Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Dragon Master ❯ Stage Three - Bellsprout Rebellion ( Chapter 3 )

Sunlight glinted off the orange-gold hide of a Dragonite as it soared through the air, moving with a grace that was surprising considering its bulk versus the size of its wings. A few trainers, walking across the land in their eternal quests for adventure, looked up in surprise. Dragonites were rare in the wild, almost never seen except under the care of a trainer who had nurtured it up from a Dratini. Now the trainers looked up in awe as it passed over their heads. A few brave ones even called out their prized Pokemon to try to capture it, but it flew on unharmed, easily dodging every attack, batting away thrown PokeBalls with a swish of its strong tail. Then it would be gone, soaring over the horizon in a straight and seemingly endless flight. Most trainers just sighed wistfully as it passed them by, dreaming of the day when they, too, might own something so spectacular. Some heeded it as an omen of good luck. Only one looked up at it and frowned.

"What is she doing?" he muttered. "That's no help - she's not supposed to be so obvious. Nobody for miles around is going to miss that thing."

He sighed deeply, shaking his head and moving on. If she got in trouble, on her head be it. He had better things to think about than worry about one crazy trainer...

Meanwhile, the Dragonite continued to travel. It flew over the main roads, looking down, watching the people that passed below it. It was searching, trying to pick out one in particular. Miles rolled past, and it was beginning to think it might have to return home and report failure, but then a sparkle caught its eyes. Blinking, it circled lower, trying to get a better look. Yes, there was a human down there. She was just walking down the road, in broad daylight, not even looking up at the dragon that hovered above her. In fact, she seemed to be so deeply involved with an argument with her traveling companion that she wouldn't have noticed if a whole flock of dragons had been hanging over her head. She certainly didn't look like anything special, but this was clearly the girl Dragonite had been sent to look for, the girl whose hair glittered like ice. It took off again, rising up into the sky until it became nothing more than a speck, nearly lost against the sky, and the girl's bright hair was only a moving white dot on the ground. Funny to think that the mistress considered this tiny girl an enemy, but she did, and so Dragonite circled above her, watching to see what she would do...

Unaware that she was being watched, Aurora continued her debate with Laine.

"It just wouldn't be right," she was saying. "I have to go for the Hive Badge next. That's just the way its done. For all I know, Whitney might even refuse to fight me if I didn't have the right Badges. She's kind of temperamental sometimes."

"You were the one who wanted to jump all the way up to Dragon Master without winnin' any Badges," Laine replied stubbornly. "What's with the law-abidin' streak all of a sudden?"

"Don't you understand? I have to do this right," Aurora answered. "You didn't hear the way Clair talked to me. She'll never respect me if I don't do this absolutely flawlessly. If I start trying to do things in the wrong order now, she'll say I'm cheating and won't have anything else to do with me."

"Whoopee for her," Laine muttered. "Dunno what's so great about her anyway. Dragons or no dragons, the lady's still meaner than an Arbok with a toothache."

"She is not! She's just got high standards," said Aurora. "She only trains the best Pokemon, so it makes sense she'd only use the best trainers, too. I'm just going to have to show her I am the best... and to do that, I'm going to need the Hive Badge, so we might as well go ahead and get it."

"If you say so," said Laine glumly. Then she looked up. "Well, lucky us. It's Violet City already. Guess it's easier to go down the mountain than up the mountain."

"It is when you aren't held up by storms and Skarmories and things," said Aurora. "Hey, I know, let's stop in Violet for a while."

"What? Li'l Miss Get-up-and-go wants to stop?" Laine repeated. "What's gotten into you?"

"Well, it would be nice to have a break for a while," answered Aurora. "I'm not used to all this walking. My feet are starting to ache. And I am getting a little tired of traveling food, too."

"Spear!" said Scar, pecking her hand.

"Ouch!" she protested. "What's your problem?"

"Spear, spear, spearow," said Scar. He pecked at the hem of her shirt, where she had pinned her Zephyr Badge.

"Oh, all right, fine, have it your way," Aurora sighed. "I was thinking it would be nice to see Falkner again."

Laine's grumpy expression evaporated, being replaced by her usual insolent grin.

"Yeah, I forgot about your crush on Falkner!" she crowed. "Can't blame you there - he is a cutie."

"Shut up!" said Aurora, trying not to laugh. She was getting used to Laine's company by now, and she could accept the girl's remarks as well as she accepted the fact that Scar would sometimes wander off on his own. Both were a sign that her friends trusted her not to be upset. "You know I don't have a crush on him. I just like him."

"What's the difference?"

"Well, you like me, don't you?"

"Sometimes," Laine replied. "Don' let it go to your head, though."

"It'll be hard, but I'll try," answered Aurora. "So, what do you say? Want to stop in Violet for a while? We didn't even get to go in last time."

"I did. You wanted to stay on the path," Laine replied. "But sure, let's go into the big city for a bit. Anything that keeps me out of Azalea... Man! Why did I have to be born in a town with a Gym in it?"

"You don't want to go home?" asked Aurora.

"Are you anxious to go to Goldenrod again?"

"Well... no, not really..."

"Right," Laine replied. "As far as I'm concerned, the longer we stay in Violet, the better."

