Chapter 14: Paradox Problem
Gilbert, Yolanda, Sakura, and their new friend Tad, were heading their way towards the docks outside Lavender Town, hoping to catch some new Water-Type Pokémon and battle some Fisherman Trainers. "I can't wait until we reach the docks. There's supposed to be whole schools of Water Pokémon swimming there." Sakura said. "That's right. And if we're lucky, we'll even get to battle with some Fisherman Trainers and train our Pokémon." Yolanda said. "That'd actually be fun. I'm looking forward to helping Pieper and Sparcx get stronger." Tad said.
Suddenly, they heard a cry up ahead. "What was that?" Sakura asked. "That sounded like a Pokémon cry for help!" Gilbert said as he rushed up ahead. "Gilbert, wait up!" Yolanda called as she, Sakura and Tad followed. When they caught up with him, they saw that he came across a Psyduck and a Poliwag. Both Pokémon were heavily injured, bruises all over their bodies. "Psy…" Psyduck groaned. "Poli…" Poliwag groaned. "What happened to them?" Sakura asked. "It looks like something hurt them really hard." Tad said. "Here. Spray some potion on them." Yolanda said, giving Gilbert some Super Potion. "Here. It'll sting a little, but it'll help you both heal up until we can get you to a Pokémon Center." Gilbert said as he sprayed the potion on the 2 Pokémon. "PSY…!" Psyduck shrieked from feeling the stinging effect. "POLI…!" Poliwag shrieked equally. "I warned them." Gilbert said sheepishly, making the others chuckle.
After a while of healing, Psyduck and Poliwag were being fed by Yolanda as she offered them some Pokémon Food. "There you go. Eat up." Yolanda said. Gilbert took out his Pokédex and scanned the 2 Pokémon.
Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon, a Water-Type. Psyduck suffers from constant headaches that start to exhibit strong Psychic powers when they become heavily intense.
Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon, a Water-Type. The swirl on a Poliwag's belly is its internal organs seen through their skins. The swirls look different, depending on where Poliwag lives.
"I think these Pokémon came from the docks. But why would they be all the way out here?" Sakura asked. "And how did they get covered in all those bruises?" Tad asked. "I don't know. But we have to find out what's going on." Gilbert said. Yolanda, Sakura and Tad nodded in agreement. "Psyduck, Poliwag, can you 2 show us to the docks?" Gilbert asked. "Psy." Psyduck quacked. "Poli." Poliwag squeaked.
Later, Psyduck and Poliwag led Gilbert's group towards the docks. But when they arrived, the group gasped in shock at what they saw. The entire place was dried up. There was no water anywhere. "The docks…they're completely dried up." Sakura said in shock. "But how? The sun's not hot enough to dry up the entire place." Yolanda said. Gilbert hopped down into the dried up lake and examined the ground, feeling it with his fingers. "Hmm. Interesting." He said as he touched the ground with his fingers. "What is it?" Tad asked. "The ground's still muddy and wet. The lake hasn't been dried up for very long." Gilbert said. "So, this dry up must've been recent." Yolanda guessed. "So, what now?" Sakura asked. "We'll need to check it out at the source." Gilbert said.
They headed up the river towards its source. When they got there, they saw what was causing the river to dry up. The flow was blocked by mud and giant boulders. "That's what's causing the river to dry up. Somebody blocked up the flow." Yolanda said. "Uh, guys, one of the boulders seems to be moving." Tad said. One of the boulders was moving, revealing itself to be some form of Donphan with longer tusks and red spikes on its armor. "What is that thing?" Yolanda asked. Gilbert and Sakura got out their Pokédex and scanned the strange Pokémon.
Donphan, the Long Tusk Pokémon, a Ground-Type and the evolved form of Phanpy. Donphan curl up their bodies into circles and charge into their opponents with their armor-like skin.
