Chapter Seven: True Strength

Battling the three grunts at the same time was difficult. They knew each other's moves extremely well while Lyra was still mastering her strategy. Both the Rattata's struck hard and fast with Quick Attack, while the Zubat threw a Leech Life on Toto's head. Lyra's team began to show signs of fatigue, and she hadn't even had the chance to land an attack yet. Bagon, having no battling experience, looked ready to faint. She did what was best for her Pokemon, and called it back into his pokeball, and sent forth Starly to take over. Gible and Toto fared a little better, but still took some damage.

"Gible, use Tackle!" Gible hit one of the Rattata's. The Rattata stumbled backwards. Now it was Toto's turn. "Water Gun, Toto!" Toto uttered a growl and jumped forward, drenching the other Rattata with water. The wet Rattata shook its body in an attempt to dry itself off. "Starly, use Tackle!" Starly threw her weight against the Zubat, knocking the bat out of the air.

"Not bad, farm girl. But we're only just getting started," taunted the blond. "Rattata, use Tackle!"

"Rattata, use Tackle as well!"

"Supersonic!"

The two Tackles hit, but fortunately, Supersonic missed. That brought great relief to Lyra. Having four Pokemon against two would be a battle she couldn't hope to win. "Gible, Tackle again! Starly, Wing Attack! Toto, Tackle!" she barked out her commands, and her trio took the offense. One of the Rattata's fainted. The blonde's Rattata.

He replaced the fainted Rattata with a Zubat. Not another one, Lyra groaned. "Supersonic!"

"Supersonic!"

"Tackle!"

Unfortunately, this time one of the Supersonics hit. Starly's eyes turned a misty grey, and the avian started flying around in circles and randomly dove towards the ground. She hit herself, and stumbled. Gible and Toto were beginning to look tired now. Lyra knew they couldn't withstand more rounds of this. "Gible, Tackle! Toto, Water Gun!"

Luck finally started to shine in her favour. Both her Pokemon's attacks hit the Rattata and first Zubat hard, bringing them both down. The owners looked surprised; stunned that some unknown girl could bring them down like that. "Ekans!"

"Rattata!"

Another Rattata… and a purple snake? "Ekans, use Poison Sting!"

"Tackle, Rattata!"

"Supersonic!"

Another round of attacks and another round of damage taken. Starly was still confused and flying around in circles, but managed to avoid an attack. Gible wasn't so fortunate, taking two blows. Tackle threw him back and Poison Sting made him sick. Gible turned a shade of purple and winced. Oh no, Lyra thought. "Poisoned!" She didn't have an Antidote on her. Her only hope was to get to the Pokemon Centre to cure Gible of poisoning before the poison caused Gible to faint.

"Give up?" the ginger taunted.

"Never," Lyra replied. Her heart beat began to quicken. Things weren't looking so good. Gible needed immediate help, but she couldn't flee in the middle of a battle. She had to fight and hope Gible could last the round. All her hopes rested on Toto now. "Gible, Tackle. Toto, Water Gun!" Gible struck the Rattata while Toto took aim at the Ekans.

Ekans hissed upon impact. Rattata cried out once hit. "Ekans, Bite!"

"Supersonic!"

"Tackle!"

The snake lunged at Toto, and tried to sink its fangs into Toto's neck, fortunately Toto jumped out of the way in the nick of time. Gible, on the other hand, was knocked off his feet. He lay on the ground, murmuring, waving his limbs around. Lyra had no choice but to recall him. Being forced to fight while poisoned seemed cruel. Bagon returned to the battlefield looking a little nervous. Fortunately, Starly had recovered from the confusion and had now returned to her normal state.

"Wing Attack, Starly! And Toto, finish that Rattata off with a Water Gun!" Lyra almost screamed. "Bagon, use Rage!"

Bagon uttered a weak roar and jumped forward, smoke exiting its nostrils. He hit the Rattata soon after Toto had doing minimal damage, but it had been enough to cause the purple rodent to faint. Starly's Wing Attack had taken out the Zubat. The Zubat fell to the floor, flapping its wings weakly.

"Oh no, I'm out of Pokemon!" the stocky male said, falling to his knees.

"We clearly underestimated you," the ginger said. "But I will finish you off. Ekans, use Bite!"

The snake lunged at Toto again, this time managing to sink its fangs into Toto's neck. Totodile howled, and frantically shook himself trying to throw the snake off. Another Zubat replaced the fallen Zubat. Not again, Lyra thought.

