Chapter 19

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14800640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Beginning):  </B><A HREF="dr_pro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prologue"><U>Prologue</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 1"><U>Chapter 1</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 2"><U>Chapter 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 3"><U>Chapter 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 4"><U>Chapter 4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 5"><U>Chapter 5</U></A></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making:</B>  <A HREF="mim18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 18"><U>Chapter 18</U></A>   |   <B>Chapter 19</B>   |   <A HREF="mim20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 20"><U>Chapter 20</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 21"><U>Chapter 21</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 22"><U>Chapter 22</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 23"><U>Chapter 23</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 24"><U>Chapter 24</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id734.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 25"><U>Chapter 25</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 26"><U>Chapter 26</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection:  </B><A HREF="dr6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 6"><U>Chapter 6</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 7"><U>Chapter 7</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 8"><U>Chapter 8</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 9"><U>Chapter 9</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 10"><U>Chapter 10</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 11"><U>Chapter 11</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 12"><U>Chapter 12</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 13"><U>Chapter 13</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 14"><U>Chapter 14</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Finale):  </B><A HREF="dr15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 15"><U>Chapter 15</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 16"><U>Chapter 16</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr_epi.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Epilogue"><U>Epilogue</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/oldnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Old News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrfic/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanfics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrart/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>My Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/a-j/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors A-J</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/k-z/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Authors K-Z</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/art/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Fanart List</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/ffsubmit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit a Fanfic</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/fanart_submit.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Submit Fanart</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pub46.ezboard.com/beeveesmb"><U><B>Message Board</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Chapter 19</I></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making: Chapter 19: The Price of Victory</B></div> <bR> <div>     "So, how did it happen?" Brock asked gently, "Do you feel like talking about it?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded gloomily at the teen on the vidphone screen.  Professor Ivy was out on an errand at the moment, leaving Brock in charge of the lab while she was gone.  Zeth liked him a lot, having gotten to know him during his occasional calls to the Valencia Island Lab, but at the moment he was not sure if even a friendly chat with Brock could cheer him up.  He thought for a moment, then decided to further explain things to his friend anyway.  "Yeah, I guess I might as well tell you exactly what happened.  It wasn't my fault or anything, but I still feel really bad about it."</div> <bR> <div>     "This kind of stuff happens.  You just have to take what comes your way.  I remember the time Ash faced off against Lieutenant Surge.  He had Pikachu go up against Surge's Raichu, but the poor little guy got zapped really bad.  Pikachu was in pretty bad shape, but the two of them tried again using a different set of tactics, and they actually managed to win!  I know it's hard after what happened, but if you just keep going, I'm sure you can still win that badge."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head, "Brock, I already won the battle."  Zeth held up a leaf-shaped gym badge.  "Talon made me go back and finish the last round, even after what happened.  You know how he can be...  It wasn't that hard, though.  We had been winning in the first place."</div> <bR> <div>     Brock shook his head in confusion.  "Really?  So how <B>did</B> it happen, then?  I thought you'd been totally blown away or something."</div> <bR> <div>     Now it was Zeth's turn to shake his head.  "Nope, not really.  I'll tell you the whole story.  We had just gone to the Emerald Gym, and challenged the gym leader, Grace, to a pokémon battle.  She was a nice lady -- you'd have liked her, of course."  Zeth half-smiled at that, then continued.  "Anyway, today's been so sunny, so we decided to have the battle on the field behind the gym, which was on the edge of town.  We decided to have the usual three-on-three battle with no time limit, intending to keep it simple so we could have a nice friendly match..."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "Sting, use Twinneedle!"  Zeth ordered as the bee pokémon dodged a flurry of razor leaves from her opponent, a Bayleef.  Sting sped toward the plant-type, her stinger legs extended in front of her.  The attack never hit though.  Just before Sting reached her opponent, she rebounded off a Light Screen that the Bayleef just barely managed to create in time.</div> <bR> <div>      "That's it, Bayleef!"  Grace called encouragingly.  "Now, use Mud Slap!"  Dazed from the impact, Sting was unable to avoid the pawful of muck that the Bayleef threw.  It smacked across her face, blinding her temporarily.  Her opponent lowered its head and tried to head butt her, but Sting had thought quickly as usual, flying straight up to avoid the expected follow-up attack.  In the air, she wiped the dirt from her eyes, then dove down again, slamming all three of her stingers into her foe.</div> <bR> <div>     The surprise attack angered the Bayleef, who spun around quickly and fired off a flurry of razor leaves directly into the Beedrill as she tried to retreat.  Battered from the sharp leaves, Sting unleashed a Toxic attack which covered the dinosaur-like pokémon with a vile purple liquid.  Escaping into the air again, Sting pummeled the Bayleef with the shooting stars of a Swift attack.</div> <bR> <div>     Grace's pokémon was starting to look a little unsteady from the battering and the poison that covered it.  It was far from defeated, though.  "Use Synthesis, Bayleef!"  Grace commanded, "Then charge up a Solarbeam!"  Sucking up energy from the bright noontime sunlight, the grass-type glowed, recovering from its injuries with the solar power.  Looking much better than it had been a minute ago, the Bayleef continued to absorb light, charging up its powerful Solarbeam.</div> <bR> <div>     "Sting!  Use Hyper Beam!"  Zeth called out.  Landing a few feet away from her opponent, Sting let loose the golden beam, which slammed into the Bayleef just before it released its attack.  The grass-type fired the Solarbeam, but the thrown-off attack missed badly, shooting up into the sky instead of flying toward the Beedrill.</div> <bR> <div>     The fierce battle was wearing down both pokémon, but neither of them was ready to surrender.  The Bayleef charged Sting through a wash of Pin Missiles, slamming full force into the bee.  Thrown back by the brute force of the attack, Sting regained her balance and intercepted the rampaging Bayleef with her stingers, slicing a thin line down its side as she dodged its Tackle attack.  Twisting around, the Bayleef snagged Sting with a vine, trying to hinder her progress long enough to get in a finishing blow.  The Beedrill had other plans, though.  She slashed at the vine with one stinger, then rushed towards her opponent, slicing and beating at it with an efficient Fury Attack.  The surprised Bayleef released the bee pokémon and tried to shield itself with its vines instead.</div> <bR> <div>     Free of the entangling vine, Sting pressed her attack, driving the Bayleef back with a volley of Pin Missiles.  Finally, the grass-type pokémon fell to the ground, too battered to continue the fight.  "Return, Bayleef!" Grace ordered, choosing her second pokémon.  "I choose you, Skiploom!"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth returned Sting as well, sending out Talon to battle Grace's second pokémon.  "This should be easy, Talon!  Use your Drill Peck!"  The Spearow soared into the air, then dove down suddenly to attack.  To its credit, the Skiploom was fast.  The flower pokémon jumped into the air as Talon swooped down on it, dodging his attack by mere inches.  While the bird pokémon was in range, the Skiploom focused a Giga Drain on him, leeching his energy for its own use.  Talon crowed angrily, then rammed into the plant, hurling it back.</div> <bR> <div>     As the Spearow returned to the skies, the Skiploom jumped back to its feet.  Talon circled overhead, then dove again for another attack.  Again the Skiploom dodged, this time taking to the skies itself and firing off a Leech Seed at the surprised bird.  Talon had not expected his opponent to be able to fly, but he still had the presence of mind and the agility to dodge the energy-draining seed.</div> <bR> <div>     Talon must have realized that the Skiploom merely drifted with the wind, not truly flying.  Pulling into a tight spin, the bird created a Whirlwind that sent the little flower into a dizzying spin as well.  With the Skiploom unable to control its flight, Talon easily hammered it to the ground with a Drill Peck.  The dazed plant struggled to stand, falling on its petals twice before it regained its footing.</div> <bR> <div>     "That's it, Talon!"  Zeth yelled in excitement.  "Now finish it off with Take Down!"  The Spearow dove from the air, just missing the Skiploom as it fell over again.</div> <bR> <div>     The bird circled back, as Grace called out instructions.  "Skiploom, use Stun Spore!"</div> <bR> <div>     It all happened at once.  Talon dove at his opponent once again, then tried to pull away as the plant shot a paralyzing cloud in his face.  However, at the speed he was moving, the Spearow was unable to dodge the Stun Spores in time.  He plowed through the center of the dense cloud, the glittering dust covering him all over.  The spores were fast-acting... too fast-acting...</div> <bR> <div>     Intent of hitting the Skiploom with a finishing blow, the Spearow had been flying as fast as possible.  But now, instead of pulling away back to the sky, Talon's wings locked up in paralysis, and the bird plowed into the ground at far too great a speed.  Zeth winced as the bird smacked into the dirt with a shriek, rolling over and over until he finally came to an abrupt stop.  Signaling to Grace for a time-out, Zeth ran to his fallen friend, pulling out his pokédex so he could ask the Spearow if he was okay.  He had just flicked on the switch for the translation when he reached Talon, and quickly realized that his pokémon was definitely <B>not</B> okay...  The bird had managed to roll back onto his stomach, looking around in a daze of pain.  He was holding his left wing in a strange position, and there was blood on the ground, staining the green grass.</div> <bR> <div>     "Talon!" Zeth cried out in shock, taking a closer look.  The bird's wing looked like it had a bad compound fracture, and it was beginning to bleed everywhere.  Taking care not to jostle the Spearow too much, Zeth picked him up, whispering softly to him.  "It's okay, buddy.  I'll get you to a pokémon center and you'll be just fine."</div> <bR> <div>     The bird looked up at him with eyes full of agony, nearly sending Zeth into a panic.  He managed to keep his senses, though, when the Spearow answered him in a weak voice.  {Finish the match, Zeth.  I'll be all right until then.}  Zeth stood up, and Talon unintentionally dug his claws into the teen's arm at a fresh surge of pain.  Behind him, he heard Grace gasp as she ran up and saw the scene.</div> <bR> <div>     Ignoring the Spearow's orders, Zeth started walking back towards the main city, where the pokémon center was.  "What are you, crazy!?  I don't care how tough you think you are.  You're going directly to the poké-hospital!"  Talon stubbornly started to say something else, but Zeth cut him off.  "It's not worth it, Talon!"  At that, the bird lapsed into silence.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth looked over at Grace, who was following him with a shocked look on her face.  "I've got to get help for Talon.  Go back to the gym and call the pokémon center.  Tell them I'm coming as fast as possible, and it's an emergency."  The gym leader nodded, then ran back toward her gym.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hold on tight, Talon," Zeth muttered.  "It's a long way back to the center."  As Zeth broke into a run, Talon let out another squawk of pain, then clamped his beak shut, digging his claws deeper into Zeth's now-bleeding arm.  Wincing at the pain, Zeth continued his mad dash back to town...</div> <bR> <div>     By the time he reached the pokémon center, Talon had fallen into unconsciousness.  Slowing down just enough to avoid running into the center's electronic doors, Zeth ran toward the waiting stretcher.  It took him a minute to extract Talon's claws from his arm, then four Chanseys whisked the bird away to the emergency room.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth sat down in one of the chairs, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.  His adrenaline surge was starting to wear off, leaving him feeling weak.  At the sight of the gashes on his arm, one of the Chanseys ran over to clean and bandage the deep bleeding claw marks.  Another Chansey took his remaining pokémon away to give them the usual post-battle checkup.  Zeth barely noticed...</div> <bR> <div>     He waited for what seemed like hours, though according to the clock, only forty minutes had passed.  All he could think about was how bad Talon had been injured, and how much his arm had started to hurt.  At first, he had welcomed the pain, hoping that it would give him something else to think about, but now he was starting to wish that he'd let the Chansey give him that painkiller.</div> <bR> <div>     "Hey, Zeth, any word yet?  Zeth looked over to find Grace standing beside him with deep concern on her face.  He had not even heard her enter.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head.  "No, they're still back there in the emergency room.  Maybe I should ask one of the Chanseys to see how it's going."</div> <bR> <div>     "I'm sure he'll be fine," Grace replied, not looking as if she totally believed herself.  "You know how good Nurse Joy is."  Despite the doubt in her expression, Zeth found himself feeling a little better.  After all, every Nurse Joy he had seen so far had been quite talented at her job.  As a matter of fact, he had never heard of a Joy who was <B>not</B> an excellent nurse.</div> <bR> <div>     Still, he could not bring himself to be totally optimistic.  "I suppose so," he murmured.</div> <bR> <div>     At that moment, one of the doors to the emergency room opened, and a Chansey came out.  The pink pokémon took Zeth's hand and led him and Grace back into the emergency room, where Nurse Joy was waiting for them.  She nodded her head toward a bed, where Talon was laying with various monitors hooked up to him.  Zeth was greatly relieved to see that, according to one of them, the bird still had a heartbeat, although a little weak.</div> <bR> <div>     "Your Spearow is going to be fine," Nurse Joy explained.  "However, his wing was badly broken, and bones don't mend overnight.  He'll have to keep his wing in a splint for several weeks, and I can't totally guarantee that he'll ever fly again.  He definitely won't be up to any more pokémon battles anytime soon."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth gritted his teeth.  "He's going to hate that so much.  He's always been a fighter, just like most other Spearows."  Zeth closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to get his emotions in check, then looked back to his injured pokémon.</div> <bR> <div>     Grace handed Nurse Joy a colorful bouquet of flowers.  Zeth had not even noticed that she was holding them until then.  "I brought these for him.  Could you put them in a vase for us?"</div> <bR> <div>     "I'll do it right away.  If you want, you can stay with your Spearow for a while, but I don't think you should stay too long.  He needs his rest now."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "We won't stay long, nurse."  He walked over to the Spearow's bed and pulled up a chair.  "Hey, Talon, how are you feeling?" he asked, smoothing back one of the bird's out-of-place headfeathers.</div> <bR> <div>     The groggy Spearow looked up at him with tired eyes.  {I've been better, but at least I'm numb from all the anesthetics at the moment.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth smiled in relief, "You mean you let them give you a painkiller?  That doesn't sound like you, Talon!"</div> <bR> <div>     Talon nodded slowly, going along with the joke.  {Yeah, I fought them beak and claw, but they still put me under.  You know how it is...  They distract you until one of those Chanseys can sneak up on you from behind...}  The bird laughed weakly, then grew more serious.  {Zeth, will you do something for me?}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shrugged, "Sure, anything you want."</div> <bR> <div>     Talon's gaze drifted off for a moment as a Blissey brought back the flower vase Grace had requested.  The gym leader took the flowers from the pink pokémon and set them on a small table nearby.  {Good...  I want you to finish the match before you tell the others what happened to me.  If you wait until later, they'll be distracted when they battle, and you'll lose.}  Zeth started to object, but Talon cut him off.  {You said you'd do whatever I wanted, and this is it.  Now go finish that match, or I swear I'll peck your eyes out!}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth shook his head.  "Did anyone ever tell you that you're too violent for your own good?"  The Spearow just stared at him crossly.  "Ok, ok, I'll do it."  </div> <bR> <div>     {You'd better...  But change your shirt first.  The one you're wearing is all bloodstained.}  Zeth looked down at his shirt, which he had just bought at the Starlight Tower before he left the super-mall.  It had been a nice white Obsidian League shirt that had caught his eye, but as Talon had said, it was now stained dark red.  Zeth was going to ask the bird what he should do with it, when the Blissey that had brought the vase started tugging at his arm, telling him that he needed to let Talon rest now.</div> <bR> <div>     As Zeth got up to leave, Talon spoke up.  {Zeth?  There's one more thing I'd like to ask you...  What did Nurse Joy say about my condition?  Don't leave out anything.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth hesitated for a moment, considering softening the news, but the look on the Spearow's face told him that doing so would be a <B>very</B> bad idea.  "Well, she said that you'll be out of action for several weeks, and there's a small chance that you'll never be able to fly again.  That was a worst-case scenario, though, so I don't think you should worry about that too much."  Taking in that bit of information, Talon nodded and drifted off to sleep.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "Are you sure you want to do this?" Grace asked.</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth looked over the playing field once before answering.  They had agreed to finish the match with a one-on-one battle, since Talon's accident had resulted in a tie.  "No, not really...  Let's just get started..."  He reached for one of his pokéballs, "I choose you, Blaze!"</div> <bR> <div>     Grace threw her own pokéball.  "Tangela, it's your turn!"  The two pokémon faced off, waiting for their first commands.  "Use Vine Whip!" Grace commanded.</div> <bR> <div>     The Tangela's vines exploded out, smacking into the surprised Growlithe.  The fire dog jumped back, quickly spitting out a fireball that drove the offending vines back.  Pulling back its singed vines, the Tangela replaced them with a fresh batch, this time wrapping up Blaze and squeezing him hard.  The Growlithe yelped, then bit down on the entangling vines, which jerked back and released him.</div> <bR> <div>     "That's it, Blaze!  Now use Flamethrower!"  The puppy jumped toward the Tangela, who tried to stop him with Sleep Powder.  Before the glistening cloud came close, Blaze unleashed a stream of flame, which ignited the Sleep Powder and washed over the vine-covered pokémon.</div> <bR> <div>     With that hit, the match was over.  Zeth was a little surprised at how fast they had won, but it was clear that the Tangela was not going to put up any more of a fight.  As Grace solemnly handed Zeth his new badge, Blaze ran around them, barking with excitement.  He stopped after a moment or two when he realized that Zeth was nowhere near as happy as he was.  {Hey?  Did I miss something?  You look like you've just bit into a rotten apple.  Didn't we just win?"}</div> <bR> <div>     "I suppose so..."  Zeth murmured.  "There's something I need to tell you all, though."  He released his other four pokémon from their pokéballs, as Blaze watched him suspiciously.  "Something happened earlier today, which you all should know about."</div> <bR> <div>     Blaze interrupted him.  {Something happened to Talon, right?  He's not here, and I remember going back to the pokémon center because he got hurt or something.  What happened anyway?  I couldn't make it all out, 'cause I was in my pokéball.}</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "You're right, Talon was injured during the last battle.  He requested that I wait until now to tell you all what happened.  Come on, I'll explain on the way back to the pokémon center..."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "So that's what happened...  We went back to the pokémon center, spent another two days there watching Florio's Gligarman DVDs, then Nurse Joy said that Talon was strong enough to leave."  Zeth stared down at the pokéball in his hand.  "And that brings us back to the present."</div> <bR> <div>     Brock nodded, "You're right, that was pretty bad.  What are you going to do now?"</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth looked back to the image of his friend.  "I had a talk with Talon, and we decided that it would be best if I sent him back to you and Professor Ivy.  You'll be able to take better care of him than I can at the moment, and he won't be able to battle with us anyway.  At least this way he can make some friends with the other pokémon at the lab."  Zeth set the pokéball down on the transporter pad.  "I'm going to send him over to you now."  With the press of a button, the pokéball disappeared in a flash of light.</div> <bR> <div>     "I've got him." Brock said, holding up the ball.  From offscreen, Zeth heard Ivy calling for assistance.  Brock looked away, then turned back to Zeth.  "I've got to go."</div> <bR> <div>     Zeth nodded, "Take good care of Talon for me, Brock.  I want him back sometime, and in good condition!"  The other teen nodded, then hung up the phone, his image fading back into a blank screen.  "Goodbye, Talon." Zeth murmured, mostly to himself.  "Don't stay away too long."  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>