Chapter 12
Rage Suppressed
"And I'll be sure to copy you in on every email I send to professor Oak." The thin man said.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Patrick replied, fiddling with the straps on his back.
"And if I have any questions for you, I can contact you over the PC?" He pressed.
"Yup, I should be in Cerulean in less than a week. Just send me an email and I'll be sure to respond when I get it."
"And if I have any difficulties with-"
"Neville!" Patrick cut in, stopping the rambling aid. "You will be fine. You have already met Crobat and Steelix, they know you are going to study them for the foreseeable future and Brock will be around for the first few sessions to make sure they behave."
Neville had been working with Patrick for the past week to get caught up on everything he and professor Oak had discovered from Crobat and Steelix. Although he hadn't done much research on living Pokémon, he had studied Pokémon fossils extensively at the Pewter Museum of Science and had been ecstatic when professor Oak offered him a job. Since Neville was the one who initially tested for Metal Coat in Steelix and was already living in Pewter, he was the obvious choice to continue researching the Pokémon once Patrick left Pewter.
Now that Patrick was leaving Pewter, Neville would become the lead researcher in charge of studying Crobat and Steelix and he was already cracking under the pressure.
"Just write down everything you see and send it to Oak; he'll help direct your tests after that," Patrick reassured. "Now, I need to find Brock before I leave. Good luck!"
Shaking Neville's hand and waving goodbye, Patrick wove through the circular battlefields that marked the floor of the pewter gym. He had already cleared out his room at the Pokécenter and stopped by the gym for a last round of goodbyes before he traveled east toward Cerulean.
Rob and Ed were currently deep in the mountains to the northwest at a job site and had not been able to see Patrick off, instead having said their goodbyes days earlier over drinks at a bar in Pewter. They had all made tentative plans to meet in one of the major cities to the east, once the brothers had saved up enough money to challenge the Viridian and Pewter gyms and began traveling Kanto again.
Patrick found Brock in Storeroom B. Deep below the Pewter gym was a labyrinth of tunnels and caverns that the Gym used for a variety of reasons. The widest and best-lit portions were used for housing trainers that currently worked or trained at the gym while the rest were used for other purposes including storage, meeting areas, and a basic infirmary where lightly injured Pokémon could be patched up without having to trek back to Pewter and the Pokécenter.
In the center of the large cavern, lit by a few bare lightbulbs hanging from stalactites, Brock was reading out a list of supplies as the trainers around him were quickly darting between the rows of wooden crates to gather the required amounts of each item.
Amongst the items on the list included a flashlight, bug spray, 40 kilograms of fuel, and a surprising amount of toilet paper.
"Going camping?" Patrick asked as he drew near and Brock finished reading off the last of the item, a whetstone.
"Not quite, we are sending a team to Samurai to help him replenish his supplies. He has been particularly busy lately and was complaining about a lack of food last we spoke." Brock replied as he continued to direct the swarm of trainers around him. "I take it you are heading east today?"
"Yeah, I should get to base camp by sundown and hopefully find someone to travel with through the mountains," Patrick answered, peeking into a nearby crate that held dozens of neatly stacked first aid kits.
"I would recommend not trying to brave the mountains by yourself, Nidorino is turning into quite a powerful Pokémon but the mountains between here and Cerulean can be deadly."
"I know. I've already called ahead to the Pokécenter there to let them know I'm looking for a travel companion."
"Ever the prepared traveler, well done." Brock praised, finally turning to fulling face Patrick. "Good luck on your travels and I hope you find more of your extrinsic evolutions."
Shaking hands, the trainer and leader said their last goodbyes and Patrick turned to leave. Just as he was about to leave the cavern, a glint of silver caught his eye, and an idea came to mind.
"Brock, is that the leftover Metal Coat?" Patrick asked, pointing at the silver cans collecting dust in the corner.
"Yeah, there isn't much left but it felt wasteful to through it out. Do you want it? Maybe to coat Nidorino's horn?" Brock asked, walking over to the cans.