Within a few minutes, they had reached the outskirts of the town. Aurora liked it on sight; it was neat and clean, with lots of grassy lawns and window boxes full of flowers. The people waved to each other as they passed on the street, gossiping happily, and the air was full of a sense of encouragement and excitement, as welcoming as Blackthorn had been forbidding. After all, this was a place meant for beginning trainers, which meant that everyone here had grown up with the expectation of bright young newcomers entering its gates, all of them full of ambition and hopes that they would be the next Champion. Aurora could see evidence of this, in the form of children her own age sparring playfully on the sidewalks, Rattatas mixing it up with Pidgeys and Caterpies while passers-by paused to cheer them on. Shop windows displayed souvenirs, and she stopped to admire a fuzzy stuffed Pidgeot with shiny shoe-button eyes, but passed him by with a sigh. She needed her money for more vital things, most immediately, lunch.

Following Laine's guide, she found herself walking into a cheerful little diner. The room was crowded, with the lunchtime rush crammed around little round tables, but they found a place to sit in a far corner and set down their gear to stake a claim, trusting Scar to protect it from anyone who might get too nosy. Then they pushed up to the front to get a look at the menu that was chalked on a blackboard. While she was waiting for someone behind the counter to notice her, Aurora let her eyes wander around the room, looking at all the colorful customers and the occasional Pokemon. Then her gaze fell on a young man sitting at the far end of the bar, poking idly at a strawberry sundae. He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a denim jacket, and a baseball cap was jammed over his head, but she could still see wisps of red hair showing through, and there was no mistaking his face.

"Psst!" Aurora hissed to Laine. "Look over there!"

"Hm?" Laine turned around to see where her friend was pointing. "Whoa, that's Ember!"

"Shh, he'll hear you!" Aurora cautioned, but it was too late. Ember turned his head and looked at both of them, his distant expression turning angry as he realized who he was seeing.

"You two again!" he barked. "Must you follow me everywhere I go?"

"No," said Laine. "You just keep turnin' up everywhere we wanna be. What are you doin' here? Plannin' on wirin' Sprout Tower with a radio transmitter or somethin'?"

"Keep it down!" he snapped. "For your information, the reason I'm here has nothing to do with... what you're thinking of. I do have outside interests."

"What kind of interests take you to Violet City?" Laine persisted. "Bird watching?"

"You'd be surprised," was the mild reply. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment. So long, girls. Try to stay out of my business."

With that, he abandoned his ice cream and stalked out of the restaurant.

"Weird guy," Laine commented, as she collected their food. "Wonder what he's really doing here?"

"Even you can't say he's looking for me this time," Aurora replied. "He's probably lying, anyway. Most likely he is here looking for trouble."

"Yeah, most likey," Laine agreed. "Trouble and double, ain't that what they say? Let's forget about 'im for now. He obviously doesn' want our company."

Aurora nodded and went about the more important business of eating, at least to all appearances. Inside, she was still turning over the meeting with Ember in her mind, wondering just what had moved him to come to Violet City incognito, wandering around in broad daylight in public places. What little experience she had with Rockets had told her they were a fiercely proud gang who never donned street clothing unless they had a specific reason for it, and they seldom let themselves be seen in public unless they were sure of not being caught. This boy must have been an important person, if the others had listened to him back in the cave. What was he risking his safety for here?

"Hi!" said a voice at her elbow, startling her out of her reverie. "Hey, nice Spearow! Are you here to fight with Falkner, too?"

Aurora looked down and saw a small boy, perhaps five years old, accompanied by a Sentret on a leash. As she turned around to look at the boy, he noticed the glinting pin on the hem of her shirt.

"Hey, you've got the Badge already! That's cool!" he enthused.

"Scar won it for me the other day," Aurora answered, stroking her Pokemon's feathers.

"Awesome," the boy replied. "Hey, if you've already got your Badge, how come you're here? Did you come to see the fight?"

"What fight?" asked Laine, trying to get into the conversation.

"The fight," the boy repeated. "There's going to be a Gym battle today. We all go to see the battles. It's fun. Falkner's won the last twelve fights in a row. He's the greatest! You oughta go see him!"

"Sounds like fun to me," said Laine. "We were gonna go see him anyway, so we might as well see him dong what he does best. Am I right, or what?"

Sounds like fun to me," Aurora replied. "Thanks for the tip."

"Welcome!" the boy replied.

After finishing up their lunches (they shared their fries with Scar), the girls left the diner and headed for the Gym. It wasn't hard to find - it looked like everyone in town was on their way there, so Laine and Aurora just let themselves be swept up in the crowd. Inside the Gym's main gates, an attendant was guiding people inside the building, making sure they were filling in all the bleachers. Others were walking around handing out fliers with the names and stats of Falkner's Pokemon. Aurora and Laine both took one as souvenirs, and then they found themselves seats. At this point, the best spots had already been taken, but they did reasonably well for themselves, several rows up from the center line of the field.

"This should be interesting," said Laine. "I didn' get to see you fight Falkner last time. How's he fight? Is he good?"

"I think he's good," Aurora replied. "He nearly had me there, for a minute. Dragons or no dragons, I envy him his Pidgeotto."

After the bleachers were filled to capacity, the front doors of the Gym slammed shut, and the house lights dimmed, leaving the room plunged briefly into intense darkness. Then a spotlight appeared, beaming down on one end of the playing field.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and Pokemon!" boomed a voice above their heads. "Welcome to the Violet City Pokemon Gym! And now, it is my pleasure to introduce to you our reigning champion and city Gym Leader. . . Falkner!"

There were cheers from the crowd as Falkner stepped into the light. Aurora and Laine gave him a standing ovation, as did many others. Aurora was sure he turned and waved at her.

