Route 32
"Goldeen, use Water Pulse!"
"Counter with your Water Pulse, Dewott!" Jackson called out. The two Pokemon unleashed their spheres of compressed water at each other, causing a hydro explosion upon impact. Jackson was on the fishing docks, challenging a fisherman named Ralph to a battle. It was his Goldeen versus Jackson's Dewott, and both were in the water, facing each other.
"Hit him with a Horn Attack!" Ralph ordered. His Goldeen's horn on its head glowed as it charged at Dewott.
"Send it into the air with Razor Shell!" Jackson called out.
"This better not defeat you!" Dewott shouted, encasing his scalchop in a blue blade aura, and swam headlong at Goldeen. They clashed horn with blade, but Dewott overpowered the fish, and sent it out of the water.
"Time for the finisher!" Jackson called out, as Dewott readied his other scalchop, prepping a purple energy blade, "Night Slash!"
"Here it comes!" Dewott roared, shooting out of the water as he slashed right through the fazed Goldeen. Dewott splashed back into the water as Goldeen splashed back down. Everyone watched as Dewott popped his head out of the water, while Goldeen was belly-up, spirals in her eyes.
"No! My Goldeen!" Ralph grimaced.
"Sweet, sweet victory!" Jackson cheered, "You're doing a heck of a lot better in your battling, Dewott! I'm proud of you!"
"Heh! What do you expect?" Dewott questioned, "I am the best at what I do!"
"Now if you only were a little more humble..." Jackson muttered quietly.
"What was that?" Dewott asked, feeling like he got dissed.
"Nothing!" Jackson answered, waving it away.
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By Sonar Pocket)
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 Ledian flying next to her, using Flash to blind the scene. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Dewott angrily looking at the calm and collected Weavile.)
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.)
About an hour later after this battle, the sun was starting to set as Jackson had left the Pokémon Center that was on the route, having healed his Pokémon. "How far are we to Azelea Town?" Eevee asked on his shoulder.
"We still have to go through the Union Cave." Jackson explained, "After that, just a short trip through Route 33, and we'll be there."
"Still, it was good for us to take our time going through the route to get stronger." Eevee noted.
"Gotta." Jackson replied, "After all, remember what those Unown said. In the future, we're gonna deal with some extremely powerful enemies. Based on what they said, it doesn't just refer to Pokémon, but people as well. So all of us have to improve when that time comes."
"Right. That's why we're all improving." Eevee told Jackson.
Jackson looked at his Pokéballs, thinking to himself. "Right now, Dewott and Weavile basically have the same moveset. You ended up exchanging Sand Attack for a move called Refresh, which helps you out if you heal from status effects. Ledian lost Supersonic, but gained a Bug-type move called Silver Wind, which when we used it on that Ekans before, did some pretty awesome damage."
"What I am amazed at it what you did to those poor Ekans before." Eevee sighed.
"How was I suppose to know that tree contained a horde of them when I went up to get my bearings?" Jackson asked, "Besides, they were about to wrap themselves around me, so I HAD to use my Wind-Blade technique to send them flying away from me. I'm sure their fine... I think."
"I wonder if anyone else did something like that before?" Eevee asked.
"Maybe. And maybe they caught one of those Ekans in a series of events." Jackson noted.
"Why are you saying that like it did happen?" Eevee asked. Jackson shrugged, and they moved on.
(Author's Note: This goes out to InsaneDominator, creator of 'The Fairy Contender' the series that influenced the creations of the spinoff series 'Trainer in Remnant', 'Huntsmen in Kalos', and this story. That is how he captured Arbok.)
A few minutes later, Jackson and Eevee managed to reach the entrance to Union Cave, looking at the cave entrance, which had some lights entering in. "This is the entrance." Jackson noted.
"Are you scared?" Eevee asked, "It's a bit darker than the Ice Path."
"Nah, nothing that juvenile scares me." Jackson huffed.
Suddenly, many screeches came from within the cave, and both Jackson and Eevee jumped slightly as over a dozen Zubat appeared out of the cave, flying outside into the sky. The two already experienced something far worse than this, but someone behind them didn't as the two heard a girl's scream. The two spun around, and saw a familiar person doubled over on the ground. It was Kris, and she was carrying something in her hands.
"Kris!" Jackson recognized.
The said teal-haired girl looked up at Jackson, innocently chuckling as she muttered, "Hey, Jackson. Long time, no see."
