Pokemon Tales: Red Chapter 15: The True Man's World.

"So this is your last day in the hospital?" Michael asked while rummaging through a bowl of candy placed on a shelf next to Red's bed.

"Yeah. I'm actually ready to leave so it's good that you managed to visit me in time. The only thing I'm waiting for are new clothes I had Green order for me since it's been getting colder." the boy answered while peeling a banana for himself, since he quickly got tired of the sweets after eating them in large quantities, especially considering that he didn't get a lot of movement in the time he spent at the hospital.

"So what are you planning to do next?" Michael said while chewing on a chocolate candy covered with coconut flakes.

"I already have a reservation with Lt. Surge for my Gym battle. He went as far as emptying his schedule just so he would be sure that he could take me on, no matter the time I was released."

"Lt. Surge is certainly a man amongst men. He's highly respected by the citizens of Vermilion City. He's kinda like my idol. Well... He and Chuck."

"Chuck? Who's that?"

"He's another manly man whom I aspire to be like. But he's probably not very well known in Kanto."

"You know, I've been wondering... You said something when we first met about wanting to win the Pokemon League, right?" Red looked at him with an unsure face, since there were some things about Michael's statement from that time that didn't make complete sense after he got to know him.

"Yes. And my chances rise every year!" Michael laughed out loud.

"Every year? So you already took part in the Pokemon League?"

"Not "the". I took part in multiple Pokemon Leagues. I switch between Kanto and Johto for each year and I've already tried to win each of them 4 times."

"So you lost 8 Pokemon Leagues?!" Red was so shocked he almost fell from the bed.

"It's not that surprising. Even if I try my best, I spend most of the year working on St. Anne while other people take that time to train. But I've slowly been getting better and even reached the top 16 in the latest Johto League. There's actually a difference between the 2 leagues where the finals in Kanto consist of 32 people and in Johto of 16 so I've actually managed to reach the finals in both regions."

"Wait... That means that this year you will take part in the Kanto League, right?"

"Yeah. Who knows? Maybe we'll even go against each other? But even if you luck out and don't have to fight me, don't get your hopes up. There's already been a miracle three years ago where a newbie trainer won the Kanto League on his first try."

Red pondered those words for a while. Although he trained with Eevee for the last couple years, his decision of becoming a Pokemon trainer and trying to get into the league were pretty much made on a whim. And yet there were people like Michael who tried to become the Pokemon Master for years and didn't achieve their dreams. All that thinking made him remember the conversation he had with Blue before his battle with Brock.

"Do you have a goal hidden behind winning a Pokemon League?" only after asking the question, he realized how rude it may have sounded and covered his mouth.

Thankfully, Michael laughed it off and gave an explanation "It's not really hidden. When I was young, I often visited my grandpa who also was a sailor for many years. The difference was that he had his own ship. By the time I was born, the ship was a wreck and my grandpa was too old to sail anymore but he would often tell me tales of his adventures. One of them told of a Pokemon, a giant, white beast swimming around the North Pole. Although my grandpa saw it, he didn't get any proof of it so many other sailors considered him crazy. Even my own father acted like it was just a made up story. But... The tears in my grandfather's eyes... I know that that Pokemon must exist and I want to prove it. I became a sailor with that goal in mind but while I have the expertise, I don't have enough money for my own ship, not to mention a crew. That's why I want to win the Pokemon League. The prize money won't be enough but it'll definitely help me. But the most important part is the speech the Champion gets to give. I'll use it to promote myself to any potential investors."

"Maaan... That's... I know I shouldn't but I feel like such an asshole when people talk about their dreams."

"So I take it you're a trainer for fun?"

"I'm... I think I hope that through doing this I will realize what I want... But I don't know..."

"Well, even being a trainer for just the sake of it is good. Seeing how far you can go while trying to become better at something is never a bad course. And even if someone becomes a champion and doesn't have any further dreams by then, that person still has a lot of money they can use to help them search for a new goal."

"I'm sorry. I don't want pressure you into taking pity on me. Ignoring your final dream and anything I'll eventually do, our goal for now is the same and that makes as rivals." Red got off the bed and reached forward for a handshake "If we meet in the League, I'll fight you with all I've got."

