Thanks to Paige McCarthy and mestwendyfan for reviewing the previous chapter. Also, want to point you in the direction of Ravaged World, the second story in this trilogy. you'll need to understand story two if you want to understand the third story.
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Chapter Eleven: Cry of the Dragons
Blackthorn City was in chaos. The lake in front of the Dragon's Den had flooded, forcing water down the slope and into the homes of the locals. The grounds were so wet several areas had to be roped off to the public because they were far too dangerous to cross. Every shop had two police officers standing guard and even some of the homes were protected. The word of stolen Shiny Dratini spread around the city like wildfire, prompting many of the locals to remain indoors. And that wasn't the worst of it. The rains continued to pour, growing in intensity with each passing day. If this continued it wouldn't be much longer until people were forced to evacuate.
Lance climbed off his Dragonite and headed inside the Dragon's Den in search for his cousin, Clair. He found her at the entrance pacing back and forth, a troubled expression on her face. "You certainly took your time," she said sourly, shooting him an accusing look. "I guess talking to your special fans is more important than finding the Dratini."
"I didn't have a choice, Marina stopped me before I could escape," Lance replied, defensively. "I'm here now anyway, so drop your accusations."
Clair's accusing look remained, but she explained the situation. "It happened a few days ago after I left you in Azalea Town. Someone destroyed the local Poke Mart and that same person stole the Dratini from inside the den. Would I be wrong to assume Team Rocket are behind it? I looked at grandfather's drawings while he was asleep."
Lance nodded. "It would make a lot of sense. They're after something… and they're not going to stop until they get whatever it is they seek."
"World domination, what else could they want? Same evil just with a different face," Clair replied, throwing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I don't understand why they would want a Shiny Dratini though."
Lance was thoughtful. Team Rocket members in the Slowpoke Well were cutting the tails off the Pokemon. There were also Team Rocket members messing around with the radio signals which were causing Pokemon to evolve at much earlier levels than normal. Whatever the end goal was, Team Rocket was certainly doing a good job of covering it up. No wonder no one had noticed any suspicious behaviour. If it weren't for his grandfather's visions, then he would not have known about it either until it was too late. "Ultimate power. Dragons are sacred and mythical creatures. There's no other type that can match up to the offensive power of a dragon."
"But why a Shiny Dratini? I didn't think pink was their colour."
"Perhaps they are under the impression a Shiny Dratini has more power than a normal one," Lance explained, running a hand through his hair. "Whatever they want from Dratini, their intentions can't be good." He strode towards the edge of the Dragon's Den pool of water then stopped to look back at Clair. "Rally your gym trainers. We need to be prepared for Team Rocket's next move." Dragonite jumped into the water. Lance climbed on and Dragonite swum across to the other side.
"I hope you have a plan," Clair called out from across the lake.
He didn't actually, but Clair didn't need to know that. He needed to keep her occupied so she'd stay out of the Team Rocket business. "Trust me," he replied, not meeting Clair's eyes. He heard Clair's retreating footsteps. Once she was gone, he made his way inside their house and found his grandfather leaning against a wall, panting slightly.
The man looked like he had seen ghost. He was trembling, his face ashen white. Quite a different sight from the last time they talked. Lance knelt down beside him, looking into his grandfather's eyes. "Lance?" the man gasped, lifting a shaking hand. "Is that you?"
"I'm here," Lance replied.
The man breathed a sigh of relief, smiling slightly. "The… Dratini… she's gone…" He coughed weakly. The entire episode with the Team Rocket grunt had caused the man a great deal of grief.
"I'll find her. I swear on it," he said darkly.
Edward coughed again. "You must… not be reckless…"
"I'll do whatever it takes to bring the Shiny Dratini back to its rightful home," Lance replied, snarling the response. He was the Champion – so why did his grandfather continue to treat him like he wasn't? He was treated better than Clair, but Lance sometimes got the feeling his grandfather was disappointed with him.
"You failed to drive Team Rocket out of Azalea Town."
