To the person who keeps telling me to remove the mature content in 'Shades of Grey' chapter… It's not going to happen. I am not going to change a rating I believe best suits my story because of one reader finding the content too explicit for their liking. Not am I going to remove a scene that is pivotal to a character's development. Fanfiction's ratings are outdated and I do not feel they represent the vast majority of stories on this site.
This story was originally uploaded in 2014 and I never received a single complaint from over two hundred readers (I have all the reviews and stats saved on PC). I repeat - I will not change my rating. If you are uncomfortable with any content in this story then feel free to skip to the next chapter or stop reading altogether. I am not forcing you to read. Surely, there are heaps of other G-rated stories for you to read and enjoy.
Just a warning everyone – there's another pokémon battle in this chapter and what a surprise there's some violence! If that's too much for you then this story isn't for you (despite how tame it actually is). If you are reading this, then please don't call me senpai.
Thanks to Guest and Tgonthefiery for reviewing the previous chapter. Also, big thanks to my silent readers. I should probably note a few things before you proceed - this is the original version of the story and there's multiple errors here and there. I do have an updated ebook version sitting on my PC. Anyways, happy readings.
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Chapter Eighteen: Descent into Madness
A couple of weeks had passed since she had last returned to the comfort of her own home. Her youngest granddaughter was seated on the couch watching a cartoon show with an elderly lady. Her neighbours had been kind enough to step in and keep an eye on her granddaughter while she had been busy looking after Johanna.
As soon as she entered the living room, her granddaughter Jade, leapt up and rushed over, throwing her arms around her grandmother's waist. "Grandma! You're home!" Jade said, pressing her head into her stomach, tightening her embrace.
Linda, her neighbour, limped over using her walking stick to hold her upright. She greeted Carolina with a smile and a nod. "I told you your grandmother would return in time," she said, smiling down at Jade.
Jade pulled her arms away and glanced up. Carolina rubbed a hand through her hair. "I might be grey and old, but my memory remains as sharp as ever." She bent down and kissed her on the forehead then straightened. "I bought you a gift, but you don't get to open it until tomorrow," she added.
The girl pouted. "I can't wait until tomorrow!"
"She's been going through the list of Pokemon with me all week long," Linda said, brushing a strand of wavy grey hair behind her right ear. "She wants to follow in the footsteps of her older sister."
"I know my gift is a Pokemon! I know what tomorrow means!" she said, tugging on her grandmother's coat.
Carolina gently pulled the girl's hand away and observed her closely. The girl was turning ten years old tomorrow and that meant she could set out on her journey and follow in her sister's footsteps. Under the normal circumstances, she wouldn't mind sending a ten year old out into the big world, but times were different now. It was too dangerous. Team Galactic made sure Sinnoh wasn't safe anymore.
The girl was determined though. She wanted to live up to the fame of her sister and become the greatest trainer in the region. Carolina wanted to say no, to protect Jade from Cyrus and his grunts, but Jade would most likely call her sister for assistance and Carolina would lose. Cynthia always took her sister's side. She sighed. "All right, but you have to promise me that you will take good care of it."
Jade jumped up and down. "Of course I will! I would never harm a Pokemon!"
"Close your eyes and keep them closed until I say to open them. If you open your eyes before the time is up, you won't get your present until tomorrow, is that understood?"
Jade nodded. "Yes, grandma! I understand!" The girl ran over the couch and jumped onto it. She grabbed one of the pillows and covered her face. Linda sat down besides the girl, caught Carolina's eyes and winked.
Carolina walked towards the study room where she kept the girl's present. It was a Togepi egg and originally it was meant for Dawn as a starter Pokemon, but Professor Rowan had already taken care of that. She reached a hand into her pocket and pulled out a small silver key. The door to her study was locked for a reason to shield her granddaughter's from the truth. Letters, cards, gifts from their parents were stashed away in here along with her old research notes. They could never learn the truth – it would hurt far too much and the wounds would never heal.
She walked over to the dome where a green spotted egg sat in the middle. She reached down to press the blue button and the glass covering came down, allowing her to pick up the Togepi egg. Once it was safely in her arms, she walked away and headed back into the living room.
With great caution, Carolina placed the egg on her lap. "You can open your eyes now," she said, pulling the pillow away from her eyes. Jade's eyes opened and she glanced down at the egg. A smile spread across her face. To her credit, the girl didn't jump and squeal with excitement. "This is my gift for you. It's a Togepi egg."
"A Togepi? Cynthia had one too, didn't she?" the girl exclaimed.
Carolina nodded and sat down besides her granddaughter. "She did and then it evolved. Take good care of your Pokemon and it will evolve as well. Remember what I told you, treat your Pokemon the same way you would treat your family," she said softly.
"With love and care," Jade said.
Carolina beamed. "Good girl." She pulled her into a hug then stood up again. "The egg will hatch in a couple of days. Keep it in a warm place and be sure to take it with you wherever you go."
Jade nodded. "You're the best grandma ever!" Carolina opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. She frowned and looked at Linda for an explanation. The other lady looked just as confused. "Jade, go to your room," Carolina said quietly. Jade frowned, but did as she was told, carefully cradling the egg in her arms.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Linda said, following the girl to her room.
Carolina waited until they had both left then returned to the study room to lock it. There was another loud knock on the door and she hurried back to the living room area. Picking up a book from the shelf nearby, she approached the door with caution. She hadn't invited anyone over for lunch nor had Cynthia informed her was she returning home. She peered through the keyhole and spotted Linda's husband, Peter. The man kept glancing over his shoulder as if he was being chased by something… or someone.
She put the book on the floor and opened the door. "Peter?"
He stepped inside and darted his eyes around the room. "We have to leave! They're threatening to blow up our town!" he said in between heavy gasps, his eyes wide with fright.
"They?"
He locked eyes with her. "The conspiracy theories are true! The spacemen have arrived and they're coming to destroy us all!" he exclaimed, a quaver in this voice. "I knew I wasn't crazy! I knew this day would come! They're dangerous! We have to leave now! Linda, Linda!" he called out, his voice echoing throughout the house.
Spacemen. That could only mean one thing. Team Galactic had arrived. Carolina clamped a hand over the man's mouth. "Linda is upstairs with my youngest granddaughter. I want you to take them both and head to Canalave City using the secret pathway through the forest," she said, slowly removing her hand from the man's mouth, just encase he decided to scream again. He was deathly pale now. She wondered if he'd even survive the trip. He nodded, stifling a whimper. "Now, did you see anyone else with the spacemen?"
"The spacemen said they were here with their boss…"
Carolina tightened her jaw muscles. So Cyrus was here as well. She dropped a hand into the pocket on her left, her fingers brushing up against a small steel container. Inside the container was the end result of her work as a scientist. It was also her biggest kept secret. She never intended to use it again, but her family was in danger. She pushed past Peter and headed outside.
A large group of grunts stood outside, blocking the main entrance and exit of the town. She saw noticed several of her neighbours sitting on the ground, each one guarded by two grunts. One of her neighbours, an elderly man called Tom, caught her eye. She was startled to see tears running down his cheeks. She walked towards him when a grunt stepped in front of her.
"On the ground!"
Carolina held her ground. She drew back a hand and slapped him in the face. She was old, but she wasn't weak, having kept herself in good health for a number of decades. "Have you no respect for your elders?" The grunt hissed. "I am the keeper of the shrine. Let these people go and take me instead."
The grunt turned around to seek advice from his fellow peers. The grunt standing behind Tom nodded. "Take her to the boss!"
Her grunt tried to grab her arm, but she shook him off. "I can walk myself." He led her towards the shrine and stopped at the entrance. The shrine was nothing more than a cave, but inside there was a painting of the Lake Guardian trio, rumoured to have been drawn by Sinnoh's earliest inhabitants. Cyrus was standing before the painting looking at it with great interest. The grunt retreated leaving her alone with Cyrus.