"That's a Donphan?" Gilbert asked in confusion. "It looks a little different than that in the Pokédex." Sakura said. "Wait a minute. That's not a Donphan." Tad said in realization. "What're you talking about, Tad?" Yolanda asked. "I recognize that Pokémon. I saw a picture of it in one of my grandfather's books. That Pokémon is the ancient ancestor to Donphan. Great Tusk." Tad said. Just then, Great Tusk noticed them and let out a great roar. "It's gonna attack!" Tad exclaimed. "Ivysaur, Machop, I choose you!" Gilbert exclaimed, tossing 2 PokéBalls and releasing Ivysaur and Machop. "Saur!" Ivysaur barked. "Machop!" Machop exclaimed. "Go, Zubat!" Yolanda called, releasing Zubat with a sparkle. "Wooper, let's go!" Sakura called, releasing Wooper with the same sparkle as Zubat. "Pieper, to battle!" Tad called, releasing Pieper. "Ivysaur, Vine Whip, and Machop, Dynamic Punch!" Gilbert called. "Zubat, Wing Attack!" Yolanda called. "Wooper, Water Gun!" Sakura called. "Pieper, Air Cutter!" Tad called. Ivysaur struck Great Tusk first with Vine Whip. Machop followed with Dynamic Punch. Then Zubat with Wing Attack, Wooper with Water Gun, and Pieper with Air Cutter. But Great Tusk wasn't even phased or even scratched by any of the attacks. "Our attacks didn't do a thing!" Gilbert exclaimed in shock.
Just then, Great Tusk charged towards the Pokémon. Its head glowed bright blue. "It's coming with Head Smash!" Yolanda exclaimed. Great Tusk tackled the Pokémon hard with Head Smash, knocking them out in a single hit and shocking the group. "It got them all with a single hit!" Sakura cried with fear and worry. After shaking off the effects of the recoil damage, it glared at the group as they returned their Pokémon to their PokéBalls. "Uh, I don't like the way it's looking at us." Tad said in worry. "It's gonna charge!" Gilbert exclaimed. Great Tusk roared as it charged towards them. "RUN!" Gilbert cried. The group started running with Great Tusk chasing after them. But they were having a little trouble running fast enough due to the mud in the area. "It's too muddy! We can't run fast enough!" Sakura cried. Great Tusk charged faster and was almost in range of the group. But as they braced themselves, before Great Tusk could even attack them, a familiar purple knight Pokémon appeared and attacked Great Tusk with Bitter Blade, knocking it off its feet. The group opened their eyes and saw who saved them. "Ceruledge?" Gilbert said in surprise. Yolanda and Sakura were surprised as well. "Not just him, Gilbert." A familiar voice said. Everyone turned around and saw a familiar figure leap out of nowhere and land beside Ceruledge. "Stanford?!" Everyone said in surprise, recognizing Stanford himself. But then they turned to face Tad, hearing him say Stanford's name too. "You know Stanford too? Sakura asked.
"Nice to see you guys too. You too, Tad. But right now, we have to deal with this situation." Stanford said. "Uh, Stanford, no offense, but you don't seriously think you and Ceruledge can take on this…Great Tusk by yourselves?" Gilbert asked in worry. "Not by themselves they won't." A girl's voice said. Everyone turned to see a girl riding a purple-and-turquois-maned Rapidash with a lengthy black swirled horn and flowing purple fur on its hooves ride up to them. "Who's this?" Yolanda asked. "Gang, meet my friend and teammate, Vandana Ferrus." Stanford introduced. "And is that a Rapidash?" Gilbert asked as he took out his Pokédex and scanned Rapidash.
Rapidash, Galarian Form, the Unique Horn Pokémon, a Psychic-and-Fairy-Type, and the evolved form of Galarian Ponyta. Rapidash stores Psychic energy in the flowing fur on its hooves and uses it to dash through plains and forests with ease.
Great Tusk started to recover from the Bitter Blade attack. "Alright, Rapidash, use Dazzling Gleam." Vandana said. Rapidash whinnied as she released a pink rainbow-patterned pulse blast from her body. The attack scared Great Tusk, causing it to run away. "Well, that takes care of that." Vandana said. "Oh, I'm so glad that thing is gone." Sakura said. "It won't be gone for long. It'll be back. Listen up, gang, you better come with us back to our base camp. We'll explain everything when we get there." Stanford said.
