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Here we go! I'm back for another review!
As for the chapter title, I'm guessing it will have something to do with rock types. Possibly with a road. Either way, it will at least mean there will be difficulty.
Koa and Zubat Lovebite are looking pretty close there! I'm sure if I lived in the Pokemon world, I'd enjoy sleeping with my mon in the bed too unless they were bad for it (like Grimer...)
Getting to Oreburgh wasn't hard at all. He left Jubilife through the east gate, taking route 203 towards the Coronet mountains. In the distance, he could just make out a smaller series of mountains that extended from the Coronet Mountain range, creating a natural wall on three sides of Oreburgh City. Far in the distance, beyond the small mountains, the shadow of Mt. Coronet loomed, its peak disappearing into the clouds. Just looking at it gave him shivers.
Ever since the atrocities committed by Team Galactic, trainers and travelers had said Mt. Coronet was cursed. Terrifying tales of specters and visions assaulting the brave souls who tried to ascend to the peak. Or worse, trainers vanishing entirely, only to reappear days or weeks later with little memory of their time missing. Koa hated it.
Once, years ago, before Galactic, Coronet had been known as a place of proving. The bravest of trainers would ascend its peak as a test of strength. It was still dangerous, but not like how it was now. Now nobody had gone past the lowest levels ever since Galactic had fallen. Koa pulled his thoughts back down to earth and focused on the path ahead.
The route was fairly simple, mostly consisting of a long, winding path through spare woods, and near the end, a gentle slope leading to Oreburgh Gate, a passage through the mountains. He was still at least a day's journey away, though he was sure he could reach the passage by tomorrow morning if he kept a good pace. There was a small lake halfway along the route where he planned to rest, then set out early the next morning.
He hadn't been traveling for long when a blur of gray feathers rushed past him. A Starly landed before him and shrieked a challenge. Koa quietly took a pokeball from his belt. The opportunity was too good to pass up.
Well, yeah! Starly IS on his planned team, but one would think Zubat is the choice at this point. Still, having another mon (any mon) is better than the lack of one as long as he has less than 6 unless he plans to dump all his training into a smaller team.
Joltik emerged in a flash of blue light. Starly chirped in surprise and then flared its wings, and rose into the air, ready to fight.
"Use String Shot and immobilize it!"
A burst of sticky web shot from Hazard's pincers, wrapping around Starly's body and one of its wings. It fluttered its remaining wing furiously. Hazard jerked it to the ground.
"Now, Electroweb!"
A small glowing ball of electricity formed in front of Joltik. As he launched it, it spread into a wide web of crackling electricity, pinning the Starly down. Within a second, the Starly was knocked out. The web faded, leaving only the Starly behind. Koa took out an empty pokeball, ready to capture it.
Something made him pause, however. You already have a flying type. You should train him. He stared at the Starly, uncertainty gripping him. He would desperately love a Staraptor, yet... His hesitation cost him. In a moment, the Starly recovered. It blinked a few times, cheeped grouchily, then took off. Koa watched it go and groaned. Well, there would be plenty of opportunities to catch another Starly. He just wanted to catch the right one. Yeah! That was all. And when he did, he would release Zubat.
Satisfied, he continued on, allowing Hazard to remain on his shoulder. The little Joltik had taken to absorbing electricity from his Poketch after battles, but Koa made a note to pick up a battery pack next time he was in a city. Though his Poketch had a powerful solar battery, battery packs were more effective for pokemon.
For the next few hours, he traveled in peaceful solitude. The weather was pleasantly breezy, and a few wild pokemon even challenged him, which he fought off with Hazard's help. As the sun began to set behind the mountains, he spotted the glimmering surface of a small lake. Letting out a relieved sigh, he picked up his pace, reaching the lake just as the sky began to properly darken.
He dropped to his knees at the shore, splashing his face with the cool, refreshing water. Hazard took the opportunity to hop off his shoulder and check out the area. After Koa had enjoyed the water for a few moments, he sat back, resting his arms on his knees. Hazard returned and stared up at Koa expectantly.
"Right," he said, scratching Hazard's chin with a finger. "Time to make camp."
A journey combined with camping. That's pretty cool. It does seem kind of dangerous to camp with mon potentially nearby though. I wonder if Koa sprays repel on the tent?
Once he'd set up his tent and sleeping bag, he sighed contentedly and leaned against a tree, taking a moment to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. About three seconds later, he sat up again. Time to train.
Hardly had the thought even crossed his mind when a light flashed and Zubat appeared from his ball. He let out a happy screech and did a little loop.
Koa rolled his eyes and shook his head, ignoring the smile that tried to tug at his lips.
Zubat screeched and flared his wings as if mimicking a battle cry.
Koa shook his head. "I'm going to do some training with Hazard so just... stay out of the way, okay?
Zubat looked slightly crestfallen, head drooping and body dipping in flight.
A sharp pain tore through his ankle and he looked down to see Hazard glaring at him, pincers clicking rapidly. "Ow! What's that for?" he said, glaring at Hazard.
Hazard chittered loudly and nodded towards Zubat. His gaze bore into Koa accusingly, and sparks danced across his fur.
Koa sighed, finding himself frustratingly reminded of Blake chiding him. He turned to Zubat. "Sorry Zubat," he said. "I um... didn't mean to sound harsh. Right now I'm going to work with Hazard but I'll try and train you later, ok?" He glanced over at Hazard to see his reaction. The electric-type gave a nod.
Zubat gave a high-pitched shree of delight and flew at Koa, nuzzling his cheek, his fluffy fur brushing Koa's skin. Koa patted him reassuringly. "You can uh... Watch I guess if you want though." He didn't see what difference it made since he wouldn't keep Zubat, but there was no harm in it either, he supposed.
My gosh Koa is immune to charm. I pity any girl that may take a romantic interest in him. If getting him to notice is ANYTHING even REMOTELY like Zubat, it will be an extreme uphill battle for sure!
With Hazard appeased, Koa set his mind to training. "Alright, we'll start simple," Koa declared, his enthusiasm rising. "We can help build up how much electricity you can store, since you can't produce your own. Eventually, you'll be able to go several battles without recharging! Sound good?"
Koa started by having Hazard practice his Electroweb and String Shot on a nearby tree, with brief rests in-between. After a solid hour of building up endurance with his attacks, Koa called it quits. The sky was almost completely dark, and the moon had risen. His stomach had begun to rumble so loud he thought it was a wild pokemon.
"Good job, Hazard!" Koa patted Hazard appreciatively. The small bug chirped in delight. After preparing a quick dinner for him and his team, his pokemon chose to return to their pokeballs to rest and he turned in for the night. His dreams were filled with legendaries and thoughts of climbing Mt. Coronet, only to be greeted by a giant Zubat instead of a legendary.
The next morning, he ended up waking so early the sun had barely risen. Too excited to go back to sleep, he decided to get an early start. He broke down his camp, then collected Hazard and Zubat's pokeballs. He decided not to bother waking them. They could always come out when they were ready.
The weather was pleasant again, and he found the journey flying by. He stopped only a few times, to watch Hazard challenge some wild Bidoof and a couple Starly, but didn't bother trying to catch any of the latter. As he'd told Hazard, 'after I catch Tyrunt'. Just to keep things simple. And give him extra training time with Hazard.
Sometime during the morning, Zubat emerged from his ball to tag along. Once, Koa saw him fly off towards a Kricketot to challenge it, but he busied himself watching some Pidgey get into a skirmish instead. Judging by Zubat's behavior when it returned, however, he supposed it must have won.
Unreachable. Cursed. All because of them. Visions of legendary pokemon swarmed through his head. He saw himself climbing the mountain, reaching Spear Pillar and meeting Sinnoh's guardian deities. Convincing them to trust humanity, proving to the world as well that legendaries could work with humans...
"We'll make it there one day, Hazard," he pointed towards Mt. Coronet. "We'll show the world. And we'll meet them. Dialga and Palkia." Perhaps even Giratina...
Hazard chirped. From somewhere behind, Zubat screeched his agreement.
Finally, Koa continued walking. As he drew closer to the mountain range, the ground sloped and Koa could see Oreburgh Gate not far ahead. A wide tunnel cut through the mountain. He knew that just on the other side was Oreburgh City, famous for its mines and museums. He'd gone there with Blake on a few occasions and was familiar with the city and its gym leader, who happened to be the son of Canalave's own gym leader, Byron.
A man wearing a police uniform stood outside Oreburgh gate, leaning on the cave wall. As Koa approached, he looked up. "Hey! You there!"
Koa gave him a questioning look.
"You see any shady characters around?"
"Shady characters?"
"Suspicious people. There's been some crimes committed lately in Jubilife and Oreburgh, and we're trying to track down the criminals responsible."
"Uh... Well I reported it already but I actually ran into a poacher on the road to Sandgem. A guy on a Zebstrika. But that's all I know sorry." He'd only seen a few other people out walking about, and none looked very suspicious. Although he supposed any criminal worth his salt wouldn't be very good if he looked suspicious.
The officer sighed and waved him on. "Ah yeah, that incident. Well, thanks for the heads up. Safe travels."
Koa took a step, then the officer held out his hand. "Hang on. Lemme see your Trainer's License."
Koa handed it over. The officer looked it over before handing it back. "Congratulations man. Good luck out there. Are you gonna try for the gym circuit?"
"Yeah. But I've got a lot of places to explore too." And a fossil to revive first.
The guard nodded. "I understand. Don't forget though, a lot of places require badges for entry if you plan to explore."
"Yeah, I know," Koa said confidently. "But I gotta build an awesome team first." He started towards the exit. "Have a good day," he called back.
This did well at reminding us at badge requirements for exploring. It also showed a realistic reaction by society to an uptic in crime as well as alerting us that the crime happening is on the rise and isn't just form that one guy. Though there is no evidence of it yet, I'll bet the increased crime is all orgainzed under a single banner. Most likely it's Team Galactic trying to raise again by its former members mixed with some new ones.
The Oreburgh Gate path was long but turned out to be an uneventful walk. He only saw a couple of Geodude, which he was able to defeat a bit too easily to make it really worthwhile. He considered the guard's advice.
Truthfully, he'd always known he would have to take on the gym circuit eventually. Sure, you didn't need badges to catch legendaries, but gyms were very useful for training. After his experience at the Ore caverns, he was considering going for the gym circuit sooner, rather than later. He knew for sure that the highest levels of Mt. Coronet were restricted to all but the most accomplished trainers after all.
Huh, so for him, badges are a means to an end to get him the training he needs and the access he needs to accomplish his goals which aren't to become champion!
Until now he'd always somehow assumed that he'd build his perfect team first, but now that he was actually traveling that seemed unlikely. Perhaps after he got his Tyrunt, he would get it over with as he built his team. Eventually, the light at the end grew larger and brighter, until he emerged into Oreburgh City.
The sights of Oreburgh all blurred together as he rushed through the city, his mind fixated on the only building that mattered. A massive steel and glass building that took up the northeast portion of the city - The Oreburgh Mining Museum. He burst through the door and skidded to stop. Roark himself stood just inside, talking with a woman in a lab coat. After a few more seconds, the woman nodded and walked away. Roark turned and noticed him.
"Roark!" Koa blurted. He hurried over to the gym leader.
"Hmm. Koamaru, isn't it? I remember your cousin, Blake. You live in my father's city, right?" Roark asked.
Koa nodded.
"What brings you out here? On another trip with Blake?"
"Nope!" Koa said proudly. "I got my trainer's license. And I found a Jaw fossil!"
Roark raised his eyebrows. "Incredible! A Jaw Fossil? Tyrunt are native to Kalos, so it's very unusual to see one here in Sinnoh. May I see it?"
Koa handed the fossil over. Roark turned it over slowly in his hands, nodding. "An excellent specimen indeed. More than good enough for revival."
"Sick! Can you do it now?"
Roark handed the fossil back and shook his head. "I'd love to since I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Tyrunt, but I'm afraid it's not that simple. Tyrunt are very tough, stubborn pokemon, and hard to train. Unless you have at least two gym badges, then you'll have to wait."
Huh! I was not expecting that. Seems like Koa gets locked out of pretty much EVERYTHING without badges. Well, Koa. You may as well go collect all 8 of them, then. They are just going to keep aggrivating you until you take care of them.
Koa gritted his teeth, suppressing his frustration and disappointment. He'd come all this way for nothing? No. There was something...
"Fine. I challenge you to a battle!"
Roark chuckled. "Very well, if that's what you want. But I warn you, I won't be going easy on you. Meet me at the gym. And I suggest you prepare well." Roark gave a brief wave before striding out of the museum.
"We're gonna defeat him, Hazard. Then we'll beat another gym. Whatever it takes to get Tyrunt." He glanced down at Hazard, who clung to his shoulder, then at Zubat, who dutifully hovered a few feet behind him. If he didn't get Tyrunt, then all his efforts in the caverns would have been for nothing. Clenching his fists, he stomped out of the museum, straight to the gym, and burst through the doors.
Rocks, rocks, and more rocks greeted Koa. The gym almost seemed to be carved from it, with various gym trainers and their pokemon lounging around. Koa only had eyes for one trainer, however. He spotted him almost immediately, at the far end of the gym. Roark had his arms folded as he stood beside a steep incline that led up to the battlefield.
Koa strode across the gym, ignoring the surprised murmurs of the gym trainers. "Alright let's battle!" he called as he approached.
"Are you certain you're prepared? I can wait as long as-"
Yeah! Screw all the little people! Straight to the leader!
Koa is going to lose this, isn't he?
Wait a minute... Koa only battled ONE trainer so far. What kind of trainer could possibly win a gym battle after having had only ONE trainer battle prior!?
Roark gave a nod and led him up the slope, effortlessly scaling the steep incline. Koa jogged after him. He slipped once, but regained his balance and continued.
Finally, he stood at the top. A large arena stretched out before him, Roark at the far end. Another man in miners' clothing stood to the side. The referee, Koa guessed. The miner spoke up. "This will be a one on one match! Koamaru Averon of Canalave vs Roark of Oreburgh! The challenger is free to use up to six pokemon, the defender will use three. Substitutions are allowed. Please choose your pokemon."
Koa pushed away a flicker of fear. Three pokemon? He could have sworn Roark used to use only two. And Hazard was weak to rock types. He swallowed and took a breath. There was no going back now. Besides, Roark was regarded as the first in the gym circuit. Koa felt sure he could handle him.
"Let's show them how it's done! Go Hazard!" Hazard sprang from his shoulder and hissed in challenge. Koa swore he saw Roark quirk an eyebrow at the choice.
"Boulder, show them how tough we are." Roark tossed out a pokeball, sending out a Geodude.
The referee stepped over to a button on the wall and pressed it. A glowing barrier flashed around the open side of the arena then faded. Koa recognized it as one of the safety measures implemented to prevent heated battles from damaging gyms.
Roark crossed his arms. "First move is yours, Koa."
Koa stared at his opponent. This Geodude looked much tougher than the ones he had fought at Oreburgh Gate. But it couldn't be that much harder, right? Against those Geodude, a few doubly effective Absorb attacks were all he needed.
Koa stared, his mind whirling as he tried to think of a counter. A moment later, Geodude hurled the rock. It smashed into Hazard, sending him flying into the barrier. He fell to the ground with an unceremonious thump. Slowly, Hazard got to his feet. He was battered and worn, and Koa guessed he could only take one more hit like that.
"String Shot!"
Hazard gathered his strength, then rapidly fired a blast of sticky webbing, binding Geodude tight.
"Now use Absorb!"
Hazard's eyes glowed red, and tendrils of energy began to flow from Geodude to him.
"Break free and use Rock Throw!" In a surprising display of strength, Geodude tore through its bindings. It looked weakened but clearly could still go on. A large rock materialized in front of it.
"Dodge!" Koa cried.
The warning came too late, however, and the rock crashed into Hazard, sending him flying back. The attack proved too much for the small bug, and he collapsed.
Well. Is Koa going to get trounced by Geodude or will Lovebite manage to take it down? This is looking crazy bad for Koa at this point. I can't say I have confidence that Lovebite can turn it around just by himself.
The referee gestured towards Roark. "Joltik is unable to battle! Roark wins the first round."
Koa's shoulders drooped as he returned Hazard and whispered an apology. It was over already. He was about to turn and leave when he remembered he still had one more pokeball. With a grimace, he took out Zubat.
Zubat emerged in a flash of white light and fluttered about the field, looking confused.
"Seriously?" Roark called. "A Zubat? Now you really don't stand a chance." The comment sounded more like playful taunting than a jab but Koa felt a rush of annoyance.
"We'll see," he muttered angrily. His anger boiled over, and he wished he could charge across the field and fight Roark himself for the badge. He'd probably have better odds, too.
"Boulder, Rock throw!"
It hurled the rock straight at Zubat. Koa stared at Zubat, unable to muster the drive to give him a command.
"Dodge," he called finally.
At the last second, Zubat whirled out of the way, only getting his wing grazed. Koa felt torn between anger and apathy. He didn't believe it was possible to win with Zubat, but he felt angry that he hadn't even beaten Roark's first pokemon.
"Wing attack?" Koa realized he still didn't know all of Zubat's moves. Nor did he particularly care. He wasn't keeping Zubat as a battler, so what did it matter?
Zubat's wings glowed and he dived with surprising speed, striking a solid blow on Geodude. It slid back, grunting in surprise. Roark quirked his eyebrow but remained silent.
"Dig," Roark said, his voice confident.
"Absorb," Koa said, after a moment's hesitation. He remembered seeing a Zubat in a cave use it once. Hopefully, this Zubat knew it.
Zubat opened his jaws wide. Red energy emerged, drawing out the Geodude's energy. With a practiced roll, Geodude shook free of the attack and dove underground. Zubat fluttered above the hole uncertainly, his ears swiveling to between his trainer and the hole.
A second later, Geodude erupted from the ground behind Zubat. Zubat's wings glowed as Geodude raised its fist. The two moves collided in the air, creating an explosion of energy and wind. When the dust had settled, Geodude lay fainted. Zubat looked injured but was still airborne.
Koa's eyes widened. He'd expected Zubat to faint after one hit.
The referee's voice echoed through the arena. "Geodude is unable to battle. Koamaru wins the second match."
Roark folded his arms and nodded. "Not bad, Koa. But you'll need a lot more than that to beat my next pokemon!" He selected a pokeball from his belt. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the field.
A massive, towering Onix exploded onto the field, roaring its dominance.
Koa covered his ears, fear trickling into his heart.
Roark gestured dramatically to the hulking beast. "Rocky, use Screech!"
A deafening, high pitched cry rang across the battlefield. Zubat crashed to the ground, squealing in distress.
"Rock Throw!"
"Dodge, Zubat!" Koa yelled, his ears still ringing. Either Zubat hadn't heard or chose to ignore him. Either way, the fight was over moments later when Onix's boulder smashed into him. With a sigh, he recalled Zubat. "Unbelievable..." he muttered under his breath.
The referee raised his hand. "The match is over. Gym leader Roark is the winner!"
Roark returned Onix, then crossed the field to Koa. His gaze was sympathetic, but firm. "You started strong, but you can't just rely on a single pokemon. Your Joltik wasn't anywhere near strong enough or tough enough to handle multiple pokemon in a row. Especially at a disadvantage. And your Zubat was-"
"I know!" Koa snapped. "Look, clearly, I made a mistake. No need to rub it in."
"Just stop. Hazard and Zubat need rest. And I have other things to do than stand around here all day getting lectured." Without waiting for a response, he turned and stormed away.
I don't remember if the game imposes such a restriction, but I like the way you used it here to add drama and prompt him to rush into a gym battle that he lost.
For a moment, he considered sneaking into the museum and doing it himself, before dismissing the thought. No need to become a criminal. Not yet anyway, he thought jokingly.
After healing his pokemon quickly at the pokemon center, he stocked up on supplies, then found a quiet spot near the edge of town. He needed to figure out where to go next. Taking out his two pokeballs, he sent out Hazard and Zubat. Hazard gave him an apologetic chirp and nuzzled his ankle.
Koa chuckled and stroked his fuzzy body. "It's alright buddy. You did your best. I should have trained you better before fighting Roark, especially since you were at a disadvantage. And I should have researched him. I didn't realize he had three pokemon."
In a slightly quieter tone, he continued. "It's my fault for not releasing you sooner. I'm taking you back to the pokemon center and releasing you." Even as he spoke the words, a pang of guilt flickered through him. He'd thrown Zubat into a battle he was utterly unprepared for. Whose fault was that?
Haphazard needs to shock him here or something....
At least underneath he is aware what he is saying is wrong.
He is extremely lucky he didn't say something like that to a girl he was dating because there is no way she would understand. She would just dump him and never give him another chance for the rest of his entire life even if he realized his mistake and apologised later for it.
Zubat chittered in alarm and fluttered in circles. Koa tried to brush him away, but he remained undeterred.
Koa groaned and reached for Zubat's pokeball. Zubat screeched in alarm and dove into the pokeball, knocking it out of his hand. "What the heck!" Koa yelped. He gave a resigned sigh. "Look, Zubat. I'm sorry." Zubat stopped flitting about and hovered in front of Koa.
"I never should have even caught you in the first place. And I definitely shouldn't have thrown you into that battle. You weren't ready and I didn't even try to help you. That wasn't fair to you," he sighed. "But... you're not part of my plan, so you can't be on my team."
A jolt of electricity shot through his body, making his fingers tingle. "Ow!" He looked down at his shoulder to see Hazard glaring at him. Realizing his words, Koa tentatively patted him. "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't mean you. Besides, you still fit into the Plan, sort of."
Koa withdrew his hand and sighed, looking at Zubat again. Perhaps Hazard had a point. Truth be told, Zubat was a nice pokemon. Loyal and eager too, it seemed. But you didn't make it to the top or catch legends with 'nice' pokemon. He needed a strong team. It was the only way...
"But, as soon as I do, I'm releasing you. Or sending you to stay with Professor Rowan. Got it?"
Zubat shrieked and did a loop, then landed on his head. Hazard buzzed with annoyance from his shoulder, clearly not fully satisfied with the decision. Koa did his best to ignore him.
Haphazard shocked him multiple times for picking bad names. It makes no sense why Haphazard is not more shocky here. Shocks have been delivered for far less! Also, I find the idea of a Pokemon training their human the way Haphazard does to be hilarious.
"Well, the next step is Eterna City." He paused for a moment, contemplating. The fastest route would have been going north and taking the Bike Path. Unfortunately, the Bike Path required a bike, which he did not have. That left one other option: Backtracking to Jubilife, traveling north to Floaroma City, then continuing north through Eterna forest. The trip was at least a week, probably more, since Eterna Forest was huge, and difficult to navigate.
Oh well, at least he could get in some good training for Hazard. The route featured plenty of weak pokemon, as well as some water types, so Hazard could build up endurance.
With every inhale of breath, he could smell a faint sweet scent of flowers, carried on the southern breeze. The trees all around had been cleared to make a straight forward grassy path. Small ponds dotted the area, giving the route a calming feel.
He'd been traveling for the better part of a day and a half, and in the distance, he could just make out the cliff face that signified the start of Ravaged Path. The quickest route to Floaroma town. The walk had been pleasant, but prosperous as well. A few weak wild pokemon even gave him the chance to train Hazard a bit.
As he waded through a patch of grass towards the entrance to Ravaged Path, a spot to his left rustled. A brown furry pokemon emerged, followed by a young girl.
"Hey there!" she called, waving at him. "Wanna battle?"
Koa sized her and her Bidoof up. "Sure!" he replied.
Hazard could use the chance to train against something that he didn't have a super-effective attack against.
Koa grinned and took out Hazard's pokeball. "Go Hazard!"
Hazard emerged onto the path with an excited chirp. He and the Bidoof locked gazes for a few seconds.
"Start with String Shot and immobilize it!" Koa called.
Hazard sprang earnestly into battle. In just a few minutes, Hazard managed to use smaller size and speed to slip through the Bidoof's rather impressive defenses and immobilize it long enough to deal the finishing blow.
Koa cheered as Bidoof was recalled. "Nice job, Hazard!"
Huh? Finishing blow? What? Is this battle missing a couple sentences or something? What 'finishing blow' did Hazard use? And what was the effect of String Shot? It wasn't described at all! I try not to do much on the concrit(and I honestly don't find much to pick at anyway), but this battle is pretty jarring. Would be a good target to edit to expand on just a little, at least.
