In this chapter, our heroes are going to try to battle Chuck. One of them already is.
Oh, and Jake is going to stumble across a Pokemon poacher.
Chapter 27: Taken By Storm
Sarah headed towards Mahogany Town.
Fortunately, she knew where the hideout was. She would have a hard time finding it if she didn't.
However, she had to be careful that she wasn't spotted by Officer Jenny.
If the police found out about their hideout, they would be in a lot of trouble.
Horace was there to greet her.
"Salutations...you certainly seem to have a lot more Pokemon since you caught that Totodile..." noted Horace. Personally he wondered how many Pokemon she had now.
Totodile wondered if he should have volunteered to be Sarah's Pokemon.
However, she seemed to be a good Pokemon trainer despite her criminal status, so he decided to stay around.
Besides, she didn't really do anything evil.
"I heard you were planning something..." said Sarah.
"We're working on a machine that can evolve Pokemon..." spoke Horace.
"Evolve Pokemon? Why would you want to do that?" asked the girl. Totodile didn't seem interested in doing that. neither did Togepi...at least not yet.
"Evolving Pokemon makes them more valuable." explained the man.
Sarah nodded. He did have a point.
They were planning to test it on the Magikarp that were residing in the Lake of Rage. Considering Gyarados were far more valuable than Magikarp were, they would make for some pretty good test subjects.
However, Totodile didn't seem interested in evolving.
Togepi might be interested in evolving someday though. According to the Pokedex, she could evolve into a flying type.
Suddenly, another Team Shadow Grunt approached Horace.
"Yes?" asked Horace.
"Some bozos are trying to rob the shop we're using as a front for our hideout." said the grunt.
Curious, Sarah went to investigate.
It turned out it was none other than Jessie, James, and Meowth. That's right, it's Meowth.
"You guys again?" asked Sarah. She hadn't seen them in a while.
"Do I know you?" inquired James.
"You took my Slowpoke tails!" exclaimed the Team Shadow Grunt.
"Huh? Oh yeah. I remember now." said Meowth.
Sarah sent out Ekans and Totodile.
"Ekans!" exclaimed the snake Pokemon.
"Totodile!" cheered the water Pokemon.
Likewise, the Team Rocket duo sent out Arbok and Weezing.
It seemed that the Meowth wasn't much of a fighter. It was pretty impressive that he could talk though.
Were there any other talking Pokemon in the world? If so, she was still looking for them.
Unfortunately, while Totodile was doing alright against Weezing, Ekans was at a serious disadvantage against her evolved form.
She was getting pummeled.
"Ekans!" bellowed Ekans.
"Arbok!" bellowed Arbok.
"This isn't good..." noted Sarah.
At this rate, she was going to faint.
Of course, she could send out another Pokemon, but still.
Fortunately, it turned out luck was on her side.
Suddenly, Ekans began to evolve.
"Hmm?" asked Sarah.
Ekans was now an Arbok.
It certainly was a pleasant surprise.
This seemed to even the playing field quite a bit.
Sarah's Arbok bit into Jessie's Arbok.
"Arbok!" bellowed Jessie's Arbok. It was rather unfortunate that her opponent had managed to evolve so suddenly.
Sarah's Arbok then glared at her opponent.
Jessie's Arbok was paralyzed.
Totodile hit Weezing with Crunch.
Weezing fainted.
"Weezing..." murmured the fainted poison Pokemon.
James decided to send out Victreebel instead.
"Victreebel!" shouted the grass Pokemon.
"Uh-oh..." thought Sarah. Now she was at a type disadvantage. Totodile knew all too well he would have a hard time against grass Pokemon.
Victreebell launched Razor Leaves at Totodile.
"Totodile!" exclaimed Totodile. That really hurt.
Sarah withdrew Totodile and sent out Slugma.
Chances are he would do better on account of being a fire type.
Meanwhile, Sarah's Arbok managed to take down Jessie's Arbok.
"Arbok..." murmured the fainted cobra Pokemon.
Jessie sent out her Wobbuffet.
"Wobbuffet!" exclaimed the psychic Pokemon.
There was something off about it.
Sarah scanned Wobbuffet with her Pokedex.
"Wobbuffet, the Patient Pokemon! It never attacks first, and typically resides in dark caves!" exclaimed Sarah's Pokedex.
Sarah wondered why it never attacked first.
Sarah's Arbok attempted to bite Wobbuffet...only to find her attack being reflected.
"Arbok!" exclaimed Sarah's Arbok. What had just happened?
Arbok tried hitting Wobbuffet again, but the attack simply bounced off.
"Good luck getting past Wobbuffet's defenses!" exclaimed Jessie.
Sarah wondered how she was going to do that.
