Coral: Hello everyone and we are back to another chapter of Huntsmen in Kalos. Now originally, this chapter wasn't suppose to be about the gym yet, but after some thinking, I decided to just mix both the gym and the pre-gym chapters. And by 'pre-gym', I mean before the group arrived to Cyllage City.
*knocking on the door*
Coral: Oh? Who would that be? *gasp* Can it be? Did he really come?! *peeks through the peephole* It is! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome one of my other fanfiction brother, Jacob Pendra-huth! *opens door and cues the applause*
Jacob: Thank you! Thank you! You're too kind! Coral, I am so glad to be here.
Coral: Likewise, my brother.
DanielJensen: Hey~ Don't forget to introduce us.
Generalhyna: We're not here to look pretty you know.
Jacob: What, you want to be here looking ugly?
Generalhyna: come again?
Coral: Okay! Let's not get things ugly in here! As Seth suggested, how about you introduce each other?
DanielJensen: Even though we already know each other?
Coral: Were you not the one to suggest it?
DanielJensen: ... good point.
Jacob: *clears throat* Sorry about that guys. That was a joke. Anyways, I'm Jacob Pendra-Huth, and I am the creator of Jackson in 'Huntsmen in Kalos'. And I am also Coral's ghost writer. Nice to meet you all!
*applause*
Generalhyna: where is that coming from?
DanielJensen: where is what?
Coral: okay. We don't have much more time. Let's end today with the intro and get on with the story~!
Disclaimer: you should all know the disclaimer by now.
*OPENING*
(Opening starts with a red cloak drifting away by the wind as dawn approaches)
Just head on! Just head on!
Thinking's only gonna slow you down
When emotions boost up my speed like a quick attack
(Crescythe caught the cloak and ran to camp)
There's not a moment to waste, right?
(Teams RWBY and JNPR and Seth, Jackson and Leafeon were out of their tents, yawning and preparing breakfast)
I won't lose, I won't run, there's no rain that can last forever
(In quick moments, camera shows Ruby putting on her cloak to Weiss putting her hair in a side ponytail to Blake putting her bow on to Yang wrapping her scarf around her neck)
I'll just bear my tears out and do a complete Reversal
(Team JNPR had their bags on their back as Seth and Jackson rushed past them)
Just set off! The sky'll clear up with a Hallelujah
(The group set off out of the forest with Crescythe and Leafeon by their side)
There are times where we'll fight
(Each person then stood on a Pokeball as they traveled in a colorful unknown dimension, Crescythe and Ruby sharing a ball, same with Jackson and Leafeon)
We've got passions strong enough to Overheat
(Team CRDL appeared wearing Team Flare's uniform as they tried to ambush Ruby)
So stop hesitating
(Crescythe took notice and moved their Pokeball away to avoid the attempt)
Roar like the Thunder cause your path don't need logic
(Ruby Mega-Evolves Crescythe and shouted out a command as the Absol shot out a Dark Pulse, sending them flying)
So come on now, pull open the future with your own bare hands
(The scene changed to platforms of various gym leaders then to the sky where a dark void is. Within it were the corrupted legendaries and Zetta and the assailant by their side)
A mad-paced getter, mad-paced getter, mad-paced getter
There's an unexplored future for us
(Ruby and Weiss threw their Pokeballs, releasing Reaper, Scout, Crocus, Cotton, Pythia, Spew and Aqua with Crescythe appearing with them. Blake and Yang threw their Pokeballs, revealing Spear, Screecher, Ivy, Tina, Emburn, Firebird and Leona. JNPR threw their balls and revealed Excalibur, Drill, Hydro, Pitfall, Blue, Pigpen, Eve, Freesk, Vulcan, Shanti, Sirius, Honey, and Floral. Seth and Jackson were surrounded by their Pokemon as they looked to the camera)
Oh yeah, gotta face my fears
Oh yeah, so many times
(The group were in a clearing, doing Pokemon Battles. Yang and Jackson fought fist to sword, literally. They clashed and caused an explosion)
A mad-paced getter, a mad-paced getter, a mad-paced getter
I know I am never alone
(Smoke subsided and showed Weiss doing a performance in a showcase with her Pokémon)
Oh yeah, so I won't back down
Oh yeah, let's head towards the dazzling future together
(Blake was leaning against a tree, reading a book. A little girl appeared and jumped on her. Both shared some laughs)
1, 2, 3 and we're ready to go! Let's ride the Tailwinds at our back!
(A battered Vanessa walks along the dark distorted path. She stops and looks up to the lone shining star, reminiscing on her Pokémon and friends)
Let's crack on and leap into an unexplored world
(Back in the Pokemon World, the Remnant Team, Seth, Jackson and Leafeon looked up at the moon with determined faces)
It's been a couple of days since the events that happened in Glittering Cave. The group had finally arrived to Cyllage City for the second gym and, hopefully, a clue as to where Vanessa is.
"We're finally here! Cyllage City!" Ruby cheered.
"About time. I don't think I can handle smelling the ocean water any longer," Blake said.
"Says the girl who seems quite passionate about fishing," Yang joked, causing her partner to glare at her.
Ah yes. On the way to Cyllage City, the group stopped by at the beach for some relaxation and fishing, for some Pokemon that is. During that time...
*FLASHBACK*
"HOW MUCH LONGER IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?!" Nora snapped. "This is taking forever!"
"Nora, it's been five minutes," Ren calmly said.
"But it feels like forever! Jackson made it look easy on the first try!"
