Last time, on Tony's Journey...
While on their merry way to Vermillion City, Tony and co. met up with two martial artists, Ty and Kevin. Ty taught Tony that backing out of a fight due to a type disadvantage was nonsense, and Kevin taught Tony to always remember his goal - by shouting it at the top of his lungs. Now, the party travels to Vermillion City, where Tony has a fight with a military officer waiting for him!
Also, there was an omake. Weird.
What will happen next? Find out now!
The air was fresh with a hint of flowers in the breeze. The sun was beginning to set and the air grew cooler and cooler, though gradually. The sky began to glow violet and orange, as the sun dipped behind the tall skyscrapers of Celadon City, bathing the city in silhouette.
Celadon City, known for its tall buildings, beautiful parks, and vast industrial sectors. It wasn't as big as Saffron, but it was certainly more industrious. Salons, shopping centers, hardware stores, computer labs, and department stores clogged the streets, not to mention the city's Pokemon Gym.
Above all of the buildings there was one skyscraper; a massive monolith that towered over the rest of the city. As the sun set, the tower was cast into eerie shadow, darkness crawling up the tower like some bizarre creature. On the very top of the building, there was a sign, with large letters: Maruko Corp. Headquarters.
Standing inside her office, staring out to the quickly darkening landscape as the sun dipped away into the horizon, was Anna Maruko. Her hands were folded behind her back, and her eyes were cold as she stared off into the distance.
Tony Maruko. Tony Miller. The name of her son whirled about her mind. Angry thoughts began to bubble forth. Mainly about Sally. How dare that... that worthless little nobody try and keep her from claiming what's her own! What right did she have? She didn't give birth to Tony; Anna had. She was Tony's mother, and she fully intended to take him back.
Of course, there was the matter of legal procedures. Anna made a sour face. Even with an excellent lawyer (which she had) and the rather loose legal systems in Celadon (which she was thankful for) it still would be an uphill battle to get her child back.
Not that she cared. She was Anna Maruko: she was the one chance in a million who had made it. She started out as nothing - dirt poor, living on the streets with a brat sister, and with no mother or father. In the end, she was Anna Maruko: rich, powerful, and influential. She was the richest woman in Kanto. She would not be denied her son, much less anything.
"Anna dear?"
Anna turned her head to acknowledge the man and child who walked inside. Martin Silph - owner of Silph Co. He was a tall, middle-aged man, slightly balding with his black hair becoming grey, a handsome face with a strong jaw, dark eyes, and a warm smile. The richest man in Kanto - and husband number two. He was a widower, his last wife dead after a long battle with illness. With him, was his daughter from his last marriage, Anna's very own step-daughter Karen.
"Martin," she said, managing a smile. "You're back from the park?"
"Yes, we are," Martin said. "Lovely day out. You should've come with us."
"Busy," Anna said, matter-of-factly.
Martin gave a sigh. "You always are," he said, shaking his head. "Dinner's in an hour. Will you be joining us?"
"I'll be there," Anna promised with a nod.
Martin walked with Karen to the elevator and hit the button. Soon, the father daughter duo were inside. Karen shot her step-mother a glare and stuck her tongue out. Anna simply rolled her eyes as the doors slid shut, leaving her alone.
Tonight, there would be no more business. No more paperwork, documents to have filed, and shouting at her secretary for bringing her the wrong coffee - again. Tonight, it was just a small, family dinner - minus a family member that she wanted back - at a nice restaurant. Martin, evidently, enjoyed family. Boy, was he married to the wrong woman.
Anna sat down at her desk, shifting impatiently. Her "guest" was late. An hour late. If she took any longer she was going to find herself without a contract - and Anna, being Anna, would likely sell an anonymous tip to the police. She'd done that before.
Suddenly, the intercom buzzed to life. "Mrs. Maruko?" her secretary, Martha, said from the lobby of her headquarters. "There's a woman here to see you, but she doesn't have an appointment. Should I-?"
"Send her up, Martha," Anna said. "Now. This is a personal, private conversation."
