Island of Knowledge, Chapter 19
Despite the fact that I pulled up to Cinnabar Island in a Team Rocket boat, not a one of the island inhabitants seemed to notice. It all felt a bit strange, but I was about to find out why. A few police officers arrived on the scene, one of them a woman that looked identical to Officer Jenny from Celadon City!
"Identify yourself!" She screamed at me.
"It's me, Star! Don't you remember me from when we met in Celadon?" I raised my hands in the air, just to be safe.
"Oh, so you've met one of my sisters? Trouble with the law, little girl?"
"No, ma'am," I said, watching as the other pair of officers went to inspect the boat. "I just came from Seafoam Island."
"In a Team Rocket vessel? Why don't you come down to the station, and tell me the whole story."
One of the police officers pulled my arms down and slapped handcuffs on me. I didn't bother fighting back, knowing it was all just a huge misunderstanding that would be fixed soon enough. Vulpix started to growl at Officer Jenny, or her twin, but I told her to be quiet and behave. It didn't matter that I was forced through the entire island in chains, as no one seemed to care. Just what was up with these people?
~o~
It took me a while, but I finally told the whole story to Officer Jenny. Much like the Nurse Joys that run the Pokemon Centers, Officer Jenny comes from a large family of look alikes that all happen to be police officers of various cities. Anyway, I explained everything that happened, not only on the Seafoam Islands, but also what happened in both Celadon City and Saffron City, just to make sure she knew the whole story. After a few calls to the departments in both Celadon and Saffron, Jenny removed the handcuffs.
"I am so sorry about all this," she said, locking away the cuffs in a drawer of her desk.
"It's okay, you're just doing your job, right?"
"Actually, it feels good to be able to do my job in the first place. You can't begin to imagine how dreadfully boring it is to be a police officer here." She sighed.
"It seems like a nice place, is that why?"
"If it were just that, you could get used to the peace. You see, Cinnabar Island is pretty much a research center floating in the ocean. The only people who live here, besides police officers and Nurse Joy at the center, are scientists. And they aren't exactly the most talkative bunch, nor criminals."
Normally, such a situation would be a cop's dream come true, but after spending a few hours bored to death drifting on the waves, I can see how boredom would quickly kick in. However, the League brochure said there was a gym here on the island, but I didn't see it on while on the way to the station.
"Um, if it's alright to ask, where's the gym?"
"Gym? You mean the Pokemon gym?" I nodded.
"Gone." She said bluntly.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?"
"When Silph came in and changed the entire island around, the gym went with it. I heard the leader got pretty steamed." I felt my eyes widen.
"So, what am I supposed to do now?"
"Well, the gym may be gone, but I heard the leader still lives and works on the island. Never met him myself, but I'm sure if you look around you'll find him."
"I thought you said the only people living here are scientists?"
"I know. The gym leader is one of them. If you're going to go look for him, just be sure not to cause any trouble. Much as I'd like to be called into action, I wouldn't want to arrest you again." Jenny said with a weak smile.
Once I had Vulpix and my other Pokemon back, I said goodbye to the officer and left the police station. Outside, the sun was starting to set, and the ocean was turning orange. If the gym leader was still somewhere on the island, I'd have to spend the next day looking for him. Officer Jenny and the entire police department got into a pair of boats and made off for the Seafoam Islands, intent on capturing the Rocket grunts still marooned on the islands. Unless they finally managed to radio for help, they were probably still on there.
Then it hit me. The grunts were trying to call someone on the island! I looked around, seeing only scientists walking around the streets, all of them with their noses buried in books and paperwork. They may have been able to pull off the paper thin disguise in Celadon, but here they were doing a much better job. The island was also run by Silph, so it made sense. It would all be topped off if Giovanni himself was on the island.
The Pokemon Mansion was the only other location of interest on the island, a large building that had been turned into the primary workplace for the scientists. I had always heard from my teachers in school that although science was one of the best things people could do for others, it was also very hard to fund. Someone had to be paying the bills for these scientists, and I had a feeling Team Rocket- and Giovanni- were behind it.
