Chapter 72: Race for Mt. Pyre
After many eventful days on the road, Lucas, Morgan and Skyler finally made it to Fortree City. They wouldn't be staying long. As the city was no longer home to an official Pokemon League Gym, there was little reason to stay beyond resting from the road. The next Gym was still far away and would take many more weeks of walking through Hoenn's mainland until they could reach the eastern coast and take the ferry to their next location. On their first day they restocked their Trainer supplies and explored the city. Lucas and Skyler also came to an understanding with their relationship. After a bad encounter with Gizmo's ex-Trainer, the two friends finally realized how much they meant to each other and decided to pursue a romantic relationship, something Lucas had dreamed of for months. Now that they were together, the former thug was determined not to blow it with the person who could very easily be the love of his life.
Happy and content with how things were going, though the thought of Skyler leaving once Lucas completed the Hoenn League Championship still flittered in the back of his mind, the Trainer wanted one more side trip before heading back out on the long journey for the coast. Just outside of Fortree was the Safari Zone.
Safari Zones were the best places to find particularly hard to find species of Pokemon. Run by the Pokemon League, these parks served two purposes. Their primary purpose was Pokemon conservation. For one reason or another, some species of Pokemon were more threatened than others and those species were raised within the Safari Zones to protect their wild numbers. The Pokemon League bred the species and kept them in the zones to keep them safe from environmental, as well as human, threats. Then, for a nominal fee Trainers could try to catch some of these species for their own teams. The challenge lied that unlike in the wild, Safari Zone Pokemon could not engage in combat. The Trainers would be given a time limit, a set number of special Safari Balls and a hearty wish good luck as people could only lure Pokemon with food and hope the Pokemon was in a giving mood and simply allow themselves to get caught. Trainers liked the excitement of the challenge, and the money raised supported the breeding efforts as well as several other Pokemon League programs. Lucas had dreamed of going to the one in Fushia City before it was shut down and now that he had a chance to go to the Hoenn Safari Zone, he didn't want to miss the opportunity.
Morgan and Skyler enthusiastically agreed to the excursion, with similar dreams of finding new Pokemon for their teams and early the next morning, the three Trainers headed for the Safari Zone. Lucas double-checked his cash, making sure he had enough for multiple trips to the park. In recent months he had spent little on what could be viewed as frivolities. Aside from food and supplies, the teen Trainer had ended up with a great deal of money from his successes as a newfound Champion. Today he figured whatever he had been saving up would most likely end up being spent. He couldn't be happier about the prospect, "So what do you guys hope to find most?"
"I'm hoping to find an Absol. I know there are also supposed to be ones on route 119 but hell if I'm going back there. I don't hate rain anywhere as much as you do, Lucas, but even that was just too much for me," Morgan replied, checking her own cash reserves, "What about you guys?"
"I'm not sure honestly. There aren't that many dragon types in general, and I'm fairly sure I caught all the species that exist in this region. But maybe I'll find an interesting new partner if I do some fishing," Skyler replied.
"I'm going to catch everything! I've been sorta lax about filling up my Pokedex lately and I plan on changing that. I've been wanting to go to a Safari Zone since I was a kid!" Lucas couldn't contain the spring in his step.
The attraction wasn't far from the city and as the three got closer, they met more and more like-minded Trainers on the road. The atmosphere was like a carnival as the fenced enclosure appeared on the horizon. A large building marked the entrance and helpful signs directed the traffic towards the doors. Inside the gates the feeling was just as festive as the outside. The gates to the actual Safari Zone were just on the other side of the entrance way, but between the inner and outer doors were restaurants, a lounge for Trainers taking a break and gift shops full of T-shirts and toys for those who didn't have any luck in the zone but didn't want to leave empty-handed. The three bypassed these attractions for the main event where a warden in khaki was cheerfully explaining the rules and policies of the Safari Zone in front of a map of the premises. The tags on the board indicated the various environs that were located within the fence and some of the Pokemon that were available there.