"What are you doing behind us, like that?" Eevee asked.
"Well, I was kinda following you guys, and figured on surprising you when you were entering Union Cave..." Kris explained, "But those Zubat scared me instead. Why didn't you get scared by that?"
"You get pursued by Zubats and Golbats in an icy cave, and see how's that in comparison." Jackson told her.
Kris then remembered he had mentioned that encounter, and muttered, "Fair point."
Jackson then looked at what she was carrying in her hands, which turned out to be a container holding an egg with blue and red patterns on it, and was a bit smaller than Eevee. "So, what's with the egg you have there?" he asked.
"Oh, this?" Kris asked, raising the container, "It's a Pokémon Egg. You've never seen one before?"
"No, this is my first time." Jackson answered, bending down to look at the egg.
"I have never seen one before." Eevee added, gazing at it.
"Professor Oak actually gave it to me after I met him and went through one of his teachings." Kris explained, "Professor Elm suggested I take care of it and see what it hatches into."
"So this is how Pokémon are born in this world." Jackson noted, "I have read about it in the books, but this is my first time seeing it. How long will it take for it to hatch?"
"You're guess is as good as mine." Kris answered, "I did my research on Pokémon Eggs, as well. Every Pokémon has a different period of time to hatch. Although, I did notice recently that it's shaking, so it might be coming soon. In the meantime, I am keeping it warm and out of harms way."
"I would like to know what it hatches into." Jackson noted, "Why don't we go through Union Cave together? It's been a while since we traveled."
"It hasn't been that long, but okay." Kris chuckled. With that, the pair reformed their party together, and entered into the cave.
Eevee wasn't kidding, as it was a darker in the cave than it was in the Ice Path. The team was worried about tripping and falling in this place.
"Ledian, come on out!" Jackson shouted, bringing out his Bug/Flying-type to the field. "Give us a little light with Flash, please." Jackson requested.
"Got it! One light, coming up!" Ledian answered, bringing out a soft glow that illuminated the scene.
"I see your Ledyba evolved since I last saw it." Kris noted.
"Awesome, right? Ledian has been very helpful for me for a while." Jackson noted, "He even helped me win my first badge at Violet City."
"Oh, so you won that badge, too?" Kris asked.
"Yep. I take it you did, too?" he assumed.
"Yep." She replied, pulling out a badge case, and showing off the badge within, "Ethan got his badge before me, though."
"Good for him. I was worried about him, actually." Jackson noted, "We ran into the guy who stole Chikorita before, Cypher. He beat him pretty badly when he pulled out his ace."
"Yeah, he did mention that to me." Kris replied, looking down, "Why would he go steal Chikorita if he had that kind of powerful Pokémon in his team?"
"You're guess is as good as mine."
The two continued to venture through the cave, seeing a group of Geodude wandering nearby. "I got a question." Jackson continued, "Did you bump into that one guy before who was selling those Slowpoke Tails?" He was recalling a person he met shortly before making to the Pokémon Center. He was definitely shady, as was the merchandise he was selling, which was freakin' expensive.
"I did, and I am appalled!" Kris exclaimed, her attitude on it so strong, it caught Jackson off guard, "I can't believe that there are people who would sell Pokémon as food!"
"Wait, that's NOT how you eat meat here?" Jackson questioned, "Then what meat was I eating at the Center?"
"There are other ways of getting meat in this world besides eating the parts of live Pokémon!" Kris argued.
"Well, how is it done?" Jackson asked.
"It's...well, pretty complicated." she answered, "Look, the point is that what they are doing with Slowpoke Tails is barbaric, and should not be done!"
"Then, where would they gather up so many of those tails?" Jackson asked, thinking on the amount the guy had, "They must have a supplier somewhere."
"Actually, I have heard news about that..." Kris noted, "They say that the suppliers might be Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket?" Jackson echoed, "I remember them! They're that criminal organization that supposedly made a comeback after disbanding a long time ago. I nearly got buried by them when they blew up the exit in the Ice Path."
"You've already encountered them?" Kris asked, surprised, "Well, recent rumors are saying that their business is taking place in Azelea Town."
"And we are on our way there to take on the gym." Jackson noted, "Sounds like an excuse to put them in their place and stop this action on the Slowpoke."
"Jackson, I'm in full agreement with you, and I know you are skilled in combat even without Pokémon..." Kris acknowledged, "But how do you plan on fighting them? They use more than Pokémon. They are pretty tricky, and have tech and tools that can hurt you and your team."
