Chapter 12

The New Gym Leader

Lavender Town-

            Agatha was sipping afternoon tea at her brother’s house when she had seen the news late in the afternoon the day before. 

            “Why didn’t he tell me as soon as he found out,” Agatha said to herself.  Not being in the loop didn’t make her very happy.  For years and years, Agatha had been the Champion of Kanto and leader of the Elite Four.  She was used to being the first to know.  “I shouldn’t have to find out from a news report.”

            She was as shocked as her brother, Mr. Fuji, as the Viridian City news reporter stood in front of the Gym.  She knew the news was true as soon as she saw the forensic team carrying an indiscernible bundle of something inside of a body bag.

            “Sources have confirmed that the newly-debuted Gym Leader of Viridian City is the one who died in what could only be described as a horrible murder.  The last known people to enter the Gym were Red and Green, rising stars from Pallet Town.  I was able to get a brief word in with Lance, who says that the two trainers are not suspects of interest, but rather witnesses.  Due to the mysterious circumstances regarding the death, conspiracy theorists are beginning to point in the direction of the so-called Phantom, the as of yet unconfirmed savior of those who escaped the Silph Building alive.  We’re also receiving reports that the giant invisible dome around Saffron City a short time ago may have been due to this mysterious Trainer’s Psychic powers.  Lance had no comment on the issue and the rest of the Elite Four hasn’t been reached yet…”

            It was there she turned off the phone and called Lance and the others on the special four-way video phone.  They all picked up immediately.

            “Is it true, Lance?  Did our Phantom do it?” she asked. 

            Lance had bags under his eyes as if he was up the entire night before.  “Yes,” he finally said.

            “Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you found out? And what were you doing there so quickly after the murder had taken place?  I thought you were home training in Blackthorn City.”

            “I got a phone call from Blue, she said she found the Rocket Boss in Viridian City.  I had to be absolutely sure of all the facts first before I let you guys know.”

            “That’s what we’re here for, Lance,” said Agatha scolding.  “We’re the Elite Four, not the Elite Lance.  So did you find the Rocket Boss, also? Why didn’t you let us know of this as soon as you heard the call?  This is two pieces of information that we need to know as soon as you know, boy.”

            “Wait,” said Lorelei, her eyes got big.  “You don’t mean… Was the Rocket Boss the Viridian Gym Leader?  That makes sense because of the connection.”

            Lance nodded slowly, and Agatha regained her composure.  She remembered the two young Trainers.  “What about the children, Red and Samuel Oak’s grandson?”

            “They’re fine, they were able to confirm that it was the Phantom who killed the Rocket Boss.  Nobody would have been able to otherwise.  All that was left of him was a skeleton and a suit.  Blue was there too, the poor girl is traumatized.”

            “At least we don’t have to worry about the Rocket Boss anymore,” Bruno chimed in.  “All we have to worry about is the Phantom.”

            “It’s a two-edged sword,” said Agatha.  “The Phantom obviously assisted us in defeating Team Rocket because he had some kind of agenda against them, not a sense of morality against them.  It could be that the existence of Team Rocket kept the Phantom in check.  It’s clear now that this mystery trainer, who we still don’t know the identity of, mind you, has incredible Psychic abilities and is willing to take a life.  What if the Phantom is really the one we should all have been worrying about the whole time?”

            The other trainers pondered Agatha’s words.  It was important to think of as many possibilities as they could. 

            Lance broke the silence.  “We know that he’s gathering Gym Badges.  He already has the badge from Fuchsia City to go along with the badge from Brock in Pewter City from back when we first discovered Team Rocket at Mt. Moon.  It’s likely he took a badge from Viridian City as well.”

            “Then we need to double security at the Gyms, and head him off,” said Agatha.  The other Elite Four members nodded in agreement.  “Bruno, you stay in Saffron City and wait with Sabrina.  Lorelei, I assume you should go to your sister, Misty, in Cerulean.  I will head to Vermillion City and Lance, you should go to Cinnabar to wait with Blaine. We can’t waste any time.”

            Bruno and Lorelei nodded and left the call, eager to inform their family and friend.  Agatha was surprised, however, that Lance still lingered on the call.

            “Is there something else?” she asked the Champion.

            Lance sighed.  “I guess now is as good a time as ever, as horrible as it sounds.  I spoke with my cousin, Claire, the Gym Leader of Blackthorn City in Johto.  She wants Blackthorn City and New Bark Town to annex to Kanto.  I figured we could entertain the thought now that Viridian City no longer has a Gym Leader-”

            He was interrupted as a grey-haired man joined the conversation. 

