I know I should have expected it. None of the Gyms thus far are what I'd expect for a place where big Pokemon battles are supposed to take place. Of course, Driftveil Gym, located at the top of a knoll on the outskirts of Driftveil City, is no different, but this time it's not even big enough for a Pokemon battle. It's basically a small simple white structure, just big enough to be a two-room cabin. I'd have no idea this place was even a Gym, if not for the sign next to the entrance, saying, “Driftveil Gym. Leader: Clay, The Underground Boss.”
As Cheren and I stand in front of the 'Gym's' front door, just a simple white door, with an aging doorknob, I say, “Well, Gyms sure haven't stopped catching us off-guard.”
Cheren pauses in thought, then says, “Clay appears to fancy himself, 'The Underground Boss,' so maybe this place is like Castelia Gym, where the building is just at the surface, while the actual arena is underground. Also, the title implies that 'the Boss' specializes in ground-types.”
“Well, that's cheery news,” I say, not using that statement sarcastically for once, “I have Dewott and you have Serperior.”
“We also both have flying-types,” Cheren adds, “They can dodge ground attacks with ease.”
“Alright, then!” I say grinning, “We totally--”
“Let's not instantly believe we 'got this,' as you like to put it, Ria,” Cheren cuts in, always having a mood-killing statement ready, “Both of us have a good number of badges, after all. Clay no doubt has tricks prepared for trainers of our levels.”
“Well, whatever,” I say, “All we gotta do is put our faith in our Pokemon and stay on our tippy-toes, right?”
“Spoken like a true trainer,” says Cheren, smiling wryly, “Let's get this challenge underway.”
Cheren twists the doorknob, and we enter the supposed Gym. Inside, the inner wall is pained white, just like the outer wall, decorated with painted pictures of Clay, surrounded by gold frames (no egomania here). There is a door in the back of the room, and a blue carpet covers the floor.
Finally, we see Clay at the leftmost side of the room, leaned back in a chair, using his mahogany desk as a footrest, and barking into a Xtranceiver at someone, “Why are ya even callin' me about this? I'm expectin' ya ta git yer job done, so git yer job done. If ya don't there're at least a hundred applicants that would love ta take yer place. Now, I'm busy, so git back ta work!” Clay snaps the Xtransceiver shut, and turns his attention to Cheren and me, his demeanor taking a complete 180, “Well, if it ain't my former employees... Rio and Cherry, was it?”
“It's Cheren,” says Cheren flatly, clearly no amused by the mistaken name of 'Cherry,' while I'm trying to suppress a laugh; I can't believe I never thought of that nickname myself, “Don't you remember the names of your own employees?”
Clay looks at us smugly, “Hey, I pay my employees enough credits to afford a condo in Undella Town. Beyond that, I owe th' lot of 'em nothin'. Anywho, th' two of ya must be here fer yer Gym battle. Since I gave ya those gift cards, I now owe ya nothin' fer yer help, so I ain't goin' easy on ya'll.”
“Fine by me,” I say, “We're not gonna become any stronger if you go easy on us.”
“Likewise,” says Cheren, “We are aiming to become the strongest trainers possible. We're expecting you to to use your full power, as the Pokemon League permits you for trainers of our level.”
Clay grins, “I like th' two of ya. Yer like me; Always aimin' fer th' top, doin' what it takes ta git there. I'm gonna enjoy our little showdown. Follow me, will ya?” Clay gets up from his desk, and walks to the door at the far side of the room, with Cheren and me following behind.
The room beyond Clay's office is the polar opposite in terms of appearance: with a concrete floor, and drab gray walls, with absolutely no decorations, whatsoever, and plenty of dust bunnies. It also looks greatly aged, compared to the other room, and I wonder if the office was a more recent installment, and this room represents what the building originally was. Only one thing looks recent: an electronic sign on the wall, which scrolls through a long list of qualified trainers.
In the middle of the drab room, there is a platform, with a control console. We stand on it, and Clay presses a button. With that, after a brief metallic creak, the platform lowers into the earth. We descend into a dark shaft, with only the yellow lights at the platform's corners providing illumination.
As we descend, Clay decides to strike up some trivia, “Welcome, kids, to th' place where I made my first million... and my second... my third, too. When I was a lad, I came to this here land, once known as Driftveil Town, made up of nothin' but a few cheap shacks, and let my ground Pokemon play around a bit... and completely by chance, they found evolution stones... lotsa evolution stones of all kinds, and I began my own mining business, which made me money beyond what I had any right ta expect. From there, I learned all I could about business, and Driftveil Town, a nowhere place in th' boonies, turned into Driftveil City, a civilization that'll no doubt supersede Castelia City within a decade. Yup, sometimes all it takes is one good moment in a man's life to turn it around.”
“Interesting story,” says Cheren, “It seems you were very lucky.”
“Damn straight,” says Clay, “How about th' two of ya? Ever wanted ta be rich?”
I answer, “It doesn't sound bad, but I'm not sure what I'd do with even half the money you have...”
Ironically, Clay laughs heartily, “Haw haw haw! Good answer. Yup, money is power, and ya can do a lotta things with it, but sometimes it's th' simple things in life that are th' best. That's why I'm a Gym Leader, even though life would be much less hectic if I weren't. There was a time I wanted to be a great trainer, but I found a fortune instead. Of course, I can't forget what my dreams were before, so Pokemon battles are a good reminder of that. Ask yerselves if ya truly love bein' trainers, and how long ya plan ta keep doin' this. Are ya gonna make a lifelong career of it, or are ya gonna move on someday?”
I think about it for a moment. That's a very good question. I mean, I like being a trainer, and I plan to stick with my Pokemon for as long as I live, but when I start doing this for a while, then what? Will I still be a trainer, or will I end up doing... something else? I realize just how little thought I'd given to my future.
Of course, Cheren doesn't need to think about his answer at all, “I plan to be a trainer for the rest of my life, and become the Champion. That's what I'd devoted my life to.”
Clay nods in understanding, “Ya seem pretty sure of yerself, there. Well, if ya have a big goal, keep pursuin' it, y'hear?” Clay has no idea just how much meaning there is behind Cheren's answer.
---
As we descend deeper into the earth, the hotter it becomes, and I'd have brought water along if I knew this was gonna be the case. Finally, the ride down stops, and we arrive in a tunnel. It's dimly lit, but not by artificial lighting. Instead, the place is illuminated by large crags sticking from the walls and ceiling, which crackle with blue electricity.
“What is this place?” asks Cheren.
Clay spreads his arms, “Th' old mine, as it expanded, eventually connected to part of the Chargestone Cavern, located off Route 6. This is a small part of it.”
I look around, admiring the calming blue light emitting from the electricity, “It's a pretty place.”
