A/N: Apologies for another late chapter posting. School once again has taken over my life lol. Anyways, here's the newest chapter: Justin's 2nd Gym Battle.
Chapter 12: A Heated Gym Battle
"ALL RIGHT! I'M READY FOR MY NEXT GYM BADGE!" Justin shouted at the top of his lungs from his bedroom. Eevee jumped up into the air from the bed in shock, awakened from its lovely slumber by Justin's loud announcement. It landed on the floor hard with its face planted on the ground.
"Whoops, sorry Eevee...heh-heh."
"Vy..." Eevee mumbled, shaking its head.
"All right, let's say we wash up, wake up Aly, have breakfast and go challenge the Gym!"
It was early morning of the day Justin finally challenged the Ruby City gym. It was weird because he never got up early...except for gym battles. Both Justin and Aly had stayed in the Pokemon Centre's bedrooms for the night. Justin got dressed, packed all his things, washed up and ran out the door with Eevee perched on his shoulder. He walked right next door to Aly's room and knocked on the door heavily.
"Aly! Let's go!" Justin shouted. Aly instantly opened the door to confront him.
"Holy cow, can you be any louder?" Aly moaned groggily, obviously still tired.
"C'mon, hurry up so we can eat some breakfast and then go the Ruby Gym!"
"Not that hungry now. I'll just meet you in the main lobby."
"Ok, see ya then!" Aly then slammed the door shut, creating a small wind that blew at Justin's face.
"Wow, Girls. They're so dramatic sometimes eh?" Justin asked Eevee.
"Vy..." Eevee shot back, giving him sass by looking the other way.
"Hey, what did I say?!"
Justin had just finished eating breakfast at the diner hall. He let Torchic and Mudkip out of their Pokeballs to get a small bite before the gym battle. They all walked towards the main lobby and sat on a couch while waiting for Aly.
"All right guys, we've been training real hard for this moment. Our goal today is to get that Gym badge, so I'm counting on every one of you," Justin stated with some energy.
"Ee-vuie!" Eevee cried out confidently.
"Mud-kip!" Mudkip added.
Once Justin looked at Torchic, he saw the chick Pokemon staring out the window, looking at god-who-knows-what.
"Torchic! Did ya hear me?"
"Tor-...Tor-chic!" Torchic quickly replied, focusing back on its trainer.
"...Anyways, let's give it our best!" Justin exclaimed. He then returned Torchic and Mudkip back to their respective Pokeballs. Moments later, Aly made her way to the lobby and met up with Justin.
"You ready?" She asked him.
"Always," Justin replied, giving thumbs up and a wink.
Justin and Aly arrived at front of the Ruby gym. It had been 2 days since the incident with Team Immortal. Justin was initially going to challenge the gym the day after that fiasco, but decided to let his Pokemon rest a bit more. The group walked through the red doors and entered into the gym arena. Not much was different from the Amethyst Gym with the exception of no main lobby room in this one. It was just a regular battle arena with an upper level of seats on the side for spectators. Justin and Aly looked around to find that no one else was there.
"Hello! Anyone home?!" Justin shouted out in the empty area. Just then, a girl walked out from a door to their left in her PJ's and yawned out loud.
"Can I help you...?" She moaned groggily.
"Um, I'm here to battle the gym leader to earn my 2nd badge."
"Isn't it a bit too early for...oh wait, what time is it?"
"It's like, 10 o'clock." Aly remarked.
"AW MAN, I overslept again!" the girl exclaimed dramatically.
"...what?" Justin said, confused as ever.
"...I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Maggie, and I'm the gym leader here!"
"Wait, you're the gym leader?" Aly asked.
"Sure am!"
"Well Maggie, My name is Justin Riser. I challenge you to a gym battle!" Justin announced.
"I accept your challenge Justin...but, you're going to have to wait a little bit. As you can see, I sort of just got up," Maggie said, as she started laughing, embarrassed of the situation.
Justin, Aly and Eevee looked at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"I'll be back in a jiffy!" Maggie exclaimed as she ran back through the side door.