"That was just luck! I didn't expect a catch that soon," he defended. "Besides, Seth said that this takes patience."
"And silence," Leafeon added, lying on the sand.
"I honestly expected that outburst," Crescythe admitted, also lying down.
"Crescythe! Leafeon! Come play with us!" Tina called. A distance away from the fishing trainers, most their Pokemon was playing in the water, Tina in her human form. Those fully evolved and few others were either flying around, chilling, or sparring. Surprisingly, Reaper allowed them all to relax, especially considering that the ruckus that they will cause while training will most likely scare away the Water-type Pokemon.
"We're fine here," the Absol insisted.
All of a sudden, Scout stopped in his tracks, his ears twitching.
"What's wrong, leader?" Blue asked her treasure hunting boss.
"Weiss! You got something!" he called to the heiress.
No one knew what he meant, until Weiss' bobber sunk and she felt her rod being pulled. "Whoa! I did get something!" she cried out in shock.
"Huh?! Then hurry up and reel it in!" Jackson advised.
Weiss did as told and tried to reel in the Pokemon she caught. With one hard tug, the Pokemon was out of the water. Said Pokemon was-
"What is that ugly thing?!" Weiss cried, as Jaune caught it in his arms. The fish-like Pokemon smacked his face silly before leaping out of his arms and back into the sea.
"Why am I being slapped by these Pokemon?!" he demanded, rubbing his sore cheeks.
Yeah, earlier a Magikarp was caught by Blake, who tried to eat it whole. The result? Besides a bad toothache, she may have tossed it to Jaune by accident, causing the red Fish Pokemon to smack the boy silly. Prior to that, let's just say that out of everyone, Blake may have been a bit too excited to be fishing. Anyway, back to the story.
"And what was that that Weiss caught?" Pyrrha asked.
"That was a Feebas. A rare catch too," Seth said. "I'm surprised you didn't try to catch it, Weiss."
"Why would I want it?!" she demanded.
Ruby pulled out her Pokedex and scanned the Pokemon that was just released back into the ocean. "Feebas, the Fish Pokemon. While Feebas's body is in tatters, it has a hardy and tenacious life force that enables it to live anywhere. However, this Pokémon is also slow and dimwitted, making it an easy catch."
"Are you saying that I can't fish well or that I'm so poor that I live in a dump?! And that last part is not in the slightest bit true!" Weiss grabbed Seth by his collars.
In response, the Pokehuman took out his Pokedex and Feebas' picture was shown. "Feebas is the pre-evolved form of Milotic."
"And?!"
The screen changed to Milotic. "Milotic, the Tender Pokemon. Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pokémon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding."
Weiss stayed silent as she looked at the picture of what the Pokemon she fished out would turn into. "As I was saying, where is that Pokemon?!" she quickly released him, causing him to drop on the rock as she tried to search for the Feebas she had released.
"Tell me again how much you guys know about Pokemon," Seth asked Yang as he rubbed his head.
"Apparently not enough," the blonde brawler said.
"Yang! A bite!" Scout called. Just as they were about to look at him in confusion, Yang herself felt a pull on her rod and, in one fell swoop, reeled and pulled out the Pokemon, revealing it to be a small, blue, lobster-like Pokemon with a big claw.
"A Clauncher!" Seth identified.
"Oh yeah! I did get one!" Yang cheered.
"Great! After you fish out the Pokemon, battle it then catch it!" Jackson advised.
"Then let's cook it up! Come here, Leona!"
"Oh yeah!" the Litleo called back, running to her side.
"Flame Charge! Cook it up and beat it up good!" Leona flared up and charged at Clauncher.
"I think not!" he disagreed. "Water Gun!" He shot water at the sand below him, causing him to avoid the Flame Charge. Surprised by this, Leona skidded to a stop, when Clauncher fell back down on her. "Vice Grip!" With his big claw, he tightly gripped the Litleo's tail, causing her to scream in great pain. He then tossed her into the air and aimed his claw at her. "Bubblebeam!" Bubbles shot out of his claw and hit the defenseless, airborne Pokemon.
"Litleo!" Yang cried out.
Just as the Lion Cub Pokemon landed on the sand, weaken, Clauncher took the chance to return to the sea.
Everyone was shocked at the events that occurred. "What just happened?!" Yang shouted.
"That would be a Clauncher. And a smart one too," Jackson said.
Pyrrha took out her Pokedex for information of the Pokemon that had escaped. "Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokemon. Through controlled expulsions of internal gas, it can expel water like a pistol shot. At close distances, it can shatter rock."
"That's one dangerous Pokemon!" Jaune stated.
"And a perfect partner for a Huntsman," Ren added.
"I'm more surprised as to how Scout managed to detect who is getting what Pokemon," Ruby pointed out. "Then again, I guess that's the perk of being a natural treasure hunter."
Scout puffed his chest out in pride. "These instincts of mine doesn't just detect the location of items, as you can see," he boasted. His ears twitched as he turned back to the rods. "Someone is getting another Pokemon!" They all looked at the rods and saw two bobbers down.
"That's mine and Pyrrha's!" Jaune shouted, as they ran back to quickly reel in the Pokemon.
They both reeled it in and found that, for some reason, there was only one shadow being shown and their lines was getting closer together. Their unasked question was answered as a pink, heart-shaped fish was reeled out. In its mouth were Jaune and Pyrrha's lines, the lure hanging out. The moment it was pulled out, the Pokemon released the lures and sent hearts at Jaune and Pyrrha. The blonde huntsman, assuming it to be some dangerous attack, got in the way of the hearts. They hit, and for some reason, he seemed dazed and fell in Pyrrha's lap, much to the latter's shock and embarrassment.
