Disclaimers: Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Taijiri. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.
"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." - George S. Patton
Vast White and Deep Black: Reunification
Chapter 14: Challenging All That One Faces!
(Striaton City, Gym, Battlefield, January 4, 2011, 12:35 p.m.)
A stunned silence permeated the Striaton Gym until Miri decided to break it. "D-Did t-the D-Doctor just c-challenge all t-three gym leaders to b-battles?"
Rory nodded. "That would appear to be the case."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Trust the Doctor to want to show off and overdo things in the process..."
Cilan chuckled. "Well, this is an interesting situation, to say the least. I don't believe anyone has ever made such a request. You're either really confident in your abilities, really eager for a challenge, or really ambitious in seeking goals."
The Doctor chuckled in return. "Actually, I prefer to see myself as really crazy."
"That's a rather unique way to view yourself." commented Chili.
The Time Lord smiled. "Thank you. But that's beside the point. The joy of being a Pokemon Trainer is to battle as many opponents as you can, is it not? Everyone mutually becomes stronger because of it."
Cress nodded calmly. "You have a point there. Battling is what we're all meant to do, so why not?" The other two gym leaders nodded in agreement. "Alright, how does it sound if you win the badge by winning two out of three matches? We'll make them all one-on-one matches to be fair, since you have three Pokemon."
The Doctor beamed. "I'd like that, thank you."
As the Time Lord's companions walked towards the balcony, Amy began to mutter to herself. "Will the Doctor win? Or will he embarrass himself out there? Hmmm..."
"Lacking faith in him, Amy?" asked Rory.
"Oh, I have faith in the Doctor, but I also want to see how badly he screws this up for himself. Or in the chance that he doesn't, then that's good for him and us. He won't have to waste his time and ours in obtaining a rematch, in which case he will likely challenge them all again, I suppose..." Amy's voice trailed off. "Which means I'll have to put up with those cheerleaders again... Oh, the Doctor had better win this and get a badge."
Faye's face bore a thoughtful expression. "Maybe challenging all three gym leaders on the Doctor's part wasn't such a bad idea. I'm guessing that's why he choose to take his turn at this gym last. So he could elect to take this choice, which is rather sneaky of him, I have to admit."
"How is it not a bad idea? He now has to do extra work to get a badge." asked Amy.
Nathen spoke up. "Well, for one, more of his Pokemon would gain experience and grow stronger from facing all the gym leaders as opposed to just one of them. I think that the Doctor was on to something when he issued that challenge. I can't speak for anyone else, but I think battling all three gym leaders might have been a great opportunity."
"Well, you may think so, I just prefer to get things over with by battling just one of them." muttered Violet.
"Different strokes for different folks, eh?"
"As long as we all get a badge from it."
"Can't argue with that logic either, I guess."
Amy sighed as she saw the cheerleaders enter the balcony. "Oh bother, it's the pious squad again."
Miri took out her notepad. "Well, the Doctor has a nice set-up in terms of Pokemon."
Rory scratched his head. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it, Rory. He has a Snivy, a Tepig, and an Oshawott, which are all the same types as the dominant types of this gym. And each starter Pokemon type has an advantage against another and a disadvantage against the third. The matches he's having are all one-on-ones, so he already knows that the gym leaders will use their elemental monkeys. With that knowledge, he can easily select a Pokemon with an advantage over the gym leader he's facing, and due to the interrelated type advantage and disadvantage each starter Pokemon type has against the others, he has an appropriate counter against each gym leader. In addition, since he's going last, he already saw how Cilan, Chili, and Cress battles, as well as the moves of their Pokemon, which is already a significant advantage in itself. I can tell that he did some thinking in that regard."
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose so. But I doubt that the Doctor will always send out the Pokemon that has an advantage against the gym leader he's facing."
"Why not? That would be a waste of his advantages!"
"He wants to do things differently, be unexpected, which is probably why he challenged all three gym leaders to begin with."
Faye shrugged. "Then again, most gym leaders usually prepare strategies against challengers' Pokemon that have type advantages over theirs. Conversely, some gym leaders do tend to get rather complacent when it comes to type match-ups. Such gym leaders don't really prepare their Pokemon to face challengers' Pokemon who have a type disadvantage against theirs. They simply assume that no challenger would be 'stupid' enough to actually use a Pokemon with a disadvantage. In theory, a challenger could exploit that and catch an unprepared gym leader off guard by making such a choice of Pokemon, and of course, good strategy."
Amy sighed. "Just watch, and expect the Doctor to do something that most people would consider to be utterly stupid. Just get those chairs, Rory." The nurse let out a short sigh before dashing off to the restaurant area.
Nathen crossed his arms. "We'll see. The Doctor's first match is starting now."
(Striaton City, Gym, Battlefield, January 4, 2011, 12:45 p.m.)
The Doctor: 0-0-0
Chili stood on the edge of the battlefield's center, surveying the Doctor and Cress. "And now, today's first battle at the Striaton Gym between the challenger, the Doctor, gosh that was awkward to say, and the gym leader Cress is about to begin. You'll each use one Pokemon. As soon as one Pokemon is unable to battle, this match will end. Are you ready?"
The Doctor raised a finger. "Uh, hold on a minute." The gym leaders gave the Time Lord confused looks. Shrugging, the Doctor took a quick glance at the balcony to see Rory walking in, carrying two chairs like he did the day before. "Ok, now I'm ready."
"Well, that was considerate." said Faye.
Chili shrugged. "Okay then, now begin!"
Cress took a Pokeball in hand. "Here's the Pokemon I'll be using. Make a splash!" The blue haired Striaton gym leader tossed his Pokeball, sending out his Panpour. The Doctor wordlessly sent out his Oshawott.
Miri raised an eyebrow. "Oshawott? Snivy would have been a better option, and she's quite strong, probably the strongest of the Doctor's Pokemon."
Nathen shrugged. "Knowing that, he probably wants to save Snivy for a different match."
"You may have the first attack." offered Cress.
The Doctor scratched his head. "Hmmm... Normally, I make that offer, but okay. Oshawott, use Tackle." The Sea Otter Pokemon ran at the Spray Pokemon in hopes of engaging it in a tackle.
"Panpour, dodge like the shifting stream." Cress' Panpour casually sidestepped Oshawott, causing him to stumble slightly as the target he sought was no longer present in that spot. "Now, use Scald." The Panpour fired a stream of boiling hot water at Oshawott's back, causing him to yelp at the heat which was unexpected for a typical water-type attack.
The Time Lord visibly tensed. "Razor Shell, Oshawott!" The Sea Otter Pokemon detached the scalchop from his chest, elongating a pillar of water from it. He swung the scalchop at his opponent, but the Panpour avoided the hit by leaping to the right. "Again!" Oshawott complied, swinging his scalchop at his opponent's new location, but the Panpour evaded by jumping backwards. "Use Water Gun!" Still holding his scalchop with its pillar of water, the Sea Otter Pokemon nodded and fired off a forceful shot of water from his mouth, catching Panpour off-guard. The attack made its mark and sent the Spray Pokemon backwards into one of the rocks jutting from the battlefield. "Now's your chance! Razor Shell!" Scalchop raised, Oshawott charged at Cress' Panpour and smacked it twice across the face with the pillar of water.
"Dislodge Oshawott with the flowing grace of Fury Swipes." The Panpour elongated white claws from its paws and began to slash away at various parts of Oshawott's body in a bid to drive him back. Needless to say, the Spray Pokemon succeeded in that endeavour as the pillar of water attached to Oshawott's scalchop disappeared, and the Sea Otter Pokemon brought the scalchop up to his face to defend it from the Spray Pokemon's frenzied movements. A particularly hard swipe from Panpour's left paw knocked the scalchop out of Oshawott's hands, sending it flying several meters away.
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oshawott, use Water Gun!" Winching from a slash across his face, the Sea Otter Pokemon spat a stream of water at the Spray Pokemon, forcing it to stop its attack so it could wipe its face. "Disengage and get your scalchop back, quickly!" Oshawott nodded and ran down the battle field in a bid to locate his lost weapon.
Amy sighed. "Looks like Oshawott losing his scalchop in battle is a recurring problem."
On the battlefield, without even turning his head to look at his companions on the balcony, the Doctor closed his eyes. "Yes, Pond, I know it's a recurring problem. A recurring problem that I'm trying to work out."
Violet's eyes widened. "The Doctor can hear us from down there?"
"Let's just say that he has very sensitive ears." replied Rory.
The cheerleaders were delighted at Oshawott's predicament. "Let's go, Cress! Let's go, Cress! Win! Win! Win!" Amy began to crack her knuckles.
Cress ran a hand through his hair before pointing at one of the battlefield's rocks. "Panpour, use Scald on that rock." The Spray Pokemon nodded and fired off its attack at the rock its Trainer indicated. The stream of boiling hot water struck the rock, before ricocheting off it and striking another and then a third. The process continued itself until the stream reached Oshawott, who was still searching for his scalchop. The Sea Otter Pokemon shrieked in pain and surprise and the attack hit him in the back, causing him to fall on the ground face-first.
The Doctor briefly muttered to himself. "I need a new approach. Oshawott, use Water Gun on the ground, just trust me." Oshawott nodded and tilted his head down at the ground, firing off his attack. The forceful shot of water from the Sea Otter Pokemon's mouth propelled him into the air, giving him a good vantage point of the entire battlefield. "Now aim at the ceiling!" The Sea Otter Pokemon tilted his head upwards at an angle, shooting his Water Gun at the ceiling. This had the effect of shooting him straight towards the ground, with his opponent directly in his trajectory. Back facing Panpour, Oshawott collided into the surprised Spray Pokemon, sending it straight into a rock.
Nathen had a surprised look on his face. "I definitely did not see that coming." The cheerleaders gasped, much to Amy's enjoyment.
But the Doctor was not done. "Now turn around and use Water Gun on Panpour!" Oshawott fired a stream of water from his mouth at Panpour, nailing the still stunned Spray Pokemon.
Cress bit his lip. "I sense turbulence in the waves. Panpour, Fury Swipes!" The Spray Pokemon ran at Oshawott, claws drawn, and managed to get a few swipes in on the Sea Otter Pokemon.
The Doctor massaged his temples. "Oshawott, use Tackle!" Before Panpour could swipe at Oshawott again, the Sea Otter Pokemon shot forward and tackled the Spray Pokemon in the stomach, sending both himself and it flying back into the same rock it was slammed into a minute ago.
"Panpour, Bite!" Still pinned to the rock by Oshawott, Panpour bared its fangs and bit down on the Sea Otter Pokemon's head. Oshawott's eyes widened slightly at the hit.
"Oshawott, turn around and use Water Gun!" Taking advantage of the fact that Panpour was in front of him and still latched onto his head, Oshawott spun around and opened his mouth, shooting a stream of water right into the Spray Pokemon's stomach. Panpour groaned as it was dislodged from Oshawott's head and sent tumbling down the battlefield. When it stopped moving, a look at its face revealed that its eyes were swirly.
Chili nodded. "Panpour is unable to battle, so the winner is Oshawott. Therefore, the winner of the first match is the challenger, the Doctor."
The Doctor: 1-0-0
The cheerleaders groaned. "Awww... How could Cress have lost today as well?" Amy had a smug expression on her face.
Cress held out his Panpour's Pokeball and recalled the unconscious Spray Pokemon. "Great work Panpour, now take your rest. A fine battle, Doctor."
The Time Lord nodded. "Why, thank you, Cress." Walking onto the battlefield, the Doctor smiled at Oshawott. "Congratulations, Oshawott, now to find that scalchop of yours. Blimey, where in the name of Gallifrey did that Panpour knock it off to?"
Oshawott shrugged. "Osha."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to start looking then."
Faye's eyes widened "Wow, he actually won, despite neither Pokemon's water-type attacks doing that much damage to each other."
Violet nodded. "And Oshawott won with little aid from his scalchop. The Doctor's a man of surprises, isn't he?"
Rory nodded. "That he is." The spectators on the balcony stopped talking when a triumphant shout broke out on the battlefield.
"WOOHOO! Found it! Yeah!" The Doctor enthusiastically held up Oshawott's scalchop. "This thing's colored a bit like the battlefield, no wonder it escaped detection for a while. Grinning from ear-to-ear, the Doctor returned the scalchop to Oshawott, who took it with a smile.
"Osha!" The Time Lord smiled and recalled Oshawott. He walked off to his end of the battlefield to see that Chili had taken Cress' previous position on the opposite side. "Looks like I'll be facing Chili next. Let's keep the momentum going."
Cilan replaced Chili as the next match's referee. "It's now time for our second match, which is the battle between the gym leader Chili and the challenger, the Doctor. Gosh, Chili was right, that was awkward to say."
"That's what happens when you choose to simply go by a title like that." muttered Amy.
On the battlefield, the Doctor narrowed his eyes, with a warning tone in his voice which surprised his companions. "I heard that, Pond."
The woman was taken slightly aback. "I had better watch what I say then."
Cilan cleared his throat. "If that is all, then it's time to begin!"
Chili took a Pokeball from his belt and tossed it. "Time to meet my Pokemon partner! Heat's on!" The Pokeball opened to reveal Chili's Pansear. In response, the Doctor silently took Snivy's Pokeball and sent out the Grass Snake Pokemon.
"Now the Doctor's deliberately sending out a Pokemon with a disadvantage against the gym leader's." muttered Miri.
Nathen crossed his arms. "Well, Snivy is most likely his strongest Pokemon, so he's probably counting on her to overcome that disadvantage."
Chili nodded. "The first move is yours, Doctor."
The Time Lord shrugged. "Very well, Snivy, use Leaf Tornado." The Grass Snake Pokemon jumped up and turned upside down, before spinning around, generating a green tinted tornado filled with leaves. With the wind spinning strongly, she moved towards Pansear, intending to trap it within the confines of the tornado.
But Chili had a different plan in mind. "Pansear, use Yawn and then get out of Snivy's way!" The High Temp Pokemon opened its mouth and yawned, sending a red bubble towards the Grass Snake Pokemon.
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Dodge that Yawn, Snivy!" Snivy attempted to veer out of the attack's trajectory, but the Grass Tornado proved to be unwieldy to control when suddenly changing directions. The bubble was sucked into the tornado and rode the wind to pop against the tornado's controller. "In that case, ensnare Pansear!" Fighting off the fatigue induced by Yawn, Snivy sped forward and managed to capture Chili's Pansear in her attack. The Grass Tornado moved forwards for a few meters before Snivy slammed it against the ground, creating a cloud of dust, and knocking the ensnared Pansear a short distance away from the Grass Snake Pokemon. The dust settled to reveal Snivy belly-down, fast asleep on the battlefield.
Violet whistled. "Tough. Since this match is one-on-one, the Doctor can't switch out his Snivy."
Chili smirked. "And now Pansear, fire things up with Fury Swipes!" Pansear rushed forward with claws sticking out from its paws and began to slash away at the sleeping Grass Snake Pokemon's body.
The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm. "Come on Snivy, wake up!"
The cheerleaders reveled in the moment. "Go, Chili, go! Make this battle a piece of cake!" Amy gritted her teeth in utter annoyance.
Nathen looked thoughtfully at the scene. "Now how will the Doctor recover from this setback?"
Chili pointed at Snivy. "Keep it up, Pansear! Use Flame Burst! Turn up the heat!" Ceasing its Fury Swipes attack and standing over Snivy, Pansear nodded and crossed its arms over its chest, its body glowing red. With a shout, Pansear uncrossed its arms, and flames engulfed both Pokemon, obscuring everyone's view of them.
The Doctor bit his lip. "Wake up, Snivy!"
"Use Flame Burst again!" The flames grew larger, signifying the successful execution of another attack. "One more time, Flame Burst!"
"Snivy, come on!" From deep within the inferno of flames, Snivy's eyes snapped open, and all she saw was red-and-orange fire. Winching from the heat permeating her body, she looked up to see Chili's Pansear with its arms crossed over its chest, a red glow surrounding its body. Squinting from the blindingly hot light piercing her eyes, Snivy extended a vine from her right shoulder and shot it forwards at Pansear, whacking the High Temp Pokemon across the chest with Vine Whip. The Pansear's eyes widened as Snivy's attack broke its focus, forcing it to stop its preparations for Flame Burst. The High Temp Pokemon felt something curl around its legs, and its eyes widened when it noticed that said thing was Snivy's vine. Still lying belly-down on the ground but with a smirk on her face, the Grass Snake Pokemon gave her vine a hard yank forward, tripping up the High Temp Pokemon and causing it to fall on its back. The flames died down to reveal this sight to the Doctor and Chili.
"No way."
"Great work, Snivy. Now hold Pansear in place with that vine, and with your other vine, use Vine Whip!" Snivy extended the vine from her left shoulder and began to viciously whip Pansear repeatedly. "Now, use Leaf Tornado!" Vine still wrapped around Pansear's legs, Snivy turned herself upside down and began to spin, creating a tornado filled with leaves. Pansear yelped in surprise as it was forcefully pulled into the vortex of air for the second time. The tornado spun for several seconds, battering the High Temp Pokemon inside with its leaves and winds, before it was slammed into the ground, forcefully ejecting the Pansear.
"Pansear, use Bite!" Chili's Pansear ran at Snivy with its mouth opened and fangs bared, in preparation for its attack.
"Dodge it!" Snivy leapt gracefully over the approaching Pansear and landed on the ground, a few meters behind the High Temp Pokemon. "Now, use Tackle." With a nod, the Grass Snake Pokemon ran at the High Temp Pokemon's back, knocking it aside with a full body tackle.
"Alright, Pansear, try using Fury Swipes!" The High Temp Pokemon caught Snivy in its sights again, before running at her, claws raised.
"Try and dodge it, Snivy!" The Grass Snake Pokemon attempted to follow her Trainer's command as the High Temp Pokemon began to swipe at her. She succeeded in evading the first few slashes, but a well-placed one on her legs sent her sprawling backwards onto the battlefield. Seeing that its opponent had fallen, Pansear began to mercilessly rake its claws along Snivy's body without any form of letup. The Grass Snake Pokemon screeched in pain at the repeated slashes she was receiving. The Doctor's eyes widened in alarm.
Chili gave his challenger a smirk. "And now, finish it with the searing force of Flame Burst, Pansear!" The High Temp Pokemon forcefully stepped on Snivy's stomach, causing the Grass Snake Pokemon to squeeze her eyes shut and grunt in pain as her hands grabbed its foot in a vain attempt to remove it from its position on her body. The Pansear glowed red and engulfed both itself and Snivy in a large burst of red fire.
The Doctor gritted his teeth. "SNIVY!" The flames cleared to reveal Chili's Pansear still stepping on Snivy's stomach, and the Grass Snake Pokemon herself out cold.
Cilan nodded. "Snivy is unable to battle. Pansear wins. Which means that the winner of the second match is the gym leader Chili."
The Doctor: 1-1-0
The cheerleaders waved their pom-poms in glee at Chili's victory, earning themselves dark looks from Amy.
Chili recalled his Pansear. "It's time for you to rest, Pansear. Great job with your battle today. I enjoyed that battle, Doctor. Your Snivy managed to give Pansear here a run for its money." The Time Lord nodded with a smile, holding out his Snivy's Pokeball and recalling the Grass Snake Pokemon.
Faye stared down at the battlefield. "Hmmm... So Snivy lost to Pansear."
Violet shrugged. "I guess some of us had that thought at the backs of our heads. Don't forget, Snivy had a type disadvantage against Pansear, a fact that the Doctor was well aware of, and yet he still chose to send in Snivy for that match anyway."
"You think he underestimated Pansear?"
"Possibly. I guess he didn't plan for this one as well as he thought."
Amy scoffed. "The Doctor doing any actual planning? Don't make me laugh."
"Ah, so he does a lot of things spontaneously then. I've met and interviewed a lot of Trainers who also do that. Some have this impression that not planning things out allows for a more fluid battle style and makes one easily adaptable, which may very well be true, since you won't be weighed down with thoughts of preplanned strategies." said Miri.
"Well, the Doctor has one match left that he has to win, if he is to get a badge." remarked Nathen. "Oh, I guess it's starting now."
Cress walked onto the edge of the battlefield's center. "Alright. The third and final match of the day is between the challenger, the Doctor, yes a tad awkward to say, and the gym leader Cilan."
Cilan had a Pokeball in hand, which he tossed. "Here we go. My partner!" The Pokeball opened, and Cilan's Pansage was sent out. Without uttering a single word, the Doctor hurled the Pokeball containing his Tepig, sending out his Fire Pig Pokemon.
"Well, the Doctor has the advantage now." remarked Miri.
"I guess he's now trying to increase his chances of clinching a win with this match." said Violet.
Nathen scratched his head. "Type isn't always everything though. We'll just have to see how this plays out."
Cress took a deep breath. "If there's nothing else, begin!"
Cilan stared at the Doctor. "You may have the first attack, from anywhere you like."
The Time Lord nodded. "Gladly. Tepig, use Ember." The Fire Pig Pokemon shot off a stream of fire bolts at the Grass Monkey Pokemon.
"Pansage, dodge it." Cilan's Pansage leapt above the attack, completely avoiding it.
Staring at the still airborne Pansage, the Doctor smirked and pointed to a spot on the battlefield a few meters in front of Tepig, and from Pansage's current location, diagonally to its right towards the ground. "Tepig, use Flame Charge and run to that spot."
Cilan's eyes widened. "What?" Tepig looked a tad unsure of his Trainer's instructions.
"Seriously, everyone keeps stealing my line. And quickly Tepig, just trust me on this." The Fire Pig Pokemon nodded before cloaking himself in fire and running towards the spot the Doctor directed him to, right in time to meet the descending Pansage, in its trajectory towards the ground, with a hit. The Grass Monkey Pokemon yelped as it was knocked backwards by the super effective attack.
"Quick, Pansage, blossom in the direction of the wind and use Leech Seed." While still being flung backwards by Tepig's attack, the Grass Monkey Pokemon spat a single seed at the Fire Pig Pokemon. The seed struck Tepig and vines grew out from it to wrap around the Fire Pig Pokemon's midsection, enabling Pansage to sap his energy. "Now use Seed Bomb!" Cilan's Pansage shot a large number of white seeds from its mouth at the Fire Pig Pokemon, who winched as the projectiles struck his face and front legs. Using the momentum of the attack to speed up its backwards movement, Pansage stuck its right leg out and caught the top of one of the battlefield's rocks, bringing the rest of its body to rest
atop the rock.
"Try using Ember." Tepig shot a stream of fire bolts from its snout, only for Pansage to dodge by leaping off the rock and onto another. "Try again then." Another Ember attack from Tepig was met with the same result from Cilan's Pansage. "Just keep it up and aim properly." Tepig repeatedly shot off Ember attacks which Pansage continued to dodge. Eventually however, one nailed its target. "Now use Flame Charge!" The Fire Pig Pokemon cloaked himself in fire and charged at the Grass Monkey Pokemon, successfully hitting it.
"Pansage, burst into full bloom with Fury Swipes!" Pansage elongated white claws from its right paw and raked them across Tepig's back, forcing him to halt his movements. Another swipe, this time from Pansage's left paw, followed, slashing across Tepig's front legs, bringing the Fire Pig Pokemon to his knees. Several slashes across Tepig's back followed.
"Tepig, use Tackle." Tepig sprang forward and slammed his body into Pansage's, knocking both Pokemon into a rock.
"Use Bite, Pansage!" Pinned to a rock, Pansage noticed Tepig's tail waving in its face. The Grass Monkey Pokemon opened its mouth and bit down hard on the Fire Pig Pokemon's tail, causing Tepig to shriek in pain and release his grip on Cilan's Pansage.
"Shake Pansage off, Tepig!" The Fire Pig Pokemon began to wave his tail around wildly, trying to remove the appendage from Pansage's jaws. Just as Tepig was about to swing the Pansage into another rock, the Grass Monkey Pokemon released its jaws, causing Tepig to smack his own tail into the rock. The Fire Pig Pokemon groaned in pain at the self-inflicted injury.
"And now, Seed Bomb, Pansage." The Grass Monkey Pokemon began to pelt Tepig with white seeds from its mouth, while the Fire Pig Pokemon was still winching from smacking his own tail into the rock. Tepig ran as seeds repeatedly struck his rear end, eyes squeezed tightly shut at the stinging sensation the attack was causing him. Tepig eventually managed to get behind a low rock and away from the attack's path, but Cilan's Pansage began to slowly advance towards his location, spitting seeds along the way in hopes of intimidating him.
The cheerleaders chanted. "Keep it up, Cilan! Keep it up!" Amy stared at the cheerleaders, looking like she was out for blood.
The Doctor sighed. "Tepig, get a hold of yourself, and use Ember." The Fire Pig Pokemon took a deep breath before leaping up on top of the rock. From his elevated position over his opponent, Tepig shot a stream of fire bolts from his snout, forcing Pansage to raise its arms above its face to protect itself from being pelted by the Ember attack. "Jump off and use Flame Charge!" Tepig did as he was told, leaping off the rock and cloaking himself in fire. He shot straight towards the surprised Pansage like a missile and tackled it right in the stomach, knocking it down on its back.
Cilan smiled. "Pansage, Bite!" Still underneath the Fire Pig Pokemon, the Grass Monkey Pokemon bared its fangs while lifting its head up to bite Tepig on the neck. Tepig's eyes squeezed shut and he gritted his teeth, trying not to give his opponent the satisfaction of hearing him scream. "While you have Tepig in place, grow your claws like grass and use Fury Swipes!" White claws extended themselves from the Pansage's paws, and it slashed Tepig's underside several times.
"Tepig, use Ember quickly!" The Fire Pig Pokemon turned its head slightly and shot fire bolts at the Grass Monkey Pokemon from its snout, forcing the Pansage to slacken the grip its jaws had on Tepig's neck. With a quick jerk of his head, Tepig yanked his head from Pansage's jaws. "Now then Tepig, use Flame Charge!"
"Stop that attack with Fury Swipes!" Before Tepig could cloak himself in fire for a Flame Charge attack, Pansage rolled itself and Tepig over so it was now on top of the Fire Pig Pokemon. Claws gleaming white, it swiped them across Tepig's underside.
The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Use Ember!" Tepig fired his attack at his opponent, causing Cilan's Pansage to winch as fire bolts struck its chin. Taking advantage of the Grass Monkey Pokemon's distraction, Tepig ran from under it, putting a few meters between himself and it. "Flame Charge!" The Fire Pig Pokemon ran towards the Grass Monkey Pokemon, fire engulfing his body in the process.
"Seed Bomb, Pansage!" The Grass Monkey Pokemon nodded and began to fire white seeds from its mouth, which proceeded to repeatedly strike the charging Tepig on the forehead. Showing no sign that he was affected by the persistent flow of seeds, Tepig shot forward and collided with the Grass Monkey Pokemon. The flames surrounding him shot over to cover Cilan's Pansage as well, blocking both Cilan and the Doctor from seeing their Pokemon.
When the fire died down, Tepig and Pansage were lying on the ground, their eyes swirly.
Cress cleared his throat. "Tepig and Pansage are unable to battle, and so this match is a draw! With one win, one loss, and one draw, the Doctor's challenge at the Striaton Gym is a draw."
The Doctor: 1-1-1
The cheerleaders moaned. "A draw? Awww… At least the challenger didn't win."
Amy cracked her knuckles. "That's it, come over here, you annoying pests!" The hotheaded woman moved towards the cheerleaders, who quickly fled from the balcony in fear.
Rory looked alarmed. "Stop her!" Nathen, Violet, and Faye leapt up and held the woman back, pushing her back into her chair. "You complained about the Doctor making a scene yesterday, and look at yourself."
Amy closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm herself down. "So what happens when a gym battle ends in a draw?"
Miri put away her notepad. "In that situation, the gym leader is required to decide if the challenger deserves to win a badge based on his or her performance."
"So the Doctor may need to go for a rematch?"
"Well, at this point it's up to the gym leaders. The Doctor may very well have to go for a rematch, yes. By the look on his face, he doesn't seem to mind if he has to or not."
Amy groaned as she stared at the exit to the balcony where the cheerleaders had exited minutes ago. "Urgh. If they don't give the Doctor the badge, I think I'm ready to get on my knees and beg them to do so."
Rory chuckled. "Getting desperate?" The nurse quickly stopped talking when his wife shot him a dark look. He changed the subject. "The Doctor had the advantage in type. How did a draw happen?"
Nathen shrugged. "Well, like I said, type isn't everything. It probably shows that Cilan's Pansage is a strong opponent, as gym leaders' Pokemon are expected to be. That and Tepig had a Leech Seed planted on him at the start of the match. It's not easy to carry out the battle while your energy is being periodically sapped. In that regard, Tepig's pretty tough himself, in not succumbing to it."
Cilan held out a Pokeball and recalled his Pansage. "You gave it your all, Pansage. Good job. Time for you to take a rest. That was a battle filled to the bursting with flavor, Doctor. You had me on the ropes quite a few times." The Time Lord held out his Tepig's Pokeball and silently recalled the Fire Pig Pokemon.
The Doctor beamed. "Thank you very much." The Time Lord gave the three gym leaders a small bow. "And thank you all, I guess I'll come back soon for a rematch." The Doctor turned his back on the gym leaders and began to walk away.
The Time Lord stopped however, when Cilan's voice interrupted. "Just a minute." The Doctor turned to face the gym leaders again, and saw that Chili was holding a blue hexagonal container with a Trio Badge inside. "We've decided to award you the Trio Badge for daring to challenge all three of us, and giving us all fine battles. The goal of a Trainer is to also challenge himself or herself to the absolute limit, and I think you've accomplished that through the Pokemon that you chose to face ours. Plus, you were nice about our ties, even though they're supposedly now out of fashion."
The Doctor's eyes widened. "I can't accept the badge like this…"
The Time Lord's protests were cut off by Cress. "I'll say that you earned it."
The Doctor closed his eyes and took the badge from the container, inserting it into his badge case. "Alright then. Thank you."
Amy called on the Doctor from the balcony. "Wow, Doctor, you challenged all three gym leaders even though you didn't have to, made your own life harder in the process, and were lucky enough to get a badge after all that. Furthermore, you chose incompatible type match-ups for two of your battles, even though you could have given yourself the advantage in all three. And in the battle where you did give yourself the advantage in, you didn't win it. Have you ever thought things through?"
The Doctor appeared to be offended. "OI!" He crossed his arms, eliciting laughter from the gym leaders and his companions.
(Striaton City, Outskirts, January 4, 2011, 1:30 p.m.)
On the outskirts of Striaton City, Felix stood atop a hill with a number of Plasma grunts. He grinned from ear-to-ear. "We are now in position. The operation begins tomorrow."
(Nuvema Town, Professor Juniper's Laboratory, Corridors, January 4, 2011, 1:30 p.m.)
Adam dialed a number into his cell phone. He waited for a few seconds before someone on the other end picked up.
A stoic voice was heard. "Hello?"
Adam nodded. "It's me. I've passed on the information and those idiotic researchers followed up on it. They managed to unearth what we were searching for. The items will be transported to the Nacrene Museum."
"Excellent. You will be joining Professor Juniper soon, I assume?"
"Yes."
"When you have arrived in Nacrene City, give the call, and we'll begin the operation."
"There's just one thing."
"What?"
"The researchers unearthed something extra, something not in our plans. Let's just say that the Nacrene Museum will soon be playing host to the remains of not one Legendary Pokemon, but two."
"Interesting. Keep me posted." With that, the person on the other end disconnected the call.
(Striaton City, Gym, January 4, 2011, 1:35 p.m.)
After the Doctor's gym battles, the group now stood outside the gym.
"So you'll be staying in Striaton City for a while longer?" asked Miri.
The Doctor nodded. "Yes, we have to wait for those assistants of Professor Juniper's to arrive here before they accompany us to Nacrene City, and I have to give that lecture at the Trainer's School on her behalf. I presume that you'll all be going ahead then."
Nathen nodded. "Yeah, I'm headed off to challenge other gyms first, starting with the one in Nacrene City, and I believe Miri's coming along with me for company."
The journalist blushed. "Sure. That's one way to travel the region for more news stories."
"I'm going on ahead with Faye as well. More gym battles await, you know." said Violet. Faye simply nodded.
"Then may our paths cross again soon." said Rory. The Doctor and Amy nodded as the four teens walked away, headed for the outskirts of the city. The Time Lord and his companions waved as they saw the teens depart.
After she stopped waving, Amy chuckled before giving the Doctor a sly smile. "By the way, Doctor, have you considered the fact that the gym leaders simply awarded you the Trio Badge just to get rid of you? If they didn't, you'd challenge all three of them again, and that would exhaust more of their Pokemon, preventing them from taking on more challenges on the same day."
The Time Lord briefly considered his companion's words before pouting. "What? So I'm a burden? Why would anyone want to get rid of me? Well, except for Daleks and Cybermen (1) and the sort. But that's beside the point. I'm a great person!" whined the Doctor.
Rory smiled. "Oh relax, Doctor. Amy's just teasing you."
The woman gave the Time Lord a teasing smile. "Or am I?"
The Doctor continued to pout. "Even though I've won, you two somehow manage to make me feel terrible."
"Uh, Doctor? Technically, you didn't win."
The Doctor slumped his head forward. "You see? Just like that!" The Time Lord's misery only served to elicit a few laughs from the couple accompanying him. The laughter soon stopped at the sound of the Doctor's Xtranceiver ringing.
The Doctor answered the call, and the Xtranceiver's screen tuned on to show Professor Juniper's face.
The professor smiled. "Why hello there, Doctor. Did you challenge the gym yet?"
The Time Lord nodded. "Yeah, and I wo- er, obtained a badge there."
Professor Juniper chuckled. "Congratulations. Did you challenge all three gym leaders?"
The Doctor was surprised. "Yeah, how did you guess?"
"You seem to be the sort who would do such a thing, that's all."
"Hmmm… So what can I do for you?"
"Well, I'm at the Nacrene Museum, and I'm just about to head off for the Relic Castle now, so I won't be able to contact you due to the poor reception in the desert and vice versa. I just wanted to inform you that you'll have to deliver that lecture at the Trainer's School tomorrow. They know to expect you, so just flash your credentials when you're there. Oh, and the teacher called in sick, so this may be too much to ask, but could you watch the kids for the day as well? You can entertain them with your Pokemon to keep them busy."
"I could do that. Anything for the kids."
"Great. Thanks for your help. I'll call you when Skylar and Sophie arrive in Striaton City as well. My helicopter's now here, so I really have to go. Bye now." The screen on the Doctor's Xtranceiver went blank as the call was terminated.
Rory shrugged. "Well, it looks like we have our plans for tomorrow then. I guess that'll keep us busy until Professor Juniper's researchers arrive here." The Doctor ignored his companion, appearing to be rather occupied.
Amy took note of the Time Lord's distraction. "Uh Doctor, what's wrong?"
The Doctor's eyes widened. "Professor Juniper forgot to tell me what sort of lecture to give those kids, and I forgot to ask!"
Author's notes: Well, that's that for the Doctor's first gym battle chapter. I hope that a draw isn't too much of a big suspension of belief. I think that the Doctor will obtain another badge in Unova due to a draw, though at which gym is secret for now. As for the departing OCs, they will be seen again at later chapters, of course. Anyways, here's this chapter's glossary, with one entry.
(1) Apart from Daleks, Cybermen are another prominent villanous alien race in Doctor Who, being the most iconic after the Daleks themselves. The two races also share a very intense rivalry, and the Cybermen dislike the Doctor as much as the Daleks do.
And I'm still taking OCs for this story. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. Flames will be deleted.
For credits:
Adam Colt belongs to WolfSummoner93.
Miri Olean belongs to Windy Rain.
Nathen Pierce belongs to Final Heir.
Faye Lillian Anderson belongs to Prism Fire.
Violet Kinomoto belongs to Miss Kiko.
Felix Masque belongs to Tyltalis.