Chapter 6
Sprout Tower
"So what do you think of him Grace?" Stanly asked, looking at the younger girl who just finished watching Blake's battle.
"He's pretty good." She replied.
"That's all you have to say?" Stanly asked.
"No. Not just that." She continued. "He definitely strong. Stronger than any above average trainer."
"Good, that's just what we need right now. Grace, you're going to travel with Blake to Goldenrod City and enlist in Team Rocket." Stanly said, getting a dull look in return from the girl.
"What?" She said, raising an eyebrow.
"Shari told me that Goldenrod City is the location of the Team Rocket recruitment center and she also told me that she needs some help searching Team Rocket because they're much bigger than we initially thought." Stanly explained, watching Grace's cheeks redden slightly which gained his interest. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong." She replied quietly, looking away from Stanly while pushing her index fingers together. 'Me, alone with a boy?'
"Good, so there's no problem." Stanly said, clapping his hands together.
Blake entered the room from the staircase on the far side of the room, Larvitar resting on his shoulder. Scanning the room quickly, Blake found Stanly and Grace and approached them.
Watching Stanly congratulate Blake on his victory, Grace silently studied Blake as Stanly handed him a Poke-ball. Accepting the Poke-ball with a skeptical look, Blake released the Pokemon inside, finding a small white creature with a green head and two red horns protruding from the front and back of its head.
"Ralts." It said, looking up at Blake.
Larvitar stepped toward it, looking at it darkly which was returned with a blank expression from Ralts. Blake opened up his Pokedex, taking a picture of Ralts so the Podedex could bring up the data on Ralts.
"A Ralts." Blake said, closing his Pokedex. "Why'd you give this to me?"
"Do you like it?" Stanly asked in return as Blake returned Ralts to its Poke-ball.
"I want to know why you gave it to me." Blake repeated for him. Stanly sighed before stepping closer to Blake.
"Consider it a bribe to do a favor for me." Stanly said in a whisper, nudging Blake with his elbow.
"Do a favor for you. Like what?"
"Just a quick job for the Committee."
"What's in it for me?"
"The hell kid, I just gave you a Ralts." Stanly pointed out.
"And it's going to take more than that if you expect me to work for the Committee." Blake snapped back, watching Stanly grit his teeth before taking a moment to think about.
"Alright, whatever you want along as its within my power."
"Sell me the Charter to Cherrygrove City." Blake said, getting a surprised look from Stanly.
"What? W-Why?" Stanly asked in confusion.
"I just came from Cherrygrove City, and I heard that the Committee was going to force everyone because they can't afford the Charter." Blake explained. "I want the Charter to prevent you guys from relocating all those people."
Stanly remained silent. Why should he give the rights to a town over to a sixteen year old boy?
'It's not like it matters. We don't need Cherrygrove City, just the money they owe us.' Stanly reasoned with himself mentally. "Fine, but I'll only give it to you after you start your job in Goldenrod City. Cherrygrove City owes us a lot of money, but as long as you don't want them to move, we can't move them."
"Good, it's a deal." Blake said with a smirk. "But I can't go yet. I still have my Battle Circuit debut in the Violet City Dome on the 22nd."
"We don't have the kind of time." Stanly said, looking up in thought.
4/13/0046/Night
Violet City Battle Dome
Blake alone in the waiting room of the Battle Dome of Violet City, looking up at the monitor that was showing the third match of the night. Larvitar, Cyndaquil, Poliwag and Ralts had all been healed up and ready for his debut match, even though it was just a one on one battle for R-Class trainers.
The Battle Circuit is an event that's televised throughout Johto every night. With a total of seven Battle Domes in the region, there was one for every night where trainers in each city were sign up for matches to improve their records and gain a good sum of money if they claimed victory in their match.
Luckily, when Stanly had talked with Nurse Joy about moving up Blake's match, she managed to squeeze Blake into tonight's schedule.