"J-Jaune?!"
"May you both live in eternal happiness~" she heard. Looking down, Pyrrha saw the Pokemon's mouth out of the water before it sunk back into the water.
Pyrrha then heard slight chuckle and looked to see Seth and Jackson holding back laughs, as well as some of their Pokemon.
"What's so funny?" Ruby asked, for she and the other worldly trainers were confused as to why they were laughing.
"Well... You see..." Seth tried to speak.
"You fished out a Luvdisc!" Jackson blurted out, now laughing out loud.
"And that's funny because?" Nora asked.
Rather than answer, Seth took out his Pokedex again and had it reveal some information about Luvdisc. Some embarrassing information, for Pyrrha that is. "Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokemon. Luvdisc's heart-shaped body is a symbol of love and romance. It is said that any couple meeting this Pokémon is promised a loving relationship that never ends." Hearing that, Pyrrha widened her eyes in shock, her face had gone as red as her hair with steams coming out of her head and ears. Her friends either eyed her mischievously or also laughed.
'I'm so glad Jaune isn't conscious right now!' she thought.
After the eventful set of catches, the team was back fishing for some Pokemon, the trainer Pokemon going back to playing with each other or relaxing. Things were really peaceful, when...
"Ruby! Your rod!" Scout called. On cue, her bobber sunk and Ruby reeled in her line. Out came a purple seashell that landed in Ruby's hand.
"A seashell?" she questioned.
"Who are you calling a seashell?!" came a voice that surprised her and made her jump and drop the shell. "Ouch! Careful with me!" It opened up and a pair of eyes was seen and a tongue was sticking out.
Weiss took out her Pokedex and analyzed the Pokemon. "Shellder, the Bivalve Pokemon. At night, this Pokémon uses its broad tongue to burrow a hole in the seafloor sand and then sleep in it. While it is sleeping, Shellder closes its shell, but leaves its tongue hanging out."
"A Pokemon? Oh god! I'm so so-!" Just as Ruby was about to pick Shellder up, he jumped and clamped himself onto Ruby's hand. It was silent, everyone was looking at her with wide eyes, wondering if the young trainer/Huntress was okay. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" Ruby was running around, waving her clamped hand around to try and get the Bivalve Pokemon to let go.
On cue, some her Pokemon rushed to her side and tried to pry the Shellder off.
"Hold still, Red!" Reaper advised, preparing his scythes. "Fury Cutter!" At the sight of Reaper approaching her at high speed, his blades glowing, Ruby leapt out of the way, just in time to avoid the attack from hitting and possibly killing her. Her shiny Scyther didn't stop there, however, for he was now chasing Ruby in an attempt to help get Shellder unclamp itself. "Hey! Why are you running?! I thought you want it off you!"
"I said I want it off! Not I want to lose an arm!" she reasoned, trying to get Shellder to open up and release her hand.
"Reaper! Calm down!" Absol shouted, as she and Crocus chased after the two in an attempt to save Ruby from her own Pokemon and the wild Pokemon on her hand.
Scout's ears twitched once more, sensing another bite coming. "Ren! Your turn!"
The moment he saw his bobber go down, Ren reeled in his rod, only to see nothing but rotten kelp. "Huh?" All of a sudden, he saw red eyes and dared took a closer look at what got on his lure. Before he knew it, it sprayed something on his face, something painfully hot and burning, causing him to drop it back into the ocean. "OW! My eyes!"
"Ren!" Nora shot up and ran to her childhood friend/partner's side. "Ren! Stay with me! Please don't leave me! NOOOOOOOOO!"
"He's not dying, you know," Weiss pointed out.
"What was that anyway?" Yang wondered, taking out her Pokedex. "Skrelp, the Mock Kelp Pokemon. Camouflaged as rotten kelp, they spray liquid poison on prey that approaches unawares and then finish it off." "Yikes! Who knew there were Pokemon that small and dangerous!"
"Quite an eventful fishing day, isn't it?" Seth asked Jackson.
"You can say that again," he agreed. The two got up and helped Ren with his eye problem.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like this world has something against us being here?" Jaune asked Pyrrha.
"I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Pyrrha answered.
Scout's ears twitched as he called, "Blake! Your lure!"
Like the previous times, as soon as Blake's bobber went down, she reeled it in as fast as she could. The Pokemon she reeled in was a green fish with blue stripes. The Pokemon landed on the sand behind her. The cat faunus took out her Pokedex and analyzed her catch. "Basculin, the Hostile Pokemon. Red and blue Basculin usually do not get along, but sometimes members of one school mingle with the other's school."
"That's one big fish," Yang stated. She then heard something odd, like the sound of... drooling? She looked and saw her partner eyeing the Pokemon with such hunger.
"Ouch! That's not!" the Basculin shouted. He then felt a pair of hungry eyes on him and looked to see a crazed-look Blake, suddenly equipped with a fork and a knife, jumping on him. The sight of that freaked him out as he flailed himself away from this spot and back into the ocean, his pursuer following. Yang abandoned her post just to stop Blake from eating a live Pokemon.
"Again, quite eventful," Seth stated, pounding some Pecha Berries.
"You can say that again," Jackson agreed.
Jaune and Pyrrha looked at the sea nervously, unsure if they should keep fishing for more Pokemon with the amount of craziness going on around them.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Yeah... No one was willing to fish again after that. Though Jaune and Pyrrha, ironically, both caught a Clamperl. So at least the pain and suffering wasn't for nothing, so to say.
