Chapter 12
“I got five shillings!”
“Put me down for ten!”
“Alright everyone, alright, wagers off!”
The tavern was full of excitement and anticipation as tables were moved to form a battlefield. Jack stood on one side with Zorua in front of him while his grossly overweight challenger stood on the other side. He released an equally obese Pokemon in Snorlax. “Alright, little man,” the challenger said. “You come to me braggin’ and now I’ll show ya what a real Pokemon trainer is like.”
Tajiri went next to Jack’s ear. “You probably shouldn’t have boasted to that man the way you did,” he whispered. “This is only your first battle. Insulting the man’s mother probably didn’t help, either.”
Jack gave a waving motion with his hand and shrugged. “Relax, mate. My new partner and I can easily take care of these rotund fellows.”
“You do know Zorua’s moves, correct?”
“Yes, you went over this with me already. Agility, Fury Swipes, Taunt, and Night Blaze.”
Tajiri rolled his eyes. “Night Daze.”
Jack smiled. “Right. I’m ready then, eh?”
Tajiri stepped back and joined the rest of the crew. “Sure,” he said, humoring Jack.
Jack’s opponent wasted no time. “Let’s wrap this up quick, mate!” he yelled to his Snorlax. “Let him taste your Body Slam!”
Snorlax charged at Zorua surprisingly quickly and jumped in the air above it. Jack began thinking about which attack to use as Snorlax descended. “Jack, say something already!” Angelica barked.
Luckily, Zorua quickly darted out of the way as Snorlax fell hard face first into the ground. It groaned in pain as Zorua snickered. “Looks like it doesn’t even need its scurvy, yellow-bellied trainer to battle! Hahaha!” teased Jack’s opponent.
“Really?” Jack said as he cocked his head. “How about a Fury Swipes, then?” Just as Snorlax got up, Zorua jumped in the air and swatted at its face repeatedly with its sharp claws. Snorlax tried desperately to pull Zorua off using its short, stubby arms. It was eventually able to grab Zorua with its right hand and throw it to the ground. Zorua landed on its back but dusted itself off and got right back up. “Tough little one, you are. I like that!” Jack said. “Now let’s use Night Blaze!”
“Daze!” Tajiri bellowed from behind him.
“Right. Night Daze!” Jack corrected.
Zorua’s eyes began glowing and it slammed its front paws on the ground with great force. A dark wave of energy pulsed from its body and headed right at Snorlax’s face. It connected and sent Snorlax to the ground rubbing its eyes. “No! Now it can’t see!” Snorlax’s trainer gasped.
“I reckon Jack’s doing pretty well for his first time,” Gibbs said.
Angelica rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s Zorua pequeño doing all the work,” she said.
“I’ll say this much,” Tajiri said. “Zorua does seem to listen to and trust Jack. I’ll give him that.”
Before Snorlax could try to get up again, Jack ordered another Fury Swipes. Zorua bounced off of Snorlax’s enormous belly and straight onto its face, clawing at it some more. Snorlax’s head finally hit the floor as it fell unconscious. Zorua leaped back next to Jack and gave its trademark smirk. Everyone in the bar was either going crazy cheering or throwing bottles and punches in anger over the money they just lost. “Well done, mate!” Jack said to Zorua. “Now that you’ve won, show Snorlax and its trainer your Taunt!”
Zorua nodded its head and made itself look like Snorlax. It then put its hand on its chest and dramatically fell over, imitating the defeat of its opponent. Snorlax’s trainer sighed and returned his Pokemon. He hung his head down and walked away sulking.
Jack grinned at how amazing his Zorua was as it changed back into its normal self. He patted his shoulder and this time Zorua obliged. It leaped on Jack’s shoulder and gave the best victory howl it could muster. Jack and Zorua were greeted and congratulated by the Black Pearl crew. “Well done, Captain!” Gibbs said.
“Yeah, not bad at all,” Tajiri said. “I’m surprised.”
