Chapter 9

The Poke-Flute

Lavender Town-

            The bus dropped the two tired trainers off at the Lavender Town Pokémon Center late that evening, around 11 o’ clock.  Red had to help Blue walk into the building, as she was too tired to not run into walls or stumble.  They had just crossed the threshold of the Center when the two were greeted with the welcoming cry of a familiar Pokémon.

            “Bone! Cubooooone!” The little brown Pokémon stood on a nearby table eating Pokémon food.  Its eyes that showed through the skull it wore were smiling, and it waved the bone in its hand excitedly.  Red smiled back and sat Blue down at a table where she promptly laid her head back in her arms, dozing off again.

            “So you’re who Mr. Fuji’s Cubone was waiting for,” said a Pokémon Center employee, who had come to refill Cubone’s bowl of Pokémon food.  “Mr. Fuji makes many donations to our Center in Lavender Town, and Cubone here is always taken good care of.” She scratched the little Pokémon’s back before returning to her other duties.

            “So what’s up? How’s Mr. Fuji?” asked Red as he scratched Cubone’s back in the same spot the nurse had.  Cubone jumped off the table and tugged on Red’s pants, pointing in the direction of the entrance to the Pokémon Center with its bone. It then waddled over to Blue tugging on her leg and succeeded in pulling the exhausted Pokémon Trainer out of the chair, on to the floor, and into consciousness.

            “What! Where? Who?” she exclaimed as she quickly got up, one of her Pokémon’s Pokeballs in her hand ready for a fight.  Blue gathered her senses and decided they must be in Lavender Town when she took in the surroundings of the Pokémon Center lobby as well as the sight of Red and Cubone.

            “About time you woke up!” laughed Red.  “Cubone wants us to follow him, let’s go!”  Cubone waddled right out the door followed by Red.  Blue wiped her face.

            “But it’s so late,” her voice was drowned out by the sound of the sliding Pokémon Center doors. 

            It took around thirty minutes for the two trainers and little Cubone to walk to Mr. Fuji’s house.  Pokémon Tower, always visible in town, seemed to radiate an eerie purple light from its windows and at the very top.  Finally, they returned to Mr. Fuji’s small cottage surrounded by trees in the far corner of town.  A single light from a candle flickered in the kitchen window and as they approached they could make out the faint and almost unheard sound of music over the crunch of their footsteps over fallen leaves.  At the sound of the music, Blue felt all her exhaustion and tiredness melt away.

            Cubone banged on the front door with its bone and the music stopped.  As expected, Mr. Fuji opened the door.

            “Ah, come in my friends!” he said with a giant smile on his face.  He gave Red and Blue each warm welcoming hugs as he led them back to the kitchen where he had sent them off to Celadon City in the days before.  Sitting quietly at the table looking out the window was an old woman holding a cane.  Red recognized her face immediately.

            Before he could exclaim in excitement, a voice inside his head spoke for him.  Yes, it is I, Agatha. She turned to the young trainers.  Cubone leapt into her lap as she kept her gaze at the young trainers.  Thank you for your help in Celadon City. 

            Red looked at Blue, who looked back at him.  She was hearing the voice too. Agatha laughed.

            “Dear me, it’s late,” she said out loud.  “I guess the bus ran late tonight it is far past my bed time.  Feed the children won’t you, Alvin?” Mr. Fuji arrived in an instant sporting an apron and pouring Red and Blue each bowls of soup.  They had lost all sense of being tired, and ate ravenously. 

            Finally, Blue spoke to Agatha.  “I’m sorry, ma’am.  We didn’t know you were waiting for us here.”

            “It’s an honor to meet you,” said Red trying to fight back a mouthful of soup.  Blue kicked him under the table for forgetting his manners. 

            “Oh, no worries,” said Agatha as she turned back towards the open window.  “You’re not the only ones we’re expecting tonight.  Lance is on his way back as well.”

            Red got excited again.  No matter how many times he had met Lance, the reigning Pokémon League Champion, he always had a sense of awe inside of him. 

            “Aren’t you tired though?” asked Blue who was checking the digital clock on her Pokedex.  “It’s nearly midnight.” 

            By this time, Mr. Fuji had rejoined them at the table.  “Ah,” he said.  “We may be old, but we can stay up days at a time.”  He proceeded to pull out what looked like a regular wooden flute to show the young trainers.  “This-“

            His voice was cut out by the sudden whoosh of the candle on the table going out.  It was pitch dark in the house and Agatha chuckled.  Red couldn’t see his own hand in front of his face.

