Danny's Journal, Part 15- Another Shiny Surprise

It was already nightfall by the time I got back to Blackthorn City. Thorne's death still weighed heavily on my mind, and I kind of just felt like curling up into a ball and sleeping for weeks. I knew I couldn't, though, so I set off for the Dragon's Den after making a quick stop at the Pokemon center.

I withdrew Denryuu, my shiny Gyarados, from my PC box so I would have a Pokemon to surf on. The entrance to the Dragon's Den was right in back of the Gym, across a small pond. The Den was apparently an underground lake, and a large shrine was built right in the middle of the lake itself. There wasn't much light, the only source of light in the cave was a small hole in the ceiling that let some moonlight filter in.

As I surfed across the lake on Denryuu, I noticed many Pokemon swimming below me. Most of them were Magikarp, and since I already had a Gyarados, I just ignored them and went on my way. After I crossed a small whirlpool blocking my path, though, I spotted something swimming up ahead.

It was a Dratini! I told Denryuu to swim closer so I could try to catch it, but then I noticed something was off. All of the Gym trainers' Dratinis were blue... this one was a bright purple that stood out like a sore thumb in the dark waters.

I swear to Arceus I have the best luck ever. I didn't even bother battling it; it looked young, and not all that powerful. I threw a Dusk Ball at it, waited patiently... and heard the telltale 'click' of the Pokeball.

So yeah, I caught a shiny Dratini! I was very excited, but I had to wait until I got out of the Den to go retrieve it from my PC, so I just made a beeline for the dragon shrine to find the elder Clair told me about.

The inside of the shrine was decorated with murals about dragon Pokemon, and it was lit by a few torches. At the back of the shrine was Clair with a bunch of old guys, and I figured that the oldest man was the elder. He approached me, and said that Clair informed him of my arrival just a few minutes ago. Apparently, he needed to test me to see if I was worthy of acquiring Clair's badge.

I thought I would have to battle him, but the 'test' was just a quiz. He asked me questions like 'what are Pokemon to me', and 'what is the most necessary element in training a Pokemon'. I answered them honestly, and after a few minutes of questioning, he said that I had passed.

Clair was pissed off at this, and she started throwing a hissy fit as to how I 'cheated', because she hadn't even passed yet. The elder shut her up, though, and she reluctantly handed me my last badge before leaving.

Finally, after going through all of that, I got all eight badges! I gave all of my team members a big hug, and sent a mental thank-you to Thorne; because without them, I wouldn't have made it this far. I'm almost ready to challenge the Elite Four, and with my team's help, I know I can become Champion.

Clair was waiting for me at the exit of the Den, and she apologized for putting me through that test. She even gave me a TM as an apology (Dragon Pulse, I'll teach it to my shiny Dratini when I get it out of my PC), and told me the way to get to the Elite Four. I have to go east at New Bark Town, then continue on that path until I reach the Indigo Plateau gates. Sounds like a long hike, but I'll make it somehow. She wished me the best of luck, then headed back to her Gym.

I ran back to the center to check on my Dratini. She's female, and a very young one, by the looks of it. She's adorable, and very sweet. I taught her the move Dragon Pulse, which was probably a mistake. She nearly took my head off with it, because she thought she was playing with me. I can't stay mad at her, though, she's too cute. I named her Lady Luck, by the way, since it was pure luck that I found her in the first place.

I was just about to head out again when Elm called me, saying that he had something for me. Since Thorne was... gone, I didn't have a flier on my team anymore. Thankfully, I had a Farfetch'd (Xena) that I caught a while ago, so I'm using her to fly me from town to town when I don't feel like walking. How a tiny Farfetch'd can carry a human, though, is beyond me.

I made it to New Bark Town without much trouble, and Elm was waiting for me in his lab. along with Lyra. Lyra was amazed that I got all eight badges, and Elm was just as pleased. He even gave me a Master Ball as a gift- I haven't even seen one until now, they're supposed to be really rare.

He did say something interesting, though. Apparently, the kimono ladies who have been stalking me just came into his lab looking for me. I wonder what they want, although I hope they'll tell my why they've been following me all over Johto.

It's like 1:00 in the morning now, though, so I'm going to find the kimono ladies in the morning. I went home to my mom for the night, and she was very happy to see me. I finally had a home-cooked dinner for a change! She even cooked extra for my Pokemon, which was nice of her.

It's good to be back home, though, even if it's just for one night. I'd better get to sleep now, once I get Indiana and Lady Luck to stop fighting over my bed. They'll put a hole in my wall at this rate, and mom won't be very happy with that...

Current Team:
Typhlosion 'Vesuvius' Female, Lv.40
Arbok 'Indiana' Male, Lv.40
Haunter 'Scheme' Male, Lv.41
Shiny Yanmega 'Ao Tonbo' Male, Lv.40
Espeon 'Imani' Female, Lv.41
Shiny Dratini 'Lady Luck' Female, Lv.16