I ran to the Pokemon Center. If the grunts were still at the Seafoam Islands, and they were brought back by the police, the other members would probably make a run for it, Giovanni included. That meant I had to go looking that same night for proof before they started covering their tracks. It was still early, but I jumped right into the spare bed offered to me by Nurse Joy. A small nap now, and I'd be ready by nightfall to sneak into the Mansion on the other end of town.
~o~
As it would turn out, my plan of sneaking into the Mansion, where all the scientists lived and worked, wasn't going to go as originally planned. I started to wonder if any of my plans would ever work out perfectly. Anyway, the plan didn't work because apparently, these scientists never slept!
As I snuck around the sides of the building, Vulpix trailing behind as usual, I noticed most of the windows still had light coming from them. I peeked through a few, seeing a number of people in white lab coats running around, always with their faces buried in notepads or thick textbooks.
"Maybe it won't be so hard to sneak in after all," I said to myself, ending up back at the front door after circling the building. Vulpix scratched at my leg, asking to be carried in. For once, she was starting to catch on as to when was the perfect time for her to not get in my way.
"Just please be quiet, okay? I can't always be holding your mouth shut."
I turned the knob on the door slowly, and it swung open without so much as a creak. Inside the foyer, I saw a few scientists walking around, none of them noticing the door had even been opened. Whatever it was they were working on, it sure kept them occupied. I ducked into the first room I could, and took a deep breath when I was standing right in front of the desk of another worker. Again, he didn't even notice I was there, too busy writing something as fast as his hand could move.
I slowly bent over, placing Vulpix on the floor, and getting on my knees. I pointed to the alcove under the desk, and told Vulpix to go there and stay put. Meanwhile, I crawled around the desk, hiding myself behind the waste basket on the other end of the room. After a few minutes, the guy got up and ran out the room, his paper finally done. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, I got out from my hiding spot, and snapped my fingers so that Vulpix could come to my side.
Other than the desk and a ton of papers on it, the only other piece of furniture was a coat stand with a couple white lab coats hanging off it. These guys were so busy with their work, they hadn't even noticed me sneak in. With a lab coat on, I'd practically be invisible! I snatched one off the stand and slipped into it, though most of the tail end was dragging on the ground. They were adult sized coats, after all.
Carrying Vulpix in my arms, and hiding her under the coat, I walked out of the room again, this time almost running into a scientist as I did. I deftly moved to a side, and the guy didn't even give me a second glance. Just what were they working on that kept them so distracted? I walked into the main hall, where another few guys in white coats were inspecting a large tank in the center. There was something floating inside the tank, a purple and white ball that almost looked like it could be a Pokemon.
"Blaine, the results are in."
I ducked behind another desk when I heard one of the men talk. Poking my head out over the desk, I saw one of the younger scientists approach an older, balder one.
"Is it stable this time?" The bald man turned around, and I finally got a look at his face. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of small, round glasses, and the only other feature on his face was a long, sharp mustache.
"Higher than ever before: 97%." The younger man handed a clipboard to Blaine. He flipped through it for a few seconds.
"I would have preferred perfection, but we're running out of time," Blaine scribbled something on the board and handed it back to the other scientist. "Tell everyone that we're going ahead with the project at last."
The younger man put two of his fingers to his lips and blew, releasing a sharp whistle throughout the mansion. For once, I saw the other scientists actually bother to look up from whatever they were doing. Once the men working upstairs and in the other rooms formed a crowd near the center, Blaine raised his hand to draw attention.
"We have achieved 97% cohesion, and I'm afraid that's as high as it will ever get. We're moving on with the project."
"What about Giovanni? Has he been informed?" I looked over at the scientist questioning Blaine, shocked that Giovanni had been mentioned. This made it official that the entire island was working for Team Rocket. Officer Jenny would have a field day when she heard.
"Giovanni sent in a report several days ago. The Silph Building operation was compromised, so he retreated to his primary safe house. It's too dangerous to inform him at this point; I'll be taking full responsibility for the actions from here on in. Any other questions?"
