"There is no way on earth that you can beat the gym." Koene told Niall, who got furious just to hear that.
"Of course we can, we have Balboa." Niall pointed at the Mankey, who nodded.
"In battle, I will win for master Lucas."
"Here we go again…" Koene sighed.
This argument had been going on ever since we told Koene we wanted to take on the gym. He doesn't think we could take Brock down, but the rest of the team feels otherwise.
"I suggest we train some more first." Wally interfered, it was the first time he said something in this argument.
"Actually, Wally is right. You guys do need to get a little bit stronger. Let's check my Pokédex." I informed my team members.
I took the Pokédex and the levels where not at all gym leader worthy: While Niall, Wally and Balboa where all at level 11, mainly due to some training in Viridian Forest, Lisa was still at level 5 and Koene even worse, level 3.
"I can easily catch up will all of you guys." Koene laughed.
"Yeah sure." Niall said, and Wally nodded in agreement.
"Well guys, no time like the present. Let's go." I escorted everybody on the way from the Pokémon Centre to the nearest route to train, which was the route I caught Koene on, Route 2.
"Why do we need to train here? What if Chief and Bilvas find us?" Koene asked.
"Then we'll beat them, right Lucas?" Wally asked combative.
"That's right. But first, you guys really need some levels. So here's what where going to do. Training is the most irritating part of being a trainer, that's what I've heard, but also the most deadly one." I started, but I was quickly interrupted.
"Aren't battles with gym leaders the most deadly ones?" Niall asked.
"No, I think it is battles with an Elite 4 or Champion." Koene continued.
"You guys are really not well informed. Those Rocket grunts take most lives." Wally smiled confident.
"You are all wrong." I interrupted the rally. "All those things take a lot of lives, but I have been informed that most Pokémon die during training. Because that's when everyone is least regardful. So we ain't doing that. Wally, Niall and Balboa, you guys are pretty good and you can easily handle all the Pokémon on this route, so we will do a so-called switch battle plan."
All of them looked confused.
"I'll explain." I sighed. I hoped they would have got it, but apparently, they didn't. "First, Lisa or Koene will start the battle, than they will quickly get out and one of you three gets in and finishes the opponent." I further explained.
"So they switch out but do get some experience from the battle." Niall said. "That's pretty smart."
"Okay master Lucas, we will do that." Balboa said.
This went pretty well. Lisa and Koene continuingly started a battle against either another Rattata or a Pidgey, and the other three finished it.
Niall, with his paws full of Pidgey blood and feathers, came walking towards me. "Don't you think we have trained enough? Can you look at the levels?"
We had been training for two hours straight and taking other Pokémon's lives had started to feel as the usual, although I didn't forget that all of them we killed where controlled by the Lance's machine and couldn't be saved anyway.
"Let me see. You and Wally are level 13 now, Balboa is an impressive level 14. Lisa and Koene are at level 7, both."
"That's quite enough, don't you think?" Koene said. "Why would you use us against Brock? That guy has rock type Pokémon so only Balboa makes sense."
"That's true, but I still want you guys to get stronger. The stronger you are the less likely you are to die." I explained, but Koene shook his head.
"That's what everybody says, but it isn't true. The stronger we get, the stronger our opponents are. Our changes stay the same." He explained. "The only way in which our changes would increase is if you would send all of us to the pc."
Niall started to laugh. "Well, I can tell you this: I'd rather die earlier as a strong Charizard than later on as an old Charmander." I started to laugh and the others did as well.
"I guess you're right." Koene said, winking at Niall.
"Hey!" A Pidgey came flying down towards us. "Do you happen to have killed a Pidgey on Route 1?" It asked.
"Well, my team defeated a lot of Pidgey already, so to be fully honest, I can't remember." I was kinda shocked at how easily I forgot all those kills.
"Don't you remember Lucas, the first kill I ever made was a Pidgey on route 1 that attacked us." Niall remembered.
"That Pidgey was my brother." The Pidgey, now angry, continued. "So I will take revenge for him."
"Haha." Wally started to laugh. "You and what army?"
"I don't need an army you traitor, I myself am strong enough." The Pidgey laughed.
"Let me take him Lucas, it will be easy." Wally begged.
"Okay, Pidgey vs Pidgey sounds fair." I said.
"Wally, use Gust!" Wally flapped with his wings and a small tornado raged towards the Pidgey, who wasn't prepared and got caught up in it.
"Now, use Tackle to finish it off." I commanded, and Wally nodded.
"Oh no." The furious Pidgey flew away. "I will make a kill, that's for sure." It flew straight for Lisa, who was so in shock she couldn't flee.
"No, Niall, Ember!" I screamed in panic, but Niall missed and the Pidgey was almost at Lisa.
"Don't you dare!" I heard Koene shout as he jumped onto the Pidgey and started biting the Pidgey in its neck, small drips of blood fell to the ground.
"Then you will be my victim." The Pidgey smiled, and suddenly turned upside down in mid-air, which made Koene fall onto the ground. Within seconds the Pidgey was back and started pecking Koene in his neck. Wally was quickly there and killed the Pidgey with one peck in its neck.
All that time, I was completely frozen in shock, but now I ran towards Koene. His neck was bleeding heavily and I saw blood also dripped from his mouth.
"Koene, let's get you to a Pokémon Centre quickly." I wanted to lift him up.
"No…. It's too late." He sighed, it was clear he had a hard time talking. A tear fell from my eyes.
"I'm so sorry. It is all my fault." I said slowly crying.
"No…. Like I said, our changes where never big, this was supposed to happen sooner or later. I want to thank you all for the wonderful time I had with you." He said. "You freed me…."
After those words his eyes closed and his head fell to the ground.
"No Koene!" Lisa screamed as she hurried towards him.
"I'm sorry Lisa, he's gone." I said, and the others all made their way towards their fallen team member.
"We should bury him." Niall said.
"I'll start digging." Balboa said, this time not even looking at me for confirmation.
"You know what we should do? We should fight and defeat Brock right now. In Koene's honor." Wally said, after we buried Koene and put a nice tombstone above it. The best we could find.
"I agree." Niall said, and Lisa nodded as well.
"I guess you will need me for that Master Lucas. I will be honored to fight those battles for Koene." Balboa commented.
I looked at all of them and nodded. Time to kick Brock's ass.
After the team got all healed up we headed towards the gym, and the big building looked, to be fully honest, a little bit terrifying. One part of me wanted to go back to Route 2 and train everybody up to level 100 before taking on this gym, but I knew I had to get past this gym, together with my Pokémon.
"Let's go." I simply announced, and I opened the heavy doors into the gym.
"Hi kid, are you here to challenge the gym leader?" A boy, way younger than I was asked.
"Yeah I am."
"Well, you are still lightyears away from defeating Brock, so you will have to fight me first." He smiled.
"So be it." I said emotionless.
"Go Geodude."
"Balboa, use Karate Chop."
Balboa nodded and ran forward as he kicked the flying rock right in its face, and with the power Balboa's kick contained, his feet went straight through the Geodude, killing it directly.
"What!? Well, go Sandshrew."
"Balboa, step back." I said.
"No master Lucas, I can finish this one as well." The Mankey explained quickly.
"I know you can, but I need you to be ready for Brock. Wally can take care of this one."
"Okay Master Lucas." Balboa let himself be returned and I released Wally. To the day of writing I believe that Wally took and still takes the blame for Koene's death. And it changed him. Of course, outside of battle he was still all outgoing fun just as he is nowadays. But during battle, he is cold hard, nothing can break his focus. And this was the first time I saw it.
"Wally, use Gust." I ordered. No response, just action.
"Sandshrew! Scratch it!" The young trainer screamed, but Wally didn't even let it come close.
"Another Gust." The Sandshrew was blown into the nearby wall, and fell dead to the ground.
"Damn. I'll admit it, you are pretty good. But just to learn you something, lightyears measures distance, not time." He walked away.
"Brock!" I screamed, not caring about the kid at all. "I'm here to challenge you."
"Is that right?" A young man, around his 20th I'd say, came walking down.
"I believe I should accept it." Brock simply informed. "I'm sorry in advance for killing your Pokémon."
"Yeah, I'm sorry in advance to." I snapped.
"A cocky kid. Hmm, that's quite irritating." He softly laughed, and I started to think I didn't had Brock, but Giovanni in front of me. I had seen Giovanni on the television multiple times, and I got annoyed every time I heard that guy talking.
"Let's just battle okay? Balboa, go!" I commanded, and let Balboa free.
"Well okay then. Geodude, finish the Mankey off." Another Geodude appeared, and it seemed to be rather annoyed. Let's put an end to his boredom.
"Mankey, Karate Chop."
"Geodude, dodge it." Brock seemed to have even less interest in the battle than Geodude had, and one Karate Chop was almost enough to finish it: The mark of Balboa's foot was recognizable on Geodude's head.
"Now Geodude, use Tackle."
"Balboa, don't let it touch you, now use another Karate Chop."
I watched as Balboa jumped up a little, making Geodude miss, and then landed on top of the Rock type, splitting it in halve.
"One down, one more to go." I grinned.
"Well, I guess that's easy play. Don't worry, I'll just leave the corpse there, maybe you can use it in battle against this second Pokémon. Onix go!"
I was simply disgusted by the little care Brock had for his Pokémon. I mean, of course nobody cared, but Brock was the worst.
"Balboa, Karate Chop!"
"Onix, use Tackle."
Balboa's Karate Chop went straight through Onix, leaving a hole in the Rock Snake's body. But Onix didn't seem to care, and charged at Balboa, who was hit with a full frontal Tackle attack.
Balboa fell on the ground and I saw a wound next to his right eye which was bleeding.
"Balboa, I'll switch you out."
"No master Lucas. I stay in here to fight." His response was.
"But…. You could die!" I screamed in agony. I really didn't want another team member to die.
"If it is my destiny to die in this battlefield than it be so Master Lucas." Balboa saluted, and went off alone.
"Get yourself together Lucas." I mumbled against myself.
"Okay than. If that's what you want. Use Karate Chop, once again."
"So you can talk to your Pokémon…." Brock said as he observed me and Balboa. "To bad I will have to kill one of them. Onix, Tackle."
Balboa saw the giant snake coming towards him, and he simply dodged after hitting Onix again, this time against its head. The Snake started to cry in pain.
"Finish it off. Use Bind." Brock commanded.
Onix' tail started to slide around Balboa and hold him tight, squeezing him to death. Balboa's eyes started to glow in a heated fury and I saw him kicking around, kicking more and more rock off Onix. The rock snake kept crying, and eventually let go.
"Now, finish it off with Karate Chop." I screamed. Balboa hit Onix before the last one or Brock could respond and with the last chop, Balboa split Onix' head from its snake-like body, killing it.
"Well, I guess you won." Brock sighed, and tossed me a badge. "Now leave. Thanks to you I need to get a new Onix. You know how hard they are to find?"
"You will not need to find another Onix Brock. You are under arrest!" I heard a voice behind me, and several police men and a female one ran into the gym, together with several Growlithe's and one bigger one called Arcanine.
"What no!" Brock tried to run, but the Arcanine jumped onto him, taking care he stayed down.
Hours later
My Pokémon where silently awaiting my return at the Pokémon center, at least I thought they were. They looked like it when I returned.
"So, what did the officer say?" Niall asked.
"That's a long story." I started. "First I want to check on Balboa."
After the gym battle I had to go with the police for an interrogatory and an explanation, but not after I had brought Balboa to the Pokémon center to heal. He was in pretty bad shape.
"Hi buddy." I walked up to his bed, where he was now resting.
"Hello Master Lucas." Balboa said, growling in pain while saying those words.
"Don't speak." I responded. "I'm just glad you are alright. That was quite the battle you fought. I'm proud of you."
Those last words made him gloat.
"So, what did the police say?" Lisa asked curious.