~ Chapter 15 ~
Sam's First Gym Battle
"The first Gym Battle a Trainer ever has is sacred to them—not to mention unique. It is a rite of passage for a Trainer, and no matter how many hundreds of other battles a Trainer may participate in in his lifetime, that first Gym Battle will always be a memory fresh in his mind. The first win, when you obtain a badge for the first time that comes just a bit after. Even to this day, 6 years after the fact, I still envision it as clearly as if the battle happened yesterday. My first battle was against the Gym Leader, Roark, in Oreburgh City. I had spent the entire trip from Jubilife to Oreburgh practicing and training. I knew I was going to win before I arrived."
"How're you feeling?" asked Alyssandra as she filed into the booth for breakfast.
"Nervous," said Sam as he pushed his egg around the plate, "Very nervous. This battle could determine my entire performance for the rest of the Pokémon League."
"It may feel that way," said Niya as she bit into some bacon, "But that's actually not true. Sometimes you just have off days, other days you're on a roll. It's really just a matter of chance and how prepared you are. You'll do fine, and after training yesterday I think your secret weapons will work."
"You think so?" asked Sam.
Niya gave him a look. "You think I would tell you that if I didn't think so?" she asked rhetorically.
"Just remain calm," said Jeremy, "Remember what Niya said to Alyssandra before her first contest; a Pokémon can sense its Trainer's feelings, so if you're scared and uncertain, they will be too."
Sam nodded. "You're right," he said, "Let's hurry and eat then. I want to call home before I battle Roark—and I also want some answers from Professor Rowan about the ancient Pokémon we caught."
Everyone nodded, and ate the rest of their meal quickly, hoping to get answers quickly. Once they finished they rushed from the dining hall to the entrance hall, stopping at the videophones.
"Let's call Professor Rowan first," said Sam, "We'll get our answers, then we can call home and let them know we're here."
Sam dialled the number and waited as it rang. The videophone barely rang three times when Professor Rowan picked it up.
"Hello there, kids!" he smiled as he saw who was on the other line, "I'm glad you called, that must mean you're in Oreburgh City, am I right?"
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah," he replied, "Sam's about to challenge Roark to his first Gym Battle."
"Isn't that exciting," chuckled Professor Rowan, "I remember when I first battled the Oreburgh Gym Leader. It was many years ago though; your grandfather and I challenged him one after another. Your first Gym Battle is something you never forget. You must be nervous."
"I am," said Sam, "But I've been training and practicing hard since we left Jubilife, and I have a few secrets up my sleeve."
"That's good," smiled Professor Rowan, "It's always good to have a few tricks as a Trainer; personal ones too! It keeps your opponents on their toes. But you're a good Trainer, and I'm sure you'll win the battle and get the badge. So, is there something you wanted?"
"We wanted to know about ancient Pokémon," said Alyssandra.
"What do you want to know about them?" asked the professor.
"Are there any still alive?" asked Niya quickly.
Professor Rowan paused for a moment, and stared at Niya as if he misheard her, and only when he was certain he had heard her correctly.
"Of course not," laughed the professor, "Ancient Pokémon are just that, ancient. They died off millions of years ago, there isn't a single one left living—not unless you resurrect them from a fossil."
"Well, what if there are some still alive?" asked Jeremy, "Because Sam and I encountered some yesterday in Oreburgh Gate."
"You must be mistaken," scoffed Professor Rowan, "You must have been seeing things."
"We're pretty sure it was a Shieldon, Bastiodon and Rampardos we saw," said Jeremy defensively.
"Science has already proven these Pokémon to be extinct," said Professor Rowan, "And there's no way they could still be alive, and especially in such a tiny cave such as Oreburgh Gate."
"Well, science is wrong," said Sam, "Because we caught them too. They're here with us, as proof of what we saw. Here, let us show you."
Sam pulled out Shieldon's Poké Ball and released it into the entrance hall. He picked it up in his hands and held it up to the camera.