"Not for me, but Samurai might benefit from it." Patrick explained, "When I saw him in the forest, his Scyther's blades were pretty chipped and damaged. Samurai could paint it on the blades next time Scyther sheds them to help preserve their edge."
"Well, it's not doing any good here… I'll send it in the caravan and see if Samurai is interested or not," Brock said thoughtfully, grabbing the cans and tossing them into the growing pile of supplies.
With nothing left to say, Patrick bid farewell to the gym leader and made his way through the winding tunnels, back to the sunlight.
0000
"Are we alone?" Patrick asked as Meowth emerged from the tall grass around them.
The feline nodded in confirmation.
"Thanks, Meowth. I'm going to release him. You'll probably want to make yourself scarce until I know he is under control." Patrick warned.
Warning heeded, Meowth quickly disappeared into the tall grass, not a sound or sway of grass marked her silent passage. The tan cat would spend the next few hours roaming a perimeter around Patrick as he walked along the main road, a beige ghost ready to intercept or scare off any approaching Pokémon.
Joltik peered out from the folds of Patrick's hood, anxiously waiting for his volatile teammate to be released.
Patrick looked down at the red and white orb in his hand and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Jet had stressed over and over that Patrick had to project calm and confidence with Nidorino. Any fear or nervousness would be interpreted as 'danger' and would send Nidorino into a rampage, looking for a threat that didn't exist.
Not allowing himself to dwell any longer, Patrick tossed the Pokéball.
With a flash of light and a roar, Nidorino emerged from the red and white orb. Swinging his large triangular head back and forth, the large Pokémon quickly took in his surroundings. Already his wild, red eyes were darting to every movement, every sound, and every shadow looking for something, anything, to battle.
Keeping his breathing calm and pace casual, Patrick slowly approached the agitated Pokémon.
"Nidorino," Patrick called, getting the Pokémon's attention, and letting the beast know he was approaching. "We are walking towards Mt. Moon right now. There aren't any Pokémon for you to battle, I released you to stretch your legs."
Nidorino eyed his trainer and slowly calmed down. His short, sharp breathing eased into a slower, rhythmic pattern and the trembling muscles of his legs and torso relaxed. Even the thick rows of venomous spines that covered his back settled back down, lying flat against his back.
Patrick sighed with relief, over the past week he had become an expert at Nidorino's body language and mannerisms, and although the Pokémon's spiny ears still twitched at every sound, this was about as calm as he could get.
"Good boy," Patrick whispered and gave the big Pokémon a scratch on the back of its thick neck and marveled at the firm muscle beneath the short layer of rough purple fur.
Nidorino's head was now level with Patrick's stomach and his body was over four feet long. If it weren't for the spines that covered the Pokémon's back, Patrick was pretty sure he would be able to ride the beast for short distances.
Turning to the east and the rising sun, trainer and Pokémon began their long journey to Mt. Moon base camp and then on to Cerulean City.
As they walked, both trainer and Pokémon searched the landscape for any sign of another Pokémon. One hoping to find another Pokémon, the other dreading it. Ever since his evolution, Nidorino had become uncontrollable when another Pokémon was present. The first sparring session after his badge match had been a disaster.
Eager to show off his newly evolved Pokémon, Patrick had sought out Elain the next day for a battle against Gloom. The older woman had accepted, having missed Patrick's match with Brock and being interested to see how powerful Nidorino had become.
As soon as Nidorino was released, he charged Gloom without even waiting for the match to begin. Deaf to the yells of protest all around him, Nidorino tore up the floor as he raced towards the Grass-type. Eager to fight.
Despite the power difference, Gloom had fought admirably, scoring several hits before Nidorino had caught the weed Pokémon. Unleashing a savage onslaught of stomps, double kicks, bites, and horn attacks Patrick's elation quickly turned to horror as Nidorino quickly beat Gloom into unconsciousness and continued to beat the unresponsive body. Nidorino had only been stopped when a pair of veteran trainers released a Primape and Venusaur to physically restrain the rampaging Pokémon.
