The day of Aspertia's Gym's opening has arrived. Samantha was so sure we would be ready that she had me, Rosa, and Hugh booked for challenging Cheren on this very day. Hugh is utterly convinced that he'll win. Rosa says the same, but her shaking knees are hard to miss.
As for me, I really don't know what to expect. Half of my team is not in their best fighting condition, and one hasn't been able to train as much as the others because of his injuries.
On top of that, Cheren is not someone to be underestimated. I still remember how two years ago he appeared almost out of nowhere, took on the Gym challenge and almost made it to the Elite Four.
Yep, I'm officially underprepared.
As I stare at the entrance of the Gym, Samantha tells Rosa and Hugh, "You two go ahead. We'll join you in a minute."
"Gotcha!" Rosa replies, winking, before turning to Hugh, "Come on! Let's get going!"
She takes off inside the Gym. Hugh spares me one last perplexed look before following her. After they're both out of sight, Samantha crosses her arms.
"You are not getting cold feet now, are you?"
I gulp. "To be honest, I'm feeling less prepared now than I was for Burgh." I nudge toward the Gym. "You probably didn't know, but two years ago Cheren was a rising star of the Unovan League. He's probably tougher than any other Gym leader in this region."
Samantha lets out an amused scoff. "No."
No?
"What, you think the other Gym leaders weren't 'rising stars' at one point or another? If anything, a newbie at this job is going to be your easiest Gym leader to beat."
…okay, maybe she has a point. It doesn't change my concerns for Mister Jaw, Mary and Puppy though.
Even if I don't say anything, Samantha lets out an exasperated groan. "Look, this Gym's puzzle is going to be fighting two other trainers. If you can beat them, you can beat Cheren. Feeling better yet?"
...those two trainers could be just what I need. I can test whether Mister Jaw and Mary are fit to fight with them.
"I think I do," I say, nodding.
"Good." She suddenly pushes me forward, startling me. "Then get moving!"
No need to tell me twice, sheesh.
The actual Gym section turned out to have a theme matching the plainness of most Normal-types. Just one extremely large sandpit where multiple battles could take place at the same time. Although for timing matters, I was asked to wait until Rosa and Hugh were allowed to face Cheren before I could take on the two Gym trainers.
On that front, though, so far so good. The first of the two - I think her name was Serena - had just two Pokémon with her. A Lillipup and a Watchog that went down easily to my Vibrava. Somehow, evolving allowed Mister Jaw to figure out how to use Bulldoze, while his newfound wings allow him much more maneuverability during a battle. That is all well and good, but I'm also glad to see he manages to hold his nerves together in battle again.
As for Mary…
"Uhm…" Pedro, the other Gym trainer, says while he rubs the hair under his hat in thought, looking confusedly at the shaking figure of my Marill. His Herdier in front of him also tilts its head. On my part, I bite my lower lip.
I realized something was not right with her the moment she first engaged Pedro's Patrat. It was plain to see she wasn't fighting as hard as she did against the Nidoking, what between her hesitation in using Aqua Jet to tackle the Patrat or how much less force she put behind her Aqua Tails. Despite all of that, she was still able to beat the Patrat. However, when Pedro called out his Herdier, things quickly took a turn for the worse.
"Dude, you sure your Pokémon is alright?"
Honestly? Before this, I wasn't. Now I know something is not right.
"Can we have a time-out?" I ask Pedro. "I need to check on her."
He nods to me. "Sure thing, dude." His Herdier sits down to emphasize that point.
With that said, I recall Mary to my side and kneel down to look her in the eye. "So Mary," I tell her, "what's on your mind?"
The Water-type lowers her head, unable to look me in the eye.
"Come on," I encourage her. "We're a team and we stick together. Keeping it all to yourself isn't going to help anyone."
Mary still keeps her head down for the next few moments, but then she raises it.
"Mar," she says as she brings her tail in front of herself, "mar, mar mar." While she keeps talking, her tail moves slightly above her head. When Mary stops talking, she turns to the blue ball at the end of her tail and makes a chomping motion at it. After that, she turns back to me, a hurt look in her eyes. One that makes me understand what she means.
"Fighting makes you think about what happened at the refinery."
She nods.
It is then that I know she is not ready for this Gym. All she had had before facing the Nidoking was training with Bib. Of course her first actual fight
almost costing her life would leave her so shaken up.
"Alright, return."
As she turns into red light and returns inside the Poké Ball, we both know we'll have to discuss what to do about her fears. Just not now.
