The trio's first stop in Aelaza Town was the Pokémon Center. After getting their Pokémon looked after by the nurse, they stopped by the cafeteria for a quick dinner before renting a room for the night and heading off to sleep. It had been a long day, and so none of them lay awake for very long.
The next morning, however, Ethan was wide awake and excited beyond belief. "OK, time to wake up!" he announced to the rest of the room. Though Maggie seemed to have no issue with waking up, Grey, predictably, was less than thrilled.
"Morning, Ethan," smiled Maggie.
"You have exactly eleven seconds to shut the hell up and leave me be before you get a good kick in the Sludge Bombs," Grey mumbled as threateningly as she could while still half-asleep."
"Don't tell me you're not excited, Grey," grinned Ethan. "It's time for us to earn our second badges!"
"Five seconds," was Grey's response.
Wisely, Ethan declined to respond to this.
Two hours later, at 7:00 AM, Grey finally consented to get up. Once the trainers were done with their breakfast, they exited the Pokémon Center and headed off in the direction the nurse was kind enough to point them in.
"Rushing things, are we?" Grey remarked snidely, a still-yawning Togepi clutched in her arms. "Didn't we just earn our Sky Badges yesterday?"
"Yes, we did," nodded Ethan. "But you know what I call that? A good pace. And you know what we do with a good pace? We keep it up, am I right?"
"Yeah, well, you know what I do with stupid idiots who-" began Grey.
"Come on, Grey, relax," pleaded Maggie. "You must be pretty eager to earn another badge too, right?"
"Eager, yes," admitted Grey. "But Idiot Boy over there takes eager to a whole new level."
"Clearly you've never been to a McPixel family reunion," replied Maggie, smiling slightly. "I come from a long line of hot-blooded Pokémon Trainers, Gym Leaders, Elite 4 members, and even League Champions. One of my cousins is the Gym Leader in Miliovern City in Tanko, in fact."
"Translation; blah, blah, bragging, blah, blah, shut up, blah, blah, I don't give a Raticate's ass," Grey responded. Maggie sighed and closed her eyes.
Finally, they came to the Gym, a vivid green and yellow building, with "Aelaza Town Pokémon Gym" written across the front in large blue letters. Beneath this was a pair of double doors, which Ethan wasted no time in bursting through.
The interior of the Gym looked remarkably outdoorsy- trees were planted everywhere, sunlight streamed in through the glass roof, and the walls were covered in ivy. In the middle of the room, there was a large clearing, the markings of the arena clearly marked. On the opposite end of the field, there stood a young woman, looking not much older than Grey. She wore a light green shirt and matching shorts, she had shoulder-length purple hair, and she held a Butterfree net in one hand.
"Welcome to Aelaza Gym," she announced. "Who might you three be?"
"I'm Ethan Golde, from New Bark Town in the Johto region," Ethan declared. "I've come for a Gym battle!"
"The name's Grey. Grey Spearow from Krab Wen Town," added Grey. "I'm also here for a Gym battle."
"I'm Maggie McPixel, but I'm not here for a battle," smiled Maggie. "I'm just traveling with them."
The woman nodded. "Very well, then," she said. "My name is Arachne, and I'm the Aelaza Gym Leader. Now then, which of you two will battle me first?"
"I will," Grey stated, before Ethan could even open his mouth.
"Hey!" Ethan hissed angrily.
"Deal with it," smirked Grey, as she stepped forward.
"Alright, here in Aelaza Gym, battles are conducted with a total of three Pokémon on each side," stated Arachne. "Is this acceptable to you?"
"Works for me," nodded Grey.
"Three Pokémon each?" murmured Ethan. "But surely not..."
"Then let's get started," stated Arachne, throwing a Poké Ball. "Spinarak, go!" she shouted as the ball burst open, revealing a small green creature with multiple yellow legs. Grey held out her Pokédex.
"Spinarak, the String Spit Pokémon," droned the device. "Spinarak spins its webs using fine yet durable thread, then lies in wait for prey to get caught in them."
