After Carly won her battle against Brock, it was Isaiah's turn to take a whack at it. But not before Liam once again stepped in to take him on. But it didn't take long for Isaiah to humble Liam the same way Carly did. While that battle played out, Brock used the opportunity to heal up his Pokémon for the next aspiring Gym Challenger. Once both sides were ready, the screen and electronic voice returned. "The Gym Battle between Pokémon Trainer Isaiah and Gym Leader Brock will now begin! Both sides will use two Pokémon and the battle will be over when both Pokémon on either side is unable to continue! In addition, neither trainer will be allowed to substitute Pokémon!" the voice said.
"This is it... My first step to completing the Pokédex as promised and my journey to make it to the top! And with that Onix I saw and the extra bit of training I did after visiting the museum, I think I have a perfect plan! All I have to do is hope that it works!" Isaiah thought to himself, a confident smile on his face. "Battle begin!" the electronic voice said. "It wouldn't be very good if I wound up losing two battles in a row, so I'm giving it all I've got! Geodude, stand strong!" Brock shouted as he sent out his first Pokémon. "I knew it... He's a Rock Type Leader... Then I'll use this!" Isaiah thought as he raised his Pokéball. "Alright! Charmander, game on!" Isaiah declared as he sent out his partner.
"What?!" Brock asked in response to Isaiah's choice. Carly tilted his head. "What's that reaction about?" she asked. "That idiot! Charmander is a Fire Type! It's at a disadvantage against Rock Type Pokémon!" Liam said. "Huh?! It's not like Isaiah to make a mistake like that!" Carly said. "Using Charmander against a Rock Type Gym Leader? Grave mistake." Brock said. Isaiah smiled in response. "The mistake is underestimating my partner just because of its typing! So how about I teach you a thing or two?! Charmander, use your newest move: Metal Claw!" Isaiah declared. "Metal Claw?!" Liam and Brock said as Charmander's claws became sharp steel and it charged at Geodude, striking it and sending it back a bit, but it was still standing. "What was that?! I don't remember Charmander knowing that move!" Carly said. Isaiah smirked and thought back.
Flashback...
After visiting the museum and learning about different Pokémon from ancient times, he decided to do a little more training in Viridian Forest to prepare for his Gym Battle. "Charmander, use Ember!" Isaiah declared as Charmander shot small embers from its mouth, striking a Kakuna and knocking it out. After that, Charmander grew to level 13. "Awesome! We've gotten a little stronger!" Isaiah said as a Weedle jumped out from behind him. "Charmander!" Charmander exclaimed as it charged towards it. Isaiah tilted his head as Charmander jumped up and Weedle fired a String Shot. Isaiah turned around as Charmander jumped over him. "Woah!" Isaiah said when he noticed the Weedle. Charmander's eyes glistened before it raised its claws and went to strike the string, only for them to suddenly turn to steel as it cut through the string with ease and struck the Weedle, knocking it out.
"Thanks for the save, Charmander." Isaiah said as he pets Charmander for its help. "Charman!" Charmander said happily. "But what in the world was that move you used?" Isaiah said before checking his Pokédex. "Let's see... Metal Claw? Wow, you learned Metal Claw! That's incredible! And I'll bet it's sure to come in handy!" Isaiah exclaimed. "Charmander!" Charmander exclaimed confidently.
End of flashback...
"His Charmander learned a perfect move to counter my Rock Types after protecting its Trainer..." Brock thought as a smile crossed his face. "Interesting... Then I certainly have underestimated him... But I'm not going down without a fight!" Brock thought. "Geodude. Tackle!" Brock declared. Geodude charged and struck Charmander, sending it back, but Charmander was still standing strong. "Still putting up a decent fight. Your Geodude's strong! But we're stronger! Charmander, use Metal Claw again!" Isaiah declared. "Geodude, Tackle again!" Brock declared. Both Pokémon charged and struck their opponent again, but Geodude took a significantly bigger hit due to the type advantage Metal Claw had. When the two backed away, Geodude was barely standing, but Charmander was still fine.
