Hard to believe it's been ten chapters since the first battle with Lt. Surge. And fifteen since James' battle with Misty.
Anyway, James and Raenok took part in the Pannacotta Challenge last chapter, with James managing to earn a TM (despite it ending in a draw) after a tough battle with a snorlax.
Upload Date: 18th July 2013
Chapter 25: Cerulean City Rematch
Cerulean City, Kanto
11:54am, 24th April 2005
Having set off early that morning from Rimana Town, James and the others had had an uneventful journey to Cerulean City through the pouring rain. They were now drying off at the pokémon centre and getting ready to set out to the gym.
"Okay, I'm ready!" Livvi grinned, bouncing into the reception area of the centre.
"Took you long enough," Richard greeted her.
"Give me a break, Richard!" Livvi scowled. "Given that I had a shower and got changed, twenty minutes is incredible!"
"Whatever, let's go." Richard started walking towards the door.
"Wait a sec!" Livvi exclaimed. "Where are James and Josh?"
"They went to the training room," Richard replied. "I think James was planning on teaching Raenok how to use Brick Break."
"If you're leaving them here, then why do I have to come?" Livvi demanded.
"Well," Richard began. "I figured you'd want to come."
"You mean you're too scared to go alone."
"Of course not! Don't make such silly assumptions, Livvi," Richard laughed unconvincingly.
"Hmph!" Livvi folded her arms and turned her head away from him. But she still followed him out of the pokémon centre.
"Alright, let's try it one more time," James said. "Use Brick Break!"
Raenok's fist glowed a deep red colour. He smashed it into the punch bag in front of him.
"That one was perfect," Josh gave a nod. He was stood on the left side of the punching bag.
"Looks like we finally nailed it." James wiped his forehead. He'd been practising punches with the mankey and had worked up quite a sweat. "Nice work, Raenok."
Raenok grinned back at him enthusiastically.
"Brick Break will be a great addition to Raenok's move set," Josh said as James recalled the fighting type to his poké ball. "It's much more powerful than Karate Chop and Low Kick."
"Yeah." James nodded. He looked around the training room. It was long and rectangular, like the arenas James and his team had fought in before. A raised platform ringed the centre and bright lights shone down from a large indent in the roof. Punch bags, targets and the like were placed around in the lower centre. There was no room for a proper battle; the training room was for just that. There were only three other trainers using the room at the moment and they were ensconced with their training.
"So, what now?" Josh asked.
"I'm going to head up to the room and have a shower," James replied. "Then I guess we'll just have to wait until Richard and Livvi get back from the gym."
"Alright." Josh nodded. "If you need me, then I'll be in the trainers' lounge."
James gave a nod in response. The pair walked up the stairs out of the centre of the training room and headed for the door. Upon leaving the room, they turned right and followed the corridor until they reached the stairs.
"See you later then," James said as he started climbing.
"Yeah." Josh nodded and carried on.
12:10pm, 24th April 2005
"Alright, guys," James addressed his pokémon. He was still drying his hair with his towel. "The next gym is in Celadon City, at least I think," he added uncertainly. "Anyway, I don't want a repeat of what happened in Vermilion, so we're going to train really hard before the next battle."
James' pokémon all gave a nod of agreement. They were all stood in a line on the floor of James and others' room in their order of capture.
"Okay. Here's the plan: we've been doing great in terms of endurance, but I think we need to improve the power of our attacks," James said. "We've got Brick Break now." He nodded at Raenok. "But our other main attacks still aren't that powerful. I think we need to work on replacing Thundershock, Ember and Bullet Seed."
Charka, Kacha and Ayra all looked down.
"It's not your fault, guys!" James laughed. "We had to start somewhere. We just need to focus on learning some new attacks." He looked out the window at the rain. "Then I'm sure we'll crush the Celadon gym!"
"You're back!" Josh exclaimed as Richard and Livvi, drenched once again by the rain, entered the trainers' lounge.
"Well spotted," Richard replied.
"When's your battle?" Josh asked.
"He's already had it!" Livvi grinned.
