To Be All I Can Be Part 9 By: EmeraldDragon With the gym battle behind her, Moon rented a room in a local motel. Her pokemon lay around the room; she had switched Ivysaur for Chikorita and Butterfree for Thundar. Moon cruised the channels on the TV, finally coming to the news. "It has come to the attention of the world that Janelle Ketchem is missing! After winning a Kanto compaction, young Ketchum was given the opportunity to go to Pokemon Island. Yesterday she was scheduled to check in at New Bark town, but has yet to arrive. Her father made this statement (the screen cut to a image of her father with a microphone) 'Janelle has earned the right to be a pokemon trainer; she knew the risks as well as the opportunities. This said Janelle is a big girl and I have faith that she will be ok.' (The screen cut back to the reporter) We will be releasing more details on this story as they develop. In other news…" Moon flipped the channel to Tom & Jerry. "So guys, looks like I gave them the slip." Moon said taking a swig of her cola. "Looks like it." Volcanine said flatly. "Huh?" Houndoom questioned, "I thought your name was Moon?" "It is, kinda, sorta, not exactly." "You lost me." Houndoom's confusion compounded. "Janelle changed her name to Moon to through off the reporters, photographers, and any one else that was interested in following her around just because she is the daughter of the pokemon master." Volcanine explained. "Well let's get some sleep guys." Moon said as she stretched and turned off the TV. ********************************************************** Moon struck out south early the next morning. As she walked she let her pokemon out for some exercise and company. They hadn't gone far when Chikorita found a berry bush and presided to 'relieve' it of its fruit burden. And so it went, every time a pokemon found a berry bush; the pokemon ate every berry they could reach and left Moon to pick the berries that were to deep in the bush for them to reach. About mid afternoon it started to rain, and Moon sot shelter in a grove of trees. Volcanine and Houndoom sat close to Moon in an attempt to keep as dry as possible; Thunder, Chikorita, and Artico were enjoying the weather; And Espeon was Meditating. Houndoom lay with her head on her paws and looking up at the dreary sky. "What ya thinking about?" Moon asked. "I don't know." She replied. After a minute she spoke again. "Moon how many trainers do you think have houndooms?" "I don't know…a couple hundred maybe. Why?" "Well…it's just…I…don't really want to be called by what I am." "That's ok. What kind of name do you want?" "I don't know…some thing that conveys strength, power, and fear." "How about Doom?" "Too cliché. I need something original." "Ok how about…Hades." "I like it. Where did you get that from?" "In Greek myth it is the world of the dead. How about the rest of you, do you want nicknames?" "Na I like Volcanine." Volcanine said from her spot on the ground. "I want to be called Maganium when I get older." Chikorita said. "Thundar is fine for me." Thundar said as he made another soaring pass. "No thanks." Espeon said simply from within a deep meditation. "Maybe later." Artico said with his usual jubilance. Moon leaned back agents a tree and looked up at the sky. The storm showed no signs of stopping soon; in fact at this exact moment it became much darker and began to rain even harder. It was this darkness that allowed Moon to see the light from the window of a building hidden from view. "Everyone return!" Moon said, then clipped the pokeballs to her belt and took off at a run to the building. As she approached she unsnapped a random pokeball, lest the occupants of the building have an interest in causing her harm. She was relieved to find it was a pokecenter and it was open. "Oh my goodness!" Nurse Joy said as Moon came into the center, "Your soaked to the bone! Chansey get this girl a blanket!" Nurse Joy hustled Moon over to the fireplace. Moon had just enough time to hand over her pokemon for healing before she ran off to get her some cocoa. The rain lasted the rest of the night. ********************************************************** The next morning Moon woke in front on the fireplace. Her pokeballs sat on the table in front of her. Moon sat up and stretched. A glance out the window told Moon that the storm had not worn its self out. The rain was now coming down in sheets and lightning crisscrossed the sky every few seconds. Deciding that the conditions were too wet for her or her pokemon's liking, Moon pulled a book about the Johto league off the bookshelf and began to read as she and her pokemon ate. The book compared the running of the Kanto to Johto. The differences were