Chapter 45
"I can't believe it's been a whole year since I was here." The journey from Cinnabar Island had been uneventful, but took a couple days since Ash and Brock missed the last ferry leaving Cinnabar. But now that they were finally back in Viridian City. Strolling through the streets of the city, Ash looked around with stars of nostalgia in his eyes. When he had first come upon the city, he was still wet behind the ears, and only had his Squirtle and Pidgey with him. But now, he had seven Badges, and if all went well, then he would get his eighth, which would qualify him for the Pokémon League.
There wasn't any need for them to stop and rest at the Pokémon Center, and Ash was too excited to stop anyways, so with Brock's map as their guide, they quickly found their way to the Viridian Gym, which wasn't too far away from the center. "Look, Ash! The Viridian Gym!" Brock pointed out once they approached. As far as Gyms went, it was pretty plain looking. Just a small two-story building, it had a grand staircase leading up to the front and in-between the two marble staircases was a water fountain. Numerous marble pillars stood like trees on either side of the path leading up to the front door, used exclusively for decoration. "And inside, there's an Earth Badge with your name on it."
As they got closer, they could see two guards dressed like Roman soldiers standing in front of the door on either side. Each one of them held a spear in their hand, but Ash's excitement was blinding him to them, and a determined grin was plastered onto his face. "I already have seven Badges," he stated, stopping before walking up the staircase. "I just need one more to get to the Pokémon League; I've gotta win it here! I know I can do it! I'm on a hot streak!"
"Wow, Ash is all fired up..." Brock murmured to himself, looking at his traveling companion. His recent victory over Blaine and his Wartortle evolving into Blastoise really seemed to boost his confident level. But that was all about to change with a rev of an engine.
Tires screeched behind him, and Ash and Brock turned around to see a familiar red corvette skidding to a stop. A boisterous laugh grabbed their attention and made Ash's blood boil instantly, as he knew exactly who it belonged to, but in case he forgot, the cheerleaders in the car started waving their pom-poms as soon as the car came to a stop. "Gary, Gary; he's the best! Gary, Gary; beats the rest!"
Gary stuck his nose in the air and had his trademark smirk on his face as he looked down at Ash. "Gary?!" the black-haired Trainer exclaimed.
"I thought you finally gave up catching and training Pokémon," Gary spoke up with a sneer. "I figured you went back to Pallet, but no, here you are; still at it!"
"I'll show you!" Ash retorted with a fist in the air, but as he lifted his leg to step forward, Brock put a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Take it easy, Ash," he said quietly.
But Gary continued his taunting. "I bet you don't even have enough Badges to get into the Pokémon League yet."
"I only have to win one more to get in!" Gary chuckled sarcastically and reached into his pocket before pulling out an orange Badge case and opening it up.
"You have some catching up to do." Ash and Brock gasped at what they saw inside the case. There were many Badges that Ash didn't recognize – the only ones he shared with Gary were the Boulder, Cascade, and Rainbow Badges. But there were not five, not six, but seven other Badges in the case. "As you can see, I already have ten Badges!" With a flick of his wrist, the Badge case closed and Gary smirked as he pocketed it again. "Still think you have what it takes to become a Pokémon Master?"
Ash was still flabbergasted at the amount of Badges that Gary had acquired, and fell silent but glared daggers at his childhood rival. "I just stopped by on my way back to Pallet to see if the leader of this Gym wants to battle a real Pokémon Trainer." The auburn-haired Trainer jumped over the door of the car, and Ash and Brock followed him up the marble staircase, but stopped as he continued on and stopped before the guards. "I'm Gary Oak from Pallet, and I hereby request a battle with the leader of this Gym!" The two men guarding the Gym doors didn't reply, but simply tapped the base of their staffs into the ground. The doors between them opened, and Gary went in first, and soon his cheerleaders followed excitedly.
"Let's go!"
"This'll be cool!"
"Gary will win again!"
"Like he always does!"
Ash gasped, and turned to Brock. "C'mon Brock, we're going in too." He had only seen Gary battle once since they had begun their journey, and the battle was interrupted, so he was curious to see the skills that had earned Gary ten Badges. Without waiting for a reply from the Pokémon Breeder, Ash hurried to the entrance of the Gym, but was stopped when the guards crossed their spears in front of him.
"Only one Trainer allowed in the Gym at a time, kid," the guard to Ash's left told him.
