Ghastly Adventures: Teardrop 3.5 (ch. 19)

A full week after Tyrogue evolved into Hitmontop, I found myself in a private clearing not too far away from the cove that Misty decided to stay in. The two hour walk to and from was too much wasted time in her eyes, so she just camped out there. I stayed in the area just in case something happened. Or, if I was wrong about Gyarados.

I was ninety-nine percent sure that I was right. I had an example to prove it. I just also had an example that disproved it -- an episode that covered what Misty got into when she returned from her journey with Ash. There was a gyarados that had evolved and it was acting out and part of her taking the mantle as a Gym Leader involved taming the gyarados. I couldn't really see Misty's sisters heaping on the abuse that would force it to evolve through rage.

So, I was all but certain that I was right, but I was preparing for the possibility that I was wrong.

It also left me camping out while Brawly and Marnie took the daily trip to and from. I found that I didn't really mind it -- it was the first time in a while that we were able to park ourselves and just dedicate ourselves to training.

Before I became one, I read plenty of SI's and one thing that had always stood out to me about a lot of them was how the SI could spend eighteen hours training a day. No free time. No breaks. Just a single minded focus on the grind. But, now it made a little more sense to me. Or, it did in this case.

Training was fun. It wasn't just the sense of self improvement, but it was the act itself. Helping my pokemon take another step forward on their paths, playing games that would help them, working together to be just a little stronger was more fun than I could have ever imagined. It beat books, video games, or movies. Quite handily. My pokemon ate the attention right up, that much eager to improve when they saw others managing a little more than they had before or on the relieving end of some encouragement by the others.

Misty must think the same because day in and day out, she was working with Magikarp. Each time climbing a little higher up the waterfall. At least, that's from what I saw when I stole the occasional peek to make sure that she was doing alright.

In about a week and a half, Magikarp managed to cross the halfway point. So, things looked like we would be missing the Maiden Festival. It'd be a loss, but it was hardly the end of the world when I knew there were Ghastlys in Lavender Town. I might even get lucky and catch a gengar. Missed opportunity aside, it was pretty solid progress on Magikarp's part.

And on my pokemons’. All of them had benefited well from the training boot camp. Riolu had found rivals in both Mankey and Hitmontop -- both pushing him physically. And, after some deliberation with Brawly, we gave him the okay to start using Protect in his spars to help it become instinctual. We just couldn't let his fundamentals gather rust.

Mankey had grown out of his training weights -- as in he had physically grown out of them. He hadn't evolved into a primeape, but he was more muscular. I ended up giving him the higher weighted ones and he was not exercising with an extra hundred pounds strapped to his body.

Litwick seemingly reached her maximum output when it came to fire -- she just couldn't make it go any higher than three thousand degrees. So, she was now working on focusing the flames. Flamethrower wouldn't be a flame thrower. It would be a blowtorch. Dreepy, on the other hand, was even faster. Her speed hadn't quite doubled, but it was a near thing and only a matter of time now that she got the hang of channeling Ancient Power. Her Thunder Shock was stronger as well, but she held off on picking up another TM.

Trevenant, my only evolved pokemon, showed me that the difference between Phantump and Trevenant was the difference between night and day. Trevenant wasn't just stronger or tougher -- he learned things faster too. He got down Seed Mines. His Razor Leaf was more of a Leaf Storm. And he had begun his own experimentations, attempting Energy Ball, Solar Beam, and Ingrain. All to absorb the natural energy of the world and to turn it into more power.

In short, Trevenant was becoming a monster. Especially when we started experimenting with Ingrain and Horn Leech to make a move that I had a good feeling about when we faced off against Surge.

Mimikyu, my starter pokemon, had double down seeing everyone’s progress. Whereas Trevenant went all in on his energy draining/manipulation tactics, Mimikyu went all in on his shadow tactics. I ended up buying four additional lamps that surrounded him to help train his shadow, while he practiced its manipulation during the night. The results were pretty interesting -- one of the moves we were developing was Spirit Shackle. Using Mimikyu's shadow to stitch the enemy pokemon's shadow to the ground, imprisoning them.