“C'mon,” says Clay, walking ahead, “Th' battlefield's just up ahead.”
Clay leads us a quarter-mile through the tunnel, until we reach a large area, with a high ceiling, about sixty feet up, with large electric stones protruding from all around, altogether giving off a great deal of bluish illumination. The middle of the area has a battlefield carved into it. Looks like this is where the battle's gonna take place. That was quite a trip.
Upon our arrival, a group of tiny yellow electric bug Pokemon, called Joltik, skitter away, deeper into the cavern. Clay walks toward the far end of the battlefield, where there is a machine of some sort, with six trays on its top, like the kind used to teleport Pokeballs, using the Pokemon Transfer System. Clay takes out his Xtransceiver, enters a frequency, and mutters something into it so quietly, Cheren and I can't hear him. By the time he reaches the other end of the field, four Pokeballs appear in four of the machine's trays with a flash, each with brown centers. It looks like Cheren was spot-on with the ground-type theory.
Clay glances back at us, “Ya ready? Let's git this battle started.”
“Um... Aren't you gonna ask who you wanna fight first?” I ask.
“Aw, I'm a tough man, so I'll fight th' botha ya,” says Clay, “Th' rules fer this here match'll be be double-tag, two-and-two-on-four. Th' two of ya'll battle against me, and you'll be usin' two Pokemon each, and I'll be usin' four. Two of my Pokemon are used fer three-badge battles, and the other two fer four-badge battles, so ya can consider this here Gym battle a three-and-a-half-badge battle.”
“You want to fight both of us?” asks Cheren, “Isn't that against Pokemon League regulations for Gym battles?”
Clay waves his hand dismissively, “Aw, what th' league don't know won't hurt 'em. Yeah, I gonna fight th' both of ya. One more thin', by th' way. Even if ya win this here battle, but one of ya gits th' botha yer Pokemon knocked out, that person ain't gittin' no badge.”
“So if we're both to get a badge, both of our Pokemon have to be standing?” I ask to confirm.
“Ya got it,” says Clay, “Ya done askin' questions? Let's git started, then!” He grabs two of the Pokeballs from the trays behind him, and waits for Cheren and me to decide which our first Pokemon will be. For me, it's a no-brainer: Dewott, all the way. Cheren, on the other hand, take a little longer, and I'm having trouble understanding why. C'mon, send out Serperior! Grass-types have a total advantage over ground-types! What about this is rocket science?
Cheren makes his selection, and the three of us toss our Pokeballs into the field, “Let's do this, Dewott!”
“Froslass! You're up first!”
“Let's do this here thing, Torterra! Claydol!”
The two Pokemon Clay sends out are a huge green turtle-like Pokemon, about seven and a half feet in length, with brown legs and underbelly, and a small tree growing out of its shell, and a levitating round five foot tall black Pokemon, with stubby legs and arms, and large red eyes ringed around its body.
As for Cheren, he sends out a four foot tall white Pokemon, floating a couple inches off the ground, with a body resembling a kimono, complete with a red sash, and arms that hang from the sides of her head, which looks mask-like, with purple skin behind it. This Pokemon used to be the Snorunt Cheren caught in the Cold Storage Dome, and it still was for a couple days into the training, until he finally used his Dawn Stone, evolving it into the Pokemon that's with him now: Froslass, the Snow Land Pokemon, an ice/ghost-type.
If I were Cheren, I'd have gone with Serperior, but Froslass is a pretty good choice too for fighting ground-types. I guess he wants to see how she'll perform in a Gym battle...
Both of the Pokemon Clay sent out are ground-types, of course, but both have secondary types as well, according to the Pokedex, with the turtle-like Pokemon, Torterra, being a grass/ground-type, and the floating Pokemon with the red eyes, Claydol, being a ground/psychic-type.
Cheren smirks, no doubt at his good fortune, seeing as Torterra has a critical weakness to ice attacks.
The battle begins. Clay commands, “Torterra, Dewott is all yers! Claydol, guard Torterra!”
“Tort!” Torterra turns toward Dewott.
“Dol!” Claydol hovers close to its partner.
Cheren commands, “Froslass! Break through Claydol if you have to, then take Torterra down! Ice Beam!”
I give my own command, “Dewott! Leave Torterra to Froslass, and focus on Claydol! Razor Shell!”
“Lass.”
“Dew!” Our respective Pokemon respond to our commands.
Dewott unsheathes one of his scallops (which are actually called 'scalchops,' as I found out, when I did some further research on the Discipline Pokemon with my Pokedex), and charges toward Torterra and Claydol, with a heightened amount of agility. Froslass, however, is much faster. Floating above the ground, she glides swiftly, almost as if she's ice skating, appropriately enough, dodging a psychic blast from Claydol with ease, circles around to Torterra's back, and stops as she extends her arm, her hand radiating light blue energy, charging to fire a ray of ice.
“Claydol!” yells Clay, “Counter that there Ice Beam with Gyro Ball!”
“Doool...” Claydol's body radiates a silver color, and it starts spinning rapidly, its eyes blending together in a solid red blur. Froslass fires her Ice Beam, but Claydol intercepts it before it can hit Torterra, and beam and Pokemon clash. Claydol should normally be weak against an ice-type attack, but according to the Pokedex, the move Claydol is using, Gyro Ball, is a steel-type move, and as long as the ground/psychic-type is using that attack, it's resistant to Ice Beam.
Moving against the Ice Beam, attack, Claydol closes in on Froslass, at least until Cheren commands, “Froslass! More power!” Froslass fires a beam from her other hand, to join the first, and Claydol is pushed back about a foot, before it pushes against the attack again, albeit much slower this time. I guess Cheren is trying to break through Claydol's defenses. If Froslass stops her counterattack, she'll be hit for sure.
Meanwhile, I have my own battle to worry about. Dewott, while rushing in to help Froslass is countered by Torterra.
“Leaf Storm!” Clay commands. A flurry of razor sharp leaves shoot from the tree on Torterra's shell, and at Dewott, who positions his scalchops in front of him to deflect the projectiles as they come. Working swiftly, Dewott defends against most of the leaves, but other get through his defenses, leaving steaming cuts. Finally, the grass/ground-type's onslaught ends, and it stands in place out of breath. I guess that attack takes a lot out of it, though that attack definitely took quite a bit out of Dewott as well.
I was so preoccupied with the fact that Froslass is an ice-type, and supposedly has a big advantage in this battle, that I forgot Dewott has an ice-type attack as well, and realize that the Snow Land Pokemon isn't the only one here capable of taking down Torterra.
“Ice Beam!” I command. Dewott's scalchops glow light blue, and he thrusts them at Torterra, sending a cold laser its way.
“Withdraw and recover your strength!” Clay counter-commands. At that order, Torterra's head and legs disappear into its shell, and at the last second, Ice Beam attack harmlessly leaves a small patch of ice on it, with white blue flames surrounding it. Still, with Torterra out of action for the moment, it's time to assist Froslass! In my peripheral vision, I can see that Froslass's defense against Claydol isn't going so well, and her Ice Beam attack ends as a result of the ice/ghost-type's exhaustion. No longer being countered by Froslass's attack, Claydol closes in.
“Use Aqua Jet, and intercept Claydol!” I command Dewott. The Discipline Pokemon breaks into an instantaneous dash, his training making him faster than ever, and within a second, he's between Claydol and Froslass. Apparently, Torterra's Leaf Storm attack did a ton of damage, as when Dewott holds out his scalchops, Torrent takes effect, resulting in blue auras extending from them to take the shape of swords, which Dewott positions in front of him in a X shape to catch Claydol.
The spinning Claydol connects with the swords, sparks flying, and Dewott struggles to hold his ground as they deadlock.
“Cheren!” I yell, “While Claydol is busy, take care of Torterra!”
Cheren nods in response, and commands, “Froslass! Take this opportunity to attack Torterra!”
“Lass!” Froslass bolts away from Dewott and Claydol, and over to Torterra, who is emerging from its shell, clearly since hiding isn't doing much good.
Cheren and Clay give their commands at the same time, “Froslass! Ice Beam!”
“Torterra! Earthquake!”
Froslass extends her arm, preparing to deliver another frozen attack, while Torterra pushes itself up, so that its standing on its hind legs, ready to pound down hard on the ground with its fronts.
Torterra slams the ground, while Froslass fires her Ice Beam. The ice-type attack connects with the grass/ground-type's head, causing light-blue flames to burst from it, while there is a powerful vibration throughout the arena, and I guess the cavern is pretty well-fortified, as I'd expect something like this to result in a cave-in. Cheren, Clay, and I try to maintain out footing, while Claydol disengages Dewott and levitates upward, and the ground bursts beneath Dewott and Floslass, slashing them with subterranean stones that erupt up. Still, right after the attack, Torterra collapses in a heap, so at least that's one down on Clay's end.
Froslass is knocked onto her back, while Dewott is down on one knee, shakily using his scallop-swords for support. Needless to say, both of our Pokemon are in rough shape from that Earthquake attack.
Clay recalls Torterra, and barks to Claydol, “Claydol! Finish Dewott off with Charge Beam!”
Claydol's lower end starts to crackle with electricity. With Dewott barely able to move, there's no way he's gonna dodge it, so all he can do right now is counterattack! “Dewott!” I yell, “Counter Claydol with Ice Beam! Now!”
“Dewwww...” Dewott continues leaning on one sword, while he slowly levels the other up at Claydol... keyword being 'slowly.' Being quicker on the draw, Claydol fires an electric beam, which pierces through the Discipline Pokemon, leaving a steaming wound. Reaching his threshold, Dewott loses his grip on his weapons and falls onto his back. It looks like he's down.
“Nice try, Dewott!” I say, holding out the water-type's Pokeball, “Return!”
Clay grabs his next Pokeball. Meanwhile, Froslass, as she gets back upright, sends another Ice Beam attack Claydol's way, but the ground/psychic-type dodges it, like it say it coming from a mile away... and probably did, seeing as it has eyes ringed around its body, and therefore has 360-degree vision. Crap... that Pokemon doesn't have much in the way of blind spots...
Clay sends out his next Pokemon, “Yer up, Excadrill!” On Clay's end, a mole-like Pokemon with a dark body, covered in red streaks, long metal claws, as well as a metal horn on its head, appears.
I think about which Pokemon to send out next. My first impulse is to send out Gallade, since he knows Leaf Blade, but I'm so hung up on Claydol's lack of blind spots that I second-guess it. We need something that can counter Claydol's vision...
I have an idea, but it's a controversial choice, as it's not a Pokemon a trainer should send out against ground-types. Still, it has a move that can cripple Claydol's vision, and seeing as the Pokemon Clay just sent out, Excadrill, is a steel-type, as well as a ground-type, it's not a choice that just has a single use. Okay... Let's see how this works out...
I send out my next, and last, Pokemon, “Magmar! Let's do this!” The Spitfire Pokemon appears on my end.
Clay laughs, “A fire-type? Haw haw haw! I wasn't expectin' that from a four-badge trainer, darlin'!”
“Mar! Mar!” Magmar shouts at Clay indignantly.
“I hope you know what you're doing, Ria,” says Cheren, which warrants a glare from Magmar, “even if our side wins, if Magmar gets knocked out, you won't get a badge.”
“Yeah, I know,” I mumble.
“Awright...” says Clay, “Th' girl is down to 'er last Pokemon, so let's see to it that th' boy is too! Froslass is yer primary target, so take 'er out, y'hear? Excadrill! Dig! Claydol! Psychic attack!”
“Exca!”
“Dol!” Clay's Pokemon respond.
“Magmar!” I shout, “Take Excadrill down with Flamethrower!”
“Mar!” Magmar charges across the arena at Excrdrill, takes a deep breath, and blows out a powerful burst of fire, which had increased in rage since his training with the Power Lens. However, the Spitfire Pokemon wasn't fast enough, as Excadrill swiftly slashed away at the ground, and went under before the attack could hit. As for Claydol, it starts firing powerful blasts of psychic-type energy at Froslass, who quickly, but narrowly avoids the attacks.
I command Magmar to use the move I intended to counter Claydol's vision with, “Magmar! Blind Claydol with Smokescreen!”
“Maaaaaaar!” Magmar inhales, and then blows a thick cloud of smoke at Claydol, while it's preoccupied with Froslass.
Claydol get engulfed in black haze. It tries flying outside the cloud, but a ring of smoke follows it, like a blindfold. Still, Claydol tries to remain on the offensive, and fires a psychic blast, which ended up being so far off-target, Froslass didn't even need to dodge.
Cheren glances at me with a slight smile, “Good going, Ria... Alright then...” Cheren shouts out to the Snow Land Pokemon, “Froslass! Hit Claydol with Shadow Ball!”
“Froooooos!” Froslass raises her arms, and a gray orb materializes above her, gradually growing. Claydol attempts to counterattack with another psychic blast, but Froslass leaps back, avoiding it. Finally, once the orb is the size of the average beach ball, she hurls it at the ground/psychic-type.
The Shadow Ball attack scores a direct hit, and Claydol tumbles to the ground. It still has some fight left in it, though, since it slowly starts levitating again.
