Hello everybody, tis I, Nuttybuddy792, writing a chapter for my friend Bumblebee2448 detailing the accounts of Daniel and Caitlynn as they explain what happened back in Indian Head that left Daniel so shaken at the end of the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy!
Indian Head, Maryland
Daniel grimaced as Caitlynn guided his Salamence to the ground outside his house. He was still in pain from his injuries suffered from that battle against Goodsworth and Marco. It has been a brief battle in a sense, as he'd only had time to call out two attacks before that explosion had knocked everyone for a loop. Still, he was astounded by the power of Mega Pokémon. His Blaziken had landed a super effective Sky Uppercut on that Tyranitar and it had shrugged it off and kept going. Granted, both were Mega Evolved, but the sheer power all four Pokémon had shown in that battle astounded Daniel. He was grateful that he had escaped worse injury, as he remembered when he cracked his rib back during his senior year of high school taking a boot to the side in the middle of a soccer game, nearly a year ago now during this fall season. That took forever to heal, it had seemed, so the fact that he only had bruises and minor burns out of that intense scenario was a bit of a miracle. Still, now that he was home, it was time to rest and recover for a week until it was time for Caitlynn's Contest in Cincinnati. He couldn't hide his gasp of pain as Salamence landed in front of his home, as even though his Dragon type landed as gently as possible, she still couldn't stop the slight jolt of landing and that send a shot of pain through all off his bruises.
Caitlynn turned around at his gasp with a concerned look on her face. "You okay Danny?"
"I'll be fine," he replied, climbing gingerly off of the Dragon Pokémon, who warbled something to him in her own language. "You did great Salamence, don't worry. I'm a little sore, but I'll recover." Salamence huffed, blowing smoke out her nostrils before flying to the backyard, eager to rest in her favorite spot. Daniel then turned and limped his way into his house and was instantly confronted by his mother.
"Do you know how worried I was?!" she shouted angrily, "I saw you on the news!"
"Hopefully they had good things to say about me," Daniel joked half-heartedly. The look he received from his mother could've shattered granite.
"Do you think I enjoyed seeing my son on the news as one of those injured in the chaos?!" his mother exploded, "Do you know how scared I was when I heard you were in the hospital recovering from an explosion?! DO YOU?!"
Daniel bowed his head meekly, knowing he couldn't face a mother's wrath head on. "Probably very scared."
"Probably?! I barely got any sleep the past few nights because I worried about you! You didn't call, I didn't even know if you had survived until the hospital sent me the bill that you were out of the hospital!" She hugged Daniel tightly, shaking from anger and relief.
"I'm fine Mom," Daniel grunted, pain straining his voice, "Just a few bumps and bruises. Nothing that won't heal."
"But you're still hurt!" she released him and began examining him with the eye of a mother who wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"I know Mom," Daniel said, exasperated, "I'm here to recover. Once I'm feeling better, I'm taking Caitlynn to Cincinnati for her next Contest since the Hall in Richmond got postponed."
"You're not going anywhere!" his mother said quickly.
"Why?!" Daniel asked, "I'm 18, I'm an adult, I have all the badges that the US League has to offer, the Champion has helped train me himself, I can handle myself! I know you don't want to admit it, but-"
"But my firstborn is all grown up and ready to leave the nest," his mother finished with a frustrated sigh. She wiped away a tear that was gathering in her eye and looked at both him and Caitlynn. "Yes, I've watched both of you grow up together, ever since we gave you that Torchic egg all those years ago. As a mother, I couldn't be more proud of all you have been able to accomplish, both of you. You Caitlynn, coming so far in the Contest Circuit and being so close to winning it all. And you, my son. I've watched you grow up before my very eyes, but remember that a mother will always see the little toddler she taught how to walk, the young boy who drank it all in as I showed you how to catch a Pokémon. I remember the joy in your eyes as you caught your first Pokémon with the help of your Torchic. A mother never forgets, but the worst part about raising a child is when they finally are big enough to survive without a mother's help. Your father and I knew that it was coming, but parting always hurts. I realize that I have to let you go sooner or later, but indulge your mother for tonight."
Daniel smiled as he gingerly embraced his mom, who gently led him to the couch. "I need to recover anyways. There's no place like home."
She smiled as she gestured to Caitlynn. "You can come in as well Caitlynn, seeing as your parents knew you were fine during the fiasco in Richmond. You and Daniel both look like you need rest."
"Thank you Mrs. Nelson," Caitlynn said as she followed, closing the door behind them. "He's my only ride to Cincinnati right now and I really don't want to miss that Contest. I need every Ribbon I can get right now."
"That you do," Mrs. Nelson agreed, "I've got dinner ready in a few minutes, you're more than welcome to spend the night Caitlynn, given what's happened the past few days."
"Thanks Mom," Daniel said simply as he did his best to get comfortable on the couch despite his injuries. He turned on the TV and began surfing through the various channels, settling on a replay of the Barcelona-Ajax Champions' League group play match and watched eagerly, having missed the match during his travels.
"Really?" Caitlynn asked, raising an eyebrow, "You have a match against the Champion coming up and you want to spend your downtime watching a soccer match?"
"I can't think of a better way to spend it," Daniel argued with a grin, "It's not every day I get to watch the greatest player of all time ploy his craft on the pitch. As if to prove his point, number 10 in the red and blue striped shirts received the ball and proceeded to dribble around three players like they were nothing. His shot went wide, but the buzz of excitement from the TV was infectious. "See what I mean? Only Messi could've made that opportunity out of nothing!"
"You know I don't care for soccer," Caitlynn pointed out.
Daniel laughed. "Yeah, but you also know that this household is full of soccer nuts. Besides, Baltimore got swept by Kansas City of all teams, so I need some other sport than baseball to occupy my time." Daniel's mother smiled as the two argued over which was the better sport to watch.
"Those two make quite the couple," she said to herself, "If only they'd realize it before the window of opportunity slams shut."
The Next Morning
Caitlynn awoke the next morning in the guest bedroom, sunlight filtering in through the window. A quick glance out the window told her it was going to be a beautiful, if brisk autumn day. Heading down for breakfast, she noticed Daniel headed outside, Pokéballs in hand. Curious as to what he was up to, she followed him to his backyard. She watched in silence as Daniel called all six of his Pokémon out and addressed them.
"Hey guys, I know things didn't exactly go to plan in Richmond," he began, "But there's a silver lining. We have more time to train for our battle against the Champion. I know Blaziken noticed it when we teamed up with him against Marco and Goodsworth. Andrew's been holding back against us the entire time." Caitlynn's gasp was audible, even among all the other Pokémon's exclamations, which prompted Daniel to turn around. He grinned sheepishly when he registered her presence. "Hey Caitlynn, didn't expect you up this early."
Caitlynn ignored that. "Hold up, what do you mean he's been holding back?!"
"I mean exactly that," Daniel answered solemnly. "I realized it when I saw how his Charizard attacked during our tag team. Sure, we worked well together, though it's hard not to work well with the Champion, it was obvious he wasn't holding anything back in trying to stop those two."
"So how are you going to beat him then?" Caitlynn asked with concern in her voice.
Daniel shrugged. "I've realized I'm probably not going to beat him in Cincinnati, but it'll be great experience for these guys, especially if we can give him a good run for his money, despite his crafty substitutions. We learn more from our losses than from our victories."
"Yeah, but if you go in expecting to lose, then what's the point?" Caitlynn pointed out.
"To see our weak points and work to cover those weaknesses," Daniel replied nonchalantly, "I learned quite a bit from my loss to him a while ago, as well as when I watched both his battles against Marco and against his old rival during Mega Evolution training. We've improved a lot in our long range combat because of it. Now I realize that we need to improve on our stamina, because while my team can dish out hits, with the exception of Swampert, they can't take a good hit and keep going. So for the next few days, that's what we're gonna work on, is stamina training." While his Swampert seemed elated, the rest of his Pokémon seemed less than thrilled.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, it's not the most fun training in the world, but it's necessary if we want to give the Champion a good match," Daniel said to his Pokémon. "I'd join you if I could, but I'm still recovering from my injuries, so I'm going to help you guys train by giving you tip on form and what not as we do these exercises, okay?" There was a chorus of agreement from his Pokémon and Daniel began dishing out instructions to his Pokémon.
"Are you sure this'll help?" Caitlynn asked, watching the whole situation as Daniel's Lucario began to go through a set of push-ups, Gallade soon joining him.
"I don't see why not?" Daniel answered with a shrug, "We've got a week until your next Contest, I figured we'd leave on Saturday morning so that we'd have a couple of days in Cincinnati to take in the sights and get ready for your Contest."
"Sounds like a good idea," Caitlynn agreed, "I've got a new routine I've been meaning to practice anyways. Maybe you could give me critiques on it."
"Gladly," Daniel said, "We're both looking to snap a losing streak, might as well get better together." And with that, they were off. For the next four days, Daniel led his Pokémon through various exercises to increase their stamina, through weight lifting, a task Swampert particularly enjoyed, attack endurance, something Salamence enjoyed as Daniel took care to help everybody try and get used to taking a Dragon type attack. He'd noticed how Andrew had gotten rattled by the loss of his Flygon, so if he could take out that deceptively powerful Pokémon, no easy task given the circumstances, perhaps he might be able to take advantage of that mental weakness. Then again, Daniel realized that if he had to stoop to such tactics, he was no better than Marco.
When he confessed his thoughts to Caitlynn, she agreed with him as his Salamence swooped overhead, carrying the training weights with some effort. "I know you'd be just as rattled if you lost Blaziken early in a battle. So while it's okay to train in preparation for facing that Flygon simply because it's so strong, doing so to take advantage of his feelings for his Pokémon is just plain wrong. You of all people should know that, after what Lauren did to you back in high school."
Daniel winced. "That was a mistake, I know. But do you have to keep bringing her up?"
"If you have thoughts like that, I'll definitely keep mentioning her. I have to make sure you learned from that blunder of yours," Caitlynn retorted, a wry grin on her face. She'd helped him train his Pokémon throughout the week and with the help of a local Chansey, Daniel had pretty much healed by Friday morning. As he and Caitlynn sat at the dinner table, the rest of Daniel's family also there enjoying a hearty meal cooked by Daniel's father, Daniel informed his mother of his plans.
"Are you sure sweetie?" she asked, "I saw some of your burns, do you really want to start traveling so soon?"
Daniel laughed. "I'm fine Mom. You saw that Chansey work her magic. I'm almost fully healed and I've been looking forward to visiting Cincinnati again."
"It's okay, but not as beautiful as some of the other cities I've been to," his father said.
"You travel everywhere since you work for the Navy," Daniel's little brother David pointed out. He may have been only 12, but he was well on his way to becoming a powerful Trainer. "So of course you'd have seen better cities. It's Ohio for crying out loud!"
"Ohio has its nice spots," Daniel's little sister, older than David by a few years, spoke up, "Remember that trip to the western part of the Adirondack Mountains? That was pretty."
"Yeah, but that was the wilderness, not a city," Caitlynn pointed out, "Having been exploring both the urban and natural, I can definitely tell you it's always going to be prettier in the wild than in the city. It's just how it is. That being said, I do prefer having AC and a roof over my head."
"You could have just borrowed David's Glaceon if you'd wanted AC," Daniel said with a chuckle. "Besides, winter's coming, so we won't have to worry about it getting too hot anymore. If anything, your Ninetales is going to come in real handy whenever we have to camp out in a forest or something."
"I'm sure she'd love that," Caitlynn said sarcastically, "Being reduced from a Contest Star to a portable tent heater."
Daniel put his hands up defensively. "Well when you put it like that, guess we'll have to pack the heavy sleeping bags."
"I'm sure your Ninetales could do a great job at both," Mr. Nelson said, getting up from the table. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take my wife to that school board meeting she can't afford to miss."
"Hey, we have to teach these liberal arts majors how to properly balance a budget," Mrs. Nelson said with a sad smile. "People don't seem to understand that you can't spend more money than what you're given, otherwise everyone's going to suffer when the bill comes due, especially the younger generation since they'd be the ones responsible for paying the debts my generation is creating. They certainly don't teach you that in a history class."
"But it's for the kids," Caitlynn argued, "Surely we can't spare any expense for children."
A look of annoyance came into Mrs. Nelson's eye. "Yes, I hear that a lot. So what happens if we spend all this money we don't have? Sure, the kids now will have all sorts of benefits, even being able to fund that video game club people keep mentioning. But where's that extra money coming from?"
