Back to CB again. This isn't going to last forever, just so you know.
...After our last adventure, we were making good progress towards Chrome City. I had already explained the whole 'other world' bit, and they were surprisingly unsurprised. The only parts they found mildly surprising were the fact that I was sixteen and the fact that my world only had Pokémon as fictional characters.
"WHAT THE CRAP DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE ACTUALLY SIXTEEN!?" Krysta gasped.
"...That I was born sixteen years ago and that 'A' de-aged me to be ten when I got here, for some reason?" I deadpanned.
"...Well, you certainly act that age..." Krysta muttered. "...But...are Pokémon seriously fictional characters in your world?"
"Yep. A huge franchise with video games and anime and manga and even a trading card game," I said.
"...So do you just consider us fictional characters, then...?" Krysta asked, gesturing towards herself, Mel, and Lila.
"Of course not!" I insisted. "I'm not some delusional durian hack or some world domination-crazy ghost in denial that thinks this whole world is a dream or something. I'm smart enough to know when things are real even if I thought they were fictional before. I write a crapton of fan fictions like that anyway. Plus, you weren't in the anime or any other Pokémon media I've seen."
"Okie-dokie then!" Krysta cheered. "In that case, I don't really care If you're six years older than you look or whatever! As long as you know that all this is real, I'm fine with it!" Mel and Lila nodded in agreement, as I sighed in relief.
So, after that we were now eating lunch.
"Say..." Krysta suddenly said. "...You don't really have any Fire Pokémon on your team, do you? Or any good way to counter Steel-types?"
"Well, Melanie knows Flamethrower...except she's afraid of fire, so she never uses it. But then again, Mel also has Power-Up Punch."
"True, but I've seen the Chrome City Gym Leader a few times, even if I've never really talked to him, and if the things I've heard and seen have any accuracy, he's probably prepared for things like that," Krysta explained. Then she got caught on something I said before. "Wait, Melanie's afraid of fire? Why the heck does she hang out with my team then?" She gestured towards Melanie, who seemed to be involved in a game of tag with Booster and Lila...wait, is it just me, or does the Flareon's face turn slightly pink every time Melanie touches him?
...Nah, I'm probably imagining things.
"She's not afraid of the Pokémon type, she's afraid of the fire itself," I explained. "Anyways, you were saying?"
"Oh, right. So, I was thinking, and you were a big help back in Zeal City, and I've already got a Magmar on my team, so..." she reached into her bag and pulled out her egg. "Ta-da! For you."
"I didn't really do that much, though..." I noted. "...besides put you into your crazy mode."
"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again," she pointed out grimly. "Besides, I would have figured it out on my own eventually, and you were also the one that brought me out of it, and Mel was the one that talked Lila into coming back to me."
"...Yeah, but are you sure that Maggie and Jackie will be okay with that?"
"You didn't think I'd be so stupid as to do this without asking them first? I made sure they're okay with it."
"Really?"
"Just shut up and take the egg."
"Okay then," I agreed, picking up the egg. A Magby, huh...? Better start thinking of nicknames...
A few uneventful days later...
We've finally arrived in Chrome City! And by finally, I mean that felt like only three seconds. Traveling on a journey is rather...uneventful when Ash's internal weirdness magnet isn't around...anyways, here we are, Chrome City!
"So...where's the Gym?" I asked. Krysta's nervous look told me what I needed to know. "You don't know, do you?"
"No. No I don't," she confirmed. Me and Mel sighed in unison. I looked around. All the buildings had a theme to them: they were all metal, with flat, silver roofs. Except for one with a red roof, one with a pink roof, and one with a satellite dish on the roof.
"Since the Gym Leader is a scientist, I'll assume the building with the satellite dish on the roof is the Gym," I decided, before running off. "Come on! I'll race you!"
"No fair! You got a head start!" she shouted after me, as she began running as well. Eventually, I made it to the Gym, not bothering to read the sign before dashing in.
"I win," I teased.
"Shut up..." Krysta panted. I then shouted into the Gym.
"Hello? I'm here for a Gym Battle..." I called.
"You came just in time then. This Gym is scheduled to close soon," a male voice called. That's odd...it sounds familiar...the lights turned on, as a familiar figure walked out.
"You're...!" I gasped under my breath, though he didn't seem to hear me.
"How many Badges do you have?"
"One..." I said in a daze, still unable to comprehend who I was talking too.
"I see. So this would be your second badge then?" he said, pushing up his glasses. "Then this will be a two-on-two battle. Oh, and forgive me, but I haven't introduced myself. My name is...Colress. And you?"
I dumbly nodded, before shaking it off. Indeed, standing before me was a slightly younger version of Colress, from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2. But right now, I was fighting him. So I would act like it. Wait, is that a Key Stone on his glasses!? Oh crap. Crap crap crap crap...oh, never mind, it's just a green gem. It doesn't have the symbol in it. I sighed at that.
"Leo Tatsugami. From Celadon City," I said.
"Very well." A robotic referee activated nearby, and the ground beneath us started glowing. I realized it was the battle field, and walked towards my proper position.
"THIS WILL BE A TWO-ON-TWO BATTLE BETWEEN GYM LEADER COLRESS AND THE CHALLENGER LEO," the robot stated in monotone. "ONLY THE CHALLENGER MAY SUBSTITUTE POKÉMON. BATTLE BEGIN."
"Klink, come out," Colress called, tossing a Pokéball into the air, as the two gears popped out.
"Klink-klink..." it stated mechanically.
"Spear!" I called, throwing the PokéBall. "I need your assistance!"
"Spi!" My trusty Beedrill shouted, as it emerged from it's PokéBall.
"Go get'em, Leo!" Krysta cheered.
"You may make the first move," Colress offered. Great...I really need to teach Spear Drill Run. Whatever!
"Twineedle!" I shouted, as Spear lunged at the gears.
"Use Gear Grind to dodge," Colress stated simply, as Klink split apart, causing Spear to fly through them, before crashing together into Spear, knocking him to the ground.
"Roost!" I shouted, as Spear put his head down and began glowing white, as it's wounds disappeared.
"Spi!" It shouted as it sprung up.
"Hmm...in that case, use Charge Beam!" Klink's body began crackling with electricity, before they shot a stream of electricity at Spear, who couldn't dodge in time and got zapped.
"Roost!" I declared again, and once again, Spear healed itself.
"This is beginning to become tiresome..." Colress sighed. "Gear Grind!" Klink once again split apart, before converging towards Spear.
"Now's your chance! Grab the two gears in Electroweb!"
"Spi!" Spear shouted, shooting an electrical net from each spike, one netting each gear, causing them to drop to the ground.
"Oh?" Colress mused. "Impressive counter. Unfortunately, it's not enough though. Klink, use Lock-On now."
"Spear, Pursuit!" Spear's body began glowing purple, before it charged at one of the gears, tackling it and sending it flying, though not before a red target appeared on Spear's forehead.
"Hyper Beam," Colress stated. Suddenly, Klink's webbing burst apart as they began charging up energy, and they stuck back together.
...Crap. With that Lock-On, I think we're screwed. The Klink shot a multi-colored beam at Spear, which followed it's every move until they collided and exploded. Spear dropped to the ground.
"ANALYSIS: BEEDRILL IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, KLINK IS THE WINNER."
"You tried your best, Spear. And that's what matters," I soothed, recalling it.
"Don't worry, Leo!" Krysta called from the nearby bleachers, which she was now sitting in. "You can still do this!" I nodded, then looked towards Melanie and nodded again. She nodded back, and dashed out onto the field. Klink still needed to recharge from the Hyper Beam, so I needed to bring it down hard and fast!
"Power-Up Punch!" I shouted. "Back to back!"
"Wi~le maw!" she shouted, lunging towards Klink with her glowing fists, and punching it into the ground, before continuing to punch it, a red aura growing over her with each punch.
"Klink! As soon as you've finished recharging, use Automize!" Klink's body flashed silver, before it suddenly...vanished from where it was. Tch! Automize increases speed! But it also decreases weight, so if I can hit it, it will go flying farther.
"Try and ensnare it with Rock Tomb!" I shouted, as Melanie punched the ground, causing rock cages to pop up all over the place, though Klink was flying around too fast to catch.
"Flash Cannon!" Colress shouted, as Klink shot out a silvery beam, which blasted Melanie backwards a bit, though since Steel doesn't do much damage to Steel, she was mostly fine. However, the silvery aura that briefly covered Mel's body told me that her Special Defense had decreased. "Now Charge Beam!" Klink then shot a stream of electricity at Mel, zapping her. A red aura covered Klink, telling me that it's special attack had increased. This is going bad...
"Rock Tomb again!" I shouted, as Melanie punched the ground again, though Klink once again dodged easily.
"Hyper Beam," Colress stated, as Klink's body began glowing. Was this it? Are we going to lose this battle...? Suddenly, just as I was thinking that, the same black aura that had covered Mel in Zeal City was there again, and poof! She was behind Klink, and slammed her horns into it, sending it flying to the ground, though it fired Hyper Beam at just that moment, causing it to go flying up into the ceiling, creating a crater in said ceiling, before it fell to the ground again.
"Klink...klink...klink..." it muttered.
"ANALYSIS: KLINK IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, MAWILE IS THE WINNER."
"What was that just now...?" I wondered.
"Hmm. It appears your Mawile learned Sucker Punch," Colress explained. "Very intriguing...did it just happen to learn it now? Or did something cause it to suddenly gain that move? I may have to look into this..."
"Way to go, Leo!" Krysta cheered.
"Well, in any case..." I started, before turning to Colress. "...your next Pokémon?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Magnemite, come out," Colress stated, as he called out his next Pokémon: a Magnemite.
"Magnemite...!" It stated.
"Melanie, Power-Up Punch!"
"Magnemite, use Gyro Ball!" Melanie dashed at Magnemite with her glowing fist, though Magnemite's magnets began glowing as it spun around extremely fast, deflecting the punch and slamming into Mel, knocking her back. "Now Magnet Bomb!" Magnemite stopped spinning, though it's magnets were still glowing, as it shot a cluster of silver lights at Melanie, which converged on her and exploded.
"Now Thunder Shock!"
"Sucker Punch!" I shouted frantically, as Melanie warped behind Magnemite and kicked it in the back, causing its Thunder Shock to miss. "Now Power-Up Punch!"
"Wi~le maw!" Melanie shouted, punching Magnemite to the ground, as a dust cloud picked up. Is it over? As the cloud cleared, Magnemite was struggling to get up...
"Melanie, finish it with Play Rough!" I shouted, as Melanie dashed at Magnemite.
"Mag...ne...mite...!" Magnemite growled...as Melanie suddenly stopped and stared, as did I. Because Magnemite's body had started glowing blue, and it spontaneously duplicated itself twice, before the now-three 'Magnemite' stuck to each other, and the blue glow burst away.
I cursed under my breath as I stared upon the newly-evolved form of Colress'. Magneton.
"And just when things were going so well...!" I muttered.
"Well, that was fantastic timing," Colress observed. He then pressed the green not-a-Key Stone gem on his glasses, as I realized it was a power button of sorts, and characters I couldn't read from where I was standing flashed across the lenses of his glasses. "I see...let's try a new move. Tri-Attack!"
"Magne...!" Magneton growled, as one of its eyes glowed yellow, another glowed blue, and its third glowed a bright red. "...Ton!" It shot off streams of fire, ice, and electricity from its eyes. Melanie took one look at the fire and bolted out of the way frantically.
"Use Rock Tomb!" I commanded, as Melanie created the cage of rocks around Magneton.
"Gyro Ball!" Colress countered. Magneton's magnets began glowing, and it spun around at incredible speeds, shattering the rocks. "Now Lock-On!"
"Power-Up Punch!" I shouted frantically, as the target appeared on Melanie's forehead, though she managed to punch the Magneton away, and into the ground. I hoped that it wouldn't get back up, but no such luck. It hovered back up, raring to go.
"Tri-Attack, once again!" Colress shouted, as Magneton once again fired the stream of fire, electricity, and ice. Melanie frantically tried to dodge, but thanks to Lock-On, that was impossible, and the attack slammed into her. She struggled to get up, as a red glow overtook her body, telling me that she had been Burned. That was a major problem...
"Try using Power-Up Punch again!" I shouted, hoping to get over the attack decrease from the burn.
"Zap Cannon," Colress ordered calmly, as the giant orb of electricity crashed into Melanie, knocking her back some more before she could finish getting up. She struggled to get up again, before the burn took effect and she fell to the ground. I looked down somberly, and began walking towards Mel, already knowing the result.
"ANALYSIS: MAWILE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, MAGNETON IS THE WINNER. SINCE THE CHALLENGER IS OUT OF POKÉMON, THE MATCH GOES TO THE GYM LEADER, COLRESS."
