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Broken Promise: The Story of Ash's Pidgeot (Rated PG)

AmericanPi

Write on
FINALLY! After months upon months of no progress due to laziness, lack of interest, lack of motivation, writer's block, school, The Adventure of Adventureness (and its sequels), and The Power N.U., Chapter 15 of Broken Promise is finished. It's not as long as I wanted it to be, but at least it's done, and that's what matters.

I was almost going to discontinue this fanfic when I had a dream... yes, a dream. I dreamed that Broken Promise was a world-famous story, and I was at the mall shortly after Chapter 15 came out. Hordes of fans (adults as well as teens and kids) came swarming to me asking for autographs, and I got to meet one of my readers (who he/she was, I've got no idea) in real life. One of the best dreams ever. :')

Also, I've finished adding the "Major Events" spoilers to every chapter, so that should help you recap on what has happened in the story. And so I declare: my 5-month-or-so hiatus from Broken Promise is finally over. (At least it wasn't a 10-month hiatus. I'm looking at you, Missingno. Master! Haha jk, I perfectly understand why writers have to take breaks sometimes. ;))

So here it is: Chapter 15.


CHAPTER 15

I awoke to an eerie silence. My whole body still aching with pain, I groaned and forced my eyes to open.

Solid metal bars, with crackling blue electricity dancing evilly between them, surrounded me. Beyond them, I could see nothing but utter blackness, engulfing me like a dark void.

Where am I? I thought wearily.

Suddenly, light washed over the room, stunning me and forcing my eyes to squeeze shut. I blinked them a few times, adjusting them to the dramatic change in brightness, and slowly studied my surroundings.

I was in a very small room with plain, solid metal walls. The prison-like place consisted of nothing more than the electric cage I was trapped in, and on the other side of the room was a pair of sliding doors made of metal and a small light switch. A female Jolteon – I recognized her as the same Jolteon who zapped me back at the Burnt Tower – was slowly padding towards me.

“What happened?” I groaned weakly as the Jolteon sat down comfortably next to my cage. I could tell that whatever had happened, I had not been healed – my body was still aching badly from the Thunderbolt attack that knocked me out.

The Jolteon dropped the small sack she had been carrying in her mouth and nudged it towards me with her paw.

“Huh?” I asked, staring at the small sack that had been pushed into my cage.

“It’s yours,” the Jolteon said curtly in a quiet voice.

Curious, I grabbed the bottom of the sack with my beak and emptied its contents. I gasped when I saw what the sack contained – a large pile of juicy blue Oran Berries, bright red Cheri Berries, and smooth yellow Sitrus Berries lay at my feet.

I glanced at the Jolteon, who simply nodded and said, “Eat.”

“Thank you,” I sighed as I bent down and feasted on the pile of berries. Their sweet juices quenched my thirst and trickled down my throat, and I sighed in contentment as the energy slowly flowed back into my weary body.

My health restored, I turned to the Jolteon, who was now calmly licking her paws and grooming herself.

“Ms. Jolteon, I really appreciate the berries, but can you please tell me where I am and how I got here?” I asked politely.

“I can’t tell you anything,” the Jolteon said sharply, not looking up. “K told me to make sure you don’t escape. You should be grateful that I brought the berries.”

Sighing, I swallowed an annoyed comment and took a deep breath to keep my cool.

“Listen, Ms. Jolteon,” I groaned. “I am very grateful that you brought the berries. But now that I’m healed, what do you expect me to do? Sit quietly in this cage until K comes and does something?”

“Precisely,” the Jolteon answered curtly as she continued to groom herself.

“I can’t do that. You see, my mate is waiting for me,” I blurted out. “He’s at the Burnt Tower, and if I don’t go and see him by tomorrow morning, I won’t ever see him again.” The knowledge that I wasn’t telling the complete truth weighed upon my conscience like a heavy stone. I shook my head. I’ve got to get out of here, I told myself firmly.

“Sucks to be you,” the Jolteon said simply.

My calmness vanished into thin air as I registered the blunt comment.

“Well, guess what?” I roared. “If you won’t help me get out of here, I’ll just have to do it myself.” In my sheer rage, I forgot about the properties of the cage as I rammed at the metal bars with my most powerful and reckless Double-Edge attack. At the moment of contact, an evil current of electricity flowed through my body. Groaning in pain, I slumped to the ground and sighed as I stared angrily at the electric metal bars, which still closed me in despite my attack.

“Such a kid,” the Jolteon sighed. “You’re so ignorant. Don’t you realize that this cage is bolted to the ground?”

“What?” I groaned as I looked around, only to find out that what the Jolteon said was true.

Hopelessness and despair welling up inside me, I took a deep breath and tried again for one last time.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jolteon, but I can’t be K’s Pokemon,” I said resolutely as I stood up. “You see, I belong to a trainer called Ash Ketchum, but he left me in the Viridian Forest a year and a half ago. He said he’d come back for me, but he never has. That’s why I’m on a journey with Lightning, Falkner’s Pidgeot, so I can find Ash and ask him why he broke his promise.”

The Jolteon closed her eyes and stood up. She sighed, pacing around a bit as she pondered the situation.

“So that’s why the Ultra Ball didn’t work,” I heard her mutter.

“Huh?” I asked, completely clueless as to what she was talking about.

“You see, after I knocked you out with a Thunderbolt, K tried to capture you with an Ultra Ball,” the Jolteon explained. “It didn’t work, though, so she just dragged you back to this blimp and dumped you into this cage.”

“What?” I roared angrily. “Why would she do that? Doesn’t she know that I can’t be her Pokemon?”

“Well,” the Jolteon said slowly, “Pokeballs have a tendency to… well… expire.”

What do you mean?” I demanded.

“Um, it happened to my Pokeball,” the Jolteon explained. “Back when I was an Eevee, I belonged to another trainer, but he never kept me in my Pokeball. One night, while I was sleeping soundly, I felt this flying projectile strike my head. It was a Dusk Ball, I soon found out… thankfully, it didn’t work, but K still managed to catch me.”

“Let me guess,” I interrupted. “She threw an electric-cage-ball to capture you and waited a few months for your Pokeball to ‘expire’ before capturing you in a Quick Ball?”

The Jolteon’s face bore an expression of genuine surprise. “How… how did you figure that out?”

I shrugged. “Well, you mentioned the fact that Pokeballs expire,” I said simply. “So I pretty much figured out that K managed to catch you after your own Pokeball stopped working.”

“Well, I suppose you’re smarter than I gave you credit for,” the Jolteon said, slightly impressed. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll be nice to you yet. Tell me – do you have a way to counter Electric-type attacks?”

“Steel Wing,” I said almost immediately, smiling. “It works kind of like a lightning rod – you contact the ground with your Steel Wing, and all electricity gets attracted to it and flows from your wing into the ground. I just thought up that strategy one day, after observing the lightning rod on the Burnt Tower.”

“What a strategy,” the Jolteon said softly, with most of the coldness gone from her voice. “I’ve never heard of one like it.” She closed her eyes. “All right. I admit it. You are smarter than the average Flying-type Pokemon, so I suppose you deserve a little bit of my help.”

My heart leaped in my chest. “Really?” I breathed, not really believing what I heard. “First, I must know, how long does it take for a Pokeball to expire?”

“About a year and a half,” the Jolteon answered. “By the time K captured me in the cage, I’d already belonged to my former trainer for a year, so she only had to wait about half a year before she could catch me in my Quick Ball.”

“What?” I gasped. I narrowed my eyes, a sense of urgency filling my voice. “I’m sorry, Ms. Jolteon, but I’ve got to get out of here, right now. You see, I’ve been out of my Pokeball for almost a year and a half. If I don’t get out of here fast, K will capture me. She’s wanted me as her Adamant-natured Pidgeot since the start of my journey to find my former trainer. So please, Ms. Jolteon, will you please help me get out of here?”

The Jolteon shrugged. “I suppose so, considering that you aren’t the birdbrain I thought you were. Well, first of all, I’m afraid I forgot to tell you my name. Please stop calling me Ms. Jolteon – call me Bolt instead.”

“Nice to meet you, Bolt,” I said happily, relieved that the Jolteon was no longer the self-centered, cold-hearted Pokemon she had acted like just a few moments ago. “My name is Thunder. All right, Bolt. Do you know how I’m supposed to get out of here?”

Bolt’s voice suddenly became very hushed. “Your chances of getting out of here are one in a million,” she said quietly. “This room we’re in – it’s made of solid, unforgiving steel, and the only way to open the secure door is by using a special card key that K keeps somewhere in her bedroom. I’ve never been in there before, because she gives her Pokemon guard duties during the night and tightly locks her door.”

“Steel room, card key locked up in bedroom,” I paraphrased. “Okay. What else?”

“The walls of the blimp. They’re made of some material that isn’t as strong as steel, but your chances of penetrating them are incredibly low.”

“Very strong walls, almost impossible to penetrate. What about doors?”

“Not a chance. There’s only one door that leads out of K’s blimp, but that one is securely locked, made of solid metal, and watchfully guarded by Firestorm, K’s Charizard that uses Flamethrower on you at the slightest provocation.”

“Got it. What about windows?”

“Only one, and it’s made of bulletproof glass. Iceheart the Gyarados guards that window every night and makes sure that nobody enters or leaves. And K just taught her how to use Stone Edge. One hit from those rocks, and you’ll be out cold.”

“Darn, that looks tough. Is there anything else I have to worry about?”

“Darkfang, K’s Golbat, patrols the whole blimp and scans everywhere with her crazy night-vision. All of K’s Pokemon wear interesting metal cubes with a button on them, and a press of that button will trigger an alarm in K’s room.” Bolt’s voice suddenly became more hushed than usual. “But your real problem is Sharpclaw.”

“Sharpclaw?”

“Sharpclaw the Skarmory is the eye in the sky. As K’s most powerful Pokemon, he perches on the outside surface of the blimp every night and sees everything in his surroundings – Officer Jennies, fierce wild Pokemon, disturbances of every kind. And once he sees a threat, he usually doesn’t need to press the alarm button he wears. Most of the time, that Impish-natured powerhouse just fights off the intruder by himself – and he always makes sure that the enemy never comes back.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. “So let me get this straight,” I groaned. ‘To escape, I need to get past this electric cage, the solid steel walls, up to two tightly locked doors, Firestorm the Charizard, Iceheart the Gyarados, Darkfang the Golbat, Sharpclaw the Skarmory, and probably Nature Hunter K herself.” I slumped dejectedly to the ground. “Darn it. How will I ever escape?”

Bolt sighed. “I’m not sure,” she groaned, “unless you are willing to get a bit… violent.”

“How violent?” I asked nervously. “I want to escape, but I do not want this to get out of control. After all, ramming into this cage a while ago really took a sizeable chunk out of my health.”

“Are you willing to get involved in up to five vicious battles?”

