Sinnoh Adventures
Intro
Tenki, young 15-year old boy from Hoenn, departs from the comfort of his father's Flygon onto to the sand of Sandgem Town.
"My son…" His father began, "You have no Pokémon. How do you expect to adventure is this region? There will be too many hardships to face on your own."
Tenki slowly nodded. "I know what you did dad…"
His father got a look of confusion on his face. "What?"
"I knew you weren't going to leave me here without a Pokémon of my own. What would you do if I started to walk the other way right now?"
He got an odd look on his face. "How did you?" He shook his head. "No matter." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small Egg. "Take this. It's a gift from everyone at the weather institute. We all…just hope for the best."
Tenki smiled and gently took hold of the Egg. "I wonder what it could be…"
"Just remember to call me on your Pokenav. I'm not sure what kind of reception you will get, but maybe at the top of that big mountain you might have reception. Just don't forget about us back in Hoenn. My son…be careful. I'm worried about you. You are only 15 years old."
"When Team Aqua and Magma were trying to take over the institute, a young 10 year old boy saved us all. I think I can handle myself, dad."
He nodded and flew off to avoid a tough goodbye.
Tenki turned around, facing the city. "My time to shine."
The First Badge: New Friends and Allies!
Tenki looked around the small town. There were only a few people milling about. They obviously missed Tenki being dropped off by the enormous Flygon. A whole new life spread out before Tenki. Around the town, he explored. Since he has no clue how to start his adventure, he chose to become a little more familiar with his surroundings. As he walked closer to town, a young boy saw him. He smiled and walked towards him.
"You just came from the ocean?" He said happily.
"No, I actually just flew in from Hoenn." Tenki said happily. His blonde hair trailed down to his black jacket. It looked awkward for Sinnoh, compared to the total of five people he had seen.
"No way! All the way from Hoenn! You must have all sorts of exotic Pokémon with you then!"
"Actually, no. Just this egg my dad left me with. I wonder what is inside…" Tenki and the boy listened carefully. No sounds or movements resonated from the Egg. Tenki sighed.
"It's probably a Pokémon from Hoenn! Wow! You need to come show me when it hatches!"
"Sure!" Tenki was happy he already made a friend even though he didn't know his name.
"You know what you should do! You should go to the Pokémon lab! Professor Rowan would be so excited to meet someone like you!"
"I've heard of him before. Maybe he knows Professor Birch."
"I'm not sure, you should go talk to him though."
Tenki nodded slowly. He ran off to the Lab.
"So, you are from Hoenn…" Rowan said slowly.
"Yeah, I just got here. My dad flew me in on his Flygon."
"Wow…" Rowan said slowly. "So, I assume you have a Pokémon from Hoenn. Let's see it."
"Oh, I don't have any Pokémon."
"Is that so? Well then I can…"
"My dad just gave me this Egg." Tenki said, revealing the small Egg. Rowan began to stare. "You are a Pokémon Professor. What type of Pokémon is this?"
"I wouldn't know. Perhaps Professor Elm of Johto could tell you. Or, of course, you could just wait for it to hatch."
"Yeah. Well, I should probably get started on my adventure. Eight badges to get and they won't just be handed over to me."
"Wait." Rowan said. "I'm not sure if this is just some crazy way of fate helping me, but I have a Pokedex to give you."
"What?"
"Well, I was supposed to give it to this kid Barry, but he ran off before I could give it to him. It's simple really. Whenever you encounter a new Pokémon, have this Dex scan it, and you will learn info about it. The scans will also be helpful to my research. I'm not sure it will be able to identify your Egg after it hatches though. There is a strict list of Pokémon it can identify, until I can upgrade it however." He handed the small red Pokedex to Tenki.
"This is an honor, sir." Tenki said, cradling the Egg carefully. The Egg began to make movements.
Rowan gasped. "Is it possible that…it's hatching already?"
Tenki looked in awe as a little piece of egg shell plummeted to the ground. More and more pieces fell apart and to the ground, until…!
"Cas…?"
"What is it?" Rowan asked in awe. Tenki let out a deflated sigh. The small Pokémon yawned. It was small and grey. The skin around its eyes was darker than the rest of its body. It was the shape of a ball but its feet where more like clouds, allowing it to levitate. It store at Tenki in awe.
"It's a Castform." Tenki said sadly.
"It's…so fascinating! It's levitating! It's so wondrous!"
