Scene 63: An Unforeseen Future
Kari's spent the last two days in intensive Training with her Pokémon. Being able to Train for hours on-end with her Pokémon was definitely another one of those things she learned from the Team Rocket Academy that she was grateful for.
She's standing in front of her bathroom mirror. She cocks her head to one side, then the other. She adjusts her hat. Thinking back to how nice Nachi always dressed: perfect makeup and gorgeous dresses with her hair always done just right..~! Kari reaches up to the piece of her to the left of her bangs- it always stood up for no reason. She tried to flatten it down with water, but no luck.
"Guess that's as good as it's gonna get…" She sighs. She would be meeting Nachi for breakfast before heading to her Gym Match. Kari admired Nachi, for her skills, her beauty and her knowledge- the way she took care of her at the last Contests… Kari's shoulders slumped. After double and triple checking her look in the mirror, there really was nothing else she could do. Shrugging, Kari grabs her bag and leaves the room.
The morning sunlight is shining high overhead as Kari arrives at the little cafe. A couple nudge past her as she scans the crowd. She sees Nachi sitting at an outside table. Her makeup is perfect, the purple matching the cardigan she was wearing over her pink and white doll dress, her hair half up in two buns again with some flowing down to her shoulders. She takes a sip of her tea and notices Kari over the brim of her cup. Nachi stands and waves her over.
"H-hi Nachi!" Kari can feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she sits across from her friend. She doesn't even notice the way she's fiddling with her bangs, trying to keep them straight. There was just something about sitting across from her friend: Nachi always looks perfect while Kari just looked… meh.
"I ordered you a breakfast croissant. Hope you like it." Kari looks up into Nachi's bright smile. She feels relaxed- there was just something about this older girl that seemed to calm her… Maybe it was her maternal instincts and the way she tended to dote on Kari. That was it..! Kari blinks.
She's staring at Nachi as she speaks to her, telling Kari all about her time at the Saffron City marketplace. Kari looks down briefly at her hands in her lap. Of course that was it. It had been years since anyone had doted on her like this… like a mother. That's why Kari was so infatuated with Nachi. Now that she understood, it felt ok to be normal again. She nodded at Nachi's comment and jumped into the conversation.
"Thanks!" The girls wave to the waitress who had been taking care of them and turn their attention towards the Gym. Nachi's pumps made a clicking sound as they walked, "I hope you've been Training, Kari, 'cuz from what I hear this Gym Leader is pretty tough." Kari shrugs, "Don't worry. I have!" Nachi looks down in surprise. She notices the look in her friend's eyes… This is a completely different side of Kari that Nachi is seeing. [ "Where did all that confidence come from?" ]
They arrive at the Saffron City Gym and step up to the large double-doors. Just inside a man meets them, asking what they wanted. Kari steps forward and gives her name. The man seems to recognize her, or at least the name. He steps to the side and allows them access without another word.
"That's strange. It's like you're a celebrity, or something." Nachi whispers. The eery quiet throughout these chambers made her feel… weird… Kari just nods at Nachi's comment. It was strange. One of the assistants leads Kari through a large set of metal doors, bowing them in. This was where the battlefield was. Kari and Nachi walk inside they look around- where was the Gym Leader?
"I'm getting a strange feeling about this." Nachi looks cautiously around the room. She's right. Kari gulps, "It's like being back in the Pokémon Tower…" There's a look of foreboding on her face as she thinks back.
"The Pokémon Tower?" Kari nods at her friend, "It was full of Ghost-Type Pokémon and they gave off a weird kind of feeling." Nachi pulled her cardigan closer around her shoulders.
"Long time no see, Miss Kari." The girls jump at the sound of the new voice. Across the way, a young girl is sitting atop a throne. She was Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader. She has small fierce eyes and a straight face. Her outfit showing off her slender body, though a bit conservative with long-sleeves, a turtleneck and gloves. There was a slit in the short red skirt, but her legs were covered in a black bodysuit and tall yellow stockings under her red knee-high boots. She gives a knowing look to Kari from across the field.
