Making a Splash
After leaving Azalea Town, the heroes began passing through the Ilex Forest. Yugi and his friends remembered that in the game, the Ilex Forest was the home of a mythical Pokémon called Celebi and wondered if they would get a chance to see it. But they had to remember that whatever experiences they may face in reality aren't always like how they are in movies or games. So the chances of encountering Celebi seemed impossible. But on the way, the heroes came to a small shrine. No doubt it was built to honor the guardian of the forest. Emily decided to leave an offering for Celebi by placing one of the muffins she made this morning on the pedestal. The boys thought it was a good idea and decided to leave their own offerings. If they couldn't meet Celebi, they could still pay their respects.
After looking through the map of the Johto Region, Kaiba saw that the closest gym would be in Goldenrod City. So it was decided that it would be the next place to go. They made it out of the Ilex Forest and were back in the open plains again. When they saw a lake, the heroes decided it would be the best place to take a break. Joey decided to start making lunch for the group. He got water, vegetables, and beef and started making stew. Emily helped out and placed a loaf of bread on the table. After that, she decided to enjoy a swim with her Pokémon.
To pass the time while waiting for lunch, Kaiba and Yugi decided to have a battle. Yugi called on Chikorita and Kaiba called on Cyndaquil. It's true that fire-type Pokémon have an advantage against grass-type Pokemon, but sometimes, type advantages don't always matter. And knowing how games and battles always go between these two friends, it would come to no surprise if Yugi would defeat Kaiba. The brunette made the first move by getting Cyndaquil fired up and ready to use Flamethrower. Chikorita tried to dodge, but ended up taking some damage. Knowing grass-type attacks aren't very effective against fire-type Pokémon, Yugi commands Chikorita to land a Tackle attack. Cyndaquil dodges by using Flame Wheel. He also charges in for an attack and sends Chikorita flying. To try and calm her opponent, Chikorita uses her Sweet Scent. Taken in by the aroma, Cyndaquil stops to enjoy the scent. Chikorita uses Vine Whip to catch the branch and swing through the trees and Tackle on Cyndaquil. The little Pokémon accidently ends up getting pushed into the lake.
Emily catches Cyndaquil and brings him back to shore. He was soaked and being wet really affected his speed and weakened his firepower. Yugi and Kaiba agreed to end the battle right here. It wouldn't be right or fair if the brunette lost because of an accident his opponent caused. And it was a good thing they ended their battle when they did because it was time to eat.
After lunch, the team decided to rest their stomachs for a while. Joey created a fishing rod with a branch and some twine that he packed with him and decided to fish for some Pokémon. Emily decided to look at the treasures she found while swimming in the lake. She had a hobby for collecting pretty rocks and bringing them home and that was how she happened to come across the evolutionary stones she found on the way. This time, she found a Water Stone and a King's Rock and decided to store them in her bag.
Undine was swimming in the lake with Wooper and Totodile though Joey asked them not to. "Would you guys please stop swimming around? I can't catch any Pokémon if you mourn them away." But suddenly he felt a small tug. The pull was getting stronger. That meant that Joey had caught a bite. He used all of his strength to pull the branch and he reeled in a Poliwag. It was a tadpole of a Pokémon and had a swirl pattern on its belly. Joey wasn't going to let this chance slip away. He was going to catch Poliwag. He whistled to get Wooper's attention and have him battle Poliwag. Two slippery Pokémon were going to go at it with each other. They slapped each other with their tails and tackled each other. Before Poliwag can fall back in the water, Joey tosses his Pokéball to catch it. He catches the Pokéball with his hand so it doesn't touch the ground. The Pokéball rotates for a few times, then the center glows, signaling that the capture was a success. Joey raised the Pokéball in the air and cheered in triumph.
His friends cheered for him, but Kaiba felt a little disappointment in himself. He was the only one in the group who had not yet found a new Pokémon to join his group. It wasn't his fault. He just hadn't found any of interest yet. But there would come a time. For now, he and his friends would just continue their journey.
At the end of the plains was a mountain said to have contained a path people could pass through. It was called the Onix Tunnel. It didn't sound like a safe place to pass through. Onix were dangerous in the wild and didn't always take kindly to humans. Joey told his friends not to worry. Onix were rock-type Pokémon and those types of Pokémon didn't like water. With Joey's team of water-type Pokémon, the Onix wouldn't give them any trouble. And where there's a tunnel, there's bound to be some interesting stones. As they were passing through the tunnel, they noticed that many of the Onix were sound asleep. As long as the heroes were careful and wouldn't make any noise, the Onix wouldn't attack.
When the heroes saw the light at the end of the tunnel, Joey couldn't help but cheer. They were about to head outside until the group felt rumbling in their heels. An Onix came up from behind and softly growled. None of the heroes wanted to fight and they tried reasoning with Onix, but the rock snake wouldn't listen. The only way out of this was to have a battle. Joey called on Totodile for help. The little blue alligator launched his Water Gun. He hoped it would give the Onix a hint about going away. But instead, the water made him angry. Onix used his tail to push Totodile away. Emily rushed to catch Totodile and fell back as she caught him. Her collection of rocks fell out of her backpack. Undine saw the Water Stone Emily found in the lake. She always found water to be fun as well as refreshing. But sometimes, it's not supposed to be fun. A personal strength can be used as a weapon and responsibility has to come first. Undine had to do the right thing not just as an older sister or a leader, but as a partner. She had to use what she loved to her advantage to save her friends.
Undine hurried and touched the Water Stone and her body began glowing. Her fluffy brown fur turned into stretchy blue skin, her fluffy tail turned into a fish-like tail, and she had a frilly collar around her neck. Undine had now evolved into Vaporeon. She also quickly learned Water Gun and used it to attack Onix. The rock snake was weak and couldn't fight anymore. Kaiba decided to use this opportunity to catch him and tossed his Pokéball. Although Onix was inside, it wasn't yet contained. The Pokéball rotated a few times until the center glowed. At last, Kaiba had succeeded in capturing his first Pokémon. All of his friends cheered for him.
Even Undine received congratulations. Emily approached her and said, "Wow, Undine. I can't believe you did that for us. Thank you."
Kaiba agreed. "If you hadn't evolved to help us, we wouldn't have gotten out of the tunnel and I wouldn't have finally caught my first Pokémon."
Undine accepted everyone's thanks. "I love water because it's so refreshing and cool and I have lots of fun from it. But I love you the same way I love my brothers and sisters. That's how I knew what had to be done. I had to use what I love to save those I love. And from now on, that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Emily nods and smiles and picks up Undine to hug her. Undine knew that now that she was a Vaporeon, she wouldn't get the same refreshment she felt as an Eevee when she took baths. But now she could breathe underwater and swim better than before.
Before leaving the Onix Tunnel, the boys helped Emily pick up her collection of rocks. They noticed that some of them were small, smooth, and round like pearls. They were colorful too. Joey picked one up and wondered, "Is it me or do these look like Mega Stones?"
"If they are, then you've got a good eye, Briar," Kaiba told Emily. "But there's no telling what kinds of Mega Stones they are."
"I guess we'll have to wait and see," said Yugi. "Let's just hold on to them and see if we can find anyone to tell us what kinds of Mega Stones they are." His friends agreed and decided to let Emily hold on to the Stones. With that being settled, the heroes could finally leave the Onix Tunnel.