"It's nothing. I grew up in a weather institute; I really should have expected this. I thought it might be something cool like a Trapinch or a Mudkip, but no. Had to be the only Pokémon I know about."
The Castform got a sad look.
"It's ok!" Rowan said, with a smile. "What does this Pokémon do?"
"It's body changes to fit the weather."
"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.
"For example, if there is a snow storm or hail, Castform's body will change into the Ice-type." Tenki said flatly.
"That's exhilarating! How are you not excited?"
"Because I grew up with these Pokémon." He looked at Castform cradled in his arms. It knew nothing of the world other than him and Rowan. "I think it will be OK. I can grow with it. I've never grown with a Castform before." Tenki said with a smile. "I've gotta go Rowan! Thanks for the Pokedex!"
Since Castform didn't have a Pokeball, Tenki decided to let Castform follow him outside of the Pokeball.
"Ok, Castform, this is your fate, battling." Tenki said.
"Cas?"
"It's ok, you will catch on."
"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Tenki heard a girl say. He turned to face the sound. It was a young girl, maybe eleven, and a Chimchar. She wore a white beanie with a red scarf. She ran up to Tenki and Castform.
"Hello…" Tenki said.
"It's sooo cute!" She shouted picking up and hugging the Castform. Castform smiled awkwardly.
"Chim…" The Chimchar said while laying it's hand over its face.
"Oh!" She said letting go of the Castform, It hovered over to Tenki's shoulder. "My name's Dawn." She said holding her hand out. Tenki shook it.
"Tenki. This is my partner Castform. He just hatched about 5 minutes ago." Tenki said. "I'm from Hoenn. I'm trying to teach Castform how to battle…" He held his hand to his chin. "Perhaps you can help?"
"Sure!" She said. "Follow me!"
The four of them entered a grassy area. A small bird was pecking at the ground. It heard the steps and faced Dawn. It chirped wildly and flew towards her.
"Chimchar! Scratch!"
Chimchar jumped up and slashed at the bird with it claws. It flew backwards and crashed into the ground. Tenki pulled out his Pokedex and held it up. A small blue laser grid shot out at the bird. Although it seemed as if the bird didn't notice, it seemed to have gathered plummets of data. It displayed them on the screen. Tenki read aloud.
"Starly, Starling type. Average Height, 1 foot, weight, 4 and one half pounds. Because they are weak individually, they form groups. However, they bicker if the group grows too big."
"This one is alone. Very weak, and an easy target." Dawn said. "Finish it Chimchar, Ember!"
Chimchar shot a sprinkle of flames out at the Starly. After it struck, the Starly fled. Castform seemed pumped up.
"Wow, nice Pokémon." Tenki said.
"Thanks. It seems that Castform is excited to try. Think you will be OK on your own?"
"Yeah, I'll be OK. Thanks for your help."
"I'm sure I'll see you around." She said with a smile. She ran off away from Sandgem.
"Ok, Castform, it's our turn!" He shouted.
"Cas!" Castform bellowed. Since Tenki's Pokedex couldn't identify Castform, he didn't know what moves that Castform might have had, so he just had to assume he knew from all the other Castforms he grew up with. Movement caught Tenki's eye. It was a small plump mouse. Before it could catch his attention, he scanned it with his Pokedex.
Bidoof: Plump Mouse type. 1 foot 8 inches, 44 pounds. A comparison revealed that Bidoof's front teeth grow at the same rate as Rattata's. That's what displayed on the Pokedex.
"Almost 50 pounds, but it's so small." He told Castform. Castform gave him a skeptic look. Castform had no idea what pounds were. "Oh well. Before it notices us, let's attack it. Castform, use Rain Dance!"
"Cas…?" Castform said.
"You don't know Rain Dance?"
Castform deflated.
"It's ok, let's just pick another move. Use Water Gun!"
Castform looked around slowly.
"Still? Nothing? What can you do?"
Castform smiled. It shot off his shoulder and rammed into the Bidoof. The Bidoof let out a quick shot of air and turned around to face Castform.
