Route 30
"Food's ready!" Kris called out, getting Jackson and his Pokémon's attention. They had recently left Cherrygrove City, and only realized, a couple hours into their journey along the route, that they forgot the sun was starting to set, and they hadn't eaten yet. Kris offered to cook up a stew for them, with Jackson promising to do the meal next time.
Jackson got out the food for his Pokémon, while Kris pulled out two Pokéballs, shouting, "Come on out, you guys!" She tossed them up, calling out both her Totodile, and another Pokémon, that being a Phanpy. "Here you go, you guys." She told them, pudding down bowls of food for the both of them, to which they thanked her in response.
"So you caught a Phanpy, huh?" Jackson questioned, "I remember encountering one of those. Got told off by a Pokémon Ranger for fighting one for experience."
"Oh, yeah?" Kris asked, "Yeah, that was a thing in the past, but nowadays, proper trainers would only go and fight wild Pokémon with the intention of capturing them."
"Yeah, I learned my lesson." Jackson assured her, "Let's change the subject, please?"
"Sure. Let's talk about the Gym Leader in Violet City." Kris understood, pulling out a book that had the symbol of the Johto League on it, "According to this, the Gym Leader's name is Falkner. His specialty is in Flying-types."
"Flying-types, huh?" Jackson echoed, "So basically, like my Ledyba."
"Correct. He's the son of the previous Gym Leader. They also say his ace Pokémon, Pidgeotto, was given to him by his father." She showed off the picture of the young man, who was a blue-haired boy, with bangs covering his right eye. He wore a light blue obi-like top with a white sash, light blue shorts, a sky blue and white-buttoned jacket over it, white socks, black sandals with red bead fasteners, and black and red- trimmed wristbands. With him was a couple of birds, one being a Pidgey, and the other being a bird that looked like a grown-up version of it.
"So the one Pokémon that isn't Pidgey is a Pidgeotto?" Jackson noticed, pulling out his Pokédex, examining the picture. "Pidgeotto. The Bird Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pidgey. Pidgeotto claims a large area as its own territory. This Pokémon flies around, patrolling its living space. If its territory is violated, it shows no mercy in thoroughly punishing the foe with its sharp claws."
"Man, this is far more simple evolution look than that compared to Dragonair and Dragonite." Jackson compared, recalling Clair's blue serpent like Dragon Pokémon, to Lance's yellow, bipedal Dragon.
"Some Pokémon evolutions are more simple, while others are far more drastic, like the ones you were talking about." Kris pointed out, "I'm sure you'll understand when your Pokémon eventually evolve."
"Right…" Jackson muttered, looking to his three among the five Pokémon presently eating with them. He recalled one of Eevee's evolutions, but wondered what the other looks were like. Not only that, he wondered what his other Pokémon would look like when they evolve.
"Hey, after we're done eating, let's have a battle together." Kris suggested, taking a bite in her food, "I did say I would like to learn how you were able to get so strong."
"Sure. After food, okay?" Jackson asked, taking a bite of his meal, "Tasty!"
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Eevee, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulder as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Eevee leapt forward, unleashing a Swift attack from her tail, with Ledyba flying next to her, using his own Swift to join her's. Oshawott and Sneasel shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Oshawott angrily looking at the calm and collected Sneasel.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
As soon as they finished, the two trainers cleaned their dishes and gathered their Pokémon up as they prepared to fight each other. Jackson had out his Sneasel at the ready, while Kris had Phanpy in front of her.
"Okay, Sneasel. This will be the first battle we had together since I caught you." Jackson stated, "Let's give her a battle she won't forget!"
"Right. I'll show her!" Sneasel replied, brandishing his claws.
"Phanpy, let's give 'em a show!" Kris told her partner.
"I will show you better results than I did with that other boy!" Phanpy responded.
Kris looked amazed, patting her ear as she stated, "I'm still amazed at how these things work! I can clearly hear my Pokémon's words!" That's right. Jackson had given Kris a newly crafted translator like the one he already created. Now that he was able to create one before, he had a photographic and muscle memory of the blueprints, and made them in a short period of time.
"Let's get started, Kris!" Jackson called out, "I'm a gentlemen, so you take the first move!"
"Just like before." Kris recalled, "Okay, Phanpy, use Rollout!"
"Spin and win time!" Phanpy called out, curling into a ball, and with his ears sticking out from the side, he began rolling towards Sneasel.
'I'll slow him down with an Icy Wind!' Jackson thought, about to call out the attack, when suddenly, his awareness activated, and he turned just in time to see a young man run out of the woods, carrying two things in his hands, panicking. He had short, spiked brown hair, beady eyes, and wore a blue coat with black buttons, khakis, black and white shoes, and a blue backpack. He suddenly ran into the midst of the battlefield, and immediately noticed Phanpy come his way, knocking him into the sky.