"But I have to get in there-"
"THAT'S THE RULE!" they shouted simultaneously, and disappeared into the Gym before the doors slammed shut once again.
Ash growled and his eyebrows clashed together in anger. "If I don't do something soon, Gary's gonna get way ahead of me!" But Brock stayed silent with no commentary to add, so Ash simply slumped to the ground and hugged his knees as he attempted to hide the tears that were prickling the bottoms of his eyelids. Everything was all catching up to him all at once: Gary getting far ahead of him on his journey, and catching more Pokémon than him, and the last thing now was Gary having three more Badges than him. And, if all went well in the Gym battle, four. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he would always fall behind Gary. "Maybe I'm not the greatest Trainer yet, but I care about my Pokémon just as much as anybody does; maybe more."
Brock stayed off to the side, letting his friend deal with his emotions in his own way. He knew that seeing Gary was always tough on Ash. Now all they had to do was wait on Gary to emerge from the Viridian Gym.
o 0 o
They waited for over two hours, but the door didn't move a centimeter. Sitting on the deck of the Viridian Gym, Ash paced back and forth restlessly, waiting for the results of Gary's match. Many times, Ash and Brock thought that maybe Gary had already left, but they knew that he would have gloated his victory since he knew they were just on the other side of the doors. And even still, Gary's car was still parked on the lower level on the main road where the Gym sat.
"What do you think is taking so long?" Ash asked Brock, who was sitting patiently on the marble stairwell.
"I'm not sure. Pokémon battles don't usually take this long," the former Gym Leader replied with a shrug. "Do you think maybe something happened?"
"I don't know, but I'm tired of waiting!" Ash finally had enough, and ran up to the doors of the Gym. The guards who had been guarding it hadn't even emerged yet, and he pounded against the heavy stone doors. "Open up! Hey! Hello?!"
"Ash, what are you doing?" Brock questioned, getting to his feet.
"Maybe something did happen, Brock! We need to find out what's taking Gary so long!" he reasoned. Brock opened his mouth to reply, but knew it was useless, so he hurried over to Ash's side, and they both gripped the middle of the doors. "Ready... pull!"
Both boys grunted as they pulled with all their might. The doors were heavy, but with their combined strength, they were able to pry it open slightly, which gave them the perfect leeway to push it open the rest of the way, and once it was open so they could get inside, they peered in. The whole area was completely dark, save for a few emergency lights around the arena. The only bright light that poured in was from the sun in the sky.
"Look over there!" Brock exclaimed, looking ahead. Beyond a small lobby was the arena, and figures could be seen strewn about and scattered on the ground. Immediately, Ash's eyes fell upon the fallen person laying on his back some distance away from the challenger's box.
"It's Gary!"
"And the girls!" While Ash rushed in and ran toward his rival, Brock approached the nearest cheerleader to help her out. Pulling Gary's torso up into his arms, the black-haired Trainer shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him.
"Hey, Gary! Gary, wake up!" Slowly, Gary's eyes began to open.
"I-it's here..." he moaned as he stirred.
"What happened?! What's here?"
Gary's dark eyes looked deep in Ash's, and he looked at him in a way Ash had never seen before. "A Pokémon that we've never seen... did this..." Ash gasped, and Gary looked to the dark ceiling of the Gym in a daze. "There's something different about this one... This Pokémon's not just powerful – it's evil!"
"Evil?" Ash repeated in disbelief. "There can't be an evil Pokémon..."
Meanwhile, Brock had succeeded in waking up all of Gary's cheer crew, which was obvious from the way that they were all whining. "I can't believe Gary lost..." the leader said, and immediately all of them started to break down and cry loudly. Brock clamped his hands over his ears, and the sudden sound of wailing in the silence of the Gym made him flail and drop Gary as he threw his palms over his own ears as well.
Gary didn't seem to hear it, though, and still seemed lost in his serious stupor. After recovering from being dropped, he continued to stare at the ceiling. "One thing's for sure..." he muttered, grabbing Ash's attention through the sobbing. "No one will ever beat that Pokémon..." Ash looked at Gary thoughtfully – he had never seen the Pokémon Trainer who he had got his first Pokémon with so shaken up.
Suddenly, the lights above flickered on, and Ash blinked so his eyes would adjust, and when he looked ahead, he didn't see anyone, though he did hear a voice. "Have you come to pick up the trash that has littered this arena?"