Shoving those thoughts aside for the moment, I get back up and return my attention to Pedro. "So, I can still use one Pokémon, right?"
Thankfully, Pedro doesn't ask me anything and only nods. I then call out Ruffles. The Herdier can do little against him, as his only means to reach Ruffles in the air is through jumps that he first easily avoids while rubbing his talons with Hone Claws and then intercepts with Wing Attacks. As it can be expected, it doesn't take us long to win.
With the two Gym trainers cleared, I reach Samantha by one of the stands surrounding Cheren's angle of the field, where I'm surprised to see Shane and Blaze - Hugh's Tepig - face a Herdier of their own. One that looks much more muscular than the one I faced.
"What did I miss?" I ask Samantha as I sit next to her. It is only then that I realize her eyes are narrowed on the ongoing battle.
"Cheren suggested the two take him on in a double battle," she says without turning to me or noticing my wince. "He first sent out a Patrat and a Pidove that they took out quickly and then sent that Herdier. Said he wanted to see 'how their teamwork fared against an opponent stronger than them'."
I look at her incredulously. "And you didn't try to dissuade them? We haven't prepared them for double battles."
Just as I say that, my attention is drawn back to the field as I hear Cheren say, "Work Up!"
The Herdier widens his stance and small sand-like particles appear around him only to be absorbed beneath the Herdier's skin, its muscles growing even more.
"Now, Tackle!"
Following his trainer's instructions, the Herdier starts running toward Shane and Blaze, going as fast as it can.
To my surprise, Rosa and Hugh don't seem to panic at the incoming canine. Nor do their Pokémon.
"Shane, aim at his legs!"
"Blaze, get ready to charge!"
As soon as those commands arrive, embers start to emerge from the Tepig's nostrils, increasing in intensity with each deep breath he takes. Meanwhile, the Snivy calls out his vines and lashes one out against the Herdier. The Normal-type takes a leap as it tries to grab him, but while he's in the air, Shane's other vine shoots forward and actually manages to tie his forelegs together. Shane then pulls the Herdier back on the ground, where he lands with a dull thud.
"Now!" Hugh commands.
The embers from Blaze's nostrils transform into actual jets of fire that envelop him into a fireball before he bolts towards the Herdier at top speed.
While that happens, Shane retracts his vines and the Herdier tries to get up again, but he's not fast enough to prepare for the charging Fire-type, who hits him so hard he's pushed away and is unable to get up again.
"You have won," Cheren declares after that, a small smile on his face as he lightly claps at Rosa and Hugh. "Excellent work, both of you."
Well, just…wow.
"So," Samantha chuckles, "still convinced they weren't ready for it?
"I…stand corrected."
After everyone has recalled their Pokémon, Rosa and Hugh step toward Cheren's spot and the Gym leader - much like Burgh did with me and Eugenio - hands over his badge and a casket to keep it in. As well as a TM for each of them. I know they are the ones who did the hardest part, but I can't help feeling a sense of pride coming over me.
In any case, it isn't long before Rosa and Hugh are finished with Cheren and walk away from him. However, while they do so I also spot Serena and Pedro approaching their leader. The way Cheren frowns as they talk with him doesn't bode well. What have I done wrong?
My concern must show, as Samantha then asks me, "Is something up with those two?"
I open my mouth to reply, but am not fast enough to do it.
"Nate Black," Cheren's voice calls out to me. I turn to him and see him looking in my direction, face blank and Pedro and Serena leaving him. "Please, come over here."
I let down a gulp. Definitely not a good sign if he wants to see me before he's healed his team.
Regardless of my worries, I get down from the stand and go to him, taking just time to offer some quick congratulations to Rosa and Hugh as I move. By the time I've reached him, he's waiting with his arms folded.
"You, uhm," I hesitate as I stare into his eyes, "you have something to tell me, sir?"
He shakes his head. "No need to call me 'sir', I'm not that much older than you."
Right, right.
"As for what I have to say," he pauses for a moment, his mouth twitching for a bit, "it involves what happened at Virbank's refinery."
I tense in place as soon as he mentions that. "You…you know?"
"I have heard from Mister Wes, yes," he states, a light tone of annoyance in his voice when he mentions Wes. "As a Gym leader, I have to make sure that trainers that come to challenge me earn my badge. That means more than simply making their Pokémon strong." He arches an eyebrow. "Do you understand what I mean?"