Pintel, Ragetti, and Scyther also congratulated Jack and Zorua. “Impressive,” Scyther said as he looked at Zorua. “Little guy can fight. I wouldn’t want to mess with it.”
Ragetti released his Magikarp and held it in his hands. “Battle me now, will you Captain?” he pleaded.
“No way, mate,” Jack responded. “It would be a massacre and I won’t have that.”
“Well, I want a Pokemon!” Pintel whined. “Jack and Tajiri have cool ones and even though Ragetti’s is lame, at least he has one!”
Tajiri put his hand on Pintel’s shoulder. “You really want one that bad, mate?” He slipped a Pokeball into Pintel’s hand. “Let’s go find ya one. I know the perfect spot.”
Pintel grinned, revealing his rotted, yellow teeth. His anxious eyes increased greatly in size. “Yeah, let’s go then!”
Pintel, Ragetti, Tajiri, and Scyther all walked outside where it was getting darker but still visible. They headed out towards the sea and strolled along the beach for a while until they reached a large pile of sticks and logs. They all scaled the pile and a revolting smell attacked their nostrils. Everyone covered their noses with their hands immediately as they witnessed an area of the beach that was covered in garbage. The color of the water was a mixture of green and purple. “This area is a notorious dumping site where a lot of Pokemon hang out,” Tajiri explained, uncovering his nose. “They give off a bad smell, but some of ‘em are pretty strong.”
They all scanned the area for a little while until a large, floating object appeared on the shore. It was a two-headed beast that almost resembled a purple meteorite. The larger head had a skull and crossbones on its body and a gaping mouth with sharp teeth. It also had a threatening and unfriendly scowl. The smaller head looked exactly like the larger one, only in miniature form. The being was surrounded by clouds of smog and gas coursing from the holes in its body. “Whoa!” Pintel said. “If that ain’t a perfect Pokemon for a pirate then I don’t know what is!”
“What is it?” Ragetti asked.
“It’s called Weezing,” Tajiri said. “It’s a poison type. It’s got some nasty sludge and smog attacks.”
Scyther gave a salute. “Alright, then,” he said with great confidence to Pintel. “I’ll weaken this guy for you and you can catch it. Get your Pokeball ready.”
The two headed cautiously over to Weezing, who had its back turned and didn’t see them. Scyther then released a great battle cry as it flew up to Weezing and struck it down with his blade for an arm. Weezing quickly turned around and sprayed a foul black sludge from its mouth. Scyther dodged the first blow but got hit in the face by the second one, getting sludge in his eyes. He hit the ground and began trying to rub his eyes. “I’m blind!” he cried.
“Weezing!” Weezing groaned in anger as it’s body began to glow red.
“Oh bugger!” Tajiri warned. “It’s Self-Destruct! Everyone duck! And Scyther, you need to use your Protect!”
Scyther, who still couldn’t see, nodded his head at Tajiri’s advice and surrounded himself with a protective veil. Weezing’s body let off a great explosion just as everyone hit the deck. Once the smoke and flying sand cleared up, an injured Weezing coughed up smoke and hit the ground unconscious. Everyone got up and dusted themselves off. “That was scary!” Scyther said as he let down his veil.
“Where’s me eye?!” Ragetti said as he began digging through the sand trying to find his glass eye.
Pintel took out his Pokeball and stood in front of Weezing. “Looks like now’s as good a time as ever!” he said as he hurled the ball at Weezing’s face. The Pokemon disappeared inside the ball and it shook for a bit before stopping. Pintel smiled and pumped his fist as he picked up the ball. “Look at this, Ragetti!” he proclaimed as Ragetti was just finding his eye. “I got me a better one than you now! Mine explodes like a cannon!” A small explosion suddenly came from inside the ball, shocking Pintel and knocking him over. This caused laughter among everyone in the group except for Pintel, who grumbled as he stood back up.
