Chapter 8: A Way to the Top!
The battle ended in a clear victory for Team Polarna vatra in the third round, making them the winners of their first ever league battle.
"Very good work, you two, that was very good for a first real battle. I really liked the strategy in the two-versus-two. However, you should practice how to deal with long-range attacks. Many Pokemon like to use them, so it's always important to know how to avoid them."
A loud voice rang out from the entrance to the floor. Tyrantrum.
"Be honest with them, Aurorus! You two aren't bad, but I see you at the bottom of the Upper League at best if you progress like you are doing now."
Kel was anything but happy about this comment, while Aurora took it less as an insult.
"What do you think we should do to get better then?"
"Simple: try to get a fire stone and an ice stone. When you evolve, you'll have a lot more options. If you evolve and train hard, you could have a shot at the King's League one far away day!"
Evolution? Of course Kel knew that this concept existed for Pokemon, but now, confronted with it so directly, it seemed very strange. Above all, he had just adapted to his new form as a Growlithe… Aurora, on the other hand, seemed much more convinced of the idea, while Aurorus at least partially contradicted his teammate.
"That you really dare to talk about evolution as a necessity in these times... Team Nordika doesn't occur to you?"
Tyrantrum caught Kel's questioning look.
"It does… but are you really telling me that their name means nothing to you, Growlithe?"
Aurora was quick to step in.
"Calm down, Tyrantrum! Have you already forgotten where he comes from? So, Kel: Team Nordika are currently the champions of the league. First place in the King's League and winner of the following tournament four months ago. The champions do not take part in the tournaments or regular league, but they compete against the winner of the King's League tournament to defend the title each season. And Team Nordika has been doing this every month since back then. They seem to have appeared out of nowhere and their six-mon team includes two unevolved Pokemon, which is why their rapid rise has amazed many people."
"But I won't let anyone tell me that these two are normal Pokemon. In battle, you get the impression that they are some kind of demigods or something. Even if that's still nothing compared to their leader..." Tyrantrum seemed to shiver at the thought.
Now Kel also understood Aurorus' objection, but Aurora's euphoria didn't seem to wane despite this.
"Where can we get such stones from?"
"Well, if you really want to evolve straight away, then I'd stop by the market in town if I were you. They usually have a few evolution stones in stock. But that will be your bussiness now, not ours. So, get going!"
Before Kel could even react, the Vulpix was already sprinting off.
It was only at the entrance to the tower that he managed to catch up with her again.
"Come on already, if we evolve, we'll reach the Upper League in no time! Hurry up, Kel!"
Kel was happy about the euphoria, but still had to temper it.
"But I don't want to evolve! At least not yet!"
Surprised, Aurora stopped in her tracks.
"What? Why not? Just think about how much stronger you could be!"
"I've just gotten used to being a Growlithe! I need at least some time before I give up this form again."
It seemed as if Aurora was really unhappy with this statement, obviously with the thought that it could hold the team back, but she knew herself that she had no right and way to force him.
"Okay... then we'll take care of my evolution first. But rethink your decision, okay?"
Kel followed Aurora into another area of the city that he had never seen before. Along a long street, there were endless shops selling everything your heart desires and also a lot of stuff that it didn't. This place seemed relatively unscathed by the events of the past, apart from a small crater in the ground and minor damage to some walls. However, the city was already in better condition in quite some places anyway. The residents of Kira Town were certainly not deterred by the destruction of their home. Aurora immediately headed for a particular shop, obviously fully aware of which of these places was selling the precious stones.
As soon as the two had entered the building, Kel's eyes fell on the rows of sparsely filled cupboards. Many of them only held a few items, some of them were completely empty. It was difficult for Kel to judge whether this was a good or a bad sign for the shop. Either the goods were selling incredibly well, or there was no money left for goods. Aurora, however, again seemed not to waste any thought on such things and went straight to the cash register, behind which a Farfetch'd was standing.
"Good morning, I would like to buy an Ice Stone please."
The seller hesitated for a moment.
"Well... I'm sorry, we haven't been able to offer Ice Stones for weeks... our suppliers just don't bring any more of them. We don't know why, but nobody dares to climb the iceberg in the east at the moment. There are hundreds of Ice Stones there, and that's where all our deliveries come from. So, I'm sorry, if you urgently need a stone like that, you'll have to look elsewhere."
Two things immediately flashed through Kel's mind: On the one hand, it was of course extremely bad luck that Aurora couldn't evolve now. But his second thought, his fear, immediately turned out to be correct.
"Kel! We have to go! To the iceberg! If it's not meant to be this easy, then we'll just have to get the stone ourselves!"
A long journey to a presumably dangerous place was really not what he was longing for right now.
"Is it really that important that you get the stone so soon? Can't we just wait a little longer?"
"There haven't been any stones for weeks, haven't you heard? We have to take action ourselves or we'll never make it! You heard Tyrantrum!"
"And you still trust him blindly?"
Once again, the Growlithe saw the look of anger in his mind. Aurora, on the other hand, seemed anything but understanding.
"Drop that shit, Kel! You have no right to judge an honorable Pokemon like him because you were tired and thought you saw him angry! It's nonsense! Also, looking pissed off is how he wakes up every day. I'll tell Aurorus and Tyrantrum so that they don't plan any league battles for us while we're gone. You can already go home, I'll be right after you!"
Without another word, she ran off and left Kel alone in this area that was still unfamiliar to him. But he knew that he had to at least try to find the way back. And, fortunately, he remembered better than he would have thought. It only took about twenty minutes until Aurora's house came into view in the distance. And despite his rather high speed, the house owner was already waiting at the fence.
"Where were you? We want to leave!"
For the first time, Kel decided to actually defend herself against such an irritated statement.
"If you leave me alone in a city that I don't know, then you have no right to complain! Besides, YOU want to leave for that iceberg! I didn't even have a say in the matter!"
This opposition startled Aurora. On the one hand because she really hadn't expected it, but above all because she knew that Kel was right. She had not asked the for Growlithe's opinion at all.
"But... don't you understand how important this evolution is to me?"
"That may be, but that doesn't mean that I have to let you push me around! I'm still my own Pokemon, whether you accept it or not!"
The Pokemon addressed fell silent for a moment, but quickly continued defiantly.
"Well, I'm going! If you don't come with, then fine, I guess I can't force you! Then, I will leave in 15 minutes!"
Kel was happy that Aurora had at least realized that he still made his own decisions, but he really didn't feel comfortable staying alone for days in a world that was foreign to him. He was less worried about Aurora, after all, everything that could happen would be her own fault.
When Aurora turned her back on him and entered the house, Kel began to have doubts. Had she even learned anything at all from this discussion? Somehow he doubted it. Over the course of the last few days, he had begun to hope. He had begun to hope that his new life could actually be a better one, but now his hope was slowly fading. Some Pokemon were no different than humans. And Epsilon... Epsilon was a completely different story.
But just as the former human was about to enter the building, a bright flash of light shot filled everything. As the light slowly faded, he found himself in a completely different place. Apparently a Plothole had opened up, for the first time while Kel was aware of it. The former human immediately felt the cold that now filled the air, especially compared to his previous surroundings. Only a few meters away he also saw Aurora, who seemed just as confused. But unlike Kel, she quickly realized exactly where they had stranded. Her voice was filled with malicious glee as she turned to Kel.
"This Plothole took us straight to the iceberg. I couldn't pack anything anymore, but it's still quite practical, isn't it? And now that you're already here, you can join me for the rest of the trip, don't you think so?"
Both Pokemon knew that Kel had no other choice. He wouldn't be able to find his way back alone, and he wouldn't be able to cope in the icy landscape. However, it really annoyed him that Aurora had just gotten what she wanted without having to do anything for it. And this event in particular made it even more unlikely that she had learned anything from the conversation. Quite the opposite. She had stuck to her opinion, wasn't prepared to compromise, and in the end had gotten exactly what she wanted. This would actually strengthen her in what she was doing.
"As if I had any other choice! So let's get it over with!"
Without another word, Aurora began to follow a path. This area was obviously not completely foreign to her, otherwise she wouldn't be moving forward so determinedly. But Kel was no longer sure about this point either. Perhaps she was just pretending to really know the way. Nothing seemed safe anymore. Undecided, however, he had to follow.
Kel had never seen a place like this in his old home. He knew that such places existed, but with the humans everything had always been different. Anyone who fell into the dephts of their world never made it back up, anyone born poor would never have the opportunity to travel to a special place like this. From this point of view, Kel was actually happy about the outcome of the situation. He was also quite sure that in the end he would probably have come along on this trip anyway. Not because he was interested in Aurora's evolution, not because he was worried, but because he probably wouldn't have been able to get through a week without any idea where to go in such a strange world. But this feeling of disorientation, the "where to", was already beginning to arise in him at Aurora's side in this place. It was an area, in the eyes of someone who had not traveled much, beyond what really existed. He had seen pictures, but actually being here he now felt how different it always was to actually see such a place. And somehow this sight disturbed him compared to his old world. Was everything there so degenerate that nature, which created such monuments as this peak, seemed powerless against senseless destruction? Each of these thoughts confirmed Kel's actions in his old home and triggered a slight feeling of joy for this new world. A second chance... but... what had he done to deserve a second chance? Was this world what he promised himself it would be?
A/N: Another rather slow chapter. I know, currently the story might feel a little slow to some of you. But I will promise you, this is the point that I actually consider the end of the prelude. The next chapters will have a LOT of action and things are going to change quickly!