            “Red, get your hand off my shoulder,” Blue said.

            Though he couldn’t prove it, Red waved his hands around.  “Hey it’s not me!” he said.  Mr. Fuji snorted in the darkness.

            “Stop playing, Red, this isn’t funny,” said Blue.  She reached to grab the hand and let out an ear-piercing scream as the candle came back on.  A dark purple Pokémon that was just a gaseous head and sharp fangs with disembodied hands levitated inches from her face.  It rolled its eyes around erratically and stuck out a long, gross tongue.  Blue contorted her face in horror.  “AAAAARGH! GO AWAY! GO AWAAAAAY!” She was terrified flapping at the Pokémon with one hand while hiding her face with the other.

            “Now, now, Haunter, you’ve had your fun,” said Agatha.  The purple Pokémon floated around the table to the old woman, leaving a trail of disappearing purple gas in its wake.  The Pokémon croaked a harsh, echoing laugh.

            Mr. Fuji walked around to Blue, who tried to hide behind him.  “It’s okay, Blue.  Haunter is one of Agatha’s Pokémon.  It may seem like the stuff of nightmares but it just likes to have a little fun.  Why, I sometimes get quite the shock when I look in the mirror and put in my teeth in the morning.”  At the mention of removable teeth, Blue decided to hide behind Red instead, who was gathering data on his Pokedex about Haunter. 

            “A Ghost-type Pokémon,” Red laughed as he turned his head around to Blue and laughed.  “You should have seen the look on your face!”  Blue pinched his ear in revenge.

            She slowly crept back into her seat, and scooted it closer to Red while she was still eying Haunter.  It was staring at Agatha, the large smile never leaving its face.  Then, it seemed to grab at its gaseous head with one of its detached hands.  It molded the ball of purple smoke-like substance into the shape of a Pokémon, which Red and Blue soon recognized as the shape of Dragonite.  The tiny, smoky dragon flew around the room and landed in front of Blue.

            “Haunter says Lance has arrived,” said Agatha smiling.  Blue reached out to touch the little dragon made of purple smoke sitting on the table.  However, she stopped as her face turned deathly white as Haunter had disappeared around the table and passed through her body from behind, and acted like he ate the smoky figure of Dragonite.  Cubone banged its bone on the table in delight at the Ghost Pokémon’s performance.

            “So…Cold,” she said as she scooted even closer to Red and curled up in her chair.

            Almost instantly afterwards, the front door opened and Lance arrived as Haunter had announced.  Red leapt to his feet and Lance shook his hand and smiled.  He looked at Blue, still traumatized from Haunter’s jokes.

            “It gets better,” he patted Blue on the head.  He turned to Agatha.  “I trust Lorelei has already left?” 

            “Yes, she left about an hour before these two youngsters arrived,” said Mr. Fuji.

            “Yeah, where’d she go?” asked Red feeling important.  He was so excited to be in the same room with two great Pokémon Trainers.  He almost felt a part of the Elite Four…well, except for the accolades…and experience…and credentials.

            Agatha answered, though still looking at Lance.  “She went to Cerulean City to speak with her sister.” 

            Right, Misty the Gym Leader is her sister, he remembered.  For what seemed like minutes, Lance and Agatha stared at each other.  Red deduced Agatha was telling him something telepathically, just like she had with him and Blue earlier. 

            Lance broke the silence.  “There’s no way into Saffron City.  The entire town is covered in an impenetrable force field, and I can’t legally force my way in through one of the four gates.  Sabrina has the entire city to herself.” 

            Red was puzzled.  Hadn’t Green tried to fly into the city earlier? He wondered how his rival could’ve gotten in while Lance couldn’t, if at all. 

            Agatha turned to Red and Blue (who was slowly gathering herself, yet still eying Haunter who was playing tug of war with Cubone’s bone).  “You’re collecting Gym Badges, so the news of Saffron City’s closure is troubling to you.”  Red nodded.  “I must tell you now, Sabrina the Saffron Gym Leader is working with Team Rocket and she’s blocked off her entire city from our interference, skillfully I might add.  We believe she is also holding Bruno, one of our colleague’s captive as well.”

            Red and Blue were equally in shock.  They didn’t know what to say; a Gym Leader aiding Team Rocket?  Agatha continued. 

