We linger by the lakefront for several hours, soaking in the breathtaking view. The lake itself sprawls majestically, extending all the way to the horizon and beyond, embracing the valley where Viridian nestles. Our chosen spot is perched on a small cliffside, affording us a panoramic view of the tawny sandy beach below and the vast meadow stretching towards the city's outskirts. The clamor of trainer battles and their excited chatter dissipates in the gentle breeze, creating a peaceful cocoon for our training session.
The trainers around us have claimed the nearby naturalistic battle enclosures, designed to mimic various types of battlefields. It seems these enclosures can be rented by groups, as multiple trainers are separated into different areas within the connecting building. Others, however, have opted for a more rustic approach, crafting their makeshift battlefields in the meadow near the lakefront. From our vantage point, I have an unobstructed view of these ongoing battles, each one a unique spectacle.
Beca has ultimately crawled to my feet and passed out after the rigorous training Champ put her through. He had her train her string shot aim so she could shoot smaller targets for better accuracy. He also trained her to chain them so they could create more complex traps or to hang her opponents from trees or higher places. Having learned that, she gained the idea of using string shot as a chain hook to move around coupled with her agility. Well… The first attempt careened her into a tree when she misjudged how fast she would be able to move. After that, she did it in short bursts, which is what led to her crashing at my feet. She doesn't have the stamina yet for it, but I'm sure she'll get there. After a pitying few pats on her head and some praise, I returned her to her ball for a well-earned rest.
Champ, however, starts doing his own thing. Like right now, he is consumed with his desire to shadow box. He moves with an agility and quickness that helps validate my theory that he really wants to evolve into a Hitmonchan. He solely focuses on his speed and punches, never using his legs for attacking unless absolutely necessary. I am going to have to change that in the future since he will need his lower body to be strong and usable as well.
My phone beeped and moved up to my face, displaying a message from Meredith. She had been released from the infirmary with a Sitrus Berry-infused ointment and crutches, with strict orders to rest for a week before resuming her journey. She also wanted to meet up tomorrow to discuss something important and provided me with the location tag to a small café next to a tournament ground. She mentioned that we could check out a tournament for zero badge holders after our discussion. Curious about it, I looked up the tournament.
It was actually supposed to be several small tournaments that you could sign up for online or register on the day you were going to participate. They were being held for the next week as part of a charity event by the Trinity Church. The first-place prizes for each tournament were 50,000 Pokédollars and a Technical Move of the winner's choosing from a list they had. The list consisted of a pool that held moves like Flamethrower or Ice Punch. Second place got 25,000 Pokédollars and a Payday move. Lastly, third place winners would receive 10,000 Pokédollars and a Bide move. I wasn't going to lie; the first-place prize was very enticing.
I decided to do a little research on the Trinity Church and came across articles talking about how they quickly became the mainstream religion in Kanto and Johto. They claimed that Arceus had created the three legendary birds and dogs to watch over humans and Pokémon alike. Some of them used the Kanto-Johto war as evidence of this when all six of them intervened, killing thousands of humans and Pokémon alike to put a stop to the war. Several articles, particularly those from the Galar region, stated that the church was a front for Team Rocket and the legendary birds were legendary in name only since there were Galarian versions of the birds themselves. That article had been written by someone named Alexander Harris who, after doing a quick few searches, had his name slandered in the mud by several famous followers of the Trinity Church and had mysteriously disappeared. Other than that, the rest of the articles I could find went on to talk about how the Church had donated to a majority of the cities of both Johto and Kanto, having actually been the driving force behind the complete transformation of Lavender Town into Lavender City. They also sponsored most impoverished or orphaned children to become trainers, along with—
I let out a frustrated sigh and waved the phone away. It was clearly some kind of publicity stunt for the Church, but the prizes were seriously too good to pass up. Looking out towards the trainers battling, I mulled it over in my head for several minutes while watching a Metapod obliterate a Pidgey with tackles and Bug Bites. The poor Pidgey hadn't stood a chance against the Metapod. Every Peck, Gust, and Wing Attack it did against the Metapod didn't leave a dent or a scratch on it. The Metapod belonged to a pale blonde-haired teen who didn't even bother changing out his Metapod as another challenger stepped forward. This one took out a Charmander who fared no better against the green cocoon of solid defense. Well, its flames did do some amount of damage to the Metapod, but Charmander had been taken out with several solid tackles by then.
By now, Champ had joined me in watching the onslaught of challengers take a crack at the seemingly invincible Metapod from our lofty perch on the cliff. I could tell that he was pumped and eager to test himself.
"Are you sure you want to try?" I asked him tentatively. I remembered the custom move we had created prior to my amnesia state, which was supposed to shear through powerful defenses, but I wasn't sure if it was viable. However, it could prove valuable and be a game-changer.
