Chapter 8
Sand and Flames
Patrick woke up screaming.
Tossing the sweat-soaked blankets off his body, he sat on the edge of his bed trying to control his breathing and his pounding heart. Meowth and Nidoran, both startled awake by the screaming quickly jumped up onto the bed to comfort their trainer.
Patrick's shaking hands slowly steadied as he stroked his Pokémon next to him.
Flashes of the nightmare; grasping claws, snapping pincers, and deadly insects closing in on all sides still haunted him. The brothers, Rob and Ed, had admitted that they too had experienced similar nightmares and they could only hope that time and distance from the forest would help those memories fade.
When his body no longer trembled and his heart no longer raced, Patrick sighed and stood up. Beginning the tasks of stripping the bed of the soaked linens and remaking it with dry ones. A chore he had become all too familiar with in the nights since he escaped the forest.
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Steelix is a long, serpentine Pokémon with a silvery-grey body made up of rock-like sections, which can possess chips and scrapes from fights and tunneling. Three of those sections have long rock spikes coming out of them on either side. It has a massive head mainly made up of its large, wide jaw with sets of large square teeth inside. Along its bottom jaw are ridges: there are two pairs of ridges on a male Steelix. Several small, square lumps cover the underside of its lower jaw. Its eye sockets are slightly deep-set, and the eyes themselves are red. Its head has two long ridges going from the eyes up to the top of its head. The tip of its tail is conical with a blunt tip.
Steelix burrows up to six-tenths of a mile underground and can be found in mountains or caves. It easily chews through boulders with its powerful jaws, and its eyes are capable of seeing in the dark. Exposure to underground heat and pressures alongside its iron-rich soil diet has made its body incredibly hard.
Crobat is a purple, bat-like Pokémon with a small, round body. It has long, pointed ears, yellow eyes with red pupils, and a small mouth that usually has its teeth bared. On its body are two pairs of wings: an upper pair that is slightly larger and a lower pair that developed from its legs. Both pairs have green-blue membranes. The upper wings have two claw-like fingers near the middle. On the bottom of its body are what appear to be a pair of stubby feet.
Crobat is capable of flying long distances by alternating between its two sets of wings. The extra set of wings has also improved its flight speed without sacrificing its ability to fly silently. The combination of silent flight and sharp fangs allows it to bite down on prey without being noticed and drain their blood. If unable to consume blood, it becomes lethargic and unable to fly. Due to its lack of legs, it is clumsy on the ground and only able to crawl around with its wings.
Quickly scanning through the rest of the pictures, notes, and measurements that made up his primary report, Patrick pressed send and logged off the Pokécenter PC.
Patrick had spent the last week testing and measuring every aspect of Steelix and Crobat he could think of. Recording height and weight, diet, temperament, and combat abilities he then compared and contrasted them to data already collected on their pre-evolutions, Onix and Golbat. Throughout the testing, Patrick had been in constant communication with professor Oak. Sending him daily emails from the PC at the Pokémon center. In return, Oak had provided valuable insights and recommendations that Patrick happily acted upon.
Much of the information Patrick had, had already been gathered from when Onix first evolved into Steelix. Brock had recorded everything he could to better understand his new Pokémon when it had evolved some years ago. The catalyst, as far as Brock could tell, appeared to be a Silph company product called 'Metal Coat'. Metal Coat was a liquid that could be applied to objects or Pokémon and greatly enhanced their strength and durability once dry. Brock had originally painted it on Onix's head spike to prevent it from chipping or cracking during battle. A few weeks later during a badge match, Onix had evolved.
Brock had even had Steelix's body tested at the Pewter Museum by the geological team that worked there, and they confirmed trace amounts of Metal Coat were still present throughout Steelix's body.
Patrick had been grateful for the reports as working with Steelix had proved to be a difficult and nerve-wracking experience. The metal serpent had a short temper and would only allow so many tests to be run before it slithered back into the darkness of its subterranean lair. Often knocking Patrick out of the way to do so, leaving the trainer with quite a few bruises from the huge Pokémon.