"And now, the challenger," the announcer continued. "Hailing all the way from Viridian City, I give you. . . Ember!"

In the applause from the crowd, Aurora and Laine's gasps of dismay were completely lost, though Scar did cause a commotion by fluttering up into the air and screeching, and Aurora had to pull him down by his leg. Down on the playing field, Ember didn't seem to notice anything. He looked extremely nervous, somehow shrunken beneath the bright lights in his heavy jean jacket. He held a Pokeball, tossing it restlessly from hand to hand.

"Players on your marks," said the announcer.

Ember and Falkner stepped up to their starting points and bowed politely to each other.

"At the count of three," the announcer said. "One - two - three - begin!"

The combatants sent out their Pokemon, their calls drowned out by thunderous cheers. The announcer was giving commentary.

"And our young challenger brings out a Seadra - when was the last time I've seen one of them? It's well trained, though. Just look at that aim! Oh, but it takes a hard hit from Falkner's Pidgey - Better luck next time, kid!"

"Go, Falkner!" Laine was shouting. "Put that kid in his place!"

Aurora was quiet. Falkner's Pidgey was putting up a good fight, but she had the feeling it wasn't going to last for very long against an evolved Pokemon. Sure enough, the Seadra hit Pidgey with a Supersonic attack, leaving it dazed, wide open for an attack from the sea Pokemon's sharp fins. The bird gave a shriek, tried to escape, and nearly crashed into the bleachers as it flew out of control. Instead, it bounced off the wall and dropped in a faint, vanishing into a burst of red light as Falkner recalled it. The crowd moaned.

"That was a dirty trick!" hissed Laine to Aurora.

"No, it wasn't," answered Aurora. "Confusion is a standard attack. Anybody can use it if they have a capable Pokemon."

"I still don' like it," Laine grumped.

"Quiet. You're just saying that because you just don't want him to win."

"What? And you do?"

Aurora didn't answer, but turned instead back to the competition. Ember had recalled his Seadra and sent out the Charmeleon. Pidgeotto was a slightly better match for it than Pidgey had been for Seadra, but it was still clear who the winner was going to be. After the bird Pokemon had scored a few early hits, Charmeleon had kept it too busy dodging fireballs to do any retaliation. Its wings were already looking a bit charred, and it seemed to be getting tired. Desperate, it made a wild dive, beating its wings fiercely at its enemy. The Charmeleon darted out of the way, raking Pidgeotto with its claws as it flew by. The bird gave a shriek as it lumbered into the air again with several feathers missing.

"Take him out!" Ember ordered. "Flamethrower!"

The Charmeleon gave a roar and spat out a twelve-foot lance of flame, briefly engulfing the bird. It shrieked and fell, vanishing back into its PokeBall. The crowd roared.

"Game over!" boomed the announcer. "Victory goes to the challenger! Ember wins!"

There was a chaotic noise, comprised in equal measures of cheering, clapping, and booing as Ember and Falkner went to meet each other in the center of the arena and bowed to each other again. As Falkner handed over the Badge and his forfeit, Laine muttered to herself.

"It ain't right," she said fiercely. "It just ain't right! That boy's no trainer! He's a Rocket! He doesn't deserve any Badges; it's just encouraging him! The last thing that guy needs is to have his ego stoked any more."

While she sat there complaining, the rest of the crowd filtered out of the stadium, chattering animatedly, bemoaning the loss for their local Gym Leader or acting out enthusiastic play-by-plays. Soon, the only people who were left were Aurora, Laine, and Falkner himself, who was busy giving Potions to his tired Pokemon.

"Hello, you two!" he called. "Back again? I'd have thought you'd move straight on to Azalea Town."

"We decided to make a stopover," said Aurora, getting up to climb down the bleachers. "Then we heard you were having a battle, so we came to watch. Sorry you lost."

"That's all right," he said, tipping the last few drops of Potion down Pidgeotto's throat. "I knew I was going to lose to begin with."

"You knew?" Laine repeated. "But - but-"

"His Pokemon are too advanced for mine," he answered. "Honestly, he should have been and gone here ages ago. He's ready to take on Whitney, at least. He could possibly even handle Morty."

"Are you serious?" asked Laine. "Don' you know what that kid is?"

"He's a fine trainer. That's all I know," he replied.

"Well, I've got news for you!" Laine replied. "Ember's with Team Rocket?"

Falkner blinked. "Not possible."

"She's telling the truth," said Aurora quietly. "We've seen him in action. He was trying to pull something in Union Cave. He was in full uniform, and all the other Rockets were obeying him."

If the girls expected Falkner to be surprised, they were mistaken.

"What a pity," he sighed. "He has potential."

"Potential to cause trouble," Laine muttered. "With that Badge, he'll be able to cause even more!"

"Not that much," said Aurora. "The Zephyr Badge doesn't do much more than activate the Flash HM, and that's really not much of a move."

"Why are you defending him?" asked Laine, turning to Aurora, who backed away reflexively.

"I'm not defending him!" she squeaked indignantly. "I'm - I'm defending Falkner! He didn't have any choice. Ember beat him, so he had to give him a Badge, whether he deserved it or not!"

Falkner watched the exchange. "You two look like a couple of Machops, do you know that? Aurora, is this a friend or an enemy?"

"She's my friend," said Aurora. "We just have... differing opinions on things. Anyway, this is Laine. She's Kurt's granddaughter, from Azalea Town."