"Who's there?!" Ash demanded. On the other side of the arena was a large entryway with a stone archway, and it opened slowly, though it was so dark that no one could be seen. It wasn't until the young man stepped out from inside and into the actual arena that they could see him. His teal hair was short, and he wore a small smirk on his face as he strolled out.
"My name is Archer," he introduced with a small bow, and looked at Ash with piercing aqua eyes. "I have been placed in charge of this Gym."
"That's not the guy I fought..." Gary said weakly, sitting up himself and looking at the young man with contempt.
"He's not the actual Gym Leader?" Ash questioned his rival.
"While is true that I have been placed here temporarily, please don't write off my Pokémon skills; I'm quite a capable Trainer seconded only by Giovanni himself," Archer said calmly, adjusting the white suit he wore and reached into the black breast pocket of his overcoat. "Regardless, if you manage to defeat me in battle, you will earn this Gym's Badge." He held out his hand, and in between his fingers and thumb, a green badge that resembled a feather shone in the stadium lights.
"The Earth Badge!" Ash gasped. "Then that's just what I'm gonna do!"
"Then step forward, challenger." Ash took a step forward, but Gary stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Be careful, Ash," he warned. "If he has that Pokémon..."
"I'll be careful, don't worry," Ash assured his rival with a smirk, and walked forward into the Trainer's box. "My name is Ash Ketchum, and I'm from the town of Pallet! If I get your Badge, then this will enter me into the Pokémon League."
"Oh? You must be quite the Trainer," Archer responded with his arms crossed, and stepped onto his side of the battlefield. "We'll begin with three Pokémon each; no time limit."
"Fine! Let's battle!" Ash agreed. Archer dug into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball before throwing it forward.
"Machamp!" he declared. After the ball left his hand, it opened in the air before him, and a muscular gray Pokémon with four arms appeared.
"Machamp!" it cried. Ash studied the Pokémon before selecting his choice and throwing its Poké Ball out onto the battlefield.
"Mankey, I choose you!" Ash's own Fighting-type Pokémon was revealed after a flash of light, and it bounced up and down and lifted its paws in a battle position. Unlike previous battles before, Mankey's eyes were already opened and glaring at Machamp.
"Mankey looks ready to battle already..." Brock noted quietly. "He must have chosen Mankey because Mankey lost to a Machamp back at the P-1 Grand Prix."
"I expected more," Archer said calmly, and ordered his first attack. "Machamp, Karate Chop!"
"Machamp!" his Pokémon cried. With surprising speed, Machamp barreled forward and unleashed a flurry of strikes with its lower two arms on Mankey. Mankey squealed in pain and skidded backwards.
"Don't let that get you down, Mankey! Fight back with Scratch attack!" Shaking off the strikes, Mankey launched itself at Machamp, and the Superpower Pokémon barely had time to gasp when Mankey repeatedly swiped its paw up and down on its face. Archer's Pokémon stumbled backwards and held its stinging face, and as quickly as Mankey landed on the ground, it was back up and leapt at Machamp. "Now, use Mega Kick!" While its opponent was distracted, Mankey was up in the air and it flipped before shooting down at Machamp with its leg extended. However, much like the P-1 Grand Prix, Ash and Mankey seemed to forget one thing.
Mankey's eyes widened when its kick was blocked by Machamp's second pair of arms, and it lowered the first pair down and smirked. Archer did as well, and soon commanded his next attack. "Machamp, Seismic Toss! Toss it into the wall!" Gripping Mankey's appendage tightly, the Fighting-type Pokémon spun around and around on its heel. Ash could only watch in silent horror as his Pokémon was swung around like a rag doll with absolutely no way of getting out. Finally, Machamp opened its fingers, and sent Mankey soaring into the side wall of the stadium. It hit hard and winced in pain before sliding down and falling onto its face.
"Mankey!" Ash exclaimed, and hurried up to his Pokémon, who was slowly getting up. "Are you okay?"
"Mankee..." it muttered, wincing once again as it tried to stand but its opened eye was locked on Machamp.
"I'm sorry, Mankey. I shouldn't have chosen you for this battle. I just thought you'd like to avenge yourself on your loss against that Machamp back at the Grand Prix." Mankey nodded and pushed itself back up onto its feet. "Are you sure you can still fight?"
