SEE? I TOLD you I wouldn't take as long on this chapter! Yes, it wasn't up as fast as the two before this one, but like I said: this is a gym battle. They take me a little while longer because it starts to feel repetitive after a while. But I got it done! And I gotta say: this battle is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself! So, sit back and enjoy the gym battle!
LAST TIME: Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon end up running into Kenneth, who just so happens to be the Cinnabar Island gym leader. He tells them about how his grandfather used to be the gym leader up until his death, with him giving been specifically trained in order to take over the gym. Excited to challenge for his next gym badge, Aiden asks Kenneth for a battle, who quickly agrees. They are taken inside of the volcano where the gym is, and Kenneth's first Pokémon is revealed: Charmeleon!
Chapter 40: Fighting Fire with Fire!
"I don't believe it…" Aiden breathed, staring at the Pokémon standing before Kenneth. "It's a…Charmeleon!"
"Pretty neat, huh?" Kenneth questioned.
"But…I thought you were from Johto!" Aiden cried.
"I am," Kenneth confirmed. "But when I moved here to live with my grandfather, he gifted me with a Charmander that he'd found in the wild. It was one that he'd worked very hard to capture, and was originally going to keep it for himself. But seeing the potential I had, he decided that he wanted me to become Charmander's trainer. We've worked really hard ever since then, and he evolved into Charmeleon not too long after my grandpa passed away."
"Aw, that's such a great story," Michelle crooned.
"The story may be sweet, but that Charmeleon is going to be anything but as an opponent," Brandon noted.
"Charmeleon…" Aiden repeated, pulling out his pokedex to scan the creature.
Charmeleon, the flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmander. Charmeleon typically have a very vicious nature, and prefer to battle stronger opponents. When it swings its tail, the temperature of Charmeleon's flame rises.
"Charmeleon is definitely a cool Pokémon," Aiden commented, putting his pokedex away. "But I think Wartortle and I have this!"
"Alright then," Rae hummed, throwing both of her arms up in the air. "Battle begin!"
"We'll take the first move," Aiden declared, smirking at Kenneth. "Wartortle, use water gun!"
The turtle Pokémon yelped affirmatively and fired off a powerful water gun at the fire type standing across from him.
"Charmeleon, quick!" Kenneth cried. "Dodge and use metal claw!"
Charmeleon leapt over the water gun expertly before holding out one of his claws, which began to glow in a bright white. He came down quickly on Wartortle, slashing the water type across the face with his steel type move.
"Wartortle!" Aiden gasped.
"Nice work, Charmeleon!" Kenneth complimented his Pokémon. "Your athleticism is just awesome!"
"Char," Charmeleon growled in response.
Man that Charmeleon is fast, Aiden thought bitingly to himself. We're gonna have to find a way around that.
"Wartortle, bubble beam, let's go!" Aiden commanded.
Wartortle pulled his head back and unleashed a stream of bubbles at Charmeleon. The fire type, however, did not seem at all phased and managed to roll out of the way.
"Charmeleon, fire fang!" Kenneth ordered.
The flame Pokémon got back up and ran towards Wartortle, opening up his mouth to reveal a rush of fire emerging from the teeth in his mouth.
"Let's show them you can be fast, too!" Aiden seethed. "Wartortle, dodge and use bite!"
Teeth bared, Wartortle just managed to get out of the way of Charmeleon's fire fang, making a quick turnaround to sink his own teeth into the back of the fire type's neck.
"Charmeleon!" Kenneth gasped.
"That's it, Wartortle!" Aiden cheered. "Quick, now try water gun again!"
Wartortle blasted off his signature water attack, which managed to hit Charmeleon right in the face. It sent the flame Pokémon flying back, much to Aiden's excitement and Kenneth's chagrin.
"I've got to do something, and fast," Kenneth muttered to himself. "Charmeleon, get up and use overheart!"
"Overheat?" Michelle repeated.
"Overheat is an extremely powerful fire type move," Brandon explained to Michelle. "It's most powerful the first time you use it, and then any time afterwards, it becomes weaker and weaker. But it's still a pretty vicious move."
The two watched as Charmeleon's entire body began to glow red. Once the glow intensified, Charmeleon opened his mouth and unleashed a bright white fire, surrounded by a burning flame in the colors of orange and yellow. It came too hard and too fast for Wartortle to move out of the way, and took down the turtle Pokémon in a near instant. Aiden gasped in horror, unable to say a thing as the fire cleared up and a rather charred Wartortle was visible on the ground.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Kenneth commented. "Grandpa taught Charmeleon that move when he was still a Charmander! It's without a doubt Charmeleon's strongest."
"Considering how much damage it did to a water type, that's hard to argue with," Brandon muttered.
"Wartortle, get up!" Aiden urged. "Come on, I know you can do it!"
It took a few moments, some of them painfully shaky, but soon enough, Wartortle was back on his feet and glaring firmly at Charmeleon.
"Tough Pokémon you've got," Kenneth whistled, obviously impressed by Wartortle's resiliency.
"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Aiden remarked. "Wartortle, rapid spin!"
Wartortle ducked his head, legs, and arms into his shell before launching at the fire type, his shell spinning in a continuous circle. Fortunately, the speed of Wartortle's rapid spin was too much for Charmeleon to process, and he was quickly taken out by the attack.
"Charmeleon!" Kenneth gasped. "Get up! Quick!"
"I'm not about to let that happen," Aiden quipped. "Wartortle, use…what?"
As Charmeleon was struggling to get back to his feet, his entire body began to glow white, leading everyone's eyes to widen.
"No way…" Michelle breathed.
"I can't believe it," Rae marveled. "Charmeleon is evolving!"
In a matter of seconds, the formerly small figure of Charmeleon became a much more hulking presence, with a bigger, longer tail, two horns in the back of his head, and a pair of powerful wings emerging from his back. Once the light faded, the newly evolved Pokémon let out a tremendous roar, earning an amazed gasp from Aiden.
"Charizard…" he murmured.
"It looks almost as powerful as Dad's!" Michelle remarked, pulling out her pokedex.
Charizard, the flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmeleon. Charizard's flamethrower can melt almost anything, and its fire only grows hotter as it gains experience.
"This is going to be a real challenge for Wartortle," Brandon commented. "He's already pretty worn down from the battle so far. But after evolving, Charizard is definitely much stronger than he was before. Not to mention he now has the ability to fly."
"I hope Wartortle can get the job done," Michelle sighed.
"Let the battle resume!" Rae declared.
"Let's not waste any more time, Charizard!" Kenneth called. "Metal claw!"
Charizard roared yet again and lifted himself up into the air with the flapping of his wings. Soaring towards Wartortle, Charizard held down a glowing claw, holding it out threateningly towards the water type.
"Don't be intimidated by Charizard!" Aiden warned his Pokémon. "Jump and use water gun!"
Wartortle simply nodded his head and used his hind legs to leap up in the air, high above Charizard's head. Before Charizard could react, Wartortle unleashed his best water type attack, spraying it right at Charizard's head. The flame Pokémon roared in pain and began to sail down towards the battle field.
"Compound it with rapid spin!" Aiden commanded.
As Wartortle himself began to fall back down, he tucked himself into his shell and increased his falling speed, descending so fast that the air around his shell became visible. In one quick second, Wartortle's spinning shell collided with the back of Charizard's neck, bringing the fire type even more pain as he was slammed directly into the dirt below.
"Charizard!" Kenneth gasped.
Wartortle's limbs re-emerged from the shell, and he landed skillfully on his feet several feet away from Charizard, panting heavily as he stared dead ahead along with his trainer. Once the dust settled, Charizard's limp figure became visible, his eyes closed as a pained groan escaped his mouth.
"Charizard is unable to battle," Rae announced. "Wartortle is the winner!"
"You did it, buddy!" Aiden cheered, earning a smirk from his partner.
Kenneth, on the other hand, smiled sadly before returning Charizard to his poke ball. Raising the sphere to his lips, Kenneth whispered, "You did good, Charizard. I'm proud of you. Especially for evolving right in the middle of the battle. Grandpa would have been impressed!"
"I can't believe Wartortle managed to take down Charizard," Michelle admitted. "And in just two hits!"
"Charizard is weak to water, and he had just as tough a battle against Wartortle before evolving," Brandon mused. "So I guess anything is possible."
"Now Kenneth has two Pokémon left to Aiden's three," Michelle added. "And they're all fire types! Maybe Aiden could sweep him!"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Brandon warned.
"I have to admit, Aiden, I'm quite impressed myself," Kenneth called across to the younger male. "Not that I was underestimating you anyway, being the son of a gym leader and the Pokémon Master. But seeing you in action is a whole different story! You really don't battle like a ten year old."
"Thanks!" Aiden chirped. "That's a big compliment coming from you!"
"But just because I'm impressed doesn't mean I'm going to let you win this thing," Kenneth continued, an impish grin appearing on his face as he pulled out his next poke ball.
"Hey, I wouldn't want it any other way," Aiden replied, his own smirk showing up.
"You're up next, Magby!" Kenneth cried, tossing the poke ball. "Let's go!"
The ball popped open and released a small, red Pokémon with a yellow beak-like mouth and black collar.
"Oh, what a cutie!" Michelle gushed, once again whipping out her pokedex. "I've got to check it out!"
Magby, the live coal Pokémon. The color of its flames determine its health. Magby are typically found living in volcanic craters, and greatly enjoy playing in lava.
"Magby is a baby Pokémon, just like Pichu," Brandon elucidated, earning a happy squeak from the little mouse.
"A baby Pokémon?" Michelle repeated, her eyes shining. "Oh! That means Wartortle will have no problem!"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Brandon murmured, bringing out a confused stare from Michelle.
"Battle, begin!" Rae called.
"This is a piece of cake," Aiden chuckled. "Wartortle, water gun!"
This command caused Kenneth to smirk. "Magby, jump and use smoke screen."
"Mag!"
In a similar fashion to Wartortle before, Magby jumped up in the air and pointed his mouth downward, unleashing a cloud of smog. Wartortle quickly halted his water gun, standing in one place and looking around desperately.
"Oh no, Wartortle can't see through all of that smoke!" Michelle gasped.
"Magby may be a baby, but that small stature is a huge advantage," Brandon noted. "It means Magby can move faster than most of its opponents, Wartortle included."
"Now that we've got Wartortle trapped, use fire spin!" Kenneth commanded.
Mouth still pointed downwards, Magby spit out a swirling burst of fire, which quickly engulfed Wartortle and began to burn his body up.
"Wartortle!" Aiden cried.
"Now, fire punch!" Kenneth yelled.
Diving back down towards the battle field, Magby held out a fist that was soon covered in flames. Almost as soon as the smoke cleared and left Wartortle vulnerable, Magby's fire punch made contact with the top of Wartortle's head, causing the turtle Pokémon to cry out in pain and stumble backwards onto his shell.
"No!" Aiden shrieked.
"Wartortle is unable to battle," Rae announced. "Magby is the winner!"
"W-what?!" Michelle gasped.
"Not so much of a baby, is it?" Brandon muttered.
"Pi," Pichu remarked, sounding rather impressed.
Frowning, Aiden pulled out Wartortle's poke ball and returned the defeated water type, looking down thoughtfully at the dual colored sphere.
"Can't underestimate my Magby," Kenneth commented, regaining Aiden's attention. "He's a tough one, for sure."
Aiden grimaced and retrieved his second poke ball. "Your Magby is good, but I'm not about to give in. Shinx, I choose you!"
The electric type emerged, her yellow eyes glowing bright with confidence.
"Alright, Shinx is up next!" Michelle cheered.
"Interesting choice," Brandon mused.
"Battle, begin!"
"Shinx, use tackle!" Aiden ordered.
Shinx charged forward, lowering her head to conform to proper tackle technique. Kenneth, however, was standing completely still, not looking at all ready to give Magby a command.
"Why is Kenneth just standing there?" Michelle questioned. "Magby is gonna get hit!"
Brandon hummed, but didn't outwardly respond. Instead, he just watched as Shinx's attack made contact, sending Magby backwards and bringing some considerable pain to the live coal Pokémon. As soon as Shinx landed back on her paws, however, her body became engulfed by flames for a few short seconds, causing the electric type to cry out in pain.
"What?!" Aiden gasped.
"That's what I thought," Brandon breathed, leading Michelle to furrow her brow.
"What?" She prodded.
"Magby's special ability," Brandon groaned. "Flame body."
"When a Pokémon who possesses the ability flame body is hit by a physical contact move, there is a chance that the opposing Pokémon might become burned," Kenneth explained for both Aiden and Michelle. "In this case, Magby's special ability was activated, and because she used tackle, which is a move that makes physical contact, Shinx became burned."
"That's a status condition," Michelle breathed. "Which means it's going to affect Shinx for the rest of the battle."
"Aiden is going to have to be careful in how he uses Shinx from now on," Brandon added. "Now that she's burned, she's going to lose energy more quickly than usual."
"Better be smart about this," Aiden muttered to himself. "Shinx, spark!"
From the same spot, Shinx began firing off blue electricity, which eventually made contact with Magby and shocked the baby Pokémon.
"Nice!" Michelle cheered.
"Magby, come on!" Kenneth encouraged. "Fire punch!"
Getting back to his feet, Magby charged forward with a flaming fist. As he got closer and closer to Shinx, however, Aiden only became more determined.
"Shinx, quick!" Aiden cried. "Counter it with thunder fang!"
Shinx started to run towards Magby, opening up her mouth to reveal flying sparks. Once the two Pokémon were just inches apart, Magby's fire punch just grazed against Shinx's fur, not causing the electric type any real damage. As the punch sailed past her, however, Shinx was able to bite down into Magby's arm, giving the fire type a good jolt.
"No way!" Kenneth gasped.
"Way to go, Shinx!" Aiden cheered. "That was awesome!"
Magby fell to the ground, with Shinx standing menacingly overhead. The burn affected her once again, but despite this, the smile remained on the electric type's face, making her appear totally unfazed by the status condition.
"Shinx, while Magby is down, use bite!" Aiden ordered.
Shinx opened her mouth and bit down on the side of Magby's face, causing the fire type to cry out in pain.
"Magby, fire punch again!" Kenneth commanded.
Reaching up with a flaming fist, Magby managed to connect with the side of Shinx's face, finally getting the electric type off of him. She went sailing backwards, but managed to skid on her paws, shooting a menacing glare Magby's way all the while.
"Nice work, Shinx!" Aiden complimented his Pokémon. She was soon overtaken by burn again, crying out in pain as Aiden winced. "Alright, no more wasting time. Shinx, tackle!"
As Shinx charged forward, Kenneth growled and furrowed his brow.
"Magby, get in there as well!" Kenneth shouted. "Fire punch, again!"
Magby ran towards Shinx, holding out his fist as it was once again engulfed in flames. This time, both attacks made contact, and the sheer impact created an explosion around both Pokémon. Aiden and Kenneth winced and turned away from the field, trying to protect their eyes from the flying dust. Once it at all settled, and they were able to look again, the two trainers were met with the sight of their unconscious Pokémon.
"Both Magby and Shinx are unable to battle!" Rae announced. "This round is a tie!"
"This is crazy," Michelle remarked as both Aiden and Kenneth returned their Pokémon. "They both have just one Pokémon left!"
"Everything hangs on this last battle," Brandon added. "It's intense, to say the least."
"This has been some battle," Kenneth remarked. "I'm almost upset that it has to end!"
"Me too," Aiden agreed. "But I'm sure I won't be so upset when I come out of here with a win!"
"Confident," Kenneth hummed, smirking at the younger trainer. "Why am I not surprised?"
Aiden returned Kenneth's expression and pulled out his third and final poke ball. "Because you shouldn't be!"
Kenneth chuckled and retrieved his own poke ball. "Guess you have a point! Alright then. Let's see if you can live up to your own hype! Slugma, you're up!"
A Pokémon made entirely out of lava appeared before Kenneth, with no arms or legs and a pair of massive yellow eyes with beady black pupils.
"I don't think I've ever seen that Pokémon before," Michelle mused, scanning it with her pokedex.
Slugma, the lava Pokémon. Its circulatory system is made entirely of magma. To prevent its body from cooling and hardening, Slugma never sleeps or stops moving.
"A little bit creepy, if you ask me," Michelle commented.
"I wonder which Pokémon Aiden is going to choose to go against Slugma," Brandon wondered aloud. "He already used Wartortle, after all."
"Well, I hope he's not going to use Ledian," Michelle replied. "Sending a bug type against a Pokémon made entirely out of magma isn't exactly the best idea."
"Growlithe, I choose you!" Aiden suddenly yelled, tossing the dual colored sphere that he held in his hand.
"Ah, Growlithe," Brandon muttered with a smile as the puppy Pokémon was released. "Not a bad choice!"
"Yeah, a fire type versus a fire type," Michelle noted, her eyes shining. "This is going to be so much fun to watch!"
"Alright, it's the last round!" Rae announced. "Let the battle begin!"
"Since fire type moves aren't going to do much against another fire type, we'll have to try something else," Aiden decided. "Growlithe, use dig!"
The puppy Pokémon yipped just once before digging into the battlefield, disappearing beneath the dusty surface.
"Feel the movements beneath the field, Slugma," Kenneth warned. "Or else Growlithe is going to jump up and surprise us."
Slugma nodded and closed its eyes, trying to focus. Within a matter of seconds, however, Growlithe emerged from the ground, right up against Slugma and sending the lava Pokémon flying into the air.
"Direct hit!" Michelle cheered.
"Rebound, Slugma!" Kenneth ordered. "Rock slide!"
A glowing white ring appeared around Slugma's body, forming rocks along with it. Those same rocks started to shower down on Growlithe.
"Dodge it!" Aiden barked.
The fire type began to jump from side to side, successfully avoiding each and every rock. When the last one came down, however, Growlithe wasn't fast enough, and he ended up being hit by it.
"Growlithe!" Aiden gasped.
"Great work, Slugma," Kenneth complimented his Pokémon as it landed back on the ground. "Now, use ember!"
Slugma opened his mouth and spit out sparks of orange and yellow flames. Aiden, however, was not at all deterred by this.
"Growlithe, counter it with your own ember!" Aiden commanded.
Growlithe unleashed the same exact attack, both of them colliding at center field and evaporating into nothing.
"Both of those ember attacks are an even match," Brandon noted. "Equal strength, same power…wow."
"Growlithe, try bite!" Aiden ordered.
Growlithe ran forward and opened up his mouth, revealing sharp white fangs.
"Slugma, wait until Growlithe gets closer, and then use harden," Kenneth commanded.
As soon as Growlithe was within inches of Slugma, the lava Pokémon's body began to glow bright red. Once Growlithe's teeth made contact, the puppy Pokémon was sent sailing backwards, whimpering as he shook his head out.
"Man, that harden is a real roadblock," Aiden grumbled. "Alright. Growlithe, use ember, one more time!"
Growlithe took a step back before snarling and opening his mouth to unleash a second ember. Instead of the usual small bits of flame, however, an entire burst of fire emerged from Growlithe's mouth, causing everyone to gasp.
"That's not ember!" Michelle marveled.
"No, it's flamethrower!" Brandon commented. "And that's even more powerful than ember!"
Kenneth, who was too shocked to give Slugma any command, could only watch as his Pokémon was ambushed by Growlithe's newly learned attack.
"Incredible…" Kenneth breathed.
"Way to go, Growlithe!" Aiden cheered. "You're awesome!"
"Growl!" Growlithe barked.
"Well, looks like I got lucky in the first round, and now it's Aiden's turn," Kenneth remarked. "But I'm not about to let a flamethrower scare me! Slugma, recover!"
Slugma's body glowed yellow for a short while before disappearing, leaving Slugma looking perkier than before.
"It just restored part of its energy," Brandon noted. "That's a dangerous move right there. Aiden is going to have to have Growlithe keep chipping away at Slugma and just hope he can knock it out before recover is used again."
"Growlithe, dig, let's go!" Aiden ordered.
The puppy Pokémon barked and dug himself underground, once again hiding himself from Slugma, who quickly became flustered.
"Slugma, we've already done this once before!" Kenneth called. "Just relax and focus on what you feel!"
Slugma nodded and closed his eyes once more, trying to feel what was coming from beneath the ground. He sensed Growlithe coming towards him, so he jumped to the right in order to avoid the attack. Within seconds, however, Growlithe emerged from the right as well, taking Slugma out from below.
"What?!" Kenneth shrieked.
"Nice work, Growlithe!" Aiden chuckled.
"Wow, that was incredible!" Michelle marveled.
"Slugma may have been able to sense which direction Growlithe was coming from, but Growlithe could also sense Slugma moving out of the way!" Brandon crowed. "So he was able to adjust his course in order to score a direct hit on his opponent! Brilliant!"
"Now, Growlithe, use flamethrower again!" Aiden ordered.
While still floating in the air along with Slugma, Growlithe fired off a flamethrower at the falling lava Pokémon, blasting him back down towards the Earth and straight into the battlefield.
"Yes!" Michelle cheered. "Major damage!"
"That flamethrower might not have done much, but colliding with the field certainly does," Brandon chimed in.
"Slugma, get up!" Kenneth pleaded. "I know you can!"
Slowly, the fire type began to lift himself out of the crater that had been formed as a result of his collision. At first, it seemed Slugma had a handle on things, and would be ready to trade blows with Growlithe once again. But as soon as the lava Pokémon managed to sit himself up, he fell back down, groaning in a defeated fashion.
"Slugma…" Kenneth breathed.
"Slugma is unable to battle," Rae declared, holding her right arm out. "Which means the winner of this match is Aiden Ketchum of Cerulean City!"
"We did it!" Aiden chuckled, jumping up and down as Growlithe yipped happily. "Alright! Come 'ere, Growlithe!"
The puppy Pokémon whipped around and ran towards his trainer, jumping into the boy's arms and licking his face repeatedly.
"Haha, you did awesome, Growlithe!" Aiden laughed. "That flamethrower really pushed us over the edge! I'm so proud of you!"
"Growl!" Growlithe barked, his ears perking as his tail wagged wildly.
"Excellent work, Aiden!"
The young trainer looked up to find Kenneth moving towards him, a big smile on his face.
"Kenneth!" Aiden murmured, jumping to his feet.
"That was such an amazing battle!" Rae squealed, running over to the two. "I know I was just supposed to referee, but I was really getting into it! I felt like a total fan of both of you!"
"It was certainly a good one," Kenneth agreed. "That was a real challenge! You impressed me, Aiden. Really! I haven't had a battle like that in a long time. It reminded me of all the battles I used to watch my grandfather have!"
"That's a really big compliment," Aiden nearly whispered, his eyes lighting up. "I'm honored!"
"Here," Kenneth hummed, holding his hand out towards Aiden. "You've earned this: the Volcano Badge."
Aiden's mouth formed an 'O' shape as he reached out to gently take the badge from Kenneth's palm. It was bright red in color and shaped like a flame, with a small pink diamond sparkling in the center.
"Alright!" Aiden cheered, holding the badge up high above his head. "I won the Volcano Badge!"
"Growl!" Growlithe added with an excited yip.
"But that's not all!"
Aiden bustled and looked back down at Kenneth, who was smirking.
"What do you mean?" Aiden asked.
"I've got something else you might be interested in," Kenneth continued, reaching into the pocket of his pants. "I've been holding onto this for a little while, waiting to give it to someone who I thought was worthy of its power. And I think you might just be the one!"
In his hand, Kenneth held a shining yellow stone with the mark of fire visible inside. It shimmered in the light, and almost immediately, Aiden knew what it was.
"A fire stone?" Aiden breathed.
"It was a gift from my grandfather," Kenneth explained. "He really was passionate about all things fire! He had told me time and time again about what this can do for a Pokémon, and how it can increase a Pokémon's power. If you use this fire stone on Growlithe, he'll evolve into Arcanine!"
"Arcanine?" Aiden repeated, glancing down at Growlithe. The puppy Pokémon was still panting from the battle, his fluffy cream tail wagging eagerly back and forth.
"Arcanine is super powerful!" Michelle giggled, running up next to her brother. "And it's also super gorgeous!"
"If you evolved Growlithe into Arcanine, he'd become even stronger!" Brandon added. "A real tough opponent to battle."
"I don't know…" Aiden murmured. "Growlithe and I have been training together for a while now. Using a fire stone is permanent, and it's a big change. It's a big decision. I'm just not sure."
"Lithe!"
Feeling a tug at his pants, Aiden looked down and found Growlithe to have the material in his mouth.
"Growlithe?" Aiden questioned. "What is it?"
"Growl!" Growlithe yipped once he had let go of Aiden's pant leg. "Growl! Growl-ithe! Growl!"
"Are you telling me that you want to evolve?" Aiden murmured.
"Growl!"
"That means you'll be changed forever," Aiden warned the fire type. "And there's no going back. You're okay with that?"
"Ithe!" Growlithe yipped, nodding his head rapidly.
"Sounds to me like Growlithe wants to get stronger," Kenneth noted. "In fact, he seems to be pretty excited by the idea of evolving!"
Aiden just stared at Growlithe for a few more seconds before finally revealing a genuine smile. "Well…if that's what you want, Growlithe, that's what we'll do!"
Smiling, Kenneth held the stone out towards Aiden, who slowly turned and took the stone himself. Kneeling down, the young trainer gently touched the stone against Growlithe's forehead and watched on as the fire type's body began to glow a bright white, the stone shrinking into nothing. Taking a step back, Aiden watched as his Pokémon tripled in size, fur growing longer and body becoming more muscular. Once the glow dissipated, Aiden finally saw his newly evolved Pokémon in his entire glory: jagged black stripes, visible fangs, a fiercer face, and an overall larger stature.
"Whoa…" Aiden marveled, earning an accomplished grin from Arcanine as he pulled out his pokedex. "Let's see…"
Arcanine, the legendary Pokémon, and the evolved form of Growlithe. Arcanine is a fiercely brave and loyal Pokémon. They are able to run so fast for such long periods of time that it appears to be flying.
"This is amazing!" Aiden laughed, running up to Arcanine and scratching the regal Pokémon behind his ears. "You and I are going all the way to the top of the Indigo League, aren't we, Arcanine?"
"Arc!" Arcanine barked, wagging his tail back and forth.
"Great plan, Aiden," Michelle remarked with a giggle. "But you two aren't getting to the top of anything until after my next Contest!"
"Hey, go for it, Shelly!" Aiden encouraged. "Arcanine and I can wait just a bit longer, I'm sure. Right, Arcanine?"
"Nine!"
And there you have it! Growlithe evolved into Arcanine! I think that's why I actually enjoyed writing this battle: a lot went on, with two evolutions and a new move learned.
Just like Michelle said at the end of the chapter, next up is her Contest! Who will she face? Which Pokémon will she use? Will she win her next ribbon? Stay tuned to find out!