Chapter 5: Showdown In Pewter City!
Ophelia's POV
We had rested, after roughly two weeks of being in this damn forest and trying to escape the stray Beedrill, and ended up camping for a night. Hercules, still pumped up, had been training hard. I sat and looked at the map, to see where I could find a water pokemon, while holding Cutie Pie in my lap.
"What're you doing?" Misty asked me.
"Seeing where there is water so I can try to get a water pokemon." I say to her as I never once looked up from the map.
"So you know about the Pewter City Gym?" Misty asked me.
"My dad told me when we arrived in Viridian City." I tell her as I noticed a small river. Misty saw this too.
"I tried to fish there. Only Magikarp are there." She tells me. I groaned in annoyance.
"What do you have?" Misty asked me.
"Well, Hercules is my main shot against the Geodude, but not so much the Onix, while Bastet, my Meowth, wouldn't be a good choice, Cutie Pie here can't help much and might get hurt, then there's Nightmare Moon, my Rapidash, that might work with Geodude, but not helpful against Onix. I figured a water type would help, but maybe a grass type could as well or, if Cutie Pie evolves into Butterfree, I could use sleep powder and have a better chance." I explain as I tried to look for any place that holds them.
"Well, there's water pokemon here." Misty pointed out.
"Those are a bit away, three days total. Even if I rode Nightmare moon, it would still take a while." I say as I looked around the map more. I then noticed a small body of water.
"What about here?" I asked Misty curiously. She looked at it curiously.
"I haven't fished there, yet." She tells me. I noticed a cave area too.
"Look, it's small, but maybe a Poliwag is there." Misty said as she pointed out a small spec of water. A pond of sorts. It was coming up too.
"Then I'll head to this cave and to the water areas to search and train." I say before putting my map away.
"Why not go back into Viridian forest for the water?" Ash asked me.
"First off, we're still in Viridian Forest, just in a clearing before more woods, and second, you want me to risk running into the vengeful Beedrill again? No thank you! I'll just go forward." I say as I pet Cutie Pie.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked to borrow Ariel." Callista tells me.
"I thought about it. 1. I need water for her. 2. Even if we used ice, it would still be tough. 3. I want to use my pokemon, on my own, with no help. 4. You wouldn't let me anyway." I tell her. Callista pouted but then sighed.
"You're right. I wouldn't let you, so there would be no point in asking. But do you think you can win?" Callista asked me.
"I hope so. It's the Onix that worries me greatly. Oh well, I'll just have to use brains more than brawns." I say to her. I heard Hercules pout and looked at him.
"Sorry, but strength alone won't work. We need your muscles and both our brains." I say to comfort him. Herc sat next to me and smiled.
"Machop chop, Machop." (You're right, of course.) He said with a smile.
"Hey, why don't we battle? To see who's stronger. Maybe it'll help Hercules out and help Cutie Pie evolve." Ash explained to me.
"You'd really battle me?" I asked him. I know how strong his Pikachu is, but I was still eager to fight.
"Sure! I have three pokemon, though." Ash tells me.
"Ok! I won't use Nightmare Moon, but we can fight three on three or two on two." I say as I stood up, Cutie Pie now in my arms.
"Wanna fight, Herc?" I asked my Machop.
"Machop chop chop!" (I won't say no to that!) He said eagerly before jumping up, all fired up and ready.
"Great!" Ash said with determination.
"Oh no. Here they go again." Callista muttered as her and Misty were now watching the match about to unfold.
"Right, three on three then." Ash tells me as he grabs a pokeball.
"Pidgeotto! Go!" Ash calls out as he threw the pokeball. Out came Pidgeotto with a cry.
"Right, Bastet! Go!" I say as I threw the pokeball that held Bastet. She came out with a meow before seeing Pidgeotto.
"Why send her out?!" Callista cried out, but I ignored her. '
"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Ash called out. Pidgeotto did as I smirked.
"Bastet, use Fury Swipe." I tell her. She aimed and waited until the last minute to move and attack from the side. It was a hit. See, Bastet had a very keen eye and could land more attacks, even if minor, over missing. She was unique. Again, I had good luck with pokemon. Not sure why. Pidgeotto managed to stay in the sky though.
"Use Gust!" Ash yelled. Pidgeotto did and Bastet couldn't avoid it. She was flung backwards before Pidgeotto flew down and hit Bastet. Bastet got up, though I saw her paw was up with a small scratch, as she hissed. She was upset now. Pidgeotto went to use wing attack, but Bastet was ready.
"Bastet, jump on it's back then use bite!" I ordered after thinking. Bastet did just that, biting Pigeotto's neck, not hard to kill but hard enough to cause Pidgeotto to crash.
"Now, use swift!" I order her. She obliged and used swift to have Pidgeotto faint. Ash cringed as he returned Pidgeotto.
"Never send out a bird on a cat, they tend to lose the game." I say with a wink. Bastet, proudly but with a limp, came over and sat next to me. I adored her so.
"Go! Butterfree!" Ash called out. I then rolled Metapod out.
"Go, Cutie Pie!" I say happily.
"What?! It only knows harden!" I heard Callista yell at me. I rolled my eyes but smiled at my idea. If Ash's Butterfree evolved from one attack, maybe Cutie Pie could too. Misty understood my idea and was whispering to Callista.
"Butterfree, use Whirlwind!" Ash ordered.
"Harden, now." I tell Cutie pie. Both did as told and Cutie Pie was blown back. Butterfree used tackle and smacked Cutie Pie right into me. "Ok, returning!" I call out as I held Cutie Pie close.
"Hercules!" I called out. Hercules nodded before jumping forward.
"I thought you'd use Bastet." Ash commented.
"She's too beat up, I know my limits." I tell him.
"Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!" Ash ordered. I freaked. Thanks to Dad's training Herc used Dig and dug a hole to avoid the Sleep Powder.
"What?!" Ash yelled in shock.
"I didn't know he knew that! Bonus!" I cried out happily. Butterfree chirped in confusion.
"Herc, use Dynamic Punch!" I yell. Hercules jumped from the ground, high into the air, right at Butterfree. Butterfree dodged quickly though.
"Quick! Grab it and use Seismic Toss!" I cry out. Herc grabbed Butterfree on the way down. On the way down, a powder produced then they hit the ground. Butterfree was unconscious so Ash returned him and sent out Pikachu.
"Herc! Cross Chop!" I ordered. He started running but then stopped.
"Herc?" I questioned. He wasn't moving.
"Machop!" (I'm paralyzed!) He cried out.
"Oh no! Butterfree had used Stun Spore and now he's paralyzed!" I cried out worriedly.
"Pikachu! Use Thunder Shock!" Ash commanded. Pikachu did, a powerful one, and it was enough to cause Herc to pass out. I sighed.
"Good job, Herc." I say with a smile before I returned him. I had 2 options now. I sent out Cutie Pie again. Pikachu used Thunderbolt and even with Harden, Cutie Pie was out. I sent out Bastet. Her paw seemed ok and she was determined to win.
"Nows a game of cat and mouse." I say with a smirk.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash called out. Pikachu complied and was very fast, almost too fast for me to see, until Pikachu slammed into Bastet. I panicked but stopped when I noticed she faded away.
"What?!" All 4 of us screamed. I then saw she was behind Pikachu.
"Did she use substitute?!" I heard Misty cry out as Bastet then used scratch on Pikachu. Good hit, but Pikachu bolted away.
"Bastet, how long have you known Substitute?" I asked in shock.
"Meow meow." (A long while.) She told me.
"Let's see what you can do." I say with a smirk. I was still getting used to Bastet and Hercules, so their moves were new to me at times. Bastet purred, happy to show off, before rushing at Pikachu. Pikachu was dodging her, but she used Body Slam. I was impressed as she used Bite after. Pikachu then used Thunder Shock and, well, it was strong enough to knock her out.
"Looks like Ash wins." Callista tells me smugly. My eye twitched from her but I picked up Bastet before petting Pikachu.
