Chapter 18: Heated Beach Battles
"That's it guys! That's got to be Slateport City!" Eziray exclaimed, leaning over the edge of the boat.
The trainers and passengers had all been rescued by the first Slateport-bound ferry of the morning and they were finally nearing Slateport.
"Come on out and see, everyone!" Eziray called as she tossed her four Pokéballs into the air.
"Good idea," Lyla said, sending out Eevee and Mudkip.
"Espeon, Combusken, come on out and stretch your feet a little," Aiden said, sending out his Pokémon too.
The majority of the Pokémon cheered happily while the more reserved ones smiled slightly and scanned the landscape before them. As the ferry got closer, Slateport became more and more clear to them.
"Looks like more fun in the sun," Lyla said, observing the enormous beach that wrapped around several cliffs and ran along the edge of the city. They began to make out some of the buildings within the city beyond the beach, like the Pokémon Center and a Pokémart. As Lyla scanned the city, it seemed to continue on endlessly and she eventually noticed a red, dome-shaped building up on a hill, way off in the distance.
"There it is!" a passenger exclaimed, catching Lyla's attention. "See that big building up on the hill over there?"
"I think so…" another passenger replied.
"That's the new Slateport Contest Hall!"
"No way! Do you think they're completely finished relocating it now?"
"Yup! They announced on TV that the first ever contest to be held in it is coming up in a couple of days!"
"Did you hear that, guys? I'm going to be one of the first coordinators to ever appeal in that stadium!" Lyla exclaimed. "Hopefully, I'll be the first to win…"
"Come on, Jigglypuff!" Olivia shouted, running through the streets of Slateport in a bikini.
"Jiggly! Jiggly!" her Normal-type huffed, trying to keep up.
The two were making a beeline for the beach, and more specifically, the approaching ferry.
"Aiden's just got to be on this one! Hurry!"
The two arrived just as the ferry was docking and Olivia dropped, resting her hands on her knees and breathing heavily. Then she jerked herself back up and desperately scanned the line of passengers waiting to get off the ferry. As soon as she spotted Aiden, she took in a deep breath.
"AIDEEEEEN!" she belted, startling him so much that he about fell over the side.
Lyla and Eziray looked down, both cocking their heads in confusion.
"Oh great," Lyla muttered.
"Who's that, Ezzie?" Gracie asked.
"What took you so long?" Olivia demanded as soon as the trainers' feet hit the sand. "I've been waiting here for days! Ferry after ferry came and you weren't aboard any of them. I began to lose hope. I began to assume the worst. OH AIDEN! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! …And you too Eziray!"
"We've been training, battling gyms, going to contests…y'know…what trainers do," Aiden trailed off as Olivia began to invade his personal space with smothering hugs and kisses on the cheek.
"Oh yeah. I heard…" Olivia said with obviously fake disappointment as she looked up at Lyla.
"What are you talking about?" Lyla asked.
"About the little mishap in Rustboro. I saw it on TV. It's okay, not everyone can do well in contests, Lyla. Just most people!"
"I'd like to see how you'd fair," Lyla growled.
"Please," Olivia began, rolling her eyes. "Oh Aiden! Do you like my new swimsuit? Isn't it just absolutely fab?"
She twirled, showing off a metallic white bikini with pink frills along the edges.
"Fab," Aiden said uncomfortably.
"I just knew you'd like it!"
"Kip!" Mudkip greeted, stepping forward beside Aiden's left pant leg.
"And who are you?" she exclaimed excitedly, bending down to get a better look at the Water-type. "Oh, you're just absolutely adorable!"
"Muuud," Mudkip groaned.
"I would get away if I were you!" Gracie giggled.
"Why would I get away? This Mudkip is so adorable! Much like all the Pokémon Aiden raises!"
"That's Lyla's Mudkip actually…" Aiden corrected.
"Lyla's?"
"Yeah! And he says you're wearing too much perfume!" Gracie exclaimed.
"Well nobody asked y–"
Before Olivia could finish her statement, Mudkip blasted her several feet away with Water Gun in attempt to wash it off.
"What a rude little Pokémon you are!" Olivia whined, sitting up and spitting out a mouthful of sand. "It's quite obvious that you are Lyla's Mudkip. Oh, my swimsuit…it's ruined!"
Lyla smirked mischievously and gave Mudkip a subtle nod. He grinned and blasted away all the sand that was coating Olivia's bikini with Water Gun. She immediately let out a shriek of frustration.
"Everything okay there, Olivia?" Eziray asked as the fangirl frantically rearranged her hair.
"That little bastard screwed up my hair," she growled.
"Boy, what a monster," Lyla muttered sarcastically.
"Why do you two hang around this loser? She's horrible!" Olivia whined.
"Kiiiiiip," Mudkip said as he used Water Gun to fill Olivia's mouth with water and shut her up.
"Alright, I've had just about enough of you! Lyla, I accept your challenge!"
"What challenge?" Lyla asked, staring blankly.
"When you wanted to see how I'd 'fair,'" Olivia said.
"I wasn't necessarily challenging you but I'd love to put you in your place. Mudkip," Lyla began.
"Mud!" Mudkip exclaimed excitedly, ready for battle.
"Okay, Olivia, your move I guess…" Lyla trailed off.
"Fine by me!" Olivia exclaimed. "Jigglypuff, use Pound!"
Jigglypuff waddled forward, palms glowing brightly. Mudkip grinned playfully and gave a quick squirt just to knock her off balance.
"Jiggly!" the Normal-typed pouted as she sat up, face coated with sand.
"Try putting him to sleep with Sing!"
Jigglypuff inhaled deeply, but before she could hum a single note, Mudkip began filling her mouth with water.
"Oh no!" Olivia shouted in a panic as her Pokémon expanded like a water balloon.
"Nicely done, Mudkip. Now finish her off with Tackle!"
Mudkip charged forward and rammed the Balloon Pokémon as hard as he could.