"I'm sorry, Mel..." I apologized, handing her a Rawst Berry, which she weakly accepted. "You did the best you could."
"Leo..." Krysta murmured sadly, walking towards me and putting a hand on my shoulder. I sighed, clearing my head, before picking up Melanie and turning towards Colress.
"There's no shame in losing to a stronger opponent..." I said, partially trying to assure myself. "You said this Gym was closing soon, right?" Seeing a nod from Colress, I continued: "Keep it open. I'm going to train my Pokémon and come back for another round."
"The Gym closes in exactly 3 days," Colress stated, pushing up his glasses so that the light reflecting off of them blocked his eyes. "If you can best me in that amount of time, you win your badge. If not, you'll have to go to a different Gym." I nodded, before walking out of the Gym carrying Melanie to the Pokémon Center. Krysta went back to talk about her Gym Battle, but I didn't really notice.
An hour or so later, at the Pokémon Center...
I was sitting in silence at one of the tables, when Krysta walked up to me.
"Hey," she greeted simply.
"Hey," I repeated somberly. "How'd it go with the Gym Battle?"
"It's happening tomorrow," she said. I raised an eyebrow.
"What took you so long to get here, then?"
"Ehehehehe...I got lost." I snickered at this. We then heard a call from nearby.
"Mr. Tatsugami? Your Pokémon have finished healing." I got up and silently walked over, and saw Chansey wheeling out a cart that had Melanie and Spear sitting on it, now perfectly fine, other than the fact that Mel was now holding her ribbon in her hand while gauze covered her scar. I turned towards Nurse Joy, who explained: "It seems your battle aggregated her previous wound a bit, so I wrapped it in gauze to be safe. She should be fine by tomorrow morning though."
"I see..." I grunted, before bending down to Spear and Melanie. "Sorry, guys. You fought really hard, but we didn't manage to win it..."
"Spi-spi!" Spear shouted, as Melanie wrote something down on her notepad, before showing it to me.
'You have nothing to apologize for. We won't lose next time. That's all there is to it,' it read. I turned to Mel, who nodded. I recalled Spear to his PokéBall, before picking up Mel in my arms.
"...You're right. All we have to do is train harder, and beat him next time!" I decided.
"Wi~le maw!" Melanie agreed. Krysta silently smiled at us.
The next day...
We were in the Chrome City Gym once again, although this time I was in the stands and Krysta was on the battle field, facing off against Colress. Of course, Colress would be using a different team, since Krysta was fighting for her eighth Badge and not her second.
"THIS WILL BE A THREE-ON-THREE BATTLE BETWEEN THE GYM LEADER COLRESS AND THE CHALLENGER KRYSTA. ONLY THE CHALLENGER MAY MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS. BATTLE BEGIN."
"Klang, come out," Colress called, sending out the evolved form of Klink.
"Lila! Ready, set, go!" Krysta called, as her starter rushed onto the field.
"Klang..." The Gear Pokémon stated.
"Vesta!" Lila shouted in response.
"Use Heat Wave!" Krysta shouted, as Lila took a deep breath, before blowing out a red wind which washed over Klang, causing it obvious discomfort.
"Gear Grind!" Colress called in retaliation, as Klang split apart, and the gears converged towards Lila.
"Take flight and dodge it!" Krysta called with a smirk, as Lila's bottom horns lit ablaze and pushed her into the air, as Klang's gears bounced off each other.
"What!?" Colress gasped, clearly having never seen something like this before.
"Now Flare Blitz!" Krysta shouted, as Lila wrapped herself in her flames, which became blue, before charging at Klang, slamming into it and knocking it into the wall.
"ANALYSIS: KLANG IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, LARVESTA IS THE WINNER."
"That was fast..." I gasped.
"Klang, well done. Now return," Colress called, as his Pokémon returned to it's ball. "Magneton, come out!"
"Magneton..." This Magneton said.
"Just so you know..." Colress started. "...This Magneton is not the same one that faced your boyfriend yesterday." Me and Krysta both turned red at this.
"We're just friends!" We both insisted simultaneously.
"Oh? My mistake then. My apologies," Colress apologized. "Now, on with the battle. Magneton, Magnet Bomb." Magneton pointed it's now-glowing magnets at Lila, then shot off several silver lights like a machine gun.