Lance held back a bitter response. "Did one of your 'visions' reveal that to you?" he said sarcastically. Great. Now he was starting sound like Clair. "Clair called me to come here and I assume she did so on the behalf of your request. Did you summon me here just so you could doubt me? Or is this just another one of your tests?" He gave a sardonic laugh. It was a well known fact the man enjoyed putting his students through a series of tough quests to learn whether or not, they had what it took to be a Dragon Master. So far, only he had been the one to pass.
But this wasn't a test about being a Dragon Master. It was something else. Something deeper than that. He couldn't quite figure out what that was exactly, but he hoped to find out soon. His grandfather spoke again. "Time is running short… I need to know that you… are fully capable," he replied, taking in deep breaths between each couple of words.
"Capable of what? Defeating Team Rocket? Bringing back the Shiny Dratini?" he asked, dubious. "Haven't we been through this already?"
Edward leaned back into the wall, closing his eyes, exhaling gently. "It is no secret that my time is running short on this world…" he said softly, eyes staring up at Lance. "Promise me… you will look after Lyra."
Lance drew back, confused. "Saving the Dratini is more important than her." Angry heat poured through him. "Are you implying Lyra is more important than the symbol of our clan?" Lance suddenly found his grandfather's hands gripping his right arm. For an old guy, he certainly had quite a firm grip.
"I've seen it in my visions… she is the light in the darkness."
Nonsense! Complete utter nonsense! The Team Rocket grunt had done more than just scare the old man. He had messed with the man's head filling it with foolishness. "So the girl managed to drive off Team Rocket from Azalea Town. That doesn't mean she's the saviour of our region," he retorted, sounding more like Clair with each passing second. He didn't doubt the girl had some skill; she was already showing signs of being one of the region's greatest trainers, but to imply she was the region's only saviour? Perhaps this was some cruel joke to teach Lance a lesson.
The old man's grip tightened his hold unrelenting. "Lyra is the light in your darkness."
Lance pried his grandfather's fingers off him. "What are you talking about?"
"I have tried hard to raise you and Clair to be the finest trainers in the region… but both of you are blinded by your own arrogance. I had hoped you would understand better… that power isn't everything. I thought you may have learned something from your… past mistakes…"
A muscle jerked in his jaw. He didn't like being reminded of those 'past mistakes'. "Of course I understand. I'm the only one that passed your test."
"And the Shiny Dratini refused you."
Lance snorted. So what? He didn't want a dragon with pink scales anyway. "I don't see the point in any of this. I could be out there now searching for the Dratini instead of wasting time talking to you." He was well aware that he was pushing the boundaries here – this was his grandfather after all, a well-respected member of the Blackthorn dragon clan. He had never heard anyone say a bad word about the man.
If the townsfolk discovered there was tensions between the Elder and the Champion, word would reach the foreign dragon clans and then there'd be trouble. They'd realize the Blackthorn Clan were weakened would immediate advantage of that.
"Then tell me - why are you still here?"
His mouth tipped ruefully. "I had hoped to find answers. I assumed wrongly."
"You returned because you hoped to prove your own self-worth… by finding the Dratini because Lyra had defeated Team Rocket in Azalea Town… am I not correct?" Lance didn't say anything. His grandfather continued. "As the Champion of this region, you feel honour bound to defend your homeland from evil. When someone else takes that chance away from you… it makes you feel doubt and fear."
His agitation levels were growing. It was taking all of Lance's willpower not to start shouting. "Red gave the title to me to continue his work. He didn't give it to Lyra."
His grandfather paused. "What are you afraid of?" he challenged.
"I'm not afraid of anything." What did he have to be afraid of anyway? He had a powerful team of six fully evolved dragons at his side that would do anything for him if he commanded it.
"Everyone… is afraid of something."
He clenched his hand. "I guess I'm just a special case then," he replied, angry.
Sighing, his grandfather shook his head. "You can argue against me all you wish, but I know you better than anyone else… I know you better than you know yourself. You will keep searching for a way to prove your worth, but you will not find it by pursuing Team Rocket… I see that now.
"You can't stop me."
He shook his head again. "No, I can't."
