Ok, so it took me a little longer than I was expecting to finally get this chapter uploaded, but at least you now know that I haven't abandoned the story! :P There's also good news – as well as this chapter, I've also finished writing chapters 38 and 39, so with any luck we'll be back to regular updates for the time being.
Anyway, last chapter saw James' defeat at the hands of Koga, the Fuchsia City gym leader. However, he emerged with the drive to improve his skills and win his rematch at the Fuchsia gym and now sets about training his team to that end.
Upload Date: 1st June 2014
Chapter 37: Heart and Soul
Fuchsia City, Kanto
2:49pm, 7th May 2005
"Okay, Cuba, try it again!" James called.
Cuba hurled his bone like a boomerang towards one of the target James had set up. It struck it and bounced off with a clatter.
"No, Cuba!" James sighed, shaking his head. He pointed to a target slightly closer and to the right of the one Cuba had hit. "You need to aim for that one – that way the arc of your throw will make the bone hit the centre target." He walked over and picked up the bone. "Got it?" he asked, handing the bone back to him.
Cuba nodded.
"Good! Let's try it again!" James grinned.
Cuba used Bonemerang again, this time aiming for the right target. However, it struck the right side of it and bounced back off.
"Hmmm," James said thoughtfully. "Try hitting the left side instead."
Cuba threw the bone again, hitting the exact point James had been pointing to. Once again, though, the bone bounced off and clattered to the ground.
"Well, your accuracy is perfect, Cuba." James turned to him with a grin. He thought for a second. "Maybe it's more to do with the way you're throwing it."
Cuba sighed in frustration.
"You keep working on it." James smiled reassuringly. "We need the force of the bone turning in the air to counter balance the recoil from hitting the target. I'm going to see how the others are getting on – back in a sec!" He left Cuba and walked over to the other side of the arena behind the pokémon centre in Fuchsia City.
"Hey, James!" Richard called to him. "How's it going?"
"Slow," James replied. "But we think we've worked out what the problem is."
"That's a relief," Livvi said, walking over to them.
"How are things going over here?" James asked.
"Not bad," Richard replied. "We've been working on that tactic we discussed for Kacha. Charka's been helping out with it as well."
Charka and Kacha both nodded and grinned.
"Well, Charka is the only one of our pokémon who can use Smokescreen," James replied, smiling at the charmander and pikachu.
"What did you want to do about Saeloc?" Livvi asked.
"I'm not sure," James sighed. "We didn't come up with any new tactics for her, so I guess just have her spar with Raenok or one of the other pokémon."
"Are you using the same team as your last challenge?" Livvi asked.
"Yeah." James nodded. "Ayra is weak to poison types and Raenok's attacks won't be all that good since poison resists fighting."
"What are you going to do to surprise Koga then?"
James thought for a second. "Well I figure I'll switch my order," he replied. "Cuba was my trump card in the last battle and he was taken out right away."
"Just make sure you avoid getting poisoned," Richard said. "That was a major drain on your fighting ability."
"That reminds me," said James suddenly. "Can you practice with the others by throwing mud at them to mimic being attacked by Toxic? We need to work on our dodging skills."
"Not a problem!" Richard grinned. "What about you, Livvi?"
"I'm not getting my hands dirty," Livvi said bluntly.
"What about your pokémon then?" James asked.
"They're all four-legged," Richard pointed out. "Apart from Cylune, but he's got tiny hands."
"Oh well," James sighed. "I'm going to head back over and see how Cuba's getting on. See you in a bit!"
"Yeah, see you!" Richard and Livvi turned back to training the rest of the team.
Cuba called out in a satisfied tone as James walked back over to him.
"What's up?" James asked.
Cuba threw his bone towards the target on the right. It struck the far left side with a crack. This time, however, the bone didn't clatter to the ground. Instead it spun on towards the centre target. There was a second crack as it hit.
"That was great, Cuba!" James grinned. "Now we just need to work on getting the bone to return."
Cuba nodded, going over and picking up the bone.
"Keep it up!" James said encouragingly. "I'm sure we'll nail it by this evening!"
6:39pm, 7th May 2005
After a long afternoon spent training, James, Livvi and Richard had finally called it a day about an hour and a half ago. After a quick shower each, they'd gone down to the restaurant for dinner.
"How is everything?" Richard asked as he finished up the last of his chips.
