Tinted With Evil
Chapter 5: Cheap Shots
A/N: I'm pretty sure that this will be the only chapter of this fic that I will get done before Christmas rolls around. Trust me when I say that the gift that I have planned for you guys is going to be rather unexpected. By the way, Merry Christmas!
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Today was easily the most important day of Tint's young career as a Pokemon trainer. He was in Pewter City, patiently waiting at the Pokemon Center while his team of Pokemon received healing. The nurse has told him that his new Spearow would be unable to fly for a week or two while its wing healed. Add that problem to the extremely weak little Weedle that he had captured on the way out of Viridian Forest and Tint was in a tight spot to compete against the local gym leader, Brock.
He was only going to have two Pokemon available that would stand a fighting chance against the rock type gym leader. Both Silence and Exeggcute had type advantages over the rock type, but had yet to learn any abilities that would prove beneficial in a battle. Silence only knew the attacks scratch and sand attack, but had proven that he could be used fairly well as a living battering ram against opponents. Exeggcute, on the other hand, knew barrage and hypnotize according to the bootleg Pokedex. Tint had a crude plan forming, one that just might win him the badge.
After retrieving his healed Pokemon from the caretaker, Tint headed for the gym. "I'm here to challenge Brock for the Boulder Badge!" Tint announced once he had stepped inside the lounge area of the gym.
"You'll have to wait your turn. Brock is currently facing another challenger." A young boy replied from behind a counter. So much for making a grand entrance. Tint nodded his head in understanding, grudgingly making his way over to a nearby bench. Why was he always the one waiting for everything?
Before he had even seated himself down, Tint halted himself. "Could you tell me the name of the challenger?" Tint asked, wondering if it was one of the four trainers from Pallet Town.
The boy seated behind the desk looked down at the book on the table before him. "Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."
How could Ash still be ahead of him? The poor kid had been stuck with a Pokemon with way too much attitude, and had managed to make it this far still intact. "Is there somewhere I could go to watch the match?" Tint asked, wanting to get some scouting info on Brock and to figure out the mystery of the temperamental Pikachu.
The young boy pointed to a staircase leading upwards. Tint thanked the lad for his assistance before bounding up the stairs. At the top of the staircase was a section of bleachers, very similar to the ones in Viridian City, except meant for a smaller crowd. At the far end of the bleachers sat a dozen or so young children, all of whom appeared very similar to each other. "They must be siblings…" Tint thought as he turned his focus to the battle in progress down below.
Oddly enough, Tint found the scene below him to be quite amusing. There was the tiny Pikachu that had caused him so much difficulty in the past, having the life squeezed out of him by a giant rock snake. Ash was frantically yelling for Pikachu to break out of the hold. Meanwhile, across the stadium stood Brock, who simple called out for Onix to tighten its grip. Standing behind Ash was that orange haired girl who Tint kept running into. She must have decided to tag along with Ash.
A cheer rose up from the child spectators, who Tint had concluded must have been Brock's younger siblings. Ash had thrown in the towel, admitting that he had been defeated. Tint wasn't surprised in the slightest. An electric type Pokemon such as Pikachu wouldn't stand a chance against a rock ground mix. Brock recalled his Onix, letting Pikachu slip to the ground. Ash rushed forward, cradling the fallen yellow mouse, before saying something towards Brock. Tint couldn't quite make out what the young trainer was saying due to the cheering kids, but he was pretty sure that Ash was promising that the next time would be different.
As Ash and his companion meandered out of the stadium, Brock's siblings rushed down to the ground level to congratulate their brother. Brock was about to leave the stadium when the young boy who had been at the front desk entered from the opposite end. "Brock, you have another challenger!"
Brock gently pushed aside the throng of youngsters that were clamoring all over him. Tint guessed that he was in his older teens, if not in his early adult years, judging from his more mature appearance. He took a step towards the kid that was running forwards, "Where is he?" The youngster pointed up towards the bleachers, roughly to where Tint was standing. Brock and his other siblings looked up at Tint. A couple of the younger children had already cowered behind their brother, who considered Tint with a serious gaze. "Give me ten minutes and then we will battle," the gym leader called out before he led his siblings out the rear entrance of the stadium.