We were expirementing with different versions. Weighting the shadow down to make the target slower. Attacking from his shadow, like with Shadow Punch. Mimikyu was even trying to attack the shadow itself to deal damage, and the results there were… interesting. It wasn't quite there yet, but it was worth exploring and I had filled up more than a few pages with notes.

In short, I was ready for Surge. We all were.

We just needed to get ready for the battles that came after.

“Okay, this move I want you to learn… it came from a Legendary Yakuza. He didn't create it exactly, but he mastered it to the point of perfection -- his name was Kiryu Kazama. It's called the Tiger Drop,” I said, standing before a tree while Riolu, Mankey, and Mimikyu all watched on. “It's a counter move. One of the best ones, honestly. So, watch what I do.”

I threw a punch, but as the fist neared the tree trunk, I transitioned into a one inch punch and with an additional bust of speed my fist made impact with enough force to splinter the bark. Unthinkable in my last life, but I was literally built different here. The weight training, the physical exercise, and I'm pretty sure my Aura was strengthening my body.

“Now, that didn't look to impressive when I did it, but it should work better for you,” I told them. In the end, pokemon knew how to best pull off a move. My job as a trainer was to point them in the right direction. “Part of the move is using your opponents momentum against them, so it works best as a counter move. Do it right, and they'll be blasted back!” Probably.

Mankey and Riolu immediately broke off, practicing the move on each other to puzzle it out. Mimikyu, however, headed over to me. “Kukkuu.”

“No good, huh?” I replied, not exactly surprised. The Tiger Drop would be classified as Fighting Type move, if I had to guess. And while Copy Cat was slowly becoming Mimic with effort, the experimentation of a move was a little beyond Mimikyu. He would probably pick it up of either Riolu or Mankey learned it first. “Ah, well. No worries, buddy. You have your own talents.”

I started to walk away before I paused. Slowly, I looked to the side, through the trees to see that I hadn't been imagining it. I sensed someone coming and I fought off a scowl when I saw who it was. “Weiss,” I greeted the old man without a trace of warmth.

It wasn't just my imagination. I could sort of feel his presence. A slight annoyance with a deeper curiosity. “You possess sharp instincts,” he noted, making no secret of his approach. His hands were tucked behind his back, and I saw a string of pokeballs at his waist. “You have found a training field of mine.”

Well, I suppose I found out who was leaving the trails. The clearing we were training in was a great location -- decent view of the ocean, plenty of berries to be found around, and a concentration water source being the river that led to the waterfall that Misty used to train.

“You didn't have your name on it,” I replied, curious why he was here but determined to not care why. I had seen Weiss on the occasion, usually battling the trickle of trainers that came his way. Marnie had made it look easy, but Weiss crushed every trainer that came at him. He just didn't sic a gyarados on them.

Weiss seemed less than impressed with the ‘tude, but that was his problem, not mine. “I see you found my methods distasteful.”

“I'd use a stronger word,” I corrected.

“Yet,” he continued, ignoring me, “I sense that you understand their purpose. Your pokemon are well trained and cared for. You hold the soft style of dealing with them…but when your first pokemon dies, then I suspect that shall change.” He said, his dark eyes boring a hole into mine.

“Careful now. That almost sounded like a threat,” I remarked coldly. Was he here to pick a fight? Or was he feeling slighted that I didn't challenge his Gym?

Weiss didn't give anything away, but his expression was cold as winter itself. “You don't seem to do well when threatened,” he observed and my smile was all teeth.

“On the contrary. I do excellently when threatened,” I retorted. “So, are you going to say what you're doing here, or are we going to get this show on the road?” I asked him, and Riolu was the very first to sense that something was wrong. He and Mankey stopped sparring while Mimikyu’s hackles were raised.