"What?" Josh cried in surprise. "Really?"
"Nah, just kidding!" Livvi giggled.
"I'm booked in for one o'clock." Richard took over. "So we've got just enough time for lunch before we head back over to the gym."
"Hey." Livvi looked around. "Where's James?"
"He went back to the room to have a shower after training Raenok," Josh replied. "I guess we'd better get him and go get some lunch."
"I'll get him," said Richard. "You guys get your lunch."
"Alright, see you in a sec," Livvi said.
Josh got up and he and Livvi headed off to the restaurant.
Richard walked back through the reception hall until he reached the stairs up to the rooms. Once at the top, he turned left and continued down the corridor until he reached their room, number seven, on his right. He knocked on the door.
"Hey, James! Open up!" he called.
The door opened.
"Hi, Richard!" James grinned. "You booked in?"
"Yeah." Richard nodded. "We're going to have lunch before we head back to the gym."
"Got it." James gave a quick nod. He turned around and pulled out five poké balls. "Return guys!" the recall beams shot out from the balls and hit the five pokémon. "Let's go." James turned back to Richard as the red beams returned.
The pair quickly hurried back down the corridor and down the stairs before heading on to the restaurant.
"There they are!" Livvi grinned, nudging Josh. They'd already got their lunch and found a table. Upon hearing Livvi, the pokémon all looked up from their bowls of pokémon food.
"Cool." Josh acknowledged Livvi's nudge before turning his attention back his food.
"Back in a sec!" Richard said as he and James passed the table on their way to get their lunch.
"Okay." Livvi nodded.
A couple of minutes later, James and Richard were back.
"I'm telling you, nothing builds up an appetite more than training!" James grinned.
"And I'll tell you that nothing takes away your appetite than an upcoming gym battle," Richard responded as he sat down.
I already know that, James thought, but he decided it was best not to say anything.
"You still haven't told me what your plan is," Livvi said.
"Yeah." Richard nodded, "that's because you'd probably shout it to Misty during the battle."
"I wouldn't!" Livvi scowled, looking as affronted as she could.
"I can't confirm that!" Richard grinned.
"Well, if you don't trust me to begin with, then you never will be able to confirm it!"
Josh watched the two of them starting to bicker while he quickly tucked into their lunch. James, meanwhile, poured out five bowls of pokémon food and let his team out to eat.
"You should probably let Naro and Sting eat, Richard," he said. "They're going to need to be full of energy for the battle."
"I was getting to it," Richard replied irritably, pulling out Naro and Sting's poké balls. Releasing them, he poured out some pokémon food for them. James, Livvi and Josh shared a look but didn't say anything. At least the gym battle would be over soon.
1:03pm, 24th April 2005
"This is an official Pokémon League gym battle between the Cerulean gym leader, Misty, and the challenger, Richard Winter from Pewter City! This battle will be two-on-two with the winner being the first trainer to knock out both their opponent's pokémon. In addition, only the challenger is allowed to substitute pokémon!"
It felt like a long time since Richard had last stood in this position. It hadn't even been two weeks.
"Begin!"
Richard took a deep breath. "Go, Sting!" he yelled, throwing out the poké ball.
Sting buzzed loudly as he burst out.
"I choose you, Starmie!" Misty called.
Starmie cried out, landing on the platform nearest its trainer.
"That's different," James murmured.
"You don't say," Livvi murmured back. They were sat with Josh in the stands on Richard's left side. Unlike all the gym battles they'd seen before, there were spectators other than them. A handful of Misty's apprentices were sat in the stands at her end of the battlefield. There were also a couple of other trainers who were sat opposite James and the others.
"I hope he doesn't get put off by all the people," Josh said, looking down at Richard and Sting intently.
"He'll do great!" James grinned.
Down on the battlefield, Richard gave his first order. "Sting, use Focus Energy!"
Sting nodded and stared at Starmie, attempting to assess its weak spots.
"Now use Twineedle!" Richard called.
Sting flew forwards, drawing back his left arm in preparation for the jab.
