Been a while, a long while again. I'm having a hard time writing anything at all, which is bad because I have several short stories I must write for school. It's also bad because I can't write TST too without burning myself out.

Strangely, I had an easy time writing this once I started it. And I wrote the majority of it in the past 24 hours, perhaps because of the excitement of the New Year. Happy 2009!


Chapter 51
Rusty

Rain pattered like hail onto the building's overhang above Marina. Behind her, the streets were almost empty, with only a few umbrella-bearing pedestrians scurrying past. Since the girl had no umbrella herself, she had to make due with sprinting as fast as she could from the Pokémon Center to the Olivine City Gym, which now stood tall before her.

I swear I better not get a cold again, Marina thought with a sheepish smile.

The great iron storm door groaned as she tugged it open and slipped inside. She stared in a silent but curious manner, welcoming the lukewarm temperature. The gym was a grand, almost plain room immersed in slick pastel-pink metal and rugged boulders. A bright crimson-pink carpet formed a beeline toward the elevated plot of land that was the earthy battle arena. Such a bland contrast was certainly interesting, especially since the room was very well-kept.

Spotting the gentle Gym Leader at the top of the short flight of stairs, Marina grinned and dashed down the carpeted path toward her.

"Hi!" she greeted.

Jasmine made a small, shy smile and nodded. "Hello... Do you need a towel again?"

"Eheh," Marina giggled and shook her head, "No, I'm fine. Is Amphy doing better?"

Again, Jasmine nodded warmly. "Yes...Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Marina's eyes then wandered about the Gym. She took a curious glance at the back end of the battle field, where a pile of giant steel boulders that lay in an uneven coil. Glancing behind her, she then commented, "This place is pretty empty for a Gym."

"It is," admitted Jasmine. Her soft face fell and she bowed low, causing the Trainer to stare in puzzlement. "I'm sorry... But someone else wanted to battle me first before you came, so I...I couldn't wait for you."

"Someone else?" Marina blinked twice while shifting her head to the side, but a spark ignited in her green irises like a light bulb. Again, she smiled, though a bit wider as she said, "Let me guess, it was a really impatient red-haired boy, right?"

At once, the young lady twitched in awed shock. "Y-Yes, just like that. You…know someone like him?"

"Yup. In fact, we're rivals." Marina laughed. "So it's okay."

I knew it, chimed her lighthearted thoughts, making her giggle once. That'd make sense. Silver's so fast, he's probably in Ecruteak already or something. He should be thanking me!

"I see...Um...Please allow me to properly introduce myself." Fixing her prim posture further, Jasmine introduced herself. "I am Jasmine, a Gym Leader. I use the Steel-type...Um..."

An odd silence passed, and Jasmine nervously smiled. Marina, seeing this, jolted to attention.

"Oh! I'm Marina, Marina Shimizu from New Bark Town!"

"Shimizu?" The young woman's eyebrows rose, and she waited before asking, "Then are you...?"

"Yup! I'm Chris Shimizu's little sister," Marina declared happily. "But don't go easy on me!"

Fabricating a youthful smile at the girl's enthusiasm, Jasmine nodded in a brief moment of wordless respect. Yet her shy nature returned, and she shifted a small step back. "Um... The battle will be three-on three... May I begin?"

"Sure! Which side of the field?"

"I'll be on the farthest end..." At that, the meek brown-haired Gym Leader strolled away, cutting through the large dirt plane marked with the typical white borders. Marina, watching for but a second, looked down at her belt. She breezed her fingers past each ball, thoughtful of her possible choices.

I have King, Prince, Muu-chan, Amber, Kenya, and Lapras... And the Steel-type is her specialty. I should've switched in Phany. Nothing I can do about that now, though.

As she attentively gazed at each miniature sphere, her eyes darted to Lapras's lustrous azure Poké Ball. Before she went to grasp it, a crackle caught her ears and she looked up at Jasmine's first Pokémon, which floated above the ground. It appeared to be a levitating steel sphere littered with bolts and two magnets at its sides, but its single eye reeled around as it buzzed and hovered within the battle arena's vicinity.

"A Magnemite..." Almost on instinct, Marina grabbed King's Poké Ball and tossed it onto the field. "Come on out, King!"

"Magu!" shouted the fire ermine as he appeared in a burst of temporary sparkles. A smirk stretched across his fuzzy face when he spotted the Magnet Pokémon, and the fire on his head and hide exploded to life. Both he and Magnemite settled on their respective sides of the field, determinedly in front of their Trainers.

Jasmine's hazel eyes caught Marina's, and both girls nodded. Less than a second later, they each called out the first attacks.

"Thunderbolt!"

"King, Flame Wheel!"

King bounded rapidly toward his opponent, his crimson flames engulfing him. A lightning fast dagger of electricity flew past his head, and he leapt to crash head-to-head with the sparking Magnemite. The impact sent him sliding backwards, causing his flames to vanish, but he held his balance firmly even as faint traces of the Thunderbolt darted across his burgundy fur.

"Magu," he huffed the moment he saw Jasmine's Magnemite—its body melted and dented from the attack—collapse onto the ground before him.

Marina smiled at their clean, swift victory. But she clapped when King proudly glanced back at her. "Good job, King! One Pokémon down!"

The Quilava filled with a glowing confidence at the praise. "Magu!"

They watched as Jasmine released her second Pokémon, which was yet another Magnemite. It zigzagged curiously, spinning its magnets around. Smirking with a confident growl, King darted toward it and unleashed his flames as he did before. The Magnet Pokémon waited patiently and maintained a weak field of static around it. Marina gasped.

"King, wait! The Magnemite's going to—!"

"Rashi!" King, unheeding, made contact with his enemy, ensnaring the small metal creature with his fire. It went down just as the first did, but King stumbled upon his landing. He shivered, traces of electricity taking hold of his movements.

"...paralyze you, with Thunder Wave," Marina finished. King appeared slightly embarrassed and tried to fight off his temporary paralysis, managing to stand.

The fallen Magnemite was removed from the battlefield. Marina turned her gaze to Jasmine, who had yet to take out another Poké Ball. Instead she looked behind her, distracted by nothing in particular.

"The last Pokémon wouldn't happen to be a Magnemite, too, would it?" Marina called out, loud enough to be heard across the room. She did not want to seem conceited, but the battle would be subpar at best if she won with such ease against a Gym Leader.

Jasmine shook her head pleasantly as she turned around.

"Okay!" Marina replied. Though puzzled by Jasmine's actions, she and King waited for her.

There's a few other Steel-types besides just Magnemite, Marina reviewed and crossed her arms gently in thought. Like Skarmory and...

The ground shivered beneath her feet, and she jolted in panic as the tremors increased. She looked at King, who appeared horrified as he stared in Jasmine's direction. Marina practically jumped out of her skin once she saw the giant, bright steel heap at the back of the Gym twist and move freely on its own accord.

"Oh my gosh! That was a Pokémon?" she gasped, her mouth wide open in awe as the creature reared its large head. It blinked lazily and darted toward the battle field, scraping its uneven body along the ground, which yielded an obvious and heavy trail behind it. Both Marina and King continued to gape at the steel snake that rotated its tail and other segments of its body continuously. Jasmine, on the other hand, smiled and held her hand out to gesture her colossal Pokémon.

"This is my Steelix, Rusty," she introduced, "Rusty, say hello."

Rusty the Steelix emitted a low grunt and rose up high above the ground, almost managing a friendly expression through its unchanging face of steel. It made a polite nod to greet them. Marina and King, standing in its deep shadow, could do nothing but make astonished nods in return. It was only when the Steelix backed off that Marina recovered from her shock, hardly able to fumble for her Pokédex.

"Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon. Type: Steel/Ground
Its body has been compressed deep underground, and, as a result, its composition changes to become diamond-like. The many small metal particles that cover this Pokémon's body reflect bright light well."

"Geez," said Marina, putting away the device once it had done its job. "I know Steelix are huge, but I didn't know they were this huge!"

"Ma-Magu!" cried King in agreement and cringed in paralysis.

Marina's gaze fell upon him, and she frowned. She picked up his Poké Ball. "King, want to switch out for now?"

King whirled around and scurried toward her, chirping hopefully as he wriggled in his sudden excitement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so eager to leave a battle, King," she pointed out with a fit of giggles. The crimson-gold Quilava flattened his ears sheepishly as he was recalled into his Poké Ball. She made a smile to accompany a murmured praise, but was swift to choose her next Pokémon. An azure sphere traded places with King's, and Marina held it somewhat tight in her palm. After another second's hesitation, she tossed it onto the field.

"Go, Lapras!"

Lapras plopped onto the arena's firm earth like a small boat on dry land. A fleck of doubt entered Marina's heart as Lapras cast a monotonous glare at her. Marina released a slow sigh and, without hinting at any sign of weakness, nodded as sternly as she could muster. Lapras almost seemed to overlook this gesture and proceeded to face Jasmine's Steelix head on.

"Ra!" Lapras howled in her soft yet hauntingly dark voice. Marina managed a small, reserved smile.

"Rusty, Iron Tail!" Jasmine barely called out in a yell.

"Lapras, use Water Gun!" Marina commanded in a quick response.

Her Lapras reared her head and rapidly fired water bullets, refusing to let up even as Rusty swung its shining tail end upon her. The crushing blow crashed into the sea creature's neck, causing Marina to cringe. Lapras shrieked and let loose another barrage, bearing not a shred of cowardice toward the gigantic steel snake.

Tiny earthquakes racked the battle field as Rusty roamed further away in a futile retreat as it was unable to escape the Water Gun's range. The cut and polished boulders making up its body glittered and brightened considerably, almost as if it generated its own light.

"Good! Keep using that Water Gun, Lapras!" encouraged Marina.

Lapras opened her mouth and released another round of water balls without hesitation. But this time, the attack literally evaporated halfway on its charge toward Rusty. The blue-haired girl's eager smile turned into a surprised frown, and she watched as Lapras was barely able to extend the distance of her Water Gun, succeeding in only slathering the field with puddles.

"Lapras, what's going on?" she asked, puzzled.

"Ra!" Lapras retorted in frustration, firing another attack. The shining Steelix, comfortably away from danger, looked amused past its rugged, unchanging face. It approached and braved the feeble water attack, carving a trail of mud as it unearthed a wad of boulders and hurled it toward its enemy.

"Lapras, hit the boulders with another Water Gun!"

Despite the Pokémon's instant obedience, Lapras couldn't repel the oncoming rocks and barely shielded herself with the shell on her back as she was pelted relentlessly.

Marina raised her arm over her face to block the globs of mud that splattered near her, and sighed in relief when Lapras again raised her head high, prepared with a dark glare. On the other side of the field, Jasmine had a settled look of sureness displayed on her face.

"Rusty is using Sunny Day," she explained, "So...that's why your Pokémon's water attacks are weakened."

"Sunny Day?" Blinking, Marina eyed the young lady's Steelix that glimmered through the mud stains on its metallic figure. She turned her head to the windows that dotted the Gym's walls, noticing the bright rays that leaked through.

Taking a deep breath of the air that had warmed since Sunny Day took effect, she turned back to Lapras. The Pokémon had not moved a single flipper, only glaring ahead of her at the steel serpent. A seething blaze burned in her black irises, and she emitted a low hiss.

"Rusty," Jasmine's soft voice recited the name of her Pokémon, "Please, use another Iron Tail on Lapras."

With a groan and twist of several of its segments, Rusty's tail illuminated and slashed down upon Lapras. The attack, however, connected with the moist earth, this time spraying the astonished blue-haired Trainer with mud. Jasmine immediately clapped her hands together and mouthed a silent apology. Marina let a short laugh escape her and watched Lapras unleash yet another Water Gun, the Pokémon sliding across the soaked puddles that had yet to dry.

"We'll have to wait until Sunny Day goes away," Marina murmured, wiping some of the earthy sludge off her face and jacket. "Lapras, Body Slam!"

Pivoting to avoid another oppressing Iron Tail, Lapras aggressively faced her opponent. Her eyes again seemed to blaze with a searing darkness, a look that made Marina shiver in unease. Lapras roared as she thrust her body into Rusty, smashing even her head in her reckless collision.

As if zapped by a sudden wave of overwhelming energy, Rusty flailed and cried out. It worked its sluggish body away from Lapras like it had bounced away from her. Huffing anxiously, it sent a wary glare toward her, who returned with a piercing glower. Marina's eyebrows rose, as did Jasmine's, at this peculiar reaction.

Body Slam shouldn't have hurt Steelix that much, should it? Marina tilted her head curiously as she thought, Steelix is Steel-type, and Body Slam is a Normal-type move, so it shouldn't be very effective...

I guess it was a critical hit, she concluded. Her eyes brightened as she noticed Rusty's shine dim and whittle away, and she smiled. "Alright, it's time to use Water Gun!"

"Ra!" Lapras forced herself through the mucky mud, quickly approaching the cautious Steelix.

"Rusty, Iron Tail!" ordered Jasmine.

Rusty raised the tail end of its body and thrashed Lapras once more. Lapras evaded a hit to the head, but a cringe added to her already cold scowl as the heavy steel whipped harshly on her side. She shrugged it off a moment later, shrilling and again throwing herself into the steel snake wildly. Rusty cried out and scraped away from Lapras as she neared for yet another rash Body Slam. The anxiety-inducing feeling shrouding her was alarmingly potent.

"Lapras!" Marina called out.

Immediately, the blue Transport Pokémon froze stiff, her perturbed fury ebbing away. She made eye contact with her Trainer, staring with evident innocence, as if she had snapped out of a trance.

Marina grinned uncomfortably. "You can use Water-type moves now, Lapras. So use Water Gun!"

Lapras still stared at her, unaware of the blatant gawking from her opponent. A light glisten of appreciation almost sparked in her placated eyes for just a moment and she whirled toward the Steelix, opening her mouth wide.

"Iron Tail again, Rusty!" Jasmine ordered her Pokémon.

Rusty slashed toward its enemy, who unleashed several pulses of water. Lapras ceased fire as she was nearly toppled over by the Iron Tail's crushing blow to her side. Lapras only glared quietly, which her opponent returned.

But Rusty, its great steel body cloaked in water, squinted and collapsed, creating a violent tremor that wracked the sturdy Gym. Marina took a wild stumble but regained her balance, watching the Pokémon. When the Steelix's body vanished in a beam of red light, returning to the black and yellow Poké Ball that Jasmine now held, Marina heaved a sigh and smiled at Lapras.

"Great job! We won!" she exclaimed, waving. Lapras looked at her blankly, the glance typical to Lapras's stoic character. Nonetheless, Marina maintained her elated smile and held out her Pokémon's blue-silver sphere. She recalled Lapras, giggled to herself and bounded across the battlefield that was smeared with heavy coats of muddy puddles.

I don't think Lapras used Water Gun that time, she pointed out in her thoughts. That looked a lot like Water Pulse.

The Olivine Gym Leader faced the girl with an uplifting smile, and waited until she reached her to speak. "...You are a better Trainer than me, in both skill and kindness."

With one hand clasped on Rusty's Poké Ball, Jasmine held out the other, turning it over and delicately releasing her fingers. In her palm rested a sleek, silver badge that seemed to give off dozens of tiny sparkles. Marina gazed at it in wide-eyed interest

"In accordance with League rules, I confer upon you this badge."

"Thank you!" The young Trainer seized it and looked down at her jacket. Smiling fondly, she pinned the brand new Gym Badge above Cianwood's fist-shaped badge. "What's its name?"

"Its name?" Jasmine tilted her head at first, but nodded when she came to understand what Marina meant. "Oh...It's the Mineral Badge."

"And what's this one again?" Marina questioned, pointing to the one below it. "I forgot."

The brunette stared at the brown pin. Uncertain, she answered, "The Storm Badge...I think..."

That's fitting, with all those typhoons.

"Storm Badge, huh? Anyways, that battle was fun!" exclaimed Marina happily. "Your Steelix really surprised me."

"Thank you. Um..." Jasmine yielded another shy smile. "I don't know how to say this, but good luck...On the other Gyms, I mean."

The girl nodded. "Thanks, I'll do my best! So, well, I gotta go and get cleaned up now," Marina replied, gesturing the dry mud splatters on her shirt and legs.

Regret immediately immersed in Jasmine's green eyes. She humbly stuttered, "I-I'm so sorry about that. Rusty never meant it, I'm sure."

"No problem, no problem!" Marina spun on the dot and looked over her shoulder as she added, "It's only a little bit of mud."

The Gym Leader smiled and observed her with a mixture of innocent inquisitiveness. The young girl continued to grin back with a rejuvenated aura around her.

When she spotted the stare, Marina blinked curiously. "What?"

Jasmine shook her head. "Not at all... You just look so happy now."

Marina didn't respond at first, caught off guard by the random comment. She let out a modest giggle, interlacing her fingers that covered the collar of her jacket.

"I guess I am," she said and turned away as she skipped back across the arena. "Bye!"

When Marina pried open the Olivine Gym's heavy door, she stepped outside and paused to look at the sky. Drastically contrasting how it was when she entered the Gym, the weather was now clear, and she sun warmly cradled her cheeks even as the frigid wind passed by. This only made her carefree smile widen.

It's like Steelix's Sunny Day is still working, she thought. She turned to enter the streets, which bustled with people the deeper she strode into the city. She gazed in admiration at the Christmas trinkets set up amongst the shops, and made a mental note to visit the Poké Mart later as she passed by it.

Little did she notice that a teenager clad in a blue trench coat headed toward her in the opposite direction. His golden yellow eyes caught the blue-haired girl in the crowd. They crossed paths, side-by-side. He cast a smirk at the optimistic and pure smile she wore.

"Later, Pigtails."

This caused Marina to come to a stop, her eyes wide in blank surprise. She reflected briefly and looked over her shoulder with a start.

"Pigtails…?"

Was that... that boy from Cianwood's Pharmacy?

Seeing nothing but the hustle of unidentified civilians, Marina relaxed in tiny disappointment. Yet she shook her head, shrugging to herself as she continued on her way toward the Pokémon Center, smiling cheerfully so while bearing six Johto Badges on her collar.


Well, no train whistles this chapter as I planned, but I assure you that it will be in the next. It's not too important, but eh.
Be sure to say your goodbyes to Wes, too. (For now?)

Thanks for the reviews, everyone, and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and will have an awesome year! For all of us!