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A NEW JOURNEY 2: THE FALL
Tera stepped into the clearing where A.J. was supposed to meet her. True to his word, he was still there, and since dawn had not quite broken, he was predictably fast asleep. She moved in closer until she was standing over him and half yelled, "C'mon A.J.! Rise and shine! Time to get moving!"
Suddenly, something clamped down hard on her ankle and pulled it out from under her. With a startled cry, she fell backwards, catching a glimpse of A.J.'s face, wide awake and grinning broadly, before she crashed to the ground.
A.J. burst out laughing, stood up, and looked down at her. "You've got to be on guard at all times if you're going to be a good trainer. And you have to get up before the sun."
"Okay, that was not fair." Tera objected, "Funny, yes, but so not fair. You deliberately faked me out!" Still, it was hard to be indignant, she was too overjoyed at the prospect of starting her Pokemon journey to feel any negative emotion. "So, since you're obviously ready to go, when can we start out?"
A.J. offered a hand to help her up, but she ignored it, rolled nimbly to her feet and stood waiting for his answer. "Well, first, I've got to feed my Pokemon and have my own breakfast. I assume you've already eaten?"
When she nodded, he said "Good, then you can speed things up by feeding the Pokemon. Their food is in the small jars to the right of the fire. Each Pokemon has a different type of food, and the jars are labeled to show which food is for which Pokemon. The food is very concentrated, so each Pokemon only needs about one scoopful. Put the food into those bowls over there, mix it with a little water, and then we a can let everyone out."
As he instructed her, A.J. rekindled the fire, dug something canned out of his pack, and began to heat it. Tera stood for a moment, slightly bewildered by the rush of instructions and A.J.'s quick action. A.J. was a big guy, tall and powerful, without the Shwartzenager look that would have classified him as "dumb jock". His dark green hair had a habit of falling in his eyes, which were a deep brown. They had a hard look to them as if it was him and his Pokemon against the world, so the world had better look out.
Before he could criticize her on her inactivity, she had found the jars of Pokemon food and was setting out the amazingly small servings. "You weren't kidding when you said this stuff was concentrated, were you? There's got to be enough food here to feed all your Pokemon for a couple of months!"
"What do you expect?" A.J. asked. "Most trainers carry about six Pokemon, and if the food isn't compact, that can be a lot of stuff to carry. It expands in water, so the Pokemon actually fill their stomachs with something."
By now Tera was mixing the food with water, and the dry mixture was turning into an unappetizing grayish-brown hash. "Your Pokemon actually eat this? I thought you mixed your own Pokemon food; this looks factory produced."
A.J. shot her a surprised look, but simply answered tersely "Yes, they do eat it, and yes, I do mix my own. There's a special technique to getting it so concentrated, I'll show you some time."
"Okay, its ready. Do we let the Pokemon out now?" Tera was anxious to have them out, the only Pokemon she had really seen was Sandshrew, and she wanted to see more.
"First of all, we don't let them out." A.J. said pointedly, "You're not supposed to throw another trainer's Pokeball, unless its an emergency."
"Oh" Tera felt equally embarrassed and chagrined, "Sorry, I had no idea."
"I know, 's okay." A.J. waved her apology aside as he called out his Pokemon, and Tera forgot all embarrassment in her wonder. Three Rattata, a Beedrill, a Butterfree, and Sandshrew all leapt out of their Pokeballs and attacked the food voraciously. They were almost exactly as she expected them to be. Rattata's purple fur was short and exactly like that of a mouse, Beedrill and Butterfree had the perfectly jointed exoskeleton and delicate wings of insects, and Sandshrew's scaly armor was smooth and dry to the touch. They were all amazing. Tera had seen animals that were as interesting, but never so close, and never so friendly. When Sandshrew had finished his food, he came over to her, as if asking to be petted, and she willingly obliged.