"Dodge it, Starmie!" Misty called.
Starmie jumped to another nearby platform to avoid Sting's charge.
"Now use Water Gun!"
Starmie fired a jet of water at the passing beedrill. Sting looked around just as he was hit. Starmie kept up the pressure for a couple of seconds before halting the attack. Sting hung in the air, drenched but still active.
"Sting, use String Shot!" Richard called.
Sting gave himself a swift shake and fired a web of sticky string at Starmie. It promptly jumped to another platform to avoid the attack. Sting shot another String Shot at the water-psychic type.
"Use Dive!" Misty called.
"Here we go," Richard murmured to himself as Starmie disappeared under the water.
"Focus, Sting!"
Sting nodded. For a few seconds, the trainers and audience held their breath. Then Starmie erupted from the water with a loud splash and spun up towards Sting.
As it approached, the beedrill spun around and fired a well-timed String Shot directly into its face. Caught off-guard, Starmie's course altered slightly and only grazed Sting as it passed by.
"You okay, Sting?" Richard called.
Sting called out in response.
"Good! Use String Shot again!"
Sting used String Shot, scoring an easy hit as Starmie tried to recover from the last attack.
"Quick, Starmie, you need to get free!" Misty called urgently.
Starmie started thrashing violently to try and break the String Shot holding it down.
"Use Twineedle while it's down!" Richard yelled.
Sting plunged into a dive and struck Starmie twice with his needle-like arms. Starmie shook with fatigue but pulled itself together and started tried to rip apart the String Shot again.
"Keep it down!" Richard called.
Sting swept around over the still-prone Starmie and fired yet another web to keep it pinned down.
"And now finish it up with Twineedle!"
Sting dived in, raising his arms for the final strike.
"Water Pulse!" Misty called.
Starmie fired a ring of water directly at the approaching beedrill. Sting cried out as he was blasted up, away from his target.
"Now use Rapid Spin to break the web!" Misty shouted.
Starmie started rotating quickly and tore through the String Shot. Just as it was breaking free, Richard gave his final order.
"Twineedle!" he shouted to Sting as he swept down and round to get behind Starmie.
Sting launched himself into Starmie's exposed rear and landed two decisive strikes. Starmie cried out and toppled forwards.
"Starmie is unable to battle, so the winner is Beedrill!" the referee announced.
"Great work, Sting!" Richard grinned.
Sting buzzed happily as he flew back over towards his trainer.
"You're doing brilliantly, Richard!" James yelled.
"Keep it up, dude!" One of the trainers on the other side of the stands also shouted encouragement.
"I'm glad to see you've improved since our last battle!" Misty called over to him. "You reacted well to my unexpected use of Starmie!"
"Send out Staryu then!" Richard called impatiently. "We can handle it!"
"I'm afraid I'm not using Staryu this battle!" Misty called back, pulling out a poké ball. "Go, Golduck!"
Misty's last pokémon was a blue biped with spiny protrusions on the back of its head. It also had a cream coloured beak, a long tail and webbed feet and hands. There was a small red orb on its forehead. It landed two platforms away from its trainer.
"I didn't know she had a golduck!" Livvi cried excitedly. She pulled out her Pokédex.
"Golduck, the duck pokémon and the evolved form of psyduck. When its forehead shines mysteriously, a golduck can use the full extent of its power."
"Sting, use Poison Sting!" Richard shouted, quickly recovering from the surprise of another pokémon he hadn't expected.
Sting dived towards Golduck, his left arm glowing purple.
"Get ready, Golduck!" Misty called.
Golduck nodded and braced himself. Sting struck him in the chest and, with a neat little back flip, retreated back out of range.
"Disable!" Misty called.
Golduck's eyes glowed a bright blue colour. A bright light outlined Sting for a second before fading.
"Now use Water Pulse!"
Golduck fired a ring of water towards Sting.
"Quick, Sting, dodge it!" Richard called.
Sting dived down to avoid the attack but was hit by a second Water Pulse.
"Are you okay?" Richard asked urgently as the beedrill dropped down to the platform below.
