Chapter 104

Chapter 104

CHAPTER 104

“So you’re saying you’re actually interested in battling?” I asked smugly.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, scratching his cheek. “I don’t think I’m good enough to get as good as everyone else is, so why not try it this way? I mean, maybe Pherzen’s reputation will take a hit, but...”

“If you can make it work and show the world that there’s more to the strategy than meets the eye, then Pherzen’s image could be left unscathed,” Cece said.

“Right, but could I even do that? I’d need to basically start from scratch and train my Pokemon in a completely different manner,” he said.

“Would you?” I frowned. “I mean, Sandile can burrow and trap his opponents in Sand Tombs, right? Now, I will say, it definitely won’t be enough for your third badge—”

“Especially against Fantina,” Cece added. “She’s considered the most skilled gym leader, you know?”

“Right, I remember hearing rumors that her true team is as good as an Elite Four member's and that she still holds back against trainers that have gone through the entire Circuit multiple times,” I explained. I could tell that he was getting cold feet from all of this, so I decided to continue quickly. “What I wanted to say is that you already have something there. A base to build up from with Sandile.”

“Arcanine are one of the fastest Pokemon on land, since they can learn Extreme Speed,” Cece said. “And they can also learn Teleport... so perhaps you could work out something with that in the future.”

“They can?” he asked with wide eyes. “Growlithe was the one I was struggling the most to come up with something with. I’ve— I’ve never felt this fired up before.”

I smiled at him. “Now you know how it feels, man,” I chuckled. “What about your Lotad?”

“Um... he’s actually a Lombre now.”

“Excuse me?!” I exclaimed, almost falling over. “Since when?”

“I started up training again after your gym battles, and he evolved while fighting Growlithe,” Justin said. “I just never found an appropriate time to reveal it.”

“You idiot, there’s never a bad time to reveal an evolution!”

“Sorry,” he awkwardly smiled. “I was thinking about using Rain Dance and Swift Swim, but it’s still all in the theory stage. Growlithe isn’t ready to evolve, although I’ll try to buy myself a Fire Stone in Hearthome, and Lombre can’t use Rain Dance.”Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

“Still, that’s excellent progress,” Cece said. “Any idea for future team members?”

“Well, I definitely want something more defensively minded to round out my team... I was thinking about buying an Audino. They’re rather common, since a lot of Nurse Joys seem to covet them over the usual Chansey. Plus, I figured it’d be nice to have a Pokemon that can help the others if they ever get injured beyond what a potion can do.”

“Oh, right,” I said, slamming my fist into my palm. “What’s the move... Heal Pulse. I know about that.”

“There’s also Wish, Life Dew, Heal Bell, Healing Wish—”

“Sheesh, you’ve read up on this!” I said. “I think you’ve got a real shot at this stalling thing, and if you’re as passionate as you look—”

“Passionate? This is just... me trying something new.”

Cecilia laughed. “Come on, Justin, you look more excited than I’ve ever seen you. I bet Pauline would say the same, and she’s known you for years.”

“It does feel different this time,” he admitted with a sigh. “Thank you for this, and sorry for interrupting... whatever it is you were going to do. I just felt like venting and putting it all in the open. I feel more sure about this now, but it’s still not a guarantee. I’m just thinking about it,” he said as he got out of the tent.

“Well, would you look at that,” Cecilia said with a slight smirk. “Justin Gardner himself, enamored with Pokemon battling, even though he’s pretending not to be.”

“Did you know I was like that once?” I said.

“Really?!” She gasped. “H—how? I can’t even imagine you like that, it’s antithetical to your whole being.”

“Right?” I laughed. “It was before I started this entire journey. I just stayed holed up in my room all day and watched battles on television or browsed the forums or whatever.”

“Wait, are you saying that’s all you did? That seems like you were still... passionate?”

“I mean, in retrospect, yeah,” I shrugged. “But back then, I was in denial, I think. I was too scared of the risks of being a trainer to take the plunge, but my dad gave me a slight push, and I’ve never looked back. It was the best decision of my life.”

“I’m thankful for your father, then,” she said.

“For getting me to realize that sometimes, you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone to get what you truly want?” I said. “Yeah, he was the one that did that.”

“And you know... without him, I never would have met you.”

I felt her hand on mine and turned toward her. I sneaked another look toward the tent’s exit, confirming that Justin or Pauline weren’t coming in, and then leaned in for the kiss. She quickly took the lead and gently pushed me down, slowly lowering herself to my ear.

Gothorita gave her a slight nod and restrained Rufflet while Charmeleon screamed out a Dragon Rage that engulfed it completely. She rummaged through her bag, grabbed a Great Ball, and sent it toward Rufflet. The ball shook thrice and then let out a small ‘ding’. Pauline had finally caught her third Pokemon.

We all congratulated her, and even though she was trying to hide it, I could tell she was happy. I knew how much she hated the fact that she had fallen behind us, and this was a way for her to finally feel like she was making progress again. Pauline immediately released the wounded Rufflet and grabbed a potion. I decided to scan it with my Pokedex.