"Then I'm glad we've come to an understanding." Lance turned around, cape flapping behind him. Returning to Blackthorn to find answers to his questions had been the wrong decision to make. His own grandfather did not believe in him! It hurt like a punch and a kick to the gut. The man placed his faith in a rookie trainer! "You think you know me well… but you don't, and you never will either." He turned around, blood pounding in his head.
"Lance…"
Lance took a step towards the door, then stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "You prefer some girl over me, your own grandson!" A dry laugh left his throat. "Tell me one thing, grandfather. Did you ever believe in me?" His grandfather said nothing. The pain in his stomach worsened, the invisible knife driving deeper, the Elder's silence hurting more than a Dragonite's bite. "You're wrong about her. I don't need her – just like I don't need you."
He exited the house, slamming the door behind him. When he stepped outside the Dragon's Den, he spotted Clair and a handful of Blackthorn Gym trainers standing across the pool of water. Clair looked at him with impatient eyes, tapping her foot on the grass. Her expression was sour. Perhaps the continuous rain was to blame for a bitter face? "Well? Did you have a good talk with grandfather?" Her tone was thick with jealousy.
"I told him I was going to get the Dratini back, no matter what it took."
"Of course. Everything has to be about you, I forgot."
Lance shot her a dark look. "You can't be involved in this Clair. You're a gym leader. Blackthorn City needs you to protect the city. You can't run after the Dratini. I'm doing this alone."
Clair's eyes narrowed almost into slits. He had seen her angry on many occasions, but never this mad. "Fine," she hissed. "Play the hero. That's the only role you're good at it anyway. Oh wait; you can't even do that right." She turned to her gym leaders. "Spread out and guard every entrance to this city. Don't let anyone in and don't let anyone out."
"But what about trainers seeking their eighth badge?" Mike said.
"Trainers are the exception. They need to show their badges before we let them in. Do you understand me?" All her trainers nodded. Clair took in a deep breath and continued. "Team Rocket is back." There were gasps heard from the trainers. She continued. "And they will attack us again. We need to be prepared for the worst," Clair explained. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get into your positions!"
"There goes Clair again…" Some of the trainers rolled their eyes and grumbled, but followed Clair's orders anyway. She was the gym leader after all.
As the gym trainers headed to their stations, Clair turned back to Lance. "Don't even think about returning until you've brought back the Dratini. You've made it pretty clear you don't care about this place. You care more about your title than anything else. Get out of my sight!" she snapped.
Clair was being unreasonable, but he had grown accustomed to her ways. She'd soon realize that she needed him and would ask him back in the near future. She always came back to him so he didn't make much of her response. Once again, he climbed onto his Dragonite. It was time to return to Indigo Plateau to inform the Elite Four trainers he was taking a short vacation, and then he'd pursue his hunt for Team Rocket at the Lake of Rage and hopefully find some answers about the Dratini there.
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After spending a few long hours battling wild Pokemon for much needed experience points (Lyra counted at least twenty fainted wild Pokemon), Lyra stopped at the Goldenrod Pokemon Centre to rest up her team. Once her Pokemon had a short rest, she made her way to the Goldenrod Gym, thinking about the types she could possibly face. If the wild Pokemon in the area indicated anything, she was going to be up against either normal-types or psychic-types. What type worked well against normal-types? She had no idea.
She looked down at her team and smiled. The four Pokemon were ready to take on their next real battle after coming last in the power course competition. The loss had hit hard – but losing was just a part of life. She bypassed a couple of kids running up and down the street as she closed the distance to the gym. The closer she came, the more anxious she felt. But, like with losing, feeling nervous before a major battle was normal. "Here we go," she said, leading the way inside the gym, after returning her Pokemon to their balls. She didn't want her opponents to know how to combat her team immediately, after all.
As with every gym, the gym advisor was standing nearby at the entrance. He immediately rushed over to her, greeting her with a warm smile. "Hey there! Can't say I'm surprised to see you here! You did a fine job of taking down Falkner and Bugsy!"
"Thanks," Lyra replied.
"But now you'll be going up against Whitney. Don't let her cute appearance fool you – she's incredibly tough. This is a normal-type gym, so make sure you have a fighting-type with you or a fighting-type move. Good luck, trainer!"