"Man, mankeey!"
"He can't win..." Gary murmured, his face filled with worry. "Machamp's too powerful."
"Do you surrender, Ash from Pallet?" Archer called while his Machamp stood with its arms up and ready.
"Far from it!" Ash shot back, and hurried back to the Trainer's box. "Mankey, go!" Mankey let out a snort and barreled at Machamp.
"Machamp, Fissure!" Archer countered with his own attack. Machamp gave a cry, and punched one of its four fists into the ground. The whole Gym seemed to shake in the power that was behind it, and a jagged beam of white energy shot underground from Machamp's fist and directly at Mankey. Mankey tried to skid to a stop, but the attack was too fast, and it reached it with a violent explosion. Ash and Brock both gasped, and even Gary did as well, and when the dust settled, Mankey was lying on its back with swirls in its eyes. "Well, I must give your Pokémon compliments – it lasted a lot longer than I thought it would."
Ash frowned and glared at Archer before pulling out Mankey's Poké Ball and holding it up to it. But before he could recall it, he noticed a white glow appearing around Mankey. "H-hey. What's going on?" As Ash said this, its whole body began to glow as well. Slowly standing up, its tail was sucked up inside its body, and its arms and legs sprouted the opposite way while Mankey's body got larger and rounder. Finally, the glow faded, and a new Pokémon stood in its place. "Bree-ah! Primeeappe!"
"Mankey just evolved into Primeape!" Brock exclaimed happily, and Ash's snarl quickly turned into a wide smile. Replacing the Pig Monkey's Poké Ball with his Pokédex, he scanned the new Pokémon.
"Primeape. If you make eye contact with this evolved form of Mankey, it will chase you forever."
"A stroke of luck that won't happen again," Archer frowned. "Machamp, Fissure again!"
"Maaachamp!" Like before, Machamp slammed its fist into the ground, and a jagged beam of energy shot from it and snaked underground at Primeape.
"We're not falling for the same trick twice! Primeape, dodge it!" Ash commanded. Primeape cried out and shot toward Machamp like it was doing as a Mankey, but when the Fissure attack approached it, it weaved back and forth over it and raised its fists. "Now Primeape, Seismic Toss!"
Reaching Machamp, Primeape grabbed it by the waist and the leg and lifted it up off the ground and jumped high into the air. Archer's eyebrows rose and his mouth opened slightly. "Hit it with Karate Chop!" But Primeape was at the perfect spot that Machamp couldn't reach it. Try as it might to strike Primeape, the Superpower Pokémon was too bulky to reach its opponent from the way it was holding it. With a loud battle cry, Primeape flipped its body and slammed Machamp into the floor of the arena. Once the Fighting-type had landed, the dust had settled, and Machamp was knocked out.
"You did it!" Ash cheered with a fist in the air. "You beat Machamp! Great job, Primeape!" Primeape let out a proud puff of air from its snout, and Archer stared with a stone face at the pair before holding out Machamp's Poké Ball.
"A failed gambit." The red recall beam sucked the Fighting-type back into its Poké Ball, and Archer dropped it back into his pocket. "What a blunder. I guess that's what I get for going easy on a child." He soon fished out another Poké Ball and threw it forward. "Next, Kingler!" The ball spiraled through the air in a flurry of red and white before opening and a bright light fell onto the arena. When it came together, a scarlet Pokémon with two claws – one larger than the other – appeared and scuttled forward.
Seeing the new Pokémon, Ash held out Primeape's Poké Ball and pointed the button at it. "Primeape, return!" he called, and withdrew his Pokémon back inside. Instantly, he replaced it with a new one and threw this one out moments after. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!"
"Bulbasaur!" his Pokémon cried when it materialized from the light let out.
Not wasting any time, Ash called out the first attack. "Bulbasaur, Vine Whiiip!" Bulbasaur gave another cry and jumped into the air before two vines shot out from underneath the bulb on its back and soared at Kingler. But Archer was prepared.
"Kingler, Harden attack!" he countered. This Pokémon seemed to have surprises up its sleeve as well, and the Water-type Pokémon jumped into the air at Bulbasaur before its body began to glow light blue. The two vines struck it, but they were repelled by the glow. "Kingler, Bubble attack!" Landing back on the ground, Kingler opened its mouth and released a flurry of clear bubbles at Bulbasaur. The attack was a direct hit, and Bulbasaur's head shook back and forth as it was pelted by the Water-type attack.