"You most likely don't remember me. I was the homeroom teacher for the Blue Team; after all, but let's just say I'm an acquaintance of your father's." Her eyes glance over to Nachi. Kari gulps. Just a moment ago she was confident and ready to challenge the Saffron City Gym Leader, but now that she knew who she was… She wasn't so sure… Though grateful for Sabrina keeping her identity a secret from her friend, Kari knew that if she was a Team Rocket Admin like Lt. Surge, she wasn't going to be a push-over…
"You're here for a Gym Battle, are you not?" Kari nods. Sabrina taps her finger on the arm of the throne, "Well, then… What are we waiting for?" She raises her hand and a Pokéball starts levitating. Nachi takes a step back, shocked by the display, "W-what the-!?"
The ball opens and an Kadabra appears. Kari speaks up, "Of course! She must be a Psychic- Type Gym Leader." Kari doesn't exactly have much experience with Psychic-Types, but she knew how she ought to handle them. She takes her spot at the edge of the battlefield. Although Kari had been acting confident and seemed like she knew what she was doing, Nachi was still worried for her little friend. Closing her eyes, Kari takes a deep breathe. She's made a choice. Kari reaches around for a Pokéball… [ "We have to at least try!" ] She makes her first choice: Bulbasaur.
Their 1st battle seems very one-sided. Bulbasaur goes in for an attack, only for Kadabra to disappear suddenly. He uses his Vine Whips, but Kadabra uses its Psychic powers to turn them against Bulbasaur, knocking him back. Bulbasaur lands a single Tackle and Razor Leaf attack, dodging in and out of the other's attacks, but when Kabadra finally makes contact with its Psybeam, Bulbasaur is knocked out. This battle is definitely much harder than Kari had anticipated.
She returns Bulbasaur and throws her next Pokéball out. She had been studying Sabrina's battling-style and Kadabra's moves and Kari had an idea. She summons her Magnemite. Sabrina speaks softly to her Pokémon, never needing to raise her voice, "Use Psychic." Kadabra's eyes are glowing, but this time Kari's ready, "Use Thunder Shock on yourself!" Magna! By creating an electrical field around its body, Kadabra finds it difficult to land its moves on Magnemite. Kari had been right.
Sabrina grimaces. She isn't too happy, "The Magnetic Field is disturbing his Psychic Powers. Impressive." Magnemite flies forward, "Keep it up! Use Tackle!" Magnemite holds onto its forcefield as it flies across the field, landing an attack on Kadabra. With their strategy beaten, Sabrina and Kadabra are finding it hard to fight back. Nachi is clapping, "I had no idea you could use an attack like that..!"
After a final Thunder Shock, Kadabra is knocked out! Sabrina returns her Pokémon, annoyed. From out of nowhere a second Pokéball floats towards her. She takes it, "I'll try something a little different, then." She summons a Venomoth. The two Pokémon fly in and out of each other, making powerful contacts in the air. But thanks to Magnemite's Static Ability, Venomoth becomes paralyzed. They continue fighting on for several more minutes until the paralysis finally takes affect. Venomoth is frozen long enough for Magnemite to deliver the finishing blow. Kari takes a breathe.
Nachi is cheering her on from the sidelines, "That's two Pokémon- only two more left to go!" The gym rules stated that Sabrina would have the use of 4 Pokémon and the Challenger up to 6. Nachi was right- this match was already almost over…
Kari calls to Magnemite wanting him to take a break. Sabrina calls her next Pokémon at the same time Kari does. It's Mr. Mime versus Gastly. Kari uses her Pokédex to learn more about Sabrina's peculiar looking Pokémon. By disappearing and reappearing they manage to confuse Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime uses a Psybeam, but Gastly counters with Psychic. Sabrina is actually surprised with their attack. Mr. Mime tries again and this time, Kari calls for a Night Shade. The two attacks collide mid-air and there's an explosion.
