AN: Sorry this took so long! I got busy with the end of the school year and blah blah blah and basically, I just haven't gotten the chance to sit down and write for quite a while. Anyway, I haven't forgotten this story and I'm back to finish it!
Chapter Three: Melanie vs. Brock
Ringo and I stood in front of the Pewter City gym, just staring up at the sign. When we arrived here last night, the first thing we did was stop at a Pokemon center. We'd tried to leave after Nurse Joy healed both Ringo and Rose, but she insisted on us sleeping there. We did, and left first thing this morning.
Are we gonna go in? Ringo asked, shifting his attention from the sign to my face.
"Yeah." I said,taking a deep breath, turning my invisible hat forward, and marching through the double doors. I heard Ringo laughing as he followed me in, passing a young boy concentrating on his shoes as he hurried out. Judging by the look on his face, he just lost.
"Oh? Another challenger?" A deep, raspy voice called from across the building. "I'm Brock, the Pewter City gym leader. But I'm sure you knew that." I looked over to see a man standing with his arms crossed, smirking. His dark hair was spiked out in all directions, contrasting well against his tanned skin. His eyes were squinted, though the fluorescent lights in the room were not unbearable. He stood confidently in his rectangle of the battlefield, a lumpy space interrupted by rocks of all sizes. "Well, get in position rookie, I haven't got all day!" He commanded, and I obeyed for some reason, straightening up and running to my spot.
I felt the Pokeball in my bag wiggle, and before anything could be done about it, a red color splotch appeared in front of me, morphed into a Vulpix shape, and suddenly Rose was in its place. I've come to win this battle! She announced in her mind, following it up with a vocal-and quite enthusiastic, "Vul!"
"No, Rose. He's fine. Stay out of this." I told her, but I could hear her mind loud and clear, and she wasn't listening to me.
I want to help, She thought.
"You can't. He battles with rock Pokemon. You don't stand a chance." Brock was staring at me with one eyebrow raised, as if I was doing something that confused him. I realized with a shock that he could not hear Rose's thoughts, and to him it looked like I was talking to myself. In that same instant, I decided I didn't care. I was just worried about my Pokemon. She did well in the forest, but this was different. This was a gym, and besides the fact that she was at a type disadvantage, his Pokemon had had training.
Nobody thought I could beat that Pinsir either, She was thinking, as she replayed her hero moment for me, But I did it. And I can do this. Just watch, I'll show you.
"Rose, don't!" I said, reaching out for her as she dashed onto the battle field.
I can do this! She thought confidently as she stood in the middle of the field, mentally yelling at Brock to release his first Pokemon. She let out a battle cry that sounded more like a cry for help. The confused gym leader's expression faltered; he laughed.
"Sorry sweetie, you're cute and all but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to crush your little Vulpix." He chuckled, thrusting his pokeball in our direction, "Go! Onix!"
As the Pokemon's body snaked out of it's ball in an unstructured red aura, I started to fear for Rose's life. I'd never seen one in person before, and it was massive-easily towering over my tiny Vulpix by a good 20 feet. It stretched its long, bolder-composed, body and let out a loud roar, causing the building to shake and make everyone wiggle slightly where they stood. The Onix looked down at Rose and I could hear the mental smugness its thoughts radiated. Piece of cake, It laughed.
I can do this, I can do this, I can... Rose's thoughts trailed off as she looked up and got the full effect of just how large and intimidating Brock's Onix was. I watched from her perspective as her vision blurred and her eyes rolled back in her head. Suddenly everything went black, and she fell down on her side, body limp. Her brain was silent.
As if in sync with her thoughts, the room stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then both Brock and his Onix busted out in laughter.
I closed my eyes and smacked myself on the forehead. I felt a mix of relief and embarrassment. Relief because at least she hadn't actually gotten to the battling, because that Onix would've smacked her around like a hackey sack. Embarrassment because well, she had fainted at just the sight of it. She would be okay after some rest, and that's probably the reason my embarrassment won out at the moment.
At least she didn't get hurt, Ringo thought. Although he was tryng his best to make me feel better, I could also hear an amused undertone to his voice that he was failing at trying to hide.
I dug around for Rose's Pokeball and called her back, sighing.
Brock was laughing at me. Onix was laughing at me. Ringo was trying not to laugh at me. If I felt like I wanted to be swallowed by the Earth right now, I could only imagine what Rose would feel like when she woke up and realized what had happened. I felt overwhelmingly sympathetic towards her. I made a mental note to train with her later, not only to help rebuilt her confidence, but to strengthen her so this didn't happen again.
"Ringo," I said through gritted teeth. I knew I could easily redeem myself with his help. He floated forward, his thoughts shifting to focus and determination. The ground shook when he landed, placing his feet in a sturdy stance. His arms tensed at his side, his eyes met with Onix's and the atmosphere quickly changed. I listened to their pre-battle banter.