"Ah, yes! I see, now. I've never met Kurt myself, but I met your father a few times. He was a brilliant man. You look a great deal like him."

At this, Laine blushed a bright pink and turned her head. Aurora was surprised. She normally didn't think of Laine being shy or embarrassed. Falkner seemed to realize he'd touched a nerve somewhere, because he quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway," he said, "am I to gather that you don't think young Ember deserved the Badge I gave him?"

"Well, of course he doesn't!" said Laine, apparently glad to be back on solid ground again. "What's he gonna do with it, except use it to hurt someone else's Pokemon?"

Falkner sighed. "That's all any trainer can do with it, unfortunately. It's one of the drawbacks of the game. But if you mean, do I think he's going to misuse it... no, I don't. One of the reasons they made me a Gym Leader is for my ability to judge a trainer's abilities, and in my estimation, the boy is extremely skilled."

"That wasn' skill," Laine muttered. "That was brute force and you know it. You lost because his Pokemon were more evolved than yours, that's all."

"And how do you suppose they got that way?" asked Falkner. "Pokemon don't evolve for no reason."

"True," said Aurora. "I hadn't thought of that. That's funny, I'd heard Charmeleons are difficult to raise. It takes a very skilled trainer to handle one."

Falkner nodded. "I can't make any moral judgements about him, but I can say he's definitely not the kind to mistreat his Pokemon. They would never obey him the way they do otherwise."

Laine didn't look like she liked this explanation, but she never got a chance to argue any further. Just as she was opening her mouth to make a comeback, a noise issued from outside the Gym. It sounded like someone shouting at the top of his lungs. Everyone exchanged puzzled looks, and then Falkner turned and sprinted for the door with the girls trailing close behind. Outside, they caught sight of a man running up the street, legs pumping frantically.

"Bellsprout!" he shouted. "Bellsprout! Run for your lives! Bellsprout!"

"Bellsprout?" Aurora repeated. "What's he talking about?"

"I think he's cracked," Laine opined.

The man caught sight of them and skidded to a halt, panting.

"Run for it!" he gasped. "They're coming! The Bellsprouts are coming!" He turned and looked behind him, as if he thought he might be pursued, and then sprinted away again, still screaming about Bellsprouts.

"Wonder what's gotten into him?" said Falkner, eyebrows knitted in worry.

"No idea," Laine replied. "I know about Bellsprouts. They're just overgrown daffodils, nothing special."

"Wait a minute," said Aurora, waving for both of them to be quiet. "Do you hear something?"

They were quiet, and in the silence, they did hear something. at first, it sounded like a low rumble, but as it grew closer, they were able to discern words in the rumble. It sounded like, "Bell...sprout... bell... sprout... bellsprout... bellsprout... bellsproutbellsprout... bellsproutbellsproutbellsprout... bellbellsproutbellsproutsprout..."

"Get down!" Falkner shouted, shoving the girls back into the Gym. A second later, a raging wave of Bellsprouts came charging down the street, throwing up huge clouds of dust. Everything in their way, ranging from flower beds to unattended bicycles, was torn apart as they passed, and for a moment, the world looked like nothing but a mass of waving leaves, roots, blooms, and flying dust. Then they passed, leaving the cobblestone walkway reduced to gravel by the power of their thrashing roots.

"Whew!" said Aurora, wide-eyed. "That could have been us!"

Laine was staring off in the direction the Bellsprouts had gone, shouting, "Hey, I really didn't mean that thing about the daffodils! Really!"

"I wonder what brought that on?" Falkner mused. "The Violet City Bellsprouts have lived in harmony with humans for centuries. I've never heard of a Bellsprout rebellion before."

"Do you think this is Team Rocket's doing?" asked Laine - almost hopefully, Aurora thought.

"I know one way to find out," Aurora replied.

"What?" Laine asked. "Are you plannin' to go ask your boyfriend?"

"No," she replied. "There's only one spot around here that has so many Bellsprouts in one place, and that's Sprout Tower. If we want to get to the root of this problem, that's where we've got to go."

"Root?" Laine repeated. "Rora, this is no time to be making jokes."

"She's right, though," said Falkner. "The Sages at the Tower will know what's going on. Here."

He took three PokeBalls from his belt and opened them, revealing two Pidgeys and a Pidgeotto.

"These will Fly us there in no time," he explained. "Don't look so offended, Scar. You know you can't do that without a Fly HM. Be patient, old bird."

Scar gave in, only muttering under his breath as the two Pidgeys gripped his friends by the shoulders and lifted them up into the air, following the lead of Falkner and his Pidgeotto. They didn't really need the guide; they could have found their way just by following the path of destruction the Bellsprouts had wrought in their wild flight towards... just where were they running, anyway? Half-turning in the Pidgey's grip, Aurora tried to see behind her, but all she could make out was the broken path leading off into the woods. All she could tell was that they seemed to be in a hurry to get out of Violet City. There was still a cloud rising into the air in the direction they'd gone, comprised of dust and startled Flying-types trying to get away from the commotion. Aurora felt a stab of worry, wondering how much damage the Bellsprouts were going to do before they finally settled down.

"Hey, Rora!" Laine called. "Check the weather vane!"

"What?" asked Aurora, wondering for a minute whether there was something she didn't know about Bellsprouts and the direction of the wind. Then she realized Laine wasn't talking about a real weather vane. She was pointing at the top of Sprout Tower, where a large metal bird had perched, nearly covering the roof with its flashing wings. It was surrounded by a small cloud of moving shapes, Hoothoots most likely. Every once in a while, one would get too close and let out a screech as the steel bird slashed them with its beak or sharp-feathered wings.

