Pokémon: Storming Heaven's Gates

[Dark Sage]

I’d rarely ever compare myself to Ash Ketchum. He did a lot in his time.

Although some would have called him clueless and dimwitted, some higher power must have been smiling upon him, because he always stood at the epicenter of great conflicts and made a difference in them. I’m having a hard time making a difference in the one I’m in the middle of.

In fact, Ash would have no problem with a Junior Match. I simply can’t do it.

In order to do so, I have to call upon one trait that I do have in common with him, the fact that I have allies who trust me.

I have to trust them too… Mandy’s life depends on it.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE



Minor League

It was seven PM in Blueberry Cove, at the Pokémon Center. Starbuck sat at a table in the main room, next to Blaziken, and both of them were sulking. Four empty glasses that once held milkshakes were in front of them. Lisa and Shadow looked at them with worry.

Shadow was the first one to speak up.

“So what’s the big deal?” she said. “So you have to win a Junior Match? Why the big panic?”

“Because I can’t, that’s why!” replied Starbuck.

“Come on, champ!” said Shadow. “Your Pokémon are tough… Even if Jessica brings in a specialist, you can do this.”

“You’re damn right, my Pokémon are tough,” said Starbuck.

He sighed.

“That’s kinda the problem.”

“Huh?” said Shadow.

“What he means,” said Blaziken, ““is that he can’t battle in a Junior Match at all. He needs three Pokémon that are in their first evolutionary stage. And he’s trained his Pokémon too well… They’re all simply too powerful.”

“That may have been Jessica’s plan all along,” said Lisa. “Starbuck’s only recourse may be to go out and catch some young Pokémon. With three young Pokémon that he’s never used before against those of a specialist, he’s sure to lose.

“She’s playing dirty.”

“I wish I knew how Ketchum did it,” sighed Starbuck. “Two of his most powerful never evolved at all.”

He lifted up a pokeball.

“The only Pokémon I have that qualifies is this guy.”

The ball opened, and the Skorupi that he had caught in the Macintosh Forest leapt out.

“Unfortunately, I need three.”

He sighed again.

“Hold on…” said Shadow.

She rushed over to the Pokémon transfer machine.

“Shadow to the rescue!”

“Going to swap Pokémon?” asked Lisa.

“That’s right,” said Shadow. “I’ve got just the guy who can be a game-changer in the minor leagues…”

The Pokeball she had placed on the machine vanished, and a new one appeared.

“Take my Shuppet, Starbuck,” she said.

She handed him the Pokeball.

“I just started training it… It knows Shadow Ball, Psychic, and Night Shade… It’s not the toughest Ghost, but it will do.”

Starbuck was speechless. He slowly took the Pokeball.

“And here’s three,” said Lisa, handing him another. “Take Munchlax. It is rather tough, and I’ve been training it hard.”

Starbuck looked at the Skorupi and the two Pokeballs.

“People,” he said. “I think we may be able to do it…

“Mandy may just have a chance…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Jessica was not in the best of moods.

She had been trying for hours to find information on this Heaven’s Pipe. After pouring over internet databases, microfiche files, and every piece of information on Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus she had in her archives, she had found nothing.

Mandy’s parents clearly found something that frightened them, she thought, and they sent it to her hoping to rid themselves of it…

But did that mean they knew what it did?

For all I know, this may be nothing more than some toy soap bubble pipe made for a spoiled princess, and I’d hate to risk letting Mandy go over that...

Lorenzo walked in.

“Ms. Franct is here,” he said.

“Send her in,” replied Jessica.

Lorenzo motioned to someone outside the door, and a six-foot-tall, blonde-haired woman wearing an overcoat and sunglasses, her hair tied in a long ponytail that reached to her waist, walked in.

“So,” said Jessica, leaning back in her chair, “Francesca Franct, I assume… Folks tell me that you’re a specialist in the type of Pokémon battle known as the Junior Match.”

Francesca nodded.

“Abra, Rattata, Bidoof…” she said, as she sat down. “If it’s never evolved, I can train it to be a powerhouse.

“But don’t take my word for it…”

She held up a Pokeball.

