Ash cheers at her response, his overexcited reaction making everybody laugh. Casey has to admit, he sure does love Pokemon, "I can give you some pointers on how to defeat Roark." Ash says, excitement still present in his voice, "His Pokemon sure are strong."
"That sounds great, Ash. Thank you."
Casey smiles over at her newfound friends and simply spends the next hour talking to them and eating some of Brock's delicious food, exciting in the fact that by this time tomorrow, she would've taken on her first Sinnoh Gym Leader.
"The Gym Battle between Casey from Pastoria City, and Roark, the Oreburgh Gym Leader, will now begin! Each side will have the use of three Pokemon, and the battle will be over when all of either sides Pokemon are unable to battle! In addition, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon!"
Casey holds a calm yet confident stance as she stands on her end of the battlefield. She feels ready for this battle; her Pokemon are all fired up, and Ash gave her some tips on what to watch out for in the battle, specifically for Roark's Rampardos. Apparently it can use a powerful Zen Headbutt, but Casey thinks that she's figured out a good counter for that. She hasn't had the chance to test it out with her Pokemon yet, so she hopes that it'll work out.
"Good luck, Casey!"
Casey looks over at Ash, Dawn and Brock, who are sat in the stands in anticipation for her battle with Roark. She smiles over at them, "Thanks, guys! We'll do our best!"
"Are you ready to go, Casey?"
"I sure am!" Casey beams as she directs her attention back towards Roark. She reaches for her first Pokeball and throws it out onto the field with enthusiasm, "Dratini, lets show them what you've got!"
"Geodude, let's go!"
Both Pokeballs hit the field at the exact same time, each respective Pokemon emerging out onto the field with determination in their eyes. Just by looking at Geodude, Casey can tell that it's just as pumped to battle as her Pokemon are, which is just how it should be.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Dratini, let's start this out by using Dragon Rage!"
Dratini cranes it's small head back before lunging it forwards, unleashing it's Dragon Rage attack at full strength. A vivid surge of red light speeds towards Geodude, Dratini's intense power clearly exhibited through the attack.
"Dodge it, Geodude!" Roark orders. The Rock Pokemon obeys his orders and easily dodges the attack, its speed temporarily stunning Casey, "Now, Geodude! Use Rollout!"
"Geo-dude!"
Geodude utilises its surprising speed and obeys its trainer, its Rollout attack hitting Dratini head on, sending the Dragon Pokemon spiralling backwards. That hit sure was powerful.
"Dratini!" Casey calls out in concern to her injured Pokemon, "Are you okay?!"
Dratini manages to get up without much struggle, letting out a battle cry as it does to show that its not out for the count just yet. Casey can't help but feel proud of her Pokemon's determination.
"Dragon Rage is a powerful move, Casey!" Roark calls over to her as Geodude moves to stand in front of him again, "But no matter what the move, it's useless if it doesn't hit the Pokemon you're trying to attack."
Casey groans. Roark's right about that. If she can just lure Geodude in, her plan will work perfectly. She just needs it to use Rollout again, "Dratini, stand your ground until I say otherwise."
Dratini turns around and looks at her fretfully, clearly not understanding what her plan is. Casey gives her a confident smile, "Trust me. Just wait for my signal, okay?"
Dratini contemplates Casey's words momentarily before nodding, turning back to face Geodude and standing her ground, just as Casey ordered. She just hopes that it'll lure Roark in.
"Well, if they aren't going to attack, we might as well! Geodude, use Rollout again!"
Geodude charges at Dratini once again, who simply stands there just as Casey ordered.
A little more. A little more.
Geodude gets closer and closer to Dratini, who Casey can tell is struggling to confidently stand its ground.
Just a bit more.
When Geodude is only a couple of yards away from Dratini, Casey decides that at that moment it is best to put her plan into motion, "Okay, Dratini! Up!" Dratini obeys her command and launches up above Geodude's attack, much to the surprise of Roark, "Now use Slam on Geodude!"