Sting gave a nod. He was clearly tiring, but he was still good to go.
"Okay then, use String Shot!" Richard yelled.
Sting quickly fired a web of string towards Golduck.
"Dodge it and use Calm Mind!" Misty called.
Golduck jumped back a platform to the one just in front of Misty and closed his eyes.
"Get it while it's not concentrating!" Richard called. "Use Twineedle!"
Sting flew in low, preparing to strike with his arms.
"Dodge it, Golduck!" Misty shouted. Golduck's eyes snapped open and he span to one side just in time to avoid the attack.
"Use Twineedle again!" Richard called.
Sting spun in the air and charged in again, catching Golduck off balance. He cried in pain as Sting successfully landed both hits and swooped off to begin another run.
"Use Calm Mind once more!" Misty called.
Golduck closed his eyes again. As Sting turned and swept down to attempt another run, Misty gave her next order.
"Now use Confusion!"
Golduck's eyes snapped open again. They were glowing a bright, blueish-white colour. His forehead was shining as well. Sting suddenly stopped in midair. For a second, he remained there. Then, with a flick of Golduck's head, the beedrill smashed down into the platform below.
"Finish it up with Water Pulse!" Misty yelled.
Golduck jumped into the air and fired a ring of water down at Sting as he struggled to pull himself up. The impact knocked him back down.
"Beedrill is unable to battle, so the winner is Golduck!" the referee announced.
"Great work, Golduck!" Misty grinned as her Gym trainers cheered.
"Return, Sting, you did your best." Richard smiled. He pulled out Naro's poké ball.
"Keep it together, Richard! You can do this!" James yelled.
"Thanks!" Richard called in response. He threw out the poké ball. "Go, Naro!"
Naro materialised in a burst of sparks.
"Don't let up, Golduck – use Confusion!" Misty called.
Golduck's eyes glowed again. Naro grimaced as he was caught by the psychic power.
"Fight it off, use Double Kick!" Richard called.
Naro focused all his energy and broke free from Confusion. Before Golduck could refocus, he leapt nimbly from platform to platform, steadily getting closer to his opponent.
"Dodge it, Golduck!" Misty yelled.
Golduck jumped to another platform in hopes of evading Naro's attack. He'd jumped too early, however, and the nidoran simply changed direction and landed both kicks successfully. The duck pokémon was forced back and hunched over in pain from the impact.
"Golduck, are you alright?" Misty shouted anxiously.
Golduck stood up again and gave a determined nod. He wiped his forehead.
"Okay, use Water Pulse!" Misty called.
Golduck shot a pulse of water at Naro, who'd jumped back to the platform on Golduck's left.
"Dodge it and use Poison Sting!" Richard ordered.
Naro jumped sideways onto the platform on his right, nearly slipping and falling in the water. The Water Pulse splashed harmlessly at the spot he'd just been stood. As Golduck turned to face Naro, the nidoran leapt towards him with his horn glowing purple.
"Confusion!" Misty shouted.
Golduck's Confusion grabbed Naro in midair and hurled him sideways, back towards Richard's half of the field.
"Naro!" Richard cried in alarm as the nidoran's impact almost tipped the platform over.
Naro panicked and clawed his way to the now-higher end, just in time to correct it.
"Phew!" Richard gave a sigh of relief. "Okay, now use Double Kick!"
Naro, though still a little stunned from his crash, gave a nod began jumping across the platforms back towards Golduck.
"Stop it with Water Pulse!" Misty called.
Golduck fired a ring of water towards the approaching nidoran.
"Get out of the way!" Richard yelled to Naro.
Naro adjusted his course to narrowly avoid the attack. Jumping, he spun round and crashed into Golduck. The water pokémon was sent flying back, landing on the far edge of the platform.
"Use Disable!" Misty yelled.
Golduck nodded. Naro was temporarily outlined by the same glow that had hit Sting.
No more Double Kick, I guess, Richard thought. "Use Peck!"
Naro charged forwards again, his horn glowing white.
