In the morning I quickly got up and firstly checked the wounded hand. It still hurts as hell, but it didn`t blood when I took off my improvised bandage. And also Moment himself tried not to bite me too deep, so the holes were not that bad.
Meh, I hope this will be enough for him for some time. Then we will have to do it again… If only I find a better solution.
At least, now my Golbat is in best shape and even more ready to go challenge the ground-type gym! I expect much from Moment in this battle as from the pokemon that`s immune to ground-type attacks. I can already see how silly trainers with their Sandslashes try to reach us and fail miserably… Unable to do anything against us. But we keep hitting them each time, ha-ha! That sounds pretty evil, and I like it!
"Ven, are you awake?" suddenly professor`s voice sounded from behind the door.
"Yes, professor!" I answered and began to quickly dress up. Now the problem was my very pained hand, not the shoulder. But that still hurts a bit too, reminding me of my mistakes.
"You have a call. Bill`s on the line." Old man informed me and left alone.
Bill? Could this mean he have found her? The sudden news made me hurry up with dressing, and in a minute I was in corridor talking by a phone.
"Hello, Bill!" I greeted my partner in crime. "Any news?"
"Yes, Ven, I`ve got it!" Bill replied to me really excited. "The signal have stopped in Viridian City… And you will never believe in what building."
"Viridian Gym." I strictly and shortly supposed.
"Exactly. You know what that means."
"Team Rocket has spies in Viridian Gym too, just like it had in Celadon City." I uncovered our common thoughts. "I guess, it could be one of trainers…"
"Or Team Rocket could just capture this gym just like they did with Saffron City. They lost so much after that battle, so… It`s worth a check, yeah?" Bill asked me, perfectly knowing that the answer will be positive.
"Of course! Also, I still want to complete my badge collection!" I, obviously, answered positive. "So, I will find out what`s happening here, save the Illusive Man, free the gym of Rocket`s influence and finally get the eighth badge!"
"Sounds like a plan." Bill supported me. "Do you need backup?"
"I think, I do. But I will give you the details later." I answered him. "So let`s contact later too."
I immediately put off the phone when heard the close presence of professor Oak nearby. That`s another thing I have to check on my list… But that is already on execution.
"I think, I should go, professor…" I called out to Oak and returned to the guest room for packing up.
"Already? Even without breakfast?" He surprisingly asked.
"Nah, I have my chocolate bars." I quickly got all my stuff and carefully moved the bitten arm. I don`t want professor to see my blooded sleeve. "Thanks for all your help, professor. See you soon!"
He nodded and escorted me to the doors. When I went outside, he just waved and shouted:
"Good luck with the last badge!"
"Good luck to you too. Take care of Mithry and Ditto!" I waved in return and noticed that Mithry came out to say goodbye to me too. The little monster barked cutely at me and hopped on place. "Yeah, and you take care of professor." I said to him and finally departed.
I decided to have a walk to Viridian City instead of flying on Dumpling. This gave me some time to make sure all my pokemon are ready for the upcoming challenge, even the cured Moment. He is now full of life, just like before, but the core reason of this makes him a bit sad.
But that didn`t stop us from having a hard and exhausting training. Dumpling was practicing his flying abilities to attack enemies from above. We will try to use our new powers in full this time!
Reaper was just stretching his muscles, because I don`t think he can do much in the upcoming ground-type gym. But Harry definitely will! We trained more of our classic Vine Whip and maneuvers based on it… getting some really interesting results in the form of needing Vine Whip no more.
Moment is my key pokemon there too, but his immunity won`t work if the opponent has something besides ground-type moves. Then it can be a problem… Or not! Moment is awesome, and now thanks to my blood, he is back in action.
And so does Loser… His Levitate ability helps him avoid all ground moves too. And we keep trying our new maneuvers as well as talking. The second thing does not actually happen to be successful, but I`m full of inspiration to keep trying.
The last, but not least – Lei Sheng. He may be the star again this time. His combination of half-flying type that`s immune to ground and half-water type that hits ground super-effectively will definitely help me a lot. He didn`t lose a single battle yet! Well, he didn`t participate in much, so this may change soon.
We spent many hours on hard training on Route 1… Near the road where my car was stolen so much time ago. This returned back old memories… And filled me with determination to keep working!
In the end we all finally got tired and then headed to the next settlement, reaching Viridian City after some time. It was a late night already, and I expected to see some familiar faces in this PokeCenter, but… there were none. A new girl was now in charge for the facility, because Jane is on her vacation. Having a free night was cool, but its price wasn`t that assuring for my conscience…
Ah, screw all this. I`m having rest this night and the next day will be the day I finally get my eighth badge! And, probably, get something more.
I do have a feeling that this day will be very important in my life.
Early in the morning I made all needed preparations for the battle and headed to the PokeMart first. There is one guy I want to talk to before everything starts.
"Hey there, Red Rob!" I greeted the seller near the shelf with pokemon medicine. The man heard familiar voice and turned to me.
"Whoah, never expected to see you again!" He greeted me too with a bit of sarcasm. "The man that I wasted so many money on…"
"You did this for a reason." I seriously replied and put a small bag of coins on the shelf before him. "Now I return the second part of debt in full and even a bit more." I nodded with a smile and made a step back. The vendor suspiciously looked at me, then – at the bag and began to check it. He counted the money really quickly – the sign of experience – and approvingly nodded to me.
"Good. As for me, I checked on our courier with my new boss and got some fresh information." Rob said and looked around with suspicion. There were very few people around us, so he felt safe to talk.
"Kalos?" I asked him first.
"Yes, Kalos." He replied, heading back to the counter where he took a small file that looks like a dossier. "The case was really curious, because all the info in his actual recruitment questionnaire is all fake! This is all I could through the people that know him."
I looked through the file and made a photo with my eyes. Finally, I have a bit more leads now – this guy has some interesting facts to see…
He does come from far away Kalos region with some pokemon never seen there. One of them is described as a 'scary purple Charizard with huge ears'. Well, this a bit resembles Noivern that professor Oak mentioned.
Unfortunately, the info was too blur and unproved for me to become a new solid lead. The so-called Lonso Artego - if that`s his true name – didn't interact with people too much. He just worked as a courier between the Viridian City and the warehouse in Pallet Town. Everything was just fine, until… the day I came to this region. And since that moment no one ever saw him, and the apartment he rented was already sold. That is all we have.
"Thank you." I took the file and carefully placed it in my pocket. Maybe, later I will find some more use of it. "But tell me… I have my personal means of finding him. What`s yours?"
Red Rob chuckled quietly and crossed hands on chest.
"I`m just trying to be in the middle of action. My superior have found a replacement for him already, but I still wish to find out what actually happened." He admitted honestly. "I always felt something strange about the guy."
"Well, you were right all along." I positively nodded. "He is definitely one strange subject. When I find out more, I`ll let you know."
"Right… Do you wish to buy something?" Rob carefully changed the topic when noticed that people are actually filling the place.
"Yeah, sure. It`s time for me to buy some hyper potions for my guys!" I answered cheerfully and headed to the counter.
"That`s right, ha! Big boys need big bottles!" The vendor laughed and followed me.
I quickly restocked my medicine pockets and said a good-bye to Red Rob. Now I am more prepared to face the last gym… more than any when!
The Viridian City Gym… This large building situated nearly on the city border was almost the only notable sight in the whole city, and still… it looked not very popular.
Some previous gyms had real queues before them. Some had not. But this one really looks empty and abandoned. No real signs of gym, no special decorations, nothing remarkable. Just a really huge antennae on the top of it. Maybe this gym`s challenge somehow connected to the radio? Or TV? Or… I don`t know. However inventive my fantasy is, it can`t find the connection between ground type and radio tower. This is also very strange.
The doors were now opened, so I entered inside and looked around. It was dark as hell here, because everything was turned off. The windows are closed, like no one was there at least for a month… Maybe this is the challenge itself? I could expect something like this in ghost-type gym or, maybe, dark-type gym. But, well, I didn`t expect a teleportation maze in psychic-type gym. And quizzes in fire-type gym! This could be anything.
And then suddenly doors behind me closed too, interrupting my thoughts and leaving me in a complete darkness. I checked it and… it was closed for good. Not like it was wind of something like that…
"Come on, Harry, help me with Flash!" I released Victreebel to the ground and asked to assist me. He glowed brightly to shine the place around us. Now I could define the interior of this strange structure.
We were in middle-sized room with several corridors everywhere. Looks like another maze, again. Gym leaders sure like to confuse challengers with labyrinths and all that crap… Now it`s a dark labyrinth, yeah? A pokemon with Flash move makes this easier… and reveals things that sometimes you would not want to see.
Everything there looked… too familiar for some reason. Walls, floors, ceilings, interior… Everything! And everything looked pretty new for an abandoned-looking building. No dust, no dirt, no something that would make sense!
But the first most important thing was the booster panel far down the corridor. The same one booster panel that I saw at Team Rocket headquarters in Celadon City! Damn, this place IS infected with them! The second most important thing proved it…
Because the second most important thing is a bunch of silhouettes coming out of the unlit shadow. Some of them looked human, some of them looked pokemon. Approaching my position, these things became more and more distinct. I could see people in disgusting Team Rocket uniform coming closer to me together with their evil pokemon already released outside to fight me. I saw Arboks, Machokes, Rhyhorns, Sandslashes, Gravelers, and many other pokemon. I even noticed a couple of Marowaks here among trained pokemon. I thought that this kind of all must hate Rockets more than anything.
Very soon the room filled not only with light, but also with very large crowd that blocked any of our ways of escape. Not really good.
The coil of bandits becomes tighter and tighter… and the time to invent a plan is shorter and shorter. Well, I already have three, but I fear the most that Harry will fail it. And even if we succeed – what to do next? Where to go? Should I search for the gym leader or just run for my life?
Meh, screw this. I have to escape first.
"Harry, aim there…" I pointed at the beam under the ceiling and took a grab on my pokemon. When he launched his vines to take a hold on that beam, our numerous enemies rushed into attack. "Flash and go!"
I closed my eyes and heard the sound of extremely powerful Flash that blinded our opponents. Just in a second Harry flew up by the power of his vines, and the coil of bandits turned into a pile where everyone tries to punch everyone.
As for us, we safely landed outside the danger and headed together forward to the booster panel. It`s been a while since I rode these ones. I quickly returned Harry back into his pokeball and made a long leap… The feeling of dangerous excitement filled me again, when I was jumping from one line to another, mastering this light speed-conveyor-coaster ride.
My pursuers were quickly left behind, not able to chase me anymore. But also the road quickly ended, leaving me… in the sand.
"What the heck?!" I exclaimed surprisingly, feeling the soft ground under my feet.
Well, the opened ground in a ground-type gym should not be a surprise, I guess… I could understand having ground –covered floors on the battlefield itself, but why do they need the ground in the corridor?
The answer came almost immediately with a bunch of Dugtrios digging up the ground in circle around me. Just like that day in Diglett Cave… Feeling something bad coming, I released Victreebel again to help me. Of course, Harry remembered the events in Diglett Cave and took a battle stance, ready to fight.
"Ah-ha-ha!" The evil voice laughed behind me. I immediately turned around to see a man in the further end of corridor. The one with purple messy haircut, small beard and a mug that simply asks to be punched. This one have never crossed my way before. "You may have escaped Proton and Archer earlier, but there is no way you can escape Petrel!"
I guess, this moron is obviously Petrel… The leader of remained scientific branch of Team Rocket! And the one responsible for the countless deaths of all those missing pokemon.
