Disclaimer: I did not make up the Sinnoh Myths and they are legally the property of Pokemon.
A/N: Hey peoples! :D Anyways, some of these chapters may seem unimportant, but unbeknownst to you, they might have a teeny tiny bit in the story that will be really, really, really, really, REALLY, important in the long run, I cannot stress this enough (mostly to keep you looking out for past stuff xD I'm evil xP) And even if something reappears from previous chapters, this does not mean it's the really, really, etc etc, important part that I was talking about. Trust me on this, you'll know it when you see it.
PS: I will tell you that two of the chapters I posted were a little pointless, one is a little important but not so much. By this I mean they have no significant point in the story's climax. You'll probably figure it out in the end, but I felt obligated to tell you that these chapters are:
1. The King of Route 202
2. Bryce Vs. Stormie: The Buizel Showdown!
I guess you can call The Buizel Showdown important because Stormie gets Psyduck in it, but those two are basically irrelevant other than adding a little more action in the story. Also, I've decided not to extend chapters that have Gym leaders in it like I did with Roark. Meaning, the gym leaders won't have much of a personality unless they, or someone close to them, will be significant to the story. (Hmmm, someone important to them, hint hint hint :D) So the unimportant little gym leaders will only appear in one or two chapters because they'll be nothing more than Bryce's opponents like Logan. Now, on with the story! :D
Ch. 19: Gift From a Glameow: The Eterna Gym Challenge
"Psych?"
"What's wrong with Psych? I mean that's what he did right? We all thought that he was some dopey little Psyduck, but he psyched us out!"
They two trainers stood in the Eterna City Pokemon Center waiting on their pokemon while Stormie stood with her arms crossed, shaking her head in disbelief. Ever since Bryce had uttered the name, the Psyduck refused to answer to anything else and Stormie had no choice but to deem it his nickname.
With a sigh, Stormie replied, "Ok, whatever but I know I saw something go inside your pokedex!"
"Bryce rolled his eyes, "Yeah Stormie, I'm walking around with a possessed pokedex."
"But you are!"
"Whatever you say, but a possessed pokedex doesn't explain the pink plate Psy had."
Stormie pulled the object our of her jacket pocket and observed it, turning it in her hands. On one side was a series of designs while on the other side were the words, "When the universe was created, its shards became this plate." Over this phrase etched in the shape of Unown was the word, "Mind" She shrugged and replaced it in her pocket.
"I don't know, but Psy seems dependent on it, he looked as though he was afraid I'd take it from him."
As they pondered what the pink object was, Nurse Joy emerged with all of their pokemon walking with her. Psy had fallen asleep and was lying on Grotle's back along with a confused Psych and a perched Omen. Combusken walked on her left and Lash waddled on her right while Haunter floated overhead, giving the nurse a long drawn out lick on the face before chuckling and returning to his trainer's side. After apologizing to the dismayed nurse and returning half their pokemon(Stormie asked for Bryce to keep Grotle out for the sake of her tired arms and Bryce kept Omen out because they had barely had any time together), Bryce called his mother where he was hastily reminded to visit his grandmother and they set off.
"So where are we going?" Stormie inquired, "The Eterna Gym?"
Bryce shook his head. "We should go visit my grandmother or my mom will have a Miltank. It won't take too long."
'Haunt...' Came a bored reply before Haunter floated over the Pokemon Center rooftop and sunk into the ceiling. Bryce cocked an eyebrow but Stormie just waved it off.
"He'll meet up with us later."
Knock Knock Knock
"Grandma Johanna?"
They were in front of a house that was in the outskirts of Eterna right in front of the Arceus statue. The house was a pleasant enough scene, a normal sized building with white paint and two windows in the front with a brown front door. A white picket fence surrounded the premises with a swing hanging from a single tree that she remembered the boy used to play on.
At the moment, she was in her favorite perch, the tree overlooking the swing. Her tail hung back and forth as she watched Bryce ring the door for her partner with no avail. She had no idea who the other human was or for that matter, who the three strange pokemon following them were, but she didn't really care at the moment. (Though she had to admit, the Flying type looked puuuur-fect.)
With her coiled tail swinging back and forth, she checked to make sure her pokepal didn't mess with her position. Satisfied, she noticed her and her child were fast asleep on the side of the house. Bryce finally gave up ringing after some persuasion from the female and walked over to the swing.
