Stray not from thy path

Stray Not from Thy path
By Baronpoison
Part 2



"Heal." the commanding voice awakened my senses and a tingle of electricity ran down my spine. "There, it's all done now, you can relax." at this, the pokéball popped open and I was lying on a black tray, with Combusken and Elektrike beside me. My trainer looked down on us, "Thankyou Nurse Joy!" he said, smiling "come on guys, the next cable car to Lavaridge leaves in just under an hour!" he scooped up our pokéballs and we followed him out of the Pokémon Centre. "Now, Gulpin, I know you're knew here but we have to press on, as you can see I have three badges already," here he paused and proudly displayed the three badges on his lapel "but, as every pokémon trainer should aspire, I want to win more. In fact, I want to win all eight. So, we need to get the fourth to progress. And this fourth badge is in possession of Flannery, in Lavaridge town. So, introduction's over, I'm Baron, you're Gulpin. You're my pokémon and I own you. You do exactly as I say and nothing otherwise. Got it?" I snorted. I wasn't going to obey this poxy little trainer! He was a nobody, a fledgling, a beginner. He only had three badges, for Rayquaza's sake! I mean, a great pokémon like me couldn't possibly be controlled by a weak trainer like him, the first opportunity I have, I'm gong to break out of here. But that opportunity didn't come soon, before I knew it was being recalled...

As soon as I was let out of my pokéball again, I began to speculate an escape plan, I was so immersed in my musings that I didn't realize I where I was. Suddenly, a sharp grinding brought me back to my senses. "All aboard! First cable of the day to Lavaridge! Teeeeeen-hup!" a smart man in a military suit stood above us, he was leaning out of the door of a cable car and his eyes were focused on Baron. "I know you...." He sneered, his eyebrows furrowing like two overworked caterpies "you're famous round these parts for being mean to pokémon! You're not coming on this cable car! Anyone else in the queue? No? Ok then, we'll be heading back to Lavaridge!" with that he slammed the door and the cable car began to rattle slowly up the mountain away from us. Cruel to pokémon? I could vouch for that! Well, if we weren't going up on the cable car then I suppose that was it...Baron can release me and be on his own way to Lavaridge. Cos I'M not going through the only other route towards Lavardige... so that's me without a trainer, what a shame....not!

We travelled back to Mauville and spent the night in a small house in the very north, much to my disappointment. For one so young, Baron was certainly stubborn and determined. We were going to head towards the desert on route one-eleven. This was a scary place, famous throughout Hoenn for the spooky ruins and the odd tricks it played on the pokémon who dared cross it. But, nevertheless, after our brief sleep, we set off out of the city and into the wild path beyond. "The wild path" was nothing but a weather-beaten and well-trodden dirt track which lead in a twisting and twining manner through many rocks and tunnels. Unsurprisingly, we met no one on this journey and the few wild pokémon we met were weak, distracted and not up for a battle. Thus, the journey proceeded uneventfully and several times I found myself wondering when we would reach the desert and why I wasn't allowed in my pokéball. Suddenly, we crested a hill and the desert was in sight. Vast. Dusty. Scary. Baron gulped and his twisted face showed a flicker of fear. "Lets....go...." he said and we began to jog down the hill only to find our way was blocked by two huge boulders. "Rock smash..." he mumbled "I was afraid of this!" slowly, he reached into his backpack and brought out a large disc with the words "HM06 ROCK SMASH" on it. Slowly he lowered it towards me and I slid back in fright. I don't know what it was but whatever it was I knew I wanted nothing to do with it. Suddenly, he threw it down and it landed right on my head, strangely it was weightless and felt soft. I began to forget... icy cold swept over me and I began to forget... fire came and scorched my back but I began to forget... suddenly the pain stopped and I was conscious again. The dirty trainer! I don't know what it did to me but I didn't like it! I opened my mouth to expel some powerful poison-gas but... nothing... just air. I had forgotten how to use poison-gas! "Gulpin!" Baron said smartly "Smash those rocks! NOW!" I snorted, I may be strong but there is no way I could smash a giant rock like that! I crept forwards anyway, just to prove him wrong, and gave the rock the lightest of taps with my tail. The rock cracked. The rock split. The rock fell. The path was clear. "Well DONE Gulpin!" The young trainer cried enthusiastically, "that was super!" only then did I realise, I had forgotten poison-gas for rock smash.

As we walked the desert became closer and closer and everyone became more and more nervous. Baron snapped at us if we went to far ahead of him and once he kicked me for using yawn. Eventually, we came to a large crater. There was no way round and the desert was on the other side. Baron drew in a deep breath and sighed "Well, this is it, we are closer than ever before." With that he strode confidently down the path. Soon, we realised the problem, the ground was uneven and it was easy to stumble and slip. Elektrike, being the most nimble, ran on ahead to test the ground and called back if there was a danger. Even with the rough, pot-holed ground, we managed a fair pace and it was not long before we reacher the bottom. After a quick rest and a bite to eat (mmm...red pokéblocks...) we began to climb the other side of the crater, here Elektrike was not so useful and the going was much slower. Finally, just as the ridge was in view, we hit upon a snag. Right in front of us, the cliff face became vertical, ending in a ledge at the top of the crater. From up above, sand from the desert blew down in a curtain of dust and grit. Carefully we edged under the curtain and sheltered in the shade of the overhanging rock face. "Well, it's easy." Baron said slowly "we climb up one by one and then you throw this rope down to lift me up." He handed Elektrike a length of slender, brown rope and wrapped it round his ears. "Trike." Grumbled the green pokémon angrily. Slowly, the pokémon began to climb up the precarious rock face. Eventually, we heard a triumphant "Lek!" and Combusken began to climb up after him. The fire pokémon was quicker and it was only a few minutes before we heard a very loud crow of "KEN KEN KEEEEEEN!" then, it was my turn. Very slowly I began to inch my way up the cliff, clinging on with all my might. Half-way up, I began slipping "PIIIIIIN!" I screeched. Swiftly Combusken charged down, grabbed me round the middle and hauled me up. Suddenly, from out of a cleft in the rock, an old man came hobbling. "Why be you 'ere?" he said as Baron hauled himself over the edge and slid the rope into his backpack. "We're trying to reach the rout one-eleven desert, so get out of the way." Baron crowed pompously "Well, you be havin' to get past I then!" the old man said promptly "I be seein' you has three pokémon! Well, your three on mine. That's fair innit?" Baron nodded slowly and the old man smiled. Deftly he shoved a hand into his pocket and withdrew three bright yellow pokéballs. They flipped open and out came a pink Girafarig, an ancient Walrein and a sprightly Castform. "WAAAAAAAAAAL!" "Rafi!" "Form! Form!" suddenly I felt an icy hand grip me, I was thrown into the air and I saw the Girafarig staring at me intently. Just before I hit the ground, I let out a deafening yawn and Girafarig crumpled in a heap onto the floor, fast asleep. A few well aimed rock smashes and a flying tackle and Girafarig had to be recalled. I looked around, beside me Elektrike was frozen in a ball of solid ice and was being relentlessly battered by Walrein's massive paw. Eventually, the ice cracked under the strain and the paw caught Elektrike a glancing blow on the nape of the neck, knocking it out cold. Castform was flitting around Combusken, dodging all the attacks and shifting from its normal form to one encased in a bubble. I was so engrossed in watching the Castform that I didn't notice the Walrein slithering up behind me. Suddenly I heard a dull clank, and a moment later, immense pain. I swiveled round and tried another yawn. Walrein just snorted and opened it's mouth for another ice beam. Swiftly as I could, I threw myself over the head of the Walrein and landed on it's back in a tackle. "Rein!" it snorted again and tossed its head to try and throw me off. Gently, I clambered round and sunk my hard, chisel-like teeth in the opponent's neck. "WAAAAAAAALREEEEEEEEEEEIN!" It gave one last bellow and threw me, dazed, onto the ground before collapsing in a heap. Two down, one to go. I turned and saw that Castform was still putting up a good fight, twirling and nipping whenever Combusken's back was exposed. From my vantage point I saw Castform suck in breath and, in one fluid movement, fly over my team-mate's head and let out a steamy breath. Combusken let out a high-pitched wail of pain and slid to the ground. It was up to me. Slowly, while Castform gloated over it's victory, I edged forwards and sent a wave of nauseous gas over the weather pokémon. Castform choked and wheeled to face me. I leapt into the air and knocked it to the floor. "Pin!" I shrieked as Castform swelled with another dragon breath. I shielded my face with my stubby arm and attempted to block the attack. My attempt was successful but it gave Castform time to pull up and charge into me. Buckling, I tried a rock smash and knocked my foe to the ground again. Immediately, I threw myself onto Castform and, in my blood-thirsty rage and pain, I knocked Castform across the cliff and down, down, down into the valley below. Before it even hit the ground, the old man had leapt up and returned the pokémon to its pokéball. "That there bes enough! Well, you may pass, good luck to ye!" he stood aside and Baron marched triumphantly into the desert with me following and Elektrike and Combusken in pokéballs at his waist.