"What…the heck?" Sneasel questioned.
"Where did he come from?!" Eevee questioned.
"Quick, he dropped whatever he was carrying!" Jackson called out to Kris, who saw the two figures thrown out of the flailing man's hands.
"On it!" Kris answered, and she went to the nearest one, grabbing it, which turned out to be a cream-colored cat Pokémon. Meanwhile, Jackson ended up catching a green-bodied spider with a horn on its head.
"Saved it!" Jackson and Kris said simultaneously, as the man landed shoulders-first, grunting in pain from the fall. He went limp, letting out a long moan as Phanpy ran over and bowed his head, apologizing for the accidental strike.
A little bit later, Jackson and Kris made sure to take care of the trainer and his Pokémon, Jackson primarily focusing on the man, who had his shirt off. Digging into his bag, Jackson was able to pull out a kit he had for acupuncture. During his time in the martial arts world, Jackson was taught by the Chinese Kenpo master, Kensei Ma, on the art of acupuncture, learning many procedures from him, including how to nullify pain and activating healing methods in the body to help it recover. He was using these exact same methods to heal his sore body.
"You really surprise me with what you can do!" Kris stated, "You never told me you were skilled in medical capabilities."
"I do have to pull out my notes on how to do it again." Jackson noted, looking into one of his own hand-made instruction book on how his master taught him the art of acupuncture, "There's so much I have learned, that I need to keep books on them to remind myself how to do each thing, just to clarify things."
"Even so, you're still amazing to know so much…" Kris muttered with a sweat-dropped expression, wondering how he could be so humble for being so experienced.
"Are you doing okay, sir?" Jackson asked the young man.
"Yes. Thanks for doing this." He replied, "I didn't realize how easing being poked full of needles would be."
"So why were you running away like that with your Pokémon in tow?" Jackson asked, looking to the two Pokémon that Kris was taking care of, pulling out her Pokédex to analyze each.
"Meowth. The Cat Scratch Pokémon. Meowth withdraws its sharp claws into its paws to slinkily sneak about without making any incriminating footsteps. For some reason, this Pokémon loves shiny coins that glitter with light."
"Spinarak. The String Spit Pokémon. The web spun by Spinarak can be considered its second nervous system. It is said that this Pokémon can determine what kind of prey is touching its web just by the tiny vibrations it feels through the web's strands."
"A moment ago, I was just making my way towards the next town when I ended up encountering a Pokémon that challenged my Pokémon to battles." the young man started, "It was incredibly strange, though. The moment I tried to use the Night Slash move on it, the Pokémon got extremely excited and aggressive, and fought back with its own Night Slash, taking out both Meowth and Spinarak. It got even more aggressive when I tried to use any other move, like it only wanted my Pokémon to use Night Slash."
"A Pokémon who only favors one move?" Jackson asked, looking to Kris, "Is that unusual?"
"Well, it would make sense if the Pokémon only knew the one move, but wanting others who know the same move to use it as well is a bit strange." Kris stated, "Though to be fair, I've never heard of a Pokémon with an attitude like that."
"As you can see, my Meowth and Spinarak are two Pokémon who know the move Night Slash." The young man pointed out, "But we got trounced pretty badly by it. And it ended up stealing some stuff from me after it won."
"It stole items from you after he won?!" Jackson questioned, mentally adding, 'Is this like that story about Benkei Master Shigure spoke about in Japanese folklore?'
"Yeah. A lot of berries and other things I had on hand. Nothing that can't be replaced, fortunately." the young man sighed.
"Even so, we can't let that injustice go unpunished." Jackson argued, standing up with a clenched fist, "Thievery is still a crime, even from a wild Pokémon. I'll just have to fight it."
"You mean with your Pokémon, right?" Kris asked.
"Duh, of course." Jackson responded, looking to Sneasel, "And since I have a Night Slash user with me, I can totally fight it head-on with its terms. Do you agree, Sneasel?"
"Hmph! Who do you think you're talking to? I'm one of the best in the Ice Path." Sneasel replied, "I can teach this foolish Pokémon How wrong it is to steal."
Jackson was taking the needles out of the man as Kris asked, "So what kind of Pokémon was it?"
"That's another strange thing. The Pokémon was an Oshawott." The man explained, "That kind of Pokémon isn't really native to the Johto region."
"Oshawott?" Jackson asked, wiping off the needles before putting them away, and pulling out his own Pokédex, tapping in the name. "Oshawott. The Sea Otter Pokémon. The scalchop on its stomach isn't just used for battle-it can be used to break open hard berries as well. In response to an attack, it retaliates immediately by slashing."
