Chapter 85 – Mystical Training
May and I rode on Tauros and Fierymane, in the direction of the Indigo Plateau. I was ready to do some serious training, and May was ready to help. I missed having Firestorm and Inferno along, running with us, but it was cool to have Arcanine running with us once again. Martin said he was going to meet us, but we hadn't heard from him since our phone conversation. Anyway, as we were galloped ahead, accompanied by Redfur, Fiona, Flamefox, Amber, and Arcanine, I soon noticed a carrier Pidgey flying alongside us. We stopped and May said, "Hello, little guy!" The Pidgey perched on her arm and cooed, the way Pidgeys do. I took the note it had and read it. "What does it say?" May asked. I answered, "It's from Martin. He wants us to meet him at a place called Trojo Falls, at the foot of Route 27." May said, "That's a bit of travel – Route 27 is right in between Kanto and Johto." I said, "Yeah, but it's right near the Indigo Plateau. I think we can reach it in a few hours if we hurry." So, I decided to give Tauros a break and mounted onto Arcanine. With Amber in May's lap and Flamefox in my lap, we ordered Arcanine and Fierymane to pick up the pace, and they galloped us ahead even faster, and the Pidgey flew off.
We reached Trojo Falls by about mid-afternoon. The letter gave specific instructions as to the entrance to the caverns underneath the falls – Martin said that the entrance location was only disclosed to very few people. We recalled all of our Pokemon except Flamefox, Amber, Redfur, and Fiona and walked up a ledge alongside one of the bigger waterfalls. We could see a cave entrance just behind the falls, which we had to walk behind the waterfall to get to. We got a little wet from the mist, but the Pokemon didn't seem to mind. Once we were inside, we could see candles lit and hanging from the cavern walls, stalactites hanging from the cavern ceiling, and all we could hear was the roar of the falls above us. We walked around inside the cavern, looking for Martin. We found him, meditating under one of the waterfalls, with his shirt off. Kat and Slash were meditating to either side of him, but not under the waterfalls. I asked May, "Should I let him know we're here?" May answered, "I don't know – I hate to break his concentration." I said, "Well, he wanted us to come here. I'm not just going to stand around" and I began to walk over to him to stir him. Suddenly, a voice in my mind told me to stop. I turned around and saw Sage Li, meditating on a rock near the entrance. "Sage Li!" I exclaimed. May said, "This is a surprise!" Sage Li came out of his meditative trance and I asked, "What are you doing here?" He answered, "Only a few honorable people know of this location, and they come here to meditate, and also for peace and quiet." May said, "Those waterfalls aren't very quiet." He answered, "The sound of the waterfall can help you to find your own inner flow and restore your inner balance." I asked, "Is anyone else here?" Just then, Lance and his Dragonite appeared and said, "Only myself, Martin, and Sage Li." Suddenly, Kat and Slash began to stir, and a few seconds later, so did Martin. He said, "Hello", not at all surprised to see us, and he stretched. I said, "Hi, Martin! We got your message." He said, "Yes, I see that. Now that you're here, we should do some practice battling." I said, "Okay, I'm ready when you are!" Martin said, "Not in here, outside." I asked, "How come?" Sage Li replied, "To do battle in here would disturb the balance and harmony of this special place." I said, "Oh, I understand." Martin put his shirt back on and asked, "How is Inferno?" May answered, "She was fine last time we saw her. Professor Oak will be taking care of her and Firestorm for a while." He said, "I know. I sent some vitamins to Professor Oak's for her, and some rare candy for Firestorm." I said, "Thanks, Martin!" He said, "No problem!" Lance said to May, "You did quite well when you battled me last year. Are you not entering the League Finals again this year?" She answered, "No, one League championship was enough for me. I just want to go into Pokemon breeding after this." He nodded, then said to me, "And you are going for your second League win?" I said, "You got it! One more League win, and then I want to open my gym." Martin said, "Actually, Joe, even with just one League win under your belt, you could open your gym. There are some gym leaders who never even entered the League who opened their own gyms. And others who opened gyms who entered the League and didn't win. It really isn't the number of League championships you've won that determines whether or not you're cut out to be a gym leader." Sage Li nodded in agreement and said, "A true gym leader is one who understands his Pokemon, has a special bond with them, and believes in them." I said, "Thank you. But I'm still determined to win the championship!" Martin said, "Very well, then! Let's go outside and see what you've got!"
The five of us, and our Pokemon, left the cavern under Trojo Falls and walked to some open fields nearby. Martin had Tails with him, who played with her parents while we had our practice battle. Martin said, "I choose Electrabuzz!" and released the yellow and black electric Pokemon from its ball. I responded, "I choose Tauros!" and called my buffalo over from grazing. Martin ordered, "Electrabuzz, thunder punch!" Electrabuzz punched in Tauros' direction and hit him, but he only slid back on all fours, and didn't fall to the ground. Undaunted, he charged at Electrabuzz after I ordered, "Tauros, use tackle!" He crashed Electrabuzz to the ground! Electrabuzz stood back up, and Martin ordered, "Electrabuzz, use thunderbolt!" It launched the electric attack at Tauros, and suddenly I could feel what he was feeling! "Don't give up, Tauros! I'm with you!" I told him in his mind. He was strong, and once Electrabuzz ceased the attack, I ordered, "Tauros, earthquake!" He reared up on his hind legs, and crashed his front hooves to the ground, opening a fissure underneath Electrabuzz, which it fell into! Electrabuzz climbed out, and I ordered Tauros, "Use your take down!" He charged at Electrabuzz, and Martin ordered, "Use thunder!" Electrabuzz took in lightning from the sky and directed it at Tauros! We could both feel it, but I felt Tauros' determination as he continued charging through the attack and slammed Electrabuzz, sending it flat on its back! I finally ordered, "Finish it with body slam!" Tauros thrust his body on top of Electrabuzz, knocking it out cold! I could feel the satisfaction in Tauros' mind of having won the battle! Martin recalled Electrabuzz and said, "Very good!" I walked up to Tauros to hug him and scratched under his horns. Lance said to Martin, "Now I'd like to challenge you to a match, Martin." Martin replied, "Really? Okay, let's do it!" Martin released Gyarados, and Lance released Dragonite. As they battled, I was still petting Tauros, and Sage Li asked me, "You felt it, didn't you?" I asked, "Felt what?" He replied, "The bond between yourself and your Pokemon." I answered, "Yes. It felt like we were one. I've felt this before, at Sabrina's gym and at Giovanni's gym." He continued, "You are special, more so than you realize. Your bond goes even deeper than most trainers' bonds with their Pokemon." I said, "It's my psychic ability. It's limited, but it does allow me to enter my Pokemon's thoughts and feel their feelings." He nodded and said, "Given time, that ability will grow. Always remember, this bond between yourself and your Pokemon is your advantage. It will help you to become even closer to your Pokemon, and at the same time, become one of the most powerful gym leaders of all." I asked, "You really think so?" He replied, "Yes. Remember this, and you will do even better in the League Finals than you did 2 years ago." I said, "Thank you, Sage Li." He nodded and said no more, while Martin and Lance continued their battle. It ended with each of their Pokemon launching a hyper beam at each other that left only Gyarados standing. Lance recalled Dragonite and said, "Congratulations, Martin. You will make a great gym leader someday, when you take over for your father." Then he said to me, "Joseph, that was also a most impressive battle. Your Tauros is very strong! I have a pretty good feeling we'll be battling each other in the finals. When that time comes, I look forward to our battle." I replied, "As do I. Thank you, Lance." He nodded, and then bowed to Sage Li before he walked off. Sage Li said, "I, too, must be off. Remember what I told you, Joseph." I replied, "I will." May and Martin said goodbye to him, and he also walked off. May asked, "What did he tell you?" I replied, "He gave me the biggest boat of confidence I could want." Martin said, "Joe, Sage Li told me what he feels about you. In light of this, I really don't think you need to do to much more training, but it's up to you." I said, "Yeah, I do. I may have a strong psychic bond with my Pokemon, but I can still make mistakes. The more training I get before the League Finals, the better." Martin said, "Very well. We'll keep heading towards the Indigo Plateau and continue training along the way."
For the next couple weeks, we trained, and my Pokemon all battled beyond my expectations. I could feel our bond getting stronger and stronger, and soon, entering my Pokemons' minds and feeling what they felt became second nature to me. We truly battled as one, and won every trainer battle along the way, as well as almost every battle against Martin. Flamefox, Amber, and Tails continued to enjoy each others' company. The closer we got to the finals, the more confident I was that my Pokemon and I could win this, together, as one.