"As I told Livvi after you ran off," James began. "Cuba and I finally perfected Bonemerang just before we came in."
"Are you sure?" Richard asked. "I wouldn't want it to fail in the middle of your rematch."
"It'll be fine," James assured him. "He threw the bone; it hit the target; it bounced off again and spun round before hitting the target a second time on its way back."
"Did Cuba catch it?"
"Yep!" James said proudly. "I'm confident about Bonemerang now!"
"That's great, James, but what about Bone Rush?" Livvi asked.
"We're still working on it," James replied, his smile quickly vanishing. "It'll take us a bit longer before we master that move."
"Well as long as you've got Bonemerang, I'm sure you'll be fine." Livvi smiled. "Just don't get carried away and try to use Bone Rush."
"It'll be fine." James gave a determined nod before popping the last chunk of his burger into his mouth.
"Well, Livvi and I did a great job with the others," Richard assured him as he was chewing. "We worked on dodging with the mud and all three of them did great. Raenok and Ayra both joined in as well."
"What about that tactic?" James asked.
"I think it'll work." Livvi nodded eagerly. "Even Cylune had trouble hitting him while he was doing it!"
"That reminds me," said Richard. "Charka and Saeloc weren't getting along again."
"Fighting again?" James asked sadly.
"No." Livvi shook her head. "They just turned their backs on each other, but I think the tension made the other pokémon uncomfortable."
"I see," James replied, frowning.
"What are you going to do about it?" Livvi asked.
"I don't know!" James whined, having been asked that question at least five times in the last two days.
"You need to deal with it soon!" Livvi said urgently.
"It can wait until after the gym battle," James replied. "I've got too much on my mind to worry about those two."
"But what if you lose the rematch?"
James swallowed his last chip and leant back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "Don't worry, tomorrow's going to be fine – I'm sure of it!"
9:31am, 8th May 2005
"This is an official Pokémon League gym battle between the challenger, James Burton from Pallet Town, and the Fuchsia City gym leader, Koga!" the referee shouted. "The battle will be four-on-four and it will end when one side has no pokémon able to battle! In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokémon!"
"Go, Koffing!" Koga shouted.
"I choose you, Saeloc!" James called.
Both Saeloc and Koffing burst out of their poké balls. Once again, James had gotten to the gym in time for the 9:30 slot, the first of the day. They'd even managed to get in a little bit of last minute training after breakfast, which had only fuelled James' confidence more.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Alright, Saeloc, use Icy Wind!" James ordered.
Saeloc fired an icy blast towards Koffing.
"Use Smokescreen!" Koga called.
Koffing nodded and emitted a cloud of smoke in front of him.
"Use Icy Wind again!" James yelled.
Saeloc fired another icy blast towards Koffing's Smokescreen.
"Dodge it!" James heard Koga call.
Koffing appeared out of the right of the smoke, while Saeloc's attack ploughed straight through the middle.
"Now use Self-Destruct!" Koga called.
Koffing dove towards Saeloc.
"Already?" James cried in shock as a deafening bang filled the arena. The smoke cleared, revealing that Koffing had fainted. Saeloc managed to pull herself back to her feet, but it was clear that the explosion had left her pretty badly hurt.
"Koffing is unable to battle, so the winner is Persian!" the referee announced.
"Why did Koga use Self-Destruct so early?" Livvi asked Richard.
"He probably wanted to catch James off-guard," Richard replied with a sigh. "After all, we spent all of yesterday training to counter the tactics he used before."
"But why use Self-Destruct when Saeloc was still at full strength?" Livvi wondered aloud. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to use it after wearing her down?"
"I don't think it really mattered," Richard replied, gesturing down to the battlefield. "Look," James was recalling Saeloc to her poké ball.
"Sorry, Saeloc," he said, holding the Poké ball up. "But I can't let you battle in that condition."
Saeloc gave him a disappointed look from inside the ball.
"Don't worry!" James grinned. "You'll get another chance to battle soon!"
He pulled out his next poké ball. "I choose you, Cuba!"
Cuba called eagerly as he burst out of the ball.
"Go, Muk!" Koga called, throwing out his next poké ball.
Koga's next pokémon looked like a large pile of purple sludge with eyes, a large gaping mouth and two large arms.
"Muk?" James pulled out his Pokédex.
"Muk, the sludge pokémon and the evolved form of grimer. Its stench alone causes a person's eyes to water. Muk's body is composed of toxic elements and any plants will wilt when it passes by."
