Chapter 23: Thunderstruck
"What the hell?" Lyla demanded, standing beside her bed of the hotel room they had checked into the night before.
"Yeah, I noticed that when I woke up too," Eziray began. "I must've been really tired last night because I swear I did not see that when we walked in."
"That's because it wasn't here, Ez," Lyla replied.
"Well some hotels leave chocolates under your pillow, some leave soaps, some leave lotions, and this one leaves complimentary ice sculptures!" Aiden said, bursting into laughter.
"Sculpture? Are you kidding me? It's just a chunk of ice. It's not sculpted or decorated at all. At least leave something pretty and nice to look at if you're going to put it in the way," Lyla complained as she tried to slip past it.
"MAAAAAAAARSH!" Marshtomp boomed as he busted out of it, sending bits of ice flying in every direction as Lyla nearly went into cardiac arrest.
"You okay?" Aiden asked as Marshtomp rubbed his trainer's back.
"I'm fine…" she replied, bent over and breathing heavily. "Just a little startled."
"Tooomp…" Marshtomp trailed off, snorting a little bit.
"It's not funny!" Lyla scolded.
"Elec…" Aiden's Electrike trailed off, taking in the situation.
"Aiden, you're Pokémon are so calm and obedient. I'm so envious," Lyla said looking over the three of them. "Oh, hey…that reminds me!"
She stood up straight and zipped over to the bed where Electrike was laying. He looked up at her curiously as she asked it to keep one last person from getting into Mauville and then described Olivia's appearance.
"Oh, stop," Aiden said with a laugh. "She probably hasn't even noticed we've left yet."
"Do you honestly believe that?" Eziray asked as she shouldered her bag.
"…Actually, no I don't," he replied, realizing who he was talking about.
"Didn't think so!" Eziray replied as she made her way over to the door. "Come on Lyla, you're fine! It's time to head over to the gym!"
"Marshtomp, return!" Lyla exclaimed, as she called Marshtomp back to his ball. "Think you'll be ready?"
"I know I'm ready," Eziray replied, full of confidence. "And I've decided on Speedy, Charo, and Baby!"
"That's a pretty good lineup," Aiden began. "Hopefully all the training you've gotten in recently will pay off."
"We're rootin' for ya!" Lyla exclaimed as the three headed out.
The gym was only a couple blocks away. They had gone to the Pokémon Center the night before for some information, but that wasn't the only thing they learnt there. Lyla had asked if Mauville City held any official Pokémon Contests because she hadn't seen a stadium anywhere. Nurse Joy told her that Mauville City Contests were infrequent and smaller than Slateport or Rustboro contests, but they were held there. In fact, there would be an official Pokémon Contest in Mauville City in just a few days, so both the girls were pumped for their upcoming challenges.
"Hey, are you three here to challenge Wattson?" a girl asked as they neared a yellow, three-story building topped with lightning rod-like structures.
She and a friend of hers were standing out front, arms crossed as if they were waiting for someone. Eziray cocked her head and asked where he was and Lyla asked who they were.
"We're students of his…" one of the girls trailed off.
"And he's right inside, all revved up and waiting for a challenger! Just got back from the Pokémon Center, so you got here just in time," the other replied.
"Routine checkup?" Eziray asked.
"No, he actually got his ass handed to him yesterday," the second girl shot back snobbishly.
"Anita!" the other girl snapped.
"Well, it's true! That Declan guy totally buried him – all with one Pokémon too…"
"Declan? Isn't that the guy who beat Brawly too?" Eziray asked, thinking back to when she had to wait to challenge the Dewford Gym.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Anita replied. "I bet this kid's got a pretty good shot at the champion title this year…"
"I need to meet this guy!" Eziray exclaimed.
"He hit the road immediately after his victory yesterday. That guy doesn't waste any time," the first girl said.
"ANYWAY!" Anita exclaimed, directing everyone's attention back to her. "Wattson's gotten himself into quite a state of depression since yesterday and we really need one of you to go in there and bring him out of it. Maybe the pure joy of battling will snap him out of his funk…"
"I'd be more than happy to help!" Eziray exclaimed. "Although, I hope a second loss won't make it any worse."
"We'll just have to see now won't we?" Anita said with a mischievous smirk. "Right this way please."
With a slight push, Anita knocked the front door right over and motioned for the three to proceed. Eziray followed suit but Lyla and Aiden hesitated for a moment.
"Um, Eziray…something's not right here. She just knocked down the door…" Lyla trailed off.
"Don't be a baby, come on!"
Lyla scooped up Skitty and held her tightly as she proceeded forward with Aiden.
"Hold on tight!" the other girl exclaimed as rails suddenly extended from the fallen door that the three were now standing on.
Before any of them could respond, the door accelerated forward, traveling across some sort of track. They all clung to the rail for dear life as they were cranked up a slope and launched back down like a roller-coaster. As it reached the bottom, it began skidding across a pool of water and Lyla was just about thrown off as the force jerked them around. Luckily, Aiden caught her and pulled her back up. When it reached solid ground once more and gently cranked them through, the three finally had a moment to ask themselves what the hell had just happened.
"Well, that was a pretty rough ride…" Eziray trailed off.
"WHAT KIND OF GYM LEADER?" Lyla demanded, so angry that she couldn't even finish her thought.
"I guess it's his way of saying hello," Aiden said with a sigh.
"Well hello to you too," Lyla shouted at a surveillance camera as they passed by. "Oh God…what the hell is that?"
The door before them had opened, revealing an electronic Raikou that was completely charged up with electricity.
"Are we supposed to break that thing?" Eziray asked as it roared and a massive bolt of electricity traveled forward.
"Well, I highly doubt it's here for decoration!" Lyla exclaimed as Eziray sent out Gracie.
"Hey Gracie, can you–"
"I'm on it!" Gracie exclaimed, throwing up her arms to halt the electricity with Confusion. Then she turned it around and sent it right back at the robot. It was apparently built to withstand electricity because it didn't do a thing.
"I got this," Lyla said. "Skitty, use Iron Tail!"
"Power that up with Confusion!"
As Skitty flipped up into the air, Gracie used Confusion to bring her back down with ten times the force. The Iron Tail-Confusion combination was enough to take off the machine's head. As it rolled across the floor, a door off to the side opened and a husky man with slightly spikey grey hair and a grey beard entered the hallway with a hearty laugh.
"Excellent! Absolutely fantastic!" he exclaimed with an enthusiastic applause. "What a brilliant display of team work. Well done, ladies!"
"This guy's the gym leader?" Lyla thought to herself as he approached them. "He's goofier than Brawly. Kooky must be part of the job description…"
"You must be Wattson!" Eziray exclaimed, all fired up for her challenge. "I'm Eziray and I hope you're taking challenges today because I'm here for my third gym badge!"
"I like your spirit, Eziray! It would be my pleasure to have a battle with you. After all, I do need to make it up to myself for that gruesome defeat yesterday. Challenge accepted!"
"Great! Just show us to the arena!"
In spite of the fancy building they were in, the Mauville Gym arena was pretty basic: a simple dirt arena in the center of a metal floor. There wasn't anywhere for spectators to sit but Lyla and Aiden were able to watch the match from the metal balcony that stretched along all four walls slightly above the arena.
"Vui!" Eevee exclaimed, popping out of her ball to watch.
"Picking up some battling techniques, Eevee?" Lyla asked as her two Normal-types stretched their heads out beneath the railing.
"Marsh!" Marshtomp cheered as he popped out as well.
"Oh sure, everybody just come right on out!" Lyla muttered sarcastically. "I mean what's the point of Pokéballs if your Pokémon just come out whenever they please anyway?"
"I think they're meant to make us look cooler," Aiden suggested, just to make Lyla smile.
"This Mauville Gym challenge is about to begin!" Anita exclaimed, taking position on the sidelines of the arena. "Chelsea, please explain the rules!"
"Certainly!" the other girl who had been standing out front exclaimed. "The challenger and the Gym Leader will be using three Pokémon each. Whoever knocks all three of their opponent's Pokémon out first will be the victor!"
"So, if both sides are ready, the battle can begin!" Anita concluded.
"Magnemite, you're up first!" Wattson exclaimed, throwing a Pokéball into the air.
"Mag. Ne. Mite," the Pokémon screeched as it materialized.
"Magnemite's part Steel-type so I guess I'll start off with Charo!" Eziray exclaimed, sending her Charmander into battle.
"Great choice, Ez!" Lyla thought to herself, bent over the rail and completely oblivious to Marshtomp who was munching on her hair as he focused on the arena below them.
"Charo, use Flamethrower!"
"Char!" the Fire-type exclaimed just before he shot a massive line of fire from his mouth.
"Sonic Boom!"
The Magnemite spun itself around rapidly to avoid the incoming attack. As it twirled, both of its magnets began to glow bright white and a crescent-shaped sound wave was released. Charo tried to avoid it but couldn't react in time. The Sonic Boom exploded against his body and blew him back quite a ways.
"Great, keep on your feet!" Eziray praised as Charo stood strong.
"That Charmander's stamina is quite remarkable," Wattson began. "He doesn't even seem fazed by that Sonic Boom! So let's try something with a little more oomph. Magnemite, use Shock Wave!"
Magnemite hovered overhead as its magnets began sparking violently. They each released a zigzagging bolt of electricity that connected into a single wave and shot towards Charo.
"Counter it with Flamethrower!"
The entire room lit up as Charo's blazing Flamethrower met the Magnemite's crackling Shock Wave in midair. Lyla and Aiden couldn't help but shield their eyes as they watched from above.
"They're evenly matched!" Eziray exclaimed, becoming even more pumped up as she realized how challenging this battle was getting.
"Looks like it's a bit of a stalemate," Lyla observed. "Magnemite can easily avoid Flamethrower, and close combat moves like Metal Claw and Fire Fang aren't really a good idea when that thing can release a ton of electricity so suddenly…"
"Judging by how excited she is, I think she's just realized that," Aiden said with a sigh.
"Tackle it Magnemite! And get ready to use Thunder Wave!"
"Char!" Charo exclaimed, turning to Eziray as if he wanted to suggest something.
"Hmm, that's risky," Eziray replied as Magnemite came at the Lizard Pokémon. "But you'll be paralyzed if we don't, so go ahead and use that Fire Fang of yours!"
Charo braced himself and caught Magnemite who had already begun to release small sparks of electricity. The Fire-type opened his mouth and it filled with a blazing fire as he bit down hard on the Magnemite in his arms. The sparking became more violent by the second and Lyla covered her mouth as she watched.
"That thing's like a time bomb! Hurry up and get rid of it, Eziray!" Aiden shouted.
"Flamethrower!"
Just as Thunder Wave was released, Charo's Fire Fang developed into a Flamethrower that blasted the Magnemite straight up into a wall. Stray flames and thin waves of electricity shot in every direction as Aiden, Lyla and her Pokémon ducked and shielded themselves.
"Charo, look out!" Eziray shouted as one of the stray jolts of Thunder Wave came his way.
"Chaaar…" the Fire-type groaned as the electricity ran through his body.
"No doubt that paralyzed him," Aiden said as Charo cringed.
"Oh, no!" Lyla exclaimed. "Charo, are you okay?"
"Fire Fang? I've never even heard of that move before," Wattson said as he scratched his head and studied Charo.
"Some guy from the Sinnoh region taught it to him…" Eziray trailed off.
"Sinnoh, huh? It's a mighty nice move! I must say that you are a very strategic trainer, but unfortunately you're not very lucky. We can finish it off now that it's paralyzed, Magnemite! Use Shock Wave once more!"
"Try to dodge it!"
Electricity sparked around Charo's body, restricting his movement as the Shock Wave neared. When it hit, Charo cried out in tremendous pain as the powerful electrocution lit his entire body up for quite some time.
"Charo! Hang in there!" Eziray shouted once the attack ceased.
"Char!" the Charmander uttered, slowly standing back up.
"Hey, you can move! Let's finish this Magnemite off before that paralysis kicks in again. Use Metal Claw!"
"Metal Claw? That's not going to affect it much at all," Lyla objected.
"I think I know what she's up to," Aiden said as Charo raised his claws up to his face.
"You have a very bold battling style," Wattson began with a jolly laugh. "I quite like that!"
"Then you'll love this! Charo, use Flamethrower!"
Without ceasing Metal Claw, Charo used Flamethrower one last time. Wattson hadn't been expecting that so Magnemite wasn't able to dodge it in time. The Electric-type took quite a bit of damage as it was once again blasted back into the wall and slid down to the ground.
"Hey, look at Charo's claws!" Lyla exclaimed.
He had been holding them in front of his mouth when he released the attack so they were burning bright red now. With Eziray's command, he raced forward and violently slashed at the grounded Magnemite until he was certain that the Electric-type was down for the count.
"Magnemite, return!" Wattson exclaimed as he called Magnemite back to its ball. Then he looked to Anita and Chelsea is if they were supposed to have said something.
"Oops!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Magnemite is unable to battle!"
"Charo, you better come back too. You look exhausted," Eziray said as she called Charo back as well.
"This battle is totally in Eziray's favor right now!" Lyla exclaimed. "One down, two to go. Keep it up, Ez!"
"Alright Magneton, you're next!" Wattson exclaimed, tossing another Pokéball up into the air.
"Baby, let's go!" Eziray called as she sent out her next Pokémon.
"A Dratini!" Wattson exclaimed. "I've always been a fan of Kanto natives. Yours are quite rare!"
"Thanks!" Eziray replied. "Quite strong too! Baby, hit it with Dragon Rage!"
"Counter with Tri Attack!"
As Baby opened her mouth to release a fiery cyclone at her opponent, the three screws on Magneton's body began to glow brightly, connecting to form a triangle. It blasted the triangle right into Baby's Dragon Rage and the two moves canceled out.
"Excellent! Now use Zap Cannon!"
Before Baby could dodge, a massive amount of electricity was generated from the Magneton's body and the Dragon Pokémon was completely engulfed in it. She cried out as the electricity coursed through her body and she fell limp as it subsided.
"Wow, Baby's resistant to electricity so that's gotta be one powerful move!" Eziray exclaimed as the Dratini forced herself back up. "We can't let it hit us again…Baby, use Thunder Wave!"
"Not a chance! Supersonic, Magneton!"
Before Baby could even budge, her opponent began to emit high pitched sound waves that made her cringe. When it stopped, she looked up and her eyes were glowing red.
"Baby!" Eziray began as the Dratini began thrashing about, doing quite a bit of damage on herself in the process.
"Now finish it off with Sonic Boom!"
"Woah, Baby can't do a thing…" Lyla trailed off as the Magneton pelted her with crescent-shaped waves of sound. "Wattson seems a lot tougher than Roxanne and Brawly."
"He definitely is!" Aiden replied as Eziray called Baby back and sent out her Grovyle. "Hopefully Speedy can turn this back around…"
"Excellent choice!" Wattson exclaimed as Speedy slashed at the air with the blade-like leaves on his arms. "Ladies…"
"Uh…The Dratini is unable to battle…" Anita trailed off and then turned to Chelsea in a whisper. "It's kinda late to say that now, isn't it?"
"Wattson needs more attentive referees," Lyla began with a giggle. "You'd think one of them would remember. Anyway, it looks like no one has the upper hand here. I mean Steel-types are resistant to Grass-type moves right?"
"Yep," Aiden said.
"Marshtomp, NO!" Lyla said, looking down in time to catch Marshtomp preparing a Mud Shot.
He swallowed it and sulked as she explained that Eziray was supposed to win the match by herself.
"Magneton, use Tri Attack!"
The Magneton created a bright white triangle as it did before and sent it at Speedy who waited calmly for it. Once it was close enough, Eziray ordered him to slice it apart with Leaf Blade. Then she ordered him to proceed into an attack so he charged forward, leapt up into the air and slashed at the Magneton a couple times before he began to somersault back down.
"Zap Cannon!"
The Magneton quickly shook off the minor damage and let off a huge amount of electricity. Speedy was still in midair and unable to dodge so Eziray ordered him to use Detect. He crossed his arms and began to glow bright blue. He crashed right into the ground due to a sudden lack of balance but he didn't take any damage from the landing or the attack that had been aimed at him.
"Phew…" Eziray trailed off as Speedy stood up and brushed himself off.
"She's got this!" Lyla exclaimed.
"It's not over yet. Use Sonic Boom!"
"Quick Attack!"
Speedy dodged the incoming attack with ease and Eziray grinned widely.
"Sorry, Wattson! But while Speedy's on the ground, you won't be able to hit him with anything! He's super fast!"
"I can see that…" Wattson trailed off as he thought for a moment. "Magneton, keep using Sonic Boom!"
"What? Why?" Lyla asked as Speedy darted around the arena to avoid the continuous fire of Sonic Boom. "That's a little reckless for a gym leader isn't it? He's going to exhaust his Magneton!"
"It must be some sort of strategy," Eziray thought to herself as she watched Speedy's blur. "Wait a minute…Speedy's defaulted to a set pattern!"
Before Eziray could order her Pokémon to change course, Magneton cut him off and he slammed right into the Magnet Pokémon. As he sat up, rubbing his head, he was hit with a Tri Attack that sent him skidding back even more.
"Running around in a circle is pretty predictable and easy to pinpoint," Aiden began. "She should have noticed that sooner."
"Aright next time, we'll vary it up a bit," Eziray thought to herself. "I hope that mistake didn't cost us the match!"
Speedy stood and Eziray let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived and the Magneton got Speedy with Supersonic before he was able to recuperate. Luckily, he didn't really hurt himself; he just slashed away at the ground in confusion as Magneton hovered above him.
"Well, at least hit the Magneton with that!" Eziray called.
To her surprise, he looked up at her with his glowing red eyes and then jumped straight up to slash at the Magneton from below. Unfortunately, he was too out of it to move out of the way once he landed and the Magneton gave him a massive, continuous jolt of Zap Cannon until he hit the ground.
"Speedy!" Eziray called as Anita announced that Eziray was now down to her last Pokémon.
"Throw the match, Ez!" Aiden called. "Charo's in no condition to come out and face this Magneton!"
"That Magneton's still pretty healthy and Charo isn't resistant to Electric-type attacks. Zap Cannon will destroy him!" Lyla added.
"They're right…" Eziray trailed off as she rolled Charo's ball between her fingers. "Wattson…"
"A very respectable decision," Wattson replied, returning Magneton to its ball. "One should always put their Pokémon first, so there's no shame in throwing in the towel for their sake. Feel free to come back for a rematch whenever you'd like!"
"Thanks, Wattson," Eziray said with a slight smile. "Sorry I couldn't give you a better match."
"She's taking the loss rather well," Lyla observed as Eziray started getting pumped up for her upcoming rematch.
"Yeah, she's always been like that…" Aiden trailed off.
"YOU TWO!" Wattson shouted with such a loud, booming voice that just about knocked Aiden and Lyla off their feet.
"Y-Yes, sir?" Lyla stuttered.
"I can take one more challenger today, but that's it!" he exclaimed as he handed his Magnemite's ball to Chelsea who was presumably taking it to the Pokémon Center.
"Oh, they're not here to challenge you. They're just watching," Eziray said.
"Really?" Wattson asked.
"Sorry! I'm more of a coordinator-type," Lyla said. Before she could explain Aiden, he interrupted her.
"I'll challenge you, mister Wattson!" he exclaimed, throwing Lyla and Eziray completely off guard.
"Huh?" Eziray asked, wondering if maybe she had heard him wrong.
"AIDEN!" Lyla exclaimed joyfully as she beamed at him, eyes shining with admiration.
"Why not?" he replied as he walked away. "If we're going to be up against Team Aqua and Team Magma, then I need to toughen myself up as well. I don't mean to add more competition for ya, Ez, but I've decided to take the Pokémon League challenge too."
"Aiden, that's great!" Eziray exclaimed. "The more, the merrier! I don't mind a bit!"
Lyla and Eziray cheered as he disappeared through the door behind him and reappeared at the doorway leading into the arena. Eziray rushed past him with a high-five as she made her way up to stand next to Lyla.
"I don't get many first-time gym challengers," Wattson began as Aiden took his position and Anita grinned.
"Don't underestimate him!" Eziray shouted. "He's still a great trainer!"
"Is he, now? Well, I'll be the one to evaluate that…Magneton, come on back out!"
"Magneton again?" Lyla asked.
"Don't worry, miss. This will take care of any damage Magneton took in the previous battle," Wattson said as Anita handed him a spray bottle of medicine.
With a couple quick squirts, the Magneton was looking one hundred percent again as it twirled around energetically.
"Alrighty, choose your weapon, boy!"
"Combusken, come on out!"
"I couldn't think of a more favorable matchup!" Wattson exclaimed as Aiden sent out his Fire and Fighting-type. "But for us, it's going to be tricky!"
"Let's try a Fire Spin, Combusken!" Aiden exclaimed with a grin.
"Combusken!" the Young Fowl Pokémon bellowed as he spat a swirling vortex of fire at his opponent.
"Dodge it!"
The Magneton spun its body and propelled itself away from the flames that burned brightly enough to almost blind it. Aiden and Combusken took advantage of that cover and Combusken rose up from the flames with Sky Uppercut before they could extinguish. He drove his right fist up into the Magneton, sending it flying into the ceiling as he landed gracefully on the ground below.
"Maaag," the Magneton buzzed as it drifted back to place and tried to recuperate.
"Now try another Fire Spin!"
Combusken's mouth flew open once more and another Fire Spin was released from it. As it neared, Wattson quickly gave the command to counter it with Tri Attack. The two moves collided and Tri Attack prevailed, absorbing much of the flames and incorporating them into its structure as the triangular blast came whirling down.
"Combusken!" Aiden called as the amplified attack hit.
"This guy's impossible! Even with a type advantage, they're still struggling," Lyla thought to herself.
"Excellent work, Magneton! Now let's give them a slight obstacle to deal with – use Supersonic!"
"Uh oh," Eziray said as the Magneton began to emit high-pitched sound waves.
Combusken fell to one knee, trying to keep the sound out by covering his ears. It was no use. The move worked its wonder and Combusken's eyes turned red with confusion.
"That's the move that gave me a lot of trouble!" Eziray exclaimed. "It could mean the difference between a win or loss!"
"I'm feeling lucky…" Aiden trailed off as Combusken stood.
The girls stared in suspense, wondering if Combusken would be able to follow orders or not. He turned to his trainer and that seemed like a pretty good sign.
"Okay Combusken, use–"
Before Aiden could finish his order, the Combusken looked up at the Magneton and hissed viciously. The Magneton stared back blankly which evidently angered him even more because he began setting of spurts of Fire Spin left and right. The Electric-type did its best to avoid them but Combusken was on a complete rampage and completely unpredictable. Several of the attacks hit and then Combusken readied itself for a big one.
"Combusken…" Aiden trailed off, not really sure if he should bother trying to snap his Pokémon out of confusion. It was giving them the upper hand after all.
"You best counter that with Tri Attack!" Wattson ordered as Combusken released the most powerful Fire Spin he'd come up with all morning.
The Magneton countered the attack with Tri Attack, just as it had done before. For a moment, after the Tri Attack hit him, Combusken seemed to be out cold. Anita opened her mouth to call it but Combusken jerked itself back up, more enraged than ever. His beak began to glow and he shot up in an attempt to hit Magneton with Peck. It didn't do a thing, however, and Combusken only wound up hurting himself as he struck Magneton's steel body.
"Combusken, it's time to snap out of it now!" Aiden shouted, worried that Combusken would make more bad calls.
"Magneton, let's finish it off now. Use Zap Cannon!"
The Electric-type began sparking violently and released a massive discharge of electricity. Combusken charged right through it, taking a ton of damage, but he managed to keep pushing himself.
"No way!" Eziray exclaimed excitedly as Combusken hurdled himself into the air and drove Magneton into a wall with a powerful Sky Uppercut that embodied all of his rage.
Magneton fell motionless to the ground, Combusken landed gracefully beside it, and Anita called the match.
"Magneton, return!" Wattson called.
"Busken…" the Fire-type trailed off as it shook its head a few times, snapping itself out of confusion.
"It's about time," Aiden muttered.
"Voltorb, come on out!"
"Avoiding Steel-types now I guess," Eziray thought to herself with a smile. "He's lucky he used them up on me…"
"Alright Combusken, let's go!" Aiden exclaimed as Combusken darted forward, ready to attack.
"Voltorb, use Screech!"
Combusken halted in his tracks as a horrid screeching sound traveled through the room. He dropped to the ground instantly, as did Skitty and the three visiting trainers. Wattson let out a booming laugh but no one actually heard it over the dreadful ruckus.
"AIDEN, SHUT IT UP!" Lyla pleaded as Skitty cried out in pain, expecting her eardrums to give out at any second.
"That's good enough, Voltorb! Use Rollout!"
"Fire Spin!"
The Electric-type rolled forward, picking up speed and power. As it neared, Combusken managed to regain its composure enough to hit it with Fire Spin. The Voltorb continued forward however, seemingly unfazed by the attack.
"You'll have to do better than that, Aiden! I've done everything in my power to maximize that Voltorb's defense!"
"Great…" Aiden trailed off as the Voltorb slammed itself into Combusken's body, launching itself upward and spinning away. It landed several feet away and repeated, gaining more and more power with each hit. Combusken backed slowly, taking every hit because they came too quickly for him to react. The final hit sent him flying into a wall.
"Let's go Combusken, let's go!" Eziray cheered with two rhythmic claps.
Lyla smiled and joined in as Skitty hopped up and down, meowing. Combusken looked up at them for a moment and then back to its opponent who had just fired a Sonic Boom his way. He flopped over to avoid it and stood, wiping the corner of his mouth with his arm.
"So they're cheerleaders now," Aiden murmured with a smile. "Combusken, we can't let em down now! Use Sky Uppercut!"
Combusken charged forward but was thwarted once again by the Voltorb's screech. Everyone cringed once more and Lyla finally noticed Anita and Wattson's ear plugs. She stuffed her fingers into her ears and muttered something about how guests were not treated very well in this gym.
"Don't let it carry on!" Aiden shouted, trying to be louder than the Voltorb. "Use Ember to distract it!"
Combusken managed to spit a cluster of tiny fireballs at the Voltorb who rolled to the right slightly to avoid them. To everyone's delight, it ceased its Screech to do so. Combusken continued forward as quickly as he could and cocked his arm back for Sky Uppercut. As he swung, the Voltorb used Rollout to roll up his arm and into the air, avoiding any and all potential damage. Before landing, it also gave Combusken a quick jolt of Spark at Wattson's command. Then it landed, putting some distance between them.
"I've never seen a Voltorb give someone this much trouble before," Eziray said. "That just goes to show you that Wattson can bring out the potential in any Electric-type! But what can Aiden do now? What's left to try?"
In spite of how hopeless it was looking to Eziray, Aiden felt the exact opposite. He was smiling actually. Voltorb had just given him an idea, but he'd need to get it to come at them again.
"Combusken, use Fire Spin!"
"You can handle the heat, Voltorb. Use Rollout!"
"It worked!" Aiden thought to himself as Voltorb plowed right through the flames.
"Look, he's smiling," Lyla observed.
"Combusken, use Sky Uppercut!"
The Fire-type lowered one of its arms to the ground and swung at just the right moment to send the Voltorb spinning out of control into the air.
"Woah-ho!" Wattson exclaimed, taken by surprise.
"We're not through yet! Combusken, now use Fire Spin!"
Combusken fired, blasting the Voltorb right in the face with Fire Spin. He propelled the Electric-type with it for a moment and then leapt up into the air.
"Sky Uppercut!"
"Combuska!" the Fire-type uttered as he came down and thrust his arm down from up above, driving the Voltorb into the ground with so much force that it was knocked out instantly. Anita called it as soon as the dust settled. The girls cheered excitedly.
"Voltorb, return!" Wattson called as he called back yet another fallen Pokémon. "I won't be swept again! Manectric, you're up!"
"How you holding up there?" Aiden asked as Combusken huffed and puffed. "Is it time to finish this up with someone else?"
Combusken gave subtle nod as if he didn't want to admit he was tired, so Aiden called him back and sent out his newly caught Electrike.
"Espeon's technically the better choice here, but I figure now's a good a time as ever to get to know you," Aiden said as the Electrike positioned himself for battle.
"Electrike, huh? We'll have to select our moves very carefully then, Manectric…Use Thunder!"
"That's selecting your moves carefully?" Lyla wondered to herself. "Why would he use an Electric-type move like Thunder?"
As she finished her thought, the Manectric focused and a bolt of electric struck down from above. Electrike didn't have to move a muscle, however. The attack hit several feet away.
"IT MISSED?" Lyla demanded. "How could it be so far off like that?"
Wattson chortled a bit at Lyla's remark and looked up at her. He figured he'd fill her in.
"Are you aware that every Pokémon has a special ability? Like that Skitty at your feet…She's got an ability referred to as 'Cute Charm' and if an enemy hits her with a physical attack, they could become temporarily infatuated with her."
"…Really?" Lyla asked, looking down at Skitty who mewed in confusion.
"Yep! Just the same, Manectric and Electrike will possess one of two abilities: either 'Static' or 'Lightningrod.' Static is called so because Pokémon with this ability release excess static from their bodies that could paralyze an enemy that hits it with a physical attack," Wattson explained as Lyla thought back to when Aiden's Combusken had become paralyzed when it came into contact with Electrike the day before. "A Pokémon with Lightningrod draws in all Electrical-type moves and absorbs them, regenerating its health. Seeing how Thunder missed and wasn't drawn in, that means this Electrike here possesses Static as its ability. That means we need to steer clear from physical attacks and only attack with Manectric's Electric-type moves."
"So he missed on purpose," Eziray thought to herself. "SO SMART! He really knows his Electric Pokémon!"
"This should be an interesting battle though…Manectric here possesses Lightningrod so you're restricted to only using your Electrike's physical attacks, Aiden. This is all going to come down to wits, speed, and power!"
"Well thanks for letting me in on that bit of information," Aiden said. "Now we can get right down to business! Electrike, use Quick Attack!"
"You too, Manectric!"
"Didn't he just say that he won't be using Physical attacks?" Lyla thought to herself, finally accepting the fact that she would never understand this man.
Electrike jolted forward but Manectric sped away before he could even get close. They raced around the arena for a bit until Electrike and his trainer realized that Manectric was much faster.
"Well, that's no good," Aiden thought to himself. "How are we supposed to hit it with physical attacks if we can't even get close enough?"
"This is exciting!" Eziray exclaimed. "You'd think Aiden would have the upper hand because Wattson has to use Electric-type moves which don't have much effect on Electrike, but if Aiden can't even touch the opponent then there's just no way…"
"Aiden, switch to Espeon!" Lyla called.
"You seem to be reflecting so I guess it's my move. Let's actually hit him with Thunder this time, Manectric!" Wattson exclaimed.
Electrike looked up in time to see a strike of lightning coming down from up above and he managed to stumble out of the way of it, just before it struck. Then he stood and sped forward towards his opponent. Just as Manectric was about to take off, Electrike suddenly veered off to the right and disappeared for a moment.
"Maaane," the Manectric growled, turning around.
Just as it did so, Electrike came up behind it and knocked it forward with as much force as possible. The Manectric rolled a bit and Electrike closed in on it.
"Great foot work, Electrike! Now use Bite!"
The Electrike bared its fangs and lunged forward.
"Shock Wave!"
A mass of blue, sparking electricity suddenly began to accumulate around the Manectric's body. He stood and released a massive, zigzagging wave of electricity, striking Electrike right in the mouth. The Lightning Pokémon staggered, whimpering in pain as the Discharge Pokémon escaped to try to put some distance back between the two.
"Electrike! You okay?"
Electrike jerked his head from side-to-side for a moment, shaking off the pain. Then he looked up to his trainer for further instruction.
"I think we're going to need some more power, Manectric. This is one tough little Electrike! So use Charge!"
"Strength!"
"Trike!" the Lightning Pokémon exclaimed, suddenly charging forward as his body began to glow white and Manectric began to charge up its electricity.
Manectric took the hit in order to finish charging and took a pretty hefty amount of damage. It got back on its feet almost instantly, however, and the two Electric-types stared each other down for a moment until Wattson ordered Manectric to use Thunder. This time, Electrike couldn't avoid the attack and was given quite a powerful jolt of an extremely supercharged Thunder attack.
"That seems to be working," Wattson said as Electrike struggled to stand after the hit. "Why don't we charge your Electric-type moves up a little more?"
Manectric nodded and began charging once more as Electrike tried his best to recuperate.
"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Eziray shouted, completely awestruck by the massive Thunder she had just witnessed.
"Eziray!" Lyla shouted, concerned for Electrike's well-being after such a hit.
"Wasn't that amazing though?"
In an attempt to knock out Manectric before he could hit with another supercharged attack Aiden ordered Electrike to use Strength again. This one hit as well but it wasn't nearly enough to keep Manectric down. The Discharge Pokémon retaliated with a Shock Wave that Electrike managed to dodge.
The battle raged on, both sides doing whatever they could to avoid attacks and inflict as much damage as possible. Both Pokémon needed more power to knock out the other but neither of them had the stamina to keep going much longer. It was all coming down to who could hold out the longest.
"Manectric, keep charging!" Wattson ordered, in an attempt to finish Electrike off with one final blow.
"Electrike, power your Strength up with Quick Attack!"
"I just can't believe it…" Eziray trailed off.
"What?" Lyla asked.
"He's gonna win…even if Electrike loses, Aiden is going to win this match. Espeon can take down a worn out Manectric easy!"
"It might not even come down to that…" Lyla trailed off as Electrike charged towards Manectric at breakneck speed and maximum power.
Aiden held his breath as Electrike neared. Wattson had yelled for an attack but Manectric hadn't finished charging. Electrike closed in and the Discharge Pokémon just stood there, unable to do a thing as electricity accumulated around his body. Finally, it was ready. The largest bolt of Thunder any of them had ever seen rippled down in a sudden flash, blinding everyone as Electrike slammed into Manectric. Stray sparks crackled throughout the room as the dust settled and revealed two motionless figures sprawled out on the ground.
"It's a draw!" Eziray gasped.
"Neither Pokémon is able to continue but since Wattson is out of Pokémon, the challenger wins!" Anita announced.
"Awesome job, Electrike," Aiden praised as he picked up his fallen Pokémon.
"Anita, you know what to do," Wattson said as he handed Anita three Pokéballs. She nodded and disappeared through a door as Wattson continued towards Aiden.
"Wattson," Aiden said, shaking the gym leader's hand.
"You did a mighty fine job, boy! And although I lost, I quite enjoyed our match. I'll make this short because we both know where that Electrike needs to be right now, so here it is: the Mauville City Dynamo Badge. Congratulations!"
Aiden accepted it with a grin. It was golden and circular with several rings etched into the center and two stems coming out each end. Aiden thanked the gym leader and then headed out of the gym with the girls to get his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center.
"Aiden, let me see!" Eziray exclaimed as she and Lyla struggled with each other to get a look at the Dynamo Badge.
"Take it easy," he said as he held it out in front of him.
"Ooh! I just can't believe you beat Wattson and I didn't. That's crazy! You should have been challenging gym leaders from the start!" Eziray rambled.
"So how was it? Did you like it? Are you going to challenge more gyms?" Lyla asked.
"Well, we'll see," he replied with a chuckle.
"But, Aiden!" Lyla whined as if she was expecting a different answer.
"Aiden, come on! You can't tell me you're not going to go through with taking the Pokémon League challenge now! Hey, are you listening to me?"
As the girls continued to pummel him with questions and comments, Aiden continued on with a big smile and not a word more.
Author Notes:
So I decided to have Aiden start battling gyms for two reasons. First and most importantly, I wanted to give him some stronger ambitions so he'd have something to be more passionate about. Second, I wanted to incorporate a few of my own gyms into Hoenn. In the game, there are only eight gyms per region. In the anime, however, there are more than that (Gary has ten Kanto badges for example). I thought that these new, original gyms would spice things up a bit and introduce some more interesting characters. I hope you all like where I'm going with this! Be sure to leave me a review to let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions for me.