Last Piece of Business
With no Team Galactic in sight, Chris resolves to head on over to the dealership. He sees a sign that says "Rickshaw's Bikes" right by a couple of Harley-Davidson choppers, and steps on to the lot. It's here that he sees just how big of a selection that the man has for sale. Choppers, ATVs, sports bikes, dirt bikes. Chris looked all around his lot, and knew this was exactly where he needed to be. The same sign also said something about lessons, so Chris knew that he found the right man.
Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by Cynthia, who was calling after him. "Hey," She said as she came up to him. I was looking for you. I've got something nice for you. I wanted you to have this Pokémon Egg to help you fill up your Pokédex. Will you accept it."
She pulls out the incubator holding the egg, and Chris's curiosity gets the better of him. "Yeah, I'll take it."
"That's wonderful!" Cynthia says, as Chris carefully takes the egg from her. "The Pokémon inside the Egg is happy, too. I'm sure of it! Keep that Egg with you in your party of Pokémon. A Pokémon will hatch from it while you are traveling. I would be happy to know that it will help fill another page of your Pokédex. See you around, Chris." Chris and Cynthia wave goodbye to each other, as Cynthia heads over to the south exit gate of Eterna City. Chris turns back around, and heads inside the dealership.
Almost immediately after stepping inside, the man who went after his daughter's Pokémon recognized Chris, and called him over. "Hello Chris! Glad you could make it!"
Chris tilts his head up at the man, and smiles. He walks over to him, and shakes his hand. "I take it your name's Rickshaw, then?" The man nods at him. "It's nice to make a proper introduction with you."
"Likewise." Rickshaw starts. Once I got my daughter back her Pokémon, she wanted me to thank you if I saw you."
"Oh, well she's very welcome. So your sign says something about lessons. I was hoping I could get some from you."
"Absolutely. I'll teach what you need to know about riding, and then we'll get you a license." He pauses to look at the incubator with an inactive Poké Ball perched atop the lid. "And given that you have talent as a trainer, I'm gonna do something else for you as well. I'm gonna let you ride off the lot with a bike of your choosing, and let you pay me as much as you can per month."
"Really? You'd do that for me?"
"I certainly would. Now come on my boy. Let's get started on your lessons, right away."
Chris was a swift learner, and the few classes he took in Driver's Ed before running away from Veilstone City were ones that he seemed to have no trouble recalling. Chris knew the basic rules of the road well, and it was no time at all before Rickshaw began to teach him how to handle a bike. By the time Chris checked into a hotel room for the night, he was squared away with his own driver's license. Rickshaw told him to come back to the dealership in the morning, and pick out his own bike.
As soon as Rickshaw opened his shop for the day, Chris entered the building. Rickshaw welcomed him inside, and had some recommendations in mind for Chris. "So, I'm not going to point you to any particular bikes," Rickshaw starts. "But I will say that since you are going to be travelling through the entire region, that I'd recommend either a dirt bike, or an ATV. Both of which are street legal in Sinnoh, due to Mt. Coronet and how many people go through there frequently. Having said that," Rickshaw motions for Chris to follow him, as he leads him over to the chopper section on his lot. "I noticed how much time you spent eyeing up Harley-Davidson bikes, so..." He presents Chris with one particular Harley. "I'd like to present you with a brand new Harley Pan Unova. It can take any kind of beating you put it through. Going through Mt. Coronet, taking the snowy routes to Snowpoint City. Doesn't matter. The bike will handle it with the right set of tires."
Chris walks around the bike a couple of times, crouching down to get a good look at the blue and black motorcycle as he does. He thinks to himself for a moment. "Any chance you'll let me have a trial period?"
"Sure. I've got a friend over in Hearthome City, which is where I'm guessing you'll be heading over to next."
Chris nods his head. "Probably."
"Alright, I'll email him the paper work so you can sign it. After that, like I said, pay as much to me per month as you can."
"Got it. Do you need me to hang around for anything in particular."
"I do have something I need to write up that I'll need you to sign."
"Do you mind if I go challenge the gym while you're writing it up?"
"Not at all. Good luck Chris."
Chris nods to Rickshaw, then makes his way to Eterna Gym. Up until this point, he had only glanced at the building a few times to see if the design would give him any clue as to what type of Pokémon the gym leader uses. Now that he was seeing it much closer, he still wasn't sure what to expect. He certainly wasn't expecting to meet the gym leader right outside her front door.
She greets Chris with a smile, and a wave. "You must be Chris Harper." She says.
"Yeah, that's me."
"My name's Gardenia. I'm the Eterna City Gym Leader. I had a girl challenge me yesterday by the name of Dawn. She told me to expect a handsome challenger, named Chris Harper."
Chris was only just barely able to hide the blush that came with the smile at those words. "She called me handsome, did she?" He said somewhat nervously.
"And she was right, if you don't mind me saying so." Gardenia adds, with a flirty smile. "Although I have to admit, I was expecting you yesterday."
