-Chapter 7-
Fire Spin
Marleon crossed Lanturn off the list. There was one left to check on. Ampharos, at the Karp Cove Lighthouse. He began on his way to the other side of the island, sneezing a bit from the humidity. The rain had left the path soaked, and with the sun coming out from the clouds, it began to feel muggy. He sneezed again and groaned. He decided to take the path on the south side of the island, with the Beachside Shores to the right of him as he walked. It was the less prettier side of the island considering a few large condominiums had been built there. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea when it was proposed, but he had no say in the matter. There weren't too many of them, at least the public had access to the beach there too. He walked past the arena again. No one there this time, but it was early in the morning so it made sense.
He could have sworn he was being watched. He stopped, looking around a bit. There was no one around him, at least not that he could visibly see. Something didn't feel right though. He took a few more steps, and felt something in his legs. He looked down, and noticed the soaked ground had a sheen to it. "Ice...?", he began to question, and looked around. He lifted his foot and felt the ground have a bit of a crunch to it. "But it didn't snow...wait...", Marleon looked skyward. He almost didn't see Articuno up there, circling the island. The bird's blue feathers blended in perfectly with the sky. In fact, Marleon didn't even notice that the clouds had vanished. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the only thing that even gave Articuno away was the white plumage on the chest. "So...Articuno is still here. I'm sure Garrett's already gotten word.", he tracked the bird as it continued to circle, and then...it divebombed at something. Marleon began to chase after. Articuno was after something...but what? He nearly slipped on the icy ground, but he moved to the grass. More traction there, and he ran toward the shore where Articuno had swooped.
Marleon stopped at the sight. Articuno was gone, but there were feathers all about. No mistaking it. Blue ones, definitely belonging to the bird. But he was more concerned with the Pokemon he did find there. A Seel, trembling there in the sand. Marleon quickly raced over to inspect the Pokemon. He was weak, and his body was covered in burns. Marleon had a few supplies handy thanks to the Pokestops he had visited. He applied a potion to Seel, and the Pokemon wearily opened his eyes and met them with Marleon's own. "S...seel...", he spoke. "Relax, I'll get you to the Pokemon Center. I'm afraid I don't have any burn heals.", he took one of the Pokeballs he had gotten from the stop. The Seel tensed at the sight of the ball. Marleon noticed that, "Was it a Pokemon trainer that did this? Used you for target practice?", he asked. The Seel was petrified at the sight of the ball. "Sorry, but I don't have a choice here. I've got to get you help.", Marleon quickly pressed the ball to Seel's body, and the Pokemon began to glow a bright red before vanishing before his eyes, absorbed into the ball. It wiggled in Marleon's hand a few times before it settled.
He sighed and stood, but not before something caught his attention in his periphery. He looked and saw Articuno was there, hiding in the tall grass, their eyes met once again. "Thanks...I would have just walked by him if you didn't lead me.", he spoke to Articuno. The bird revealed itself, only for a moment, before taking off once more and heading to the center of the island where the Aqua Rainforest was. Marleon exhaled, and then decided to pick up a few of the feathers that had been left. He was sure Garrett would like to have them, or at least have confirmation that the bird he had been searching for was in fact on the island.
No time to waste now. Marleon was running to Mariner City. He passed a few trainers on the way, who recognized him as the former gym leader, but he didn't have time to stop and talk with them. At least the ice was gone on the road. In fact it was quite dry now, the sun was warming up the island so well that the humidity was not nearly as intense as it had been.
The Pokemon Center was fortunately not too far into town, and Marleon rushed in. "Oh! It's Gyarados!", Nurse Joy smiled, greeting him. Marleon nodded, "Hey, I've got another Pokemon that needs your attention. A Seel that was burned pretty badly.", he replied, putting the Pokeball on the desk. The Nurse nodded and took the ball, "On it! Blissey!", she called. Blissey waddled out and was handed the Pokeball, before rushing into the treatment area. This wasn't an emergency like before, so Marleon was able to come with them as they released Seel onto a medical table. The Pokemon was trembling and the wound looked painful. Blissey handed Nurse Joy a burn heal, and the Nurse began to apply the ointment on Seel. The Pokemon cringed, "It'll sting, just relax, Seel.", the Nurse put a hand on his head to assure him while the treatment was applied. The burn began to shrink, and the Pokemon loosened up, resting on the table. "There we go...you'll be just fine.", she spoke to Seel. Marleon sighed contently, "Don't know what we'd do without you here, Nurse Joy.", he said. She turned and smiled, "Just doing my job. How did this happen though?", she asked.
Marleon shrugged, "I found him like that near the beach. He reacted negatively to the sight of my Pokeball, so...I'm guessing it was a trainer that attacked him with a Fire-type Pokemon.", he said. He didn't mention Articuno. That detail wasn't as important. Nurse Joy's face shifted, "I see. I was afraid of that.", she spoke. "Has this been happening before?", Marleon asked. Joy nodded, "Recently, we've been finding several Pokemon with these severe burns on them. We haven't found the culprit yet, but we have our suspicions.", she crossed her arms, "Someone has been retaliating against the recent shift in power from Team Valor to Team Mystic." Marleon rubbed his head, "That's...that's just terrible. All of this over some dumb funding?", he sighed, "The things people do for money, I swear...I can't believe Team Valor would stoop this low." Joy nodded, "It's a shame, but that's just the way things are around here. The team system has become the most important thing to some people. They want to prove that their team is the strongest, and they'll show no restraint in succeeding. However...", she stared at Marleon, "Don't be quick to assume this was Team Valor. There are Pokemon trainers of all kinds on each team. I've seen trainers with fiery passion in their hearts, who are on Team Mystic. Ones with high intellect who chose Team Instinct. Those with kindness and devotion who chose Team Valor. All three teams welcome their trainers regardless of who they are. They each had their reasons to join the team they chose. Even you, Gyarados.", she nodded, as Seel was given another Potion and was brought to full health. "Seel has recovered just fine. But he will need some time to process what had happened to him. He's very lucky to have you as his trainer."
The Gym Leader nodded back, returning Seel to his ball. It didn't even occur to him that he had captured Seel. He thought about it for a few moments. He had Magikarp, Swablu, and Seel now, each of them had potential with their evolutions. Gyarados, Altaria, and Dewgong. They fit the criteria for his old gym types. His dream of reclaiming his original team was already fading, but he began to consider the idea of creating a new team. He still had one Pokemon left to check on from his original list, and he was already in town, so Marleon went on his way to the southeast corner of the island, where the Karp Cove Lighthouse was located at. It didn't take long to reach it, but he could tell the path to the lighthouse was one that wasn't normally traveled. The path was overgrown, leading up to the lighthouse that was built on a peninsula. As he approached the lighthouse, he noticed a Pelipper fly up to the top of the lighthouse, perching on a window for a few moments. The bird moved a bit, pecking on the window, before it was opened and the bird was let in. After a short time, the bird hopped back up and then out the window, flying back into town. "Huh...", Marleon muttered to himself, before he went to the door and knocked. He looked up at the window, and could see someone look out and down to the door. It took about a minute, but eventually the door was opened, a man with long blonde hair and a goatee met him. "What is it? My lunch just arrived...", he said. Marleon blinked a moment, before realizing the Pelipper was a delivery bird. "I'll be quick then. Does an Ampharos live here?", Marleon asked. The man blinked a few times, "I wondered...", he began to say, "...if her trainer would ever come back to her. Come on in." The door was opened, and Marleon began to enter, but stopped when he didn't realize there was a second set of eyes looking at him. A Ninetales stared at him, growling. "Easy, Sol. He's here for Luna.", the man reached down and rubbed the Ninetales' head. The canine Pokemon settled, but stared at Marleon as he entered. "Luna?", he began to ask. The man nodded, "I gave the Ampharos a nickname when I adopted her.", he closed the door and motioned for Marleon to head up the spiraling staircase. The Ninetales went on up. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Marleon Takenawa, the original Gym Leader here on Rain Dance Island before the new system was put in place.", he reached to shake the man's hand, "Ampharos...err...Luna...was a part of my old team." The man shook his hand, "Anthony.", he spoke, "She's up there at the top." Marleon exhaled, and began the climb up the tower.
He went up to the center of the tower, where there was a floor between the ground floor and the lantern room at the very top. Here was place where Anthony spent much of his time. He noticed the man had quite a few sketchbooks on a desk. The living quarters were below on the ground floor. Marleon also noticed that there were light bulbs strewn in the tower, but they weren't operating. "Sir...is your power out?", Marleon asked. Anthony nodded, "Faulty wiring...we've been trying to fix it for about a month, but in the meantime, Luna has been using her light in the lantern room, faithfully all night, keeping her tail bright for hours. Her diligence and devotion to the job has been remarkable." Marleon smiled, "That's exactly how she was when I trained her too. She wanted to be so much like my Dragonite and Gyarados that she learned all she could about Dragon-type Pokemon and their moves. Dragonite taught her a few moves that she quite frankly should not be able to learn." Anthony chuckled, "That explains that...she's been able to create small water spouts just by sheer force. I did not know what she was doing." Marleon smiled, "She learned Dragon Rage from my Gyarados, and surprisingly, she also knows Draco Meteor. Dragonite was very proud of her." Marleon continued up to the top, climbing a ladder to the lamp room where he saw Ampharos looking out the windows. She noticed the movement in the reflection of the glass, and looked back expecting to see Anthony and Sol. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man. She recognized him immediately, turning to face him.