The few other people in the crowd mumbled something amongst themselves, but no one else raised a concern to Blaine. After a moment of letting them discuss, Blaine clapped his hands.
"Then let's get right to work! We have to finish this project as soon as possible and get it off the island!"
The crowd dispersed, everyone shuffling about to new stations. Things weren't going so well for me, though, as I was forced into the alcove of the desk I was hiding behind when one of the scientists took a seat. If I was found out, I doubted they'd do anything bad. They were just a bunch of smart nerds, after all. I couldn't make out much of what everyone else was saying from there, but enough to make out that they were going forward with something genetic, whatever that meant. After a few more minutes of talking in the distance, the guy sitting at the desk got up, finally allowing me to sneak out.
I poked my head out just enough to get a view of the hall. Blaine was on his way upstairs, which meant that's where I had to be as well. He was the guy in charge, which meant he knew where the gym leader was. Everyone around the room looked pretty caught up in what was happening with the thing inside the tank, so I stood up from behind the desk and walked across the hall. If I just strolled through like I belonged, no one would notice me. With Vulpix hiding under the lab coat, I actually managed to walk past all of them!
On the second floor, I saw a few other scientists walking around, but again, I just walked past them with my head held high, and not a one noticed me the entire time. Made me wonder if a person with a bomb walked in, he could probably blow the entire place up without even alarming a single person. I turned a corner, then another, and then another. I didn't know where I was going, only that I had to find Blaine. I finally came across a room with a door, the only one in the mansion I had seen. I cupped my hands over my eyes and peeked inside, seeing Blaine on the other end shuffling around some papers. I opened the door and went in.
"Has the genetic mutation kicked in already?" He didn't even look up from what he was doing. He was sure in for a surprise.
"I don't know, I don't work here." He looked up at last, and I just waved at him with a smile. Vulpix fell out of the lab coat at the same time.
"Well, I won't ask how you got in, pretty obvious we weren't paying attention. What do you want, girl?" Blaine returned to his papers, filling out several of them with a tiny scribble each.
"I'm looking for the gym leader here. I heard from Officer Jenny that the gym was closed, but the leader still lived and worked somewhere on the island."
"And what makes you think he's here? All of the men working here are scientists, not Pokemon trainers."
"Well, a guess, really. I'm asking you because you sounded like the boss here." Blaine chuckled under his breath, but didn't shift his gaze from the papers on the desk.
"I'm sorry, but I'm too busy to accept challenges now. Come back next week, or the week after."
"You mean, you're the gym leader?" I probably shouldn't have been so surprised. Blaine looked to be the type with a past of Pokemon battling.
"Matter of fact I am, miss, and right now I'm on a tight deadline. Please, show yourself out. If anyone happens to notice you this time, just tell them it's been cleared with me." Blaine only pointed at the door as he spoke, but never gave me a second look. I turned around, but before I opened the door to leave, I had one last thing to say.
"Why do you work for Giovanni?"
"He's my boss, end of discussion."
"Do you know he's the leader of Team Rocket?" At last, I finally got all of Blaine's attention. He looked at me from across the room.
"You've met him, then?" I nodded.
"Twice. I was the one that snuck into Silph." Blaine dropped the pen in his hand, leaning back in his chair.
"Explains why he didn't want to reveal the infiltrator. Not that I believe you, kid, but considering how much you know..."
"Giovanni has done some terrible things," I said, not meaning what I was about to say. "But all I want is to challenge you for a badge."
"You're willing to let us continue with our work for Giovanni?" Blaine's glasses shimmered in the light from his desk lamp.
"I don't like it, but the most I can do is call Officer Jenny, and she wouldn't believe me. Even if she did, I'm pretty sure you guys have something to convince her I'm crazy." Blaine got up from the desk, and walked around to me. He reached out his hand, and pointed to his coat with the other. I took off the coat I was wearing and handed it to him.
"You've got got yourself a challenge, girl. Meet me tomorrow in front of this mansion, we'll head to my arena then."
Blaine opened the door for me, and walked me downstairs, and out of the Mansion. Once outside, he closed the mansion door behind him. He kneeled down and scratched Vulpix behind her ears.
