New chapter's going up a little early this week, guys! 'Cause I'm busy tomorrow. I have a concert at night (which I'm super excited for 'cause I'm meeting the band!) and I just found out I have to go to the doctor in the morning. Sooo no time for me. Not like any of you care, though. It's okay; I wouldn't. But you can still have the chapter a few hours earlier. Yay!

Last time: Before leaving Sunfire Town, our three young trainers met a girl named Bridget, who lived on a fire type ranch in town. Her and her family raise fire type Pokemon for different kinds of work, but not all of them are so cooperative, including a naughty Numel and a standoffish Ponyta, who is suppoused to become a race horse. Ponyta, as it turns out, likes Michelle, and is the first human who Ponyta ends up trusting. After fighting off Team Rocket, Bridget decides Ponyta would be better off going with Michelle, and Numel with Brandon. She even gives Brandon her number so she can check up on the Pokemon's progression. With that out of the way, the group continues to make their way towards Aiden's next gym battle: in Vermilion City.

Chapter 12: Surge of Power

"Hey guys, look! It's Vermilion City!"

Brandon was standing at the foot of an overhang, pointing at the medium sized city which was clearly visible from atop the cliff. Aiden ran up next to his best friend and grinned, his eyes shining as he observed the city.

"That's so cool!" Aiden chuckled. Closing his hand into a determined fist, he continued, "and that's where my next gym battle is. I'll get my second badge for sure!"

"Your determination never ceases to amaze me," Brandon snorted.

"Let's go!" Aiden started to march off.

"Hold on!"

His walk, however, was quickly stopped by someone holding him back by the hood. Growling, he turned his head and set a glare on the person halting him, who turned out to be none other than his twin sister.

"Michelle, why do you always have to be that person?" Aiden groaned as he shook himself free.

"You can't just run off to your gym battle as soon as we get into a city," Michelle huffed. "Our Pokémon all need to be checked out at the Pokémon Center. Can't you be a responsible trainer?"

"I don't know," Aiden deadpanned, "can you not be such a pain in my neck?"

"Okay, okay, break it up!" Brandon jumped in between the two siblings before anything could break out. "No fighting today."

"You say that every time we start to fight," Michelle eyed the aspiring breeder. "Why don't you just tell us to quit fighting for good?"

"Because you two would never do that and we all know it," Brandon answered easily. "Telling you to take it one day at a time just seems more efficient."

"Good point," Michelle nodded.

"Uh…guys?" Aiden questioned, pointing behind him. "City? Can we go?"

"Yeah, sure," Brandon started moving towards the path that led down from the cliff. "We'll stop by the Pokémon Center, and then I guess by the gym if that's where you really want to go."

"Of course it is!" Aiden ran after his best friend. "Why wouldn't it be?"

All Michelle could do was sigh and roll her eyes, following after the boys.

"Pichu?" Pichu questioned her trainer. "Pi?"

"I don't know if I'll ever understand, Pichu," Michelle shook her head.

XXX

"I'm hungry."

"Me too."

"Me three."

The not so evil trio that made up Team Rocket was all sitting in the middle of some forest, staring at one another and completely unsure of their next move. All they knew was that they hadn't eaten for at least a day and a half, and it was beginning to take its toll on them.

"There's got to be berries around here somewhere," Jason trudged himself up to his feet and looked around the first in a dejected manner.

"I don't want to eat some measly berries!" Jewel whined.

"Well, it's not like we have a choice!" Jason argued. "We're in the middle of a forest!"

Groaning, Jewel laid herself down on the ground and stared up into the sky. Without food, she would surely die. And not eating couldn't be good for her…her beauty would drain! There were two essentials in jewel's life, and that was her beauty sleep and her beauty meals.

"Veno! Nat!"

Jewel's ears perked as she pushed herself up by her hands, eyes scanning her surroundings.

"What's up with you?" Sneasel asked the girl.

"I heard something," Jewel blinked. "You didn't?"

"No, not a thing," Sneasel shook his head.

Jewel got up onto her feet, peering behind the trees and bushes. She swore she had heard something. And she would find it.

"Jewel, there was no noise," Jason informed his sister.

