The Strength of a Trainer
Red groaned as he walked away from the Police Station of Pewter City, rubbing his backside sore from sitting in an uncomfortable chair for a few hours. He was stuck in room while being interrogated by bunch of police. They asked question like if he knew the attackers in the museum and how did he found out. He just told them that he just overheard them talking in a different city and just decided to take action, nothing more he said after that. The Police decided that he was telling the truth and set him free, after a few minutes of scolding him for not informing the authorities first in these kinds of situations, along with the Rock-Type Gym leader, Brock.
Both trainers walked stiffly from the authorities and followed the concrete path towards their destination. They arrived to where the sidewalk split, one leading towards Brock's Gym while the other leaded to the exit of the Town and also the start of Route 3.
"Well, I guess this is where we go our separate ways," Brock stated facing Red, slightly looking down to face the young trainer. "I sorry wasn't much help during the attack but I really tried my best," Brock said with a hint of sadness in his voice, looking down slightly.
Red grinned and used a firm hand to pat Brock's shoulder to show his concern. "Don't push yourself, Brock. You were a big help for me. Without you, I would have to fight both guys by myself which would have been overwhelming," Red explained to Brock his perspective.
"But I wasn't even strong enough to beat that guy's one pokemon," Brock sulked.
"Well, that just shows you how much more you need to improve. You shouldn't feel bad about this defeat and instead use it to motivate yourself in becoming stronger next time," Red encouraged his companion, giving him a hard slap on the back.
Brock gave Red a questioning look as he took in his words. His facial expression slowly turned from a frowning one into a grinning one. "I see that you're growing really fast. I should feel ashamed for having someone younger than me tell me how to accept a bitter defeat and move on. Makes me feel that I'm unworthy of the title of Gym Leader," Brock told Red. "But you're completely right. I will accept this loss and I'll train even harder in order to become stronger, so I won't beat easily defeated."
"That's the spirit! Never give up!" Red shouted, having his own pep talk pump him up as well.
"Of course in order to become stronger I will have to battle the people who had defeated me before again," Brock said with a serious face. "That's why I want to have a rematch with you some time in the future."
"What!" Taken by surprise, Red was unable to respond in any other way.
"Yes a Rematch," Brock restated. "Do you have a PokeGear or something we can use to communicate?"
"Umm..I do have a PokeGear,' Red said as he took out his red PokeGear from his pocket, still looking brand new due to him not using it much. Brock took out his own dirt brown PokeGear that looked a bit worn down. Both men traded their numbers and then pocketed their devices.
"Fantastic, I will call you when we can have our rematch," Brock beamed with excitement. "Well, this had been interesting but I got to return to my Gym and face the challengers that are waiting for me."
"Okay, I will be looking forward to that rematch," Red bid his farewell. They went separate ways, each heading towards their next destination.
Oh we will have a rematch Brock and I believe this would be an interesting battle Red thought and then he frowned when his mind wandered off to the events in the museum. Even though I beat Ice's Froslass, I still feel like I'm still far away from being on their level. I had the type-advantage and Froslass typically had weak defenses. I will also need to get stronger as well and to do that I need to continue my journey to defeat all the gym leaders in the region. With this, Red began to speed up his pace to quickly make it to Mt. Moon.
Wait! Red stopped in his tracks. I forgot to heal up my Charmeleon from his last battle! Red mentally slapped himself for forgetting about his pokemon safety. He quickly did a 180 spin and looked up at the sky. The purple and orange-ish sky told him that dark was coming soon as well. And I think I'm going to have to stay in Pokemon Center for the night.
Red exited the Pokemon Center with renewed energy to start the day. The weather man last night told him that it was guaranteed to be sunny today in Pewter City and the area around the city. He was right since there wasn't a single white, puffy cloud in the light blur sky. The sun was still not completely in the sky signaling it was still early in the morning.
Thinking that the early bird gets the worm, Red decided to get up early that morning. He was bustling with an unusual amount of energy when walked down the path that directed him to the outskirts of Pewter City.
In his mind he was going over his plan of action for the rest of his journey which was to go to Cerulean City and then continue from there to Lavender Town which he had to take Route 9 as well as go through a cave to reach that place. His destination was Celadon City and decided to take the detour since he knew he couldn't go through Saffron City and didn't want to try that gate again. He could cut through the forest and go straight to Celadon City, which could get him lost due to no exact route to get there, but where was the fun in that since he could see more of the world if went his plan of action. He also noticed that there was another underground tunnel similar to the one he used to get to Vermilion City on Route 7. He would use that to get by.
Red arrived on Route 3 and continued on. He did stop awhile to battle a couple of Picnickers since it was good training for his Eevee. Though, the girls did spent a lot of time pampering his furry companion. Other then that, Red didn't stop even for a break. He saw the large mountain come into view and felt glad he was covering a lot of ground.
