So we arrive at Chapter 5! Koa must now rematch Roark and earn the chance to revive his fossil. The real question is, can he pull it off with just a Joltik and a Golbat? It won't be easy, that's for sure...
Echo (Male Golbat)
Hazard (Male Joltik)
Koa stared at the long stretch of road before him. Cycling Road. The only route in all of Sinnoh designed for bikers, tailored just for them. Unlike most of the routes crisscrossing the region, this road was smooth and flawless, its concrete pathway well maintained. A thick median split it down the middle, dividing two lanes of traffic-bikes coming and going. Breaks in the median allowed for riders to make u-turns. It was every cyclist's dream.
The road had been designed at a slight incline towards Oreburgh, while the opposing side inclined towards Eterna. It wasn't enough to hurtle you forwards against your will, but once you got going, it was easy to keep going. It was also his fastest route home. Normally the journey on foot would take several days. Here, it would barely take a day.
He turned to his pokemon, who stood by his side - a fierce Joltik, and an eager Golbat. "You guys rest for now, okay? If there's any battles I'll call you out." They both gave cries of agreement. Koa grinned and took out their pokeballs, returning them. He planned to travel pretty fast, and he didn't want to tire them out needlessly.
Koa took in the road before him one last time, then mounted his bike and pushed off, coasting down the hill. As he pedaled down the hill, he passed quite a few other travelers going about their business. He gazed across the edge of the road, taking in the scenery. The route bridged a forested valley, through which a winding river ran. A brief temptation seized him to pull off to the side and look closer, but the weight of his backpack reminded him of the fossil that it held, and his mission to resurrect it.
Thoughts of a Tyrunt filling his head, he pedaled harder, picking up speed fast. For a good couple of hours, he kept a steady, even pace. Most of the trainers he passed were too focused on where they were traveling to ask for a battle. It wasn't until almost noon that he encountered a trainer who challenged him.
His opponent was a cyclist named Nicole. She sent out a Starly, so Koa led with Hazard. As it turned out, her Starly was fairly new, and Hazard was able to defeat it after a couple of Electrowebs. Her next pokemon, however, proved much more difficult. It was a rather sturdy Ponyta who was proving to be fast. So far, it hadn't landed a good hit, but neither had he.
Hazard stood at one end of one of the rest areas, and Ponyta stood at the other. Both faced each other down, breathing hard, but still full of vigor. Koa knew Hazard couldn't keep this up forever, though. He could switch, but he wanted to practice fighting at a disadvantage. He would need the experience to fight Roark.
"Not so easy to take down my starter, is it?" Nicole called, grinning proudly.
"Hmph," Koa grumbled. "Don't get used to it."
Hazard suddenly turned back to face him and chirped in determination, hopping up and down. Koa grinned in sudden understanding.
"Use Tackle again!" Nicole shouted. Ponyta galloped forwards, its head lowered.
Koa smiled. He trusted Hazard to handle this. Hazard stood stock still as Ponyta approached. At the very last second, he lunged forwards, straight between Ponyta's legs. Sticky webbing shot from his mouth, wrapping around Ponyta's legs as he did. Ponyta squealed in shock and crashed to the ground, hard. It thrashed wildly, but Hazard quickly launched more webbing, immobilizing it further.
"Now Bug Bite," Koa said confidently.
"Keep it away with Ember," Nicole said panickedly.
Hazard, however, positioned himself carefully on Ponyta's neck, just out of its reach. Pincers glowing, he sunk his fangs in. Ponyta squealed in distress again and thrashed wildly, but Hazard clung on as determinedly as ever.
"Finish it with Electroweb!" Koa called.
Hazard sprang off and fired Electroweb. The attack struck the Ponyta squarely, pinning it in place and shocking it. A moment later, it fell still.
"Yeah! That was amazing, Hazard!"
Nicole sighed and returned Ponyta. "That was pretty impressive, I have to admit," she called.