Gloom was reportedly still in critical condition at the Pokécenter, and Elain had not spoken to Patrick since.
After that incident, Patrick had been forbidden from releasing Nidorino on the gym floor and instead had been given private sessions with Jet in a side cavern, away from any distractions. These sessions were focused on reestablishing Patrick as the leader of the party and keeping Nidorino calm enough to follow orders.
Nidorino's control of his bloodlust had improved in the few sessions they had. However, as soon as other Pokémon were present, he was unpredictable, either barely tolerating a Pokémon presence or flying into a berserk rage. Patrick would preemptively return Nidorino to his Pokéball to avoid an unwanted battle.
Out in the grassland east of pewter, Patrick felt reasonably confident he could return Nidorino to his Pokéball if he saw another trainer approach. He also knew that Meowth was out in the tall grass around them, driving off any Pokémon that might get too close to his volatile teammate.
"Nidorino!" Patrick called, causing the purple quadruped to jerk his head back and focus on his trainer.
"Good." Patrick praised, tossing a berry at Nidorino, who snapped it out of the air.
Jet had instructed Patrick to regularly call out Nidorino's name and force the unruly Pokémon to focus solely on Patrick, before rewarding him with a treat. This technique could then hopefully be used to break Nidorino's focus on another Pokémon and disengage, preventing a potential battle.
As the day wore on, Patrick continued practicing various techniques to keep Nidorino calm and following commands. Without seeing another Pokémon for a few hours, Nidorino was now calmly strolling by Patrick, gazing up at the sky and surrounding mountains and not jumping at every noise.
Before them, the mountain range that separated Pewter and Cerulean towered above them. This jagged expanse of mountains housed some of the most dangerous Pokémon on the continent. Packs of Charmeleon and Charizard were known to prowl both the valley floors and skies above. The twisting caverns below the mountains housed thousands of Zubat and Golbat, Geodude, and Graveler. Wandering Onix dug massive tunnels, miles long, continually adding to the already complex cavern system below. Not even the lakes and rivers were safe, as they were home to bright orange Magikarp and their destructive evolution, Gyrados.
That's why the Mt. Moon base camp had been created. Nestled at the very edge of the mountain range, it served as a safe place for trainers and civilians to group together and brave the treacherous terrain together.
Experienced trainers would call ahead to inform the Pokécenter when they intended to travel and the Pokécenter would pair them with novice trainers and civilians who could use the extra protection. Some high-level trainers charged for the escort service, but most accepted travel companions and conversation in lieu of payment.
Patrick was hoping to quickly pair up with another trainer at the camp and continue his trek to Cerulean. He had already spent a considerable amount of time in Pewter, and even though he had gotten a gym badge out of it, he was ready to get moving again. Misty was rumored to be a powerful and ruthless gym leader and exactly the sort of person Patrick expected to push their Pokémon to evolve further.
A low huff interrupted Patrick's thought and he turned his attention to the purple beast beside him. Agitatedly pawing the ground, Nidorino was staring out into the swaying grass, eyes looking for the slightest irregular movement in the green stalks.
"There isn't anything out there, Meowth would have already alerted us if anything dangerous was coming," Patrick said, reassuring the big Pokémon.
A flicker of movement far, far from the path finally alerted Patrick to the threat that Nidorino was sensing.
A small, pink sphere had just emerged from a bush and was awkwardly climbing a nearby boulder to get a better look at the surrounding area. Small pink limbs worked dutifully to haul the larger pink body up the uneven surface.
"See. That's what you were hearing, just a harmless Jigglypuff. Nothing to worry about." Patrick said, crouching down next to Nidorino and pointing out the pink far-off speck.
With a target in sight, adrenaline flooded Nidorino's veins, pupils dilated, and he roared. Heedless to Patrick's protests Nidorino charged through the tall grass, crushing foliage underfoot. Knocking Patrick aside as he leapt off the dirt path.
Alerted to the one Pokémon stampede behind it, the Jigglypuff turned and let out a startled squeak.
