It was the day after Megan and Amber's contest victory. Today was the day that I would be challenging Brawly for my third gym badge. Hopefully, I would beat him. Then I'd be a step closer to the Hoenn Pokemon League.
We had just finished lunch with Amber and April. Ashlyn, Adrian, and Skye had already left that morning and now Amber and April were saying goodbye to us.
"We'll see you in future contests, Megan." Amber said.
"I'm looking forward to battling the 'new' Megan who's now won a ribbon. You've proved to be a challenge, Sis." April added.
Megan gave them both a quick hug and with that, they were on their way, heading out the door and towards the docks.
With the goodbyes over with, we made our way outside of the Pokemon Center and into Dewford Town to get to the gym. After walking a little ways, we made it there and went inside, where we were greeted by Brawly.
Brawly was now in his mid-forties. His spiked sky blue hair was streaked with some grey. He was still fit for his age, too. He was wearing a orange tee with a black half-sleeved underneath, darker orange shorts, and a dark colored flip flops.
"Well, you're the spitting image of your father. I take it that you're here to challenge me?" Brawly greeted me.
"I am. I'm Adam Ketchum and we're ready for you!" I replied with some enthusiasm.
"You shouldn't be too confident. Your father was too confident when he first battled me and he lost."
"I won't underestimate you like my dad did. I know that your Pokemon can take multiple super-effective hits and still keep fighting, so I've been training my Pokemon for that very reason. They needed the stamina to last as long as yours can."
"Well, let's see if your training paid off."
"Pikachu, you go and sit with Jason and Megan." I said, since I wouldn't be using him in today's battle.
Pikachu hopped down from my shoulder and jumped onto Megan's and they made their way to the nearby bench while I took my position on my side of the battlefield.
"The battle between the gym leader, Brawly, and the challenger, Adam Ketchum, will now begin. Each trainer will use two Pokemon and the battle will be over when both Pokemon on one side are unable to continue. Substitutions are allowed. And...begin!" the ref announced.
"Let's go, Machop!" Brawly cried, tossing his Pokeball.
"Let's show 'em, Pidgeot!" I cried, tossing my Pokeball.
"Machop, use Cross Chop!"
"Use Agility, Pidgeot!"
With his added speed, Pidgeot avoided the attack.
"Use Quick Attack!" I commanded.
"Stop it with Dynamic Punch!" Brawly commanded.
But Pidgeot was too fast and the attack hit its mark. Machop got back on his feet right away. It was clear that he hadn't lost any of his endurance from the time that my dad had battled him.
"Wing Attack!" Pidgeot struck with his wings. Again, Machop got back up after the hit, but I wasn't worried. I knew that it would take a lot more hits than usual to take down Brawly's Pokemon.
But the advantage that I had, compared to when my dad had first battled him, was that my Pokemon wouldn't tire out quickly from constantly attacking like my dad's Pokemon did. It didn't matter how many times Brawly's Pokemon got back up, my Pokemon would still be able to outlast them!
"Machop, use Karate Chop!" Brawly yelled. Machop rushed at Pidgeot, raising his arm.
"Blow him back with Gust!" I yelled. Pidgeot flapped his wings, creating a strong wind twister that blew Machop away.
"Use Quick Attack!" I ordered. Pidgeot sped towards Machop. Machop just stood and waited.
"Now! Use Cross Chop!" Brawly ordered as Pidgeot closed in. Pidgeot was about to get hit and I had to think fast!
"Pull up!" I yelled as fast as I could. Pidgeot flew straight up into the air, avoiding the attack at the last minute. It was clear that I would have to watch out for sneak attacks like that from that moment on.
... ...
The battle was proceeding just as I'd hoped. Pidgeot would dive and strike super-effective hits and then pull up out of range before Machop could land a counterattack. Even after dealing all of those attacks, Pidgeot still looked like he was only slightly tired! This was a battle of endurance and stamina and it was looking more and more like Pidgeot wouldn't be the first one to tire out!
Still, this first round of the battle had dragged on longer than any first round with a gym leader that I'd ever experienced and I knew that Pidgeot wouldn't last the full battle against Brawly's next Pokemon.
"Dodge!" Brawly commanded as Gust headed towards his Pokemon. But Machop had almost reached his limit from the constant Flying attacks and couldn't dodge. He was blown back and crashed to the ground. Struggling to get back to his feet, I knew that just a few more attacks would end this!
"Use Wing Attack and then Quick Attack!" I wasn't going to let up and give Machop time to recover, so I made sure to use two attacks back-to-back. With those two final hits, Machop reached his limit and fainted.
"Machop is unable to battle. Pidgeot wins!"
"Way to go, Pidgeot! All of our training really paid off!" I cheered.
"I'm impressed, but let's see how you hold out against Hariyama." Brawly said as he threw his next Pokeball after returning Machop.
I knew that Hariyama was his most powerful Pokemon and after outlasting Machop, Pidgeot may not be able to win this time. Still, I knew that Pidgeot could at least weaken Hariyama enough for my next Pokemon to take him down.
