Lance had returned to the league briefly just to change into something else. The Elite Four members had tried to grab his attention, but he had ignored them, not wishing to spend a single second longer than necessary. He was now in the Slowpoke Well, just a short trip to the east from Azalea Town. It was breeding season for Slowpoke and they often came to the Slowpoke Well in Azalea Town to raise families.
It was the perfect place for them – the well was dimly lit and damp, turning off all but daring trainers away from the well. But Lance hadn't come here to observe the mating habits of the Slowpoke. No, he had come here to find the culprits responsible for the injured Slowpoke. What were Team Rocket's reasons for killing Slowpoke? Were they hoping to make some form of profit?
He climbed down the ladder and headed inside the entrance to cave, wrapping his cloak around him. Water fell on his head as he walked in, but he was not worried. Dragonite followed behind his master as they wandered deeper into the cave. It was hot. Really stinking hot. It did not help he was wearing all black, making the heat much more unbearable.
His Dragonite on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the temperature. That was one negative to being a Dragon Master – he had to train often in hot weather otherwise his cold-blooded team of Pokemon would be dramatically weakened. It was why ice-type moves did so much damage to them. No matter how many times he trained in the hot sun, he never seemed to be able to adapt.
He wiped away a few sweat beads then started to fan himself as they delved deeper yet into the well. A refreshing, but powerful, cool gust of wind blew in from behind, which almost knocked him over. He cursed, then turned around and noticed his Dragonite was flapping his wings to keep his master cool. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Dragonite, but there's no need to do this. I'll manage."
Dragonite frowned, not at all convinced, but ceased his flapping. They entered a brighter part of the cave. That was strange. This part was further down, yet the light was stronger here? Before he could investigate further, he heard the moans of Slowpoke fill the air. Pained, mournful cries, as if the Slowpoke themselves were singing a slow, sad symphony.
One of the said Slowpokes bumped into his leg. Lance looked down and found a pregnant Slowpoke gazing up at him. She was barely able to walk, having to drag her round body across the floor. There were purple bruises all over her body and her tail was hanging loosely by a mere flap of skin. A trail of blood stretched across the ground. The Slowpoke moaned again, looking at him with pleading eyes.
There was nothing he could do to help the Slowpoke. He hated himself for being so useless. The Slowpoke was dying and nothing could save her. A quick merciful death was all that he could grant her. "Dragonite…" he started, gazing up at the dragon. "You know what needs to be done." Dragonite looked at Lance then shook his head. He stepped in front of the dying Slowpoke. Lance sighed. "If I could save the Slowpoke I would, but I can't and you know that."
A few moments of inactivity passed until Dragonite obeyed. With a quick, but powerful, swipe of his claw, the Dragonite struck the Slowpoke killing it instantly. Lance hated for this to happen. It pained him greatly, but he could see no other option. Deformed Slowpoke had no chance of success in the wild and no trainer would want to burden themselves with a wounded one.
"Who dares enters the Slowpoke Well?" a voice called out.
Lance turned around and spotted a man and a woman run up to him. They were both a head shorter than himself and dressed in tight black clothing. There was a large 'R' imprinted on their shirts. Team Rocket indeed. His grandfather's visions had been right. He wondered why they were here now creating trouble, but villains seemed to be attracted to dark places. But why now and how? Hadn't Red defeated Team Rocket three years ago and shut down their operations?
The woman stepped forward, dark black curls falling around her head. She trained a steely dark gaze on him and pointed a finger. "He's snooping around. We ought to put him in his place," the woman sneered, reaching down to grab a pokeball.
Lance didn't take kindly to threats, especially from a duo of murderous thieves. "Dragonite… teach these fools a lesson they won't soon forget," he replied coolly. Dragonite stepped forward, eager to leap into action.
"A Dragonite, how cute," the woman sneered. She reached down to her belt, grabbed a pokeball and threw it a few feet in front of her. A Zubat appeared.
Lance snorted. "A Zubat? Don't insult me."
"Julia! What are you doing?" a sharp female voice snapped from behind. The Team Rocket grunt, Julia froze then turned around. A tall slender woman with short red hair stepped in between the two grunts, her eyes narrowed in what appeared to be disgust. She was wearing white clothes; Lance had a feeling it was to indicate rank.
"Ariana!" Julia bowed her head. "He was snooping around. I thought I could stop him." Her male companion remained silent, bowing his head respectfully. Whoever this woman was, it was obvious she was in status of power.
"Do you not know who this is? Do you honestly expect to win against the Champion, the Dragon Master, Lance? Get out of here and return to base before I tell our leader about your incompetence," Ariana snapped, pointing towards the exit. Julia recalled her Pokemon, and exited the cave with her partner. Once they had left, Ariana turned to Lance. She lifted her hands and smiled. "It's a beautiful sight, isn't it? This is Team Rocket's handiwork."
"You are causing the deaths of Slowpoke," Lance snarled. "Cutting off their tails… leaving them here to die… and for what? Money?"
Her grin widened. "I don't have to tell you anything about our plans. All you need to know is there is nothing you can do to defeat us. We're back and we're stronger than ever. Surrender now and we'll be nice. Refuse… and well… you'll find out soon enough. What's it going to be, champion?" she taunted.
He suppressed a growl. "Leave."
"Oh, I don't think so. We're not done here yet," she jeered, wagging a finger. "But he will be done soon and then we can leave." She reached down to her belt for a pokeball and threw it out onto the ground. A purple cobra appeared, its forked tongue flicking out of its mouth every few seconds. "Arbok, use Ice Fang!" The snake rushed towards Dragonite, its fangs turning into temporary icicles.
"Dragonite, Dragon Rush!" Lance ordered. Dragonite lowered his head then rushed forward, slamming into the cobra. Unfortunately for Dragonite, the Arbok managed to sink its fangs into the Dragonite's neck. Dragonite howled; ice moves did major damage to a dragon. "Hyper Beam!" he commanded, holding his ground.
Dragonite recovered from the attack, and threw the snake off, then hurled a glowing beam in its direction. The snake was thrown across the room. Lance felt a brief moment of satisfaction. No more Arbok to worry about. But what was this? Ariana was… laughing? He felt a stab of annoyance.
"You sure do like to throw your weight around, don't you, champion? Another move like that and you'll bring the whole place down," she said, arching her neck back to look up at the roof. She was right. He spotted a few stalactites tremble slightly from the ceiling. Another powerful move and they would fall. This was potentially a dangerous situation.
"Fall back, Dragonite," Lance said. Dragonite looked at him, huffing slightly, but did as obeyed. The dragon folded his wings against his back and waited patiently for his next command. "Why are you doing this?"
A sombre expression took hold of her face. "To restore our pride. The former champion ruined us… he destroyed everything we worked hard for… now it's time for our revenge." A smirk took hold of her features, giving the lady an almost maniacal appearance. "But you're not a true champion. As some say, you're just keeping the seat warm for the rightful champion to arrive. You will never defeat us no matter how hard you try."
He stepped forward, jaw clenched. It was one thing to hold back during a fight, but to be mocked by a member of Team Rocket? "You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here unharmed?" He paused then spoke further. "I will hunt down every member of your organization and destroy you one by one."
She rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to fire back a response, but instead was interrupted by a phone call. "Yes, I'm still here, Proton. In fact, I've got the Champion here as well. You've got all the tails now? All right. I'll head back to the base. What should I do about a certain snoop? Oh, all right. Understood." She put the Xtransceiver away then turned back to Lance. "As much as I'd love to stay here, I can't. The life of a Team Rocket Executive is a busy one. Follow me and you'll regret it." She entered the exit and Lance followed her. He couldn't save the Slowpoke, but he could stop them from causing more harm.
He followed her from a distance, occasionally stopping behind stalagmites to hide for a few seconds. She took a sharp turn right. He followed her path and took the same right turn which lead him into a narrow and a dark passage way. There was no light here at all. He stopped at the entrance. "Sorry Dragonite, but I need you back inside your pokeball. You won't be able to fit," Lance said, turning to the dragon.
