The interrior of the Vermillion gym was dark and humid. The main area was filled with trash cans—three neat rows of them—and at the back was a doorway filled with electricity. "Lightning American," said Arden. "I see. …but how am I supposed to get through there?"

"Meow," said Thief, dipping his head into one of the trash cans.

"Get out of there," said Arden, pulling back by his neck. "Don't steal people's trash."

Thief flattened his ears. "Meowth."

Arden looked around and spotted a gentleman standing beside the electric gate. "Maybe he can let me through," said Arden, venturing up to the man. "Hey, can you help me? I need to get through there to see the gym leader."

"Lieutenant Surge and his electric pokemon saved my life during the war," said the gentleman.

"War? What war?"

"Go, voltorb!"

"Ah, damn it!" said Arden. "Eh—Thief, get it!"

As the voltorb appeared, Thief leapt out in front of it.

"Voltorb, charge!"

"Use payday, Thief!"

The voltorb glowed yellow as it crackled with energy. Thief arched his back and fired a stream of shiny gold coins from the charm in his forehead. The voltorb recoiled, squeezing its eyes shut.

"Voltorb—spark!" commanded the gentleman.

Electricity erupted from the pokeball-like pokemon, hitting Thief dead-on. The meowth screeched with pain before falling to the ground.

"Get up—get up!" said Arden. He grabbed a hold of Thief and shook him. "Keep fighting! –oh, fine. Return. Go Gentry!"

Arden threw out the nidoran's heart-adorned pokeball, releasing him into the battle. With a small cry of "Nido!" Gentry awaited his orders.

"Gentry, use double kick!"

"Nido!" shouted Gentry, leaping forward. He spun around and threw out his back legs, striking the voltorb soundly enough to send it rolling into its trainer. The voltorb fainted and the gentleman recalled it to its pokeball.

"That's okay, Voltorb," said the gentleman to his pokeball. "You battled well."

"No it didn't," mumbled Arden, picking up Gentry.

"What was that?" asked the gentleman

"Nothing, nothing," said Arden. He pointed at the electric gate beside them. "Do you know how to open this? I need to see Surge."

"The Lieutenant is a cautious man," the gentleman told him. "That's why he booby-trapped this gym."

"Cautious? He sounds down-right paranoid," Arden said. "So, how do I get in here?"

"You have to hit the switches," said the gentlemen. "There are two of them hidden in this gym. You need to find them."

Arden frowned. "That sounds like a lot of work," he said. He glanced at the trash cans. "…oh, in there? Are the switches in there?"

"I've really said all I can say," the gentleman told him. He started toward the door. "I need to get Voltorb to the pokemon center. Have a good day."

Arden didn't answer but, instead, set Gentry on the ground and started his search. "Gent," he said. "Go check the cans on that side of the gym, and I'll check this side."

"Niiido," chirped Gentry, doing as he was directed.

It was a good fifteen minutes before either of them found a switch. After searching several cans, Arden found a switch and flipped it, disappointed to find that the gate hadn't disappeared. "How many switches are there?" he wondered aloud. He looked around. "Anything around there, Gentry?"

"Nido," said Gentry, shaking his head. He returned to Arden's side.

"Here, help me over here," Arden said. "Look around for a switch around here…"

Gentry put his forepaws on the rim of a trashcan and lifted himself up to peer into it. "Ran! Nidoran!"

"Find something?" asked Arden, looking over. "Ah—that's it! That's a switch!"

He flipped the switch that Gentry had found and, with a crackling sound, the electricity turned off. Grinning, Arden ran toward the now clear doorway, and passed beyond it, into a smaller and darker room. Gentry followed him cautiously. The room housed a platform upon which sat a well-built man in a military uniform.

"Are you Lieutenant Surge?" asked Arden, suddenly unnerved.

"I am," said Surge, his sharp eyes studying Arden briefly before moving on to his pokemon. "You train poison types, kid?"

"A couple," said Arden. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Surge said. He stood up. "It's just that they don't learn really powerful moves. It's hard to win without powerful moves."

"I dunno. Whatever they learn or don't learn hasn't stopped me yet," said Arden. "What sort of pokemon do you use?"

"Electric," said Surge.

Arden frowned. "Oh. Okay, that makes the nickname Lightning American make sense, then, huh?"

"I'll tell ya, kid, electric pokemon saved my life during the war," Surge said, pulling out a pokeball. "And when the engines of my plane went out, electric pokemon kept the plane up in the air. I owe them my life."

"What war?" asked Arden. "You people keep talking about a war. I don't know anything about a war…"

"So, you want to challenge me?"

"Less and less," answered Arden. "But, uh, yeah—that's why I came here."

Surge smirked. "Alright, kid. We'll battle, but I'm not gonna go easy on you."

The gym leader tossed out his pokeball. "Raichu, go!"

"Gentry, get in there!"

Gentry leapt forward as the Lieutenant's pokemon appeared. "Raaaaiiichu!" growled the opposing pokemon.

"Gentry, use doublekick!"

"Raichu, thunderbolt!"

Gentry lunged at the raichu but before he could reach it, a burst of energy issued forth from the enemy pokemon's cheeks. A lightning bolt struck Gentry dead-on, fainting him immediately. Arden gritted his teeth and withdrew the pokemon back into his pokeball. He threw out another one. "Go, Fang!"

"Stupid move," said Surge. "Raichu, thundershock!"

"Rai!" shouted the pokemon, as lightning filled the air. The attack struck Fang, knocking him out of the air limply.

"Damnit!" said Arden, recalling the golbat. "Okay—Gimpy, go!"

The wartortle appeared. "Tortle!" he said, just before seeing the raichu. Eyes widening, Gimpy turned and ran, as fast as his deformed legs would allow him, to hide behind Arden. "Wartort tortle!"

"Gimpy, what the hell? Get out there and fight!" said Arden, smacking the wartortle in the back of the head.

Surge let out a bellowing laugh. "Kid, have you ever battled before? That's a water pokemon and my Raichu is an electric pokemon," he said, patting Raichu on the head. "It'll be fried by my boy's thunder attacks. Why would you put your pokemon through that?"

"I, uh—he doesn't care! He'll fight for me, won't you, Gimp?" asked Arden.

"Tortletortletorlte," said Gimpy, shaking his head. He pressed on his own pokeball, returning himself to it.

"Hey! Get back out here!" said Arden. "Quiter!"

Surge laughed. "Looks like your wartortle has some sense," he said. "S'better than blind courage, don'tcha think, Rai?"

"Raichu, rai," said the raichu, nodding.

"Fine. If Gimpy won't fight, Cruelty will," said Arden. He tossed out the pikachu's pokeball.

"Pi kaa!" shouted Cruelty, cheeks crackling with energy.

"Cute," said Surge. "Raichu, slam."

"Cruelty, quick attack!"

Cruelty leapt forward, ears back. He neared Raichu but before he could land a blow, the raichu threw his full weight on him.

"Kaaa!" cried Cruelty, in obvious pain.

"Mega punch, Raichu!"

Raichu drew back one arm and, with a powerful punch, struck Cruelty in the side of the head, sending him skidding across the gym floor. The pikachu lay in a heap, unconscious.

"I—I don't believe it," said Arden, picking the pokemon up. "You KO'd Cruelty like it was nothing!"

"It was nothing," said Surge, sitting down. His raichu took a seat on his lap. "Get outta here, kid. Why don't you come back after you've learned how to battle, huh?"

Dejected, Arden hung his head and started for the gym doors.