He picked a note that was attached to the swing, reading it out loud for the benefit of the second human. She knew these words from heart thanks to her partner Johanna, because for the life of her, she could never figure out human glyph, the same glyph that she held in her fangs at the moment.
Dear Bryce,
I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you, but the Chingling I had told you about was ready to go back to the wild.
As you know, it is unwise to keep a young wild pokemon in captivity unless you plan to keep it, lest it will be weaned from its natural habitat.
I heard about your journey and I am so sorry to hear about your friend Brandon, he always was such a rebellious young man.
I have left something with Glameow for you. I am almost absolutely certain that it will help you with your journey.
Love,
Grandma Johanna
After he uttered those words, Bryce uttered those fatal last words she had been waiting for,
"Where's Glameow?"
'Myah!'
Came the cry from over head as furry paws landed on Bryce's head. With a startled cry, Bryce fell off the swing face first while the feline sat triumphant on its head. In the confusion, Bryce's backpack came off and Omen flew forward to retrieve it, carrying the pack to the tallest branch on the tree where her possessions would be safe. Psy immediately teleported towards Stormie's backpack, but didn't concentrate out of fear of attack and brought Grotle with him. The tortoise and the psychic pokemon both landed on her backpack, tearing the straps off her shoulders and onto the ground. However, Stormie didn't even seem to notice. She was laughing so hard, tears were rolling out of her eyes before she fell on her rear, landing on Grotle's sturdy shell.
Glameow lay purring in Bryce's lap while he stroke her back gently from her ears to her curly tail. Grotle lounged in the shade while Stormie sat on her hard shell as a makeshift bench as she attempted to calm the frightened Psy down. Omen now perched in the lowest branch in the tree, keeping a close eye on the feline and the marsupial lying against the tree trunk. Bryce pulled out his pokedex and scanned his two childhood friends just to kill time.
"I don't want to hear it Stormie," Bryce said when he noticed her starting to open her mouth at the prospect that the pokedex was possessed. After knocking the pokedex lightly against the swing, the pokedex chimed.
Glameow, the Catty Pokemon. It claws when it's displeased and purrs when affectionate. It's fickleness is very popular among some.
Kangaskhan, the Parent Pokemon. The infant rarely ventures out of its mother's protective pouch until it is 3 years old. It lets the baby play only when it feels safe.
"So you're three huh?" Bryce asked the baby Kangaskhan that was on top of his head nibbling his beret. With a flick of her tail, Glameow regained Bryce's attention and showed the three papers that were in her mouth.
"What's this?"
"Maybe it's the something your grandmother was talking about." Stormie offered while she held the struggling psychic pokemon. Bryce nodded and retrieved the papers. Satisfied, Glameow leaped from his lap, stretched, and strolled around to the backyard. With the newfound space in his lap, Bryce took the opportunity to put the infant in his lap where it'd be more comfortable. Baby Kangaskhan quickly found a new way to occupy its time and started to chew on the corner of one of the pages before Bryce started to read.
Sinnoh Myths Vol. 1
Long ago, when Sinnoh had just been
made, Pokémon and humans led
separate lives.
That is not to say they did not help
each other. No, indeed they did.
They supplied each other with goods,
and supported each other.
A Pokémon proposed to the others
to always be ready to help humans.
It asked that Pokémon be ready to
appear before humans always.
Thus, to this day, Pokémon appear
to us if we venture into tall grass.
"What the-?" Bryce asked curiously. What did this have to do with his journey to find Brandon? He moved on to the next page.
A young man, callow and foolish in
innocence, came to own a sword.
With it, he smote Pokémon, which gave
sustenance, with carefree abandon.
Those not taken as food, he
discarded, with no afterthought.
The following year, no Pokémon
appeared. Larders grew bare.
The young man, seeking the missing
Pokémon, journeyed afar.
Long did he search. And far and wide,
too, until one he did find.
Asked he, "Why do you hide?"
To which the Pokémon replied...
"If you bear your sword to bring
harm upon us, with claws and
fangs, we will exact a toll.
"From your kind we will take our
toll, for it must be done.
"Done it must be to guard ourselves
and for it, I apologize."
To the skies, the young man shouted
his dismay.
"In having found the sword, I have
lost so much.
"Gorged with power, I grew blind
to Pokémon being alive.
"I will never fall savage again.
This sword I denounce and forsake.
"I plead for forgiveness,
for I was but a fool."
So saying, the young man hurled the
sword to the ground, snapping it.
Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared
to a place beyond seeing...
Dismayed, Bryce moved on to the last page.
In the beginning, there was only
a churning turmoil of chaos.
At the heart of chaos, where all
things became one, appeared an Egg.
Having tumbled from the vortex, the
Egg gave rise to the Original One.
From itself, two beings the Original
One did make. Time started to spin.
Space began to expand.
From itself again, three living things
the Original One did make.
The two beings wished, and from them,
matter came to be.
The three living things wished, and
from them, spirit came to be.
The world created, the Original One
took to unyielding sleep...
"Ah Man!" He cried, throwing down the papers much to the displeasure of the baby Kangaskhan who started to wail at its lost toy. After receiving a look from the mother, he quickly picked them up so the infant could occupy it's time again.
"What's wrong?" Stormie asked. Psy had finally gone to sleep and she was gently rocking him in her arms.
"These don't have anything to do with my journey! They're just stories Grandma used to tell me when I was a kid. They're all myths that explain different reasons of how Sinnoh came to be, but I doubt any of them are true. I mean, what kind of pokemon would be strong enough to be in a myth, yet cower from a human with a sword?"
Stormie put a hand on his shoulder, a little surprised he didn't blush.
"You're being too logical about this, they're called myths for a reason, they're not supposed to be true. Besides why are you so upset that this won't help you with your gym challenges? It seems to me that you're capable of doing it on your own."
With a sigh, Bryce muttered, "That's not my journey. I'm just hoping the gyms will help me get stronger so I can work my way up to my real goal."
And with that, Bryce told Stormie of his journey. Starting with the death of his father, he worked his way up to when he first got Turtwig(To which Grotle slightly shifted, telling Bryce that he had another listener). When he reached the part where Brandon was taken by Team Galactic, he had to stop and explain to Stormie who the group was. When he finally reached the part where he battled his friend, Stormie nodded.
"That sounds like Hypnosis to me Bryce. You sure there wasn't a Psychic pokemon around? Or a Ghost?"
"Yeah, at least, I didn't see one. Wait, how would you know about Hypnosis?"
"Haunter," She stated simply, "But that's beside the point. I'm going to help you."
Bryce blinked before scooping up baby Kangaskhan, standing up and unintentionally shouting, "What?"
"Relax. What Team Galactic has done is unforgiveable, and when I became your partner, I did so knowing that I'd have to help you through your hardships, and though this is a little more than I expected, I'm helping."
"But it's too dangerous!"
"And it's not too dangerous for you? I am farther than you in my quest for our goals. I need five ribbons, and you need eight badges, so who's closer?"
"You, but-"
"I don't want to hear it, I'm coming."
She crossed her arms firmly, almost crushing poor Psy. When Bryce noticed her steely determination, he sat down with a low sigh.
"Alright, you can come."
Satisfied, Stormie nodded. "Glad you see things my way, but first things first, we need to get you to the Eterna Gym."
When Stormie and Bryce passed the Pokemon Center, Haunter rejoined them. Upon first reaching the gym, there were two entrances, one that read, "Challengers Only," and the other read, "Audience." After a bid of good luck from Stormie and a lick on the face from Haunter, Bryce took a deep breath and walked into the Challengers Entrance. When he walked through the entrance, he was surprised to find that the whole stadium had been designed to look like a small forest. The trees were so packed together, Bryce could barely find his way through.
"Hello?" He called out, looking around. He was surprised to find no one there so he wandered his way through the trees, calling out everywhere he went.
"Bryce!" Came a cry above him. Startled, he looked up to find a platform overhead where Haunter, Stormie, and Psy were all looking down on him. Stormie had one arm under Psy while the other was cupped over her mouth to amplify her voice. She then pointed behind him.
"Look!"
Bryce quickly turned around only to find a blur leap away from his vision. The figure bounded from tree to tree until finally satisfied that it confused Bryce, leapt into the clearing in front of him. She was a tall woman who had to be in her late 20's. She had short red hair with black highlights in them and a green poncho draped over her shoulders, just above her belly button. Her orange khaki shorts seemed ripped at the knees and wore green boots. With her index finger, she pointed at Bryce and shouted,
"Challenger, welcome to the Eterna City Gym! You are in the presence of the Grass Type Gym Leader, Gardenia! State your name challenger!"
'Wow, she's enthusiastic,' Bryce thought. "My name is Bryce Wright."
"Welcome to Eterna Bryce. Now if you're ready, we can start our battle."
"I'm ready." Bryce stated simply.
Gardenia beamed at him, and with her thumb and finger shaped like a V, she stuck it in her mouth and whistled. A small trap door opened from the ground and a small droid came whirring through the air by a propeller on its head. It floated in between the two trainers in a position so Bryce could see the screen on it, and in a monotonous voice, boomed so everyone in the stadium could hear.
"The battle between challenger Bryce Wright from Twinleaf Town and Gardenia from Eterna City will now commence! This will be a three-on-three single battle with the challenger being the only one allowed to substitute his pokemon! May the respective trainers release their pokemon?"
Gardenia went first, yanking a pokeball from the inside of her poncho and hurled it in front of her, "Cherubi, it's go time!"
A small round pokemon emerged from the white light. It was a slight pink color with a round bulb growing off its stem that slightly resembled a miniature version of it.
Cherubi, the Cherry Pokemon. The small ball holds the nutrients needed for evolution, apparently it's very sweet and tasty.
Bryce couldn't help but notice the ball on Gardenia's Cherubi was fairly large. Whereas the one in the pokedexwas about a fourth of the Cherubi's size, Gardenia's was almost big enough to make a second Cherubi. But Bryce just assumed that a gym leader's pokemon was just naturally bigger. He plucked off the pokeball from his belt and hurled it in front of the Cherubi.
"Lets do this Omen!"
The small Murkrow appeared in front of the Cherubi, cocking its neck at an angle so it could stare down at the Cherubi. The droid's screen turned green, satisfied that both pokemon were out, and boomed, "Let the battle commence!"
"Omen, Astonish!"
'MURKROW!' Omen suddenly cried out, spreading its wings to their full length while pointing her beak at the Cherubi's head, her eyes glinting as she stared fiercely at the Cherubi. 'Cheruuuuu...' whimpered the small grass type as it cowered underneath the fierce flying type.
"Wing Attack, then Peck!"
Omen's wings suddenly glowed bright white as it hit the Cherubi with one wing, sending it flying into the air. Omen then flapped after it, flying just over its head before with a hard jab, it sent the poor Cherry pokemon crashing into the ground. The Murkrow hovered in the air for a moment, just watching the area where it sent its opponent flying.
"Is that it?" Bryce asked skeptically.
"Not even close," Gardenia grinned, "Now Cherubi, Growth!"
Cherubi winced as it stood up, bruises covered its body before it shook itself. Afterwards, it stood in place humming, 'Cheeeeer,' as it did this, its body started to grow white as green streams of energy came from the ground, making the bud on Cherubi's stem grow a little bit more, and a little bit more before the bud was as big as the Cherubi itself.
"Hmmph, what's that supposed to do?" Bryce asked smugly.
"Bryce! Stop her!" Stormie cried from overhead, but before Bryce could utter another command to the Flying type, Gardenia shouted out,
"It's time! Absorb it!"
Humming once more, the Cherubi was bathed in a green light as it started to absorb all the nutrients in its bud. As it did so, the bud shriveled smaller, and smaller, and smaller, until it was nothing. When the bud disappeared, the Cherubi's color changed from a green light, to a white light as its body started to grow. It grew a little taller as the stem disappeared and its round shape changed in favor of a longer thinner body. When the light was gone, so was Cherubi, and a tall purple bud stood in its place with a thick pink stem that was bent over the top of the bud.
Cherrim, the Blossom Pokemon. It blooms during the time of strong sunlight. It folds back into a bud when the sun wanes.
"Now Sunny Day!"
The stem on the top of Cherrim rose straight up and shot a beam into the hole that served as a skylight. When it finished, the sun suddenly grew brighter, bathing the stadium in a rich white light and even as Bryce watched, the Cherrim started to change yet again. The grass type spun in a circle, the petals that made the bud suddenly rising like a plant in bloom. The purple bud was gone in favor of a cheerful yellow pokemon with pink petals surrounding its head.