With Nidorino far away but quickly baring down on the pink puffball, Jigglypuff inhaled sharply and began singing as loudly as it could. Its primary defense against aggressive Pokémon. The haunting melody floated across the grassland, easily picked up by Nidorino's ears. Patrick, luckily, was too far away to make out anything besides the odd note.
As Nidorino continued to charge recklessly at his opponent, his pace slowed, and his eyes dulled as the hypnotic effects of the tune began to take hold. Nidorino fought against the song as best he could, but his muscles relaxed, and his limbs slowed. Even the ever-present rage, simmered down to calm relaxation. Slowing down to a trot and then a walk, Nidorino finally stood still before collapsing to the ground, barely 10 feet from the singing Pokémon.
Jigglypuff continued its song for several more minutes to ensure that Nidorino was truly asleep, before stopping and peering down at the unconscious Pokémon. Satisfied that Nidorino had been neutralized it quickly hopped off the boulder and bounced further into the wildness, fleeing from Nidorino and the main road.
Patrick sighed as he watched the entire sequence play out. On the bright side, no one had gotten hurt by Nidorino's most recent outburst, although it highlighted that Patrick had very little control over Nidorino despite the training up to this point.
As Patrick waded through the tall grass to retrieve Nidorino's body, Meowth appeared next to him. Not close enough to Jigglypuff to be affected by its singing either.
Reaching Nidorino's body before Patrick, Meowth investigated the snoring Pokémon. Meowth tentatively sniffed at Nidorino and when the bigger Pokémon didn't react, Meowth slapped Nidorino's cheek a few times with her paws, also to no response.
Grabbing Nidorino's Pokéball from his belt, Patrick quickly recalled his sleeping Pokémon. Nidorino's body dissolved into energy before being sucked up into the red and white orb.
"Looks like it'll just be you, me, and Bug until we get to Mt Moon," Patrick said to the feline as they headed back to the main road. Bug, who had watched the whole ordeal from the safety of Patrick's shoulder, squeaked in acknowledgment.
0000
Mt. Moon Base Camp was nothing more than a tiny Pokécenter, a general store, and a handful of houses. Several tents dotted the grassland around the cluster of buildings. With no rooms available to rent at the Pokécenter, travelers would pitch tents or unroll sleeping mats wherever they could find flat, dry ground.
The road Patrick had followed from Pewter, now little more than a dirt trail, led directly to the Pokécenter's front door. Kicking off the mud of his boots at the entrance, Patrick passed through the sliding glass doors and into the small clinic.
A rush of warm air hit Patrick's face as he stepped into the brightly lit building. Like every other Pokécenter Patrick had visited, the main desk dominated the opposite wall, where a pink-haired nurse and a Chansey stood. To the side a public computer sat on a desk, a screensaver of a Pikachu slowly bounced around the darkened screen. The rest of the floor space was dedicated to a kitchen, dining area, and communal seating. Several overstuffed armchairs and couches sat facing a fireplace. With no rooms or restaurants at the base camp, the use of a kitchen was the next best luxury afforded to traveling trainers.
A handful of trainers were already present inside. A group of four was seated around the long dining table, empty plates spread out in front of them. Under the table, a Cubone, a Raichu, and a Weepinbell were huddled together, chittering and squeaking back and forth, in front of equally empty food bowls.
A man and a woman were seated on a sofa, gazing into the fire, a Flareon rested on the couch between the two as the man absentmindedly scratched its thick, cream-colored fur.
All eyes, human and Pokémon, briefly turned to Patrick and Meowth as they walk to the front desk, before returning to their conversations. Seeing how crowded the small room was, Patrick was immediately grateful he hadn't tried to walk in with Nidorino. The small space and multiple Pokémon would have instantly sent Nidorino into a rampage. At Patrick's feet, Meowth eyed each of the Pokémon briefly before dismissing all of them in favor of grooming herself.
"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Centre. We restore your tired Pokémon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokémon?" Nurse Joy greeted as Patrick approached the desk.
"Hello, and no thank you." Patrick chuckled, the greeting identical to the past two Pokécenters he had visited. "I am actually looking for any trainers or groups of trainers that might be heading through the mountains to Cerulean."
