Azalea
"Bugsy, Bugsy, wake up!" Tomomichi cried into the boy's ear, the adviser feeling rather tired after having a sleepless night. He walked to the windows to part the curtains, letting the mild daylight seeped into the bedroom. Meanwhile, the Gym Leader sat up drearily, his eyelids weighing like lead. For the umpteenth time, Bugsy wished he could get a holiday or two and just nest on the bed and have a relaxing full day trip to dreamland. After pacing around for a few moments, his patience reached its limit and finally, Tomomichi felt something snapped inside him. His eyes narrowed in annoyance before he flipped over the bug-print blanket and dragged the half-asleep boy off onto the ground with little effort.
"Tomomichi, why are you here? This is my house!" Bugsy whined while the man hauled him out of the room.
"Your house is in the Gym, and I work here, you've got a problem?" Tomomichi grumbled, getting more annoyed by the second. He never liked mornings, because he always had to take care of Bugsy's nonsensical questions and actions.
"Tomomichiiiii, I don't want to work." The boy slurred, his hands balled up as he flailed his arms in a humorous way.
"Gosh! You're annoying in the morning!"
"Ne, Tomomichi, why do people work? You know, Morty told me if people work, their hair gets white, and then ghosts will come and haunt them. I don't want to get my hair white, so can I please don't work?"
"Before your hair turns white, I'll die first!" Tomomichi barked. "And shouldn't you be more afraid of the ghosts than your hair?"
Rattling out stupid reasons, Bugsy continued complaining, where not one word could get past the adviser's ear defenses. After a short trip through the corridor, Tomomichi banged open the door and flung the light-weight teenager into the toilet.
"Go and brush your teeth, and don't you dare fall asleep in there!"
"Yesss Mum~," said the Gym Leader as he slowly stood up and faced the mirror.
"I'm not your mother!"
Bugsy has two extreme ends: at the last half of the day, he is hardworking. Then in the morning, the teenager becomes a lazy bum. And here he was wondrously pushed by default to be the Leader's adviser, to babysit him. But all bad things have a silver lining, so he was pretty fortunate that Bugsy gets back on track by noon. Other than that, he will have to fulfill his morning checklist of duties. And his first task was to double check the interior of the arena. Tomomichi hurriedly descended to the ground floor, not aware that a certain someone was already snoozing with a mouthful of toothpaste.
Surveying the ground floor, the giant space was framed by huge bushes, and honey trees where common bug pokemon lived within. The Azalea Town Gym's specialty was bug type, so naturally, everything was bug-themed, such as the spider puzzle that was constructed above two separate pits. He would need to check the machines' condition and ensure that everything was perfect before the Gym opened for the day. He set to work, eyes searching for faults in the puzzle and the various mechanisms.
"Tomomichi!" Two voices called out. The latter looked up and found the twins skipping over, the two girls wearing their signature pink hoodies and yellow accessories.
"Amy, Mimi! Did you see Sadao and Al?" He asked.
"Oh, were they walking behind us?" The two twittered.
"They were." Amy self-answered.
"They were?" Mimi echoed back.
"Were they?" The other twin inquired. Then they laughed, before twirling around the advisor, did two spins, stopped and curtsied. Tomomichi smiled at their little performance, the man accustomed to their unusual twin conversations. He looked up, and soon the Gym doors opened, where two Bugcatchers entered with nets and baskets in hands.
"Tomomichi! You're awfully early today, let me guess, is it Bugsy again?" Al called out with a smirk on his face.
"Al, you overslept," Sadao said with a monotonous voice.
"Geh, you don't have to say it out loud!" Al grumbled. "But Bugsy must have overslept too."
"At least our Gym Leader is more gentlemanly than you," Sadao said it as a matter-of-fact.
"More gentlemanly!" Amy giggled.
"More gentlemanly!" Mimi repeated.
"You two annoying pricks!" Al cried, and the threesome engaged in a game of tag. Sadao sighed and then waved a greeting to Tomomichi, before he inquired, "So, adviser, where's the Gym Leader?"
Tomomichi's whole body froze for a few long seconds before he shouted in surprise and anger. Putting down whatever he was doing, he dashed off to the toilet, while Al and the twins paused to take a look at their usual frantic adviser.