“Let me show you my secret weapon…”

The Pokeball opened, and what looked like a small Bellsprout popped out.

“That’s your secret weapon?” asked Jessica, with a frown. “If Mandy goes free because that thing is a dud, I might just put you in her cell…”

“It may look unimpressive…” said Francesca, “but I take it you have Pokémon of your own…

“Go on… See how one of them fares against this one…”

Jessica glared at her. Then she grinned.

“All right…” she said with a smile. “In all fairness, since you specialize in Junior Matches…”

She took out a pokeball, and pointed it at the Bellsprout. It opened, and a Drowzee emerged.

“Let’s see how good you really are…”

* * * * * * * * * *

The night passed without sleep for Starbuck, and he just knew that Mandy wasn’t sleeping either. He got up to a dismal, overcast morning. He sighed as he looked out the window.

At around eleven-thirty, he and his two partners began to head for the quarry outside of town.

“So we aren’t even going to call Officer Jenny?” asked Shadow, as their motorcycles pulled up to the edge of the old strip mine.

“Jessica said that she’d have Palkia kill Mandy if any cops showed up,” replied Starbuck. “Most likely, Palkia will be there somewhere…

“And while I do have Dialga with me, Jessica may not stop even if she makes good her threat. Palkia has made her drunk with power, remember? We can’t have some poor cop getting killed in the crossfire.”

The looked down into the old quarry. This place had once been used to dig up granite that was made into concrete, but they stopped when they hit bedrock. Very little remained of the old strip mine other than a big hole in the ground.

Looking down, all they could see was an Abra sitting alone in the middle.

Slowly, they walked down the steep pathway down into the quarry. The Abra took notice and sat up straighter.

As they reached bottom, its eyes glowed…

“Teleport…” said Lisa. “Jessica knows how to make an entrance…”

Jessica did appear, about forty feet away from them. She was dressed all in black leather, and wearing Hunter Jay’s flash blaster on her right hand. Six Pokeballs were on her belt.

“Right on time, I see,” she said.

“Where’s Mandy?” demanded Starbuck.

Jessica pointed up, and behind her. Starbuck looked up.

Mandy was at the edge of the quarry, being held there by Kitsune. She was helpless, bound by a straitjacket and leg shackles and gagged with the same muzzle. To make things worse, Kitsune held a knife at her throat.

“Let her go!” shouted Starbuck.

“Not yet…” said Jessica. “I need some insurance just in case a bunch of cops suddenly rush in here…

“Yes, I know, I told you that I’d have Palkia do the job… But with Dialga on your team, I’d rather have Palkia with me…

“Anyway… Mandy stays there until you win here from me. No threatening moves. Battle Girls are notorious for having thick skulls, but a fifty-foot drop onto this stone floor ought to crack it.”

“And that?” asked Starbuck, pointing to the flash blaster.

“I’m not stupid,” said Jessica. “If I have to kill her, I need something else to protect me. I’m not really sure if this thing will work on Dialga, but I’d love to find out, so keep it in its Pokeball, okay?

“Now, I showed you that I had my ante, so show me yours.”

Starbuck sighed. He reached into his satchel, and pulled out the Heaven’s Pipe.

“Interesting, interesting…” said Jessica. “Any chance you can tell me just what this thing does?”

Starbuck glared at her and shoved it into the satchel.

“Don’t press your luck…” he said.

“Of course…” said Jessica, with a nervous chuckle. “I guess you are a little upset about me wrecking your jeep while you were out in the Spires…”

“AND chaining me to a rock and leaving me as a snack for a Garchomp!” shouted Shadow. “Believe me, if you didn’t have Palkia guarding you, I’d…”

“Whoa, whoa…” said Jessica. “We can fight some other time… I believe we have a battle with a wager to take care of…

“Abra…”

The Psychic’s eyes glowed again, and Francesca appeared next to Jessica. Then Jessica held up a Pokeball, and Abra retreated into it.

“Hello,” said Francesca. “My name is Francesca, and I’ll be your opponent this afternoon…”

“Do you always wear sunglasses on a cloudy day?” asked Starbuck.

