Blackthorn's Dragon Master, Chapter 42
Route 44 was actually a pretty short stretch of land, so it didn't take me long to cycle through the beaten path to the end. Unfortunately, Blackthorn City wasn't at the end of the road. Since the city was surrounded by mountains on three sides, the only straightforward road into the city was from the south, by taking Route 45. That road connected to yet a different cave on Route 46, which was north from Route 29. I distinctly remembered not taking that road when I first arrived in Johto.
"So anyway I look at it," I said to both myself and Vulpix in the bike basket in front of me, "I have to go through some kind of cave to get to Blackthorn. I just never get a break, do I?"
Unlike other caves, this one was not only surprisingly well-lit, but also cold. It was called the Ice Path, a frozen stretch of tunnel connecting Blackthorn and Route 44. According to Professor Oak's talk show on the radio, which I had been listening to along the way, the wild Pokemon were partly responsible for the Ice Path being as cold as it was. Because of the ice covering most of the cave, I put away my bike and continued on foot.
'Dress warmly', Blaine had warned me. Would've been better if he just told me outright. Vulpix was having a bit of trouble getting around on the ice, and I couldn't blame her. My sandals weren't the best footwear for this place either, and on my first attempt to cross a sheet of ice, I slipped and fell hard on my butt. My grunt and yelp echoed throughout the cave.
"That hurt," I said, leaning on Vulpix for support. The small fox started growling at something, which put me on alert.
I went silent, and heard footsteps and other noises coming from deeper in the cave. I grabbed hold of a Pokeball, just in case there was a pack of wild Pokemon around the bend. Within seconds, I saw a pair of small brown critters making their way across the ice. Behind us, I saw a red and white bird, which had Vulpix practically barking at this point. I pulled out my Pokedex, and started by scanning the bird behind me.
"Delibird, the Delivery Pokemon. It carries food rolled up in its tail. It has the habit of sharing food with people lost in mountains."
"Well, that's nice to hear," I said aloud. The Delibird took off in the opposite direction, scared by Vulpix's barking. With that potential threat gone, I turned around and scanned the small brown critters next.
"Swinub, the Pig Pokemon. It has a very sensitive nose. It can locate mushrooms, berries, and even hot springs buried under ice."
Vulpix barked at these two Pokemon as well, but they weren't fazed by her. Instead, the two Pokemon pressed forward, intent on battling us.
"Vulpix, use Ember!"
Vulpix jumped up, swinging her tail to rain down small flames on both Pokemon. They were burned pretty badly, but didn't flee. Instead, both opened their mouths wide, blasting us both with a harsh cold wind. Vulpix shrugged off the attack easily, but I was starting to feel numb all over. I felt my knees give out, and I collapsed on the even colder ice under my feet. The two Swinub continued to close the distance on us.
"Vulpix, Flamethrower!"
Vulpix opened her mouth, blasting both wild Pokemon with a spray of flames. This time, the two Swinub turned and fled completely. The cave fell silent again, allowing me to take a breather. Of course, the first thing I did was get off the icy floor. I asked Vulpix to breathe some fire nearby so that I could try warming up, as well as drying out my clothes. Simply touching the ice around here was enough to make it start melting, so by now my dress was pretty much soaked in ice cold water.
"I just hope I don't catch a cold from all this," I muttered.
I pressed onward, only to stop short a moment later. This time, those small footsteps were accompanied by the sounds of something much larger stomping nearby. I took a deep breath, Pokedex handy, and Vulpix at the ready. Just ahead, I saw a Pokemon similar to the two Swinub walking by them. Only this one was much, much larger. I aimed my Pokedex at the creature.
"Piloswine, the Thick Fat Pokemon. Covered by a shaggy coat, it is strong against the cold. Its tusks of ice thicken when it snows."
The Piloswine let out a deafening roar, causing some of the ice above to crack and rain down all over us. If that thing charged, we'd be in serious trouble. I pointed at the Piloswine.
"Vulpix, use Fire Spin!"
