fanfiction Dear Diary Part 3

[ArdillaVerde93]

                                                                                                                    Dear Diary,

  I can scarcely express how happy I am that we won the Zephyr Badge. Of course, I don't expect the other badges to be nearly as easy to earn. But, like I said before, Professor Elm believes in us. In fact, I believe in us. We can do this. Obviously, this journey is being done with the intention of exploring Johto. If we just so happen to win some badges along the way, that's just an added treat.

  Speaking of Professor Elm, he called soon after we beat Falkner. The egg I fetched for him some time ago turned out to be a Togepi egg. Mr. Pokémon said he got the egg from a couple on the outskirts of Goldenrod City. I'll look into the area when this adventure takes me there. For now, though, it's important that we get going. I'd like to explore the Ruins Of Alph, but I wanted to check out Route 32 first. The prospect of new teammates was something I couldn't pass up.

  A few battles deep into Route 32, we decided to rest by the water. A well-earned rest, for sure. It was there that I found our newest team member, a Hoppip. After catching her, I named her Pompom, after the cottony appendages she'll have as a Jumpluff. During our rest, I thought about where to go next. Eventually, I decided on the Ruins Of Alph. It's open to trainers, but much of it can only be accessed through an alternate entrance. So our visit will be quick. At least until we can explore it further.

  I made an amazing discovery in the ruins. This is something I'll have to tell Professor Elm about. There were heiroglyphs on the walls inside one of the chambers. Living in Johto, I'm familiar with many legends. And the Unown are included in that. They say Unown helped us create the many languages spoken around the world. Alone, they were said to hold little power. But, as a team, they possess phenomenal might. In Greenfield several years ago, many Unown got together, and played havoc with the mansion of Professor Spencer Hale. For miles around, everything was covered with crystal! To find evidence of these creatures living here is astounding! I poked around some more, careful not to break anything. Eventually, I came across something I could actually decipher. "Escape."

  I put an ear to the wall, and jumped. "Escape! Escape!" Were those the Unown, talking to me? I didn't know then, and I don't now. But they held some sort of magic; I was sure a handle wasn't affixed to the wall before. I tried to pull, but it wouldn't budge. Then, I remembered that I had an Escape Rope in my bag. I tied one end to the handle for added leverage, and tugged hard on the other. Sure enough, the wall gave way, with the creak of an old door. I had opened a passageway! Carefully, and with a Poké Ball in hand, I entered.

  This chamber, a mere tourist attraction nowadays, seems to have been used for medical purposes in the past. Maybe an ancient Pokémon Centre? There was medicine strewn about, along with berries that somehow looked deceptively fresh. I took some pictures as proof, and kept going. But I immediately regretted that decision. I stepped on a weak bit of the floor and fell. I wish I could tell you where I ended up. But I've got no idea. All I remember of that place was the same voices talking to me. The same ones that chanted "escape." This time, though, their message was much more cryptic. "Our words shall remain here for the ages." Did they think I wanted to destroy the ruins? No; they'd have done worse than making me fall over. But they weren't after my life, considering I'm still alive. With that thankfully behind us, our next stop is Azalea Town.

  In between Azalea Town and Route 32, there's the Union Cave. It wasn't a long trek, nor was it a difficult one. We faced a few trainers, but nothing we couldn't handle. Soon, Azalea Town was in sight. I originally wanted to challenge the Gym, but some thugs were blocking the way. It turns out, Team Rocket has made a business for themselves of chopping off Slowpoke tails and selling them! I haven't had Slowpoke tail myself, but I hear it's delicious. And the tails grow back, so it's a sustainable food source. But, if Team Rocket is involved, it can't be good. I decided to see what I could do.

  It stood to reason that I'd find Team Rocket hiding out in the Slowpoke Well. I dunno; maybe I'm being reckless. But the ease with which we defeated the grunts down there makes me think a few things. First, that Team Rocket needs better trainers as grunts. Secondly, that Brittany would probably be my best Pokémon for a while, followed by Julia. I had hoped Angelica would be my ace. But she hasn't had much training time. I'll have to change that. And thirdly, that sending these peons packing would likely anger the higher ups.

  Now that the Team Rocket grunts have turned tail and fled, we can challenge Azalea's Pokémon Gym. But that would be tantamount to a suicide attempt at our current levels. Union Cave seems like the best place for some training. I could swear I saw an Onix in there; felling one of those would surely make for great experience gain. Angelica could definitely gain some levels, and perhaps evolve, but she won't be much help here; Azalea's Gym specialises in Bug types. So we should focus on getting Brittany to evolve, instead.

  There are Onix in Union Cave, but they're few and far between. That's fine; it's still great training. And we can pick off the weaker trainers in the Gym, too. Brittany did indeed evolve, her body stretching out into the almost snakelike form of a Furret. That happened in the Gym, as we defeated several Bug types. But Angelica refused to be outdone. When Brittany shied away from a high-levelled Onix, Angelica leapt into the fray and bravely brought it down. As the dust settled, I saw that she was no longer a Chikorita. She had evolved! She stood tall, especially with her long neck, around which she boasted a collar of seed pods. Whereas a sweet smell came from her leaf as a Chikorita, now her scent was nearly an assault on the nose. And I got a nose full of it when, in joy, she sprinted at me and nearly knocked me over! Angelica is now officially a Bayleef!

  With 3 Pokémon evolved, I decided it'd be best to challenge the Gym Leader, an androgynous boy named Bugsy. Of course, with a name like that, it's no surprise that his specialty is Bug types. I still pitied Angelica, knowing she couldn't help, especially considering she sat out the battle with Falkner, as well. But I don't wanna lose her. Obviously, I'd much rather not lose any of my teammates, if it can be helped. I just had to hope that Bugsy wouldn't cause our first casualty. Brittany was first up, but I had to do a double take at Bugsy's first choice. A Metapod! He is a Gym Leader, though, so I knew I shouldn't let my guard down. Metapod's defense might be daunting, but a few Fury Swipes downed it. Next was Kakuna. Metapod 2.0, basically. It went down to Fury Swipes just the same. Then came the problem. Scyther.

  Even Brittany, who stood tall against Pidgeotto, recoiled slightly at the sight of Scyther. When I called for Fury Swipes again, she hesitated for a split second before striking. That hesitation gave Scyther the opportunity to prepare. Claws met scythes, as both lashed out, supposedly evenly matched. Scyther's strength was a counter to Brittany's speed. Fury Swipes against Fury Cutter seems a better way to explain this matchup than Furret versus Scyther. Those were the attacks that were traded, as Brittany and Scyther leapt in and out of the fray. A frightening and exciting match of blades and claws. Brittany's moment of fear, giving Scyther time to stymie her speed, turned this into a true nail-biter. But, then, a miracle happened.

  Even with Brittany's agility, Scyther was beginning to wear her down. Her reactions were slower, and she stepped more clumsily. She was still landing blows, and Scyther certainly looked worse for wear. But I was ready to send her back to her Pokéball. I readied it as Scyther brought a blade down... and missed. Furret was on Scyther quicker than I could have commanded her. She dug into the manacing beast's exoskeleton with Fury Swipes once more, and the winged monster fell. Brittany had amazed me again with her battle prowess. Bugsy was as shocked as I was as he handed over the Hive Badge. Victorious, we rested at the Pokémon Centre before heading out to the Ilex Forest. At least, that was the plan. We were stopped by a familiar face. Not to mention an angry one.

 

*PokéDex*

#187: Hoppip, the Cottonweed Pokémon

It was once thought that Hoppip could fly freely. In actuality, these Pokémon are mostly at the mercy of the wind. These Pokémon's evolutionary line are the number one spreaders of allergens in Johto, thanks to the cottony spores they scatter as they float.

 

#162: Furret, the Long Body Pokémon

Furret are among the most caring Pokémon mothers. They wrap themselves around their offspring as a show of affection, as well as to keep them warm. This is why Sentret are plentiful in Johto. Take care if you travel through a Furret's habitat; they will not show mercy if you disturb their burrows.

 

#153: Bayleef, the Leaf Pokémon

These Pokémon are affectionate to a fault with their trainers. But their size and smell keep them from being popular pets. Its seed pods can be picked and eaten. They regrow in a few days, and will impart an unmistakable taste to dishes. Besides trainers, chefs also keep these Pokémon around.

 

*Author's Note*

Chapter 3 is upon us at last! Now that I have my laptop, this marks one of the last posts from my tablet. In fact, I tried transferring this chapter to my laptop, but it ended up as a jumbled mess! No idea why. Anyway, we learn that Brittany is still not to be fucked with, and we get our second badge! Not to mention, the team gains a member and we get a peek into the Ruins Of Alph. Stay tuned for more, as I hopefully keep up my string of good luck!~