Thanks to mestwendyfan for reviewing the previous chapter
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Chapter Twelve: Survival of the Fittest
For awhile now, Silver had been travelling searching far and wide for that silly looking pig-tailed girl. He caught a glimpse of her back in Azalea Town, but he had also caught the sign of cape boy as well. He wanted nothing more than to challenge the girl to a fight to prove himself as the better trainer, but she kept on moving out of his reach. Besides, the dragon guy was there as well snooping around.
But not this time. He was going to crush her like he had destroyed the other trainers. Scenes of broken trainers flooded his mind, as he walked up and down the streets of Goldenrod. The foolish girl had entered the gym – but he would be out here waiting for near the Pokemon Centre to challenge her to a fight. He wanted to fight her at her best.
He leaned against the wall of the Pokemon Centre, tapping his foot impatiently casting hateful glares at random people. He was becoming restless, waiting for that damned girl to leave the gym. She had been in there for over an hour now. Eventually, his patience ran out and he decided to explore the streets a little. Perhaps he could crush some fool trainer in the meantime.
As he wondered up the street, a man in a black uniform caught his eye. The guy was hiding around the Magnet Train building, with an inconspicuous expression on his face. He seemed to be waiting for someone important, judging by the way he paced back and forth. Curious, Silver walked over to the man.
"What are you doing?" Silver called out.
The man froze and turned around. "It doesn't concern you, kid," he spat.
"I think it does. You see, I'm bored and I'm looking to pass some time. You look reasonably weak so I think I'll challenge you."
The man smirked. "You think I'm scared of you? Just some bratty little kid? Get out of here you little runt. What I'm doing is none of your concern." He turned around again, nervously playing with his collar. That's when Silver noticed the 'R' emblazoned on the man's clothing. He knew that symbol well. Extremely well. Team Rocket.
"Stay away from that building!"
"Hmph," the grunt snorted, giving Silver a curious look. The corners of his mouth curved upwards into a mocking grin. "What's got you so worked up, little boy?"
Silver's hands immediately flew down to his pokebelt, grabbing one of his three pokeballs. He pulled it out from its holder and threw the ball onto the ground, summoning his Bayleef. "I hate weaklings, but most of all, I despise Team Rocket."
"How did yo-wait. You're that kid, aren't you? Giovanni's boy? Silver, right?" The grunt tilted his head to the left, giving Silver a hard look. "Yeah, that's you all right. The long red hair… the tough-guy attitude… the same jaw structure… We thought you were dead, but here you are in the heart of Goldenrod City." He walked forward, a maniacal grin on his face. "You could join our ranks, boy. Archer would love to have you on his team. You could be his personal assistant – how does that sound? Giovanni would want you to."
Bayleef stepped forward, lowering his head, glaring at the grunt. Vines slowly reached out towards the grunt as Bayleef came closer. "Giovanni's weak. Team Rocket is weak. I hate the weak. I will crush you and every member of Team Rocket."
"You talk tough, kid. I like that. Your old man would be proud. What do you say you and I work together? We could make this city kneel before our feet." The man extended a hand. Bayleef whipped at the space before his feet, prompting him to jump back. "You're making a mistake, boy. Archer could make you a king!"
"I never cared for royalty. They're weak-minded fools unable to do anything for themselves. Bayleef, strike him down now! Use Razor Leaf!" Bayleef sent a flurry of leaves towards the grunt, forcing the man to drop to the ground to avoid the attack. He rolled over onto his back, holding his hands defensively before his face.
Fortunately, this part of the town was quiet. Or at least it was down this little alleyway. Silver towered over the fallen grunt and spat on his clothes. "Pathetic. But I don't expect anything else from Team Rocket."
"This isn't over, Silver! Archer will hunt you down and you will work for him! It is your destiny! Giovanni's blood runs through your veins, do you dare deny that?" Once again, Silver ordered his Bayleaf to attack the grunt. This time, the leaves hit their target, slicing into the man's flesh. The grunt held back a scream, but clutched his wounded arm to his chest.
"Blood doesn't bind me to my father," Silver replied, spitting the word 'father'. He hated being related to Giovanni. A father should be kind, not malicious and twisted. He still remembered his childhood which consisted of his father showing him how to run an empire. When he didn't listen, or argued a point, he'd be beaten. Giovanni was why he didn't have any friends – the man always said people were there for you to use, not become friendly with. "You can run back to your master like the dog you are. Tell him this: Silver will crush you. Is that simple enough for you?" He hovered over the man, glaring. "Come on, get up. Don't make me kick you."
The grunt climbed to his feet, and gave Silver a fleeting fearful glance before running off. Silver chuckled then returned to his post by the Pokemon Centre.