Crobat had proved to be a much more agreeable research subject and was quite content to allow Patrick to measure body parts, and watch it hunt or fly through an agility course. Unfortunately, the mechanism behind Crobat's evolution was still unknown. As far as Brock could tell, nothing particular had happened to Crobat to prompt evolution. He hadn't even been battling. Brock had simply been praising Golbat after the bat Pokémon had successfully located some lost hikers. Unless happiness was what prompted evolution, Brock and Patrick were out of ideas.
Although the amount of information Patrick had collected on the new Pokémon during the week was immense, it barely scratched the surface of what could be learned if the Pokémon could be observed and studied for years or decades. Added to the fact that Patrick had no way of knowing what was an individual trait or a species trait, there were some significant holes in the research.
When Patrick expressed his concerns about this to professor Oak, Oak was quick to remind him that his job was to find and confirm the existence of new Pokémon, not to learn everything about each Pokémon. That would take time and teams of specialists comparing notes to fully understand these new Pokémon as well as they understood a Pikachu or Charizard.
As far as Oak saw it, Patrick had fulfilled his duties and should be proud. With all the information gathered so far, Oak would be able to add 2 new profiles to the next generation of Pokédex, due to come out next summer. Trainers generally used the Pokédex to find basic notes on strength, speed, resistances, temperament, and habitat. More detailed notes on anatomy and physiology, composition, and mapping of their genomes would take time to publish and would only be appreciated by the most dedicated trainers and researchers. While Oak encouraged Patrick to still make notes on any observations he might have, he should now focus on finding any other extrinsic evolutions that might be in Pewter.
Brock had assured him that as gym leader he had a record of every Pokémon residing in Pewter and all were in the Pokédex. Patrick however still wanted to be thorough and spent an off day exploring Pewter and questioning residents. The search went as well as it had in Viridian, with most people having a story of seeing some 'legendary' or 'new' Pokémon that turned out to just be a Golduck or Magmar.
Lost in thought Patrick idly walked through Pewter, winding through the streets and avenues that crisscrossed Pewter in a grid pattern. Technically his destinate was the Pewter gym, he had a class that afternoon, but that wasn't for some time, so he decided to take a more scenic route. Gazing into shop windows and cafes, he wove around locals as they went about their day. Nidoran had a more difficult time avoiding everyone as he hopped back and forth amongst the sea of moving legs.
Taking pity on his poor Pokémon, Patrick took the next left into an empty alley between two buildings. The back of his neck prickled as he walked, memories of his encounter with the Houndoom still in his mind. Not paying attention, Patrick nearly shouted when a voice called out to them.
"Got any spore?" A gruff voice rasped. Slumped against the wall next to a dumpster, that had hidden him from Patrick's view, was an older man with unkempt brown hair and a tangled beard. His glassy eyes couldn't seem to focus on Patrick, instead of looking through him. One of his hands rested lightly on the scruffy purple Rattata curled up in his lap.
Spore was a drug that had quickly gained popularity in Pewter in recent years and one Patrick had been warned about when chatting with other trainers at the Pokécenter.
By capturing a Paras or Parasects spore attack, the resulting powder could then be cut and diluted enough to create a powerful depressant that caused the user to feel relaxed and euphoric for hours at a time. However, long-term use would destroy the lungs and the user would slowly lose control of bodily movements.
Rumor had it that police and the Pewter gym had a task force specifically created to find the source of the drugs, but no busts had been made so far.
"Um… No," Patrick said awkwardly, glancing at the ragged man and quickening his pace. "Sorry." He called over his shoulder as he exited the alley on the other side.
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After being startled by the homeless man, Patrick decided to keep on the main roads and quickly found his way back to North Street and the northern gate. Taking the dirt road out of the city, Patrick released Meowth from her Pokéball, allowing her to stretch her legs and potentially stalk any small Pokémon they may encounter. Meowth's hunting abilities were astounding and Patrick rarely had to feed her himself, instead allowing her to feast on any Rattata or Pidgey too slow to escape her claws.
Nidoran was the first to notice the runners, followed by Meowth and lastly Patrick when he finally heard the shouting behind him.