When he saw the entrance to Mt. Moon, Red got some chills of excitement. He ran into the cave entrance and ran a few more steps into the dimly lit cave before bumping into something.
"Oof!" Red fell onto his back and the sharp rocks on the ground poked his back. He grabbed the back of his head and began to cradle it since it's the part of his body that suffered the worst from the fall.
"Uhh, what the hell was that for!" a gruff voice shouted in the cave making Red stop still in his pose. The sound of rocks crunching under shoes and the rustle of clothes told Red that he wasn't the only one in the cave. The shuffling noise came closer to where Red was lying. The figure came into the light and Red immediately recognized him as Paul, the Pokemon Trainer from Sinnoh.
He was frowning, well frowning more than usual since he always had a frown on his face, at Red with a cold glare that could make any small kid squirm under its gaze. Clenched his fist and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You…you're the weakly trainer that I battled in Cerulean City," Paul said in a serious tone. "Still a pathetic trainer I see since you can't even see where you're going. Next time, watch where your running, especially in a dark place like this," Paul scolded Red as if he were a small child that just did something wrong.
Red just laid there and took Paul's scolding. He was so surprise to see Paul here that he couldn't even find words to talk. He stared at Paul dumbfounded which made Paul smirk a little.
"Don't just stand there dumbfounded you pathetic trainer and get up," Paul scoffed. This woke Red from his daze.
Shaking his head to return to reality, Red clenched his fist as ran Paul's words through his head. "And who gave you the right to tell me what to do!" Red shouted his question aggravated.
"So you can talk, for a minute there I thought that you lost your speaking ability after getting that bump to the head," Paul sneered, enjoying the way Red clenched his teeth in frustration. Weak was what Paul thought. Having your anger get the better of you is a sign of weakness. He will never become a descent trainer. "Well I have the right to tell you what to do since I'm a superior trainer than you."
Red couldn't take anymore of Paul's talking. He quickly got to his feet and grabbed a pokeball from his belt.
"You're not a better trainer than me. I will show my new strength in this Pokemon Battle," Red declared his challenge.
"Humph, I don't have time to battle a weakling like you," Paul harshly said. His remark slightly annoyed Red but he bit his tongue. Paul raised an eyebrow; he was expecting a tantrum from Red or something similar that a kid will do. I guess he can control his emotions to some extent Paul thought. Well, I am curious to see how strong this guy has gotten since then and I do need the training. "But just this time I will accept your challenge. Same rules like the last battle we had apply."
"Great and I will show you how strong I have gotten. You will soon have to acknowledge me as your superior," Red smirked.
Said like a child Paul thought. He didn't want to waste more time so he quickly to a step back and threw his first Pokeball into the cave. In the dim cave was illuminated by the light that came from Paul's Pokeball. Paul's Elekid appeared in the middle of the cave.
The small electric type was bustling with energy. He spun both of his arms as fast as he can that it was impossible to tell the form of his arms. The area between the two prongs on his head began to produce electricity as he charged up. He than stopped swinging his arms and gave Red a determined look.
Electric type so my best option is my own Ground type Red thought, pulling out his own pokeball.
"Gible standby for battle," Red announced his pokemon, throwing his Pokeball. Gible took the floor with his usual spaced out look.
Paul's face looked slightly shocked when he saw Red's dragon. What the hell is this? This guy has a freaking Gible! Paul couldn't find the words to describe how absurd it was for a weak trainer to have such a rare and powerful pokemon.
"I see that you're speechless," Red remarked. "Are you going to treat me as your equal since I have a rare Pokemon."
Paul snapped out of his shock state. "I was just speechless that you have a rare Pokemon that is from my home region. I don't know how you got it but that isn't enough for me to consider you as my equal. You're just a weak trainer with a lot of luck," Paul replied. "Enough, let's start this battle already. Elekid attack with your brick break."
Hearing Paul issue his command, Red called out his order as well. "Gible, fire your Sand Tomb and tried to trap it."
Gible was slow to react to his command while Elekid was already charging at him with his arm glowing a bright white. Gible had just scooped up some sand into his mouth when Elekid was in melee range. The electric type struck Gible right into its large jaw with its attack, sending Gible flying backwards.
The pudgy pokemon land on the hard floor but quickly recovered from the blow. He hopped onto his small feet and reared his head back and quickly brought it forward to fired the sand the was still in his mouth.
"Elekid, dodge that sand," Paul ordered.
Elekid nodded and jumped to the side to avoid the super effective move. The sand missed its target but the sand particles suddenly changed direction as if a weird gust of wind blew it. The sand swerved back and went after Elekid. The sand circled around him and became fierce. The mini tornado was hurting Elekid with its fast moving particles that did more damage to him due to his typing.
Elekid grimaced at the stinging sand and look at Paul for some support. Paul just gave him a cold stare and a command. "Elekid, ignore the silly tornado and go forth and attack that Gible with a Brick Break."
