Chapter 34
WAKING UP THE SUN
I will never be the same
And I'll burn with a heart of fire
It's never going to be the same
When I see their faces
They came with different names
And bore the mark of the old
And from their lips came the same strain
That's waking up, that's waking up the sun
- Haste the Day
I
Espeon's two pink tail ends twirled gracefully in the air in front of a Scovillain, its two heads snapping at each other before fixing their attention on Espeon. Red knelt down next to Espeon and rubbed her head in between her large pink ears before sending out three quiet whistles. Her red gem flashed brightly as an opaque window appeared, clashing with the curtain of sunlight that ran down from the vent above. Almost as suddenly as it appeared, it faded from sight, blending into the rocky walls reflecting the dim red light.
Red released Hitmonchan and Scyther from their Pokéballs, situating himself between them and facing his back towards Seth and Emily. Before turning, the smile of pride glistening on his face was all-encompassing, as if this child had full control of the situation facing off against one of the most powerful gym leaders Kanto had to offer.
"Showing me two of your Pokémon before the battle starts on top of the Charizard I am already aware of is an amateur play, boy. I have all 12 of my Pokémon on me; I can easily shift my team around to counter you." Red only smiled more at Blaine’s lecture. "And I won't pretend that I didn't see that reflect or light screen you just had Espeon create."
Blaine shifted his weight significantly on his cane before directing his attention to his Pokémon. "Very well, Scovillain, crunch." The Pokémon, carried by its small green legs, sprinted the course of the red steel battlefield, closing in on Espeon. A bright light illuminated out of Espeon’s red gem at the long single whistle from Red. Blaine and Scovillian were bathed in a flash, their shadows creeping and growing on the cavern wall, and then suddenly darkness overtook the cavern as the light was snuffed from existence. Three more bursts of whistles came from Red, followed by the gem beating on and off as three opaque reflects and light screens appeared and disappeared into existence.
"Enough of this, Scovillian. Crunch and hit the target." The red head of Scovillian began chomping its way down the battlefield once more, crashing down its mouth into Espeon’s location, but she vanished from sight inches before Scovillian’s attack connected. Blaine and Scovillian looked around frantically until more pulses from her red gem, centered on her forehead, displayed her presence.
This went on for minutes; Blaine desperately switched from special attacks to physical attacks, but all fell short, whether from evasion or the protection the pure maze of reflects and light screens provided. While Emily was drawn into the battle, her face so fixated on the events that she found it impossible to blink, Seth fell into his thoughts. Ever since the initial flash of Espeon, he was hooked on the possibility of the answer to the riddle being Darkness. "A commander I am, but virtues evade" fits perfectly with darkness, and "A companion to all, though some turn a blind" - in the shadows, my influence is entwined. What else could it be? But then the part of "I feed on disdain, in the echoes of turmoil, I shall remain." How does that fit with darkness? Then he said, "I was chiseled with it," what the fuck does that mean.
A red light illuminated the arena, and Espeon disappeared. “What happened?” Seth asked Emily.
“I don't know. Scovillian never landed a hit; he simply returned her.”
“Why return your Pokémon? You are down one, and I haven't even been able to land a hit,” Blaine asked.
Red looked at Scyther and nodded his head up, which the Pokémon obeyed without hesitation. It fluttered just above the steel ground, its wings moving so quickly they seemed to become one white blur.
“A bug type against a fire type?” Blaine asked, questioning. “Bold.”
Red just wore that same confident smile that both Emily and Seth immediately fell back into memories of Erin battling Janine for the soul badge.
“Use flamethrower,” Blaine said, as the green head of Scovillian began to cock its head up with fire beginning to build in its mouth.
The cave echoed the two short bursts of Red’s whistle, and in a near instant, Scyther was under Scovillian’s body and launched the back of its blade into the green head's lower jaw. The Pokémon soared into the air, and Red rang out two more bursts.
Scyther seemed to have just appeared or teleported above Scovillian mid-air, and the back of his right blade smashed into the red head, and with even more velocity, crashed through a reflect window before colliding with the ground.