Koa grinned. "Thanks! But it was mostly my Joltik's idea." Hazard chirped happily and scurried up his leg and onto his shoulder. He stroked Hazard's fur and his fingers tickled with static. He was practically bursting with pride. Joltik had not only won the fight but given him the perfect idea for how to really utilize him in battle. By using his tiny size to his advantage, he could do things most pokemon couldn't. Like fit between a Ponyta's legs.
As he continued down Cycling Road, his mind whirled with new strategies and planning. He stopped briefly for lunch and let Hazard get in a good charge from his battery pack, then continued on. The day wore on. He ran into a couple of other trainers and was able to defeat them, without too much difficulty. He realized taking on Gardenia first had made his team decently tough, even if some of the trainers here were still novices like him.
Day turned to dusk, and he let Echo out to fly behind him and get in some exercise. Another hour dragged by. In the distance, Koa could see the smaller mountains and foothills of Oreburgh. Finally. Almost there-
A loud screech of warning yanked him out of his thoughts. He snapped back to reality just in time to see another biker cut in front of him. Swerving sharply, he narrowly avoided a head-on collision. His bike spun out of control and he flew over his handlebars. Instinctively, he threw his hands over his head. Something grabbed his shoulders, saving his face from a nasty meeting with the pavement as he jerked to halt a half-inch away from the ground. The pressure vanished a second later and he fell to the ground, though with considerably less force.
Puzzled, he rolled over to see Echo hovering anxiously above him. Laughing wearily, he reached up and patted him. "Thanks, buddy," he said, realizing just how much worse the accident could have been.
Turning around, he glared at the offending biker.
"What's your problem?" he shouted.
The other rider, a young woman with straight blond hair and condescending eyes, turned and gave him a fake smile. She looked to be at least twenty. "You were the one who wasn't looking where you were going, sweetie."
"What? You cut me off!" Koa exploded. He clenched his hands into fists. Echo shrieked angrily and glared at the woman.
"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't see you there." She tilted her head and blinked at him as if he were a small child. "Oh, what a... interesting pokemon. Did you want to battle?"
Rage boiled inside Koa at the sound of her tone. It dripped with blatant condescension. She spoke as if he was three years old and was being introduced to his first pokemon. He dearly wanted to smack the attitude out of her. As it stood, he could at least run her for everything she was worth.
"Yeah, let's battle. Winner takes all," he added with a growl.
The woman grinned. "Sounds good. Show him up, Shinx!" The woman shouted. She tossed out a Pokeball and a Shinx emerged in a burst of light. Jealousy flickered inside Koa at the sight. It quickly faded, however. Unlike most of its species, this Shinx wore a smug smirk that resembled its trainer. It made the normally adorable pokemon look almost ugly.
Koa reached for Hazard's pokeball, but Echo fluttered forwards, shrieking defiantly. "You want to fight her, buddy?" he asked, surprised. His Golbat nodded, his eyes gleaming eagerly. "Ok then, you're up."
The woman laughed haughtily. "Hey sweetie, you do know that flying is weak to electric, right?"
"You do know owning a pokemon doesn't make you a good pokemon trainer, right?" he shot back.
The woman frowned but appeared at a loss for words. Koa grinned and capitalized on the silence. "What's your name? I like to know who I'm about to defeat."
"Megan," the woman replied, still managing to sound haughty. "You can go first," she added.
Fine, if she wanted it, then so be it. "Confuse Ray!"
Echo shot a trio of swirling gold orbs.
"Dodge." Shinx nimbly leaped out of the way.
Koa scowled. "Echo, Confuse Ray again." He was reluctant to let Echo get close, not when fighting an electric type. Once more, Shinx dodged.
"Now, use Spark!" Megan called. Sparks crackled across Shinx's fur then cloaked it in electricity. It leaped into the air, straight for Echo.
"Echo, dodge and use Wing Attack!" Echo spun neatly out of the way. Koa stared at his dodge, intrigued. A thought began to dawn on him. Unlike when other pokemon he faced dodged, or even Hazard, Echo was different. Thanks to his naturally erratic flight patterns, he had a way of being unpredictable. Of course, he probably would have realized that sooner if he'd paid more attention to Echo in the first place. Well, all he could do now was be better...
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Echo's Wing Attack colliding with Shinx, knocking it back several feet. It shook its head, then grinned, barely fazed by the attack.
Perhaps he could whittle it down. "Absorb!"
Echo fired a red ray towards Shinx.
"Dodge, my pretty," Megan said.
Shinx jumped left, then right, then left again, dodging it each time. It grinned smugly, raising its head and closing its eyes for a split second. Echo lunged forwards, eyes burning in rage. His jaws gleamed purple, dripping toxic poison.
Koa's eyes widened in surprise. He recognized the technique as Poison Fang, a deadly bite learned by only a few poison types. It wasn't as strong as other attacks, but it carried the potential to deliver toxic poison to a pokemon.
"Move!" Megan yelled.
Shinx's eyes shot open. It froze, its mouth open in a look of shock that mirrored its trainer. A moment later, Echo sank his jaws into it. It squealed and writhed about, but Echo simply clamped his jaws tighter.
"Spark!"
The panicking Shinx covered himself in electricity, shocking Echo. Echo spat Shinx out and screeched angrily. The Shinx landed heavily on the ground. It slowly stood up, but its eyes were glazed and a purple sheen covered its body. Poison Fang had done its job.
"No! Shinx, get it again with Spark," Megan shouted. Her hair looked a bit disheveled now, and she was clearly in a state.
As the weakened Shinx charged the attack, Koa chuckled. "Is that the only move it knows? Echo, take the hit and use Confuse Ray."
Shinx feebly leaped up at Echo. The Golbat grinned, charging Confuse Ray. As Shinx hit him head-on, it crashed into the Confuse Ray as well. The battered Shinx dropped to the ground, landing on its side and twitching. It shocked itself twice in succession before falling unconscious. Echo landed in front of it, placing one of his claws on its body and shrieking in triumph.
Megan scowled and returned Shinx. Wordlessly, she took the prize money out of her bag and handed it to Koa.
Koa accepted it, unable to stop himself from smiling. "Thanks, sweetie," he called, as she departed. She shot him a furious look before hopping on her bike and pedaling angrily away. After she had gone, he turned to Echo. "That was sick, Echo! You learned Poison Fang!" Echo screeched happily and flapped into the air, landing on Koa's back. He licked his hair and emitted another happy screech.
"Grooss," Koa said, laughing. He wiped off the saliva, then patted him. With Echo's new attack and Hazard's new strategy, he felt more confident than ever he could defeat Roark.
xXx
The next morning, well-rested from his stay at the pokemon center the night before, he entered Oreburgh Gym. Ten minutes later, he stood once again on the battlefield, facing Roark. This time, he felt complete and utter surety. The battle wouldn't be easy, but his little trip had given him plenty of new ideas for strategies. Using them would be the only way to defeat Roark when he was at such a disadvantage.
After the referee had declared the basic rules, Koa put down a bet of 1000 poke. Enough to have a bit of spending money, but since he wasn't exactly poor at the moment, he didn't bother with a larger wager.
With a blast of a horn, the battle began. Just as he hoped, Roark led with Geodude.
"Hazard, come on out." Koa tossed out Hazard's pokeball. After his last battle against Roark, he'd given his strategy plenty of thought. Hazard was much stronger than the last time he faced the gym. All he needed was a couple of super-effective Absorb attacks. The real trick would be overcoming Geodude's mobility. But he had a plan for that as well.
"An intriguing choice. I'll let you go first," Roark said.
"Bug Bite," Koa said. Hazard darted across the battlefield towards Geodude, his pincers glowing.
"Dodge it with Dig," Roark called.
Geodude grunted and disappeared underground. Hazard paused his charge and narrowed his eyes.
Koa grinned. He hoped Geodude would try the same tactic again. "Up and use String Shot."
Hazard nodded and jumped upwards. Aiming straight down, he fired a huge mass of sticky web. A second later, Geodude burst from the ground directly beneath Joltik. His eyes widened in surprise as he collided head on with the web. He struggled futilely and crashed back to the ground, immobilized.
"Absorb. Don't let up," Koa said.
Hazard landed on the bound up Geodude. His eyes glowed red, and Geodude glowed as well, as his energy was quickly sapped.
"Get out of there, Boulder," Roark cried.
Geodude roared in pain, exerting all its strength. A full five seconds later, it managed to wrench itself free. It was too late, however. As soon as he broke free, he collapsed from exertion, out cold.
"Geodude is unable to battle. Koamaru is the winner."
Roark smiled and returned Geodude. "You've gotten a lot better, Koa. But can you win?" He took a pokeball from his belt. "Let's see how you fare against this. Go Cranidos!" He tossed out the Pokeball. With a flash of blue light, a small blue and gray dinosaur emerged. It roared a challenge before grinning at its opponent.
Koa's eyes widened in surprise. He'd expected Onix. Well, he'd just have to adapt.
"Feel like switching?" Roark asked.
"I'll stick with Hazard," Koa replied.
Hazard chittered and glared at Cranidos.
The referee raised his hand. "Battle, begin."
"Electroweb!" Koa shouted. Hazard fired a blast of electrified webbing towards Cranidos.
Roark remained unfazed. "Break through with Zen Headbutt."
Cranidos growled and charged forward, his head glowing blue. The two attacks collided in an explosion of hazy energy. A second later, Cranidos emerged, damaged but still strong.
"Dodge!" Koa cried frantically. Hazard tried to move, but it was too late. Zen Headbutt collided with him, knocking him into a rock on the battlefield. He slid to the ground, momentarily stunned. "Come on Hazard," Koa begged. After a moment, Hazard crawled to his feet unsteadily. He gave a cry of determination and glared at Cranidos.
"Not bad, your Joltik is tougher than I expected. But I doubt he can outlast Cranidos," Roark said.
Koa ignored the comment. "Use Absorb." Joltik's eyes glowed red, the same glow enveloping Cranidos. Cranidos flinched in pain as his energy was leeched.
Roark gave his command just as the attack subsided. "Headbutt." Cranidos charged across the ground faster than Koa expected.
"Slow it with String Shot," Koa called.
The Joltik opened his jaws and covered the ground in front of Cranidos in sticky webbing. Cranidos stampeded over it, its feet sticking to the web. Though not enough bring it to a stop, it did slow Cranidos down substantially.
"Grab on!" he shouted, just as Headbutt connected. The attack hit hard, but Hazard managed to latch onto Cranidos' head anyway. Koa grinned. Joltik certainly lived up to their title of 'Attaching pokemon'.
"Absorb again!" From his spot on Cranidos' skull, Hazard began frantically leeching its energy.
Roark's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. "Shake it off!" Cranidos screeched and thrashed his head wildly. Hazard shut his eyes and dug in, refusing to let go. Cranidos' struggles began to weaken, and Koa grinned. Just a little more...
"Head Smash it into the rocks."
Koa balked. Head Smash? He didn't expect Roark's Cranidos to know such an advanced technique.
Cranidos' whole body became cloaked in energy. With a defiant roar, he flung himself at the nearest boulder. The rock exploded, sending smoke and flecks of pebbles flying. Koa gritted his teeth. No way was Hazard still standing after something like that.
As the smoke cleared, his suspicions were confirmed. Hazard lay unconscious in front of the shattered remains of the rock.
Cranidos shook its head, its eyes drooping with exhaustion. It gave a weak roar of triumph, then collapsed. Roark groaned.
The referee raised both hands. "Both Cranidos and Joltik are unable to battle. The match is a tie!"