            “Good to see you, but I beg to differ.  Viridian City still has a Gym Leader and whatever the troubles of Johto are, they’ll have to wait.”

            Agatha was stunned to see Professor Samuel Oak join in on what should be a secure phone conversation.  “How did you get on the call? It’s an encrypted connection.”

            Professor Oak just smiled, “I created these video phones remember, Agatha?”

            Lance stuttered a “hello, Professor.”  If there was one person that the current Champion had ever respected, it was Samuel Oak, arguably one of the greatest Kanto Champions of all time. 

            “Yes, yes hello’s all around,” the Professor obviously had something of importance (to him) to say.  “I was just eavesdropping on your phone line and I figured I had to speak up when you say that Viridian has no Gym Leader.”  The Professor held up a sealed envelope, stamped with the official Viridian Gym insignia. 

            “Where did you get that?” snapped Agatha.  Everyone seemed to know everything before she did recently.  “What does it say, I know you had to open and read it the first chance you got.”

            “Slow down.  Blue gave it to me unopened,” calmed Oak.  Lance was still respectfully silent.  “It’s an official right of appointment that was verified and approved by the other Gym Leaders before this man returned to his Gym in Viridian.  I phoned Blaine, my old friend, and he said that it was one of the main reasons that it took so long to get the Viridian Gym opened again.  Blaine said the other Gym Leaders didn’t want to have another long wait and selection process, so they gave the Gym Leader, who we now know was the Rocket Leader, autonomy to designate a successor in the event that the Gym was suddenly vacated.”

            Agatha was growing impatient.  “Well, get on with it, old man.  Who is it?” 

            “The girl, Blue… his daughter.”

            The information hit Agatha like a charging Rhyhorn.  Did the girl know the whole time we were fighting Team Rocket? No, she mustn’t have…

            “Anyways, I thought this would make things much easier and free up your time to focus on catching the Phantom.  Red and Green have come home with me to Pallet Town to prepare for the upcoming tournament.  Blue and I read this letter and she’s weighing her options in Viridian City with her mother.  Otherwise, I’m sorry, Lance, but your cousin and family must wait for another opportunity to annex to Kanto.  You two better remember to prepare for the tournament or these two kids will have their way with you,” he smiled as the Professor’s screen went dark.

            Lance was visibly disappointed. 

            “I’m sorry, Lance,” said Agatha softly.  She could tell how much he would have loved to see his home city and people as part of the place he now called home.

            “It’s nothing,” Lance said with a little chuckle that hid his disappointment.  “Claire’s not going to like being upstaged by a teenager, though.”

Viridian City-

            She sat on the grass with Nidorina in a secluded park that was a short distance from her house. 

            “I can’t go back there, girl,” she said as the scratched her pale blue Pokémon behind her ear.  “I can’t be there again. If I go back, I’ll remember what happened…” She sniffled and the tears were coming back again.  “I’ll know that he’s gone forever now.” 

Nidorina nudged her consolingly as if to say “you still have me.”

            Blue laughed as Nidorina jumped up and playfully knocked her to the ground.  Even in the worst of times, Nidorina was able to cheer her up if only for a second.  She realized her bag tipped over and spilled some of its contents. 

            The Master Ball was laying in the grass a few inches away and Blue’s mood changed from sad to angry.  This was the thing that had killed her father, the thing that had toppled the first domino, the idea of power and absolute control.  It wasn’t his fault, she tried to tell herself.  It was this thing’s fault.  This thing and the Phantom.

            Every time Blue closed her eyes, she could still see the pale grey man and feel the cold grasp of death choking her.  She screamed in anger and pulled at her hair as the tears came down in another waterfall.  Nidorina backed off of her while lowering her ears. 

            “I’m going to fix this, Nidorina,” she said.  Her face was red with sadness and fury.  “You, me, and the whole team.  We’re going to capture the Phantom, no, kill the Phantom for what he did to us.  He took my father away forever.” 

            Nidorina let out a little groan of objection, but Blue wouldn’t listen. 

             She reached for the Master Ball and stood up.  “But first, I have to get rid of the root of the problem.  Aaargh!”  She threw the purple Poke-ball as hard as she could into a nearby bush in anger. 

            Blue walked over to the bush to retrieve the Master Ball.  She had thrown it in anger; she knew she couldn’t get rid of it just by tossing it into a bush-that was stupid.  It was just a demonstration so Nidorina could really see how she felt.  

            She stopped as the Master Ball rose to the top of the bush followed by a small, cute pink head. Eventually, the whole pink body floated up and out of the bush and hovered in front of her, the Master Ball resting cutely on its head.  It had a long slender pink tail, and big cat-like eyes.

            She had seen drawings and depictions of it before, but was this real? Blue heard Nidorina slowly walk up and sniff up at the strange Pokémon that had just emerged.

            “Is this a trick? Am I going crazy?” she whispered to herself.

            A high-pitched tiny voice spoke inside her head, almost like a child.  No, it’s me, Mew.  I’ve wanted to meet you for a while, and you almost hit me with this thingy, that’s not very nice.

            Blue was taken aback. It could speak human? “Why… why did you want to meet me?” she asked.

            Mew flew around her and let the Master Ball roll back off into her hand.  Because inside you are a kind hearted person and I like that.  The cute pink Pokémon hovered around and inspected Nidorina.  This one loves you, Blue. The mythical Mew looked up at her with kind eyes.  And there are others who love you too: all of your Pokémon, your mother, Red… and your father.

            She thought about Red.  Was he having a good time Training in Pallet Town? Why was Mew saying these things? It was speaking as if her father was still alive.  Blue felt a tear in her eye, again.

            “But my father is dead, gone forever.”  She had seen his bones, laying where her father was murdered. It hurt more and more every time to say it.  Wasn’t it supposed to get better as one came to accept it?

            Mew cocked its head, and seemed to smile, as if it knew some sort of secret knowledge.  Yes, those were his bones, but he lives.  He lives in you, and you know it.  The father you have always loved unconditionally is in your heart, even when he was gone all those years.

            The pink Pokémon pointed a finger at Blue and she felt herself become weightless as she floated through the air.  She saw Nidorina happily swimming above the ground.  It would almost be fun, if she wasn’t so hurt.

            You have to keep a happy heart, Blue.  Revenge is not something that ends when you find your justice.  They were upside down now.  Mew looked so happy.  Revenge doesn’t end; it’s an endless tunnel that opens another door when someone else’s door of justice is closed.  This can stop, when you stop.  Mew reached out its hand.  Promise me that it ends with you?

            “It ends with me.”

            Blue had no choice, Mew made her so happy.  She shook the pink Pokemon’s hand and in an instant, she was back on the ground with Nidorina, Master Ball, and the little moon stone that she had received from Lance at Mt. Moon.  It must have spilled from her bag like the Master Ball.   

            “It ends with me,” she told her partner.  She put the Master Ball back inside the purse.  She didn’t want it anymore, after seeing what it did to her father. 

She said the words that revenge ended with her while she was with Mew.  In the back of her mind, however, she didn’t know what would happen should she see the Phantom again. 

She smiled at Nidorina.  “Let’s go back to the Gym, then.  I have a job to do after all.”  Suddenly she remembered what Janine had told her back in Fuchsia City.  “And if I remember correctly, Gym Leaders can participate in the Kanto League Championships.”

            Nidorina smiled and went to give the Moon Stone back to Blue when she started glowing.  Her partner stood up on its hind legs and grew to four-feet tall.  It now had kind motherly eyes and a thick tail.  Of course, she thought.  The Moon Stone is known to make certain species of Pokémon evolve.

            Instinctively, she read from her Pokedex and smiled when she read the species name: “Nidoqueen.”

Celadon City-

            It was unexpected that night, as Erika was tending to the plants in her green-house Gym.  Yet, someday she knew she should have expected the deep voice in her head.

            I want the badge.  It said.  I have to compete in the tournament.  Erika turned to see the same tall man robed in grey.  A bandana covered his entire face save for his hauntingly blue eyes. 

            Instinctively, Tangela emerged from a tree nearby.  The Phantom already had a Poke-ball in his gloved hand.  There was a glimmer of light from the forearm of the long leather glove as well.  Was it the sheen of other Gym Badges?  She tried to count them.

            One… two… three… four? She counted in her head, but the Phantom must have noticed this and called out the Pokémon from the Poke-ball instead, distracting Erika from the shape of the badges. 

            The Phantom’s Pokémon was brown with a wide, flat head, a skinny body, and long sword-like claws for arms, not unlike the rare Scyther species.  However, it was different.  Erika searched her knowledge to remember the Pokémon that was revived from a fossil- the once extinct Kabutops.

            No games, let’s begin. The Phantom said telepathically as Kabutops rushed for Tangela.