Chapter 10
Once Erin got her food, we chatted with her and Logan as they were eating. During our conversation, Erin said to Jill and I that her Gym was originally at an amusement park in Middlebury. Last year, her Gym was moved to here, while Logan felt like he didn't wanna be a "Head Coach" anymore, or the Trainer that ran a Showdown. That being said, he didn't wanna stop being a Trainer even though he's not gonna be a Trial Captain. Can't blame him for that.
After Erin ate her food, we made our way to the Gym, which shared the same building as the snack bar. That would explain why this building is so massive in the first place. Now I'm just rambling at this point.
"So Ian, you sure you got all of your preparations done?" Erin asked me.
"Definitely," I responded.
A moment later, and we made our way into the Gym. Half of the battlefield was basically a pool with small "islands" spread throughout the water, but the other half was normal. Talk about a weirdly-designed battlefield if I say so myself. I get that Erin uses Water-Type Pokémon, but not once would I expect the battlefield to be like this.
"Oh wow," Katie said. "This is my first time seeing the redesigned battlefield. Came out great!"
"Thanks Katie," Erin said. "I feel like the battlefield also needed a change when we moved the Gym."
"Wait, how was the battlefield designed before the move?" I asked.
"Basically take my side of the battlefield, and make it the entire battlefield," Erin told me. "Many said it was too much like the Cerulean Gym in Kanto, and battles were unbalanced as well, so I wanted to have it redesigned when the new Gym opened here."
"Ah. I see," I said.
"Wait, Erin, who are those people in the bleachers?" Logan asked as he walked in.
"Oh?" Erin said to herself as she turned to the direction that Logan pointed in. "Oh, those are some of Mike's friends up there."
I looked up as well to see if I knew them, and I didn't know if I should be mad or surprised. Sara, Hannah, and Edwin were sitting up there. "I thought you guys couldn't make it!" I said to them.
"That's what we thought as well," Sara said.
"Our parents knew that we were determined to come watch you and Jill, so they let us come down," Hannah said.
"So, here we are," Edwin added.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it," Sara said. "At least we were able to make it to watch your battle."
"That is true," I said. "I'm just glad that you guys did make it after all."
"Same," Hannah said. "I would've felt so bad if we weren't able to make it."
"Our parents are still being a bit too much even though we're graduated for some reason," Sara added.
"While my parents are just all 'Just don't be out too late or do anything stupid,'" Edwin said.
"Yikes," I simply said. "And I thought my parents were tough on me a lot. Seems you guys have it worse."
"Yea," Sara said. "Good luck on your battle though!"
"Get them good!" Hannah said.
"Just don't go overboard on the coolness," Edwin said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked after I chuckled.
"Don't worry about it," Sara said. "You just worry about your battle."
"Got it," I said. "Meanwhile, how about the rest of you go give them some company?"
The group agreed, and made their way to the trio already in the bleachers. Once they took their seats, I made my way to my position on the battlefield. I'm pretty excited. It has been a little while since I've had an intense Pokémon battle that didn't involve saving the world.
"Ian, I hope you got something good for us," Erin said. "'Cause Mike gave me an exciting battle when he challenged me. I'm hoping for the same from you!"
"You can count on it!" I responded. "I expect nothing less than an exciting battle!"
"That's what I like to hear!" Erin said. "Man, I haven't been this enthusiastic for a Gym Battle in a long time! I hope you'll live up to the hype!"
"Erin, you're just repeating yourself," Logan said from the Referee's spot. "But you do make a fair point regardless. I definitely haven't seen you this excited about a Gym Battle in quite some time."
"Excuse me, but who's the Gym Leader here, and who's the Referee here?" Erin asked in sarcasm.
"Oof," I said. "That burned. You need a Burn Heal for that Logan?"
"Don't worry about me dude," Logan said. "She's my younger sister, so I'm used to it by this point."
"Hey!" Erin yelled. "I heard that!"
"You were supposed to," Logan said. I was having a pretty hard time holding in my laughter. I never had a sibling growing up, so I never had to argue with a family member that is not my cousin, parent, or grandparent.
"Just shut up and get this battle going, will you?!" Erin demanded as she was blushing. That was a very weird time for her to blush. This is her brother that she's arguing with, not someone she likes. Maybe she was blushing because Logan was embarrassing her in front of a bunch of people. I am thinking way too deep into this, so I should stop rambling to myself so you can read what happens next. And there I go with another fourth wall break! Good going Ian! Insert obvious sarcasm…
"If you say so," Logan said after he had laughed. "So, without further delay, the Gym Battle between the challenger Ian and Gym Leader Erin will begin! Both Trainers can use up to three Pokémon, but when all three Pokémon from either Trainer are unable to battle, that will mark the end. To make sure everyone's on the same page, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon. Trainers, if you can, bring out your Pokémon!"
"Corsola, how about we get this thing started now," Erin said as she threw her Poké Ball. What came out was what I would like to describe as basically a living coral reef Pokémon. Though to be fair, it did look pretty cute.
"Hmm," I thought to myself. "Do I go the expected route, or do something a bit unexpected?" Before I made my move, I pulled out my Pokédex to see what Corsola's type was. It was not only a Water Type, but it was also part Rock Type. So, theoretically, I could use Monferno since it is part Fighting, but I would only have one Fighting-Type move, which is Mach Punch. Also, I forgot to mention that Monferno learned that and forgot Scratch when I was battling Corona. "Let's see… I think I got it. Monferno, let's get started!" I then said as I threw my Poké Ball.
The fire monkey that I've had since day one has come out, ready for battle. I'll admit, using a Fire-Type Pokémon in a Water-Type Gym Battle isn't the smartest idea, but Buizel would not be a good decision either. That being said, I do also get a Type advantage thanks to Monferno being part Fighting, as I mentioned earlier. However, Buizel's Water-Type moves would be regular effective on Corsola, but it would not be very useful going forward. That's basically the big reason why I chose to go with Monferno over Buizel, as it would still do some decent damage to the most of Erin's Pokémon, and it's got two moves that are super effective on Corsola. Though I would imagine Corsola would wanna stay on the pool side of the battlefield.
I looked over to everyone in the bleachers for a quick second, and I faintly saw Mike raising an eyebrow. That's kinda surprising considering that he's the Champion. You would think that he would be used to seeing crazy strategies all the time. Who knows.
"If you are ready Trainers, then you may let the battle begin!" Logan shouted.
"Monferno, start off with Mach Punch!" I commanded, getting the first move.
Even though Corsola was in the water, Monferno was able to move around pretty quickly and hit it, basically dunking it under the water. Though to be fair, it was kinda pointless for Monferno to dunk Corsola since Water-Type Pokémon can breathe underwater. That being said, it did do some pretty decent damage to Corsola.
"Not a bad start Ian," Erin complimented. "Now it's our turn! 'Kay Corsola, use Bubblebeam!"
As soon as Corsola got above the water, it shot out, and fired a jet of bubbles at Monferno. That seemed to do quite a lot of damage since it is super effective as well. You would think that water bubbles wouldn't do a ton of damage at all, but that makes you believe otherwise.
I kinda want Monferno to hit it with Dig, but the problem is if we use that, then Monferno could end up in the pool, making it vulnerable to being attacked by Corsola. So we gotta find a way to get Corsola onto the "dry" side of the battlefield, if that makes sense. I hope it does.
"Wait," I said to myself. "I think I got it. Monferno, give it another Mach Punch, but make sure you hit it dead center in the back."