"The state?" Caitlynn answered hesitantly.
"And where does the state get its money from?"
"The government?"
"Try us. We the taxpayers pay for everything the government does," Mrs. Nelson explained wearily, as if she'd given this explanation several times over. "So what happens when the government overpays? Taxes go up. The economy suffers when taxes go up and what happens when we the taxpayers run out of money from over taxation? Total economic collapse. So I'm going to try and prevent that by establishing good economic habits now to prevent your generation from suffering in the future."
"How do you know all this?" Caitlynn asked, "Aren't you an engineer?"
"Mom has a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering and a minor in economics," Daniel explained, "Not to mention she constantly complains about her junior engineers screwing things up."
"I just want to do what's best for the Navy," Mrs. Nelson explained, "These idealistic kids are going to mess things up for your generation if we don't keep them in check." She turned to her husband. "Let's get going. I don't want to be late." With that, she left the table and headed out the door, Mr. Nelson not too far behind.
He had some parting words. "We'll be back late, try to get in bed by a decent hour." With that, he was gone and the four of them were left alone.
Melissa had her own agenda. "If you don't mind, I need to go study for the Ranger exams." She retired to her room. Daniel decided to leave his younger brother to his own devices and headed outside, leaving Caitlynn to finish her dinner. All six of his Pokémon were in his backyard, munching on the pile of berries he had procured for them as a reward for a hard few days of training.
"Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the berries," Daniel said, getting their attention as he grabbed a Nomel berry from the much diminished pile. He bit into it and scrunched up his face at the sour flavor, but managed to finish that bite. "Whoo, that's intense! Anyways, we're off to Cincinnati tomorrow, which is why I gave you the afternoon off. You all did a great job in training. Now we've got a rematch with the Champion coming up, one where hopefully Blaziken here will put on a show of true power, right buddy?" The Blaze Pokémon swallowed the remains of his Tamato berry and nodded, glancing at the Blazikenite on his right arm.
"Yeah, I know, Mega Evolution," Daniel agreed. "Who would've thought you'd be able to evolve past your final stage? And from what research I've done during my down time here, apparently there's Mega Stones out there for all of you!" Sceptile stopped munching on his Yache berry and asked a question. "Yeah, all of you. I hear you might even gain a new typing Sceptile. But that's pointless unless we can find a compatible Mega Stone. Given how rare these suckers are, I wouldn't get my hopes up, but who knows, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for any new Mega Stones I can find."
They sat in silence for a bit, content to simply dine on the berries. Dan alternated between the Nomel berry he'd started earlier and a Magost berry, the sweet and sour flavors giving a nice contrast between the two. As the sun set in the distance, Daniel was content to let his mind wander. There was that one girl from Boston that had managed to capture the Champion's attention. She was going to be a powerhouse in the future, that much he could tell about her. He saw a Crobat flit through the trees as the sparse light from the beautiful sunset began to fade. The porch lights came on automatically as Daniel got up, ready to head inside to get ready for bed. His walk was stopped cold when his Lucario barked out a warning and flared his aura, the blue light casting spooky shadows out into the forest. An orange light was added as Blaziken's wrist flames flared up as the Fire/Fighting type got ready for battle, along with all the other Pokémon. Salamence was in the air, ready to move as best she could in the dim light. What Daniel saw sent a chill down his spine. Several people dressed in black pants and gray shirts were standing around the edge of the woods, black masks preventing Daniel from seeing anyone's face, but he knew immediately who those people were.
"It would seem we have finally been discovered," said someone Daniel couldn't see. Then he stepped forward into the light. This man stood taller than most of his minions and his grey beret marked him as the leader. A Crobat, the very same Crobat Daniel had seen before in fact, landed on his right shoulder. Several more Golbat hovered in the air by their respective Trainers. Mightyena and Ariados stood on the ground, trapping Daniel and his Pokémon in a half circle with his home as the back wall.
"Team Darkness," Daniel said, saying the words like they were some sort of disease. He was scared. How had they found his home? His whole family was now at risk because he had done the right thing and intervened with this evil organization's plans. This was bad.