"So where is the gym?!" Nora asked, looking around to find any sign of a gym.
"It's this way. Come on," Jackson said, leading the group up a rocky hill.
After the climb up, the team looked ahead and saw the emblem of the Pokémon gym on the rock wall, with a door that led inside.
"So this is the next gym?" Ruby questioned.
"Sure is," Seth answered. "The gym of Cyllage City specializes in Rock-types, so it only fits that it should be placed within the mountain."
"Hey, Jackson. Were there any Rock-type gyms in the Johto region?" Blake questioned.
"No, but there were ones in both the Kanto region near it, plus the Hoenn region," Jackson answered. "I only took a peak inside the Hoenn one, and saw a rocky landscape as a battlefield. This could be the same thing."
The team entered into the gym, with Ruby quickly going in first. As soon as she entered, she stopped and looked up in amazement. The interior was large, but it had a small mountain in the middle of it, with several levels of rock-climbing walls along it. Near the entrance, to their right, was an elevator that led all the way up to the top of the mountain.
"What is this?!" Weiss questioned.
"Looks like the gym is all about climbing walls," Leafeon assumed.
"Oh, I like this!" Yang stated with a grin.
"Same here!" Nora agreed.
"Hello!" called out a voice from near the top.
They all looked and saw a man hanging on one of the rock walls with one hand. He was dark-skinned, lean yet muscular, with his dark hair styled like a small mountain with different-colored stones embedded in it. He had a black shirt, gray pants, and climbing boots. He also had other utensils on him that most mountain climbers would have on.
"Welcome to the Cyllage Gym!" the man greeted the crowd. "My name is Grant, and I'm the gym leader here."
"Hi there!" Ruby greeted back. "My name is Ruby Rose. Me and my friends are here for a gym battle!"
"Is that so? Well, give me a moment, okay? I'm here climbing with my best student."
"Student?"
"He must be teaching others on rock-climbing," Jackson assumed. "Well, that's not too farfetched. The Rock-type gym leader in Hoenn was also a teacher."
"Hey! Someone here to challenge ya, Grant?!" a voice called out, one that surprised Weiss. Someone came around the corner of the climbing mountain from the back, and the team was surprised to see none other than Adara.
The girl looked at the crowd at the entrance and saw Weiss. Both performers exclaimed in shock as they pointed at one another.
"It's you again!" Weiss gasped.
"The haughty performe'!" Adara replied.
Weiss looked ticked at what she was called, and barked, "I do have a name, and it's Weiss Schnee!"
"Whatever! Like I care!"
"So this is the Weiss girl that beat you in the last performance?" Grant asked the tomboy as she started swinging herself along the wall closer to the team.
"Yeah, that's her." Adara answered, making it to the corner close to Grant. "But she ain't anything special, 'part from bein' a self-made Rhyhorn wrangler. Gotta admit, that was a hoot to watch."
Adara swung herself off of the wall she was on, flipping into a one-handed handstand on top of the wall below. She then tilted herself forward, looking as if she was gonna fall to the team down below. She flipped her wrist around, holding onto the rock she was on, and started swinging herself down from the rock wall down to the ground, ending with a swing than sent her landing in front of Weiss.
Adara smirked in a smug manner as the others were surprised at her skills descending.
"I guess this is where she gained her athleticism," Ren assumed.
Weiss tried not to be impressed by changing the subject, asking, "So why are you in this gym? Did you decide to give up on performing and take on gym battles?"
"Heck no!" Adara answered. "Cyllage City's my hometown. I just come here to make sure I ain't slower than a Slowpoke."
"So you live here?" Yang asked.
"The gym? Consider it my second home. My place's down the mountain, where my aunt and uncle are."
"You see, Adara has been in this city since she was young," Grant informed, meeting the team on the ground. "She's been coming to this gym to train her body, along with learning to become a Pokémon trainer."
"If you've been here at the gym that much, why did you choose to become a performer?" Seth asked the tomboy performer.
"Cause I was inspired to, by a performer I watched on the tel'vision," she answered. "She was so amazing, placing her own life on the line, moving with her Pokémon in ways I had not seen in any of the other common girls. I had only seen her once, but she's the reason why I want to become a performer of a different color. Wish I knew where she went to…"
"Well, I certainly liked your performance," Jackson pointed out. "The way you moved and created techniques alongside your Pokémon were incredible. I can't wait to see you in action again against Weiss at some point."
"Don'cha worry. Next time, my next performance will amaze you and anyone watchin' way more than before. I'll even make sure you become impress, White."
"It's Weiss!" the heiress barked back. "And while I did find your performance quite skillful last time, I still think you need to improve on your form."
"What's with you and that form stuff? Some folks have their own form. Stop making them like you. That would be a scary world to be in."
Jackson, Yang and Ruby all stifled their laughter at this comment, causing Weiss to look at them angrily.
"But all that aside, what brings you to this gym? Gave up after one Princess Key and tryin' something new out for once?"
"I'm here to root for my friends as they're here to challenge the gym," Weiss answered, turning to the rest of team RWBY and JNPR.
"You mean all of them are here for a gym battle?" Grant asked, amazed.
"Just these seven," Jackson answered, pointing to the challengers. "They're here to challenge you, so I hope you're prepared for all of them."
"Well, I don't mind a good challenge," Grant answered, walking back to the rock wall. "But if you want to challenge me, you have to make it to the top, where the battlefield is."
"You mean…" Ruby started, looking up to the top. "We have to climb up?"
"You don't have to," Adara answered, pointing to the elevator. "You can just take the elevator to the top if ya ain't brave enough to toughen it out."
The seven challengers looked to one another and nodded in agreement.
"We'll definitely take on the wall together!" Yang declared. "We're not afraid."
"Oh, oh! I have an idea!" Nora exclaimed. "Let's have a competition to see who can make it up there first. First one up there gets to fight first."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Blake answered. "Let's do it in the order of first to last to reach to the top."
"A competition to see who can make it to the top to challenge. I love that idea!" Jackson cheered.
"You know you aren't challenging the gym, Jackson," Leafeon pointed out.
"Still, I would like to join in on the challenge."
"Then let's do this; there are four ways to getting to the top," Grant began. "Two of you take different sides and try to make it to me at the top, okay?"
The eight competitors all nodded in agreement, now seeing each other as rivals.
While Seth, Weiss, Leafeon and Crescythe all went and took the elevator, Adara and Grant climbed up to the top as everyone took their positions. The pairings on each side were as followed; Ruby & Yang, Nora & Ren, Pyrrha & Jaune, and Jackson & Blake. They all secretly agreed not to use things such as semblance or weapons, relying on their physical strength to make it up.
"Okay, folks!" Adara called out. "Let's see who's climbing skills can make it here! Get ready, steady…go!"
Everyone took to the walls, climbing as quickly as they could. Without semblance, it gave some, like Jaune, a chance, while giving others, like Ruby, a disadvantage.
"Keep it up, Ruby!" Yang cried out as she was nearing the top of the second wall. Ruby made it to the first one, and groaned as she tried to get to the next one.
Meanwhile, Jaune and Pyrrha were neck and neck with one another, mainly because Pyrrha was kinda holding back for his sake.
"You're doing really well, Jaune," she commented.
"Just making sure I don't look down," her leader answered. "I'll get really dizzy if that happens."
"Keep looking up and you'll make it." Jaune nodded and they continued to climb.
While Ren was going at his own pace to make it up, Nora was climbing like a Primape, already making it to the top of the second level.
On the opposite side, Jackson and Blake were neck and neck, relying on their reflexes, both faunus and martial art reflexes, as they were going at the same pace as Nora and Yang.
"Seems like we have our top four competitors," Seth pointed out, watching the four from the top, along with the others.
"I would expect nothing less for our group," Leafeon pointed out. "Though, I do feel sorry for Ruby. She needs to improve on her physical capabilities."
"I'll make sure Reaper puts her through the works," Crescythe muttered, watching her trainer struggle to keep up.
After a couple minutes from the start of the challenge, the first person arrived to the top; Nora.
"I did it!" she cheered, as Blake and Jackson managed to make it up just barely before Yang.
"Figures. That girl had too much energy not to slow down," Jackson sighed. "Still, you and I did make it in second place. That's good enough."
"Guess that makes me the second opponent for the gym leader," the faunus summed up watching Nora sing her usual 'I'm queen of the castle'. "Yang comes after me. And after her is…"
The next person was Ren, followed by Pyrrha, then Jaune, and finally Ruby, who looked like going last was best for her as she was exhausted from the climb.
"Remind me who's idea it was to put up those rules?" she groaned, as everyone went to the side, while Nora got into position on one side, and Grant was on the other side. Adara stood with the team as they were ready to witness the second gym. A referee came and stood on his platform.
"The gym battle between Nora, the challenger, and Grant, the Gym Leader, is about to begin! Each side will use two Pokemon! The battle will end if both of either trainer's Pokemon are unable to continue! Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon!"
Grant took out a Pokeball. "I do hope you give it your all. Because this isn't an easy wall to climb over! Amaura, come on out!" He tossed the Pokeball. It opened up and out came his own Amaura.
"He has an Amaura too?!" Weiss asked in shock.
"Don't just judge it by its looks. Grant's Amaura isn't on his team just to be the pretty one," Adara stated.
"Oh-ho! So that's how we're doing things. Okay then! Tortoise! Let's go!" Nora tossed out her own Pokeball, sending her Tirtouga into battle.
"You're sending me out already?!" he asked.
"Well. It seems one of us isn't confident with his skills," Amaura stated.
"Let the battle begin!" the referee shouted.
"Let's start things off with Aqua Jet!" the energetic trainer ordered. A stream of water surrounded Tortoise as he charged at Amaura at hight speed.
"Use Thunder Wave!" Grant countered. His Amaura emanated rings of electricity and shot them all towards the Tirtouga. The attack hit, but it didn't stop the attack from going as it hit him.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Nora cheered. Her cheer was short-lived when she saw her Pokemon wincing in pain, electricity surrounding his body. "Tortoise! What's wrong?!"
"I feel funny," he said.
"Rock Tomb!" Grant continued.
"Time for you to fall," Amaura declared, as multiple rocks in white energy appeared and started to fall on his target.
"Tortoise! Shell Smash!" At Nora's words, her Tirtouga sacrificed some of his defense for his offense and speed. He then hastily moved away from the falling rocks, avoiding all the falling rocks.
"You won't escape!" Amaura called on more rocks, blocking Tirtouga's way, causing him to turn to a different direction. Eventually enough, Tirtouga was surrounded by rocks, no way to get out.
"Aurora Beam!" Grant ordered. His Tundra Pokemon jumped into the air and fired its Ice-type move at the trapped Portoturtle Pokemon.
