Vermilion City Gym, the crown jewel of the Vermilion pokémon training community sat right in the centre of the Vermilion coastal corridor. A long strip of shops, restaurants and businesses that spanned the impressive stretch of Vermilion's coastline. Directly across from the harbour, the gym was the first thing tourists from across Kanto and other regions would see as they arrived. Intended to not only give an impression of Vermilion but the entire Kanto-Johto region it had to be as spectacular as possible. The large, dome-like structure was painted a fearsome yellow with black adornments to make the yellow pop even more. It stood taller and was built wider than any other building around it, peaking above the uniform height of the coastal corridor. The dome, decorated with neon strips and panels, sat on top of a hexagonal base. Which served to support the three giant screens bolted to the outside, broadcasting each challenge match to the public for free. A huge crowd could always be found gathered around, flooding the streets with their necks craned to get a view of the spectacle. Green stood among them, building up the courage to push past and head inside for her challenge. The noise around her was thunderous, gasps, cries and roars of victory boomed around her. People clung to each other, jumped excitedly and pumped their fists into the air. It was a complete bombardment of extreme emotions from all angles. Her eyes couldn't help but stay glued to the screens along with theirs, watching as Surge's Raichu ruthlessly bombarded a Dodrio, the Triple Bird Pokémon, with a volley of hyper-sonic attacks. Each one splitting the air, the booms of which could be heard and felt even from outside. It took a firm grasp of her shoulder by Machoke and his confident grin to finally give her the push to go inside. With his help, they pressed through the crowd. Hardly any of them noticed as they were pushed aside and when they did they turned to her with an elated expression, shouting something unintelligible as they pointed to the screens.
"I can't believe it! No! It's not possible!" The announcer cried hysterically, "Raichu has been building up a thunder attack this whole time!"
The ground rumbled and above, amid the clear blue sky a veil of dark clouds formed around the dome.
"RAICHUUUUUUUUUUU!" Green heard Raichu cry from the screens above.
She glanced up to see Raichu, clinging onto a beaten down Dodrio, his whole body glowing furiously with yellow energy. Above them, the ceiling of the dome was open, allowing for a huge bolt of lightning to strike them. When it hit the crash of thunder was deafening, the crowd shouted and covered their ears, their eyes still fixed to the screens. The air split around them and an unseen force threatened to knock them to their feet. A few fell backwards and Green would have been one if Machoke didn't have a firm grasp of her shoulder. The commotion cleared as Green and Machoke approached the entrance, the clouds clearing and the rumbling fading.
"Incredible! The three days win streak continues! Will Surge singlehandedly limit the pool of champion challengers this year?!" The announcer cried out.
The announcer's voice, along with the crowd faded to a quiet murmur behind them as the sliding door shut behind Green and Machoke. The lobby of Vermilion City Gym had an inverted colour scheme to the outside of the building, with a black base and yellow adornments. It was much quieter than outside but still an aura of intensity loomed over the silent lobby. Solemn looking trainers sat on lavish yellow sofas and benches, tears of frustration welling in many of their eyes. Some sat hunched over battle plans, while others paced with furrowed brows and clenched jaws, a few sorry few simply sat alone away from anyone with empty vacant stares. A huge man dressed in yellow and black ran stopped them, moving his huge thick arm into their path.
"Sorry miss, you must return your pokémon to their ball." His voice interrupted the intense quiet.
Green felt the eyes of the other trainers fall on her, their gaze was analytical and judgemental.
"Oh sorry," She replied quickly, fumbling for Machoke's pokéball in a flustered state.
She felt Machoke's grip tighten on her shoulder and she looked up to find him giving her a reassuring smile. He patted her shoulder before looking back at the staring trainer with a hard, cold expression. Their eyes shifted away and Green felt a little bit more at ease. She returned Machoke and clipped his ball back to her belt. She took a deep breath and forced her hands to stop trembling before walking across the lobby past all the trainers. On their belts, she noticed that every single one of them had no less than five badges and six pokéballs. She clutched her belt, suddenly very insecure about her mere two badges and three pokéballs. The woman behind the desk seemed to pick up on this too and was looking down at Green like she was a lost child.
"Uh, I'd like to challenge Surge please." She asked in a small voice.
The woman gave her a gentle smile in return.
"Dear, Lieutenant Surge is rated as the second strongest gym leader in Kanto. He's usually one of the last leaders challengers face before the elite four, perhaps you'd like to earn a few more badges first?" She offered in a sweet voice that still stung Green all the same.
Green was sure those eyes were boring into her back, judging her silently and trying to evaluate her. The memory of Jackson's taunting replayed in her mind, the way he had shown off his three badges and sneered at her two. She clenched her jaw and gave the woman behind the counter a stern look.
"No, I'll challenge him now." She insisted, refusing to back down.
The woman shrugged and typed away at the computer on the counter.
"Your trainer card please." She asked with her hand outstretched.
Green had it ready, clutched tightly in her hand. She gave it to the woman and she glanced down at it.
"Okay, Green Isamu from Pallet Town, that correct?" She asked.
Green gave her a nod and she typed away at the computer again. She handed Green back her card and turned her body back to face her.
"Alright, you're in luck, although you're late the midday rush left one timeslot available for you. Your battle is in three hours, training rooms are down there." She instructed, handing Green a ticket and gesturing down a hall to the left.
Usually, such an enormous wait time would have frustrated her but with a room full of judgemental stares she was grateful for the extra preparation time. Determined not to humiliate herself in front of these experienced trainers, Green made her way down the hall, following the strip of yellow carpet. Along the black walls were large, rectangular windows showing off the impressive training rooms. The walls, floor and ceiling were all a blank white with a grey grid pattern. Mounds and pits were spread across the expansive areas, made with sharp angles in the artificial floor. Large rods stuck up out of the ground in the centre of each room generating a huge amount of electricity. Bolts of lightning arched off the rods, whipping and lashing at the air around them. They tended to aim themselves towards the smaller rods scattered about the rooms like they were trying to reach each other. Each room had a few trainers in them, working tirelessly with their pokémon. However, compared to the sizes of the room there were hardly any trainers at all. Green chose the room with the fewest people, hoping to just stick to her own corner away from anyone. She entered, scanning her card on a panel outside the room. The black door labelled with a large yellow 4 slid up opening for her. As she entered the two trainers inside didn't notice her, to her relief. Both were set up by a different small lightning rod with their pokémon, seeming as if they were trying to get their pokémon to dodge the bolts. The first trainer, a short blonde man wearing a blue jumpsuit worked with a Noctowl, the Owl Pokémon. The poor bird tried their best but again and again, the small bolts of lighting clipped their wings, sending them crashing down to the ground. The blonde man let out a frustrated huff, running his hands through his hair as Noctowl got up with a frazzled look.