Dratini shoots down from where it is up in the air and directly onto Geodude, hitting the Rock Pokemon with intense strength. The attack doesn't do too much damage, due to the fact that Normal-Type moves aren't very effective on Rock-Type Pokemon, but that wasn't Casey's intention in the first place.
"That was a smart strategy, Casey." Roark congratulates whilst his Geodude tries to regain its composure, "But you should know that Normal-Type moves don't do much damage to a Rock-Type like Geodude."
"Oh, I know that. I wasn't trying to cause damage." Casey smirks as Roark looks at her, completely bemused by her response. She hears confused murmurs from Ash and Dawn on the sidelines, but she doesn't turn to fully take in their reactions, instead opting to initiate the second part of her plan, "Okay, Dratini! Use Draco Meteor!"
Everybody else gasps in shock at Casey's command, all of them stunned at the fact that Dratini knows such a powerful move. Casey suspects that they're even more shocked when numerous fiery orbs rain down on the battlefield, many of them colliding with Geodude with extreme force. Thick dust fills the air between the two Pokemon, and it's only once it diffuses away that Casey sees the result of Dratini's mighty attack.
"Geodude is unable to battle!" The referee points over at Casey and Dratini, "Dratini is the winner!"
"Yes!" Casey smiles brightly over at Dratini, who is jumping around victoriously herself, "Great job, Dratini! You really gave it your all!"
Ash and Dawn congratulate her from the sidelines; Brock chooses to remain silent as he observes. Casey thanks them for their support by smiling gratefully over at them. Dratini offers them a thankful cry to accompany it.
"I must admit, Casey, I'm impressed." Roark says as he pockets Geodude's Pokeball, the injured Pokemon now concealed inside of it, "How did that Dratini of yours learn such a powerful move, and master it, no less?"
"We met this really powerful trainer in Blackthorn City over in the Johto Region. He helped Dratini learn the move and we've been perfecting it ever since."
Dratini cries out in agreement. Roark smirks as he reaches for his next Pokeball, holding it out in front of himself assertively, "You may have won that first fight, but we aren't done just yet! Onix, let's go!"
Onix emerges next, roaring loudly as if it to make its large presence even more well known on the battlefield. It honestly doesn't even need to make too much noise; it's not exactly hard to notice it.
"Dratini, are you good to keep going?"
Dratini responds with enthusiasm, which Casey takes as a yes. There's no need for a substitution just yet.
"Then lets do this!" Casey points forwards with gusto as she orders her next attack, "Dratini, use Dragon Rage!"
Dratini unleashes the fiery attack once again but Roark is quick to counter, much like last time, "Onix, use Screech!"
Onix lets out an ear-splitting cry, the sound of it forcing everybody to cover their ears because it's so unbearable. The Screech attack causes Dragon Rage to complete fizzle away and the force of it sends Dratini spiralling backwards and crashing into one of the numerous pointed stones scattered across the battlefield.
"Dratini! No!"
Roark smirks as his Onix settles back into a more relaxed stance, clearly pleased with how well his Pokemon pulled off its last move. Dratini stumbles out of the pile of smashed rock that she's ended up in, clearly having taken a fair amount of damage from that last attack.
"Dratini, are you okay?"
Dratini responds with a weak cry. Casey knows that Dratini can't take much more damage, but she also knows that Dratini hates to back down from a battle. Dratini's gonna want to fight until the very end, so Casey decides that it's best for them to go for all out offense. They might as well try to do as much damage to Onix as possible.
"Onix, use Stealth Rock!"
The fiery orbs rain down once again just as Onix's Stealth Rock attack settles into places, allowing it to remain undamaged from Dratini's attack. Onix, however, does not remain undamaged, and is hit numerous times before the attack dies down. It does a substantial amount of damage, but it's still not enough to take it down, and now Casey has the Stealth Rock attack to worry about. That's sure to put her at a disadvantage later on.
"Onix, let's finish this up with Double-Edge!"
Oh no! Double-Edge is strong!
Casey takes a moment to consider her options before deciding on her next move, knowing that Dratini would agree with it in an instant, "Okay, Dratini! Let's fight fire with fire! Use Twister!"