“Well, I really shouldn’t have attacked this stupid cage,” I groaned guiltily, flexing my sore and slightly paralyzed muscles. “Ugh, I seriously need to learn how to control my temper.”

“That’s true,” Bolt sighed, “but there’s no use crying over spilled milk. In times like this, you have to use your brain and think of a solution.”

“Yes,” I said slowly as I closed my eyes, thinking of an escape plan. I could hear a few light paw-steps as Bolt padded restlessly around the room, her mind perhaps teeming with as many thoughts as mine.

Finally, after a very long moment of silence, I opened my eyes and lifted my head.

“Well,” I sighed, “I’m afraid it’s hopeless. I do have a plan, but… if you’re unwilling to help me, it won’t work.”

Bolt abruptly stopped padding around the room as she walked silently to my cage and delicately sat down next to it. She closed her eyes, sighing as she pondered the situation. After a while, she lifted her head and did something I’d never seen her do before – smile at me.

“Count me in,” she said quietly. “I want to help you escape.”

_^^_^^__^^___^^__^^_^^_​

“You ready?” Bolt asked from the other side of the room, excitement crackling in her voice.

“Ready,” I breathed, trembling.

“All right. Here goes nothing!” Taking a deep breath, Bolt opened her mouth and fired in quick succession five Shadow Ball attacks. As the dark orbs of energy soared across the room towards my cage, I closed my eyes and winced, preparing for the impact.

Five rather loud explosions resonated in the air as the Shadow Balls directly struck the metal bars of the cage. Shortly afterwards, I heard a noise that sounded like crackling electricity. A few seconds after the noise died down, Bolt spoke up.

“Open your eyes, Thunder. It’s time for Phase Two.”

The sight that greeted my opened eyes made me smile with pleasure – a large hole gaped on one side of the cage, big enough for me to fit easily through, and jagged fragments of metal littered the ground. The blue electricity that had been dancing between the bars of the cage was gone completely, and I sighed in relief as I stepped out of the confining prison.

“Okay, Thunder. Now we’ve got to make as much noise as we can,” Bolt declared. “Ready, set, go!”

I nodded briskly before flapping quickly to the unforgiving steel door. With a loud battle cry, I readied two Steel Wings and began mercilessly beating at the door with them, while Bolt roared and fired off a barrage of Shadow Balls. The whole blimp seemed to quake as we executed our attacks, but the steel door stood as solid as ever.

“We’re not loud enough!” Bolt exclaimed. “Keep on going!”

I roared angrily as I continued to mercilessly attack the door with my Steel Wings, occasionally throwing in a Quick Attack. Bolt narrowed her eyes as she fired off Hidden Power attacks as well as Shadow Balls. The noise was terrific indeed, and the explosions that resonated through the room made me want to cover my ears.

Suddenly, the metal doors slid open. For a moment, we just stood there in surprise as we stared up at Nature Hunter K, who had just opened the doors and was glaring at us with cold hatred in her eyes.

“Let’s get out of here!” Bolt screamed, zipping past K. I launched into the air and followed her out of the room and through the blimp, panting as I flew down the dark central hallway. I could hear rapid footsteps behind me – K was running angrily after us, cursing and shouting. A few swift, steady wing beats meant that Darkfang the Golbat had spotted us and was now chasing us as well.

“Stop!” K screeched, as a Sludge Bomb attack fired off by Darkfang barely missed its target and hit the ground next to me. I gasped as I increased my speed, flying in a zigzag pattern over Bolt, who was trying as desperately to dodge the Sludge Bombs as me.

The window was in sight, and we could see the towering, twenty-one-foot tall figure of Iceheart the Gyarados as she turned to see what all this commotion was about. The ceiling of the blimp kept her in a rather scrunched-up position, but her eyes glittered with the cold gleam of the fanatic nevertheless.

“Gyarados!” K screamed. “Stop that Pidgeot with Stone Edge!”

With a roar, Iceheart readied the attack, sharp-edged bits of rock swirling menacingly around her serpentine body. Before she could fire off the attack, however, Bolt swiftly delivered a well-aimed Thunderbolt. Iceheart’s roar of fury turned into a roar of pain as the wicked Electric-type attack hit her squarely. Shortly afterwards, she slumped to the ground, clearly unconscious.

“Jolteon! How dare you?” K growled as she fired a beam of paralyzing blue electricity from the glove on her hand. Bolt seemed to be completely unaffected by this attack, however. In fact, she seemed to be re-energized by it. Clenching her teeth, she ran even faster towards the window and began to fire off a barrage of attacks – Thunderbolts, Shadow Balls, Hidden Powers. I narrowed my eyes at the solid, seemingly unbreakable window as I readied two Steel Wings. Holding my wings out at my sides, I took a deep breath and charged at the glass with a Quick Attack.

Part of me wanted to close my eyes, to shield myself from the impact. But other emotions surged inside me – hope, courage, determination. With a loud battle cry, I charged into the glass window with my Steel Wing-Quick Attack combination. With a satisfied smile, I crashed through the allegedly bulletproof glass, smashing the window into millions of tiny pieces.

Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Bolt leapt through the open window after me. What she didn’t realize, however, was the fact that the blimp had been cruising peacefully above the clouds the whole time. She was now falling through a dark blue sky, towards the earth at a breakneck pace, and her eyes were full of fear as she realized that there was no solid ground beneath her feet.

“Hang on!” I exclaimed as I quickly dove to fly under Bolt and catch her. She was quite heavy, and I found myself grunting a little, but I narrowed my eyes and continued my flight.

“Thank you, Thunder,” Bolt sighed. Then she gasped. “Sharpclaw is after us! Don’t worry, Thunder. I’ve got this.” I heard a sizzling crackle of electricity as well as a shriek of pain.

“I’ve dealt with Sharpclaw,” Bolt said quickly. “Okay, Thunder. You’ve got to fly as fast as you can, because K is really angry now!”

“Got it, but you’ll have to hold on!” I exclaimed as I flew even faster, my heart racing in my chest as I broke through the layer of clouds.

The sight that greeted me made me gasp with surprise: a small town lay far below me, next to a vast blue expanse with white-capped waves – a large body of water that could only be the ocean.

“We’re at Olivine City!” Bolt exclaimed as she struggled to hold on. “That’s the Olivine Lighthouse over there!”

“Olivine City?” I asked. “But how did we get here? We were in Ecruteak City the last time I checked!”

“I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with autopilot,” Bolt said as I heard another sizzling crackle of electricity. “Okay, K was riding on Firestorm and chasing us, but I just zapped the Charizard with a Thunderbolt. Firestorm is badly hurt, so K is now retreating back to her blimp.”

“Really?” I asked. “I thought K was more persistent than that.”

“She may be persistent, but she isn’t stupid – at all,” Bolt answered gravely. “She knows that if Firestorm takes another Thunderbolt, he’ll fall hundreds of feet to the ground – and take K down with him.”

“I see,” I said as I swooped down towards the only familiar-looking building in the whole town – the Pokemon Center. Landing on the roof, I breathed a relieved sigh as Bolt climbed down from my back and plopped down next to me.

Breathing heavily, I took a moment to catch my breath and groom my ruffled feathers. Bolt did the same, and for a while, we just rested on the Pokemon Center roof, recovering from the exciting escape from K’s blimp.

Finally, as the orange sphere of the sun began to rise on the horizon, I spoke up.

“How is it morning already?” I asked, a bit shocked. “It was late afternoon when K captured me back at Ecruteak.”

“Actually,” Bolt said uncomfortably, “you… were unconscious for a while before K told me to bring you the berries. And K likes to keep her blimp on autopilot during the night, so… that explains why we’re in Olivine already.”

“That makes sense,” I said, nodding. Then, a realization struck me like a blast of cold air and I gasped in horror. “Lightning,” I whispered.

“What was that?” Bolt asked.

“Lightning,” I said quietly, my heart shattering. “He’s my mate – well, I told you that he was my mate, but I was lying so I could escape more quickly. I told him that he was to wait at the Burnt Tower until I came back. If I came back by the morning, that meant I still wanted to travel with him. But if I didn’t come back, that meant that I wanted to go on alone.” My soul seemed to shrivel up in despair as I looked down and closed my eyes. “It’s morning already, and it would take forever to fly back to Ecruteak City. Lightning… he’s gone. He’s flown back to Violet City and he doesn’t even know that I love him!”

For the first time in probably my whole entire life, tears formed in my squeezed-shut eyes and splattered onto the bright red Pokemon Center roof. Somewhere deep inside me, I knew that this wasn’t the way a Flock Leader would act like when confronted with a tough problem like this. But that didn’t matter at that moment. Most of the time, I would consider crying to be uncharacteristic and immature, but this situation was the only exception.

So the drops of tears continued to fall from my eyes as I expressed the desolate, heartbroken feelings inside me. I was so overcome with emotion that I barely felt the gentle touch of Bolt’s paw on my back. Tiny, peculiar, electrical charges were flowing from her body to mine – I realized suddenly that these shocks felt not painful but warm and calming.

“Shh, Thunder, it’s all right,” Bolt said quietly as she continued to send the therapeutic electricity into my body. “I understand how heartbroken you must feel right now about losing your mate. But just calm down, pull yourself together, and think: is Lightning really lost forever?”

“Probably… probably not,” I admitted rather sheepishly after a pause. I sighed and rested my eyes on the gently undulating blue waters of the vast ocean. “I’m sorry. In normal circumstances I would not have acted that way, but Lightning… means a lot to me. At first, I just saw him as a friend, but now I know that he’s more than that.”

Bolt nodded understandingly. “So now, Lightning’s probably in Violet City, or on his way to there,” she said thoughtfully. “Since you know where he is, you might actually be able to do something about this.” She looked down at the pink, heart-shaped gem that rested close to my chest. “Is that a… Soul Stone?” she asked in amazement.

“You mean the necklace I’m wearing?” I asked, completely puzzled.

“Yes, that,” Bolt said excitedly. “I’ve heard of them before… they’re really magical gems that can apparently give certain Pokemon the ability of communicating with humans telepathically. Tell me, Thunder, do you know if the Soul Stone works for you?”

“I know it does,” I said, a newfound energy flowing into my body. “I… completely forgot about it in the rush to escape from K’s blimp. But now that I’m thinking more clearly, I know what to do.” With that, I launched into the air. “Come on, Bolt. Let’s go into the Pokemon Center.”

“Oh, I get it,” Bolt said without hesitation. Nimbly, she leaped from the roof to the ground and trotted through the sliding glass doors of the building with me following close behind.

The intense white light of the Pokemon Center made me blink my eyes a few times to adjust to the change in brightness. A little bit of nostalgia hit me as I surveyed my surroundings: a Nurse Joy and a Chansey standing behind a desk at the back of the room. A few couches, coffee tables, and TV screens. When was the last time I saw those sights.