-----
The morning sun shone brightly over the land as Jack and his crew headed back towards the Pearl. They began making preparations to set sail and were making repairs on certain parts of the ship such as the sails that were damaged during the battle against the Queen Anne’s Revenge and Kyogre. The crew was full of energy despite how early it was. Jack had to constantly get Pintel and Ragetti back to work as they kept comparing their Pokemon (with Scyther chiming in and comparing himself to them, as well).
Scrum gripped his guitar and ran his fingers along the rusty, worn out strings. He found Tajiri and approached him. “I need to find some new strings,” he said. “Do you know of a place where I can get some?”
Tajiri rubbed the beard on his chin. “Well, I know my cousin has a string shop in town. I’ll take you to her and she can get your guitar fixed up.”
Scrum tried in vain to play a few chords. “That would be great. Thanks!”
The two climbed down the ship and headed towards town. They passed numerous people coming back from the churches and headed to the markets. There were also numerous Pokemon roaming the area. Some were wild while others were like pets that walked alongside their trainers. Tajiri pointed to a tiny building near the marketplace. “Right there,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”
“What’s she like?” Scrum asked.
“She loves music, of course. She’s very sweet and kind. Let me tell you this, if there’s anyone who knows more about Pokemon than me, it’s her.”
As the two walked in the shop, nobody was in there except for a cute Japanese girl with shiny, dark hair that went all the way down to her elbows. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her face lit up when she saw Tajiri walk in. “Cousin!” She ran up and embraced Tajiri tightly. He responded by smiling and warmly returning her hug. “I’m so happy you are okay! I learned of your brother’ s passing and I am so sorry to hear about that. I didn’t know if you made it or not.”
“Thank you, Komiko,” Tajiri responded. “It’s great to see you.”
“It has been so long since I’ve seen you! What brings you back in town?” she asked with great excitement.
“I am traveling with some new friends,” he said. “Let me introduce you to one of them here. His name is Scrum.”
She smiled and extended her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Scrum took a while before he could speak. His breathing tempo was slowly increasing as he removed his hat. “P-pleasure to meet you, Miss Komiko,” he said as he stared into her eyes.
After a small, awkward silence, Komiko giggled. “So is there anything I can do for you today? I see you have a nice guitar there.”
“Thanks, t-thank you,” Scrum replied as he cleared his throat and tried standing up more straight as he had a tendency to hunch over. “It’s nice but it needs new strings.”
“I just made some new ones so you’re in luck. Coming right up!” Komiko walked to the back of the shop and brought out five brand new strings. She set Scrum’s guitar on a table and began replacing the old strings with new ones.
“So Komiko,” Tajiri asked. “I was wondering what you knew about Kyogre and Groudon. After what has happened recently, I really want to see what I can do about either destroying or capturing that sea beast. I’ve heard that Groudon might be one of the keys to getting it more easily.”
Komiko quickly shook her head as she kept stringing the guitar. She was about halfway finished. “No, no, no. Never let those two even come close to each other. The results could be disastrous. And what’s all this talk of revenge? My cousin is better than that.”
“How would it be disastrous if Kyogre and Groudon met?” Scrum asked.
“There are many stories of a previous battle the two have had with one another written in the scrolls of Kanto History. Many accounts say that cities were destroyed and thousands killed due to the cruel, intense nature of their battle,” Komiko explained.
“So how did the battle cease?” Tajiri asked. “Obviously they are both still alive so nobody was victorious in the battle.”
“The Peacemaker,” Komiko said. “It was written that when the blood of the aggressor spills on both land and sea, the Peacemaker comes to eliminate whoever the aggressor is, thus making peace in the battle. It was Groudon who was the aggressor in the last battle. It was written that Kyogre struck it close to the shore and its blood ran through the water and onto the beach. The Peacemaker then destroyed Groudon with one attack. The Groudon that is alive today is actually one that was hatched from an egg that was in the volcano. It is the offspring of the Groudon that was killed.”