Sabrina and Mr. Mime wait for the cloud to clear- but where did Gastly go? He appears just behind Mr. Mime and hits it with a Lick Attack. The Paralysis takes immediate affect. With Mr. Mime unable to move, Kari calls the finishing move, "Use Shadow Ball!" Gastly lands a direct Shadow Ball attack- it's super effective!
Gastly is over-joyed at its victory and is floating around the room laughing to himself. Sabrina watches the Pokémon with disdain on her face, "Annoying little pest." She pulls a Pokéball from her pocket this time. Her final Pokémon will be her Alakazam. The strongest of her team and the final evolution of Abra.
Kadabra proves its strength when it goes up against Gastly and, even at a Type-Disadvantage, wins. Kadabra moves quickly and his moves are extremely powerful. Gastly may have began the match full of glee, but he was hurting in the end. Kadabra uses a powerful Psychic to knock Gastly out.
Kari returns Gastly to his Pokéball, "Thanks for your help. You deserve a good rest." She thinks about the Pokémon she has left. Her Magnemite is much too tired to fight, Sandshrew, a bit inexperienced and Eevee, well… She had promised herself that she would focus on her other Pokémon since Eevee was already her most powerful partner. She throws the next ball, "Alright, Tyrogue! You're up!"
Tyrogue is jumping from foot to foot- he was ready. At the start of the match, Kadabra is already making things difficult by Teleporting away. Tyrogue fought desperately against the Psychic Pokémon. Sometimes he could manage to land a blow and other times, Kadabra sent him flying in the other direction with its powers. He'd slam hard into the wall, putting a Tyrogue-sized hole there, but no matter how many times he got knocked down, Tyrogue would stand back up again. He remembered the Training at the Dojo and the way Kari called to him. He thought back to the power he managed to bring forth to defeat Hitmonchan… If only he could do that again.
Tyrogue's eyes landed on Kari. She watching him… She believed in his powers, so he had to as well. He had no choice but to keep fighting. Tyrogue stood to face his opponent. He put his fists up in a ready position and started hopping from foot to foot again. As he moved, a sudden light hit him. Tyrogue was growing taller and taller until the light finally dissipated. He had evolved into a Hitmonlee! Everyone is amazed by the surprise transformation. Kari pulls out her Pokédex to learn more.
The opposite of Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee was the kicking Pokémon. She smiled at her new friend, stowing the device away, "You ready to finish this?" Monlee! With his new powerful legs and jumping capabilities, Hitmonlee ran all over Kadabra. He moved so fast Kadabra didn't have time to react with his powers. By usings its Double-Team to confuse them, Hitmonlee managed to get in close. Kadabra tried to attack, but Kari called for her attack, "Use Hidden Power! Quick!"
It was a short blast, not very powerful, but it had done its job. Kadabra jumped back, blinded by the light of the attack. Hitmonlee jumped high, already knowing what Kari was going to say, "Now finish this! Use Mega Kick!" Sabrina tried to counter, "Psybeam! Above you!" Half-blind, Kadabra took aim.
Hitmonlee spun in the air and landed back on the ground before dashing forward. He'd only just dodged that attack, but they had only delayed it. Kadabra blinked, trying to clear its vision, but Hitmonlee was already on top of him. Hit-Mon! The Mega Kick makes contact and Kadabra is sent flying straight into Sabrina's throne. The high-backed chair is in shambles and Kadabra was unconscious. Kari had won the match!
Nachi was jumping up and down with Eevee in her arms- thrilled at Kari's success. Sabrina doesn't like the fact that she's lost, but at least it was to this girl… Sabrina met the two of them in the middle of the battlefield, "No wonder your father has such high hopes for you." Kari blushed. She hands over the Marsh Badge, a circular badge of gold, "Your power… it far exceeds what I foresaw… Maybe it isn't possible to fully predict what the future holds." She gives Kari a look. As Kari reaches for the badge, Sabrina grabs her by the wrist and pulls her closer. Nachi takes a hesitant step forward towards her friend but is forced back by Sabrina's dark gaze.