Elekid didn't seem happy with that order but he didn't want to disobey his trainer. He remembered the last time he disobeyed his trainer during a battle and was punished with an even harder training session. With that painful memory in mind, Elekid took a few steps forward and tried his best to ignore that swirling sand tomb. He then broke into a sprint towards Gible with his right arm spinning and glowing white.
I really don't like how he orders his pokemon like that Red thought clenching his teeth in frustration. Seeing the look on Elekid's face after Paul's command tells me he didn't like the idea. And can't he be a little more concern of his Pokemon's well being. Well, in order to prove his harsh treatment of pokemon is wrong I will have to defeat him in this battle.
"Gible, let's go underground with you Dig."
-"Yippee! Underground!"- Gible shouted and did a slight hop before going nose first into the ground. He disappeared into the cave floor in a flash causing his foe to stop his advancement as well as his attack.
Elekid began to look around for any signs of his ground-type opponent. He became anxious as his search went on, fearing of being attack.
"You think hiding underground will protect from Elekid's attacks?" Paul rhetorically asked. "Well, your wrong. Elekid, rip the cave floor with a Shock Wave."
-"What?"- Elekid said in confusion. He looked at the hard, sturdy cave floor and thought how he was going to destroy solid rock with his weak electric attack. He then got an idea on how accomplish this nearly impossible feat. He bent his knees and did a high jump before tilting his body forward. He crashed head first into the floor and landed hard enough to get the two prongs on his head to pierce the ground, leaving him stuck upside down. This was what he wanted and began to charge electricity by swinging both of his arms in fast circular motions.
He can't possibly think that his pokemon will be able to tear open the ground with an electric move, Red thought. He is pushing his pokemon too far.
-"Here I go!"- Elekid shouted as he was charged up to his max capacity. He then released all the stored energy in his body through the two prongs on his head. The electricity went outwards into the ground that conducted the energy. He poured all of his energy into the ground and soon cracks began to form on the surface of the rock. The Electric pokemon let out one more cry before sending out another powerful shockwave into the cave floor.
The ground around Elekid was blown away due to the force of the attack and freed Elekid in the process. The cave shook as if an earthquake was happening right there and the whole cave floor cracked before breaking off into large chunks of rock. A cloud of debris shot from the cave floor an engulfed the whole battlefield.
Red closed his eyes and put his arm in front of his face to protect his face from the dust cloud. He coughed and dropped his arm after a few seconds to see how much damage was done to the cave. The dirt soon settled down and Red gasped at the destruction.
The cave floor was a ripped apart with hunks of rock sticking out in unusual ways and leaving large gaps between. Cracks even ran up to the side of the walls which were small but still made Red worried of a possible cave in.
The sound of rock being moved caught Red's attention and he looked towards the middle of the ruins and saw his own Gible get up from debris. He stumbled out and collapsed on the ground panting.
-"Gible no like the ground no more,"- Gible mumbled under his breathe. He looked up and saw his foe on top of a rock, panting as well but still looked like he could still fight. Gible struggled wit his tiny arms to get up and eventually got on his feet.
"Ha, this is going better than I thought," Paul sneered. "Elekid, one Brick Break should do be enough to finish him off."
Elekid stood tall on the rock as the Sand Tomb died around him, allowing him to move with out being continuously hurt. He smirk before launching himself from the rock and raised an arm to use for his attack.
"Gible, get out of there," Red cried out sensing the danger Gible was in. Gible bent his knees to jump out of the way but a sharp pain in his right leg caused him to fall onto his knees.
Crap! Red thought. "Gible, stop Elekid's attack with your Bite attack," Red blurted out without giving his command a second thought.
Gible suddenly became happy at chance to do his most favorite move in the world. He looked straight up and timed his reaction carefully. Once Elekid was close enough, Gible jumped up and snapped his jaws around the Electric Pokemon's attacking arm. He flawlessly did his stunt and managed to do it without getting hurt.
Elekid tried to free his arm from the dragon's mouth but the pressure Gible put in his bite was too powerful for Elekid. He was left with his left arm stuck in his foe's mouth and could feel his arm getting wet by the saliva getting build up in Gible's mouth. This disgusted Elekid a bit and tried even harder to pull out his limb.
Paul just sighed at the sight. "Well, you may have stopped my Elekid's attack. Though, it did leave your Gible wide open for a counterattack," Paul remarked, which made Red raised an eyebrow in confusion. Paul sensed his confusion and explained to him the situation. "Your Gible may have immobilized one of Elekid's arms but he still has his other arm to attack, while your Gible has no way to counter this one." Red gritted his teeth when realized that he put his Gible in danger, to which Paul smirked.
"But it's too late to go back. Elekid, Brick break with your free arm," Paul ordered.
"Gible, you got to let go and get away," Red began to panic.
