Cherry
Junior Trainer
Ooh, shiny...
Posts: 63
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Post by Cherry on Oct 26, 2007 20:05:06 GMT -8
Woo! First Fan Fiction entry! In any case, the Trainer Card in my sig deals with this story. Also, I don't actually own D/P. The entire Sinnoh part is being written using a combination of GameFAQs and Serebii.net. Therefore, I know names and places and generic layouts, but...not characters. Therefore, if anything or anyone is WAY off, blame my lack of actual gaming experience. Hopefully, though, I'm not too far off. Chapters are kinda long right now, but I expect they'll shorten later on. The Ultimate Pokémon Quest
Part 1: Sinnoh Chapter 1: Somewhat-Cliché Beginnings[/b] Cherry Pierce stood high atop Mt. Coronet, her custom-made hang-glider folded, her harness secured. The crossbreeze threatened to blow her off, but she was accustomed to fighting the wind. Cherry was a risk-taker by nature, and her passion – her only passion – was hang-gliding. She was strange: a human without a Pokémon, who had never owned one. Sure, her mother had a pet Aipom she’d brought back from far-off Johto, but she’d never had any interest in it. As long as she had her glider and the sky, that was all she needed. The brunette stood looking down, waiting, the wind playing with the ends of her black vest, buttoned over her green shirt, raised goosebumps on her legs below her pink shorts. Her green-booted feet shifted impatiently as her hands, clad in black fingerless gloves, tightened on the bar of the glider. The wind at her back intensified, and she allowed it to push her forward, pulling the string that would unfold the glider’s wings and send her sailing through the sky. The wind was now with her, steadied her, sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins as she soared high above Sinnoh, trees and buildings and roads all a part of the almost painting-like scenery below. A small bird Pokémon, Cherry guessed a Taillow, darted past her in a flash of black feathers, quickly going into a dive to the ground below. She didn’t think anything of it, at least, not at first. But then, the bar of the glider was slammed into her chest, and she gasped, letting go, her harness catching her roughly under the arms. The wind had suddenly changed direction, and she was heading straight towards the craggy side of Mt. Coronet behind her! Her scream was lost on the wind as one of her harness straps broke, leaving her dangling painfully by one arm as she realized the Taillow had been landing to avoid the freak winds that were now going to kill her. She squeezed her emerald eyes tightly shut, waiting for the final, fatal, impact… Impact came, but not against rock. Something cut the remaining harness strap, and she felt the glider fall away, hearing it tear on the rock of Coronet. Cautiously, she opened her eyes to find herself held in a pair of strong, silver arms, with blue plating. Her face was up against some sort of red marking, but her position prevented her from seeing any more. She didn’t seem to be moving. “Are you hurt?” inquired a gentle masculine voice. Cherry opened her mouth to respond, but then realized that she hadn’t heard the voice! It had been in her head! “…Are you?” persisted the psychic voice, no less gentle, but now somewhat alarmed. “N…No, I’m fine… Thank you,” Cherry whispered, knowing nobody could possibly hear her above the roar of the wind. But, apparently, the owner of the voice read the sentence from her mind as it formed. “That’s good. I was afraid I would be too late. Why didn’t you call out a flying Pokémon to save you?”“I…I don’t have any Pokémon.” “You don’t? Why not?”“I guess I’ve never been interested in them…” “I see...”“Hey…who am I talking to, anyways?” “Why…you’re talking to me.”“You…the Pokémon?” “Yes. …Oh, you can’t see me. I’m sorry.”Suddenly, her secure transport began moving, lifting her away from the blue and silver chest, marked with a red crest… …Wait! Cherry remembered two kids, Professor Rowan’s assistants, talking about something ‘legendary’ with a red crest… “La…Latios. You’re a Latios.” The Latios smiled, the two silver fins on its lower jaw rising slightly. “Yes. I am.”The blue-plated arm shifted its hold, transferring her to one hand. Carefully, the Latios placed her on its back, ensuring her hold with some sort of psychic force-field. “Are you comfortable?”“Yes…thanks…” “You are welcome. Where do you live? I will take you.”“Twin Leaf…” The Latios gave wordless acknowledgment, shifting direction and flying towards Twin Leaf Town. Riding on the Latios’s back was much like hang-gliding, Cherry found. She was easily more comfortable, so very at-home on the psychic dragon Pokémon’s back, the air blowing in her face, rushing across her arms. …Only now, there was an added thrill, an added element of unpredictability, for her method of flight was alive, and not in her control. A smile played on her lips as the familiar feeling of adrenaline poured into her body, invigorating her and washing away the fear of her near-fatal mistake. Happiness resonated psychically from the Latios. “You enjoy flying,” he remarked, banking sharply. She clung tightly to the Pokémon’s silver neck, but laughed as the Latios, mentally laughing along with her, began to spiral for the grassy path between Lake Verity and Twin Leaf. For a moment, all was suspended, and, in that moment, Cherry realized just what she had been missing out on… When they landed, the Latios bent low to allow her to slide off. She had to grasp the rigid blue wing above her to steady herself, her knees shaking from fear and excitement, but when she regained her balance, she walked past the Latios’s head to gaze upon her hometown, peacefully