Chapter 7 and yet another Gym Battle. In all fairness, you were warned, and even if you hadn't been, you could probably have guessed it was coming. I don't know which Gym Battle I'm the most fond of, but I'd like to hear what you think.


Chapter 7 – Conquering the Relyb City Gym – Casey versus Bruce

Wednesday the 14th of Silversun

12:30, Relyb City Gym

Casey was standing at the very same battlefield where Tyson had stood only hours before. On the other side was the same opponent, the Gym Leader Bruce. Casey looked at his opponent. At first, Bruce came across as carefree, even now as he was about to have an official match. But behind that carefree demeanor was a ruthlessly efficient fighter. Casey had seen so for himself in Tyson's match earlier.

He cast a glance up at the spectator seats where he found Tyson in the same place as he himself had been cheering. Tyson smiled at him and gave him a thumps-up. Casey nodded and returned his gaze to Bruce.

Man, what a pressure Casey thought. I wonder if Tyson felt the same way. I'm really nervous about this. No, no need to be nervous. After all, I have the advantage. He has Jigglypuff and Zangoose and I know how they fight.

"This will be an official match between the challenger Casey of Nesot Village and the Gym Leader Bruce of Relyb City" the referee shouted. Like before, he was standing a little to the side of the field. "The match is fought two-on-two, with only the challenger allowed to make substitutions. Trainers, send out your first Pokémon."

Here it comes Casey thought.

"I choose you, Zangoose!" Bruce called and released the red and white Cat Ferret Pokémon.

"Say what?" Tyson shouted while Casey was too taken aback to say anything.

"You didn't expect me to use the exact same strategy, did you?" Bruce asked with an innocent smile.

"Actually, I kind of did" Casey said, before cooling himself with a deep breath. "I choose Ruffer!" Casey whipped his Poké Ball into the air and out came the Corphish he had caught a few days before.

"The Gym Leader is starting with his Zangoose, while the challenger has chosen a Corphish" the referee declared. "The first move goes to the challenger. Trainers, begin the match."

"Alright, let's do this" Casey said. "Ruffer, use Bubble!" Corphish shot out a stream of clear blue bubbles from its mouth aimed directly at Zangoose.

"Zangoose, use scratch to deal with the bubbles!" Bruce called and Zangoose brought up a claw and scratched at the bubbles, bursting them before they could do any damage.

"Ruffer, go to the right and use bubble again!" Casey called, his nervousness from before gone, instead replaced by the thrill of battle. Ruffer jumped to the right and fired another stream of large blue bubbles which headed towards Zangoose as well.

"We'll just break those too" Bruce said. "Zangoose, prepare to pop the other bubbles as well." Zangoose barely had time to acknowledge the command before the new series of bubbles assaulted it.

"Back in front and use Bubble again!" Casey called. Corphish did as it was told and launched more bubbles towards its opponent, keeping up the assault.

"Just what is he planning?" Tyson wondered as he watched the battle unfold down on the field.

"Now Ruffer, go to the left and close in with ViceGrip!" Corphish happily jumped to the left and ran towards the Zangoose on its small legs.

"Zangoose, look out!" Bruce called. Zangoose took its eyes off the bubbles for just a moment to see that Corphish was running towards it. It moved a claw to defend from the attack, but quickly moved it back to prevent a cluster of bubbles to impact it. Corphish launched itself at Zangoose and got a good grip on the tail. Zangoose screamed in pain. As it did, it let down its guard and the remaining bubbles got a good hit.

"Alright, both attacks worked!" Casey said triumphantly as Corphish let go of the opponent and jumped back to Casey.

"Not bad" Bruce said. "Setting a trap with Bubble and then closing in with ViceGrip was a really good strategy, Casey."

"Thanks, though I didn't expect both attacks would hit" Casey replied.

"Then you're lucky as well" Bruce smiled.

He's awfully happy about Casey doing well Tyson thought. Was he like that when I was battling him? And why is he happy that he's losing in the first place?

"Alright, now let's see what you'll do when I counter-attack" Bruce said. "Zangoose, use Quick Attack."

"Quick, Ruffer. Harden!" Casey shouted as Zangoose went into a crouch. Ruffer brought its big pincers up in a defensive stance and braced itself. But unlike in the previous battle, Zangoose's Quick Attack didn't leave nearly the same trail of light behind, nor was it speeding along as quickly.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked confused.

Casey looked at the incoming Zangoose, before it dawned on him. "It's the added effect of bubble" Casey said. "Look how Zangoose's fur is all wet? The water is slowing it down." Both Bruce and Tyson looked at Zangoose and saw that Casey was right. The fur on Zangoose was glistening as light refracted on the water droplets that clung to its fur. As they looked, Zangoose finally impacted on Ruffer, though the attack didn't seem quite as powerful as when it had been used on Corona.

"You said something about a counter-attack?" Casey smirked.

"We're just getting started, kid" Bruce replied. "Zangoose, use Fury Cutter!" Zangoose raised and arm and the claws began to shine with a light green hue. It brought its arm down towards the Corphish which was still defending itself. The attack connected but didn't seem to do much damage.

Well, that was effective Tyson thought sarcastically.

"Ruffer, you okay?" Casey asked.

"Corphish Cor" it replied energetically.

"Alright then" Casey said. "Use ViceGrip, now." Corphish shot a pincer out towards Zangoose.

"Counter with Fury Cutter" Bruce called. Zangoose quickly charged the attack and flung it down, knocking Ruffer's attack out of the way.

"Use Bubble, quickly!" Casey called, the slightest hint of panic in his voice.

"Zangoose, jump back!" Bruce commanded. Zangoose jumped backwards just as Ruffer released a stream of blue bubbles. "Now use Fury Cutter to pop the bubbles!" Zangoose's claws glowed again and it quickly dispatched the bubbles.

Not good Casey thought. Fury Cutter gets stronger and stronger the more times it's used in battle.

"Zangoose, close in with Fury Cutter" Bruce called. Zangoose started to run towards Ruffer.

"Ruffer, Harden and quickly!" Casey shouted frantically. Corphish brought its pincers back up and tightened its muscles even more. But even so, the attack still hit hard. Ruffer was knocked back a little and panted as it lowered its pincers. Ruffer is hurt Casey thought. But I can't switch now, not with Fury Cutter this powerful. I need a comeback and fast.

"It seems like I have the advantage now" Bruce said. "So what will you do now, Casey?"

"I'll defeat you, that's what I will do" Casey said defiantly. "Ruffer, use Leer!" Ruffer shot Zangoose and evil glare. Despite Ruffers weakened state, Zangoose still shuddered a little before it shook its head and focused on the battle again.

"You can look all you want, but you may want to avert your gaze from this" Bruce said. "Zangoose, use Fury Cutter."

"Ruffer, Harden!" Casey shouted. Let's just hope Ruffer has enough energy left to take it he thought. The opposing Zangoose came hurling at the Corphish and brought down a green-glowing claw. As the attack connected, Ruffer struggled valiantly to stay in place. "Alright" Casey said. "Looks like we're still in it, so let's win it. Ruffer, use ViceGrip." Before Zangoose could move away, Ruffer shot out a pincer and squeezed tight, causing the Zangoose to scream in pain. "Follow it up with Bubble and end this!" Ruffer breathed in, then unleashed a string of blue bubbles, hitting Zangoose squarely in the chest with both power and speed. Letting go of the Zangoose, the power of the impact sent Zangoose flying. It landed, skidding across the ground, tried to get up and fell again. The remaining bubbles fell to the ground.

"Zangoose is unable to battle" the referee declared. "The winner is Corphish."

"Nice job, Ruffer" Casey said. "You deserve a good rest." Casey recalled his Pokémon and put the Poké Ball away.

"Nice job on beating my Zangoose" Bruce said as he recalled his Pokémon. "But I have yet to see how you will handle my Jigglypuff." Bruce took his second Poké Ball and the Jigglypuff was released.

"Twurt, I'm counting on you" Casey said and sent out his next Pokémon. The green turtle gave an energetic cry as it landed on the battlefield.

"The challenger is ahead with 1-0" the referee declared. "The match continues."

"Alright, let's get the first move, Twurt" Casey urged. "Use Seed Bomb!" The turtle acknowledged his command and started gathering energy at the sapling. It quickly gathered enough energy and fired a yellowish-green projectile towards Jigglypuff.

"Don't just sit there, Jigglypuff" Bruce said. "Use Defence Curl, quickly." Jigglypuff did as it was told and curled into a small tight ball. Twurt's attack impacted with Jigglypuff, who rolled backwards but appeared unhurt.

"Tsk, then we'll try another strategy" Casey said. "Twurt, close in with Tackle."

"Turtwig!" Twurt replied and started running towards Jigglypuff.

"Jigglypuff, let's counter that with Rollout" Bruce called. Jigglypuff started spinning in place, before launching itself towards Twurt.

"Take it straight on and knock that ball away!" Casey called. Twurt grunted and sped up a little. The two Pokémon collided. The force of the impact sent them both flying in opposite directions, towards their own trainers. Both Pokémon landed on their feet and skidded to a stop.

"Nice counter, kid" Bruce said.

"Thanks" Casey replied. "But we're not done yet. Twurt, Tackle again!" Twurt burst into a run towards Jigglipuff. It quickly covered the distance and was about to strike Jigglypuff, when Bruce gave his next command.

"Jigglypuff, Sing." The pink balloon starting singing a soft and soothing melody. Twurt, who was almost next to Jigglipuff, slowed down and fell forward, eyes closed.

"What happened?" asked Tyson bewildered from the stands.

"It's simply the effect of Sing" Bruce started to explain. "Sing is a move, which puts all those who hears it asleep. The closer to the user the target is, the higher the chance of the target falling asleep. If Casey's Turtwig had been on the other side of the field, there's a chance it wouldn't have worked, and my secret weapon would have been wasted."

"Secret weapon?" Casey asked.

"Yes" Bruce said flatly and then explained once more, a passion in his voice. "You see, a Gym Leader's job isn't just to have a Pokémon Battle and award a badge when the challenger wins. It's also about testing the trainer and seeing how they respond to the unexpected. When Tyson and I fought the goons at the shrine yesterday, I learned that he had a very aggressive battling style, which he proved in our battle earlier today. For that purpose I decided to go with Jigglypuff as my leading Pokémon to see how he would react to techniques like Defense Curl and Rollout, followed by my stronger Zangoose to meet muscle with muscle.

"Since you watched our match, I decided to lead with the powerful Zangoose instead, throwing your expectations to the wind and giving you a strong and powerful surprise. The way you used your Corphish proved that it was a good call, as you defended well with your techniques. I suppose you could say that one of you use your brain while the other uses his brawns. And that's what a Gym Leader has to test, how well you react to both a similar and an opposite training style."

Tyson gazed at the badge in his hand. "So that's why it's shaped like a 'Y'" he said. "It's a fork in the road, showing that two different ways comes from the same original idea."

"You're on to it" Bruce said and smiled.

"I see" Casey said. "Thank you." Bruce looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. "If it wasn't for all that explaining, you could have done a lot of damage to Twurt. But now," Casey finished with a smirk, "He must be about to wake up."

"You're right!" Bruce exclaimed, suddenly brought back to the battle at hand. "How did I forget? Jigglypuff, Pound." Jigglypuff, who seemed happy to finally get another command, slapped the Turtwig, causing it to spin around.

"Twurt, wake up" Casey said, clenching his fists.

"Before it awakes, use Rollout" Bruce commanded. "Jigglypuff curled up and started spinning in place, then rolled towards the defenseless turtle. It hit and the impact sent Twurt skidding across the floor. Jigglypuff came about and rolled towards Twurt, faster this time.

"Please, Twurt. Wake up!" As if the Turtwig had heard his owner, the turtle awoke from its slumber and shook its head. "Quick, dodge it" Casey shouted. But Twurt wasn't quite awake yet and jumped a second too late, taking the attack on its side. The Turtwig landed on its feet, panting. "Twurt, are you okay?" Casey asked.

"Twig" the Grass-type panted.

Meanwhile, Jigglypuff turned around and rolled towards Twurt, picking up speed for every second. "Dodge it!" Tyson called. But Turtwig shook its head instead, standing firm. "You want to take it head on?" Casey asked.

"Twi!" Twurt replied.

"Then let's try this. Use Seed Bomb" Casey shouted. Turtwig summoned its strength and gathered energy at its sapling and fired it straight away at the incoming Jigglypuff. The blow caused Jigglipuff to fly into the air.

"What's this?" Bruce asked surprised. From the stands Tyson simply followed the now airborne Jigglypuff, knowing that the battle was coming to a close.

"Seed Bomb, once more" Casey shouted. But instead of gathering energy at the sapling like usual, the small green turtle glowed a light green and shot a whip of green energy at Jigglypuff. The energy whip locked around Jigglypuff and started to glow. "What's this?" Casey asked as Twurt seemed to breathe a little easier and recover its strength.

"Absorb" Tyson said. "To think that Twurt would decide to show of its new move now, of all times."

"Absorb" Casey repeated. "That's great. Feeling better, Twurt?"

"Turtwig!" Twurt said energetically and released the energy whip.

"Then let's finish this" Casey said. "Use Seed Bomb!" This time Twurt did as asked and summoned a mass of energy and released a yellow-green projectile at the descending Jigglypuff.

"Jigglypuff!" Bruce called but there was nothing he could do. The attack impacted with his Pokémon and it was knocked away. It landed heavily on the ground, sliding only a little before stopping. A few seconds passed where Jigglypuff didn't move.

"Jigglypuff is unable to battle" the referee said. "The winner is Turtwig and the victory of the match goes to the challenger Casey."

"Really well fought, Casey" Bruce said and recalled his Pokémon, then walked over to him. "I believe this belongs to you now." Bruce held out another of the Y-shaped badges.

"Thanks" Casey said as he accepted the badge. "Yeah, I got a Basis Badge!" he shouted, holding his arm in the air.

"Congrats" Tyson said as he approached from the sidelines.

"Thanks" Casey smiled.

"Where are you two boys headed next?" Bruce asked them.

"Wherever the next Gym Battle is" Tyson replied with a grin.

"Then I would suggest you go to Pirepsah City" Bruce replied. "It's to the north-west of here, through the Goma Passage in the Goma Mountains."

"Then that's where we'll go" Casey said. "But let's wait until tomorrow."

"Good call" Tyson said. "I wouldn't mind another night of free food before going back to rations again." The group laughed.


Wednesday the 14th of Silversun

13:30, ?

Alit made his way through the hallways in the huge building that was their headquarters. He was still fuming from the perceived insult at the meeting hours earlier and took long strides, as if to walk off his anger. He was heading for the elevator to take him down to the basement. He had already selected the members of the organization he wanted to accompany him to Pirepsah City and investigate the rumors there. It required them to go undercover, much like Vector had just been, but then, that was how they operated. Undercover. Working from the shadows. Gently tugging at the strings of destiny. Or so their leader claimed. Alit wasn't quite convinced about the finer aspects of their operation, he only knew they were after rare and powerful Pokémon, which was another reason for why he didn't understand why they shouldn't catch that rare Stantler.

He reached the elevator and entered, punching in the button for the Parking Basement. As the doors closed his thoughts circled about his assignment. "There has been rumors of a powerful flying Pokémon in the vicinity of Diving Cliffs, near Pirepsah City" the leader had told him after Vector had left to oversee the analysis of the shrine data. "The Diving Cliffs lies to the north of the harbor town of Pirepsah City. I trust that I can rely on you to keep your temper in check for this mission." Alit smashed his right hand into the walls of the elevator. How dared anyone imply that he lost his temper; that he couldn't keep cool?

The doors opened and Alit stepped into the basement, greeted by a squadron of five goons. "You all know our orders" Alit began. "To investigate the rumors surrounding the Diving Cliffs. And unlike Vector, I expect to see results." The men saluted him and they all climbed into a truck and drove off.

As our heroes prepare to venture towards Pirepsah City, so too does Vector's companion, Alit. How will their fates intertwine in the coastal city?


That was chapter 7, which signals that we have reached the end of the first story arc of the story. In lack of a better name for the arc I've dubbed it 'Relyb City Arc' in my notes, as all events have been centred about getting there. Next time we're setting our sights on Pirepsah City and what a journey that will be.

I know I didn't describe Alit that well yet, but the savvy reader will know that it will come in good time. For now, just picture him however you want.

So what are your thoughts on the story so far? What do you like? What don't you like? How were the Gym battles? I'm not sure if they were to easily won or if the difficulty seemed right. As always, I'm counting on you, the readers, to let me know what you think.

Party listing:

Casey:

Turtwig; Male; Nickname: Twurt; Type: Grass; Ability: Overgrowth; Current Moves: Tackle - Withdraw - Seed Bomb - Absorb

Corphish; Male; Nickname: Ruffer; Type: Water; Ability: Hyper Cutter; Current Moves: ViceGrip - Leer - Harden - Bubble

Tyson:

Torchic; Female; Nickname: Corona; Type: Fire; Ability: Blaze; Current Moves: Scratch - Growl - Flame Burst - Ember

Karrablast; Male; Nickname: Clamper; Type: Bug; Ability: Swarm; Current Moves: Peck - Leer - Endure