Oh good, an actual challenge. Onix mentally smirked.
Good luck... you'll need it. Ringo's smirk was visible.
I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through my veins as I realized how close I was to my first ever gym badge. My eyes met Brock's and we gave each other a nod, indicating that we were both over my blunder and ready to battle.
"Onix! Use dig!" He shouted, and by how fast his Pokemon reacted, I could tell this was a perfectly choreographed routine. Onix expected him to say that, knew the attacks he would be using against my flying Pokemon. They'd done this hundreds of times before, whereas this was my first official battle.
"Ringo! Fly!" I shouted, and he obeyed, lifting his massive body off the ground with remarkable speed. He was way above our heads, all the way at the top of the building, as high as he could go. He looked down to the ground, waiting for Onix to make his move. I was listening to the rock Pokemon's thoughts, admittedly cheating a little in the eyes of many. But hey, it wasn't like I could turn off my powers. And thanks to them I knew exactly where Onix was coming up and was able to yell for Ringo to move right before it burst through the ground and into the air. Of course, it didn't even come close to touching my beloved Dragonite.
"Use Aqua Tail!" I commanded, and Ringo smiled, producing a veil of raging water to conceal his tail. He swooped down toward Brock's Onix, turned around, and his tail hit with so much force that Onix went crashing to the ground. I had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit by its massive falling body, and I ended up landing on my stomach and face planting into the dirt. Ringo was at my side before I even hit the ground, asking if I was okay.
"I'm fine." I mumbled, sitting up and wiping some of the dust and slobber off of my face. I really was alright; I was sore in a few places, but I didn't have any serious injuries. Ringo lifted me bridal style in his arms and quickly set me back down on my feet.
I concentrated on Onix's mind, and could instantly tell by it's idleness that it was definitely down for the count. I shifted my eyes to Brock just in time to witness his face freeze in utter shock.
"One hit..." He stared in awe. "No one's ever taken down my Onix that easily..."
I simply smiled in response; a smile that, when paired with the burning challenge in my eyes, was not friendly. And I could see that Brock wasn't giving up. He withdrew his Onix and frantically dug around for another Pokeball.
"Geodude! Your turn!"
This time I almost laughed. Ringo was more powerful than I'd initially suspected. If he could destroy that Onix with just one attack, Geodude didn't stand a chance. I felt invincible, and my Pokemon's thoughts let me know that he was riding the same high.
I haven't battled in so long, He thought towards me, gratitude coating his tone. It feels great! The Pinsir in the woods had only been self-defense, and I knew he could tell the difference. This time he wasn't protecting or saving anyone; this was recreation for him.
"Earthquake!" Brock shouted. His Geodude flew up in the air and fell to the ground at an incredible speed, but he was still too slow for Ringo. While Geodude's strength caused the floor to shake, Ringo was safely flying above the ground, effectively dodging each falling boulder. He was untouchable.
This is too easy, Ringo's thoughts projected into my head, and I couldn't help but agree.
"Wing Attack!" I commanded, deciding that maybe if the move wasn't chosen by type advantage, it would do less damage and the battle would last longer. But Ringo flapped his wings vigorously, easily sweeping Geodude off the ground and into the wall behind it. It didn't move, and its mind went silent. I knew we'd won before Brock was willing to admit it.
"Geodude!" He yelled, command coating his tone. Clearly he was wanting it to get up and fight, but it was in no such condition. When he realized this, he let out a deep sigh and called it back.
"Huh. Guess you beat me." He admitted, squinting in my direction. Ringo floated back to my side, and we both locked eyes with the gym leader in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Brock busted out in laughter. Ringo and I exchanged a curious glance as he crossed the battlefield. When he stood in front of me, I could see that he towered a good two feet over my head. He reached down for my hand, and his were rough against mine. He put something in my palm and close my fingers around it.
"Guess you're not such a rookie after all." He said, turning his back and walking to a door in the corner of the gym. "Train that Vulpix of yours and you'll go far, kid." He laughed one more time before entering the room and shutting the door behind him.
I opened my hand and stared at what he put there. The Boulderbadge sat face up in my palm, shiny and contrasting against my milky skin. A big grin spread across my face, and I looked up at Ringo. There was a smile in his eyes, too.
"My first badge!" I cheered, jumping into his arms. They wrapped around me and he spun me around in a circle, cheering with me.
Congratulations! You did it! He smiled when he put me down again and we began walking towards the exit.
"We did it." I corrected, looking up and smiling at him.
AN: Sorry this one was so short. It gets better, I promise. In fact, I'll give you a tiny spoiler. Since I'm a hopeless romantic and absolutely cannot keep any interest in a story unless there's some kind of romance, in the next chapter Melanie meets a boy. :D
Reviews appreciated. (: