Before getting this chapter underway I'd like to take time to acknowledge a writer whose works I feel are of the highest quality. Carlo Santos is an amazing author who I feel has some equally amazing stories on the site. One in particular In The Club: Cerulean City United's First Season is one I'd easily rate among my top 5 among all the stories I've read. If you're looking for a great story to read then please give his a shot. You won't be disappointed.
Chapter 38: One Leg to Stand On
This was the hardest Ash had seen Nikki and her Pokémon train in a long time. They had been going almost non-stop for the past few hours, and Ash had to admit he was impressed with their progress. At the moment Nikki was working on a Contest appeal with Vulpix and Buneary.
"Okay, Vulpix! Just like we practiced! Energy Ball!" Nikki called.
"(Okay!)" Vulpix replied. The Fox Pokémon aimed up and launched an Energy Ball high into the air.
"Your turn, Buneary! Double Bounce!" Nikki cued. The Rabbit Pokémon then used Bounce to jump up towards the Energy Ball. Once she reached it she used Bounce again, this time propelling herself off the Energy Ball and higher into the air.
"Now, Hidden Power!" Nikki instructed. At the apex of her second Bounce Buneary formed a Hidden Power in her paws and hurled it down at the Energy Ball. The two attacks hit and exploded, showering the area in green glitter left behind from the explosion. Buneary then added some flair by doing a few mid-air twirls before landing next to Vulpix.
"Alright, that was perfect!" Nikki cheered. Buneary and Vulpix were overjoyed to have pulled off their routine perfectly. On the sidelines Ash and Pikachu were also impressed.
"That was an amazing performance," Ash praised.
"(Yeah,)" Pikachu agreed.
"Thanks, you guys. If we can pull this off in the Contest then that ribbon will be as good as ours," Nikki declared. Earlier in the day Nikki's Pokécomm alerted her to a Pokémon Contest taking place in nearby Lobo Valley.
"I feel like I'm falling behind everyone else. If I don't start winning I may not make it to the Grand Festival," she said. "I have to win this one. I just have to."
"And you will. I have faith in you and your Pokémon," Ash stated.
"(So do I,)" Pikachu added.
"(We all believe we'll win,)" Buneary said.
"(That's right,)" Vulpix agreed.
"Thanks, guys. I'm glad to know I get a vote of confidence from all of you," Nikki said. "Now I want to go over this routine one more time just to make sure we got it down, okay?" Buneary and Vulpix agreed and got back into position.
"Okay, just like before. Use Energy Ball!" Just as before Vulpix fired an Energy Ball into the air.
"Now Bounce!" So far things were going smoothly as Buneary used Bounce to jump up towards the Energy Ball, but just as she was about to use her second Bounce a strong gust of wind suddenly blew through. Not only did it cause Buneary to lose her focus but it also sent the Energy Ball sailing into a nearby forest. The attack struck a tree and exploded on impact. Thankfully Buneary managed to maintain her balance in the air and landed safely back on the ground.
"Buneary! Are you alright?!" Nikki wondered as she, Ash, Pikachu and Vulpix gathered around the Rabbit Pokémon.
"(A little shaken up, but other than that I'm fine,)" Buneary replied. Nikki let out a sigh of relief, glad to know that her Pokémon was uninjured.
"That's good. For a moment I was afraid that gust of wind did more than throw our routine off," Nikki commented. "Thankfully that's all it did." As soon as she said that Pikachu, Buneary and Vulpix all started looking around, their ears perked up.
"What is it?" Ash asked.
"(Something's here with us,)" Pikachu said.
"(He's right. I can definitely hear something,)" Buneary stated.
"(Me too,)" Vulpix added. The two trainers looked around, trying to spot what their Pokémon were hearing.
"I don't know what you guys hear but we don't see anything," Ash said.
"There's nothing but trees all around us," Nikki continued.
"(Believe us, there's something else out there,)" Pikachu retorted.
"Can you tell what it is?" Ash wondered. Pikachu listened for a bit, trying to determine what it was he and the other Pokémon heard. After a few minutes he looked up, concern etched across his face.
"(I don't know what it is, but I can tell you what it isn't,)" he stated.
"What's that?" Nikki wondered.
"(Friendly.)" Now they were really worried. Not only did they have an unknown presence in the area, but whatever it was apparently had bad intentions when it came to the group. As more time passed Ash and Nikki began to hear a strange sound.