“Pokemon?” the Nurse Joy asked, puzzled, as Bolt and I entered the building. “Jolteon and Pidgeot, where are your trainers?”

Please, Nurse Joy, I thought, I just need to use the videophones to call Falkner of Violet City. I have a very urgent message I must tell him.

“Gah! You’re talking!” Nurse Joy exclaimed in shock.

Please, that doesn’t matter right now, I thought urgently. I’m pretty certain all the Pokemon Centers know the phone numbers of all the Gym Leaders in the region, and I need Falkner’s phone number right now.

“…All right,” Nurse Joy said slowly, still a bit confused. Reaching into a drawer under her desk, she pulled out a phone book and flipped through it as she walked to one of the videophones lined up against the side wall. “Ah, here it is, Falkner of Violet City.” She punched in the numbers, and Bolt and I waited anxiously as the phone rang once, twice, three times…

“…Hello?” a familiar voice asked in a sleepy voice as a picture of Falkner’s face appeared on the screen. He looked like he had just gotten up – his dark blue hair was unkempt and his eyes looked sleepy. When he saw my face on his screen, his expression changed completely. “A Pidgeot?” he asked, confused. “Who’s calling?”

Listen, Falkner, it’s me, Thunder, Ash’s Pidgeot, I thought. Okay, yes, I’m talking, so don’t freak out. As you know, I left you a few months ago with Lightning, your Pidgeot, to find Ash. Well, things got complicated – I’ll explain later – but Lightning should be flying back the Violet City now, if he hasn’t arrived already. Is he here?

“Umm… no,” Falkner stammered, still quite shocked at the sight of a talking Pidgeot. The he gasped. “Why do you have… Janine’s necklace?” he asked with surprise and disbelief.

That doesn’t matter right now, I thought firmly. Listen up – when Lightning returns to your gym, tell him that I – Thunder – am also on my way to Violet City. I have important news to tell both him – and you – so please make sure that Lightning knows what’s going on and expect me at Violet Gym in a few months.

“Actually,” Falkner said, “my newest team member will be able to get you here right now, if you wish.” He smiled and held up an interesting-looking pink-and-purple Pokeball. “This very special Pokemon was sent to me by my dad, who is currently exploring the far-away Unova Region. Come on out, Natu!”

He tossed the ball gently into the air, and a light purple mass of energy broke out the Pokeball and materialized into the small Psychic Pokemon. As the Natu landed on Falkner’s shoulder, I noticed that this Pokemon was indeed special: it bore the mark of a purple crescent moon on its forehead.

“Natu here is what is known as a ‘Dream World’ Pokemon – a special kind of Pokemon found only in the Unova Region,” Falkner explained. “Dream World Pokemon have traits others of its species don’t have – in Natu’s case, it’s the ability Magic Bounce, as well as the power to teleport very long distances.”

Wow, I thought, amazed. So… are you saying that I can actually get to Violet City right now?

“Of course,” Falkner said. “Isn’t that right, Natu?”

“Yes,” the Natu, whose high-pitched voice indicated that she was a young female, said, nodding. “Walker said that I was special!”

Then it’s settled, I thought, knowing that Falkner had not understood the Natu’s words. I turned to Bolt, who had been watching the conversation the whole time.

“Hey Bolt,” I said in normal Pokemon speech, “What about you? Falkner’s going to teleport me back to Violet City, but I’m not sure if you want to come along.”

“Tell him that I’m coming along too,” Bolt said firmly. “Nature Hunter K… well, I want to tell both you and Falkner more about her.”

I nodded and turned back to the video screen. Falkner, I thought, This Jolteon here – Bolt – is going to come along with me to the gym, if that’s okay with you. She also has some important information to tell you.

“Well, I’ve always been uneasy around Electric-types, but if it’s important information, I want to hear it,” Falkner said, nodding. “All right. You two are at… Olivine City, right?”

“Right,” I said. “We’re at the Olivine City Pokemon Center.”

“Natu will definitely be able to make the teleportations,” Falkner said confidently. He smiled. “Expect me at the Pokemon Center any time now.”

Thank you… thank you so much for doing this for me, I thought gratefully.

Falkner winked. “You’re very welcome. After all, I will always help a Flying-type Pokemon in need.”

To be continued…
 
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Missingno. Master

Poison-type Trainer
Yay! It's back!

Very good chapter, I think it was worth the wait. No errors that I could see, but then, I'm no grammar nazi. I like how Jolteon changed sides.

Truth be told, that 10-month hiatus I had taken from The Adventure of Adventureness was looking to be permanent. But then, ten months into the hiatus, I was reading some fanfic (I think it was part of Ysavvryl's Pokédex One-Shots), and one of the readers compared the narrator in that story to the one in The Adventure of Adventureness. I was amazed that people still remembered the story ten months after I more or less gave up on it, and immediately began work on the next chapter (which, as you might remember, even worked the whole ten month hiatus into the story).

And finally, yes. I want to stay on the PM list.
 

#1TransendTrainer

PANDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
whoa. def worth the w8. its getting better & better by the chhapter. plz keep me on the PM list
 

Knightfall

Blazing Wordsmith
Whoooh it's back!

Sorry for not introducing myself, I've been a silent reader for waaay too long, and decided it was a good time to break the silence.

This is a great fic, I eagerly look forward to every new chapter.
I'm not even a big fan of the show, but this has managed to capture my attention.
It is written very well, the fact it's in a pokemon's POV makes it even better.

What I have been meaning to say is, may I please be added to the PM list?
I'd be honored to leave a review for the next chapter.

Thanks for not giving up on this, and remember that I'd probably be one of the ones to ask for an autograph. :)

'Til next chapter.

Knightfall signing off...;005;
 

Tepig 5000

Darkness Filled Me
THANK ARCEUS
glad to see whats coming up mabye a bit less?
 

1rkhachatryan

Call me Robert guys
Pls keep me on the list. Also yay your back!!!
 

lawmaster

What is that?
Yes I was worried that it would have died but you came back. Thank the dreams, THANK THE DREAMS!
 

AmericanPi

Write on
Okay, sorry for not replying to your comments, you see, I wanted to wait until I posted the next chapter. ;) I'm glad you're all glad the story's back, because I was worried that everyone had forgotten about this fanfic during my hiatus. I almost decided to drop this until I had that dream I mentioned earlier. And all of you are still on the PM list. :)

Truth be told, that 10-month hiatus I had taken from The Adventure of Adventureness was looking to be permanent. But then, ten months into the hiatus, I was reading some fanfic (I think it was part of Ysavvryl's Pokédex One-Shots), and one of the readers compared the narrator in that story to the one in The Adventure of Adventureness. I was amazed that people still remembered the story ten months after I more or less gave up on it, and immediately began work on the next chapter (which, as you might remember, even worked the whole ten month hiatus into the story).

Some fanfics are so priceless that people remember them for a long time, and yours is one such case. And I do remember how Jack and the Narrator "took ten months" to reach the Dot Com Building. It was very clever. ;)

whoa. def worth the w8. its getting better & better by the chhapter.

Thank you, I agree that it's getting better - I started out with really short chapters, but during the summer I took a creative writing course so my writing got better from there.

Sorry for not introducing myself, I've been a silent reader for waaay too long, and decided it was a good time to break the silence.

This is a great fic, I eagerly look forward to every new chapter.
I'm not even a big fan of the show, but this has managed to capture my attention.
It is written very well, the fact it's in a pokemon's POV makes it even better.

What I have been meaning to say is, may I please be added to the PM list?
I'd be honored to leave a review for the next chapter.

Thanks for coming out of the closet, Knightfall, and I'm glad you enjoy this fic. I actually got the idea for the Pokemon POV by reading the Warriors series, lol. And you've been added to the PM list. Thanks for your review! :D


Okay, it's been long enough, but here is Chapter 16! :D


CHAPTER 16

My rapidly beating heart gradually slowed down as the peculiar sensation of teleportation faded away. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw that my slightly cold and numb left wing was still resting on the forehead of Starlight, Falkner’s Natu – we had to be in physical contact with her for the teleportation to work.

As the blue aura surrounding her disappeared, Starlight, who had been floating in the air using her Psychic powers, slowly descended to the ground. Falkner and Bolt opened their eyes and looked around, Bolt with a dumbstruck look on her face but Falkner remaining completely calm. I studied my surroundings as well – we were in a dirt battlefield with white markings and boundaries. Beyond that was a pale blue morning sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, and I could feel a light, warm breeze ruffling my feathers. We were at the rooftop battlefield of the Violet Gym.

I shivered a little, not from the wind but from the eerie sensation teleportation had given me – it was very strange, a feeling that could not be explained. All I remembered was that Falkner and Starlight had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the calm, ordinary Olivine City Pokemon Center, scaring the daylights out of the attending Nurse Joy.

“We’re just here to pick up some friends,” Falkner had explained, gesturing to Bolt and me. “Thunder and Bolt – Thunder’s the Pidgeot, and Bolt is the Jolteon – need to quickly get to Violet City, so I thought I would use my Natu’s Teleport to get them there instantly.”

“Oh… all right,” Nurse Joy had said slowly, still quite shocked about the fact that a gym leader and his Natu had appeared out of thin air.

“Glad to see you, Thunder,” Falkner had said cheerfully, walking over to me and gently stroking my plumes. “How was your journey?”

Oh, both Bolt and I have a lot of things to tell you, I had thought. Let’s get back to the Violet Gym, and we’ll tell you everything there. I had eyed his Natu a little cautiously. Is your Natu’s Teleport… safe?

“Oh, definitely,” Falkner had answered. “It’s a weird sensation, like you’re falling through a bottomless pit, but I never get motion sickness or anything when I teleport.”

“My name’s Starlight, by the way,” Starlight had chirped.

Okay, I had thought. Now how do we do this?

“It’s simple,” Falkner had answered as Starlight, held up by Psychic powers, lifted herself off Falkner’s shoulder and floated in midair. “We all have to be in physical contact with Natu and close our eyes.”

All right, let’s do this, I had thought as I rested my left wing on Starlight’s forehead. I had waited until Bolt touched Starlight’s right wing and Falkner touched Starlight’s left wing before I closed my eyes.

“Bolt, are you ready?” Falkner had asked.

“I’m ready,” Bolt had answered.

She says she’s ready, I had translated, and I’m ready too.

“All right,” Falkner had said. “Natu, Teleport us back to the Violet Gym!”

“Teleport, go!” Starlight had exclaimed. Before the word “go” left her beak, I had felt it – that peculiar sensation Falkner had talked about. Rapidly, the air had been taken away from me and my stomach had shot up into my chest. I had felt like I was falling, falling, and yet I had felt no nausea, pain, or fear. Though my eyes were closed, I had seen stars – multicolored ones that had flashed rapidly from the darkness.

