Pokemon: A New Journey

AU Pokemon Project

Pokémon and all related characters are the intellectual Property of Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company. All original characters are the property of the AU Pokémon Project Team. All other copyrighted materials are the property of whoever owns the material; we're just borrowing it.

Chapter 8: The Crack of Thunderbolts and the Rising Darkness

With the convention behind them, our heroes focus on the difficult battle ahead of them. Their Gym battle against the Vermillion Gym, the home of the Kanto electric leader, Lt. Surge will test them to the limit.

Arod smiles as he walks out the Pokemon Center's door. He had confidence in his Pokemon, and with Geodude and Pika, he was sure he would win. He glanced at Yamato, who followed behind him, and who was still trying to decide who he would use.

"Should I use Ivysaur? Piplup's no good, and neither is Pidgeotto." Yamato ticks off his Pokemon with his hands.

"Guess Yamato hasn't figured out his strategy yet, Pika." Arod smiles at his partner.

"Pi Pika Pi!" ~I think he's losing his mind~ Arod chokes, trying to keep from laughing.

"What's so funny, Arod?" Ai stretched as she walked out of the Pokemon Center. "You seem awfully cheery, considering you're challenging the Vermillion Gym today."

Arod nodded. "With Pikachu's speed, and Geodude's resistance to electricity, I'll have the upper hand. I'm more worried about Yamato going crazy trying to plan his strategy." The two of them look at their friend.

Yamato glances at them. "What? A gym battle takes careful planning." He then shrugged and laughed sheepishly, knowing that in his battle with Kaoru, he just fought based off of the area around him.

Ai narrowed her eyes before speaking. "Yeah, just like you carefully planned to have your Monferno uppercut that Kadabra of Kaoru's through a store window. Seriously, that was a bad matchup on your part."

Yamato sighs and hangs his head. "Thing is, I won't really have a strategy until I see what the field itself looks like. Sure, I can try to go all type-matching, but I don't have ANYTHING that deals well with Electricity…it's not gonna be a fun one."

Arod laughed. "Maybe not for you, but me, I have this in the bag!"

Ai shook her head. "You're too easygoing, Arod. You have to at least TRY to focus in on what you're trying to do. Make a damn effort for once. And as for you, Yamato, I know that you have faith in your Pokemon, but at least TRY to put them in favorable spots. I swear, am I the ONLY ONE HERE who has ANY idea of how to battle in a gym?"

Yamato and Arod looked at Ai and just shook their heads. "She's lost it." Yamato muttered, before turning back to their walk to the gym.

Arod nodded before following. "Good thing Kuki decided to sleep in today…said something about having scheduled his battle for later on tonight or something. Otherwise, he'd be getting an earful too."

Ai narrowed his eyes and yelled after the duo before speeding up. "Mall Wreckers! Get back here!"

Yamato turned and looked at Ai cynically. "Party pooper…" He then turned his back and continued to walk, with Arod staying silent, as the day of the battle began. "Hey, Arod, don't you think Ai's going a little too far? I mean, sure I destroyed an entire deck on the S.S. Anna, but Kaoru challenged me."

Arod cracked a slight smile at the memory of the day before, and he thought of the girl he saw. He sighs softly, wondering if he'd meet her again. Yamato turned to look behind them at Ai, still racing to catch up, when he collided into someone, both of them collapsing to the ground.

"Ow! That hurt!" The girl's voice caused Arod to look at the girl Yamato just ran into, and his heart stopped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

Arod stared at the girl. It was her, the same girl from yesterday. "Oh, I'm sure my friend is fine. Are you okay?" He leans over and helps the girl up. "My…My name is Arod Ishikawa, and these are my friends, Yamato and Ai."

The girl brushes herself off and smiles. "I'm Crystal Wolf." She looks at Arod. "I saw you yesterday! On the S.S. Anna!" She sees Pika. "Awwww, he's so cute. Can I pet him?" Crystal reaches to pet the electric Pokémon.

"Hey, isn't anyone going to help me up?" Yamato glares at Arod and Ai. Ai sighs and drags him roughly to his feet. "Anyway, Crystal, you must be a trainer, right? How about a battle?"

Ai smacks Yamato in the back of the head. "How about you focus on your upcoming Gym battle?" Crystal giggles softly, causing Arod to look away before anyone notices him blushing.

"I'm just coming from there. I couldn't battle you anyway, I need to get my Pokémon healed up. Speaking of which, I should probably get going. Arod, it was nice seeing you again. Maybe we'll see each other again, especially if you're trying for the Indigo League." She smiles and walks away, waving.

"Pika Pikachu Pi." ~She seems really nice- Pika peers up at his trainer.

"You said it, Pika." Arod swallows and turns to look at the Vermillion Gym. "Well, the time has come to earn our third badge." He pushes the doors to the Gym open and walks in. "I've come to challenge the leader of this Gym for a badge!"

"So have I!" Yamato steps up beside his friend, while Ai proceeds over to the stands on the side, taking a seat in the bleachers.

"Well, Rai. It seems we have two challenges." Standing on a small platform overlooking the large field stand two large men; one dressed in fatigues, the younger one in brown shorts and a green shirt. "Looks like two babies from here."

Rai, the younger of the two, smiles. "Seems that way, Dad. And one of them has brought a Pikachu. A baby for a baby."

Arod glares, his eyes narrow as he balls his fists. Pika stepped in front of his trainer and imitated Arod. "I'm not just some kid. I am Arod Ishikawa of Viridian City, and I'll win a Thunderbadge!"

Yamato blinks, never seeing Arod this pissed off before. "And I'm Yamato Ketchum, from Pallet Town."

The man in fatigues laughs. "Welcome to my Gym. I'm Lt. Surge, the Gym Leader here, and it seems we have a unique situation. Two challengers, one arena."

