Pokémon - The Journey Begins

Chapter 20: A Supreme Battle



Matt covered his eyes. He then coughed a little bit. As he uncovered his eyes, he noticed that both Charmeleon and Gloom have both fallen over, and neither of them was moving. "Are...are they both down?"

Erika shook her head. "I have no idea..."

"I don't think that it was due to their attacks. They ran into each other, unless they both took huge blows from the impact."

Suddenly, Charmeleon slowly pulled itself to its feet slowly, breathing heavily.

"Charmeleon's still awake!" Matt said, pointing.

Erika's eyes widened, looking to see if her Gloom would rise to its feet, however, it continued to be still, unconscious. "Well, I guess you win then." She tossed to Matt a shining, multi-coloured badge. "There you go, your very own Rainbow Badge!" Erika smiled.

Matt placed it in the leather bag along with his other badges. "That was really tough, but I thought it was rather entertaining!"

"That's what I thought too!" a deep voice yelled. Matt and Erika looked around, but found nobody. "It seems that you're a much stronger trainer than I thought you'd be!" Suddenly, the person stepped out into the open. It was Arrmun. "Well, we meet again! It seems like destiny is always bringing us together."

Matt's face turned a deep red, as the sight of this person made him very angry. He then released an exasperated sigh. "Why can't you just go the hell away?! No wait, actually, why do you even bother coming back?! Don't you think after failing twice you'd at least stop?!"

Arrmun shook his head, then grinned. "That would be impossible, dear boy, for as you can see, I can never be beaten. I have never been beaten. The only way you can get rid of me is if you just completely give up."

Erika took a step forward. "Look here, Team Rocket, don't plan on stealing any Pokémon. We don't act very kindly to thieves!"

"Is there anybody who does?" Matt muttered.

Squirtle, who also turned red with anger, stepped from behind Matt and stood beside Charmeleon in a confident pose.

"And I don't like people who try to disobey my orders," Arrmun replied, catching Erika in the corner of his eye.

"What orders?!" Matt snapped.

"It's quite simple, really. If you give me your Pokémon, I might let you live."

"Shut up, just shut up!" Matt shouted, becoming very frustrated. "You know what? Why don't you get a real job for crying out loud!"

Arrmun frowned. "Well, it appears that I've awoken the savage beast again. Will you try to kill me again, like last time?"

Matt slammed his foot on the ground. "Don't even THINK of trying my patience! Look, my Pokémon aren't THAT hard to find! Just get your ugly face out of here! Nobody wants to see you here at all!"

Arrmun shook his head. "It's too bad. I would have gone easy on you. But I suppose because of your negative attitude, I'm going to have to turn things up a notch." He took out three Pokéballs. "Here are some of my strongest Pokémon. You shouldn't struggle against them; it will be such an easy battle." He threw all three as a Dragonite, Lickitung and Porygon appeared. The Porygon Matt recognized, however, the large, pink Pokémon with a long, thick tongue was one had had not yet seen, along with the large, yellow dragon, with a pale-scaled belly with large wings and a tail which could be used as a weapon in itself.

"The Porygon again. Well then, we'll just have to turn things up as well. Onix, it's time for action!" Matt tossed an enlarged Greatball as Onix appeared next to Charmeleon. "Just his and Charmeleon's power won't be enough. We'll also need Pikachu!" He tossed the enlarged Pokéball as Pikachu also appeared beside Charmeleon. "This is the end of the line Team Rocket, I'm going to stop you once and for all! And this time, I won't back down even if I have to kill you. Zenigame, get back here."

Erika looked at Matt. "What kind of grudge are you holding against him if you're not even going to hesitate to lead him into death?"

Matt watched Squirtle return to him before looking back at Erika. "He already tried to steal my friend's strong, rare Pokémon, not to mention he himself tried to kill us."

Arrmun smirked. "You think that those Pokémon can beat my superiour ones? Think again!"

"STOP!" A voice yelled. Matt turned around. Lizzie jumped between Matt's and Arrmun's Pokémon. "Don't, don't fight anymore! Stop it!"

"Fool...get out of the way, or you'll surely get brutally injured," Arrmun harshly spoke, as if he was hissing the order.

"Lizzie, step aside! Our last battle isn't finished, and I'm going to put a stop to this once and for all!" Matt clenched a fist.

At that point, Erika jumped in beside Lizzie. "She's right, stop this! Senseless fighting will only lead to more senseless fighting; this is enough!" She took her communicator and called other women in. "No battles other than challenging the gym leader are permitted!"

"Don't even think of holding us back! This battle is my fight! Don't interfere!" Matt yelled.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle jumped on top of Matt's shoulder. "Squirtle, squirtle! Squirt squirtle squirt!"

"My Zenigame agrees with me! Step aside and let us finish this!" Matt yelled. "If you don't move, I won't hesitate to begin!"