"They cannot be any worse than dealing with robotic armies or having a leader with an IQ of 300." Jackson noted, "Plus, it might do me good to remember the feeling I had back when I was a hero."
"Okay..." Kris muttered, worried for him.
Just then, the two trainers and their Pokémon heard a roar ahead of them, and they looked to see something massive coming their way. It looked like a huge rock Pokémon's face with a horn, and was moving like a snake as it came at them.
"Incoming!" Jackson exclaimed.
"An Onix!" Kris cried out as Jackson pulled out his dex. "Onix. The Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix has a magnet in its brain. It acts as a compass so that this Pokémon does not lose direction while it is tunneling. As it grows older, its body becomes increasingly rounder and smoother."
"It's gonna ram us!" Ledian exclaimed as he and Eevee panicked.
"Leave it to me!" Kris declared, pulling out a Pokéball, "Croconaw, let's go!" She tossed out the ball, calling out a Pokémon that looked very much like Totodile, but more grown up. It showed more yellow on its lower jaw and belly, and had a red fin on top. "Use Water Gun!" Kris ordered, and Croconaw fired a stream of water at Onix, causing it to halt, pained by the attack, before finding a side route, and turning in on it, disappearing from view.
"Is that Totodile's evolution?" Jackson asked, pointing his dex to the new Pokémon. "Croconaw. The Big Jaw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Totodile. Once Croconaw has clamped its jaws on its foe, it will absolutely not let go. Because the tips of its fangs are forked back like barbed fishhooks, they become impossible to remove when they have sunk in."
"Damn, that's one tough jaw." Jackson muttered, putting the dex away as Croconaw approached Ledian and Eevee, who hopped off of Jackson's shoulder.
"Hey, runts. You glad I saved your lives?" Croconaw asked.
"Who are you calling runts?!" Eevee demanded.
"As you can tell, Croconaw has a bit of a more aggressive tone to him." Kris noted, "I have heard that Pokémon can have an attitude change when they evolve."
"Makes sense. Weavile was sort of like that when it evolved from a Sneasel." Jackson compared, looking to Kris, "So you have Croconaw and Phanpy, right? Are they all you have?"
"I actually got one more." She told him, pulling out a new Pokéball, "Come on out!" She pulled out a new Pokémon, which looked like a dog with red-orange fur with black stripes, and beige fluffy fur on its chest, the top of its head, belly, muzzle, and tail.
"Hiya, Kris! Is it time to play?" it asked.
"This is my newest member, Growlithe." Kris introduced, "I caught him to deal with Grass-types, a weakness of my Croconaw and Phanpy."
"That's clever thinking." Jackson noted, pulling out his dex yet again. "Growlithe. The Puppy Pokémon. Growlithe has a superb sense of smell. Once it smells anything, this Pokémon won't forget the scent, no matter what. It uses its advanced olfactory sense to determine the emotions of other living things."
Eevee went from Croconaw to Growlithe, saying, "Hi there. I'm Eevee! Nice to meet you!"
"Hiya! I'm Growlithe! You wanna have fun with me?" the puppy asked.
"Sure!" Eevee answered, and the two started to place chase, with Eevee chasing Growlithe.
"Sure is a fun-loving Pokémon." Jackson chuckled.
"True. He does seem a little excitable, but he does get serious in a battle. I plan to make sure and train him before we take on Bugsy and his Bug-type gym."
"So the next gym is made of Bug-types, huh?" Jackson asked, turning to Ledian, "I gotta work my way around that fact. Bug-types are super-effective against Dark-types like my Weavile, while they don't do too much damage to Flying-types like Ledian. That just leaves Eevee and Dewott as neutral."
"I'm sure you'll get it." Kris assured him, "After all, Ethan told me how amazing your battle was with Falkner." Jackson nodded in thanks to her.
"Hold it, you two!" shouted a pair of voices. The two spun around and saw a pair of people appear from the area where the Onix was at before. One was tubby, and wore an open yellow and red shirt and pants, with a fiery hairstyle, and held a flaming stick. The other had a white shirt, and wore a green monster-like costume with a headpiece, hands, and leggings.
"We are the two best tag-team trainers in this cave!" the pair declared together, "For we are..."
"...Ray...!" the firebreather announced.
"...and Larry!" the cosplayer finished, "And since we see you two are together..."
