The Stone Badge

Rustboro City had always been famed for its Pokemon Academy and the constant intakes of new trainers about to start their journey. It gave them early experience in Pokemon knowledge and of course battling where the graduates would leave the City along with their first Pokemon. Professor Birch travelled there constantly throughout the year to give Pokemon out to new trainers, but as normally the case, not all of the trainers managed to fulfil their journeys. Most of them returned home after a couple of months, some tragic and some just unable to deal with the wild terrain out there. Despite protection from various Governments and Councils, Pokemon Training had always been a difficult and dangerous career choice, although very rewarding, but gaining a connection with Pokemon remained difficult. The naturals would succeed, unknowingly at first, as they got further from home and eventually reach their limits as an individual. Commonly, Pokemon Trainers usually switched careers either to Research teams or to take on Gym Leader positions around the world. 'Pokemon Master' had become a loosely used term for those who had no goal or aim, and no definition had appeared around it. For Rod, becoming a Pokemon Master meant travelling and learning about Pokemon, and how to retrieve their full potential in a chosen field. He had been lucky so far, his team so determined and connected to him, but now it was time to put this to the test.

The morning was young when he began the final preparations for his battle against Roxanne, and another opportunity to gain his first Gym Badge in the Hoenn Region. Forrest had told him the first badge would always be the hardest, but provide a massive challenge, especially with what they had heard and seen of Roxanne already. Memories remained in mind at how her Probopass held off two Gyarados on the way to Hoenn, and a Pokemon Rod had not fully gained confidence in defeating yet. Forrest was already outside of the Pokemon Centre, with his Geodude and newly attained Shellos sitting on the wooden table and benches. The Sea Slug Pokemon had been extremely quiet after waking up after being heavily injured by Gary's horrific stunt in the Petalburg Woods, an act Forrest refused to forgive him for.

Raising a hand in greeting, Rod called as he hid the sun from his eyes, "Good morning Forrest, how is Shellos feeling?"

Shaking his head and taking a sip of coffee, passing Rod's cup over across the table, "It seems really shy and he still isn't eating much."

Shellos looked utterly depressed as it looked away from both of the trainers, Oran and Sitrus Berries scattered around it with minimal bite marks upon, as Geodude happily ate its morning meal. Bending down and looking towards it, Rod smiled and commented, "Shellos will be fine, it just needs some time to meet the other Pokemon!"

"I hope so. What Gary did to it was traumatic, he will pay eventually for that!"

It had been a few days since Cynthia and Gary had spoken to them in the Pokemon Centre about their purpose in Hoenn. Rod had pushed it aside well knowing he was a target, but promised himself to stay away from trouble for now on. Whether Damon and the Thieves Guild come hunting for him again or not, he would be ready to fend them off, but taking them out was not his job. Cynthia's Champion status would be more than enough to defeat them all once and for all. Rod had a new sense of confidence ever since his Bulbasaur had evolved in Ivysaur in the Devon Corporation building, and successfully defeating one of the researchers there on the new battlefield. A perfect evolution to give him a larger type advantage over Roxanne's powerful Rock Type Pokemon, but his choice of team hadn't been chosen yet. The email from the Rustboro Gym had stated it would be a three on three battle, as Nurse Joy read out for them last night, and only the Challenger would be allowed to change Pokemon. This gave him a large advantage, and switching Pokemon at key times would be crucial.

Forrest noticed his friend in deep thought as Geodude hovered above the grass, enjoying the sunlight, and commented, "Choose the Pokemon you feel most comfortable about using. Don't think you shouldn't use one because of Type."

Looking up, Rod asked perplexed, "Well there is no chance I'm going to include Starly or Fletchling in this battle. Any Rock move would knock them out of the sky!"

"I wouldn't rule them out. Things change in battle a lot, Rod, and you have to adapt." Forrest stood up and called Geodude to his side as Shellos was returned to its Pokeball, still looking upset, "Let's have one more practice and we will head to the Gym."

"Sounds good."

…

Rustboro Gym was one of the first buildings to have been developed in the city during its Mining Town days. Along came the famed Pokemon Academy and the subsequent houses and businesses before Devon Corporation bought the land and began to prosper. The Gym was seen as an icon to travellers and tourists alike due to its academic nature where each battle was filmed and analysed to be shown to young children training to become Pokemon Trainers – that is whoever could afford to go to such an establishment. The prices had risen and soon only the rich were able to send their children to be trained by professionals, and so leaving the majority of trainers struggling to make a start on their journeys. Not everyone was able to have a Pokemon so early, and the Pokemon Trainer career had started to take a downward turn. The Gym was built from the natural Iron Ore from around the Rustboro Mines and compressed into Steel to create a rocky outcrop with the Pokemon Hoenn Championship logo on top gleaming brightly. It's leader, Roxanne, was a Rock Pokemon specialist and also the head teacher of the Pokemon Academy. Upon her booking of Rod's challenge, she invited the entire school to await in the stands for his arrival with a promise of an exciting battle.

Through the chaos and crowd of children entering the Gym, some holding scarves and banners with Roxanne's name on it, there was a slightly older girl amongst them. Her blond hair had been tied up into a small bun behind her head as she ducked her head into a tight brown coat bought the day before. Her blue track-pants matched the Academy colours, but many had already started asking who she was and why she was at the Gym. The Public normally didn't get to watch the battles first hand, but for Emma, she knew that this was the place to be. Ever since she broke out of Devon Corporation the day before, her life had changed completely and had no balance for the first time. Her emotions were in a mess, but that boy she had battled at the Corporation remained on her mind, she wanted to meet him personally and understand his journey. Seeing him battle here against Roxanne may be the only chance she had. Pushing through the crowd of students, Emma grabbed a seat and gently touched down on it to observe the rocky field. Rough terrain and the rocks jagged to cause a lot of damage for the unsteady challenger; Rod would have to be very careful.

As the lights intensified in the Gym, Emma looked and saw Roxanne appear from one side with her arms crossed. Waving at the sea of supporting students in the stands, the sunlight creeping through the paned glass windows above, her eyes widened as the challenger arrived. Rod had entered the Gym with a determined expression on his face along with Forrest who took his seat, as usual, on the sidelines. Both of them looked confident but also slightly fearful, had Rod done enough training to be able to win a Gym Badge? Emma had no idea about of them, and soon her breathing diminished into the silence of the crowd as Roxanne took a step forward.

The Rustboro Gym leader cried, "Welcome Rod to the Rustboro Gym. I am Roxanne, and I have been waiting a long time for this challenge."

Rod nodded, adjusting his headband before responding, "I look forward to this battle, Roxanne. I have trained very hard and I want the Stone Badge."

Roxanne pulled out a small object from her pocket, glimmering in the sunlight, as Rod recognised the Stone Badge instantly. The small object that meant so much, and his first step towards the Hoenn Championships in over a years time. He needed eight, and Rustboro City would be where it all began! Rod grabbed a Pokeball from his pocket and enlarged it to fit his hand, adjusting his headband once more, and prepared to battle. The Referee appeared from the shadows between the rocky battlefield and announced the rules that Rod already knew, but his mind was elsewhere with adrenaline pumping through him. Whatever Pokemon Roxanne had, he would have to adapt, and with a huge crowd of students here, he had to put up a good fight.

Drawing her Pokeball, Roxanne called, "Onix! You're first up!"

"Nidoran, I choose you!"

Rod's Poison Pin Pokemon appeared first as he caught the Pokeball back into his hands, but his jaw soon dropped at the size of Roxanne's Onix. The Rock Snake Pokemon thundered to the ground, its long body dripping with random rocks and rubble. Every movement sent an earthquake through the terrain as Rod slightly lost balance with Nidoran screeching back angrily. The crowd had gone more silent with Roxanne now smiling with confidence flowing from her eyes and into her veins. Rod gripped his fists as the referee gestured to make the first move as the challenger.