"Matt!" Lizzie exclaimed. "You're letting your anger go to your head again! Two wrongs don't make a right, don't you understand that?! Don't you care that these other people care for you?!"

"Caring? For me? What the hell are you trying to convince to me?!" Matt pointed to the sidelines. "Step aside right now; I don't want to see you get hurt."

"For once, I agree with the kid," Arrmun replied, putting on black gloves.

"Okay, fine, but please Matt, know when to draw the line," Lizzie pleaded.

"I'll do my best." He bowed his head as everyone walked to the sidelines. He then raised his head with an ambitious look in his eyes. "All right guys battle formation! Onix, in the back! Pikachu, Charmeleon, fight back-to-back! Let's go!"

"Well, a battle strategy," Arrmun said, smirking. "Doesn't matter. Dragonite will take all three of them out. Dragonite, let's go!"

Dragonite spread its wings and hovered over the Lickitung and Porygon. After passing them in the air, it allowed itself to drop onto the battlefield, creating a tremor which sounded like a blast of thunder.

"Dragonite, Slam," Arrmun commanded.

"Charmeleon, Flame Thrower. Pikachu, Agility!" Matt commanded.

Pikachu darted around the Dragonite at a rapid pace, distracting it for a brief second as Charmeleon launched forward a stream of scorching flames. Dragonite leaped to the side, avoiding the attack, but as it landed, it created another small tremor, causing Pikachu to lose its balance and tumble hard on the gym floor. Pikachu slowly rose to its feet.

Matt's eyes began to glow with anxiety. He then let out a yell. "Charmeleon, Rage!"

Charmeleon took a look at its trainer by the corner of his eye and let out a smirk. It then faced the Dragonite and began attacking it fiercly, letting out one furious physical attack after another. Charmeleon continued to strike Dragonite around and managed to drain most of its energy. Charmeleon then laid the finishing blow, by striking Dragonite with its tail. Dragonite fell over, completely unconscious as Arrmun called it back.

Arrmun then snarled angrily. "It's unfortunate that I'm going easy on you. But I'm not going to do anymore clowning around. Porygon, it's your turn!"

Porygon jumped out into the battlefield.

Matt took a deep breath. "All right, Onix, your turn to shine!"

Onix slid out in front of the Porygon and attempted to intimidate it by growling loudly. Porygon did not lose its concentration and continued to remain in its battle pose.

"Porygon, Tri Attack," Arrmun said calmly.

Porygon's body flashed twice, without either Matt or Onix knowing what it was doing. It then quickly launched three full-thrown body attacks at the Onix, which only caused it to flinch slightly; the attacks themselves did little damage.

"Onix, use Bind!" Matt commanded.

Onix swung its tail around and wrapped it around Porygon tightly. It then tightened its grip and began to squeeze even harder. After a while, Onix let go of the Porygon, who seemed to receive very little damage.

"Porygon, Psy Beam," Arrmun replied.

Porygon quickly charged a beam from its beak and quickly launched it toward Onix, who released a growl of pain, and almost collapsed onto the battlefield below, though it did manage to stay on its feet.

"Another one," Arrmun commanded.

"Onix, Rock Throw!" Matt replied.

Since its resources were limited, Onix threw towards the Porygon several plants and trees, to the disgust of Erika and the other workers. Porygon countered with another energy blast, as both attacks caused harm to both Pokémon, causing them both to collapse at the moment.

"Well, it looks like I have one left standing. Let's go, Lickitung!" Arrmun commanded as Lickitung stepped forward. "Lickitung, Wrap!" he quickly yelled.

Lickitung stuck its long tongue and wrapped Charmeleon with it completely. Charmeleon tried several attempts to break free but Lickitung continued to hold it until Charmeleon nearly passed out. Matt eventually grew frustrated, and called it back inside of its Pokéball..

"That leaves just Pikachu..." Matt looked at his small companion. He then sighed. "That's enough, I give up. Here, take ALL of my Pokémon." Matt walked up and prepared his Pokéballs and Greatballs.

Lizzie ran up. "Matt, what are you doing?!"

"Well, I never thought that you'd do such a thing. But if you're being nice enough, I suppose I could allow something like this to happen. It's about time you saw who the better trainer was."

Matt smirked. "Zenigame, Hydro Pump."

Squirtle, who was attached to Matt's back quickly jumped up and blasted several large streams of water at both Lickitung and Arrmun. Lickitung seemed to have slightly drowned as it passed out. Arrmun was absolutely enraged.

"You dare?! I should have known better! No matter, I'll still use Magmar!" Arrmun tossed out another Pokéball. Onto the field, a large, yellow Pokémon with the bill of a duck appeared, with long, sharp claws, and a long, sad face.

"Are you going to keep going until all of your Pokémon are worn out?!" Matt exclaimed. "There's no need for this; take that thing away and get the hell out of here!"

"You've seemed to have forgotten, I NEVER lose! Magmar, use Fire Punch!"

Magmar quickly caught Squirtle in its eyes; it had found its new target. Suddenly, it charged up two balls of fire rising from its own fists, and was prepared to toss them. Squirtle stood still, grinning, almost daring the Magmar to attempt its attack.

"Go, Articuno!" Lizzie tossed a Greatball as Articuno appeared, flying around in the sky. Magmar suddenly stopped its attack, as both fireballs from its fists vanished. Its eyes widened, as if it was afraid of the large creature soaring above it.

"Articuno, Ice Beam!"

"NO!" Arrmun yelled. "Stop! I demand that you cancel that attack! Magmar will suffer from severe hypothermia if you continue with such an attack!"

"Hold back, and I won't use it!" Lizzie yelled.

Arrmun stood there for several seconds thinking. He then sighed and called back Magmar inside before calling back all of his other Pokémon. "All right. I may have lost this time. But mark my words, I WILL capture your rare Pokémon!" With that he dashed through Erika and her assistants, leaving.

Matt stood still, dumbfounded, staring at the two assistants. "What in the hell are you standing around for?! Capture him, or something!"

The two assistants suddenly shrieked and realized that what Matt said was true; he was getting away. Lizzie then called Articuno back inside its Greatball and walked towards Matt, as he was absorbing both Pikachu and Onix back inside their Pokéballs.

"Here you go," Erika stepped up, handing Lizzie a Rainbow Badge.

"What are you doing?! I haven't fought you in a gym match yet! I can't accept that!"

"It doesn't matter. By holding a Legendary Bird, I wouldn't have had such a chance against such a powerful Pokémon. Here..." Erika extended her hand.

"Look, I have already taken at least a few gym badges without fighting. Please let me fight you."

"You won't have to. I have already looked at your Pokémon's statistics. It would clearly outlast all of my Pokémon, even if they haven't already battled. Take it. Please."

Lizzie sighed. "All right. But I hope you realize how guilty you're making me feel!"

Erika giggled. "Don't be. You would have won regardless. Not to mention you did buy a fair amount of perfume from us today; consider this a free gift!"

"Well, shall we go to Fuchsia then? Matt asked.

"Yes. Let's pick up our bikes at the Pokémon Center and go!"

Matt, Lizzie and Squirtle returned to the Pokémon Center to pick up their bikes. Once there, they heard a familiar voice. "You two ARE here!" he exclaimed.

Matt and Lizzie turned around as suddenly large smiles appeared on their face. It was Jordan. They both ran to greet him.

"I was thinking that I wouldn't see you two again! How have you been doing?"

"Well, we managed to get more Pokémon, and badges to boot!" Lizzie said.

"Really? By yourselves? Wow, I'm surprised you did it without my guidance!" Jordan teased.

"What are you talking about? You've never given us any tips, or advice. Lizzie and myself are capable of doing it on our own," Matt replied. "So, how long have you been here?"

"I've been following your routes ever since Team Rocket broke us up at the tournament. I was hoping that one of us could have gotten that prize. But that's life. So, found any hidden gyms lately?" Jordan asked.

"Actually, we've stopped looking. They're taking up too much time to look for..." Matt said. "Besides, we've already collected seven badges in total."

"Well, to be honest I have just clarified that both hidden gyms were found that hold both the Blue and Red Crystal Badges. You guys have actually found them both in Indigo," Jordan replied. "Very few trainers were actually able to find them."

"Wow, and they're both really close together, too." Matt said.

"So you mean the others are out in the other leagues?" Lizzie asked. "Geez, you're right, it probably would take a lifetime to find them all."

"Maybe after we finish our business here at the Indigo League, we could go looking for Crystal Badges from the other leagues in the world?"

"I don't know if you'd want to do that," Jordan said. "You're still young trainers; to suddenly go out and go out on a journey which could take you a lifetime could be very tiring. You should try out other leagues, first."

"I don't mind."

"Well, if you two are ready to jump the gun after the Indigo League, you could always go to the Island of Fenyuu. The island's so big that it contains over forty gyms," Jordan explained. "It will require a lot of hard work and dedication to get in, but with the way you two are, it shouldn't be that difficult to you."

"That's a good idea. But now, we're going on to Fuchsia Gym."

Matt and Lizzie allowed their Pokémon to be rejuvinated as they took out their bikes. Jordan also took out the one that he borrowed from the previous Pokémon Center. After taking a few minutes to purchase some more supplies they were on their way, searching for Route 7.

"Elite Four members must have such a handsome salary," Lizzie commented.

"Heh. Technically, that is true, though, Lizzie. But the thing is, I haven't gotten anything ever since I was kicked out of the Elite Four. I think with all the money I have here, I'm set pretty much for life."

"Wow..." Matt commented. "You okay back there, Zenigame?" Matt asked, looking behind his shoulder for a brief second.

Squirtle nodded.

"Look out, leaders of the Fuchsia, we're coming."



TO BE CONTINUED.