"You're right." Kris agreed, "If I remember correctly, Oshawott are one of the three starters hailing from the Unova region. Having one here in Johto is rather odd."
"Well, it's a good thing that we can figure out why its here and not there." Jackson declared, as the man put his shirt on and gathered his things and his Pokémon.
"Thanks for your help, but be careful." he warned him, "That Oshawott is very strong, and crazy, to boot!"
"He hasn't dealt with crazies like I have." Jackson replied, as he and Kris called back al but Eevee and Sneasel to their Pokéballs, before they set out together.
As they went along the same path as where the man came from, Kris asked, "So what's the plan for dealing with this Oshawott? I take it it involves Sneasel, correct?"
"Yep." Jackson answered, looking down at Sneasel, "We need to give this Pokémon a harsh and pride-destroying lesson by beating it on its own terms. And I know Night Slash is a strong move you have."
"Indeed." Sneasel replied, "I plan to prove this Pokémon is not as strong as it thinks!"
"That's almost pretty dark and cynical, if you think about it." Kris noted.
"It's the same as taking on a Gym Leader, right?" Jackson compared, "You fight on their own terms, and try to beat them. It's practically the same thing!"
"I guess…" the young girl admitted.
The team ended up arriving at a pond nearby, with a creek that fed into it straight ahead of them. Not only that, but there was a small bridge of twigs and sticks forming a makeshift bridge over the creek.
"Since Oshawott is a Water-type, it would make sense if it lived near water." Kris stated, looking about, "Strange that I can't see other Pokémon around here. This place seems like the ideal area for a place they live in."
"I am getting a presence, though." Jackson pointed out, poking a finger over to the area where the stick bridge was at, "Just beneath the surface over there. Someone feels to me like they are waiting to come out."
"Could it be Oshawott?" Eevee asked.
"Pretty sure." Jackson responded.
"Um…I would ask how can you tell, but I've given up questioning all that you do." Kris said in a bemused manner.
Jackson gave a hand gesture to Kris, telling her to stay back, as he, Eevee, and Sneasel approached the bridge. They had only took one step on it when something shot out of the water like a geyser. "Ho!" They heard a voice cry, as it landed on the other end of the bridge. The Pokémon looked exactly like it did in the picture; white head with a brown nose and dark blue ears, a light blue body, white stubby hands, blue webbed feet and tail, and a yellow seashell in one hand, which he held like a reverse-gripped sword.
"Halt, you!" He shouted to the trio, "You stand before the mighty Oshawott, the greatest Night Slash user in the world!"
"Quite the entrance…" Eevee muttered.
"So you're the rumored Oshawott we neared about, huh?" Jackson questioned, "Is it true that you prefer using the move Night Slash above all others?"
"Ah, so my legend is starting to be known far and wide!" Oshawott stated with confidence, placing his scalchop on his belly, and folding his arms in front of him, "It is true. Ever since I was born, I was gifted with the move Night Slash. Ever since then, I trained vigorously at honing the attack as my own! To this day, there hasn't been another Night Slash user I have fought and not defeated. I am going to be the best, no matter what!" His eye glinted at Sneasel, and pointed at him, shouting, "Oh-ho! My keen senses can tell you, too, know Night Slash. Am I wrong?!"
"You are not." Sneasel answered, producing said energy blade in his hand, pointing it at Oshawott, "I also can wield the move. And I can tell you that I am far more skilled in it than you!"
"A challenge, then, eh?" Oshawott asked, pulling his scalchop out again, and producing an energy sword from it as well, "To face a Dark-type Night Slash user will only make me more renowned than before! I shall defeat you with my own Night Slash, and claim my prize and my honor!"
'He wasn't kidding by his attitude.' Jackson mentally stated, 'And is it just me, or does this whole thing make me think more and more about Benkei?!'
Sneasel stepped forward, readying his attack, and Oshawott ducked down, prepared to make a leaping charge. "Remember what I taught you, Sneasel." Jackson told him. What Jackson was meaning about was during the time he had between Blackthorn City and Route 29, Jackson decided to give Sneasel a few basic lessons in swordplay to improve his Night Slash attack.
Sneasel understood, and held his Night Slash blade in both hands, concentrating on both the blade and the weapon hand of Oshawott, prepared to strike. The two paused for what felt like forever, before a leaf passed by them from one of the trees, floating towards the water. The moment it touched and caused ripples, the two instantly lunged forward.