"Yes ma'am," said Martha, who knew better than to question her employer.
The intercom went silent and Anna waited for her "guest" in silence. It didn't take long for the elevator to ding, announcing her arrival.
A woman wearing a pitch black straight jacket and with long, bleach blonde hair walked inside. Anna turned her head to take a look at her. "You're late," she said, bitterly. She hated to be kept waiting. Millionaire business tycoons simply do not wait. It was below them.
The woman walked towards her. "Sue me," she said. "It isn't easy to get through this city. Too many people. Too many police officers."
"Don't worry about the polices officers," Anna said, turning to face her new "employee". "They are incompetent, lazy, useless, and the local Officer Jenny is never above taking bribes."
The woman smirked. "My kind of town," she said.
"Unfortunately," remarked Anna. "Nice wig, by the way. Your own mother would hardly recognize you."
The woman laughed - a hollow, empty sound - and removed the bright blonde wig, revealing sleek, silver hair, cut above the neck. "Well, I bought it at your store..." She took the seat right across from Anna. "So, a little Swellow told me that you were in need of a professional Pokemon Hunter?"
"I am," Anna said. "I need something captured and brought to me."
"A Pokemon?" asked the woman.
"A person," Anna said. "His name is Tony Miller."
The woman laughed drily. "I don't capture humans - I'm a Pokemon Hunter. If you need a human captured, you're on your own."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "One million," she said.
The woman did a double take. "What?"
"I'm willing to pay one million dollars if you bring me this young man - alive, unhurt, and unaware that I was the one who hired you," Anna said, seriously.
The woman thought about it. "Hmm... I don't know..."
"I need it done discreetly," Anna continued, not listening to her employee. "Secretly and quietly."
The woman smirked. "Well, you see, that's the real trick, isn't it?" she asked. She leaned back in her chair and plopped her booted feet most disrespectfully on Anna's desk. "And I'm afraid that's going to cost extra."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Is it now?"
"One million fifty thousand," the woman said, after a few quick calculations in her head.
"You are out of your mind," Anna said, getting very angry very quickly.
"Well, doing things discreetly is more difficult," said the woman. "Besides, it's not like you don't have the money little Mrs. Money-bag. Perhaps you've forgotten-"
"Perhaps you've forgotten," Anna snarled, standing up. "Perhaps you've forgotten how desperately bad business is for you now. Perhaps you've forgotten how many of your employees have gone over to work for Team Rocket? Perhaps you've forgotten the last and only time you came to Kanto before - and the Rocket Gang ran you our of the region? Perhaps you've forgotten how quickly the Hoenn and Sinnoh police forces shut down your operations? Perhaps you've forgotten how Unova's very own Gym Leaders chased you out the moment they caught wind of your reek? Now, do you want this job or-?"
"Or what?" demanded the woman, now feeling very hot and angry herself. "What will you do, Maruko? Fire me? Call the police? Open a trap door and drop me into a pit of Feraligators?"
Anna glared down at her. "I happen to have a contact in Team Rocket," she snarled. "What if I were to tell him that you were here?"
The woman glared right back, silently.
"What if I were to tell Team Rocket - anonymously of course - that the infamous Hunter J was invading their space and looking for business. They'd find you and take you out in a day at the least." Anna glared harder down at her. "Listen. I have no more desire to have you work for me than you do. However, I have no choice. Every professional kidnapper and criminal is in the employ of Team Rocket, and I will not work with such scum. You will work for me - or else."
The woman - Hunter J - scowled. "Pokemon Hunting," she said, more to herself than her enraged client, "is not what it used to be..." She sighed. "Fine," she snapped. "Give me a picture of the kid. I'll bring him to you."
Anna gave a small smirk. "I'm thrilled you see things my way. That's very wise of you." She handed J the picture and the envelope. "This is information about him, his Pokemon and his friends. No one is to be harmed seriously - no one whatsoever. I'll accept a few bruises, but I would prefer he have all of his limbs. I'd like to avoid any unneeded drawn out police investigations. Do I make myself clear?"
