Chapter 18: Orangey Fun!

"Well, the Pokémon League is finished and won't be back for another year," Zach said as we were walking back to Vermillion.
"Yea, I guess so. I wish I coulda done better though." I said as I hung my head.
"Cheer up. In another year your Pokémon will be even stronger and you can compete again." Megan told me.
"Maybe, but the wild Pokémon here aren't too strong, and neither are the trainers except for the Gym Leaders." I said with my head still hung.
When we got to the ocean, Zach called out Lapras and we rode it back to Vermillion. The ride wasn't too bumpy. It was a nice day for training, if there WAS any training to do. When we got back home, Amy, Mom & Dad were waiting for us. I didn't expect a huge gathering, since there were about 30 trainers from Vermillion in the Pokémon League. After welcoming me & my friends, Dad decided to have a barbecue. I just realized then that I was starving. I hadn't eaten since I left Indigo Plateau. So, while Dad was cooking on the grill, Mom was busy getting plates. The rest of us were talking near the table. We let our Pokémon out to play in the backyard.
"Hey Zach. Do you know of any places that have strong Pokémon?" I asked my brother.
"Well, we could try the Jolt League, west of Victory Road, but I heard the trainers there were over twice as strong as any Red County trainer." Zach said.
"Whoa. I don't know if we could stand a chance there." Josh said.
"Of course we could! I trained my Pokémon very well. We could whoop any of the Gym Leaders there!" I shouted, trying to prove my case.
"I dunno. I doubt anyone from Indigo could beat the Jolt League right now" Zach said.
"I know! You can head to the Orange Archipelago," Amy piped in.
"Huh? What's that?" I asked her.
"It's a group of islands that have their own League. I heard that most Gyms have skill tests to earn a badge instead of a battle. The trainers there are really tough, but nowhere near as tough as the Jolt League." She said.
"Hmm. Then that's where we'll go! By getting some good training there, we can beat those Jolt League Gym Leaders 5 times in a row!" I shouted as I stood up, proclaiming my challenge.
"Lunch is up guys!" Dad said.
He showed us our meal, which consisted of black hamburgers, charred hot dogs, and burnt steak. I tried to eat one of the hot dogs, but it crumbled in my bun. Zach's burger was too crunchy for him while Josh's piece of steak wouldn't fall under his knife. Megan and Amy had salads so they didn't get to enjoy our "delicious" meal. After Dad finished barbecuing, I went inside and grabbed some potato chips. Nothing like a non-nutrional snack to get your stomach filled. When I got outside however, I got trampled by all the Pokémon trying to get some chips. Graveler, Rhyhorn, & Golem almost squashed me. Raichu grabbed the bag, but inside there were no chips, just Pichu. As Pichu munched on the last chip, it looked at all the angry faces and instantly ran for cover near Megan. Since Dad can't barbecue & there were no snacks left, Mom made us all some sandwiches. After staying for a few days, we were about to leave for the Orange Islands.
"You know, it's gonna be really cramped on Lapras with the four of us." Megan said.
"Well then, why not use the boat?" Mom asked.
"Huh? I thought Team Rocket blew it up." I said.
"Well, they did. But when you managed to stop them, they reimbursed for the speedboat." Dad said.
"So where has it been all this time?" Zach asked.
"Well, the model you had wasn't a model from the company which the police sent the request to, so they had to build it from scratch" Amy replied.
"All right then! We'll take it! Oh, and we promise not to let it be destroyed again, OK?" I said.
Mom & Dad agreed, then said good-bye. Zach tried to say good-bye to Amy, but Amy gave him a peck on the cheek instead. Zach just stood there, red in the face, for the next 15 minutes. We had to drag him to the boat. Josh made sure there was enough food & gas to last, and I started the motor. We all waved to my family as we set out on a brand new journey.
It had been about a week on the high seas trying to get to the Orange Islands. Zach was taking the most direct route, which was still hours away. We tried to use as little gas as possible, since we were almost out. Our food supply was running thin. I think Josh miscalculated how far the Orange Islands were. Anyway, I was about to get some soda to drink when suddenly the boat stopped.