Hazard chirped happily and discharged a few sparks triumphantly, his eyes flashing with smug delight.
Bidoof's trainer returned it, then nodded. "Your Joltik is pretty impressive. Here, a little reward from Bidoof and I." She handed him some poke, which he accepted, then bid the trainer farewell.
After she had gone, he took out the battery pack he'd bought in Jubilife, allowing Hazard to recharge himself. The device had cost him a pretty penny, but it was worth it.
"Alright, take a good rest. We'll be at Ravaged Path soon, and I want you ready to battle." He took out Hazard's pokeball and returned him. Standing up, he continued down the path. As he walked, he spotted a few trainers, some having battles or training, but didn't challenge them. He wanted Hazard to save his strength for Ravaged Path, after all.
Koa pressed on, emerging from the grass at the entrance to Ravaged Path. He strode inside, the light behind him fading. The main area of Ravaged Path was fairly straightforward. A staircase sloped steeply upwards to a path that curved to emerge on the top of the cliff. Unlike Ore cave, which had yet to be fully mapped, thanks to Onix's and such, Ravaged Path was no more than a small cave with an underground lake. Just as he ascended the stairs, a Geodude leaped from a ledge above, barring their path. A grin spread across Koa's face. Perfect. Training time.
As it turned out, Hazard was able to take out the Geodude fairly easily. Using a combination of String Shot and Absorb, he wore it down rather quickly. From there, it was simple to finish it with Bug Bite.
Despite how easy the battle was, it did give him some confidence for his eventual rematch against Roark. In the back of his mind, he was already trying to figure out a strategy to beat him. Of course, it would be a cinch once he caught his Tyrogue. They were known to hang outside Eterna, and he could catch one after fighting Gardenia. A short time later, he exited the cave to the upper half of Route 204.
From here he knew it was a fairly straight shot, past some trees and through some patches of overgrown grass. At the pace he kept, he figured he could make it to Floaroma by tomorrow morning. He only saw a few other people along the route, which didn't surprise him. Floaroma wasn't a very large town, so there weren't many travelers.
Once the sun started to set, he made camp for the night. Hazard seemed content to remain in his pokeball, so he let Zubat out to stretch his wings. For the whole evening, he did his best to preoccupy himself, leaving Zubat to his own devices. His conscience gnawed at the back of his thoughts all night, until he finally fell asleep.
What about his conscience gnawed at him? Was it the treatment of Lovebite or was it how immature he was back at the gym? Or was it something entirely different that readers have no idea about?
The next morning, he awoke to a strange weight on his chest. Blinking his eyes, he opened them to see Zubat nestled against his chest, sleeping peacefully.
Watching it, he almost pitied the poor creature. Yet he also respected the uncommon stubbornness it displayed. Almost unconsciously, he reached up and stroked it gently between the ears. Its blue fur was extraordinarily soft and fluffy. A small smile began to creep across Koa's face.
After several moments, he sat up slowly. Zubat gave a soft squeak and fluttered into the air, shaking its head. "Time to go, buddy." Zubat screeched excitedly and began to fly about. He seemed so happy. Koa decided to let it stay outside its pokeball.
Floaroma town was close anyway, so he wouldn't be flying far. He packed up camp, then released Hazard to travel on his shoulder.
A few hours later, he spotted Floarama's infamous wooden arches, which had been built only a few years ago. They marked the entrances to the town and added to the flowery, bright feeling of everything.
As he passed under the arch and into Floaroma town, he was assaulted by a mix of earthy and flowery scents. Floaroma town consisted of groups of small, quaint cottages with large fenced-in gardens all around. Just inside the town walls, to his right, was the pokemon center, and just north of that, the Pokemart. Directly beside the Pokemart, he saw the town's most well-known attraction. The Pick-a-Peck of Flowers shop.
Hazard scuttled off his shoulder towards the shop, eyes gleaming eagerly.
"Man I guess you guys must be pretty hungry," Koa mused. He'd run out of fresh berries not long ago. Now would be the perfect time to stock up.
Hazard trotted ahead, up to the flower shop. A young lady who was tending a berry plant noticed him.
"Hello there!" she said cheerfully. Her hand shot out as she tried to pet him. Hazard chittered in alarm, his fur fluffing, and nipped her. "Ouch! What was that for?" She shook her hand and frowned.
Koa hurried over to the woman. She shot him a glare. "Is this your Joltik?"
"Yeah-"
"Well, you should teach that thing some manners! What a beast."
Hazard shot her an angry glare as he returned to his perch on Koa's shoulder. Koa glared at her back, wondering how a pokemon as tiny as Joltik could possibly trample anything.
"Don't worry Hazard. You're not a beast, and your manners are fine," he murmured. He stepped inside the shop, a bell above the door chiming as he walked in. Zubat darted inside after him, then landed on his head. He sighed, not bothering to shoo it away.
"Hello, welcome to Pick a Peck of Flowers!" A young woman behind the counter greeted him cheerfully. A Roserade stood beside her, watching them. "Can I help you?"
"Well I want to get some berries for my pokemon," Koa said. His voice trailed as he stared at a sign behind the lady, detailing the different berries they carried. He realized he had no idea what kind of berries his pokemon liked. Most pokemon would eat Oran berries, but they usually had a favorite as well.
"Is it for that adorable little Joltik?" the woman asked. "And Zubat I assume?"
Koa nodded.
The lady smiled. "A Zubat? I'd definitely go for a Pecha berry. They usually love sweet things.
"Rosy, bring some Pecha berries and Tamato berries please."
Koa suddenly remembered the honey tree where he first found Zubat. "Actually, can you add a jar of honey as well? I think my Zubat acquired a taste for the stuff."
At the mention of Honey, Zubat perked up and shrieked happily.
I also thought of nicknaming Zubat Sweettooth, but I hated how there were 2 t's right next to each other. It looked too weird, so I went with the other instead.
The Roserade nodded and disappeared into the back of the shop. A few moments later, she returned with three packages balanced expertly in its hands. She placed them on the counter. One contained a few Pecha Berries, the second Tomato berries, the final one a jar of honey.
"200 Poke!" The saleswoman said.
Koa dished out the money, then purchased some sandwiches for himself from a nearby cafe. Then he led his pokemon to some picnic tables near the flower meadows and sat down to enjoy his meal.
As soon as he opened the jar of honey, Zubat screeched and attacked it voraciously.
Koa laughed at the display, watching as the little Zubat practically buried his head inside the jar. Hazard made a strange noise he could only assume was some kind of laugh. Zubat was rather sweet, he supposed. He would almost be sad to see it go. Almost. Shaking his head, he set to enjoying his own lunch.
After he finished eating, and his pokemon finished their meals, he headed for the east gate, towards Route 205. If he continued east, he could reach the famed Valley Windworks. Valley Windworks was only a half hour or so outside town, making it a suitable place for training. He could stay there a bit, before heading north for Eterna Forest.
Once he reached the Windworks, he paused to take stock of the area. A wide open grassy expanse spread out before him, with a paved road leading to the gates of the actual Windworks plant. In the distance, Windworks river wove around the factory before flowing back to the west.
Suddenly, Zubat gave an ecstatic screech, launching himself off his head. He flew straight towards a small golden leafed tree on the side of the road. He latched onto the bark and began licking it delightedly. Koa rolled his eyes and chuckled. Well, as long as Zubat was distracted with his honey, he could work on Hazard some more.
Koa singled out several small rocks scattered in the area. "Alright Hazard, let's keep working on your electricity. Rapid-fire Electroweb on those rocks."
Hazard sprang off his shoulder and began launching Electrowebs at the rocks. At first, it could barely last five minutes without a recharge. Koa continued working with him for the next hour, however, stopping to allow him to recharge.
According to the Pokedex, by discharging all their electricity and then recharging, they could slowly expand their storage capacity. Pretty soon, Hazard was able to last longer and longer without a recharge. Koa guessed he could go at least fifteen minutes. That would be more than enough to last in a battle against Roark.
Feeling satisfied, he let Hazard rest for awhile. In the distance, he saw Zubat flying about, dipping and diving through the sky. As he watched, he couldn't help but marvel at how well the Zubat had adapted to sunlight. He also noted his agility, which seemed beyond that of an average Zubat.
Looking a little closer, he realized Zubat wasn't just goofing off, however. Was he... training? Curious, he continued to watch. Zubat would spiral through the air, pull off some acrobatic tricks, then pause to open his jaws and fire a soundwave at a small tree. It looked like he was trying to use Supersonic. Each time he did it the waves of sound spread out across a wide area and dispersed quickly, not even reaching the tree.
Koa frowned and narrowed his eyes, watching carefully. Apparently the hit against the poacher's Marowak had been a lucky shot, since he seemed to struggle with consistency now. "You know, you barely open your jaws when you use Supersonic, but if you open them wider you can make your attack stronger."
Zubat paused, hovering, and stared in Koa's direction. Then he did another loop and fired a wave of sound energy at the tree, this time opening his jaws much wider. The soundwave carried several more yards this time, visibly rattling the sapling. Koa smiled to himself before turning back to Hazard. "Good job today, buddy." Hazard chirped appreciatively, then looked pointedly at Zubat.
Koa gulped and shifted awkwardly. "Uh... Nice work, Zubat."
Zubat shrieked happily and landed on Koa's head again. Koa held back a sigh. It occurred to him he was beginning to grow used to the Zubat's presence. After a good rest, he started towards Route 205 once more.
The walk to Eterna forest was nearly two days from where he was, but he was looking forward to it. Route 205 was a simple route. The first bit consisted of a beautiful flowered meadow, shifting into grassy plains and small canyons. He traveled in relative peace for several hours. He battled a few trainers with Hazard and won most of them. That evening, he made camp at a spot where the canyon split, and the land met the bank of Windworks River.
As usual, he set out early the next morning. He hoped to make it to the edge of Eterna by nightfall. According to the maps he'd studied, there was a small cabin just outside the boundary of the forest. It served as a rest stop for weary trainers. If he could reach it, he could rest there and get a solid start on Eterna Forest tomorrow morning.
He hadn't been walking long before he spied a young boy in a purple tunic, instructing his Meditite to attack a tree. The Meditite would summon an attack, then strike the tree. Over and over, they repeated the motion, not unlike the training he did.
As Koa approached, the boy stopped and whirled to face him. His eyes darted to Zubat before breaking out into mocking laughter. His Meditite stopped training to mimic him.
Koa clenched his fists and strode up to the boy, stopping less than a foot away. "What's so funny?"
The boy pointed and laughed again. "A Zubat! How pathetic indeed, to use such a weak, common pokemon."
His body tensed, and he felt his nails digging into his palms. "Excuse me?"
Meditite made a strange noise, and the boy chuckled. "You heard me. Weak. Common. Just like some grunt Galactic frea-"
Koa punched him in the face. "No one calls my pokemon weak!" he spat, breathing heavily.
The boy laughed. "No way! Your Joltik looks almost as pathetic as your Zubat. Almost. It doesn't prove anything unless your sad little Zubat can beat my Meditite." The Meditite grinned cockily and smirked at him.
Koa balked. He highly doubted Zubat stood a chance against the Meditite. Hazard could probably handle it. But Zubat was weak and inexperienced. Still, his pride (and Zubat) had been challenged. If he backed out now, he would be a coward. "Fine," he growled. "What's your name?"
"Kody," the boy replied arrogantly. "With a 'K'. Meditite and I are going to become the greatest Psychics ever."
Koa rolled his eyes. "Alright Zubat, get ready to fight."
Zubat launched himself off Koa's head and took up a battle stance, hovering a few feet above the ground.
Koa glared at the boy. "If I win, you admit that my Zubat is awesome. And give me, say, 200 poke."
"What if I win?" Kody demanded.
"You get the satisfaction of knowing you're right. And 200 poke."
The boy mused for a moment before nodding. "Alright fine. I'll show you just what a mistake you made with a weakling like that. Go Sai!" Meditite hopped forwards and took up a fighting stance.
"I'll give you the first move," Koa said, smirking.
"Your loss. Sai, use Confusion." A wave of blue energy surged towards Zubat.
"Confuse it," Zubat dodged and opened its jaws, firing a nearly invisible soundwave at Meditite. It struck Meditite, who began to teeter.
"Wing attack!" Zubat dived down and struck Meditite, knocking it back.
"Come Sai, let us finish off this foolish Zubat! Use Hidden Power."
Sai began to charge a ball of energy, but his concentration slipped and it exploded, knocking him into a tree. Zubat dived down and struck him again with Wing Attack. Sai yelped and slumped to the ground.
"Finish him!" Koa cried. Could he actually get lucky and win this?
"Counter with Psyshock." Sai shook his head, clearing it, then launched a glowing bluish orb.
Koa didn't even have time to process what was happening, and neither did Zubat. The attack knocked him out of the air, and he crashed to the ground, stunned.
"One more time Sai." The second Psyshock hit Zubat, sending up a cloud of dust from the force of the impact.
"Zubat no!"
Zubat gave a groan and tried to rise.
"See! Just as I predicted, your Zubat is weak." The boy smirked and Sai gave a taunting cry. As much as he wanted to, Koa couldn't bring himself to make a retort. Was Kody right?
Zubat made one last attempt to fly. To Koa's surprise, he let out a defiant shriek and charged Meditite with Wing Attack.
Meditite's eyes glowed blue, and a blue glow surrounded Zubat. Zubat briefly halted midair before being slammed unceremoniously into the ground, unconscious.
Koa's shoulders sagged. He returned Zubat, then paid out the money he owed.
"Ha! See, I was right," Kody gloated. "Zubat is pathetic." He strutted off, his Meditite floating after him.
Once he had gone, Koa released Zubat again. He gave it a potion to heal it, then sat on the ground and sighed. Zubat fluttered to life and stood up awkwardly, then slowly landed in his lap. He squeaked sadly and ducked his head, almost as if he was ashamed. Koa stroked his furry blue head thoughtfully.
Zubat had lost, unsurprisingly. What did surprise him was that he should have fainted much earlier, after the first Psyshock. The fact that he survived the second shocked Koa even more. And then... he reflected on the battle, how Zubat bravely tried to keep fighting anyway. Even when he was exhausted. Despite how he'd rejected Zubat constantly, he had clearly put everything he had into the battle. Another thought occurred to him, one he'd tried to avoid thinking about. Technically, Zubat was his starter. Not Joltik. It was the first pokemon he acquired after becoming a licensed trainer.
Confusion brewed inside him. His head said not to keep Zubat, regardless of what it had done. Zubat could be flighty and hard to train, books said. Evolving them to Crobat was time consuming and the exact triggers were unknown. Yet... Rowan's words echoed through his mind. "Remember not to limit yourself. Unexpected occurrences always happen during a trainer's journey." Even after he'd gotten angry at Zubat after their loss to Roark, it had persisted. For him.
A knot tightened around his throat. The words he wanted to say formed in his head, but he couldn't get them out. Still cradling Zubat in one arm, he dug his fingers into the earth. An uncomfortable heat rose in his face.
"Oh Zubat, I'm sorry!" he blurted out. Once he started, he couldn't stop. "I've been an awful trainer to you. You fought so hard for me and I didn't even care."
Zubat perked up slightly, lifting his head as if staring straight at Koa.
Hazard chirped encouragingly from his shoulder as if to say 'about time'.
"This whole time I've been thinking what a terrible pokemon you are, but I'm the one who's terrible. I should have been training you to bring out your strength. A good trainer works with his pokemon, no matter what. But instead, I doubted you, and ignored you, an-and dismissed you and-" Koa took a deep breath.
"Can you forgive me, Zubat?" The words shook as they came out, and his heart twisted. Why would Zubat even forgive him, after he'd been so harsh?
Ah, Koa. You don't understand. The 'love' in Lovebite is because of his unyeilding optimisim and love for you as his trainer. This bond here is honestly better than Ash and Pikachu. Thankfully I am posting this in a review so I'm unlikely to be burned at the stake by the Poke community!
Without hesitation, Zubat shrieked happily. He flew into the air, doing a little loop before landing on Koa's head.
Koa blinked. Then laughed and patted him, grinning from ear to ear. The tension in his heart lifted. Even if he didn't deserve Zubat's forgiveness, he vowed to make it up to him. By the legends themselves, he would help Zubat become strong, no matter what. "Now that that's settled, how about a nickname?"
Zubat squeaked amiably.
"Hmmm... let's see. Flutter? No, that's dumb. Dracula? Too cliche. How about...Echo?"
Zubat gave a delighted screech and nuzzled against his cheek.
"Echo it is then." He glanced happily between his two pokemon-no, partners. A surge of pride flowed through him. They weren't part of the Plan, but they were good. Besides, there were still 4 more slots on his Plan. It just needed a bit of adjusting. "Now, it's time for some hardcore training! Roark is too tough to beat right now, but Gardenia is a grass-type gym leader. The two of you should be able to handle her pretty easily."
The only obstacle standing in his way now was Eterna Forest.
And there's chapter 3! Koa has suffered a humiliating defeat, though it is due to his own poor choices. But he has learned a valuable lesson about being a trainer. Next up is the Eterna gym. Will he put his lessons to good use?
Yeah, I few people have mentioned how Koa punching the kid seems a little over the top. I'm not changing it though, I like it. I don't think it's too crazy when you look how kids in animes behave, especially early season Pokemon. Plus Koa is temperamental and a little bit aggressive.
That said I also know there's merit in that it feels a little abrupt here specifically. If anyone has specific suggestions for smoothing this over, I may eventually revist.
ALSO. Yes I have been made aware that Koa's attitude change towards Echo feels abrupt. I tried to do small tweaks to make it clear that Koa like's Echo and warms up to him but his hangup is his faulty belief that Echo is both weak and he personally didn't want a Zubat. He's being stubborn, even though he's been told otherwise by people like Rowan/Blake.
I don't know if previous iterations of the chapter were different, but I was chomping at the bit for him to change his mind on Zubat. It was a much needed relief to have him finally give Lovebite the affection he deserved.
Closing thoughts:
I'm glad he finally accepted ZubatEcho Lovebite. I honestly couldn't take much more of Koa dismissing and ignoring him. Lovebite was like a guy pining for the attention of a crush to be shot down over and over again. It made me relate to Lovebite more than I liked to admit. Koa deserved to lose that first gym battle. I'm really curious what the next chapter will look like now that he accepted Lovebite. To think, most of the fic will be with them being close! I'm looking forward to it!
Alright, I'm back for chapter 4! I love the way you do color for the chapter titles! I might change my own to copy this.
As for the title itself, I wonder if he is going to underestimate Roserade and lose another gym battle? A rose is a nice pretty thing. Surely something that is easy to beat. But it has its thorns meaning if you aren't careful, you will be lulled into a false sense of security and lose to it!
I'm thinking both could be helpful. Hazard for bug attacks and Echo especially for flying moves. I hope this will be a chapter we will get to see Echo Lovebite shine and be happy with Koa!
Zubat, the Bat pokemon. Even though it has no eyes, it can sense obstacles using ultrasonic waves it emits from its mouth. This Zubat is male and knows the moves Supersonic, Bite, Absorb, and Wing Attack.
He'd stopped to rest for the evening near a place known as the Wayfarer's Cabin, and took the time to properly see Echo's moveset. Once the Pokedex finished relaying the moves, he had Echo demonstrate each one. He was fairly impressed - Echo had a solid handle on all his moves.
Now he was eager to begin training and make good on his promise. After everything Echo had done for him, he intended to return the gesture. No matter what it took, or how long, he'd help Echo become the best Zubat ever.
And yet this bit here makes me even happier to read! And look at that, he isn't saying, 'I'll be the very best trainer'. He is saying, 'I'll make this the best Zubat ever.' Almost makes me wonder if that is the new direction of the fic? That he will seek ways to make Zubat the strongest of its kind in the world? At the very least its an objective parallel to his own that will simultaneously help his own objective.
The plentiful bug pokemon that lived in the forest would be perfect training for him too. For now, however, he decided to settle for working on teaching Echo Confuse Ray. It worked on the same principle as Supersonic but was much more potent and accurate.
To his surprise, developing the Confuse Ray technique proved easy. After a solid couple hours of practice, Echo managed to change his Supersonic into the concentrated golden orbs of a Confuse Ray. Another half-hour of practice and Echo had mastered the attack fairly well, able to hit targets from a good distance away.
Ooo! So this seems to not only show us that he has Confuse Ray but ALSO seems to confirm that 4 moves are a thing in this fic! Confuse Ray is a great attack!
Koa chuckled, playfully dodging and swatting at him. Taking the time to actually work with Echo made him realize that whatever he may have lacked in 'natural strength', he was more than determined to make up for with spirit and pluck.
Wayfarer's Cabin, a large cabin built at the edge of Eterna Forest, was a place where trainers and pokemon could rest briefly. A tall wooden fence surrounded the cabin, and an Arcanine sat at the gate, watching his surroundings intently. It acknowledged him with a bark as he approached, then moved from in front of the gate. Koa stroked him gently, scratching behind his ears before going into the cabin. He briefly wondered about its trainer. It looked happy and well-cared for.
The cabin looked empty, though a sign near the door instructed weary visitors to help themselves to food in the cabin, or to take a quick nap in the beds. Koa took a breath and sighed happily. It had been a few days since he slept in a proper bed. Once Echo and Hazard made themselves comfortable, Koa took a shower then made himself cozy in one of the beds.
I love the idea of free places that people can stay at like this. Not having to worry about shelter and having some amenities is such a wonderful thing to be available.
His gaze drifted to his pokemon - Echo, perched a short distance away on a lamp, and Hazard, curled up on his backpack. Echo kept shifting on his perch as if he couldn't quite get comfortable.
"Echo," he whispered.
The Zubat's ears twitched and his head swiveled towards Koa.
Koa patted his chest. "Come on," he whispered. With a happy chirp, Echo launched off the lamp and plopped on Koa's chest, nestling into his neck. Smiling softly, he stroked his soft fur, then tucked his own hands behind his bed.
The next morning, Koa stood in front of Eterna Forest, gazing into its murky depths. He'd read a lot about the forest. Long ago, woodcutters had carved a path leading to Eterna City. They had also attempted to create paths through the rest of the woods but were stopped by hordes of wild pokemon and eventually gave up. The path became frequently used by travelers, but he also knew that every book about this place warned against straying too deep off the path.
Dangerous pokemon lurked there, pokemon who would not hesitate to attack a human or another pokemon. After the incident with the Golbat, he had no desire to test that. Besides, he was more interested in caves than forests.
Not traumatized at all by the cave? I'm surprised he isn't saying the opposite considering how he almost died in the cave! Dude just really loves his caves, I guess.
With a glance at his two companions, he started into the forest. The outside sounds faded, replaced by the distant humming of bugs and gentle chirping of bird pokemon.
Thick shade enveloped him, cloaking the forest in a cool, eerie stillness. He moseyed through the forest, taking in the sights as he walked. He spotted a few other people, some young bug catchers and a few junior pokemon scouts.
The first day or so of his trip through the forest remained uneventful. Echo and Hazard both got in some excellent training against the weaker bug pokemon. Echo had a bit of difficulty with a Misdreavus, but soon triumphed thanks to his powerful Bite attack.
The third day, however, proved more interesting. Not too long after he set out in the morning, a girl burst out of the brush. "Hey! You're the kid who lost to my brother, and punched him in the face, right?"
Koa stared at her, puzzled. "What?" She wore a set of distinct purple clothes and had familiar dark gray hair.
"My brother, Kody. We come to Route 205 and Eterna Forest to train. Has a Meditite, about yea high?" she continued, gesturing.
Koa scowled and nodded, recalling his defeat at the hands of Meditite. The memory of the loss still left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Yeah, but for the record, he insulted my pokemon, then I punched him."
"Fair enough," she said with a shrug. "He gets punched in the face a lot honestly."
She paused and smirked. "But that's not what I'm here for. My brother and I have a little contest. Who can get the most wins in a row. So that means it's up to me to beat you too! Come on out Psy!" She tossed a pokeball, and a Psyduck emerged. She grinned at him. "Name's Rachel by the way."
Koa frowned. He was in no particular mood to face anyone related to Kody. Still, at least she wasn't as rude as him. Something she'd said made him pause, however. "You and your brother nicknamed your pokemon the same name?"