Now that Archer was back in control of the match, the smile appeared on his face once again, but Ash wasn't going down without a fight. "Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf attack!" Shaking away the pain from the Bubble attack, Bulbasaur sent out a spiral of leaves from the bulb on its back. The Pincer Pokémon raised its claws, and Archer countered once again.
"Harden attack – again!" Like before, Kingler's body began to glow light blue, and the leaves that struck it bounced off its glowing body. Ash growled in frustration at the futile attempts to damage Kingler. Archer's plan was most likely to exhaust Bulbasaur and then strike when it had lost its will to battle. There had to be a way to attack Kingler while getting around that Harden attack.
"Wait! I know!" Ash exclaimed as a light bulb flashed in his head. "Bulbasaur, tie Kingler up with your Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur lowered its head, and soon enough, a seed sprouted from the opening of its bulb.
"Bulba-saur!" it called, and the seed launched high into the air before curling and planting itself on Kingler's head. The Water Pokémon crossed its eyes at it looked at the seed on its shell, and then suddenly vines began to sprout from it and covered its body. The vines flashed red as they absorbed Kingler's health.
"Ha! We got it now!" Ash smirked, but Archer didn't seem phased by the new developments at all.
"Kingler, Crabhammer," he commanded. Powering through the pain of Leech Seed sapping its strength, Kingler scuttled forward and it swung its massive claw sideways. Bulbasaur managed to step back from the first assault, but when its smaller claw followed suit, it threw off the Seed Pokémon and its head was swept to the side from the impact. Finally, Kingler followed it up with its larger claw once again. Now that Bulbasaur had been hit once, it raised its prominent claw and brought it down on Bulbasaur's body, slamming it into the ground. The vines around Kingler turned red and the Water-type winced once again, but it stepped backwards to view its work, and Bulbasaur was laying on its stomach, knocked out.
"No, Bulbasaur!" Ash cried, and quickly recalled his fainted Pokémon back into its Poké Ball.
"Ash! You can't win! His Pokémon are too strong!" Gary called from the sidelines.
"I won't give up!" Ash said stubbornly. "I've come too far to just quit now!" His hat covered his face in shadows so it was unreadable, and he continued. "I trust my Pokémon. We can do it!"
Gary's eyebrows rose at Ash's determination. Just as Ash hadn't seen Gary so shaken up earlier, Gary had never seen Ash so determined. "Maybe... he can..."
Ash didn't hear him, however, and brought out his final Pokémon. "Go, Pidgeotto!" The ball soared into the air, and Ash's bird Pokémon came shooting out of the light that released it from inside the capture device. No sooner had Pidgeotto appeared did Ash command his Pokémon for an attack. "Pidgeotto, Gust attack!"
"Pigeotto-to-to-to!" his Pokémon shrieked, facing Kingler and flapping its wings powerfully. The Pincer Pokémon struggled to stay on its feet, but the wind was too much for it, and before long, it was sent backwards and didn't stop until it hit the wall behind Archer. All eyes were on Kingler now, and it gurgled as it struggled to stand, but then the Leech Seed that was still attached to it sizzled and flashed red, and that was enough to drain the last of its strength. Kingler fell to the ground with spirals in its eyes.
"Great job, Pidgeotto!" Ash whooped, a huge smile on his face as the Bird Pokémon fluttered close to the ground, and his Pokémon proudly returned his call with a cry of its own.
"Smart move," Brock complimented. "Kingler was repelling all sort of physical attacks, so Ash let the momentum and Leech Seed take care of the rest."
On the other side of the battlefield, Archer recalled his Kingler back into its Poké Ball and turned back to Ash. "So it wasn't just a stroke of luck you beat me the first time," he stated. "I understand now. I'll have to be more careful about you." He reached into his pocket and produced one last Poké Ball: this one was dark brown with a yellow stripe-like pattern on the top instead of the normal red – an Ultra Ball. "I will defeat you with the Gym's ace. Rhydon for the finale!" He threw the Ultra Ball into the air, and white light spilled from the inside. When the ball landed back in Archer's hand, a large gray Pokémon with a horn on its snout formed and let out a loud cry.
"Blaine had a Rhydon and we beat it no problem!" Ash declared with a smirk.
