Chapter Forty-Six: The First Hoenn Gym
Lucas had come to Hoenn to gain another Championship, to prove to his smug older brother John that he would be even better a Trainer than the other sibling could ever dream of, and prove his worth to his family. The teen expected many new challenges and fights, but his first major fight would not be against a Gym Leader, a strong Trainer, or even a human at all. When the teen had come to Littleroot Town to register for the Hoenn League he had saved the resident researcher Professor Birch from a pack of Poochyena, a pack he had learned was reeking havoc not just on Trainers, but civilians right in the middle of their city. Now Lucas was about to put a stop to the attacks once and for all, not by attacking all the Pokemon responsible, but by cutting off the head of the serpent, stopping the tough and determined Poochyena who had become the pack's super aggressive leader.
Though what the Pokemon was doing was violent and terrible, a small part of him admired and sympathized with the creature. Poochyena were not large Pokemon, nor particularly strong. But this little creature had not only lead a gang far larger than anyone had seen before, but had also managed to strike fear into the people of two small towns. That kind of courage, conviction and determination was exactly the same thing that drove Lucas to fight back against anyone who dared to tell him he wasn't good enough or worthy enough to be where he was. This Poochyena was not a Pokemon he wanted to defeat, this was a Pokemon he wanted on his team.
The tattooed Trainer first summoned his newest Pokemon to the field of battle, the Mudkip he named Bruce that he received from Professor Birch. The two Pokemon were of similar level, but it was clear the Mudkip had never battled before. It obeyed his new Trainer without question, but its hesitant attacks and unsure moves soon became a liability. Next the Turtwig from Professor Rowan. It managed to make a dent in the Poochyena's strength, but the dark-type was nowhere near ready to give up. Lucas took a chance and brought out his higher powered Beautifly next. He was careful about his Pokemon's attacks, not wanting to risk knocking the little creature out. But even though the Beautifly managed to paralyze the Poochyena, the dog-like creature refused to give in. Recalling his Beautifly, Lucas brought out Gizmo to once again face the stubborn Pokemon.
"Listen lil' guy. I have a lot of respect for you. But I can't let you keep hurting people. If I wanted to, I could have had Gizmo knock you out in one attack. I'm not saying that to brag, I'm saying that as a warning. If you give up and let me catch you, you have a chance to make things right. If not, I'm going to have to stomp you to teach you a lesson. Strength isn't the end all to be all. And pushing people and things around isn't the way to show it. So what's it going to be?" Lucas kept his tone even and friendly, but his eyes glinted dangerously as he waited for the Pokemon to make a decision. The Poochyena was shaking and stiff from the paralysis, and its strength in the red zone from its earlier attacks. But it still stood its ground, determination in its eyes just as much as his human opponent. He let out a growl and kept right on staring. Taking a chance, the teen threw a Pokeball. The first one shook twice before exploding, the stubborn Pokemon refusing to back down. A second Pokeball lied in pieces around the Pokemon like the first. But finally a third Pokeball shook four times before clicking to victory.
Picking up the Pokeball, the Trainer called Professor Birch to inform him that the Poochyena situation was finally over. With the Pokemon's stubborn, fierce leader gone, the creatures would once again break into the smaller packs that were more normal and natural, and very unlikely to bother with humans in urban areas ever again. On his way back to Professor Birch's lab, Lucas summoned out his newest Pokemon. The Poochyena growled and snarled at his new Trainer, still not over the indignation of being captured. The tattooed teen smiled and crouched himself down to the Poochyena, "You're a little hellraiser, you know that? I think I'll call you Diablo," the Pokemon continued to eye Lucas angrily, "I gotta admit, there was another reason why I caught you instead of just defeating you. You remind me so much of myself it's scary. I was a tough little prick just like you back in the day. Constantly having to prove how tough I am, accepting any challenge no matter how dumb or dangerous it was, angry at everyone before I even knew them. But if you're like me than that means all you really ever wanted was someone to take you seriously and respect you. To not assume to worst or that you're unworthy. And I admire that, so I'd like us to be friends, that way we can make each other stronger,"
Lucas offered his hand out to the still growling dark-type and smiled. The Pokemon regarded the human hesitantly, still not sure what to make of his proposal and studying his hand suspiciously. The two continued to look at each other, a moment of tense quiet as the one waited for the other to make a move that would cement exactly what their relationship would be. In the end, Lucas was what brought the stalemate its close. Trusting his new Pokemon, the teen scratched behind Diablo's ears. The Poochyena jerked in surprise, the gentle stroke of affection being the last thing he expected from a human. As his new Trainer continued to stroke his fur and smile, Diablo drooped his ears in submission. Perhaps, the Pokemon thought, having a human Trainer wouldn't be so bad after all.
After the teen Trainer returned to Professor Birtch's lab, the athletic Pokemon Professor told him where to find the first gym. For most Trainers, their first battle in Hoenn would be in Rustburo City, home of the beginner's Gym, but since Lucas was already a Champion from another league, Gym order was far less important for his skill level. For him, he had the luxury of going to the closest Gym in neighboring Petalburg City, the medium-sized port town he had arrived at on the ferry. So with a final goodbye to the hardy scientist, Lucas headed back to the city he had come to earlier in the day.
Even with the Poochyena fiasco slowing him down, the day still had plenty of hours of light left, and after several days of being cooped up at sea, the teen was happy to push on for the challenge. Now that he had a valid license for Hoenn he could accomplish what he had set out to do. On the short roads back from Littleroot to Oldale to Petalburg Lucas moved quickly. He only stopped to catch a Tailow and a Zigzagoon and was unstopped by any Trainers.
Petalburg was small but peaceful, filled with the shops that the people of the smaller towns probably used when their tiny stores lacked in volume or variety. The Pokemon Gym and Center stood out against the houses and beautifully kept ponds bobbed gently as a sea breeze from the west blew through. A quick stop for supplies was all that diverted Lucas as he headed for the Gym.
In Sinnoh, Lucas was constantly at a disadvantage against his opponents since he knew nothing about the Leaders and strongest Trainers in the league. Now a Champion, the teen was determined not to make himself look foolish by repeating his mistakes. He took out the League Guide he had purchased before going to the professor's lab and looked at the sign in front of the large building. May, the anything but Plain-Jane girl. Flipping through the softcover book, the Trainer found the section for the Leader. According to the guide, Petalburg's Gym was a normal-type facility, with the current Leader the daughter of the former one. Lucas smiled as he closed the guide and stuffed it back into his bag. The book had also mentioned that Trainers typically needed four badges or more before considering fighting May but the tattooed teen wasn't concerned.
Normal-types were not Pokemon to be underestimated, after all, people dismissing Gizmo was what had lead the young man to most of his own victories, but the typing wasn't remarkably effective against any other types. Any well trained Pokemon at a sufficient level with a well thought out strategy could beat them, and fighting types could wipe the floor with any of them. With his new team of Diablo, Beautifly, Bruce, Turtwig, Taillow and Gizmo, the teen was confident this Gym would be no challenge, especially as a Champion.
Like many other Gyms that he encountered, Petalburg's Gym required a mental challenge before being able to face any of the Junior Trainers or the Leader. When Lucas stepped through the main doors, he was greeted by an empty room with two doors and a sign between them. The sign read, 'do you value wisdom or strength?' On the door to the right was painted with an owl, the door on the left had a sword. Lucas stopped before both of them and thought. Clearly whatever he answered would affect his ability to continue in the Gym.
"So what do you think Gizmo?" the Trainer asked his Pokemon. The Eevee looked at both symbols and cocked his head. As intelligent as Pokemon could be, certain human concepts were beyond their understanding, "Yeah, I really don't get it either. On one hand, being strong may seem good, I've taken out guys twice my size and weight just because they were dumb as rocks. But on the other hand wisdom is a kind of strength, isn't it? Well, if I get it wrong I'll just start the challenge again, right?"
The Pokemon chirped in reply. Holding his breath, Lucas grabbed the handle for the sword marked door and barged through. On the other side was a teen boy, the first of the Junior Trainers. He stepped forward and addressed his challenger, "Welcome to the Petalburg City Gym, you have chosen the door of 'strength'. If you value strength, prove to me how strong you are,"
The battle was short but vicious and Lucas' experience was all that gained him his victory. Though his opponent's attacks weren't very strong, their high defense and their defensive moves meant Lucas and his Pokemon had to use their strongest abilities to make a dent. Defense Curls and other defense boosting moves made normally weak Zizagoons, Slakoths and Whismurs practically walls.
Defeating the first Trainer meant access to a second set of doors. This time sign read, 'Which is more important, the heart or the mind?' The door to the left marked with a heart, the door to the right marked with a book. Lucas' instinct was to immediately go for the door marked with the heart, as it was his heart and not his mind that most often made his best decisions. But after the first battle he realized his decision didn't just mean an introspection of his philosophies, but would affect exactly what he would have to do in battle. Picking strength previously meant a focus on attacks, but what would heart and mind represent in a Pokemon battle? The teen grimaced. He was so certain he would do so well in Hoenn now that he was such an experienced Trainer, but it seemed he was still learning and in many ways still just as clueless as when he first started out. The tattooed Trainer decided relying on his instincts still made the most sense and with no more hesitation, pushed through the heart-marked door.
An elderly woman in plain, sensible clothing greeted him, "Welcome, young Trainer. You have chosen the door marked 'Heart', meaning you value instinct over intellect. Prove how good your instincts are by defeating me,"
Just like the first match, this battle tested Lucas' skill and talent to extremes. This room proved to focus on normal-types' flexibility. Each one of the old woman's Pokemon knew attacks outside their element. Thunderbolts, Psywaves and fighting moves kept Lucas on his feet. He had no time or chance to set up two-turn strategies, as they'd be countered with Protect and Roar moves. But Lucas' instincts were good, and despite the curve ball attacks his opponent kept throwing at him the Trainer countered every move. Though he stayed on the defensive, he didn't panic, and with patience and care the old woman's Linoone, Vigoroth and Spinda defeated, and the second victory was his.
Behind this woman was a third set of doors. One door was marked with a man with his arms outstretched, the other door had three people holding hands. The sign between these two doors read 'What is more important? The power of the individual, or the strength of the group?' Another difficult decision for the teen to make. But one that took far less time considering than the previous two doors. Lucas was now figuring out that regardless of what path he would choose in the Gym, each task and battle would be just as difficult. It really would be his own personality which would determine how he faced the Gym Leader. The teen relied heavily on his Pokemon. He counted on them at every move, trusting their loyalty to him to push through even the most difficult tasks, but in his heart, he had to push through the other door. The door marking the power of the individual.
As much as Lucas knew it was his Pokemon's teamwork that let him go this far, it was at the end, the strength and trust he put in himself that got him this far on his Journey. While he was slowly opening himself back up to people by making new friends and gaining the admiration of Pokemon Trainers and professors the world over, at the end of the day it was his own decisions and his own determination that pushed him forward. His own power got him this far, and it would continue to do so.
The third Trainer's battle was just as difficult as the other two fights. The final Trainer's strategies forced Lucas to only fight with one Pokemon at a time, preventing switching without consequence, and canceling out any attempts for the Pokemon on Lucas' team from helping one and other. The teen Trainer anticipated as much and was not discouraged. Like the other two battles before had, the young man used the bulk of his experience and his determination to eke out a third victory.
Behind this final Trainer only one door remained. There was no choice for this room. For behind that final door was the Petalburg Gym Leader.