Another long wait for a chapter! I once again apologize. College has hit hard this semester with three math classes that refuse to cut me some slack. I do believe I've caught a second wind though! I hope you enjoy Chris' continued journey! Please Review and Subscribe(If you enjoyed it)!
Chapter 19
Goldenrod City's infamous traffic was once again rearing its ugly head. The noon sun had reappeared briefly, providing a clear image of the city's chaos. It was a madness that Chris had finally had enough of. The trainer fought his way through the crowded streets until he finally found solace in the familiar Pokémon Center. This early in the day, there were almost no trainers in the lounge. Chris reached the counter and quickly handed over his battle-damaged Pokémon to the always cheerful Nurse Joy.
"It's crazy to think," Chris sat down on a bench nearby, "that I'm only five badges away from being able to participate in the Silver Conference." The trainer had been on his journey for just over two weeks, but felt like months had passed since he and Cyndaquil first locked eyes. "And now, he's a Quilava!" Chris felt a grin come over his face as he glanced back towards the counter. With any luck, Chris would have his Pokémon within the hour and be out of the city before rush hour traffic. Once the trainer had reached Route 35, he would follow it north through Route 36 and Route 37, ultimately arriving at Ecruteak City. Once in his hometown, Chris wanted to spend as much time as possible exploring his old stomping grounds. "I've got a month and a half till the cruise in Olivine," the trainer reasoned. "Luke probably wont arrive until the last minute anyway."
A voice suddenly overtook the quiet room, pushing Chris to trace it to a flat screen television on a nearby wall. He was surprised to find Nurse Joy standing beside it, obviously absent from her usual post. Chris felt himself stand up and approach the television, pure curiosity leading him on.
"...disappeared while traveling along Route 34," Chris reached the screen and noticed two familiar faces staring back at him. "As you know, Mr. Pokémon and Professor Dervish of Violet City Academy both disappeared in just the past two weeks. It seems as though Pokémon Researcher Bill has now joined the growing list of high-profile disappearances."
"No way..." The creator of the Pokémon storage system and one of the greatest minds in history, had now vanished. Chris felt a cold chill pass over him at the thought.
The trainer heard the nurse beside him whimper, and found tears rolling down her cheeks. "How about we get you a seat?" Chris led the woman over to a comfortable looking chair and filled up a cup of water from a nearby machine. Chris sat down beside her and did his best to calm her. He hated to bring up the obvious culprit of her sadness, but he knew that she needed to speak on it. "Bill lives pretty close to here, doesn't he?"
"Y-yes," the nurse nodded, trying to regain her composure. "He would work here on our storage device for hours at a time. That's been a few years ago, but he and his family have always been very close to all of us here at the Center. Who would bother such a nice man?"
"I wish I could say," Chris lowered his head, thinking back to the elite meeting at Violet City Gym. Could Ghetsis be responsible for all of these happenings? What plans could he have for the three professionals he had kidnapped? And when would the disappearances end?
The nurse seemed to balance her emotions and returned to the counter. As she finished her work with Chris' Pokémon, the trainer sent a Pokégear message to Professor Elm. The young man wouldn't know what to do if the professor also vanished. To Chris' relief, Elm responded with relative quickness. Chris could feel the anxiety in the professor's message about staying safe. "Do not lend your trust openly," Chris thought over the words as he stood up once more.
"Chris."
The trainer noticed Nurse Joy waving him over.
"Here are your Pokémon!" She put on her brightest smile as she handed him Quilava and Nidorino's Pokéballs. Her smile faltered for a moment. "Thank you so much for helping me through that little spell."
"Just please take it easy," Chris tried to put on an encouraging smile. "See if someone could maybe cover you for the rest of the day."
"I may," she nodded softly. "Please be safe wherever you go."
"Of course," Chris kept up his smile as he turned and headed for the door. As he walked through the exit however, he felt the smile fade slowly from his lips.
The previous event only strengthened Chris' resolve to finally depart from the hectic city. It had been a roller coaster ride since Chris entered Goldenrod. Despite all the positives the past week had brought him, the trainer longed for new, natural sights he knew he couldn't find in the concrete jungle.