Weiss tilted his head, holding my stare before he inclined his head to me. “You don't scare easily,” he said, remarking upon it like it was a redeeming feature rather than an actual compliment. “I am here to ask you how long you intend to waste time here? The girl will not best me and you are a fool for having such faith.”

I rolled my eyes, looking up to the heavens and praying for strength to deal with this guy. “Are you doing this on purpose?” I had to ask him because there was no way anyone could be this utterly insufferable without putting some active effort into it.

He scowled at me, though it was more of a snarl with how his lip pulled back. “I am aware of your plan. You have taken one of the brood of my gyarados and sought to evolve it. The girl couldn't have come up with it herself, which makes you the source of this scheme.” He continued and I fought back an incoming headache, noting something. The magikarp in the cove had come from his gyarados?

Weiss took my silence as permission to continue, and I wished he'd do anything but. “It will be freshly evolved, even if she manages it. It will be no match for mine.” And, to my immense annoyance, he wasn't exactly wrong.

“Are you bragging to me that you're unleashing a feral pokemon on a fresh trainer because of… what? Your hurt feelings?” I asked him and every time he opened his mouth I just… I wanted to punch him. Just a clean clock. Do a factory reset and maybe when rebooted he wouldn't be the human equivalent of a turd I stepped in.

“It is for her sake, boy-” he began and I was already shaking my head.

“You can lie to yourself if you want, but don't go lying to me. I don't like or respect you enough to put up with it,” I interjected. What was this? If he was trying to pick a fight, he was doing a pretty good job of it. If not, then he was to… what exactly? Talk some crap about my friend he was being a massive prick to because of his own insecurities? “If you were trying to help her, you'd battle her seriously so she could get better. Not destroy her.”

Misty would have given up if I hadn't caught her sneaking out.

“You don't know war, boy,” Weiss said, and…

“Don't go using the war to justify your crap either,” I snapped, having my fill of his bullshit. “We aren't at war. We aren't likely to be at war. And no one starts off as the greatest pokemon trainer to walk the face of the planet like you seem to expect from Misty.”

I could tell my lack of respect was getting to him ever so slightly, so I was going to keep doing it. However, he returned with, “They start as suddenly as they end. She's not ready for that, so it would be better for her not to be a trainer at all. A Gym Leader is the tip of the spear and the shield that all others hide behind. In peace… It is an honor. In war, it is a curse.”

He shook his head, “It is always closer than you realize. Why is it do you think that there are so many foreign trainers this year? Your two companions -- Brawly and Marnie -- are but a few. For every five Kanto trainers, there is one foreigner.” He continued, and he didn’t wait for me to answer. “The Champion seeks to bind Kanto and Johto by reminding us both that the world is larger than our neighbors. That we are stronger together than we are separate. Helplessly idealistic, but it’s undeniable proof how fragile the peace is.”

I knew a bit of the history that he was spouting. The Indigo League was something that was more recent, as it was only established about forty years ago under Professor Oak’s guiding hand. Or, rather, Professor Oak kicked the crap out of literally everyone that challenged him and tried to put an end to the wars between Johto and Kanto by establishing the Indigo League. A name that had historic significance.

Six hundred years ago, there wasn’t a Kanto or Johto. There was simply the Indigo region. However, gavelkind succession screwed the region when the king that ruled over it died, leaving Kanto to one son, and Johto to the other to rule as independent kingdoms. Naturally, as soon as the king died, the brothers went to war and in the centuries since, there were sporadic wars over the haphazard border between them.

“Mizu was able to shoulder that responsibility. As could his children. His grandchildren don’t have the stomach for it. As disgraceful as their petty shows are to their legacy, they show wisdom in not pursuing this path. Misty-”

I worked my jaw. He was the second person that seemed to be carrying a lot of weight from the war. Or wars, in Weiss’ case. It didn't justify what he was doing or trying to do. So, I cut him off, “That's not your decision to make,” I told him. In his own horrible messed up way, I could recognize that he was trying to help Misty. It did a lot more harm than good, and while the world was facing several world ending threats in the coming decade… it wasn't facing a war. Probably.