As Froslass is about to launch a follow-up attack on Claydol, however, she notices the ground underneath her starting to shift, and she leaps back, just as Excadrill bursts out of the ground, attempting an uppercut with its razor-sharp claws, which just manages to graze the ice/ghost-type.
As Froslass is about to attempt a counterattack, however, Excadrill rakes its claws through the ground, and hurls a combination of dirt and mud into Froslass's face, stunning her, “Laass...”
Looking smug, Clay points at Excadrill, “Awright, Excadrill! Time ta finish it off! Metal Claw!”
“Excaaaaa!” Excrdrill's claws being to glow, and it leaps toward Froslass, who is trying to regain her sight, after being blinded by the Drill Pokemon's dirty trick. Magmar rushes in to help his ally out, but it doesn't look like he's gonna get over there in time...
Cheren frantically yells, “Quick, Froslass! Destiny Bond!”
“Lass...” Froslass's body begins to pulse with dark gray energy.
Clay shouts to Excadrill, “Gah! W-wait! Hold it, Excadrill!”
Too late. Excadrill rakes Froslass with its claws, leaving three steaming scars on her body. As she slumps to the ground, however, Excadrill gets engulfed by dark gray energy, and it falls to the ground in unison with the Snow Land Pokemon. Both Pokemon are down.
Cheren recalls Froslass, “Great work, Froslass. Rest easy.”
Clay recalls Excadrill, and growls, “Destiny Bond... I hate that damned move. Yer a clever boy, Cherry!” This time, I don't think the error in naming was an accident...
Clay reaches for his last Pokeball, and sends out his last Pokemon, “Awright! Yer up next, Mamoswine!”
The last Pokemon that appears on Clay's end is an eight foot long brown creature, with a pig-nose and elephant tusks. According to my Pokedex, this Pokemon, Mamoswine, is a ground/ice-type.
As for Cheren, he pauses as he thinks about which his last Pokemon should be. Of course, I mentally scream at him to make the obvious choice of Serperior. Sure, Mamoswine is part ice-type, which could be a problem for the grass-type, but Magmar can easily back her up against that. C'mon, Cheren!
Cheren looks at Claydol, then a Magmar, finally makes his choice, and sends out his second Pokemon, still deciding not to make any by-the-book Pokemon choices, “Go! Kirlia!” With that declaration, Cheren's Kirlia appears.
Kirlia? It's not a bad Pokemon, or anything, but out of Cheren's Pokemon, she'd be one of my last choices for this battle. Still, seeing as I, myself, already made a controversial Pokemon choice, I'm in no position to call Cheren out on it.
Clay laughs, “Haw haw haw! I was thinkin' ya wanted a badge!”
“Kir kir!” Kirlia glares at Clay icily.
“You haven't won yet,” states Cheren.
“Aw, whatever,” says Clay, “Mamoswine, ya can take th' both of 'em down easily. Earthquake!”
“Mamooooooo!” Mamoswine squats down, like it's preparing to jump.
“Quick, Kirlia!” shouts Cheren loudly, “Skill Swap! First Claydol, then Magmar!”
“Um... What?” I question.
With a mighty leap, Mamoswine propels itself several feet into the air, almost touch the ceiling. While that's going on, Kirlia points one of her arms at Claydol, and there is a pink flash between them. Then, slightly lifting off the ground, Kirlia points her other arm at Magmar, and there's another flash.
“Mag?”
“Cheren, what are you...?” I'm cut off by an unusual sight: Magmar is... flying? Well, levitating is probably more like it, but still, he's off the ground! Magmar moves his legs, running on empty air, but quickly gets adjusted.
“Ria!” yells Cheren.
I snap out of my trance. I'll have time to ask questions later. All I know now is that Magmar is flying somehow, which will make Earthquake useless against him, but Kirlia, whose body is now pink and radiating heat, is not so lucky.
Mamoswine slams the ground hard, and the cave shakes violently.
“Magmar!” I yell, “Help Kirlia! Quick!”
“Mar mar!” Magmar flies over to Kirlia, grabs her outstretched arm, and lifts her off the ground, just as the surface under her explodes. The jagged rocks still slash up her ankles a bit, and Magmar takes some scrapes as well, but both of them the full force of the Earthquake attack. Kirlia climbs up Magmar's arm and clings to his back.
While Magmar and Kirlia managed to avoid Mamoswine's Earthquake attack, however, it still managed to hit one target: Claydol, which I now noticed was laying helpless on the ground.
Cheren explains, “Kirlia's Skill Swap allows her to trade abilities with her target. First, she took Claydol's Levitate ability, preventing its flight, and taking the skill for herself, then passed it on to Magmar.”
“I see,” I say, “So that's the reason Kirlia is all pink and hot now? Because she gave Magmar Levitate in exchange for Flame Body?”
“That's right.”
After the hit it took from Earthquake, Claydol stirs around for a little bit, but then lays still. Three down, one to go!
Growling, Clay recalls Claydol, “Well ain't you somethin', boy! Still, I'm gonna see to it that at least one of yer Pokemon goes down before this is over!”
“Try it!” I challenge Clay, “With Magmar flying, and Kirlia being his passenger, ground-type attacks are no good against either of them!”
“Oh, I still have tricks, missy!” says Clay, “Mamoswine! Hail!”
“Mamoooooo!” With Clay's command, the temperature in the cave suddenly plummets by about sixty degrees, if not more, and snow suddenly materializes around Mamoswine, and swirls around it, spreading outward to the point, where the confines of the battlefield turns into a tiny localized snowstorm. It's very thick, and while we can see the Pokemon, we can't see to the other side of it, where Clay is.
The storm extends upward, causing Magmar and Kirlia to get caught up in it. It buffets them a little, but Magmar stays afloat, with Kirlia clinging to him tightly.
“Okay...” I say, “So Mamoswine made a snowstorm. Whatever. Magmar! Swoop down, and use Flamethrower!”
“Mar!” Magmar descends toward Mamoswine, inhales, and releases a powerful blast of fire. Just before the attack would have hit, however, Mamoswine suddenly vanishes, and a few seconds later, reappears well away from where it was originally standing.
“What?” I exclaim.
Cheren observes, “Its ability must be Snow Cloak. Froslass has the same skill. I would have used that very strategy, if Hail didn't hinder your Pokemon...”
“That's right,” says Clay, “As long as this here snowstorm's goin' on, Mamoswine can hide in it and reappear anywhere. Ya ain't hittin' 'im!”
I command, “Stay afloat, Magmar, while we think of a plan!”
“Mar!” Magmar ascends higher, well out of Mamoswine's reach.
“Ain't gonna work!” taunts Clay, “Mamoswine! Blizzard!”