Main street took Chris north for an uncountable number of blocks, before finally depositing him at the outskirts of Route 35. After passing through the terminal, where he received a snobbish look from the gatekeeper, the trainer found himself back on the open road. Route 35 lay sprawled out before him in all of its straightforward glory. The trainer believed this path would be a comfortable segue from the previous urban area to the upcoming widespread routes. Chris could see a beautiful body of water to his left in the distance and a row of trees to his right.
"C'mon out guys!"
The three land dwelling Pokémon burst forth from their devices and quickly noticed the change of scenery. Chris let his team take in the sights before finally addressing them.
"We've got a couple day trek ahead of us before we reach another city," Chris informed his Pokémon, who looked overjoyed at the news. The trainer could tell that his Pokémon were just as excited to be out of the city. "Until then, how about we get some training in and enjoy the sights?"
"Nido!" The Poison type's enthusiasm sparked the rest of the team to vocalize their excitement.
"Now let's head out!"
For the next four hours, Chris led his group across the scenic terrain. The three Pokémon stirred up other creatures in the area, bringing Chris into multiple battles. Chris encouraged his Pokémon to seek out opponents who held type advantages over them. Quilava's struggle with Miltank's super effective Rollout had been enough for Chris to fully realize how crucial type match-ups were. With this strategy in mind, Chris made sure his Poison types battled countless Drowzee and Abra. As the team approached the lake, they stumbled across several Psyduck and even a Buizel. The latter proved to be quite a challenge, as its speed made Quilava's attacks very difficult to land. A well-placed Quick Attack finally defeated the rambunctious Water type.
Once Chris and company were parallel with the lake, the trainer released Magikarp into the water. Chris watched nervously as several wild Water types converged on his foreign Pokémon. Chris quickly regained his composure upon noticing a spark in the usually expressionless eyes of Magikarp.
"Hit 'em with Tackle attack!" Chris was interested to see how the Fish Pokémon would hold up. The trainer motioned for his other team members to be ready in case the swarm was too much for Magikarp to handle.
The golden scaled fish seemed to wait until the last possible moment before striking. Magikarp flipped out of the water, slamming his tail into an unsuspecting Poliwag. Using the momentum from the blow, Magikarp spun the opposite direction and struck an attacking Psyduck with his entire body. Chris' golden fish continued to bounce back and forth, striking down the horde of attacking Pokémon. After several moments the onslaught was over, with Magikarp emerging as the clear victor. Chris could feel his jaw agape by the end of the battle, and he noticed a look of shock on the rest of the team's faces also.
"Excellent job Magikarp!" Chris gently picked up the Fish Pokémon and turned him towards his teammates.
"Quil!" The Volcano Pokémon nodded approvingly.
"Nido!" The Poison Pin Pokémon roared in admiration.
As Chris turned to check on Golbat's response, the trainer found the Bat Pokémon missing. After some searching, Chris discovered the Flying type resting beneath the shadows of a tree. With the incredible heat the afternoon sun was generating, Chris could not blame his Pokémon one bit.
"I'd say we've worn out our welcome in this lake," Chris announced, returning Magikarp to his Pokéball. He pointed towards the trees where Golbat rested. "Let's walk underneath those trees to get some shade as we travel."
The group found a few more opponents in the trees. Aipoms and several Bug Pokémon proved to be only minor obstacles. As they traveled between battles, Chris realized how slow of a pace they were moving at. Evening was upon them by the time Chris spotted the terminal gate in the distance. As they continued to approach the end of Route 35, Chris looked over the map on his Pokégear.
"It's Monday," Chris examined the National Park marker on his map that rested to the north. "If I remember correctly, there is a Bug Catching contest on Tuesday's." The trainer looked up at the sky to try and judge how much daylight he had. Would stopping early cut significantly into the amount of ground they could cover? Would the contest be worth a detour?
"Hey man!"
Chris turned to the sound of a male voice to his left. A bearded man who looked to be around twenty slowly approached Chris and extended a hand. "My name is Jacob."
"Nice to meet you," Chris shook the man's hand and threw on a smile. "My name is Chris. What can I do for ya?"
Jacob reached into the tan coat he was wearing and brought out two Pokéballs. "I recently caught a pair of Pokémon in the routes around here. I noticed your Pokémon battling and I was just going to see if you could help me give these new guys a trial run."
