Chapter 9 - Yubari King
"Wow! You've brought me the real deal!" the female scientist at the museum exclaimed excitedly. She looked over Cyan's fossil, examining every centimeter.
Yurie and Cyan had arrived in Oreburgh City a couple of days after their adventure in the underground. They stayed at the Pokémon Center, took their baths, and the next morning, Cyan was eager to get his fossil examined and possibly resurrected.
"What kind of fossil is it?" Phoenix asked.
The scientist held it out as far as her arms would allow. "This appears to be an Armor fossil!"
"I've never heard of it!" Cyan said. "Don't tell me what it turns into! I want to remain blind until I can see it revived!"
"Well, that's going to have to wait," the scientist exclaimed. She pulled the fossil back. "It'll take me about a day to finish. You might want to go and explore Oreburgh in the meantime!"
The group eyed one another.
Oreburgh was one of the smaller towns that Yurie had ever visited. It was in the mountains and heavily forested. Most of the roads were made of dirt and rock rather than concrete or tar. There was only one trainer's school throughout the entirety of the city, and most of the population consisted of the elderly.
"It says here that Oreburgh used to be a vibrant city, and the economy thrived through their mining. But, it looks like that industry has slowly wound down, and the only thing that keeps people coming to the city is the gym," Cyan explained to the two while reading from a pamphlet. "How sad."
"Jubilife City really was the life of the party," Phoenix added. "I'm sure that there is more to find in Oreburgh!"
"Like, melons!" Yurie exclaimed excitedly. She pointed to a nearby fruit stand. At the front was a crate full of light green melons. Yurie ran to the shop and started to examine each melon individually.
"I don't understand what's happening," Phoenix whispered to Cyan.
"She likes melons, I guess."
Yurie picked her melon and then paid the shopkeeper. She stared at it with a wide smile on her face, almost coming to tears.
"You alright?" Cyan asked.
"This melon is the Yubari king! It's supposed to be the most delicious melon in the whole world!" Yurie explained.
Cyan and Phoenix exchanged looks.
"Well, let's eat it!" Phoenix said.
"No!" Yurie snapped. She held the melon close to her chest. "We must value the melon! We will eat it when I'm ready!"
The three continued to walk the streets of Oreburgh City, melon in hand. Eventually, they arrived at the biggest building in the city, the Oreburgh Gym.
It was a large building with bronze pillars holding up the roof. Cyan had never been in a gym before, but he could tell from the size that a battlefield waited for him.
Upon entering the gym, they were met with a musty scent. The floor in the lobby had sand scattered about, and the double doors that led to the battlefield were surrounded by what appeared to be cave walls.
"Hello?" Cyan called. His voice echoed off of the lobby walls. "Is anybody here?"
Then, the double doors opened, and a teenager dressed in light brown worker's clothes walked through. He had light skin, and he wore a helmet with a light fastened to the front over his thick red hair.
"Hello! I am Hyouta! Are you a gym challenger?" the teenager asked.
Cyan nodded. "Yeah! I heard that there was a gym here!"
Hyouta folded his arms. "Well, we can get started right away. What's your name? How many gym badges have you earned?"
Cyan cocked his head. "Um, I'm Cyan. And, actually, this will be my first gym badge."
"Your first, eh? Alright! No pressure! I'm used to battling with beginner trainers!" Hyouta exclaimed excitedly. "It'll be a good first test!"
"Well, actually, I'm not necessarily a beginner trainer. I'm kind of strong," Cyan muttered, embarrassed by the words that came out of his mouth.
Hyouta laughed. "That's what a lot of the trainers who come through my gym say! Don't get ahead of yourself! C'mon, let's battle!"
Cyan looked down at Vulpix. "Alright, let's do this!"
They continued into the small arena. There were steel bleachers for spectators. Yurie had become accustomed to watching gym battles, and she sat in the bleachers without being told. The field was dark brown, and there were many rocks of various sizes scattered about.
