Light's Adventures
Chapter 24: Without
Light sighed as he awoke. Rose had only been born a week ago and they were already leaving to go back on the road. The worst part was that Rose, Cream, Blair, Red, and Patch were staying at Nick's father's house. Nick couldn't take more than six Pokemon and he didn't want to choose between Light's and Blaze's families. So, Nick was only going to take Ace, Light, and Blaze to beat the last two gyms.
Light didn't want to leave Cream. It was tearing at him that Nick had decided to do such a thing to him, but he had to listen to his trainer. Why did they only allow six Pokemon to a trainer at one time? Light looked down at the still sleeping Cream beside him, who was still curled up around Rose. How would he be able to last without her by his side?
Light looked at her fondly, wanting to take as much of her in as possible before their trek. Nick said that they had to go to Viridian City and then Cinnabar Island. Nick estimated that the traveling would take about a month. A whole month without his mate. Tears started to come to his eyes as he thought about it more.
Cream started to stir and looked up at him. She instantly started to worry as she saw the tears. What's wrong? Cream silently asked.
Light closed his eyes. We're leaving today, remember?
Oh, yeah . . . You'll be back soon; don't worry, Cream soothed. You'll be back before you know it and then we'll be together again.
Didn't I say all that to you yesterday? Light asked, chucking a little.
Yep; now come on; I don't want our last moments before you leave to be sad ones, Cream thought.
Light licked her on the head. You're right, let's enjoy it,Light replied.
Cream leaned up and licked the unshed tears off him. When did Nick say you were leaving today? Cream asked.
When he wakes, which means we have an hour or two left, Light answered.
Well, we have enough time for breakfast, then, Cream proposed.
Light's stomach growled in agreement. Light got up carefully, not wanting to wake their daughter early. He actually never needed to be careful as rarely anything woke her before she was done sleeping. Only one thing could wake her instantly.
"Rose," he heard someone whisper. He looked over to see Patch crouching nearby.
Rose's eyes instantly opened and she got up eagerly. Light sighed as he remembered he would have to leave soon. Light headed out the door, Cream following along beside him. They headed down to the kitchen and saw Nick's mother had already filled their bowls.
Light and Cream ate quickly and then sat on the bench, watching the world through the small window in front of them. Light pressed against Cream's pelt, enjoying the feel of her beautiful coat. Cream leaned against him. They sat there, enjoying each other's presence and trying to make the most of their time before Light had to go.
Light's eyes shot open as he heard footsteps on the stairs. Nick was up. Light sighed and jumped off the bench, Cream following alongside him. Rose and Patch followed them into the entry. Everyone else was already there. Nick was hugging his mom, while Blaze said goodbye to Blair. Patch went over to see his father off.
Light turned to his daughter and embraced her. "I love you, sweetie. Stay out of trouble for your mother, okay?" Light said.
Rose nodded. "I will. I love you. I'll miss you," she said.
"I will, too," Light responded, ending the embrace.
Rose walked over to comfort Patch, leaving Light and Cream alone.
Light turned to his beloved mate. Their mouths locked in a kiss. They finally parted and Light whispered, "I love you, Cream, with all my heart. I'll miss you every step of the way and I promise to hurry as much as possible."
"I love you, too," Cream whispered back, putting her head against his. "Stay safe."
"You and Rose stay safe, also," Light said. He took a deep breath of his mate's fur before he heard Nick call him. "Goodbye," Light said.
"Goodbye," Cream responded.
Light turned and followed Nick out of the door. Blaze came out beside him, looking just as horrible as him. Nick crouched down to the Pokemon still staying and said, "Now you all be good and don't give my mother any grief. See you all later." And with that, Nick stood up and closed the door.
Light sighed as he followed Nick, his paws dragging along beside Blaze's. Ace watched them, but didn't say anything as they went down the road. Light glanced once more at the house before it went out of sight.
Light's despair soared as his channel to Cream stopped with the distance. Now he had truly left her behind. Light closed his eyes as he walked beside Blaze. If it was this hard after a few minutes, how would he be able to last a whole month?
(0)
Light looked up as the view of the city came into sight. They were almost to Viridian after two days of traveling. Seeing it was almost noon, Light was glad to note that they might get a spot in the gym battles today. His hope high, Light started to trot ahead, forcing Nick to increase his pace.
As soon as they entered the city, Light went to the map posted on a board near the gate. Although he couldn't understand it, Nick had followed him. Gym, now, Light thought to him. All his talking with Nick had been short and straight to the point since they had left. Both him and Blaze were no in the best mood and Light's sleepless nights last night and the day before hadn't helped.
"Okay, okay, let's see . . . here it is," Nick said, pointing at a spot on the map. "Let's go," Nick said, after studying the map a little more.
Light followed him, impatient at their slow pace. Light needed something to take his frustrations out on and there had been no skilled trainers along their path. A good gym battle should allow him an outlet for it.
Light looked at the building they were approaching. It seemed a pretty regular building compared to the surrounding buildings. Light hoped Nick was correct on the directions. Nick stopped in front of two humans who stood on either side of the entrance.
"I'm here to challenge the gym leader and attain the gym badge," Nick said.
One of the guards laughed while the other barely held his laugher in. "Look kid, this is one of the hardest, if not the hardest gym. You don't want to battle this gym so early in journey," the laughing one said.
Light's eye twitched and he lost control. His frustrations boiled over and he made the guard stop laughing with Psychic. He pressed the guard against the wall and took a threatening step forward. Listen, I'm tired of all this time we're losing. Now, can we have an appointment or not? Light thought, opening the channel to both guards and Nick.
"Light, stop it. You shouldn't do that," Nick said.
Light let the guard go, but didn't back away. The guard glared at the angry Umbreon and said, "Fine, but don't say we didn't tell you so. The gym leader's open right now. Go on in."
Light followed Nick into the building. When the doors closed behind them, Nick turned on Light. "What was that out there? That was definitely uncalled for. You know better," Nick said sternly.
Light simply walked past him and headed further in. Nick sighed and followed him. Soon, they came to the gym room. It was pretty much a normal looking gym room, with painted lined and a solid flat floor. The side the gym leader usually stayed on was a balcony instead. A large plush chair was on top, turned away from them.
As they entered, the chair swiveled around. A young man sat in the chair. He had brown hair that hung to his shoulders and all black clothing on. The usual announcer was at the side. The guards must have contacted them earlier.
"Challenger, welcome to the Viridian City Gym. You have challenged gym leader John to a gym battle over the Earth Badge. The match will be a one-on-one match between three Pokemon each. The gym leader may not return his Pokemon. The challenger may return his Pokemon at any time, but may use only three Pokemon total. The first to knock out all of the opponent's Pokemon wins. Ready? Start!" the announcer said.
Blaze stepped up and the gym leader threw a Pokeball. A large, purple Pokemon appeared, a large horn on its forehead and a long, sweeping tail with spikes going along the length of its spine. Light knew it was a Nidoking.
"Nidoking, Rollout!" John ordered.
"Double Team, Blaze! Then follow it up with Dig," Nick shouted.
Blaze split into eight copies. The Nidoking curled up and charged at the group of Flareon. The Flareon split, one of them disappearing as Nidoking hit it, and then each went underground. The Nidoking stopped spinning and got up, ready to fight.
"Nidoking, use Earthquake!" John commanded.
Nidoking rose a foot and brought it slamming onto the ground. The ground of the gym floor cracked in many places and finally burst at one spot. Blaze tumbled out of the hole, taking four times the regular damage of the attack. Blaze got up, but was extremely weak as he struggled to stand.
"Blaze, Double Team, and then Flamethrower!" Nick yelled.
Blaze once again split and then rushed in different directions. Each Flareon opened its mouth and a small sphere formed as they prepared the attack.
"Nidoking, Rollout!" the gym leader commanded.
Nidoking curled again and rushed at the closest Flareon. It disappeared as it made contact. The other Flareon released the attack, but Nidoking was moving at too fast a speed and was able to easily dodge each stream of flames. It slowly hit each Flareon one by one, taking out each copy.
"Blaze, use Flamethrower again!" Nick shouted.
There were only three Flareon that opened their mouths to hit the rolling Nidoking. As the Nidoking went around, his spins and speed slowly increased, making the possible damage much greater. The Flareon released their Flamethrowers and the real one finally hit the Nidoking.
However, the flames were mostly deflected as Nidoking's spins made the flames split. Nidoking kept going and hit another copy. After taking out the last copy, he rushed at Blaze. Blaze was in no condition to dodge to fast moving Pokemon and took a hit. Blaze slid across the ground. When he had stopped, Light saw that he had fainted.
"Flareon has fainted!" the announcer called out, holding up a black flag.
Nick returned Blaze, a frown on his face. Before he could say anything, Light jumped into the arena, ready to use his power. Nick started to react, but was interrupted.
"Nidoking, use Mega Punch!" John shouted.
Nidoking brought an arm back and started to run at Light. Light narrowed his eyes and activated Psychic. He picked up the Nidoking and hurled him against the wall, making a large dent. Before the Nidoking could fall, Light readied a Dark Pulse and hit it dead on. The Nidoking was pushed farther into the wall.
This time, the Nidoking slumped out of it without resistance. Light was ready as the Nidoking got back up. Light prepared himself for Psychic again.
"Nidoking, use Hyper Beam!" John ordered.
Nidoking opened his mouth and a small white sphere formed. The attack brought back memories of his fight with the other Nidoking and barely reacted in time. Light threw up a barrier and the attack stopped at his slightly visible shield.
The Nidoking paused after the attack, its body unable to react quickly after the massive attack. That was all it took. Light rushed at it and rammed into its stomach. The Nidoking staggered back from his Quick Attack, but soon recovered.
"Nidoking, use Mega Punch!" John commanded.
Nidoking brought an arm back and swung at Light, its arm covered in a white light. Light simply used Psychic to halt its progress and lift it into the air. Light then slammed the Nidoking against the ground, making it faint.
"Nidoking has fainted!" the announcer called out, raising a white flag.
"Get back here, Light," Nick said.
Light grumpily went back to his trainer as John returned his Pokemon and threw another Pokeball. He still wanted to fight. A large, four armed, grayish skin creature appeared. It had a belt around its waist, and it flexed as it appeared. It was a Machamp.
"Go, Ace," Nick said. Ace flew off his shoulder and into the battle area.
"Machamp, use Hyper Beam!" John shouted.
Ace dived under the blast as Machamp sent out a white beam into the air.
"Ace, use Wing Attack, and then Gust!" Nick ordered.
Ace flew down low and hit the Machamp in the stomach with a wing covered in white energy. The Machamp leaned over, the breath driven from its body as Ace flew behind it. Ace brought his wings back and flapped them quickly at the Machamp, making a strong wind. Machamp, already leaning over, fell forward and slid a little across the ground.
"Machamp, use Rock Throw!" John ordered.
"Ace, use Agility and then Wing Attack!" Nick yelled.
Ace instantly started to fly at a dizzying rate, his speed doubled. The Machamp picked itself up and pulled a loosed chunk of flooring up. It threw the rock at Ace, but Ace easily dodged with his new speed and swept low before rushing at it. He hit the Machamp in the stomach again. This time, the Machamp flew back a few feet before falling backwards and fainting.
"Machamp has-" the announcer started.
Suddenly, a white glow shone in the building. Light looked at the source and realized that the light was coming off Ace. He watched as his friend's form shifted, getting much bigger. Finally, the light stopped and Light saw a new Pokemon in Ace's place. It was a larger form of Pidgeotto and had many more colorful feathers on its head. Ace had evolved into a Pidgeot.
"-fainted," the announcer finished in a quieter voice, his gaze still on the newly evolved Pokemon.
"Awesome, Ace, you evolved!" Nick shouted.
Machamp disappeared in a flash of red and another Pokeball flew into the arena. A large roundish creature appeared. It had a small head and limbs compared to its large body. The floor somehow was able to still hold its massive weight. It was a Snorelax.
"Snorelax, use Double Edge!" John commanded.
The Snorelax rushed at Ace in a surprising speed and hit Ace. Ace fell to the ground from the single attack. The Snorelax barely recoiled in pain from the massive blow. It had a high endurance.
"Snorelax, use Seismic Toss!" John ordered.
Snorelax grabbed the bird and then slammed him into the ground once again. Ace cried out, but the Snorelax repeated the attack. Ace fainted on the third blow.
"Pidgeot has fainted!" the announcer called out.
Nick returned Ace and Light once again eagerly jumped onto the field. "Light, take it easy. Don't go overboard again," Nick said quietly so only they heard.
Light nodded slightly before turning attention to the battle. See the ruined arena formed a plan in Light's head. Eager to start, Light formed a Dark Pulse and blasted the ground near the Snorelax's feet, destroying it.
"Snorelax, use Protect!" John yelled as Light started to charge another Dark Pulse.
Snorelax was covered in an almost transparent sphere with a white tint to it. However, Light aimed for the ground next to it, not it and used his attack successfully, at least in his eyes.
"Snorelax, use Mega Punch!" John commanded.
Snorelax took a step forward, but the floor gave way and it quickly stepped back. Light used one more Dark Pulse on the ground behind it and had it surrounded by weak flooring. Now the Snorelax was a large, sitting duck.
"Snorelax, use Hyper Beam!" John shouted, his frustrations starting to show.
Light darted to the side and used Protect, letting the main part of the attack hit the ground instead. Light retaliated with Dark Pulse, making a direct hit. The Snorelax staggered back and lost its balance as the floor gave way. The Snorelax fell into the prone position.
Light shot it with another Dark Pulse and then a third before it started to rise. The Snorelax struggled up and prepared to attack. The attacks seemed to have done damage, but Snorelax seemed completely ready to go on after all three blows. It really did have a large stamina.
"Snorelax, use Mega Punch!" John ordered.
Light grabbed the Snorelax's fist as it brought it back with Psychic. It was too heavy to lift without straining, so Light instead made it punch the ground. He then charged a Dark Pulse and came closer he hit the Snorelax with an up close blast and made the Snorelax stagger back a couple steps. However, it still seemed ready to fight.
"Snorelax, use Hyper Beam!" John commanded.
Light laughed and prepared Protect. As the sphere formed in its mouth, Light brought the barrier up. However, the Snorelax paused before releasing the blow. Light couldn't keep the barrier up for the extended time and had to release it. The beam of energy struck Light hard and he went flying across the gym, stopping against the rock Machamp had thrown.
Light picked himself up and shook off the dust. He faced the Snorelax again and shot Dark Pulse at it. It took the blow head on and continued standing. How much endurance can this guy have? Light asked himself.
"Snorelax, use Double Edge!" John yelled.
Snorelax charged at Light. Light darted away with Quick Attack to get out of range. When his energy from Quick Attack was almost over, he spun around. This time, he kept his foot low and swung his body with the motion. This way, if he fell, he would quickly recover and not have a sprained paw. Finishing his spin, Light shot Dark Pulse at the charging Snorelax.
The Snorelax had been faster than he had thought and his attack ended up being a point blank attack, blasting the Snorelax back. Light closed his eyes and he skidded back from the force of the explosion. He opened his eyes to see the Snorelax on its back, still conscious.
Light was starting to get aggravated at this silly battle and used Quick Attack on its stomach. He bounced off and made more distance from the Snorelax than he would have he if have ran instead. Light expertly landed on his feet and used Dark Pulse, starting to feel the strain from using the move too much. The attack hit Snorelax and sent up some dust from partially hitting the ground.
As Light waited for it to clear, he wondered if he could continue. He had one, maybe two, uses of Dark Pulse left. Psychic was not answer with its weight, while Quick Attack would have to be used on its head to get past all of its fat. Luckily, when the dusted cleared, he saw the Snorelax had fainted.
"Snorelax has fainted! The challenger is the winner," the announcer said, raising the white flag again.
Nick started to cheer and do his dance while John returned his last Pokemon. Light saw something reflect the light as it soared toward them from the balcony. Light jumped and caught it, noticing it looked like a small metal feather. Light gave Nick the item and Nick raised it proudly.
"Yes, I got the Earth Badge!" Nick yelled.
Light instinctively looked at where Cream would normally be. Tears came to his eyes as he realized that she was still with Nick's mother. She wasn't there to cheer and congratulate him. It didn't seem like a real victory without her there.
Light sighed and followed sadly behind Nick. As they left, Nick laughed at the astonishment of the guards and his enjoyment increased. However, it seemed to only make Light sadder. His tail dragged the ground as he followed quietly behind Nick. He didn't know how he would last three more weeks.