"Rogue! Ty-Rogue!" He exclaimed with a fist-pumping motion, demonstrating to me that he had no intention of backing down. I chuckled and nodded.
"Alright, let's give it a shot. At least it'll be some good practice."
By the time we had made our way down to join the line, most of the challengers had grown disheartened or lost interest and walked away. The Metapod's trainer was about to recall it when I yelled out to him.
"Hey, wait! My Tyrogue wants to fight your Metapod!"
He stopped midway while raising the Poké Ball. Up close, I could see that he was taller than me, nearly six feet, with a physique of pure lean muscle and agility. He wore a simple blue shirt, a gray windbreaker, and black cargo pants with an absurd amount of pockets. His cold, calculating gray eyes were fixed on me as he ran a hand through his ash-blond hair.
A woman dressed in pure white, almost equally as tall, stepped forward as if to say something, but the Metapod's trainer held his hand out to stop her. She looked startled but ultimately resigned to step back. He gave his Metapod a quick look-over before nodding and turning to me.
"It's a one-on-one battle. First to make their Pokémon faint or return it forfeits the match. The prize is ten thousand. Do you agree to these terms?" He said casually, his voice slow and methodical with a neutral tone.
I nodded in agreement as Champ stepped forward with a grin on his face. He seemed fired up and ready to get this fight going. Had he always been this way? Shaking the thought out of my head, I looked back at the Metapod, which was larger than average, maybe about four feet tall. Its crescent-shaped green chrysalis shone brightly in the late afternoon sun, and its heavily-lidded eyes were focused on Champ with sharp clarity.
This was not going to be an easy fight. The lady dressed in white walked over to the referee's box of the makeshift arena.
"Trainers, introduce yourselves," her voice came out husky and rich, immediately commanding attention as it effortlessly carried across the field.
"Arsene Eldorix from Blackthorn City," the Metapod trainer across from me said simply. The crowd that had been dissipating came back, and quiet murmurs spread through them. He seemed to be some kind of big shot.
"Erembour Lionheart from Pallet Town," I introduced myself, but he didn't seem to care. His sharp features appeared somewhat bored.
The woman's hands shot up, causing both Champ and me to tense up.
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"Begin!" she yelled as her hands dropped.
"Champ, use Rock Slide, then follow up with Mega Punch!" I called out.
The ground around Champ churned and flew up as boulders before hurtling straight towards the unmoving Metapod, with Champ following up shortly behind.
"Metapod, X-Harden," Arsene's voice came out immediate but monotone, as if the fight he was currently in was going to be the most mundane thing he has had to deal with.
His Metapod's chrysalis shone brightly as the light green color changed to a darker hue. The Rock Slide attack slammed into its husk only to crumble and fall to the side without leaving any damage. Champ's punch slammed into Metapod's side with a resounding thud, but he was the one to come away with a wince as he shook his hand out.
Arsene sighed dismissively.
"Another stick-in-the-mud physical type. Metapod, Silk-Strike."
I looked on in awe as the tip of Metapod's cocoon opened and shot out a quick, hardened stream of silk that slammed into a caught-off-guard Champ's center mass with enough force to send him flying back six feet. The stream then started to loosen and cling to him.
"Champ, break it off, quick!"
Try as he might, the silken mess clung to him as Metapod used the silken string to reorient itself to aim better at Champ.
"Finish it. Tackle into Bug Bite."
With tremendous acceleration and speed not seen in the Caterpie line, Metapod flew across the field, ramming into Champ as another portion of Metapod's cocoon opened, and sharp mandibles bit down on flesh, causing Champ to cry out in pain.
"Fakeout! Get it away from you!"
Champ quickly clapped his aura-covered hands together, forcing out a shockwave of air which interrupted Metapod’s attacks, breaking the silk and pushing Metapod back. Champ took advantage of the moment and jumped back several feet.
“Bulk up!” I yelled out. Champ started to cover himself in an aura of orange energy, causing his muscles to ripple and grow just as Metapod recovered and spewed string shot at his feet, covering them in its silk.
"Keep bulking up! Don't worry about the string."
I could see Champ hesitate for a moment before steeling his resolve and continuing the move's steady progression. Arsene was smirking from across the battlefield as more of the silk wrapped around Champ.
"All that bulk isn't going to help if your Pokémon is covered from head to toe."
Gritting my teeth, I waited as Champ was wrapped up until his chest; I figured that was enough time for Bulk Up to take full effect.
"Rock Slide to cut the thread and then use the heavy hitter!"
The earth around him churned once again as it ripped upwards, slicing through the silk with jagged edges but also hitting him in the process.
Arsene's smirk faltered into a thin line as his eyes narrowed.
"Silk Shot volley. Don't let it near you, Metapod."
As the last of the Rock Slides ripped through Champ's bindings, he ran off towards Metapod, bobbing and weaving through the volley. The initial hit might have caught him by surprise at the beginning of the fight, but the rest of them he dodged with no issue.
He zigzagged, bobbed, and weaved and somersaulted over the volley of attacks until finally he reached the Metapod with glowing fists ready to strike.
With a small smile twitching to life on his lips, Arsene uttered,
"Electroweb."
And a large silk web swallowed Champ up in a high-voltage mess of electricity, but through sheer determination and momentum, his fist still connected with a resounding bam.
The punch sent Metapod skidding across the grass field with cracks forming through its chrysalis.
A hushed silence settled over the entire field, broken only by two distinct sounds: the crackling buzz of the electric web ensnaring Champ, still arcing with energy, and the unmistakable sound of the Metapod's chrysalis splintering under the stress of battle, forming intricate cracks that webbed across its surface.
Suddenly, it fell over. Everyone turned in unison to the acting ref as she nodded.
"Metapod is unable to-" before she could finish, a bright light overtook Metapod as the chrysalis finished breaking to reveal a purple-bodied butterfly with a pair of white wings that had black venations on the borders.
A smug grin slowly curled across Arsene's face, his eyes alight with a newfound confidence.
"I must thank you. You were the push my Metapod needed to evolve. Butterfree, Confusion. End this fight."
As Butterfree's form exuded a mysterious violet aura, Champ managed to break loose from the electric web, only to become ensnared by the same ethereal purple light. In an instant, he was sent soaring skyward, then hurtled back down with alarming speed. Despite his valiant efforts, he grappled with the overwhelming force, ultimately succumbing and collapsing to the ground in fatigue.
He was out for the count, and I let out the breath I was holding. There were a few cheers, but for the most part, there were whispers and murmurs. I didn't bother paying attention as the lady ref announced the obvious results.
"Tyrogue is unable to battle! The winner is Arsene!"
Returning Champ to his ball, a bitter pang of resentment gnawed at me. If only Metapod hadn't evolved, victory would have been mine. But dwelling on such thoughts was fruitless. In reality, it had been a closely contested battle from the very start.
Flashes of memories came to me of moments that I had lost in the past. A gollbat having lost to an Alolan graveler who hit it hard with a zap cannon, a grimer losing to a sneasle who overwhelmed it with speed and ice punches.
My Golbat dying as a spear of solid earth tore through its body.
Blood, so much blood. A single tear ran down my cheek that I quickly wiped away. Were those my memories?
Arsene stood before me, his voice tinged with genuine admiration. "I have to commend you for the close fight. Not many have been able to take on my Metapod, let alone make such a showing."
My focus snapped back to the present. I blinked a few times, surprised at how quickly he had closed the distance while I was lost in thought. That’s right, I needed to transfer the prize money to him.
I pulled out my Rotom Phone, but he held his hand out.
"No need to give me the winnings, my Metapod's evolution is payment enough," he said, his gaze fixed on mine. He seemed to ponder something for a moment before casually shrugging.
"I would like to offer you some advice. Concentrate on teaching your Tyrogue defensive moves like Substitute, Protect, or Endure. They'll serve you well in the long run. In fact..."
He motioned for the lady who had acted as our referee to approach. As she came closer, I noticed she was around our age. Her hair, a shimmering brown with white highlights, was tied back in a ponytail, which emphasized her sharp features and light blue eyes, giving her an elegant yet predatory appearance. She reminded me of a proud Swellow.
"Yes, my lo-"
"Nieva," Arsene interrupted before she could continue. "Can you give me the spare Double Team move we have?"
The expression that crossed her face was priceless. It looked as if she had just bitten into a particularly sour Aspear Berry. She retrieved the move disc from her bag and handed it to Arsene, who extended it to me.
I stared at the disc, then at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"Come on, take it. Think of it as an extra token of appreciation. You and your Tyrogue are going to need it until he can evolve," he urged.
Tentatively, I accepted the disc from him, my gratitude expressed in a mumbled, barely audible thank you. I didn't fully understand what was happening, but declining a free move wasn't something I considered.
"Alright, Nieva, let's get out of here. We've had our share of fun. Time's ticking; Pewter Gym awaits. Erembour, I'm sure our paths will cross again," he said, flashing a casual smirk in my direction before waving goodbye and walking away with Nieva by his side.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, I couldn't help but wonder if my journey was fated to be filled with encounters with such peculiar individuals.
Well, perhaps that was a part of what made this adventure so intriguing. I pulled out my phone, opened the map to locate the nearest Pokémon Center, and began heading in that direction, thoughts racing through my mind about how best to make use of the newly acquired move.