"You'll soon find this Rhydon is much more powerful than others you may have fought before," Archer promised.
"We'll see about that! Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto gave a shrill cry and shot at Rhydon like a dart. It flew so fast that smoke spiraled around it, and it struck Archer's Rhydon in the shoulder. Despite being not very effective, the Drill Pokémon stumbled backwards.
"C'mon, Ash! You can do it!" Brock shouted.
"Pidgeotto, Double-Edge attack!" Ash commanded with his arm out, and Pidgeotto quickly sailed around with its wings open and once again shot at Rhydon.
"Pigeoo!" it cried, and a brilliant emerald aura appeared around its body. Opening its wings, it shot at Rhydon and slammed into and past it. This time, Rhydon was pushed backwards.
"Oh, you hit its weak spot. Nicely done..." Archer muttered with an annoyed, manic look on his face. "But if that's all you have, then you're going to be disappointed when you lose! Rhydon, Horn Drill!"
Rhydon roared and spun around. The sound of its tail scratching across the stadium floor echoed in the large, open area, and its horn began to spin like a drill. It dove up at Pidgeotto who was coming around and wincing in pain from its Double-Edge attack's recoil, and streaks of blue energy spiraled around it, covering its body so that it itself looked like one large drill.
"Pidgeotto, stop it with a Whirlwind attack and blow it away with Gust!"
"Pigeoooo!" Pidgeotto shrilled, and beat its wings as hard as it could. A strong wind blasted out of its wings, and Pidgeotto flapped faster and faster until it seemed everyone in the Gym seemed to have trouble standing. Rhydon wasn't a good Pokémon in the air, so its Horn Drill was stopped in its tracks, but this seemed to be all part of Archer's plan.
"Rhydon, Mega Punch!" he called. Instantly, its horn stopped spinning, and the energy dissipated around it. This broke the powerful wind gusts, and surprised Pidgeotto, whose eyes widened and its beak flung open. But before it even had the chance to cry out, Rhydon pulled back its already glowing-blue fist and brought it forth, colliding with Pidgeotto's stomach and sending it to the ground. "Quite good, wouldn't you agree? In order to stop a bird Pokémon, you have to clip its wings if it's out of reach."
"Pidgeotto!" Ash shouted, his blood running cold. But, his faithful companion managed to peel itself off the ground. It was heavily damaged, and breathing heavily, but it managed to stand while Rhydon landed on the ground with an earth-shaking crash.
"Rhydon, Fury Attack," Archer said with a snap of his fingers. Rhydon crouched down upon its Trainer's order, and it pulled back a fist once again, but this time a blue aura appeared around it.
"Pidgeotto, you've got to get into the air, now!" Ash urged as a bead of sweat fell down from under his hairline. Rhydon threw its fist forward at Pidgeotto, and at the last second, Pidgeotto flapped its wings and shot a gust of wind at the floor, which sent it shooting straight up. Rhydon punched at thin air where the Bird Pokémon was just seconds before, and its annoyed look matched its Trainer's as both looked up. "Great job, Pidgeotto!"
"How is it still flying?!" Archer scowled. "Rhydon, get it down at whatever cost!" Rhydon growled in agreement, and dove at Pidgeotto like before, going into a powerful Horn Drill attack.
"We almost fell for it before, but not again! Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto let out a cry and shot at Rhydon with smoke spiraling around it, but at the last second, it curled and dove up at Rhydon's stomach. It didn't do much, but it was enough to knock the Ground and Rock Pokémon out of the air and crashing to the ground. Rhydon slowly stood up, but quickly raised its guard and raised both of its arms in front of its face as Pidgeotto pelted it back and forth, over and over again with Quick Attacks.
"Pigeo! Pigeo! Pigeooo!"
"Knock it out of the sky with Mega Punch, Rhydon!" Archer ordered, and Rhydon lowered its guard and raised its fists, now going on the offensive. Its fists began to glow light blue, and it locked onto Pidgeotto in the sky coming down at it. It punched, but Pidgeotto was too fast for it, and the slow and bulky Pokémon wasn't able to strike it. Pidgeotto managed to hit it three more times before Ash switched tactics.