The two then went into position as the firebreather was on his knees while the cosplayer was standing up straight behind him, and they finished, "...We're going to challenge the two of you to a tag-team battle! There is no escape!" Ray placed the flaming stick to his mouth, and as Larry roared loudly, the firebreather blew flames in front, as if imitating Larry breathing flames.
There was a moment of silence, even after the flames died down. Jackson, Kris, and their Pokémon were completely perplexed by what they just did. "This...is quite a pair." Jackson finally muttered.
"Yep, sure are..." Kris noted.
"Did you not hear us?!" Ray demanded, standing up straight and pointing at the pair, "We challenge you to a Tag Team battle.
"Sorry. We kinda just got overwhelmed by how stupid that whole performance you two did was." Jackson noted, causing the two trainers to be stunned and fall over comically.
"Blunt to a T, aren't you?" Kris noted.
"People say my swordmanship reaches even to my sharp tongue." Jackson responded.
The two trainer got back onto their feet again as Larry shouted, "Our coordination is the best! Don't disrespect it!"
"What he said!" Ray added.
"So, you two want a Tag Team battle?" Jackson asked, "That's when two trainers team up together to face their opponents, right?"
"Yep. I've never done one before, so this will be a first experience." Kris stated, turning to him, "What do you say? Wanna join me in fighting them?"
"Sounds good. I'm itching for a good battle for experience." Jackson replied, rolling his shoulder in preparation, "Ledian, be our light in this battle, okay?"
"Sounds fine to me!" Ledian replied as Eevee, Croconaw, and Growlithe returned to their owners' side.
"Great! This battle will have each of us use one Pokémon each!" Ray declared.
"And the battle will end when one side is unable to continue!" Larry finished.
"Sounds fair." Kris replied, making sure her container with the Pokémon Egg was out of harms way before prepping for the battle.
Okay, then! Let's pull out our Pokémon at the same time!" Ray declared, "On the count of three. One, two three!"
"Eevee, you're on!"
"Growlithe, let's go!"
"Slowpoke, show 'em up!"
"Burn hard, Vulpix!"
The four called out their Pokémon, with Jackson and Kris bringing out their first and newest Pokémon, respectively. Meanwhile, Larry called out a pink bipedal Pokémon with a dopey expression and a slick body, while Ray called out a small red fox with multiple tails.
"So that's a Slowpoke..." Jackson understood, pulling out his dex and pointing it at Slowpoke, while Kris did the same for Vulpix. "Slowpoke. The Dopey Pokémon. Slowpoke uses its tail to catch prey by dipping it in water at the side of a river. However, this Pokémon often forgets what it's doing and often spends entire days just loafing at water's edge."
"Vulpix. The Fox Pokémon. At the time of its birth, Vulpix has one white tail. The tail separates into six if this Pokémon receives plenty of love from its Trainer. The six tails become magnificently curled."
Just then, Growlithe gave a growl to the two Pokémon, who shuddered as a falling red energy lit up around their body. "What happened?" Jackson asked.
"That's Growlithe's Intimidate ability." Kris noted, calling Croconaw back to its ball, "It lowers the physical strength of the opponent when Growlithe appears on the battlefield."
"Kinda contradicts his playful nature, if you ask me..." Jackson pointed out.
"Forget that! Let's start off strong! Use Water Pulse on Growlithe!" Larry shouted. Slowpoke opened its mouth and expelled a sphere of compressed water.
"Eevee, counter with Swift!" Jackson shouted, and Eevee expelled shooting stars with a leaping spin of her tail, destroying the Water Pulse and sending the remaining star at the pair, who endured.
"Not bad, but we've got tricks like that, too!" Ray called out, "Flame Burst, Vulpix!" His Pokémon inhaled and expelled a powerful fire ball that blasted Eevee, sending her careening into the ground. It expelled embers, which landed on Growlithe, and made him whine in pain.
"Eevee, are you okay?!" Jackson asked as his partner flipped back onto her feet again.
"I can do that move, too! Use Flame Burst!" Kris shouted. Growlithe regained itself and unleashed a similar ball of fire that went towards Slowpoke. However, Ray smirked as Vulpix leapt into the way, and took the hit for her, surprising Jackson and Kris, until they noticed the fire did no damage. Quite the opposite, in fact, as she seemed more empowered. "Shoot! Vulpix has the Flash Fire ability!" Kris grimaced.
"Flash Fire?" Jackson echoed.
"It's an ability that boosts a Pokémon's Fire-type moves when hit with a Fire-type attack, while making them immune to the damage." Kris explained, "Meaning I just gave Vulpix a boost."
"Now, let's go in with Confusion!" Larry ordered, and Slowpoke's eyes glowed, causing both Eevee and Vulpix to float up into the air, flailing about. They were then tossed into the ceiling, hitting it before falling back down to the ground, injured.
"Now, let's hit 'em with Fire Spin!" Ray called out. Vulpix then unleashed a stream of flames that encircled the pair, making them unable to escape the flames.
"Hold on, you guys!" Kris called out.
"Use Swift again!" Jackson shouted to Eevee, who leapt up and unleashed another stream of stars.
"Counter with Flame Burst!" Ray shouted, and his partner expelled another ball of flames, which became stronger thanks to the Flash Fire, and destroyed Eevee's attack.
"Slowpoke, Disable!" Larry called out. The Dopey Pokémon's body glowed, which also caused Eevee's body to glow the same hue as she landed back into the flames again, enduring the heat.
"What happened?!" Jackson questioned.
"Jackson...I can't seem to use Swift again!" Eevee grimaced.
"What?! How?!" Jackson demanded.
"Disable make the Pokémon unable to use the last move they did for a while." Kris explained.
"Okay, how are we gonna get through this?!" Jackson demanded, "Flame Burst is pointless with Vulpix out there, and Eevee's Swift is disabled! They have the advantage in long-ranged combat, and our Pokémon are dealing with that Fire Spin!"
"Don't worry." Kris assured him, "I do have a plan. Eevee still knows Quick Attack, right?"
"Yeah, but why?" Jackson asked, "Eevee might get too injured to focus if she barrels through the Fire Spin. She will be vulnerable."
"Not without a boost." Kris assured him, "Growlithe, use Helping Hand!"
"Eevee, I'll help you play with them a little rougher!" Growlithe called out, emanating a blue aura, which then transferred over to Eevee, causing her to have a different glowing energy around her apart from Disable.
"Eevee's next attack will be a lot more stronger, so make it count!" Kris told Jackson.
"Good plan!" Jackson responded, "Let's plow the road, Eevee! Quick Attack!"
"Here I go!" Eevee shouted, and she shot like a missile through the Fire Spin, expelling it with the sonic wave that somehow came afterwards. Kris, Larry, and Ray were stunned, especially after Eevee struck Vulpix, and sent her flying hard into the wall.
"No way!" Ray gasped.
"How could one Helping Hand make an attack that powerful?!" Larry questioned. Eevee landed neatly on the ground, looking confident at her success.
"Nice going, Eevee!" Jackson cheered.
I didn't expect the attack to do that much damage." Kris muttered, "But whatever, it's all good. Use Flame Wheel, Growlithe!" Her Pokémon responded by leaping up, and curling into a ball as he became encased in a wheel of flames, spinning towards Slowpoke.
"Counter with Water Pulse!" Larry called out, and Slowpoke unleashed another sphere of compressed water, sending it toppling backwards.
"That should be enough." Kris muttered, getting Jackson's attention, until he heard Ray shout out, "Vulpix, use Quick Attack on Growlithe!" He turned to see Vulpix make a mad dash at Growlithe, aiming to finish him off.
"Counter with your Quick Attack!" Jackson ordered.
Eevee dashed after Vulpix, who turned to see her catch up in speed. "You're fast, but not as fast as Jackson!" Eevee exclaimed, as Vulpix tried to evade her, but she kept in pursuit of her, "And I have been with him for a while, so I am use to his...speed!" She said her last word as she unleashed body blow that sent Vulpix tumbling, until it was knocked into the air by a bounce.
"She's all yours, Kris." Jackson told his tag team partner, who smiled and nodded.
"Use Reversal!" Kris shouted. Growlithe unleashed orange sparks of energy around him, before leaping up, and with a swipe of his paw, sent Vulpix crashing so hard into the ground, it left cracks on the stone floor. Vulpix appeared with spirals in her eyes.
"No! Vulpix!" Ray exclaimed.
"That's GOTTA hurt!" Jackson grimaced.
"Reversal does more damage the more damage the user takes." Kris noted, "And Growlithe has been hit hard all about this battle.
"I'll avenge you, Ray! Use Confusion on Growlithe!" Larry ordered. Slowpoke's eyes glowed, and Growlithe was lifted into the air, about to be sent flying again.
"No, Growlithe!" Kris exclaimed.
"Eevee, use Bite!" Jackson shouted.
"Stop hurting him!" Eevee roared as with a pair of fangs projected in front of her, she snapped them shut onto Slowpoke, causing an explosion. Growlithe was freed from Confusion, and landed on the ground, seeing Eevee standing in front of Slowpoke, who looked pretty injured, but still stable.
At this point, the aura around Eevee from Disable vanished, and Eevee looked at herself. "The Disable wore off!" Jackson noted.
"Let's hit them with one last attack!" Kris decided.
"Slowpoke, pull yourself together and use Water Pulse!" Larry called out.
"Flame Burst/Swift!" Jackson and Kris shouted together. Their Pokémon fired off their attacks before Slowpoke could react, and it ended up causing another explosion of flames and star sparkles. When they died away, Slowpoke was still standing.
"Just how tough is that Pokémon?!" Jackson asked.
"Wait, hold on!" Kris stopped him, pointing something out. The Slowpoke was standing, yes. However, there were spirals in his eyes, signaling he had passed out.
"NOOOOO!" Larry cried out.
"We beat them, Kris!" Jackson cheered.
"That was some outstanding teamwork!" she replied, raising a hand high. Jackson, seeing it, high-fived her in response. Eevee and Growlithe tapped paws with each other, praising each other.
"Dang it!" Ray sighed, "I was sure we would be the best tag team in Union Cave."
"Well, they don't plan to stay around in this place, do you?" Larry questioned.
"We don't plan to stay around, if that's what you're saying." Kris answered.
"We got a journey to go on, and gyms to take on." Jackson added.
"Then this means one thing..." Ray responded, looking to Larry, both nodding in agreement, before the two shouted in unison, "We're still the strongest tag team in the Union Cave!"
Jackson and Kris were kinda befuddled as Larry shouted, "Don't come back anytime soon, ya hear?!"
"Yeah! We'll get so strong, you won't know what hit ya!" Ray called out.
"We're gone!" the two shouted together, and they ran away from the scene, leaving the team alone.
"Their coordination was pretty good in the battle, but they still are really weird." Jackson noted, "And I have seen some weirdoes in my life."
"Yeah, I have to agree..." Kris understood.
Just then, as Jackson and Kris's Pokémon gathered up around them, a light shined behind them, and they turned around. The egg inside the container started to shine. "What the...?!" Jackson gasped, as Ledian and Eevee also gasped.
"The egg, it's hatching!" Kris realized, racing towards it, and took the egg out of the container, and held it close. The team was amazed as they watched the egg glow brighter. Finally, after a few seconds, the light died down. At first, it looked like the egg had only cracked open in parts. However, the Pokémon's body was mostly encased in the egg shell. It had its stubby legs and hands, a small face, and its head looked crown-shaped.
"Where... am I?" she squeaked in a soft and high voice.
"Looks like the Pokemon hasn't been completely hatched." Jackson noted.
"No, this is what it's suppose to look like!" Kris assured him, "This is a Togepi. It's so cute~!"
Jackson pulled out his dex to examine the Pokémon. "Togepi. The Spike Ball Pokémon. As its energy, Togepi uses the positive emotions of compassion and pleasure exuded by people and Pokémon. This Pokémon stores up feelings of happiness inside its shell, then shares them with others."
"Welcome to the world, Togepi." Kris greeted the little Pokemon, "My name is Kris, and I'll be your new trainer."
"Hiya!" Growlithe greeted, "Do you want to play with me?"
"Growlithe, you're too injured to play, and Togepi is too young." Eevee pointed out.
"Nice to meet you, Togepi." Jackson greeted, "My name is Jackson. I'm a friend of Kris's."
Togepi looked to all of the people and Pokémon around her, before saying, "You all look really happy. But..." She looked to Jackson as she noted, "I can tell you are in pain inside of you."
Everyone looked to Jackson, who looked down, thinking on her words, before smiling sadly as he replied, "You're right. There is anguish still within me. But that's why I'm on this journey; to relieve myself of that pain, so I can go back to who I was."
Togepi paused for a second, before smiling and saying, "I know you will! You will be happy! I believe it!" The other smiled and gave giggles as they looked to Jackson, who smiled in response.
'I bet its just because of it sharing its happiness with me, as the dex says, but I believe she is right.' Jackson told himself, 'I know one day, I'll be happy again, and proud of the person I am.'