Dragonite lowered his head, but resigned himself to the white light. Lance returned the pokeball to his belt and stepped inside the narrow passageway. He took a few cautious steps, stopping every few moments to feel his surroundings. He could hear footsteps a few feet away and knew Ariana was just up ahead.
"So you decided to follow after all? Guess it was better than just standing around like an idiot."
He took a few steps forward then came to an abrupt stop. He tried to move forward, but found he couldn't. Something had gotten stuck. He suspected his cape had gotten caught on a stalagmite. Dammit. Another ruined cape. He gave it a hard tug and freed himself, but in doing so, had caused him to topple forwards on a bad angle. A really bad angle. He landed on a rock. He was soon introduced to a new world of pain.
"I should've warned you about that rock… must've slipped my mind," Ariana cackled, her laughter echoing throughout the cave. "Be seeing you, Champion… that is, if you ever manage to find your way out of here." He heard her laugh again, as she ventured further through the passageway. He was alone now; alone in a secret passageway in complete darkness with no clue on how to get out.
.
The battle against the Elder had just begun and things weren't looking up for her at all. The Bellsprouts had been easy enough to defeat, but that cursed Hoot Hoot was a nightmare. The owl had immediately used Hypnosis successfully putting her Mareep to sleep. Zubat, Toto and Pidgey were also asleep thanks to the move. There were only so many potions she could use to keep her team in the match.
She clenched her jaw shut, keeping her arms at her sides. This battle was testing her patience for sure. It was not a match of strength, but rather a one of skill and strategy. Put the opponent to sleep, do some damage and put the opponent to sleep again when the opponent woke up. She regretted not purchasing any Awakening potions, but she hadn't thought her luck would be this bad.
Every time Mareep awakened, she was put back to sleep immediately. Really frustrating. Lyra wanted to scream. How on earth was she supposed to win if her Pokemon spent the majority of the match sleeping? The Elder was watching her closely, judging her reaction. She willed herself to remain calm by taking in a deep breath. A test of patience, she told herself. Pull yourself together, Lyra.
Mareep took more damage from the Hoot Hoot sending her health into the red zone. The situation did not look good. She was down to her last potion now. Risk using the potion? Or save it for the rest of her team and allow hew newly caught Mareep to faint? She didn't want any of her Pokemon to suffer a knock out – that seemed too cruel, but she knew that was the way of battles. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made for a win.
She took a gamble and used her final potion to heal her Mareep, feeding the liquid down her throat, hoping the sheep would wake up to have a chance to counter attack. Of course, there was a strong chance she'd be put back to sleep again, but battles were about taking risks. Mareep awakened, and looked at Lyra, meetings her trainer's determined eyes. Mareep nodded, planting her feet into the ground, seeming more confident than before.
"Hoot Hoot, use Hypnosis!"
Mareep managed to fight off the urge to sleep. The Elder seemed pleased by this.
Lyra thrust her finger forward. "Mareep, use Tackle!"
Unfortunately, her Mareep wasn't strong enough to learn Thundershock yet - she knew electrical attacks did well against flying-types. That was a fact she had picked up from eavesdropping on Ethan's conversation with Professor Elm one hot morning. Mareep lowered her head and charged forward, throwing her body at the Hoot Hoot. Hoot Hoot toppled backwards, but regained its composure.
"Use Peck!" Hoot Hoot hopped forward, and lunged at the Mareep. It struck Mareep on the head. Mareep cried out, small electrical sparks radiating from her body. Some of the sparks jumped onto the Hoot Hoot, causing the bird to make a harsh squawking noise. Lyra pulled her PokeDex and opened a page regarding her Mareep. The Mareep had the ability to cause paralysis to an opponent if it was struck by a physical attack.
She couldn't stop a wide smile from crossing her face. "Use Tackle again, Mareep!" The Hoot Hoot couldn't move and Mareep managed to land a critical blow against the owl. Hoot Hoot fell backwards and lay on the ground, unmoving. Lyra threw a fist into the air and cheered, then rushed forward to give her Mareep a hug, receiving a weak electrical shock in return. "We did it!" Her Mareep responded with a soft bleating sound.