staggering. Becoming a gym leader was easier, you had to have an established team of a declared type; but you didn't have to complete the league using only those pokemon. In Johto the tests to become a pokemon trainer made the tests she took look like child's play. The book also described how Johto was very spread out compared to Kanto; a trip between towns in Johto could take a week while in Kanto it was never more then a two day. By the time she had finished the book the rain had stopped. Moon gathered up her things, thanked Nurse Joy, and headed out. She hadn't gotten but a few hundred feet from the center when a voice called to her from off the path. "Psst, Hey, hey kid." A male voice whispered, "you wanta buy some slowpoketails?" Moon turned to see a shady man in a trench coat with a hat pulled low over his eyes. "Pokemon love them." He said as he produced a thick, pink, thing about 2½ ft long. "You're sick!" Moon spat. With a quick turn of her heels Moon stormed off. "To Hell with you too!" The man yelled after her. *************************************************************** The entrance to Union cave loomed dark in the midday sunlight. Moon took a deep breath and entered. The cave proved easy to navigate…until the light from outside ran out. In desperation Moon fumbled through her backpack for her flashlight. Finding none she instead turned to her pokemon and called out Hades. "Ok Hades, I need you night vision to get me through this cave. Do you think you can do it?" "Absolutely!" Hades yipped happily. With Moon's hand resting on the middle of the three metal strips on her back, Hades lead Moon safely past pools of water, around rocks, and fended of wild pokemon. By the time night fell, Moon and her pokemon were camping outside the cave exit. *************************************************************** The morning came much to quickly for Moon's liking, but her pokemon's persistent poking, prodding, licking, and whining finally rouses her from her warm sleeping bag. After a little breakfast Moon was off towards the next settlement, Azalea Town. The walk to the small town took only about an hour. Upon entering, however, the place seemed deserted. After checking all the buildings, Moon found that, besides the pokecenter, all the doors in town except one were locked. The unlocked building was to a small shop that sold pokeballs. Moon pushed the door open to the ringing of a bell over head. "GET OUT OF HERE YOU FUCKING POKEMON THEIVES!!!" An elderly man said as he jumped from behind the counter with a double barrel shot gun, "THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL YOUR TAKING MY GRANDDAUGTHER'S SLOWPOKE!" "I don't want anyone's slowpoke!" Moon said throwing her hands in the air. The man stared hard at her down the site of the gun for a moment. "You don't LOOK like a Team Rocket member." He said lowering the rifle a little. "I'm not! I swear I'm not!" Moon said, not daring to lower her hands. "Then what are you here for?" He lowered the gun a little more. "I just came through Union Cave," Moon lowered her hands a little, "and I needed to restock on pokeballs. And sense this is a pokeball shop and the only open building in town, I came here." The old man hesitated. "I'm sorry young lady," he said laying the gun down completely on the counter, "but until Team Rocket leaves this shop, like all others, is closed." "But sir" Moon started, "If I don't restock, I can't get my next badge, can't continue my journey, and can't get into the pokemon league." "Then, young lady, you had better go to the pokemon center and wait for Team Rocket to leave like the rest of us; because until they do not even the gym is open." In defeat, Moon trudged out of the shop towards the pokecenter. Moon had gotten about half way there when the sound of twin gun shots sent her spinning around just in time to see a man dressed in a black uniform race out of the shop with the old man running after him, and loosing ground. The old man tripped and hit the ground hard. Moon ran to his side as the Rocket member disappeared down a well just out side of town. "Sir are you ok!" Moon asked as she reached him. "It's my back." He moaned. "Come on." Moon said lifting him onto her shoulder, "I need get you to Nurse Joy." As if on cue Nurse Joy came running out of the center to help them. As the pokecenter nurse took his weight on her shoulder, the old man turned to Moon with pleading in his eyes. "Young Lady, Please, you are a pokemon trainer. Team Rocket has stolen my granddaughter's slowpoke, Please, Get it back. And …And…I'll give you all the pokeballs you want no charge. Just save her slowpoke, Please." "I can take care of him." Nurse Joy confirmed, "You better