"Tortoise! Hang in there!" Nora shouted.
"Woo-wee! Grant sure isn't holding back," Adara stated. "Either that or your friend there isn't strong enough. Makes me wonder if you cheated your way to that key."
Weiss turned and glared at her. "I did not cheat! And you haven't seen Nora's true power yet!"
Back to the battle, Nora didn't seem to be worried about the situation she and Tortoise were in.
"Tortoise! Shell Smash!" she ordered, much to everyone's shock and/or confusion. Even the Tirtouga himself was confused, but he obliged to the command anyway.
"Why is she sacrificing more of his Defense power?" Yang asked. "It's not like it will get rid of the electricity around Tortoise."
Ren, knowing his partner and childhood friend for so long, had a pretty good feeling what Nora was planning. "No matter what kind of battle it is, you're going to end it with a big bang, aren't you," he more likely stated than asked.
"One more Shell Smash!" Nora shouted. Although mentally questioning her motives, Tortoise lowered his Defense even more, all while enduring the power of the Aurora Beam as best as he could.
"Time to finish this! Take Down!" Grant declared.
"You fail at surpassing this wall!" Amaura shouted as he charged at the now weakened Pokemon.
"Now! Use Brine!" All of a sudden, he fired an extremely powerful stream of water from his mouth. The attack was so big and powerful, not only did it stop Amaura's attack, it forced him away into a boulder and knocked him out.
"Amaura is unable to battle! Tortoise is the winner!" the referee claimed.
"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" Nora cheered.
Tortoise just lied in shock at the sudden turn around. 'I... I thought I was going to die! I should never have doubted her!' he thought.
"Nice going, Nora! Tortoise!" Ruby cheered.
"Return, Amaura," Grant returned his Pokemon in his Pokeball. "Not bad Nora. It may not have looked like it, but I see now that your Pokemon have similar urge to go through a wall as you did. Now, let's go! Tyrunt!" Grant threw out another Pokeball and out was a Tyrunt, who roared the moment he landed on the field.
"He has a Tyrunt?!" Jaune gasped.
"Yep. And this won't take long for your friend," Adara said. "That Tyrunt is Grant's best Pokemon after all. You think Amaura was tough? Watch and you'll know what tough is."
Tyrunt scratched the ground with his feet, prepared to charge at his opponent. "You want a piece of me? YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?!" he shouted, making Tortoise extremely scared.
"Eep!" he yelped.
"Tortoise! We can take him! Use Brine at full power!" Nora shouted.
Tortoise was about to use the called move, when the electricity on his body showed, holding him back as he winced in pain.
"Tyrunt! Use Bite!" At Grant's order, his Royal Heir Pokemon charged forward. Each step he took made the ground vibrate slightly.
"Quick! Brine him!" Nora shouted once more.
Tortoise was about to use his move, when Tyrunt suddenly appeared before him and chomped down on the Tirtouga's shell and tossed him away.
"Stomp him!" Grant's Pokemon leapt into the air and came down on the downed Tirtouga, landing with a thud and sending some dust flying.
"Tortoise!" Nora shouted in worry.
The dust cleared and the Royal Heir Pokemon was off the Portoturtle Pokemon, revealing the latter to be knocked unconscious.
"Tortoise is unable to battle! Tyrunt is the winner!" the referee declared.
"With one hit?!" Yang gasped in shock.
"Then again, he was weakened by Amaura's assault," Blake pointed out.
"And let's not forget he had to sacrifice his Defense for his additional power," Jackson added.
"Nora still has one Pokemon to use. She better make this count," Seth said.
Nora took out her next Pokeball. "It's all on you now! Go Pigpen!" She tossed it and out was her Tepig.
"You got it!" he shouted.
Nora's friends all anime-fell at Nora's choice for her second Pokemon.
"Nora! What are you thinking?!" Jaune shouted. "Pigpen's attacks won't do a thing against Tyrunt!"
"You don't know that!" she and her Tepig resented.
"Well, this is a sight to see now," Grant mused. "Let's see how you both get pass this wall then! Tyrunt! Stomp!"
"BE SQUASHED!" Tyrunt shouted as he leapt into the air.
"Use Flame Charge!" Nora ordered.
"Time to fire it up!" Pigpen shouted as he covered himself in flames. He rushed out of the spot he was on, saving himself from being crushed under Tyrunt's feet. The moment the Royal Heir Pokemon landed, Pigpen made a u-turn and hit him hard. Or as hard as he could.
"Was that suppose to do something? WAS IT SUPPOSE TO DO SOMETHING?!" he demanded.
"Use Bite!" he heard Grant call. Tyrunt widened his mouth and chomped down on Tepig's face.
"Ouch! Hey let go!" everyone heard, as most winced in pain at the sight of Tepig's head in his opponent's mouth.
"I was hoping you'd do that!" Nora declared. "Pigpen, use Smog!"
"I said let go!" Pigpen shouted, releasing the black gas from his nose.
The moment Pigpen unleashed his attack, Tyrunt's eyes widened and he spat out his opponent, trying to get the taste of the filthy smoke out of his mouth.
"URG! YUCK! What's the matter with you?!" he demanded, spitting and wiping his tongue. That and some booger that were shot into his mouth when Pigpen used his attack.
Now the audience was feeling pity for the Rock/Dragon-type Pokemon, as well as disgusted for certain individuals.
"That's disgusting!" Weiss screeched.
"How am I not so surprised?" Ren asked himself.
"Somehow I feel like that was something Nora could've done," Jackson stated.