"Spinarak, huh?" smirked Grey. "Fine, then. I choose Togepi!"
"Togepi?!" exclaimed Ethan and Maggie simultaneously.
"Togi togi!" Togepi chirped excitedly as it jumped out of Grey's arms and ran forward onto the battlefield.
"Are you nuts?!" Ethan exclaimed. "You're using Togepi?!"
"Zip it, moron," Grey snapped.
"Spinarak, go for a Poison Sting!" ordered Arachne.
"Dodge it!" yelled Grey.
"Togi!" exclaimed Togepi, darting off to the left as Spinarak fired off numerous glowing purple spikes from a sharp stinger on its forehead. The stingers fell harmlessly to the ground where Togepi had stood seconds ago.
"Togepi, use Growl!" Grey commanded.
Togepi took a deep breath and bellowed, "TOGIIIIIIII!" As the soundwaves washed over Spinarak, the Bug/Poison-type winced in agony, trying to shield itself from the loud cry.
"Perfect," smirked Grey. "Now give it a Metronome!"
"Do what now?" Ethan demanded.
Togepi began to wave its stubby little arms back and forth. "Togi, Togi, Togi, Togi," it chanted, as a blue glow gradually came over its arms.
"Spinarak, use Fury Swipes!" ordered Arachne.
Spinarak scuttled forward at a high speed, but at that point, Togepi's arms were pointing straight up. Then, Togepi's mouth opened, and a blast of smelly black gunk shot out of it, getting right in Spinarak's eyes. This forced Spinarak to stop and try to clear the foul substance from its eyes.
"That looked like a Sludge attack to me," observed Maggie.
"Togepi, Headbutt now!" commanded Grey.
"Togi!" exclaimed Togepi as it dashed forward and rammed Spinarak head-first, sending the String Spit Pokémon tumbling backwards.
"Use Psybeam attack!" Arachne called out.
"Dodge it, Togepi!" yelled Grey.
Spinarak's front stinger shone brightly, before unleashing a beam of multicolored energy, which Togepi was able to evade, but only barely.
"That'll do- come back, Togepi," said Grey.
"Togi togi togi priiiii!" chirped Togepi as it ran back to where Grey was.
"Whoa," Ethan remarked. "Where did all that come from?"
"I realized Togepi could use Metronome yesterday in the cave," explained Grey. "It did it to hit 'M with an Aurora Beam, and it would also explain that random Thunder Shock and Psybeam."
"Wow," Maggie said.
"Now," Grey added, throwing a Poké Ball. "Zubat, it's your turn!"
In a flash of light, Grey's Zubat materialized, rapidly flapping its wings to stay airborne.
"Not wise," smirked Arachne. "You bring in something weak to Psychic moves just after Spinarak pulls off a Psybeam? Let's see how that works for you. Psybeam again, Spinarak!"
"Use Quick Attack!" Grey ordered.
"Zubat bat!" chattered Zubat as it soared through the air with rapidly increasing speed, before suddenly diving down and striking Spinarak from behind. The Bug/Poison-type had shot off another Psybeam, but Zubat had evaded it with ease.
"Fury Swipes!" called Arachne.
"Wing Attack!" bellowed Grey.
"Togi togi!" chimed in Togepi.
Zubat and Spinarak charged at each other yet again, and this time they both struck each other- as Spinarak frantically scratched at Zubat with its front legs, Zubat's wings slapped the String Spit Pokémon hard. They struggled for only a moment, until Zubat's Wing Attack won out. Spinarak was sent tumbling backwards, and made no attempt to get back up.
"Spinarak, return," sighed Arachne, holding out the Poké Ball. Once the Bug/Poison-type was back inside, she held up a new ball. "Not bad," she admitted. "But let's see how well your Zubat does against something else that can fly!" And she threw the ball. "Let's go, Z4!" she exclaimed.