"Looks like this is Koga's toughest pokémon," James muttered. "He probably wanted to keep it a secret yesterday."
Cuba looked up at him.
"Alright, Cuba!" James grinned down at him. "If we can just take Muk down, then it'll just be Weezing and the other koffing to go. Think you can do it?"
Cuba gave a determined nod.
"Use Acid Armour!" Koga called to Muk.
Muk nodded and immediately glowed a pale turquoise colour.
"Use Headbutt!" James yelled to Cuba.
Cuba nodded and charged towards Muk. He lowered his head and ploughed directly into him. However, Muk simply bounced him back – the attack clearly hadn't done much damage.
"Alright then, try using Bone Club!" James shouted.
Cuba nodded and charged forwards again.
"Use Acid Armour!" Koga called.
Muk nodded and started glowing turquoise again. Cuba charged towards him and took a mighty swipe with his bone, but once again he didn't seem to do much damage.
"Pull back for now!" James called to Cuba, who jumped back to put some distance between himself and Muk.
"Use Minimise!" Koga ordered.
Muk nodded and suddenly shrank to a size not much bigger than a coin.
"Minimise?" James stared in confusion at the tiny muk.
"Minimise is an attack that shrinks the user!" Koga called to him. "Now that Muk is a lot smaller, your cubone will have a tough time trying to hit him!"
They were interrupted by a loud splat. Cuba, who'd lost sight of Muk after he shrank, had accidentally stepped on him. Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Well that was an anti-climatic end to the round!" Richard joked.
"Just because Muk is smaller doesn't mean he's any less strong!" Koga laughed. With that, Muk suddenly returned to normal size, sending Cuba flying back in the process.
"Use Sludge!" Koga called.
Muk spat a Sludge attack at Cuba as he struggled to get back to his feet, hitting him directly.
"Are you alright, Cuba?" James called anxiously.
Cuba nodded as he pulled himself back up.
"Alright, use Bonemerang!" James grinned,
Cuba hurled his bone at Muk. As it span towards him, Muk shrank again and the bone sailed harmlessly over him before circling back to Cuba.
"Use Toxic!" Koga called.
Muk fired a spray of toxic sludge towards Cuba.
"Dodge it!" James cried.
Cuba nodded. He made a quick leap to the right just as the sludge was about to hit him.
"Now use Bone Club!" James called.
Cuba nodded and charged towards Muk, who immediately countered with a Sludge attack.
"Cuba, are you alright?" James yelled as the cubone was thrown back.
Cuba pulled himself back up and nodded.
"Alright, use Bonemerang!" James shouted, pointing at Muk.
Cuba nodded and threw his bone towards Muk again.
"Use Minimise!" Koga called to Muk.
Muk immediately shrank again and Cuba's attack missed.
We've got to come up with a way to get round Minimize! James thought. But what can we do? He glanced at Cuba as he caught the returning bone. An idea popped into his head.
"Cuba, use Bone Club on Muk, but keep your bone close to the ground!" he called.
Cuba nodded and rushed towards Muk.
"Dodge it!" Koga called to the still-minimized muk.
Muk called in response, leaping up into the air just as Cuba attempted to hit him.
"Now use Sludge!" Koga yelled.
"Bone Club again!" James shouted.
Muk fired a blast of sludge at Cuba, hitting him in the side as he turned around.
Cuba cried in pain as he continued to try and bring his bone around.
"You can do it, Cuba!" James shouted.
Cuba gave a determined nod and swung his bone, hitting the muk as he dropped back to the ground and sending him flying across the arena. As he returned to normal size, he crashed into the arena wall and slumped to the ground.
"Muk is unable to battle, so the winner is Cubone!" the referee announced.
"We did it, Cuba!" James cheered as Cuba ran back over to him. "Great job!"
Cuba grinned happily in response.
"Thanks for everything, Muk." Koga smiled as he withdrew the fainted pokémon. He pulled out another poké ball. "Go, Venomoth!"
A purple moth-like pokémon appeared.
"A venomoth?" James cried in alarm. Koga wasn't using either his other koffing or Weezing. And James had no idea what tactics Venomoth would use.
"Is that the evolved form of venonat?" Livvi asked Richard eagerly.
"Yeah." Richard nodded. "I wasn't expecting this."
"So that's what Cylune's going to look like one day," Livvi murmured, staring intently at Koga's venomoth.