Chris pauses for a second to clear his throat. "Yeah. I ended up getting side tracked by more than just a couple things."
"Well, no biggie. Yesterday or today, a challenge is a challenge. Come on inside, and lets get started!" Gardenia turns around, and enters her gym, with Chris following up right behind her. As they walk through the building, the rows of lights begin to flicker on, one by one. Gardenia has Chris stand at the end of the battle lines closest to the entrance, and then walks across the battlefield. This battlefield was more of a grassy terrain, compared to the rocky one in Oreburgh's gym. Even so, Chris would know how he wanted to go about this battle once Gardenia sent out her first Pokémon. "I know you have the Coal Badge already," Gardenia starts, as she takes her position and turns around to face Chris. "so you already know how to do this. Let's get started." She activates a Poké Ball, and throws out her first Pokémon. "Go, Turtwig!" Gardenia starts her battle with the very same Pokémon Dawn started her career with.
Chris knows that of all of his Pokémon, his partner Caesar the Monferno will likely win him this battle. But even so, he decides to keep him in his ball for now. He instead activates the ball of his Staravia. "Ikaros, post up!" He exclaims as he throws the ball to call forth his trusty bird Pokémon. Ikaros lands on the ground with her feet on the ground, and spreads her wings in readiness for battle. "Ikaros, use Wing Attack!"
As Ikaros flies towards Gardenia's Turtwig with her wings ready to strike, Gardenia issues a command of her own. "Turtwig, use Reflect!" A box of shining purple energy surrounds Turtwig, and it seems to reduce the damage that Turtwig takes from the Wing Attack. Chris realizes that Reflect reduces all physical attacking moves done to whatever side uses the move. He also knows that the move only lasts a certain amount of time. "Now, use Sunny Day!" At this moment, the roof of the gym suddenly retracts, and the energy surrounding Turtwig causes the sun's rays to intensify.
Between the physical attacking moves of Ikaros being temporarily hampered, and the sudden intensity of the sun, Chris makes a strategic decision. "Ikaros, return!" He calls Ikaros back inside her ball, and then activates his Monferno's ball. "Caesar, you're up!" Chris's fire/fighting-type monkey Pokémon takes the field, and is raring to go. "Use Ember!" Chris takes advantage of Caesar's special attack, and inflicts massive damage on the grass-type Turtwig. It cannot continue to battle.
Gardenia calls back her Turtwig, and smiles at Chris. "You've certainly learned a lot about battling up to this point, Chris. But this battle is not over yet." Gardenia activates her second Poké Ball, and throws it. "Go, Cherrim!" A small, fairy-like Pokémon emerges from its ball, purple leaves masking its true form. However, it starts to glow, and then shapeshift into a much more vibrant form, its leaves turning pink and pulling back to reveal its yellow face, with two cherry seeming to adorn its head.
"Caesar, use Fury Swipes!" Chris commands, wanting to test Cherrim's toughness.
As Caesar rushes forth to attack Cherrim, completely unsuspecting of what is to come. "Grass Knot!" Gardenia commands, as Cherrim uses its power to knot up two blades of grass, that then trip Caesar up.
Despite grass-type moves not doing great damage to fire-types like Caesar, Chris can tell that the damage was not at all insignificant. If it came down to the wire, Chris knew Caesar would be his best bet in this battle. "Caesar, return." the Poké Ball absorbs Caesar back within, and Chris reactivates his Staravia's ball. "Ikaros, you're back in!" He exclaims, as he calls his Staravia back into the battle.
"Cherrim, use Leech Seed!" On Gardenia's orders, Cherrim launches seeds at Ikaros. Those seeds open up while in the air, and seem to constrict Ikaros in some electrified vines. The vines start to give off a red energy, and Ikaros starts to sound pained.
"Damn. I need to win this fast." Chris whispers to himself. He knows that Leech Seed will drain his Pokémon dry. "Ikaros, use Wing Attack!" Ikaros charges down at Cherrim, and hits it hard.
Gardenia remains undeterred. "Use Magical Leaf!" Cherrim summons some strange leaves, and then launches them at Ikaros. Even though she resists the attack, the damage is accumulating quickly. It certainly doesn't help that more energy is drained from Ikaros, and given to Cherrim.
Fortunately for Ikaros, she gets a big break when the barrier from Reflect wears off. The half smile that Chris cracks shows that he knows it, too. "Ikaros, finish it with Wing Attack!" Ikaros swoops down as fast as she can fly, and nails Cherrim for a critical hit. Cherrim goes down hard, and cannot continue. As worn down as Ikaros is, she lets out a shrieking cry of triumph. "Great work Ikaros! But the battle's not over yet."
