Ghastly Adventures: Cascade 2.9 (ch. 14) (Patreon)

Marnie got her gym badge and the entire battle was pretty enlightening. Especially when she had been marked for one of the play battles -- she wasn't given lines or anything, but she had been described on the stage by a narrator rather than an announcer. The entire thing was pretty funny, but I found it hard to tease Marnie because I ended up getting picked for a play match as well.

“A rugged hero, a cute sidekick, and a mysterious figure?” I echoed, looking at the contract before me.

“You'll be using them in that order, so you'll need to look at strategy. Or, you can pass the time slot to someone else,” Misty informed me as I was called into a meeting with the Gym. Apparently, there had been a drop out challenger, and my challenge got moved up. More interestingly, the time slot was considered prime time television -- it's when the number of watchers were at the highest.

“Your sisters are good at this,” I remarked, mulling over the contract. It was a different battle that came with some extra stipulations and benefits. Such as I needed to declare my three pokemon in advance, I had to use them in the order they were declared, I had to avoid using foul language, etc. In exchange, I learned in advance what pokemon the Gym would be using, I saw an increased payout if I won and a guaranteed payout if I lost. It was less of a Gym battle and more of an episode of TV.

Misty sighed dramatically, “Don't tell them that or they'll give up on this place being a gym entirely.” Given that next year, they would be doing exactly that…

“Hm. Honestly, they might be in the wrong line of work. They're smart business women and they know how to work a crowd,” I added and that just seemed to deflate her further. “Yeah, the truth sucks, don't it?”

“It does,” Misty replied, not even trying to hide her disappointment and annoyance.

“Have you thought about going on your Journey?” I asked her, curious. She looked at me and I shrugged. “Eventually there's going to become a breaking point with this. Honestly, they're kind of already at it -- the gym battle part is holding back the rest of the show, but it also brought in the numbers until recently. The show part had taken off. If you want this to stay a gym, you're going to have to step up.”

That caught her attention, but she seemed hesitant. “You think so?”

“If I were in their shoes, that's what I would do,” I said. I did the research -- the Cerulean gym made approximately three crap loads of cash from the shows and, recently, they reached a point of sustainability. Contests weren't a thing yet in Kanto, but they were in other regions, and the Sensational Sisters caught on to the global TV scene. They could travel the world doing shows, but for nine months out of the year, they were stuck in Cerulean when they could be selling out stadiums abroad.

I had always just figured that they were slackers in the show. The truth was that they were smart and knew where the money was.

“I never really thought about it? My Journey,” she clarified. “I have my pokemon, but… I don't know, I just never felt like I had to challenge the gym circuit? Would I need to if I want to become a Gym leader?” She asked and to that, I could only shrug.

“I'm sure it would help, but I have no idea if it's actually necessary. Brawly, a friend that I'm traveling with -- he's planning to become a Gym Leader in Hoenn. Not sure if it's the same, but he's probably a better person to ask,” I admitted. Misty seemed thoughtful for a moment before she shot me a thankful smile.

“I'll ask him. Thanks, Blair. And you are going to beat my sisters, right?” She asked and I just chuckled.

“Phantump ended up evolving into Trevenant, so I won't be able to pull the same trick that I used on you. But I have a few others up my sleeve,” I told her, marking down my choices. Misty seemed intrigued until she blanched at my choices.

“If you say so,” She muttered before she handed me a sheet of paper -- the three pokemon I would be facing. “Are your choice final?” She asked, giving me the option to swap out my pokemon. It was a massive challenger advantage. Which was why people barely called this place a Gym. Half of the challenge had been taken out.

Wartortle. Krabby. Vaporeon.

In short, it was a pretty different lineup than the games, anime, or manga. All still water types. Wartortle and Vaporeon were a little worrisome. Krabby… well, Ash's had swept at the Indigo League without any serious training, but that was after he became Kingler. Wartortle had decent defense but he lacked speed and power. Vaporeon had good offense and defense. And since it was a special match, I had to use all three pokemon.