Rufflet, the Eaglet Pokemon. With its powerful legs and sturdy claws, they can crack even the hard shells of Shellder and pluck out their insides—

“Ew. Not cool, Pokedex,” I groaned.

—They will challenge anything, even strong opponents, not out of courage, but out of recklessness in a relentless quest for strength.

“Arceus, that does sound like you,” I muttered. “You did pick a fight with Harvey and Clarence.”

“And I won,” Pauline shrugged before turning to her new Pokemon. “Listen up. I’m going to put you through so many hard fights that you could only dream of on this shitty route. I’m the best trainer you could hope for.”

The flying type’s neck feathers puffed up, making it look bigger than it was.

“Tough girl, aren’t you,” Pauline smiled. “Let me heal you, and we can start training tonight. Charmeleon and Gothorita pack a punch, don’t they?”

Rufflet nodded immediately, eliciting a few chuckles from the group, and Pauline healed her up with potions.

“So since you seem to be going for Pokemon that fit you,” I started, holding back a laugh. “Are you going for an Exploud next or—”

“Grace, you little shit!”

——

It was nighttime now, and we had gone through another day of travel. The terrain here was miserable, as Denzel had warned. It was rocky, uneven, and we were going constantly uphill. Luckily we had found a flat spot to set up camp at, but there would be five more days of this until we reached the outpost that separated Mount Coronet from route 207. At least, other than how terrible my legs felt, the rest of the route was easy, easier than route 216 or 217, even. If there was one thing I was glad about, it was that when we were past this section of Mount Coronet, it would be a while until wild Pokemon could threaten us ever again.

“One more time, sweetheart,” I told Larvitar.

With ragged breaths, the rock type stomped on the ground, and it shook slightly. Right now, the best way I had found to start working on the move Stomping Tantrum was for her to manipulate the rocks underground enough to make the floor shake, but it wasn’t strong enough to even hurt me yet, so there was still a lot to work on.

“Good job,” I said, crouching to pet her hard scales. She huffed and smiled at me. “Of course, I knew you’d be able to do it. Let’s call it a day for now, alright?”

Larvitar hesitantly nodded and followed me back to the rest of the team. Electabuzz was practicing his Discharge to improve its range, so he was far away from the rest of us in order not to accidentally hurt anyone. Discharge would be my counter against Cecilia’s Fletchinder, so I’d need him to be just as good with the move as he was with Thunderbolt. Frillish was taking it easy tonight, but he had practiced the speed of his Shadow Balls.

What I was focused on, however, was Togetic and Tangela, who were practicing Ancient Power. At this point, princess was getting so good with the move that I was starting to wonder if I could have her alter the forms of the rocks somehow. Maybe if I could have her mold it into spikes or something, they’d be better at penetrating Pokemon with heavy armor, but then again, maybe blunt force was more effective. It was something I’d have to work on soon, but tonight was Tangela’s night.

“Toge. Togetic,” Togetic whispered to me and Larvitar.

“Already?!” I exclaimed. “That’s— that’s awesome!”

The grass type turned toward me and gently led me forward with a vine.

“Angel,” I said. “How’s it going?”

He extended a few vines and pointed toward Electabuzz and Frillish.

“You want me to call them?” I asked. He answered with two blinks. “Honey, buddy! Come here!” I yelled.

Electabuzz sprinted toward me so quickly that he appeared in a flash, and Frillish was there soon after.

“I think— I think angel’s ready,” I declared, trembling in excitement. “Go ahead. Whenever you’re ready.”

Tangela stared up at me and gave me a firm nod. He closed his eyes and his vines started to wriggle, all independently from each other. When he opened his eyes again, they were blue, illuminating us in a cold glow. A lone pebble started to bounce on the ground, and then there was a rumble. When I thought that he was finally about to use Ancient Power, the shaking slowed and his eyes returned to normal.

I crouched. “Don’t stress, you’ve got this, angel,” I told him. “We’re all here for you.”

Togetic gave a hearty, reassuring cry and clapped her hands. Frillish nodded and patted the grass type on the head. Electabuzz crossed his arms and encouraged him, and Larvitar wriggled her arms excitedly, as if she was on the edge of her seat.

Tangela smiled with his eyes and they shone once more. A huge rock emerged from the ground and soared into the sky, hitting the cliff in the distance and breaking into a dozen pieces.

“Angel— you— you did it!” I squealed. “You did—”

Light enveloped Tangela’s body and he grew. Up, and up, until he was way taller than me. Two arms sprouted from his sides, tipped in red, and his vines grew more numerous and thicker. His shoe-like feet turned into short, stubby legs. His eyes had stayed the same size, but they were on the upper side of his head instead of at its center.

“You’re so... you’re so tall,” I exhaled as I stared up at him. He was a foot taller than me now, and he was taller than any of us in the group, including Denzel.

Suddenly, a dozen vines extended toward us and he wrapped the entire family into a tight hug.