"Supersonic!"

Lyra was so grateful Supersonic was inaccurate. "Starly, finish that Ekans off with a Wing Attack! Bagon, use Rage again! Toto, end this battle, Water Gun!"

Her Pokemon fed off her energy, and threw themselves at their opponent. Both Ekans and Zubat fainted from the combined attacks. The two standing grunts also dropped to the floor, speechless. "Proton is going to be so mad… let's get out of here before he finds out and asks the boss to dock our pay!" said the stocky male youth. His two companions agreed. They grabbed their pokeballs and raced out of the room before Lyra could say anything.

Although she had won, it did not feel like a victory. Gible had been poisoned, Bagon had been severely wounded and Starly and Toto were running low on energy. The grunts spoke of Proton like he was their superior. Another difficult battle awaited her. She continued moving forward as her Pokemon struggled to keep up with her.

"…and that's the last tail. Archer will be pleased."

"You must be Proton," Lyra said.

Proton was a tall adult male with aqua hair that stuck out on both sides of his head like protruding horns. As with the grunts she had just defeated, he wore black clothes, but his hat had no Team Rocket symbol. The other stand out difference was that he wore grey boots and had white wristbands, which Lyra noted, had dried blood patches on them. She screwed her nose up in disgust.

"You," he said, stepping towards her, a Slowpoke tail dangling in his left hand. "I trust you were the one causing the commotion back there?"

"Who are you people and why are you doing this?"

The man looked her up and down, clicking his tongue. "You're a trainer. You look a little older than the usual ones though. A late bloomer, I trust? You are lucky to have gotten this far, but your journey will end here." He pointed at her. "I'm Proton, one of the top trainers of the glorious Team Rocket and I challenge you to a battle. If you win, I'll tell you some information. And if you lose… well, you get nothing."

Gible was down. Bagon was too weak and inexperienced to take this fight. Starly was still pretty new. This battle would be decided by her exhausted Totodile. The fate of Slowpoke rested on her shoulders. She took in a deep breath and stepped towards Proton, crossing her finger, hoping this battle would be hers.

.

His Xtransceiver vibrated. He immediately pulled it out and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Lance! You need to get back home now! It's an emergency! The Shiny Dratini has been stolen!"

Lance pulled the Xtransceiver away from his ear deafened by Clair's shrill shouts. Once the girl had ceased her shouting, he pulled it closer and answered. "I'll be there as quickly as possible." He cursed, almost hurling his Xtransceiver to the ground. Team Rocket. Damn thieves. Were they stationed in every single city throughout Johto? If so, there was no possible way he could stop them all.

Just the mental image of Team Rocket putting their filthy hands all over the Shiny Dratini made him sick. What did they want with the dragon? What was their game plan? So many questions, yet he had no answers. As much as he wanted to return back home to rescue the Shiny Dratini, he had to make sure the Team Rocket grunts stationed here weren't going to bring more harm to the Slowpoke.

Clair could handle Team Rocket in Blackthorn. He had to look out for Lyra in Azalea Town and make sure the girl didn't get hurt. Although he had been reluctant to keep an eye on her, he found he didn't want to pull away just yet. Besides, he was the Champion and a good Champion had to look out for those in trouble, right? The girl could even lose control of her Gible which could be rather catastrophic. Baby dragons running rogue could cause some major damage and most of the cities in Johto wouldn't be able to cover the damage cost. He remained outside the well. Any sound of trouble and he'd come to the rescue. He just had to wait for the right moment to-

"Oh my Arceus, Lance!"

He jerked his head in the direction of the source of the voice. There was a girl running towards him, her blue pigtails bouncing with each step. Marina. "Oh no," he mumbled, voice betraying fear. If there was one thing he feared, it was fangirls, not that he would openly admit that to anyone. Marina was the worst of them all. What in Arceus's name was the girl doing here of all places? He thought about running away, but the girl was already close.

Marina lunged. Before Lance could make sense of what was happening, he felt himself getting squeezed tightly. Marina was hugging him so firmly as if she thought he was something soft, like a pillow. It was like she was afraid to let him go. "I have wanted to touch you for so long! Just writing about you in my fictional works just isn't good enough," she said, snuggling up against his chest. She ran both her arms up and down his arms, sighing happily.

Lance looked down, feeling awkward. Wrestling with dragons was tame in comparison to this girl. She was very determined to hold onto him. She stuck to him even worse than one of Bugsy's annoying bugs. "Marina, pleasure to meet you," he said as politely as was possible when being hugged to death. He managed to pry the girl off him. "How did you know I was even here? I thought you'd be in Goldenrod?"

She smiled at beam, batting her eyelashes. "The nurse at the Pokemon Centre told me you were here! She's part of the Lance fanclub, silly."

Ah yes, his personal fanclub. How could he forget? He hadn't actually checked the site out afraid it might scar his mind forever. Clair had informed Lance some of the stuff on that site was 'pure gold' and 'rather steamy'. He was afraid what 'steamy' described. "Right. Of course." Dragonite remained at the side, amused. The toughest trainer in Johto and Kanto, reduced to an awkward teenager, unfamiliar with such closeness to a female.

"Well, now that I have found you, you can answer the questions! The nurse has set up an open live chat so your fans can ask you questions." She grabbed his arm, dug her nails in deep and dragged him away to the Pokemon Centre. Lance glanced back at the well, concerned. Lyra needed his help. She couldn't face the grunts that were down there on her own. She wasn't strong enough. "What are you doing? The centre is this way," Marina demanded, tapping her foot impatiently.

Being rude to other people was Clair's speciality, not his. He was only rude to people who deserved it, like Team Rocket members for example. Marina might be exceptionally annoying, but she wasn't evil. They arrived at the Pokemon Centre and Lance was not surprised to find a laptop sitting on the counter. The nurse who had tended to him before stood beside it, smiling faintly, a red tinge on both her cheeks.

"Okay, girls! I found him! The best, and cutest, Champion ever, Lance!" Marina squealed into the laptop. "You know the drill, ladies. Just type your question, send it through the chat room and Lance will answer it live for you all to watch! Isn't that great? Okay," she said, glancing down at the screen. "The first question is from Rihanna, aged seventeen. Rihanna would like to know if you are single."

The less information he gave, the better in this case. That meant the girls would have less information to work with. Best to be as vague as possible. After all, he was known as the mysterious, broody and quiet Champion. It was best to try and uphold that image, not fight it no matter how much he wanted to. "Uh, yes."

Marina winked at him. "Don't forget to wave and smile in the camera. You are live, after all." Lance mustered up a fake grin and waved into the camera feeling like a complete utter dolt. He could be doing so many other important things right now like stopping Team Rocket than dealing with this nonsense. "Next question comes from Hayley, aged sixteen. Hayley says she really likes your cape. She wants to know where she can buy one from."

"Er, Celadon Department Store."

Marina pulled out a notepad and pen, and scribbled it down on the paper. Lance inwardly groaned. So, she was keeping track of this interview. Most likely she was going to post a transcript of the said interview onto her freaky fan site. He looked over her shoulder and caught the sentence, 'likes capes. Buys them from Celadon Department Store.'

"Tina, aged fifty five. Tina wants to know if you could marry her daughter."

This is getting rather creepy, Lance thought. It seemed like his fans cared nothing for his battling style. They only seemed to like him because he was the Champion and looked cool. "Not possible, sorry." He wasn't even past twenty yet. He had no desire at all to be wedded to some stranger. Heck, he had no interest in committing himself to a significant other. Being the ultimate Dragon Master and saving the world from evil were the only things that mattered to him. There was no time for love.

"Clair, aged sixteen. Clair wants to let you know that you look ridiculous right now." Marina frowned at that, and Lance immediately knew by the tone of those words, that it was his bratty cousin behind the screen. How on earth did she know the website link? Oh, that's right. She read his letters. He experienced a fleeting emotion of fear. Did Clair have an account on there? What had she posted? Is that how she knew so much because she was a registered member?

"And final question. Rebecca, aged sixteen. She would like to know if it's true that you sleep with a Dragonite plushie. She says she hopes it's true because that would be really cute. She also adds that she has bought one to remind her of you."

Damn Clair. "No. That's false information," he answered in a quiet, controlled tone. Now he was really going to have to check out all the information about him on this website.

"Sorry ladies, but that's all we have time for now. But don't worry. There will be another chance for a live chat with the gorgeous Champion of Johto and Kanto. I'll keep you updated! Keep checking 'Lance Fans Unite' every day for updates. Goodbye everyone."

Thank Arceus that was over now. "I'd love to stay, but I really must be going. There's someone I have to check up on," Lance said, edging away from Marina and the nurse girl. As soon as those words left his mouth, he regretted them immediately.

"Oh! Has some lucky girl caught your eye?" Marina said, trying to sound polite, but he could see a sense of jealousy in the way her expression hardened.

He replied quickly, not wanting to give her the wrong idea. "No, not at all. I didn't mean it that way. I'm on Champion business."

She studied him for a few brief seconds then smiled. "Oh, all right then. That's okay. Bye, Lance! So glad that I got to meet you in person! Don't forget about my show in Goldrenrod City this coming weekend. I hope you'll be there!" She waved him goodbye and he strode out the Pokemon Centre as fast as possible, not daring himself to look back.

That was possibly the most terrifying thing he had ever had to do.

.

The battle started, and immediately Lyra found herself at a disadvantage. His Zubat's Supersonic had struck gold causing Totodile to run around in circles, chasing after his tail. If she had been a spectator, she would've found it quite cute – but this was a serious battle and she desperately needed Toto with a clear mind.

"Toto," she pleaded. "Use Water Gun!"

Toto used Water Gun… but hit her instead. Now she was soaking wet. Proton arched his neck back, and released a booming laugh which echoed throughout the cave. He ceased his laughter and looked at her, waving a finger at her face. "Little girl, you should quit while you are behind. You could not possibly believe you could defeat me, an elite member of the mighty Team Rocket? Such foolishness shall be punished." This time, Zubat use Leech Life.

Lyra clenched her teeth, trying her hardest not to emit a cry of frustration. She had to have faith in herself, and in her partner. "Toto… I know you can hear me…" she said, in a voice barely above a whisper. "I believe in you." Toto's eyes returned to their normal colour. He snapped his jaws, and sent forth a powerful Water Gun, knocking Zubat out of the air.

Proton's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting that. "Hmph, you have some power. Zubat, Supersonic!" Zubat's attack missed, fortunately.

"Toto, use Water Gun again!" This time, Toto's attack had done enough damage to take the bat down. Zubat was unconscious. Lyra almost did her victory dance, when Toto stumbled and fell face first onto the ground. Her eyes widened. "Toto!" She ran to her partner's side and knelt down beside him, looking through fearful eyes. Toto was shaking. Was he in pain? She could not tell.

The convulsing continued, growing more powerful with each passing second. Lyra was beyond horrified now – what on earth was happening? She could only watch her loyal partner go through a period of suffering. The shaking came to a sudden stop. Lyra reached out a hand to touch her partner, but drew it back immediately when Toto began to glow. She glimpsed at Proton. He looked more impressed than surprised. Whatever was happening to Toto couldn't be a bad thing then.

The white light disappeared and Toto was no longer there. A new creature stood in its place. A blue and yellow crocodile stood at her side, reaching to a height of Lyra's shoulder. He had three clusters of red spikes on its body: one with three points on its head like a crest, one with two points on its back, and a diamond-shaped spike on its tail. It looked like Totodile, only it was taller, bulkier and much more intimidating to look at.

The Pokemon had black markings around its red eyes, giving it a rather imposing look. But what caught her eye was the asymmetrical, yellow pattern on the Pokemon's chest. It looked like spotted animal skin. She held up her Pokedex to obtain new data.

Croconaw. The second evolution of Totodile. If it loses a fang, a new one grows back in its place. There are always forty eight fangs lining its mouth.

Her cute Totodile had evolved? So that explained the past few horrifying seconds. Totodile had simply been evolving. She looked at her Croconaw and smiled. "You had me worried there for a moment." Croconaw smiled back, revealing a sharp row of fangs. Lyra felt sorry for any Pokemon on the receiving end of a Croconaw's bite. She turned to Proton. "This battle is far from over."

"You're lucky your Pokemon evolved, but it's not going to save you. Koffing!"

A round purple Pokemon appeared, hovering in the air. Lyra couldn't tell how it remained in the air for it had no wings at all. An unidentifiable gas shrouded the Koffing. It had no smell, but it made her feel sick. Whatever it was, Lyra felt herself coming down with cold-like symptoms. She wiped her eyes and sniffed. Her Pokedex provided a brief explanation.

Koffing. Its thin, filmy body is filled with gases that cause constant sniffles, coughs and teary eyes.

"Koffing, use Tackle!" Koffing tackled. Croconaw held its ground, and pushed the Koffing back.

"Croconaw, use Bite!" Croconaw opened his powerful jaws, and sunk his fangs into the Koffing's armour. The Koffing struggled to free itself against his grip.

"Koffing, use Smog!" Purple toxic gas exited through the holes in Koffing's body, travelling down Croconaw's windpipe. Croconaw's eyes widened. The reptile released his jaws, staggering back coughing. More tears flowed down Lyra's face. She too coughed.

"Use Water Gun!" Lyra ordered, just as another cough left her. Croconaw turned a shade of purple. Poisoned, just like Gible. Time was running out. She needed to end this battle now or lose everything. Water Gun drenched the Koffing, plugging its holes.

Proton cursed. "Infuriating reptile. Koffing, Tackle!" he spat. Koffing hurled itself at Croconaw. Once again, Croconaw held his ground.

"Use Bite!" Jaws sunk into Koffing's rock hard body. Lyra was surprised Toto's teeth didn't break. The Koffing wheezed, its eyes rolling back into its head. It flopped to the floor, unmoving.

"Impossible!" Proton exclaimed.

Realization that she had just won began to sink in. "We did it… We actually did it…"

"We will meet again, and next time, you won't be so lucky!" Proton spat. He made a break for the exit, leaving Lyra alone in the Slowpoke Well. She broke out of her trance and threw herself at Croconaw, hugging the reptile tightly. "You did it, you did it! You saved the Slowpoke!" she cheered.

"That was a magnificent battle! Perhaps…"

Lyra expected to see Kurt standing there, but instead she saw an adult female wearing a red kimono dress. She stopped dancing, looking a little embarrassed. How long had this lady been standing there for? "Oh. Um…"

"The way you battled against that evil man… the bond you share with your Pokemon… perhaps you can… No. It's too early to know yet," the lady said, as if she was talking to more to herself than to Lyra. She looked at Lyra thoughtfully, and smiled. "There is much potential in you, dear girl. What you just did – is a miraculous achievement for one so inexperienced. I believe you will continue to do great things."

Before Lyra could ask further questions, the kimono girl turned around and walked away. What had just happened there? Who was that lady? She thought about pursing the kimono girl when Kurt entered, huffing and puffing. He glanced around the well. "I saw two Rocket Grunts exit out the front. You saved the Slowpoke."

"It was nothing, really," Lyra said.

"You did a great deed for Azalea Town, and you will be remembered as the trainer who saved the Slowpoke. Please, come with me. You have earned yourself a warm meal and a nice bed for the night," he said, leading Lyra back to his house. A nice bed and a good meal sounded good, she thought.

.

Lance hurried to the well, hoping he wasn't too late. If Lyra had failed, which was highly likely considering she was just a rookie, then he'd blame himself for not being there. The whole scenario with Marina had been an excellent way to waste time. He made a mental note to disguise himself the next time he went into town, but it was so hard to part with his beloved cape.

What was this? He came to a sudden stop, ducking behind a building. Lyra and Kurt walked past. They were both smiling. Lance caught the words, 'Team Rocket defeated', and 'saved the Slowpoke' as they passed by. He also noticed the rather large Croconaw following behind Lyra. The girl had saved the Slowpoke and gotten her Totodile to evolve?

He had to admit. He was rather impressed and that did not happen very often. Most trainers were inferior, but this girl had defied the odds. It was such a big achievement for an inexperienced trainer. If someone had told him that a girl had defeated Team Rocket in her first few days as a trainer, he would've laughed if he hadn't already seen the girl battle. His grandfather had been right after all. There was something truly special about this girl.

He hadn't seen much of her, nor did he know much about her, but from what he had seen he could make the conclusion that she was a trainer worth watching. She battled with heart and passion. She was loyal and caring towards her Pokemon. She fought for honour and justice. She had all the makings of being a Dragon Master if she were to decide to walk down that path. No wonder his grandfather wanted to look out for her. She had the qualities he wanted Lance to have.

Shame poured through him. He had doubted the girl, convincing himself she couldn't handle Team Rocket, but she had proved him wrong and achieved what he had been unable to do. Drive Team Rocket away from Azalea Town and the Slowpoke Well.

His Xtransceiver vibrated again, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Hello?"

"Lance!" Clair exclaimed. "Why aren't you here yet? I'm not lying. Get here now!"

Oh, right. The stolen Dratini. Clair was the one that needed supervising, not Lyra. He felt a little sad to be leaving now. He was curious to see how Lyra would continue to grow as a trainer, but duty called. "Come on Dragonite, you've got a long flight ahead of you. We have to head back to Blackthorn." Dragonite nodded, lowering himself down a little, so Lance could climb onto his back. Once he was on, Dragonite jumped into the air and flew off towards home.