At that, Rachel frowned. "NO. Psyduck's name is Psy. P-S-Y. My ridiculous little brother spelled it S-A-I or something. I had the name first."
Of course Lovebite does. He loves you, Koa. Lovebite would do anything for you and now that you care for him in return, I can only imagine he feels even stronger than before.
Koa grinned. "Sounds like an extra 500 Poke in my pocket. I accept."
"Psy, Water gun!" The Psy blasted a shot of water, knocking Echo out of the air. He shook his head, catching himself midair and recovering quickly.
"Now tackle it!"
"Quick, Bite!" Koa called out. The Psyduck seemed well trained, but Koa had a feeling it wasn't as tough as his Zubat.
As Psyduck approached, Echo narrowly dodged, then sank his jaws into it. Psyduck squealed in terror. A blue glow wrapped around Echo and yanked him away, smashing him into the ground. After a moment, Echo got up, battered but still strong. Their training had paid off.
Koa grinned. There was still time to land a good hit. "Absorb." Red tendrils of energy trickled across the battlefield to Echo, leeching Psyduck's strength and restoring Echo's.
"Psy, use Confusion one more time!"
Blue light enveloped Echo. Panic filled Koa. He did not want to lose again, and he didn't want Echo to lose either. As tough as Echo had become, he was still vulnerable to Psychic attacks. "Confuse Ray!" Koa called.
Three glowing golden orbs formed in front of the Zubat's jaws. He blasted them at Psyduck. They collided, making Psyduck stagger back. It dropped its hold on Echo. Its eyes flickered blue, then it hurled itself headfirst into a nearby tree.
"Psy, snap out of it!" Rachel cried.
Koa grinned, feeling pleased. It was time to end this. "Finish it with Wing Attack." Echo dove at the stunned Psyduck, his wings glowing brightly. He struck it with his wings, knocking it out cold.
Koa grinned in triumph. The speed at which Echo had knocked Psyduck out showed that Echo had gotten much stronger.
Rachel returned her Psyduck to its pokeball and walked over to him. "Huh. Pretty good. Your pokemon are certainly tough. Clearly you've been training since you fought my brother. Not that he's that good," she added with a chuckle. "Well, good luck. You're pretty close to Eterna City. Maybe I'll see you around." She waved a final goodbye, before jogging into the forest.
That's it? Lovebite wins his very first trainer battle and that's all Koa has to say? I feel like this bit could be amped up a bit to make it feel a little more special.
Echo shreed happily and did his trademark loop before settling onto Koa's head. Koa chuckled and stroked Echo's head. "Alright, get some rest." Echo nodded in agreement. He took out Echo's pokeball, returning him.
For the next few hours, Koa traveled in pleasant silence. He was contemplating taking a break for lunch when loud, derisive laughter broke the silence.
"Hey, still got that loser Zubat?"
Koa whirled towards the voice, his fists clenched, to see Kody. Kody, who'd been standing just a few feet away, flinched back when he saw Koa's clenched fists.
Koa relaxed his stance and smirked. "How about a rematch?"
"Why, you want to lose again?" Kody asked, his voice positively dripping with arrogance.
Koa shrugged but said nothing. This time, he was confident he could win. Echo had been working hard, and he was much stronger than the last time they'd fought.
"In that case, I am more than happy to oblige," Kody said. "Go Sai!" A pokeball hovered onto the battlefield, releasing a familiar Meditite.
Grinning, Koa took out Echo's pokeball. "Go Echo!" As he tossed out the pokeball, it rattled violently midair, then burst open, spilling out blue light. The light coalesced into the silhouette of Zubat for a second. Suddenly, the light began to glow even brighter. Bright bluish light began to swirl around the form of Zubat.
Koa gasped, barely able to believe his eyes. Echo was evolving!
As he continued to watch, the blinding light doubled in size. The silhouette shifted from the small, wiry form of a Zubat to the tall, powerful form of a Golbat. With a final surge of energy, particles of light surged outward, leaving behind an angry-looking Golbat.
Echo let out a deafening screech, making both Koa and Kody cover their ears. He stood, glaring down the Meditite. Meditite shrank back, shaking with fear. Koa couldn't take his eyes off the new form of his friend. His Zubat had actually evolved! He knew Echo was close, given his relative strength and power, but he had no idea how close.
Huh. I see what you mean. This evolution in the context of how long the fic is seems premature here. We barely got to see Koa and Zubat bond after things finally got fixed between them. You know, I bet you could come back and add more sections to show a bit more of the happy times with Koa and Zubat. Something to consider, maybe?
Maybe even add an entire arc where he goes and trains with Zubat taking down lots of trainers and stuff. That way, you can keep the rest of the story exactly as it is.
Kody stood in open-mouthed awe before shaking himself, trying to regain his composure. "Doesn't matter. That thing is still weak, just like its trainer!"
Echo's glare grew even angrier if that was possible. He was not fond of people mocking his trainer.
"Meditite, use Feint!" Meditite closed its eyes, focusing. A second later, it appeared behind Echo, its hand glowing white and raised to strike.
"Behind!" Koa shouted. He figured there wasn't time to finish the entire command, but he trusted Echo to understand.
Echo whirled around, his wings glowing with energy. Wing Attack met Feint, and for a second, the two moves stalemated. Echo screeched and pressed harder. Meditite was thrown back and crashed into a tree. It slowly began to stand, its limbs shaking with exhaustion.
Satisfaction flowed through Koa. Time to end this fight. "Now, Bite." Echo's jaws glowed with energy, his fangs nearly doubling in length. Koa immediately recognized the technique as Bite's more powerful successor, Crunch. He dived towards Meditite
Whaaaat? Crunch already? Lovebite is on super turbo improvement in this chapter!
This might be all the more reason to come back and add an extra arc. A few more chapters might help this progress feel more earned. The second half of my original prologue was something I greatly expanded upon by adding an entire BOOK to transform it. Adding a few chapters to the early part might not be too much of an investment by comparison and I think it would strengthen your over-all fic if you did. I know you are trying to focus on getting new parts of the story done though. Maybe this is someting to consider once you are done?
Meditite struggled to its feet, its eyes glowing blue. A blue glow surrounded Golbat, halting him in his tracks just inches from Meditite. Echo pressed against the weak psychic attack, his eyes glistening with determination. Meditite began to tremble from exertion.
"Don't give up, Echo! Show him how hard you've been training!"
Echo roared and pressed forward, breaking through the Confusion attack. He sank his fangs into Meditite, nearly swallowing it whole. Meditite cried out in pain, struggling to escape. Echo clamped his jaws tighter, and Meditite fell still.
"Yeah!" Koa shouted. Echo spat out the unconscious Meditite and screeched triumphantly.
Kody stared at Meditite, his gaze distant. Slowly, he pulled out a pokeball and returned it. He stared at the pokeball for a moment, then looked up. "Well, I guess I was wrong. Your Zubat - sorry, Golbat, is impressive. You've trained it well." Kody strode forwards and offered his hand.
Koa examined it for a moment in surprise, then shook it. "Thanks."
Koa heaved a sigh of relief as he finally entered Eterna City. Two Noctowl perched above the gates and he waved to them as he passed through the gate, reveling in the feeling of sunlight on his skin. As he emerged into the city, he paused to take in the sights. Quaint, weathered brick buildings lined uniform streets. The architecture gave the city an old fashioned feel, and combined with the cobblestone streets, reminded Koa that Eterna City had been Sinnoh's first city. He quickly set aside his observations of the city in favor of something he was far more interested in seeing.
Turning north, he took off, excitement renewing his strength. There was something here he wanted to see, something he'd only ever seen in tour guides. He'd just rounded a corner and started east when he spotted it. Two towering metal statues, carved in an elaborate representation of Palkia and Dialga. He stopped in front of the statues, breathless, staring up at them in awe. They loomed over his head, gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Each statue stood at least 20 feet tall, although he privately wondered if the real pokemon were even larger. With some effort, he dragged his eyes away from the statue to read the inscriptions below them.
A voice behind Koa startled him, causing him to jump. He turned around to see the caped boy from the trainer's license exam. Koa grasped for his name, but he couldn't recall it. A fact that frustrated him, since he'd known his legends and history well.
"To think that pokemon themselves hold mastery over the fabric of the universe. Time and Space..." his voice trailed for a moment. "Antimatter."
Koa perked up. "You mean Giratina?" Just the thought of the shadowy dragon sent shivers down his spine. The great dragon, balancer of time and space. Ruler of the Distortion realm. To some, it was only a myth, a story to scare small children or warn them to be careful of the unknown. But he knew better. Giratina was all too real. Without Giratina, Sinnoh would have fallen to Galactic's influence and-
The boy tilted his head, his dark hair falling to the side slightly. He quirked an eyebrow at Koa before nodding. "Indeed. Although I am surprised to hear you know of Giratina. Not many do know it seems, and even more, are ignorant of the legends."
Although he didn't look much older than Koa, he sounded odd. His voice had some kind of dialect or accent, although not one he could place. And the way he spoke sounded unusual as well. Not to mention he had a really weird outfit. "I know everything about them pretty much. Giratina's realm protects ours. And he's not really as bad as some stories say, if you ask me. Once I'm strong enough I'm going to find the Spear Pillar."
Did Koa say the line directly above? It was confusing to the point where I couldn't tell if the other guy had the same goal or if it was Koa speaking. I'm assuming it was Koa speaking, but this is the first line of dialogue in the fic where it was actually unclear who was speaking.
At the mention of the name, the boy broke into a chuckle, shaking his head. "Certainly you jest? Do you not fear the curse upon the peak? If you know your legends then you know those are forbidden lands now." His voice was disbelieving but not scornful. And at least he believed in its existence, unlike some few he'd met.
"Doesn't mean I'm going to give up. Someone has to break through one day, right?" Make things right after Galactic.
A sort of curious twinkle entered the boy's eyes and he gave a respectful nod. "Indeed..."
"Who are you anyway? I remember you from the license exam, but what are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the same reason as you, I suspect. To visit these statues, and challenge Gardenia, among other things." He frowned and looked down at his watch. "Alas, I am afraid I have tarried too long. I have business to tend to, as well as preparation for my gym battle."
"Good luck then, " Koa said as an afterthought.
The boy paused and glanced back at him, a faint smile playing across his lips. "I have no need for luck. All I require is the strength of my partners and our skills." He strode swiftly away from the platform. Koa watched him go, his eyes narrowed with curiosity. A moment later, he smacked himself in the head. I forgot to ask his name!
So, cape-dude as my new name for him will be, is considerably more imposing than the last time we saw him, even though that isn't saying too much. But the way he acted makes him seem like much more than he originally seemed. I'm certain we will meet agian.
The boy seemed unusually mysterious, but he also seemed like he knew a lot about legendaries. Koa wanted to talk to him more. Maybe he would run into him later. He jogged back through the city to the pokemon center, where he stopped to get his pokemon a checkup. By the time he was done, he found it was far too late to challenge the gym. Burying his frustration, he settled for a small room in a nearby inn. Going to sleep was too difficult this early in the night, so he stayed up, planning for tomorrow.
Gardenia should be fairly easy, but just in case, he had picked up a trainer's guide from the pokemon center to read up. Supposedly, Gardenia had a Cherubi, Turtwig, and Roserade. The Cherubi he wasn't particularly worried about, and the Turtwig likely wouldn't be too much trouble, but the Roserade did worry him. It was stronger than the other two. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his Golbat being poisoned. That was one edge up. And Joltik couldn't be paralyzed either.
Koa rolled over in bed and addressed his pokemon. "Alright, let's make a plan guys..."
For the rest of the evening, he formulated different strategies with his pokemon.
Between Lovebite being so much stronger now and the planning and preparation, this is really setting up Koa to win his first gym battle. I'm feeling optimistic despite the chapter title hinting otherwise.
Plus it would be lame to have Lovebite lose a battle so soon after evolution.
As usual, he awoke early the next morning and took a short jog before returning to a cafe for breakfast. He set out for the gym immediately. Since Eterna was a larger city, there would no doubt be a fair few challengers, and he wanted to get there before them. As he walked to the gym, he passed by the south gate. A large sign posted beside the exit read "Cycling Path Ahead-Bikes Only!"
He watched enviously as a young woman sped by on her bike, zooming through the exit. Aside from his cousin's bike, he never had his own, since they were so expensive. The Cycle Shop in Eterna was the only bike distributor in all of Sinnoh, and the process wasn't cheap. He set aside the thoughts as he approached the gym. After Roark, he didn't intend to lose.
Outside, the gym looked fairly average. Unlike the rest of Eterna, the gym's architecture had a distinctly newer feel, and it was painted in shades of green. Taking a quick breath, he stepped inside. A rush of warm, slightly muggy air greeted inside of the gym resembled a giant greenhouse, with rows of trees and various plants growing all about. Although they were not in any specific order, they still seemed very precisely planted. A forested scent hung thickly about, and he took a deeper breath and closed his eyes, the scents reminding him of the woods around Canalave, minus the ocean scent.
"Hiya! I see you're enjoying my gym."
Koa opened his eyes to see a young woman with short orange hair and a green tunic. Gardenia. She smiled brightly, and her eyes seemed to give off a sparkle. "I'm here to challenge you to a battle."
Gardenia smiled at him, although her pleasant gaze seemed to size him up as well. "Hm. You have a winning aura about you!" She nodded towards another woman tending to a flower patch. "Lavender, meet me by the arena please." The woman nodded and hurried away, and Koa followed Gardenia.
They wove through the rows of plants, until they emerged to a wide space bordered by thick, sturdy trees in uniform lines. Bright sunlight filtered from the open ceiling above. They took their places on either end of the battlefield. Lavender emerged from a path between the trees, a Nuzleaf trailing behind her. Gardenia waved in acknowledgment before turning back to Koa.
"So, challenger. What's your name?"
"Koamaru," he replied.
"Pleased to me you, Koamaru. As is custom, I will use the traditional three pokemon. You are free to use as many as you like."
"All I need is two," Koa said confidently.
Gardenia nodded and continued. "Would you like to wager on this match?"
Koa paused for a moment. He'd forgotten about the wager rule. Any challenger could choose to wager money on an official challenge if they wished. Some gyms would allow anything from a minor 1 poke, to thousands more. There were restrictions on the amount of course, and only trainers were allowed to make wagers. His thoughts drifted to the Cycle Shop. Maybe... It was a long shot, but if he won, it would pay off.
"How about 10,000 Poke." It was basically all he had, so if he lost, he would be broke. But if he won, it would pay off handsomely.
Lavender gasped softly, and Gardenia's eyes widened. "Well, I like your spunk. Are you sure?"
"10,000 it is then. Lavender, could you go over the official terms please?"
"Certainly, Miss Gardenia. This will be a single battle match. The challenger, Koamaru, will be using two pokemon. The defender, gym leader Gardenia, will use three. The battle will continue until one side is out of usable pokemon. The challenger may substitute, but the defender cannot. The terms of the wager is 10,000 poke, winner takes all. Trainers, send out your starting pokemon."
Koa unhooked Echo's pokeball and tossed it out. Almost simultaneously, Gardenia sent out Cherubi. Perfect.
Lavender raised her arm. "First move belongs to the challenger. Battlers, begin!" A loud chime echoed through the gym.
Echo let out his trademark screech and glared at his opponent. Koa sized up the Cherubi. It was a gym leader's pokemon, which meant it wasn't a pushover. But with the type advantage, Koa felt fairly sure he could end this battle quickly.
"I'll let you go first," Gardenia said.
"Wing Attack!"
Echo wings glowed and he dived straight for Cherubi.
Unfazed, Gardenia gave her order. "Dodge Cherubi!"
Cherubi sprang easily out of the way. Echo whirled, attempting to pursue with Wing Attack. Once again, Cherubi nimbly leaped out of the way. Three more times, Echo dived at it with Wing Attack, only for it to dodge. Koa scowled. He hadn't expected Cherubi to be this fast.
"Alright Echo, back off!"
Echo fluttered backwards, eyeing the Cherubi angrily. Koa knew he needed a new strategy, and fast. Echo was quick, but as a Golbat, he could never compete with Cherubi's speed. "Echo, return," he said, finally. Holding out Echo's pokeball, he returned him.
As a Golbat? Stats don't go down upon evolutions. (Or at least they usually don't) It would seem that bulk translates into more slow. Interesting. Also a bit sad. Evolution did not make Lovebite strictly better, it would seem.
Also, I was thinking Koa would hold back Golbat for the last stretch of the fight since Roserade would likely be the last mon for her to use. I suppose it did make things a bit more interesting this way, though.
"Alright, go Hazard!" Grinning, he tossed out Hazard's pokeball.
The Joltik emerged in a flash of light. He faced down his opponent, his eyes gleaming dangerously.
Koa took a moment to gather his thoughts. If he could slow Cherubi down, he could win. But the real challenge would be tripping up Cherubi without Gardenia realizing what he was up to. "Start with Electroweb, Hazard."
Hazard nodded and fired off a blast of electric webbing. It sailed through the air, straight for Cherubi.
"Dodge it again and use Magical Leaf," Gardenia said. Cherubi leaped to its right, and the web landed harmlessly on the ground, still crackling with electricity. The leaves on its head glowed bright green and it hurled a flurry of sharp leaves at Hazard.
Koa's eyes widened. "Fend it off with Bug Bite!"
Hazard's pincers glowed and he began desperately snapping at the leaves as they flew at him. He managed to deflect most of it, but many still struck, battering him slightly.
Now Koa had a plan, however. He spoke calmly, "Electroweb to the right." Joltik's eyes gleamed in understanding. He fired an Electroweb, aiming just to the right of Cherubi.
As Koa expected, Cherubi leaped left to dodge. "Quick, String Shot!"
As Cherubi leaped left, Joltik fired at the spot, covering the ground in a mess of sticky webbing. Just as Koa expected, Cherubi crashed directly into it. It cried out in shock and distress as it found itself firmly stuck in place.
Gardenia's eyes widened in shock as she realized what had happened.
"Now, Bug Bite!" Hazard lunged at the trapped Cherubi, sinking his jaws into it. "Keep going, Hazard!"
"Get out with Magical Leaf," Gardenia called.
Cherubi frantically began launching its leaves at the webbing. Hazard continued to cling to it. A few strands were cut, allowing Cherubi to get free.
"Get that thing off of you with Growth!" Gardenia shouted.
Cherubi closed its eyes, its leaves glowing green. After a moment, its body suddenly grew, dislodging Hazard and tossing him a few feet away, unharmed. Cherubi was left panting, clearly exhausted from the super-effective attack.
Koa grinned. "Don't let up. Electroweb!" Hazard fired off the attack.
"Block with Magical Leaf!" Gardenia cried.
The two attacks collided, but Hazard quickly fired a second Electroweb. The two webs combined, doubling in strength. They overwhelmed the leaves, crashing through them and trapping Cherubi. Electricity flowed through the Cherubi, shocking it mercilessly and knocking it out.
The referee raised her hand. "Cherubi is unable to battle. Joltik is the victor."
Gardenia smiled as she returned Cherubi. "I have to admit, that was pretty impressive. A lot of trainers struggle with my Cherubi's speed. You adapted well." She took out a second pokeball. "But you have a long way to go. Go Twiggy!" She tossed out the pokeball. With a flash of light, a tough looking Turtwig emerged.
Koa eyed it uncertainly. After Cherubi, he wasn't sure what to expect from this Turtwig. Hazard looked worn out from the multiple electric attacks however. "Alright, Hazard. Return. Go Echo!"
His Golbat emerged from his pokeball with a screech. He and Turtwig locked gazes. "Alright Echo, up in the air," Koa said. Echo launched himself into the air, hovering several feet above the battlefield.
"Twiggy, Razor Leaf." Turtwig's leaves glowed and it swung its head, launching a volley of leaves up at Echo.
"Block with Wing Attack."
Echo began to strike back, knocking a few of the leaves away. Turtwig hurled a second volley. Several struck Golbat, hitting him back several feet. Koa grimaced. The attack had hurt, even with Golbat's resistance to grass type.
Gardenia smiled. "Twiggy, use Tackle!" Turtwig sprinted forwards and leaped up with unexpected grace. Before Koa could react, Turtwig crashed into Golbat hard, knocking him back. Turtwig landed and cried out a challenge.
Koa scowled. Turtwig's physical moves were clearly stronger. He needed Echo for Roserade, which meant he needed to end this quickly. "Echo, Wing Attack! Don't stop." Echo dove at Turtwig, wings glowing. He began to swing at it relentlessly. Turtwig gracefully dodged each one.
"Now Twiggy, retaliate with Bite." Turtwig opened its jaws wide and leaped for Echo.
"Confuse Ray!"
Gardenia's eyes widened in a panic, while Koa grinned. Turtwig, already midway through his attack, had no way to dodge. Just as it sank its jaws into Golbat, Golbat blasted it with Confuse Ray. Turtwig let go, falling to the ground rather ungracefully. It slowly got up and began to stagger about.
"Finish it with Wing Attack, Echo."
Echo shrieked gleefully and began to pummel Turtwig over and over with his wings. In a few seconds, the battle was over.
"Turtwig is unable to battle. Golbat is the winner!"
Gardenia frowned and returned Turtwig. "You've got spunk, Koa, I'll give you that. But it's not the end yet. Go Roserade!"
A Roserade emerged onto the battlefield in a flash of light. It spun in a circle, dramatically flourishing its flowers.
Koa contemplated carefully. Roserade was the pokemon he was most concerned about. It was her trump card, and stronger than the rest. Echo hadn't suffered too much damage, but he was hardly fresh either. Maybe Hazard could finish the job.
Nah, Haphazard will get KOed, but at least that will give Lovebite a break and maybe Haphazard can even hit Roserade once before he falls. But the more I think about it, the more Hazard makes sense for the nickname. Hazard uses things that are hazardous. Like electroweb that spans a large area or setting traps with string shot. Hazard is proving his nickname as things go on. In fact I may even switch to just calling him Hazard.
But Lovebite will always be Lovebite. If/when he evolves to Crowbat, it will make the name all the better since affection is what causes the evolution (at least in the game from my memory)
Hazard burst forth, sparks dancing across his fur.
"String Shot."
Hazard blasted a huge chunk of swirling webbing towards Roserade.
"Weatherball," Gardenia said confidently. Roserade charged a swirling ball of fire between its hands. It hurled it at the web, burning through it easily. It continued on and smashed into Hazard.
His Joltik cried out in pain as he was knocked back. Slowly, he got to his feet, his sides heaving. Koa gritted his teeth. How had she managed to pull off a fire attack? A second later, his scowl deepened as he looked up, noting the bright morning sun shining through the glass roof of the stadium. He'd initially only thought it was just to add to the atmosphere, but now he understood. Of course. Gym leaders could work the gym to their advantage. He looked down again at Hazard.
Joltik couldn't last much longer after taking a hit like that. But perhaps there was a way to get a hit in before he fainted. A way he could help ensure Echo's victory.
"Do you trust me, Hazard?"
Hazard looked back at him. Their eyes met and he nodded, his blue eyes sparkling with determination. His desire to help his team burned in his gaze.
"Electroweb."
Hazard summoned everything he had. The charge took a second longer than usual, and Koa guessed he was running out of charge. No matter, this battle would be over soon. Joltik launched the web across the battlefield, straight towards Roserade.
"Really? That's all you got?" Gardenia called. "Destroy it again with Weatherball."
Roserade grinned and fired another Weatherball. Koa smiled. Just as he hoped, Gardenia had used the same counter. The two attacks collided in midair, creating a small explosion of smoke and light. "Quick Hazard, launch yourself with String Shot."
Hazard nodded in understanding. He launched a precise string of webbing at a tree behind Roserade, using it to yank himself forward.
Hazard sailed forwards, pincers glowing. He emerged from the smoke created by the blast from Weatherball and Electroweb, straight for Roserade.
Roserade's eyes widened in surprise. A split second later, Joltik collided with it, sinking his pincers into Roserade's body. It cried out in pain.
"Get rid of it with Magical Leaf," Gardenia called.
Still cringing from the bite, Roserade raised its hand, aiming it awkwardly at Joltik, who still clung to its body. Koa knew there was no point in trying to dodge now. Joltik could never get away in time, his best bet was inflicting maximum damage. Roserade's hands glowed, and a volley of leaves shot out, knocking Hazard off. He landed a few feet away, unconscious.
Koa quickly jogged onto the field and knelt next to the Joltik. His eyes opened and he churred happily. "Nice work, Hazard." He glanced up. Across the field, Roserade was panting heavily and looked fairly worn out. Hazard had done his job. Now Echo could finish it.
That's a cute intereaction between them. Hazard really considers Lovebite to be on his team. I know Hazard stood up for Lovebite in early interactions with Koa, but seeing it in battle like this like the torch is being passed from Hazard to Lovebite is nice.
Gardenia chuckled. "Let's find out! Roserade, Magical Leaf." Roserade blasted a flurry of leaves straight at Echo.
"Charge and dodge, Echo." Echo flew forwards, spinning to the side to dodge the flurry of leaves. "Now, Wing Attack!" Golbat wings glowed and he struck Roserade hard, sending it flying. It crashed to the ground, sliding several feet.
"Nice!" Koa pumped his fist. Roserade slowly pushed itself to its feet, its body trembling with the effort. It stood up straighter and cried out a challenge. Echo shrieked in reply.
"Wing Attack, again," Koa called. One more hit could end this fight.
"Flash!" A bright light exploded from Roserade's hands, lighting up the entire stadium. Koa shaded his eyes with his hands. It faded after a moment, but the damage was done. Echo fluttered erratically about the stadium, his eyes screwed shut. His movements grew more erratic and he began to spin about in confusion. Koa muttered a curse. This wasn't good. Echo was panicking.
Wait a minute. I don't feel like there was anywhere NEAR the amount of emphasis put on Golbat as there should have been for the simple fact that Golbat HAS EYES. Like evolving litterally let Lovebite see for the first time. I feel like that could have bene a special bonding moment for Lovebite and Koa. But another thing to mention is that Zubat was blind. Golbat should have instincts to navigate by sound with eyes out of comission, right? Eyes are a recent thing, after all.
"Weatherball," Gardenia called. Roserade charged up a fiery ball and hurled it at Echo.
"Dodge!" Koa cried out in a panic. Echo spiraled awkwardly in the air but failed to escape the attack. It crashed into him, knocking him into the ground. Golbat shakily stood up and glanced frantically about.
Gardenia grinned triumphantly. Panic began to grow inside Koa. Echo was panicking, and if he couldn't see, he couldn't dodge.
He was a sitting Ducklett. As Koa stared at his friend, his heart hammered wildly. He'd come so far with him, he couldn't lose now. Then it struck him. A thought so obvious he burst out laughing. Gardenia stared at him in confusion. Koa ignored it, focusing on Golbat.
He spoke quietly, his tone soothing. In addition to calming Echo, he didn't want Gardenia to hear him. "Hey Echo. I know you can't see right now and it's scary. But remember being a Zubat? You didn't need to see back then. Just relax and listen."
Echo stopped glancing about, his tiny ears twitching. His body stilled, and when Koa finished speaking, he gave a low shree of acknowledgment.
"Alright Echo, Confuse Ray," Koa said softly. He doubted the move would make contact, but it would serve as a good distraction.
His eyes still closed, Echo charged a series of golden orbs and launched them at Roserade.
"Magical Leaf, Roserade. Destroy it." Roserade shot a volley of leaves at orbs, shattering them.
"Crunch!"
Echo shot forwards, straight at Roserade.
"Poison Sting," Gardenia called. Roserade quickly shot a volley of tiny purple needles from its hands.
"Dodge up, then right," Koa said.
Echo pumped his wings, lifting him several feet into the sky. Roserade tried to follow the movement with Poison Sting, but Echo whirled right, dodging a second time. And then he was upon her. His jaws opened wide, fangs glowing with a black aura. Roserade gave a single shriek before being swallowed.
"Spit it up in the air and use Wing Attack!"
Echo spat out the battered Roserade, sending it soaring into the air. It flailed wildly as it started to fall back to earth. Echo lunged after it and struck it hard with Wing Attack. It crashed to the ground, finally unconscious. Echo landed and blinked a few times, the effects of Flash finally clearing. Seeing the defeated Roserade, he gave a cry of triumph.
Koa leaped into the air, pumping his fist. "Yeah! You did it Echo."
A period at the end of the second sentence? Jarring how it isn't an exclaimation point. I know its tiny but it bugs me. I use exclaimations too often and usually need to cut them back in my own writing, but this is an instance where the opposite is called for.
Echo shrieked again and flew over to him, landing on his shoulders. Koa almost buckled under the weight but stroked his friend appreciatively.
"Roserade is unable to battle! Challenger Koamaru and Golbat are the victors!" Lavender called.
"How delightful!" Gardenia cried, clapping. "I blinded your pokemon yet you managed to adapt on the fly." As she spoke, she returned Roserade and crossed the battlefield to Koa and offered her hand.
Koa shook it. "Thanks! Golbat's hearing is sick. I realized after you used Flash that he could use his ears just as well as his eyes," he said.
Gardenia chuckled, then smiled cheerfully. "Good work. A good trainer plays to his pokemon's strengths." She withdrew a gleaming green object from her pocket and handed it to him. The Forest badge. "Clearly you seem to care for your pokemon. You earned this."
"Thanks," Koa said, a bit uncomfortably. If only she knew... "Echo and Hazard did all the work though." Grinning widely, he accepted the badge. One more to go...
"I believe this is yours too." She paused and turned, picking up a briefcase from Lavender, who had just arrived. She handed it to him, and Koa took it carefully. "That's your 10,000poke."
Koa gave a loud whoop.
"Be careful." Gardenia chided, her voice serious. "There have been robberies lately. I don't recommend traveling with that very far."
Koa nodded, then practically ran out of the gym, barely able to contain his elation.
Half an hour later, he sat in a grassy area at the eastern edge of Eterna City, enjoying lunch with his pokemon, and relishing the new bike he bought. He couldn't wait to take it to Cycling Road and really test it out. Although he still had one thing to do before leaving. Find a fighting type.
He knew this area might have some, and a fighting type would really help against Roark. A grass type could work as well, or even water, but he wanted a fighting type badly. Or rather, he really wanted a Tyrogue. They were diverse and powerful, and any of its three evolutions would make an excellent addition to his team. Of course, they were fairly rare as well, but he was sure he could find one.
Once he finished lunch, he packed up and headed east from Eterna. Route 211 featured canyons and valleys that stretched all the way to Celestic Town. However, he was only interested in the very first stretch, where his Pokedex said Tyrogue could be found. Once he arrived, he released Echo. Echo immediately did a little loop, then perched on Koa's back, making him stagger.
"Alright, Echo. I'm hoping to find a Tyrogue before I face Roark again. Think you can help?" Echo shrieked in agreement and took off. Koa watched him go, then set to exploring himself.
The hours dragged by. The sun dropped lower and lower into the sky until finally, night fell. Koa returned to Eterna, his shoulders sagging. Not a single Tyrogue. He'd seen a few Machop, which Echo defeated with ease, but no Tyrogue. He guessed he'd underestimated their rarity.
As he sat in the room he rented for the night, he realized he had a choice to make. He could keep hunting for one, which could take days. Or he could head back to Oreburgh, earn his second badge, and get his Tyrunt. He took out his backpack and carefully withdrew the fossil from its special compartment. Stroking its rough surface, he dreamed of the magnificent addition to his team. New resolve filled him as he made his choice.
"I'm coming for you Roark," he growled. And for you, Tyrunt.
Huh. So he is abandoning that part of the plan? Seems a bit rushed. He did get a bit stronger, though but the gym leader will use even stronger mon now that he has a badge already, right? I'm skepticle of his ability to win this next gym battle. Plus he only barely won the battle he just fought and that was WITH type advantage.
Oh well. If he fails the failure will teach him to be smarter.
My opinion? No. He will not beat Roark. However, my meta senses are tingling and tell me that Flyg0n wants Koa to get his fossil now, so there is a good chance he will somehow eek out a victory anyway.
Closing thoughts:
Seeing Zubat and Koa bond before the evolution was precious and I wish we got to see some more of that. Retroactively adding an ark for a few chapters prior to Zubat's evolution would be something nice to see. (Just invent a side story and tie it into training and learning crunch or something) Interesting fact was learned: Golbat isn't allowed to just attack with Wing Attack with any hope of it landing. Hopefully Koa learned his lesson and will only use Wing Attack or Crunch if the opponent is confused or if the opponent is already mid-attack. Any other use of a direct attack cannot land because Golbat is too slow. Lovebite really put on the pounds... But I enjoyed all of the battles. I also wish we got a special scene or even just a line of dialogue about Golbat seeing Koa for the first time. I imagine Lovebite tearing up at the sight of him and then Kody thinking Koa's Golbat is too emotional to be useful in battle or something which angers both Koa and Lovebite and fuels their motivation to win that much harder. But regardless of any suggestions or crit, it was a solid chapter with an abundance of great stuff in it. Looking forward to reading the next!
Hmm... I hate to start off on a critical note, but I'm not a fan of the chapter title. I'll explain why and I have an easy solution.
From the title, we(the readers) already know this will be a rematch against the gym leader Koa lost against and that the rematch will be won because if it wasn't won then how would the fossil revival occur? I recommend shortening it to 'Rematch' to pack a little more punch and avoid spoiling the outcome. Plus, the readers should already be anticipating a fossil revival after winning the gym battle due to the multiple references to it leading up to this point.
So we arrive at Chapter 5! Koa must now rematch Roark and earn the chance to revive his fossil. The real question is, can he pull it off with just a Joltik and a Golbat? It won't be easy, that's for sure...
This would be great for building suspense if the chapter title hadn't already completely deflated it...
But this takes the spoilers a step even further. Now we also know the battle won't be easy. So, if the battle is easy at first, we guaranteed know it won't stay that way. If it switches to hard, we will already be completely anticipating it and won't be surprising or suspenseful at all if/when it does.
The good thing? All this is extremely easy to fix. Between shortening the chapter title and cutting out the last sentence quoted above (crossed out for reference), the reader is left unspoiled and can look forward to the action and outcome of the next gym battle.
I continue to appreciate the reminders of Koa's team. Helps remind the readers and probably helps you keep track of who Koa has at which points in the story in case you come back for editing later.
Koa stared at the long stretch of road before him. Cycling Road. The only route in all of Sinnoh designed for bikers, tailored just for them. Unlike most of the routes crisscrossing the region, this road was smooth and flawless, its concrete pathway well maintained. A thick median split it down the middle, dividing two lanes of traffic-bikes coming and going. Breaks in the median allowed for riders to make u-turns. It was every cyclist's dream.
The road had been designed at a slight incline towards Oreburgh, while the opposing side inclined towards Eterna. It wasn't enough to hurtle you forwards against your will, but once you got going, it was easy to keep going. It was also his fastest route home. Normally the journey on foot would take several days. Here, it would barely take a day.
He turned to his pokemon, who stood by his side - a fierce Joltik, and an eager Golbat. "You guys rest for now, okay? If there's any battles I'll call you out." They both gave cries of agreement. Koa grinned and took out their pokeballs, returning them. He planned to travel pretty fast, and he didn't want to tire them out needlessly.
Koa took in the road before him one last time, then mounted his bike and pushed off, coasting down the hill. As he pedaled down the hill,
he passed quite a few other travelers going about their business. He gazed across the edge of the road, taking in the scenery. The route bridged a forested valley, through which a winding river ran. A brief temptation seized him to pull off to the side and look closer, but the weight of his backpack reminded him of the fossil that it held, and his mission to resurrect it.
Thoughts of a Tyrunt filling his head, he pedaled harder, picking up speed fast. For a good couple of hours, he kept a steady, even pace. Most of the trainers he passed were too focused on where they were traveling to ask for a battle. It wasn't until almost noon that he encountered a trainer who challenged him.
His opponent was a cyclist named Nicole. She sent out a Starly, so Koa led with Hazard. As it turned out, her Starly was fairly new, and Hazard was able to defeat it after a couple of Electrowebs. Her next pokemon, however, proved much more difficult. It was a rather sturdy Ponyta who was proving to be fast. So far, it hadn't landed a good hit, but neither had he.
Hazard stood at one end of one of the rest areas, and Ponyta stood at the other. Both faced each other down, breathing hard, but still full of vigor. Koa knew Hazard couldn't keep this up forever, though. He could switch, but he wanted to practice fighting at a disadvantage. He would need the experience to fight Roark.
"Not so easy to take down my starter, is it?" Nicole called, grinning proudly.
"Hmph," Koa grumbled. "Don't get used to it."
Hazard suddenly turned back to face him and chirped in determination, hopping up and down. Koa grinned in sudden understanding.
"Use Tackle again!" Nicole shouted. Ponyta galloped forwards, its head lowered.
Koa smiled. He trusted Hazard to handle this. Hazard stood stock still as Ponyta approached. At the very last second, he lunged forwards, straight between Ponyta's legs. Sticky webbing shot from his mouth, wrapping around Ponyta's legs as he did. Ponyta squealed in shock and crashed to the ground, hard. It thrashed wildly, but Hazard quickly launched more webbing, immobilizing it further.
"Now Bug Bite," Koa said confidently.
"Keep it away with Ember," Nicole said panickedly.
Hazard, however, positioned himself carefully on Ponyta's neck, just out of its reach. Pincers glowing, he sunk his fangs in. Ponyta squealed in distress again and thrashed wildly, but Hazard clung on as determinedly as ever.
"Finish it with Electroweb!" Koa called.
Hazard sprang off and fired Electroweb. The attack struck the Ponyta squarely, pinning it in place and shocking it. A moment later, it fell still.
"Yeah! That was amazing, Hazard!"
Nicole sighed and returned Ponyta. "That was pretty impressive, I have to admit," she called.
Koa grinned. "Thanks! But it was mostly my Joltik's idea." Hazard chirped happily and scurried up his leg and onto his shoulder. He stroked Hazard's fur and his fingers tickled with static. He was practically bursting with pride. Joltik had not only won the fight but given him the perfect idea for how to really utilize him in battle. By using his tiny size to his advantage, he could do things most pokemon couldn't. Like fit between a Ponyta's legs.
I like how you condensed the details on this battle while still giving us the cool highlights. Also, I enjoy seeing how Koa grows as a trainer as he learns new ways to utilize his Pokemon in battles!
As he continued down Cycling Road, his mind whirled with new strategies and planning. He stopped briefly for lunch and let Hazard get in a good charge from his battery pack, then continued on. The day wore on. He ran into a couple of other trainers and was able to defeat them, without too much difficulty. He realized taking on Gardenia first had made his team decently tough, even if some of the trainers here were still novices like him.
Day turned to dusk, and he let Echo out to fly behind him and get in some exercise. Another hour dragged by. In the distance, Koa could see the smaller mountains and foothills of Oreburgh. Finally. Almost there-
A loud screech of warning yanked him out of his thoughts. He snapped back to reality just in time to see another biker cut in front of him. Swerving sharply, he narrowly avoided a head-on collision. His bike spun out of control and he flew over his handlebars. Instinctively, he threw his hands over his head. Something grabbed his shoulders, saving his face from a nasty meeting with the pavement as he jerked to halt a half-inch away from the ground. The pressure vanished a second later and he fell to the ground, though with considerably less force.
Puzzled, he rolled over to see Echo hovering anxiously above him. Laughing wearily, he reached up and patted him. "Thanks, buddy," he said, realizing just how much worse the accident could have been.
Seems like a good moment you could have given Lovebite a little more input. I imagine he would have landed in Koa's lap and nudged him or something. Lovebite already looked out for him before Koa decided to keep him. At this point, I would assume the affection would only be greater, especially after winning a gym battle together.
The other rider, a young woman with straight blond hair and condescending eyes, turned and gave him a fake smile. She looked to be at least twenty. "You were the one who wasn't looking where you were going, sweetie."
"What? You cut me off!" Koa exploded. He clenched his hands into fists. Echo shrieked angrily and glared at the woman.
"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't see you there." She tilted her head and blinked at him as if he were a small child. "Oh, what a... interesting pokemon. Did you want to battle?"
Rage boiled inside Koa at the sound of her tone. It dripped with blatant condescension. She spoke as if he was three years old and was being introduced to his first pokemon. He dearly wanted to smack the attitude out of her. As it stood, he could at least run her for everything she was worth.
"Yeah, let's battle. Winner takes all," he added with a growl.
The woman grinned. "Sounds good. Show him up, Shinx!" The woman shouted. She tossed out a Pokeball and a Shinx emerged in a burst of light.
Jealousy flickered inside Koa at the sight. It quickly faded, however. Unlike most of its species, this Shinx wore a smug smirk that resembled its trainer. It made the normally adorable pokemon look almost ugly.
Koa reached for Hazard's pokeball, but Echo fluttered forwards, shrieking defiantly. "You want to fight her, buddy?" he asked, surprised. His Golbat nodded, his eyes gleaming eagerly. "Ok then, you're up."
The woman laughed haughtily. "Hey sweetie, you do know that flying is weak to electric, right?"
"You do know owning a pokemon doesn't make you a good pokemon trainer, right?" he shot back.
The woman frowned but appeared at a loss for words. Koa grinned and capitalized on the silence. "What's your name? I like to know who I'm about to defeat."
"Megan," the woman replied, still managing to sound haughty. "You can go first," she added.
Fine, if she wanted it, then so be it. "Confuse Ray!"
Uh... That wasn't supposed to happen. Oh wait! Lovebite needs to wait for the opponent to attack, dodge, and then confuse ray while the opponent is still attacking. I forgot that part of the formula. You can't just attack since the opponent will just dodge it.
"Now, use Spark!" Megan called. Sparks crackled across Shinx's fur then cloaked it in electricity. It leaped into the air, straight for Echo.
"Echo, dodge and use Wing Attack!" Echo spun neatly out of the way. Koa stared at his dodge, intrigued. A thought began to dawn on him. Unlike when other pokemon he faced dodged, or even Hazard, Echo was different. Thanks to his naturally erratic flight patterns, he had a way of being unpredictable. Of course, he probably would have realized that sooner if he'd paid more attention to Echo in the first place. Well, all he could do now was be better...
Hah! The noob girl thought she could land a hit by just attacking. What a fool!
I love the bit hear about Lovebite's dodge ability. We already know dodge is the most powerful move a mon can know(even though its not an actual move), and if Lovebite specializes in it, there is no limit to his potential!
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Echo's Wing Attack colliding with Shinx, knocking it back several feet. It shook its head, then grinned, barely fazed by the attack.
All trainers are keenly aware of their mons own ability to dodge, yet when it comes to using attacks they completely fail to account for opponent ability to dodge... And Koa seems just as guilty of this as all the other trainers. Really weird. I'm also wondering if the fic will directly address this maybe as a way of Koa improving as a trainer: the recognition that opponents can and will dodge all attacks unless prevented from doing so.
Shinx jumped left, then right, then left again, dodging it each time. It grinned smugly, raising its head and closing its eyes for a split second. Echo lunged forwards, eyes burning in rage. His jaws gleamed purple, dripping toxic poison.
Koa's eyes widened in surprise. He recognized the technique as Poison Fang, a deadly bite learned by only a few poison types. It wasn't as strong as other attacks, but it carried the potential to deliver toxic poison to a pokemon.
"Move!" Megan yelled.
Shinx's eyes shot open. It froze, its mouth open in a look of shock that mirrored its trainer. A moment later, Echo sank his jaws into it. It squealed and writhed about, but Echo simply clamped his jaws tighter.
So, I guess the hit was able to land due to Lovebite attacking of his own accord... That means that mon that battle on their own instinct have an advantage since the opponent trainer doesn't have as much time to react and instruct their mon to dodge. I'm trying to nail down how these battles work. It would be funny if I managed to do so.
The panicking Shinx covered himself in electricity, shocking Echo. Echo spat Shinx out and screeched angrily. The Shinx landed heavily on the ground. It slowly stood up, but its eyes were glazed and a purple sheen covered its body. Poison Fang had done its job.
Shinx feebly leaped up at Echo. The Golbat grinned, charging Confuse Ray. As Shinx hit him head-on, it crashed into the Confuse Ray as well. The battered Shinx dropped to the ground, landing on its side and twitching. It shocked itself twice in succession before falling unconscious. Echo landed in front of it, placing one of his claws on its body and shrieking in triumph.
Megan scowled and returned Shinx. Wordlessly, she took the prize money out of her bag and handed it to Koa.
Koa accepted it, unable to stop himself from smiling. "Thanks, sweetie," he called, as she departed. She shot him a furious look before hopping on her bike and pedaling angrily away.
After she had gone, he turned to Echo. "That was sick, Echo! You learned Poison Fang!" Echo screeched happily and flapped into the air, landing on Koa's back. He licked his hair and emitted another happy screech.
"Grooss," Koa said, laughing. He wiped off the saliva, then patted him. With Echo's new attack and Hazard's new strategy, he felt more confident than ever he could defeat Roark.
The next morning, well-rested from his stay at the pokemon center the night before, he entered Oreburgh Gym. Ten minutes later, he stood once again on the battlefield, facing Roark. This time, he felt complete and utter surety. The battle wouldn't be easy, but his little trip had given him plenty of new ideas for strategies. Using them would be the only way to defeat Roark when he was at such a disadvantage.
After the referee had declared the basic rules, Koa put down a bet of 1000 poke. Enough to have a bit of spending money, but since he wasn't exactly poor at the moment, he didn't bother with a larger wager.
With a blast of a horn, the battle began. Just as he hoped, Roark led with Geodude.
"Hazard, come on out." Koa tossed out Hazard's pokeball. After his last battle against Roark, he'd given his strategy plenty of thought. Hazard was much stronger than the last time he faced the gym. All he needed was a couple of super-effective Absorb attacks. The real trick would be overcoming Geodude's mobility. But he had a plan for that as well.
Hazard nodded and jumped upwards. Aiming straight down, he fired a huge mass of sticky web. A second later, Geodude burst from the ground directly beneath Joltik. His eyes widened in surprise as he collided head on with the web. He struggled futilely and crashed back to the ground, immobilized.
Hazard landed on the bound up Geodude. His eyes glowed red, and Geodude glowed as well, as his energy was quickly sapped.
"Get out of there, Boulder," Roark cried.
Geodude roared in pain, exerting all its strength. A full five seconds later, it managed to wrench itself free. It was too late, however. As soon as he broke free, he collapsed from exertion, out cold.
"Geodude is unable to battle. Koamaru is the winner."
However, due to the chapter title and pre-chapter spoiler, things will now get very hard. Hazard will lose against the next mon and even Lovebite will have lots of trouble before winning.
Roark smiled and returned Geodude. "You've gotten a lot better, Koa. But can you win?" He took a pokeball from his belt. "Let's see how you fare against this. Go Cranidos!" He tossed out the Pokeball. With a flash of blue light, a small blue and gray dinosaur emerged. It roared a challenge before grinning at its opponent.
Koa's eyes widened in surprise. He'd expected Onix. Well, he'd just have to adapt.
"Feel like switching?" Roark asked.
"I'll stick with Hazard," Koa replied.
Hazard chittered and glared at Cranidos.
The referee raised his hand. "Battle, begin."
"Electroweb!" Koa shouted. Hazard fired a blast of electrified webbing towards Cranidos.
Roark remained unfazed. "Break through with Zen Headbutt."
Cranidos growled and charged forward, his head glowing blue. The two attacks collided in an explosion of hazy energy. A second later, Cranidos emerged, damaged but still strong.
"Dodge!" Koa cried frantically. Hazard tried to move, but it was too late. Zen Headbutt collided with him, knocking him into a rock on the battlefield. He slid to the ground, momentarily stunned. "Come on Hazard," Koa begged. After a moment, Hazard crawled to his feet unsteadily. He gave a cry of determination and glared at Cranidos.
"Not bad, your Joltik is tougher than I expected. But I doubt he can outlast Cranidos," Roark said.
Koa ignored the comment. "Use Absorb." Joltik's eyes glowed red, the same glow enveloping Cranidos. Cranidos flinched in pain as his energy was leeched.
Roark gave his command just as the attack subsided. "Headbutt." Cranidos charged across the ground faster than Koa expected.
"Slow it with String Shot," Koa called.
The Joltik opened his jaws and covered the ground in front of Cranidos in sticky webbing. Cranidos stampeded over it, its feet sticking to the web. Though not enough bring it to a stop, it did slow Cranidos down substantially.