            “You two have done quite enough to help us, but I’m afraid I won’t put you in any more danger than you need to be.  We will find a way to free Saffron, strip Sabrina of her title, and ensure you can challenge that Gym as well.  In the meantime, you can stay here with Mr. Fuji if you wish.” 

            “Thank you,” answered Red.  “But we were planning on going to Fuchsia so I could challenge that Gym first.  Maybe by the time we’re done there Saffron City will be open again?”

            “If you can navigate the wilderness between Lavender Town and Fuchsia, I’m sure you could challenge Koga,” said Lance.  “Don’t let him know you’ve been fighting Team Rocket though, or that you know us.  He’s allied with Team Rocket too.”

            Blue was finally able to speak again.  “Then we’ll go to Fuchsia and change his mind!” she said determinedly.  “I’m sure there’s a way to convince him.”

            Agatha looked at Lance and frowned.  You would put these teenagers in the face of danger knowing how lucky they were to get out of it last time?  Who knows if the Rockets in Fuchsia know about them? If they’re looking for them?  Can you live with yourself knowing you delivered Team Rocket two of their most wanted?

            Lance smiled at the kids.  “I think your idea is great Blue,” he said.  “Just promise that you’ll keep in touch.”  Red and Blue nodded in unison.

            Agatha did not like her input being ignored.  “Well if you have minds to change, you might as well head out now.”  Lance looked at her angrily.  Surely she would let them have a nights rest first? This must be her revenge for being put off.  Agatha just smiled at the young trainers and chuckled.  “What are you waiting for? Off you go.”

            Surprised by the sudden goodbye, Red and Blue found themselves being led to the front door by Mr. Fuji.  In the doorway he stopped them, pulled out his old wooden flute and handed it to Blue. 

            “Just walk as long as you can down the south road,” he said.  “It’s best not to disappoint Agatha, she must have great faith in you to send you off so suddenly.” He knelt down and held Blue’s hand with the flute in it.  “This is from me, as my thanks for helping to save Agatha from Team Rocket.  It’s Poke-flute, one of the last of its kind.  Playing it does wonders for the human spirit, and has even more magical effects on Pokémon.”  He pointed towards the top three holes on the flute.  “These notes have the power to wake up people, and these,” he gestured towards the bottom two, “wake up sleeping Pokémon.  I’m sure you can find some use for it.  Now, ta ta! See you later.”

            Almost before they knew it, Red and Blue were walking south in the early morning hours after midnight.  Pokémon Tower and Lavender Town slowly disappeared from view.  They found themselves walking along a loud, rushing river bank as the road disappeared.  Blue pulled out her map of Kanto.

            “This is the same river that we tried to cross from Vermillion City,” she said.  She pointed a little further south, where she could make out the faint outline of the familiar bridge crossing over the rapids.  The giant shadowy lump of Snorlax, the sleeping Pokémon, still covered the middle of the bridge rendering it impassable.  This time, they were on the other side of the river. According to the map, they wouldn’t have to cross it at all on their way.

            “There’s an inn five more miles to the south along the river,” she said to Red.  She dropped the map from in front of her face.  This time, Red had fallen asleep. Not caring about the sound of the river, he was sprawled out on the grass already snoozing.  Blue put her hands on her hips and tisked at him.

            She put the map back in the bag at her side and rummaged around for the Poke-flute.  She was rather excited to try its effects on Red.  After all, they only needed to walk five more miles to get to the inn where they could sleep in the next morning.  She finally found the thin, wooden flute and held it up to her mouth.  She put her lips on the top, her fingers on the two bottom holes, and blew.  No sound. 

            “Is it broken?” she asked herself and blew again with the same result.  Finally, Blue blew with all her might and was greeted to the unseen sounds of crying wild Pidgey’s nesting in the trees.  Blue slapped her head at her mistake.  “Duh, the bottom two are for Pokémon, the top three are for-“

            A faint boom and shaking ground interrupted her.  Again the same sound, closer this time.  Again, closer, like footsteps.  She slowly turned around. A gigantic outline in the moonlight was approaching them.  She was frozen as she heard the low angry grumbling of its voice.  She dropped the Poke-flute and pulled out her Pokedex.

            “’Snorlax,’” she shakily read aloud.  “’This Pokémon only wakes to eat. If awakened for any other reason, it is next to impossible to escape its rage.” Boom.  Boom.  Boom! The ground was shaking as Snorlax sped up, angrily approaching the source of the sound that had awoken it from its slumber. 

