AN: Pokemon has always been sexist and full of cliches, you can't deny it.
Summary: Why is it girls always have to have cute pokemon like Clefairy or Hopip? Why do girls have to have water and grass types, always low level?
Why can't a girl have a Geodude named Geo and a Machop named Machi? Does it make her any less of a great trainer?
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, so please don't sue me.
Sanga sat beside her Geodude in the Cianwood Pokemon Center, contemplating what the gymleader, Chuck had said after their battle.
She had won, and should have been happy, but his words still rang in her head.
"Miss, your Machop is fully healed!"
Shaken out of her stupor, Sanga headed towards the smiling nurse and the Machop that stood next to her.
"Hey Machi, how you feeling? That battle sure was tough, huh?"
"Mach! Machi...Chop." He replied.
Sanga affectionately scratched the pokemon's head, and turned towards the nurse.
She was smiling, but looked a little disgruntled.
"Hmm?" Sanga asked.
"Oh, Miss, it's just that I've never seen a female trainer with these types of pokemon before...All woman trainers who pass through here either have Oddishes or Snubbulls, always female too. But, I suppose it's a matter of personal preference, isn't it?" She smiled understandingly.
Sanga's mouth was set in a tight line, and Chuck's words came to her mind.
Flashback
Sanga grinned when she saw how easily this battle would be. She gripped Machi''s pokeball, and cried,
"Go Machi!"
Chuck, taking a guess, said, "Machi? Strange name for an Skiploom." He chuckled.
She glared at him, and said, "Not quite."
A Machop appeared before him, ready to win. He eagerly flexed his muscles, and cried, "Mach mach...Chop!"
Chuck seemed stunned for a moment, but soon broke out laughing.
"A girl with a Machop? Ha! How idiotic. No girl would ever have a Machop! Did you borrow your boyfriend's pokemon, or somethin'? Ah..ahahaha!"
Sanga's scowled deepened, and her anger caused her to fight further.
End Flashback
The nurse saw the girl's angry expression and began to worry.
"Miss? Are you all right?"
Clutching her Machop's pokeball, she forced a smile at the nurse and turned towards the exit.
Scooping up her Geodude, she stormed out, Machi following close behind.
-----
After obtaining some secret potion for the sick pokemon at the lighthouse, delivering it, and being offended by some girl in pigtails and a sundress, she arrived at the Olivine City Gym.
'Finally...' she thought, relieved.
Pushing open the stone doors, she saw no one but the nerdy guy who gave her tips every gym battle.
Walking up to him, she asked, "Where is everyone?"
The man adjusted his glasses and said, "Yo! Champ in the making! Jasmine, the leader here, uses the newly discovered 'steel' type. We don't know much about it, so good luck!"
'Wasn't what I asked, you dork.'
"Where is everyone?"
"Oh? Well, no one's here."
'Thank you, Captain Obvious. Just answer the freaking question.'
Choosing not to bother with the eccentric man, Sanga turned towards the wide path leading to the other side of the gym, and started walking.
"Good luck, Champ!"
'What am I, his son?' She asked herself. Sometimes, poeple would make remarks that made her sound like a boy...strange.
Walking up a tall stone platform, she saw the pig-tailed girl reading a book, a Magnemite napping on her head.
She looked up, surprised at the sound of someone. you see, she wasn't used to seeing other people in her gym.
"Thank you for your help in the lighthouse," she said, recognizing the blue haired girl, "But...this is different."
She stood up, and her Magnemite awoke. "Maggggg!" It screeched.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Jasmine, a gym leader."
'No duh.' Thought Sanga 'Or, are you sitting up here just for kicks?'
"Um...may I begin?"
Jasmine released another Magnemite, a high level one too.
"Geo, go!" Sanga cried, releasing her Geodude.
Jasmine gasped as Geo knocked out Magnemite in one hit.
Sanga grinned and shouted, "It's a one-hit KO!"
Biting her lip, Jasmine nudged her other Magnemite and said, "Go Magnemite."
Sanga, knowing she'd win easily, cried, "Geo, Magnitude!"
The gym floor shook as Sanga said, "Magnitude 10!" and Geo threw a ton of rocks towards the unfortunate Magnemite.
"No!" Jasmine wailed, cradling her poor electric pokemon. "It had no chance against a rock type..."
Recalling her Magnemite, she gripped Steelix's pokeball, her powerhouse.
Biting back tears,she threw her pokemon's pokeball and shouted, "Go Steelix!"
'Steelix?' Sanga thought, 'What's a Steelix?'
She soon found out.
Sanga cowered beneath the huge, spiked, grinning pokemon.
A sickening screech rang from it, as Jasmine happily patted it's tail.
"Sanga, meet Steely! Isn't he cute?"
Eyes wide, Sanga was speechless as the towering pokemon glared at her and Geo.
Perfectly chipper, Jasmine chimed "Steely, use Iron Tail!"
Steelix nodded, and his tail began to glow a bright white.
"G-geo, Harden!" Sanga stuttered.
But, it was no use, Geo was instantly knocked out by the powerful steel-type attack.
Realising she only had Machi left, Sanga started to panic. How long would Machi last against a Steelix?
Kissing his pokeball for luck, she threw it and called, "Machi, go!"
Jasmine looked smug, as she said, "Cute name, Sanga!"
Machi scowled at the larger pokemon, but did not look threatened. He flexed his muscles, and cried "Maaachop!"
"Steel." The other pokemon replied, a frown gracing his features.
Machi began to beat on his chest, and smirked at Steelix. "Mach."
Sanga held back a giggle, as Jasmine looked confused.
"C'mon Steelix, quit joking around!"
"Yeah, you too Machi."
Machi went behind Steelix, and began to walk up his back like a staircase.
Steelix tried to turn his head to see the other pokemon, but his head would twist that way. He began to chase his tail, trying desprating to catch ahold of the offending Machop.
Machi seemed to laugh as he clutched a spike on Steelix's spine.
Steelix turned faster and faster until he brought confusion upon himself and slammed into one of the gym walls.
Sanga broke into a fit of laughter, as Jasmine cried, "No! Steely!"
Too late, the bump to Steelix's head caused an instant KO and Machi jumped off of the fainted pokemon's back.
Strutting proudly to his trainer, he cried, "Machi, machi, machi! Chopchop...Chooop."
Sanga laughed and praised her smart pokemon. "Yes, yes, you are the champion Machi."
Jasmine sighed in defeat and reached into a pocket of her sundress.
Managing a smile, she handed Sanga the Mineralbadge. "You have amazing pokemon, Sanga. You deserve this badge, after all, pokemon is about more than just brute strength. You've proved yourself."
Sanga smiled and took the badge. "Don't say that to me, say it to Machi. He did all the work. It was all his brilliant idea."
Jasmine leaned down, and patted the grinning Machop on the head. "Good job Machop, you sure gave Steely quite the workout."
Recalling Machi, Sanga turned to Jasmine and frowned. Jasmine turned and questioned, "Yes?"
"Oh, it's just...I expected something much different."
"Well, that was quite an unusual battle, don't you think?"
"It's not that, it's your choice of pokemon."
Jasmine frowned. "What about them?" She asked, her eyes flickering towards her pokeballs.
"Well, every girl I've met has more...girly pokemon."
"But...Machops and Geodudes aren't girly at all...are they?
"That's what I mean..." She relayed the whole Chuck ordeal.
"It is true, females in general have specific types of pokemon, mainly water, grass, and normal types. You wouldn't believe how many waters-types I've taken out with my Magnemites. And grass-types don't have much of an effect on Steely either."
"Many people treat me different, just because I have fighting and rock types. I was simply surprised to see such...boyish pokemon. I mean, Steelix evolves from Onix, right?"
Jasmine nodded. "With the help of an iron coat."
"And, let's face it, Magnemites aren't the cutest pokemon. They don't even have a gender."
Jasmine began to think. "You're right. But, that doesn't make any less of a good trainer, does it?"
"Of course not."
Jasmine was suddenly struck with an idea. "Sanga, you have to become the league champion, and show everyone a girl can be the best, even with boyish pokemon."
Sanga nodded and turned to head to the Pokemon Center.
Jasmine tapped her on the shoulder and said, "I don't know how to say this...but, good luck."
Sanga smiled and walked out of the gym, ready to prove to the world a girl could be the champion, even if she had a Geodude and a Machop.
AN: Okay, I know I've ranted my head off already with this fic, but it still bugs me. This fic started when my brother and some of his smart-alec friends were shocked to see I had a Machop and a Geodude in my party. WTF people? Female trainer don't HAVE to have Oddishes and Sentrets only. We can have a Zubat, Onix, and a freaking Machoke if we want!
All of the female lasses and beauties you encounter in Crystal have female and so called, 'Girly-typed' pokemon. They just HAVE to be cute and cuddly, don't they? The only girl who breaks out of the ordinary is Jasmine. She had to have trained an Onix to get that Steelix, didn't she? And, face it, Magnemites aren't cute.
Even in the anime, they had to give the gym leaders the girliest types, didn't they?
Now, I'll stop. I just hope SOMEONE agrees with me.