"Grab on!" he shouted, just as Headbutt connected. The attack hit hard, but Hazard managed to latch onto Cranidos' head anyway. Koa grinned. Joltik certainly lived up to their title of 'Attaching pokemon'.
"Absorb again!" From his spot on Cranidos' skull, Hazard began frantically leeching its energy.
Hmmm... Ok maybe Roark has 3 mon in this battle. I forget if he did in the first battle. Seems like Hazard might take this one out too. If not, it will be substantially weakened and easily KOed by Lovebite.
Probalby would have been good to remind the readers of how many mon he had, but I suppose it also makes it less predictable for the average reader like myself.
Roark's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. "Shake it off!" Cranidos screeched and thrashed his head wildly. Hazard shut his eyes and dug in, refusing to let go. Cranidos' struggles began to weaken, and Koa grinned. Just a little more...
"Head Smash it into the rocks."
Koa balked. Head Smash? He didn't expect Roark's Cranidos to know such an advanced technique.
Cranidos' whole body became cloaked in energy. With a defiant roar, he flung himself at the nearest boulder. The rock exploded, sending smoke and flecks of pebbles flying. Koa gritted his teeth. No way was Hazard still standing after something like that.
As the smoke cleared, his suspicions were confirmed. Hazard lay unconscious in front of the shattered remains of the rock.
Cranidos shook its head, its eyes drooping with exhaustion. It gave a weak roar of triumph, then collapsed. Roark groaned.
The referee raised both hands. "Both Cranidos and Joltik are unable to battle. The match is a tie!"
Grinning madly, Koa returned Hazard. Although the battle hadn't gone quite as he hoped, he'd still managed to take down Cranidos, Roark's toughest pokemon. "Good job, Hazard," he murmured, putting the pokeball away. He looked up, staring down Roark, who grinned back at him.
"That was a pretty great strategy, clinging to Cranidos like that. I have to say, you caught me off guard."
"Better get ready to hand over that badge," Koa replied.
Roark took out his final pokeball. "I'm not giving up yet. Go Rocky!" He tossed out the pokeball. A familiar Onix emerged with a roar.
Koa grimaced. He'd hoped to have both Hazard and Echo available for this fight. Still, he was confident Echo could handle this.
"Go Echo!" Echo emerged onto the battlefield with his trademark screech. When he saw his opponent, however, he faltered and backed up slightly. Koa guessed he was remembering his last fight with the behemoth. "I've got your back this time, Echo," he said.
Ohh!! Lovebite is kind of scared! Even though he is a Golbat at this point, it manages to convey Lovebite's lingering insecurity and is actually pretty cute! Who would think I'd say that about a freaking Golbat!?
Koa grinned and stayed silent. He'd worked with Echo enough that he knew what to do. Echo swiveled out of the way, only getting grazed by the attack. His wings made contact, though Onix hardly seemed bothered.
This time, the attack connected full force with Echo. However, Echo weathered the hit, sinking his jaws into its tail. Though it did little damage, thanks to Onix's tough hide, Koa could tell by the way the Onix groaned that it had been poisoned. Now it was a matter of outlasting it.
Nice. Seems like all he has to do is keep dodging now. But that would be too easy and this has to be hard, so it's going to come down to the wire despite how it seems to be going well so far.
"Let's see if you can really outlast my Onix," Roark said. "Rocky, Rock Throw." Onix growled and levitated three stones in the air. It hurled them at Echo.
"Crunch, destroy it if you can," Koa said. Echo sunk his jaws into the first rocks, shattering it, then whirled out of the way of the second. The final one made contact, knocking Echo back, but he managed to shake off the hit.
Interesting. I like the variety of outcomes for these rocks. One is taken care of thanks to Koa supporting Lovebite. One is dodged due to Lovebite's awesomeness. And the other hits, but Lovebite is able to take it since he is pretty sturdy as a Golbat!
And so began an elaborate game. Onix hurled attacks at Echo, who desperately dodged each one, and Echo struggling to keep up his stamina. A few hits connected, damaging him, but he remained in the air. After a couple of minutes, both pokemon were worn down. Echo was breathing heavily, and Onix could barely hold itself upright from the poisoning.
"Rock Throw, one more time."
Onix hurled a boulder straight for Echo.
"Wing Attack!" Echo spun midair and struck the rock with a glowing wing, hurling it straight back at Onix. It shattered over Onix's head, causing Onix to roar in pain.
"Confuse Ray," Koa called. One more attack could end this.
Echo fired the golden orb, striking Onix dead on. It roared again, its eyes glazed over. With another cry, it hurled itself against one of the few remaining rocks in the stadium. The rock shattered and Onix slumped to the ground, knocked out.
So, i've noticed that if confuse ray hits it guarantees the other mon will be impaired. I haven't seen a confused mon successfully attack yet in this fic, I think.
The spoiler at the start of the chapter had me thinking this battle would be harder than it was, so it was a little bit of a let down.
That said, I want to mention this battle was written great and it had a lot of great moments and flow! All your battles have been plesant to read so far.
The referee cleared his throat. "Onix is unable to battle. Golbat is the winner. As such, the victor is Koamaru!"
"Yes!" Koa yelled. "Nice job, Echo." Echo screeched happily and fluttered onto Koa's back, bringing him to his knees. "I knew you could do it." Echo screeched happily again. Koa rubbed his fur and looked up at Roark, who had returned Onix and was approaching him.
So, obviously this is cute, but I feel like it could use a bit more. This was the gym that Koa lost on the first go. From Lovebite's perspective, this is when he let Koa down. Lovebite was also afraid of Onyx, something he hasn't displayed toward any other opponent so far. This should be a scene where more than the standard amount of 'happy' should be happening. Like maybe he flys at Koa. Koa catches him and spins around hugging him. Maybe Lovebite cries a little or something. Not sure exactly, but I think you get the idea.
Maybe even have Roark keep a respectable distance at first to let the two have their happy moment together so you can stretch it out a little more?
"Those were some impressive strategies you displayed. It's not every day someone challenges a rock-type gym with a bug type and a flying type." He held out his hand.
Koa took it, and Roark pulled him to his feet. "Listen..." he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, trying not to look Roark in the eyes. "I'm sorry about how I behaved before. You were just trying to give me good advice, and I ignored you."
Roark grinned good-naturedly. "I'm just glad you seemed to have learned your lesson. And, I believe these are yours." From inside his jacket pocket, he withdrew two objects. One, a pouch of money, and two, a small, shining badge. It vaguely resembled a boulder, with pokeball like lines encircling it. "The Coal badge. Don't let it get to your head though. I'm still not reviving your fossil until you show me two badges."
A sly smile spread across Koa's face, and he slid his badge case out of his pocket. Flipping it open, he gestured dramatically to the Forest Badge. Then he placed the Coal badge inside as well. "See? Two badges."
Roark raised an eyebrow. "You beat Gardenia?"
"It was easy with Hazard and Echo's help," Koa said.
Roark nodded. "Not bad. Well then, now that you have two badges, a promise is a promise. Let's see to your fossil."
Once inside Oreburgh museum, he followed Roark past the various displays, to the rear of the museum and through a door marked 'Staff only'. They descended a flight of stairs. At the bottom, a long corridor lit by white fluorescent bulbs stretched before them, and thick glass windows allowed a peek inside various labs. Roark led him to a sliding door with a plaque reading 'Revival Lab'. Unlike some of the other labs, there was no glass window allowing a glimpse inside.
Roark knocked on the door, then called out, "Jared? It's Roark."
A few moments later, the door slid open revealing a short man with glasses and long grayish black hair. The lighting gave his light skin an even paler look, and Koa wondered how often he got out of the lab. Behind him, Koa could see several desks with computers, and various rows of equipment.
"Ahh, Roark. Always a pleasure to see you down here. What can I help you with?"
"A friend of mine would like to revive a fossil. This is Koa. He discovered a Jaw fossil in Ore Cavern."
"Really? How odd. I've not known Tyrunt to be found anywhere on Sinnoh. How odd..." he murmured. "And Ore Cavern of all places. Hmm..."
Kind of makes me wonder if there will be something more to this later. A possible explaination later for how that fossil got there, perhaps? Seems unlikely, but I'm still wondering.
Jared, murmuring to himself as he turned and walked into the lab. The room itself seemed like a pretty average lab, but what caught his eye was the machine on the far side, behind a set of keypad locked double doors and a thick plastic window. It was huge and advanced looking, consisting of a small metal cube-like contraption on one side, hooked to a far larger metal box by various tubes and wires.
"If you would hand me the specimen please."
Koa dragged his eyes off the machine and unslung his backpack, gently removing the fossil. He handed it to Jared.
"Excellent. This will only take a few minutes. I must admit, I am terribly excited. We've never revived a Kalosian fossil here before." Jared strode to the door and punched in a few digits on the keypad. They slid open and he stepped inside, walking over to the smaller of the two metal containers. Koa hurried to the plastic window. With the press of a button, a tray slid out from the machine. Jared carefully placed the fossil inside and closed the tray. He typed in something on a panel at the front of the machine, then stepped back.
Bright flashes of light pulsed from the machine and it whirred and beeped loudly, before settling into a steady, low hum. Very little happened for the next several minutes, and Koa found himself growing quickly bored.
Loud alarms blared, and the lights overhead flickered. There was a distant noise, like a dull boom, and the room went dark. The machine's hum grew into a high pitched whine before it exploded. Shards of debris hammered against the glass and door and Koa ducked.
A low hum filled the room as the backup generators kicked in, and orange light filled the room from safety lights ringing the room. Through the glass, Koa could see no sign of Jared. The machine had turned to a heap of smoking, twisted metal. He followed Roark to the door as he typed in the code. The doors slid open and he covered his nose as he stepped into the smoke-filled room.
Koa held his breath, his eyes burning as he peered through the smoke, which was only growing denser. He thought he saw orange flames licking at the remnants of the machine, but he wasn't sure. Roark moved slowly about the room, desperately calling for Jared. A high pitched squealing roar filled the room, and something large brushed by Koa's leg. He yelped and leaped away, almost crashing into Roark, who was picking up a stunned Jared off the floor.
"Watch it! We have to get him out of here. Help me lift him, and keep him still."
Carefully as he could, Koa threw Jared's arm over his shoulder, helping him out of the room. Roark lay him on the floor outside. Koa glanced up and cried out in shock.
Just a few feet away, by the room's exit, stood a stocky, reptilian pokemon. Dark brown scales covered its body, which vaguely resembled Roark's Cranidos, except its head was far larger, and its legs were thick and powerful. It roared again, then charged at the doors, smashing into them and warping the frame severely. Jamming its jaws into the gap, it tore the door apart with its jaws, creating a hole big enough to fit through.
Koa gaped at it, unable to believe it. He'd read books about the strength of a Tyrunt's jaws, but seeing it in person was far more impressive, and frightening.
Roark cursed and looked up from Jared. "Koa! That's your Tyrunt! It must be trying to escape. You go catch up to it. I'll keep an eye on him!"
Ok, so I was confused what happened with the revival at first. I thought maybe the equipment had malfunctioned or something, but what actually happened was the revival worked but Tyrunt destroyed stuff. I hope they won't be demanding Koa fit the bill for the destroyed equipment... what in the litteral heck. You would think they would have SOME sort of safety protocols or something. That equipment is going to be insanely expensive to replace. I can't imagine this outcome was anywhwere near worth it for Jared...
Shaking himself, Koa scrambled to his feet and nodded. He raced out the door, barely hearing Roark's command to be careful. He sprinted down the corridor, taking the steps up to the ground floor two at a time. Emerging onto the ground floor, he was met with chaos.
Large crowds of patrons were all surging towards the exit. Their voices filled the air with a cacophony of sound, and Koa covered his ears. A few officers were desperately trying to calm the crowds with little luck, and between the dull backup lights and the roar of the crowds, no one was really listening. Screams erupted from the people near the exit.
"Move!" Koa shouted, barreling through the crowds and pushing people aside.
"Sir please-" an officer began. He ignored the words, brushing past and plunging into the crowds. After a great deal of jostling and shoving, he broke free and staggered out of Oreburgh museum, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He looked left and right, before shouts of surprise drew his attention farther down the street, to his right. Tyrunt stormed down the street in a wild rush, in the direction of the north gate. Koa bolted after it, shouting for it to stop.
Weaving through the streets, he followed as best as he could, although he nearly lost sight of it twice, and it was running faster than him. The only thing that prevented him from losing sight of it entirely was the fact that it would stop every so often as it tried to figure out where to go.
As the western wall of the city drew near, Tyrunt swerved sharply north, straight for the gate. Which, unfortunately, was wide open, since it was during a busy hour of the day, and Route 207 was relatively peaceful. Tyrunt made it through the gates long before he could even cry out for the guards to close them. Steeling himself, he continued through the gate.
At the very least, it was out of the city now, and hopefully out of danger. As he ascended the rocky slope outside town however, he quickly lost sight of the pokemon. Once at the top, he stopped, looking all around. His breath came in short gasps, and his limbs ached, but he couldn't give in now. To his right, a rocky valley extended, and he could just make out one of the many entrances to the inner caves of Mt. Coronet. Ahead, tall grass and trees spread evenly before him, before sloping downwards, forming a valley, over which Cycling Road ran. Considering the speed at which Tyrunt had been running, and its head start, it could easily be long gone.
For a moment, Koa feared that he'd lost the Tyrunt for good until he spotted footprints heading north. The ground sloped sharply down, and Koa could see the remnants of an old path that followed underneath Cycling Road. In the softer parts of the ground, he could just make out more of Tyrunt's footprints, following the path.
Immediately, Koa broke into a run, but he was forced to slow only a few minutes later. He wasn't sure how far away Tyrunt was, and he didn't want to expend all his energy. For several minutes he kept a steady jog through the valley. The deeper he got, the more the noises of Cycling Road grew distant, and the harder it became to spot the footprints. He began to see more wild pokemon as well as several bird pokemon out hunting and the musical tones of Kricketunes and Kricketots calling to one another. He even saw a few Stunky glaring at him from the bushes, which he gave a wide berth.
The trees dotting the slopes became thicker and denser, and he only saw more and more wild pokemon. He longed for his backpack, with his supplies and food inside. No time for regrets now. At least he had his pokemon.
As he crested a slight rise in the ground, he spotted a herd of Rapidash and Ponyta. They were grazing at the base of the hill, several yards ahead and below. At first glance, he thought the herd small, but the longer he looked, the more he saw, scattered all about, some in the trees and some in the open. There had to be at least fifty.
I imagine he is still somewhat close to town, so the rate at which he is seeing mon seems to indicate that outside is absolutely teeming with them. This mirrors how it is in the games, so it makes sense to me.
A small movement in the woods just east of the herd caught his attention. Tyrunt crouched downwind of a Ponyta who had wandered away from the herd. The sight filled Koa with fear. Alone, he had no doubt a rock and dragon-type like Tyrunt could take down a Ponyta, and likely even a Rapidash. But against a herd? They could badly injure it. And probably would too. While wild pokemon weren't normally dangerous, if one felt sufficiently threatened, they could pose a serious threat.
Barely had he processed what he was seeing when Tyrunt emerged from the wood, running straight for the Ponyta. Almost instantly, the entire herd stopped eating, their heads jerking up as they stood erect. A loud neigh echoed through the valley, and the herd split. Most raced away, heading into the woods to the west, although a group of three Rapidash stayed behind. The strongest of the herd he guessed, judging by their size. The Ponyta sprang away, racing after the rest of the herd. Tyrunt gave chase, then stopped short as one of the Rapidash blocked its path.
Koa held his breath and began to edge down the slope towards Tyrunt. Maybe, if Tyrunt surrendered and backed down, the Rapidash might let it leave. His hopes were dashed seconds later when Tyrunt roared and leaped for the Rapidash, its jaws glowing with energy. The Rapidash kicked out hard with his front hooves, striking Tyrunt hard and knocking it back.
Koa let out a yell and charged down the hill towards the group. All three Rapidash turned away from Tyrunt for a moment, then one moved towards it again and reared up, neighing threateningly. Koa didn't slow, and much to his horror and frustration, the attack had only made Tyrunt angrier. It charged at the Rapidash again.
The Rapidash's mane flared up, and his body became wreathed in flame. He charged at Tyrunt, overwhelming it with sheer power and sending it flying into a tree.
However, Koa no longer had time to concentrate on Tyrunt. He was nearly at the base of the hill now, and the other Rapidash was only a few yards away. It lowered its head and charged.
Koa stopped and jumped sideways, but the Rapidash moved much faster than he was ready for. Pain exploded across his torso as it collided with his body.
The impact knocked him down hard, and he crashed into the ground. There was a frightening crunching noise as he rolled over and stopped. A moan escaped him and he lay still for a few seconds, trying to collect himself. His senses felt dulled, and the world seemed distant.
The pained cries of Tyrunt drew him out of his stupor. He staggered to his feet and reached for his pokeballs, cursing himself for not using his pokemon earlier.
Instead of smooth round spheres, his hands met two cracked pokeballs. He jerked his hand back, looking down in horror. Both pokeballs had cracks webbing them and running through the button on front, as well as chips in several areas where the inner casing could be seen.
A sick feeling churned in his stomach. The opening mechanisms were ruined. His pokemon would be fine, after a trip to a pokeball repair shop, but with them in such a state, it would be impossible for his pokemon to leave their pokeballs. Tyrunt screamed in pain and Koa looked up.
The fossil pokemon lay some distance away, near the base of a large boulder. A web of cracks showed where Tyrunt had been knocked into it, and the three Rapidash stood just a few yards away, glaring at its nearly motionless form. Tyrunt itself was badly battered and burned, and a nasty looking gash ran from its shoulder down its side. Still, Tyrunt stood and snarled weakly.
The lead Rapidash neighed defiantly and stamped his hoof. Koa drew a shuddering breath. This wasn't like a battle. This was a wild pokemon, forced to defend itself in any way necessary. Rapidash prepared to charge. In Tyrunt's state, such an attack could seriously injure it, or kill it.
"Get away!" he screamed, charging forwards. He lunged for Tyrunt, wrapping his arms around it and struggling to lift it and pull it out of the way. Unfortunately, it was extremely heavy, and before he had even stood up fully, he felt the Rapidash crash into him. Heat seared across his back and the force threw him forward, his body hitting the boulder. Pain exploded across his body and he crashed to the ground. In a daze, he looked up to see the furious Rapidash preparing to charge again. Fear froze him in place.
Instinctively, he closed his eyes and braced for the worst.
Closing Thoughts:
So, first I'll start that this chapter was an enjoyable read and I belive displays your best writing thus far. The chapter title may have spoiled the outcome of the gym battle, but I had NO idea how nuts things were going to get all from a simple fossil! Can't wait to read the next chapter so see how that goes!
This chapter title is quite intriguing! I'm sure it's a reference for an unstoppable object vs an immovable force. But I wonder what things it pertains to?
I wonder if there will be any other characters who warm up to Echo in the fic? If so, maybe they will call Echo lovebite! I could see a romantic partner for Koa perhaps doing something like that (Not that I expect romance in this fic.)
Part of him felt weary and groggy, and he longed to simply roll over and slip into the comfortable darkness again. But with noise, came awareness, and with awareness, pain. As he shifted, hoping to fall asleep once more, a powerful, throbbing pain thundered through his skull. He took in a sharp breath, and a tight pain clenched around his chest. Slowly, gently, he breathed out again, then in. With each breath, the initial pain dulled, though it didn't fade completely.
The sounds around him grew more distinct, separating into mechanical and human noises, as well as pokemon. The dull murmur of voices blended with faint beeping. With great care, he forced his eyes open. Dull, soft yellow light filled his vision, along with a mess of blurred shapes. He blinked a few times until his vision cleared somewhat and he was able to distinguish his surroundings. Plain white ceiling and walls, spotless pale blue floors, and an odd machine with a display screen by his bedside. Crisp, stiff white sheets were draped over his body. His mind fumbled for the word. A few seconds later, it came to him. Hospital. He was at a hospital.
Koa turned his head and grimaced as a dull ache filled his head. To his left lay an open curtain around his bed and past that, a closed doorway. Through a small window in the door, nurses occasionally walked by, sometimes with a pokemon. He glanced to his right, moving his head as little as possible. A window in the wall provided a view to the outside, although blinds blocked out all but a few slim tendrils of bright light. Was it daytime? How long had he been here? And why was he in a hospital?
Biting his lip, Koa thought back as far as he could. He'd beaten Roark, then followed him to the Oreburgh Museum for something... Right. His fossil. He'd gone to have the Jaw Fossil he found revived. With that revelation came the memory of entering the revival room, and handing his fossil over to be revived.
He let out a slow sigh and shifted slightly in the bed. For the first time, he became aware of bandages covering his back. There was distant, itchy pain, but it didn't bother him nearly so much as his headache or sore torso. Maybe he'd been in an accident of some kind? And where were his pokemon? There was no sign of them or their pokeballs.
"Hey!" His voice came out in a dry croak, and he licked his lips and swallowed. "Hey? Anyone there?" Irritation festered in him. He was thirsty, hungry, and generally confused. He wanted proper clothes, and he missed his pokemon.
Just as he was about to get up and try to find someone, the door opened with a faint squeak. A figure walked in. As he drew nearer to the bed, Koa got a closer look.
The figure was a young woman with wavy red hair tied into twin buns on top of her head. She looked to be around 30. A pair of sport sunglasses were perched on her head, and she wore a traditional white doctor's coat with a red cross stitched on the chest. Her frame seemed oddly muscular for a doctor, but the thought was quickly pushed aside in favor of questions.
"Why am I in a hospital?" was his first question.
"Please, relax. My name is Maria, and I'm a neurological expert at the hospital," she said. Her voice was gentle and a bit high pitched. She spoke with a slight accent, but he couldn't remember where he'd heard it. Definitely not native to Sinnoh though. "I'll answer your question, but first I have to ask you a few questions. Are you a boy or a girl?"
"What?" he exploded. "What kinda question is that?"
Nice! A reference to the good ol professor question at the start of the games!
But in this setting that could be a legit question. She might be trying to see if Koa knows his own gender after the accident as a way of checking for brain damage or something.
Nice! This doubles as a way to remind the readers of some facts while establishing that she really IS there to make sure he doesn't have more brain damage!
All of them? Even his new one? Well... I guess he didn't actually catch it. But I don't think he needed to, right? In the games you revive the fossil and you don't even need a Pokeball for it.
Koa breathed a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. "Where are they then? And what happened to me?"
"Your pokemon are downstairs in the Pokemon Wing of this hospital. We would have taken them to the pokemon center, but once we repaired their pokeballs, they wouldn't go far."
"Repaired their pokeballs?"
"You were attacked by wild Rapidash and their pokeballs were cracked during the fight."
At her words, memories surfaced. The sound of a pokemon crying out. A Rapidash charging at him. Burning pain and something crashing into him. Running, trying to catch something. The memories were more like snapshots than a full memory, but now he could get a general idea of what happened. An image formed in his mind of seeing Rapidash surrounding an injured pokemon, preparing to charge. His pokemon. The Tyrunt he'd revived.
"My Tyrunt!" he cried, sitting bolt upright, ignoring the dull wave of pain that accompanied the movement. A brief wave of dizziness swept over him.
Maria stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, or you'll make yourself worse. The Tyrunt is fine, luckily. It'll be a day or two before she's properly healed, but otherwise, she will make a full recovery. I didn't realize she belonged to you."
"Yeah uh, I was at Oreburgh Museum to revive her fossil..." his voice trailed off as he pondered what Maria had said. "She? My Tyrunt is female?"
"Police? What for? I didn't do anything," he protested.
"Of course, you wouldn't remember. The museum was robbed. They apparently created a distraction with the explosion. Several fossils were stolen, among other items. The police and Roark have been speaking to witnesses."
Wait... So Tyrunt didn't cause all that chaos but it was done by an explosion from some outside force that robbed them? The explosion is what led to Tyrunt escaping? I'm a bit confused here...
But with stolen fossils, I wonder if that sets up for an antagonist who uses fossil Pokemon?
"Not long," Maria said. "Roark brought you in earlier today. You're basically just bruised up from your little fight with the Rapidash. Maybe next time, you should think about having your pokemon do the battling, hmm?" She grinned at him cheerfully.
