CHAPTER 22
MORTY'S PROPHECY
'Beats me,' Kamon said, 'what they are talking about.'
'Well, this island doesn't have a gym,' Carly replied. 'For that I'm certain. There are only four gyms in the Orange League.'
'Then we should go see what this gym leader thing is,' I remarked. We followed the signs to a tent that said, 'Meet Morty Here.' 'As in Morty from Ecruteak?' I questioned.
'I would assume so,' Kamon replied. We walked inside, and sure enough, it was the one and only Morty from the Ghost Gym in Ecruteak.
'Ah, hello. Welcome. If you would like me to read your fate, step over here. I can also judge how powerful you really are...' he said. He extended his arms, palms out. There was a chair on either side of him. The tent was only lit by a single candle in front of him, on an old wooden table.
I stepped up. 'I'll go,' I said.
'Fair enough,' Morty replied. He motioned for me to sit in the chair on his left side. I sat down, and he carefully stared at me. 'You've had a Psychic Reading before, haven't you?'
Caught off-guard, I answered, 'Uh, yeah.'
'Aha...and you want to know if what Sabrina told you is true?' Morty asked, almost rhetorically. He already knew.
'Yes. Because...I think she's wrong,' I answered.
'That you are not supposed to succeed in the Prime League...Drew, it's your destiny.'
'No! My destiny is to be the most powerful trainer ever!' I snapped.
'All the power on Earth cannot change destiny,' Morty replied sternly.
'I...I already lost to Crystal once. Are you saying that I am doomed to fail again?'
'Hm...it's unclear. Yes, you are destined to fail in the Prime League, yet...there's another factor that could change the outcome.'
'What do you mean?' I inquired.
'I'm not sure, quite yet. You see, you were supposed to go to the Orange League. Meeting that girl in the corner,' Morty said, leaning close to me, 'was not just coincidence. It was supposed to happen this way. But there's another factor, which will effect your future.' Morty sat in a long silence. 'Someone will enter your world. He or she will make a difference. I leave you with that,' Morty concluded.
Kamon, who apparently was gone for my reading, came back into the tent. Morty was taken aback, and then stared, wide-eyed, at Kamon.
'What is it?' I asked him.
Morty sighed and shook his head. 'Nothing, don't worry about it,' he said. We left Morty's tent.
'Well,' I said, 'that was weird.'
'What did he tell you?' Carly asked.
'Nothing I already didn't know,' I replied.
We continued across the island until we the shore. But even as we sailed off to Mandarin Island, Morty's prophecy haunted my mind.
* * *
We arrived on Mandarin Island late in the evening, and decided to spend the night in a hotel there. We only had enough money for two rooms-a family room (with a TV and a pull-out bed) and a bedroom. Carly tried to declare the bedroom for herself, but Kamon, being the oldest, decided that he should get it. Carly got the pull-out bed, and I would sleep in a chair.
Sometime in the middle of the night (I was still awake because the chair was possibly the most uncomfortable thing I had ever slept on), Carly got up from the pull-out bed and walked over to me.
'I feel real guilty for making you sleep there,' she said.
'It's not your fault,' I replied. 'It's Kamon's. I'll be mad at him.'
She laughed. 'No, really. You haven't been sleeping all night. Why don't you sleep in my bed? I will admit it's not much more conformable, but it's better than sleeping in a chair...'
Taken aback, I stuttered in my reply. 'Yeah, er, sure.' I crept into her bed, and had one of the best nights of my life.
We came around to Tangerine Island the next day, but we waited another day to battle the gym leader. I was still unsure about battling, though, because of the loss to Carly and Morty's prophecy.
The gym leader was a Fire-type Pokémon user. Her name was Trixie. I decided to let Kamon battle first.
Kamon chose Golem, while Trixie used Arcanine. Golem used Rock Slide, and Arcanine, at Trixie's command, struck back with Earthquake. Kamon was, obviously, not expecting that. He told his Golem to use Earthquake, also, nearly knocking out Arcanine.
These people are so below us, I thought.
'Arcanine,' Trixie began. She moved her red hair from in front of her face to behind her ear. 'Another Earthquake!'
'Detect,' Kamon shouted, 'and then Rock Throw!' Golem blocked the attack and then hurled more rocks at Arcanine, knocking it out.
Trixie called back her Pokémon and then sent out Ninetales. After a couple of exchanged attacks, Ninetales was the victor. Kamon recalled Golem, sent out Corsola, and knocked out Ninetales with a single Surf. Ninetales went back into the Pokéball, and Trixie used Magcargo as her last Pokémon. Kamon easily defeated Magcargo with Hydro Pump. Kamon received his badge, and I stepped up.
'Now,' I said, 'the real battle begins.'