It cut both ways. I couldn't sweep their team with one of mine. And if one pokemon was too strong, then they couldn't sweep my team. So long as I won two of the three battles, I got the badge.

Given the type disadvantage, Litwick was going to have to sit this one out. Riolu hadn't even begun his training yet, so he was also out. Trevenant and Mimikyu were shoe-ins. I felt confident putting them up against any of the three. For the last remaining spot, it was between Dreepy and Mankey. Dreepy did have an electric type move, but…

I wrote down which pokemon would be filling each role and Misty gave me a dull look. Clearly, she disagreed with one of the roles that my pokemon had been given. I didn't begrudge her clearly wrong opinion. You couldn't blame someone for having no taste.

So, I gave her a cheeky smile. “I'll be a show to remember, at least.”

…

My match arrived all too quickly for my liking. It was a strange thing, but I could March down into the heart of a Team Rocket base, calm as could be. However, the thought of being in the center of attention had my heart hammering at my ribs like it wanted out of my chest entirely. I adjusted my shirt, rolling my shoulders and I let out a breath as I could hear the crowd cheering in anticipation.

“It is a tale as old as time itself, yet it was timeless. A tale of a star crossed lovers, torn apart by circumstance and the world itself. Yet, in their hearts, they yearned for one another, having faith that one day, they would be reunited. Even if they had to defy fate itself! Join us for a retelling of histories most famous tragic tale of heartbreak -- the Tale of the Ghost of Maiden Peak!” The narrator called out, much to the crowd's delight.

Mimikyu sensed my nerves and he bumped his fake head against mine to reassure me. I chuckled, “Of all the things I'm scared of, it's making a fool of myself. Kinda sad, don't you think?” I asked him, patting him to say that the reassurance was appreciated as I stood before a large set of double doors.

“Kuku?” Mimikyu tried and I took in a breath and let it out. Then did it again. And a third time just to be sure.

“Throwing my words right back at me, huh? Fair enough,” I admitted. I had been the one that told him that the only opinions that mattered were his own and the people he cared for.

“Our hero stands at the precipice -- One final battle and the war shall be over. Should he emerge victorious, then the spoils of victory are his. He can go home to be reunited with his lover to live a life of joy. Should he taste defeat, however… all will be for naught! How long will his lover wait for him on top of the cliffside, waiting to see the ship that would carry him home? A year? A decade? Or would she be cursed to wait for him for more than two thousand years?” The narrator continued and I saw my cue.

The doors opened, a fog machine obscuring me for a moment before I stepped through the rolling mists. Part of the contract was that I had to wear an outfit -- a ragged dark cloak and there was a red flower tucked in my hair. The crowd went wild as I approached the arena. It was a pool with chunks of white colored platforms shaped like icebergs. The water types had a clear advantage, but it was something I expected going into the match.

“Standing in his way are the three evil sisters of the water tribes! It was they who dragged our hero from his love, and threw the world into disarray!” The narrator continued and, like me, the three sisters emerged from the fog.

Only they emerged cackling evily, putting on a good show. They were meet with jeers and cheers in equal measure. They dressed in skimpy blue outfits outlined in white fur -- I’m guessing that they weren’t going for a historical look since we were apparently fighting in Antarctica, or whatever the Pokemon world had as an equivalent. Otherwise, I imagine they would be quite cold.

Violet, the sister with the purple hair stepped up first. “You’ve done well to get this far, intrepid hero, but your luck runs out here! Wartortle!” She called out, throwing out a pokeball. Wartortle appeared in a flash of red light, appearing in costume on one of the ‘glaciers.’ His shell and face was painted and he threw a sinister smile my way.

I didn’t have any lines or anything, even if I did have a mic. It was such a dumb thing to be self-conscious about. And if Mimikyu hadn’t thrown my words right back at me, I would have just ducked my head and battled it out. But, he had. And what worth would be the advice I gave him if he saw that I couldn’t follow it myself? “It’ll take more than the likes of you to stop me from seeing my beloved!”

I couldn’t quite stop the blush that crept up my neck, and I saw Violet’s eyes widen with delight as I threw my first pokeball. “Dreepy! Clear the way for us!” I said, summoning Dreepy, who appeared. She looked back at me, and I could tell she sensed my embarrassment based on the look in her eyes. My blush intensified and I regretted everything. All the same, she looked over at Wartortle and sized him up.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I began the match. “Dreepy -- zig gag and Quick Attack!” I ordered and Dreepy was eager to show off her speed. The training that she had undergone had paid off. Not only had her speed rapidly gone up, her agility and control at high speeds had as well.

“Water Gun and shoot that pokemon down!” Violet called out, and Wartortle took aim and sent blasts of water at Dreepy, only for her to dodge and swerve around them. She came in like a plane in for a divebomb with Wartortle taking more desperate potshots at her. She had the opportunity to dodge, I noted, but Violet either failed or didn’t think to give the order.

Dreepy collided with Wartortle, knocking him back and off the platform. “Follow him into the water and hit him with a Bite and bring him up!” I instructed as both of them fell into the water. A split second later, I saw Wartortle remerge with his arm in Dreepy’s mouth as she carried him into the air.

“Water Pulse!” Violet called out, and I swallowed a smirk.

Dreepy let the attack phase right through her, even if it meant she lost her grip. Violet made a noise of surprise but I was eager to maintain the offensive. “Quick Attack into Thunder Shock!” I called out, and as Wartortle fell, his arms flailing out.

“Withdraw!” Violet called out just in time as Dreepy struck his shell, but I saw electricity cackle around it and I could tell that the attack went through. Wartortle bounced off a platform, landing in his shell and I saw Violet’s lips thin ever so slightly. “Wartortle, use Surf!” In response, water surged around Wartortle and I decided that I didn’t like what she was planning.

“Thunder Shock!” I called out and Dreepy went in for a dive run even as Wartortle rose into the air. They clashed in the middle with a Thunder Shock cackling at the water, and the Surf hitched. Thunder Shock didn’t do any real damage -- it was like getting hit with a taser. Painful, but not to pokemon that could take fifty million volts of electricity to the face and walk it off. Still, it was enough to be felt and felt it Wartortle did.

The attack began to collapse into itself and Wartortle began to fall to the ground. He struck it, bouncing once as water flowed over the platform.

He was out of the fight.

A slow breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding escaped me. This wasn’t like fighting through the halls of the Team Rocket base. The stakes weren’t nearly as high. Yet, I was every bit as tense.

“The first of the evil sisters has been defeated in a masterful display of battle! Can we dare hope that our hero shall return? Or shall he falter against the Nefarious Daisy?!” The narrator continued while I recalled Dreepy.

“You did great,” I told her, my hand going to my second pokemon. If I won another match, then I got the badge. But, honestly, I would prefer to win all three.

Daisy stepped up, “You might have bested my sister, but you stand no chance against me!” She called out, “Krabby!” In a flash of red, a krabby appeared.

“You’re up, Mankey,” I told him, throwing the pokeball and Mankey appeared. I saw Daisy blink across the field.

“I can’t believe you went with a Mankey for your cute sidekick,” Daisy remarked, and I’m guessing that only I could hear that.

“I see lack of taste runs in the family. Misty said the same thing,” I retorted and I saw her lips twitch as Mankey stood still on the platform. He wasn’t afraid. He was giving the battle his absolute focus. It was a decent match up, and I wanted to ease Mankey into battling. Up until this point, I let him run wild whenever he was out. And he knew that if he did that, then my trust in him would be shaken.