Weiss inclined his head to me, “You are right. The girl… hmph. She takes more after her grandfather than her sisters, at least,” he muttered. And-

Oh.

I understand now. In his own emotionally constipated way, he was trying to thank me. I think. Maybe thank was a strong word, but he was acknowledging her efforts and the role I played in them. Probably. Even that much felt like I was giving him the benefit of the doubt, and he hadn't earned that from me.

I opened my mouth to reply, only to be cut off by a loud thunderous roar. Both of us reacted instantly, our gazes snapping in the direction of the source just in time to see a serpentine body racing upwards above the treetops. Large, at least twenty feet from head to tail, scales that were a soft blue with a head the size of a minivan. There was no mistaking that roar, and there was no mistaking that sight -- a gyarados.

Gyarados circled in the air, flying through it effortlessly and despite the memorizing slight, I stole a glance at Weiss to see that he wore an expression of naked shock. Then Gyarados began to shift down, heading back to the cove and worry gripped me in an instant. The same thought struck Weiss because at the same time, we broke off into a dead sprint towards the cove. The run wasn't a long one, but it certainly felt like it.

The forest thinned out and I skidded to a halt at the very edge of the cliff, looking down into it-

Gyarados was half submerged in the water, his head at level with Misty. The grip of fear let go of my heart when I saw that she wasn't just okay. She was hugging Gyarados, heaping praise upon him for managing to swim up the waterfall. Weiss arrived a few seconds later and if he was stunned before, he was in awe now. I took a little too much satisfaction in that.

“Looks like it wasn't a waste of time after all.”

…

“We did it! You were right, Blair!” Misty all but threw herself at me in a hug when everyone made their way down to the cove. A flying gyarados was pretty hard to miss even if he hadn't announced his evolution like he had. Behind her was the gyarados in question, coiled in the air above the gently lapping waves. “I don't know what changed! He was making bits of progress here and there, and then he suddenly started making leaps! You should have seen him -- when he jumped over the waterfall, he started to evolve then and there!”

That was great to hear. “We knew you could do it,” I said while Marnie and Brawly were pointing their pokedex's at Gyarados.

“I can't believe it's flying. Since when were gyarados a flying type?” I heard Marnie mutter, looking back at us. Then her expression tightened. I could guess why.

Looking over my shoulder, which prompted Misty to as well, we both saw Weiss approaching calmly. Misty let go of me to cross her arms, glaring at Weiss. Gyarados slithered forward, coiling around Misty while towering over her to glower at Weiss. There was a low rumbling growl that shook the air and I saw a trace of the anger gyarados were famous for underneath that calm surface. I couldn't tell if he was just reading the vibe, but Gyarados didn't like Weiss any more than we did.

“Calm. I see you stumbled into your Grandfather's secret,” Weiss acknowledged. And, as much as I hated to give him any credit, he approached the twenty foot pissed off dragon without anything resembling fear. His gaze flickered to me for a moment before settling on Misty. “Though his lacked flight.”

“Are you here for a battle?! My gyarados against yours!” Misty challenged hotly, clenching her fist before her like she was about to walk over and deck him. The challenge wasn't just issued by her. Gyarados hissed at Weiss, and I was starting to get the impression that he had a personal grievance of his own.

Weiss regarded her coldly for a moment before he decided to answer with a curt nod. “Very well. Here and now,” he decided and Misty nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. She wasn't afraid, I was relieved to see. She was all fired up.

“Do you think she'll win?” Brawly asked no one in particular as both Weiss and Misty broke off to take positions on the opposite sides of the cove, placing the waterfall between them. After the last battle, the three of us decided to take higher ground. “She stands a much better chance with a gyarados -- especially a flying one, but Weiss… his has seen two wars.”