"Jigglypuff!" Olivia whined as Jigglypuff whizzed over her head toward the city, water rapidly spewing out of its mouth.
"Mud-kip!" the Water-type exclaimed.
"Shut it, you little monster!" Olivia snapped. "Oh when I get my Jigglypuff back, you're going to be in for it, Lyla! We're going to train here on this beach until we collapse, AND THEN SOME! You and your stupid little blue fish thing are really going to regret the day you–"
Before she could finish her threat, Mudkip froze her solid with Ice Beam.
"Now that's not very nice," Lyla scolded, giving it her all not to smile.
"She has a point though," Eziray began. "Slateport beach is known to be a pretty hot training spot according to some touristy pamphlet thingies I was reading on the ferry. There are trainers all over this beach just itching to battle one another. There's even this beach snack shack-type café thing and the owner gives out free drinks and meals to trainers who show him some great battles! Since your contest is coming up and I just love training anyway, I think we should spend the day here, don't you?"
"Definitely!" Lyla exclaimed.
"So where's that shack?" Eziray wondered, scanning the beach.
"We're not just gonna leave Olivia like this are we?" Aiden asked, scratching his head.
"It's pretty hot out," Lyla replied. "I mean the ice is already melting…"
"Do you really wanna be around when she thaws out, Aiden?" Eziray asked as two small children raced by.
Noticing the trainers' Pokémon, the two children stopped and stared for a moment. Then one began to whisper into the other's ear.
"Well not really, but it is kinda mean, y'know…"
"It's not that bad! Being Mudkip's trainer, I've had my fair share of this sort of thing. It builds character," Lyla explained.
"Excuse me," one of the children said.
"When has Mudkip ever turned you into an ice sculpture?" Eziray asked curiously.
"Excuse me…" the child repeated.
"I don't wanna talk about it…" Lyla replied.
"See, it's not a very fun experience is it?" Aiden asked.
"EXCUSE ME!" the other child screamed at the top of her lungs.
The trainers hushed up and directed their attention to the two youngsters. The boy cleared his throat and began.
"Are you guys Pokémon trainers?" he asked, letting his yellow inner tube fall to the ground, revealing a pair of blue swim trunks with a single Pokéball at its waist.
"We sure are!" Eziray exclaimed, getting pumped for a battle.
"Took not even ten steps onto the beach and we're already engaged in a second battle. You were right, Ez. This looks like a great training spot," Aiden said.
"But I thought you had to be at least ten years old to have Pokémon," Lyla pointed out skeptically. The little girl grinned, pulling her inner tube up over head and spinning it on her arm to show off. Then she tossed it aside and snatched the Pokéball from the bottoms of her red bikini.
"Mommy doesn't have time to watch us play all day on the beach so she gave us her Pokémon to keep us safe!" she exclaimed.
"But we wanna battle like the big kids!" the boy added.
"That's fine with me!" Eziray exclaimed. "Lyla, how about a double battle with me?"
"I'd be happy to! I need all the practice I can get!"
"Speedy, come forward!"
"Skitty, you too!"
Eziray's Treecko and Lyla's Skitty dashed forward and positioned themselves in front of their trainers.
"Plusle, I choose you!" the girl exclaimed, sending out a red, bunny-like Pokémon.
"Minun, let's go!" the boy exclaimed, sending out a similar Pokémon that was blue instead.
"They're so cute!" Lyla and Eziray exclaimed in unison.
"And strong too!" the boy insisted.
"Yep! Plusle, let's begin with Spark!" the girl ordered.
"Minun, you too!"
The two Electric-types released a small wave of cracking electricity from their cheeks. The Plusle aimed for Speedy and the Minun aimed for Skitty.
"Speedy, avoid it with Quick Attack!"
"Let's try an Assist, Skitty!"
Speedy dodged the attack with ease and began to charge forward with great speed as Skitty's entire body began to glow and she absorbed the Spark aimed at her.
"Awesome! Mudkip's Bide!" Eziray observed. "Lucky us! Alright, full speed ahead!"
Speedy continued forward, ramming the Plusle with Quick Attack.
"Eevui," Eevee whispered, mesmerized by his speed.
"Two can play at that!" the girl shouted.
"Quick Attack!" the children ordered in unison.
"They must not know about Bide then," Lyla thought to herself with a smile as the two Electric-types darted forward, weaving around each other through the sand towards their opponents.
"Skitty, use Iron Tail!"
"And Speedy, Detect!"
As the Plusle attempted to ram into Skitty, she turned around and blocked the Cheering Pokémon with her hardened tail. As the Electric-type smashed into it, Skitty released the energy collected with Bide and sent her opponent flying. And as the Minun attempted to ram into Speedy, he threw up his arms and became surrounded by a border of blue energy that sent Minun flying back away from him.
"Nice combo, Lyla!" Eziray praised.
"Pu-lah!" the Plusle whined, rubbing its now bruised forehead.
"Mi-nuh," the Minun coughed as it spat out sand.
"Do it again!" the boy shouted.
The two Electric-types looked up at the kids as if they were already fed up with the battle, but they did as they were told and charged forward with Quick Attack again.
"Then I guess we'll do the same thing too," Eziray said as she and Lyla nodded to their Pokémon.
Speedy and Skitty nodded back and readied their attacks again, but this time, the kids ordered their mother's Pokémon to use Flash at the very last moment. Speedy and Skitty were blinded and forced to close their eyes to shield them from the bright light. Then one used Thunder Wave on Speedy and the other hit Skitty with a Spark attack.
"Darn! Not paralyzed," the girl complained as she observed the Normal-type shake it off.
"Shoulda used Thunder Wave. Check out the Treecko!" the boy exclaimed.
"Speedy!" Eziray cried, realizing that he had become paralyzed.
"Let's double up on it with Spark!" the boy suggested.
Both Electric-types sighed and released two electrical waves once more, both aimed at Speedy who attempted to move out of the way but couldn't.
"ALRIGHT!" the children cheered.
