Chapter 21: Rock, Paper, Scissors!
A time scale of roughly a week had passed since Harriet's premier in the realms of Contests, and the bounding triumph of placing in the top two was still resonating around her body. She had also been so thrilled by watching Max's hard efforts to train for his second badge that she had too become entangled within the same excitement and had already begun training both Burmy and Chikorita for their next Contest appearance, even managing to sneak a quick battle off Curtis during the anticipated wait for the upcoming day.
She strolled out of the grand hotel, decorated on the outside with wondrous and luxurious colours that would suit any person or Pokémon who happened to stay there. These blended quite well with the succulent blossoms of spring, flittering sparkles of pollen into the upper air. Her trek led her through the gardens centred towards the back of the huge building and these were accustomed to other ranges of blossoming flowers sparkling about the green earthly colour of the grass. Their vivacious colours masked a world that some may have labelled destructive and the flowers only allowed for beauty and love to spill into nature around them, and Harriet really could dwell in this sanctuary of knowledge. Once she had made it out of the complex she ambled her way past bubbling children, once again moulding sand to the sounds of the calming breeze and the tranquil murmurs of the sea.
"Ah, this is so relaxing," she smiled, immediately clutching two PokeBalls in both of her soothing palms, "Chikorita, Burmy come on out and enjoy this too!"
She tossed the spherical balls of life across the luscious open sand that carried on along the shoreline for miles, side by side with the quelling splashes of the waves. The white magical energy escaped from the protective shells and jaggedly descended onto the beach in wavy formations. The sparkling light merged together to form the outlines of two very unique Pokémon before dispersing and revealing their cute little bodies.
"Hello you two," Harriet smiled, opening her arms wide as they both soared into her joyous hug, "I take it you had a nice rest then?"
'Chik, Chikori!' the docile Pokémon responded, nudging her head in affection against Harriet's arm.
"Well then, what do you say to a morning of pure relaxation then? I mean, this afternoon we're going to be busy cheering Max on to win his second badge and then after that we're out of here," she happily smiled, "I'm thinking that Verdanturf Town is our next destination, I hear they hold brilliant Contests there, so we might as well soak up the beautiful atmosphere here one last time!"
Chikorita immediately leapt out of Harriet's arms and curled up on its smooth back against the cushioning sand below. Her plant stems were all left open to the formidable Sun rays that gloriously immersed the warming heat that bathed the Pokémon.
"Well then Burmy, I guess we should just do the same," the young lass giggled while placing her pink fluff ball upon the sandy shores, "This day is going to be so great!"
"Right, Murkrow try that once more and Charmander dodge it by using Iron Tail on the ground," the ecstatic boy shouted while flicking a dangling lock of hair out of his eye sight so that he could absorb a clearer picture of the fascinating moves.
His Murkrow had already started its decent as its wings changed from their usual dull colour to the vibrant gloss colour of steel, gleaming brightly against the clear blue sky of the day. Charmander had relocated its waiting stance, moving all its weight solely onto its burning hot tail; hopefully the previous weeks practice had strengthened the tail enough to successfully allow Charmander to spring above Murkrow.
Charmander's tail now began to shimmer with the same distinct light as Murkrow's wings, leaving only the tips' flame the smoky red colour. It clenched its muscles and tightened its focus, scrunching up the silky smooth skin on its face. With ease, Charmander pushed against the sandy floor, breaking past its normal height barriers as Murkrow only narrowly brushed past the extended fiery flame before immediately halting its course.
"Wahey, we've done it, we've actually done it guys!" Max gleefully shouted as he too jumped with delighted pleasure, "Roxanne's Stone Badge is ours!"
A rather desert like area surrounded the domed building structured together by multiple rocks to resemble the image of a mysterious cave. The seemingly infertile land had been respected with the odd palm tree here and there that helped make it feel less derelict and desolate; each plant also spouting a few succulent pieces of fruit that amongst the rugged terrain appeared very out of place. These washed over land had been the site of Max's first witnessed Gym Battle outside of his own and rested with a warm nostalgia in his heart, yet this time it was finally his turn!
"Ah man, I'm so psyched for this," Max whispered intentionally, making sure that Harriet wasn't able to hear his quiet comments, "I better not lose like I did against my Dad, I just can't…"
Neither two companions said anything after these silent remarks, but instead planted their feet in a continuous motion up to the gigantic steel doors that marked the entrance of Roxanne's Gym. He slowly crept in through a small crack that he had made while tugging against the bulky material, with Harriet edging her way in after.
The lights of the stadium were blasting their powerful beams about the room; Max gaped in awe at the wondrous decor that had been fitted throughout the monstrosity matching a difference since his last visit. He peered through the circular rims of his glasses up towards the podium spot where the Gym Leader took their position and noticed not Roxanne but instead another familiar face.
"No way, Brock?" he callously cried, "What on earth are you doing here? Last I heard you were travelling through Sinnoh with Ash and Dawn!"
The rather buff man stood with a smug stance facing the emerging Max, briskly undoing his black and orange jacket that kept his vague green t-shirt locked behind it, "Well yes, I was, but when an old friend asks for a favour I always deliver, and besides Dawn has competed in the Grand Festival now and likewise with Ash and the Sinnoh league so I didn't mind taking time out from travelling to look after a Gym, and to be honest, I kind of like being on my own again," he smiled, "And on another note I hear from Roxanne that these past two months have been spent looking after you… ironic I think," he partially chuckled, moving away from the podium and heading over to Max.
Max rubbed his head with a rather embarrassed touch, "Well, I can't really blame you to be honest, and ironic, I guess I see how." He faded into a marvelled state, "And running a place like this… wow!"
Max turned around as he realised that not a single person was busy paying attention to his gawping comment, his face instantly drooped and sank into a bold red colour.
"And you young lady, you hold dear beauty that can only be told through my undying love; that shine in your glamorous hair is amazing and…" he collapsed in a pile against the rocky field as a protruding jabbing mud hand stuck rather sorely into the centre of his back. A small blue looking Pokémon that resembled a hunched and pained creature sat casually behind its trainer with its lilac coloured Poison Jab neatly placed in its trainers' flesh.