In a flash of light, the ball split open, unleashing a cube-shaped creature, yellow in coloration with a number of red and black markings all over. It seemed to be a foot tall, and was buzzing menacingly.
"My cousin wouldn't like this Gym one bit," remarked Maggie. "He's afraid of any Bug-type not named Butterfree."
"Why's Butterfree the exception?" asked Ethan.
Maggie shrugged. "They're known to be among the friendliest of all Bug-types, and they're pretty cute, too. At least, I guess that's why. All I know is, his girlfriend has a Butterfree and it doesn't bother him in the slightest. But stuff like Z4, he's terrified of."
"Yeah- what is that thing, anyway?" Ethan added suddenly, having only just properly noticed Z4. He took out his Pokédex and aimed it at Z4 just as Grey did the same thing.
"Z4, the Box Bee Pokémon," droned both devices simultaneously. "Z4's body can sprout sharp stingers from any point and at any angle. Approach with extreme caution- Z4 has a vicious temperament and is highly territorial."
"We can take it," Grey scoffed. "Gust!"
"Zubat bat bat!" chattered Zubat as it flapped its wings furiously, whipping up a turbulent wind.
"Dodge and use Fury Attack!" ordered Arachne.
Z4 buzzed sharply in response as it swooped out of the way of the Gust attack, then sprouted three sharp stingers on the front of its body. It charged at Zubat, jabbing repeatedly with these stingers.
Grey scowled. "Use Quick Attack!" she commanded.
"Z4, Horn Attack!" called Arachne.
Zubat flew up, did a loop in midair, then dove back down at Z4. However, at that moment, Z4 retracted the three small stingers, and one much larger stinger protruded from its top. Zubat saw this and frantically tried to change direction, but Z4 flew up at that moment, ramming it with the horn. The Bat Pokémon fell to the ground, and struggled to get back up.
"Whoa!" Grey exclaimed angrily. "Come on, Zubat, use Wing Attack!"
"Baaaat!" exclaimed Zubat, as it finally rose back into the air.
"Hyper Beam attack!" exclaimed Arachne.
Z4's buzzing rose to its loudest yet as a beam of golden energy exploded forth from its entire front, completely engulfing the oncoming Zubat. As the attack ceased, Zubat could be seen still in midair, paused in an almost comical fashion, before it slumped to the ground once more, this time without the attempts to get back up.
"Return, Zubat," sighed Grey, as she held out the Poké Ball. Then, she threw another ball into the air. "Go! Tentacool!" she exclaimed as the Jellyfish Pokémon materialized.
"Heh," chuckled Arachne. "Your Tentacool's kinda like a Qwilfish out of water here."
"We'll see about that," snapped Grey. "Use Bubble Beam!"
"Tentacoooool!" exclaimed Tentacool as it fired a powerful stream of foam from its smallest ruby-like protrusion. Z4 wasn't able to dodge this in time, and took the full force of the attack.
"That's the way to do it," smirked Grey. "Now give it a Supersonic!"
"Dodge it!" called Arachne.
But Z4 couldn't dodge it- though it attempted to fly out of the way, it was too slow to escape the volley of soundwaves Tentacool was emitting.
"Ah, I see what happened," grinned Ethan. "That Bubble Beam lowered Z4's Speed, so it couldn't dodge the Supersonic."
"Yes, thank you so much for that blatant bit of exposition," snapped Grey, rolling her eyes as Z4 started wobbling around erratically in midair. "Finish it!" she added, turning her attention back to Tentacool. "Tentacool, Aurora Beam!"
"Coooool," Tentacool replied, firing a rainbow-colored beam from the small ruby protrusion. Once again, Z4 took the full force of the move, and collapsed to the floor.
"Come back, Z4!" Arachne frowned, holding out Z4's Poké Ball, before producing another ball, this one with a blue top half with two red stripes- a Great Ball. "OK, not bad, not bad," she smirked. "But let's see how you can deal with... Pinsir! Go!" she shouted, throwing the Great Ball.