"Yeah, maybe the hunger is just getting to you," Sneasel shrugged.

"It is not!" Jewel snarled. "I heard something!"

With a definitive huff, Jewel wandered off further into the forest, causing Jason and Sneasel to exchange concerned glances. Not wanting the girl to run off without them and get lost, they followed after her, hoping she would realize she was just being crazy and that there were no noises being made.

Jewel had managed to wander into a small clearing within the forest, looking around for anything that could've been the source of the noise. Unfortunately, she wasn't seeing anything, and she knew she would never hear the end of it from her obnoxious teammates.

"I told you, Jewel!" Jason argued.

"Oh, be quiet!" Jewel snapped. "You can't prove anything."

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a small purple fuzz ball jumped out of a nearby bush, a pecha berry in its stubby little hands.

"Hey, check it out," Sneasel pointed at the small Pokémon. "A Venonat!"

The dual type Pokémon twitched its antennae, staring curiously at the trio standing before it. Smirking, Jewel walked over to Venonat and cooed, "Aw, aren't you just precious?"

"What's she up to?" Jason muttered to Sneasel.

"How should I know?" Sneasel raised an eyebrow.

"Ven?" Venonat questioned.

"Could you be a dear and show me to where you got that fruit?" Jewel pointed at the berry. "It would be so very much appreciated!"

"Veno! Nat!" The dual type nodded and hopped back into the bushes, Jewel following eagerly behind. Jason and Sneasel weren't far behind, and eventually, the trio found themselves in a second clearing, this one filled with trees that were teeming with pecha berries; the same exact fruit that Venonat was holding in its paws.

"Aah!" Jewel shrieked out of happiness. "Venonat is the greatest Pokémon ever!"

"Nat!" Venonat cheered happily.

"I'd like to argue that," Sneasel narrowed his eyes.

"Jewel's got a point," Jason huffed, "I didn't see you finding us any food."

"This Pokémon would be perfect for our team!" Jewel turned around and informed her two teammates. "It could probably help us find food any time we got lost!"

"Which is pretty often," Jason agreed.

Giggling, Jewel turned towards the purple Pokémon and asked, "what do you say, Venonat? Would you like to join Team Rocket?"

"Veno?" Venonat blinked before jumping up and down in excitement. "Veno! Venonat!"

"Excellent!" Jewel pulled out a poke ball and wordlessly threw it at Venonat, who was quickly sucked into the sphere. It only shook back and forth once before clicking closed and sitting still on the dirt. Squealing, Jewel picked up the ball and held it close to her. "Perfect! I got another Pokémon!" Grinning mischievously, she added, "next time we see those brats, they won't know what hit them!"

XXX

"Here you three are! Your Pokémon are all healed up!"

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon simultaneously thanked the Pokémon nurse, taking back their poke balls, or, in Pichu's case, returning to her trainer's shoulder.

"Alright, now that our Pokémon are healed, let's go!" Aiden ran towards the door.

"Aiden, where are you going?" Michelle called after her brother.

"The gym, of course!" Aiden replied without even looking over his shoulders.

Sighing, Michelle found no choice but to follow after the boy, with Brandon right beside her. On their way to the gym, the two trainers who weren't racing for the gym looked around and admired the sights of Vermilion City, especially the big ships that were docked in the city's ever present ports.

"Vermilion Harbor is beautiful!" Michelle gushed. "I bet my Mom would love it."

"I know my Dad and Uncle like to go to Diglett's Cave which is nearby," Brandon added. "Vermilion's attractions are really diverse."

Eventually, the trio stumbled upon a tall, green building that was meant to resemble a warehouse, decorated with flashy lightning bolts on the front and top of the building.

"A little tacky, isn't it?" Michelle muttered.

"Who cares what the building looks like," Aiden scoffed. "I'm here for a gym badge and that's it!"

He stepped in front of the doors and began to bang on them, the sound of his fists crashing against the metal reverberating throughout his whole body.

"Hey, open up!" Aiden called. "I'm here for a gym battle!"

Aiden continued to pound on the doors until they were slowly dragged open, a teenage boy appearing in the small gap that had been created when the doors were pulled apart. He had dark brown hair with a bright blonde streak running through, golden eyes piercing and narrowed at the younger boy standing before him.