Grinning madly, Koa returned Hazard. Although the battle hadn't gone quite as he hoped, he'd still managed to take down Cranidos, Roark's toughest pokemon. "Good job, Hazard," he murmured, putting the pokeball away. He looked up, staring down Roark, who grinned back at him.
"That was a pretty great strategy, clinging to Cranidos like that. I have to say, you caught me off guard."
"Better get ready to hand over that badge," Koa replied.
Roark took out his final pokeball. "I'm not giving up yet. Go Rocky!" He tossed out the pokeball. A familiar Onix emerged with a roar.
Koa grimaced. He'd hoped to have both Hazard and Echo available for this fight. Still, he was confident Echo could handle this.
"Go Echo!" Echo emerged onto the battlefield with his trademark screech. When he saw his opponent, however, he faltered and backed up slightly. Koa guessed he was remembering his last fight with the behemoth. "I've got your back this time, Echo," he said.
Echo turned to glance back at him and screeched happily. He faced his opponent confidently.
"Battle, begin," The referee called.
"Wing attack," Koa said. Echo dived at Onix, wings glowing.
"Catch it with Slam, Rocky!"
Koa grinned and stayed silent. He'd worked with Echo enough that he knew what to do. Echo swiveled out of the way, only getting grazed by the attack. His wings made contact, though Onix hardly seemed bothered.
"Poison Fang, quick."
Roark's eyes widened as he heard the attack. "Slam, again." Onix swung its tail too fast to dodge.
This time, the attack connected full force with Echo. However, Echo weathered the hit, sinking his jaws into its tail. Though it did little damage, thanks to Onix's tough hide, Koa could tell by the way the Onix groaned that it had been poisoned. Now it was a matter of outlasting it.
"Let's see if you can really outlast my Onix," Roark said. "Rocky, Rock Throw." Onix growled and levitated three stones in the air. It hurled them at Echo.
"Crunch, destroy it if you can," Koa said. Echo sunk his jaws into the first rocks, shattering it, then whirled out of the way of the second. The final one made contact, knocking Echo back, but he managed to shake off the hit.
"Fly up Echo, and avoid his attacks."
And so began an elaborate game. Onix hurled attacks at Echo, who desperately dodged each one, and Echo struggling to keep up his stamina. A few hits connected, damaging him, but he remained in the air. After a couple of minutes, both pokemon were worn down. Echo was breathing heavily, and Onix could barely hold itself upright from the poisoning.
"Rock Throw, one more time."
Onix hurled a boulder straight for Echo.
"Wing Attack!" Echo spun midair and struck the rock with a glowing wing, hurling it straight back at Onix. It shattered over Onix's head, causing Onix to roar in pain.
"Confuse Ray," Koa called. One more attack could end this.
Echo fired the golden orb, striking Onix dead on. It roared again, its eyes glazed over. With another cry, it hurled itself against one of the few remaining rocks in the stadium. The rock shattered and Onix slumped to the ground, knocked out.
The referee cleared his throat. "Onix is unable to battle. Golbat is the winner. As such, the victor is Koamaru!"
"Yes!" Koa yelled. "Nice job, Echo." Echo screeched happily and fluttered onto Koa's back, bringing him to his knees. "I knew you could do it." Echo screeched happily again. Koa rubbed his fur and looked up at Roark, who had returned Onix and was approaching him.
"Those were some impressive strategies you displayed. It's not every day someone challenges a rock-type gym with a bug type and a flying type." He held out his hand.
Koa took it, and Roark pulled him to his feet. "Listen..." he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, trying not to look Roark in the eyes. "I'm sorry about how I behaved before. You were just trying to give me good advice, and I ignored you."
Roark grinned good-naturedly. "I'm just glad you seemed to have learned your lesson. And, I believe these are yours." From inside his jacket pocket, he withdrew two objects. One, a pouch of money, and two, a small, shining badge. It vaguely resembled a boulder, with pokeball like lines encircling it. "The Coal badge. Don't let it get to your head though. I'm still not reviving your fossil until you show me two badges."