Later, the group arrived at the base camp and saw that there were quite a lot of scientists and researchers there. They were keeping all the Water Pokémon from the fishing area inside water tanks, healing them. "What's going on here?" Gilbert asked. "We detected a Paradox Pokémon in the area and we need to capture it before it can cause anymore damage or harm anymore Pokémon." Vandana said. "Yes. We stored these Water Pokémon in these tanks after the river dried up." Stanford said. Just then, a boy, around Vandana's age, walked up to the group. "Sister." The boy greeted. "Everyone, this is one of my quintuplet siblings, my brother Zad." Vandana introduced. "Pleasure to meet you all." Zad said. "Likewise. Anyway, we couldn't help but mention that Great Tusk is a Paradox Pokémon. What's a Paradox Pokémon?" Gilbert asked. "Ancient or futuristic Pokémon that somehow crossed into our period of time. They're extremely dangerous than their descendants or ancestors. We've been trying to catch them and relocate them to our secret base, to keep them safe from any eyes of evil." Zad explained.
However, unknown to them, Team Rocket was nearby, listening to everything they were saying. "Did you hear that?" Hun asked. "Yeah. An actual ancient Paradox Pokémon that was from a time long gone and somehow brought into our time." Attila said. "If we capture this Paradox Pokémon, Team Rocket will be unstoppable." Hun said. "Shh! They're talking again." Attila whispered.
"We need to capture this Great Tusk and relocate it to our base before it can cause anymore damages to the docks or any other rivers." Vandana said. "Uh, mind if we tag along? We'd love to see how you guys work." Gilbert said. "Very well. But keep your distance. It'll be extremely dangerous going up against that Great Tusk." Vandana said. "Stanford, Vandana, Zad! We've located the Great Tusk!" One of the researchers called. "Good. Give us the coordinates and let's go catch us a Great Tusk." Stanford said.
Later, the group headed over to exact coordinates of the Great Tusk. "Shh! There it is." Stanford whispered. Great Tusk was resting by the dam it built at the river's flow. "Now what?" Sakura asked. "We need to weaken it just like any other Pokémon battle. Then we capture it and relocate it to our base." Vandana whispered. Suddenly, before anyone could do anything, a metal cage dropped onto Great Tusk, trapping it inside. "No!" Stanford exclaimed. "Where did that cage come from?!" Zad exclaimed. "Team Rocket!" Gilbert exclaimed, pointing to the source of the cage. Hun and Attila were piloting a 2-pilot hovercraft with the cage attached to a chain. "Hello, kiddies. We'll be taking this Paradox Pokémon for our boss, thank you." Attila said. "Release that Great Tusk at once! You have no idea what a Paradox Pokémon can do!" Stanford exclaimed. "What's to know? It's rare and powerful and it's gonna make Team Rocket invincible. So, shut your mouth and stand aside." Hun said. But as they were about to take off, Great Tusk started bashing against the cage's bars. "What's it doing? Trying to break out of our cage?" Attila asked in confusion. "Not possible. Not even a Hippowdon could break out of our cages." Hun said. But then, the Great Tusk broke out of the cage. Hun and Attila were shocked at that. "That's impossible! No Pokémon could've broken out of our cages!" Hun exclaimed. Just then, Great Tusk opened its mouth and formed an orange ball in front of it. "Uh oh." Hun and Attila said with worry. Great Tusk fired Hyper Beam at the hovercraft, destroying it and sending Hun and Attila blasting off. "I guess we didn't know what we were up against after all." Attila said. "We'll make a mental note to be more prepared next time. If we ever encounter another Paradox Pokémon." Hun said. "Now we're blasting off again!" They cried as they disappeared in the distance.
Just then, Great Tusk turned its attention to the group. "Kids, get to cover. This is our fight." Stanford said. Gilbert, Yolanda, Sakura and Tad ran for cover as Stanford, Vandana and Zad got their PokéBalls ready. "Froslass, I choose you!" Stanford called. "Braviary, let's go!" Vandana called. "Gyarados, get ready to battle!" Zad called. As they tossed up their PokéBalls, their called Pokémon were released. "Fros!" Froslass called. "Brav!" A Hisuian Braviary squawked. "GYAAAA!" Gyarados roared. "Whoa! Look at those Pokémon!" Gilbert exclaimed as he took out his Pokédex and scanned each of the Pokémon.