Koa slowly lay back down in bed, a sudden weariness overtaking him. His anger dissipated, replaced by exhaustion. His pokemon were safe, as was Tyrunt, and he was alive.
That was enough for now. His eyes closed, and he drifted off to sleep. The rest of the day passed by in a bit of a daze. The nurses brought him a bit of a late lunch, which he nibbled at. After lunch, sleep utterly evaded him, so he watched TV. For a few minutes, he watched The National Sinnoh News. There were an assortment of reports, ranging from swarms of pokemon to weather and traffic reports. There was a special on the christening of a new cruise ship, the S.S. Blackbird. He changed channels, stopping on Oreburgh Local News. A reporter stood in front of the museum, talking.
"...ago, the Oreburgh Museum, known for its impressive coal exhibit and fossil revival capabilities, was robbed. According to local Gym Leader Roark, who was on the premises at the time, the police are working diligently to recover the stolen items, which range from fossils to rare gems and other priceless artifacts. Police are still investigating possible suspects, and have declined to comment so far. In other news..." he changed channels until he settled on an old cop show he used to watch.
At some point, he dozed off and awoke when a nurse came in to take his dinner order. None of the orders sounded appetizing, and he was forced to settle for a burger and some sort of berry dessert. When his meal came, he picked at it, barely eating half. His stomach felt queasy, and his back burned. He wondered where Blake was, or if anyone told him what happened. When Maria came back, he'd ask her.
As the night dragged on, and good tv became scarcer, he found it hard to sleep. The bed wasn't particularly comfortable, and he always felt slightly too hot or slightly too cold. Finally, sometime after midnight, sheer exhaustion won out, and he drifted into a fitful sleep.
After breakfast, Maria came back to check on him. She told him that Blake had been informed, but had yet to actually show up at the hospital and that he could leave later today. When he begged to see his pokemon, she refused, insisting he wasn't allowed until after he'd recovered. Then he was forced to take some more tests, which he grudgingly did.
Afterward, he took a walk down the hospital hallways before returning to his room. As he wandered past other rooms and saw people visiting or nurses with pokemon, he only felt more lonely, so he returned to his room. There was still an hour or two to go before he would be released, so he decided to nap. He had just begun to doze off when the sound of the door squeaking and footsteps awoke him.
Koa opened his eyes and glanced toward the door. Blake stood there, staring at him. Almost unconsciously, Koa found himself scowling. He tensed himself for what he knew was coming, and tried to calm the mess of emotions rising in him. Resentment, anger, relief...
For a moment, his cousin didn't say anything. He stood, staring, his posture stiff. Then he clenched his fists, striding towards the bed. "What were you thinking? No, forget that, clearly you weren't thinking! How many times do I have to tell you? Stop rushing into things. Be smart, watch what you're doing! This isn't a game, Koa. You could have been killed."
Anger bubbled up inside Koa, and he glared at his cousin. "What did you expect me to do, let my pokemon get hurt? I had to do something, or my Tyrunt could have been killed! Besides, I'm not dead. Who cares what could have happened? Whatever happened, happened. Stop making chasms out of Drilbur holes!"
I'm still not sure how they found Koa. He was like out in the woods past where the trail usually is, right? I'm not sure how he was even saved to begin with.
And Koa, the only reason you are still alive is because you got lucky. I bet most people in that situation probably DO die...
"How can you be so..." he shook his hand in the air in frustration. "-stupid! Next time you might not be so lucky."
Koa's scowl deepened. "Geez, if you just came here to complain and shout at me, why even come? Just go back to your research." He clenched his jaw and turned away from Blake, at least as much as he could without causing himself too much pain. Tears began to form in his eyes, and he forced himself not to blink or let Blake see how upset he was.
A tense silence hung over the room, broken only by the beep of the machines, and Blake's heavy breathing. "I'm sorry Koa. I was just-"
"I don't want to hear it." Koa snapped. "I'm tired. Let me rest."
Blake gave a long sigh, then walked out of the room. Wiping his eyes with his arm, Koa blinked several times. Why did his cousin have to get like that? It felt like nothing he did was right. He hadn't even asked how the accident happened! Hot tears gathered in his eyes. He swallowed and brushed them away. Pull yourself together. He pushed aside his bitterness and focused on thinking about his pokemon, and where he would go next.
Hearthome seemed like it was the next logical choice, although it was far away, and would require a hike across Mt. Coronet. Of course, there was the option of taking one of the buses to Hearthome, but that left no room for training, exploring, or much sightseeing. Maybe he could join one of the hiking groups that regularly crossed the mountains? Nah. Better to take his own path. Besides, he was dying to explore at least some of Mt. Coronet. Soon, he fell asleep, dreaming of wandering the mountains and seeing legendary pokemon.
The next time someone came into his room, it was Maria. "Good news Koamaru. All your tests came back fine, so you can leave today. If you would like, you can change into your regular clothes and we'll get you checked out."
A half-hour later, he'd changed, signed all the necessary papers, and was on his way to the Pokemon Wing.
The Pokemon Wing consisted of a large glass dome, connected to the hospital by a hallway. Inside was a sort of greenhouse, with a miniature lush forest. Two smaller sections had also been created for different types, such as a cooler indoor spot for ice types, a tank for water types,
and a warm sandy area for pokemon who preferred heat. The entire area was sectioned off, and attendants and nurses moved about, playing with the pokemon or tending to injuries. He stepped inside the fence.
A loud screech echoed through the enclosure and something crashed into Koa. He staggered back and grunted. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Echo, who had wrapped his small talons tightly on Koa's shoulder, clinging on. He rubbed his head and chuckled. "I missed you too Echo."
That seems like something that could be immensely painful given what Koa's healing injuries!
I guess from this, we can conclude that his injuries already completely vanished?
Even though Lovebite is now a Golbat, I like how he still acts the same but in a bigger body! Sometimes a mons personality can fundamentally change with evolution, but he stays true to himself.
A moment later, Hazard leaped from a tree and scurried over to him, nuzzling his foot. Grinning, he knelt down and ruffled Hazard's fur. One of the attendants, a middle-aged woman, quirked her eyebrow at him. "You must be his trainer. That Joltik hasn't let anyone touch him in the past two days."
Koa smiled. "Sounds like Hazard alright. He's not very affectionate to most people."
The attendant chuckled. "Obviously you're Koamaru Averon then? Maria said you'd be stopping by. These are their pokeballs. They've been repaired, but be careful. You might want to consider investing in Great Balls." The attendant handed him two pokeballs.
Koa nodded as he took them from her. "Okay, sure. Where's my Tyrunt?" he asked excitedly.
"Right. Follow me," The attendant said. She led him to a smaller building, consisting mostly of a hallway with rooms lining it. Large windows allowed a view into each room. She stopped in front of the first one. Through the window, he spotted Tyrunt curled up on a small bed. Her eyes were closed and her sides rose and fell steadily. All the wounds from the Rapidash seemed to have healed fine, which didn't surprise him, since pokemon were fast healers. However, a faint scar ran along her torso, barely noticeable as a faded line running across her scales.
"The scar was a serious wound, so it did leave a slight scar. Other than that, she has been healing well. We gave her something to keep her calm, and all her wounds have healed. You're free to take her home."
Koa smiled widely. His first fossil pokemon. "Awesome, thanks. Does she have a pokeball?" The attendant nodded and stepped inside the room. She took an odd-looking pokeball from a case near the bed and pressed a button, returning Tyrunt. She stepped out of the room and handed him the ball. Koa examined it closer. It was dark brown, almost black in color, ringed by a black line around the center. The front sported a golden helix shape. He recognized it as a helix fossil.
"What's this?"
"A new pokeball Roark and his team engineered. A Fossil Ball. Designed to help fossil pokemon feel safe and comfortable."
After bidding the attendant farewell, he hurried out of the hospital, quite eager to leave. He didn't bother returning his pokemon to their balls either. They seemed to miss him, and the feeling was mutual.
As he strolled through the city, heading to a small part just outside the southern edge, Hazard nestled himself comfortably into his hair. Echo flew in happy loops above his head, stopping occasionally to perch on his shoulders or cling to his back. Tyrunt however, he kept in her pokeball. Better to get somewhere away from the crowds and noise, just in case. He headed to a secluded spot outside the city, a clearing surrounded by sparse woods.
Koa turned to face his pokemon. "Alright everyone. Make sure you give Tyrunt her space. I don't want her to feel threatened or nervous."
His pokemon all moved back several paces, and Echo perched a few feet away. By this point, Koa's excitement was boiling over, and he couldn't contain himself any longer. Unclipping the Fossil Ball from his belt, he tossed it dramatically into the air, releasing Tyrunt.
She lay curled in the same position he'd last seen her, her tail wrapped around her body, almost touching her snout and her legs tucked underneath her. Gleaming black eyes flicked open, and she sprang to her feet, scanning her surroundings. A low growl rumbled in her throat, and she bared her teeth.
Koa reached towards her. "Hey, calm down. My name is-"
She roared and lunged at him. He yanked his hand back, narrowly missing getting bitten. Hazard tensed up, and Echo moved forwards, but Koa motioned for him to stay back before turning to Tyrunt.
"Whoa relax! I'm not trying to hurt you. I want to be friends." He held out his hand again, but she snapped her jaws threateningly, glaring at him. Koa frowned and sat back, then retrieved a pouch of jerky. He tossed a piece to Tyrunt. She glared at him, then the jerky. She took one sniff, then stepped on it, crushing it beneath her powerful hind legs. Koa gasped, then sighed. He remembered reading that Tyrunt were powerful, independent pokemon, but he'd figured after saving her life they would get along fine. Clearly this would take longer than he thought.
The next couple hours dragged by. Koa tried everything he could think of. He tried to talk calmly and approach slowly, but he couldn't even take more than a couple steps. He tried food, but Tyrunt never ate any. When she wasn't trying to bite his hand off or growl at him, she would sleep, or at least pretend to, unless he got too close. Finally, he settled for scanning her with his Pokedex. At least he could find out her moveset.
Tyrunt, The Royal Heir pokemon. Its large jaws have incredible destructive power. Some theories suggest that its restored form is different from its form of long ago. When unhappy, Tyrunt will go on an angry rampage. This Tyrunt is female and knows the moves Tackle, Stomp, Roar and Tail Whip. Its ability is Strong Jaw.
Koa grimaced. None of her moves were particularly good. Still, he didn't expect much. She had just woken up after all. And there would be plenty of time later to teach her better ones. And Strong Jaw was an awesome ability.
Reminds me of trying to pet a dog when it has its favorite toy. Attempt to pet and you get glares and snarls. Back up and the dog goes back to normal about its business.
Once more, he sighed. It wasn't that he'd expected her undying loyalty or anything for saving her. But couldn't she see that he just wanted to be her friend?
Eventually, he gave up. He returned Tyrunt to her pokeball. Returning the rest of his pokemon, he trudged back into Oreburgh, puzzling over what to do next. He needed to befriend Tyrunt. Prove to her he could be trusted. But how?
A voice distracted Koa from his thoughts and he looked up to see Roark jogging towards him. "I've been looking for you all day, ever since Maria said they released you from the hospital. Are you alright?"
Koa nodded.
"Glad to hear it. I need to speak to you about the museum robbery."
Mentally slapping himself for forgetting, Koa asked, "What about it?"
"Did you see anything?" Roark asked, his tone brisk. "Those thieves are the reason that my revival machine is ruined! Didn't you see anything? Someone suspicious or someone trying to leave the scene?"
Koa bit back a sarcastic response and shook his head. Roark appeared tired and stressed. Clearly, the robbery was getting to him. "No. It was pretty much panic upstairs. And I was just trying to catch Tyrunt."
"Of course." Roark hung his head. "Forgive me, Koa, I shouldn't have been so blunt. It's just that I've been gym leader for several years now and I just want to do right by everyone. I'm sure they're expecting answers by now."
"That's absurd," Koa said. "It's only been a couple days. People can't expect you to solve this already, that's ridiculous."
"True I suppose," Roark said. "At any rate, how is Tyrunt?"
"Fine. We're still working on training and stuff," he lied. He didn't want to admit how terribly it was going to Roark. Besides, it wasn't as if Roark could do anything. Even if he could, he had plenty enough to worry about.
"Glad to hear it. Maybe when all this is settled, you can bring her by. I would love to see a real live Tyrunt. And I'll let the police know that you didn't see anything."
"What have they found so far?" Koa asked.
"Well..." Roark sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Not much yet. The security tapes were damaged, so the tech teams have been working on restoring them. They're supposed to be reviewing the files today and looking for anything. Speaking of, I'd better go. Chief Lunesse is expecting me."
"I want to come," Koa declared. These thieves were the reason Tyrunt had been scared and gotten hurt, and he wanted revenge for that.
Roark shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't let you. I'm really not supposed to be sharing anything. I'm just telling you what I'm going to tell the public, and I can't say more."
Koa growled in frustration. "So what if you tell me? Maybe I can help!"
"The answer is still no. And I have to go. Good luck with your quest." He turned and hurriedly strode away.
It took a great deal of self-control not to stamp his foot in anger. No need to look like a foolish child. Koa watched him leave, then frowned in thought. He needed to find out more information. And he needed to prepare for his trip to Hearthome. The first item he wasn't sure how to complete, but the second he did. Legend Avenue was lined with shops that sold everything from traveling gear to pokemon food and human food. He could buy everything he needed to trek across the mountains to Hearthome.
Turning on his heel, he raced around the corner and crashed into someone. Instinctively, he muttered an apology. A young girl stood in front of him, about his age. She wore black leggings and dark boots, with a long trenchcoat that nearly reached her knees. Her green hair was tucked under a navy blue cap. Brushing her clothes off, she looked up, her eyes widening in surprise and recognition.
He muttered an apology and kept walking, but she moved in front of him. "Wait. You're Koamaru, right?" She spoke with a commanding tone, but she didn't sound harsh, just direct. Coupled with her warm smile, it made her seem friendly.
Koa stopped and stared at her, narrowing his eyes. "How do you know my name?"
"We met before, remember? Outside Professor Rowan's lab."
What kind of a girl name is that? It sounds like a guy name. I'm surprised she can say it with such confidence. Maybe she practices that in the mirror every day...
How and why did she zero in on him running? The place was a mad-house. EVERYONE was running from the scary dinosaur! It's what made me laugh so hard at the absurdity. Wouldn't Koa would have just been another face in the crowd of scrambling people?
Koa sighed and shook his head. "No, not really." He stepped around her to leave. He wasn't really interested in a conversation right now. He had more important things, like Tyrunt, on his mind now. Besides, he barely knew her. As much as he wanted to know more, he wasn't keen on discussing it with a stranger.
Koa must not care much about girls. But I think we already established that. Koa is super focused on goals. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Koa's goals in life aren't to have a good time. It's to catch legendary mon and do incredible things with them. Settling down with a girl and getting married with kids just isn't in that plan... Huh. When I put it like that, it makes me want to see Koa get derailed by a girl later. Or maybe at least tempted by one. But it's ok. A fic does not have to have romance in it to be satisfying so I will look to enjoy this fic for what it is. Just don't heavily tease romance if there won't be any in the end. That is all I ask!
She might be pushy enough to get him to like her. Koa is pretty dense and definitely needs someone pushy if he is ever going to get a girlfriend... Assuming he will ever get one. Which again, I assume will be not happening.
"I didn't even know that the museum was being robbed when it happened, okay? I was just trying to find my pokemon." He brushed by her, but he could still hear her following him.
"Very well then. What was Roark talking to you about?"
Whirling around, Koa glared at her. "You were eavesdropping?"
Obviously? Avis, wait... no... I'm going to call you Ava. Sounds much more girly that way. Ava, what makes you think it's obvious to Koa? Then again, this is a fast pace conversation. Sometimes I forget that people don't have a few minutes to consider their exact words before speaking.
Her eyebrows arched and she eyed him. "If you tell me, I'll let you in on what I know."
Koa started to refuse, then hesitated. Roark probably wouldn't tell him anything more, and he doubted anyone in the police force would either. This could be his best chance. Or a trick. Either way it wasn't really like Roark had told him anything secret. Maybe she knew something he could use.
"Okay." He crossed his arms. "Roark wanted to know if I saw anything. Which I didn't." He emphasized the word didn't. "And he said that security footage was damaged, but they were working on restoring it. He just left to go review it with Chief Lunesse."
"What happened during the robbery?" she asked curiously.
Koa hesitated, unpleasant memories flashing through his mind. The explosion, the panic, chasing Tyrunt all the way to the Rapidash heard... nudging the thoughts outside, he refocused. "The power went out, I think. Then there was some kind of explosion. I think the machine blew up or something. After that, I don't know."
Avis nodded and hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting... From what I've found, it seems like a similar MO to other crimes all over western Sinnoh."
"You mean it's not local?"
She shook her head. "Recently, over the past few months, there've been several small break-ins at local shops around the mainland. There's also been muggings during the night, on several routes. Witnesses all give the same description. Men in all black clothing, wearing black masks and capes. They move quietly and strike hard and fast. Many use electric pokemon as well, and the pokemon are often painted dark colors to blend in."
"Usually, they knock out the power right before they strike. They steal anything valuable-money, art, jewels and such. A few different police precincts have recently begun speculating that it's not copycats, but a single organization. Jubilife Police dubbed them Team Blackout." She paused before adding, "most likely that guy on the Zebstrika you mentioned is tied to them."
Would he though with only two badges under his belt? He seems to overestimate himself. It would be interesting to see if he does the opposite later and then by the end maybe he accurately estimates himself.
His conversation with her in Sandgem some days ago came back to him. "Do you think they are connected to Team Galactic?"
"Well, sort of. I think they might be just leftovers from them. The grunts, probably looking to make money. Although recently, I think they've added poaching to their list of crimes. Which is why they hit Rowan's lab."
At the mention of the lab robbery, Koa tensed. "You mean they were the ones who stole from Rowan?"
Avis nodded. "Most likely."
Rage boiled inside Koa. If he ever got his hands on those good for nothing—
"I'd better go," Avis said, looking up from her Poketch. "I have other tasks to accomplish. Oh! I nearly forgot. We should battle sometime."
He gave her a dubious look. "You don't even have any pokeballs."
A mischievous glint twinkled in her eyes "First rule of investigating, never underestimate people." She gave him a friendly smile before turning and striding away. He watched her for a moment, then turned his thoughts to preparations for his journey.
In a few minutes, he had reached Legend Avenue. Many of the shops on this street were named for legendary pokemon, particularly those of Sinnoh mythology. Cresselia Bakery, New Moon Clothing, Shaymart and many other stores made up the entirety of the street.
The next few hours were spent browsing through the stores and stocking up on items. He still had some money, around 10,000 poke, and he spent it on medical supplies, repellent, rope, and food. Finally, satisfied that he had enough for the journey, he used his last couple hundred to rent a cheap room at a place called 'Mythic Hotel'.
You know what? Now I want him to get to a point in the fic where he is rolling in money and can afford a fancy hotel room. After what he will end up going through to get there, it would feel well-deserved. Still, I imagine this beat camping for him.
He released his pokemon, save for Tyrunt, and brought out some of the food he bought, giving it to them. As they ate, he turned on the tv but kept the volume down. Then he sent out Tyrunt.
"Look Tyrunt—" he began.
She growled at him, showing her teeth. He edged closer anyway, holding out his hand with food in it. The growl grew into a low snarl.
"Stop being so stupid!" Koa snapped, his voice growing loud. "I saved your life for Arceus' sake, I'm not trying to hurt you!"
Tyrunt roared so loud Koa felt the vibration in his body. Quickly, he returned her to her pokeball. Less than a minute later, there was a knock on his door.
Reluctantly, he answered it. He recognized the man standing in the doorway as the hotel manager, who helped check him into his room.
The man gave a sympathetic frown. "We have a very strict noise policy Mr. Averon. If it happens again, I will have to ask you to leave."
Grinding his teeth together in frustration, he nodded and mumbled, "Sorry sir." The manager nodded and walked away. Koa closed the door, just short of slamming it shut. He flopped down on his bed and groaned. After a moment, he released Tyrunt again. She growled at him then walked several feet away, curling up on a chair in the room.
Wait he released her AGAIN right after that?? I'm surprised he didn't keep her locked in her ball out of anger for her stubbornness. It's not like Koa at this point in the story is the paragon of maturity, so it wouldn't feel out of character if he did. But even if he didn't keep her in the ball out of anger, I'm just surprised he would risk her being out again after the first incident...
Well, he wouldn't give up on her, not yet. Making sure she was settled, he turned his attention to his other pokemon. Hazard clung to one of the lightbulbs in the bathroom, his fur spiking from the electricity. Koa watched him curiously for a few moments. He seemed to be concentrating, and every few seconds his fur would fluff out before relaxing slightly. It took him a moment, but Koa remembered reading about the technique somewhere. It was called overcharging, and served as another way to help increase their electric storage capacity.
Ok that's pretty cool. I love how you add in these nuances. I'm not sure all of which ones you make up or which ones are cannon, but they are cool to read about regardless.
Echo, meanwhile, seemed to be searching for a suitable perch. He hopped from spot to spot, seemingly testing each place. Once, he landed on the back of the chair Tyrunt rested on. She gave him a dirty look but made no move towards him. Echo continued his little exercise, hopping from one surface to the next.
Finally, he settled on a perch. Upside down, hanging from the ceiling fan. A moment later, he directed a burst of focused sound at a switch on the wall. The fan turned on, its blades beginning to spin. Echo gave a happy shree of delight as he whirled around the room. Koa couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight.
What in the heck? Apparently Lovebite can flip switches at a far distance. I suspect this will show up in a highly important scene later in the fic. It comes across as a joke, but this is totally going to be something big later. I can feel it!
But plot foreshadowing aside, this is pretty amusing and is the sort of odd quirkiness that one could expect from our dear Lovebite.
Leaving Golbat to amuse himself, he showered and changed into pajamas. When he got out, both Echo and Hazard were fast asleep. Hazard had picked the bathroom sink as his bed,
Shaking his head, Koa draped a sheet over his Golbat, before settling into the other bed. He took one last look at Tyrunt. Her sides rose and fell peacefully, and she seemed so innocent now that she was asleep. He watched her as he drifted off to sleep, wondering how he could befriend her.
xXx
Koa grinned as he stared at the looming cave mouth in front of him. Wayward Cave.
One of the few areas in Sinnoh where Gible lived. They were preposterously rare, but if he got lucky, he could complete at least one step of his Plan. A Garchomp would give him a serious edge in battle.
After some thought, he'd put his hike through Mt. Coronet on hold, in favor of some extra training. With his new Tyrunt being problematic, he hoped to bond with her better first as well. The solution he'd come to was traveling to Wayward Cave. It involved some backtracking since it was located under the northernmost section of Cycling Road, but hopefully, it would be worth it.
For the next few hours, he wandered the cave. He didn't see any Gible, though he did encounter several large gray boulders blocking his path. Fortunately, he didn't need anything special to push them out of the way. He simply climbed over them and continued on.
As he wandered the gloomy cave, he swept his flashlight beam ahead of him, scanning for anything interesting. The tunnel he'd been traveling ended abruptly in a dead end. Just as he was about to turn around and try another path, something sparkled. Koa swung his beam over the area again. There it was. Tucked in a nook in the wall, something green. He hurried towards the glimmer and knelt down, carefully prying away the loose stone. A tiny handful of green objects spilled out.
As soon as he saw them, his eyes lit up. Green Shards. They were somewhat rare items that could be found in cave systems and sometimes in the wild. Collectors often traded rare items for them. Carefully, he counted them and tucked them into a small pouch on his backpack. There were five of them, which was a good start.
Brimming with elation, he set off to explore more. He hadn't been walking long when he felt a distant rumble. It grew louder and suddenly an Onix emerged from a tunnel a short way ahead.
It looked straight at him. Koa froze and stared back. For a moment, they engaged in some sort of staring competition. Then the Onix roared a challenge.
Koa sized it up. Judging by its length, it seemed fairly young. Probably it was trying to challenge trainers to grow stronger. Either Hazard or Echo could defeat it easily since they had experience. But he had a better idea.
"Go Tyrunt!" He tossed out Tyrunt's pokeball, and she emerged in a flash of light.
At first, she glared at Koa, looking disgruntled. The Onix roared again and Tyrunt whirled to face it. At the sight of Onix, her eyes lit up. Clearly, she liked the idea of a challenge.
"Let's start with Tail Whip," he called. Tyrunt charged forwards and leaped into the air, one of her feet aimed at Onix. Stomp. Definitely not the move he'd asked for. Onix retaliated with a Tackle, hurling itself up at Tyrunt. They clashed for a moment before Tyrunt forced Onix down. It smashed into the ground and Tyrunt leaped away, snarling in triumph.
"Tyrunt, please," Koa called. "Listen-"
She let out a roar and charged Onix, who had just gotten up. Once again, she leaped into the air with a Stomp attack. An orange orb formed in Onix's mouth and it blasted it at Tyrunt, knocking her out of the air. Koa recognized the attack as Smack Down. He winced as Tyrunt hit the ground and slid several feet. She'd be fine, but he suspected her pride had taken a critical hit.
Wearily, Tyrunt got to her feet.
Koa took a tentative step towards the furious Tyrunt. "Tyrunt, you can beat that Onix." She made no reply, her gaze locked on the Onix. Before Koa could give a command, the Onix sneered at her, then reared back, opened its jaws, and spewed a stream of purple flames straight for her.
"Dodge!" Koa shouted frantically. One Dragon Breath attack would do serious damage. Unfortunately, Tyrunt had other ideas. She charged straight into it. The flames slowed her, but she stubbornly tried to press through it. To his surprise, she made it all the way to Onix. With a weak roar, she hurled herself at it with Tackle. Unfortunately, the attack did little damage. Tyrunt staggered back, then collapsed, utterly exhausted. Onix shut its jaws, eyeing the downed form of Tyrunt. With a triumphant roar, it slithered away.
Once it had gone, Koa sighed and pulled out a potion, and set to healing Tyrunt. In a couple of minutes, she woke up. Upon seeing him so close, she growled and stalked several feet away. Koa pulled out her pokeball and returned her. She'd be more comfortable there anyway.
For a moment, he stared at the ball. What was he supposed to do? He wanted her on his team, but she didn't seem interested in that. He couldn't just release her - as a revived Fossil, she was his responsibility. Which meant sending her to live with Rowan perhaps, or finding her another trainer. The thought made his heart heavy. Ornery or not, he liked her tenacity.
For some time, he continued on, following a random path through the cave. He found a couple of other shards and later, to his delight, a single Rare Candy. They were powerful candies that could help boost a pokemon's strength slightly. They were also notoriously hard to come by. He guessed it had been dropped by a trainer some time ago.
Yeah, one wonders exactly how those things are even made and why people would ever drop them. Actually, if there is a company that manufactures them, I imagine an evil team would abuse the heck out of them and be very hard to stop! But I wonder why Rare Candy is so rare?
By the time he worked his way back to the exit, he felt fairly accomplished, at least in the exploration department. In the pokemon department, less so. Tyrunt ignored or did the opposite of every command he gave. She wouldn't let him near her either, making it impossible to train her in new techniques or battle properly with her. Which was a shame, because she seemed to be strong. She'd weathered Onix's Dragon Breath longer than he expected.
A fog of frustration hung over him the whole trip back to Oreburgh. He'd hoped to catch Gible maybe or start building out the rest of his team. But with Tyrunt still being so troublesome, he was beginning to have doubts. He didn't want to catch another pokemon when he couldn't handle the one he just got. By the time he arrived in Oreburgh, late in the afternoon, he was still cross.
Once again, Koa stood across a battlefield, facing Roark. This time, however, the stakes were significantly lower. Only the barest lighting lit the field since the gym was technically closed. There was no referee, either. Just the two of them.
Roark released his Cranidos, who growled amiably, looking much less fierce than he had at the gym battle. Koa reluctantly released his own fossil pokemon. Tyrunt emerged in a flash of light. At her appearance, the two dinosaurs sized each other up for several seconds. In sync, they both gave matching roars. Roark chuckled. "It seems Cranidos is excited about this fight. Mind if I go first?"
"Be my guest," Koa said.
"Start with Leer!" Roark said, gesturing dramatically. Cranidos leaned forward, its eyes glowing yellow. Tyrunt stared back defiantly, but flinched a second later, a shudder traveling over her body.
"Tail Whip!" Koa called, hopefully. For once, Tyrunt listened, though he wasn't sure if it was due to coincidence. With a snarl, Tyrunt pivoted and swiped her tail at Cranidos. A subtle wave of energy rolled across the stadium, striking Cranidos, who shivered.
"Okay then, Zen Headbutt!" Roark called.
"Dodge and use Tackle," Koa said. Tyrunt charged at the approaching Cranidos, a faint swirl of energy surrounding her. The two met head-on, pressing against each other for a moment. With a sudden explosion, Tyrunt was thrown back. She slid across the ground but remained standing. Koa groaned inwardly. Still, at least she obeyed the 'Tackle' part of his command, even if she ignored the dodge.
"Leer again. Soften her up!" Cranidos nodded in acknowledgment, then faced Tyrunt, eyes glowing.
"Quick, use Stomp!" Tyrunt leaped in the air, breaking eye contact, then came hurtling down at Cranidos. Stomp collided with its skull head-on, but Cranidos remained unfazed. With a toss of its head, it flung her aside, then snarled arrogantly. Tyrunt snarled back then charged, her jaws open wide and glowing. Koa's eyes widened. Tyrunt had learned Bite!
"All right Tyrunt, full force Bite!" Koa shouted.
"Meet it head on with Headbutt!" Roark said.
The two dinosaurs charged across the field towards each other. The attacks collided, and smoke filled the stadium. When it cleared, Roark's and Koa's jaws both dropped, and their brows furrowed in confusion.
Tyrunt had her jaws wrapped around Cranidos' head. Both seemed confused, with Tyrunt gnawing on Cranidos skull, who pressed on valiantly. The strange struggle continued for another minute. Finally, both pokemon sat down, looking equal parts frustrated and confused.
A loud peal of laughter echoed across the stadium. Tears streamed from Roark's eyes as he continued laughing. "I don't believe it," he gasped.
Koa cocked his head. "What?" he asked, feeling as if he had missed something.
"Cranidos' greatest strength is his impenetrable skull. A Tyrunt's greatest strength is its powerful jaws." He chuckled again, wiping a tear from his eye. "Unstoppable force-"
"Meet immovable object," Koa finished, breaking into laughter.
On the field, the two dinosaur pokemon were still locked in the same position. Tyrunt tried to back off, then gave a low whine as she dragged Cranidos with her. Cranidos yanked backwards, merely succeeding in pulling Tyrunt back with him.
"We'd better separate them," Roark said, still chuckling as he crossed the field to his Cranidos. Koa followed him and knelt next to Tyrunt. He reached out to her, but she shot him an angry glare. "Let me help," he pleaded. After a moment, Tyrunt growled and then blinked once. Koa decided to take that as a sign of agreement. With Roark's help, he pried Tyrunt's jaws away from Cranidos. A moment later, both pokemon were freed.
Tyrunt huffed and stalked off, her head held high. Cranidos watched her go, a strange sparkle in his eyes.
Roark patted his Cranidos on the head. "I think my Cranidos is a little starstruck. No one has ever countered his Headbutt like that."
Koa watched Tyrunt, who sat with her back to him, trying for all the world to act tough. "I pity him," he said flatly.
"So what do you think?" Koa asked once they had both returned their pokemon. "Why is Tyrunt acting like that? I mean, I saved her life from those Rapidash."
Roark eyed him skeptically. "Do you think that guarantees anything?"
Koa paused. "Well... no, not really. I mean I guess I just expected her to understand that I want to be her friend, you know? I would love for her to join my team but..." he exhaled. "Maybe she should stay with you. Or another trainer, if she hates me so much."
Roark shook his head. "Tyrunt is Rock and Dragon-type. So she is bound to be stubborn, but I wouldn't say she hates you. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when we were battling. For now, patience. These things take time."
Koa nodded sadly. He hadn't expected a magical solution, but he had hoped that another battle would help things along. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Still, it was a small comfort, knowing it would likely simply take time. Perhaps it was time to continue his journey.
"Thanks for the advice," Koa said. He started for the exit.
Roark called after him. "Once she evolves, bring her back. I think Cranidos would love another battle after he evolves."
"Will do!" Koa replied. With that, he returned to his room. He wanted to get plenty of rest. Tomorrow, he would begin the journey to Mt. Coronet.
So there we have it. Koa survived, Tyrunt is ok, but she won't listen to him! How will he get through to her?
A couple things to note. The 'Fossil Ball' mentioned is a personal creation of mine. Not something one would find in the games, though it seems like a cool idea.
The battle between Cranidos and Tyrunt is a rather humorous thought I had, being that those two fossil pokemon are so similar. The Bite/Headbutt thing is something I always thought about, and I figure it would end in a stalemate. After all, Tyrunt supposedly has the strongest jaws, and Cranidos the strongest skull.
Also, someone had asked, why doesn't Koa just catch a Magikarp? Yes, that would make more sense. However, Koa isn't exactly the king of great decisions. There are some things he's smart about, and other things... not so much. While it would be possible to raise a Magikarp and evolve it, I feel that in the anime world, this would be more difficult. Hence, Koa is thinking of just catching a Gyarados. I kind of overlooked alluding to this detail, so I understand the confusion.
Closing thoughts:
So, I'm still massively confused how Koa got rescued to begin with. I was hoping the chapter would expand on that but I don't see anything. But aside from that, this was a solid chapter with lore drops, a slow burn for Tyrunt and is a setup for the next chapter with some foreshadowing for later, especially with Lovebite's ability to throw switches from a distance. Looking forward to the next chapter to see where things go next!
Damp air trickled from the mouth of the cavern before him. A faint breeze ruffled his hair, but otherwise, all seemed still. After a day and half's walk, he'd finally reached the east entrance to Mt. Coronet. Standing in front of the mountain he'd idolized for so long was a strange feeling. He felt equal parts excited, and nervous. Echo, who had taken his usual place on Koa's back, trembled with excitement. He supposed the Golbat was excited to be going into such a large cave system.
"Ready buddy?" he asked. Echo shrieked loudly in reply, making Koa flinch. "Easy there, Echo. I still need to hear, you know," he said jokingly.
I don't think Lovebite is used to being evolved yet. Either doesn't realize how loud he is or maybe the only reason he wasn't that loud to begin with was because he was just a Zubat. Either way this amuses me.
He took one last look around. The area was fairly empty, with only a few hikers resting or preparing for the hike. He knew this might be the last time he saw the outside for a long time, and he wanted to enjoy it.
Echo gave another, quieter shriek. "Okay okay, I'm going," Koa said, patting him. With that, he stepped into the cave.
He walked slowly, trying to take in everything. Mt. Coronet, he reflected, looked very different from Ore Caverns or Wayward Cave. The floors, some of which had been smoothed over slightly to make traveling easier, were a gray color, as were the walls. Boulders and rocks dotted the landscape, and pools of water gathered between stalagmites. Multiple paths, tunnels, and walkways spread around, and he even saw a few bridges spanning chasms or crossing two cliffs.
Unlike Wayward and Ore, Mt Coronet was more traveled. As such, it contained structures such as the bridges and featured faintly worn paths that a trainer could follow to get out the other side.
This bit is a bit odd. The previous paragraph already mentioned bridges. Probably a better way to work these, but it's probably more effort than you want to put in an old chapter. Other than the odd repetition of information, it's fine.
The real appeal for him, however, lay in all the unmarked paths. The pioneers who'd come long before him made sure to leave as much natural beauty untouched. As such, there were countless treasures and paths that no one had ever seen. Until now, Koa thought.
Echo flew off his shoulder and began to do loops and dives in the cave, weaving between stalactites and shreeing happily.
Koa grinned. It made him happy to see his starter pokemon so happy. Just thinking the word felt odd. A Zubat was his starter pokemon? A month ago he would have scoffed at the idea.
Not too far into the cave, he saw a sight that made his heart skip a beat. Off to his left, a staircase wound up to a higher ledge, which led to tunnels that disappeared into the darkness. Barely able to stop himself, he climbed up the staircase.
It led to a bridge that crossed a chasm, and on the other side, lay his heart's greatest desire - the tunnel that led to the highest levels of Mt. Coronet. In a daze, he started across the bridge. On the other side, next to the gaping maw of the tunnel entrance, a single guard stood. A behemoth of a Machamp flanked him, watching everything with calm eyes.
The guard eyed Koa calmly, only acknowledging him with a curious quirk of his eyebrow. Koa stopped in front of the guard. Realistically, he knew he would never get in. Not yet, anyway. The upper levels were utterly off-limits to trainers unless they had earned 8 badges. And even then, it wasn't as if anyone wanted to venture that way these days.
"Is this the only tunnel leading higher into Mt. Coronet?" he asked, finally.
The guard regarded him silently for several moments. Eventually, he spoke. "This is the main route up."
Well, that confirmed Koa's suspicions. There were other ways.
An odd silence grew. The guard seemed utterly unfazed by Koa's presence. He didn't seem condescending or annoyed either though. In fact, the guard seemed friendly.
"You understand the rules, I think, so I won't tell you them." He said. Koa thought he detected a smile in the man's tone.
Koa nodded numbly. The prospect of climbing the mountain almost seemed to call to him physically. His heart yearned for it. Tales of the curses peak did little to faze him.
The guard nodded and continued. "I see the fire in your eyes. You'll get your eight badges and return soon." Beneath the grim tone, Koa swore he detected confidence as well.
Koa felt a flicker of surprise. He hadn't expected such a statement of confidence from a guard. "I will," he said. And he meant it, absolutely. Beating the gyms had to become his top priority. Building his Perfect Team would just have to slot into gyms somehow
The guard smiled. "Maybe we can have a battle, then. It's been a very long time since I've had a six on six. Not many trainers come this way. I know Machamp would enjoy a challenge." Machamp grunted and nodded.
Koa grinned. He held out his hand, and the guard shook it. "Deal." He said. And inside the guard's eyes, he saw an eager fire. With a new excitement burning through his veins, Koa returned the way he had come. Fantina was next, he vowed. Then Veilstone, or Pastoria. And from there, he wouldn't stop until he'd earned every single badge. Then he would return and battle - Rats! He smacked himself in the face in annoyance. He'd completely forgotten to ask for the guard's name!
For the next couple of days, he traveled in relative peace. He ran into several pokemon, mostly Zubat or Geodude, who made good training for Hazard and Echo. A few times, he sent out Tyrunt. As usual, she ignored his commands, although she did manage to win some fights on her own. That night, he decided to make camp early. The pace they kept until now proved oddly tiring, and he suspected not seeing sunlight had something to do with that. It threw off his internal clock.
Once he started a fire and set out bowls of food for his pokemon, he released them all. Hazard and Echo both greeted him happily, but Tyrunt merely grunted and started eating. Koa ignored it. By this point, her attitude didn't faze Koa in the least.
Just as he was finishing his own meal, he saw Tyrunt look up suddenly and growl. Echo stiffened as well, gazing into the darkness beyond the firelight. Koa squinted in the direction they were looking and spotted a pair of eyes in the gloom. He shined his flashlight in the direction and saw a Machop.
It growled angrily and then puffed out its chest and flexed its arms. Tyrunt growled, then charged after it.
"Tyrunt wait—!" Machop met Tyrunt head-on, slamming her head into the ground with a well placed Karate Chop.
Koa considered trying to give her commands, then decided against it. Perhaps this time, it would be better to let things play out.
She went down hard, and it took a few seconds for her to stand up again. When she did, she looked furious. Machop smirked at her and flexed again. She roared, then charged forward with a Tackle attack.
Machop jumped back, then struck her again with Karate Chop, sending her skidding to the side. She roared in pain and staggered towards Machop, eyes blazing. Koa rolled his eyes as she charged it again with Tackle. Machop leaped towards her with Karate Chop once again. The two attacks met head-on. A second later, Tyrunt was thrown back and crashed into a stalagmite. She crumpled to the ground and lay unmoving. Machop gave a prideful cry, then disappeared down a tunnel.
Koa took out a potion with a sigh. He restored her quickly, then returned her to her Pokeball for the night. He couldn't help but wonder if she would ever learn. Did she dislike him that much? Maybe he should look for a new trainer for her after he got to Hearthome City...
The next two days, the Machop returned each 'night' and challenged Tyrunt. Both times, Tyrunt lost, rather humiliatingly. On the third day, he let her out to walk beside him and get some exercise. She plodded along behind him, her eyes downcast and looking for all the world like a sulking child. Koa almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
Hesitantly, Koa inched closer. "I know you don't want to listen to me. But will you at least let me help you learn some new moves? If you knew some stronger moves, I bet you could beat that Machop."
Tyrunt's head shot up and she looked at him. After a long, long moment, she nodded. Koa resisted the urge to let out a whoop. Progress!
"Okay Tyrunt. Right now you know Bite, Tackle, Stomp, and Tail Whip."
Tyrunt nodded and stood up. Koa continued. "You're a really strong attacker. So we gotta give you some strong attack moves." He pulled out his Pokedex and switched to the page on Tyrunt. She was still young, but two potential moves stood out. Ancient Power, and Dragon Tail. Neither were super strong, but they would give her a serious edge. Each of them matched her current typing, meaning she could get a boost and master them easier.
"We'll start with Dragon Tail. According to the Pokedex, you'll have to focus a bunch of dragon type energy into your tail. You can forget about Tail Whip and learn this instead."
Koa singled out a boulder a short distance away. "Try it on that boulder."
Tyrunt nodded. Narrowing her eyes, she charged at the boulder. At the last moment, she spun and smashed her tail into it. Unfortunately, the attack lacked any kind of energy.
She roared in pain and staggered back, glaring at the boulder.
"It's ok, Tyrunt. Try it again," he said soothingly. She roared and attempted the move again, with a similar effect. She opened her jaws, ready to snap the boulder in half with her Bite.
"Try focusing your energy before you attack," Koa called encouragingly. She shut her jaws and took a couple paces back, then closed her eyes in concentration. A cone of green energy enshrouded her tail. Opening her eyes, she charged the boulder again and smashed it with her tail. This time, the boulder cracked. A wide smile spread across Koa's face. It was far from perfect—it took her a long time to charge the attack and she had to close her eyes before she did—but it was a strong start.
For the next couple hours, he drilled her until she got the move down. Eventually, she was able to charge the attack in just a couple seconds, without closing her eyes. After that, he spent the rest of the evening helping her practice Ancient Power. By the time dinner came, he felt exhausted but satisfied. She had gotten both attacks down fairly well, and could use them almost as well as Stomp and Bite.
It wasn't long after she finished eating that the Machop arrived. This time, Tyrunt faced it down, her head held high. She growled a challenge, to which Machop replied with a cry of his own. Koa grinned and sat back to watch the show.
Machop sprinted forwards, its hand glowing with energy. Karate Chop. Tyrunt grinned and charged as well, this time with Dragon Tail. She swung her tail, the Machop swung its hand. The two attacks clashed, then Tyrunt prevailed. Machop was thrown back several feet into a wall.
With a roar, Tyrunt summoned a large boulder that swirled with silver energy, in a near-perfect execution of Ancient Power. She hurled the boulder at the downed Machop, smashing it to the ground. After a moment, it got to its feet, clearly dazed. Tyrunt ran to meet it before it could recover. She jumped into the air, bringing her foot down at Machop. It tried to raise its hand to block the attack, but too late. Tyrunt crashed into it, knocking it flat on its back. Weakly, it tried to stand, then slumped to the ground. She stepped back and let out a triumphant roar loud enough to shake the cavern they were in.
And yet she still did it on her own. I suppose it might still be too early for her to take attack commands from Koa. I like how you used the same Machop for multiple battles. Gave her a real nemesis!
Koa leaped to his feet. "Yeah! You did it, Tyrunt!" Tyrunt roared again, hopping from one foot to the other in a strange sort of victory dance. He ran over to her and dropped to his knees, hugging her.
Tyrunt croaked in shock, then squirmed free, glaring at him. Koa wasn't even mad. She'd actually let him train her, she'd won, and he'd gotten to touch her, for the first time since he saved her life from the Rapidash. That night, he went to bed feeling the happiest he had since Tyrunt joined the team.
Over the next few days, he was able to utilize Tyrunt more in battle. She ignored his commands, but she'd gotten much stronger since learning Dragon Tail. She was able to win against most of the wild pokemon in the lower levels, to his delight. Hazard and Echo got plenty of battles as well. He met one trainer, a hiker, crossing back to East Sinnoh. Other than that, it was all wild pokemon. He took his time, exploring side paths and caverns, confident Echo could lead him out if necessary.
One thing I noticed at my current writing level is that the word 'had' can often be completely removed from sentences with no detrimental effect. Crossed them out above in case you like it better that way. (Would be an easy edit for you if you want)
This sentence is a bit long and oddly formatted. I can give you an example of a way to make it run smoother but you probably already know how. Also, I'm not sure if you are looking for one, but if so, just let me know and I'll come back and play with it for suggestions.
A tunnel he nearly missed, thanks to it being half-hidden behind a pile of rocks. It sloped gently downwards, ending in what appeared to be a small cave. He shined his flashlight down the tunnel.
Something at the bottom glimmered red. Koa peered closer, and he could just barely make out a fragment of something red and star-shaped. His eyes widened. A Star Piece! They were incredibly valuable fragments of a rare mineral. Many Pokemarts would buy them for a high price. Koa examined the tunnel. The rocks within seemed loose, but if he moved carefully enough, he was sure he could make it.
Clipping his flashlight to his side, he checked his pokeballs, then began his descent. Inch by inch, he backed down the steep tunnel. He made it halfway down when a rock he was clinging to with his right hand suddenly crumbled under him. A cry of shock escaped him as he slid down the tunnel. He grabbed frantically at the sides, trying to slow his descent. More stones slid after him, pelting his face and bouncing off his jacket. In a panic, he stopped bracing himself, and let himself slide into an awkward freefall. A moment later, he tumbled into the cave, followed by a shower of rocks.
An ominous rumble sent chills down his spine. He scrambled to his feet and backed away from the tunnel.
A huge shower of rock and rubble tumbled out of it. After several moments, the mini-rockslide subsided. Koa stared grimly at the tunnel he'd come through. The entrance had been completely blocked with rock and dirt.
He doubted he'd be able to return that way. Well, first, he was going to get what he came for.
He stooped down and brushed away the debris until he uncovered the Star Piece. He gazed at it a moment before tucking it into his backpack. Standing up, he took a closer look around the cave he'd ended up in. "Come on out, Echo, Hazard." He released his Golbat and Joltik. "Take a look around, see if you can find a way out." While his two pokemon explored, he took a closer look at the tunnel cave-in. Perhaps there was a way to clear a path...
The next several minutes, he tried his best to carefully move the rocks. Unfortunately, every time he moved a few, a few more would fall into their place. With a sigh, he turned around.
"Find anything guys?" he called. Echo fluttered up to him and landed, shaking his head sadly. "Hazard?" he called into the darkness. For a moment, he was met with silence. Then he heard the faint scuttling of claws, and Joltik appeared, looking a tad damp. He chittered eagerly, then ran a few feet away and stopped, looking back pointedly. "You found something?" he asked excitedly. He hurried after Joltik, who led him to one end of the cavern. The Joltik stopped in front of a large pool of dark water. He gave an eager cry, pointing towards it with one of his tiny legs.
Koa shuddered. "You want me to... swim? Down there?" He asked, a slight tremor in his voice. The thought terrified him. If there was one rule of Blake's he'd learned, it was to never go diving in cave pools. They were dark, difficult to navigate, and you never knew when you would find air. It was one of the most dangerous things an explorer could do. He stared at the dark water, then back at his pokemon. Echo had landed a few feet away and was eyeing him worriedly. "What do you think, Echo?"
Yeah that seems pretty freaking terrifying! I'm sure it would be super dark down there too! I seriously hope dude has a water-proof flashlight! (And waterproof tech in-general, honestly.)
Echo shreed and fluttered over to the water. Clearly he agreed with Hazard.
Fear trickled down his spine. He quickly shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Hazard. I don't know where it leads. You don't even know where it goes." Hazard chittered angrily and stamped his foot. Koa looked away, reluctant to meet his hurt gaze. There had to be another way. Hazard was mistaken. Maybe Echo had missed something- As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that couldn't be the case. Echo's echolocation wouldn't have missed anything. If there was another way out, he would have found it.