"Well done. You have shown me how tight your bond is with your Pokemon," the Elder Li said, as his Hoot Hoot returned to its pokeball. He walked towards Lyra holding a potion in his hand. The potion wasn't like any one she had seen in the shops – the liquid inside the bottle was a shade of magenta. Magical healing potion? "Take this special move. It's called Flash."
"Flash? What does it do?" She had seen it advertised in the shops for a hefty price of two-hundred poke dollars. That seemed a little too expensive this early in the journey.
"Use it when you find yourself in a dark place. Teach it to one of your capable Pokemon," he added, giving Lyra the potion.
"Okay, thanks." She placed it in her bag.
The Elder bowed his head, smiling. "You have proven yourself worthy of taking on Violet City Gym. Go now and strengthen your bond even further." He bowed his head, and Lyra made her way back down.
Before she could take on the gym, she needed to heal her hardworking Pokemon and buy a few more potions. Then it was time to gain a bit more experience, upgrade the move sets of her Pokemon before taking on the gym challenge. She would have that gym badge.
.
Fiery pain travelled through every part of his body. Even a mere attempt to move his arms from their awkward angles resulted in immense pain. He still couldn't see a damn thing and that wasn't going to change anytime too soon. His Pokemon were far too bulky to fit in this narrow passageway… and besides, he didn't have Flash.
He lay there like a cripple, struggling to fight off the pain so he could think of a way to get out of this stinkin' well. Nothing came to mind. He tried to force himself up off the ground, but that only brought on a new wave of pain. He was helpless, much like a Magikarp, flailing around on dry ground. Not exactly his ideal situation to be in.
A wave of nausea gripped his mind and he was half-tempted to expel whatever was inside onto the ground. Somehow, he managed to hold it all in. He could hear the voices of Ariana and a few other Team Rocket members echo throughout the place. Their voices were faint, but he could make out a few words such as 'Champion', 'not a bother', and 'Archer.'
Just then, he felt something vibrate at his belt. He reached down with his right hand, wincing as pain shot down his arm. Fingers opened the pouch, and grasped the surface of his Xtransceiver. He had almost forgotten all about that glorious piece of technology thanks to the pain. He did his best to answer it.
"Hey Lance, it's me, Koga. Just thought I'd remind you that it's Karen's twenty-first birthday tomorrow and you have yet to sign her card. So, get here as soon as possible!" Koga hung up on the phone.
Karen's birthday party. Naturally, he had forgotten all about that being so caught up in his own problems. The final Elite Four member insisted on having a party and she expected all the boys of the league to buy her something special. If he didn't make any purchases for her, she'd refuse to do the cooking for the week. That would be a problem since none of the boys knew how to cook. Karen was a handful; wild and tough, and sometimes a little intimidating, just like her dark-type Pokemon. He groaned inwardly.
He looked at the Xtransceiver again. He could give his cousin a call. As much as he hated seeking assistance from his prideful cousin, he needed her now. He hit the numbers and waited. After three dials, Clair picked up. "Clair. It's me, Lance. I need your help right now. I'm at the Slowpoke Well in Azalea Town. You'll find a narrow passageway off the normal path," he said. He paused then added, "It's… an emergency and you're the only person I thought to contact."
He heard her snort. "What are you doing there? Practicing your tough guy routine in the dark?" she jeered. "Sorry, you're on your own. I've got a gym to manage." She hung up immediately.
Well, that hurt. So Clair was still mad at him from their argument earlier. He grumbled, dropping his Xtransceiver onto the ground. Now what was he going to do?
.
Lyra reached the entrance of the gym. The building hadn't been hard to miss, as it had a big fancy roof on it with a symbol of a pokeball on the top. The sign 'Violet City Gym' also made locating the place easy. Before she entered the place, she made sure to check up on her trainer's guidebook for helpful information regarding gyms. There was an entire chapter dedicated to the gyms, but she wasn't too keen on reading it all in depth so she skimmed over the major details.