J forced a smile of her own. "Crystal."
"Good," said Anna, walking towards the elevator.
"Tell me," J said, suddenly. "Will he be hard to catch?"
"Will it affect your price" Anna asked.
J smirked. "No. I just love a challenge."
Anna gave a slow nod. "This young man... is idealistic, stubborn, and loves the outdoors. He loves Pokemon too - and I believe he gets along with them better than he does with human beings." She paused, and then added, "I suppose the little idiot gets it from his father..." She began walking again. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a dinner to attend to."
"Any chance I could join?" J asked, grabbing her wig. "I'm starving."
"No, of course not," Anna said, stepping into the elevator. "I don't associate with criminals. Haven't you heard?"
The elevator doors slid shut, leaving J alone in Anna's office.
The sun began to rise over the horizon, bright light glowing in the ocean as it rose above the waters that surrounded Kanto. The air was fresh with a hint of salty sea breeze. The day was looking like it would be gorgeous.
Vermillion City, while not the largest of cities in Kanto, was one of the most industrious. The city stood by the sea, and had a large port. Cargo ships and passenger ships came day by day, unloading, loading, and setting off again. Sure, Vermillion was not the only city with a port in Kanto - Cinnabar Island had one too - but Cinnabar was too far away from most of the other cities and towns, while Vermillion was much closer, and therefore easier to access.
Vermillion itself didn't produce much, other than vast amounts of sailors and Pokemon Trainers. But while it didn't make much, it made it easier for the rest of the region to get their hands on products from other shores, and it allowed people to sail to those other shores. Its port was famous for having such ships as the St. Anna dock in it, cruise ships that were massive in size, and could hold hundreds of people. And now, the excitement in the city streets was growing - St. Anna was coming back, and there was going to be a tournament there.
This upcoming tournament was already reeling in trainers. So many trainers, in fact, that the Pokemon Center was packed to the brim, and poor Nurse Joy had to bring out extra bed mats to hold the huge number of people that were staying. Not that she really minded; this was excellent for business, and she was prepared, having already gotten permission to make t-shirts for the event.
The tournament, therefore, was the reason that the Pokemon Center was so crowded in the morning. Trainers of all shapes, sizes, ages, ethics, religions and colors were crowded inside the center, and in the cafeteria too. There was a long line waiting for breakfast, and everyone was hoping that they didn't run out of food.
Katie was standing in line - well, not really standing, sort of skipping and hopping about in place, worried that she would miss out on breakfast. The bouncing around was just making her hungrier, and it kind of looked like she had to go to the bathroom.
Finally, she made it to the front of the line. "Hi!" she said to the frustrated looking woman on the other side of the counter. "I like six eggs with two biscuits in the morning, fried not poached, please!"
The woman stared at her for a second, her eyebrow twitching, before she gave Katie a single scoop of scrambled eggs and a single, solitary biscuit.
Katie looked at the woman. "That's it? !"
The woman grabbed a carton of milk and placed it on Katie's tray. "Out of the line, please. Next."
"Ooh!" Katie whined. "I wanted chocolate milk!"
"Out of the line!" the woman repeated.
"Yes ma'am!" peeped Katie, slinking away.
It took a while for her to find her friends, as the the cafeteria was so blasted crowded. By the time she caught sight of Kelly, Tayuyu and Kirby, she had already eaten most of her eggs, and she was chewing on her biscuit unhappily. Finally she managed to get to her seat, and looked down at her pitiful breakfast. "I'm hungry..."
"Oh, suck it up," Kelly said. "You don't see me complaining."
Katie pouted unhappily, before she noticed something. "Hey, where are Tony and Kevin?" she asked. "I thought they'd be here for breakfast."
Kevin, as it turns out, had decided to accompany them to Vermillion, much to Tayuyu's chagrin. He had bunked with them in one room (which would have been a tight squeeze enough without him there) but in the morning both he and Tony were gone.
"Knowing Tony, there up to something," said Tayuyu. "And knowing Kevin, it probably involves shouting stuff."
