Pokémon – Thunder Yellow
Fanfiction By – Spirit Reader
Pokémon Original Creator – Satoshi Tajiri
Chapter 15: Rematch at the Pewter Gym
Takashi's Pokémon
Pikachu (Male)
Froakie (Female)
Pidgey (Male)
In many ways, life can be considered one big roller coaster. There are so many twists and turns that it's extremely impossible to predict what's going to happen. This is especially true when it comes to the life of a Pokémon Trainer. More often than not, things will never go exactly as planned and they must adapt accordingly if they wish to be successful. This is exactly what's happening to Takashi Nakamura, who now must adapt to a sudden change of events.
Originally, when Takashi began training for a rematch at the Pewter City Gym, he initially wanted to give himself one month in order to prepare. The reason why he wanted to wait so long is because he felt that he rushed when he faced Brock the first time and didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Only after his Pokémon were able to master the new moves that they were trying to learn, and he was mentally prepared for what was to come, would Takashi challenge the Pewter Gym again. Unfortunately, his plans were quickly derailed.
Not that long ago, Takashi met up with Brock again and learned that the Gym Leader would be leaving to go on vacation in the next 2 days. It was something he did every year in order rest and recharge himself. In addition to that, Brock also revealed that he would be gone for 2 months, meaning that the Gym would be closed during that time. Because he promised him a rematch in the future, Brock encouraged Takashi to challenge him very soon and with practically no time remaining, the young man did so.
With the date set for the following day, Takashi spent a few moments trying to process what he just learned before rushing over back his training site in order to continue his training. When Rebecca and her family learned about this sudden change in plans, all of them were naturally shocked. Rebecca then went out her way to help Takashi with his training, since she was the one who first taught his Pokémon the moves that they were trying to master.
This final training session continued for the next several hours, even as day had transition into night. Takashi couldn't afford to waste any more time. He needed to put everything he had into his training because knew that if he didn't defeat Brock this time then it would be a long time until he faced him again.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Froakie, use Water Pulse! Pidgey, use Steel Wing!"
As Takashi looked on at all of them, the young Trainer watched as his three Pokémon started charging towards a large boulder that was in front of them. While they ran, Pikachu was gathering energy into his tail while Pidgey was doing the same with his wings. As for Froakie, she was busy gathering the moisture that was in the air using the palms of her hands. This caused a ball of water to form in between them. Just as that happened, Pikachu's tail and Pidgey's wings started glowing a bright white color.
Once they all finished charging up their attacks, Pikachu and Pidgey slammed their respective limbs onto the boulder while Froakie threw her water sphere at it. When all 3 attacks made contact, the boulder was instantly pulverized and there was nothing left of it besides pebbles. Upon seeing this, Rebecca and Danny, who was also observing the training, began clapping their hands in celebration.
"Amazing!" Danny said in an excited tone. "That was so cool!"
"Indeed…" Rebecca agreed. "You and your Pokémon have certainly come a long way since you first started training here."
While taking a moment to pet each of his Pokémon, Takashi was able to hear Rebecca and Danny's kind words. This caused him to let out a small smile as he was happy to see that others were noticing their improvement. However, that smile quickly faded away as something ran through his mind. He then stood up and looked towards the two siblings, focusing his attention mostly to Rebecca.
"But…is it enough to defeat, Brock?"
Rebecca stayed silent for a moment as she thought about Takashi's question. She didn't really have an answer for him because, in truth, she didn't know the answer. It's one thing to prepare for an intense battle and another thing entirely too actually participate in it. Rebecca knew this and thus she didn't want to say anything that would negatively affect Takashi right before his upcoming battle. When he noticed her silence, Takashi immediately understood what it meant.
Eventually, as Takashi continued to debate whether or not he and his Pokémon were ready for their rematch, Victor suddenly appeared. The old man had just finished his walk with his Lycanroc and was about to head on home. As he did, he overheard what Takashi had said and Rebecca's silent response. This prompted Victor to say something in order to settle this issue.
"It doesn't matter if you're ready to defeat Brock or not." He said. The others then looked towards him as he continued to speak. "You've done all that you can to prepare. The time for training is over. All you and your Pokémon can do now is fight…and give it everything you got."
Once that was said, Victor and his Lycanroc continued on their way, not even taking a moment to turn around and face the others. As he watched them leave, Takashi took a moment to think about what the old man said and realized that he was right. There was no more time left to second guess himself. Whether he was ready or not, Takashi knew that he needed to go into this battle. There was no other option.
Shortly following this, Takashi went back to training for about another hour before deciding to finally wrap things. He then decided to head over to the Pokémon Center real quick while both Rebecca and Danny went on home to get some sleep. Upon arriving, he handed Pikachu and the others to Nurse Joy so that they can be healed. He then decided to spend the time waiting to call home and talk to his mother.
After waiting for a videophone to become available to him, Takashi sat down and began dialing his house number. However, after about a minute, he was suddenly sent to voice mail. This indicated to him that his mother was not available to answer the phone. While wondering where she might be, Takashi soon got the idea to call Professor Oak instead. Professor Oak and Haruka were really good friends and Takashi knew that if anyone knew where his mother was, it was him. So, after dialing his number, Takashi waited and watched as Professor Oak suddenly appeared on the view screen.
"Well, isn't this quite the surprise." The Professor said with a smile on his face. "It's good to see you again, Takashi."
"Same here, Professor Oak." Takashi replied with a nod. "I'm glad to see that you're doing well. I'm trying to contact my mom, but I can't reach her at home. Do you know where she is?"
"Yes, but she's currently doing an errand for me in Viridian City and won't be back until sometime tomorrow afternoon. Is there something wrong?"