Sabrina whispers in Kari's ear, "But we in Team Rocket are expecting much from you." Kari's eyes go wide. Sabrina releases her hold and Kari takes a safe step away. Sabrina gives a sly grin, "Don't disappoint us, alright?" Neither of them say another word to each other, but Nachi can see the disturbed look on Kari's face.
As the two of them walk the streets at night, the whole city is lit up. Nachi is talking non-stop about Kari's battle, "And you were like a completely different person up there- such confidence! You know, if you could be like that while on-stage, you would be fantastic!" Kari looks up as they pass the Adoption Agency. She sees as a little girl walks out with her parents and a newly adopted Pokémon. She smiles a little bit. Hopefully the other stray Pokémon are doing well.
"I don't mean to pry, Kari, but what that girl said…" Nachi looks down at her then averts her eyes, nervously, "That she knew your father..?" Kari looks down, "Yeah. He… owns a business…" Nachi hesitates on the subject, "You don't get along with him all that much, do you." Kari doesn't answer.
"I understand. I mean, I came all the way to the Kanto Region from Kalos just to get away from my family, so trust me… I get it." She smiles at Kari, "And if you ever want someone to talk to, just know that I'm here for you." Kari can't help but smile back at her, gratefully.
As they reach the Pokémon Center Nachi stops. She turns around to look at Kari, "So where are you headed from here?" Kari plans to continue on towards Celadon City to the West while Nachi will be going North towards Cerulean City.
"Well, I'm sure we'll meet again at a Contest, perhaps?" Nachi pulls the little Kari into a tight hug. Kari laughs, almost being suffocated from Nachi's love. Nachi releases her and gives a wave, turning down the street towards her hotel. As Kari watches her leave, she calls out. Nachi stops and turns. She had realized it this morning, the way she felt with Nachi's maternal attitude. She appreciated the way she cared for her and doted on her, as if she was her own kid, or little sister, perhaps. Kari smiles and cups her hands around her mouth, "Thank you!" Nachi giggles. She waves one last time and walks off.
Kari couldn't tell anyone about her past and about the world she came from, but she appreciated the kind sentiment. She had began this journey to get away from all that, but it still kept showing its ugly face everywhere she went, and yet… Through all of it, she sometimes managed to find a glimmer of hope… A genuine soul who wanted nothing but good things for Kari… A friend…
{{Eevee, Sandshrew, Tyrogue - Hitmonlee, Bulbasaur, Magnemite, Gastly}}
((Hitmonlee ~ Mankey))
{{Current Team: Eevee, Sandshrew, Mankey, Bulbasaur, Magnemite, Gastly}}
Total Pokémon: Eevee, *Pidgeot*, *Raticate*, *Butterfree*, *Beedrill*, Ceffairy, Spearow, Arbok, Sandshrew, Goldeen, *Poliwrath*, Jolteon, Drowzee, Horsea, Tentacool, Magikarp, Psyduck, Slowpoke, Magnemite, Voltorb, Zapdos, Elekid, Gastly, Meowth, Growlithe, *Hitmonlee*, Hitmonchan…
Eevee: Tackle, Swift, Shadow Ball, Hyper Beam
Sandshrew: Dig, Rollout, Aerial Ace, Sand Tomb
Bulbasaur: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Energy Ball
Magnemite: Tackle, Thunder Shock, Supersonic, Magnet Bomb
Gastly: Lick, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Night Shade
Tyrogue: Double-Team, Brick Break, Hidden Power, Low Sweep - Mega Kick
{{Current Team: Eevee, Bulbasaur, Sandshrew, Magnemite, Gastly, Mankey}}