The Battle Club
Chapter Seven
-Confrontation-
5:32 P.M. - June 19
Aaron's Makeshift Camp
"Okay, the Slam is improving. I think it's time we moved on to moving targets in order to improve accuracy." Aaron sat on the ground, leaning up against the wooden hut his Pokemon had built to shelter him. Chester stood in a clearing where the trees used to make the hut were, using a few stray logs as targets for his Wooper.
"Shouldn't we be moving on to ranged attacks now?" Chester asked.
"Don't worry about ranged attacks for now. Wooper is more of a physical Pokemon, so the attacks based off of its attack will do more damage," Aaron explained. "If I were you, I would use its ranged attacks to debilitate the opponent so you can move in and do damage, since Wooper and Quagsire are rather slow Pokemon."
"Okay. So moving targets. How will we manage that?"
"I'll have my Machamp toss small pieces of wood around."
Chester nodded, and then readjusted his fez when it slid to the side. "Wooper, macho-man over there is going to be tossing pieces of wood. When he does, try to hit them with Slam." The little Pokemon nodded.
"Machamp, now!"
The Pokemon tossed a piece of wood up above the Wooper. It hopped about a foot into the air and swung, but was still about three feet between the piece of wood and the Pokemon.
"Um, Aaron? I think your Machamp needs to toss the piece of wood lower. My Wooper don't got the hops."
Aaron sighed. "We'll work on that later, I suppose. For now, Machamp, throw it lower."
The Pokemon complied, and Wooper began to hit the pieces of wood, missing most of them. As time went on, however; his aim improved.
Aaron pulled out his Pokedex, which had luckily survived the fall undamaged. He scanned the Wooper, and then raised an eyebrow. "This Wooper is growing extremely fast... My training isn't that good, is it?" He chuckled to himself. "No. But I'm curious to find out how in a single hour it's tripled in power."
A whooshing sound caused them all to look up. A Charizard swooped down and landed in the clearing. Chester and Wooper moved out of the way so that it had plenty of room to land. Grant hopped off, and sighed in relief. "To be honest, my pessimistic mind kept telling me that I would find Chester over your dead body. I'm sincerely glad that I was wrong."
"Grant! What happened at the huge building thing?" Chester blurted.
"Well, I originally wanted to sneak in and out unnoticed, but... It ended with me blowing a hole in their roof with Charizard's Inferno. Speaking of that, we should probably get out of here. I don't know if they have a way of following me, and I figure that they will, since there was some pretty weird stuff going on in there."
"Going on in where?" Aaron asked. "Does this have something to do with the disappearing Pokemon Chester told me you investigated?"
Grant sighed. "Is that all you told him, Chester? Now I have to explain. Actually, speaking of you, Chester, are you sure you saw purple mist coming off of a Pokemon? Because I... Encountered... Several Pokemon while I was, um, leaving, and none of them had any purple mist. Although there was one that used a weird purple tornado attack..."
"I could've sworn that the Growlithes had purple mist coming off of them," Chester mumbled.
"Well, it was nighttime. Maybe it was a trick of the light from the tower?"
"Yeah... Maybe..."
"So Grant," Aaron said, "How did you manage to find us?"
Grant smiled. "I put a tracking device on Chester's fez. Figured he wouldn't take it off."
Aaron rolled his eyes, and Chester took off the fez and started examining it.
"I have a question for you, Aaron. I figure your Pokegear broke, but why couldn't you teleport back to us?"
The young man closed his eyes and sighed. "That reminds me. Can I use your PokeGear to call Professor Oak? I need to ask him for a huge favor."
"Sure, here. I need to contact him anyways, so just keep him on the line and give it back to me."
Aaron held up the Pokegear and waited for it to dial.
"Hello? Grant? Did you find Aaron?" Professor Oak blurted when he answered the phone.
"Actually this is Aaron. I'm a little hurt, but I need you call Kurt. I have a slight problem that I think he can take care of."
6:24 P.M. - June 19
Lilycove City
Zachary sat in his room, reading the latest edition of Battle Masters magazine when a loud knock came at the door.
He sighed and got up, opening the door.
"What the fuck are you doing moping around like this? Let's get some training in, douche bag!" Samantha yelled, storming into his room.
"Training? You still need to catch some Pokemon!" He exclaimed.
"Yeah, what do you think I've been doing for the past six hours?"
"I thought you were just shopping..."
She rolled her eyes. "Who shops for six hours?"
"You haven't met my mom."
"Whatever. Let's go! You're already behind on training!"
He raised one of his eyebrows. "Beg pardon? I'm behind on training?"
"Absolutely. I have to catch you up, now, you lazy son of a bitch." Sam taunted.
Zachary tilted his head to the side. "Oh. So you just caught a team of Pokemon and trained them to be better than my Pokemon in six hours. Highly likely. Oh, and it takes a bitch to know a bitch, bitch," He growled.
"Nice comeback. And yes. Yes I do." She sneered.
"Fine. Why don't we have a battle to see who has done more training?" Zachary asked in a fake polite voice. "If you don't mind, that is."
Samantha grinned. "That would be a fucking pleasure."
They both stormed down into the lobby and out the front door, heading to a wide open area in a park.
"How many Pokemon are we using?"
"Oh, use as many as you want. It doesn't matter."
He rolled his eyes. "You really piss me off. I can't believe Birch is making me deal with you."
She selected a Pokeball from her newly bought bag, and he did the same.
"Grovyle!" Zach called.
"Mightyena!" Sam yelled.
The tree gecko and growling canine faced each other.
"Leaf Blade! Go for the one-hit-KO!" Zachary yelled. Grovyle streaked toward the Mightyena, the front leaf on its right arm glowing a bright neon green.
At the last minute, Sam made her command. "Double Team!" The Mightyena turned into four identical copies, and Grovyle slashed two of them, neither of them the real Mightyena.
Zach stared in disbelief. "Okay, I'm fine with people using Double Team, but how the hell did you manage to train it to make FOUR already? You didn't steal these Pokemon, did you?"
"Absolutely not. You just suck." She taunted. "Mightyena, Howl."
The canine obeyed, raising its head up and letting out a short howl.
"Grovyle! Quick Attack!" The Pokemon streaked toward its target, but passed right through, selecting the wrong one again.
"Alright! Mightyena, Bite!" Samantha ordered. Her canine ran up and bit the Grovyle on the arm as it was turning around. The Grovyle let out a cry of pain, struggling to get away.
"Grovyle! It's at close range! Hit it with Leaf Blade!" Grovyle raised his left arm, since his right was held in Migtyena's jaws, and slammed it down. Having practiced little using Leaf Blade with the left arm, the attack had little effect.
"Mightyena, release, and Double Team again!" The black dog jumped back and turned into four copies once more, which surrounded the Grovyle.
"Leaf Blade!" With its right arm freed, the Grovyle streaked toward a target and slammed down with the neon blade, hitting nothing once again.
"Damn it! How do I get so unlucky?" Zach fumed.
"Mightyena! Strength!" The copy of Mightyena behind the Grovyle charged forward and slammed into the Grovyle, knocking it unconscious.
"Grovyle, return. Thanks for your work."
Sam laughed. "What work? He literally came out here and let me get an attack and evasion boost to use against your next Pokemon!"
Ignoring her, Zach sent out his Camerupt. "Magnitude!"
The earth ripped and tore under the Mightyena, sending them all tumbling. Two of the copies disappeared.
"Mightyena, Strength!" The Pokemon charged forward and slammed into the lava camel.
"Take Down!" Camerupt responded from the hit by running forward and knocking the Mightyena out, taking a small bit of recoil.
Sam returned the Mightyena to its Pokeball and grabbed her next Pokemon. "Gyarados, go!"
Zachary stared in disbelief. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO TRAIN A GYARADOS?"
Sam smiled at him.
"Okay. You know what? It probably just evolved. It probably only knows Tackle, Thrash, Bite, and Splash."