"I have an idea." Rai speaks up. "Let's have a double battle. I'd rather not waste time in pummeling these two. I find them rather annoying now."

Arod blinks. "Wait, what? What do you mean a double battle?" Yamato, curious as well, echoed his friend's question.

Lt. Surge explained. "Well, it's quite simple. Rather than face each of you separately, my son and I will face you together. We'll each use one Pokémon only. Whichever team is still standing will be declared the winner."

"So, even if one of ours is knocked out, if the other beats both of yours, we would both still win."

Lt. Surge nods. Arod and Yamato exchange a single look. "Sounds good to me!"

Rai laughs. "Well, then. Choose your Pokémon, kids. This way, I won't feel bad about beating all your little baby Pokémon."

Rai and Lt. Surge each throw out a single Pokeball. "We'll both use Raichu. Now all that's left is for you runts to pick."

Yamato silently debates with himself before pulling a Pokeball from his belt and preparing to throw it onto the field. However, as he cocked his arm in preparation to throw, a flash of light appeared from his belt, before revealing itself to be Piplup.

"Piplup?! I didn't choose you though." Yamato said, looking at his Pokemon with a slight bit of concern. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

The tiny penguin Pokemon nodded confidently, which put a small smile onto Yamato's face. "Alright then, I'm going to choose Piplup!"

Arod looked on nervously. "Yamato, you can't be serious. You're going into this with a MAJOR disadvantage, and you haven't used Piplup recently."

"Maybe not, but I'm confident that Piplup can handle this. I have to be, if we're gonna win this battle and get our badges."

Arod rolled his eyes, before picking his Pokeball. "Geodude, I choose you!" With a cry, the rock-shaped pokemon appeared, punching its fists together and letting out a cry.

"HAHAHAHA! Don't make me laugh, brat. That Piplup of yours doesn't have a chance against our Raichu!" Lt. Surge boasted, his arms crossed and looking across the battlefield confidently.

Rai smirked, punching his left fist into his right palm. "You're first, kid, if you think that I'm going to lose to you while you're using that little brat of a Pokemon."

Piplup narrowed his eyes defiantly, letting out a angered growl ~Pipluuup~. Yamato kneeled down and patted his pokemon's head, hoping to calm it before standing back up and looking at the gym leaders calmly. "Relax, Piplup. Don't you two know? Sometimes the strongest things come in the smallest packages," Yamato spoke confidently, his hoodie-clad arms crossed in front of his chest in defiance of everything the two Lightning trainers said.

Ai sighed, facepalming from the sidelines. "Yamato could be an easy target this time. But, knowing him, he'll get creative and find some way to make it work. Still could get ugly in a hurry."

Yamato scanned the battlefield with a frown. 'Still, they are right about one thing. Piplup and I may have worked on some strategies to deal with Electric types thanks to Dad's help, but all the same, the environment isn't favorable for me to have Piplup use any of those.' Eyes narrowing, he spoke up, determined. "Let's get this over with already. Judge, we're ready to get to work here."

The judge, a blonde-haired girl wearing a black and yellow shirt with the Kanto league symbol on it, stepped into the judge's box. "This is a Vermillion Gym Double Battle between the Gym Leaders Rai and Lt. Surge, and the challengers, Yamato Ketchum and Arod Ishikawa from Pallet Town! This is a 2-on-2 battle, with no substitution allowed for both sides! Battle begin!"

Little did either side know, but they had an interested observer from within the gym, one whose ears perked up at the announcement of the challengers. 'Yamato Ketchum, eh? So the brat had a son. The boss will be VERY pleased to hear this news. With this news,we could potentially take out a major annoyance to us from the past as well as stop a new one from arising…heheheh,' the observer, a redheaded young woman wearing a black leather jacket, thought as she left the gym to place a very important call…

Back at the battlefield, Surge smirked. "Kid, just because you brought such a weakling into our house, you get to fall first! Raichu, use Thunder on the Piplup NOW! Send it back to its trainer out cold!" The electric-type leapt forward, bright yellow sparks flying from its cheeks.

"RAIIIIIIIIICHUUUUUUU!" The mouse pokemon cried, releasing a huge bolt of electric energy at the penguin Pokemon, Piplup freezing in place. 'Gotta react fast!' Yamato thought, before issuing his first command of the battle.

"Piplup, use Water Pulse on the ground to your right! Get out of the way!" Yamato cried, his right arm sweeping out in the direction he wanted Piplup to aim. The blue penguin nodded, turning itself to the right before shooting a high-powered blast of aquatic energy at the battlefield below. The explosion of the energy, while not hurting Piplup, was enough force to push Piplup up and to its left, just in time to avoid the electrical bolt striking the field right where Piplup was at a mere half-second before.

"Good job, Piplup!" Yamato called, before his eyes widen as he notices Rai's Raichu charging right at Piplup. 'Crap, not enough time to react!'

"Heh. Kid, did you really think that I was going to let you dodge that easily? Raichu, use Quick Attack on that small fry of a Pokemon!" Rai spoke with some finality, just as his Raichu became trailed by a white glow while the electric mouse moved at a faster pace than normal, slamming into the penguin as it was falling towards the ground from its evasive tactic and sending it skidding on the gym's hardened earth floor to a stop near Arod's Geodude.

"Dammit…I can't do anything to dodge them right now…" Yamato muttered, his frame clearly tensing up. "Piplup, you gotta get up! We've fought electric types before!" His words encouraged the Penguin Pokemon as it climbed back onto its feet, looking a little worse for wear.

Ai had a clearly concerned frown on her face as she spoke while looking on. "Not good. If Yamato isn't careful, he could be out fo the match and leave Arod alone to deal with them!"

Arod thought fast. 'Yamato's definitely their main target right now, even though I'm using a Ground-type Pokemon. But even with that fact, if one of us goes down, the other's sure to follow quickly. Wait…he used Water Pulse to dodge earlier. What if there was a way to change the field to let us have an equal playing field?' Arod then stood up, determined, before giving his first command of the match. "Geodude, use the most Powerful Magnitude you have!" The floating boulder Pokemon pounded its fists together, before preparing to punch the ground.

Surge and Rai smirked before nodding to one another, Surge speaking first. "So predictable for the little babies to use little baby tactics. Raichu, use your tail and take to the air now!" he commanded, his Raichu nodding before leaning back on its tail and using it along with its feet to propel itself into the air.

Rai then spoke. "Your tactics are obvious! Raichu, get off the ground by using Bounce!" He ordered, as his Raichu hopped once, twice, three times before leaping high into the air.

Ai looked on in concern. 'Why would Arod do something that would be so predictable? Yes, Ground type moves are super-effective on Electric types, but they've been training Electric types for years and know their weaknesses like the back of their hands!' She shook her head, before shouting to her friends who are in the battle. "Guys, you can't be so obvious!"

Arod smirked, before turning to call back to Ai. "Just watch! Geodude, unleash the Magnitude NOW!" With those words, Arod pointed at the ground, his Ground-type rearing its right arm back as the entirety of the Pokemon surrounded itself in a golden brown aura just as its fist hit the ground HARD, causing the battlefield to shake tremendously, undulating and starting to crack and shatter at points.

Yamato's eyes widened as he understood immediately. 'With this, we might be able to level the field!' "Piplup, try to get as close to the other side of the field as possible, but be careful!" He said, his Pokemon barely being able to hear his command over the noise of the battlefield creaking while a crevice began to form in the middle of the battlefield. 'This is really dangerous. If Piplup isn't careful here, I would never forgive myself!'

"Piplup!" The Water-type cried, before slowly but surely making its way forward, even as small rock spires about 3 feet high started to sprout out of the battlefield. Even when it tripped a couple times, the Penguin-type kept getting up and trying to move forward.

Rai looked on in shock, as his Pokemon came back to the ground and started to feel the effects of the attack, shaking hard. "Raichu, hang in there. Remember, we trained to handle Ground-type attacks!" The mouse Pokemon nodded as it cried out enthusiastically, despite being clearly shaken. "Raiiiii!"

Arod smirked, before shouting in encouragement to his Pokemon. "Keep it going as long as possible, Geodude!" His pokemon nodded, even as the golden-brown aura began to fade.

Surge growled in aggravation, as his Raichu also felt the effects of the Magnitude Attack. "Raichu, stand strong! Kid, you WILL pay for this!" He yelled, giving his command as he spat venom at Arod for the way the battlefield was changing, the crevice finally opening to cover the center of the battlefield. And as his Raichu finally steadied itself after showing some noticeable wear, the shaking finally stopped, Arod's Geodude finally removing its fist from where it punched the battlefield, on the side of the crevice nearest to the two young trainers.

Arod nodded before issuing his next order. "Geodude, you've gotta try to get up there to back Piplup up, but make sure that you aren't noticed too quickly." And at his order, the floating rock Pokemon started to move towards the front.

Yamato smirked. "Piplup, now's the time! Use Bubblebeam in combination with Steel Wing on Rai's Raichu! Let's go," he shouted, which caused Rai to look up in surprise.

"Is that all you've got, kid? Raichu, use Mega Punch if that runt of a Pokemon shows up!" Rai called, his Pokemon's fist glowing bright white as it tensed, waiting for Piplup to appear.

"You're in for a real treat. Piplup, come out now! Bubble Wing!" Yamato spoke up, Piplup jumping out from behind a spire to the Mouse Pokemon's right, almost too close to dodge or counter with its tiny wings glowing metallic silver while also being surrounded by tightly-packed bubbles. "PIIIIIIIPPPLUUUP!" the tiny Penguin Pokemon cried, swinging its wings out quickly while spinning like a top.

"Raichu, show him we're not impressed! Use Mega Punch on that runt!" Rai shouted, punching out with his right fist in emphasis as his Pokemon nodded, swinging its glowing fist as the penguin Pokemon neared it, causing a smaller explosion that flung both Pokemon back, Piplup still spinning.

Surge spoke up then. "Raichu, show your power and use Mega Punch on the runt too!" Surge's Raichu leapt out from behind a spire nearby, its fist glowing as it impacted the spinning Piplup, causing another small explostion and sending Piplup skidding even slightly further back, its spin fully stopped.

"Piplup, quickly! Water Pulse Rai's Raichu now!" Yamato ordered, his Pokemon looking up and unleashing a watery sphere of energy at the Raichu as it came down for a landing from their explosion. He then smiled at the attack hitting the mark, flinging Rai's Pokemon backwards to a sliding stop near the edge of the battlefield by Rai and Surge's Trainer box.

Surge then spoke up after looking over his Raichu's condition. "You know kids, for all the shaking that your little Ground-type move did, it didn't affect our Raichus all that much. Isn't that right, Raichu?" His Raichu nodded, issuing a cry and letting sparks fly from its cheeks.

Rai nodded in agreement as his own Raichu climbed to its feet. "You completely missed your attack, runt. You'll never beat us if you keep fighting like this."

Ai spoke up, yelling to the two young trainers who she had spent the past 3 weeks travelling with. "He's right! Arod, you wasted your attack there!"

Arod then started to laugh. "Oh? Who said that I was targeting their Pokemon directly?" He then pointed at the field, "Look at how the field has changed. Before, they had all the advantage. Now I'd say that things are a lot more even. I had Geoude use Magnitude not in an attack on Raichu, but to change the field and make it so that we both have a better chance!"

Yamato shook his head as he looked at the field before speaking up, his Piplup standing ready for more. "It's a whole new game now, Surge. With a flat battlefield, Piplup and I couldn't have defended ourselves for very long." He then turned to look at Arod before nodding and giving a thumbs up. "Great move!"

Arod laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks man, but it was really your use of Water Pulse to dodge the Thunder attack from Surge's Raichu that inspired it. Now it's fair and square!"

Ai shook her head in exasperation. "And to think that I thought Arod had come up with that by himself. Shows me for getting my hopes up."

Arod stood determined. "Now it's time for us to be the aggressors," he said, staring confidently at the situation on the field as his Geodude got to a place where it was able to support Yamato's Piplup. The battle was really just getting started.

-PKMN: NJ-

Meanwhile, at a videophone in a small house nearby the Pokemon Center, a familiar figure was seated, her black leather jacket glinting in the dim light of the video phone.

"Understood, boss. I will leave the message for him at the discussed location." The figure spoke, her right arm coming across her chest as she bowed respectfully.

"Don't fail me, Zinnia. This is a prime opportunity to destroy a long-time nemesis of mine, as well as to prevent another from that clan from becoming yet another thorn in my side. Make SURE that you don't fail me; Operation: Hypnotic Trance is crucial in our plans." The figure on the screen, whose face remained enveloped in shadow, spoke.

"Understood, boss. I will not fail you. Zinnia, out." And with that, the figure spoke, before shutting off the videophone and starting to walk out the door to her destination: the Vermillion City Pokemon Center. 'Soon, the Ketchums will know real pain. And Team Rocket will have its vengeance.' With those thoughts, the door closed behind the agent, an ominous wind blowing across her face.

-PKMN: NJ-

Ai looked on at the scene, her hands clenched in worry. 'Even though the battle field's been shifted, that still doesn't make Piplup any less of a target! If Yamato's not careful, he could lose the battle…and that would mean that they're both screwed,' she though, as she stood up and raised her hands to her face, creating an improvised megaphone. "Be careful guys! One wrong move, and you're both in danger!"

Rai smirked, before shaking his head. "You're the ones who made a mistake. Sure, you may have changed the field to give you a slight bit more level field, but you made one key mistake: your Piplup is in perfect position to get attacked, scrub! Raichu, Thunderpunch the little baby penguin!"

"Chu!" Rai's Raichu cried, its fist crackling a fierce yellow made up of sheer electricity. Before Yamato could react, Raichu covered the distance in the blink of an eye, delivering a harsh blow straight to Piplup's stomach which sent the penguin Pokemon flying back towards a spire behind it.

""Pipluuuuuup!" the Pokemon cried in pain, crashing into the spire head-on before sliding down the stone face, its face showing a clear look of serious pain.

"No! Piplup, you've gotta get up! I know that hurts, but you've taken worse when we trained with dad!" Yamato shouted, starting to show some panic on his face. 'We can't afford to take too many more shots like that. If we do, we're sunk!'

Rai smirked, sensing as though there was blood in the water. "Raichu, time to finish this up. Use Mega Punch on the Piplup now! Eliminate it from this battle!"

"Raichu!" Rai's Raichu called, its other fist glowing a shining white as it closed the gap to the fallen penguin Pokemon.

Time seemed to slow down for Yamato as he issued his next command. "Piplup, you've gotta drop and roll under the punch! Get out of the way!" The Penguin Pokemon shook its head to clear the cobwebs, before nodding and dropping flat on its stomach and starting to roll to its left. Just in time too, as the Mega Punch-enhanced fist of Rai's Raichu crashed into the spot that Piplup's head had been just a moment before.

Arod sighed in relief before issuing his next command. "Geodude, you've gotta get in closer to help Piplup! Start up a Focus Punch!" At those words, Arod's Geodude's left fist started to glow a bright gold, even as the Pokemon moved unnoticed towards Piplup to provide some support.

Surge had other plans, though. "Raichu, use Thunder on the Piplup! Let's wrap it up right now!" As the electricity sparked and charged on his Mouse Pokemon, Surge smirked confidently before the massive bolt of electricity released itself from his Pokemon towards its intended target in a slower loop, with Rai's Raichu leaping backwards to get out of the way.

Yamato froze, a look of sheer shock written on his face. Luckily, Arod noticed this. "Geodude, we've gotta do something to disrupt it! Use Rock Throw with the nearest spire! Your target is the Thunder attack! Fastball it!"

The Rock/Ground type responded, almost tearing the top chunk off of the nearest spire and tossing it into what looked to be the path of the descending Thunder and catching it just in time, the stone erupting into a shower of electrically charged fragments, but also disrupting the attack and blocking it from landing.

Yamato sighed in relief, as he spoke up. "Piplup, we've gotta take advantage of this. Get out of view!" The tiny penguin Pokemon nodded, using the cover of the raining stone fragments to hide itself behind a large spire of Rock.

But Arod wasn't done with his plan yet, even as Yamato had Piplup take cover. "Geodude, keep going and use Focus Punch on Surge's Raichu now!" The stone Pokemon charged forwards, gaining momentum quickly as its fist glowed a bright gold, the Focus Punch completely charged.

Surge wasn't amused. "Raichu, catch that Focus Punch now!" The Electric type smirked viciously as it caught Geodude's fist between its arms, holding it tightly as the stone fragments finally stopped raining down. "Now, hit it with-"

Arod grinned brightly. 'Gotcha,' he thought as he started to speak up. "Geodude, use your leverage to throw Raichu up into the air!" His Pokemon quickly obeyed, grabbing a hold of the top of the spire right next to the duo and spinning around, dragging Raichu with it before flinging its fist into the air in an uppercut motion and forcing the Mouse Pokemon to release its grip as it was flung into the air.

"What? No way!" Surge cried, as he looked on in disbelief.

Yamato smirked. 'Now's our chance!' "Piplup, come on out and use Water Pulse on Surge's Raichu! Hurry, before it hits the ground!"

"PIIIP!" The Penguin Pokemon cried as it leapt out from behind the spire it had hidden behind, before unleashing a huge ball of aquatic energy right at Surge's Raichu from an angle that was impossible to dodge and consuming the Mouse Pokemon in a blue-tinged explosion, flinging it to the ground with heavy damage as it impacted just in front of its trainer.

"Raichu! Get up!" Surge cried, as Rai stepped forward with his left arm outstretched.

"No way are you going to get away with that. Raichu, use Thunderbolt on Piplup now!" Rai called, his Pokemon responding quickly and sending a wave of golden electricity at Piplup. Beofre Yamato could react, his Pokemon was consumed in a large explosion of electric energy, flinging Piplup to the ground out of the smoke cloud twitching in pain.

Yamato shouted, sensing the danger of the moment. "Piplup, you've gotta get up! We can't give up now! Not after coming this far!" His faith in his Pokemon was rewarded, as Piplup slowly but steadily climbed to its feet at the same time as Surge's Raichu.

'This battle is taking a huge toll on Piplup. It can't take much more than this!' Ai thought, silently imploring Yamato to call Piplup back and to not let his Pokemon get hurt.

Surge though, had a more surprised look on his face. How Piplup was able to get back up was stunning to him. "How on earth did it manage to not get knocked out by that? It was a direct hit from Rai!"

Rai nodded, before raising his voice in disbelief. "My Raichu's Thunderbolt is strong enough at times to knock out a Tyranitar! There's no way it could have gotten back up from that!"

Arod chuckled, before starting to speak. "I had something to do with that. Before Piplup's Water Pulse hit your Raichu, I had my Geodude use Mud Sport to try to add some extra defense. Nice try, Rai." Arod's Geodude, as if to confirm the action, pumped its fists before letting out a cry. "Geodude!"

Surge then growled in frustration. "Fine, then I'll have to finish the job right now. Raichu, use Shock Wave! Finish the job!" The mouse pokemon very quickly charged up a golden current around its body, leaping slightly before landing and unleashing that current in all directions across the battlefield.

'No way to dodge that!' Yamato thought, before quickly shouting. "Piplup, brace yourself!" The Penguin Pokemon heard its trainer's command just in time, crossing its arms just as the current reached it, causing it to shout out in pain as it was flung back, skidding to a stop on the ground just inches from the edge of the chasm on the Gym leaders' side of the field.

Arod had other ideas, however. While the Shock Wave attack hit Geodude, it barely had any impact. "Geodude, start to focus, move closer and use Magnitude again! This time, let's get those Raichu!"

The Stone pokemon nodded, releasing a cry as it became surrounded by a dimmer version of the same golden brown aura it had surrounded itself with earlier. This time, however, instead of punching the ground, its hands slapped the ground, almost directing the shakes at the twin fully-evolved Pokemon.

Surge ground his teeth in frustration. 'These two rookies are really driving me up a wall. Why don't they just fall already?' "Raichu, hang in there as best you can!" he ordered. His Pokemon, however, struggled to keep its footing on the shaking surface.

Rai frowned. "You do the same, Raichu. We won't lose to these kids who should be in school right now!" His Raichu, unlike Surge's, stood firmly, though occasionally having to reach down with one hand to stabilize itself.

As Yamato looked on, his Piplup climbing onto its feet even so slowly, Arod smirked in a clear sense of victory. "Got you right where we want you. Geodude, use Focus Punch on Surge's Raichu!"

Before Surge could even react, Arod's Geodude almost seemed to appear right in front of his Raichu, its fist glowing a bright golden energy that it had clearly been charging up the whole time. "GEODUDE!" the Stone Pokemon cried, drilling Surge's Raichu right in the jaw with the high-powered Focus Punch and sending it flying back to skid to a complete stop in front of Surge, knocked out cold.

"Lieutenant Surge's Raichu is unable to Battle! He is removed from the remainder of the battle," the judge spoke, raising a Red flag into the air and pointing at Surge as he recalled his defeated friend.

"Good battle, my old friend. Looks like these maggots of the new generation have some skills after all," Surge spoke, before turning to Rai. "It's all up to you now. Don't lose to these little baby trainers." He then proceeded to step back out of the trainer's box, leaving Rai alone to face Yamato and Arod by himself.

Yamato sighed in relief before speaking up. 'Way to go, Arod! That's one down, and now we can try to concentrate on Rai alone!"

Arod nodded, before offering up a high-five, which Yamato completed with a clapping sound. "Rai should be a piece of cake now that he doesn't have Surge to back him up."

Rai smirked and laughed, his Raichu sparking electricity dangerously. "You think this is done? I have a few words for you two runts. This battle isn't over yet!"

Arod responded with a confident grin, his arms crossed condescendingly. "We'll see about that. You're the only one left, Rai. I think we'll be getting our Thunderbadges sooner than you think."

Ai grinned, leaping into the air happily. "All right! With Surge down, this battle should be a cakewalk for those two!"

-PKMN: NJ-

Zinnia walked out of the Vermillion Pokemon Center, her long red hair blowing in the wind behind her. "The message has been delivered. Now, all that's left is for that young thorn in my boss' side to receive it, and the trap will be set," she said, proceeding to walk towards Vermillion Harbor Park, the destination she had chosen.

"Still, I do have to wonder: Why not just crush the brat immediately after his gym battle? Why the boss didn't allow me to do so is beyond me. It would have removed that potential thorn that much sooner," she spoke while continuing her walk, the afternoon sun shining down in the sky. While she walked, multiple wolf-whistles were heard form men that she walked past. However, Zinnia shot death glares at all of them.

"Nothing must be allowed to interfere with the boss' plan. And if that means that there comes a time I have to take down that brat myself, then so be it," she said, before emitting an evil laugh and continuing to walk the streets of Vermillion, making her way to her destination. "Soon, Team Rocket will rise again!"

-PKMN: NJ-

Rai made his decision on the spot. "While I may have a disadvantage in numbers, I still have one key advantage over you runts, and that's raw power! Raichu, use Volt Tackle on the Piplup NOW," he ordered, the force in his command almost intimidating the two younger trainers.

Arod looked on in a slight bit of horror. 'That combination attack of Magnitude and Focus Punch took a lot out of Geodude; there's no way he'll be able to move and get there in time! I hope Yamato has an idea as ot how to get Piplup out of there…' he thought, as he spoke to Geodude. "Geodude, you've gotta try to hurry and get moving! Otherwise, there's no way Piplup can withstand THAT!"

Unfortunately for Arod, while the Rock Pokemon was able to move, it was still just a bit too slow to get started. However, that didn't mean that Yamato didn't have a plan. 'Looks like we're going to have to try THAT technique. Hope this works…' he thought, before gulping nervously and starting to speak.

"Piplup, jump and spin to dodge the attack! Do it the same way mom taught dad to do!" With those words, the Sinnoh-native Water starter leapt up and spun counter-clockwise, turning its body parallel to the ground while doing so. 'If this works, then it'll act as a counter rotation and make a pseudo shield…at least, that's how Dad explained it to me when he taught it to me,' Yamato thought, as the opposing Raichu came closer and closer, a large torrent of sparking electricity surrounding its body.

"Like that little Ballet move can stop us!" Rai shouted, only to have his boast turn to disbelief as Piplup's counter-motion enabled it to dodge Raichu's Volt Tackle by a matter of inches! "How the…NO WAY!"

Arod and Ai's jaws dropped in disbelief. Sure, Ai had heard stories of the maneuver Yamato had just called for Piplup to perform so that his Pokemon could avoid a potential knockout blow, but she had never seen it used. "Incredible. To break that out NOW of all times…too bad it only works with smaller Pokemon," she spoke out softly, in awe of what she had just seen.

Arod on the other hand, had never heard of that maneuver before, let alone heard of it. "What on earth was that?" he asked, his mind not completely comprehending what had happened, even as his Geodude continued to move towards the area where Piplup had dodged to.

Rai wasn't a Gym Leader for no reason, however. "No matter. You still don't have the time to dodge now! Raichu, Thunderpunch that runt!" At his command, the electric mouse Pokemon swung its fist right at the water type's head, a crackling current of electricity surrounding its fist.

Yamato grit his teeth. "No time to dodge or to use Counter Shield again. Piplup, you've gotta catch it and hold on!"

At Yamato's command, the penguin Pokemon dug its feet into the ground and braced itself for impact, its wings bracing up to catch the punch. "RAICHU!" Rai's Pokemon cried out, swinging its fist at Piplup's head…only to be stopped as the penguin Pokemon actually CAUGHT the punch, the electricity from it being channeled into the ground due to how Piplup had dug in.

"Way to go, Piplup! Now, give it a Water Pul-huh?" Yamato's question was cut off, as his Pokemon suddenly started to glow a bright white light, growing and changing shape before the light dimmed, revealing that Piplup had evolved into Prinplup, holding Raichu's fist mere inches from its face as it did so!

"PRINPLUP!" The newly-evolved Pokemon cried out, as it stood proudly despite the clearly visible weariness from the battle being written all over its face.

Arod smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "Only you seem to have this type of stuff happen. Still, congrats on having Piplup evolve, Yamato."

Yamato nodded and spoke up. "Thanks, Arod. But, we have a battle to win. Prinplup, get ready and use Water Pulse!" The freshly-evolved Pokemon opened its beak, a clearly visible orb of bright blue aquatic energy charging within its mouth.

Rai started to laugh, however. "Maggot, you just left yourself wide open. And this time, there's nothing that your friend can do to save your Pokemon, freshly evolved or not! Raichu, Thunderbolt on Prinplup, now!" Arod's eyes widened at this, as he realized Yamato's mistake, with the look on Yamato's face telling him that he had realized it as well. 'By having Piplup catch the Thunderpunch, even though he was able to endure it, he's left himself completely vulnerable to this. And Geodude's still too far away to respond and help. Sorry, Yamato,' Arod thought as the bright yellow blast of electricity arced to the ceiling and around the gym upon its eruption from Raichu.

"No, Prinplup!" Yamato called, as his Pokemon collapsed out of the smoke cloud caused by the ensuing explosion of Electrical energy, clearly out cold. "I'm sorry., Prinplup, Arod. I didn't think he'd do that..."

The judge then raised her green flag. "Prinplup is unable to battle! Yamato Ketchup is removed from the remainder of the battle!" she called, her flag pointing towards Yamato as he brought out Prinplup's Poke Ball from his hoodie.

"You did a great job, Prinplup. You fought so hard today. Now, have a great rest," he said softly as his Pokemon was called back into its Pokeball, the red energy calling the Water-type back into the sphere. "Arod, it's up to you. Win it!" he said as he stepped out of the trainer's box.

Arod nodded, before returning his attention to the battle as his Geodude finally got in position. 'It's gonna be risky, but I think we can do this using a similar plan to what we did with Surge, only taking it one step further,' he though, before starting to speak up. "Alright Rai, time to end this. Geodude, Focus and use Magnitude once more!"

The floating boulder Pokemon started to glow golden brown once more, before slamming its palms into the ground, even as one of its arms starts to glow golden. Rai was ready for this, however. "Raichu, brace yourself! If we make it through this attack, we have it made!"

Ai looked on nervously. 'This is really risky. Last time Arod had Geodude do this, it was barely able to move afterwards,' she thought as Yamato walked over to join her in the stands, his part in the battle having ended. "This is all-or-nothing…" she spoke, as Yamato took a seat besides her before he spoke up.

"That's what it has to be. Arod's out-powered. He's gotta end it NOW."

Meanwhile, Raichu, clearly shaken by the Magnitude, was struggling to keep its feet. "Raichu, don't give up now! Rai said, his face clearly showing concern. Arod wasn't finished, however.

"Geodude, stop with Magnitude and use Rock Throw now! Use the top part of the spire right next to you! Then move in close!" he called, as his Pokemon stopped glowing golden brown, before grabbing the top of the nearby spire and throwing it at Raichu.

"Not gonna work, brat! Raichu, use Thunderbolt to shatter that rock!" Rai called out, as his faithful Pokemon unleashed a large blast of energy at the rock, shattering it and sending smaller pieces of rock scattering all over the battlefield. He then noticed his mistake, however. "Oh Sh-"

Arod grinned widely. "Got ya. Geodude, use Focus Punch now!"

Letting loose a loud cry, the Rock-type Pokemon slammed its fist into Raichu's stomach, letting loose all of the energy it had stored in its fist in a golden flash of light. The ensuing explosion sent Rai's Pokemon flying backwards, only to land on the ground right in front of its trainer, completely out cold.

"Rai's Raichu is unable to battle! Rai is no longer able to participate in the battle! The winner is the challenger team of Yamato Ketchum and Arod Ishikawa!" The judge spoke into her microphone, before raising her Green Flag high into the air.

Arod grinned widely before letting out a big scream in celebration as Yamato and Ai walked over from the stands with smiles on their faces before all 3 of them started to celebrate with Rai and Surge looking on as they walked over to greet the victorious trainers. "We did it!"

-PKMN: NJ-

A short time later, outside of the Vermillion Gym, Arod, Ai, and Yamato stood across from Surge and Rai as the sun slowly started to set behind the gym. "Well, that was a tough battle. But, you maggots definitely deserved to win it. Both of you, take this, the Indigo League Thunderbadge!" Surge said as he placed the badge in Yamato and Arod's outstretched hands. And while Yamato just smiled and placed the badge in his badge case, Arod celebrated a bit more vocally.

"Yahoo! Pika, we just got…the THUNDERBADGE!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

Yamato spoke up, looking at Surge before bowing in respect for the Gym Leader. "Thank you for the badge and the great battle, Surge."

Surge nodded, as Rai spoke up. "Not a problem. It took guts to fight us using a Water-type the way you did.

Ai then elbowed Yamato in the ribs slightly before speaking up. "I don't think he meant to use Piplup there, now did you, Mr. Ketchum?" This caused Yamato to rub the back of his head sheepishly.

"Nope, I didn't. Busted."

All 5 trainers then laughed, before Surge eventually stopped laughing enough to speak. "So, what are you three going to do next? You have a few options."

It was Arod who spoke up. "I think that we're going to go back to the Pokemon Center before figuring anything out about that. We've gotta heal up Prinplup and Geodude before we go anywhere."

The sheer responsibility in the answer made Ai elbow Yamato again. "Why can't you be that mature about it?"

Yamato then glared at her in reply. "Oh shut it, little miss bossy. Anyways Surge, thanks. Maybe we'll see you again at the Indigo Conference in a few months!" With that, the group of Arod, Ai, and Yamato proceeded to walk away to the Pokemon Center, leaving the Vermillion Gym and the hard-fought battle that came with it in their memories to help bolster them for the future.

-PKMN: NJ-

Nurse Joy of the Vermillion City Pokemon Center had not been having a very good day so far that day, as sunset fell upon the city itself. "What a day. First, that one trainer…Kuki, wasn't it? Yeah, him! Anyways, he up and left, asking me to tell his friends that he had decided to go to Celadon City after having heard about the gym of all women trainers. Things seemed calm after that, then that person came in…Wonder why she wanted me to give this to a Yamato Ketchum, with a "For Your Eyes Only" designation? And she wasn't even all that pleasant about it, either."

Unfortunately for Joy, the Center's doors chose that moment to slide open, Yamato, Arod, and Ai walking through it as other trainers strode out of the orangesicle-colored lobby. "Well, that's my cue…Welcome to the Pokemon Center," she spoke cheerily, in total contrast to her mutterings from a moment prior.

Yamato smiled, before stepping to the counter along with Arod and starting to speak. "Thanks, Nurse Joy. Can you heal our Pokemon, please? My Prinplup took a beating today against Surge and Rai," the hoodie-clad trainer spoke, placing his Pokeballs into the tray on the counter.

"Mine as well Nurse Joy. That was a tough battle," Arod spoke, doing the same as Yamato, although Pika leapt onto the tray on its own, without going into a Pokeball. "I'm gonna go hit the cafeteria. You two want anything?"

"Sure thing, kids. To answer your question in regards to Kuki Yuy, he left earlier today, sayng something about how he had to go to the 'Garden of Bountiful Flowers' in Celadon City," Nurse Joy said, placing the trays of Pokeballs where her Blissey would get them to assist with the checkup and recovery process before holding out the envelope given to her by the red-headed woman who came in earlier. "By the way, Yamato, I have a written message for you from someone named Zinnia. It's a For Your Eyes Only message, too."

The young trainer nodded, before reaching up and taking the offered envelope from the Nurse and opening it, making sure to take a cursory look at the contents. He nodded, before turning towards the door.

"Where are you going, Yamato? Don't you wanna pick up your Pokemon before going anywhere?" Ai asked, a look of worry on her face as Yamato arrived at the doors, Arod already over at the cafeteria and out of range to hear her.

Yamato stopped and turned, waving Ai off and smiling slightly. "I'll be fine. Just going for a walk to clear my head after that battle. I'll be back later; tell Arod to not eat the entire Center out of food, will you?" And with that, he exited the center, leaving behind a confused Ai and a concerned Nurse Joy as the automatic glass doors shut behind him.

'This could be some major trouble. Meet me at Vermillion Harbor Park at Sunset. Come alone. It's obviously a trap; Dad told me that he had this happen to him a while back. I just hope that it's not something that I can't handle without my Pokemon,' Yamato thought, proceeding down the twilight-lit streets towards his destination, streetlights slowly starting to come alive.

-PKMN: NJ-

The night sky overhead, Yamato finally arrived at his destination short while later. "Gotta keep my cool. This whole thing feels just like a setup out of one of those Anime series I used to watch," he said, walking into the park and following the path towards the top of the hill overlooking the harbor. Vermillion Harbor park was one of the more popular spots in the city, known as a great stargazing spot by many tourists as it overlooked the city and the harbor itself. Once he reached the top of the hill, he stopped, taking in the view as he stood in front of the tree at the top of the hill. "Woah…check out the view."

"It's about time you got here, Yamato Ketchum." A sharp voice shook Yamato out of his amazement, as he spun around quickly, just to come face to face with Zinnia, the black leather jacket clad woman stepping out from behind the tree he had stopped in front of, her shoulder-length red hair dropping down and framing her face perfectly. "I was beginning to wonder if you even got my message."

Yamato frowned, taking a guarded stance. "So it was you who left me that message. I highly doubt that you called me out here to stargaze though. What do you want?"

The redhead laughed viciously, a malicious smile coming to her face. "You've got guts, kid. You're lucky I'm under orders not to dispose of you here. My boss would just hate to see that happen, not when his plans are just beginning." With that, she strode forwards into the moonlight, revealing the crimson "R" logo on the left breast of her Leather Jacket.

This only caused Yamato to get even more guarded. 'I don't have my Pokemon here. If she tries to attack me, I'm on my own,' he thought, before standing up and relaxing slightly. "What do you want? I would kinda like to get back to my friends; after all, there's only so long Ai can keep Arod from eating the entire Pokemon Center out of food."

Zinnia laughed, tossing her hair back over her shoulders. "You've got a sense of humor, kid. I like that. Alright, I'll cut to the chase. Do you believe in the idea of retribution, of revenge?"

The younger trainer nodded. "I've seen trainers swear it on my dad when he denied them the right to train with him. Why?"

The redhead smirked maliciously, a demonic grin sprouting suddenly across her visage. "15 years ago, your father, his slut of a girlfriend, and their friends defeated Team Rocket in a battle at Silph Co., causing us to break up and scatter. Our boss was forced to go underground. It was embarrassing."

Yamato narrowed his eyes, an impatient tone coming into his voice. "Okay, I get it. What does that have to do with why you called me out here alone?" he asked, his foot tapping impatiently as his arms crossed.

Zinnia wagged her finger at him, shaking her head. "Tks tsk. Children like you aren't supposed to question their elders."

"You don't look to be all that much older than me!"

Zinnia smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment, brat. However, haven't you ever wondered what happened to the last of your father's travelling companions? I believe her name was May…"

Yamato's eyes widened in alarm as he started to speak. "All I know is the stories he's told me about his journey through Hoenn with her. He hasn't heard from her in 15 years though. He never explained to me why that was, always saying that they drifted apart."

Zinnia shook her head, before brushing her hair back over her shoulder again. "You should probably ask him to tell you the truth about that. After all, if you're old enough to be out here on a journey of your own, you should be old enough to know the truth. My boss wants you to tell him a message: If he wants to see May Maple again, he should come to the spot where it all began three days from now. After all, it wouldn't be good to keep her waiting, would it? Especially not after 15 long years…"

The hoodie-clad trainer's eyes narrowed. "Fine. Is that all you wanted to say? If so, can I go now?" he asked, his thoughts running a million miles an hour.

Zinnia smirked viciously before walking up and leaning forwards, her mouth just inches away from Yamato's ear as she whispered haughtily. "Oh, you can go, alright…but, I wanna leave you a little remember-me present..." And with that, she punched Yamato HARD in the stomach, causing him to collapse to his knees wheezing for air. "Consider that a warning to stay out of this, kid. If you don't, there won't be ANY mercy next time." With that, the redhead walked away, leaving the young trainer in a heap on the ground, clutching his sternum and gasping for breath.

A few minutes later, Yamato finally climbed to his feet, still sore from the sucker punch. "Ugh…that hurt…still…Dad needs to know what's going on…" And with that, he started his long, slow walk back to the Pokemon Center, one arm clutching his stomach as he walked.

-PKMN: NJ-

Ai looked up at the clock in concern as she sat in the Pokemon Center's lobby, Yamato's Pokeballs on the table beside her. It was after 10:30 pm, with no sign of Yamato yet. Arod had already gone to the room he had been splitting with Kuki, complaining of stomach pains. "When will he learn to not stuff his face as much as he does? I swear, maybe he should just eat from a trough!" she huffed, not hearing the Pokemon Center doors open as Yamato stumbled into the building.

"Dammit…that took way longer than It did to get to the park…Still, I can't afford to just stand here…gotta warn Dad…" Yamato muttered, stumbling his way through the now mostly empty lobby of the Pokemon Center towards the Videophones. He didn't go unnoticed, though, as Ai looked over towards the source of the noise.

"What's the big idea walking in like you're sick or something…Wait, Yamato? What happened to you?" Ai yelped, running over to help Yamato stay up the last few feet to the Videophones before he sat down in front of one, still grabbing his sternum."

"Thanks, Ai. I've gotta call Dad though…something's seriously wrong, and I need to get some answers." With that, he started to dial the videophone, hoping that someone would pick up.

With a new badge, our heroes should be excited for the next adventure. But the warning from that stranger sparks a new mystery in the life of our heroes. What happened 15 years in the past, and how does it affect the present?