Tint dropped back into the shadows of the stairwell. "That Onix is going to be hard to take out…" He muttered as he descended the stairs. Tint was now beginning to understand why most of the new trainers weren't interested in taking the challenge of trying to win badges. Most of them had probably gone up against that monstrous rock snake and had been handily defeated. Actually, that Onix would make a great addition to his team…
The young boy had returned to the front desk. He was about to say something to Tint, but decided against it when he saw the wicked smile that the new challenger wore. Tint strode past the front desk, making his way through the swinging doors and into the stadium. He quickly noted that the ground of the battlefield was covered in a thin layer of sand, accompanying the large boulders strewn haphazardly about. His plan seemed to make a lot more sense now.
There was yet another youth standing to the side of the field. This boy must be the official, judging from the attire. The boy nodded politely to Tint, who respectfully returned the gesture. Just because he was in Team Rocket didn't give him an excuse to be rude. Acting evil, on the other hand, was greatly encouraged and that was exactly what Tint had in mind for the upcoming battle.
Tint calmly released Silence from his Pokeball. Silence immediately took a liking to the sandy field. "I thought that you'd like that," Tint commented as Silence curled itself into a ball and rolled about playfully in the sand. "This is going to be a hard battle, but I think that you shouldn't have a problem. I'll call in Exeggcute only when an opportunity arises, the rest is up to you. Remember, the sand is your friend." In response to Tint's little pep talk, Silence bounced off a rock and into the air, landing gracefully beside Tint.
"Sir, I'll fill you in on the rules that we follow here in this gym before your match." The official spoke up. "Each trainer is allowed to use two Pokemon apiece, but only one on the field at a time. There is no time limit. Pokemon involved in the battle are to remain inside of the battlefield at all times, unless knocked out of the ring by the opposing Pokemon. In that case, the Pokemon removed from the field is no longer a part of the match. Violation of these rules will result in the immediate disqualification of the guilty party. If the gym leader loses or is disqualified, you will receive the boulder badge as a prize. Do you agree to these rules?"
Tint gave the official a thumbs up. Brock was just on his way back into the stadium. The younger siblings of the gym leader were back in the bleachers, ready to cheer on their brother. "You're a lot older than most of the challengers that come through here." Brock commented as he stepped into the box marked on the floor.
"I got a late start." Tint replied half-jokingly.
The official looked at both of the trainers. "Ready?" A silent nod from Tint and Brock was the only movement from either trainer. "Battle!" The official shouted out, dropping both arms in a rapid motion.
"Geodude! Go!" Brock shouted out, tossing his starting Pokemon forward. Tint was starting to find it annoying how every single trainer yelled something similar to that when they called forth a Pokemon. All Tint did in response to Brock's display was motion for Silence to step forward. Silence stepped into the field, staring down the floating rock with arms. The Geodude appeared tough, but definitely was nothing compared to Brock's second Pokemon, which was just waiting for a chance to strike.
"Geodude, hide among the rocks and use defense curl." Brock ordered. Tint and Silence watched as the Geodude lowered itself to the ground, hidden among a large grouping of rocks. Neither the challenger nor his Pokemon could spot their foe.
"Trying to lay a trap are we?" Tint called out across the field.
Brock merely smiled, "Not so much a trap as it is taking advantage of my Pokemon's rock body. Just try to damage it."
It was Tint's turn to smile. "I love challenges. Silence, let us play some pinball." No further orders were needed for Silence to understand what Tint intended. Silence curled back into its ball form and spun forward into the pile of rocks. Silence crashed into the debris, bouncing from one rock structure to the next, breaking off large chunks of the rocks with every collision.
"Geodude! Get back into the air!" Brock cried out.
