Fire and Water

by Jacksonator3000

Rose and Gary were best friends when they were little. But then Gary changed and pushed her away. Will they be reunited during their Pokemon journey? And what is the dark secret Gary is hiding that could lead tot he destruction of both of them? GaryOC

6. Loyalty

Chapter 5: Loyalty

I won at the Cerulean City gym easily with Speedy and Ladon. Delilah, unfortunately, lost at the second round of the contest. She got over it quickly though. She's a really upbeat person. The next day we were off to Saffron City.

On the way, I caught a Meowth and named it Sammy. I battled a trainer that same day, and two the next day. I won the first two, but lost the last one. On the third day out, I was getting a little anxious.

"Are we sure we're going the right way?" I asked. I glanced up at the sky. It was already getting dark. "Shouldn't we have gotten to Saffron City by now?"

Delilah sighed. I was testing her patience again. "Stop complaining," she said with a hint of irritation. "It's taking longer because you keep stopping to battle."

I blinked. That made sense. "Oh. Sorry."

Delilah smirked. "It doesn't matter to me. You're the one who wants to get there so fast."

I chuckled lightly. "I'm just excited."

Delilah smiled and nodded. "I know."

I started to look around for a place to stop. "Hey, isn't that a group of kids over there?" I pointed to an open meadow. Two boys and a girl were standing there. One of the boys had a Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Yes, it is," Delilah confirmed. I gasped. "Don't even think about it. It's getting too late to travel."

But that wasn't why I reacted the way I did. I recognized one of those trainers! "Hey Ash!" I cried as I raced over to the group. I heard Delilah's footsteps behind me.

"Huh?" Ash turned around to see who was calling him. His face broke into a grin when he saw me. "Rose! I haven't seen you in a long time!"

"I know. It's been, what, two months?"

He nodded. "I think so." He looked behind me at Delilah. "Hey Delilah."

She smiled softly at him. "Hi Ash."

"Oh!" Ash said suddenly. He turned to the boy and girl behind him. "These are my friends, Brock and Misty."

My eyebrows went up in surprise when I noticed the Pewter City gym leader. "What are you doing here, Brock?"

"I decided to travel with Ash and fulfill my dream of becoming the world's greatest Pokemon breeder," Brock explained.

Wow. I didn't see that coming. "Cool." I turned my attention to Misty. "Nice to meet you, Misty. I'm Rose."

"And I'm Delilah," my friend put in.

"Pika!"

I smiled. "Hi Pikachu."

"Hi," Misty said warmly. "How do you two know Ash?"

"We're the other two trainers who started out the same time he did," I explained.

"Gary is the last one," Ash muttered darkly. I shifted uncomfortably and looked away. I focused my gaze on a tree near us. Delilah nudged Ash roughly. "Ow! What did I do?" I rolled my eyes. He could be so oblivious.

After a few seconds, I found it safe to glance back at Ash. My face gave away nothing. "So," I began, a little bit too hesitantly. "How many Pokemon have you got?"

"Three," Ash replied proudly. I have to admit I was a little relieved. At least I was ahead of someone. "Besides Pikachu here, I also have Butterfree and Pidgeotto."

"Pika!" Pikachu said.

"I have a Butterfree too!" Delilah chipped in. 'They're so beautiful!"

"I know!" Misty said.

I chuckled, and then turned back to Ash. "I have six. Want to see them?"

Ash grinned. "Sure!" He blinked. "Hold on a second." He turned to his other friend. "Brock, are we spending the night here?"

Brock nodded. "Yes, we can. I'll start setting up."

Ash looked back at me and smiled. "I'll show you mine too. Pidgeotto, Butterfree, come on out!"

"Pikachu." Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder.

I looked over the two flying Pokemon. They were pretty cool. "Ok, come out guys." I released all six of my Pokemon. "This is Alex the Charmander, Speedy the Rattata, Chester the Sandshrew, Roxy the Eevee, Ladon the Gyarados, and Sammy the Meowth."

Ash blinked. "You named all of them?"

I shrugged. "Yep. They're my friends, right?"

"It's my turn!" Delilah exclaimed. She let out her three Pokemon. "Butterfree, Poliwag, and my Bulbasaur, Petals. I only named my starter. I wouldn't be able to keep up with all those names."

"Your Poliwag is so cute!" Misty gushed. "Can I hold it?"

Delilah smiled and nodded. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Thanks." Misty picked up Poliwag and began stroking him. "I'm a water Pokemon trainer."

