After returning to the Viridian Forest, Isaiah made sure to fill Carly in on the tricks he's been using to better his battling capabilities. "The most important thing in a battle from my experience so far is to trust your instincts. But not just yours. It's also important to keep track of how your Pokémon are feeling too. Once you're at a point where your thoughts are in sync, then whether in victory or defeat, you'll know you came out of it doing your very best." Isaiah said as they walked. "Got it. Make sure we're in sync!" Carly said confidently as they she stepped on something, and it let out a screech. "Eek!" Carly said as she stepped back, revealing a Weedle. "Perfect timing! You can battle it to train up your Pokémon and build your trust in each other!" Isaiah said. "U-Um... Alright..." Carly said before raising one of her Pokéballs.

"Alright. Kaminari, you're on!" she called as she let Pikachu out. "Okay, Kaminari! Let's do this together! Use Thundershock!" Carly called. "Pika!" Pikachu declared before it zapped the Weedle. The Weedle responded by firing stingers at Pikachu, making contact with it, but Pikachu seemed relatively unharmed. "That's Poison Sting! Keep your guard up, Carly! That can poison Kaminari if you're not careful!" Isaiah called. "Gotcha! Keep up the pressure for now, Kaminari! Use Thundershock again!" Carly declared. Pikachu followed her instructions and zapped the Weedle again, and it once again responded with Poison Sting.

But this time, something was different. Pikachu went flying from the attack, screeching as it hit the ground. "Kaminari!" Carly said. "That did loads more than the first attack! What happened?!" Isaiah asked before his Pokédex beeped. He looked at it and read what it said out loud. "Critical hits... When a Pokémon becomes invigorated, it can deal even more damage than normal during its attacks... What?!" Isaiah said, not aware of that information before. "So, Pokémon can randomly deal more damage?!" Carly said as she checked on Kaminari, who slowly got up, but squealed as it fell back, purple bubbles rising from it. "Kaminari!" Carly said worriedly. "It was poisoned! You should call it back to its Pokéball for now and use Tanjiro!" Isaiah called. "R-Right! Kaminari, return!" Carly said as she returned Pikachu to its ball to rest up, grabbing the other one she had to take its place.

"Tanjiro, you're on!" Carly declared as she released Squirtle to battle. But as soon as she did, Weedle shot string from its mouth, tying Tanjiro up. "What's that?!" Carly asked. "String Shot! It lowers your Pokémon's speed, but it doesn't do any actual damage! Just keep at it! Trust yourself!" Isaiah said. "Okay... Tanjiro, use-" She didn't get a chance to declare her attack before Weedle fired another String Shot. "Oh no!" Carly said, but Tanjiro looked back and smiled before it ducked into its shell, causing the attack to miss. Carly gasped. "See?! That's what Pokémon are capable of if you trust them!" Isaiah said. "Yeah. Okay, Tanjiro, use Tackle!" Carly declared as Squirtle emerged from its shell and charged at Weedle, who jumped up and dodged the attack, firing another String Shot at Tanjiro, which hit its mark this time and slowed Tanjiro down even further.

"Don't let up, Tanjiro! Use Tackle over and over!" Carly declared. Squirtle did as she instructed and continued its assault on Weedle, making contact as Weedle once again tried to slow it down. But that didn't stop another Tackle from landing and putting an end to the battle. "Alright!" Carly said happily. "Nice work. But we should hurry and get Pikachu to a Pokémon Center. As someone that's also trained against wild Pokémon, we may need to do this a few times before your Pokémon are on the same level as mine. That's the key to training: Battling and healing when necessary." Isaiah said. Carly nodded and the two continued to train until Carly's Pokémon reached the same level as Isaiah's.

...

"Use Bubble!" Carly declared as Squirtle fired a barrage of bubbles at its opponent, knocking it out. "Oh no!" its trainer yelled. "Alright! Great job, Tanjiro!" Carly said happily as she hugged her partner Pokémon. "Nice work, Carly. Your Pokémon have gotten a lot stronger. Looks like they've both reached Level 11." Isaiah said with a smile as he checked the status of both his and Carly's Pokémon. "And mine have too... Charmander even made it to Level 12..." Isaiah thought to himself as Carly happily skipped towards a gate. "Hey! Looks like the exit's dead ahead! Come on!" Carly said excitedly before running towards the gate. "Hey! Wait for me!" Isaiah called before following.

After making it through the gate, the two kept walking and eventually found themselves in a new city. "Wooow! Check this place out!" Carly said excitedly as Isaiah looked at his Town Map. "Looks like we're in Pewter City. And there are quite a couple spots of interest here. There's a museum of science and..." Isaiah said before he gasped. "There's a Pokémon Gym!" he said. Carly looked at him and tilted her head. "Pokémon Gym? What's that?" Carly asked. "It's a place where you compete against the members and its gym Leader. If you can win, the leader will give you a Badge. If you can collect 8, you can compete in the Pokémon League, where you'll fight the strongest trainers in the world! And that's my goal. To make it to the top! Because the higher up I make it, the more likely it is my Pokédex can be completed!" Isaiah said excitedly.

Carly chuckled. "Wow. You've got such a great path ahead of you. And you seem to be enjoying every step so far." she said before turning away. "I wish I had that kind of motivation..." she said to herself. Isaiah looked over and tilted his head. "What was that?" he asked. Carly blushed lightly and quickly shook her head. "N-Nothing! Let's get to that Gym so you can take another step towards that goal!" Carly said as she started pushing Isaiah further into town. "Hey, hold on!" Isaiah said with a laugh. "I think the Gym can wait. I think I wanna check out the museum. Who knows? It may have a little more info about Pokémon I don't have in my Pokédex yet!" Isaiah said excitedly. "You think so? Hm... Okay! Then why don't you go check out the museum while I head to the Gym? I can scope out what you'll be in for!" Carly said excitedly. Isaiah tilted his head. "Are you sure?" Isaiah said. "Yep! I've gotten a lot stronger with your help, so I'll be just fine! I'll see you later!" Carly said before taking off. "Hey wait!" Isaiah said before sighing and smiled. "Well, alright then. Guess there's no stopping her." Isaiah said to himself and heading to the museum.

Carly happily made her way through the city before eventually finding the Pewter City Gym, happily entering. "Hello theeeeere! I'd like to have a battle with the Gym Leader, please!" she declared. Two people looked over at her from the opposite side of the building, one a boy wearing a camping outfit, the other a boy wearing a black and orange jacket, green jeans, and black and orange outfit. The camper boy scoffed and rolled his eyes before stepping down and making his way over to her. "You want to battle the Gym Leader?" he asked. "That's right! So, is that you?" Carly asked. "Don't be ridiculous! My name is Liam! I'm one of the Gym Trainers here! And if you wanna battle the Leader, you'll have to beat me first! But I'll warn you, in the state you're in, you're ten thousand light years away from being as much of a nuisance to Brock!" Liam said.

Carly reacted to Liam's last statement. "Excuse me? And what makes you so sure?" she asked. "Psh. Clearly, you're a newbie trainer. So, I can easily mop the floor with you!" Liam said. Carly grits her teeth. "Who the hell are you to tell me how experienced or inexperienced I am?! I'll show you!" Carly said before the duo gave each other space to battle. The other guy in the Gym stood up and approached. "I'll act as the referee. Is a two-on-two battle okay with you?" the guy asked Carly. "Fine by me!" Carly declared. "Alright. No substitutions can be made either. If you're ready, then battle begin!" the referee declared. "Let's do this! Tanjiro, you're on!" Carly said as she sent her Squirtle out. The referee looked at the Squirtle. "A Squirtle... If she has a connection with it, it could definitely prove a challenge to the leader..." the referee thought to himself. "Please. Geodude, go!" Liam called out before sending out his Pokémon.

"Never seen that Pokémon before... But I can take it!" Carly thought to herself. "Tanjiro, use Tackle!" Carly declared. Squirtle charged in and struck the Geodude, which stood strong. "What?!" Carly said. "Pathetic. Use Defense Curl!" Liam declared. Geodude curled up and its defenses became stronger. "We'll see who's pathetic! Use Bubble!" Carly declared. Squirtle jumped up and fired bubbles at the Geodude, striking it. Geodude tried to hold it off, but was sent flying, landing in front of Liam, fainted. "Oh no!" Liam said. "Geodude is unable to battle! Tanjiro wins!" the referee declared as Liam returned Geodude to its Pokéball. "Ha! Who's pathetic now?!" Carly said with a laugh. Liam grits his teeth in response. "It's not over yet! Sandshrew, go!" Liam said as he called on his next Pokémon.

"Never seen that before either... But since Bubble worked, I'll just stick with it!" Carly thought before resuming the battle. "Use Bubble!" Carly called as Squirtle fired another small bubble barrage at Sandshrew. Sandshrew put up its guard and was pushed back but was still standing. " Ha! See?! Pathetic! Defense Curl!" Liam called as Sandshrew pulled the same move as Geodude. Carly and Tanjiro both grit their teeth in response to Liam's comment. "Okay, I've had enough of your trash talk! Tanjiro let's wrap this up! Use Bubble, full power!" Carly declared. Squirtle nodded and managed to deliver a far more powerful Bubble attack, striking Sandshrew and sending it flying into Liam's arms, also unconscious.