Oshawott roared as he readied a downward diagonal slash. Sneasel immediately reacted by blocking the downward slash with a horizontal blade block. The Sea Otter Pokémon growled as he pressed down his blade upon Sneasel's blade. Sneasel gritted his teeth against the pressure of the blade, but digging his clawed feet into the ground, he pushed Oshawott away from him, sending him flying over the bridge onto the other side, where he was able to land on his feet, nearly fall backwards, but regain himself. He gave a harsh glare at Sneasel, who dissipated his Night Slash, folding his arms.
"He pushed him back!" Kris gasped, surprised at how skilled Sneasel fended him off.
"That Oshawott has power, but lacks the sword skills like Sneasel does." Jackson noted.
"It was quite a bit of power, though." Sneasel stated, flexing his claws, "I was afraid my arms would grow numb from that. Still, it wasn't enough to stop me."
"Did that mean Sneasel won the duel?!" Eevee asked eagerly.
"That didn't count!" Oshawott argued angrily, "That was a mere test to see how strong you were!"
"Whatever. You unleashed your Night Slash against mine, and I was the clear winner." Sneasel noted, "Face it. You only faced weaker opponents up till this point. That's not enough to prove you are the best Night Slash user. I just showed you."
Oshawott snarled angrily as Jackson and Sneasel stood there. The trainer had to admit that Sneasel's words were harsh, but true. Still, he was trying to form cracks in Oshawott's pride.
"Shut up! Shut! Up!" Oshawott yelled, "You have no right to lecture me! I am stronger than anyone! My Night Slash is the best! And no matter what anyone says, I will be the strongest! GRAAAAAAHH!" Oshawott gave one screaming roar, making the others on edge on whether he was gonna act like a loose cannon. However, what he was gonna do was not expecting by any of them, for all of a sudden, Oshawott's body started to glow brightly, with rings of energy circling around its body.
"Wha- What the hell is happening?!" Jackson questioned.
"No way…" Kris realized, watching what was taking place, "Oshawott… is evolving!"
Jackson looked back at Kris, before looking at the glowing Water-type, asking, "This is evolution?!"
Oshawott's body grew up, its limbs changing and growing, the scalchop suddenly splitting into two. When the light died down, Oshawott had now appeared as a complete change, his fur with more light and dark blues instead of any white, apart from the newly-grown whiskers, black hands, feet, and tail, and now wielding two scalchops instead of one.
"So this is what an evolution is…" Jackson stated, digging out his Pokédex and examining the new Pokémon before him. "Dewott. The Discipline Pokémon, and the evolved form of Oshawott. As a result of strict training, each Dewott learns different forms for using the scalchops."
"You really made me do it…" Dewott growled, glaring at Jackson and Sneasel, "You two forced me to choose to evolve. Now I'll show you how much of a difference it makes!" He reached for both of his scalchops on his hips, and had them at the ready, producing Night Slash from both of them.
"Dual-wielding Night Slash?" Jackson noticed, "Sneasel, on your guard!" Sneasel looked back at him as Dewott made a dash at Sneasel. He turned just in time to see Dewott swing his blades at him. Sneasel produced his Night Slash, and blocked one of the blades, although just barely. However, the other Night Slash blade circled around and slashed Sneasel in the neck, causing him pain, and sending him flying.
"Sneasel!" Jackson exclaimed, mentally adding, 'This isn't good! He's not only stronger and faster, but more skilled! There is no way we can take it head-on like this! So much for ruining his pride.'
Sneasel was able to get up as Dewott turned and lunged at him. "Sneasel, avoid it with Agility!" Jackson shouted. Sneasel instantly sped up as Dewott got close, causing him to miss his attack. Sneasel appeared a good distance from him, keeping his eyes focused on his opponent.
"Using other moves in a Night Slash duel?" Dewott questioned, getting angry again, "THAT'S ABSOLUTE BLASPHEMY!" Dewott suddenly emanated a yellow glow on his body, and he started to get more focused.
"What is that?!" Jackson questioned.
"I think that's Focus Energy!" Kris noticed, "It's boosting the chance to strike a weak point!"
"If you plan to use nasty tricks by utilizing other moves, then don't expect any mercy for me!" Dewott snapped, "You lose your pride as a Pokémon by listening to that trainer, instead of following through with this honorable duel!" He lunged at Sneasel, who got caught unawares by the words he spouted. Jackson called out to Sneasel to evade, but it was too late. With a pair of Night Slash scalchops, Sneasel was sent flying upwards, taking critical hits to its body by the attack, and collapsing to the ground, completely beaten.
"Sneasel!" Jackson cried out, racing towards his Pokémon, and picking him up in his arms. He was in bad shape. Dewott got him pretty good.
"Now for the punishment for the loser!" Dewott called out to Jackson, leaping at him with vigor, "Hand over all you have, including that sword!" Jackson immediately leapt back as Dewott came down upon the spot Jackson stood, his Night Slash breaking the ground.