"It's already started! We are going to miss it!" The oldest of the three children cried as he sprinted past Patrick, followed closely by two younger children struggling to keep up. Amused, Patrick continued walking toward the gym watching in the distance as the children got to the lip of the pit, point excitedly at something down below, and disappear from view down the path.
Curiosity piqued; Patrick quickened his own pace and soon reached the edge of the hole that was the Pewter Gym.
The roar of the crowds hit him as soon as he stepped down into the gym, the shape of the pit seemingly containing the noise, funneling it straight up and not allowing it to spread across the countryside. People and Pokémon were everywhere, lining every path that wound down to the floor of the pit. All cheering at the spectacle taking place far below.
The gym floor, typically dry and rugged had been flooded, with massive puddles and melting chunks of ice scattered across the floor. In the center of the battlefield, a wide crater had been blown into the rock, a shallow pool collecting at the bottom.
Crouched low in the center of one of the puddles was a massive blue tortoise, armored in a thick shell. A pair of long cannon barrels protruded over each shoulder. Hunched over on three limbs, the Blastoise leveled its cannons across the gym floor at his opponent.
The Golem hissed back at its opponent and retracted its reptilian head safely into its thick, rocky hide. Withdrawing its arms and legs, it formed a perfect sphere and fell forward into a rollout attack. Quickly gaining speed, the rocky cannon ball raced across the floor, shattering a boulder of ice that was in its way.
Muscles bulged as Blastoise gripped the ground and with a grunt fired a bolt of ultra-pressurized water at the incoming Pokémon. Closing the distance between the two in a fraction of a second, the watery missile slammed into the approaching rock type sending up a spray of water droplets that rained down on the battlefield.
Rocketing through the mist the Golem continued its attack, unscathed and undeterred. Blastoise let loose a volley of shots that struck the incoming Golem but failed to injure the Pokémon, the rollout's rotation effectively negating the water pulse. With the attack failing and the Golem fast approaching, Blastoise pivoted to the side and shot a bolt of water wide, the force pushing the tortoise back and out of the path of the rollout that flattened the earth where Blastoise had been standing.
Momentum shooting the golem far past the Blastoise, it leaned into a wide turn and again approached the large tortoise. Rolling over the uneven terrain Golem rumbled towards the Blastoise who assaulted it with a volley of water pulses, further flooding the saturated gym floor.
As the boulder Pokémon neared its target Blastoise dove out of the way, inches from the lethal wrecking ball. Racing back and forth across the gym floor the two Pokémon danced, neither able to land a decisive blow. Reaching top speed, the Golem had become a blur, tearing across the rugged terrain in wide circles as it continued to assault the fatiguing tortoise.
Panting, Blastoise turned once again to the Golem shooting towards it. By now the pair had drifted across the battlefield, inching closer and closer to the steep gym walls. Blastoise had given up assaulting the cannonball as it came near and instead readied itself to dodge at the last moment. With a grunt, it leaped to the left dodging the Golem once again.
Pivoting and dropping down into a shooting stance, Blastoise quickly took aim and unleashed two monstrous streams of water that raced after the retreating Golem and slammed into its back. Water sprayed high into the sky as the rollout diffused the spray. However, Blastoise maintained the assault, forcing more water out of its cannons and the Golems rollout accelerated at an even faster pace. Losing control of its attack, Golem had no time to react as it struck a lip of rock and was sent flying through the air.
With a thunderous boom, the Rock-type collided with the gym wall, sending tremors through the stone that could even be felt by Patrick far above. Prying itself from the crater, Golem fell and landed heavily on the rocky floor. Dazed, it slowly got to its feet.
Before it could react Blastoise struck like a tidal wave, slamming into the Pokémon and crushing it against the unyielding stone. Instinctively, Golem retracted its vulnerable head but was stopped short. The barrel of a cannon pressed firmly against its throat.
The roaring cheers fell silent, the two huge Pokémon standing perfectly still, red eyes staring into ocean blue. Finally, Golem closed its eyes and bowed its head. Admitting defeat.