A knot forms in my throat. "Are you saying that because of what happened at the refinery, you're not going to accept my challenge?"
"No." For some reason, his response doesn't untie that knot. "Given what I heard the situation was, I'd say you've earned my respect." His eyes trail down to the Poké Balls by my belt. "It's your team I'm worried about. Already, Pedro told me one of them is no longer in a good mental condition to be battling."
My gaze falls down to Mary's Poké Ball as I hear his words.
"I commend that you were able to recognize that your Marill didn't wish to fight any more. However, if I'm going to grant you two badges, I will have to see whether that's true for the rest of your team."
…wait, what?
"What do you mean 'two badges'?"
A huff escapes him. "My fellow Gym leader, Roxie Velia, pulled a few strings as a reward for your efforts against the Pokémon Pinchers. Depending on how well you fare against me, the Toxic Badge will be yours too."
I blink confusedly at hearing that explanation. "But I didn't do anything noteworthy against the Pinchers."
"Roxie doesn't seem to think like that."
I…but I…
"Even so, can the two of you really do that?" is all I can ask when I can't come up with anything to rebuke with.
"Considering these would be your second and third badge, we can." His brow furrows. "However, don't think I'm going to make this easy. You're going to face a more complex challenge than a regular second Gym fight."
I let down another gulp at that. "What kind of challenge?"
"I'll be using only one Pokémon against your other three. One much stronger than you'd normally face during a second Gym fight."
"Your objective, however, will not be knocking him down, just hold on until I've evaluated your team. Any questions?"
Uhm…"Can I not drag my Growlithe in this? I was planning on not having him fight in your Gym since he didn't get to train much yet."
Cheren purses his lips for a moment, but then says, "That is acceptable. My other terms remain the same, however."
Oh, thank Arceus. "In that case, I think that's doable."
"Good," he gestures behind me. "Shall we proceed, then?"
Before long, Cheren and I are standing on opposite ends of the field, with Serena acting as our referee. I call out both Ruffles and Mister Jaw, who fly next to me as we all wait for Cheren's Pokémon of choice. Considering the terms we set up, I'm half-expecting some giant of a mon I've never seen before that would dwarf any other I know.
"Benny, go!"
When his Poké Ball opens up, what bursts out is… just a Stoutland. A plain simple Stoutland.
Okay, that's still a tough Pokémon to fight, but in a one versus two it should still be pretty manageable.
At least, that's what I think before I pay closer attention to him. First, I notice that he looks slightly bigger than an average Stoutland. Then, I notice his legs are much more muscular than normal. After that, I also look him in the eyes and am met by an unwavering gaze filled with all the cold calm and experience one only sees in the eyes of a veteran.
At the sight of that, nervous sweat starts pouring off of my head.
"Choose your first Pokémon, please," Cheren calls from his side of the field.
I'm starting to think I should have followed Eugenio's example and picked up a Fighting-type as well.
I give a quick glance to Ruffles and Mister Jaw, the former looking just about ready to fight and the latter completely impassive.
"So, uhm…who wants to go first?"
Mister Jaw almost lifts up one of his small legs, only to hesitate when Ruffles raises his talon first. I guess that settles it.
"You're up first then, Ruffles," I say and the Rufflet flies forth. While he does that, I grab Mister Jaw's Poké Ball but, before I can recall him, he shakes his head. I'm not sure whether that's a good idea, but I don't want to argue with him either, so I let him settle on my shoulders.
When Ruffles lands, a slight nod of Benny's head is all the acknowledgement the Stoutland gives him. His trainer, on the other hand, turns to Serena, "Let's get started."
The Gym trainer nods to him and announces, "Begin!"
"Benny, start with Work Up!" Cheren commands and, just like the Herdier, the same sand-like particles appear and flow into the canine, making him even bulkier than he already was.
Normally I would try to stall until Ruffles has honed his claws as much as he can, but just looking at the Stoutland, I know letting him have that kind of breathing room would spell disaster.
"Ruffles, be careful and start pecking his head!" Hopefully, that will keep Benny too dazed to conjure more Work Ups.
"Ruf!"
Ruffles spreads out his wings and takes off again, glowing beak aimed at the Stoutland. Surprisingly, Benny doesn't make any attempt to intercept him and just tries to summon the sand particles again, but every Peck manages to interrupt him before he can.
Despite not working the first few times, Benny still keeps trying to conjure Work Ups, while behind him Cheren just watches with his arms crossed. I'm not sure why the two are letting Ruffles be, but I don't complain as some measure of relief comes over me.
Then it goes horribly wrong.
All of a sudden, Benny crouches down on all four and waits as Ruffles flies at him for another Peck. When he's in range, the Stoutland jumps at him, head meeting beak with a loud bang. The impact is so strong that Ruffles is sent flying back to the ground, abruptly landing just a few feet away from me.
My jaw falls at that display of power. Just how strong is this Stoutland?!
Ruffles' head wobbles when he gets up again, but after shaking it he's hankfully able to stand up again. Less thankfully, I feel hot air caressing my neck, and I turn to see Mister Jaw taking deeper breaths.
I let down a gulp, that's not good.
Before I can give the Vibrava any more attention, Benny starts running in Ruffles' direction, head lowered as if to charge.
"Get in the air and stay out of his range!"
Ruffles listens to me and flies up, barely escaping the Stoutland as he reaches the spot where he was standing. The Rufflet goes up and up, until he's so high above the ground the Normal-type can't possibly reach him, the two Pokémon just glaring at each other. Although that's countered by the fact Ruffles has no long-range moves to use from there, but if he gets in close again-
"Hyper Voice!"
What?!
Benny lifts up his snout toward Ruffles and opens his mouth to let out a bark. A bark so loud it releases a sonic wave I have to cover my ears from. Ruffles, on the other hand, is hit head-on and loses his balance for a bit, falling closer to the Stoutland. Benny then pounces him.
I grit my teeth as the two Pokémon land, the canine right on top of my bird. Mister Jaw's grip on my shoulder tightening doesn't help.
As a lump forms in my chest when the Stoutlad tries to stomp on Ruffles, I'm left with just one option, "Ruffles, switch out!"
The Stoutland stops in his tracks, leaving Ruffles to stare at me confusedly. "Ruf?"
"You heard me," I respond. "Trust me, it's for the best."
Ruffles frowns at me. "Ruf!"
Before I can say anything more, Benny leans his head forward and looms over Ruffles, eyes narrowed while a low growl comes out of his mouth. When Ruffles turns his glare to him, a worry that those two are just going back to fighting takes over me.
Thankfully, a whistle from Serena breaks that stare down before it can get any worse. "You heard your trainer, Rufflet! Switch out, or I'll have to disqualify you!"
Ruffles lets out a snort at that, but thankfully backs down and flies out of the field and back to me. I offer him my arm and he lands on it, though it doesn't escape me how his grip is slightly tighter than normal.
In any case, Mister Jaw takes off from my shoulder and flies in front of my face.
"Do you feel ready for this?" I ask him. He hesitates for a moment but then tilts his head. "Good, then you've got this."
Mister Jaw turns around and flies toward the field. I follow him with my gaze for a bit, before noticing Ruffles doing the same with a worried look.
"Don't worry," I try to reassure him. "He's fine."
The Rufflet squints his eyes at me. I try not to gulp again.
Serena's voice snaps us both out of that, "Begin!"
Immediately, Cheren calls for Work Up once more. This time, I have a better option to stop Benny.
"Bulldoze!"
Mister Jaw slams his tail on the ground, sending a seismic shockwave that unbalances the Stoutland on his feet before he can absorb the sand particles.
Given there's still a distance between the two, Cheren next calls for another Hyper Voice, but this time I have a counter for it, "Bug Buzz!"
A lime aura envelops Mister Jaw's wings and he starts flapping them together more intensely, generating a buzzing sound that meets and stops Benny's echoing bark.
So far so good, I'd say. Hopefully I can keep it like that.
Seeing that, Benny doesn't even wait for Cheren's next order and starts rushing Mister Jaw, but again, I have a counter for that, "Dig!"
Mister Jaw lands, digs at the sand beneath him and then hides beneath it. Benny stops mid-charge when all that's left where the Vibrava was is just a hole and looks around, eyes narrowed.
Before long, Mister Jaw emerges from the ground, right beneath Benny's belly, and tries to headbut him.
"Vib-"
To my shock, it doesn't go as well as I'd expected. While Mister Jaw's head connects and causes Benny to yelp, the impact also leaves him to wobble his head around while he's still half-underground.
Unfortunately, Benny recovers before the Vibrava and moves around in a way he has a clear view of him.
"Mister Jaw, snap out of it!"
My words are of no use. Before Mister Jaw can recover, Benny bites down on him, picks him out of the ground and shakes him around before tossing him away.
When the Vibrava lands, I can see he's battered pretty badly, with dirt and saliva covering him while his wings have a harder time flapping. Despite all that, Mister Jaw still manages to get up, which is good. What is not good are the labored breaths he lets out and the murderous look that enters his eyes.
"Mister Jaw, it's time to switch- no, get back!"
"Ruf!"
Ignoring both me and Ruffles, Mister Jaw takes off again and leaps at Benny's head. The Stoutland dodges by lowering his head, but Mister Jaw instantly makes a u-turn and, to my shock, bites down at the base of his neck.
Benny winces at the sneaky attack, while both Cheren and Serena frown at Mister Jaw. My shouts at Mister Jaw to stop are for nothing.
Seeing as the Vibrava is not intent on letting go, Benny suddenly drops from the side, falling to the ground, and then starts rolling on himself to the side, taking Mister Jaw with himself. While he keeps rolling, Mister Jaw is eventually forced to let go as he's left flattened on the ground. Benny then gets back on his feet, but the drops of blood sliding down from his neck are not hard to miss.
Despite what just happened to him, Mister Jaw tries to stand up again. Though he struggles much more this time, unable even to flap his wings for more than a few seconds, he still glares murderously at the Stoutland.
…alright, I'm ending this here!
I don't say anything this time, I just grab Mister Jaw's Poké Ball and recall him. The Poké Ball shakes in my hand after I do so, but I hold it tight shut, preventing him from getting out again.
"Get a hold of yourself!" I say when he doesn't relent. "We are not at the refinery! This is not that Nidoking! This is just a normal Stoutland in a Gym fight, not some crazed Pokémon trying to actually harm us!"
It's not immediate, but eventually Mister Jaw starts shaking inside his Poké Ball less and less. I take a breath of relief when he finally stops.
After that, I look up to the field again. Cheren is looking at me impassively, Benny has tilted his head at me and Serena is frowning. I don't even dare to look up to Rosa, Hugh and Samantha.
Serena then announces, "Vibrava is disqualified for unsporting behavior!"
Yeah, I'm not surprised about that one.
Now, with Mister Jaw out of the picture, all I have left is Ruffles again, who already showed he can't do much against Benny. Should I just surrender at this point?
What builds true strength is not how much damage you dish out, but how much damage you can take and keep fighting. Even when you feel like you're past your breaking point.
…I turn to Ruffles. He's looking at me with a determined look and gives me a nod when our eyes meet. I nod back to him.
"Ruf!" he states as he flies off my arm and back into the field.
After Serena tells us to start again, I shout out at Ruffles, "Go with as many Wing Attacks as you can!" Going all-out on the offensive is probably not the best strategy, but I don't know what else is going to work with Benny.
Ruffles spreads his wings and makes them glow as he takes off again and charges at Benny. He's thankfully fast enough to evade the Stoutland as he tries to intercept him mid-flight this time and manages to hit him with his wings once. Twice. Three times.
At the fourth Wing Attack, though, Benny is able to intercept Ruffles in time and tackle him to the ground. The Rufflet thankfully manages to slip away before he can be pinned down and resumes the attack pattern without waiting for my commands.
From there, Ruffles and Benny settle into a pattern of the Rufflet landing a few Wing Attacks, Benny intercepting him and Ruffles going back on the offensive again. Neither Benny nor Cheren try to break said pattern, which is slightly worrying, but I keep at it, hoping they won't pull out something unexpected.
Eventually, Ruffles lands a Wing Attack on one of Benny's hind legs and the Stoutland is forced to buckle down. Ruffles makes another turn and prepares another, but before he can, Cheren does something unexpected, though not in the way I imagined.
"Alright, that's enough," he says as he pulls out a Poké Ball and recalls Benny from the fight. "I've seen enough to make my decision."
Uh-oh.
"Please, come over here."
As a lump settles in my throat, I recall Ruffles and walk over to Cheren. His face is blank as I approach him, but I can imagine the results were not to his liking. Not after Mister Jaw made Benny bleed.
"So," Cheren sighs. "This is a mixed bag. Your Rufflet did handle himself well. Your Vibrava's behavior, however, was unacceptable."
My head lowers at that. "I know."
Cheren waits a moment before speaking again. "That being said, your actions with him suggest you can keep him under control. As such, I think you have earned the Basic Badge."
Wait, for real? Even after that?
"The Toxic Badge, however…" he trails off before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't call what I've seen today a total success."
…yeah. Yeah, I understand.
Notes in the next chapter.