In a flash of light, a large, brown creature emerged. Its thin arms were tipped with sharp claws, it stood up on two short yet thick legs, and protruding from the top of its head was a vicious and spike-covered pair of pincers, which it clicked threateningly.
"Whoa... She's got a Pinsir," Ethan remarked, as Grey held out her Pokédex once again.
"Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokémon," droned the device. "Pinsir swings its horns wildly to attack. It uses these horns to dig burrows to sleep in at night."
"Tentacool, use Bubble Beam!" ordered Grey.
"Pinsir, Fury Cutter!" exclaimed Arachne.
"Tentaaaa cool cool cool!" Tentacool called out, firing off a forceful stream of foam. Pinsir, however, did not seem fazed in the slightest. Its claws glowed green, and it furiously slashed at the oncoming Water move, incredibly managing to block the entire attack as it slowly moved in on Tentacool before finally landing a single powerful swipe.
"Hit it with an Aurora Beam!" Grey shouted.
"Dodge and use Fury Cutter again!" Arachne commanded.
Tentacool unleashed another rainbow-colored beam, but Pinsir jumped over it with incredible expertness for something with such short legs. Then, it charged at Tentacool again, its speed much more evident as it didn't need to fend off a Bubble Beam this time, and slashed at Tentacool once more. This hit, however, seemed to be much harder than the last one.
"Huh?" Maggie remarked. "It seems like the attack hit even harder this time."
"Exactly," smirked Arachne. "Fury Cutter becomes more powerful with each hit, but only if it keeps being used in succession. And from the looks of things, fending off that Bubble Beam counted as hits- the first couple of hits from Fury Cutter are actually supposed to be kinda weak."
"Mew damn it," grumbled Grey. "Tentacool, Supersonic!"
"Fury Cutter once more!" Arachne declared.
Pinsir charged once more, but before Tentacool could even start up Supersonic, another Fury Cutter hit was landed. And this time, the Water/Poison-type didn't attempt to recover from it.
"Oh, crap," Grey grunted as she withdrew Tentacool. Ethan and Maggie exchanged looks, for everyone present knew just what this meant- Grey had only one more Pokémon to use in the battle against this large, scary-looking, and decidedly vicious Pinsir, and they all knew who it was. She looked down at the Togepi in her arms, who looked back up at her.
"Send in your last Pokémon," Arachne prompted her.
"I'm sending it in, give me a second here!" Grey snapped, before turning back to Togepi. "OK, you," she said quietly. "That thing doesn't mess around, so you gotta be ready for some tough attacks, alright? You haven't had to take a hit yet, and I'd prefer it stay that way. Just do your best, alright?"
"Togi togi togi, priiii!" Togepi happily responded before wriggling out of Grey's grip and waddling forward, the sight of the large Pinsir towering over it not seeming to faze it in the slightest.
"I think she should just forfeit," Ethan said shakily. "Togepi's just a baby, this is a mismatch."
"Maybe," Maggie replied, looking on curiously at the battle about to unfold. "But maybe not. Togepi certainly looks ready to battle, it's got that going for it at least."
Grey took a deep breath, and a look of determination came over her face. "Togepi, Growl!" she ordered.
"TOGIIIIIIII!" bellowed Togepi, a volley of soundwaves washing over Pinsir, who winced in pain.
"Pinsir! Fury Cutter attack!" commanded Arachne.
"Dodge it!" Grey shouted.
Togepi hastened to waddle off to the side. It wasn't terribly fast, but it seemed to be fast enough- Pinsir's latest attempt at Fury Cutter missed by mere inches, and resulted in its claws getting stuck in the ground, a fact Grey was quick to notice.
"Now, Togepi!" she exclaimed. "Use Headbutt!"
"Togi!" Togepi exclaimed, ramming into Pinsir as hard as it could with its head. Though this wasn't too hard, Pinsir winced from the blow nonetheless.
"Time to switch tactics," decided Arachne. "Rock Smash!" she ordered.