"Take us down slow and easy," said Falkner to his Pidgeotto. "We don't want to make that Skarmory angry... angrier than it already is."

The bird nodded and began a graceful glide to the ground, keeping them safely out of the Skarmory's range. They landed at the edge of a small crowd of people, many of them curious onlookers, but mostly men in monkish brown robes who were staring worriedly at the Skarmory or tending to wounded Hoothoots. Aurora thought she saw a boy in a jean jacket in the periphery of things, but he caught sight of her and scooted away before she could be sure it was him at all. Falkner began pushing his way through the onlookers, clearing a path for Laine and Aurora.

"Gym Leader, coming through!" he called. "What's going on? Where's the Master?"

A few of the Sages looked up in recognition, and one of them came and bowed to Falkner.

"I am Master of Sprout Tower," he said. "We are thankful you have come, Leader Falkner."

"Thank me later," said Falkner. "Right now, I want to know what's happening here? Why is there a Skarmory in Violet City? Where have the Bellsprouts gone?"

"The Skarmory came down out of the mountains not long ago," answered the Master. "It is very angry, but we are having trouble understanding what it wants, and it refuses to let our Pokemon close enough to it to talk to it or battle it. It is insisting that humans have harmed it, and it wants humans to pay for what has been done to it."

"I see," said Falkner. He looked up at the Tower, which was swaying as if in a high gale. "It won't come down, and it won't let anything come up. What about the Bellsprouts? What was the matter with them?"

"As the honorable Gym Leader knows, Flying-types are the natural enemies of Plant- types," the Master replied. "As soon as they sensed that such a powerful Bird Pokemon was close to them, they fled in panic. We fear they will not return to us until we are rid of the Skarmory. The Bellsprouts are the life of our temple. Please, Gym Leader Falkner, you must rid us of this menace!"

"I'll try," said Falkner, "but I'm not sure what I can do. Even I've never captured a Skarmory. I'm not quite sure how to deal with it."

Laine was looking upwards, squinting at the light bouncing off the Skarmory's feathers. She reached for her bag and dug out her binoculars.

"Hey, Rora," she said. "I could be wrong, but I think this here bird has the look of someone we know. Take a look."

Puzzled, Aurora looked through the binoculars, twiddling with the focus. Now she could see the bird clearly, feathers flashing so brightly it almost hurt to look at them... but not everywhere.

"He's rusted," she exclaimed. "Like... like he was caught in the rain."

"What's she talking about?" asked Falkner, looking at Laine.

"While we were climbin' the trail to Blackthorn, we got caught in the rain," Laine replied. "We saw our good ol' buddy Ember trying to catch a Skarmory while it was weak, usin' both his Pokemon to gang up on it."

"So that's what this is all about!" said Falkner. "He must have followed Ember here, and now he's looking for some payback for what's been done to him... not that the knowledge helps us much. I doubt there's much we can do without Ember around, and he's probably long gone by now. I guess we'll just have to-"

"Aha!" Aurora shouted, making a dive into the crowd. Ember, who had been gradually creeping closer, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation, now tried to disappear back into the shadows, but Aurora was too quick for him. She latched onto the back of his jacket and hung on with a vice grip.

"Get off of me!" he growled, trying to pry her off. It was no use; she was behind him, and he couldn't reach far enough to get a grip.

"Nothing doing," Aurora replied. "I told you messing with that Skarmory was going to get you in trouble, and you didn't believe me."

"Right now, the only thing giving me trouble is you," Ember snapped. "That Skarmory's none of my business. As far as I'm concerned, those Bellsprouts can stay away forever. It's no skin off my back... though I have a feeling I might lose some anyway, the way you're clinging to me."

Aurora loosened her grip a bit, and Ember wrenched free. He turned around with anger burning in his eyes.

"Don't mess with me," he said. "You think just because I did you a favor once, you can walk all over me, is that right? Well, forget it. I'm still what I am, and I'm perfectly capable of hurting you - yes, even with people watching! You think they can hurt me? Guess what would happen if they tried. Just guess."

"Oh, aren't you a tough guy," Aurora retorted. "You're not scared to pick fights with a little girl, but when it comes to a real challenge, you start running away as fast as the Bellsprouts. Gee, you really are scary."

Ember scowled. "I'm not running. It's just none of my business what happens to this town, and you know it."

"In that case, I'll talk to the Skarmory myself," Aurora replied. She turned and began walking away, only to be intercepted in three directions at once, as Ember, Falkner, and Laine all stepped in front of her.

"What in the name of the Forest Guardian do you think you're doin'?" Laine demanded incredulously.

Aurora shrugged. "I thought it should be obvious. I'm going to go talk to the Skarmory."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Falkner. "This is a wild Pokemon we're talking about, and a very powerful one, at that. Powerful and angry - it could kill you easily if it took a notion to."

"Well, what do you want me to do, then?" asked Aurora. "Just sit here and do nothing?"

"I want you to think instead of jumping into things," Falkner replied. "Now maybe, just maybe you could talk some sense into it, but I doubt it. Skarmories are proud creatures. They don't have a lot of respect for anything. Furthermore, have you thought about how you're actually going to get close enough to say anything to it?"

"Well, if I can't Fly up, I guess I'll just have to climb," answered Aurora.

