Episode 9: Fully Evolved!

Gem and Cal explained everything to the Officer Jenny. By now, Gem was used to the regular questions she asked and answered them quickly. They then recounted the event to a news reporter, and answered quite a few irreverent questions.

Finally escaping, Gem and Cal went to the next Gym. It was a water-type gym, so Gem's Roserade and Magnezone, and Cal's Grovyle, did excellently. They earned their fifth gym badges; three more and both of them could challenge the Champion.

Gem was only battling the gyms to get her Pokemon stronger for the Flower Tournament and so Gardevoir could stay with Gallade. With the progress she was making, she was beginning to play with the idea of battling the Elite Four and Champion. But then, it was what Cal had been dreaming about since the beginning. It wasn't fair for her to suddenly compete against him.

Still, there was more than one Pokemon Master. She could always challenge in secret, like Officer Jenny had said.

There was no way they could make it to another town by nightfall. They would have to go back to Hibiscus Town, and from there Rose City, to even get to a new gym. So, preparing for their travel, Gem and Cal relaxed that afternoon in the Pokemon Center.

Until two trainers came and challenged them.

"Who are you?" Gem said, wrinkling her nose at the bold newcomers.

"We just beat the Mum Town Gym," the blonde girl said. The two girls looked like twins, but one was blonde and the other was red-headed. "As we left, they told us of you two."

"So, you want to battle?" the red-head asked. "My sister and I love team battles; it'll be fun!"

"Sure," Cal said with a smile.

"I guess," Gem said.

They went outside the Pokemon Center for the battle. Once out, the blonde released a Leavanny and the red head released a Scolipede.

"Bug-types," Gem realized. "I was planning on using Gardevoir and Gallade as our team, but bug-types are super-effective…"

"Then let's use our starters," Cal said. "Go, Grovyle!" Grovyle, a grass-type, would still be weak against bug-types, but Gem liked the idea of teaming up with their original Pokemon.

"Go, Marshtomp!"

The two Pokemon landed and cried out their names, excited for battle.

"Leavanny, use Razor Leaf!"

"Grovyle, protect Marshtomp with Fury Cutter!"

Razor Leaf would be super-effective against Marshtomp; Grovyle quickly stepped up and slashed at the leaves before they reached Gem's Pokemon.

"Thanks," Gem said. "Marshtomp, use Rock Slide!"

Marshtomp drew up heavy boulders and tossed them around. Leavanny and Scolipede scurried out of the way. One rock hit Scolipede on the back.

"Scolipede, use Poison Tail!" Scolipede got down on all its legs and moved with surprising speed, whipping Marshtomp with its tail.

"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!"

"Leavanny, Leaf Blade!"

Grovyle and Leavanny clashed with their swords, moving like grass in a hurricane. They bent and twirled with skilled fencing, vicious and furious. Finally, with a nasty kick, Grovyle got the upper hand. Leavanny was slashed and set across the battlefield.

"Marshtomp, Muddy Water!"

Marshtomp surrounded itself with gallons of dirty water, and slashed it like a whip at Scolipede. Scolipede was thrown off its feet and landed with a crash on its side.

"Grovyle, X Scissor!"

Grovyle lunged forward at Scolipede and made an X formation with its claws.

"Scolipede, Poison Tail!"

All of a sudden, Scolipede flung its tail over its head and brought it down on Grovyle. Grovyle was hit straight into the ground. Gem winced at the sight of it; Poison Tail was a super-effective move against Grovyle.

"Poison Sting!"

As if that wasn't enough, Scolipede jabbed forward with a poisonous barb as hard as it could. Grovyle crashed and rolled back. He didn't look too good.

"Marshtomp, cover Grovyle with Mud Shot!" Marshtomp jumped between Grovyle and Scolipede and flung mud at Scolipede.

"Grovyle, can you get up?" Cal asked. Grovyle shook, trying to push itself up to its feet.

And then he glowed. After a burst of light, Sceptile lifted its head and roared to the sky, flexing his claws and pawing at the ground.

"It evolved!" Gem said, astonished.

"No way!" Cal said, grinning.

Sceptile clacked his beak and stuck its nose up in the air in his usual way. He face said "Did you ever doubt me for a moment?"

"Leavanny, Leaf Blade!"

Gem was snapped out of it and Leavanny came running at Sceptile.

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"

The glowing blade in his claws, Sceptile ran forward. His blade was longer than Leavanny's and more powerful. They impacted, but Sceptile overpowered Leavanny and sent her flying.

"Scolipede, Bug Bite!"

"Marshtomp, Protect!"

Marshtomp brought up the shield as Scolipede whammed against it.

"Mud Slap!"

Marshtomp jumped around the shield and slapped Scolipede right across the face.

"One more! Rock Slide!"

The finale attack set up an explosion of dust, and when it cleared, Scolipede was out cold on the ground.

Gem turned her attention to the other Pokemon. Sceptile and Leavanny were both fast Pokemon, hard to keep track of. Leavanny used Razor Leaf, Sceptile blocked it with Furry Cutter, Sceptile used Mega Drain, Leavanny took the hit and came back with Slash, Sceptile used Night Slash, Leavanny used X Scissor, both used Leaf Blade and back flipped over each other.

Before Gem could order Marshtomp to step in and help, Sceptile swung his sword and set Leavanny into the air, along with a cloud of dust.

"Almost done! Quick Attack, now!"

Sceptile jumped out of the air, swung around, and used Dual Chop. Gem gasped.

"That's a dragon-type move!" she breathed.

Leavanny crashed to the ground, unable to battle.

"That was brilliant, Sceptile!" Sceptile turned as Cal ran up to him. The grass-type Pokemon grinned and gently nipped Cal's head in affection.

Gem went over with Marshtomp, grinning. Sceptile swooshed his tail with pride.

"You did great, Sceptile," Gem said. "And you were amazing, too, Marshtomp." Gem lifted Marshtomp into her arms and smiled.

"Wow, what an amazing battle!" the blonde said. She returned her Pokemon, as did her sister.

"We have more Pokemon and could battle more, but I think I'd screamed my voice out for today," the red-head said with a smile.

"Your Leavanny was so fast," Gem said excitedly. "Did you get it when it was just a Sewaddle?"

"Yep," she said proudly. "I—"

"And you've just witnessed this thrilling battle, live, right in front of the Chrysanthemum Town Pokemon Center. Let's go have a chat with the trainers."

A news reporter and cameraman bounded up to Gem and Cal, pressing a microphone into Gem's face. The news reporter was the same one who'd interviewed Gem and Cal earlier that day.

"As the victors, do you any advice for other rising trainers out there?" the news reporter asked.

"Er…" Gem said, glancing at the other two trainers. They smiled friendlily, and looked at each other in a "this is going to take a while" way. They then waved and wandered off.

"You two are the trainers who stopped the O8 in the Legendary Pokemon Research Laboratories today, right?" the reporter pressed on. "Do you plan on stopping the O8 once and for all?"

"We just happen to be at the right place at the right time," Cal said worriedly. "Or, wrong place, really…"

""Happen"?" the reporter said. "Are you saying you've encountered the O8 more than once?"

"Well—yeah…"

"Astonishing! Like a Misdreavus's attack!" the reporter cried. She gave the camera a wink. "How many times have you battled with them, exactly? When, where, how?"

Gem and Cal tentatively began listing off the times. The time they found 1 stealing Pokemon for grunts in the forest, 2 while he was battling trainers outside Rose City Gym, 3, 2, and 1 as they were hacking the PC's Hall of Records in the Hibiscus Town Pokemon Center, and then today at the Legendary Pokemon Labs.

The reporter began occasionally listened to a microphone in her ear, conveying questions about what the O8 members looked like, theories Gem and Cal had (which they didn't share), on and on.

"Look," Gem said finally. She felt like this had gone on for over an hour. "Our Pokemon are tired from the battle; we need to go heal them."

"Of course!" the reporter said. Even though Gem had cut her off, she looked tremendously satisfied with the information they'd given her. "Need to keep your Pokemon ready at any time for the O8, hm? Well, go on then!"

Gem and Cal turned and Marshtomp and Sceptile (who had gotten quite bored during the report) followed them inside.

It was dark, now. Gem and Cal ate dinner, watching the news. Most of it was on the O8. Everyone was questioning how the O8 had managed to break into the Legendary Pokemon Lab, one of the most secured places on the planet.

The reporters grimly confirmed that there had been sightings of Latias at the scene. Champion Thorn had an interview with multiple reporters. He said that the O8 had downloaded everything, every little thing from the Lab's database.

That morning, Gem and Cal tried to leave the Pokemon Center. But they were swarmed by at least a dozen reporters, asking dramatic questions.

Gem and Cal tried to politely answer a few. One asked what their goals were; Cal's, of course, was to become a Pokemon Master. Gem said she wanted to win the Flower Tournament, which was coming up in just a few weeks.

But finally, when half an hour had passed, Gem got so furious that she brought out Magnezone, who used Thunder Shock on the sky to distract the crowd while she and Cal slipped away. They then hurried to Hibiscus Town before anyone else saw them.

They fought wild Pokemon on the trip, and Cal's Litwick evolved into Lampent. Not half an hour into the trip, Gem got a call from her parents, whose feelings were very mixed.

They were proud that Gem was on TV and had defeated so many of the O8, worried that Gem was in danger, excited that the Flower Tournament was so close, stressing that Gem mustn't get distracted from the Tournament, and practically jumped through the phone when Gem mentioned she'd met Champion Cynthia.

Finally Gem got to hang up, but she had to admit she missed them. It seemed like forever since she'd left home. But on the other hand, her stress over the Flower Tournament twisted in her stomach.

Cal also got a call from his parents, and while he seemed happy to talk to them, he was also impatient to hang up. He missed them, Gem knew, but neither of them liked hearing about being on the news.

When they finally got to Hibiscus Town…

It was being raided by the O8.

Author's Notes: The O8 is becoming more and more of a threat. Hope you guys enjoyed the Pokemon battle-like I said, they're hard to write.