Chapter 6- Fight for the Boulderbadge! The Problem with Rock-Types
"All right, who's first?" Brock asks.
Chris steps forward, swallowing hard. (I can do this... I can do this... no need to be nervous.)
Brock explains the rules. "Since you two are beginners, you can use all of your Pokémon against my two Pokémon. We're both allowed to switch out. Now, to business." He throws off his brown trench coat, signifying the start of the battle.
Chris can't help but look over his shoulder to look at Zac. He's grinning. (What the fuck is he smiling for?) Brock interrupts his thoughts by releasing his Pokémon, Geodude.
"Geo, geodude," it says.
(Well, my only real choice here is Bulbasaur. She's my only Pokémon that actually stands a chance!) "Bulbasaur, go!" Bulbasaur runs onto the arena scowling. "Bulba, bulbasaur!" she says.
Brock smiles. "Geodude, Tackle!" "Dodge and use Vine Whip!" Chris cries in response. Bulbasaur carries out both commands perfectly. Geodude has already taken a large amount of damage.
"Hang in there, Geodude! Use Rock Tomb!" Geodude hits the ground hard with both fists. The ground around Bulbasaur starts shaking. Her eyes go wide. "Bulba-!" Rock juts out of the ground all around her and closes her in, crushing her. "BULBASAUR!" she cries out in pain. The rock crumbles away, leaving Bulbasaur cut up and bleeding. She's out of breath. She turns to look at Chris, nodding her head.
Chris grins. "Good. GO! USE VINE WHIP!" Geodude dodges it and comes in to go for another Tackle. Bulbasaur jumps into the air to avoid it. "Now! Slam Geodude into the ground with Vine Whip!" It works. She hits her opponent so hard with her vines, the ground under Geodude actually caves in slightly. Brock's facial expression is that of shock. (Th-that's amazing! I've never seen such a strong Bulbasaur, especially at such a low level!)
"Geodude is unable to battle! Bulbasaur wins!"
Brock shakes his head and gives a grim smile. "That was great, Chris. Return, Geodude." He returns his Pokémon and takes out a second Pokéball. "Now, let's see you do the same to THIS one! Go, Onix!" When Onix comes out, it roars at its opponents and glares at them. Chris and Bulbasaur both quiver in fear.
Chris's face goes serious again. "Let's go, Bulbasaur. Start with a Leech Seed." "No! Onix, use Rock Throw to block the seed!"
Bulbasaur shoots a seed out of the plant on her back at Onix. Onix uses its huge tail to scoop up some big rocks and it throws them at Bulbasaur, effectively knocking the seed away. "Bulbasaur, dodge!" Bulbasaur gets out of the rocks' way just in time. However, Onix is already following up with a Tackle. It sends Bulbasaur flying back really far... right at Chris.
"Hey,hey,HEY! AAAH!" Chris cries out. He catches Bulbasaur and falls on his ass. Zac's eyes pop out of his head. (WOW! That knocked down even Chris! That's amazing...)
Bulbasaur jumps out of her Trainer's arms and back into the arena. Brock smiles. "Good. Onix, use Tackle!" Bulbasaur easily dodges... but that's what Brock was planning. Onix quickly turns so its tail is very close to Bulbasaur. "Use Bind!" It wraps its tail around the poor Pokémon and squeezes. Once again, Bulbasaur is getting crushed. "B-b-b-bu-bulba...!" she manages to choke out. "Now, Onix, fling her away and use Rock Throw!" Bulbasaur goes flying again and Onix's Rock Throw is quickly catching up. She is able to hit the rocks with Vine Whip, causing them to break or go off course. She lands on all fours, then collapses.
"NO!" Chris cries. "Bulbasaur!"
Suddenly, small green vines sprout on Onix's body and wrap around it. Onix starts glowing, and then Bulbasaur does, too. Bulbasaur slowly gets up.
Comprehension dawns on Brock's face. (Ah! She must have launched the seed right after Onix threw her! All on her own, too... That is what separates great Pokémon from just good Pokémon.)
Onix glares at Bulbasaur. She just grins. "Great job, Bulbasaur!" Chris yells happily. "Now, use Vine Whip!" For the first time, Onix is the one that looks scared. He roars in fear right before getting hit right in the face by a Vine Whip. Onix falls to the ground, eyes replaced by swirls. Bulbasaur has knocked her opponent out.
"Onix is unable to battle. Bulbasaur wins! The winner of the Pewter Gym match is Chris from Pallet Town!"
Zac winces when he hears "Pallet Town", but he cheers nonetheless. Bulbasaur gives a weak grin. Chris picks her up. She winces in pain and closes her eyes.
Brock grins as he returns Onix. "Great job, Chris! Here is your Boulderbadge. That was truly a great match!" Chris takes the badge with a huge grin.
Zac pats him on the back. "Congrats, man, but if you do that gay victory shit Ash does when he gets a badge, I'll freakin' kill-" "How do you know about that?" Brock interrupts curiously.
Chris sweat-drops. "Uuuh... TV! Yeah, there was this... documentary, and it showed him doing it! Yeah!"
Brock rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Huh. Documentary, eh? I'll have to check it out."
Chris grins sheepishly and rubs the back of his head. "Um, uh heh heh. Yeah, you'd like it."
Brock smiles. "Come on, let's go to the Pokémon Center. Then we can get on with our battle, Zac!"
Zac nods happily and grins an arrogant grin. "Fine by me. Let's go!"
Forty-five minutes later, everyone is back in the Pewter Gym arena.
Chris and Bulbasaur look a lot more relaxed now that their battle is over with. Chris is admiring his shiny new Badge. Bulbasaur is smiling up at her happy Trainer. Zac's smile is grim. (Wish I could be happy like them... Well, very soon, I'll be joinin' them! In record time, probably, too!) And with that thought firmly placed in his mind, he and Squirtle step forward.
"Let's go," Zac says.
Brock grins. "Heh." He throws off his trench coat like he did before his match against Chris.
"Brock of the Pewter Gym vs. Zac from Pallet Town! Match, start!" the ref calls.
Brock throws his Pokéball. Geodude comes out once again. "Geo, geodude!" it says. It looks determined not to lose again. Zac looks down and smiles. "Well, here it goes... GO, SPEAROW!"
Everyone gasps: the crowd (or, actually, Brock's family), Brock, Chris, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, the ref, and even Spearow. It squawks in fright when it sees Geodude and looks back at Zac with a "What the hell are you trying to do, get me killed?" expression on its face.
Brock doesn't question, or even wonder at, Zac's motives. He simply starts giving commands. "Geodude, charge in and use Tackle!" "Dodge, Spearow!" Spearow takes flight. Spearow cocks one eye towards the floating rock that's determined to kick its ass. "Use Peck!" Spearow sweat-drops, but charges in anyway. It hits Geodude with its beak. It freezes in that position. Its eyes start tearing. Then, after a few seconds, it jumps away from Geodude, crying out in pain and tenderly holding its beak with its wings. Some of the younger members of Brock's family laugh and point at Spearow. This gets the bird angry. It Pecks Geodude over and over and over again. Geodude closes its eyes in pain and tries to fend off the annoying bird with its short arms. Zac raises his eyebrows. (This... is the most ridiculous battle I've ever seen...) At this point, Chris and Bulbasaur are rolling on the floor laughing with tears in their eyes.
Brock is trying his hardest to keep from laughing. "G-Geodude," he stutters from his effort, "use T-Tackle!" Everyone stops laughing when the battle picks up again. Spearow is hit pretty hard and falls to the floor. "Geodude, use Rock T-" "Spearow, return." Brock stops in mid-sentence and just stares at Zac as he returns his Spearow. Geodude quickly stops its attack. "Now, Squirtle, care to finish this for me?" Squirtle grins and nods. He charges in.