Takashi shook his head in response to the Professor's question. He wasn't in trouble or anything like that. He just wanted his mother to give him some advice before his upcoming rematch at the Pewter Gym. When he told him this, Professor Oak immediately understood the young man's intentions. Haruka had told him earlier about her son's first defeat at the Pewter Gym and how he should deal with it. It was only natural that he would come to her again, wanting to know how to handle the rematch.
"Takashi…I understand that you're a bit worried and would like some guidance." Oak said to him. "However, the battle you're about to face is something that only you can deal with. No one can tell you how to go about it."
"I see…" Takashi somberly replied.
"All you can do now is have faith. Have faith the Pokémon who will be battling alongside you…and have faith in yourself that you'll be able to bring them victory. Do those things and I'm confident that things will turn out just fine."
Following his statement, Professor Oak gave Takashi a reassuring smile. Although it hasn't been too long since they first parted ways in Pallet Town, the Professor was able to notice that Takashi had change a lot since then. However, that change was for the better. Takashi was a true Pokémon Trainer at this point and there was nothing he could say that the young man doesn't already know on a fundamental level. To that end, all Professor Oak could do was tell him to believe in himself and in his Pokémon, because he already does.
"Good luck in your battle, Takashi. Everyone here in Pallet Town will be rooting for you. I know you'll make all of us proud."
"Right…" Takashi said with another nod. "Thanks Professor Oak. I appreciate it."
With that said, their short conversation was over and both Takashi and Professor Oak hung up their respective phones. Following that, Takashi took a moment to fully ponder what they talked about before hearing over the intercom that his Pokémon were ready to be picked up. After making his way to the front desk and picking up Pikachu and the others, Takashi went on to thank Nurse Joy for her hard work before promptly leaving the Pokémon Center.
Once he was outside, Takashi started making his way over to Rebecca's home so that he could get some sleep before tomorrow's battle. As he walked, he took the time to look up at the night sky and stare at the stars. Just seeing how beautiful they all were brought a smile onto his face as it reminded him of his father. Before he died, the two of them would often spend several nights just stargazing, marveling at the beautiful scenery.
As he continued to think about those times, Takashi found himself stopping for a moment before reaching down into his pocket and pulling out his father's headband. He then looked down at stare symbol that was engraved on the forehead protector, which symbolized his father's desire to reach out and obtain the unobtainable. Just thinking about that reaffirmed the young man's resolve, giving him the motivation he needed to face this upcoming challenge.
"Just you watch, dad. I'm going to do it this time."
In what had to be the longest night he's ever experienced, Takashi woke up the following morning fully prepared for what was to come. After eating a hearty breakfast that Darla had prepared specially for him, Takashi left her home and began making his way over to the Pewter Gym. As he did so, he was soon joined by both Rebecca and Danny. After being with him for so long, the two siblings wanted to see how this battle would go down. Upon learn things, Takashi agreed to let them come as it was the least that he could do after everything they've done for him up to this point.
After about 15 minutes of walking, the trio soon found themselves at the front entrance of the Pewter Gym. As he stood in front of the doors, Rebecca and Danny wondered why he was waiting so long to open them. From the expression on his face, he didn't seem scared so it didn't make sense why he would hesitate. Wanting to know if something was wrong, Danny made his way up to him.
"Are you okay, Takashi?" He asked.
"I'm fine Danny…" Takashi said to the young boy. "I'm just…reaffirming my resolve."
Following this statement, Takashi slowly removed the baseball cap that he was wearing and went on to place it on Danny's head. Then, as the boy looked on with a confused look on his face, Takashi took the opportunity to pull out his father's headband and wrap it around his head. Out of all the times he's worn it since he began his journey, Takashi felt that this time was the most appropriate. When they looked at him now, Rebecca and Danny could immediately see what Takashi meant by reaffirming his resolve and smiled. They then looked on as he finally opened the doors.
Upon entering the Gym, the first thing Takashi saw was Brock. The Gym Leader was busy sitting on a set of rocky steps, looking out at the young Trainer as he did so. Just as Takashi has been preparing for this rematch, so was Brock. He knew that this rematch would happen eventually and he was glad to see that it was finally taking place. He then sat up and looked on at his challenger with a smile on his face.
"Welcome back, Takashi." He said to him. "Normally, I would ask if you're ready battle…but I don't think I have to do that this time. Is that right?"
"…Yeah." Takashi replied.
Brock watched as Takashi gave him a small smile, yet confident smile. When the young man first arrived at his Gym to challenge him, Brock noticed that Takashi was trying to hide his anxiety under a veil of false confidence. This time was different however. This time, Brock could tell that Takashi's confidence was genuine. Just seeing that caused him to feel excited, as the Gym Leader knew that this battle will be far more entertaining than the one they had several weeks ago.
To that end, Takashi and Brock made their way to their respective positions on the battlefield. As for Rebecca and Danny, the two of them found a bench near the side that was reserved for guests. Once they sat down, the two of them watched as Kevin the referee appeared and position himself near the middle of the battlefield. He then went on to address everyone as the battle was finally about to get underway.
"This Gym Battle Rematch between the Challenger, Takashi Nakamura of Pallet Town, and the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock, is about to begin! The rules are the same as before. The Gym Leader will have the use of only 2 Pokémon while the Challenger will be allowed to use all of the Pokémon he currently has in his possession. In addition, only the Challenger will be allowed to substitute his Pokémon during the match. Is that understood?"
Both Gym Leader and Challenger only responded to Kevin's question with a slight nod. No more words needed to be said on the matter. The time for second guessing was over and both of them knew that. When he saw this, Kevin simply let out a slight nod himself before pulling out his red and green flags. He then went on to raise both of them into the air.
"Alright…Let the Battle Begin!"