"Hey, I liked the shouting stuff," said Katie.
"You would," muttered Kelly.
"Tony and Kevin are probably out training," said Kirby. "You know that Tony wants to be ready for his big fight today."
Just as he spoke these words, Tony came in, followed by Kevin and his Pokemon. All were red in the face, and wearing sweat bands.
"Heya guys," Tony said, gasping. "I'm... back..."
"Jeez, where've you been?" said Tayuyu covering her nose. "You reek!"
"Sorry," Tony said, exhausted. "Just went on a jog with Kevin," he said. "I even got my Pokemon some sweat bands!"
"Bug Pokemon don't sweat," said Kelly with a facepalm.
"I know that!" Tony said. "But they look good on them, don't they?"
Lucky struck a few poses, loving the simple white and violet band on her head.
Despite his long run, Kevin didn't even look tired - he had hardly even broken a sweat. "It's a start," he said. "But I figured you'd be able to run a little more than that. I mean, you've been on your journey for a few weeks, you should be used to running by now."
"I'm used to walking," Tony pointed out. "Walking." He gave himself a sniff. "Whew! I do reek! I'd better take a shower before I fight Surge."
"What about breakfast?" asked Kirby.
"Nah, we're good," Tony said. "We got some breakfast burritos before we ran."
"What? !" Katie shouted, feeling cheated. "I get one lousy biscuit and a spoonful of cold eggs and you get a burrito! No fair! Why does Tony get karate training and I don't! ?"
"It's not karate training," Kevin said. "It was just a job."
"Well, you'd better get to the shower quickly, Tony," said Tayuyu. "With this many people, there's gonna be quite a line."
Tony sighed. "Aww, man..."
"Oh, don't worry," said Kelly. "I'm sure your reek will drive them away."
Everyone stared at the silver haired girl oddly. Even the Pokemon were looking at her oddly. Kelly looked from confused face to confused face, her fact turning red.
"What?" Kelly said. "What did I do?"
"Did you just make a joke?" asked Katie.
Kelly blinked. "Uh... Sure, why not? Is that a big deal?"
"Well, no..." said Kirby.
"You've just been an absolute grouch ever since we've started out together," Tayuyu stated.
"You're one to talk, Yuyu," teased Katie.
"DON'T CALL ME YUYU!" snapped Tayuyu.
Kirby swiftly put himself between the two. "Look, rather than argue all day, why don't we just get ready to go to the gym?" he asked.
"Right!" said Tony, standing up dramatically. "Let's do it!"
"Bree!"
"Raak..."
"P-Paras!"
"Uh, but you are taking a shower first, right?" asked Tayuyu.
"Why? Maybe the smell will daze Surge and his Pokemon!" Tony said.
Thwack!
"Sorry."
Vermillion City Gym stood proud at the very edge of the city, overlooking the sea. Unlike Pewter City Gym and Cerulean City Gym, it did not have a room full of rocks, or a room full of pools. It had a room full of trash can.
Wait... What?
Tony grumbled to himself as he heard the now all too familiar beep that indicated he had failed. "Oh come on!" he shouted.
The others who had been through Vermillion Gym were having a laugh at Tony's expense. "Come on, Tony!" chuckled Tayuyu. "We all had to do it before you did!"
Tony grumbled in reply. "This is stupid," he said, searching through another can. "Who thought this was a good idea! ?"
The moment Tony had arrived in the gym, he was greeted by trash cans. Loads of them. Then, he was given the task of finding two switches inside them to open the door to the actual arena. If he could find both, one after the other, he would get his fight. The only problem was that if he didn't find the second directly after the first, he had to start all over. And, according to the rules, he had to do it all on his own, no help from any Pokemon or person, which added to the annoyance. He was grateful, however, that the trash cans only had paper waste in them: he had just taken a shower, after all. A cold one, too. Someone had used up all the hot water before him.
Tony grunted as he found another switch. He pressed the red button down and pulled himself out of the trashcan. He was feeling frustrated. "Alright, where's the next one...?"