The trainers quickly took their positions. Cyan had watched a few gym battles before, and he was excited to finally get his own. He had confidence in his Pokémon, but his knees still shook nervously.
"The following battle will be between challenger, Cyan, and gym leader, Hyouta! It will be a three-on-three battle and will end when one side's Pokémon have all fainted! Only the challenger may make substitutions! Begin!"
"Let's see what you got, Cyan! We will rock you! Go, Geodude!"
A round Pokémon with two arms sticking out from its sides emerged onto the field. It let out a small battle cry and began to levitate.
Cyan looked to Vulpix, closed his eyes, and then ran his finger across his belt, finding the Poké Ball he intended on using. He threw it forward, and Chimchar burst forth. He did a quick flip, landed on his hands, and then twirled around before coming to his feet. He hopped back and forth in an effort to get his body warmed up for battle.
"The challenger has the first attack!"
"Alright, let's do this! Power-Up Punch!" Cyan instructed.
Chimchar howled, and he became fueled with fighting energy. He focused chi into his fist and then bounded down the field.
"We'll start with Stealth Rock!" Hyouta shouted.
Geodude lifted one of his arms and then jabbed into the ground. Small stones erupted around his body and then were thrust into the air. He roared once, and the stones launched to Cyan's side of the field. They ignored Chimchar and instead planted themselves back into the ground.
Chimchar did not flinch. He continued forward and then reeled back. He swiftly jabbed, hitting Geodude in the face. The Rock-type was taken by surprise, and he floated back a few inches.
"Geodude, use Defense Curl!"
"Keep up the pressure with Ember!" Cyan instructed.
Geodude wrapped his arms around his body in a defensive embrace. A thin layer of white energy surrounded him. Chimchar howled, and he released small bits of flame from his mouth. The flames pelted against Geodude, but they seemingly did no damage.
Hyouta grinned and then stuck out his arm. "Rollout!"
"Power-Up Punch!"
Geodude kept his arms wrapped around his body. He grunted and then started to spin. Within a few seconds, he was on the ground and barreling forward. Chimchar gritted his teeth and put his left hand to his right wrist. When Geodude came in close, he struck, but the Rock-type was not phased. Chimchar was flung backward, but he quickly managed to find his balance.
"Chimchar, use Leer!" Cyan ordered.
Chimchar lowered his head and glared at Geodude as he rounded about. His eyes turned red, and Geodude's defensive veil of energy slightly began to fade. Geodude did not stop his attack though, and he crashed into Chimchar once again. The Fire-type was flung back, this time landing on his bottom. Geodude continued to spin, now violently tearing apart the field around him.
"Chimchar, if we're going to win, then this is the chance!" Cyan yelled. "One more Power-Up Punch!"
The flame on Chimchar's bottom flared, and he let out an angry shriek. Blue chakra emitted from his fist, and he raced forward one more time. He swung and collided with Geodude. The Rock-type was momentarily stopped, and his eyes widened as he felt Chimchar's power. But then, Chimchar's knees gave out, and Geodude barreled through. Chimchar was knocked into the air, and he tumbled against the ground, his body limp.
"Chimchar is unable to battle! Geodude is the winner!" Hyouta's referee announced.
"Where's your confidence now? I like fighting spirit, but you should be more careful with your words," Hyouta lectured.
Cyan withdrew Chimchar and held the Poké Ball tightly. "You did great, buddy. We'll keep working on it!" He looked down the field and at Geodude and Hyouta. They both had cocky grins on their faces. Cyan selected his next Poké Ball and then threw it into the air. Venusaur emerged on the field and let out a roar.
The field around him shook, and the small stones from before appeared. They pelted into Venusaur, who ignored the annoying attack.
Hyouta's eyes widened. "A Venusaur? Wow! But, if you have no gym badges, then surely you won't be able to control it. Geodude, use Rock Throw!"
"Venusaur, Earth Power!" Cyan ordered.
Geodude dug his hands into the ground and ripped up two stones from the field. He held them high above his head, but before he could throw them, his eyes widened. Venusaur focused his power, and the field shook. Fissures started to crack, and parts of the field were lifted into the air. Vensuaur roared and launched the bits of the field forward. They collided with Geodude, instantly burying him in a pile of ground and rock.
The referee stared at Geodude and then looked to Hyouta, unsure of what to do. The battle had ended as soon as it began.
"Geodude is unable to battle! Venusaur is the winner!"
Hyouta withdrew Geodude and instantly pulled his next Poké Ball from his belt. "Alright! Go, Onix!"
A serpentine Pokémon made of boulders emerged from the blinding light of the Poké Ball. It roared, shaking the entirety of the gym. But, Venusaur wasn't intimidated.
"Onix, use Rock Polish!"
"Venusaur, begin charging! Take in as much solar energy as you can!"
Onix roared and straightened out his body. The boulders that made up his serpentine figure started to glow, and when the glow faded, a shine remained. Meanwhile, Venusaur lowered his head, and the flower on his back began to take in what little sunlight that came in from the windows.
"Dragon Breath!" Hyouta commanded.
Onix snapped his neck forward, and purple arcane flames exploded from his mouth. They raced down the field in a straight light before connecting with Venusaur directly. The Grass-type ignored the blow.
"And keep up the pressure! Use Bind!"
Onix swiftly slithered forward. He wrapped his body around Venusaur, getting a strong grip on Cyan's Pokémon. He squeezed, but he seemingly couldn't put any genuine pressure on the Grass-type.
"Now!" Cyan yelled.
Venusaur pointed the top of his flower upward and at Onix's head. He blasted a beam of light from the flower, connecting with Onix's jaw. The Rock-type roared, and his grip on Venusaur loosened. When the powerful attack ceased, Onix collapsed.
Hyouta's eyes widened as he examined his Pokémon. Onix remained unmoving on the ground.
"Onix is unable to battle! Venusaur is the winner!" the referee announced, unsure if what they saw was genuine.
Hyouta's hands shook as he slowly withdrew Onix. He considered his third Pokémon. He had already pre-selected it once he knew about Cyan's lack of gym badges. He couldn't go back on his decision, but he also couldn't forfeit the battle. With a sense of regret, he threw his final Poké Ball forward.
A Pokémon much smaller than Onix emerged onto the field. It had a mostly grey body with blue scales running up its small tail and spine. Its most defining feature was its large blue cranium, which Cyan would have been most worried about had Hyouta not underestimated him.
Cyan pulled out his pearl Pokédex and scanned the creature.
"Cranidos, the Head Butt Pokémon. It was resurrected from an iron ball-like fossil. It downs prey with its headbutts," the Pokédex chimed.
"An ancient Pokémon?" Cyan wondered. "Is this what my fossil is going to become? That's awesome!"
"I can see now that you're much stronger than I had anticipated. But, I don't regret my choice. Every battle is a lesson, win or lose," Hyouta said.
Cyan nodded. "Yeah. It looks like I've learned a thing or two as well."
"Cranidos, use Rock Tomb!" Hyouta shouted.
"Block with Sludge Bomb!" Cyan ordered.
Cranidos roared and then drove his powerful leg into the ground. Four large boulders were catapulted into the air. However, Venusaur was quick to respond. He lurched before blasting a disgusting purple goop from his flower. The purple goop collided with the boulders, destroying them with ease.
"Alright, we'll finish this!" Cyan said as he held up his wrist, revealing his green Z-crystal. "I've brought the soul of Alola to Sinnoh!"
Yurie held onto her egg and then smiled. "Whoa. A Z-move!"
"I've seen some of them on television. This is gonna be cool!" Phoenix added.
Cyan held out his arms to his side and then waved his body around. He put his hands together and then thrust them upward, mimicking a flower that had suddenly sprouted.
"Bloom Doom!"
"Headbutt?" Hyouta instructed with zero confidence in his voice.
Infinity energy surrounded Cyan and made its way to Venusaur. He groaned and then focused the power, turning it into a green color. Cranidos looked back to Hyouta but then started his attack. He ran forward, focusing all of his power on his skull. However, it was useless, and shrubbery began to sprout around the field. Cranidos was taken by surprise, and he stopped his charge. With one more battle cry, Venusaur set off his attack, and all of the grass and plants on the field imploded in on themselves. What followed was the most powerful attack that the Oreburgh City gym had felt in years.
"You did it, man! You absolutely crushed that gym challenge! That was insane!" Phoenix said as he pat his friend on the back. "Honestly, you should be doing the Battle Frontier instead."
"It was fun," Cyan said as he looked at his new gym badge. It was a brown badge that almost took the appearance of a Poké Ball. It was rounded at the top, but the bottom half had straight edges. "But, I'm not sure if I should continue doing the gym challenge like that."
"What do you mean?" Yurie asked. "You're not giving up, are you?"
Cyan shook his head. "No! Of course not! But, if I battle with Venusaur, Vulpix, or Urshifu, I'm going to just race through the gym challenge with no, well, challenge. I only want to use Pokémon that I catch in Sinnoh! At least, for a while."
"That's not a bad idea. It'll make sure that you have to raise new Pokémon," Phoenix said. "In that case, I'll strive to continue training my Yanma and Gabite! Who knows, maybe I'll catch something new too?"
Yurie grinned. "I think it's time that we celebrate! Let's go back and eat the melon!"
The group returned to the Pokémon Center. It was roughly a thirty-minute hike from the gym, and they weren't too far from the museum. Cyan handed over Chimchar and then the group went into the small courtyard in the back. They put their bags down on the table, and Yurie began to slice into the light green melon.
"You alright?" Phoenix asked. "You don't seem too excited. You won your first badge!"
Cyan nodded. "Yeah, but I think I should have prepared better. I think I let down my Chimchar. It's been a long time since I've raised a Pokémon from a low level. I'm excited, but I need to reset my battle strategy."
Yurie turned around and held out a piece of the lemon. "You know what'll cheer you up? Melon! And not just any melon, but the most delicious-and expensive-melon in the whole world!"
"Thank you," Cyan said as he took the melon. He prepared to bite into it, but then he saw movement behind Yurie. He stopped, and his eyes widened.
"What?" Yurie asked as she turned around. A wide smile came across her face as the egg that Michika had given her was moving around a lot more than it had previously. It took on a small glow, and within a matter of seconds, the top half of the egg cracked and exploded.
The three trainers waited with bated breath for the newborn Pokémon to make its presence known. Torchic bobbed from side to side, excited to meet his new sibling.
But then, a blue figure dashed from the egg and dove into the melon. Yurie screeched. She tried to grab any part of the melon that she could salvage, but most of it had been destroyed at a moment's notice. She held up a small fraction of the melon and then looked down. Two beady black eyes looked up at her.
"Pi," the Pokémon chirped.
Yurie couldn't help but smile. "A Piplup? It's so-"
The newly hatched Piplup leaped into the air and clamped his beak down on the last piece of melon.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So, a few things! Cyan gives his fossil to the scientist (and he'll get his new Pokémon next chapter), Cyan easily wins his first gym badge, and Yurie hatches a Piplup! This Piplup is the son of Michika's Piplup. I'm very excited to write this Piplup's personality.
REVIEWS:
pokemonking0924 - "Well it looks like Phoenix has some issues with dirt or is just a neat freak, plus it looks like he has some secrets if that envelope with the name Avery on it means anything. Cyan found a fossil and it looks like he'll get a Cranidos, meanwhile Yurie gets nothing but a a few shards. You know the underground was one of my favorite parts in the DS Diamond and Pearl Games." - The person that Nix is based off is kind of a neat freak. Cyan won't be getting Cranidos! I guess I could have done a better job at describing the fossil... but in hindsight, they look similar. The underground was probably my favorite part about those games, so I wanted to make a short chapter about it.