Gupta- Swampert level 43, Swellow level 43, Camerupt level 43, Umbreon level 42, Vibrava level 44, Hippowdon level 41
I got tied up with work and couldn't write for months. Luckily it's summer now and the story's heating up.
Amelia is America and Matthew is Canada.
The Mossdeep Gym was a square space built like a dojo, split down the middle by a raised winding path. Gupta stepped forwards to survey the area, and was stopped by a familiar voice.
"Well, we're here again." Kyung Soo commented.
"So we are." Gupta nodded.
"The Mossdeep Gym's different to the others. But to tell you how would ruin the surprise." The other teenager continued. "As for how to get to the end… The raised platform'll lead you there, but the holes will need to be patched first. Use the blocks."
"Got it." Gupta listened. "I'll get to work then."
"That's what I like to hear. Good luck." The teenager smirked.
Sure enough, Gupta quickly found four entire sections of the walkway were missing. Several large blocks were scattered around the rest of the Gym's floor space, and Gupta started by walking to the left of the path, spotting a block close to the entrance that could be easily pushed into place. As he began to push the block, he noticed a trainer waiting for him to the side, who leapt from hiding ready to fight.
"Hey, welcome to the Mossdeep Gym. I'll be your first opponent here. Let's show our guest a good time Machoke!" The trainer greeted.
"Alright Hippowdon." Gupta chose.
"Hippo." Hippowdon complained.
"Machoke, Dual Chop." The trainer began.
"Hippowdon, Sand Tomb." Gupta followed.
Machoke charged forwards, hitting Hippowdon twice in quick succession, before Hippowdon leapt backwards, making the very earth shake and a shockwave encompass the foe. As far as Gupta could tell, the Pokémon had learned Earthquake.
"Machoke, Wake-up Slap!" The trainer continued.
"Earthquake." Gupta tried.
Machoke leapt in and struck Hippowdon with a back and forth slap, and Hippowdon responded with a powerful shockwave which took the opponent out.
"That's good. You're doing well so far. It's obvious you've figured out what to do too. So, good luck." The trainer commented.
"Thanks." Gupta nodded, pushing the first block into place. He could see another on the other side of the path, and set off towards the next block.
As he rounded the pathway and headed up the right side, Gupta came face to face with a second trainer, who turned to face him as he approached.
"Hey there!" She greeted. "Guess it's time to get worked up! Come on Machoke!"
"Another one…" Gupta considered. "Hippowdon, handle this."
"Machoke, Wake-up Slap." The trainer began.
"Hippowdon, Earthquake." Gupta chose.
Hippowdon struck first, knocking Machoke backwards with a powerful shockwave. Machoke responded with a stinging slap that left Hippowdon reeling.
"Wake-up Slap." The trainer repeated.
"Strength." Gupta decided.
Hippowdon moved first yet again, knocking Machoke out with a powerful charge before it could attack. Hipowdon ran back towards Gupta as the foe fell, trying to hide behind his trainer.
"Alright, time for my second Pokémon! Medicham, take over!" The trainer continued.
"Alright Hippowdon, take a rest. Swellow, take over." Gupta spoke, taking the opportunity to switch Pokémon.
"Low!" Swellow chirped.
"Medicham." The opponent greeted.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace." Gupta defaulted.
"Medicham, Confusion." The trainer declared.
Swellow swooped in and struck Medicham, dealing massive damage before the opponent responded with a psychic attack that Swellow shrugged off.
"Aerial Ace." Gupta repeated.
"High Jump Kick." The trainer attempted.
Swellow was too fast for the opposing Pokémon, and knocked it out before it could attack.
"Yikes. Seems like you're a really tough trainer…" The Gym Trainer commented.
"Oh! A strong trainer? I wanna see!" A voice spoke up, and Gupta looked around to see a trainer emerging from around the other side of the second block. "Cool, a challenger! Let me battle him too!" the trainer decided, stepping up to Gupta.
"Alright then. Swellow, stay on for now." Gupta decided.
"Breloom, let's go!" The second trainer picked.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace." Gupta continued.
"Breloom, Sky Uppercut!" The trainer decided.
Swellow managed to attack first, and hit the opposing Breloom hard enough to knock it out in a single hit, much to its trainer's surprise.
"Oh man!" He complained. "Okay then, Hariyama!"
"Yama!" Hariyama growled.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace." Gupta parroted.
"Hariyama, Seismic Toss!" The trainer suggested.
Swellow swooped in to attack, dealing significant damage before Hariyama grabbed her, throwing her backwards over its shoulder and into the ground.
"Quick Attack." Gupta changed move.
"Hariyama, Wake-up Slap!" The trainer tried.
Swellow picked herself up and moved blindingly fast, taking Hariyama down and returning to Gupta, landing on his shoulder.
"You're doing really well! This'll be the second of four blocks you need to move." The trainer instructed, as Gupta started to move the second block into place.
"It's not hard." Gupta pointed out, already able to see the location of the third block around the other side of the pathway. These trainers were certainly… Talkative.
Gupta returned to the space on the other side of the pathway, and healed his Pokémon before starting to walk towards the back of the gym. He became able to see the raised platform at the very end, but another trainer interrupted him as he approached the corner of the winding pathway.
"Doing well, challenger! Ready for another fight?" He queried.
"I don't really have a choice." Gupta stated. "Hippowdon, let's go."
"Fair enough. Primeape, take them on!" The trainer started.
"Hippowdon, Earthquake." Gupta declared.
"Primeape, Assurance." The trainer chose.
Primeape charged forwards and slapped Hippowdon hard. Hippowdon responded with a powerful shockwave that knocked Primeape off its feet.
"Primeape, Thrash!" The trainer commanded.
"Earthquake." Gupta repeated.
Primeape leapt to its feet and charged furiously at Hippowdon, punching and kicking him repeatedly. Hippowdon whined in discomfort before appearing to become enraged himself, stepping backwards and launching a shockwave which knocked Primeape out.
"One down, one to go. Mienfoo, go on!" The trainer declared.
"Alright. Hippowdon, Earthquake." Gupta continued.
"Mienfoo, Swift." The trainer ordered.
Mienfoo launched a spray of stars towards Hippwdon, who was still slightly enraged from before, and attacked Mienfoo with a devastating shockwave which knocked it out in a single hit.
Gupta continued on past the trainer and around the corner, soon reaching the next block that needed to be moved. Standing beside it, there was yet another trainer, waiting to battle.
"Okay then trainer, time to face me." He stated. "Mienfoo, take them on."
"Hippowdon, go again." Gupta chose.
"Hippowdon, Earthquake." Gupta decided.
"Mienfoo, Drain Punch." The trainer commanded.
Mienfoo punched Hippowdon and held on with a grip that drained his energy, while Hippowdon created a raging shockwave that knocked Mienfoo backwards.
"Mienfoo, Force Palm." The trainer continued.
"Hippowdon, Strength." Gupta chose.
Mienfoo slapped Hippowdon hard before the Pokémon responded with a punch of his own that successfully defeated the opponent.
As Gupta pushed the third block into position he noticed another at the very end of the pathway. Luckily, he was able to fit through the space where the block should have been. Unluckily, another trainer was waiting for him next to the final block.
"And so it's come to this. Medicham, come on out!" The trainer greeted.
"Hippowdon, once more." Gupta declared.
"Okay Medicham, Confusion." The trainer decided.
"Earthquake." Gupta defaulted.
Medicham launched a psychic attack at Hippowdon, but the Pokémon shrugged the attack off, and launched a shockwave which took the opponent down in a single hit. Still, Hippowdon seemed to be getting tired.
"Okay then. Go Breloom!" The trainer continued.
"Return Hippowdon. Go Camerupt." Gupta changed Pokémon.
"Camer!" Camerupt smiled.
"Breloom, Mach Punch." The trainer decided.
"Camerupt, Lava Plume." Gupta tried.
Breloom jumped in and punched Camerupt with blinding speed, sending her sliding backwards for a moment before she responded with a wave of lava that dealt heavy damage to Breloom.
"Mach Punch." The trainer repeated.
"Lava Plume." Gupta repeated.
Breloom jumped in to punch Camerupt again, and was then knocked out by her counterattack.
Gupta pushed the final block into place and stepped backwards, viewing the now complete pathway that twisted its way over to the raised platform he had seen before. There was only once place left to go.
As Gupta walked along the path towards the end, he became able to see the raised platform at the back of the gym, and one thing stood out to him. Two figures stood on the platform. It seemed the Mossdeep Gym was very special indeed.
The figure on the left was a young woman, who seemed to be in her late teens. She had tan lace-up boots that went almost to her knees, a lime green skirt, and a brown jacket, which was open to reveal a white crop top underneath. Her blonde hair was bob cut, with yellow star clips holding her bangs back. Her black gloved hands were playing with a pendant around her neck which seemed to hold a mega stone. Her bright blue eyes were shining.
To her right, a young man who seemed to be around the same age stood, wearing tan boots and matching trousers, with a large brown coat covering the rest of his body. His hair was shorter and wavier, but still the same shade of blond. He had wire frame glasses, violet eyes, and a twisted hair curl, and seemed to be the shyer of the two. On his head, Gupta could see a pair of goggles with a mega stone set into the strap. He wondered how the man wasn't overheating; Hoenn was hardly cold, especially now that the sun was shining constantly. Behind the two, a maple tree grew, shedding leaves down over the arena.
"Heya!" The woman greeted. "Welcome to the Mossdeep Gym! Surprised yet?"
"Well… There's two Gym Leaders here." The man continued. "I'm Matthew Williams. This is my sister, Amelia Jones."
"We run the gym together. We battle together. So if you're ready for that, take us on!" Amelia challenged.
"Fair enough." Gupta nodded.
"Okay then, let's start this thing! Hawlucha, I choose you!" Amelia started, taking out a Pokeball and throwing it into the arena.
"Okay Pangoro. Let's go." Matthew followed, sending out his first Pokémon.
"Swellow, Camerupt. Fight this." Gupta decided, sending out his two Pokémon.
"Alright Hawlucha, Flying Press on Swellow!" Amelia ordered.
"Pangoro, Body Slam on Camerupt." Matthew followed.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace on Pangoro." Gupta started. "Camerupt, Rock Slide."
Swellow moved first, getting in a hit against Pangoro before Hawlucha leapt high into the air and slammed into her. Pangoro threw itself wholly at Camerupt, who brought a barrage of rocks down on both opposing Pokémon, the attack seemingly hurting Hawlucha much more than Pangoro.
"Hawlucha, Aerial Ace on Camerupt." Amelia continued.
"Pangoro, Slash on Camerupt." Matthew chose.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace on Pangoro. Camerupt, Rock Slide again." Gupta repeated.
Swellow struck Pangoro for major damage yet again while Pangoro and Hawlucha teamed up against Camerupt, slashing at her with claws again and again. She responded with a cascade of rocks that managed to take Pangoro down, but Hawlucha still stood.
"Pangoro, that's alright. Rest now." Matthew spoke, switching his Pokémon. "Lucario, your turn."
"Lucario!" Lucario roared.
Matthew's second Pokémon was bipedal with blue and black fur, and sharp looking spikes extruding from both front paws and its chest. Its ears were long and pointed, while black appendages that looked almost like hair grew out of its head. Its expression was fierce.
"Alright then." Matthew continued, clutching his goggles. "Time to get serious. Lucario, Mega Evolve!"
Lucario roared, taking on an even more ferocious form. The small amount of cream fur that had previously been centralised on its chest grew over its entire torso and engulfed its tail. Its paws turned crimson, the spikes within becoming more prominent. Black markings covered its body in a series of patterns. It glared over at Gupta's team.
"Hawlucha, Endeavor on Camerupt." Amelia declared.
"Lucario, Power-Up Punch on Swellow." Matthew followed.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace on Hawlucha. Camerupt, Earth Power." Gupta decided.
Hawlucha leapt in to strike Camerupt, leaving her severely weakened. Swellow attacked Hawlucha shortly afterwards, knocking the opponent out. Lucario delivered a glowing punch straight to Camerupt, seemingly becoming even more confident in the process, while Camerupt brought forth bursts of energy from the ground that struck Lucario.
"Alright Hawlucha, that's enough. Gallade, let's do this!" Amelia chose.
Gallade was a white bipedal Pokémon with a green torso. Red spikes extended from its chest and back, and a blue crest curved out of its head. Its arms resembled swords, and it seemed very disciplined.
"Gallade, time to give it all we've got! Let's Mega Evolve!" Amelia continued, holding her pendant up high. Gallade shone with power, taking on its new form.
Its head grew spikier, and the swords on its arms turned red and extended. It also appeared to gain a cape, as though it was a hero from a storybook.
"Gallade, Slash on Swellow!" Amelia ordered.
"Lucario, Bone Rush on Camerupt." Matthew suggested.
"Camerupt, Earth Power. Swellow, Aerial Ace on Gallade." Gupta attempted.
Swellow swooped in first, striking Gallade, before the opponent slashed at her in response. Lucario jumped in and struck Camerupt repeatedly, taking her down before she could attack.
"Okay Camerupt, return. Swampert, come on." Gupta declared, switching Pokémon.
"Swampert!" Swampert cheered.
"Gallade, Psycho Cut on Swampert." Amelia changed tactic.
"Lucario, Metal Claw on Swellow." Matthew decided.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace on Gallade. Swampert, Mega Evolve and use Earthquake." Gupta detailed.
Swellow delivered another strong attack to Gallade, who responded by attacking Swampert with blades of psychic energy. Lucario tore into Swellow with sharp claws, knocking her out, while Swampert Mega Evolved before sending an earthquake towards the opponents, causing major damage.
"Swellow, return. Finish this Vibrava." Gupta continued, changing his Pokémon.
"Well fine. Gallade, Aerial Ace on Vibrava!" Amelia tried.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere on Swampert." Matthew attempted.
"Vibrava, Swampert… Earthquake." Gupta defaulted.
Gallade turned its attention to Vibrava, slashing at her violently, while Lucario launched a swirling sphere of energy at Swampert. A duo of shockwaves let off by Gupta's Pokémon in retaliation knocked both opponents out and ended the battle.
"Wow! Talk about tough! I'm seriously impressed." Amelia congratulated, returning her downed Pokémon to the Pokeball.
"Seeing as you won over us, you've earned the Knuckle Badge." Matthew detailed.
"Swampert?" Swampert questioned, turning to Gupta before wandering over to the Gym Leaders.
"Oh, do you want to take the badge?" Amelia guessed.
"Swampert!" Swampert grinned, accepting the Gym Badge along with a disc which Matthew handed over.
"There's also the TM for Power-Up Punch there. It's a pretty good move." Matthew continued.
"Swampert!" Swampert cheered, returning to Gupta and passing the items over.
"Thanks." Gupta nodded, used to Swampert's actions by now. He returned Swampert to the Pokeball, and noticed that Vibrava had been standing still since the end of the battle, making no noise.
"Vibrava?" Gupta checked.
Vibrava began to glow white, and evolved into her final form in the middle of the arena.
"Would you look at that!" Amelia commented.
"It's quite something." Matthew agreed.
"Flygon!" Flygon introduced herself.
Flygon was primarily a light green dragon, with darker green stripes on her tail and legs, and two large darker green antennae. Her eyes had gained red covers while her arms had three claws on each hand. The fan of her tail and her rhombus shaped wings contained a diamond mosaic pattern, with red rims around the edges. She had grown significantly in size, and looked fairly majestic.
"Look at that! You won and you had a Pokémon evolve! Talk about an exciting day." Amelia told Gupta.
"It was good fighting you. We've had some other good battles recently too… Maybe it's just the time of year." Matthew added. "Wherever you're going now, we wish you luck."
"Thanks." Gupta nodded, deciding to head back to the Pokémon Centre.
A familiar figure stood in front of the counter, receiving his Pokémon back just as Gupta entered the Pokémon Centre.
"Gupta… It's good to see you again." Herakles greeted, smiling gently.
"Herakles. How have you been?" Gupta asked, handing his Pokémon to the receptionist.
"I've been good… This sunlight is so harsh though… I have no idea where it came from, but it makes me feel so tired." Herakles complained. "Oh yes… Thank you for the meteorite before. I like it a lot."
"Oh. It's no problem." Gupta responded. "The sunlight though… Team Magma released Groudon. It's made the sunlight this harsh."
"Groudon? The Continent Pokémon? I had thought it was just a myth… So the old legends are true. If that is so… We must stop it before it makes things worse." Herakles stated.
"You know about the legends?" Gupta questioned.
"Yes. I love old legends. Mama would tell me about them all the time…" Herakles looked to the side. "We need to help stop Groudon… But first, I think I will challenge the Gym. Goodbye for now Gupta. I'm sure I'll see you soon."
Gupta watched Herakles exit into the blazing sunlight as his Pokémon were restored to health.
'Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon. Known as the desert spirit, this Pokémon creates sandstorms by flapping its wings, and hides within the depths of swirling sand. The beating of its wings sounds like singing.'