"Let me guess, Bugsy must have fallen asleep in the toilet," Al said while he nodded smugly.
"Stop with your 'let me guess' sentences." Sadao groaned.
"Yeah, stop it!" the twins chattered. Al's temples throbbed, irritated, and soon they resumed their everyday routine. Sadao stood in a corner and raised an eyebrow while he viewed the comedy. All four Gym Trainers were so engrossed in their own actions that they did not realize that the dreaded time had arrived.
"... Excuse me... is the Gym...?"
All four trainers jerked their head to the entrance, discovering a person hesitating at the door. They then stared up to look at the clock with rigid necks, and chaos followed soon after.
"Where's Tomomichi, Tomomichi, Tomomichi!?" Al yelled as he ran around in circles, the twins chanting the adviser's name. Meanwhile, Sadao's mind was trying hard to search for the path of salvation. He was a lot calmer than the other three, and soon, he rushed towards the probable challenger that stood to wait at the entrance. Strangely, the person was donning a black cloak, with a feisty looking Pikachu perching on his shoulder. Sadao could somewhat discern from that height and voice that the person was a male.
"Sorry, erm, Sir, we're having little technical problems. Can you kindly wait outside for maybe, fifteen minutes?" Sadao muttered. The least he could do was to drag out the time. The person acknowledged with a nod and exited noiselessly. The Bugcatcher sighed and clapped his hands to gain the panicky trio's attention.
"Get to your damn positions!"
Back outside, Red was leaning against the wall, while Pikachu landed on the ground before he let out a yawn. Feeling dull and bored, the mouse scampered a few steps away, while his trainer removed the hood and attempted to flatten his hair. But the black mess refused to settle down, as the bunches stuck back up obstinately. For the next few minutes, Red continued to tackle his hair, while Pikachu tilted his head up.
Pikachu then squeaked, the mouse clearly worried about whether Bayleef could survive another disadvantageous Gym battle.
"...Ah, looks like we can go in.." Red muttered as he peered into the Azalea Gym, his attention diverted away from Pikachu. Without further ado, he pushed open the door with the tip of his fingers, and his feet swept into the building.
Again, two pokemon statues greeted him, their stoned figures as stiff as ever, while a man stood upright next to the one on the right, beads of perspiration rolling down his face. Clearly, this guy had been in quite the rush.
"Sorry for the wait! Do you need me to provide some tips for you to battle Bugsy?" said the Gym Guide. Red shook his head and slowly walked past the man who heaved a sigh of relief. After Sadao had screamed through the phone that he was late, the Gym Guide swore that mad dash could have cost him a leg or two. Thank goodness his house was only a one minute run away from the Gym.
Meanwhile, Red salivated and gulped when he stood before the gaping hole where giant ropes stretched across it, both horizontally and vertically. There were exactly three spider-shaped baskets that hanged at the three ends of the ropes.
The trainer absentmindedly headed to the basket on the left and climbed into it, Pikachu gripping onto the Red's cloak for dear life. After long seconds of stillness, the basket finally moved forward, the hanging rollers grinding and screaming out mechanical sounds that made both trainer and pokemon started having wild thoughts of death.
As the basket moved forward, Red noticed a trainer laying in wait across the rope, the bald boy carrying a big-ass net, and his fingers held a new straw hat. Bugcatcher Al glared at him, the trainer gearing up for a battle. The cloaked challenger was coming over, the Pikachu on his shoulder glaring back at Al.
Come over, come over, please come over! Al begged fervently within his head. His wishes were not heard when the basket swerved left, surprising Red and Pikachu. The Bugcatcher dropped to his knees and his cries resounded throughout the Gym.
"Shut up, Al!" Sadao shouted over the trees. He was awfully noisy every day since he was stationed at a place where almost no challengers go over to battle him. His friend abhorred boredom, and him standing there without doing anything equated to torture.
"Sadao! Let me switch places with you!"