"You know Justin; she's a lot like you." Aly giggled.
Moments later, Maggie entered through the doors wearing a red crop top and blue jeans shorts.
"Now, let's get this battle underway!" She exclaimed. Aly went to the spectator stands and let out all her Pokemon so they can cheer for Justin. The battlefield was a normal smooth dirt field with white lines indicating the boundaries. Justin and Eevee entered their side of the arena. The battle judge came out from side doors and made his way to his platform on the right boundary line.
"The battle at the Ruby City Gym between the Gym Leader, Maggie, and the Challenger, Justin from Revo Town, is about to begin! Both participants can use up to 3 Pokemon, and only the challenger will be allowed substitutions. Now trainers choose your Pokemon!" The battle judge announced.
"Go Torkoal!" Maggie shouted as she threw her Pokeball in the air. Out came an orange turtle Pokemon with a black shell that shot out black smoke.
"Tor-koal!" Torkoal cried out.
"Torkoal eh? That's a sick Pokemon! Ok, I choose you, Mudkip!" Justin shouted as he threw his Pokeball which released Mudkip
"Now that both Pokemon are out, let the battle begin!"
"All right, Mudkip let's go! Use your tackle attack!" Justin commanded.
Mudkip began to charge head on towards Torkoal.
"Torkoal, iron defense!" Maggie commanded.
Torkoal shell shined brightly as it hid into it to defend itself. Mudkip tackled it, but easily bounced back, doing more damage to itself rather than Torkoal.
"Mudkip, use mud slap!" Justin commanded. Mudkip used one of its fin paws to sweep the ground. Dark brown mud formed from its fin paws and headed for Torkoal.
"Torkoal, hide in your shell!" Maggie commanded.
Torkoal hid into its shell again, repelling Mudkip's attack.
"Nothing I do is working!" Justin exclaimed.
"We got you now! Torkoal, use sludge bomb!" Maggie commanded.
"Tor-koal!" Torkoal cried out. It then shot out dark sludge balls at Mudkip. Mudkip was able to dodge the first few, but then got hit in the face with one, sending it backwards towards Justin.
"Mudkip, hang in there!" Justin called out.
"Mud-kip!" Mudkip cried out, wiping the sludge from its eyes.
"Wow, this is so much fun! Torkoal, use flamethrower!" Maggie commanded. Torkoal release a stream of fire towards Mudkip.
"Mudkip, use your water gun to counter!" Justin commanded. Mudkip shot out a stream of water to counter the flamethrower. The 2 attacks collided, which then created a steam cloud around the arena.
"I can't see through this!" Justin exclaimed as he tried to find Torkoal. Just then, the steam cloud dissipated.
"There must be another way..." Justin thought. All of a sudden, an idea popped into his head.
"Mudkip, use your water gun again!"
Mudkip then released another water gun attack towards Torkoal.
"Torkoal, hide in your shell again!" Maggie commanded. Torkoal hid in its shell again, and the water just reflected off the shell.
"Keep up the attack Mudkip, and get close to Torkoal!" Justin called out.
Mudkip kept shooting water from its mouth while running close to Torkoal until it was right beside it.
"No matter how close you get, my Torkoal is too well protected!" Maggie explained.
"Not this time! Mudkip, no use Mud slap and sweep up Torkoal onto its back!" Justin commanded.
"Mudkip!" Mudkip cried out. Just as it swept on the ground with its fin paw, it got under the shell of Torkoal and flipped the turtle Pokemon over while getting the attack into a hole of its shell. Mud also shot into the hole of the shell where Torkoal's head pops out
"Tor, Tor-koal!" Torkoal cried out. It was on the back of its shell, flailing around to try to bring itself back on the ground. Its face was covered in mud as well
"Oh no, Torkoal!" Maggie cried out.
"Now that it's out and vulnerable, Mudkip use your Water Gun!" Justin commanded.