"I'm sorry, we don't have any groups heading east currently. The party seated at the table over there is summiting Mt. Moon tomorrow morning and the couple by the fire just crossed the mountains on their way to Pewter." Nurse Joy motioned to each group respectively. "We haven't had any trainers or civilians notify us of their intent to travel to Cerulean. So, I'm not sure when another will show up." Joy said apologetically.
Patrick sighed; he had known it was a risk to leave Pewter without a party. Any trainer that was heading over the mountains would have to be coming from Pewter but after no trainers at the gym had indicated any plans to go over the mountains, he had left anyways, hoping to meet someone along the way.
With nothing else to do, Patrick took his pack to the kitchen area where he began unpacking various food items he had bought in Pewter and cooked himself a late dinner. Patrick had already made sure his Pokémon were fed on the road before he had entered the base camp.
Meowth hadn't needed any food, as the prodigious hunter had gorged herself on local rodent and bird Pokémon on the trek to the camp. Bug had been satisfied with draining several batteries Patrick had offered him.
Nidorino had devoured a can of Pokémon food Patrick had bought at a Pokémart in Pewter and then began eating the various kinds of grass and stripping shrubs of their leaves as they passed. With his evolution, Nidorino had evolved from an herbivore to a more omnivorous diet and was keen to eat anything he could digest. Patrick was apprehensive of allowing Nidorino to hunt his own food like Meowth however, as he wasn't sure if Nidorino would be able to differentiate between wild and trainer-owned Pokémon once his battle rage had set in.
Turning with his cooked meal, Patrick was surprised to find the group of four at the table had left. Likely turning in for an early night before their long climb tomorrow. The couple by the fireplace was still on the couch, however, and upon seeing Patrick looking around had waved him over.
"Thanks," Patrick greeted as he sat in one of the well-worn armchairs, balancing his plate on his lap. "Eating by yourself can get a little lonely." Seeing her trainer settle, Meowth prowled over to the fireplace and curled up in the warmth.
"Of course!" The woman said cheerfully. "We've both solo traveled before and it can get a little quiet, with no one but your Pokémon to talk to. I'm Janice and this is Ben."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Patrick," Patrick replied before taking a bite of his dinner.
"Why are you traveling to Cerulean by yourself? We overheard you talking to Joy." Janice quickly added when Patrick showed mild surprise that they knew where he was going.
"I'm on my way to the Cerulean Gym. I'm doing some research on behalf of Professor Oak and part of it involves traveling to each gym and meeting with the gym leaders. I'm also completing the badge circuit, so I'd like to challenge Misty while I'm there as well." Patrick explained.
"Misty is tough. I battled her for my third badge. Had to challenge her three times before I finally got her." Ben said, speaking for the first time. "I'd recommend getting grass or electric-types. I battled her with fire and water, and it was an uphill battle the entire time." Giving Flareon a small scratch, eliciting a purr from the fox.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I already have a few ideas on how I'll handle her Pokémon." Patrick explained before adding, "Did you see any Pokémon at the cerulean gym that you didn't recognize or weren't in the Pokédex? My research is on new Pokémon evolutions so I'm asking every trainer I meet. Extrinsic Evolutions are what we are calling them."
"Not that I can think of… There were a few trainers with Johto Pokémon. I even saw a trainer from Hoenn with a Swampert, but she left after a few days." Ben said thoughtfully, "Every Pokémon I scanned was in my Pokédex, or I had to download another regional Dex. Sorry."
"That's alright, I don't expect to find a new Pokémon in every city I visit. Misty will hopefully have a log of any Pokémon that pass through the Gym. If there were any extrinsic evolutions. she should know."
"How long have you been looking for these new Pokémon? Have you found any so far?" Janice asked after a moment.
With the topic broached, Patrick eagerly dove into a quick overview of his research. How he'd come from Sinnoh to Kanto to work with Professor Oak, his travel from Pallet through Viridian and into Pewter, and how he'd already found Steelix and Crobat to confirm his theory. Ben and Janice listened intently throughout his explanation, interjecting with questions occasionally.