"Flame Charge again!" Nora continued. Her Tepig flared up and charged at Tyrunt at high speed. Unlike the last time, Tepig's attack knocked Tyrunt away.
"Don't give in, Tyrunt! Rock Tomb!" Grant encouraged.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Tyrunt declared, as he, like Amaura, summoned rocks and had them all fall on Tepig.
"Jump on them! Flame Charge!" At Nora's command, Tepig flared up once more and jumped on the first boulder he saw, leaping from one rock to the next, all the way to the top. As he did so, the group couldn't help but notice something.
"Hey! That's my move!" Adara said. Everyone else couldn't help but agree, for the way Tepig climbed up was so similar to how Adara was climbing to the top back at the showcase.
The moment Pigpen reached the top, Nora continued her command. "Skyrocket down with Flame Charge!" Flames covered him as he fell down to Tyrunt's position.
"Jump and use Stomp!" Grant countered.
Tyrunt leapt into the air, higher than Tepig's position. Just as he was about to crash on down, using Pigpen as his cushion, Nora countered with, "Use Ember behind you!" Tepig turned and shot out fireballs from his nose at his opponent's face, cancelling both their attacks as they landed on the ground.
"NOW I"M MAD!" Tyrunt roared. "No holding back now, piggy!"
"Come at me then!" Pigpen challenged.
"Tyrunt! Rock Tomb!" At Grant's order, the Royal Heir Pokemon summoned more rocks, causing them all to fall on Pigpen.
"That's not gonna stop us!" Nora declared.
"True. But will this stop you?" Grant asked with a smirk. "Push them all down with Stomp!"
"I WON'T LOSE!" Tyrunt leapt into the air and stepped on each of the rocks he formed. As he stepped on each rock, he gave it a good kick straight at Pigpen, making them all fall at a faster pace than before. Pigpen tried to avoid them, only to skid to a halt every time and change directions of his run. Eventually enough, however, he found himself trapped in the rocks, similar to Tortoise.
"Not this again!" Nora exclaimed.
"Rock Tomb again!" Grant ordered.
"YOU'RE NOT ESCAPING THIS TIME!" Tyrunt promised, summoning more rocks and trapping Pigpen in a tighter space.
"Great! Now Nora's Tepig is in his own pigpen!" Yang said, adding a bit of a pun in it.
"As much as I want to say that this isn't the time for puns, you're right," Weiss admitted.
Nora didn't seem to agree with them as she gave another order to Pigpen. "Pigpen! If we can't run out way out, we'll have to break ourselves out! Use Flame Charge!"
"My thoughts exactly!" he agreed. Pigpen flared up and charged at one of the boulders in an attempt to break it. His attack hit, but it didn't do much against it.
"Don't stop! Keep using Flame Charge!" Pigpen did as told and, while avoiding the rocks, tackled random boulders in an attempt to break himself out of his cage.
"It's useless. Try as you want, you can't break through this wall," Grant said.
"You don't know that yet! Pigpen and I are not going to give up! Not now, not ever! Come on, Pigpen!"
"I won't lose! After all that training... for Nora's goal... I definitely... WON'T LOSE!" All of a sudden, Pigpen started to roll towards a boulder, his flames gone. Everyone assumed he tripped, when he broke through a boulder.
"WHAT?!" Tyrunt gasped in shock.
"What just happened?!" Pyrrha asked.
"Hey! Look at Pigpen!" Jaune pointed. Everyone looked and saw the still-rolling Pokemon making way to Tyrunt and hit hard. After making contact, the Fire Pig Pokemon ceased his rolling and landed on his feet by Nora's side.
"Now I see!" Jackson spoke. "Tepig learned Rollout!" Everyone else smiled, excited to see their hyperactive friend's starter Pokemon learn a new move that may turn the tables.
"All right! That's what I'm talking about Pigpen!" Nora cheered.
Her Tepig huffed in pride. "Of course."
"Well, that's a surprise," Grant said. "Now let's see if you can surpass this wall now! Rock Tomb!"
"GO DOWN!" Tyrunt called upon more rocks.
"Pigpen! Use Rollout!" Nora ordered.
"Got it!" The Tepig rolled his way to Tyrunt, all while avoiding some of the falling rocks or breaking through them. Despite destroying a number of rocks, his speed wasn't slowing down. His attack hit his target, who was knocked into a boulder from the force.
"Don't give in, Tyrunt! Stomp!" Grant shouted.
"I'm not going down!" Tyrunt declared, leaping into the air for a good stomp on his target.
"Pigpen! Mix Rollout with Flame Charge!" Nora shouted. Her Tepig flared up and leapt into the air, heading towards Tyrunt. Both attacks met each other, causing an explosion to form.
Everyone stood their ground, shielding their eyes from the dust. When the wind died down, they all looked up back to the battlefield. Dust cleared, revealing both Pigpen and Tyrunt at a distance away from each other, backs facing each other.
It was silent. No one dared to even breathe in anticipation. Eventually, one of them moved, as Pigpen staggered a little, causing Nora's friends to worry. Their worry changed into smiles as Tyrunt fell on his front, swirls in his eyes.
"Tyrunt is unable to battle! Pigpen is the winner! The victor of this match is Nora!" the referee announced.
Shaking in great excitement and happiness, Nora let out a loud cheer. "YES! ALL RIGHT! WE DID IT!" She then ran across the field and hugged her Tepig. "We did it, Pigpen!"
"Yahoo!" Pigpen cheered as well.