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Walking up to Whitney, Lyra couldn't help but feel rather intimidated. The pink-headed girl was examining her nails right now, and speaking into a phone. She didn't catch any of the words, but judging by the growing red tinge in her cheeks, she was most likely talking to some guy. She stopped talking into her Xtransceiver as soon as she spotted Lyra.
"I'll talk to you later, Morty. There's a girl waiting to battle me." She put the phone away and flashed Lyra a stunning smile. "We've already meet, but I should probably introduce myself again anyway. It's the rules, you know? I'm Whitney. Everyone was into Pokemon, so I got into it, too! Pokemon are super cute! So you want to battle, am I right? I'm warning you – I'm good!"
Lyra hoped she was good enough to handle whatever Whitney threw at her. She was confident her team would pull through with a win. Three of them had reached their secondary evolution and they all learnt some new moves. Gabite's newest move was Dual Chop and Croconaw had learnt Ice Fang. Staravia had the opportunity to learn Endeavor but Lyra decided she didn't want it, choosing to stick with Staravia's current move set. Bagon's move set also remained the same.
"I like the dress, by the way! You actually look kinda cute now! Not as cute as me though."
Lyra put on a fake smile, as she reached for her first pokeball. She threw it out at the same time as Whitney. A weird looking bipedal pink creature popped out, waving its stocky arms in the air. "What on earth is that?" she mumbled, pulling out her Pokedex.
Clefairy. The evolved form of Cleffa. The moonlight that it stores in the wings on its back apparently gives it the ability to float in midair. She put the Pokedex away, concentrating on the battle.
Gabite appeared, staring down at the Clefairy. Whitney whistled at the sight of the proud dragon. "If it wasn't for the sharp teeth and fins, your dragon could actually be considered cute." She shrugged her shoulders. "But enough talk. Let's get this battle started. Your move first, girlfriend."
"Okay, Gabite. Use Dual Chop!" Gabite leapt into action, karate chopping the Clefairy with both forearms. Clefairy stumbled then jumped back into position.
Whitney just grinned. "Clefairy, use Mimic!" A bizarre glow emanated from the Clefairy, which also encased Gabite. Clefairy's eyes flashed red. "Now use Dual Chop!" Lyra wouldn't have thought a Pokemon with stubby arms could inflict so much damage so she was surprised to see Gabite collapse on the ground. "You're still pretty new at this battling thing, aren't you? Dragons are super weak against their own type. Sometimes using the most powerful move isn't the best way to go."
Gabite looked ready to faint. For the sake of sparing her newly evolved Gabite from fainting, she recalled her Pokemon to his pokeball, and brought out Staravia instead. Whitney's eyebrows arched up. "Go, Staravia!"
"You really have a thing for foreign Pokemon, don't you?"
"Staravia, use Double Team!"
"Clefairy, use Mimic!"
Not again, Lyra thought. Was there any move she could use that would be ineffective against her own? She looked thoughtful. Nothing came to mind. Every move she had could be used against her, and with the right strategy in place, Lyra could be defeated easily. She looked at Whitney. The girl was grinning.
"Have you given up yet?"
"No."
"All right then. Don't say I didn't give you the chance to surrender."
All Lyra could really do is keep attacking until the Clefairy fainted. It wasn't like she could do anything else anyway. "Staravia, use Quick Attack!" Staravia dashed forward, striking the Clefairy.
"Clefairy, Double Slap!"
Staravia received two slaps in the face, fortunately the move did not hit too hard. "Counter-attack, Staravia!" Staravia tackled the Clefairy, but missed. Clefairy hit back with another Double Slap, the second slap being a critical strike. The avian Pokemon landed on the ground, too weak to support its weight in the air.
"Clefairy, finish Staravia off with another Double Slap!"
Before Lyra could understand what was happening, her Staravia was lying on the ground, her eyes half-closed. For Arceus' sake! Lyra cursed inwardly. Whitney was tough. Much tougher than she had assumed. She summoned her Croconaw to the battlefield.
"Toto, use Ice Fang!" That was a move that would be useless to mimic. Croconaw sunk its strong jaws into Clefairy's hide, prompting a squeal to escape Clefairy's throat. The Clefairy flinched unable to fight back. It was Lyra's turn again. She used the same attack again successfully managing to knock out the Clefairy.
"Not bad for a former farm girl," Whitney exclaimed, not at all worried. "Now the real battle starts! Miltank!" A pink rather adorable cow left Whitney's pokeball.
"Toto, use Ice Fang!"