"Wow, I can't wait to see them when we get to Pewter. Onix is already a powerful Pokémon, I can't even imagine what it would look like if it evolved into a Steel-type." Ben remarked, "I'm glad I already have the Boulder Badge."
"If you already have the badge, why are you traveling to Pewter? Are you going to keep going to Viridian to challenge the gym there?" Patrick asked.
"We don't challenge gyms anymore." Janice laughed, "Ever since Ben got his 3rd and I got my 2nd, we've been more relaxed with our training. I don't even work as a trainer anymore. Tangela and I run a flower shop in our hometown, Mauve. Ben does odd low-risk trainer jobs, to protect the town and earn some money."
"The jobs are easier and safer, and I'm not away from home for long. I don't think I have it in me to train for and obtain the fourth badge." Ben laughed to himself. "Plus, Flareon here has never been much of a battler, she prefers to lounge next to a fire than train and fight all day."
Flareon opened a single black eye at the mention of her name, however seeing her trainer didn't want anything from her, she curled a little tighter and returned to dozing.
"We're going to visit my parents. They live in Pewter, and I haven't seen them in years." Janice finished, realizing she hadn't answered Patrick's original question.
"I see, I imagine crossing the mountains makes it difficult to visit them more often. How dangerous is the crossing? I've never done it." Patrick admitted.
"It's not bad unless you get unlucky. The path is well established enough that most Pokémon have learned to avoid it. And if you walk with all your Pokémon released at the same time, it can really deter Pokémon from bothering you." Janice explained.
"We didn't have any bad encounters coming here, we could see a few Pokémon in the distance but with Flareon, Poliwhirl, Tangela, and Butterfree with us, no single Pokémon would be interested in attacking us." Ben said, "We did see an orange or brown spec flying above us for an hour or so, but it flew away without bothering us. I think maybe it was a Pidgeot or Fearow looking for an easy dinner."
"I hope my crossing is uneventful, Viridian Forest was dangerous enough," Patrick admitted.
"What happened in the forest-" Janice began but was quickly cut off by the Pokécenter door opening.
Dressed in thick travel clothes of dark purples and greys, the trainer stalked across the room. Patrick immediately recognized the smooth, balanced gait of a professional trainer. He had begun to notice differences in how higher-level trainers moved and stood while training at the pewter gym. How they never had their back to a door, how their eyes darted to every corner and shadow when they entered a room, and how they glided forward when they walked more reminiscent of a hunting cat than a human.
"Joy, I need a quick check-up of my Pokémon. I'm heading to Cerulean early tomorrow morning and I'm in a bit of a rush." The woman called out to the nurse before she had even reached the desk. Pushing off her hood, she ran a hand through her fiery red hair. Patrick's ears perked up at his destination being said and quietly shifted his attention to the conversation at the front desk.
"Of course, I can have Chansey here look them over and get them back to you within the hour." Joy said cheerfully, "If you are interested in traveling with someone… I know there is another trainer who is also planning on heading into the mountains."
"Sorry Joy, I'm on a job and don't have time to wait for a newbie to show up. Unless they are here tomorrow at six am, I'm going to leave without them." The female trainer stated shortly.
"Hi, I would be ready to leave at six am," Patrick said from behind her, having already started walking over to introduce himself.
Turning to face Patrick, the woman's blue eyes swept up and down assessing Patrick, briefly stopping to look at Meowth who was sitting at Patrick's feet.
"How many badges do you have?" Came her quick response.
"One. The Boulder Badge." Patrick replied evenly.
"How many Pokémon?"
"Three. Joltik, Meowth, Nidorino."
"Fine, you'll do. Meet me outside the Pokécenter tomorrow morning." The woman said after a brief pause. "Joy, I'll come back in an hour to pick up my Pokémon. I'm going to set up a campsite for the night."
Nodding at Joy, she quickly left the small Pokécenter.
"Well, she seems lovely," Ben remarked dryly from the couch.