AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings, readers! Here is chapter 6 of the continuing adventures of Tristan, Hillary and Pikachu. They finally make it to Pewter City for Tristan's first Gym Battle. There's plenty of action in this chapter, plus a lesson to be learned in friendship between Trainers and Pokémon. As always, please feel free to leave any and all feedback and enjoy!
TEASER: Tristan, Hillary, Pikachu, and their friend, Brock, have finally made it to Pewter City. Will Tristan have what it takes to win his first Gym Badge?
Chapter 6: TRISTAN'S FIRST GYM BATTLE
(Music Cue: Route 1: The Road to Viridian City M18A)
Pewter City: A Stone-Gray city, covered in what else—stone. Located in the northwest part of Kanto, it is surrounded by cliff faces. The city's main attractions were the Pewter Museum of Science and the Pewter City Gym, which is where Tristan hopes to earn his very first Gym Badge. A personal attraction is Brock's house, which is his main attraction.
Tristan, Hillary, and Brock made good time and made it to Pewter City during the mid-afternoon hours.
"Let's go to the Gym right away!" said Tristan and started to run as fast as he could, but Brock stopped him.
"Wait! You shouldn't rush these things," advised Brock.
"He's right," added Hillary. "Don't you need to do something first? Like heal your Pokémon? You want to be a Champion, don't you?"
"Oh, that's right," said Tristan. He realized that the health of his Pokémon came first. His Pokémon had just been involved in a heated, but difficult, battle against Blue, who had used a Spearow and an Eevee. They also managed to escape from a horde of angry Beedrill thanks to Pikachu's Thundershock. "All right, let's go."
(Music Cue: Pokémon Center M77A)
They stopped off at a Pokémon Center where they greeted Nurse Joy.
"Hi, Nurse Joy!" said Tristan excitedly. "Do you remember us? You let us stay over at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City."
"That was so nice of you," added Hillary.
"I'm very sorry, but I don't know any of you," she replied. "You must have been thinking of my younger sister."
"You have a younger sister?" asked Hillary.
"That's right," said Nurse Joy. "I happen to be a part of the Joy family in this picture." She showed Tristan and Hillary a photo where a bunch of Nurse Joys were standing in front of the very Pokémon Center they were visiting.
"Well, when you've seen one Nurse Joy, you've seen them all," said Tristan.
"That's only partially true," smiled Brock. "This Nurse Joy happens to be the oldest of the Kanto Nurse Joy clan."
"You can tell them apart, Brock?" asked Hillary, who by this time was very surprised.
"See for yourself by the color of the plus on their nursing caps," he said as he showed Tristan and Hillary the photo a little more closely.
They were surprised to see that he was right.
Then Brock turned around and started flirting with Nurse Joy. "What a beautiful place for a beautiful Nurse Joy!" he said with delight. "I think you're the wisest of them all. But since you're the wisest and most beautiful of all the Nurse Joys I've met, I was hoping that you would be interested in a lovely dinner for two tonight at my place? Of course, dinner will be on me since I can cook. Just say the word and I'll get started right away."
"Um," said Nurse Joy nervously. She never expected anyone to be charmed by her beauty the way Brock was. Tristan and Hillary were clueless.
"What's going on with Brock?" asked Tristan.
"Beats me," answered Hillary.
"Pika," agreed Pikachu.
Tristan had his Pokémon rest at the Pokémon Center before he and the others headed out.
Of course, Brock had to be dragged away in order for that to happen. Nevertheless, he was happy to give them the grand tour of the city. He showed them around the Pewter Museum of Science, which contained historical artifacts like ancient Pokémon fossils.
Tristan and Hillary were most impressed.
"Did these Pokémon really live in the ancient past?" asked Tristan curiously.
"Yes, they did," answered Brock. "In fact, some people say that they have seen real live extinct Pokémon living right before their eyes."
"If that's true, I'd like to meet at least one," said Hillary.
"I want to meet them all," added Tristan.
"We may all get that chance one of these days," said Brock to the others. "There are still Pokémon that even I haven't seen yet."
Just then an announcement came up over the public address system: "The Pewter Museum of Science will close in ten minutes. Repeat: The Pewter Museum of Science will close in ten minutes. Thank you for visiting us today."
"I guess we'd better get going to my place," said Brock. "I'll see what my other siblings are up to."
"I'm up for it," said Tristan.
"Me, too," said Hillary.
"Why don't we have our Gym Battle tomorrow?" suggested Brock. "It's getting late, and besides, I want to make sure that my Pokémon are in tip top shape, too."
"It's a deal, Brock," said Tristan as he and the others made their way to Brock's residence.
Brock's brothers and sisters were waiting for his return. They were happy when the door opened and Brock stepped in.
"Hey, it's Brock!" they all said at once. They were obviously very happy to see him.
"Hey, guys!" he replied. "It's great to see you!" He introduced Tristan and Hillary to them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said Tristan. But then he noticed that they all wanted to take a turn holding Pikachu.
One of Brock's siblings was squeezing Pikachu's cheeks while another was playing with its ears.
The stress level on Pikachu was rising, and so were the electricity levels on its cheeks.
Tristan had to rush in there and grab Pikachu in order to prevent Brock's siblings from getting shocked, and did so just in time, but not before getting zapped himself. Tristan collapsed on the floor.
"Are you all right, Tristan?" asked Hillary.
"Say something!" said Brock worriedly.
"Bad idea," said Tristan, who was feeling rather stunned.
Pikachu apologized and scratched its head.
After everyone recovered from that fiasco, Brock decided to fix dinner for the entire family. In the meantime, Tristan wanted to learn more about Brock's family. He was especially interested in one of Brock's younger brothers, who was named Forrest.
"I want to be a Pokémon trainer just like you are, Tristan," he said to him. "I know you just started, but can you tell me what you learned on your journey so far?"
(Music Cue: Reunion)
"Well, Forrest," said Tristan, "I know Electric Pokémon like Pikachu have the advantage over flying types like Pidgey and Spearow. And when some Pokémon gain enough experience in battling, they will evolve into stronger creatures."
"That's cool, Tristan," said Forrest. "It's just that I don't have any Pokémon and I want to battle just like you do."
"I know how you feel, Forrest," said Hillary. "I don't have any Pokémon yet either. I'm travelling with Tristan so I could learn from him. Right now, he's preparing for his first Gym Battle."
"Brock is going to be really tough to beat," said Forrest. "I'll be watching the battle closely so I can figure out what to do."
"Food's ready, everyone!" called Brock from the kitchen.
"Yeah, let's eat!" everyone said as they rushed to the table. Just then, an older person walked in the door.
"Am I too late to help with dinner?" he asked.
"Hi, Dad," said Brock. "Did you deal with tough challengers today?"
"No, I was just helping to clean up the gym," his dad replied. "By the way, what are you doing off of Valencia Island, son? I thought you were helping Professor Ivy out."
Brock groaned and turned blue. "Don't mention that name!" he mused as he sank to the ground.
"Was it something I said, son?" said his father.
"You really don't want to go there," said Hillary. "By the way, who are you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Flint," he said. "I've been running the Gym ever since Brock started journeying with Ash."
Hillary and Tristan introduced themselves to Flint and joined the others for one of Brock's specialty dinners. They thought this dinner was more delicious than the one the night before. Just as Tristan enjoyed the taste of dinner, he was looking forward to the taste of sweet victory in his upcoming Gym Battle.
(Music Cue: Opening & Title Screen (as heard the second time in "Pokémon Emergency!"))
Tristan and Pikachu were up with the sun the next morning preparing for the Gym Battle against Brock. He was a little nervous about how he would fare, so he decided to go out for a run around the city to calm his nerves with Pikachu not far behind. Tristan did a little research about how Pokémon Trainers kept in shape the night before. He found out that they worked out to the max every single day, especially before important battles. So he decided to put it into his daily regimen. He knew that becoming a champion wouldn't be easy.
After Tristan and Pikachu finished working out, they came to the Pewter City Gym. Brock and Hillary were waiting for them.
"You're looking good, you two," complimented Brock. "Did you guys just finish your run?"
"Yes we did," answered Tristan. "Pikachu and I are ready to go."
"No wonder I didn't see you when I woke up," said Hillary. "You didn't even eat breakfast. Luckily for you, I brought you some toast and juice." She brought two pieces of toast and two glasses of juice to Tristan and Pikachu; one for each of them. They were made by Brock himself.
"Thanks, Hillary. You're the best," said Tristan as he quickly ate his breakfast and shared his half with Pikachu.
"Don't forget to thank Brock as well," added Hillary.
The battlefield in the Pewter Gym resembled a rocky terrain. Tristan and Brock took their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield. Forrest came and watched the battle from the bleachers with Hillary. Brock's other siblings joined them. Flint had a red flag in one hand and a green one in another. He explained the rules of the match.
