Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Forgotten Son ❯ Training ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

* * *
 
It was 4 in the morning as Luke sat up, awake on his bed staring out the window into the starry sky from inside the pokemon center hotel room. He hadn't slept a wink yet, and it didn't seem like he was going to for the rest of the night.
 
Griffe was alive. He couldn't believe it. And there was DNA verification to prove it. Griffe couldn't obtain it without parental consent, however, which meant that he must have talked to mom. And Luke had to go see her anyway to get himself declared legally alive, too… it seemed like fate was pushing him back to where he had once lived, so long ago… and where his father could fit into this was something he didn't even dare to think about.
 
He stared out the window as if the answer to his problem could come flying back through it and land in his lap.
 
If only.
 
* * *
 
Ken was surprised to see Luke ready and waiting for him in the morning, but didn't complain as the two left the pokemon center nice and early. Ken had challenged and won the Goldenrod City Gym the previous night after they visited the Capitol building, apparently completely oblivious of Luke inner turmoil.
 
The two marched North through thick forests and across grassy parks, and much to Ken's dismay Luke refused to stop for any of the fun events being offered. Luke gave a wary look to every trainer they passed on their journey; Griffe was on a trainer leave. That meant that any of these kids he saw could be Griffe. But none of them looked like the Griffe he remembered.
 
Eventually they stepped foot into Ecruteak, a town with a slightly more primitive looking building design, with white bricks the common buildings tool as opposed to the high-tech and modern Goldenrod City.
 
“Well,” Ken said, “Time to go take on the Ecruteak gym!”
 
Luke shuffled back, “I'm not coming.” He said, his head down and face shadowed.
 
“No? What are you going to do?” Ken asked.
 
“This is where we split up.” Luke said, turning towards the East. “I've got to go to Mahogany Town.”
 
Ken frowned. “Aw, but… I thought we'd be traveling partners, all the way through every gym! Can't you just wait to take care of getting your pokemon legally? You weren't in much of a hurry before…”
 
“No can do.” Luke said, shaking his head. “Good-bye.”
 
And he turned and walked into the distance, his walk soon breaking into a jog then a run.
 
* * *
 
Luke stared in disbelief at the wide-stretching lakes that covered the land between Ecruteak and Mahogany. They were far too large for him to swim all the way across, especially because he didn't know how to swim.
 
It wasn't much of an obstacle, but it was enough to rampart Luke's progress into Mahogany town.
 
He and his pokemon sat down, looking off into the distance at the other end of the road carved out between the mountains. Luke saw what he thought could have been the tops of some buildings in Mahogany town, in between some mountains and forests, but it was too hard to tell. He decided to just sit back and try relaxing a bit.
 
Miltank sighed deeply. So far from home, and it had been years since she had seen Luke so… active. It seemed to be good for him, but… she couldn't help feeling worrisome about his fate. He would keep battling, and then what? Would he hurt himself? Maybe he'd lose something important again? And she enjoyed the training as exercise, but she hoped he didn't expect her to battle…
 
The others did not share her feelings at all, however. All of this active running around and training… this was the life any pokemon yearned for when under the care of a trainer. Finally, a chance to prove themselves to Luke; or in Kenshin's case, a chance to prove his strength to himself. Lately battles simply had not been going his way; the scyther in the well and the spearow before that. But if Luke kept training and battling, maybe he'd be able to begin winning.
 
Eventually, a bulky man wearing a large pack on his back passed by.
 
“Ohhhhh!” He yelled, “What an amazing sight, this route from the top of this hill! Ahh, this is what makes being a hiker all worthwhile!”
 
Luke shifted his legs, made self-aware again by this new presence.
 
“Well,” the hiker said, turning toward the mountain closest to the hill upon which they sat, “…it's time to go to Mahogany!”
 
Luke pushed himself to his feet, “Ah! Uh, sir….” The hiker turned to face him. “…how are you getting to Mahogany Town?”
 
“By hiking, of course!” The man said, pushing out his chest and standing proudly. “I'm going to go into the caverns of the Mortmain Mountains!”
 
The caverns. Of course! Luke jumped to his feet, his pokemon quick to follow and they charged down the hill, straight toward the ominous Mortmain Mountains.
 
* * *
 
The caverns were dark and damp, reminding Luke of the caverns he had run through a few days ago chasing that rocket into the well. It seemed like a time so long ago now; Luke hardly felt connected to the person he had been when he chased that rocket; it might as well have been somebody completely different.
 