“Is that always how you start a conversation?” asked Francesca. “To be honest, I battled a particular nasty Electrode some years ago, and I was winning… But before I could knock it out, it used Explosion.”

“Ouch!” said Shadow. “Been there before!”

“It took me three days to regain my vision, the burst was so violent,” continued Francesca. “But ever since then, my eyes have been incredibly sensitive to light.

“But I digress… I’m sure you want to get this match over with as soon as possible… And I’m sure Mandy does!”

She chuckled.

Shadow backed off behind Starbuck and Lisa, and took two Pokeballs off her belt as Starbuck confronted Francesca.

“Three Pokémon each,” said Starbuck, “each one in its first form, right?”

Francesca nodded, and then held up one Pokeball.

“I’ll even give you the advantage…” she said. “I’ll show you what my first Pokémon is!”

She hurled it, and the small Bellsprout emerged from the Pokeball.

Jessica smirked and crossed her arms.

Whoa, I couldn’t have asked for easier! thought Starbuck. She sends out a half-Poison… And I’ve got someone who knows Psychic!

He threw his Pokeball, and Shuppet popped out.

“Bellsprout,” said Francesca’s Pokémon.

“Wait for it…” said Francesca.

“Psychic attack!” shouted Starbuck.

Shuppet’s eyes glowed, and it shot a wave of mental energy at the sprout…

…but to his unbelieving eyes, Bellsprout didn’t even flinch. The attack didn’t seem to harm it at all.

“What?” said Starbuck. “How…”

Francesca smiled evilly.

“That won’t work on this Pokémon,” she said. “But watch what its attack does to your Ghost!”

The Bellsprout’s left leaf became shrouded in shadowy energy. It leapt as Shuppet, and the Ghost let out a scream as the dark blade slashed across it.

“What the Hell?” shouted Starbuck. “How in the world did you teach that Bellsprout Night Slash? I didn’t think that was possible!”

“Uh, Starbuck?” said Lisa. “Last I checked, it isn’t possible…”

“Maybe not all is what it seems,” said Francesca.

“Shuppet, try Night Shade!” shouted Starbuck.

Shuppet nodded, and shot a beam of ghostly energy at the sprout. It grunted a little…

“Aw, too bad…” said Francesca. “Guess the jig is up…”

As the dark energy cleared, Starbuck looked with shock…

The Bellsprout was gone. Another Pokémon was in its place. One he had never seen before.

It looked like a small fox with black fur and a tuft of hair on its head.

“Who?” said Starbuck.

“Meet my Zorua,” said Francesca.

“I’ve never heard of Zorua…” said Lisa.

“Most folks haven’t,” said Francesca. “You can only find them in Unova, and even there, they’re so rare that most trainers can go their whole lives without ever seeing one!

“You see, Zorua use illusions to hide from humans, and the rare trainer that catches one can make use of that Ability. When called to battle, Zorua uses its Illusion to disguise itself as another Pokémon on my team.

“You made the mistake that so many of my opponents do, trying to use a Psychic attack thinking that it was a Poison Pokémon. It’s Dark… It’s immune to those attacks.”

“No fair!” screamed Starbuck.

“What do you mean ‘no fair’?” said Jessica. “Zorua is a Pokémon… It’s never evolved into its second stage… It’s using nothing that any other Zorua can’t use… I don’t see how Francesca could be called a cheater.”

Zorua leapt at Shuppet again, and the Ghost screamed as the Night Slash raked across it again.

Not a cheater, thought Shadow. But she is a dirty fighter…

Her Gengar was in front of her as she was kneeling down with her back to everyone else.

“You know what to do, right?” she said.

“Gengar,” said the Ghost.

Shadow handed it a Pokeball. Gengar took it, and put it in its mouth. Then it turned incorporeal, and sank through the floor.

Meanwhile, Shuppet had given its all.

“Shuppet, return…” sighed Starbuck.

Shuppet retreated to its Pokeball.

He took another one.

Okay, Jessica… he thought. I can play dirty too…

He threw the Pokeball, and Munchlax flew out.