go." Moon nodded. "Artico, come out!" Moon quickly jumped on her ice horse and headed for the well. ***************************************************************** Moon approached the well with caution. There was no guard, nor did there appear to be any way down. After several minutes of walking around the opening, Moon plopped down on the rim in frustration. To her surprise the well shook briefly, but firmly underneath her. Moon jumped in surprise. Looking down the well, again with caution, she saw that a set of steps had appeared. With Volcanine's pokeball at the ready, she proceeded down the steps. At the bottom was a large, dimly lit room lined with crates of all sizes. Moon quickly ducked behind the nearest crate as two grunt walked by talking. A quick glance around the room told Moon that there were too many Rockets here for her to deal with alone. Moon stayed hidden as she watched as one by one the rockets filed down a hall that lead deep into the hideout. After what seemed like hours only one grunt was left to guard a 12x12x10 box of minimized pokeballs. The one grunt appeared to be in his mid 30's, with a sloppy uniform and smoking a cigarette. "I order you to surrender those pokemon!" Moon said in her most dramatic voice as she leapt on top of the crate. The grunt looked at her in an unimpressed manor. "And how is a runt like you going to make me? Going to call out your runt pokemon?" "My pokemon are not runts! And I can take you on any time any place!" "Oh really" He said, flicking a cigarette and stomping it into the floor, "How about a three on three battle. Winner take all." "You got it." "Ladies first." He smiled. Moon knew by her choosing first that he would have the advantage. She knew also that if she chose wrong it would cost her dearly. "Go Artico! Icy Wind!" "Go Machoke, submission!" Artico shot his chilling blast at the on charging Machoke. Machoke, which wasn't fast any way, was slowed even more by the blast and was unable to catch the swift horse pokemon. "Machoke Focus Energy and Cross Chop!" "Don't give him the chance Artico, Blizzard!" Machoke closed his eyes to focus but never opened then, because Artico let out his attack with deadly accuracy. "Machoke Return! Go Arbok, Wrap!" "Return Artico! Go Espeon, Psybeam!" The quick snake dodged the psychic energy and entwined its body around the tiny fox pokemon. "Espeon! Bite it!" "Arbok use your own bite!" Espeon sank her needle sharp teeth into Arbok's think skin. With a hiss of retaliation the snake mimicked the maneuver with much more favorable results. "Espeon Return," Moon commanded. Her mind raced. She was down by one, if she lost this last round it was all over. She needed to choose a pokemon he wouldn't expect, wouldn't know how to counter, something that could win with shear power. She needed… "Volcanine I choose you! Fire Blast!" "Volcawhat? Arbok Wrap it!" Volcanine came screaming out of her pokeball, and exhaled the fire star with deadly accuracy. The poison snake didn't even have time to react. "Arbok Return! Go Ninetales, Confuse Ray!" "Volcanine Crunch!" The fox pokemon shot off a ray of black light, which Volcanine nimbly dodged. In a flash Volcanine shot forward and clamped her teeth down on the Ninetales neck in an instant KO. "Ninetales return. Ok kid you win, take the slowpoke, we'll just steal them back again." "I don't think you will." Moon said as she picked up the box, "And you said ALL or nothing so hand over those pokeballs." Moon extended her hand to receive his personal pokemon. With Volcanine behind her, the Rocket could hardly refuse and deposited four pokeballs into her hand. "Thank you." She said as she exited. ************************************************************* Back at the center Moon placed the box of pokeballs, minus her four new pokemon, on the counter for Nurse Joy to deal with. The old man, who seemed to have recovered, sat at one of the tables. Moon walked over to him and sat down. "Are you ok sir?" "Yes, I'm fine, and the name is Kurt." He said as he stood up gingerly and stretched his back. "It would seem young lady" "Moon" "It would seem Moon that I owe you some free pokeballs. So why don't you come by my shop in an hour or so and I'll fix you up." "That sounds good," she stood as well, "Do you need any help back to your home?" "No, no, thank you young…Moon, I can make it just fine." He said shooing her away as he walked stiffly out of the door. Moon shrugged it off and headed for the gym. "Moon?" Nurse Joy called from behind the counter. "Yes Nurse Joy." Moon said turning around. "I finished checking your new pokemon. What would you like to do with them?" "Well, I'm not interested in training the Machoke, Arbok, or Ninetales; but