As soon as Kevin announced the start of the battle, both Takashi and Brock pulled out a PokéBall from their sides and enlarged them. They then proceeded to throw the two balls onto the battlefield at the same time.
"Geodude, come on out!" Brock shouted.
"Pidgey, I choose you!" Takashi declared
Both PokéBalls opened up and released a blast of light energy from them. As the energies began to take shape, one turned into Brock's Geodude while the other turned into Takashi's Pidgey. Once they were fully materialized, the two Pokémon stared each other down as instantly recognized one another and the battle that they had previously.
When Brock first saw Pidgey, the Gym Leader was a bit surprised by Takashi's choice. He wondered why he would choose a Pokémon that was weak against his own, especially since that was one of the main reasons why he lost the first time around. However, after seeing the look that was on Takashi face, Brock realized that his challenger had his reasons and that he shouldn't question it. Instead, he went on to begin this Gym Battle with a strong start.
"Geodude, use Rollout!"
Right away, Geodude responded to Brock's command by folding its arms and rolling towards Pidgey at an incredible speed. When he saw that, Takashi was instantly reminded of his first battle against Geodude, as well as the battle he had against Mark and his Graveler. Having dealt with that move several times before, the young Trainer from Pallet was no longer intimidated by it. He now had a counter and immediately put it into action.
"Pidgey, stop it with Steel Wing!"
Pidgey nodded his head in compliance and proceeded to fly towards Geodude as the Rock Pokémon continued rolling towards him. As he did, Pidgey began building energy into both of his tiny wings, causing them to glow a bright white color. He then slammed one of his wings into Geodude, causing the Rock Pokémon to roll out of control and crash into a nearby boulder instead.
As Geodude slowly picked itself from off the ground, Brock was a bit stunned by what he just witnessed. He then realized why Takashi chose Pidgey for this particular battle. He had taught his Pokémon a move that is extremely effective against Rock-Types. This caused the Gym Leader to start clapping towards his challenger as he was very impressed by him.
"Well done, Takashi." He said with a smile on his face. "You took your defeat during our last battle to heart and have now come back well equipped to face me and my Rock-Types. Normally, when challengers come back here for a rematch they do so with a new Pokémon, like a Grass or Water-Type. However, you took the initiative by teaching your Pokémon a new move instead. I proudly commend you for that."
Upon hearing the Gym Leader's kind words, Takashi couldn't help but let out a huge smile. This was validation that all the training that both he and his Pokémon have gone through the last couple of weeks was indeed worth it. Because of that, the young man gently nodded his head in response, to which Brock promptly did the same in return.
"Still…" Brock continued, the tone of his voice beginning to change. "Just because you taught your Pidgey a Steel-Type move doesn't mean you automatically won this battle. My Geodude and I have a few more tricks up our sleeves."
"…Oh yeah?" Takashi questioned. "In that case…I'll just put an end to this battle now. Pidgey, use Steel Wing again!"
Once again, Pidgey responded to Takashi's command and began charging towards Geodude. Like before, both of his wings started glowing as the Tiny Bird Pokémon was building power within them. However, unlike previously, Brock was ready for Pidgey's attack this time around.
"Geodude…catch Pidgey!"
Just as Pidgey was about to attack it again, Geodude proceeded to hold both of its arms out before using its hands to grab a hold of its opponent's wings. It then went on to stop Pidgey dead in his tracks, shocking Takashi and the others as they looked on. Pidgey tried his best to push forward, but he wasn't able to do so as Geodude firmly held him in place.
Now Geodude…Throw Pidgey!"
Despite Pidgey doing everything within his powers to resist, Geodude was able to stop him before proceeding to throw the Flying-Type Pokémon high into the air. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem for Pidgey, but the way Geodude threw him was making it difficult for him to straighten out. This is what Brock was counting on, who followed up this move with another one.
"Good work, Geodude!" Brock praised. "Now use Rock Throw!"
Just was Pidgey was beginning to straighten himself out, Geodude went on to grab a fairly large rock from off the ground and threw it at its opponent. By the time Pidgey finally pulled himself together, the rock was already right in his face and was promptly struck by it. This caused the Tiny Bird Pokémon to fall hard onto the ground as everyone else looked on.
Seeing Pidgey in this predicament reminded Takashi of what happened during his last battle against Brock. Like last time, the power of Geodude's Rock-Type moves has put Pidgey in a massive bind. Despite how much stronger he has become, Takashi knew that if Pidgey sustained one more direct attack like that, he would not last. Brock knew this as well, which is why the Gym Leader decided to wrap things up before Pidgey had a chance to recover.
"Alright Geodude…finish this up with Mega Punch!"
Geodude, after letting out a prideful roar, began making its way over to Pidgey as he struggled to pick himself up. As it did so, the Rock Pokémon started gathering energy into its right fist, causing to glow brightly as a result. Once it got close enough, Geodude was about to strike Pidgey down with its powerful fist. However…
"Pidgey, use Sand Attack!"
At the last moment, Pidgey heard Takashi's command and responded by using its feet to kick some sand into the air. Some of the sand got into Geodude's eyes, causing it to scream in pain as it tried to get it out. This gave Pidgey the opportunity to create some distance, allowing him to avoid Geodude's supercharged fist.
"Now use Steel Wing again!" Takashi continued.
Not wasting any time, Pidgey built up energy into his wings again and went on to strike Geodude with them again. The force of the impact knocked Geodude onto the ground and while it was able to get back up, it was clear that it had taken a lot of damage. However, Pidgey wasn't fairing any better as the Flying-Type was barely able to stay on his feet. The next attack was going to end this battle and both Trainers knew this.
"Pidgey, use Steel Wing at full power!"
"Geodude, take it down with Rollout!"
With resolve in their hearts, both Pidgey and Geodude let out on final cry before charging towards one another at an incredible speed. The two of them were moving so fast that when they finally made contact, no one was able to tell who managed to hit who. Pidgey and Geodude then just stood still for a few moments, which only increased the anticipation of everyone who was watching.
Geodude was the first of the two to react, as it began to stumble around for a bit. However, while Takashi, Rebecca, and Danny were initially excited to see that, all of them watched in disappointment as Geodude managed to keep itself from falling. Everyone then watched as Pidgey started to stumble as well. Unlike Geodude however, the Tiny Bird Pokémon wasn't able to keep himself up and soon fell to the ground. When Kevin saw this, the referee noticed that Pidgey was unconscious, prompting him to raise his red flag into the air.
"Pidgey is unable to battle!" He announced. "The winner is Geodude!"
After Kevin made his announcement, Takashi let out a small sigh of disappointment as he picked up Pidgey's PokéBall. He then proceeded to return his fallen Pokémon to it so that Pidgey can get a well deserved rest. Once Pidgey was back inside, Takashi took a moment to stare at the PokéBall from letting out a small smile.
"Great job, Pidgey." He said in a soft tone of voice. "Now leave the rest to us."
Following this, Takashi shrunk the PokéBall before clipping it back onto his belt. He then went on to grab another PokéBall and quickly enlarged it. Afterwards, Takashi took a moment to look at Geodude and saw that the battle it just had against Pidgey has really taken its toll. Seeing that reassured the young Trainer as it showed that Pidgey's efforts were not in vain. This prompted him to throw the PokéBall that he was holding with greater determination than before.
"Froakie, I choose you!"
Shortly after Takashi threw the PokéBall, everyone watched as a blast of light energy burst from inside it and landed on the ground. Right away, the energy transformed into Takashi's Froakie, who looked primed and ready to go. When Brock and Geodude saw Froakie, the two of them were immediately reminded of what happened during the first battle and were even more determined to prevent a repeat.
"Okay Geodude…" Brock said as he braced himself for this next battle. "Use Rock Throw!"
Acting quickly, Geodude immediately grabbed another rock that was next to it and threw it at Froakie at a blinding speed. However, without even needing to be ordered to do so, Froakie was able to avoid the oncoming projectile with ease. She then glanced over towards Takashi and watched as her Trainer nodded his head at her in return.
"Froakie, use Bubble!" Takashi ordered.
Right away, Froakie bombarded Geodude by firing a large wave of bubbles from her mouth. Upon seeing them, Geodude immediately side stepped out of the way and watched as the bubbles destroyed a boulder that was behind it. When Geodude and Brock saw this, the latter immediately recognized the improved strength of Froakie's Bubble and knew that Geodude couldn't afford to be hit by it.
"Keep it up, Froakie!" Takashi told her. "Use Bubble again!"
"Dodge it, Geodude!" Brock ordered. "Then use Rollout!"
Geodude went on to avoid another barrage of Froakie's bubbles before proceeding to roll all across the battlefield at an incredible speed. Refusing to let it get away, Froakie jumped high into the air in order to attack from above. She then unleashed another barrage of bubbles from that vantage point.
"Geodude, counter with Rock Throw!"
As the bubbles were about to rain down onto the battlefield, Geodude immediately stopped rolling and picked up several large rocks from off the ground. It then threw them at Froakie, but they ended up colliding with the bubbles first. The clash between the two attacks created a small explosion that canceled them out. The explosion also created a small smoke cloud that completely surrounded Geodude. By the time Froakie finally landed back on the ground, the Bubble Frog Pokémon was struggling to find her opponent.
"Now…Mega Punch!"
Just as the smoke was finally beginning to clear, Geodude suddenly appeared and prepared to strike down Froakie with its supercharged fist. When she noticed this, Froakie realized that she didn't have enough time to dodge it, so she created makeshift shield with the Frubbles around her neck. The plan worked and although she was sent crashing into a large boulder, Froakie was able to reduce the damage she would've taken otherwise.
Upon seeing this, Brock was impressed by Froakie's quick action. Not only that, but the Gym Leader was also quite pleased that Takashi was taking advantage of Geodude's weakness to Water-Type moves by bombarding it with a wave of bubbles. Even so, his strategy wasn't solid enough and now that Froakie was down, Brock had every intention of making sure she stayed that way.
"Alright Geodude, use Rollout again!" Brock commanded.
Once again, Geodude folded its arms and prepared to roll over towards Froakie and give it the final blow. However, upon touching the ground, something unexpected happened, something that brought a smile to Takashi's face. To everyone's surprise, Geodude was simply rolling in one place. The Rock Pokémon wasn't able to get any traction on the ground.
"Sis…What's going on?" Danny questioned as he looked on. "Why is Geodude just rolling there?"
Rebecca didn't answer her brother's question right away. She too was confused by all of this and wondered how it was coming about. After observing this a bit more closely, the young woman noticed that the entire battlefield was rather wet. The rocks and dirt were very muddy as a result of Froakie's constant Bubble attacks. It was at this moment that Rebecca finally realized what was happening.
"Now I see." She said as it finally dawned on her. "This is what Takashi was going for. By having Froakie constantly using Bubble, he made the battlefield slick and muddy. By doing this, Geodude wouldn't be able to use Rollout as its heavy bodyweight would cause to roll completely out of control."
As Rebecca finished her explanation, Brock was completely stunned by this recent development. The Gym Leader never expected this from Takashi, as this tactic was a highly advanced strategy for someone of his experience. He was a about to ask how he came up with this, but quickly stopped himself when he saw Takashi was immediately making his next move.
"Froakie, use Water Pulse!"
Not wasting any time, Froakie immediately complied with Takashi's command and soon started gathering up moisture within the palms of her hand. As she did so, everyone watched as a ball of highly compressed water was beginning to form within her hands. Seeing this shocked Brock as he knew that Geodude wouldn't be able to withstand an attack like that.
"Geodude, stop rolling and get out of the way!" He shouted.
Unfortunately for Geodude, Brock's call came too late. As soon as the Rock Pokémon heard him and stopped rolling, Froakie had already thrown her water sphere at her target. The attack hit its mark and the sheer force of it was enough to send Geodude flying into one of the boulders. Kevin then proceeded to check on Geodude and when he saw that it was knocked out cold, the referee went on to lift his green flag up in the air.
"Geodude is unable to battle!" He declared. "The winner is Froakie!"
Immediately following Kevin's decision, both Rebecca and Danny jumped up in joy. Both were excited that Takashi and Froakie had managed to defeat Geodude and now only needed to defeat one more of Brock's Pokémon in order to win this battle. However, when they looked over towards Takashi and Froakie, the two of them noticed that didn't seem very excited about their victory at all. In fact, the two of them looked even more focused, which both confused and worried Rebecca and Danny.
Meanwhile, as Brock went to return Geodude back into its PokéBall, the Gym Leader looked back at Takashi and gave him a silent nod. Again, Brock was very impressed by his challenger's improved skills and greater determination. However, defeating Geodude was only the first step to this battle. The second step was currently inside Brock's second PokéBall, which was currently resting in the Gym Leader's hand.
"Excellent work, Takashi." He said with a smile on his face. "Now…Let's see how you deal with this one. Onix, Let's Go!"
With great strength, Brock threw his PokéBall high into the air and everyone watched as Onix emerged from it. The Rock Snake Pokémon then let out an ear deafening roar, which was so strong that it actually caused the ground to shake beneath them. However, while both Rebecca and Danny were both intimidated by the sight of Onix, Takashi and his Pokémon all held their ground. All of them knew that if they defeated Geodude, Onix would be the next one out. Because of that, they were able to stay composed and brace themselves for what was to come.
"Onix…start things off with Rock Tomb!"
Right away, Onix obeyed Brock's command and slammed its rocky tail onto the ground. This caused several rocks to jump high into the air, to which Onix then used to launch them directly towards Froakie. When Takashi saw this, he was instantly reminded of how Froakie lost her previous battle against Onix. In that battle, she tried to power through the Rock Tomb, which failed to work. This time, Takashi had a better an idea that would allow Froakie to avoid getting hit by Onix's attack.
"Froakie…Jump from rock to rock!" He told her.
Immediately understanding his intentions, Froakie nodded her head before running over and jumping onto one of the falling rocks. Then, almost instantly, the Bubble Frog Pokémon jumped onto the next rock and proceeded to continue this until she was almost as high as Onix was. Once he saw that they were at the same height, Takashi quickly made his next move.
"Now use Water Pulse!"
"I don't think so!" Brock countered as he looked on. "Onix, use Tackle!"
Just as Froakie was about to fire off another Water Pulse attack, Onix immediately rushed over and slammed its head right into the Water-Type's tiny body. The force of the impact was so great that it immediately disrupted Froakie's attempts to charge up her attack. However, because she also knew that she couldn't afford to go do without landing one decent hit, Froakie willed herself to stay conscious and cling tightly onto Onix's head.
For the next minute, Onix did everything within its power in order to try and knock Froakie off of its head. This resulted in the Rock Snake Pokémon ramming its head onto several rocks and even the nearby wall. Even so, Froakie held on and refused to let go. When Brock saw this, he silently praised Froakie's resolve as she had to have a strong heart in order to endure this kind of punishment and still keep going. At the same time though, Brock feared that resolve as it meant that Froakie was bound to counterattack sooner or later. To that end, he decided to end this battle right now.
"Onix…" He called out too. "Finish this with Slam!"
Upon hearing its next command, Onix let out a mighty roar before preparing to slam Froakie's body directly onto the side wall. As this was happening, Froakie opened her eyes slightly and glanced towards Takashi. When she saw him nod at her, Froakie nodded at him in return and proceeded to gather all the strength that she could muster. Once she did so, Froakie waited until she nearly felt her back hit against the wall. She then proceeded to jump up, causing Onix to slam into the wall for nothing.
Everyone then looked on as Froakie landed back on Onix, this time on the back of its head. Once she was there, she began gathering up water for another Water Pulse attack. As soon as the orb of water was big enough, the Bubble Frog Pokémon waited for her Trainer to give the order to attack.
"Now Froakie…Water Pulse!"
With a mighty cry, Froakie threw her Water Pulse directly at Onix. When the attack made contact, Onix immediately started screaming in agony as it began wailing around. Because of Onix's constant shaking, Froakie lost her balance and fell off. She then watched as Onix angrily turned around and prepared to strike her down with its mighty tail. However, despite the fact that she knew what was going to happen, Froakie simply smiled and closed her eyes, content about having fulfilled her objective.
"Onix, use Slam!" Brock ordered.
Onix slammed its tail directly onto Froakie before making it land on the ground. The sheer force of the impact was so great that it caused the ground to crack a part. After Onix finally moved its tail, Kevin walked over and checked up on Froakie. He saw that she was knocked out cold and that she wouldn't be waking up for quite a while. This caused him to raise his red flag in the air again.
"Froakie is unable to battle!" He stated. "The winner is Onix!"
Following Kevin's declaration, Onix let out another loud roar as Danny and Rebecca looked on with disappointed looks on their faces. Given her massive type of advantage over her opponent, the siblings thought that Froakie would be able to take down Onix. Unfortunately, that simply wasn't the case and this battle proved just how strong an opponent both Onix and Brock really are. They then watched as Takashi went on to return Froakie back into her PokéBall.
Once Froakie was back inside, Takashi silently thanked her for her efforts before placing the PokéBall away. The young man then took a deep breath before looking up and staring at Onix, who was busy doing the same to him. He then looked down and watched as Pikachu was busy looking at him as well, this time with a determined look on his face. The two of them then nodded at one another before Takashi took a moment to tighten his headband.
"Alright Pikachu, it's go time!" He said to his partner. "I choose you!"
With determination in his eyes and resolve in his heart, Pikachu raced onto the rocky battlefield and confronted Onix. The two Pokémon then went on to stare each other down, trying their best to intimidate the other. However, neither side was able to do so. Neither one of them was going to back down from this battle. One way or another, this battle had to have a victor and both Pikachu and Onix were determined to make sure that winner was none other than their respective Trainer.
As for the Trainers themselves, both Takashi and Brock found themselves breathing rather heavily for some reason. While Takashi wondered why that was the case, Brock already knew the answer. Unlike their last battle, this one was far more intense. Because of that, both he and Takashi could feel the tension in the air and it was making them exhausted as a result. Even so, both Trainers knew that they couldn't let their exhaustion get the better of them. The final battle was about to begin and they needed to stay sharp if they wanted to win.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Takashi ordered.
Everyone's eyes suddenly widen from shock as they watched Pikachu started dashing towards Onix at an incredible speed. Based on what happened during their previous Gym Battle, Takashi should know that Normal-Type moves will have little to no effect on a Rock-Type like Onix. Even so, he was going for it and when he saw that, Brock suspected that he must have some kind of plan in mind. Not wanting to take any chances, the Gym Leader decided to intercept Pikachu before it had a chance to do anything.
"Onix, use Tackle!"
Onix immediately responded to its Trainer's command and began making its way towards Pikachu. As the two Pokémon were about to crash into one another, everyone watching was waiting to see what was going to happen. Once he determined that Pikachu was close enough to his opponent, Takashi finally made his move.
"Pikachu…Jump Now!"
At the very last moment, Pikachu jumped into the air and managed to avoid Onix's Tackle attack. The Mouse Pokémon then went on to grab onto his opponent's horn, prompting Onix to shake its head repeatedly in order to try and shake him off. However, Pikachu held on and refused to let go.
"Now Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Takashi shouted.
As Onix continued trying to shake him off, Pikachu began gathering all the energy that he could muster into his tail. In time, this caused it to glow a bright white color. Once it gathered up enough power, Pikachu willingly jump down from Onix's horn and nailed the Rock Snake Pokémon right in the face with his tail. The force of the impact was enough to cause Onix to fall head first onto the ground.
"Good work Pikachu!" Takashi praised as he watched the match. "Now…let's finish it off before it has a chance to counterattack. Use Iron Tail again!"
Almost immediately, Pikachu responded to Takashi's words and began diving down towards Onix while still in the air. He then began charging energy into his tail again, all the while hoping that combination of the attack and the force of gravity behind it would be enough to take Onix down. For a moment, it seemed like this would be it for Onix and that Pikachu would win the battle. Unfortunately, something unexpected suddenly occurred.
Just as Pikachu's attack was about to land, the glow that was coming off his tail began to fade away. The sight of this stunned everyone present, especially Takashi as this was a sign that Iron Tail was failing. By the time Pikachu finally hit Onix, the glow was gone and his attack was rendered powerless. The Mouse Pokémon then rolled onto the floor, wondering how this could be happening.
"Darn it!" Rebecca said as she observed the battle. "I told him about this. Iron Tail is a move that requires a lot of energy. At Pikachu's level of skill, it's something he can use repeatedly!"
As soon as Rebecca finished saying that, everyone watched as Onix was slowly beginning to recover and pick itself up from off the ground. When Pikachu saw this, the Mouse Pokémon attempted to stop it by charging up another Iron Tail. However, as not enough time has passed, he was unable to gather the power he needed. This gave Brock the opportunity to strike back before Pikachu had a chance to recover.
"Onix, use Tackle!" He ordered.
After flying shaking out the cobwebs, Onix responded to Brock's command by tackling Pikachu with all of its strength. The force of the attack was so great that it caused Pikachu to fly through one boulder before crashing back-first into another. Then, before Pikachu could have a chance to recover for that assault, Brock immediately made a follow up move.
"Now use Rock Tomb!"
Like earlier in the battle, Onix proceeded to slam its large tail onto the ground, causing several large rocks jump into the air. It then directed straight at Pikachu, who was still recovering from his previous assault. By the time he finally got back to his feet, the rocks were already on top of him and Pikachu was struggling to avoid getting hit. In the end, the rocks ended up trapping the electric mouse, rendering him unable to move.
While Pikachu was struggling to free himself, Onix was slowly making its way up to him. As it did so, Takashi's eyes slowly began to widen out of fear. The situation here was becoming strikingly similar to what happened during his last Gym Battle challenge. Onix was on top and Pikachu was being overwhelmed by him. If things continued, Takashi knew that he was going to lose and so he tried to do something in order to help free Pikachu.
"Pikachu…use Thunder Shock!" He cried.
As Onix crept ever closer towards him, Pikachu responded to Takashi's call by releasing a blast of electricity from the sacs on his cheeks. The goal was to use electricity to help Pikachu bust through the rocks that were trapping him. Unfortunately, despite his best effort, Pikachu's electrical attack wasn't enough to get the job done.
"Don't give up, Pikachu! Keep using Thunder Shock!"
Again, Pikachu attempted to destroy the rocks with another electrical blast, but it simply wasn't strong enough. This allowed Onix to crept ever closer to him until it was directly above its target. As soon as Brock saw that, the Gym Leader took a moment to look Pikachu before turning his attention towards Takashi.
"Well Takashi…" He said to him. "I'll admit that this has been far more challenging than our last battle. However, it seems that I'll be winner again. I'll be looking forward to our next rematch when I get back."
"You won't have too!" Takashi shouted. "Pikachu, use Thunder Shock again!"
One more time, Pikachu fired off another electrical blast, with this one being the most powerful yet. However, although the attack was enough to move the rocks a little, it wasn't enough to free him. This gave Onix the opportunity to begin circling its body around the rocks that were trapping Pikachu.
"Onix…Finish this with Wrap!" Brock declared.
Nodding its head in compliance, Onix proceeded to squeeze down on the rocks that were already crushing Pikachu. The added pressure was so great that it caused the Mouse Pokémon to scream in utter agony. When Takashi saw that, tears began flowing down his face as the sight of seeing Pikachu in so much pain was almost too much for him to bear. All he could do was scream as his partner continued to be crushed.
"…PIKACHU!"
Upon hearing Takashi call out to him, Pikachu slowly opened his eyes and looked at him. When he saw the tears that were coming down his face, Pikachu's own eyes suddenly began to widen as a result. He felt a huge surge of power swell up within him, to which Pikachu immediately let out with a passionate scream.
As Pikachu screamed, a massive amount of electricity suddenly erupted from his entire body. The force of it was so intense that it instantly destroyed the rocks that were trapping it and even forced Onix to back away, despite the fact that it was immune to Electric-Type moves. When Rebecca and Brock saw this, the two of them realized that the move Pikachu used wasn't its usual Thunder Shock.
"That was Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu, through his strong desire to win this battle for Takashi, was able to push his Thunder Shock to the next level and evolve it into a powerful Thunderbolt. It was an incredible sight to behold as he wasn't just unleashing electricity through just his cheeks, but instead all throughout his entire body. However, but he just gained access to this newest move of his, Pikachu was having a bit of trouble controlling its power and was just letting his electricity run wild.
At first, Brock and Onix weren't particularly worried about this as Pikachu's Thunderbolt was pretty much useless against Onix. However, as Pikachu continued unleashing his power, the Gym Leader suddenly noticed something. Pikachu's electricity was reaching towards the ceiling, which is where the sprinklers were located. As soon as he saw that, Brock's eyes began to widen in horror.
"Onix, you have to stop Pikachu now!" He yelled.
Onix heard Brock's call and was about to finish off Pikachu with its Slam attack. But, just as it was about to do so, Pikachu's electricity caused the sprinklers on the ceiling to suddenly activate. This resulted in a large amount of water to rain down all throughout the Gym. Being weak against water, Onix was instantly affected by it. Not only that, but since its body was now completely soak, Pikachu's electricity was able to bypass Onix's Ground-Type immunity and finally deal it some damage. When the attack finally ended, Onix fell face first onto the hard ground.
When Rebecca and Danny saw this, both of them realized that this was Takashi and Pikachu's chance. Onix was completely vulnerable and it would take just one more attack to finally take it down. The two siblings expected Takashi capitalize on this and win the battle. However, instead of doing that, Takashi did something completely unexpected.
After looking around the Gym for a few second, Takashi noticed the controls to the sprinkler system and immediately raced over to it. Then, after examining it as quickly as he could, he proceeded to press a few buttons, which caused the water to finally stop. This shocked everyone present, but none more so than Brock.
"Takashi…why did you do that?" He questioned. "You could've taken advantage of the water to take Onix down. Why didn't you?"
Takashi didn't answer Brock's question right away as he didn't really have an answer for it at first. In actuality, Takashi mostly acted on instinct when he decided to cut off the water. He didn't really put a lot of thought into it when he did that. After a bit of thinking though, he finally did come up with something.
"Well…it just wouldn't be fair." He started off. "My Pokémon and I have spent the last several weeks working on getting stronger. One of the reasons why I'm here is to prove that our hard work didn't go to waste. However, I were to defeat you because of some unexpected water…it wouldn't prove anything. I guess…that's why I stopped the water."
Upon hearing Takashi's honest answer, Brock took a few moments to simply stare at him. After that, the Gym Leader started laughing to himself, which confused everyone present, including the referee. Normally, when something like this happens to occur, Brock usually expects his opponents to take advantage of the situation. However, that wasn't the case with Takashi. He wanted to win this battle fair and square, without any type of foul play. Brock found this mindset to be very amusing, but he was also very impressed by it as well.
"I see…" He said as he let out a few more chuckles. "If that's what you want, then I can respect that. Still, given the damage both my Onix and your Pikachu have taken thus far, neither one of them can keep going for much longer. The next successful attack will probably settle things."
Nodding his head in agreement, Takashi watched as Onix was slowly picking itself from off the ground. Like Brock said, the Rock Snake Pokémon looked extremely exhausted and probably couldn't keep on battling for much longer. Pikachu was the same way, as using a brand new move in Thunderbolt is sure to take its toll. Even so, neither Pokémon was willing to back down. The time had come to finally put an end to this Gym Battle.
As both Trainers and their Pokémon prepared for the final clash, Rebecca and Danny were looking in anticipation. Although this battle has been going on for roughly 15 minutes at most, it felt much longer to them. This was due to the sheer intensity of the battle itself and as they continued to wait for either Takashi or Brock to make their move, that feeling only grew stronger. Soon though, after about another minute of waiting, Brock was the one who made the next move.
"Onix…use Rock Tomb!"
Using all the strength that it had left, Onix slammed its tail onto the ground and proceeded to throw several large boulders at Pikachu when they jumped into the air. When he saw them, Takashi knew that he couldn't allow Pikachu to get hit by that attack. Not only would it probably finish him off, but even if he survived it, Pikachu would be immobilized again. That couldn't be allowed to happen so, as he continued to keep his eyes on the rocks, Takashi decided that Pikachu should take a page from Froakie's playbook.
"Pikachu…Jump from rock to rock!"
As the rocks were about to rain down on him, Pikachu quickly jumped and began climbing on top of each of the rocks. He continued to do so until he was nearly the same eye level as his opponent. Once Takashi saw that, the young man made his next move.
"Now use Iron Tail!"
Once again, Pikachu stored up power within his tail and everyone watched as it began to glow brightly. However, as soon as it started glowing, that glow then began to fade away. The amount of damage that Pikachu had already sustained was making it difficult to gather up the power he needed to use his attack. Seeing this and deciding to take advantage, Brock promptly made his counter attack.
"Onix, use Tackle!" He commanded.
Reacting quickly, Onix prepared to tackle Pikachu head on before the Mouse Pokémon had the chance to gather up the power he needed to use Iron Tail. As everyone looked on, most of them believed that the battle would be over at this moment. The only person who didn't feel this way was Takashi, who unveiled the final layer to his plan.
"Electro Ball!"
With everyone looking on in shock, Pikachu let out a powerful scream as an orb of electricity began to form just above his tail. The incredible surge of power that he was producing not only reenergized his Iron Tail attack, but also doubled its power as well. Pikachu then went on to clash with Onix, with both Pokémon seemingly hitting each other at the same time. They then fell onto the ground as everyone else looked on in anticipation.
Pikachu was the first to get back up to his feet, but he soon found himself leaning against a rock as soon as he did so. He then looked up and watched as Onix rose back up as well. The two Pokémon stared at one another for a moment, during which Pikachu saw that Onix was giving him a small smile of acknowledgement. After seeing that smile, Pikachu watched as Onix closed its eyes and fell back onto the ground. When Kevin looked over and saw that it was unconscious, he immediately raised his green flag into the air and pointed it towards Takashi.
"Onix is unable to battle!" He declared. "Pikachu is the winner! Therefore, the victor of this battle is…Takashi Nakamura of Pallet Town!"
For a moment, the Gym was completely silent as everyone present was still coming to terms to what just happened. After a bit of time, tears began to run down Takashi's face again. However, they weren't tears filled with fear. Instead, they were tears of joy. He then started shaking a bit before letting out a powerful scream.
"WE WON!"
With a huge smile quickly appearing on his face, Takashi immediately raced over towards Pikachu and picked his injured partner up from off the ground. He then gave him a big hug, which was actually hurting Pikachu a little bit.
"You did it, Pikachu! I just knew that you would pull it off! I just knew it!"
As Takashi continued to hug Pikachu tightly, the pain that the Mouse Pokémon was feeling was becoming more and more intense. In order to get him to stop, Pikachu shocked Takashi a bit with his new Thunderbolt attack. The pain from the shock was indeed enough to get Takashi to stop and he soon fell butt first onto the ground. The two of them then looked at one another for a moment before each giving each other a warm smile. Takashi then hugged Pikachu again, albeit a lot more gently this time.
Following this, both Rebecca and Danny rushed over in order to congratulate the two of them for their hard fought victory. To them, the battle they just witnessed was the most incredible they ever seen before. It was an awesome display and the two siblings wanted to show their appreciation for being allowed to witness it. Upon seeing this, Takashi thanked his friends for their kindness. He then went on to take back his hat from Danny and gently place it on top of Pikachu's head, much to the electric mouse's enjoyment.
Meanwhile, Brock was still a bit stunned by how the battle turned out in the end. However, being a professional, the Gym Leader quickly accepted the result. He then went on to return Onix back into its PokéBall before looking over towards Kevin. After watching his referee give him a slight nod, Brock then went over towards Takashi and the others.
"Well…I can honestly say that this had been one of the more interesting Gym Battles I've experienced." He started off. "I can also say that you're one of the interesting challengers that I've ever faced too. I could feel the passion between you and your Pokémon…and that gave you strength. I know that you and your Pokémon are destined for great things in the future."
"…Thanks Brock." Takashi replied with a smile.
Brock returned Takashi's smile with one of his own. He then went into his pocket and pulled out a small item that resembled a grey rock. Brock then presented it to Takashi.
"Take this, Takashi. This is the Boulder Badge, an official Gym Badge of the Pokémon League. It's proof of your victory here at the Pewter Gym."
After taking a moment to simply stare at it, Takashi slowly took the badge from Brock and held it in his hand. The fact that he was actually holding his very first Gym Badge, the thing that he's been striving to obtain for so long, was almost surreal. However, after seeing a look of acknowledgement from Pikachu and the others, the young Trainer realize that it was indeed very real. This caused the smile that was on his face to grow even bigger and he soon raised his Gym Badge high into the air in victory.
"Alright…I won the Boulder Badge!"
Chapter Preview
With his rematch at the Pewter Gym having culminated in him obtaining his first Gym Badge, Takashi is preparing to leave Pewter City and continue on with his Pokémon Journey. However, before he leaves, he decided to take the time to check out the Pewter City Museum of Science. While there, he learns something about one of the items that he inherited from his late father. Just what is it and how will it relate to Takashi's future?
Also, Takashi finally learns the fate of the Pokémon Egg that he rescued. What will happen to it?
Next Time, Chapter 16: Battle at the Museum
Announcements
Spirit Reader: Hey guys, it's Spirit Reader here with a few announcements. Well, it was a long time coming, but Takashi has finally one his very first Gym Badge. I hope you've enjoyed reading the story up to this point as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please continue to support Pokémon: Thunder Yellow by either following it or writing a review. I would dearly appreciate it.
Also, if you're able to do so, please just out my other stories as well, like Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: Over the Nexus or Voltron: Universal Defender. I truly believe that you would all enjoy those stories too.
Well, that's it for now. Until next time, this is Spirit Reader signing off!