A gym battle was straightforward. Each gym was designed in a particular way to represent the overall theme of the gym which gave the challenger an idea of what was to come. Gym trainers were stationed around the building to lessen the chances of a challenger making it to the end in one attempt. Some could be avoided, but the book recommended the challenger battle them for extra practice. As for the gym leader, the book explained they usually had the strongest Pokemon of their type. A gym leader's Pokemon were normally stronger than a usual one of the same species because of the specialized training. When a gym leader was defeated, they had to give the challenger a badge. Eight badges were needed to gain entrance into the region's league.
She put the book away and stepped inside the building, and was immediately greeted by a funny looking man with a brown crew cut. He was dressed in all matching brown clothes and his eyes were shielded with a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses. Even his beard was brown. Strange man. "Hey there lass! I'm the national gym advisor and I'm here to share a tip with you that will tip the odds in your favour! This gym is home to flying-type trainers. I recommend you use an electric or rock-type Pokemon for this battle. Good luck, lass!"
She didn't have a rock-type Pokemon, but she did have an electric-type. Mareep had learned the move Thundershock and that was sure to tip the battle in her favour. At least she hoped it would. The gym leader most likely had a few tricks up his or her sleeves to counter-attack their weaknesses. She looked ahead and found a wooden lift. Placing a foot on it, she jerked her foot back when the lift made a funny whirring noise. The lift hadn't fallen down, so she stepped back on and was taken up to the upper level, where an 'S' shape path awaited her.
There were two trainers standing on the wooden platform, both of which could be avoided if she chose to take the glass path. But why avoid the battles that could strengthen her team? She placed a foot onto the wooden path and made her way to the first trainer whom she noticed was called Bird Keeper Abe.
The teenage male looked at her and smirked. "You must be confident to take the hard path over the easy one. I'm going to make you regret that decision!"
Lyra snorted. "Go for it, Mareep!"
Mareep stood before its master and stared down the opposite trainer. Abe grinned, and called out his own Pokemon, a brown small bird, with a short hooked beak. Lyra consulted her Pokedex.
Spearow. It flaps its short wings to flush out insects from tall grass. It then plucks them with its stubby beak.
Sounded like a cruel avian. Lyra was thankful she didn't have any bug-type Pokemon.
"Spearow, use Peck!"
The small bird moved surprisingly fast. It quickly threw Mareep of its feet with a sharp stab on the head. Mareep's fleece generated sparks and the Spearow was paralysed. "Use Thundershock, Mareep!" Lyra declared. Small bolts of electricity struck the Spearow causing it great damage. The Spearow staggered, then fell over, its eyes crossed.
Bird Keeper Abe looked stunned, but quickly shook it off. "You got lucky."
Lyra recalled her Pokemon then moved to the next one. This time, she let Totodile battle. Her trusty companion was eager to fight and immediately jumped out in front of Lyra. Her opponent, Bird Keeper Rod, summoned his first Pokemon. A Pidgey. Pidgey's weren't that tough. "Toto, use Water Gun!" A stream of water exited Toto's mouth, smashing into the Pidgey. The Pidgey was immediately drenched in water, and flapped furiously to dry itself off.
"Tackle!" The wet Pidgey tackled Totodile, but its move left hardly any damage. It seemed to be on a lower level than the Spearow she had recently fought. It was either that or her Pokemon were vastly superior.
"Use Water Gun again, Toto!" The second Water Gun was enough to knock the Pidgey out, but before she could celebrate, Rod summoned another Pidgey. The same attack cycle occurred and once again, Lyra claimed victory.
"You might have beaten my friend and I, but Falkner is far stronger than us combined," Rod boasted.
Lyra edged away from Rod and continued to move forward. There was a young male whom she suspected was in his late teens, standing alone dressed in blue robes. Like the gym advisor, Falkner seemed to be a fan of matching clothes and hair. His robes were blue, his jacket was a light blue, and his hair was also blue.
"I'm Falkner, the Violet Pokemon Gym Leader! People say you can clip flying-type Pokemon's wings with a jolt of electricity… I won't allow such insults to bird Pokemon! I'll show you the real power of the magnificent bird Pokemon!" he said, his eyes cold and emotionless. Did all gym leaders wear such a face or was it just a mark they wore when on duty?
She stepped up, feeling nerves creep up on her. This wasn't some common battle against another trainer. She was going up against a specialist gym leader, one who specialized in the power of flying-type Pokemon. Falkner summoned his first Pokemon and Lyra wasn't surprised to see a Pidgey. That she could take on. She was a specialist in taking down Pidgeys and Bellsprout having encountered so many on her journey so far.
"Pidgey, use Sand Attack!"
The opposing Pidgey sat down on the ground, turned its back to Lyra, and kicked at the ground flicking dust into her Mareep's eyes. Mareep was blinded temporarily, and she blinked several times in quick motion, trying to remove the dust particles from her eyes.
"Thundershock!"
Mareep obeyed and aimed a weak bolt at the offending Pidgey, but missed by a couple of inches. "Sand Attack again!" Falkner ordered in a commanding tone.
Once again, her Mareep found himself on the receiving end of dust particles. Her vision was even worse than it was previously. Lyra tightened her jaw, feeling sweat beads form on her head. If she couldn't even land one hit there was no way she could win. "Return Mareep. Go, Pidgey!" She summoned her Pidgey, recalling her Mareep.
"Use Gust!" Gust was a new move her Pidgey had learned after a brief stop at the Pokemon Centre. Updating moves at a Pokemon Centre was easier because the nurses could tell her what moves would best benefit her Pokemon's personality. Falkner's Pidgey flapped its wings causing a mini tornado to appear. It struck the other Pidgey blowing it away. The Pidgey picked itself back up, and flapped over to its previous position. Lyra inwardly cursed. It was tougher than it looked.
"Sand Attack!"
By Arceus' breath, Lyra cursed. She was briefly reminded of her battle with the Elder of Sprout Tower and his annoying Hoot Hoot. Different moves, but a very similar situation. "Keep using Gust, Pidgey!" she called out, crossing her fingers hoping her Pidgey would land an attack.
Fortunately, Pidgey did and it was enough to knock the other Pidgey out for the match. She was curious to see what other flying Pokemon Falkner had. She didn't know of any others. Perhaps he had another Pidgey? "Pidgeotto!"
A pigeon that looked very much like an older Pidgey appeared before her. Unlike the Pidgey, Pidgeotto was brightly coloured, its plumage a brillaitn mixture of red and yellow. She turned to her Pokedex for information.
Pidgeotto. The evolved form of Pidgey. It has outstanding vision. However high it flies, it is able to distinguish the movements of prey.
Evolved form of Pidgey? How come her one hadn't evolved? Perhaps her Pidgey wasn't much stronger after all.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" A mini tornado was conjured by the Pidgeotto. It headed towards Pidgey and struck it hard, landing a critical hit. Lyra's Pidgey fluttered to the ground.
"You fought well, Pidgey. Now it's your turn, Zubat!"
The blind bat hovered in the air, flapping his wings frantically. This was a risk putting out a Zubat since her one only knew three moves that did barely next to any damage. Needless to say, she was not at all surprised when the Pidgeotto took her Zubat down with one Gust. Now she had two left – Toto and Mareep.
"Mareep, it's your turn!" Mareep returned to the battlefield. The sheep eyed the Pidgeotto, eyes narrowed as if she were angry at the bird for felling her friends. Lyra planned to use Thundershock, but the Pidgeotto was faster. Much faster than the poor sheep. Gust hit hard and yet again, Lyra was to watch in horror as her sheep fell. It was now one of those times she wished she had a rock-type with her.
"Do you see it now, the power of bird pokemon!" Falkner said. It wasn't a question; it was bold a statement. Lyra nodded in agreement. Their power was immense. To think this was her first gym! The other gym leaders were going to be much tougher than this which was a frightening thought.
"It's up to you, Toto," Lyra whispered. Toto, who had been standing at her side the entire time, leapt forward into battle.
"Gust!"
Again, the bird created a mini tornado. The force of the wind pushed Toto and Lyra back a few inches. Lyra had to plant her feet firmly in the ground and crouch her knees slightly just to hold her position. Her hair flew around her head, clawing at her face. "Use Water Gun, Toto!" Toto sent forth a stream of water which struck Pigeotto square in the chest. Unfortunately, it hardly looked to have done any damage, other than giving the bird a good soaking.
"Finish the challenger off with a Tackle, Pidgeotto!"
And for the first time since leaving for her journey, Lyra suffered a defeat.
.
An hour had passed and Lance was still in the well and still feeling sore. The pain had eased slightly, reducing to a dull throbbing pain as opposed to a sharp fiery one. It was rather unpleasant and any form of movement still hurt. He was about to call one of the Elite Four members to come down and get him when he heard Clair's voice. "Lance? Is that you in there?"
He had never been so happy to hear her voice. "Yes." He winced, as white light filled the cave. At least Clair had been smart enough to carry a flash light. She shined it on him now and almost laughed. He assumed he must've looked rather ridiculous lying there on the ground with a torn cape, arms and legs in bizarre uncomfortable angles.
"I wasn't going to come down, you know… I'm still mad at you, but here I am." She wandered over to him and knelt down, holding back a snicker. "Why are you here anyway?"
Telling Clair about Team Rocket's return wasn't a wise thing to do. She was impulsive, highly emotional and arrogant. She'd chase after them herself with or without permission and get herself into a lot of trouble. But she had come all this way to help him. "It's Team Rocket. Grandfather's visions were right. They have returned," he said finally, watching her carefully.
Her sapphire eyes narrowed. "Team Rocket? I guess Red didn't do that good of a job, after all."
"It's not Red's fault. Criminal organizations are always trying to plan their comebacks. Giovanni might be out of the picture, but he had many followers all of which are trying to fulfil his ambitions," Lance explained.
She gave him a questioning look. "How did you know they were here?"
He sighed. "Grandfather mentioned something about Slowpokes missing tails, so I came here to investigate. I didn't know they'd be here. It was pure luck that I came across them."
She pressed her lips together, jaw tightening. Lance had seen this expression many times before to know Clair was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. "And you didn't think to tell me?" she demanded, staring down at him. "I know he would keep it from me, but I expected better from you or is playing hero more important?" she snarled.
"Clair… not now. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to bother you with this."
"It's Team Rocket. I deserve to know," she snapped. She turned her head away then looked back at him again. "Did you battle?"
"Too risky. We would've brought the entire place crashing down. I followed one of the executives through here thinking she'd take me back to their base…" he stopped suddenly, not wanting to go any further. Telling Clair he fell onto a rock didn't sound very Champion-like. She'd probably hold it against him for the rest of his life.
The snarl on her face was quickly replaced with a teasing grin. "Judging by the way you're lying there on the ground all curled up like that would I be wrong to assume that you fell over a rock? Your future wife is going to be so disappointed," she teased.
Dammit. "Not over, onto," he muttered bitterly.
She chuckled. "The Dragon Master Champion, defeated by a rock. I'd pay good money for the full story," she laughed again then fell silent, noticing he wasn't sharing her amusement. She sighed, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. "I'll take you to the Pokemon Centre in Azalea Town."
"The Pokemon Centre?" Lance repeated.
Clair nodded. "Yes, the Pokemon Centre. How do you expect to take on Team Rocket if you can't even exit the well without help?" she challenged. He resigned himself to defeat. She had a good point there. "Grab my hand and I'll help you up." He reached up and grabbed Clair's arm, and she hoisted him up. "Now, place your arm around my neck. We'll get out of here slowly."
.
Losing had dealt a big blow to her self-esteem. She had not only lost the match, but had let down her team and herself. She sat down under a tree, leaning against the hard wood staring lifelessly at the ground. "Perhaps I wasn't cut out to be a trainer after all," she muttered, looking at her Pokemon. Totodile, Pidgey, Mareep and Zubat were sitting around her, giving their master a confused look.