Dratini's Twister attack speeds towards the approaching Onix, who is mere moments away from colliding head on with Dratini. The Twister attack seems to buffer Onix slightly, but it powers through and hits Dratini with the full force of Double-Edge, the sheer power of it rendering Dratini unable to battle.
"Dratini!"
"Dratini is unable to battle!" The referee, this time around, points over in Roark's direction, "And so the winner is Onix!"
Casey holds up Dratini's Pokeball and returns her beloved Pokemon, smiling down at the Pokeball as she holds it in her hands, "Good job, Dratini. You battled really well." She pockets Dratini's Pokeball and reaches for her next one, holding it up and staring at Roark with fiery determination, "Don't get too comfortable, Roark! We're still going to give it everything we've got!"
"Oh, I'm counting on it!"
Casey smirks. She has faith in this next Pokemon, "Elekid, get fired up!"
Elekid appears in a flash of bright light, it's electricity crackling in anticipation for the battle. Casey smirks at his reaction, "Watch out, Roark! Elekid's ready to g-!"
Casey falters when numerous pointed stones smash into Elekid, causing him a hefty amount of damage. When the rocks disappear, Casey can see how hurt Elekid is, a grimace evident on his face, "Elekid, are you okay?"
Elekid shakes himself off and lets out a battle cry, making it clear that he's not giving in. That's good. Onix has already endured a fair amount of damage. If Elekid can land the particular attack that she's going for, then Onix should be down for the count.
"Elekid, use Quick Attack!"
Elekid rushes towards Onix with incredible speed whilst Roark simply standing there with a confident look on his face, "I thought that you would've learnt by now, Casey. Normal-Type moves don't do a thing against Rock-Type Pokemon. Elekid is just wasting his energy."
"No he's not."
Roark's confidence disappears, confusion and worry now replacing it.
"Elekid, jump up onto Onix's head and use Hammer Arm!"
That throws everybody off. Even Brock makes a small comment this time around, although Casey doesn't hear exactly what he says. He was a Rock-Type Gym Leader, after all, so she understands why he's been observing her battle so closely yet quietly the entire time.
"How does Elekid know Hammer Arm?!"
Casey doesn't answer Roark's question, instead choosing to focus on Elekid as it's Hammer Arm attack collides with Onix's head, causing the Rock Snake Pokemon to tumble to the ground, it's weight making the whole room shake and causing dust to spread across the battlefield once again.
Elekid jumps out of the thick dust cloud with ease, landing comfortably just in front of Casey as the smoke begins to clear away, revealing the outcome of the powerful Fighting-Type attack.
"Onix is unable to battle! The winner is Elekid!"
Casey congratulates Elekid for his efforts as Roark returns Onix to its Pokeball, reaching for his belt and grabbing his third and final Pokeball. Casey already knows exactly what Pokemon is inside of that last Pokeball, and she has a feeling that it'll be even more powerful than both Geodude and Onix combined.
"Your Pokemon sure do know some impressive moves, Casey. But there's more to a battle than the moves that your Pokemon know." He throws his last Pokeball out onto the battlefield confidently, "Rampardos, let's go!"
"Ram-parr!"
This is it! We've gotta go all out if we want to win this!
"Watch out, Casey!" Casey looks over to the stands when Ash shouts over to her, "Rampardos can use some really powerful moves and it's super fast! Be careful out there!"
"Thanks, Ash! We will!" Casey smiles back at him before directing her attention back to the battle field. She yells out her first command, "Alright, Elekid! Use Thunderbolt on the field!"
Elekid unleashes an almighty Thunderbolt, which causes many shattered shards of rock to fly up in the air. Casey smirks. That's just what she was going for, "Elekid, jump up on the stones and use them to get to Rampardos!"
Elekid obeys, jumping between the rocks similarly to how an Aipom would jump from tree to tree. It's rather impressive to watch, actually. Elekid continues to jump from stone to stone at a decent pace until he is directly above Rampardos, "Perfect, Elekid! Now, jump down and use Hammer Arm on Rampardos!"
"Oh no, you don't! Counter it with Head Smash, Rampardos!"
Casey's stunned at Roark's command. She heard from Ash that as a Cranidos, Roark's signature Pokemon could jump up rather high, but she naturally assumed that upon evolving the Head Butt Pokemon had lost some of this aerial mobility. Boy, was she wrong about that.
The two powerful attacks collide, and whilst Elekid's Hammer Arm does cause some damage, the complete and utter power of Rampardos' attack overpowers Elekid. The Electric-Type goes flying up into the air before crashing loudly back down to the ground again, completely wiped out from the attack.
"Elekid is unable to battle! The winner is Rampardos!"
Casey sighs and returns to Elekid to his Pokeball, praising him for his performance in battle. Like Dratini, he gave it all he had, and that's all that Casey can ask for. Her situation right now could be much more in her favour, but she hasn't give up just yet. She's still got her last Pokemon to go, after all.
"You see, Casey." Roark's voice catches her attention, "Your Pokemon sure are strong, and whilst your strategy is clever, it's far too reliant on your surroundings and how your opponents Pokemon can react to their surroundings. Against a Pokemon with a lack of mobility, I'm sure that it works perfectly. But against a Pokemon like Rampardos, who can react well to its surroundings, you're going to run into some problems."
Casey silently agrees with what Roark is saying, although she doesn't really want to admit that it's true. Her height strategy isn't going to put a dent in Rampardos. She needs to go at it through a different angle for this final Pokemon, and that's exactly what she intends to do.
"Monferno, you're up!"
Monferno bursts out of its Pokeball and flares the flame on its tail, showing its eagerness to battle. However, that fire is soon quelled when the Stealth Rocks come into effect once again, causing a slight amount of damage to Monferno by encasing him in a wall of rock before disappearing again.
"Monferno, this is it! You're the only one left! Do you think that you can win this?"
"Mon-Monferno!"
Casey smiles at her partner Pokemon for his resilience, and decides that there's no point in waiting around any longer, "Alright, Monferno! I need you to turn and face me!"
"Mon?"
Monferno, like everybody else in the room, looks at Casey in bemusement. Casey gives Monferno a reassuring smile, "Trust me, pal. I've thought this through."
At her words, any form of hesitance is wiped from Monferno's mind; the Playful Pokemon obeys his trainers orders and turns to face her instead of looking at his opponent. Roark is initially confused by this, but he chooses to take control of the battle instead of waiting around, "Rampardos, use Zen Headbutt!"
Perfect!
Monferno begins to grow anxious, likely because he can hear Rampardos' thundering footsteps approaching. Casey knows that her Pokemon is worried, but she also knows that there's no need to be, as if her plan works, Monferno should come out of this mostly unscathed.
She waits until Roark's Pokemon is once again just a few yards away from Monferno before yelling out her order, "Okay, Monferno! Now use Dig!"
Monferno obeys, disappearing underneath the ground as Rampardos speeds past, much to Roark's surprise. This is the quick plan she came up with to counter Zen Headbutt. She already knew that the attack can make Pokemon flinch, but if the Pokemon doesn't look at their opponent when they're using the move, then they have nothing to flinch at, and Monferno doesn't have to see what's going on as long as Casey can.
Casey watches with satisfaction as Rampardos' eyes frantically dart around the ground of the battlefield; the Pokemon is clearly trying to figure out exactly where Monferno is.
"Rampardos, keep an eye out for Monferno!"
Now that Rampardos is confused, she can have Monferno finish off the manoeuvre, "Quick, Monferno! Jump up and use Mach Punch!"
Monferno does just that, his glowing fist emerging from the ground and colliding directly with Rampardos' face, dealing major damage. Just what they need right about now.
"Now use Flamethrower!"
"You do the same, Rampardos!"
The rays of boiling hot fire meet in the middle, both attacks as equally powerful as the other. Thick, black smoke cloaks the battlefield, both Pokemon hidden amongst the dark visage. Casey knows that now's their chance to win this.
"Monferno, use Mach Punch! And give it all you've got!"
"You use Head Smash, Rampardos!"
A bright flash forms as the two powerful moves collide, the smoke clearing away as the flash engulfs the battle field instead. Casey braces herself as a strong gust of wind blasts past her as a result of the intense flash, looking back onto the battlefield as the flash disappears into nothing, showing the outcome of the battle.
Monferno is still standing, albeit barely, whilst Rampardos is down on the ground, out cold from the power of Monferno's Mach Punch.
"Rampardos is unable to battle and Monferno is the winner!" The referee declares, "That means that the victory goes to Casey of Pastoria City!"
We did it! We won!
Casey rushes onto the battlefield and hugs her partner Pokemon tightly, thanking it for its contributions in the battle. Monferno pulled through and won it for them all, after all. But, of course, Casey is proud of all of her Pokemon's efforts.
"You were awesome, Monferno!" She beams at the tired Pokemon, who gives her a weak, yet happy, cry in response.
They really did it. They defeated their first Sinnoh Gym Leader.
"This is all yours, Casey." Roark passes over the Coal Badge with a smile. The two of them are currently stood outside of the Gym along with Ash, Dawn and Brock; all of Casey's Pokemon are inside of their Pokeballs now, and she intends to take them to a Pokemon Center as soon as she can, "Congratulations, Casey. The Coal Badge is all yours."
Casey accepts the badge with a smile, "Thank you, Roark. My Pokemon and I really enjoyed our battle."
"I'm glad to hear that. I assume that you'll be heading to Eterna City for your next Gym Battle?"
Casey nods. Eterna City is next on her list. She plans on traveling up to Eterna and then to Hearthome, though she's not sure where she's going to go after that just yet. She'll just have to cross that bridge when she comes to it.
"Well, I look forward to hearing about your victory." Roark glances between the four kids and smiles, "Good luck to you all."
"Thank you, Roark."
Roark gives them all one last smile before turning around and heading back inside of the Gym, no doubt off to prepare for further challengers that are likely to arrive later in the day. He really is a formidable Gym Leader.
"So I guess that's that." Ash says. Casey turns towards the raven-haired trainer and the others with a smile, "So you're heading for Eterna City too, right?"
"Right." Casey nods, responding to Ash's question with enthusiasm, "That's where the next Gym Leader is, so that's where me and my Pokemon are heading!"
"Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you come with us?"
Casey looks at Ash in shock at his suggestion. Casey's never travelled with anybody other than her Pokemon before, so the concept is completely and utterly foreign to her. At the same time, however, it sounds like it could be a lot of fun. There's probably many things that Casey can learn from Ash, Dawn and Brock, and travelling with them would be the perfect way to do that. Besides, despite the fact that she's only known them for a short time, they've become good friends to her, and her Pokemon seem to get along great with all of theirs.
When she thinks it through, there's one clear answer to Ash's suggestion, and she knows that her Pokemon would agree with it wholeheartedly.
"Alright. I'm in. Let's do this!"
Here's the second chapter everybody! I want to say thanks to everybody who followed, favourited or reviewed the last chapter! Your support really makes me happy and further inspires me to write, so thanks a lot!
After reading the reviews I received, I've come to the conclusion that I perhaps didn't make it overly clear how this story will work. I'll give some clarification on that below:
- I intend for this story to act as a sort of retelling of the Anime, but including Casey as she travels along with Ash, Dawn and Brock.
- However, I won't just write out episodes and add in the occasional line for Casey, as who would want to read that? If I can't give Casey her own unique role in the episode, then there's no use in me writing it.
- I already have Casey's entire Pokemon Team planned out and her own story arcs planned out too. I can assure you, I believe that those will be exciting to read about.
- I also do not intend to involve any relationships in this story. I do have my own personal preferences on ships in Pokemon, but I will not be associating those with this story.
If anybody would like to know just what episodes I'll be turning into chapters, feel free to PM and ask and I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and, once again, thanks for all of the support everybody left on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy!