unaware of her recent ordeal. “…Thank you,” she said. “I…I don’t know what to say…” The Latios didn’t respond. When she turned, it was no longer there. Where did it go? she wondered, scanning the peaceful route. There wasn’t a sign of any Pokémon, save for a sleeping Bidoof in the grass. “Cherry! What happened? Where’s your glider?” This sudden explosion of questions came from two children, no more then ten years old, an older man walking steadily behind them. They were coming from the direction of Sandgem Town. “I… It was incredible!” Cherry said. “Dawn, Lucas…you two should’ve been there! I’d just jumped off Mt. Coronet, but then the winds picked up, and I was about to be smashed into the mountain…but then a Pokémon saved me! I was so stunned!” “A Pokémon? A wild one?” said the man. Cherry nodded vigorously. “Yeah! And get this – it was a Latios!” “You saw a Latios?” chorused all three of them. “Too cool!” said Dawn. “Lucky you!” said Lucas. “Calm down, you two,” said the man, chuckling. “That is incredible, Miss Pierce. Perhaps you could join us at Lake Verity to describe the incident in more detail.” Cherry nodded. “Of course, Professor.” The four of them sat by the lakeside, where the two assistants immediately began busying themselves with taking the temperature of the water, inspecting the soil, among other things. Cherry told Professor Rowan as much as she could, describing her encounter with the legendary Pokémon in as much detail as possible. “Professor…” she said when she’d finished, at which point Dawn and Lucas were listening raptly. “That encounter made me realize that…well, I’ve been missing a lot, and I haven’t appreciated Pokémon as much as I should have. For the past nine years, I could have been out adventuring. I could have collected all the Gym Badges, and beaten the Elite Four. …Heck, not just for Sinnoh, but for Kanto, too… And Hoenn… And maybe even Johto! …So… It may seem a little late…but I’d like to start a Pokémon Challenge.” A smile creased Professor Rowan’s face. “There’s no such thing as ‘too late’, Miss Pierce.” He opened his briefcase, revealing three Pokéballs. “Pick one.” As Cherry reached for one of them, a familiar psychic voice rang out across the lake, startling them all. “So you are now seeking a Pokémon? That’s good… I am seeking a Trainer.”
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Cherry
Junior Trainer
Ooh, shiny...
Posts: 63
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Post by Cherry on Oct 29, 2007 8:24:26 GMT -8
What, too cliche? XD
Psychic Pok?mon tend to be a bit too powerful, speaking in real-world terms, don't you think?
Chapter 2: A Late Send-Off
“Latios…Is that you?” said Cherry. “Where are you?”
“I never left you. I merely disguised myself. Look up.”
Four pairs of eyes rose to the trees above, where a slight shimmering effect preceded the appearance of the Latios.
“Being Psychic, I can freely manipulate what you see. It all connects to your brain, after all… Of course, it took a long while to master, and, to be honest, I can’t hold it for more than five minutes at a time.”
The legendary Pokémon came down for a gentle landing, settling on the bank before Cherry and Professor Rowan.
“In any case… Will you be my Trainer?”
“I… I…” Cherry stammered. Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig were standard! And if she wanted, she could choose from a foreign starter, but… A legendary?
“You refuse?”
“No! I…I just don’t know why you want to quit being wild.”
“I am looking for protection. As a wild Pokémon, I am vulnerable to Trainers who would catch me. I have decided that, if I will have a trainer, I will choose. And I choose you, Cherry. You have willpower, courage, and empathy, all of which I approve of. And your recklessness is…endearing.”
“…I…um…” Cherry nodded, despite what she considered a mistake in judgment. ‘Empathy’? “Thanks, Latios. I’d be glad to take you.”
“Then it is settled. Provide me with a Pokéball.”
“Um…Professor…”
Not taking his eyes off the Latios, Professor Rowan took an empty Pokéball out of his pocket and handed it to her. All four humans were entranced by the legendary Pokémon’s presence.
“Latios…return,” said Cherry, finding it hard to believe, even as she spoke, that she was saying it. She held out the Pokéball and a beam of red light came from the button on its center. It enveloped the Latios in a red aura, and drew it inside the plum-sized sphere. Rowan’s assistants eagerly looked over her shoulder as the Pokéball let out a ding sound, and clicked, locking the Pokémon to it.
“…You should probably take one of the starters, still,” said Rowan.
“No,” said Latios from within the Ball. “Leave them for trainers who would otherwise have nothing. Cherry, go tell your mother you’re leaving.”
“Um…alright.” She stood up. “So long, Lucas, Dawn, Professor. Guess I’m going for higher goals.”
“The Sinnoh League?” said Dawn.
“…No. Not just the Sinnoh League. But for Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, too. I’ll collect all thirty two badges, and participate in all the leagues!”
Rowan smiled and shook his head, as if he didn’t expect her to really go through with it. “From hang-gliding off every mountain in the world, to winning every badge… You’re always zealous, aren’t you?”
“It’s why I chose her,” said Latios. “Cherry, shall we? It will be dark soon.”
“O…Okay. Later, guys!”
As Cherry walked along the path to Twin Leaf Town, she stared at the warm Pokéball in her hand. This was a huge change in her life. She would have to take care of the Pokémon she caught, but…she had a feeling it wouldn’t be bad at all.
She reached the town and made her way to her house, where her mother was busy watching over Aipom, who was playing on the dirt path.