Perhaps she should try using a different tactic.
Fortunately, it turned out Wobbuffet's Counter couldn't counter special attacks.
With that knowledge, Totodile was able to take down Wobbuffet.
Now that Team Rocket were defeated, Sarah decided to get rid of them.
Sarah sent out Phanpy.
"Phanpy!" exclaimed the ground Pokemon.
Phanpy sent the trio flying with his trunk.
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" exclaimed Team Rocket.
"Well, I guess I won't have to worry about them for a while." noted Sarah.
Strangely enough, they were dressed somewhat like she was.
However, they had an R on their shirts instead of an S.
Was there another criminal organization in the world of Pokemon?
She was confused.
"Did you take care of them?" asked Horace. Apparently they didn't realize this was a front for a criminal organization.
Otherwise, they would have tried to rob somewhere else.
Sarah nodded.
In addition, her Ekans had evolved.
"Very good. I need you to go to the Lake of Rage and observe the machine's effects on Pokemon." explained Horace.
"Sir, yes, sir!" exclaimed Sarah, saluting Horace with respect.
Sarah went to the Lake Of Rage.
Meanwhile...
For his next Pokemon, Jake sent out Grimer.
"Grimer!" shouted the poison Pokemon.
Primeape attempted to use Focus Punch, but Grimer hit him with Mudslap before he could do so.
This of course caused him to lose his focus.
All of a sudden, he couldn't see.
"Primeape!" shouted the fighting Pokemon.
Seizing his opportunity, Grimer hit Primeape with Sludge Bomb.
Primeape fell to the ground.
Grimer then tossed a Mud Bomb at Primeape before he could get up.
The fighting Pokemon fainted.
"Good work, Grimer!" exclaimed Jake.
Grimer smiled.
Now that Primeape had fainted, Chuck decided to send out Machoke next.
"Machoke!" bellowed the fighting Pokemon, flexing his muscles.
Jake seemed to recall having a Machamp now that he thought of it.
Unfortunately, Grimer was having a hard time against Machoke. Machoke had good reflexes.
Fortunately, he eventually managed to hit Machoke.
But as it turned out, Machoke was vengeful.
He hit Grimer with Payback.
"Grimer!" shouted the poison Pokemon.
Machoke then followed with a Rock Slide attack.
Grimer fainted.
"Grimer..." murmured the sludge Pokemon. Machoke was as macho as his name implied.
At this point, Jake had only one Pokemon left to use.
He decided to send out Cyndaquil.
"Cyndaquil!" exclaimed the fire Pokemon.
Machoke attempted to hit Cyndaquil with Focus Punch...
...only to end up being burned by the flames on his back.
"Machoke!" bellowed the fighting Pokemon.
It seemed that the flames on Cyndaquil's back had slipped his mind.
Cyndaquil then hit Machoke with Flame Wheel.
"Machoke!" bellowed the fighting Pokemon.
That was spicy.
Machoke attempted to hit Cyndaquil with Rock Slide.
However, Cyndaquil moved out of the way in time.
Cyndaquil then hit Machoke with Quick Attack, and he fainted.
"Machoke..." murmured the fainted fighting Pokemon.
Now there was only one Pokemon left to fight.
However, that Pokemon happened to be Poliwrath.
"Oh no..." said Jake.
It looked like this wasn't going to end well for Cyndaquil.
Cyndaquil attempted to approach Poliwrath, but Poliwrath used Surf.
He was swept away by Surf.
He attempted to use Flame Wheel, but the tidal wave simply extinguished the flames.
After the waves exhausted Cyndaquil, Poliwrath then hit Cyndaquil with Focus Punch.
It was devastating.
"Cyndaquil!" exclaimed the fire Pokemon.
Cyndaquil was sent flying from the attack.
Unsurprisingly, Cyndaquil fainted.
"Cyndaquil..." murmured the fainted fire Pokemon.
Jake sighed. At least he had managed to take down two of the three.
He was going to have to try again...once his Pokemon were stronger.
"Aw man!" exclaimed Lucy. She had been rooting for Jake.
"Clefairy..." murmured Lucy's Clefairy. She was disappointed.
Well, at least now she knew what to expect from Chuck.
Jake went outside to train his Pokemon, after paying a visit to the Pokemon Center. They sure seemed to heal up his Pokemon rather quickly.
"Which one should I train first?" asked Jake.
Cyndaquil volunteered.
"You want to go first? OK." answered the boy.
Suddenly, a Pokemon Trainer ran by.
"Is something the matter?" asked Jake.
"There's a Pokemon poacher here!" exclaimed the young trainer.
"What?!" shouted the green-haired boy.
"Cyndaquil!" exclaimed the fire Pokemon. That sounded terrible.
Sure enough, there was a Pokemon poacher putting Pokeballs in a bag. He was wearing a jungle expeditionary uniform and had black hair with black boots. He also had a mustache.
"Who are you?" asked Jake.
"G'day, mate. The name's Rambi. Today's the day I'm goin' to strike it rich!" exclaimed Rambi.
"You can't do this! It's illegal!" shouted the boy.
"Who needs morals when you can have money?" asked the poacher.
"The world would be a lot better place if people wouldn't abandon their morals..." noted Jake. He knew from experience.
"Don't try to stop me, mate! I'll have you know I'm an accomplished Pokemon trainer!" exclaimed Rambi.
"I am not your mate...and I'm not going to be deterred so easily." answered the boy.
"Fine then!" shouted Rambi.
Rambi sent out his first Pokemon.
It was a Kangaskhan.
Somehow, Jake thought it was appropriate.
"Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel!" ordered Jake.
Cyndaquil nodded and hit Kangaskhan with Flame Wheel.
This caused Kangaskhan to stagger.
Kangaskhan attempted to hit Cyndaquil with Mega Punch in retaliation.
However, Cyndaquil acted quickly and Kangaskhan ended up burning herself instead.
"Kangaskhan!" bellowed the parent Pokemon.
Cyndaquil hit Kangaskhan with Quick Attack and she fainted.
Frustrated, Rambi withdrew Kangaskhan.
He then sent out another Pokemon.
This one happened to be Victreebel.
"You're using a grass type against me?" asked Jake.
"Silence!" shouted Rambi.
Suddenly, Cyndaquil began to evolve.
"Hmm?" questioned the boy.
Cyndaquil was now Quilava.
"Quilava!" shouted the fire Pokemon.
"You've evolved? That should make our gym battles easier..." noted Jake.
Quilava nodded. He was feeling a lot stronger.
Jake scanned Quilava with his Pokedex.
"Quilava, the Volcano Pokemon. The Pokemon is covered with nonflammable fur. It can withstand any type of fire attack." explained Jake's Pokedex.
"Good to know..." said Jake.
Quilava used Flame Wheel on Victreebel.
Jake noticed that now that Cyndaquil had evolved, the flames had increased in potency.
Victreebel was burned.
"Victreebel!" exclaimed the grass Pokemon.
In retaliation, he launched Razor Leaves at Quilava.
However, it seemed that evolving had increased his speed as well.
Quilava dodged them and hit Victreebel with another Flame Wheel.
Victreebel fainted.
"Victreebel..." said the grass Pokemon.
Rambi's fist tightened.
At this point, he only had one Pokemon left.
He decided to send out Rhyhorn.
This put Quilava at a disadvantage.
So, he switched out for Wooper.
Rhyhorn worried about his opponent. He had a big type advantage over him.
Still, he decided to charge at him.
However, Wooper hopped on top of Rhyhorn and splashed him with water.
"Rhyhorn!" exclaimed the rock Pokemon. That really hurt.
Wooper kept splashing Rhyhorn. It wasn't long before he fainted.
Rambi scowled.
"This isn't over!" exclaimed Rambi.
Rambi decided to flee.
Lucy came by a short while later.
"Did you challenge the Gym Leader?" asked Jake.
"Not yet, I figured I would do some shopping first since you lost..." noted Lucy.
It would be helpful to be prepared.
"Oh..." said the boy.
"Anything happen while I was gone?" asked the girl.
"I ran into a Pokemon poacher..." explained Jake.
"A Pokemon poacher? Who would want to waterboard the Pichu Brothers?!" exclaimed Lucy.
"I know...it's a good thing I managed to stop him." acknowledged the boy.
However, he was probably going to come back.
Curious, Lucy noticed that Rambi had left a Pokeball behind.
She decided to open it.
As it turned out, there was a Natu inside.
Wondering what Pokemon it was, Lucy scanned the bird Pokemon with her Pokedex.
"Natu, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Natu moves by hopping around, and it is always staring at something." said Lucy's Pokedex.
This Natu was female.
Natu pecked at the Pokeball she was in earlier, and she was enveloped with a blue light.
It looked as if she was free.
She looked at Lucy curiously.
"What? Is there something on my face?" asked Lucy.
Clefairy pulled out an empty Pokeball. Perhaps somebody had left it there.
Natu eyed the Pokeball curiously.
She started to peck at it.
"Huh?" asked Lucy.
She ended up catching herself.
"Well, that was kind of weird." noted the girl.
Jake nodded.
Still, perhaps she could use her new Pokemon to battle with.
However, she was unsure of her combat capabilities.
For now, she decided to battle Chuck.
She felt like she was ready.
"So, do you wish to challenge me?" asked Chuck. It felt strange fighting a little girl given how tough he was, but if someone wanted a Gym Badge, he would accept their challenge.
"Yes!" exclaimed Lucy.
However, at that very moment, Natu popped out of her Pokeball.
"You want to challenge the Gym Leader?" asked the girl.
Natu seemed to eye the Gym Leader curiously.
"I'll take that as a yes." noted Lucy.
The problem was...Natu did not have any combat experience.
Still, she had a good feeling about using Natu.
Chuck sent out Primeape first.
Primeape attacked first.
However, much to Lucy's pleasant surprise, Primeape was having a very hard time hitting Natu.
Lucy gave Natu another scan and discovered she was both a psychic AND a flying Pokemon.
Fighting attacks wouldn't do any good against Natu at all.
Natu hit Primeape with Psychic.
"Primeape!" shouted the fighting Pokemon, clutching his head.
He attempted to punch Natu, but Natu hopped on his arm and went for the top of his head.
She then started pecking him repeatedly.
"Primeape!" shouted the fighting Pokemon.
He frantically attempted to shake Natu off...
...but ended up collapsing to the floor.
Primeape fainted.
"This is one tough bird..." noted Chuck. Natu didn't seem to have broken a sweat.
It seemed Natu was a very observant Pokemon, based on the fact that she was always staring at something.
"I have to admit, your first trial of combat is working out pretty well for you." noted Lucy.
Natu looked rather cheerful.
However, she wasn't quite sure what a Gym Battle was. Was it a workout?
Chuck sent out Machoke next.
Machoke flexed his muscles.
However, while Machoke was occupied doing so, Natu hit Machoke with Psychic.
Machoke clutched his head. Unfortunately, all that muscle didn't protect him from a mind assault.
He attempted to karate chop Natu, but he missed.
Natu lunged at Machoke and struck him in the head.
"Machoke!" bellowed Machoke.
Machoke fell on the floor.
Natu then hit Machoke with another Psychic attack.
Machoke fainted.
"This isn't going well..." noted Chuck. It was rather unlucky that he was up against a Pokemon that was both a psychic AND a fighting type.
However, Poliwrath just might be able to turn things around.
So, he decided to send him out.
"Poliwrath!" exclaimed Poliwrath.
Poliwrath opened up by using Surf.
Natu was swept away.
"Natu!" shouted Natu.
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to resist the attack like she was against a fighting-type one.
"Uh-oh!" shouted Lucy.
Natu was still able to fight, but she was now soaking wet.
Natu pecked Poliwrath, but this didn't hurt him too much.
Poliwrath hit Natu with another Surf, and she fainted.
"Natu..." noted the bird Pokemon.
"I have to admit, it was rather impressive you managed to take down two of his Pokemon..." noted Lucy. Perhaps if Natu had more fighting experience, she could have swept through Chuck's team.
Still, she had two Pokemon left, so she wasn't complaining.
Naturally, she went with a Pokemon that had a type advantage, similar to Natu having a severe advantage against Primeape and Machoke.
Now that she thought of it...wouldn't Natu be flying type protect her from bug attacks as well? Normally, a bug Pokemon would make it hard for a psychic type to focus but if it was also a bird Pokemon...well...
To beat Poliwrath, Lucy sent out Flaaffy.
"Flaaffy!" exclaimed Lucy's Flaaffy.
Poliwrath attempted to punch Flaaffy...
...but this backfired.
"POLIWRATH!" exclaimed Poliwrath as he was zapped by Flaaffy.
Flaaffy smirked.
She then hit Poliwrath with Thunderbolt.
"Poliwrath!" shouted the water Pokemon. Why did his opponent have to know type advantages so well?
He hit Flaaffy with Surf, but Flaaffy braced herself.
She then hit Poliwrath with another Thunderbolt.
Poliwrath fell to the ground, having reached his limit.
"I guess you shouldn't judge a book by its cover." noted Chuck. Lucy was way stronger than she looked.
Chuck happily gave Lucy her Storm Badge. It seemed somehow appropriate that she had gotten one using an electric type.
Lucy left the gym with a smile on her face.
"Did you already get the gym badge?" asked Chris, who happened to be nearby.
Lucy nodded.
"You are one tough girl..." noted Chris.
"Just like you?" asked Ned.
"Well, yes." nodded the teenage girl.
Well, it looks like Jake is going to have to try to rematch Chuck. And yes, I decided to feature another original character. I figured I would be creative. This one is more villainous than most of the OCs I've made so far though. There's Jerry, but he's more of a jerk than a villain.
And yes, you don't want to have a fighting Pokemon face Natu...at least not with fighting type moves. They won't hurt them.