"Skitty, use Assist!"
Skitty nodded and performed an Assist attack that resulted in Eevee's Dig.
"Zap her!" the boy shouted as Skitty burrowed into the sand, but it was no use.
The two Electric-types searched frantically, knowing that the Ground attack would hurt them a lot. Skitty finally popped up from beneath the Plusle, knocking it out. Then Lyla ordered her to use DoubleSlap, so she knocked the Minun around a bit and in Speedy's direction.
"Speedy, can you move your arms?"
"Tree!"
"Then let's finish him off with Absorb!"
"Speedy raised its arms and released a red beam from each of his pals, sucking the energy from the Minun and knocking it out cold.
"Yeah!" Eziray cheered as she high fived Lyla.
"Pretty good team work!" Lyla exclaimed as the kids called back the unconscious Pokémon.
"I'm telling my mommy on you!" the boy sniffed.
"Me too! And she's gonna yell at you and you'll be really sorry!" the girl added. And with that, the two raced off.
"Poor kids," Aiden said.
"They're only the first of many trainers that we'll send home crying today, Aiden!" Eziray reported, scanning the beach for more opponents. "Who's next…?"
"Hey…do you guys smell that?" Lyla asked. Eziray sniffed and Aiden looked up.
"It smells like something burning…" Eziray trailed off.
"Uh…" Aiden trailed off, too mesmerized to speak. The others looked up too.
"What the hell?" Lyla shouted, backing up to avoid being hit by an incoming fireball.
"What is it?" Aiden asked as it hit the sand in front of them.
"Mud!" Mudkip exclaimed happily as he extinguished the flames with Water Gun.
"It's a Pokémon," Lyla said, observing the unconscious Zigzagoon before them.
"ZIGZAGOON!" a boy screamed, rushing towards the fallen Pokémon.
"What happened?" Lyla asked as the boy took the Zigzagoon into his arms.
"The trainers who hang around that shack are terrifyingly strong," the boy said. "I thought we could take em but boy, was I wrong! Oh Zigzagoon…I'm so sorry!"
Lyla turned to Eziray and caught an adventurous twinkle in her eye.
"Hey, Ez? I'm totally down for some hardcore training today. I mean I need it more than anything right now, but maybe I should learn how to crawl before you sign me up for a ten mile run. Eziray? Are you listening to me? I really don't think this'll be good for me," Lyla tried to reason as Eziray took her by the hand and lead her towards a small building in the distance.
"Come on, Lyla! It'll be fun!" Eziray insisted, sprinting now.
"You guys…Olivia!" Aiden reminded, chasing after them. "Damnit, never mind. I guess she'll just stay frozen then."
"There's no getting through to her then?" Lyla asked as Aiden caught up.
"Nope," Aiden confirmed. "Don't take it the wrong way though. She's just trying to get you out of your shell a little."
"More like forcefully rip me out of my shell and smash it to pieces…"
As they neared the shack, two figures emerged from it, crossing their arms as they blocked the door.
"Hey you three!" one of them barked.
"Huh? Us?" Eziray asked blankly.
"No, Ez. He's talking about the other three people making their way towards the shack," Lyla muttered.
"But we're the only ones around!" Eziray replied in confusion.
"Exactly," Lyla concluded with a sigh.
"Are you guys deaf or what?" the other man demanded as the trainers arrived before them.
"Is there a problem?" Lyla asked innocently.
"Yeah. Judging by the trail of Pokémon parading behind you, I take it you're trainers. But only top notch trainers' can eat here. You'll have to get through us if you want in," the one on the right explained.
"So you call yourselves 'top notch' then, huh? You look like just a couple of pig-headed sailors if you ask me," Lyla insulted.
"Well no one asked you!" the sailor on the left growled as the other held him back and chuckled in amusement.
"I like this one's attitude, but let's see if she has any spunk in her battling abilities. Machop, you're up!"
"Wingull, you too!" the other sailor called.
"Another double battle, huh?" Eziray observed with a grin as the two Pokémon materialized.
"Yeah, but this time, I'm gonna work with Lyla," Aiden said, stepping forward. "Espeon, let's go!"
"Certainly," the Psychic-type affirmed telepathically.
"Eevee? You haven't gotten a chance to battle yet today, but–"
Before Lyla could finish, the Normal-type bounded forward, ready for battle. Her trainer frowned, wondering if it was a good idea to battle so soon after the encounter with the Gyarados the night before.
"Careful, little one," Espeon warned as Eevee bounced into place.
"Are you two ready?" the sailor with the Machop asked.
"Mhm!" Aiden and Lyla replied with a nod.
"Alright then, Machop, cut the little one down with Karate Chop!"
"And you blast the other one away with Water Gun, Wingull!"
The Fighting-type charged forward, one hand glowing, as the Wingull opened its mouth and fired away at Espeon with Water Gun.
"Let's go, Eevee – use Double Team!"
"Send that Water Gun back with Psychic, Espeon!"
As Eevee multiplied to throw the Machop off, Espeon began to glow bright blue. Machop halted, wondering which one to hit, and at that moment, Espeon's eyes flashed bright blue. The stream of water that had been coming towards her curved upward and began to shoot back towards the Wingull. Before the Seagull Pokémon could react, it was blasted into the ground with its own attack.
"Come on Wingull, you've taken tougher hits than that!"
"And what are you standing around for, Machop? When in doubt, just hit em all!"
The Wingull lifted itself back up into the air and the Machop continued forward, karate chopping all of the Eevee duplicates in its path until only the original was left. She performed a serious of hops and flips as she backed away in an attempt to avoid the attack, but the Machop was smarter than her and surprised her with a swift Low Kick that knocked her back a ways.
"That a boy, Machop!"
"You alright, Eevee?"
"Veh," the Normal-type growled, shaking her head as she stood back up.
"Mah-chop!" the Superpower Pokémon cried, charging at her with Karate Chop once more.
"Espeon, help her out with Psychic!"