"It's usually adjacent to the one you just pressed!" advised Katie, who had in fact been through the gym before.
Tony groaned. "Oh, that narrows it down." He sighed. "Alrighty, eeniee meeniee minie..." He chose a trashcan and ducked in. "DANG IT!"
The kids burst out into a new fit of laughter. Even Kelly found herself with a small smile, though she didn't want to admit it.
Suddenly, the door to the gym slid open. A pair of booted feet pounded the floor, past the chortling teens, and walked directly behind Tony, who still had his head inside the trashcan.
"Alright, let's try this again..." Tony muttered.
"TENSHUN!" the man hollered.
Tony gave a very girlish scream and popped out of the trashcan. His friends all nearly leaped out of their skin.
Above the still terrified Tony stood a huge man. (A/N: Insert Guile's theme here.) He stood over six feet tall, and was a virtual wall of muscle. He wore a pair of dark tan pants and sleeveless camo shirt. He had three Pokeballs attached to his belt, and his blonde hair was tall and spiked.
"L... Lt. Surge..." Tony stuttered, recognizing the man.
"ON YER FEET, MAGGOT!" Surge shouted.
Tony stood as straight as a beanpole and saluted nevously, sweat-dripping down his brow.
Surge stared at the terrified boy long and hard before he began to slow - but surely - chuckle. It didn't take long for him to begin laughing. "Hohohoh, man!" he snickered. "The look on your faces! Hahaha!"
Everyone in the room let out a breath of relief, except for Kelly, who was quite confused. Katie, Kirby, Tayuyu, and Kevin had all forgotten that Surge was very fond of jokes - especially on people who had never met him before and only knew him by reputation.
Surge wiped a happy tear from his eye. "Sorry, sorry," he said, grabbing Tony's hand and shaking it fiercely. "Tony Miller, right?"
"Yeah," Tony said. "But... Oh, you heard about it from the news, right?" he asked, knowing that was the general reason.
"Oh, nothing so simple, kid," Surge said. "I'M JUST WATCHING YOU ALL THE TIME!" he snarled suddenly, glaring at him hard.
"Meep!" Tony said, quietly.
"He's kidding, Tony!" Katie said. "I hope..."
Surge burst out laughing again. "Oh... Boy!" he chortled. "You are too easy to get!" He turned over to the teens. "Oh, hey! I know all of you!" He poined at Katie. "You're Brock's friend!"
"Yeah," Katie said, "that's me, Katie!"
"And you were here about a year ago," he said to Tayuyu.
"Yeah, hi," Tayuyu greeted.
"You're that kid who hates Sabrina," he said, pointing to Kevin.
"I don't hate her," specified Kevin. "I just want her to go down..."
"You're the bird boy!" he said to Kirby.
"Hey," Kirby replied.
"And you're... Uh, I don't know you..." he said, looking at Kelly.
"Kelly," Kelly stated, flatly.
Surge sized the girl's hand and gave it a hard shake. "Great to meet ya. I'm Roger Surge, but you can just call me Surge. I'm the leader of this gym! So," he said, turning back to Tony, "you wanna battle?"
"Uh, yeah, that's why I'm here..." Tony said, slowly.
Surge stepped back and sized him up. "Hmm... You're shorter than I expected."
"H-hey!"
"I dunno..." Surge said. You look a little shrimpy, kid. You been eating right?"
"Well, yeah, kind of," Tony said. "I mean, you lose a lot of weight on these travels..."
"Yeah, you do..." Surge muttered. "Alright!" he said, suddenly. "I'll let you show your stuff! Let's battle!"
Tony nodded. "Right! ...Oh, as soon as I find the switch..." He began to look inside another trashcan, but Surge cut him off.
"Oh, don't worry about that," Surge said. "I haven't used those things in months. They irritated all of the trainers that came by." He pulled out a small remote and clicked it. With a BEEP! the sliding door to the gym slid open.
Tony facepalmed. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Surge laughed. Somehow, Tony felt as if he had stepped right into another of the military man's jokes.
