Chapter 9: Rocks That Don't Roll
The Pewter City Gym didn't just specialize in the usage of Rock types, but it was also composed entirely of rocks. At first glance, it looked like a huge heap of boulders with a pair of light brown doors and the words "Pewter City Gym" carved into the topmost stone. Well, I guess it was pretty creative, but it looked like a caveman's house if you asked me.
I proceeded alone through the Gym's double doors, which groaned loudly as I pushed them open and entered a relatively dark room. It had a high ceiling from which numerous spotlights were suspended, spreading light over a battlefield lined with jagged boulders.
It's just like they said, I thought, examining the field's layout. It's all rocks…
Lance and Riley had returned from the Gym yesterday with victorious grins on their faces and Boulder Badges gleaming in their hands. They had spent the whole night illustrating their battles to me over and over again until I finally got tired of it and mentioned what I had seen while I was training. Riley concluded that he and Lance should search for those thugs while I had my Gym battle…alone.
Some friends, I grumbled. Despite that, I understood Riley's curiosity; I was eager to find out who those people were, but simply thinking about them wasn't going to get me anywhere.
"Hello?" I called, my voice echoing around the room. At least, if I lost to the Gym because I restrained from using Hisa, Riley wouldn't be there to say he told me so. "Anyone home?" A brief pause followed my inquiry, soon accompanied by the sonorous creak of an opening door at the far end of the room. A man around his late twenties or so with dark, spiky hair and tanned skin entered. His narrow eyes were a trademark of his identity, one that no one could have missed.
"Do you wish to challenge this Gym?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied, stepping further into the Gym. "You're Brock aren't you?" A small smile appeared on on the Gym Leader's face, as though pleased at being recognized.
"That's me alright. Usually people don't have to ask." He stepped onto the battlefield, taking his place in the Trainer's box. In the light, I could see that Brock wore a simple T-shirt and vest, along with a pair of cargo pants and sneakers. I remembered that he had worn similar attire during his travels with Ash Ketchum, which had been filmed and broadcasted to every around the world. "And who do I have the pleasure of battling today?"
"Swift Firestorm," I stated, assuming my own position, "from Pallet Town." I couldn't resist a small, proud smile at being able to say that.
"Pallet Town huh? I have a feeling that this will be an interesting match." Brock cleared his throat, and said in a louder voice, "Very well, then. This battle will be a basic two-on-two match. Only the challenger–that is, you–will be allowed to make substitutions. Are you ready?"
My heart began to pound in anticipation, and I swallowed, replacing any doubts I had with a smirk.
"I was ready years ago," was my reply, and I spoke out of rectitude. How long had I been waiting for moments like this? Brock nodded at my response, and drew a Poké Ball.
"Now then, my first choice will be…Geodude!" The Poké Ball sailed into the air, and a rugged form materialized on the Gym Leader's side of the battlefield. It resembled a roughly spherical rock with a pair of eyes and a mouth that made up its face. Extending from either side of its head (body?) were a pair of muscular-looking arms.
"Geo!" the Rock Pokémon cried, hovering above the ground as it flexed its arms. I drew Venonat's Poké Ball from my belt, already having anticipated Brock's choice.
"Go, Venonat!" The Bug Pokémon emerged from his Poké Ball, his antennas twitching alertly as he scrutinized his opponent. "Veno-nat!"
If Brock was surprised about my choice, he certainly didn't show it, and neither did his Pokémon. Instead, he pointed at Venonat and said, "Let's begin, then. Geodude, use Rock Throw!" The Rock Pokémon gouged a chunk of earth from the battlefield and hurled it easily in our direction, quickly sending two or three more flying after it.
"Dodge it and close in!" I ordered. The Insect Pokémon leapt around the boulders' path and began charging as fast as his little feet could carry him. This was the easy part; if all went well, we'd soon be battling against the Gym Leader's final Pokémon. If not...well, we'll see. Brock shouted another command, and Geodude suddenly flew full-speed at Venonat. "Slide and use Supersonic!"
By the expression on Brock's face, I could tell that he hadn't been expecting that. The Insect Pokémon threw himself sideways on the ground, sliding smoothly underneath Geodude as he was passing overhead. The faint, yellow rings of Supersonic soon became visible as the Bug Pokémon emitted them from his antennas, easily reaching their mark.
"Geo…dude?" The Rock Pokémon asked, wobbling slightly in the air.
"Confusion!" Venonat's body took on its usual blue glow, enveloping Geodude with it and lifting him higher into the air. "Vennnoo!" I hoped that Venonat would be able to hold out long enough to defeat Geodude with one attack. My victory without using Hisa depended on that. "Nat!" The Rock Pokémon was slammed into the ground repeatedly, gradually enlarging a dent in the ground. By the time Venonat was done, a large crater had formed around him.
"Ge-e-o-d-dude…" Geodude moaned, then collapsed in the center of the pit. Brock raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised.
"You're pretty tough," he commented, returning his Pokémon. "Is this your first Gym battle?"
"Yeah," I said, my ego swelling with pride. The Gym Leader smirked at this, and I tensed slightly, because I had a pretty good guess as to what he was about to do. This would be, by far, the toughest part of the match.
"I guess it's time to go hard on you, then." Brock concluded, drawing another Poké Ball. I braced myself for the release, almost certain of the mechanical orb's contents. "Go, Onix!" He flung the Poké Ball into the air, releasing a large, serpentine form that could have easily surpassed the height of the ceiling. The Pokémon's body was composed of various boulders in decreasing size, with a flat, vertical horn protruding from the back of his head. It was just as I predicted. Venonat flinched as the Rock Pokémon fixed his eyes on him and uttered a low growl.
"V-Veno-n-nat..."
"It's alright," I assured him, even though I wouldn't want to be standing underneath a twenty-foot-long snake that wanted to turn you into a pancake, either. Did I mention it was made of stone? "We're not giving up yet are we?"
Venonat perked up at my words and shook himself, recomposing his stance. "Veno-nat!" he cried with more confidence.
"Well then, let's continue." Brock went on. "Onix, Rock Throw!"
My first thought after hearing that order was, Oh, they're going to chuck some more rocks at us? Pssh, bring it on! But when the giant Rock Snake Pokémon swept its tail across the field and sent an entire avalanche of boulders flying towards us, I froze, and thought, Oh snap, we're screwed.
"Dodge it!" The Bug Pokémon threw himself out of harm's way, maneuvering over the rocks on the battlefield in order to dodge the barrage. "Supersonic!" Venonat bounded forward, once again releasing the high-pitched sound.
"I'm not falling for that again. Onix, Screech!" The Rock Pokémon inhaled deeply, loosing a terrible scream from its toothless mouth. It sounded like nails scraping against a chalkboard, except ten times louder and ten times worse. I covered my ears to block out the sound, but even still its force rattled my eardrums. I had always needed a loud alarm clock, but this was going way too far. The attack was so powerful that Venonat was blown backwards by its force.
"Hang in there Venonat!" The purple Pokémon got to his feet, shaken from the effects of the Screech. This wasn't good.
"Maybe I've overestimated you," Brock said with a thoughtful expression. "Let's try a Rage attack!" Onix bellowed, his eyes and body obtaining a slight red tinge as he charged headfirst at Venonat. I gritted my teeth, not wanting to give up just yet.
"Let's prove him wrong, Venonat! Quick, latch on!" Venonat launched himself into the air as the Rock type approached, grabbing onto its horn before it could react. "Now, Stun Spore!" The Insect Pokémon began quivering from head to toe, releasing a cloudy yellow substance form his fur. As it spread over Onix's body, the Rock Pokémon's movements became stiff and sluggish, and he roared in annoyance as sparks sprang from his rocky hide. "Confusion!" The Bug Pokémon began glowing once more, enveloping Onix with the same light. However, as Venonat tried to execute the attack, Onix began to buck, rebelling against the force of the Confusion.
"Looks like you won't be proving me wrong just yet," Brock observed. "Use Slam!"
The Rock Pokémon quickly got his acts together, bellowing as he managed to toss Venonat off his head and swing his tail at him, swatting him into the air like a baseball.
"Venonat!" I called. The Insect Pokémon tumbled across the ground, shakily trying to push himself up onto his feet as he stopped, but collapsed on the spot.
"Looks like your Venonat is unable to battle," Brock announced.
Thanks for pointing that out, Captain Obvious. "You were great today, Venonat. I really appreciate it," I said with a small, grateful smile. Venonat offered a weak buzz as I returned him to his Poké Ball, and suddenly I found myself stuck with the decision that I had wanted to avoid.
Who should I send out now? I wondered. Eevee probably wasn't going to cooperate, but I didn't want to tell Riley that I chickened out at the last minute and used Hisa in the end. I plucked Eevee's Poké Ball from my belt, hoping for the best. Alright, let's try this. "Come on out, Eevee!" I swallowed anxiously as the Evolution Pokémon emerged on the battlefield, grooming himself without really acknowledging the fact that he had been released. Oh great. Meanwhile, Onix cocked his head at his new opponent, while the Gym Leader, again, showed no signs of surprise at my decision.
"Let's make this quick, Onix," he said. "Use Slam once more!"
The Rock Pokémon raised his tail, its shadow extending over the spot on which Eevee sat. The Normal Type continued to lick his paws, apparently unaware of the fact that he was about to be crushed by an enormous stone tail.
"Eevee, look out!" I warned. Eevee's head snapped in my direction, his brown eyes suddenly fierce as he snarled. "Eevee, we don't have time for this!"
"Eeee!" His eyes flared gold as he began to charge at me a split second before Onix's tail descended. It crashed into the ground, missing Eevee by a hairsbreadth while clouds of dust billowed in every direction. The Evolution Pokémon halted, his ear flicking in annoyance. I prayed that Eevee would be aggravated enough to attack Onix instead of me.
After what seemed like an eternity, Eevee swiveled around and faced Onix, much to my relief. Unlike Venonat, Eevee was completely unafraid of the fact that Onix was twenty times larger than himself. His fur began to spark as he positioned himself to pounce.
"Quite an interesting Eevee you have there," Brock commented with a hint of curiosity, but otherwise remained indifferent. "Onix, Bind!"
The Rock Snake Pokémon lashed out with his tail again, slowly closing it around Eevee. However, the Evolution Pokémon jumped above the confines of his tail in the blink of an eye, racing up Onix's body with perfect balance. His tail began to obtain a metallic glow, and when he reached the Rock Pokémon's neck, Eevee jumped, flipped, and slammed it onto the back of Onix's head. A deafening roar shook the room as the upper half of the Rock Pokémon was knocked low to the ground.
What the heck was that? I thought. I'd never seen such a small Pokémon with physical capabilities of this level. It was almost mindblowing. I've never seen an Iron Tail like that. How strong could Eevee be?
Somersaulting once and twisting in midair, Eevee landed another Iron Tail on Onix's back, driving him to the ground with a loud crash. With a few more aerobic stunts, Eevee landed gracefully on all fours.
"Onix!" Brock cried, almost shocked. The Rock Pokémon shifted, and started to rise slowly. "Just a little more Onix—we can do this!"
But Eevee had other ideas. As the Rock Pokémon erected himself, Eevee vanished in a blur of tan fur and reappeared at Onix's head, ramming into him with such force that the Rock Pokémon fell back and fainted on the spot. I stared, completely stunned at what I had just seen. These Eevee had to be on steroids!
I quickly withdrew these thoughts as the Normal type started to stalk towards me with sparks flying from his pelt, positioning himself to pounce.
"Eevee, calm down!" I shouted frantically, raising his Poké Ball. "Return!" With a flash of red light, the Evolution Pokémon was gone, and I finally relaxed. At least we had managed to defeat Brock. "Thanks, in any case," I muttered.
"Well that was unexpected," Brock noted after a pause, withdrawing his defeated Pokémon. "Tell me, where on earth did you get that Eevee?"
"Professor Oak gave him to me," I replied. A peculiar expression spread across the Gym Leader's face, but I couldn't quite place a finger on his thoughts.
"He must really trust you if he gave you a Pokémon like that," he said, clearing his throat. "In any case, as the Gym Leader, it is now my duty to present you with the Boulder Badge." The Gym Leader produced a small, dusky gray object from his pocket, holding it so that the light glinted off of its octagonal, facetted surface. I stared down at the Badge, semi-awed, like it would disappear at any moment.
"Well…thanks," I said, resisting the urge to gawk at it until I was able to accept the fact that it was mine. I fit the Boulder Badge into one of the empty depressions on my belt, proud that it was no longer empty. Finally, I was one step closer to the Indigo League, with seven more slots to fill before I could challenge the Elite Four.
"That was probably one of the most peculiar battles I've ever had, but still, I enjoyed it," Brock said, offering an amiable smile. "Good luck on your journey." I thanked Brock once more, then turned and exited the Gym in high spirits. The moment I was out the doors, I broke into a run, eager to share my victory with Lance and Riley. At last, I had gotten my first Badge!
Wait till Riley hears about this! I thought, a wicked grin creeping onto my lips.
An unknown force unexpectantly rammed into my side, sending me to the ground with a loud "Oof!" as I rolled to break the fall a little. After a while, I sat up to massage my aching side with a grimace.
Ack…...what the heck was that?
I looked up, still wincing when I spotted the boy from yesterday sitting up nearby, groaning. He was just as disheveled as when I had last seen him, although in the sunlight he looked worse. His rugged backpack lay on the ground beside him, splattered with dirt.
"What was that for?" I demanded, too irritated to ask who he was. "You should watch where you're going."
The boy merely blinked, looking rather surprised.
"Me?" he asked. Something in his voice was stern, and yet afraid at the same time. "What're you doing here?"
"What?" I opened my mouth to say more, but someone else spoke first:
"There he is!" I looked and saw that four men had come to a stop just around the corner of a nearby block. I cringed, realizing that they were the same suspicious men that I had seen only yesterday, clad in their equally suspicious uniforms. The boy spotted them as well, and was up on his feet in a flash, his backpack already slung across his shoulder.
"Get away from here: now!" he shouted, and took off sprinting down the street.
"Hey!" I shouted, getting to my feet, but the four men surged past before I could move, shoving me to the ground once more.
"Outta the way girlie!" one of them shouted as he swept past. I sat up again for the second time, staring blankly after the backs of the pursuing thugs. Suddenly, I was beginning to feel very, very annoyed.
First my good mood had been spoiled. Then they went and had the nerves to push me down and call me girlie? I cracked my knuckles.
Those thugs were in for a good beating.