"Gyarados, use Aqua Tail."
"DAMN IT!"
Gyarados slammed a tail covered in water down onto the Camerupt, instantly knocking it out.
Zach returned his Camerupt to its Pokeball, shaking his head. "How the hell did you get a Gyarados?"
"Easy," she smirked. "I'm not a terrible trainer."
He sighed. "How am I going to put up with you? Loudred, go!"
A small crowd had gathered to watch, and the stood away from the battlefield, marveling at Gyarados. When Loudred appeared, they started to laugh.
Zach was really pissed off. Not only was he being beaten by a team that had been assembled in six hours, but there were people there to see him be humiliated. Additionally, Sam seemed to really love how angry he was, which just pissed him off more. "Calm down. She's playing games right now. If you focus, you can take her down." He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then gave his order. "Loudred, Work Up!"
The Loudred flexed and roared, giving it a boost in all attacking stats. Sam scoffed. "Okay, you can sit there and boost... Meanwhile, Gyarados, would you mind giving that Loudred an Aqua Tail to the face?"
Gyarados whipped its tail around once again and slammed it down toward the Loudred, who dodged out of the way to avoid the impact that slammed into the ground and caused the earth to shake a tiny bit.
Loudred slammed into the giant Pokemon with a Strength after Zach's order.
"Gyarados! Ice Fang!" Sam yelled. The Pokemon cornered the Loudred with its tail and bit down on the much smaller Pokemon, nearly swallowing it whole. The Loudred cried out in pain.
"Loudred, use Flamethrower!" A spurt of flame crashed into Gyarados' head, causing it to reel backwards.
"Gyarados! Finish it with Earthquake!" The Pokemon obeyed, rocking the earth underneath the Loudred's feet and causing it to fall over fainted. A loud cheer rose from the crowd, and Zach rolled his eyes, taking out his next Pokeball. "Absol! Finish it with a Quick Attack!" The Disaster Pokemon streaked toward its opponent, and knocked out the weakened Gyarados.
Sam returned the Gyarados to its Pokeball. "I see you're getting a bit more serious, you big pussy."
"Okay..." Zach returned his Absol. "I'll just leave then. You obviously don't need the help of a big pussy. I'll just head to Mossdeep now, I should be able to find a battle partner there for Liza and Tate. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone who's not a pussy that can help you find your stupid Pokemon."
"Excuse me? Did you just call my Pokemon stupid?" She asked, quieter than usual.
"Well, they can't be any smarter than you are if they haven't run off by now. I feel sorry for the ones you have now, they have to put up with you."
"Are you whining because I poke fun at you?" She taunted.
He sighed. "Did you notice what you did there? You asked me a question that would have been serious, but you made it snide and sarcastic. I've only had to deal with you for thirty minutes, and I'm sick of all the sarcasm and the swearing and the name calling."
"That's how I talk to my friends," she explained.
"Well, then I really don't want to be your friend. I hope you find your Pokemon, I genuinely do," Zach said, turning to walk off. "But the truth is you'll have to do it with someone else."
She watched him walk away as the sun began to set. There was no more anger left anymore, there was just sadness. Samantha Rothel was extremely sad. She had lost her sister, her best friends, her way of searching for both, and was trapped in a foreign land.
"Fuck. I guess I have to go apologize..." She muttered, and jogged after Zach.
9:07 P.M. - June 19
Unknown Mountain Range
The howling wind made constant noise across the frozen, craggy wilderness. Zicks struggled over a hill, her Snorunt from Live beside her. The sun had already set, but there was no snow falling, so the visibility was clear, and the altitude was so high up that there were no clouds.
Zicks herself looked drastically different. Her bright red hair was now deep black, and her skin was more olive and weathered looking than it had been. Tsami's remedies had created a completely new person, on the outside, at least. It had also taken the woman only a few hours to stitch together an entire set of winter clothes, and she had been working on another when Zicks left.
The jacket and the pants were a brilliant white, and she had thick warm moccassins on her feet. All of the clothes that Live had supplied, Zicks had tossed into the fireplace without a second thought.