“If it was a normal gyarados, I'd say so,” Marnie decided to answer. “At the best of times, they barely listen to their trainers. Misty's gyarados seems calm. He’ll listen, and Weiss struggles when you break his strategy. Misty will win.” sue sounded certain of it.

All that was left was to find out.

Weiss released his gyarados, and it was a monster even in comparison to Misty’s. The body was thicker, it stood longer by half, and when he was released, he roared with enough force to shake the water. However, unlike the last time, the monstrous gyarados didn't rush ahead. Instead, he went still at the sight of Misty’s gyarados flying.

Misty's gyarados roared, but it didn't sound like a challenge. Unlike other pokemon, gyarados didn't say their own name to communicate. And I couldn't tell what was being said between them beyond that it seemed to set Weiss' gyarados off even if it wasn't a taunt. Weiss’ gyarados roared back before rushing forward and just like that the match began.

“Gyarados! Use Twister and fly up!” Misty called out before two miniature hurricanes took form before being launched in the opposing gyarados’ direction as Misty's flew up.

Weiss’ gyarados simply took the attacks, the cycling wind breaking on his oversized body before he took aim with a Hydro Pump and fired after it. The water slammed into the cliffside behind Misty, sending down tons of rocks and water as the Hydro Pump shaved off chunks of it. They crashed behind her, but Misty didn't seem phased.

“Dodge it then Water Pulse!” She shouted as her Gyarados out ran the Hydro Pump that shot into the air for a few seconds before he returned fire by sending down a blast of water that struck dead center. The issue was that Weiss Gyarados didn't seem to care, simply roaring up at Misty's, who roared right back before sending more Water Pulses that knocked up a metric ton of water when some missed.

The power was on a whole different level. Gyarados evolved all of twenty minutes ago, and already he was playing in a whole different league when it came to raw power. But, it wasn't quite enough as Weiss’ was just eating the damage. I'm sure that the blows hurt, but it was too far gone in his own rage to notice or care.

Weiss’ gyarados, seeing that Misty's wasn't coming down decided that he was going to bring him down. He dipped below the waves before circling, and within seconds, there was a massive spiraling Whirlpool in the cove that pulled back at the shore. Then, a second later, the titanic gyarados erupted from the center, pulling the whirlpool up with him as he closed the distance between them.

“Crunch at the base of the neck and fly up!” Misty shouted and her gyarados went in. It was an impressive display of power on Weiss’ gyarados side, but it was a trap. Misty's held the edge in pure maneuverability while Weiss’ was stuck going on thevone direction. Misty's gyarados dodged out of the way of the attack before going in, clamping her jaws around her counterparts throat. She couldn't even get them all the way around, but it was enough for Misty's gyarados to pull the monstrous gyarados out if the water and fly directly up.

Weiss’ wasn't idle. As he was pulled from the tide that collapsed around itself, water condensed around his tail and he delivered a powerful Aqua Tail to Misty’s gyarados. Even despite taking what looked like a painful blow, Misty's gyarados pressed onward, flying up high… then she began to circle down in a straight drop. The two picked up speed as they weren't just falling -- Misty's gyarados was flying straight down at top speed.

They landed like missile going off against the water, sending up tons of it that crashed down upon the cove. My heart clenched for Misty, but I saw that she was fine as she stood up on the rubble that had fallen earlier. The waters were rough, waves collapsing into themselves, but out of them the two gyarados rose up and for the first time, Weiss’ seemed hurt.

Misty’s roared something at him, prompting Weiss’ to roar right back. I watched them both carefully and it was starting to dawn on me that this was less of a battle between Weiss and Misty and more of a battle between their gyarados. Weiss said that Misty's was one of his gyarados’ kids. We're they sorting out a family issue?