Before Grey could react, Pinsir yanked its claws free from the ground and clenched them into a fist, which was glowing red, and then slammed the fist into Togepi, sending it rolling back.
"Togepi?!" Grey exclaimed, but the Spike Ball Pokémon was already climbing back to its feet, still wincing from the super effective blow, but it still looked ready to go.
"I don't think Togepi can take another attack like that," Ethan warned Grey. "That Rock Smash looked like it hurt!"
"When I want your opinion I'll tell you what it ought to be," Grey snapped back, though she was too distracted by Togepi to say it as viciously as she intended to. "Hey, you sure you're good to keep going?" she asked quietly.
Togepi turned to face Grey and nodded. "Togi, togi," it stated with determination.
"Heh," Grey chuckled, betraying a small grin. "Well, you got guts, that much is clear. Alright, let's do this." She cleared her throat, then called out what would be her best bet. "Togepi, Metronome!"
Togepi immediately started waving its stubby arms back and forth. "Togi, togi, togi, togi," it chanted. Arachne and her Pinsir both watched warily- neither even wanted to start an attack just yet, for fear that Togepi would unleash its move too soon, and cause even more damage to Pinsir due to the close range.
"There's no telling what's coming out of that Metronome," Maggie murmured. "It could just be something useless like Splash for all we know. Actually, I've heard of that happening quite a lot- Metronome calling up Splash."
"Oh, yeah. Real comforting," Grey snapped, but at that moment, Togepi's arms were pointing straight up, a dazzling blue light coming off them.
"...togi, togi, priiii!" Togepi finally exclaimed, as everyone looked on in anticipation.
At first, nothing happened. Then, Togepi jumped up into the air, gaining an absurd amount of height, as twin streams of brilliant blue flame swirled around it. The fire grew and spread, eventually taking the shape of a large, majestic bird. "PRIIIIIIIII!" trilled Togepi shrilly as the gigantic bird of flame took off. Togepi landed safely back on the ground as the flames slammed into Pinsir, causing it to hiss in agony.
"...I've heard of this move before," gasped Maggie. "That was Sacred Fire! One of the most powerful Fire attacks in existence! The only Pokémon said to be able to learn it is a legendary bird Pokémon known as Ho-Oh, or so I've heard."
"All right!" Grey exclaimed as Pinsir hit the ground, the Sacred Fire having knocked it out. "That's what I'm talking about!"
"Togi, togi!" Togepi chirped happily, hopping up and down in place as Arachne withdrew Pinsir.
"Well done," she said with a small smile. "I'll admit I didn't see that coming, but in all fairness, it was a really lucky break."
"You're not the only one who didn't see that coming," Grey smirked as she scooped Togepi into her arms. "I'd have been happy with something like Gust or Ember. Never would've expected Sacred friggin' Fire!"
"Well, anyway, you earned this," Arachne stated, pushing a small, green piece of metal with a white spider web pattern covering the entire thing into Grey's hand, along with a pale green disc. "The official Pokémon League Webbing Badge. And that TM teaches Fury Cutter. I think you already saw how potent that move could be."
"Well, no friggin' duh," Grey snapped, though still with the satisfied smirk on her face. Then, she walked back over to Ethan and Maggie. "Your turn, idiot boy," she added to Ethan.
"Is a little respect too much to ask?" grumbled Ethan, though it was with a large grin all the same that he stepped into the challenger's box and faced Arachne, just in time to see her remove two Poké Balls and the Great Ball from her healing machine.
"Very well... Ethan, was it?" smiled Arachne. "Three Pokémon each, you OK with that?"
"Fine by me," grinned Ethan, already clutching a Poké Ball. "But I don't think I'm even gonna need all three!"
"I'm liking that confidence," Arachne replied, also grinning. "Just don't get too cocky. Alright, Spinarak, let's go!" she added, throwing a Poké Ball and unleashing the String Spit Pokémon into the open.
"Alright, Quilava," Ethan exclaimed, throwing the ball. "We got a badge to win! Go!"