"No!"On the other hand, Sadao himself was the one that got the "best spot", since all challengers had to battle him no matter in order for them to get to Bugsy. Meanwhile, Red and Pikachu could not help but chuckle a little at the short conversation between the Bugcatchers, until the basket jerked forward once more. A painful bump into the rocky wall told Red that the death ride was finally over. He climbed out of the spider basket, while Pikachu heaved a sigh of relief. Ahead, stood the Bugcatcher that had replied the other one was stationed on the right platform.
"Hello, sorry for the delay. You'll need to register your name before you battle the Gym Leader. That is if you managed to reach him."
Unfazed by Sadao's words, the challenger simply nodded and moved forward to start the trainer battle. His uncanny hooded appearance sent a chill to the Bugcatcher's nerves, while Red was rather bored since he wanted to hurry up and get this over with. Both nodded together and sent out their pokemon with two clicks on their pokéballs.
"Go Weedle!"
"... Bayleef.."
The two pokemon appeared with two flashes of white light and standing opposite each other in the rather wide space where the two sides were lined with green trees. The cream-colored Bayleef bayed enthusiastically, while Weedle's pointy stinger on its head glinted, a purple liquid oozing out from it.
"Oh? A high-leveled Bayleef. But it won't make any difference if it's against a bug-poison pokemon. Weedle, use Poison Sting!" The Bugcatcher ordered, and Weedle immediately spits out poisonous barbs towards Bayleef, the attack hitting the grass type at full power. The moment the purple poison penetrated Bayleef's skin, he cried out in agony, the poison taking effect at the next second. Pikachu, who was sitting by the sidelines, squeaked out in concern, worried that his teammate would not be able to hold out for long.
"... Bayleef, endure it. Use Razor Leaf." Red called out, his left hand reaching for the front compartment of his backpack. Bayleef gritted his teeth and balanced himself as his vision blurred. The poison stung and pricked him painfully in the gut, but he willed himself to unleash the move, and in mere seconds, Weedle fainted from the powerful attack. The grass type panted as his insides squirmed, feeling sick and weary, the poison whittling away his HP faster than ever. When he thought he was not going to make it, a cooling mist was sprayed onto him lightly, the mint-scented antidote warding off the poison in a matter of seconds.
"Well, not bad. I'll give you some free EXP for the next one. Go, Kakuna."
The Cocoon pokemon did not last long and was down in five seconds. Sadao smiled as he clasped onto the pokéball that held the powerhouse of the team. With two clicks on the pokéball's button, the next bug pokemon emerged, clad in white light.
"Go Beedrill!
The bipedal wasp-like Beedrill buzzed out, its wings beating so scarily fast that only streaks of lines could be seen. Its compound red eyes viewed everything in pixels and hexagons, the conical stingers on its forearms mean-looking and certainly not welcoming with the poison lacing on the shiny surface. Its glares made Bayleef squeaked out of fear since he had never faced a more scary looking opponent than Beedrill.
Well, well, well, what do we have here? A weak little grass type! scorned Beedrill haughtily. It swiped its forearms mockingly towards Bayleef, who backed away like a fearful lamb.
"Beedrill, use Fury Attack!" Sadao commanded, unaware of what had happened between the two pokemon. Beedrill heeded the Bugcatcher's orders and dived forward, its nasty stingers jabbing at the opponent, which reduced Bayleef's HP. The grass type waved his scythe-shaped leaf, attempting to shoo away the bug type.
"... Bayleef," Red said evenly. "... Find an opening and use Energy Ball."
By no means was the move intended to be a surprise attack, yet Beedrill sensed the forthcoming danger, and it waspishly hovered away in astonishment, unsure about this never before seen move known as Energy Ball. He was certain that no low-level prey learned such a move, and lost in his thoughts, he created the very opening that Bayleef needed. The move was used at close distance, the green sphere aimed towards Beedrill's thorax. Its red eyes eyed the sphere, and with a swift movement, it leaned to the left, resulting in the impact to be concentrated on its stingers.
It hurts! shrieked Beedrill, furious and feeling unpleasant. That grass attack had definitely reduced its HP bar to half, and there was no way he was going to make things any easier for the foe. It directed its buzzing towards Sadao, prompting the trainer to give another command.
"Poison Sting!"
Beedrill zoomed off, his stingers ready to bring forth a world of pain, as more poison covered the surface, the vile liquid glistening menacingly.
