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The Eroteric Odyssey: Chapter 5: The Zephyr Badge

by PokeStorm

PokeStorm Mark and Dimrill have finally made it to Violet City. Are their Pokemon strong enough to take on the Gym? What adventures lie before them? Read to find out!
The Zephyr Badge



I awoke the next morning with Shinx sleeping on my belly. I decided not to get up yet, mainly because he looked very comfortable. So i just laid there, thinking about Bella. Where was she now? Would we ever meet again? I felt the tent next to me shake as Mark came out of it. Shinx sat up and saw me staring at him. “Shiiiinx!” he cried and licked my face. “Good morning to you too, Shinx,” I said. At last we got up and were dressed within minutes.


Being in the city was great. We decided to start off the day with a nice big breakfast at Ursaring Diner, using some of the money I earned in Cherrygrove City. I enjoyed my big platter of bacon and pancakes, Mark had some eggs and bacon, and our Pokemon has some potatoes with lots of ketchup.


Before heading to the Violet City Gym, we did a little shopping. Or at least Shinx and I did. Mark went to the gym early to get his badge because he was anxious to battle the gym leader. I bought myself and Shinx matching fedoras. My blue sweater was getting a little small, so I also bought us matching black wool sweaters. When we looked in the mirror, Shinx and I looked great together.


We went to the gym to find Mark, who was waiting outside for us. “Well,” I asked. “Did you get the badge?”


He shook his head. “Apparently we have to get a Sprout Token from Sprout Tower before Falkner is willing to battle us.”


“Alright, then that’s what we’ll do. Let’s go to Sprout Tower!” I said cheerfully.


Sprout Tower was the tallest building in Violet City by a longshot. It was about 7 stories tall, and an old wooden structure. It tilted in the wind slightly. It was said that the tower tilts more when there are Pokemon battles taking place inside. Kind of hesitant, we walked inside the building.


It was a large room, filled with tourists and in the center was a large, vibrating pillar. We walked up to the sign in front of it and I read aloud. “Sprout Tower: a large pagoda, standing at 107 feet. It is held together by a giant flexible pillar that shakes from side to side. The flexibility protects the tower from earthquakes and symbolizes the battles that occur on upper floors. Legend has it that a 100-foot tall Bellsprout was used to make the swaying pillar.”


Mark and I looked at each other once I was finished reading. “Well I guess we’ll have to battle our way to the top then, right?” Mark remarked. We then headed towards the stairs. It was guarded by two monks. They crossed their staffs to block our path. We halted. The monk on our left spoke softly, “Are you here to obtain a Sprout Token?”


Nervously I confirmed with a nod. The staffs were withdrawn and we walked upstairs.


We came up into a hallway, which steered us around two corners in a ‘U’ shape. It opened up to a large room. Two monks stood in our path. “You wish to pass us?” the left one spoke. “First we must test the bonds between you and your Pokemon.” Right on cue, both monks sent out their Pokemon - Bellsprout and Hoothoot.


I turned my head to face Mark. “I’ll take care of the Hoothoot, you deal with Bellsprout,” I said to him. I pointed at the opposing Pokemon. “Go, Shinx!” Shinx leaped off my shoulder and landed in front of me, ready to battle. Mark grabbed a Pokeball of his own and released Zubat.


Both trainers were flabbergasted by the shiny Pokemon. So we took that moment to knock out their Pokemon. Shinx shot Hoothoot point blank in the face, while Zubat flew at Bellsprout and struck it with its tiny wings. Both attacks were enough to knock out both opponents.


The monks recalled their Pokemon. “You have passed our test. Head upstairs to face your final challenge.” So we walked with our Pokemon up the stairs. Shinx ran ahead, excited to see what challenge would be next.


We stopped at the top of the stairs. I trainer with long flaming red hair was talking to the elder. We overheard part of their conversation.


“You have grown much, Master Silver,” the elder said. “You can now see the world in a whole new way. Well done.”


The trainer turned around to leave and saw us. He was about 30 years old, his natural facial expression in a sort of sneer. He was dressed in a black coat and white jeans with black shoes. “Hey there trainers!” he said to us. “Are you here to battle the elder?”