Monferno was a bit confused at first, but quickly understood what was going on. You can tell that it also wants to use Dig at some point during the battle. Plus, Corsola can be an easier target while it's out of the water. So, it can basically be a win-win situation.
The only difficult part of this strategy was timing, as Corsola could easily go underwater, avoiding all of our attacks. So we gotta wait for Corsola to basically be in the air in order for this strategy to work. It's tricky for sure, but I'm sure it'll work. We've been unfairly lucky with some of our strategies after all.
"You're not going to attack?" Erin asked. "Then we shall go then! Corsola, Ancient Power!"
Corsola launched itself out of the water, and summoned a bunch of rocks to launch at Monferno. This is the moment to get our strategy moving.
"That's it!" I said. "Get it before it gets back in the water! Mach Punch!"
As soon as Corsola launched its Ancient Power, Monferno booked it to jump and punch Corsola from behind. Part one worked. Now for part two.
"After it!" I then said.
"Quick Corsola, Spike Cannon!" Erin commanded.
"Dodge, and use Dig!" I said.
It was super close. Corsola moved pretty quickly to fire its Spike Cannon but Monferno got under the battlefield just in the nick of time. Sadly, we don't have the entire battlefield to sneak up on our opponent, but we do have enough space for our plan.
"Shoot, I had a feeling he was going to do that," Erin said to herself. "Corsola, use Harden."
Since Corsola couldn't do anything to Monferno while it was beneath the battlefield, Erin felt it was the best idea to set up while they waited for us to attack. That's my assumption at least. But that's bad for us, since Harden does raise Corsola's physical Defense, even if we're doing super effective damage.
No backing down though. We still have to hit it hard, and maybe hope for a critical hit at this point if Corsola is gonna be raising its Defense. As well as keeping it away from the water so that it can be a bit closer, at least in theory.
As Corsola was using Harden, Monferno finally emerged from the ground and struck it hard. Sadly, because Corsola used Harden, it didn't do as much damage as we could've dealt, even though Dig is technically stronger than Mach Punch. On top of that, we didn't land a critical hit either. This gonna be a long battle if Corsola keeps using Harden. If only we had a Pokémon that can use Leer. Wait, Shinx does! That could be a good idea now that I think about it. But Erin will just keep calling for Harden whenever I use Leer. So there's really nothing I can do to deal with Harden.
Now comes what should I do next: Should I get repetitive by going back and forth with Mach Punch and Dig, or should I have Monferno use its Fire-Type attacks even though they're clearly not very effective? I can try to burn Corsola with both moves, but that chance is pretty slim, and I don't wanna press my luck with that. I think I will have to branch out and use our other moves, even though they won't really do us any good.
"Monferno, use Ember," I said.
Even Monferno was fully aware that our pattern can become predictable if we keep using two moves. Weird. We hadn't known each other for very long, and yet we're able to know how each of us are feeling or something. It's very difficult to describe, but it's almost like we're in sync in a way or something. I have no idea. Regardless though, Monferno quickly shot Ember before Corsola could get back into the pool.
"I have to admit Ian, having Monferno force Corsola out of the pool with Mach Punch was clever," Erin complimented. "I would only imagine how that Water-Type weakness does not feel as painful as it could've been because of that strategy."
"It is a big sigh of relief for sure," I responded. "And it keeps the matchup pretty close in my opinion."
"I totally agree," Erin said. "If there's one thing I hate is a one-sided fight. And you're proving that right now. Now Corsola, use Ancient Power!"
Corsola launched itself into the air again, and shot Ancient Power at Monferno. That did a considerable amount of damage, even though that didn't seem to be a critical hit. I have heard that Ancient Power can also raise every stat of a Pokémon, so at least Corsola didn't get that boost either.
"You okay Monferno?" I asked my partner.
Monferno did seem pretty shaken up by that hit, but it was doing fine. Something's telling me that we're gonna be in for something tougher in this fight, and I think I should save Monferno as a last resort. No pun intended.
"I got an idea," I said. "Why don't you rest for now? I might need you for later."
The fire monkey seemed to like that idea. So I put it back in its Poké Ball, and called out Shinx next. That did get off the Intimidate, which might actually matter during this battle, but we'll have to wait and see.
"Aww, you found a Shiny Shinx!" Erin said. "That's so cute!"
Shinx blushed at Erin's comment in probably the cutest way possible. And it was wagging its tail in excitement. Ack! That was so adorable!
"Well, it seems Shinx really loved your compliment," I said.
"I mean, can you really blame me?" Erin asked.
"No I cannot," I said. "Shinx really can be adorable when it wants to."
"I agree," Erin said. "Mind if I pet it after the battle?"
"Sure!" I responded. "In the meantime, Shinx, use Charge!"
We might as well get off to a strategic start even though we now have the Type advantage. From what we've seen so far, Corsola has mostly special attacks, so raising our Special Defense would probably be the best thing we can do. Plus that can help boost Spark so it can deal a bit more damage. As cute as Corsola is, I feel like this battle needs some more momentum.
"Now Shinx, use Spark!" I said.
With the boost from Charge, Shinx was able to land the more powerful Spark. Thankfully, even without the boost, it was still doing more damage than what Monferno was doing with Mach Punch and Dig.
"Corsola, use Spike Cannon!" Erin commanded.
The reef Pokémon jumped up to fire Spike Cannon a few times at Shinx. While it did to a decent amount of damage, it didn't hit nearly as many times as I thought it would after how many times it hit Monferno. Though, to be fair, Corsola really isn't hitting all that much in the first place; It's really meant to be more of a wall than anything else, if that makes sense.
"Now Shinx, use Bite!" I said.
Shinx leaped at Corsola before Corsola could even try to move, and bit it pretty hard. Seems Corsola couldn't move at all from that hit. Seems that's what a Pokémon would be like when they flinch from an attack like that. Since that has happened, that has allowed us to go again.
"Let's use Bite again," I said.
"Dodge it Corsola!" Erin commanded.
Corsola leaped into the water and went under. Since Shinx had already lept for Corsola before Erin made her command, it had also went into the water as well.
"Oh, that's not good," I said to myself. "Can you swim back Shinx?"
Shinx seemed to be struggling quite a bit. As much as I wanna switch Shinx back for Monferno right now, that would be a bad idea, and it would make me feel bad that I didn't give Shinx enough of a chance. Plus I wanna see if I can make a strategy with the water. That's where Buizel would shine best though.
Because of the rules, I can't just jump into the pool to help Shinx. I can only guide it with my voice. I have to think of something fast, as Shinx is in big trouble by just being in the water.
"We got them where we want them Corsola!" Erin said. "Bubblebeam!"
Using the water to its advantage, Corsola shot Bubblebeam from underneath, launching Shinx out of the water, and toward the ceiling.
"Ack! Shinx!" I yelled.
I could only watch in horror as the force of the Bubblebeam rammed Shinx into the ceiling, and fall straight to the floor. Just goes to show what I mean of just because we have the Type advantage doesn't mean that the battle will be on our side.
"You okay Shinx?!" I asked.
Despite what I saw from the impact, Shinx seemed to be doing pretty fine. Sure that did quite a bit of damage, but not enough to slow us down thankfully.
"Phew, that's good," I said after I let out a sigh of relief. "Let's use Charge then."
Better to be a bit safer this time. Bubblebeam and Ancient Power concern me the most, so we better keep our Special Defense high until Corsola goes down.
"Well, if you're going to raise some stats, then so will we," Erin said. "Corsola, use Harden."
