Lisa the Legend: Chapter 82 - Last Night on Earth now up! (24th June 2013)

[Gavin Luper]

Chapter 4 - Friends and Rivals.


“ Here we are: Goldenrod City Centre.” Lisa said, as she weaved in between the citizens of Goldenrod. Hiro and Kris walked behind her, dodging other people, while trying to take in the breathtaking sights – Goldenrod City was a complete maze of skyscrapers and tall office buildings.

It was the day after the Bug Catching Contest; a Friday Morning. Lisa, Kris and Hiro had survived the lecture filled lesson with Kipp, and were recovering slowly. They slowly made their way to Goldenrod the previous evening and stopped off at an inn owned by a man with a Marill.

Lisa’s Aipom was on her shoulder, calling out playfully to every trainer who walked by, when Kris spoke up.

“ This is the centre.” Kris said, coming to a halt behind Lisa and Hiro. “ Finally we can heal our pokemon.”

They all stood facing a three-story building with a large pokeball atop the roof. The glass doors slid open as the small party of pokemon trainers entered. The Pokemon Centre was very busy, and Lisa was shocked to see two Nurse Joy’s at the counter. Assisting them were two Chanseys and a Blissey. Trainers filled the small building.

“ Whoa! This is so packed!” Lisa remarked, as she and her companions sat down on a chair … three to a seat, after handing their collective pokeballs to one of the Chanseys. They were extremely cramped.

“ What’s the big rush?” Kris asked a young boy next to her.

“ Haven’t you heard? Whitney, the gym leader, made her boyfriend a joint gym leader with her. In celebration, they’re giving away a Technical Machine to any trainer who can beat them.”

“ Everyone’s healing their pokemon to prepare for the fight.” A girl opposite Hiro told them. “ The queue outside the gym stretches all the way to the pokemart.”

Hiro gasped. “ I gotta go battle her.”

“ I think you’d probably win, Hiro.” Kris said slowly but sounded truthful. “ Your Cyndaquil is really strong.”

At that moment, a young trainer entered. He had fiery red hair and his attitude seemed to match from the moment he walked in, with a strong, confident step and a darkened face, and he refused to make eye contact with anybody.

“ I wonder who that guy -” Lisa began to Hiro and Kris, but they were staring at the ground which all of a sudden had become interesting to them.

“ What the prob?” Lisa asked curiously.

“ Quiet, Leese.” Hiro hissed. “ We’ll explain later.”

“ Alrighty then.” Lisa said, puzzled, and staring around the pokemon centre. Lisa shifted uncomfortably in the seat which she shared with both Hiro and Kris.

Nurse Joy walked up to the group at that moment and handed Hiro three pokeballs.

“ Pokemon fully healed.” She remarked, looking frazzled.

“ Thanks.” Hiro said.

“ You girls’ Pokemon will be a while longer.” Joy said. “ The machine just broke down.”

The boy who had just entered, with the red hair, looked up at that moment and saw Hiro’s black and yellow cap.

“ Well, well, well.” He said, in a mean, superior voice. “ Look what we have here. Two junior trainers who don’t have any badges.”

At this remark, Hiro looked up and directly into the boy’s eyes; something which the newcomer did not seem to enjoy. He turned away. Hiro grinned in a childish way.

“ So what are you here for, Tyler?” Hiro asked the redhead. “ Are they running gyms for freaks now?”

“ That’s funny, coming from a freak himself.” Tyler spat.

Kris looked up, and Lisa whispered in her ear.

“ Those two hate each other,” she explained. “ Tyler grew up in New Bark with us, and him and Hiro were like best friends. But then Tyler got a Pokemon from his dad a year before Hiro did, and they began arguing like this, until they finally couldn’t stand each other.”

Lisa nodded thoughtfully, remembering her best friend in Grade 4, Casey, had gradually become her enemy over a few years. “ Hmm … have they ever battled?”

“ Twice.” Kris said. “ Hiro lost both times. Tyler’s pokemon are just too strong.”

Lisa turned back to Tyler and Hiro, who were now having a heated argument.

“ Three Pokemon each.” Hiro spat at Tyler.

“ Sounds good,” Tyler said overconfidently. “ My Pokemon could use a little exercise… although I doubt you can provide much of a challenge.”

“ C’mon then!” Hiro yelled, wrenching a pokeball off his belt.

Nurse Joy came along at that moment. “ Pokemon Centres are NOT for battles!” she said shrilly. “ Outside, you two, now!”

Sullenly, Hiro trailed out of the centre via the side door, and onto the red pavement path where there was a small area of green lawn which looked almost designed to be battled on.

“ I’ll wait here.” Kris said. “ You go watch the battle, Lisa. I’ll wait here for our pokemon. Besides, I’ve seen them fight before. Nothing new there.”

Lisa nodded, and left Kris sighing. It wasn’t until Lisa left that she realised: Kris now had the chair all to herself.

She wandered outside, to see the two ex-friends facing each other on opposite ends of the lawn. Shutting the door behind her, she could no longer hear the hustle and bustle of the pokemon centre.

Hiro was holding a Pokeball. Tyler faced him, glaring at the young trainer.

“ I choose Heracross!” Hiro yelled, throwing the ball at the grass. Lisa perched herself on the wooden bench, prepared to witness a great battle.

“ Go … … Pokeball.” Tyler called, almost in a bored voice.

“ Why don’t you just say the pokemon’s Name?!” Hiro cried. Lisa sighed, and guessed that this was something Tyler did to infuriate Hiro.

Two pokemon materialised on the front lawn. A Heracross – Lisa had seen that in the National Park; and a very odd pokemon, which had flames on it’s back and all over it’s body.

“ What the …?” Hiro wondered, taking out a red electronic device.

“ Save your batteries, wimp.” Tyler sneered. “ My pokemon is a Magmar.”

Hiro slapped himself on the forehead. “ A fire type!” he cried. “ No fair.”

“ Who ever said battles were fair?” Tyler said impatiently.

“ Heracross – Horn Attack!” Hiro yelled in response.

“ Magmar – Smokescreen.” Tyler yawned.

Heracross charged at the flame pokemon, kicking up tiny bugs from the lawn as it ran, it’s horn, which was divided at the tip, protruding toward Magmar. At the last moment Magmar breathed out a stream of smoke that clouded up Heracross’ eyes and stopped it in it’s tracks.

Lisa could scarcely see through the black smog, but slowly it cleared, and the battle continued.

“ Heracross – recover and use Leer!” Hiro yelled.

“ Magmar – Ember.” Tyler called.

Before Heracross reacted to Hiro’s calls, Magmar had blasted it with a stream of boiling scarlet fire. The bug type was fell down immediately, it’s normally greenish body now charred black.

“ Return, Heracross.” Hiro growled. “ That was just pure luck, Tyler.”

“ Whatever Kid.” Tyler laughed. “ C’mon, choose a Pokemon.”

“ Venonat, go! Use Leech Life!” Hiro yelled. A Speed Ball flew down onto the turf, and sprang open. Hiro was making an obvious mistake. His battling techniques were falling due to his anger.

Lisa spotted this at once. “ Hiro – think about your attacks!” she called. “ Don’t let anger blind you!”

Hiro looked at her for a moment, and nodded slowly, trying to blot out Tyler’s taunts and jeers from across the lawns. “ Venonat – new plan. Use… Supersonic.”

“ Veno!” Venonat cried. It squinted it’s eyes almost shut, and supersonic waves emitted from it’s antennae. They slammed into Magmar’s head, making it sway around confused.

“ Magmar – Take Down!” cried Tyler.

However, Magmar was too confused to respond. It began to beat itself with it’s arms, until it fell over in a muddled heap of flames.

“ Gaah! Magmar – return..”

Hiro leapt up and down. “ Venonat, you did it! Great!”

Then he turned to Lisa, who was smiling with her friend. “ Thanks, Lisa. I couldn’t have won that round without you.”

“ No worries.” Lisa laughed.

“ Hmpf.” Tyler snapped, glaring at Lisa in annoyance. “ You might’ve had some luck just then, but you’ll need more than that to win. I choose Golbat.”

Hiro sneered. “ A Golbat, eh? Venonat, Tackle attack.”

“ Golbat – Take Down.”

Venonat leapt out, eager to prove how good it was to it’s loving trainer. The bug type slammed into the bat pokemon, and blocked the Take Down attack before it could get started.

“ Alright, Venonat!” Hiro called. “ Gee, Lisa, Venonat’s really getting strong.”

Venonat was extremely happy. It’s trainer was proud of it, and it felt great. Almost too great, actually, as though a bubble of joy was about to explode inside it …

“ Oy, what’s with Venonat?” Hiro wondered aloud. “ It keeps jumping up and… oh!”

Venonat began to shine with a blinding white light which washed over it’s entire being. The pokemon was hardly recognisable, as it’s body began to grow upwards, and change shape, as it’s molecular structure was magically rearranged.

“ Golbat, Bite it while it evolves!” Tyler called, not wanting to lose a moment of the battle time.

Golbat flew headfirst at Venonat. However, the newly evolved creature glowed with a browny-gold orb, and Golbat slammed into the protecting orb, throwing it onto the ground. Hiro grinned, glad that Tyler’s underhanded attack had backfired – in battles, trainers were generally fair enough to wait for a pokemon to finish evolving before attacking.

The new Venomoth took flight into the air, appearing refreshed from the evolution process. This new event was exactly what Hiro needed for another victory.

“ Alright, Venomoth.” Hiro cried, positively delighted at the bug’s evolution. “ Quick Attack!”

“ Moooth!” chimed Venomoth, flying through the air speedily and slamming into Golbat, knocking the poison type out.

“ Yeah!” Hiro cried. “ Alright, Venomoth!”

Lisa laughed along with Hiro as Tyler recalled his Golbat.

“ Last pokemon, Tyler.” Hiro crowed, almost leaping around in joy.

“ Well, you’re about to face my toughest Pokemon yet.” Tyler said with an evil grin. “ So, I choose … Golem!”

A huge rock pokemon appeared. It’s bouldered body was browny grey, and it appeared to be impermeable.

“ TACKLE!” yelled Tyler instantly.

Before Hiro’s Venomoth could react, it was crushed by the megaton pokemon, knocking it out. The bug flapped it’s wings weakly under the sheer mass of Golem, before passing out, after an incredibly profitable battle.

“ Aaah! Return, Venomoth!” Hiro cried. He recovered from the loss quickly as he chose his final pokemon. “ I choose Cyndaquil!”

Cyndaquil popped out of it’s pokeball, and immediately it’s fire on it’s back raised up in a warm heap.

“ Golem – rollout!” Tyler called.

“ Ember Cyndaquil!”

Before Cyndaquil could follow it’s master’s command, Golem curled in it’s battle-scarred limbs, and tucked it’s head in, creating a rocky sphere, before rolling across the dug up lawn. Cyndaquil watched with rising trepidation and shot out a blast of fire – it’s ember. However, the fire barely charred the rocky skin of Golem, and Cyndaquil ducked onto the grass as the greater pokemon squashed it into a defeat.

“ No way!” Hiro cried. “ I was winning … and Venonat evolved … no way.”

Tyler was recalling Golem. “ Bye bye baby … thanks for the exercise – and the fifth victory of mine today.” Tyler departed into the Pokemon Centre abruptly, and neither Lisa nor Hiro heard of him again that day. Hiro began to sulk over his third defeat by his enemy and rival, Tyler.

“ It’s alright, Hiro,” Lisa said kindly. “ Remember what you told me yesterday? Not to worry about losing, because you learn something. That’s true.”

Hiro looked up at her. “ What did I learn just then?”

Lisa pondered over this for a moment. “ That Tyler’s stronger.”

Hiro fell to the ground beside his flattened Cyndaquil, half laughing, half crying.

*

One hour later, Kris, Hiro and Lisa stood outside the Pokemon Centre. All their pokemon were now healed, and they were ready to go on their separate paths.

“ Well, we’re off to challenge Whitney.” Kris said.

Lisa sighed heavily. “ I’m off to the Radio Tower. I hear there’s some people there with knowledge about legendaries, so that’s where I’m headed.”

Each trainer looked into the others eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Then, finally, Lisa said; “ Guys, I know we only met yesterday, but you’re real friends. You helped me, and you taught me.”

Kris nodded slowly. “ Thanks Lisa. Ditto. I hope we’ll all meet up again sometime.”

“ I hope I’ll see you too,” said Lisa, as Hiro nodded at Kris’ suggestion.

There was a rapid exchanging of Pokegear Mobile Phone numbers, before Hiro was itching to move on.

“ G’bye, Lisa!” Kris called.

“ Yeah, maybe we’ll cross paths again soon,” Hiro called.
“ I hope so,” Lisa said sincerely. Finally, she said it: “ Goodbye.”

Lisa left the friends she had made, feeling as though a large part of her was just left behind with her friends. Lisa reached to her shoulder to pat Aipom … then suddenly, she knew what it was.

“ Kris! Wait!” she yelled, chasing after Hiro and Kris along the footpath. “ You have my pokeballs!”