She heard a cry echo across the valley. A herd of Mamoswine, Piloswine, and Swinub trodded through the valley, heading back to their shelter for the night. Zicks smiled.
Caho had told her they would be here, and here they were. She sent out her two recently captured Sneasel, and then nodded.
They streaked down the hill, completely silent, toward the unaware herd. Zicks stood still, blending in with the environment.
The first Sneasel reached the herd and selected a target. It blew an Icy Wind on the unsuspecting Piloswine, and it slowed down, trying to break free of the frost. The other Sneasel struck with a Quick Attack, sending the Piloswine reeling sideways. The herd panicked, stampeding away while the Sneasel dodged between them. Zicks ran forward, grabbing a newly created Friend Ball. Once she was close enough, she tossed it, and it hit the Piloswine on its side. The ball rocked once, twice, and then dinged.
"Yeah boy! Yeah!" She fist pumped. Then she looked up.
One of the Mamoswine was stampeding.
Toward her.
"Caho said that he remembered them running away when he attacked... But I suppose that a while ago. Maybe they've gotten more aggressive?"
No more time to think.
She dived out of the way, barely avoiding the Pokemon's sharp tusks.
It pivoted quickly, and charged again while she was down on the ground.
"Sneasel! Metal Claw!" She yelled. The Pokemon raked the Mamoswine's side with a steel claw, and then dashed out of range. However, that wasn't enough to stop it, and Zicks had to jump aside once again.
"This thing is trying to kill me!" She thought frantically. "Snorunt! Get in front of me and Protect!" The Pokemon jumped between the Mamoswine and the girl and a green bubble appeared. The Mamoswine slammed into it, but the Snorunt went nowhere.
"Sneasel! Leer while its stopped!" One of the Sneasel's eyes glowed green, and it glared at the Mamoswine threateningly. "Other Sneasel! Boost with Agility and then Taunt it away from here!"
Zicks grabbed her Snorunt and started running. The Mamoswine charged behind Zicks as she stumbled quickly through the snow up a hill. She slipped on an ice patch and fell to the right, and the Mamoswine swerved to hit her. She pushed herself back down the hill, rolling through the snow and ice, managing to avoid a fatal hit.
The Sneasel began to Taunt the Mamoswine, and it charged forward. The Sneasel managed to stay a good distance away, and the Mamoswine began to show signs of fatigue. All of a sudden, it switched directions, and ran straight into the Sneasel's path.
"Damn, too predictable..." Zicks thought, and grabbed the Sneasel's Pokeball, returning it to safety.
"Metal Cla..." Before she could give the command, the other Sneasel was flying though the air.
As quickly as she could, she returned the Pokemon to its Pokeball and started sprinting through the snow.
She started uphill again, back toward Caho and Tsami's hut. Realizing that leading the giant Pokemon there would cause trouble, she swerved to her left and kept running.
It didn't take long for the Mamoswine to start to catch her. The Pokemon was much more suited to running through snow.
"Snorunt! I need you to slow it down with Icy Wind!" She dropped it into the snow and kept running.
From behind her, she heard the attack start, but it ended suddenly, the Snorunt flying up in front of her.
She returned it to its Pokeball, and ran even faster.
There was no defense left. No Pokemon, no friends, she was all alone in the wilderness with a Mamoswine bent on ending her life.
All of a sudden, there was a steep cliff in front of her. She skidded to a stop.
The Mamoswine didn't.
She sighed. "I'd rather fall of a cliff by myself than be flung off by a Mamoswine."
Zicks took a deep breath, and jumped.
7:30 P.M. - June 19
Lilycove City
The sun was hanging on the horizon, and Sam sat on a bench with her hands in her hair. She had attempted to talk to Zach, but he wouldn't listen. He had packed up his things and headed for the beach. No matter how much she had pleaded the boy to stay, he hadn't listened, and she could only watch in frustration as he disappeared out onto Route 124.