"Figures," I said. As much as I wanna use a Z-Move right here, we don't have the right Z-Crystal to use the Electric-Type Z-Move. Plus, it'd be way too early in the battle to use it, as I can only use it once.
"Seems both of us have become a predictable pattern," Erin said.
"You said it," I said.
"So what do you have for us now Ian?"
"The same o'le. Shinx, use Spark!"
The boosted Spark did hit a teeny bit more, but because Corsola used Harden again, it basically hit for as much as we were doing before the second Harden. Actually, I lied. That was a freaking crit, and that did enough to finish off Corsola!
"Wait, whoa!" Erin shouted in surprise.
"Corsola can no longer battle!" Logan shouted. "Shinx has won!"
"Whew, that took awhile," I said. "Awesome job Shinx!"
The gold lynx Pokémon jumped around toward me and smiled, wagging its tail. That was its first victory in awhile, so it was relieving to see that happen.
"Off to a good start Ian," Erin said. "You definitely your cousin in terms of battling."
"We're really that similar, huh?" I asked.
"I can't say for how he battles now, but when Mike challenged me, his battling style was very similar to how you're battling right now," Erin explained. "But you do have some things in there to differentiate yourself. That's certainly a good thing."
"Interesting," I said. I looked over to Mike, and saw that he was blushing a little bit. Seems he got embarrassed a bit, which I found pretty amusing.
"So, how about we say hello to my next Pokémon?" The blonde Gym Leader said. "Chinchou, it's your turn!" She then said as she threw her Poké Ball.
What came out was a rather small Pokémon with two very large antenna that reached out beyond its main body, and they happened to be glowing as it was in the water. It honestly looked pretty cute. But it does give us a different problem, as Chinchou is part Electric. And it could have a certain Ability that makes it immune to Electric-Type attacks, but I don't remember what it was off the top of my head. I'm just hoping that it doesn't have that, so I might have to experiment right away before I make a plan. That's pretty much my best approach for dealing with this Pokémon.
"Oh boy," I said to myself. "This could mean trouble. Shinx, we need to find out what Ability Chinchou has so we know what we're dealing with. Use Spark."
This will be the deciding factor of whether it's smart for me to keep Shinx in or not. That being said, doing what I'm doing puts whatever I'm gonna be sending out next at risk. The Ability that I'm thinking of either restores health or boosts Electric-Type attacks, but I can't remember which is actually right. I know the local Gym Leader back in Sunyshore City had a Pokémon with that Ability, but it's been a long time since I've seen him battle, so my memory on that is pretty blank.
As Shinx was getting closer and closer to Chinchou, the electric energy that surrounded Shinx while it was using Spark was absorbed into Chinchou. I knew it. It does have that Ability.
"Ack. Just as I thought it would," I said.
"You were right about Chinchou having Volt Absorb," Erin said. "But I wanted you to see for yourself. It makes dealing with Electric-Type opponents much easier for me."
"I can see why," I said.
"Now Chinchou, use Charge Beam!" Erin commanded.
"Dodge it Shinx!" I said before Chinchou shot its attack.
Shinx side flipped to avoid the Charge Beam, even though it wouldn't do much. Don't know why Erin would have Chinchou use that against Shinx. Wait, Charge Beam has a chance of raising Special Attack. That gives me yet another thing to worry about. "All right then Shinx, you're gonna have to take a break for now," I said. "I might need you for later as well."
The gold lynx Pokémon turned to me and agreed. It ran closer to me as I was getting out my Poké Ball, and lept into my arms for one quick hug. Then back into the Poké Ball it went.
"Now, how to deal with this thing," I said to myself. I'm planning to use Staravia during this battle at some point, but this would be a terrible time to use it since it would be weak to Chinchou. My only real option at this point is to use Monferno. Though we only have one move that does super effective damage on Chinchou, and that's Dig. To be fair, Chinchou isn't known for having the best defenses, so hopefully we can get it over and done with quickly, but I'm not holding my breath about that.
"Monferno, time to come on back out!" I said as I threw my Poké Ball, calling out my partner again.
"Going with Monferno again?" Erin asked.
"Bit of a spoiler, but Shinx is the only Pokémon that is not weak to Chinchou, and it really can't do much damage to it thanks to Volt Absorb," I responded. "Plus, Monferno is my only Pokémon that can do super effective damage on Chinchou. It's a bit complicated for my taste."
"Well, not every battle can be in your favor," Erin said. "And you may not like the conditions of the situation. You have to learn how to adapt to the situation, and strategize that way."
"Noted," I simply said. She does have a fair point. It can be advice for basically any Pokémon Trainer. No, it could go beyond Trainers. Anyone, Trainer or not, can use this advice very well. "Monferno, use Mach Punch!"
Since Chinchou was still in the pool, Monferno had to punch Chinchou from above, and basically dunk it. As that was happening though, something weird happened to me. The second that Monferno lept into the air, I almost felt the urge to jump with it. And when it went to punch Chinchou, I basically threw a punch myself. The weirdest part about this whole thing: I didn't even know I was doing it until Monferno came back to my side and someone pointed it out to me.
"What are you doing?" Erin asked. "What's with the punching all of a sudden?"
"Hmm?" I asked. "What do you mean? Was I doing something weird?"
"Didn't you see yourself? You were about to jump when Monferno jumped, and threw a punch in the air when Monferno threw its punch. All at the exact same time."
"Really? Was I really doing that? I mean, sometimes I do wanna jump a bit when I'm excited about something, but not to that degree. And I never throw punches for no reason."
"You really didn't notice it at all?"
"Nope. Though I do remember being blank for a few seconds when Monferno was going for its attack."
"That's weird. Never have I seen a Trainer do the exact body movements with their Pokémon in unison. This is the first time for me seeing something like that."
"That is odd. I don't think I've ever seen that happen either. Let alone have it be happening to me."
"Do you feel okay though?"
"I feel just fine. Maybe a little shook, but other than that, I'm perfectly fine."
"You being a little shook is most likely a given, but at least it's good to hear and see that you're alright. You ready to continue?"
"Ready when you are."
"Great! Then Chinchou, use Supersonic!"
Chinchou created some really obnoxious soundwaves in hope of trying to confuse Monferno. But I was able to see the waves pretty clearly. Somehow.
"Dodge it!" I told my partner.
Monferno simply bolted to the side of the battlefield, and got pretty close to the water. I know, Monferno could've just went into the hole it left after using Dig much earlier, but it just wanted to try and be cool by not going in or something. I get the reason why, but I feel like it would've been safer just to hide in the hole. Then again, Chinchou could corner Monferno that way.
"Now use Flame Wheel!" I said.
We still have a chance to burn Chinchou for some even more chip damage. Plus, I didn't wanna just keep using Mach Punch, and we need Chinchou to be out of the pool in order for us to use Dig.
As to be expected, Flame Wheel didn't do a lot of damage at all, and we didn't get the burn either. This is gonna take awhile if we're having this kind of luck.
"I think we should turn down the heat," Erin said. "Chinchou, use Rain Dance!"
Within a few seconds, it was pouring in the Gym. This is getting bad really fast. At this rate, I might be forced to use Staravia since Monferno has a lowered chance of beating Chinchou. Yeah, its Flying-Type attacks are not very effective, but at least we wouldn't have to worry about a Water-Type weakness that gets boosted in the rain.
"Crap," I said. "This isn't good at all. We have to keep going though. But how?"
"Ferno!" My partner called out.
"Huh?" I asked.