Lyra didn't have a Fighting-type or a Fighting-move with her. For the first time, she would not have the upper advantage. That was a scary thought. She couldn't rely on just one Pokemon to take the battle then. Strategy was equally as important. She looked forward, taking in all her surroundings. The interior of the gym was rather colourful, much like Whitney herself.
The floors had a circle pattern with varying shades of pink and the raised crossable platforms also had a pattern, but they were green instead. There were a few pot plants scattered around the gym, and a few banners hanging off the walls. Lyra noticed the banners had images of rather cute Pokemon on them. She glanced down at her dress. Well, she thought. At least I'm dressed appropriately. She made her way up to the first flight of stairs and moved north.
A rather tall girl with a short mini black dress approached her, flicking a strand of her golden brown curls over her shoulder. She batted her eyelashes at Lyra, her eyes taking in the girl's appearance. She turned up her nose, snorting. Lyra briefly wondered if she had accidentally mistaken the gym for a beauty pageant. "I'm Victora, and I'm going to show you that cute Pokemon are powerful!" said the girl. "Senret!"
An adorable chubby Pokemon appeared from its pokeball, sitting on the ground, small black round eyes peering up at Lyra. It looked a bit like a bunny rabbit; the only main difference between the Senret and a typical bunny rabbit was that the Pokemon had a stripy tail twice as long as its body. It also stood on two legs rather than on four. Lyra quickly pulled out her Pokedex.
Senret. A very cautious Pokemon, it raises itself up using its tail to get a better view of its surroundings.
"Cute," Lyra said. She summoned her Gible to take the battle. "But cuteness isn't going to help you."
Victoria turned up her nose at the sight of Gible. "Ew, what a hideous creature. I've never seen anything so ugly before and I've seen a lot. That thing can't be from around here, right?"
Lyra felt a surge of anger course through her veins. Who did this trainer think she was criticising a Pokemon's appearance in that manner? "Gible might be ugly to you, but he's adorable in my eyes," she countered, pointing forwards. "Gible, use Dragon Rage!" She wanted to put this girl down as fast as possible after that comment.
"Senret! Use Quick Attack!"
Senret dashed forward. Lyra was surprised that such a chubby creature could move that quickly. Gible was bowled over onto its back, his short limbs and legs wriggling in the air. Victora threw her head back and laughed. "Ugly and weak!" Her laughter was cut short when Dragon Rage hit her Senret, taking it out of the battle.
"Not so weak, right?" Lyra boasted.
"Everyone knows that Dragon Rage is a cheap attack. Why don't you try and fight fairly or can't you do that?"
Now that Lyra thought about, Dragon Rage did seem like a pretty unfair move. It took out a good chunk of a Pokemon's health – it was an excellent move for young dragons to use. She could understand why Victoria didn't like it. "I don't have to rely on Dragon Rage to defeat you anyway. Gible, use Bite!"
Victoria called out her second Senret. "Quick Attack!"
Once again, Senret struck first. Gible had just picked himself up from the floor only to be knocked down again. "Gible, use Bite!" Gible rolled itself back and forth until he gathered enough momentum to push himself back up on his feet. He growled, lunged forward, jaws gnashing at the Senret. Strong jaws latched around Senret's tail, holding the Senret back from attacking.
"Get off him you nasty little beast!" Victoria shrieked. "Use Fury Attack!" Senret spun around, removing its tail from Gible's jaws. It pounced, swatting stubby little arms at the dragon's face. Fury Attack hit three times. Victoria was right about one thing – cute Pokemon could be quite deadly. But cuteness wasn't going to help her win this battle.
"Gible, use Bite again!"
Gible bit down hard on the opponent's tail, this time causing the Senret's eyes to well up in tears. Senret tried to pull its tail free, but was in far too much pain to move. Gible used Bite again, this time succeeding in bringing the Senret down.
"Oh, you meanie! But you won't be so lucky in the next battle! Senret!" Another Senret appeared. Lyra hoped this wasn't going to be like the Sprout Tower all over again where everyone used the same Pokemon. "Senret, strike fast and hit hard with Quick Attack!" Senret obeyed, dashing forward. Gible toppled to the ground, falling on his face.