Two more repetitive whistles overcame the acoustics of the cave once more before Blaine’s voice overcame it, “Endure.” Scovillian stomped its feet hard on the ground, its green arms in a defensive position as both heads dropped, allowing their skulls to take the blow for survival. Scyther's arm swung down on the red head, and Scovillian's legs scrunched down, but its green head obeyed Blaine’s scream, “Fire Blast!” A ball of fire formed above its mouth that grew larger than its whole form. Scyther dropped back attempting to get away, but it was too late. The ball rocketed out from Scovillian, colliding with an invisible object. The inferno spread out over the light screen, surrounding Scyther but unable to touch him. No matter the inferno dancing around him, Scyther seemed completely unfazed, like he had been in this situation a thousand times over.
Two more whistles bounced off the walls of stone, followed by the thud of the back of Scyther’s blade on top in the gut of Scovillian, who flew back and stayed still on the ground.
The light screen Scyther sought protection under fell apart in embers, and the room itself seemed impossible to make noise from Blaine, Seth, and Emily’s stunned expressions. Blaine looked like a complete joke, returning his Scovillian to its Pokéball with not a single bit of damage done to Red's Scyther. Seth thought back to the last Scyther they encountered with the Pewter City brute and was glad he faced him rather than Red’s. Under no circumstance could his Staravia ever compete with the speed he just witnessed.
“Well done! Well done!” Blaine began laughing hysterically. “It has been some time since I have had a battle like this!” Red’s eyes lit up as he turned back to look at Seth and Emily seeking admiration.
“Armored but not a knight, snapping but not a twig, and I am always home. But who knows I just might explode.” Blaine released Turtonator from his Pokéball. The red and yellow shell was ginormous and all-imposing, but two more short whistles called out, and Scyther didn't just move but appeared in front of Turtonator with its blade centimeters from its throat using False Swipe. The laugh that roared out of Blaine took over everything in the cave that Seth was finding it difficult to even think about the riddle he had to solve.
“Well, clearly defense was not the right play.” Turtonator disappeared back into his Pokéball, only leaving behind a pile of shit on the steel ground. Infernape did not simply materialize out of his Pokéball next but energetically tore into existence as the Pokémon began leaping up and down and pounding his fist to the ground.
“Fire Punch!” Blaine yelled out. His fist collided with a reflected screen that Scyther sought solace in before counterattacking. But Seth soon felt inward towards himself, while Emily and Ninetales remained transfixed to the battlefield. Sarah and Erin had been constantly nagging ever since they got on the Island, but he had been trying desperately to ignore the pain they kept digging in his gut.
“Enough of this. Brick Break!” Blaine roared out. Infernape’s hand sliced down on Scyther behind another reflect, shattering the protective screen. “Fire Punch.” A flaming fist uppercutted into Scyther’s chest. He crashed through a light screen and slammed against the ceiling just feet from the vent outside.
“Flame Wheel!” Infernape leaped from the steel floor, its outstretched hand covered in flames groping for Scyther. Red gave a shattering whistle, but Scyther did not respond to defend. Infernape's blue fingers bathed in flames gripped Scyther's throat and spun him, launching him to the ground once more. Scyther landed on the pile of shit left behind by the Turtonator that went off with an explosion. Scyther rolled, stopping just beside Red’s concerned face. It could have been worse; blood was leaking out of his nose and mouth with singe marks along his side and throat. He tried to get to his feet but collapsed beneath Red once more, who recalled his Pokémon.
Infernape jumped back and forth with his fist raised in pride from Blaine’s laughter. Red looked at the Pokéball that held Scyther with more pride than Emily had ever seen before putting it back in its position on his belt. He plucked the Pokéball furthest to the front and released Charizard.
“There it is,” Blaine said, smiling ear to ear. “Let’s see how your fire type matches up to my own.”
II
“Infernape uses Thunder Punch!” Blue lightning crackled out of Infernape’s fist as it pounced closer to Charizard. The cavern was silent; no whistle blew out from Red, only footsteps colliding with the steel floor.
“Red, do something,” Emily said.
It was too late; Red made no such command, and Infernape was mere feet from his Pokémon. Its fist smashed into Charizard’s chest, who stood unmoving, simply smiling down at his attacker. It happened in a mere moment. Charizard gripped Infernape's wrist and lifted it up, kicking and punching just out of reach, like an adult holding up a mere child. Red called out two short whistles, and purple energy began pulsating from its mouth.
Red light enveloped Infernape, and it disappeared from the battlefield, the Dragon Pulse unleashed from Charizard as it erupted into the empty void of Infernape and the wall of the cave behind it.