And then, after just a few seconds, it had all stopped. Now, standing on a battlefield hundreds of feet above the earth, I folded my extended wing and blinked my eyes a few times to dispel the rainbow-colored lights that still flickered in front of me.

Whew, I thought, shaking my head. That really was something.

“Yeah,” Falkner agreed, while Bolt nodded. He pulled out a pink-and-purple Pokeball. “Thanks, Natu. Now take a good rest,” he said as he pressed the Pokeball’s center button. Starlight turned into transparent purple energy and disappeared into the strange Pokeball.

Maybe we should sit down, I thought, because we really have a lot of things to tell you.

“That’s right,” Falkner said. “Bolt, you aren’t afraid of heights, are you?”

Bolt shook her head.

“Good,” Falkner said, walking to the edge of the battlefield, where a concrete wall that also served as a bench stood. Bolt and I followed him, and we hopped onto the wall as he sat down. Bolt made herself comfortable as I told my story.

So, in the beginning of our journey, Lightning and I were just friends, I began. I blushed a little. But then… I saw the signs. Lightning loved me and wanted to be more than just friends with me, but at first I didn’t love him back. And after arriving in Ecruteak City and hearing Morty’s Gengar talk about his battle against Ash’s Pokemon, I almost gave up on my quest to find him.

“Why is that?” Falkner asked.

Morty’s Gengar talked about Ash’s powerful Shiny Noctowl, and I deduced that Ash didn’t come back because Noctowl replaced me, I thought. I felt very dejected and heartbroken, so I decided to have some alone time to think about everything – Ash, Noctowl, and Lightning. I told Lightning to give up on me and go back to Violet City if I didn’t come back to him by this morning.

So I thought about everything for a while, and I decided to go back to Lightning,
I continued, not wanting to tell Falkner about Janine just yet. But on the way back to the Burnt Tower, I was ambushed and captured by… your sister, Nature Hunter K.

Falkner stiffened. “Katrina?” he asked softly, shaking a little. “But… how can you be sure that she was my sister?”

Remember that letter you received from your sister near the beginning of our journey? I thought. Lightning told me about it – your sister was going to use nature to become the greatest Flying-type trainer. And she wanted to get a good-natured Pidgeot to rival yours. And I – I was the Pidgeot she decided to go after.

“You?” Falkner asked, shocked.

Yes, me, I thought, nodding. Using her Nature Checker, K – I mean, Katrina – determined that I had a good nature, Adamant. Because of that, she’s been hunting me ever since we first met at Ilex Forest. Finally, in Ecruteak City, just as I was about to return to Lightning, your sister tried to capture me in an Ultra Ball – it failed, though, because I was still registered as Ash’s Pokemon.

So she knocked me out and put me in an electric cage in her blimp. Bolt here was Katrina’s Pokemon, but she changed sides and helped me escape. We landed in Olivine City, and that’s where we called you.

“Wow,” Falkner said slowly, closing his eyes. He sighed. “What a journey… and to think that my long-lost sister has been hunting you all this time… I thought she was gone forever.” He shook his head. “But what are these ‘natures’ Katrina’s so obsessed with? To her, there’s apparently something more to them than personality, but what? And what has she been up to these past three years? She just vanished from her bed the night before my first day as an official Gym Leader…” He shook his head again. “So many questions, all of which I do not know the answer to.”

“Actually,” Bolt said softly, “I know many of the answers.”

Bolt says she can tell you the answers, I translated. Falkner, can you give my necklace to Bolt?

“Yes,” Falkner said as he removed my necklace and hung it around Bolt’s neck. We watched as the Jolteon focused for a while. Then, via telepathy, we heard her speak.

Thunder? Falkner? Can you hear me? Bolt asked.

Falkner and I both nodded.

Okay, good, Bolt thought. Listen up, both of you – I’ve been Katrina’s Pokemon for quite a while. When she obtained me, I was still registered as another trainer’s Pokemon, so she attempted to keep me inside an electric cage until my old Pokeball could expire and she could capture me. However, I have Volt Absorb as my ability, so I was immune to the electricity. I easily broke out of the cage, and after that, I explored her blimp, which also functions as her home, from bow to stern. Because I got to wander around a lot, I also got many opportunities to eavesdrop on Katrina talking to herself, which she did a lot.

“Go on,” Falkner said patiently.

Falkner, Bolt thought, would you mind if I told Thunder a bit about Katrina before she left Violet City? You know about this, but Thunder doesn’t.

“No, I wouldn’t mind at all,” Falkner said.

All right, Bolt thought. Thunder, you see, as soon as Falkner obtained his first Pokemon, Lightning, and the whole family moved from Fuchsia City to Violet City, Katrina and Falkner used to have little Pokemon battles against each other. Back then, Katrina only had her Sharpclaw, her Skarmory, and Falkner only had Lightning – back then, he was a Pidgey. From a young age, Falkner was a very talented Pokemon Trainer – he shoed an inexhaustible fighting spirit and a very close bond with his Pokemon. Katrina would have been a talented trainer as well – in fact, she had a very high level of intelligence – but something was missing.

“What was that?” I asked.

Katrina just couldn’t see her Pokemon as her friend, comrade, or partner, Bolt thought sadly. She just wanted to be stronger, and her Skarmory was essentially a… tool for her to use to become the person she wanted to be – and that person was a Flying-type specialist gym leader and maybe even a League Champion later on. However, because she lacked the strong bond with her Pokemon, she found herself losing battle after battle against her younger brother.

“That’s true,” Falkner said softly. “I told her again and again to treat her Skarmory as a friend, but she wouldn’t listen to me because I was five years younger than her.”

Bolt nodded. Katrina tried very hard to find other ways to become more powerful, ways that didn’t involve close bonds, she continued. I guess she overcomplicated things a bit too much – she started by planning her future team, which was good, but then she started to observe every single Skarmory, Zubat, Golbat, Crobat, Magikarp, Gyarados, Charmander, Charmeleon, Charizard, Spearow, Fearow, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot she came across.

“That’s true too,” Falkner said quietly. “Katrina would watch our father’s gym battles closely and go into the woods to observe the wild Pokemon there, but she never told me why.”

“So Katrina’s final team would be Skarmory, Crobat, Gyarados, Charizard, Fearow, and Pidgeot,” I mused.

I knew that Falkner didn’t understand me, but Bolt did, so she nodded.

Well, she continued, as the years flew by, Falkner grew closer and closer to age ten, and Katrina grew more and more frantic. She made progress – she continued to observe her selected Pokemon and found out that Pokemon of a certain nature or personality seemed to usually outperform others of its species. For example, a Jolly Magikarp would usually swim faster than, say, a Bashful one.

“Interesting,” Falkner sighed. “So all the observations Katrina made – she kept them a secret so she could become more powerful than me.”

Precisely, Bolt thought. However, all her efforts proved to be in vain. Because Sharpclaw, her Skarmory, didn’t feel for her the way Lightning felt for Falkner, she continued her losing streak. As time wore on, their mom and dad always seemed to shower more love, praise, and attention to their son rather than their daughter. But there was a reason for that: Falkner, with his impressive fighting spirit, was clearly gym leader material, while Katrina was not.

“My parents knew that I had potential,” Falkner added, “and I never ceased to impress them.” He sighed. “Guess I never really paid attention to how my sister felt.”

Bolt nodded. Katrina grew hopeless and rejected, and as her parents continued to largely ignore her, her poisonous jealousy of her little brother festered like an unhealed wound, she continued. She did all that she could – she trained her Skarmory a lot, caught an exceptional Zubat with a Jolly nature, and quickly evolved that Zubat into a Golbat. But Falkner made progress too – he caught a Hoothoot and a Doduo in the nearby woods and evolved Lightning into a Pidgeotto.

“I also developed close bonds with my newly caught Pokemon, and I trained them, too,” Falkner added.

Yes, Bolt continued. Well, finally, the big day came – Walker, Falkner’s dad, who at that time was the Violet City Gym Leader, wanted to explore the faraway regions of Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova with his wife. Of course, he had to find a new gym leader for the Violet Gym, and naturally he chose Falkner.

“But wasn’t Katrina furious?” I asked.

Of course, Bolt answered. Thankfully, her parents noticed this and worked out a compromise with her: the Pokemon League Examiners would test Falkner and Katrina’s abilities together by having the two of them have a Pokemon battle against each other.

“Wow. This is getting interesting,” I said softly.

Falkner and Katrina both trained hard, Bolt continued. On the day of the Pokemon League Exam, the examiners came. One of them refereed the battle while the other one sat at the sidelines, observing and taking notes.

“Bolt,” Falkner said suddenly, “would you mind if I told the story of the battle? I still remember that battle as if it were yesterday.”

Sure, go ahead, Bolt answered. It would be better than if I told the story, because I don’t remember all of the details.

“All right,” Falkner said. “At that time, Katrina had two Pokemon while I had three, so to make things fair, both she and I were only allowed to use two Pokemon.”

Go on, Bolt thought patiently.

“Katrina, of course, used her Skarmory and Golbat, and I used my Pidgeotto and Doduo,” Falkner continued. “She began with Golbat, and I sent out Doduo. Well, let’s just say that we both had our strengths and weaknesses. When it came to sheer force, Katrina was definitely stronger – her Golbat was speedier than my Doduo and could hit fast and hard. But my Doduo was nimble, and I had showered lots of attention on him – I had taught him how to use his two heads to his advantage, how to skillfully dodge attacks, and how to jump so high that he was almost flying.

“Well, at first, the battle went smoothly. Doduo managed to dodge many of Golbat’s Bite attacks, all the while landing swift hits of Fury Attack. But when Bite finally did hit, it hit hard. Doduo cried out, fell to the ground, and almost ceased his movements. However, Doduo had developed a close bond with me and would keep on trying for his best friend. With a final push, Doduo staggered to his feet. Taking both Katrina and Golbat by surprise, he lunged forward and delivered a swift and powerful Quick Attack, plowing Golbat to the ground.

“‘Get up, Golbat! Now!’ Katrina commanded angrily, but Golbat refused to listen to her orders. Not even making an effort, Golbat ceased her movements and fainted.

“‘Golbat is unable to battle!’ the referee called. ‘Falkner and Doduo are the winners!’”

Man, this is getting intense, Bolt thought, not moving a muscle as she took in the fast-paced story.

“I agree,” I said softly, even though I knew that Falkner couldn’t understand me. “Wow, Falkner, you’re a pretty good storyteller.”

“‘I totally would have won if your stupid Doduo hadn’t surprised me like that,’ Katrina growled,” Falkner said, continuing his story. “‘But now it’s time to prove that I’m stronger than you and worthy of more attention. Skarmory, destroy!’

“In a flash of light, Katrina’s strongest Pokemon appeared, and I knew that the rest of the battle would be a tough fight – none of my Pokemon’s attacks were particularly effective on the Steel-type. But when I saw the light in Doduo’s eyes, I knew that he was ready to give it all he got.”