The gym's arena was big; very big, giving the Pokemon a lot of room to move around. The ground was a dark color, and had several lightning bolts painted on it. If you couldn't guess Surge's preference in Pokemon by his name, you could by this room. It spelled Electric-Type. Literally, the words "All Electric Pokemon" was written on the wall.
Hmm.
Tony glared down the battle field at his foe. Surge glared back, a cocky grin on his face. Evidently, he was more sure about the outcome of this battle than he was.
Tony's friends were sitting in their seats, shouting words of encouragement, with Kirby rolling the camera. The referee made his way to his podium in the center. "The Gym Battle between Tony Miller of Pallet Town and Lt. Surge of Vermillion City will now commence! As the challenger, Tony gets the first attack!"
Tony pulled out a Pokeball and clicked it open. "Tochu, go!" he ordered.
Tochu emerged on the ground, looking nervous but ready for battle. The jog he had gone on that morning left him feeling a bit faster and more energized.
"Go, Voltorb!" said Surge in response. With a flash of red, a spherical Pokemon appeared on the ground, facing down Tochu. It was another Voltorb, like Wattson.
"Voltorb," Tony said, pulling out his Pokedex.
"Voltorb, the Ball Pokemon. Voltorb's body is the same shape and color as the ever-popular Pokeball, and in fact the design of the Pokeball was designed after this creature. Voltorb have energy cores inside their body, which produce large amounts of energy for attacks. Despite their rotund shape, these Pokemon are astonishingly fast, capable of attacking quickly and efficiently. This specimen is male, roughly seven years old, and knows the moves Thunder Wave, Shockwave, Rollout and Sonicboom. Its special ability is Soundproof."
Tony looked down at his own Pokemon. "Alright, Tochu, we can do this. Grass beats Electricty... Kinda..."
"Par..." Tochu said, feeling jittery.
"Alright!" shouted Tony. "Start off with Slash!"
"Para!" chirped Tochu, charging at Voltorb with claws at the ready.
"Voltorb!" said Surge, striking a fighting pose. "SONIC BOOM!"
"Vol!" Voltorb buzzed. "VOOOOOOOOOOOL!" he cried, unleashing a loud screech of raw noise. It wasn't very strong, but it knocked poor Tochu back, sending him to the ground with an unhappy chirp.
"Now! Thunder Wave!" shouted Surge.
"Tochu, move it!" Tony called.
Tochu had the sense to do just that. He swiftly hopped to the side, the electrical attack crackling just behind him as it missed completely.
"Now, Spore!" Tony shouted.
"Don't bother!" Surge said, cutting him off. "Rollout!"
"Vol!" Voltorb grunting, rolling round and round and shooting at Tochu like a massive marble.
"Tochu!" cried Tony.
But it was too late. Tochu took the hit and was sent flying again, dazed - too dazed to avoid the next Rollout which hit him right in the face. The poor Paras hit the ground, out-cold.
"Tochu is unable to battle!" said the referee. "The winner is Lt. Surge!"
The air seemed to be sucked out in one collective gasp. Tony had lost the first battle - badly. He hadn't done any damage to the Voltorb whatsoever. This fight was gonna be an uphill one.
"We're not done yet," said Tony, fiercely. "Alph, you're up!"
With a scarlet flash, Alph appeared, looking ready for battle... sort of, it was kind of hard to tell with him.
"Alright, Alph," Tony said, kneeling down by him. "I need you to try your hardest, okay?"
"Raak!" Alph said with a nod.
"Alright, Nightshade!" Tony shouted.
Alph scuttled foward, unleashing a blast of pitch black energy. The bolt struck Voltorb, knocking him back with a "Volt!"
"Voltorb!" Surge shouted. "Sonic Boom!"
"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" screeched Voltorb as wave after awave of sound pounded Alph.
"Alph, jump and use Leech Life!" Tony ordered.
Alph gave a nod, leaping over Voltorb's attack and landing on top of the Ball Pokemon, sticking his fangs into him.