“Amazing! Truly just incredible.” Blaine’s voice was overtaken by a slam that seemed to crawl up the cave walls. “Well, Red, you are the most powerful young boy I have met. It is clear from Charizard not even being phased by that Thunder Punch, you must have trained day and night. You are what gives the name trainers its true meaning.” Another thud echoed through the chamber. Then another. Was something walking up the walls?
“What the fuck is this,” Emily said, looking at Seth's questioning face.
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A pile of lava, kept together by a steel bracelet, emerged on the platform just to the left of Blaine. Then another magma hand reached from the cave wall, lifting its steel head. “Let me show you why you can never beat fire with fire.”
“Is that a Heatran?” Emily said in disbelief. It stood on its four legs, the magma that made up its body swirled as if it was carried by an inner current that would bubble up to the top.
“Yes, now let me show you why I have been the Gym leader of Cinnabar for as long as I have. Heatran, Lava Plume!” The magma-like body swirled faster, bubbling more violently, and the brightness of its skin became blinding. A chunk of lava dropped inches from Charizard as more lava began being thrown from Heatran into the cavern.
Red whistled once, and Charizard turned quickly, but a pile of lava struck its leg as it roared in pain. Lava splashed the walls and sporadically splashed on the steel battlefield. The rest of the light screens and reflections melted away, and the temperature of the cool cave began to grow exponentially.
“Well, Red,” Blaine cackled again with the hysterical laughter of a madman. “How will you battle the true source of fire?” The cavern walls began to grow brighter as a more true red gleamed over the lights under the steel floor.
Seth completely abandoned his word challenge and stood in shock next to Ninetales and Emily at the legendary Pokémon before them. Red and Hitmonchan stood stoically with a sense of control.
Red blew his whistle longer than they had heard before, and Charizard whipped its head back from its opponent to his trainer. Red curled both hands into fists and then knocked his right on the left, then blew his whistle twice.
Charizard unleashed Dragon Pulse but didn't aim it at Heatran. Instead, it ripped at the cave wall, sending chunks of rock over the arena. Blaine jumped out of the way from a good-sized stone that crashed where he stood. He didn't even have enough time to recover and issue a command to Heatran. Charizard was in the air, gripping falling rocks and flinging them with powerful throws. The first slammed into Heatran’s steel head, the others into his body, and the last collided with his front right steel bracelet. Heatran lost his footing from the blow and fell to the floor below him. The red paint on the floor burned away from Heatran’s body heat.
Another two short whistles bounced off the cave walls, followed by a strong gust of wind. Each flap from Charizard pushed Heatran and Blaine back, both struggling to even keep to their feet. Heatran’s body began to turn darker and darker; the swirling mass of magma was slowing, and there was a flicker of light from Charizard’s stone that sat in the bracelet on his wrist.
As Heatran’s body cooled, the light on the walls turned even brighter, and Emily saw it first—a body of magma was rising from below the stadium. “Seth, we've got to go!” She gripped his arm. “Red! Leave!” Red turned to them, giving a thumbs up with a joyful smile on his face. He looked at Hitmonchan and pointed to the entrance that Seth, Ninetales, and Emily were fleeing to.
As they crawled through the narrow entrance, Ninetales led them out with Hitmonchan following in the rear. Seth saw lava collecting at the edge of the cave they had just been standing on. The sunlight hit them like a physical force when they got out of the tunnel. The flame emblem that sat overhead was lying broken on the rocky ground.
“Seth, we just left him there!” Emily yelled out, making her way back to the entrance to see if she could see anything. Seth just laughed as he looked up above the rising mountain. Red on Charizard rocketed out of the vent that sat in the ceiling of the gym, followed closely behind by Blaine who was situated on a Talonflame. Heatran crawled at the top of the vent they just flew out of, and the lava was now leaking out of the entrance, causing Seth and Emily to drop back further.
“Red, are you okay?” Emily took his arms, looking up and down his lengthy body. He simply smiled and nodded his head. Seth opened his mouth to praise him, tell him how impressed he was, but closed it shut after thinking of Erin. The rage grew in him thinking about his son, how much he would have loved to be here with him. His gut nodded, and it took everything in him to not drop to the ground in cry. Then he saw Red’s face, clearly hurt from the silence Seth gave him. Red, who had now lost two fathers and had been alone his whole life, shrank away to his Pokémon to get away from Seth’s emotionless face.
It was as if a dam broke in Seth’s mind, looking at what his actions, caused by his trauma, did to Red. “In solitude, my presence swells, An insatiable hunger within me dwells. A commander I am, but virtues evade, For noble causes, I have never paved. A companion to all, though some turn blind, In the shadows, my influence is entwined. Endlessly expanding, I feed on disdain, In the echoes of turmoil, I shall remain. What am I?”
“Well, that really got away from me,” Heatran walked up to the group as Blaine slid off the top of Talonflame, recalling him back to its Pokéball.
“Anger,” Seth said.
Blaine didn't verbally acknowledge, but just gave a bellowing laugh. “Come on, follow me; I have a practice battlefield on the beach,” Blaine said.
III
The ceiling of the tree branches continued to trap the intense summer heat of Cinnabar inside them. Emily thought about heading back to the lava-filled gym to escape from the torturous temperature outside.
“I assume you know that Team Rocket is just Johto imperialising us,” Seth asked Blaine.
“Giovanni was always an arrogant tyrant, but I don't think I have ever met a person that loved Kanto more than him. Are you sure of this?” Blaine responded.
“Yes.”
“Then there is more to the story.”
“You are being a willfully ignorant coward,” Seth blurted out, catching Blaine’s shocked and pissed facial expression. “I am sorry. But yes, I do know that my home is being invaded, and where do you think they will look next after Kanto falls?”
“We have had practice dealing with colonizers, Seth,” Blaine responded sternly but with all anger gone.
“Mr. Fuji was wrong about you,” Seth said quietly, watching Emily’s exaggerated body movements toward Red as they walked behind them.
“Dr. Fuji?” Blaine asked.
“Yes, I met him. He said you didn't give in to Giovanni’s demands to clone a Mew.”
“That wasn't cloning; we have cloned before, bringing back extinct Pokémon. That was genetic engineering, grotesque manipulation to a creature that didn't hold a single ounce of hatred in its heart.”
“So you just fled and cowered in fear on your island, closing off from the war and the fate of Kanto,” Seth responded.
“Standing up and fighting for what's right is not always worth it, Seth. I can’t just send my citizens into a slaughter to help you maybe beat back Team Rocket.” Blaine twisted his mustache in deep thought, choosing his words carefully.
“You are just waiting for the slaughter to be at your beach. There is a reason Kanto imperiled this island, and it will be the same for Johto.” Seth wanted so badly to rock this man to the ground. How could he make him understand, he had already been through this. He pretended like ignoring Team Rocket would save his family until his world crashed around him at their hands.
“Maybe, maybe not. That risk isn't worth it to me,” Blaine responded, looking older than he had all day.
“It was worth it to Mr. Fuji. He abandoned Team Rocket and fled, devoting his life to helping Pokémon. When Team Rocket eventually caught up to him, he threw himself from Lavender Tower rather than help them again. That’s courage.” Seth spoke more sternly, hoping that his use of Blaine’s friend's death would sting more cruelly. It worked; Blaine fell silent for the rest of the long, hot walk towards the beach.
IV
They finally cut through the thick mangroves, creating a path that suspended just over the bog by a wooden walkway. The waves crashed repeatedly against the sand and receded back to repeat the process. A few sentries above circled in the blue sky that held the hot summer sun. Seth thought he would find some sort of established arena, however crude it might have been. However, there was nothing here. Coarse and rough sand now snaked its burning existence through his toes, accompanied by the steady drum of the waves.
“Where are we battling?” Seth asked.
“Nowhere. We got the beach and the summer sun. What more could we ask for?” Blaine said.
“A delicious Vanillite,” Emily said half sarcastically and half seriously. She released Vaporeon, who immediately booked it towards the ocean, disappearing into the water.
Blaine, with Heatran at his tail, walked halfway down the beach, his cane sinking into the sand before turning to stare at the visitors of his island. “Let’s go, Red.”
Charizard dropped down in front of Red and shot a flame down at the sand in front of him. The boy gripped for his whistle that dangled around his black shirt but had to stop in shock. Hitmonchan stood in front of Charizard, his covered fist situated in front of him, ready for any command Red gave him.
The mutual understanding and silent communication between them all were unbelievable. Charizard simply turned around from Hitmonchan and walked away from the fight without any protest. Red didn't even blink an eye or act as if anything had changed. He simply trusted in his Pokémon and held the same determination in his eye that Erin should have been able to develop.
“Lava Plume.” Heatran's body glowed again as lava began to fire out of its body, striking the sand all around it. To Red’s long whistle, Hitmonchan avoided each drop of the fiery downpour.
