Blair observed the two challengers for a moment until he smirked with satisfaction and called out his commands.
"Use quick attack on the totodile!" he commanded and Steel's eyes widened in shock as the two advanced on Brooke.
"Dodge!" Steel cried and Brooke leapt out of raticate's way just to collide into furret who knocked her to the floor. "Tackle!" he ordered and she rose and charged at the raticate.
"Help with poison powder!" Copper yelled and Lore bounded over to where Blair was ganging up on Brooke. Lore's leaf whipped up the purple powder and scattered it over the furret.
The moment the powder touched the furret's brown fur, its eyes drooped and it began spluttering.
"Defense curl!" Blair ordered and it curled up into a striped ball. "Use bite on chikorita!"
The raticate ran at Lore and sank his teeth into her neck but then was blasted off by Brooke's water gun. Steel saw Blair becoming more enraged and began to worry.
"Lore, use razor leaf while it's down!" Copper ordered and Steel commanded Brooke to use water gun on the raticate but Blair called out a move.
"Follow me!" he shouted and the furret glowed white. Steel was confused until he saw the attack's veer towards furret who dodged them with his flexible body.
"Damn it!" Copper cursed and she ordered a tackle which the furret kept dodging.
"Swords dance," Blair called and they saw a faint pair of crossed swords appear beneath raticate and he danced.
"Poison powder!" Copper called desperately but Blair ordered the furret to use follow me once more so the attack did nothing.
"Swords dance," Blair trilled and the raticate started dancing once more.
"Try tackle," called Steel but even Brooke was veering towards the furret. It didn't dodge it in time so it was sent flying. Copper pumped her fists triumphantly and Lore let the razor leaves fly toward the raticate who was pummeled by the grass attack.
"Good job!" Steel grinned but Blair's confident look was unnerving.
"Use crunch!" Blair said and Copper didn't have time to react as the raticate dashed towards Lore with unbelievable speed and power and sank his massive teeth into her again.
Lore cried out, as did Copper but she stopped abruptly. "Poison powder!" she called and Steel watched as Blair's face fell and poison flew into raticate's face.
Its face grew purple and its eyes were clenched shut in pain. Steel and Copper grinned victoriously but then Lore crumpled. She fell to the floor and the sound echoed throughout the gym. Steel's pupils contracted in fear and Blair sneered as Copper called Lore back.
"Two-one." he mocked and Steel growled at him.
"Water gun!" Steel shouted and Brooke blasted the dazed raticate with water so he flew across the room.
"Quick attack!" Blair called again and the dazed pokémon charged at Brooke.
"Water gun on the floor!" Steel directed and Brooke let loose the water at the feet. The force sent her upwards and they grinned at the confused pokémon which stared at Brooke.
Blair tensed and internally cursed. Raticate and furret only knew physical moves so all he could do was watch the challenger's plan unveil itself.
Brooke began to glow white as she fell and as she remembered Lore the glow became red. Blair was wide eyed.
"Use follow me!" Blair cried desperately but the furret didn't have time to execute the move because Brooke had collided with the floor and the following shockwave blasted raticate and furret off their feet.
"Rage…" marveled Copper. Steel heard and surveyed the battlefield.
"Use rage!" Steel ordered and Brooke began to glow again. The raticate tried to attack and the furret began to retreat but Brooke had already got to them. She started to punch them with increase power until she sent the furret across the room with an uppercut that left him unconscious.
Blair staggered. "What!? Use crunch!" he commanded and it ran up to Brooke with its jaw wide open.
"Hold it!" Steel called and they stood still with sly faces. The raticate bared his fangs and was within striking distance. "GO!" he yelled and Brooke let loose the punch she'd been saving.
It hit the raticate's fangs and there was a momentary silence as the shock kicked in. Steel was horrified but then remembered that Blair was a gang leader. Its fangs partially shattered and Blair watched incredulously as his raticate slumped.
He hadn't called his pokémon back yet. He stood there glaring at Steel who was almost as shocked as Blair was. The Plain members looked around nervously. Blair had been challenged numerous times in a pokéduel but no-one had actually won before.
Steel didn't know what to do now but apparently Copper did so he had no objections when she stepped forwards.
"As per the pokéduel rules, the winner shall decide your fate."
Blair wagged his finger patronizingly. "Do you know where you are?" he laughed and he gestured around the room and all the members that were in it.
"We had a deal!" Steel yelled but Blair rolled his eyes.
"I'm not gonna give up Goldenrod just because a kid got lucky with a lab Pokémon." he chuckled but his eyes were angry.
"Lab Pokémon?"
"You never catch a totodile or chikorita. You only get them from the professors." he held up his hands. "It doesn't matter anyway." he turned his back and the guards advanced.
Steel and Copper looked around but they couldn't see a way out. There were guards everywhere. Brooke and Steel tensed but then a gunshot rang out. The sound shot through the gym and they heard a scream. Everyone turned to the shot's source and they found Bliss at the entrance with her gun smoking.
She blew some hair out of her eyes and Steel noticed more people behind her. "I'm so freaking sick of you!" she pointed the gun at Blair and his eyes widened in terror.
"You have five minutes to leave our city or the next shot will be going through your head!" she growled. Blair swallowed every cocky quip, his sneer shrank into a terrified 'o'. He looked around nervously but all the Plains were either looking at their shoes or were tearing their jackets off and standing behind Bliss.
The silence was thick with hate but Blair still stood still.
"Get out of our city Blair!" Bliss roared and she fired her gun into the air again. Her eyes were frigid as she glared at the former ruler.
He began to move with small robotic movements but he was forced to break into a run and the crowd began to jeer and drive him out of the city while cheering in triumph.
He sprinted out of the city and disappeared into the thick trees of the Ilex forest. The mob cheered and Bliss, who was at the front, turned to face them and was miraculously heard.
"Goldenrod city is ours!" she called out victoriously to the crowds and they shouted in celebration. Bliss waited for it to die down and resumed talking.
"But Blair was not a lone man," she observed the crowd with a disconcerting stare. "All those who aligned themselves with Blair and the Plain gang must and will be punished. "A good portion of the crowd began shuffling nervously. "All Plains, step forward."
People stepped back as the Plains revealed themselves and the formed rows in front of Bliss who gestured for them to kneel before her.
"You shall surrender your Pokémon and are sentenced to thirty days service. All who refuse to comply or break the rules will be thrown into the forest with Blair."
The crowd watched in surprise as they all formed a line and gave Bliss their Pokémon, their moods ranging from grudging to apologetic.
Bliss' face transformed back to sweet and she beamed. "Let us celebrate our independence!"
Whoo! Goldenrod's freed! Just 6 more places to go... yay?
I try to write on weekdays but expect the next chapter to come out in a few days. Don't worry, I'm writing any time I can :D
As always, please review with how you think you can improve the story, this story is for you!