Pokémon: Adventures in Sinnoh Chapter 21: Jay and Pearl's Eggcellent Battle, a pokémon fanfic

Skarmory's claws scraped along the concrete as they landed in Canalave, leaving jagged white lines in the concrete road. Nick let go of his rival's waist and slid off of the bird's smooth steel back. He surveyed his surroundings. A wide canal split the small city into two halves, each side clustered with stone buildings. A nearby sign indicated that the canal led to Lake Verity, and Nick smiled at the thought that he was close to home. But he had to remember why he was here.

'Let's find the gym.'

'Cool your jets!' laughed Jay, returning Skarmory to its Poké Ball. 'We've only just landed. Shouldn't we have a look around first?'

'Why?' gasped Nick, 'We're both here to get badges, and I'm on a winning streak!'

Jay grinned at him.

'Alright. Let's go challenge the leader.'

'Awesome. Where do you think the gym could be?'

'It's over there.' smirked Jay, pointing to his left.

Nick turned his head and was taken aback at the huge warehouse-like building that was right in his line of vision.

How could I have missed it?

'Oh yeah…'

They strolled over to its doors, Jay with his hands in his pockets. A familiar sight met them.

GYM CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT.

'Not again!' cried Nick, clenching his fists. 'Why are half of the gyms in Sinnoh suddenly closed when I want to challenge them?'

'Hey, calm down,' tutted Jay, 'And look at this.'

Underneath the announcement, some smaller words gave instruction.

- All challenges will be held on Iron Island until the gym reopens -

'Iron Island?' questioned Nick, looking to his companion who was hunched over reading the sign closely.

'I've no idea.'

Jay righted himself and looked into the clear morning sky.

'I guess we should head to the Pokémon Centre. I'm sure someone there will know how we can get to Iron Island.'

'Okay…' muttered Nick, quietly disappointed that he could not try for another badge right away.

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The Pokémon Centre was just like the others they had visited, only with a porch that overlooked the sea. Several trainers and their Pokémon were standing on it, leaning on the banister and gazing dreamily at the blue waves stretching out to the horizon. Nick looked at them as he and Jay walked through the gleaming glass doors, and smiled at the idea of them taking a relaxing break with their companions during their journeys. He, however, felt that he wanted to press on instead of linger. It was then that he noticed that one of the trainers, who had turned to look at him, was Pearl. He felt a strange jolt in his stomach as he led Jay out to where she stood.

'So, you finally made it to Canalave.' she said, monosyllabically.

'Uh, hi…' he stuttered in reply. 'Finally?'

'Yeah, Professor Rowan told me a few days ago that he was going to suggest you visit this city.'

'Oh, right. Do you know where Iron Island is?'

Pearl turned and pointed out towards the sea at a distant island. Silver-grey cliffs forming a wall around it.

'That's it.'

'And that's where we can challenge the gym leader?' he asked.

'Yes, that's where Donald is training.' she replied, turning back to look at him. 'He uses steel-types, so you'd better know how to penetrate strong defences.'

Nick's eyes moved from the faraway island to Pearl's arms. Before he had time to consider how he would defeat steel Pokémon, he realised that she was clutching a green egg covered in scales.

'What's that?'

'This is the egg that I found.' she sighed. 'Yeesh, didn't the professor tell you?'

'That's right, he did.' laughed Nick nervously, scratching the side of his face. 'Where did you find it?'

Pearl looked down at the egg. It was pulsating feebly, slight cracks beginning to appear around the top.

'Some loser was selling fake eggs, but this one turned out to be real. I decided to raise it properly. The nurse here said that it's very close to hatching, so I'm staying in Canalave until it does.'

The three of them gazed at the mysterious egg, each being consumed by the desire to know which Pokémon was waking up inside for the first time. Jay then broke the silence with a cough.

'Aren't you going to introduce me?'

'Oh, sorry.' smiled Nick. 'This is my friend Pearl. Pearl, this is Jay.'

He could have sworn that Pearl shot him a look at the word 'friend'.

'So, another newbie trainer?' she smirked.

Nick's eyes and mouth widened in a mischievous glee, waiting to see how his rival would react to such an accusation.

'You wanna find out how much of a newbie I am?' he asked, his brow falling into a frown as he raised a questioning hand to her, a Poké Ball in his palm.

She stared into his eyes, a flame igniting somewhere behind hers.

'Bring it on.'