Gardenia nods. "Your trainer's right big bird." She says, as she activates her last Poké Ball. "I've got one more left for this fight. Roserade, It's all on you!" She throws her Poké Ball, and a masked creature straight out of a garden emerges, a red and blue flower for its hands. Something about this Pokémon made Chris realize that it can become quite powerful. As it would turn out, it was actually faster than his Staravia. "Roserade, use Stun Spore!" Roserade scatters a cloud of dark yellow powder that causes Ikaros to stop moving completely, and crash to the ground. If that didn't hurt enough, more of her energy was sapped by Leech Seed, now going to Roserade.
Chris knows that his Pokémon won't last much longer. "Give it something to remember you by, Ikaros! Use Wing Attack!" Ikaros manages to overcome its affliction, and flies forth to hit Roserade as hard as she can with her wings.
Though Ikaros's attack does good damage, it is nowhere near enough to save her from what is to come. "Roserade, finish it with Poison Sting!" Already in close range, Roserade's flowers become a purple glow, as it jabs them right into poor Ikaros. The Starling Pokémon can no longer take the pain, and collapses onto the ground.
Chris sighs, then recalls his defeated Pokémon. "Excellent work, Ikaros." After taking a short couple of seconds to breathe in and out, Chris reactivates his Monferno's Poké Ball, and throws it out. "Let's finish this battle, Caesar!" The flashing light reveals Caesar, who stands ready to continue the fight. The damage from his trip earlier seems to have almost completely subsided, and he eagerly awaits Chris's command. "Use Flame Wheel!" At his trainer's command, Caesar rolls itself up into a ball, with fire emanating from his body as he starts to roll forth.
"Roserade, Grass Knot!" At Gardenia's command, Roserade makes a knot out of two blades of grass to trip Caesar up again. Only this time, the flames from Caesar's body are burning so hot, that they simply melt the grass away. Roserade takes the Flame Wheel head on, and Caesar poises himself to finish the fight. Gardenia however, has a plan B. "Stun Spore!" Because of Caesar's close proximity to Roserade, it can do nothing to avoid the powder that Roserade sprinkles onto it. Caesar's body temporarily stiffens up, and Gardenia uses the sudden paralysis to launch another attack. "Magical Leaf!" Strange leafs sprinkle from the roses on Roserade's hands, and then it fires them right at Caesar to send him careening back.
"Come on Caesar, use Flame Wheel!" Caesar tries to do as Chris commands, but it still cannot move.
Roserade on the other hand, can move just fine. "Magical Leaf, once more!" More strange leafs are fired right at Caesar, who gets his arms up just in time to absorb the brunt of the attack.
That sudden movement proves to be enough. Chris gets a sparkle in his eye, and issues his final command. "Flame Wheel!" Having regained its movement, Caesar makes a fiery beeline right at Roserade, and nails it head-on. Roserade goes down, and stays down. Chris has won the battle. He lets out a sigh of relief, then approaches his exhausted partner to check up on him. He kneels down beside Caesar, and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Great job. You okay?" Caesar nods at him, but is clearly in need of some rest. Chris activates his Poké Ball, and absorbs him back within.
Chris can then hear Gardenia applauding him. "Amazing!" She starts, as she approaches the center of the battlefield to join Chris. "You're very good, aren't you?" She asks rhetorically. "You're a really tough trainer, Chris. Wasn't it hard for you to raise your Pokémon to be so good?"
Chris shakes his head. "Not at all. I simply gave them something so few have given me in my life: Respect."
Gardenia smiles brightly at that. "Well said. It's certainly a measure of how much you love them." She reaches into her bag, and presents a tray to Chris. "In recognition of this battle, I proudly grant you this!" On the tray is the Forest Badge, Eterna City's Gym Badge. That makes two for Chris. "Now you do me a favor, handsome. You make sure that you only go up from here. I believe in you."
Chris smiles at Gardenia, and nods. "I think I can do that." He says.
A few hours later...
After a trip to the Pokémon Center to heal up his team, Chris walks back to Rickshaw's Bikes to collect his new vehicle. Still carrying the Pokémon egg Cynthia gave him, he is pleasantly surprised to see that Rickshaw seemed to take that into consideration, as there is a basket hanging of the front of the handle bars. He sees Rickshaw approaching him with a clipboard in hand, and puts his hand on the basket. "Is this for the incubator?" Chris asks.
"Yes it is." Rickshaw responds. "That egg will be safe and secure while you're riding, even through Mt. Coronet."
Chris smiles, and nods his head. "Thank you, Rickshaw." He says.
"No, thank you. My daughter would've been miserable if you hadn't come along and saved her Pokémon. This is the least I can do to repay you." He then hands Chris the clipboard, and a pen. "Just sign on the line at the bottom of the page." Chris signs on the dotted line quickly, then hands Rickshaw the clipboard back. "A friend of mine in Hearthome City will have some more papers for you to sign. I'll have him waiting for you by Hearthome Gym."
Chris nods his head. "You got it."
Rickshaw hands Chris the keys, and they shake hands. "She's all yours Chris. Stop by to visit whenever you want."
"I will." Chris says, as he starts the engine. He rides off down towards the south gate of Eterna City, and rides off down the bridge.