Mudkip released another stream of water at Torkoal. With Torkoal's vulnerable, it took the super effective attack right on. Torkoal flew backwards and landed on its stomach, unable to continue.
"Torkoal is unable to battle, which means that Mudkip is the winner!" The battle judge announced.
"Way to go Mudkip!" Justin called out.
"Mudkip!" Mudkip cried out happily, looking back at its trainer.
"Yay! He beat the first one!" Aly said cheerfully. Squirtle and Vulpix were cheering beside her.
Maggie got out Torkoal Pokeball and recalled her fallen Pokemon.
"Torkoal, you were great. Get a good rest." She said to the Pokeball. She exchanged it with another Pokeball from her belt and threw it in the air. Out came a small dog-like Pokemon that was orange with black stripes.
"Grow!" It growled.
"A Growlithe! This is so cool!" Justin exclaimed.
"I know right! Growlithe is such an awesome member of my team! It won't be easy!"
"All right, on with the battle!" the judge announced.
"Growlithe, use your take down attack!" Maggie commanded.
Growlithe started to charge head on towards Mudkip.
"Mudkip, dodge that!" Justin commanded. Mudkip just jumped out of the way of Growlithe.
"Now use Water gun!"
Mudkip turned around to face Growlithe and released a water gun attack. It hit Growlithe straight on, which Growlithe cried out in pain.
"Keep on going Justin!" Aly cheered. Growlithe quickly got up to its feet
"Now use your tackle attack!" Justin commanded. Mudkip started to run and charge at Growlithe. It hit the orange dog Pokemon hard, which sent it back towards Maggie. Growlithe slowly got up after that.
"Hmm, this seems so easy...How come Maggie isn't doing anything?" Aly said to herself in the stands
"What gives? This has been easy! Whatever, now Mudkip, finish this off with one more water gun!" Justin commanded.
Mudkip then began to charge its water gun attack. Maggie strung a cunning smile.
"Now Growlithe, use attract!" She commanded.
Growlithe jumped up into the air and locked eyes with Mudkip. It gave out a flirty wink which caused hearts to appear and float towards Mudkip. It circled the mud fish Pokemon before making contact with it. Mudkip suddenly had hearts in its eyes and acted all lovey-dovey.
"Wait, what?!" Justin exclaimed.
"Mud...kip..." Mudkip cried out in a soft and sweet voice.
"Looks like your Mudkip is all dazed and confused. Thanks to Growlithe's attract, Mudkip has fallen for my Growlithe, so it'll never attack her! Awesome, huh?" Maggie explained.
"This must have been her plan from the start...c'mon Justin..." Aly remarked.
"Mudkip! C'mon man! Snap out of it!" Justin called out. But Mudkip wouldn't listen. It just swayed back and forth with hearts on its eyes.
"Now Growlithe, it's time to fight back! Use your flamethrower attack!" Maggie commanded. Growlithe released a stream of fire that hit Mudkip right on, sending it backwards.
"Mudkip!" Justin cried out.
"Growlithe, finish this up with Take Down!"
Growlithe charged straight towards Mudkip, hitting hit hard and sending it towards the back wall. Mudkip dropped to the floor and didn't get back up.
"Mudkip is unable to battle, Growlithe wins!" the battle judge announced.
"Mudkip!" Justin called out as he rushed to the aid of his Pokemon. He lifted it in his arms as Mudkip regained its sight back.
"You ok pal?"
"Mud..." Mudkip said weakly.
"You were awesome, take a good rest." Justin said. He then walked over to Aly in the stands
"Aly, will you hold on to Mudkip?" He asked her.
"Umm...sure," Aly replied accepting Mudkip from him into her arms.
"I want Mudkip to help cheer us on and see when we win!"
"Gotcha! Keep on going Justin!" Justin smiled and walked back to his side of the arena.
"This battle is sooo great! The passion in this battle is amazing! You're not half bad Justin!" Maggie exclaimed towards the ceiling.
"Right back at you Maggie!" Justin then looked down at Eevee.
"All right Eevee, it's your turn now!"