Isaiah smiled. "Let's wrap this up! Charmander! One last Metal Claw!" Isaiah declared. Charmander charged and struck Geodude one last time, sending it flying and crashing into the ground, its eyes swirly. "Geodude is unable to battle! Charmander wins!" the electronic voice said. "One down!" Isaiah said happily. Brock only smirked in response as he recalled Geodude. "This battle is far from over. Onix, stand strong!" Brock declared as he sent out his next Pokémon. Isaiah and Charmander looked up at their new opponent. "That's one big Pokémon. What do you think, Charmander? Wanna keep going?" Isaiah asked. Charmander looked back and nodded, a confident smile on its face. Isaiah nodded in return. "Alright. Let's do this! Use Metal Claw!" Isaiah declared.
Charmander didn't think twice before charging at Onix, striking once again with its new move. Brock smirked. "Just what I wanted." he said. "What?!" Isaiah asked. "Onix, use Rock Tomb!" Brock declared. Onix's eyes glistened before it roared as a number of rocks appeared around it. It fired the rocks and they all hit Charmander at the same time, sending it flying. "Charmander!" Isaiah shouted as Charmander landed. It slowly got up, a blue aura surrounding it for a moment, but it was clearly severely hurt from that attack. Isaiah grits his teeth. "Well, that's what I signed up for when I sent out Charmander first..." Isaiah thought as he looked at his partner. He ultimately decided not to take the risk. "Alright Charmander, return." Isaiah said as he went to recall Charmander. Charmander looked back and jumped away from the light.
Isaiah tilted his head. "Hey. Come on Charmander, I don't want to risk you getting knocked out. So please return." Isaiah said as he tried again. Charmander, however, once again refused, avoiding the light. "Charmander Char!" Charmander said, giving Isaiah a determined look. Isaiah was silent for a moment before smiling and sighing. "Alright. If you want to fight until the end, I'll trust you. So, let's give this next move all we've got! Ember!" Isaiah declared. "Ember?!" Brock, Liam, and Carly all yelled. "I don't know what you think you're planning, but I won't allow it! Tackle!" Brock declared. Onix charged and struck Charmander before it got a chance to fire its Ember. Charmander collapsed, its eyes swirly. "Charmander!" Isaiah said worriedly.
"Charmander is unable to battle! Onix wins!" the voice said. Isaiah sighed and smiled. "Thanks, Charmander. Return and rest up." Isaiah said as he recalled Charmander. "How did Onix move faster than Charmander all of a sudden?" Carly asked. "It's a bonus effect of Rock Tomb. It lowered Charmander's speed, allowing it to move faster than Charmander for that final attack." Liam said. "Even so, I still plan on winning this! Mankey, game on!" Isaiah said as he called out his next Pokémon. Mankey screeched as it glared at Onix. "A Mankey... I see. You used Charmander first to soften my Pokémon. Clever. But I still won't go down easily." Brock said with a smile. "Mankey, use Karate Chop!" Isaiah declared. Mankey charged and attacked.
"Again, with the close up attacking?! Use Rock Tomb!" Brock said as Onix countered. But Mankey took it with ease, though its Speed stat was lowered again. "Not again! Grr, we'll keep fighting! Mankey, use Low Sweep!" Isaiah said. "Tackle!" Brock said as the two Pokémon attacked, Onix once again managing to get the first move. But Mankey took the attack and glared at Onix before it curled up and rode underneath Onix, using Onix's momentum to its advantage. "WHAT?!" Brock said. "LET'S GOOOOO!" Isaiah yelled as Mankey kicked Onix from below, tripping it and sending it flying and crashing into the wall. "Onix, no!" Brock said. The smoke cleared, and Onix's eyes were swirly.
"Onix is unable to battle! Mankey wins! Meaning the victory goes to Isaiah!" the electronic voice said. "Alriiiiight! We did it!" Isaiah said before hugging Mankey... and getting scratched from Mankey not liking it. "Ah!" Isaiah screamed as Mankey laughed. Brock chuckled and approached Isaiah. "Looks like I'll unfortunately have to live with two losses in a row. Congratulations." Brock said before handing Isaiah the Boulder Badge and the TM for Rock Tomb. "Thank you very much. It was a great battle, Mr. Brock." Isaiah said with a bow. "Alright! I just got the Boulder Badge!" Isaiah declared as he held his badge high. After that, Carly hugged him. "Congratulations! That was a great battle to watch!" Carly said before blushing from her instinctual hug and she quickly moved away. Isaiah chuckled. "Thanks. I'm one step closer to achieving my dream!" Isaiah said confidently.
"And to take your next step, you're going to have to go through Mt. Moon to Cerulean City, as that's where your next Gym awaits you. Good luck in your endeavors, you two." Brock said. "Right!" Isaiah and Carly said before shaking his hand and leaving the Gym. "Looks like in order to get to Mt. Moon... We'll have to go through Routes 3 and 4. Alright! Cerulean City, here we come!" Isaiah said excitedly. Carly smiled and the two made their way to the exit of the city, where someone else was standing. The person looked over before running over. "Heeeey! Isaiaaaaah!" they called out. Isaiah looked and tilted his head as the person skidded to a halt in front of Isaiah and Carly, breathing heavily. "I'm... glad... I caught... up to you... Wheeeew..." the person said before looking at the duo. "You're one of Professor Oak's aides. What seems to be the emergency?" Isaiah asked.
The aide caught his breath before clearing his throat and pulled out a box. "Where was he keeping that?!" Isaiah and Carly thought. The aide handed the box to Isaiah, who didn't hesitate to open it and look inside. "Woah! Aren't these the new Running Shoes?!" Isaiah said excitedly. "Yep!" the aide said. "I love them!" Isaiah said before he went to put them on but stopped and smiled. He put his normal shoes back on and handed the Running Shoes to Carly. "Here, Carly. Why don't you take them?" Isaiah said. Carly's eyes widened and she blushed. "W-What?! No no no, those belong to you! I couldn't!" Carly said. Isaiah chuckled and knelt down, taking off her normal shoes one at a time before slipping the Running Shoes on her. Her blush darkened from the gesture as Isaiah stood back up.
"I think you deserve something special for your win at the Gym. I don't mind sticking with my own shoes for now." Isaiah said. Carly looked down at the new shoes before she sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Isaiah." she said. Isaiah smiled and looked at the aide. "Thank you for delivering these to me." Isaiah said before finally exiting the city. Carly started to follow before something else fell out of the box: a folded piece of paper. Carly tilted her head and picked up the paper, unfolding it and reading what was written on it. She gasped before looking at the Running Shoes again. She thought for a moment before whispering something to the aide and following. The aide smiled looking at the pair of trainers as they trekked to the next leg of their journey.
...
"Kaminari, use Thundershock!" Carly declared as her Pikachu fired a shot at a Bug Catcher's Metapod, sending it flying as it hit the ground, its eyes swirly. "Metapod, no!" the Bug Catcher said. "Metapod is unable to battle! Kaminari wins, meaning the victory goes to Carly!" Isaiah said. "Alright! Great work, Kaminari!" Carly said happily. "Your Pokémon sure have gotten stronger, Carly. Looks like they've both caught up to mine at Level 14." Isaiah pointed out as they continued to make their way through Route 3, checking out the new Pokémon he caught in the process. "Jigglypuff. The Balloon Pokémon. It captivates foes with its huge, round eyes, then lulls them to sleep by singing a soothing melody." His Pokédex said. Unfortunately, Jigglypuff also decided to return to the wild.
"Mmmmm... Why don't any Pokémon want to come with me?!" Isaiah yelled before sighing. Carly chuckled and patted his shoulder. "I'm sure there's another Pokémon that would be happy to join you. Just be patient for a little while longer." she said. Isaiah smiled. "Yeah... You're probably right." Isaiah said. Almost immediately after, a scream could be heard by the duo, who look in the direction of it. "Someone's in trouble!" Isaiah said before hurrying to check it out, Carly following behind. They soon located the source of the scream: A girl that seemed to be in pain. The two hurried over. "Are you okay?!" Isaiah asked. "Y-Yeah... Just... feeling a little... faint..." the girl said before passing out. "Hey!" Isaiah said worriedly before he felt like something was about to attack. "Look out!" Isaiah said before quickly pushing Carly away as a move barely missed them.
Isaiah looked over. "Hey! Who did that?!" he asked. He looked around and soon spotted another new Pokémon in the grass. It was a purple Pokémon with long ears and a horn. It looked rather angry. "That must be the Pokémon that attacked that girl... Alright. Carly. Take that girl to the Pokémon Center. Given her face, she was probably poisoned by it. I'll take care of the Pokémon. Sound good?" Isaiah asked. Carly nodded and quickly picked the girl up. "Alright! Be careful, Isaiah!" Carly said before taking off. Isaiah looked at the Pokémon and raised a Pokéball. "Alright, Charmander! Game on!" Isaiah said as he called out his partner. "Use Scratch!" Isaiah declared. Charmander charged at the Pokémon and attacked, sending it flying. It crashed, but it slowly got up and charged at Charmander.
"It's attacking. Stay on guard in case it poisons you, Charmander!" Isaiah called out. Charmander readied itself, but the attack didn't reach. The Pokémon suddenly collapsed. "What the-? Hey, are you alright?!" Isaiah said before going over for it. Before he could see what the problem was, however, Charmander quickly fired an Ember attack. Isaiah looked over to see another Pokémon. It looked similar to the one he was battling, but it was light blue with shorter ears, a shorter horn, and whiskers. "It looks similar to that other Pokémon... maybe they're friends? If so, the purple Pokémon must've thought the girl was trying to hurt the blue one and was protecting it..." Isaiah thought. Almost immediately after, the blue Pokémon went to the purple one and checked on it. It slowly got up and the two pressed their noses together. That's when it clicked for Isaiah. The two Pokémon weren't just friends. They were lovers. He slowly approached them. The blue Pokémon growled as Isaiah approached. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Isaiah said as he knelt down and reached out a hand. The blue Pokémon calmed down a little and slowly approached Isaiah, who smiled, before another Pokémon suddenly struck the blue one, sending it flying.
"What the-?!" Isaiah said as he looked at the Pokémon. It was a Jigglypuff. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Isaiah asked before hearing a voice. "I gotta say, you're pretty tough. Thanks for making my job so much easier." a female voice said. Isaiah looked to see the girl he and Carly helped. "You? What are you doing?!" Isaiah asked. "That little cutie pie is too irresistible for me not to catch it, but that ugly purple THING kept getting in my way. Thankfully, now there's nothing standing in my way thanks to you. So, thanks. But you're no longer needed." the girl said. "What?! Hold on, you were poisoned! How were you cured?! And what about Carly?!" Isaiah asked. The girl rolled her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business, but she got me to the Pokémon Center fairly quickly. After I was cured, her services were no longer needed but she insisted on getting in my way. So, I stopped her from further doing that." The girl said. Isaiah's eyes widened in response. The girl stayed silent from there and threw a Pokéball at the blue Pokémon. But just before it could make contact, Isaiah nodded to Charmander, who got in the way and knocked the Pokéball back at the girl, hitting her in the face.
"Ah!" the girl screamed before grabbing the Pokéball and glaring at Isaiah. "What are you doing?! Keep your Pokémon away from me and my catch!" the girl. Isaiah was silent as he moved between the Pokémon and the girl. "You hurt a friend of mine... just to catch a Pokémon? That's unforgivable. If the Pokémon's trying so hard not to get caught, it's clear it doesn't want to go with you. And I refuse to stand by and let you try and force the issue." Isaiah said, a serious look on his face as Charmander joined him at his side. "The Pokémon looked at Isaiah curiously as the girl grits her teeth. "You think you can stop me? I'd love to see you try! Jigglypuff, get them out of my way! Use Pound!" the girl declared. The Jigglypuff charged, ready to attack the duo before it was suddenly blasted by water and sent flying, causing Jigglypuff to squeal from the sudden attack.
"What?! Who did that?!" the girl asked as she looked around, soon spotting the culprit: Squirtle. And Carly was by its side. "Carly!" Isaiah said. Carly and Squirtle quickly joined the line with Isaiah and Charmander, blocking the girl access to the Pokémon. "Glad to see you're okay." Isaiah said. "Of course I am. She just had that Jigglypuff of hers use Sing on me to make me fall asleep. Once I woke up, I hurried back. I'm just glad I made it in time to back you up and protect that Pokémon." Carly said with a smile. Isaiah smiled as well as the girl growled. "So that's how it's gonna be? So be it! I'll just move you by force! Jigglypuff, use Sing!" the girl declared. Jigglypuff cleared its throat and started singing and Charmander and Squirtle unfortunately felt the effects, falling asleep. The girl chuckled. "There. Now there's nothing standing in my-" the girl started to say before a pair of voices spoke. "Charmander!" one said. "Tanjiro!" the other said.