How did it go? Bolt asked.

“Not well,” Falkner sighed. “Doduo managed to hit first with Quick Attack, but he struck solid steel and did next to no damage. With a smirk, Katrina ordered her Skarmory to use Steel Wing. Skarmory raised his armored wing, which glowed with a white light, and with it plowed Doduo deep into the ground. The hole the attack created was so deep that I had to rush to the center of the battlefield and peer into it to check on Doduo. When I did, I discovered that he had fainted.”

Yikes, Bolt thought. Katrina definitely trained her Skarmory to be very powerful.

“Yes,” Falkner said, nodding. “Sighing, I recalled my fallen Doduo, congratulating on a job well done. Then, I sent out my Pidgeotto – or, as you may call him, Lightning. But before I commanded him to make his first move, I called him to my side and gave him a little pep talk.

“‘Pidgeotto,’ I said, ‘I know that this will be a tough fight for you, because that Skarmory of my sister’s is very powerful. But I believe in you. I’ll fight with you till the very end, so I hope you’ll give it all you’ve got.’

“Lightning nodded, his eyes burning with an unbroken spirit. He flew towards the center of the battlefield, hovering in place and looking ready for battle.

“‘Done with your little talk?’ Katrina sneered. ‘Well, it won’t help you. I can guarantee that. Skarmory, Aerial Ace!’

“I had trained hard with Lightning and with him perfected our Agility and Quick Attack strategy,” Falkner continued, “so I hoped we could utilize that strategy to win this battle.

“‘Pidgeotto,’ I called, ‘Agility!’

“With impressive speed, Lightning barely dodged the oncoming Aerial Ace attack. He quickly disappeared into thin air and suddenly reappeared behind Katrina’s Skarmory.

“‘Now, Quick Attack!’ I commanded.

“A streak of white light trailing after him, Lightning rammed into Katrina’s Skarmory. This continued on for quite a few turns – every time Katrina’s Skarmory tried to attack, Lightning would use Agility to get out of the way and deliver a swift Quick Attack from behind. Slowly and tediously, Lightning chipped away Skarmory’s health.”

Isn’t that the battle strategy you’re famous for? Bolt asked.

“Yes,” Falkner answered. “Ever since my battle against Katrina, I’ve used that strategy a lot. Well, anyways, with each hit Skarmory took, Katrina became more and more enraged. Finally, just as Lightning was about to land another Quick Attack from behind, Katrina got an idea.

“‘Skarmory,’ she exclaimed suddenly, ‘turn around and use Aerial Ace, quickly!’

“Our plan had been working like a charm, so Katrina’s order took us by complete surprise. Frantically, I commanded Lightning to use Agility to dodge, but I was too late – Skarmory slammed into him with a powerful Aerial Ace attack that sent him flying.”

Hmm, Katrina had a plan there, I thought, knowing that my thoughts would not be audible because I wasn’t wearing the Soul Gem. If Ash had been in the same situation as Katrina, he would have made his Pokemon plow Lightning to the ground.

“I desperately commanded Lightning to try a Quick Attack,” Falkner continued, but he was disoriented and dizzy due to the Aerial Ace attack he had taken as well as his plummeting to the ground. Smiling, Katrina ordered her Skarmory to use Steel Wing, and before Lightning could pull himself together, Skarmory’s wing glowed white and he viciously slammed Lightning into the ground. Probably Katrina had planned it, Lightning landed in the deep hole my Doduo had created.”

Katrina certainly planned her strategies very well, Bolt thought. Because she was wearing the Soul Gem, both Falkner and I could hear her thoughts.

“Definitely,” Falkner said, nodding. “Well, the situation looked grim – Lightning had hardly any health left and was stuck in a Doduo-shaped hole, while Skarmory still had plenty of energy. Katrina smirked.

“‘Well, it all ends here, Falkner,’ she said, smiling. ‘Skarmory, finish it up with Aerial Ace!’

“With a roar, the metallic bird-like creature became cloaked with a white light and began charging towards the helpless Lightning. I was beginning to panic – one more hit and my sister would successfully win the battle and prove that brute force was better than love and willpower. I thought of the one thing Lightning had and Skarmory didn’t, and utilized it to its full potential.

“‘Pidgeotto,’ I said calmly, ‘you can do it. I believe in you, and I know you won’t let me down. Please, Pidgeotto, just give yourself one last push and use Agility!’

“As that last word left my mouth, a huge explosion sounded and a large dust cloud rose into the air, obstructing my view of the battlefield. I closed my eyes, thinking that the battle was all over – but it wasn’t. When I forced my eyes to open, I gasped with delight when I saw that Lightning was hovering in the air, still with some energy left inside him. Skarmory, however, had his head stuck miserably inside on of the narrow ‘necks’ of the Doduo-shaped hole. And because of his inflexibility, he was having a hard time freeing himself.”

At the last moment, Lightning gathered up his strength and used Agility to get out of the hole, Bolt thought excitedly, so Skarmory’s Aerial Ace plowed deep into the hole without striking its target.

“Precisely,” Falkner said, smiling. “Well, from then on, the battle was a breeze – as Skarmory continued to be helplessly immobilized, Lightning attacked relentlessly with Quick Attacks and Wing Attacks. With a final push, Lightning slammed Skarmory out of the hole. Katrina smirked, thinking that Skarmory was free and could finally attack. However, when she looked across the dusty battlefield, she saw that Skarmory had ceased his movements and was laying there, still as a stone.

“‘Skarmory is unable to battle!’ the referee called excitedly. ‘Falkner, Doduo, and Pidgeotto are the winners of this match!’

“And just like that, I was officially the Gym Leader of Violet City.” Falkner took a deep breath as his story concluded.

“…Wow,” I breathed after a moment of silence. “I never knew you were this good of a storyteller.”

Thunder says she thinks you’re a good storyteller, Bolt translated.

“Really?” Falkner asked. He smiled. “Thanks, but… that very night, Katrina disappeared, and I have no idea of what happened after that. She’s been gone and almost forgotten for three years.”

Actually, Bolt thought, I can tell both of you what exactly she’s been up to. I think this is important information, both for you and for Thunder.

“Go on,” Falkner said, “because my sister left without explaining to me what natures were.”

“Yeah,” I added. “I have so many unanswered questions about her, and you’re the only one who knows the answers.”

Bolt nodded, and Falkner and I listened intently as she began her story.

To be continued…
 
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AmericanPi

Write on
Great chapter, loved the backstory behind K- or as we should call her now, Katrina. And for some reason, I kept expecting Lightning to evolve into Pidgeot at some point in that battle.

Well, I was going to evolve Lightning, but I decided against it because I don't think it would be really reasonable if a newly appointed Gym Leader had a fully evolved Pokemon. ;)

Sorry, guys, but I've had next to no time to work on Chapter 17 this past week - finals are coming up in the end of January, so my teachers are giving us a ton of homework to help us study. :( I'll try to post the next chapter by next Sunday and a Valentine's Day special by Valentine's Day, but with my first Finals of my life coming up, expect me to break some promises (excuse the bad pun). ;)
 

ga'hoolefan

Feathered Dino Lover
Sorry I didn't post sooner. My non-computer life can get pretty hectic at times. Anyway, I really enjoyed the last two chapters. My favorite parts were when Thunder and Bolt (did you plan to make their names a pun like that? ) made their daring escape from Katrina's facility while dodging powerful Pokemon and Katrina herself, and when, against all odds, Falkner beats Katrina in a battle to see who gets to be the Gym leader. Anyway, I suppose I don't have much else to say, so: keep up the good work!
 

AmericanPi

Write on
Oh, Finals. How I hate thee.
Anyways, chapter 16 was great.
I don't have time for a proper responce, studying for my last exam next week myself.
Good luck on your finals.

Knightfall signing off...;005;

Thank you! I didn't do as well I wanted to on Chinese (used the words "stuff" and "things" too much), but I got the highest score among all periods on my Health final. :D Well, finals are over now, so I've finally finished Chapter 17.

Sorry I didn't post sooner. My non-computer life can get pretty hectic at times. Anyway, I really enjoyed the last two chapters. My favorite parts were when Thunder and Bolt (did you plan to make their names a pun like that? ) made their daring escape from Katrina's facility while dodging powerful Pokemon and Katrina herself, and when, against all odds, Falkner beats Katrina in a battle to see who gets to be the Gym leader. Anyway, I suppose I don't have much else to say, so: keep up the good work!

Thank you, and yes, I did intentionally make Thunder and Bolt's names pun-ish. XD

As I said before, my finals are over, so here is Chapter 17! :)



CHAPTER 17

Truthfully, Katrina had planned her escape a long time before that final battle, Bolt began. It was pretty much her backup plan, in case she lost the battle.

“Which means, through the years she’s been secretly planning her running away without even giving me a hint about anything?” Falkner asked, shocked.

That’s right, Bolt answered gravely. Katrina may be cold-hearted, but she is definitely quite intelligent. She knew that you must not know of her plans. That’s why she left without warning, so that nobody would have a clue as to where to look for her.

“That… sure was smart of her, I admit,” Falkner sighed, shaking his head. “We had no idea of where she had gone, and none of the Officer Jennies could track her down.” He shook his head. “How did she evade them, though?”

Using the secret blimp she found in the forest, Bolt answered. She came upon the blimp the night of her escape. It used to belong to the Police, but they abandoned it because it couldn’t even catch up to a certain Meowth-shaped hot air balloon. But you know how stupid the Police Force can sometimes be – first of all, the blimp actually had a high-speed setting that they didn’t know how to use. And second of all, they had left the door unlocked, so Katrina could easily climb into the blimp and claim it as her own.

Because I did not have the Soul Gem, I knew that speaking would be useless. Therefore, I had listened to the story with my full attention, taking mental notes along the way.

“So let me get this straight,” Falkner said. “All this time, my sister has been flying high above the region in a blimp she stole from the police?”

That is correct, Bolt thought. However, Katrina has been doing a lot more than just evading the police. She continued to observe the “Natures” of various wild Pokemon. She also trained her Skarmory and Golbat to be quite powerful, teaching them new moves such as Brave Bird.

“Brave Bird?” Falkner asked. “I’ve never heard of that move before.”

It’s… something Katrina… invented, I guess, Bolt thought, shrugging. Well, eventually, she also invented the first of her three special gadgets – the Nature Checker.

My whole body grew tense upon hearing those words. Nature Checker, I thought, frowning. If it weren’t for that crazy thing, I would have been able to search for Ash in peace.

“Nature Checker?” Falkner echoed. “What is that?”

Katrina created it by re-programming an ordinary Pokedex, Bolt answered. She manipulated it so that when pointed at a Pokemon, it would provide her with the Pokemon’s personality, or nature.