"Bring your best, kid, I won't be going easy on you."
"Of course not!"
~o~
The next day, I was wide awake at around seven in the morning, eager to get the battle with Blaine done early. There was only one gym left after this, the one back in Viridian City. Along the way, I'd pay a visit back to Pallet Town. After being away from home for so long, I was looking forward to seeing Mom again in person.
On the way back to the Mansion, I saw the police boats docked at the harbor, meaning Officer Jenny and the other policemen had made it back from Seafoam. If the Rocket grunts had been captured and brought back, they could probably tell Jenny about the scientists working for Giovanni. I hurried along, not wanting anything to get in the way of my match with Blaine. At the Mansion, I knocked on the door properly this time. The door opened almost immediately, Blaine on the other side.
"Nice and early, I like that." He topped off his bald head with a white hat. "Follow me."
I followed Blaine inside the Mansion, going downstairs this time to a dark hallway leading to a few rooms. Like most of the other rooms here, they had no doors, and the only things inside these rooms were beds, all of them occupied with tired workers from last night. At the end of the hallway, Blaine pushed a secret panel on the wall, forcing the wall to swing open, leading to a cave tunnel heading further down. He led the way, asking that I close the door behind me.
The tunnel descended a bit before it started ascending, getting hotter and hotter with every step. I was amazed Blaine wasn't sweating like crazy, seeing as how he was dressed in a white suit. I, on the other hand, was wearing my usual dress and couldn't stop sweating. After climbing more stairs, we came out to a large arena inside a giant cavern. Blaine walked over to the other end, and I noticed the arena rattle a bit when he walked on it. I looked around, seeing that it was actually hanging above a pool of lava on just 4 chains. The motif was pretty clear.
"Would you like a paper fan? I know it can get quite hot here."
"I-I'm okay," I said, wiping off the sweat from my forehead for the umpteenth time already. I reached into my bag for the fan I bought during the festival in Celadon, amazed it was finally coming in handy. The summer had been surprisingly cool this year.
"Well, rules are simple enough: we each get three Pokemon, first to lose all three wins. Would you care to pick first, or should I?"
"You first," I said. "It's your gym."
"Very well." Blaine removed his hat, reaching into it to produce a Pokeball. He threw it out into the field, revealing his first Pokemon, a Ninetails. It was the first time I had ever seen one in person. Even Vulpix was excited to see a familiar Pokemon face.
My first instinct was to use Lapras for the type advantage. But if Blaine had a full roster of fire types, I didn't want to place the burden of the whole battle on Lapras alone. I reached for Primeape's Pokeball, and let him out onto the arena.
"The battle has begun. Ninetails, Fire Spin!"
I couldn't even get my own command in before Ninetails unleashed a wall of fire on Primeape. The flames surrounded him, turning into a giant tornado that kept him locked inside. When the fire finally dissipated, I saw Primeape on the ground, burned badly, but still strong enough to fight. Things were already looking bad.
"Primeape, Fury Swipes!"
He was a bit slower than normal, but Primeape didn't back down. He charged Ninetails, his fists open and his claws out. Fury Swipes was a quick way to even the playing field, but Ninetails nimbly ducked under him.
"Ninetails, Double Kick!"
Primeape turned around, only to take the powerful attack directly in the face. I closed my eyes and turned away, the sight of Primeape losing too much to bear. When I finally looked back, I saw Primeape at Blaine's feet, trying to stand up again.
"Looks to me like Primeape is out of steam." He was right, of course. Even if he could manage to get up after that blow, there was no way he could even manage another attack. I grabbed hold of his Pokeball, ready to withdraw him.
"Primeape, return." I aimed the ball at him, but the beam of light missed as Primeape ducked out of the way. He was intent on staying out there to battle to the very end.
"Stubborn little ape, but that's okay, I can play dirty, too. Ninetails, Flamethrower!"
"Primeape, get out of there!"
Ninetails opened his mouth, letting loose a beam of flames at Primeape. Surprisingly, Primeape managed to evade the attack, barely rolling to a side. If there was a chance he could lay a single blow to Ninetails, he would be willing to return on his own. It was all or nothing.
"Primeape, Thrash!"
Using every ounce of energy he had left, Primeape flew towards Ninetails. This time, the large fox couldn't move out of the way, and Primeape went crazy on the Pokemon, throwing punch after kick with everything he had. After a few seconds, Primeape finished the attack with a single punch, sending Ninetails to the other end of the arena. The fox didn't get back up.
"Ninetails, return!"
After Blaine's Pokemon was out of the ring, Primeape threw both his fists into the air, cheering himself on. Right after, he just fell on his back, completely exhausted.
"Oh, gosh, Primeape!"
I knew there were rules against running out on the arena, but I had to make sure he was okay. Blaine didn't say anything, and let me tend to Primeape for a moment. Other than being completely out of it, he was okay. I gave him a small hug before I put him away.
"Great first show, but can you pull an encore? My next Pokemon!" Blaine reached into his hat again, and threw out another Pokeball. This time, a large, fiery hound showed up. It was an Arcanine. I reached for a Pokeball on my belt, and released Farfetch'd.
"Certainly an odd choice to face Arcanine, but I'll be sure to roast the duck well. Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
"Farfetch'd, fly up high!"
The small duck bit onto his leek and shot upward, just barely dodging the flames from Arcanine. In a straight fight, I knew Farfetch'd probably didn't stand a chance, but as long as he stayed in the air, it was a fair enough fight. Or so I thought.
"Arcanine, get him out of the air!"
"Fly higher, Farfetch'd!"
Arcanine leapt into the air, biting at Farfetch'd, but no matter how high he could jump, there was no way to reach him. Even if Arcanine started shooting fire at him, Farfetch'd could easily dodge the flames. I had locked us into a stalemate, and even Blaine saw it.
"I have to say, you are fiendish, kid."
"What?" I kept my eyes on the arena, making sure Arcanine didn't try anything while Blaine spoke.
"Normally, I'd wait a battle like this out. After all, eventually that duck of yours will have to touch back down, he can't stay flying forever."
"But you're on a deadline," I finished for Blaine, causing him to laugh a little.
"I'll call it a fair draw, and neither of us use these Pokemon again. Deal?"
"Deal."
Blaine called Arcanine back, and I did the same for Farfetch'd. He hadn't gotten a chance to truly battle, but that day would arrive eventually. Since both Primeape and Ninetails had fallen earlier, it was down to this last match to determine the victor. Blaine released his Pokemon first. The Pokeball crashed onto the arena, releasing a hulking, red and yellow monster. It was a Magmar. Saving Lapras until now seemed to be a great idea after all.
I released Lapras, the large Pokemon causing the entire arena to shake a bit too much. I even caught a bit of the cavern wall crumbling where the chains were attached. If the arena fell, the Pokemon would go with it.
"Blaine, is this thing safe to fight on?"
"I have nothing to worry about, Magmars live in the stuff."
"But Lapras doesn't!"
"Oh stop worrying! Just keep your Pokeball handy, and you'll be okay!" It wasn't much consolation, but I kept the Pokeball aimed at Lapras all the same. Blaine had been calling the first shots this entire time, but I needed to finish this battle quickly.
"Lapras, Water Gun!"
Lapras opened its mouth, shooting out a torrent of water at Magmar. I expected the fiery Pokemon to leap out of the way, but all it did was stand there and take the beating. Most of the water evaporated on the spot, but it must've done something of damage.
"Magmar, show her what true fire feels like. Fire Blast!"
Magmar's entire body began to glow brightly, the area around him even starting to burst into flames. I knew something big was coming, and I couldn't risk taking the attack directly.
"Lapras, Ice Beam, now!
The large Pokemon aimed its horn at Magmar, shooting the beam before Magmar could unleash its own attack. I knew ice type moves were ineffective against fire, but I was only trying to dull the blow. I watched in awe as most of the beam melted away before it even hit Magmar, and then the fire Pokemon unleashed its attack. The large symbol of flames flew towards Lapras, and Ice beam was barely slowing it down.