"See?" said Sam, "That's a Shieldon."
"Shieldon!" cried the Pokémon as it stared into the digital face of Professor Rowan.
"It can't be anything else," said Jeremy.
There was a long pause of silence, and Professor Rowan said nothing, too shocked to believe what he was seeing.
"This—this can't be," he said, "It's not possible."
"Well, clearly it is now," said Niya, "There's no other explanation."
"But perhaps they've escaped from another Trainer?" suggested Professor Rowan, "They could belong to someone else."
"No, I don't think so," said Sam, "Something like a feral Rampardos and a Bastiodon would be placed on the news, they can be dangerous after all. Not to mention loud. These Pokémon were only found because they got into fights with other native Pokémon of the cave, it's clear that they've been hiding for years, otherwise they wouldn't have been so good at it. How else do you explain no one else finding them before?"
"Besides, if they belonged to someone else we wouldn't have been able to catch them," added Jeremy, "The Poké Balls wouldn't have worked."
Professor Rowan scratched his beard and went into a deep pensive thought. "I don't know how this is possible…but I'd like to do some further research on these Pokémon if that's all right," said the professor.
Sam nodded. "That's why we caught them, Professor," smiled Sam, "We wanted some answers, and plus they looked kind of cool."
Professor Rowan smiled and watched as Sam and Jeremy placed their Poké Balls on the transporter and sent them off to him.
"They've been received," he said, and he showed them their Poké Balls, "I'll call you back later with the results, good luck again with your Gym Battle!"
The screen went black again, and the videophone shut itself off.
"Let's hope he can answer those questions for us," said Jeremy, "I'd love to know why these previously extinct Pokémon have suddenly returned, and how they've been hiding all of this time."
"Agreed," said Sam, "Now come, let's call home quickly and then we can get to the Gym Battle."
Sam dialled the number to his house, knowing that it was early enough in the morning that Jeremy's mother was still over at Sam's house, helping his grandmother with the gardening, and this would be the perfect time to call them.
After several rings—much longer than normal—Jeremy's mother picked up the phone, and smiled widely as she saw Sam, Niya, Alyssandra and Jeremy standing there on the other side.
"Hello!" she cried, "Nancy, come here, it's the kids!" Sam's grandmother soon ran onto the screen as well, smiling wide and happy to see the group.
"How are you all?" asked Jeremy's mother.
"Good," responded the group in unison.
"We're calling from Oreburgh City, mom," explained Jeremy, "We arrived last night, and we just wanted to call and tell you that we're okay, and that Sam's about to fight his first official Gym Battle."
"Oh, congratulations, Sam!" exclaimed Mrs. De Oliveira, "I'm so proud of you! How do you feel?"
"Nervous," replied Sam, "But I'm sure I'll do fine."
"Of course, you'll do fine," said Jeremy's mother, "You have Giovinazzo and Accardi blood in you. You were born to battle."
"Thank you, Mrs. De Oliveira," smiled Sam.
"I'll be rooting for you every step of the way," added Sam's grandmother, "All of us here will be."
"Thanks, grandma," said Sam, "I'll try to do justice to grandpa's reputation as a Trainer—I'll do my best."
"I know you will," smiled Sam's grandmother softly, "You always do, my boy. Now, you should get to the Gym before someone else takes your battle from you, and good luck! I know you'll make us all proud!"
"I will, grandma," smiled Sam, "We'll call back after the battle, win or lose."
Once again, the screen went black, and Sam turned back to the rest of the group.
"Well, let's get going then, shall we?" said Alyssandra as she started to push Sam out the door, "You hear your grandmother, don't be late!"
"Why do I need to know about my mother?" asked Sam as the others got behind Alyssandra and continued to shove him out the door of the Pokémon Centre, "I have Alyssandra."
Sam stopped before the Gym's door. He knew that beyond the sliding glass frames stood his future, and his destiny, and if there was one thing his grandfather had taught him, was that you cannot avoid destiny.
"This is it," said Sam, "Time to do this."
His face turned from nervousness to determination, and he gritted his teeth, and entered the Oreburgh City Gym.
"I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader!" called out Sam as he entered the building.
There was a chuckle from across the room, and everyone looked to see where it came from. Standing at the other side of the ring stood Roark, as if waiting for Sam to arrive.
"I heard a new Trainer had come to town," he smiled, "I figured you'd be coming here; I've been waiting."
Roark's voice wasn't deep but wasn't high pitched. It was smooth, like a small creek running over smooth stones.
"So, do we start the fight now then?" asked Sam, trying to keep his cool and walked down the steps to the dirt battlefield, meanwhile, his friends walked into the stands, ready to cheer Sam on.
"If that's what you want," said Roark as he pulled a Poké Ball from his belt, then readjusted his glasses.
The man wore a hardhat inside, which was something Sam normally would've noted as odd, but from what he had read, Roark also worked in the Oreburgh Mine, so it made sense.
A judge walked out onto the field, standing to the left of the two Trainers.
"The fight between the Oreburgh Gym Leader Roark and Sam Accardi of Twinleaf Town is about to begin!" cried the judge raising his two flags to either side, "This will be a three on three Pokémon battle. Only the challenger will be able to make substitutions! Let the battle begin!"
Sam threw his Poké Ball, while Roark did the same.
"Go, Geodude!" cried Roark.
"Come on out, Luxio!" cried Sam in response.
The two Pokémon materialized on the field, and there was a pause as Roark scanned his opponent's Pokémon.
"A Luxio?" asked Roark confused, "You're using an Electric type at a Rock Type Gym? You're a greener Trainer than I thought."
Sam just smiled, but kept quiet, knowing very well that the more he led Roark on, the better his secret weapon would work.
"Geodude, use Tackle!" commanded Roark, and his Geodude shot towards Luxio, using its full weight.
"Dodge it Luxio!" called Sam, "To the left!"
Luxio did as commanded, and the Tackle was unsuccessful, but that didn't stop Roark, it only encouraged him.
"You can't keep running from me," he called, "Geodude, use Rock Throw on Luxio!"
Geodude began to strike the ground violently, causing rocks to shoot up into the air, which Geodude then shot towards Luxio. Luxio wasn't fast enough to dodge all of the projectiles this time, however, and took three hits, flying back and bouncing from the ground.
"Luxio!" called Sam, "Are you okay?"
"Luxiooo!" cried the Pokémon with determination, releasing a bit of an electric charge as it did.
"Geodude, finish this up with another Tackle!" cried Roark, "Use all of your weight in this one, we're going to knock Luxio down this time!"
"Luxio! Hold your position," called Sam, "Don't move at all! Just like we learned, remember? Don't do anything until the last second!"
Luxio nodded in understanding and planted itself firmly on the ground, ready to hold off its enemy if necessary.
Quickly, the Geodude began the charge, and it appeared as if the strike would land, but as Geodude neared Luxio, Luxio's tail began to glow white, and as the Geodude was about to strike, Luxio spun around and struck Geodude hard with its tail.
"All right, a perfect Iron Tail!" cheered Jeremy as he jumped from his seat, "Just like you taught him Niya!"
"An Iron Tail?!" exclaimed Roark in shock as its Geodude hit the ground unconscious.
"I'll admit, that Luxio's got some nerve," laughed Niya, "To take a beating like that, and even play the opponent up like it just did. Not a lot of Trainers or Pokémon have the guts to do that. I'm impressed."
"Go, Sam!" cheered Alyssandra from the stands, "Come on! You can win this!"
Jeremy joined in on the cheering, and Sam smiled at them before turning his attention back to Roark, who smiled at Sam happily and was clapping.
"I'm impressed," said Roark, "When you told your Pokémon to wait, and not move, I expected something, but I didn't expect an Iron Tail. Most Trainers don't come here with Pokémon that don't have a type advantage, and those who do don't normally come as prepared as you did. But, if you want to start the challenge, then so be it, try having a go with my Onix!"
Roark tossed another Poké Ball, this time releasing a large Onix onto the field. The Onix roared in a deep tone, shaking the building with its voice.
"Onix has power, and it's pretty large," said Sam, "I'm going to need speed and manoeuvrability, so I think it's time to make a switch out; Luxio, return!"
Sam recalled his Luxio, returning it to its Poké Ball with a smile. "I'm proud of you, Luxio," he said, "You did a good job, now rest, you deserve it. Time to go, Staravia!"
"Staravia!" cried Sam's Staravia as it popped from its Poké Ball and began to fly around the stadium.
Onix looked up at it, watching it, waiting for its Trainer's commands.
"It's smart to use a fast Pokémon against my Onix," applauded Roark, "But I'm not falling for the helpless act anymore. I'm not letting you get the upper hand again."
"We'll see about that," laughed Sam, "Staravia, use Wing Attack on Onix!" Staravia pulled into a mildly steep dive, rushing towards Onix at full speed, but Onix and Roark were too smart.
"Onix, use Screech!" commanded Roark quickly.
Onix released a powerful roar from its mouth, which shook the entire stadium and caused everyone to cover their ears in pain. Staravia fell from the sky, unable to keep flight, and Roark took advantage of that opportunity.
"Onix, slam Staravia into the ground with your tail, then dive underground with Dig!"
Sam watched helplessly as Staravia was slammed flat on the ground, hard, by Onix's heavy stone tail before Onix disappeared under the dirt of the field.
It was smart of Roark to take advantage of Staravia while it was in mid-flight, and then again in mid fall, now that it was underground it was impossible for anyone to see, it could be anywhere.
Sam thought frantically, hoping something would come to him, but something finally did.
"Staravia, are you okay?" he called, and thankfully, Staravia managed to get itself up—slowly—and responded with a flap of its wings. "Good, fly up into the air and circle around the field, just wait for Onix to surface before striking!"
"Staravia!" chirped the Pokémon bravely, following Sam's orders to a T.
After several minutes of waiting, Onix jumped from the ground, and lifted itself up to its full height, trying to strike at Staravia, but Sam was fast to respond.
"Staravia, use Steel Wing!" he cried, and as hoped, Staravia delivered, and struck Onix across the side with its Steel Wing, causing the Pokémon to recoil towards the ground slightly.
Staravia flew back in the air again, and Roark was the next to retaliate.
"Onix, use Head Smash!" he yelled.
Onix raised itself up again, and charged, head first, towards Staravia, but again, Staravia was too fast. Staravia, under Sam's command, used another Steel Wing, and this time spun around Onix in a helix pattern, slashing at the rock Pokémon's sides repeatedly, causing damage with each strike.
As Staravia finished the elaborate attack, Onix had collapsed on the ground, in pain, and unconscious; it was defeated.
"Sam's doing well," commented Niya, "The practice is paying off. If he beats Roark's last Pokémon, he wins the badge."
"He will," said Jeremy reassuringly.
"We'll see. Roark looks like he has a secret weapon as well," said Niya simply, the group's attention returning to the battle at hand.
Roark laughed again and recalled his Onix, "I told you I wasn't going to get caught by your surprises this time," he said, "And yet I did; I'm impressed. No one has gotten me that many times in a battle. You have a good sense of strategy, and it's clear that you've been preparing very hard, but it's not over yet! Go, Cranidos!"
Roark tossed his last Poké Ball and released a Cranidos onto the field.
Normally this would've shocked the group, but after yesterday with the ancient Pokémon incident, they were used to seeing them. Besides, as head of the mine and Oreburgh Gym Leader, it was no surprise that Roark had come across a fossil and revived it.
"In that case it's time to use my best Pokémon," smiled Sam, returning Staravia to its Poké Ball and thanking it. Sam pulled another Poké Ball from his belt, also his last, and then threw it as well.
"Go, Prinplup! Let's do this!" yelled Sam confidently.
"Prinplup!" roared Sam's Prinplup with a rush of energy.
There was a pause again, this time silent, and more like a standoff than anything. No one knew who was going to strike first, until Roark started the battle off.
"Cranidos, Headbutt, now!" he said quickly.
"Prinplup, dodge and use Bubble Beam!" responded Sam, almost as fast.
The commands were called like the draw of a gun; fast and precise.
Prinplup managed to dodge Cranidos's Headbutt, and went in for the Bubble Beam, which struck Cranidos in the back, and though the Pokémon took significant damage from it, it stood firm as if nothing had happened. Cranidos turned around, angered, and Roark called for its next attack.
"Cranidos, use Headbutt again!"
Sam couldn't call a response fast enough, and Prinplup was sent flying across the field by Cranidos's attack. Prinplup soon got up, even before Sam asked how it was doing, and prepared to keep fighting.
"Cranidos, strike again with Ancient Power, and then follow up with Take Down!" called Roark, "Strike Prinplup head on!"
Cranidos prepared a large ball of energy, and fired it at Prinplup, but Sam responded fast this time, using Prinplup's speed to dodge the Ancient Power and jump into the air.
Cranidos charged towards where Prinplup was, waiting for it to land, but Sam was smart, and avoided it.
"Prinplup, dive like a dart and spin, then use Peck on Cranidos!" cried Sam, calling for his favoured Prinplup manoeuvre.
Prinplup's attack struck Cranidos straight on the head, and both Pokémon were sent flying back. Cranidos from the added strength given to Peck by the dive and spin, and Prinplup because of the sheer toughness of Cranidos's thick and hard skull.
"You should know better than to attack a Cranidos's head," said Roark, "I'm surprised that worked though—but it won't last must longer. Both of our Pokémon our exhausted, this'll be over in a heartbeat."
"He's right," commented Niya, "Both Cranidos and Prinplup are exhausted, and they've both taken some heavy damage. The next strike will end it."
"Cranidos, Headbutt!" called Roark.
"Prinplup, use Metal Claw!" called Sam.
Cranidos charged at Prinplup, but Prinplup refused to move or attack as Sam commanded, causing Sam to worry that Prinplup had grown too much for a Trainer of his level to control.
"Prinplup, Metal Claw!" commanded Sam calmly, but again, Prinplup did nothing.
Cranidos finally reached Prinplup, but at the last second came a loud clang, and Cranidos was stopped dead in its tracks. Prinplup had used Metal Claw at the last second to stop Cranidos and avoid being hurt by its hard head.
Sam smiled, and took the opportunity to strike. He now understood what Prinplup was thinking, and he was going to act accordingly. "Prinplup, Bubble Beam!" he called.
The bubbles shot from Prinplup's mouth and caused Cranidos to go flying across the stadium, and skid across the floor until it stopped at Roark's feet.
There was a moment of silence, and suddenly Sam and the others erupted in cheering, laughter, and shouts of happiness. Sam had done it; he had won his first Gym Badge.
"I'm impressed," smiled Roark, "Your Pokémon didn't listen to you because it had a better plan, and yet you still won. It's just amazing how the minds of Pokémon work, huh? That was a very good battle."
Roark walked up to Sam and shook his hand firmly. "You certainly kept my Pokémon and I on our feet with all of your surprises," Roark said, complimenting Sam, "That Steel Wing and the Iron Tail, they were superbly done, and I know you'll go far in the Sinnoh League."
"Thank you," said Sam sincerely, "I'm glad you think so."
"And here," said Roark as he held his hand out to Sam, a brand-new Coal Badge, "Your very first Pokémon League Badge, congratulations!"