"The Pewter City Gym Battle between Brock the Gym Leader and Tristan the challenger will now begin!" he declared. "Each side will use two Pokémon. The battle will be over when both Pokémon on either side are unable to battle. In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions."
"That should give Tristan an edge in some respect," said Hillary. "But I wonder what Brock will choose. I haven't seen any of his Pokémon before."
"Just wait and see," replied Forrest. "I have a feeling Brock's Pokémon are going to rock his world."
Rock, indeed, for Brock sent out his first Pokémon, which resembled a rock hard gray head with two rocky arms with bulgy muscles like a strong man.
It levitated just above the ground.
Tristan knew that Pokémon was a tough one by the way it looked. He scanned it with his Pokédex.
"Geodude: The Rock Pokémon," it said. "Geodude is found near rocky mountain trails. If this Pokémon is stepped on, it will get angry."
"I wouldn't want to step on one on a bad day," said Tristan. "All right, I've made my choice. Pikachu, go!"
Brock was shocked at the decision. "Are you sure you want to go with Pikachu, Tristan?" he asked.
"I'm positive," replied Tristan. "Pikachu's ready for action."
"Pika!" agreed Pikachu. It jumped into position in front of Tristan and prepared for battle.
"Let the battle begin!" declared Flint raising both flags in the air, signaling that the match was on.
(Music Cue: Kanto Trainer Battle as heard in "The Fourth Round Rumble")))
"Pikachu, let's hit if off right with a Thundershock!" instructed Tristan.
Yellow sparks sizzled out of Pikachu's cheeks then it concentrated the electricity into a lightning bolt which shot out of its body. The attack struck Geodude head on.
"Yes! That was a direct hit!" said Tristan.
However, Geodude wasn't fazed by the attack. It just floated there.
Tristan was shocked, but little did he know that Electric-Type attacks never did any damage to Pokémon like Geodude.
"Come on, Pikachu, try another Thundershock!" instructed Tristan.
Again, Pikachu's sparks sizzled out of its cheeks and concentrated it into a lightning bolt, which struck Geodude, but with the same results.
"Hey, what's up?" asked Tristan. "Why isn't Thundershock working?"
"You don't get it yet, Tristan?" said Brock. "Normally, Pikachu's Thundershock would have been effective, but thanks to Geodude's characteristics as a dual Rock and Ground Type Pokémon, Electric-Type attacks won't do any damage against it. I guess you didn't study up on Pokémon types as much as I thought you did."
"Oh, no!" gasped Hillary. "If Pikachu's Thundershock won't work against Geodude, Tristan will never beat Brock!"
"Geodude, Tackle attack!" ordered Brock.
Geodude rocketed forward toward Pikachu and rammed it hard. The hit seemed to be harder than usual because its body was made of rock. Pikachu struggled to its feet.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack now!" shouted Tristan.
Pikachu sped toward Geodude leaving a white trail behind it. Pikachu hit Geodude head on, but Geodude seemed to absorb the blow, leaving Pikachu to take the damage itself.
"Geodude, Tackle attack now!" commanded Brock.
Again, Geodude charged at Pikachu, who was rubbing its head from its failed attempt at Quick Attack.
"Pikachu, watch out!" yelled Tristan.
But it was too late. Geodude crashed into Pikachu, giving it a clean hit. Pikachu collapsed and fainted.
Flint raised the red flag, declaring Pikachu unable to battle and Geodude the winner.
Tristan blamed himself for Pikachu's loss. He had no idea that Pikachu's Electric-Type attacks had no effect on Geodude. And now, his Pokémon was injured.
"Are you okay, Pikachu?" he asked it.
Pikachu opened its eyes and nodded weakly.
"I'm sorry I blew it, Pikachu," said Tristan. "I didn't know that your attacks wouldn't do any damage. Will you forgive me?"
Pikachu nodded and replied with a weak smile.
"Thank you, Pikachu," he said. Tears of joy came to his eyes.
The rest of Brock's family had the same reaction. They all understood how Tristan cared about his Pokémon. It was such a happy moment that even Brock felt like crying.
"I promise to do better from now on. You just take it easy for awhile," said Tristan to Pikachu as he wiped his tears away. He handed Pikachu to Hillary in the bleachers.
"Will you take care of Pikachu for me?" he asked her.
"Of course," she replied. "You can do it, Tristan."
"Thanks," said Tristan. "I know what to do now." He came back to the battlefield. Brock may have gotten an early lead in the battle, but he knew that this battle wasn't over until it was over. And he had a secret weapon inside his Pokéball. "Butterfree, I choose you!"
(Music Cue: Kanto Wild Pokémon Battle)
He threw Butterfree's Pokéball and out came a purple butterfly with red compound eyes, veined wings, and two black antennae on its head. Butterfree had recently learned Confusion upon evolving. It could be just the break Tristan was waiting for.
"I'm counting on you, Butterfree," he said to it. "Let's give Brock's Pokémon a sample of your attacks."
"Your Butterfree may have learned Confusion when it evolved," said Brock, "but that's not going to stop Geodude from attacking. Keep in mind that I've traveled with my friends Ash and Misty, and have gotten stronger on the road."
"I won't let that stop me from continuing on," said Tristan. "My Pokémon haven't given up yet so I won't either."
"That's the spirit, Tristan!" said Hillary. "Never give up!"
"Continue the battle!" called Flint as he raised both flags to start round two.
"Geodude, Tackle attack!" commanded Brock.
Geodude charged toward Butterfree and almost rammed into it, but at the last second, Butterfree swerved to the left, causing Geodude to miss its mark.
"Butterfree, use your Confusion attack!" ordered Tristan.
Butterfree's eyes glowed in a purple light. As they did, Geodude's outline turned purple. It was under Butterfree's control.
"Geodude, what's wrong?" said Brock, who was getting worried about Geodude.
Geodude tried to escape Butterfree's grip, but it couldn't. There was worse to come for Geodude as it was tossed to the ground hard when Butterfree thrust its head downward. Geodude had fainted.
"Geodude is unable to battle! Butterfree wins!" declared Flint as he raised his green flag.
"Butterfree did it!" said Hillary. "I wasn't expecting that at all."
"What an exciting match," said Forrest. "Brock may be tough, but Tristan seems to be holding his own in battle for now."
Hillary was starting to get nervous. "The only thing that concerns me is Brock's next choice," said Hillary. "I have a feeling that Brock's second Pokémon will be tougher to handle than Geodude. And if that's the case, who knows what Tristan's in for?"
"Go, Onix!" yelled Brock as he threw his second Pokéball.
(Music Cue: Rocket Powered Disaster)
Out came what appeared to be a giant chain of gray boulders which got smaller towards the tail. It had a rocky spine on its head and a pair of black eyes right under it. The Pokémon stood at 28 feet, ten inches tall.
Tristan scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex. He had never seen anything so big.
"Onix: The Rock Snake Pokémon," it said. "This Pokémon burrows underground at high speed in search of food. Despite its size, it can squirm its way underground at 50 miles an hour."
"This could be a problem," said Hillary. "Tristan has never had to face an Onix before. And if it's been on the road while travelling with Brock, who knows how strong it really is?"
"That Onix has always been one of my favorite Pokémon to play with," said Forrest. "I've always wanted to raise it myself."
"Begin!" declared Flint as he raised both flags to start round three.
"Onix, Tackle attack!" commanded Brock. Onix charged towards Butterfree.
"Butterfree, Confusion!" shouted Tristan.
Butterfree's eyes once again glowed in a purple color.
Onix was outlined in the same color.
Even though Confusion was doing some damage to it, Tristan found that Butterfree was having trouble lifting it. Onix was a big and heavy Pokémon while Butterfree was much smaller and lighter.
"Onix, use your Bind attack!" ordered Brock.
With its tail, Onix wrapped it around Butterfree and began squeezing it hard.
"Butterfree, use your Confusion attack to break free!" shouted Tristan.
Butterfree tried using its attack, but the strain of getting squeezed prevented it from using its attack. Onix had a tight grip on Butterfree and wouldn't let go.
"Keep squeezing it, Onix! Don't let up!" ordered Brock.
"This is bad!" said Hillary. "Butterfree's in major trouble! If Tristan doesn't do something, and quick, he's going to lose this match!"
"There's got to be something I can do," thought Tristan. "Confusion won't do me any good if Butterfree can't break free." He noticed that Butterfree's wings weren't restrained as much as its body. He then remembered other attacks that Butterfree could use. It wasn't going to be easy for Butterfree to move, but if his next plan worked, then he might just clinch the match.
"Okay, Butterfree," said Tristan. "Do you think you can give Onix a Sleep Powder attack?"