"What do you want, you little runt?" The boy asked dismissively.

"Didn't you just hear me?" Aiden narrowed his eyes. "A gym battle!"

The older boy looked Aiden up and down, scrutinizing his appearance. After a few moments of deliberation, the teenager burst out into laughter, causing Aiden to furrow his brow in bewilderment.

"Yeah, right!" the older boy snickered. "Like you could defeat our gym leader!"

Growling, Aiden puffed his chest out and argued, "Yeah I could! If you think your gym leader is so great, then bring me to him! I'm not afraid of some gym leader! I'm not afraid of anyone!"

The teenager gave Aiden an incredulous look, but the younger boy refused to back down. He was going to get his gym battle no matter what. No stupid junior trainer was going to stand in his way.

"You really think you're a tough guy, don't you?" The teenager questioned.

"I know I am," Aiden bit.

Laughing once again, the teenager stepped aside and informed Aiden, "alright, shrimp. If you want to see our gym leader, I'll let you in. But that isn't a guarantee that you'll get a battle, remember that."

Aiden rolled his eyes and brushed past the teenager, marching his way to the battle field. Michelle and Brandon followed behind, Pichu squeaking quietly but nervously in Michelle's ear.

"Oh, don't be afraid, Pichu," Michelle reassured the young Pokémon. "There's nothing here that's going to hurt you."

"RAI!"

"PICHU!" The little electric type squealed, jumping into Michelle's arms and hiding her face against the young coordinator's chest.

"What was that?" Brandon gasped.

Looking down, Michelle found a small brown Pokémon staring up at her, its eyes narrowed and sparks emerging from the yellow circles on its cheeks.

"That's a Raichu," Michelle breathed, pulling out her pokedex to scan the Pokémon.

Raichu, the mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pikachu. Raichu tend to be very aggressive, especially if there is too much electricity stored in their body. When searching for electricity, Raichu will raise its tail to gather it from the air or bury their tail in the ground.

"It looks pretty strong," Brandon marveled.

Aiden, however, was paying no attention to the Raichu standing before his sister and best friend. He simply stepped onto the battle field, which was designed to look like a boxing ring. The dim lighting added to that ambience, and for just a split second, Aiden felt intimidated.

"Well, well, look who it is! The babies' baby!"

Aiden whipped around and gasped in shock. Standing before him was the most powerful and menacing man that the young boy had ever seen.

The man had blonde hair with small streaks of grey mixed in, light and sticking up in sharp, almost deadly looking spikes. His eyebrows were thick and permanently furrowed, his eyes as black as midnight. His nose was crooked; it had clearly been broken at least several times. The man's frame was almost all muscle, completely bulked up. The most fearful aspect of this man, however, was his height. He had to be about seven feet tall; he easily towered over Aiden's 10 year old figure.

"Uh…what…who?" Aiden stammered, unable to connect his words into a coherent sentence.

"You're still just a little runt, aren't ya'?" The man smirked. "I told your Mama how to bulk you up!"

"My Mama?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, I shoulda' known she wouldn't take my advice," the blonde huffed, "it's your Pop I shoulda' gone to. He's pretty strong himself!"

Yeah, but you look like you could snap him in half no problem, Aiden thought to himself.

The teenage boy who had previously mocked Aiden stepped into the battle area, clearly confused by the camaraderie that his boss was expressing towards the little raven haired boy.

"Lt. Surge, you know this runt?!" The teenage boy was obviously shocked.

"Of course I do, Ryder!" Lt. Surge laughed off the very thought that he didn't. "This right here's the baby of my colleague back in Cerulean City! Ain't he adorable?"

At this, Aiden blushed and grumbled under his breath, "I'm not adorable."

Michelle and Brandon glanced at one another, neither one sure if they should be amused by Aiden's torment, or startled by the man who was doling it out. Lt. Surge was most certainly an intimidating force.

"Rai! Raichu!"

The three young trainers all looked towards the ground as Raichu reappeared, running past them all to stand by Lt. Surge's feet. The mouse smirked and swished its tail back and forth, causing Lt. Surge to let out a booming laugh before kneeling down to pet the brown mouse.