"Shake the platform with Confusion!" Misty ordered.
Golduck's eyes turned to their bluey-white colour again. He jumped back onto the platform behind him before shaking Naro's vigorously.
Naro cried out in alarm as he was shaken from one side to the other. There was a big splash as he fell in.
"No!" James groaned loudly. "Naro will be a sitting duck in the water!"
"The duck pun was unintentional, I assume?" Josh grinned.
"Dive underwater!" Richard shouted to Naro, noticing that Golduck was preparing another Water Pulse.
Naro gave a quick cry before disappearing. A split second later, there was an even bigger splash as Golduck's Water Pulse hit the surface of the pool. Everyone held their breath.
After a couple of seconds, a small, purple shape reappeared on the surface and hauled itself out of the water.
"Use Water Pulse again!" Misty shouted.
Golduck nodded and fired another blast of water at Naro. The soaked nidoran tried to dodge. The Water Pulse found its mark, however, and sent Naro flying back.
"Naro! Are you alright?" Richard shouted desperately.
Naro cried out defiantly, pulling himself back to his feet. His body suddenly became enveloped in a bright light.
He's evolving! The same thought flashed through the minds of everyone in the room as a series of light beams started circling the nidoran. The glowing mass started enlarging – Naro's ears, horn and legs grew longer, as did the spines on his back.
Naro let out a shout that echoed round the arena as the light burst.
"Nidorino." Livvi's Pokédex beeped. "The poison pin pokémon and the evolved form of male nidoran. Its horn is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might."
"Now's our chance, Naro!" Richard shouted. "Use Horn Attack!"
Naro charged forwards a little unsteadily but picked up some speed nonetheless.
"Use Confusion to block it!" Misty shouted.
Golduck's eyes glowed again. This time, however, the attack wasn't aimed directly at Naro.
"Whoa!" James gasped as a wall of water erupted from the pool in between the two pokémon. Naro kept going. He ploughed straight through.
Only to meet Golduck's Water Pulse coming the other way.
He cried in pain as he was blasted back through the wall of water and crashed onto one of the platforms.
"Naro!" Richard yelled.
The exhausted pokémon groaned and slumped forwards.
"Nidorino is unable to battle, so the winner is Golduck!" the referee shouted. "All of the challenger's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to Misty, the gym leader!"
"I don't understand!" Richard gasped in shock. "I thought pokémon got more powerful when they evolved!"
"It's not quite as simple as that!" Misty called to him. She'd withdrawn Golduck and was now walking round the edge of the pool to his end. "How much do you know about pokémon evolution and the evolution process?"
"Evolution is when a pokémon changes its form to become more powerful," Richard replied as he recalled Naro to his poké ball. "When a pokémon battles enough, it'll change into its new form to adapt to its life of battling."
"That's the simple version, yes." Misty nodded. "But how much do you know about the actual process of evolution?"
"Not a lot." Richard hung his head.
"I'll explain it to you," Misty replied. James, Livvi and Josh had gathered as close to the arena side as they could to listen as well. "The process by which your nidoran changed into nidorino was a very rapid metamorphosis."
"Metamorphosis?" Richard gave her a questioning look.
"When a living creature changes into a new form, it's called metamorphosis," Misty explained. "True evolution takes years and is about genetics."
"So why did Golduck beat Naro so easily?" Richard asked.
"The process consumes a lot of energy," Misty replied. "It left Naro exhausted, so he couldn't withstand Golduck's attack. That, and he had to learn how to use a different-shaped body to what he's used to, all while in the middle of a battle."
"Oh." Richard hung his head.
"It's not your fault, Richard." Misty smiled. "Naro choose to evolve at that moment, not you."
"It's unusual for a pokémon to evolve in the middle of a battle," the referee added, coming over. "They know how draining the process is, so they normally wait until after battle or sometimes when they feel secure."
"Why did Naro do it then?" Richard wondered aloud.
"It's probably psychological," Misty replied. "Naro really wanted to beat Golduck and he decided that the only way to do that was to evolve."