"Okay, Cuba, start off with Bonemerang!" James called.
Cuba nodded and hurled his bone towards Venomoth.
"Use Psychic!" Koga called.
Venomoth's eyes glowed a bright blue colour and Cuba's bone suddenly stopped moving in mid-flight.
"Now give it back to them!" Koga ordered.
Venomoth used his psychic powers to throw the bone back at Cuba, hitting him in the chest and throwing him back.
"Now use Stun Spore!" Koga called.
Venomoth swooped in above Cuba as he struggled to get back to his feet and dropped a cloud of orange Stun Spores on him from his wings.
"Cuba!" James cried in alarm as a series of jolts of electricity flickered across his body.
"Now use Silver Wind!" Koga called.
Venomoth flew back slightly and flapped his wings rapidly, sending a strong gust of wind full of sparkling particles towards Cuba.
Cuba yelped in alarm as he was blown back.
"Now use Psychic!" Koga called.
Venomoth nodded. He used his psychic power to lift Cuba up into the air.
"Use Bonemerang!" James called to Cuba.
Cuba fought against Venomoth's control and managed to throw the bone towards his opponent.
"Drop Cuba and stop the bone!" Koga called.
Venomoth sent Cuba flying downwards and, as the cubone crashed into the ground, he turned his power of the approaching bone. As soon as he'd stopped it, he threw it back towards Cuba. It scored a direct hit and sent the already injured cubone flying back to his trainer's feet.
"Are you alright, Cuba?" James asked urgently.
Cuba managed to pull himself back to his feet and nodded.
"This isn't working, Cuba," James sighed. "Take a break for now." He recalled Cuba to his poké ball and pulled out his next one. "Go, Kacha!"
Kacha cheered as he burst out of the ball.
"Alright, use Thunderbolt!" James yelled, wasting no time.
Kacha fired a powerful jolt of electricity towards Venomoth. He cried in pain as the attack hit.
"Use Psychic, Venomoth!" Koga called.
Venomoth fought through the electrocution and grabbed Kacha with his Psychic attack before throwing him back towards James.
"Are you alright, Kacha?" James asked.
Kacha jumped straight back up and nodded.
"Alright then, use Double Team!" James grinned.
Kacha quickly summoned a group of doubles around him.
"Now use Slam!" James called.
Kacha and the doubles charged forwards together. Just as they jumped up to land their attack, Koga issued his next order.
"Venomoth, use Silver Wind!"
Venomoth nodded and whipped up a gust of wind which struck Kacha and the doubles just as they were about to land their attack. Kacha cried in pain as he was thrown back again, his doubles dissipating as they were hit.
"Now use Psychic!" Koga called.
Venomoth's eyes started to glow and Kacha was lifted back up into the air.
"Fight through it, Kacha!" James called. "Use Thunderbolt!"
Kacha gritted his teeth as he focused all his energy on overpowering the Psychic just enough to fire a Thunderbolt towards his opponent. Venomoth cried in pain as the attack scored a direct hit. Losing his concentration, he let Kacha drop back down to the ground before dropping down to the ground himself.
"We've almost got them!" James called to Kacha. "Use Slam!"
Kacha nodded and started charging towards Venomoth.
"Venomoth, use Silver Wind!" Koga ordered.
Venomoth pulled himself up and launched himself into the air again before rapidly flapping his wings to blow a Silver Wind towards the approaching pikachu. Kacha grimaced as the attack hit him and forced him to stop moving.
"Stay strong, Kacha!" James called. "Use Thunderbolt!"
Kacha gave a tired nod before suddenly slumping to the ground.
"Kacha!" James cried in alarm as Venomoth's Silver Wind died down. "What happened?"
Kacha was snoring peacefully.
"Koga must have mixed a Sleep Powder in with that Silver Wind attack," Richard muttered.
"But if Kacha's asleep, then he's completely defenceless!" Livvi cried.
"Yeah." Richard nodded.
"Use Psychic, Venomoth!" Koga called.
Venomoth's eyes glowed a bright blue colour and the sleeping pikachu was thrown back, landing close to James' feet.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, so the winner is Venomoth!" the referee announced.
"You did a good job, Kacha, return." James recalled Kacha to his poké ball and pulled out the next one. "I choose you, Charka!"
Charka called eagerly as he burst out of the ball.