"Sure," said Laine. "And I think I'll evolve into a Dragonite and fly to the moon."

Aurora paused, considering. Now that she looked at it, the Sprout Tower was more than a bit daunting. It was still swaying back and forth as if blown by a powerful wind, yet the breeze was nothing more than a few breaths of air, barely enough to toss her hair, much less a solidly built tower. She remembered the legends that the Sprout Tower had been built around the stem of a Bellsprout a hundred feet tall, and she wondered what the Tower must think of having a large, angry bird on its head. A sudden vision crossed her mind of the whole tower getting up and running away, crashing through the town and knocking over trees. She felt herself pale a bit, but she gritted her teeth. The danger wouldn't lessen if she stayed by and did nothing. She was jerked out of her reverie by the sight of someone shoving something in front of her.

"Here," said Ember, pressing something into her hands.

"Escape Rope!" she exclaimed. "Just what the doctor ordered!"

Ember shrugged. "Don't thank me or anything. If you want to hang yourself, its in my best interests to give you the rope. Just be careful, Winter-Hair. I don't want you to fall on my head."

"If I fall, I'll be careful to aim for you," Aurora replied, "but thanks anyway, Fire-Top."

Aurora took the rope and pulled one end into a tight loop.

"Hey, Scar," she said, "do me a favor and hang this somewhere, so I can climb up."

Scar considered the request a moment, then took the rope in his beak and flew off. The Sprout Tower was built with several levels, each with its own decorative roof surrounding the corner of the pagoda-like building. Scar flew up to the first level and hooked the rope around an ornamental Bellsprout statue that perched on a corner. Aurora tugged it to make sure it would hold her weight, and then began the climb.

At first, her ascent was easy. She shinnied up the rope with no trouble at all, and then paused to rest on the tiled roof as Scar flew up to the next level. However, the higher she went, the more she felt the swaying of the building, and the more difficult the climb became. The rope swung back and forth wildly, slamming her into the wall or sending her swinging out over the staring crowds below. Even her rest stops became difficult as she tried to cling to the slippery roofs, and Scar was having more and more trouble trying to hook the rope to the next statue. Her arms, not used to such arduous work, were beginning to shiver with tiredness, and her hands burned from the friction of the rough rope. She was sweating with fear, making her shirt stick to her skin. Beads of moisture were sliding down her face, getting in her eyes, but she didn't dare free a hand to wipe them away. She lost track of how high she had climbed, having long ago realized that looking down was the worst of all possible ideas, when looking down meant seeing the ground moving around like the ocean in a storm. All she could think of was putting one hand above the other, climbing to the next level and the next, then sprawling out on the tiles and gasping for breath while she waited for Scar to do his work. She pulled herself onto yet another rooftop and flopped down, wondering just how much further she could go before her arms gave out entirely.

What are you doing here?

Aurora jumped, nearly falling off the roof in surprise. The words were there, but there wasn't a source for them, not even a voice. Further thought made her realize that there hadn't even been words, just a sense that was so certain that it was as if she'd heard them spoken. The idea gave her a funny feeling, the same one she'd had when she'd first realized she could understand Scar even though he was only communicating to her with squawks and rough pantomimes. She looked up and let herself meet the intense steely gaze of the Skarmory.

"I came because I need to talk to you," she replied.

There is nothing to talk about, the Skarmory replied. I want the red-haired one given to me so I may punish it for its insolence. Until he is given to me, I will not leave.

"He's not going to come," Aurora replied. "He's afraid of you. No matter what you do, he's going to hide on the ground where you can't get him... and he has powerful friends. If you bother him too long, they'll hunt you down and enslave you, or worse."

The Skarmory sent her a powerful feeling of puzzlement, and Aurora had to shake herself to keep dizziness at bay. Skarmory wasn't supposed to have psychic powers, but it had a will stronger than anything she'd ever met, and she had the feeling it was forcing her to understand it, whether she should have been able to or not. Right now, the Skarmory was in quandaries. It knew it had to punish the human who had hurt it - its pride would allow for nothing less - but it couldn't think of anything worse than being enslaved and didn't want to try.

I must have my repayment, it told her at last. It tilted its head, studying her. I've seen you before. You are the one who rescued me from the red-haired one. I see you have the mark-of-wings. You are a trainer. Have you power over him, as you do Pokemon?

Aurora felt a little of her tension ease. The Skarmory had clear respect for someone who bore the Zephyr Badge, as it marked her as someone with the ability to beat powerful Flying- types. She also sensed a surprising amount of respect for trainers in general - the Skarmory seemed to have a vision of them as some kind of powerful magicians, almost.

"I might have a little," she said carefully.

Then you will fight, said the Skarmory positively.

"Huh?"

Trainers have fights. This all Pokemon know. You and he will have a fight. If you beat him, my vengeance will be taken out.

"Oh," she said. "And what if I lose?"

If you lose, I will have no choice but to continue hunting for him myself.

"I - I'd really prefer you didn't do that," said Aurora.

Then do not lose.

"You don't know what you're saying! Ember's a powerful trainer. I might not be able to win."

I do not see why you are complaining. You sent him away once. Surely you can do it again.

Aurora didn't back away only because of the knowledge of how close the roof's edge was. She did, however, become very aware of the Skarmory's beak and claws and razor-edged feathers. The bird's tone of thought was impatient. As far as it was concerned, she was just making excuses, something for which it had little tolerance.

