Brawn and Brains

The next morning, the team finally arrived in Cianwood City. The locals said that travelers have found Ampharosite at the nearby caves on the beach. The tides were low at this time, so there was no need for anyone to worry about getting trapped. They searched for hours and found what they believed to be the Mega Stones they were looking for. Joey took one and Janina took another. The only way to know for sure if it was Ampharosite was to take it back to Jasmine. Janina quickly boarded the express ferry back to Olivine City.

With that setback being taken care of, it was time to find the Cianwood gym. But as they were about to leave the beach, the group saw a man practicing fighting with his Machoke. He was wearing white pants with a black sash over his waist and he had dark brown hair and a dark brown mustache. It was an impressive display of offense and defense, but what really shocked the heroes was that the man allowed Machoke to use Submission on him. Machoke held on to him as he somersaulted on the sand and he lifted him and tossed him several feet away. But the man wasn't hurt. In fact, he was proud of his Pokémon for his strength and focus.

"You there, young lady in white," he called to Emily. "What's your name, my pretty?"

"I'm Emily Briar," she introduced herself.

"Emily Briar, as in one of the champions of Duel Monsters?" he asked in astonishment.

"The same," she replied.

The man and his Machoke bowed in respect. "It's an honor to meet you. What brings you to town?"

"I've come for a gym battle."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" He asked in delight. "Come on, let's get marching!" And he began leading Emily and her friends to the gym by jogging. She wasn't exactly dressed for the sport, but she removed her sandals and lifted her dress so she could run.

Machoke was the first to arrive at the front door with the heroes following from behind and his trainer behind them. He caught up and asked, "What's the matter? You outta shape?"

"Speak for yourself," said Joey. "But how far do we have to go?"

"We're here," the man answered, out of breath.

Suddenly, young children and their fighting-type Pokémon came outside and greeted their teacher. "Welcome back, Master."

"Master," Emily repeated in question. "Then you must be-"

"The Cianwood gym leader," he finished for her. "I'm the meanest, leanest, roughest, toughest, strongest fighting-type Pokémon master in all the land. But you can call me Chuck." He invited everyone inside for lunch. He believed that plates full of big servings would make consumers strong fighting machines. "Eat up," he insisted to his students and guests. "You need lots of nourishment to keep your energy up."

"That's something I can agree with," Joey said as he was eating.

A woman with reddish brown hair came with some vegetables. "So you're here for a Storm badge," she asked Emily. "Well, then a beautiful and fit young lady like you should have no trouble beating that flabby husband of mine," she joked.

Chuck didn't like being teased about his weight, but he put up with it because he loved his wife. When he finished eating, he turned to Emily and asked her, "What do you say, Emily? Are you ready to have that battle?"

"I sure am," she answered.

They took their places at the arena in the next room. The referee spoke up and announced, "This is an official gym battle for a Storm badge between Chuck the gym leader and Emily Briar the challenger. You may each use two Pokémon. Are you ready?"

Chuck was ready. He chose Poliwrath as his first Pokémon. Emily chose Sylphid as her first Pokémon. Sylphid tried to attack with Thunder Shock, but Poliwrath dodged it. He decided to send electricity flying by means of Discharge, but Poliwrath was slick and managed to dodge all the attacks. Finally, he got shocked and the attack even paralyzed him. Sylphid tried to attack with Double Kick, but Poliwrath pulled himself together and used his strength to defend himself and push Sylphid away. Poliwrath began attacking Sylphid with Doubleslap. Poliwrath was so focused, making it impossible for the paralysis to kick in. Sylphid tried to get up, but couldn't. He was fast and nimble, but not strong enough to endure such great physical attacks.

Emily had to choose one Pokémon and make it count. But she knew which one to choose. She tossed her Pokéball and called on Lumina. It was a good choice. Poliwrath was a fighting-type as well as a water-type, so Lumina's psychic attacks would be effective against him. Emily was under a lot of pressure, but she had to keep it together and stay focused so Lumina would be able to as well.

Chuck could see it in Emily's eyes. If she had been scared, she would have made a choice out of desperation. But he could see that she was focused and trying to stay that way. Poliwrath tried to attack with his Water Gun, but Lumina saw it coming and dodged it. Poliwrath was still paralyzed, so his moves would be sluggish. Lumina attacked with her Swift, then used Confusion to lift Poliwrath in the air and toss him to the ground. Poliwrath tried to pull himself together and focus, but he became confused. Lumina finished him off with her Psychic attack and won.

It was only so easy because Sylphid had worn Poliwrath out, so Lumina had to remember to thank her big brother after this. But Machoke was going to be a really tough opponent. But before sending Machoke to the arena, Chuck decided to get him warmed up by having him practice his attacks on his own trainer. Emily got the same idea on getting herself and Lumina focused in the same way. Lumina used her psychic powers on her trainer to increase her concentration and keep it together.

After getting psyched up, Lumina and Machoke were ready to go at it with each other. Machoke tried to land attacks on Lumina, but her ability of clairvoyance allowed her to dodge them with ease. She was so focused, she could see the attacks coming before they were coming. Machoke tried to attack with Cross Chop, but Lumina stopped him with her Confusion. Machoke was trying to resist and Lumina was straining herself as she was trying to keep a grip, but neither of them wanted to lose their focus.

Machoke struggled, but he managed to approach Lumina. He grabbed her and somersaulted across the arena as he was using Submission on her. He lifted her and tossed her to the other side, but Emily encouraged Lumina to open her eyes and watch where she was going. Doing so allowed Lumina to recover her coordination and use her acrobatic skills to land on her feet with ease. After a graceful landing, she used Psychic to attack Machoke. Machoke was feeling worn out and having a hard time maintaining his focus because of Lumina's psychic powers. To finish him off, Lumina used Swift and launched stars at him. Machoke fell in defeat.

In battles like these, it goes to show that brains will always overpower brawn and mental might is greater than physical might. That's why people often follow the adage 'mind over matter.' But Lumina had to admit she was feeling pretty strained after focusing so much. But she kept her concentration throughout the match. Lumina leaves the arena and approaches Sylphid and they begin hugging each other. Emily lifted Lumina and gently hugged her as well.

Chuck felt no disappointment in his Pokémon. He felt pride and joy for them because they battled well together and his Pokémon did what their trainer told them to do throughout the match. And that was what made him a good sport. He seemed hard on the outside, but he was soft on the inside. "Emily," he said as he approached her. "You fought a great head-to-head battle out there. I haven't had one like that in a long time. It's no disgrace to lose to a trainer like you," he said proudly.

"Thanks, Chuck," Emily said with great appreciation.

"I enjoyed seeing you and Lumina work together. She really knew your strategy. In the end, working closely together with your Pokémon is the only strategy you need. I hope you can work that closely with all of your Pokémon. If you do, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about when you get to the Johto league." Chuck holds out his hand and presents Emily with the Storm badge. She takes it and cheers in triumph. Sylphid and Lumina laugh and cheer with her.

At night, Emily called Janina and asked her if there was any news concerning the Mega Stones they found. It turned out that Jasmine's grandfather was right and it really was Ampharosite. Jasmine tapped into its power and Sparkle was able to Mega Evolve. But although Jasmine promised Emily a battle, she still wasn't quite ready yet. But it was all right. Emily didn't mind waiting a little while longer.

Chuck overheard the situation and got an idea. "Sorry to hear that your match with Jasmine has been delayed, Emily, but I got an idea on what you and your friends can do to pass the time. You guys should check out the Whirl Islands," he suggested.

It sounded like a good idea. The Whirl Islands were right between Cianwood City and Olivine City. "I think you'll find it in your best interest to go," continued Chuck. "You may find some mysterious Pokémon there."

Chuck's wife presented the heroes with a pass that would serve as payment for their passage on the ferry. "Consider it a gift from us for a great battle," she insisted.

"Lots of luck on the Whirl Islands, Emily," said Chuck. "Remember to train hard, eat well, and keep your eyes on the prize. And remember, it's all about the focus."

"You said it, Chuck," said Emily.