Today I am celebrating my 10th birthday. I have been counting down the days since I watched Clair get defeated. Clair hardly ever lost. I was just as shocked as the crowd and the Gym Leader when we all witnessed her Kingdra fall to her challengers Arbok. No one saw that coming. When she gave the trainer the Rising Badge, I knew deep down I wanted to be a trainer. The look in her eyes after her defeat was a cold, dead stare of determination.
That was three years ago. I spent the first 9 and a half years of my life in Blackthorn City listening to all the Dragon legends. I do not want to be a Dragon master like Clair or Lance. I want a balanced team for myself.
However, I know that I want at least one Dragon type for my team. On this day, I was supposed to go to the Dragon's Den to receive my first Pokemon. Clair took a shine to me. She was going to let me pick out a Dratini.
Six months ago, those plans changed. I had the Johto League already strategy in my head: I was going to catch a Murkrow to deal with Chuck, Bugsy and Morty, a Machoke to pummel Jasmine, Pryce, and Whitney, a Lanturn to electrocute Falkner, and my Dragonite for my epic showdown with Clair. I would then have three or four extra Pokemon in rotation for support. I could feel the badges daydreaming about them.
What sucks about being the kid in the family is the fact that you do not have a say in the major decision making of the house. My Father works with an advertising company, and he was offered a huge promotion in a region I never heard of. My Mother is a Pokemon Groomer, so she had no problem with the move. Me on the other hand, I was distraught. My dreams of conquering Johto just went up in smoke right before my eyes. I pleaded with them to stay in Johto, but they refused.
"Son, think of this as a new challenge! You have already defeated the Johto Gym Leaders in your mind. Why not start from scratch and defeat the Arcadian Gym leaders? It would make you that much stronger! And besides, you can always go to Johto when you are older. If you hone your craft in Arcadian, you just might be strong enough to be a Gym Leader in Johto!" my Father told me in a very jovial manner. He is right after all. Since I did not have a choice, I figured I would start my journey in Arcadian. I already have every type match-up in my head. I am ready!
Now, let's fast forward to today. I was on my way to meet Professor Pine in our new hometown of Cotton Valley.
I had no idea of what Pokemon he had for me to choose. To my knowledge, all the Pokemon here are the same ones that I heard of from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova. I am sure that the choices will be the same as all regions: Fire, Water, Grass.
When I got to the door, I could hear Professor Pine inside mumbling about which choices he should give or something like that. I walked in and saw him with seven Pokeballs.
"Ah, you've made it!" He is younger than I would have expected. He looked like he wasn't a day over 30. He had brown hair and stood about 6'5". He looks more like a professional sports player than a Professor.
"Yes sir, I am here for my Pokemon and Pokedex to start my journey!" I exclaimed. All of a sudden, I felt a huge rush go through me. I was excited for the first time in a long time. I was about to get a Pokemon and tear the Arcadian League up!
"Well you are in luck Teddy-Ball-Game! Since you see seven Pokeballs here, I will let you choose one of the seven!"
he replied. Well, happy birthday to me! I get to have a broader choice in my starter Pokemon.
"Awesome! Thanks Professor!" I could feel the goosebumps running up and down my arms.
"Well, let's not waste time. Here are the seven: Turtwig, Squirtle, Cyndaquil, Torchic, Snover, Meditite, or Gible,"
He put the Pokeballs down on the table one by one as he introduced them.
"This is a no-brainer. I am from Blackthorn City, and I want that Gible!" That was an easy choice. My first Pokemon was supposed to be a Dragon type. Now I get to start with a Dragon/Ground type. Then a thought came over me that scared the crap out of me.
"Professor, the first Gym in Arcadian isn't an Ice type is it?" I asked with wide eyes.
"Ah, you have no idea of the Gyms here do you Teddy? This is one of the hardest leagues to win. You see,
the Gyms here do have a theme, but it is not based on Pokemon's types." I could not believe what I just heard!
If the Gyms are not based on type, then what the hell are they based off of?
"So, what exactly is the first Gym all about?" I asked.
"I think it would be a better test if you found out on your own Teddy," He replied. Thanks for the help jerk.
"Well, Gible and I will go work on his ground type moves. He will learn those before he learns his hard-hitting Dragon moves. Thanks Professor. Oh, and which way to the first Gym?" I was halfway out of the door when I asked this.
"Head east to Cullen City. The Gym Leader's name is Luke. I will give you some starter advice Teddy. Luke will battle you with two Pokemon. Gible is not enough to beat him, even if he uses his Pokemon for trainers with no badges." He had a look of urgency on his face. It was like he was trying to hint something.
"Wait, so the Gym Leaders do not battle with the same Pokemon?" I asked.
"They rotate their teams depending on how many badges the challenger has. It makes the battle both more competitive and fair. But, make sure you catch at least one more Pokemon. Gible is not enough," He said one more time.
"Ha, Gible and I will get so strong that we won't care if he throws an Ice-type at us! Thanks Professor! I will call you when we achieve victory!" I was now out of the door, on my bike, and heading east to Cullen City. Luke shall be the first to go down on my journey. I can't wait!
After two days of training, Gible was a master at his Take Down and Sand-Tomb attacks. Those would be the only two that we needed. I thought about catching a Houndour, but I did not want to mess up Gible's confidence. He was determined to do it by himself. His personality makes me proud to be his trainer.
We walked up to the Cullen City Gym, and the door was open. I saw a man sitting at the far side in the Gym.
There was something odd about this Gym. It looked like the floor was black and painted with all these small circles.
"Stop, you will fall!" The man said. I couldn't believe believe what I saw. The floor wasn't black. There WAS NO FLOOR! The circles were small platforms of Pokemon to stand on.
"What kind of Gym is this place?" I shouted.
"Allow me to introduce myself lad! I am Luke, the Leader of the Cullen City Gym. The badge that I give out to those who rise to the occasion is the Hover Badge!" he said gleefully.
"Hi Luke, I am Teddy. Why is it called the Hover Badge?" I asked, starting to feel uneasy about this.
"All of my Pokemon have the Levitate Ability. What you see here is a 30 foot drop. Any Pokemon that falls off the platforms will be at the mercy of my Pokemon to retrieve them. Do not worry though, there is a safety net to catch the Pokemon. However, if your Pokemon touches the net, they will be disqualified from battle!" he explained.
Now I wish I listened to Professor Pine. Now, Gible's Sand-Tomb is useless, and his Take Down poses a risk of falling.
However, Gible looked ready! I asked if he wanted to fight, and he let out a roar that made me jump a little. How could I deny him? He busted his butt to be able to compete in a Gym battle. I would not take away the opportunity for him. The time to fight is now!
"How many badges do you have?" Luke asked.
"Zero, an amount about to be increased to one!" I said. "Gible... Prepare for Battle! He's the only one I have, and the only one I need!"
"Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiibleeeeeeeeeee!" he was psyched!
"I love a new trainer with confidence, but you won't make it past my first Pokemon. Since you only have one Pokemon, you will have to face me 2-1. The official Arcadian Rules say I must use 2 Pokemon for trainers who have no Badges. I am not allowed to switch out Pokemon. Both the Leader and the Challenger have to right to resign anytime during the match. Now, take your first loss like a man Teddy." Luke was now reaching for a Pokeball.
"Bronzor, Bring the Pain!" Luke yelled.
Great, I cannot use Sand-Tomb to counter his Steel typing. Now, Take Down will not be effective. There has got to be a way to beat his Bronzor.
Luke had his Bronzor float quickly around the Gym using his Iron Defense. I had Gible hopping from platform to platform to let him catch his footing. He was very agile. He hit a few Take Downs, but the damage was minimal.
"You still want to keep going Teddy? You are not doing any damage!" Luke asked me. He seemed bored.
"No, just let me think a little. Gible use Take Down again!" I need to think. I cannot knock out his Bronzor.
His Bronzor cannot fall into the pit and hit the net.
*CLICK*
That was the sound of the little light bulb turning on above my head. Bronzor won't fall to the net, but Gible can bring him to the net!
"Gible use Take Down and land on top of Bronzor!" Gible followed the command and hit Bronzor with a Take Down on top of Luke's Pokemon. Bronzor then descended down to the net with Gible on top. Bronzor hit the net and shot straight back up with Gible clinging on to dear life. Gible jumped off and landed on a platform.
"Bronzor has hit the net. He is disqualified. It is now a one on one battle!" the referee raised the flag in my direction. Gible tied the match!
"Very clever. I am actually impressed and not disappointed. Bronzor return. That loss is on me. Not you,"
Luke brought Bronzor back to his Pokeball. "Sorry to tell you, but your luck has just run out. It is impossible for just your Gible to win. Now, let me introduce you to my second Pokemon. Gastly, Bring the Pain!"
At that point, I knew I had to resign. Gible cannot win if he cannot hit the Pokemon all together. Gible wanted to fight. I did not know what to do. Maybe there was a way to win. I needed to buy time.
"Okay Gible, we will not give up! Just jump around and dodge Gastly!" Gible followed order and jumped around quickly around the Gastly.
"Gastly! Hypnosis!" Luke demanded.
The Hypnosis hit Gible like a bus on the interstate and dropped him to the net.
"Gible has hit the net. He is disqualified. The winner of the battle is Luke!" The referee raised the flag in Luke's direction.
It was over. Gible and I lost our first match. I should have listened to Professor Pine.
"You fought hard Teddy. However, Arcadian Rules say that I cannot grant you a rematch until you have collected three badges. Please come back when you get three badges. I know you have it in you to be a great trainer! Please show come again. I need to rest my Pokemon." Luke gave me a pat on the back and turned around and went into a room inside his Gym.
I am a long way from Johto. Not only did I lose, but I have to collect three badges to challenge him to a rematch.
How many Gyms are here in the Arcadian Region? This is a new reality on Gym Battles. I need to call Professor Pine.
When he answered, he somehow knew I lost.
"Teddy, all it is is a learning experience. Do not be discouraged. I did not tell you what Luke uses for his battles because I knew you would learn more going in blind. You need to catch more Pokemon. Luke called me. He told me how well your Gible did. If you can train a Dragon, you can catch anything. You need more Pokemon.
Now, head north to Dodson Town. The next closest Gym is there. The Leader is named Lauren. Take a few days and train a team of four. You won't get unlucky type matchups like you did today with four Pokemon instead of one!
Get some sleep, and good luck. Call me if you need anything!" he then hung up. I didn't even have to say a word.
This was not the start for my journey that I had in mind. But what keeps me from sleeping is not knowing what kind of Gym is in Dodson. From what I saw today, it can be anything. I need more Pokemon to go to battle with Gible. I am not in Johto anymore. I need information on the Dodson Gym.
...I need more Pokemon...