"Long time, no see...huh Ampharos?", Marleon asked. The Pokemon's eyes began to tear up, and she darted toward him, arms wide open. Marleon embraced her, the Electric Pokemon digging her cheek into his and crying happily. Her old trainer rubbed down her back, "Good to see you too."
Marleon and Ampharos went back down to the floor below them, where Anthony and Sol were waiting. "Now I know who she has been watching out for. She spends almost all day up there, watching the horizon for ships.", Anthony spoke. The Gym Leader chuckled, "I came into town the other day, early morning ferry.", he said. "Ahh...about the time she's passed out. She gets her sleep in during the mornings so she's ready for the night shift.", Anthony replied. He rubbed Sol's head, the Ninetales seemed to be staring at a wall, blankly. The ears were moving though. This caught Marleon's attention, and he looked down to the canine. "Sol?", he asked. The Ninetales' ears perked, and he looked in Marleon's direction, but not looking at him directly. The eyes seemed clouded. "Is he...blind?", he asked.
Anthony sighed and nodded, "He lost his vision some time ago. But thankfully, he knows the layout of the building without any trouble. Though...it's why I don't go into town too often. His condition has been getting worse since the power became inoperable. I need to find an electrician who can help me with the repairs, but...I'm afraid that Sol might panic if I am not here.", he explained. Marleon crossed his arms. "I wonder if...Vern's Electric is still in business.", he spoke, "I'll have to see, they were the electrical company I relied on at the Rain Dance Gym." "Wait...if you can find me an electrician, I'd be grateful. I wouldn't have to leave Sol and try to find one on my own in town.", Anthony spoke. The Gym Leader nodded, "I'm more than happy to help! Especially since you've been taking care of Amph...", he began to say, "Sorry...Luna..." Anthony shook his head, "Don't apologize! Call her by the name you know her by. I only picked these names, Sol and Luna, because of my daughter. She loved astronomy...before she decided to set off as a Pokemon trainer." Marleon blinked at this, "Oh? Where is she now?", he asked. Anthony shrugged, "I lost contact with her years ago. She writes home to her mother, but since I have taken this job, I haven't had much communication.", he stood and walked over to the desk, picking up a photo frame. Ampharos was glowing her tail orb to light the dimly lit area. Anthony brought the photo over and held it up to Ampharos' light orb. In the picture were a man and a woman, both blonde headed, as well as a little girl with blonde hair who was holding a Vulpix.
Anthony pointed to the photo. "That's my wife, Heidi...and my daughter, Rose." Marleon looked at the photo, then back to Anthony. "Sir...your last name...it wouldn't happen to be Selene, would it?" Anthony lightly tilted his head, "That's a damn good guess. It is. Anthony Selene." Marleon grinned. "Well...I be damned."
Sol winced as he stepped out the door. The sun was bright, and it would seem he wasn't used to sensing it. He whimpered and stepped back a bit, but Anthony put his hand on the Ninetales' back. "Don't worry, Sol. I'm right here with you. I'll be here every step of the way.", the man spoke. The canine hesitantly stepped out, with Anthony keeping a hand on him, he relaxed. Marleon stepped out of the lighthouse as well, and turned back. "Come on, Ampharos. We're going to see an old friend of ours.", he spoke. Ampharos waddled out and joined him, and the four of them began to walk the old path into town.
Marleon led the way, with Ampharos, Sol, and Anthony following. He led them to the Team Valor headquarters, and stepped up to the door of the impressive building. Anthony was in awe of the architecture, "I saw the top of this building from a distance. I never knew what it was!", he spoke. Marleon chuckled, "Wait 'til you see the inside.", then turning back to the door, "Though...hopefully they'll let us in."
He buzzed the intercom, and a voice spoke, "No Instincts allowed! Beat it!" Marleon smiled, "Rose has a visitor.", he replied. "No...Instincts-", the voice on the other line spoke, when Anthony approached, speaking into the comm, "Tell Rose...'The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the Heavens'." A brief moment of silence, and then the door buzzed and slid open. "Go on in.", Marleon said. "Aren't you coming?", Anthony asked. Marleon chuckled, "I guess I'm not allowed here any more...but I think they'll make an exception in a few minutes." Anthony exhaled, "Come on, Sol.", he led his Ninetales in, and the door closed with Marleon and Ampharos outside. He leaned against a wall, Ampharos looking to him in confusion. "Don't worry. We'll be allowed in, just give them a few minutes."
