Chapter 3: Hammerlocke showdown
It's been about a week since Crescendo has joined the team and oh man did he become loved among my pokemon. Crescendo is seemingly happy interacting with the children at the school and even got use to the outdoors greatly. Sunlight's legs have also been seemingly fixed when she evolved and is very happy to be able to help me in my fieldwork. Researching Sylveon is quite fascinating as I keep learning something new about them every day. Illuminate has been getting very competitive lightly when it comes to a pokemon battle and has often resulted in him getting rougher in sparring with my pokemon. Winter has recently been practicing the new moves that were taught to them. Moon is mostly sparring with Illuminate with a strong win record of 9-2 in favor of her. When she's not fighting, she is helping me managing the camp alongside Sunlight or giving some assistance in the research of other pokemon with her telepathy ability. As for other people in my current life, Aurea has been improving as a trainer with new types of moves she's been teaching her pokemon. Sally is still teasing me about that damn zoroark taking the form of a Reshiram but, is telling me to relax for a while before returning to duty.
"Food's ready everyone!" I said as the party gathers around the table.
Each of them has a diet that fits for them. For Sunlight, she is given usually a poke food formula that is healthier for fairy type pokemon and small enough for her to eat without choking. Winter's diet consists of berry formula due to being an herbivore but, also can eat cold vegetable-based soups. Illuminate pretty much eats anything but, heavily favor's honey themed poke food. Moon is the least picky among the group and usually eats similar diets to Winter and Sunlight. Crescendo prefers fish-based poke food because I don't wish to make certain fish pokemon go extinct that fast. It costs quite a bit but, it's worth it to keep them healthy and happy I suppose. Occasionally I treat them to curry or when special occasions arise.
"I should eat too before heading to Hammerlocke gym today." I said as I pick up my sandwich.
Today the trainers at Hammerlocke gym are going for training so the gym leader wanted a couple of trainers to hold the fort while there gone. This is very pressure inducing seeing how she's infamous for her really hard gym challenge and for going undefeated in gym challenges for a long time until the current champion Leon ended her unstoppable streak and manage to beat her again in the champion cup in one go. Her loss to champion Leon has affected her greatly. My phone then rang as I picked it up and I answer.
"We have a problem at the Hammerlocke gym! Get here as fast as possible..." said the commissioner panicking.
Well, this can't be good. I let my pokemon eat first before returning all of them except for Moon and Sunlight back into their poke balls and packed everything up. I run as fast as possible to reach hammerlock city to find a couple of people blocking off the Hammerlock gym. They all seem to be wearing the traditional gym challenger uniforms except replacing the official pokemon league logo with purple clovers. They seem to be using their pokemon to push away other people from entering the stadium. I walk up to find a Golisopod blocking my path.
"Do you know who we are punk? We are Team Clover! We are gonna be the strongest trainers in Galar... no in the world!" Said the trainer with passion.
Oh great more weirdo's from other regions trying to become champion of Galar. It honestly makes sense since Champion Leon has gone undefeated for at least 6 years at the moment. It's insane to think that at the end of my journey to keep my pokemon I have to defeat a champion who went undefeated for such a long time just to keep my pokemon.
"Please step aside! I have business to help with the event today here at Hammerlocke." I asked.
"Step aside boys! This trainer is someone you won't beat." commanded a young but, familiar face emerging from the group.
Seeing her again only brings back horrible memories of my time in Unova. She was the very person who was there and took all the pokemon I was forced to release. She used my very own pokemon to win the Jhoto cup. I knew she did it just to shame me for being apart of Team Plasma and essentially rubbing it in that I lost them. Her name is Laurie and she is my elder sister as well as the one person I won't forgive.
"Look at that my baby brother has pokemon even though he is a tagged criminal. How have you been my adorable little boy?" said Laurie.
"I'm fine... I'm here to do business and nothing more so step aside please." I said as Sunlight's right feeler tightens around my left arm.
"So you got yourself a Sylveon now instead of a Flareon? You must have thought of Solar as weak then." Said Laurie.
