Pokémon – Thunder Yellow
Fanfiction By – Spirit Reader
Pokémon Original Creator – Satoshi Tajiri
Chapter 14: Hidden Depths
Takashi's Pokémon
Pikachu (Male)
Froakie (Female)
Pidgey (Male)
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
A loud cry could be heard all throughout the area as Pikachu began pumping himself up. With determination in his eyes and fire burning in his soul, the Mouse Pokémon dashed towards a large boulder that was right in front of him. As he did so his tail started to glow brightly, highlighting the energy that he was placing into it. Once he reached the boulder, Pikachu swung his tail at it, creating a massive crack at the point of impact.
Following this display of power, Takashi let out a triumphant yell as his partner was getting more and more comfortable with using his new move. It's been around 3 days since the battle against Mark and Joe within in the forest and during that time, Takashi and his Pokémon have been working even harder when it comes to their training. With each day that passes, Takashi can tell that their strength in increasing. Soon, the time would come for their rematch against Brock at the Pewter Gym and Takashi was determined not to lose again.
As Takashi congratulated Pikachu for his achievement, Rebecca and her little brother, Danny, were busy looking on at this scene from a distance. In the last 10 days since they first met Takashi, the two of them noticed something about their new friend. They saw that he was a passionate individual, one who's drive for victory was only matched by his love for his Pokémon. They also noticed that Takashi's Pokémon were the same way, which was probably due to his influence. In any event, the sight of them interacting with one another brought a smile to the siblings faces, as it highlighted the bond they shared with one another.
Soon, as Rebecca and Danny continued to observe Takashi's training, they watched as Pikachu was about to do another Iron Tail attack. However, unlike his previous attempts, this one ended a bit differently. Although Pikachu was able to get the attack to work, it wasn't as powerful as before. The damage that Pikachu inflicted upon the rock wasn't as great. When he saw that, Takashi wondered to himself if something was wrong.
"What's up…?" He asked himself. "Did something go wrong?"
As Takashi started scratching the back of his head, Rebecca took a moment to stare at Pikachu for a moment before getting up and walking over towards the two of them. Once she arrived, the young woman took a moment to examine the electric mouse's tail. As soon as she touched it, Pikachu flinched a little, which was all Rebecca needed to know in order to figure out what was wrong.
"You should take it easy with Iron Tail for a bit." She said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Takashi asked her.
"While Iron Tail is a powerful attack, it also puts a lot of strain on the user's tail. Use it too many times in a row and the attack is bound to lose its effectiveness. Until Pikachu fully masters the move, I recommend using it sparingly."
Upon hearing this, Takashi paused for a moment before nodding his head. He has been working Pikachu pretty hard ever since Iron Tail has finally started working and he didn't want to wear him down too severely. Besides, he knew that Pikachu was just one part of his plan. If he was going to defeat Brock and his powerful Rock-Types, Takashi needed to rely on the rest of his Pokémon as well. That meant that the time had come for Froakie and Pidgey to get back to work.
While Takashi was preparing to work with them, Rebecca noticed that her Rockruff was barking a bit. When she turned her head in order to see what's wrong, the young woman saw that her family was beginning to make their way to them again. Seeing them made her realize that she lost track of time and that it was already known. This prompted her to stop Takashi's training for a moment so that they could all get something to eat.
Although a part of him wanted to continue his training, Takashi's stomach had other ideas after it started growling quite loudly. Not only that, but he also heard the growling stomachs of each of his Pokémon as well. The time had come for lunch and Takashi decided that now was as good a time as ever to eat. To that end, he brought Pikachu and the others to the side and handed them their food before making his way towards Rebecca and the others.
"Thanks for the lunch, ma'am." He said, referring to Darla. "I appreciate it."
"It was my pleasure, Takashi." Darla replied with a smile. "I hope you enjoy it."
And enjoy it he did as just one bite of Darla's food was enough to completely reenergize Takashi. He felt his strength returning as any fatigue that he was feeling previously was quickly fading away. He then went on to take several more bites of food, which only continued to reenergize him. Soon, both Rebecca and Danny went on to grab some food too, as the two of them were also quite hungry.
As the 3 of them continued to eat, Victor was busy looking at all of them with a cold expression on his face. He mostly directed that look towards Takashi however, as just looking at the young man bothered him a bit. This caused him to let out a rather loud sigh before reaching down into his pocket and pulling out a PokéBall. He then went on to make it a bigger before tossing it towards the ground.
When Takashi heard the sound of the PokéBall opening, he immediately turned to where Victor was and watched as a blast of light energy was beginning to take shape in front of him. The energy soon turned into Victor's Lycanroc, who let out a loud howl after being fully materialized. Having heard about this Pokémon from Rebecca, Takashi's eyes widen in excitement as he immediately pulled out his PokéDex and began to look up the powerful Pokémon.
"Lycanroc, the Wolf Pokémon and the evolved form of Rockruff." Dexter explained. "When raised properly from a young age, Lycanroc will become a trustworthy partner that will absolutely never betray its Trainer. Lycanroc is a Rock-Type Pokémon."
Following Dexter's explanation, Takashi continued to look on in awe of Victor's Lycanroc. As he did so however, he also noticed something about the Pokémon that he wasn't able to pick up on at first. When comparing it to the image he saw on his PokéDex, Takashi noticed that Victor's Lycanroc seemed rather old. Seeing that made the young man realize that Victor must've owned Lycanroc for quite a long time. Still, despite the fact that it was getting up there in age, Takashi was still very impressed by the Wolf Pokémon.
Deciding that he wanted a closer look, Takashi quickly finished eating his lunch and began making his way towards Victor and Lycanroc. As he did so, the old man and his Pokémon initially gave him a rather off putting glare. However, as Takashi got closer, Lycanroc soon found himself easing up, surprising Victor a little. The old man soon became even more surprised when his Pokémon willingly started making his way towards Takashi.
Once Lycanroc reached Takashi, the Wolf Pokémon watched as the young man gently started petting the top of its head. This interaction, despite being very common, was very comforting too Lycanroc. It then started to smile as Takashi continued to gently rub its fur. He then went on to look up at Victor as he did so.
"This is a cool Pokémon you have here." He said to him. "Rebecca told me how you helped her the other day. You must be a very strong Trainer."
"…What would you know, kid?" Victor coldly replied. "You shouldn't make assumptions like that."
After hearing Victor say that to him, Takashi looked at him with a confused expression on his face. However, the old man didn't respond to this look and simply turned his head away. He then began to walk off, with Lycanroc soon parting ways with Takashi and soon walking next to him.
As he watched the two of them leave together, Takashi started scratching the back of his head, wondering what Victor meant. While he did so, Rebecca was also taking a moment to look on at her grandfather as he left with Lycanroc to take a walk. She then let out a small sigh before picking herself up and making her way towards her mother.
"Mom…Just what is it with grandpa?" She asked. "Why is he so cold and nonchalant about things? And why does it seem that he hates Pokémon Trainers…when he owns a Pokémon himself?"
Darla paused for a moment and she thought about what her daughter just asked her. As she was thinking, she watched as Takashi was making his way towards her as well, having heard the question and wanting to know the answer. Seeing the two of them look at her with great interest caused Darla to moan slightly as she was debating whether or not she should answer this question. In the end though, she decided that telling them was probably for the best.
"Well…I don't know all the details behind it." She started off. "But the main reason why your grandfather dislikes Pokémon Trainers so much is because he used to be one himself."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Rebecca questioned.
"Rebecca…What do you think most Pokémon Trainers want to become when they start off on their journeys?"
Rebecca took a moment to think about her mother's question. It wasn't because she didn't know the answer to it, but instead why she would ask such a question when the answer to it was obvious. Eventually, the young woman decided to just answer the question just so she could finally have her answer.
"To be a Pokémon Master…"
"Exactly…And Victor was no different. Being a Pokémon Master was the one thing that he wanted more than anything else in the world. I was told that he worked extremely hard in order to achieve that dream, pushing both himself and his Pokémon well beyond their limits. You would think if someone had that kind of drive that they would make it big in the world…But that's not always the case."
Darla stopped talking for a moment as she began to think about Victor. As she stated, she didn't know all the details behind it and that everything she did know was second-hand information. Even so, what she did know gave her a pretty good idea. She then went on to look towards Takashi, who Victor instantly disliked the moment he first laid eyes on him.
"Takashi…I think Victor sees a lot of his former self in you." She stated. "He sees a young man with big dreams and the determination to carry them out. I think that's the reason why he doesn't like you very much. Looking at you reminds him of how he tried, but failed to achieve his dreams. He hates being reminded of those times as he worked so hard to reach his goals…only to achieve nothing in the end."
Following Darla's explanation, Takashi and Rebecca stayed silent for a moment as they tried to take in everything that they just learned. The two of them finally understand why Victor is the jaded person that he is. Not only that, but Takashi was also able to understand why Victor berated him when they first met. He did so because Takashi reminded him of his younger self, who he hated. Everything was becoming clear, but now that they were, Takashi was now becoming a bit irritated.
Now that he knows, at least to some extent, Victor's story, Takashi couldn't help but get more upset about the old man. The reason for that is because his story reminded Takashi of someone he knew, someone that was dear to him. This caused him to grit his teeth slightly before making his way towards his Pokémon. After returning Froakie and Pidgey to their PokéBalls and allowing Pikachu to hop upon his shoulder, the young man started heading down the same path that Victor walked down earlier.
"Takashi, where are you going?" Rebecca asked as she watched him walk off.
"To see Victor…" He answered. "I think it's time he and I had a talk."
With that said, Takashi and Pikachu continued walking until they were completely out of sight. While Rebecca was a bit apprehensive about all of this, Darla simply looked on with a silent look on her face. She soon found herself letting out a small smile before grabbing her things and preparing to make her way back home.
"Well…This will be interesting."
In the forest just outside of Pewter City, Victor and his Lycanroc were busy going out on their afternoon walk. For the past several decades, the two of them have made an effort to do this almost every day. For them, this was their time to be alone and enjoy each other's company. Normally, this was the only time in day in which Victor would be at least a tiny bit happy. However, that was the case today and Victor knew the reason why that was.
Ever since the old man first met Takashi Nakamura, his mere presence has been bothering Victor a great deal. He reminded him so much about how he used to feel when he was younger, especially when it came to his optimism. Unfortunately, Victor held no love for how he used to be as his past was only a reminder of how much of a failure he was as a Pokémon Trainer. Because of that, Victor instantly didn't like Takashi as looking at him was almost like looking at his former self.
In the days that followed, Victor's feelings about Takashi only soured as he watched the young man train for his rematch at the Pewter Gym. Seeing him and his Pokémon work so hard, especially after he learned how they were defeated, only angered him even more. This caused Victor to become even more broody than usual, which both his daughter and granddaughter called him out on. Even when he went out of his way to help Rebecca out when she was battling against Joe, Victor's overall opinion didn't change. In fact, it became even worse as he went out of his way to do something even though he didn't want too.
As these negative feelings continued to build up inside of him, Victor was becoming more and more irritated as he walked down the forest. This caused him to neglect his surroundings, causing him to go off his usual trail. When Lycanroc noticed this, the Wolf Pokémon tried to inform him about what just happened, but Victor ignored it. Eventually, the two of them found themselves in a section of the forest in which a good number of trees were all covered in claw marks.
"Damn it…" Victor cursed as he continued to walk. "Damn it…I can't get that kid out of my mind. It's really pissing me off!"
Soon, as Victor and Lycanroc kept walking around, the latter suddenly picked up on something thanks to its strong sense of smell. This caused Lycanroc to stop and start barking, which in turn caused Victor to stop as well. When he did, the old man finally realized just how far off the path he's gone. While wondering how something like this could've happened, Lycanroc started growling as it noticed something approaching it and its master. This caused Victor to tense up a little as he waited to see who was coming.
After a bit of waiting, Victor and Lycanroc watched as the one who was approaching them was Takashi and his Pikachu. When he saw them, Victor let out a small sigh of relief before proceeding to give them a stern look. However, Takashi wasn't intimidated by Victor's fierce expression. All he did was silently look at the old man as he continued making his way towards him.
"What do you want, kid?" Victor said as he tried to avoid eye contact. "I've better things to do than waste my time with you."
"…Enough with your bullshit." Takashi replied. "I don't want to hear that from a quitter like you."
Victor's eyes widen after hearing Takashi call him a quitter. He then looked on as the young man simply stared at him, his expression gradually becoming angrier with time. This caused Victor to respond with his own angry look, if only to counter the one that Takashi was giving him.
"I've heard from Ms. Darla about why you don't seem to like me, or any Pokémon Trainer." Takashi continued. "Apparently it's because you couldn't make it as a Pokémon Trainer yourself and that any dislike you have for us it's just an excuse to hide your own failings. So you quit…And you even tried to make me give up by telling me how I wouldn't be able to achieve my dream of being a Pokémon Master. That's pathetic…Just like you."
"…You better watch what you say to me, boy." Victor said as he clinched his fist in anger. "I told you already…You shouldn't make assumptions like that."
Takashi watched as Victor started shaking his arm as he continued to clinch his fist. It was clear that he obviously hit a nerve with him and that the old man was on the verge of lashing out. Although he was fully prepared if it were to come to that, Takashi held his ground. He then listened as Victor began to talk to him.
"What would you know about it? I told you that Trainers like you are a dime a dozen. I know this because I was no different. I wanted to become a Pokémon Master too. I gave that dream everything that I had. My blood, sweat, tears…I gave it everything I had and then some. But no matter how hard I worked, it ultimately didn't mean anything in the end. Chasing a dream is pointless until you have the power to achieve it. I didn't have that power and as a result…I threw my entire life. Trying to become a Pokémon Master is a fool's errand…and anyone who attempts to do so is an even bigger fool."
"…And that's why you're pathetic." Takashi calmly replied.
As he closed his eyes for a moment, Takashi took a moment to think about his late father, Tatsumi. When he reopened them, the young man went into his pocket and pulled out his father's headband. Just one look at it brought a small smile on his face, which in turn caused him to look at Victor with that same expression on his face.
"Becoming a Pokémon Master might indeed be a fool's errand…but it's exactly because it's a fool's errand that makes trying to achieve it all the more worthwhile. Not that long ago, I was told that it doesn't matter how many times you fail. What matters is how many times you fail, but choose to get back up. You only fail when you give up. No matter how many I fail, I'll keep on trying until I succeed. That's why I'm going to become a Pokémon Master one day…Because I'm not a quitter like you!"
Following Takashi's speech, something within Victor finally snapped. Every word that was coming out of the young man's mouth was making him more and more upset. To make matters worse, Victor knew that deep down, Takashi was right. When things got tough and his back was against the wall, he did quit. However, being forced to admit that only angered Victor even more and now he was about to take out all the anger and frustration that held for these years out on him.
For his part, Takashi could sense the anger coming off of Victor and knew he was about to do something. Even so, he refused to back away from him. He wasn't going to change his mind about how he felt about the old man. He said what in truly believed and he wasn't going to change his mind. Because of that, Takashi simply prepared himself for what was to come.
"Alright boy…" Victor said in a low tone of voice. "I think it's about time I put you in your place. Lycanroc…go and-"
Before Victor could finish giving out his order, the old man noticed that his Lycanroc was no longer pay attention to him or his conversation with Takashi. Instead, the Wolf Pokémon was busy looking out into the distance, having sense something approaching all of them. Pikachu noticed this as well, which prompted the Mouse Pokémon to jump off of Takashi's shoulder and stare out into the distance as well. When he saw this, Takashi turned his focus away from Victor as got the feeling that something more pressing was about to take place.
Eventually, the group watched as something was beginning to make its way towards them. When it finally appeared and he got a good look at it, Takashi's eyes began to widen in shock. He saw that it was a wild Pokémon, but one that he had encountered before. It had dark brown fur with a circular pattern on its belly. Just one look at it reminded him of who it was and the potential danger that it posed.
"It's Ursaring!"
Indeed, the creature that had confronted all of them was in fact Ursaring, the Hibernator Pokémon. However, it wasn't just some random Ursaring that happened to be strolling around, but in fact the same one that Takashi encountered when first met Rebecca and Danny. It was still as fierce some as ever and from just one look at it, Takashi saw that Ursaring hadn't forgotten about him and was now ready to get some payback.
To that end, Takashi watched as Ursaring let out a loud roar before charging towards all of them. Initially, the young man was prepared to sidestep out of the way, but stopped himself when he realized that Victor was with him. Without even thinking, Takashi immediately jumped over and pushed Victor out of the way before Ursaring had a chance to get to him. This caused Ursaring to miss them, but it quickly came around for another shot.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Takashi commanded.
With sparks coming from his cheeks, Pikachu quickly acknowledged Takashi's command and began dashing towards Ursaring at an incredible speed. Placing all of his body weight behind him, the Mouse Pokémon landed a firm blow right in his opponent's gut. However, Ursaring was able to withstand it and quickly knocked Pikachu down with one swipe from its powerful arm. It then attempted to follow this up with an attack with its sharp claws.
Luckily, before this could happen, Lycanroc suddenly appeared and bit down on Ursaring's arm in order to protect Pikachu. The sheer pain of having something bite down on its arm caused Ursaring to scream out in agony. This caused it to swing it arm around repeatedly until Lycanroc finally let go. Once it was finally free, Ursaring turned its undivided attention towards both Pikachu and Lycanroc.
"Thanks for the assist, Lycanroc!" Takashi said with a smile. "I owe you one."
Acknowledging Takashi's kind words, Lycanroc let out a loud bark of approval. It then prepared itself as Ursaring continued making its way towards it and Pikachu. Victor was quite surprised when he saw this scene, as Lycanroc typically doesn't act unless he orders it to do so. However, it went out of his way to help Pikachu without needing to be told to do so. Before he could question his Pokémon about this, Victor watched as Lycanroc began making its way back over Ursaring.
Lunging over towards its opponent, Lycanroc prepared to unleash another powerful Bite attack. Instead of trying to avoid it though, Ursaring allowed the attack to land, shocking everyone present. Then, as Lycanroc continued to bite down on it, Ursaring's took its right arm and began to build energy into it. Once the arm started glowing a bright orange color, Ursaring slammed it directly into Lycanroc sending it flying.
"Lycanroc!" Victor called out.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" Takashi ordered as he ran after Lycanroc.
As Takashi managed to catch Lycanroc before it hit the ground, Pikachu responded to Ursaring's attack by firing off a blast of electricity from his cheeks. Unfortunately, Ursaring was able to easily avoid the oncoming attack. It then charged towards Pikachu, preparing to attack it with the same move that it used to attack Lycanroc.
While Pikachu was busy dealing with this powerful opponent, Victor made it to where Takashi and Lycanroc were and saw that the latter was in a lot of pain. The attack that Ursaring hit it was called Hammer Arm, a Fighting-Type move. Being a Rock-Type Pokémon, Lycanroc was extremely vulnerable to such an attack, which only made Ursaring an even more deadly opponent. This caused Victor to wonder if there was any hope of defeating such an opponent.
"It's too strong…" He said to himself. "There's no way we can win…"
"So what…Are you just going to quit like usual?!"
Stunned, Victor looked up and saw Takashi looking at him with a stern expression on his face. He heard what the old man said and he wasn't pleased in the slightest. Takashi then turned and pointed towards Pikachu, who was still busy dealing with Ursaring.
"If we don't deal with Ursaring now, it's going to continue messing with us until we get us!" Takashi told him. "Pikachu knows that and that why he keeps on fighting. I know it seems like defeating this thing is impossible…but right now we have to do the impossible! We can't afford to give up!"
With that said, Takashi picked himself up and turned his attention back towards the battle. Pikachu was having an even harder time against Ursaring than their last battle as the Hibernator Pokémon wasn't about to be defeated like it was before. Takashi was able to pick up on that and so he decided to simply confront it head on.
"Pikachu…Electro Ball!"
Nodding his head in compliance, Pikachu began building up electricity and focused it into the tip of his tail. This caused an orb of electricity to form directly above, which Pikachu promptly threw towards Ursaring. As the attack was moving too fast to dodge, Ursaring decided to use Hammer Arm to knock it back instead. When Pikachu saw this, he was so stunned that he wasn't able to avoid his redirected attack. Thankfully, Electric-Type moves weren't very effective against him so Pikachu was able to withstand it.
As the battle between the two Pokémon continued, it was quickly becoming clear that Pikachu was nearing the end of his rope. Victor noticed this, which only reaffirmed his belief that this battle could not be won. However, someone else didn't feel the same way and that was none other than Lycanroc. Despite still being injured from Ursaring's Hammer Arm, the Wolf Pokémon wasn't about to stand by and let this continue. To that end, Lycanroc used all of its strength and slowly managed to stand back up.
"Lycanroc…" Victor said, stunned by his Pokémon's resolve.
Once Lycanroc was back on its feet, the first thing the Wolf Pokémon did was turn towards Victor and started barking at him. It wanted to help Takashi and Pikachu take down Ursaring, but knew that it couldn't do it alone. Lycanroc needed Victor's help as well and thus it needed him to stop being so indecisive.
When Victor saw this, the old man was suddenly reminded of his time as a Pokémon Trainer. He's been in this situation many times in the past and, before he developed his pessimistic view on things, Victor would take those challenges head on. Today had to be no different. If he didn't help out then everyone would be in trouble. So, after looking deep within and finding a bit of his former passion, Victor stood up and finally decided to participate.
"Let's go, Lycanroc…" He said with a determined look on his face. "Use Accelerock!"
After letting out another bark, Lycanroc nodded its head before dashing over towards Ursaring, just as it was about to slam down on Pikachu with its Hammer Arm. The Wolf Pokémon then tackled its opponent right in the gut, pushing Ursaring back. It then stood beside Pikachu, who silently thank it with a slight nod.
With the battle now 2-on-1 again, things were about evenly matched. Pikachu and Lycanroc were able to use their superior speed to avoid Ursaring's attacks and strike back with swift strikes of their own. However, as things progressed, Victor knew that things couldn't last like this. The damage that Pikachu and Lycanroc had taken was quickly catching up to them, slowing their reaction times. It wouldn't be much longer until Ursaring finally caught them and landing the finishing blow. Things needed to be settled now.
"Hey kid…" Victor said, grabbing Takashi's attention. "Petty attacks won't work on someone like Ursaring. We're going to need to land a more decisive blow if we want to win."
"Oh yeah…And what do you have in mind?" Takashi questioned.
"Simple. I'll have Lycanroc hold off Ursaring for as long as it can. While that's happening, you have Pikachu land an attack right on its head. Attacks on the head are sure-fire way to bring down an opponent. Can you do it?"
Takashi paused for a moment as he thought about Victor's plan. Instead of questioning him about it, the young man simply looked into the old man's eyes. He saw a determined look in them, a far cry from the cynical look that he typically saw. This caused a small smile to appear on Takashi's face as he nodded his head at Victor.
"You bet!" He answered, giving him a thumbs up.
"Alright then…" Victor let out a slight nod before turning his focus back towards the battle. "Lycanroc, use Stone Edge now!"
Jumping back a few feet, Lycanroc let out a loud howl before slamming both of its front legs onto the ground. This caused a row of glowing stone pillars to begin making their way towards Ursaring. When it saw them, Ursaring found itself being pushed back by the pillars a little, but soon began knocking them down with both its Hammer Arm and Slash attacks. This caused Lycanroc to continue making more pillars, resulting in a stalemate.
As the clash between the two of them continued, Takashi tried to figure out a way for Pikachu to get close and land a critical hit on Ursaring's head. He thought about using the trees, but Ursaring wasn't close enough to them for Pikachu to jump off from. Not only that, but Ursaring might see that coming and simply move out of the way. He needed to use something else and, after a bit of thinking, Takashi finally got an idea.
"Pikachu…The pillars!"
Instantly, Pikachu picked up on Takashi's plan and soon made its way towards Lycanroc's rocky pillars. After using the Wolf Pokémon as a springboard, Pikachu hopped on one of the pillars and began hopping from one pillar to the next until he was finally just above Ursaring. The Mouse then jumped off just as Ursaring knocked down the pillar that he was standing on.
"Now use Iron Tail!"
Flipping his body around, Pikachu positioned himself so that his tail was just above Ursaring's head. He then began channeling energy into it, causing his tail to glow a bright white color. Once it did, Pikachu slammed it directly into Ursaring's face, causing it to stop attacking. Then, after a delayed reaction, the Hibernator Pokémon soon fell directly on its back and was rendered completely unconscious.
With the battle won, Takashi and Victor both let out a loud sigh of relief. This was a tough battle, but in the end they managed to come out of it victorious. Soon, Pikachu and Lycanroc made their over towards their respective Trainers, who looked on at the both of them with pride and satisfaction.
"Awesome job, Pikachu." Takashi said to his partner. "You were great."
"…Same here, Lycanroc." Victor acknowledged. "You did well too."
The two Pokémon happily thanked their Trainers for their kind words and soon found themselves jumping over towards them. While Takashi was able to catch Pikachu and give him a big hug, Victor wasn't as fortunate as Lycanroc easily knocked him down. The Wolf Pokémon then went on to give Victor a nice wet bath with its tongue.
As Takashi and Pikachu looked on at this scene, the two of them watched as a huge smile began to appear on Victor's face as Lycanroc continued to lick him. Seeing that look on the old man surprised Takashi a little, but it also made him a bit happy as well. The look proved that there was more to Victor that meets the eye and that it was thanks to those hidden depths of his that they were able to win.
After a while though, Victor suddenly noticed that Takashi was looking at him, prompting him to suddenly get up and return to his usual look. He then turned his attention towards Ursaring. Although the Pokémon was still knocked out cold, Victor knew that it wouldn't stay that way for long. Because of that, he decided to get out of here and return home before that could happen. Takashi followed right behind, having come to the same conclusion.
"Hey kid…" Victor said as he continued to walk.
"…Yeah." Takashi replied.
Upon turning his head to look at him, Takashi watched Victor was beginning to mumble to himself a little. He then started scratching the back of his head, trying to come up with the words that he needed to say. After a bit of effort, he finally managed to get them out.
"…Thanks for the help."
"Sure…" Takashi said as he let out another small smile. "Not a problem."
Later that day, Takashi and Victor finally made it out of the forest and returned to Pewter City. While the former took the time to take Pikachu to the Pokémon Center so that he can get some rest, Victor decided to just head back home. When he arrived, both Rebecca and Danny noticed the injuries that were on Lycanroc and wondered what happened and if Takashi was alright. Although he refused to go into any exact details, Victor simply stated that both he and Takashi got into a bit of trouble and that they were to get out of it. Hearing this was enough to satisfy Darla, went on to welcome her father home before going on to make dinner.
As this was going on, Victor was taking the time read the afternoon newspaper when he noticed something happening outside. When he decided to check it out, the old man looked on as Rebecca was busy doing some training outside with her Rockruff. The two of them were busy working on a new move, but were having a hard time with it. Although he normally didn't bother with such things, Victor couldn't bring himself to do that this time. Because of that, he watched closely as his granddaughter continued with her training.
"Rockruff, use Stone Edge!" She declared.
Rockruff let out a loud bark before proceeding to stomp both of its front paws onto the ground. However, unlike when Lycanroc does this, nothing happened. No pillars were shooting out of the ground like they normally would. This caused Rockruff to place its head down in disappointment while Rebecca busy rubbing the back of her head, trying to figure out what went wrong.
"Darn it…Why isn't it working?"
While wondering about her dilemma, Victor continued looking at Rebecca and Rockruff for a moment before turning his attention towards Lycanroc. Although the Wolf Pokémon was hoping to get some rest after their battle against Ursaring, it had no problem helping out Victor with this particular problem. To that end, the two of them made their way outside and walked up towards Rebecca and Rockruff.
"Grandpa…" Rebecca said as she was a bit shocked to see him. "What are you…"
"The key to using Stone Edge is having your Pokémon get a good feel for the Earth." Victor interrupted. "They must manipulate the ground and force it upward. Watch closely and you'll see. Lycanroc…use Stone Edge!"
Right away, Lycanroc let out a loud howl before going to plant both of its front paws onto the ground. When it did, several more sharp stone pillars erupted from the Earth. Witnessing how easily Lycanroc was able to do this highly impressed Rebecca and Rockruff, especially the latter. Rockruff then watched as Lycanroc began signaling to it, encouraging the Puppy Pokémon to do what it just did.
As Rockruff followed Lycanroc's lead and began feeling the ground beneath it, Rebecca was busy looking at her grandfather with a confused look on her face. This was completely out of character for Victor as he's never helped her out with her training before. She started to wonder if something was wrong and was about to ask him about it. Before she could do so however, Victor immediately cut her granddaughter off again.
"Go on…Have Rockruff do it again."
"Um…Right." Rebecca quickly shook her head, trying to focus on her mind on the task at hand. "Rockruff, use Stone Edge again!"
Letting out another bark, Rockruff one again planted both of its front paws on the ground as hard as it could. Initially, nothing happened and Rebecca wondered if the move failed again. However, after a few more seconds of waiting, something did occur. Although it wasn't much, Rockruff was able to force a very small rock to come up from the ground. This was a sign that Rockruff was indeed successful, putting a smile on Rebecca's face.
"You did it, Rockruff!" She said as she hugged her Pokémon. "It wasn't much, but you actually did it!"
Happy that it made her proud, Rockruff affectionately rubbed its face against Rebecca's. Due to the jagged rocks that were around its neck, Rockruff's actions actually stung the young woman a bit. However, because she's been on the receiving end of this several times before, Rebecca didn't really mind it too much.
As this was going on, Lycanroc looked towards Victor and watched as he gave it a slight nod. Their work has been completed and now that it has, the two of them can go back to relaxing. However, as they began making their way back inside, both Rebecca and Rockruff stopped the two of them.
"Um…Thanks for the help, grandpa."
"…No problem."
With that short exchange out of the way, Victor and Lycanroc walked back inside and went back to relaxing. As she watched them do so, Rebecca noticed that her grandfather seemed much different now than he was before. She wondered if he's time with Takashi had anything to do with that, but soon realized that it wasn't really important. All that mattered was that Victor was acting a bit better, which was a good thing.
Meanwhile, after spending a few hours in the Pokémon Center, Takashi and Pikachu were currently making their way back to Rebecca's place. As they did so, Takashi took this time to reflect on everything that's transpired since he first arrived in Pewter City. In just a few weeks, both Takashi and his Pokémon have all become much stronger. Not only that, but they've also gained a lot of confidence as well. At this rate, Takashi knew that it wouldn't be much longer until the time came for his rematch at the Pewter Gym.
Speaking of the Pewter Gym, as he continued on his way, Takashi found himself right outside of it. Just one look at it reminded him of his battle against Brock and how he lost against his powerful Rock-Types. Thinking about that made him a bit unsettled, but it also motivated him as well. It soon prompted him to hurry on back so that he can get in some more training after eating dinner. However, just as he was about to take off, Takashi stopped when he saw the doors to the gym begin to open. He then watched as Brock began making his way outside.
"Hey…" The Gym Leader said as he saw Takashi. "I remember you. You're Takashi, right?"
"Yeah…" Takashi replied. "That's me."
Upon seeing the young Trainer again, Brock made his towards Takashi in order to properly greet him. Once he got close enough, the Gym Leader noticed how different Takashi seemed to be since the last time they met. His eyes held a lot more confidence and Brock could tell right away that he's been through a lot. This brought a smile to Brock's face as it showed that Takashi took his words to heart and has gotten much stronger because of it.
"So…You seem to be doing quite well." Brock said to him. "Just one look at you and I can tell you've gotten much more powerful since the last time we've met. I'm actually quite impressed.
"Thanks…" Takashi said as he nodded at the Gym Leader. "Well, let's just say that my Pokémon and I have experienced some things. It was incredibly hard, but we've gotten a lot out of it as a result. It won't be too much longer until we have our rematch. And this time…we're going to win!"
"Well I look forward to it…But I recommend that you challenge again very soon."
After hearing Brock say that to him, Takashi looked at the Gym Leader with a confused expression on his face. What exactly did he mean by that? In order to find out, Takashi proceeded to question him on the matter.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Brock stated. "You're going to need to challenge me within the next 2 days because I'll be going on vacation soon…and I won't be back for another 2 months."
"…Huh?"
Chapter Preview
Whatever time Takashi thought he had left until his rematch against Brock has been thrown completely out the window. He now must challenge the Pewter Gym again and if he doesn't win this time…it'll be another 2 months until he can challenge it again. Can he pull it off?
Next Time, Chapter 15: Rematch at the Pewter Gym