“But how is that possible?” Falkner asked. “Katrina was only fifteen when she ran away, and I don’t think a fifteen-year-old would be able to do a complicated job such as re-programming a Pokedex.”

Well, first of all, Katrina was quite intelligent for someone her age, Bolt explained. Second of all, she perfected the Nature Checker not overnight, but over the course of almost three years.

“Ah, that makes much more sense,” Falkner said, nodding. “What else has she been doing while she was gone?”

A lot of things, Bolt answered. Firstly, Katrina concluded her research on natures, determining that there were twenty-five of them. Secondly, she continued to train her Pokemon, also eventually obtaining a Gyarados and a Charizard. And thirdly, she developed two other gadgets – the electric glove and the electric cage-balls.

I tensed again upon hearing those words, and I shuddered as I recalled the helpless paralysis caused by the evil blue electricity sprouting from Katrina’s left index finger, and the painful current that flowed through me whenever I tried to break out of her cold metal cages.

“How did Katrina make them?” Falkner asked.

Well, Bolt answered, she made me use Thunderbolt on an ordinary-looking glove – then she modified it so that it could shoot paralyzing electricity out of its index finger. That’s how she developed the electric glove.

The electric cage-balls were stolen from a duo of Pokemon thieves – but back then, the cage-balls were not charged with electricity. Once again, Katrina used my Thunderbolt to infuse the cage-balls with paralyzing electricity.


“And I suppose she developed these gadgets for one purpose – to catch ‘good-natured’ Pokemon,” Falkner said. “I’m correct, right?”

Right, Bolt thought gravely, nodding. Katrina’s heart truly turned black – although she had a Dream Team of six Flying-types, she never passed by any opportunity to catch a powerful, good-natured Pokemon, even ones that already belonged to other trainers. She even tried to steal Whitney’s Miltank once, almost persuading Whitney to give Miltank’s Pokeball to her.

“My sister had the nerve to steal a gym leader’s Pokemon?” Falkner asked, horrified.

That is correct.

Falkner did not respond, and I was quite surprised to see a hurt, heartbroken look on the gym leader’s face. His shoulders were slumped and his head was down, looking like he was on the verge of tears. Expecting him to break at any moment, I took a deep breath and prepared to provide any comfort I could give him. However, when Falkner finally spoke, he took a deep breath and managed to sit straight up, albeit with great difficulty.

“I… I… I don’t get why my very own sister would become such a horrible person,” he said softly, his voice shaking and uncharacteristically high-pitched. “I remember when I was five and Katrina was ten, we were great friends. We used to pretend that we were fearless explorers of the Land of Aaa…” Falkner shook his head and sighed. “How did she change so much? Sure, Katrina never felt as close to Pokemon as I did, but at least she had a fun personality… how did she let it disappear?”

Bolt took a deep breath. Jealousy, she answered slowly. Katrina let her poisonous jealousy for you take over her heart, until all she cared about was becoming stronger than you. Bolt paused. But it’s not your fault that Katrina became the person she is. She just didn’t realize the reason why you always received more praise than her.

Falkner nodded. “I just wish that I could have stopped her from changing,” he sighed. “But now, my sister has become so cruel and powerful that it’s too late…”

My impulses kicked in before I realized that Falkner couldn’t understand my words. “No, it’s not too late!” I exclaimed. “It’s never too late to be a hero and stand up for what’s right!”

Thunder’s right, Bolt thought, translating. She said that it’s never too late to stand up against evil and fight for what’s right – which is true, very true. In fact, you will soon have an opportunity to show your sister that believing in your Pokemon will always win.

Falkner and I both tensed. “What do you mean?” Falkner asked.

Bolt took a deep breath. Katrina has a plan, she thought, and that plan is to perfect her Pokemon team before taking on the Pokemon League challenge. With her powerful, good-natured Pokemon, she’s going to battle eight gym leaders, collect eight badges, and maybe win the Pokemon League Tournament. She paused, and when I heard her voice again, it was a quiet, serious one. For her final badge, Bolt thought, Katrina is going to battle you, Falkner.

“What?” Falkner exclaimed, shocked. “But people usually battle me for their first badge… and why does my sister want to battle me so badly?” His voice grew softer. “It’s to get revenge, right?”

That’s more or less it, Bolt thought. You proved to be stronger than her three years ago, and Katrina couldn’t stand the thought of being weaker than her younger brother. Winning against you would prove to her that she and her strategies are superior. And it would also mean payback for the three years of your fame and her obscurity.

“So my sister will eventually come here and battle me for her final showdown before the Pokemon League,” Falkner said softly, closing his eyes. “If I win, I will show her the true meaning of Pokemon battling, and maybe she will treat her Pokemon like friends. But if I lose…” Falkner sighed. “I’m not sure if I can win this battle. To tell you the truth, I’m really nervous, because I’m honestly not sure exactly how powerful my sister’s Pokemon are.”

Don’t worry, Falkner, Bolt thought. You have plenty of time to prepare for your battle against Katrina – she’s two good-natured Pokemon away from a perfect team, and it will take her at least a month for her to obtain seven badges, even with that blimp of hers. And by that time, Lightning, your Pidgeot, would definitely have come back.

Falkner nodded. “We’re all going to have to train extra hard,” he said determinedly, clenching his hand into a fist. “Katrina can’t get away with her deeds, and it’s up to us to show her what’s right.” He turned to Bolt. “Bolt, you’ll help me, right?”

Right, Bolt thought, nodding. I’ll help you give it all you’ve got, Falkner. After all, it takes a lot of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.

“Thanks,” Falkner said, smiling. He turned to me. “How about you, Thunder? Oh wait, you need that… necklace thing.” He turned back to Bolt. “Bolt, would you mind if I gave Thunder’s necklace back to her?”

Not at all, Bolt thought as Falkner removed her Soul Gem necklace and hung it around my neck. I smiled, for the beautiful pink jewel felt comfortably warm against my chest.

Falkner turned to me again. “Thunder,” he said softly, “will you help me in my battle against Katrina? I understand that you’re in the middle of your search for Ash, but… I’m not sure exactly how strong my sister will be, so I’d appreciate all the help I can get. Don’t think I’m forcing you to help me, Thunder. If you want to keep on looking for your trainer, by all means continue your search. It’s your choice.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. Yes, my quest for Ash was important – he broke the promise he made to me, and I didn’t want to get distracted from my goal of finding him. But at the same time, I knew that I couldn’t leave Falkner behind. He needed my help desperately, and leaving Violet City would also mean perhaps never seeing Lightning again. I shuddered at the thought.

I’m staying, Falkner, I thought determinedly. You need my help more than I need to find Ash. And – and I need Lightning… it’s going to be really, really hard to continue my quest without him.

Falkner nodded and stroked my plumes comfortingly. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Thunder, thank you so much for your decision to stay here, and I promise I won’t let you down.”

No problem, I thought, when I realized that the Soul Gem was suddenly feeling even warmer against my chest. Looking down, I saw that the pink jewel was emanating a soft white light, and I suddenly remembered another important topic I had to discuss with Falkner about.

Falkner, I thought, there’s something else I need to talk with you about. I turned to Bolt. Sorry, Bolt, but this discussion would be less awkward if only Falkner and I participated in it. Not that I don’t trust you, Bolt… it’s just that the topic is serious and I’d like to keep our discussion private.

“I understand,” Bolt said, nodding. She looked around. “Is there anywhere I can go while you two talk?”

Bolt’s asking if there’s anywhere she can go during our discussion, I translated.

“Oh, okay,” Falkner said, turning to Bolt. “Bolt, I’ll take you to the indoor forest. It’s pretty big, so it’s sure to keep you busy. Come on.” With that, he walked towards the elevator at the end of the battlefield, with Bolt trailing at his heels.

As Falkner and Bolt disappeared behind the sliding elevator doors, I gazed up at the cloud-dotted blue morning sky and sighed.

“I’m not sure if I should be doing this,” I said out loud, talking to myself. “Janine didn’t really seem to want anything to do with Falkner anymore, and… how am I supposed to tell Falkner about Janine without making him angry and uncomfortable?” I shook my head. “Should I leave Falkner and Janine alone, or should I try to get them back together? I’m not sure…”

I sighed again, staring intently at the fluffy white clouds as if they contained the answers to my questions. My mind was still completely blank, however, when I heard Falkner’s voice slice through my quiet thoughts.

“Thunder?” Falkner asked softly. “You said that we needed to talk.”

I gulped and turned to see that Falkner was sitting next to me, waiting patiently for me to speak. I took a deep breath, hoping that this talk would end well, and began.

Falkner, I thought, when I started my journey with Lightning, I merely thought of him as a friend and nothing more. But as our journey progressed, I began to realize that Lightning wanted to be more than just friends with me… he loved me and wanted me to be his mate. I saw the signs, and I slowly began to realize what he felt for me.

Falkner stroked my plumes gently, his fingers feeling soft and gentle as they ran through my feathers. “Did you… did you love Lightning back?” he asked softly.

For a long time… no, I admitted. I thought he was brave and handsome, but at the same time, I tried to push away my feelings for him because I thought that we could never be together. I told myself that my home was with Ash and Lightning’s home was Violet City, so I thought we could never be together.

Falkner did not respond, and when I saw him frowning and staring intently at the beautiful Soul Gem that was hanging around my neck, I knew that what I said had made him think of Janine. Taking a deep breath, I continued.

But I had two helpers, I thought. The first one was Celebi –

“Celebi?” Falkner interrupted, his voice full of both interest and disbelief. “Isn’t that Pokemon the legendary Guardian of the Forest?”

Right, I answered. I met Celebi in Ilex Forest, and after it observed the interactions between Lightning and I, it decided to have a talk with me. Celebi told me that it had a fateful adventure with Ash before, and from that adventure it learned something: true friendship can stand the tests of time and space.

“True friendship… can stand the test of space?” Falkner repeated quietly, looking confused.

Right, I said firmly. Suddenly, a revelation struck me, and I couldn’t hold back my words. Love is a very powerful force, and nothing can break it, not even time and space. Separation destroys weak loves and fuels strong ones, just like how a gentle breeze blows out a candle and ignites a bonfire.

Falkner stared at me in amazement. “That’s… so true,” he said softly. “I… never knew that you were so philosophical, Thunder.”

I shrugged. I just had a revelation, I thought, but what I said is based upon the lessons I learned from Celebi and another very special individual.

Falkner paused, and for a while I was not sure whether or not he would speak. But then, with a sigh, he said, “It’s Janine, right?”

Yes… yes, I did meet Janine during my journey, I thought, quite taken aback by Falkner’s reaction. But… how did you know?

“That necklace you’re wearing… it used to be Janine’s,” Falkner explained. “I… gave it to her on her thirteenth birthday…” He paused and stared at me with a serious expression on his face. “Thunder, do you promise not to tell anyone what I’m about to tell you?”