Delilah grinned. "Cool."

"After the Pokemon League, I'm going to become a fire trainer," I put in.

"I remember you saying that before," Ash said.

"Dinner's ready!" Brock called. We all rushed over. He and Misty also released their Pokemon so they could eat the special food Brock made.

Ash and I chatted all throughout dinner. I forgot how much I enjoyed talking to him. It was nice to be able to talk to one of my guy friends again. I naturally got along with guys better than girls. Delilah was the one exception. But still, I liked being able to talk about something besides fashion and Pokemon contests. Ash was a great guy. And he was loyal. It was nice talking to a trainer going for gym badges who didn't insult me every time I saw him. Loyalty was key.

My dreams were pleasant that night. They were filled with fire Pokemon. I woke up well rested. I continued to talk with Ash and the others until we reached a fork in the road. On the left there was a sign that read "Saffron City This Way."

"Vermilion City must be the other way," Brock guessed.

Ash nodded. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

I smiled. "See you later, Ash."

I whistled as I skipped along the path with Delilah. She chuckled at my mood. "Having a good morning?" I grinned and nodded.

We arrived in Saffron City not long after lunch. "See? We got here and I didn't battle a single trainer on the way," I said proudly.

"You're friend is holding you down, huh?" a voice asked. I immediately tensed. "You should be stronger than that, Rosie."

I slowly turned to face Gary. He was smirking at me, like always. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Let's go," I mumbled to Delilah. We both tried to silently slip past him.

"Hey, have you seen Ash?" Gary called after me. "What's he been up to?"

If he was anyone else, the question would have been innocent. But I knew better. I turned around. "Like I would tell you. That's none of your business."

Gary raised his eyebrows. "Loyal, huh?"

Delilah placed a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off. "Yeah, something you would know nothing about," I retorted.

Gary glared at me. His harsh look sent chills down my spine. "Are you looking for a battle?" he demanded.

"From you? Bring it on!" It would feel good beating him.

Gary smirked. "Alright. How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Six," I replied icily.

Gary gave a quick nod. "Good. You've done better than I expected." I bit back an angry retort. "It'll be six on six."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't that a lot?"

"Scared?"

I shot him a look. "No way! Six on six it is."

"Rose…" Delilah said warningly. "I don't think this is a good idea."

I ignored her. "You're on."

Gary grinned. "Excellent. Choose your Pokemon."

Delilah sighed. "I guess I'll be the moderator."

I figured I'd better start with my weakest Pokemon. "Sammy, I choose you!" Sammy purred and licked his paw.

Gary looked amused. "A Meowth? Cute. But this isn't a Pokemon contest." I frowned. "Let me show you what a real Pokemon looks like. Doduo!" A two-headed bird appeared. "Quick Attack!"

"Dodge it and use Fury Swipes!" Sammy jumped out of the way just in time. He started scratching Doduo with his sharp claws.

"Peck!" Doduo nipped Sammy right on the neck. Sammy jumped back in pain. "Now use Rage!" Sammy wobbled and almost fell over.

"Growl!" Sammy snarled. Doduo stepped back. "Scratch!" Sammy slashed him with his claw.

"Double Hit!" Gary commanded. Doduo hit Sammy twice. "Finish it off with Fury Attack!" Doduo pecked Sammy repeatedly. He finally fell over, dazed.

"Sammy is unable to battle. Doduo wins," Delilah announced. Gary grinned. I gritted my teeth.

"Go Speedy!" My Rattata appeared before me. "Focus Energy!" Speedy sent a beam of energy at Doduo.

"Dodge it!" The bird Pokemon easily jumped out of the way. "Peck!"

"Bite!" I countered. The two Pokemon were locked around each other's necks. Gary and I both waited to see who would win. Finally, Speedy fainted. "Oh no!" I cried in alarm. Gary grinned victoriously.

"Speedy is unable to battle, so Doduo wins… again," Delilah said, with less enthusiasm this time.

I thought hard about this. I had to choose a new strategy. "Chester!"

"Sandshrew!" Chester said happily.

I grinned. He was ready for battle. "Chester, go underground!"

"Sand!" Chester quickly dug a hole and disappeared into it.

"Feel the vibrations in the ground for it!" Gary instructed. Doduo looked around, waiting. All of a sudden, Chester burst out of the ground underneath Doduo, sending him flying. "No!"

"Now use Rapid Spin!" Chester curled into a ball. He rolled straight into Doduo. Doduo fell to the ground with a thud.

"Doduo is unable to battle. Chester wins. Yay Rose!" Delilah said excitedly.

Gary rolled his eyes. "So much for being impartial," he muttered. He took out another Pokeball. "Magmar!" A large lava Pokemon appeared. I couldn't help but admire it. I loved fire Pokemon after all. "Ember!"

"Dodge it!" Chester jumped out of the way of the flames just in time. "Sand Attack!" Chester threw sand at Magmar, who took the hit.

"Leer!" The attack made Chester fall to the ground. Gary smirked. "Fire Spin!" A swirling tornado of fire hit Chester straight on. He fell to the ground squealing.

"Chester is unable to battle. Magmar wins this round."

"Chester, return!" I knew exactly who to use now. "Ladon, go!" I grinned when my Gyarados roared.

Gary looked surprise. "I have to admit, that's impressive." He smirked. "But let's see if it can battle."

I nodded, eyes narrowed. I'd show him. "Ladon, it's your turn to use Leer!" The attack had the same effect as on Chester. "Now Dragon Rage!"

"Magmar!" Gary cried as his Pokemon was thrown off its feet. "Get up and use Smoke Screen!" The whole area was instantly filled with a thick, black smoke. "Fire Spin!" I hear Ladon cry out as he was hit. "Hydro Pump!"

"Dodge it!"

I didn't hear a cry of pain, so I assumed this was successful. I thought hard. I had to make the smoke disappear. "Twister!" A water tornado was formed. The force of it cleared the smoke. The twister his Magmar. "Now use Hydro Pump!" Magmar cried out.

"Magmar is unable to battle. Ladon wins!"

"I guess you have trained it well," Gary said reluctantly. "Let's see if you can handle this. Go Golem!" Golem looked like a huge rock. I was surprised he chose a rock type against a water type. He must have been very confident. "Tackle!"

"Dodge!" Ladon was hit from the side.

"Rock Throw!" Ladon growled as the rocks hit him.

"Twister!" I cried. The tornado appeared again.

"Rollout!" Gary countered. Golem rolled into a ball and managed to avoid the twister. He jumped back up when it disappeared. "Earthquake!" The ground began to shake. Ladon wobbled.

"Get in the air!" For a minute I had forgotten that Gyarados was also a flying type. Ladon hovered over the ground. "Bite!"

"Dodge it!" Golem jumped out of the way, but it was too late.

"Now use Hydro Pump!"

"Rollout!" Golem curled into a ball as Ladon blasted him with water. He didn't seem to be weakening much. Gary smirked at my surprise look. "When you train your Pokemon right, they'll be strong against any type."

I gritted my teeth. This would be tough. "Stop and use Dragon Rage!"

"Dodge it and use Earthquake!" The ground started to shake.

I thought fast. "Knock it over with your tail!" Ladon raised up his tail and hit Golem hard. "Hydro Pump!" This time Ladon was successful. I grinned.

"Golem is unable to battle. Ladon wins!" Delilah cheered

Gary pulled out another Pokeball. He was about to throw it, but stopped. He glanced to the side. "Hey girls. Have a nice time?" I groaned as I saw that the cheerleaders had appeared. They started to chant."Now you can watch me win. Nidorino!" I recognized the purple Pokemon as being similar to the female Nidoran Delilah had fought against. This would be harder. "Horn Attack!"

"Fly into the air!" Ladon flew up just in time.

"Leer!" Ladon instantly fell down. "Now finish it off with Focus Energy!" Ladon was hit with a ball of energy.

"Ladon is unable to battle. Nidorino wins," Delilah said.

"Ladon, return." I only had two Pokemon left. "Better choose… Roxy!" I smiled as Roxy took a fighting stance. "Tackle!"

"Dodge it and use Poison Sting!" Nidorino jumped out of the way. He turned and shot darts of poison at Roxy. "Growl and then Sand Attack!" Roxy repeated the attacks in this order. Nidorino was knocked off his feet for a second.

"Horn Attack!"

"Use Quick Attack!" I countered. Roxy easily slipped out of the way of Nidorino's horn. Then she turned around and struck him with a Tackle. I grinned. "That's the way to do it. Tail Whip!"

"Double Kick!" The two Pokemon struck at one. They both fell back. "Leer!"

"Use Quick Attack again!" Roxy barely managed to get out of the way. "Bite!" Roxy clamped onto Nidorino's tale.

