Chapter 29: Dark City!
Lyra and the gang arrived in a city called Dark City. It had been a busy month for them. First, they had met a trainer named Duplica, who owned a Ditto, and Lyra ended up catching a Scyther, Growlithe, and Arbok along the way.
Next, they met a computer geek named Dr. Akihabara, who owned a Porygon.
Then, they entered a forest where a herd of Pikachu lived. Lyra and Tomo ended up catching two small female Pikachu for themselves. Lyra named her small Pikachu "Small One" because when they first met, Lyra called the little Pikachu "small one" and she liked the name.
Finally, they came to a town suffering from a drought. The problem was that the river upstream was blocked by thorns. But thanks to a hippie and his Pokémon, a Snorlax, the thorns were cleared away and the town was saved.
"I'm looking forward to a nice rest here," Misty said.
Lyra, Tomo, and Brock felt sleepy, too.
"I'm also looking forward to something to eat," Lyra said hungrily.
When they entered Dark City, it looked like a ghost town with not a soul in sight.
"Where is everybody?" Lyra asked with a frown.
"Something doesn't feel right here," Brock stated.
Just then, some stones came out of nowhere and nearly hit the group.
"What the heck?" Lyra said. Pichu and Pikachu shocked the source. The stones fell, and the gang saw three little boys. "Hey, what did you do that for?" she asked.
"Simple. We don't want Pokémon trainers here!" one of the kids shouted.
"Go away!" another shouted.
A restaurant owner saw the commotion and told the kids to leave.
"What was that all about?" Lyra asked.
"I shall explain," the owner replied.
He made lunch for the gang. "So, why did those kids tell us to leave just because we're Pokémon trainers?" Misty asked.
The restaurant owner explained that there were two men in Dark City called Yas and Kaz. "They are the Gym Leaders of the two gyms we have in this city. They both seek official status and approval from the Pokémon League Inspector, who is supposed to arrive here soon. As only one of the gyms can be official, Yas and Kaz keep trying to eliminate one another. Every time Pokémon trainers enter the city, Yas or Kaz recruits them to join his gym. Then, fights between the Yas Gym and the Kaz Gym break out."
"Well, it's no wonder people here don't like Pokémon trainers," Lyra said. "The fighting between the Yas and Kaz gyms aren't gym battles—they're gang wars."
Tomo, Misty, and Brock agreed with Lyra on that.
Just then, a girl recruit from the Yas Gym entered the restaurant and walked up to the gang. "Hi there," she said. "I've noticed that you four are Pokémon trainers. So, I'm here to ask you to join the Yas Gym."
Lyra, Tomo, Misty, and Brock had a group huddle to discuss what to do.
"I suggest we go to the Yas Gym," Lyra whispered, "but only to see what this gym is like, and then we can leave quickly."
"Good idea," whispered Misty, "but we should use fake names. Using our real names would ruin our reputations as trainers."
The group finished their huddle and told the girl that they would go to the Yas Gym.
"May I have your names, please?" the girl asked.
"I'm Sky Storm," Lyra said with a small smile.
"I'm Ann Chovy," Misty said.
"I'm Caesar Salad," Brock said.
Lyra, Tomo, and Misty sweat-dropped at the fake name he used.
"And I'm Ris Otto," Tomo said.
The girl took them to the Yas Gym and introduced them to Yas. The Yas Gym looked like a fighting dojo. "Before I decide to recruit you four," said Yas, "I would like to battle one of you."
Lyra accepted the challenge and used Pikachu to battle. Yas sent out his Pokémon: a Scyther.
Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon.
The sharp scythes on its forearms become increasingly sharp by cutting through hard objects. Its movements are like those of a ninja.
Scyther is a bipedal, insectoid creature. It is primarily green with cream accents between its body segments. On the back of its somewhat reptilian head are three points, and it has narrow eyes. Its forearms consist of large, white scythes, which it uses for hunting as well as fighting. On its thighs are spikes of fur, and it has three clawed toes on its large feet. Two pairs of cream-colored wings extend from its back.
Yas ordered Scyther to attack Pikachu with Cut. Scyther turned out to be a very fast Pokémon, but Pikachu had no trouble avoiding it because of the training he had done. I'm happy that I have a Scyther as well, Lyra thought.
Suddenly, Scyther's scythes cut through a can of red paint, and the paint splashed onto Scyther's face. Scyther saw red and began to attack Yas.
Yas quickly returned Scyther. "Even though that was a quick battle," he said, "I could see that you are a strong trainer. Join me and my gym."
"Before I make my decision: why do you want to become an official Gym Leader?" Lyra asked seriously.
Yas explained that the gym was to earn money.
That answer made Lyra upset; she could sense that Yas was just a greedy man.
"Forget it then," Lyra said. "You think of Pokémon as tools for war and money. Well, let me tell you something: I won't help you one bit. Let's leave, Ann, Ris, and Caesar."
So, the gang left the Yas Gym at once.
The gang went back to the restaurant. The three kids they saw earlier were there, too.
"I cannot believe that Yas guy," Lyra frowned. "And I'm sure Kaz is like that, too."
"I hate to think what would happen if either of those two became an official Gym Leader," Misty said.
"When Yas and Kaz fight with their Pokémon, they keep wrecking the town," one of the kids commented.
"At this rate," said Brock, "everyone will think all Pokémon trainers are dangerous. We need to stop them."
"What can we do, Big Sister?" Tomo asked Lyra.
Suddenly, Lyra had a thought. "Hey kids," she said, "I know that Yas's best Pokémon is Scyther. But what is Kaz's best Pokémon?"
"Electabuzz," another kid said.
"I've got it," Lyra said, catching everyone's attention. "Remember when Yas's Scyther went berserk because of the red paint?" Misty, Brock, and Tomo nodded. "Well, I remember reading in a Pokémon book I downloaded that Scyther and Electabuzz hate the color red, and whenever they see anything red, they attack like crazy. They even attack humans if they wear anything red. So, my plan is to make both Scyther and Electabuzz see red."
"I get it," Misty said. "Then, if they attack their own trainers, Yas and Kaz will suffer a humiliating defeat and will learn a lesson they will never forget."
"Exactly," Lyra smiled. "Mr. Owner, we will need a lot of tomato juice. I will also need you to tell everyone in this town to take shelter in their homes until the fight is over. And kids, I will need your help with this plan, too."
Everyone agreed with the plan and offered to help. They all acted quickly with Lyra's plan.
That afternoon, Yas, Kaz, and their disciples started another one of their street fights.
"Let's go, Scyther!" Yas shouted.
"Go, Electabuzz!" Kaz shouted.
Electabuzz is a slightly humanoid creature with a few feline traits. It is covered in yellow fur with black stripes; a large stripe on its chest is shaped like a lightning bolt. It has a long tail. There are three clawed toes on its feet—two in front and one in back—while it has five fingers on each hand. Electabuzz has two sharp fangs and a pair of antennae with bulbous ends.
The disciples let out their Pokémon to fight, too. The Pokémon were fighting each other like crazy, and the humans were at each other as well. It wasn't a pleasant sight.
Lyra and the gang were watching everything from a roof.
"Okay," Lyra said, "it's time."
The gang poured barrels of tomato juice over Yas and Kaz.
When Scyther and Electabuzz saw their trainers covered in red, they attacked them immediately. Yas was nearly cut up by Scyther, and Kaz kept getting shocked by Electabuzz.
"Your plan is working, Lyra!" Brock said.
"Only one more thing to do," Lyra said as she grabbed a bucket full of tomato juice and poured it over both Scyther and Electabuzz.
When Scyther and Electabuzz met eye-to-eye, they fought each other until they collapsed from exhaustion.
"Learned your lesson now?!" Lyra shouted from the rooftop.
Yas and Kaz got really angry and decided to attack Lyra together. Pichu and Pikachu weren't happy at all when they made Lyra the target; Pichu and Pikachu used a Thunder attack, and Tomo had Growlithe use Fire Spin.
Both Yas and Kaz and their disciples were severely shocked and badly burnt.
Just then, a mysterious patron appeared. "I'm a Pokémon League Inspector," she said, holding up a Poké Ball. She released her Pokémon, which was a Chansey, and revealed herself to be Nurse Joy. Yas and Kaz panicked. "I have seen everything that you two have done," Nurse Joy scolded, "and I will never accept people like you becoming Gym Leaders."
Yas and Kaz begged Nurse Joy for another chance.
"Very well," said Nurse Joy, "but I suggest you listen to what this young lady has to say." She pointed to Lyra, who was confused.
Lyra bravely stepped forward to speak. "Well, first of all," she said, "using your Pokémon as tools for your selfish and greedy goals is wrong. They are not just for fighting; they are there to be by your side as partners and best friends always. I mean, you two love your Pokémon, right?"
"Of course," Yas and Kaz said together.
"Exactly," Lyra said. "Seriously, what you did with them means you don't deserve the right to become Pokémon trainers, let alone Gym Leaders. And finally, your gyms would give other gyms a bad name. Don't you agree, Ann and Caesar?"
Misty and Brock agreed at once; after all, they were Gym Leaders.
"So, if you two want to start anew, I suggest that you repair all the damage you have done to Dark City and apologize to all its citizens. And finally, rebuild your friendships with your Pokémon and each other."
Yas and Kaz agreed to that at once.
And so, Dark City was at peace at last. The Yas and Kaz gyms worked together with their Pokémon to fix up the city. The citizens were grateful to Lyra and the gang for all their help. "Thanks to you three," said the restaurant owner, "children can play in the streets again. And we won't have to be scared of Pokémon trainers or Pokémon ever again."
"I just hope this doesn't happen again," Lyra said with a frown.
"Don't worry," said Nurse Joy, "I will make sure this doesn't happen again."
Lyra smiled.
The kids said they couldn't wait to become Pokémon trainers themselves.
"I'm sure you three will become great trainers," Lyra said with a smile.
Then, Lyra and the gang left Dark City, knowing everything would be all right now.
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Thank you for reading!
See you in the next chapter ✨
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