"The same goes for me." Michael said while shaking the boy's hand.

They stared at each other with burning passion in their eyes for what seemed like an eternity, as if their battle already has begun. Suddenly, they were taken out of it when they heard somebody knocking on the door to the room.

"That's probably the person with my new clothes." Red said while happily jumping over the bed to get to the door, but when he swung them open towards himself, his smile lessened as he realized that it wasn't what he expected.

In front of him was a tall, slim, pale woman clad in a black dress that reached her knees. She also wore a black hat and had minimalistic make-up on her face. Next to her was a boy, around 5 years old, who wore a suit and had neatly combed hair. The woman had a slight smile on her face while the child seemed like it was trying to avert Red's gaze by looking at its shoes.

"You are Mr. Red, are you not?" she asked while analyzing his face.

"Yes. I am. And I guess you were passengers on St. Anne during that cruise. And there's no need for a "Mr.". Just "Red" is fine."

"Alright then. You guessed correctly. Me and my son came here to give you our thanks." she said before bowing way too low.

Red felt embarrassment whenever somebody did that since during that cruise, in all his fighting, he cared more about winning than about the safety of the passengers. That made him feel like he wasn't worthy of all the recognition he received. Despite that, he felt like something was off when the boy didn't join his mother in bowing but when the woman also realized that, she took his head in her hand and made him lower it by applying a small amount of force. When they were done and Red could see her face again, she looked somehow sadder than before.

"I'm terribly sorry that we didn't bring you any gifts." she said.

"Oh no. You're gratitude is more than enough." the teenager held up his hands in a way that signified that he wanted her to be calm.

The woman took her child's hand and started turning around "We... We will be going then."

After they left, Red closed the door and returned to Michael.

"Where were then?"

"Oh. I should also probably get going. The ship is still being repaired but I want to see how it's doing." the sailor explained.

"Alright then. But this means we probably won't see each other until the Pokemon League."

"You don't know that. Fate works in mysterious ways."

As he was leaving the room, the man gave his friend a last big smile. He slowly began making his way towards the elevator when he heard a weird, quiet sound in the mostly empty corridor. He saw the woman, sitting on a bench, next to her son whose face was covered with tears. She was too absorbed with trying to calm the boy down to notice Michael passing them, but the sailor couldn't help overhearing a part of their conversation.

"You can't be angry at him. He saved mommy and you."

"But... but daddy... his head... you said... he's gone..."

As he reached the elevator, Michael's mind immediately pieced what was going on by connecting what he heard with how the woman and her son looked and acted like. He didn't want to turn around since they could be able to see him if he passed them again, so all he could hope for was that they would leave before Red would step out of his room. Even if he considered him to be on the same level as him when it came to Pokemon, the man felt like there were some things he wouldn't be able to deal with as well as he would, and since in that moment he felt like the most useless piece of trash, he knew that Red would feel a thousand times worse.

. . .

"Bounce!" Red shouted as he held onto Magikarp while both of them were falling towards the ground at high speed.

The Pokemon used its move which caused them to be reflected of the street, scaring a couple car drivers in the process, and allowed them to get back on one of the roofs. Red let go of Magikarp when they were still in the air so both of them could land safely by themselves. The teenager felt a shock run from his feet up to his neck when he hit the concrete but it was only momentary. The reason for him travelling in such a dangerous way was to avoid all the fans he apparently gained after saving St. Anne. A group of them stopped him when he was on his way to the Gym for no other reason than that they wanted to have a photo with someone who has been featured on TV in some capacity.

Suspecting that he would have to deal with a lot more of that, he took to the roofs but he didn't prepare by mapping out his route which was the reason for him almost becoming a pancake when he tried to jump a gap which proved too wide. He stopped for a while to make sure that his new clothes were okay with his antics. He switched his denim pants for black, insulated ones which were significantly less loose. He also started wearing a hoodie with the design based on his vest. He also bought gloves and a scarf but left them in his bag for the time being, since it wasn't cold enough that he would need them.