Mareep rubbed her head against Lyra. Totodile tried to bring a smile on Lyra's face by doing a little dance while Pidgey and Zubat flapped their wings to cool her down a bit. She tried to smile, but didn't feel any joy in her heart. "I'm sorry, I failed you all." Flashes of the match against Falkner replayed in her mind over and over again. Pidgeotto was far too strong for her team. Too fast. Too agile. Could any of her Pokemon beat it?
She brought her knees up to her chest, burying her head in her knees, trying to keep her emotions in check. She always knew being a trainer was going to be a difficult one, but she wasn't mentally prepared for this. Bottom lip trembling, she bit down hard in an attempt to stop the tears from spilling. But it was too late.
Weak. Mentally and physically weak. That's what she was and that's all she was ever going to be. It wasn't skill that had gotten her this far, it had been pure beginner's luck. The people that had seen great potential in her… Professor Elm, her mother, her childhood friend, her neighbours… They were probably just saying nice things to boost her confidence.
The tears continued to flow down her cheeks wetting her clothes. Using the back palm of her hand she wiped the tears away, but new ones soon replaced them. What would they say if they could see her now weeping like a young child? Her mother would probably insist she return home and decide on a different career path to take. Instead of being a trainer, her mother would recommend becoming a ranger or breeder.
But she didn't want to be a ranger or a breeder. She was fourteen years of age; a late bloomer to the trainer world as some would say. She hadn't felt ready at the age of ten, and if she didn't feel ready at the age of fourteen, would she ever feel the time was right? "Dear child, why are you weeping?" a voice spoke.
Lyra jerked her head up, quickly wiping away the tears. The Elder Li was standing a few feet away from her, his brows knotted in confusion. "I lost," she mumbled.
The Elder Li came towards her and held out his hand. "Please take my hand. I know something that will make you feel better." He held out a calloused hand. Lyra looked at it for awhile then decided to take it. It would be rude to refuse. She took his hand and he helped her up from the ground and led her towards a cosy looking house.
He unlocked the door and led Lyra inside. The place was small and a little old fashioned, but it seemed like a nice house. She saw no signs of televisions or gaming consoles in the room, nor did she see any tables, chairs or couches. Aside from a few paintings, there was only a fridge, an oven and a kitchen sink.
She sat down on the hard wooden planks, as her Pokemon gathered around her. The Elder Li walked to the fridge, opened the door and pulled something out. He returned to sit beside her and gave her a bottle of orange juice while giving her Pokemon something that looked like berries. Her Pokemon gobbled them up eagerly. The Elder turned to her. "Do not be so hard on yourself, Lyra," he started, smiling. "Even the greatest of trainers lose."
Was he just saying that to make her feel better? She tried to offer a polite smile. "If they were so great they wouldn't be losing."
He did not seem offended by her rash words. He was still smiling. "If a trainer never lost, how would they know how to improve? If they continued to win, a trainer would never understand their strengths and weaknesses. A loss makes you stronger."
His words made sense to her ears. When she was younger, her mother had often told her that until one makes a mistake, they will never learn and move forward. Making mistakes was the easy part – but accepting them? Not so much. "I just... want to be the Champion," she said weakly, gazing up from the floor. "I want to be like Red. I want to be a trainer my family and friends can be proud of…"
"Accepting a loss is difficult, but you will become a better trainer if you can. Believe in yourself and in your Pokemon and the seemingly impossible becomes possible. You have made this far already, do not turn back now because of a minor setback."
She drew in a sharp breath and fought back a new wave of tears. "I don't know if I can beat Falkner…"
"Have faith, Lyra. If you believe, your Pokemon will also believe."
Her throat was still dry despite having drunk the bottle of water. She set it down on the floor and stood up. The Elder Li was right. She could not stop now. "Thank you for your kind words and hospitality," Lyra said.
"You do not need to thank me for anything, it is you I should be thanking for allowing me to witness the rise of a great new champion," the Elder Li replied, also standing. He led her to the exit and took her to a grassy patch which led back to where she caught the Mareep. "Remember, have faith."