"There you are, Raichu! You must've been out gettin' some exercise, right?"

"Rai!" Raichu nodded.

"Oh, so that Raichu is Lt. Surge's!" Michelle gawked.

"Explains why it's so strong," Brandon commented.

Lt. Surge heard the other two talking amongst themselves, which led him to turn his eyes upwards. Catching sight of Brandon and Michelle, he let out a noise of amusement and got back onto his feet, placing his massive hands on his hips.

"Lookit, the other babies are here, too!" Lt. Surge exclaimed. Looking directly at Michelle, who squeaked fearfully under the man's gaze, Lt. Surge posed, "you're the sister of this little guy right here, ain't ya?"

"Uh…yes, sir," Michelle nodded quickly.

Turning his attention onto Brandon, Lt. Surge quipped, "and you're the baby from Pewter City!"

"Why does he keep calling us babies?" Brandon whispered to Michelle, who was too scared to respond.

Suddenly, Lt. Surge began to laugh loudly and obnoxiously, nearly throwing the three young trainers off their feet. They stared at the big, blonde man, utterly confused and none of them willing to ask what was so funny.

"I didn't even notice!" Lt. Surge finally spoke when his fit of laughter died down. "The little baby girl's got a little baby Pichu to match!"

Michelle blinked and glanced down at Pichu, who was still hiding against her body.

"Pi…Pichu is my partner," Michelle stammered.

"A weak little thing," Lt. Surge huffed, still chuckling under his breath. "I guess you didn't learn nothing from your Pa, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Michelle raised her voice ever so slightly.

"I remember when he first waltzed in here as a little baby," Lt. Surge guffawed, "and all he had to show for himself was that scrawny little Pikachu! He wouldn't listen to me, so Raichu and I showed him a lesson and beat that little yellow mouse into a pulp!"

As he continued to laugh, something snapped inside of Michelle, and a familiar fire went off in her emerald eyes. "Hey, that's not funny! What are you, a psycho?"

"How many moves does that baby Pokémon of yours know, anyhow?" Lt. Surge completely ignored Michelle's protest.

Michelle opened her mouth to respond smartly, but she couldn't figure out a way to do just that. Grimacing, she pulled her shoulders back and admitted the sad truth, "only two."

"Which are?" Lt. Surge folded his arms.

"Thundershock and charm," Michelle responded just as dully as she had before.

"Just as I thought," Lt. Surge gave a single nod. "Weak."

"Pi!" Pichu spun around and glared at the tall blonde, sparks emitting from the pink circles on her cheeks. Raichu growled in response and let out an even more menacing bout of electricity, instantly quelling Pichu and sending her back cowering into Michelle.

"My Pichu is not weak!" Michelle barked. "She's just a baby! She doesn't have to prove anything!"

"Then battle me and prove it," Lt. Surge challenged.

"Fine, I-" Michelle began, but was quickly cut off by Aiden, who had grabbed her by the arm. "Aiden, what the-"

"You can't battle him!" Aiden interrupted in an incredulous tone.

"And why not?" Michelle seethed.

"Because you're a coordinator, and he's not just any ordinary trainer," Aiden answered in a surprisingly calm manner. "He's a gym leader. A freakishly huge and intimidating gym leader. Lt. Surge will crush you and Pichu. And he'll probably go running to Mom and brag about it right in her face."

Michelle backed off after this. Aiden, for once, was absolutely right. She often forgot that since her mother was a gym leader, she was well acquainted with all of the other gym leaders, and that they probably would tell her everything about when she and Aiden reached their gyms. And if Misty were to find out that Michelle had been inexorably beat on, it wouldn't be good for anyone involved.

"You're right," Michelle sighed.

Turning around, Aiden glared at Lt. Surge and spoke, "if you're going to battle anyone, it'll be me. I'm here for a gym badge, and that's it. I'm the one you have to face."

"Told ya, boss, he's a runt," Ryder quipped from behind the gym leader.

"I'll show you who the real runt here is!" Aiden held up a fist. "Now how about you shut up and just watch me battle?!"