Echo landed in front of him, giving a low shree of distress. Hazard scurried onto Echo's head, staring him down. Koa backed away. "I can't... I don't..." he stammered. Hazard's blue eyes sparkled with anger. Koa swallowed. "Are you sure, Hazard?" he asked after several seconds.
I'm surprised Koa is worried enough to hesitate. He's never backed down from insanity before, so why start now?
Might be good to explain his thought process here or have him remember the time in the cave when he almost died to the Golbat nest or something. Like maybe compare this to that and how this kind of situation is actually worse on average than the one in the Golbat cave.
That said, I do agree with his hesitation, it just seems smarter than he usually is when it comes to danger so far lol...
"Okay," Koa said quietly. With a trembling hand, he returned his pokemon. He took a moment to make sure everything he carried was secure, then stepped up to the pool. Taking a deep breath, he jumped.
The dark waters closed over his head, and a chill seeped to his bones. Fortunately, his flashlight was waterproof.
Oh. Well if his Pokemon said it was ok and his flashlight is waterproof then what is the worry? Worst case, he could just swim back the way he came, right?
Ahead, he could make out the dark maw of an underwater tunnel. Kicking towards it, he moved with swift, practiced strokes. He'd have to thank Blake for all his swimming lessons at Canalave Beach. He kept his flashlight trained ahead as he entered the tunnel. It continued a short distance, though he noted with alarm it was getting narrower.
Koa figured he could hold his breath maybe a minute, tops. By his estimate, he'd been swimming for maybe thirty seconds. A tiny flicker of panic grew in him, and he swam faster. The tunnel narrowed more. He dragged himself faster, pulling himself along on the rough walls. His chest grew tight. His lungs burned. He blew out a burst of bubbles and kicked off the floor. Darkness edged his vision then- Sweet air flooded his lungs as his head broke the surface. He gasped, sucking in lungfuls as he treaded water.
I don't think you mentioned him spotting where the tunnel curved upwards or him seeing the surface of water where there would be air. Or if he was too panicked to shine his flashlight to check and he had to take a leap of faith, then it might be good to articulate that. I feel like there was a bit missing in this paragraph like you accidentally deleted a line in it or something.
Still a highly suspenseful section though! Well done!
Looking around, he realized he'd emerged in another cavern half-submerged in water. The tunnel he'd come through was a mere few feet below him. He must have swam the last couple feet to the surface without realizing he'd left the tunnel. His limbs burned with exhaustion as he dragged himself to shore and flopped onto the rocky ground, still gasping. He'd made it. He couldn't believe he actually made it. And it was all thanks to Joltik.
After he'd caught his breath, he released all his pokemon. Hazard and Echo immediately piled on him, crying out happily. "Thanks, guys," he said. "Especially you, Hazard. You guys really saved my life."
Echo shrieked, and Hazard discharged a flurry of sparks. Koa glanced over, noting that even Tyrunt looked mildly concerned, though once she saw he was alive, she stalked off on her own.
That night, Koa made camp by the shore. He was too tired to really look for another spot, and the ground was level enough anyway. Long after everyone had eaten and fallen asleep, he lay awake, his thoughts still racing. He'd come so close to not making it... yet he had. Somehow, his Joltik had known there was an exit to the tunnel, and that he would be able to make it. The thought filled him with awe. In that moment, he vowed never to doubt his pokemon again.
Koa trekked onwards, each step feeling harder and harder. If it hadn't been for his Poketch, he would have no idea what time it was, or how many days had passed. Apparently, he'd been in Mt. Coronet for nearly two weeks.
Well! At least he is getting Mt Coronet out of his system for a while! I bet even Lovebite is starting to tire of the cave at this point... He always was an adventurous mon. How else would he have found the honey he loves so much?
He was sure he'd gotten at least a few shades paler in that time. But the long hike had been well worth it. His pokemon had grown much tougher. Joltik could hold twice as much as electricity without recharging, making it pretty much unnecessary to worry about. Echo had grown more agile, and his attacks stronger.
Only Tyrunt worried him. Despite all his efforts, she never listened to him in battle. Once or twice, his command would coincidentally line up with her decisions, but it was just that. Coincidence.
At least he was closer to Hearthome. He figured he could get out in the next few days. If he didn't get distracted. Which was hard not to do. He'd racked up plenty of treasures - several more Green Shards, a Nugget, and even a dusty old TM for Rock Slide. It was an older model, one of the kinds the broke after one use, but it was still operational. He was considering saving it for Tyrunt, once she got her act together.
He wandered back to the 'main' route, considering taking out Echo and just asking him how to get out. As much as he was enjoying his exploration, he did want to get on to Hearthome. He had gym badges to earn, after all.
Koa rounded a corner, then paused. Something was different. He turned off his flashlight and looked around. Everything looked normal, rocks, stalagmites, and more rocks, and- Wait. He could see. Instead of pitch blackness, a faint gray light pervaded the cave. He could just make out the surrounding landscape, without using his flashlight. There had to be an entrance close by! After a moment, he spotted ahead, around another bend. He sprinted toward it, his heart beating faster. Just before he burst out of the cave, he remembered to shut his eyes.
Blinding light assaulted his eyelids, and the sunlight felt like it physically struck him. He staggered forwards a couple steps anyway, keeping his eyes closed. A second later, the initial shock and pain faded as his body readjusted. His jacket protected him from the worst of the sun's rays, and he gratefully soaked in the warmth. He took a deep breath, reveling in the sweet taste of the fresh air. A chilly breeze washed over him, and he thought he'd never felt anything so magnificent.
Then he opened his eyes. It took several seconds for his eyes to readjust, but when they did, he gasped softly. He'd exited some ways up the slope of Mt Coronet, overlooking Route 208, which led to Hearthome. A river wound and splashed down the mountain, forming a beautiful waterfall down below. It curled through a deep canyon spanned by several wooden bridges. Beyond that lay grassy plains and forests, cut through by a long, winding dirt road that led up to the shining city of Hearthome.
Beautiful job describing the sight. Makes me feel like I'm really in the mountains breathing the clean, crisp, chilly air! I imagine it's in the morning too. Sunlight just looks so happy in the morning.
Unable to tear his eyes off the view, he reached for his belt and released all his pokemon. Echo came out with his usual shriek, but stopped short, equally enamored by the view. Hazard simply stood quietly, his gaze distant. Even Tyrunt seemed awestruck.
I feel like you could get a wonderful bit of art showing them all looking down on the scene maybe showing them all from behind or something. It would need to have someone incredible at backgrounds to make it really look proper.
"Whew..." he said, after a long moment. He'd finally made it. He felt equally relieved and a bit sad. While he was in no hurry to venture back in, his urge to climb to the Spear Pillar hadn't lessened at all. After some deliberation, he decided to make camp where he stood. There was a flat spot a little ways away that would be perfect.
That evening, after dinner, Koa decided to try his luck with Tyrunt again. "Do you want to train, Tyrunt?" He reached out his hand. Tyrunt glared at him and gave a low growl. Koa growled back. "Hey! I saved your life, you know! I'm not your enemy!"
Tyrunt roared at him. Then, to his shock, she turned and sprinted up the slope, disappearing behind some bushes.
"Tyrunt!" Koa yelled, then smashed his fist into the ground. He muttered a curse before standing up. Great. Now he had to hunt her down. He really hoped she hadn't gone far. Most pokemon, even ornery ones, were reluctant to travel too far from their trainers, a fact which he was counting on.
He trekked up the slope, which was dotted with thick brush and a few trees. An angry roar from ahead keyed him into Tyrunt's likely location. Accelerating his pace, he pushed past a small copse of trees and bushes just in time to see a trainer toss a pokeball at Tyrunt. The red light surrounded her form for a split second, before shattering. The pokeball fell uselessly to the ground.
"Hey!" Koa screamed as he sprang forwards, standing in front of his Tyrunt. "That's my Tyrunt!" He knew he was being a little over the top, but he was already angry enough without some wannabe trainer trying to catch his - Wait. He knew this trainer, sort of. It was hard not to remember since the boy wore a fairly distinctive cloak.
The boy stared back at him in surprise. And equally shocked looking Shelgon stood beside him. "My apologies," the boy said. "I did not realize this Tyrunt was yours."
Koa relaxed slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to freak out. I remember you, actually. We met at Eterna City."
"Ah yes, the Giratina boy," he said, after a moment. "So you found a Tyrunt?"
Koa shook his head. "I revived her, actually."
"She? Well, she is quite the specimen." The boy knelt down and extended his hand. Tyrunt glared, then without warning, charged at him, jaws open. Without hesitation, the Shelgon launched himself forwards and knocked her out of the way. The boy frowned.
Koa grimaced and quickly returned her. "I'm sorry about her. I can't get her to listen to a word I say."
The boy stood up, dusting off his hands. "Do not apologize for her. She is young and stubborn. But she has potential."
"If she ever listens," Koa muttered under his breath. "What's your name, anyway? I never got it last time we met."
"Cade," he replied. "I am a fledgling Dragon Tamer. My ultimate dream is to build a team of dragons from around the world. That is why I hoped to catch your Tyrunt. I must admit, I was quite surprised to see a Kalosian fossil pokemon all the way in Sinnoh. Knowing she is yours certainly clears up that mystery."
Cade might be the strongest opponent later in the series. If he has a Dragonite, Garchomp, and Salamence, with three other newfangled dragons, he might become the strongest dragon trainer in the world!
Koa's eyes lit up. "That would be amazing. I really don't know what to do about her. I feel like I've tried everything. It doesn't feel like she wants to leave, but if she doesn't want to listen maybe that'll be better for her."
"Battle me, let me see," Cade replied. The two trainers walked back down the slope until they found a large enough expanse of flat land for their battle.
Reluctantly, Koa nodded and released her. She emerged with a grunt, glaring at the other boy.
With a dramatic flourish, Cade tossed out a pokeball. A small Gible emerged in a burst of light. Koa's eyes widened. A real Gible!
"That's so cool..." Koa murmured, taking it in. Despite its slightly smaller than average size, it appeared bright-eyed and sturdy. It was fairly young as well.
"This is one of my newer team members. I searched for hours until I found one I connected with. Now, you may have the first attack."
"Tyrunt—" He never got to finish his command. Tyrunt launched herself forwards, jaws primed for a Bite attack.
Neither Cade or Gible moved. Tyrunt drew within striking distance and lunged forwards.
"Now Gible, dodge." Gible expertly leaped to the side, then retaliated with Dragon Breath. The purple flames washed over Tyrunt point blank, knocking her to the ground. She roared and spun, recovering faster than Koa expected. She swung her tail, alight with green draconic energy. The Dragon Tail attack smashed into Gible full force, sending it flying. It landed hard, skidded a couple of feet before it caught itself.
"Now Gible, Dig," Cade called. Gible disappeared underground in a flurry of sand and grit. A moment later, it re-emerged under Tyrunt, knocking into the sky. She flailed wildly as she hurtled through the air.
"Bite!"
Koa groaned. Another loss. As Gible opened its jaws, Tyrunt spun mid-air and smashed the Bite attack with Dragon Tail. The two attacks clashed, generating a wave of energy and throwing both pokemon to the ground. Dust filled the air. As it cleared, both Gible and Tyrunt stood a few feet apart, sides heaving. They were covered in dirt and minute scratches and were obviously almost exhausted. Then, without warning, Tyrunt staggered and collapsed.
Cade nodded thoughtfully as if neither surprised nor excited. He returned Gible, the thoughtful frown still on his face.
"So? What do I do?" Koa asked anxiously. For several moments, Cade didn't reply.
Koa frowned. He'd really hoped for a quick fix, but he guessed that wouldn't be the case. Fortunately, with the two of them working, it took only a couple of minutes to set up camp. Koa released all his pokemon, treating Tyrunt's injuries before setting out food for each of them. Cade merely watched and helped occasionally, saying nothing. Koa found his silence both frustrating and relieving. He wasn't really interested in petty small talk.
Huh... But Koa had dinner already! That means he would have left his cooking equipment back at the spot he was going to camp before, right? Tyrunt ran off and he followed her. Isn't his tent and all his cooking equipment back where he was before? Kind of feels like I might have stumbled on a minor plot hole here.
Once they had a comfortable fire going, Cade released his other pokemon. Altogether, he had a Shelgon, a Dratini, and a Gible, which he'd caught recently. Koa gave up trying to befriend Tyrunt for the night and instead decided to check out Cade's pokemon. His Shelgon reminded him of his Joltik - fierce and only affectionate towards its trainer. Dratini and Gible, however, seemed very playful. They both got along exceedingly well with Echo. Pretty soon the three of them engaged in a makeshift game of tag, swooping and darting about. Hazard joined them briefly, but then retired early to sit in silence with Shelgon.
Cade spoke. "So as you already know, Dragon-type are both very rare, and difficult to train. They tend to be some of the naturally strongest pokemon as well."
Koa nodded quietly.
"Like all pokemon, Dragon-types respond to a trainer's heart."
"So there's something wrong with my heart?" Koa burst out. Cade gave him a level gaze, and he sighed, sitting back. Cade continued.
"Both your Joltik and Golbat respond excellently to you, and you have the beginnings of a strong bond. When most wild pokemon are caught or even fossils revived, a weak link is created between trainer and pokemon." Cade paused to stroke his Shelgon. "But you and Tyrunt lack any kind of link."
Koa's eyes widened. He'd always just assumed they had a poor relationship, not a non-existent one.
"Right now, your Tyrunt does not connect with you. There is a rift. She will not heed a word you say unless you find a way to cross that bridge."
Koa edged forward, staring into Cade's face. "Please, tell me how to cross it then. Should I fight her?"
"No," he replied sharply, looking up. His gaze bored into Koa's own, and he flinched at the intensity there. "Although you may have to one day, battling her now will not help."
"Do you know why she is like this?"
Cade remained silent for a moment, his gaze resting on Tyrunt. She lay a few feet away, sleeping peacefully. "I suspect she is intentionally avoiding bonding with you."
"Why?"
"It's hard to say. If she were my pokemon, I could probably sense why."
"Huh?" Koa asked, tilting his head.
"Any time a trainer specializes in one type, he starts to grow a special connection to that type. It's almost as if he can begin to understand his own pokemon in a new way."
Ooo! So that's why there are so many specialist trainers! Like the elite 4 and gym leaders! Successful multi-type trainers must be rare, but the variety of types gives them an edge to overcome things! Very cool lore. 😎
Koa nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. It explained how specialist trainers remained so strong, despite only having one type. Frustration began to grow in him. Roark hadn't known what to do, and even an expert hadn't. Was there any hope? "Is there anything I can do?"
"Let me sleep on it, and I may have a suggestion come morning."
With a sigh, Koa nodded. He guessed he didn't have much choice. They talked for a few more hours, discussing their journeys and battles. Cade told him how he'd spent two weeks at Wayward Cave, just to find Gible. He also told him how he fought his Bagon six times and lost each time, before finally defeating it in battle and catching it.
Since then, they had remained close friends. He also explained how he was journeying to each region to catch a Dragon-Type. He'd started in Hoenn with Bagon, then traveled to Kanto for Dratini. Now he was here to continue training Gible. As the night approached midnight, they both turned in. Koa felt particularly exhausted and relieved to be sleeping outdoors again. In just a few minutes, he slipped into a pleasant, dreamless sleep.
The following morning, he awoke to the smell of delicious food. Judging by the light from outside his tent, he suspected he'd slept in. With a yawn, he sat up and stretched, then poked his head outside the tent. Cade knelt by the fire, sauteing something in a pan. Whatever it was, smelled amazing. Koa's mouth began to water, and hurriedly got dressed, hoping that there would at least be some leftovers.
Koa grinned and released his pokemon. He controlled himself just long enough to dish some of the meal into their bowls - which looked like some kind of berry and egg scramble - then set upon his own meal like a Munchlax.
Several minutes later, he sat back feeling more full and satisfied than he had since he left Oreburgh. He'd have to start packing more fresh berries next time he trekked through the wilderness. "So, did you come up with anything?" he asked.
Cade nodded. "I believe so. I will be departing today, to continue training my Gible, but I will tell you my advice before I go."
Koa helped him pack his supplies and break camp. Once he was ready to go, Koa stared at him expectantly. Inwardly, he resisted the urge to tap his foot on the ground. Cade had been kind enough to help him, and he didn't want to seem rude.
"So here is what you should do..."
Koa listened to his instructions, his puzzlement growing. They weren't unclear, they just didn't make much sense. Still, he trusted that Cade knew his stuff. When he had gone, Koa broke camp then returned his pokemon, save for Tyrunt, who stood several feet away, staring at him with a bored expression on her face.
"Come," he said, trekking higher up the hill. To his surprise, Tyrunt actually followed, though she remained several steps behind. After a few minutes, he reached the place he was looking for. A small outcropping of flat stone, just big enough for the two of them. With a deep sigh, he sat down. Crossing his legs, he did his best to make himself comfortable. The sun overhead heated the rock below him, keeping him pleasantly warm.
I don't often comment on details, but this bit with the rock and warmth was a nice little detail to add. You don't seem to go overboard with details either, but you provide enough to keep things engaging.
Tyrunt, who until now had amused herself by scratching lines into the stone, looked up.
"Here's the deal. I'm sitting here, on this rock, until you come to me. No matter how. Long. It. Takes." Even as he said it, the idea sounded kind of ridiculous. Still, Cade's instructions had been clear. He was to sit here, meditate, and not attempt to approach Tyrunt under any circumstances. She had to come to him.
For a long time, Koa sat still, letting his thoughts drift. He thought about his journey and his goals. He thought about climbing Mt. Coronet, defeating gyms, and meeting legendaries. He imagined what it would feel like to fight one, then throw a pokeball at it. The day turned to night. He began to doze off. At some point, he awoke again.
He thought about his pokemon, and how he'd encountered each of them. Zubat at the honey tree, and Joltik, who joined him after saving Galvantula. Tyrunt, whom he'd revived, and saved. Why, even after saving her, did she disobey him?... Pulling himself out of his thoughts to look around, he realized it was early morning again. His whole body ached and a chill had settled over his body. Groaning, he stretched his arms and legs. If only Tyrunt were less stubborn... Or more appreciative. He sighed again. It didn't really matter, he supposed. He hadn't saved Tyrunt, or any of his pokemon for that matter, so they would listen to him. He had simply wanted to help.
The day wore on, and Koa lay down, tiredness overwhelming him. Before he knew what happened, he was asleep. His last thought was of hoping Tyrunt understood that she didn't owe him, he saved her because he wanted to. With a start, he awoke sometime later. Blearily, he opened his eyes.
How long had it been? He glanced at his Poketch and his jaw dropped. It'd been well over a day. He glanced over at Tyrunt. She lay curled on the stone a few feet away, eyes wide open. They locked gazes for a moment, and Koa found himself wondering what it would be like to be Tyrunt.
Awakening to an explosion, the flood of sound and sight... The panic from the robbery and encountering the wild Ponyta and Rapidash. Feeling angry and scared, fighting them... Then saved by a stranger. A trainer, calling himself Koa and trying to train her and calling her a friend. He considered all his attempts at befriending her - the food, the fights, the bargaining, the battles.
Koa took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "You know, my cousin Blake had a way of always trying to make me do something, just before I was about to do it. I'd be planning on cleaning my room and then BAM! He'd ask me to clean it. I know he meant well, but it was really annoying." Tyrunt lifted her head slightly, staring at him intensely. "I hated it so much, sometimes I would avoid doing whatever he told me to."
Taking a deep breath, Koa removed his fingerless glove from his right hand. Deliberately, he looked away, then closed his eyes and held out his arm, palm open and outstretched. He let his breathing slow, and he focused his thoughts on Tyrunt. He'd spent so long chasing Tyrunt and trying to make her listen and understand... but maybe he never needed to. Maybe she just needed a chance to come to him.
For several moments, nothing happened. Suddenly he felt a warm breath flow across his hand. He kept his eyes shut, not daring to risk looking at her now, when - a sudden pressure surrounded his hand and entire upper arm. He whipped around just as her jaws closed across his hand. A flash of pain shot up his arm. Without thinking, Koa seized one of her spindly arms with his left hand, yanked her closer, and bit her arm.
A sound the likes of which he'd never heard came from Tyrunt, and she opened her jaws. Koa let her go and she stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in a comical expression of shock. Koa glared back at her. "That'll teach you to bite me," he growled. Slowly, she closed her mouth. Then, a strange sort of smile started to spread across it. A gleam entered her eyes and she made a rumble of approval.
Koa stared at her, perplexed. Then, to his utter shock, she trotted over to him, wriggled her head under his arm, and curled up in his lap.
Now it was Koa's turn to be surprised. He patted her awkwardly, his arm still slightly sore, though he realized she hadn't even come close to puncturing the skin. A wry grin spread across Koa's face. He had no idea if Cade had intended for things to turn out like this, but he supposed it didn't matter. Somehow, it had worked.
It made sense, he reflected - Tyrunt were naturally aggressive pokemon, so he supposed in some strange way, his actions had garnered her respect. His reaction must have shocked her thoroughly though - obviously, she had no intention of injuring him with her bite. He'd seen the kind of strength she was capable of.
Laughter bubbled up inside him, and he started to crack up. "Guess you didn't count on me biting you back, huh?"
Tyrunt snorted at that.
"Well, I'm glad you've finally come around."
Tyrunt gave a pleased rumble and snuggled deeper into his lap.
Shaking his head, he continued to stroke her. "You're a real rascal, you know that?" She thumped her tail gently against his leg in response. Koa shrugged. There was more than one way to befriend a pokemon, he supposed.
You know, not all gym battles HAVE to be hard. If he won one easily it might be pretty cool...
Also, he has that rockslide TM. It's time for Santa to pay up!
Closing thoughts:
Fantastic chapter! Great scenes, vibes, and suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed how he handled things with Tyrunt. I want to see him crush opponents in the next chapter. Hopefully we will get some of that. I feel like all his training and stuff should allow that to happen.
I’m here for the review blitz!
The main character of this fic seems to be Koa, who lives in Canalave City and seems to have an interest in legendary pokemon. Another character introduced around the beginning of the fic is Blake, who is Koa’s cousin. Blake also seems to own an Absol which he borrows to Koa, though it doesn’t seem to have a nickname, at least one that has been introduced yet.
The “perfect team” that Koa wants, seems to partially have popular pokemon for Sinnoh playthrough teams (such as Shinx, Starly, Gyarados, and Gible), though some of the other choices are less common for playthrough teams. (such as Tyrouge and maybe Nidoran) I am curious regarding why you picked these specific pokemon, or if you simply chose them randomly.
Rowan seems to still be the region’s professor, which feels a bit strange considering it was previously stated that Team Galactic’s defeat was a long time ago, implying that the fic takes place after the Sinnoh games. Rowan is already quite old during the Sinnoh games, so it’s surprising to see he hasn’t retired yet.
The mysterious figure riding a Zebstrika is quite intriguing, and I feel like we will be getting some kind of explanation later!
Zubat finally shows up! Since I have already seen you talk about this fic on the discord server, I feel like I know what will happen to this Zubat. Koa decides to heal the Zubat as an act of kindness, followed by him solving a dispute between Aipom and Zubat. This shows that Koa is a kind trainer, which I appreciate.
After getting attacked by a wild Mightyena,he gets saved by a Zubat, which I assume is the same one as the one shown earlier. Also, it’s interesting that the scene mentions “perhaps it was the pokemon gods smiling upon him” instead of specifically saying Arceus. Is this intentional?
Koa’s full name being Koamaru Averon is a nice little detail!
The five kids’s introductions make me believe one of them might possibly have some kind of rival role. While I don’t know if the other kids will all have a role in the story, I would not be surprised if at least one of them were involved in the plot.
I liked Koa’s excitement in the scene where he got his trainer’s license.
The Regirock sighting in Ore Caverns is quite interesting, though I do not remember such a place in the games. Is this a place you made up or am I just misremembering?
Zubat seems to have taken a liking to Koa, considering how he seems to be clinging to him. After that, Koa proceeds to accidentally catch Zubat. His disappointed reaction is a great ending to the chapter, and I am excited to read more!