"Correct," said the man. His green eyes pierced through the darkness, staring into Daniel's brown eyes. "So you're the Trainer Goodsworth said got in the way back in Richmond. I can't say I'm impressed if we managed to pull off our mission without you noticing."
"What mission?" Daniel asked, the icy hand of fear gripping his heart. He had to let Caitlynn know, his siblings were at risk. At the snap of the man's fingers, a window seemed to explode outwards from Daniel's house and two more figures dressed in the Team Darkness uniform leaped out, nimbly landing on the ground carrying Daniel's best friend between them. Another one carried her Plusle and Minun, both of the little Electric types clearly unconscious along with their Trainer. "Oh crapbaskets…"
"As you can see," the man continued, "We have managed to take your companion right out from under your nose. You were foolish to ever consider messing with us and now, I, admin Kerry, will defeat you for Goodsworth and finish you here and now! Let's go Scrafty!" There was a flash of light as the orange, lizard-like Pokémon with baggy yellow skin and a red Mohawk appeared. Daniel nodded to his Blaziken, who stepped forward, wrist flames burning bright. Everyone else stepped back, including the two who were holding Caitlynn.
"First things first," Daniel said, "Leave my friend alone and put her down."
"Make me," Kerry taunted, "Scrafty, use Hi Jump Kick!" The Hoodlum Pokémon jumped into the air thrust his knee out in an attempt to hit Blaziken.
Daniel was not slow on the draw. "Get out of the way Blaziken, then use Blaze Kick!" Once that command was given, he turned to his Gallade. "Quick, use Psychic to get Caitlynn out of their clutches! Lucario, guard him while he's doing that." A lot of things happened at once. Blaziken leaped out of the way of Scrafty's attack, which led to the Dark/Fighting type crashing into the ground where the Blaze Pokémon had been. Simultaneously, Gallade's eyes began glowing blue with psychic energy and a similar aura surrounded the two grunts that held Caitlynn. The aura prevented them from moving and lifted Caitlynn's limp body up into the air, as well as Plusle and Minun. That prompted several of the Golbat to swoop in and try and stop Caitlynn from being rescued. Green fire then erupted into the night as Salamence dove in and attacked the Golbat with a Dragonbreath. With that display of fireworks, the battle was on as Mightyena charged, Ariados launched Sludge Bombs, and Daniel found himself assaulted on all sides. Blaziken landed close by and kicked Scrafty, who was rolling around in the grass clutching his wounded knee, with a flaming leg, sending the Hoodlum Pokémon in front of Kerry.
"Someone stop that Gallade!" Kerry roared as his Crobat took off from his shoulder, sending an Air Cutter at Salamence that got the Dragon Pokémon's attention. The Dragon/Flying type shot another Dragonbreath at the Bat Pokémon, but the Crobat lazily dodged and began to engage Salamence in an aerial duel, allowing the Golbat to add to the melee with Shadow Ball and Air Slash attacks.
"Swampert use Protect to defend Gallade!" Daniel ordered, leaning out of the way of a Sludge Bomb from an ambitious Ariados. "The rest of you, Close Combat combos and defend our home!" He touched the Mega Stone on his wrist. "Let's go Blaziken! We can't afford to hold back!" The Mega Stone began emitting tendrils of energy, energy that linked up with the tendrils extending from the Blazikenite on the Fire/Fighting type's arm. Orange energy surrounded Blaziken and fire began to swirl around him. "Mega Evolve!" The transformation was quick and the firestorm soon ended, revealing Mega Blaziken in all of his glory. Immediately he was assaulted by several Mightyena.
"Hang in there pal and use your Blaze Uppercut combo!" Daniel ordered as he kept a close eye on Caitlynn. Swampert's shield was beginning to crack from the repeated attacks, but Gallade wasn't going to have to keep it up for much longer. He reached up to catch Caitlynn and was blindsided by a Mightyena, knocking him to the ground and causing the not-quite fully healed wounds of his to flare in pain. That Mightyena then leaped up at Caitlynn, jaws wide to bite down on her leg when Gallade jerked her out of range. Swampert's shield finally broke and attacks came pouring through, causing both Swampert and Gallade to dodge. Caitlynn began falling, the Psychic broken as Gallade slammed into the offending Mightyena with a Leaf Blade attack. Ignoring the pain, Daniel dove forward and caught Caitlynn before she could hit the ground, rolling to absorb the impact. He took a second to glance around the battlefield. His backyard was getting torn up by the various attacks.