I promise, I thought sincerely, shaking with anticipation. Was Falkner going to tell me what happened with him and Janine?

“Thank you,” Falkner sighed. When he spoke again, his voice was even quieter and more serious than before. “Okay, I admit it – I do like Janine a lot. We’ve been friends since we were four, but as we grew older we both began to want to be more than just friends with each other… Thunder, I think I made the same mistake with Janine as you made with Lightning.”

Yes, I thought. I know. Janine told me that you told her that you two could never be together because your home was Violet City and her home was Fuchsia City.

“That’s right,” Falkner sighed. “I still thought that Janine was cute and all – I still do. I tried to explain to her my feelings, and I definitely didn’t want to make her feel lonely and rejected… I knew that I had broken her heart, but I thought I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Falkner, I thought, you really need to stop thinking that you can’t do anything about a problem. Realizing that I had sounded a little harsh, I added, Yes, Janine still does feel bitter about you, but that doesn’t mean that it’s too late to talk to her. In fact, when she talked to me, she still seemed to have some feelings or you… she tried to hide them from me, but she didn’t hide them well.

“Really?” Falkner asked. “I suppose talking to Janine is worth a shot, but it’s been a long time since I last saw her… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m scared.”

I understand, I thought, giving him a comforting pat on the back with my wing. Love can be a very complicated feeling, but if you just be brave and follow your heart, everything will turn out fine.

“Everything will turn out just fine,” Falkner repeated, looking more confident now. He stood up and smiled. “I’m going to be brave and talk to Janine.” But then he frowned. “But what about Katrina? Fuchsia City is very far away, and I’m not sure if I can get there and back within a month…”

You can always use Starlight’s Teleport, I thought. With Teleport, you can get there and back in a matter of seconds.

“Now, why didn’t I think of that?” Falkner asked, smiling. “Thunder, you sure are smart for a Pokemon.”

Eh, it just comes from being a Flock Leader, I guess, I thought casually. So, Falkner, when are you leaving for Fuchsia City?

“Tonight,” Falkner said determinedly. “I’m going to need as much time as possible to prepare for a battle as serious as my showdown against my sister.”

_^^_^^__^^___^^__^^_^^_​

The soothing white moonlight washed over the artificial but realistic trees and shrubs of the indoor forest, flooding the room with a comforting glow. I perched on the highest branch of the tallest tree, gazing down at the leafy treetops below as Bolt curled up comfortably at the bottom of the tree, sleeping soundly.

It was night, and a blanket of silence engulfed Violet Gym. Falkner was gone – he had left for Janine shortly after dinner. Thought everything was peaceful, I couldn’t sleep at all, for someone was missing: Lightning.

“I hope he’s all right,” I said quietly to myself. Although Falkner had used his tracking device to show me that Lightning was safely on the way back to Violet City, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry. Would Lightning find enough lakes to fish out of? And what if he encountered another ferocious Gyarados or, worse yet, Nature Hunter K?

And what has become of my quest for Ash? I asked myself. I didn’t plan on helping Falkner when I began my journey…

“Ooooooooooooo Ohhhhhhhhhh Aaaaaaaa…….”

My feathers prickled with excitement and I gasped in sheer delight and wonder as I raised my head upon hearing that beautiful-sounding call. That sound I had heard – it could only mean one thing: Articuno, the majestic, shimmering legendary bird I had seen at the beginning of my journey, had returned.

There it was: flying slowly and gracefully towards the full moon, its beautiful blue feathers shining like diamonds and crystals, its graceful wings flapping every once in a while, and its long, flowing tail trailing behind its body. I watched with enchanted awe and amazement as the legendary bird flew on, leaving a trail of glittering sparkles in its wake.

“Please, Articuno, grant me this one with I have,” I whispered as it grew smaller and smaller in the distance. “I wish that I will eventually find the trainer with whom I really belong.”

To be continued…
 
Last edited:

AmericanPi

Write on
OMG I just really like the new chapter!!!!! the only typo is on the end when Thunder makes his wish. but for the rest AMAZING JOB!

PS put me back on the pm list plz ;)

EDIT: you inspired me to write my own fan fiction and I would be honoured if you gave me some feedback. here is the link http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?p=11990203#post11990203

I didn't really catch a typo there... but Thunder is a girl and Lightning is a guy. ;) And you're back on the PM list. I might check out that fanfic when I have time - not now, though, because I have to go to bed in like 15 minutes. :(

This following chapter is the Valentine's Day Special of Broken Promise. I do admit that it's quite short and filler-ish, but I promise the later chapters will make up for this. Also, I apologize if this chapter sounds Twilight-ish. Being a girl, I have to admit that I quite like romantic stuff once in a while. I totally used this chapter as an excuse to act fangirl-ish, lol.



CHAPTER 18

~~~~Alternative Point of View:~~~~
~~~Lightning~~~​

I dove downwards, my wings folded, my eyes narrowed, and the wind rushing through my feathers. My target: the large deciduous tree below, which had many overhang branches from which many Pineco hung, drowsing lazily in the shade and completely oblivious to the outside world.

Or so I thought. The last two times I had tried to hunt for Pineco, the small Bug-type Pokemon had all suddenly and violently exploded, generating a thundering noise and a huge dust cloud that had obstructed my vision and caused me to cough. When I could see again, the tree had been completely bare, leaves had been scattered on the ground, and the Pineco had been nowhere to be seen.

I’m not letting them get away this time, I thought determinedly as I spotted a single Pineco hanging from one of the top branches, separated from the rest of the group. I smiled, deciding to go after this one, and bunched my muscles, getting ready to deliver a swift Quick Attack. Taking a deep breath, I darted speedily forward, swiftly plowing the lone Pineco into the air.

My stomach growled. It had been almost a day since I last ate, and I was not going to let this meal get away. The Pineco was plummeting towards the ground, still clueless as to what had hit it, when I dove down, extended my talons, and gripped the armored Pokemon tightly. I flew away silently, my wingbeats not making a sound in the still afternoon air. The Pineco on the tree continued to snooze obliviously as my catch struggled helplessly for a while and went limp in my claws.

I smiled, my heartbeat and breathing slowing down, but my initial rush of satisfaction gave way to hopelessness. Sighing, I landed on a large tree branch nearby and stared at the lifeless Pineco in my claws. I had food, and soon I would no longer have an empty stomach, but something was missing.

Thunder.

I ate my catch slowly and listlessly, for all of a sudden I had no longer felt hungry. Now I just felt depressed and lonely, with not a soul in the world to talk to. And worse yet, I knew that Thunder, the smart and spirited Pidgeot who was the love of my life, was on her way back to Viridian Forest and would never have anything to do with me again.

She had so much determination to find Ash, I thought sadly, so why did she give up? I sighed again. Maybe I was wrong when I thought Thunder loved me and would come back to the Burnt Tower in the morning. Maybe she just wanted to leave me forever and go home. My heart felt like it was ripped into a million pieces. She’s right, thought… we have different paths, different homes, and different destinies. We can’t be together.

Quivering slightly, I finished my meal and slowly took off. Gliding high above the dusty country road, I spotted the jagged skyline of Goldenrod City in the distance, but I felt a lack of motivation weighing me down. Traveling like this was pretty pointless now – Thunder was gone, and there was nowhere left for me to go. As I flew on slowly, a warm zephyr brushed against my feathers, carrying with it petals of beautiful purple flowers – violets.

Violets… that’s it! I thought, brightening. Thunder may be gone forever, but I still have something – my home. I’ve got to get back to Violet Gym. Falkner and all my friends are still there, and with them, I’ll fight many exciting gym battles. I held my head higher and flapped my wings more quickly, gradually approaching top speed. No. I can’t lose hope now. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me.

~~~~Alternative Point of View~~~~
~~~End~~~​

“You’ve got to be faster, Midnight,” I suggested, hovering effortlessly in the air. “Your Peck attack’s form and power look good, but if you don’t strike quickly, your foe will easily dodge your attack or strike back.”

Midnight the Hoothoot grunted with effort, struggling to remain suspended in the air. The battle training had definitely taken its toll on him – he was breathing heavily, and his tiny wings were barely sufficient to keep him hovering. However, fierce determination gleamed in his eyes, and I knew that he was willing to train hard to help his trainer win the final battle. For someone so young and inexperienced, Midnight had definitely impressed me with his skills.

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to be faster, though,” Midnight groaned, landing lightly on the sandy ground to take a break. “I’m pretty small compared to other Pokemon.”

“You just need to imagine that you’re bigger and stronger,” I said gently. “Put all of your heart and effort into your attack, and everything will be all right.”

Mordecai the Dodrio, who had been watching the training with interest, spoke up.

“Getting a running start before attacking always helps,” said Mohr, the encouraging and optimistic head. “Then you can jump up and dive down, attacking the enemy from above.”

“That doesn’t always work,” snapped Dee, the angry and argumentative head. “Remember that stupid Pikachu?”

“That Pikachu was way too powerful for me,” sighed Kai, the depressed and pessimistic head. “He had so much voltage and electricity for such a little Pokemon.”

“Still,” Mohr said, ignoring Dee and Kai, “getting a running start and leaping into the air before you attack will really help you a lot.”

“Mohr’s right.” Bolt, who had also been quietly watching the training, spoke up. “Head-on attacks are always easy to dodge. Usually, neither Pokemon nor trainer expects an attack from above, so use your Flying-type as an advantage in battle.”

I nodded at Midnight. “Are you ready to try again?” I asked.

“Definitely,” Midnight said determinedly, taking a running start and leaping into the air. He flapped his tiny wings, flying higher and higher, until suddenly and without warning he dove down towards me at an astonishing speed.

I narrowed my eyes and zipped to the right, dodging the attack. However, Midnight did not give up. His beak glowed and grew larger, and he speedily changed direction, plowing into my side.

I grunted upon impact, falling backwards, but I thought quickly, flapped my wings rapidly a few times, and managed to stay in the air. Knowing that it was my turn to make a move, I darted towards Midnight in a speedy Quick Attack. Before I could strike, however, the Hoothoot began to stare at me intently, rings of psychic energy emanating from his large red eyes. Despite myself, I felt my wingbeats beginning to slow down and my eyelids getting heavy. Thankfully Midnight, realizing that this was just a practice battle, stopped his attack and landed on the ground before I could sink into sleep.

“That sure was a creative strategy, Midnight,” I yawned, shaking my head to fight off the lingering effects of the Hypnosis attack. “Striking from above was one thing, but stopping me in my tracks with Hypnosis was another.” I landed next to Midnight and gave him a friendly pat on the back with my wing. “Great job.”

“Thanks, Thunder,” Midnight chirped. “So, what’s next in our training?”

I turned to address everyone at the scene. “Actually, we’ve all trained pretty hard this morning,” I declared. “We’ve had a lot of practice battles in which we all sharpened our skills. Why don’t we take a break for lunch and continue our training sometime in the afternoon?”

