POKEMON Golden Sun Series Two: A Heart of Gold
Aspendragon
Part Thirty
The Arch-Rival, Versett Divestein from Cinnabar
Hi, my name is Versett Divestein. I came from Cinnabar Island and traveled to Pallet Town to receive my first pokemon. When I arrived, I found out two days ago, a girl named Coco Tradet left before me and was probably already in the Viridian Forest. Since Professor Oak gave his charmander to her parents so she wouldn’t have to use her pikachu in battle, I had a choice between Squirtle or Bulbasaur, but you’ll find out later. Right now I have four badges, one from Pewter, Cerulean, Celadon, and Saffron City. I have a good, four-pokemon team and I’m heading down to Vermilion for my fifth badge, as the Trainer Triad, travels North, to Saffron City. I’m just about to find out if Coco was as good as everyone I’ve battled say she is…
"If we travel on for the rest of the day, and tomorrow, we’ll be there tomorrow night!" Squall said, as he studied his map. Bayline was examining her poke’balls as they walked. Coco had her hands in her pockets and stared down at the dirt trail. Peppermint was asleep on Coco’s backpack.
"I wish at least a pokemon or a trainer showed up, it’s getting boring." Coco said, yawning. Squall nodded as he folded up his map and put it in his back pocket.
"Hey! Do one of you go by the name Coco Tradet?" a girl no older then eleven came out from the woods next to the path. She had shoulder-length red hair hanging loosely down her shoulders. Her sky-blue eyes stood out perfectly from her dark attire. She wore a long-sleeved, black top with sleeves that ended at the middle finger. Her shirt also had a broad yellow part around her neck and across her chest, a connected yellow strip went down under her belt buckle and ended at the end of her short, skin-tight, black skirt. She wore black and white running shoes. Her poke’balls were clipped to her belt.
"I do! Why?" Coco shouted. The girl smiled.
"Good, my name is Versett Divestein." She said, "I have heard about you, you came from Pallet Town where you received a charmander from Professor Oak,"
Firestorm was from Professor Oak? she asked herself. She unclipped her poke’ball from her vest, Peppermint woke up and hopped onto the top of Coco’s hat and stared at Versett.
"I arrived at Pallet two days after your departure and received one of Professor Oak’s other pokemon," Versett added, "I already have four badges and four pokemon, care to try em’ out?"
"Sure! Why not! Let’s do a four-on-four battle!" Coco answered.
"Fine! I’ll begin! Go! Arrow!" Versett released a pidgeotto, it crowed at Coco.
I’ll check her pokemon out later! Coco thought, "Go! Peppermint!"
"Pika!" Peppermint leaped off her head and onto the ground, she sparked at the bird pokemon.
"Arrow! Quick Attack!" Versett shouted, Arrow dove at Peppermint with faster speed then her own Quick Attack. It hit her, sending her back a bit.
"Hold onto her!" Coco shouted, Peppermint gripped her beak before she could take off. "Now use Thundershock!"
"Pika! Chuuu!" Peppermint shocked Arrow, when she let go, it only lost half of its HP. It flew off the ground, a good distance away from Peppermint.
"Nice strategy I’ll admit! But! Use Gust now Arrow!" Versett ordered. Arrow flapped its wings harder, a visible swirling wind with dirt flying into it. Peppermint became blue as it edged towards her.
"Use Quick Attack to get out of there!" Coco shouted, Peppermint whizzed away from the Gust’s path, and reappeared under Arrow. "Use Thundershock at Arrow!"
"Pika!" Peppermint shocked Arrow before it could escape, the Gust vanished and Arrow fell to the ground, it fainted.
"Grr! Return Arrow!" Versett said, "You deserve a good rest," Arrow returned to his poke’ball.
"You too Pepper!" Coco said with a smile as Peppermint returned to her side.
"You won’t win this time! Go! Bandit!" a nidorino appeared.
"Go! Moonshine!" Coco shouted, releasing her ghost pokemon. Moonshine laughed at Bandit and widened her eyes, making them looked pupiless.
"That’s kind of weird if you know what I mean," Versett said with a nervous laugh.
"It’s something a ghost will never grow out of! But anyway! Moonshine! Lick!" Coco ordered.
"Gastley!" Heads up Bando! Moonshine laughed as she unrolled her tongue and licked Bandit, he shook it off and glared at Moonshine. Who laughed, Versett and Bandit stared at her.
"Use Confusion!" Coco shouted, Versett jumped.