"Tackle, of course!" He shouted with sarcasm. The Bidoof shot back at Castform with a tackle. Castform yelped in pain and rolled towards Tenki. "No! Are you OK?" He shouted. What kind of trainer was he? His new born Pokémon was getting its head pounded in that his destiny was to get hurt. Castform floated back up into the air and spun around towards Bidoof. "Tackle it, Castform!" Castform hurled itself at the Bidoof. The Bidoof returned a tackle. It has more energy than Castform. Castform used another Tackle. Then the Bidoof did a stronger Tackle, knocking Castform unconscious. Tenki picked up Castform and rushed back to Sandgem town.
"Fooor…." Castform wailed at Tenki. He was mad at him. He was defeated by such a weak Pokémon.
"He'll be alright." A nurse said. "Just be careful. Newborn Pokémon are, of course, weaker than others."
"It's OK Castform, we'll get the next one!" Tenki told him. He smiled a little bit. A bit of happiness resonated within Castform.
They left the Pokémon Center, and decided to head north. Tenki could see high skyscrapers in the distance. Along the way to the city, a kid, no more than 8 or 9, saw him.
"Hey!" He shouted. Tenki looked towards him.
"Yes?"
"You should battle me! You look like such a Greenhorn, it ought to be good for you!"
"Ok, sure! Go ahead Castform!"
"Caaaaas!" Castform said as it hovered off his shoulder. The kid didn't seem impressed by the exotic Pokémon.
"Alright! Go Starly!" He shouted, throwing a Pokeball into the ground. It burst and light shot out, forming the familiar Pokémon, Starly.
"Alright Castform, slam it with a Tackle!"
Castform fired itself forward and rammed into the bird.
"Starly! Growl!"
The bird let out a deep guttural growl. Castform gave the bird a skeptic look.
"That's all you can do?" Tenki shouted, "Hit it with another Tackle, Castform!"
"No, Starly, Quick Attack!" The kid shouted. The Starly darted forward and did a full-on tackle onto Castform, but Castform quickly regained balance and Tackled the bird.
"Hurry Castform hit it again!" Tenki shouted. Castform obeyed and slammed into the bird. The bird shook its body.
"Use the same attack Starly! Tackle!"
"Try to move out of the way Castform!" Tenki shouted. The bird shot towards Castform and he jumped into the air. The Tackle missed. "Hurry Castform, while it's venerable! Tackle it!"
Castform glowed red and darted at Starly, instantly knocking it unconscious.
"No way…" The kid slowly said, picking up the fainted Pokémon. He returned it to its Pokeball. "Good battle!"
As Tenki proceeded, there was a young girl that wanted to battle him. Her name was Natalie. She sent out a Bidoof. It made Castform shiver. However, thanks to Tenki's persistence, victory soon followed. The Victory resulted in Castform feeling somewhat stronger. Along the rest of the trip, Tenki ran into a Starly, and another trainer. His name was Logan. He had a very odd looking Pokémon. The Pokedex identified it as Burmy, Bagworm Pokémon. 7.5 Pounds, and 6 inches. Even if it is born where there are no cocooning materials, it somehow always ends up with a cloak. Castform easily defeated the leafy Pokémon. Tenki also found a potion lying on the ground along the way. He wondered who would just leave it there. He also ran into another Bidoof, but decided simply to ignore it.
Upon arriving in the new city, Dawn approached him.
"Hello Tenki."
"Hi Dawn."
"I'm guessing you haven't caught any more Pokémon?" She asked him.
"Nope, still just me and Castform. I'm sure I'll catch more eventually."
"You should check out the school." Dawn said.
"I don't need to learn anything." He told her.
"No, not to learn. A kid there by the name of Barry would like to meet you. There is also another boy named Lucas. He would probably love to meet you too!"
"OK, will do. Where is it?"
"I'll show you, follow me!"
Dawn walked north. She got a little uneasy. There was a man in a trench coat hiding behind a streetlight.
"That man…what is he doing?" He shuffled around a little before Dawn approached him. "Um, excuse me?"
"WHAAAT?" He shouted. It was more in surprise than in response. "How did you know?"
"Know what?" Tenki asked.
"That I am a member of the international police!"
"I, uh…" Tenki said slowly, "We didn't say anything…"
"I'm no fool! I know your type!" The man said. Dawn looked to Tenki in mystery. The duo began to inch away. "You knew that I was a man of excellence!" The man said. He sighed. Dawn and Tenki stopped moving. "Well now that my cover has been blown, I should just introduce myself. I am a globe-trotting elite of the International Police. My name…you need not know. You may, however, refer to me as Looker. Nothing else. Anyhow, is the saying 'Don't be a thief!' familiar to you?"