“Cherry!” said her mother. “What happened to you? Where’s your glider?”
It was then that Cherry realized she was still wearing what was left of her harness. “I’ll tell you sometime later,” she said, removing it and letting the leather fall to the ground. “Right now, well…I have to leave.” She held up the Pokéball. “I’m going on a Challenge.”
“…You…you are? Cherry, I’m so proud of you! I was starting to think you would never go out and raise some Pokémon. Well…I guess I don’t have to tell you to be careful. You have everything you need?”
Cherry nodded, placing a hand on the black belt she wore, with three green pouches strapped to it. “I’ve got everything right here.”
“Good. I…I guess you’ll be wanting to leave right away?”
“Yeah. I’ll miss you, Mom.”
“Me too… …Oh, before you leave, could you show me your first Pokémon? I’ll bet it’s adorable. Which did you choose?”
“Uh… well… He sorta chose me…” she said, opening the Pokéball. Red light streamed from the Ball, forming the Latios it contained.
Cherry’s mother stepped back. “Oh…oh, my… That’s a… …Cherry, don’t you ever let that nasty Team Galactic get their hands on it!”
“I won’t,” she said, recalling Latios before anyone could see.
“I’ll hold you to that!” An awkward silence. “Er…Cherry… I’m worried. Could you at least stay the night?”
“It won’t hurt,” Latios said to her. Judging from her mother’s lack of reaction, Cherry could only assume Latios had been only speaking to her.
Either way, she decided to follow his advice. “Sure.”
*****
The next day, the two set out, Cherry walking through the fresh morning air, to the route to Sandgem Town.
“I wish I had some more Pokéballs,” said Cherry, looking up at a Starly that was flying overhead.
“If you catch every new Pokémon in sight, will you be able to handle it? I suggest keeping only six.”
“You’re probably right. Besides, I’m collecting all the badges, not everything in the Pokédex. Now that’s an impossible goal!”
“Pokédex! Cherry, the Professor never gave you one!”
“Oh! That’s right!” She giggled. “I guess it’s a good thing we waited to leave. Maybe we can catch him at his lab.”
“Route 102 is only a few hours’ walk,” commented Latios. “At least we’ll be there today.”
“Yeah. …Hey, can’t we get there faster if you fly me there?”
Latios laughed. “And put you in danger of being targeted by Team Galactic? Or perhaps some other crazed Trainer? I wouldn’t dream of it!”
Cherry smirked. “You worry too much. The whole point of you being my Pokémon is that you’re mine. See the pattern? I won't let anyone steal you.”
Latios echoed his prior laugh. “Maybe so, maybe so. But don’t you think it would be a bit odd for a Trainer to ride in on a Latios? Besides, you want to catch some Pokémon, correct? Think of all you’ll miss if you don’t walk!”
“Alright, you win…” said Cherry, quietly resigning herself to the trek.
Several hours later, the soft morning rays had given way to full sunlight, and the new Trainer had made her way to Sandgem Town. The salty air from the beach to the south permeated the atmosphere, as people in swimsuits walked with their Pokémon to the beach.
“Makes me wish I’d taken up surfing,” remarked Cherry, as she started towards Professor Rowan’s lab.
“But then we wouldn’t have met,” Latios pointed out.
Cherry had to admit this was true. Perhaps due to the Latios being psychic and thus reading her mind, she already felt close to the legendary Pokémon. Or perhaps it was their shared love of flight. In any case, the bonding process was well on its way.
“Cherry! You started out later than I thought!” exclaimed Dawn, greeting her at the entrance to Professor Rowan’s lab. “Guess what? You’ve inspired me!” She held out a Pokéball. “Piplup and I will go to the Sinnoh League! Wish me luck!”
“Good luck,” chorused Cherry and Latios.
“Oh! Latios, too! Thanks, guys! Bye!”
With that, Dawn ran off, north to Route 202.
“Looks like you’ve got a friendly rival,” said Latios as Cherry entered the lab.
“That wouldn’t be fair; she’s almost half my age!”
Latios laughed. “Age doesn’t determine skill. Dawn knows a lot about Pokémon, as the professor’s assistant. She may very well be stronger than you.”
“Cherry!” said Rowan, interrupting her playful retort. “Seems like you and Latios are getting along. What brings you here?”
“You forgot to give me a Pokédex, Professor…” said Cherry.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Here, let me get one for you!” He ran to the back of the lab, hurrying through a door. He emerged no more than a few seconds later, holding a red device. “Here you are!”
“Okay…let’s test it out,” said Cherry, calling out Latios. She pointed the infrared scanner of the Pokédex at him and pressed the big yellow button marked ‘Scan’ on the control pad.
“Latios,” chirped a mechanical voice almost immediately. “International ID 381. Dragon/Psychic Eon Pokémon. A highly intelligent Pokémon. By folding back its wings in flight, it can overtake jet planes.”
“Really, now?” said Cherry, a grin forming on her face.
“Don’t even think about it,” said Latios. “The velocity could injure or kill you.”
“He’s right,” said Rowan.
Cherry shrugged. “Oh, well. It was worth at least thinking about. Thanks, Professor. Let’s go, Latios.” She returned him to the Pokéball, and, with a farewell wave to Professor Rowan, she set off.