Froslass, the Snow Land Pokémon, an Ice-and-Ghost-Type, and the evolved form of Snorunt. Froslass freezes its foes with an ice breath that's -58 degrees Fahrenheit. It can disappear in hailstorms and blizzards to scare unsuspecting opponents.
Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon, a Normal-and-Flying-Type, and the evolved form of Rufflet. Braviary have a strong devotion to protect their friends, never backing down, even after sustaining injuries until the battle is won.
Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon, a Water-and-Flying-Type, and the evolved form of Magikarp. Gyarados are known for their vicious temperaments and their abilities to channel their rage through the water. Their jaws can crush giant boulders in a single bite.
"But that Braviary looks different than the one in the Pokédex. Just like when we scanned Sneasel." Sakura said. Just then, Gilbert remembered the book they read back in Vermillion City and realized. "Wait. That Braviary, just like my Sneasel, must be from the ancient Hisui Region." He said.
"Let's pep 'em up a bit!" Stanford exclaimed, pulling his Tera Orb from his jacket pocket and tossing it at Froslass. Froslass became encased in crystal and burst out, completely Terastalized with a big ghost crystal crown over her head. "Great idea, Stanford! Gyarados, we're about to go Mega!" Zad called, revealing to be wearing a lime gauntlet with a Keystone. "GYA!" Gyarados roared, revealing a Mega Stone around his neck. "Our bond, as strong as the tides of the world. Mega Evolve!" Zad called, activating his Keystone. Gyarados' Mega Stone glowed in sync and caused Gyarados to glow magenta as he Mega Evolved. "GYAAA!" Gyarados roared. "Stanford Terastalized Froslass into a full-on Ghost-Type!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. "And Zad Mega Evolved his Gyarados too!" Yolanda exclaimed, also surprised. "Amazing." Tad said in awe. "Now it's a real fight." Gilbert said.
Great Tusk charged towards Gyarados as its horns glowed bright orange. "That's Close Combat!" Yolanda exclaimed. "Froslass, protect Gyarados!" Stanford called. "Fros!" Froslass flew in front of Gyarados as Great Tusk struck her with its horns repeatedly. "Fros." Froslass chuckled, revealing herself to be fine, much to Great Tusk's shock. "That Close Combat didn't affect Froslass! But how?" Tad asked in shock and confusion. "Because thanks to the Terastal Phenomenon, Froslass is a full Ghost-Type. And Fighting-Type attacks have no effect on Ghost-Types." Gilbert explained. "Braviary, Air Slash!" Vandana commanded. "Brav!" Braviary released a strong Air Slash and struck Great Tusk with great damage. "That was super effective! That means that Great Tusk is part Fighting-Type." Yolanda realized. However, Great Tusk was far from defeated as it became surrounded in a purple aura with yellow streaks of energy and charged towards the group in full speed. "It's using Giga Impact!" Tad exclaimed. "Gyarados, counter that with Hydro Pump!" Zad commanded. "GYAAA!" Gyarados fired a powerful stream of Hydro Pump and hit Great Tusk, causing it to stop its Giga Impact and roar in great pain. "It's super effective too! That would mean that Great Tusk is part Ground-Type too." Sakura said. "So, Great Tusk is a Ground-and-Fighting-Type." Gilbert said. "Froslass, Shadow Ball!" Stanford commanded. "Fros…lass!" Froslass fired a Shadow Ball from her hands and struck Great Tusk with a critical hit. "A critical hit! Wow! That Terastal Phenomenon sure is powerful." Yolanda said in amazement. "And look! Great Tusk is weakening!" Gilbert said, seeing that the Paradox Pokémon was growing weak from taking 2 hits from Flying and Water attacks.