After traversing a couple more roofs, Red finally reached the edge of the town and got down to the ground. It seemed like the road leading to the Gym didn't have any other purpose so there weren't that many people on it. On his way, the teenager noticed another trainer who was complaining about the fact that Lt. Surge told him that he was too busy and he should come back the next day. Knowing that it was partly his fault, Red felt a little guilty.

"I've arrived!" Red announced loudly while pushing open the doors, a thing he couldn't do previously since the other Gyms he visited had automatic doors.

Unfortunately, his words weren't heard by anybody since the lobby was just an empty room. Curiously, the walls were covered in metal, even when he went through the corridor and reached the main room. The only things not made of it were the arena and the platforms for the trainers. Lt. Surge was sitting cross-legged, with his eyes closed, on the opposite end of the room. Behind him was a corridor similar to the one the boy walked through but on both sides of it were concrete pedestal with small wooden boxes placed on top of them. The leader immediately noticed Red's arrival and opened his eyes.

"Welcome to the true man's world." he said before smiling from ear to ear.

After standing up, it seemed like he was ready to begin the battle without need for any further explanations since he grabbed one of the pokeballs from his belt. Red got on his platform but before they would fight, he had a couple questions.

"It's good to see you again. So, what are the rules?"

"We each use 3 Pokemon. No switching allowed. If you beat all of my Pokemon, the Thunder badge will be yours."

"Alright. And what's with those boxes behind you?"

"One of them contains the badges. I have to give them out so rarely that I was worried about losing them so I placed them here." he said while pointing to the box on the left, after which he switched his finger to the right one "The other has a secret, additional prize for those who want it. But you'll never know what it is if you don't defeat me. But enough of this chit-chatting. My first Pokemon is Magneton!"

The levitating hunk of metal appeared from inside its pokeball and acted like if it was dizzy, with all of its eyes moving rapidly in different directions.

"Three eyes..." Red said while considering who he was going to choose "Okay. I've got it. Go, Charmander!"

"Haha! You think you'll win just because you chose a fire type against a steel type?! You're making a grave mistake!"

"That's not the reason why I chose him! Charmander, use Smokescreen!"

The lizard opened its mouth and covered the arena with black clouds, obscuring his opponent's vision.

"Now, attack him with Flamethrower!"

Charmander shot out a stream of fire which pierced the smoke and, although they couldn't see it yet, caused the leader to step to the side since it almost hit him. He was thankful that it didn't reach any of the boxes and dispersed mid-air. The same happened to the cloud, but when it was gone, Magneton was nowhere to be seen. Charmander started looking around in panic but before he could find his foe, he was hit by a Flash Cannon which sent him flying into a wall. When Red looked in the direction from where the attack came from, he saw that Magneton was using two of its magnets to attract itself to the opposite wall, although he was pretty high on it.

"So that's what it did." Red immediately went back to his strategy and started rethinking it.

Meanwhile, Charmander got up and was ready for further battle.

"This is the first time that Smokescreen worked against us. But even taking that aside... This room... Charmander, use Flamethrower again!"

The lizard shot out its attack in Magneton's direction but the electric Pokemon immediately reacted by letting go of the wall and using another set of magnets to attract itself to the floor below it.

"Don't let up!" Red commanded.

Charmander continued on spewing fire but Magneton constantly managed to escape by changing the magnets it was using and attracting itself to different surfaces in the metal room. The places hit by Flamethrower seemed mostly resistant to fire since they only turned red for a short while before returning to their normal color.

"Okay! You can stop for now!"

"Hmm? Did he come up with some other plan?" the leader muttered while still looking rather confident.

"Use Flame Charge!"

Charmander covered its body in fire. Ever since Red was well enough to leave his hospital room, he would train with the lizard so that he could do it almost instantly. After that, the Pokemon ran at its opponent who was hanging pretty low on the opposite wall. Magneton pulled himself up and across the wall but Charmander's speed, augmented by the move, allowed him to run vertically.

Seeing that, Lt. Surge calmly but surely ordered "Sonic Boom!"

The levitating Pokemon shot out condensed sound waves in the form of a boomerang which passed Charmander and returned to hit in the back of the head, causing it to drop to the floor.

"Charmander, don't stop! Continue using Flame Charge!"