"Use Quick Attack, Pidgeot!" Pidgeot shot forward at a high speed towards Hariyama.
"Arm Thrust!" Brawly cried as Pidgeot got close.
"Pull up!" I shouted, hoping that, like with Machop, Pidgeot could quickly get out of danger. But I was wrong. I watched in horror as Pidgeot was slammed repeatedly by Arm Thrusts.
I then realized that, as a bigger Pokemon, Hariyama had a longer reach than Machop and could hit Pidgeot a lot more easily. And judging by his size, his endurance was even higher than Machop's!
"Use Agility and get out of there!" I cried, hoping that Pidgeot could get away from the direct assault. Pidgeot managed to speed away from the attacks, but a number had already been done on him. Pidgeot was working twice as hard just to keep himself in the air.
"Use Air Slash, Pidgeot!" Pidgeot shot high into the air and send waves of sharp air at Hariyama.
"Block it with your hands!" Hariyama's huge hands blocked the attack but it was clear that the attack still did some damage.
"Wing Attack!"
"Seismic Toss!"
"Dodge it!"
Pidgeot managed to avoid Hariyama as he reached for him and landed the attack with his wings.
"Vital Throw!" Pidgeot took a direct hit as he was grabbed and thrown to the ground and that was the last straw.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle. Hariyama wins!"
"Thanks, Pidgeot. Take a well-earned rest." I said returning him.
I hadn't expected Hariyama to do that much damage with his attacks. If Pidgeot's speed wouldn't work, then I would have to match brute strength with brute strength in order to win the battle!
"Let's show 'em, Feraligatr!" I shouted, throwing my Pokeball. Both Pokemon were strong physical fighters and even with Feraligatr's stamina training, I was still unsure if he could pull this off.
"Use Hydro Pump!" Feraligatr blasted water from his mouth.
"Dodge it and use Arm Thrust!" Hariyama stepped aside and rushed in, waving his arms.
"Dodge it!" Thankfully, Feraligatr was able to do so. I knew that he couldn't take too many hits, or he'd be done for!
"Grab Feraligatr and use Seismic Toss!"
"Blast him back with Hydro Pump!"
The blast of water was able to push Hariyama back and knock him over. That's when I saw my chance!
"Use Slash!" Feraligatr slashed him with his claws, landing a critical hit!
... ...
As the battle continued, each Pokemon traded blow for blow and their endurance seemed to be running out at a early identical rate!
"Use Knock Off!"
"Block it with Aqua Tail!"
The two moves fought for dominance and eventually cancelled one another out.
"Slash, Feraligatr!"
"Arm Thrust!"
Hariyama's hands clashed repeatedly with Feraligatr's claws and neither Pokemon seemed to be able to overpower the other. Luckily, Feraligatr's mouth was still free for him to use...
"Hydro Pump!" Again, the attack blasted Hariyama off of his feet and damaged him. But I wasn't finished yet!
"Follow it up with Ice Fang!" Feraligatr's teeth became charged with ice and he chomped down on Hariyama's hands. Ice began to cover his hands and arms, making him unable to use them to attack. I then saw that this was my chance to end this!
"Aqua Tail! Then use Slash!" Hariyama, with his hands and arms frozen, was unable to block either attack and fell to the ground. Feraligatr was bruised and gasping with exhaustion, but he had outlasted Hariyama! Our training had paid off!
"Hariyama is unable to battle. Feraligatr wins! Which means the winner is the challenger, Adam Ketchum!" the ref announced.
"Thanks, Feraligatr. You hung in there and didn't quit. Take a long rest." I said, returning my Pokemon.
Jason and Megan ran over to me and Megan was quick to pull me into a hug, which I returned.
"Way to go, Adam! You did it!" she cried.
I always enjoyed sharing a hug with Megan, especially when congratulating each other on a victory. It reminded me of how I'd felt when sharing a hug with Michelle in the past when we'd won a badge or ribbon. I liked that feeling and it was clear that Megan did, too.
Suddenly, I realized that I was comparing how I was feeling with Megan to how I'd felt about Michelle, a girl that I'd had deep feelings for. Did this mean that Megan was starting to make me feel those same feelings for her?
I quickly put it out of my mind and snapped back to reality. This would be something that I'd worry about later.
"Great job, Adam. Three badges down." Jason said, hugging me.
"Thanks you guys."
Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder and rubbed his head against my cheek in joy.
"Thanks, buddy." I said to him.
"Well, you were definitely more prepared to face me than your dad was when he first challenged me." Brawly said. "And here you are: the Knuckle Badge."
Author's Note: Adam has won his third badge, thanks to the training that he did with Pidgeot and Feraligatr. They were able to use their endurance and stamina to outlast Brawly's Pokemon and get the victory. Adam also has some new thoughts about how he feels about Megan.
What do you think of these thoughts? And will Jason have as much success against Brawly as Adam did?
Let us know what you think and stay tuned for the next chapter of Pokemon NG!