She stood up and went back to the hotel room, which was paid for for the next week. All of the new supplies she had bought were in her new brown waterproof backpack, which she picked up off of the bed. There was no reason to stay anymore, so she locked the door and headed down to the beach.
There were still people on the beach, a few of them in the water but most of them sitting on the beach making sand castles or simply enjoying what sunlight was left. Wingull and Pelliper flew overhead, their cries mingling with the soft crash of the waves.
She sighed and leaned back, her red hair sprawled out in the tan sand. There wasn't a way that she could think of to get her friends back, and that was all that really mattered to her.
"Okay, Sam, I'll take you to Mossdeep on one condition," a familiar voice stated.
She shot up in surprise. Zach stood in front of her with a frown, no shirt, arms crossed, and soaked."
"Yeah? What?"
"There's a problem out on the ocean, and I need your help. We'll leave tomorrow."
8:32 P.M. - June 19
Forest in Kanto
A small group made their way through the forest as the sun finished setting.
"Do you think we should set up camp soon?" Aaron asked to nobody in particular.
Chester scoffed. "No. We press on into the night."
Grant shook his head. "The decision really isn't yours. Remember that Aaron is wounded, so he really needs all the rest he can get."
"Oh, I know Grant, I was just practicing being determined. Sorry for the misunderstanding."
"Once we find a suitable clearing we'll set up camp. I think the fire should be kept low, though, even though we're taking a wide route to avoid that facility in the valley, I still would rather not be noticed.
Aaron and Chester both nodded in approval, and they kept walking, Chester and Grant on foot, and Aaron on the back of his recovered Arcanine.
It wasn't long before they found a big clearing, and Chester and Grant began setting up three tents. Aaron started a cooking fire and began making a small dinner for the trio.
"So I said to the Pikachu, 'If Caterpies actually lived in forests, wouldn't there be string everywhere? Because obviously, they can't control their Cater-Pee!"
Grant rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I hate to say it, but that was just terrible. You don't have a future in stand-up, I promise."
"I don't know, if its purposefully bad, then maybe it is funny," Aaron suggested.
"Yeah, it was bad on purpose, Grant. Why do you have to hate my style?"
"Shhh..." Grant said, setting down his food.
"Don't you shush me, young man, I was talking to y..."
"No, seriously, be quiet!" Grant hissed.
Aaron's already had a Pokeball in his hand, and he squinted into the tress, trying to see movement.
Chester looked around too, but the dancing firelight made it impossible to see anything. Aaron sent out a Dragonair, who doused the fire quickly with Aqua Tail, making a slight hiss when it went out.
There was definitely movement in the trees. Dark shapes darted to and fro, but the boys were unable to distinguish what they were because of the weak, filtered moonlight.
"It's probably just some wild Pokemon... We might be in their territory," Chester whispered.
"Chester, there are no wild Pokemon in this forest, remember?" Grant whispered back.
The dark shapes suddenly seemed a lot more intimidating. The three boys stood in the center of the clearing with their backs to each other.
Chester's heart beat quickly, and he tensed up with adrenaline, preparing for an attack.
A primal roar echoed throughout the forest, causing Chester to flinch. "Grant, what was that?"
"I don't know."
The shadows started moving again. A creepy scuttling came with the movement, making Grant's mind race. "What kind of Pokemon is this, and who is controlling them?"
Then, they attacked.
Sharp claws flew out of the shadows toward the three boys from all sides, threatening to tear flesh. Dragonair surrounded them, and with a mighty sweep of its tail, cleared the first wave.
Butterfree and Charizard were soon on the battlefield, the former sending waves of Confusion upon its foes while the other sent a Fire Spin into the mass of Pokemon.
However, for every Pokemon that fell, ten more replaced them.
Aaron sent out Machamp, and a protective bubble surrounded them all. "Okay, his Wide Guard wont last long. What are we going to do, Grant?"
"I don't know. I think we'll have to make a run for it. Take my Charizard and Chester, and give me your Arcanine. It'll be easier for me to ride on land since I'm not hurt. I'll track you using Chester's fez, so just keep on going, and Chester, make sure your fez stays on."
