Looking to win his third Gym Badge, Brayden challenged Lt. Surge, Vermilion City's Electric-type expert. As their battle reached its climax, however, Team Rocket launched a vicious attack on the luxury cruise liner, S.S. Anne! With help from his new friend, Trace, as well as Surge, Brayden was able to defeat Executive Ariana and rescue all the Pokémon and valuables on board the vessel. Now, as the sun sets on Vermilion City, the Gym Battle resumes…
From the bleachers, Trace watched Brayden and Mankey resume their positions on the Gym battlefield.
Even though he was sure Brayden and Mankey could find a way to win, he was still concerned for them.
When Trace and Charmeleon had come to his rescue back on the S.S. Anne, Surge's Raichu unleashed an electric attack so powerful, the Grunts became completely paralyzed. That made them easy to capture, but it also made Trace afraid to challenge Surge again.
"Brayden…Mankey…Surge's Raichu is even stronger than we thought. Watch out." Trace said under his breath.
Charmeleon watched nervously, dreading the moment when Surge decided to use the attack.
Pikachu, however, was completely focused on Mankey. He wanted to see his new rival defeat the Pokémon that he himself had lost to.
As Brayden and Surge stared each other down, the intensity in the air from earlier seemed to return.
"Kid… no, Brayden," Surge said.
"You know what we're here to do, so there's no need for further small talk. Just fight us. Use every tactic you can think of to defeat us."
Raichu's cheeks glowed, and electricity sparked from them.
Brayden simply nodded.
Mankey was surprisingly silent. All he did was assume his battle stance, standing on the tips of his toes and holding his paws over his head.
Trace was impressed. Brayden and Mankey didn't seem the slightest bit afraid.
"I wish I could be that brave." he thought wistfully.
The judge, Tucker, noted Trace's self pity, then stood up and ordered for the battle to continue.
"We'll attack first!" Brayden shouted. "Mankey, Karate Chop!"
With a determined shout, Mankey dashed towards Raichu like a rocket. After a mighty leap, he careened down to strike Raichu with his paw.
"Raichu, Reflect!" Surge ordered as he and Raichu watched Mankey fall.
Raichu spread out its arms, and a rainbow colored barrier surrounded Raichu's entire body. Mankey's attack landed as he struck Raichu right on top of its head, but Raichu simply smirked.
Brayden groaned in annoyance. "Reflect cuts the damage taken from physical moves in half! Now our attacks will barely scratch Raichu!"
"Like I said, Pokémon battles are like war," Surge said calmly. "The first thing I do when under fire in my own territory is shore up my defenses! With the proper armor, I can take the punishment of the enemy and dish out damage the way I know best! Raichu, Thunder Punch!"
Mankey attempted to dodge Raichu's electrified fist, but was blindsided by the Mouse Pokémon's speed and got slugged.
Mankey was knocked down, but the Fighting-type rubbed his cheek and got right back up, still raring to go.
"It'll be a while before that Reflect wears off, so all we can do for now is slow Raichu down!" Brayden thought.
"Use Rock Tomb!" Brayden ordered.
Boulders materialized above Mankey, and he thrust them towards Raichu.
"Raichu, Brick Break!" Surge shouted.
Raichu's hands glowed, and with several slashing motions he shattered the rocks effortlessly.
"We won't be outsmarted by such moves! Fight us head on!" Surge insisted.
Before Brayden could say anything, steam shot out of Mankey's snout, and he activated Rage again.
Knowing what had happened the last time Mankey used Rage without being told to, Brayden felt uneasy, but the strength boost could prove helpful if applied correctly.
"Okay, Mankey. Let's give Surge and Raichu what they want! Get up close and use Karate Chop over and over!" Brayden exclaimed.
"MAN KEY!" the Fighting-type screamed as he took off.
"Get in there, Raichu! Back to back Thunder Punches!" Surge shouted excitedly.
"RAI RAI!"
The Electric-type lunged for Mankey, and they met near the center of the field.
The two Pokémon began trading blows with one another. With each strike, Raichu's grin grew wider and Mankey's Rage intensified.
But because of Reflect, Raichu was taking far less damage than Mankey.
"We can't keep this up much longer! Come on, Mankey, get a critical hit!" Brayden thought.
A critical hit would not only deal double damage, but bypass Reflect as well. However, critical hits are usually difficult to land, even with attacks with heightened crit ratios like Karate Chop.
Fortunately for Brayden, Mankey was determined to prove he didn't need to get one to win.
"MANKEY!" the Fighting-type screamed ferociously.
Rage reached its maximum power, and Mankey unleashed a chop that was incredibly fast. When it struck Raichu, the Reflect barrier shattered into pieces.
"Awesome job, Mankey!" Brayden exclaimed.
Surge smiled proudly. Apparently he was happy that Mankey broke Reflect.
"So your Mankey learned Brick Break. Good! Guess it's about time to go for broke!"
Trace gasped was he heard Surge say that.