Elekid reeled his right arm to prepare his attack, while Gible opened his mouth. The electric pokemon quickly pulled out his slobbered covered arm out and brought his other arm onto Gible's head, slamming him to the ground.
With the little strength Gible had in him, the blow to the head was more than enough to knock him out. He lay emotionless on the floor but was soon returned back into his pokeball.
-"Ugh, how can a Pokemon create so much saliva in such a short mount of time and also have pungent bad breath odor,"- Elekid said, sickened by the spit on his arm. He shook his arm to try to get rid of the foul substance on his arm before being returned back to his own pokeball.
"You did pretty descent in this battle but I will expect more from you in the next battle," Paul mumbled to his Pokemon and quickly replaced the pokeball with another one.
First round goes to Paul Red thought. But this match is far from over, so it's time to even the odds.
"Grotle, standby for battle."
"Pidgeotto, standby for battle."
Each trainer released their pokemon at the same time with Red having the type advantage again. Red's Pidgeotto hover over trying not to hit the ceiling of the cave meanwhile, Paul's Grotle shook his head to get rid of his drowsiness and mentally prepared himself for the his upcoming battle.
Deciding to go first this, Red ordered his attack. "Pidgeotto, let's begin with a Gust attack and then follow up with an Aerial Ace."
"Grotle, Razor Leaf," was Paul's only order to his Pokemon. Grotle simply did what he was told.
Shaking his body, sharp leaves were shot from Grotle's bushes on his back. The spinning leaves went upwards to be able to reach the flying pokemon.
-" If it weren't for my good eyesight, it would have been very hard for me to see in this blasted cave,"- Pidgeotto muttered to himself before flapping his wings furiously. He created a powerful wind that was strong enough to render the Razor Leaf attack useless. The leaves where sent right back at Grotle with a Gust attack assault afterwards. The vicious wind did some damage to Grotle but he barely showed signs of being hurt.
After awhile, Pidgeotto decided to stop his flapping and continue Red's plan to keep Grotle on the defensive side. He tucked in his wings and dived at the Grass-the pokemon. Thin, white streaks of lights formed around him as Pidgeotto prepared his attack. He opened up his wings at last second and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Grotle was preparing himself for to counter his opponent's attack but became surprised when he saw his foe vanish in thin air. A moment later he felt something slam into the left side of his body that nearly knocked him onto his right side that also came with excruciating pain.
Pidgeotto caught Grotle off guard but his surprise attack wasn't enough to knock the heavy grass pokemon onto its side. He tried to push harder but Grotle didn't budge a bit.
"Mega drain," Paul smoothly ordered.
The bushes on Grotle's back emitted a bright, green glow that expanded to surround his whole body, and engulfed Pidgeotto's body as well.
Pidgeotto felt like his energy was being drain from his body and dropped to the ground as he lost the strength to keep himself in the air. He weakly looked up to his opponent and saw he didn't seem to be hurt by the green glow but instead looked relieved when he initiated his own attack.
Mega Drain is move that steals energy from the target and transfers it to the user Red thought bitterly. "Pidgeotto, you go to get out of there quick!" Red shouted.
Hearing Red's command, Pidgeotto tried to get up onto his two feet and struggled doing so as his energy left him. He finally stood up and shakily bent his knees.
"Grotle, don't let it escape. Razor Leaf now!" Paul commanded.
Grotle had to shift his body a little to his left to be able see Pidgeotto, who was ready to launch himself into the air. He shook his body a bit and fired more sharp leaves from the bushes on his back. Though his Razor Leaf attack was quick, Grotle took to long to commence his attack and Pidgeotto managed to fly away before the attack could hit him.
Pidgeotto flew above Grotle and landed on a large rock that protruded out of the ground. He didn't lose much energy from the grass move but he did use quite a bit of energy to escape from the attack. He slowly tried regain some lose energy by resting on the rock her was perched on.
Good, this is the right time to be setting up on Red's pokemon while it's resting Paul thought.
"Grotle, begin to set up by using Curse," Paul ordered his starter.
A dark aura replaced Grotle's green glow as he began to increase his attack and defense stats at a moderate pace.
Damn, not this technique again Red thought alarmed. Well, it only powers up his physical moves so if Pidgeotto stays away from Grotle and avoids his Razor Leaf, I think he may still have a chance. Red smirked at his cleverness.
"Pidgeotto, are you still able to fly?" Red asked. Pidgeotto looked at Red from his resting place. He looked quite tired but nodded in response. "Good because I want to fly around Grotle at a safe distance and start firing off Air Cutter attacks."
Pidgeotto nodded one more time and took one more breathe before taking off again. He circled around his foe a few times, keeping a safe distance as well. He observed Grotle who looked like was in deep meditation while the eerie glow around him glistened in the dark cave.