In a flash of light, Ethan's Quilava materialized. Immediately, its head and backside flared up as it faced off against Spinarak.
Arachne, however, did not look deterred. "Spinarak, Psybeam!" she ordered.
"Dodge and use Flame Wheel!" Ethan commanded.
"Spina rak!" Spinarak chattered as it launched a rainbow-colored beam of powerful psychic energy from its front stinger. Quilava, however, rolled expertly out of the attack's path, before its entire body caught fire. Quilava then curled up and rolled right at Spinarak, moving with great speed. Neither Spinarak nor Arachne had time to react before the move made contact, and before anyone could say anything, Spinarak was lying motionless on the ground, charred, smoking, and unable to battle.
"Wow," Maggie remarked, visibly impressed. "Quilava's really strong- Spinarak was knocked out in one hit!"
"Pfft," snorted Grey. "Sheer dumb luck is what it is. Emphasis on 'dumb'. That fool's wasting Quilava's power on the weak stuff, he ought to be saving it for Pinsir."
Ethan did not hear this, though even if he had, he'd have disregarded it nonetheless. "That's one," he grinned as Arachne withdrew Spinarak.
"Not a bad start," admitted Arachne, as she threw another Poké Ball. "Now, Z4! Attack!" she yelled.
In a flash of light, Z4 was back in the air, buzzing menacingly as it floated before its fiery foe. Quilava did not look intimidated in the slightest, however, and merely intensified its flames in response.
"Heh, I guess I'm not the one all fired up to win," chuckled Ethan. "Alright, Quilava, Flame Wheel!"
"Use TM43!" commanded Arachne.
Z4 buzzed menacingly, and from its body flew a single white egg. As it neared Quilava, it exploded in midair, and dozens of coins flew out in every direction. Quilava grunted as the coins pelted its body, before curling into a flaming wheel once more. It rolled fast, and though Z4 had the common sense to try and evade it by floating up, Quilava had other plans- without waiting for orders from Ethan, it unfurled its body and jumped, tackling the Box Bee Pokémon with great force, still packing the momentum it had built up whilst rolling. That plus the flames made it too much for Z4 to handle, and it collapsed then and there.
"That's two!" Ethan exclaimed as Arachne withdrew Z4.
"He's really on a roll," Maggie remarked.
"I'll bet any amount of money his luck stops with Pinsir," Grey stated firmly. "There's no way he's just going to sweep an entire Gym Leader's lineup with just Quilava. Luck can only take an idiot so far in life."
At that moment, Arachne had thrown the Great Ball, and Pinsir was back out, ready for action. "Think you're gonna have it that easy again?" smirked Arachne.
"You bet! Let's make this three for three, Quilava!" Ethan declared.
"Quilaaaavaaaa!" responded Quilava, flaring up its flames yet again.
"Then let's do it!" grinned Ethan. "Do a Flame Wheel so intense that Pinsir's grandchildren are gonna need Burn Heals!"
And just like that, Quilava was off, now a fiery wheel of red-hot, super effective destruction. Ethan laughed- he couldn't help it, victory was so close, practically imminent, he could almost taste it-
"Pinsir, Protect!" ordered Arachne.
Ethan's laughter stopped abruptly, as though a switch had been flipped. "Wait, what?" Ethan demanded.
Sure enough, a translucent blue-ish sphere formed all around Pinsir's body. Quilava's Flame Wheel bounced right off, and the Volcano Pokémon landed on its back, stunned by this turn of events. Arachne, seeing this, seized her chance immediately.
"Hyper Beam now," she smirked.
Ethan could only watch in horror as an orb of golden energy formed between Pinsir's horns, and from it flew a ridiculously powerful beam of energy, plowing Quilava halfway into the ground. When the attack subsided, Quilava was making no effort to get up.
"Wha- wha- WHAT?!" Ethan exclaimed. "Quilava!"
"Too bad you underestimated Pinsir like that," grinned Arachne. "Type advantage isn't everything, Ethan."
"Return, Quilava," sighed Ethan, holding out the Poké Ball, which promptly shot out the red beam and pulled Quilava back inside. "There goes my best shot for this Gym," he muttered.
"Knew it," Grey smirked.
Ethan sighed again, but then he opened his eyes, and a determined look was visible. "Alright," he murmured to himself. "We're not out of this yet." He threw another Poké Ball. "Here's the next one- Dunsparce!" he exclaimed, as the Land Snake Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.
"Pinsir, do a Fury Cutter!" Arachne commanded. Pinsir, however, did nothing, and upon seeing this, Arachne facepalmed. "Right, right, it used Hyper Beam," she muttered.
"Here's our chance," grinned Ethan. "Defense Curl!"
"Sparce!" exclaimed Dunsparce as it pulled its oddly-shaped body into a sphere.
"Pinsir, Fury Cutter now!" called Arachne.
"Rage!" Ethan commanded.
The two combatants lunged at each other, Pinsir racing forward as fast as its legs would carry it, Dunsparce's wings reduced to rapidly fluttering blurs. They collided in the exact center of the battlefield, and without waiting for orders, used their respective ordered moves many times in rapid succession. Each time saw the moves hitting harder than before, and it wasn't long before both combatants started to tire.
"Do it, Dunsparce!" Ethan encourage his Normal-type. "Take Down now!"
"Rock Smash!" yelled Arachne.
Dunsparce flew in for one final strike, only for Pinsir's fist to slam it in the face. The super effective blow sent Dunsparce soaring backwards, and it skidded to a stop at Ethan's feet. "Spaaaaarce..." it groaned, making no effort whatsoever to get back up.
Ethan groaned. "Come back, Dunsparce," he sighed, holding out the Poké Ball. Once Dunsparce was withdrawn, he held up his final Poké Ball. "OK, it's all up to you," he muttered. "I know you can do this." He took a deep breath, and sighed. All his hopes were riding on the contents of the ball clutched in his increasingly sweaty hand.
"He's screwed," said Grey.
Ignoring this, Ethan hurled the sphere into the air. "Hoppip!" he exclaimed, the Cottonweed Pokémon emerging in a flash of light.
"Hoppip hop!" exclaimed Hoppip as the pink Grass/Flying-type floated in midair above the battlefield, unfazed by the menacing Pinsir it was up against.
"Heh," smirked Arachne. "Hoppip may be a Flying-type, but it doesn't have the moves to back it up. Pinsir! Fury Cutter!"
"Splash attack!" ordered Ethan.
"Hop, pip, hop, pip," chanted Hoppip as it fell to the ground and started jumping up and down, deftly evading every single swipe of Pinsir's claws, much to the Stag Beetle's frustration.
"Now give it a taste of your Stun Spore!" grinned Ethan.
Hoppip's leaves began to rotate like helicopter blades as it flew over Pinsir. As it flew, the leaves scattered a sparkly yellow dust, and as Pinsir breathed it in, it suddenly seemed to struggle to move.
"No! Pinsir!" exclaimed Arachne. "Use Vice Grip and end this!"
"Hoppip! Tackle attack!" Ethan commanded, confidence in his voice to match his grin.
"Hooooppiiiiiip!" Hoppip cried out as it flew up high. And then, as it dove down, gaining as much help from gravity as it was gonna get, suddenly Hoppip was but a brightly glowing comet, streaking down towards the battlefield, gaining size all the while. Pinsir tried to aim its horns so that it could intercept Tackle with Vice Grip, but the blinding light forced it to shield its eyes, and thus fouling up its aim. And then, something slammed into the paralyzed Pinsir, knocking it on its back, but this was no Hoppip. Flying in midair above its struggling and squirming Stag Beetle opponent was a green Pokémon with a small yellow flower growing out of its head. It chirped in a high-pitched voice, though with a definite tone of triumph.
"Amazing!" Maggie declared.