"Miltank, use Stomp!" The cow moved first, stomping her feet into the ground, causing a slight crack to appear on the field. Croconaw fell over, unable to balance himself. "Now Miltank, use Rollout!" The cow stomped again, this time causing a number of rocks to fly out of the ground. The cow rammed into the rocks, pushing them forwards so they would strike Croconaw while he was still down.
"Toto, watch out!" But it was too late. The rocks collided into Croconaw, knocking the reptile out in one hit. Lyra couldn't believe her eyes – had that really just happened? Who had ever thought a cute cow could have so much power? She summoned her Bagon. Miltank used Rollout again. Bagon fainted. Lyra summoned Gabite again, but like the others before it, fell to Miltank's Rollout.
The battle was over within seconds. Lyra looked on in disbelief. How could she have lost so easily? "Don't be so hard on yourself, trainer. Not many people can get past me. Try again later when you're stronger… or quit your journey now and head back home. It's your choice. Bye!" Whitney waved, as Lyra made her way back to the Pokemon Centre. She stepped inside, healed up her Pokemon and exited.
"You!"
Lyra froze. Was someone talking to her? She spun around, glancing over her shoulder looking for the person who had called out her name. She didn't see anyone but an elderly couple walking nearby. Strange. She was about to start heading back to the gym when she was suddenly knocked over onto the ground. Spluttering, Lyra landed on her backside. She winced, grumbling. A chilling laughter reached her ears. Glancing up, she spotted a boy with long red hair snickering at her. She knew that face. Silver. Immediately, she climbed to her feet. "What was that for?"
"You and I were supposed to battle in Azalea Town, but you were too busy with dragon boy. Is he your older brother?"
Dragon boy? Just who on earth was Silver talking about? Wait. Did he mean that weird guy with the cape and cute Dragonite? Her face turned red. "We're not related!" Heck, they didn't even look related.
Silver snorted. "That's a shame. I was hoping to crush both of you at the same time, but I think I'll just start with you first." He pointed a finger at her. "You're not going to defeat me this time!"
So much for having a rematch with Whitney, but Silver's appearance couldn't happen at a better time. This would give her team some extra experience going into the battle against the damned Miltank. Lyra summoned her Gabite to take the first match while Silver summoned his Zubat.
"Are you sure you're not related to that dragon guy?" Silver taunted.
"Positive," Lyra snapped. "Gabite, use Dual Chop!"
"Use Bite, Zubat!" Gabite was faster than Zubat. He jumped into the air, and slashed at the bat twice, bringing it to the ground. She heard Silver curse. "Fight back, you useless Pokemon! Destroy them!" he raged. Zubat weakly gained altitude then dove forward, latching onto the back of Gabite's neck. Bite did little damage – Zubat's bite was probably just an itch to Gabite. Roaring, Gabite swung around, throwing the Zubat off him.
"Dragon Rage!" The Zubat was struck hard by a burst of draconic rage. It fell to the ground, its eyes crossed.
"Why does this keep happening to me?!"
"Well done, Gabite! Now it's your turn to teach this guy a lesson, go Toto!"
"Bayleef! Destroy this chump!" Silver's mascot Pokemon appeared from his pokeball, giving Lyra a menacing glower. "I will not be defeated! Not this time! Razor Leaf!"
Water-types were extremely vulnerable to Grass-moves, but Ice-moves did great damage against grass-types. "Toto, use Ice Fang!" The leaves struck her Croconaw hard, causing a cry of pain to escape from Toto's throat. But the reptile managed to hang on. Croconaw jumped forward, sinking icy fangs into Bayleef's neck.
The bulky grass Pokemon cried. "Synthesis!" A white glow shrouded the Pokemon. It remained for a few seconds then disappeared, healing all injuries Bayleef had received. "Bet you weren't expecting that. Crush her!"
Not wishing to have Croconaw faint again so soon, Lyra retrieved him back summoning Staravia to the battle. The bird flapped into the air, circling the Bayleef. "I'm not going to let you beat me. Staravia, use Wing Attack!" Staravia emitted a high-pitched squawk, sending forth two mini funnels. The attack was a critical blow and Bayleef dropped to the ground.
"No way… this isn't happening… not again," Silver said, fingers curled into fists. "How can I lose to a bleeding heart like you? How could I lose to a girl?"
There was something about the way Silver said girl that made Lyra's blood boil. Did he think females were inferior to male trainers just because they were female? "I don't know why you hate me so much, but I do know one thing for certain – you will never defeat me."
Silver kicked the ground, after recalling his fallen Bayleef. "This isn't over. I'm not strong enough yet, but I will be. And then you'll see – power is everything. I'll make you understand. I'll make him understand." A psychotic gleam appeared in his eyes. "I will be the world's greatest trainer!" Before Lyra could attempt to reason with him, Silver turned around and sprinted towards the northern gates of Goldenrod.