“Mamooo!” with another cry, the already-low temperature in the cave drops even further, probably into the negatives, which sucks, seeing as Cheren and I aren't dressed the way we were in the Cold Storage Dome. There is a blast of wind, which almost knocks us off our feet, followed by another that does. The snowstorm becomes thicker, and we can't even see our Pokemon anymore.
A few seconds of that unpleasantness later, the temperature rises slightly, and the snowstorm thins a bit. When we can see our Pokemon again, Magmar is still airborne, but it seems Kirlia was blown off, and is now on the ground, and her hands and knees, looking about as good as someone who had just taken a thirty foot drop can. The Emotion Pokemon shakily gets back upright.
“Kirlia!” yells Cheren.
“Awright, Mamoswine,” says Clay, “Time ta finish off Kirlia. Use Take Down!”
Cheren frantically looks around the arena, and finally, Mamoswine appears directly behind Kirlia, charging at the psychic-type. He yells, “Kirlia! Behind you!”
Reacting quickly, Kirlia leaps to the side, avoiding the full force of Mamoswine's charge, but still gets grazed by its tusks. Kirlia turns and attempts to counter by firing a psychic blast at the ground/ice-type's backside, but it disappears into the snowstorm.
Not good! Kirlia can't take much more. “Magmar!” I yell, “Get down, and cover Kirlia!”
“Mar mar!” Magmar descends, and hovers near Kirlia, looking for where Mamoswine will appear next.
Clay laughs, “Haw haw haw! Now you can git 'em both! Use Take Down again!”
“Kirlia!” shouts Cheren, “Use Magical Leaf!”
“Kir!” A bunch of glowing leaves materialize around Kirlia, and she launches them.
The leaves arc around in midair, and fly toward Mamoswine, who appears at Magmar and Kirlia's left flank at a charge. Just before they hit, however, Mamoswine vanishes again.
Clay says, “Mamoswine will just dodge anythin' ya try! That attack ain't gonna hit.”
Cheren grins slightly, “Who said I plan for the attack to hit?”
“What?”
The leaves are circling around in midair, clearly waiting for Mamoswine to appear again, and I get what Cheren means. They'll home in on Mamoswine, and reveal where it's coming from! Geez, Cheren's totally on top of things this time!
The leaves suddenly shoot toward the area behind Magmar and Kirlia, and with that, I command, “Magmar! Follow the leaves and use Flamethrower!”
“Mag!” Magmar whirls around, and blows a powerful blast of fire, which catches Mamoswine off-guard, and it charges right into it. Flames and steam erupt out of Mamoswine's front end, and it stands stunned.
Cheren nods, and we command out Pokemon to deliver their finishing moves, “Magmar! Take it down with Fire Blast!”
“Kirlia! Psychic attack!”
Magmar takes a deep breath, and blows out a huge fireball the size of an exercise ball. At the same time, Kirlia extends her arms in front of her, and fires a powerful pink blast of psychic energy. Both attacks slam into Mamoswine, and it collapses, not even trying to get back up.
Cheren and I glance at each other, and smile. Oh, man! We totally did it! It was a close call for Cheren, but his smarts really helped us out in that tight spot! Magmar and Kirlia nod at each other, and share a hi-five.
“Ah, damn...” sighs Clay as he recalls Mamoswine. As soon as the ground/ice-type disappears with a flash, the snowstorm subsides, the temperature greatly increases, and the relief is immediate.
Clay returns his four Pokeballs to the trays on the machine, and they vanish. He then squats down, and pulls something out of a compartment, on the contraptions lower end, no doubt the badges we'd won.
At the same time, however, Kirlia's body becomes enveloped in a pink aura, and Magmar's glows bright red, followed by his body becoming completely engulfed in fire.
“Huh? What's up, Magmar?” I question.
Cheren says, “Kirlia... you're... evolving?”
Sure enough, Kirlia becomes a pink silhouette, which changes shape. She becomes taller, matching Gallade's height, her 'tutu' thing expands and extends into a full gown, the horns disappear from her head, and reappears, jutting through her chest. The pink light disappears, revealing the spikes on the side of her face, and her hair, which had shifted into two curls.
While Kirlia was changing shape, Magmar was still veiled in flame, but when it cleared, he became a completely different Pokemon. He'd become much bulkier, and now stands at a height of a little over five feet, despite having legs that are short in comparison to what Magmar looked like. His duck-like bill disappeared, and a mouth with pink lips appeared in its place. The two flames on his head had fused together into one flame, his shoulders are completely ablaze, and his tail had become one large mass of fire. There are four pink spikes extending out of his back, and finally, his arms are thick and yellow.
The Pokemon Kirlia had evolved into matches the picture Professor Juniper showed me of Gallade's alternate form: Gardevoir. My Pokedex gives additional info that it's called the Embrace Pokemon, and it, unlike Gallade, is 100% psychic-type.
As for the Pokemon Magmar evolved into, my Pokedex identifies it as Magmortar, the Blast Pokemon, a fire-type.
The two new Pokemon shout out in their new cries, “Gardevoooir!”
“Mag... mortar!” Magmortar's right hand sinks into his arm, and he raises it aloft. With his arm now resembling a cannon, he fires a sizeable blast of fire toward the cave's ceiling. Oh man! First Gallade's blades, and now, Magmortar's cannons! This is too cool. After a week of hard training, it looks like the Magmarizer's energy finally worked its magic!
“Magma-- I mean, Magmortar!” I shout, “Dude, you look awesome and stronger than ever!”
Magmortar grins in response, “Mort!”
Cheren says, smiling, “Congratulations, Gardevoir. Your power will no doubt be helpful for the battles ahead.”
“Gardevoir...” Gardevoir holds her gown outward and respectfully curtsies.
Cheren and I recall our newly evolved Pokemon, just as Clay approaches, “Well, ya kids sure showed me. Boy, yer brains, and girl, yer Pokemon's brawn, were one heckuva combination, so it's no wonder I lost this here battle.” Clay holds his hands out toward us, each with a brown pin, looking like a chunk of subterranean earth, cut in half, “Ya won, so I'm givin' th' botha ya th' Quake Badge!”
Cheren and I take our badges. I pin mine to my vest, and Cheren pins his to his jacket.
“Thanks,” I say.
“Yes, thank you,” adds Cheren.
---
Clay takes us back to the surface, gives us a prize money reward befitting of a gazillionaire, of 10,000 credits, and we walk out of the building, en route to the Pokemon Center.
“Dude, I envy you,” I say to Cheren, “I never would have thought of the stuff you did during that battle...”
“You did well enough,” says Cheren, “Besides, that move you used to hinder Claydol's sight advantage shows that you are, in fact, capable of strategy, so you needn't be too hard on yourself.”