"... Dodge!" Red shouted, and Bayleef instinctively crouched down, his head bending forward. The surprised bug type sailed over the opponent, the venomous attack evaded. Red did not stop there as he ordered his pokemon to use Razor Leaf. In the trainer's surprise, Bayleef remained in the position as his body glowed green. He did not look back to aim, for he was afraid that the bug would come slicing towards him and very quickly, he haphazardly released the sharp leaves. On the other hand, Beedrill had stopped its flight and wanted to fly in the opposite way to reuse Poison Sting, but the moment its body turned backward, it was stunned to see a large number of razor leaves that were coming straight towards him.
"Beedr-" Sadao shouted but everything was too late when his pokemon was struck hard by the attack, and soon it laid limp on the earthy ground.
Upon recalling their respective pokémon into their capsules, a hand was thrust out towards Red, who looked up and saw the Bugcatcher with a huge grin on his face.
"That was a good battle."
The hooded challenger returned his handshake with a cordial smile. Sadao held his breath, astonished to find crimson red eyes looking back at him.
"The name's Sadao, what is yours?" asked the Bugcatcher with undisguised wonder.
"... You'll know if I reach the Gym Leader..." Red remarked before he sauntered past the trainer, his Pikachu, and Bayleef following behind him.
"If, huh?" laughed Sadao as he looked at the challenger that had climbed into the next basket.
"Looks like the twins are next."
"Look!"
"Look?"
"The challenger..."
"... Is here!"
The twins enthusiastically locked arms with each other and twirled around in circles like kids they were. The basket halted, and after they alighted, Red, Bayleef, and Pikachu were greeted by the chirpy voices of the identical twins.
"I'm Amy!"
"I'm Mimi!"
"Let's battle!" The two chattered in unison. Two flashes of light shot out from their pokéballs, materializing into a Spinarak and Ledyba. Red nodded towards Pikachu and Bayleef, the two chosen to go into battle. A double battle commenced, and the twins wasted no time to shout out an array of commands.
"Comet Punch, then Tackle with a boom!"
"Constrict, then Poison Sting with a boom!"
The two bug types charged forward, their many legs skittering across the ground, as long vines and poisonous barbs were shot out towards Pikachu, who calmly stood there and withstood the ticklish attacks. Despite his whole body being tied up, the mouse showed no sign of fear. Meanwhile, Ledyba's baseball hands went into a flurry of punches, reducing Bayleef's HP by a notch. It then pushed forward to tackle the grass type, but Bayleef dodged the move, preventing damage being dealt upon himself.
"The challenger has something upon his sleeve!" Amy shouted.
"Upon his sleeve!" Mimi echoed.
All of a sudden, Red balled his hands and threw it high into the air as he commanded the mouse, who had been waiting so eagerly to battle that sparks were dancing in the air. Both trainer and pokemon smirked, earning questioning looks from Bayleef and the twins. With the vines acting as a connector to the opponent's side, they could pull this tactic off.
"... Let's finish this with a boom, shall we?"
"Pika!"
Suddenly, Mimi gasped and tugged at her sister's hoodie, her small index finger pointing at the challenger's face. Amy frantically looked at that figure, whose features were visible after a mysterious gust of wind blew and revealed whatever was underneath the hood.
Their excitement was cut short when Red swung down his arm, signaling the strike of lightning. Pikachu's whole body sparked off with a blinding yellow light, and soon an overpowered Thunder was conducted through the vines, the long connector breaking into bits as electricity erupted at the twin's side. Both Ledyba and Spinarak shrieked as their HP points were mercilessly cut down in an instant.
The next moment, two fainted pokemon laid on the ground, while their twin trainers were too shocked to utter a word. After a few seconds of silence, Amy and Mimi solemnly returned the bug types back into their pokéballs. To think that a single pokemon had knocked out both of their pokemon at the same time...
"Who..."
"... are you?"
The challenger gave a faint smile as he adjusted his hood, clearly having no intention of answering them. Red approached to their side, his footsteps light and soft, and then he extended out a hand, in which both girls shook it distractedly. After that, the mysterious trainer pushed down the lever that was right next to the twins, and along with his pokemon, they drifted off to ride the rickety basket.
"He had..."
"...Red eyes!"
"Just like..!" The twins shouted in unison.
I want to sleep.
The morning was a little weary today, with the sky's vibrant azure fading slightly, the sloppy clouds above drifting so slowly that you'll think that it was not moving at all. The town was as dreary as I was, the many morning glories in the pretty gardens not at all awake to greet the daylight. I stared ahead and spotted the old house of the famous pokéball smith, where a faint orange light emanated out from the small window, indicating that the wispy old man had pulled another all-nighter, and had forgotten to switch off his lamp while he dozed off on his workbench. The streets were empty, the pathways that stretched across and got lost in the horizon were devoid of human beings, announcing that, indeed, the town was still sleeping.
Meanwhile here in the Gym, was so full of life and activity that I really wondered if I had entered the right place. As for me, I was just blandly and blankly staring out of the window, not at all spectating the battle between Sadao and the challenger. My brain was not working well, and the time that passed me by felt so insignificant that I gave up on trying to keep track of it.
As the Gym Leader of Azalea Town, my job was to sit right at the back of the arena and wait for whoever was coming to get the Hive Badge. And at my spot stood a lofty tree with clumping leaves, the gigantic umbrella providing unnecessary shade for me. Right behind the growth, was a small seat for me to watch the town's activities when I was bored, just like what I am doing right now. But the depressing thing was that there was absolutely nothing interesting going on outside.
Sighing, I snuggled up to myself, thinking that I could catch a snooze without Tomomichi noticing. However, not even five seconds into dreamland, I was forcefully awoken by a shocking clap of thunder.
I hurriedly flipped over and trotted out of the hidden area, and peeked out, just to discover the trees that lined between me and the twins are all slightly singed, electricity creating an orchestra amidst the silence. My body did not move as I gulped nervously, wondering who was the trainer and pokemon that had initiated the move. My questions were answered when a cloaked figure cruised out of the twins' area, a Bayleef and Pikachu on either side of his shoulders.
The challenger reminded me of my work as a Gym Leader and certainly, I'll have to get ready for battle. Getting frantic, I stumbled and fell down onto the soft grassy carpet. I picked myself up and rushed to get my pokéballs that were left back behind the tree, and by the time I returned to my spot, my neatly combed hair was unfortunately messed up, a small twig and a ladybug stuck on top of it. Just in time for the challenger to come navigating over to my side in the rickety basket.
"I'm Bugsy! I never lose when it comes to Bug-type Pokémon. My research is going to make me an authority on Bug-type Pokémon! Let me demonstrate what I've learned from my studies."
I said this all very fast, since I had memorized these sentences by heart, and repeated it multiple times every day. The challenger simply nodded, before he started observing me from tip to toe. He did not speak as he beckoned the Bayleef from before to move forward, his actions all so ethereal and soft that it spiked my curiosity regarding his identity. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask him for his name, until my faithful friend Tomomichi popped out from the adjacent side, as if on cue.
"Please state your name to register for the gym challenge." He said it with an authoritative voice, as he stood stiffly upright with a laptop in hand. As expected of Tomomichi.
"...Red..." said he with a barely audible voice.
Tomomichi got too quiet and I glanced at the man in his twenties, who was frowning as he glanced at the laptop's screen. With doubt written on his face, my adviser stole suspicious looks at the challenger. Whatever he was thinking or what was on the screen, was not known to me. Reading from his expression, I thought he would start fussing over something, but instead, he kept calm and closed the laptop, his eyes fixated on the hooded figure. The hooded challenger Red suddenly shook his head and said, "If you are wondering, I am not him."
Him? Who?
The questions tickled at my useless brain, which I had mentioned, was still blurry at this time of the day. Meanwhile, Tomomichi still cast those sort of looks at Red, who was distinctively giving a dry smile of a sort. The staring contest between the two battled on for a minute or two, and finally, Tomomichi sighed and waved his hands, as if telling us to start the gym battle. Something definitely had happened, but in the end, clueless as I was, I took out my Scyther with half-baked willingness. My adviser then headed off and switched on the status screen that appeared out of nowhere.
"Erm, I will be using three pokemon, and you are allowed to use your whole team."
My dull self then stared up at the two status bars that were displayed with much gusto, and it presented to me a level 17 Scyther up against a level 23 Bayleef. The opponent's pokemon had almost half of its HP left, which was most probably due to the toll from the previous battles. I must admit that I was rather surprised, from both the high level and the courage to fight a Gym Leader with a weakened pokemon.
Not that I wasn't confident, but the previous display of the electric type move at the twins' side had convinced me that I would not be able to win against this person called Red. I might just as well give him the badge. Even if I managed to defeat his Bayleef, that Pikachu would simply destroy my low-leveled team. But if I were to use my proper team, that might be a different case.
I started pondering if I should present the choice of battling my proper team to the challenger. If Red came during the afternoon, I would have immediately asked him to battle my higher leveled pokemon.
Since it was morning, I scrapped away that thought. I don't mind giving another badge away.
"Scyther, use Quick Attack," I called out listlessly. Scyther seemed to sigh at my lack of enthusiasm before she quickly used the move. Her body weaved towards the bubbly Bayleef, who failed to dodged when Scyther used her blade-like forearms to chop at the opponent. However, the attack did little to cut down the high-leveled grass type's HP. I shouted at Scyther to use another Quick Attack when Red interrupted by ordering his Bayleef to use Razor Leaf.
I simply raised five fingers, the signal for my pokemon to dodge if possible. Scyther took notice of my command and like a flash, she nimbly did a somersault, dodging almost all of the sharp leaves, except for one that lightly grazed her. I snapped my fingers, and she followed up with the Quick Attack that I said before. Upon landing onto the ground, my bug type pokemon burst off after she kicked off on her clawed toes, the force so great that she went face to face with the shaky Bayleef in one millisecond. And in the next second, Red's pokemon was sent upwards with a loud impact. Turning to the status screen, Bayleef's HP remained in the yellow zone. Nothing less from the high defense stat of that grass type
"U-Turn." I finally said it.
The challenger Red, I must say, had good battle instincts. He had immediately urged his pokemon to dodge the next move which will most certainly spell the defeat of Bayleef. Even so, his efforts were futile, as Scyther whirled herself up, and barreled towards her opponent with the bug type move. The move provided hundred percent accuracy, the rotation it had gave it high attack power and adding that grass type was weak against bug type, it did not surprise the challenger that his Bayleef went down the next moment.
Meanwhile, Tomomichi cried, "Bayleef is unable to battle, it's Scyther's win!"
Since U-turn had ended the battle, there was no need for me to switch Scyther out, so the bug type remained on the platform, as both of us waited for Red's next pokemon. I eyed at the Pikachu that had been slacking off at the sidelines, expecting the mouse to be Scyther's next opponent, and indeed, the chubby rodent stood up and ambled before us with a funny smug expression.
After the status screen had detected the next opponent, it buzzed a little, the old screen turning to static before it displayed Pikachu's status, HP bar, and level.
An insanely high level.
I gaped at the double digits that towered above the Elite Four, the number that could surpass the current Champion. It astonished me, letting my mind go clearer for a minute as I contemplated about the challenger's name. My eyes darted to look at the Pikachu, which somehow looked more and more familiar by the second.
Realization struck me as I gasped, my breath raspy as I accidentally choked onto my own saliva. Everything became understandable to both me and Tomomichi, who had already suspected that the challenger was that person.
Red, the former Kanto Champion.
I regretted not using this chance to fight him with my proper team. Really, I regretted. I regretted not waking up earlier. Regretted not watching his battles against Sadao and the twins. Regretted not noticing this sooner.
Everything was washed away with three Thundershocks, with Scyther, Kakuna, and Metapod in complete defeat.
And in my pockets, I was missing one TM89 and a shiny red Hive Badge.
The wispy old man swung down his hammer in one light swoop, his thick brows furrowed together, his rather long and white hair combed thickly against his scalp, a plainly colored bandana tied on the head to prevent any stray hair from interrupting his work. His hands, wrinkled and rough, handled the chisel gently while his sharp eyes darted about, to sweep away the Apricorn chips, to switch tools, to achieve perfection.
His workshop was quaint and could be termed as ancient since the building itself was made with wood and straw, many of the floorboards moldy and brittle from weathering. It did not matter to the old man, for this place was his haven, including the things that nestled within it. Such as the bench full of Apricorn chips, the baskets of colored Apricorns, the warm sitting table a few steps away, the many drawers and shelves that held his precious tools and books about pokéball making. And not to forget that it was his beloved granddaughter Maizie's favorite place, with the deep and old smell of Apricorns and metal. Lastly was his late wife's altar, her beautiful face always there while he worked.
He was so immersed in his handicraft that Kurt did not felt the presence of a cloaked teenager who just entered his workshop. The visitor's sneakers scraped against the ground as he slowly approached the old man.
Without averting his eyes from the half-completed pokéball, Kurt's hand shoved the chisel into the hooded figure's face aggressively, shocking Red, the youth barely missing the sharp edge of the tool with his head tilted backward, almost spraining his neck in the process. He sweat-dropped as he removed his hood, and held up his gloved hands nervously in a surrendering manner.
"Who are you?" Kurt interrogated gruffly, his other hand still busy crafting the pokéball.
"...R-Red..." the boy replied. "... The Old Man.. from Viridian..."
The clattering of tools was heard as Kurt put down the hammer with a bang, startling both Red and Pikachu, who had been hiding under his trainer's cloak. The old man stood up abruptly, his height no taller than Red's shoulders. His wise but keen eyes studied Red's face intently until he nodded approvingly. Then he went past the boy, and directed him to the sitting table, his stern expression slightly softened.
"Welcome to my workshop, Red. Sorry for the previous greeting, something happened yesterday so I got a little aggressive."
Red slowly shook his head, and along with Kurt, he sat down comfortably beside the sitting table. Pikachu, knowing that the coast was safe, peeked out from the cloak and jumped out. The mouse sniffed in the surroundings, taking the woody smell of the room before he snuggled next to his trainer.
"... Sir-" said the teenager.
"Kurt is fine. Well, that old friend of mine informed me of your possible arrival. I am honored to have another Champion visiting my humble workshop." said the smith with a wizened smile on his face
"...Another Champion?" asked Red.
"Ah, the first one was Ethan, the current Johto Champion. He saved my life and the many Slowpokes that lived in this area. A real honor to have him as a frequent visitor."
"... I see... Um... May I ask what kind of pokéballs you make?" he asked.
"Ah, I make balls out of Apricorns! It's a rather ancient way of making the capturing device since, at this age, trainers just use mass-produced pokéballs. But nothing beats a good, old Apricorn ball." said Kurt proudly.
"... Then how do you.. sell them..?" Red asked.
"Sell? Oh no, I don't sell them. I make them for free as long as you come in here with Apricorns. They will cost a little if you don't have any of those hard fruits since I'll have to use my own materials. To collect those beauties, you'll need an Apricorn Box."
"..."
"Alright, wait for me here, sonny." the old man said as he stood up like an eager young man. He rushed to one of the drawers and rummaged through it before he picked out an orange container. Red observed Kurt running to the other side of the room with a small bag, and soon he returned with two items: an Apricorn Box and a bagful of Apricorn Balls.
"No.. I can't accept this..." Red muttered awkwardly.
"Take them, I have lots." Kurt insisted as he shoved the objects into the teen's arms.
"...T-thank you.."
"You are welcome."
Red with a slightly flushed face, kept the gifts and thanked the Smith once more. Kurt beamed with a broad grin, before his face went serious suddenly, his voice back to its previous gruffness. "Red, I think I should tell you something."
"... Yes?" Red replied, a little surprised at the change in atmosphere. Pikachu perked up as well for he had sensed the graveness of the matter Kurt was about to say.
"It's regarding the men that had visited me yesterday, I believe you should relay what I say to the League."
"... I'm sorry, but I'm no longer associated... with them..." Red mumbled somberly. Kurt gazed into those red eyes that hid certain loneliness, and sighing, he patted the boy's back.
"Young man's problems. It's fine. Anyways, about yesterday, a few men in suits had barged into my workshop. Men with no manners at all!" the Smith fumed. "And you won't believe what they had demanded!"
Red and Pikachu looked at each other, the two oddly reminded of a certain enemy. Trainer and pokémon turned to look at the old man, their faces lined with concerned and urgency.
"They wanted me to craft a ball that can steal other people's pokemon in battle!" Kurt cried, his face getting redder and his bushy brows more furrowed than before. He told them everything, about how they had made a mess of his workshop, and even threatened him to hurt his Maizie. But of course, he clearly said that it was impossible to do so without the right Apricorn. The men then left, saying that when they find the correct Apricorn, he was expected to cooperate with them to create the Steal Ball.
"Over my dead body," Kurt shouted as he plucked off his bandana and threw it onto the ground in his anger. Red clenched his fists and then inquired, "... Did they give a name?"
"Hm! One of those evil scumbags did."
"... And... what was it...?"
"Brutus."
Enormous trees that had the shades of lime green, emerald and pine green towered into the skies. The ancient ones stretched away from the crinkly floor, the young ones grabbing for sunlight, the adult ones like the fortresses of the glades. Their trunks were of umber brown, rough and peeling. High up on the thicket, the trilling of birds resounded like an orchestra of instruments, the branches and leaves transforming into the graceful ballerinas that swayed to the music. Flowers and berries lay ripening under the leafy dome of the forest, crackly ferns and mushy moss grew between the small rocks and logs that were strewn on the ground. The underbrush was so close-knit that sunlight could barely breakthrough the bushy defenses.
Plunk, plunk, plunk.
A squirrel scurried away, berries in its bosom dropping in its haste. Slinking ferrets glowering at the boy with their intelligent eyes.
Plunk, plunk, plunk.
Meanwhile, Red slowly trudged across the rough grass, feeling conflicted inside after the meeting with the Smith Kurt. He gave a heavy sigh, while Pikachu squeaked out of concern.
"... I'm fine..." said the trainer.
Plunk, plunk, plunk...
They had been hearing strange noises for quite a while in the Ilex Forest, and how they approached a small shrub that blocked their way to cross the jungle. Red took out Charizard half-heartedly and asked the pokemon to use the move Cut.
After the shrub was hacked off their path, the threesome walked through the narrow gap, with Charizard burning off the trees a little to make more space for his larger body.
Plunk, plunk.
Red gazed ahead, where a small structure stood, which appeared to be a shrine with a dingy and dusty red roof that had faded in color, moss covering one side of it. In contrast, the structure was mainly made with a sleek mahogany wood that seemed to sparkle slightly, the front covered by bamboo doors, a long, thick and purple string hanging across. Gold trinkets and paper decorations adorned it, along with spots of moss that grew at the side of the structure.
Plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk.
The noise grew louder and had perhaps come from the Ilex Shrine. Red and the gang paused for a moment when the bamboo doors of the structure shook and rattled. Pikachu backed away, his ears twitching, telling him that one of his kind was approaching. No, two of them.
Plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk!
Red, thinking that something dangerous was coming out, turned left and wasted no time to get away from the mysterious rattling Shrine. He beckoned to the two pokémon, who glanced back at the structure and then decided to follow their trainer. But before the boy could move two steps away from the Ilex Shrine, cries of pokemon that came from below made him halt in his feet, and he cautiously turned his head down.
Two rodents squeaked at him, their angular and black-tipped ears swaying about, eyes shiny and huge like pearls.
"Pi!"
"Pi?"
And somehow, they reminded him of the twins back in the Azalea Gym. But of course, after reading so many pokemon encyclopedias, he knew exactly these two pokemon were pichu.
Strange lights started leaking out of the gaps of the bamboo doors of the Shrine. Surprised, Red stumbled back and knocked onto the walls of the structure.
Welcome, Zero.
The light poured out uncontrollably, enveloping the human and four pokemon all at once. Drowning within the blinding light, Red felt his conscious fading and receding, his eyes feeling all so weary.
"Who... are you?" He gasped.
Red grappled with reality, wanting to stay awake, but to no avail when his whole body went heavy like an anchor. His eyes blinked multiple times, and he finally succumbed to the sinking feeling of sleep. The moment he closed his eyelids, the voice finally replied
Celebi.