The Machop suddenly found itself floating in midair so it flailed for a moment until Espeon sent it flying back into the Wingull with her telekinetic abilities. Then she hit them both with a Swift attack before they managed to get up. This allowed Eevee to recuperate for a moment.
"Thanks Aiden," Lyla said with a smile as Eevee got pumped up again.
"It was my pleasure!" he replied.
"That Psychic Pokémon's getting on my nerves," the sailor with the Machop muttered.
"I've got something that'll fix her. She can't move what she can't see right? Wingull, use Mist!"
"Grooo!" the Wingull cawed as it opened its mouth to form a bright blue orb that dispersed into a thick mist.
"I think we can use this cover to our advantage as well," Lyla whispered.
"My thoughts exactly!" Aiden replied with a grin.
"Eevee, into the ground!"
Eevee obeyed, quickly burrowing into the sand with Dig before her opponents could pinpoint her and attack.
"She can't hit you up in the sky Wingull, so don't worry about her none!"
"Machop, let's take this opportunity to team up on that Espeon and get her out of the way so we can finish this! Stick with Karate Chop!"
"And you use Peck!"
"Concentrate, Espeon. Then use Teleport when they get close enough."
"I know that," the Sun Pokémon replied, twitching her tail a couple times as she waited for her opponents to come at her. "Even in this mist, I will see the glow from those attacks with ease."
Sure enough, Espeon was quickly able to spot Wingull's glowing beak and Machop's glowing hand. She held tight until just the right moment and then disappeared just in time to avoid being hit. Her two opponents, however, were not able to react quickly enough and wound up hitting each other instead.
"There," Espeon communicated to Eevee and Lyla. "There they are. Quickly! Before the Wingull takes flight again."
"Eevee, use Double Team!"
All at once, a cluster of Eevee emerged from the sand, hitting the two opponents one-by-one and disappearing upon impact.
"Where's the real one?" one of the sailors asked as their two Pokémon tried to recuperate.
"Machop, use Focus Energy!" the other sailor called, hoping that Machop would concentrate enough to sense Eevee coming if and when she did.
"He's charging up for something, so knock him out with Tackle quick!"
Eevee darted through the mist towards the Fighting-type and he opened his eyes as she approached, then he gave her a quick whack with Karate Chop.
"Wing Attack!"
As Eevee was launched up into the air a bit, the Wingull dove down and hit her with one of its wings.
"Vui!" the Normal-type managed as she crashed back into the sand.
"Shouldn't have given yourself away again," Aiden said. "Espeon, use Swift where you saw the glowing from Wing Attack!"
"Certainly," the Psychic-type replied as she flung her tail, releasing an array star-shaped disks that pummeled the Flying-type until it fell to the ground. Then she finished it off with Quick Attack.
"Damnit," the sailor said, calling back the fallen Wingull. "Alright, it's up to you now. Don't go embarrassing us…"
"I got this," the other sailor growled, grinding his teeth together.
"Hey, Espeon, that gives me an idea. Use Quick Attack to clear up this mist," Aiden directed.
"Aiden?" Lyla asked as Espeon whipped around, creating a gust that cleared up the mist. "Why don't you battle gym leaders like Eziray? I mean you and Espeon are really strong…and clever!"
"You really think so?" Aiden asked with a grin as the mist completely receded and Espeon halted, glaring fiercely at her enemies.
"Totally!"
"Enough chit-chatting," the sailor said. "Machop, why don't you do away with the pipsqueak the same way we did away with that trainer's Zigzagoon from before? Use Fire Punch!"
"Dodge it, Eevee!" Lyla called as Machop raced forward, fist blazing.
"Not fast enough!" the sailor exclaimed as Machop sent Eevee flying across the beach.
She landed a ways away, out of sight. Her forehead was pretty scorched and she trembled as she stood, but she refused to be outshone by her evolve-form so she forced herself to sprint forward.
"Vui! Vui!" she grunted, charging forward with all her might. "VUI! VUI!"
She thought back to the battle earlier, when Lyla and Eziray were a team and how fast Speedy was. Then she thought about Espeon's speed and as she concentrated, her own speed began to pick up. The sand made it difficult but she pressed on, gaining as much momentum as she possibly could. Everything began to blur around her as she whizzed by and she didn't have much time to react when the Machop came into view because she was almost immediately upon him. She collided into him with every ounce of energy she had left, however, and that sent him crashing into several racks of surf boards. She stared after him, panting heavily, and he didn't rise. Then she collapsed victoriously.
"Eevee! Are you alright?" Lyla called, running to her hatchling's side.
"Vui," she assured.
"Did you see that, guys? She came out of nowhere! We didn't even see her; she was like a bullet – tiny and powerful! You sure picked up on Quick Attack in no time! I'm so proud of you!" Lyla praised.
"Eee-vui!" Eevee cheered, suddenly full of energy again, as she sat up and puffed out the fur on her chest. Then she began to whip up a daydream that she was the fastest Pokémon in the world and people and Pokémon were lining up for her autograph which was just simply her paw print in lavender ink. Then she began to imagine paparazzi and television reporters flocking around her, demanding photos and interviews.
"Yup! Pretty spectacular, but she's got lots of training ahead of her if she ever wants to be as fast as Speedy, or even Espeon!" Eziray exclaimed, completely shattering Eevee's dream.
"Hey, don't discourage her!" Lyla said as Eevee began to pout.
"I'm not discouraging her, I'm encouraging her! To train."
As the two went back and forth a few times, Espeon took a seat beside the wannabe Superstar Pokémon.
"You learn fast, little one…But you should not focus on being the absolute best right now. Concentrate merely on improving. It will take much time for you to be the best at anything," the Psychic-type advised.
"Ee-vui," the younger Pokémon replied arrogantly, turning her head away.
"Do you want to impress Lyla and all of your soon-to-be 'fans' at the upcoming contest?"
"Vuii…"
"Stay out here with me then. I will show you how to enhance your speed."
And with that, Espeon kneeled down, pretending to be tired as she flicked her tail a few times to grab her trainer's attention. Eevee mimicked her.
"Everything okay, Espeon?" Aiden asked. The girls were still bickering and didn't notice.
"Just fine! But it is marvelous weather and we would like to bask in it for a little while if you permit it..."
"Hey trainers!" one of the sailors called. Everyone directed their attention back to the issue at hand.
"We've mulled it over a bit and have decided that you're tough enough to enter," the other one announced as he approached them and handed Lyla and Aiden two shiny metal pieces.
"What is this? Like a makeshift gym badge or something?" Lyla wondered out loud.
"Present it whenever you want to enter, and you won't have to prove yourself again."
"Yeah, okay," Lyla said, debating whether or not to pitch it.
"HEY! Where's mine?" Eziray demanded.
"Yours? What do you mean yours? You haven't proven anything to us yet so you don't get one yet!"
"Proof? You want proof? Well how's this for proof?" Eziray asked, popping open a case and revealing eight Kanto Gym Badges. "Do these make me 'top notch' enough in your eyes?"
The two sailors whispered amongst each other for a moment and then decided to admit Eziray without testing her.
"Isn't it just adorable? It's got the café's logo on it and a little disclaimer about how it's not a real gym badge and everything!" Eziray said, admiring the little hunk of junk in her hands as they walked through the front door.
Inside the shack, there were at least three battles going, things were getting knocked over and broken, and people constantly had to duck to avoid flying food or Pokémon attacks. This was evidently the norm because all the tables and chairs were scratched up, the walls were scorched in some places and covered in holes, there were skid marks up and down the tile flooring, and no one seemed to care. In fact, everyone seemed to be cheering and having a great time. About 60% of the people inside appeared to be sailors and the rest were dressed in swim wear or wetsuits so the three trainers stood out…a lot.
"This 'café' is kind of a mess," Lyla whispered, taking it all in.
"Look out!" Aiden shouted, grabbing Eziray by the arm and pulling her out of the way of a powerful Hydro Pump attack.
The entire room became still as all of the trainers looked the three and their Pokémon over. Without saying anything, the three awkwardly made their way to a vacant table and took a seat. Lyla cracked open a menu and noticed that the bartender was grinning at them as he polished the bar counter with a towel.
"Why is everyone staring at us like fresh meat?" she whispered.
"Because I think that's what we are…." Aiden replied.
"Fresh meat?" Eziray echoed quietly. "I think not."
"What was that?" Lyla asked.
"SO WHO WANTS THEIR ASS KICKED FIRST?" Eziray challenged.
"EZIRAY!" Lyla shouted, in complete shock as the bartender began to chuckle. Pretty soon, the entire café had joined into the laughter.
"We can defeat every single person in this café and that's no joke!" Eziray added to her challenge.
"Now that'd be the day!" the bartender exclaimed. "Three kids knocking out every single person here? Kid, if I witness that here today, I'd feed you and your friends for a week!"
"Is that a promise?" Eziray asked, eyes lighting up.
"What are you getting us into?" Lyla demanded in a not so quiet whisper.
"This'll be great practice for your contest, I promise!"
"That Lyla thinks she's so cool, but she's just a sorry loser and I can't wait to put her in her place!" Olivia ranted to herself as she searched the streets of Slateport for her Jigglypuff. "She launched Jigglypuff into who knows where. Froze me solid for hours…that little bitch…"
"Azu! Azu!" an Azurilll chanted as it raced past her.
"Hey you! Have you seen a Jigglypuff anywhere?"
"Azu?"
The Azurilll stopped, turning around to stare blankly at Olivia. Then it smiled and began racing back in the direction it came from. Hoping that it meant 'yes,' Olivia rushed after it. After a while, the Polka Dot Pokémon's ears suddenly perked and it took cover behind some bushes. Olivia did the same.
"So this is the oceanic museum huh?" a Team Aqua grunt observed.
"Yes. But our investigation starts Thursday," Commander Shelly replied. Unlike the grunt, she was wearing a trench coat over her uniform to hide it.
"But that's the day after tomorrow!"
"That it is."
"It would be so easy though! To take what we need now…I mean, I bet their security is pretty–"
"Do you think I care? I have enough training to get through any level of security by myself. But that doesn't matter. Our orders are to wait for the grunts to arrive. Now put on your coat; you stick out like a sore thumb."
As the commander dropped a pair of sunglasses over her eyes, the Azurill was suddenly stricken by intense fear and it bolted out from the bushes, straight into a Team Aqua Crawdaunt.
"CRAAAW!" it hissed, snatching up the tiny Normal-type with one claw.
"What's this now?" Commander Shelly asked, lifting her sunglasses with one hand.
"Wait! Don't hurt her!" Olivia shouted, running out from the bushes.
"Crawdaunt, release it!"
The Crawdaunt obeyed the Commander, dropping the Azurill right into Olivia's arms.
"What are you playing around here for, kid? Beach is that way," the grunt said, pointing towards the ocean.
"I-I'm sorry."
"You can stop shaking now, darling. We know you didn't hear anything that you weren't supposed to," Commander Shelly threatened with a wink and a smile.
Without saying anything, Olivia tightened her grip around the Azurill and took off as fast as she could. The grunt took a step forward but the Commander held him back with one arm as she released her sunglasses and they fell back into place.
"You're letting her go?" he asked.
"Of course…" she trailed off into a whisper. "We're not bad people."
"AIDEN!" Olivia called, sobbing as she sprinted all the way back to the beach.
"Hey kid, you can't get in unless you go through us first!" one of the sailors outside of the shack threated as she neared.
"SCREW YOU!" she cried, forcing herself right through the middle of them and into the shack.
"Little bitch," the other sailor muttered, rubbing his arm. "I think she scratched me."
As she entered the café, she was greeted by Aiden's Combusken who plowed right over her and stood on her as she squirmed and cried Aiden's name.