"Dodge!" Krysta shouted. I facepalmed at this. Lila tried to dart out of the way, but the lights followed her and exploded.
"Magnet Bomb is a move that never ever misses..." I groaned. Krysta looked shocked for a second, then nervously scratched her head. The smoke cleared and Lila was mostly fine, so Krysta continued on.
"Incinerate!" Lila exhaled a stream of flames, which formed a pillar around Magneton. "Now Heat Wave!"
"Vesta!" Lila cried, blowing the heated winds at Magneton, causing a tornado of flames to form around it.
"Mag...ne...ton...!" Magneton cried out in pain, before Colress suddenly recalled it.
"It wouldn't have lasted much longer in that," he explained. "So I forfeit Magneton."
"VIA TKO, MAGNETON IS DECLARED UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, LARVESTA IS THE WINNER."
"Alright! Two down and one to go!" Krysta cheered. Wow...she's making this look easy...
"Alright then, Metang! Come out!" Colress declared, sending out his third. Pokémon, a Metang.
"Lila, Incinerate and Heat Wave!" A few seconds later, Metang was trapped in the same tornado as Magneton.
"I'm sorry, but the same trick won't work twice," Colress said. "Metang, Rain Dance."
"Metang!" Metang suddenly declared, it's eyes glowing blue, before rain clouds formed and it started raining, causing the flames to dampen, before eventually dying out.
"Uh-oh..." Krysta muttered nervously, as the flames that were keeping Lila afloat died out as well, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Now use Thunder Punch on the floor," Colress commanded, as Metang covered it's fist in electricity before punching the ground. Since water conducts electricity, and both Lila and the floor were covered in water, the electricity travelled through the water and straight into Lila. "I know that Larvesta's most common ability is Flame Body, and having Metang burned would be an inconvenience. So like this, I can still hit you with close range attacks without having Metang touch Larvesta, thus preventing Flame Body from triggering."
"Tch," Krysta scoffed. "Lila, use Heat Wave and evaporate the rain!"
"I think not. Metang, use Confusion on the rain to improvise a Water Pulse."
"Metang." Metang's eyes began glowing blue, before several droplets of rain suddenly gathered into a large ball, which flew at Lila, before trapping her in it.
"Flare Blitz!" Krysta called in retaliation, as Lila covered herself in blue flames, evaporating the water, before charging at Metang, slamming into it and sending it flying. However, since Fire attacks are weakened by rain, Metang corrected itself mid-flight and survived the attack. However, the recoil damage took it's toll on Lila, causing it to fall to the ground.
"ANALYSIS: LARVESTA IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, METANG IS THE WINNER."
"You did fantastic, Lila," Krysta soothed, picking up her starter and handing her to me, as I pulled out some Sitrus Berries. "Just leave the rest to me."
"Hmm...what are you going to use next...?" I pondered as I gave Lila the Sitrus Berries, and Krysta pulled out a PokéBall.
"Jackie! Ready, set, go!" She called, sending out her Hitmonchan. Colress raised an eyebrow, and if I were drinking something, I would have spit it out. Using a Hitmonchan!? Against a Metang!? Is she crazy!? Wait, of course she is. This is Krysta we're talking about. But still! Is she this crazy!?
"Metang, Psychic!" Colress called, as Metang's eyes began glowing.
"Jackie, Earthquake," Krysta called with a smirk, as Jackie stomped his foot on the ground, causing the ground to Shake...and for some reason, Metang seemed to be in pain despite clearly floating in the air.
"Um...why does Metang feel pain from an Earthquake when it's floating?" I asked.
"That's a question scientists have been pondering since Metang were discovered," Colress explained. "It doesn't make any sense, and yet it happens..."
"Now Thunder Punch!" Krysta called, not missing a beat, as Jackie covered his fist in electricity, and punched Metang. Since Metang was still soaked from the rain, the electricity did even more damage, and Metang fell to the ground.
"ANALYSIS: METANG IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, HITMONCHAN IS THE WINNER. SINCE THE GYM LEADER IS OUT OF POKÉMON, THE MATCH GOES TO THE CHALLENGER, KRYSTA."
"Congratulations, Krysta," I said handing Lila, now mostly better thanks to the Sitrus Berries I gave it, back to her. ...It occurs to me I may need to restock my berries soon...
"Indeed, good show," Colress complimented, recalling his Metang. "You effectively used your type advantage in creative ways the first two rounds, then pulled out a surprise super effective attack from a bad type match-up on the third. You've earned this." Colress handed her a Badge that was shaped like a gear. "The Science Badge."
"Alright! We did it! We got the Science Badge! That's Badge number eight!" Krysta cheered. Colress then turned towards me.
"I suppose you'll be wanting your rematch tomorrow?" Colress asked. "It is your last chance, after all."
"You bet," I said. I then turned to walk out. "But right now, we need to train, and train hard, because we aren't going to lose a second time!" With that, I ran off with Mel. Krysta had inspired me a bit, and I knew what to do now…
"Odd!" Rei agreed.
"Melanie, work on moving faster with your Power-Up Punch, and when you feel you're fast enough, start working on Rock Tomb's accuracy."
"Wi~le maw!" Melanie immediately lunged at Rei, who dodged easily. They continued on like that for a bit, before I turned towards Spear.
"Spear..." I started. "We're working on a new move."
The next day...
I stood in front of the door to the Chrome City Gym, Spear hovering nearby, and Melanie at my feet. This was my last chance to challenge him...so I've got to win this! I took a drink from the coffee mug in my hands. I'd stayed up with Mel and Spear until nearly one in the morning to train for this...I gave them coffee too, in order to make sure they were awake. I then stashed the now-empty mug and entered the Gym. Krysta had already sat down in the bleachers, while Colress stood at the opposite end of the battlefield.
"THIS WILL BE A TWO-ON-TWO BATTLE BETWEEN THE GYM LEADER COLRESS AND THE CHALLENGER LEO. ONLY THE CHALLENGER MAY MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS. BATTLE BEGIN."
"Klink, come out!" Colress called, his gear Pokémon once again taking the field.
"Spear, the time has come!" I said, as Spear flew towards the field.
"Let's start things off strong. Use Lock-On followed by Hyper Beam," Colress said, as the red target appeared on Spear, and Klink fired the multi-colored beam.
"Fly away!" I commanded. I knew Hyper Beam would follow Spear everywhere...but what's the cliché with seeker attacks? As I planned, the beam continuously followed Spear. Colress raised an eyebrow, likely wondering why I was so confident. I smirked. "Fly behind Klink!" Spear suddenly came to a stop right behind Klink.
"Spi," it said, just as smug as I was. Klink was unable to move after firing Hyper Beam, so as planned, it's Hyper Beam followed Spear, slamming right into Klink.
"Hmph. An overused trick, but still an effective one," Colress noted.
"Electroweb!" I shouted. I didn't want to pull out Spear's ace in the hole just yet... Spear shot the electric net, entangling Klink and lowering it's speed.
"Automize!" Colress called in retaliation, as Klink began glowing silver. Perfect. Time for a brand new move!
"Spear, use Drill Run!" I shouted. Spear began spinning at incredible speeds, before slamming into Klink, who was still in the middle of using Automize. Since Automize reduces weight, Klink went flying even farther than normal, and collided with the wall behind me. In addition to the super effective damage from Drill Run, this battle's over.
"ANALYSIS: KLINK IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, BEEDRILL IS THE WINNER."
"Way to go, Leo!" Krysta called.
"Impressive," Colress complimented, recalling Klink. "However, this battle is far from over. Magneton, come out!"
"Magneton," the Magnet Pokémon that defeated me last time cried, as it took to the field. I narrowed my eyes. I'm starting this with a bang!
"Drill Run!" I repeated, as Spear began its spinning descent at Magneton.
"Magnet Rise," Colress said calmly, as Magneton began glowing yellow,many floated out of the way. "Now Lock-On, followed by Flash Cannon." The red target reappeared on Spear, and the silver beam coursed towards it. I sincerely doubt Colress will fall for the same trick twice, so...!
"Charge through it! Drill Run!" I shouted, as Spear once again began spinning, attempting to charge through the Flash Cannon.
"Metal Sound," Colress ordered simply, as a screeching sound emanated from Magneton, lowering Beedrill's special defense and allowing the Flash Cannon to push it back into the wall. And a 4x Super Effective attack would have been so helpful...!
"ANALYSIS: BEEDRILL IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, MAGNETON IS THE WINNER." I recalled Spear.
"You did great Spear," I soothed, before nodding towards Mel, who's bandages had been replaced with her ribbon this morning. "The time has come. It's up to you."
"Wi~le maw!" Melanie called, rushing into the field.
"Magneton, use Tri-Attack!" Colress called. The stream of elements rushed towards Mel, who dodged without a word.
"Power-Up Punch!" I called, as Melanie rushed towards Magneton and punched it back.
"Lock-On!" Colress shouted. I cringed slightly as the target appeared on Melanie's forehead. "Now Zap Cannon!"
"Wait for it..." I started, knowing if I played this right, I could win this. Then, the exact second Magneton fired it's Zap Cannon, I commanded: "SUCKER PUNCH!"
"Wi~le..." Melanie warped behind Magneton and punched it from behind. "...maw!" The Zap Cannon went in reverse towards Magneton, just as planned...only for Magneton's body to suddenly split into three Magnemite as the Zap Cannon hit Melanie and exploded, before they came back together.
"Say what!?" I gasped, cursing under my breath as I saw that Mel had been paralyzed.
"That was certainly a smart way to try playing the same trick twice," Colress admitted. "However, though it may have worked on some of my other Pokémon, it is useless on any of my Magneton. Or my Klinks and Klangs, for that matter."
"In that case...Power-Up Punch!" I shouted, as Melanie charged at Magneton with a glowing orange fist again.
"Magnet Bomb." Magneton began shooting out silver lights from it's magnets like a machine gun, pelting Mel and knocking her back. "Lock-On." The red target reappeared on Melanie's forehead, as she struggled to stand through the paralysis. "Finish with Zap Cannon."
"Magneton..." Magneton growled, as it began charging a huge orb of electricity. It looked like even after all that training, it still wasn't enough...
Melanie stared in horror as the Zap Cannon approached her. Zap Cannon normally moved slowly enough that it was easy to dodge, but while paralyzed, it was harder. Not to mention, Lock-On made it flat out impossible. She tried to muster the strength for a Sucker Punch, but the paralysis prevented her. After all that training, was she going to lose here...?
...No. There was still away out of this. She hoped she'd never have to do this again, but...
...she reached deep inside, for a power she knew was still there, even though she tried to get rid of it. Soon enough, she felt a familiar, burning feeling...!
Just when it looked like I'd have to get my second badge somewhere else, I saw a familiar energy form at Melanie's mouth, and before I could react...boom! A powerful jet of flame burst from her mouth, shooting back the Zap Cannon and slamming into Magneton, causing a large explosion.
"That was...Flamethrower..." I gasped.
"Wi~le maw!" Melanie cheered in response. That seemed to do a lot more damage then it should have, though...I guess I got a lucky critical hit in. However, as the smoke cleared...Magneton was still standing. Er, floating. I realized what had happened.
"Sturdy...!" I cursed. Just when things were going so well...!
"Magneton, use Tri-Attack," Colress calmly stated. Magneton began charging it up, and got ready to fire...we braced ourselves for the worst, when suddenly, a red glow overtook Magneton, as it fell to the ground. What the...? Oh. Poetic justice in action!
"ANALYSIS: MAGNETON IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. THEREFORE, MAWILE IS THE WINNER. SINCE THE GYM LEADER IS OUT OF POKÉMON, THE MATCH GOES TO THE GYM LEADER, LEO."
"Hmph. How ironic. I beat you with burn damage before, and this time, the burn damage is what defeated me..." Colress muttered, recalling Magneton, before walking over to me and handing me a Science Badge. "Nonetheless, you've earned this Science Badge." I eagerly accepted the Badge, placing it into my Badge Case, as Melanie excitedly hugged my leg.
"We did it, Melanie!" I cheered.
"Wi~le maw!" She cheered as well...before promptly collapsing.
"Melanie!" I gasped, scooping her up in my arms. "We should probably get to the Pokémon Center, huh?" I turned and walked out, as Krysta eagerly followed...
Later, at the Pokémon Center...
Me and Krysta were hanging out at the cafeteria, discussing where to go next While we waited for my Pokémon to heal. The closest town to here was Lavender, and though it had no Gym, we could go from there straight to Saffron...I was a bit shaky about fighting Sabrina, though...suddenly, we were approached by Colress.
"Oh. Hello," I said.
"You ran out so fast earlier, I didn't have time to give you these...which reminds me, I forgot to give them to Krysta anyways." He handed us two silver TMs and...strange items I didn't recognize...
"Wait, Reezef didn't give me any of this stuff..." I noted.
"The TM and cash reward system is a relatively recent addition, so it's not surprising some Gym Leaders that are more used to the older style might forget," Colress explained. "Those TMs contain Flash Cannon, by the way."
"Cool," I said, sighing at the fact that I didn't have a TM case, and opening my bag to try and find a safe place to put it...only to find a TM Case in there. Must be A's work. I shrugged and put it in.
"Also, may I ask you two a few questions?" Colress asked. Well, considering he was researching Pokémon's potential, I suppose it made sense that he would interview trainers he battles to get more data.
"Sure," I agreed, as Krysta nodded.
"Okay, first of all...how many Pokémon do you have in total, not including eggs?"
"Four. Mawile, Beedrill, Oddish, and Slowpoke," I said.
"Eight," Krysta said. "Larvesta, Onix, Hitmonchan, Magmar, Flareon, Electabuzz, Graveler, and Ponyta."
"Hmm...I see..." Colress said, pulling out a laptop and typing a few things. "What Pokémon was your starter?"
"Melanie," I stated without missing a beat.
"Lila here." The Larvesta jumped up onto Krysta's shoulder when it heard it's name called.
"How often do you bring your Pokémon out of their Pokéballs?"
"Melanie stays out 24/7, but everyone else only comes out at meals or when needed," I explained.
"Same for me and Lila...except Lila used to stay in her Ball until Leo talked me into letting her out."
"I see...do either of you have any preferred type?"
"Anything strong against Ice," Krysta said.
"Eh...I've noticed I have a tendency to lean towards Psychics, Dragons, and the recently-discovered Fairies when I think about Pokémon I want to catch, but I still catch whatever I come across that I feel like catching."
"Do you talk with your Pokémon often, other than giving it commands?"
"Yeah," Krysta and I both agreed.
"I actually taught Melanie to write in English in order to communicate better," I admitted.
"Really? Astounding!" Colress gasped. "Being able to communicate with Pokémon...that would make for some good research..." He then closed up his laptop. An idle thought I was wondering about while playing Omega Ruby popped into my head.
"Say...Colress...have you done any research into Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion?" I asked.
"Can't say I even know much about either of those," Colress admitted.
"I see...because I did a bit of research myself, and I think those may have to do with the idea of bringing out a Pokémon's full potential." I hadn't actually done that much research into it, but it was an idea I had. I went onto my phone and pulled up pages on Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion, then showed them to Colress. This was like a dream come true! One of the main reasons I love having come to this world is that now there's no limit to what I can learn about Pokémon! Of course, I miss my family too...anyways, I continued explaining on to Colress. "Of course, I haven't used any Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion myself, but Mega Evolution seems to deal with the bonds between human and Pokémon bringing out a Pokémon's full powers, whereas Primal Reversion seems to revert the Pokémon to an older, more animalistic form where the effects of age having taken its toll vanish."
"I see...yes, that makes sense..." Colress muttered. "Why didn't I realize this sooner? Mega Evolution...Primal Reversion...they may be the keys to unlocking a Pokémon's true potential!"
"Most of the info on Mega Evolution comes from Kalos' Pokémon Professor, Augustine Sycamore, and from Hoenn's Champion, Steven Stone, although Steven's the one who's been doing more research into Primal Reversion." I idly took a glance at Krysta, and saw that she seemed to be confused.
"I see...in that case, I must head to Hoenn as soon as possible, and then to Kalos for research afterwards," Colress decided. "I've already finished my research at the Gym, so I can head to Vermillion City and get on a ship as soon as possible..."
"Hey...the fastest way to Vermillion City from here is through Lavender Town and Saffron, right?" I asked. Seeing Colress nod, I continued, doing my best to hold in my excitement at this possibility. "So why don't you come along with us? That's where we're headed next, as well." Colress seemed to ponder the idea. 'Please say yes, please say yes...!' I prayed. He then turned back towards me.
"I suppose traveling with other trainers could prove to be valuable research," he decided. "So I suppose I can travel with you two until Vermillion City." I mentally cheered in excitement.
And in a surprising twist, CB met Colress of all people in Kanto, and as a Gym Leader. And now he's traveling with him to Vermillion. This ought to be interesting.