A roar from above told him that Salamence was not having a good time against all the Bat Pokémon, having defeated the Crobat and a glance upwards confirmed that she was slowly being forced downwards towards the ground. Blaziken was doing great, but for every Mightyena he took down, a Crawdaunt would take its place. The Fire type was being forced back by the type matchups, as were all of Daniel's other Pokémon. The situation was grim.
"Come on Caitlynn, wake up!" Daniel said desperately, "I could use some reinforcements right now!" The only response from her was a gentle snore, something a part of Daniel's mind found cute. He shook himself, trying not to get distracted from a rather important battle right now.
Kerry's booming laughter echoed across the battlefield. "So much for the Champion's assistant. Everyone, let's finish this scrub off so we can get a move on!"
Daniel was infuriated by his mocking tone, but he channeled his anger into his battle focus. "Brace yourselves guys and use your long range attacks to strike back while you can!" He could see the Dark types charging up Dark Pulse Attacks and the Poison types charging up Sludge Bombs. This was going to hurt. Then, to everyone's surprise, a Flamethrower came down from above and created a firewall in between Team Darkness and Daniel's beleaguered team. A Dragonite landed in the ring next to Daniel, a familiar red-headed woman in her signature leather jacket climbing off. "Mika!"
"Sorry I'm late!" she apologized, "Flew as fast as I could to get here, though I didn't expect a Trainer like you to be living in the boondocks."
Daniel rolled his eyes as the firewall was getting doused by the Crawdaunt. "We can't all be from the city. Besides, we have more important things to worry about. Shall we?" He gestured to the onrushing horde of enemy Pokémon, his Pokémon enjoying the brief respite and the reinforcements immensely.
"I've been itching to beat up some Darkness goons after I heard what happened to Hanson's lab," Mika said, throwing a Pokéball in front of her. From that Pokéball emerged her Ampharos, Ampharosite gleaming in the necklace around the Electric type's neck. He took the situation in at a glance, tail light glowing in the darkness and illuminating the battlefield even more. Mika touched the pendant around her neck, activating the glowing stone's powers. "Alright Ampharos, time to Mega Evolve!" Orange energy manifested all over Ampharos' body, the Light Pokémon crying out at the sudden power rush. Hair grew out on both his head and tail, though for the most part Ampharos looked the same, as the energy was dispersed in a wave that left the ground crackling with electricity. He let out a cry of power and began charging an attack.
Kerry seemed less sure of himself. He had brought enough Pokémon to handle one Mega Evolution, but he wasn't sure if he had enough to handle two, not to mention the rest of this new girl's team. "Don't let up now everyone! Attack!" Daniel's Salamence leaped into the air again, eager for another bout with all the Golbat.
"Let's put a stop to that with Thunder!" Mika shouted. "Dragonite, you help Salamence in the air!" The large orange Dragon type growled an affirmative and leaped into the air, already launching a Flamethrower that took out a Golbat that was sneaking up on Salamence. Her Ampharos let loose a cry as he summoned a gigantic thunderbolt that landed on a cluster of Crawdaunt preparing to attack Blaziken, who landed another Sky Uppercut on a poor Mightyena, flooring that Dark type immediately. Daniel could sense the tide of the battle turning as his Lucario and Gallade teamed up to take out a cluster of Ariados who had clumped too close together.
"On your left Sceptile!" Daniel warned, seeing a Mightyena sneaking up on the Forest Pokémon. Sceptile turned and swung a quick Leaf Blade, catching the Dark type off guard and allowing Sceptile to keep battling the Crawdaunt unencumbered. "We're winning guys!"
Kerry, however, attempted to regain the upper hand, throwing a Pokéball in front of him. "Houndoom, let's shift their focus a little. Use Flamethrower on the house!" As the black and orange dog-like Pokémon appeared, Daniel overheard the Darkness admin and hesitated, stunned to hear such an order. That cost him as the Fire/Dark type unleashed a mighty Flamethrower that hit the garage, lighting it on fire.
"No!" Daniel gasped, "Swampert, withdraw and use Hydro Pump to put the fire out, quick!" The Mud Fish Pokémon
Mika saw what had happened and was incensed. "You cowards! You couldn't take this guy head on in a battle, so you attack him at night with a bunch of people! Now you go after his home?! You bastards don't deserve to be called Trainers! Ampharos, use Dragon Pulse!" The Mega Evolved Light Pokémon complied, sending a dragon shaped blue-green pulse of energy that struck the offending Houndoom with an explosion that instantly knocked out the Dark Pokémon. Kerry recalled the fallen Houndoom wordlessly, mulling his options as his minions began recalling their fallen Pokémon.
"I need some help controlling the blaze!" Daniel shouted to Mika, trusting his other Pokémon to keep up the defense of his home. Swampert was doing her best, but the blaze was spreading quickly. With his siblings still inside the house, he had to get this fire out.
"Everyone who can, use Haze!" Kerry shouted all of a sudden, "We're pulling out!" All of the remaining Golbat, a good dozen of them, unleashed a black cloud that covered the battlefield. Salamence roared and sent a Dragonbreath after the Golbat as they retreated. The Team Darkness goons all recalled their Pokémon and began to disperse through the trees. Sceptile sent a couple of Razor Leaf attacks as a parting shot, then turned back to Daniel, who had Gallade using Psychic in an attempt to contain the fire.
Mika sighed, having a few more choice words she'd wanted to send after Kerry and his goons, but the burning garage was of the more immediate concern. "Slowbro, use Hydro Pump to help put the fire out!" Daniel nodded in approval as the Water/Psychic type appeared and began spraying the garage. Once the blaze was put out and the smoke finally cleared, Daniel could survey the damage to his home. The big window that overlooked the backyard was completely shattered, but that was easily replaceable. The burn damage to the garage was severe, but his father's project Mazda RX-7 was untouched. The most damage to the garage was along the east wall and the roof, but for the most part, the house was untouched. When he turned his attention to Caitlynn, he was left perplexed. She was sound asleep, as were her two Electric types. A quick examination inside the house revealed the same of his siblings.
"It doesn't look like they used Sleep Powder on them," Daniel commented to Mika, who was helping to clear what damage she could. "And I would've heard them using Sing."
"Perhaps they used Hypnosis," Mika suggested, "I did see a Hypno with one of the grunts as they made a break for it. I have a way to wake them up if you really need me to." Her Ampharos walked over, in his normal form as electricity crackled across his frame.
"That'd probably be best" Daniel said, "But don't shock them too bad."
Mika laughed. "Don't worry, Ampharos has been keeping me from oversleeping for years. He's got this down to a science. Now wake her up Ampharos!" The Light Pokémon nodded and touched Caitlynn on the forehead, a small jolt of electricity leaping from his paw to her head and jumping to the sleeping Plusle and Minun on the ground next to them. It certainly did the trick, as she sat bolt upright, along with all the hairs on her head, the two Cheering Pokémon next to her having similar reactions to the electricity.
"No!" she shouted, still stuck in that state between dreams and reality. She saw Daniel and focused more, gathering the few coherent thoughts she had at the moment. "Team Darkness is here!"
"Not anymore," Daniel said soothingly, though he was trying to hide a grin at the state of her hair. Mika, on the other hand, was laughing uncontrollably.
"What's she doing here?" Caitlynn asked, more confused than ever.
"First things first, you might want to fix your hair," Daniel, joining in the laughter as it was too infectious. Once she had gotten her hair under control and Daniel had rescued his siblings from a similar situation, Daniel had explained what happened. From there on in, it was a long night as he had to explain to his parents why the garage was scorched, why Team Darkness was after him in the first place, why he was helping the Champion stop those crooks. It was a lot of explaining, as he had to explain why Mika was there (and she accepted the offer to spend the night). It was a tired Daniel that got up the next morning and wearily showered. As he got dressed, he decided to put on his Barcelona jersey before gathering his cold weather clothes and packing them. Cincinnati in the fall tends to get pretty cold this time of year. He made his way downstairs and met Caitlynn and Mika outside, both of whom were also ready for travel.
"Are you sure you should be leaving now?" Mrs. Nelson asked, concerned after the misadventures of last week and especially last night. The black soot stained garage stood as a grim reminder of that.
"I'll be fine, Mom," Daniel replied, petting his Salamence on the head. "If anything, I'll be putting you in harm's way if Team Darkness decides to strike at me again. I can't risk having that happen. I don't care if David is a rising star, if they bring the numbers they brought again, his Charmeleon would be overwhelmed quickly. I have to leave, until the Darkness threat is defeated. Don't worry Mom. I've got powerful friends, especially Caitlynn here."
"She's just a Coordinator," Mika scoffed, on the back of her Dragonite already, itching to take off.
"Hey, just cause I'm a Coordinator doesn't mean I'm weak!" Caitlynn protested, sending a glare her way.
Daniel frowned. "Coordinators have to battle too. They just have to put some flair into it. How'd you think Hailey won the Grand Festival last year? By knock out, that's how. Granted, it was a spectacular performance overall, but she didn't win it by just looking pretty. So I trust Caitlynn to watch my back. I'm sure the battle would've gone way better yesterday if she had been awake."
Mika shrugged. "Andrew's waiting for me in Cincy. So if you're going to travel with me, let's get going!" At her nudge, her Dragonite took off and began hovering in the sky above Daniel's house.
Daniel's mother hugged him tightly. "Be careful then, don't let me see you on the news in the hospital again. And take care of Caitlynn!"
"I've got it Mom," Daniel said sheepishly, returning the hug. He then let his mother go and climbed onto his Salamence, Caitlynn taking her spot behind him. "I'll send you a postcard."
His mother grinned. "Bring it to me yourself!" Daniel laughed and Salamence took off, eager to be in the sky. The journey north was uneventful, as Daniel and Mika passed some of the time discussing battle strategies. It wasn't until they were nearing the Ohio/Pennsylvania border that Caitlynn finally spoke up.
"Why do I feel like I'm constantly getting pushed to the side?" she asked Dan, fishing her jacket out of her bag due to the colder weather.
Daniel was perplexed. "What do you mean?"
"Like I'm becoming a simple sidekick!" Caitlynn answered with a sigh. "First it was getting your Mega Stone and Bracelet from the Guru where you left me behind. Then in Richmond I get left behind again when you go off to battle Marco and Goodsworth. Now last night I'm the 'damsel in distress' who had to be saved from the bad guys. That, coupled with my recent losing streak in Contests… I just don't know…"
Daniel looked back to face her and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "Listen, Caitlynn, nobody is making you a sidekick. You're going to win this next Contest and get you back on track for the Grand Festival and I'm going to be right there watching."
"But what if Team Darkness attacks again?" Caitlynn asked.
"Then we face them together," Daniel said simply, grabbing her hand for affirmation. He looked her dead in the eye. "I promise."
The tears left her eyes and Daniel could see that fiery spirit of hers come back to the forefront as she nodded. "I'll be holding you to that promise. Not even the Champion is going to separate us next time, not even if Groudon and Kyogre themselves are awakened!"
Daniel laughed, but it an ironic laugh more than a humorous one. "God, I hope you're wrong about those two waking up. With those orbs stolen, who knows what sort of chaos those Darkness thugs could bring to America?"
"Nothing we can't handle!" Caitlynn said with confidence. She looked over his shoulder. "That looks like a city off in the distance."
"Then there's our destination," Daniel said, grinning, "Race you there Mika!"
"Oh you are so on!" was the response. The race was quick and exciting, but neither one could definitively say that one dragon had beaten the other dragon. After stopping for a quick bite for lunch, they all made their way to the Pokémon center where Daniel beheld a familiar sight; Andrew Hanson returning to the Pokémon center with that Boston girl, her glasses revealing her excited blue eyes that told Daniel she had just been victorious in a battle, most likely for the Bolt badge if he had to guess. She was definitely going to be a Trainer to look out for in the future.
"Andrew!" Daniel called, startling the Champion. He seemed surprised that they were all there. "We need to talk. Something happened in my hometown."
Hope you all enjoyed it, reviews are always welcome, as is any and all constructive criticism. For those of you who'd like to check out my other works, I'm the author of the rather popular Yugioh: Chaos Unleashed story as well as the Pokémon: Rivals Collide story that I'm accepting OC's for. PM me if you wish to submit a battle scenario for me to write, I'm always accepting requests!
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut