Chapter Nine: Don't Fight For Me
What's going on my lovely muffins, IcyAngels here, and…well, it didn't take me four months to update this time! A month is still a pretty long time, but I did update Seven Worlds, so I hope that kinda makes up for it. Plus this chapter is pretty long. Over six thousand words! And since I'm posting this at school during advisory, I don't have time to do a good proofread, so sorry if there are any mistakes. On to the reviews!
Gabiola652: Ah yes, friends. They're good to have. Thanks for the review!
Crepo the Porcupine: I KNOW RIGHT?! And I'm getting my license this year too! Thanks for the review!
Skyla Pearl: Hey, haven't heard from you in a while! First, I wanna say sorry for not reviewing your stuff lately, life has been keeping me busy. And that Key Club comment had me laughing lol. I posted it in our Key Club group on Facebook and people got a kick out of it. And yeah, May's pretty stubborn lol. I think it's a character trait that's deep inside me that kinda just dwells and only takes action when it wants to. I'm usually pretty laid back, but sometimes I'm just…ugh. And yeah. The two strikes method is some idea I got from the Black and White anime. After Ash loses to Lenora Iris says something about him only having one more chance. Or maybe I remembered it wrong. Either way, I always thought it was an interesting concept. Thanks for the review! I always enjoy reading yours :)
Matthew: You check to see if I've updated? Awesome! Glad to know someone's that interested. And I hope we can both stick to our resolutions too! Thanks for the review :)
UpbeatButNegative: Saving Gods? Jesus ain't even mad XD Glad you respect May's decision. I'd feel like it would be a cop out if she just took it as a way to get out of her punishment and render the entire thing pointless. Plus it does show her determination. And as for the realism, that was exactly what I was going for. I don't think depicting blood and gore necessarily means "more realistic", so adding something like limits is a good way of showing high standards. And glad you like my portrayal of Roxanne! Thanks for the review! I always enjoy reading yours, as I've already told you many times lol.
TheArtSmartQueen: I KNOW, I'M ALIIIVE! CAPS FOR THE WIN! THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!
PokeshippingFAB: I have always believed in the Peeko. Peeko is love, Peeko is life. Thanks for the review!
"And stay out," the police officer said, leading May on to Route 104. He shut the gates behind him, then walked away.
May slumped to the ground, leaning her back against the metal bars. After her small breakdown in Roxanne's Gym, the police officer had escorted her out since she was still banned from Rustboro. And now the entire region knew about that battle, and Brendan. Brendan.
"That idiot," she said, pounding her fist against the bars behind her. "Why would you say you're going to battle Roxanne to defend my honor?! I don't need your help…" She groaned. Deep down, she knew that he was doing it with the best intentions. He was just sticking up for her. But it didn't make her any less angry. Having someone else fight her battles was the exact opposite of what she wanted, and he knew that. She had given him plenty of chances to realize it. It was one of the many conflicting personality traits that they had.
"Hey," a voice said from above her.
She looked up to see Brendan leaning against the gate on the other side, his left hand nervously rubbing one of the bars. He adjusted his hat with the other. "Are you okay?"
"Nope," she replied, staring down at the path that went back to Petalburg Woods.
Brendan rolled his eyes. "You know I did it to stick up for you, May! People were laughing at you and humiliating—"
"All the more reason not to jump in to it and make the situation worse!" she exclaimed, standing up to face him. "Because of people like Gabby and Tiana spreading rumors and making us look bad, people don't like us! Well, some may like you, but they definitely don't like me. I already look stupid because I jumped in to the battlefield for no reason, and now it looks like I need you to defend me! And for you all it did was make you look like either some hero, or, the more likely, crazy or sticking up for the girl that punched an "innocent bystander" in the face!"
"Well I wasn't trying to do either of those!" he shouted.
"You know that, and I know that," May snapped. "But the people in the stands don't know that. The people watching on TV don't know that. Most of the people back in Littleroot don't know that. My dad doesn't know that…"
The other Trainer sighed. "You're not going to get anywhere worrying about what other people think of you, May—"
"And I'm not going to get anywhere by letting other people battle through tough times for me," she interrupted. "We've had this conversation before, Brendan. I don't want to be stuck in anyone else's shadow. Mainly Norman's, but that's beside the point. I need to do things for myself."
He sighed again. "No one gets anywhere doing everything by themselves. Everyone gets a little help from somewhere, no matter how big or small the amount may be. If you do it all on your own, it's going to be a lonely road getting to the top." He fixed his hat, looking her straight in the eye. "But that's just the way I see things. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Gym Battle to prepare for tomorrow." He then walked off, leaving May with her own thoughts.
"Jerk," she muttered, kicking the gate. Why did he have to be so goddamn right all the time? It didn't change her mind at all on the current situation, however. He shouldn't have tried to stick up for her when he knew it was the last thing she would've wanted. But when it came to doing things that shouldn't have been done, she wasn't perfect either. She looked down at Ventus' Poke Ball in her hand, then threw it up in the air. The Treecko popped out of the ball and landed in front of her, displeased. "Ventus," she began. "I—"
Before she could say anything else, the Pokemon jumped in the air, performing a Pound on her head with its tail.
"Ow!" she shouted. "You know, after the battle this morning, I deserve that…I just want to say I'm sorry. For jumping in to the battle when you didn't need my help. I just got scared that you would end up like Pink and I didn't want it to happen to you. I know you don't like losing and this was a really stupid reason to lose. I hope you understand."
Ventus rolled its eyes.
May sighed. "You know, the longer you stay in my team, the more I realize that we have a lot in common. Look, next time we challenge Roxanne, I'm not going to jump into the battle, even if I have to duct tape myself in place, okay? I'm sorry. Forgive me? Please?"
Ventus stared at her for a while, then nodded. It climbed up on to her shoulder, causing the Trainer to smile.
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Now let's get some training done!"
…
Brendan sat on a ledge on Route 116, a notebook and pen in his hand. He pressed the clicking end of the pen to his cheek. "If I have Truffle set up with Stun Spore, I'd be able to slow the Geodude down and maybe get a couple of Absorbs off…but then again, it's Truffle's first battle and I don't know if it'd be ready for it…" He shrugged, taking out his Poke Balls. "We'll just have to roll with the punches." He threw the two in the air, causing the Torchic and Shroomish to jump out. "Okay, let's see what we can do. Truffle, start out with using Tackle on Sora. Sora, you try to dodge it."
Well, about five seconds went by and Sora didn't even have to bother trying to dodge because Truffle had fallen flat on its face trying to run towards it. Sora chirped in confusion, then let out a tiny Ember, hitting the Shroomish straight on the head. It squeaked in pain, releasing a small Stun Spore that, well, stunned Sora for a few minutes.
Brendan groaned, slapping his forehead. "We have a lot of work ahead of us…" He looked up at the sky, noticing something circling them high in the air. Like a bullet, it sped down at them and attacked, knocking Sora over. Brendan caught a glimpse of two tiny blue wings and a splash of red. He pulled out his Pokedex. "Taillow," he whispered. "That's the only Pokemon around here that I haven't caught yet…all right Sor—"
Before he could utter another word, Truffle jumped to its feet, glaring fiercely at the bird Pokemon. With a high pitched yell it sprang at the Taillow, landing a solid tackle to knock it to the ground. It countered with a Peck, smashing it pointed beak into the Shroomish.
"All right, if you want to handle it, then you can do it, Truffle!" Brendan shouted. "Go for another Tackle!"
Truffle shook its opponent off, then ran as fast as it could, its tiny legs carrying it. It slammed into the other Pokemon, knocking it against a tree. The Taillow suddenly darted out of the Shroomish's view while cloaked in a white light, striking it from behind.
"That's Quick Attack," Brendan said. "It's just like what Ventus uses! Truffle, go for a Stun Spore to slow it down!" As soon as the words escaped his mouth, a flurry of yellow dust popped out of the top of the Pokemon, covering its wild opponent. The Taillow found itself stuck in place, barely able to move. With a little effort, however, it was able to land another Peck against the mushroom Pokemon, knocking it out.
"Truffle!" Brendan shouted. "Return, you did a good job." The Poke Ball's red beam absorbed it, allowing it to go back inside. "Do you want to pick up from here?" he asked Sora. Or began to ask, anyway, as the fiery chick was already trying to avenge Truffle. It quickly stomped in the dirt, causing a flurry of sand to go in the Taillow's eyes, then attempted to drill its beak in to the Pokemon. The wild bird-like creature backed away from the attacks, then fluttered in to a nearby tree, chirping loudly. Sora chirped back in anger, obviously irritated by its lack of ability to climb up the tree.
"Those were Sand-Attack and Peck…" Brendan said, looking down at his PokeDex. "Hey, you learned two new moves, Sora!" He suddenly realized what was going on when Sora almost set his shoes on fire. "Right, right, sorry," he said quickly, taking out an empty Poke Ball. "You're mine now, Taillow!" he yelled. The red and white ball was thrown up into the tree, hitting the bird Pokemon square on the head. It shook once. Twice. Three times, and…
The wild Pokemon burst out of the ball, ruffling its feathers. It chirped loudly, then flew back up into the tree.
"Dang it, it broke out!" Brendan shouted in frustration. "Sora, go for another Ember!"
As the chick Pokemon's beak was lighting up with fire, the Taillow glowed with a white light and swooped down with a Quick Attack, but ultimately crashed into the ground. It tried to get back up, but its paralysis was making it difficult. Sora hit it with another flame, making it stay on the ground for good.
Brendan took out another Poke Ball. "Maybe this time…" He threw it at the Taillow, hitting its wing. The ball absorbed it in a red light and caused it to go inside. It shook once. Twice. Three times. Click. "We caught it!" He shouted, picking the ball up off the ground. Sora chirped in satisfaction, watching Brendan release it from its Poke Ball. The Taillow ruffled its feathers again, its head held high in pride. "It's a boy," he said, looking down at his PokeDex. "I'm going to name you Patriot." Patriot flew on to his shoulder as Brendan reached down and picked Sora up. "I can't wait to tell Ma—" he suddenly stopped. "Eh, she'll find out eventually. Let's get back to training."
A few hours later, Brendan and his Pokemon were much better prepared for their upcoming battle. They had constantly trained against wild Pokemon on Route 116 and had gained multiple levels. "Good work, Truffle. We did a lot today!" He then returned it to its Poke Ball. He looked up at the sky. The sun had almost completely disappeared from the sky, dusk settling in. He walked back to the Pokemon Center, took a shower, and sat down at the booth he and May had ate breakfast at that morning. He frowned. The booth seemed so…empty. He had known May for less than a week. Were things really that lonely without her? He looked down at his three Pokemon, which were eating out of bowls on the floor. Sora looked up at him and chirped in concern. "She's probably fine," Brendan replied, shaking his head. "…Probably."
After finishing dinner, he returned his companions back to their Poke Balls, grabbed his backpack out of his room, and headed outside. The air was crisp and cool, something expected of Hoenn on a colder night. The sky was almost completely black and clear, minus the tiny sparkling stars scattered across it. Sora popped out of its Poke Ball as Brendan walked down the empty street, hopping on to his shoulder to look out for danger.
"We're fine," Brendan assured, but let the Pokemon stay out anyway. He started moving towards the southern entrance of the city, where they had first entered. A few minutes later they had reached the gates where May had been that morning. Surely enough she was still there, but sleeping inside a tent. He climbed over the fence and peeked inside to see May sound asleep, using her bag as a pillow and hugging an also sleeping Ventus to her chest. Judging by her mild shivering, going without a blanket wasn't a choice.
Brendan sighed quietly. "You're crazy, May." Letting Sora jump off his shoulder first, he took his backpack off and placed it on the ground silently, taking out a red blanket and placing it over her, leaving only her head exposed to the cool air. He sighed again, sitting back at the edge of the tent. "Sorry for not thinking first before I jumped in to defend you this morning. I should've considered what you wanted first…" He looked down at Sora, who was staring at him intently. "What?" he asked, then shook his head. "She's just a girl, Sora. And I'm travelling with her. Obviously I don't want her freezing to death…" Sora didn't budge. "Whatever. I'm going back to the Pokemon Center. You can either come with me or keep on staring." Sora chirped quietly, then hopped back on to his shoulder. "That's what I thought," Brendan whispered. He picked up his backpack, then turned and looked at May once again. "Night, May," he said quietly, then left once again.
…
May was woken up by a Pound to the shoulder. "Okay, okay Ventus, I'm up!" she shouted, sitting upright and rubbing the joint. She looked down at the red blanket covering her. "This is Brendan's," she said, looking at Ventus. She pulled her PokeNav Plus out of her bag and looked at the screen. "It's ten o'clock in the morning," she said, rubbing her eye. She suddenly gasped. "Brendan has his Gym battle today! We need to go cheer him on and…and I need to say sorry?" She began folding the blanket up, deep in thought. Had she really gotten mad at him for trying to help her? It didn't change the fact that she didn't want help, but it didn't mean she had to blow up at him over it. And even after that, he had still come during some point in the night to make sure she was okay…
Once she had put the blanket, the tent, and everything else away, she put her bag around her waist as Ventus hopped on to her shoulder. "Let's find a way back into the city without being seen, Ventus. Again." Getting a good grip on the fence, she launched herself over it. From the edge of the city she could already tell that the Gym was open by the number of citizens lined up outside to see the match. "We're gonna have to sneak in through the back…" Staying along the edges of the city and away from the streets, she snuck around to the back of the Gym without getting caught. The back was almost completely closed, off, the only way in being a small window that led to the bathrooms. Ventus jumped off her shoulder and on to the window sill, rapping on the window with its tail.
"Is there anyone there, Ventus?" May asked from the ground. Before it could acknowledge her, the window opened to reveal Gym Guy Clyde.
"May?" he asked, looking down at her. "What are you doing here? How did you get back into the city?"
"I'm here to see Brendan's match and…say some other stuff. And I snuck back in. Again," she replied. "What are you doing?"
"Hiding in the bathroom from the spectators," he replied. "The Gym hasn't even opened yet and they're already here to see Brendan and Roxanne battle! And I don't really feel like being run over by a mob of people, so it's best to just wait."
May shook her head. "It looks like there's just as many people today as there were yesterday. I'm really hoping that Brendan knows what he's doing. God knows Gabby and Ty will be all over that if he messes up even once…"
"Well they were the first ones to get here," Clyde said. "Either way, c'mon. Stack those crates over there and I'll help you get in." May did as she was told, grabbing a few boxes and climbing through the small window with Clyde's assistance. "Now make sure you blend in with the crowd so you don't get caught again," he reminded her. "I'd sit in one of the middle rows of bleachers near the wall on Brendan's end and on the side I'll be on when I referee. There'll be less people to see you and you aren't out in the open. Got it?"
She nodded. "Sounds good."
"Great," he said. "Now go hide in the girls' bathroom for a while. If you're the first one in the stands people will definitely see you. And obviously you can't be…here," he finished, gesturing to one of the urinals.
"Oh yeah. Thanks, Clyde."
"Anytime."
…
Brendan was in the fossil exhibit in the Gym, an area that they hadn't gotten the chance to see yesterday. There were fossils of extinct Pokemon in glass cases, and a large Aerodactyl skeleton hanging on display. He tapped his fingers on a table covered with informational pamphlets next to him. Who knew that sitting around and waiting could be so stressful? "There's so much riding on this battle," he said to himself. "My Gym Badge, what Gabby and Ty will say if I lose, that stupid thing I said about defending May yesterday…"
"Having fun analyzing everything that could happen after this battle?" a voice said from the entrance of the room. He turned around to see Roxanne approaching him. "I thought about that a lot when I first became a Gym Leader. After a while I got a little more confidence in my Pokemon and I and the feeling just kinda…went away."
He sighed. "I'm more worried about what will happen to May after this battle," he replied. "Why did I jump in to the middle of things? Now if I lose, it's like she loses too because I was supposed to redeem her! If I lose she's going to be more pissed at me than before…"
Roxanne put a hand on his shoulder. "Win or lose, it's all going to turn out okay in the end. No one can hold a grudge against someone for doing what they thought was right. Besides, you guys made it all the way here from Littleroot in one piece, so you can't possibly be a terrible battler."
Brendan smiled a little. "It's kinda weird to hear a pep talk from the person I'm about to battle."
"What can I say? I like to help people," she replied, then grinned, her eyes glowing with excitement. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."
He grinned back at her. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
…
When the crowd had filled the stadium, May had sat exactly where Clyde had instructed to earlier. A banner on the wall cast a shadow on that particular spot, making it harder for people to see her. She watched as Brendan and Roxanne walked in and went to opposite sides of the battlefield, Clyde standing in the referee box to the side. She kept a close eye on Brendan. He had walked in very confidently, but upon further inspection she could just barely see his hands shaking as he reached for his Poke Balls on his belt. "Hopefully he keeps it together better than I did yesterday," she whispered to Ventus, who was sitting in her lap.
"This'll be a two on two match," Clyde said, silencing the entire crowd once again. Only the challenger will be permitted to switch Pokemon. As always, there will be no interruptions to this battle unless approved by the Gym Leader or challenger. Begin!"
"Geodude, let's roll!" Roxanne yelled, throwing the red and white ball into the air. The familiar Rock-type Pokemon jumped out, landing on the stone covered battlefield in front of them.
"Just what I thought she'd start out with," Brendan said to himself, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Truffle, I believe in you!" The green and brown mushroom Pokemon jumped out, landing on the battlefield. It squeaked in fear as it saw the dozens of pairs of eyes staring at it, including its opponent's. "You're going to do just fine, Truffle," the Trainer reminded it. "Just like we did in training. Start off with a Stun Spore!"
"Dodge it using Defense Curl!" Roxanne yelled.
The Shroomish locked its eyes on its target, albeit shakily, sending a flurry of yellow dust at its opponent. Geodude curled into a ball as fast as it could, rolling away and hardening its body in the process.
"Don't stop moving, Geodude!"
"Go for more Stun Spores until you hit it, Truffle!"
As the Geodude rolled across the battlefield, dodging rocks and boulders along the way, Truffle continued to cover the area in a powdery dust, but never managed to hit its target. The Shroomish began to panic, suddenly realizing how many people were watching it fail.
"Don't let the crowd get to you, Truffle," Brendan said calmly. "Just make sure you concentrate."
"Now to switch to the offensive!" Roxanne shouted. "Geodude, go for a Tackle!"
"Meet it head on with your own Tackle, Truffle!" Brendan yelled.
The two Pokemon charged at each other, the Geodude more aggressively. They slammed into each other in the center of the battlefield, the impact sending Truffle flying into a rock a few feet behind it.
The crowd roared. May growled from the stands, clenching her fists. "C'mon Brendan, you can do this," she whispered.
"We've got it cornered, Geodude!" Roxanne shouted. "Use Rock Tomb!"
May instantly shut her eyes tight, hugging Ventus to her chest, who struggled to escape her death grip. She relaxed her arms a few seconds later. "Sorry."
The Geodude raised its arms above its head, materializing three large boulders out of nowhere. It hurled them at the Shroomish, trapping it underneath them before it could get away.
"Use Tackle to get the rocks off of you!" Brendan yelled.
Truffle squeaked in pain, then managed to break its way through the large pile of rocks and back out into the open. Without realizing that all of the rocks were already gone, it rushed at the Geodude with a Tackle, but barely did any damage.
Roxanne grinned. "Looks like that Defense Curl paid off. Geodude, use Tackle again!"
"Dodge and use Stun Spore!"
The Rock-type Pokemon curled up into a ball again, spinning its way toward the Shroomish. Truffle sprang into the air while coating the ground in powder, allowing the Geodude to miss the attack and slam into a rock.
"Perfect!" Brendan yelled. "Now hurry and go for an Absorb before it recovers!"
Truffle landed on a rock, then let out an earth-shattering battle cry as a green, glowing energy surrounded it. It attempted to get closer to the Geodude, but it had already gotten up and rolled away.
"You've gotta be faster than that!" Roxanne shouted. "Geodude, go for another Rock…huh?"
All eyes turned to Geodude, who was attempting to uncurl itself from a ball, but couldn't move. It was paralyzed.
"But Truffle missed all of those Stun Spores," May whispered from the stands. "How did it…?" She gasped. "The powder was still on the floor! All of that rolling must've gotten it on Geodude!"
Brendan grinned. "The odds are in our favor now! Truffle, Absorb!"
The same green energy surrounded the Pokemon again, eventually surrounding Geodude as well as soon as Truffle came in close contact. The Rock-type yelled in pain as its energy was drained, allowing Truffle to reach almost full health again.
"That was over half of its health!" May said quietly. "And now that Geodude's slowed down…"
"Absorb!" Brendan shouted. "One last time!"
The Shroomish became enveloped in that green energy again, allowing it to absorb the Geodude's remaining energy. The Rock-type fell to the ground, unable to battle.
"The Gym Leader's Geodude is unable to battle," Clyde announced. "Truffle is the winner!" He pointed a green flag at Brendan as the crowd murmured in confusion.
"Brendan actually has a chance," May whispered.
"Geodude, you did well," Roxanne said, returning the Pokemon to its Poke Ball. "Now rest." He looked up at Brendan, a smile on her face. "Not bad. But I'm just getting started. Nosepass, let's roll!"
As soon as she threw the Poke Ball, a bluish Pokemon shaped like an Easter Island head jumped out, its red nose being its most prominent feature. It towered over Truffle, staring the smaller Pokemon down.
"Don't be scared, Truffle," Brendan encouraged.
"We'll take the first move, if you don't mind," Roxanne said. "Nosepass, use Rock Tomb to cover up the battlefield!"
The nose-like Pokemon grunted, raising its small appendages high over its head to materialize the boulders. It threw at least three dozen of them, covering the field so much that you could've even see the floor. The two Pokemon stood on top of the new rocks, facing each other at opposite ends of the court.
"Truffle, go for a Tackle and get closer!"
"Harden, Nosepass!"
The Shroomish launched itself from rock to rock until it reached its opponent, then tackled it as hard as possible. The Harden reflected the attack, causing Truffle to fall back on to the rocks behind it.
"Attack it while it's down, Nosepass!" Roxanne shouted. "Rock Tomb!"
"Get out of the way, Truffle!"
Milliseconds before the boulders could come crashing down on it, the Shroomish leapt out of the way, landing on another rock a few feet to the left. "Good," Brendan said. "Now get closer again and use Absorb!"
The Grass-type complied, letting out a battle cry as it ran over the rocks and towards the Nosepass. It jumped on top of the Pokemon, then, the familiar green glow surrounding the both of them, sucked the energy out of it. When it was finished Shroomish jumped back, distancing itself from its opponent.
"It hardly did anything!" Brendan exclaimed.
"Well, obviously it's going to do less," Roxanne explained from the other side of the field. "Nosepass is a pure Rock-type as opposed to Geodude, who's a Rock and Ground-type, so it'll only do double the damage instead of quadruple. Not only that, But Nosepass's Special Defense is three times higher."
He growled in frustration from the other side. Truffle had a hard enough time beating Geodude. How were they going to compete with that?
"But, enough of me teaching," Roxanne said with a shrug. Her expression suddenly became determined. "More battling. Nosepass, Rock Tomb again!"
The Nosepass raised its tiny compass-like arms in the air again over its head, forming great boulders again, then chucking them at the Shroomish. They hit dead on, burying the Pokemon underneath the rubble.
"You have to get out of there, Truffle!" Brendan shouted. He watched as his tiny Pokemon climbed out of the rock pile slowly, shaking from its injuries. It must've taken away at least half of its health. "We can keep on fighting! Go for an Absorb!"
"Use Tackle to get it away from you!"
The two Pokemon rushed towards each other, meeting head on with a crash. The Nosepass flicked its head forward, sending the Shroomish flying into a pile of rocks again. It struggled to its feet with even less energy than before, but was still going.
"We both know we can keep going!" he exclaimed. "Go for another Absorb!"
Truffle began speeding towards the Nosepass again, successfully being able to trap it between two rocks when it backed up. It jumped on to its head again, absorbing energy out of it. The attack was successful, but not enough. Truffle jumped off it and on to another rock, panting. It didn't even get half its health back.
"Looks like your Shroomish is running out of steam," Roxanne said. "We'll make this quick. Use Rock Tomb!"
"Truffle!"
Before Brendan could even begin to think of a command, the boulders came down on the Shroomish even harder than before. They kept on falling until the Pokemon wasn't even visible, and then some more. Once the attack was finished, the four figures on the battlefield waited for the dust to settle until anyone said anything.
"Truffle, you have to get up," Brendan said quietly, breaking the silence. Due to their position, a few rocks from the pile fell, revealing the unconscious Shroomish underneath.
"Shroomish is unable to battle, Nosepass wins!" Clyde shouted from his referee spot.
"Return, Truffle," Brendan said, taking out his Poke Ball. The tiny mushroom Pokemon was absorbed by the red light, going back into the device. "You did a great job out there."
May hugged Ventus closer to her chest. "It's one to one now…"
"Your Shroomish did very well," Roxanne complimented from the other side of the field. "But getting rid of Nosepass won't exactly be a walk in the park. Hopefully your other Pokemon will be able to handle it."
"You can bet on that," he replied, taking out another Poke Ball. He pressed the button in the middle of it, inflating it to the size of a softball, then threw it. "Sora, I believe in you!" The fiery chick popped out of its Poke Ball, landing on one of the many rocks on the battlefield.
"A Fire-type?" Roxanne questioned.
"I know it's not ideal," the other Trainer said. "But I know Sora can pull through for me. Now, start off with a Peck!"
"Rock Tomb, Nosepass!"
The Torchic began running towards the Rock-type, hopping from one rock to another. It dodged a flurry of rocks that were chucked at it, managing to land a solid Peck. It did almost nothing.
"Even with higher levels, Sora's physical attacks aren't going to do much…" Brendan said to himself. "Whatever. Sora, use Ember!"
Sora jumped back on to one of the many boulders, taking in a deep breath of air. A hot, searing fireball shot out of its mouth, hitting the Nosepass square in the face. It shook its head, letting it slide as if it were nothing.
Roxanne grinned. "That's not going to do much, either. Nosepass, Tackle!"
The Pokemon nodded, using its tiny block-like legs to launch itself at the Torchic. It rammed it into another pile of rocks, actually breaking them and causing it to go through.
"Get back up, Sora!" Brendan shouted. The Pokemon got on its feet, beak aflame in anger. "If it can't hit you, it can't hurt you! Go for Sand-Attack!"
"Trying to lower our accuracy, huh?" she asked. "All right, we'll just have to slow you down! Nosepass, Rock Tomb!"
As soon as it heard the command, Sora began kicking and swinging its feathers at the dust around it, creating a giant cloud. It then flapped its tiny wings to send it in the Nosepass' direction, hitting it straight in the eyes. The other Pokemon suddenly lost its concentration, causing the boulders it had formed to fall down behind it.
"Good job!" Brendan shouted.
"Keep going for Rock Tombs!"
Every time its opponent tried to trap it under a pile of rocks, Sora dodged the attack, then sent another cloud of sand into the eyes of the Gym Leader's Pokemon. Eventually the Nosepass got lucky, landing a solid Rock Tomb, trapping the Torchic underneath the rubble. It eventually got out of the pile, shaking from the pain.
"I have faith in you, Sora," the Trainer said, watching over his Pokemon. "Now go for an Ember!"
Sora rose to its feet, it's beak a flame as a fireball erupted from its chest and hit the Nosepass with full force, knocking it over.
"Back on your feet, Nosepass," Roxanne shouted. The Pokemon lifted itself back up, facing its opponent. "Go for another Rock Tomb!"
"Get out of the way!"
The Nosepass created another onslaught of boulders and sent them hurdling at the Torchic. Sora began running out of the way, but because of its lowered speed, it was crushed beneath the rocks again. It climbed out from under the rubble, shaking from pain, its lungs working hard to get air in and out of its system.
"You know you can keep going, Sora," Brendan whispered from his side of the battlefield. "Go for Ember!"
"Dodge!"
The Torchic took in a deep breath, letting the fire inside of it blast out of its beak and hit the Nosepass again before it could move. The flame engulfed the Rock Pokemon, leaving certain areas of it black from burning.
"Good job!" Brendan shouted.
"You might've hit us a few times, but we're not even at half health yet," Roxanne said from the other end of the court. "Nosepass, go for a Tackle!"
The Rock-type nodded, then began charging at the fiery chick as it attempted to catch its breath. Before it could get out of the way the Nosepass hit it with full force, sending it flying in to a nearby pile of rock. The Torchic stood back up, barely scathed.
"If it didn't do that much damage, it has to be burned," May whispered.
Roxanne grinned from the other side of the court. "I see what you did there. By burning Nosepass, you lowered its attack so it won't do as much damage."
"Uh, sure," Brendan said, rubbing the back of his head. "That's what my plan was. Either way, Sora, use Sand-Attack!"
The Pokemon jumped in the air, landing near the Nosepass. It swatted at the dirt underneath its talons using its tiny wings, blinding the other Pokemon.
"Go for a Tackle while it's close!" Roxanne yelled.
The Nosepass, barely able to see, launched itself at its opponent. It smashed in to the Torchic at full force, knocking it into the many rocks around them. Brendan's Pokemon rushed to its feet and sent another blast of fire in its direction, already knowing what Brendan wanted it to do.
"Perfect!" Brendan exclaimed.
Roxanne winced as Nosepass groaned in pain, the burn taking residual damage. "We can still keep going. Go for Rock Tombs over and over and over!"
It nodded, raising its stubby arms above it once more and sent more boulders hurdling at the Torchic. Many of them missed its target completely due to the Sand-Attack, but the last barrage hit it right in the face, almost knocking the Pokemon unconscious.
"Torchic!" Brendan shouted. "Get up!"
The crowd and Trainers were silent, watching the rock pile. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. The pile didn't move. May stared at the rocks, feeling her heart sink in to her stomach. It was over. Clyde was about to raise one of his flags—
But stopped when the smallest of movements came from under the boulders.
Brendan stared in awe as the tiny Pokemon crawled out from the rock pile, a blue light was beginning to surround it, and the last of its expression showing wonder before it was completely encompassed. The crowd stared as the Torchic suddenly became taller within the blink of an eye, its tiny wings becoming full-fledged arms and its legs becoming longer and stronger. Its eyes became orange and fiercer than fire, along with the little tuft of feathers on the top of its head. The blue light went away with a burst of energy, leaving a completely different Pokemon in its wake, more energized than ever.
"Combusken!" Brendan exclaimed, a grin forming on his face. "You evolved! That's amazing!"
"Well," Roxanne said with a smile. "You've clearly done a good job training it. This'll definitely make the battle more interesting."
May covered her mouth from her seat, preventing any outbursts. "He actually has a chance…" she whispered.
"We're not done yet though," Roxanne said. She pointed to the battlefield. "Nosepass, go for Rock Throw!"
The Nosepass hurled its attacks at the newly evolved Pokemon, but the attacks were powerfully kicked back, causing them to hit the Rock-type instead.
"That Double Kick!" Brendan exclaimed. "All right, go for it again!"
Sora leaped in to the air, now able to jump much higher due to its stronger legs. It came crashing down on the Nosepass twice, lowering its health much more than ever before.
"Harden!"
"Don't even give it the chance! Double Kick!"
The two Pokemon prepared their attacks at the same time. Brendan knew it could be the last turn of the battle. This could be the moment.
At what seemed like the exact same time, Sora struck the Nosepass as it stiffened its body from the Harden. Nosepass was pushed back a few yards as the Fire-type was sent flying back, landing on its feet. The two Pokemon stared at each other, gasping for air. The entire crowd watched in silence, holding its breath collectively.
But Sora knew the truth.
It had struck first.
Nosepass fell backwards on to the ground, a groan escaping it before going unconscious.
"Nosepass has fainted, Sora is the winner," Clyde announced. He raised a flag in Brendan's direction. "And that means that the match goes to Brendan!"
"We won, Sora!" he exclaimed, picking up the now-heavier Pokemon. "You did great out there!"
Roxanne sighed, pulling out a Poke Ball. "You did wonderfully, Nosepass. Now get a good rest." Knowing that the crowd was going to begin an outrage, she raised her hand in the air, silencing them before they could even start. "Now I know this battle didn't turn out how many of you wanted it to," she said calmly. "But the challenger won fair and square. So…" She walked over to Brendan, something in her closed palm. "I present you, Brendan Birch, with the Stone Badge." She opened her hand, allowing him to take it: a shining badge in bronze and gold, shaped like two arrows pointing in different directions.
"Thanks, Roxanne," he said, marveling at the tiny object in his hand.
"You earned it," she replied as he placed it in his Badge case.
"And Brendan Birch wins his Badge from the Rustboro City Gym," Gabby said in to her microphone, looking in to the camera. "Now that he's avenged May, that presents us with another question: Where exactly is Norman's daughter?"
"Hey, over here!" a man shouted from a few feet away. "She's been hiding in plain sight this entire time!" All eyes and cameras turned to the man and who he was pointing to: May.
"May?!" Brendan exclaimed.
"Goddammit," she muttered, Ventus climbing on to her shoulder. She quickly jumped out of her seat, dodging and weaving through the people as all eyes were on her, but was stopped when someone grabbed her arm. An officer.
"I am getting sick and tired of having to throw you out of here every single day," he said, pulling her out of the bleachers and on to the battlefield as he led her towards the door. "I'm calling the Petalburg City Gym Leader. He can come here and bring you home personally."
"Let go of me!" she shouted, trying to rip herself from his grip, but couldn't budge.
Brendan began running towards the officer, but stopped along with everything else in the Gym when Roxanne shouted.
"Enough!" she exclaimed. "I'm putting an end to this right now. As soon as Geodude and Nosepass are completely healed, May is going to have a rematch against me. If she wins, she can leave Rustboro quietly with her badge. If she loses…I'll let the law do its job." She looked at the Trainer. "Do you agree, May?"
She nodded. "I agree." The officer released his grip on her.
"All right," Roxanne said. "We'll have the battle later tonight. Be ready."
Chapter 9's done! Yay! Lots of action in this one. I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, so I hope this was okay. And Brendan gets his first badge and Combusken evolves! So for QOTW: In what ways do you think I can improve my fighting scenes? Any tips or suggestions? I would love to hear them. Make sure to review! Smell ya later!