I don't know what the other one is." Moon replied. Nurse Joy picked the unidentified pokeball out and tossed it to the ground. "Growl!" a small growlithe said upon emerging. The small one was just that, small, much smaller then any growlithe in training should be. It had the normal colorings but a tad darker; the most remarkable thing about him was his eyes. The young pup had blue eyes. "What's your name little one?" Moon asked as she picked him up. "My mama always called me Blue Eyes." He replied in a very puppyish voice. "Then Blue Eyes it is." Moon said patting his head, "But I think you're a little young for my intensity of training." Moon said placing him back into his ball, "And I think I'll send Chikorita back as well." She handed the two pokeballs to Nurse Joy to be transported back to Prof. Tracey's. *************************************************************** Moon stood outside of a three-story building that was shaped like a beehive. As she entered, Moon noted that the inside of the building was full of trees and Bug pokemon. It wasn't long before she emerged in an open area about the size of a football field. On the opposite side of the arena was young boy of about 15. He had thick purple locks and green eyes. "I'm Bugsy, the leader of this gym and the guardian of the Hive badge." "Hive badge? Is that like the Bug badge?" "Ah, it seems my younger sister has tricked another one." Bugsy laughed. "What are you talking about?" "My little sister Sarah got mad when I was made gym leader instead of her, so she went and started her own gym. Unfortunately the league has yet to approve her because she is using the same type as me." "So that badge is worthless." "Yap, and if you want the Hive badge you have to bet me!" "Fine, name your terms." "Ok, 3 pokemon each no time limit. Go Butterfree! Stun Spore!" Moon's hand moved instinctively to Volcanine's pokeball, but stopped. 'I can't use her, it would be over kill.' "Go Artico! Ice Beam!" Moon's graceful ice horse emerged from his pokeball with a blast of shimmering ice energy. Slicing through the paralyzing cloud, the ice beam slammed into its target. Despite its disruption the stun spore cloud still did its job, Artico was paralyzed. "Butterfree Psybeam!" "Artico, finish it with another Ice Beam!" Artico's paralysis made him slow to react. Butterfree took advantage of this and made the first move. With a clap of its tiny hands and a call of its name, Butterfree let loose a flood of multicolored light. The blast of energy sent Artico to his knees. He strained to get up but it seemed futile. "Butterfree, finish it with a Tackle!" The smaller pokemon dove at the injured ice horse. Artico saw the incoming attack and made another desperate attempt to rise. Suddenly a bright light covered Artico from nose to tail. His size greatly increased, the ice fire of his mane and tail grow in intensity, and a powerful horn sprouted from his head. The glow faded and with it the paralysis. With his revised energy the newly evolved Articolt neatly dodged the tackle. Before Butterfree could receive another order, Articolt stomped it into the ground. "Butterfree Return. Go Beedrill, Hyper Beam!" "Articolt, dodge and Rampage!" The fire red beam shot from the points of the bee's two hand stingers. The fleet-footed ice pokemon did just as he was directed, dodging the beam and charging beedrill. The poor bug didn't have a chance, it was pounded in to the dirt of the arena mercilessly. "Beedrill Return! Go Syther, Double Team!" Bugsy yelled. "Articolt wait for my qui, then hit it with a Blizzard!" Moon watched carefully as the syther split into three copies of itself. "The one on the right Articolt!" the Ice hose shot its attack strait and true, unfortunately Moon was wrong. "Syther, Wing Attack!" The speedy bug pokemon 'pair' shot forward. Not knowing which to dodge, jumped left and was nailed on the right. The tiered horse went down in exhaustion and pain. "Articolt Return! Go Hades, Flamethrower!" "Syther you know what to do!" with an awesome roar Hades released her volley of flames. Before the flames even touched syther, it began to spin in a sword dance. The fire bounced off harmlessly. "Good job Syther! Now Slash!" "Hades take it out with your Flame Bite!" Syther darted forward with its blades raised. Hades jumped and caught the bug by the neck. With jaws clamped around syther's neck she let loose a blast of fire that ended the match. "Syther Return." "Hades Return." "That was a good match…uhh…" "Moon, Moon Star." "Moon. I owe you the real Hive Badge, and the prize money of $2000." "Thanks Bugsy." Moon said as she put the badge and money in her bag. "I can't wait to see what else the Johto League holds."