Uncontained

Finally, we made it to Fuchsia City.

I nearly sprinted to the Pokemon Center. I ran there like some crazy hobo with Isaac in my arms and with the rest of my Pokemon stampeding behind me. Someone even screamed. In hindsight I probably would've been scared shitless if a nidoking and a venusaur came roaring into the building, so I guess I made more of a ruckus then I intended.

The nurse politely told me I should return my Pokemon to my pokeballs.

I was kind of exasperated and told her that wasn't going to happen.

We got sent outside.

It took days, but Isaac got a proper treatment and I got both a lecture and praise by the doctors. Lecture for letting such an injury happen, and praise for taking care of the wound so well. I thought I did a crappy job, but if I hadn't done what I'd done and Summer hadn't given him some medicine, he wouldn't have made it as long as he did. I was glad I took that first aid class sophomore year.

After all was said and done we gave Isaac a small party around Fuchsia. We wandered around a Pokemon zoo and got our pictures taken because some tourists thought we were part of the attraction (apparently, no one keeps their Pokemon outside their pokeballs). The whole town had nice, neat landscaping. We also got some supplies, including a new sleeping bag. I actually got two pocketknives in case I needed to stab someone again. Later I tried to find someone who could fix Isaac's pokeball.

There was no one that could. I ended up nearly screaming in frustration because I'd have to walk all the way to Hoenn to this big corporation that made pokeballs, and that was not going to happen. Thankfully, though, I met a vacationer that could fix pokeballs. He said his name was Kurt or something from Johto and he replaced the capsule with a big-ass nut. It worked just fine. The inner contraption was unharmed, so he could move it easily to a thing called an apricorn. Isaac thought it was something special.

Then, I challenged the gym.

On the plaque outside it had a list of trainers that had beaten Koga. It both made me pissed and sad that Malachi's name was on there. How the fuck did he get here before me? "God damn you, traitor," I said.

"Are you here to battle me?"

I jumped. All of the sudden I saw a dark-haired, Japanese man standing in front of me and I had no idea how he'd gotten there. Florence squeaked in surprise. "Y-Yeah," I said. Then I steadied my voice. "I'm here to battle. Are you Koga?"

"Yes. Follow me."

And in a flash of black, he was gone.

I was fairly certain that it was physically impossible to disappear like that, but then I found a trapdoor behind the plaque. I decided I would go through the front door. He's a ninja, Beau, Czeslaw growled. He's mastered ninjutsu. Be careful.

"It's not like I have to fight him myself," I said. But at least I had two pocketknives.

I entered the gym.

The walls were bamboo like a dojo with paper screens. The floor was made of tatami with the white lines of the gym arena. A fuzzy purple Pokemon with big compound eyes stood in the center of the room. "Summer," I called. She tread beside me and I could almost feel the power emanating from her. "I think that's your foe."

Koga materialized on the other side of the arena. "Fight as you will. I will not be easy."

Adrenaline surged through my veins. "Go, Summer!" I shouted. "Leech seed!"

Summer bellowed and seeds launched from her flower. Roots exploded from the pods and grappled around the bug. Koga didn't say a word, but then , the bug spat purple liquid at Summer's face. I had a crippling flashback of the acid on Florence with Erika.

Summer didn't so much as blink.

I felt almost paralyzed in fear. "What the fuck was that?" I demanded. Czeslaw loomed by my side. That was a spray of poison, he growled. Don't worry, though. Summer is a poison type. SHe is unaffected.

"I thought she was a grass type." Summer flung out a vine.

She's that too.

And Summer slashed the bug away.

With that, the fight was over. The fuzzy Pokemon burst through the paper wall and disappeared on the other side. It didn't reappear. "Damn, Summer!" I exclaimed.

Koga returned it silently. I realized this man showed no emotion at all and it unnerved me. He deftly pulled out another pokeball and clicked the button. To my surprise, another fuzzy bug Pokemon popped out.

"Venonat, be calm," Koga said. His voice was low.

This one was no different than the first. Another hit with a vine should do it. "Summer, you've got this!" I yelled. Florence cheered. Then Summer whipped a vine forward. It struck the venonat with a crack just like the first.

This venonat was stronger though. The vine knocked it flat on its back, but the bug leaped back to its feet. Before I could do anything, the Pokemon's eyes flashed and Summer's vine slapped against her face. I didn't even see the venonat move. "Summer, you okay?" I called.

Summer didn't get a chance to reply. The bug's fur stood at an end and its eyes lit up like light bulbs. Summer's massive body lurched back as if it was struck. Again, the bug didn't even move. Was it moving so fast I couldn't see, or was something else happening? "Summer, hit it!" I shouted.

Summer recoiled again and her head snapped to one side. A large purple bruise expanded along her cheek. Then it hit me. Was the venonat hitting it with its mind?

With a mighty slap Summer lashed a vine at it. It bashed the venonat to the ground and the light cut out from its eyes. It didn't move.

"Shit, come back, Summer," I gasped.

Summer shakily tread back and Czeslaw put a paw on her shoulder. Koga returned his fainted venonat. Are you okay? Czeslaw rumbled.

I could be better. That was some sort of psychic attack. She squeezed her eyes shut. My brain feels swollen.

Koga suddenly had a pokeball in his hand. I was prepared for something huge, like a giant, poisonous, mind-controlling Pokemon out of my worst nightmare. I already mentally prepared Czeslaw to go toe-to-toe with it. But I was severely wrong.

With an explosion of light from the pokeball, it was another fucking venonat.

Uriah stormed forward. I'll take care of this. I didn't even oppose.

The chrameleon threw his head forward and flames launched from his mouth. The venonat swerved and escaped with only a small burnt patch, and then flung itself at him. Uriah thrust his arms forward and met the bug as it crashed into him. Uriah turned on his heel, used the venonat's momentum against it, and smashed it into the tatami floor. Then the venonat's eyes flashed.

"Uriah!" I shouted, but then light burst into the arena.

Wings ripped from his back and his body flamed in white fire into something bigger. His tail lashed out, thickened, and now huge and heavily muscled, and a roar tore from his throat. Luminescent fire surged into the air and his long neck swung toward me. Through the light his eyes burned into mine. Something kindled in my soul.

Then the fire faded and revealed the dragon.

The venonat was crushed underneath his talons.

Uriah the charizard released the bug and Koga returned it. Uriah growled deeply and I felt it reverberate through my ribs. Then, for the first time, I saw Koga smile.

"I've never seen a more honorable Pokemon," he said.

Uriah let out a ravenous roar.

Koga sent out his last Pokemon, a toxic-winged, flying bug with yellow eyes. It hummed as it hovered in the air. I couldn't help but grin when Uriah turned his head to look at me. He grinned back with a razor-toothed smile.

"Go for it, Uriah!" I yelled.

And Uriah did.