Chapter 9: Roark the Rock
I stepped inside the gym, taking a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Getting my bearings, I saw that I was at the bottom of a small rocky crag, with a path leading straight to the summit. There was another path that serpentined around the building, which I assumed would be the path with no gym trainers on it. Screw that, I'm here to battle I thought, heading directly up the straight path. Sure enough, there were two trainers on the path but Lin had enough experience battling other Geodude that they weren't a problem at all. Reaching the top, I found a large flat battle area carved into the mountain. Standing at the other end was Roark, still dressed in mining gear but no longer covered in dust and grim.
"You're an early riser. I can respect that. Gotta get the work done as fast as possible, right?" Roark said, reaching for a pokeball. He tossed it lightly into the air and a Geodude popped out. Yeah, like I haven't seen a thousand of them already I thought sourly, sending out Franklin. Roarks face fell immediately at the sight of the grass-type. "Oh man, you started with Turtwig?" he whined. "That sucks, but I'm not gonna give up yet! Geodude, Tackle!"
"Razor Leaf before it gets here." I called. Franklin had recently learned the move and had found it was devastating against rock/ground-types like Geodude. The little turtle whipped his head around, throwing sharp leaves from the small branch that grew from his skull. Since the Geodude was rushing forward, there was nowhere for him to run. The leafs struck him full in the face, sending him tumbling across the arena, fainted.
Roark sighed, returning the fallen pokemon. Without a word, he sent out his next pokemon. The large Onix stretched across the whole arena, roaring a challenge to Franklin and myself. The brave little grass-type roared right back, which was honestly less than impressive compared to the Onix. "Alright Franklin, same plan as last time. Razor Leaf!" I said. Franklin whipped his head back again to unleash another round of sharp leaves.
"Onix, Stealth Rock." Roark commanded. That took me off guard, as the giant rock snake roared, flexing the boulders that made up it's body. Small chunks of rock flew off of him and scattered across the arena floor. They stood and floated, but didn't move beyond that. Well that's not good I thought as Franklin's attack hit home and fainted the larger pokemon. If I switch someone in, they'll be worse off than if I left Franklin in. But I don't want to just use Franklin, that's unfair to the rest of the team. I sighed in defeat as I recalled Franklin. "Sorry about this Armstrong, but you can do it." I muttered, tossing the Machop's pokeball.
As soon as he was done materializing, the jagged stones flew across the arena, slamming into him and forcing him to take a knee. It didn't do a lot of damage, but it did enough for Armstrong to feel it. "You okay Armstrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned for him. "I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle." he grunted, getting to his feet and taking a fighting stance. "Let's do this!"
Roark grinned. "Your Machop is pretty tough. Sadly, so is my last pokemon. Cranidos!" he cried, sending out the small fossil pokemon. It stood half a foot taller than Armstrong, easily up to my waist. It's stony skin was gray in the front which faded into blue across his tail. He had spikes circling his skull, which had a shiny blue plate over it, perfect for ramming things.
Armstrong didn't falter upon seeing the bigger pokemon. In fact, I think it made him more excited for the coming brawl. I honestly worry about him sometimes. "Armstrong, Karate Chop!" I called. "Cranidos, Headbutt!" Roark ordered.
Both pokemon took off, running straight at each other. Cranidos' head was bowed, coming right at Armstrong with the plate. Thanks to the fighting-types ability, No Guard, I knew both attacks would hit. What I didn't expect was the savagery of the blows. Cranidos hit first, slamming it's skull into Armstrong's chest. For a heart-stopping second, I thought the blow had killed him. But the Machop grabbed onto the rock-types head, holding it in place for a brutal Karate Chop into it's side. He released his hold and both pokemon stepped back, each one breathing hard. A quick glance at my PokeTech confirmed what I already suspected. Both pokemon were barely hanging in there, which meant more to me that it did to Roark.
"Armstrong, that's enough, come back." I ordered, recalling him with the pokeball. He seemed slightly mad that the fight was over for him, but relented and returned. Roark called the Cranidos over to him and administered a Potion while I tossed out my next pokemon. Roark decided that his pokemon was ready to go and looked up at my choice. His face fell again. "Do you have any pokemon that don't have a type advantage?" he asked, glaring at Rebecca the Bibarel.
"Yeah actually, but I'm not gonna be using them against you." I said smugly. "Water Gun Rebecca!" I called and the torrential blast of water was enough to put the Cranidos down for the count, Potion or no Potion. Roark sighed and returned his pokemon, digging into his pocket as he walked across the ring.