The fire Pokemon took a couple step backwards, so it could have a run up, before it used the attack again, making Magneton escape to the opposite wall. With its speed increased even further, Charmander was hot on its opponent's trail.

"Go up! And use more Sonic Booms!" Lt. Surge ordered.

Magneton moved to the ceiling and shot out three of the boomerang-like attacks. Charmander avoided the first two but the last knocked him of the wall. When he got up, he looked at his trainer whose face was clearly telling him that he was to continue with this tactic. He set himself on fire once again and while reaching insanely high speeds, he managed to traverse the whole height of the wall and, without even realizing it, tried to run on the ceiling while being upside down, until the moment when a surprising new order arrived.

"Flamethrower!"

As much as it shocked Charmander, he executed it. Magneton was even more surprised and without having time to react, it decided to drop straight down. Looking at that, the leader quickly realized what was going on.

"Magnet Bomb! Use several!"

Magneton started shooting multiple metal balls as it was falling towards the arena, but Charmander's flaming body melted them before they could be caused to explode. When he jumped down from the ceiling, it quickly reached the opponent and smashed it into the floor with a headbutt.

"Scratch!" ordered Red.

Charmander got a good grip with one of its hands while trying to use the other to damage the foe, but to everyone's surprise, his claws turned to metal, causing them to do significantly less damage than they would normally have against a steel opponent.

Lt. Surge took that moment of shock as his chance "Zap Cannon!"

Magneton produced a powerful ball of electricity between two magnets, but Charmander, afraid of being hit, accidentally pushed aside of his foe's limbs, causing the attack to go out of control and fly into a wall.

"If Scratch doesn't work... let's overwhelm it with Flamethrower!" Red shouted.

Charmander did exactly that. Although Magneton managed to begin levitating, it still couldn't shake of the lizard while being constantly under pain from its attacks. Finally, it dropped back to the floor and Charmander stood atop it while roaring triumphally. That is, until the leader called Magneton back into its pokeball.

"I knew you were an amazing trainer already but you still manage to surpass my expectations. And your Charmander..." Surge said while feeling shivers of excitement run through his body while looking at the hot-blooded faces of his opponents "...Well, you better watch out. The next one is even tougher! Go, Electrode!"


Sorry that this chapter doesn't contain the whole Gym battle but when I saw how long it was with only one of the six Pokemon defeated, I decided that it would be better to split it into two. I'd rather upload chapters which are shorter and do it fairly regularly than not upload something for like a month and then dump a massive thing. Besides, just like all Gym battle chapters so far, the next one will also have some additional staff so I have no idea how long it would become.

There's not much to be said about the battle itself. I hope it came out cool so far. All these battles are kinda about Red finding ways to defeat the tactics which the leader's probably use for all of their battles so I'm a little afraid that it makes it seem like the leaders can't adapt or have more than one plan. But then again, if whenever Red came up with a counterattack, the opponent came up with one of their own, it would be like an infinite game of them trying to outdo each other. That's why the leaders stick to what they know and try to win with it. Surge's phrase which is also used for the title comes from character Ringo Roadagain from Steel Ball Run. And the guy isn't like a sexist or anything. I just wanted him to be like the typical burly characters from 80's manga and anime.

Then there's the topic of death. Seeing how messed up Red got during the Special Chapter, it wouldn't seem out of ordinary that somebody died after falling over during all the shaking and cracked their head. There were probably more people, they just were too busy with grieving. There was also 2 other important things about that scene. They concerned the woman and Michael. If you noticed, then congratulations. If not, don't worry. It was pretty vague.

EDIT: Totally unrelated, but I wanted to say that I love the new opening for Sun and Moon anime.

Red. Team: Eevee, Charmander, Pikachu, Oddish, Magikarp.

Badges: 2

Green. Team: Ivysaur, Nidorina, Jigglypuff, Hitmonlee.

Badges: 3

Blue. Team: Bellsprout(Bell), Wartortle(Tori), Zubat(?), ?.

Badges: 3

Alex. Team: Ditto, ?, ?, ?.

Angie. Team: ?, ?.

Peter. Team: Dodrio, Haunter, ?.