"Jackson!" Kris shouted as the swordsman came to a halt.
"Want me to get him out of here?" Eevee asked, readying her tail.
"No. Leave this to me." Jackson replied, placing Sneasel in one hand, and drawing his blade, "As for you, Dewott. You need to cool off!" He gathered up wind into his blade, and unleash a powerful gust that shot right at Dewott. He braced against it for a few seconds, but was sent flying soon after. He was stunned by the attack, and splashed into the pond far away from them.
"Let's go while we have the chance!" Jackson told Kris, who nodded in agreement, and the two took off back the way they came.
Meanwhile, Dewott rose out of the water, glaring as he muttered, "That human…how could he do that?! Never mind. Next time we meet, he will pay for his actions!"
Jackson and Kris had no choice but to make their way back to the Pokémon Center in Cherrygrove City again. By the time they reached it, night had fallen. Still, the Pokémon Center was open 24 hours, so they were able to get Sneasel in to be healed. They sat down in the waiting room, keeping tabs on any news about his condition.
"That Dewott was something else, wasn't it?" Kris asked Jackson, looking slightly irritated, "I mean, he called you two out as cheaters, when he was the one who cheated by evolving in the midst of the battle."
Jackson paused in his thoughts, before asking, "Is evolving in a battle really a cheat, though? I mean, it is natural, right?"
"Well, I mean, yeah." Kris replied,"But still…"
"Jackson, are you actually standing up for Dewott, despite all he said to you?" Eevee questioned her trainer.
"I'm just trying to figure out Dewott's perspective." Jackson replied, "For one thing, based on what happened, and based on that one guy said before, it seems Dewott become extremely infuriated whenever any Night Slash user uses a move apart from that move. It wants to have a fair and square battle only involving that one move. So, in a way, using Agility like Sneasel did was considered cheating."
"I guess…" Kris replied.
"What's more, evolving in the midst of a fight isn't really cheating in his book." Jackson added, "And, in a way, he's right. Evolving isn't a move, but a natural power-up. Ergo, it's technically in the rules of battle."
"So you really are saying that he was in the right." Eevee stated.
"Yes." Jackson answered, "Dewott is far too straight forward to be dishonest, and an honorable duel against Night Slash users is what he wants. What's more, he clearly has a huge dislike for trainers, as far as I can see. If I had to guess, I think Dewott was previously owned by a trainer."
"Yeah, that would make sense." Kris agreed, "Not only that, it would make sense how he came to be here. It's not rare for trainer to just up and abandon their Pokémon, either for them being far too disobedient, or sadly, just being too weak."
"I see." Jackson muttered, looking down in frustration. Both sides, he didn't like. True, the worst part is to consider someone too weak to keep around, instead of training them. However, Dewott was not weak by any means. That meant he was the former; the disobedient kind. He had way too much pride in his one move, that he didn't care if someone wanted him to do a different move.
"I think he was a Pokémon who was let go for being too disobedient." Jackson assumed, "But I don't think that is the problem here. I did say before that we were gonna fight with his standards, and I went against that choice."
"But you didn't have a choice when he evolved!" Eevee argued.
"I did have a choice." Jackson retorted, "I just went against it, as well as Dewott's pride. True, we had to break his pride, but not like this."
"Then what do you plan on doing?" The young girl asked as Jackson dug into his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex.
"I am gonna stick to what I wanted before; win the fight, by his rules." Jackson answered, "But Sneasel needs to become even better than he is right now. So I'm thinking we should use what Dewott did, and do it as well."
Kris paused before asking, "By that, you mean you want to evolve Sneasel?"
"Yep. Let's see what the dex says on what he can evolve into." Jackson stated, looking up the evolution of Sneasel, before discovering it, being a Pokémon more fierce than it was before, with a red fan of feathers on its head, a red collar, red feathers from his neck and tail, and sharper claws than before.
"Weavile. The Sharp Claw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Sneasel. They live in cold regions, forming groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination. It carves patterns in trees with its claws as a signal to others."
"Seems like a powerful Pokémon." Jackson stated, "And according to this, there are two requirements to evolving Sneasel into one. First thing that has to happen is that it has to be nighttime."
"That works right now, since it is nighttime." Eevee pointed out.
"Yeah, but the second part is a bit more difficult." Jackson noted, "It says here that he has to have an item called a Razor Claw on him."
"I've heard of those." Kris replied, "They're suppose to boost the chances of your Pokémon striking a critical hit on your opponent."
"So an item can have an effect on a Pokémon like that?" Jackson questioned.
"Sure. There are trainers who give their Pokémon items to use in battle." Kris explained, "Berries to heal yourself, items to boost your strength in battle, all kinds. They do come in handy."