"Come on, Gible…" Lyra pleaded in a whisper. "I know you can do this." Gible grunted and forced itself up using its massive jaws, as stubby arms were far too short to do anything useful.
"Beauty tames the beast," Victoria said, flicking a dismissively. "You should just give it up."
Lyra gritted her teeth. "I will never give up."
"Senret, Quick Attack!"
"Gible, use Bite again!"
For what seemed like the umpteenth time, Gible fell over onto the ground again, upon being on the receiving end of another Quick Attack. The poor dragon was taking a beating – a physical and mental beating. Lyra wasn't quite sure if Pokemon experienced the range of complex emotions human felt, but surely they experienced emotions of rage, hurt and joy.
But Gible was a determined dragon and wasn't about to quit. He picked himself up and stared the Senret down, lunging forward to take another Bite at his opponent's tail. He bit down hard. Senret screeched, eyes welling up in tears, like the previous Senret before it. And Gible didn't let go. Victoria ordered her Senret to use Fury Attack on the Gible to free itself, but the Senret could not move.
"Finish that Senret off with Dragon Rage!" It wasn't cheap to use Dragon Rage when the Pokemon was already close to fainting. Gible happily obliged, releasing his hold to unleash a mighty purple burst of pure draconic rage. The Senret fainted. Victora's mouth dropped.
"I can't believe that rotten little thing beat my team of cuties…" she murmured.
Lyra moved past the girl, following the path to the east. She kept walking along the raised platform until she reached a flight of stairs leading down. Down below to the south she spotted another trainer to the southern arch way. Hurrying down the stairs, Lyra headed towards the second trainer. This trainer looked similar to Victoria.
"I'm Samantha. My two Meowths' will defeat you!"
Judging by the name, Lyra had a feeling Meowth was a feline. She brought up her Pokedex, waiting for Samantha to summon her Meowth. As Lyra expected, a cute cream-coloured furred feline appeared. She held up her Pokedex to obtain data.
Meowth. It is fascinated by round objects. It can't stop playing with them until it tires and falls asleep.
Gible was still eager to fight, so she allowed the dragon to take another battle. Like Victoria, Samantha was repulsed. "I can't believe you'd bring such a gross looking Pokemon into our beautiful gym. I hope he won't drool all over the floor. Go get them, Meowth! Use Fury Swipes!" Fury Swipes was a very similar attack to Fury Attack, Lyra discovered. The cat clawed at Gible's face, but its claws weren't sharp enough to penetrate Gible's tough scales.
"Gible, use Bite!" Gible retaliated jumping forward to clamp its jaws around the Meowth's neck. The feline struggled, clawing away at Gible's face.
"Meowth, use Scratch!" Meowth swiped at Gible's eyes, forcing Gible to drop the cat promptly. Meowth leapt out of the way, hissing.
"Gible's don't know Bite!" Samantha pointed out.
Lyra shrugged. "Mine does. Finish Meowth off with a Tackle!" Time to vary things up a little. Gible's jaw was probably starting to hurt from using multiple bites in a row. What other attacks did Gible know anyway? Tackle. Bite. Take Down. And Sandstorm. Interesting. Unfortunately, Tackle didn't do much as the feline nimbly leapt out of the way.
"Meowth, use Fury Swipe!"
"Gible, use Sandstorm!"
Gible growled, and scratched at the ground with his stumpy legs. He continued digging until there was a nice little hole in the ground. He kicked at the ground, causing grains of sand to fly up into the air. A magical windstorm occurred, hurling grains of sand in all directions. Some of the sand attached itself to Lyra's clothing and face. She wished had bought some sunglasses.
"My eyes!" Samantha whined. "Meowth, use Bite!"
Meowth hissed, swatting randomly at the air, but its attacks did no good. It could not see. Gible on the other hand, seemed at home in the raging sandstorm. The howling sandstorm continued, covering the entire gym area, and trainers, in sand. Lyra made a mental note not to use this attack again. A move was no good if she couldn't see what was going on the battlefield. "Gible, finish the Meowth off with Bite!"