“Thanks, man,” I say, “So... um... The next town along the way is Mistralton City, so that's where we're headed next.”
“Actually, that's where you are headed next,” says Cheren, “As for me, I'm going to return to Castelia City and challenge Burgh again.”
“Are you sure you can do it this time?” I ask, “I mean, he beat you in a two-badge Gym battle, so how do you think a four-badge battle will go?”
“I imagine I should do well enough,” says Cheren, “Combusken has a complete advantage over bug-types. I can't imagine Staravia is too far from evolving, and Froslass, as a ghost-type, is strong against bug-type attacks.”
“Ghost-types are strong against...? Good to know,” I say, having learned a new lesson.
---
Cheren and I head to the Pokemon Center, and get our guys fixed up. From there, we go to the Driftveil City-Route 6 checkpoint, located at the western end of Driftveil, where, after we wish each other luck, we part company. Cheren waits for the subway, which will take him to Nimbasa City, and from there, Castelia City, while I move on ahead to Route 6.
Route 6 is a nice little secluded place. It's a forest path, which runs alongside a creek. Of course, the rain is still falling, but I try to think of what this Route would look like on a nice day. The water seems clean, and I imagine the sun reflecting off of it. Man, talk about bad timing...
In a forested area nearby, I see a herd of deer-like Pokemon rush by: Deerlings and Sawsbucks... Professor Juniper told us about them once. Apparently, they change form, according to the season. Since it's the middle of summer, their fur is green. According to the Pokedex, they are normal/grass-types. The thought of catching one of them, and filling my team's remaining sixth slot, crosses my mind, but they are clean out of sight before I can do anything. I totally hesitated on that one.
The Professor mainly gave Bianca, Cheren, and me pointers on how to be responsible Pokemon trainers, how the various trainer gadgets, like Pokeballs, work, and survival tips, like not wandering around at night, especially while you're still a fledgling trainer (which I screwed up to follow through on), not doing anything to provoke more aggressive Pokemon, like Gyarados, and not to drink water-type water (which one of Cheren's ancestors screwed up to follow through on).
However, she occasionally gave basic tips on Pokemon battling, and one point she stressed was to catch Pokemon of various types and be prepared for anything. Of course, I zoned out a lot of the time, and several such lessons about Pokemon match-ups flew over my head, as I thought all I needed was a fighting-type and fire-type to get by, thinking they were the best Pokemon types there are... Geez, was I really like that at one point? It's hard to believe now...
As I walk, I take my notebook, which now has all but a few pages filled, out of my supply bag, and look over the stuff I learned. My sixth Pokemon... I need to be mindful of what kind of Pokemon I need to round out my current team.
I think about the Gyms I'd fought so far. Grass, Normal, Bug, Electric, and Ground... I'd lost to three of those Gyms before finding a Pokemon that I needed for a rematch, so for the most part, I have those bases covered. I also know about Opelucid Gym, which specializes in dragon-types, but Dewott and his Ice Beam should help, plus dragon-types don't have a distinct advantage over most Pokemon anyway. The other two Gyms I have to battle I don't know anything about, but at this point, I have a wide enough variety of Pokemon with me, that I imagine I'll have a decent chance.
I thumb through my notebook, looking at various types, which Pokemon I have, and which moves they know to counter them. Fire... I have Dewott and Marowak; Fighting... Gallade is part psychic-type, and I have Rufflet too; Steel... Gallade is good there too, as is Magmortar and Marowak, so I have that one totally covered; Flying... Rufflet, being a flyer himself, can negate their tendency to easily get out of attack range of melee fighters, plus Magmortar can attack from a distance, and both Gallade and Marowak know rock-type attacks; Ice... Gallade and Magmortar are good there; Poison... Gallade and Marowak all the way...
I go through the types, and figure out ways to counter them, but I finally reach a few dead ends: Water-types... Dewott, being a water-type himself, can resist water attacks, and Gallade knows Leaf Blade, a grass-type attack, but other than that, I don't have much going for me in that department. Ghost-types can also be a problem, and I have few distinct edges over psychic-types too. So what Pokemon types could round out my team? Well, an electric-type could, as would a grass-type, or... a dark-type...
My mind wanders back to the night I was attacked by all those dark-type Pokemon. I had countless chances to catch one then, but the thought never occurred to me. I reluctantly replay that night in my head, thinking about how I felt then, and end up rewinding even further to five years ago, and self-analyze my overall relationship with dark-type Pokemon. Was I really just uninterested in catching one of those Purrloins or Liepards, or...?
My train of thought is cut off the the sound of a deep male voice behind me, “Is your name Ria, age 17, only daughter of a family that resides in Accumula Town's Nuvema Town district?”
“Huh?” I whirl around and see someone who looks just as obsessed with playing dress-up as the lower-ranking Team Plasma members. It's a man with long white hair, wearing a sleeveless skintight black suit and a mask coverrng the lower half of his face. Just like Team Plasma grunts look like knights, this guy looks like a ninja. Just what kind of world am I living in?
“Who... the heck are you?” I ask. One of my hands are reaching down to my Pokeballs. I don't know if this person-thing is a friend or foe, but I have such a bad feeling, that first impressions lean me toward the latter, “And how do you know so much about me? If I happen to have a fan club, I'm sure attracting some weird groupies...”
“Gathering intelligence is part of my job,” says the black-clad figure, “As for who I am, I am a member of Team Plasma's Shadow Triad, so I have no name. It has come to my master's attention that you have interfered with our order's business on multiple occasions, and I am here on a mission to see to it that you stop.”
“By 'master,' you mean N, right?” I say, “I dunno what you're being told, but your 'king' doesn't seem to mind me much, and he even challenged me to try to foil him, so I kinda doubt he'd send some weirdos after little old me.”
“My master and his reasons for my presence here are none of your concern,” says the 'Shadow Triad' dude, “I would prefer it if you just do as I'm asking, and agree to turn the other cheek if you find a situation that involves Team Plasma, but it doesn't seem you'll be that easily persuaded. As such, I'm afraid I will have to force you to comply.”
Yup, he's an enemy. Figures. “Try it!” I challenge the mystery man, “I've fought you Team Plasma guys before, and I've only been getting stronger. I'll beat you, just like all the others!”
“You are welcome to try,” says the figure, reaching down to his belt, and drawing two Pokeballs.
I grab two Pokeballs of my own, and we send our Pokemon out. I send out Gallade and Marowak.
The first Pokemon the shadow guy sends out is a three foot tall black cat-like Pokemon, with long dangerous-looking claws, and feather-like growths on its lower back and left ear.
The second Pokemon is Gallade's height, with a red head, shoulders, and legs, as well as silver forearms and feet. It has a golden axe-like appendage on its head, a bladed 'rib cage,' and blades extending from its forearms.