"Whoa!" Ethan breathed.
"Eh," shrugged Grey.
"So, it evolved," Arachne observed. Her voice was even enough, but concern was visible in her eyes as Ethan held out his Pokédex.
"Skiploom, the Cottonweed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Hoppip," droned the device. "Skiploom spreads its petals wide to catch sunlight. Its petals open and close based on the temperature."
"Pinsir, take it out! Use Hyper Beam!" urged Arachne.
"I don't think so!" grinned Ethan. "Skiploom, Leech Seed!"
Chirping happily, Skiploom leaned forward, shooting a single brown seed out of the center of its flower. This seed got impaled on one of the spikes on Pinsir's left horn. And then, with speed to rival a Pidgeot in flight, thin yet sturdy vines erupted from the seed and tangled themselves all around Pinsir, who grunted as the paralysis ravaged its body once again, preventing the ordered Hyper Beam from ever happening. The vines lit up with a harsh red glow, and Pinsir groaned as its energy was being slowly sapped away.
"Pinsir, do something!" pleaded Arachne. "One good Hyper Beam, that's all we need!"
"Finish it, Skiploom!" smirked Ethan. "Tackle!"
Chirping loudly, Skiploom dove down at Pinsir, knocking the Bug-type on its back once more. After a moment of struggling, Pinsir went limp, making no further effort to move. At that same moment, the Leech Seed's vines unraveled, and were withdrawn back into the seed, which fell right off of Pinsir's horn.
"YES!" Ethan cheered. Skiploom dove down into its Trainer's waiting arms, and the hug didn't stop until Arachne was right in front of Ethan, offering him the Webbing Badge and the Fury Cutter TM.
Maggie turned to Grey and smirked. "So, what was that about him being screwed?" she asked.
"He lucked out," snapped Grey. "If Hoppip hadn't evolved, they'd have been massacred. Now shut up."
Choosing not to respond to this, Maggie smiled at Ethan, who was currently approaching them both. "Congratulations," she said.
"Thanks," grinned Ethan. "My second badge, this is awesome!"
"Second badge, hmm?" said Arachne, approaching the trio. "I'm assuming you already got the badge from Teloiv Gym, so what you'll want to do is head through Xeli Forest. There's a Pokémon Gym in Dornedlog City, just north of the forest."
"Thanks," replied Ethan. Grey merely grunted her acknowledgement of this information, earning her a dirty look from Maggie as the trio exited the Gym. But before any of them could say anything, an all-too-familiar youth could be seen standing before them, with an equally all-too-familiar purple rodent perched on his all-too-familiar shoulder.
"Well, well," smirked Joey. "So, we meet again." And then, he cleared his throat and started speaking in what he evidently thought constituted a more dramatic tone;
"Defeating all trainers across the nation,
The shorts-wearing boy with the- ACK!"
For at that moment, Grey stepped forward and grabbed Joey by the throat. "OK, here's the deal," she growled. Even Rattata was looking warily at Grey, almost as though it didn't dare attack. "I'm going to let go of your neck now. And when I do, if you utter so much as one more syllable of that IQ-sapping swill you call a motto, you're going to wish I hadn't let go of your neck. Do I make myself clear?"
Joey nodded wordlessly, and Grey released her grip on his neck. "Spoilsport," he muttered sulkily, but he didn't press the issue, and instead walked in through the Gym doors.
"...Wow," Ethan said, looking at Grey. "Just... wow."
"And just what the hell are you looking at?" snapped Grey.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Absolutely nothing," he hissed, glaring right back at Grey.
"OK, come on. break it up," said Maggie, placing herself between them. "Why don't we all head on to the Pokémon Center, you two can heal up your Pokémon, and I can ask around, see if anyone's seen Red?"
"Fine," said Ethan and Grey simultaneously. Then, once they realized that they had spoken at the same time, they glared at each other again. Maggie sighed, grateful that the walk to the Pokémon Center was a short one, and thus would offer minimal opportunity for an argument to break out.