"Combusken! Get off her!" Aiden shouted.
The Young Fowl Pokémon hopped down, leaving two red marks on her stomach from his feet.
"Azurill," the Polka Dot Pokémon said, looking over Olivia to make sure she was alright.
"Lyla," Olivia said, sitting up. "I am getting pretty fed up with you and your hellion Pokémon and–"
"Combusken is my Pokémon, actually," Aiden interrupted.
"AND A STRONG ONE IT IS!" Olivia exclaimed with a completely different attitude. "Look at those biceps, and that beak, and those talons, and–"
"Azu! Azu!" the Azurill cried, glaring angrily at Olivia as if she had forgotten something very serious.
"Oh my gosh! You're right! There were these two pirates, Aiden! They were talking about going the museum and wearing coats and they had this evil, nasty lobster Pokémon thing and it tried to kill us and we ran away and I still don't know where Jigglypuff is and…IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Olivia screamed, pointing at Lyla.
"Pirates, huh?" Lyla asked, completely ignoring the accusation.
"Team Aqua must be in town then," Eziray thought to herself.
"Are they chasing you?" Aiden asked.
"No."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Do they have Jigglypuff?"
"No."
"See? You're fine," Lyla interjected.
"Yeah, but I am really scared. Can I stay here with you guys?" Olivia asked Aiden, batting her eyes.
"Sure, just sit over there I guess. We're just training here a bit but we can help you find Jigglypuff after, okay?"
"Okay…"
Olivia took a seat with Azurill in her lap as the trainers resumed their battles. Within five minutes, she was bored out of her mind and staring off into space. A trainer had been watching her from afar and finally decided to approach her.
"So you had an encounter with Team Aqua today, huh?" he asked, taking a seat across from her.
"Do I know you?" she replied coldly, gripping the Azurill a little tighter.
"Hey, relax a little. I'm just curious because I've been trying to find them."
"Find them? That's dumb. Why would you try to find trouble?"
"Well, just between you and me, I'm looking to be recruited."
This statement took Olivia by such surprise that she finally turned her head and made eye contact with him for the first time. He was tall and thin, dressed in an expensive black suit, and he had an unexpanded Pokéball hanging from a chain around his neck. His hair was golden with a hint of red, and it fell halfway down his neck. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark aviator shades and his nails were painted black.
"Who exactly are they?" Olivia whispered.
"They're only trying to make the world a better place," he replied with a smile.
"ALRIGHT, YOU'RE NEXT, MR. TALL, TAN, AND HANDSOME!" Eziray challenged, pointing to the man who was talking to Olivia.
"Name's Johnny," he said in a low voice as he stood to accept Eziray's challenge.
"Olivia…" Olivia trailed off.
"You've got a pretty loud mouth, y'know…" Johnny said, making his way to Eziray.
"Baby, return," Eziray said, calling back her Dratini who she had used in the previous battle. "Speedy, let's go!"
"A Treecko, huh?" Johnny asked as Speedy materialized. "That sucks for you. Glalie, come out!"
"What the hell is that?" Lyla thought to herself, trying not to get too distracted from her current battle. "It looks like a floating head or something. It's so creepy…"
"It's so cool! Oh, I love these Hoenn Pokémon!" Eziray thought to herself, lifting her Pokédex up to it.
"Glalie, the Face Pokémon: Glalie's body is made of rock but it forms a dazzling cloud of ice crystal armor around its body by freezing the moisture in the atmosphere. This ability also allows it to freeze its foes solid."
"Alright, Speedy. We gotta be careful with this one. Its Ice-type moves could finish you!"
"Tree!" the Treecko exclaimed with a nod.
"I think he wants us to go first. Use Quick Attack!"
Speedy sped forward, with incredible speed as usual. Johnny smiled and gave a quick nod to the Face Pokémon floating above him. As Speedy leapt up to ram into the Glalie, it suddenly became surrounded by a greenish blue shield and Speedy bounced right off it.
"That must be Protect," Eziray noted.
"You know your stuff! Let's see if you can identify this one," Johnny said, giving another nod.
The Glalie's mouth opened, revealing a bright blue orb of ice.
"Speedy, don't let that Ice Beam touch you!"
A powerful beam of energy suddenly shot from the orb but Speedy's quickness allowed him to dodge it with ease. The Ice-type Pokémon rotated its body, following Speedy as he raced around in an attempt to hit it.
"You must be a little tired from the other battles then, huh?" Eziray said, trying to encourage Speedy to run faster. "Let's replenish some of that strength with Absorb!"
Once Glalie gave up with Ice Beam, Speedy spun around and threw his arms up. Two red beams then extended from his palms and wrapped around his opponent, sucking out its energy.
"Your Treecko is one of the fastest I've seen," Johnny began. "But let's see how it would fair without that advantage. Glalie, freeze the battlefield solid!"
Glalie struggled a bit, still bound by Absorb, but managed to aim its mouth towards the ground and shoot it with Ice Beam. The ground quickly iced over and Speedy hopped to avoid getting his feet frozen to it, but he slipped as soon as he landed and Absorb ceased.
"On your feet Speedy!"
Speedy tried to stand but stumbled and slipped once more.
"He's helpless; finish him!" Johnny exclaimed with a snap of his fingers.
Glalie's body began to glow blue and a bright wave of light blue energy emitted from its mouth as it roared mightily. The wave blew over Speedy and froze him solid.
"Speedy!" Eziray shouted.
"Sheer Cold is powerful enough to take out any target. It hasn't failed us once. And with Treecko being a Grass-type, well, we both know this is done here. Maybe one of your friends will have better luck with me."
Eziray rushed forward and kneeled beside the mound of ice but before she could speak, a small crack formed in the center of it.
"Speedy?" Eziray asked.
"T-that's not possible," Johnny choked as the crack expanded and grew in size.
Suddenly, the ice completely shattered and Speedy rose from the shards, bending one arm at the Glalie as if daring it to come at him.