Gible disappeared in the sandstorm. Lyra heard a couple of snarls and a few hisses from both Pokemon. A few seconds later, the sandstorm died down revealing a fainted Meowth on the tiled floor. "Don't get too cocky, I still have another Meowth."
"Then I will just have to defeat that one too."
Samantha dusted the grains off her clothes and summoned her next Meowth. Lyra did the same, running her fingers thought her hair to remove sand. "Okay, Gible, you can take this as well." Gible gave Lyra a toothy grin.
"Meowth, use Scratch!"
"Gible, counter attack with Tackle!"
The two Pokemon collided. Meowth's attack struck its target, but did little damage. Gible easily pushed the Meowth aside with a strong Tackle, knocking the cat a few inches back. Meowth jumped to its feet, pounced, and swiped at Gible's eyes. Gible growled, wincing. He fought back, tackling the cat to the ground again.
"Meowth, use Fury Swipes!"
"Gible, use Bite!
Again, the Pokemon collided. Lyra wasn't even sure why Samantha continued to try. There was no way her Meowth could penetrate Gible's scales. Gible brought the battle to an end with another overpowering Bite. Meowth fainted. Samantha brought her hands to her cheeks and groaned. "Oh no, my precious Meowth's!" She glared at Lyra. "Meanie."
Lyra rolled her eyes and continued to move forward. Time to fight the next trainer who was hiding the northern archway. The third trainer fortunately, didn't look as snobby like Victoria and Samantha. She didn't have the same luscious golden brown longs the other two girls did. "I'm Carrie. My Pokemon is the cutest. Here, I'll show you."
Lyra expected to see another cute Pokemon, but the one that appeared was anything but cute. It looked rather intimidating actually. A pink sour-faced canine with blue spots on its belly appeared. Unlike typical canines, this one stood on two legs, like it were a human. She held her Pokedex up again.
Snubbull. Although it looks frightening, it is actually kind and affectionate. It is very popular among women.
Somehow, she found that hard to believe. But then again, she didn't have a Snubbull and didn't have any plans on capturing one either. "Gible, use Bite!"
Gible lunged forward, eager to sink his teeth into Snubbull's hide. Snubbull cried out upon being bitten. "Snubbull, put down that dragon! Ice Fang!" Snubbull's teeth turned into icicles, and the canine bit down hard. Gible screamed and immediately fainted.
"Oh my…" Lyra said. How on earth did that canine know a move like that? Better not use Bagon then. Or Staravia for that matter. It was up to Croconaw now. She summoned her mighty companion, and pointed her finger forward. "Use Water Gun!" Croconaw did as commanded. The burst of water knocked Snubbull over, but it wasn't enough to win the battle.
"Thunder Fang!"
Another elemental fang attack? Arceus' breath, Lyra cursed. Her Croconaw's battling time had come to an immediate end. She had no choice but to use Staravia and Bagon, and both were weak to Ice-type moves. Staravia was also unfortunately weak to Thunder Fang. She sent Bagon out first. "Bagon, use Headbutt!" Fortunately, her dragon was faster, and dealt a fair amount of damage to the Snubbull.
"Ice Fang!"
Bagon had fainted before Lyra could even say 'Staravia'. Speed was now her greatest weapon against the nasty Snubbull. If she could out manoeuvre its attacks each time then the Snubbull could not land a super-effective attack. It was time for some strategic thinking to come into play. "Staravia, use Double Team!"
"Ice Fang!"
Fortunately, Snubbull was extremely slow and Staravia easily evaded the attack. Lyra breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew luck wouldn't always be in her favour. She had to end this battle quick. "Use Wing Attack, Staravia!" The avian conjured two small funnels. The funnels struck the dog, hard, but still it stood. Would anything put this dog down? Lyra thought.
"Thunder Fang!"
Again, the Snubbull missed. Sweat beads were forming on her head. "Use Wing Attack again, Staravia!" Please hit, Lyra pleaded silently. The funnels hit their target and thankfully, the Snubbull fainted. Lyra almost collapsed on the floor with relief. "Wow, that was close," she said, heart hammering away in her chest.
