Lunar Eclipse: Part I (Pokemon)

Chapter 14

December 29, 2016

I spent Thursday training my Pokémon in preparation for Kiawe's trial. I decided to send Kaipo back to my PC since he would be at a disadvantage against the Pokémon I would be up against. After lunch, I set out to search for a fire type Pokémon to catch, for I had heard the last trial on the island, Mallow's trial, was a grass based trial.

Route 7 started out on the beach, which was fine, but then it continued out onto the ocean. I stared uneasily out at the water. I did not need to follow Route 7 to get anywhere in particular, so I would skip it for now. I turned around and started for Wela Volcano Park. I figured that was where the fire Pokémon were hiding anyway.

I stopped at the base of the volcano and looked up in awe. I have seen the volcano once before when I was on vacation with my family many years ago. I had forgotten the majesty of the structure and how small it made me feel. it was funny; I should have been more afraid of the lava from the volcano than water from the ocean, but instead I felt pulled towards the large rocky structure.

Images of Elio racing up the volcano flashed through my mind. Dad had stopped him, of course. We were too young and careless back then. Mom and dad promised we would come back. Well, half of us had returned.

I froze when a fire ball passed in front of me. Was that an Ember attack? I looked in the direction it had come from to find an entrance to a cave inside the volcano. Curious, I started towards it. "Hello? Is there a Pokémon there?" I jumped back when a thick smog seeped out of the cave. Then more fire balls.

I grabbed a Pokeball from my belt. "Sun, find out what's going on in there."

Cackling echoed from within the cave. Sun growled and took several cautious steps toward it. Then a black streak shot out of the cave, sending Torracat jumping into the air. A small, lizard-like Pokémon rolled on his back, laughing hysterically. Sun growled at the Pokémon and raised his hackles.

I frowned. "What the heck is that?"

Rotom zipped out of my bag to explain: "Salandit, the toxic lizard Pokémon. Salandit burns its bodily fluids to create a poisonous gas. When its enemies become disoriented from inhaling the gas, it attacks them."

Sun hissed, which just made the Salandit laugh harder. I sighed and shook my head. "Let's go, Sun. We don't need a Pokémon like that." The two of us continued on our way, and the laughing gradually faded in the distance.

We continued to travel around the volcano. The view was simply magnificent! I found where Kiawe's trial was held and made a note of it for the next day. Unfortunately, I did not come across any fire Pokémon I wanted to catch. I returned Sun to his Pokeball and continued down the volcano alone. I looked forward to some nice relaxation at the Pokémon Center.

As I neared the base, I heard laughing once again, but this time it sounded like it came from humans. I kicked my pace up to a jog to get closer to investigate. I soon found myself back at the entrance of that cave, and I gasped at the sight before me. Three teenage boys stood in front of the cave, blocking the entrance, and they had the Salandit from earlier backed up against the ledge of the cliff. They threw stones at the Pokémon and laughed.

"Hey!" I cried. "Leave that Salandit alone!"

One of the boys looked at me with a smug expression on his face. "It thought it could mess with us, and now we're messing with it!" The other two snickered in agreement.

They reached down to grab more rocks, and I acted without thinking. I ran in between the boys and the Salandit and used my body to cover the Salandit just like I had with Nebby on the bridge. Wait... I had Pokémon this time.