"That's the spirit!" Eziray exclaimed. "I knew you were strong!"
"I can't believe it…" Johnny thought to himself. "None of our opponents have ever survived that move before. This Treecko has gone through some extreme defense training. His trainer…she really does know her stuff."
"Try to break up that ice on the ground with Pound, Speedy! We gotta get you mobile again!"
The Grass-type began slamming away at the ice with its tail, slowly chipping it away.
"Ice Beam!"
Before Speedy could make any real progress on it, Glalie fired yet another Ice Beam at him so he sat and used his arms to push himself away.
"Yeah! Slide towards the wall! There ya go, now jump on it!"
Speedy hopped up onto the wall of the café and climbed up it to avoid being hit by the Ice Beam. It was certainly easier to avoid from up there than on the slippery ice because he had more traction, but the Glalie was still gaining on him nonetheless.
"Use Detect!"
Speedy stopped crawling around to throw up one arm, and then his body began to glow blue as the Ice Beam shot to the left to avoid him.
"Quick thinking indeed, but you've left us an opening. Glalie, use Crunch!"
Before Speedy could put his hand back on the wall, Glalie chomped down on the other arm and forced him to release. His feet weren't enough to keep himself balanced on the vertical wall so he fell back down onto to the ice and slid into a table.
"Awww, slowed down once more! Glalie, give him another Ice Beam. There's no way he can survive another hit!"
Glalie gave a quick shot of Ice Beam and Treecko slid along the ice to avoid it, but he didn't quite cut it; the attack hit his foot and froze him in place. He struggled for a moment but couldn't get it free.
"Let's see you break yourself out of this one. Glalie, one more Sheer Cold and give it all you've got!"
"Speedy!" Eziray cried as the powerful wave of ice shot towards him.
"Tree…" Treecko growled as his body began to glow and his shape began to change.
"Speedy?" Eziray repeated, mesmerized by the transformation taking place.
The glowing figure raised its arm, performing a Detect just as the wave hit. Ice blew in all directions and the trainers shielded their faces. When it was over, they looked back and a Grovyle stood in Speedy's place.
"INCREDIBLE!" Eziray cheered.
"Groh," the newly evolved Speedy grunted, shattering the ice around its foot as it jerked it loose.
"Stay calm, Glalie! We've still got the advantage…"
"Vyyyle…" Speedy continued as it realized that it had claws on its feet now. He experimented with them by digging them into the ice on the ground, and then he smirked up at the Glalie.
"He won't be slipping and sliding anymore!" Eziray exclaimed, noticing the claws as well.
"Groh-vye!" he roared, skating towards the Glalie as the long leaves on his right arm began to glow and connect.
"What's that?" Eziray asked as he leapt up into the air and slashed at his opponent with this strange blade.
"Glae!" the Ice Pokémon cried as it crashed into the ground, shattering the ice around it.
"DO IT AGAIN!" Eziray cheered.
Speedy turned his body, as if he were going to dive into the ground, and then began rotating like a drill. Glalie didn't have time to react, so Speedy hit it with Leaf Blade once more as he drilled it into the ground.
"Now, let's finish them off with Quick Attack!"
Grovyle hopped off the Face Pokémon and began racing circles around it to spin it around and around.
"Come on Glalie! Use Sheer Cold! Or Ice Beam… OR ANYTHING!"
"Groh," Speedy said as he stopped to watch the Glalie twirl. "Vyle!"
With a swift kick, he sent his opponent sliding and crashing into the wall.
"Liiiie," the Ice Pokémon coughed as it fell onto its face, out cold.
"YEAH!" Eziray cried with pure joy as she tackled her new Grovyle and wrapped her arms around him.
"What a waste," Johnny said with a sigh as he called back his Pokémon.
"What?" Eziray asked, cocking her head.
"You're an incredibly talented young trainer but instead of using those talents to change the world, you're fooling around in places like this and putting in all this effort to train, but for what? Do you want to be a Pokémon League Champion someday? Do you want people all over Hoenn to admire you for that reason alone? It doesn't make any sense to me. It's conceited. It's a waste…"
"What do you mean by 'change the world' exactly?"
"I mean make it better! Do something that will improve the lives of every person and Pokémon alike."
"And you think expanding the ocean will accomplish that?" Lyla asked boldly.
They turned to find her and Olivia standing together, arms crossed. Lyla looked pretty mad but Olivia didn't really seem to know what was going on.
"Expanding the ocean? Is he with Team Aqua?" Eziray asked.
"Not yet, but Olivia told me that he wants to be," Lyla replied.
"Yeah, yeah. We all know they have a bad reputation," Johnny began.
"The rumors hold a little more truth than you think," Lyla interrupted. "Team Aqua and Team Magma destroy lives. We may just be unnecessary entertainment in your eyes, but at least we bring joyto those who come to watch us. The world doesn't need changing; you people need to stop trying to fix something that isn't broken."
"Well, nice speech and all, but I don't really agree with you, hun," Johnny said as he turned to leave.
"HEY!" Eziray called, grabbing his attention once more. "We will use our talents to change the world! We're going to save everyone by ridding the world of people like you! You'll see!"
"Now that'd be something! I'll have to become stronger then; there's no way I'd ever let you do something like that. But I want you to know that I appreciate that. We may have different opinions, but at least you'll fight for yours. Perhaps your talents won't go to waste after all. Good luck…"
And with that, Johnny left.
"Well he sure was interesting," Eziray said.
"That's one way to put it…" Lyla replied with a sigh.
"I don't get it. Is he our friend or our enemy?" Olivia asked.
"I would call him our enemy. I mean he's on Team Aqua's side," Lyla replied.
"Oh! Speaking of enemies, you two are being civil now! That's great!" Eziray exclaimed.
"I'm always civil," Lyla bragged.
"I just let her know what was going on, that's all!" Olivia cried defensively. "I still don't care for her much."
"Hey, is everything okay? Who was that guy?" Aiden asked, approaching the girls.