Carrie looked like she was going to cry. Lyra thought about moving forward, but decided to head back to the Pokemon Centre. Better not to make such a bold move and have her entire team faint. Retracing her steps, she headed towards the Pokemon Centre for a much needed recovery. Once they had recovered, she hurried back to the gym, making her way back to where she had defeated Carrie. There was only one more trainer to defeat before she could face Whitney.
"I'm Cathy! You won't be able to beat my trio of Jigglypuff! Let's have a triple battle, shall we?"
Fortunately, Lyra had already experienced a triple battle. Team Rocket grunts had taught her something useful after all. Three round-shaped pink Pokemon appeared on the field, big wide blue eyes staring into Lyra's face.
Jigglypuff. If it inflates to sing a lullaby, it can perform longer and cause sure drowsiness in its audience.
Oh no. A Pokemon that could cause sleep… and there were three of them. This was not going to be enjoyable. "Jigglypuff's, use Sing!" The three puffballs opened their mouths and started to sing. A soothing lullaby filled Lyra's ears. Drowsiness overcame her. She yawned, her eyelids drooping.
"So tired…" she muttered.
Her three battling Pokemon, Bagon, Gible and Croconaw, all yawned as well then fell into a deep sleep. Lyra too, dropped to the ground, wanting nothing more than to have a short nap. Her eyelids closed. Soon her mind was filled with scenes of her claiming the trophy from her friend, Silver. She giggled. How pleasant. Silver gave her a hug, smiling at her, brushing her bangs away from her face.
Wait. Silver? Friends? Silver actually smiling? That didn't seem right. Her eyes snapped open. Silver was not her friend. He was a bullying thief. "That trick isn't going to work on me!" she declared. "Bagon, use Headbutt!" Gible, use Dragon Rage! Croconaw, use Bite!" Her Pokemon awakened from their naps and launched themselves at their opponents.
Dragon Rage took out one Jigglypuff. Unfortunately, the other two managed to cling on. "Use Pound, Jifflypuffs!"
The two puffballs pounded the ground with their forelegs, causing a slight tremor in the battlefield. Bagon and Croconaw both shook, feeling the direct impact of the attack. "Bagon, use Headbutt again! Croconaw, use Water Gun! Gible, use Dragon Rage!" The faster she took the remaining Jigglypuff's out, the less tired her Pokemon would feel. She wanted to be close to peak condition when fighting against Whitney. Gible's Dragon Rage took out one Jigglypuff, while the combined attacks of Bagon and Croconaw caused Jigglypuff to faint.
As soon as the battle ended, Gible dropped to the ground. It wasn't from exhaustion though – he was shaking which meant it was evolution time again. Lyra was curious to see what the weak looking Gible would involve into so she looked on with keen interest. The evolution process happened, and Gible grew. He was now a head taller than Lyra, making him the tallest Pokemon in the party. Gible's scales turned dark blue, unlike the steel grey one of a Gible.
Gible's arms and legs grew, now in proportion to his body. His tail was no longer a little stump, but rather a powerful weapon. The Gabite had four fins, one on each arm, one on its back and another on its tails, reminding Lyra of a shark. Horns that resembled jet engines rested on both sides of its head, each with a light blue strip in the middle. Those who had laughed at Gible's appearance would not be laughing at him now.
When the evolution process stopped, Gabite planted his feet into the ground and roared.
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Opening his eyes, he sat up, and took a few moments to recollect himself, then gazed around his environment. Jacob had arrived in Kanto about a week ago, and had immediately made the trek towards Blackthorn City, choosing to walk to avoid suspicion. Keeping his hood down, he walked towards the cave entrance, remembering that's where the shrine was.
His dark eyes scanned his surroundings – the old statues of the Dragonites remained, but there were a couple of new ones there he didn't quite recognize. He crossed over the bridge and walked onto the main land. Several of the locals looked at him with startled expressions. It seemed the current generation of people living in Blackthorn didn't recognize him. So much had changed since he had last visited this city. It was almost unrecognizable.