            “Is there an earthquake?...” asked Red drowsily, woken up from the vibrating ground.  “Blue what are you- OH MY GOD WHAT DID YOU DO?” Snorlax stopped twenty feet away from them, fully visible now in the moonlit night.  The huge, fat Pokémon roared and stomped on its two feet, shaking the Pidgeys out of their trees.

            “I didn’t do anything!” said Blue covering for herself.

            “Well, we gotta do something now! That thing is angry!” He released Wartortle from its Pokeball, who was sleepy itself.  Blue followed suit with Nidorina.

            Nidorina ran up and attempted its Double-kick technique on the giant Snorlax.  Blue instantly thought of the fight with Kangaskhan, except this Pokémon was much more massive.  The blue rabbit Pokémon kicked and simply sank into Snorlax’s round belly before propelling backwards like a trampoline.  This only succeeded in making it angrier.  It stomped on the ground, the tremors almost knocked trainers and Pokémon off their feet.  It rushed towards them.

            “Wartortle, use Water gun!”  commanded Red.  Wartortle shot the powerful spray of water at Snorlax’s face.  Once again.  Snorlax became even more enraged and started running faster at the two trainers and their Pokémon. 

            They immediately ran upstream.  Snorlax was faster than its round figure would suggest and while they dare not turn around to gage their distance, they could feel the tremors in the earth drawing closer.  Wartortle finally did what it could and grabbed its trainer, pulling Red and itself into the rushing river.

            Red held onto Wartortle’s fluffy tale for dear life as they rushed past Blue, her Nidorina, and the pursuing Snorlax in the opposite direction.  Thankfully, Wartortle was just strong enough to fight the raging current and leap onto the river bank well behind Snorlax.

            “Thanks a lot Red!” Blue screamed in panic.  “That thing just needs to go back to sleep not get woken up even more with water in its face!”  She stopped in realization and with a burst of courage turned around to face Snorlax.  The giant Pokémon roared again, ready to punish its nuisance. 

            “Time to go to sleep!” she threw another of her Pokeballs into the air, and the tiny blue Poliwag emerged.  Snorlax wore a confused (yet still angry) look on its face. 

            It reached down and picked up Poliwag by its tail.  Poliwag was noticeably scared as it kicked its tiny legs in terror.  Snorlax growled.  Or was it its stomach growling? Blue couldn’t tell.  As Snorlax opened its mouth, Blue issued her command.

            “Use Hypnosis!” Poliwag didn’t need telling twice.  It shut its eyes and began to swirl the spiral pattern on its belly.  Snorlax fell asleep where it stood and wobbled on its disproportionately small feet and eventually fell backwards with a thud, smashing a small boulder with its head as it hit the ground.  It was knocked unconscious. It dropping Poliwag who landed on the fat Pokémon’s belly and bounced back to into its trainer’s arms.

            Without thinking, Blue threw an empty Pokeball at Snorlax.   A dinging sound emanated from the Pokeball.  Blue’s Pokedex buzzed and she opened it to find Snorlax’s name and a little icon of the Pokémon appear alongside her other Pokémon. 

            Red and Wartortle rushed over to her.  The blue turtle high-fived Blue as if to say congratulations on the capture. 

            “G-g-g-good job,” Red stammered as he was still cold and wet from the river.  “That w-was a lucky ca-catch though, just sayin.”  He folded his arms close to himself as his whole body shivered.  Blue picked up the Pokeball containing her new Pokémon, unsure what compelled her to attempt the capture.  Maybe it was just her instincts as a trainer sensing opportunity.

            “Like I said before this fiasco,” said Blue, “there’s an inn just five miles away.  Now that you’re awake, we can make it there soon and then sleep in tomorrow.”  She didn’t mention the fact that she had mixed up the Poke-flute’s sounds, sending the grumpy Snorlax into a rage that nearly hurt her and Red.

            “Why did Snorlax even-“

            “I don’t know,” snapped Blue.  “Just come on.”  She grabbed Red’s cold, soaked hand while holding the confused little Poliwag in the other arm and led him south along the river in the direction of the inn the map said awaited them. 

            A few steps behind them Wartortle and Nidorina walked still outside their Pokeballs.  Wartortle tried to grab Nidorina’s hand too and winked, but Nidorina turned her rabbit like ears away.

            Red somehow felt warmer on the inside Blue held his hand and led him, but his chattering teeth told a different story.  Little under an hour later, the smoke from the chimney of the small cottage inn was seen as the two young trainers and their Pokémon finally neared a moment of rest.