Monferno had a serious look on its face, and nodded at me while giving me a thumbs up. It wanted to keep going. It trusts me to come up with another strategy to deal with this rain.
I nodded back to Monferno with a similar look on my face. "You're right," I said. "I shouldn't be worrying so much."
Before I said anything else, Monferno put the back end of its tail in its mouth, and pointed at the water.
"Wait wait wait, hold on!" I said. "You're willing to swim in the water if you put your tail in your mouth?! You're gonna run the risk of water getting in your mouth and putting out your flame! That's too risky!"
Monferno just kept on delivering the surprises, as the flame was out when it took its tail out of its mouth. But it was doing just fine. How is that?
"How's that possible?" I asked. "Can you really control the flame on your tail?"
"Turns out that Chimchar and Monferno have gasses in their stomachs that can fuel their flames, and they can extinguish them at any time," Erin explained.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Logan is a Fire-Type user himself, and he started out with a Chimchar of his own," Erin responded. "So I got to know about some Fire-Type Pokémon thanks to him."
"I see," I said.
"Did I surprise you?"
"Yeah, you definitely did. I'll give you that one. Then again, you did basically give me an idea for a strategy."
"I'm aware of that. I just want to see how well you can handle the water while battling a Water-Type."
"Oh boy. That doesn't sound very good."
"Prepare yourself Ian! Chinchou, use Supersonic!"
Despite the rain falling in the battlefield, it was actually somehow easier to see where the waves from Supersonic were. Don't ask me how I was able to tell, that was just how things are right now.
"Dodge it!" I told my partner.
Monferno had plenty of time for it to avoid the Supersonic, and came a little closer to me once the attack dissipated. The fire monkey had been doing a lot of running and attacking during this battle, and I'm starting to get worried that it's starting to get tired from all of that.
"You doing okay?" I asked Monferno.
Monferno did seem to be doing alright though despite my worries. I'm still gonna be cautious considering that it has been battling for quite a while. I can't take any chances here since I only have one Pokémon that is super effective on Water Types.
"Then get in the water," I said. "I have an idea."
My partner nodded at me and dived into the pool. I'm surprised that it was able to swim pretty well. Mind you it's not as fast as an actual Water-Type Pokémon, but for a Fire Type, this is impressive.
"What is he doing?" I overheard Erin.
"Uppercut that thing with Mach Punch!" I said as I was making an uppercut of my own at the same time as Monferno. It already knew what to do since it really can't hear me underwater. Hold on. That thing happened again.
As soon as both Pokémon got out of the water, it came to my senses that Monferno and I did the same exact body motion again. "It happened again," I said, completely aware of what happened this time.
"You noticed it, too?" Erin asked.
"Yeah," I said. "That is strange. I never done that in my last Gym Battle, so why is it happening here? I gotta look into this more; This could mean something very important that I may not know about."
"Exactly what I was going to say," Erin said. "What did you feel when that happened?"
"I really don't know how to describe it," I said. "I felt like Monferno and I were in sync somehow. It's really weird to say the least."
"'In sync' you say?" Erin said. "I've heard that happening somewhere. I'll check with your cousin after the battle."
"I'll come with you actually. If you don't mind that is."
"I don't mind at all. We'll worry about that later. Let's focus on finishing this battle first; I think we've stalled more than we'd like."
"Yeah, I agree. Monferno, use Dig!"
Monferno dug a new tunnel using the first tunnel that it dug earlier. Chinchou clearly thought that Monferno was gonna emerge from the existing tunnel, but was proven wrong just as it was about to leap back into the pool. That did keep Chinchou out of the pool for a little bit longer thanks to the angle that Monferno hit it at.
"He definitely knows the limitations of his mobility," Erin said to herself. "Now Chinchou, use Charge Beam!"
Knowing that it can't get back into the pool just yet, Erin figured to do some damage while on dry ground. Two electric beams were formed into one between its antennas, and shot it at Monferno. Since it was an Electric-Type move, it didn't do super effective damage on Monferno. Though one thing we have to be careful about with this move is that it has a chance of raising the user's Special Attack. With my luck, Chinchou will most likely get that boost before we knock it out.
"Don't give up Monferno!" I said. "Use Dig again!"
Instead of reusing the same tunnel again, Monferno dug a brand new tunnel. But Chinchou was more ready for Monferno to surface this time.
"Wait for it," Erin said softly.
Now it's pretty obvious that they have some sort of plan up their sleeves. That's kinda nice so that the battle doesn't get awkward most of the way, if that makes sense. You know what I'm trying to say here.
Chinchou's body started to shake ever so slightly, which means that Monferno was very close by.
"Now!" Erin said. "Launch yourself with Bubblebeam! And grab onto one of the bars on the ceiling!"
Just before the ground underneath Chinchou gave in, it shot Bubblebeam underneath itself, launching itself into the air. Once it got close to the ceiling, it used its antennas as a hook for grabbing onto the closest bar, allowing it to completely avoid Monferno's attack.
"Well crap," I said to myself. "This is gonna be tricky. Monferno, let's try and burn it with Flame Wheel."
We have to try anything at this point. With Chinchou hanging on the ceiling, we don't have a ton of options for attacking, so trying to inflict a status condition might be our best bet here. Plus, Chinchou is safe from Dig due to it being so high up, so it's basically useless. Though it seems Chinchou has slowed down quite a bit, so it might be almost done. That's definitely a good thing.
While we didn't get the burn, Monferno did land a critical hit with Flame Wheel. That did send Chinchou plummeting toward the ground. Now we can get it with Dig before it goes back in the water.
"That didn't go as smoothly as I hoped," Erin said. Just when things couldn't get worse right now for Erin, the Rain Dance finally let up. "Well that's just as great. Chinchou, set up another Rain Dance."
Possibly knowing that Chinchou is not gonna last any longer, Erin figured that she'll set up another Rain Dance to give her Pokémon a little boost. Monferno is also getting kinda tired, so it won't be a huge loss if Monferno ends up losing. Regardless, it looks like this battle is reaching its halfway point.
"Monferno, use Dig again," I said. "And let's make it quick."
Monferno heard loud and clear, and booked it to getting underneath Chinchou. That very hit finished it off already. That thing lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. I'm not complaining though; It makes the battle longer, and more exciting. Then again, that could be just me.
"Chinchou can no longer battle!" Logan shouted. "Monferno has won!"
"Well, that's two for two for you Ian," Erin said as she put Chinchou back in her Poké Ball. "Doing a good job so far."
"Thanks," I responded. "Though I doubt my luck will carry over into the end of the battle, knowing me."
"You may or may not be right," Erin said. "So, let's finish this up Wartortle!" She then said as she threw out her Poké Ball, calling out her final Pokémon.
I did recognize this Pokémon, as it was the evolved form of Squirtle. This is gonna be interesting to say the least. I feel like I've said that already. Even if I did, I'll say it again.
"Well well, it's Starter vs Starter," Erin pointed out. "I like this."
"I agree," I said. "This has been quite an eventful battle I must say."
"No kidding. Some of the battles I have with challengers can be pretty dull. This battle is definitely an exception to that."
"I can see why. Really depends on a lot of things."
"Exactly. So, you ready to finish this up?"
"Always! Monferno, use Mach Punch!"
Before Monferno got moving, the flame on its tail got even bigger than how it was before. Could it be Blaze activating? No. It couldn't be. If it was Blaze, then I would've noticed it by now. If that's the case, then what Ability does Monferno have? I gotta check my Pokédex after the battle.