"Use Sleep Powder!" Koga called to Venomoth. He clearly wasn't going to mess around when at a type disadvantage.
Venomoth quickly fired a cloud of green spores towards Charka.
"Counter with Flamethrower!" James yelled.
Charka fired a burst of flames from his mouth, incinerating the spores and only narrowly missing Venomoth, who dove low at the last moment.
"Alright, use Scratch!" James called.
Charka nodded and started charging towards Venomoth.
"Use Silver Wind!" Koga called to Venomoth.
Venomoth nodded and blew a Silver Wind towards Charka, though it only served to slow the charmander down slightly.
"Now use Psychic!" Koga called.
Venomoth didn't waste any time. He immediately grabbed the approaching charmander and threw him back towards James.
"Are you alright, Charka?" James asked as Charka jumped back up again.
Charka nodded.
"Alright, use Smokescreen!" James called.
Charka spewed out a cloud of thick, black smoke between himself and Venomoth.
"Venomoth, use Stun Spore!" James heard Koga shout to Venomoth.
Venomoth fired a cloud of orange spores into the cloud of smoke towards Charka's last known location.
"Dodge it, Charka!" James called, but his order came a split second too late.
Charka cried out as he was hit by the cloud of Stun Spores.
"Counter with Flamethrower!" James shouted, recovering quickly.
Charka fought through the paralysis and shot a burst of flames towards Venomoth, catching both the bug type and Koga off-guard.
Venomoth cried in pain as he was caught by the flames.
"Now use Scratch!" James called. The smoke had begun to clear, revealing that Charka had fought through the paralysis again and was charging towards the now-falling venomoth. Jumping up, he delivered a powerful swipe downwards, knocking Venomoth down to the ground with a thud.
"Now finish up with Flamethrower!" James yelled.
Charka fired another burst of flames down towards Venomoth.
Venomoth cried in pain as the attack hit. As Charka landed again, Venomoth attempted to pull himself back up, but lacked the strength and slumped back down again.
"Venomoth is unable to battle, so the winner is Charmander!" the referee announced.
"You did very well out there, Venomoth," Koga smiled as he returned Venomoth to his poké ball.
"You were great out there, Charka!" James grinned. "But I need you to take a break now."
Charka gave a disappointed nod as James recalled him to his poké ball.
"Why are you switching Charka out?" Livvi demanded from the stands.
"I want to know that I've still got him to depend on if Cuba can't take out Koga's next pokémon!" James called back. "I don't want to put Cuba under too much pressure either!"
"Well if you're sure," Livvi mumbled.
"It doesn't really make much difference who he leads with," Richard said thoughtfully. "Both Cuba and Charka are paralyzed and took damage earlier in the battle."
"But Charka didn't take as much damage as Cuba did," said Livvi, watching James throw out Cuba's poké ball.
"But then Cuba will probably have a type advantage," Richard pointed out.
"Go, Weezing!" Koga called, calling out his final pokémon.
"You're right, he should have led with Charka," Richard said to Livvi.
"Alright, Weezing," Koga began. "Use Sludge!"
Weezing fired a ball of sludge towards Cuba.
"Dodge it!" James called.
Cuba nodded and, despite the paralysis, made an impressive dive to the left to avoid the attack, rolling as he hit the ground and returning to his feet in one smooth movement.
"Now use Bonemerang!" James called.
Cuba nodded and threw his bone in an arc towards Weezing.
"Dodge it!" Koga called to Weezing.
Weezing immediately ascended and Cuba's bone sailed harmlessly under him before spinning back towards Cuba.
"Now use Smokescreen!" Koga called.
Weezing fired out a cloud of black smoke, concealing Koga's end of the battlefield.
"Wait for them to make a move," James said as Cuba caught his returning bone.
Cuba gave a nod to show he understood before turning back and keeping a careful eye out for Weezing's next move.
"Use Sludge!" They heard Koga order.
They heard Weezing's acknowledgement. A spray of sludge was suddenly fired out of the smoke, but Cuba was able to make another impressive dodge.
"Use Headbutt!" James called as Cuba got back to his feet.
Cuba charged forwards as Weezing ventured out of the dissipating smoke to see if he'd hit the cubone. Cuba leapt up and smashed directly into Weezing's face.
Weezing cried in pain, backing up as Cuba dropped back down to the ground.
"Use Tackle!" Koga called.
Weezing surged forwards again.
"Counter it with Headbutt!" James yelled to Cuba.