“But we need to train more,” Dee grumbled.

“But Dee, I’m just worn out, so please, no more training until after lunch,” Kai sighed.

“I agree, Kai, we all need to rest,” Mohr said, “But Dee, training is important too. Let’s all eat lunch and recharge a bit. That way, we can put a lot more energy into our training.”

“That’s right,” Midnight yawned, flying towards the elevator. “Well, I’m beat, so I’m off to the indoor forest. You coming, guys?”

“I’m hungry, so sure,” Bolt said, following Midnight with Mordecai at her heels. “How about you, Thunder?”

I nodded slowly. “I can use a rest,” I declared. My voice lowered. “But… I want to make a stop in the radar room first. I… just want to make sure Lightning’s all right.”

“I understand,” Bolt said gently as Midnight pressed the button and the elevator door opened.

“Thank you, Bolt,” I said quietly as I followed everyone into the elevator.

~~~~Alternative Point of View:~~~~
~~~Janine~~~​

“We’re almost home, Crobat,” I said softly, gently petting the fur of the purple, four-winged Pokemon. “You’ve done really well. Do you want to take a rest?”

“Cro,” Crobat growled softly, flapping its wings more quickly and ascending in altitude. Soon, its rapidly moving wings were nothing but a blur, and the tearing wind buffeted my face violently, threatening to whisk me off my Pokemon and send me plummeting to the jagged, rocky ground hundreds of feet below. Realizing that Crobat wasn’t tired at all, I ducked down and hung on tightly. An ordinary person would have found the task of staying on the fast-flying Pokemon difficult, but years of training had toughened me up. My initial fear of falling fading away like mist, I laughed with glee as I enjoyed the sensation of speed, Crobat zipping through the quiet night sky.

Darkness wrapped around me like a blanket, broken here and there by the twinkle of a bright star. Although the moon hid behind the gray, wispy clouds and I couldn’t see a thing ahead or below, I wasn’t afraid at all. I knew that Crobat was a naturally nocturnal Pokemon that was acquainted with the night, so I felt confident that it would safely help me get home.

About ten minutes later of flying at top speed, the clouds cleared up and the waxing moon cast its white light all the way to the ground below. Peering downwards, I smiled as I spotted glowing city lights.

“It’s time to slow down, Crobat,” I said happily. “We’re back in Kanto, which means we’ll arrive in Fuchsia City pretty soon.”

“Cro, Crobat,” Crobat murmured, nodding as its wings slowed down until they were no longer a blur. As the wind that whizzed past my head dwindled down as well, I extended my neck to look around a bit. When I spotted the long, gray strip of Cycling Road below, I prepared to command Crobat to turn right, but the bat-like Pokemon made the correct move before I could speak.

“Great job,” I said softly, quite impressed at how Crobat naturally knew the way home. With my Pokemon flying at a moderately fast pace, we returned to Fuchsia City in just a few minutes.

I smiled as I spotted the characteristic red pathways of the metropolis, along with the small ponds, mysterious-looking gym, and large, impressive Safari Zone gate. Despite the darkness of the night, I was certain that I had finally arrived home. As Crobat landed on the roof of the Fuchsia Gym, I dismounted and heaved a sigh of relief. Our long journey from Ecruteak City was over.

“Thank you so much, Crobat,” I said earnestly, patting the Pokemon on its back. I pulled out its Pokeball. “You’ve done well, so take a nice, long rest.”

I pressed the center button of the capsule, and Crobat turned into transparent red energy as it disappeared into the ball. Quite exhausted from the long journey home, I sat down onto the roof, positioning myself so that I had a grand view of the whole city.

A pang of loneliness and nostalgia struck me as I scanned the familiar rooftops, the night breeze lightly grazing my cheeks. I sighed. Falkner and I used to climb up here and sit in the very spot, talking and laughing while enjoying the beautiful view.

That was back when we were friends, I thought sadly, tears welling up in my eyes. I quickly wiped them with my forearm. He was so nice. And cute, too… I don’t know why he didn’t feel for me the way I felt for him. I shuddered. But then again, he had a point. No matter how much Falkner means to me, we can’t be together… right?

“Janine.” A familiar voice cut through my thoughts, and I tensed, my heart racing. “True friendship can withstand the tests of time and space. At first I didn’t realize that – but then I met Thunder, a very smart and brilliant Pidgeot. Then I realized that what I said to you wasn’t really right.”

My heart shot into my throat. I looked around slowly, and I drew back in surprise when I saw Falkner sitting merely a few feet away from me, his legs dangling over the edge of the roof. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Despite myself, I couldn’t help but notice how brilliant his blue hair looked under the silver moonlight. Feeling my face turn hot, I looked down in embarrassment.

“L-listen, Janine,” Falkner said softly, his voice shaking. He moved tentatively closer to me, and I noticed that he was trying hard not to look down – under the cover of his hair he was blushing as well. “Firstly… don’t freak out, because my Natu teleported me here from Violet City. I… actually think you’re pretty awesome and cute and… um… yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Janine, I’m sorry that I hurt your feelings. Back when you told me how you felt for me, I really felt the same way for you. It’s just that I didn’t think we could be together, but now I know that’s not the case.”

My heart felt like it was flying, but I tried not to show it too much – not just yet. “So… you came all the way here from Violet City… do you really mean to say you’re sorry?”

“Yes,” Falkner said with conviction. “I really am sorry for what I said. I now realize how wrong I was… will you forgive me, Janine?”

For a while I just stared at him, my heart thumping in my chest. Sure, he had hurt my feelings, but that was because he didn’t realize how limitless friendship and love was. How could I not forgive him? Falkner was fun, cute, and a good friend – well, maybe more than just a good friend. My emotions suddenly taking over, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tightly, resting my head on his shoulder.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Falkner said softly, hugging me back. I closed my eyes, my heart racing, my head spinning. I felt like I was not sitting on the roof of the Fuchsia Gym, but soaring through the night sky with silver wings and touching every glimmering star. This feeling of sheer pleasure was unknown to me until now – but although I felt confused, I also felt gleeful and elated. I knew what this meant – this is what it felt like to be in love.

For a long time we just sat there, embracing each other and gazing at the city and the starry night sky. Finally, deciding to break the silence, I spoke up.

“So, Falky,” I said softly, “How’s everything at Violet City?”

When I saw that Falkner bore a worried expression on his face, I ran my fingers comfortingly through his soft blue hair. “Is… something wrong?” I asked understandingly.

Falkner took a shaky breath. “It’s my sister, Katrina,” he said worriedly.

“Katrina?” I asked. “Didn’t we play Adventure Time with her, back when we were kids?” My voice lowered. “And… she disappeared when you were ten, right?”

Falkner nodded solemnly. “That’s right,” he said quietly. “But thanks to Thunder the Pidgeot and Bolt the Jolteon, I now know what she’s been doing all the years she’s been gone – and what she plans on doing once she gets seven gym badges.”

I tensed a little. “What’s that?” I asked, concerned.

“Well,” Falkner said, “my sister never really saw her Pokemon as her friends – but I did, so I always received more praise and attention from our parents. Jealous, Katrina tried to prove that her philosophy was right by becoming powerful in another way. That way was only using Pokemon with certain ‘Natures’ – personalities that would make them more powerful. She trained her Pokemon hard, and her ‘good-natured’ Skarmory and Golbat proved to be formidable foes in the battle to determine who would become Violet City’s new gym leader. But Katrina lost, so she ran away to train hard until she could prove to be more powerful than me.”

“So that’s why she disappeared,” I said softly. I stared at Falkner intently. “Falkner, if Katrina ever comes back to Violet City to get her revenge, I’ll be there to help you. I’ll do what it takes to help you win the final battle against your sister.”

“Do you really mean it?” Falkner asked, touched.

I nodded sincerely. “I’ll show you some battle strategies and help you train your Pokemon,” I said earnestly. “I want to help you prove to Katrina that having faith in your Pokemon will always succeed.”

“Janine… thank you,” Falkner said quietly after a brief pause. “Thank you so much for forgiving me and helping me fight this final battle.” He looked around. “But what about the Fuchsia Gym? Don’t you have to look after this place?”

“It’s all right,” I said, shrugging. “I can always just post a notice on the front door and tell my dad about what I’m doing.”

“Good,” Falkner said, sighing with relief. “Oh, I almost forgot. Janine… can you close your eyes and cup your hands together? I… brought something for you.”

“All right,” I said, my heartbeat quickening in excitement. I followed his instructions and waited in anticipation until he placed a hard, warm object in my cupped hands.

“Take a look,” Falkner said softly.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and gasped in surprise and delight when I spotted the beautiful item I held. It was a brilliant, shimmering jewel, attached to a string so that it could be worn as a necklace. When I noticed that it was pink, heart-shaped, and emanating a soft, warm white light, I knew it could only be one thing: the Soul Gem necklace Falkner had given me on my thirteenth birthday.

“It’s… beautiful,” I whispered in awe, feeling the smooth surface of the jewel. I put on the necklace, and the Soul Gem felt warm against my chest. But then I realized something. “Falkner… you didn’t take the necklace from Thunder, did you? She was the one who rightfully found it, and she needs to necklace if she wants to communicate with humans.”

“Don’t worry, Janine,” Falkner said softly. “Right before I left for Fuchsia City, something really strange happened: the necklace flew off Thunder’s neck, floated in midair, and duplicated itself. One of the necklaces landed back onto Thunder’s neck, and the other one landed in my hands. Thunder suggested that I give the necklace to you. I swear I didn’t take the necklace from her – if you visited Violet Gym right now, you’ll see Thunder still wearing the Soul Gem necklace and able to communicate with humans.”

“Okay, that’s good,” I said, a little relieved. “I should have known that you would never do anything that would make a bird Pokemon angry.” I smiled. “Falkner… thanks for everything… you know, for being my best friend – or maybe more than my best friend.”

“You’re welcome,” Falkner said softly, enveloping me in his arms. I hugged him back, gazing dreamily at his handsome features under the silver moonlight. And then, to my greatest delight and surprise, he did something he had never done before: he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed me lightly on the lips.

I closed my eyes as well, my heart beating faster than it had ever beaten before. I felt like I was flying.

To be continued…

~~~~Alternative Point of View~~~~
~~~End~~~​
 
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Knightfall

Blazing Wordsmith
It's been a long time (since I've posted here). Glad to see that this is still going well.

This chapter was sweet; I mean, I'm not one for romancy stuff, but this was all right.
And Lightening finally realized to go home to Violet City which I think is one of the higher points of this chapter.

Falkner and Janine reconcile I was hoping that that would be the case; she's a good person to have Fakner's side when Katrina decides to show her face again.

Can't wait to see how this plays out, wonderful work as always.

'Til the next chapter,

Knightfall signing off...;005;
 
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