"Uh oh. Is he about to use that attack?!" he wondered.
Trace didn't need to wait to find out.
Without waiting for a command, Raichu began charging up electricity in his hands.
Brayden could sense a powerful attack was about to be unleashed.
"Be ready, Mankey!" he told the Fighting-type.
Mankey nodded.
"HAAAAAA!" Surge bellowed as he flexed his arms.
"Raichu, show them the power of your ZAP CANNON!"
"RAI-CHU!" the Mouse Pokémon shouted as he launched a large orb of electric energy directly at Mankey.
"Oh no!" Trace panicked.
Charmeleon flailed his arms in distress.
Brayden and Mankey were caught completely off guard by the speed of the attack.
"Get out of the way!" Brayden shouted to Mankey.
The Pig Monkey jumped to the side with all his might, but the Zap Cannon still managed to graze his tail, dealing him damage and causing the tail to freeze up, completely paralyzed.
"What? But it barely touched Mankey!" Brayden said, confused.
"That's what Zap Cannon does, Brayden! It paralyzes on contact!" Trace called out to him. "I watched Surge use it to stop all those Team Rocket Grunts!"
Now Brayden knew he was in trouble. Mankey wasn't fast enough to dodge Zap Cannon, and Rock Tomb was made ineffective by Raichu's Brick Break. If he didn't find a way to guard against that attack, they would lose for sure.
Surge chuckled.
"Heh heh heh! You dodged it! Good! But you still have to find a way to beat us before we beat you! Raichu, combine Zap Cannon with Thunder Punch!"
Another orb of electricity was generated, but this time Raichu punched it with his electrified fist, launching it at Mankey at even greater velocity.
Mankey didn't even get the chance to jump out of the way this time, and to Brayden's horror the massive orb cleanly connected with its target.
Mankey screamed with both intense pain and anger as the electricity surged throughout his body, before leaving him utterly paralyzed where he stood.
"What do we do?! If Mankey takes another hit from Zap Cannon, it's over!" Brayden agonized.
Trace felt utter hopelessness as he watched Brayden try desperately to think of a way to turn the battle around.
"If Brayden can't beat Lt. Surge, how could I ever hope to do so?" he whispered sadly.
Trace suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Tucker staring at him earnestly.
"I wouldn't lose faith in your friend just yet. In fact, he already has what he needs to win. The only questions remaining are if he will realize it, and if he will make the most of it if he does." the Gentleman said.
Trace was unsure of what the elderly man was talking about, but he felt a bit more at ease.
"You can do it, Brayden."
"Ready, Brayden?" Surge asked.
"Here comes our last attack! Can you beat us?!"
Raichu was breathing heavily, but was smiling proudly. Even though the previous attacks had drained him, he was fully willing to use Zap Cannon one more time if it meant winning.
Brayden took note of Raichu's exhaustion, and saw a potential opportunity for a winning blow.
"If we can avoid this next attack, and somehow break though the paralysis, we can win with Mega Kick. But I only have one idea for how we can do it. This is our last chance. It HAS to work!" he thought.
"This is it! Raichu, Zap Cannon, full power!" Surge exclaimed.
Though exhausted, Raichu grinned as he generated an even larger ball of electricity, then, with the last of his strength, hurled it right at the motionless Mankey.
"NO! Mankey!" Trace cried out in distress.
Charmeleon covered his eyes with his hands in fear.
Pikachu refused to believe that Mankey could lose, and yelled out to him in anger:
"PIKA! PIKACHU!"
Moments later, the Zap Cannon exploded, and smoke surrounded Brayden and Mankey.
Raichu sat down, completely exhausted, but satisfied. He grinned arrogantly at Pikachu, certain that he was victorious.
Surge crouched down at have Raichu a high-five.
"Good work as always, soldier!" he said.
But as the smoke cleared, it became clear that the battle could not be declared over just yet. Mankey had vanished. In his place was a Rock Tomb.
"Mankey, can you still battle?!" Brayden called out.
A muffled shout was heard.
To Trace's delight and Surge and Raichu's utter disbelief, Mankey emerged from within the boulders, completely unharmed!
"YES!" Brayden shouted triumphantly.
"Now, finish this with Mega Kick!"
Mankey screamed again, and, heedless of his paralysis, broke into a frenzied run and rocketed towards Raichu foot-first.
Surge knew there was nothing he could do to stop the incoming assault. The Lightning Soldier simply shut his eyes and smiled, thinking to himself:
"Brock, Misty… you were right about him all along."
Mankey's foot finally struck Raichu in the face, dragging the Electric-type across the floor before hitting the wall and coming to an immediate halt. Raichu lay there in a daze while Mankey stood atop the former's stomach, showboating.
Tucker nodded, then stood up.
"Raichu is unable to battle! Therefore, the match goes to the challenger, Brayden!" he declared.
"YEAH! We won! Mankey, you were awesome!" Brayden exclaimed.
Mankey was too focused on relishing his victory to hear Brayden's compliment.
Trace and Charmeleon sighed in relief.
"Phew! That was too close. But Brayden won! He really is an awesome Trainer!" Trace said.
Minutes later…
"Brayden, that was definitely one of the best battles I've ever taken part in! You've definitely earned the Thunder Badge and Thunderbolt TM." Surge said as he handed both to Brayden.
Brayden gratefully accepted his prizes and held the badge skyward.
"Yes! We got our third badge! The Thunder Badge!" he shouted.
Mankey jumped on top of Brayden's head and continued boasting, while Oddish simply danced around happily.
Trace was glad to see this, but he still needed to know some things.
"Why didn't Zap Cannon pierce Mankey's Rock Tomb?" he asked.
"Simple. Electricity has a tough time passing through stone." Surge explained.
"That's precisely why I told you Brayden already had the means of getting the victory." Tucker said to Trace.
"Did you know that would work, by any chance?" the Gentleman asked Brayden.
Brayden shook his head.
"Not really. It was the only thing that seemed likely to work. And considering how big that last attack was, I honestly didn't think it would," Brayden admitted.
He turned to Mankey, who had leapt off his head and had finally calmed down from all the excitement, and added, "But I knew Mankey would pull through if we managed to block it."
Mankey nodded enthusiastically, though he looked somewhat offended, as if he knew all along it would work and was annoyed Brayden had ever doubted.
Brayden noticed Mankey's slight discontent, but decided to ignore it.
"Well, I better head back to the Pokémon Center. It's getting late, and I need all the rest I can get after all that happened today!" Brayden said as he turned to leave.
But he had only walked a few steps before Surge ran up and blocked him.
"Wait a second! I need to tell you something important. About me and Team Rocket—" he began, but was cut off by Brayden.
"I know. You aren't one of them," Brayden said matter-of-factly.
"I began to doubt my accusation during the battle on the S.S. Anne, and when you protected Pikachu and Wartortle from Ariana I knew that I was wrong. I'm sorry." Brayden apologized.
Surge shook his head.
"No, I should be the one to apologize. You wouldn't have accused me in the first place if I had simply explained why I compare battles to war. See, it's just an analogy I picked up from my time in the army. I would NEVER consider Pokémon weapons or tools of war. In fact, my Electric-type Pokémon saved my life countless times back then."
Tucker cleared his throat.
"I can vouch for him. You see, I served in the same army. He and his Pokémon are the reason I stand before you today. I know Lt. Surge may seem rather, er, abrasive at times, but he truly is a fine man. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he was invaluable to your triumph over those uncouth criminals earlier." he explained carefully.
Brayden and Trace were stunned by this story, but they both smiled in understanding.
"Wow, that's so cool! No wonder you're this Gym's Judge!" Trace said in awe.
"Well, that argument doesn't matter anymore anyway. So don't worry about it, Surge. Let's battle again someday!" Brayden grinned.
"I'd love to! But don't expect to win next time!" Surge said as he gave Brayden a high-five.
Brayden then turned to Trace and shook his hand.
"Guess it's goodbye for now, Trace. But we're rivals now, so I'm sure we'll meet again. Let's battle when that happens, okay?" he said.
"Um, yeah! Will do!" Trace said.
Pikachu walked up to Mankey, and they bumped fists.
"Pikachu. Pika pika, Pikachu!"
("Okay, you're stronger for now. But next time, I'm going to beat you!") Pikachu said.
"Mankey Man!"
("Just get stronger, then I'll fight you again!") Mankey replied.
Charmeleon gave Wartortle a friendly goodbye hug.
Trace watched his new friend walk away, feeling disappointed for some reason.
After he had finished closing the Gym for the night, Surge walked over to him.
"Well, you better head home too. I'd be glad to accept another challenge from you sometime as well! See ya!"
Surge walked away, and Charmeleon waved him goodbye. Trace said nothing. He was thinking about what he should do next, so that he could be as good a Trainer as Brayden.
"Is something troubling you, young man?" he heard.
Trace looked up and saw that Tucker was still there. He had a look of genuine concern on his elderly face.
"Uhhh…"
Trace wasn't quite sure what to say. But after thinking about it, he had an answer.
"I want to become a better Trainer! But I don't know how to do it by myself…"
Tucker chuckled.
"Is that so? Well then, I'd suggest you stick with your friend. Who knows? You just might learn from each other."
Trace's expression brightened.
"You really think so?!" he asked.
Tucker simply smiled and nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Charmeleon, Pikachu, if we hurry we can invite Brayden to our house for dinner!" Trace shouted as he ran after his friend. Charmeleon and Pikachu happily followed him.
Tucker watched them go, confident that he had been helpful to Trace.
"Traveling with friends is an invigorating experience. Good luck to you both."
Brayden has obtained his third Gym Badge, and his new friend Trace has joined him! More exciting adventures to come, as Pokémon Brayden FireRed Prologue continues!
Next Chapter: How Trace met Pikachu, Brayden's fifth capture, and…the return of Blue?!