“Mankey, Fury Swipes!” In response, Mankey darted forward with a burst of speed, effortlessly jumping platform to platform towards Krabby. Daisy watched him, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

“Bubble Beam!” She ordered and Krabby began firing bubbles at Mankey as he approached. He would have been in trouble if it wasn’t for his dodge training with Litwick and Phantump -- dodging leaves at high speeds was easier than dodging the slow moving bubbles. They exploded on impact with the platform, Makney twisting and flipping through them without missing a beat. I saw Daisy was caught flatfooted with the ease he crossed the distance.

Mankey arrived not a second later, swiping at Krabby with enough force to send him flying into the air. He landed with a splash in the water-

There was a glow underneath the rippling water. A glow that was impossible to mistake.

Krabby was evolving into Kingler.

Kingler erupted from the water, flying into the air and his size had increased ten-fold. Wider, taller, but most eye catching of them all was the claw the size of me. That, I knew, was Kingler’s main method of attack and defense. A good hit with it, or worse, getting grabbed and it would be over. Across the field, I saw an expression on Daisy’s face could best be described as panicked. She clearly hadn’t anticipated for Krabby to evolve in the middle of a match.

“Mankey! Keep away from that claw and attack his joints! Stay below or behind him!” I instructed and Mankey did exactly that as Kingler landed on the platform with a thud. He was a fresh evolution, and I saw that things didn’t come instantly to pokemon. Trevenant still expected that he could fly, he wasn’t used to his size, or his legs. Kingler was bigger and stronger, but he wouldn’t be used to that oversized claw.

Mankey went for the joints, and Kingler cried out, shuffling around to take a swing at Mankey or stomp on him. He was faster that I would have liked, but when he wound up for a swing with his claw, Mankey used his superior agility to avoid the blow and run up his claw, diving for his face. Mankey scratched furiously at him, making Kingler stumble back until he fell off the platform with a splash.

I saw Mankey was about to dive in after him, only to pause. He took a breath and settled. “Mankey, hold position,” I ordered, feeling proud of him. Our talk and meditation had helped. We reached a breath through. I just wanted to reinforce it with a victory -- proof that he had taken a step forward.

“Kingler, Whirlpool into a Dive!” Daisy decided to call out, getting over her surprise. And I suppose that’s where Misty had learned the move. In response, the water around the platform began to circle at high speeds before lurching up in a cyclone. At the heart of it was Kingler, racing down at Mankey.

“Dive into the water!” I ordered and Mankey managed to avoid the worst of the attack, hitting the water with a splash, which put me in a bad position. The waters churned violently as the platforms bobbed, Kingler looking a little worse for wear but still standing strong.

“Bubble Beam him when he comes up!” Daisy shouted and weren’t you supposed to be taking it easy on me? Did you have to lean into your evil role when it was inconvenient?

I took a breath and focused. I had no clue if it was aura, but my ghost pokemon were able to listen to me without needing words. They sensed my intentions and desires and acted. I was really hoping that Mankey could sense what I wanted him to do, otherwise he was in a bad spot.

And while I had no clue what it was, there was clearly something going on because Mankey did exactly what I wanted him to. He swam underneath the platform that Kingler stood on, circling around to the back, before jumping into the air. What I didn’t expect, however, as Daisy warned Kingler, was for Mankey to go in for a punch.

Focus Punch. He must have learned it from watching Brawly’s pokemon because I had no other excuse how he managed to perform it. When his small fist struck the oversized claw that Kingler used as shield, the claw bucked, smacking Kingler in the face before he slammed into the fake ice of the platform. He slid down it unconscious.

“You did it!” I cheered for him and Mankey threw his arms into the air and started stomping -- it made it look like he was dancing. And that had been some explosive power too. That wasn’t bad at all. Mankey looked over at me, his eyes beaming with pride and I nodded at him. That was exactly the lesson that I wanted him to learn.

The Cerulean badge was mine. We only had one more battle to round things off.

“Sensational! Despite the odds and an unexpected evolution, our hero managed to turn the tide that was against him! There’s one sister remaining -- the Terrible Lily! One more battle and one more victory and he can return home. Please, give our hero some encouragement!” To the narrator’s words, the crowd cheered.

