OREBURGH CENTER, 09:37
"Emergency broadcast."
"Oh, fuck off!"
Barry's outburst drew fits of laughter from the crowd. It took the poor staff of the Center a couple of moments to shush everyone, by which point the broadcast had been interrupted by the now-familiar miscommunication disclaimer.
"Thank you for your cooperation," finished the same disgruntled man who had dealt with the other two instances.
"Well, we can expect an angry rant from that Carl Nadon soon," said Dawn, making Barry laugh.
Claus put on a forced smile. He wondered why, although everyone else had dismissed the emergency broadcasts as a joke or a fluke, he couldn't shake off a feeling of unease. They were, after all, supposed to be an emergency measure. Even if the people were treating the League as a joke for this… the government being a joke was not a comforting thought.
"Anyways," he said, soldiering past his troubled thoughts, "we should get ready for our gym battles, yeah? We've got, what…" Claus checked his dex. "A little more than twenty minutes until the first one of us is scheduled."
They had scheduled three gym battle spots, one after another, each thirty minutes long. Gym battles were known for going wildly off schedule, but not at this early of a level. Thirty minutes was nearly always enough for a two-on-two battle between young Pokemon to conclude.
Barry nodded. "Right! Who wants to go first, though?"
Dawn spoke up. "I'd like to not go first, if that's okay with you," she said. "I'm not used to Sinnoh's style of gym battles yet, and if you don't mind, then I'd like the advantage of having an idea of what Roark will throw at me."
Barry nodded. "Yeah, that's fair enough. Claus, can you go first, then? I want that edge, too. I'll need all the help I can get, with the type disadvantage."
Claus nodded. "I can do that, no problem. I think I should be fine with this first battle, more or less." He hesitated for a moment. "Though, I will warn both of you that Gym leaders often switch up their teams between battles. It's a common strategy for a challenger to watch a few battles before their own, and leaders have adapted to that."
OREBURGH GYM, 09:59
"Claus Haller, please report to the challenger's box," said a man's voice from the gym's PA system.
Thank Arceus. They had been just in time.
"Good luck, man," said Barry, slapping Claus on the back. "Dawn and I will be cheering you on from the sidelines!"
"Yes, all the best!" added Dawn, and then they were swept away from him as they rushed to the stands.
Claus took a deep breath as he followed a staff member into the challenger's box, looking down on the gym arena from above. Every Gym's arena was unique; one important aspect of gym battles was learning to think on your feet. The ground here was covered with gravel.
There was a smattering of applause as Claus approached the field, which reminded him that he actually did have an audience. Claus picked out Barry's loud, enthusiastic yelling easily from among the small audience. He smiled and waved, not having to fake it this time. He was excited for his first gym battle.
Roark did not look like he'd be showing up yet, so Claus took the opportunity to talk to the two Pokeballs that he had brought. "Franklin, Pello," he said, "you two have worked hard for this, and I'm excited to see the results of your hard work." Being a trainer was work, too, but nowhere near the amount that it was for the Pokemon. Claus hoped he would always stay humble enough to always remember that while he may have been involved in the fighting, he wasn't the one taking the hits.
"We're gonna kill it," he whispered, and Pello and Franklin vibrated in agreement. Claus grinned.
The audience began to applaud in earnest this time, much more powerful than the pitiful display he'd gotten. Claus looked up to see Roark, jogging into the Gym leader's box with a smile on his face as he waved to the crowd.
Claus noted that the applause, this time, was supplemented by the enthusiastic screaming of fans, mostly female ones. He smirked. Roark was objectively attractive, with his muscular forearms and toothy grin. But then again, nearly every gym leader had their own portion of fan followers who were practically in love with them. It seemed that rule did not even spare a brand-new entry on the scene.
Roark spoke up, his microphone amplifying his voice. Claus belatedly remembered that he had gotten one, too, and switched it on.
"Welcome, one and all, to the Oreburgh Gym!" he said, as the cheering from the audience died down. "Today we're here to watch Claus Haller, our gym challenger, fight for his first badge!"
And that was why the audience was smaller than Claus had expected. People were generally less interested in the Gym challenge when it started, with it gaining popularity as the challengers grew less numerous and more skillful.
"This means we'll have a two on two singles battle, no healing items allowed. But you're not here to listen to me read the rules out to you," he said, and the screaming started again. "You're here to witness a smashing battle! So, challenger Haller, whenever you're ready!"
Claus didn't miss that Roark was giving him the "privilege" of sending out first, and would probably alter his own send-outs to give him more of a challenge. Therefore, he opted to keep Pello out of the battle for the moment, and tossed the other Pokeball into the arena. "Go, Franklin!"
The Nosepass materialized just above the floor of the arena, landing with a thud and a spray of gravel. It faced towards Claus, prompting chuckling from the crowd.
"Don't be so quick to laugh, folks!" said Roark, grinning at Claus. "I trained a Probopass on my own gym challenge, and he's still a prized member of my top battling team! Don't count them out because they look silly, eh?" He smiled at Claus, and Claus smiled back.
Roark picked out his own Pokeball, and threw it into the arena. But his toss, unlike Claus's, was not forward into the arena, but up instead. "Slate, crush that Nosepass!"
The crowd roared as the Pokeball released a flash of light that grew, and grew, and grew. Claus's grin dropped off his face as the Onix materialized fully, and directly above Franklin.
Full-grown Onix grew to approximately thirty feet long, with the longest known specimen reaching even greater lengths. This was a young Onix, so it was smaller. However, even fifteen feet was far, far larger than Franklin.
"Body Slam!" yelled Roark. Shit.
There was no way Franklin would be able to dodge the falling Onix in time. It was way too slow, and the Onix was already almost on him…
Claus grabbed the railing of the challenger's box and yelled, "Franklin, Harden!"
As Franklin started to harden its rocky exterior, Claus concentrated as hard as he could, focusing on the steel that was part of Franklin's body. He pulled as hard as he could with his affinity, aiming to pull Franklin towards him and away from the Onix.
Franklin was heavy. It weighed about four times as much as Claus himself, and Claus was pressed bodily against the railing by the force required to pull such a huge weight.
Franklin barely managed to escape the Body Slam, the Onix's head slamming down on the floor and spraying gravel. Claus released the pull, gasping at the toll it had exerted from him. Did he need to start working out?
"Clever!" called Roark from the other end of the arena. "Use of your rock affinity to assist your Pokemon! Splendid!"
Claus didn't reply, still a little winded. He didn't bother to correct Roark's assumption about his affinity, either.
"Block," he said instead. Franklin raised its arms, still facing away from the Onix, and raised invisible barriers that would disrupt a Pokeball's beam.
Roark raised an eyebrow. "Setting up for a switch, eh? Two can play at that game. Stealth Rock, Slate!"
The Onix growled and slammed his head against the ground, and around the arena, grey stones rose from under the gravel, poised around Franklin and Claus's side of the arena.
That would be annoying, but thankfully, neither of his teammates were particularly weak to it. Barry, on the other hand, would suffer if he was planning on switching during battle. Claus raised his Pokeball.
"Interesting," commented Roark as Franklin returned to its ball. "So you choose to switch, and take damage from the Stealth Rocks? We'll see if it pays off!"
"It will," promised Claus, readying his other Pokeball and throwing it. "Go, Pello!"
Pello materialized into the arena, hissing as the Stealth Rocks slammed into him.
"No matter, Pello! Heal up the damage with Absorb!"
Roark had sighed when he saw the Turtwig, and Claus almost felt bad for him. He imagined that a rock-type leader had to deal with grass-types often enough.
"You're lucky I didn't bring my Archen for this battle," he said ruefully. "Slate, Rock Throw!"
The Onix scooped up a mouthful of gravel, shaping it into a rock-solid projectile. He flung it at Pello, and it struck true, but only on his sturdy shell.
Pello glowed a dim green as he drained away the Onix's health. The scratches on his shell and body were repaired by the attack, and the Onix flinched.
"Keep it up, Pello!" urged Claus, and the Turtwig closed his eyes in concentration as he glowed slightly brighter. The Onix groaned and thrashed as Pello drained his vitality. It was only a few more moments before the beast collapsed, a failed Rock Throw attack dropping uselessly from between his jaws.
Roark nodded, and the crowd yelled and cheered at the knockout. "Well done," he said. "But how will you handle my second teammate?"
Claus allowed himself a cocky grin. "Just as easily, I hope," he said, and the crowd laughed and whistled. He wasn't really that overconfident, but it was hopefully acceptable to put on a show for the crowd.
"Getting cocky, huh," asked Roark with a grin. "Canyon, destroy this upstart's confidence!"
The flash of Roark's Pokeball revealed a Cranidos, who immediately hit the ground running straight at Pello at a frightening speed.
"Headbutt!" commanded Roark. The Cranidos lowered her dome-like skull as she charged straight at Pello.
"Dodge, Pello!" yelled Claus, and Pello trotted out of the path of the charging Cranidos. But it was a near miss, and dodging alone wouldn't win a battle.
Sure enough, Roark appeared unfazed. "Again, Canyon!"
Well, then, it was time to pull out his trump card. "Sand Tomb!"
Roark frowned. "What?"
The gravel that covered the arena seemed to be an acceptable substitute for sand. It disintegrated into even smaller particles as it whipped around Canyon, stopping her in her tracks.
"Come on, Canyon!" said Roark. "Push through it! Headbutt!"
"Absorb, Pello!"
Pello glowed green once more, siphoning away Canyon's life force, but gym leaders were not gym leaders for nothing. Canyon bellowed and charged, and this time, Pello wasn't quick enough to dodge. The impact sent him sprawling across the gravel floor, and flipped him upside down.
Claus winced and fought the urge to swear. Pello couldn't battle nearly as well upside down, and he wasn't looking forward to seeing what the Cranidos would do to Pello when he was vulnerable, so he lifted his hand with a Pokeball in hand.
Roark grinned. "Pursuit!"
Ah, shit.
The Cranidos moved quicker than Claus would have believed possible, dark energy coating her body as she struck Pello hard enough that he screamed.
The Pokeball still returned Pello, and the glow from it was still white, which meant that he was still conscious. However, Claus wasn't looking forward to the thought of sending him back into battle with all the injury that he'd sustained so far. "You did great," he whispered to Pello's closed Pokeball. The aww-ing from the crowd reminded him that he had a microphone attached, but he just rolled his eyes.
"Franklin, finish the job!"
Franklin came back to the fray, batting away the Stealth Rocks that crashed against its body. It gurgled in challenge… which still looked stupid, since it wasn't facing Canyon.
"Let's go, girl! Another Headbutt!"
Canyon shook off the remnants of Pello's Sand Tomb, bellowing. Claus noticed that Pello had done a spectacular job weakening the Cranidos, and that she seemed to be on her last legs. Pride swelled up for his Pokemon, and surely, Franklin would finish the job admirably.
"Rock Throw, point blank!"
Franklin mustered up its fastest Rock Throw yet. Shaking off the Headbutt, it fired the Rock Throw straight at the Cranidos, knocking her out.
Claus grinned, even as the referee blew her whistle to signal the end of the battle. The crowd screamed as Roark recalled Canyon, and Claus followed suit, recalling Franklin. He eyed the red Pokeballs in his hand.
"You two are the best," he said, a proud smile on his face. "I'm so glad I met you."
Roark was walking down the stairs to the arena, and Claus followed. He climbed the railing of the box and jumped down, slowing his fall by tugging on the railing above. The crowd whooped at his stunt, and Claus grinned and bowed.
Roark laughed. "So, I guess I was wrong about the affinity," he admitted.
Claus shrugged. "I was too out of breath to correct you."
"Of course." Roark nodded decisively. "In any case, you displayed a spectacular talent for battling today. You walked away from the battle with two conscious Pokemon, and you were quick to think on your feet to use your affinity to rescue your Nosepass from harm." Roark reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat sheet of bronze, in a shape that was similar to a Pokeball with a hexagonal center and bottom.
"Even if you had somehow lost today, I would still feel confident in awarding you the badge. I look forward to seeing the trainer you become throughout the course of your travels." With a wide smile on his face, Roark grabbed Claus's hand, pressing the badge into it and raising it to the crowd.
"Claus Haller, it is my honor to present you with the Coal Badge!" The crowd cheered and applauded, but it was Barry's shouts that he heard the loudest, all the way from the back of the stands.
Claus felt a huge grin threaten to split his face in half.
"The first of many!" he declared.
NOTES
This chapter is a great time to remind you all that Jeff is a wonderful beta reader! Especially this chapter, because it is so much better now than it was when it was first written. Three cheers for Jeff!
another another another broadcast? whew
I've decided to axe the little challenges and the other gym trainers in this fic. That's because for some of them, especially Roark's and stuff, they're literally just... battling other trainers. I'll definitely try to incorporate some of the more unique ones into the arenas, though, especially for cool stuff like the flower clock Gardenia has. For now, though, we just have a gravelly floor. It makes sense, too, because Roark is a new gym leader. He hasn't had the time or inspiration yet for a super unique arena.
The battles themselves are more of a show, sorta like Galar gym battles
Roark fangirls lmao. prepare for pretty much every gym leader having fangirls like this though
Look, I don't care what "level" the Onix you're fighting is, it's still massive and fucking terrifying.
And the stunt Claus pulls when pulling Franklin out of the way is like, the most use he can get out of his affinity at the moment. The weight of whatever Claus is trying to move has an impact on whether he can move it or not, and also on how much it moves him in return, as you'll remember from when he shoved Barry using the dex last chapter and went stumbling back himself. Franklin is also pretty heavy, so Claus is definitely going to have some railing-shaped bruises along his front lmao
All this being said, if it looks like affinities are underwhelming and that they're only going to get lamer as Pokemon get stronger (which is kind of true), don't worry! They have their own role to play! A big part of it is that the format of the League battles is not really conducive to affinities being used a ton... which is arguably good, because it prevents stronger affinities from being too unfair. Another big part of it is that Claus, all things considered, has a relatively boring affinity. Steel powers are cool, but consider that other affinities include stuff such as psychic and flying.
Roark's been a gym leader for five seconds and he's already tired of seeing grass types lmfao
Roark's Cranidos is lowkey slept on, it's really strong and has some busted moves... like Headbutt and Pursuit. see above
And Claus wins, with both Pokemon still conscious and Franklin nearly untouched! woohoo!