"All right, all right! I'll see what I can do," she replied. "Just give me a minute to get down off this roof, okay?"

Down is not a problem, the Skarmory replied.

Before Aurora could realize what was happening, a huge metal beak had clamped itself around her shirt and lifted her up into the air. Then Skarmory spread his wings and went clashing down to earth, making a noise like a thunderstorm, with Skar fussing at him all the way. For a moment, she was swinging over the faraway ground, wondering if her shirt's thin fabric could really hold her up like this. Then she was being dropped onto the ground, stumbling and nearly falling with the unexpected impact. The bystanders looked at the Skarmory and backed away with fearful murmurs.

"Don't worry!" Aurora shouted at them. "He's not going to hurt anyone! Yet," she added under her breath.

"What's this all about?" asked Falkner, coming to her side.

"Skarmory says he'll stop attacking the Tower if I can fight Ember and win," Aurora explained. "Otherwise, he'll just have to keep on hunting him until he's brave enough to come out and fight."

She glared at the crowds, waiting to see if Ember was going to accept the challenge. He remained hidden.

"All right then, be that way," she muttered. "Scar, be a dear and fetch him for me, would you?"

"Spear!" Scar agreed, and fluttered into the air. He hovered a moment, then dove, and a few moments later, Ember came running out of the crowd, pursued by a shrieking Spearow. He had his head covered by his hands, trying to duck out of the way of Scar's flashing claws.

"Argh! Call this thing off!" he shouted, as one of Scar's talons nicked his knuckles. "Drat it, you can't be that fond of my company, can you?"

"It's the Skarmory here who wants to see you," she replied.

Don't tell him, the Skarmory warned. If you tell him, he'll lose on purpose. I want a fair fight.

"I think you're asking a bit much from him, there," Aurora replied.

Skarmory shot her a warning glare.

"All right, all right!" she said. She turned back to Ember, clearing her throat. "You owe this Skarmory a debt. Since you've already shown you'd rather fight with me than him, in his name, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

"You? You're hardly worth my time," said Ember, narrowing his eyes quizzically. "But it appears I don't have much choice. Fine, if it will get the both of you off my case, it will be worth it. Begin!"

He opened a Pokeball and released his Seadra. Scar dove at it immediately, taking it by surprise, and Aurora cheered inwardly. Ember had been trying to catch her off-guard with a sudden start, but Scar had anticipated the move. There were, it seemed, advantages to keeping her lead Pokemon outside of his Pokeball! Now it was the Seadra who was put on defensive, trying to dodge around a Fury attack as only a Spearow could deliver it. It tried to hide in a Smokescreen, but it couldn't dodge forever. After a few moments of thrashing around, Scar managed to get in a lucky strike, and the Seadra feel to the ground.

"Return!" Ember called. "Charmeleon, go!"

Aurora watched as the dragon-like red lizard appeared, puffing wreathes of smoke in anticipation. She tried to remember - how had it fought earlier? Stayed in one place, mostly, getting in its hits when its opponent was out in the air where it could take aim. That meant...

"Scar! Use your Sand-Attack!" she ordered.

Scar did as he was told, diving close to the ground and stirring up a wind of sand and debris, briefly blinding the Charmeleon. While it couldn't see, Scar moved in closer, attacking over and over with his sharp beak, while Charmeleon struggled to get an attack in edgewise. He managed to score a few hits, clipping a few minor feathers from Scar's wings, but when they broke apart, it was definitely Charmeleon who was the worse for wear.

"I tire of this," said Ember. "Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

"Dive!" Aurora shouted.

Charmeleon shot his spear of flame into the air, hitting the place where Scar had been a split-second before. Now the Spearow was diving, skimming just inches above the ground, moving in a brown blur. The spurt of flame shut off abruptly as Scar rammed headfirst into the Charmeleon's unprotected underside, throwing it off its feet. It fell and lay still, and Scar rose into the air again, screeching his victory cry.

"Game over!" shouted Ember, rushing to retrieve his Charmeleon.

"All right!" Aurora cheered. "Way to go, Scar! You were awesome!"

Scar returned to the ground and consented to be cuddled a moment before flying away as Ember approached.

"Good match," he said. "I admit to being too predictable. You were lucky this time. Next time I'll have a surprise or two in store. Anyway, here's your forfeit."

He pulled back the hem of his jacket to reach into his pocket. As he did, Aurora noticed the row of Pokeballs clipped to his belt. There were four.

*He held back,* she realized, as she numbly accepted the bag of coins he put in her hand. *The rules say he has to keep fighting until all of his Pokemon have fainted. For some reason, he held back. Did he know, somehow, what would happen if he lost? Or did he actually want me to win?*

There were no answers. As soon as Ember had finished with the formalities, he turned and vanished into the crowd before she could so much as thank him. She sighed and put it all out of her mind. There would be time enough to ask him next time they met, and he had as good as promised that there would be a next time.

"Are you happy now?" she asked the Skarmory. "I beat Ember. Now you can go home."

The Skarmory shook his head. You have collected the debt that was owed to me. Now I owe you - once for saving me from him, and again for fighting my battle. I must repay you now.

"Oh, that - that's really not necessary," Aurora stammered.

It is, said the Skarmory firmly. Debts must be repaid. I understand you have only one Pokemon. You will need more than that if you are to succeed in your calling. Your Spearow tells me that you are a kind and good trainer. I would be honored to serve you.

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"What's he saying? What's he saying?" Laine hissed.