"Welcome to Hoenn's Safari Zone, the best place to find some of the most seldom seen Pokemon in the Region. For the entrance fee you receive thirty Safari Balls and a half hour time limit to catch as many Pokemon as you can. As you go through the gates you will be given a wristband that shows your time limit and the amount of balls you have left in exchange for your Pokemon teams. Remember, Pokemon Battles are strictly forbidden within the Safari Zone. You may try to lure Pokemon with food or use the small harmless rubber pellets to get its attention, and then it's a matter of luck if the Pokemon will be caught. Run out of time or Safari Balls and your admission is over. You may enter the Safari Zone as many times as you like and remember that your admission costs cover the care and research that keeps the rarer Pokemon of the region from vanishing. So good luck and happy hunting!"
The crowd waiting in line cheered at the end of the warden's speech and moved forward to the ticket windows. There were three sets of windows: one for people just starting, repeat attendees and the third window where the patrons would get their Safari Balls, food lures and rubber pellets. Lucas was practically bouncing in place as he waited for his turn at the first window. The warden behind the counter presented a tray to place Lucas' team in exchange for the timer wristband. At the next window Lucas paid for his turn with Morgan and Skyler just behind him. With all three loaded down with Safari Balls and lures, they headed into the park and split ways with a run.
Skyler headed towards one of the ponds while Morgan ran to a rocky area. Lucas made a beeline for one of the bushy areas where he heard the most grunting and growling. His heart was in his throat as the timer on his wrist ticked down and no Pokemon came into sight. But just as he was starting to get discouraged, a Tropius stepped out of a copse of trees. The teen grinned like a child and confronted the Pokemon. First he threw one of the provided treats and the grass and flying type approached, bending its long neck to grab the food. Next Lucas threw one of the Safari balls. It hit the Pokemon square in the chest, sucking it in and landing on the ground. The ball shook once, then twice. But before it could shake again, it blasted open and the Tropius got out. With an annoyed snort, it ran back into the trees and Lucas went after it.
In the heavy brush even the largest of Pokemon could vanish, and the teen lost track of his quarry. The clock was still ticking, so Lucas gave up the chase and moved on to a new target. He worked his way through the hedges and trees looking for more Pokemon in his increasingly shorter time. A Pineco he found and caught. A Nosepass also ran away. As he pursued an Azurill that was bouncing on its tail he found himself at one of the Safari Zone's fences, and face to face with a serious problem. A large hole had been cut through the chain link, with the bolt cutters still visible on the ground. As fate would have it, Morgan popped out of a bush just opposite the teen and shortly Skyler caught up as well.
"Fancy running into each other here," Skyler joked, but almost instantly his eyes followed where his two friends were staring angrily. His mood dropped as well, "We need to tell a ranger about this now,"
Before anyone could react, the ones responsible for the break-in appeared. Three Cosmic grunts with a net full of struggling Pokemon came down the one clear path to the fence. Lucas reacted first, "Skyler, you go get a warden. Me and Morgan will stop them before they can get away with those Pokemon,"
"Lucas wait!" Morgan cried out in frustration as Lucas ran to face his enemies.
He didn't listen. His goal ahead of him was too important. He had to save those Pokemon.
Without thinking he confronted the three men, "You're not going anywhere with those Pokemon!"
"So this is the infamous Lucas. The Captain will be happy we've run into you," the first grunt sneered, "She's offered quite a bounty to the Cosmic member who takes you down,"
Lucas snarled at the thought of his ex, "Marcia's just going to have to learn she's not getting her way anymore. No one's taking me down in this lifetime, but I'm going to wipe the floor with you,"
"And just how are you going to do that?" the second grunt laughed. The other two men were snickering as well.
"Bruce, show these asshats what all the other Cosmic douches who've challenged me have learned!" Lucas reached at his belt when he finally realized why the men before him were so amused, as well as why his rival had tried to stop him. In his righteous anger he had temporarily forgotten where he was. To enter the Safari Zone he had given up his Pokemon belt. For all intents and purposes he was unarmed, but he still wasn't defenseless. He recovered from his embarrassment and raised his fists, "Fine. I've made plenty of you jerk-offs cry this way as well,"
The men just continued laughing and simply pulled the Pokeballs off their own belts. They hadn't given their Pokemon up to enter the Zone, and had absolutely no intention of fighting fair. A Hitmonlee, Scyther and Huntail appeared before Lucas and attacked. A human had no chance fighting against a Pokemon, but Lucas did his best to dodge the creatures' attacks as he kept his eyes on the grunts. Even at a grave disadvantage, the Trainer had no intention of letting the grunts get away. He rolled to the ground between an Icebeam and Hi Jump Kick and dove out the hole in the fence. He was too far behind the grunts to catch up with them even if he ran his absolute fastest, but at least he could see where they were going. Based off of the direction they headed and what he had seen of the map, there was only one place they could be running to. The Hoenn Region's largest Pokemon cemetery: Mt Pyre.
When Lucas turned back to the Safari Zone Morgan and Skyler were running towards him, Morgan carrying his Pokemon belt, and Skyler with a number of rangers in tow. Lucas shouted back where the grunts had escaped to, and the group ran after him to join the chase. With the Pokemon League once more informed, Cosmic would not escape again, not after the latest sin they committed.
Unlike the other hills and mountains in the Region, Mt. Pyre was man-made. A sacred place created long ago by the ancient people of Hoenn as the final resting place for the Pokemon that they loved and had been a part of their lives. Over successive generations the hill grew and grew, forever shrouded in fog and gloom as though the land itself was grieving over the loss that ripped through every Pokemon Trainer's heart. Like other Pokemon cemeteries, wild Pokemon were attracted to the area and its power, and Trainers came to challenge them, but there was always a sense of respect and honor to all who came here, and if Cosmic was using the area as its latest base of operations, it was a desecration that would not be forgiven.
"The Pokemon League will be here in fifteen minutes," the head Warden told the three Trainers who stood at Mt. Pyre's entrance.
"That's too long. We're not waiting," Morgan replied. For the dark type Trainer in particular, Pokemon cemeteries hit especially deep. They were a constant reminder of everything she had lost as a child, and Cosmic's affront cut just too close to the tragedy she faced at Team Rocket's hands.
Not long ago, Morgan came close to crossing a line she could never come back from, and even though he saw what she was capable of, Lucas was in complete agreement with his rival, "Morgan's right. We're going in now. We're facing Team Cosmic. And we're getting them out of Hoenn once and for all,"
"We've faced them alone before and have come out triumphant. Every minute longer they're in that sacred place is a minute too many. The Pokemon and spirits of Mt. Pyre need us, and we aren't going to abandon them. The League knows what we can do, they won't mind," Skyler added and took Lucas' side. Together the three Trainers crossed the single bridge to the hill and entered the resting ground.
Normally Mt. Pyre was tranquil and serene, but now the air was thick and oppressive, as the angered spirits of the departed Pokemon seemed to rile and stir with the invasion. No wild Pokemon attacked the three Trainers as they raced through the mound, and none of the usual caretakers or mediums appeared on the well worn trail. The three raced unimpeded to the top of the mountain, where an ancient shrine stood as an eternal watchman, where the fog was the thickest, and where the entirety of Hoenn's remaining Team Cosmic forces stood in confrontation with two men that blocked the shrine's entrance.
All three Trainers had come to face Cosmic in battle, all with different reasons and scores to settle with the group and their latest attack on the Pokemon world, but as the three stood and watched the confrontation between 'Captain Rose' and the men before the shrine, they realized today was not their day to fight.
"We know what you have come for today, Madam Captain, but you will not be leaving with what you are looking for," said the taller, slimmer man with gaunt face and chin length red hair.
"Years ago we had the same pride and foolish ambition you came with today. We learned from our mistake and we're giving you a chance to walk away and learn the same lesson in a much easier way. Take the opportunity, lass," added the other man, shorter, stockier with a dark beard and mustache.
"Oh no. Not from this. Too many things have gone wrong. Too many of my plans have failed or have been sabotaged. I cannot screw up again. I just can't," Marcia replied. Lucas noticed her tone was different than he had ever seen her before. When she was still acting she was cocky and selfish. When she revealed her true ambitions she was cruel and calculating. Now she seemed desperate, manic.
No matter how it ended, Lucas knew this was not a battle he would ever forget. Nor was it one he had any business being part of.