"Is that the sound you guys heard?" Ash asked. The Pokémon nodded.
"Now all we have to do is figure out what that sound is," Nikki stated. The two trainers and their Pokémon remained quiet as they tried to identify the unknown sound. After a few seconds it started to become clear.
"Does that sound like… buzzing?" Nikki inquired. The more they listened the more they realized Nikki was right.
"If that really is buzzing then that means…" Before Ash could finish his statement an angry swarm of Beedrill burst forth from the trees.
"Run!" The group turned on their heels and ran as fast as they could, the swarm giving chase moments later.
"What's got them so angry?!" Ash asked.
"They must have been stirred up by the Energy Ball!" Nikki commented.
"(How about we do less talking and more running!)" Pikachu suggested. No one argued with him as they continued trying to escape their pursuers. As they ran the Beedrill began to attack them, firing volleys of Poison Sting at them.
"(Heads up!)" Buneary warned. Everyone looked back and saw the incoming attacks and quickly jumped out of the way. Nikki, though, wasn't watching where she was going. She came down awkwardly on her foot and fell to the ground.
"Nikki!" Ash called.
"(Get out of there!)" Buneary shouted. The Pinegrove trainer looked up and saw the swarm closing in on her. Her mind told her to get back up and run, but her body was paralyzed with fear. Seeing that she wasn't moving Ash ran back and put himself between her and the Beedrill.
"I won't let you hurt her!" he declared. Thankfully the Pokémon weren't going to let the Beedrill hurt either of them. While Ash acted as a shield Pikachu, Buneary and Vulpix were more like swords as they launched a volley of attacks at the swarm. A powerful combination of Thunderbolt, Hidden Power and Flamethrower was enough to convince the Beedrill to turn tail and run themselves.
"Whew… glad that's over," Ash sighed. "Thanks for the assist, gang." The Pokémon all looked back and smiled. He then turned his attention to Nikki.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think so," she replied. Ash offered his hand and helped Nikki to her feet, but the minute she stood up she cried out in pain and fell back down, clutching her ankle.
"Nikki, what's wrong?!" Ash asked in a panic.
"My foot! It hurts!" she cried. By now the Pokémon were all standing around the suffering coordinator, concern etched across their faces.
"Can you stand?" Ash wondered. Nikki wasn't sure if she could or not. She made an attempt to stand, but when she tried to put some weight on her injured leg she a sharp pain made her fall to the ground once again.
"No… it hurts too much," she whimpered. Seeing the pain Nikki was in Ash knew there was only one thing to do.
"We have to find somewhere to get you help." He quickly took out his Pokécomm and began looking for any nearby towns or villages.
"Well, I found a Pokémon Center on the map," Ash announced. "Only thing is…"
"It's not exactly close by, is it," Nikki wondered.
"It's anything but," Ash replied. "Walking it would have taken us the rest of the day to get there."
"Well this is just great. How are we supposed to get there if I can't walk?" Nikki griped.
"We won't be walking," Ash said. Before Nikki could question him he grabbed a Poké Ball and called out Charizard.
"Nikki's hurt. We need you to fly us to a Pokémon Center," Ash explained.
"(Just tell me where to go,)" the dragon replied, more than willing to do whatever was necessary. Ash showed him the map on his Pokécomm, pointing out where the Pokémon Center in question was.
"Can you fly us there? I know it's a long way, but that's our only option," Ash requested. Charizard didn't have to think twice before agreeing. He crouched down to let the two trainers on his back. Nikki recalled Vulpix to her Poké Ball before letting Ash help her onto the dragon's back. Ash climbed on right behind her. Buneary then jumped into Nikki's arms while Pikachu decided to ride in Ash's backpack.
"Okay, Charizard! Let's go!" Ash called. The dragon beat his wings a few times before rising into the air and taking off towards the Pokémon Center Ash had shown him.
"There's the Pokémon Center!" The flight had taken a few minutes, but Charizard had gotten them to the Pokémon Center. After landing Ash quickly jumped off Charizard.
"I'm going to get Nurse Joy," he said.
"Alright," Nikki replied. Ash then hurried inside.
"Nurse Joy! Are you in?! We have an emergency!" he called. Almost immediately Nurse Joy and her Chansey appeared.