"Come on Noctowl! Watch as it forms then move!" He yelled desperately.
Noctowl looked back at him with a pained look but did as they were told, taking flight, arching up and swooping back down at the rod. Across the other side of the room, the mood was completely different. An older man with a magnificent, silver moustache in a fancy frilly suit worked with a Marowak, the Bone Keeper Pokémon. The small, bipedal Pokémon with their skull-like head charged head down at the rod. Lighting charged and shot at them, but the bone armour around their head absorbed the charge. Another bolt arched around, threatening to strike Marowak in their exposed brown body but was stopped by Marowak's bone club. They swatted at the bolt, absorbing it and redirecting it down into the ground. Marowak leapt up and swung the bone above their head, slamming it down on top of the lightning rod. A small circle flashed red and the rod disappeared down into the floor, a panel sliding over the hole quickly. The old man tapped his lavish-looking black cane on the ground as if to applaud Marowak.
"Fantastic old boy!" He declared.
Marowak spun around and his narrow, angled eyes closed and raised with a smile. Although Marowak had no visible mouth Green assumed it was a smile, as Marowak began to dance happily where the rod had been. A small beeping sound rang out through the room and another rod popped up a few meters away from him. He lifted his bone above his head and cried out charging at the rod.
"Oh, good show!" The old man guffawed, chasing after him as fast as his old legs would let him.
Green found her own area, away from the other two with a few small lightning rods to work with. She considered her belt, deciding which of her pokémon to train first. Her hand moved back and forth between Machoke and Graveler before stopping. She grinned to herself and plucked all three from her belt, releasing them as a group before her. Machoke appeared, raring to go with an enthusiastic smile. Graveler panicked for a moment, clearly being interrupted while shovelling rocks into his mouth. Once he saw Green however he calmed down, giving her a smile and looking over at Machoke nervously. Mankey on the other hand, lay curled up on the ground still fast asleep. Machoke gave the ground right next to him a stomp and woke up with a fright, springing to his with a furious glare at Machoke. He leapt at him, screeching angrily but Machoke gave him a gentle kick knocking him onto his back. As he went to leap again Green called out, addressing them all.
"Alright listen up you three!" She called to them, standing before them with only a partially feigned confident grin.
Mankey stopped, narrowed his eyes at Machoke and turned to face her.
"We're here to challenge Lt Surge, he's an electric type trainer and a powerful one too. However, I think we have a clear advantage in this fight! He hasn't got any type advantages over us, in fact, he has a glaring weakness." She proclaimed, pointing to Graveler.
Graveler's smile dropped and he stood still with a stunned look.
"Graveler's ground typing gives him invulnerability to anything Surge can throw at him. So, our plan is about getting as much use out of him as possible while still having him be strong enough to beat Raichu." She continued to explain, moving her finger to Mankey and Machoke.
They both grinned excitedly, while Graveler seemed to shrink back and get smaller.
"That's where you too come in. Surge's other pokémon are Electrode, a pure electric type and Magenton, a dual Electric and Steel-type. Machoke, we'll open with you. If surge starts with Magneton your job is to take it out quickly using your fighting type advantage over his steel typing, Graveler won't be useful for him because Magneton floats. If Surge starts with Electrode do your best to take it out but if you start to struggle we'll switch to Graveller to finish him off, using Mankey to take out Magneton instead. We want to save you for Raichu so you can weaken him for Graveler." Green declared confidently.
The more she explained her plan out loud, the less feigned her confidence became until eventually, she found herself genuinely believing in her strategy. It was flawless, the images of what she described playing out again and again in her mind. She noticed the other two trainers shooting her quick glances as she explained her plan, her voice carrying throughout the room. Their expressions were hard to judge but still, it gave Green great satisfaction to voice her plan in front of them. Hopefully, they didn't view her as just a newbie trainer anymore. Her pokémon certainly seemed impressed enough anyway. Mankey especially was getting pumped up, throwing flurries of attacks at the air while dodging the imaginary counters. While Machoke remained with her confident grin. Graveler however, Green had noticed, was scared stiff. He was facing one of the small lightning rods, watching the bolts arc into the air and flinching as they did. Green came up beside him and knelt beside him, placing her hand on top of his body.
"What's wrong buddy? It's not going to hurt you." She assured him.
Graveler glanced up at her unsure, fidgeting with his hands.
"Go on, let it touch you I promise nothing bad will happen okay?" Green persisted, giving him a small nudge although she couldn't hope to actually move him against his will.
Graveler gulped and gingerly stuck out his hand, moving it slowly towards the lightning. A bolt whipped out, lashing at him. He cried out fearfully and rolled back, curling up into a ball. Green sighed and looked up at Machoke.
"Give him a push, he's gotta see he'll be fine." She asked.
Machoke chuckled and walked over to him, placing a foot against the back of his curled body. Machoke's leg sparked orange as he thrust it forward, sending out a rush of air in all directions as he sent Graveler rolling forward. Graveler's hands shout out from his curled body, scrambling to grasp the smooth floor but it was no use. He rolled right into the field of electricity, the bolts spat at him arching towards him to complete their circuit. However as they hit him, the streams that formed the bolts were absorbed and fizzled out to nothing. After a moment of being fine Graveler cautiously uncurled his face and feet. He held out his hand and watched as the small yellow streams fizzled out pitifully along his rocky skin, leaving no mark behind. Graveler grinned excitedly and turned to face Green.
"Graveler!" He beamed, pumping up his upper fists.
Green giggled and pointed to the rod.
"Alright now pretend that's your enemy, use your ground attack!" She commanded excitedly.
