Chapter 3: Brock the Crusher
Tsuki had her little group of Pokémon sitting in a circle under a tree near the route they had been training on for the past few hours of this particular day. She smiled looking to Handsome and Aries "I know I said this already but unfortunately you won't be much help in this gym seeing your both weak to rock type Pokémon which is what the gym leader here in Pewter city uses. At least according to this pamphlet I got at the Pokémon Center." She stated. The two nodded her attention turned to Marluxia "So that means you will be the star of this battle. I'm hoping for a very straight forward win and to leave here quickly." She told him. The former Nobody nodded "Well I don't think we need to talk much more so let's go over there!" she announced rising to leave. The three Pokémon were placed back in their balls for faster travel. While the city itself wasn't that big it was still faster to not have to worry about them, also Bulbasaurs weren't really known for their speed.
Walking to be standing in front of the gym the roof of the building appeared to be made of large boulders that spiked at the top the words 'Pewter City Gym' were written in what look like stone but brown in color compared to the boring grey color that was the main building. The only entrance was a glass screen door that when Tsuki approached it slid opened automatically, Tsuki nodded to herself to steel her nerves and she walked inside. Instantly upon entering the gym Marluxia came out of his ball his blue eyes wide with shock. Blood, blood stained the floors and walls of the gym. There were even a few large patches of blood on the ceiling even Tsuki looked surprised "What the heck happened here?" she asked out loud. Handsome and Aries came out of their balls as well
"It looks like a war happened here!" Aries chirped. Marluxia nodded
"Why is there so much blood here?" he asked
"I can only assume it's from previous challengers." Handsome spoke. Tsuki swallowed nervously
"Come…come…come on." She spoke walking forward towards the front of the gym. The interior of the gym had various rocks that were tossed around on the floor that had some blood on them; a few sharp stalactites hung from the ceiling and creaked a bit making the group nervous. Over in one cover sat a lonely red chair; the chair had metal cuffs on it that were strapped to the arms and front legs of it. The chair had a ring of dirt and blood, Marluxia shook his head not wanting to imprint that image in his mind. Walking forward a bit more Tsuki watched as a trainer around her age fall to his knees, she didn't know him but it was obvious he lost. She watched the male sob over the dead body of his Pokémon, a male voice spoke
"Oh don't worry you'll be joining him soon." It spoke before the boy was grabbed by a tail made entirely out of rocks. The tail moved the boy over to the chair dropping him on it; the cuffs went around his wrists and ankles. The boy suddenly screamed
"NO! Please don't!" he screamed before someone snapped before the large tail disappeared but instead boulders rained down from the sky. A sickening crunch echoed through the building along with a pained scream. Tsuki screamed in terror as fresh blood became to spill out from under the boulders, the voice laughed a light turning on
"Well then I have another challenger already?" he asked. His skin was tan and his black hair was spiked; he wore an orange shirt with a green vest with multiple pockets on top of it, his brown pants had dirt and dust all over them. He smirked a bit watching Tsuki nearly burst into tears
"Why would you do that?!" she screamed at him, the male laughed a bit. It didn't sound right, it was filled with malice
"Oh you must be really new. I do what I must to protect my precious Pokémon." He told her. Looking up at the large rock snake it was covered it scratches and scars even a few places were having large chunks coming off the mighty beast "Now then did you come here to attempt to obtain this badge?" he asked showing her a small object. Tsuki swallowed thickly before nodding "Then let's see what you are made of challenger! See if you can defeat me Brock gym leader of Pewter city!" he laughed. A spot on the ground light up and Tsuki walked forward with Marluxia by her side
"Let's make this quick Marluxia." She whispered to him. The male nodded running to be in front of the girl
"Pffht! You think I am scared of a Bulbasaur? I see them all the time. People trying to defeat me, I have to admit that boy with the Charmander with white hair was quite the surprise." Tsuki looked up
"My brother was here?" she asked
"Ah so you were related to the boy? Well then this might be fun!" he held up a ball throwing it releasing a very beat up looking rock with arms "Geodude let's have a little fun!" he laughed. Tsuki nodded
"Go Marluxia you can do this!" she told him. Marluxia nodded charging out into the field the rock grinned and raised its hand
"Geodude tackle it!" he ordered. The rock charged at Marluxia, the Pokémon was smacked in the face hard. Enough to knock out one of his sharpened teeth, Tsuki winced before she steadied her nerves
"Marluxia give it a taste of your vine whip!" she shouted waving her hand as she did. Marluxia nodded charging again as a single vine appeared wrapping around the Geodude's arm and picking it up before throwing it down hard. The ground underneath the Geodude cracked loudly
"What how is he so strong?!" Brock shouted
"It's called training above and beyond the norm!" Tsuki grinned "Marluxia Vine Whip again!" she ordered. Marluxia raise his vine again wrapping around its arm again and slamming it back down. With a loud crunch the Geodude fell over, the gym leader growled
"So you've leveled him up pretty high…." He spoke quietly bringing the rock back into its ball "Onix…" he spoke "Crush it!" he shouted. The large rock snake that had been sitting off to one side hissed back to life and slithered over before it roared "Use Bind…"
"Marluxia Sleep Powder quick!" Tsuki shouted. Marluxia opened his bulb a bit before shooting the dust into the air, the rock snake hissed before its eyes shut "Follow up with Vine whip!" Tsuki ordered. Marluxia charged wrapping his vine around the horn on its head before he pulled knocking the snake around a bit. The snake roared in pain as the horn came off "Man you really need to take care of your Onix!" she spoke "It shouldn't have come off!" The gym leader watched as the snake hissed in pain before it was close to fainting, Brock growled
"Onix! Rock Tomb!" he ordered the snake raised its head summoning rocks that were in the air
"Look out Marluxia!" Tsuki warned
"Oh…who said I was aiming for the Bulbasaur?" Brock asked his grin widening. Tsuki blinked before she screamed falling to the ground in fear, the rocks were surrounding her! Brock laughed "I can't let you win! Usually I only do this to losers but if I let you continue you might beat the others…" the rocks plummeted towards Tsuki
"TSUKI!" Marluxia screamed running towards her
"Onix use bind to hold that Pokémon in place!" he ordered. The snake wrapped its tail around Marluxia tightly; the Bulbasaur squirmed greatly against the snake
"No!" he screamed. He didn't have a heart but no one deserved to die like this! Especially not someone as sweet as Tsuki! Tsuki looked at Marluxia before she bit her lip tracing her fingers over her brooch; Aries and Handsome had appeared as well watching her run her fingers around the brooch in a circle motion before Tsuki's eyes lit up brightly. The rocks smashed into the ground around her "NO!" Marluxia screamed, Aries looked up from the pile of rocks at Marluxia her mouth slightly opened
"Look!" she chirped to Handsome. Marluxia's body was surrounded by a familiar white light as his bulb opened revealing a pink flower and leafy leaves, when the light faded Marluxia glared at the rock snake
"Get off me!" he snarled summoning two vines and wrapping the both of them around the beast before throwing it to slam against a wall. It screeched in pain before Marluxia turned to look at Brock, he snarled raising his vines again. A whoosh of air made him stop watching the boulders slam into the male tossing him half way across the room. A crunch occurred along with a pained scream coming from the male. Marluxia blinked turning around seeing Tsuki having a faint glow on her fingertips
"That was for trying to crush me!" she shouted to the gym leader with a slight hiss in her voice. When her fingertips stopped glowing Marluxia ran over "You were wonderful Marluxia." She whispered stroking the creature's head softly Marluxia smiled revealing the one missing tooth "I hope we can get this put back in." she spoke picking up his tooth that remained on the floor somehow undamaged. Marluxia nodded rubbing his head against her leg gently "Oh I'm fine sweetie pie!" she told him with a slight laugh. Looking at the area where Brock now laid dead she sighed walking away "I hope they understand…" she whispered.
Walking out of the gym a man appeared handing Tsuki something in a white cloth she looked up at the man who wore a black cloak to hide himself
"For defeating Brock…" he told her before vanishing into a similar portal that Marluxia used to use, Marluxia gasped running towards it but it shut quickly
"Something wrong Marluxia?" Tsuki asked quietly looking at him. The grass type stared at the area but he sighed softly shaking his head "Okay…" Tsuki looked at the cloth unwrapping the cloth seeing a slightly blood covered badge and some sort of CD with the words 'Rock Tomb' written on it. Tsuki blinked "Is…this the reward?" there was also some money in the little cloth "So we keep it?" she asked her crew that joined her by her side. Handsome tilted his head, Marluxia made a slight shrugging motion, and Aries chirped quietly "…I'll take that as a yes." She spoke. After a trip to the Pokémon Center and having Marluxia's tooth put back into place Tsuki headed for the next town. As Tsuki walked towards the next route Aries popped out of her ball gliding to be by Marluxia's side
"Is something wrong?" she asked seeing the dark look in Marluxia's eyes
"I…I…I guess this day has been a bit much…" he admitted to the bird. Aries nodded
"Between seeing that boy's death, killing those two Pokémon and….Tsuki's near death has it's been rough."
"What about the man? You seemed surprised by that strange black portal…"
"It's nothing…"
"Marluxia we are team mates…"
"I said it was nothing!" he snapped becoming defensive. Aries slinked back
"Okay, okay geez!" Aries chirped, the group had stopped seeing a road filled with trainers
"What on earth are they doing here?"
"Not sure…" Tsuki looked at one girl who smiled at her. Tsuki nodded slightly raising Aries's ball "Looks like I'm up!" she chirped flying over to the girl, Marluxia was surprised Tsuki wasn't crying in a corner at this point after everything. Yes the girl had been depressed since leaving Pewter City as the police showed up but shouldn't she have stopped battling?
The battle was quick; Aries easily taking out the girls' team it was when the group came upon a young boy. He had a bird that was shaggy with brown feathers and red wings but his belly was black, Aries chirped surprised looking at the bird strangely. Marluxia glanced up at Aries's face, her eyes said it all. She knew him…The bird screeched charging at the smaller bird, Aries blinked but pulled back dodging the blow. She chirped something that Marluxia didn't understand (Perhaps her native tongue?) to the bird but it didn't hear her. Pecking into her wing Aries cried out in pain, Tsuki gasped
"Aries!" she called. The bird looked at the other one and charged forwarded to attack, the bigger bird grinned finally getting a battle. The two struck each other repeatedly without enough of a gap for Marluxia to see who was winning Handsome even came out fluttering next to Marluxia in fear, watching the two fight Aries suddenly cried out. Blood dripped onto the ground where some of her feathers had been ripped off by her opponent leaving a gash on her left wing. Marluxia gasped ready to jump in and fight when Aries folded her wings in and with blinding speed a light emitted from the bird before she slammed into the other bird it falling to the ground. Once it hit the light around Aries disappeared revealing her new form, her short hair now a bit longer and losing the blond tuffs on her face. Her hair no longer brown but instead it was reddish she was also tanner, plus she had beautiful red tail feathers mixed with her golden ones. The girl also was pretty in Marluxia's eyes, she glared at the bird before landing next to Marluxia. Tsuki grinned suddenly her face filled with life again, running over she hugged Aries
"You evolved!" she giggled. Stroking the bird Aries chirped slightly, but it much less energetic than before…