"Huh? What happened?" I asked.
"Think we just ran out of gas" Zach replied, looking at the meter.
"OK, so now what?" Josh said.
"Hmm. Hey Matt. Why not use Gyarados to pull us the rest of the way?" Megan suggested.
"Hey. That's not a bad idea. OK Gyarados! You're up!" I said as I released the water snake, "Gyarados, after we tie this rope around you, we need you to pull us to the nearest island you can see."
Gyarados roared in agreement and pulled us the rest of the way. About 2 hours later Josh spotted an island in the distance. It took about 30 minutes to get there the rest of the way. Once we were ashore, I recalled Gyarados and looked for some place to eat while Zach looked for a gas station. We were running low on cash, and all the restaurants around were those fancy, expensive places. We couldn't find a Pokémon Center, but we did find another building. It looked like a huge stadium, probably for Pokémon battles, but when Josh, Megan & I went in, it wasn't a Pokémon stadium at all. It looked more like a track used in the Olympics or something. We walked onto the track, and was surprised that no one was inside.
"This place is strange." Megan said.
"Hey! What are you doing here? The show doesn't begin for another hour" a man said to us.
He looked to be about 6 feet tall, with broad shoulders, muscular build, and short, spikey, brown hair. He wore a white bandana, light blue T-shirt & sweat pants, and a while towel.
"Um. We were wondering what this was." I asked.
"Don't you know? This is the Trago Island Stadium & Gym" the man said.
"Did you say Gym? THIS place is a GYM?" I asked, shocked.
"That's right, and I'm the leader, Derrick." He said.
"All right then! I am Matt from Vermillion City! I challenge you for a badge!" I said, stepping forward.
"Heh. You sure you can compete with me, Matt?" Derrick asked.
"I sure can. Just wait and see." I said as I lifted & enlarged a Poké Ball.
"All right then, follow me for your first challenge." Derrick said as he went to the starting line on the track, "We have three different races, since that's what this island is known for. You have to win 2 out of 3 in order to get a badge. You can only use one Pokémon per race and once a Pokémon races, it can't race again. Got the rules?"
"Sure do. What's the first race?" I asked.
"The first race will be on land. The first Pokémon to do one lap around the track wins. For this race, I will choose Rapidash!" Derrick said as he called out his flaming horse.
"OK then, I will choose...Raichu!" I said as I called out my electric mouse.
Raichu and Rapidash got into position at the starting line. Both were eager to start. Finally, Derrick shot a gun into the air to start the race! Both Pokémon raced around the track with excellent speed, but Rapidash was beginning to pull away from Raichu. As they rounded the first corner, Rapidash had a solid lead. Raichu was my fastest land Pokémon, but it was being beaten, hard. I had to think of something. The two Pokémon rounded the second corner, and Rapidash was getting a bigger lead. Raichu was starting to slow down.
"Raichu! Use your Agility to close the gap!" I shouted.
Raichu used its energy from within to gain some speed, thus cutting the lead of the two Pokémon. Raichu used all its Agility but it was still lagging. I decided to call for a Quick Attack to increase the speed. Raichu finally managed to catch up to Rapidash as the Finish Line was in sight.
"Rapidash, Agility." Derrick said calmly.
Rapidash sped up and left Raichu in the dust. Rapidash crossed the finish line while Raichu fell onto the ground completely tired. I rushed over to Raichu to see if it was all right. I put it back in its Poké Ball to rest. Now I needed to win the next two in order to get a badge.
"Nice race. Still want to continue? If you do, you will lose." Derrick said.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I won't lose and I'll get that badge!" I said as I asked him what the next race was.
"Simple. It'll be exactly like the last race, but instead of on land, the race will take place in the air. Which means I'm going to use my Fearow!" Derrick shouted as he called upon his huge bird.
"Heh. That Fearow won't be able to best my Zubat! Go get 'em!" I said to my friend. Zubat eagerly flew in to show off its speed. Josh and Megan were watching from the stands.
"Go!" Derrick shouted as he fired his gun again.
The two birds were off. Thanks to its large wingspan, Fearow gained an early lead once again. Zubat wasn't that far behind though. Fearow, however, used its Agility early and gained a large lead heading into the first corner. Zubat used its Agility and Fearow's lead became marginal again. As they finished the first corner, Zubat became noticeably tired. It was flapping its wings as hard as it could, but Fearow was still in the lead. They headed in the second corner when I had an idea. I shouted to Zubat to use an aerial spin. Zubat flew up to the roof at the very top, the spiraled down as fast as it could. Using the downwind speed, Zubat managed to edge Fearow and make it past the finish line about 3/10 of a second before Fearow did. As soon as it stopped, Zubat floated in a dizzy wave, and landed right in my arms, completely pooped. I let Zubat rest in my backpack while Derrick returned his Fearow. He couldn't believe he lost that one to a Zubat. Regaining his composure, he led us outside to the beach.
"See those buoys in the water? They're for water races, such as the one we're about to have. This time, the trainer has to ride Pokémon as it races. So for this one, I'll choose Lanturn! Go!" Derrick shouted as he threw his Poké Ball into the water. Out of the ball came a large, light blue fish with a light on its head. Derrick stepped on it to ride it.
"Heh. Looks like this is the perfect situation for Gyarados! GO!" I shouted as I let out my Water-type. Gyarados gave me a lift and swam for the starting line.
Derrick shot his gun into the air once again to signal the race. Once again, Derrick got the early lead, but Gyarados, being longer, just leaned forward to reclaim the lead. Lanturn used a Double Team to make copies of itself which threw it farther ahead. Gyarados leaned forward more so that it could get better speed. It was like this for three turns. In the final stretch, Lanturn held a slight lead on Gyarados. Things were getting desperate. I needed an extra burst of speed, but Gyarados didn't have any attacks like that, until I got an idea.
"Gyarados! Tackle towards the beach!" I shouted.
Gyarados raised itself up a little bit, then lunged towards the beach, and dived through the finish line, winning the race! Gyarados rose up from the water and I gave it a hug for doing so well. After getting off and returning Gyarados, Derrick approached me.
"For beating me in 2 races, I offer you this, the Water Shell badge." Derrick said as he placed a badge in my hand. It looked like a shell from a clam, but it was all blue and had a circular trail painted on it. I put the badge inside my shirt pocket and thanked Derrick.
After admiring my badge, Josh snapped me out of my trance enough to look for Zach. We found him trying to buy enough money for gas, but since the prices skyrocketed, he hasn't had much luck. He ended up having to do some service just for getting 20 extra gallons of gas. We caught him as he was cleaning windshields.
"Having fun bro?" I asked Zach.
"Haha. Very funny." Zach muttered.
"So how long you gotta work?" Josh asked.
"About 2 days. And I already hate this job" Zach muttered once again.
So, while Zach was working, we decided to relax and spend some time on the beach. Josh, Megan, and their Pokémon worked on getting a tan, while I spent some time in the water. I played tag with Raichu and Raticate while Zubat relaxed on Gyarados's head. Just then another Gyarados rose up out of the water, then another, then another. Soon, about 10 Gyarados's were surrounding me & my Pokémon. A woman screamed and in a few seconds, everyone else was scared away, but Josh and Megan just stood there, not knowning what to do. Just then, my Gyarados started talking to the others, allowing me & my Pokémon to get to the beach.
"You OK?" Josh asked.
"Yea, they seem more intrested in Gyarados then me." I said.
After Gyarados stopped talking, the others started to splash around and have fun. We decided to let them be for a while, while everyone else was scared stiff. Officer Jenny arrived on her motocycle to see what's all the commotion. She saw what was happening with the Gyarados.
"Sir, is that yours out there?" she asked me.
"Yea, but only one. The rest are wild." I answered.
"I'm sorry but you have to recall it. It's too dangerous in such a populated area." Jenny told me.
"All right. Gyarados, retu---" I started to say before I was cut off by a helicopter.
The helicopter hovered above the Gyarados, and just then a net popped out and snagged the wild Gyarados. My Gyarados managed to duck in time. Just then I heard two familiar voices coming from the speakerphone.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"To protect the world from devistation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jesse!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, dat's right!"