Well, I got to hand it to him for finding away to avoid Grotle's physical attacks even though the strategy does seem cowardly Paul thought. Well, weaklings always use underhanded tricks to try to overpower the stronger ones.
Pidgeotto stopped to hover behind Grotle and began the first wave of his assault. He swiftly brought his wing together and quickly pulled them apart. Crescent shaped waves of air were fired at the moment Pidgeotto spread out his wings. The blades of air slashed Grotle's back making the Grass-type clench his face an agony but didn't let that deter him from discontinuing his move.
Seeing that he didn't do any noticeable damage to Grotle, Pidgeotto began to fire more Air Cutter attacks, but he changed position every time he fired a new wave since he didn't want to do it from the same place every time and risk the chance of being hit by an attack.
The nonstop attacks was doing major damage to Grotle, which made Paul change his original plan of action.
"Grotle, seize your Curse and start firing your boosted Razor Leaf attack," Paul ordered, keeping a calm face.
Grotle broke his concentration when he heard his trainer's command and the dark aura disappeared as well. He stomp the ground with his front foot which manage to cause the ground under his foot to crack with ease. His bushes fired leaves that went to the left since that was the last time he felt an Air Cutter slash him. The leaves shot threw air so fast that Red almost missed it but didn't manage to hit anything since Pidgeotto was already somewhere else in the room. The leaves struck the walls of the cave, and with the force that they were shot, managed to get themselves stuck into the thick rock.
Such power Red thought in awe. The attack happened so fast and the leaves managed to get themselves stuck in the walls. However, Red turned to look at Paul's Grotle who was looking around to find his opponent. It looks like Grotle is having a hard time finding his opponent. I guess it's because it is hard for him to move his head due to his body structure and also because he can't very see well in the dark. He is a grass pokemon that needs plenty of sunlight to stay healthy and so his environment doesn't require him to have good eyesight. I guess my Pidgeotto has another advantage over Paul's pokemon and I need to use that to my advantage.
"Grotle, don't waste your energy to find Pidgeotto," Paul told his pokemon. "Focus now on regaining your health back by using Synthesis."
Ack! This is bad if he is going to regain all of his health back Red began to panic when he saw the green glow surround Grotle. I need to act fast.
"Pidgeotto attack Grotle while he is defenseless. Aerial Ace away and quickly get away to fire some more Air Cutters," Red commanded.
Pidgeotto changed direction and went straight towards the glowing Grotle. He didn't disappear this time and instead just ran straight into Grotle's body. He slammed right into Grotle's right side this time with tremendous force but Grotle's Defense increase allowed him to take the attack easily.
Paul grinned when he saw Red's pokemon strike his Grotle. The smile didn't go unnoticed by Red who was taken back by Paul's facial expression and began to think if he made the wrong move.
"Go for it now, Grotle," Paul called out to his pokemon.
-"Nice knowing you buddy,"- Grotle muttered loud enough for Pidgeotto to hear. He shook his two bushes and fired another volley of leaves. The attack was fired at blank range as well as being powered-up and so managed to throw Pidgeotto off his side and send him flying into the wall with great force.
When Pidgeotto crashed into the wall, a sickening sound could be clearly heard and echoed throughout the cave. He dropped onto the ground limp and didn't show any signs of getting back up.
"Well, this battle went almost like I plan form the start," Paul said, taking out his own Pokeball. "I knew your going to attack Grotle if he was left wide open and that will be the perfect time for Grotle to strike. You fell for my trap just like a fool but don't worry. You aren't the first time to fall for my trick." He saw Red's face that showed slight annoyance which slightly amused him but he kept it to himself.
"Look's like I win this tim-." Paul looked back Pidgeotto's body and saw him starting to get back by using his battered up wings to push himself up.
-"I'm… not going… to lose to… you again,"- Pidgeotto muttered with determination. He looked at Red as struggled to get up. He was in a bad condition but he was willing continue until he was able to prove Paul that he wasn't easy opponent to deal with.
Red didn't want Pidgeotto to get hurt any further but the fiery determination he saw in Pidgeotto's eyes were enough to convince to continue to the end. If he really wants to battle more than I'll support him to the end Red thought to himself.
"This is not the end, Paul," Red sternly said, clenching his fist but then slowly soften his fist. "If my Pokemon are still willing to fight I will support their decision until the end. Pidgeotto show him you're not the same guy he fought before."
Pidgeotto fully stood on his legs and let out a battle cry before flapping his muscle-tired wings and went against his weariness to take flight again. He locked eyes with his opponent and gave him a look that sent shivers down Grotle's back.
"Fine then but don't come to me to whine of your badly hurt Pokemon," Paul said with no emotion behind his remark. "Grotle take down his persistent bird with your Razor Leaf attack."
Well, if I am going to try my best to win this battle I am going have to become a better trainer which means I need to come up with better strategies… or I could use my experience to come up with a plan… Red quickly thought of plan to fight the powerful Grass Pokemon.
"Pidgeotto, dodge with Quick Attack."
Pidgeotto launched himself to the right at an unrealistic speed and successfully avoided the Razor Leaf. He stopped to preserve the limited energy he had and waited for Red's next order.
"Now use Double Team to surround Grotle and you can more safely fire your Air Cutter attacks," Red announced his plan. The plan seem kind of complicated and hard to Pidgeotto but didn't waste time.
Mirages of Red's pokemon were scattered around Grotle to surround him. Grotle looked around confused one which one is the real Pidgeotto and with all Pidgeotto launching their attacks at the same time made it harder for him to find out. All the clones fired their respective attacks but only the real one did damage to Grotle.
Grotle stood strong as he took the beating and kept a close eye in the direction of where the real attacks were coming from but he felt each new assault came from different angles making him think that his enemy was switching places with his fakes. He tried to think on how to deal with this situation but the merciless pounding was making it hard. He soon was knocked down low enough in health to activate his Overgrowth ability.
Paul saw the bright, green glow and new he had to act fast. Damn it, Grotle can't do anything. This battle is over Paul thought, disliking the thought.
"You're on your own," Paul muttered and looked away from the battle with a frown on his face. Grotle looked back at his trainer to hear his trainer's next command but only saw the side of his face which told him he wasn't going to even try anymore.
"Pidgeotto, let's finish this now," Red shouted. "With the little energy you have left go for an Aerial Ace."
All the Pidgeottos stop her assault and took a big breathe of air before all charging at Grotle simultaneously. With all the copies going after him, Grotle began to panic and in his unstable mental stat he fired his Razor Leaf attack at the foes directly in front of him. The move was futile since the attack went right through the clones causing the fakes to vanish.
All the clones vanished as well and the real Pidgeotto remained as he slam himself into Grotle's side again and even with the defense increase Grotle was to weak to resist the super-effective attack, The grass type was knock onto his back with a dazed look in his eyes.
Pidgeotto quickly flew away from his opponent and perched on a boulder to rest his tiered body. -I did it! I will no more be easily defeated and proved to my foe and trainer that I'm not as weak as everyone thinks- Pidgeotto thought and was losing conscious before Red returned him back to his pokeball.
"You did great in that battle and I will never doubt your ability ever again," Red spoke to Pokemon in his pokeball.
I will deal with you later Paul bitterly thought as he returned his fallen pokemon into its pokeball but showed no ill emotion on his face.
"Last battle and this time this battle will end with me winning," Red asserted, throwing his pokeball in the air.
"You talk just like a little kid. Start acting like real trainer for once," Paul retorted. He threw his pokeball as well.
Both pokeball snapped open to release their pokemon. On Red's side of the battle field, his Charmeleon stood proudly and had a cocky smile on his face. Paul had his large rock-like pokemon sprouting four arms on his side of the field.
A Graveler! Red recognized the pokemon. He felt slightly uneasy due to Paul having the type advantage this time.
"Well, this shouldn't take long," Paul scoffed. "Graveler start off with Rock Throw."
"Don't underestimate my Charmeleon. With him I can still pull off a win," Red acclaimed. "Charmeleon, dodge the incoming attacks."
-It won't be a problem dodging rocks- Charmeleon smirked. -I had to dodge many rock slides from where I used to live and this cave reminds me so much of home. This is my turf so I have the advantage here!-
Graveler picked up the closes rocks to him with his four arms and chucked them at the fir-type one-by-one with all his strength.
-"Child's Play,"- Charmeleon scorned and jumped to side to avoid the first rock and jumped high to avoid the second. He showed his acrobatic skills by dodging the last two projectiles with a successful back flip and perfectly landed on a rock.
"Told you not misjudge by pokemon and he even mocked your pokemon by dodging the attacks gracefully," Red smirked, giving his pokemon a thumbs up to show his gratitude. Charmeleon responded with a smile.
"Fine then lets gets battle really started. Graveler Roll Out!" Paul called out with hint of seriousness in his tone.
-"Your going to pay for making a mockery out of me,"- Graveler said in a venomous tone. He jumped in the air to curl up in a ball and began to spin in midair. When he landed on the hard ground with a loud thud, he immediately began to roll forward. He was quickly closing the gap between himself and his foe but the bumpiness of the damaged cave floor was making it hard form him go in a straight line.
Red saw that Charmeleon could easily dodged the attack but he then noticed a large rock protruding in a way that it resembled a ramp.
Graveler was getting closer making Charmeleon bend his knees to jump out of the wait but was stop a single command.
"Not yet!" Red shouted, stopping his Pokemon from jumping out the way.
-What? Why not? Charmeleon questioned his trainer's command. If I don't jump now, that piece of rock will squash me into a pancake! Charmeleon began to sweat a little as his foe was two meters away but stayed where he was.