"So a Pokémon battle?" Chris felt a familiar surge of electricity race through his body. The trainer looked over his team and debated which Pokémon looked the freshest. "Sounds great to me."
"Awesome," the red headed trainer lightly jogged several feet back from the trainer to ensure an adequate sized battlefield. "I'm ready whenever you are!"
"Let's go!" Chris felt the next words come to his lips before he had even thought them. "Head on out Quilava!"
The Volcano Pokémon raced forward onto the makeshift battlefield. Chris could tell that despite the constant battling throughout the day, his starter Pokémon's stamina had improved exponentially since his evolution.
"Show 'em what you got Golduck!" the man roared as he released the blue, aquatic creature.
The trainer knew his type disadvantage would prove incredibly problematic if he and his Pokémon did not stay on the offensive. If Golduck settled into a solid rhythm, Quilava would have no shot at taking the Duck Pokémon down.
"Start things off with Flamethrower!" Chris took the first action.
Almost immediately Jacob responded. "Aqua Jet!"
Golduck shot forward with a surprising speed as it was enveloped in an orb of water. Quilava barely managed to release his stream of fire before the Water type could corkscrew into the Volcano Pokémon. An explosion of steam blasted outward, cooling the warm summer air. Chris heard something hit the ground beside him and found Quilava on his back. The trainer was relieved to see the Fire type jump back to his feet immediately and stare through the settling steam. Just from that one exchange, Chris could tell that he was dealing with a fairly high level Pokémon. He wondered how skilled his opponent actually was.
"Water Pulse!" Chris heard his opponent call out.
"Leap over the steam and use Quick Attack!" Chris quickly countered. The trainer planned to return the favor.
Quilava raced towards the direction of his opponent and pounced over the steam seconds before an orb of water passed through. Golduck's attack blasted the remaining cover away, but Quilava was already in position to strike. The Fire type drove his body into the Duck Pokémon at a high velocity, knocking Jacob's Pokémon off its feet. The Volcano Pokémon landed softly on his feet as Golduck crashed onto the ground.
"Oh man," Jacob shook his head and smiled. "Nice payback right there. I should have seen that coming."
"Flamethrower!" Chris refused to halt his momentum.
"Uh," Chris' opponent seemed lost as Quilava's Flamethrower raced towards his Pokémon, "maybe we could try, uh, Confusion?"
Golduck had no time to carry out its attack as a wave of fire engulfed the Duck Pokémon. When Quilava had finished his move, it was obvious that Jacob's Pokémon was unable to battle.
"Darn," Jacob pounded the side of his head with his fist. "This whole battling thing isn't easy!"
Chris was confused by the man's words. "Aren't you a Pokémon trainer?"
"I like to collect Pokémon," the older trainer smiled, "but battling isn't real high on my list. You could call me a Pokémon Collector, I suppose."
"So you aren't an official member of the Pokémon League?"
"Nah," Jacob chuckled. "I just like to travel in my free time and collect cool Pokémon I meet. I thought I might test out these newly caught Pokémon to see how strong they actually were."
"Oh," Chris was certainly not expecting this response. He had never really thought of simply collecting these creatures before. The trainer felt like that path would omit a unique relationship that only battling could form. "You seemed fairly use to battling up until the end there. You might be a great trainer and not even know it!"
"If only," Jacob returned his defeated Golduck and withdrew a Poké ball that Chris had never seen before. "This is the last Pokémon I want to test. I just caught it in the Bug Catching Contest a couple of days ago."
"Sure," Chris motioned for Quilava to return to his side. He turned to his Flying type companion. "Standby Golbat."
The Bat Pokémon flew onto the battlefield as Jacob tossed his capture device into the air. A massive beetle appeared before Chris and snapped its terrifying pincers towards the trainer.
"So that's a Pinsir," Chris had never seen this Bug type in person, and could now see why many of his acquaintances feared the creature's appearance. The trainer knew that close combat with Jacob's Pokémon could prove dangerous, but Golbat's super effective Flying Type moves might be the key to victory. Chris bounced lightly on his toes. Even though he now knew his opponent wasn't skilled, Chris refused to hold back. He wouldn't gain any experience that way. "Your move."
