Chapter 15: Burning Fire
The following day, the group of five made their way to the Castelia City Gym. However, they soon found themselves in what looked like a greenhouse. "Is this really a gym?" Shelly said, staring up a large tree where a Caterpie sat.
"According to the guidebook, we're in the right place," said Gary. "Gym leaders are free to design their gyms however they want. Many build areas that are good habitats for the Pokemon type they prefer."
Drew observed all of the trees, shrubs, and bushes. "This sure looks like a good place for bug types to live." He glanced at Dani. "But you know, the gym leader may have dual type Pokemon that are not weak against fire. And he probably has a strategy against fire types."
"I know that!" Dani said. He smirked at her, and she could not help but smile back. She knew he meant no harm.
"Is that the gym leader?" Gabri pointed to a man leaning against a tree with his eyes closed, dressed in colorful clothing.
"Gym Leader Burgh!" Dani called out as the group approached the tree.
The man opened his eyes, brightening upon seeing the trainers. "Hello there," he said. "I am Burgh. What a wonderful Cyndaquil you have there!" he smiled at Mo. "They are quite rare in the Unova region."
"Thank you," Dani said. "I'm Dani, and these are my sisters, Gabri and Shelly. We're from the Johto region."
"I'm Gary from the Kanto region."
"And I'm Drew from the Hoenn region."
"My, what a diverse group," Burgh said. "And three Pokemon eggs too!"
"They're Eevee eggs," Gabri said. "They'll be hatching soon."
"Won't that be wonderful?" The gym leader looked at each member of the group. "Are you all challengers?"
"Just me," said Dani. "Do you have time right now?"
"There is always time for a battle." Burgh snapped his fingers, and a battlefield suddenly game up from the ground on the right. The trainers looked in awe at the grassy field. "Let's start now, shall we?"
Dani handed her egg to Gary before taking her place at the end of the battlefield. Her friends stood off to the left of her while a referee stood on the right. "This will be a three on three battle," said the referee. "The battle will end when all the Pokemon on one side can no longer battle. Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon. Begin!"
"I will show you my Pokemon first," said Burg from the other side of the field. "Whirlipede, come out and join me!" A purple spiked bug Pokemon appeared before him, looking quite fierce.
"Mo, you're up," said Dani. The Cyndaquil climbed down her back and then ran in front of her to face off against the bug and poison type. It was time to battle! "Alright, use Flamethrower!"
"Iron Defense," said Burgh. Whirlipede became outlined in blue, and then iron seemed to cover him, causing the flames to flick off of him with little damage.
Dani frowned. That Iron Defense could be problematic. She did not know Whirlipede knew that attack. "Fine. Use Rollout and don't stop!" If they attacked repetitively, they could eventually wear their opponent down.
"Whirlipede, Steamroller," Burgh said. The two Pokemon rolled into balls and cruised towards each other. Whirlipede's attack was more powerful, for he sent Mo flying back, forcing him to uncurl. "Now Poison Sting!"
Dani gritted her teeth as the bug type spat out sharp needles at her Pokemon. The Cyndaquil cried out as he was struck, and his skin became tinged purple. He was poisoned! This was no good. The trainer decided to rely on power to win the battle. "Hang in there, Mo, and use Inferno!"
"Solar Beam!" Burgh cried.
While the bug type gathered energy for Solar Beam, the flames on Mo's back turned blue. The Cyndaquil hurled is fire at Whirlipede seconds before the other Pokemon released his own attack. The move's collided, but the Inferno overtook the Solar Beam and sent Whirlipede flying back. The bug type struggled to his feet.
"Now Flamethrower!" Dani said.
"Steamroller!" Burg countered.
Mo spat out flames at his opponent, but Whirlipede rolled around them and struck Mo in the side.
"Now's our chance," said Dani. "Use Flamethrower once more!"
"Iron Defense!"
Now at close range, Mo turned on the bug Pokemon and released his fire once more. Whirlipede glowed with iron, but the Cyndaquil's attack was too much for him. He was blown off his feet and landed hard on the ground. He could not get up.