Dawn remained silent. Looker looked toward Tenki. "I can't say I've ever heard that…" Tenki said quietly.
Looker shook his head in amazement. "How could that be? Perhaps you have heard it but just do not remember it…but I'm sure you know the truth of the saying!"
"Of course…" Tenki said. He began to inch away again.
"Well not all people are a smart and witty as you…there are criminals here in Sinnoh that simply put, steal the living Pokémon of others! I've been hiding here in Jubilife looking for anyone that might be this type of person. So instead of wasting my time here with you, I should continue my lookout. Yes, I must go…" With that, he darted off into the city.
Dawn gave Tenki an awkward look. "What an oddball…" she said, Then she turned to face the school. "Both of them should still be here. You should go talk to them." She nodded slowly. "Well, I better get going. Enjoy your time here in the big city!"
"Thanks!" Tenki said. Dawn walked away. Tenki turned and entered the school. Near the front of the classroom was a blonde boy talking with another kid wearing an odd red hat. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were both the age of Dawn. Tenki walked up to them. They both began to stare awkwardly.
"Can we help you?" The red-hatted kid said.
"Oh, I'm Tenki from Hoenn. Dawn said I should come meet Barry and Lucas. I'm assuming that's you two." He said.
"Yep!" The blonde kid said. "I'm Barry, this is Lucas. We are Pokémon Trainers. I was just giving Lucas a town map. I'd love to give you one, but I only had two."
"Oh, that reminds me!" Tenki said, "I can download a Town Map to my Pokénav! Do you have an internet hub anywhere in here?"
"Yeah." Lucas said, pointing to a computer. Tenki walked over and plugged the Pokénav into the computer. After a few button clicks, the Sinnoh Town Map was his to use. He smiled and walked back over to Barry and Lucas.
"Well it looks like Oreburgh will have our first Badge to obtain." Barry said. Lucas nodded. "Here Tenki, take this." He handed him a small capsule. Tenki eyed it with curiosity. "It's an X Attack. If you use it in battle, your Pokémon will become a little stronger." He winked. "But careful on using it in Trainer battles, because other trainers might find it unfair." Then him and Lucas both darted off before Tenki could say goodbye.
Tenki went and rested at the Pokémon Center for a few hours. When he left, he was confronted by a fairly large man.
"You! You aren't from here, are you?"
"Actually, no, I'm from Hoenn." He said with a smile.
"I'm surprised you didn't know! Everyone in Sinnoh uses a Pokémon Watch!"
"Oh really?" Tenki asked.
"Quite really! You see, I invented them! Now I'm giving them away for a promotional campaign!" He said cheerfully. "Would you like one?"
Tenki smiled. "Sure, I'd like that!"
"All you need to do is find 3 clowns here in the city." He smiled. "Then I'll give you a free Pokétch."
Tenki smiled more. "Fantastic, I'll go find them!"
Whenever Tenki found one of the clowns, they would ask him a really obvious trivia question. Then, after he answered it, they would give him a little ticket. When he brought all of the tickets back to the large man, he smiled and took them.
"Congratulations! Here you go!" He said, handing him a blue watch from a tote bag. "You can add apps to your Pokétch to make it do even more things!" He said with a grin. "The touch screen allows you to go through all the apps on the watch. You can download more from any PC. Since you are also from Hoenn, you probably have a Pokénav, yes?"
"Yep." He said with a smile.
"You can update the Pokétch the same way you update the Pokénav. Just plug it into a USB port on any computer hooked up to the internet." He smiled again. "I should go. Good luck here in Sinnoh!"
"Thanks again!" Tenki said as the man walked away waving.
As Tenki left the city, Barry approached him.
"Tenki!" He said in joy, "I just realized, we never had a chance to battle! So how about it?"
He looked towards Castform. It was still his only Pokémon. It still only knew one move, and one of the weakest moves at that. But he wasn't ready to give up on a challenge.
"Challenge accepted!" He shouted.
"All right! Go Starly!" He shouted in his excitement. Tenki had to laugh. Starly's were half of the Pokémon that he had been fighting at this point. Castform returned with repetitive Tackles. The Starly could do nothing but growl and then eventually use a Quick Attack. The small bird collapsed to the ground after Castform continued to lay Tackle after Tackle out. Barry returned his Pokémon.
"Had enough Barry?" Tenki asked.
"What a boring Pokémon, all it does is Tackle." He grabbed another Pokeball. "Of course I haven't had enough! Go Turtwig!"
A small turtle appeared. Tenki took out his Pokedex.
Turtwig, Tiny Leaf Pokémon. 22.5 Pounds, 1 foot 4 inches. The shell on its back is made of soil. On a very healthy Turtwig, the shell should feel moist.
"Castform, continue to Tackle!"
Castform was quicker, but Turtwig kept heightening its defenses with Withdraw. It seemed too tough to defeat. Castform ended up missing with its Tackles and Turtwig would shine red before landing its attacks. Tenki began to give up hope. Then, Barry continued to order Turtwig to raise its defense. It stopped attacking. Eventually Castform defeated the Turtwig with a glowing red tackle.
"Waah! What do you mean I lost?"
"What a nail biter…" Tenki said as Castform hovered to his shoulder. "All I did was Tackle and won. You need to think of a better game plan or you aren't going to win any battles."
"Well, that's it! I'm never losing again! You can count on it, Tenki!"
"OK." Tenki said flatly.
"And the way to get tougher is to challenge and defeat Pokémon Gyms! The closest is in Oreburgh! Cya Tenki!"
He ran off before Tenki could say goodbye.
Tenki decided to go back to the city and go north instead of east. Perhaps he could train Castform with some of the trainers in the area. It was a smart idea. Castform began to feel tougher, but failed to learn any new moves. When Tenki returned east to continue to Oreburgh, he fought a trainer with more unfamiliar Pokémon.
Kricketot, Cricket Pokémon. 4.9 Pounds, 1 foot. Its legs are short. Whenever it stumbles, its stiff antennae clack with a xylophone-like sound. Easily defeated by the Tackles of Castform. The next Pokémon was a little more familiar.
Zubat, Bat Pokémon. 16.5 Pounds, 2 feet 7 inches. It checks its surroundings and location using reflections of the ultrasonic waves from its mouth. Just like Kricketot, though, it was defeated easily by the Tackles of Castform. Tenki began to wonder how long it would be until Castform could use weather moves.
Another unfamiliar Pokémon when Tenki battles a young boy named Dallas.
Shinx, Flash Pokémon. 20.9 Pounds, 1 foot 8 inches. The extension and contraction of its muscles generates electricity. It glows when in trouble. Tenki thought maybe Castform was ready to try one of the simple moves that the other Castforms back in Hoenn could use. Sure enough, Castform was finally able to use Water Gun, Powder Snow, and Ember. Thought they didn't seem as powerful as Castform's Tackle, he continued using them.
Another not-so-unfamiliar Pokémon.
Machop, Superpower Pokémon. 43 pounds , 2 Feet 7 inches. Though small in stature, it is powerful enough to easily heft and throw a number of Geodude at once.
Though the name Geodude made him think, he continued advancing towards Oreburgh. He found that using Tackle was better than using the other three moves when they weren't super effective. It was like Castform was better at using Tackle simply because it was the same type as him.
Still, many, many new Pokémon kept appearing.
Abra, Psi Pokémon. 43 pounds, 2 feet, 11 inches. Using its psychic power is such a strain on its brain that it needs to sleep for 18 hours a day. Tenki could never really get a good chance to face off with the Abra because it would always teleport away.
Budew, Bud Pokémon. 2.6 pounds, 8 inches. Sensitive to changing temperature, the bud is said to bloom when it feels the sun's warm touch.
A large cave sprawled out before Tenki. As he heard from the folks around him, it was known as Oreburgh Gate. When he went inside, I nice Hiker gave him an HM, or Hidden Machine, for Rock Smash. Just like Hoenn, everyone in Sinnoh was very generous.
There were many more battles for Tenki due to other challengers in the cave. Tenki began to feel more and more dependent on Castform. Perhaps it was time to catch a second Pokémon Tenki encountered no new Pokémon in the cave, but when he left, he noticed something odd. There was a number at the top left of his Pokénav. It had a money symbol near it. It read "6032". He had no idea where the money had come from. Maybe his dad had sent it. Who knows? Regardless, he continued to exit the cave.
Oreburgh was a happy town. It specialized in coal exports. After resting at the Pokémon center, Tenki rushed off to the Gym. He wasn't sure whether or not he would he ready to face a gym leader, but in the end, it didn't matter. Barry was sitting outside the gym with an irritated look on his face. When he saw Tenki he stood up.
"Hey Tenki." He said flatly. "The gym leader isn't here. I think he went off to the coal mines." Barry said, pointing towards them.
"That's a shame." Tenki said.
"If you want to face the Gym Leader, it would probably be best to go to the mines to find him."
Before leaving, Tenki ran to the Mart to buy some Pokeballs. When he was ready to pay, he pulled out his Pokénav.
"I can pay with Nav Credits, right?" He asked.
"Of course!" She said, pulling out a cable. After handing it to him, he plugged it in, and the number dropped. "You must have gotten this money from battles, yes?"
"Huh?"
"You see, the software in Sinnoh for the Pokénav automatically allows payments of failure in battle to digitally be transferred from a Pokétch to a Pokénav. It works the same way as Pokétches work in Sinnoh."
Tenki smiled. "So just for defeating trainers in battle, I'll be credited money on my Pokénav…throw in some of those too…" He said, pointing to the Heal Balls. The clerk smiled, and the number on his Pokénav dropped more.
Tenki noticed there was some tall grass north of Oreburgh. Maybe it was finally time to catch a second Pokémon. Immediately, he saw a Pokémon that caught his eye.
Ponyta, Fire Horse Pokémon. 3 feet, 3 inches, 66.1 pounds. As a newborn, it can barely stand. However, through galloping, its legs are made tougher and faster.
"Ready to add a friend to the Party Castform?" Tenki said. Castform nodded dutifully. Tenki pondered using Water Gun. It would surely help, but it might right away defeat the poor Ponyta. He figured that it probably wouldn't defeat it.
"Castform, Water Gun!"
"Caaaaaaaaas!" Castform shot a ball of water at the Ponyta. It was a direct hit and Ponyta fell backwards. It shot up and tackled Castform with ferocity.
"Cmon Castform, hit it with an Ember!" Ember was fire type, so it would be weak on Ponyta. It probably wouldn't defeat it.
"Fooooooooorrrr…" Castform hummed. It spit fire at the Ponyta. Ponyta seemed unaffected. It tackled Castform again. Castform, however, seemed like the battle never happened.
"A final Ember Castform!" Tenki shouted. Now Ponyta seemed to wobble. It even missed with its next Tackle. Tenki reached into his bag and pulled out a Heal ball. It was time. "Go Heal ball!" He shouted. He lobbed the Heal ball at the Ponyta with full force. The Pokémon turned into white light and retracted into the Heal ball. Tenki bit his tongue and the ball shook…once…twice…three times…and clicked.
"Caas!" Castform yelled.
"We did it Castform!" Tenki shouted. He ran over and grabbed the Heal ball. Castform seemed very happy. "We don't even need to go back to the Pokémon center! The heal ball automatically healed Ponyta!"
"Cas Cas!" Castform said happily. They departed for the mine.
A wild Geodude was confronted in the Mine sleeping. Without waking it up, Tenki scanned it.
Geodude, Rock Pokémon. 1 foot, 4 inches, 44.1 pounds. At rest, it looks just like a rock. Carelessly stepping on it will make it swing its fists angrily. Tenki made a mental note not to anger one. Tenki even battled a trainer with a Geodude. He tried using Ponyta, but quickly discovered that the Geodude's defense was too great. We promptly switched to Castform, used Water Gun, and defeated it. He was amazed at how the money automatically added to his Nav Credits. Making money had never been easier. In his efforts, Tenki found Roark, the gym leader, leaving the mine. His trip was wasted for nothing.
As Tenki left the gym, he felt like Ponyta was beginning to like him. His mother once told him that if a Ponyta likes you enough, you can ride it without getting burned. The flames around Ponyta, however, still seemed very hot. Tenki finally left the cave, and ran to the Pokémon Center for a few hours before challenging the gym.
Many tough trainers resided inside the Gym, but they were all easily defeated by Tenki and Castform. Since this Gym was, like all first Gyms, aside from Johto and Unova, a Rock-type gym, Tenki decided to wait to train Ponyta more. During his battles, he found a new Pokémon.
Onix, Rock Snake Pokémon. 28 Feet, 10 inches, 463 pounds. It burrows through the ground at a speed of 50 mph while feeding on large boulders. Tenki was very surprised such a gigantic Pokémon went down with a single Water Gun. Finally, it was time to face Roark. He walked up to Roark, as he remained silent. Eventually, Roark spoke.
"Welcome! This is the Oreburgh Pokémon Gym!"
"You don't say?" Tenki said with sarcasm.
"I'm Roark, the Gym Leader!" He held out his hand. Tenki took it an shook.
"I'm Tenki from Hoenn."
Roark smiled and nodded. "How exotic. I'm but one trainer who decided to walk proudly with Rock-type Pokémon! And here in Sinnoh, just as in Hoenn, you need to prove your worth before I can grant you a badge."
"So a battle it is!" Tenki said. "Alright, Castform, you ready?"
"Cas!" Castform hopped off his shoulder.
"Go Geodude!" Roark shouted. He threw a Pokeball, and the familiar light of a Pokémon forming flashed before them. A Geodude appeared.
"GEO!" It shouted loudly.
"Use Stealth Rock!" Roark shouted. Geodude spun and shot out fifteen stones. They began to float around Castform. "Now, if you switch Pokémon, they will be hurt by the stones."
"Well I'm not planning on switching! Castform, Water Gun!" Castform shot out a jet of Water. It slammed into the Geodude, instantly knocking it out.
"You are good…but type advantages won't be beside you forever." He returned Geodude. "C'mon Onix! Show em what you can do!"
Tenki remembered the Onix from earlier that day. He defeated the beast with one Water Gun. Perhaps this would turn out the same.
"Alright, Castform, use another Water Gun!" Sure enough, the Onix fell to the ground. Castform was brimming with happiness. Roark began to look worried.
"Maybe not…" He said, returning his Onix. "But my last Pokémon…Go Cranidos!" A small blue dinosaur formed. "Think you can take down this one like the other two?"
"I'm certain I can!" Tenki said, stealing a quick scan.
Cranidos, Head Butt Pokémon. 2 feet, eleven inches. 69.4 pounds. A lifelong jungle dweller from 100 million years ago, it would snap obstructing trees with headbutts.
"100 million years ago?" Tenki asked.
"Science can do a lot these days."
"No problem…" Tenki said, slipping the Pokedex away. "Use Water Gun Castform!"
After the water struck, Cranidos seemed only partially effected.
"What?" Tenki shouted in desperation.
"Unlike Geodude and Onix, Cranidos isn't part Ground-type! Thanks to that, your move only does double damage, not quadruple! Now, Cranidos, use Leer!"
Cranidos' eyes turned red like laser beams. Castform shivered.
"Don't fall for his tricks Castform, use Tackle!" Castform shot forward, ramming into the Pokémon. It did next to nothing.
"Cranidos, Headbutt time!"
Cranidos rammed Castform with a full on Headbutt. Castform toppled over, fatigued by pain.
"Castform, you can do it! Hit him with a Powder Snow!"
Before Castform launched the attack, Roark was using a potion on his Pokémon.
"Hey, that's not fair! You can't just heal your Pokémon in the middle of a battle!"
Roark shrugged. "League policy says I can." Castform launched the Powder Snow, chilling, but not significantly hurting, the Cranidos.
"You gunna play like that, so will I! Come back Castform! Go Ponyta!"
"Pursuit, now Cranidos!" Cranidos shot forward and nailed Castform with a glowing fist. Castform collapsed to the ground. Tenki rushed out and picked him up.
"It's ok Castform. This trainer is just playing dirty."
"Cas…"
"Alright then, Ponyta, your turn!" Tenki shouted, sending out Ponyta.
"Ha! A fire-type! Why don't you just ask for defeat now!"
Ponyta spit fire. The floating stones dug into Ponyta. He simply ignored them. "You can do it Ponyta! Tackle!"
Ponyta lunged at Cranidos.
"Ah ah ah, Cranidos, Headbutt, now!"
Cranidos lodged itself into Ponyta's stomach. Ponyta toppled in pain. "Ponyta, no!" Ponyta was, from there, unable to battle. Roark laughed.
"I told you, type advantages can only go so far!" His laugh resonated throughout the entire Gym. "Come back with stronger Pokémon." Then he returned Cranidos and sat down. He looked at his Pokétch. "And thanks for the money." Tenki pulled out his Pokénav. It had less money on it. Tenki gritted his teeth and ran out of the Gym after returning Ponyta. Just as easy as it was to make money, it was just as easy to have it stolen from him.
"We'll get 'em this time, right guys?"
"Cas!"
"Pown!"
"I got my own Potions now, so if he plays dirty, so can we!"
Tenki marched back into the gym, and stood in front of Roark. He was reading a book quietly.
"It's my turn to play dirty! Let's have this battle!"
"Another loss, yes? Well then…" He smiled. "Go Geodude! Rock throw!"
Geodude picked up a rock from the ground a hurled it at Castform. It slammed Castform, but he quickly recovered.
"Water Gun!" Geodude fainted, just like earlier.
"Onix, don't let him bear you so easily this time!" He said, unleashing the gigantic Onix.
"Don't give him time to think Castform, Water Gun!"
And just like that, the Pokémon collapsed. But…it wasn't defeated.
"Onix, Rock Throw!" He shouted. Onix grabbed a rock with its tail and hurled it at Castform. Again, it slammed Castform, but didn't do much else than a scratch.
"How did it survive this time?"
"I thought you might challenge again soon, so I went out and trained!" He said with a smile. He used a potion on the Onix.
"Castform, Powder Snow! Follow up with another Powder snow, quickly!"
Castform shot out two Powder Snows, knocking the Onix unconscious. Roark laughed.
"You forget, your Pokémon are weak compared to my mighty Cranidos.
"Castform, come back! It's time for Ponyta."
"You chose to fail again, how surprising!" Cranidos appeared, along with Ponyta.
"Ok, Ponyta, waste no time! Growl" Ponyta let out a growl. Cranidos stalled.
"Waste no time! Use Headbutt!" Cranidos shot into Ponyta. Ponyta seemed fine, much better than the Headbutt from earlier. "Clever. You intend to frighten Cranidos before letting Castform fight, yes?"
"Use another Growl!" Tenki said, ignoring Roark. Cranidos shook it off and used another Headbutt. This time, Ponyta looked hurt. "Try a final growl, Ponyta." Again, a deep guttural growl.
"Pursuit time Cranidos!" Cranidos, again, punched with a glowing hand. Ponyta was on his last straw.
"Try again, Ponyta. One more growl!" The fourth growl was let out. Cranidos became more uneasy.
"Alright, enough of this! Headbutt!" Cranidos slammed into Ponyta, forcing it to lose its balance, and its consciousness. Tenki returned his Pokémon. "Now let's get this over with. Send out the last victim."
"Cas!" Castform shouted. He shot off his shoulder onto the ground.
"Use Powder Snow Castform!" He shouted. The ice surrounded Cranidos. It seemed less than effective.
"Headbutt it!"
Castform seemed almost unaffected by it. Tenki smiled.
"Water Gun!" The shot of water almost knocked Cranidos over.
"I'm not giving up yet!" Roark shouted. "Headbutt!" Again, Castform spun, unaffected.
"Here Castform." Tenki said, applying the spray potion. Roark grunted.
"You are wasting your time healing your Pokémon! You will never win like that! Another Headbutt Cranidos!" Castform seemed even more unaffected than before.
"Ok, Castform, hit him with a Water gun!" The force of the water blew Cranidos into the wall. Cranidos, then, lost consciousness. Roark let out a deflated sigh and returned his Pokémon. Castform let out a happy shout.
"This cannot be! My buffed up rock Pokémon…"
Tenki pulled out his Pokénav. The money increased. By more than ten times the amount he lost for losing earlier.
"You got me thinking when you said type advantages wouldn't work forever." Tenki said. "Your dirty tricks, like the potions and Pursuit, also got me to thinking…what if your Cranidos had no power?"
"Hence all the Growls…" He said. "Well, this is embarrassing…" He said. "I went and lost to a trainer who didn't have a single Gym Badge." He stood up. "But that's tough. You were strong, and I was weak. That's all there is. According to Pokémon League rules, I have to give you our Gym Badge." He pulled one out of his jacket. "Here's the Coal Badge." He handed it to Tenki.
"All right! My first badge!" He slotted it into the cast attached to his Pokedex.
"Pokémon should listen when you tell them to use Rock Smash now." He said with a smile. "And also, for your challenge, and my rude behavior, I'd like you to have this." He said handing Tenki a small disc. "It's a Technical Machine for Stealth Rock. It's handy when there are a lot of Pokémon in the battle."
"Thanks Roark." Tenki smiled and shook Roark's hand. His adventure has officially begun.