"Ee-vy!" Eevee cried out as it entered the battle ring. The battle judge saw Eevee arrive on the field and looked back to the centre of the arena
"Now that we have 2 Pokemon, let the battle-"
"Oh my god! You're Eevee is so adorable! It's so awesome!" Maggie exclaimed as she interrupted the battle judge.
"Right?! Eevee was my first Pokemon and a real special one too!" Justin added.
"No way! That's so cool, I can't wait-. "The 2 continued to praise Eevee to the point that they forgot about the battle. Eevee, Aly, her Pokemon and the battle judge sighed in disbelief.
"...they're totally the same..." Aly muttered. Her Pokemon and Mudkip gave a little laugh.
"Excuse me people! There's a battle happening right now!" The battle judge announced. Justin and Maggie stopped talking as they realized that fact.
"Oh yeah...ha-ha. My bad. All right, back to the battle! Eevee, use Shadow Ball!" Justin commanded.
"Puh-Phvy!" Eevee cried out as it formed a ball of shadow magic and hurled it at Growlithe.
"Growlithe, use flamethrower!" Maggie commanded.
"Grow!" Growlithe roared as it countered with its flamethrower attack. The 2 attacks collided, creating a mini smoke explosion that subsided quickly.
"Eevee, use Dig!" Justin called out. Eevee then jumped and dug itself into a hole in the ground.
"Careful Growlithe, Eevee can pop up anywhere at any time!" Maggie warned. Growlithe relaxed itself and tuned in to its hearing senses. Once it heard a small rumbling from below it, Growlithe jumped out of the way. Eevee popped out of the ground where Growlithe was, but missed.
"Growlithe, Take down!" Maggie commanded.
Growlithe charged straight at Eevee, hitting it hard and sending it to the other side of the ring.
"Hang in there Eevee!" Justin shouted. Eevee quickly got up though.
"Nice, now use Shadow Ball again!"
Eevee conjured up another ball of shadow energy and hurled it at Growlithe.
"Growlithe, counter it with flamethrower!" Maggie commanded.
Growlithe let loose another flamethrower attack, which collided with the shadow ball and caused an even bigger smoke explosion.
"Ahh, I can't see!" Maggie cried out.
"Eevee, quickly, use dig." Justin commanded.
"Ee-vy!" Eevee cried out as it dug into the ground again. Once the smoke passed away, Maggie and Growlithe were both shocked not to see Eevee there.
"Wait, where did Eevee go?" Maggie exclaimed.
"Now Eevee!" Justin shouted. Eevee popped up from the ground right under Growlithe, sending a super effective attack at it. Growlithe flew up and backwards near Maggie and landed hard on the ground.
"Growlithe!" Maggie called out in worriment. Growlithe slowly got up to its feet.
"Finish this with Tackle!" Justin commanded. Eevee got ready to charge right at Growlithe.
"Not so fast! Growlithe, use attract!" Maggie commanded.
"Grow!" Growlithe roared as it gave a flirty wink at Eevee. Hearts formed in the air and made its way to Eevee.
"Eevee!" Justin shouted. As the hearts made contact with Eevee, it glittered in a bright light for a bit. Justin was ready to snap Eevee out of it, but then realized something. Eevee was not all wobbly and dazed like Mudkip was before. It quickly looked back at Justin and smiled. Its eyes still had a competitive fire in them.
"What?! Don't tell me..." Maggie exclaimed.
"It didn't work! Which means Eevee is a girl! That must be why Justin put out Eevee!" Aly exclaimed.
"Wow...Eevee's a girl? Who knew?" Justin remarked as he started to laugh embarrasingly. Aly, Squirtle, Vulpix, Mudkip and Eevee dropped to the floor in disbelief.
"...now that's same old, naive Justin I know," Aly said as she got back to her seat.
"I guess that explains why Eevee gave me sass when I made that comment about girls this morning, haha!" Justin said playfully as he chuckled a bit more.
"Justin, c'mon, you're still in a battle!" Aly shouted at him.