The pile of rocks shook slightly as the Geodude forced his way back into the air. Tint took note of Silence's position in relation to the now visible target. "Bogey at five o'clock, twenty five degrees skyward at a distance of ten feet." Tint relayed with an added smirk, sending Silence immediately spinning in the desired direction.
The Geodude had shifted itself in mid air to face the charging Sandshrew, holding its hands down towards the ground, ready to grab hold of the spinning ball as it passed beneath it. Silence must have possessed an incredible sense of his surroundings, crashing into a small rock about two feet away from Geodude. Silence went airborne, crashing directly into the poorly prepared Geodude. "Ring out! Geodude is no longer able to battle!" The official quickly declared as Geodude slid across the sand past him.
Brock was obviously unhappy with the surprise tackle. "Good move, but let's see how well you fare against something that your Sandshrew cannot move as easily." The gym leader recalled Geodude, tossing forward a different Pokeball. This one opened up; releasing the monstrous Onix that Tint had seen earlier. "Onix, you know the routine."
Onix reared up to its full height, letting out a giant roar which shook the rafters of the building. Silence was obviously intimidated by his adversary. The poor quivering Sandshrew was slowly backing away from the Onix. "Silence, remember that the sand is your friend!" Tint called out as the Onix lashed out at Silence.
Silence was helpless against the lightning quick flick of the tail, instantly becoming caught just like Ash's PIkachu had earlier. Tint could feel his hand inching towards Silence's Pokeball, but he willed himself to steady his hand. Silence would be able to find a way out of this, no matter how unlikely it looked.
The Onix was using the ground as added leverage against Silence. The beast's massive head inched towards Silence, almost as if he was telling Silence to give up. Suddenly, Silence flicked an arm upwards, sending a fistful of sand straight into Onix's eyes. Onix reared up once again, howling in anguish. Silence took the chance to slide free of the death grasp, hopping back down to the ground. "That's a cheap shot!" Brock shouted, accompanying the boos from the spectators.
"Sand attack is considered a perfectly legal ability. No penalties will be laid against the challenger. Continue with the battle." The official ruled, much to the chagrin of Brock.
Silence was proud of itself, taunting Onix. Both Brock and his Onix were fairly upset at Silence, but Tint couldn't be happier. The only problem was the Silence was standing between Brock and Onix. Onix launched itself towards Silence, mouth gaping wide. Silence responded by curling into a ball and sending up another cloud of sand. Silence was then able to easily step aside of the charge.
"Onix, use screech!" Brock commanded. Onix shot a high pitched scream in the general direction of Silence. But, Silence's sand attacks had messed up Onix's vision. Instead of striking Silence as intended, Onix's screech blasted the official. The poor kid slumped against the wall, obviously disoriented. Brock rushed over to the referees' side, probably going to apologize.
Tint saw the opportunity arise for another cheap shot. Just like in professional television wrestling, when the official was down, anything was legal. Tint secretly called Exeggcute out of its Pokeball, whispering to the confused eggs, "Use hypnosis on Onix." The Exeggcute obviously understood what Tint intended, focusing on the massive rock snake.
The Onix was obviously caught by surprise, being completely defenseless against the surprise attack. Within seconds, the snake began to look drowsy, before finally collapsing to the ground with a thud. Tint quickly recalled Exeggcute as Brock returned to focusing on the battle. "What the…" Brock stammered.
Amid the loud screams of protest coming from the spectators, Silence continued to kick sand in the face of Onix. The Onix was already beginning to stir from its sleep, so neither Brock nor the official had a clue what Tint had done. "Silence, scratch!" Tint ordered.
"Wait!" Brock shouted. "I give up. My Onix can't hit your Sandshrew any more, so it will only be a matter of time before you win. You win."
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A/N: In honor of the late Eddie Guerrero, Tint's new motto is Lie, Cheat, and Steal. See, Tint's getting worse. Did you expect something more honorable from a member of Team Rocket? Well, once again, I wish you a Merry Christmas.