"Alright, guys, let's end this now! Time for our special combo!" Vandana exclaimed. "Right!" Stanford and Zad agreed. "Brav!" Braviary landed on Gyarados' head with his wings spread out. "Gyarados, use Iron Head!" Zad called. "Braviary, use Esper Wing!" Vandana called. "GYAA!" Gyarados roared as he charged towards Great Tusk, his head encased with glowing iron. "Brav!" Braviary's wings glowed with bright purple aura. "Our turn now! Froslass, use Water Pulse!" Stanford called. "Fros…lass!" Froslass created a blue sphere of water in her hands and tossed it towards her friends. The sphere exploded and surrounded Gyarados and Braviary in a wave of water, giving them an extra power boost. Together, they tackled Great Tusk with their powerful combo. Great Tusk was knocked on its back and couldn't move due to being stuck. "Now's the time. Go, PokéBall!" Stanford called, tossing a PokéBall. The PokéBall curved itself and tapped Great Tusk, sucking it in. The PokéBall wriggled for a few minutes before it dinged, sealing the capture. Stanford walked up and picked up the PokéBall. "It's over. Great Tusk is captured." He said.
"Alright, Gyarados, let's finish cleaning up this mess. Use Iron Head on Great Tusk's barricade." Zad said. "Gya!" Gyarados, having reverted back to normal, growled softly and rammed Great Tusk's boulder barricade with Iron Head. The water started flowing back into the area, filling up the dry areas again. As they were filled back up, the researchers and scientists returned all the Water Pokémon to their rightful home. "Look at that. Such a beautiful sight to behold." Sakura said. "Yeah. We did a good thing here today." Tad said. "What're you talking about? We didn't do anything. It was Stanford and his friends who did it." Yolanda said. "Oh, yeah." Tad said, feeling embarrassed. "Speaking of which, you never fully explained how you know Stanford." Gilbert said. "Well, Stanford's an old friend of the family. So are Vandana and Zad's family. They visited our sanctuary from time to time when they're not out on their little missions." Tad explained. Just then, the Psyduck and the Poliwag walked up to the group. "Oh, it's you 2 again. Nice to see that you 2 are fully recovered." Gilbert said. "Psy." Psyduck quacked. "Poli." Poliwag squeaked. They ran up to Gilbert and cuddled his legs. "It looks like these 2 really like you, Gilbert." Sakura said. "Makes sense. We did a good thing helping them." Yolanda said. "You 2 wanna come with me?" Gilbert asked. "Psyduck." Psyduck nodded. "Poliwag." Poliwag also nodded. "Alright. PokéBalls go!" Gilbert called, tossing up 2 PokéBalls. Psyduck and Poliwag leapt up, tapped the PokéBalls and sucked themselves inside. The PokéBalls landed and shook for a few moments before they dinged, sealing the captures. Gilbert picked them up and stared at them happily. "Amazing. I caught a Psyduck and a Poliwag!" He cheered.
Afterwards, Gilbert's group was preparing to head out with Stanford, Vandana and Zad saying thanks to them. "Thank you all for your help. Once we get Great Tusk back to HQ, we'll make sure it stays safe and out of trouble." Vandana said. "It was a pleasure to watch you guys work." Yolanda said. "And it was a pleasure to meet Stanford's friends. He's told us a lot about you guys." Zad said. Just then, one of the researchers ran up to them "Guys! We just detected another Paradox Pokémon reading close to Lavender Town!" He reported. "Lavender Town? We're just heading up that way." Tad said. "Then if it's alright with you lot, I would like to accompany you guys. I've been to Lavender Town numerous times, visited the Pokémon Tower where the Ghost-Type Pokémon live. Plus, I know a lot on Ghost-Type Pokémon." Stanford said. "But of course. We always welcome a friend to travel with us. Even if it's for a little while." Yolanda said. "Then I guess this is goodbye for now." Vandana said. "We hope to see you guys again someday." Zad said. "Me too." Gilbert said as he shook hands with them. And with that goodbye, Gilbert's group started to head on their way as Vandana and Zad waved goodbye to them.
Major Events:
The group arrives at the fishing docks, but find out it was dried up
The group have their first encounter with a Paradox Pokémon, a Great Tusk
The group reunites with Stanford and Ceruledge
Tad reveals to have met Stanford once before
The group meets Vandana and Zad Ferrus, 2 of Stanford's research team of Paradox specialists
Hun and Attila attempt to steal the Great Tusk, but got blasted off
Stanford is revealed to own a Froslass
Vandana is revealed to own a Hisuian Braviary
Gilbert captures a Psyduck and a Poliwag they helped earlier
Stanford joins the group on their way to Lavender Town, having detected another Paradox Pokémon there