Cuba nodded and charged towards the approaching weezing, lowering his head as he did. The two pokémon slammed into each other and the resulting impact threw both of them back again. It was clear that both pokémon were starting to flag. Cuba was still suffering from the injuries from his round with Venomoth, though his head-butts had done a surprising amount of damage to Weezing.
"Alright, Weezing, use Sludge!" Koga called.
"Weezzee!" Weezing nodded and fired a spray of sludge towards Cuba.
"Charge forwards!" James yelled. "Dodge it!"
Cuba started running forwards, ducking at the last minute to avoid the sludge.
"Now use Headbutt!" James ordered as Cuba got directly beneath Weezing.
Cuba leapt up and smashed into Weezing's underside. Weezing groaned in pain as he was thrown back towards Koga.
"Are you alright, Weezing?" Koga asked. It had been a nasty hit.
Weezing nodded painfully.
"Use Sludge!" Koga ordered.
eezing fired a Sludge attack at Cuba.
"Dodge it!" James yelled.
Cuba grimaced in pain. His muscles weren't responding to him.
"No! Not the paralysis!" James groaned as Cuba was hit directly by the Sludge attack. "Are you okay, Cuba?"
Cuba pulled himself back to his feet. He was a mess though. Purple sludge was stuck all across his body and his leg and arm muscles were visibly shaking from exhaustion.
"You've done a great job, Cuba!" James called. "Do you want to switch out with Charka?"
Cuba shook his head.
"Are you sure?" James asked.
Cuba nodded fiercely.
"Alright," James sighed. "You can keep going for a little longer, but if it gets any worse, then I'm pulling you out!"
Cuba gave a determined nod and turned back to face Weezing.
"Use Sludge once more!" Koga called to Weezing.
Weezing fired another Sludge attack towards Cuba.
"Dodge it!" James yelled. "Use that tactic we practised!"
Cuba, summoning up all his remaining energy, rushed towards Weezing. At the last minute, he leapt up into the air to avoid the Sludge attack.
"Now use Headbutt!" James called out, just in case Cuba had forgotten.
Cuba dove down and slammed into Weezing before he could react, knocking him into the ground.
"And now finish up with Bone Club!" James shouted.
"Bone Club?" Livvi cried in surprise and alarm. "Why's he using that? He knows it doesn't affect Weezing!"
"It can't be!" Koga shouted in alarm. "Weezing, you need to move!"
Weezing cried painfully and attempted to get airborne again.
Cuba raised his bone as he continued his descent towards Weezing and delivered a powerful whack with it. Cuba's landing kicked up a small cloud of dust from the arena floor, concealing the combatants for a split second. As it cleared, it revealed that both Weezing and Cuba had collapsed.
"Both pokémon are unable to battle, so this round is a draw!" the referee announced. "All of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to the challenger, James Burton from Pallet Town!"
"We did it!" James cheered, running over to hug Cuba. "You did it, Cuba!" James couldn't see Cuba's mouth because of his skull helmet, but he could tell from his eyes that he was smiling. "You take a good rest." He smiled back, recalling him to his poké ball.
"That was an excellent battle, James," Koga said, approaching him. "I honestly never expected you to overcome Weezing's Levitate ability like that."
"Thanks, Koga," James replied. "I had a lot of fun battling you!"
"As did I." Koga gave a nod. He pulled a gym badge out of his pocket. "In recognition of your victory over me, I grant you the Soul Badge. Congratulations, James."
"Thanks!" James beamed, taking the badge. It was shaped like a heart and was a pink colour. "That makes five badges!"
"You're well on the way to the Kanto League now." Koga smiled. "I wish you luck on the rest of your journey."
"Thanks again, Koga," James said before he turned and left the arena.
9:45am, 8th May 2005
"Still, it was a really close battle!" Richard said as they left the gym and started heading back towards the pokémon centre.
"You've already said that twice now," James sighed, shaking his head. "I know that already."
"Cuba and Charka put up a really good fight." Livvi smiled. "It was really exciting to watch!"
"Yeah." James nodded, turning to her. "Plus Kacha did a great job weakening Venomoth for Charka."
"The only one who didn't really get an opportunity to do much was Saeloc," Richard sighed.
"That's alright," James said, holding up Saeloc's poké ball. "She did her best given the circumstances." He paused for a second. "And I'm sure she'll do better next time!"