The girl looked over to see both Isaiah and Carly were both still wide awake. "What?! Impossible!" the girl said as the duo hurried to their partners and picked them up. "...It's no good. They're out like a light. Thanks for the assist, Charmander. Return." Isaiah said as he recalled Charmander. "You too, Tanjiro. You did great. Return." Carly said as she recalled Squirtle. "How are you still awake?! Sing should've affected you too!" the girl said. The duo looked at her. "Simple. A lullaby's not enough to knock me down. I've got way too much energy to let something like that get to me!" Isaiah said. "And I'm not dumb enough to fall for the same trick twice. So, I made sure to keep my ears plugged so your Jigglypuff wouldn't affect me either." Carly said. The girl grits her teeth before she started laughing. "Clever! But with your Pokémon out of commission, you don't have anything that can stop-!" the girl said before she was cut off.
"Mankey, game on!" Isaiah declared as he released his other Pokémon. "Kaminari, you're on!" Carly declared as she released her other Pokémon as well. "...me." the girl said before laughing again. "Then I'll just put your Pokémon to sleep again! Jigglypuff, use Sing!" the girl said. Jigglypuff once again prepared itself to start singing. "We won't let you! Kaminari, use Quick Attack!" Carly declared. Pikachu charged up before quickly charging at Jigglypuff, striking it and sending it flying before it had a chance to start singing. "Oh no!" the girl said. "Let's wrap this up! Mankey, use Karate Chop!" Isaiah declared. Mankey charged and jumped up. "Jigglypuff, use Sing!" the girl declared. This time, Jigglypuff managed to use the move, which struck Mankey. "Mankey!" Isaiah said worriedly, only to smile. "Just kidding!" Isaiah said. Mankey glared at Jigglypuff before using the move that was instructed of it, sending Jigglypuff flying and crashing into its trainer, its eyes swirly.
"Jigglypuff!" the girl said. "Why didn't Mankey fall asleep?" Carly asked. "Because Mankey's ability is Vital Spirit. It's an ability that prevents it from falling asleep to other Pokémon moves." Isaiah said. The girl growled and returned Jigglypuff before taking off. "This isn't over! I won't rest until that Pokémon is mine!" the girl said. Isaiah and Carly sighed of relief before going over the wild Pokémon, kneeling down. "Are you both okay?" Isaiah asked. The two Pokémon responded by going up and nuzzling their legs. Carly chuckled. "The two of you are so cute!" she said excitedly. "The two of you are lucky to have each other, considering you both didn't hesitate to protect each other like that." Isaiah said before he and Carly stood up. "I don't think that girl was kidding about not giving up on tearing you apart. So, you should hurry and find a place to hide where she can't find you." Isaiah said. "Take care of each other!" Carly said with a small wave. With that, the duo started to continue their trek to Mt. Moon.
The two Pokémon looked at each other and nodded in agreement before they started following Isaiah and Carly, calling out to them. Isaiah and Carly looked back to see them and tilted their heads. "What's wrong? Are you still worried?" Carly asked. The Pokémon nuzzled their legs again before looking up at them. "You... wanna come with us?" Isaiah asked. The two Pokémon nodded excitedly. "Really?! We'd love to have you! And we'll make sure you two aren't separated from each other! Right?!" Carly said. Isaiah nodded. "Yeah. And we'll make sure you two can get stronger together so you'll always know that you can protect each other and continue to protect each other. Is that alright with you?" Isaiah asked the Pokémon. The Pokémon nodded happily.
"Alright. Ready?" Carly said as she raised a Pokéball. "Ready!" Isaiah said as he raised a Pokéball of his own. "Go Pokéball!" the duo declared as they threw their Pokéballs, and the Pokémon happily entered them. One shake, two shake, three shake, click. "Alright!" Isaiah said before looking at his Pokédex. "Nidoran Male. The Poison Pin Pokémon. Its large ears are flapped like wings when it is listening to distant sounds. It extends toxic barbs when angered. Nidoran Female. The Poison Pin Pokémon. Though small, it must be treated with caution because of its powerfully toxic barbs. The female has smaller horns." his Pokédex said. "They're both Nidoran? I didn't know that Pokémon could have such drastic differences just because of their genders." Isaiah said. "It's cool, though! I think I'll name this little one... Rachel!" Carly said excitedly as she nuzzled her cheek against the Pokéball. Isaiah chuckled seeing her so happy before she offered her a hand. "Shall we go? We need to heal up these little guys before we get to Mt. Moon." he said. Carly blushed lightly and smiled before holding his hand. "Yeah. Let's get going." she said happily. With that, the duo finally continued on their journey...
To be continued...