Pokémon: Adventures in Sinnoh Chapter 8: Burning Ambition, a pokémon fanfic

'Good morning, Nick!'

'Morning!' he replied to Mona. She was leaning on the counter of the Centre's reception, some paperwork piled in front of her that suggested a busy day was ahead. At her other side, Gastly and Gengar were pulling ridiculous faces at each other and laughing. Nick laughed too.

'Is Gastly doing alright?'

'Fine, just fine.' she smiled back. 'It's a playful thing. I really don't think its hostile capture will have any repercussions on it. I think it will be happy living here… and I can always take it into the forest to visit its old friends.' She turned to the two ghosts that were now pulling faces at her. 'But… I think it's already made some new ones.'

Nick smiled. He was sure that Gastly would be okay with someone like Mona, who was passionate about even the scariest of Pokémon, even ones who were not her own.

'So, off to challenge Flannery?' she asked with a more serious look.

'Yeah… I'm a little nervous.' admitted Nick.

'Despite what I told you last night, about Nosepass' type advantage,' she began, 'Flannery's Pokémon are still powerful, and you won't win just by using rock-type attacks. Understand?'

'Yes… I understand. I already have an idea for how to conduct the battle.'

'Oh, well go ahead, Mr. Pokémon Master!' she giggled in a friendly way. 'Go left from here, follow the short road out of town and you'll find the Gym.' He smiled back as he walked out of the Centre and onto the streets of Mauheru again.

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The sinister markings of the surroundings seemed to have faded in the warm morning glow. Did the ghosts disappear when the moon did? He strolled through the sleepy town, the off-colour grass crunching under his feet as he walked towards a sign indicating that the Gym was ahead. Trees hung over him at either side of the road, but strangely they were not intimidating – especially considering what lived in them. As there was no rush to get there, he decided to release his two Pokémon.

'Let's take a stroll, guys!' he instructed.

'Elek!'

'Nosepaa!'

Elekid walked close to Nick, as though reminding him that it was his first (and perhaps favourite) Pokémon. Nosepass waddled behind them, not as fast as its electric colleague.

'Are you ready for another battle?' Nick asked them. Both creatures nodded. Nosepass did a funny little hop.

'You guys have both been doing great. I think we'll win for sure!' he added.

'El!' piped up Elekid, pointing ahead. Looking, Nick could see the Mauheru Gym. A small, purple-bricked building alone in a clearing, flaming torches hung from either side of its archway entrance. As they approached, a cold wind began to blow from nowhere and made the fire flicker. He hurried inside.

The Gym was almost unbearably hot; he instantly felt a desire to run outside and enjoy the cool air. Before he could do such a thing, his eyes were caught by those of two red-haired girls. One with a neat bob and an elegantly beautiful face was sitting behind a desk, another with tied-back spiked hair sitting on top of it in a casual fashion. She wore a tight black T-shirt and baggy blue denim pants.

'A challenger?' she smirked.

'Yeah.' said Nick firmly.

'Pleased to meet you. I'm Flannery.' smiled the Gym Leader. 'And this is…'

'Olive.' stated the other, standing up shaking Nick by the hand as he approached. Flannery opted for a high five.

'If you'd like to go wait in the arena,' she began, fixing her hair, 'I'll be through soon.'

'She likes to make an entrance…' laughed Olive in a joking manner. Nick forced a laugh of his own and pushed himself through the revolving doors leading to the arena, Nosepass almost getting jammed in between on the way.

The bench on which he sat looked out onto a sizeable field. It was not as big as the one back at Oreburgh Gym, but its terrain was rockier, steam coming from small cracks and hillocks dotted over the room. The walls were as purple as those on the outside, and a large steel pedestal towered above everything else at the other side of the room – obviously where Flannery would stand during the battle. Nosepass sat beside him on the bench (he hoped that the Pokémon's weight would not damage it) while Elekid paced and crackled.

'Whatever happens,' said Nick, 'I just want you guys to try your best.'

'Elekid!' it chirped.

'Nuuu…' mumbled Nosepass. Nick was slightly concerned about it; while it held its own in the struggle with Team Obsidia last night, it had never been part of a potentially difficult, official battle.

'You feeling okay, Nosepass?' he asked it.

'Nose!' it piped as it turned to him. He could tell it was quietly confident. He began to speak to it again, but was interrupted by the sound of more floodlights powering into life, and doors opening in the distance. Looking up, he saw Flannery emerging from the darkness and climbing onto the podium.

'I am Flannery, the Mauheru Town Gym Leader.' rang her voice over a PA system. 'Originally the Leader of the Lavaridge Gym in Hoenn, I moved here to further hone my skills with fire-type Pokémon. Who are you?'

A spotlight suddenly beamed down on Nick. A rush of confidence suddenly surged through him.

'I am Nick from Twinleaf Town. I'm working on a Pokédex for Professor Rowan and competing in the Pokémon League Gym Challenge.'

'Well, Nick,' she sneered, 'Defeating three of my Pokémon will earn you the Heat Badge.'

'I understand!' called back Nick. He turned and noticed some young people entering the arena, followed by Olive, who spoke.

'Nick, these Pokémon students would like to watch your battle. Is that okay with you?'

'Erm… yeah, I guess.' nodded Nick, looking at the bright-eyed faces looking at him in anticipation. Olive smiled and led them to a viewing platform at the side of the battlefield. He wasn't entirely comfortable having an audience, but did not want to annoy the Gym's officials.

'Alright, let's get the show on the road!' shouted Flannery, throwing a Pokéball into the arena. 'Slugma! I choose you!'

A slug-like Pokémon whose body seemed to be made of magma appeared, its wide yellow eyes staring in an unsettling manner.

'Go, Elekid!'

Nick's electric-type dashed onto the field. No sooner had it began to face off against Slugma than the smoking craters erupted with fire. Nick jumped back in surprise.

'Heating things up!' laughed Flannery. Nick was worried; apart from fighting her Pokémon, he now had to make sure his did not come into contact with any of the raging flames.

'Elekid! Thundershock!'

Elekid clenched its fists and shot its foe with electricity. The slug was struck and writhed in pain. Nick smiled; perhaps this battle was going to be easier than anticipated.

'Harden.' snickered Flannery. Slugma's body suddenly turned to rock – as magma did – and the electricity bounced away, having no effect. Nick gritted his teeth.

'Now, Slugma! Use Ember!'

Its body returned to its normal state as it spat out several small balls of fire.

'Dodge, Elekid!'

The electric creature dived from side to side avoiding the fireballs until one hit it. It cried in pain for a moment, but managed to swat the fire away.

'Thundershock again!'

No sooner had the bolt hit Slugma than it turned to stone once more. Nick smiled as a great tactic suddenly sprung into his head.

'Low Kick!'

His partner leapt forward and delivered a powerful blow to the hardened monster, whose rock body cracked as it flew backwards, its body becoming magma again.

'Oh!' moaned Flannery in surprise. The fighting-type move had damaged its body as it would a rock-type Pokémon. Nick wasted no time in following up this manoeuvre:

'Thunderpunch!'

As Slugma righted itself, Elekid dealt it another hit, and in a blast of electricity it was knocked unconscious.

'Slugma is unable to battle!' declared Olive, who had apparently taken on the role of referee.

'Well done, Elekid!' cheered Nick, as Flannery recalled her Pokémon.

'I'm just warming up!' she laughed, throwing another Pokéball. In a burst of flames, a small red canine-looking animal appeared, its collar and tail resembling light yellow fire. Nick lifted his Pokédex.

'Flareon, the Flame Pokémon. It is one of the seven discovered Pokémon that Eevee can evolve into. By storing thermal energy in its fur, it can attack with fire that is over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature.'

'Hot…' muttered Nick. 'Elekid, watch out for its fire!'

Before Nick finished his sentence, Elekid was already dodging more fireballs, much bigger than the ones demonstrated by Slugma.

'Flareon, Quick Attack while it's busy.' commanded Flannery in a stern manner.

Her second creature darted forwards and knocked Elekid backwards. It landed on a crack in the ground, which then shot out flames again.

'Elekid, no!' cried Nick. He had to refrain himself from running onto the field to help, but he would probably have been disqualified for such an act. Thankfully, Elekid leapt up to battle again, though clearly in great pain from its burns.

'Please keep trying! Thundershock!'

Nick was, for some reason, surprised that Flareon was clearly hit by the attack. It had not even made much of an effort to evade.

'When Flareon overheats,' he heard – just within earshot – Olive tell the students, 'Its muscles become very tired and sore, making it more difficult for it to move until it cools itself by fluffing out its collar and tail.'

He looked back at Flareon, which was breathing heavily, and struggling to stand.

'Unfortunately,' continued Olive, 'By doing this, it makes itself a better conductor of electricity, which is problematic for our Gym Leader in this case.'

'Thundershock again, Elekid!' grinned Nick. He felt slightly guilty for doing such damage to a creature, but as the nurse had informed him, Pokémon were sturdy things. Flareon fainted from the attack and was withdrawn. Elekid, however, also collapsed from fatigue and injuries, and Nick withdrew his combatant too.

'Thanks, pal. You did great.' he smiled as the Pokéball closed on his friend.

'Well, Nick,' called Flannery, her voice with a sense of impending doom, 'Looks like we only have one Pokémon each remaining. The question is: whose is more powerful?'

Nick tried to remain strong, but felt a flicker of fear run across his face.

'I'm afraid this is where the battle comes to an end for you!' she cackled as her last Pokéball landed on the ground. In a blaze, a creature much taller and more rotund than either of Nick's partners appeared on the field. Its humanoid, but somehow animal body was brightly-coloured with yellow and red fur, its arms hollow on the inside like cannons. Nick gulped as he lifted the Pokédex again.

'Magmortar,' came the electronic voice, 'The Blast Pokémon and evolved form of Magmar. The fire with which it attacks is several hundred degrees more intense than that of Flareon. It lives deep in volcanic craters.'

'Oh, man…' moaned Nick. Could the inexperienced Nosepass beat this thing? He sent it onto the field and watched its little stone frame waddle towards the overbearing Magmortar.

'Fire Blast!' erupted Flannery like the volcano from whence her Pokémon came.

Magmortar raised its arm and shot an immense wall of fire which completely consumed Nosepass.

Nosepass… no… it's over…

However, when the flames cleared, Nosepass was still standing. Its rock body was not totally affected by the attack, but it still could not take more of the same.

'Alright, Nosepass! Stone Edge!'

It raised its arms and boulders flew towards Magmortar. The fiery foe raised a mighty arm to defend itself, but still took some damage. Nosepass grumbled to itself.

'Hang in there!' shouted Nick supportively. Suddenly, however, Nosepass began to wave its arms frantically, and sand and dust from the floor mixed with that now coming from the Pokémon's body. Before long, a blanket of rough sand was swirling around the arena.

'It looks like the challenger's Nosepass has just learned how to use Sandstorm.' said Olive. Nick grinned while shielding his eyes from his companion's new-found power.

'That won't stop us!' came Flannery's voice from behind the storm. 'Magmortar, Flamethrower!'

Her Pokémon looked to take aim, but Nosepass was difficult to pinpoint in such conditions. It fired blindly ahead, but the attack merely skimmed Nosepass' oversized appendage as it hopped to one side.

'Grrr, enough of this!' snarled Flannery, 'Magmortar, get rid of it with Brick Break!'

Magmortar moved its arm in a chopping motion, and a strange force cut a path through the sandstorm. It could now see Nosepass clearly, and short another fireball at it. Nosepass managed to dodge again, but was knocked away by the blast of one of the miniature volcanoes.

'You're not going to win by hiding!' laughed Flannery.

She's right… thought Nick, and he commanded Nosepass to use Rock Throw. Magmortar, however, unleashed a blast of fire and knocked the rock away.

'Wait, the cannons!' mused Nick under his breath. Without its colossal arms, Magmortar could barely attack; it was much too slow to rely on physical moves.

If we can distract Magmortar long enough…

'Nosepass! Keep using Stone Edge!'

The rock-type fired several boulders at Magmortar, which shot away the ones that did not hit its tubby frame. Eventually it began to pant, unable to concentrate on attacking for defending.

'Try a Tackle, Nosepass!' instructed Nick.

'Nuuuuu!' it cried as it jumped forwards and slammed into its foe with more force than any of the rocks it had thrown. The larger creature fell back as Nosepass scurried out of punching distance.

'Magmortar, get up!' spat Flannery.

It pulled itself to its feet to fight on, but looked worn out, its breathing getting heavier.

'Use Fire Blast again!' commanded Flannery, practically screaming. Nick knew what to do:

'Nosepass, Sandstorm and dodge!'

As the immense fire flew through the room, Nosepass ran away from it while whipping up another wall of sand.

'Follow it with a Stone Edge!'

From the dusty mist came several sharp rocks, knocking Magmortar to its knees.

Just a little more… he thought.

'FIRE BLAST!' screamed Flannery, her temper rising, her face as red as her hair.

Magmortar raised its arm.

'Nosepass! Rock Throw, now!' urged Nick.

Nosepass growled as it hurled a large boulder into Magmortar's smouldering arm. There was a moment of tense uncertainty as the fire-type geared up its attack, flames starting to creep around the outside of the jammed rock. Suddenly, it shot the attack, but the dislodgement of the object and its weak legs sent it flying back from the force of its own move and it collapsed, defeated.

'Magmortar is defeated. Nosepass wins the battle, and the victory goes to the challenger, Nick!' called Olive.

'We did it! We did it!' sang Nick, running forward to hug Nosepass as it toddled towards him. 'Thank you!'

'Nuuu, Nosepaa!' it sighed.

'You deserve a long rest.' he smiled, putting the Pokémon back inside its ball.

The students at the side of the room cheered for him, and had his face not already been red from the intense heat, it would have been from embarrassment. He looked back to see Flannery walking towards him.

'Well done.' she said coldly. 'Here's your badge – good luck.'

She thrust the badge into his hand, and with a sniff, turned on her heel and walked back across the battlefield.

'Don't mind her,' said Olive, who was leading the students back into the foyer, 'She's a bit of a hot-head when it comes to losing.'

'Heh…' laughed Nick. It did not seem like a very professional way for a Gym Leader to behave but, at the moment, he did not care; he had won the Heat Badge.

'Wow, a Magmortar?'

'That's right!' Nick replied to Jay as he told the story of his battle in the Pokémon Centre late that afternoon. His friend seemed genuinely enthralled by the story, and was no longer trying to act cool.

'I gotta hand it to ya, Nick,' he smiled, putting his feet up on the couch, 'You really are becoming a good trainer.'

'Thanks.' nodded Nick, shining the Pokéballs in which his two Pokémon rested after being treated by Mona. 'Where are you going now?'

'Well, I'm going to stay here to train and try to beat Flannery.' sighed Jay. 'But for you, I think the Eterna Gym should be the next stop.'

Nick looked down at the map on his Pokétch; Eterna City was on the other side of the forest in which they had had the ghostly encounter.

'If you left now, you could probably get there before nightfall – before the ghosts come out.' teased Jay. 'I can't believe you're getting ahead of me!'

'I'll send you a postcard from Eterna!' laughed Nick.

'Leaving for Eterna City, are you?' came a voice from across the room. The boys turned to see Olive walking towards them, wearing a much more worn, casual dress than what she had had on earlier.

'Oh, hey… yeah, I'm going there next.' replied Nick.

'Would you accompany me through Eterna Forest?' she asked politely, tilting her head slightly, her long eyelashes blinking slowly. 'I have to get back there for some important business, and I'm much too frightened to go alone. I need a strong, brave trainer to look after me.'

'Uh… y-yeah… s-sure, no problem.' stuttered Nick, flustered. She smiled back and he blushed.

'Well, well, well! I didn't know you had a thing for older women!' laughed Jay. Nick shot him a murderous glare, but he continued to smirk. Olive did not seem to notice.

'Shall we leave now?' she asked, her soft voice caressing Nick's ears.

'Y-Yeah…' he said, getting to his feet and picking up his bag, 'Bye, Jay…'

Jay raised a hand in goodbye. Mona, noticing he was leaving from the other side of the room, did the same. Nick reciprocated nervously, and walked out with the woman who was giving him a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.