"Match number four. Blue box, Blake!" Nurse Joy yelled from the entrance of the room. Blake waved to her as he moved toward her. Following her out into the hall, Nurse Joy began to lead him through a series of corridors.
"So tonight is your debut?" She asked, receiving a nod from Blake. "Have you ever thrown a Clash before?"
"A Clash?" Blake repeated.
"A Clash is performed during the time between the trainers throwing their Poke-balls onto the field and the Pokemon being released for battle. It only happens at the beginning of the battle, and rarely during a battle when there's a double knock out." She explained. "Basically, when you throw your Poke-ball, you and your opponents Poke-ball meet in a clash that can cause damage to the Pokemon you're using."
"So I can cause damage before the battle even starts?" Blake asked, raising one eyebrow to show his surprise.
"Exactly. There are different types of Clashes and different variations that trainers create themselves, but you won't find anyone like that at your level." Nurse Joy said as they turned into another corridor with an open end that led into the Stadium. The volume of the crowd was beginning to drown out her voice. "Time to battle!"
Blake gave her nod before continuing out into to the battlefield that was filled with over four thousand Battle Circuit fans from Violet City and the surrounding area.
"Whoa..." Blake exclaimed as he looked around at the large oval of stands that was packed with shouting people. In fact, it was even more crowded than usual because of tonight's main event. A Title Match.
The cheering continued as Blake stepped into the blue box, observing the large, rocky battle field before noticing the male trainer in the red box who held a Poke-ball, ready and waiting to begin.
"And now we'll begin the fourth match of the night!" The announcer shouted from his usual box located in the stands. "In the red box, we have Galen, and R-Class trainer with a record of four matches, three wins and one loss."
Galen waved to the crowd as some of the shouted his name.
"And in the red box, we have Blake who's having his debut tonight so treat him well!" The announcer continued.
"Give a good battle rookie!" The hollered at him.
Blake didn't look at the crowd, he selected the Pokemon he would be using and waited.
"Alright trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted as he raised both his flags upward, signaling the start of the Clash.
Blake and Galen made eye contact and gave each other a nod before pitching their Poke-balls onto the field. Instead of releasing their Pokemon, both Poke-balls burst forward, hitting each other which released a small blast of sparks. Both bounced backward, releasing the Pokemon inside before returning to their trainer.
A fluffy white sheep Pokemon appeared on the field while Blake had chosen Cyndaquil to battle with. Taking note of the small amount of bruises on both Pokemon, Blake concluded that the Clash was effective, and it would prove to be quite useful later on.
Taking out his Pokedex, Blake took a snapshot of the sheep Pokemon. The handheld device identified it as a Mareep.
"Battle begin!" The red shouted, lowering his flags to officially start the match.
"Mareep, use Thundershock!" Galen shouted. The two cones on the side Mareep's head began to build up electricity.
"Mareep!" It said as a yellow halo enveloped its body. From that halo, a small line jumped out, bouncing up and down from the ground in an arc fashion as it traveled toward Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil, dodge it and use Ember!" Blake said, watching it ignite the flames on its back before jumping to its left to escape the path of the electricity, but as Cyndaquil move, the electricity followed, hitting Cyndaquil.
"Cynda!" The small Pokemon cried out as it was enveloped in a yellow halo similar to Mareep's. Cyndaquil dropped to the ground with a grunt.
"Cyndaquil, get it with Ember!" Blake said, watching Cyndaquil remain on the ground but simply look up at the sheep Pokemon. Opening its mouth, the small Fire type released a small blast of fire toward Mareep.
"Mareep, dodge it and then follow up with Thundershock!" Galen shouted. Mareep jumped to its left, avoid the flames while firing a second bolt of electricity at Cyndaquil.
"Dodge it using Quick Attack." Blake ordered, watching Cyndaquil jump to its feet before racing forward, leaving a white streak behind it as it moved. Easily evading the Thundershock attack, Cyndaquil attacked Mareep from its right side, sending it tumbling across the field. "Now get it with Ember!"
"Cynda-quil!" It shouted, releasing another blast of flames that engulfed Mareep as it came to a stop, the flames burning for a few moments as Mareep rested on the ground.
"Mareep, shake off those flames." Galen said to his partner who rose up, shaking its body to rid itself of the flames, revealing its wool that was now black. "Now use Charge."
Mareep snorted as it stamped his front feet, dozens of small yellow orbs forming around it. All of these orbs then proceed to fly into Mareep, the cones on its head beginning to spark, holding a large amount of electricity with in them.
"Cyndaquil, get it with Ember!" Blake shouted, aiming to hit Mareep while it was wide open.
Firing another burst of fire at Mareep, the sheep Pokemon became engulfed in flames a second time, but this time it appeared that the flames were having no effect on it.
'Hmm, I guess we need some more power.' Blake said to himself. "Cyndaquil, start building up head around yourself!"
"Cynda!" It shouted as it stood up on its hind legs, the flames on its back becoming large as a dome of red heat formed around it.
"Thundershock!" Galen commanded. Mareep became surrounded in another yellow halo, this one being much large than the previous ones and it blew all the flames off of its body. From this halo, several bolts of electricity were fired at Cyndaquil who was standing completely still.
The aerial Thundershocks rained down on Cyndaquil, but many of them were deflected away by the protective dome of heat around the Fire type, blocking out all of the attacks from Mareep.
"Now go in with Quick Attack!" Blake shouted.
Cyndaquil burst forward, racing toward Mareep with the dome of heat still around it, protecting it from the remaining Thundershock attacks as it made its frontal charge. The red dome collided with Mareep, sending the Electric type sliding across the dirt with a large burn on its left side.
Mareep remained completely still for a while, a signal for the ref to check on the Pokemon.
"Mareep is unable to battle. The blue box is the winner!" The ref shouted, raising the blue flag.
"Mareep!" Galen shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the crowd that had burst into cheers. The trainer from the red box ran onto the field to check on his part who had yet to move, finding that both its eyes had been replaced with black swirls.
Calling Cyndaquil back to him, Blake invited the Pokemon to climb onto his shoulder. Pumping his right had into the air, Cyndaquil doing the same, Blake made his way toward the exit of the Stadium.
"And it appears that a hotshot rookie as appeared folks, keep and eye on this one!" The announcer shouted.
"And now, tonight's main event!" The announcer shouted, the crowds volume increasing another level at the announcement that they would get to see the Johto Champion have a battle.
Blake was initially planning to leave right after his match, but when Nurse Joy mentioned the different forms of Clashes that could be created, he was curious to see what higher class trainers had come up with. He had yet to see to anything note worthy, even the semi-final match was the same Clash he had thrown in his battle, but he was sure the Johto Champ had something to offer him.
"Ladies and germs, please welcome Meegan J, the Johto Champion of the Battle Circuit to the Violet City Battle Dome!" The announcement was met with even more cheers as the woman entered the Stadium. She was of decent height, with long, auburn colored hair that fell to her mid back. She wore a pair of blue jeans, with a black long sleeved shirt that was tucked into her jeans as well as a blue denim jacket over her shirt. Around her waist was a brown belt that held her Poke-balls on the side along with a Potion. Meegan J, Queen of Johto had just entered the Battle Dome.
Running to the red box, she wave to the crowd with a large smile, many of her fans chanting her name already.
"I love you Meegan!" Several people shouted together, waving the signs they had made and brought just for her match.
"Tonight, the Pokemon Battle Circuit presents Meegan J in her eighth Title defense, with a perfect record of 61-61-0, she plans to move onto the IBF if she wins tonight." The announcer explained to the crowd. "But her challenger is no push over. Richie, an A-Class trainer with a record of 56-51-5, plans to take the Title from the Champ. Can he do it?"
"This battle sounds awesome!" Blake heard one of the discussions between the fans seated in front of him.
"I know, I can't wait for it to start."