"Quick Omen! Night Shade!"
Omen stalled in mid-air as it spread its wings, the familiar black and violet beams shooting out towards the flower.
"Petal Dance, Cherrim!" Gardenia cried in response.
Humming cheerfully, the pink pokemon danced around the beams. As it did so, fragments of its petal detached from its body, rising into the air towards the Murkrow in a whirlwind of pink flowers.
"Spiral than Wing Attack!" Omen immediately flapped twice, gaining a little more altitude before diving with its wings spread out, spinning rapidly in the air. The wind caused by the Murkrow's spread wings blew the surrounding petals away as it dived as fast as it could towards the flower.
"Step back Cherrim." Gardenia said simply as the Cherrim did a small hop backwards. Suddenly realizing the danger Omen was in, Bryce cried,
"Night Shade!"
The twin Night Shades shot out once more, hitting the ground long before Omen reached it, slowing her descent until she could flap her wings and hover off the ground once more. With a sigh of relief, Bryce thought about what a problem that could have turned out to be.
"Very impressive Bryce," Gardenia said with an approving smile, "But you're going to have to do better than that to beat me! Magical Leaf!"
Cherrim danced around in a circle once more, its petals blowing off towards Omen from the incredible speed.
"Dodge it Omen!"
Omen immediately took off, she recognized this attack from a Cherubi she'd tried to take honey from in the forest. She flew top speed through the branches and trees of the improvised forest as the leaves followed its every move, but in the end, it was no use. As the Murkrow began to wear down, the even faster leaves caught up and hit her square in the back, knocking her back into the clearing. She fell through the air but opened her wings just in time to catch the wind, allowing her to glide into the air before flapping her wings again, but just when she recovered, Gardenia cried out once more,
"Magical Leaf with Leech Seed Cherrim!"
Cherrim looked up at the sunny sky, her eyes closed in delight as she spat out five small seeds while spinning around, each one landing on the tip of one of her petals. She faced Omen again, still spinning albeit faster so the leaves came flying off her body again.
"Fly as high as you can Murkrow!"
Murkrow aimed towards the skylight, flapping as hard as she can in a desperate attempt to avoid leaves. It was a race to see which would fail first as both the Murkrow and Magical Leech Seed climbed higher and higher. As Omen neared the hole, she started to see flashes of light. She was unused to flying in such bright light, hence why she usually only flew at night. She started to slow down until her wings failed her and she fell through the air for the third time. This gave the Magical Leech Seed the advantage it needed, it hit the Murkrow on her way down, planting seeds all around her body. Even as she fell, the seeds opened allowing small vines to wrap around her head feathers, her wings, her beak, and her legs. However, Omen wasn't entirely unlucky, she soon found the vines did not tie her wings to her body and she opened her wings yet again to glide to the ground. As she neared the Cherrim, she heard, "Peck!"
'Mur Mur Mur Mur Murkrow!' She cackled tauntingly as if laughing at the fact the attack didn't work. As she dove towards Cherrim, her beak shining in the sunlight as it aimed for it, she was however surprised at one thing, why didn't the Cherrim move? Suddenly, the vines constricted around her body and wings, zapping the Murkrow. She felt her energy leave her and she fell with a thud to the ground.
"How is she so powerful? Even with evolution, that Cherrim shouldn't be juiced up with so much power."
"Bryce! Look at Cherrim!"
Following Stormie's advice, Bryce looked at Cherrim. The blossom was just sitting in the sun, singing softly as the sunlight bathed her in a white light. It wasthe same light that it had when it was evolving, but it was slightly dimmer.
"That's it! It's using the sun to gain more power! That's why she used it as soon as it evolved!"
With a fiery determination evident in his eyes, he shouted, "Omen, Haze!"
Omen winced, slowly lifting itself up before opening its wings. A black mist was suddenly summoned from the skylight, filling the stadium with its fog, blocking out the sun.
"Oh no!" Gardenia cried as the Cherrim's flowers started to fold downwards back into its bud form. Bryce then pulled off Omen's pokeball and aimed it at Murkrow, recalling it into its pokeball to rid it of the Leech Seed and to give it some rest.
"Now things should be a little more interesting." He said with a grin.