Lyra watched him flee, feeling a great surge of pity for the boy. Whatever childhood that boy experienced, it had left him feeling angry and bitter. Heading north didn't actually seem like a bad idea though – some time relaxing at the National Park might do herself and her team some good. They certainly needed a rest. After that, she'd return to claim her badge.
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Visiting the National Park had proven to be an excellent idea. The gardens were simply breathtaking. Flowers of many different colours lay scattered around the park, filling Lyra's heart with happiness at the sight. She picked a rose off its stalk and brought it to her nose, breathing in the scent of nature. It'd be easy to spend the rest of the day here simply relaxing in the field of flowers under the shade of beautiful oak trees.
Her Pokemon were certainly were enjoying their leisure time. Bagon, Gabite and Croconaw chased each other through the flowers while Staravia sat in one of the trees, enjoying a brief nap. Lyra herself lay in one of the flower patches, staring up at the clouds above. One of the clouds looked like a Mareep.
She stretched her arms above her head, grinning like a person in love. The past few days had been filled with endless battles – gym leaders, wild Pokemon, gym trainers, Team Rocket, random trainer and Silver – she deserved a break even if it was a short-lived one. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds around her: the chirps of birds, the buzzing of the bees, the calm sounds of water and the gentle rustling of grass… this was paradise.
"I'm sorry, trainer, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Lyra opened her eyes finding a shadow casted over her. She sat up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know there was a time limit."
The police officer shook his head. "The Bug-Catching Contest is due to start in thirty minutes. All non-participants will have to leave. You can return once the contest is over though. If you wish, you can watch the competition through the spectator window inside the viewing gallery." He pointed to a little wooden shack in the far eastern corner.
She nodded, standing up. As much as she'd like to hang around and watch, she really needed to beat Whitney. "It's all right."
"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Here, take this potion containing the move, Dig. I found just before. You look like you could put it to good use. Good luck, trainer." Lyra took the attack potion, placed it in her bag and headed back towards the gym. Once back within the walls of Goldenrod City, Lyra pulled out the attack potion and read the label. "A Pokemon that learns this move burrows underneath the ground and waits for the right moment to attack."
That sounded like it could be extremely useful in her rematch against Whitney. But who could learn it? She summoned her four Pokemon and looked at them, holding the potion in her right hand. Bagon didn't have the right physique for it. Birds didn't live underground. Toto didn't need another move right now. That left Gabite. "Would you like to learn a new move, Gabite?"
Gabite nodded eagerly, wagging his tail. Lyra smiled, and pulled the cap off the potion and gave it to her dragon. The dragon drank the brown liquid until the entire bottle was empty. "Let's put that new move to good use against Whitney." This time she would win.
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"H-hey! Just one left? But… I ain't losin' you hear?" Whitney stuttered, as her Clefairy fainted. Teaching Gabite Dig had been an excellent decision. Although he still sustained a little damage when recovering from using Dig, he inflicted a great deal in return. Clefairy didn't stand a chance. But would the same strategy use against the speedier Miltank? Lyra was about to find out.
"Gabite, use Dig!" Gabite dug underground again, using his forearms to dig a rather large hole. The dragon worked fast, throwing mounds of dirt behind it. He jumped down into the hole and continued to dig a tunnel. Gabite would have to rely on the vibrations of his opponent to find the right moment to strike.
One miscalculation and the dragon would leave himself open to a vicious counter-attack. "Miltank, use Stomp!" Miltank walked back and forth, stamping her feet into the ground, trying to lure the Gabite out from his hiding spot. Lyra had to give Miltank some credit – the cow was extremely persistent and never seemed to tire. But her Gabite was also determined to win the match.
Miltank suddenly came to a stop, scratching at the ground. Gabite had most likely been detected. Lyra held in her breath. "Miltank, use Stomp again!" Miltank reared.
"Now Gabite! Show yourself!"
A hole opened beneath the Miltank's feet and Gabite leapt out from the hole in the ground, headbutting Miltank in its belly. The Miltank fell over, failing to land properly on her legs. "Dual Chop!
"Rollout!"
The Pokemon clashed. Gabite was larger than the Miltank, but the cow was rather strong. Both Pokemon held their ground until the Miltank suddenly pulled back. Whitney rushed forward and gave her Pokemon a much needed Super Potion, allowing the Miltank to heal her wounds. Lyra decided to do the same and gave her Gabite his very first Potion. She made a mental note to herself to use potions more often.
"Miltank, use Rollout!"