"I'm here. What's the emergency?" she inquired.
"It's my friend Nikki. She's hurt real bad," Ash explained. "Can you help her?"
"Where is she?" Nurse Joy inquired.
"Outside," Ash answered. He led Nurse Joy and Chansey outside to where Nikki was. As soon as Nurse Joy saw Nikki she paused.
"Oh dear," she commented.
"I know you specialize in treating Pokémon injuries, but we don't have any other options right now. Please, you have to help her," Ash pleaded. While it was true she was trained to deal with injured Pokémon she did have some knowledge when it came to treating human injuries. She approached Nikki.
"Okay, what hurts?" she asked.
"It's my foot," Nikki replied. Nurse Joy looked at her foot. She reached out and gently touched it, quickly retracting her hand once she saw Nikki flinch.
"Chansey, bring out a stretcher," she requested.
"(Right away,)" the Egg Pokémon replied. While Chansey went to get the stretcher Nurse Joy turned her attention back to Nikki.
"Don't worry. I'll do whatever I can to help you," she promised.
"Thank you," Nikki replied. Nurse Joy smiled and nodded as they waited for Chansey to return.
Half an hour had passed since Ash and Nikki arrived at the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy had prepared an empty room for them to stay in, which is where Ash and Nikki currently were. Nikki was sitting on one of the beds, her foot bandaged and with an ice pack resting on it. Buneary was sitting on her lap, a concerned look on her face. Ash and Pikachu were sitting on the other bed.
"(Are you going to be okay, Nikki?)" Buneary asked.
"To be honest I'll be better when Nurse Joy tells me what's wrong with my foot," Nikki stated. As soon as she said that Nurse Joy walked into the room.
"Did you find out anything?" Ash asked.
"It's not good, I'm afraid," she started.
"I was afraid of that," Nikki groaned. "Just how bad is it?"
"You've got a pulled muscle in your foot, and it's pretty bad," Nurse Joy said. That was not the news Nikki wanted to hear, and with her next question she feared the news would only get worse.
"How… How long until it heals?" she asked.
"With an injury this bad I recommend you staying out at least ten days," Nurse Joy recommended.
"Ten days?! But I have to get to Lobo Valley for a Pokémon Contest! I can't stay here for ten days!" Nikki protested.
"I'm sorry, but you're in no condition to do any competing," Nurse Joy argued.
"But I have to!" Nikki retorted. "I've already fallen too far behind as it is and I… ah!" Nikki tried to get out of the bed, but when she tried a sharp pain shot through her foot.
"Nikki!" Ash rushed to her side and helped her back down, making sure not to aggravate her injury any further.
"See what I mean? Now I know you don't like this, but you have to let your foot heal and that means letting it rest for at least ten days," Nurse Joy advised. By now the pain had started to subside, and rather than risk hurting herself further Nikki agreed to do as Nurse Joy asked.
"I've got to get back to my duties, but I'll be checking in on you from time to time," she said.
"Okay," Nikki replied. As Nurse Joy left the room Nikki let out an annoyed sigh.
"I can't believe this. After all the work we put in we don't even get the chance to compete," she griped.
"I'm sorry you have to miss the Contest," Ash said. "I just wish there was something I could do."
"So do I," Nikki commented.
"Do you want me to bring your Pokémon to Nurse Joy so she can heal them?" Ash offered.
"Might as well. It's not like they're going to be doing any training for a while," Nikki sighed. She handed Ash her Poké Balls. Buneary, however, decided to remain with Nikki. As Ash was heading for the door Nikki called out to him.
"I never thanked you for saving me back there when those Beedrill came after me," she said.
"Well, to be honest it was Pikachu and the others who drove them off," Ash stated.
"True, but you threw yourself in front of me before they attacked, so in a way you were the one leading the charge," Nikki responded. Realizing the truth in what she said Ash smiled.
"That's what friends do… they look out for each other." And with that he left to bring their Pokémon to Nurse Joy.
"Yeah… that's what friends do," Nikki repeated.
"Alright, Lobo Valley! Are you ready for some amazing performances?!" The crowd erupted as Christy got them fired up for the Lobo Valley Pokémon Contest. While Christy introduced the judges Jessie was with the other coordinators. As she looked over the competition she noticed someone was missing.