"Solar was a pokemon any trainer would've wanted. Solar was strong until the very end despite the odd's that were stacked against him. He's a pokemon any trainer would have wanted to be alongside them." I said holding back the tears of remembering him.
"He was weak and you know it. He wasn't gonna last long with the medical conditions he had as an eevee. Your Sylveon won't last long either judging by the harsh training routines I've heard from the trainers here in Galar." She said mocking my pokemon.
She wasn't always like this but, slowly descended into only using the strongest pokemon out there. She believed only in power and strength to become the most powerful trainer. It always bothered me thinking of what she was doing with some of the pokemon I had before.
"This conversation is over... out of my way Laurie!" I said with a cold monotone voice.
"It's not over Liam. I want to make it clear that you won't even reach the Master cup... you will pay for everything you put our family through because of your selfish crusades." Said Laurie as her crew starts surrounding me and my pokemon.
Heh... so Team Clover must be the team she founded. I can already feel the uneasy aura around Moon and the unease feelings from Sunlight's feelers.
"I said out of my way Laurie! I'm needed in Hammerlocke and don't wish to talk to you or your lackey's any further." I said as they close in.
"I don't think so. Those challenger trainers can wait we have some business to still finish." She said as I see my shadow covered by a dark blob.
I look upwards to see a giant jet black dragon with three heads in the air looking at me with pure anger. Holy crap it's terrifying just hovering over me.
"Such a rare beauty isn't it Liam? One of the most powerful pokemon out there. This is one of the beauties that helped me steamrolled the weak trainers of Jhoto with such force that even the champion's rarest pokemon couldn't handle him! Only those with the strongest pokemon will become the master cup's champion and that will be mine to restore the honor of our family." she explained with her looking down at Sunlight.
"Even the strongest pokemon have flaws Laurie. I will win the ultra cup and get that ticket into the masters cup! I won't let anyone make them feel worthless ever again!" I yell with my pokemon let out a triumphant cry.
I could see it in her eyes for a brief moment. Anger, pure anger as if someone didn't submit to their will. It hurts to have your pride damaged, doesn't it? I and the leaders of Galar would know when pride is shattered.
"Oi! How dare you -" stopped the clover trainers as they back away from me.
Eh?
"Choose your next words carefully foreigner. That's my reckless idiot assistant you are stepping on!" said a familiar voice.
Sally? I didn't expect to see her this scary that fast. I knew she was a skilled trainer back in the day but, this aura is intimidating and that of an elite trainer.
"Oh, you must be that pokemon teacher that hammerlocke folks mention? Must feel bad that you couldn't be a professor here with Magnolia being the resident researcher here." Said Laurie smugly.
"Professor? I don't care about not being an official one. Teaching the next generation of trainers how to understand their pokemon is something I'm satisfied with doing for the rest of my life. Get out of the way so that children who just became trainers can earn a chance to get their endorsement." Said Sally.
Without another word Laurie and her gang left to go to the wild area. I can feel already all the tense emotions that Moon had during that conversation and also the depressing emotions of Sunlight. Damn it...
"Don't beat yourself up kiddo... at least you won't be sent to the hospital for being reckless again." Said Sally laughing it off.
I honestly hope that Sunlight doesn't think of her as just a replacement for Solar. Sunlight and the pokemon around me are more than that.
"Moon you don't need to hold your emotions back... I can handle myself. Sunlight you are a very wonderful pokemon that no one could ever replace." I said petting them both on their heads.
They seem to be calming down. It still feels difficult sometimes to cherish them with a stipulation hanging on my neck and a seemingly impossible task ahead of me. It also doesn't help them that a panic attack can happen with me at any moment which would scare Moon to death. Take a deep breath and move forward. I head into the Hammerlocke stadium's entrance to see at least 50 new trainers wanting to take the gym challenge. I go into the men's locker room to leave my equipment there and prepare for the event.
"Alright! Let's do our best today Sunlight!" I said as Sunlight weakly smiles.