"Yeah. Problem is, I don't have a Razor Claw on me." Jackson explained, "This might be more difficult than I thought."
"Excuse me…" Said a familiar voice. Jackson, Eevee and Kris looked around towards their right side, and saw the very same backpacker that they knocked over and healed up before approaching them.
"Hey, it's you again!" Kris recognized.
"The name's Christopher." the man introduced himself, "Sorry I never got to introduce myself before."
"Yeah, after you got knocked into the air because of our battle, and we ended up saving your Pokémon instead of you didn't help you like us that time, either." Jackson bluntly added.
"Wow. Tact much, Jackson?" Kris questioned Jackson's insensitive words.
"No, I'm glad you saved them. I can handle a fall or two." Christopher argued, "Besides thanks to you and that acupuncture, my body is feeling a heck of a lot better than it did before. Seriously, my shoulders ached before you fixed me up, and now it's all better."
"Not a prob." Jackson replied.
"Speaking of which, I heard you say something about a Razor Claw?" He asked, "I take it things with Dewott didn't go so well."
"Yeah, it did." Eevee agreed.
"But I've learned a lot from that experience, and I've learned I should be a bit more chivalrous for the next fight." Jackson replied, "Even so, I just wished Sneasel could get stronger quickly for the next battle, and that's why we were talking about evolution."
"Riiiight. And that's why you need a Razor Claw." Christopher understood, digging into his backpack, before pulling something out, "In that case, here." He held out a stone that looked like a crescent-shaped moon.
"A Razor Claw?!" Kris gasped, causing Eevee and Jackson to looked surprise.
"You're seriously giving one to us?!" Jackson asked.
"Sure. As thanks for fixing me up better than ever."
"But are you sure?" Kris questioned, "Razor Claws aren't that easy to find."
"Actually, my Meowth found it for me." Christopher explained, "He has the Pickup ability, so he has been able to gather up all kinds of things, including that. I'll probably find another sometime."
"Gee, thanks." Jackson thanked the man, taking the Razor Crest and examining it. It was quite light, and the crescent ends of it were pretty sharp, like a claw.
"Not a problem." He replied, giving a fist pump, "Just be sure to give that Oshawott a beating, okay?"
"Actually, it evolved into a Dewott now, but we'll still give it a battle it won't forget." Jackson replied. Christopher looked shocked that the Pokémon he had a hard time fighting against evolved, and it plastered across his face clearly for the three to see.
Moment's later, Jackson had back Sneasel, who was fortunate to get healed up quickly. It was midnight, so the moon hanged over their heads. Kris watched from a distance, seeing the scene as Jackson stood with Eevee and Sneasel. Sneasel had a bandage wrapped around his waist from the final attack dealt to him by Dewott.
"You feeling okay, Sneasel?" Jackson asked his partner.
"As good as I can be." Sneasel replied.
Jackson paused for a moment, before starting, "Listen, Sneasel. I'm sorry things didn't go well out there. And I'm sorry I went against the dishonorable choice of using more than Night Slash out there."
"Why are you apologizing to me?" Sneasel asked, looking confused, "I would've done the same in that situation."
"I know, but I couldn't help but apologize." Jackson responded, "But despite that Dewott's hot temper, he was still wanting to have an honorable duel of Night Slashes against us. That's why we have to go back on our initial choice, and beat him on his own terms. And we'll use the plan he used against us right back at him…" Jackson held out the Razor Claw to Sneasel, who looked at it with surprise.
"A Razor Claw?" He asked, before realizing, "I get it. You want me to evolve just like he did against us."
"Right." Jackson answered, "Of course, it is your choice. You can choose whether you want this or not."
Sneasel paused for a moment, thinking about it. Finally, he answered, "You know, when I said I was the strongest in the Ice Path…that wasn't completely true." Jackson looked surprised at this, as he continued, "My pack leader was a Weavile, and she was incredibly strong. I could fight everyone and defeat them, but she was someone I could never win against. I did say that I was the strongest, but I was more second best compared to her. I was envious of her strength."
"Yeah, I can see that." Jackson admitted, thinking back to times where his friends and masters shown how high above his level of strength they were.
"So getting a chance to evolve now…" Sneasel finished, taking the Razor Claw from Jackson and raising it up to the moon above him, "…would certainly make my dream come true." Jackson smiled at him, which turned to surprise as Sneasel's entire body glowed, and he started to change before their eyes. His body grew slightly, the fan of feathers grew, the claws changed. He was changing just like Dewott did before.
The next morning, Jackson, Eevee and Kris returned back to the shores of the pond once again, making their way towards the stick bridge they encountered Dewott before. Jackson waved to Kris to back off, before he and Eevee stepped forward.
"Is he there?" Eevee asked.
"Yes. And I suspect he's waiting for us to come back." Jackson replied, "Let's be extra careful."
The two got close to the stick bridge, and Jackson placed one foot onto it, before something shot out from underneath the middle of the bridge, causing an explosion of water and twigs, forcing Jackson and Eevee to back off. Dewott had reappeared again, and he landed on the shore of the river, glaring at Jackson.
"You came back, human?!" He asked, "Trying those tricks against me again? Just like a human to be so crafty…and to cheat!"
"Trust me, I'm not gonna do any tricks." Jackson replied, "But before we do this, let me ask you something."
"I don't need to answer anything you ask!" Dewott shouted, "I came to get my revenge on you for committing blasphemy against our duel!"
"Just one thing, okay?" Jackson responded, "Be honest with me. You had a trainer before, didn't you? And you were abandoned by him or her, right?"
"Why does that make a difference?" Dewott asked, frowning upon his words.
"Just need to know the reason of your spite." Jackson explained, "I get that I totally disrespected a Night Slash duel, and for that, I am sorry." He then bowed his head to Dewott, who was taken aback at Jackson's expression of apology. "I got desperate when I realized how strong and swift you were, and had Sneasel use Agility to evade your attack. And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't forgive me, even if I did apologize to you." He raised himself back up as he finished, "But even so, I came back. Me and my partner will continue this Night Slash duel, on your own terms, no other moves included."
Dewott was rather shocked at this, but shook his head as he growled, "Those are just words! You said it yourself that you became desperate and did a different move when I overwhelmed your Sneasel! You're just gonna do that again!"
"Not this time." Jackson replied, pulling out a Pokéball, "This time, we're both gonna and calm, cool, and collective. Cause we changed since the last time." Jackson tossed the Pokéball up, and it opened up, calling out his newly-evolved Weavile to the stage, who furled his arms in front of him, and only gave a huff in response to his appearance.
Dewott was taken aback, and said, "So you chose to come back evolved, only because I did so in our last duel?"
"You had no problem evolving yourself to overwhelm me and Sneasel." Jackson argued, "It's only fair that we chose to evolve in response, and become strong enough to face you."
"Yeah." Weavile added simply.
"After all…" Jackson finished up, pointing to Dewott, "You're strong, and we want to show you our strength, and that we can overwhelm you on your own terms!"
Dewott growled as he produced his two Night Slash, shouting, "Bring it on! I will defeat you, and make a name for myself!" Weavile responded by producing his own Night Slash blade, holding it to one side, at the ready. Once again, the two stared each other down, waiting for any sign to start their duel. Dewott was impatient, but he wasn't gonna allow that to get the better of him. Meanwhile, Weavile stood calmly, no signs of tension. Suddenly, a nearby blue Pokémon with a white and black spiral popped out, making a call nearby. This was the signal the two were waiting for.
The match only lasted an instant. For they shot at one another, far quicker than their first duel. In a blink of an eye, they crossed paths, and they slashed at each other. The two stopped at opposite ends to where they started, not making a sign of movement. Eevee looked tense, as did Kris far behind them. Finally, Dewott dropped a scalchop, and he collapsed on his hands and knees, taking heavy damage from that one attack. Weavile looked behind him, and winced as he clutched his side, also taking a hit from Dewott's Night Slash. However, he was able to evade a more damaging result than before.
Eevee ran towards Weavile, as Jackson approached Dewott, who shouted, "Dammit! How… How could I have lost to a Night Slash duel? I've never lost before!"
"The world's a lot bigger than this route, Dewott." Jackson answered, and the Discipline Pokémon looked up to see Jackson lock eyes with him as he knelt down to his level, "You're a pretty strong Pokémon. And your skills with your scalchops are first rate. I bet you would make a great sword fighter, as well as a strong partner for my team."
Kris looked taken aback at this. So he really wanted to duel this Pokémon again just to make him a new member of his party?
"Tch! I ain't joining with any trainer!" Dewott scoffed, turning away from Jackson's gaze, "Trainers will just dump you when they don't listen to you. Sure, it's fine when you are powerful, but if ya ain't listening to them, they won't care about having you, one way or another."
Jackson thought about Dewott's words. His pride in his Night Slash is probably why he was abandoned by his previous trainer. They didn't understand him at all, so they up and left him, causing him to become bitter, and duel every Night Slash Pokémon just to prove himself. But Jackson was different, and not just because he could understand the language.
"Tell me, what is your specialty?" Jackson questioned Dewott, "What makes you special from any other one of your kind?"