Ryder pulled back at Aiden's tone, but all it did for Lt. Surge was bring amusement. Gazing down at the raven haired boy, Lt. Surge decided, "Alright, baby. I'll battle you. Ryder, get Taran and Eva in here to observe the battle! You three babies aren't gonna' learn anything by just standing around and cleaning the place!"

"Uh, yes sir," Ryder nodded, growling as he heard Aiden snickering.

"See, even the little gym assistant gets called "baby"," Aiden looked at his sister and best friend, who laughed softly in response.

Ryder re-appeared fairly quickly with two other junior trainers, one a male with long, dark blonde hair being held back by a black headband, and the other a female with bright blue hair tied up in an unkempt ponytail.

"Taran, you be the referee of this battle," Lt. Surge glanced at the younger blonde boy.

"Yes, sir!" Taran replied without hesitation and situated himself in the center of the battle field.

Lt. Surge took his side of the field, while Aiden stood in the opposite. Michelle and Brandon had situated themselves on a bench against the wall behind Aiden, while Ryder and Eva sat behind their gym leader boss, eyes already intensive.

"This will be a one on one battle," Taran announced. "Whoever's Pokémon is knocked out first is the loser. Are both trainers ready?"

"Ready!" Lt. Surge confirmed.

"Ready!" Aiden chimed.

"Trainers, choose your Pokémon!" Taran called.

Looking down at his partner, Lt. Surge grinned and ordered, "alright, Raichu, get out there!"

"Rai rai!" Raichu nodded, racing out onto the battle field and releasing more sparks.

Aiden, however, was not deterred by this. Showing off his own mischievous grin, Aiden pulled out one of his poke balls and tossed it, yelling, "Growlithe, I choose you!"

The fire puppy Pokémon appeared before his trainer in a burst of blue light, letting out a simple bark before glowering at the electric mouse standing before him.

"Growlithe, good choice!" Michelle commended her brother. "Choosing Squirtle would have been a big mistake. At least fire types aren't weak against electric types!"

"Yeah, but now it comes down to pure strength," Brandon sighed. "And I don't know if Growlithe is as strong as that Raichu, who clearly has a lot of experience."

"Alright," Taran raised his arm in the air, "battle begin!"

"Raichu, thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge ordered.

"Well, he sure isn't wasting any time!" Michelle gasped.

The electric type began to charge up, Aiden taking a mental note as it did. When Raichu finally unleashed the clearly powerful attack, Aiden simply smirked and called, "Growlithe, dodge it!"

The fire type ran out of the way just in the nick of time, the thunderbolt hitting the ground and leaving a small burn mark.

"What?!" Lt. Surge growled.

"Nice try," Aiden narrowed his eyes. "But not good enough! Growlithe, use bite!"

"Growl!" The puppy Pokémon ran forward and brushed against Raichu, opening his mouth and attempting to sink his teeth into the electric type.

"Body slam!" Lt. Surge shouted.

Raichu managed to jump out of the way of Growlithe's attack and land solidly atop the fire type, crushing him into the ground and causing the puppy to let out a clearly pained whimper.

"Growlithe!" Aiden cried.

"Who's laughing now?" Lt. Surge guffawed.

"That looked painful," Brandon winced.

"Growlithe, you can get up, can't you?" Aiden gazed down at his Pokémon. Much to his delight, Growlithe jumped back up fairly quickly, the only signs of damage being some dirty fur and a couple of tiny cuts. "Great! Try dig!"

Growlithe began to claw at the ground that had just been damaged by his body colliding with it. Lt. Surge, however, wasn't just about to let Growlithe get away with his attack.

"Oh no, ya' don't!" Lt. Surge scolded. "Raichu, charge beam!"

Gasping, Michelle leaned forward in her seat and murmured, "What's charge beam?"

A ball of electricity began to form between Raichu's two stubby paws, the Pokémon smirking deviously as its beady black eyes narrowed. Once the sphere had grown to a large enough size, Raichu twisted its body before throwing the ball, which then exploded into a thick beam of electricity and headed straight towards the hole that Growlithe had dug.

"Growlithe, hurry!" Aiden warned.

As the electricity ran through the underground channel, Aiden stood completely still, barely breathing as he waited to see what would happen. Michelle and Brandon were both leaning forward in their seats, although the Pichu sitting in Michelle's lap was still more enamored by the attack that Raichu had just unleashed.

Several feet away from the original hole that Growlithe had dug, Raichu's charge beam exploded up from the ground, forming an entirely new hole. Flying atop the electric attack was Growlithe, who was wincing slightly but didn't seem too badly hurt by the attack.

"It grazed him," Aiden muttered.

"Give up yet, baby?" Lt. Surge smirked.

"Not a chance!" Aiden looked just as smug. "Growlithe, use ember!"

"Growl!" The fire type used his signature move to wash Raichu in a shower of tiny flames. It connected perfectly, with Raichu whining as it tried to shield its face with its paws.

"Enough of that, Raichu!" Lt. Surge scolded. "Mega kick!"

Raichu bolted towards Growlithe and jumped with its foot in the air, connecting with Growlithe's face and knocking the puppy Pokémon backwards.

"Oh no," Michelle winced, while Pichu covered her eyes.

"You're fine, Growlithe!" Aiden yelled hopefully. "Don't give up!"

Grimacing, Growlithe slowly got to his paws, but once he was up, it seemed that there would be no getting him back down. He was strong, or at least strong willed. At this, Aiden grinned. He loved seeing that in a Pokémon.

"Growl," Growlithe looked back at Aiden.

"I believe in you," Aiden nodded with a big grin on his face. "Use dig, one more time!"

Growlithe began to claw into the dirt, this time faster than before. Lt. Surge growled and seemed fairly irritated that he hadn't been able to get the fire type down yet. "Raichu, thunderbolt in the hole!"

Raichu built up his electricity, but couldn't manage to fire it off before Growlithe emerged from a new hole, coming up right beneath Raichu and sending him flying.

"How did Growlithe beat out Raichu's thunderbolt?" Michelle gasped.

"It seems to take Raichu an awfully long time to charge up his electric attacks," Brandon noted. "I wonder why."

Raichu landed back on the battlefield, wincing in pain as his ears twitched. Lt. Surge was seething as he barked, "Raichu, get up! That's an order!"

The electric mouse managed to pull himself up, but just barely. It was obvious that he was tired and pretty worn. At this point in the battle, it was Aiden who had a clear advantage.

"Growlithe, I've got an idea," Aiden grinned at his Pokémon, who looked intrigued. "Run in circles around Raichu!"

Growlithe tilted his head, not quite understanding what Aiden had in mind. None the less, he followed his trainer's orders, charging towards Raichu and dashing around the electric mouse at the fastest pace possible. Raichu followed the fire type with his beady black eyes, quickly becoming flustered by the speed of which Growlithe was going at.

"Raichu, don't get distracted by it!" Lt. Surge barked.

"Rai…rai…" Raichu whimpered.

"Growlithe, use bite!" Aiden called.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Growlithe jumped in front of Raichu and bit the electric type, causing the mouse to cry out in severe pain.

"Raichu!" Lt. Surge yelled.

Raichu staggered backwards, holding onto the spot that Growlithe had sunk his teeth into. The puppy Pokémon looked quite proud of himself, his tail flicking back and forth as he stood strongly on all four paws.

"Raichu, don't give up!" Lt. Surge ordered. "Thunderbolt!"

Raichu tried to power up his thunderbolt, but it just wasn't working. No matter how hard he tried, the electric mouse just couldn't garner enough power to unleash his best attack.

"Time to end this," Aiden grinned. "Growlithe, finish it off with ember!"

The fire Pokémon jumped up in the air and spit out his ember attack, causing it to collide dead on with Raichu and send the electric type down, injured and totally unable to battle.

"What?!" Ryder gasped from behind Lt. Surge.

"Raichu is unable to battle, Growlithe is the winner!" Taran held his right arm out. "Which means the victor is Aiden Ketchum from Cerulean City!"

"Yes!" Aiden cheered. "We did it, Growlithe!"

Barking and wagging his tail, Growlithe ran over to Aiden and began jumping on his hind legs, holding his front paws on Aiden's legs. Laughing, the young trainer gathered the puppy into his arms, hugging the fire type and holding him in the air.

"Argh," Lt. Surge growled quietly, walking over to Raichu and kneeling down next to his longtime partner. "You okay there, Raichu?"

"Rai," Raichu nodded, slowly getting back to his feet. Lt. Surge smiled at the mouse and patted him on the head before getting back to his feet and placing his hands on his hips, beaming at Aiden on the opposite side of the field.

"That battle was pretty electrifyin'!" Lt. Surge declared. "You're the real deal, Aiden."

"Thanks," Aiden replied earnestly. Suddenly, he seemed shocked as he looked back at the electric type gym leader and gawked, "wait, you didn't call me "baby"!"

"Nah, I only call challengers that 'til they beat me in battle," Lt. Surge chuckled. "And you certainly aren't a baby no more!"

"Oh, I see," Aiden raised an eyebrow, "I guess."

Reaching into his pocket, Lt. Surge pulled out a badge that seemed to resemble a sun. Walking over to Aiden, he held out his hand and announced to the boy, "Here's your thunder badge. Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Aiden took the badge and held it in the air so it sparkled in the dim lights of the Vermilion gym.

"Great job, Aiden!" Brandon complimented the slightly younger boy. "Two badges, now!"

"Yep, and it feels awesome!" Aiden grinned. "I couldn't have done it without Growlithe, either."

Growlithe yipped happily and licked Aiden's cheek, causing the boy to chuckle.

"Lt. Surge, sir, may I ask you a question?"

Aiden and Brandon were taken off guard when they realized that Michelle was now standing in front of them, Pichu still in her arms but no longer looking so timid.

"Of course, baby," Lt. Surge smirked, causing Michelle to growl under her breath.

"That attack your Raichu used in battle…charge beam," Michelle raised her eyes so she was staring Lt. Surge straight in his own black orbs, "could you teach it to my Pichu?"

The entire gym went silent. Everyone was staring at Michelle in complete surprise, except for Surge, who simply looked contemplative. Michelle kept a determined expression, while Pichu mimicked that same face. She wanted to learn it just as badly; Pichu wanted to be strong for Michelle. Pichu wanted to be the best battler she could possibly be. She didn't want to be called a baby anymore, even though she still was.

"That's quite a request, baby," Lt. Surge chuckled.

"Your Raichu is amazingly powerful," Michelle stressed, "and I want my Pichu to be just as strong, one day. But…you were right. Pichu won't get any stronger if she only knows two attacks. And that charge beam was incredible! So…please…could you help me teach that attack to Pichu?"

Twisting his mouth, Lt. Surge finally showed off a more compassionate smile as he asked, "you're quite determined, aren't ya'?"

"Yes, sir," Michelle nodded just once.

"Just like your father," Lt. Surge hummed amusedly. "Alright, baby, I'll do it! But I'm warnin' ya', it ain't gonna' be easy!"

"It's no fun if it's easy," Michelle smirked, a glint going off in her emerald eyes.

"Lt. Surge!" Ryder gasped. "You're really gonna' help this kid's Pichu out, just like that?!"

Turning around to face the teenager, Lt. Surge adopted a sterner look. "Ryder, you know it's the job of a gym leader to help trainers. Don't go acting all high and mighty. You know you don't got the right."

Ryder grimaced, but didn't respond. It was obvious enough that he was ticked. This amused Aiden. Ryder had been ticking the boy off since he first answered the door and insulted the younger boy.

"Let's go outside behind the gym," Lt. Surge decided. "There's more room to practice out there." Looking over his shoulder, he called, "Taran, Eva, come outside and observe! Ryder, cool yourself off and come on the double."

"Yes, sir," Ryder grumbled.

I like writing Lt. Surge, haha. He's fun to write.

So, yeah, I had to cut the chapter. It was getting WAY too long, and if I had kept it that way, it would've been way too monotonous. Since the next part is basically attatched, though, I might put it up later in the week; earlier than Friday. What do you think? You can tell me in a review, that would be super helpful, as almost all of your awesome reviews are :D

Until next time, see ya!