Rod commanded, knowing he had to stick to strategy now, Onix may be a lot bigger, but Nidoran had a more agile style of battle away from pure strength, "Nidoran, use Poison Sting on the battlefield!"

Nidoran screeched loudly before running forwards with incredible speed and agility, jumping through the rocks as its horn glowed brightly to unleash an array of Stings into the air. The collapsed to the ground, poisoning it immediately as it glowed purple, and leaving Onix with a lot less space to move. Roxanne noticed the strategy and commented with a smile, "You really think poison is going to stop Onix from moving freely, Rod? Use Bulldoze!"

Onix roared, flashing brown as it began to slither across the battlefield with intensive power. The high beams of rocks fell to the ground with Nidoran now lacking a place to hide or space to dodge, however Rod was ready for the physical attack, "Nidoran, jump on Onix's head and use Double Kick!"

The crowd gasped in shock as the much more agile Nidoran dived away from the oncoming Bulldoze and cannoned itself onto Onix who screeched in shock. There was a split second on panic, but Nidoran slammed down hard with its hind legs as Onix immediately buckled and landed onto the rough terrain. The poison immediately took effect, seeping beneath its rocky body as it roared loudly in pain and struggled to move. Nidoran landed back on the ground and repeated the super-effective move once again with Roxanne now surprised and impressed. Forrest began to clap first as the referee turned to Rod and announced him the winner of the first battle.

Punching the air in joy as Nidoran roared in victory as there was a mixed applause from the crowd, obviously surprised their teacher had lost so quickly. Rod called loudly, "I am going to win the badge, Roxanne! My Hoenn journey to win the League starts here!"

"You're going to have to do even more to beat me, Rod!" Roxanne smiled and released another Pokeball, "Geodude, let's go!"

The Rock Pokemon appeared, and a much bigger version than the one Rod was used to seeing under the ownership of Forrest. It roared loudly as it hovered in the air over where Onix had fallen only minutes before, but the poison wasn't affecting it at all. Adjusting his headband, Rod first thought about changing Pokemon and letting Ivysaur use its much more effective Grass Type moves, but Nidoran seemed fresh and generally unhurt from the last bout. Waving to the referee, who nodded and gestured towards Roxanne to make the first move in the second match, Rod prepared for whatever the Rustboro Gym Leader would bring now.

Smiling, Roxanne bellowed, "Geodude! Stealth Rock!"

Geodude flashed white as large pillars of rocks fell from above, jagged and rough, as they landed in the ground around Nidoran. The Poison Pin Pokemon screeched in pain as the the rocks flicked through its skin causing minor bruising, but the attack would prove problematic. Stealth Rock was very similar to the Poison Sting technique Rod had used, and meant that movement would be restricted in a terrain Nidoran was not used to. Knowing he had to respond fast, Rod called, "Nidoran! Use Double Kick!"

Nidoran dived forwards and kicked some of the Stealth Rocks aside with its hind legs, shattering them to pieces, but Geodude used the time to attack again. A wall of powerful Mega Punches rainde down, its arms glowing white, as the crowd began to cheer loudly. Roxanne smiled again as Rod was slowly running out of ideas, and Nidoran wouldn't be able to take much more!

Roxanne muttered, "Your Nidoran is powerful, Rod. But one super-effective attack won't take out all of my Pokemon.

Shaking his head, Rod looked at the battlefield and how it had transformed to suit Geodude's Rock and Ground type hybrid. Every step would be painful for Nidoran, and so he had to change things to suit itself instead. He responded, as an idea appeared to mind, "Nidoran! Fight it back with Double Kick and use Poison Sting again!"

Nidoran screeched loudly as it blocked a couple of Mega Punches with its horn, spinning around and landing its attack with Geodude now off balance and in pain. Rod called it on as Poison Sting appeared from its body again and landed around the entire battlefield, poisoning it, as a rotten smell took over the battlefield. It smelt horrific, but the strategy wasn't over yet! The large columns created from the Stealth Rock began to imbue with poison, and another Double Kick had done the trick completely. Geodude flew out of control as it smashed into its own attack, and feeling the heat of poison on its rocky outcrop. Screeching in pain, the Rock Pokemon finally landed to the ground shivering as Nidoran's Poison Sting took over its body, weakening him steadily. The Poison Pin Pokemon dropped down in front, enjoying the new battlefield around as Rod adjusted his headband again.

He called, "Nidoran! Finish this Double Kick!"

"Self-Destruct!"

Geodude exploded as dark smoke appeared from its charcoal coated body, and Rod began to cough as he returned to his feet completely surprised by the move. The entire Gym had gone silent as the students suddenly began to clap with the smoke clearing to reveal both Geodude and Nidoran fainted. Rod was furious, he deserved to win that battle with his strategy overcoming what Roxanne had thought of. Even Forrest looked upset at the choice of moves, but Roxanne's bright smile appeared at the other end of the battlefield.

She called, returning her Pokemon as Rod did the same, "Sorry Rod, but sometimes battles aren't fair! You've made me really want to win this one, and so we will see how you do next!"

Shaking his head again, Rod called back as he withdrew another Pokeball from his pocket, "I am going to win that Stone Badge, Roxanne! None of your tricks will beat me!"

"Probopass!"

"Fletchling!"

Rod's Tiny Robin Pokemon appeared first as it took to the sky, avoiding the poisonous field down below as it circled around. A moan of gasped appeared from the audience, appalled by his choice of Pokemon type. Roxanne's Probopass appeared next, thundering heavily to the ground before floating slightly, its whole body glimmering and sparking randomly. A Rock and Steel hybrid, and something Rod had never battled before despite seeing it in action weeks ago on the way to Hoenn. This was Roxanne's final Pokemon and the last obstacle before he would earn his first badge, and despite Fletchling being much weaker and at a disadvantage, he had a strategy.

Rod called, pointing forward, "Fletchling, use Razor Wind!"

Fletchling screeched, as its wings turned white, and unleashed two powerful slashes of air towards its opponent. Probopass stood still and took the damage easily as some of the students in the audience began to laugh. Rod turned and noticed their gossiping and shaking heads, a sea of them, however one girl looked on in the far corner of the stands. Rod had recognised her, but from where?

Roxanne snapped him out of his curiosity, as she smirked and called, "Probopass, use Magnet Bomb!"

The Compass Pokemon flashed blue now, spinning in a circle as silver projectiles shot out the air towards Fletchling. Rod responded quickly, realising how powerful this move was, "Fletchling, you have to dodge them! Use Steel Wing!"

The Tiny Robin Pokemon successfully dodged the Magnet Bomb, weaving in and out of the steel objects as it closed in on Probopass to deliver its most significant move. Probopass still remained in the same position, completely unnerved like its trainer, as Fletchling got closer and prepared to strike. Rod called on loudly, wanting to hear another crack of a successful attack, however it never came. Probopass shivered as a bright green wall appeared in front of it as Fletchling collided painfully, as it a brick wall, and screeched in pain before falling onto the ground. To Rod's horror, the poison on the battlefield took effect with his Flying Type now breathing heavily to negate the effects of poison.

Roxanne snapped her fingers, Probopass immediately becoming more active, as she called, "You'll have to think of something smarter than that, Rod! Probopass, finish this with Thunderbolt!"

Fletchling was struck hard by an enormous surge of electricity as it screeched loudly, pain flooding through its entire body, before landing still. Shivering in discomfort, Rod dropped to his knees and raised its Pokeball to return it safely away. His breathing had increased significantly and the roar of applause from the crowd did not help. They both only had one Pokemon each left, but this Probopass seemed a lot stronger than he anticipated. Shinx and Starly would both fall the same way, especially due to the battlefield he had set up, and that Roxanne now used against him. Probopass' Steel Type would stop all poison even affecting it, and so leaving Rod with only one choice for Pokemon left.

Raising his arm, Rod released his final Pokemon with a loud cry, "Ivysaur, I choose you!"

The Seed Pokemon landed on the ground to brief applaud, but Rod suddenly felt confident. His starter Pokemon was now battling, and trust appeared from what seemed nowhere in his mind. Adjusting his headband, now soaking in sweat, he looked at the battlefield once more and then back to his newly evolved Pokemon. If Roxanne wanted him to think of something more to defeat her prized Pokemon, then she would get it.

Roxanne called, pointing ahead as her brown hair flicked around her face, "Probopass, use Stone Edge!"

"Ivysaur, counter that with Razor Leaf!"

Rock and sharp leaves collided in the middle of the battlefield as dust began to move fervently around both of the Pokemon. Rivalry had been created, and Rod now learned that he had no chance of getting anywhere close to the Compass Pokemon without getting struck down painfully. Ivysaur released another bout of powerful Razor Leaves, this time making contact as Roxanne forced her Pokemon out of the line of fire.

"Your Ivysaur is very strong, Rod!" Roxanne called, now breathing heavily, "Magnet Bomb!"

"Dodge it and use Leech Seed!"

Magnet Bomb had been avoided once more as the crushing sound of steel on rock echoed around the entire Gym with Ivysaur jumping high above. From its blossoming flower, a small seed shot out to implant directly on Probopass' sturdy body. Flashing red, energy began to sap out of the strong Pokemon as it screeched loudly, spinning to try to remove it, however it continued to take effect. Rod noticed the stress on Roxanne's face now, her eyes going bloodshot as she rubbed sweat away, and called, "Stone Edge, Probopass! We need to finish this battle fast!"

"Not so fast!" Rod called, a smile etched on his face, "Ivysaur use Vine Whip, and launch yourself higher!"

The Seed Pokemon performed its most trademark move once again to the applaud of the audience and Forrest himself. Every stone from the Stone Edge attack missed completely as Ivysaur cannoned itself into the air and used the trailing Vines to Whip Probopass down hard from above as it lost balance and smashed into some of the rock columns created by Geodude. Calling out in pain, Roxanne could only look in shock at Rod's prowess as a trainer had improved so much from the start of the battle to now. How had he learnt so much in less than an hour?

Rod continued, sensing victory as adrenaline built up inside his body, "Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf! Finish this with TAKE DOWN!"

Ivysaur screeched loudly, unleashing a flurry of Razor Leaves from underneath its bud as it used gravity to shoot down from high above. Probopass hit the ground hard from the Grass based attack before turning and roaring loudly along with its trainer in utter shock...

…

The Students had began to leave, loudly talking about the battle, from the Rustboro Gym as Emma remained behind. She pulled her black hood to hide most of her blond hair, and to avoid suspicions from the various supervisors, but her eyes remained on the field. Rod and Roxanne had shaken hands, with a small badge being passed across. A smile cracked upon her face at Rod's celebratory jump for joy along with his friend with Roxanne clapping. So much happiness was in this boy, and Emma could only gaze on with curiosity and wonder. She had to talk to him, meet him and be with with him. But why? What if he had no interest in her? Emma stood up before shivering in fear and sitting back down to hide behind the masses of the crowd. She couldn't ambush him now after such a intense battle, it wouldn't be right and he would probably hate her more for it. As the last round of students left, Emma followed into the light of the early afternoon as Rod and Forrest walked on ahead in loud conversation. Trying to keep out of sight, easy with the noise of cars and buses thundering by, Emma continued to keep her hood up, wary of the Devon Corporation building in the distance. She hoped they both didn't remain in Rustboro City for too long with her Father probably sending a search party out to find her.

Rustboro City sent one last whimper of wind to the day where battling had appeared in its local Gym. One trainer walked out victorious as another was defeated, but there was something different now. A bite caught Emma's arms as goosebumps appeared underneath her jumper, was it a sign of darkness in the future? Or a sign that things were never going to be the same again?

Emma walked on.