"Some Team Aqua grunt in the making," Lyla replied. "Not much of a threat for now…"
Speedy let out a sigh and kneeled down to better catch his breath.
"I think the Pokémon are getting tired, guys. How many people are left to battle?" Eziray asked as she began to scan the room for more opponents. "Let's see. We battled him, him, him, her, him, her, her, him, him."
"Shhh," Lyla said, putting her hand over Eziray's mouth. "And stop pointing at them, it's rude."
Eziray continued on for a few moments and then stopped, removing Lyla's hand.
"That guy! We haven't battled that guy!"
"I did. When you guys were talking to that potential Team Aqua dude…" Aiden trailed off.
"Then that means…" Eziray trailed off.
"Yup! We beat em all!" Lyla exclaimed.
"YEAH!" Eziray shouted triumphantly as she sprinted to the bartender who looked pretty excited.
"I gotta say. Those were some pretty hot battles, kid! And as promised, I'm gonna feed you and your friends for a week!"
"Yeah. Um. About that…you see we're kind of on the road and we don't really plan to be in Slateport for a week, so would it be possible to take that to go?"
"Eziray…this is the most ridiculous idea you've ever had…" Lyla trailed off as Olivia, the three trainers, and all of their Pokémon hiked up a hill while carrying as many containers of food as they possibly could. "Even if we do get it all to the hotel, it's just going to spoil!"
"Azu, Azu, Azu!" the Azurill cheered as it raced past them, carrying an apple on its head.
"You're new Pokémon is almost as useless as you are, Olivia," Lyla muttered.
"Well it doesn't have any arms so how is it supposed to carry more?" Olivia demanded. "Besides, she's not even my Pokémon anyways. She's just a volunteer so be thankful."
"Do you think we should break the news to her that the Azurill is a male?" Gracie whispered to Eziray.
"I think the Azurill likes being a girl…" Eziray replied.
When they finally made it to the hotel, they were able to check into a room that had a pretty roomy mini fridge so they were able to keep all of the food fresh for the time being. Olivia of course checked into the one right next to theirs so she could invite herself over whenever she wanted. They wanted to get to bed a little earlier that night so they sent her away and were about to get ready for bed when they heard something exploding in the distance. Before they could go see what it was, more explosions began to go off, one after another. They raced to the window in time to see the shimmering image of a Torchic's face up in the sky.
"Fireworks!" Lyla exclaimed as another one went off, this time shaped like a Treecko.
"I've never seen fireworks shaped like Pokémon before!" Eziray exclaimed excitedly as another one, shaped like a Mudkip, went off.
"I wonder what the occasion is," Lyla asked.
"I think there's supposed to be a carnival or something going on tonight," Eziray replied, trying to remember a flyer she had seen at the Pokémon Center when they went after checking into the hotel.
"Well then what are we doing here?" Lyla asked, slipping her boots back on.
"Too bad the Pokémon can't come," Eziray said as she and Aiden followed Lyla out the door.
"It would be better to leave them at Pokémon Center anyway. They've had a big day. Besides, I'm sure Nurse Joy wouldn't want to be bothered at this hour unless it was an emergency, so let's just leave them be," Lyla replied as they raced down the stairs.
"Do you two even know where we're going?" Aiden asked as he followed them into the street.
"This way, guys!" Eziray exclaimed, running towards the beach.
The carnival was about ten minutes away, between the hotel and the beach. They spent the evening enjoying fun games, music, and all sorts of junk food. Aiden won Lyla a Skitty doll at one of the carnival games and Eziray won herself one of just about every doll on display. Lyla and Aiden tried to explain to her that she would have nowhere to put them but she wouldn't listen. The three eventually split up because they couldn't agree on which rides to go on. Eziray went one way while Aiden and Lyla went the other way. The last ride Aiden and Lyla went on together was the Ferris wheel. At the top, they were able to see the entire city and the ocean which was glimmering under the moonlight and seemed to go on forever.
"It's so pretty," Lyla said, resting her head on the rail of the seat. "Do you think Eziray's having fun?"
"I'm sure she is," Aiden replied.
"Aiden…"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think she's really serious about wanting to take out Team Aqua and Team Magma?"
"Did she say that?"
"Yeah, earlier today...she swore to that guy she would."
"Then she's really serious about it."
"Do you think we can?"
"Maybe…but we'd all have to get stronger. They shouldn't be taken so lightly."
"I know. Believe me, I know…They can ruin your life in a heartbeat if you're not careful…"
"What happened to you?"
"What?"
"They did something to you before we met you, didn't they?"
Lyla was quiet for a long time as she rehearsed what she was about to say to him in her head.
"When I was little…Two Magma grunts came into my mom's store, terrorized us all, and then left with her. The next morning, I received news of her death but when asked if I knew anything about where she went or who she was with, I couldn't say anything. I wanted justice but they had made me promise not to tell a soul. I was so scared that I didn't tell anyone what really happened, and I've kept it a secret until now…But please don't ask me what they wanted with her because to this day, I still don't–"
Aiden took her by surprise with a hug that was so comforting that it stopped her short. She smiled, fighting back tears and hugged him back. Without saying anything, they both knew that it was settled. They had something else to really train for now, on top of gym battles and contests. Team Aqua and Team Magma's reign of terror was going to come to an end before it was too late, and they knew that the three of them were going to help end it.
Author Notes:
For this chapter, I tried to make it more like the game by incorporating that shack where your player can win Soda Pop by defeating all the trainers inside. I also tried to incorporate the trainers that you would encounter in the game (the children on the beach with inner tubes and the sailors). But I did put my own little spin on Team Aqua by introducing Johnny (my own character) and by having Team Aqua talk about the museum heist ahead of time. Oh and yes, I do realize that Olivia's Jigglypuff is still missing, but keep in mind that Olivia's a bit scatterbrained so it's slipped her mind. Hope you liked it even though it was long. Please leave a review telling me what you thought!