," he said. "Enjoy the museum, Zero."

"Thanks."

Zero hurried away from the chatty curator as fast as he possibly could without it seeming rude. When he was sure he was out of eyeshot and earshot, he slumped against the wall and sighed. He felt nauseous again. It might just have been his social anxiety acting up, though, and not his more serious condition, so he disregarded the gurgling sensation in his stomach and started walking around the museum, taking in all of the exhibits.

Fossils were everywhere, sealed in glass cases and all with their own detailed descriptions of the ancient Pokémon they came from. Claw fossils from Anorith, a fossil native to Hoenn. A spiral-shaped fossil belonging to Kanto's Omanyte. An old amber housing DNA from an Aerodactyl, and four fossils from the Galar region. Zero made sure to read all of the blurbs on the plaques in front of the glass cases. Fossils were fascinating.

At the far end of the museum was a new exhibit that Zero was sure he'd never seen before: a room of full ancient Pokémon skeletons! Now this he had to see. There was no extra fee to get into the new exhibit, so he ran to the line as fast as he could so it wouldn't fill up before he had the chance to see it.

After a good ten minutes or so of waiting in line, Zero was in the room with the skeletons. There were only two in there, and for a good reason—they were huge.

A sudden realization—and a sudden sharp pain in Zero's stomach—then came.

Zero did know what these skeletons were. Well, at least one of them.

The skeleton on the left side of the exhibit was a Kabutops skeleton.

The same skeleton Zero had become in the dream he had the night before.

The sick feeling in Zero's stomach traveled up his esophagus. Before he could react appropriately, vomit trickled down his front. He was sweating profusely. He could tell all eyes in the room were now on him rather than the skeletons, and he dashed out before he made even more of a scene. He made a beeline for the men's room, which was close… so close…

...Zero bumped into someone and they both came crashing to the ground. "Hey, watch it, kid!" said the man he had run into.

"S-sorry…" he replied hoarsely. He could barely stand up now. He wiped the vomit from his mouth and used the wall for balance as he got up.

He now had a better look at the man he had bumped into, but he was still too delirious to make him out fully. He was tall and slender, in a black uniform with a sort of strange, red symbol emblazoned on it. Zero's vision was so blurry from the sudden attack from his illness that he couldn't exactly see what the symbol was. The man also had a hat on, and underneath it was bright turquoise hair.

"You'd better be sorry," the man said snarkily. "Next time that happens, you're in for a thrashing." He then huffed and sauntered away.

Zero stood still for a moment, stunned at the sudden interaction. He then remembered that he was covered in vomit. Oh, right, he thought. I've gotta get to the restroom and clean myself up.

Luckily the restroom wasn't too much farther away, and he managed to get there without blacking out. He splashed some water on his face, clearing out his eyesight, then took a large swig of water from the bottle in his bag. He then took a wad of wet paper towels and started wiping the vomit from his shirt. Gross… he thought.

To Zero, it was more the embarrassment of having an attack in public than actually dealing with it that was more important. "Why did it have to happen here…" Zero mused aloud. "And those skeletons… specifically the Kabutops… why did I turn into a Kabutops skeleton in my dream last night?" He knew he didn't have an answer to any of these questions. He wanted to forget about the whole thing, but it lingered in the back of his mind as he finished cleaning himself up.

Once he was satisfied, he flushed the vomit-covered paper towels down one of the toilets and exited the restroom, acting like nothing happened just in case anyone asked. He still smelled faintly of it, but he paid no attention to it. Welp, he thought, sighing. Looks like I know which exhibit I'm never going back to.

An explosion then sounded in the distance, coming from the back of the museum near where the skeleton exhibit was. "For the love of Arceus…" Zero grumbled. He ran over to see what the commotion was.

A group of five or so people, all in the same black uniforms Zero recognized as the same uniform the man from earlier was wearing, were all coughing and fanning smoke from out of their faces. In their hands were bones from the skeletons and various fossils they had taken from their glass cases. Other museum patrons were gathered around, curious as to what these weirdos were doing here.

"Ah, dammit," the group's leader, the guy Zero had run into, cursed. "Our cover's blown. Let's split, gang!"

"Not so fast!" the curator yelled, startling the group of thugs. "Those fossils belong to the museum, not to you!"

"Oh yeah, old man? And what are you gonna do about it if we steal them?" one of the girls in the group sneered, a cocky smirk across her face.

"I'll call the police! I'll have you all arrested!"

"Aww, oh no, the police!" the leader taunted, grinning. "We're so scared!"

"G-good! You'd b-better be!" the curator replied. He was shaking and holding a Poké Ball, his thumb poised over the white button in the center.

The group's leader noticed this and took out his own Poké Ball, and the rest of his team followed suit. "So it's a Pokémon battle you want?" he said. "So be it! You'll regret the day you messed with Rocket Executive Proton! Zubat, go!"

The man—Proton, from what Zero gathered—sent out a small, blue, bat-like creature with no eyes and purple on the undersides of its wings and the insides of its ears. It let out a screech and perched itself on Proton's shoulder. Proton's lackeys sent out their own Pokémon as well—a couple of Rattata and Grimer.

"G-go, Omanyte!" the curator said, releasing the Pokémon from the Poké Ball he was holding. Out popped a blue creature with tentacles, protected by a spiral shell—the same Pokémon that the Helix Fossil had come from.

He snapped out of his trance. He needed to help out. "I'll fight too!" Zero cried, standing alongside the curator. "Go, Braze!"

The Charmander squeaked happily as he was released from his Ball. He then noticed the swarm of unusual Pokémon in front of him and let out another squeak, this time being one of fear. "Don't worry, buddy," Zero said, trying to reassure his partner. "It'll be fine. We can beat these chumps."

"Who are you calling chumps?" Proton sneered. He then got a better look at who was facing him and jumped, startled. "Hold on… you're that kid who ran into me earlier!"

"That's right," Zero said. He was gaining more confidence with each passing moment. "And you said that next time we saw each other, you'd give me a thrashing, right? Well, I've brought the fight to you, man. Let's do it!"

"Thanks for your help, Zero…" the old curator said, smiling.

"No problem," Zero replied. "Now let's beat this guy!"

.

"Alright, Onix! Show us what you've got!" Brock said, releasing his Onix from its Poké Ball. Mark braced himself. He was ready. The Onix let out its signature roar as it loomed over Honey. The Kakuna didn't flinch, however. She stood proudly, her hardened shell glimmering.

"Can you handle the Onix long enough to stall it out for a bit, Honey?" Mark asked. Honey turned to him as much as her stiff body was able to and nodded curtly, falling on her face because she could barely move.

Brock chuckled as the Kakuna picked herself back up. "That Kakuna being unable to move freely might just be another advantage for us," he said. "Shall we, then?"

"We shall," Mark replied as the referee signaled for the battle to continue. "Alright, Honey! Use Poison Sting continuously! Try to poison the Onix!"

"Don't let it hit you, Onix!" Brock responded. "Use Rock Tomb!"

Honey sent more poisonous barbs toward the Onix, who started hurling rocks at her. This isn't good… Mark thought, clenching his teeth. Honey can't move freely, especially after hardening her shell so much. She may be able to withstand a couple of hits, but she won't be able to dodge if need be. The Onix dodged all of the barbs easily, but Honey wasn't so lucky. She soon became trapped within a wall of rocks.

"Honey!" Mark called, but there was no answer from within the rocks, not even a slight hiss. Tears welled up in Mark's eyes. Was his Pokémon okay? He couldn't tell.

Then, Mark and Brock saw something glowing from between the cracks in Honey's rocky prison. The rocks then crumbled as the glowing mass broke out and… flew? Mark couldn't exactly see what was inside of the glowing sphere that had suddenly appeared in front of him and his opponent, but he had an idea. His suspicions were confirmed when the light faded, revealing a bee-like creature hovering in the air.

Honey had evolved again!

"Great job, Honey!" Mark said. Honey turned to him and buzzed happily. "Do you think you can finish off the Onix?"

"Hmph, you think a Beedrill can beat my Onix?" Brock said, smirking. "How amusing. Let's see what you can do! Onix, use Rock Tomb!"

"Honey, Twineedle!" Mark said.

Honey was much faster than the Onix now that she had abandoned her tough outer shell, but she also still had the defense boosts that came with Harden. A few more rocks hit her, but more missed. The drills at the end of Honey's arms glowed as she prepared her Twineedle attack, and she jabbed twice at the Onix. It growled in pain as it was knocked back.

"Hold on," Mark mused. "That did a lot more damage than I thought it would… could this be…" He checked his PokéDex entry for Beedrill. He was right—this was Beedrill's Swarm ability! No wonder Twineedle did so much damage to the Onix! The Onix also seemed quite woozy after the hit: poison.

"You just keep getting luckier and luckier," Brock said. "But my Onix won't be so easily defeated! Use Rock Tomb again, Onix!"

Now that Mark knew Honey was in a pinch health-wise, he knew that she would have to be careful not to get hit by any more of those rocks, or she was done for. "Come on, Honey! Dodge them and use Twineedle again! You've got this!"

Honey prepared another Twineedle attack, but she wasn't fast enough to dodge the rocks this time. She hissed in pain, squeezing her shiny red eyes shut as she was knocked back by the large boulder. She slammed into the wall behind Mark and fell to the ground, fainted.

"Beedrill is unable to battle!" the referee shouted, holding up a flag. "Challenger Mark, send out your next Pokémon!"

Mark detached Tulip's Poké Ball from his utility belt, his finger hovering over the white button in the middle. However, before he could send her out, there was a large crash as something large fell to the ground.

It was the Onix. The poison had taken it out.

Mark stood there, incredulous at what had just happened. He had… won? With only a Beedrill? Well, a Kakuna that had evolved into a Beedrill, but a bug Pokémon nonetheless.

"Onix is unable to battle! The winner is Mark of Littleroot Town!" the referee called, setting Mark's victory in stone.

He couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, Honey was down for the count and therefore could not celebrate the victory immediately, but Mark knew that once she had recovered from her injuries she would be extremely pleased with the battle's outcome. Brock chuckled and strode over to Mark. Something glimmered in his hand: a badge. He handed the little pin to Mark, who clipped it to the backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Mark," Brock said, grinning. "That was some battle. I've never seen a Kakuna evolve mid-battle before and take down my Onix like that! Astounding!"

"Th-thank you, Brock," Mark sputtered. He was too excited to form a more proper thank-you.

Brock could tell. "This is the Boulder Badge," he said. "It allows the move Flash to be used outside of battle, and it'll raise you're Pokémons' attack power." He paused, smiling. "Good luck on the rest of your journey. And tell Zero hi for me!"

"I will! Thanks for battling with me, Brock!"

"Of course. If you ever want another rematch, just let me know."

Mark chuckled. "Sure thing."

.

"Zubat, use Supersonic!" Proton commanded. The Zubat detached itself from its Trainer's shoulder and flew toward Braze, sending soundwaves at the little Charmander. They hit head-on, and the Charmander stumbled back, dazed.

Zero bit his lip. This wasn't good; Braze could risk hurting himself or the curator's Omanyte if he didn't snap out of his confusion soon. He rummaged around in his bag to see if he had any Full Heals or Persim Berries, but he hadn't bought any for the road. "Crap," he muttered. Braze just had to pull through until he collected himself.

Omanyte had the clear advantage in this battle, though, and the curator seemed confident that it could take out the Zubat. "Omanyte, use Ancient Power!" he said, pointing to the Zubat. Omanyte obeyed immediately, sending several levitating stones toward the tiny bat. It screeched in pain as it was hit, but it hadn't fainted. Zero was impressed; the curator must have been partnered with this Omanyte for a while, as Ancient Power was a move it could only learn at higher experience levels.

Then Omanyte started to glow. It wasn't an evolution glow, but a different kind. Red aura rose from it, and it grew more confident in its abilities. This was Ancient Power's side effect—it was able to raise all of its user's battle attributes, though this was a rare occurrence.

"Mr. Curator!" Zero yelled, catching the curator's attention. "Your Omanyte was powered up by that Ancient Power, yeah? Could you take care of the other Pokémon? I'll deal with Proton's Zubat."

"You sure, kid?" the curator asked.

"I'm sure. Don't worry about us."

The curator nodded and commanded his Omanyte to attack the horde of Rattata and Grimer. Now Zero just had to make sure his Charmander could defeat the Zubat without hitting itself in confusion.

"Braze, use Ember!" Zero said. The Charmander tottered forward, still dizzy from the Supersonic. Zero gulped. Was Braze going to follow through with the attack? Unluckily for both Trainer and Pokémon, instead of spitting a ball of fire at the Zubat, Braze fell flat on the tile floor.

Proton howled with laughter. "What a pathetic little creature! It can barely even stand after that Supersonic!"

Heat rushed to Zero's cheeks. "He can fight! Just… give him a minute…"

"Yeah right, like I'm gonna let it recover," Proton said, scoffing. "Zubat, use Wing Attack!"

"Braze, you have to get up! Dodge it!"

The Charmander was still confused. He slowly got up off of the ground, but was soon knocked back down from the force of Zubat's wing smacking him hard in the side. Braze let out a pained cry and fell backwards, now too dizzy to get up.

"Crap," Zero said. "Return, Braze. Glo, it's your turn!"

Zero recalled Braze into his Poké Ball, then sent out Glo. The Pikachu squeaked happily as she was released, and her cheeks sparked as she landed lightly on the floor.

"You may have an advantage, but my Zubat has more battle experience," Proton taunted. "Zubat, Leech Life!"

Zubat swooped low and bit into Glo's neck, draining energy from her. She squeaked and tried to shake off the little bat, but it didn't let go. Zero clenched his teeth. If this kept up, Glo would be drained of all of her health and wouldn't be able to continue battling.

Zero could feel his palms clamming up, and he felt lightheaded. Dang it, not now, he thought. I can't have an attack during a battle. He stumbled backward a bit, but he could still stand, which was good enough for him. "G-Glo, use Thunder Shock!"

The Pikachu finally managed to detach the Zubat from her, and after flinging it across the room, her electric sacs sparkled with power. She unleashed it, hitting the Zubat hard. It emitted a bloodcurdling screech as it fell to the ground. It had fainted.

"Nice one, Glo!" Zero cheered.

Proton grumbled, returning his Zubat. "Koffing, let's go!" he shouted, releasing a round, purple Pokémon that was leaking toxic fumes from the holes all over its body. Zero covered his nose and mouth, knowing that if he inhaled these fumes, he would most definitely pass out.

Zero glanced at Glo, who was panting and about to fall over. There's no way I can win this… he thought. His cheeks grew warmer, and he could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest. He couldn't breathe. I've… I've gotta hang in there… he thought, but his vision began to blur.

"Vine Whip!" said a dull voice in the background. It was familiar… But before he could see who it was, Zero's vision gave way, and he slipped into the warm darkness of unconsciousness.

...

Author's Note:

Four chapters in! I hope you are all enjoying this fic, I'm having a lot of fun writing it. The first two and a half chapters of this were actually written a couple of years ago, but I didn't have the courage or the resources to post it. This has by far been my favorite chapter I've written. Let me know what you think in the reviews! :)

- ShootingStarfruit