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Pastoria City was mostly vacant by the time she reached the place. She had bypassed a few trainers along the way talking about the monsoonal season was due to start very soon and anyone with some sense would leave now. Dark eerie clouds hung over the city giving the place a rather depressing feel, but the rain hadn't fallen yet. After the fast-paced party atmosphere of Veilstone, she was actually glad to be in a quiet place with very few people.
It wasn't like she planned on staying here for long anyway. The only reason she had even come here was to take on her fifth challenge. Taking in a deep breath, she strolled towards the gym when she was knocked off her feet. With a loud 'oof', she landed on her backside. Grumbling, she checked to ensure her egg pouch and bag were safe – thankfully, no damage had been done.
"Hey there Dawn! Sorry that I didn't see you there!" Barry exclaimed, reaching down a hand to assist her to her feet. She noticed his hair was wet, as if he had just climbed out of a swimming pool. He shook his head like a wet dog, drops of water hitting Dawn in the face. She grimaced. "I was just so excited, you know? I just won my fifth badge!" To prove it, he held his badge in her face, showing her his pearly whites. "Crasher Wake's such a cool guy! He's taking me on as his apprentice!"
"Apprentice?" Dawn repeated, rubbing her rump.
Barry opened his mouth to explain what he meant when a large muscular guy stepped outside. Dawn immediately recognized him as Crasher Wake – she only knew the guy because of Barry's personal shrine. He looked much bigger in person, almost towering over them both. He had taken to not wearing a shirt, and much to Dawn's horror, he was wearing lycra swimwear. She looked at the ground, feeling her cheeks burn from embarrassment. Didn't the guy feel awkward running around in that?
If he was embarrassed, he certainly didn't show it. He was busy singing a tune to himself which Dawn recognized as the song that played when he entered the arena. To her horror, Barry joined in and started the singing the lyrics. "The ring is my roiling sea, the towering waves shaped me! Crash! Crash! Crasher Wake! Crash! Crash! Crasher Wake! I'm the tidal wave of power to wash you away! Put out the fire, Crasher Wake! Run from electricity, Crasher Wake! Ah, ah, aaah! The ring is my sea!" the boys sang.
It didn't take a genius to understand what the meaning behind the lyrics was. Crasher Wake was a Water-type specialist which she thought was quite strange considering his appearance. He looked more suited being a wrestler. He was the type of guy she assumed would be a fighting-type trainer based on his stature. "This must be the friend you were telling me about?" she heard him speak.
"Yup, this is Dawn. She's my best friend, but only one of us will become the Champion!"
The red heat in her cheeks faded and she looked up, making sure to keep her eyes on his face. "You keep telling yourself that, Barry."
Barry placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder and grinned. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I really ought to be going. I'll see you in Canalave City! See ya, Dawn! See ya, master!" He rushed off before Dawn could even say goodbye. Choosing Chimchar had been a perfect choice. The Pokemon was just like his master – spontaneous, speedy and excitable.
"... Your friend is good, but he'll burn himself out if he keeps this pace up," Crasher Wake said, turning to face Dawn. "Well, I'll be waiting for you at the end of the gym. I hope you're not afraid to get your hair wet." He chuckled, turned around and entered the gym. Dawn didn't like the sound of that. She hoped his gym wasn't a gigantic swimming pool. Swimming had never been a strong point of hers.
She stepped inside the gym and immediately was overwhelmed by the strong scent of a chlorinated pool. Several gym students were scattered around the pool area standing on platforms. The platforms were not connected by bridges confirming her worst nightmare. This was another physical endurance testing her athletic ability and it required her to swim to each section. That explained why Crasher Wake was in his swimwear attire.
As per usual, the gym advisor was there. He too was dressed in swimming attire with a belt around his waist, but thankfully he wasn't wearing lycra bottoms. "Hello, hello! Welcome to Pastoria's Gym! I hope you brought your swimwear otherwise you're going to have to swim in your current clothes!" the man said.
She hadn't taken any swimwear. It was the one piece of clothing she had decided not to purchase thinking she wouldn't need it. She regretted it now. "Uh, no?" Hopefully, the man was just joking and he wasn't serious about actually jumping into the pool in her casual clothes.
"No problem! You can have one of the swimsuits over there on bench!" the gym advisor said, pointing to a nearby bench. There were several black crates, each one labelled with a big white sign. "They're brand new – Crasher Wake is a nice man. He wouldn't make challengers borrow swimsuits. Just take the one that appeals to you. The female ones are on the right."
Dawn was grateful. The thought of wearing a swimsuit someone else had worn was somewhat gross to think about. She walked over to the crates on the far right and peered down. The furthest crate had a collection of bikinis while the one next to it had one piece swim suits. She didn't waste any time thinking about it – she grabbed one of the one piece suits and turned back to the gym advisor.
"There's a dressing room just around the corner. Once you are done, come back and speak to me so I can tell you about the rules of this gym!"
She followed the advisor's directions and turned around the corner then walked into the changing room. She quickly changed out of her clothing, stashing it in the locker inside along with her bag then put on the black swimsuit. Once she was done, she exited the dressing room and returned to the gym advisor. "What are the rules?"
"This gym is designed to be a huge swimming pool. As you have noticed, there are no bridges connecting the platforms, but that doesn't mean you can't avoid the trainers. To challenge Crasher Wake, you need to prove yourself by defeating three of the six trainers."
Dawn nodded. "That doesn't sound too bad."
He grinned. "Not so easy challenger. You will be tested on a variety of battles – single battles, double battles and finally triple battles. You must battle in each mode to challenge Crasher Wake for your fifth gym. You'll have to swim around to each platform and figure out which trainer represents what battle mode."
Her shoulders slumped. Great, she thought bitterly. More exercise. Climbing tyres and punching bags was bad enough, but this was ten times worse. Every part of her body was going to be put to the test. She missed the early gyms – at least they didn't require any form of athletic ability. "What about my pokebelt? It's not waterproof."
The gym advisor reached his hands down to his waist and removed his pokebelt. "Glad you asked! This is a waterproof pokebelt specially made for this gym." He handed the pokebelt to her and Dawn grabbed it, immediately putting it around her waist. All that was left to do was to reattach her pokeballs and she was set to go. "Don't worry; your pokeballs will not fall off."
Well that was a relief, she thought. She could just imagine how ridiculous it would look to see her pokeballs floating on the surface of the water. "Are Pokedex's waterproof as well?" The professor and his assistant hadn't said much about it leaving Dawn to wonder just how resistant the item was.
"The earlier designs weren't, but the new ones are! You'll have a new design if you received one within the last five years," he explained. "Pokedex's are designed to endure almost anything."
She nodded. "Is the pool cold?"
He nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. It's all part of the fun though. Good luck!" He grinned again. Dawn couldn't see how jumping into a non-heated pool could be considered fun. Before diving into the pool, she returned to the dressing room to attach her pokeballs and Pokedex. It didn't look like the Pokedex was waterproof, but looks could be deceiving. Once she had finished equipping her belt, she headed back out to the main area and stared down at the pool.
Hesitantly, she dipped her right foot in. She jerked her foot back the moment her toe brushed against the freezing water. Not pleasant, she thought bitterly. She glanced down again, wrapping her arms around her body, trying to stop herself from trembling. She hadn't even jumped in yet and she was shuddering.
Crossing her fingers and muttering a prayer, Dawn dipped her foot into the water again. "All right, on the count of three… three… two… one…" Pinching her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut and jumped into the water. The impact was immediate. She kicked her legs and flailed her arms around hitting the water with such force she created miniature waves around her. Although she knew she looked silly splashing about in the pool, she found her joyous antics helped her body adapt to the temperature much quicker.