"What are they?" Chester asked, breathing heavily.
"Anorith. That's a fossil Pokemon from Hoenn."
"How did it get here? And why are they glowing purple?"
Aaron and Grant looked at each other, and then at Chester. "Um, Chester... They're not glowing purple. They're regular Pokemon," Aaron explained with a worried tone.
Chester shook his head. "No, there's a purple mist coming off of them. I can hardly see through it."
"Fantastic. Now one of us is hallucinating. You didn't get hit by one of their claws, did you? They might have something on them," Grant suggested.
"Machamp is going to give out soon," Aaron said, hopping onto Charizard's back. "Come on, Chester, lets move." Aaron returned his Dragonair to its Pokeball, sent out Arcanine, and got Machamp's Pokeball ready. Grant got onto Arcanine's back, and looked back at the other two boys.
"Good luck."
Aaron and Chester nodded. "I'll count down to zero. When I hit it, go as fast as you can. Three..."
Chester gripped Aaron around the stomach so that he wouldn't fall off.
"Two..."
Arcanine tensed, preparing to leap over the horde of Pokemon.
"One..."
The calm before the storm.
"ZERO!"
Machamp returned to its Pokeball as Charizard shot up into the sky, and Arcanine blasted out of the clearing and into the trees, easily clearing the claws of the Anorith.
Arcanine sped ahead of the slower fossil Pokemon, but Grant soon heard a menacing sound behind him.
Heavy footsteps, drawing closer.
He glanced behind him, and then did a double take.
A large, prehistoric bird was crouched low to the ground, and it was sprinting after him. A woman rode on its back, smirking as the bird made Arcanine look like a Shuckle.
"I hate to say this Arcanine, but you're being caught by a bird on foot. Any chance we could speed things up a touch?"
Arcanine barked and sped up, but one glance behind him showed Grant that the Pokemon would catch up in no time.
There was only one option, and that was to turn and fight.
Grant pulled out a Pokeball and sent out his Raichu. "Go for the Discharge!"
The Archeops sprang forward and rammed its head into the Raichu, sending it crashing through several trees into unconsciousness.
Grant's eyes widened. "That Pokemon is seriously powerful..."
"Little boy, you've made a grave mistake."
"Oh?" Grant asked, feigning ignorance once he realized the woman was from the mysterious building. "How so?"
"We hadn't had a problem for several months, and then you come along and blow a hole in the roof... I can't have you walking off with the any information at all about us, so... I'm afraid I'm going to have to eliminate you."
"Like knockout elimination?"
"No... Permanent elimination. Enjoy these next few breaths, because I assure you that they are your last."
"Hmm... You aren't the most reassuring person, so I'm having trouble believing your assurance."
"Now is not the time to be witty. Now is the time to make a useless attempt to fight for your life," she sneered. "Prepare yourself."
Grant sighed, and pulled out a Pokeball.
9:15 P.M. - June 19
Kanto Gym Headquarters, Celadon City
A man in a gray suit stood up, gathering the attention of the eight people who sat in the room. "32nd Kanto Gym Leader meeting is now in session at 9:15 P.M. On June 19. Emergency meeting called by Brock of Petwer, who will make the first address." He sat down.
Brock stood up, and took a second to calm himself. He was a relatively new gym leader, and he had never been to any of the meetings. "Just don't screw it up, Brock," he told himself, and then spoke. "Thank you. I've called you here today because of the threat that I believe is posed to the people of Kanto. Recently, there was an abduction of two girls in Pewter city by a group that calls themselves 'Live'. They control very powerful Pokemon, and the only reason that I myself was not defeated was because of the help of two young men who have completed the gym challenge, Aaron Venton and Grant Rouge. After researching a few times, I have found that similar abducitons have taken place in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, however the rest have all taken place outside of cities, unlike the abduction reported in Pewter City. This would suggest that the group is growing stronger and bolder, and if immediate action is not taken, I believe that Kanto will be in danger."
He sat down, and looked around at the faces of all the other gym leaders. The Fire Type Gym Leader, Blaine, stood up. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention Brock. I have heard about the incident, and I am sure the other Gym Leaders have as well. In fact, an incident in Viridian Forest by the same group of people drove myself and Giovanni to consult the Elite Four to take action. However, there was a problem. Lorelei and Bruno approved taking action against this group, but Lance and Agatha's reasoning was that the Gym Leaders should be able to take care of the group on their own. No executive decision can be made without the champion's input, and seeing as we have no champion..." Blaine sighed. "I would hope that the Pewter incident will change at least one of their mind, as well as the fact that the request for action is coming from the Gym Leaders as a whole instead of just two of us. What I am saying is that even if a request for action is made, they may not accept it."
The man who had originally spoke stood up as Blaine sat down. "A vote will be taken to decide whether or not to take action against Live. I will act as a ninth vote in the case of a tie. All in favor stand up, while all opposed please remain sitting."
Eight people stood up.
10:07 P.M. - June 19
Unknown Mountain Range
Wind howled and snow fell into the cavern that Zicks had fallen into. The only exit she could see was a hole in the top that she had fallen through.
"I can't believe... I survived falling off of a mountain... Again..." Everything burned, and she couldn't feel her right arm.
She looked over and grimaced. "It's definitely not supposed to be twisted that way..." She reached into a pouch and found all five Pokemon. Oddish, Snorunt, both the Sneasels, and the Piloswine. The Mamoswine that had chased her off of the cliff hadn't landed near her.
Night had completely fallen, making it hard to see anything beside the small patch of starlight that she had fallen into.
Luckily, her legs were only sore. She stood up, one arm held close for warmth while the other one dangled uselessly. Zicks sent out one of the Sneasels, and kneeled down to be on its level. "Do you know where we are?" The Sneasel nodded, and Zicks let out a sigh of relief. "Do you know how to get out?" It nodded again, and Zicks felt like crying with relief.
It had been a while since she had felt like crying. But now, walking through the a dark cave following the footsteps of a Pokemon she had only recently caught, she really did feel like crying. The past few days had brought far too much upon her, when she had only wanted to sit back and relax. Now that there was time to think, and nobody to talk to, she really did want to cry. Even though there was nobody there, she refused to. Zicks felt she was in a situation where if you let any emotion through, the dam would break, and she needed to be focused, now more than ever. So she kept walking, and she kept holding back the tears.
11:02 P.M. - June 19
Lilycove City
"So what's the problem?" Sam asked. She sat in a chair that was by Zach's bed.
"There's a group of Sharpedo migrating through Route 124 right now, and I need your help to fend them off. It's hard when I just have Seadra, so I need your Gyarados."
"You know, my Gyarados could just Surf."
"That's illegal."
"And?"
Zach sighed. "Do you have any morals? Honestly?"
"Never give up." He looked up, and Sam was staring at him. "Never ever give up."
Surprised by her answer, he nodded. "I guess maybe your Pokemon are lucky."
"How so?"
"If I were lost at the bottom of the ocean, I wouldn't be worried if I had a trainer who would never give up."
She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, I suppose so."
"Do you want to watch T.V?"
"Hell yeah, what's on right now?"
"I think there's a game between the Cerulean Stars and Lavaridge Eruption right now," he suggested.
"Oh come on. Seriously? Basketball?" She scoffed. "Anything but basketball."
As a side note, I don't actually hate Basketball. That much.
So yeah, I took my time with this chapter, and by that I mean: Didn't type anything for a few weeks, and wasted my time doing other things like Civilization IV, Doctor Who, Minecraft, not having a life... Yep.
Although I can't really say that typing a Pokemon FanFiction is that much more productive than either of those, but at least I'm getting some story-telling experience in. I really do want the next chapter to be high-quality, though, so if I take some time to finish it, know that I'm probably not procrastinating.
Also, not only is Archeops faster than Arcanine, but the Pokedex says that Archeops is better on land than it is in the air. That's why it was running, as silly as it may have seemed.