Soon the other Pokemon, curious about the newcomer and trusting the fact that Sandshrew seemed to be enjoying himself, came over until she was surrounded by a small army of curious faces and soft, whispery touches of wings. She introduced herself by offering a hand to sniff and softly stroking the velvety fur of the Rattatas. Tera felt that A.J. was watching her, gauging her reaction to the Pokemon, and gauging their reaction to her, but she didn't take her attention off of the Pokemon in front of her.
"I hate to break in on this Kodak moment," A.J. finally said sarcastically, "But if you turn into a blob of quiverin' goo with big, starry eyes every time we meet a Pokemon, you won't be too successful as a trainer."
Tera sobered as she gave A.J. a wry smile, "Hey, cut me some slack here, I've only been doing this for a day."
"If you wanted slack, you should've waited for the next trainer to come along. I don't harbor slackers." A.J. smiled slightly to take the sting out of his words as he returned his Pokemon and picked up his pack. "Shall we get goin' ?"
Tera returned his smile as she grabbed her own bag. "We shall."
Still grinning, A.J. took off at a fast run, leaving Tera behind with her mouth hanging open. No way she would be able to match that pace--she hated running. Tera was healthy and fit, but her running endurance was about nil. Still, A.J. obviously isn't a runner himself, he's shaped more like a body-builder. He got to be testing me. Well, I'll just have to show him that I'm up to the challenge. She started out, determined to keep going for as long as A.J. could.
Despite her determination, she was wheezing like a steam engine by the time A.J. stopped at the side of the road aways ahead of her. By the time she reached him, he had mostly regained his wind, though she knew he had been almost as out of breath as she was. She bent over, resisting the urge to collapse as she gasped for breath. A.J. eyed her with a superior air, "Don't get too comfortable, we'll be movin' on soon."
"That," Tera gasped, still bent over, "Is a very inefficient way to travel. How do you expect to catch any Pokemon if you run straight past them?"
"We'll have plenty of time to catch Pokemon if I have to stop every half-mile for you to catch up." There was an almost scoffing tone to A.J.'s voice that stung Tera's pride and brought her up to face him sharply.
"You seem to have conveniently forgotten your policy of not slowing down for slackers, hmm?" Poking out a finger, she spitted him on a sharp glare. "I am ready and willing to accept and deal with my own shortcomings, but I will not make up for yours as well. I am not a runner, neither are you, neither are any of your Pokemon, so don't start with this 'I only stopped for you' crap."
Instead of snapping back with his own retort, A.J. gave an almost grudging smirk. "Smart girl. I hope you're a better hiker than you are a runner."
"Don't worry about that. "she smirked back. To illustrate her point, Tera again shouldered her bag and started off. "Come on!"
They made good progress after that, stopping at noon for a snack. A.J. let out his Pokemon while they were stopped, and when they started off again, he left Beedril out to get some exercise. As they walked, with Beedril buzzing along in front of them, Tera asked, "Do you know how much farther we have till we reach Pallet?"
"Not too long, I know of a shortcut that should get us there by tomorrow evening. I just hope the rain will hold off for that long." The clouds overhead still hung low in the sky, and Tera could taste the humidity in the air, but she had taken it for granted that rain was as scarce here as where she grew up.
"What will we do if it rains? Dig in until it blows over?" Tera could just picture a wet, cold night spent huddled under a lean-to.
A.J. shook his head, "There are plenty of cabins around these parts, most of them wouldn't mind putting a roof over a pair of wanderin' Pokemon trainers."
"That's good to know." Then Tera gave A.J. a shrewd look. "For a stationary gym leader, you seem to know a lot about traveling. Where did you grow up?"
For a minute, Tera thought A.J. wouldn't answer. But he finally replied in a voice that was just a little too casual. "My dad was a Pokemon watcher in a town north of Pewter, in the mountains. I basically wandered around by myself until I was old enough to start out for good. I found an old gym that had been deserted, fixed it up, and," he shrugged,"You seem to know the rest."
Tera nodded knowingly. "Undefeated for a hundred wins. Was your father the reason you became a trainer?"
A.J. frowned and said bitterly, "Dad was too busy watchin' Pokemon to look after his own son. I became a Pokemon trainer because I like Pokemon, not because of anything my dad taught me. Or more importantly, didn't teach me."
Tera, realizing she had hit a nerve, backed down and tried to think of something else to say. Before she could speak again, A.J. turned to her and asked "So, you know my life story, how 'bout yours?"
"Not much to tell, I'm afraid." She answered, "Both of my parents died when I was young. Fortunately they left enough money that my relatives were able to send me to a boarding school. I stayed there until I graduated, and I was basically wandering around, looking for work, when I ran into you."
A.J. gave her a skeptical look. "Lookin' for work in the middle of the forest? You must have been pretty desperate."
"Yeah, well," she answered evasively, "I was kinda hoping for a job as forest ranger."
"Hmm. But that still doesn't tell me where you grew up, and how you know so much about Pokemon."
Tera shrugged. "In relation to where I am now, I have no idea where I grew up. It was dry, hot, and, for me at least, depressing. I know about Pokemon because it is a major fad where I grew up. Video games, card games, board games, you name it, there's a Pokemon version. I always wanted to be a trainer, but of course, it was impossible." She gave a soft laugh, "Wish the kids back home could see me now."
"If they react the same way you did, it would be extremely amusin'. Wonder what would happen if you showed up one day as an accomplished Pokemon trainer?"
Tera shuddered, "I wouldn't want to think about it."
"Why? What could be so bad about it?" A.J. looked puzzled.
"Because there would be mass stampede of people to this world, and sooner or later someone would take advantage of it and we would all be one big entry on someone's bank account." Tera's voice was bitter enough to surprise her. "That is, if some fanatic terrorist hasn't blown all Pokemon and trainers to kingdom come or big game hunters haven't plagued all Pokemon to extinction."
"You sound as if people from your world are all monsters. Surely it can't be that bad." A.J. sounded cajoling, as if trying to get her to lighten up.
"Well, I guess it wouldn't be all that bad, but people would take advantage of it, and the sudden rush of people could majorly mess up the status quo in uncountably negative ways. No, its best that no one else find out about this place, wherever in the universe it is." Tera smiled, "But now that I'm here, I intend to make the best of it, and never look back."
A.J. would have commented, but he was interrupted by Beedril. The winged Pokemon zoomed in and buzzed at him before trying to land on his shoulder. A.J. shook him off, exclaiming, "Oh, no you don't. I'm not your free ride. Get up there and keep flyin'!"
Tera noticed that Beedril was no longer flying perfectly straight. It wobbled back and forth, and it's wingbeats were not as rhythmic as they had been when they started out. She could understand it being tired. It had been flying straight out for sometime now. Not quick dashes back and forth as it would during battle, and not top speed racing, but a sort of hover/slow pace that must be hard on it. Still she didn't say anything. A.J. knew what he was doing, anyhow.
They walked on in silence for a while longer, listening to the normal, busy sounds of the forest. The clouds continued to gather, and the smell of rain increased. Looks like we won't make it to Pallet before the rains break, she thought.
When the overhead branches started to lower the available flying space, Beedril homed in on A.J. again, once more asking for a ride. A.J. again refused, ordering the Pokemon to practice dodging the branches as it went along. Beedril tried, but it was too drained from its long flying before and started to bump into the branches as it went along. Finally, Tera broke in, "Why don't you let it rest awhile? Beedril's obviously too drained to gain much by smacking itself into every limb that comes along. If it rests now, it could dodge branches later, and a lot more successfully."
A.J. gave her a sharp look. "I don't let my Pokemon slack any more than I do my travelin' partners. Beedril's got to work on his long-term endurance. Won't do any good if he collapses in the middle of a battle because he can't stay in the air long enough."
"He's obviously exhausted. Driving him to the point of collapse won't do any good--and besides, it takes a whole different set of muscles to sit on something that's moving, Beedril won't be exactly taking it easily." Tera realized what A.J. was trying to do, but it was possible to take this too far.
A.J. glared at her. "I don't need amateurs tellin' me how to raise my Pokemon!"