It was definitely a gamble, seeing as how I hadn't even begun to train Vulpix on how to use her Pokemon Power at will. Still, I had to give it a shot. Vulpix took in a deep breath, and released a wave of flames at all three Pokemon in the tunnel ahead. She held the spray for a few seconds, but it never formed into the tornado I witnessed in Mahogany Town.
The Piloswine had weathered the attack sufficiently well, but the Swinubs had been burned quite extensively. The two smaller Pokemon fled, while the larger one stood its ground. If it intended to attack us, I wasn't about to give it the chance.
"Vulpix, Flamethrower again!"
Vulpix again blasted the large Pokemon with a wall of fire, this one lasting half as long as before. Between the cold weather and her consecutive attacks, Vulpix was quickly losing energy. Fortunately, this time the Piloswine felt the heat, and turned around to leave. Of course, we'd be going down that same tunnel after it, so Vulpix would have to be ready to defend us both again. I scooped her up in my arms.
"Thanks, girl. I'll carry you for a little bit, so you can rest up."
I walked as quickly as I could over the slippery ice without falling, eager to get out of this place already. Not a minute later, I heard something from further down the tunnel. It was the same stomping as before, only heavier and faster. I don't know why, but rather than turn around and move in the opposite direction, I pressed onward to see what it was. I looked down the tunnel, and saw that same mass of brown fur zooming in my direction!
Vulpix took initiative and blasted the charging critter with another Flamethrower from my arms. Behind the Piloswine was a flock of Zubat, all of them screaming loudly as they tried to find refuge in the hysteria of the cave. The Piloswine practically ignored Vulpix's attack, and charged straight through. By this point my feet had become cemented to the ground with fear, so I couldn't even move to avoid the large beast. Before he ran me over, the ice underneath us cracked open, creating a hole underneath us both. As was par for the course, I fell through with the Pokemon, only this time reacted fast enough to climb atop the Piloswine.
Down on the lower level of the cave, the Piloswine took the brunt of the fall, effectively knocking it out. I was thrown off the large Pokemon from the impact, and Vulpix had also managed to land safely nearby. Once I was sure the Piloswine was out cold, I looked up at the hole we had fallen through. There was no way we'd make it back up there now.
"Well that's just great," I said with a sigh. "I hope there's another way back up there."
My complaint echoed through the tunnel, which would only serve to make things worse for me. The Pokemon in the Ice Path were unusually sensitive to noise it seemed, as another group of Swinub and a few Zubat emerged from the end of the cavern. Cursing my luck, I picked a Pokeball from my belt at random, releasing Eevee. The small critter stood ready at Vulpix's side, but I wasn't about to start another battle right here.
"Eevee, Sand-Attack!"
Eevee kicked up a gray dust cloud, completely concealing the wild Pokemon on the other side. I reached down and picked up both Pokemon, and stated running in the opposite direction. Like the floor above me, the ground here was covered in ice, so before long I found myself sliding across the cavern without any control. I screamed out, as did Eevee and Vulpix in my arms, until we went flying over a small rock I crashed into with my foot. We crashed onto more of the slippery floor, and went sliding again to the opposite wall.
Now that I was finally at a standstill, I looked back in the direction I had come from, but didn't see any of the wild Pokemon. I sighed, and looked back towards the exit of the cavern. Vulpix had been knocked out by the crash, so I went to scoop her up in my arms. At that same time, my eye caught sight of something glistening in the cave wall. I leaned it closer, and realized what it was: a water stone! Eager to collect the small treasure, I tried to pry it from the wall, but that proved difficult while carrying the unconscious Vulpix. Eevee, trying to be of help, started clawing at the rock. Before I could stop him, he made direct contact with the stone, causing his entire body to start glowing.
"Eevee? What's happening?"
Within seconds, the form of the small Pokemon nearly doubled in size, and the glow disappeared. Eevee had evolved, its brown fur now replaced by a brilliant coat of blue scales. The Pokemon examined its own paws for a second before turning to me.
"Eevee? Well, you're not an Eevee anymore," I said, reaching out to pet my new critter. "You evolved. You're a Vaporeon, now."
The Pokemon took a look at itself again, still unsure of what had happened. I looked to the stone on the cavern wall, noting that the rock had turned to dust after Eevee had touched it. Our small event was cut short when the wild critters from before showed up again. I got up off the ground, leaning against the wall for support. Since Vaporeon was still feeling a bit confused about what had happened, I reached for a different Pokeball to fight back. Before I could, he leapt into the crowd of wild critters, swinging his tail wildly to disperse the Pokemon.
"Vaporeon?" The Pokemon tackled one of the Swinub, and looked back at me, awaiting an actual command. I popped open my Pokedex to double check my options.
"Vaporeon, use Bubblebeam on the Zubats!"
Its scaled feet now better suited to the frozen floor, Vaporeon backed away slightly, releasing a world of bubbles at the small flock of Zubats. The bubbles exploded on the critters, each one making a loud cracking sound and pushing the Pokemon further and further back. The wild critters turned tail, leaving us alone in the cavern once again.
I took this chance to look around the cave, and finally saw what looked like an exit. Whether it was out to Route 44 or Blackthorn City, I was willing to take it. Worst case scenario I'd have to head back to Mahogany Town for the night and press through the Ice Path again. At least then I'd be sure to dress for the occasion.
We emerged out of the Ice Path and into some warm sunlight. The first thing I noticed was the chatter of people in the distance, meaning I hadn't come back out on Route 44.
"Thank you!" I screamed into the air with a giggle. I looked over at Vaporeon, who still looked a bit confused at his new body.
"I'm sorry if you didn't want to evolve," I said to him. "I should've been more careful around that Water Stone."
The blue Pokemon shook its head, as if to reassure me. There really was nothing more I could do about the matter, so I was happy Vaporeon wouldn't hold it against me. Vulpix was also starting to regain consciousness, so I put her down and Vaporeon back in his Pokeball. As usual, my first stop would be the Pokemon Center.
Along the way, I wondered what I would do if the same thing ever happened to Vulpix. If she accidentally touched a Fire Stone and was forced to evolve. Could we ever be the same again?
~o~
After waking up the next morning at the center, and of course enjoying a warm meal courtesy of the local Joy, I made for the north end of town. My luck wasn't all bad, as I didn't seem to have the early signs of a cold, either. As I walked through the sparsely populated 'city', I noted how similar the buildings were to Ecruteak and Fuchsia. Before I could wonder a bit more about why the city seemed to empty that morning, I stumbled upon a crowd in the north end of town.
At the base of a small mountain, there was a great lake, and it looked like the entire city was standing around it that morning. Ever curious, I pushed my way through the crowd to the water's edge. In the center of the lake there was a building, the local gym as it would turn out, and just outside of it was a young lady sitting at the water's edge.
She raised her hand, and out of the lake flew up several Pokemon I was very familiar with. The Dratini and Dragonairs soared into the sky, slipping back into the lake without making so much as a splash. The townspeople gave a short and relatively quiet round of applause. Again the lady raised her hand, and the Pokemon repeated the act, this time demonstrating their ability to remain hovering the air. The crowd was more impressed this time, and the applause was a bit louder. Finally, she raised both her hands, Pokeballs in each one, and a Dragonair and Dratini leapt out of the lake and returned to their respective devices.
After another round of applause, the crowd started to return to their normal routine, while the lady trainer went inside the gym. I figured she could be the leader, so I followed her into the gym to ask her about her Pokemon.
Once I was inside the gym, I was actually a bit surprised to find that there wasn't enough space for an actual arena. The lady was sitting behind a desk tending to some papers when she noticed me come in.
"Who are you and what do you want? I'm busy," she barked, not giving me more than a split second glance.
"Hello, my name is Star. I saw your show outside just now," I started, but she cut me off before I could say anything more.
"Show? It was a demonstration of my command over dragon type Pokemon. I suggest you go to Cerulean City in Kanto if you want to see a 'show'. If that is all, please leave." She was definitely right about the girls at Cerulean City.
"I'm sorry," I said, unsure why she was so hostile. "I just wanted to ask if you were the gym leader here."
"As a matter of fact," she said, looking up at me again, "I am. Don't tell me you're looking to challenge me for a badge?"
"Well, I'm actually in a bit of a hurry-"
"Then be on your way," she snapped back, cutting me off again. "I told you I'm busy. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
She went right back to her paperwork, not even caring to notice if I left or not. I stood there for a moment, wondering to myself how it was that some of the gym leaders could be so mean, yet others extremely nice. I looked down at Vulpix, who cocked her head in confusion. This was my last gym battle for the Johto region, so I couldn't just leave. So I stood my ground, and it only took her another few seconds to look up and see me still standing there.
"You're still here? What do you want?" She was getting more and more agitated.
"My name is Star, and I challenge you to a Pokemon battle."
~o~
The leader's name was Clair, as she'd later tell me, and like her early morning demonstration, she called in the entire city to watch our match. Since the gym itself was too small for the match, the actual arena was out on the lake surface, meaning Pokemon that couldn't swim were out of the question. Since Clair's preference was the dragon type, that meant Vulpix wasn't the best choice for the battle anyway. Like my battle with Koga, we stood side by side on the lakefront, while the rest of the citizenry watched the battle from all around us.
"The match will be two Pokemon against two. Since the arena is on the lake itself, obviously certain Pokemon and types aren't viable, so I trust that won't be a problem." Clair's attitude was starting to grate on my nerves, but I knew better than to go against the leader's rules.
"I'll be fine," I told her, reaching for one of my Pokeballs. "Should I send my critter first?"
Clair smiled at me, and released her Pokemon, the Dratini from earlier. I reached for Beedrill's Pokeball, confident in his ability to defeat the powerful dragon critter. The crowd around us let out a small round of applause, and the battle officially began.
"Dratini, Thunder Wave!"
"Beedrill, fly higher!"
Dratini's nub began to glow a bit before it released the electric wave into the air. Beedrill flew up higher into the sky, deftly evading the attack. I let Clair call out her next attack before I did, not wanting to risk Beedrill getting forced into the lake. If that happened, the battle would be over instantly.
"Dratini, Aqua Tail!"
Despite it happening only moments earlier, I had completely forgotten how Pokemon like Dratini could remain in the air. The Dratini shot out of the lake, its tail coated in a veil of water. Before I could issue an order, and even before Beedrill could react, Dratini slammed its tail directly into Beedrill, sending him crashing down into the lake. The battle looked to be over for the crowd, but I knew Beedrill still had some strength left.
"Beedrill, Pin Missile right out of the water!"
I think Clair didn't believe Beedrill could actually pull it off. I took a quick glance in her direction, that smug look of victory plastered all over her face. Dratini went gliding back into the lake when Beedrill erupted from underneath the surface. The dragon tried its best to evade the attack, but Beedrill managed to shoot right through him, and sent him flying to the other side of the lake. Beedrill shrugged off the earlier blow and water, while Dratini struggled to stay afloat.
"Dratini, Dragon Breath!"
"Beedrill, Poison Sting!"
It was a risky move, I'll admit, but if I tried to evade again by going into the air, Clair could pull the same trick with the Aqua Tail a second time. Dratini opened its mouth, blasting a wave of green flames towards Beedrill. Beedrill zoomed towards its target, cutting through the attack to deliver another powerful sting to Dratini. It did the trick, as Dratini went belly-up right after. Beedrill was also struggling to stay in the air, having been burned pretty badly by the breath attack.
Clair recalled her Pokemon, but I didn't ask for Beedrill to return. If her next critter was to be the Dragonair, I was planning to get in a pre-emptive attack with one more Pin Missile. Unfortunately, Clair had one other Pokemon in her repertoire that I hadn't seen. She produced the Pokeball from her pocket, and threw it into the lake. Thinking it would be Dragonair, I didn't order Beedrill to get higher into the sky.
"Hydro Pump!"
Shocked by her sudden command, I watched as a massive stream of water erupted from the lake, blasting Beedrill towards the sky. After a moment, he came falling back down, which I prevented by recalling the Pokemon just before he hit the water. Clair could hardly contain her glee at my loss. Ignoring her for a moment, I looked into the lake, trying to spot her Pokemon under the surface.
"Well? Are you going to call your next Pokemon, or would you spare us all the waste of time and forfeit?" Whatever Pokemon was hiding underneath the surface of the lake, it wasn't about to show itself before I released my next critter. I'd be going in blind, the only hint being it could be a dragon type. My selection wasn't in my favor, either.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I'm afraid this is the end of the battle!" Clair raised her arm to signal the crowd. She was obviously trying to rattle my conviction.
"Wait! I didn't say I quit yet!" I looked down at my belt, considering Vaporeon for the fight. I'd even out the playing field, but I didn't know enough about Clair's Pokemon to risk keeping the battle in her favor. I went with Yanma instead, to keep my aerial advantage. Once the large red bug was hovering over the lake, Clair continued her relentless assault.
"Kingdra, Smokescreen!"
A small snout poked out from the surface of the lake, but not long enough for me to scan the critter with my Pokedex. It released a huge cloud of smoke, blocking my view of the entire arena. The crowd didn't seem to like this either, as they started booing at Clair's tactic. Unsure what to do, I started scrolling through the Pokedex to see just what Yanma had at his disposal to counter this Kingdra.
"Kingdra, Hyper Beam!"
"Yanma! Detect!"
With the smokescreen still up, I couldn't tell if Yanma had successfully pulled off the command. A moment later, everyone saw a wide, colorless beam shoot into the sky from the cloud of smoke, dissipating enough of it for everyone to get a look at the Pokemon. Yanma was still hovering above the lake, while Clair's Pokemon was finally visible. I quickly scanned the critter to get a better idea of what I was up against.
"Kingdra, the Dragon Pokemon. It lives in caves on the seafloor and creates giant whirlpools every time it moves." I sighed, again being left in the dark by the device.
"Kingdra, dive underwater!"
The Pokemon vanished again without a hitch, leaving Yanma alone on the arena again as the last of the smoke disappeared. After using a move like Hyper Beam, Kingdra would need a moment to rest, so what better way to avoid my attacks than remain underwater. At this rate, I wasn't sure Yanma had a chance at winning. I glanced at his ability list again, and came up with an idea.
"Yanma, Double Team!"
The bug started flying around in a circle above the surface of the water, creating replica after replica of itself until there were about a dozen hovering about.
"Now, don't move!"
Each of the Yanma remained perfectly still over the water, only their wings buzzing. Double Team's flaw was that the replicas followed the lead of the real Pokemon, so any movement could tip Clair off as to which was real. The next move was up to chance. Either Yanma would fall, or Kingdra would be left open to an attack.
"Hyper Beam, Kingdra! Wide spread!"
"Yanma, scatter!"
Clair's Pokemon shot out of the water, blasting a wide beam of energy at the mass of replicas hovering about. I was lucky I had reacted as quickly as I did. A few of the replicas were hit and erased, but there were still several floating about. It was now or never.
"Yanma, Supersonic!"
Each of the Yanma in the air let out the sound waves, all of them bombarding Kingdra at the same time. The Pokemon flailed about in the water for a bit, trying its best to shake off the confusion. My attention returned to the Pokedex to see what was the best way to end the battle in a single shot.
"Kindgra, snap out of it and use Dragon Pulse!"
My attention shifted back to the field, where Kingdra tried to focus enough to execute Clair's command. Fortunately, it wasn't able to, so I returned to the Pokedex. There was only one attack powerful enough in Yanma's arsenal.
"Yanma, Ancient Power!"
All of the bugs fluttering about started to glow a bit. Rocks started to form out of no where, and within seconds they were sent flying towards Kingdra. The barrage lasted several seconds, but after it was done, the Pokemon still looked pretty healthy.
"Kingdra, Hyper Beam on that Yanma!"
Clair pointed out one of the bugs, having finally identified the real one. Before I could order Yanma to scatter around again, Kingdra charged up the energy for the Hyper Beam attack. As it was about to release the beam, Kingdra hesitated for a second, and there was a massive explosion in the center of the lake. The blast sent waves in all directions, soaking not only the townspeople but myself and Clair.
Once we had both regained our balance, we looked out onto the lake, where Kingdra was floating on the surface of the lake. Yanma was a little soaked, but otherwise in perfect health. The confusion had turned the tables on that last Hyper Beam. Once the crowd saw Yanma flying about, they started clapping and cheering for the large red bug. I smiled, and looked over to Clair. She wasn't happy, though.
~o~
I had been sitting inside the gym for about an hour already. Rather than give me the badge I won and letting me be on my way, Clair was scouring through several thick books on her desk. Every time I tried to ask what she was looking for, or what she was waiting for to give me my badge, she'd order me to be quiet. I was about to ask one more time when she finally snapped the last book shut.
"Nothing! I couldn't find anything!" She threw the book to a side, crashing into her chair. She looked across the desk to me.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I won't give you the Risingbadge." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"What? Why not?"
"That battle was obviously a fluke. There's no way a pair of bug Pokemon could defeat my dragons. By all known Pokemon lore and mechanics, it just simply isn't possible!"
"I won!" I screamed at her, jumping out of my chair. "Fair and square! I want my badge!"
"Well, you won't be getting one. I've made my decision, now go." She set aside the books she was using, picked up her pen, and got right back to work on whatever it was she did at that desk. Vulpix started barking at her, but still she didn't budge. I was at a loss for words, to be honest, so I didn't even know what to say to her.
"Well, well. That's against the rules, Clair."
The voice was familiar. I spun around, and saw Lance standing in the doorway of the gym. Clair jumped out of her chair, equally shocked at seeing the League Champion standing there.
"Lance? What are you doing here?"
"Business, Clair. I happened to catch the last few minutes of your heated battle with Star. I figured you'd try and find some way to nullify her victory, but to flat out refuse to give up the badge? Do you want me to report you to the League, dear cousin?" I couldn't believe what I had just heard.
"Cousin? She's your cousin, Lance?"
"Indeed she is, Star. She almost became Champion herself at one point, too. However-"
"Stop! I'll give her the badge, Lance, just promise me you'll leave after I do." Clair reached into her desk, and produced a small, black badge in the shape of a dragon's head. She walked around the desk and handed it to me.
"I hereby award you with the Risingbadge, as proof of your victory against me in battle. Happy, Lance?"
"Very. Star, if you'd follow me, we have something to discuss." I followed Lance out the door, only taking one last look back at Clair. She scoffed a bit as I walked out the door, still annoyed at my victory, I guessed.
Back outside, I took the moment to attach the badge to my trainer card. Once that was done, I decided to ask Lance more about Clair's champion story.
"What happened, Lance? With Clair, I mean."
"Oh, nothing. See, we both tried for the championship, and both of us made it that far. However, I defeated her in battle, so I became the champion, while she was stuck with a gym leader position. We're not on the best of terms because of it. As for the badge thing, she gets a bit offended whenever a kid beats her. Pride thing."
"Oh, I see." Guess even adults could be crybabies in their own little ways.
"Now, on to business," Lance said, crossing his arms. "I just wanted to let you know that we have officially disbanded Team Rocket here in Johto and Kanto."
"Really?" I said, my eyes wide.
"Indeed. We struck their last hideout yesterday, which was also in Mahogany Town. Giovanni has managed to escape somehow, but his operations have ceased. I don't know if we'll ever catch him, but Kanto and Johto can rest easy at last."
"Yeah, I guess..." My voice trailed off. Giovanni had already done enough damage to last a lifetime for many people, myself included.
"So, I hope you enjoy the rest of your adventure, Star. Are you off to the Pokemon League from here?"
"Actually, no. I'm headed back to Olivine City right away! I'm taking a cruise to Hoenn, next." I smiled.
"Really? Would you like a ride to the city?"
"You mean, on one of your dragons?" I asked, more than willing to fly again.
"Sure thing. Least I could do after all your help with Team Rocket these past few months."
Lance released one of his many Dragonites, and helped me climb aboard the yellow Pokemon. He hopped on next, and we took to the skies in a matter of seconds. As we left the vicinity of Blackthorn City, I felt a flock of butterflies in my stomach.
My Johto adventure was finally over.