"I don't see the twerpette anywhere. I wonder why she skipped this one. Well, it's not like it matters any. I'm going to win whether she's here or not," she mused.
"Okay, let's get started with our first coordinator… the mysterious Lady Jessica!" Hearing her name being called Jessie strode forward with absolute confidence.
"Okay, Seviper, let's go!" she shouted, calling on her Fang Snake Pokémon. The Poké Ball opened, spewing forth intense flames, and from within the flames appeared Seviper.
"Use Haze!" Seviper obeyed and spewed forth a thick Haze cloud, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Lady Jessica starts off with Haze from her Seviper, but so far she's only sent out one Pokémon," Christy commented.
"Don't worry. The second one is coming," Jessie thought. "Now!" On her command Arbok burst forth from the Haze cloud with an intimidating hiss, his maw wide open. Many of the spectators in the front row screamed and jumped from their seats in surprise.
"Goodness me! Seviper's Haze was just a cover for Arbok to make a very intimidating entrance! A well-played move by Lady Jessica!" Christy commented.
"Now use Poison Tail!" Jessie shouted. A pair of red eyes flashed in the Haze cloud, followed shortly after by Seviper's bladed tail slicing through, dispersing the cloud and revealing both serpent Pokémon and Jessie.
"And now Seviper's Poison Tail disperses the Haze, revealing Lady Jessica and both of her Pokémon!" Christy announced over the roar of the excited crowd.
"An outstanding use of Haze to create a truly chilling Contest performance," Mr. Contesta commented.
"Simple remarkable," Mr. Sukizo added.
"Even though it was very frightening it fit the two Pokémon perfectly," Nurse Joy concluded. Jessie simply stood on stage with Seviper and Arbok, taking in the crowds' admiration.
"Take a good look. I'm the one who's going to win this Contest," she said. Up in the stands James and Meowth looked on in excitement.
"Our Jess is really looking good out there," Meowth commented.
"She may actually win this time," James hoped.
"Alright! Let's keep this rolling with our next coordinator!"
"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! The final round has been set!" Nikki sighed as she watched the Contest progress without her. The performances she saw were nothing short of spectacular, but in her mind she believed she and her Pokémon were just as good if not better than some of the ones she saw.
"We would have won that one easily," she said. Buneary, who was resting on her lap, looked up.
"Those Contest moves… they were good, no doubt about that. But I know ours are better," Nikki continued. "We were ready. This was our Contest to win, but thanks to me getting hurt we were never able to show it." Buneary could tell that Nikki was partly blaming herself for missing the Contest.
"(It's not your fault, Nikki. Accidents like this happen all the time. We'll just have to make sure we're ready for the next Contest,)" Buneary said.
"She's right, you know." Nikki glanced at the door and saw that Ash and Pikachu had walked in.
"It's just like Buneary said. Accidents like that happen. You can't put the blame for this on any one person or thing," he explained. "Besides, it's more important to make sure it doesn't happen a second time." Nikki thought about what both he and Buneary had said and realized they were both right.
"Thanks, you guys. I guess I was being too hard on myself due to the fact we missed the Contest," she admitted.
"It's okay. That just means you're going to be even more pumped for the next one," Ash commented. Nikki nodded in agreement.
"(Hey! The final round already started!)" Pikachu pointed out. Everyone turned their attention back to the television to see who would emerge victorious.
"We're down to the final minute, and so far it's been all Lady Jessica! Can her opponent pull off a come-from-behind victory?!" At the moment that appeared easier said than done. Jessie had managed to keep her opponent completely on the defensive due to the tactics she employed with Seviper and Arbok. At the moment she had more than twice the points that her opponent had.
"Alright, Breloom! Get ready with an Iron Tail!" her opponent, a young boy, called. His Breloom obeyed and powered up an Iron Tail.
"Now Kirlia, give him a boost with Psychic!" he instructed. His second Pokémon, a Kirlia, did as asked and used Psychic to levitate Breloom off the ground slightly. Then, with a swift motion of her hands, she sent the Mushroom Pokémon flying towards the two serpents.
"Haze!" Jessie called. Seviper opened his maw and spewed forth a thick Haze cloud.
"Whoa! Kirlia, stop!" the boy panicked. The Emotion Pokémon stopped Breloom mid-flight right before he reached the Haze cloud.
