Chapter 34: Vengeance in the Moonlight
Cianwood City Pokemon Center
I slowly opened the door to Delphox's room and peered in. The fox was sitting up on his bed, looking down as if he was deep in thought. I cleared my throat and stepped in, gaining his attention and making him shift his gaze to me.
"Roku..." he said quietly.
"Hey bud..." I said softly, walking up and sitting in the chair next to the bed. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got shot through the heart by a tank," Delphox said bluntly, looking down again. "The nurses said I was lucky to be alive...Poliwrath's punch destroyed my chest and ribs, not to mention stopped my heart and collapsed lungs. They also said that you bringing me here so quickly was the best thing you could do."
I sighed and looked down, remembering exactly what happened.
"Delphox, I'm so sorry..." I finally said, closing my eyes. "I should have gotten you out of there when I had the chance..."
WHAP! I suddenly felt really dizzy as I looked at my Pokemon in surprise, who had just smacked the back of my head with his branch.
"You had nothing to do with that..." Delphox replied. "I wasn't strong enough to counter his blow or quick enough to avoid it in time. It's my fault..."
I winced and rubbed the back of my head. Damn, that hurt.
"I even went the extra mile and evolved in the middle of the battle...I thought I could win..." he said, looking away. "But I was just too weak."
I was thinking it was my turn to deliver a smack to the back of his head, but I decided against it. Delphox had been through enough already.
Instead, I told him, "Then why don't we change that?"
Delphox looked at me with a puzzled look. "What?"
"I said, why don't we change that?" I repeated, standing up and looking him dead in the eye. "You may not have been strong enough before, but what's stopping us from reaching new heights? You evolved into your last form, but there's still a lot of untapped potential just waiting to be unlocked. I bet even after all that, you can at least still move stuff around with your psychokinesis, right?"
"Well, duh," Delphox replied, using his branch to lift various objects here and there.
"Good. Then while you're recovering, use that and hone your abilities," I said with a smile. "And when you're fully recovered, we can get Lyra to help you out with your fire."
Delphox's face fell when I mentioned Lyra.
"Where is Lyra?" he asked. "She's gotta be worried sick about me..."
I nodded and motioned to Reia, who was standing outside the door. She nodded and released Lyra from her Poke Ball, and the golden fox Pokemon jumped up onto the bed, looking her friend over.
"Y-You're OK..." she said quietly.
"Yeah, for the most part," Delphox said, trying to keep a strong attitude up. "I mean, I still hurt a little, so don't tackle me for a hug, but I'm good."
Lyra giggled a little as tears started streaming down her face, and she lightly embraced Delphox with her front legs and many tails.
"You had me worried...I thought I lost you..." she said, her voice wavering a little.
"Yeah...I'll admit, I was worried too," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. "I could swear I was even a ghost looking down on my own body as Roku was running away with it..."
That was oddly accurate... I thought to myself.
Lyra looked him in the eyes and lightly pressed her nose against his. I heard both Reia and Latias go "awwwwwwe" from the hallway and I just chuckled. Like usual, everything seemed like it was gonna be OK.
That is, until I heard a familiar grunt coming from the hall.
I glared daggers right into Chuck's eyes as he walked into the room, and honestly, the man looked really sorry.
"Look, I, uh..." he started before he cleared his throat again. "I'm not real good at any of this apologizing stuff, so I'm just gonna be blunt. I'm sorry about what my partner did to your Delphox...I was expecting more, I guess, and that's why I gave him the order..."
I clenched my fists and stormed right up to him, looking him dead in the eye.
"You're gonna pay for what you did," I growled through clenched teeth. "As soon as Delphox recovers, I WILL defeat you. Mark my words, CHUCK."
I don't know if I was angry, or just trying to be intimidating, or both, but apparently it wasn't very effective, cuz Chuck started laughing that loud, hearty laugh that I heard before our first battle started.
"Kid, you just don't give up, do you?" he finally said after he'd calmed down. "Now you've just got me all fired up! How about we finish our battle outside? If you win, both you AND your pretty little girlfriend will receive my Badge. What do you say?"
Reia and I looked at each other. No way he was talking about fighting after what he did to Delphox.
"Roku."
I looked at Delphox, who was smiling his trademark smile.
"Kick his butt...for me and all of the Pokemon he's hurt," he said with confidence.
I looked at my partner in awe. Delphox just insisted that we fight without him.
"Are you sure?" I asked him. "You don't want to wait until you're recovered so you can get revenge yourself?"
Delphox shakes his head. "Nah, I'll get my shot another time. Besides, if you wait too long, something bad might happen to that Ampharos."
I froze up a bit. I had TOTALLY forgotten about Amphy.
"Fine, I accept your challenge," I said, turning back to Chuck. "3-on-3, Mega Evolution is permitted. That is, assuming you can actually Mega Evolve one of your Pokemon."
"You expect me to tell you that?" Chuck replied with a confident smile. "Meet me outside. Let's finish this off right."
Cianwood City Coast
A crowd had gathered around us as Chuck and I stared each other down, ready to rock.
"You ready, kid?!" Chuck roared, pulling out one of his Poke Balls.
"Bring it on!" I shouted back, throwing my hand out. "Latias, battle stance!"
"Primeape, go!"
Latias flew out onto the beach as Chuck lobbed his Poke Ball out, releasing the agitated fur ball onto the impromptu field.
It was on.
"Latias, start with Dragon Breath!" I shouted.
Primeape had no idea what was going on as Latias flew up in a blink of an eye and blew a purple stream of energy right in his face. Primeape screamed in both pain and anger and fell back as Latias flew away.
"Dammit...Primeape, Rock Slide!" Chuck ordered.
Primeape flipped himself back up and fired several rocks off of the coast up at Latias, but she dodged all of them very easily. Latias had flown to ground level at this point and tried to fire a Dragon Pulse, but Primeape was able to jump out of the way just in time.
"That's it! Use Karate Chop in mid-air!" Chuck shouted excitedly.
I don't know what he was expecting, but he definitely didn't get it. Primeape's trajectory was way off, and he landed hard on the ground to the right of Latias, then went totally limp. I was doing all I could to not bust out laughing.
Chuck cursed and returned his Primeape then pulled out his next Poke Ball. "Poliwrath, go!"
The big buff tadpole Pokemon landed on the beach and stared Latias dead in the eye, ready for battle. Latias looked at me, and we both nodded.
"Latias, use Dragon Breath!"
Latias breathed in deep and let loose with another stream of blue energy, but Poliwrath jumped out of the way quite nimbly.
"OK, Poliwrath! Dynamic Punch!"
There it was, our moment of truth. Poliwrath wound up and blasted off, his fist glowing bright and sparking with energy. He closed the distance quickly and was right up on her when I gave the order.
"Now! Mist Ball!"
It was like something straight out of a fighting anime. Poliwrath's fist connected with Latias' chest as Latias fired the ball of energy. An explosion rang out and sent out a shockwave of amazing magnitude, and it was all I could do to stay standing. But at the end, both Pokemon were still standing, in a massive crater that the clash of blows had created, with Poliwrath breathing heavily and Latias looking a little loopy.
"Hah! That's it, Poliwrath!" Chuck shouted. "Finish her off! Bubble Beam!"
It was almost over. I had to act fast or I was gonna lose my best chance at winning the battle. I quickly pulled out my Poke Ball and cried out to return Latias, and was relieved that she returned quickly enough to avoid Poliwrath's attack, which bored a hole through the sand.
"Hey! Come on now, where's your honor?!" Chuck shouted.
"I should be asking you that!" I shot back. "You've nearly killed countless Pokemon, including one of my partners! And now you're gonna pay!"
Without even thinking, I pulled out Luna's Poke Ball and threw it, releasing her to fight. Chuck just laughed at me.
"And you're gonna throw out a Pokemon that I have an advantage against?" Chuck said with a chuckle. "Too easy! Poliwrath, Dynamic Punch!"
Yup...too easy.
The look on Chuck's face was priceless as Luna blasted off a storm of star-shaped rays that honed right in on Poliwrath, smashing him right in the face. He hit the ground hard and slid about 10 feet, the glow on his fist dissipating.
Luna stepped up and kicked some sand on him. "THAT was for my friend."
Chuck growled and pulled Poliwrath out of the dirt, returning him to his ball. He pulled his last Pokemon out and looked me dead in the eye.
"You asked me if I could even pull off Mega Evolution," he started. Then he tapped his black belt, which upon closer inspection, had a Key Stone attached to it.
"Let me show you my real power!" he roared. "Heracross, let's go!"
Chuck sent out the large beetle Pokemon, and admittedly, I was a little confused. I was thinking he would use something like Lucario or Blaziken, but this actually kind of fit him nicely.
"Luna, fall back," I said softly.
"Sure thing...finish him off, partner," she said agreeably, stepping back. I pulled Latias' Poke Ball from my belt and looked at it for a bit.
Hopefully some time away from battle will let the confusion wear off, I thought before I threw it out. "Latias, battle stance!"
Latias appeared before me, still brutally damaged but seemingly OK on the mental side.
"Use Recover! Quickly!"
Latias' body shimmered for a bit before the wounds on her body began to disappear. Within a couple seconds, she was right as rain.
"OK, Chuck! Time to finish this!" I shouted.
After his grunt in approval, we both touched our Key Stones and watched as our Pokemon exploded into their powered up states. Heracross' arms had grown in size and its horn was more defined, not to mention its natural armor looked stronger. No doubt, this thing just became a tank.
"Go! Pin Missile!" Chuck shouted.
Heracross fired off several needles at Latias, but the girl just blasted off and avoided everything with dexterity and grace. In retaliation, she fired off a Dragon Pulse, but Heracross used its strong shell to deflect the attack altogether, and it didn't even have a scratch on it. At this point, it could go either way.
"Keep up the pressure! Dragon Pulse!" I shouted.
"Don't let them win! Pin Missile!" Chuck roared.
It basically turned into a warzone from there. Latias was like a fighter jet and Heracross was the anti-aircraft gun. it stayed that way for a solid 30 seconds before Latias was hit by 5 needles in succession and fell to the ground, sending up a plume of sand.
"Latias!" I shouted, running up to the second crater. She grunted and floated back up, shaking the sand out of her coat.
"Ouch...that hurt..." she whined, pulling the needles out of her arm.
"You still good to go?" I asked softly.
"You kidding?" she said with a smile. "Let's squash this bug!"
I grinned and stood back up, Latias levitating beside me. Chuck had a smile on his face as well, and at this point, it wasn't about revenge anymore. Now it was just a good old-fashioned gym battle.
"Heracross, use Megahorn!" I heard Chuck roar.
Heracross' massive horn glowed with a green light and it took off, making a beeline towards Latias. Latias, however, had other plans, and was charging up another Mist Ball. Heracross closed the distance just like Poliwrath did before, but instead, Latias landed a point blank Mist Ball before Heracross could even touch her. He was thrown back and slid across the ground, his shell smoking from the force of the attack.
It was over.
I threw my hands up and cheered as loud as I could as applause and cheers rang out from our audience. Our fight was finished, and victory was ours. Reia ran out laughing and hugged both me and Latias, and we were all smiling and laughing until Chuck came up to us.
"You showed real guts back there, kid," he said with a smile. "You overpowered my Pokemon and claimed victory for your friend. And if that's not honorable, then I dunno what is."
He held out his hand, which had two identical fist-shaped Badges.
"Here. Both you and the girl earned the Storm Badge," Chuck said. "And if you ever feel like using something stronger than my Dynamic Punch...maybe you can put this to good use."
He handed us the badges and a TM for a move called Focus Punch.
"What's Focus Punch?" Reia asked quizzically.
"It's a technique that was developed by Maylene, the kid Gym Leader from Sinnoh," he explained. "It's much stronger than my technique but it has a longer wind-up. And if your Pokemon gets hit while charging it, it loses focus and can't move."
I shrugged and put it in my case, thinking it might be useful to Lucario later.
"You're gonna wait for your Delphox to be fully recovered, right?" Chuck continued. "If you want, you can go find the Pharmacy here and see if he has anything that could help. Word goes around that he has some of the strongest holistic medicine."
Reia and I gasped and looked at each other.
"The Pharmacy!"
We ran off of the beach and ran through the streets, trying to find the Pharmacy. But as we rounded the corner, we nearly ran into Calem, who was holding a small hemp bag.
"Well, well, look who's here," Calem said sarcastically. "Do you know how long it took to find the Pharmacy? And then the man wasn't even there, so I had to wait until he got back! What took you guys so long?!"
"Calem, we don't have a lot of time!" Reia exclaimed. "Delphox is in trouble and we need to see if the Pharmacist can help!"
Calem cocked an eyebrow. "Delphox?"
"We'll explain later," I said quickly. "Please, you gotta show us the way!"
Calem sighed and shrugged. "Whatever..."
He motioned for us to follow and we made our way towards the Pharmacy.
Cianwood City Pokemon Center, 1 hour later
"Excuse me? You have something you would like us to use on Delphox?"
We had walked into the Pokemon Center after finding the Pharmacy, and I was now dangling a hemp-woven bag in front of her.
"The Pharmacist said that this would hasten the recovery process of broken or shattered bones as well as provide an amazing boost of energy to restore the stamina the user would have lost as a result," I rattled off. "I just want to help my friend get back up on his feet. We have a mission back in Olivine that requires our attention."
"Well, usually we have a policy against using holistic medicine, but if you insist..." the nurse said warily. She led us back to Delphox's room, where we saw him meditating and spinning various object around him.
"Hey Delphox," I said loud enough to snap him out of it. He opened his eyes and dropped everything he was floating, looking right at me.
"Roku, you're back!" he said excitedly. "Did you beat him?"
I smiled and flashed my shiny new Storm Badge. "You bet your ass I did."
I tossed him the bag, which he caught and looked at with a puzzled look.
"I need you to eat that," I said. "The Pharmacist said it would help you recover back to full health in a heartbeat.
Delphox opened the bag and pulled out a weird looking Berry, one that I'd never actually seen before. He looked at it for a few seconds before shrugging and popping it into his mouth.
We all watched as he just sat there for a few seconds before we heard bones cracking and a Delphox crying out in pain. He stayed that way for a few more seconds before he collapsed back onto the bed, breathing heavily.
"Delphox...? You OK, buddy?"
He remained motionless for a time, but then he springs off of the bed and lands, spinning his branch and pointing it at me.
"Locked, cocked and ready to rock!" he said with his wolfish grin.
I smiled and let out a deep sigh. We were ready to continue on our journey.
We checked out the very next day. It was nighttime when we had finished the Gym Battle, so the three of us spent the night at the Pokemon Center while the nurses ran tests on Delphox to make sure he was alright. When we woke up the next morning, the nurse that was at the front desk was slightly singed all over and VERY grumpy. She hands me Delphox's Poke Ball and explains that when they asked him to use a move to check his energy levels, he used a powerful fire attack that none of them had seen before, save for the exchange student from Kalos who called it "Mystical Fire". He wouldn't stop firing it, so they had to sedate him, which is why everyone was so fried.
Needless to say, Delphox was passed out the whole time we flew back to Olivine.
"We're getting close to Olivine," I said to the others, shutting my map off. Reia and I were riding on Latias' back while Calem rode on his Charizard.
"Remember, if this Secret Potion doesn't work, that sword is our only option," Calem said loudly to compensate for the air whistling past our ears.
I nodded. This was our last chance. Jasmine had to let us cure Amphy one way or another. If we didn't get a move on, it was gonna be too late.
Latias sped up, almost as if she knew what I was thinking. Before long, we were coming up on the lighthouse. Then, out of nowhere, my P*DA rang in with a call from Jasmine.
"Hello? Jasmine?" I answered.
"Roku! You need to come here quickly...!" Jasmine shouted frantically. An explosion rang out behind her and I saw a Magneton go flying. "Amphy broke through the door and is trying to escape the lighthouse!"
"What?!" I shouted back.
"Quick! You can get in from the top easily!" she continued. "I found a hole made in the glass, probably by the one who did this to Amphy! You can use that!"
"Got it! We're almost there!" I shouted. "Just hold on, Jasmine!"
"Please hurr-"
Another explosion and the call cut out. I growled and drew my sword, looking at Calem.
"Change of plans!" I shouted. "The Secret Potion's not gonna cut it anymore! Jasmine's in danger!"
"Do what you gotta do! We'll meet you there!" Calem replied. Charizard banked close enough to let Reia hop on and they flew down to the ground. I looked back at the Lighthouse, which was now smoking.
It was now or never.
Author's Note: And here's one of the lost chapters. Working on 35 right now, so please continue to be patient.
And as always, please read and review.
Strato Abyss signing out.