Miltank's Rollout seemed to inflict more damage each time it was used. Another hit like that and Gabite would be out of the match. "Gabite! Dodge!" Gabite evaded the moving rocks, throwing himself out of harm's way. "Use Dragon Rage!" The move struck its target but Miltank had enough health to sustain the entire blow.
"Poor me!" Whitney exclaimed. "Miltank, use Milk Drop!"
The Miltank produced some milk from her udder, which fell to the ground, creating a tiny pool. Miltank lowered her head and lapped some of it up recovering her health. Lyra really hated moves like that. And Victoria had called Dragon Rage a cheap move. "Dual Chop!"
"Rollout!"
This time, Gabite wasn't able to avoid the rocks. Fortunately, he was still able to land a critical hit on the Miltank. Gabite landed on the ground, breathing heavily. "Miltank, use Milk Drop!" Again the cow healed itself. Would anything bring that damn cow down? Gabite was now on the brink of exhaustion so Lyra called him back, bringing out Staravia to finish the battle.
"Rollout!"
"Double Team!" Staravia jumped into the air avoiding the Rollout attack in the nick of time. One hit of that move and her Pokemon would faint immediately.
"Rollout!"
Staravia dodged the flying rocks then counter-attacked. "Wing Attack!"
"Milk Drop!"
Just how many times could Miltank use that move? She hoped Whitney couldn't use it again otherwise she'd never win this battle. Surely it had to be considered cheating for a Pokemon to be able to naturally heal itself during battle over and over again? "Quick Attack!" Staravia struck first this time, slamming into the cow's left side. The cow bowled over.
"Milk Drop!"
Lyra tightened her jaw. Her attacks must be doing some form of damage if Miltank had to keep healing itself. "Just a little bit longer, Staravia. You can do this. Use Wing Attack!"
"Ugh!" Whitney exclaimed. Miltank's legs gave way, and the cow fell to the floor, mooing softly. The cow had run out of milk to drink and no longer could heal herself for the remainder of the battle. One more hit - that's all Lyra needed and she'd win that Plain Badge. "Come on, Miltank! You can still win this. Use Rollout!"
"Evade!" Staravia veered a sharp right, avoiding a flying rock. "Quick Attack, now! Give it everything you've got!" Staravia's eyes met Lyra's and the bird nodded, before swooping. The bird slammed into the side of the Miltank, knocking the cow over, earning a satisfactory cry of pain. This time, Miltank did not stand up.
Lyra threw a fist into the air. She was another step closer to becoming the Champion! "Waaahh! Waaahh!" Lyra's head jerked towards Whitney. The girl was… Crying? Crying hysterically. Tears were streaming down the girl's face like a waterfall. "You meanie!" Whitney sobbed even louder, her cries bouncing off the walls off the gym.
Lyra just stood there. What now? She couldn't leave without getting that badge. After all, she had earned it. But Whitney was in no state to demand the badge. She'd probably just cry even louder. Sighing, Lyra turned around. Maybe she'd come back later…
"Don't go," said one of the gym trainers, as she approached Lyra. "Whitney doesn't lose very often. It's hard for her to accept. She'll calm down soon though. Go and ask her again." The trainer pointed to Whitney.
Lyra walked back over stopping to stand in front of the weeping gym leader. "Whitney," she started.
Whitney wiped her eyes. "What do you want? A Badge?" she sulked, wiping away another tear. Oh, right. I forgot. Here's the Plain Badge you earned. The Plain Badge lets your Pokemon use Strength to push those annoying boulders out of your way. Oh, you can have this, too! It's Attract!" she said, handing Lyra a pink potion. "It makes full use of a Pokemon's charm. Isn't it just perfect for a cutie like me?" She sniffed again.
Lyra looked down at the Plain Badge. It was a yellow square with silver edges. She placed it in with her other badges and gave Whitney a kind smile. "You were great, Whitney."
Whitney seemed to have recovered from her loss, giving Lyra the same smile in return. "So were you, I guess. Don't go losing to anyone else now."
"Where should I head next?"
"You want to head to Ecruteak City next, that's just off Route 37. Just keep following the route and you'll find a tall tower. That's Bell Tower. You'll learn more about it when you get there though. Make sure you drop by the gym. Say hello to Morty for me." She surprised Lyra by giving the girl a hug. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I should've controlled myself better. Go on, do me proud!"
Whitney wasn't so bad after all, Lyra thought, as she exited the gym. The gym leader had mentioned getting onto Route 37. To get there, she needed to walk through the National Park then get onto Route 36. She smiled down at her team. "Are you ready for another long walk?" The eager sounds her Pokemon made gave her the answer she needed.