“Buy some Pokéballs at the Pokémon Mart, first,” said Latios. “I know you should try to form your team wisely, but you can’t do that at all if you have none.”
“Right,” said Cherry, checking her money pouch. “…Four dollars, huh? That’s all I brought with me? Well, I guess I’ll buy as much as that allows me.”
Inside the store, Cherry wandered the shelves. “Well… I guess I can hold off on catching Pokémon… Potions are more important.”
“If you think so,” said Latios as Cherry paid for the single Potion she could afford.
“Now we start for real,” said Cherry, leaving Sandgem Town for Route 202.
Almost immediately upon leaving, she encountered another Trainer.
“Hey, you!” she said, rushing towards her. “You look a little old to be on a Challenge! What’s the matter? Your mommy hold you back?”
“How rude…” muttered Latios, only to her.
“That’s rude, you know,” said Cherry. “Maybe your ‘mommy’ should’ve taught you some manners before letting you go!”
“Oh, that’s it! I call a double battle! Bidoof! Go!”
Two Bidoof, exactly alike, came out of the Pokéballs.
“You’re on…Natalie.”
“Hey! How do you know my name!”
“My Pokémon’s psychic,” said Cherry with a grin as she held up Latios’s Pokéball. She pressed the button on it, and the dragon appeared, giving a roar for effect. Cherry could feel that he, like her, took an almost-perverse pleasure from the rude Trainer’s sudden shock.
“What the…? Hey, no fair! How’d you start with a legendary!?”
“He chose me,” said Cherry.
“Whatever! Tackle, both of you!”
“Psywave!”
The Bidoof charged through the ripples of psychic energy emitted from the Latios’s eyes, slamming into the legendary’s chest and forcing him back a step.
“Keep going!” urged Natalie.
“You, too!”
One Bidoof fell under the pressure of psychic energy, but the other continued through. As it struck Latios, he smacked it aside with the back of his arm, sending it crashing into a tree.
“Looks like that’s it,” said Cherry. “By official rules, you have to give me prize money.”
“Fine! Here!” she yelled, throwing two dollars and a few coins (eight cents) at her. She then recalled her Bidoof, crying as she ran off to the Pokémon Center in Sandgem.
“…It doesn’t feel so good anymore…” said Cherry as she scooped up the money.
“She was asking for it…but you’re right. Let’s just continue.”
“Hey, Cherry!” called a voice she recognized as Lucas. She turned to see him running towards her. “Good! I caught up with you! …Did you defeat that girl that just passed me?”
Cherry nodded. “She challenged me.”
“Rudely,” added Latios.
Lucas nodded. He knew as well as any Trainer that if a Trainer challenges another, the only valid excuse for refusing would be ‘no useable Pokémon’. “Okay. She needs to get over herself, then. Anyway, Professor Rowan sent me to give you these. He said you’d need them.” He handed her five Pokéballs.
“Thanks,” said Cherry, taking them and putting them in the pouch against her left hip. “I’ll definitely need them.”
“Oh, and this,” added Lucas, handing over another Potion. “Good luck!”
Cherry nodded, and recalled Latios, then took the Potion. “Okay, thanks again. See you around, Lucas.”
“Bye!”
It was nightfall soon, and Cherry hadn’t seen any other Trainers. Only the occasional Bidoof or Shinx had shown up, and she was getting really tired of all the Starly, particularly those that felt like relieving themselves directly above her.
After dodging biological Starly bombs all day, Cherry was all too glad to make camp in the middle of Route 202 as the sun set. She called out Latios, and he settled down, allowing her to lean against his blue and silver side, in the protective shade of his wing.
As she settled down against him, she began to think about how she had just started calling him ‘Latios’, and why, indeed, most Trainers called their Pokémon by species.
“Hey, Latios?” she said, able to keep her thoughts to herself no longer.
“Yes?”
“Do Pokémon have names? You know, like your parents give you?”
Latios smiled. “We do. But our names are different from human names. There won’t be a wild Pokémon named Jake or Alice.”
“…What’s your name?”
“An interesting question to ask,” remarked Latios, turning his draconic head to regard her curiously. “Why do you want to know? Aren’t you satisfied with calling me by species?”
“If you’ve been reading my mind, then you’d know that I’m not.”
A chuckle. “Alright, then. My name is Taoskel. Would you like to call me that?”
“Of course. After all, I don’t think I’d be able to stand for being called ‘human’ all the time instead of my name.”
Taoskel chuckled again. “I like the way you think, Cherry. I believe we’ll grow to be good friends.”
“I hope so…” said Cherry with a yawn. The fatigue of walking all day had caught up with her.
Sensing her fatigue, Taoskel drew his wing tighter around her and curled up so his head was facing her. “Good night, Cherry,” he said.
“Good night, Taoskel.”
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Cherry
Junior Trainer
Ooh, shiny...
Posts: 63
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Post by Cherry on Nov 18, 2007 17:35:50 GMT -8
Cherry's mom's pet has been changed to an Aipom from Johto if anyone cares. Chapter 3: Late Entrance to Jubilife City [/center] The walk to Jubilife would have been a short one, if not for a persistent Sentret. It continuously tried to snag Taoskel’s Ball from Cherry’s belt, bouncing along behind her on its tail, and every time it succeeded (five in all), Cherry would have to chase after it to retrieve her Pokémon. On the would-be sixth time, Cherry called Taoskel out to knock the pest senseless, which the Latios did happily. But the Sentret had delayed them so much that it was nighttime again when Cherry set foot in Jubilife City. The lights in the large city were on, turning the place into a glittering city of stars, the darkened, deserted streets in contrast to the lights from the buildings above. “…Whew… We finally made it,” gasped Cherry as she leaned on the “Welcome to Jubilife!” sign just outside the city. “Stupid Sentret…” “It thought it was ‘rescuing’ me,” Taoskel informed her. “Good thing we knocked it out. Other Trainers might have had their Pokémon stolen, otherwise.”“Yeah, leave that stuff to Team Galactic. …So, where’s the Gym?” “There…there doesn’t appear to be one.”“What? What did we walk all this way for?” “Oh, well…” said Taoskel. “Let’s stay the night in the Pokémon Center and shop for supplies. We can leave tomorrow morning. The next town should have a gym.”As Cherry was walking towards the Pokémon Center, a sign on a lit-up building caught her eye. “Trainer’s School Promotional Offer! Defeat our two top students and win a cash prize!” it read. “Cash is good,” remarked Taoskel. “Well, why not?” said Cherry, pushing the door open. Not surprisingly, there was nobody inside except for two kids, a boy and a girl, an Abra beside each, writing notes down from a blackboard in front of them. “…Is the promotional contest open?” said Cherry, startling the two. “Yeah,” said the girl. “What about it? Wanna fight us?” “They let you stay up this late?” asked Cherry. “Why do you think we’re the best students?” said the boy. “We study even at night!” “Okay, here’re the rules,” said the girl, closing her notebook and standing. “You’ve gotta fight both of us, no resting. If you win, we’ll give you two-forty, okay?” “ That’s the cash prize?” said Cherry incredulously. “Usually these things are at least ten…” “Well Pokéballs are two each, and Potions are three each… so two dollars and forty cents is actually a fair amount,” said the boy. “So, who do you wanna fight first, me or Christine?” “I…I guess I’ll fight you first,” said Cherry, taking Taoskel’s Ball from her belt. “Both are Abra… They should be easy to defeat.”“I hope so…” She called Taoskel out. “So much for trying to keep you hidden.” “Hard to do that as a starter,” Taoskel agreed as he emerged. “Look, Harrison!” gasped Christine. “It’s…It’s a Latios!” “Incredible,” said Harrison. “How did you…” “He chose me,” explained Cherry. “Are we still gonna battle?” “Yeah,” said Harrison. “Get in there, Abra!” The Abra teleported the short distance to the battlefield. “Alright…” said Cherry. “Dragon Dance, lead into Psywave!” “Teleport away and use Hidden Power!” As Taoskel began going through the motions of Dragon Dance, the Abra vanished, reappearing as the Psywave was about to go through. Spheres of energy surrounded it, and they flew in all directions, barely missing the Trainers in the room. Most passed right through the inanimate objects they struck, but the ones that hit Taoskel caused him to stumble, interrupting the Psywave. “What the…?” “Yes!” exclaimed Harrison, pumping his fist. “Super-effective! My Abra’s Hidden Power is Ice-type, and that beats Dragon!” Taoskel winced. “He’s right. Hidden Power’s type varies from user to user. It may show up as Normal on a Pokédex, but…”“Alright, do it again!” commanded Harrison. Cherry was out of ideas. “Taoskel, do something!” “What kind of command is that?” said Christine. “Tell it what attack to use!” “Do I need to be told?” said Taoskel, levitating a desk into the air. “Uh-oh…” said Harrison. “Abra, look out!” As the other Psychic Pokémon was readying Hidden Power, Taoskel flung the desk, and it crashed into the Abra, knocking it out. “My turn!” said Christine. “Abra, go! Use your Hidden Power!” “Another one?” said Cherry. “Wait. Let it go through…” said Taoskel, his body tense. The female Abra, like the other one, charged energy spheres in her body… but these struck Taoskel and didn’t seem to do anything! “What…? Oh, yeah! My Abra’s Hidden Power is Ground… And your Latios can levitate. It’s almost as good as being Flying-type! …Shoot. Abra, do what the Latios did! The desk!” “Fight for control!” Cherry countered. The two Pokémon struggled for psychic control of the desk, the wood threatening to buckle as the Pokémon pushed at it from either direction. “C’mon, Abra,” encouraged Christine. “You can do it!” “Not likely,” said Taoskel. He flew up, still fighting with the Abra, and came down, pushing the desk now with both mind and body, the previous Dragon Dance granting him increased physical power. The desk came down on top of the Abra, too psychically-focused on pushing the desk to teleport away. The desk cracked under the strain, and broke in two, leaving the unconscious Abra between the uneven halves. “…Maybe we should’ve fought outside,” said Harrison, uneasily eyeing the broken desk as Christine ran to her Abra’s side. “Wonder who’s gonna pay for that?” “…Not me…” said Christine, picking up her Abra. “Not me,” countered Harrison. “Not her,” said Taoskel. “…Um, we’ll just let the school pay,” said Christine, handing Cherry the prize money. “Nice battle!” “It was a real honor,” said Harrison. “We got to see a Latios!” “Hope you don’t get into trouble over the desk,” said Cherry. “Bye.” After buying a Healball and an Antidote at the Pokémon Mart, Cherry went to the Pokémon Center, where she healed her Latios’s wounds and took a room for the night. Usually, Pokémon Centers were filled, particularly the ones outside caves, but large cities like Jubilife were the exception, since there were an abundance of hotels in the area. For that night, at least, Cherry had a bed to sleep in. The next day, they were off to Route 203, on the way to, hopefully, their first badge.
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Cherry
Junior Trainer
Ooh, shiny...
Posts: 63
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Post by Cherry on Nov 27, 2007 12:45:05 GMT -8
Chapter 4: Tests of Strength
“Cherry!” Dawn was there to greet her as she emerged from Jubilife City. “So, it’s been a couple of days. Caught anything new?”
“Nope, not yet. What about you?”
“Yep! I’ve got a Starly. …Hey wanna double battle to test our skills?”
“But…I just said I haven’t caught anything.”
“Yeah, and…? Your only Pokémon is a legendary! It shouldn’t have any trouble at all! There’s evidence to suggest legendaries are by default stronger than common Pokémon.”
“If they’re so strong, why are they so rare? I thought it was ‘survival of the fittest’?”
Dawn shrugged. “That’s a really good question. But, still. Want to battle?”
“Sure. Bring ‘em on! Let’s go, Taoskel!”
“Starly, Piplup! Come on out!”
The two bird Pokémon stared down the dragon, rather boldly, Cherry thought. Then, they attacked. Piplup shot a stream of bubbles from its beak, and Starly attacked, faster than Cherry’s eye could track, slamming into Taoskel beak-first. Taoskel recovered quickly, swooping under the stream of bubbles and ramming into the Piplup. The Starly didn’t like seeing its battle partner attacked, and it darted at Taoskel, again faster than the eye could track. It rammed into the Latios again, before the Pokémon had even time to react. Piplup took this opportunity to perform a forward flip and pound its opponent on the snout with its stub of a tail.
Taoskel grunted. “This battle isn’t all that fair.”
“I know. Try to win out, though… Back up and use Psywave!”
“Try to get under him!”
Cherry waited as the two smaller Pokémon rushed to obey their Trainer, hurried under the Psywave to the safe spot directly below its user.
“Now! Land!”
With the mental equivalent of a grin, the Latios obeyed, plopping down directly on top of the two. Or at least the Piplup. The Starly darted away with lightning speed as his ally was left to deal with all 132 pounds of adult Latios landing on his head. When Taoskel lifted off the ground, the Piplup was unconscious.
Dawn recalled him, leaving Cherry and Taoskel only the Starly to deal with. It again began darting towards him, but Taoskel reached out with a three-clawed hand to grasp the little bird, stopping its progress. “Teleportation isn’t the same thing as moving very quickly,” he said. “You still have to move from point A to point B.”
Still holding the Starly, Taoskel’s eyes began to glow. As the familiar Psywave was emitted, the Starly was helpless, caught in the focal point of the wave, and it quickly fainted.
“Oh… I lost…” said Dawn, recalling the Starly. “Well… As per official rules… Here you go.” She handed Cherry $4.48.
“Thanks…” said Cherry, starting to get used to accepting money from even a casual win like this one.
“Next time, I’ll beat your Latios, and good.”
“Good luck,” said Taoskel.
Dawn nodded, and ran off to heal her Pokémon at Jubilife’s Pokémon Center.
Cherry continued on, ignoring most of the wild Pokémon for almost the entire day. It was all the same anyway. Bidoof. Bidoof. Starly. Shinx. Bidoof. Starly. Starly. Kricketot. Bidoof… However, as night began to fall, something in the tall grass caught her eye. It was a small, brown saurian Pokémon, wearing the top half of a skull similar to its structure on its head. It held a sharpened bone in its hand.
“What’s that?” Cherry wondered, bringing out her Pokédex and scanning the Pokémon.
“Cubone,” it said. “International ID 104. Ground Lonely Pokémon. When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly.”
“So what do you call a Cubone whose mother is still alive?” Taoskel said.
“I don’t know,” said Cherry. “But I think it looks strong. Should I try to capture it?”
At the word ‘capture’, the Cubone took off running. Cherry called out Taoskel and removed an empty Pokéball from her belt. Quickly reading the plan from her mind, Taoskel crouched to allow her to get on.
“Let’s go!” she said, swinging her leg over Taoskel’s neck. With a push of his arms, they were off, after the Cubone. The Cubone was wily, ducking and dodging at exactly the right moments, leaving them the most amount of time to turn around. As it got darker, they were less able to see the Cubone, much less attack it.
“We should give up,” said Taoskel.
“No!” said Cherry. “I’m going to catch this thing!”
“Wait! We haven’t weakened it! It’ll escape!”
But it was too late. Cherry had thrown the Pokéball. The red and white sphere arced towards the Cubone, but it leapt away, scurrying into the darkness.
“No! Missed!”
“I told you…” admonished Taoskel, landing. “We’ve wasted a day of travel. I think we could’ve been in Oreburgh by now.”
“Ugh… I really wanted that Cubone, too…” she muttered, sliding off the Latios’s back and resting against his side. They slept there as they had done the first night, with the Latios acting as blanket and protector, and the human sleeping peacefully under his wing.
*****
The next day, they set off again for Oreburgh. This time, they were uninterrupted, and they reached Oreburgh Gate, the small cave before the mining city, itself. There were a couple of Trainers inside that challenged her, but Cherry and Taoskel won easily, the Trainers being roughly-inexperienced.
She passed through to Oreburgh City, and after a quick stop at the Pokémon Mart and Center, she made a beeline for the Gym.
“Hi, Cherry,” said Dawn, who was just then coming out of it. “Leader Roark’s not here, I just checked. He went to the mine for something. He’ll be back soon, so why not wait?”
“The mine? Is it open to the public?”
Dawn shrugged. “Sure, but I don’t know why you’d want to go there.”
“Well, duh. I can tell the Gym Leader there’re people waiting for him.”
Dawn chuckled. “Good luck with that. He’s probably just gonna tell you to sit and wait.”
“And if he does, I will,” said Cherry. “But it’s worth a shot.”
With that, she walked away, towards the Oreburgh Mine.
Inside, the way was lit by lanterns hung along the path. Cherry made her way down, into a large mining chamber. Inside were three men talking about something they had just found. One of the men was holding a gold-yellow rock, and seemed angry.
“I found it, so it’s mine!” he said.
“Yeah, but you found it with my pick, you moron! I get to keep it!”
“And you wouldn’t have found it if I hadn’t suggested you look there. So it’s mine.”
Cherry sighed, sick of the argument even though she hadn’t even been part of it. “Hey, is one of you the Gym Leader?”
“I am,” said the man who had done the finding directly, stepping forward.
“I’ll bet you don’t even have the strength to face him, Missy,” said one of the miners, stepping forward. “I’ll even prove it. C’mon, let’s battle!”
“Colin…” said Roark tiredly. “Don’t be rude…” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was keeping people waiting. I’ll go back to my Gym.”
“Great,” said Cherry, starting out after him, but Colin grabbed her arm. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”
“I challenged you!” said Colin. “You can’t refuse.”
“Oh, right… In that case…” She jerked her arm from his grasp. “I’ll try to make it quick. Let’s go, Taoskel!”
The Latios emerged from his Pokéball, maneuvering himself between the Trainers, casting an irritated glare at Colin.
Colin swallowed nervously, eyeing the legendary, then his own Pokéball. “…Great…”
“What was it you were saying before? …Well?”
“Aah! Um… I…” Colin stammered, backing up.
“Hey,” said Cherry nonchalantly. “You challenged us. …You gonna follow through with it?”
“I… Uh… Yeah. Geodude, go!”
A Pokémon that can only be described as a round rock with arms emerged from the Pokéball and pounded the ground, eager to begin.
Taoskel launched himself into the air, swooping past the Geodude as it tried to ram him with its rock-hard body. He rose, and glared down at the Geodude, his eyes beginning to glow. Ripples of psychic energy pushed the air aside, slamming into the Geodude with such force from above that its hard rock shell cracked.
“…Uh… Get out of there!” said Colin, retrieving the Pokémon. “Onix! Show ‘em!”
A long, snakelike Pokémon made of rock emerged from the Ball with a roar.
“Bind ‘em!” Colin commanded.
The Onix moved at startling speed, wrapping its tail around the Latios and squeezing tight. Taoskel let out a roar of pain, shooting a Psywave that missed, but hit the rock wall and broke off a chunk that landed on the ground and split open, revealing two fossils, one dome-shaped, the other nautilus-shaped.
“Look!” said the miner that had remained behind to watch the battle. “It’s two more fossils! They look like Pokémon, too!”
“Guess we didn’t have to argue with Roark after all,” said Colin. “Hey, Onix, back down! We’ve gotta go get these fossils revived!”
The Onix released its hold on Taoskel and slithered back to Colin, who returned it and, grabbing the dome fossil from the opened rock, ran up the slope to Oreburgh.
“Sorry about him,” said the other miner, handing her $6.40. “Here’s somethin’ for your trouble.” He stooped down, picked up the helix fossil, and ran after his coworker.
“Are you alright, Taoskel?” she asked.
The dragon nodded. “I’ll be alright. …Strange that the initial reaction seems to be the only registration of surprise, though… I would think more people would be in disbelief longer.”
“Yeah… You’re right. I wonder why that is?”
(Author’s Note: A jab at how you can use anything on anyone, and the reaction will be the same. You can give a Zapdos to a groomer, and he’ll act the same as if you’d given him a Ratatta to groom. Yay for programming!)
“No matter. Shall we challenge the Gym Leader?”
Cherry nodded. “Yeah.” She recalled Taoskel and left the mine.
*****
To her surprise, she encountered Roark at the Pokémon Center.
“I was just beaten,” he explained as he took the three Pokéballs back from the nurse and stepped aside to allow her to hand her single Ball across the counter.
“Girl with a Piplup and a Starly?”
“That’s right. She a friend of yours?”
“Yeah.”
“Piplup was a good choice. Which did you choose?”
“…None of them.”
Roark scratched his head. “Caught one of your own? Starly? Bidoof?”
“You’ll see in our battle.”
“Surprise is getting old already…” remarked Taoskel, only to her.
“I guess I will. See you at the Gym.” He walked out.
“Your Pokémon is in perfect health now,” said the nurse, handing the Pokéball to her. “Good luck in your Gym battle.”
*****
Roark met her inside the Gym. “Your Pokémon all healed? Good, follow me.”
He led her up two flights of stairs, to a large raised platform above the entrance. He walked to the far end and turned. “Well, are you ready?”
Cherry held up her lone Pokéball. “Yeah, let’s go. Taoskel, it’s your show!”
She opened it, and the Latios emerged, hovering in the air a few inches off the ground.
Roark’s eyes widened. “I see why you didn’t want to tell me. Well, Geodude, you’re up first!”
The Geodude did a handspring off the ground, launching itself at Taoskel. The Latios dodged, sweeping aside and turning as the Geodude tried again. It swung a hard punch at Taoskel, but the Latios caught the punch in its own hand, augmenting its strength with a psychic push.
The Geodude broke through, its fist delivering a punishing blow to Taoskel, who staggered back, rising higher. His right arm hung limp.
“It’s only numbed,” Taoskel assured her as he swooped down, doing an aerial sweep with Psywave. The Geodude couldn’t dodge it, and it was knocked off the platform. Roark hurried to recall it before it could hit the floor below.
“Expected no less from a legend,” said the Leader, calling out an Onix.
“Coil in, Onix! Prepare to spring!”
“Keep your distance!”
The Latios allowed the Onix a wide berth as it continued sweeping the field with Psywave, the weakest points of the wave bombarding the Onix as Taoskel skirted around its coiled form.
“Now!”
The Onix launched itself into the air, shooting past Taoskel.
“You missed,” said Taoskel.
But he hadn’t counted on the Onix’s tail. It slammed into the back of Taoskel’s head on its descent, breaking Psywave and causing the Latios to temporarily black out, plummeting to the arena below. The two Pokémon crashed into the floor, their combined weight causing tremors. Roark steadied himself with outstretched arms and took a step forward, away from the edge, while Cherry was forced to step back, onto one of the steps.
“It can get a bit dangerous up here!” Roark called to her, above the roars of their Pokémon, who were locked in a fierce melee struggle.
Cherry grinned. “Good. ‘Cause I’m an adrenaline junkie. Taoskel! Break free and fly as high as you can!”
With a minor psychic push, the Pokémon broke away from the Onix’s thrashing tail and soared high, up to the ceiling of the gym.
“Get ready, Onix…” Roark warned.
“Go!” Cherry commanded. “Dive!”
“I understand.”
The Latios dove, wings folded back. He was a silver and blue blur as he zoomed towards the Onix. He slammed into it, the force of the impact pushing the Pokémon off the edge.
Roark recalled it and held up his third Pokéball as he watched Taoskel fly limply back to the platform. He had just flown head-on into rock, after all, and the impact had damaged him heavily.
“Looks like your Latios won’t last much longer.”
“I know,” said Cherry, reaching into her item pouch.
“Then, go! Cranidos!”
Cherry blinked. “Cranidos…? Never heard of it…” She brought out her Pokédex and scanned the dinosaur-like Pokémon.
“Cranidos,” chirped the Pokédex. “International ID 408. Rock Head Butt Pokémon. It lived in jungles over 100 million years ago. Its skull is as hard as iron.”
“So it’s a revived fossil,” said Cherry. “That’s interesting.”
“Isn’t it? …Now, Cranidos: Headbutt!”
Cranidos charged at Taoskel, its bony head lowered.
“No. I won’t let it happen this way,” said Cherry, bringing a Potion out of her belt pouch. She sprayed the medicine on Taoskel’s battered body, and the wounds began to heal, the bruises began to fade. He rose into the air, avoiding the Cranidos’s charge. The fossil Pokémon skidded to a halt, snarling at the newly-healed dragon.
“Thank you. Let’s win a badge!”
“Yeah.” Cherry swiped her fist. “Go! Psywave!”
Taoskel’s eyes glowed, and psychic energy tore across the arena, causing the Cranidos to howl in pain. It shook its bony head and tensed, causing light to rise up off its body.
“Focus Energy!” said Taoskel.
“Be careful!”
The Cranidos charged, its head lowered.
“Dragon Dance out of its way!”
Taoskel rolled away, going into a series of loops and spins.
“Come out of it clawing!” Cherry commanded.
“Charge it when it stops!”
“Try for an uppercut!”
There was no more time to issue commands. Taoskel had come out of the Dragon Dance just as Cranidos began to charge. The power and speed boost granted by the dance had given the Latios the edge, and his swiping uppercut caught Cranidos right between its eyes, causing it to instinctively focus on protecting them, backing away, keeping its head lowered.
“Get back in there!”
“Barrel roll, into Psywave!”
Taoskel rolled away from Cranidos’s charge and turned to face him, blasting the dinosaur’s side with Psywaves at the highest point of intensity – at origin.
The Cranidos fell on its side, unconscious.
Roark smiled as he recalled Cranidos. “Good job. Here, you can have this Coalbadge.” He flicked it like a coin across the arena. Cherry caught it in one gloved hand, bringing it down to admire its shiny surface.
“You didn’t do too bad. But you might want to consider catching another Pokémon. That Latios won’t get you through everything, you know.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“It’s what I do. Good luck on your Challenge.”
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