It was Team Rocket again! They had captured the wild Gyarados, and tried to escape with them, but the chopper was too light to lift all the heavy Gyarados. I wondered why they didn't use a Poké Ball but I had no time for that.
"Get this thing moving Meowth!" Jesse yelled.
"I can't! Those Gyarados are too heavy!" Meowth said.
"We have to get these to the boss, or we're fired!" James said.
Outside, my Gyarados finally re-surfaced. It saw all the Gyarados tangled in the net, and got very angry.
"Gyarados! Use your Hyper Beam!" I shouted.
Gyarados reared back, powered up, and unleashed a huge, orange beam and the helicopter, which made the rope snap and the chopper explode. Jesse, James & Meowth once again blasted off into the sky. Gyarados ripped the net off and greeted its new friends. Finally, I called Gyarados to say good-bye, but it didn't feel like saying it. Gyarados looked back its friends in the sea, and that did it for me. It was time. I knew it would come sooner or later, ever since I first caught it. "Gyarados, I...I want you to stay here." I said.
"WHAT!?" Josh & Megan said in unison.
Gyarados bent down to understand what I was saying.
"I know you'll be happy here old friend. And maybe someday we'll reunite. But until then I want you to be happy, and right now this place will do just that. Just try not to eat too many people, OK Gyarados?" I said with a blurry wink.
Gyarados started to cry as well. It nudged me as a sign of understanding. It said good-bye to Zubat too as it swam off with its friends. Zach came running up just as they swam off. In a way, I was glad. I was still mad at it for hurting Beedrill so badly, but now it wasn't as bad, since I knew my old friend would come back. Besides, raising it was a pain in the butt.
"What, ::puff:: did ::wheeze:: I miss?" Zach tried to say.
"Oh nothing. Matt just released Gyarados." Megan said.
Upon hearing this, Zach fell down, unconsious.
Meanwhile, back in Team Rocket's secret headquarters, Jesse, James & Meowth slowly approached two large, red doors. They opened to see a dark office, lit by a few lamps, and the head of Team Rocket sitting in a chair facing them.
"What took you blundering idiots so long?" The boss asked.
"Well, you see sir, we tried to get these Gyarados..." Jesse said.
"But they were too heavy for the helicopter" James said.
"IDIOTS! Why didn't you just use Poké Balls!?" Their boss said as he pounded his fist into the desk.
"Poké Balls! Hey! Why didn't we think of that?" James asked.
"Because you three are incompetant! That's why! I don't know how my dad managed to put up with you three bungalars! And to be honest, I don't know why I do either! But I digress. I didn't call you here to yell at you." The boss said with a look of disgust on his face, "I called you here because all the agents I have that are capable of handling this are currently on assignment. Listen up. You don't have to do anything but push three buttons. Go down to the warehouse and give the watchman these ID numbers. He will give you two machines. One of them attracts Poké Balls using a magnet, the other is a vaccuum of sorts, used to capture Pokémon outside of their Poké Ball. I want you to take these machines down to the mall in Triton Island. They are having a big gala over there for Pokémon. I want them to be mine! Understand?"
"Yes sir! You can count on us!" Meowth chipped in.
"I MEAN IT! I don't want ANY screw ups! This is your last chance! If you bungle this mission up somehow, you three will be history! UNDERSTAND! Not only will you be banished from Team Rocket, but I will see to it you never get an honest job as long as you live! GOT IT!" the boss yelled at Jesse, James & Meowth.
"Don't worry sir. We can do it!" James said.
"Fine. Here are the numbers. When you get the Pokémon, drop them off in the warehouse on East Island. Then report back here. If you three manage to mess this up, then you will pay the consiquences." The boss said as he handed Meowth the ID numbers.
As Jesse, James & Meowth headed down to the warehouse and gave the man the ID numbers, they all giggled.
"Finally, we'll be able to succeed! And no nosey brats to stop us!" Jesse said.
"This time we're going to be on the winning end." James said.
"And no one, not even that 'Grand Master' can stop us!" Meowth said.
And with that, all three laughed hysterically.

To be continued...

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