Just a little more…"Now!" Red shouted.
Charmeleon swiftly jumped out of the way, just nearly dodging the attack. He landed safely and looked back at Graveler to see if he would turn around to try to hit him again. To his surprise Graveler kept going since he couldn't easily stop at the speed he was going. The rock-type got onto the ramp made of rock and sent himself flying into the air.
So this is what he was planning Paul thought, as he watched his pokemon crashed into the cave creating a small tremor in the cave. Maybe I can take advantage of this situation somehow…
Graveler uncurled in his crater and carefully turned around towards his opponent. He shook his body to shake of the pain from his crash and readied himself to jump out of the wall.
"Graveler, launch yourself at Charmeleon and fired a Mud Slap then proceed with a Roll Out," Paul quickly ordered.
Graveler immediately jumped after receiving his order. Even with his heavy body, the Rock-type managed to launch himself far away from the wall and headed towards his Fire-type foe. From his mouth, he fired a few chunks of mud at Charmeleon.
Charmeleon avoided the first two shots but was then struck by a glop on his chest. The mud didn't do much damage even though it was super effective but the mud did disperse after impact. Mud went flying in all directions and some of it fell into Charmeleon's eyes. The dirt caused Charmeleon's eyes to shut by instinct.
Seeing his attack hit, Graveler curled himself back into a ball and began to rapidly spin. He landed on the cave floor with a sickening crash but his durable body prevented any serious injury. His fall didn't make him lose his spinning and was rolling along the destroyed floor.
"Charmeleon, get out of the way!" Red shouted to his Pokemon who was trying to get rid of the dirt irritating his eyes.
Charmeleon heard his trainer but the irritation of the mud seem much too important to him than to dodge an attack. He wasn't able to get out of the way and thus faced the consequences. He was knocked a few feet backwards when Graveler smacked right into him. Graveler kept on rolling even after the heavy blow and was going to make a turn to try and hit Charmeleon again.
"Charmeleon, you got to focus. Just listen to me," Red pleaded.
Red begging was somewhat disgusting to Paul. Pathetic, begging your pokemon to listen to you just shows how weak you are Paul thought.
"Just dodge to your right when I tell you too," Red told him. His pokemon confirm the order and bent his knees to prepare himself to jump on command.
I can do this. I sometimes got lost in the caves that were pitch black but I managed to find my way out using my other senses Charmeleon thought as he heightened the rest of his senses. He could feel the ground shaking under his feet and could hear the sound that he compared to a landslide on a mountain.
"Now!" Charmeleon sensed his opponent was a less than two feet in front of him and jumped out of Graveler's path. "Metal Claw now!" His trainer's command was rushed but Charmeleon caught it in time to react. He quickly turned around with his glowing right claw and slashed to where the rumbling noise was coming from. His claw made contact with rock and sliced through the Graveler's hide leaving a nasty gash.
Graveler rolled a little more after being struck and stopped to uncurl. He clutched his left side which was the side Charmeleon attacked and looked at his foe with a pained look.
-"That was a very powerful and well placed strike my foe," Graveler praised his opponent. His kind comments shocked Charmeleon but didn't say anything in return.
So, he did have a move super effective against rock-types Paul concluded his theory. That's how managed to beat the Rock Gym by using this newt.
"Charmeleon now's your chance to attack. Metal Claw while he is resting," Red ordered.
The Flame pokemon charged at Graveler with his claws barred. He judged where his foe was by the earlier comment and lunged when he thought he was range.
"Graveler intercept it with your hands," Paul ordered.
Graveler held up his hands at Charmeleon and caught the metal claw with his two hands. He cringed at the crushing force of the Charmeleon's claws but stood his ground.
After having his attack intercepted, Charmeleon planted his feet on the ground. He began to push his foe back as well as tightening his iron claw grip.
"Looks like you left you Graveler vulnerable for stopping my move," Red remarked to which Paul raised a confused eyebrow to. "My Charmeleon can still attack while your Graveler will have stand there and take it," Red explained.
"Charmeleon, blast him with your Flamethrower," Red ordered.
Charmeleon heard his order and tightened his grip to Graveler's discomfort. With his foe unable to make a move, Charmeleon opened up his mouth and also managed to open his left eye with little discomfort. His blue eye locked with Graveler's eye that showed his pain. Taking a moment the fire-type unleashed his fire attack at close range and engulfed Graveler's face.
The fire badly hurt Graveler even though he quadruple times resists it. He couldn't pull away as his hands were locked with Charmeleon's powerful grip.
"Graveler, you aren't totally defenseless," Paul told his pokemon. "Get the rocks close to your lower arms and used them to attack Charmeleon."
Graveler grunted in response and tried to grab the rocks on the floor but Charmeleon pushed him a little more back causing his body to bend backwards. He couldn't touch the floor anymore and could feel the fire get hotter.
Graveler clenched his face harder as he braced the fire assault. He decided to try once more to get the rocks his trainer told him about. He tensed up his body and once he felt the Flamethrower weaken, he immediately pushed back. He managed to push Charmeleon a few inches back which was enough for his second pair of arms to touch the ground. He located the chunks of rock and quickly grabbed them.
Graver pounded Charmeleon's side with the rock clenched in his hand. This earned him a howl from his rock-weak foe as well as the cease of the flaming hot fire assault. He threw the other rock at Charmeleon's stomach with great force which caused him to drop his grip and stumble backwards.
This was the opening that Graveler was hoping for and was ready to take full advantage of it. He threw his last rock at Charmeleon that knocked him down onto his back.
"Graveler, finish him with your Defense Curl and Roll Out combo," Paul ordered his Pokemon, not even caring about the burns on his body that will cause him pain if he rolled on the rough terrain.
"Hurry up and go!" Paul shouted when he saw Graveler hesitate of doing it. Having no other choice, Graveler rolled up into a ball and avoided his burns from touching the floor.
Red scowled at Paul's rough treatment of his pokemon. "Can't you be nicer to your Pokemon? He is trying his best for you and your just treating him like trash," Red barked at Paul.
"He isn't doing his best if he it is taking this long to take out a fire-type and I don't need a pathetic trainer like you to tell me how to treat my Pokemon," Paul snapped back.
"... Charmeleon get back on your feet and start your Flamethrower attack!" Red cried out feeling his blood boil with anger.
The fire lizard slowly got up and faced Graveler's curled up body. He let out a loud roar and a small fireball escaped from his mouth. A red glow began to surround his body and his eyes became a light red color. He stomped the cave floor as his Blaze ability took effect and felt his new power surge through his body.
Graveler took a deep breathe before starting to roll. He began to pick up speed as he continued. When Charmeleon saw his opponent began to move, he began to store up fire in his belly. He unleashed the fire when Graveler began to pick up a lot speed. The fire was way bigger than before and was two times hotter. He tried to push the rock type back but Graveler kept on moving as he endured the fire.
Graveler spinning made it easier to handle the fire but could still feel excruciating pain from is burned wounds. He pushed on and had to speed up due to the fire beginning to push him back.
Charmeleon increased the size of his flames when he noticed his Flamethrower wasn't doing noticeable damage. He kept the fire going for a good thirty seconds before he felt his energy falter.
Graveler couldn't take the fire no more and just uncurl at the exact same time Charmeleon stopped his attack to take a break. He collapse just one foot away from his target and had smoke coming out from his new burns to accompany the ones on his face.
Paul scowled at how his Pokemon collapse in front of Red's pokemon. He looked up to see Red's wide smile which sickened him. He was going to recall Graveler but he suddenly noticed his pokemon move which gave him some hope.
"It's not over," Paul said. "I think Graveler will have to use the move that made me want to catch him in the first place." Paul looked at his Graveler and believed he was as at suitable range for the attack.
"Graveler, Focus Punch!"
Graveler was already preparing himself for the attack when he heard his trainer talk about him. He shot up from the ground and swung at the stunned Charmeleon with his glowing fist. He struck his foe right under the chin and sent him a few feet into the air before falling back onto the ground unconscious.
Graveler dropped onto his knees as succumbed to the burns all over his body. He was quickly sent back into his pokeball before he could collapse.
Paul looked at the pokeball with a fierce glare. "I guess you aren't special as I thought you were. Well, you won't have to deal with me anymore because I'm going to release you back into the wild," Paul harshly said. He pocketed his pokeball and began to walk away without a word.
"Paul wait!" Red shouted as he returned his Pokemon and praised him for his great effort. He quickly crossed the torn cave floor and caught up with the leaving Paul.
He grabbed his shoulders to turn him around so he could talk to him more effectively. "Paul, what's up with all this releasing your Graveler? He did win you the battle."
Paul pushed off Red and gave him a cold glare. "I'm releasing him because he is weak. Defeating a fire pokemon like yours shouldn't have taken him a long time as well as using up all his energy," Paul explained in his cold tone. "A weak Pokemon like him shouldn't be hanging out with me since I only use strong Pokemon. He is not just cut out for my team." Paul turned around after he finished his short speech and walked away.
Only strong pokemon Red thought. Hasn't he considered the fact that my Charmeleon was just very strong? Red clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground as he saw Paul disappeared into the darkness of the cave. He totally hated the guts of that guy but yet he also admired the strength of his pokemon.
Pokemon aren't just tools. They have feelings and so having a close bond with them can help them get stronger a whole lot faster Red thought. He doesn't see it that way which means I will have to show him the strength of a Pokemon who has a strong bond with his trainer and beat him.
Red decided it as his goal to show Paul his cruel battling method will never be as good as his battling style. He will show him the true power of the bonds between pokemon and trainer!