“Munchlax?” it said, as it looked at its opponent. Clearly, it had never seen a Zorua either.

“Seems you have a pretty rare one too,” said Francesca. “Gotta admit, that’s not bad…”

“I know, Munchlax,” said Starbuck. “I’ve never seen one of them either…

“But… If you help me win this battle, we’ll order pizza tonight.”

Munchlax’s eyes opened wide.

“Munchlax!” it shouted.

“Zorua!” screamed Zorua in fright.

Munchlax charged at Zorua and punched it hard in the chin, knocking it over.

“That’s it!” shouted Starbuck. “Keep going like that, and we’ll have chocolate sundaes for dessert too!”

“Munchlax!” exclaimed the rotund Pokémon. It socked Zorua with its right, followed by its left.

“With whipped cream!” added Starbuck.

Munchlax gave Zorua one more solid punch, and it tumbled over falling at Francesca’s feet.

“Zorua…” it said, weakly.

“Well, that’s one way to motivate a Munchlax…” said Lisa.

Francesca frowned as she recalled Zorua.

“Okay, that was a neat trick…” she said. “Well… Maybe your Munchlax would like some salad with that pizza…”

She threw another Pokeball, and it opened. A Bellsprout appeared again.

“Huh?” said Starbuck. “Don’t tell me you’re pulling the same trick again?”

“No, she isn’t,” said Lisa. “Zorua can only take the form of a Pokémon on her team, remember? This is obviously a real Bellsprout.

“And don’t underestimate it… I once read that Ketchup faced a trainer with a downright savage Bellsprout when he fought in the Indigo League. It even defeated Pikachu!”

“I read about that…” said Jessica. “The Bellsprout knew karate or something… Ketchum won the match because he used a Muk… You simply can’t defeat a Muk by punching and kicking it.”

“They’re just being pessimistic, Munchlax,” said Starbuck. “Get it!”

Munchlax charged at the small Grass…

Then Bellsprout pointed, and a Razor Leaf hit Munchlax hard. It grunted and cursed in Pokémonese.

Still, it wouldn’t give up. It grabbed Bellsprout and hurled it hard to the floor…

“Bellsprout, Grass Knot!” shouted Francesca.

Oh no! thought Starbuck. Grass Knot does more damage to heavy opponents!

“Munchlax look out!” he screamed.

“Munchlax?” said the fat Pokémon.

Then Bellsprout made a thick bludgeon with its leaf, and slugged Munchlax hard in the stomach. Munchlax was propelled backwards with a clearly audible “OOF” and fell on its face.

Meanwhile, Shadow hit a button on her cell phone.

Let’s hope Gengar can manage it? she thought.

* * * * * * * * * *

“It’s all gonna be over soon, Mandy…” said Kitsune. “Doesn’t seem like Starbuck is gonna win…”

She half-expected Mandy to grunt or growl or something, but nothing came from her gagged mouth.

“What?” asked Kitsune. “Given up yet? I suppose it’s for the best…”

She was so occupied with her hostage that she didn’t see Gengar float out of the ground behind her. It spit the Pokeball out.

“Don’t worry…” continued Kitsune. “I am an assassin… I know over a hundred ways to kill a person, and a lot of them are painless… So when Jessica gives the order…”

She was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder.

She spun around, holding Mandy, ready to threaten her with the knife. However, she found herself confronting Gengar and Breloom… And looking directly into Gengar’s eyes.

She knew what it was doing, but it was too late… Gengar stared without blinking, and its Hypnosis took ahold of her. Kitsune slumped to the ground in a slumber. As she did, Breloom rushed forward, and caught Mandy.

Quickly, it undid the muzzle.

“Who? What?” she said.

“Just say… Starbuck sent us,” said Breloom.

Mandy looked in shock at the talking Pokémon…

Then she fainted.

* * * * * * * * * *

“You only have one Pokémon left, Starbuck,” said Jessica. “Make it a good one…”

Starbuck looked at his third Pokeball. He threw it out, and Skorupi emerged.