"Lapras, Withdraw!"
He let go of the Ice Beam, and tried his best to hide in its shell before the attack connected. However, the attack was already too close, and Lapras took the brunt of the flames head on. It was almost an explosion of force, as the crash echoed in the cavern. Lapras looked pretty beat down, while Magmar still looked ready for action, if a bit slow from the recoil. Now was my chance to weaken Magmar.
"Lapras, Confuse Ray!"
"What!?"
Blaine hadn't expected that move, and could do nothing as Lapras locked eyes with Magmar. The large fire type stumbled around a bit, trying to keep balance on the arena.
"Magmar, focus, and use Fire Blast again!"
Magmar looked at Blaine, acknowledging the order, but as it turned around to face Lapras again, he stumbled onto the ground. Lapras was hurting bad from the burns, but I needed to take advantage of Magmar's disorientation.
"Lapras, use Water Gun and push Magmar off the arena!"
Blaine didn't say anything about the strategy, as I expected. Lapras aimed at Magmar, and opened his mouth, blasting the Pokemon with a gush of water. Little by little Magmar inched closer and closer to the edge, until finally one more push sent the Pokemon tumbling into the lava below. The battle was ours.
"Yay! I won!" I cheered at the top of my lungs
"Not so fast, kid!"
I looked over to the side of the arena, where Magmar jumped out of the lava, perfectly healthy and recovered. Blaine just smiled underneath his mustache.
"You just gave me all the power Magmar needs to win this fight."
"Actually, I win, as Magmar is disqualified!" I stammered.
"Huh!?" Blaine couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"League rules, Blaine! Pokemon aren't allowed to leave the arena. It wouldn't be fair if you got pushed out and then made a comeback, simply because Magmar wasn't hurt by the lava. None of my Pokemon have that ability." For once, reading the brochure was truly coming in handy.
Blaine was so shocked at what I just said, that he even had to scramble around behind him for a copy of the League rules. It was understandable that he had forgotten, but after having read that brochure, which lists all of the general gym rules and procedures, I had memorized just about every one. After a few moments of flipping through the pages, Blaine snapped the rulebook shut.
"Very clever, kid. You win, I guess."
~o~
Rather than hand me the badge inside that cave, Blaine allowed us to return outside. My cheeks were flushed, I was dripping in sweat, but I was beyond happy to finally be out of that inferno. Blaine, however, still looked fine and dandy in his suit and hat. The only droplet of sweat on his forehead from the technicality I won the battle on. Well, two technicalities.
"I never caught your name, kid."
"It's Star."
"Star, congratulations on earning your Volcanobadge. Though, I have to say, you won it quite devilishly." Blaine produced the badge from his hat, making me wonder just what else he had hidden in there. I took the small item and stuck it onto my trainer card, noting the final slot that needed filling.
"If you'd like, I could challenge you again." With the amount of time he had already spent battling, I knew he wouldn't accept a rematch.
"Well, guess I deserve to lose this one, considering. I take it you're off to Viridian City for your final badge?"
"Yeah, I was there earlier this summer, but the gym was closed. Do you think it'll be open already?"
"I can't speak for any other gyms other than my own, and that's hard to do when you don't have an actual building."
"I see. Well, thank you for everything, Blaine. I'd tell you good luck with your work, but I know-"
"You know what, Star? Let you in on a little secret," Blaine said, cutting me off and leaning in close. "The leader of Viridian City's gym is no pushover. If you want to have any hope of winning, I suggest you brush up on your battling strategies. You won't win a badge there by pushing Pokemon out of bounds."
"So you do know the leader?" I asked.
"You do, too. Be careful, Star; Giovanni fights to the last Pokemon standing. I doubt he'll be too thrilled at seeing you again."
Blaine went back inside the Mansion, leaving me alone outside. The gym leader of Viridian City, Giovanni? How was it that man could take control of a gym run by the League? If he could work his way into there, it made me wonder:
Just how deep did Team Rocket have its claws in the world?