"Uh, Red?" Kenny asked. "Why are you soaking wet?"
"Oh, just jumped off a boat this morning," Red said, his smile as bright as the rising sun. "Let's go kick Lieutenant Surge's ass, shall we?"
Leaving puddles behind him, Red skipped off down the docks and towards the Vermilion City Gym. He wondered vaguely why his nerves weren't acting up the way they had when he had challenged Brock and Misty.
"Got your team set?" Kenny said. "Did you pick up a Diglett like we discussed?"
"Nah," Red admitted. "I kinda kept forgetting and now they stay clear when we visit Diglett's cave. Beat up too many of their friends, I guess.
"But don't worry, Ken," Red said, slapping him on the shoulder. "I have a secret weapon."
Kenny chuckled. "Knowing you, it's either going to be horrifying or silly and ineffective, isn't it?"
"You've gotten to know me so well," Red said, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.
Sitting on a bench beside the gym doors was Blue, who winked at Red and Kenny as they approached. "Took you long enough. I was worried you were gonna pussy out."
"I never pussy out!" Red said, outraged. "Take that back!"
"All right, all right," Blue groaned, rising and stretching out. "It's way too early to listen to your screeching."
"Brock's gym was designed to be like the interior of a cave," Red said. "And Misty's had an Olympic sized swimming pool. Yours is kind of...underwhelming in comparison."
Indeed, Santiago Surge's gym was a lot more understated than one would expect from such a colorful character. The walls were bare, the ground was cold marble, and the battle arena itself was a basic Pokemon battlefield, one without gimmicks.
It was livened up by the screaming fans in the stands, no doubt the most people Red had ever seen come to watch his gym battles, but he couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed.
Surge grinned that confident grin of his. He had foregone his decorated jacket for a moss green tank top, leaving his muscular arms exposed. "I prefer a more minimalist approach. A Pokemon battle at its most pure."
"I can get behind that," Red said, unclipping a Poke-ball from his belt. "Let's cut the chatter than, shall we?"
"I like your attitude!" Surge said. "All right, kid, you can use up to six Pokemon in this fight, while I'll only be using one. Be wary though."
He held up an Ultra Ball. "This one's the best I've got."
Clearing his throat, he continued. "The battle will end when a trainer surrenders or their Pokemon are unable to battle. Remember the danger and stakes of our match. By placing them on the battlefield you're putting them at risk, and that goes for me as well. Knowing that, are you ready?"
It was the speech that every gym leader Red had fought had given him so far, and like every other time he took a moment to consider whether he would be able to handle it if a Pokemon were seriously hurt.
Red finally smiled. It just meant he couldn't lose. It was as simple as that.
"I'm ready. Let's get going."
"So, I got a question," Drax said. He and Rocket were sitting on the railing of the stands, and the Squirtle was leaning over the edge, listening to the exchange between Surge and his own trainer. "If Red's allowed to use six Pokemon, why are we up here?"
Biting back a retort about being Drax's babysitter, Rocket pointed at the Pokemon Surge released from his Ultra Ball—a Raichu. "There's no way I can fight that thing, and you haven't trained at all, yet. So Red just wants us to watch this one, to see what we can learn from the battle."
They watched Red throw his own Poke-ball, releasing Star-Lord, who let out a roar of challenge. In response, Surge's Raichu's cheeks crackled with electricity. The two Pokemon were smirking at each other, fire and electricity swarming around their bodies in intense auras.
"Hey, dude," Drax snickered. "Think they're gonna fight or kiss? Because that tension's definitely going somewhere."
"Probably both. But as to which happens first—"
"All right, Gilgamesh!" Surge thundered. "Give 'em a thunderbolt!"
"Star, use ember!" Red cried out in response, his order coming out squeaky compared to Surge's smooth, baritone voice.
Lightning and fire finally embraced, sparks crackling and flames lighting up the entire gym. It wasn't long before the Raichu and the Charmeleon were locked in close combat, exchanging blows.
Star-Lord swept out his claws, but Gilgamesh the Raichu sprung back, landing on his tail. His second thunderbolt was so fast it was hard to follow, but somehow Star was able to avoid it, landing in a roll on the arena floor. The lightning struck the ground in front of Red, blowing back his hair and throwing his hat off his head.
To his credit, Red hadn't flinched. "Close the distance and use slash!"
Sprinting forwards with his hands outstretched, Star-Lord lunged for Gilgamesh, a deadly gleam in his eye.
"Block it with mega kick!" Surge ordered. Swinging around his body like a breakdancer, Gilgamesh's powerful kick flew up, forcing Star to block the move with the arm he had been attempting to slash with. "Mega punch!"
His long, wiry tail wrapping around Star's arm like a rope, the Raichu jerked him forward, right into his right hook. Blood splattered out from the Charmeleon's nostrils.
The move clearly would have been enough to break most Pokemon, but Star-Lord was not most Pokemon. Swinging his tail horizontally, the flame at the end of it released a wave of fire that forced Gilgamesh to abandon his offensive and roll away, unwrapping his tail from around Star's arm in the process.
It was the Charmeleon's turn to spring away, and though he was clutching his bloody snout, the rage and resolve in his eyes was undeniable. Wiping his snout clean, he crouched down, the flame on the end his tail burning ever hotter.
Rocket couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when he watched the Raichu and the Charmeleon meet again in another violent dance, Star-Lord ducking under Gilgamesh's swinging tail, before leaping up and striking out with his claws. Finally, Star found purchase, a claw digging deep into Gilgamesh's shoulder.
Blood dribbled down into Gilgamesh's fur, but like Star before him, he wasn't fazed for long. Once again, their spar gave way to a chase as the Charmeleon was forced to fall back, narrowly avoiding another screaming thunderbolt.
Much of the knowledge Rocket had amassed in his lifetime was the result of his years travelling around the region of Kanto, learning from the local Pokemon, sneaking into people's homes to watch their television, etc. In contrast, his upbringing in Viridian Forest had been, for the most part, isolated. Folks in Viridian didn't care much about the world outside the wood, preferring to keep their problems practical. What you knew was typically what was relevant.
But not even Viridian Forest was spared from the stories of Lieutenant Surge's legendary Raichu, and Rocket had grown up hearing about his exploits. How he was a veteran from the Indigo War, and how he had saved his trainer's life countless times. It was claimed by many that Gilgamesh was the most powerful electric type in the region.
And yet here Star-Lord stood, matching him blow for blow.
It wasn't just the Charmeleon either. Rocket had noticed long before now that the rest of the team was beginning to outclass him. Jackie no longer had much trouble kicking his ass now, and even Groot was getting good at predicting his movements when they sparred. Rocket was a Pikachu, a Pokemon who evolved from reaching a state of happiness, not combat. It had long since begun to show.
"That Raichu sure is something, isn't he?" Drax said, as Gilgamesh's tail slammed into Star-Lord with enough force to send him spinning, smoke flying from his nostrils. "You're gonna be that tough when you evolve too, eh?"
"There's no way I have that thing's potential," Rocket muttered. "And, I don't know. I don't think I ever want to be a Raichu."
"Why not?" Drax asked, tearing his eyes away from the fight. "Scared people won't think you're as cute and cuddly?"
Despite himself, Rocket managed to force a grin. "One of many reasons, Drax. One of many."
Red fingered Groot's Poke-ball, debating on switching him in or not. Star wasn't exactly losing, but though the Charmeleon was trying to hide it, it was clear from his breathing pattern that he was exhausted.
Still, the fact that Gilgamesh looked just as worn was a comfort. Sweat was raining from his face, and though static electricity still emitted from his cheeks, there was a definite droop in his posture.
Red checked Surge's expression, to see if he was concerned, but the Lieutenant had one hell of a poker face. It didn't help that he was wearing sunglasses, which, coupled with his permanent grin, gave him the look of utmost confidence. It was like trying to outlast marble.
"Star, are you still okay to stay in?" Red asked, painfully aware of the fear in his voice. "You've taken a lot of damage, so it might be risky."
Star-Lord bowed his head, tucking his tail in between his legs. The defeated Charmeleon stumbled back to Red, relieved that he had survived the fight.
Just kidding.
Lifting his head up to the sky, Star let loose a powerful pillar of flame, the motif of his defiance. A reptilian eye flashed back to Red, as if daring his trainer to switch him out.
Star's confidence was infectious. Red grinned. "Then let's give ol' Surge a taste of our secret weapon. Use dig!"
"Wait, dig?" Surge's grin was finally replaced with a grimace, which unfortunately only gave Red a feeling of pride for about half a second, when the Lieutenant shouted, "Use quick attack!"
It was like Gilgamesh hadn't even moved. Yet, inexplicably, Star was on the floor with the Raichu on top of him, raising his hands over his face to guard from the raining blows. Each punch was outlined with electricity, and soon Star had dropped his guard, shouting from the pain of the static shocks.
"Crap!" Red cried. "Star, return—"
Star-Lord screamed. It wasn't his typical roar of challenge or threatening snarl. It was a howl of pure desperation, of defiance, of pain, of wrath, all mixed in with the cacophony of emotions that silenced the jeering crowd. The scream halted Red in his tracks, and even Surge had flinched.
Gilgamesh hadn't been silenced or slowed. But he didn't need to.
A blur of crimson, Star-Lord smashed his head against the Gilgamesh's, so brutally that no one was sure which Pokemon's skull the resounding crack came from. Gilgamesh howled in pain, stumbling backwards and clutching his head, while Star-Lord burrowed into the ground like a Sandshrew.
"Shock wave!" Surge ordered in a desperate attempt to rally, to instill some sense of security in his now thoroughly bemused and frightened Raichu, as the light at the end Star's tail vanished into the hole he had made. "The moment you see any activity in the ground, use shock wave."
But Gilgamesh didn't recover fast enough. And after an explosion in the flooring and a swift punch to the solar plexus, he was downed, pinned to the ground by Star-Lord's foot. The Charmeleon's jaws were about half an inch away from Gilgamesh's throat when the Raichu vanished into the light of the Ultra Ball.
"That's it then," Surge said, clipping his ball back in his pocket. "The victory is yours, Red."
Red didn't exactly jump for joy at that, still in shock at his Charmeleon's intensity, but the rest of the gym was excited enough for him. In fact, it was a wonder the roof wasn't blown off.
"Thanks for doing business with me, boys," Blue said, in that consciously, annoyingly, superior way of his, as he accepted prize money from what seemed like most of the people at the gym. An annoyed sore loser threw his water bottle at him, to which Blue swept his head to the side to dodge. "Nice throw, Maurice. I'm sure you'll actually manage to hit me next time."
Kenny watched Blue's shit-eating grin and his fellow gamblers stalk off with a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Why are you the one getting money? Red won, didn't he?"
Blue gave Kenny a conspiratorial wink. "Never said I bet against him, did I? Only, don't tell Red, all right? We have to keep him humble."
The gym doors opened, a rather windswept looking Red stepped out with Surge. Rocket, who had been sitting on Kenny's shoulder, leaped off to scramble back onto his trainer's.
"I um...I don't think I've ever gotten that much positive reinforcement in my life," Red said, in a far-off sort of voice. "Or had that many people wanting to talk to me. I think I need a minute."
"Hey, you beat the legendary Lieutenant Surge," Surge guffawed, slapping Red on the back, which probably only served to overwhelm him further, as well as nearly send Rocket flying. "You're in the big leagues now."
"Not bad, old pal," Blue said quietly, and the subdued compliment brought Red back to earth. "You're a gym ahead of me now, aren't you?"
"It's time for our battle," Red said, and Blue rolled his eyes. It never took long for Red to find himself again. "No more stalling."
"When we get to Lavender," Blue said, impatient at his friend's impatience. "Or more specifically, when I get to Lavender. I'm going to challenge Misty's gym when we reach Cerulean again, so I'll be a day or two behind you."
"Seriously?" Red whined. "Why do we have to keep putting this back?"
"Actually, it's probably a good opportunity, champ," Kenny said. "We've all been pretty nonstop lately, what with, well…" He hesitated at Blue's glare.
"Well, you know. What we've been dealing with," Kenny said, clearing his throat. "You have a lot ahead of you in Celadon. Even besides your, uh, meeting, the gyms get particularly tough starting with Erika's. Taking a bit of time to train your Pokemon at Lavender would be a good idea."
"Fine, fine," Red said. "But if that's the case, we're leaving tomorrow. There's something important my team and I have to do tonight."
Red had become very somber. Kenny and Blue exchanged a glance.
"And that is?"
"We have Guardians of The Galaxy recorded back at our room at the Pokemon Center," Red said. "Finally, my team will learn the complex lore behind their namesakes."
"You really are something, Red," Kenny said.
"Yeah, something that should be committed," Blue drawled.
But Red was already gone, screaming for popcorn like a lunatic. He found that running around like a maniac was a great way to delay uncomfortable conversations, and the one he'd have to have with Star-Lord was going to be particularly nasty.
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