Graveler nodded and turned back around, as fast as his awkward body could. Once in position, he lifted his large, flat foot and stomped it down hard. It sparked with brown sparks and a shock wave rippled through the floor towards the rod. It tore up the tiles in its path, shattering the rod on impact. Green grimaced seeing the destroyed floor but to her relief, new tiles slid into place to replace the old ones. After a sigh of relief, she ran up to Graveler and slid to his side on her knees, giving him a hug.
"Great job buddy!" She exclaimed.
Graveler rubbed the back of his body humbly, trying not to look at Green's breasts as they pressed up against him.
"Okay now, when you're facing off against Raichu and Electrode they're going to expect that move. I want you to fake it, wait for them to jump and then use it so it hits them just as they land! Giving them no time to dodge!" Green explained enthusiastically, jumping back to her feet.
Graveler considered the more complicated command and nodded slowly as he began to understand. Green took a wide stance, standing with her feet apart. She felt her fists at her side, looking down at Graveler with a burning passion.
"Also, Raichu and Electrode will use their speed to try and hit you with normal attacks. I want you to practice making a rock barrier to block it." She added, bringing her fists down to her sides and throwing them up above her head, "like this!"
Graveler grinned, finding that much easier. His eyes burst into brown flames as a brown aura surrounded his four fists. His lower hands clapped together, making the ground shake followed up his upper hands copying Green's movements. A slab of rock shot up from the ground before them, breaking the floor again. Delighted, Green cried out happily and gave Graveler another hug.
"Amazing! Now, work on getting it out faster. If it's too pronounced they will just go around it." She added gently, making sure not to hurt his feelings with the criticism.
Graveler gave her a determined nod and as she let go of him he turned to try again. The tiles of the floor slid back into place, sheering through the rock wall and toppling it over. Green stepped back from Graveler, letting him work. She brushed off the dirt now caking her shirt and turned her attention to Mankey who was squaring off against one of the rods, making sure to keep far away from its bolts. Green crouched down and felt out her arm before letting off a loud whistle. Mankey's ears pricked up and he whipped around, scurrying over to her. He clambered up her to her shoulder and beamed at her.
"Mankey!" He exclaimed proudly.
Green prodded his snout playfully which he unhappily swatted at, making her giggle.
"Alright buddy, now I want you to work on your speed. If we have to send you out against Magneton you'll need to be able to keep up with him," Green explained slowly, not wanting to confuse him.
He seemed to understand and went to scamper off to practice but Green stopped him.
"Hold on, when you attack Magneton he's probably going to charge his metal body to zap you when you make contact. You have to wait until after it's worn off to hit him okay?" She again explained slowly, watching Mankey closely to see if he was following.
To her surprise Mankey actually stopped and thought about that for a moment, sitting down on her shoulder and off into space thoughtfully. Eventually, his face lit up and he leapt back to his feet.
"Mankey!" He proclaimed and swung down by his tail off her arm, scampering away to practice.
Green watched him with a concerned look. She knew he was the weakest link on the team for this fight. Although his smaller size made him a harder target to hit, it would most likely only take one hit to knock him out. His lack of experience didn't help that either. She glanced over at Machoke, feeling a bit comforted knowing she could rely on his strength if Mankey failed.
"Okay, your turn buddy!" She called out to him, jogging over to him.
Machoke was crouched down, watching a smaller rod curiously. The small rod barely made it up to his knee and the relatively small bolts of electricity only stung him as they lashed out as his fingers. Only leaving a small red mark behind. He lifted his head, popping the tip of his slightly burned finger into his mouth. Smiling as his spit soothed it.
"Your training is gonna be a bit harder I'm afraid," Green began hesitantly.
Machoke grinned, liking the sound of that. He whipped his finger from his mouth and flexed his arms.
"Machoke!" He exclaimed proudly.
Green gave him a small smile and gestured to the big rod in the centre of the room.
"We're gonna build your pain tolerance." She stated bluntly, not hiding her grin as the smile was wiped from Machoke's face.
He looked over at the rod, lowering his arms slowly.
"Machoke?" He asked in a smaller voice.
Green chuckled and started walking over to it. He followed slowly behind her, gazing up at the rod as it towered above him. Huge lashes of electricity flicked and whipped from the rod, cracking in the air violently. Green stood waiting for him, hands on her hips.
"You're gonna get hit at least a couple times when you're fighting and I can't heal you during an official match. Unless you think you can dodge lightning?" She asked with a smirk.
Machoke huffed and folded his arms.
"Machoke." He agreed reluctantly.
Nervously he took a few steps forward, taking long shaky breaths. Green put her hand on his forearm and gave him a warm smile.
"I'm gonna be right here okay? I've got plenty of healing fluid for you." She assured him, taking a step back and readying her hand on the pouch of potions.
Machoke took one last deep breath before shooting out his hand, turning away with his eyes shut tight. A bolt caught his hand and electricity coursed through his body with a crack. He cried out and pulled his hand away, staggering backwards unsteadily. The muscle in his knee spasmed and he fell down onto one knee. Green rushed to his side and opened her medicine pouch, readying a small orange spray bottle with a yellow top. Machoke hand and forearm were burned, lines of burned flesh shooting down up to his elbow, branching off like a tree. Green sprayed the bottle down the length of Machoke's arm and the burns quickly faded. Machoke let out a sigh as the pain disappeared and he rolled his shoulder, massaging the muscles in his arm.
"You reckon you can handle a few of those?" Green asked gingerly.
Machoke stood back up and clenched his fists grinning wildly.
"Machoke!" He roared confidently before, to Green's alarm, he stepped fully into the field on lightning.
She gasped and sprung to her feet, watching in horror as Machoke rushed through the field. His eyes burst into orange flames as sped towards the large rod in a zig-zag pattern. An orange aura began to form around his thighs and calves as huge bolts of lightning arched towards him. One missed as he zigged, but as he zagged the other hit him square in the chest. Again lighting shot through him but Machoke just let out a fearsome roar and pushed on, leaping into the air with a burst of orange essence. As he shot up into the air, more bolts stuck him, even more, powerful than before as he got closer to the rod. Still, he push through and rose above the top of the rod. He slammed both fists down on the centre of the thick beam and a large red circle flashed. The rod quickly lowered back into the ground, leaving Machoke to fall back down limp. He crashed back into the floor hard, splintering a few tiles on impact. Green rushed over to him to find surprisingly still conscious with a wild smirk. His muscles spasmed, electric sparks shooting out from his body with each spasm. He was completely paralysed, only able to move his eyes. Green quickly began to spray him all over, healing the huge streaks of burned flesh all over his body. As well as the giant burn marks where bolts had hit him.
"Dumbass, don't do that! I only have so much of this stuff it's expensive!" She scolded angrily as her heart raced in her chest, "when that bolt hit you I thought it was going to kill you!" She added, choking a bit on a sob that she forced to go away.
Machoke's eyes seemed to soften a bit, however, his smirk remained frozen in place by the paralysis.
"Good show young one!" The old man called out to Green, making his way over as fast as he could.
He waved a small yellow container above his head with his free hand, grinning under his moustache.
"Can I offer you some assistance?" He asked, huffing from what was run for him.
Marowak ran up to Machoke and prodded him with his bone, snickering as it made him spark. Green smiled and took what she now saw was a paralysis heal. She uncapped it and gently poured the bright yellow liquid onto Machoke's mouth, letting it seep through in between his teeth. The sparking began to fade and Machoke's stiff body suddenly collapsed like a ragdoll. After a few moments, his face unfroze and he gasped, shooting up into a sitting position. The old man offered Machoke a hand.
"Yes, quite a good show I must say! Lowering ol' Bessie here is no small feat!" He proclaimed with a laugh, straining as Machoke accepted his help and rose to his feet.
Green looked back at where the rod had disappeared with a confused look.
"They have names?" She asked with a laugh.
The old man nodded with a beaming smile.
"Yes, they do! Us regulars here gave them names when they were implemented back in the day. This one's Bessie but there's also Dorothy, Jemima and Annie!" He explained proudly.
His eyes widened and he bowed, tipping the round bowlers hat on his head.
"How rude of me I do apologise! My name is Dimitri, a pleasure to meet you young one." He announced in a proper voice.
Green stood up and offered out her hand, finding his extravagant personality pleasing.
"Hi Dimitri, I'm Green. Thanks for the paralysis heal." She responded sweetly.
Dimitri raised his head and shook her hand.
"No, my dear the pleasure is all mine! It's not every day you meet such a talented young person as yourself! To be challenging Surge you must be quite a ways through the gym challenge already! Very impressive, it took me 30 years to get here!" He shouted gleefully until his eyes fell onto Green's belt.
He paused, the pleasant expression on his face disappearing. Green pressed her lips together awkwardly and clutched her wrist.
"Ah, I see. My mistake then." He said in a less enthusiastic tone, "good luck to you, don't waste Surge's time." He added in a cold tone, turning on his heel and making his way back to his corner.
Machoke and Green glanced at each other awkwardly before shrugging it off and returning back to their training. The large rod rose back up from the floor and activated again, shooting large bolts of electricity. Over the next couple of hours, Green made sure to keep an eye on all her pokémon, moving between the three as they worked to give them advice and encourage their progress. Slowly but surely Green was seeing improvement from all of them. Graveler was making his rock walls faster and sending his ground attack further. Mankey had learned to harness his fighting energy, using it to both improve his speed and release a set of basic attacks. Machoke's pain tolerance and resistance to paralysis had greatly improved, he could now take three to four hits before feeling any kind of paralysis. Although he still took the same damage on his body, he had learned to push through it. When the announcement came calling Green for her battle and she had to recall them back to their balls, Green felt nothing but overwhelming confidence. As she waited in the lobby before a large, yellow door, the stares of the other trainers only made her more determined to prove them wrong. The door slid upwards and the receptionist gave her an uneasy smile, gesturing to the door.
"Good luck dear, go on through," She instructed gingerly.
Green took a deep breath and stepped through. On the other side was a small room with walls of black metal panels, across from the door Green came through was another identical door. Above which was a blank screen. A small panel on a podium emerged from the floor in the centre of the room.
"Please scan your trainer card," A robotic voice instructed from a set of speakers built into the roof.
Green pulled out her trainer card and pressed it to the panel. The panel blinked and beeped before Green's picture as well as her information appeared up on the screen. Green winced seeing that picture, a picture was taken on her 16th birthday when she had been given the card. After a short moment, the robotic voice spoke again.
"Intermediate trainer, please press ready when you would like to begin." It instructed.
The small panel flickered and displayed a green checkbox on it. Green pressed it and the door before her slid open letting in a roar of noise. Thundering stomping, cheering and chanting erupted through as the Vermilion arena was revealed to Green. Her stomach dropped, her confidence waning but she stepped through into the arena anyway. Up high on either side of her stands full of spectators lined the arena with a yellow light barrier surrounding them. Every single seat was full of rowdy fans stomping the ground, flying banners and cheering. A chant echoed through the arena.
"Surge! Surge! Surge!" They boomed.
Across from Green on the other side of the large arena was a large blonde man wearing a set of brown cargo pants, a camo tank top and pair of black sunglasses with possibly the hairiest chest Green had ever seen. He waved the crowd with a wild grin, midway through emerging into the arena too. He lifted the sunglasses onto his head and stared across the arena at Green, seeming to be sizing her up.
"Alright, folks for our last match of the day let's slow things down a bit shall we with an intermediate match?" An announcer shouted over the sound system energetically.
"Our final challenger of the night is Green Isamu from the notorious Pallet Town! With only two badges to her name she's here to face off against our brilliant gym leader for her third badge!" He continued to shout.
The mentioning of Pallet town eliciting an excited murmur from the audience. As a pair of cameras set up around the arena focused on her, Green felt a hundred pairs of eyes looking down at her. She could imagine who they were thinking of and comparing her to in their minds. Even if the announcer hadn't said it, he didn't need to. Red was all anyone thought of when Pallet town was mentioned. That or Blue. Green ignored them and pushed them into the back of her mind, instead deciding to analyse the arena as the announcer continued to prattle on. Although much taller, with bigger stands the Vermilion arena was no bigger than Pewter's or Cerulean's. However, its terrain varied drastically, jutting up out of the flat dirt floor were the same giant rods from the training room sending out powerful steams of electricity. Four were placed evenly around the arena, equally spaced from the centre and the corners. As Green was trying to adjust her plan to take them into account the announcer's voice pierced into her thoughts.
"Leader Surge, please choose your first pokémon!" He cried frantically.
Surge reached down to an elastic belt with three pokéballs canisters pegged to it. He unclipped the first ball and threw it into the air. Green held her breath, the pokémon Surge chose here would define her strategy. The ball erupted into a burst of red light, materialising Electrode onto the arena. The large ball pokémon stood nearly as tall as she did, the top half white and the bottom half red. He sported a set of beady eyes with large, sharp eyebrows as well as a huge grin of a mouth. He weaved in between the two electric rods on his side of the arena at a leisurely pace, kicking up dirt as he rolled about. The stands erupted into a thunderous chorus of cheers and stomping at his appearance.
"Challenger Isamu, please choose your first pokémon!" The announcer cried out only getting more frantic.
Green ran over her strategy one last time in her mind, letting her confidence return as she reached for Graveler's pokéball. She released him, pointing the ball out with an outstretched arm. When appeared before her he looked around with a startled expression, the huge scale of the arena making shrink back with fear. Green patted his head gently, getting him to look up at her.
"Don't worry buddy, just focus on the battle!" She had to yell as a series of boos erupted from the audience.
"It looks like this young trainer is serious folks! Will a ground type be enough to end Surge's winning streak?!" He cried manically.
The audience shouted back in response.
"No!" "No Way!" and "Go home ground type!" Were among some of the things Green could make out in the sea of unhappy yelling booming around her.
Surge's mood seemed to change too. His wild, almost carefree grin was quickly replaced by a serious analytical look. He tensed up and furrowed his brow, standing tall with his hands clutched tightly. Green stepped back from the arena to her allotted area and waited for the siren to sound. The familiar yellow hexagons formed before her and Surge, forming a light barrier. Once the barrier had formed completely they dissipated, leaving only a clear shimmer in the air.
"Alright! Are both pokémon ready?!" The announcer shouted.
Electrode skidded to a halt before Surge and nodded his body, looking up at the stands with a wild smirk. Graveler looked back at Green nervously before giving a slow, small nod.
"Are both trainers ready!?" The announcer shouted again.
Surge plucked his sunglasses from his head and tucked them into his belt before crossing his arms. He stared at Graveler intently, giving a stiff nod.
"Ready!" He boomed with a gruff voice.
Green gave a thumbs up with a confident smile.
"Ready!" She agreed.
Above them, fours screens suspended above the centre of the arena by steel supports showed camera feeds showing both Green and Surge. Graphic overlays displayed their names, area of origin and three pokéball symbols. The first pokéball symbol had a little avatar of their respective pokémon on it, while the other two remained blank.
"Round one, begin!" The announcer cried, followed by a blaring siren.
Before Green or Graveler could even begin to move, in the blink of an eye Electrode was slamming into Graveler. He glowed with a powerful, white glow, white sparks shooting off his body as he sent Graveler skidding back across the dirt. A fraction of a second after the impact, the sonic boom created by Electrode reached Green's ears. It erupted with a thunderous roar, sending out a shock wave where Electrode had been that kicked up the dirt into a brown cloud. Electrode bounced off Graveler and sped away, weaving through the electric rods. Streams of electricity connected to him, as if to charge him. While the impact was devastatingly fast, Green noticed that she had been correct about Graveler. The attack had left little damage behind, only chipping a small bit of rock from his body. However, it had frightened Graveler so much that when he regained his footing he had completely forgotten about their plan and stomped the ground immediately, sending out a rather pitiful ground attack. Although it send a shock wave towards Electrode, he easily hopped over it and landed facing Graveler from across the arena.
"Brace Graveler! Concentrate!" Green yelled out over the triumphant roar of the audience.
Still clearly panicked, Graveler did as she said and crossed both pairs of arms, curling up slightly as Electrode again shot across the arena in a blink. Another boom roared out as Electrode slammed into Graveler again. Again, he bounced off and sped away between the rods. This time Graveler readied his attack with a calmed, calculated look, following Electrode closely with his eyes. Surge spotted Graveler raising his foot off the ground.
"Jump!" He called out, his voice booming over the wild audience.
Electrode hopped up again but just as they had planned, Graveler kept his foot raised in the air, watching Electorode's arc to time his attack perfectly. Surge's eyes widened with an alarmed look as he realised what was happening but it was too late. Graveler stomped the ground, sending brown sparks flying on impact. The ground split and shattered as the powerful shock wave shot through the ground at a blistering pace. With perfect timing, the shock wave passed right through where Electrode landed and sent Electrode flying through the air with a pained cry. He slammed into the light barrier before Surge and fell to the ground, stunned by pain. The audience sent boos and unhappy shouts hurtling down at Green but she didn't care. She was too distracted by the feeling of butterflies in her stomach as Surge gave her an impressed smirk, raising an eyebrow at her. A huge grin spread across her face as that small acknowledgement made her head spin.
"Use your rock wall to throw him into the air!" Green yelled to Graveler with a giddy laugh.
Graveler slammed his lower fists together, grinning madly as his eyes burst into brown flames. A brown aura surrounded all four of his hands as he flung his upper fists up above his head and then pulled them back. A slab of rock erupted from the ground violently on an angle, sending Electrode, still stunned by the attack flying through the air back towards Graveler.
"Ground attack!" Green commanded, her voice carrying clearly as the crowd watched the combo in stunned silence.
Graveler stomped the ground sending another shock wave tearing through the arena floor, leaving a trail of shredded earth behind. Electrode failed in the air, firing off desperate bolts of lightning but it was no use. Again, the attack hit him just as he landed and slammed him again the side barrier. He bounced off and skidded across the arena floor unconscious. The siren blared followed by another series of booing and yelling.
"What a surprise! It looks like this newbie is no jokes folks! Round one goes to Green Isamu of Pallet Town!" The announcer yelled out, doing little to quell the chorus of boos.
Green saw Surge twinge uncomfortably at the way the audience was acting, doing his best not to look up at them as they did. The high Green felt however was too intense to let her be concerned by any of it. She crouched down before the light barrier and pressed her hand against it, beaming happily at Graveler.
"Great job buddy! Rest up now!" She called out, readying his pokéball in her hand.
Above them on the screens the pokéball with a small image of electrode greyed out and a small score displaying, "1 – 0" appeared between Green's and Surge's overlays.
"Leader Surge, please choose your next pokémon!" The announcer instructed.
Surge tossed out his next pokéball, releasing Magneton into the arena. The audience began making a thundering ruckus again. His body was made up of what appeared to be three Magnetites fused together, each metal ball having its own eye and set of magnets that moved independently of one another. They floated a few feet above the air, their three eyes lasered in on Graveler. A rapid beeping, similar to chirping rattled out from the pokémon as they quickly darted back and forth in the air, analysing Graveler from each side.
"Would the challenger like to change pokémon?" The announcer asked.
Green nodded and held out Graveler's pokéball, hitting him with the beam and returning him. The audience hushed with quiet anticipation as she did, their eyes focused on her intently as she reached for Machoke's ball. When she released him into the arena there was a mixed reaction, some booed and jeered again while others loudly chatted excitedly. Machoke stretched his arms, limbering up his muscles. The arena was a mess with scars running along from where Graveler had split the ground. Chunks of rock lay scattered along with the scars, large and small. Behind Magneton the rock wall still jutted out on a diagonal, cracks running out from its base.
"Use those chunks, you're gonna struggle to get close those are your only options for ranged attacks," Green told him as quietly as she could without being drowned out, hoping Surge didn't hear.
Machoke nodded and slammed his fist into his palm, creating a small shock wave that made the light screen light up. He began walking out into the arena, eyeing down Magneton with a fearsome stare. Magenton buzzed unhappily when Graveler was removed, having to start its analysis all over again. Again, they buzzed around with their three eyes lasered in on Machoke this time.
"Are both pokémon ready?!" The announcer called out frantically.
Magneton buzzed and whirred its three orbs around.
"M-M-Magneton! Magneton!" They cried out in a rapid, robotic drone.
Machoke stomped the ground and pulled his fists down to his side.
"Machoke!" He roared, stomping the ground again and cracking the earth.
The audience cheered excitedly, stomping and hollering both pokémon's names. Green cracked a small smile and shot a quick glance up at the stands. She could see a few pairs of eyes staring at her and she liked to imagine they were supporting her. Although from this distance she couldn't tell. Surge seemed pleased with her choice of pokémon too, gazing at Machoke with a wild grin. He slammed his fists against his head and yelled out madly.
"Enough with the formalities! Let's do this!" He yelled, getting a roaring ovation from the audience.
Again they began to chant his name, stomping in unison with each chant. Green laughed and gave the announcer a nod and thumbs up.
"Okay then! Looks like Surge is raring to go! Round 2 begin!" The announcer boomed.
"Don't give him any time! Tri Attack now!" Surge yelled immediately.
Magenton zipped back far out of Machoke's range in a blink before charging all three of their eyes. Three powerful beams erupted with a shower of white, silver and yellow sparks. Beams of Steel, Electric and Normal energy fired at Machoke with a boom like a clap of thunder. All Machoke could do was raise his arms and brace as he was hit by the attack. The powerful lasers singed his forearms and made him slide back across the ground. He cried out in pain, gritting as he waited out the attack. It only lasted for a moment before fizzling out but still, it left awful burns across Machoke's arms. Machoke however pushed through the pain and immediately leapt into action, making a dash for the chunks of rocks. Magenton pursued him, the top of three Magneton balls had its eye closed and was pulsing white. Magneton flipped over so it was underneath the two active balls and zipped after Machoke, firing short thin beams of electricity at him. They struck him in the back but did little more than sting, leaving only small red marks behind. Machoke grabbed a large chunk of rock and poised to throw it, an aura of orange flame igniting around his arm as he did.
"Aim where they're going nowhere they are!" Green cried out.
Machoke grinned and shot the chunk of rock through the air, just like Green predicted Magneton zipped to the side. Fortunately, Machoke had predicted correctly and the large rock struck Magenton on its charging eye. The eye flickered awake just before being hit, crying out in a high pith buzz before being struck again. The hit dazed the top eye and sent the whole trio spinning out of control. Machoke rushed forward, his eyes and legs bursting into orange flames as he dashed at great speed towards them. He leapt into the air with a powerful boom, the force of his jump making a ring of orange flame shoot out across the ground. Machoke pulled back his fist and punched Magneton hard in the same eye again, creating another orange ring that exploded with a thunderous crash. Magneton's eye flew back away from the other two, thin streams of electricity reaching out to keep it connected to the main body. The other two eyes were unaffected by the impact and narrowed at Machoke angrily.
"Magneton!" They screeched as he landed on the ground.
Two huge bolts of electricity were blasted at him, hitting Machoke squarely between the shoulder blades. The third eye stopped suddenly in mid-air and was pulled back to the main body, snapping into place unconscious. Machoke cried out and fell to his knees as the two remaining orbs blasted him with continuous streams of electricity. Now on his hands and knees, Machoke grasped at the dirt, gritting as he tried to fight through the pain to stand. Green knew it was no good however and raised her arms in a cross above her head. The siren sounded and a chorus of boos followed.
"The challenger has used their one and only timeout this round! Is Magenton too much for her?! How will she overcome their hidden strength and knock out all three heads?!" The announcer cried.
Green quickly recalled Machoke with a pained look and gave his ball a small kiss.
"Sorry buddy, rest up we still need your strength." She whispered before clipping his ball back to her belt.
Magneton floated about the arena with their unconscious head hanging limp below them, its magnets hanging limp. Surge watched Green with an intrigued look, no longer with his arms crossed. Instead, he was standing as close as he could to the light barrier, that wild grin still plastered on his face.
"Challenger, you may enter another pokémon! However, as soon as this pokémon enters the arena the battle will resume and you may not switch it out again! You have three minutes, starting now!" The announcer explained, still booming frantically.
On the above head screens, a countdown timer appeared on each one, counting down from three minutes. Green released Mankey onto her arm. He looked around excitedly, locking eyes with Magneton and poised to jump off into the arena. Green snapped her fingers above his head.
"Hold on wait a second buddy," she instructed calmly.
He stopped and turned to face her, his ears twitching rapidly as they followed the gentle hum Magenton made while floating.
"We're in a tight spot buddy, it's up to you to knock out both of Magneton's reaming heads." Green began explaining slowly.
"Now when you get out there take a handful of dirt, use that when you get close to stopping him from attacking. You'll need to watch where he's aiming to dodge his attacks so you can get close though, move at the last second alright? Can you do that?" She asked hopefully, a small lingering sense of doubt hanging over her.
Mankey blinked at her blankly before grinning excitedly.
"Mankey!" He exclaimed and hopped from foot to foot.
Green gave a small, unsteady smile and looked back at Magenton.
"When you jump for him," She added slowly, "he will try and dodge it, jump where he's moving not where he is alright?"
Mankey continued hopping.
"Mankey! Mankey! Mankey!" He sang happily.
Before Green could make sure he understood the siren blared, her three minutes were up. Reluctantly, she gave Mankey a toss into the arena. He leapt from her arm with an excited cry, landing on all fours before gazing up at Magneton with an awestruck look. Mankey's entrance didn't get much of a reaction from the audience, Green heard a few people laughing and a couple who thought he was cute but apart from them the audience was quiet as they waited for round to start.
"Round 2 begin!" The announcer cried.
Both pokémon sprung into action immediately. Mankey scraped up a handful of dirt from the arena floor. In the same, smooth motion he began his charge at Magenton. Magneton zipped back, the defeated head flopping limply. The active heads charged electric attacks, glowing yellow. One yellow beam fired but Mankey had been watching and ducked out of the way. Another was sent at him and he rolled forward. It singed his fur but made no real contact. Mankey's small skinny legs began to spark orange as he dashed quickly towards Magneton. Magneton retreated back near one of the electric rods, letting the bolts arc to him. Their metal body let the current easily flow through them and in a couple seconds were charged up again. They fired two more beams before retreating back again away from Mankey. Mankey dodged both, nimbly hopping out of the way. Although Mankey was quick, Magneton was quicker and was able to keep out of Mankey's range. Always zipping back as they fired their beams. Mankey was able to dodge but Green knew it was only a matter of time.
"Use your fighting energy Mankey! Go faster!" Green cried out.
Mankey let out a frustrated cry and pounded his feet against the ground harder. The sparks became more and more intense. Until a thin orange flame erupted around Mankey's feet and ankles. Each step sent out a small burst of orange essence. Mankey sped up dramatically, able to both keep pace with Magneton and convincingly dodge his attacks.
"Keep at it Magenton! Faster! You just need one hit!" Surge yelled as the crowd began to roar.
Magenton narrowed their two eyes and got faster, firing beams more frequently. Mankey was able to keep up, however, matching their speed. Then going beyond it. The orange essence around his feet was growing more intense as he sped up, flaring and spewing sparks. After dodging another beam of electricity Mankey finally made his move and readied to jump. Green held her breath, hoping he had been listening. Mankey bent his legs. Magneton saw and dodged to the side. Mankey smirked and jumped at an angle, matching Magneton's airspeed and throwing the dirt into their eyes. The attack they had been charging fizzled out as they shut their eyes and Mankey clocked the left head with an empowered kick. The impact rang like a bell and a small orange ring shot out around Mankey's foot. Green pumped her fist triumphantly.
"Yes!" She exclaimed.
Surge however didn't seem deterred as he continued to watch with a devilish smirk. While the left head Mankey hit had been knocked out, the right one was able to regain control of the body. It whipped the body around rapidly and whacked Mankey from behind as he sailed past. The hit did little damage but knocked Mankey off balance. Magenton quickly charged up a thunderbolt and zapped Mankey in midair. Mankey was sent flying and slammed brutally into the light barrier to the side. He fell to the ground, sparking yellow and twitching. The siren sounded immediately.
"Mankey is unable to battle! Magenton wins round 2 for Leader Lieutenant Surge!" The announcer exclaimed in a frenzy.
Green took a deep breath, tuning out the excited cheers of the crowd as she tried not to panic. She returned Mankey and clutched her trembling wrist. Surge was watching her, she could see his curious gaze from behind the hair that hung over her face. She brushed it aside and stood tall, showing a brave face as she returned Mankey's ball to her belt. He grinned back at her and for a moment the two of them shared a private moment, one in which Green felt as if mutual respect had been formed. At least she hoped it had. Green unclipped Machoke's pokéball and released him without hesitation into the arena. Above them the pokéball on Green's overlay with the sprite of Mankey greyed out, leaving only Machoke's and Graveler's. Machoke's was pulsing yellow, as was Magneton's. Green stared up at the screens, at Surge's remaining blank pokéball. She furrowed her brow into a determined look and clenched her fists.
"Just one left Machoke, you've got this!" She cried out.
Machoke glanced over his shoulder at her and grinned. He clenched both his fists and readied himself for the battle to begin. His body was badly burnt, patches of raw, crisp flesh all over his back and arms. Lines of burns ran across his body from these patches like the branches of trees. Magneton hovered across him, the remaining head clearly having to work hard to support the other limp two. Their eye sparked as they stared down Machoke, matching his furious glare.
"Both pokémon are on the ropes! This one will be a nail, bitter folks!" The announcer cried, "Is everyone ready?!"
Both Magenton and Machoke gave short stiff nods, not breaking eye contact for a second. Surge pounded his chest with one fist.
"Hell yeah!" He called.
Green couldn't help but match his energy.
"We're ready!" She yelled back, making Surge smirk even harder.
The crowd was thrown into a frenzy of excited cheering, stomping and hollering.
"Okay then! Round 3 begin!" The announcer shouted.
Machoke wasted no time and went for a chunk of rock. Magenton responded quickly and blasted the chunk before he could grab it, using a beam of silver steel energy. They continued, unleashing a wide beam across the ground. Machoke was forced back, retreating out of its path.
"Keep up the pressure!" Surge yelled encouragingly.
Magenton obliterated all the chunks of rock created by the schism in the ground, leaving Machoke no available chunks near him. Machoke considered the others scars in the ground but shook his head. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Magneton began recharging. His eyes opened suddenly, erupting with powerful orange flames that flared wildly above his head. He began charging towards Magneton who in turn tried to speed away. However, the effort of supporting his two unconscious heads slowed him down and Machoke despite his injured state was able to keep up. Seeing that Machoke was gaining Magneton charged a thunderbolt and blasted it at Machoke. Machoke made no effort to dodge, letting the bolt struck him in the chest. The crowd roared as Machoke didn't stop, charging towards Magenton even as he increased the power of the bolt. Machoke grabbed one of the unconscious heads which sent electricity coursing through him from an additional source now. Still, he fought through the additional power, raised Magenton up above his head. Orange flame engulfed not only his arm but his shoulder and pectoral muscle as he slammed Magenton down into the dirt. The impact, with a loud crash, sent a puff of dirt up around them which nearly reached the screen high above. The sound of Machoke stomping could be heard from within the thick cloud, each stomp accompanied by a boom and a roar. Eventually, Machoke staggered out of the cloud and dropped to his knees with a victorious grin on his face. The cloud cleared behind him and Magenton lay buried in a small crater completely knocked out. The siren sounded off, followed by a few cheers but mostly a loud chorus of boos.
"Amazing! That Machoke has some insane resolve! He takes round 3 for challenger Green Isamu!" The announcer screamed in an absolute state of mania.
Green wished she could share his enthusiasm but as she watched Machoke stagger up to the light barrier, she knew that his time in this fight was over. It would be a one on one against Surge's strongest pokémon. Victory was anything but certain. However, as she went to return Machoke to his ball he placed a hand on the light barrier. He knelt before her with a pleading look.
"Machoke," He whispered in a raspy voice.
Green frowned down at him, their eyes almost level.
"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly, placing her hand in the same place as his.
Machoke sighed, took a deep breath and stood with a wild grin. He beamed down at her and clenched his fists.
"Machoke!" He exclaimed, confident as ever.
Although he appeared strong, Green could see the tremble in his legs. Reluctantly, she lowered her ball.
"He'll knock you out, it'll hurt." She warned him.
Machoke shrugged and turned back to face Surge, raising a fist above his head as he walked away from the barrier. The crowd cheered at his return and Green couldn't help but feel a twang of pride.
"Leader Surge, please select your final pokémon!" The announcer shouted, even louder than usual to be heard of the deafening roar of the crowd.
"Raichu! Raichu! Raichu!" They chanted, stomping their feet.
Surge for the first time acknowledged the crowd and help up Raichu's ball to them. They erupted in somehow even louder cheering, their stomping sending small tremors out into the arena. Surge threw out the ball and Raichu appeared in a flash of red light. A bigger version of Pikachu, Raichu was orange with brown paws and ears. His tail was a long, thin brown chord with a large lighting bolt-shaped end. It swooshed above his head, hovering above his large pointed ears. Two yellow patches sparked furiously on his cheeks, shooting out small bolts of lighting like whiskers.
"Are we all ready?!" The announcer cried.
Raichu sparked his cheeks and grinned cockily at Machoke.
"Chu!" He exclaimed.
Machoke, through laboured breaths, slammed his fists together and nodded. He opened his legs and took a wide stance, watching Raichu closely.
"Ready!" Green cried out, keeping Machoke's ball at the ready.
Surge raised a fist into the air.
"Ready!" He shouted, getting a roar of cheers in response.
"Okay then! Round 4 begin!" The announcer shouted.
The siren sounded and Raichu sprung into action immediately.
"Use Volt Tackle, Raichu!" Surge commanded.
Raichu darted to the side towards an electric rod in a flash, his four paws propelling him like a bullet. He passed through the field of electricity, letting the streams connect to his body. His fur sparked as it became charged. Machoke followed him with his eyes, not moving from his stance. In an instant, Raichu was on one side of the arena and then he was on the other crashing into Machoke with a burst of electricity. The crack of the sonic boomed followed, as well as the boom of Raichu's impact into Machoke's chest. Machoke was sent flying, a scorch mark left behind on his chest. However, he wasn't taking that hit for free. As Raichu bounced off his chest Machoke grasped him, taking him with him as they flew backwards. They crashed into the ground, skidding along with the dirt and kicking up a cloud of dust behind them. A moment of stillness followed before the silence was interrupted by Machoke roaring and a huge bang. An orange glow shone through the cloud and Raichu came hurtling through the air out of the cloud. He tried to land on his feet by the force of the impact knocked him off his feet and he skidded to a halt on his side. There was a stunned silence amongst the audience, a hundred eyes focused on the cloud of dust. Machoke staggered out of the cloud yelling wildly, he swung blindly at the air, tripping over his own feet.
"MA- choke…" He cried defiantly before collapsing to the ground unconscious.
The crowd erupted into cheers, chanting Raichu's name. Raichu breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his tense body. He winced and held one paw off the ground as he awaited his final opponent. Green didn't even wait for the siren to sound before returning Machoke, hitting him the beam as soon as he hit the ground. The siren sounded anyway, getting another chorus of cheers and stomping.
"A clear win for Raichu! But what difference will that injury make?!" The announcer cried with disbelief, "Raichu takes Round 4 for Leader Surge!"
Green clutched Graveler's ball in both hands and held it to her forehead.
"He did it, buddy, he weakened him just like we planned. You've got this," She whispered.
She took a deep breath, wound back her arm and threw out Graveler's ball. The ball burst with a flash of red light, releasing Graveler into the arena. When he saw Raichu standing before him, Graveler couldn't help but grin. He slammed both sets of hands together, sending small fragments of rock flying off. Raichu narrowed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Chu…" He murmured, swishing his tail above his head.
The announcer laughed.
"I'll take it both pokémon are ready! Trainers?!" He asked, jumping out of his chair in his booth.
Both Green and Surge smirked and shouted their response.
"Ready!" They yelled together.
"Okay then! Round 5, the final deciding round, begin!" The announcer yelled to a fanfare of ecstatic cheering.
Green was ready for a hard-fought fight, she readied herself for Raichu's opening move, preparing herself for Graveler's response. Would it be fast enough? Can Raichu dodge it in the air? It didn't matter. Raichu blinked across the arena like usual, this time stopping short of Graveler and not making contact. Thrown off, Graveler stared blankly at Raichu as he hoped up and somersaulted. His tail flashed silver before becoming solid steel. Graveler raised his arms just in time to block. It didn't matter. Raichu's iron tail cleaved through Graveler's arms like butter, slamming down clean onto Graveler's head. It cracked the stone skin, slicing into the flesh underneath. Graveler cried out and fell back in agony, all four arms had been sliced through the forearm and a huge bleeding gash was left in his head. The siren sounded. Green fell to her knees. Her body moved by itself, returning the maimed Graveler to his pokéball. A hot tight cramp squeezed Green's chest. She looked up and on the screen flashed.
"Leader Victory!"