"He says he wants to be my Pokemon!" Aurora replied.

"If I were you, I'd say yes," said Falkner.

"I'd be glad to have you along," said Aurora to the Skarmory.

I thought you would, said the bird smugly, preening. I think it will work. Perhaps you can help me get the rust off my feathers.

Aurora laughed. "I'd be glad to. Welcome aboard, Skarmory."

She took out a PokeBall and opened it, holding it out to the steel bird, who vanished into red light. Proudly, she clipped the Ball to her belt. The bystanders applauded.

"Thank you," said the Master of the Tower. "Now that the Skarmory is gone, our beloved Bellsprouts can return home. Allow me to repay you by giving you this."

He pressed a little box into her hands. She could see a notch on the side where the Zephyr Badge would fit, and realized that it was the Flash HM.

"Thanks!" she said.

"It is my pleasure," he replied. He smiled. "Besides, if I didn't give it to you, I believe you and your Bird Pokemon would win it easily enough, and do considerable damage to our Bellsprouts in the process. One Bellsprout rebellion is enough."

Aurora grinned back.

"What do you think, Scar?" she said. "A Flash HM, a battle, and a new Pokemon - not a bad day's work at all!"

"Spear, spearow," said Scar, ruffling his feathers.

"Of course it was all your doing," Aurora giggled. She dropped to her knees and hugged the bird tightly.

"Spear, spear, spearow!" he yelped, trying to wiggle out of her embrace. She let him go, giggling, and he hopped away nursing his pride as the crowd tittered.

"Don't tell him this," said Aurora to Laine as they began walking away, "but I'm actually starting to like that old grouch."

The Bellsprouts had returned by sunset, much to the joy of their trainers. Laine had opted to stay at Sprout Tower, quizzing the Sages on their extensive knowledge of Bellsprouts, leaving Aurora and Falkner to return to the Gym. They wandered around in the front yard, watching Falkner's Pokemon spar playfully with Scar, who was trying hard to pretend he wasn't enjoying himself. Aurora smiled a bit, watching him. No matter what he did, somehow, she knew he was happy.

"Falkner," she asked, "have you ever heard of a person being able to talk to Pokemon? Like, really talk to them, like people talk to each other?"

"Of course," Falkner replied. "All good Pokemon trainers have a bond with their partners that lets them understand each other. The stronger the friendship, the tighter the bond, and the better you can communicate. Just look at you and Scar."

"What about Pokemon you've never met before?" Aurora persisted. "Like... like that Skarmory today."

Falkner laughed a bit. "Him? I'd be surprised if everyone couldn't understand him. Skarmories are strong-willed Pokemon, and he was very angry. Pokemon that strong have ways of making themselves understood. A powerful Psychic - for example, the legendary Mewtwo - can communicate with anyone, even someone who isn't a trainer. And then there are some trainers who have affinities with certain types of Pokemon, and can understand any of that type they encounter. That's one of the reasons some people specialize in particular types. A lot of Gym Leaders have affinities. Myself, for example."

"You speak to Bird Pokemon?" asked Aurora.

"Well, any Flying-type, really, but birds are my favorites," Falkner replied. "There are a few other Gym Leaders that I know of. Jasmine in Olivine City speaks to Steel-types. Lance the Dragon Master talks to his dragon squad more than he talks to other humans. Morty learned to talk to ghosts before he could even walk. Erika, in Kanto, she can talk to plants. We certainly could have used her today, couldn't we?"

"And what about Clair?" Aurora prompted.

"Clair doesn't have an affinity with anyone, really," said Falkner. "But there is someone I've forgotten, though... Giovanni! That's it! I always forget him."

"Giovanni?" Aurora repeated. "The Rocket Leader?"

"He's the one," Falkner replied. "Don't kid yourself. He's a masterful trainer. He passed through this island many years ago, when my grandfather was Gym Leader here. He won all the Badges of Kanto and Johto, and then went on to challenge the Elite Four. He battled them many times, but he always lost. They had enough respect for his skill to make him Leader of the Viridian City Gym, but it wasn't enough for him. He figured if he couldn't beat them at their own game, he'd beat them at another. He was the one who took a ragged band of thugs and turned them into a near empire. A great leader, Giovanni. Too bad he chose to lead the wrong sort of people."

"So why don't they kick him out?" asked Aurora, amazed.

"How can they?" Falkner replied with a shrug. "Like I said, he's a match for all but the Elite Four themselves, and he has dangerous followers. We could go in and take away his privileges as Gym Leader, but it would cause an uprising. It's a compromise. We don't want him, but we let him have some leeway because we know what he'd do if we tried to squash him entirely. Do you understand?"

"I think," she said. "You can deal with a few little Rocket squabbles here and there, but you might not be able to if they all attacked you at once. Right?"

"Right. Actually, Team Rocket does us all a bit of a favor. It draws all those who would rather not live by our laws and rules together in one place, so we can keep an eye on them. If they ever get too out of control, we can put them in their place again. Face it, we'll never be able to stamp out crime entirely. In his way, Giovanni keeps it manageable."

"Hm," said Aurora. It was a lot to think about. Falkner left her to her thinking for a while, staring off into the sky as it turned gold and orange.

"Hey," he said, "would you look at that?"

"Look at what?" she replied.

"That!"

He pointed, and Aurora looked. Squinting into the sunset, she could just make out the shape of something a slightly different shade of orange. It was a Dragonite, winging its way back to Blackthorn City.