They stood by the canal outside of the Centre, the boy and girl facing each other in the salty air, Pearl's hair blowing and Jay's blond curls becoming frizzier by the minute. Nick, for the first time, was acting as a referee.

'Three Pokémon each!' he declared. 'The first trainer to defeat all of the other trainer's Pokémon wins!'

Pearl immediately sprung into action, leaping into an offensive stance and throwing a ball forward.

'Kirlia! I choose you!'

Kirlia appeared and pirouetted before emitting a long cry, its large eyes glowing blue.

'Alright, I choose Arbok!'

In another flash, the huge snake appeared, coiling itself into an intimidating pose. Its unpredictable eyes pierced those of Kirlia, who slowly moved back.

'Ha!' laughed Jay, puffing out his chest. 'Arbok's Intimidate ability lowers Kirlia's attack power!'

'That may be so,' sighed Pearl, closing her eyes and shaking her head, 'But you just sent a poison-type out against a psychic-type.'

Nick looked to Jay, expecting him to be taken aback, but found his rival to be calm and collected.

'Anyway, Kirlia!' continued Pearl, 'Let's finish this quickly! Use Psychic!'

A blue aura surrounded the Pokémon as it crossed its arms and closed its eyes in concentration. Moments later, it opened its arms and released a burning cross of energy. It seemed to be controlling the direction of the attack with its eyes.

'Arbok! Glare!' cried Jay.

The serpent's pupils glowed in a similar manner to those of Kirlia. Nick could almost see a beam appear in Arbok's line of vision as its eyes locked with those of the psychic creature. The latter was suddenly frozen in fear, its attack dissipating feet away from its opponent.

'Now, Crunch!'

Coiling itself for a moment, Arbok sprang forward, its mouth gaping and its vicious fangs shining in the midmorning light. It clamped its jaws on the paralyzed Kirlia's arm, and thick black smog spewed from the wound.

'Keeeeee!' it shrieked.

Nick winced and looked away; it was perhaps the most horrific attack he had ever seen a Pokémon use.

'Kirlia!' cried Pearl, recalling her wounded partner.

Jay crossed his arms and looked at her, a smirk on his face.

'Psychic-types may have an advantage against poison-types,' he began, 'But when the poison-type can break the concentration required and use dark-type moves like Crunch, the outcome might not be what you expect.'

'Chaaaa!' hissed Arbok, slithering back to its trainers feet.

Nick found himself smiling in surprise. This was the most impressive battling he had ever seen from Jay; he was a very worthwhile rival.

'Alright, time to get serious!' snarled Pearl, throwing another Poké Ball into the air. 'Empoleon! I choose you!'

From the ball emerged a tall Pokémon, similar to Prinplup but with steel ridged wings and stern eyes peering from behind a shining trident-like break.

'What's that?' wondered Nick out loud, turning back to the battle and taking out the Pokédex.

'Empoleon, the Emperor Pokémon, and the evolved form of Prinplup.' it announced. 'It is a proud Pokémon that dislikes fighting but, if threatened, will attack its enemy with wings that can tear through ice floes.'

'When did Prinplup evolve?' asked Nick, putting the device away.

'Not long after I arrived here.' replied Pearl, looking not at him but at her regal blue Pokémon. 'It became Empoleon during a battle with a fisherman down by the docks.'

Jay's brow flickered with worry; he did not seem as confident against this new opponent.

'Your move…' muttered Pearl, sharpening her eyes.

'Uh… Arbok, use Crunch again!'

The snake jumped high into the air and fell towards he penguin creature, opening its mouth once again to show teeth dripping a ghastly black sludge. The girl and her Pokémon did not react, both of them standing quietly, as though enjoying watching the snake fly through the air. Only when it closed its mouth around Empoleon's wing with a painful clang and screech did she bark an order.

'Steel Wing!'

The penguin instantly threw Arbok into the air before slashing it with two gleaming wings.

'Arbok…' whimpered Jay.

'Finish it with Aqua Jet!'

No sooner had it finished slicing than it joined its claws and suddenly sprang at Arbok in a vicious whirlwind of water, its spinning crown still visible. The snake was pulled into the vortex and, moments later, was thrown high into the air, landing before its foe, who placed one proud foot on its scaly body in victory.

Empoleon is amazing! thought Nick.

'Arbok, return…' groaned Jay from behind closed, trembling eyes. 'Alright! You use water, I'll use electricity! Go, Luxio!'