Butterfree strained as it nodded.
"Okay, go!" he shouted and hoped for the best.
Butterfree flapped its wings furiously as a cloud of blue shining powder scattered from it.
Onix breathed in the powder, but it didn't seem to affect it at first.
"It's not working," thought Tristan as he shut his eyes. "Onix still has a tight grip." But when he opened his eyes again, he noticed that Sleep Powder was starting to take effect on Onix. Its eyes were starting to grow heavy and its grip began to slacken.
(Music Cue: Get Pokémon!)
"It's working!" said Hillary excitedly. "Onix is getting tired!"
"Way to go, Butterfree!" said Tristan. "Keep it up!"
"Hang in there, Onix!" shouted Brock.
Onix's grip was weakening from getting tired. As the Sleep Powder fully engulfed Onix, Butterfree gathered its strength to break free. Onix's eyes closed as it yawned and fell fast asleep.
"Now's our chance, Butterfree," said Tristan. He thrust his pointer finger forward and shouted, "Use Confusion attack at full power now!"
Butterfree's eyes glowed purple. Onix's outline glowed in the same color and was lifted above the ground. Butterfree mustered up all its strength and tossed Onix up and down. At the last thrust, which was more powerful than the rest, Onix crashed into the ground and fainted.
"Onix is unable to battle!" declared Flint. He raised his green flag. "Butterfree wins and the victory goes to Tristan the challenger!"
"We did it, Butterfree!" shouted Tristan excitedly.
Butterfree flew into Tristan's arms and he gave it a hug.
"You were incredible, Butterfree," said Tristan. "I'm proud of you."
"Tristan won!" said Hillary excitedly. "That was definitely a win worth seeing!"
"Astounding," said Forrest, who was awestruck. "I never thought that Brock would lose to a challenger." Then he smiled. "I guess losing is part of what being a Gym Leader is all about."
Forrest's other siblings agreed soon after. Even though they were shocked and saddened at Brock's loss, they knew that it was a good time to celebrate Tristan's victory, too.
Brock returned Onix to its Pokéball and faced Tristan. "Congratulations," he said. "You've shown me that even though I've gotten stronger on the road and returned home, I need to get even stronger. You've demonstrated great willpower and friendship during today's battle. If you keep that up, you'll be a winner every time."
"Thanks, Brock," replied Tristan. "I will remember that."
Brock took something out of his pocket.
"Here is the Boulder Badge, Tristan," he said. "This is proof of your victory in the Pewter Gym." He gave it to Tristan.
(Music Cue: I Got a Victory Badge!)
"Thank you so much, Brock," said Tristan. He raised his new Badge in the air and proudly proclaimed, "I got a Boulder Badge!"
"Pi-Pikachu!" proclaimed Pikachu as it jumped high into the air.
After Tristan rested his Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, he and Hillary prepared to say goodbye to Brock and his family.
"I'm going to head back to Pallet Town to help Mrs. Ketchum around the house. This will give me something to do while waiting for Ash and Misty to return from the Orange Islands," explained Brock. "Misty won't be at the next Gym, so you're going to have to battle either Lily, Daisy, or Violet, who are all Misty's beautiful sisters." He blushed at the thought of meeting them again.
"So where is this next Gym, Brock?" asked Tristan.
"The next Gym that you will want to aim for is the one in Cerulean City," answered Brock. "You should have a much easier time at that Gym. The best way is to head east on Route 3 by way of Mount Moon."
"Thanks for helping us, Brock," said Hillary.
"Your cooking was awesome," added Tristan.
"So where will you go after you get back to Pallet Town, Brock?" asked Forrest.
"I'm not sure yet," answered Brock.
"If you happen to see Ash and Misty, could you tell them we said hello?" asked Tristan.
"Of course," answered Brock. "I'll send them your good thoughts."
Tristan and Hillary said their goodbyes to Brock and his family and headed east to Route 3. Brock left Pewter City and left for Pallet Town to reunite with Ash and Misty while planning his next adventures.
And so, Tristan faced off against the first Gym Leader, Brock, and won. His prize: a shiny new Boulder Badge. So far, that makes one, but he will still need to earn seven more in order to qualify for the Pokémon League. What will the other seven Gym Leaders be like? And what new challenges will Tristan have to face in order to attain victory? More and more questions come to mind, but the answers will come as Tristan, Hillary, and Pikachu continue their journey.
►TO BE CONTINUED