“Oh-kay…” said Francesca, as the two small Pokémon confronted each other. “This shouldn’t be hard…

“Seed Bomb!”

“Skorupi, counter it with Pin Missile!” shouted Starbuck.

Two volleys of projectiles shot from each Pokémon… Both of them hit… Two bursts of energy erupted at each point of impact…

When the smoke cleared, Bellsprout was clearly hurt, but Skorupi seemed to be energized. It was glowing.

“Bellsprout… Use…” started Francesca.

“Oh no…”

Skorupi stated to glow with even more energy. And it started to increase in size…

Within seconds, its glowing form grew from two feet long to five feet high. Before their eyes, it was evolving.

Then, with a roar, the mighty Drapion stood to confront the Bellsprout that was now cowering in terror.

“No fair!” shouted Jessica.

“I beg to differ!” said Lisa. “The official rules of the Junior Match say that if a Pokémon evolves in the middle of the battle, it is allowed to continue the current match.”

“I hate to say this,” said Francesca, “but she’s right…

“Don’t give up, Bellsprout, you haven’t lost yet!”

Drapion’s claw crashed down, flattening the small Grass.

“It has now,” said Shadow, with a smile.

“Enough with this,” said Jessica.

She gave Francesca a shove, knocking her over and knocking her sunglasses off. She took out a Pokeball.

“I’m taking over this show,” she said.

“What about our wager?” asked Starbuck.

“I’m cancelling it!” said Jessica. “I’m not going to let Mandy go just because that weird pipe might do something important! Kitsune, dump her now!”

She paused.

“Well?” she said.

“Jess, maybe you ought to look up there,” said Shadow.

Jessica nervously turned around. She saw Mandy standing there glaring at her with a look of hate with Gengar and Breloom, and Kitsune was bound with the same straightjacket that had been holding Mandy a few minutes ago.

“I called Officer Jenny too,” said Shadow. “She’ll be here in a few minutes…”

One of Starbuck’s other Pokeballs opened, and Dusk emerged. Then Shadow pointed one of hers, and Cresselia gracefully floated out.

“YOU have Cresselia?” gasped Jessica.

She chuckled.

“Who would have ever guessed that you were a chaste and pure maiden? Seems that leaving you for that Garchomp was more appropriate than I thought!”

Abra popped out of her Pokeball.

“Grab her!” shouted Starbuck.

Drapion and Poliwrath made a rush for Jessica, but Abra was too quick. The two of them vanished.

Francesca got up, and then pulled something out of her jacket.

“A gun??” said Starbuck.

“Stay back or I’ll shoot…” she said.

“I suggest you drop it,” said Starbuck.

“And what are you going to do about it?” asked Francesca.

“Dusk?” said Starbuck. “Kinda dark today, isn’t it?”

“Umbreon,” said Dusk.

Then a Flash from it covered the whole quarry. Francesca screamed, dropped the gun, and held her eyes. Starbuck grabbed her in a choke hold just as they heard the sirens.

* * * * * * * * * *

Mandy and Jenny were discussing things as Francesca and Kitsune were being hauled away.

“Oh, I’ve got plenty to tell you,” said Mandy. “You have a witness protection program, right?”

“You think we can bag Jessica this time?” asked Starbuck, as he walked up to Jenny.

“We have more than enough evidence to raid her office building now,” replied Jenny, “but I doubt she’ll be there when we do…”

“And we still need the Sky, Earth, and Draco Plates if we want Percy’s job to meet with any success…” said Starbuck.

“Looks like you’re getting an idea!” said Shadow with a smile.

“I am,” said Starbuck. “But first, we have to go to the Pokémon Center to heal…

“Then we have to find a place that makes some really good pizza… I have a promise to keep…”



Next:

Jessica is missing, and so are most members of Rocket Reborn. Starbuck decides that it’s time to finally confront her, but to do it, Shadow needs to draw her out.

When she finds Jessica’s Pokémon researcher Dr. Douglas Dugan, a battle starts that may do so. Shadow has Cresselia on her side, but Dugan has a Pokémon that’s equally strong… What will be the outcome?

“Pokémonology” is coming soon.