"Ha, looks like Croagunk has taken over my job then!" Max belted out, laughing his socks off at the vast humour from this one action.
"Ugh, why do I bother?" Brock rhetorically implied, "Don't worry Max, ugh; I'll be back in time, ugh, to see your Gym Battle with Roxanne, ugh…" Brock stated as his poison Pokémon began dragging him over the rough and uneven Gym field that bore a few cracks in its floor from what must've have been intense battles.
The two young trainers watched on relatively perplexed at this odd occurrence; a definitive smile stole a partial spotlight on both of their faces before they too decided to just forget what they had witnessed and return to their task of finding Roxanne. A door at the opposite end of the pitch beckoned to them, and they flung themselves with all their might and as quickly as possible over to that area. Max was raring to undergo his second Gym Battle whilst Harriet was quite excited to witness the tremendous power.
The door suddenly pitched open on its axis and belted into the side of Max's flesh, sending him off balance and onto the ground with a shocked expression. He quickly resumed his natural air and kicked back onto his feet.
"Oh, Max, sorry about that," Roxanne stated, dusting a few particles of dust from the young boys clothes, "I heard… commotion with Brock and so expected you to be here for your Gym Battle and I didn't want him handing an easy win to you now…" she giggled, hoping to retain an essence of dignity about her. She then looked up from her obsession and squinted about the hall, unable to see the figure of the brooding Brock, "Where is he exactly?"
Max managed to acquire his posture again, a tad bewildered by his little knock, "Ugh, well we're not really sure, the last we saw of him, his Croagunk had grabbed hold of his leg and began dragging him out of the front door weird eh?"
"Most definitely," Harriet entered her remarks with a casual tone, "But what I don't get is how does he know you Max?"
"Oh he was someone I use to travel with back when my sister and I were in a group, and this Gym was a pit stop for our journey," he chuckled, "However that's a long story and I really want to get this battle started."
He turned back to face his other renowned friend, asking the challenging question just with the use of the muscles in his face. Roxanne cottoned on to his questioning grandeur and held her hand out that had placed in the centre three PokeBalls, diminished in size because they had yet to be activated.
Their attention spiked away from the three balls as the giant doors to the gym jutted open with force, and Brock, featured with a dazed look, wobbled inside. He reached energetically for a few pieces of equipment, tucked neatly away behind the stands while Roxanne now returned back to her answer.
"Okay then Max, considering my judge for this battle has just returned," she tutted, taking a quick glance towards Brock's location, "I can now tell you the rules, it will be a three on three with only you, the challenger, eligible for making substitutions. When one opponent's Pokémon all are unable to battle the other person wins, the general set of rules." She looked at the vigorously excited young boy, who himself had pulled the homes of his three friends out of their slots along his belt. She had spent almost two months travelling alongside Max, training him up as a person to combat against tough and unique situations where he would have to present his strengths as a trainer, and now it was her turn to test his skills.
"I'm ready!" Brock hastily interjected, clambering onto his embossed platform that was directed at the edge of the outlined battle field. He most eagerly clasped the two coloured flags that indicated the rivalry per se of two trainers in the heat of a battle, "So, now will both trainers please take their rightful places!"
As if time had begun to almost inevitably run out, Roxanne and Max rapidly took their places at opposite ends of the rocky nature set out before them. They themselves were fervent for the chance to have the real battle of will and strength that had unavoidably been creeping closer the further their travels took them.
"So then, with the rules explained both trainers must now call upon the first Pokémon they wish to use," Brock generically shouted with the sense repetition in his voice.
"Okay Max, I'm sure you've guessed who'll be up first," Roxanne called across the floor, holding in her hand the shiny outline of a sphere, "Nosepass, it's time for you to show them what we're made of!" As her lunge tossed the ball into the centre of the field, the exploding chasm of beaming light spiralled onto the material surface, clenching together to make the outline of a relatively large head. The sapphire toned Pokémon emerged from the confines of the glow.
"I had a feeling that you'd start with Nosepass, so Budew you're my choice!" Max too flung his sphere out into the rocky space before them, with another beaming flash of light dissipating to reveal another creature. Max and Budew were ready for this now, ready to begin and ready to win! This was setting up to be such a brilliant and partially easy victory for them due to the type advantage resting on their side.
"Max you have the first move, and I'm delighted to see what you'll throw at me!" Roxanne hastily spoke positioning her delight into tremendous happiness as her wait for the raging battle had drifted down to a count of zero.
"Well then, Budew begin with your Bullet Seed!" Max intensely cried with a coursing bulge of power, "Don't let up either and just continue to fire it… this has to work." Budew kicked its body backwards and thrust its head forwards to give a little bit more force behind her attack, something which she had learnt from her first Gym Battle in Hoenn.
"Sorry Max, but you really didn't think this through now did you? Remember I was there when you won!" Roxanne quite cleverly spoke, "Nosepass release a barrage of Zap Cannons at the oncoming seeds!" The rock type levitated a little above the Gym floor probably from the high surging electricity flowing through its body and it actually put itself in a direct line for the emerging grass attack, yet that didn't bother the Pokémon too much for it was use to this sort of tactic. The spherical charge of the powerful crackling electricity began forming before the gigantic orange nose that stuck out poignantly on the Pokémon. With one simple flick of its body, the destruction raged through the air making immediate contact with the feeble opposing attack before carrying its rampage onwards. Budew was in trouble!
The attack was practical in its destruction and quite capably flung Budew across the entire stadium. The incredible force dealt more damage with the sudden collision against a protruding rock in the field, and Budew unfortunately crippled into a jagged corner sending immense pain to chill throughout the body. Max could see that it was impossible for her to continue.