"Simple: My Night Slash." Dewott answered in an obvious tone, "See, it's not something a Dewott, or any part of my evolutionary line, can learn easily. I'm dang proud of being able to use it, so I will continue to use it. I'll be better than any other Pokémon who knows Night Slash, and that's a guaranteed declaration!"
Jackson smiled at the vow he gave. "Well then, in that case, I wouldn't mind seeing you reach that goal. But you can't be the best if you hang around in this route all the time. You gotta see the world, and all it has. I'm pretty good with a blade, so I can give you advice on how to fight, if you want. And I promise that I'll listen to you if you have something you want to say. It might help the both of us understand one another."
Dewott was curious about the trainer in front of him. He wasn't like any trainer he had met yet, and not just because he could understand his language. He had a sort of great strength coming from him, which he experienced firsthand from that attack that sent him flying before. And what he said was true; since he was abandoned, he hadn't moved from this route for a long time. Maybe going on a journey wouldn't be such a bad thing for him.
"Oh, please come with us!" Eevee pleaded to Dewott, "Jackson is a really nice trainer, and I know he would never abandon you, even if he was left with no other choice."
"He's a cool guy." Weavile added in his calm demeanor, "Why not give him a shot?"
Dewott looked back at the two Pokémon, giving a harsh glare at Weavile, hating him, especially after his loss. Eevee, on the other hand, was giving a cute look to him, making him falter slightly, before shaking it off. He turned away from the gaze, putting his scalchop back on his waist again before starting, "Suppose I do come along with him. You know that even if we are partners with him, that doesn't mean we're friends. As a matter of fact, we're eternal rivals, Weavile! And suppose I get stronger with him. So strong, that my Night Slash overcomes yours! Will that be a problem?"
"It hasn't happened yet, so I can't say." The Sharp Claw responded calmly, "But don't forget that I'm getting stronger with him, too. I'll be surprised to see you beat a Dark-type like me in a Night Slash duel."
"Trust me, you'll be shocked beyond belief!" Dewott retaliated, "I beat you, and wipe that cool grin off your face!" He then turned to Eevee, who got caught unawares by his sudden shift in attention, "And as for you, don't consider us friends off the bat. So you can stop showing those baby-doll eyes of yours, cause cuteness ain't gonna work on me!"
"But I don't know Baby-Doll Eyes." Eevee argued.
"That's not what I…! Oh, forget it!" Dewott snapped, turning back to Jackson, deciding, "Okay, fine. I'll go with ya. But don't expect me to be all buddy-buddy with your team just like that! I haven't forgotten about my last trainer, nor have I forgiven him! If you want to gain my trust, you'll have to earn it!"
"Don't worry. I won't disappoint you, Dewott." Jackson answered, pulling out a Pokéball from his bag, and tapping it on the Discipline Pokémon's head, sucking him into the ball. After a few shake, the ball clicked, signaling the capture of his fourth Pokémon.
"Congrats on your newest Pokémon." Kris told Jackson, walking up to him now that things were safe.
"Thanks." Jackson replied, looking to Weavile, "Couldn't have done it without you, buddy."
"It was nothing." He answered simply. Jackson and Kris sweat dropped at his calm demeanor, which had become far more obvious compared to his pre-evolution.
"You really developed a change in personality since your evolution." Jackson stated, "Is that normal for a Pokémon?"
"In many cases, yes." Kris replied.
"Hey, Jackson?" Eevee spoke up, getting his attention, "Was it your plan to capture Dewott in the first place?"
"Sort of." He replied, "He kinda reminds me of my competitive years when I was younger. Plus, it's a good way to learn to train difficult Pokémon, too."
"That's true…" Eevee admitted.
"And you certainly got a stubborn Pokémon." Kris admitted.
Moments later, the two finally reached a point along the path where the roads split two different ways. Jackson and Eevee looked down the left path, looking at the map as he stated, "According to the map, this way is a shorter path towards Violet City. We can go this way together to catch up with Ethan."
"Actually…" Kris started, getting the two's attention, "I want to go down the other path."
"Why is that?" Eevee asked.
"There's a man who lives in this direction named Mr. Pokémon." Kris explained, "Thing is, I've always wanted to meet the man, and learn all about Pokémon from him. I figure that if I can increase my knowledge on Pokémon, I can become a better trainer."
"I see…" Jackson understood.
"In that case, this means we're going our separate ways, right?" Eevee asked sadly.
"Don't worry." Kris assured them, "We'll see each other again. And you can better believe that I'll be stronger than now. Then, we'll have that rematch, okay?"
"Sounds good. I can't wait!" Jackson replied, raising a hand to her. She took it, and they shook, telling each other their farewells, before going different paths, knowing fully well that they will see each other again, and that both of them will get stronger when they next meet.