Then Monferno booked it toward the turtle Pokémon, and gave it quite a punch. Wartortle slid a little bit because of the impact, but that wasn't a critical hit. That would've been insane if Monferno had got two critical hits in a row, even though the last attack wasn't a critical hit either. I think I'll just start referring critical hits as just "crits" from now on just to simplify things. So if you were checking back to this chapter after seeing me use crit during all of my battles, then there you go. I'm just rambling at this point.
"Not bad," Erin said. "Wartortle, use Scald!"
Once Wartortle regained traction and balance, it shot a jet of very hot water at Monferno, doing boosted super effective damage. Then I saw Wartortle's body glow a sky blue.
"Why is Wartortle glowing like that?" I asked.
"That's thanks to Wartortle's Hidden Ability Rain Dish," Erin explained. "As long as it's raining, Wartortle will keep regaining health as the battle goes on. Hence why I didn't make Chinchou attack Monferno before it got knocked out."
"Crap," I said. "And Wartortle's pretty bulky, too. This is going south very fast already." We're in a really bad situation right now. Monferno could very well get knocked out with just one more hit, and I don't know if Staravia can serve up any better. If Monferno gets knocked out, I don't wanna go into Shinx right away. That would be too risky. I really don't have anything to counter Wartortle with Monferno at this point as long as it's raining in the battlefield. Erin really did a good job planning for this.
"I think I finally stumped you, didn't I?" Erin asked.
"Maybe you have, maybe you haven't," I said. "Monferno, use Dig."
We'll have to try everything that we can until Monferno gets knocked out. I wanna save Shinx for last, but it had already done some battling prior, so it's not in perfect shape like Staravia is. It's gonna be very close; Much closer than my first Gym Battle. I just realized that me constantly saying that a battle is gonna be close is getting really redundant already, and we're not even a fourth of the way through this story yet. Sometimes my word choice is outta whack. Anyway, moving on.
My partner moved as fast as it could to get underneath Wartortle, as it moved onto our side of the battlefield. For some reason, it didn't move back onto the pool side, as there's basically nothing that Monferno could do over there. It's almost like it did that on purpose to take as much advantage of Rain Dish as possible before the rain stops. Plus, it's taking the hits pretty well, so it's basically stalling us at this point while dealing heavy damage.
"Monferno, try and use Ember," I said. We basically have one last shot to burn one of Erin's Pokémon, 'cause we've had no luck at all during this battle.
But even with a decent Special Attack, we still didn't get the burn on Wartortle. We basically wasted a turn at this point. I think we'll just have to cut our losses and move on, 'cause nothing is working now.
"I kinda almost feel bad," Erin said. "You've been trying so hard to burn one of my Pokémon, but luck just wasn't on your side."
"I wasn't begging for sympathy," I snapped. "I'm basically trying everything that I can at this point. I know Monferno is not gonna be able to go for much longer, so I'm trying whatever I can do."
"That shows you have dedication, Ian. Even though it might show someone being stubborn, impatient, or angry, but you've been calm about it the whole time. Plus, your two other Pokémon at your side as well, so it's not like you're gonna lose any second now."
"Maybe, but one screw up on my end could very well cost me the battle."
"Just don't worry about it, and stay focused on the battle. Even if you did actually lose, you really tried your hardest, and can know what to avoid once you come for a rematch."
"You are right about that. I think I'm just overwhelming myself over nothing."
"Exactly! Besides, it's not like you're battling to save the world right now. So just relax and have fun with it!"
"I can only try."
"That's the spirit! And that's what really counts! Wartortle, use Scald one more time!"
In hopes of going for the KO, Wartortle shot another powerful rain-boosted Scald at Monferno, knocking it out with no worries. I saw it coming given our Type disadvantage. Even Monferno saw it coming. It did what it could, and it did just that very well.
"Monferno can no longer battle!" Logan shouted. "Wartortle has won!"
Before I put the fire monkey back in its Poké Ball, I walked to it and carried it back to my area myself. "That was awesome Monferno," I said to it in a comforting tone as I was walking back. "You really carried the team through very nicely. Now take a good rest, and let's root for the rest of the team."
My partner nodded at me, and gave me a quick hug before I put it back in its Poké Ball. Even if I have two Pokémon left, that Wartortle is crazy strong. Not that I'm doubting my own Pokémon, but I'm just concerned about what she could also have in store with this thing, and I think the Type advantage with Rain Dish is only the tip of the iceberg. I just gotta try.
"Staravia, it's your turn now!" I said as I threw my Poké Ball, calling out the charcoal gray bird Pokémon. Intimidate was immediately activated, so at least we don't have to worry about its physical attacks as much, but we'll still be careful.
"Oh, I'm surprised you didn't go back to Shinx," Erin said.
"I felt like changing it up a bit," I said. "Plus, I wanted all of my Pokémon to do some battling during this battle, and I feel like this was the perfect time for Staravia to come out."
"I see," Erin responded. "That's a fair point."
"Exactly what I was saying. So let's get going then. Staravia, use Wing Attack!"
Staravia bolted toward Wartortle, and struck it pretty hard with both of its wings. Not a bad start given that Wartortle has a pretty high physical Defense.
"Now Wartortle, use Withdraw," Erin commanded.
Wartortle proceeded to hide in its shell, raising its physical Defense. Well that's just lovely. Now it's gonna take even longer to take it out. It helps even less because all of Staravia's and Shinx's attacking moves are all physical attacks. And if someone gets burned from Scald, it'll only get even worse. There I go again, overthinking it. I should really talk to somebody about this.
"Oh that's not good," I said to myself. "Staravia, use Aerial Ace."
I'm so glad we have a move that is a guaranteed hit, so at least we know we can keep doing some damage with Aerial Ace if Wartortle avoids the rest. Mind you it's not much, but it'll help with progress in this battle. Man, I just keep pointing out the obvious during this battle. I should really stop that as well, 'cause I'm sure it's getting old for whoever's reading this.
"Ok Wartortle, use Dragon Pulse!" Erin commanded.
"What the?!" I said in surprise. "Dodge it! Quick!"
Just as soon as Wartortle shot its attack, Staravia evaded in and around the Dragon Pulse, narrowly missing it. That was scary. Not once would I think that a Wartortle would know a powerful move like that. That creates a whole new problem.
"Oh my Arceus this is bad," I said. "I don't think I have anything to counter that." I quickly took a deep breath and cooled myself. Overthinking it is not gonna get me anywhere. "Ok. Let's get back in there. Staravia, use Aerial Ace again!"
Staravia managed to land a crit with that Aerial Ace, and it did enough to almost send Wartortle into the water. At least we're getting somewhere with this despite what it may seem, if that makes sense.
"That was a good shot," Erin complimented. "Wartortle, use Bite!"
The turtle Pokémon lept toward Staravia, and bit it pretty hard. However, because its Attack stat was lowered thanks to Staravia's Intimidate, Bite didn't do as much as it would do, and it would do even less if Shinx has to come back out. That being said, it's not gonna help much when talking about the special attacks that Wartortle has. Speaking of which, most of Wartortle's moveset is composed of special attacks. So really Bite is the only move that is affected by Intimidate.
"You alright Staravia?" I asked my Pokémon.
The charcoal gray bird was doing okay though. I can say that because Staravia is faster than Wartortle, we don't have to worry about flinching from Bite. At least there's some more good news to come out of this battle.
"Alrighty," I said. "Then use Wing Attack."