He unwillingly raised her PokeBall, fighting back some destructive tears at such an indescribable loss, "Budew, take a good rest," Max reluctantly mumbled before turning towards Brock, "I'm withdrawing Budew from the battle, she took too much of a battering and she needs to stay out of a fight for the moment!"
Both Roxanne and Brock had a momentary lapse of judgement and were struck with an impeccable look of shock, "Umm, okay then… Budew is unable to battle, Nosepass is the winner!"
From the stands an eager Harriet quickly noticed the sadness embark itself upon Max, "Don't give up Max, you can still easily win this. Just remember that luck is never on one side but it can be utilised to your advantage, keep fighting!"
"Hmm you're right!" the boy ecstatically stated, "And I know the perfect attitude to face this devious challenge, Murkrow I need you!" Max flung another sphere into the centre of the pitch and the sparkling burst of white energy flopped out onto the ground facing Nosepass. Within a matter of seconds the energy formed together the respectable shape of the midnight blue bird that immediately outstretched its wings before lifting its weight high up into the air.
"Now let's spice things up a little by taking this battle to the sky," Max obediently said, noting the growing smirk on his Pokémon's face, "We'll play this battle from afar, use Shadow Ball!" Murkrow raised itself higher into the rooftops of the stadium, making sure to get a little bit of distance so that its speed could quickly be utilised if needed. It tilted its beak backwards, as if praising a high creature that resided in the sky and channelled the shadow energy into the tip of the beak forming a gigantic spherical orb of darkness.
"Nosepass don't let their distance affect your strategy," Roxanne called out with a slight hint of panic as her Pokémon withdrew warily towards its trainer at the ghostly sight of the opposing attack, "Fire a Zap Cannon to counter act the Shadow Ball." The enormous magnetic rock once again rose above the ground, undergoing what seemed to be a mystic revelation. The magnetic charges began to swirl around to form another ball of electricity just in the nick of time, as the eerie ball of shadowy pain was burrowing its way through the simple air.
"Nosepass, release it quickly!" Roxanne shouted as she saw the raging attack almost creeping into contact, "Come on Nosepass, now…"
Roxanne's words unfortunately ended with no avail. The spherical object of doom had collided head on with the crackling expanse of energy, fusing together to create a more vivid reign of terror. This new creation, somewhat bubbling with the oozing darkness and coursing with the notable flickers of electricity, had overpowered Nosepass and left a residual trickling black goo over its body that seemed to burn with intense power as the Pokémon smacked into the side of the rocky wall. As she slid down to the ground, trying to regain any sense of balance and footing, the disgusting goo also began to drip off the Pokémon and fall to the floor with horrific consequences. Roxanne and Brock were shocked at the sheer force of this creation, watching as its acidic nature even burned through the built up floor.
"What on Earth?" Brock questioned, "How… I mean – I've never seen anything like that before." He turned out of the utmost curiosity towards Max and Murkrow, seeing the hint of power sparkling in the birds eyes, "My my Murkrow, you really do pack a punch, the electricity somehow managed to create a completely different substance from your Shadow Ball, meaning either this is a common occurrence or… - the more likely of the two – you are able to manipulate the energy you can produce to contain more power."
The entire room fell silent, stunned at the sudden revelation that Brock's insight so wonderfully had noticed.
"And if Brock's judgement is correct, which I am assured from numerous stories I've heard, then this is generally only achieved when a Pokémon bonds extremely well with another creature, in most cases being a human. You haven't had Murkrow for long Max, but somehow you've created a real link between you two which I think is great accomplishment and a sign of great things to come," Roxanne only smiled after her comments, still standing above Nosepass who was busy pruning itself of the black goo.
Roxanne's mind was fluttering with numerous compliments and praises, and also ideas of how to combat Max, she had to clamber back into the match somehow, "You are full of surprises young man, but don't let that get to your head, Nosepass still has a lot in her and we won't give up that easily."
"I wouldn't expect anything different Roxanne, and so I graciously give you the first move," Max responded, "Give me all you've got!"
"Hmm, don't you worry about that my friend, Nosepass it's time to pull out another type advantage, use Rock Tomb!" This time, Nosepass remained grounded and seemed to be locked directly to the grainy field, closing its beady eyes and meditating quietly. An orb of whiteness began to shroud the Pokémon, eclipsing its whole body in the wondrous extremities.
"We can't let this move hit us Murkrow, make this battle a little more complicated with your Haze!" The misty black vapour spurred from Murkrow's pale yellow beak as the Pokémon slowly moved its wings to an unknown beat keeping it adrift in the air. It continued its distribution of the hazy cloud until it could no longer make out a silhouette of his trainer, who had too become lost within the murky depths of a secretive attack.
The only thing noticeable from the stands, which had yet to become occupied by the intolerable Haze, was the blinding shine radiating from Nosepass. Harriet found it quite irresistible and intoxicating, feeling compelled towards it as she expected Bug Pokémon were to flames.
Amongst the foggy darkness, Roxanne continued to stare towards the only source of light emanating through the Haze and was clearly able to judge how much stored energy Nosepass had acquired, "Okay Nosepass, it's time to release the power now!"
Harriet wasn't able to get a clear view of exactly what unfolded, and neither did anyone else who was entangled within the clutches of the gloomy mist. It had blocked and clouded all vision, mental and physical, adding in a new dimension to the unfolding fight. Except, she could see the flashes of vibrant light soaring from one pivotal point, dissipating violently into the expanse before it and creating flashing sparkles of fireworks in its wake. If Harriet didn't know that two Pokémon and three Humans were caught up in the blazing shower of rocks, otherwise represented by the light, then it'd have been quite a spectacle to see.
"Murkrow, I'm afraid we're going to have to do this next bit solely relying on our trust," Max cried over the roaring surge of the rocks that crowded down around him, adding to the confusion and distraction, "Use your Steel Wing and fly towards the origin of the light!"
Another passion burned high within Max as the cloudy substance surrounding him became filled yet again with another mystic light, this time radiating with a silvery glow. His Pokémon was soaring at vast velocities towards the opposition, and although Murkrow had an ability to partially be able to see through the fog, trying to aim for a blinding target added an ever greater difficulty.
Harriet was again the only one who could witness most of the impact, seeing the cascading lights bouncing to and fro across the stadium. The others were only blinded further by the rapid movements.
Max lifted his eyes up to a slight gap in the disappearing Haze and managed to capture a glimpse of his precious bird zipping about through the open space, "Okay Murkrow, it's time to give this battle a clear view now. Use your wings to blow the Haze away."
Roxanne impatiently anticipated, her anxiety building as the smoky darkness began to disappear out of the propped open windows. She could vaguely make out the collapsed and hunched over image of a large creature, sprawled across the floor directly in front of her – and she knew what had unfolded…
Inside her pocket she managed to clasp onto two PokeBalls, dragging them out into the now sunlit room, "Nosepass, my-oh-my you were amazing, thank you dear old friend. Take a nice long rest… return!"
As the beam struck hold of Nosepass's mass, she quickly enlarged the other ball that sat comfortable in her left palm. With a rapid movement of her wrist it flew though the air and erupted a meteoric pouring of light that merged together instantaneously, creating a looming and rather intimidating long tailed Pokémon.
"You've done splendidly up to this point Max, and I must congratulate you on your skilful knowledge, but Onix is a completely different task altogether and requires different tactics from you." Her heart seemed emotionally unstable with the quivering tone of her voice and it was apparent that she was filled with a mixed set of opposite emotions – Max could clearly see that playing upon these would be beneficial.
"If you say so Roxanne," Max chuckled with an obvious attempt at humour, "However you have to beat Murkrow and I… let's start things off quickly and charge with a Steel Wing!" Following the trend of the previous move and with utter elegance, a shimmering shine erupted over Murkrow's glossy pruned wings. It tucked its head into a breast of feathers and embarked on a speedy descent.
"We're not going to fall for this again, dive underground Onix!"
The bulky brute unexpectedly moved with precise determination, darting its head directly towards the ground as if it wasn't even there. No fear ensued upon the Pokémon; the carefree nature just bubbled as Onix's excitement flowed into its energy. Within the time of a blinking motion, Onix had vanished from sight leaving only a trail of dust cloud to show an obvious strength of force.
"Murkrow, halt now and then climb back up, we need the distance!"
"Onix, we've got them on the run, it's time for you to show them the destruction of your Dragon Breath! Resurface!"
A quaky rumble unnerved both contestants as the floor they were standing upon began cracking and spewing little chunks of rubble throughout the stadium. Max had no time to react when one small crack enlarged and the ferocious body of the elongated rock type tumbled through, holding some form of spiralling green and yellow energy at the forefront of its gaping mouth. Murkrow too was taken aback and before it could calmly collect itself it was struck with an uttermost power of devastation that continued to rage its way until another object became the barrier for the movement. What was Max now facing?
"Murkrow, return… quickly, take a long rest because I'll need you later on!" Max reattached the PokeBall to his belt, before composing himself and retrieving another ball, "Charmander, it's time for you to shine!" Another flash dispersed from the red and white ball, releasing the bouncy and cheerful fire type onto the pitch where it was greeted with a sinister looking smile.
"Clever choice my young friend, but you still haven't got the type advantage even if you can pack a punch… don't forget that. Now Onix fire another Dragon Breath and this time charge it up for longer, this is the make or break!" The hulky rock type split open the jaws of his mouth letting the pure energy pour into a collective spiral. Charmander (who had yet to witness this amazement) could only stare blankly at the sheer strength being pummelled into a tight and compact space. He knew that destruction would inevitably follow if timings were only slightly off.
"Charmander, don't worry," Max cheerfully responded, attached with gleaming sentiment painted onto his face, "We have something that can counter this… I think," he scratched his head with puzzlement, "– all we need to do is try it out and then execute it, you understand?"
Charmander warily nodded at Max's scheme, his trust ran deep but he was struck with a fear of resentment at placing himself in the risky situation, still he acknowledged why. His eyes continued to glue themselves to the towering sight of bulging jade aura that held quite an impression over him.
"Charmander, you need to concentrate buddy, don't worry I'm here to guide you my friend. What I need you to do is blast it initially with an Ember the moment Onix releases it okay…" Max calmly spoke, keeping his attention locked upon the bubble of vigour so he could manipulate their timing.
"Onix, we've given them enough time to accumulate a plan, time to show them how futile it is!" With the simple command given, Onix crinkled its body into a neatly tight curl using the whip of his tail to partially protect the area around his head. Now with a defensive measure put into play he retracted his head and thrust the immaculate ball of dragon power towards the measly image of Charmander.
"You know what to do too Charmander, Ember now!" Charmander rapidly shot the numerous twists of burning fire directly at the oncoming monstrosity; hauling in a great deal of air to keep its' onslaught going for as long as it could muster, and also to help bulk up his body a little to look a tad more aggressive. The streams of fire continued on towards their target, whistling as they projected themselves through the air. A few ricocheted around the spherical mass, sucked up because of the slipstream effect, and making impact but causing little damage to Onix. The majority of embers however degenerated the minute they struck the flaming lump falling through the stadium air with little to no affect at all. The Dragon Breath continued to rage onwards.
"Charmander, don't give up! I know you've got the strength in you to…" Max's face despatched the entire emotional epidemic that had unravelled inside. The catastrophic entity had crashed directly into Charmander fusing the excreting lemon coloured fluid into an explosive bomb. The sooty substance stuck liberally to Charmander's orange fluffy coat changing his pristine looking fur repulsively dirty; Max became partially covered in the dusty particles as Charmander whisked over his head, flicking a hand impulsively through his hair to remove some of the powder before aiding his friend.
"Like I said Max, things aren't as easy as you can perceive, and I'd recommend you move out of the way, now Onix finish this up with your Iron Tail!"
Charmander began shaking with tremendous fear that coursed throughout its body from the paralytic shock it had just received. Through the corner of its eye it noticed the glimmering glow of a silvery long armament edging closer. It couldn't hear any commands being yelled at it for a defence; in fact everything seemed very distant – too distant. Charmander decided to turn towards Max for comfort as panic ran through the deeper cores of its mind. Things didn't quite add up though. Charmander saw the scared movements that Max's mouth was making as if shouting and yelling something that it couldn't perceive. The sight of his trainer as well was different, clouded with a fuzzy blur and blinding to the eye. Charmander was paralyzed… Max was unfortunately out of the picture unable to communicate to his friend and the only things it could possibly concentrate on were from within his heart and soul. Charmander now held the reins.
He raised his body off the ground with simple ease, a sign that the overpowering essence may be wearing off? – only to notice a sandy powder brush past his face as a few faint silver colours emerged into the fuzz. Charmander instinctively leapt off the rocky floor entering into his own steel type attack. He used the uneven wall behind him as a spring and the hazy light shining through the window as a gage for his target noting the spectrum of colours that he could make out. The greyish distinctive ones were the only colours he deemed notable to detect.
Amid all the confusion, Charmander cleanly swiped with his tail that made a clinking resonating sound upon impact and pushed the dreary colours away from him, Charmander at least knew that something movable had born the brute force of the attack.
"Huh, how is that even possible?" Roxanne astoundingly stated, "That's just… unbelievable. Max you really have created such a magic bond between all your Pokémon that they have the courage and determination to go for things even when the odds are clearly against them, or like in Charmander's case when another element has control over it." She shook her head at the disbelief, about to open her mouth again to utter another command when she captured the slight movement of the giant ominous Gym doors. They creaked open with a piercing squealing sound that ran shivers down the backs of everyone in the room; the old wooden frames hadn't been loosened in years, and then a figure emerged. Roxanne recognised the spiky crimson hair against the backdrop of an afternoon sun with the occasional streak of black shining through, but the female standing next to him – she didn't have a clue.
"Hey Roxanne, hey Max," Curtis paused as he captured the endearing smile and reflecting splendour emitting from Harriet's pink eyes. His heart began to pump faster and his nerves began to bounce back and forth inside his fluttering stomach, "Hey there Harriet, I err," he suddenly halted mid sentence, blossoming out into a rosy colour that matched perfectly with his attire, "Umm sorry about that, don't mind us, we just wanted to come and catch the end of the battle… good luck Max!" His eyes were still fixed upon the immaculate beauty that sat in front of him, her smile widening at the sight of him.
Max's eyes were gripped to the lushes mauve hair flowing gently in a breeze creeping through the remaining crack, that was swiftly dealt with by the closing of the giant doors. He too was filled with an ecstatic feeling from gazing at shimmering love, "Hey there Curtis and… co, don't worry about the interruption, in fact I think it just gave me a little boast," Max sniggered, "Charmander Screech now!"
Charmander, now free from the paralysis that had enslaved it earlier, flipped into action by bending its body slightly backwards to open the airways before drawing in a gulp of air. The torrents of pulsing sound waves ripped sadistically through the gap that sat between the two Pokémon, blasting the air from its sockets and moving them to their own will. Onix stood no chance and this was defined by the utter might that swept Onix off the solid earth it resided on and momentarily turned the rock type into a crashing meteor. The wall was left with a residual imprint of the lengthened body, stretching an enormous pan of over twenty metres, quite small for that species.
"Onix, no – we let our guard down there my friend so this time we'll also utilise distance, retaliate with your own Screech!"
"Charmander, repeat your attack!" The same pattern as the attack moments earlier followed, ripping the stubborn rocks from their roots in the field, except this time from both directions. The two attacks rammed into each other with enough force to push both the Pokémon a few inches across the battle floor, scraping their bodies across the coarse floor. The strain on their faces portrayed the effort they were exerting, but neither seemed close to giving up.
"Onix, add in more oomph!"
"And Charmander, you do the same!"
The gushes of brutally powerful air waves began interlocking together under the stress of more force, combing both jets through the resistance that was blocking both surges from proceeding. The determination on all their faces was the most narrative representation anyone could gage for the intensity and struggle unfolding. Neither side seemed ready to give up or even vaguely flinch from fear of a loss, things were irreparably underway.
A sudden idea blazed into Max's jade coloured eyes that glinted with utter excitement; he noticed a chance to get an edge in this battle even if it wasn't by a conventional method.
"Charmander, we're going to switch things up, Ember now!" The whizzing stockades of fire immediately replaced the shrieking coil and pummelled against the opposing Screech. Roxanne lurched backwards as her surprise took a turn for the worse, seeping terror into the holes where the thrill had been. The rolling ripples were bouncing directly off the storming embers, being sent in multiple directions around the stadium, as surprisingly, the Ember continued forwards. The catalyst of events continued to spiral into the favour of Max, because even though the type wasn't devastatingly effective it still managed to become an intolerable irritant and buy Max some extra time to consolidate all the plausible tactics.
"Charge in with another Iron Tail while you keep bombarding them with your Ember right up until you unleash it, we've got them locked into our corner and it's time to take the lead!"
Charmander struck its feet vigorously into the unsteady gravel, not letting up with the salvo of scorching twists as he raced on forwards. A sneaky grin revelled itself upon his warming face as he sensed his notable lead, his slyness unravelling in this one moment as he noted the terror strike Onix. And that wasn't all that would strike Onix.
The rock type struggled to see visibly through the flashes of burning hot red scolders and wasn't ready to face the brute attack, wasn't ready to face a powerful blow, and with his guard down there was no way to soften the blow. The nippy flick of the strengthened tail, now coated with the steel armour, met its match with a direct and precise hit to the brooding head protruding from the blocked rock body. Onix keeled over, flailing in the fall, chiselling out a section of the wall as its body collapsed upon it.
Brock's attention became hawk eyed, prying his staring look on the motionless Pokémon propped up by a few pieces of rubble scoured from the wall. He noticed the occasional flinch that sparked through the body, but there was no real sign that it was able to enter into the battle again and withstand another slashing of Iron Tail.
"I'm sorry Roxanne but… Onix is unable to battle, Charmander is the winner!"
A cheerful round of applause echoed from the stands as the three youngsters commended Max and Charmander with a standing ovation; Harriet bobbing up and down from the pounding joy and pride of witnessing Max's success.
"You're so close now Max, and I must admit you deserve all the praise you get because that win came out of nowhere. You and your Pokémon have trust that runs deep… I don't know how many more times I'm going to be saying that today," she chuckled, amusing herself while the comment seem to glaze over the others, "Umm, sorry, anyway – you need to be careful now and utilise the trust you have very carefully, especially against this next beast! Rhyperior, it's now the occasion for your first Gym Battle!"
A collage of red and white zipped across the stony ground until it burst its brims and ejected the purified energy. The light walloped onto a rocky ledge, unevenly merging into the form of some gargantuan Pokémon. Rhyperior ruptured through the glow that surrounded it, scattering it into numerous flashing particles that twinkled quite brightly. The Pokémon had breached the confines of its PokeBall screaming out a gregarious roar, the same that had nerved and terrorized Max at their first encounter. He never knew that Rhyperior was travelling with him all this time through their encounter with the human monsters that had invaded Oldale through their travels of Petalburg Forest. How could he have not known?
"Roxanne… how could you not tell me? I, I, I don't understand – why would you hide this from me?" Max emotionally uttered, holding back the droplets of tears that had entered the corners of his eyes.
Roxanne looked blankly back, unsure of the correct way to phrase her response, but she had to say something, "Max, the Pokémon World is full of mysteries and there are people out there who want to find the answers, I for one am one of these people – and one of these mysteries is Rhyperior, he didn't act intentionally but instead something was controlling him as I discovered after I captured him."
"Yea, but you could've told me Roxanne… I'm not angry just more, shocked I suppose," he dimly chuckled, managing to muster a faint smile, "I kind of… never expected to see him again."
"And that's completely understandable Max, and to be honest with you I've been training him for a while whenever I had the opportunity to do so and I was just waiting for the right minute to tell you, which never arrived." She paused, deciding that changing the subject and starting the battle again was for the best, "He is a tough one to beat but as long as your emotions don't take control then you have a good shot!"
The muted mood had come like a gust of wind, taking Max over by surprise and depleting his rational thoughts. Now however, he needed to get the stimulation back, ignite the happiness again and take Rhyperior down as some sort of revenge. Then maybe he could get over it…
He perked his attitude up, calmly sighed and offered a response, "Okay then Roxanne, I'm not going to disagree with there because Charmander and I are ready to win that badge, that's something that'll never waver! Now, Charmander go straight into your Screech!"
The Pokémon released the ripples of power through the ever growing dusty air, due to the lumpy movement from Rhyperior creating clouds under foot. He didn't seem too agitated by his opponent or too unnerved by the slight tiff, although it also wasn't his ideal matchup and he hated hearing his trainer raise his voice in ager; but things were still just a game for the little rascal, the world had yet to reveal itself to him.
The vibrations soared with great elegance and ease as if nothing viscous or resistant was hindering the progression. The two challengers had perfected their Screech offense and it seemed as if things were going exceptionally faultless, but masquerades were often Roxanne's best tactic.
"Rhyperior, hold your ground, this is only going to tickle you, then combat it with your Hidden Power!"
He stopped lugging about his ferocious sized muscles and steadily balanced himself to brace for the incoming attack. His arms seemed to lock in place with the pointed edge hovering motionless, both horizontally stretched at a right angle with his main torso that was coated with the spectacular orange minerals, gleaming with their purified value. His bulky stature left him firm and secure, resistant to the overpowering waves that resiliently struck him, but nothing happened, zilch. The sound ambience only traced around his body before crashing against the wall in the renewed shape of Rhyperior, and indenting this vivid impression amongst the other battle scars.
The expressive rock type uprooted itself from its withdrawn position, bringing substance and solution back into its limbs and retrieving the momentary loss of motion. Rhyperior shrieked a howling roar from the pits of his fierce soul while crossing his rudimentary arms and charging them with secretive supremacy displayed by a white pulsing force. It took effortless simplicity to channel the compressed power into something worth throbbing through the barriers of his body and directing towards what he classed as a feeble adversary, but even though it was what he deemed a task unworthy of being augmented he felt an obligation towards his trainer.
Max recognised the extent of harm conjured into this one basic yet evil move, capable of knocking his pal down with only a few seconds of exposure, "Charmander, jump into an Iron Tail and use it to bounce off the Hidden Power if it comes close to hitting you, and then come down with all your might upon him, we won't get a second chance!"
Once again Charmander's tail was chemically changed with the alteration of the additional steel element, secreting its injection of a hardened material throughout the fiery hot flesh with a gushing distilled liquid. As the propelling offense weaned its way closer, he utilised the spring like quality now available and shot upwards, narrowly avoiding a date with destruction, however now came the tricky bit.
His thrashing antics as he descended in an uncontrollable spin made it harder to gage an appropriate timing or course trajectory, but as Roxanne had put into words earlier, allowing emotions to run your systems would be detrimental in itself. The only thing he could do was hope for the best, and so, trying to cut off any distracting thoughts, he brandished his courage and swept at the streaming energy beam with his tail.
Roxanne felt that she should be accustomed to these outlandish victories over common sense, but this just about tipped the fumigating pressure building. She was outright bemused at the triumph Charmander had accomplished, although only a small step in reaching a win, but… successful nonetheless. His thrust with his tail upon an already unstable energy field below him had somehow, without leaving even a mark, boosted the Pokémon across the stadium battle field with the reflecting exquisiteness still bellowing underneath him, until his tail made a harsh sounding noise against the bulging head of Rhyperior. The Hidden Power came to an abrupt stop.
"Huh? No way – seriously Max you have brought an entire army of luck with you today, except I think it may have just run out… try and get out of this one. Rhyperior use your Rock Wrecker now!"
Those words even sent a chilling blow down Brock's back as he came to the conceding conclusion of how powerful Rhyperior must've been in order to learn it and how much stronger his potential would've expanded. In all his years as a travelling breeder, he was yet to meet someone with the capable handling abilities to control, let alone teach a Pokémon this move. In blatant terms, this attack was some sort of celebrity, even considered a legend amongst a few citizens and he was about to witness the capabilities and awesomeness that the move was about.
Rhyperior cupped its two hand like appendages as if holding a fragile antique that was of most importance to a relative. Spiralling swirls of a range of browns began orbiting a central point of origin, assembling together in the centre as a hulk of an object; rough edges and smooth faces on show for everyone to see. The uneven sphere kept on growing, expanding the cupped hands even further to hold such a humungous item unknown to most. The superiority of it was indeed obvious as both Max and Charmander had seemed to bow down to its sovereignty, not even willing to stage a fight, and with one dynamic push it was on its way to victory.
There was no time for Charmander to escape the clutches of this shattering boulder, for within moments of its release it had dawned straight upon him. Brock expected the ball to whip Charmander up and attach it like some sort of limb to an outer extremity, instead though the instant it touched the Pokémon it shattered and distributed shards and shrapnel of the beasty attack. Charmander had been blown a full course of the field and his momentary rest was the comfort of a solid wall.
"Charmander is down for the count; Roxanne and Rhyperior are the winners," Brock politely muttered, "Both sides are now down to their last Pokémon, the winner of this next battle is the overall victor of the match, begin!"
Max was left with a dumbfound look smacked into his expression, he had no time to react to such a monster of an attack, even the charging time had been outstandingly fast. His chances had diminished pretty rapidly with the introduction of Rhyperior and Rock Wrecker, and he thought he had the win in the bag. Charmander had dealt two direct hits of fairly dominant attacks to Rhyperior and all it took was one of his to send Charmander out of the battle completely. Max had no idea of what he was sending Murkrow in to.
"Roxanne… that was just awesome – I must admit, and I congratulate you for all the training you've given Rhyperior to become trusted by him, and I'm glad you brought him into this match, it's a chance to see what I can become, so, Murkrow I need you again!" With more confidence than before, he tossed the circular capsule for the last time this match into the centre of the now obsolete field. With an essence of vitality, the Pokémon emerged free from the screen of paleness, immediately streaming its look into the returned intimidating glare of Rhyperior's. Murkrow was ready, even if Max wasn't he had to be!
"Rhyperior we can't give them any momentum to think at all, we need them on the run, so let's go into your Megahorn!" Roxanne screamed with a pumping need for urgency, originating from her stupid idea of insecurity battling Max, feeling as if she needed to show him that she too had the ultimate drive to achieve ideal techniques and was more than proficient at wiping the floor with anyone. Although Max didn't require convincing of this, her head dabbled at the thought.
"Murkrow, we have speed on our side, so toy with Rhyperior and then double back and attack it with your Steel Wing!"
The sluggish movements from Rhyperior that outstandingly looked as if they derived from the bright rhythmic horn that was supposedly the cause for Rhyperior to unbalance itself considerably, alerted the Pokémon while it casually drifted along invisible currents, ruffling the glossy feathers a smidgen from the gradual vector of descent it had begun. His opposition was almost beneath him, so he started to swerve to the right and to the left in some sort of confusion tactic. His hopes of challenging the capacities of Rhyperior's brain and undermining any pre conceptions the Pokémon may have come to for defence ploys were working. Before long he had surpassed Rhyperior's point and entered into a graceful u-turn, using one silvery tipped wing as a pivot.
"Rhyperior, look out from behind you, try and…" Roxanne experienced the blundering curse of sure fire sentence stops, by her plans and next steps being smashed by what was commonly, an opposing attack, "Ugh, Rhyperior – sorry about that, I should have factored that in, looks like we're going to have to draw them in to get a close attack, so how about another Rock Wrecker?"
A sediment of horror sliced Max's usual joyous look for the infinite moment this match, as the looming scare of yet another serious blow had been entered into the fray… again. His mouth began to move to let rip a set of commands, but as the dripping surge of sweat accumulating on his uppermost lip suggested, his tongue was fumbling around with the words. Luckily for him, Murkrow had encountered quite a few occasions when instinct and quick reactions were inevitable and therefore Max yet again lost the pedals of control and his Pokémon was running the show.
Murkrow opened a small crack in its beak, seeping the shadow energy into a compact structure for another barrage of Shadow Balls, this time consecutive and aimed at one precise place, the jewel like plating growing from the rocky torso. As Max had stated earlier, uttering indeed needed and accurate words, their speed was going to play the advantage and aide them willingly. This had become evident with the fully formed Shadow Ball waging against the half created span of the boulder, easily dodged with a manoeuvrable roll. With a bright chance that was clearly irresistible and the fact that the rock element was still being transferred through the holes in Rhyperior's palms, the raining shower of shadow matter began.
Because of the vast weight that fastened Rhyperior in one position, added of course by the enormous creation being born in the centre of its hands, the rock type had no chance to utilise the mallet shaped tail that's speciality was as a protection device. No matter how fun it would've been to watch the tail play baseball with the obtrusive daemon substances raring to spill their ghastly hibernated pain, Rhyperior just wasn't prepared.
The impact of the splitting eerie balls repeatedly colliding with the gem like tablets was so strong that it toppled the giant of a Pokémon and prematurely released the minefield of hardened earth at an unknown angle and direction, luckily one that avoided any chance of having contact with a living creature in the Gym Hall. The onslaught of hailing hurt concluded after that brief scare, but Murkrow had successfully sent a round of roughly fifteen Shadow Balls to force their might against the unwieldy stature and bring the being to the ground, stopping its control of the situation momentarily.
"No," was the simplistic remark exploding from Roxanne's shaky lips, "This battle has been one shock after another… Max, you've managed to combat just about anything I've thrown at you, and I know that this one tactic didn't happen to be your idea, but still - friends normally follow trends set by other members of that friendship circles, meaning just about everything derives from you." Her posture seemed to stiffen and tremble from the odd mixture of emotions bubbling about her body: that of anger yet admiration blending to form a misshaped cake. Max thought it best to provide some sort of console.
"To be absolutely fair to my Pokémon… and you, we've spent much of our time around you, learning from you, being taught by you so I presume that all our ideas somehow come from you then. And to be honest, they basically set all this up, think back to earlier with Charmander's seemingly ineffective Screech.
"I'm just guessing from sources of information I've read, but if I remember correctly Screech can have two properties, one being the noticeable attack, known as primary but also a secondary occurrence, such as the Dragon Breath having a residual impact on Charmander causing the paralysation that previously hindered it. So, putting all that together, Rhyperior's defences were probably lowered mentally by slowing down his aptitude to react and thus having a physical affect on the Pokémon."
Brock, who had up to now decided to watch a rather entertaining battle unfold, thought it best that he add in some guidance of his own; although what Max had said had been pretty accurate; Brock liked to thing that it had something to do with the amount of time they had spent travelling.
"The boy is right Roxanne, I did actually question whether Charmander had somehow done this by the damage caused by his Iron Tail, and it seems I was correct, you really do have a struggle on your hands," Brock interjected with a serious fixed state; quite like a robotic computer birthed only to provide information, "But with that knowledge you now know the extent of Max's prowess."
"I'm not going to ever dispute that again Brock, I truly have underestimated Max's ability to perform, and the fact he noted the residual Screech effect when I didn't is all the proof I need."
"Kind regards are taken in Roxanne, but I'm not here to chat – Murkrow it's now time for one last sweep of your Steel Wing while Rhyperior is still weak from your Shadow Ball… go!"
By the appearance of solemn acceptance slowly becoming visible in Roxanne, Harriet assumed that the Gym Leader had already acknowledged defeat and was preparing for the end of a heated and exuberant encounter. Roxanne still showed the mature signs of a smile though, presumably because Max had been accompanying her for so long. It was time to experience what parents did and let go of the fun burden of caring and shielding.
Her hand delicately twizzled a rigid curl that had unfolded from the neatly tied bun, leaving her fixated eyes on the oncoming fairytale like Pokémon, readying itself to deliver the final blow to her newest capture. It too seemed okay to face defeat.
The fortified glistening wings only grazed past Rhyperior, but contained enough power to effortlessly fling the bulk callously into the wall; the same one that had been on the receiving end of numerous meetings already today. Once the Pokémon peeled off, keeling over onto the floor as if it were some comfy bed, the scorch marks of the day's pains were notably visible as small crumbs of rock were still plunging out.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle, Max and Murkrow are the victors and the Gym Win goes to the challenger!"
The three bodies that were closely perched on the edges of their seats leapt up with pure excitement, slamming their hands together in robustious applause. The amount of emotions stored inside gurgled out in an impressive way, while their clunky shoes echoed thumping beats on the polished wood. Harriet seemed the most boisterous among them, beaming her fulfilled amazement onto Max, "You did it Max! You did it!"
"Ha," he snorted, "I really did! I've just won!"
Max clasped the tight spherical orbs upon his belt instantaneously, giving no thought to anything but the creatures that had cemented his win. The flashes then emerged one by one with the worn out Pokémon only moments behind, them too basking in an instant of happiness, "We've won guys, we've won! Thank you so much for all your hard work and I promise I won't make it this difficult again… Thank You!
A faint red glow shimmered into the corner of Max's eyes accompanied with the monotone appearance of soft glistening particles; the light then retracted back the way it came. He looked up and thankfully grinned at the fairly young, suited up lady approaching while slipping a PokeBall into a cut out pocket on the frilly cloth of the navy skirt.
"Max, now where do I begin? I truly have seen remarkable accomplishment in your progression from the young naïve trainer to what you are today, and it didn't take you long to accept the truth of what it meant to be a Pokémon trainer…" her tanned blush caused her to halt in her praises, "I think that's all I'm going to muster to say besides this: you are awarded a certified league badge from the City of Rustboro, the Stone Badge to anyone else."
She thrust the shiny arrow shaped emblem into the secure warmth of Max's palm, adequately planting her assistance forever into him with the declaration of the badge. He could only look at her with honour and gratitude, as any slight noise would spill the happiest of tears down his flushed cheeks, and anymore face movement would probably result in the same action. It was simpler and more peaceful to take consolidation in the tough win, setting him up for future glory across Hoenn.
As the reddish rays of voluptuous sweetness kissed the lonely shores of Rustboro's beach, the residing waves longingly hugged the beach and the sandy earth halted with the distillation of the wind that no longer seeped a breath of coldness. In the centre of this usual mirage, a huddle of delight was noticeable over the hazy murk of the dispersing spring warmth. This memorable scene was something normally digitally mastered by travel companies as tokens to sell brochures but something was indeed blessing the group with goodwill and they were having the most tremendous time.
A few small creatures bounded past the heating stack that poured out tender smells of the manufactured product known as meat, dripping with the oily juices that only made temptation lust further. But the partying, enjoyment and dancing would continue for hours to come as celebration to an achievement and victory. Max was no longer bound by thoughts of ranking as inferior in knowledge and was free to be handed a few pieces of the wheel to his future, expanding his horizons and dreams through exploration. This however came at a price for Roxanne, being given the old dutiful restrictions a Gym Leader takes on, but now she always had a helper and dear friend to rely on whenever she needed it, that of the old Rock Leader Brock. He had been deeply touched by the day's encounter of overcoming bridges and rectifying friendships that had truly flourished from the unlikeliest of places, and was sure that the four youngsters singing their hearts out in front of him had delightful destinies ahead in whatever branch of Pokémon they entrusted themselves to follow. Life was ever bright and ever beautiful!