She still thinking about the words Laurie said... I feel bad for Sunlight. She honestly is a very fantastic pokemon and very easy going to the trainers she has met so far. Her skill set is also impressive for coverage and defensive purposes if required. She is maybe tired of running with me to Hammerlocke. Moon is resting in her poke ball after all. I should let Sunlight rest and let Winter or Illuminate handle today.
"Sunlight rest up for today," I said as Sunlight looks down.
I give her a good 30-second head rub to cheer her up. She seemingly smiles weakly again. Ugh, it hurts my heart already. After a short 15 minutes, Sunlight fell asleep and I cover her with a blanket from my bag and prepare for the event. I head off to the Stadium where I'm met by the commissioner of the event panicking.
"This is stressful beyond belief! I was told by Gabrielle that incredibly strong trainers would be able to handle the event today but, the only one who showed up happens to be the ex-terrorist... Were doomed." Said the commissioner panicking.
Geez, that stings to keep hearing. That commissioner is a really annoying and often rips into people with troubled pasts or foreigners. He also seems to like talking trash to the minor gyms and thinks often that they take up tons of resources from Oleana. He pisses me off usually on a near-daily basis and often thinks that the chairman only protected me just for his purposes and will be discarded when done with. He's a poison themed trainer which is fitting for an attitude he expresses.
"Sir... I can handle the event myself." I said.
"You're not as strong as the gym leaders here. This event is super serious and the strongest gym leader decides to bail to train her trainers! What a lazy leader." Said the commissioner going on a rant.
"Compose yourself please. You're setting a bad example for the trainers here today." I said embarrassed of the people looking.
"Gah You -" He stopped as he sees something to make him stop.
I look behind me to see a rather burly young man wearing the grass gym uniform and next to him was an older gentleman with a fire gym uniform.
"Oh, thank goodness strong trainers have arrived. We can salvage this event." Said the commissioner still panicking.
"...I've heard about you before. The child of the sun. A trainer dedicated to the usage of sunny day to take advantage of the ability chlorophyll." Said the older gentleman.
"Indeed. His Flareon and Leafeon combo were powerful enough to take Unova by storm for quite some time. He would be at least capable enough to handle this event." said the burly young man.
Those two are official gym leaders of the Galar region. The big guy is named Milo who recently inherited the spot as the grass type gym leader. Despite being the first gym leader he is incredibly skilled with grass type pokemon to a point of placing 4th in the recent champion cup for Galar on his debut year. He is also surprisingly wholesome for such a big guy.
"Ugh... fine but if you make one mistake you will -" He stopped as I stare back at him.
"Continue... because I assure you what you say next can spell big trouble for both of us. So please tell me what will happen if I make a mistake commissioner." I said grinning.
"...Eep!" he shirked hiding behind Milo.
To tell you the truth he's more terrified of me than I am pissed at him. He has become afraid of me due to Illuminate electrocuting him when the commissioner kicked him aside. He's also well aware that Moon and Winter don't mess around when it comes to the safety of all the party members so he often avoids pissing me off significantly to avoid the wrath of both of them.
"Sponsors are here to endorse trainers for the gym challenge so Oleana asked us to come here to make sure that everything can go smoothly and lessen the work off of the staff here today." Said the elderly Gentleman.
That's Kabu, the man is stubborn but, has some really good talent for fire type pokemon. While still in the minor league as of now, he still tries to find the right combination of pokemon and attacks to overcome opponents. In his prime, he was super close to becoming the champion of this region but, was bested by the previous champion of Galar.
"Alrighty then! I'm ready then." I said pumped up.
I can now feel how stressful it is to these trainers who attempt to get endorsements. Even with the close matches, only 4 out of 49 today got an endorsement, and seeing them tear up hurts really bad. I heard it was even worse for the trainers who got Milo or Kabu with only 3 in total coming from them both in total.
"Galar trainers these days are getting weaker. It is a sad sight to see."
Those damn clover members make it worse towards those rookie trainers by essentially saying they don't earn the right to befriend and carry pokemon. It's sad too that some of those trainers were not that bad and with time could grow to become pretty strong trainers. Those who endorse only want the best though and not someone who learns over time.
"We have one more competitor today!" Said the staff as the child enters the pitch.
I remember this trainer facing me right now. He is Weldon, one of Sally's students, and is often soft-spoken but, also not confident in his skills in battle. His frustrations come from the fear of needing to get that endorsement since his parents severely push him to breaking points. Despite the stress, he has good knowledge when it comes to pokemon and has often looked up to Sally from her days as an elite trainer.
" ... this is..." he said stuttering.
"Weldon do your best!" I said with Winter ready to battle.
He's nervous and I wouldn't blame him.
"Chansey... its..." he stutters as he throws his poke ball to summon Chansey.
"Let's begin... remember everything that you learned from before and use it to overcome the obstacle in front of you." I said.
"I... I... Can't beat you." Said Weldon as his Chansey looks back at him.
"Stand and have confidence! A defeat will not be the end of a trainer's road it only becomes the beginning! I yell as he looks at me shocked.
I was the same as a trainer. I felt little confidence in my abilities as a trainer when I began as I had to worry about the health of Solar due to him having significantly weaker bones than the average healthy Flareon. It takes a long time to become confident in commanding and mastering the craft of battling with your pokemon. This ideal seemingly died with the craze of wanting to be the strongest at a blitz speed that they forget to understand the emotions of their pokemon and even sometimes just forget that there your partners.
"Chansey... Let's do this." He said as he stopped stuttering.
That's the spirit kiddo now take it home.
"That's it, Weldon! Let go of the fear and overcome the obstacle facing you right now!" I yell as Winter readies for battle.
"Chansey! Light screen!" Commanded Weldon as his Chansey sets up a glass barrier.
"Not bad! Winter Return!" I commanded as Winter Charges at Chansey.
"Chansey counter with Hyper Voice!" Commanded Weldon.
His Chansey takes a huge deep breath as it then lets out a violent screech stopping Winter in her tracks and pushing her back. I see through your plan.
"Winter! Ancient Power!" I commanded as Winter closes her eyes.
Winter makes a slight tear to the ground to create an orbit of levitating rocks surrounding her. Winter then hurls the rocks right at Chansey's Light Screen shattering the barrier and scratching Weldon's Chansey.
"Chansey here's our chance! Calm mind!" Said Weldon as Chansey takes a deep breath.
Setting up to make his only offensive move more powerful is pretty good for pokemon who can tank physical attacks. It can only go so far though Weldon.
"Winter use Return!" I said as Winter charges with hearts surrounding her.
Quite an effective move to use for this situation as Winter surrounds Weldon's Chansey with hearts.
"Fire!" I said as Winter prepares to launch the hearts at Chansey.
"Chansey Soft boil!" Commanded Weldon as Chansey takes an egg from its pouch and eats it.
Crap! It'll not only heal itself but it will be able to take the harsh attack from Winter's return. The hearts of return then struck Chansey who holds it off barely.
"This is the opportunity! Chansey Hyper voice!" Commanded Weldon as Chansey lets out a huge screech in front of Winter push her back.
Winter starts spinning around in a circle before falling to the ground defeated. A loss is a loss and we all can learn from loss after all.
"I... I won?" Said Weldon surprised.
You're still rough around the edge kid but, you will get better with time.
"Good job kiddo! You were the only one to 100% knock out Winter without an attempt to use a status stall strategy. I can say with confidence that your win wasn't a fluke." I said laughing.
Eh... when was the last time I genuinely laughed?
" ..." he stopped.
"You did well out there. I know that with confidence and strategy, you will be able to reach the champion cup with the pokemon you will meet along the way!" I said as Winter wakes up and hides behind me.
"Mr. Liam... I want to become stronger so I can one day battle you and Miss. Sally at your strongest. I want to become a trainer that can proud of my pokemon's skills and abilities in battle. I want to overcome the trainer standing in front of me. I will become stronger so that dream will come true." Said Weldon as his Chansey cheers.
"Is that so? I'll be waiting for the day you arrive at that stadium in Wyndon for your challenge." I said.
After a handshake from Weldon, I head back to the locker room to find Sunlight sleeping peacefully. She seems to be having a pleasant dream. I sit next to her so that she could rest a little more. Damn, I feel sleepy...
"Your pokemon... they seem to cherish you a lot. How do you feel about them?"
"I consider them family to me. I don't even know if I could live without them especially Solar."
"I see... what would you do if Team plasma's plans were to succeed? Would you still part ways with the pokemon you cherish?"
"I don't believe that all trainers should be stripped of their pokemon. There are trainers that pokemon depend on and grow to love. It would seem quite unfair to them N."
"I see... Your beliefs make it hard for decisions to be done. You seem to have grown a dependence on pokemon yet at the same time your party has also gain dependence on your love and support."
"A decision I will never regret is having Solar as my first pokemon... we are inseparable."
"Ah... I can see your point but, why did you then join Team Plasma then if our truths don't fit your own entirely?"
"It does in a different way N. I just wish to separate awful people from their pokemon. I've seen it too much for them to harm pokemon to the point of scaring the poor creatures and even in some points leading them to their death. I felt that joining team plasma will create a possibility of reaching that end goal."
"So you're a person of Ideals? It may appear that meeting you might have been a good idea since the legendary Zekrom would likely be fond of your ideals."
"It would also depend on Reshiram wanting to accept your truths. The myths surrounding the dragon are not pleasant to those who don't value truths it desires."
"The same would be for you if Zekrom doesn't accept your Ideals. Zekrom was stated to be as vicious."
Ugh... remembering that time with N makes me want to slap my younger self in the face for my stupidity. Turns out N got accepted instead by Zekrom and the Reshiram I was supposed to catch was awakened by someone else and caused havoc into Unova in which, I was framed. It only makes me angry for believing in ideals.
"Wake up ya idiot!" Yelled a snarky woman.
I feel a hard punch to the head as I bit my tongue lightly to prevent yelling. I open my eyes to see a woman with short black hair and a Dragon gym uniform looking down at me. I can feel Sunlight's feelers wrapped around my arm as she lands on my stomach.
"Ow... did you really need to hit me, Gabrielle?" I said as Sunlight gets off my stomach.
"Yeah, I do... Either way kid I heard about your rehabilitation test thingy and I wanted to put ya to the test. I took a couple of trainers aspiring to be gym leaders to go through a hard training regime in the temple of the ancients. I'm sending you there as part of that rehabilitation test thingy and also because I heard from Sally that you are good at researching stuff. Declining is not an option by the way." She said grinning.
Gabrielle is Hammerlocke's gym leader and considered by many to be Galar's monster. With an impressive record of 325 wins and 5 losses she has become known as the Empress for being nearly unstoppable until champion Leon and Raihan managed to finally defeat her not only as a gym leader but, as an elite trainer with it. She currently wants to train pokemon trainers into reaching their highest potentials. She wants to put Raihan in the position of Gym Leader due to his natural talent as a trainer.
"Eh..." I said surprised.
"The temple of the ancients is in the middle of the sea connecting to three regions. It was founded by a champion years ago and was rumored to carry rare and powerful pokemon. To protect the inhabitants of the pokemon there trainers from Galar and Kalos are often sent there to prevent organizations and greedy trainers from hunting down the rumored mythical pokemon that protects the temple. If you want to prove me of your rehabilitation you will return with a dragon pokemon caught in the temple of the ancients." Explained Gabrielle.
A dragon pokemon? This could be a difficult challenge that I must go through on top of the harsh training routine. If it's one step closer to completing the task of keeping my pokemon than so be it. I'm ready to take on the challenge you throw at me, Gabrielle.
"I'll come back with a dragon pokemon. I will take every opportunity to learn about the pokemon in the temple of the ancients as it may be my only chance to see pokemon history that was lost to time." I said happily and motivated.
"I like your attitude. Prepare to leave in an hour then as the journey will take some time to get there." Said Gabrielle grinning.
END