Spitting out water from her mouth, Dawn paddled forward using the same style of swimming a canine used to stay afloat. It was a painfully slow method, but it was the only style of swimming where she didn't have to make contact with the water using her face. Paddling towards the first platform, she spotted a male with a fishing rod standing on the opposite edge. She threw her hands over the edge and lifted herself up, taking in deep heavy breaths to calm her racing heart.
"That's the first time I've ever seen anyone warm up like that!" the fisherman commented, putting his rod down on the ground. He was wearing bright red swim shorts and nothing else. "I'm Walter and I am a single-mode trainer."
Dawn picked herself up from the floor and marched on the spot to keep herself warm. "L-let's ba-bat-battle!" she stuttered, feeling goose bumps on her skin. With a shaky hand, she reached down to her waterproof pokebelt, fingers grasping her Grotle pokeball. With a Grass-type Pokemon on my team, this gym should be a breeze, she told herself. "Go Gr-Grotle!" Her tortoise appeared from its ball, standing a metre in front of his trainer.
Walter chucked his pokeball close to the edge of the platform. A large plump dark blue fish with thick light blue lips appeared. It leapt into the water. She removed her Pokedex and held it up with a wet hand. "Whiscash. The evolved form of Barboach. It is extremely protective of its territory. In one region, it is said to have been born from hardened mud." She returned the Pokedex to her belt.
"Whiscash! Use Magnitude!" The Whiscash dove beneath the surface and sped towards the bottom, slamming his head against the tiled floor. The ground beneath her feet began to shake violently, almost knocking her off her feet. Fortunately, she managed to hold her ground by stretching her arms to the side to maintain balance. Grotle's twin bushes shook, but the tortoise himself hardly moved an inch, not at all phased by the tremor.
"Grotle, use Mega Drain!" Two long vines emerged from the twin bushes on his back, throwing themselves at the Whiscash's slimy body. The vines tightened around the fish's body, causing the fish to thrash wildly, splashing water in all directions. Whiscash tried to free itself from the vines, but they seemed designed to hold Water-type creatures in their place. Suction cups opened on the vines attaching themselves to the fish's body, draining the life force within the other Pokemon transferring the energy to Grotle. The process lasted a few minutes. As soon as it was finished, Grotle released the Whiscash, his vines covered in slime.
"Whiscash, use Water Gun!"
Whiscash opened his mouth and fired medium orbs of water at Grotle's shell. Grotle didn't even flinch. The bushes on his back emitted an earthly aura and drained the water into its roots, rendering the attack as useless. Why the fisherman even bothered trying to compete, Dawn didn't know. There wasn't anything this fish could do against the might of her water-type slaying Pokemon.
"Use Razor Leaf, Grotle!" Grotle's vines emerged from the twin bushes, diving into the water to grab the fish. Whiscash tried to avoid, but he was weakened from the earlier attack his movements weren't as agile. Grotle picked up the fish then shook his body, prompting the twin bushes to sway, releasing razor sharp leaves in the fish's direction. Whiscash turned limp.
"Oh no, my Whiscash!" Walter whined, recalling his Pokemon.
Dawn recalled her Grotle as well after giving her companion a pat on the head for a job well done. She turned her back to Walter and dived into the pool not wanting to waste another minute standing on dry ground. The longer she stayed on dry ground, the more unwelcoming it would be diving back into the water again.
She paddled towards the middle where two males were standing on opposite platforms. One man was dressed in a white swimsuit and the other had a blue tube around his waistline. She moved towards the male with the tube, came in contact with the ledge and climbed up. Panting again, she waited a few moments to catch her breath before rising to her feet.
"I'm Jacky, the other single-battle trainer. You've already defeated Walter, so go on and battle Damian on the opposite platform," Jacky said, pointing to the guy in the white swimsuit. The man was wearing a white swim cap. Dawn grumbled and climbed back down finding this whole experience unpleasant. Some people might enjoy swimming, but she wasn't one of them. She paddled to the opposite platform.
"I'm Damian, and I am one of the two double-battle experts in this gym." He brought both hands down to his waist, removing the two pokeballs from the belt. He threw them forward at the same time. Two white-feathered avians appeared. The smaller one had a head much larger than its body while the larger bird's bill was much bigger. They took to the skies flying circles above their trainer's head.
Dawn lifted her Pokedex.
Wingull. It soars high in the sky, riding on updrafts like a glider. It carries food tucked in its bill.
She turned to the larger bird.
Pelipper. The evolved form of Wingull. It is a messenger of the skies, carrying small Pokemon and eggs to safety in its bill.
She put it away again and proceeded to choose her next two Pokemon. Using Grotle was out of the question as he was super-weak to Flying-types. Her fingers traipsed over her Deino's pokeball. Deino hadn't faced a competitive battle since Hearthome and she suspected her baby dragon was itching for some action. She removed the ball and threw it forward. "Deino, come on out!" Deino emerged, biting at the air around it, uttering a high-pitched roar. She sent out her Honchkrow as her second choice.
"Wingull and Pelipper, use Mist!" The two birds swooped down to ground level stopping just a few inches above the surface of the water and flew in circles around the platform until a fog cloud appeared. Visibility now limited, Dawn could barely see her surroundings and hoped this wouldn't result in an early loss. Deino's eyesight was poor already and her Honchkrow's acute eyesight only applied on a day with clear conditions.
"Honchkrow, use Swagger! Deino, use Dragon Rage!" Dawn called out through the haze.
She couldn't see her Honchkrow, but she could hear the bird flapping his wings above her. Silence soon followed which was then broken by a high-pitched squawk. It sounded as if two birds were engaged in a duel and one had received a nasty blow. She hoped it wasn't her Honchkrow. Deino moved away from Dawn's legs and arched his neck back, glancing up towards the ceiling. He tilted his head to the right, to the left then to the right again, before rising on his hind legs. Opening his mouth, he emitted a beam of draconic rage directly up above. There was a loud squawk. Moments later, a fainted Wingull landed before her feet. She looked at Deino with newfound interest. Deino's eyesight might be poor, but one of his other senses made up for that weakness.
A few more seconds passed by and the Pelipper plummeted to the ground. It landed on its back, its wings outstretched, feet raised in the air. Dawn cheered as the mist faded. Only one more battle to go. Damian fell to his knees, weeping. Dawn rolled her eyes and moved to the edge to jump in once more. Up ahead, she spotted three trainers sharing a platform at the far end of the pool. There was one young female flanked by two older males. Crasher Wake stood behind them on his own private platform.
She paddled forward, gasping for breath, feeling her energy levels waning. Swimming was far more tiring than she had originally thought. Note to self, avoid pools for the next couple of months, she thought dryly, adding it to her growing list of physical activities she did not enjoy. There was cycling, fighting and now swimming. Why couldn't the later gyms be as physically easy as the beginning gyms?
Eventually, she made it to the other end and climbed out of the pool. She stood up slowly, waited a couple of moments to regain her composure and walked up towards the middle trainer. Dark brown eyes peered up her. "I'm Caitlyn, and I'm the second double-battle specialist. You've already beaten Damian though so I'll stand aside." The girl walked over to the far right and placed her tube on the ground. She sat down and watched.
The male on the right, a guy wearing a blue board shorts and no shirt, stepped forward. "I'm Erick."
The other male stepped forward, raising his hands to his eyes, readjusting the goggles. This was the first time in the gym someone was actually wearing goggles other than the gym advisor himself. "And I'm Samson. You've done well to make it this far, but now you'll have to choose between us two brothers."
"I'm stronger than my brother, but choosing to fight me means risking losing your entire team."
"And I'm the weaker brother, but choosing to fight me means facing Crasher Wake unprepared."
Dawn thought hard. It was a choice of risks – take the easy route and risk being unprepared or take the harder route and risk losing. Losing here meant having to swim the entire pool length again and she didn't want to have to that since it had been a pain to get to her current position. Her eyes moved back and forth between the two trainers. "I'll face Erick."
Samson smiled. "A wise decision. Many trainers want to rush through the gym. When they reach the gym leader they suffer a terrible loss because they were unprepared." He walked over to join Caitlyn.
Erick moved to stand directly in front of Dawn and smirked. "The boy who came in earlier chose my brother. He wanted to get through the gym as quickly as possible paying little attention to any form of strategy. Choosing to battle me tells me you are thoughtful, strategic and cautious. These traits will help you in your future challenges. Are you ready?"
Dawn wasn't surprised Barry had opted to take the easier route. "I'm ready." She summoned forth Grotle, Honchkrow and Haunter to take this battle, feeling the combination would give her greater flexibility.
Erick proceeded to summon his three Pokemon; a horned fish with a tail that looked a dress, a larger fish with a horn that looked related to the first Pokemon and a huge serpent blue-scaled beast with a yellow underbelly. The creature had a mouth so big her entire room could fit inside it. The two fishes she could deal with, but that that thing? She wasn't so sure. Even her Pokemon looked nervous.
She brought out her Pokedex and obtained on the fish with the dress.
Goldeen. Though it appears very elegant when swimming with fins unfurled, it can jab powerfully with its horn.
She turned to the next Pokemon.
Seaking. The evolved form of Goldeen. It autumn, its body becomes more fatty in preparing to propose to a mate. It takes on beautiful colours.
Dawn scratched her head. If the fish could be either male or female, why was it called a Seaking?
She turned her Pokedex to face the intimidating serpent creature.
Gyarados. Once it begins to rampage, a Gyarados will burn everything down, even in a harsh storm.
That explained its monstrous jaw and overall aggressive appearance. Her Pokemon looked so tiny in comparison she wondered if they could do damage at all. "Haunter, use Confuse Ray!" Dawn ordered. Relying on pure strength alone wouldn't help her win this match. She had to be smart otherwise face her first defeat against a gym student and that would be embarrassing. Gyarados dived under the water, evading the ray. Dawn cursed.
"Gyarados, use Dragon Rage!" Using Dragon Rage and watching the Pokemon of opponents in one hit was satisfying, but being on the receiving end was not so pleasant. Grotle received a blast in the face, but fortunately he had enough stamina to endure the attack. He wouldn't be so fortunate on the next round.
Dawn pointed at the sky. Downing Gyarados was the only thing that mattered right now. Goldeen was weak and fell quickly with a good Grass-type and she suspected it would be the same story with the Seaking. "Honchkrow, use Swagger!" Swagger was a risky move – it had a high chance of confusing the opponent, but at the cost of raising the attack of the enemy. Honchkrow flew around the Gyarados's head, nimbly avoiding the Pokemon's attempts to bite him and spat a gob of bile into the Pokemon's jaw. Gyarados didn't seem to be able to close its mouth fortunately and the bile travelled down its throat.
The eyes of the Gyarados turned a misty gray. It thrashed around in place, sending waves of water in all directions, taking down anything in its path. The other trainers in the gym moved out of harm's way, distancing themselves from the raging creature. In its fit of rage, it hit itself in the back of its head with its tail. A bone-chilling roar erupted from the Pokemon's mouth. The confused Gyarados turned its attention away from the battle and swam towards the opposite end of the pool.
"Seaking, use Horn Attack!" The fish dived, swam to the bottom, moving its tail back and forth at a frantic pace. It came back towards the surface and jumped out, driving it's horn into Honchkrow's belly, throwing the bird backwards. Seaking landed in the water again. "Goldeen, use Water Pulse!" A stream of water left the Goldeen's mouth, striking Honchkrow's left wing. He fell to the ground, soaked from head to talons. Fortunately, he managed to recover and climbed to his feet. He ruffled his feathers and stretched his wings out to dry them.
"Grotle, use Mega Drain!" Vines erupted from the twin bushes, wrapping themselves around the Goldeen. They tightened around its body, holding the Pokemon in place. It tried to free itself with its horn, but couldn't quite reach the vines. Grotle drained energy, repairing his own wounds then released, dropping the Goldeen back into the water.
Gyarados was still rampaging creating havoc at the far end. Dawn spotted the gym advisor running towards the concrete built dressing rooms for protection. "Haunter, put that Gyarados to sleep! Use Hypnosis!" Haunter floated towards the opposite side. The Gyarados was oblivious to the Haunter, too focused on creating mini tidal waves to pay any attention. Haunter moved towards the Gyarados's forehead and pressed a claw against it. Gyarados's movements slowed until they stopped completely. It shut its eyes and crashed down, spraying water in all directions, flooding the front part of the gym out, his head landing on the far end platform.
"Honchkrow, use Night Slash!" Honchkrow had dried himself out now. He took to the air and flew over to Gyarados and dive bombed, pinning his wings back. As he neared his target, he raked his talons forward and flared his wings, hitting Gyarados square between his eyes. The attack didn't appear to cause significant damage, but it did leave behind a ghastly deep wound on Gyarados's face. Gyarados didn't stir. Honchkrow and Haunter returned to Dawn.
"I can't believe… you downed my Gyarados…" Erick said.
Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. Her strategy had worked better than she had thought although it had come down to luck. "Grotle, use Bite!" she ordered, pointing at the Goldeen. Vines emerged from the bush once again to grab the Goldeen. The vines lifted the Goldeen out of the water, bringing the fish towards Grotle's mouth. He clamped down on it and held it steady until it turned limp. This Goldeen seemed weaker than the one she faced earlier. All that remained now was the Seaking.
"Seaking, use Water Pulse!" Seaking propped its head above the water and shot forth a powerful stream of water. It was powerful enough it forced Grotle back a few steps back, but aside from that, he was unharmed. Dawn couldn't understand why the trainer even bothered using water-type attacks against a grass-type. In the corner of her eye, she spotted her Honchkrow and Haunter floating towards her. She decided to call them both back and give Deino and her Houndour a chance to gain some additional experience since it wouldn't take much more to take down Seaking.
"Use Dragonbreath, Deino! Houndour, use Smog!" Houndour trotted over to the water's edge and growled. Purple mist exited his mouth encasing the Seaking. Judging by the colour, Dawn assumed it was poisonous odour-free gas. Deino joined Houndour's side and roared. Bright pink flame burst from his mouth landing on top of the fish's head. Dragonbreath wasn't exactly fire because it didn't dissolve immediately upon making contact with the water – it appeared to be a unique beam of energy only dragons had. Seaking fainted.
Erick was shocked. "I can't believe it… You actually did it…" he trailed.
"It was a good battle. Your Gyarados had me worried."
He walked over to her and shook her hand. "You did well, trainer. You are definitely prepared. Good luck! Crasher Wake might seem like an easy-going guy, but he's a real menace in battle." Dawn recalled her Pokemon and glanced in Crasher Wake's direction. He waved out to her and smiled. He was still wearing that horrible swim suit and that strange mask. She jumped into the water again and paddled over.
"Welcome!" Crasher Wake said, beaming down at her, as Dawn climbed up onto his platform. "You already know me, but according to league rules I must formally introduce myself. I'm Crasher Wake! My Pokemon were toughened up by stormy white waters! They'll take everything you can throw at them and then pull you under! Victory will be ours! Come, let's get it done!"
.
Paul returned home, threw his bag onto the floor and kicked it underneath his bed then climbed on. The week had been long and consisted of patrolling the route to Solaceon Town which had been pretty uneventful. The highlight of the week had been bumping into that stupid girl in the Lost Tower. What was her name again? Day? Dawn? All he remembered was her uptight, preachy nature and ugly blue hair.
He hadn't managed to take any strong Pokemon from anyone unfortunately and he hoped his next hunting trip would be more exciting. He knew his boss wouldn't be too impressed, but she'd learn to get over it. Kicking off his shoes, he chucked them on the floor next to his bag. Having spent the past week sleeping on grass and dirt made him realize just how much he missed the comfort his bed provided. Comfort never lasted for long though, especially not in this life, so he didn't make himself too comfortable.
It wasn't long before his door opened. A person dress in a black hooded robe leaned against his door frame, arms crossed over their chest. He couldn't see their face, but he knew exactly who this was. Hunter J, the self-appointed boss of the poachers. He sat up on his bed, giving the woman an expectant look.
"Please tell me you found something, Paul," the woman said curtly. "Team Rocket's new leader is offering a high price on the market in exchange for strong Pokemon. Slowpoke Tails will only keep them satisfied for so long before the market dries up."
Paul snorted. The new leader for Team Rocket was a man called Archer who was determined to please his old boss by restoring their name to its former glory. The guy needed money and he decided to sell body parts and organs of Pokemon to the public disguising them as healthy items for humans and their partners. In exchange, he offered big money to the suppliers of these items. "No Pokemon. The trainers that patrol that route are weak and therefore have weak Pokemon," Paul replied. "I really don't see why you agreed to assist Archer anyway. Team Rocket are a bunch of fools."
"Foolish, yes, but they have money. Money makes the world go round, Paul."
"You should form an alliance with Team Galactic. I hear they have heaps of money."
She snorted. "I don't care about Team Galactic. Our goal is simple – capture Pokemon and sell them on the black market. If anyone tries to interfere with my plans, I will have them crushed," the woman snapped. "Do you have anything to report or am I wasting my time talking to you?"
Paul shook his head. "Wasting your time."
She took a step towards him and placed a finger under his chin. "The only reason you are still alive, Paul is because you've been useful to me… more so than any of the other fools working for me." She pressed her finger, driving it as deep as she could into the flesh, earning a stifled hiss from her worker. She sneered. "If I deem you no longer useful, I will have you killed and no one will ever find your body." She drew her finger away, chuckling. "Consider this your first warning, Paul."
"So what do you want from me?" This was the usual conversation he shared with Hunter J. She always issued her threats, but nothing ever came of it because she knew just how valuable Paul was. The other employees did not fare so well though. One display of weakness and she would not hesitate to push the offender of a cliff's edge. If she didn't get to kill anyone, or seriously injure a person, she was disappointed. One would think the authorities would realize people had gone missing, but the police in Sinnoh were incompetent.
"I've been hearing about a trainer called Dawn. Have you heard of her? Perhaps you've crossed paths with at some point in your journey," Hunter J inquired, looking intently in his direction.
"Dawn? The goofy trainer with blue hair, right? What about her?"
She cleared her throat. "I'm running a favour for a dealer who is offering a large amount of money should Dawn be dealt with. This dealer, who calls himself Pluto, believes this simple girl is a threat."
Paul snorted. "She's just a weak trainer. She's not worth the effort."
"Two billion dollars, Paul."
He leaned forward, an incredulous expression on his face. "Two billion dollars? You're joking, right?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I want her stopped and I know you are the right trainer for the job. You can make up for failing to catch any useful Pokemon by eliminating her. Do not come back to me until this task is completed. I want her pretty little head served to my Salamence."
"We hunt Pokemon. We don't hunt trainers." Not that it was a huge concern for him, but he signed up to track down strong Pokemon, not capture stupid trainers. Still, Hunter J, his boss, had upheld her end of her bargain providing him with the necessary means of survival. She gave him food, water, shelter and money in exchange for his loyalty.
"This is an opportunity I don't want to turn down. He has offered two billion dollars, remember – just imagine what we could do with that amount of money." Although he could not see her face, he could imagine the greed in her eyes. The woman's sole existence was to make money and she'd go to any extreme to get her hands on it. Weakness wasn't tolerated – perhaps that's why he had survived this long. He didn't tolerate weakness either.
"Fine, I'll do it but only because she rubbed me the wrong way."
"Good. Get some rest. You leave first thing tomorrow morning." Hunter J exited the room allowing Paul some peace and quiet for the first time in a couple of days.
Crasher Wake's Gyarados was a menace. Erick's Gyarados couldn't even compare. His Pokemon moved quickly and hit extremely hard Dawn never had the chance to launch a counter-attack. Houndoom and Deino were too under-levelled, and Haunter fell to Gyarados's Bite attack. Only Honchkrow and Grotle remained, but she wasn't sure if they had the power to bring down the serpent creature.
"Gyarados, use Twister!" Gyarados roared, sending a chill racing down Dawn's spine. All Pokemon communicated using sounds in the same manner humans used with words, but never had she heard something so monstrous. His roar was as loud as a freight train. A whirlpool formed in the water then a funnel with purple flames appeared, pulling in various bits and pieces of damaged equipment scattered around the gym. Honchkrow was pulled into the ferocious twister along with the other bits of debris. The funnel was short-lived lasting less than sixty seconds, but the damage had been significant.
"Honchkrow, use Wing Attack!" Feathers rained down from the undersides of Honchkrow's wings, falling into the serpent's mouth. One feather struck the serpent in the eye and the Gyarados released a bloodcurdling roar. The serpent lunged forward, bringing its tail around to the front, smacking Honchkrow in the belly, bringing the bird down into the water. Honchkrow rose to the surface, flailing around helplessly, like a fish out of water. Dawn knew her Honchkrow wouldn't be able to continue so she returned him to her pokeball and brought out Grotle.
She hoped Grotle would win the match. He was a Grass-type so his chances of winning should be much higher with the type advantage. "Grotle, use Mega Drain!" Grotle's vines emerged and wrapped themselves around the neck of the serpent creature, suction cups draining the energy out of him. Surprisingly, the Gyarados didn't seem too affected by the move. She frowned. How was that even possible? Wasn't Gyarados a water-type?
"You seem surprised, Dawn! Gyarados is also a Flying-type meaning the effectiveness of a Grass-type move is less powerful," Crasher Wake explained.
Gyarados was a dual type? How could it even fly? It had no wings. "Gyarados doesn't have wings," she called back.
"Gyarados is related to the dragon family, but isn't actually classed as a dragon-type itself."
"That doesn't explain the Flying-tying classing though."
Crasher Wake shrugged. "Gyarados can jump really high."
She had trouble trying to wrap her head around that fact. Jumping high wasn't flying. It wasn't like Gyarados could jump from one city to the other on the opposite side of the region, so why the Flying-type label? She wondered if Professor Rowan knew since he was a Pokemon expert. She looked down at her Grotle. Would relying on defence give her the advantage again?
"Gyarados, use Bite!" Gyarados moved through the water then lowered its head, clamping his mouth around her Grotle, sinking its upper row of teeth into the shell. Grotle's rock hard shell caused a tooth to fall out, prompting the serpent to roar out in pain, after releasing him. The tooth fell to the ground. Grotle shuddered, but didn't seem to be too affected by the attack.
Despite Grotle having a tough exterior, the sheer power of Gyarados was sure to eventually break through his defence. She rethought her strategy – Gyarados's mouth seemed to be its weak spot. Although it could close, it seemed remaining open was natural. "Okay Grotle, I want you to aim a Solarbeam down the Gyarados' throat," she said.
Grotle's bushes shook. A green glow emanated from his shell as his bushes began to absorb the light of the sun. Unlike last time, Grotle didn't have to rip the floor tiles to draw energy from the earth as Gyarados' Twister attack had created an opening in the ceiling, giving him access to the sun immediately. While he gathered energy, Crasher Wake ordered his Gyarados to use Bite again.
Gyarados bit down, clamping its powerful jaws around Grotle's body. This time, Gyarados succeeded in creating a crack down the centre of Grotle's shell. Grotle's anguished cry reverberated throughout the gym hall, making Dawn's insides turn cold. He was in so much pain; she could see his facial features contort in agony, but he continued to draw in energy. The crack continued to lengthen until it ran directly from one end to the other. The shell fell apart just as Grotle launched his Solarbeam attack, directly into Gyarados' mouth.
The beam imploded in the serpent's mouth. Gyarados crashed down into the water no longer able to fight, but what of Grotle? She turned to face her beloved companion. He began to shake violently. His body became encased in a white light and Dawn shielded her eyes from the brightness. A few moments later, a much larger tortoise stood before her. The breaking of Grotle's shell had somehow triggered an evolution.
His right bush had been replaced by three large sharp rocks which seemed to resemble mountains while the left bush had turned into a sturdy twin bushes. Two spikes jutted out from both sides of his head making him look quite fearsome. Small beady red eyes stared back at her. She brought out her Pokedex.
Torterra. The final evolution of Turtwig. Some Pokemon are born on a Torterra's back and spend their entire life there.
She put it away.
"In all my years as a trainer, I have never seen a Pokemon evolution triggered by the loss of a part," Crasher Wake said, recalling his fainted Gyarados. "Your bond with your Pokemon must run deep."
He threw out his second Pokemon. A strange light blue, bipedal, amphibious creature appeared. It was quite an ugly creature, with a large broad head and equally large mouth with tiny black eyes.
Quagsire. It has an easygoing nature. It doesn't care if it bumps its head on boats and rocks while swimming.
An unintelligent Pokemon then, Dawn thought. Either that or it just had a bizarre taste in fun. "Torterra, use Mega Drain!" This Pokemon was definitely not a flying-type – it looked too fat, clumsy and slow to even be able to jump. Vines burst from the twin bushes, launching themselves at the Quagsire, wrapping around its slimy waist. Quagsire tried to wriggle free, but the vines held him in place, sucking the energy out of the weird creature and repairing Torterra's wounds. Quagsire's battle time was short lived as it fainted the moment Torterra released his hold. That was easy, thought Dawn. Too easy.
"This is where it gets exciting!" Crasher Wake exclaimed, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "Go, Floatzel!" A Pokemon which looked like the parent of Barry's Buizel appeared before her. They looked almost identical, except this one was larger.
Floatzel. The final evolution of Buizel. It is a common sight around fishing ports. It is known to rescue people and carry off prey.
"Floatzel, use Ice Fang!" Floatzel dived into the water and swam around the platform, propelling itself forward with its tail. It jumped out of the pool, landing on Torterra's head, and bit down with icicle fangs. An ice casing formed over Torterra's body freezing him in place. The Floatzel slammed his tail against the casing shattering it into pieces. Much to Dawn's surprise, Torterra fell down on his belly, a low groan leaving this throat. "You should know ice-type moves are deadly against dual grass ground types!"
Thankfully, she had Honchkrow still available, but would the bird be able to defeat the speedy otter? She called out Honchrow again. Honchkrow looked up at her. "Okay, Honchkrow. It's up to you now." The avian nodded and took to the air for safety. As long as he managed to stay out of reach, the Floatzel wouldn't be able to land an attack.
"Floatzel, use Aqua Jet!" Floatzel hurried over to the edge of the platform and smacked his tail across the water, flinging a powerful jet of water into the air.
"Dodge it, Honchkrow!" Honchkrow evaded the attack, rolling to the right, narrowly avoiding the blast. "Now use Wing Attack!" Feathers fell to the ground, their sharp tips piercing the flesh of all it hit. The agile Floatzel managed to avoid the feathers by seeking protection under the surface of the water.
"Use Aqua Jet again, Floatzel!" Another blast of a powerful water attack, but Honchkrow avoided it again, putting his aerial acrobatics moves to good use. Crasher Wake seemed surprised, as if he had never seen a Flying-type Pokemon perform tricks in the air. Dawn thought hard. Floatzel was much faster, but it was also its downfall. Speedier Pokemon tired quicker because the recovery time between moves was slower than that of a less speedy opponent. All she had to do was draw out the battle until the otter became slow and sluggish. At the speed the Floatzel was maintaining, it wouldn't be much longer until it became exhausted.
"Honchkrow, use Night Slash!" Honchkrow dropped down from the air and raked his talons forward as he drew closer to the Floatzel. Floatzel leapt out of the way and Honchkrow struck the ground instead, his sharp talons scratching the surface. He beat his wings and flew up before the Floatzel could use a close-range attack.
"Floatzel, use another Aqua Jet!"
"Avoid it, Honchkrow!" Honchkrow pinned his wings to his body and dropped to evade the blow then flared his wings, stopping him from falling. He flapped again, regaining lost altitude and flew around in a circle, waiting for the right moment to counter-attack. Floatzel's movements were losing speed and power the longer the battle drew on. She was reminded of the match against Maylene's Lucario whom had also been a vastly superior Pokemon in terms of speed. "Now use Wing Attack!" This time, the feathered arrows made contact.
Floatzel fell down landing on his backside, eyes glancing up at the ceiling. It was gasping for breath, its chest heaving with each passing second. "Floatzel, use Aqua Jet!" Again, the Floatzel struck the water mercilessly, another mighty stream of water flying up high into the air. Honchkrow avoided it again. Floatzel hunched over, panting. It was close to exhaustion now.
"Honchkrow, finish this battle with Night Slash!" Honchkrow crashed down to the ground, his wings pinned back as a safety precaution. He threw his entire weight against the Floatzel, his talons being the first part of his body to strike their target. Floatzel was thrown backwards from the impact. The otter tried to stand up, but couldn't, his stamina completely depleted now.
Crasher Wake looked on, startled, then shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. He walked over to Dawn and held out his hand. "It seems the undertow pulled me under… But I had a great time battling with you! You've earned this, the Fen Badge!" In the palm of his hand was a gym badge. The badge was shaped like a lake with grey reeds around it. "The styles of battling and winning are as widely varied as trainers are. Do you want to know how I battle? I battle so I can say I had fun at the end, whether I win or lose!"
She took the badge from him. "I hope I don't have to swim to the other end again?"
He shook his head. "There's an exit here. You can just walk around back to the front to pick up your belongings."
Thank Arceus for that. "I guess I'll be off then. Where's the next gym?"
"You'll want to head to Canalave City next, but to get there you'll have to pass through Celestic Town. Byron will be your next challenger – he's a Steel-type specialist and the father of Roark, Oreburgh's gym leader." Dawn turned around to leave when Crasher Wake spoke again. "Before you leave, I want you to see the Great Marsh before I close it down for the season. When you're ready, meet me out the front of the Pokemon Centre!" He led her towards the exit and she stepped outside feeling relieved. Breathing in the earthly odour of the swamp was far more pleasant than breathing in chlorine. Crasher Wake headed over to the Pokemon Centre and Dawn headed back towards the gym's entrance to collect her belongings.
.
Carolina approached him as she opened the container in her pocket, preparing herself for the moment to strike. His back was turned to her and she wondered if he was even aware of her presence. He seemed to be engrossed with the painting. She debated with herself whether to attack or wait until he explained himself. Stopping him now would end Galactic's plans. All she had to do was draw out her weapon, stab him someplace and watch him fall to the ground, unconscious.
Her hand pried open the container and she slipped her fingers inside, her digits brushing up against a syringe. The syringe held a strong enough dosage to put him in a coma for a couple of days. Without their leader, the Galactic Corporation would fall apart and Sinnoh would be a safe place for trainers again. She had almost drawn out her weapon when he turned around. Quickly, she released her grip and dropped her hands to the side, pretending to act like nothing had happened. He didn't seem to have noticed for her sake.
"I had a feeling the grunts wouldn't be able to hold you down," he said.
Carolina took a step closer. If she wanted to take him down she had to be close enough to strike without him suspecting a thing. "Why have you come?" she said, making slow conversation, hoping to lower his guard so she could strike.
"I wanted to stop by and talk to my favourite teacher," he replied dryly."I learned a great deal from you, Carolina." He moved away from the wall and stood behind her. She remained still, not daring to move a muscle at all. She had to let him think he was in control of the situation. He continued to talk. "For that, you have earned the right to play a role in turning my goal into a reality."
"I don't want to play any part in bringing your maddened schemes to life!" she hissed.
He snorted. "You don't have a choice." He brought his head down and whispered into her right ear. "Don't seem so surprised. Consider this as payback. You took my choice away when I was your student and now I'm returning the favour." He pulled away. She was surprised to hear the anger in his voice. As a kid, he kept to himself and never expressed any form of emotion during class. Some of the kids used to bully him, mistaking his silence for arrogance.
She drew in a deep breath. "Your father-"
"My father hated me and you knew it!" he snarled. He paused, recollected himself and spoke again. "And yet, you did nothing."
"I do not interfere with the lives of people outside my family."
"That's a hypocritical statement to make, professor. You seemed to enjoy ruining Johanna's life."
"I was protecting her from you." He raised an eyebrow. "You are right – I knew exactly what your father was like and that's why I tried to drive you away. You may have played the victim role perfectly, but I was not going to allow myself to be fooled. Your father's blood runs through you as well and there was no telling what you would do to Johanna. I did what was necessary."
She saw a flash of anger in his eyes. He leaned in forward over her right shoulder and whispered into her ear. "And I am doing what is necessary," he hissed then pulled back, but placed two hands on her shoulders, directing her body towards the cave painting. "The world we live in is rife with strife. Emotions make us weak. We're capable of doing so much more yet we choose not to act because of feelings. Emotions hold us back."
"That is one way to look at it, but you're wrong. Emotions help us advance – without feeling we would have no motivation, no desire to do anything at all. Having no emotions removes the purpose of living."
"Cynthia told me the same thing awhile back… Did you tell her to say that?" Carolina said nothing. He tightened his grip on her shoulder blades causing her to wince. "You argue emotions are valuable and give purpose to life. You claim it drives humanity forward, but I disagree." He pulled back a hand and pointed at the painting. "You asked me earlier why I had come here. It's a distraction – Right now, my grunts are preparing to capture the Lake Guardians. With the power of the trio, I will then be able to create a powerful tool to summon Dialga and Palkia to create a new universe."
Her heart skipped a beat. That was his ultimate plan? To create a new universe? Was it even possible? "That is madness! You want to punish the world because of your own experience? That is chi-" Her speech was interrupted by a hand covering her mouth.
"I call it justice," he said in a low voice then removed his hand from her mouth, allowing her to speak again. He paused again for dramatic effect. "I have to thank you though… for giving me the basics. You told us how to create a sleeping potion, do you remember?"
She did. It was one part of her history she kept concealed from everyone. It was why she had locked the study room, to prevent other people from stumbling across her laboratory notes. When she was young, pokeballs hadn't been invented and people tried to come up with ways to capture them for scientific purposes. She invented the sleeping potion allowing researchers everywhere to study Pokemon up close.
"I took your basic idea and turned it into something far more powerful." He removed his other hand from her shoulder. She was about to turn around when she was shoved roughly into the cave painting. A groan left her throat. "I would like you to give the order, professor, as thanks for your assistance. My men wait for the order." He held his Xtransceiver against her head. "Tell them 'now is the time'."
She tried to struggle, but his hold was far too strong. "You will pay for your crimes, Cyrus!"
"I wish it didn't have to come down to this moment, but you've left me without a choice," he replied in a surprisingly gentle tone. "Maybe if you hadn't tried so hard to punish me, things might have turned out differently. You… my father… You never tried to see things from my perspective nor did you attempt to understand me."
"Your grandparents…"
"Didn't try hard enough," he finished. "Stop stalling. You're only delaying the inevitable."
"And Johanna? Dawn?"
There was a brief pause. "An unfortunate sacrifice," he replied. She felt him reach down a hand into her pocket and glanced down. He had picked up her container holding the syringe and placed the tip against her neck. Drawing in a sharp intake of breath, she felt her body tense in anticipation, knowing what was to come. "You make everything so much harder on yourself. Say it, or I will inject you. They're waiting."
She could see no option to escape from this. Cynthia was somewhere else, Jade didn't have a Pokemon and her neighbours didn't have Pokemon. It wasn't like he would just let her go – he wouldn't listen to reason. This entire situation was ironic. He was driven by emotion, the very thing he wanted to abolish, claiming it was justice. Perhaps his strong desire to eradicate the world of emotion stemmed from a deep insecurity within himself, created by the unstable upbringing he had as a child. She steadied her breaths and spoke into the Xtransceiver. "Now is the time," she said, feeling him pull the Xtransceiver away. May Arceus have mercy on them all.
"I've changed my mind," he whispered. "What is it that people say? Giving you a taste of your own medicine?"
The next few seconds happened so quickly, her brain struggled to process it. There was a stab, an implosion of a sharp pain followed by a sense of numbness in her neck. Her knees buckled and a sense of extreme weariness poured through her. She dropped to the floor, her head smacking against the hard floor. Darkness soon overcame her.
.
She was halfway through getting dressed when she heard a loud explosion nearby. A violent tremor soon followed, causing the entire room to shake. It was as if the ground itself was trying to tear itself apart. The chilling, panicked cries of the local Pokemon filled the air. She quickly changed into her clothes, grabbed her bag and hurried out of the gym.
A cloud of smoke billowed in the near distance coming from what appeared to be a swamp environment. She noticed the unmistakable messy bushel of Barry standing at the gatehouse.
"Barry!" Dawn called out, running towards him.
He looked at her with wide eyes, his face so pale he almost looked sick. "I was on my way to Canalave City and I heard an explosion… I came running back as fast as I could…" His bottom lip trembled. "Crasher Wake raced into the Great Marsh…" He turned his attention to the entrance to the swamp. "You think we should check up on him?"
Dawn tried to form words, but nothing left her mouth. The shock of an explosion had left her speechless. Her heart wept for the Pokemon who lived in the swamp. Had they perished in the blast? Her chin trembled. "The Pokemon… Do you think…" She looked at Barry. An image of bloodied corpses entered her mind. Innocent Pokemon. Fathers. Mothers. Babies. Possibly dead. "I have to know," she said softly, wiping her eyes, drawing in a deep shaky breath.
"Dawn! Wait!" Barry called, but Dawn sprinted towards the entrance.
She regretted entering the moment she set foot in the swamp environment. "Oh Arceus…" she murmured, her eyes absorbing the devastation before her. The native flora had not suffered, but damage had still been done. The marks of the explosion stained the ground, mixed with the blood and bodies of the unfortunate, the innocent Pokemon that had been unable to escape in time. She was surrounded by the dead – various body parts of Pokemon lay scattered across the grounds in mangled pieces. Tears threatened to spill, but they would not fall.
There was movement in the corner of her eye. She turned around and found a man lying down on the grass, blood seeping through the various cuts in his clothes. "…Gala-Galactic will-" a man spoke then coughed violently, forcing up a few gobs of blood. Dawn cringed at the sight, but she did not avert her gaze. "This is… the beginning of the e-end…" He started laughing, although it sounded more like a violent choking episode rather than laughter. Blood dribbled down the sides of his mouth. His laughter ceased, and his eyelids snapped shut, head rolling to one side. Dead. Just like the other innocent Pokemon caught in the crossfire.
"Dawn!" she heard Barry's voice. She felt his presence nearby and immediately turned to face him, throwing her arms around her friend, catching him off guard. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Last time she had been ashamed to show her tears, but this time was different. She cried for the lives lost here today. Barry held her tightly, letting Dawn express her grief on his shoulder. Rain started to fall.
Tears mixed with raindrops. Her sobs were drowned out by the pounding rain. "We have to get out of here, Dawn! There's nothing we can do here!" Barry said. She didn't want to leave, but he was right – there was no way to undo the damage. She allowed Barry to lead her out back into the city. The images of the dead remained implanted in mind and she knew they'd never leave. They headed to the Pokemon Centre. Locals that had remained behind were here too grieving for the lives lost.
Dawn sat down on the couch, biting hard down on her lower lip, trying to stop a new flood of tears from flowing. "Why…" she started, drawing in a deep breath. "Why would someone do this?"
"I don't know Dawn, but we're going to find the one responsible and we'll make them pay for the crime that happened here today," Barry said softly. She opened her mouth to speak further when Crasher Wake entered the Pokemon Centre. She lifted her head up and looked at him through blurry eyes.
"Everyone needs to evacuate the city now. If you have family and friends living in other cities, now is the time to visit," he said in a controlled tone. Dawn wasn't sure how he was keeping it together, but she suspected it had something to do with being a gym leader. Gym leaders were meant to be strong in times of crisis.
"But what about our belongings? We can't just leave everything here!" a woman cried.
"You must only take what is necessary. Please, you must leave now before the entrances and exits are flooded out."
The woman and her two children exited the building. Other residents did the same, keeping their heads lowered, as they walked out. Barry helped Dawn to her feet. She sniffed and wiped her tears away, trying to will herself not to sob uncontrollably. "What happened?" she heard Barry speak.
Crasher Wake walked over, fingers curled into fists. His arms were shaking. It seemed to be taking all his willpower not to punch something in fury. "Someone snuck a bomb into the Great Marsh," he answered with controlled anger. "You two must leave. The police will be arriving here as soon as they can to investigate. I will remain here to provide answers, but you two must carry on with your journeys."
"We want to help," Barry said.
The gym leader shook his head. "The Great Marsh is my responsibility and I failed to keep it safe. This burden does not fall upon you. Go now while you can. Good luck, trainers." He reached a hand down into his pocket and pulled out two small yellow bags.
"What is this?" Dawn said.
"You will not have time to heal your Pokemon, so take these pouches of Sacred Ash. A pinch of ash will fully revive a fainted Pokemon – use it sparingly. We won't be able to obtain more ash until Stark Mountain erupts again. Oh, and Dawn, take this. This is a Water Stone – I heard you won the tournament in Solaceon." He reached down into his hand again, pulling out a small blue stone. She took it and placed it in her bag. "Take care." He left the building.
Dawn and Barry traded glances. "Crasher Wake is going to fix everything. He's going to find the one responsible," Barry said his tone laced with confidence. She wished she shared his confidence, but Barry didn't know what she did. The grunt had claimed he was doing it for Galactic. Would they do it again? How many other lives would be lost? Barry frowned. "Everything is going to be all right, Dawn."
She sniffed. "Yeah, you're right." She was amazed by Barry's ability to keep it together. He was obviously shaken by the explosion judging by his earlier reaction, but he was doing a much better job of coping than herself. It must be a male thing, she thought. "I guess we should get going." She gave one last fleeting look over her shoulder at the Great Marsh before turning around to follow Barry towards the city's exit.
.
Cynthia arrived in Celestic Town as fast as she could after receiving a call from her sister. Jade had spoken in quick sentences giving Cynthia the impression she was highly stressed because she never spoke in that fashion. Her suspicions were confirmed when she arrived in the village and found Galactic grunts present, standing before their prisoners, flanked by their Pokemon. She had enough power to take on a small group, but there were far too many grunts here to manage. Fortunately, her sister had escaped along with Linda and her husband.
"Hey, it's the blonde lady! The Champion!" one grunt said.
The other grunt ignored him. "We'll let you walk through this village in peace, Champion, but if you summon one of your Pokemon we will not hesitate to fight back. People will be hurt and it will be your fault."
He was right. The elderly people in the village would not be able to escape in time and blame would fall upon her for failing in her job to protect the region she swore to defend. "Where is your leader? I would like to speak with him."
"In the shrine with some old lady with an attitude problem."
Some old lady with an attitude problem? That was obviously her grandmother. She didn't know of any other elderly females like her. She made her way to the shrine, feeling many pairs of eyes watching her every movement. Even the Pokemon of the grunts were watching her, ready to attack at any sign of trouble should their masters give the word.
She reached the shrine without any trouble though and stepped inside. Cyrus was standing at the opposite end, standing over the still body of her grandmother. "Grandmother!" she blurted, running forward to kneel down besides her, feeling her insides turn cold. She placed a hand against her neck feeling for a pulse. Thankfully, she felt one.
"Champion," Cyrus said, looking down at her, with an expression she couldn't decipher. It looked to fall somewhere between amusement and interest. "I was not expecting your arrival."
She glared up at him. "What did you do to her?"
"Your grandmother is fine. She is sleeping," he replied tonelessly.
She stood up raising her hands faking submission. The last thing she wanted to do was become trapped in a cave while his grunts came to his rescue. "I know what you're trying to do, but it's not the right way. This needs to stop."
His look intensified. "You're already too late, Champion. The dawn of a new age rapidly approaches – do you really think I'm going to step down when I've come so far?"
She hid her irritation at his conceit. "I'm giving you the chance to step down now."
"So you can arrest me and lock me up behind bars to ridicule me?" He snorted. "I will not be caged like an animal," he almost snarled. He recollected himself, took a deep breath in then cast his eyes downwards at her grandmother. "Save your breath. Your words are wasted here. Your grandmother tried and she failed." He pulled his gaze away, locking eyes with Cynthia.
It was strange to see how someone could change so much over a couple of months. The last time Cynthia had crossed paths with him he seemed relatively stable, but now there was an almost maddened gleam in his eyes, as if he was possessed by something fiendish. Was she too late to help him? Had he stepped too far over the line? Had he reached a point of which there was no return? For Dawn and Johanna's sake, she hoped that wasn't the case. "I can help you."
He gave a derisive snort. "Help? I'm not the one who needs saving."
"The lives of innocent people are at stake!" she pleaded, feeling a sudden, inexplicable sense of fear.
"You dare call these people innocent?!" She jumped at the sudden change in volume in his voice. His eyes were burning with black fire. "You might have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who cared, but I have not had the luxury. I've been left alone in the darkness for longer than you have lived, Champion. Any thought of hope has long since perished."
Perhaps he was a lost cause. He seemed determined to refute every argument she raised, turning a blind eye to a different perspective. The mental wounds he had received in his childhood had never truly healed. Was this going to end in blood? No, she berated herself. Never give up on hope. "This will not end the way you believe it will."
The fury in his eyes dimmed. "Talk to your grandmother about her experiments and then tell me these people are worth saving. You will see that I am right."
He pushed past her and exited the cave, leaving Cynthia alone with her grandmother. Letting him walk freely wasn't the wisest choice, but he had her surrounded. She looked at the cave painting and the wall. "I will save you." She looked down and frowned. Cyrus had mentioned something about her grandmother's experiments. Was he trying to play mind games with her or did his words have an actual meaning behind them? Bringing her hands to her temples, she rubbed them and sighed, making a silent prayer to Arceus that everything was going to turn out all right in the end.