“That’s a very interesting story,” Tajiri said. “Then again they are stories. They are apt to be changed over time.”
“I know what I am talking about,” Komiko said as she finished the last string. She pointed at Tajiri and wagged her finger the same way a mother would. “I do not want either of you to have anything to do with those two Pokemon.” Tajiri obviously struck a nerve in his cousin.
Scrum, wanting to change the subject, picked up his completed guitar and ran his hand along the strings. They made a sharper, more harmonic sound than usual and they felt better and more comfortable on his fingers. “These are perfect!” he said. “You did a great job! And in such a short amount of time!”
Komiko smiled. “Thank you. Now let me hear something.”
Scrum’s hands began shaking a little. This was the most nervous he had ever been while playing music. Usually it relaxed him more than anything else. He began playing small parts of a few of the songs he knew. Komiko leaned forward and looked genuinely interested. Scrum finished after a couple of minutes of playing and Komiko clapped her hands. “You are very good!” she said. “Better than almost everyone who comes into my shop each week!”
Scrum blushed. “Heh heh. Really? Thanks!”
Tajiri looked out the door and noticed that the crew was finished repairing the sail on the Pearl.
“Komiko, it was great seeing you but we really must be going. I will visit you again sometime soon!”
Scrum frowned. “Oh wait, I just…” Tajiri began walking out the door and he reluctantly started heading out as well. “So what do I owe you?”
Komiko smiled. “Nothing. I’m happy to help you out. Listening to your music was enough currency for me. Nice meeting you!”
“Me too, I mean nice m-meeting you too, Miss! Thank you!” Scrum said as he began walking out. He narrowly missed tripping and falling on his face on his way out.
-----
Because the crew was still working and also waiting on Scrum and Tajiri, Angelica had gone off on her own into town. She needed to go to the marketplace to stock up on fruit and bread. On her way back, she passed by the church where many people were exiting. She thought of her father and her desperate attempts to save his soul before he died. She stopped walking and looked inside. Something deep in her was guiding and telling her to go in the building despite the fact that service was already over.
She walked into an empty building with the exception of one person. It was someone she recognized. “Philip?”
The young missionary in the front of the church stood up from his kneeling prayer position and began approaching Angelica. He was a tall, handsome man who wasn’t more than twenty-five years of age. “Angelica,” he responded. “It is good to see you.”
“It is good to see you are healed from your wounds,” she responded.
“Yes,” Philip said. “Syrena was able to heal them for me. In fact, I am going to see her once I am through here. I was sorry to hear about the news of your father. I know you wanted me to do my best to guide him in the path of righteousness. I’ll admit he was a hard egg to crack but the Lord loves everyone and is willing to show mercy to those who ask.”
“I appreciate you saying that,” Angelica said. She stopped for a moment. “I don’t know why but felt like I was led to come in here and talk to you. I have had a lot on my mind.”
“Like what?” Philip inquired.
“First of all, Jack,” she answered. Philip couldn’t help but smile at the mention of his name. “I feel like I am in love with him and want to be committed to him. I am not sure if he feels the same. I have been lying to him about something for a while now and the guilt is starting to creep in.”
“I understand that is personal,” Philip said. “I will not pry in your business. What I will say is that a relationship built on honesty is stronger than one built around a lie.” He chuckled. “Jack is a very interesting character and, while he seems to be out for himself a lot, I see a great side of kindness and generosity in him.”
“Thank you, Philip,” Angelica said. “Just one more thing I need to talk to you about. There has been an evil pirate Captain named Phantom who has tried killing us on many occasions. It appears as though we defeated him in battle recently but I can’t shake the feeling that he is still alive. It is the same kind of feeling that led me to come in here and speak with you. The man is seemingly invincible. The stories I’ve heard of him said he was the offspring of demonic beings. It just seemed as though there was no way of beating him. Sticking a sword in his chest didn’t even kill him.”