"Hey, do you think Meegan will...you know, win?"
"Of course. If she's planning to move up to the IBF she can't be seen losing to anyone in Johto."
"Trainers, are you ready?" The ref asked, getting a nod from Meegan and Richie.
'Alright, this is my challenge to the IBF. I have to win with only one Pokemon.' Meegan said to herself, selecting the Pokemon she was planning to use.
"Clash!" The red shouted, raising his flags which put the noise from the crowd to an end.
Meegan and Richie pitched the Poke-ball they had selected onto the field, Richie's appearing to be a basic throw that was used by most people, but Meegan's had suddenly burst forward, moving twice as fast as Richie's which resulted in the Clash taking place on Richie's side of the field. Blake's eyes widened at the speed her Poke-ball had moved at, speed that only great baseball pitchers could deliver.
"The Accel!" The announcer shouted when Richie's Poke-ball was blown away by Meegan's with a huge burst of sparks. Many in the crowd cheered for the signature Clash move that often used by Meegan, although she wasn't the creator of it.
"Let's do this Glacieon!" Meegan said to the cyan colored Pokemon that had appeared on the field.
"Gla!" It said in return before looking at its opponent.
"Furret, are you okay?" Richie called out to his Pokemon that was covered in bruises that were caused by the Clash.
"Fur." It replied weakly, struggling to remain standing on its hind legs.
"Battle begin." The ref lowered the flags.
"Glacieon, use Ice Beam." Meegan said to Glacieon who opened its mouth, a small, light blue orb forming in front its mouth.
"Furret, dodge using Quick Attack." Richie said, as the three separate lines extended from the light blue orb, rushing toward Furret in a zigzag pattern.
Furret sped up, avoiding the beam, but Glacieon wasn't aiming for Furret, but the ground near Furret. When the Ice Beam hit the ground, the ground froze instantly, spreading outwards in all directions. Even though Furret was trying to move away using Quick Attack, the expanding ice field caught up with it, stopping its feet from moving.
"Glacieon, wrap this up with Quick Attack!" Meegan shouted.
"Gla!" It shouted, rushing toward Furret who was stuck where it was standing. Furret was sent flying off the field, crashing into the wall of the battle field, black swirls located on its face where its eyes should be.
"Furret is unable to battle." The ref said. "Match continue!"
The crowd burst into cheers at Meegan's quick victory.
'Alright, two more to go.' Meegan said inwardly, taking a deep breath.
"Furret, return." Richie said, returning Furret to its Poke-ball before swapping that one for another one on his belt. "Charmeleon, lets win this."
Richie released his second Pokemon for this battle. The Fire Lizard Pokemon that stood on its hind legs, the end of its tail possessed a flame that never went out.
"Richie takes the type advantage this time." The announcer noted. "How will Meegan cope with this?"
"Charmeleon, use Flame Thrower." Richie shouted. Charmeleon opened its mouth, breathing out a stream of flames at Glacieon who was weak to Fire type attacks.
"Glacieon, dodge with Quick Attack and then attack with Iron Tail." Meegan said as Glacieon took off, taking the speed advantage in the battle. Charmeleon seemed to gasp in surprise when Glacieon began to race around the field, following no particular pattern before it suddenly attack Charmeleon from the side, sending the Fire type stumbling backward.
Both Richie and Charmeleon seemed confused as Glacieon's onslaught continued, beating away at the Fire type who appear to be defenseless.
'I've seen enough.' Blake said. Even though the battle was only about half over, Blake could tell Meegan's quick combination had stripped Richie of his moral, leaving her with the job of finishing off his remaining Pokemon.
Wandering around the building for a while, Blake eventually found Grace who was waiting for him in the lobby by herself with a notebook on her lap and her earbuds in her ears. Approaching her, the girl looked up at him when the shadow he cast covered her reading light.
"Oh, Blake. Good job tonight." She said, closing her notebook.
"Thanks. Are you ready to go?"
"In the middle of the night?"
"...I suppose you're right, we'll stay at the Pokemon Center for the night." Blake said before the crowd roared which was the signal that the Title match had end.
"And Meegan J continues her perfect record, charging head strong toward the IBF. Thank you for coming tonight, and get home safely." The announcer said, his voice traveling throughout the building through the intercom.
'Meegan J. It's good to see that you'll be joining me in the IBF.' Grace said, looking back at the lobby of the Battle Dome that she and Blake had just left. 'I hope we battle sometime soon.'
4/14/0046/Morning
Cherrygrove City
Mari, as well as most of the major figures of Cherrygrove City had gathered in the town hall along with the Stanly the Committee member. The group was seated around a large table, Stanly being seated at the end with all eyes on him.
"I bet he came with an army that's waiting on Route 29 to force us out." The Poke-mart manager whispered to Mari's mother who was seated beside him.
"No. I came alone to discuss what's going to happen here." Stanly said, interlocking his fingers while placing his elbows on the table.
"You're going to force us out, aren't you?" The mayor asked, sounding disheartened, although he was doing his best to cover that up.
"On the contrary. I don't have the right to make you leave this town now." Stanly said, surprising everyone in the room.
"What do you mean?" Mari's mother asked skeptically.
"As you all know, Team Rocket is a growing threat in the Johto Region, and right now the Committee is doing its best to handle the situation with them. A trainer I was trying to recruit refused at first, telling me that he'd only work with us if I gave him the Charter to Cherrygrove City." Stanly explained.
"So who is in possession of the Charter now?" The mayor asked.
"I highly doubt you'll ever meet him, but you will see him, you just won't know its him because you never met him." Stanly replied. "But if you do know him, then you'll know its him...which kinda makes what I just said pointless."
"What's his name?" Mari's mother called out, becoming irritated with Stanly's drawn out explanation.
"Sorry, I can't disclose that information now that he's working with the Committee." Stanly replied.
"Wait, so if you're not here to move us out, then why did you come?" Mari asked.
"While we can't force you leave now, your debt to the Committee is still exists, and either you get back to paying off the debt, or we'll take the Charter back from the trainer who has it, or move you without telling him." Stanly explained.
"We're doing our best but this town doesn't make enough money to make all the payments not to mention we have to pay for the repairs to our town now." The Poke-mart manager said.
"Well I'm sorry but that's how it works." Stanly replied in a deadpan.
"I'll be entering the Battle Circuit soon and once I start making money I'll start helping out with the debt." Mari said to Stanly.
"You're just starting? To even think about paying of this debt would take a least one year's salary of an IBF Champion or SSS-Class trainer." Stanly said, glancing at Mari. "I'll give you all two years. If you can manage to pay off half the debt or more, the Committee will give you more time to pay it off completely. But if you fail to do this, they I'll be forced to move you out."
"No way." Mari said in disbelief. "We have more time. We have more time!"
Mari scrambled over to the window and opened it, sticking her head out to make sure she was visible to the townspeople who were waiting for an answer outside the building where the meeting was being conducted.
"We have more time!" She cried happily. "Someone bought the Charter so they can't move us out!"
The entire town burst into cheers.
"You're really giving us more time?" The mayor asked Stanly one final time as he rose from his seat.
"Yep. So good luck to all of you." Stanly said, exiting the room. Once he was outside, Stanly removed one of the Poke-ball's from his belt, giving it a toss to release a large Bird Pokemon that matched Stanly in height.
"Pideot!" It said to Stanly.
"Alright Pidgeot, to Indigo Plateau." He said, climbing onto its back. Pidgeot spread its wings, taking flight. The two flew off, leaving the parading town. 'It's a shame, but it'd be impossible to pay off a debt like that in two years. But right now the Committee just needs the extra money to finance a few operations against Team Rocket.'
Blake makes his debut in the Battle Circuit with his first win, also getting a peek at the strength of the strongest trainer in Johto. Please Review.