"Oh, right! All right Eevee, use Iron Tail!"
"Puh-Phvy!" Eevee cried out as its tail started to light up. It jumped in the air and angled its tail so it would slam down on Growlithe.
"Growlithe, dodge it!" Maggie commanded. Growlithe tried to get out of the way, but was too late as Eevee's tail made contact with Growlithe and slammed it to the ground. Growlithe tried to get back up, but collapsed to the ground letting out a faint cry.
"Growlithe is unable to battle! Eevee is the winner!" The battle judge announced.
"Great job Eevee!" Justin called out.
"Ee-vy!" Eevee purred happily. Aly and the Pokemon in the stands cheered loudly.
"Just one more and then he's good!" Aly said to the Pokemon. Squirtle, Vulpix and Mudkip cheered louder than before.
Maggie grabbed out Growlithe's Pokeball to return the fallen Pokemon. "This battle has been awesome. Its non-stop action with both trainers really fired up. It figures for a Fire Type Gym." She thought to herself.
"Growlithe, get a good rest." She quietly said. She put it away and grabbed her final Pokeball.
"Nice battling so far Justin! You're really giving it your all!" Maggie said with a surprisingly serious tone. It caught Justin off guard a little.
"Oh, uh...thanks Maggie, you're doing well too!" Justin replied.
"But, this last battle is no picnic. And you're about to see why." She remarked as she threw the Pokeball into the air. Out came an orange monkey like Pokemon with a white spiked mane, blue marking above its eyes and a flame lit on its tail.
"Wow, I think that's a Monferno!" Justin exclaimed as he got out his Pokedex.
"Monferno, the playful Pokemon. It skillfully controls the intensity of the fire on its tail to keep its foes at an ideal distance." The Pokedex stated.
"This is so cool! I'm excited to see it in battle!"
"You better be focused and ready to battle if you want to win!" Maggie remarked. Justin noticed that she had a more serious persona now. Probably because she was down to her last Pokemon.
"I am! All right Eevee; use you Shadow Ball attack!" Justin commanded. Eevee conjured up another Shadow ball and hurled it at Monferno.
"Take it Monferno!" Maggie commanded.
Monferno raised its arms in a cross and took the blow of the attack. The force shifted Monferno backwards a bit, but was still on its feet.
"Ok, let's try by using Iron tail!" Justin commanded.
Eevee's tail started to light up as it jumped into the air. It somersaulted and positioned itself to slam its tail on Monferno.
"Monferno, use Mach Punch!" Maggie commanded.
"Monferno!" Monferno cried out as it quickly jumped up in the air. Its fist lit up and swiftly punched Eevee's face before the Iron Tail made contact with it. Eevee fell down and landed on its back
"Eevee! Are you all right?" Justin called out. Eevee slowly got up and nodded.
"Ok, use Dig!"
"Eevee dug into the ground to try and sneak attack Monferno.
"Keep your guard up Monferno!" Maggie said. Monferno raised its concentration to find where Eevee might appear. It then heard rumbling from the ground behind it. It quickly turned the other and saw Eevee pop up.
"Use Shadow Ball!" Justin commanded
"Flamethrower!" Maggie cried out.
Eevee and Monferno both launched their attacks at each other. They both got hit by them and flew backwards towards their respective trainers.
"Get up Eevee, you can do it!" Justin shouted out. Eevee slowly got up to its feet, clearly fatigued. Monferno got up more quickly, still having tons of energy.
"All right, let's go one more time. Eevee, tackle attack!"
"Ee-vee!" Eevee cried out as it charged on ahead.
"Monferno, Mach Punch." Maggie said calmly.
"Mon-ferno!" Monferno roared out as its fist lit up. With a full burst of speed, it dashed towards Eevee and punched it on the side. Eevee was knocked over to the side near the judge, its eyes having swirls.
"Eevee, is unable to battle, Monferno is the winner!" the battle judge announced.
Justin ran up to Eevee and picked it up in his arms.
"Eevee, you ok?"Justin asked concernedly
"Ee-vy..." Eevee said softly.
"You were amazing. Take a good rest," Justin said with a wink. He then walked up to Aly to give her his Pokemon. Aly settled down Mudkip, who was feeling better, on the side with Vulpix to hold Eevee.
"I'm going to need your guys' help. Can you cheer hard for me?" Justin asked.
"You can count on us!" Aly said confidently. All the Pokemon agreed as they cried out in their respective tongue. Justin then walked back to his corner.
"Well Maggie, this is my last Pokemon, and I'm going to give it my all! Justin said.
"That's the spirit Justin! Keep up that fiery spirit!" Maggie stated.
"I choose you, Torchic!"
Justin's Pokeball opened up and out came Torchic. It yawned and scratched its side with its leg. Torchic looked like it had just woken up from a nap
"C'mon Torchic we need to battle now!" Justin called out.
"Tor-chic," it chirped softly.
"Oh man...,"Justin slapped his hand on his forehead and shook his head.
"Wow, a day sure does make a difference. Torchic was adventurous and brave yesterday, and now is back to its old spaced-out self today." Aly remarked.
"...Oh whatever, Torchic and I can win this battle! So get ready for a real match!" Justin stated loudly.
"...All right! Monferno, use Mach Punch!" Maggie commanded. Monferno jumped into the air and dove towards Torchic with its fist lit up.
"Torchic, dodge it!" Justin commanded.
Torchic was looking on the ground. It was admiring the series of rocks and gravel on the ground from the previous dig attacks. All of a sudden, it felt a punch on its face that sent it flying backwards and passed Justin against the back wall.
"Torchic, c'mon, I need you to get up!" Justin called out. Torchic slowly got up and walked casually back to the battlefield.
"That's it. Now Torchic, use ember!"
"Tor-chic!" Torchic cried out as it released fire balls from its mouth towards Monferno
"Monferno, use flamethrower!" Maggie commanded. Monferno shot out a stream of fire from its mouth to counter Torchic's ember. The 2 attacks collided and created a mini smoke explosion. It subsided pretty quickly, but Maggie suddenly caught sight of Torchic running towards Monferno.
"Now Torchic, use Peck!" Justin commanded.
Torchic's beak was lit up and was ready to peck at Monferno. Monferno froze at that moment. The attack was going to hit it, but Torchic tripped onto the ground and rolled in the direction of Monferno.
"Monferno, Mach Punch!" Maggie commanded.
"Monferno!" Monferno cried out as it lit up its fist and punched the rolled up Torchic backwards and onto the ground.
"Torchic!" Justin called out.
"Now use flame wheel!" Maggie commanded. Monferno engulfed itself in flames and started to roll on the spot. It then rolled right towards Torchic and sent it flying back towards the same wall it hit previously.
"I got you Torchic!" Justin shouted as he jumped in the way and intercepted Torchic from hitting the wall. The speed of Torchic caused Justin to crash into the wall, but he shielded his Pokemon.
"Justin!" Aly called out from the stands.
"Aghh...are you all right Torchic?" Justin asked brokenly.
"Tor-..." Torchic replied softly. It looked up at its trainer with its eyes tearing up a bit.
"Don't worry buddy. I got you." Justin smiled. He then grimaced as he felt pain in his back.
"Tor-chic!" Torchic chirped as it was worried about its trainer.
"I'll be fine Torchic. But my, you're having a bit of an off day today, aren't ya?" Torchic looked down in sorrow.
"Hey, it's ok. Everyone has off days once in awhile." Justin said softly. "Torchic...you may be a bit out there, but you're still one of my Pokemon. It's my job to take care of you and help you grow. Now, let's try our best and see if we can win this badge. What do ya say?"
Torchic sorrow then turned into determination. It nodded confidently.
"Go get 'em Torchic!" Aly shouted out. The Pokemon on the sidelines cheered their fellow comrade.
"Remember yesterday with Team Immortal? Let's see if we can get that side of you back!" Justin stated.
"Tor!" Torchic chirped. It then quickly got up from Justin's lap and ran back into the battlefield.
"All right Maggie, let's see what else you got?" Justin called out.
"Oh I'll show you! Monferno, mach punch!" Maggie commanded. Monferno quickly dashed in the direction of Torchic with its fist lit up.
"Torchic, keep calm and let it come towards you!" Justin commanded. Torchic nodded and focused in on the oncoming Monferno. Once it was close enough, Justin quickly reacted.
"Torchic, sand attack!"
Torchic swept its leg up and carried some sand with it. It landed in the face of Monferno, which caused it to stop in its tracks and grab for its face.
"Oh no, Monferno!" Maggie called out.
"Now, use your peck attack!" Justin commanded. Torchic made its beak light up and started to peck away at Monferno. It was a super effective attack which Monferno felt and knocked it to the side.
"All right! Great job Torchic!"
"Hmm, perhaps I underestimated this Pokemon. That won't happen again!" Maggie smirked. "Now, Monferno, get up and use your flame wheel!"
"Monferno!" Monferno cried out. It then somersaulted into a flame wheel and rolled right at Torchic.
"Torchic, get out of the way!" Justin commanded. Torchic started to run to the side, but the flame wheel was too fast and ran into Torchic, sending backwards near Justin. It stayed down for awhile.
"Torchic, c'mon pal! I know you can do it!" Justin called out. Torchic started to slowly get up.
"Justin, you put up a good fight, but it seems my fiery spirit has overcome yours. Its over!" Maggie said.
"No way, I'm not giving up! And neither is Torchic!" Justin shouted.
"Torchic!" Torchic chirped out as it stood back on its feet.
"Wow, you guys sure are something! Man, this a great heated battle!" Maggie remarked
"You betcha. But now, here's the comeback from us!" Justin called out.
"Torchic!" Torchic cried out loudly. It then illuminated brightly until it entire body was surrounded by a white light.
"Wait, what?" Justin stated.
"No way!" Maggie exclaimed.
Justin watched as Torchic's body grew and changed before her eyes. The white light disappeared and a tall, bird like Pokemon with a yellow upper body, orange lower body, grey feet and long claws.
"Com-busken!" the new Pokemon cried out.
"WOW! Torchic evolved into Combusken!" Justin exclaimed. Combusken then got into a fighting stance, raring to go with its opponent.
"Combusken looks tougher and stronger." Aly remarked.
"Whoa, didn't see this coming. But look at that Combusken! Amazing!" Maggie said to herself.
"All right Combusken; let's show these guys what you can do!" Justin said.
"Com-Busk!" Combusken cried out.
"Now, use your ember!"
Combusken leaned back a bit and then shot out an even larger stream of fire from its mouth.
"Wow, that's a more powerful fire attack...must be flamethrower!"
"Monferno, use your flamethrower too!" Maggie commanded.
Monferno released its flamethrower attack as well, colliding with Combusken's. The 2 attacks were fighting each other out as they took turns pushing back and forth. After awhile it was Combusken's flamethrower that pushed back Monferno's and eventually hit the Monkey Pokemon. It created a mini smoke explosion and caused Monferno to be sent backwards.
"Monferno!" Maggie called out. Monferno then slowly got up.
"Ok, use Flame Wheel!"
Monferno surrounded itself in flames and started to somersault on the spot. It then began to roll in the direction of Combusken.
"Combusken, show off your new strength and catch it!" Justin commanded. Combusken focused in on Monferno and positioned itself carefully. Once the flame wheel got close, Combusken quickly moved its arms in together and caught Monferno on the spot in its claws. Monferno began to squirm around in order to free itself.
"Now, use Peck!"
Combusken bobbed itself forward and pecked Monferno hard. It flew backwards but managed to land on its feet.
"Now, let's finish this with a new move. Use Sky Uppercut!" Justin commanded.
"Com-busken!" Combusken cried out. It then ran swiftly towards Monferno with its claws lit up.