Distracted by his surroundings, Jacob bumped into another trainer, who immediately hurled out a few words of abuse. "Watch where you're going!" the female snapped. He glanced at her, considered replying, but decided to remain silent. Cold sapphire eyes watched him with suspicion. She opened her mouth to speak a few more words when someone called out the name 'Clair'. Clair. Pryce had said his niece was called Clair – was this the same girl? Clair gave him another look, then stormed off, not sparing him another glance.
He continued making his way towards the cave, which now had a pool of water before it. That hadn't been there for – some precaution method to test the worthy? He jumped in, swam across then climbed out, then looked up to find an elderly man with a walking stick, gazing down at him. Not his grandfather. The man standing before had thick burly eyebrows. He picked himself up from the ground.
"Are you one of us? This cave is accessible only by members of the Blackthorn Clan."
And how were they supposed to check whether or not someone was a member? Did he need a flashy membership card? He snorted. "Stand aside, old man," he ordered. The man did not budge. He attempted to push past the guardsman, but was poked by the man's walking stick. "I'm here to see Edward Blackthorn."
"The Elder is not seeing anyone at this moment. Come back later."
Jacob grabbed the walking stick and yanked it out of the man's hand causing him to stumble. The man tripped over his own two feet and fell onto the ground, pleading for his immediate assistance, but Jacob ignored him and stepped inside the cave. Unlike the rest of the city, the cave remained exactly the same as he had last seen it. The Dratini pool was still there, and the shrine lay across the pool, still in prime condition.
"Hey, this place is closed – you're not supposed to be in here!" said a girl.
Another female joined her side. Identical twins. Both females had a Dratini at their sides. "Clea, he looks dangerous. We should call for Clair!"
"And let Clair be called a heroine, Gil? We can handle this guy." She looked down at her Dratini. "Go for it, Dratini!"
Jacob sighed. It would be easy to control the minds of the Pokemon and turn the dragons against their trainers, but that would only lead to more trouble than he could afford. He remained still, watching the dragons intently, challenging. Gil took a few steps back, unsure. "I don't like this. I'm going to get Clair. He's probably the one who stole the Shiny Dratini." She ran away. Her sister called the battle off and sprinted after the girl.
The Shiny Dratini had been stolen? Things were getting rather slack around here. He continued making his way towards the shrine until he reached the water's edge. Diving in once again, he swam across to the other side then climbed out, marching over to the shrine. He made a fist and banged on the door. "Edward!" No response. He slammed into the door multiple times until it sprung open and stepped inside. The old man was there, kneeling before the Dragonite statue, his head bowed.
"You have returned," he said softly, lifting his head. The years had not been kind to him – years of stress could be seen on his face, making him look much older than he actually was. Jacob took a few steps towards him, and noticed there were tears rolling down the man's cheeks. Someone had upset him. "Why have you returned?"
"Not even a hello?" He moved to stand in front of the old man then kneeled down. "I take it those tears are not for me."
"You are not welcome here."
He held back a snarl. "You should know why I'm here – Lance. Where is he?"
"I will not endanger him."
Jacob reached out, placed a finger beneath the man's chin, and lifted it up further. "You took him away from me."
"You broke the law."
"I saved our city from being torn apart, while you did nothing!" he hissed.
"You were supposed to stand aside and allow Pryce to deal with the danger. That was your test."
Jacob drew back. "A test? You expect me to believe that? A rogue Dragonite was attacking our city, killing our people! And you wanted me to do nothing?"
"Trying to be a hero was what led to your banishment. You tried to control the dragon, but your actions only angered the Dragonite. That was why he tried to destroy us."
"I stopped him in the end."
"It was too late – you failed to prove yourself worthy of being a Dragon Master. One does not earn the title by enslaving the minds of dragons. You broke an oath you promised to uphold – protect dragons, not abuse them. Pull your hand away, Jacob. There will no violence in this shrine." Grudgingly, he withdrew his hand. "You've known about Lance's existence for years, and now you choose to return."
"It seemed like a fine time."
Edward sighed. "Lance can't be helped – I have tried, but he refuses to listen. It is out of my hands now."
"There's me."
"He doesn't even know you – you are a stranger to him."
"Then how do you propose to help him then?"
He mustered up a grim smile. "She will help him."
"She?"
Edward sighed again. "Sit down, and I will tell you all there is to know."