In a burst of light, Luxio appeared, snarling and discharging static energy.

'Wow, Luxio sure looks more charged-up than usual!' remarked Nick, who was enjoying the battle tremendously.

'You better believe it.' shot back Jay, without looking at him. 'Bring it!'

Pearl regained her seriousness.

'Empoleon! Let's try Bubblebeam!'

With a loud cry, Empoleon leaned forward, opened is beak, and shot a battalion of burning bubbles at Luxio.

'Dodge 'em!'

The little lion darted from its battle stance and swayed from side to side, avoiding the explosions as the bubbles crashed into the ground surrounding it.

'Good! Now use Shock Wave!'

Leaping from the dust and debris of the water-type attack, Luxio's fur rippled before standing on end as an orb of electrical energy washed over Empoleon, knocking it a few steps back, shuddering. Its eyes were closed for a few moments until the attack dissipated but, when it opened them, they met the sight of Luxio's entire body glowing brightly.

'What's…?' whispered Jay.

'It's evolving, obviously.' sighed Pearl, shrugging and rolling her eyes, as though this was an inconvenience.

Nick walked closer to observe the proceedings, and his eyes widened when a large black lion emerged from the brightness. He was the first person that it looked at, and he felt as if its scarlet eyes could see through him, into his mind. He subconsciously moved further back as it turned to its trainer, who leaned down and affectionately ran his hand through its beautiful dark mane.

'Hi, Luxray.' he smiled.

Nick looked in awe for a minute before holding the Pokédex to Jay's new companion.

'Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon. It has the ability to see through walls and objects to locate prey or lost young.'

'Oh, so that's…'

'What?' frowned Jay.

'Nothing.'

'Hmm-hmm.' coughed Pearl from the other side of the battlefield. 'We're in the middle of a battle, remember?'

At these words, Luxio turned around and, with a terrifying roar, released a whip of lightning from its back which shot into the sky, causing rumble of thunder that was almost as loud as its battle cry.

'Let's do this!' shouted Jay over the din. 'Luxray! Thunder!'

'Counter it with Aqua Jet!'

The two fully-evolved Pokémon charged at each other, Luxray surrounding by bolts of lightning and Empoleon in a jet of water. They clashed, and there was a burst of white light that hid the whole street from view, loose discharge making the nearby water churn and froth violently. As the light and pain faded from their retinas, the three trainers gazed at the outcome; both Luxray and Empoleon were lying unconscious, each of them having had displayed the best of their power.

'Draw…' muttered Nick.

The other two recalled their Pokémon with a beam of red light.

'Good job, Luxray.' Smiled Jay at the Poké Ball. 'I know you'll get stronger and stronger in time.'

'I guess you're better than you look.' huffed Pearl.

'I'll finish you off right now!' seethed Jay in reply, throwing his last ball into the air. 'Let's do this, Skarmory!'

The armoured bird stretched its wings and cawed chillingly, relaxed and refreshed from its long flight earlier that morning. It hovered above its trainer.

'This shouldn't be a problem…' smirked Pearl. 'Wailmer, go!'

The ball whale emerged, towering over the three trainers with its row of grinning teeth grinding slyly.

'Whaaaae!'

'A Wailmer…?' gasped the boy, his eyebrows raising as high as his flying-type.

'Get over it, and let's end this.' shot Pearl.

Jay clenched his fists.

'Skarmory! Air Cutter!'

With a screech, the steel bird flew higher and, with a flap of its wings, sent a sickle-like wave of wind at Wailmer. The water-type, however, remained still as the attack bounced off of its resilient skin, unable to penetrate its blubbery defences. Jay gritted his teeth but did not give up.

'Try Peck!'

In a second, Skarmory shot at the whale like a winged bullet, its razor-sharp beak burning white-hot as it fell towards the toothy target. It crashed into Wailmer's stomach but, like Air Cutter, did no damage.

'Wailmer, Rollout.' sighed Pearl, inspecting her fingernails.

Skarmory's eyes widened in horror as the whale, with a smile, rolled forwards and on top of it.

'Skarmory! No!' panicked Jay, reaching out a hand in vain.

'Now rust its metal with Water Gun!' commanded the girl.

Wailmer, despite its size, leapt up and spewed a torrent over the bird. It landed and tumbled away, as the steel-type lay soaked and twitching.

'Wailmer wins!' announced Nick, unsure as to whether he should have been happy or sad. 'The victory goes to Pearl!'

He then noticed something he did not expect to see. Pearl, with an unmistakable smile on her face, was patting her Pokémon in congratulations.

'You're the best, Wailmer.' she beamed up at it. 'Thanks for battling for me.'

'Whaae, Whaaae!' it bellowed, patting her affectionately on the head with its huge fin. She laughed as she recalled it back into the Poké Ball, still smiling. A few moments passed before Nick broke the silence.

'Pearl?'

'What?' she snapped, suddenly returning to what he considered normal.

'Is that the nurse from the Pokémon Centre over there?'

He pointed and the two combatants turned around to see the woman running towards them from the direction of the centre.

'Miss Pearl, there you are!' she panted as she drew nearer to the group. 'I've… been looking… for you!'

'What's the problem?' asked Pearl.

The nurse bent down, hands on her knees, regaining her breath.

'It's… your egg! It's hatching!'

Nick and Jay gasped, while Pearl raised her head slightly.

'Well, let's go!'

The nurse had led them through to a room behind the reception counter. It looked more like a medical practice than the waiting area and guest rooms they were used to. Filing cabinets and equipment lined the corners, with posters displaying the evolutionary lines of various Pokémon covered the walls. In the centre, the egg sat inside a warm incubator, shaking from side to side as several more cracks split into its surface. The three trainers and the nurse crowded around it.

'You should hold it as it hatches, Miss Pearl.' smiled the nurse. 'If it is to be your Pokémon, you should be the first person it sees. Lorenz's studies show that…'

'… A newly-hatched Pokémon will believe the first person it sees to be its trainer, I know.' said the girl, lifting up the egg and holding it in place on the table in front of her. The nurse fell silent, and they watched as the top of the egg began to crumble.

'It's happening…' noted Nick in awe.

The hole at its top grew wider and wider and the wriggling inside stopped as the creature finally found its exit route. The first thing to emerge was a green snout, followed by a rounded head lined with two wide eyes, yellow wing-like appendages folding over its neck like a collar. It sniffed the air before smiling widely, looking up at Pearl. Nick looked at the girl's face, a contortion of joy and confusion. It was him who spoke first.

'What is it?'

'I… have no idea…' muttered Pearl.

The nurse walked around the desk and looked down at the newborn, putting on some thin glasses to inspect it closer.

'I've never seen such a Pokémon either.' she said finally, after a few minutes.

'Nor have I…' added Jay, scratching his head. 'Try the Pokédex, Nick.'

Surprised that he didn't think to do this sooner, Nick took out the electronic assistant and opened it in the direction of the reptilian creature.

'Scanning…' it began.

Nick had never heard it say this before. They waited anxiously as it attempted to retrieve information.

'No data.' it announced.

'No data? It's not a Pokémon?' asked Nick, looking hopefully to the others in the room for an answer.

Pearl, for the first time since its birth, looked up from her new baby to him.

'Don't be ridiculous. Of course it's a Pokémon.'

The creature chirped happily, and began squirming to fully escape from the egg. Pearl placed her hands on its sides and lifted it out, holding it high to inspect its lower regions. Its thin body curved like a serpent, but small arms and legs distinguished it otherwise. A large, three-pronged leaf hung from its tail.

'It must be a grass-type Pokémon.' she nodded, holding it close to her. It smiled again and snuggled into her chest.

'You think? I think it could be a bug-type…' mused Jay, reaching out and stroking its scaly back. Without warning, the creature glared at him and extended a long vine from its back, whipping his hand viciously, before gripping his wrist and throwing him backwards. He bounced off of the wall and landed on the floor, dazed.

'Vine… Whip…' he groaned.

'Definitely a grass-type.' she sneered. 'I'll take it to Professor Rowan. I'm sure he'll know what it is.'

'You'll take it?' asked Nick. 'Can't you just show him it on a video call?'

Pearl looked up at the fluorescent lighting for a moment, and back to the grass creature.

'I'm sure he'd rather see it in person.' she affirmed. 'Besides, I was going to go back and see him before travelling north. I can ride Wailmer to Lake Verity from here, then Sandgem isn't far away.'

Nick looked at his Pokétch and pressed a button on it. It confirmed that his home was a short distance south of Canalave.

'Can I come with you?' he found himself asking, without fully considering the action.

'Huh?' she frowned, looking at him again. As stern as they were, Nick found himself admiring her eyes again.

'I'd like to visit my parents in Twinleaf Town, and the professor too of course.' he said, nervous for some reason.

'Well, okay.' she sighed, looking away again. 'I'll wait around if you want to challenge Donald, if I must. But I'm not staying here too long.'

He smiled and opened his mouth to say thanks, but she had busied herself in retrieving a spare Poké Ball from her bag in which to store the sleeping, unidentified Pokémon.

Nick and Jay sat on a worn, wooden bench behind the Pokémon Centre, looking out to the sea that the sun had began to conceal itself behind. Its golden centre emanated orange rays that blended with the evening purples above them, where several flying-types were circling, preparing to retreat to their nests for the night. They sat in silence, both of them too entranced in the view, Nick's eyes fixed on the dark shape in the ocean that was Iron Island. Tomorrow, he would travel to it via boat; the nurse had explained that a local sailor had been taking visitors out to the island. He began thinking about the battle. Steel-types sounded like highly formidable opponents, but he knew that a fire-type – like Vulpix – had an advantage against them. Then Jay spoke.

'I'm heading back to Sandgem.'

Nick contemplated his words, before turning slowly and tilting his head.

'What?'

'I'm going to go home and train for a while.'

Nick continued to look at the other boy, who was still looking at the ocean.

'Err… why?'

'Because,' continued Jay, closing his eyes, 'If I couldn't beat that girl today, what chance do I have against the next gym leader? I need to learn more about my own steel-types before I can challenge his.'

'But you battled really well!' exclaimed Nick, his tone betraying the serenity. 'It was a close match too.'

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' smiled his rival, shaking his head slightly, 'But I'd like to think I was mature enough to know when I need to improve.'

He lifted a Poké Ball from nowhere and Skarmory appeared from it, unusually quiet. Nick preferred it like this, when it was not emitting metallic, blood-curdling calls.

'How long are you going for…?' asked Nick, coming to terms with the fact his friend was leaving. He also felt a pang of worry that he would be left to travel with Pearl again.

'Until I feel ready.' replied Jay, steadying himself on Skarmory's back. 'I'll come visit you in Twinleaf.'

'Oh… okay.' stuttered Nick, forcing a smile. He had come to enjoy sharing his journey with Jay.

'Hey, don't cry.' laughed the boy, his trademark devillish grin creeping across his sunset-lit face. 'I don't like emotional goodbyes either, but you've got to be strong.'

He slapped Skarmory's side and the bird slowly began to ascend.

'Good luck in your gym battle!'

And, with that, he zoomed into the air, over the roof, and out of sight. Nick started to laugh as he turned back to look at the sea again. The air was warm and comfortable and he found himself slouching lower, mesmerised by the setting sun, the salty air filling his head…

He woke up with a jolt and was immediately hit by an icy air. Darkness had crept over the city, and all was silent except for the waves breaking against the shore. He started to shiver, his thoughts turning to the warm bed and meal that waited for him inside the Pokémon Centre. Turning to reach for his bag, he fell back in fright at the sight of the man standing before him. The old man was hunched over, surveying the boy through unsettlingly bright, almost pupil-less eyes. Matted white hair cascaded from underneath a damp-looking hat, framing his crooked nose and uneven teeth, and a long ragged coat, torn and patched in several areas, largely covered the rest of his body. He spoke to Nick in wheezing hiss.

'You ought to think twice before takin' a nap here, sonny…'

'W-What? Why?' stuttered Nick, edging further away from the man's weather-beaten face.

'Because,' continued the strange man, pointing out to sea until his finger rested on the shadow of a distant island. Nick hadn't noticed it earlier. 'There's somethin' out there, somethin' evil, that comes alive at night.'

Nick squinted at the island. It was further out than Iron Island, just discernible in the gloom.

'What is it?' he replied, continuing to look to the sea to avoid the man's white eyes.

'A hideous creature. A creature that's the embodiment of darkness and filth.' coughed the man. He sounded very sick. 'I saw it once, and I've been tryin' to forget it since… so heed my words. Don't go to Newmoon Isle.'

Nick reluctantly look backed at the man, and nodded slowly. He would avoid the island at all costs if it meant he would turn out like this old-timer.

'Well, thanks… I better get going now, so…'

He gripped his bag, got to his feet, and walked away, quicker than usual. He cautiously looked back to see the man staring out to sea with eyes as foggy as the water's edge.