A sly smile spread across Koa's face, and he slid his badge case out of his pocket. Flipping it open, he gestured dramatically to the Forest Badge. Then he placed the Coal badge inside as well. "See? Two badges."
Roark raised an eyebrow. "You beat Gardenia?"
"It was easy with Hazard and Echo's help," Koa said.
Roark nodded. "Not bad. Well then, now that you have two badges, a promise is a promise. Let's see to your fossil."
xXx
Once inside Oreburgh museum, he followed Roark past the various displays, to the rear of the museum and through a door marked 'Staff only'. They descended a flight of stairs. At the bottom, a long corridor lit by white fluorescent bulbs stretched before them, and thick glass windows allowed a peek inside various labs. Roark led him to a sliding door with a plaque reading 'Revival Lab'. Unlike some of the other labs, there was no glass window allowing a glimpse inside.
Roark knocked on the door, then called out, "Jared? It's Roark."
A few moments later, the door slid open revealing a short man with glasses and long grayish black hair. The lighting gave his light skin an even paler look, and Koa wondered how often he got out of the lab. Behind him, Koa could see several desks with computers, and various rows of equipment.
"Ahh, Roark. Always a pleasure to see you down here. What can I help you with?"
"A friend of mine would like to revive a fossil. This is Koa. He discovered a Jaw fossil in Ore Cavern."
"Really? How odd. I've not known Tyrunt to be found anywhere on Sinnoh. How odd..." he murmured. "And Ore Cavern of all places. Hmm..."
Jared, murmuring to himself as he turned and walked into the lab. The room itself seemed like a pretty average lab, but what caught his eye was the machine on the far side, behind a set of keypad locked double doors and a thick plastic window. It was huge and advanced looking, consisting of a small metal cube-like contraption on one side, hooked to a far larger metal box by various tubes and wires.
"If you would hand me the specimen please."
Koa dragged his eyes off the machine and unslung his backpack, gently removing the fossil. He handed it to Jared.
"Excellent. This will only take a few minutes. I must admit, I am terribly excited. We've never revived a Kalosian fossil here before." Jared strode to the door and punched in a few digits on the keypad. They slid open and he stepped inside, walking over to the smaller of the two metal containers. Koa hurried to the plastic window. With the press of a button, a tray slid out from the machine. Jared carefully placed the fossil inside and closed the tray. He typed in something on a panel at the front of the machine, then stepped back.
Bright flashes of light pulsed from the machine and it whirred and beeped loudly, before settling into a steady, low hum. Very little happened for the next several minutes, and Koa found himself growing quickly bored.
Loud alarms blared, and the lights overhead flickered. There was a distant noise, like a dull boom, and the room went dark. The machine's hum grew into a high pitched whine before it exploded. Shards of debris hammered against the glass and door and Koa ducked.
"Jared!" Roark shouted.
A low hum filled the room as the backup generators kicked in, and orange light filled the room from safety lights ringing the room. Through the glass, Koa could see no sign of Jared. The machine had turned to a heap of smoking, twisted metal. He followed Roark to the door as he typed in the code. The doors slid open and he covered his nose as he stepped into the smoke-filled room.
Koa held his breath, his eyes burning as he peered through the smoke, which was only growing denser. He thought he saw orange flames licking at the remnants of the machine, but he wasn't sure. Roark moved slowly about the room, desperately calling for Jared. A high pitched squealing roar filled the room, and something large brushed by Koa's leg. He yelped and leaped away, almost crashing into Roark, who was picking up a stunned Jared off the floor.
"Watch it! We have to get him out of here. Help me lift him, and keep him still."
Carefully as he could, Koa threw Jared's arm over his shoulder, helping him out of the room. Roark lay him on the floor outside. Koa glanced up and cried out in shock.
Just a few feet away, by the room's exit, stood a stocky, reptilian pokemon. Dark brown scales covered its body, which vaguely resembled Roark's Cranidos, except its head was far larger, and its legs were thick and powerful. It roared again, then charged at the doors, smashing into them and warping the frame severely. Jamming its jaws into the gap, it tore the door apart with its jaws, creating a hole big enough to fit through.