"I`ll beat you so badly you will envy those pokemon you murdered!" I shouted at him with extreme and uncovered disgust.
"Stupid trainer… Don`t you see what you refused to get? What power you refused to possess?" He raised his hand up to show me a small control device. "You fool can`t even imagine what heights we have achieved!"
And with a single press of a button he made all Dugtrios move to us. Did he… somehow mind-controlled them? And how was it in the Diglett Cave…
Oh shit.
"Flash again, Harry!" I gave an order and closed my eyes ready to blindly run for our lives. The light explosion covered the whole corridor, blinding all our enemies and giving us chance to escape.
Too bad the ground itself was against it, and I immediately fell through it, getting my leg stuck for good - damn Dugtrios softened it too much! Harry noticed me and wrapped my waist with his vine, trying to pull me out of this crap, but all that was too useless.
Our foes slowly came back to senses after blinding by our Flash just to see that we didn`t actually move anywhere. Damn, that looked really stupid.
"Ha, it will be my pleasure to bring you to my boss!" He grinned really evilly.
"Oh, awesome! I want to see him, we need to discuss a couple of things…"
"He-he-he… You won`t be able to." Petrel threatened me again. "Because you will be brought in multiple bags!"
And after that he began to laugh maniacally. What a jerk… He looks like a drug addict, how could Giovanni possibly put this idiot in charge of a frigging scientific branch? But I have to admit – inventing something that controls Dugtrios is an impressive thing.
"Okay, Harry… Get prepared for the Blade Tornado maneuver…" I whispered to my partner and prepared myself for that too.
"Finish them!" Petrel furiously ordered to the Dugtrio flock, and his technical slaves began to approach us slowly.
"Now!" I shouted and freed my leg with a single rush. After that I jumped on Harry`s head leaf to reach the beam under ceiling, hanging on it. Meanwhile Victreebel spread his long leaves and began to spin around, cutting all ground creeps that dare to approach too close.
Despite the complete failure of first waves of Dugtrios, others didn`t stop. They completely ignored their fallen brothers and just moved near their unconscious bodies straight to us, like a mindless zombie horde. The surface of ground they dig for moving was thrown aside, literally burrowing the defeated pokemon. Without a doubt, without remorse, without any emotions… They were moving at Harry until he crushed them all, leaving just a huge pile of dirt and Dugtrios mixed together around himself.
"Satisfied, you bastard?" I threw a word at Petrel. He looked stunned and worried for a sec, but then returned his grin back on face and pressed another button on his device.
"He wave more than one flock of ground critters!" The man replied cunningly, and very soon the ground itself began to shake. A loud humming of something really bad approaching reached me from aside.
The wall of gym was literally crushed by a wave of mighty Rhyhorns gone berserk. I had just seconds to return my Harry back into a pokeball before being stomped to death. Losing their prey, they soon found another – a lone trainer hanging under the ceiling. Thirsting for his blood, they began to climb each other to reach me, but didn`t make it. Then they began just crushing walls…
Damn, these ones look exactly like the Rhyhorns that attacked me and Leaf in Safari Zone. Could this mean… they ARE the Rhyhorns that attacked me and Leaf in Safari Zone?!
Crap! They ARE!
Team Rocket utilizes the technology of controlling pokemon and tested it on me those times! They have controlled Digletts and Dugtrios back then… And then also a huge flock of Rhyhorns in Safari Zone. What do these pokemon have in common?
Ground typing.
Team Rocket controls ground-type gym for a really long time. Built the radio tower to gain control over pokemon. Maybe, even forced all students to join them! I guess, it isn`t the end, if I can still find the Elusive Man, free him and purge the Viridian City of this damn rocket disease.
And I also guess that I can`t hold on for much longer when the crazy Rhyhorns do their best to throw me down.
"Let`s get out of here, Dumpling!" I shouted and threw a pokeball near me to release my Charizard outside. When he materialized, I jumped on his back and pointed right at the bastard on the other side of corridor. "Let`s go and practice our Flamethrower on that device!"
With the new order, Dumpling gladly rushed to our foe on the height, unreachable by crazy Rhyhorns. The really scared face of Petrel looked so enjoyable for me. I wanted to punch it so much! Vengeance smash!
Too bad this coward squeaked like a girl and ran away from us, losing the device after our flame struck his hand. He didn`t care about that anymore and just headed in one of numerous corridors to save his miserable live.
"Heh… And who the hell are you without your pity devices?" I called out to him, picking up the control from ground. It looked a bit melted, but still functioning okay.
I found what button should turn off the effect of control, but hesitated to press it immediately. This technology really is something… If Rockets can control pokemon, then why trying to create a new one? Bill really would like to look at this…
But should he?
This power is too dangerous, too unstable. It can turn on you the second after you used it. If I try to use by myself, where is the guarantee that the same happened to Petrel won`t happen to me? Where is the guarantee it won`t become worse?
No, I get used to taking risks, but not this time.
I pressed the switch off. The angry flock of Rhyhorns that was already charging at me, suddenly stopped and began to look around, confused. It worked.
"Listen, guys…" I addressed them carefully. "Team Rocket used you in their evil schemes. But now you are free! And you should run the heck out of here… and stomp any human in dark costume with "R" sign on it!"
Rhyhorns growled angrily. But I knew they are angry at Team Rocket. Pokemon are smart creatures, they got me well.
"Then off you go! Avenge the hours of being a mindless zombies!" I exclaimed loudly and pointed at the destroyed wall where the forest could be seen. With a loud roar all spiky pokemon rushed there, knocking down everything on their path.
I`m a horrible person. Someone will deal with rampaging Rhyhorns in the forest.
But there is no rest for me yet. Not when the crowd of grunts appears again to chase me.
"You`re too slow!" I teased them and together with Dumpling rushed away from them into the corridor.
But I didn`t take in count one thing… Our pursuers don`t care much about structure of the gym they captured. Strong Machops were just making shortcuts to me through the walls! This is not a really good sign, so I jumped on my Dumpling and tried to lose them by air… while still inside a corridor. That didn`t work out well, and the pursuers were slowly approaching us.
Until we reached the huge room that obviously must be the stadium itself. The large ground-covered field looking like Brock`s. The only difference was the man standing on the other side of the battlefield.
"You finally appeared… again." Said the rude voice of Giovanni.
He was wearing his regular suit, but without any signs of Team Rocket. He also had a small leaf-like green badge pinned to the top of suit. I guess, this is the badge of this gym itself.
"Yeah, I did appear. Are you surprised? I certainly am." I honestly replied to him, while looking back while the crowd of idiots reaches me and blocks the only way back.
"You`re cornered, asshole!" One of them shouted at me. "Surrender!"
"I`ll take it from here, grunts." Giovanni calmly commanded. "Leave us."
"But Boss…" The grunt tried to argue, but instead just made Giovanni angrier.
"LEAVE!" He yelled irritated. "This is just between us. I don`t want to see ANY of you idiots in this place in a minute!"
Wow… He just expelled them all from the gym. Giovanni feels that our encounter will obviously end with battle. The largest battle we`ve ever had. And he fears to lose it… To fall in the eyes of his servants. That`s even better – I can give my pokemon complete freedom in battling there.
"You know… For the first time I am here not for you. I came here to challenge the gym, Giovanni." I explained my presence here to him. "But I come and find you here instead of its leader. I see you captured it with your Team Rocket… I`m disappointed. So, tell me… what did you do to Elusive Man?"
"The Elusive Man, huh?" He questioned wondering. "Did other gym leaders told you this?"
"Ehm.. Yes?" I replied unsurely.
"Hah… Then I`ll have to disappoint you again, my dear Vengeance." He made a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I haven`t captured this gym, because it was mine from the beginning. I did nothing to its leader. The so-called Elusive Man… The leader of this gym… is ME!"