The Aqua Tail had been felt by Misty's gyarados because he winced before following Misty's order for a Water Gun. A torrent of water erupted from her mouth as she flew up. Weiss’ took the torrent of water, pressing forward and forcing Misty's to fly up.

Then light began to condense in the mouth of Weiss’ gyarados and my hair stood on end when I realized what it was.

Hyper Beam.

Misty realized what it was as well because I heard her calling out. “Water Pulse on the waves and fly low! Hit him with an Aqua Tail!” Misty screamed, a note of panic in her voice and her gyarados rushed to obey, hitting the water to create a screen of mist to provide cover. Her gyarados went low, dragging her tail through the water to pick some up to deliver the blow…

And it was because of the mist that her gyarados missed it. It was a subtle thing. I only noticed it because of the vantage that we had, but Weiss’ gyarados shifted his head ever so slightly as the light shone between his teeth. A second later, a beam of awesome power and pure light erupted from his mouth directly above Misty's gyarados, cutting through the mist.

Misty's gyarados shot forward, flicking her tail out to base against her father's head. She roared loudly, driving Weiss’ gyarados beneath the waves and forcing him to abandon the attack. There was a moment of silence before Weiss’ gyarados resurfaced.

Unconscious.

Marnie and Brawky started cheering, and I heard Misty doing the same despite the distance. I clapped with a smile on my face while Mimikyu uttered, “Kukkuk.”

He was right. Weiss’ gyarados threw the match at the very last second, making it so the Hyper Beam missed. “Shh. Sometimes the truth does more harm than good, buddy,” I told him as Marnie and Brawly rushed down to Misty to congratulate her. , congratulating her as her gyarados threw back her head and roared at the top of her lungs, announcing her victory for all to hear.

I joined them, and Misty was absolutely ecstatic, on the verge of tears she was so happy. Her gyarados came flying over, and despite the considerable size difference, I couldn’t say her inability to wrap her arms around her in a hug was due to a lack of trying. As she hugged her face, Weiss made his way over on the back of a lapras.

With his arrival, the mood shifted with Misty taking point, ready to go another round. However, he held her off with a wave of his hand, looking at her with newfound respect. Slowly and deliberately, he spoke, “A gym badge is more than a token of prestige. They have meaning and weight. They are proof that you managed to overcome your shortcomings and weaknesses in a way that few ever manage. Most trainers never earn more than six badges.”

His tone shifted before he reached into his coat and pulled out a Teardrop badge. “The history between Kanto and Johto is long and filled with bloodshed. Perhaps, in another region, the gym circuit means something different but for us, for Kanto, the number of gym badges you possess indicates your ability to lead. To fight. To kill. And none are burdened more so than the Gym Leaders.” Slowly, he extended the badge to Misty and she looked down at it.

Her first one and one that was well earned.

Misty took it and Weiss nodded at her. “You have overcome yourself. Your fear of gyarados and you have proven your ability as a trainer. You are not yet ready to be a Gym Leader, but one day… you will. Continue on your journey with your head held high,” he said and Misty seemed to search for a reply. It was an extremely different tune he had been singing earlier, and I was glad to see it.

Misty really had shoved his words down his throat.

Then Weiss looked at me, “It is a misconception that strength is an island, and you must grow it solely with your own efforts. Yet, all too rarely does one extend a helping hand to another in their time of need to lift them up to their level. To be a trainer of Kanto is to be a warrior of Kanto, and you, Blair, have shown me the qualities to not only strengthen yourself but those around you. For this, I award you the Teardrop badge.”

I was caught a little flatfooted, more so when Brawly clapped me on the back and Misty eagerly voiced her agreement. “You deserve it, Blair. I wouldn’t have even tried if it wasn’t for you,” she said, and I knew that she’d just give me her badge if I refused it.

“I thought you didn’t give these out?” I remarked, taking the Teardrop badge from Weiss.

“I don’t,” he replied simply. With that, he walked away, leaving the four of us behind. And we did what came naturally to us.

We celebrated.