"There's always the next gym!" Livvi grinned.
"That's true." James nodded, pondering for a second.
"What's up?" Livvi asked.
"I was just wondering where we should head next," James replied. "Where else are there gyms in Kanto?"
"Well, we know that there's one in Saffron City," Richard replied. "And I think there's one on Cinnabar Island as well – that's just a short ferry ride from here."
"Don't forget the gym back in Viridian City," Livvi pointed out as they approached the doors to the pokémon centre.
"Saffron and Viridian are both quite a long way from here." James frowned. "Plus Saffron City is still off limits. It might be better to head for Cinnabar Island instead."
"Well, it's your decision, James." Livvi smiled.
They approached the reception desk and James dropped off his Pokémon for a rest.
"I'm going to the trainer lounge!" Richard announced, heading off. "Let me know when you decide where we're going next!"
James let out a sigh. "Well while I think about it, I'll call home," he said, starting to walk towards the videophones.
"I get it!" Livvi grinned, following him. "You want to ask them where you should go next, right?"
"Their opinion always helps," James replied. "But I also want to show them my new Gym Badge," he reached the nearest videophone and dialled his home number. They waited a few seconds before there was an answer.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mum!" James grinned.
"Oh! James! And Livvi too!" Elizabeth beamed at them. "How are you both?"
"We're doing great!" James replied with a grin.
"Thanks for asking, Mrs. Burton," Livvi replied politely.
"You don't have to call me 'Mrs. Burton', Livvi!" She laughed. "Just call me 'Elizabeth'."
"Sorry, Elizabeth." Livvi smiled sheepishly.
"Guess what!" James grinned. "I won my fifth gym badge today!" He thrust his Soul Badge into the camera enthusiastically.
"That's great! I knew you could do it!" Elizabeth smiled. "So whereabouts are you heading now?"
"We're not sure," James replied."Possibly Cinnabar since it's close to here."
"Cinnabar, eh?" Elizabeth pondered for a second. "Sorry to ruin your plans, but I heard the Cinnabar gym closed yesterday for some renovations. They won't be open again for another two weeks."
"No way!" James groaned.
"How about we head to Viridian then?" Livvi suggested.
"That reminds me," Elizabeth said suddenly. "The battle in Saffron City ended yesterday evening. They said they'll open the city up again as soon as they can."
"In that case, we can kill time by travelling along the south-eastern coast on our way back," Livvi piped up.
"I thought you were set on going to Viridian?" James raised an eyebrow.
"James, surely you must have learnt by now that I have a plan for everything!" Livvi replied with a smile.
"How I envy the two of you," Elizabeth sighed. "The south-eastern coast is lovely this time of year."
"I'll take that as a hint that I should go with Livvi's plan then," James sighed, turning back to the screen.
"I suppose you could." Elizabeth laughed. "Anyway, I need to get to work soon, so I'll say goodbye. Love you!"
"Love you too," James replied somewhat hesitantly as the screen turned black. He turned to Livvi. "Looks like it's finally time for Saffron."
"Yeah." Livvi nodded. "Shall we tell Richard and then set off as soon as your pokémon are rested?"
"Sounds like a plan." James nodded as they started walking towards the trainer lounge.
So Cuba managed to master Bonemerang and James won his fifth Kanto League badge. Hopefully this gym battle was little more interesting than the one which preceded it! And with the battle in Saffron finally over, James and the others can head there and attempt to win his sixth badge.
I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter uploaded. I lost three weekends in March due to having to travel home for birthdays and then I had essays due and an Italian speaking exam in April. Then there were other distractions over the Easter holidays and now I've hit the exam season too. I'd originally planned to upload this chapter last Sunday, but I ended up getting so caught up in writing Chapter 39 that I completely forgot! :P
Anyway, I'd better get back to revising for my exams! See you next week! :D
James' Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmander): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Scratch, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Double Team, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Low Kick and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Stun Spore, Bullet Seed and Spore.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
Cuba (Cubone): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Headbutt, Bonemerang and Bone Rush (in progress).
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.
Cylune (Venonat): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Compound Eyes ability, known moves are Supersonic, Confusion, Poison Powder and Leech Life.
Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Sand Attack, Growl and Quick Attack.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack, Megahorn, 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.
Spear (Spearow): male, mild, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Keen Eye ability, known moves are Peck, Growl, Aerial Ace (in progress) and Fury Attack.