"Sandshrew!" Liam said worriedly. "Sandshrew's unable to battle! Tanjiro wins! Meaning Carly is the victor!" the referee declared. "Ha! Oh, and one more thing, Liam! Light years is a measure of distance, not time, ya moron! Now get the Gym Leader down here so we can battle!" Carly said confidently before returning Squirtle to its Pokéball. "She's confident, and it's clear that she trusts her Squirtle, but that pride could become an issue if left unchecked... Welp. Guess it's my turn for now." the referee thought. "Alright. Let's get your Pokémon healed up and I'll take you on." the referee said. "What? You mean..." Carly said before the referee answered. "Yes. My name is Brock. And I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader." Brock said before leading her to a healing machine.

As Carly healed up her Pokémon, Brock spoke. "Do you have any Gym Badges?" Brock asked. Carly looked at him and tilted her head. "Gym Badges? No, I don't have any." Carly said. "Very well. Then we'll battle two on two with no substitutions." Brock said as he selected his Pokémon. "Two on two with no substitutions... perfect since I only have two Pokémon with me..." Carly thought as the machine opened and she took her Pokémon back and stood on the opposite side of the battlefield. "Ready?" Brock asked as he raised a Pokéball. "Ready to win!" Carly said as she raised her own Pokéball, and a monitor appeared on the wall, showing a picture of the two trainers with two Pokéballs and an electronic voice spoke.

"The Gym Battle between Pokémon Trainer Carly and Gym Leader Brock will now begin! Both players will use two Pokémon and the battle will be over when both Pokémon on either side are unable to continue! In addition, neither trainer will be allowed to substitute Pokémon! Three! Two! One! Go!" the electronic voice said. "Geodude, stand strong!" Brock said as he threw his Pokéball. "Kaminari, you're on!" Carly said as she threw her Pokéball at the same time, releasing Geodude for Brock's side and Pikachu for Carly's. "A Geodude... Easy enough!" Carly thought to herself. "Kaminari, use Thundershock!" Carly declared. Pikachu looked at her and gave her a confused look, but ultimately followed her command... only for Geodude to act like it couldn't feel a thing.

"What?!" Carly asked. "Just as I thought. You let your overconfidence blind you. Geodude, use Defense Curl!" Brock declared as Geodude curled up, buffing its defenses. Carly grits her teeth. "Don't insult me! Kaminari, use Thunder Wave!" Carly declared. Pikachu was once again hesitant but obeyed. And once again, Geodude didn't feel a thing. "What in the world is going on?! Why aren't Kaminari's moves doing anything?!" Carly thought. "Confused? Then I'll fill you in. Geodude is a Rock and Ground type Pokémon. And Electric type moves are completely ineffective on Ground types. Meaning you've chosen poorly for your first Pokémon. Geodude, Defense Curl!" Brock said as Geodude raised its defenses even more. Carly once again grits her teeth.

"So Thundershock and Thunder Wave are completely useless? Then I'll just have to rely on Quick Attack and Tail Whip." Carly thought. "Kaminari, let's switch things up! Use Quick Attack!" Carly declared. This time, Pikachu was far less hesitant as it charged full force at Geodude, striking it and sending it back a bit, but Geodude was still perfectly fine. "There! That did damage!" Carly said confidently. Brock sighed. "Geodude, Tackle!" Brock declared as Geodude charged and struck Pikachu in kind. "Kaminari! Are you okay?!" Carly asked. Pikachu jumped up and gave her a thumbs up. "Alright. Use Quick Attack again!" Carly declared as Pikachu once again charged and struck Geodude again, but this time, it didn't even move, and Pikachu was the one sent back. "It didn't do a thing that time?!" Carly asked.

"Of course it didn't. You got lucky with that critical hit, but I told you Geodude is a Rock type as well as a Ground type. And Normal Type moves like Quick Attack barely do a thing to Rock type Pokémon. And it's only getting worse with each usage of this move! Defense Curl!" Brock declared, further raising Geodude's defenses. "Then we'll just hit you with multiple Quick Attacks!" Carly declared as Pikachu charged and hit it over and over, with Brock continuing to use Defense Curl to make the attempts ineffective. Brock eventually sighed. "Tackle!" he declared as Geodude finally counterattacked, sending Pikachu flying with a critical hit of its own. "Kaminari!" Carly yelled as Pikachu hit the ground hard. "Kaminari! Are you okay?! Can you still battle?!" Carly asked.

Pikachu slowly got up and once again gave her a thumbs up, smiling. Carly looked at it worriedly, but ultimately nodded. "Alright. Quick Attack!" she declared as Pikachu once again charged into battle. "She's forcing it to keep going despite its weak condition... Then it's time we end this." Brock thought. "Tackle!" Brock declared. Geodude moved, but it suddenly showed signs of paralysis. "It's paralyzed?! ...Static!" Brock thought to himself as Geodude managed to complete its attack, once again sending Pikachu flying, but this time, it crashed into the wall before hitting the ground, its eyes swirly.

"Kaminari!" Carly yelled worriedly. "Pikachu is unable to battle! Geodude wins!" the electronic voice said. Carly went over and worriedly picked Pikachu up. "Thanks, Kaminari. Return." Carly said before returning Pikachu to its Pokéball. "Seems you've only got your Squirtle. Should you know what you're doing with it, it may make this an even playing field." Brock said. Carly grits her teeth in response and glared at Brock. "Are you trying to tell me that I don't know what I'm doing?!" Carly asked angrily. "Considering that you opted to make your poor conditioned Pikachu continue to battle instead of using the opportunity to switch Pokémon, it seems you're still relatively new to battles." Brock said, a cold stare on his face. Carly growled and stood up. "I'll show you! Tanjiro, you're on!" Carly yelled as she sent out her partner.

"Bubble!" Carly yelled as Squirtle fired its attack, sending Geodude flying as it landed near Brock, its eyes swirly. "Geodude is unable to battle! Squirtle wins!" the electronic voice said. "Ha! That's more like it!" Carly said as Brock returned Geodude to its Pokéball without saying a word. "Onix, stand strong!" Brock declared as he sent out his next Pokémon. "We're both down to our last Pokémon. Let's see what kind of battle you'll perform when the pressure is on. Tackle!" Brock declared as Onix charged and struck Squirtle, sending it back a bit.

Carly growled. "You and your little partner have been doing nothing but insult me this entire time! Well, I've had enough of it! Tanjiro!" Carly yelled. Squirtle looked at her a fierce look in its eyes, knowing what she was thinking. "Let's teach these two a lesson they won't soon forget! Are you with me?!" Carly asked. "Squirtle!" Squirtle said confidently. "Then let's do this! USE BUBBLE!" Carly declared. Squirtle built up all of the power it had before firing a stream of water from its mouth. "What?!" Brock asked as the move struck Onix, which roared and was sent flying towards the wall. At the same time, a familiar face burst into the Gym. "Excuse me! I'd like to challenge the leader of this-!" Isaiah said excitedly as Onix crashed, shaking the gym building. Brock looked back to see Onix crash to the ground, its eyes swirly.

"Onix is unable to battle! Squirtle wins! Meaning the victory goes to Pokémon Trainer Carly!" the electronic voice said. "Alriiiiight! Awesome job, Tanjiro!" Carly said excitedly as she hugged Squirtle tightly, spinning around with it. Brock returned Onix to its Pokéball before going over to her. "That was no Bubble. That was Water Gun. Your determination to win pushed your Squirtle to learn a brand-new move. Rather impressive." Brock said before handing her something. "What's this?" Carly asked. "That's the Boulder Badge, this Gym's Gym badge. Having it with you will make your Pokémon more powerful. And it enables you to use the move Flash outside of battle. Finally, it's bringing you one step closer to being allowed to challenge the Pokémon League. However, it's only a piece of the puzzle. You'll need seven more Badges if you wish to earn the right to challenge the strongest trainers in Kanto." Brock said.

"The best trainers in Kanto..." Carly said to herself before she felt a hand petting her. She looked over to see Isaiah petting her and smiling. "Awesome work, Carly! Congratulations on winning your first Gym Battle!" Isaiah said excitedly. Carly smiled, a light blush appearing on her face and nuzzled his hand. "Thanks so much, Isaiah! It's all thanks to you that I managed to be strong enough to pull it off!" Carly said happily. "Hey." Isaiah said before placing a hand on her chin, having her look at him. "I only showed you the way. You were the one that followed it. This win is entirely yours. I played no part in it." Isaiah said. Carly's blush darkened in response. "T-Thanks for the compliment." Carly said before moving away from him. "I-I can't wait to see you battle. I'm sure you'll do great too." Carly said.

Isaiah chuckled. "I'll do my best!" Isaiah said before looking at Brock, who looked back at him. The two glared at each other, a burning battle passion igniting in them...

To be continued...