Red immediately changed tactics to the offensive with two short calls of his whistle, and Hitmonchan changed with him. The distance closed rapidly as he sprinted towards the slowly stationary legendary Pokémon and Blaine, wearing a smirk.
“Earth Power.” The sand under Hitmonchan exploded as if an Electrode sat just underneath it, flinging him towards the ocean. A wave washed up and ran over him before he got to his feet.
Red called out two whistles again, putting his trust in his Pokémon. Again, Hitmonchan ran up, faster this time.
“Attack and attack, how boring,” Blaine said. “Earth Power.” The sand erupted again underneath Hitmonchan's crouched position, and he disappeared. He was nowhere. Blaine looked back and forth, seeing where the helpless Pokémon fell, but his understanding was illuminated by Red’s command. Hitmonchan was sailing down from the air where he jumped, his fist locked back, ready to unleash his focus punch.
“Dodge!” Blaine roared out, Hitmonchan feet away from the now-aware Heatran. At the last moment, Heatran moved his body just briefly, forcing Hitmonchan to not attack the steel face that he was aiming for. Instead, his gloved fist sank into the inferno of Heatran’s molten body.
“Lava Plume!” Heatran’s body began to glow before the screaming Hitmonchan finally freed his now ungloved hand from its opponent's body. Its three thick brown fingers covered in thick blisters that even Seth noticed from his viewing area at the other end of the beach. Lava rained down again onto the sand, checkering with the now cooled black rock from its previous attack.
Red commanded a second attack, and through screaming pain, Hitmonchan jumped back into close distance with Heatran. The heat attempted to repel him like a physical force, but Hitmonchan’s gloved fist finally connected with the volcanic Pokemon’s steel face. Heatran groaned wildly, a thick crack running down over his left eye. Two more whistles called out before Blaine could command any counter-attack. Another gloved punch sank into its left steel cufflet, cracking it and causing its left side of the body to crumble to the ground as if it lost all support to stand on that side. Another quick punch sank into its steel face again and again.
“Alright, Hitmonchan, I yield,” Blaine said. “Red, do you mind if I take the field for a moment to help Heatran without disqualifying myself?” Red simply nodded and then turned his enthusiastic gaze to Hitmonchan, who was skipping like a small child towards its trainer. Both embraced with huge smiles adorning each other's faces.
Seth turned his gaze to Emily, who sat with her bare feet in the sand, crying from both eyes. “Are you okay?” Seth asked.
“I miss him so much,” Emily replied, disappearing into her sobs.
“I’m fine, Daddy,” Erin’s apparition called out, but Seth ignored the nightmare that haunted him and held his friend tightly, crying with her.
“I’m sorry, Seth. I try not to bring him up, but just watching Red battle. I just…” More sobs filled the air from both of them.
“He would have been just as good,” Seth finally whispered out.
“Yeah, he just could connect with any Pokémon like that kid down there.” Red looked seriously at Hitmonchan’s hand and then pointed at the water. Hitmonchan scurried off with its head down before collapsing into the sand as a wave fluttered over him.
“Are you not using Hitmonchan?” Blaine asked Red, who shook his head. “You’re really making this old man look bad.” Typhlosion emerged in front of the Gym leader, but it was starkly different than any type Seth or Emily had ever seen. Its usual dark blue fur was replaced by a deep purple, and the explosion of flames out of its back instead escaped with a gentle ghostly calmness that resembled Ceruledge. “This Pokémon took me years to procure. Let's see what you got.”
The red light bolted down from Red’s Pokéball and expanded into a rotund Pokémon. Snorlax finally finished its emergence, its body sinking into the sand.
“Well, you were well prepared,” Blaine yelled out. Three whistles took over the beach followed by the drumming of Snorlax as it slammed its giant arms into its belly.
“Flamethrower.” Typhlosion's flames danced from its mouth around Snorlax, who was completely unfazed by the intense heat and simply pounded its fist into his thick fat over and over again until the flames died away.
The next two attacks fell with incredible speed. Typhlosion and its successor, Magmortar, stood no chance. Each footstep from Snorlax shook the ground beneath them, and with unbelievable speed, its teeth were around Typhlosion, and its body fell on top of Magmortar.
“Boy, you are single-handedly the best trainer I have ever faced. This is well deserved.” Blaine handed over a small badge that reflected the bright sunlight off its red surface. A dimple-smile cut through Emily and Seth as they saw the memory of Erin once more admiring his soul badge.