"Good match, Ash. I feel Pikachu will take you very far." I say before I go tend to my pokemon. Ash sat next to me so I could tend to his too. I might not be a Nurse Joy, but I knew enough to get by.
"You almost had me." Ash tells me.
"If I used Nightmare Moon instead of Cutie Pie, I could've won." I say as I finished fixing up Bastet before brushing her fur a bit.
"Then why use your Metapod?" Ash asked me.
"To gain experience so he, or she, could level up." I explain as I put Bastet down and made sure Cutie Pie was fine before fixing up Hercules.
"I guess that makes sense." Ash tells me. I gave him a smile.
"I just don't use Nightmare Moon for battles too often." I tell him.
"Why not?" Ash asked me.
"She's bred from Rapidash that race and are meant for riding, not much for battles. She's strong for them, but I also know she's 5 years old. She's young still, but I just worry is all." I explained to him. Ash fully understood.
"She's your first pokemon, the one you'll always keep closer in your heart, the one who showed you what having her meant. It's the same with me and Pikachu." Ash tells me. I finished with Herc and started on Pikachu.
"I feel like that's something I'd say." I tell him with a smirk.
"Heh, well, I guess it would be." Ash said as he smiled. After I finished helping his Pokemon, we started a fire, I made a quick meal for us, then we went to bed. I only slept for 4 hour before waking up. I put my pokemon in their balls and started to leave quietly. Callista woke up and stopped me.
"Where are you going?" She whispered to me.
"I'm heading to the water near Pewter City before possibly going into the cave. I need to train and try to get a water pokemon." I tell her.
"Then I'm coming too." She tells me. I groaned quietly as she grabbed her things and lugged them along.
"You don't need too." I tell her in a whisper. "
Yes I do, you're not supposed to travel without me." She tells me. I rolled my eyes as we quietly went on. Callista had left a note telling them we'd meet them in Pewter City. Fair enough. Once we were a ways away, we summoned our Rapidashes and rode to the waters. We got there in less than an hour and I frowned at the pond.
"You might not get anything besides Magikarp." She tells me.
"I gotta try." I say before setting up my fishing gear.
"If I remember, There are usually Pikachu's and Nidoran around here." She tells me. Besides her wanting Pikachu, especially since she grew fond of Ash's, we both wanted Nidoran. I wanted a boy to get Nidoking, she wanted a girl to get Nidoqueen. It just wasn't a right time for me.
"Since we're near town, we could find Rattata, Oddish and Bellsprout as well." I tell her. She loved Weepingbells.
"If we go to route three, we might be able to find Mankey and Sandshrew." She adds. We both loved Sandshrew and I liked Mankey.
"And a Jigglypuff for you." I added.
"No thanks." She tells me. I was shocked.
"Why?" I asked her.
"Sing would keep putting me to sleep." She tells me. Fair enough. I nod before pulling out a tiny lure. It looked like a tear drop. I added a poke treat on it, no hook just a clip to not hurt the water pokemon, before casting it out.
Great. I wish we hadn't rode right to Viridian City. I remembered there were Poliwag and Magikarp in the water, not to mention a good chance of a Gyarados or two, since it was water that came from the ocean. If I took the extra two-three days, I could find one in Cerulean City and then head back… No! I'm not doubling back! I thought as we were there until the sun started rising.
During that time, Callista fell asleep, I had three bites but were Magikarp, no other pokemon came by and it was boring. I used Cutie Pie against the Magikarp for experience at least. Now sis was awake and brushing her hair. I gave up, packed up, then brushed my hair as well.
"Nothing?" She asked me.
"No. Only Magikarp." I said sadly.
"You were warned about that." She told me. I just grumbled. We decided to head to Pewter City to see what I could do. We walked around as our bellies growled.
"How much money do you have?" Callista asked me.
"Why?" I asked her.
"For food. Duh!" She tells me. I roll my eyes.
"Why can't you buy your own?" I asked her.
"Your money is for us, my money is for me." She tells me. I felt a vein pop out on my forehead.
"Oh heck no! Buy your own." I tell her before walking off. I heard her whining about sticking together and to feed her, but I ignored her completely, I walked on until I found a place to eat. I went in and rang the small bell.
"Hi, how may I help you?" A young woman asked me.
"Could I get a table please?" I asked her.
"Sure! We're doing a special too!" She said happily as she showed me a table outside. I didn't mind since it was lovely out.
"Special?" I asked her.
"Yes, if you have a fighting, ground or rock type pokemon, then they eat for free." She tells me.
"Just them?" I asked her.
"Nope. All your pokemon, even if you have 6." She tells me. I smiled at the amazing deal.
"Great! I can feed three of them." I say as I held a Pokeball.
"Show yourself, Hercules." I say then open the ball. Herc came out and posed for her.
"Oh wow! I haven't seen a Machop in a long time!" She said as she fawned over him. Herc, who can be a show off, was stretching and posing to show himself off.
"How many do you have?" She asked me.
"Well, I have 4 but Metapods don't eat. So three plus me." I say happily. I then brought out Bastet, which she showed off too, before showing off Nightmare Moon.
"Wow! A shiny Rapidash!" She fawned. I decided, just for the fresh air, to bring out Cutie Pie. She fawned over the shiny Metapod too.
"The Meowth is Bastet, the Metapod is Cutie Pie, since it was originally a Caterpie, and that's Nightmare Moon." I say to her. She adored them all, but mostly Herc.
"Here is a menu." She said as she handed me one. I smiled as they pointed out what they wanted before I chose an omelet with cheese, tomatoes and spinach in it as well as a side of hash browns. She happily took the order.
"You from Pallet town, I take it?" She asked me.
"Yeah, did other trainers come through?" I asked her.
"Yes, three of them. Two have left A while ago." She tells me. I tilted my head.
"Really?" I asked her. She nodded yes.
"Yeah, the third will be leaving after he gets his breakfast here. It was too late for him to leave." She explained to me. I didn't think too much on it as I saw this was a place where you could rent a room to sleep. She went in and I sat back while looking up.
I should train after breakfast. I was hoping Cutie Pie would evolve by now, but I can be patient at least, so I'll have to rely on Hercules mostly and Bastet. I thought as I looked at Bastet. I'd visit the Pokemon Center after breakfast.
"Bastet, I'm going to have you and Hercules fight the Gym Leader's pokemon." I say to her. She tilted her head at me.
"You'll be fine against Geodude, but Herc can be better against Onix than any of you. Rock type are no joke." I explain.
'I think it's a good plan.' Nightmare Moon neighed out.
"Meow meow, meow." (If I must, then so be it.) She meowed out. I smiled and scratched behind her ears.
"You expect to win with those two?" I suddenly heard. I groaned in my mind as I looked behind me to see Gary.
"Yes, because I battle smart, not rely on only types, like you did with Squirtle." I say in a dull tone.
"Well, you'll have to prove it by winning the badge." He tells me with a smug grin. I wanted, so badly, to smack that grin off his face.
"I will, don't you doubt that." I tell him. He sat down, but his grin never went away, as he brought out his Squirtle and a Rattata.
"You caught a Rattata?" I asked curiously. His Rattata looked around before tilting his head at me.
"The more you get the better odds you have." He tells me as if I was dumb. That pissed me off more.
"Well, I caught a new pokemon, a shiny too, which I'm proud of." I tell him. Yes, I was bragging, but I just wanted him to shut up. I didn't mention my Metapod should've evolved a week ago, but perhaps he/she was taking his/her time.
"Really? A Metapod can't help you." He tells me as he noticed my Metapod.
"So what? When it's a Butterfree, it'll be special." I tell him as I cross my arms. He knew how to get under my skin. I hated that.
"Heh, bug pokemon don't help with much." He tells me. My eye twitched from this, but I ignored him completely.
"Well, they bug me less than you." I tell him as the food came for all of us, not to mention the water. I thanked her before we started eating.
"Heh, I'm just telling the truth. If you can't handle it, then, why bother being a trainer?" Gary said before taking a bite.
"Odd, I was going to say the same to you." I say smugly.
"Well, you'll still fail to me and I'm younger than you." He said to me. My eye twitched.
"Why must you be a pompous jerkwad? I mean, seriously, are you being a jerk just to compensate for something you lack? Perhaps being good enough to win the pokemon league? Or do I threaten your inflated ego like a needle to a balloon?" I snapped. I had had enough of him. He then shot me a glare before hiding it with a smirk.
"You should bite your tongue." He tells me.
"So should you." I say before finishing my food.
"Heh. You must be jealous." He tells me.
"No, there's nothing to be jealous about. It's like Fillet Minion being jealous of a lack luster flavored steak." I tell him as I got the bill. I pulled out my wallet and paid.
"Speaking of lack luster… Where's your sister?" Gary suddenly asked.
"Hey! Don't talk about her like that! Only I can!" I yelled at him harshly. He gave me a smug smirk.
"She went to do her own thing." I tell him. His smirk seemed to grow.
"I don't blame ya for ditching her. She's just… Tacky." He tells me. I felt my blood boil as I put all my pokemon, except Hercules, back in their pokeballs.
"She wanted to roam around and see the town, I'm not ditching her nor is she ditching me, we just need a couple hours of space." I defended while looking away.
"Sounds like she annoys you. Heh, that's why she's not one of my girls." Gary says as he ran his fingers through his hair. I turned to him and did my best to not hit him.
"She's too good for you anyhow. Those girls must be morons to 'willingly date' a little boy like you." I tell him as I felt Hercules try to calm me.
"Tch. Whatever." Gary muttered. I took a deep breath before petting his Squirlte and Rattata.
"Next time we meet, I want to battle you." I tell him before leaving. I wasn't going to stick around. Right now, my pokemon needed to heal, then train, then battle the Pewter City Gym Leader.
Callista's POV
I had split up from Ophelia and walked along to find a food place. I wasn't sure why she was mad at me. I only told her what mom told me. I found a food place and saw they had a PokeGear. I asked to use it before calling home. Dad answered and, as soon as he said hi, I told him what happened. He scolded me for that, but Mom cut him off and said I was in the right. Dad scolded mom before telling me our money is either for ourselves or each other, not the way mom told me. Now I felt bad. I wasn't going to apologize, but I just do what mom says because she spoils me.
Dad does too, but I feel he gives Ophelia all the attention. Was it because mom favored me? Maybe. Mom always said I was the pretty one. Still, I said I'd talk to her before hanging up. I then sat and ate the nice, fancy, food. The bill was more than I thought. I was thinking about getting someone to pay for me, but decided against it and just pay. I also got a small bit of food to go to feed my pokemon. Once outside, I let them out and fed them. Ariel was the happiest of all to be out. I haven't let her out once since the journey started. I put them away, except Breezy, before walking around. I then spotted some cute clothes and rushed in to look. Everything was beautiful, even the pokemon clothes, but I ended up buying Breezy a cute little bow. She looked precious! I walked out and showed Breezy off in her new light yellow bow around her neck. This also showed she was a girl. I decided to see where my sister was training. The problem was, I forgot where. Oh well. I'll just meet her at the Pokemon Center.
Ophelia's POV
I left the Pokemon Center and went off. I had to ask a few people where it was and soon found it. It was the first Gym I've ever seen. It looked like it was made out of Iron and stone, with the name Pewter Gym carved into the stone. I gulped as I, nervously, opened the door. I walked into the dark place and looked around. It was near pitch black. Then a light turned on behind me. I turned around to see a boy, my age, sitting in a meditating pose.
"Who goes there?" I heard him ask me. I looked right at him. Was he the leader?
"My name is Ophelia from Pallet Town. I wish to battle the leader of this gym, to try and earn my first badge. Would that be you?" I asked him as I felt awkward. The light was only on him, so you couldn't see much of me.
"This is your first Gym match?" He asked me.
"Yes and I also know the rules are different from other battles. I know I need to only use two pokemon against your two, no more than that, I also know you have rock pokemon, but nothing else is known to me." I tell him. He smirked.
"Smart girl. Tell me, how long have you had your pokemon?" He asked me.
"I just got one two weeks ago, then one about 5 weeks ago, then one about 6 months ago and my first one a bit over 5 years ago." I tell him. The guy nodded.
"Will you be using your older ones?" He asked me.
"Only my 2 middle ones." I tell him.
"Fair enough. I am Brock, the Pewter City leader. I accept all challenges, so, let us begin." Brock tells me before snapping his fingers. Soon, the whole gym lit up and showed everything in it. Then the side doors opened and I moved back to the beginning as the iron floor soon closed to be rock. It looked amazing.
"Oh wow! This is the perfect place to battle rock type! Not to mention a great domain to practice fighting in!" I marveled as my eyes sparkled. That's when I noticed Brock was blushing.
"Um, how old are you, exactly?" He asked me. I understood why.
"15. I had to wait for my sister before starting my journey." I tell him as I moved my hip to the side and rested my hand on my hip. He seemed to blush darker and smiled.
"Well, I could go easy on ya, if you like." Brock asked me.
"You tell everyone that?" I questioned him.
"Only the pretty girls." He tells me. It took me a second to process that, never once being called pretty by any guy, before my face turned red.
"I-uh, I… Don't go easy on me!" I blurted out as I felt very flustered. Brock chuckled but complied and sent out Geodude. I held a Pokeball and smiled before tossing it out.
"Go! Bastet!" I called out. Out came my beautiful Meowth. She stretched before assuming battle position at the Geodude.
"A Meowth? She won't help you much." Brock tells me.
"Well, I know you have an Onix, so I'm saving my special pokemon to fight it." I tell him with a smirk.
"Ah, beautiful and smart." Brock says to me. I blushed more as I felt very flustered.
"Meow meow." (Someone's blushing.) Bastet snickered. I rolled my eyes at her.
"Bastet, use Body Slam!" I called out. She ran and tried, but Geodude floated away.
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Brock called out. I saw the rocks being tossed and poor Bastet was having a hard time dodging.
"Bastet! Substitute!" I called out. She smirked and did the move to appear somewhere else.
"Bastet! If you can, use Iron Tail! If not then use Tackle!" I call out. She darted at Geodude and did Iron Tail with no problems. It hit his Geodude and slammed him into the ground hard enough to knock him out.
"I'm impressed! Your Meowth is very strong!" Brock marveled.
"Thank you. I'm still getting to know her moves." I confess as Brock retracted Geodude.
"Let's see you handle this. Onix! Go!" Brock called out before bringing out his Onix. I had never seen one before, but I shook from the sheer size. Bastet shook too. She was scared.
"Bastet, return!" I called out and returned her. She didn't need that. I took out another ball and sighed.
"Hercules! Show your stuff!" I yelled as I threw the pokeball. Hercules, my Machop, came out and posed before seeing the Onix. It gulped and backed up a bit before puffing out his chest. I knew we had an advantage because Onix would be very weak against fighting types, even if Hercules is small, size doesn't always matter. I had to be smart about this.
"A Machop? Nice choice and suiting name." Brock complimented me. I smiled.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Brock ordered. Onix roared and I knew Herc wasn't fast enough to dodge.
"Herc, use Counter!" I cried out. Herc did as told and defended himself before flinging back Onix. Onix took twice the damage, but Herc was panting hard. Onix was heavier than what he was used to lifting.
"Herc, are you alright?" I asked worriedly. My face and eyes showed it too. I might be in a middle of a battle, but I had to check on him.
"Chop." (Barely.) He said weakly.
"Do you need to return?" I asked him. He shook his head no before getting up. I was still worried, but nodded. If he wanted to battle, then I'd let him. Onix soon shook off the daze and roared as it went to use Bide. I couldn't use dig, because the ground wasn't deep enough for that, so I had to use another strategy.
"Herc, Duel Chop the tail away then try to use Dynamic Punch right on his head!" I ordered. Herc nodded and did as told, but he couldn't get to his head.
"Herc, Dynamic Punch a joint area!" I ordered. He tried, but was soon caught in bide and being squeezed.
"Hercules! Try to use Knock Off!" I yelled. Herc tried but it wasn't working. He was being squeezed harder until I couldn't take it. It wasn't like with the Pincir, this was totally different.
"Stop! Please, stop! I surrender! Please stop hurting him!" I cry out. I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes as Herc had fainted.
"Are you sure?" Brock asked me. I fell to my knees.
"Yes. I surrender." I tell him in defeat. I wasn't smart enough to win. I felt awful. Brock called off his Onix and I got up before running to pick up Herc.
"Herc? Hercules?" I asked as I didn't see him moving. I was worried until I saw him gasp for air. He was fine. I held him close.
"Chop?" (Huh?) He said softly.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't smart enough to figure this out." I say as I cradled him. I saw him bruising badly and felt awful.
"We should've trained more." I say as I stood up with him in my arms. I didn't notice Brock had returned Onix back into it's ball or him, now, in front of me.
"Is he alright?" Brock asked me. I looked up and saw he, actually, seemed concerned.
"Yeah, just bruised and more. He'll be alright once I get him to the Center." I tell him as I tried not to show the tears that tried to form. I felt like a failure.
"You did better than most on the first try." He tells me. I didn't believe him.
"Listen, it took the other trainers at least three times to beat me." He tells me. I huffed. "I bet it took Gary and his Squirtle one time." I commented under my breath.
"He had a water type, the other's didn't. If my Onix hadn't caught your Machop then you might've won." He tells me. I look up at him.
"You're only saying that." I tell him.
"No, I'm serious. Your Machop is stronger than others I've seen. If he turns into a Machoke, then he'd win with ease." Brock tells me. He then gently takes my chin.
"You knew when to quit, you knew the limits, even when stuck you tried to think. Using brains and Machop's small size helped, but you still knew when to quit instead of trying and pushing to the point of damage." He tells me. I felt my face heat up but I pulled away.
"I'll be back, and when I return, I'll want that rematch. I'll win, I know I will." I say before I walk off. Once I was outside, I felt the tears fall before running to the center. By the time I got there, I felt the tears flowing down my cheeks, Nurse Joy noticed me before I got there.
"He beat you badly, didn't he?" Nurse Joy asked me. I nodded with a sniffle.
"He had stopped breathing." I squeaked out. I gave him to her, his ball and Bastet in her ball, before she rushed him into the back.
"Sis?" I heard Callista behind me. I turned and she saw the tears.
"He got hurt… Badly..." Was all I said as I shook. Callista came over and, out of character for her, hugged me close.
"It's ok. You did your best." She tells me. I sniffled before I hugged her close. She didn't complain but, instead, brought me to a room she rented.
"Take a shower, relax, then take a nap. I'll get your pokemon when they're ready. Hercules will be alright. He's very tough." She comforted me as she brought me to the bathroom. She got me to let go before she ran the water. I saw the steam and knew she was right.
"Would you like to borrow Ariel?" She asked me. I shook my head no.
"I can't. It's a matter of pride." I say to her. She was just as prideful as me, though in a different way, so she nodded in understanding.
"If you need help, I'm here for you." She says before she leaves me alone. I stripped and slipped into the tub, deciding on a bath instead of a shower, before shutting off the water. I tried to relax as my thoughts played back to the battle. I felt cold tears fall from my face at the sight of Hercules' pained face. I cleaned myself up, surprised how much dirt came off of me, before draining the tub. I dried myself off and slipped on my neon green tank top, some black and neon green striped fingerless gloves, black gym shorts with 2 green neon stripes at the sides, same boots, belt and choker on. I towel dried my hair before putting it up into a high ponytail. I washed my face again, but frowned at how bad my eyes looked, so I put on waterproof black eyeliner to look better. I looked out the window of the room and saw it was late noon. I nodded before leaving the room. I got my pokemon, Callista was in the bathroom from what Nurse Joy told me, before I walked out. I summoned Hercules and looked at him.
"You ok?" I asked him. He nodded yes and showed he was better.
"Good. We're going to train." I tell him as we began walking off. Herc followed me as we headed out of town, near the river. Hercules made some sounds before holding my hand. I looked at him.
"Chop chop Machop." (I'm sorry I failed.) He said as he looked sad.
"I failed, not you. I gave the orders, the wrong ones, so we're going to train more. More speed and defense." I say as I gave a weak smile. He knew the smile wasn't right but nodded in agreement.
We went to a spot next to the river, but opposite of the old water mill building, as we got started. First we stretched, then we started doing basic martial arts. See, I train with him. I'm not strong enough to fight him, but Hercules shows me how to fight so I could be tough. That's why we train together. It keeps me in shape too. We did some simple stuff before he went hard core. I knew I wasn't ready for that, but I helped him the best I could. While I practiced punches and kicks, Hercules went and started lifting boulders that seemed heavier than his limit. I could tell because his legs were shaking.
"Don't push yourself too hard." I tell him as I practiced some kicks. After I while, I took a break and decided to remember what I once heard.
Ok, dad once told me a story about a Machamp that saved a sinking cargo ship. If that's true, then Machamp can lift 220,000 tons! 44 million pounds! Ok, I doubt that, but lets say it can lift about 400,000 pounds limit while struggling, that's still strong. Problem is, there aren't many Machamps out there to determine, but I still think it'll help more. I don't have anything to help Hercules level up much, but he must be getting close to evolving soon… Right? I mean, Machoke's can lift 326 pounds with one finger! Including thumbs, it could easily lift 3,260 pounds with both hands. That alone could beat Onix. Uhg, why won't he evolve? Is he not ready? I thought as I watched Hercules keep practicing.
"Do you need water?" I asked him. He turned to me, a giant boulder in his hands above his head, as he shook his head no.
"Alright." I say before I get up. The sun was setting and I felt cold.
"I think we should head back. We can continue in the morning." I tell him.
"Machop!" (Not stopping!) He tells me as his legs seemed weak.
"Herc, stop. You'll hurt yourself." I say to him. He ignored me and kept going but then made a sound. He tossed the boulder before holding his leg. I rushed to him and felt it.
"You pulled a muscle." I say softly before I began massaging him.
"I told you not to overdue it. I'm willing to stay here for 3 days, maybe more, but please don't hurt yourself. Not only are you my strongest pokemon, you're my friend, a gift from dad to show I'm ready, one of the only pokemon that understands me. I'm not going to give up, I know you won't either, but you need breaks and not push yourself to injury." I tell him as I finished massaging his leg.
"Better?" I asked him softly. He moved his leg before nodding.
"Chop." (Thanks.) He tells me.
"Ready to go back now?" I ask as I shivered from the cold. It was summer, yes, but it gets a bit cold due to the water and the caves near by. Hercules nodded before standing up. He seemed tired so I picked him up and held him close to me.
"Come on, sleepy head." I say with a smile. After all, Machops are baby pokemon. Hercules seemed to struggle between accepting this and not but, in the end, he accepted and fell asleep in my arms. It was super sweet.
He had that happen half way to the Pokemon Center. I smiled even more as I heard his light breathing while I, very gently, rubbed his back. I looked up at the sky growing darker before sighing. I made it in the center and saw my sister flaunt up to me. I raised my brow curiously as she seemed giddy.
"You have an admirer!" She suddenly tells me. I tilted my head curiously at her.
"What?" I asked bluntly. She got behind me and pushed me to the counter. There were pink roses there, in a vase, with a card that had my name on it. My cheeks went pink as I took the card to read it.
"Hope Hercules is doing better, but I hope you are too, sweet Midnight Rose. ~Brock." I read out loud. My sister's squealing caused Hercules to wake up.
"Now you did it, I just got him to sleep." I lightly snapped at my twin.
"Who cares?! You got a guy fawning over you!" She squealed happily. I saw a few people looking over and felt embarrassed. Herc took the card and read it, yes he could read, before seeing the flowers.
"Machop?" (What the heck?) He asked as he looked at the flowers.
"So~, who's Brock?" She asked me. Herc made a growl sound before huffing. Callista noticed it as I sighed.
"The gym leader that kicked our asses." I say in a low voice. Callista then frowned.
"Oh, pity roses. Darn! And here I thought you actually got a boyfriend or something." She tells me in a pout. I sweat drop before I sighed.
"Whatever." I say as I put Herc down. I picked up the roses but then heard a clink. I looked and froze. It was a small boulder. A Badge! I picked it up before looking at the card more. Nothing.
"Is that a badge?" She asked me.
"Yeah." I say softly.
"He gave you a badge? Take it! Take it so we can move on!" Callista nearly yelled. I lightly smack her upside the head.
"Inside voice." I tell her. She quieted down after.
"I'm returning it." I tell her.
"What?! Why?~" She whined out.
"Because I didn't earn it. I'm not accepting it unless I've earned it." I tell her.
"But it shows he either likes you or pity's you!" She nearly screamed out. I gave her a scary look and she backed up.
"No. It's wrong. I'm not accepting it." I tell her before Hercules and I walk off to the room. I heard Callista pouting as she followed us. After going in, I set the roses down before returning Hercules into his ball. Callista followed me in and shut the door.
"I'm not sure why he thinks you're pretty, but he must feel bad about hurting Hercules like that, or maybe he saw you crying and pitied you." She tells me. I had taken off my boots and tossed one at the back of her head. She cried out and held it while going chibi with anime tears.
"Why are you so mean.~" She whined as she dried her eyes.
"Same reason you are with me." I tell her with an eye roll. We changed into pajamas, hers being pink shorts with light blue crystal heart designs and a tank top with purple angel wings in the front, mine were black shorts with toxic green flames around dripping black hearts and the tank top was black with light blue bug wings, having holes in them, right in the front. I took my hair down and sighed.
"Look, I'm not taking a badge I haven't earned. I'll fight again and, next time, I'll win." I say as I went to the bathroom and cleaned off my eyeliner. Sis came in after and cleaned off her make up.
"Just take it. Forget about your damn pride." She tells me.
"I can't forget it. I'm not accepting it, end of discussion." I tell her. I heard her groan as I laid under the covers in bed. I'd deal with it in the morning.
Morning Ophelia's POV
I had gotten up and ready, thankful sis was clonked out, as I quietly left. I decided to call dad to see what he thought. He was usually up at this time. I called him and he answered it in video, shaggy hair, barely awake with a cup of coffee in his hands.
"Morning dad." I say with a soft smile.
"Hey, morning. How are you?" He asked me.
"I'm ok, well, sort of." I say with a sigh.
"Hm? What happened?" He asked me. I then showed him the badge. He got excited and congratulated me, but I stopped him and explained everything that had happened.
"Callista wants me to accept it, but I'm not going to. Am I wrong?" I asked him.
"No, you're right. It's easy to accept it as a gift, but much more satisfying to earn it. Also, are you sure the leader was Brock?" Dad asked me. I nodded yes.
"Well, something must've happened. Last I was there, Flint was the leader, not his older son Brock. Ah, still, I understand the gift now. Brock is known to flirt with pretty girls his age and older, so it doesn't surprise me he finds you attractive. Either way, whatever you decide, just know things come with a price." He tells me. I sighed but nodded.
"Right. I'll give it back and earn it. I will also thank him for the flowers." I say as I felt my cheeks turn pink from the thought of the flowers. I talked with dad a little more before we hung up. I stood up and went back to the gym. Someone told me he wasn't there but told me where he lived. Good enough. I went to where I was told he lived and knocked on the door. A boy, maybe 8 or 9, who looked like Brock answered.
Must be his younger brother. I thought before giving him a small smile.
"Hello, is Brock here? He wasn't in the gym." I asked politely.
"Yeah, he's here. You won't battle him here, though." He tells me.
"Oh no, I don't want to battle yet. I'm willing to wait. I just want to return this to him." I say and take the kid's hand before putting the badge in it.
"Tell him thank you for the lovely flowers, even if pink isn't ideal for me, but I won't accept a badge I didn't earn. Think you can do that?" I asked with a kind smile. He nodded yes.
"Thank you." I say before I walk off. I turned a corner and saw a guy staring at the house.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" I called out to him. He only looked at me before looking back. I stormed up to him.
"What are you doing? You pedophile!" I scolded him. He looked back at me.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover. I always come by to check on them." He tells me. Something seemed off with him, but not dangerous.
"Why?" I asked him curiously.
"Because it's my job. I just want to make sure he's fine." He tells me. I looked and saw Brock, washing dishes, sewing, feeding his siblings. I counted and he had 10 brothers and sisters. I then remembered Dad was talking about Flint.
"What happened to his father, Flint?" I asked the man.
"How do you know about him?" The man asked me.
"Dad knows Flint, at least that's what he told me." I say as I continued watching. Brock seemed like a remarkable young man, if it wasn't for his bad habit of flirting with all girls. I actually felt a small blush rise on me.
"Your father?" He asked me. I nodded yes.
"Are you from Pallet Town?" He asked me.
"Yeah, me and my twin." I say to him. I didn't know why I was telling him this, but something told me I could trust him.
"Your father is well known here. He's a great guy." He tells me.
"You don't know him." I tell him.
"Athos Gi." He tells me. I turned my head right at him.
"Y-yeah." I say nervously. I heard him chuckle.
"He's the only man in Pallet town with twin girls." He tells me. I never mentioned my twin was a girl, so he knew my dad.
"You're Ophelia, right?" He asked me. I nodded as I felt tense.
"Your father mentioned you a lot, how you'd make a great trainer one day, while he feels your sister would be better with other activities." He tells me. I looked back at the house.
"Yeah, he's usually right." I say to him. I saw his brother, turned out to be the older of the others, handed Brock the badge while talking.
"You returned the badge?" He asked me.
"I didn't earn it. I failed, but I learned from it. I won't accept it unless I win." I tell him. He looked at me and smiled.
"You're definitely your father's daughter. He's the same way." He tells me. That made me feel good.
"Do you need help training?" He asked me. I shook my head no.
"I just need to train more, be smarter, that's all." I say as I felt determined.
"If you need help." He tells me. I looked at him.
"No, but I think you might need to help my friend. Ash Ketchum. He should be arriving in town today, so please look out for him. He'll have a Pikachu with him." I say as I knew Ash would need help.
"Alright, I'll help him." He agreed. I turned and walked away while thanking him. I brought Hercules out and we trained until close to noon. After, we had a light and healthy lunch before healing him in the pokemon canter. Once done, I went back to the gym and entered. Brock was here, I knew he was. Soon the lights came on.
"You came back?" Brock asked me.
"You got my message, I'm not accepting the badge without winning." I tell him bluntly. This time, I had a better plan.
"Even though you earned it?" He tells me.
"You and I both know I didn't. I won't accept it without victory." I tell him as I crossed my arms.
"Very well, I'll battle you again." He tells me. I was already in the spot I needed to be in as the gym formed.
"Onix! Go!" Brock yelled as he summoned Onix again. I brought Hercules out. He saw Onix and had fire in his eyes. We began our battle. I didn't see we had an audience. We had the battle and it was tough. Hercules was dodging and defending, but it wasn't enough. Onix went to use Bide again and I smirked.
"Herc, use Strength! Give it your all!" I yelled. Herc smirked, a twinkle in his eye, as he grabbed Onix's tail and used Strength to toss him into a boulder, which shattered completely. Onix let out a roar of pain as Hercules panted in exhaustion. I knew he wouldn't last much longer. Onix got up and Herc forced the boulders up to toss at him. It distracted long enough for Herc to use Dynamic Punch right in his face. Onix fell down as Herc was on his knees, panting. Onix got up, though.
"Hercules! Come back! You need to rest a bit!" I tell him. Herc shook his head no and forced himself up. I was scared he'd hurt himself.
"Let him fight! He can do it if you don't hold back!" I heard. I looked and saw Callista, who was cheering me on, with fire in her eyes. She believed in me. I nod my head and looked back.
"Alright! Hercules, give it your all!" I yell at him, not in a mean way but enthusiastic like, as we both had fire in our eyes. Onix went to use Tackle, Hercules tried his best to hold Onix and stop him. It became a pushing match, though Onix was stronger and starting to win.
"I believe in you!" I called out. Suddenly, Hercules pushed up and let Onix slam hard into the wall. Onix grew dizzy as I cheered.
"Use Dynamic Punch!" I call out. Hercules complied and used it on Onix's head, causing Onix to faint. Brock called Onix back as I called Hercules back. We then had a rematch between Geodude and Bastet, which she won using Shadow Claw and Iron Tail. I had won! We cheered and were happy. The gym retracted as Brock came over. He then handed me yellow roses with the badge.
"You've earned it. Congratulations." He tells me with pink cheeks. My heart fluttered, even though it shouldn't, while my cheeks were pink.
"Thank you. You didn't go easy on me, did you?" I asked him.
"No, you trained very well. You used your confidence and brains, as well as trust, to win. That's what makes a good trainer." He tells me before kissing my hands. My pink cheeks turned red as I tried to brush this off. I've never flirted with, nor been flirted by, anyone before. I tried to form words, but couldn't.
Then, Hercules, no longer in his ball since I let him out to cheer with him, picked Brock up and pulled him back, with a yelp from Brock, before setting him down a few feet away. I couldn't believe that happened.
"Hercules, that wasn't nice." I lightly scolded. Herc crossed his arms and pouted. Was he jealous? Brock only stood up with a chuckle.
"I suppose I deserved that after the last battle." He said as he brushed it off as such. I apologized but Brock brushed it off.
"Hehe, it's alright. He's probably jealous. With a pretty girl like you, I would be to if a guy was holding your hands and complimenting you." He tells me. I blushed so dark I tried to hide it with the roses.
"I hope yellow is alright with you." Brock says with a smile.
"They're lovely, but yellow isn't my color. I appreciate that you tried." I say as I kept the roses over my red face. My twin had made her way to me, so we were next to each other, as she gave a smile with sparkle eyes.
"Aw.~ You're blushing.~ How adorable!~" She fawned, making me blush more, while she poked my cheek in a teasing manner.
"Either I'm seeing double, or there are two lovely ladies in front of me." Brock said as his eyes turned to hearts. I felt less flustered while my sister started showing off.
"Well, at least someone notices at least one of us." She said as she flipped her hair. I looked at her and knew she was talking about herself and not interested in Brock at all. Brock either noticed, or ignored, since he seemed to be in heaven.
"I'm Callista, her older and prettier twin." She introduced herself, making my eyes roll. I lowered the flowers from my face since I wasn't blushing anymore. Hercules came over to me, along with Bastet, so I bent down and showed them the badge.
"We did it! You two did it!" I cheered happily and congratulated them. They were very happy about this and expressed it too. I stood up and put the badge on my belt. It was next to my buckle on the right side.
"That looks dumb." Sis tells me.
"I don't think so. It shows I'm a trainer that's going to be on top." I tell her. She rolled her eyes but Brock came over.
"I think it looks good, but why the belt?" He asked me.
"Because it's the only spot it'll stay snug in. That and I couldn't get a badge holder, so I compromised." I explained to him. He took my hand and kissed it again, making me blush again.
"Will you be leaving soon?" He asked me.
"Yeah, we gotta get to other places." Sis tells me, but I waved her off.
"Actually, we're staying for a while to see my friend, the last from Pallet town, arrive and win against you too." I say with a smile.
"I see, well, I hope to see you around town then." He says as he, also taking my sister's hand, kissed mine and hers. I blushed a dark shade of red while my sister just smiled. Complete opposites.
"You will." Callista said flirtatiously. She didn't mean it, though. This was what she did. Any guy she saw, she flirted but didn't mean any of it. They always flirted with her, but because of my dark looks, none flirted with me. Until now.
"I look forward to it." Brock said with a charming smile. Callista excused us and pulled me out, Bastet and Hercules followed us, as I felt so flustered.
"Honestly, you need to learn to flirt." She tells me. After a few feet away, I was so flustered, well, I fainted.
Callista's POV
I had watched my sister battle and gave her the encouragement she needed to win. Why? Because dad called me and told me to encourage her. Sis had felt discouraged and dad had seen that. Heck, mom got on too and told me to cheer her on, even if she fails again. I agreed and had snuck in to watch. I was proud she won. That boy, Brock, was a little cute but not my type at all. I didn't mind him flirting with me, but didn't like him flirting with Ophelia. Why? Because I'm prettier and she's, well, goth. Still, seeing her get flustered, it was hilarious. I had to drag her out and, after a bit, she fainted. I only rolled my eyes.
"Hercules, do you mind?" I asked him in a, somewhat, snooty tone. Hercules gave me a look but picked her up gently. I noticed Hercules blushed and smirked.
"How cute. A pokemon crushing on a human." I teased. Herc gave me a growl but I ignored him. We went into the center and dropped Ophelia off in her room before I went to heal Hercules and Bastet for her. As I waited, I saw Ash walk in, with his adorable pikachu, before waving him over. I pouted when I didn't see Misty.
"Hey, why'd you leave us?" Ash asked.
"Ophelia wanted to search for Pokemon. She never found that water type but she did battle the Gym Leader, Brock." I tell him.
"Did she win?" He asked curiously.
"She lost at first, but after more training and thinking, she won!" I tell him happily.
"Where is she?" Ash asked me.
"Oh, she fainted due to Brock flirting with her. She's in the room while I heal Hercules and Bastet." I explained to him. Ash just blinked.
"She fainted? From flirting?" Ash questioned me.
"Yeah, she's not used to it, so she gets all red and flustered." I explained while chuckling after. It was adorable more than pathetic. Ash seemed to believe it as He gave Nurse Joy his Pokemon. I quickly pet Pikachu before he was taken to the back.
"Well, if she won without a water type, then so can I." Ash said with determination.
"Ash, rock and ground type are weak against fighting, plus Bastet knew Shadow Claw, Substitution and Iron Tail. She barely won, not to mention she's smarter than you, so you'll need pure luck and a heck of a lot of skill to win." I tell him in a matter of fact tone. I saw him get angry at that.
"Then why not battle him? See how hard it is?" He asked me.
"Because, with Ariel, I'd win very easily." I taunt him. I could too, but I wasn't into battles, not unless I get ribbons for it. Badges were dumb.
"I think you're scared." Ash taunted.
"No, I think badges are dumb while ribbons are cool." I tell him bluntly. Ash rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." Ash said as I got Ophelia's pokemon back.
"Well, I'll see you when you lose." I taunt before going back to the room. I could tell Ash was fuming, but who cares about that dork, right? I went back and saw sis putting the yellow roses with the pink ones.
"I might as well have them. They match my hair after all." I tell her bluntly before putting her pokemon on the bed.
"Jealous?" She asked me.
"Of you? Pft, yeah right." I boast. I had no reason too. I saw her roll her eyes, as usual, before clipping the balls to her.
"By the way, I saw that loser Ash. He's going to battle Brock." I tell her.
"He might not win, Brock's tough, but he's going to have help later." She tells me. I blinked and looked right at her, but she just ignored I was there.
"Are we leaving?" I asked her.
"Tomorrow we might, it's too late now." She tells me. I frowned but saw outside and agreed. We had dinner and rested for the night.
Next Day Ophelia's POV
Once late noon came around, I was up and already heading down to the gym. I wanted to see if Ash had won. I saw him heading there with determination.
"Ash!" I called out and ran to him. He looked at me, fire in his eyes, as he showed he was ready.
"Why are you here? You won." Ash told me.
"I'm here to cheer you on." I say as I had my bag on. I was going to leave later, once Callista got her crud together, with Ash this time.
"You are?" He asked me.
"Yeah, I know you'll win. I mean, Pikachu obviously looks stronger, but you have the heart to win." I tell him as I gave him the pep talk I needed. Ash smiled as I pat Pikachu's head gently.
"Thanks Lia." Ash said, calling me that silly nickname.
"Ash, please don't call me that. You know I'm not a fan of it." I tell him. Ash brushed it off before opening the door to the gym.
"I'm back!" Ash announced loudly. I went to the stands, not hearing much, but watching as they were ready to fight.
"You can do it, Ash!" I cheered loudly. Oh, if you're wondering about the flowers, well, the vase was plastic so I packed it while I pressed two of the roses in a different book, pressed and preserved, while the rest are in my bag, sticking out though. Yes, they'll die, but I'll still keep them for now. Brock looked at me and blushed before looking at Ash.
"I'll start with… Geodude, go!" Brock yelled out as he summoned Geodude.
Ash, use Butterfree! Sleep Powder can put it to sleep! I thought eagerly. Why wasn't I saying it out loud? Well, I felt it was cheating in a way. Ash turned his hat around, a trait he often did which made me wonder if I did something or if I should, before throwing a Pokeball.
"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash called out. I, mentally, face palmed as Ash used a bird type on a rock. Pidgeotto came out with a squawk, ready to fight.
"Pidgeotto! Use Gust attack!" Ash yelled. Pidgeotto did as told, causing a whirlwind to appear as it flew in circles. I looked and noticed Misty and Callista were on the other side.
They must've ran into each other. I thought as Misty looked upset. Once the the wind died down, Geodude was chasing Pidgeotto around, trying to grab him with each movement. I looked and figured Brock was mentioning how flying were weak against rock as Geodude seemed relentless.
I then looked around me and saw Brock's siblings had surrounded me, the older one I had talked to was closest to me. It made me a bit nervous, since I'm better with Pokemon over people, but decided to concentrate on the battle. Soon, Pidgeotto was worn out, causing Geodude to grab him and swing him around before landing into the ground. Pidgeotto was on the ground with swirled eyes. Poor thing. Ash returned him and sent out Pikachu. I guess Brock made a taunt, since only Ash could hear, before Pikachu used Thunder Shock. It was a powerful one too. The look on Geodude's face before getting hit was priceless! Eyes wide, jaw dropped, frozen in shock (No pun intended) as the powerful thunder wrapped around him before frying him. Geodude looked pissed before fainting. I covered my mouth to try and not laugh. It was funny. Brock was shocked before growing tense and returned Geodude. He then sent out Onix and I grew worried.
"Ash, be careful!" I yelled out. Onix was strong, stronger than any Onix I've read up about, which worried me. Onix growled and Pikachu looked worried. This worry/fear caused Pikachu to release a bunch of bolts from this. This wasn't good since they flew everywhere. Almost hitting Ash, hitting/destroying boulders, hitting Onix's chin very hard, even hitting where we all were. I had to pull Brock's oldest younger brother aside to avoid a bolt. It even caused a fire in the ceiling.
"Hey Pikachu! Watch where you aiming, huh?" Ash yelled. Pikachu stopped just as Onix wrapped it's tail around him again. Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt and Pikachu did. Pikachu's Thunderbolt was harming Onix, but not enough to release him.
"Hang in there, Pikachu! It's working!" Ash encouraged Pikachu. I could tell Pikachu was running low on juice, though. Big problem!
"Onix, Bind it!" Brock ordered. Onix was hurting but did it's best. Soon, Pikachu stopped, which caused Onix to roar and tighten his grip. Ash needed a miracle at this point. As if on cue, a miracle was granted. Brock told Onix to stop and declared the match over, Ash was protesting, but Brock told him it was over at this point. He mentioned not wanting to hurt Ash's Pikachu and that touched my heart. Brock, honestly, cared about the well fair of Pokemon. I thought he was just like that to be flirty with me, but seeing it with Ash, it showed me I was wrong. Brock was a good person. A good Gym Leader. Ash declared he wasn't done as Pikachu got up.
"Brock, let him fight! It's only fair!" I yelled out. Then, the second act of the miracle, the sprinklers went off. I heard Callista shriek about her hair while Onix screamed in pain.
"Ash! Rock Types are weakened by water!" Misty yelled at him.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled out. Pikachu, who was awoken by the water, understood and used the last of it's juice to send out a Thunderbolt. It electrocuted Onix, making him scream in agony, before fainting.
"Onix!" Brock yelled out. I looked closer and realized Onix didn't faint, but was very weak at this point. The sprinklers stopped as Pikachu was ready for another go. As Ash ordered to finish him, finally noticing I was alone, all of Brock's siblings jumped on Ash, calling him a bully and more, to stop the battle. It was sweet, really.
"Stop it. Get off, all of you!" Brock ordered them.
"This is an official match. We're going to finish this, no matter what." Brock tells them as I rushed down to try and help them get off Ash.
"But, Brock, we know that you love your pokemon so much." A girl, maybe 7, said to him.
"That's why we can't watch Onix suffer from another attack!" A brother, maybe 5, tells him.
"That maybe true, but so does Ash. That's still no excuse to stop this, only Brock or Ash can, so please let them continue. This doesn't show less love, but more experience and strength." I tell them as I try to get them off Ash.
"Pikachu, return!" Ash called out. This shocked, no pun intended, me and Pikachu.
"Ash, what are you doing?!" I asked him in shock. Was the guilt from Brock's siblings getting to him?
"What do you think you're doing? This match isn't over yet, Ash." Brock yelled out. Ash helped me finish put Brock's siblings down as they looked at Ash.
"Those sprinklers going off was just an accident. Winning the match because of that wouldn't have proved anything. Next time we meet, I'll beat you my way, fair and square." Ash tells him.
"Ash, that might've been an accident, but it's part of the gym. It's fair." I heard Callista yell at him. Ash ignored it and left, causing me to follow him. I felt bad.
"Ash, hey, do you need help training?" I asked him.
"No, but could we walk together?" Ash asked me.
"Of course." I say as I began walking with him.
"I'm sorry I was too tough on you, Pikachu. But you really did a great job." Ash tells Pikachu.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said in a low, kinda upset, tone.
"Sounds like you feel the way I do." Ash said in an upset tone.
"You two did great, though. I'm proud of you." I say to them both. I heard Callista behind us, huffing and puffing in annoyance, but we ignored her.
"Hey, hey, wait up! Ash!" Brock yelled out. We looked behind us and saw him run to us, Ash more specifically, before panting.
"Huh? Brock?" Ash questioned curiously. Now, here's where the final act of the miracle comes in.
"Ash, you forgot this." Brock said as he held the Boulder Badge, yes I was dumb in not remembering the name, in his hand.
"A badge, for defeating a Gym Trainer." Ash said softly, eying the badge, before looking up at Brock.
"I can't accept that. I didn't beat you. I gave up." Ash tells him. Brock gave a small chuckle.
"Nah, I lost to you. You beat me in battle and in being kind to all Pokemon." Brock tells him.
"But..." Ash started, but was at a lost of words, so Brock continued.
"To tell you the truth, I get more pleasure from training Pokemon then from making them battle." Brock said as he turned and looked at the river. I listened intently to this, because I know how he feels about raising pokemon.
"I don't care about being a great Pokemon trainer. I want to become the world's best breeder. But I can't leave here because I have to look after my brothers and sisters." He continued as he continued to look out at the water before turning to look right at Ash.
"Ash, I want you to take this and fulfill my dream. Will you do that for me?" Brock asked Ash as he held out the Boulder Badge once more. I felt tears peak at the corners of my eyes, as well as my sister's, as Ash looked right at Brock with a nod.
"I will. And I'll do my best to deserve this too!" Ash tells him as he went over and accepted the badge. I glanced over and saw that man from before.
"Brock, you go follow your own dreams." The man said.
"Flint!" Ash exclaimed in shock. My jaw dropped. That was Flint?! He pulled off his fake beard and his hat to reveal an older man Identical to Brock, but much older.
"My father." Brock said in disdain.
"Huh?" Ash questioned as he looked between the two.
"You mean you're the good-for-nothing father who left home and never came back?" Ash questioned suddenly. I figured the two had met.
"That's right. It was me. I couldn't become the great Pokemon trainer I wanted to and because I was such a failure, I was too embarrassed and ashamed to go back to my family." Flint explained. I think that hit home for me and Callista, knowing we wouldn't want to go home failures, but also knew it'd be better than disappearing completely. Her and I looked at each other, same thought, as we nodded. A secret vow that, no matter what, we'd always return home.
"But why did you help me instead of Brock?" Ash asked Flint.
"Because he sees himself in you, Right?" I asked Flint.
"Exactly." He says as he goes up to Ash and Brock.
"You remind me of myself. You didn't seem to have a chance. That and Ophelia suggested I help." Flint explained.
"Oh!~" Ash whined out as he had a major look of defeat and exhaustion all together.
"Its time I started taking care of my family. You go fulfill your dreams and mine." Flint tells Brock. Callista and I teared up from this. What? We were girls, after all.
"First, there are some things I have to tell you." Brock starts off with a serious tone. Callista and I tilted our heads to the right, curious of what he was going to say next.
"After all these years, I understand how you must feel about me so I want you to get everything off your chest." Flint tells him as Brock pulls something out of his vest pocket and handed it to him.
"Here." Brock said and handed him… a spool of thread and a needle? This confused Flint as well.
"Suzy always rips her dresses and skirts so you better learn how to sew. And Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy likes Corn Flakes for dinner-" Brock started, listing everything off for Flint to know, as Flint asked him to slow down because he can't write that fast. I then saw he pulled out a notepad and pencil to write it all down. It made me chuckle while my sister sweat dropped at this.
"Cindy Sleepwalks so you have to tie a bell on her wrist. The twins never want to take a bath so you have to..." Brock continued as I tuned him out.
Such a good brother. Makes me wish I had an older brother to care for me… Then again, if he turned out like Callista, then hell no. I just wish she was as caring of me as Brock is to his siblings, but maybe this journey could help us both. I thought as, after 20 minutes, we headed back to Brock's to get his bag packed. Well, sitting there, I got to play with a couple of his siblings. The twins, which were toddlers like 2 at most, were playing with me. Patty Cake. They were loving it! I looked and saw the older one, the one I talked to at the door named Forrest, was sitting next to me.
"Is something wrong?" I asked as the twins began tugging on my arms.
"My brother likes you." He tells me.
"I could tell." I say as I twirled the twins, causing them to laugh.
"Do you like him?" He asked me.
"Yeah, he's a good person. I'd like to know more about him, though." I honestly explained.
"Why keep the roses?" He asked as he pointed to my bag.
"They're too nice to toss. I'll keep them until they die." I say.
"Isn't that a waste?" He asks me.
"No, I can keep the seeds and send them home for a garden. I also press flowers in a book, so I keep the memory." I say as I pulled out a picture type book that had pressed flowers, dates next to them, where/who got them for me, etc. It wasn't a big book, a small journal, so the roses with large stems had to be cut short to fit. I let him look at it.
"Why are there only these?" He asked me.
"Well, your brother, my pokemon and father are the only ones to give me flowers. Others I keep in a different journal. Ones I find." I say to him as I never stopped playing with the twins. Ash was playing/tackled by/with 6 of the siblings and Callista was brushing Cindy's hair.
"Why do you dress in dark colors?" Forrest asked me.
"Why not? The world isn't always bright and cheery. Besides, I like black and neon. I stand out from my twin." I say as I used my head to motion to my sister. He looked and nodded in understanding.
"So… Will you date my brother?" He suddenly asked me. I fell over for a second before composing myself.
"I don't think so, not yet anyhow. I want to know him first." I explained. I got tired of playing so I brought Hercules out.
"Herc, could you play with the twins please?" I asked politely. He saw the kids and nodded before picking them up and played airplane with them. It was cute how the three were giggling and smiling.
"That's the pokemon that beat my brother?" Forrest asked me.
"Yeah, we got lucky." I tell him.
"No you didn't. Brock told me how you thought what to do and how strong his strength move was. How long have you had him?" He asked me. I stopped and thought about it.
"About… A month now." I tell him.
"You two work well." Forrest complimented.
"My dad trained him as a gift for me, knowing I like fighting types." I say with a smile.
"Would you trade him for a better one?" He asked me.
"Never. Not unless he was a Machoke and then I got him back immediately." I tell him.
"Why?" He asked me.
"Well, unless they're wild, you can't get Machamp without trading." I explained to him.
"Would you?" He asked curiously.
"Only if he wants to." I say to him. I looked at him with a smile.
"Why so curious?" I asked him.
"Well, because you dress dark, I thought you'd be dark or freaky, but you're very nice." He tells me.
"Well then, that shows you don't judge books by their covers." I say wise words to him.
"Makes sense. Sorry for judging you." He apologized.
"No need. I get that a lot but just stopped caring. But, I appreciate you owning up to your judgment. I wish most people would. I suppose that's why I prefer pokemon over people." I say as I saw Hercules, gently, toss one twin in the air and then tossing the other up after catching the first. I chuckled at how adorable that was. Brock soon came out, announcing he was ready to go, so all his siblings hugged him goodbye. It was sweet. Forrest whispered something to Brock, but I shrugged and stood up. I thanked Herc before putting him away. I grabbed my stuff and followed them out, thanking Flint for talking with me as well as apologizing for my accusation last time. Once outside, Brock surprised me with a white rose. I blinked in surprise.
"I know it's only one, but I was hoping this one's the one you like." Brock said as his cheeks were pink. I blushed and gently took it.
"It's my third favorite. Thank you." I say shyly with a sweet smile. Brock smiled.
"At least it's a start." He admitted. I saw Callista puff her cheeks out in a pout.
"Did my sister get one?" I asked quietly. He shook his head no.
"While she's pretty, I feel you're nicer. Besides, you're the one I battled." He says as my blush got darker.
"Um, thank you." I said as I got even more shy. Soon, even though it was dark, we left and were now on the trail before, heading to a new city, while I fiddled with my rose. Callista, still pouting, fell behind us.
"Hey Ash, you sure it's ok I go with you on your Pokemon journey?" Brock asked with a smile, happy to take his first steps outside of Pewter City.
"Sure I'm sure. I let Lia and Cal join whenever they want." Ash tells him.
"Ash, I said I didn't like that nickname much and Callista will get mad if she hears that nickname of hers mentioned." I tell him.
"Besides, the more the merrier and it's good to have somebody to talk with." Ash continued, completely ignoring me, as I looked behind us and noticed Misty joined us.
"Well, what about that girl who keeps following you?" Brock asked as he and Ash looked to see Misty following.
"Ash took her bike, got it destroyed and now she's stalking him." I say bluntly.
"Don't forget about my bike Ash Ketchum! I'm gonna follow you till you pay me back!" Misty yelled at him in anger.
"I know,~ I know!~" Ash whined out very loudly. Before I knew it, Ash and Pikachu took off.
We all then started running after him, failing to notice we stepped on the heads of Team Rocket as we did, all the way until we got to a good area to camp out. It was near the edge of the forest area, about 20 minute walk away at most, so we could rest. I took out my book, broke the stem shorter, then pressed the flower between the book before writing in it then placing it in the folds. Forever preserved. Misty and Ash were bickering, Callista was trying to impress Brock, but failing since he wanted to be away from her, as I watched them all with a smile before looking up at the beautiful stars. Then, my pokeball started shaking.
"Huh?" I questioned as it rolled off me. Out came Cutie Pie before the shell broke. I gasped as out emerged a Butterfree, slightly bigger than most, with green eyes, pink lips/mouth, paws and feet. I gasped at how beautiful he was, as did the others.
"Y-you're a boy?" I questioned this.
"Free~ Free~." (Yes, I am.) He tells me before flying into my arms. I smiled and snuggled him.
"I was hoping you'd evolve soon." I say happily. The others congratulated me as we now had something else to celebrate. This was going to be a nice night.