"Rollout, Voltorb!" said Surge, not giving Tony a chance to order another attack.
Voltorb buzzed as he rolled forward - with poor Alph holding on for dear life. "RAAAAAAAAAAAK!" he shouted as the Voltorb ran him over repeatedly, before finally sending him flying to the floor, dazed.
"Now! Shockwave!" ordered Surge.
"Voltorb!" Voltorb buzzed, unleashing a sparking ball of energy that immidietly homed in on Alph.
"Alph, look out!" Tony shouted.
Sadly, it was too late. The mall exploded, lightning bolts shooting off everywhere. Alph took a hit, and the another, and was then sent flying, flat on his back with his legs twitching.
"Alph is unable to battle," the ref shouted, waving a flag in Voltorb's direction. "The winner is Lt. Surge."
Tony's confidence had taken a dive. Sure, he had actually landed a hit on Voltorb this time, but only just barely. He was losing, badly, and he hadn't gotten past his first foe.
Surge gave a cocky laugh. "Is that all you got? !" he demanded. "Don't tell me you're giving up!"
"Not yet," Tony said through gritted teeth. "Lucky, you're on!"
Lucky emerged with a flash and began to circle her foe, flapping her wings elegantly. "Reee!" she chirped, ready to get some payback.
"Sleeping Powder!" ordered Tony. "Go!"
Lucky's wings became a blur as she flapped a cloud of green dust towards Voltorb.
"Sonic Boom!" shouted Surge.
"VOOOOOL!" Voltorb shrieked, unleashing a blast of sound that tore the cloud apart, scattering the dust harmlessly away.
"Try it again, Lucky!" shouted Tony.
"Bree!" Lucky shouted, preparing to unleash another blast.
"Shockwave!" Surge shouted.
Voltorb unleashed another burst of electricity.
"Lucky! No! Move, move!" Tony shouted.
Lucky flitted to the side, desperate to escape the attack. But to her own shock and horror, the attack homed in on her and...
BZZZZT!
"R-Ree!" moaned Lucky as she plunged to the ground, electricity coursing through her body.
"Now! Rollout!" Surge commanded.
"Vol!"
Voltorb smashed into the prone Lucky before Tony had time to react. The poor Butterfree was sent to the ground, out-cold.
"Lucky is unable to battle! The winner is Voltorb and Lt. Surge!" the ref shouted.
Tony didn't hear him. He didn't have to. With his hand slightly trembling, he returned his poor Butterfree to her Pokeball, and gave a sigh.
He had lost.
Author's Note:
First things first folks - I'm going on vacation in a few days, and I don't believe I'll be here on Friday for the next update. Sorry about that! Gettysburg sounds fun, but I do regret not being able to chat with you guys for a while. I'll be sure to update as soon as I possibly can afterwards.
Secondly, drama! Woogie woogie woogie!
Well, Tony has had his first loss against a Gym Leader - and his first really huge loss in a long time. He wasn't able to knock out a single Pokemon. What will this do to his confidence as a trainer - and will it affect what his Pokemon all think of him?
I decided to make Tony lose this one - not because I don't like him, but because, well, he beat both Misty and Brock, and while he did have a challenge with them, I think that Surge would be a bit more of a challenge - except in Pokemon Yellow, where he is by far the easiest Gym Leader in the game. Losing is a part of competition, after all. We all lose eventually.
And Anna's hired not other than the infamous Hunter J to work for her. I don't watch the Pokemon anime much, and I only remember one episode with her, and even then I could barely remember what she looks like. Remember back a few chapters ago when Kayla called her a "one-eyed daughter of a Growlithe" ? Well, that's because I literally thought she only had one eye. Weird, huh? So, in the end I tried to make her kind of a Pokemon version of Boba Fett from Star Wars - minus the retconned New Zealand accent, of course. Now, Tony has both an internal and another external problem to deal with. How will he cope?
Tune in next time for a new OC and Eeveelutions! Lots and lots of Eeveelutions.
Oh, hey, and spell check is back up! Thank you, Fanfiction.