My Pokedex identifies the first Pokemon as Sneasel, the Sharp Claw Pokemon, a dark/ice-type, and the other as Bisharp, the Sword Blade Pokemon, a dark/steel-type. I smirk upon finding out that information. Both of them have a critical weakness to fighting-type attacks.
Between the two of them, Bisharp looks more dangerous, so I figure Gallade, having had more battle experience, is a better match for it. As for Sneasel, its ice-type could be a problem for Marowak, but he is capable of Brick Break, a fighting-type move, so he stands a chance, at least.
I shout out, “Okay! Gallade, go after Bisharp! Marowak, Sneasel is yours!”
“Attack,” says the dark figure to his Pokemon, “Remember who your target is.” What the heck is it talking about?
Gallade and Marowak charge at their respective opponents.
Marowak leaps toward Sneasel, swinging his club, but the Sharp Claw Pokemon evades by leaping over the Bonekeeper's head in a swift movement. Dang, it's fast! Sneasel lands, and springs toward Marowak's back, its claws glowing light blue. However, Marowak's reflexes were sped up after his training with the Power Bracers and Anklets, and reacting swiftly, his club glows reddish brown, and he turns to face his opponent, his weapon positioned defensively. Claws and club clash, and the two Pokemon are in a deadlock.
Meanwhile, Gallade dashes toward Bisharp, extending his blades. Bisharp, who actually kinda strikes me as a Pokemon that can be considered Gallade's evil cousin, extends the blades on its forearms, and assumes a defensive position.
“Gallade! Brick Break!” I command.
“Gall!” Gallade's blades glow reddish-brown, and he rears back to strike at Bisharp.
The dark figure commands, “Bisharp. Guard yourself with your own Brick Break.”
“Bish!” Bisharp's blades, like Gallade's, glow reddish-brown.
The two Pokemon's blades collide, and then again. Both Blade Pokemon engage in a swift succession of clashes, attacking, defending, counterattacking, and so on, and the Bisharp is matching Gallade move for move. Still, based on type, Gallade should have a much greater advantage than this! Just how strong is this Bisharp?
While Marowak and Sneasel are deadlocked, the Sharp Claw Pokemon is the first to deliver a counterattack, and pushes Marowak back with its foot. Instead of performing a follow-up attack on the Bonekeeper, like I was expecting, however, Sneasel turns its attention on... me!
“Snea!” Sneasel jumps toward me, and with my heartbeat steadily increasing, I back away, my arms reflexively in front of me. With my attention focused on my attacker, I don't see the tree root I end up tripping over. Sneasel stands in front of me, raises its claws, and I get the shakes big time. Just what's going on? Even battling Team Plasma all those other times, none of them sicked their Pokemon on us directly. I mean, once a trainer no longer has any Pokemon that can fight, they're completely at the mercy of his or her opponent, so why is this happening?
Just as Sneasel is about to strike, however, something collides with the back of its head: Marowak's club. The Sharp Claw Pokemon falls on its front and the club returns to Marowak. He charges at the dark/ice-type, leaps up, his bone glowing reddish-brown, and he swings it down hard with a Brick Break attack.
Reddish-brown fire erupts out of the bruise Marowak's attack inflicted, and Sneasel lays limp.
“Th-thank you, Marowak...” I gasp.
“Hmph. Return...” The Shadow Triad guy recalls Sneasel.
Gallade is still busy with Bisharp, their blades clashing repeatedly. Marowak dashes toward them to assist Gallade, but the sight of the ground-type getting further away causes a wave of panic to crash through me, and I frantically gasp, “No, Marowak! Come back! Protect me! Please!”
“Maro?” Markwak glances back at me, and stares for several second, but then nods, and walks back toward me.”
“Th-thank you...” I'm suddenly self-aware of just how pathetic I probably look to my Pokemon. I'm the one who's supposed to be in control, but ever since Sneasel attempted an attack on me, my fear has firmly gripped me. Before the battle, the figure I'm fighting told his Pokemon to 'remember who their target is.' Does he mean me? He already knew so much stuff about me, somehow. Does that mean he knows about my fears too? His Pokemon are dark-types, after all. Is that what this is about?
“Gallade!” I screech, “Take down Bisharp! Take him down now! Use Close Combat!”
“G-gall!” Gallade delivers a flurry of slashes with his left blade so fast, there are after-images. It's a powerful fighting-type move he perfected after the Power Bracers came off. C'mon, this has to beat Bisharp! Please, Gallade!
Moving swiftly, Bisharp either blocks or dodges most of Gallade's slashes. Finally, one gets through the Sword Blade Pokemon's defenses, opening a large gash across Bisharp's chest. Bisharp staggers back, stunned, but something is wrong: only steam is coming from the wound, not reddish-brown fire, like there should. Gallade hit Bisharp's critical weakness, after all. What gives? Just what is this Bisharp made of?
“Gall... Gall...” The major drawback to Gallade's Close Combat attack is that it really wears Gallade down when he uses it. Trying to catch his breath, he stares at Bisharp, who is just leaned back from the blow it received.
“Shaaaaaaaarp!” With a screech, Bisharp suddenly recovers, and bolts to and past Gallade in an instant, slashing him as it passes. When Bisharp reappears, its blades are glowing a blackish color. It just used the dark-type attack, Night Slash.
“Gaaaall!” Gallade slumps to one knee in pain, clutching his wound.
“Ga-Gallade!” I yell.
The dark figure says, “Very good, Bisharp! You truly are a Pokemon worthy of my master. Now strike your target.”
“Shaaaarp!” Bisharp charges at Marowak and me. Marowak lunges toward the Sword Blade Pokemon, and swings his club, but Bisharp blocks the attack with one of his blades, and delivers a powerful slash with his other, which sends the Bonekeeper flying and landing in the nearby creek.
Now that I'm completely undefended, I shakily reach for my Pokeball belt, but Bisharp had advanced too close, and its rearing back to strike.
“Gahhh!” I back away, my arms raised defensively. Bisharp delivers a slash, which opens gashes on both of my arms. The strength in my legs give out, and I'm on the ground, Bisharp standing over me, looking down on me coldly. No... no... this is it, isn't it? This is where I'm gonna die? Please no!
Suddenly, Bisharp disappears with a flash, returning to its Pokeball.
“That should be enough,” says the dark figure.
“Ah... ah...” My entire body is shaking, several horrible thoughts are racing through my mind, my eyes are tearing up, my body is covered in a cold sweat, and I feel slightly nauseous.
“It's true what I'd heard,” says the black figure, “You never truly recovered from your trauma, and it took another attack from a dark-type to make you relive your fear. I will leave now, but I hope you realize what happens when you try to get caught up in Team Plasma's affairs.” With those words, the dark figure disappears, appearing to meld into the shadows.
Even though the Team Plasma guy is out of sight, however, my mind is so preoccupied with how I feel that he might as well still be here.
No... this can't be happening! Not again! This is a full-on panic attack like the ones I used to have! I feel so helpless and hopeless. I feel like the world's about to end.
I want something, anything, to protect me! Should I send out the rest of my Pokemon? But... what if they turn on me and attack me? Ah, what am I saying? I know my Pokemon better than that! They trust me and I trust them! They'd never do that! I take a deep breath. You're just having some weird thoughts, Ria. Your imagination is running too wild... Oh, just listen to myself... I sound like a freaking psycho.
Gallade and Marowak walk over, and, judging by the looks on their faces, I probably look as pathetic as I feel. For their sake, I should be holding myself together a lot better than I am. I realize how selfish I'm being, but at the same time, I'm too preoccupied with my thoughts to convincingly come off as anything but how I am right now. Still, I should say something... anything...
“Gallade... Marowak...” I manage to get out, “I'm sorry you have to see me like this, but please... just stay here with me...”
“Gall.”
Using a small first-aid kit I bought before I began my journey, I shakily disinfect the cuts Bisharp had inflicted on my arms. It only grazed me, so the bleeding isn't that bad, and the injury as a whole is just an afterthought to what's going on in my head. I wrap the wounds with bandages, and from there, I sit on the damp ground for a couple straight hours, as I try to recall how I dealt with my panic and anxiety in the past.
Okay... Try to calm down... Take slow, deep breaths. Other than that, just let this thing run its course. You're not going crazy, Ria, no matter how much it feels that way... At least I hope I'm not...
More time passes, and gradually, my breathing, thought process, and heartbeat slow down, and the sweating subsides. I still have a case of the anxiety-driven shakes, and the feeling of uneasiness is still there, but I feel a little better, overall. Still, now that my mindset is somewhat normal again, I start feeling regretful about how self-absorbed I was to care about anything else, including my Pokemon, who should be looking up to me.
I need to do something about this. I spent months living in fear five years ago, and reliving that experience is the last thing I want to do.
I look at Gallade and Marowak, “Thanks, you guys. I'm sorry you had to see that. It's a long story.”
Gallade nods in understanding. Marowak, however, looks away from me in a 'hmph!' fashion. I sure didn't do any favors for my already-shaky relationship with the Bonekeeper...
With a sigh, I recall my Pokemon. While Pokemon can help me with a lot of things, my own internal issues isn't one of them. I need to talk to another human about this. I don't know what I'm expecting from that, exactly. Part of me is hoping a little chat will just make this all go away, but deep down, I know that's not true. I guess, if anything, it's to get this all out of my system, and maybe get some advice.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that, like that Team Plasma guy just said, I wasn't even remotely cured of the trauma I experienced five years ago. All that happened was that time softened the blow, and the meds I took for a couple years since stabilized my mood, but it had never really gone away. Now that I'm a trainer, being around Pokemon regularly, including dark-types, I just can't keep living like this, and I need to put a stop to it somehow, not just for myself, but my Pokemon too, who expect a strong trainer in me. I need to find a way of dealing with it for good, but how?
I get my Xtransceiver out of my supply bag, and thumb through my list of contacts, wondering who can help me with my current predicament. I guess the Professor would be a good bet. Pokemon can be dangerous sometimes, and I doubt I'm the only one who'd had to deal with the stuff I did five years ago. Behind every trainer, there's a Professor, and part of their job is to help trainers, after all, and Professor Juniper has given me great advice throughout my Pokemon journey.
I enter the Professor's frequency, and a couple beeps later, she appears on the screen, beaming, “Why, hello, hello, Ria!”
“How's it going?” I say, making an extremely forced attempt at coming off as cheerful.
However, Professor Juniper manages to see right through me, “Uh oh. Ria seems to be having a bad day. That's a tad unexpected, considering you just won badge #5 a few hours ago. I had this mental image of you happily skipping through the rain to Mistralton City, raring to win your next badge, so what happened to knock you off the top of the world?”
“Well, Professor...” I explain what happened with the Team Plasma member, how his dark-type Pokemon deliberately attacked me, and the fact that in turn, it reopened an old wound, resulting in a bad panic attack.
“I see...” says the Professor.
“Have any more good advice?” I ask.
The Professor is silent for several seconds. Not a good sign. Finally, she speaks up, “Ria... Don't forget how the circumstances were different back then. You weren't a trainer yet, and you were helpless against that wild Pokemon. Also, don't forget that figure from Team Plasma had his Pokemon attack you. Pokemon are only as good or as bad as their trainers, after all, so are you sure your fear isn't misplaced?”
“Yeah, I know,” I say, “I should be more concerned about that black-clad Team Plasma guy, and I try to remind myself of that, but when that Sneasel and Bisharp attacked me, all I could think about was how I felt back then. In Castelia City, we talked about how I didn't want to be afraid anymore, and how this journey could change me... but it just isn't that simple, and I can't do this alone. In your experience, have you had any other students like me?”
The Professor shakes her head, “I'd been a researcher for a long time, but I'd only recently taken up the role of being a mentor for trainers. You, Cheren, and Bianca are my only students.”
“I see...”
The Professor tries to give me a reassuring smile, “Chin up, Ria. I might not have all the answers you're looking for, but I know someone who might.”
“Who?”
The Professor smiles, “My dear old daddy, Professor Cedric Juniper. He'd been a mentor for several trainers over the years, so he's had a lot more experience at this than I have. Maybe you could visit him, and see if he can help you with your troubles.”
“I'm listening,” I say, “Where can I find him?”
“He's currently vacationing in Undella Town,” says Professor Juniper, “How about you head there, and I'll call him and ask him to meet you at the Pokemon Center. How does that sound?”
I nod at the Professor, “Okay. Sounds good to me. I'll head that way right now!”
The transmission ends. I slowly get to my feet and head back toward Driftveil City, and from there, to take a subway to Undella Town.
Back in Pinwheel Forest, my Pokemon apparently told N he looks forward to watching me grow. Well, in one way or another, it's high time to do a little 'evolving' myself. For my Pokemon and myself, I'm gonna beat this thing somehow! I don't know how, exactly, but hopefully Professor Juniper's dad has the answers I'm looking for.
TEAM UPDATE
This... was a very difficult installment to write, and I really hope it ended up alright. I had several ideas for the battle with Clay, so I had to get that aspect organized. The part I'm a little more concerned about however is the psychological side of things, hoping that part was convincing enough.
Anyway, this ends the Driftveil arc. Up next is a brief Undella arc.