Philip, who was listening intently and nodding his head through the whole explanation, pondered Angelica’s statements for a bit before finally speaking. “That feeling you get that leads you to do and believe certain things is the Lord speaking to you through the Holy Spirit. The Lord is in fact telling me right now that this man you speak of is still alive. Goliath from the Bible sounds very similar to this Phantom man. He was born of demons and was a giant who could not be defeated by the swords of even the strongest warriors.”
“Until David defeated him,” Angelica said.
“Correct,” Philip responded. “The key to defeating Phantom lies in the story of David and Goliath. David used not the sword of man but the sword of the spirit.”
“I thought he used a sling and a stone?”
“He did, but the sword of the spirit is a metaphor for the word of God. When demonic beings hear the word of God, they run screaming. It is their greatest weakness. It makes them vulnerable. If you have a Bible, look up Ephesians Chapter 6. It explains the sword of the spirit.”
Angelica nodded her head. “Thank you very much, Philip. It has been very productive talking to you.”
“Happy to help,” Philip responded. “If you ever come across Phantom again, just know that no matter how invincible he may seem, he does in fact have vulnerability.”
-----
After a day of tedious trekking through the forest, Phantom and Kabutops finally completed what seemed like was going to be an eternal journey as they reached the base of the volcano. They looked directly up and saw that it towered over them by over five hundred feet. “Doesn’t seem to be active,” Kabutops commented.
“Who cares?” Phantom barked impatiently. “We need to find those Rare Candies now! I’m tired of waiting!”
“Yes, Captain,” Kabutops said. “If I may though, we must not let our patience run out yet. There’s a vast amount of space around the volcano and we still have to find where the chest is before it becomes active.”
Phantom pushed Kabutops out of the way as he began combing the area around the base of the volcano. “Don’t remind me. Can’t believe yer old man didn’t know where it was buried. He seemed to know everything else.” Phantom and Kabutops wandered around the volcano for what seemed like another eternity. Kabutops was using his sickles and Water Gun to dig into the ground in search for the chest. Phantom was able to use his gigantic, meaty hands as a digging tool. They worked until the sun was directly above their heads. Phantom had to take his hat off and wipe the sweat from his brow. “Why haven’t we found anything yet?!” he roared. “I’m tired of this! Kabutops, I want ya to shoot your Hyper Beam around the volcano to dig. It’ll be faster that way.”
“Captain,” Kabutops said. “Won’t we possibly destroy the chest if I do that?”
“We’ll die of old age before finding the chest at this rate! Just do it!”
Kabutops took a deep breath and his body began glowing as he fired his Hyper Beam around the surface and the base of the volcano. Grass and dirt flew in the air from the ground and the dried magma began to crack. He kept this up for a while as the two steadily began walking a circle around the volcano. The beam suddenly weakened and Kabutops’ chest was heaving up and down as he had to take a break. He collapsed to the ground. Phantom walked over to the cracked dry magma and whacked it with his sword to see if anything would come out. He barely saw what appeared to be the corner of a box sticking out of the next layer.
Phantom spat on the corner and wiped it with his sleeve. It was made of fine steel. He rubbed it with his hand and grinned. “This is it. I can feel it. Looks like there were a couple of eruptions after the chest was planted here. Hence the two layers of dried magma over it. Let me just break this layer with my sword and…”
“No!” Kabutops interrupted, surprising Phantom. He used all of his energy to stand up. He had a different look in his eye that he didn’t have earlier in the trip. His glaring eyes targeted what seemed to be the corner of the chest. His facial expression was nothing short of malicious and ferocious. “I’m tired of getting defeated and pushed around,” he said. “I’m ready to feel the power of being the strongest Pokemon in the world. Even stronger than Kyogre. I’m ready to do this. I’m not waiting any longer. Stand out of the way, Captain.”