"Now use Poison Tail!" With frightening speed Seviper's tail shot out of the Haze cloud and struck the Breloom. Despite being in Kirlia's Psychic hold the Mushroom Pokémon was blown back, taking a chunk out of the boy's points.
"Very good, Seviper," Jessie praised. Seviper lashed out with his tail once more, clearing out the Haze cloud he created.
"Alright, Kirlia! Use Magical Leaf!" the boy shouted. Kirlia threw her hands forward and sent a volley of glowing green leaves at Jessie's Pokémon.
"Intercept with Poison Sting!" Jessie commanded. Arbok opened his mouth and spat out hundreds of poisonous needles. The needles intercepted the Magical Leaf, puncturing each of the magically created leaves. The Poison Sting then continued on course and struck the Kirlia with some of the needles carrying the remnants of the Magical Leaf with them. Kirlia cried out in pain as she was struck not only by Arbok's Poison Sting but also by her own redirected Magical Leaf. The boy's points fell even further.
"What do I do now?!" he wailed. He wouldn't get the opportunity to try, for moments later a buzzer went off, signaling the end of the round.
"Time's up! Now let's turn to the scoreboard and see who won!" Looking up the results didn't surprise anyone.
"And in overwhelming fashion the winner is… Lady Jessica!" The crowd erupted as Jessie basked in the glory of her victory.
"As if there was any doubt," she bragged. In the stands James and Meowth were also celebrating.
"She did it! She won!" James cheered.
"That's our Jess!" Meowth added.
"You know, I wonder why the twerpette didn't compete," James pondered.
"Who cares? All that matters is Jessie finally winning!" Meowth stated.
"You're probably right," James agreed. The two of them decided to just let Jessie enjoy the sweet taste of victory. They watched as Mr. Contesta approached Jessie to award her the Lobo Valley Contest ribbon.
"Congratulations. I understand this is your first victory," he said.
"First of many, to be exact," Jessie stated as she accepted the ribbon.
"You appear very confident. I like that," Mr. Contesta praised. "I look forward to watching your next Contest."
"And with that, folks, the Lobo Valley Pokémon Contest has concluded! We hope to see you all here next time! Now let's have a huge round of applause for our winner, Lady Jessica!" Jessie simply waved to the crowd as they gave her a standing ovation.
"Ah, winning feels so good," Jessie sighed as she stared at her newly-won ribbon.
"And with four more you're in the Grand Festival," Meowth said. A smug laugh came from the confident female.
"Those four will be easy to earn. This victory was but the first. I won't stop until I, Jessie, am crowned Top Coordinator!" she declared.
"Well I say let's ride this wave of momentum and finally snatch the twerp's Pikachu!" James suggested.
"Now that's a plan I can get behind," Meowth agreed.
"Then let's get back to our devious work," Jessie said.
"Right!" James and Meowth said. The trio left Lobo Valley to search for Ash and Nikki, hoping that Jessie's good fortune in the Contest would translate to good fortune for their other endeavors.
"I'm happy to say that your injury has fully healed, Nikki." It had been close to a week and a half since Nikki had injured her foot, and she was overjoyed to hear the clean bill of health that Nurse Joy had just given her.
"Thank you. It feels great to be back on my feet again," she stated.
"(You can say that again,)" Buneary agreed. The two of them, Ash and Pikachu were in the Pokémon Center lobby planning their next move.
"So, where to now?" Ash asked.
"With the Lobo Valley Pokémon Contest over the only place left to go is the Red Sands Desert," Nikki answered.
"If that's where you're heading then you don't have much further to go," Nurse Joy announced. "You can make it there in about two weeks if you keep a good pace going." Hearing this caused Ash's excitement level to go up.
Did you hear that, buddy? We're only two weeks away from our first Area Boss battle," he said.
"(I can't wait to see what challenges we'll have to face,)" Pikachu said.
"I can't either," Ash agreed.
"In that case I think we should get going or you two might come down from that high before we get there," Nikki suggested. After thanking Nurse Joy for all she had done the group left the Pokémon Center and continued on their way towards the Red Sands Desert, where Ash's first Area Boss battle awaited him.
An injury to Nikki has given Jessie the opportunity to secure her first Contest ribbon. With one win under her belt what will come next? And can Nikki bounce back from her recent setback? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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