Pewter Saga: Chapter 6: Expect the Onix-pected!

"Here you go, boys. Eat up."

Brock grunted as he dropped the red plastic kiddie pool onto the damp grass, the seventy-five plus pounds of Pokémon food inside leaping and falling as it hit the ground, a few nuggets spilling out from inside. The trio of rhinoceros-like creatures that had been waiting nearby eagerly dug into their breakfast, thanking their trainer with cries of "Rhy, rhy!"

It was a beautiful morning in Pewter City. The weather was humid and warm after the rainstorm the night before, and puddles of slightly muddy water had formed just about everywhere. The air was crisp and the sun was slightly obscured by the puffy clouds that floated overhead. The grass was glowing with health and gleaming with dew, and the earth was muddy and soaked with rainwater.

Brock didn't have time to enjoy the natural beauty that the morning had brought, though. A Gym Leader's life was one of constant effort and responsibility, leaving little time to relax, and his second occupation, which was that of an older brother, took up what little time for relaxation he had, especially considering that his parents loved honeymooning a great deal, and had a bad habit of forgetting just how much work they constantly piled upon their eldest child.

Still, Brock didn't complain. Whining, so he believed, was a sign of weakness and ingratitude for all of the excellent things in life, and while they were certainly a handful, Brock loved each and every one of his younger brothers and sisters – all nine of them.

Yes, nine. There was a saying amongst Pewter locals: "When Mr. and Mrs. Takashi are home, it means that they're about to have children."

All nine of them were hard at work aiding their elder brother with his morning chores. After all, it was Brock who was the big moneymaker in the Takeshi family, as being a Gym Leader paid extremely well, and his siblings all looked up to him as such and were always happy to help their older brother with his Pokémon.

Even Brock's stern face couldn't help but break into a smile as he watched them scamper around and attending their duties. Forrest, being the second eldest, was acting as Brock's lieutenant, supervising the others. The third eldest, Yolanda (Brock's parents had a fondness for Western names, especially bizarre ones), was helping the fourth eldest, a young boy named Salvador, carry another kiddie pool to Brock's Geodude, which were small, rock-like Pokémon, distinguishable from regular stones only by their large eyes, mouths, and muscular arms. Tommy and Cindy, numbers five and six, were using large brooms to dust off their older brother's Graveler and its evolved form, Golem, who was a large, terrapin-like creature with a rocky shell surrounding his brown leathery skin. Tommy and Cindy, numbers seven and eight, were dragging more bags of Pokémon food out from the large shed that sat in the corner of the yard, and the youngest two, Tilly and Billy, were playing with a few of the Geodude, as each was only three years old and wouldn't be much help anyways. Each of the children looked very similar to their older brother, with dark hair and squinty eyes, although a few of them were paler than their elder brother, a trait from their paler-skinned mother.

Anyways, Brock and his siblings were all hard at work preparing his Pokémon for another hard day of Gym Battles. So hard at work, in fact, that they didn't notice the silent man watching them from across the street, casually standing next to the bus stop.

He was a handsome fellow, with pristine skin, short-cut turquoise hair that hung down to its ears, and gleaming matching eyes. He was wearing a plain black suit and carrying a briefcase, giving him a completely unassuming look, that of a simple businessman just waiting for his bus to arrive and whisk him away to another nine to five at the office.

The man's eyes narrowed as he looked over Brock's impressive array of Pokémon, his fingers twitching. For three years now he had been in what he referred to as "the business" and it had heightened many of his human instincts, including those that most people considered to be morally reprehensible – in the open, at least.

Brock's Rock-types were formidable foes indeed – and the man knew that they'd fetch a hefty sum on the black market, or better still would earn him an ever higher position in the business that he had already earned. Fortunately, the man was not a fool; the Boss had given him an order and those who took initiative without his consent in the business were generally met with suspicion and disdain.

Recovering from his greed attack, the man adjust his sleeve, a tiny blue bat-like Pokémon squirming out and landing in the palm of his hand.

The man smiled as he ran a finger across the creature's head. "Are you ready?"

The creature raised its eyeless and squirmed angrily. Its wide, gaping maw was covered by a thick iron muzzle to keep it from biting its trainer. It spat and hissed, struggling to break free from the man's grip.

The man kept his firm grip on the rodent as he undid its muzzle. The creature snarled hungrily, saliva flying from its razor sharp fangs. The poor creature was dreadfully hungry and it was no wonder: its trainer had personally starved it to ensure it would be the perfect choice for this mission.

The man gazed at Brock's yard again. All of the Gym Leader's Pokémon were happily munching away at their meals, the Gym Leader and his siblings watching them happily.

The man smirked. "Zubat," he ordered, "use Bite."

He released the Pokémon and it shot off like… well, like a Zubat out of Hell.

After another nightmare filled slumber, Tony awoke, shivering as he rose up, the cruel words of his personal demon still echoing in his ears. As always he repeated his mantra, shook it off, and returned to the world of the conscious.

Lucky and Spear were both fast asleep and curled up inside his green tent beside him, wrapped up in the thin blankets that Aunt Sally had packed for them. However, Squirtle was nowhere to be found.

Tony sighed and checked his watch. It was only six-thirty and something had already gone wrong. He sluggishly pulled off his pajamas, dressed himself, strapped on his boots, and opened the flap of the tent, ready to search for his wayward Water-type.

He didn't have to look far at all. Squirtle was lying on a large wet stone right outside his tent, silently staring up at the sky as he sunned himself. Last night's rainstorm had left the fields of Pewter in a muddy, slippery mess, but the sky had cleared with the sunrise and it was perfect weather for a little sunbathing, which was a necessity for a Squirtle.

Tony slowly approached Squirtle, his boots squelching in the mud and splashing in the puddles. Squirtle didn't turn to face his trainer, his gaze never leaving the puffy white clouds above. Occasionally, the reptile would let loose a small stream of bubbles into the air, which would float off and pop harmlessly in the sky.

Tony sat down on a stone next to Squirtle's. "Morning," he murmured quietly.

Squirtle looked to his trainer. "Squirt," he greeted quietly before looking back to the sky.

Tony followed the reptile's gaze to the horizon. By some cruel stroke of luck, he found himself staring to the south, back in the direction of Pallet Town, where his Auntie and Pappy were doubtlessly worried because he hadn't called them, too ashamed of his defeat to face them.

The memory of the miserable training session the day before returned, as well as the blond's grim epiphany. Though the previous day hadn't been completely horrible – the mysterious gift of firewood had been a pleasant surprise – the majority of it had been quite unhappy. Spear was still wounded, emotionally and physically, and Lucky wasn't much better. Even the normally joyful Squirtle seemed to be distant and morose.

Maybe the Water-type knew where he had been staring. Maybe he wanted to go home, too, back to Professor Oak's laboratory, where he would be fed and cared for, and wouldn't have to worry about being attacked by wild Pokémon.

Tony couldn't blame him.

The blond sighed and leaned back, resting his bare elbows on the cool mud below. Auntie's probably awake by now, he thought. She's probably calling the Pokémon Center and asking Nurse Joy if I'm there. His stomach growled noisily. She'll probably make breakfast after that, he hungrily added.

He sighed and finally said it aloud: "I want to go home."

Squirtle looked up at his reluctant trainer. "Squirt?" he asked quietly.

Tony stood up and wiped the mud from his elbows. "I'm tired," he said, "I'm hungry, and I want to go home. This… this has all just been… I don't know…" He sighed as he looked to the south again, back to Pallet Town. "Look, wouldn't you rather be home in Pallet Town? I bet Professor Oak has a whole lake for you to swim in and the best foods for you eat. Auntie… she has stuff like that for me." He sighed. "Lucky's miserable, Spear's miserable, you're miserable, and I'm miserable. This has just been horrible and I can't take anymore…"

He bowed his head. "Maybe… Maybe we should just go back to Pallet Town. We can all just retire and focus on living normal lives. Maybe I can get a job at… I don't know, a convenience store or something. Live a regular life like a regular guy."

He fully expected Squirtle to voice his agreement. After all, he had practically shamelessly neglected the reptile the very first day of his journey, and he had even shown great preference towards training Spear rather than him. By all means, the reptile should have agreed with his trainer's declaration.

But to Tony's surprise, Squirtle shook his head. "Squirt!" he cried unhappily. "Squirt!" He leaped forward and wrapped his arms desperately around Tony's leg, looking up at him desperately with a pleading expression on his round blue face. "Squirt…"

Tony stared down at the reptile in surprised silence. It took him a moment to finally find the word he was looking for: "Why?"

To his surprise, Squirtle opened his mouth and breathed. Foam gurgled from his maws, followed by a massive storm of bubbles right into Tony's face that knocked the blond off his feet and onto his rear again.

Tony wiped the cold water from his face, now feeling completely awake. "W-wha-?" he spluttered. "Squirtle! What was that for?"

Squirtle answered with another storm of bubbles, this one aimed just above Tony's head. The spheres of water and air floated into the sky and exploded with audible pops, sprinkling the Water-type and his trainer in a shower of mist.

Tony sighed as he found himself getting the shower he had neglected the morning before, minus warm water and soap. Wiping his wet hair from his face, he cast an annoyed look at the Squirtle, followed by one of surprise as he realized that Squirtle's Bubble had drastically improved all of the sudden.

He put two and two together. "You were out here early… to train?" he asked the Water-type.

Squirtle nodded, still clutching his trainer's leg. "Squirt!" He pulled away from his trainer before shoving him back down to his seat. That done, the reptile swiftly scurried off and gathered the empty Pokémon food cans that Tony had tried to use for target practice the day before and placed them on a nearby rock before running back. Squirtle faced the cans, took a deep breath, and unleashed another swarm of bubbles and foam. A popping, suddy wave washed over the targets and carried them astray, like a tiny tsunami destroying a miniature city of tin.

Tony felt a smile tug at his face. "Hey, you did it!" he exclaimed.

Squirtle grinned in return. "Squirt!" he boasted.

Tony was at a honest-to-goodness lost for words as he stood back up and stared down at Squirtle, a shocked and delighted look on his face. Well, maybe yesterday's training hadn't been a total waste after all. At least one of his Pokémon had improved – and it was the Pokémon that he had been so reluctant to train as well, the one who had tried the hardest to impress his trainer.

Finally, words came to the blond: "T-thanks, Squirtle..." he said gratefully. "But… are you sure you want to do this?"

Squirtle cocked his head to the side. "Squirt?"

"This whole journey thing," Tony explained. "I mean… we just got our butts kicked. Even if we beat Brock, the road will only get rougher from there." He sighed and sat back down. "You saw how Lucky and Spear reacted… and how I reacted… I don't want to feel that way again… and I don't want you guys to feel that way again, either." He looked down at Squirtle. "It'd be easier to just… not try, right?"

Squirtle scowled and shook his head. "Squirt!" He pointed to the south once more, back towards the Viridian Forest, Viridian City, and, of course, Pallet Town. "Squirt!"

A then, a moment of clarity – another epiphany, this one far kinder than the last. Tony followed the Squirtle's gaze once more, imagining as if he could see his home and his loved ones right then and there, watching him with encouraging smiles on their faces.

The realization hit him. Squirtle didn't want to go home; he was looking back to where he had grown up, but he wasn't going back. He wanted to go forward – to do the one who raised him from an egg proud.

He wanted exactly what Tony had wanted before having his confidence and courage crushed by Brock and Onix.

Tony's face went from surprised to understanding. "I… I get it…" he muttered, sitting down next to Squirtle. "I get it now…"

Squirtle's smile returned. "Squirt," he said, patting his trainer on the arm. In return, Tony smiled back and gave Squirtle's bald head a fond pat right back.

It was a pristine and beautiful moment as trainer and Pokémon finally truly came together as a team – until it was ruined by a tremor.

Tony was knocked flat onto his back as the earth beneath him began to quake. Squirtle squeaked and swiftly tucked himself inside of his shell. The muddy puddles began to ripple and slosh about and stones clattered as they shook wildly about. Inside Tony's tent, Lucky and Spear were shaken awake, chittering with surprise and horror.

Tony struggled to stand up, only to fall back down. "Earthquake!" he shouted to his Pokémon. "We need to find shelter!"

He was just about to stand again when he saw it: a jagged piece of rock sticking out from the shaking earth, plowing dirt and stone aside as it charged right for him.

Two sets of red eyes shot open.

"Dabra?!"

"I sense it, too."

The red-eyed girl and Kadabra swiftly stood up and shot off, galloping towards the source of the tremors. There was a faint flash and the duo vanished into thin air.

Tony stared up, his skin pale and eyes wide, as a massive Onix breached the surface of the earth and reared up into the air, dirt and gravel flying from its body as it unleashed an earsplitting roar right in the blond's face, spittle flying from its toothless jaws.

The blond trainer squeaked as he swiftly crawled backwards away from the massive Rock Snake Pokémon, barely remembering to scoop up Squirtle's shell before he started running, Onix's smashing his stony horn right at the spot where he had been sitting before.

"Lucky!" Tony shrieked as he dashed away. "Spear! Help!"

Lucky burst from the flaps of the tent, ready to charge to the aid of her trainer – but naturally hesitated upon seeing just what it was that was terrorizing them. Flashbacks of the previous encounter with Brock's Onix returned, flashing before her eyes like a storm of horrific nightmare. The Butterfree squeaked loudly and froze as her trainer ran past her, still screaming like a lunatic.

Spear growled angrily as he followed Lucky out of the tent, his anger overriding his fear. The Beedrill was really, really starting to hate Rock-type anything by that point. It was because of Rock-types that he was out in that Heaven-forsaken wasteland. It was because of Rock-types that he had broken his stinger. And at that very moment, a Rock-type was trying to murder his trainer and friend?!

Onix had gone and stirred the Beedrill's nest – and Spear hated being stirred.

"Lucky!" Tony called again. "Spear! Move it!"

Lucky shook off her terrified stupor and took off after her trainer. Spear, on the other hand, stood his ground – er, hovered over his ground, and glared defiantly at the approaching Onix.

Tony ground to a halt when he realized his Beedrill wasn't falling back. "Spear!" he shouted. "Get out of there! Move!"

Spear spat on the ground and cracked his neck as he looked eyes with Onix, who stared down at the impudent insect with eyes wide with rage and a slavering jaw.

Tony's eyes widened when he noticed that the Onix was drooling wildly and panting loudly. Those were traits he had seen before in the so-called rabid Pokémon, the ones that the Viridian City Police Force were supposedly handling. Oh, great, he thought miserably, Officer Jenny let another one loose.

He groaned and shook off his anger for the incompetent officer, shouting, "It's a wild one! It must've gotten out of the Viridian!"

"S-squirt?" Squirtle whimpered, his voice echoing in his shell.

Tony narrowed his eyes as he joined Spear in glaring at Onix, Lucky flying protectively to his side. "We may have lost to Brock," he shouted so that all of his friends could hear, "but we haven't ever lost to one of these guys! Let's take him down, fast!"

Lucky swallowed, but nodded. "Freeh!" she chirped, sounding much braver than she was feeling.

Spear spat on the ground in front of the looming Onix and angrily cut the bandage that Tony had wrapped around his broken stinger free. The tip of the appendage remained chipped, but Spear hardly cared; fighting with one good stinger and a broken one was preferable, in his eyes, to fighting with only one. "Bzz!"

Squirtle, meanwhile, remained safely tucked underneath Tony's arm, nervously staring out from his shell. "Squirt…?" he called, offering up his own feeble war cry.

Tony gave his orders and Lucky and Spear sprang into action whilst their foe roared and charged at the much smaller Pokémon.

The red-eyed girl raised an eyebrow. "He's a bigger idiot than I thought."

The young lady and her ever-present Kadabra stood on top of a great hill of slab, precariously perched on top of a tall stone. From their vantage point, high above Tony, his friends, and the Onix, the two could observe the battle below safely, as well as without being noticed.

As usual, the red-eyed girl's face was completely expressionless. Her tone of voice, however, betrayed the slightest amount of disgust. "This bumbling imbecile," she said coldly, "is beginning to annoy me. If he is not whining like a child, he's bothering me in person. If he's not bothering me in person, he chooses to fight foes beyond his skill and make a mess of everything."

Another voice, this one male but just as cold as the girl's, replied, "His idiocy has proven useful this time. He has managed to aggravate an Onix. Such a creature might be a worthy opponent."

Beside her, Kadabra cracked his knuckles.

The girl shook her head. "Don't bother," she replied, turning away. "You can sense that Onix's power as well as I can. It doesn't hold a candle to any of your power. And its mind…" She rubbed her brow, the faintest hint of a scowl on her lips. "Unfocused and stupid. It's not worth our time. Let that idiot handle this himself. Heaven knows he could use the experience."

"I see…" the male voice murmured. "Perhaps we should intervene, for the sake of his life. As little esteem as you hold for him, he is still a sapient being, albeit of little intelligence. To abandon him so heartlessly would be…"

"Logical," the girl responded coldly. "Like I told him last night: I'm not about to waste time and energy helping a fool get ahead in life. He can handle this on his own. Besides," she added, "after that little stunt you pulled last night" – she cast a cold stare at Kadabra – "after your little stunt last night, I can't risk him spotting you. I can't have him thinking I care or anything like that.

"I see…"

There was a long pause between the two. Kadabra stared down at the battle that had begun below, and the girl remained silent.

Then she said, "If he botches this and needs to be saved… then I suppose we can intervene."

"A wise decision, Mistress."

"Of course it is." The girl gazed down below to the battlefield. "After all, I'm the one who made it."

"Freeh!" Lucky cried as she flew right at Onix's face, beating her powerful wings and unleashing a storm of toxic dust into the air.

Onix snarled and gave a might bellow, his Screech blasting Lucky and her own attack away with a powerful burst of sound. The Butterfree was sent flying, only just catching herself before she struck the ground.

"Bzz!" Spear buzzed as he shot at the Ground/Rock-type from the rear, raising his good stinger and aiming it right for the back of Onix's head. The Beedrill actually managed to land his attack, but like the Graveler from yesterday all he managed to do was scratch the surface of Onix's rocky armor, much to Spear's chagrin.

In retaliation for the pitiful attack, Onix lashed his rocky tail out like a whip, smashing it right into Spear and knocking him down to the ground, sliding painfully across mud and wet pebbles before skidding to a stop. The Beedrill wheezed as he struggled to stand back up, only to slump back down on his back.

"Lucky!" Tony cried. "Get Spear out of there!"

Onix snarled as the Butterfree shot into action, diving to pull her partner out of harm's way. The Rock Snake Pokémon bellowed angrily before smashing his head into the ground, ripping a chunk of rock out of the earth with his toothless jaws. Snapping his body back like a catapult, the Ground/Rock-type hurled the boulder at Spear just as Lucky swooped down and grabbed the larger Bug-type and pulled his prone form out of the way just in time as the rock smashed down right next to them, sending both of them tumbling and showering them with sharp gravel.

"F-freeh!" Lucky cried as razor-like stones sliced into her wings and exoskeleton. The Butterfree trembled and shook as she struggled to stay airborne, barely able to hold Spear in her tiny forearms as she fluttered slowly away from her aggressor.

"Nix!" Onix roared, his cry shaking the entire land. Eyes wide with rage, the Ground/Rock-type charged the stunned Bug-types, mouth wide open and slavering.

Tony's eyes went wide as a strong sense of déjà vu struck him once again, memories of his battle with Brock's Onix and the Graveler flashing before his eyes, as well as how they had evaded Graveler's charge.

Suddenly, the answer became clear: "Lucky! Spear! Fly up!"

Lucky groaned as she pushed herself up and forced herself to remain conscious – immediately wishing that she didn't have to the very moment she saw Onix barreling towards her and her partner. "Freeh!" she cried, flapping her wings as hard as she could and flying into the air, pulling the barely-conscious Spear with her.

Onix narrowed his eyes. "Nix!" he snarled. Snapping his body like a whip, he leaped up at the two retreating insects, ready to crush them in his jaws.

Tony's face went pale. "Higher!" he begged.

Lucky squeaked as she flapped her wings harder still. "Freeh…" she wheezed.

Underneath her, barely held in her arms, Spear shook his head and forced himself to remain conscious, rapidly beating his own wings to aid his smaller partner. "Bzz…" he buzzed weakly as his extra effort allowed Lucky to carry them just high enough so that Onix passed right underneath the two.

Tony gave a gasp of relief. "Thank goodness…" he whispered.

Onix's eyes went wide with surprise as he found himself barreling towards the ground without a single insect splattered against his snout. His eyes went wider still as he slammed face-first into the mud and stone below with a terrific crash, dust exploding in every direction in the wake of his impact.

Tony's theory, unfortunately for the Ground/Rock-type, had been correct. Whilst Onix was quick, it was far too heavy to be agile, just like Graveler had been. When creatures like that got going, almost nothing could stop them – not even themselves. Its strength was also a weakness.

Tony almost smiled before he caught himself. Onix was rising back up from the earth, now even angrier than before. Celebrations could wait; he had to stop that thing before it caused any more harm. Okay, he thought, if Lucky and Spear can just keep dodging and weaving, we can wear 'im down and…

Tony paused and looked down to his arms, where Squirtle was still hiding, tucked safely away in his shell and waiting for the battle to end. Tony sweat-dropped. "Or I could stop being an idiot…" he murmured to himself.

Taking Squirtle's shell in his hands, Tony gave the reptile a shake. "Hey!" he cried. "Squirtle! I need your help!"

Squirtle slowly poked his head just enough so that he could look his trainer in the eye. "Squirt?" he asked in a quiet voice

Tony whirled him around and pointed him in the direction of Onix. "You see that Pokémon over there?" he asked.

Squirtle squeaked and retreated back inside of his shell.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tony said with a nod. "He's out to kill us right now and you're the only one who can stop him!"

"S-squirt?!" Squirtle cried, popping out of his shell so he could gape at his trainer's ludicrous declaration. Was Tony blind? Sure he could see that Onix was easily ten times his size? What could a little Squirtle like him do against a beast that big?

Tony swallowed as Lucky and Spear slowly flew away from said beast as it snapped at their heels, relentlessly following the two. "I know it seems hard," he said in a shaking voice, "but you have to believe me, okay? Lucky and Spear are both hurt and they can't hold out much longer. If they get… if they…" He shook his head, not wanting to admit to the possibility that at that moment his friends might have been fighting their final battle. "I don't want to even think about it!" he cried.

Squirtle winced. "Squirt…"

"But I know that you can beat him, Squirtle," Tony said, placing his forehead against Squirtle's and looking him right in the eye. "We can't do this without you… and we wouldn't have to do this if I had just been smart and used you against Brock the first time," he admitted. "But you never gave up, even when I ignored you. Can I count on you to stay with us now and help us out?"

Squirtle looked from his trainer to the raging Onix beyond. Lucky and Spear were beginning to falter, their wings slowing as weariness and their wounds took hold. If no one helped them, then the Onix would be upon them, and then he would attack Tony and him…

The Water-type's fearful expression vanished and was replaced by one of courage. "S-squirt!" he declared as boldly as he dared whilst leaping down from his trainer's hands.

"You mean you'll do it?" Tony asked hopefully.

Squirtle nodded, trying to seem brave. "Squirt!"

Tony smiled gratefully but only for a moment. There was still a threat at hand and it was his duty as the President of the Pallet Patrol, which apparently was now the Pewter Patrol, seeing as how the police that Brock had said took care of things were absent from the area, to take care of that Onix. "Keep moving, guys!" he shouted to Lucky and Spear. "Squirtle and I are coming! We'll take care of Onix!"

Lucky groaned as she struggled to keep in the air. "F-freeh…" B-be still my beating heart…

Spear agreed with her sentiments. "Bzz..." We are so dead…

The red-eyed girl had never been one for expressing feelings outwardly.

Even when alone or in front of her Pokémon, who would never speak a word of anything embarrassing to anyone else, she preferred to keep herself in check, exercising total control over her emotions. Emotions, as she saw it, were signs of weakness. They were external signs of happiness, sadness, anger, and other such feelings, all of which could be used against her. If she seemed happy, her enemies could attack that which made her joyful; if she seemed sad, they could expose her to things that made her depressed; and if she seemed mad, then they would know when they should head for the hills if they valued their miserable lives.

However, even with the control that she had over her innermost thoughts and feelings, the control she had prided herself for, the red-eyed girl still couldn't help but gape, just for a moment, in disbelief as she saw just what was going on at the battlefield below.

That idiot blond and his Squirtle were actually charging the several hundred pound Onix. On foot.

Now, the red-eyed girl knew about type advantages. She knew that Water-type attacks would be incredibly effective against a Ground/Rock-type. She also knew, however, that that Onix was considerably stronger than Squirtle was and much larger and heavier to boot. One wrong move and the Water-type, and probably his trainer, would be little more than smears on the muddy earth.

"He cannot be serious," the voice said, its normally neutral tone containing just a trace of dumbfounded disbelief.

The red-eyed girl rubbed her brow. "There must be something in the water where he lives," she murmured to herself, as if trying to justify the boy's stupidity. "Or maybe he was dropped on the head as a child."

"Shall we intervene now?"

The girl shook her head. "I think at this point he's too stupid to be saved. It might be time to let Natural Selection take its course."

"If you say so, Mistress."

The two went silent once more and the girl and her silent Kadabra continued to watch the battle below, both of them quietly marveling at just how rock stupid that blond boy was.

"Nix!" Onix growled as he snapped his jaws shut, hoping to catch Lucky and Spear in its stony maw. As usual, however, all he caught was a mouthful of air, his insect targets swooping out of the way just in time.

Lucky gave a groan as she swooped down. "Freeh…" she called to Spear, who she was still carrying. C-can't hold onto you much longer…

"Bzz!" Spear replied with a growl, trying hard to conceal the weariness in his voice. Then let go! I can fly! There's no way we can let that pipsqueak save us!

Lucky was about to protest but her arms decided to do as Spear had said without her consent, her tiny blue fingers slipping. Before she could cry out, her Beedrill companion was at her side, flying next to her just like they always did.

"B-bzz? Bzz," Spear gasped. S-see? I told you.

Lucky nodded. "Freeh!" Fine by me. Now let's take this freak out!

Both Bug-types whirled about and shot towards the charging Onix, remembering how well it had worked the last time. To their delight, it worked again: they shot right past the charging Rock Snake, who roared angrily as he struggled to come to a stop, realizing that his quarry were behind him.

"Freeh!" Now!

Lucky gave a mighty chirp as she unleashed a powerful burst of Confusion. The mental attack struck the tiny brain of Onix, who roared in agony as the pain surged throughout his skull.

"Bzz!" Spear growled as he forced himself to fly at top speed. Getting right up in his opponent's face, he began to pepper Onix's stony snout with sting after sting, ignoring the jolt of agony that each blow with his broken stinger earned.

"Nix… Nix!" Onix cried as Spear peppered his face with relatively harmless but still quite annoying stings. The Ground/Rock-type opened his jaws wide and lunged for the Beedrill, only to once again bite air.

"Bzz!" Spear cried as he raised his good stinger and plunged it into Onix again, this time aiming for the softest possible point on the beast's face: his eyes. The sharpened point stuck Onix's pupil and the reaction was instantaneous and completely predictable.

"Nix!"

Spear gave a buzz of surprise as Onix's bellow sent him flying back down to the ground below, the Beedrill only just catching himself before he came to a crash landing.

Up above, Onix was absolutely livid, to put it mildly. Tears and venom poured from his now-swollen right eye as he thrashed about, smashing his tail and coils around, smashing rocks and putting deep trenches in earth. Lucky and Spear both had to dodge and weave to avoid getting smashed themselves.

"Bzz!" Spear called to Lucky. It's not a Brick Break, but I think it did the job!

Lucky winced as Onix's tail slammed just in front of her, showering her with muddy sand. "Freeh!" she called back, shaking the muck from her body. Keep him distracted! I'll try to put him to sleep again!

Spear nodded as he shot up at Onix once again, this time deciding to plant one in his good eye. As he did so, Lucky hovered behind the Rock Snake's head and began to beat her wings, releasing more toxic dust into the air, although this time with her target unaware.

Unfortunately for both of them, Onix had had enough of their battle. The Rock Snake Pokémon roared as he coiled up his body and began to spin in place. Spear, surprised, didn't have any time to react before he was knocked aside by Onix's horn, and Lucky was whipped aside his tail, her Sleep Powder missing once again as her target began to spin about like a whirlwind.

Sand and mud below began to stir and get sucked into the air as a great tan-colored whirlwind formed around Onix's body, growing larger and larger with each rotation the great snake made. Before Lucky or Spear could recover from their newest wounds, they were swiftly sucked out of the air and into Onix's Sandstorm, helplessly getting tugged about back and forth, slamming into one another and getting coated with mud and grimy sand. The two tried to break free and fly away, but the force of the wind was too much and they were only released when Onix whipped the two of them with his tail, slamming the both of them to the ground below.

Lucky choked out a mouthful of blood as she hit the earth, mud splattering beneath her, sharp pebbles digging into her exoskeleton and wings as she slid across the ground, only stopping when she and Spear both slammed into a large rock. Both of the Bug-types were covered head to abdomen in grime and blood. Their wings were torn and their legs were shaking as they forced themselves to stand.

Onix glowered down at the two insects, feeling no satisfaction for the injuries that he had given them. If anything, they were getting off lightly – but not for long. Grinning savagely, the Ground/Rock-type ripped another boulder out from the ground with his mouth and took aim at his opponents.

Lucky's eyes went wide. "Freeh!" she cried as she and Spear tried to take off again. They would have, too, if their wings weren't so weary and bleeding that they could not support them, and the two plopped back to the ground and had to watch in awe and terror as Onix hurled the boulder at them, both of them feeling absolutely mortified and pathetic.

Not nearly as pathetic as Tony felt, though, as he dashed up to the two, squealing like a terrified schoolgirl, and scooped the two up into his arms. The blond leaped forward just in time as the great stone slammed down right where they had been not a single second before, a burst of dirt and sand exploding upward and covering the boy as he and his Pokémon hit the ground, dazed, horrified, and exhausted, but safe.

Tony stood up on shaking legs as Squirtle ran to join him and the other Pokémon. "E-everyone okay?" he asked them.

Both Lucky and Spear nodded mutely, the two of them both far too shocked and scared to put together any words.

"G-good," Tony gasped. "L-let me and Squirtle handle this, okay? We-we've got this… I think…"

Before another word could be said, Onix let out another bellow and began to charge them all again, seeing as how now all of his enemies were in one place, giving him a single target to splatter.

Tony looked down at Squirtle. "Alright, we need to get you behind him!" he shouted. "That's where he's gonna be most vulnerable!"

Squirtle swallowed; both he and his trainer knew that he wasn't very fast (after all, he was a turtle). "Squirt?" he asked.

To everyone's surprise, including his own, Tony grabbed Squirtle and held him up in the air, his hand gripping the reptile's stomach and his arm stretched back as if Squirtle was a football and not a Pokémon. "Well," Tony murmured, "if it works in Super Mario Land…" He jerked his arm forward and hurled the squealing Squirtle through the air before grabbing Lucky by the head and Spear by the arm and swiftly dragging them off before Onix could make it to them.

"Did… Did he just throw that Squirtle?" the voice asked the red-eyed girl.

The red-eyed girl gaped for the second time that day – heck, she gaped for the second time that year. "How does… How does he function?"

"Squiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirt!" Squirtle cried as he sailed through the air and flew right past the charging Onix.

"Squirtle!" Tony shouted. "Now!"

Squirtle blinked. "Squirt?" Shaking his head, he cried, "Squirt!" remembering what his trainer had said about him being the only one who could do this. He twisted his body in mid-flight so that his back was positioned above the ground and tilted his head upward just in time to see Onix crash clumsily into another slab of rock.

Squirtle narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Squirgggle!" he cried in a gurgling tone, opening his mouth and unleashing the biggest storm of bubbles that he had ever released, a virtual tidal wave of foam bursting from his maw and rushing towards Onix just before the Water-type hit the ground.

Said Onix was recovering from his missed Tackle when he first heard the mysterious popping sounds behind him. The dumbfounded reptile turned to see what it was and his eyes went wide as the wave of bubbles slammed into him, exploding against his stony body and covering him with cold, painful, merciless water.

"Nix!" Onix shrieked in agony, as if he was being dipped alive in acid (which is what it felt like to him) surprising just about everyone, even Tony. He had known that Ground and Rock-types both were weak to Water-type attacks, but even then Bubble didn't exactly seem very threatening. Oh well. He'd take what he could get.

"Good job, Squirtle!" Tony cheered. "You got him!"

Squirtle, who was lying on his back and hobbling clumsily as he tried to pick himself up, heard those words and beamed from ear to ear. "Squirt? Squirt!" I did? I did! I did it! I'm awesome! And with that, the little reptile felt a new surge of confidence and courage rush through his veins. He slammed his tail onto the ground and flipped himself back to his feet, grinning as the Onix as if suffered his bubbles.

Onix glowered as the little Water-type, struggling to ignore the chilling agony that each pop gave him. The Rock Snake's eyes glowed with hatred and malice as he forced himself to ignore the pain. He ripped another chunk of rock from the earth and catapulted it at Squirtle, refusing to be beaten by such the much smaller reptile.

"Squirtle, dodge it and use Bubble again!" Tony ordered.

"Squirt!" Squirtle replied with a nod as he leaped to the side with incredibly agility that he didn't know what he had, the boulder crashing harmlessly next to him. That done, the Tiny Turtle released another wave of bubbles from his mouth, this one even larger than the last, which surged across the battlefield and plowed into Onix once again.

Tony grinned. "We got 'im!" he cheered, delighted that the dangerous battle was almost at an end.

By that point, Onix's reserves of strength as well as courage had both been depleted. By some sort of miracle, he was convinced, a puny Squirtle had managed to beat him, and in only two shots no less! But Onix was convinced that he could scold himself later; at that moment, he knew it was time to retreat whilst he still had a life to save.

Once again, he struggled through the acidic bubbles. Instead of trying to attack Squirtle, however, he slammed his head into the ground and began to rotate his body like a drill, tunneling into the soft dirt.

Tony's smile vanished as he realized that Onix was trying to run away. He the Ground/Rock-type succeeded, than he could go on to attack someone else, or maybe even come looking for revenge. "Oh, no you don't!" the blond shouted. "Lucky, Spear, help Squirtle stop him!" he ordered his bugs.

Lucky rolled her eyes. "Freeh?" she murmured sarcastically. Oh, so now you need us? Fortunately for Tony, he didn't understand what it was that she said and Lucky, while bitter, was smart enough to come to the same conclusions as Tony did about Onix escaping. She and Spear took off once more, albeit much more slowly than they had before given their injuries.

Tony grimaced as Onix's tail grew smaller and smaller as the Ground/Rock-type dug deeper and deeper into the earth. "Hurry!" he shouted to his Pokémon.

Lucky unleashed blasts of Confusion whilst Spear peppered the Rock Snake's rapidly shrinking tail with stings and Squirtle blew more bubbles. Tragically, their effort was in vain: in his rabid state, Onix was capable of enduring pain in greater quantities than he would have been able to shrug off in his normal state. The Rock Snake was just about to vanish into the tunnel and find a place to recover from the battle when…

The red-eyed girl closed her eyes.

"It's getting away," the voice told her.

The girl nodded. "I've noticed."

"If it gets away, it will take time to track it down again, and it could cause more harm."

"I know."

"Perhaps now would be the best time to intervene."

The girl didn't say anything. She took a deep breath in and then let it out. Her face was completely neutral and at peace.

Her eyes shot open and she raised her hand.

"STOP."

Onix's eyes went wide as a surge of indescribable pain suddenly struck him, followed by an all-encompassing numbness. He opened his mouth to scream but all that came out was a gasping wheeze. His tail, which had been shaking wildly as he tried to swipe Tony's Pokémon away whilst he dug, went limp and crashed to the ground, nearly striking the surprised Squirtle over the head.

"N-nix…" Onix wheezed as his eyes rolled back into his head an unconsciousness took hold.

Up above, the red-eyed girl lowered her hand. "Satisfied?" she murmured.

"Only if you are, Mistress."

"Oh, shut up, you humanitarian. I wonder why I even bother keeping you around."

From his place next to the red-eyed girl, Kadabra gave a thin smile and twirled his spoon between his fingers.

Tony silently stared at the motionless stony tail that was slumped over at the side of the freshly-dug hole, not sure as to what it was that had just happened. Mere seconds ago, Onix had been fighting wildly in his attempts to escape. However, now he was as limp as a cooked noodle, and completely motionless.

"We… We won?" the blond murmured, hardly daring to believe it. Perhaps this was some sort of trick. Then again, every rabid Pokémon that he had ever come across hadn't used such advanced trickery. The only tactic they had ever used was the occasional ambush, if even that. Still, better safe than sorry…

As if reading his trainer's mind, Squirtle crept towards the tail cautiously. The Water-type blew a single bubble into the air, which floated over to Onix's prone form and popped against the tip of his tail.

Nothing. No scream of agony. No thrashing. Nothing. The Onix was truly unconscious.

Tony's face split into a smile once more as he hugged the battered Lucky and Spear close. "I… I guess we did it… We did it!" he cheered. "Great job, guys, great job!"

"F-freeh…" Lucky chirped with a tired, but happy, sigh.

Spear nodded. "B-bzz."

"Squirtle!" Tony called over to the Water-type. "You were… I mean, you were…" He grinned. "Wow!"

Squirtle returned the grin as he scampered over to his trainer and partners. "Squirt!" he declared proudly, giving a thumbs up with his tiny hand.

Spear groaned. "B-bzz…" I… I hate to admit it, but… you did okay…

"Freeh," Lucky murmured. Don't let it go to your head, though.

Squirtle grinned sheepishly. "Squirt!" I won't! Promise!

With the thanks and compliments out of the way, Tony turned his attention to the unconscious Onix, warily approaching the beast and pulling out a Pokéball. "We'd better take this guy to the Pokémon Center," he told his friends. "If Professor Oak sent that cure to the Nurse Joys, then we should be able to get this poor guy some help."

He tossed the Pokéball at Onix's body. It popped open, snapped shut, and hit the ground – and did it all without capturing Onix.

"Wait… What?"

Tony looked down at the Pokéball in disbelief. "W-why didn't it capture him?" he asked aloud, as if his Pokémon actually had an answer. "He's not moving or anything… Unless…" He paused and, after a moment of silent thought, pulled out his Pokédex once more, which was a device he was really beginning to grow fond of. After fiddling about in the menu for a moment, there was a beep and the answer became clear.

"This Pokémon's body is coated residual Pokéball radiation," the 'dex droned. "Legalized Pokéballs are designed to reject Pokémon with residual energy of this variety in order to prevent trainers from stealing from one another. This feature was added to the ball in the year…"

Tony shut the Pokédex off, deciding that he didn't a lecture on the history of the Pokéball at the moment. Right now, he had more confusing and much more interesting matters at hand. If Onix was covered in residual Pokéball radiation (which wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds), then that meant that the Onix actually had a trainer.

Tony felt a shiver run down his spine as he came to the grim conclusion. Memories of spying on his Auntie's conversation with Professor Oak and Giovanni returned to him, along with the grimness he felt upon learning that the rabid Pokémon were not merely sick Pokémon but actually the result of some sort of injection – that someone was doing that purposefully to innocent Pokémon.

What kind of sick world was it, anyways?

Then they heard the sirens. They had been going on for quite a while at that point, but neither Tony nor his Pokémon had heard them over the deafening battle that they had waged.

The blue police jeep, built specifically to allow safe passage over rough Pewter terrain, swiftly tore through the muddy hills and valleys before finally arriving at the battlefield, where Tony had been waiting with a miserable expression on his face as he remembered his last unpleasant encounter with the police. To make matters worse, the situation at that moment was almost identical to the one with the Magmar.

Tony subconsciously rubbed his leg, praying that he wasn't about to be on the end of police brutality once again as the jeep skidded to a stop.

The doors popped open and out stepped two people. The first was who Tony had expected to see: Officer Jenny, or rather, the Pewter City Officer Jenny. As mentioned previously, there was a Jenny wherever there was a police station, acting as mascots and glorified traffic cops for the local law enforcement services. This Jenny looked just like the one from Viridian City, save for a slightly darker shade of green hair.

The second person, however, Tony did not expect to see. It was Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader, wearing the exact same outfit that he had worn the day before. Hadn't he said that Officer Jenny and the other regular police handled the wild Pokémon attacks?

Suddenly, Tony put two and two together. The Onix must have belonged to Brock! But did that mean…

Brock's stony and stern face, the one Tony had seen at the Pewter Gym, was gone, replaced by one of concern and relief. "Onix!" he cried, his voice cracking as he rushed past Tony and wrapped his arms around the motionless tail of the Ground/Rock-type. "Onix, are you okay? Talk to me, Onix!" he begged.

Tony sweat-dropped, hoping that Onix wouldn't wake up with his trainer shaking his tail like that.

Officer Jenny strode past him as well, as if he wasn't even there. "Takashi," she said, "get it together! Put Onix back in his Pokéball right now! If he wakes up, we'll have to deal with him all over again."

Brock nodded. "R-right!" He pulled a Pokéball off of his belt and pointed it at the downed reptile. "Onix, return!" he ordered as he popped the ball open, absorbing the Ground/Rock-type back inside in a flash of red.

Brock gave a relieved gasp. "Thank goodness," he sighed, attaching the Pokéball back to his belt. With his injured Pokémon safe and sound at last, he finally noticed Tony. The Pewter Gym Leader's stern expression returned, albeit it seemed slightly softer than it had been before. "You again," he greeted.

"Hmm?" Jenny turned and cast a suspicious look at Tony, who shrank back. "You know him, Takashi? Is he a troublemaker?"

"N-no, I'm not!" Tony cried. "P-please don't kick me…"

"He's a challenger," Brock told Jenny calmly. "He came to my Gym two days ago and challenged me to a battle. He lost. Badly."

Tony sweat-dropped again. "Oh, thanks for reminding me…" he murmured quietly.

Brock looked to Onix's Pokéball, to Tony, to the Pokéball, and then to Tony again. "You didn't… You beat Onix, didn't you?"

Tony nodded. "Y-yes, sir."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said he lost badly," she said to Brock.

"He did," Brock confirmed. "He…" He paused and looked down, finally noticing Tony's Squirtle. He stared at the blond incredulously. "Is that Squirtle yours?"

Tony nodded again. "Yes, sir."

"You had a Squirtle this whole time… and you didn't use it. Why not?" Brock asked.

Tony smiled sheepishly. "To be completely honest, sir," he said as he leaned down to pet the happy Squirtle on the head, "I was an idiot."

"Oh." Brock nodded. "Huh."

Suddenly, Jenny snapped her fingers and pointed at Tony. "I thought I recognized you!" she exclaimed. "You're that Tommy kid from Pallet Town, the one who goes around with a Butterfree and a Beedrill!"

"It's Tony," Tony corrected. "And how do you know about me?"

"I heard about you from my brat cousin, the Viridian City Jenny." Pewter Jenny flashed the boy a mischievous smile. "Man, did you make her mad. She's still working overtime to make up for what she did to you." She grabbed Tony's hand into a firm handshake and chuckled. "Good going, kid. It's about time someone brought her down a peg."

"Uh, thanks…" Tony replied awkwardly, still not comfortable to be around a Jenny. "Could, uh, someone fill me in one what just happened?" he asked. "If that's your Onix, Mr. Brock, why was it rabid? He seemed fine the other day…"

Brock nodded. "He was," he said. "He was. He was fine yesterday and this morning, too, until…"

"Zuuba!"

The tiny Zubat zipped through the air, nearly colliding with poor Yolanda, who shrieked and ducked just in time to avoid impact. The other children all cried in terror, quickly running away from the winged rodent.

One of Brock's Rhyhorn, the rhinoceros-like Pokémon, snorted angrily at the interruption. "Rhy!" it growled in a low, gravelly voice, before charging at the intruder.

"Zuuba!" Zubat hissed hungrily. Though the Poison Bat Pokémon was blind, having no eyes, its powerful ears allowed it to hear the approaching Ground/Rock-type with ease, as Rhyhorn was making no effort to be quiet. The bat-like Pokémon snarled as he darted to the side, dodging Rhyhorn's attack. The Poison/Flying-type u-turned and shot at the passing Rhyhorn, swiftly sinking its fangs into his neck. Rhyhorn screamed as he slid to a stop, unconsciousness taking ahold of him.

Brock gaped in disbelief. "W-what?" he exclaimed, unable to comprehend how a single bite from a Zubat had put down one of his stronger Pokémon.

Unfortunately, Zubat was far from finished and proceeded to dart to the second Rhyhorn, once again biting and instantly knocking the larger Pokémon out. He collapsed alongside his brother. Then, the Zubat struck at Brock's largest Pokémon, his Onix, biting the tip of the bewildered Rock Snake's nose.

Brock shook his head, finally recovering his senses. "Everyone!" he shouted. "Move!"

His Pokémon were shaken out of their shocked states and quickly fled to their trainer and his siblings, the Zubat mercilessly chasing after them.

"…By the time they got to me, so many of them had been bitten and the Zubat just flew off," Brock solemnly concluded. "I didn't know what had happened at first… but when my Rhyhorn woke up, it was foaming at the mouth and tried to take my sister's leg off. I returned all of them to their Pokéballs as quickly as I could, but got away." He bowed his head, absolutely ashamed. "This is all my fault…" he murmured. "Forgive me, Officer Jenny, Mr. Miller."

All of the anger Tony had felt towards Brock melted away in an instant as sympathy washed over him. "It's… it's alright, Mr. Brock," he told the morose Gym Leader. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything to stop it."

"Yes, yes I could have," Brock retorted bitterly. "I should have been moving when I saw that Zubat bite Rhyhorn. Instead I stood there and gawked like an idiot, and because of that Onix just went on a rampage throughout Pewter and nearly killed a traveler. I should have stopped him but I didn't, and people were nearly killed because of my inaction." He bowed again. "Please forgive me…"

Jenny put a hand on Brock's shoulder. "Man up, Takeshi," she ordered. "You made a mistake. There isn't a man or woman alive who hasn't. Nobody got hurt and Onix is safe now."

Tony nodded in agreement. "It's okay, Mr. Brock," he told the Gym Leader. "It's not your fault. It's whoever injected that Zubat."

"That's right, kid," Jenny agreed. "Takeshi, did you see anyone suspicious hanging around your house?"

Brock shook his head. "No, I… Well, there was a man waiting at the bus stop across the street…" he remembered slowly.

"Description?" Jenny asked quickly.

"I… He was wearing a suit, but… That's all I can remember," Brock admitted. "I was focusing on feeding my Pokémon at the time."

Jenny frowned. "Well," she said, trying to spare Brock's ego any more wounds, "I'll see what I can do, Takeshi."

Tony raised his hand. "Um," he said nervously, feeling very much like a child interrupting adults in the middle of a serious conversation (which he technically was), "if you don't mind me asking, ma'am, why would someone inject Mr. Brock's Pokémon? I mean, normally the rabid Pokémon have all been wild."

Brock answered for Jenny. "A Gym Leader has two jobs, Mr. Miller," he replied. "The first is to battle travelling Pokémon Trainers. The second is to defend his or her city in the event of an attack or a crime."

"Call me crazy, but I doubt that whoever did this cares about travelling trainers not getting their Gym Badges." Jenny folded her arms and frowned. "They're probably trying to sabotage your ability to defend your city."

Tony nodded. "That makes sense… I mean, after what happened in Viridian…" He shut his mouth, quickly realizing that what he had been about to say would very likely make Jenny furious.

Jenny's eyes widened as she realized what Tony had been saying. "Oh… Oh, I get it!" she growled, sending a shiver down the blond's spine. "Those scum-suckers think that Takeshi is a bigger threat to whatever they're planning than the entirety of the Pewter City Police Department?!" She gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, do they have another thing coming!"

Tony winced. "Uh…"

"Takeshi!" Jenny snapped her fingers. "Let's get back to town! I need to get the station ready for whatever those freaks are planning!" And with that, she spun around on one foot and quickly made her way back to her jeep.

Tony and Brock both sweat-dropped. "She's, uh…" the blond murmured, "really passionate about her job."

"Yeah, she is." Brock smiled as he watched the beautiful officer get back into her jeep and start it up. "Now if only she was that passionate about me…" he muttered.

Tony looked up. "What was that?"

"Nothing!" Brock exclaimed. "I'd… I'd better get going, too. My brothers and sisters are probably worried sick." He was just about to walk away when he paused. "Oh, yeah," he said, "almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, rounded piece of metal, flipping it like a coin at Tony.

Tony leaped forward and caught the metal with both hands. He looked down and stared into the tiny object lying in his hands.

It was a small painted piece of cool metal, melded into the shape of a boulder and carefully painted grey. It gleamed brightly in the rising sun as Tony turned the object over in his hands, running his shaking fingers across the smooth surface. Is this…? he dared to think.

Brock confirmed his suspicions. "The Boulder Badge," he told the blond. "The official Gym Badge of the Pewter City Gym. It's yours. You've earned it." He turned and slowly made his way to the jeep.

Tony looked down to the badge in his hands and then to the retreating Brock. "M-Mr. Brock!" he called.

Brock turned. "Yeah?"

"I… I don't deserve this," Tony said. "I didn't beat your Onix in a Gym Battle. I…"

Brock turned and folded his arms. "In case I didn't make it clear the other day," he said, "I don't like wasting time. You beat my Onix. If you came back to fight me again, you would just beat him again."

"But I didn't fight him one on one," Tony explained, "and I'm really not sure if we were the ones who knocked him out. When he was trying to get away, he just kind of… fainted."

"What's your point?" Brock asked. "Even if we were to fight again, your Squirtle could probably handle Onix easily. And if Onix was trying to get away from you, it means, according to Gym Battle rules, he forfeited and lost anyway. As far as I'm concerned," he said, interrupting any further argument from the blond, "you've earned that Gym Badge. I took you for granted, but you showed me just what you're capable of."

He turned to the blushing blond and gave a small smile. "I guess Mr. Sakaki was right about you. You do have potential. And if you waited around Pewter for my Pokémon to get the antidote for that virus, it'd just be so you can fight a battle you've already won. Take that badge, Tony. It's yours. You've beaten me. But just remember: as far as Gym Leaders go, I'm fairly new and low on the food chain. There are stronger ones out there, and you'll need to get stronger if you plan on beating them. Never stop training and never relax. Keep moving forward." He turned away and muttered, "Seeya around, kid," before walking to the jeep. He climbed inside and Jenny swiftly drove off, both of them eager to prepare for whatever those criminals were planning.

Tony stared down at the Boulder Badge, his breath taken away. They had done it – oh, yes, the way in which they had done it had been highly unconventional, but they had done it nonetheless. His very first Gym Badge was in his hands.

"We did it…" he murmured breathlessly. A silly grin split his face and he shouted, "We did it! We won!"

All three of his Pokémon broke into weary cries of joy as they rushed their trainer, who wrapped them all into a wide hug. They were dirty, bloodied, and tired – and keep in mind it was only eight in the morning – but they had won. Their hard work, the blood and tears, had not been in vain. The Boulder Badge was theirs; they were one step closer to the Pokémon League.

"You all did great," Tony told his friends. "Thank you all so much…" He released them and stood up before attaching the Boulder Badge to the fishing vest as Pappy had instructed. "I couldn't have done it without you… especially you, Squirtle."

Squirtle beamed with pride and Lucky and Spear, though still not happy with the reptile's presence, were too happy at that point to care.

"Let's celebrate," Tony said happily. "We'll go back to Pewter and go to a restaurant and get a nice breakfast and…" He paused before looking over himself and his Pokémon. They were all covered in muck, grit, or dried blood. "Maybe we should wash off first," he said sheepishly.

"Squirt?" Squirtle perked up and opened his mouth again.

Tony's eyes went wide. "Squirt, don't-!"

"Squiiirgle!" Squirtle cried before spewing a wave of bubbles and water all over Tony, Lucky, and Spear, all of whom cried in surprise as they were all soaked.

Up above, the red-eyed girl silently watched as Tony and his Pokémon celebrated their victory with a little water party. Scoffing, she turned away from the shameful display, thoroughly disgusted. "Huh. Just another underdog," she remarked quietly. "Kadabra, we're leaving."

Kadabra nodded and the two were gone, vanished into thin air.

Author's Note:

Another late update, I know. Friggin' math. I swear to Heaven, I am going to find the (censored) who decided that we needed to add letters to mathematics and tie him to a set of railroad tracks because this is freaking painful.

I'm not going to lie, when Tony was thinking about going back to Pallet Town to get a regular job and live a regular life, I was seriously tempted to have Bill Cosby pop up with Monopoly money. XD

And like no one got that joke but me…

Well, Tony's won his first Gym Badge, albeit with some help. I know some people might be disappointed because he didn't have a rematch with Brock, but I think that battle with Onix should suffice for a moment. Besides, I am really getting sick of Rock-types and like Brock said, if they did battle again, Tony would probably be the winner. I figured it'd be a needless battle.

Of course, there are still questions that need to be answered: who was the man who injected Brock's Pokémon? Why did he do it, and what did injecting Brock's Pokémon accomplish? What other adventures await out protagonist?

Tune in again to find out!

Reader Question Time! Squirtle will finally be getting a name in the next chapter! What do you think it will be? Answer after you review!

Next Chapter: Pewter Saga: Chapter 7: Squirtle is really neat!