Phantom quickly stepped out of the way as Kabutops fired his Hyper Beam at full force, causing a great explosion on the surface of the volcano. The large, steel box rolled down to the ground. The Hyper Beam caused a hole in the top of the chest and Phantom was able to pry it open with his sword. Kabutops was still breathing heavy from his adrenaline rush as he and Phantom kneeled down to stare at the treasure. The Rare Candies were stacked in the box and they were a glowing blue color. Phantom sifted his hand over the top of the pile. The candies were smooth and soft. The substances could dissolve in one’s mouth easily.
Just as Kabutops was about to say something, the two heard a deafening roar from the inside of the volcano. It began trembling and hot lava began oozing out the sides. The vibration from the shaking echoed through the trees, causing many flying Pokemon to flee in terror. “An eruption?” Kabutops asked.
“I’ve heard eruptions before and that doesn’t sound like one,” Phantom said. He looked deep into the eyes of Kabutops. “If that’s who I think it is, you better scarf down these Rare Candies.”
Kabutops looked at the volcano, where the tremors continued. Another loud grumble came from inside. “Groooooo!”
Kabutops pulled a pile of Candies out of the chest for his father and set them aside. He then snarled as he revealed his sharp teeth. “Time to pump up,” he said before dumping his face inside of the remaining pile of Rare Candies. He gnashed viciously with his fangs at the candies, downing them as if he was starving to death. Phantom watched with great intrigue as the pile of Rare Candies was quickly lowering. He was amazed at what he was seeing his first mate do at the moment. Without taking any time to resurface from the inside of the box, Kabutops consumed every last Rare Candy before standing back up.
“How do ya feel?” Phantom asked the exhausted Kabutops.
Kabutops suddenly felt very dizzy and his eyes rolled back. “Unngh,” he groaned as he held his head. He took a couple of steps forward but fell flat on his face.
“Ya gotta be kidding me,” Phantom said. “Fella can’t handle anything like a man.” He looked at the top of the volcano and saw a creature that was only slightly smaller than Kyogre. He glanced over at Kabutops on the ground and back at the creature. It was a bipedal lizard that was covered in spikes. It had ruby-colored, scaly skin that was also covered in markings similar to the ones Kyogre had. The monster stomped on the top of the volcano and lava splashed from the top, covering the creature completely. The beast slid gracefully down the side of the volcano with the lava until it reached the ground in front of Phantom. “Okay Groudon,” Phantom said as he held his sword out in front of him. “If my Pokemon can’t fight you, then I will.”
Groudon gritted its razor sharp fangs and stared down Phantom with its yellow eyes. The heat and brightness of the sun intensified greatly. Phantom’s skin was suddenly feeling very dry and chapped. He didn’t pay attention to that, however, as he charged at Groudon. He gave his sword a mighty swipe at the creature's neck. Groudon used its colossal claws to quickly strike Phantom and send him flying into a nearby tree.The man checked his chest and noticed the claw marks on him. He ran his hand over the scars. It stung, but the pain didn't seem to affect him that much while his adrenaline was going. He gripped his sword tight as he looked at Groudon, who was ready to charge. “Alright, then. Come on!” he challenged as he stood up.
Before Groudon could make a move, it stopped as a metallic clanking noise interrupted. Phantom looked over and saw that Kabutops had shoved his sickles into the ground with great force. He opened his eyes, which were now glowing gold. His muscles all over his body began expanding and his height began increasing, as well. His sickles grew larger and sharper and a new layer of armor rapidly grew over him. He released a furious cry in a voice louder than he ever mustered in his entire life. He repeatedly banged his sickles together like a maniac. The sound caused both Groudon and Phantom to flinch each time his sickles connected with each other. A light veil surrounded Kabutops as he stood up to face Groudon. The two Pokemon were standing right in front of each other and took the next minute to silently size each other up. Kabutops cracked his neck and menacingly rubbed his sickles together. “Prepare for battle, Groudon!” he declared.
) and remained so for a week or two ;P