The silent crowd erupted once again, an even mixture of cheers and groans as money changed hands as trainers won or lost their respective bets. Weaving through the crowd to get a better vantage point, Patrick found Ed and Rob on a lower pathway. Greeting them with a nod and fist bump, the three turned back to the gym floor.
Blastoise released his defeated opponent and lumbered over to its trainer, a trainer with bright red hair standing inside a wrought-iron cage. Reaching through the bars, the man scratched the huge tortoise behind its ears and whispered inaudible praise.
Likewise, Golem rolled over to Brock who had been standing inside a similar cage but had exited out the back to examine his Pokémon. Taking a second to inspect Golem's neck, he too praised his Pokémon before returning it to its Pokéball with a flash of white light and red energy.
"Congratulations Challenger! I have one last Pokémon you must defeat. Do you wish to continue?" Brock's voice boomed across the battlefield. Silence fell as all eyes turned to the challenger and his Blastoise.
Without hesitation, the trainer nodded and Blastoise beat a thick fist against its chest, letting out a deep growl. A smile flitted across Brock's face before settling back into the stoic neutrality and nodded. Reaching down, Brock grasped the heavy mallet at his feet and hefted it up to his shoulder. Turning, Brock strode towards the dark tunnel behind him and the gleaming bronze gong that had been moved into the sunlight.
Gripping the mallet tightly with both hands, Brock struck the center of the metal with a crashing boom, the sound echoing throughout the gym and deep into the tunnel. A scattered few trainers lining the pit began to chant.
"Stee! Lix!" Startled, the challenger looked around. Eyes darting in all directions, looking for the threat that wasn't yet present.
"Stee! Lix!" The chanting became even louder as more trainers took up the call, and veteran gym members grinned at each other in excitement for what was to come.
"Stee! Lix!" A deep rumbling began, echoing from the cavernous tunnel behind Brock. Louder and louder, it grew, as if a landslide were approaching.
"Stee! Lix!" The chant was deafening. Patrick was swept up in the energy, chanting with the rest of the trainers. Pokémon grunted and growled, barked, and roared. The cacophony of sounds assaulted the challenger from all sides, echoing and reverberating. Blastoise, a Pokémon known for its stoic nature, now shuffled nervously and looked to its trainer for support.
"Stee! Lix!" The rumbling had grown to an earthquake now, shaking the ground. Dust and pebbles fell from the gym walls.
"Stee! Lix!" With a metallic screech, Steelix erupted out of the darkness. Surging onto the battlefield like an avalanche. Sixty feet long and armored with a thick metallic hide it slithered a wide circle around the gym floor. Tearing new trenches into the scarred stone and shattering ice and boulders. A wave of cheers rang out as the monster rushed past.
Completing its circuit of the gym floor, the Pokémon coiled up and rose to its full height. Towering forty feet over the battlefield and it let loose another screech, a thundering sound of cracking rocks and twisting metal.
The chant had reached an apex and Steelix paused. Basking in the cheers of the trainers, a god in the presence of its worshippers.
The moment Steelix had appeared on the battlefield the challenger had immediately started frantically whispering instructions to his Blastoise, who nodded quickly. Eyes still focused on its colossal opponent; a cold sweat formed on its blue hide. Fumbling for his Pokédex, the challenger tried to scan the Steelix.
'It's not in the database yet, what are you gonna do?' Patrick thought to himself as he watched the trainer try to rescan Steelix after seeing the error message.
The referee, who had until now been quiet, counted down for the match to begin before quickly sprinting off the battlefield and into the safety of a nearby tunnel. Brock also reentered his cage and silently waited for the challenger to make the first move.
As soon as the command to begin had been issued, Blastoise unleashed a volley of water pulses that shot through the air and struck Steelix on its massive cheek. Harmlessly spraying off the Steel-type it rained down on the trainers standing along the paths, soaking them.
Lunging forward, Steelix began its attack, thundering across the battlefield and slamming its head down where Blastoise was standing. Propelling itself to the side with a well-timed water blast, Blastoise was able to avoid being crushed by the much larger Pokémon. Steelix withdrew its uninjured head from the newest crater on the gym floor.
Again, Blastoise fired at the Steelix, two missiles slamming into the side of its face. Steelix let out a deep growl as one of the missiles hit it in the eye, briefly blinding it on one side. In retaliation, Steelix lashed out with its long tail. The schoolbus-sized appendage skimmed along the floor of the gym, tearing up loose boulders and shattering ice. Blastoise had no time to dodge and instead withdrew completely inside its shell and braced for the impact.
With a crack, the tail slammed into the shell and slapped it across the battlefield, the smooth underside skipping along the wet gym floor.
Sliding across the gym, Blastoise was finally stopped by the unyielding stone wall and emerged, shell shocked and dazed. It took one disoriented step forward before dissolving into red energy and was sucked back into the safety of its pokéball.
Clipping the ball back onto his belt, the challenger grabbed a second without hesitation and threw it out onto the battlefield. Hitting the stone ground, the ball exploded open and released the monster within.
As the white light faded, a tall tree-like Pokémon stood in the shallow puddle, eagerly soaking up the midday sun. Its long body was completely covered in a brown bark that grew from its skin and offered a layer of protection against weak attacks. Two thick legs supported it and wide palm fronds grew from its head, shading the multiple faces that looked out in all directions. Spotting the Steelix one by one, each face turned to horrified shock as the Exeggutor understood the reason it had been summoned.
The trainer whispered a few short commands as the referee reemerged to begin the next round. Brock stayed silent throughout, confident in Steelix's judgment.
With a shout from the referee, the match began. Shaking its fronds, the Exeggutor sent a swarm of razor-sharp leaves buzzing through the air. The spinning projectiles struck the Steelix across its entire metallic body, however, its steely hide easily repelled the leaves. A few thin scratches the only evidence of the failed attack.
Striking out with its tail, Steelix dragged the appendage across the battlefield, gorging trenches into the stone. The Exeggutor tensed its legs and with more grace than it should have possessed jumped into the air, back flipping over the attack and landing lightly on the other side.
Once its feet hit the ground, it again shook its fronds sending an even larger swarm of leaves at the metal serpent. Tearing through the air like buzz saws, they once again were deflected by its metallic hide.
Steelix lashed out in retaliation only for the agile tree to leap out of the way. Grunting with annoyance, the Steelix rose to its full height and slammed its iron head down at the Grass-type. The ground shook with the impact but Exeggutor had escaped grave injury with its supernatural agility.
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"I didn't know Exeggutor were that fast," Ed muttered as he skimmed the tree Pokémon's profile page he had pulled up on his Pokédex.
"Usually no but some Exeggutor have an ability called Chlorophyll which increases agility and reaction time in direct sunlight," Patrick responded, not taking his eyes off the acrobat tree as it danced around the rampaging Steelix.
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Exeggutor leaped across the battlefield to give itself more space as Steelix shook its head and spat out stones that had been lodged in its massive mouth.
Closing its eyes, the Exeggutor scowled in intense concentration and its body became outlined in a glowing blue aura. An orb of blue and purple energy coalesced above its head, growing larger and larger. The air around it distorted and shimmered as the power built before with a grunt, the Exeggutor released the psychic attack.
The air hummed as the mass of energy shot towards the Steelix and struck its jaw in a violent explosion of psychic energy. Steelix head was thrown back from the impact, nearly losing its balance before catching itself. Steelix growled, a great black scorch mark covering the left side of its face.
Surging forward, Steelix raced along the ground before its opponent could charge up another psychic attack. Rearing back, Steelix struck like a cobra, slamming its head into the stone, and barely missing the Exeggutor who leaped high in the air.
Using its head as a pivot, Steelix coiled its tail and lashed out at the airborne Pokémon. Two of Exeggutor's heads gasped in surprise as the column of steel came rocketing towards it. The third, however, scrunched its eyes and after a split second, a light pink bubble blinked into existence around the airborne tree.
With a hollow boom, the iron tail struck the falling bubble. The barrier rippled widely, threatening to break, but held and rocketed across the battlefield. Bouncing and rolling, it finally came to a stop far away, on the opposite side of the gym floor. Releasing the bubble, it disappeared with a pop and Exeggutor landed on the ground, slightly disoriented but unharmed.
Seeing an opportunity, the challenger yelled an order across the battlefield at his Exeggutor whose faces lit up with glee at the command. The command was unheard by Patrick but not by Brock, who barked his order at Steelix. Brock's only command in the match so far.
On the far side of the field, bathed in bright sunlight, Exeggutor's leaves began glowing, a soft green that steadily built-in intensity. Steelix rushed across the field, slowly closing the great distance, desperate to reach the Grass-type before Exeggutor could fully charge its next attack. As Steelix slithered its long body across the stone, its rocky segments began to rotate. Faster and faster the segments spun, grinding the rock beneath it into rough sand that was flung into the air.
Wind whirled around the great serpent as it charged, throwing more and more sand into the air. Racing faster and faster the unnatural sandstorm was whipped into a furious maelstrom that quickly shrouded the Steelix within.
With unwavering concentration, the Exeggutor stood tall against the whirlwind, its leaves glowing like a miniature sun now as they whipped back and forth. The audience squinted their eyes against the blinding light as they watched the sandstorm engulf the Grass-type, blocking both combatants from view.
For a brief moment, nothing happened. The gathered trainers held their collective breath, flashes of emerald light barely visible from within as the sandstorm roared throughout the gym floor. The wind howled and the trainers on the lowest levels of the gym had to shield themselves as they were buffeted by the sandstorm. From within the storm, a bright green light flashed, and the battlefield exploded in light and heat.
A blinding beam of green energy a dozen feet wide shot from the depths of the sandstorm, vaporizing the airborne sand as it raced into the sky. Heat washed across the battled field, forcing the trainers to turn their heads or duck into tunnels. A thunderous crash came from within the storm and the wind slowed as sand started drifting down to the ground.
The audience held its breath as they waited for the sand to settle, anxious to see the result of the explosive battle.
Dark shapes emerged first, slowly gaining clarity and color as more sand settled back into the earth. The stone where Exeggutor had stood was scorched and cracked, a black circle where the tree Pokémon had been. Lying next to a blackened circle Steelix's monstrous body heaved, gasping for air. The left side of its head and neck glowed a soft red as it closed its eyes in a pained grimace.
A hundred pairs of eyes, including the challenger's, gazed into the shifting sands searching for the missing Exeggutor.
A shout from a trainer drew everyone's attention to the north side of the pit, where an unconscious body lay motionless against the wall, bark smoldering slightly. With a shout, the challenger ripped open the gate of his cage and sprinted across the battled field towards his fallen Pokémon. Likewise, Brock exited his to check his combatant, albeit at a calmer pace.
A medic and Chansey emerged from a nearby tunnel and raced across the field to the Exeggutor's body, the pink egg Pokémon awkwardly bounding behind its trainer. Along with the challenger, they carefully assessed the extent of the Exeggutor's injuries.
With a deep breath, Steelix rose and ignoring Brock's calls slithered over to a pool of water. Plunging its glowing neck into the shallow pool, the water hissed and bubbled and Steelix gave a deep sigh of relief.
After a few minutes, the challenger unclipped a pokéball and returned his injured Pokémon into the sphere, much to the relief of those watching. Injured and unconscious Pokémon could be returned to their Pokéball.
Dead Pokémon could not.
With a deep breath, the challenger squared his shoulders and strode back over to his cage. Not once glancing at the metallic serpent whose hide had faded back to a dull grey or the gym leader whose questioning gaze asked whether he wished to continue.
With a clang, the iron gate closed behind the trainer and he was once again in the relative safety of the cage. Slowly, he reached down and unclipped another pokéball. Staring at the red and white ball for several seconds, the challenger took another deep breath and tossed it through the bars.
From the flash of red energy, a new Pokémon materialized and fell forward onto its four limbs. Thick cream-colored fur covered its muzzle and the lower half of its body giving way to dark green-blue fur along its back. Several bright red spots smoldered along the nape of its neck.
Eyes flashing back and forth, it spotted the huge Steelix leering down at it. Snarling, the Typhlosion's neck exploded into an inferno of bright red flames. Chest low and limbs spread wide, the agile Fire-type readied itself for battle without hesitation. Shielding his face and eyes from the heat, the challenger whispered a few commands to the ferocious Pokémon.
Not willing to exit the safety of the tunnel, the referee counted down the final round of the battle from the entrance before quickly disappearing inside.
Inhaling on '1', the Typhlosion unleashed a blazing flame thrower attack as soon as the referee finished saying 'Begin'. Racing across the space between the two combatants, flames engulfed the Steelix's body and elicited the first true cry of pain from the huge Steel-type.
Quickly recovering from the surprise attack Steelix swept its long tail across one of the large puddles of water, sending a spray of dirty water at the attacking Pokémon. Snapping its jaws shut, Typhlosion darted out of the way of the water attack. Its natural aversion to all things wet forced it to leap out of the way of the droplets.
Landing lightly at the edge of another puddle, the badger Pokémon glared at the offending liquid and released a scolding torrent of flames directly into the water. A hissing explosion of steam rushed outwards over the battlefield, obscuring the Fire-type within.
Lifting its great tail again, Steelix slammed it down into the mist directly where Typhlosion had been standing. The impact sent tremors through the ground and a rush of wind cleared the mist from the area, revealing scorched, dry stone but no Pokémon.
From within the mist further away, a stream of flame roared into existence and engulfed the metallic snake in fire. Roaring in pain Steelix lashed out with its tail, the thick steel appendage rocketing through the mist towards the source of the blistering heat.
Cutting off the flame thrower attack at the last moment, Typhlosion leaped high into the air to avoid the iron tail that was tearing up the stony floor towards it. Just as the badger was about to clear the tail, Steelix pivoted its last tail segment upwards and clipped a hind leg of its nimble opponent.
Tumbling through the air, Typhlosion landed heavily in the center of another puddle. Water hissed and bubbled around the furry Pokémon's limbs as it rose to its feet, gingerly placing its back left leg onto the ground and finding it could still support its weight.
The flames that wreathed its neck grew brighter and hotter as the Pokémon's pain and rage fed them to an even greater intensity. Unleashing a flood of flames directly at its feet, the puddle exploded into a cloud of steam, hiding the Pokémon.
Losing sight of its nimble opponent Steelix coiled its body and kept its head back, poised to strike at the first flicker of flame. Seconds ticked by as the Steelix's red eyes pierced the white haze, searching for movement within.
A flood of flame exploded from the mist far to the right at the very edges of the bank of steam. Rather than racing towards the serpent, however, the flames instead engulfed another puddle, vaporizing it and increasing the size of the enveloping mist. Steelix slammed its tail down onto the source of the flame, but the elusive Fire-type had disappeared long before steel had struck stone.
Far to the left, another torrent of flame appeared, dancing across the surface of a puddle and throwing more steam into the air. The mist had now engulfed most of the battlefield, obscuring not only Typhlosion but also the challenger and Brock within the featureless white. Only Steelix's head and neck protruded, towering above the steam.
Impressed, Patrick realized that the challenger had used Brock's strategy against him. Using the mist, Typhlosion had hidden from Steelix the same way Steelix had hidden within the sandstorm from Exeggutor's solar beam.
Safe within the mist, Typhlosion began its assault once again. Rather than unleashing streams of flame, it opted to fire volleys of fiery missiles that struck the steel-type in rapid succession. Less damaging but far safer, by the time Steelix was able to turn and retaliate, the quick badger would have already darted away.
Seemingly from every direction, blasts of flame began to pepper the monstrous Pokémon. If Patrick hadn't known better, he would have assumed an entire pack of Typhlosion was attacking that steel-type.
Breathing heavily and skin glowing, Steelix changed strategies and ducked beneath the bank of steam. Its long dark body slowly faded into the featureless white as it hugged the ground. Fighting blindly now, the two Pokémon cautiously crept through the mist. The dull rumble of Steelix's movements the only indication that the battle continued.
As the white mist continued to swirl across the battlefield, flashes of flame and dark shadows flickered within as the two predators hunted.
With all the water on the battlefield vaporized, Typhlosion was unable to feed the mist with fresh vapor and slowly the mist began to fade. White gave way to splotches of color. Steelix's long dark length began to appear, lying stationary in a half-circle across the battlefield. Soon after, Typhlosion's soft red glow began to appear. The flames of its neck extinguished to embers as it hid within the steam.
Creeping through the mist, Typhlosion approached the length of metallic boulders. Ready to unleash a close-range fire blast on the Steelix's flank. Inhaling deeply to fuel the furnace that roared within it, Typhlosion was cut off as the ground exploded around it.
Roaring as it tore through the earth, Steelix's entire length broke the surface. The appearance of the great serpent blew the mist away and revealed a huge line of boulders, carefully placed in an arc and a huge hole where Steelix had tunneled into the stone.
The boulders that had acted as a decoy to lure the Typhlosion in now served as a barrier, preventing retreat, and cornering the agile badger. Typhlosion hissed and its flames roared back to life as it realized it had been trapped.
Steelix shook loose dirt and rocks from its body as it emerged from its hiding place just below the surface. Using the length of its own body, it quickly closed off the ring of boulders, further trapping the badger. Rising to its full height, Steelix leered down at the cornered Pokémon, awaiting the forfeit call from the challenger.
The Pokémon were so close now, Typhlosion's flames swayed back and forth with each exhale of the serpent above it. Dull orange and red reflections danced across the smooth steel facets on Steelix's body.
At such an obvious disadvantage, all eyes turned to the challenger. Waiting for him to back out.
Calculating eyes studying the Steel-type surrounding his Typhlosion, the challenger inhaled to utter the word that would end the match.
"Eruption."
The only warning for the coming hellfire was Typhlosion flashed a dark red and a rumble was heard just below the surface.
Then the world exploded.
Brilliant red light and a blast of heat slammed into the audience. Trainers closest to the floor dropped to the ground, protecting any exposed skin, and pressing their palms into their temporarily blind eyes. Managing to shield his eyes in time, Patrick was one of the few able to watch the finale of the battle.
A column of flame shot into the sky dozens of feet wide and hundreds of feet tall, escaping the pit and racing into the sky. The stony battlefield cracked and bulged outwards as magma broke the surface, spilling out onto the gym floor. Wind whipped across the gym floor, feeding the flames to even greater heights. Dark ash and soot were blown outwards in all directions as any organic matter near the eruption was incinerated.
Inside the raging inferno, Steelix bellowed in agony before a red energy beam cut through the flame and returned it safely to its Pokéball.
Unable to stop the natural disaster it had released, Typhlosion stayed within the column of fire, its fireproof body protecting it from the hellfire. The boulders that had been surrounding Typhlosion began to deform and warp under the heat, turning molten and seeping across the gym floor, pooling in the craters created from the battle.
The sky darkened above the gym as ash began to blot out the sun and volcanic lightning flashed across the dark clouds that had formed. Thunder rumbled and wind howled.
Within the center of the battlefield, the pillar of flame flickered and then finally extinguished. Typhlosion collapsed forwards, lying on the scorched, glowing earth, and breathed heavily. Around it, a hellscape of molten rock and blackened stone was all that was left of the battlefield. Magma hissed and bubbled in the craters of the battlefield. An almost overpowering smell of sulfur drifted across the field. The challenger and Brock, who had both been crouched low behind the rocky ledge of their cages, peeked out to witness the aftermath.
Slowly, everyone recovered from the explosive attack. Trainers blinked as their vision returned to them, others exited the tunnels they had hidden in and some of the weaker Pokémon present were frozen in fear and had to be returned to their pokéballs. Nidoran and Meowth, usually enemies, huddled together as they pressed themselves into a shallow alcove in the gym wall.
The referee gingerly stepped onto the field and announced the challenger as the winner. A few scant cheers rang out, but the rest of the audience was silent, too stunned to react.