"That was a good match, or at least, I'm obligated to say that." he said cheerfully enough. "Here's the Coalbadge. Take this complimentary TM as well. It's got Stealth Rock in it, which I'm sure you already know about." he said, gesturing to the fallen stones. I nodded, taking the disk and the badge from him. I stored the badge in a special case I bought at the PokeCenter, with small indents for all of the regions badges.
"Thanks Roark." I said, patting him on the back lightly. "No hard feelings, huh? I was just lucky to get those two on top of Franklin." I left the gym after that, stopping by the PokeCenter to heal Armstrong and grab my stuff, already packed and ready to go. I made my way back to the Oreburgh Gate, stepping back into the small tunnel. Immediately, I found the two trainers I had saw earlier, before the swarm of Zubat ran them out of the cave. They caught sight of me too, unfortunately.
"Hey, a trainer! Let's have a battle!" the boy said cheerfully, releasing a Starly. The girl nodded, sending out a Bidoof.
"Let's get this over with." I sighed, sending out Sora. The two under-leveled pokemon were no match for the evolved Staravia. Even when the boy sent out a Shinx, Sora was to quick for it and a Quick Attack sent it packing. I collected my winnings and ventured farther down the path. Finding the split where I met the Hiker, I noticed he was absent. Shrugging, I started toward the exit before stopping, looking down the side path. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." I shrugged, stepping off the beaten path and moving deeper into the cave. I released Lin, having her clear the path of fallen rocks. It wasn't long before my path was blocked off, a small lake keeping me from moving deeper. It wasn't a total loss though. I found a large pearl I could sell and a TM, dusty but usable. My mood fouled a bit when my PokeTech reported it was Flash.
Exiting the cave, I quickly made my way down Route 203, noticing the sun was beginning to go down. I must've taken more time in the cave than I thought. I arrived at the edge of the city just as the sky turned purple and the cities lights came on. I walked through the now familiar streets, hoping to get to the PokeCenter as soon as I could. I was interrupted by a hand grabbing my shoulder and dragging me into a nearby alley.
"What the hell!?" I yelped, automatically releasing Mufasa from his pokeball. The 3 foot tall cat roared a challenge, small sparks flying off his mane. The owner of the hand yelped, identifying himself as a male, and let me go. I dashed over to Mufasa's side, turning around to face my attacker. "Of all the- you again?" I asked, exasperated.
The "secret agent" from before, Looker, was standing in front of me, cradling his hand despite not being injured. His eyes shifted quickly from Mufasa to me and back again. "So! You return to the scene of your crime!" he accused suddenly.
"Scene of the-I have no idea what you're talking about man!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in frustration. "I'm not part of Team Galactic! I'm just a random trainer!" Mufasa growled lightly, daring the shifty man to make a move.
"I never mentioned Team Galactic!" Looker said excitedly. "That proves your guilt! Submit to authority or I'll have to use force!" he announced, withdrawing the handcuffs again.
"Try it, and I'll have Mufasa here chew your balls off." I threatened. The cat glanced up at me, clearly not wanting to touch any part of the crazy man. I shrugged. "Or any part he wants, I'm not exactly picky." I added.
Looker glanced back down at Mufasa again, eyes lingering on the bared fangs. He was silent for a while before putting the handcuffs away. "Someone who nicknames their pokemon couldn't be a part of Team Galactic." he muttered. He seemed almost depressed that I wasn't a criminal.
"Glad you got it through your head. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to the PokeCenter without getting attacked again." I said, turning and getting as far away form the trench-coated man as I could. He didn't pursue me, so I had no choice but to assume that he actually did realize I wasn't a crook. Regardless, I kept Mufasa out to ward off any other crazy secret agents. I let out a sigh of relief when I caught sight of the PokeCenter. Checking in, I did my usual ritual of releasing all my pokemon before climbing into bed. Before I could get to sleep, I listened to them talking amongst themselves.
"Congratulations you three!" Sora announced. "Gym battles must be scary, all those powerful pokemon."
"Oh sure, ignore the new guy, not like I did anything." Lin pouted. "Not like I took out both of those trainers by myself." Her voice was thick with pride and annoyance that the others ignored her contribution.
"I didn't mean to exclude you." Sora said gently. "You helped, but the others were the ones who battle Roark, not you." she chided.
"It was nothing. I want a bigger challenge next time." Armstrong boasted. I could practically hear him flexing his muscles, his usual snarky grin on his face.
"But aren't you the only one who didn't win Armstrong?" Rebecca asked, yawning at the end of her question.
"Winning has nothing to do with challenge." Armstrong growled. "That Cranidos almost went down with one blow. I want a tough fight, one that won't end to quickly!"
"Don't you remember the situation we're in?" Franklin asked. "If you push yourself to hard, you'll die!"
There was an uncomfortable silence for a while after that. Surprisingly, Mufasa was the one to break it. "It is not when you die, but how, that matters." he said wisely. "If Armstrong wishes to loose to a tougher opponent, who are we to stop him?"
"Mufasa! That's harsh!" Sora scolded. "How can you shrug off a comrades death like that! This is serious!"
"Besides, who said anything about wanting to loose?" Armstrong said. "I want to beat every opponent that comes before me, no matter who it is! I'll be the strongest pokemon who ever lived. Count on it." He grew quiet after that, probably going to sleep. Rebecca's soft snores were already filling the room.
"What a meat-head." Lin huffed. "There's more to life than being the strongest."
"That doesn't mean he's wrong." Franklin argued. "I mean, I don't want to be the strongest Turtwig, but isn't that a good goal?"
There was a slight flapping sound as Sora flew up to perch on the desk. "You're both right." she said calmly. "Being the strongest isn't a bad goal, but there are other things to put your efforts towards. You just need to find something that'll make you happy." This seemed to be the end of the conversation, as no one said anything more. There were a few sounds of the team moving around, settling in for the night.
Just before I fell to sleep, I overheard a soft voice. "Something that'll make me happy." Franklin mused. "I wonder what I should do?" I didn't hear more, fading away into sleep.
The next day I woke up to find Franklin already awake. "Hey buddy, what're you doing up so early?" I yawned, stepping over Rebecca's sleeping form and making my way to the bathroom.
"I was just thinking." he said coyly. He seemed to be avoiding the subject and I wasn't having that.
"About what your goal should be?" I asked, clearly shocking the turtle with my question. "I overheard you guys talking last night." I explained.
Franklin looked down at the floor. "It's hard." he admitted. "I don't want to be the strongest like Armstrong does. But I don't really know what else I want to do."
I thought for a while, brushing my teeth slowly while we brainstormed. "Didn't you say something about seeing the world before?" I asked, spitting into the sink to clear the froth.
Franklin nodded. "Yeah, but will that make me happy?" he asked.
The question stumped me. "I can't answer that Franklin." I said honestly. "You're the only one who can." I finished my morning chores in silence, waking everyone else up as usual. Franklin helped, nudging Rebecca and Lin awake with his nose. I recalled everyone but Sora, opening the window and letting her fly out. She was waiting for me outside as I left the center, hovering above me as we made our way north, towards Floaroma town according to the map. I looked up at the large bird waving at her to draw her attention. "So I overheard you all talking last night." I said.
She nodded. "I figured you were awake." she said. "Anything to add?" she asked.
"Not really. I just want you to know that what you said about goals really got to Franklin." I replied. "He doesn't know what he wants to do with himself. And all this talk about dieing in challenge could be making it worse. I just want you to tone it down around him, he's still young." Sora nodded in agreement, rising up in the air signaling the end of the conversation. We made our way through town, retracing the steps I took with Franklin before we caught Rose. It didn't take long to arrive on the outskirts of town.
"There's trouble up ahead!" Sora called down. She banked to the right, circling around to hover above my right shoulder.
"What kind of trouble?" I asked, picking up the pace a bit. My answer came when I heard raised voices, two of which were familiar.
"Listen up gramps, give us what we want and we won't hurt your pretty little assistant there." a high-pitched male voice sneered.
"And let you abscond with my research? Preposterous!" came the voice of Professor Rowan. Coming over a small hill, I saw the Professor himself, standing behind Dawn and holding his briefcase. Dawn had Lizbeth out of her pokeball, and both the girl and the pokemon were trying their best to look intimidating. They didn't seem to be doing a good job, if the sinister expressions on their opponents faces were anything to go by.
Dressed in the most ridiculous spandex suits I could imagine, two men with neon blue hair were blocking the path forward. As if the bad bowl cuts weren't enough of a clue, the jumpsuits had a stylized "G" on the breast. Team Galactic! I thought sourly. Where's that crazy bastard Looker when you need him?