Oh great! Poison pokemon are weak against Psychic pokemon! She is good, Versett thought.
"Return Bandit!" Versett shouted, before Moonshine used her attack. "Go! Melody!" A vulpix appeared, she was already in a fighting pose.
"Good decision!" Coco shouted, "But not good enough! Moonshine! Use Hypnosis!" Moonshine’s eyes glowed red.
"Use Confuse Ray Melody!" Versett shouted, Melody’s eyes glowed white in return of Moonshine’s red gaze. Moonshine’s eyes returned to normal and swirls replaced them.
"Moonshine’s confused!" Coco gasped.
"Yep! Now! Melody use Ember!" Versett shouted. Melody shot several fireballs at Moonshine. Hitting directly, scorch marks lit up on her black body.
"Moonshine! Snap out of it!" Moonshine continued to be confused, hovering in the air.
"One more time! Ember!" Versett commanded. Melody scorched her body again; blood began to come out of the wounds.
"Return Moonshine! You put up a good fight!" Coco shouted, returning Moonshine to her ball. Versett did the same for Melody.
"Go! Bandit!" the nidorino reappeared.
"Go! Minoru!" Coco released her bulbasaur.
"How did you get a bulbsaur?" Versett asked, amazed.
"It was during the short snow time when I found him!" Coco answered, "But! Minoru! Use Vine Whip around his horn!" Minoru released a single vine and wrapped it around his horn, he growled deeply.
"What’s that suppose to do?" Versett asked.
"More then you bargained for! Minoru! Leech Seed!" Coco commanded, Minoru’s bulb released a tiny seed into the air, then it plummeted down towards Bandit.
"Get away from there!" Versett shouted, but Bandit struggled, then gave way as the seed landed on one of his spikes and released several leafy vines around his body and glowed red. Minoru received energy from Bandit as he continued to be zapped from his energy.
"Use Tackle!" Coco shouted as the seed sucked its vines back in, Bandit wobbled. Minoru rammed into him and sent him into the ground, but he got back up to his feet.
"Great! Keep up the good work boy! Now use Poison Sting!" Versett commanded, Bandit’s horn released several purple needles, they collided into Minoru’s face.
"Minoru! Are you okay?" Coco asked, Minoru nodded. "All right! Use Vine Whip!" Minoru released both vines and smacked Bandit in the face several times till Versett told him to jump out of the way.
"Use Tackle!" Versett shouted, Bandit charged at Minoru.
"Bulba!" Bandit smashed into him, making him fly through the air.
"MINORU!" Coco yelled. Minoru somehow kept from rolling in an arc in the air, instead, he was in a stationary position, the tip of his bulb was glowing.
"Finish it with Poison Sting!" Versett shouted, Bandit released another needle-like attack straight at Minoru. Minoru’s tip finished what it was doing and released a gigantic beam of white light straight down at Bandit. The light crushed the needles and hit Bandit, he fainted instantly. When the light vanished, Minoru landed on the ground, sweating slightly, as well as panting.
"Was that a Solar Beam?" Bayline asked. Versett was just as dumbfounded.
"Let Dexter check it out!" Squall shouted, Coco got Dexter out.
"Minoru, Level: 20," Dexter beeped.
"No way! When I first got Minoru, he must have been at least seventeen! He probably wouldn’t have obeyed me then," Coco said; astounded. Minoru looked at her.
"Bulba bulbasaur," I am able to use Solar Beam because my former trainer gave me a TM, short for Technique Machine that contained the ability of Solar Beam, but I was not experienced enough to use it without losing much of my energy. But when you caught me, I felt a firm trainer’s hands on me none-the-less of a another experienced trainer such as yourself that runs through your blood, I recognized it immediately when I first saw your father, Dawn Tradet. Minoru explained. Coco stared at him wide-eyed as Versett returned Bandit.
"How much do you know about my father?" Coco asked, her father was a normal trainer with strong pokemon, but other then that, that’s all she knew. He never explained how he battled in the past or what happened to him.
"Bulbasaur," This is not the time to explain that, Minoru said.
"Oh right, you were great Minoru! Return!" Coco shouted, then she noticed Squall and Bayline staring at her.
"Do you mind telling us what Minoru said and what YOU said back?" Bayline hissed. Coco sweat-dropped, she forgot nobody understood her except pokemon when she spoke to them.
"After the battle," Coco said with a nod, then she looked back at Versett,
"You’re strong. But let’s see how long you last against my very first pokemon!" Versett shouted.
"Bring it on! Go! Firestorm!" Coco shouted, releasing her charmeleon.
"Go! Tsunami!" Versett shouted, releasing a turtle pokemon with a tail much like vulpix’s, but darker blue skin.
"It’s a Wartortle!" Squall shouted, "It must have evolved from a squirtle!"
"All right, this is going to be a fiery battle. Thanks for giving it to me," Coco said, Firestorm growled at Tsunami.
"Thank you as well, we haven’t had a good opponent in weeks excluding the Gym Leaders," Versett said. Tsunami growled back at Firestorm.
"Anyhow, Firestorm! Ember!" BOOM! Coco canceled her attack as they all spotted a lightning bolt fly down from black clouds they suddenly just noticed.
"Pika!" I could use a charge! Peppermint squealed happily. She jumped off her shoulders and ran into the woods.
"Peppermint! Come back! We’re going to have to delay this battle till later!" Coco shouted at Versett, she nodded and they both returned their pokemon and all ran after Peppermint.
"We can’t continue running in this!" Bayline cried as a sudden downpour came upon them, but Peppermint didn’t slow down.
"You guys get some shelter! I’m going to get Peppermint!" Coco shouted.
"No way are we leaving you out in this storm!" Squall yelled back. Peppermint finally stopped when she came upon a small hill, she sparked happily.
"Peppermint!" Coco cried as a lightning bolt hit her, she seemed to be enjoying it!
"Pika," That wasn’t the feeling I was expecting, Peppermint squealed with recognition, the lightning that hit her appeared again, zapping Peppermint. She didn’t even blink.
"Pepper?" Coco muttered as they slowed.
"Pikachu!" Run! They’re coming! Peppermint cried as she lunged at Peppermint. Coco translated, as much as she wished to find out who was coming, she knew better then not to slide a warning off her mind. So she led the way towards some trees, the four dropped to their knees and looked up to watch the storm.
"Who’s coming?" Bayline asked.
"Peppermint, who’s coming?" Coco asked her, looking her straight in the eye.
"Pikachu, pika pi, chu!" Another evil organization! That last lightning bolt told me so! I think its called Team Shadow! Peppermint answered. Coco again, translated.
"Team Shadow! I’ve heard about them, on Cinnabar they robbed several fossils from the lab and worked with Team Rocket as they smuggled them out! But when Team Rocket members were arrested, the leader must have escaped and lost contact with them!" Versett explained. Coco’s eyes narrowed.
"Why are they here then?" Coco asked.
"Pikachu pika!" I believe they are after…you, Peppermint answered. Coco didn’t translate this.
"What did she say?" Bayline asked.
"She said they are after our stones," Coco lied, Peppermint closed her eyes.
"You mean my Moon Stone and your Thunder Stone?" Bayline asked.
"Wait, I have a Fire Stone," Versett added, "They must have somehow tracked us by our own stones!"
"No! They couldn’t have, we got these from someone, I got my Thunder Stone from Nurse Joy in Vermilion. Bayline got her Moonstone from a cave filled with them, and you?" Coco asked Versett.
"I found mine when I was traveling around in Viridian, their was some guy wandering around trying to get rid of them for some…reason…how could I have been so stupid!" Versett scolded herself, "They were probably tracking me and found out I was with the famous Trainer Triad!"
"Famous?" Squall mumbled.
"Well yeah, after defeating gym leaders and helping police find Team Rocket on my home island, you have to have some fame," Versett said with sarcasm.
"Wow! That’s kinda cool," Bayline squealed.
"No it’s not, Versett’s in trouble because she’s been traveling with recognizable trainers, Team Shadow has tracked down four good trainers with three elemental stones and rare and powerful pokemon!" Coco said. Squall nodded.
"If I were you, I would chuck that Fire Stone," Squall said to Versett.
"No way, I’m planning on evolving Melody into a ninetales when she becomes more powerful!" Versett said with a frown, "And besides, battling Team Shadow will strengthen me for the Indigo Plateau,"
"Have it your way then," Bayline hissed.
"Sssh, hear that?" Coco asked, they all went silent and listened.
BOOM! A net sprang out of the bushes.
"Run!" Coco shouted as she shoved Bayline, Versett, and Squall out of the way, Peppermint went flying along with them. The net wrapped around Coco and lifted her away.
"Coco!" they shouted as they ran after her, but the net or attacker left without a trace.
To be continued