Koa gaped at it, unable to believe it. He'd read books about the strength of a Tyrunt's jaws, but seeing it in person was far more impressive, and frightening.
Roark cursed and looked up from Jared. "Koa! That's your Tyrunt! It must be trying to escape. You go catch up to it. I'll keep an eye on him!"
Shaking himself, Koa scrambled to his feet and nodded. He raced out the door, barely hearing Roark's command to be careful. He sprinted down the corridor, taking the steps up to the ground floor two at a time. Emerging onto the ground floor, he was met with chaos.
Large crowds of patrons were all surging towards the exit. Their voices filled the air with a cacophony of sound, and Koa covered his ears. A few officers were desperately trying to calm the crowds with little luck, and between the dull backup lights and the roar of the crowds, no one was really listening. Screams erupted from the people near the exit.
"Run!"
"Dinosaur!"
"Get the kids!" a young woman's voice screamed.
"Move!" Koa shouted, barreling through the crowds and pushing people aside.
"Sir please-" an officer began. He ignored the words, brushing past and plunging into the crowds. After a great deal of jostling and shoving, he broke free and staggered out of Oreburgh museum, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He looked left and right, before shouts of surprise drew his attention farther down the street, to his right. Tyrunt stormed down the street in a wild rush, in the direction of the north gate. Koa bolted after it, shouting for it to stop.
Weaving through the streets, he followed as best as he could, although he nearly lost sight of it twice, and it was running faster than him. The only thing that prevented him from losing sight of it entirely was the fact that it would stop every so often as it tried to figure out where to go.
As the western wall of the city drew near, Tyrunt swerved sharply north, straight for the gate. Which, unfortunately, was wide open, since it was during a busy hour of the day, and Route 207 was relatively peaceful. Tyrunt made it through the gates long before he could even cry out for the guards to close them. Steeling himself, he continued through the gate.
At the very least, it was out of the city now, and hopefully out of danger. As he ascended the rocky slope outside town however, he quickly lost sight of the pokemon. Once at the top, he stopped, looking all around. His breath came in short gasps, and his limbs ached, but he couldn't give in now. To his right, a rocky valley extended, and he could just make out one of the many entrances to the inner caves of Mt. Coronet. Ahead, tall grass and trees spread evenly before him, before sloping downwards, forming a valley, over which Cycling Road ran. Considering the speed at which Tyrunt had been running, and its head start, it could easily be long gone.
For a moment, Koa feared that he'd lost the Tyrunt for good until he spotted footprints heading north. The ground sloped sharply down, and Koa could see the remnants of an old path that followed underneath Cycling Road. In the softer parts of the ground, he could just make out more of Tyrunt's footprints, following the path.
Immediately, Koa broke into a run, but he was forced to slow only a few minutes later. He wasn't sure how far away Tyrunt was, and he didn't want to expend all his energy. For several minutes he kept a steady jog through the valley. The deeper he got, the more the noises of Cycling Road grew distant, and the harder it became to spot the footprints. He began to see more wild pokemon as well as several bird pokemon out hunting and the musical tones of Kricketunes and Kricketots calling to one another. He even saw a few Stunky glaring at him from the bushes, which he gave a wide berth.
The trees dotting the slopes became thicker and denser, and he only saw more and more wild pokemon. He longed for his backpack, with his supplies and food inside. No time for regrets now. At least he had his pokemon.
As he crested a slight rise in the ground, he spotted a herd of Rapidash and Ponyta. They were grazing at the base of the hill, several yards ahead and below. At first glance, he thought the herd small, but the longer he looked, the more he saw, scattered all about, some in the trees and some in the open. There had to be at least fifty.
A small movement in the woods just east of the herd caught his attention. Tyrunt crouched downwind of a Ponyta who had wandered away from the herd. The sight filled Koa with fear. Alone, he had no doubt a rock and dragon-type like Tyrunt could take down a Ponyta, and likely even a Rapidash. But against a herd? They could badly injure it. And probably would too. While wild pokemon weren't normally dangerous, if one felt sufficiently threatened, they could pose a serious threat.
Barely had he processed what he was seeing when Tyrunt emerged from the wood, running straight for the Ponyta. Almost instantly, the entire herd stopped eating, their heads jerking up as they stood erect. A loud neigh echoed through the valley, and the herd split. Most raced away, heading into the woods to the west, although a group of three Rapidash stayed behind. The strongest of the herd he guessed, judging by their size. The Ponyta sprang away, racing after the rest of the herd. Tyrunt gave chase, then stopped short as one of the Rapidash blocked its path.
Koa held his breath and began to edge down the slope towards Tyrunt. Maybe, if Tyrunt surrendered and backed down, the Rapidash might let it leave. His hopes were dashed seconds later when Tyrunt roared and leaped for the Rapidash, its jaws glowing with energy. The Rapidash kicked out hard with his front hooves, striking Tyrunt hard and knocking it back.
Koa let out a yell and charged down the hill towards the group. All three Rapidash turned away from Tyrunt for a moment, then one moved towards it again and reared up, neighing threateningly. Koa didn't slow, and much to his horror and frustration, the attack had only made Tyrunt angrier. It charged at the Rapidash again.
The Rapidash's mane flared up, and his body became wreathed in flame. He charged at Tyrunt, overwhelming it with sheer power and sending it flying into a tree.
However, Koa no longer had time to concentrate on Tyrunt. He was nearly at the base of the hill now, and the other Rapidash was only a few yards away. It lowered its head and charged.
Koa stopped and jumped sideways, but the Rapidash moved much faster than he was ready for. Pain exploded across his torso as it collided with his body. The impact knocked him down hard, and he crashed into the ground. There was a frightening crunching noise as he rolled over and stopped. A moan escaped him and he lay still for a few seconds, trying to collect himself. His senses felt dulled, and the world seemed distant.
The pained cries of Tyrunt drew him out of his stupor. He staggered to his feet and reached for his pokeballs, cursing himself for not using his pokemon earlier. Instead of smooth round spheres, his hands met two cracked pokeballs. He jerked his hand back, looking down in horror. Both pokeballs had cracks webbing them and running through the button on front, as well as chips in several areas where the inner casing could be seen.
A sick feeling churned in his stomach. The opening mechanisms were ruined. His pokemon would be fine, after a trip to a pokeball repair shop, but with them in such a state, it would be impossible for his pokemon to leave their pokeballs. Tyrunt screamed in pain and Koa looked up.
The fossil pokemon lay some distance away, near the base of a large boulder. A web of cracks showed where Tyrunt had been knocked into it, and the three Rapidash stood just a few yards away, glaring at its nearly motionless form. Tyrunt itself was badly battered and burned, and a nasty looking gash ran from its shoulder down its side. Still, Tyrunt stood and snarled weakly.
The lead Rapidash neighed defiantly and stamped his hoof. Koa drew a shuddering breath. This wasn't like a battle. This was a wild pokemon, forced to defend itself in any way necessary. Rapidash prepared to charge. In Tyrunt's state, such an attack could seriously injure it, or kill it.
"Get away!" he screamed, charging forwards. He lunged for Tyrunt, wrapping his arms around it and struggling to lift it and pull it out of the way. Unfortunately, it was extremely heavy, and before he had even stood up fully, he felt the Rapidash crash into him. Heat seared across his back and the force threw him forward, his body hitting the boulder. Pain exploded across his body and he crashed to the ground. In a daze, he looked up to see the furious Rapidash preparing to charge again. Fear froze him in place.
Instinctively, he closed his eyes and braced for the worst.
Koa revived his fossil, but everything has gone awry! Now what...
Hazard (Male Joltik)
Echo (Male Golbat)
Tyrunt?