"Whirlipede is unable to battle," said the referee. "Mo is the winner."
"Nice battling, Whirlipede," Burgh said with a sad smile as he returned him to his Pokeball. "Time for my second Pokemon. Come on out, Dwebble!" He released an orange crab that had half of his body encased in a hard shell.
"I'll stick with Mo," said Dani. "Start off with Flamethrower!"
"Dwebble, use Dig," said Burgh.
Dwebble scurried under the ground while Mo's Flamethrower passed harmlessly above the hole. The fire type looked around warily. A second later, the ground opened up beneath him, and Dwebble smashed into him.
"Flamethrower, again!"
"Protect!" Something glowed around Dwebble, and the fire attack did not harm him. His trainer nodded in approval. "Now Rock Wreck!"
Dani knew that Protect lost its effectiveness the more it was used, so she saw this as he chance. "Dodge it and try Flamethrower once more!"
Mo jumped off to the side, barely missing the large rock thrown to him. A split second later, his flames engulfed the bug type. However, the Cyndaquil was the Pokemon that fainted, the poison finally take its final effects.
"Mo is unable to battle," said the referee. "Dwebble is the winner."
"You battled great," Dani said with a faint smile as she strode forward, bent down, and scooped the Cyndaquil up in her arms. "Thank you, Mo."
"Why doesn't she return him to his Pokeball?" Drew whispered to Shelly.
"She lost it once and never bothered getting a new one," Shelly said with a roll of her eyes. "Mo never liked his Pokeball anyway."
Dani brought her Pokemon to her friends, but she hesitated when she realized that Shelly, Gabri, and Gary had their arms full with eggs. She turned to Drew, who rolled his eyes before taking the Cyndaquil from her. "Fine; I'll look after him."
"Thanks, Drew!" Dani said happily before returning to her spot.
"Whatever," Drew said.
"Cynda," Mo said, giving the boy a faint smile and earning one in return.
"Simon, it's your turn!" Dani's Oshawott appeared in a flash of light.
"Not a bad choice," Burgh said, "but you still won't be able to defeat my Dwebble."
"We'll see about that. Simon, use Water Gun!"
"Dwebble, Protect!"
Simon took a deep breath and let it out in a stream of water, but Dwebble's Protect shielded him from damage. The water type glared at him in frustration.
"It's alright," said Dani. "Use Razor Shell."
"X-Scissor, my dear Dwebble!"
Simon swiped his scalchop from his shell and formed a beam of white light behind it. At the same time, Dwebble crossed his claws and pushed out a light of 'X.' The two attacks hit each other and sent the Pokemon flying back.
Dani knew she needed to allow Simon to get close enough to use Water Gun against Dwebble. However, it seemed like Burgh was at his strongest when his opponent was close. Remembering the Dwebble's attacks, she suddenly got an idea. "Simon, let's use Tackle!"
"That won't work," Burgh said. "Dwebble, use Rock Breaker!"
Dani smirked. This was it. "Jump up on the rock and use Water Gun!"
Simon had been running at Dwebble when the bug and rock type started to form a large rock with his claws. Just as he started to throw it, the Oshawott used his tail to fling himself into the air. He landed on the rock and scurried on it. Then he jumped into the air and hit Dwebble with a jet of water.
Burgh's eyes widened in surprise. "Incredible, but I'm afraid that will not be enough. X-Scissor!"
Dani gritted her teeth. That Dwebble was tough. She needed to show the gym leader that her Oshawott was tougher! "Get down and use Water Gun!" She hoped one more attack would do it.
Dwebble slashed at the air once again. As the 'X' came flying at him, Simon fell onto his back. He then aimed his Water Gun in a space between the 'X.' Both Pokemon were struck by the attacks, and both Pokemon fainted.
"Dwebble and Simon are unable to battle!" the referee said. "This round is a draw!"
"Thank you, Dwebble," Burgh said. "Take a rest now." The two trainers returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs. "It's time for my final Pokemon. Time to shine, Leavanny!" A bug Pokemon clothed in leaves soon stood before him.
Dani knew exactly who she was going to use. "It's finally your turn, Luke!" She tossed a Pokeball in the air, and the powerful Charizard appeared, letting out a loud roar.
"A Charizard? Another rare Pokemon. This will be fun."
Dani was determined to win this battle. She and look had been training hard to evolve since they had met in Kanto when he was a Charmander. Now it was time to put all their hard work to the test. "Luke, use Flame Burst!"
"Protect," said Burgh.
Luke spat out an orange-yellow ball, aiming for the Leavanny. Leavanny, however, was unaffected by the attack. Dani gritted her teeth. This one knew Protect as well? This was going to be more difficult than she thought.
"Now use Leaf Storm."
"Dodge that!" A tornado of leaves flew out from Leavanny's body. Luke took off into the air, far above the reach of the leaves. "Now Wing Attack!"
"String Shot!"
Luke's wings glowed as he swooped down to the ground. Leavanny stood her ground and shot out sticky string, which covered Luke's torso and wings. The Charizard lost his balance and crashed into the ground. He stood up and tried to move his wings, but he was impaled by the String Shot.
"Now Hyper Beam," Burgh said with a smirk.
"Get out of there!" Dani cried, but her Pokemon could not fly and was struck by the beam of lead the Leavanny aimed at him. She gritted her teeth. There had to be a way to get rid of that String Shot. Maybe they could bite it off... "Luke, use Fire Fang on yourself to get rid of the string!"
"Leavanny, use Leaf Storm while they're distracted!"
Luke's fangs glowed red as he sliced into the string, successfully freeing his body, and he only received a minor injury from his own attack. Unfortunately, Leavanny's leaves slammed into him, making him almost fall off his feet.
"Now Hyper Beam," said Burgh.
"Into the air!" Dani said. Luke took off once more, dodging the oncoming attack. "Flame Burst!"
"Protect!"
Luke's great fire attack did no damage to the Leavanny who shielded herself. Dani remained calm as she thought through this situation. As long as Luke remained in the sky, he could dodge any attack. Protect was not likely to work more than once, so she had to attack now. "Use Flame Burst while you fly down!"
"Dodge that and use Hyper Beam!"
"Wing Attack!"
Luke first blew fire at the ground while he zoomed in on the battle field. He scorched the earth with a ball of fire while the bug and grass type jumped out of the way. Once the fire seized, Leavanny turned and started to form a Hyper Beam. However, Luke flew up at the last second to dodge the attack and then came back down to hit Leavanny with his wing. His opponent cried out and fell to the ground.
"Clever," Burgh said. "Leavanny, String Shot!"
"Use Flame Burst!"
"Dodge!"
Luke shot out fire once again, dissolving the String Shot. Leavanny leaped out of the way just in time.
Dani knew she needed to slow down the Leavanny, and she had an idea. "Use Flame Burst everyone on the ground!" She hoped this would work.
"Leavanny, use Leaf Storm!"
Luke appeared confused, but he obediently shot out large fire balls, hitting much of the battle field. He grunted when Leavanny's Leaf Storm hit him. He was obviously wearing down.
"Now aim at Leavanny!"
"Dodge and use Hyper Beam!"
Leavanny jumped to the side, but her eyes widened upon landing on hot ground. She jumped again with the same result. When Luke aimed his Flame Burst this time, the attack hit Leavanny straight ton. She had no time to cry out as she fell to the ground, defeated.
"Leavanny is unable to battle," said the referee. "The winner is Luke, and victory goes to the challenger, Dani!"
The Charizard roared before flying to Dani's side. The girl smiled and embraced him. "You did it, Great job, Luke."
"Impressive," Drew said as he walked forward with everyone else. "... for a gym battle."
"Quil!" Mo said from his spot on Drew's head. When she got close, he hopped onto Dani's shoulder.
"That was fun to watch," Gary said. "Both of you have great skill."
"And I learned a lot!" said Gabri.
Shelly nodded. "Me too. Congratulations."
Dani smiled at them. "Thanks, guys."
"They're right," Burgh said, striding up to the group. "That was a fantastic battle. Thank you for the pleasure. And this is yours." He held out a tiny item. "It's an insect badge."
Dani took the badge and grinned. "Thanks, Burgh. I had fun."
"Good luck on your journey. All of you."
She nodded. "Thank you." She returned Luke to his Pokeball, took her Eevee egg back form Gary, and then headed out of the gym with her sisters and friends.
"Where are you guys going to go next?" Drew asked as the Pokemon Center came into sight.
"We discussed going to Eindoak City," Gary said.
Drew glanced at Shelly. "Are you going to enter the contest there?"
She nodded. "That's right."
"I'll be taking some time off. After all, I already have two badges." He smirked.
Shelly rolled her eyes. "Soon I will as well."
The group stopped outside of the Center. "Well, good luck," Drew said. "I'll leave you all here."
Dani smiled at him. "We'll see you later, Drew. Thanks for watching my battle. It's been fun hanging out with you."
He nodded without saying anything. Then he turned around, giving a long wave as he walked off.
"He seemed nicer today," Shelly mused.
"He's a good guy," Dani said, watching his retreating back, "even if he doesn't always realize it." She was glad she had the chance to become his friend.
The group departed the following day. Dani had switched out George the Ivysaur and Cody the Pikachu for Jewels the Mightyena and Freddie the Cubone. She liked to switch out two of the Pokemon at the end of the month so she could keep all of them strong. She might need them for the Unova League, after all. Meanwhile, Shelly had switched out Gloria the Ponyta so she would have room in her team when her Eevee egg hatched.
The eggs were supposed to hatch soon, but it was not until several days of walking through the woods that something happened. Dani stood at the edge of a hill, gazing down at a field of flowers. "This is cool," she said.
Shelly stood beside her. "It is pretty."
Gary came up to Dani's other side. "Ah, what a lovely view. Should we take a break here?"
"Let me see!" Gabri cried. She ran towards the hill, Dragon by hers side. Before she could reach the edge, she tripped and slammed into all three of the people standing on the hill. Their eyes widened as they suddenly tumbled down the hill. The three Eevee eggs fell from the girls' arms and rolled in front of them, safely landed within the field of flowers.
"Gabri!" Shelly exclaimed. She stood up and brushed her skirt off, glaring at her sister. "You're lucky the eggs appear safe."
"Sorry." Gabri smiled sheepishly as she stood up.
"Hey, guys," said Dani. "Look!" She was still on her knees beside Gary, and her eyes were fixed on the Eevee eggs, which were now glowing.
"They're hatching!" Gary said in awe.
The four teenagers crowded around the eggs. One at a time, eggs fell away to reveal beautiful baby Eevee. "But whose is whose?" Shelly asked. The eggs had gotten all mixed up when they had rolled down the hill.
"Who cares?" said Gabri. "This is amazing."
The Eevee looked around their surroundings curiously. One of them glanced at the ground and started digging. Dani smiled. "I want this one." She picked up the small Eevee, and the Pokemon watched her intently. "I'll call you Midnight." This one was a female.
"Eevee," Midnight said happily.
A second Eevee sniffed the lilies in the field. She stuck her head in, sneezing upon getting pollen in her nose. "I want that one!" Gabri said. She picked up the Eevee and looked her over. "You like those lilies, so how about I call you Lily?"
The Eevee smiled. "Eevee!"
"Then I'll take the last one," said Shelly. This Eevee was busy cleaning herself. She looked in surprise when her new trainer picked her up and held her in her arms. "I'll call you Crystal."
"Three Eevee sisters for three sister trainers," Gary said. "I like it."
The girls looked at each other and smiled in agreement.