The drip, drip, drip that echoed through the cave almost entranced Luke as he wandered through the long caverns, feeling the walls to be sure he was on the right track. His pokemon huddled up behind him, not wanting to lose their trainer in a place such as this. As the group shuffled along, the drip, drip, drip didn't get any louder or any quieter, somehow. The ominous darkness made Luke regret not bringing a flashlight or any kind of light-maker, just as he was certain the hiker had brought. The cold air nipped at his skin, giving him goosebumps all over his body.
 
Luke hair suddenly shot up, like it had been lightly brushed by something. He turned slowly, trying ineffectively not to shiver as he wondered what could be behind him, but there was nothing there. His hair was still on end, and as a drop of sweat ran down his cheek he knew that there was something… or somebody else here with him.
 
His pokemon seemed similarly startled. The drip, drip, drip kept going, making Luke wonder what kinds of sounds the dripping water could cover up. He took a step backward.
 
…walking right into another person. Luke yelled and jumped a few feet into the air, whirling around as his pokemon ran screaming right into him and toppled him over.
 
“Ha ha ha ha ha!” laughed a deep voice from above Luke, who shivered on the cold cave floor. A light suddenly appeared, a flame, which seemed to be coming off the fist of some kind of strange human shaped pokemon wearing boxing gloves. The light revealed a tall man, wearing no shirt to leave his well-trained and muscular body exposed. He wore white karate gi over his legs. His face seemed worn from years of battle, but his eyes were still aflame as if he had only become a trainer earlier that day and he was grinning madly. He had black hair and wore a red headband.
 
“W-who are you?” Luke said, gaining some courage as he jumped to his feet and brushed off his legs.
 
“I am known as the karate king!” The man said, breaking into another laugh. “I have come into these caves to train! But I didn't expect to meet another trainer here, so I became a little suspicious. I'm sorry I scared you-you seem relatively harmless.”
 
Luke felt somewhat insulted by the way this `karate king' called him harmless. It was said in a manner that gave Luke the idea that he was as helpless and weak as a baby kitten.
 
“So…” the karate king said, striding in slow circles around the Luke and his downed pokemon, the strange boxer pokemon following him, “…what brings you here?”
 
“I'm trying to get to Mahogany.” Luke said, looking down.
 
“Mahogany?” The king said, “Well then you've come the wrong way! You've walked into the deepest parts of these caverns, deep inside the mountains. Certainly not the right direction if you hope to make it to Mahogany.”
 
Luke frowned, his eyes filling with worry. The caverns were awfully complex and difficult to traverse. It would take a good deal of time to get out, something that frightened Luke as he looked forward to the claustrophobic walls around him and that creepy, metronome-like drip, drip, drip of the water in the stark darkness as he aimlessly wandered and hoped to escape. Would he even be able to get out?
 
“Well,” the man said, stopping his circle, “…you've got an interesting team of pokemon with you. I have been longing for a training partner, so do you think you could train with me for a little while?”
 
Luke swallowed. “Only if you help me out of these caverns later.” He said, failing to cover up the nervousness in his voice.
 
The man gave another hearty laugh. “Of course, of course! Now, come, let us go my secluded little cave.”
 
* * *
 
The room Luke found himself in was surprisingly tall and wide; very spacious. A waterfall gushed from the high ceiling, filling a lake of water which swept over half of the cavern's floor and leaving moist rock on the other half. In the corner Luke saw a large bag with a supply of food. Along the wall in a few places there were torches lined up, which had been lit moments ago by the karate king's boxing pokemon.
 
Luke walked across the room slowly, waving his arms to comfort himself in the new space. It sure beat the tight caverns he had spent God knows how long wandering through.
 
“So.” The karate king said turning to face Luke, “Are you ready to battle?”
 
Luke's insides squirmed a little. Even though he had begun training his pokemon, he still couldn't shake an uneasiness in making them fight. But, he also had a feeling that this imposing martial artists was somehow important, and didn't want to seem weak in front of him.
 
He gave a nod which was much more certain than how he felt.
 
“Hitmonchan!” The king called out, “Let's show him how we battle in the Saffron Dojo!”
 
“Uh… Kenshin?” Luke said, turning to the green lizard. He felt more comfortable sending out his treecko, who was often riled up and loved to battle. For his other pokemon Luke wasn't certain he could say the same.
 
The wood gecko didn't need any more than that. He proudly stepped forward, eyeing his opponent carefully as it drew its leaf blade from its wrist. It took its position, snapping into a fierce battle stance with its blade at the ready.