"Now, Pidgeotto! Finish it with Double-Edge attack!" Pidgeotto opened its wings and dove down at Rhydon once again. The smoke around it disappeared, and was replaced with a glittering emerald aura that trailed in the air after it. Now that it was moving slower, Rhydon could get it perfectly, and as Ash's Pokémon swooped in, Rhydon struck forward with its fist. The two Pokémon collided, and Rhydon landed facing Archer, while Pidgeotto stumbled to the ground in front of Ash. His mouth let out a silent scream that only came out as a breath of air. Pidgeotto was down. "P-Pidgeotto..."
On Rhydon's other side, Archer looked just as surprised as he looked at Rhydon's face. Neither Ash or any of the others could see it since Rhydon was facing Archer, but the answer was soon obvious when Rhydon fell to the ground. Rhydon was unable to battle. A silence spread across the battlefield, and no one dared to move, feeling as if they did, reality itself would warp.
The first movement caught their eye, and it happened at Ash's feet. Pidgeotto slowly got up. Its whole body was covered in bruises and scrapes, and it was shaking violently from pain, but it was up, and it faced Archer with its beak in the air. It was the winner. Archer was defeated. "We did it!" Ash yelled happily, and let out a laugh as he hurried over to Pidgeotto with his arms wide open.
"Pigeooo! Pigeooo!" Pidgeotto cried ecstatically as well, and he embraced his Pokémon and fell to his knees. Pulling back, he rubbed the red plumage on its head, and was smiling so big that he couldn't even open his eyes.
"You were just great!" Much to Ash's surprise, Gary's cheerleaders began to chant as well, but instead of doing so for Gary like they always did, they gave another cheer.
"He's the winner, he's our Ash; let's all have a victory bash! He's the victor, he's our man; no one wins like Ketchum can!"
Off to the side, far from the others, Gary wore a smile on his face, a genuine smile, and he muttered something under his breath, but it was so quiet that Ash didn't hear it. Not that the Pallet native was listening, either way. He was too busy celebrating with his Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, and newly-evolved Primeape, who he had let out of their Poké Balls to let them know they had won.
A flash of red light grabbed their attention as Rhydon was returned to its Ultra Ball, and the temporary Gym Leader of the Viridian Gym had his eyes closed and an unreadable expression. But finally, he gave the smallest hint of a smile as he began to close the distance between him and his opponent. "With my current skills, I was not up to the task at all." Archer approached Ash and looked down at him and his Pokémon. "It's not my style to be emotional, but here." Archer extended a hand, and in the palm was the green Badge shaped like a feather.
Ash slowly plucked the Badge from Archer's hand, and was instantly overcome with excitement. It was his eighth Gym Badge. He was now qualified for the Pokémon League. Pressing it between his fingers, he held it forward. "I finally got my Earth Badge!"
o 0 o
Gary and his cheerleaders left without many words, something that was very unlike Gary and his boisterous nature. Not that it mattered to Ash, because it seemed like nothing could put him down. With his new Earth Badge pinned to the inside of his jacket beside the Volcano Badge and under the Soul Badge, he grinned from ear to ear as him and Brock left Viridian City.
"I wonder if we'll ever get to see the Pokémon Gary was talking about..." Brock muttered while thinking aloud. "I'd like to get a good look at that."
"Right now, all I want to look at are my eight Badges," Ash said, and turned to Brock with a smirk. "And now I can finally get into the Pokémon League. I'm on my way to be a Pokémon Master."
"All right! Let's go!" Brock replied happily with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face. But then, the smile faded and his eyebrows pulled together. "But the real question is, where is the Pokémon League?"
Ash didn't have the answer to that question, and the boy only hummed in nervous response. "Uh..."
"I'm sure Professor Oak could tell us all about it," Brock said, and Ash's smile reappeared.
"Right! Let's go visit him back in Pallet Town!"
"All right!"
-end-
Ash:
Party:
Blastoise (Poké Ball)
Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam
Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)
Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge
Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)
Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed
Charmander (Poké Ball)
Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember
Tauros (Safari Ball)
Moves: Fissure
Primeape (Poké Ball)
Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss
At Professor Oak's Lab:
Muk (Poké Ball)
Moves:
Tauros (Safari Ball)
Moves:
Krabby (Poké Ball)
Moves: ViceGrip
Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Marsh Badge
Rainbow Badge
Soul Badge
Volcano Badge
Earth Badge
Brock:
Party:
Onix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig
Geodude (Poké Ball)
Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle
Zubat (Poké Ball)
Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic
Psyduck (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion
Vulpix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility