Pokemon: Trouble in Celadon

By Troy Roberts
troberts@datasys.net

Chapter 1

It was a freezing cold morning. The sun had not yet come up, but for Inferno, now was the perfect time to get out. He took his morning jog every morning before the sun came up, and began to get warm. Today was an ordianary day for him, as usual. He woke up, got dressed in his jogging outfit, and strapped on his belt. He had only brough 2 Pokemon with him this morning, instead of his usual 4. He didn't know why, but he just decided to bring 2.

After running for about 15 minutes, he stopped to rest in his usual spot. The dark, shady tree he rested on was about 20 years older than he was, and it had been his favorite spot to go to think. It had been 10 years since he had started his Pokemon journey, and after becoming master, all he had done was have battle after battle. He leaned his head back against the cool bark of the tree, and began thinking.

He snapped his eyes open when he heard a tree limb snap. He listened carefully for any type of sound behind him. He heard it again, once again behind him, so he jumped from his resting place and into an attack position, with hand on one of his Poke-balls.

Fortunately, it was only one of his friends, Auroras. Inferno felt himself relaxing again, and sat back down on the rock in front of the tree. Auroras came and sat beside him.

" Did I scare you, man," Auroras asked.

" Just a bit," Inferno replied. " I was about to throw Pidgeot out to get you."

Auroras smiled. Auroras was a tall, young man, only a year older than Inferno. His light brown hair moved as the wind blew. " I was going to try to sneak up on you," Auroras said. " Stupid branch got in the way, though."

Inferno looked over at the small, tree branch that laid on the ground. " Luckily for you, it did. You would have received a beating," Inferno said. Inferno punched Auroras light-heartily in the arm.

" Yeah, yeah, whatever," Auroras replied. " You want to go grab a bite to eat before everyone gets up?"

" Sure," Inferno answered. " Whats open?"

" We'll find out," Auroras replied. " Lets go."

* * *

Inferno and Auroras walked out of the Caterpie Restaurant, as it was called. They were both greeted by visitors who wanted pictures, autographs, and things like that. It's not everyday you get to meet Pokemon masters. Kids, Inferno thought. Want to be just like us. It's a hard life.

Inferno and Auroras finally broke away from the crowd of people and into Inferno's house. Auroras went and sat down on the couch, while Inferno went to the refridgerator to get a drink.

" What do you want, man," Inferno asked.

" Anything," Auroras replied, while turning on the TV.

Inferno threw him a drink, and went and jumped onto the couch beside him. Right after he sat down, the phone rang.

" Ugh, no rest for the weary," Inferno said. Auroras began to laugh. Inferno went over and picked up the phone, and turned on the viewscreen.

" Yeah, the residence of Inferno, Pokemon Master, and Ruler of the World," Inferno said jokingly. The man on the other side of the phone didn't sound or look serious, though. " Oh, Professor Oak, my apologies. What do you need," Inferno asked.

" I need you to come to Pallet Town as soon as possible; like now," the aged professor said. Inferno breathed heavily, and finally told him he'd be there in a day or two.

After getting off of the phone with him, Auroras stood up. " I'm going with you," he said.

" You don't have to man," Inferno replied shaking his head.

" It'll be like old times," Auroras replied. He let a sly smile creep over his face.

" Okay, go home and get packed, and we'll take my car to Pallet," Inferno said. Once Auroras left, Inferno went into his room to get his things together.

* * *

Half-an-hour later, they were in Inferno's car and going towards Pallet Town. Pallet Town was a good 18 hours away. And that 18 hours will feel like eternity, Inferno thought. About 7 hours into the trip, they stopped to get gas. Auroras looked over at Inferno.

" Forgot to refill before we left," Inferno said. Auroras gave him that weird "You're an idiot" look, and reclined his seat.

Inferno got out, and proceeded to get gas. After he began filling his tank with gas, he looked inside the store. From his point of view, it looked like 3 people inside with masks on robbing the store. He could see Pokemon on their belts. He walked to the other side of the car where Auroras was at. He bent down, and whispered to him.

" Looks like we've got a robbery inside the store," Inferno said. " Pokemon trainers. Time to get the dust off of our Poke-balls."

Auroras proceeded to get out of the car. Both Inferno and Auroras stood in front of the store, between the store and the robber's get-a-way car. The robbers saw them, and ran outside.

" What do you idiots think you're doing," one of them said.

" About to make you guys be in some pain if you don't go back inside and give the nice man his money back," Auroras said, all the while smiling.

The robbers looked at each other. Inferno could hear them whispering about the identities of the 2 heroic men.

" Ah, Inferno and Auroras. Your names are well known through the land," the tallest one said. " It'll be fun beating legends." He reached behind his waist, pulled out a Poke ball, and threw it. " Golbat, go!"

The giant bat came out and stood before Auroras and Inferno. Two other Pokemon, a Geodude and a Venonat came appeared at his sides. Auroras looked at Inferno, and Inferno returned the look.

Inferno reached to his belt, grabbed a Poke ball, and threw it. " Pidgeot, I choose you!" The Poke ball hit the ground, and the graceful bird flew to the air.

Auroras also had a Poke ball in his hand, and threw it once Pidgeot was in the air. " Venusaur, go," Auroras yelled. The Poke ball landed on the ground and the big plant Pokemon was out in the open, with Pidgeot hovering right above him.

" Venuasur, vine whip the bag of money away from them," Auroras called. Venusaur's vines appeared, and slapped the money bad from the tall guy's hands. " They're all yours," Auroras told Inferno.

" Okay, Pidgeot, gust attack," Inferno told his Pokemon. Pidgeot blew all of the robber's Pokemon into the wall on the other part of the store, and then proceeded to beat the Pokemon with Wing Attack. The Pokemon were all beaten down, and could go no longer. Venusaur used Vine Whip again, and wrapped up the robbers. The cops pulled up about 5 minutes later.

" They're all yours, officers," Inferno said. Inferno walked back over to his car, finished filling his car with gas, and Auroras got back in the car, reclined his seat, and went to sleep.

* * *

About 11 hours later, they finally arrived in Pallet Town. After parking his car in front of Professor Oak's house, Auroras and him proceeded to the door. Inferno was about to knock, but the door swung open. Inferno stepped in, and walked to Professor Oak's chambers. Professor Oak was sitting in his chair, behind his desk.

" Ah, Inferno, glad you made it up here safely," the old man said. " Any trouble getting up here?"

" Nothing we couldn't handle," Inferno replied. " I'm sure you remember Auroras, Professor."

" I do," Oak replied. " Nice to see you again, Auroras. Life treating you well?"

" Good as it can be," Auroras replied, leaning against the entrance-way.

Professor Oak proceeded to tell them about his problem he had. A terrorist group, much like Team Rocket, had invaded Saffron City. Many people had tried to get in, but most of them were either captured or killed. The terrorists had staked out every place to the entrance of the city, and there was no possible way in. He had already sent Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum, the person everyone looked up to, to Celadon City to do what he could until help arrived. Inferno was going to be that help. And since Auroras tagged along with him, he would have even more help.

" So, you want us to go help him out," Auroras asked. " All the people sent over there have either been killed or captured, and you want to send the best?"

" Thats about right," Oak said.

Auroras smiled. " Sounds good to me."

" I'm in, too," Inferno answered. " We'll go to Celadon as soon as we leave here."

Inferno and Auroras said their goodbyes to Proffesor Oak, and left to go to Celadon City.

Chapter 2

Inferno was standing in front of his car, while steam spilled out from under the hood. " Great, this is just great," Inferno muttered to himself. They left Pallet Town over 6 hours ago, and were nowhere near their destination, or any city at all. Auroras finally decided to get out of the car, and see what the problem was.

" We screwed," Auroras asked.

" Looks like it," Inferno replied. " This is just great. It's in the middle of the morning, it's cold, and we're broke down on the side of the road." Inferno looked down the road, and saw a van coming. " Ah, the great Pokemon masters saved by a lowly person," Inferno said mockingly to Auroras.

The van pulled off to the side of the road, and the driver got out. He walked to the car. " You boys having car trouble," he asked.

" Nope," Auroras answered. " We just let our car spew steam out of itself on a regular basis, especially in the middle of the morning."

Inferno looked at Auroras, and then back at the man. " Sorry, we're just kind of tired," Inferno told the man. The man gave a half smile, and walked back to his van. He opened the side door and opened it. Four men jumped out from it.

" The heck," Auroras said grabbing hold of his first Poke ball. Inferno likewise grabbed hold of his first one, and was ready to throw if needed.

The man pointed at Inferno and Auroras, and the men began advancing upon them. Auroras, not taking any time, threw his Poke ball. A split second later, a Blastoise was standing before them. Inferno threw his Poke ball also, and the next second a Charizard stood beside Auroras' Blastoise.

" Pyre," Inferno called, " Flamethrower attack, now!" The Charizard blew fire from his mouth, burning 2 of the men to a crisp.

Auroras, likewise, commanded his Blastoise. " Aquarious, Hydro Pump, now!" The Blastoise proceeded to shoot water from the cannons mounted upon his back, and the water pressure threw the other 2 men back miles.

Pyre advanced to the driver of the vehicle, and picked him up with one hand. He brought him back over to where Inferno and Auroras stood.

" Now, what was all that about," Inferno asked the man. Before he could get an answer, a giant plane flew over head. Men began parachuting out.

" This is not good," Auroras said while looking up at the mass of men falling from the sky. " Should we run?"

" That would probably be the best idea," Inferno replied. " Pyre, return!" Auroras called his Blastoise back, too. They re-attached their Poke balls to their belts, and started to sprint into the woods. Inferno and Auroras ran threw the forest as fast as they could. Each of them could hear people running behind them, so they began running even faster. They could see a clearing up ahead, which was a good thing and a bad thing. They would be out in the open, and they could be seen easier, but, on the other hand, they could run faster.

They reached the opening, and stepped out into the giant field. Inferno reached onto his belt, and grabbed his Poke ball containing Raichu. He threw it to the ground, and grabbed the Poke ball after Raichu was out. " Raichu, use your thunderbolt," Inferno yelled. Raichu began sparking from his cheeks, and let loose with electricity as soon as he saw some of the guys following them. He called Raichu back as soon as his attack was finished, and re-attached him to his belt. Inferno and Auroras finally came upon a river. The only choice they had was to jump in.

Inferno held his breath, and jumped in, with Auroras right behind him. The swam down stream as long as they could without having to come up for air, and finally came up on the riverbank. Inferno crawled onto the bank. He picked himself up, and looked around. No sign of Auroras. Oh no, Inferno thought. I wonder if they got him.

Inferno walked around and did not see Auroras, or any footsteps from the river. He looked around for a few minutes, than just finally decided he might should keep going before those guys catch up with him. He began running into the woods again, and started thinking about the guys after him. What did they want with him? Why were they after him? What had he done? Maybe all Pokemon masters have bounties on their heads. He didn't know. All he knew was he needed to find his friend, and stay alive.

Inferno finally found a city. He read the sign going into it, and it read " Lavender Town." Well, at least he wasn't too far from Celadon City. He didn't care to much about being in ghost town, but it could be worse. He walked into the city, and began looking around for the Pokemon center. He spotted it, not to far away. He walked to the Pokemon Center, and then proceeded inside. Once inside, he found Nurse Joy at the counter.

" Inferno, it's good to see you again," Joy commented. " What can I do for you?"

" Not much," Inferno answered. " You can heal my Pokemon while I'm here." Inferno handed Nurse Joy his Pokemon, and went over to one of the vending machines. He inserted the correct change, and received some kind of new soft drink.

He went and sat on the couch in the Pokemon Center, grabbed the remote for the TV, and then turned it on. The news was on. The newscaster began talking about the situation in Celadon City. Well, maybe this will give me some information on what I'm going to be up against.

The newsman said that Celadon was still under siege from unknown terrorists. Not a person has been able to get anywhere near the city gates. Inferno heard the ring that his Pokemon were all healed, so he turned off the TV, got up and went over to the counter.

" That didn't take long," Inferno said.

" Well, your Pokemon weren't really injured," Joy said. " Some of them were just a little tired."

He attached each one of the Poke balls to his belt, told Nurse Joy goodbye, and walked out of the Pokemon Center.

* * *

Inferno turned around to take one last look at Lavender Town before he was over the final hill. The city had not changed much over the years, but to him, it had seemed like an eternity since he was last there. He turned around and started walking towards the next city, which would be Celadon. The walk would take maybe about 2 days, so he would have to take breaks in between walks. He bought a few things from the Pokemon Mart before he departed from Lavender Town; a sleeping bad, some food rations, among other things. He also bought a few potions for his Pokemon, just in case he ran into any trouble.

While he was walking, he began to think about what he would do once he got to Celadon. How would he attempt to get in? Would he send one of his bird Pokemon out to scout the area? He didn't know. He'd have to think about those things once he got there.

Chapter 3

Inferno arrived at the outskirts of Celadon City 2 days later. During those 2 days, he had developed a plan to get in. He remembered the wall around the back of Celadon, and hoped that Pyre could burn through it without causing too much comotion. He had still not heard a word from Auroras, which he took as a bad sign. He had no idea where he was, or if he was even alive. But, if he had managed to escape those guys chasing after them, he would know to go to Celadon. Maybe he'll be waiting for me there, Inferno thought. He walked over a tall hill, and could see the big city of Celadon. It looked a bit run down, maybe because it had been under siege for the last week.

Just then an idea popped in his head. He could wait until night, and allow Raichu to cause a black out. That would work, Inferno thought. Another hour and it would be dark. Inferno sat down, and waited.

* * *

Inferno had waited 2 hours, just in case it wasn't yet dark enough. He called upon Raichu, and sent him to one of the other walls. Once Raichu was there, he let loose with electricity. The bolts of lightning were enough to black out the whole city. Inferno then called upon Pidgeot, who grasped onto his shoulders, and carried him over the wall of Celadon. Once inside the walls, he sent Pidgeot to go and get Raichu. He brought Raichu back to where Inferno was crouching. Raichu looked drained from his last thunderbolt. He recalled both of his Pokemon to their Poke balls, and proceeded to sneak around the city. He couldn't go to the Pokemon Center; it would be too obvious. He stopped in between 2 houses when he saw terrorist people running by. Whoa, that was too close, Inferno thought. He waited until the guards were clear from where he was, and sprinted across the street. He decided the best thing to do was find a house. The first one he came to, the door was locked. He took that as a good sign.

He opened a window, and crawled in. Inside, he found a man holding a gun right at his chest. The man was older, late 50's, Inferno thought, and his wife looked about the same. Younger kids were by the mother. Grandchildren, Inferno thought.

" I can explain," Inferno said.

" You better get out of my house," the man said.

" Wait, grampy," one of the younger kids said. " This is Inferno. He's a Pokemon Master. See this magazine article about him?" The kid showed the article, complete with pictures, to the grandfather.

" What are you doing here, son," the older man asked.

" I'm here to try to save Celadon, sir," Inferno replied. " The power outage was the only way I could get in."

" Well, if you're trying to save the city, you're welcome to stay here," the man said. " You don't need to be showing your face around here. The name's Thomas. Thomas Kamer."

" Nice to meet you Thomas," Inferno said while sticking his hand out for a handshake. " I need to get one of my Pokemon to the Pokemon Center. Is it open?"

" Nope. The terrorists closed it down once they got here," Thomas said. " They've killed everyone's Pokemon, and forbid anyone having anything to do with Pokemon. Are all of yours okay?"

" They're all fine," Inferno answered. " My Raichu is kind of drained from using his electricity to cause the black out, though. That's why I needed to get to a Pokemon Center."

" Sorry son," Thomas replied. " I wish we could help." Just then, Thomas looked out the window. " Uh oh. It looks like they're starting up one of their searches."

" Great," Inferno replied. " What are they for?"

" Pokemon," Thomas said. " When something suspicious happens, they begin inspecting all of the houses. You may want to hide, son."

" Well, how well do they search," Inferno asked Thomas.

" Thorougly," Thomas replied.

" Well, there's no way to get out of the house without them seeing me," Inferno said. " And there's no use in hiding. I wanted to make a plan before the fighting started, but it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. The only thing to do is get it over with."

Inferno walked in front of the door, and waited for the knock. It came in only a few moments, and he opened it, with Poke ball in hand. The men outside the door were shocked when the door swung open.

" Pyre, I choose you," Inferno yelled as he threw the Poke ball. Pyre shot out of it, and roared. The men looked frightened. " Pyre, flamethrower!"

Pyre blew his fire directly towards the entranceway, and the men were consumed in flames. Well, thats going to attract a lot of attention, Inferno thought. Pyre walked outside on the porch of the house, and roared again. He may need some help. Inferno reached down and grabbed 2 Poke balls. " Dragonite, Moltres, go!" Dragonite and Moltres came out of their Poke balls. Dragonite stood beside his longtime friend, Pyre, while Moltres hovered over both of them. Inferno could see that the cavalry for the terrorists had arrived. " Pyre, flamethrower; Dragonite, Dragon Rage; Moltres; Fire spin, now!"

Fire came from the three Pokemon, and almost everyone in front of the 3 Pokemon were consumed. Moltres shot up into the sky, and rained fire upon the unsuspecting terrorists. Pyre and Dragonite went on a tear through the city, but not harming anything civilian.

" Venomoth, Pidgeot, Go," Inferno yelled. Pidgeot and Venomoth took to the air, and flew beside the legendary bird of fire, Moltres. I'll save Raichu until I really need him. He's wasted, Inferno thought. Pidgeot began blowing bad guys into walls, while Venomoth began using Sleep Powder on all the terrorists. Then the heavy artillery came in. Small tanks, rocket launchers, and other things. Oh, man, this doesn't look good.

The terrorists began firing at the 5 Pokemon. Pyre took a couple of hits from smaller guns, before melting everything into slag. Then, Venomoth took a shot. Not from a gun, but from a rocket launcher. After the smoke cleared, there was nothing left.

" Venomoth," Inferno yelled. I can't let it get to me, he thought. There's time for mourning later. I have to worry about the job on hand. The guns began leveling all of the Pokemon. Before long, there weren't many left standing. None of them were dead, except for Venomoth, but a few were seriously wounded. The troops began advancing on Inferno. Here it comes.......

Just then, a giant stream of water came out of no where. Some of the troops were caught up in it, and thrown into walls. Inferno looked to his right, where the water had came from. There stood a Blastoise. Before he could think anything, a Zapdos and an Articuno flew from behind the Blastoise and into the fight. Inferno knew who it was then.....

" Inferno, are you okay, man," Auroras yelled to his friend.

" Yeah, a lot better than most of my Pokemon," he yelled back. Pyre had once again gotten to his feet, so had Dragonite. Pidgeot and Moltres joined up with Zapdos and Articuno overhead to rain destruction upon the earth.

" Venusaur, Magmar, Mewtwo, go," Auroras yelled while throwing all 3 Poke balls. All 3 Pokemon appeared before him, and jumped into the battle.

I guess it's time to use Raichu, Inferno thought. " Raichu, go!" Raichu came out of Poke ball, but no matter how tired he was, jumped right into the battle.

" Do you mind," Inferno asked to Auroras.

" Not at all," Auroras replied after shoting something to his Blastoise, Aquarious.

" Okay, Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, Pidgeot, beat some tail," Inferno yelled. Moltres rained fire down upon the small tankes, while Articuno froze the others. Zapdos flew around electrocuting people, and Pidgeot blew sand in their faces to keep them from seeing.

" Venusaur, Razor Leaf, now," Auroras yelled to his ground Pokemon. Venusaur complied with the orders, and began using his attack. The terrorists were cut down by the leaves from Venusaur. " Good job, Venusaur."

Almost before Auroras could get that out of his mouth, Venusaur was hit by a rocket. Venusaur was thrown into the air, and hit again. His body hit the ground hard.

" Venusaur!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Auroras could almost not believe his eyes. There was no point in trying to call him back. He was already gone.

The Pokemon were beginning to get hit hard. Pyre and Aquarious had both been hurt badly, while the birds still had kept their distance from any kind of harm. Magmar and Dragonite had also been rocked. Most of the Pokemon were now on the ground in pain.

" Raichu," Inferno yelled. Raichu ran up to where Inferno was standing. " You're the only Pokemon left standing on the ground. The bird Pokemon can't do this by themselves. It's up to you. Give it your best Thunderbolt, more powerful than the one to blackout the city." Raichu looked at him, and shook his head. Inferno patted him on the head for good luck, and Raichu ran to the middle of the battlefield. Once he got there, he started building up electricity. Within seconds, he was glowing.

" Pyre, get all of the other Pokemon off of the battlefield, hurry. Pidgeot, get the birds up as high as you 4 can fly. Now, Raichu, thunderbolt," Inferno yelled. The last thing Inferno heard before the light was everywhere was "Rrrraaaaaaiiiiiiicccccccccccchhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!"

Inferno was propelled backwards into the stone wall. He could not feel much of anything in his body, much lease attempt to move. He could feel blood trickling down the back of his head. He opened his eyes, and saw all of the terrorists on the ground. The other Pokemon were far enough away from the middle of the battlefield not to be hurt, and they were all very slowly getting up. The birds were high enough not to be affected, and now were coming down for a landing. He looked to the point where Raichu was standing, but he was not there. Auroras came running over to where Inferno was sitting with his back against a wall, also with blood running from his arms and forehead.

" Are you okay," Auroras asked. " You flew almost as well as your Pidgeot for a minute."

" Yeah, I'm okay," Inferno answered. " Where's Raichu?"

" Um," Auroras responded. He paused for a minute before going on. " He didn't make it. The blast was too much for his body to handle." Auroras looked to the ground.

Inferno sat there without saying a word. He thought back to all the times he had spent with his Raichu, even before he evolved, and was a Pikachu. That was his second Pokemon he ever caught, right behind Pidgeot, who was the first. Pyre was a gift, but he did not catch him. Inferno finally mustered up enough strength to pick himself up off the ground and to his feet. Pyre, bloody and wounded, walked over to where his master was. The remaining 9 Pokemon stood around their masters.

Inferno winced in pain. " You all....did good......today," Inferno said. He looked around at the houses. Only a few were caught up in the blast, and their owners stood looking at their ruined houses. Inferno had gotten the battle far enough away from a lot of the houses, but a few were still close. I hope everyones okay, he thought to himself. He hobbled over towards Pyre and Dragonite, and they helped him walk towards Thomas' ruined house.

" I'm..really sorry about this," Inferno told Thomas.

" It's no problem. We have insurance," Thomas replied. " Why don't you, your friend, and all of your Pokemon come to the Pokemon Center."

" What," Inferno asked. " I thought it was closed."

" No more terrorists," the older man said. " We can do what we please. It's now re-opened, thanks to you two."

Chapter 4

Infeno walked into the Pokemon Cemetary. It had been 2 days since the giant Celadon City battle, and he had given him and his Pokemon time to rest. Auroras stayed with him until he fully recovered, partially because he and his Pokemon were injured too. During the 2 days at the Pokemon Center, they had the funerals of Raichu, Venusaur, and Venomoth. All 3 Pokemon had served their masters well, giving their lives in battle, the most honorous way to die. Inferno had taken the deaths personally. "Maybe if I had been a better trainer," he said. Auroras layed a hand on his shoulder.

" There was nothing you could do," Auroras said. " We both trained our Pokemon to the best of their ability. They fought their hearts out, and gave it everything they had. They were willing to die for us both, and they showed us that."

Inferno watched as the 3 Pokemon were buried in the Celadon City Pokemon Cemetary. They were buried at the front of the cemetary; which was where brave Pokemon were buried at. Also, for the people who had the most money, but since Inferno and Auroras were both Pokemon Masters, and saved the city, they got to pick where they wanted them buried.

" Did you ever find out why we were attacked on the road that time," Auroras whispered to Inferno.

" Yeah," Inferno replied. " Somehow they knew we were coming, and they sent some friends for us to play with."

Once the funeral was over, Inferno and Auroras walked out of the cemetary. Inferno held his head low, and Auroras did the same. Some kid ran up to Inferno.

" Sir, I want you to have this," the kid said. " It may not be the same, but it'll help you." Inferno took the Poke ball from the kid, and opened it up. In a flash, on the ground stood a Pikachu. " I can't take this," Inferno said.

" Yes you can." The child smiled. " You saved my house, and my life. The least you can do it take this." Inferno called the Pokemon back into the ball, and attached it to his belt. " Thanks, kid," Inferno said.

Inferno and Auroras walked to the gate of Celadon City, turned around and waved good bye to the crowd following them. Their journey was complete, and would be one they would remember for the rest of their lives....