"Monferno, use Mach Punch!" Maggie commanded.
"Monferno!" Monferno cried out as it charged towards Combusken with its fist lit up. The 2 Pokemon ran in close and threw their punches. Both attacks met head on, causing a razor wind storm to occur. Everyone in the room braced themselves for the wind by covering their faces with their arms.
Combusken and Monferno weren't giving up and continued to push through with the attacks. After awhile, a smoke explosion was created that blanketed the whole arena. Everyone covered their faces from the black smoke until it subsided. Combusken and Monferno were standing face to face with a good distance apart and a determined look on their face.
"Looks like a draw!" Maggie called out.
"I wouldn't count on it!" Justin smirked. Combusken let out a sneaky smile too.
"Mon..." Monferno softly cried out as it began to fall down. It landed on the ground and let out a faint cry, signalling its defeat.
"Monferno is unable to battle, so Combusken wins! Which means the victory goes to Justin of Revo Town!" the Battle judge announced.
"ALL RIGHT!" Justin shouted as he celebrated joyfully.
"HE DID IT!" Aly remarked as she clasped her hands together. Squirtle and Vulpix began to cheer and jump up and down for joy. Eevee and Mudkip jumped onto the battle field and ran towards Justin. They jumped into his arms and cheered gleefully.
"We did it guys!" Justin said to the 2. He then walked over to Combusken.
"Combusken, you were amazing. Thanks for everything!' Justin said gratefully.
"Com-busken!" Combusken cried out happily.
Maggie walked up to her Monferno and picked it up in her arms.
"Monferno, are you ok?" she asked it.
"Mon...,"Monferno replied weakly.
"You were great Monferno! Your fire has never burned brighter. You deserve a good rest." Maggie said as she brought out its Pokeball and returned her Pokemon. Maggie then walked up to Justin's side.
"Hey Justin." She said. Justin heard her and stood up to face her.
"That was one of the most intense battles I've ever been a part of! Your inner fire burned brightly! It was a battle I'll definitely remember!"
"That means a lot Maggie, thanks." Justin smiled.
"Well, as proof of your victory today, I present you with this Ruby badge." She said as she pulled out a red square badge from her pocket and handed it to him.
"Wow, this is awesome. Thanks Maggie!" Justin took the badge from her hand and showed it to his Pokemon.
"Look guys, we got ourselves a Ruby badge! Isn't this exciting?" He said to his Pokemon. Eevee, Combusken and Mudkip examined the badge and cried out happily. Aly and her 2 Pokemon came down onto the battlefield and walked up to him.
"That was a great battle Justin! Congratulations!" She said to him.
Thanks Aly! It was also thanks to your support that I was able to win!"
Justin, Aly and Maggie stood outside the gym with Eevee and Squirtle in their usual spots.
"Well Justin, if you're looking for another gym battle, there's one over at Zircon City!" Maggie explained. Aly got out her Poketab to check out the where it was.
"Ok, that's just northwest of here!" Aly exclaimed.
"Yep, you'll be passing by Coppertown first. Then you'll have to hike around Courage Mountain before reaching Zircon city."
"Sounds good!" Justin remarked.
"Well, good luck to you both on your journey! And Justin, keep working hard and you'll be entering the Minero League soon!"
"Thanks a lot Maggie!" Both Justin and Aly responded. They all exchanged farewells before Justin and Aly began to walk away from the gym. They continued down the road towards the end of the city and entrance of West Route 402.
"Well, we got stopped Team Immortal, got our Poke-Tabs and you won your gym badge! I'd say it was a pretty eventful stay here!" Aly exclaimed.
"Tell me about it! But now, we got to move on. C'mon, let's get a move on!" Justin cried out as he began to run down the road.
"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!" Aly called out as she chased after him. Both trainers ready to face the new challenges that await them.
A/N: A thank you to those who continue to read my story. I realize I may not be the best writer, but I'm trying to become a better one with each chapter I write. Hope you're enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it!
