Adventures in Kanto
Pewter City Gym
Luffy Vs. the Rock-Solid Pokemon Trainer Part 1
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon or One Piece.
Leanne couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she looked down at her young Bulbasaur, eating from a bowl on the floor happily. Little Ace, Eevee, and Pidgy were near him, eating from their own bowls, all seeming happy to see the now healed Pokemon.
The diner in which they sat was most definitely good and thankfully, it really was cheap as the Chansey's had said. Though, prices wouldn't have stopped Luffy from eating all he wanted anyway. Little Ace watched his trainer tentatively, mimicking his eating habits and as a result choking on his food.
"Little Ace, don't eat so fast!" Leanne said when Luffy began laughing. The Charmander coughed up the food, sticking out his tongue in distaste, then continued eating, much slower.
"So, are you really not going to battle, Leanne?" Chopper asked curiously. Leanne shook her head in confirmation.
"Nope. Nurse Joy said that I shouldn't and I agree with her," she looked back down at Bulbasaur, who was now looking up at her, "Bulbasaur isn't ready, and besides, he still needs time to rest. I don't want to push him,"
"Can't you go to another Gym even if you don't beat Brock?" Luffy asked nonchalantly. Leanne thought about this for a few moments.
"I really don't know," she admitted, "but it wouldn't be smart. The Gym Leaders all get stronger and stronger with each town you go to. Besides. A lot of times, Pokemon won't listen if you don't show them your strength with a Gym Badge." She patted her Bulbasaur's head, "I would hate for Bulbasaur to be like that,"
"Bulba, bulb!" Bulbasaur protested angrily, causing a laugh from Leanne.
"I know, I know, you'd never disobey me, right, Bulby?" she asked cheerfully, "But still. I'd rather do this the right way."
Luffy finished eating his food and stood up, yawning and stretching. "Well, there's no time to lose, is there?" Luffy asked aloud as he reached for the Pokeballs for Little Ace and Eevee. He pulled them back into their balls and tossed the third to Chopper, "I'm going on ahead, ok? I wanna see what this Brock guy has to offer,"
"Ok," Leanne said with a nod, "We'll catch up! Good luck, Luffy!" she said.
"You can do it, Luffy!" Chopper agreed. Luffy looked at them with his usual wide grin.
"Of course I can," he said cheerfully, "The King of the Pirates won't let something like this take him down! Yosh! Let's go!" he shouted, more to himself and his Pokemon then anyone else. Then, with his arms raised high in confidence, he ran out the door and down the street.
(–)
The gym was not what Luffy expected, though he wasn't certain what exactly he was expecting. However, he was able to recognize it the minute he saw it. It was definitely hard to miss. The entire structure seemed to be composed of solid rock, with two wooden double-doors in the front and wooden support beams all along the ends of the structure. There was no grass within the stone barrier surrounding the entrance, just rock.
Luffy walked straight up the wood doors, looking up at the word 'GYM' carved in capital letters into the large rock above it. He reached for the door handle and pushed it open.
He was greeted by the sight of a large room, rocks surrounding the area, and in the very center was what looked like an enormous boxing ring. There was a stadium-like setting surrounding it, and off to one side was what looked like a large mirror, which looked quite out of place amongst all the rocks. Luffy walked straight up to the boxing ring, climbing into it and looking around curiously.
He raised his fists and punched a few times, playfully, weaving left and right as if dodging strikes coming back. His playing stopped, however, when he heard a voice behind him. "Here to challenge Brock?" it asked.
Luffy turned around, staring at a young man who looked right back at him from the other side of the boxing ring. He wore a gray shirt, but his muscles were evident behind it, and dark brown pants. His hair was brown and spiked up, his eyes the same color, "Brock doesn't fight weaklings,"
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not weak," Luffy countered innocently, "So are you Brock? You know, it's weird to talk about yourself in the third person,"
"I'm not Brock," the young man interrupted, "Think of me as your preliminary match. If you can defeat me, then you can fight the Gym Leader. Sound fair?"
"Sure," Luffy decided.
"One Pokemon each. You've got one chance. Fail and you leave and don't come back. Brock doesn't have time to waste on losers,"
He reached for a Pokeball and tossed it into the air, releasing a yellowish mouse-like Pokemon that vaguely reminded Luffy of Usopp. It looked like some sort of armadillo, the pattern on its skin not unlike Usopp's favorite bandana. Its underside, was tan, while its back was covered in a thick yellow shell-like skin. Luffy curiously took out his Pokedex.
"SANDSHREW: THE MOUSE POKEMON. SANDSHREW HAS A VERY DRY HIDE THAT IS EXTREMELY TOUGH. THE POKEMON CAN ROLL INTO A BALL THAT REPELS ANY ATTACK. AT NIGHT, IT BURROWS INTO THE DESERT SAND TO SLEEP."
"Select your Pokemon!" The gym leader ordered. Luffy frowned slightly, but didn't respond. Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out a Pokeball.
"I pick Little Ace!" Luffy decided. The Charmander emerged from his Pokeball with his usual cheerful smile, then examined his surroundings. He turned in confusion to look at Luffy.
"Charmander, char?" he asked.
"It's a Pokemon Gym," Luffy explained, as if he could understand the creature, "WE've gotta beat this guy to fight that Rock guy. You ready for this?"
"Char!" Little Ace said with a determined nod, turning to face Sandshrew. The once cute nature of the armadillo-like Pokemon turned instantly hostile at the sight of an enemy and it began to curl up, growling slightly.
"The opponent goes first," The trainer declared. "Make your move,"
Luffy nodded, "Alright, Little Ace, start with Scratch!" he decided. Little Ace ran forward, his claws seeming to glow, and when he was within range of the opposing Pokemon, he slashed at it.
"Sandshrew, curl up into a ball!" its trainer ordered. Sandshrew did as it was told, curling up into a tight ball to protect itself, leaving only its rough exterior open. Little Ace's claws scratched it, leaving no more then a slight thin line in its strong armor. He blinked, confused.
"Now, roll out into a Tackle attack!" the trainer demanded. Sandshrew rolled backward to the end of the ring, then forward toward Little Ace, slamming into the Charmander and knocking him away to the side of the ring. After the attack, it uncurled, its eyes hard.
"Now, show 'im how a real Scratch attack is done!"
"San!" Sandshrew said with a nod. It rolled toward Little Ace and when within range, unrolled.
"Little Ace, dodge it!" Luffy ordered. Little Ace nodded and managed to move aside in time to avoid the powerful strike. "Scratch!"
Little Ace tried again, and again, Sandshrew rolled up into the ball. Little Ace jumped back this time, staring at the ball, trying to figure out how to open it. It was Luffy who made the decision. He looks like a piece of corn... and corn pops when Sanji cooks it. Maybe...
"Little Ace: Ember attack!" he shouted. "Don't stop until that Sandshrew opens up!"
And so Little Ace complied, breathing in deep. The flame on his tail expanded, and then he opened his snout, releasing a jet of fire at the Sandshrew's protective shell. He didn't stop, as Luffy ordered, until the Pokemon, overheating under the flame, opened up, the fire burning its sensitive underside. "Now, Scratch again!" Luffy decided.
"Char!" Little Ace declared, scratching at Sandshrew's obvious weak point. Sandshrew was knocked back by the strike, to the other end of the ring beside his trainer, burnt and cut from the attack. The trainer stared at Sandshrew, completely shocked.
It was at that moment that the group heard clapping echoing around the empty room. Luffy looked around, his eyes eventually falling to where the mirrors were, where he spotted a brown haired man standing, his eyes so small, they appeared to be shut. He wore a dark green shirt, obviously muscular as well, and brown pants with an orange vest. His arms were crossed as he stopped clapping. "I watched the whole battle from my observation room. I've gotta say, you figured out Sandshrew's weakness faster then any trainer I've seen," he decided, walking toward the ring as the trainer from before retrieved his Pokemon. "Definitely surprised me,"
"Are you Brock?" Luffy asked, looking at the young man that now climbed into the ring. He was at most one year younger than Luffy with a serious looking expression on his face. The trainer from before backed out, but Luffy paid him no attention. All his focus was on the young man before him.
"That's right," he said, "I'm an expert with Rock Type Pokemon, it's not easy to defeat my rock-hard defense. You beat my assistant, but can you beat me?" He raised two miniaturized Pokeballs, holding them between his fingers. Luffy stared at them briefly, then down at Little Ace.
"Of course," he said confidently.
Brock tossed one Pokeball into his free hand and pocketed the other, allowing the first to expand to its full size, "Then prepare yourself for an intense battle. Two Pokemon each. If you lose, come back in fifty years when you've got enough experience to beat me. Geodude, go!"