"Well, if you don't take advice from anyone than I don't see how you lasted this long as a trainer!" Tera hadn't wanted to criticize A.J.'s training methods, but now she was fighting mad. "If you won't let him rest for awhile, then I will." She held out her arm to the exhausted Pokemon, "Here, Beedril, you deserve a rest." She glared at A.J., daring him to order his Pokemon away from her.
To her surprise, A.J. gave a sadistic smile and nodded when his Pokemon looked to him for permission. With obvious relief, Beedril landed on Tera's shoulder, and her eyes widened in shock and understanding. The four of Beedril's legs that were resting on her shoulder felt like needles, digging into her flesh. No wonder A.J. had been reluctant to give Beedril a ride, it was a stunningly painful experience! Seeing the expression on her face, A.J. burst out laughing, and Tera grinned sheepishly. "Serves me right for trying to take over your Pokemon's training, I guess."
Beedril, sensing that he was hurting her, buzzed apologetically and prepared to fly off, but Tera stopped him. "Stay where you are, Beedril, I got myself into this and I'm not backing out now. Besides, you do need the rest." Her voice took on a teasing tone, despite the pain that raced up and down her arm, "Shame on you, A.J., what happened to a trainer's self-sacrifice for his Pokemon's benefit? I thought you were more dedicated than that."
Obviously deciding not to take offense, A.J. answered, "I wasn't trying to preserve my skin, Beedril did need to keep workin'. You'll soon learn that nothing makes me madder faster than someone insultin' my training methods, so don't try it often."
"Hey, I understand, but like I said before, if you don't listen to anybody, then your pride will eventually take a harder, rougher fall than simply accepting the fact that you were wrong."
A.J. smiled mischievously, "Watch yourself, I still haven't admitted I was wrong yet."
"Oh, you are the most impossible . . ." Tera's voice trailed off, looking for the correct insult and not finding it. Eventually she finished with, "I swear, you've got a bigger ego than a fighter pilot!"
They walked on for awhile longer before Beedril took to the air again. He immediately flew high enough to start dodging branches, with a much higher success rate than before. Tera didn't expect A.J. to say anything, and he didn't, until much later when Beedril started to running into branches again. Glancing at her, he remarked, "I suppose I'll have to call him back before you start whinin' again?"
Tera decided that the comment didn't deserve a reply, so she simply gave him a hard look that suggested he'd better.
By that time it was getting dark, and the wind was picking up. A.J. voiced Tera's earlier thoughts when he said "Looks like its goin' to rain tonight. We should start looking for a friendly cabin."
"What exactly does a friendly cabin look like?" Tera asked, half joking, "Does it have a big smiliey face painted on the side, or just a large sign saying 'Welcome All Pokemon Trainers'?"
A.J. gave a good natured frown, "C'mon, get serious, unless you want to spend the night out side in the rain."
They didn't have to walk much further before they came upon a small cabin. A.J. started towards it, but Tera hung back, wondering at A.J.'s boldness. How could he get up the nerve to just walk up to someone's home and ask to stay the night? But this was the only alternative to spending the night outside in the rain, so she reluctantly followed him up to the front door.
A.J. knocked, and when the door opened, he said "Hello sir, we're Pokemon trainers on our way to Pallet and we were wonderin' if you had a couple of extra beds to spare."
The man at the door was big, probably in his 60's with grizzled dark gray hair and a face that was obviously not used to smiling. He frowned now, "What do you think this is, a Pokemon Center? I don't give out free room and board."
"We can pay, sir, we just wanted to get out of the coming storm." A.J. assured him.
"Humph." The man looked at the sky behind them, and his face changed. "You're right, there is a storm coming. Well, I don't have extra beds, but if you don't mind the floor . . ." He saw the acquiescence on their faces and went on, "I won't take money, but since you're trainers, if one of you would battle me, then we'll call it a deal."
A.J. smiled "Yes sir!"
They went inside. The cabin was rustic and simple, opening into a main room which branched into what was probably a kitchen and bedroom. Their host, who identified himself as Smith, instructed them to lay out their bags in the main room, and he would fix dinner. A.J. offered to help, a meal had not been part of the bargain, but the old man waved his objections aside. "No one goes hungry in my house, and besides, its lonely all the way out here, I don't usually get visitors."
It wasn't long before they sat down to eat. The fair was simple and wholesome, a thick stew that seemed to fit their rustic surroundings perfectly. During the meal, A.J. told Smith about their plans, how they were going to Pallet to get a license so they could compete in gyms and earn badges. Tera didn't say much, as friendly as Smith was, she had never felt at ease around strangers. At one point Smith turned to her and asked, "Meowth got your tongue, girl? I haven't heard you say two words since you came."
Tera blushed at her rudeness, "Sorry, this is all very new to me. I just started on my Pokemon journey yesterday and I'm still adjusting." Their host nodded ,understanding, and continued to discuss Pokemon training with A.J.
After dinner the rain still hadn't started, and Smith suggested that they battle before it did.
"Sure!" A.J. agreed, "How many Pokemon?"
"Four. Standard rules?"
"You bet."
They went outside. Behind the cabin was a large clearing, and A.J. and Smith posted themselves at opposite ends. A.J. got out his whip and called "Go Butterfree!"
Smith tossed his Pokeball and yelled "Go Poliwrath!" Tera was impressed, Poliwraths were rare, as were any evolution-stone Pokemon, and this one had obviously been raised well, probably from a Poliwag.
A.J. cracked his whip "Gust, Butterfree!" It was plainly a ranging move, Gust wouldn't hurt Poliwrath much unless it was a lot weaker that it looked, but it would show A.J. how powerful it was.
Butterfree flapped its wings, creating a powerful blast that shook the trees, but Poliwrath barely rocked back on its heels.
Then it was Poliwrath's turn to attack. "Water Gun, Poliwrath!" As the water squirted towards it, Butterfree dodged easily and came back on the offensive with the blinding flash of Confusion. Poliwrath blinked and swayed on it's feet for an instant, giving Butterfree time to react to A.J.'s snapping whip with a solid tackle.
Unfortunately, the tackle seemed to clear Poliwrath's head and when Smith shouted "Hypnosis!" it closed its eyes and the swirl on its front started to whirl around.
A.J., however was having none of it. "Stun Spore, Butterfree!" he called, with a crack of his whip. Butterfree flew over Poliwrath, releasing the paralyzing powder from its wings. As the powder reached it, Poliwrath trembled slightly and his swirl stopped its slow rotation.
With a slight frown, Smith zapped his prone Pokemon back into its ball and tossed out another. "Go Graveler! Rock Throw!" Butterfree became a blur of movement, dodging the rocks that flew, thick and fast, from Graveler's four arms. As the attack tapered off, Butterfree slowed slightly and was knocked to the ground as one of the last rocks struck it full on. Graveler saw his opportunity and didn't wait for his trainer's command before rolling forward, intent on crushing Butterfree beneath its bulk. With a tremendous effort, Butterfree managed to take to the air just in time to avoid the living missile that was aimed at it.
"Confusion, Butterfree!" A.J. yelled with a snap of his whip, barely giving his Pokemon time to recover from it's narrow escape. "Zap 'im intil he's too loopy to see straight!" Butterfree gave an obedient trill and flashed once, twice, three times, at Graveler, who had rolled into a tight ball in a vain effort to ward off the attack. When it uncurled, it's eyes were unfocused and it was unable to rise to its feet. As Smith brought his Pokemon back into it's ball, A.J. smirked and Tera knew what he was thinking. This guy might have impressive Pokemon, but A.J.'s tough training methods hadn't failed him yet.
Smith had now produced another Pokeball, and he threw it, shouting "It's your turn Nidoqueen!" As the rare Pokemon materialized from red energy, Butterfree gained the altitude sufficient to stay out of the reach of the giant Pokemon.
A.J. made the first move of this round, cracking his whip as he yelled, "Tackle, and make it fast!" Tera thought that this wasn't the best move A.J. could have made. Butterfree could probably avoid getting hurt as long as it used it's long-distance attacks, of which Nidoqueen had few. Bringing Butterfree in for a contact attack lost him this advantage. Sure enough, despite Butterfree's impressive speed, Nidoqueen met the oncoming Pokemon with a solid set of Fury Swipes, knocking it out of the air.
Smith was quick to press his advantage, "Tail Whip!" Butterfree struggled, but was unable to rise, and Tera felt her heart constrict as the small Pokemon shook under the blow. A.J. frowned as he called it back, and Tera winced again at the thought of the dressing-down Butterfree would receive later.
A.J. now brought out Rattata, and the diminutive Pokemon looked up at the towering Nidoqueen above it without a trace of fear. At a crack from A.J.'s whip, Rattata lept to the attack, biting Nidoqueen and racing out of range before the cumbersome Pokemon could react. Rattata, Tera knew, could run rings around Nidoqueen all day long, but with its lower attack power, it would take all day to knock the larger Pokemon out.
Smith was apparently unaware of the advantage Rattata's quickness afforded it, for his next order was "Body Slam!" Nidoqueen gathered herself up and launched at Rattata in a powerful blow that would surely pulverize the mouse Pokemon--if it ever landed, and of course, it didn't. Rattata was almost at the other side of the clearing before Nidoqueen hit the ground with a resounding crash.
While it was down, A.J. decided to press the advantage, "Hyper Fang, Rattata!" Rattata lept in and sunk its teeth into a vaunerable spot in Nidoqueen's hard scales. Nidoqueen let out a terrible roar as she began to thrash about, trying to dislodge the Pokemon that was stuck fast to her side. "Rattata, Get out of there!" A.J. yelled, knowing what would happen if Nidoqueen's thrashing turned in to an organized attack. Rattata released its hold and was almost safely out of range before Nidoqueen's tail caught it and sent it flying across the clearing. Rattata would have flown far if it hadn't been for all the trees in the vicinity. It hit one with a sickening thud and slumped to the ground, defeated.
A.J.'s eyes went hard and cold as he returned Rattata, and Tera knew that he was starting to worry. This guy had amazing Pokemon, rare and well trained, and he had obviously been training much longer than A.J. had. Tera expected Sandshrew as A.J.'s next Pokemon, but he called out "Beedril!" instead.
The wasp-like Pokemon materialized and hovered over Nidoqueen, waiting for orders, but this time Smith made the first move. "Poison Sting, Nidoqueen!" lowering it's horn, the mammoth Pokemon leaped at Beedril, somehow getting high enough to strike at it. Beedril dodged to the side, scornful of the slower ground Pokemon.
'Crack!' A.J.'s whip snapped as he ordered "Show this wimp what a real Poison Sting looks like!" Some wimp, Tera thought, its already knocked out two of your Pokemon. Beedril zoomed in, striking at Nidoqueen but not doing much damage because of her tough scales. A.J. frowned, realizing that Beedril's poison attacks wouldn't do much good against Nidoqueen's tough hide.
Now Smith went on the offensive. Realizing that Nidoqueen couldn't reach the hovering Beedril, he called out, "Growl!" Nidoqueen let out a terrific roar that left Tera's ears ringing, but the full impact had not struck her. Beedril dropped a few feet in the air before regaining the use of his wings and when A.J. shouted at him, there was no response.
Furious, A.J. cracked his whip almost in Beedril's face to get its attention. When it turned towards him, he yelled "Twineedle! Go for the eyes!" Tera was shocked--this was fighting dirty! Striking at Nidoqueen's eyes might be the only way that Beedril could hurt the armored Pokemon, but it could easily blind her, leaving her permanently crippled.
Beedril zoomed in, aiming precisely, but Smith knew what A.J. was planning and ordered "Tail Whip! Don't let it near your face!" Beedril dodged under the sweeping tail and kept on coming, but Nidoqueen delivered a solid punch that knocked it out of the air. Beedril thudded to the ground, tried to rise, and lost the struggle when Nidoqueen finished it off with a pair of Fury Swipes.
Eyes flashing angrily, A.J. zapped Beedril back into a Pokeball and pulled out his last Pokemon. "Go Sandshrew! Dig!" Sandshrew burrowed under the ground almost, it seemed, before totally materializing. Nidoqueen was obviously experienced at dealing with Ground-type Pokemon, because it didn't look wildly around for its missing opponent, but waited calmly for Sandshrew to appear. When Sandshrew did appear, it sprung out of the ground as easily as a dolphin through water and curled into a tight ball to hit Nidoqueen solidly in the head. Uncurling, Sandshrew landed on all fours behind Nidoqueen, ready to attack again.
Smith wasn't going to give A.J. that chance. "Poison Sting!" he yelled, and Nidoqueen turned on Sandshrew, her horn gleaming as it struck at the smaller Pokemon. Sandshrew made a quick dodge to the side and barely escaped the thrust.
A.J. snapped his whip, "Sand Attack, Sandshrew!" Quickly, Sandshrew turned to the ground and sand started to whirl towards Nidoqueen's face. Blinded by the sand gritting in her eyes, Nidoqueen roared her frustration and struck out blindly, again and again. Sandshrew was safely out of range of Nidoqueen's blind thrashing, and A.J. called out "Swift! And keep your eyes open!" With a short nod, Sandshrew began to zoom back and forth, getting closer and closer to Nidoqueen with each pass. Finally, it got near enough to strike, the build up of speed making the blow even more powerful. Nidoqueen was an extremely strong Pokemon, and under ordinary circumstances the blow would hardly have fazed her, but the long battle had worn her down and she collapsed to the ground with a crash.
A.J. smiled tightly as Sandshrew came to stand in front of him, ready for the next attack. It wasn't long in coming. "Go Rydon!" The giant Pokemon, with its powerful horn, appeared and waited for it's trainer's order. "Stomp!" Smith yelled. Rydon jumped and hit the ground close to where Sandshrew was. The attack didn't hit Sandshrew, but it shook the ground enough to shake Sandshrew where he stood, and he barely had enough time to scramble out of the way of the next blow.
A.J.'s whip cracked, and his voice was sharp and hard as he yelled "Slash!" Sandshrew performed a skillful flip, and struck at Rydon before the more cumbersome Pokemon had time to react.
With a shake of its head, Rydon brushed off the attack and as Smith yelled "Horn Drill!" it rushed at Sandshrew with shocking speed. Sandshrew dodged, but Rydon followed every move the agile Pokemon made and, if anything, increased its headlong rush. In a last attempt to avoid the crushing blow, Sandshrew started to tunnel under the ground, but Rydon reached it before it disappeared to safety. With a flip of its head, Rydon sent Sandshrew flying, and when Sandshrew tried to right itself and land on its feet, Rydon was under him and sent him on another trip skyward. This time Sandshrew didn't try to right itself, falling limply to the ground with a dull thud.
A.J.'s look of anger was immediately replaced by stricken worry. "C'mon, Sandshrew! Get up!" It was less a plea to fight and more an appeal for reassurance. Sandshrew stirred feebly, started to rise, and slumped to the ground, vanquished.
Numbly, Tera ran the last few minutes through her mind, trying to confirm what her eyes said and her mind refused to accept. A.J., undefeated champion of a hundred battles, had lost.
Whew! That was way too long. I'm sorry if the lengthy battle scene bored some of you, but it was necessary. The end was gloomy, I know but the next part will be more cheerful. Before any of you technical sticklers start yelling at me, allow me to explain. I know Butterfree does not learn Gust and Poliwrath doesn't learn Tackle, but if you think about it, any Pokemon with wings should be able to do Gust, and any Pokemon that moves should be able to use Tackle, albeit with varying degrees of success. The limits placed on Pokemon in the game are good for a game, but impractical in something like this. Thanks for reading! Bye!