"Use Bubble!" Zac cries. Geodude is hit and badly hurt. It is obviously angry as it realizes the trun out of this battle is going to be very similar to the one against Bulbasaur. "Geodude, use Rock Tomb!" "Quick, roll!" Squirtle rolls right when the rocks come up and close in on the spot he was standing just a second ago. "Finish it, Squirtle!" He uses Bubble again. Geodude falls down, eyes replaced with swirls.
"Geodude is no longer able to battle. Squirtle wins!"
"Good job," Zac smiles. "Come back for now." Question marks pop up over Squirtle's head, but he obeys. He walks back to his Trainer's side.
"Go, Onix!" Brock yells. Onix comes out once again with a mighty roar. Zac takes out another Pokéball.
"Good luck, my friend... GO, WEEDLE!" Everyone in the gym (except Zac) fall down anime-style.
Brock gets up and shrugs. "Everyone has different tactics, and I respect that." (This kid is smart. He's starting out the battles with his weak Pokémon so they can grow stronger quicker. Very smart! However, I'm not gonna give him a break for being intelligent...) "Onix, use Rock Throw!"
Weedle freaks out and runs in random directions, somehow avoiding all the rocks. "Great job!" Zac grins. "Now use String Shot!' Weedle looks like it would rather do anything else but use String Shot on this Onix. It obeys its Trainer's orders, though. It starts to wrap Onix's large body with the strong silk that makes up the String Shot, but with a roar, Onix breaks it before it starts to take effect. Weedle jumps up into the air and squeals in fright. Brock laughs. "Onix, use Bind on the poor thing." It tries to wrap its tail around the worm, but Weedle frantically scrambles over its tail. "Ha!" Zac says triumphantly, as if he just won the battle. "Weedle is too small and quick to get caught by Bind! Use Poison Sting now!" Onix sweat-drops as its opponent tries to sting it. Of course, Onix didn't feel a thing. It hits the worm with Tackle. Weedle is still up, barely. Onix rushes in with another Tackle attack... and that's when it happens.
Zac and Chris witness their first Pokémon evolution.
Weedle starts to glow, and in a beautiful show of white light, it starts to grow bigger. Weedle's silhouette completely changes shape. When the light clears, a Kakuna is standing where Weedle was a few moments ago.
Onix Tackles it anyway. Kakuna, with a much higher HP level now, survives the attack... once again, barely. Zac smiles. "Return, Kakuna. Great job." Zac sighs happily. (That was among the most beautiful things I have ever seen...) He looks at Chris, who is just standing there in awe. Zac turns his gaze to Squirtle. "Let's finish this, buddy." "Squirtle!" the turtle says happily and enters the battlefield.
"Onix, use Rock Throw!' Squirtle dodges the rocks with some difficulty and counters with a Bubble attack. Onix roars as the Water attack hits it.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Squirtle runs out of the way. Onix turns its head around to look at the Squirtle it just flew past. It brings its tail around and swings it hard at the turtle. Squirtle yelps in alarm and jumps up to avoid the huge stone tail. Onix then roars triumphantly and smacks Squirtle back to the ground with its tail. He hits the rock floor hard. "Great, Onix, now use Bind!" Onix gets up and wraps its tail around Squirtle. He struggles, but it's no use.
"Sorry I have to do this, Zac!" Brock calls across the battlefield. "But I don't plan on losing twice on the same day!" He clears his throat. "Onix, use Crush!" "Crush?" Zac mumbles to himself. "What the fuck-?"
Onix brings its head high up into the air, lets go of Squirtle, and before he can run, Onix crushes him into the ground with its head.
"SQUIRTLE!" Zac cries. He glares at Brock. "What cheap-ass move was that? I've never even heard of it!"
Brock raises an eyebrow. "Uh, you've never heard of OMs before?" (A/N – Pronounced as two separate letters (oh – emms).) Zac shakes his head. "Well," says Brock slowly, not understanding why Zac doesn't know, "it stands for Original Move. About a year ago, a new Pokémon battling law was passed. Any Trainer can make up their own Pokémon move and have it patented. However, you have to list every single Pokémon that can use it. Every single one."
"That's it?" Zac scoffs. "No big deal."
Brock laughs. "No, it's very hard. Think about it! There are nearly 400 Pokémon in the world-"
"What?" Chris exclaims. "I thought there were just 150! Or 151, if you include Mew..."
Brock shakes his head. "You two aren't from Pallet, are you?"
Zac growls. "We'll tell you everything after this battle. Let's go!"
The time they took talking allowed Squirtle to recover from the heavy blow. He's beaten up pretty bad, but he has a determined look on his face.
"Very well, then. Onix use Rock Throw!" Squirtle is barely able to dodge the rocks, but he is unable to avoid Onix when it uses Bind again.
"This is it! Onix, use Crush!"
Onix raises its head. It starts flying down toward Squirtle...
Squirtle shoots a steady stream of water out of his mouth at Onix's face. Onix howls in pain and throws its head back. Squirtle just learned another move in the middle of battle: Water Gun.
Brock gasps. (No! It's all over now...) Zac cheers. "Yeah, Squirtle! You show 'em! You're the best! Now, finish with another Water Gun!"
The stream of water hits Onix right in the middle of its huge body. It roars one last time before collapsing to the ground. Its eyes turn into swirls.
"Onix is no longer able to battle! Squirtle wins! The winner of the Pewter Gym match is Zac from Pallet!"
Zac gives a grim smile. "No, not from Pallet, but... I won!" He and Squirtle cheer happily. Squirtle suddenly gets dizzy. He falls down on his butt, looking dazed. Brock returns Onix and smiles. "Your Squirtle is worn out. It did such a great job. Congratulations! Looks like I'm gonna have to give another Badge today..." He reaches into one of his pockets and takes out a shiny Boulderbadge. Zac takes it with glee. Everyone cheers, even Brock's family. Brock smiles again and pats Zac on the back. "Good job. Now, why don't I go make some lunch and you two can tell me all about where you're from." Zac sighs. "Okay, we'll tell you."
Brock shakes his head. "I don't get it."
Zac shrugs. "Well, just know we're from a different world." "Actually, more like a different universe," Chris points put. "Whatever," Zac says dismissively.
Brock stares at them for a couple seconds, then gets up and starts clearing the table. Zac, wanting to change the subject, pats his stomach and smiles. "That was a great lunch, Brock. Thanks a lot!" "No problem," Brock replies.
"You want us to help you with the dishes?" Chris asks politely. "No, thanks," Brock replies. "I'm sure you guys wanna be on your way now... Not too far from here is Mt. Moon. It'll take you the rest of the day to get there. Go well prepared. The Route between Pewter City and Mt. Moon is a very popular place for Trainers to hang around and battle. Don't ask me why; that's just the way it is. There'll be a Pokémon Center right before Mt. Moon, so you can crash there before you go in." Zac smiles. "Yay! Another night we can avoid setting up camp to sleep!" Brock chuckles. "Trust me, you'll be doing a lot of that soon enough."
They're all quiet for awhile as Brock cleans the dishes. "So, uh, I guess we'll go now..." Zac says. Brock nods. "It was nice meeting you two. You are two of the toughest Trainers I've ever faced here at the Gym, and I really mean that." Chris grins. "Thanks. Well, see you later..."
As Zac, Chris, and their Pokémon leave the Gym, Brock and his whole family come out to say goodbye one last time. "BYE!" all the kids yell. Brock smiles and waves. When the new Trainers go out of eyeshot, they all go back in the Gym. Brock goes downstairs and sits in an armchair in the living room. He sits there for a good while, lost in thought. He frowns. (How can they be from a different world? They said Oak would try to find out more for them... I wonder if Oak has found out anything yet? Well, only one way to find out...)
With a grunt, Brock gets up from the chair and walks to the video-phone to give Oak a call and see if he can find out more about this mysterious "Real World"...
Sorry it took me a long time to update. I have also been working on a One Piece romance fic. Yes, romance. That's very unlike me, but I love One Piece, and well, my romance fic seems to be a lot more popular than this... Well, anyway, please keep reviewin'! I live for getting reviews. I LIVE for it! Yeah...