"I guess that makes sense," Richard sighed. He thought for a second. "Hang on, Sting managed to put up a strong fight after he evolved from kakuna!"
"Most bug types are a little different!" Misty laughed nervously. "When a weedle evolves into a kakuna, it doesn't actually stop evolving. It continues changing at a slower rate, which means it doesn't tire it out as much."
"What about my pokémon!" James called urgently. "My team's got a lot more battle experience than Richard's and none of them have evolved!"
"All pokémon naturally shy away from evolution a little bit." Misty turned around to face him. "It's a daunting prospect for them. It's important to let them decide for themselves when they're ready for it."
"It all makes sense now." James gave a nod. "But is there a way I can make them feel more comfortable with the idea?"
"Battling is normally enough," Misty replied. "It triggers a desire to become stronger and eventually makes them decide to evolve. A strong bond also helps," she paused for a second. "Just remember that not all pokémon will want to evolve though."
"Okay!" James nodded again.
"Anyway." Misty turned back to Richard. "That was a much better battle than last time. I honestly think you would have won if your nidoran hadn't exhausted himself by evolving."
"Thanks, Misty." Richard gave a small smile and shook her hand.
8:17pm, 24th April 2005
"On the plus side, it was an educating battle!" Livvi tried to lighten the mood.
"I guess so," Richard replied.
The four of them were sat in the trainer lounge at the pokémon centre. They'd just had dinner and were killing time before heading up to bed.
"Any ideas where you went wrong?" Josh asked cautiously.
"I think I should have attacked more with Sting," Richard sighed. "Using String Shot so much dragged out the battle with Starmie and tired him out."
"Makes sense." James added his thoughts. "But I think it was just that her using Starmie and Golduck rather than Staryu and Starmie surprised you."
"I guess." Richard pondered for a second. They lapsed into silence for a few seconds.
"So where are we heading next then, Livvi?" James asked.
"Why are you asking me?" Livvi retorted.
"You wanted to find Tessa, didn't you?"
"Ah! Of course!" Livvi exclaimed. "Back in a sec!" She tore off in the direction of the videophones.
"Looks like it's going to be a mystery trip!" James laughed.
"So what are you going to do now, Richard?" Josh asked, ignoring James.
"I figure I'll catch new team members and train from now on," Richard replied. "I won't try and get all the badges."
"Aww, don't give up, Richard!" James cried.
"We've barely got enough time for you to get five badges." Richard turned to him. "There's not enough time for me to eight."
"Well if you're sure," James sighed.
"I'm not giving up battling!" Richard laughed. "I'm just postponing entering the league!"
"Alright." James nodded. "I'm counting on you to help me train!"
"Yeah." Richard grinned. They slapped palms.
"And you can count on me as well!" Josh added.
"Glad to hear," James said.
"We'll make a fresh start tomorrow!" Richard gave a determined nod.
At that moment, Livvi came hurrying back in.
"How'd it go?" James asked.
"Sandoa Town," she said. The boys gave her blank looks. "Sandoa Town. On Route 9 – to the east."
"Is that where Tessa is?" Richard asked.
"Yeah," Livvi said darkly. She gazed out of the window. "This time, I'm going to win."
Right, I'd better start making preparations for my second Journey-exclusive location!
I hope the evolution theory was explained sufficiently. It was an idea that came to me when thinking of a justification for Charka not having evolved yet. I'm no scientist, so it's not supposed to be completely realistic.
Until next time! :D
James' Team:
Active:
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thundershock, Double Team, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Leer, Low Kick and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Scratch, Stun Spore, Bullet Seed and Spore.
Saeloc (Meowth): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Growl, Bite and Icy Wind.
Resting:
Charka (Charmander): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Scratch, Smokescreen, Ember and Metal Claw.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidoran): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Tail Whip, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Bite.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidorino): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack Peck, Poison Sting and Double Kick.
Sting (Beedrill): male, hardy, often dozes off, eats anything, bug-poison type, Swarm ability, known moves are Focus Energy, Poison Sting, Twineedle and String Shot.