Jacob nodded and stepped forward. "Let's try Brick Break!"
Pinsir charged forward with a speed much quicker than Chris expected from the bulky Pokémon. As it prepared to swing at Golbat, Chris called out his orders.
"Take the blow Golbat!"
The trainer's command was carried out as the Bat Pokémon absorbed Pinsir's punch with one of his wings. Chris knew his Pokémon could take the strike as Golbat was greatly resistant to Fighting type moves. The dual Flying and Poison type knocked Pinsir back as it finished its attack.
"Now counter with Wing Attack!" Chris could see the opening in the off balanced Pinsir's defense. "Sweep the leg!"
Golbat slashed through the air but remained low to the ground. Pinsir and its trainer were unable to gather themselves as Golbat swung his wing forward and took one of the Bug type's legs out from underneath it. This attack spun the Beetle Pokémon to the ground, but Chris sensed that the battle was not yet won.
"Vice Grip!" Chris was surprised to hear his opponent shout.
Pinsir managed to regain its equilibrium almost instantly and jumped towards a stunned Golbat. The beetle snapped its fearsome pincers down on one of Golbat's exposed wings and began to shake violently. Chris momentarily forgot about the battle and watched on in horror as his Pokémon was tossed back and forth like a rag doll.
"Quil." the starter Pokémon's calm voice snapped the trainer out of his trance.
"Strike its head with Crunch!" Chris figured attacking the pincers would prove useless.
After several more powerful shakes, Golbat managed to extend forward and snap his jaws into the Bug Pokémon's skull. The attack seemed ineffective at first, but Chris could see Pinsir's grip weakening. "Hang on Golbat!"
"Don't quit!" Jacob seemed too enthralled by his Pokémon's advantage to realize he was slowly losing the battle.
After another couple of seconds Golbat managed to free his wing and Chris reacted immediately.
"One more Wing Attack!" Chris could see the disappointed look on his opponent's face. "Aim for your bite marks!"
Golbat spread both of his wings outward to bring himself even with Pinsir's height. The Bat Pokémon seemed to cringe as he smashed one of his wings against Pinsir's injured skull. The blow caused the Bug type's body to tense up momentarily, and Chris believed for a second that Jacob's Pokémon was still conscious. Almost immediately though, the beetle slumped to the ground. Chris breathed a quick sigh of relief.
Jacob seemed cheerful in the face of defeat. "I guess that's that!"
Chris jogged over to his victorious Pokémon and gently grasped the bat's wings. The trainer noticed the Poison Type wince as his right wing was fully expanded by Chris. A red gash in the middle of the wing greeted Chris' eyes as he looked over his Pokémon. The young man from Cherrygrove brought out a Potion from his backpack and sprayed the damaged area down. His other Pokémon soon joined him.
"I didn't hurt your Golbat too bad did I?" Chris was glad to hear genuine concern from the Pokémon collector.
"Nah," Chris smiled as he gently wiped in the healing ointment with a cloth. "Your Pinsir did give us quite a scare though. You said you caught it in the Bug Catching Contest?"
"Yep," Jacob pointed over his shoulder toward the route exit. "I caught it on Saturday. It won me third place actually. There are a lot of really cool, strong Pokémon in the National Park."
"That settles it," Chris mumbled. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to catch and battle strong Pokémon. He directed his next statement to his entire party. "I think it'd be great to give the Bug Catching Contest a shot!"
All of his Pokémon, with the exception of Golbat, looked excited at the prospect of battling Pokémon in a competition setting. Chris had already decided to give the Bat Pokémon a much deserved break.
"I couldn't help but overhear your decision," Jacob slowly approached the trainer. "If you wanna participate, a contest, I believe, begins at eight o'clock on the nose tomorrow."
"Thanks for the clarity," Chris stood up to face the collector. The young man from Cherrygrove extended a hand. "And thanks for the battle also!"
"It was a lot of fun," Jacob grinned as he shook the trainer's hand. "I may have to try my hand at battling again sometime. I'll definitely try and get some more experience first though."
"Probably a solid strategy," Chris chuckled.
"In the mean time," Jacob returned his defeated Pinsir to its capture device and walked passed Chris, "I think I may visit Goldenrod City to relax for a bit."
"Good luck with that," Chris spoke loudly enough so that only his Pokémon could here him. The trainer waved until Jacob was barely visible in the fading evening light. Chris looked over his Pokémon and decided that the entire group deserved a solid rest after the day's travels. "Let's finish off this route and then set up camp."
After walking for a few minutes, Chris noticed Golbat lagging behind the group. The bat's injured wing kept it from flying and the Poison type was obviously not used to walking. The trainer walked back to his injured Pokémon and scooped him up. Chris could feel Golbat's reluctance to let the trainer help him, but eventually the Bat Pokémon gave in as Chris placed him on his shoulder.
"We're a team," Chris smiled at the Flying type. "You know that means we help each other out."
With Chris slowed by the extra weight on his shoulder, Quilava led the way. Nidorino also stayed near to the Fire type, refusing to be outdone by another group member. Chris decided not to step in. Perhaps his Pokémon could motivate one another to reach higher levels. It was worth a shot.
"This looks like a good place to chill for the night," Chris finally heard himself say as they reached a crop of trees several hundred feet before the route exit. The sun had now completely set, leaving Chris with almost no natural light to use. "Nidorino and Golbat grab some firewood. Form a pile of it in this open area." Chris nodded to Quilava. "See if you can find some decent sized rocks. We'll form a pit around the wood and you can start us a fire."
As his Pokémon set off to complete their assignments, Chris brought out his sleeping bag and food. The trainer also brought out food for each of his Pokémon. As the firewood duo returned with several loads of brush, Chris brought out Magikarp from his Poké ball and quickly fed the Fish Pokémon, before returning him to the device. Chris knew that the water type was growing stronger with each day, but the young trainer did not want to take any chances.
Quilava returned with several rocks that he set around the brush pile. With a small Flamethrower attack, Quilava created a hearty fire that soon illuminated the group. Chris brought over his Pokémon and they quickly devoured the food he had set out before them. As the trainer looked over the trio in the firelight, he felt something heavy rise up into his chest. Goldenrod City had really deprived him of the close community with his team. The trainer felt the wonderment of Johto once more, like he had just left Cherygrove City. He could see though, that he, along with his Pokémon, had really grown over the past couple of weeks. The last five badges in their quest would require much more experience than they currently possessed however; and much more time. Chris now realized how much the group had actually accomplished in the two weeks of their journey. Four team members and three gym badges was no small feat now that Chris had time to think about it. He had already surpassed his father's accomplishments and was on track to beat his brother's time for collecting every gym badge.
I can't think like that. Looking backwards would only blind Chris to what his future held. Perhaps he could think about his past success whenever the trainer and his team stood as League Champions. For now, the trainer needed to focus on the blessings and trials his continued journey would bring him. No, Chris needed to focus on the Pokémon in the firelight before him.
"You guys have been incredible," Chris spoke softly, but the truth behind his words resonated. "If it were just us for the rest of the journey, you guys know I'd be okay with that." His Pokémon gave him a confused look. "The Bug Catching Contest is tomorrow, right? We may add a new member to our team through it!"
"Nido!" the Poison Pin Pokémon roared in approval.
Quilava and Golbat did not give an animated response, but Chris could see that both Pokémon were eager to greet a new teammate. It had been too long since Chris had attempted another Pokémon capture. The trainer just felt as though he had not met the right Pokémon that could mesh with his crew's mentality. With his father's words still echoing in his ears, Chris knew that he was now apart of a family. Chris realized that tomorrow might bring a new family member to them.
"Let's get some shut-eye," Chris released a long yawn to carry home his point. The trainer set an alarm on his Pokégear. "Eight o'clock comes early!"
The trainer fell back on to his pillow and stared up into the clear sky overhead. After being unable to see the stars because of the city lights, Chris felt indescribable joy at seeing the overwhelming amount of lights in the sky. He felt his Pokémon lay down around him on the spread out sleeping bag. The trainer could feel his eyes grow heavy, and he only managed to count a couple of stars before succumbing to sleep.
So Chris is back on the road once more! What interesting situations will the Bug Catching Contest bring to Chris? As I said before, I'm feeling motivated more than ever to not delay on these chapters. I will diligently work on this next chapter and plan to have it out by late November! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Chris' story! I will see you again soon!