Sure enough, the door opened, and one of the Valor trainers named Kurenai stepped out. "Sir? Rose would like to see you.", she said, the trainer brushing along her purple afro a bit. Marleon looked a little confused considering she had a Gastly buddy who seemed to enjoy mimicking her hair. The trainer turned to Gastly, "Hey, what did I say about scaring the Instincts?", she asked him. Gastly chuckled, "Gastly!", before the trainer escorted them in. Marleon and Ampharos walked in and found Rose, Anthony, and Sol all embracing together. She turned and looked to Marleon, "Gyarados! How in the world did you find him?", she asked at once. The Gym Leader chuckled and crossed his arms, "I'd say something about 'trusting my instincts'...but I'm sure that's getting a little cliché by now. Besides, I went to the lighthouse to see someone else...", he put a hand on Ampharos' shoulder. The Electric Pokemon seemed enthralled by the interior of the Valor headquarters. "Well, I can't thank you enough for bringing my father to me! And Sol! I missed you, boy!", Rose bent down and rubbed the Ninetales' head and back. "How can I repay you?", she asked. Marleon hesitated, "There's...really only one thing I want from you.", he spoke.
Rose's smile faded. "If it's about Dragonite, then...I'm sorry, I can't...", she began to say, but Marleon closed his eyes. "I'm not asking for him back any more. Just please. Let me and Ampharos see him, one last time.", he asked. Rose exhaled, then nodded, "Of course. Right away."
She escorted Marleon and Ampharos to one of the rooms in the back. Anthony and Sol followed of course, since neither of them wanted to leave her side after they just reunited. Rose sighed a little, "Tyranitar might not be thrilled about this, but...well, here goes.", she slid a keycard and the door opened. She stepped in first, so Tyranitar and Dragonite saw her first. The two were relaxing together, taking a break from their sparring. "Tyranitar...Dragonite...we have visitors.", Rose spoke. Marleon stepped in. Dragonite looked him over, then to Rose. Tyranitar seemed confused. "Dragonite, don't you recognize him? It's your trainer...it's Gyarados.", she spoke. Ampharos came in as well, spotting Dragonite and immediately tried to run to greet him, but Marleon stopped her by putting a hand out to block her path. She looked up to Marleon in confusion. "Dragonite...", he spoke. The dragon looked at him again, and then crossed his arms and huffed, turning away. Tyranitar spoke to him in roars, but Dragonite only snorted angrily. Ampharos called out to Dragonite, and Dragonite glared at her and gave a roar.
Rose blinked, "I don't get it. What's going on?", she asked. Marleon sighed. "He thinks I abandoned him.", he said. Rose balled her fist up, "Dragonite! That's no way to behave!", she scolded the dragon, but he turned his head up and huffed once more. Tyranitar put a hand on his back. Dragonite looked to her, before closing his eyes and exhaling.
"It's okay, Dragonite. I get it.", Marleon spoke. "Huh? But...", Rose began to say. He looked back and saw Marleon with his head down, tears already rolling down his face. "I made you a promise after that day...that I would never let anything bad happen to you again...", he pulled his shirt back, showing the swirling scar on his shoulder. He had a flashback of that day once more...
Mewtwo aimed a hand at Marleon, using psychic to hold him in place. Dragonite was recovering, and Marleon hovered, unable to move as a psychic beam charged toward him. He braced himself, but at the last moment, Dragonite jumped in the way, taking the brunt of the burst of energy. Dragonite screamed in pain, but withstood the blast, though parts of it couldn't be blocked and struck Marleon as well. The two of them collapsed, steam rising off of their bodies as their flesh was seared from the attack. "D-dragon-", Marleon tried to speak, his dragon-type Pokemon panting and groaning next to him. He returned Dragonite, but the wounds were so severe that the Pokemon passed out in the ball. Dragonite awoke at the Pokemon Center, and tried to move but he was paralyzed from the neck down. He was still in terrible pain, and Marleon was by his side, holding his hand. The Pokemon gripped hard, Marleon could feel his body trembling in agony. "Dragonite...", he spoke, "This...this was my fault. I put you in danger..." The Pokemon wearily looked into his trainer's eyes. "Never again. I promise. I'll never let anything like this happen to you again."
"I know now...why you're angry.", Marleon spoke to Dragonite, "We had a dream in mind. I was going to take you to Kalos, and together, along with Ampharos and Lapras and the others...we were all going to show that league that we weren't pushovers. I...", he gripped his hand into a palm, "I have no explanation for my disappearance...but even that is no excuse...for me breaking my promise."
Dragonite relaxed a little. Rose looked to the dragon, smiling softly. "Hey, it couldn't be all that bad, right? You got me and Tyranitar in his place. And you're the strongest Pokemon on this entire island! Believe me, Dragonite. He didn't break his promise. Nothing bad has happened to you at all.", she spoke to him. Dragonite looked back to Tyranitar, who spoke something in their language, and rubbed his back. The Dragon stood and walked over to Marleon, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to the dragon before him. Dragonite smiled, and then put his other hand out in a fist. Marleon balled up his own fist and bumped it with Dragonite's, and then the two embraced in a hug. Marleon couldn't help but sob into the dragon's gut. Rose chuckled, looking over to Tyranitar, "I hope I never get that emotional around you.", she winked to her Pokemon. Ampharos joined in on the hug with her former trainer and her Pokemon teammate. The three of them embraced for a good long while.
Anthony was now a full fledged member of Team Valor, and had their resources available now. The team began planning and preparations for repairing the Karp Cove Lighthouse, and they would send a team of expert electricians to help get the lighthouse up and running again. With the funding as well that Team Valor had earned, they were already planning on ordering in the latest technology to optimize the lighthouse. Anthony, Sol, and Ampharos began to make their way back, while Marleon stayed behind. Rose asked him to wait in the lobby, so he reclined in one of the chairs, resting his eyes for a while.
"Okay Gyarados, they're ready for you.", the receptionist spoke nearby, "Room #146, down that hall and on your right." Marleon sat up and walked down the hall, the door already open when he arrived to the room. Rose was waiting there, leaning against a wall. There was a chair in the center of the room, and a large monitor. She didn't say a word, only motioned for him to sit. He did so, having no idea what to expect. The door closed behind them, and then the words "Connecting..." showed up on the monitor. Suddenly, a live feed appeared. A familiar dark-skinned woman, sitting in a chair with a Flareon in her lap appeared on the screen. "Looks like we're live. Hello there. You must be Marleon.", she spoke.
Marleon nodded, "I remember you. Candela, right? Team Valor's leader?", he asked. Flareon yawned in her lap, as Candela smiled, "That's right. So, I've been hearing nothing but good things about you. Rose just filled me in about what just happened. Amazing!", she smiled, "It's a shame you didn't join up with us! You would have been an excellent Valor." Marleon leaned back a bit, "I take it you're not to happy with me being here, I mean...since I went with Instinct.", but he was surprised that Candela nonchalantly waved a hand, "Nah, no hard feelings. Spark's a good guy, even if he's...well, a bit of a knucklehead, ha ha!", she laughed, "But no, as far as I'm concerned, for helping Rose find her father, you're an honorary Valor in my book. I'll let Rose's division know that you're welcome to come in and train with us whenever you'd like. And Rose?", she looked back to where Rose was at. The Island's Valor Leader nodded and stepped forward, "Gyarados, this is for you.", she said, and offered him a Pokeball. "Huh? What is it?", he asked. Rose chuckled, "Open her up and find out!"
He pressed the button on the ball and a red aura emerged, releasing a Pokemon who looked around a bit before staring up at him. An Eevee! Marleon smiled, "Wow...I...I don't know what to say!", he spoke, leaning down and letting the Eevee sniff his hand. She gave his palm a lick, and he in turn rubbed her head. Candela laughed, "You made a conscious decision to help us, so we'd like to help you right back. She's a high level and will be an excellent addition to your team. And when you're ready, she's ready to evolve too." Marleon sat up at that, "Oh geez...I wouldn't know what to pick. There are...what...eight or nine evolutions of Eevee now?", he asked. Candela nodded. "Eight. You've got Fire, Water, Electric, Dark, Psychic, Grass, Ice, and Fairy to pick from. No matter what you decide, you'll have a strong Pokemon by your side." Rose added, "There's a place in town that specializes in Eevee evolutions, too. Eevolution Solution. Here...", she handed Marleon one more thing – a brochure and a voucher for one free evolution. It had the directions as well as information about each Pokemon that Eevee could evolve into.
He looked down to Eevee, who was smiling up to him. Then back to Rose, nodding to her, and to Candela. "Thank you. Both of you. This is wonderful.", Marleon said. Candela gave a thumbs up, "Well, I've got some work to do. You two take care now. And remember...", she and Rose spoke the Team Valor slogan in unison, "In the darkest night, we are the flame!" The monitor disconnected, and Marleon stood, returning Eevee. Rose escorted him back to the lobby, but not before making sure he had a clearance badge to enter into the Team Valor headquarters.