“You seem familiar, but I can’t remember why…” Mark said, thinking.


“Well I should. Everyone knows my name because of some kid’s story, making me look like an asshat.”


Suddenly it dawned to me. “You’re Silver,” I said. “The ultimate rival of Ethan Gold.”


He quickly changed the subject. “How many badges do you both have?” Silver asked.


Mark and I glanced at each other. Silver exclaimed,” You mean you came here to challenge me without any badges? Where’s the challenge in that?”


Finally the elder spoke. “Move over, if you will, Master Silver? The young ones wish to challenge me.”


Silver looked back and forth between us and the elder. “I guess I’ll be on my way then.” He turned to us. “I hope our paths will cross again.” With that he brushed past us and walked down the stairs. Mark scratched his head. “What a way to be dramatic,” he said with a sigh.


We turned to the elder. “Greetings young ones. Do you wish to earn your Sprout Token?” We nodded our heads. “As Master Silver has just defeated my Pokemon, I will give you both a different challenge. You will show me the bonds between you and your Pokemon by battling… each other!”


Mark turned to me. “I guess this leaves me no choice. We’ll have to have a battle. Are you ready?”


I grabbed a Pokeball. “Let’s do this,” I confirmed. I tossed the Pokeball in front of me and sent out my Charmander. “Char!” he cried. Mark grabbed a Pokeball of his own and released Zubat out of the ball.


“Stop trainers!” the elder said frantically. “Please don’t use any fire-types. We are in a wooden tower, and we don’t want it burning down, do we?”


I sighed and recalled my Charmander. I replaced him with Eevee. “Eevaiii!” she cried.


Zubat began the battle by sending a Confuse Ray at Eevee, who attempted to use Buzzy Buzz on Zubat. Unfortunately it missed, and Eevee began to lose track of where her opponent was due to confusion. I knew Eevee wouldn’t be much good in battle while confused, so I returned Eevee and let Shinx into battle. Shinx charged at Zubat while it shot Poison Stings at Shinx. Shinx then leaped at Zubat and tackled it to the ground. While Zubat was pinned down, Shinx shot two Spark attacks straight at Zubat’s face, knocking it out. Shinx got off of Zubat, and Mark recalled Zubat. He then sent out his last Pokemon - Butterfree.


Shinx began to limp toward Butterfree. Then I realized that one of the Poison Stingers poisoned Shinx. Fortunately I had a Antidote to cure his poisoning. I motioned to mark to pause the battle. I tried to remove the stinger but Shinx yelped in pain and backed away. It was too far in for me to remove on my own. I needed to get him to a Pokemon Center to have it removed professionally. I approached Shinx again with the Antidote and sprayed some on the sting.


“This will subdue the pain for a while Shinx, until I can get you some help." I scooped him up and turned to Mark. “I have to get Shinx to the Pokemon Center. You win this battle,” I said, and I went back downstairs.


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I opened the doors to the Pokemon Center and approached the counter. Fortunately one of the nurses were available, so I placed Shinx on the counter. “May I help you sir?” she asked.


“My Shinx needs some professional assistance,” I said frantically. “He’s got a Poison sting on his left front paw and it’s so deep that I can’t get it out on my own. I sprayed some antidote to ease the pain a little until I got him here. Can you help him?”


The nurse scooped him up in her arms. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said, and took Shinx into the back. I decided to take this time to call Aunt Cassie and let her know what’s going on. I walked over to the Screen Call Booth on the right side of the room. I paid my 2 Pokedollars and dialed our house number. About ten seconds passed. Then the screen turned on, and my aunt’s face appeared on the screen.


“Hi Aunt Cassie! How are you?” I greeted.


“I’m doing alright. A little lonely, but I’ll be fine. Let’s hear about you,” she responded.


I told her about my encounter at the Cherrygrove Battle Club and the adventure at Sprout Tower. I left out my encounter with Team Moon, because I felt unsure about it.


“That sounds like a lot of fun! Where’s Shinx?” she asked.


I nervously turned around and turned back to her. “Ummmm,” I said. “He got a really bad Poison Sting, so the nurses in the Violet City Pokemon Center.”


“Wait, what?!” she exclaimed. “Is he going to be okay?”


“I think he’ll be okay. Mark is on his way back soon from Sprout Tower. We had a battle there and the Poison Sting from his Zubat went too far into Shinx’s paw. Speaking of Mark, he caught a shiny Zubat. Can you believe that?”


Just then I heard the voice call me over. “Sorry Aunt Cassie, I have to go. Love you!” And after she waved back, I pressed the red bottom on the screen to end the call. I walked over to the desk.


“You’re Shinx is feeling a lot better now. Would you like to see him?” she asked.


“Yes please!” I said excitedly.


I followed her into the back part of the Pokemon Center into a small cubicle room. Shinx lay on a raised bed, his stung paw wrapped in gauze. “How are you feeling buddy?” I asked him.


“Shinx Shiinx!” he cried happily. He tried to stand up but he yelped and laid back down.


“His paw is still infected, but we got the stinger out. Thank goodness you put some Antidote on it, or it would have been a lot worse.” The nurse said.


“How long will he have to stay?” I asked the nurse.


“If he was a large Pokemon he would have to stay overnight. Since he’s small, you can leave now with him, but he won’t be able to walk for about a day or so. So he definitely won’t be able to battle until he fully recovers.”


So I walked out of the Pokemon Center, carrying Shinx in my arms. Fortunately he wasn’t heavy, so it wasn’t an inconvenience.


Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Mark come from the west. He walked up to me and handed me a golden coin with a Bellsprout imprinted on it. “Is this a Sprout Token?” I asked. He nodded. “But I didn’t win.”


“The elder told us that the test was to battle each other so he could see the bonds we share with our Pokemon. You quit a battle to make sure your Pokemon was okay. Speaking of which, how’s Shinx?” he answered.


“The stinger is out, but he won’t be able to walk or battle for about a day or so. So he won’t battle Falkner. On the subject, do you want to take on the gym?”


“Sure, why not?” he said. So that’s what we did.


When we approached the gym, the doors slid open automatically. “Wow, automatic doors,” I said, amazed. There were no doors like that in New Bark Town.


The gym was one giant, tall battle stadium, with one person in the room. He was a tall guy, maybe in his twenties, with messy blue hair and he was napping on the recliner in the corner. Conveniently, there was a small bell dinger on the coffee table next to it. Hesitantly, I pushed the dinger, and a chime sound echoed throughout the room. The man opened his eyes, and put his feet down. He looked up at us. “Hey there trainers!” he said, now fully awake. “Are you here to challenge the Gym Leader?”


Mark and I glanced at each other. “Are you the Gym Leader?” I asked him.


He lifted his right arm and gave us a thumbs-up. “That’s me. I’m Falkner, the Master of the Wind. Do you have Sprout Tokens?” We showed him the Sprout Tokens. “Who’s first?”


Mark stepped forward. “I’ll go, if Dimrill doesn’t mind,” he said immediately.


“Not at all,” I said, and stood against the wall, still holding Shinx. Mark and Falkner walked to opposite sides of the room, both with Pokeballs in hand. Both trainers sent out their Pokemon at the same time. Falkner sent out a Spearow, and Mark sent out a new Pokemon - Mareep.


Mark had two advantages. He had a type advantage, and since Spearow was a physical attacker, all of its attacks can trigger Mareep’s ability - Static. Static may cause paralysis on contact. Spearow was smart about it though. It Growled and Leered to lower Mareep’s attack and defense, but Mareep simply used Thundershock and knocked out Spearow in one hit. Falkner returned Spearow and sent out his last Pokemon - Gligar.


Being partly a ground type, Gligar was immune to Mareep’s electric type attacks, so Mareep needed to take this down the old-school way. Mareep charged at Gligar, who charged back. When they intercepted, Mareep jumped high and slammed Gligar with its tail, causing damage. Once Mareep landed, Gligar Bulldozed Mareep with a wall of dirt, knocking it out. Mark returned his Mareep and sent out Butterfree.


Butterfree made this an easy fight, despite its type disadvantage. Butterfree spread some Stun Spore on Gligar, causing it to become paralyzed. While Gligar was immoblie, Butterfree struck Gligar with a few Confusion attacks and finished it off with a Psybeam. The battle was over.


Falkner recalled his Pokemon. “Well done, trainer,” he said to Mark. “As promised, here is the Zephyr badge. It’s one of 8 badges required to compete in the Pokemon League.” Falkner pinned a silver badge on Mark’s jacket. It had a bunch of vertical lines running down each side. Falkner turned to me. “Are you ready, new challenger?”


I looked over my shoulders. Then I realized he was addressing me. “I guess I’m ready,” I replied.


Falkner and I took opposite sides of the stadium. Both of us sent our Pokemon out together. Mine was Eevee, and Falkner’s was Wingull. I knew we had this battle in the bag. Eevee had a surprise move for Falkner.


Wingull blasted Eevee with water, who got a direct blow. Eevee became sopping wet, but that didn’t stop her. She stepped a little closer to her target to get in range. She put her right back paw behind her. As she screamed “Viiiiiiiiiii”, she summoned a blast of electricity, which was a one hit knockout against Wingull. Falkner returned his Wingull and sent out his nasty surprise - Hawlucha.


I knew of course Hawlucha was a fighting type as well as flying, so Eevee would be no good against a direct blow. However I couldn’t switch to Shinx because he was still injured. So I told Eevee to hang in there. Eevee tried the same tactic - Buzzy Buzz, but Hawlucha learned his lesson. He dived at Eevee. Eevee leaped back at it with a Quick Attack, and Hawlucha had more momentum. Hawlucha punched Eevee right into the face, knocking her out cold. “Eevee!” I cried, approaching her. Eevee made no motion, other than her normal breathing. I recalled Eevee and took out my last Pokemon. “You’ve all I got, Charmander!” I said to him and I entered him into the arena.


Charmander knew this battle was on him, so he pushed himself farther than I’ve seen before. He charged up fire as Hawlucha dived. Charmander released it straight at Hawlucha, but Hawlucha expected it. It swooped around to dodge the blast and landed in front of Charmander. This was going to be a fight on foot. Charmander and Hawlucha stood at a stance for a while, then both attacked each other. Hawlucha, being a fighting type, had an advantage in this fight, but Charmander didn’t let this stop him. He punched, scratched, kicked, and shot fireballs to stay in the fight. But it wasn’t enough. Hawlucha was one step ahead the whole time. Hawlucha finished off Charmander with a slash to the face with its wings.


I recalled Charmander. I had lost to the gym leader. Falkner sneered. “Better luck next time, champ,” he said. Shinx let out a battle cry and leaped from my arms. He winced from the landing but he stayed strong. He growled again. “Shinx, you don’t have to do this,” I said to him. “You’re hurt.” But Shinx decided to battle anyways, despite knowing that he wasn’t supposed to because of the poison.


Shinx put one paw back, like Eevee, but he didn’t use Buzzy Buzz. Instead he initiated a Shock Wave, blasting Hawlucha and paralyzing it in the process. While Hawlucha struggled to get into the air again, Shinx shot 2 Sparks at Hawlucha, hitting it both times in the face, knocking it out. Shinx had turned the battle around, causing me to win the fight.


Falkner’s eyes became wide. “But, but, how?!” he exclaimed. He sighed and recalled his Hawlucha. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver pin. He walked up to me and pinned it on my sweater. “I now present you with the Zephyr badge. It’s required to enter the Pokemon League.”


I approached Shinx and gave him a big hug. “‘Thanks Shinx. You did great out there. And I’m proud of you buddy,” I said to him. He began to smother me with kisses. Mark and Falkner laughed.


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After visiting the Pokemon Center to heal our Pokemon from the battle at the gym, Mark turned to me. “So, where to next?” he asked me.


“Well,” I said, “We could head over to Azalea Town down south. I heard there’s a gym there.”


“So what are we waiting for?” he said. “Let’s go!”


So Mark, Shinx, and I headed south on the road, traveling down Route 32, wondering what our next adventure would be...
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