Since Wartortle was still relatively close after using Bite, Staravia was able to strike Wartortle before it got back to the pool. I know I keep going back and forth between Wing Attack and Aerial Ace, but those are really Staravia's two strongest attacks. And because Wartortle used Withdraw once, we'll have to keep cycling back and forth between those two moves.
"How do you feel Wartortle?" Erin asked her partner. "Still going good?"
Wartortle gave its Trainer a thumbs up before looking back toward Staravia. You can just tell that this Pokémon is really having a ball during this battle, and I really can't blame it. While this battle is kinda stressful in a way, I'm glad it's going like this. It really keeps the excitement high.
"Great!" The Gym Leader said. "Then use Scald!"
"Quick Staravia, Quick Attack!" I commanded.
Now would be a good time to use a priority move. If we're gonna get any sort of lead in this battle, we're gonna have to stay one step ahead of Erin and Wartortle. That sounds really obvious, but that's the best I can think of as of now. But that Quick Attack didn't stop Wartortle though, as it still shot Scald at Staravia. Luckily, it didn't get the burn. So I really shouldn't feel bad I'm not the only one that was having a hard time trying to burn my opponent. I get that it's a low chance of getting the burn, but I've been a little too lucky with it recently. I think my luck is starting to not be in my favor now.
"Don't give up Staravia!" I yelled. "Use Wing Attack!"
After making a quick recovery from Wartortle's Scald, Staravia landed yet another Wing Attack. The damage my Pokémon is dealing right now is not that bad actually despite the Withdraw. I say that, but Erin could very well do another one any second now.
"You're doing great!" Erin said. "Use Withdraw again!"
See, what did I tell you? I basically jinx myself with these kind of scenarios. Now it's gonna be even harder to finish Wartortle, and without a doubt require both of my Pokémon to do just that.
"Shoot, I was afraid she was gonna do that again," I said. "Do I keep going, or should I switch now? But if Shinx gets knocked out, then I won't be able to stand a chance with Staravia. I'll just have to keep going until one of them goes down, and it's probably gonna be us given the moves that Wartortle has. Staravia, use Aerial Ace."
I doubt I'm actually gonna be using Tackle during this battle. Yes, Tackle and Quick Attack have the same amount of power, but Quick Attack is a priority move while Tackle is not. Maybe I should look into other moves that Staravia can learn at this moment in our journey, 'cause that could help us in the long run. Aerial Ace will definitely stay around, as that's gonna be super helpful, just like how it is right now. Even with the two times Defense boost, Wartortle still took quite a hit from Staravia. I don't even think that was a crit either.
"You still doing okay Wartortle?" Erin has her Pokémon.
Wartortle turned around and nodded at her once again before looking back at the battlefield. You can tell it's starting to get a little tired. I don't think it was expecting Staravia to last this long.
"Then use Dragon Pulse!" Erin commanded her partner.
Wartortle was jumping all over the place, trying to distract us, and giving us very little room to go to avoid the attack. Once it found a spot to fire, it shot very quickly, giving Staravia no time to dodge at all. That attack did a lot of damage, enough to send the charcoal gray bird plummeting to the ground. Staravia was struggling to get back up. This could very well be it for the bird Pokémon.
"Staravia, you alright?" I asked.
Staravia really didn't look good. It collapsed as it was trying to pull itself up. That Dragon Pulse was really strong, and something we're really gonna have to look out for with Shinx.
"Staravia can no longer battle!" Logan announced. "Wartortle has won!"
Just like what I did with Monferno, I walked to Staravia and carried back myself. It battled really hard, but had a hard time with Wartortle. "Thanks Staravia," I said to my Pokémon. "You did your best, and that's all that counts," I then said as I was putting it back in its Poké Ball. "Well that was a turn of the tides."
"Yep," Erin agreed. "Staravia fought really well though. Probably enough for Shinx to finish the job."
"I hope so," I added. "'Cause that Wartortle of yours is really powerful."
"Thanks for the compliment. So, how about we finish this up?"
"We shall do just that. Shinx, let's finish this!" I said as I threw my Poké Ball, calling the Shiny Pokémon back out. It's down to the wire now. All or nothing. I can't use a Z-Move now, so we'll have to deal without it. Once Shinx came back out, Intimidate activated again, lowering Wartortle's physical Attack once again.
"You did the right thing saving Shinx for last," Erin complimented. "Leaving Staravia to get a head start was a neat idea. Now I understand even more why you said that you wanted all of your Pokémon to get a chance to participate in this battle."
"Well, I also wanted to have Staravia come out so I can get a chance to use a Z-Move, but I was proved otherwise," I responded. "So I'm gonna have to do without it."
"Well, most Pokémon battles are not impossible without a Z-Move. I'm sure you managed to do just fine in your first Gym Battle without a Z-Move either."
"You are right about that. I just wanted to stay in shape with that."
"I understand. But those are techniques that are hard to forget, even for beginning Trainers."
"True. Anyway, Shinx, use Charge."
Raising Shinx's Special Defense back up is my top priority right now. That could be the only way that we can take more than just one hit from Wartortle's attacks, especially that Dragon Pulse. Plus, it'll let Spark do more damage despite Wartortle's boosted Defense. This is exactly why I wanted to save Shinx for last.
"Let's work our way up," Erin said. "Wartortle, use Bite."
Even with the two times lowered physical Attack, Wartortle still bit Shinx pretty good. That was a bit of a surprising call from Erin. Then again, Bite is most likely Wartortle's weakest attacking move now, so that's probably what Erin meant of "working their way up." I get it now.
"Use Charge once again," I said.
I think we'll raise Shinx's Special Defense one last time, then let them have it with a supercharged Spark. GET IT?! SuperCHARGED?! HA HA! I'll stop now.
"Still not going for a damaging move?" The blonde asked. "Ok then. Wartortle, use Scald!"
"Dodge it!" I commanded my Pokémon.
Shortly after Wartortle shot its attack, Shinx lept and rolled on the floor, almost crashing into the wall in the process.
"I thought for sure Shinx was going to crash into the wall," Erin pointed out.
"So did I," I said. "Try to be a little more careful, ok Shinx?"
The gold lynx turned to me and nodded with such a huge smile on its face. Had I been closer to it, and I would probably hear it purring. I swear, it wants to act like a puppy Pokémon sometimes. That does sound cute though.
"All right then, use Spark!" I then commanded.
Now it's finally time to deal some damage, and Shinx did so very hard thanks to the two boosts from Charge. That really did a lot considering that Wartortle had a higher Defense thanks to Withdraw.
"Nice and powerful!" The Gym Leader complimented. "Using Charge twice in a row to not only raise Shinx's Special Defense, but to also give Spark a nice boost as well was clever. That makes Withdraw an easy obstacle to clear."
"That was the plan," I said. "And I wanted to make sure Shinx can take more than just one hit. 'Cause this little guy is my last hope for this battle. Gee, isn't that obvious."
Erin giggled at my joke a little bit. "You do have a good sense of humor," She said. "Reminds me a lot of Logan."
"I heard that," Logan said.
"You were supposed to," Erin said.
I couldn't help but chuckle myself at their short conversation. "Like brother, like sister," I said.
"You said it, not me," Erin said. "Let's continue then. Wartortle, Dragon Pulse!"
By the time I was ready to tell Shinx to dodge, the Dragon Pulse was already too close for my Pokémon to get out of the way safely. However, it took the hit pretty well thanks to Charge. Maybe doing one more wouldn't hurt, but I wanna hold on that for now.
"Now Shinx, use Bite!" I said.
Even though Bite doesn't do super effective damage like Spark, it'll help with getting down Wartortle enough to do another double-Charged Spark. Hopefully at least. Also, I can pretty much forget about using Leer, as Erin will just have Wartortle use Withdraw immediately afterward. Anyway, that Bite did make Wartortle flinch actually, to my surprise.
"Oh no," Erin said.
"Ooh, got the flinch," I said. "Now what to do here? Leer is so tempting, but I don't wanna go for it. In fact, let's go the safe route. Shinx, use Charge one more time."
After this last Charge, we're going all out from here on in. This battle has been going on for quite awhile now, and I think it's time we finally end it soon. Now Shinx has a higher Special Defense than Wartortle at the moment. That is unless Wartortle uses Withdraw again.
"Oh, doing one last Charge?" Erin asked. "That's a good idea though. Gives you an extra turn to set up."
"Yep," I said. "I do have to ask though, and I'm not trying to be rude, but what's with all the compliments and breakdowns of some of my strategies?"
"Well, I am a pretty verbal person no matter what job I'm doing, and me being able to basically help my challengers learn as we're battling can really mean a lot for them. Not all Gym Leaders do that after all."
"That is a fair point. And that is very generous of you."
"Why thank you. Let's keep going then. Wartortle, use Scald!"
It's pretty clear that she's gonna be going back and forth between Scald and Dragon Pulse now since those were not affected by Intimidate. And she'll probably occasionally use Bite as well even though she can't get the flinch from it.
Unfortunately though, that Scald did land as a critical hit. Poor Shinx is starting to have a hard time now. I think we are gonna have to keep using Charge and go for the KO with Spark. However, now that I think about it, Shinx should've evolved by now. So there's a chance that Shinx could be evolving any time now at this point. But I don't wanna hold my breath about that.
"Shinx, you doing alright?" I asked the lynx Pokémon.
Shinx got up a little slower, but is still going reasonably well. Now I'm starting to wonder if Shinx is gonna be able to make it to the end of the battle, 'cause that crit really did do a lot to Shinx. I'm guessing it can only take two more hits before it's done. We gotta do something about that now if we're gonna have a chance of surviving anymore hits.
"Use Charge once again then," I said.
Charge is our best bet at this point. It'll give a third Special Defense boost for Shinx, and let Spark be more powerful as well. Something weird was going on with Shinx though as it was using Charge. It was howling quite loud for such a tiny Pokémon.
"Shinx, what's wrong?" I asked my Pokémon, trying to be as calm as I can.
"Could it be?" Erin asked.
Shinx's body then glowed a bright gold, and started to deform. I called it! It is evolving!
"O- It's evolving!" I said in excitement.
Once the glow dissipated, we got to see Shinx's evolution in the flesh. I got so excited about seeing it in person again after seeing it back in Sinnoh.
"Oh wow!" I said. "Man, Shinx Luxio looks better than I thought!" I couldn't bother taking out my Pokédex since I've met a few before, so I already have an idea of what to expect from them. "And it feels so good to see one in person again!"
"Well congrats on your newly-evolved Pokémon!" Erin said. "Timing couldn't have been better for you!"
"Definitely. And it's giving me a little deja vu, as my Staravia evolved during my first Gym Battle."
"I can see why. From what I've heard, it's pretty common for a Pokémon to want to evolve if they happen to be in some sort of trouble."
"And that was clearly shown here."
"For sure."
Even though Luxio did evolve, it still had Intimidate, as Wartortle's Attack was lowered one last time. Now we're in much better shape to finish this battle for good.
"Let's see what you got now Luxio!" I said to my newly-evolved partner. "Use Spark!"
Because Luxio had used Charge before it had evolved, Spark did a freaking ton. Like, holy crap. I don't think that was even a crit either.
"Very powerful!" Erin pointed out. "I really like that! 'Kay Wartortle, use Dragon Pulse!"
"Dodge it!" I said.
As Luxio was avoiding Wartortle's attack, a thought occurred to me. Even though I can't use a damaging Z-Move, I can still use a status Z-Move with Leer. That's it! Why didn't I think of that before?! Crap!
"Wait, Luxio, I think I have an idea," I said to my partner.
Luxio was all ears, and was ready for anything that came out of my mouth. This gold cat was just as ready to finish this battle as I am.
"It is true that we can't use an attacking Z-Move, but we can still use a status Z-Move," I said.
"Right, those kind of Z-Moves do exist as well," Erin added. "I tend to almost forget those are even a thing."
"You're not alone. I didn't even think about it until I remembered one time I was talking about Z-Moves in school not too long ago."
"Well, then put that knowledge of yours to work then, and let's see what you come up with!"
"My pleasure! Let's do it Luxio!"
The process to trigger the status Z-Move is the exact same, as I just have to do the same pose for the Type I'm using. In my case, it's Normal. The power that was emitting from the Z-Power Ring was not as strong as a damaging Z-Move, but it still had a kick to it.
"Use Z-Leer!" I commanded.
With Z-Leer, not only do the regular effects of Leer take place, but the user's Attack raises as well. So, it's really the perfect counter to Withdraw. Again, why didn't I think of this before? The world may never know.
"Now that's a clever use of your Z-Power," Erin complimented. "Very well done. Let's wrap it up then! Wartortle, use Scald!"
Wartortle did manage to get off another Scald, but thankfully Luxio wasn't burned.
"Not if we can finish it first!" I said. "Luxio, give it one more Spark!"
Yes, I'm assuming this hit will finish it again, but I'm pretty confident it will. Both Pokémon are pretty exhausted by now, and it's clear that Luxio had more energy left than Wartortle.
Just like I thought, that Spark did do enough to finish Wartortle. The impact was so powerful that it sent Wartortle flying, even skipping on the water before crashing into the wall.
"Oh no Wartortle!" Erin shouted.
"Wartortle can no longer battle!" Logan announced. "Luxio has won! That means the challenger Ian is the winner!"
"Phew," I said as I sighed out loud. "That was intense. Luxio!" I then shouted as I ran to my Pokémon, letting it jump into my arms, licking me all over my face as it starts to purr. Even after evolving, Luxio was still a Shinx on the inside, and I love it.
"Oh well," Erin said to herself. "Can't win them all."
I guess she was talking with Wartortle before she made her way to me, 'cause I was still occupied by Luxio. I don't mind at all.
"Great battle Ian," Erin said as she was approaching me. "Very well done."
"Thanks a lot Erin," I responded after finally getting up after Luxio settled down. "That really was a lot of fun, albeit pretty intense."
"Yeah, but it shows just how dedicated you are to your Pokémon. Your willingness to keep on going even when the situation is tight proves that you have constant faith in your Pokémon, no matter what the cost. Yes, that does sound a lot like your cousin. Though he did get off a little easier than you, there's no denying that both battles were close, and you were more strategic with your battling. I really liked that from you, which made this battle worth the wait in my opinion."
"Totally understandable. Any Gym Battle is something that is worth looking forward to."
"I agree. So, with all of that said. Ian, to prove your victory here at the Westbrook Gym, I would like you to accept the Teardrop Badge," Erin said as she was handing me the badge.
"That's so cool," I said as I took the badge out of her hands.
"Isn't it pretty?" Erin asked. "After my Gym was moved, I just couldn't give up on this design."
"I can see why. It is a good design. What do you think Luxio?"
The gold lynx rubbed itself on my leg with a huge smile. Then it looked at the badge, and put its paw on it. As it was getting down, it tried to take the badge out of my hand! The nerve of that one!
"Hey hey, that's not a toy silly!" I said.
"Well, if you ask me, I think Luxio likes it," Erin said after she laughed.
"You think?" I said sarcastically. After I petted Luxio on the head, I put the badge in my badge case before my Pokémon got to it again.
"And I also want you to take this," Erin then said as she was handing me something else. It looked like another Z-Crystal.
"A Z-Crystal?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's the Waterium Z. I kinda wish I got to use it during our battle, but you had me stumped as to when I could use it. Regardless, it's yours."
"Thanks Erin."
"No problem. Want me to show you the pose for the Water-Type Z-Move?"
"Sure."
"It's pretty simple actually. Watch closely though," Erin said as she was beginning her demonstration. So, from what I've seen, it's doing making waves with your arms in one direction, then finish off on the other side? It does sound and look simple.
"That looks easy," I pointed out.
"It really is," Erin responded. "And will come in handy for Buizel. I can already see it being an ace at it by the time the Pokémon League comes around."
"Whoa whoa, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!"
"Sorry."
"Nah, it's okay. I do the same thing."
As we were chatting, everyone else gathered around us.
"That was awesome Ian!" Jill said as she tackle hugged me.
"Great work buddy," Mike said. "Proud of you. And I totally get why you kept comparing us during the battle Erin."
"Can you really blame me though?" Erin asked. "You two have so much in common!"
"Not gonna argue that," Mike said. "Some people have thought we were brothers."
"Good, so I'm not the only one. So Ian, do you know where you're going for your next Gym Battle?"
"I think I have an idea," I responded. "But it's on the tip of my tongue."
"Were you thinking of the Berlin Gym?" Erin asked me.
"Yep," I answered. "That's what I was thinking."
"You're getting better at it," Mike told me.
"Was that supposed to be a roast or a compliment?" I asked my cousin.
"I guess it's a combination of both," Mike responded.
"Grr, I'll get you later for the roast part," I said.
"I guess I can rest my case now," Erin said. "So, what're you guys gonna be doing for the rest of today?"
"Well, we were just gonna chill on the beach for awhile," Mike said. "But this guy is not the biggest fan of the beach."
"Is that so?" Erin asked. "Well, if you're looking for other stuff to do, then how about you go to Ocean Beach Park? They have a lot more to do over there, and it's not far from here; About a half an hour from here."
"We were thinking of doing that," Katie said.
"Actually, I have an idea," Mike said. "I know both Mike and Jill will like this."
"Huh?" Jill and I both asked.
Mike was such a genius. As the rest of the group relaxed on the beach, Mike let Jill and I ride on Rapidash and Snowkey respectively. We agreed to just staying in the neighborhood, which wasn't an issue at all. We can get more than one lap in that way. And we can talk a bit as we're on our stroll.
"I think this is the first time we're riding Mike's Pokémon," Jill pointed out.
"It sure is," Snowkey responded. "You two enjoying it?"
"Definitely," I answered. "I'm surprised Mike even thought of the idea in the first place."
"He's a lot more easy-going than you might think," Snowkey told me. "He trusts you two with us. Plus we know how to react in a pinch."
"That is true," I said.
"Snowkey, I hope you don't mind if I ask, but how did you and Mike even meet?" Jill asked. "From what I've heard, your species are found far up north."
"You are right about that Jill," Snowkey started. "But actually, I found Mike. It's a bit of a long story though."
"We're all ears," I said.
"All right then," Snowkey said. "To put it simply, after my parents went off on their own, I wanted to get stronger so I can defend myself in a time of need. So I went on a journey to find that perfect Trainer that could unleash my potential. I've gone through a few Trainers before I found Mike."
"A few Trainers?" Jill asked.
"Yeah," Snowkey said. "They were not what I was looking for. Most of them were very forgiving about it, and I thanked them for trying to help me. Even if it wasn't a lot, it still help me get stronger. When I found Mike, he gave off that feel that he was the one I was looking for."
"Kinda made me think of someone looking for love," Jill said.
I simply stared at her when she made that comparison.
"What?" Jill asked when she saw me staring at her. "What did I do?"
"I get where she's coming from," Snowkey said. "It's got the same effect when you think about it."
"If you say so," I said.
"Trust me when I say Mike welcomed me with open arms," Snowkey continued. "He made me feel like I was already a part of the family. And at the time that I met him, it really felt like we knew each other for a long time."
"Oh yeah, you guys met around Christmas time, right?" Jill asked.
"Exactly!" Snowkey responded. "That was when I was just a little Gallofreeze. Then I evolved into my previous stage, Frostomp, not much longer after that. Where we went for Christmas was amazing though."
"Where'd you guys go?" I asked.
"Holiday Island Resort," Snowkey answered.
"I've heard of that place!" Jill said. "That's the new resort in town, right?"
"Well, it's not so new anymore," Snowkey said. "But it was so much fun. I really didn't wanna leave when it was time to go. There's so much stuff to do there. It almost feels like it's own town."
"That sounds fun," I said. "We should go there sometime."
"I think we are with our class," Jill said.
"Really?" I asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Jill answered. "The first time there was so successful that the high school wanted to keep it up as an annual trip along with the traditional Senior Trip."
"That's surprising."
"Yeah. But I'm looking forward to it. You should be too. We can do a lot of stuff there together."
"She's onto something Ian," Snowkey said.
"I hear you," I said. "And I'm sure we will."
"For sure," Jill said. "As much as I wanna do all of it with our friends, I kinda wanna do some of it with just you."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean just have you and I doing some things on our own," Jill explained. "Yes, I'm dating Leo, but you come really close. Meaning that I feel the most comfortable when I'm with you when I'm not with Leo, and perhaps a bit more recently."
After realizing what she said, my face started to burn up, and it became noticeable. Snowkey was trying not to laugh at the conversation. It's pretty clear that she ships us as well. Now a Pokémon ships us. Wonderful.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry!" Jill said rather quickly as she started to blush herself. "I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did!"
"No, no, it's okay!" I said. "Even though I've met some great friends since I've moved here, you're the one I keep gravitating toward 'cause I feel just as comfortable. It basically matches what you told me."
"Yeah..?"
"Yeah."
We paused for what felt like an eternity. All we were doing was just staring at each other with warm smiles coming off our faces. Seems Snowkey and Rapidash came to a stop, but we didn't notice. A light blush was on our faces as well. I can tell she and I had the desire to hug each other.
"Ok, ok, you two, knock it off," Snowkey said. "You can save the ship moments for later."
Then we snapped back into reality and our faces burned up. I even started scratching the back of my head I got so warm. But my heart was freaking racing. I can feel it pounding on my chest. What even happened to us?
"Whoa," Jill said after she took a deep breath.
"I guess we're lucky that we're riding Pokémon right now and not actually walking," I said.
"Guess so," Jill said. "Wanna head back then?"
"Sure. Maybe we can go to Ocean Beach Park as well."
"That sounds fun. I know you will like it more than here."
"That does sound promising."
"For sure. Then you can do some training with Buizel shortly after that."
"Sounds like a plan."
Just like that, we rode back to the beach, and then we left for Ocean Beach Park after that. It was just as fun as I was told. There was a triple water slide there, an arcade, a mini golf course, and a few other things as well. Even though I'm not as crazy about amusement rides, Jill and I did the water slides a few times, and it was actually pretty fun. Then we explored the nearby Niantic for a bit before getting dinner and heading home. Pretty successful day if you ask me.