He tossed the Pokeball, releasing what looked like a large round rock with arms and eyes and a mouth, floating in the air. Luffy took a moment to inspect his Pokedex.
"GEODUDE: THE ROCK POKEMON. GEODUDE HAS INCREDIBLY HIGH DEFENSIVE POWER, MAKING IT VIRTUALLY RESISTANT TO ANY PHYSICAL ATTACKS."
"Is that your Pokemon choice?" Brock asked, gesturing to the still released Charmander. Luffy nodded. Very well – the challenger makes the first move," he said.
Luffy didn't even consider, "Little Ace, use Ember!" he said. Little Ace once again took a deep intake of air, his nostrils steaming, and blew the flame out of his mouth toward Geodude. The rock Pokemon didn't even try to dodge, or couldn't seem to, Luffy wasn't sure. But he grinned triumphantly when the flames engulfed it.
His grin quickly faded when the attack disappeared, revealing the Geodude unharmed save for the now reddish glow his body possessed. "Geodude, tackle attack!" Brock ordered.
Geodude floated forward with speed that was surprising for any sort of rock and crashed into the still startled Little Ace, who was knocked back by the blow, "Now, ready up for another attack with Defense Curl!"
Geodude backed away, his body glowing briefly, and Little Ace charged forward. "Scratch attack!" Luffy demanded. Little Ace reeled back his arm and then scratched at the Geodude, leaving only a small scuff mark – but it was still damage.
"Geodude, tackle!" Brock called.
"Dodge it, Little Ace!" Luffy countered
As Geodude charged forward, Little Ace managed to roll to the side, barely avoiding the blow, "Get him from behind with that Ember attack!" Luffy said.
Little Ace didn't hesitate to shoot the wave of flames at Geodude, however, the angle from which they were shot didn't seem to matter, as the effect was the same. The Pokemon, without command from Brock, charged Little Ace, tackling him away and back to the Strawhat.
Luffy gritted his teeth, frustrated, and Little Ace puffed smoke out of his nose as he started to his feet. Little Ace's fire doesn't do anything to this rock thing... Luffy thought to himself. And Little Ace is just going to keep getting hurt if we don't find a way to beat it. He stared at the Geodude, his jaw clenched. Suddenly, a red light engulfed Geodude, and it returned to the Pokeball in Brock's hand.
"You should just give up," Brock suddenly said, and at that moment, Little Ace's struggle failed, and he fell once again, breathing heavily."You don't stand a chance of winning with such a mediocre Pokemon. It was stupid of you to even come in here when you're not nearly prepared enough to fight a Gym Leader. Come back when you're not so weak,"
Luffy was beside his Charmander in an instant, lifting the creature slightly to rest in his lap. He tried to wake him with a light shake, to which Little Ace managed to open his eyes slightly, then close again. Luffy's hands closed into tight fists as Brock began to turn away, and before the gym leader could take more then a few steps, he shouted, "Wait a minute!"
Brock stopped, looking at Luffy over his shoulder, waiting. Luffy, never one to be at a loss for words, spoke, "This isn't over yet," He returned Little Ace to his Pokeball and pulled a different one. I've gotta beat this guy if I want to have any chance of getting back to the Grand Line. He thought to himself, looking at the red and white ball in his hand. Can you do this, Eevee? "I've got one more Pokemon here." he tossed the ball out, releasing the small, innocent, fox-like Pokemon into the field.
Brock stared at it for a second before shaking his head, "You're fighting a losing battle, kid," he said with a sigh. Still, he turned to face Luffy again, grinning, and reached into the pocket of his coat. "But I like your spirit! Alright then, let's see. If your little Eevee can beat my Geodude, then I'll give you the Boulder Badge without facing Onix." He extracted his hand, showing the gray, octagonal badge.
"Yosh," Luffy said, grinning once again. To Eevee, he said, "You can do this, Eevee. Let's show them how strong you are, ok?"
Eevee smiled rather cutely and nodded, her long ears twitching. She looked back at Brock as the gym leader released Geodude once again – the Pokemon had hardly a scratch on it.
"Round two: Start," Brock said.
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I've had a bit of trouble figuring out how to write it... not very fulfilling after such a long wait if you ask me, but writers block has been a problem for quite a few of my stories here. Again, I'll tell you that I rely on Wiki's for character personalities, because it's been years since I watched Pokemon... so I wrote Brock based on that. Thanks, my readers, for your patience though! Don't forget to review!