Grant returned his Pokemon. "You did well, Tyrunt." He looked up at Nora. "Wonderful! By combining your efforts, you and your Pokemon managed to climb over Cyllage City Gym's wall. As a token, I present to you this Cliff Badge." The badge was a mix of white, brown and orange squares with a variety of depth in each square, resembling a wall.
Nora happily accepted it. "Yes! We won our second badge!"
'I can't believe she, a reckless trainer, defeated Grant!' Adara thought.
Said gym leader looked to his other challengers. "Okay. Who's next?"
For Ruby's battle, she had originally planned to just have Crocus battle, since Crescythe and Scout had their chance at a gym battle, Scyther is weak against Rock-types, and she wasn't sure if Sickle is really obedient to her, despite their encounter with Team CRDL. Unfortunately, after successfully defeating Amaura, Tyrunt's vicious attacks were enough to take her out. Just when she was about to take her chance with Sickle, Reaper's Pokemon opened up and the shiny Scyther was ready to battle. One look at his eyes and Ruby knew he wasn't going to say no to a battle against the Tyrunt. Thanks to the Double Team and attack combo, Reaper gave her the win.
For Blake's battle, she started things off with Ivy. As big of a risk as it was, she was aware of the four moves Amaura can use and took advantage of her speed to avoid the Amaura's Aurora Beams and Rock Tomb. Just as she took out the Tundra Pokemon, however, Ivy was taken out by a point-blank Aurora Beam. Blake knew that Grant's next Pokemon was his Tyrunt, but none of her Pokemon were strong enough to take him. Well, there is one, but a certain someone will have a heart attack in more ways than one. She made her decision and had out Tina to battle. At first it surprised Grant and Adara to see a human come out of a Pokeball, especially one with a tail. After a quick and brief explanation, they learned that the girl was a Zorua, who stayed in that form so Blake wouldn't have a heart attack herself in her original form. The battle was tough, but thanks to Zorua's quick reflexes, she managed to beat Tyrunt and gave Blake the win.
In Yang's battle, she started things off with Emburn, hoping that his Fire and Fighting attacks would do massive damage to Amaura, who is partly an Ice-type. His Fire-type attacks may have done normal damage to Amaura, but the Chimchar's Counter attack did massive damage to his opponent. After that, the fight with Tyrunt was quite tough. Of course, Emburn was taken out, but not after dealing damage to the Royal Heir with his Counters. Yang's second Pokemon to battle was Skull, Focus Energy and Zen Headbutt combo defeated the Rock/Dragon-type.
In Jaune's battle, he began the battle with Hydro, who bested Amaura using his Detect and Razor Shells. Tyrunt was quite tricky, especially with his attacks being so strong. Thanks to Arc, though, he also won his badge.
To Pyrrha's battle, she used Shield first against Grant's Amaura. Due to Shield's typing, Amaura's attacks weren't doing much against her, especially not with the Iron Defense and Protect combo. Because Shield used Stealth Rocks beforehand, as Tyrunt was out, he was weakened by the practical sneak attack. After the battle with Amaura, Pyrrha swapped Shield out with Shanti, whose Leers and Dragon Breath made it possible to make quick works with Tyrunt, earning the Invincible Girl the win.
Lastly with Ren, he used Floral during the whole battle. The reason? They may have put the Pokemon to sleep via Grasswhistle and defeated them with all they had. Unfair as is, at least it won him the badge, even though it was most unexpected of him.
It was night time. The group were Cyllage City's Pokemon Center having dinner.
"That gym battle sure was tough," Nora stated with her mouth full.
"But it does make good training for us for what's to come," Blake pointed out.
"Weiss, do you think you're ready for training later tonight?" Pyrrha asked, reminding everyone that Weiss doesn't do gym battles.
"Of course I'm ready. I didn't just spend my time with performance strategies after all," the heiress said.
"Speaking of training, Red, after we eat, we're going to do some training ourselves," Reaper told Ruby.
"Of course we're going to train! We have to get stronger after all!" the red-cloaked huntress agreed. She quickly devoured her meal and rushed out the door, Reaper doing the same and following her.
"If only she knew," Crescythe said, feeling pity for her trainer/partner. As promised earlier, the Absol may have told the shiny member of their team about Ruby's lack of stamina.
"She's gonna need a miracle, that's for sure," Seth agreed.
"By the way, where are we heading next?" Ren asked.
"After we leave here the next town is Brackish Town. No gym there, but it is quite famous for its chocolate cake," Jackson answered.
"I remember that town. The cake was pure bliss," the Pokehuman informed.
"We could go for some sweets every once in a while," Jaune said, practically drooling for the cake.
"I'm all for that idea!" Yang agreed.
Just then, the sound of ringing was heard. Everyone turned to Jackson, who took out his phone. "Excuse me for one second." He got up and left the table.
Out the hall, Jackson answered the call.
"Cypher, what's up?" he asked.
"Alpphire, where are you?" came Cypher's voice.
"Cyllage City. Why?"
"Good, you're near Brackish."
Jackson was confused as to why Cypher went from sounding urgent to sounding relieved. "Is something wrong?"
"She's there, Alpphire," was all Cypher said in response.
It took Jackson several seconds to know who he meant. "By she... you mean her?"
"No doubt about it. I heard from someone saying something about seeing a red and white figure, or seeing some kind of shadow. You have to hurry over there Alpphire and protect her. I'll try and catch up as fast as I can."
"Got it. Thanks Cypher." Jackson hung up. 'You're here? Why? And what does Team Flare want with you?'