Lily, the blonde sister, stepped forward. “I see that true love guides your hand. In a better world, that would be enough to get you home. This is not that world,” she said, before shouting, “Vaporeon!” The aquatic evolution of evee appeared, his scales a soft blue and his fins ached.

I took a breath and prepared myself for Cringe, capital C. “It might not be that better world yet, but it will be! Because love and the bonds with our friends illuminate the way to that better world, and so long as that light shines, I’ll never stop fighting!”

I want to die.

And that was coming from someone that experienced it once before.

“Mimikyu! Show them the way,” I said, and in a flash, Mimikyu appeared. My most trusted friend and pokemon. Lily, much to my embarrassment, seemed absolutely delighted that I was playing along. And it wasn’t until this moment that I recalled this battle wasn’t just broadcasted through the Kanto region. The world watched this show.

I. Want. To. Die.

Mimikyu puffed out his chest, standing tall and unashamed, completely oblivious to my horrific embarrassment. And that made it worth it, even if I became the laughingstock of the world.

“Vaporeon, Ice Beam!” Lily called out and a beam of pure ice struck the water, creating a bridge of ice in its wake as it flicked up to Mimikyu. Mimikyu dodged out of the way, unbothered, and it seemed that Vaporeon would be coming to us this time. A second later, Vaporeon dove into the water, swimming our way and I pushed away my embarrassment.

“Get ready, buddy. Prep a Shadow Ball,” I ordered and a dark ball of shadows condensed before Mimikyu, holding it even as he fed it more power.

Vaporeon emerged from the water, and Mimikyu fired it off. It moved faster than Vaporeon had expected, striking him to the side-

“Uh,” I began, seeing Vaporeon hit the water before he floated up. Unconscious. Did Mimikyu just one shot him? I wasn’t the only one in disbelief because there was a long stunned moment of deafening silence in the arena. It was only broken by Mimikyu when he turned around, cackling happily. “Y-you did it! You were great, Mimikyu!” I said and he shuffled forward, crossing the distance to jump into my arms.

When he did, the deafening silence became a deafening cheer as I won. The narrator was saying something, but everything was so loud I couldn’t hear a word that he was saying. I would have to watch a replay of the show if I wanted to. Lily returned her pokemon, giving me a wide pleased smile, completely unbothered by her loss. She offered me a small nod before a bridge lifted up, creating a path to the center of the ring.

The four of us walked forward, meeting in the middle. Violet was the one who presented me the Cascade badge with a smile, “I say you’ve more than earned this!”

“It’s rare that we get someone so eager to help out with the show side!” Daisy added, and I had to fight down my embarrassment again. “Your lines were pretty good for adlibbing. With a few lessons, you could have a future in the show biz,” she offered, and I just scratched at the back of my neck.

“It was a spur of the moment kind of thing,” I said, taking the Cascade badge. My second one. “I think I’ll wait until the adrenaline wears off to see if I regret it or not,” I added, earning a laugh.

“If you decide to, then you know who to call. And thanks for talking to Misty. Apparently, you helped her out with something,” Lily finished, giving me a small nod. I had? I was just trying to plant the idea in her head -- Misty ended up taking over the gym, but I recall there being growing pains. Some of which came from not having that much battling experience, which she could get on a Journey.

“Happy to,” I said, returning the nod before the sisters grabbed my wrists and forced me to face the cheering crowd, raising them above my head.

“Our hero has emerged victorious! An upheaval of history but a sweeter ending!” The announcer called out and I allowed myself a small smile as I waved to the crowd and cameras. They didn’t realize it, but they planted an idea in my head.

The Ghost of Maiden Peak. As a kid, it had been the very first episode of Pokemon that I had ever watched. I can’t believe I almost forgot about it, especially when it was very relevant. Or, rather, the next pokemon I wanted to join my team was there.

I think I know where we’re going next.