"Try to shake it off!"

"Hold on!" Nidorino furiously tried to throw Roxy off his tail, but to no avail. "Jump up and use Tail Whip!" Roxy leaped into the air and came down on Nidorino with a hard crash. "Now Tackle!" Roxy sent Nidorino flying.

"Nidorino is unable to battle. Roxy wins."

"Let's see you take this," he mumbled. He didn't call out his Pokémon's name as he threw the Pokeball. I gasped when an Eevee appeared. Roxy looked shock as well. Gary smirked. "Let's see who's Eevee is stronger. "Quick Attack!"

"You too!" The two Eevees raced towards each other. They began circling each other, growling and baring their teeth. "Bite!"

"Dodge it and use Tail Whip!" Eevee swiftly got out of the way and struck Roxy. "Now Sand Attack!"

"Eevee!" Roxy cried as she was thrown back.

"Tackle!" I ordered.

"Stay where you are and use Tail Whip!" As Roxy reached him, Eevee lashed out with his tail and tripped her. "Stand back and use Take Down!"

I gasped. They must have done a lot of training to get to the level to be able to do that move. I sighed as Roxy was flung against the field.

"Roxy is unable to battle. Gary's Eevee wins," Delilah announced.

"Roxy, return!" I only had one Pokemon left. Not much of a choice. "Go Alex!"

"Charmander!" Alex said happily.

"Ember!" I ordered.

"Dodge it!" Eevee jumped out of the way of the flames. "Take Down!"

"Leap up with your tail and use Ember again!" Alex used his tail as leverage to jump into the air. Once he was above Eevee, he spit fire at him. It was a direct hit. Alex landed on his feet.

"Eevee, Tackle!"

"Scratch!" Alex jumped out of the way. As Eevee whizzed by, Alex scratched him along the side. "Ember again! Give it everything you've got!"

"Char!" Alex cried as he engulfed Eevee in a huge fire. When the fire went out, Eevee had fainted. I grinned.

"Eevee is unable to battle. That means Alex wins!" Delilah exclaimed, grinning. I grinned back at her. One more round to go. This was it. I knew what Gary's last Pokemon had to be. It would be fire against water.

"Squirtle!" Gary cried, releasing his Pokemon.

"Squirt!" Squirtle took a fighting stance.

"Water Gun!" Gary said.

"Dodge it and use Smoke Screen!" Alex jumped out of the way of the attack. He filled the air with smoke. "Dragon Rage!"

"Withdraw!" We both waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, Alex was standing and Squirtle was inside his shell. A second later he came out, badly hurt, but still strong. Gary grinned. "That's the way to do it! Bubble!"

"Get out of the way!" I called. Alex raced out of the way to do just that. "Jump up and use Ember!"

"Water Gun!" The two attacks struck each other. Alex hit the floor and continued on. Squirtle finally won over and sent Alex flying back. Just then Squirtle was engulfed in a bright light. All of us gasped. Gary stared in awe as Squirtle evolved into Wartortle. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "All of our training has paid off. Tackle!"

"Scratch!" But Alex didn't have time to scratch as Wartortle hit him hard. "Get up and use Dragon Rage!"

"Bite!" Wartortle knocked Alex off of his feet before he could issue his attack.

"Now use Scratch!" Wartortle and Alex were locked in a wresting struggle. Wartortle was now on top. "Ember!" Alex shot him up into the air with his fire. He managed to land on his feet.

"Give it your best Water Gun!" Wartortle sucked in a breath and blasted Alex with water. I bit my lip as I realized that Alex didn't stand a chance.

"Alex is unable to battle. Wartortle wins the match. The victory goes to Gary," Delilah said without any enthusiasm.

The cheerleaders started cheering again. I hung my head. How could I lose to Gary? "Alex, return."

"I guess that proves that I'm the better trainer," Gary gloated. "Like there as ever any doubt."

I raised my head to glare at him hatefully. "You're just luck Wartortle evolved. We would have won against Squirtle."

Gary raised his eyebrows. We were going to beat you anyway."

"Next time I'll win!" I growled.

"Don't count on it." Gary strutted past me with the cheerleaders at his heels. "Bye, girls."

Once he was gone, I slumped my shoulders. I lost. Delilah came up to me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I didn't shrug it off. "Don't be so down. You did your best," she said soothingly.

I sighed. "I know. I guess my best just wasn't good enough." She gave me a sympathetic look, but didn't press the matter. I would just have to become stronger.