Azalea Town
"Say what?!" gasped a male voice. This drew many attention as a red-haired boy was standing near a coffee shop, reading a newspaper that came out. On one of the stories within it, there was a photo of Jackson, Kris, and Ethan next to a picture of Team Rocket grunts arrested by police. The person that was reading it was none other than Cypher.
"Team Rocket was still about? And those three newbies actually beat them here?!" Cypher questioned, "I don't know what's worse; that these guys managed to stop them, or that HIS group is coming back!" He crumpled up the paper, before tossing it away, growling, "They think they are so strong when they are an organization like that?! They ended up getting beaten by weaklings, which makes them even lower than that!"
He was wandering down the street, when he stopped and looked towards one end of the street to his right. There, he saw none other than the three 'heroes' walking along the next street over, talking to each other. Cypher narrowed his eyes as he glared at the lead of the group, Jackson. "Speaking of which..." he muttered, placing a hand on one of his Pokéballs. He looked at it, and then at Jackson, making a decision in his head. He had to know his strength.
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By Sonar Pocket)
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Eevee, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulder as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Eevee leapt forward, unleashing a Swift attack from her tail, with Ledian flying next to her, using Flash to blind the scene. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Dewott angrily looking at the calm and collected Weavile.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
Jackson, Eevee, Kris, and Ethan were walking along the streets, arriving in town after going to Kurt the Pokéball maker's place. It was two days after Jackson won his gym badge.
"This is pretty amazing." Jackson stated, looking at the new Pokéballs he was given by Kurt, which had a green top with four red dots and a yellow dot on top of it, "So that was how Pokéballs are made?"
"Kurt makes all sorts of special Pokéballs. Depending on the apricorn you give him, he can craft amazing Pokéballs." Ethan explained, "For example, you got Friend Balls, which makes Pokémon you capture with them friendly. Where as mine..." he held up a couple balls, which were red, blue, and had yellow stripes on top, "Mine are Lure Balls. Excellent balls when fishing for Pokémon.
"And I ended up getting Moon Balls." Kris noted, holding two Pokéballs that were blue, black, and had crescent moons on top, "These make capturing Pokemon who can evolve with a Moon Stone. Pretty limited, but could come in handy."
"But now, the three of us have our second badge." Jackson stated, starting to walk backwards with the pair. This was true, as both Kris and Ethan earned their second badges from Bugsy's gym.
In the afternoon of the day Jackson had his battle, Kris went up next against Bugsy. He set out his Scyther against Kris's Phanpy, who utilized Rollout to great effect, though that changed when Scyther U-Turned to Beedrill, and his long-ranged skilled took out the poor Pokémon. Growlithe was next, and managed to take down Beedrill with a well-timed Flame Burst. She did this with Metapod, as well, mixing in Flame Wheel, as well, nearly burning the forest had it not been for the sprinklers. Those became a hinderance when Scyther was called out, as the sprinklers reduced the damage of Growlithe's Fire-type moves, and he was defeated. Fortunately, the pseudo-rain effect did boost Croconaw's Water-type moves, and managed to pull out a win.
Ethan went with his match in the morning after, starting off with a Pokémon he said he caught on his way here, which was a Flaffy. He utilized its' Electric-typing to his advantage, scaring off Scyther into a U-Turn so that Metapod would replace him. He swapped out for Teddiursa on exchange of Flaffy, but was not able to make much damage before getting taken out. Fortunately, Quilava was able to make up for it, and burned Metapod, before dealing with Beedrill. Jackson had out his new Cyndaquil so he would witness his evolution. Unfortunately, the results of that battle ended in a draw when Quilava fired off Ember and Beedrill unleashed Pin Missile. This left Scyther versus Flaffy. Fortunately, Flaffy had Thunder Wave and Cotton Spore to slow Scyther to a crawl, making it easy to take out with a well-timed Electro Ball.
"So let's see what the next gym we should go to is..." Jackson muttered, pulling up his tablet to look at the map.
"That would be Goldenrod City." Kris explained, "It's the largest city in the Johto region. We've been to the radio tower there on a school trip."
"Oh, yeah. I remember that." Ethan recalled, "That was pretty boring, if you ask me."
"The largest city, huh?" Jackson questioned, thinking back to his home world. Mobitropolis, the city he was born it, was among the largest in the world. His experiences and memories of that place was flowing back to him along with the more painful memories.
"Jackson?" Eevee questioned, and Jackson came out of his headspace to see the others look to him in concern. Jackson realized he was worrying them, and shook his head to get himself out of that state of mind.
"Sorry. Just got flashbacks of home, is all. Anyways, it's not gonna stop me. Goldenrod City is different from home. I'll make it a good experience."
"You're worried about going into a city?" asked a familiar voice, "How could you have stopped Team Rocket with that attitude?" The team turned and saw none other than Cypher standing there, glaring at the group.
"Cypher!" Jackson growled, emotionally shifted by his presence. Eevee growled at him, as well.
"Him again!" Ethan recalled him.
"What are you doing here?!" Kris demanded.
"Was about to destroy Team Rocket, but somehow you ended up beating them." Cypher answered, surprising the team, "I can't believe they would actually resurface again, let alone the fact that three weaklings like you managed to beat them. Although, from the news, it seems like those two were only useful for getting reinforcements." He was indicating Ethan and Kris at these words.
"Hey! We needed the police to take care of Team Rocket!" Ethan argued.
"Besides, they were clearly deceiving people with the fakes they had in replacement!" Kris added, "We had to save them anyway!"
"And this is why you guys are so weak." Cypher stated, "You guys, Team Rocket. You all think grouping up together makes you strong. It only shows how weak you are individually. I hate the weak. I will crush all people who are like that."
"Okay, that's going too far!" Jackson barked at him, stepping in front of Ethan and Kris, "People that group up together have a similar cause. That does not mean they are weak!"
"Taken out of context, it almost sounds like you are defending Team Rocket." Cypher pointed out.
"That's not true, either! Their goals had to be stopped, so we stopped them." Jackson stated, "I'm just saying that my friends and I? We are not weak because we aligned together and brought in the authorities!"
"Hmph! Why don't you prove to me that you aren't weak with a battle." Cypher called out Jackson, "Three Pokémon. One-on-one."
"Fine then!" Jackson answered.
"Then mind if I referee this match?" said another familiar voice. Everyone spun to see Bugsy standing there, having heard the argument.
"Bugsy!" Kris noticed.
"You're the Azalea Gym Leader, right?" Cypher recognized.
"Yep. I was actually making my way here to see Jackson when I heard your discussion." Bugsy noted, "So I'll referee this match fairly to see who can win. I know of a battlefield nearby." He turned and led the team towards the said place, with Cypher keeping his distance as he brought up the rear.
"Bugsy, what did you want to talk to me about?" Jackson asked.
"It's not important, right now. We can talk after your battle." Bugsy assured him, "He seems like one troublesome trainer."
"Yeah...he is." Jackson answered, sneaking a look back at Cypher.
Moment's later, the group found themselves at a standard battlefield, with trees surrounding the exterior. Bugsy stood as referee, while Ethan and Kris watched on the sidelines.
"You got this, Jackson!" Ethan shouted, "Kick his butt for all of us!"
"Sure thing." Jackson replied, turning to him, then to Cypher, "It's been a while since we fought. I'll show you my progress!"
"Sure, act tough." Cypher responded, pulling out a Pokéball, "Nidorino, stand by!" He tossed out the ball, and out came a Pokémon that looked like the Nidoran he had before, but this one was a bit larger, with large, spiked ears, a larger horn, and spikes going down his back.
"Who is that?" Jackson asked.
"Nidoran evolved into Nidorino!" Kris recognized, as Jackson pulled out his Pokédex. "Nidorino. The Poison Pin Pokémon, and the evolved form of male Nidoran. Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might."
"Nidorino sounds like one tough customer." Jackson noted, "Alright, Weavile, let's blade it up!" Jackson called out his Dark/Ice-type to the battlefield, ready to battle.
"I'll finish them." He said calmly.
"Begin the battle!" Bugsy announced, signaling the start of the fight.
"Icy Wind!" Jackson shouted, and Weavile expelled a gust of freezing winds at Nidorino, which it braced against, trying to endure.
"Charge through, and use Double Kick!" Cypher ordered. Nidorino was able to hold its ground, and run through to Weavile, ready to kick him with his hind legs.
"Jump over it!" Jackson shouted. Weavile ceased his Icy Wind, and leapt high to evade the kicks coming at him. "Now, use Night Slash!" Jackson ordered, and Weavile dove down, readying an energy sword.
"Horn Attack!" Cypher ordered. Nidorino's horn glowed, and he lunged at Weavile, the two clashing with each other. After a few seconds, Nidorino was knocked backwards, while Weavile bounced from the attack, landing on his feet.
"Get up, Nidorino. You are not done!" Cypher growled at his partner, who struggled to get to his feet, before finally regaining himself.
"Weavile, use Metal Claw!" Jackson called out, and Weavile's claws went metallic as he leapt upwards, about to go at Nidorino again.
"Shock Wave!" Cypher ordered. Nidorino conjured up a blue ball of electricity, and shot a bolt of electricity at Weavile, shocking him hard with the attack, making him fall in pain.
"That was unexpected move!" Ethan gasped.
"Must've taught Nidorino that attack at some point." Kris assumed.
"He must've made sure to get all his bases covered." Jackson understood.
"Double Kick!" Cypher growled, and Nidorino charged at Weavile, ready to kick him when he was down.
"Agility!" Jackson shouted, and Weavile glowed as he moved at high speeds, evading the attack to get around his target. "Now, Night Slash!" Weavile drew out his energy blade again, and shot from behind Nidorino, slicing him as he passed him. He skidded to a halt, before whipping his energy blade to one side, before vanishing. His opponent's legs gave way, and he hit the ground, with spirals in his eyes.
"Nidorino is unable to battle! Weavile is the winner!" Bugsy announced.
"That was quite the turnaround!" Ethan cheered, as Cypher called back Nidorino to his ball.
He looked to it as he growled, "That was pathetic. You are still too weak. We are putting you through harsh training after this. Don't expect mercy."
"Jeez, and I thought my masters in Ryozanpaku were harsh." Jackson noted, looking to Weavile, "Are you doing okay, buddy?"
"I'll be fine." he answered, folding his arms. He then grimaced as he held his footing, and Jackson noticed his face looked sick. purple bubbles came off his body at this point.
"Look! Weavile got poisoned!" Kris noticed, "Must've been Nidorino's Poison Point ability!"
Jackson paused for a second, then decided, "Let's pull you back for a moment. Save your strength for another battle." He pulled out Weavile's Pokéball, sucking him back in, and putting it away.
"Bayleef, standby!" Cypher shouted, calling out another Pokémon to the field, which Jackson could tell was an evolved form of the Chikorita he knew before. It was larger, with a larger leaf on its head with a crescent cut on it, a fern-like collar around its lower neck, and taller legs.
"Is that...?" Eevee gasped.
"Looks like that Chikorita evolved." Jackson stated, pulling out his Pokédex. "Bayleef. The Leaf Pokémon, and the evolved form of Chikorita. Bayleef's neck is ringed by curled-up leaves. Inside each tubular leaf is a small shoot of a tree. The fragrance of this shoot makes people peppy."
"We meet again!" Bayleef greeted Eevee, "As you can see, I have gotten stronger thanks to Cypher!"
"Yeah, we can see that." Eevee noted, seeing she was being called out by her.
"Ledian, you're on!" Jackson declared, calling out his Ledian to the field. This got Bugsy's attention, as he watched the bug Pokémon ready itself to fight.
"Ledian, let's go in quickly with Mach Punch!" Jackson shouted, and Ledian launched itself at high speeds at Bayleef with a glowing fist.
"Reflect!" Cypher ordered.
"Get passed this!" Bayleef called out, putting up a barrier that cut Ledian's attack damage in half as a result.
"Poison Powder!" Cypher called out.
Jackson, hearing this, immediately shouted, "Fly back!" As Bayleef unleashed toxic pollen from its ferns, Ledian flew high and fast to evade getting poisoned by the move. "Close shave." Jackson muttered, glad a second of his Pokémon wasn't poisoned, "Now use Silver Wind!"
"Magical Leaf!" Cypher ordered back. As Ledian unleashed a gust of silver-colored wind, while Bayleef swung the glowing leaf on her head, unleashing several glowing leaves back. Both attacks collided, pushing off one another for a moment, before Ledian's attack overpowered Bayleef's, and she got hit hard by the attack.
"Ledian won the clash!" Kris cheered.
"Yeah! Super-effective, too!" Ethan added the Bug-type move's damage to the Grass-type.
Bayleef was knocked to one side, but got back up as Cypher ordered, "Synthesis!" Bayleef looked to the sun above, and her body glowed. Suddenly, all her injuries from Silver Wind were cured.
"A healing move?!" Jackson gasped, "Just like Roost. Darn it!"
"Jackson, can I make a selfish request?" Eevee asked, getting his attention.
"What is it?" Jackson asked her.
"I want to fight Bayleef." she requested, "I want to show her how strong I really am since we last met. Please, let me do this."
Jackson paused for a second, thinking. True, Ledian had an advantage over Bayleef. However, he knew what it felt like to compete with someone you held a rivalry with. He knew this was important. "Okay, then." he decided, looking to his current Pokémon on the field, "Ledian, come back!" He pulled out his Pokéball, and pulled Ledian back.
"What's he doing?!" Ethan gasped, "He had a great advantage out there!" This caught Kris, Bugsy, and even Cypher off-guard.
"Eevee, let's go!" Jackson shouted, and Eevee was sent onto the field.
"What's this? You really trying to undermine how strong my Pokémon is with that weak little thing?" Cypher questioned.
"Hardly. Eevee's one of my finest." Jackson responded, "We just felt nostalgic, that's all."
"I see. How pathetic." Cypher scoffed, as Bayleef and Eevee locked eyes.
"We'll see. Eevee, use Quick Attack!" Jackson shouted, and Eevee charged in fast at Bayleef.
"Endure it." Cypher called out, and Bayleef took the hit, her Reflect still up from before. "Now, Poison Powder!" he ordered, and Bayleef unleashed poisonous pollen into Eevee, causing her to look sick as she got poisoned.
"Refresh!" Jackson called out, and Eevee's body glowed, curing herself of the poison.
"Tch! You had a countermeasure for my poison." Bayleef scoffed.
"Use Bite!" Jackson shouted.
"If you didn't like that, you won't like this!" Eevee declared, creating energy fang and snapping them onto Bayleef, and while Reflect was still up, it still did a bit of damage.
"Use Synthesis." Cypher ordered.
"Multiple Quick Attacks, and stop her!" Jackson shouted.
"Try healing with this!" Eevee shouted, unleashing multiple speedy bashes against Bayleef, who tried to concentrate to heal up, and was slightly doing so. Unfortunately, that was when the Reflect wore off, and the physical attacks were delivered harder and harder, making it difficult for Bayleef to concentrate.
"She's overwhelming Bayleef, preventing her any time to use Synthesis!" Kris noted.
"Stop her with Magical Leaf!" Cypher shouted. Bayleef found a moment to breath and swung her leaf at Eevee, delivering a point-blank series of glowing leaves that sent her flying in pain. She tumbled along the ground, but was able to get to her feet.
"You okay, Eevee?" Jackson asked.
"Doing fine!" Eevee answered.
"You really are irritating." Cypher growled.
"Hit him with Swift!" Jackson called out, and Eevee leapt up, unleashing a series of stars from her tail, sending them flying at Bayleef. Jackson expected him to counterattack against that, but instead was surprised to see Cypher didn't say anything. Instead, he let his Pokémon take the hit hard, causing her to fall back in pain. "Why didn't he counter the attack?" the swordsman trainer wondered.
"Get up, Bayleef! We don't have time for weakness." Cypher ordered, as his partner got back up to her feet again. She rose to her feet, grimacing, but still able.
"What is his deal?! He needs Bayleef to heal up with Synthesis!" Ethan stated.
"I don't know what his plan is, but it's almost cruel to see him be so cold to his Pokémon." Kris stated.
Bayleef finally got her footing, as she glared at Eevee, and her body glowed a green hue. She then roared as the glow became more prominent. "So that's what he had planned." Jackson understood.
Cypher grinned as he stated, "That's more like it. Let's overwhelm them with power!"
"Of course! Bayleef's Overgrow ability!" Kris gasped, "He counting on the boost she gains when low on stamina!"
"Bayleef, unleash Magical Leaf!" Cypher ordered.
"Take this!" Bayleef shouted, unleashing a more powerful series of glowing leaves at Eevee.
"Counter with Swift!" Jackson called out. Eevee sent more stars flying to counter the Magical Leaf attack, but after a few seconds of both attacks striking off of each other, Bayleef's empowered Magical Leaf overwhelmed Eevee's attack, and she was knocked back again, taking more damage than before.
"Even with Adaptability, Eevee's Swift is unable to overpower an Overgrow-empowered Magical Leaf." Kris noted, "Jackson really needs to figure out a way out of this!"
Eevee got to her feet again, in a lot of pain from the attack. Jackson was worried about his partner. 'One more attack, and Eevee will definitely be down.' Jackson noted, 'Magical Leaf is impossible to evade, nor can it be countered. In that case, I'll settle for one more alternative.'
"Use Magical Leaf, once more!" Cypher shouted, and Bayleef unleashed another series of glowing leaves at Eevee.
"Eevee, send a Swift around the Magical Leaf, to Bayleef!" Jackson shouted.
"I get it." Eevee understood, and she leapt up and unleashing another Swift, this time going right underneath Bayleef's attack. Both moves collided with the opposing targets, causing an explosion from both sides. Bayleef and Eevee were consumed by the smoke, and everyone watched in bated breath, wanting to see the results. They became clear when the cloud dissipated, and both Eevee and Bayleef were down for the count.
"Both Bayleef and Eevee are unable to battle!" Bugsy called out.
"Damn, that has to hurt." Ethan grimaced as Jackson raced out to Eevee's side, while Cypher called back Bayleef to her Pokéball.
"Jackson figured that if he couldn't win the fight straight-out, he might as well take down Bayleef with him instead." Kris noted, "This does leave Jackson with two Pokémon remaining, though."
"Yeah, but Weavile is still poisoned." Ethan recalled.
Jackson held Eevee in his arms as he praised, "You sure showed Bayleef who's boss. Well done."
"I only wish I was a bit stronger to take her out altogether." Eevee whimpered.
"Next time, okay?" Jackson assured her, bringing her back to his side of the field.
"The fact that Bayleef and Eevee knocked each other out was not something to praise." Cypher told Jackson as he reached his side, "In fact, it only showed that Bayleef was considerably too weak to take her out altogether."
"Bayleef took on so many attacks, and still held her ground!" Jackson argued, "In fact, taking out my Eevee was definitely something to praise! Stop diminishing your Pokémon's efforts! Do you care for them at all?!"
"I told you before; Why praise the weak for failing?" Cypher asked, "Even if they put their best efforts out there, if they lose, it's due to their weakness. That is not something worth praising."
"Why that little...!" Ethan growled angrily, recalling his battle with him.
"She did an incredible job fighting Jackson and his Pokémon off, and he still has the galls to put them down?!" Kris questioned. Bugsy frowned at Cypher's attitude towards his teammate.
"If you're done trying to be a goody two-shoe, then try and make an effort surviving against this one." Cypher told Jackson, "Prinplup, standby!" He tossed out a ball, and out came the penguin Pokémon that was Cypher's ace.
"Let's see if we can't break that attitude of his!" Jackson growled, "Weavile, let's blade it up!" He tossed out a ball, and out came his Dark/Ice-type Pokémon to the field, who looked calm, but still felt the poison he was enduring.
"Jackson better finish this battle before Weavile is knocked out from that poison." Ethan noted.
"Weavile, use Agility and Night Slash!" Jackson called out. Weavile glowed as he went incredibly fast, and ended up above Prinplup, a purple energy sword ready to be unleashed.
"Trap him with Whirpool!" Cypher ordered.
"That won't work on us!" Prinplup called out, summoning a swirling whirpool above him, which acted as a shield to Weavile's Night Slash. Not only did it block the attack, but Weavile got pulled into the center of it. Prinplup threw the Whirlpool away, with Weavile still trapped and gaining continuous damage.
"Crap, it was just like with me!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Use Water Pulse!" Cypher ordered. Prinplup unleashed a sphere of compressed water, shooting at the trapped Weavile.
"Counter with Icy Wind!" Jackson shouted. Weavile unleashed a powerful icy gust to counter the Water Pulse coming at him. After a little while, there was an explosion from the collision of attacks. It not only caused the attacks to cancel out, but the Whirlpool was destroyed as a result, freeing Weavile. He skidded from being blown back by the attack, but was able to recover. His calm demeanor was slightly fading from his expression.
"He still took plenty of damage from all of that, and is still dealing with the poison." Kris stated.
"Use Metal Claw!" Jackson shouted, and Weavile shot forward with metallic claws.
"Use your own Metal Claw!" Cypher called out, and Prinplup launched foward with metallic flippers. The two then begun an engagement of metallic hands, trying to outpace the other and take them out.
"Come on, Weavile. You can see the openings! Find them!" Jackson called out.
Weavile concentrated as he swung and parried Prinplup's attacks. He remembered Jackson's skills in swordsmanship, and tried to look from that point of view. He was able to see the brief, repetative moments where Prinplup's defenses were open, and after finding them, decided to strike at those openings. He took those moments, making good hits that slightly weakened Prinplup's swings, damaging little by little each time, till he got him completely defenseless, and unleashed a cross slash with his metallic claws, and sent Prinplup flying.
"He got him!" Ethan cheered.
Cypher wasn't letting this get to him, and he shouted, "Use Brine!" Prinplup was able to regain itself in midair, and unleashed a powerful stream of water from its beak, striking Weavile hard, and sending him blown back from the attack. He tumbled to the ground, with spirals in his eyes, surprising Jackson.
"Weavile is unable to battle! Prinplup is the winner!" Bugsy called out.
"Man, they were so close!" Ethan stated, "How was that attack strong enough to take him out so quickly?!"
"Probably because Brine does double the damage to opponents when their stamina is at half or less." Kris noted, "That's one trump card I wasn't expecting, especially considering his ability is Defiant. I would've figured he would have more physical moves."
Jackson called back Weavile to his Pokéball, looking at it as he said, "Thank you, Weavile. You managed to do some damage to his ace." He placed it away as he pulled out his final Pokémon. "Ledian, It's all on you!" he tossed out his Pokéball, and out came the ladybug Pokémon, ready to go.
'Jackson's final Pokémon is Ledian.' Bugsy told himself, 'I'm pretty excited to see how well they can fight against Prinplup.'
"Ledian, set up with Reflect!" Jackson called out. Ledian placed up a barrier around him, improving his physical defenses.
"That would only affect Metal Claw." Ethan noted.
"Pathetic. Use Water Pulse!" Cypher called out. Prinplup conjured up a ball of compressed water, firing it at Ledian.
"Dodge it!" Jackson called out, and Ledian flew to one side in response, evading the attack. "Now, use Silver Wind!" Ledian fired off a gust of silver-colored winds at Prinplup.
"Block with Whirpool!" Cypher called out, and Prinplup summoned up another swirling vortex of water, using it as a shield. The attack absorbed the Silver Wind, causing the Whirlpool to be mixed with silver energy within.
"What?!" Ethan gasped.
"I've never witnessed Whirlpool being used like that!" Kris noted.
"Throw it!" Cypher called out. Prinplup threw the enhanced Whirlpool at Ledian, who found it too big to avoid, and got sucked into it. The fusion of two attacks into one couldn't sustain the attack for long, and there was an explosion. Ledian was falling out of the sky as he took the attack hard. However, he was able to flap its wings enough to regain some air, and landed on his feet, before falling to his hands and feet.
"Ledian, you okay?!" Jackson called out.
"I'll manage." he replied, straightening to his feet.
"There is no way you can win against me and my partner." Cypher taunted at Jackson, "I guess Team Rocket is a lot weaker than what it was before if they were able to be beaten by a weakling like you."
"That is that, and this is now!" Jackson told him, "Besides, Ledian and I are not done yet! Right?"
"Yeah..." Ledian replied, floating into the air, "We can still fight!"
Cypher sneered as he stated, "You don't know when to quit! Fine! I'll just make you understand how weak you really are! Prinplup, Brine!" Prinplup unleashed a torrent of water at Ledian.
"Dodge, and go in with a Mach Punch!" Jackson shouted.
"Take this!" Ledian shouted, flying to one side of the Brine, and shooting right at Prinplup with a glowing fist, slugging him in the side of the face with his fist. He did a hit-and-run technique, flying into the air before the Water-type could recover.
"Not good enough! Use Water Pulse!" Cypher roared, and Prinplup fired off another compressed ball of water.
"Counter with Silver Wind!" Jackson shouted, and Ledian fired off his attack again, countering the Water Pulse, making it prematurely explode. After that attack, however, Ledian's body glowed with an uprising energy.
"Whoa! Silver Wind's secondary effect activated!" Kris noticed, "His offense, defense, and speed have all increased!"
"Ledian, fly at Prinplup, and ready your fists!" Jackson called out. Ledian clenched his fists as he flew at his opponent, ready to go.
"Whatever plan you have, it won't work! Whirlpool!" Cypher called out. Prinplup readied another swirling vortex of water.
"Gotcha." Jackson snickered, "Flash!" Ledian immediately stopped before he got close to the Whirlpool, and unleashed a blinding flash, causing Prinplup and everyone else in the vicinity to shield their eyes from the attack. "Get low and use Silver Wind!" Jackson called out, and Ledian flew in underneath the Whirlpool, and unleashed his attack close to Prinplup, causing him to be sent flying in pain from the Silver Wind, which was stronger thanks to the empowerment by secondary effect from before. This also caused his Whirlpool to diminish as a result. Ledian continued the attack, unleashing all the power he had into this attack, sending Prinplup into the tree outside of the battlefield. When the attack died down, Prinplup cumpled to the ground, unable to move.
"Prinplup is unable to battle! Ledian is the winner!" Bugsy called out, "The victor of this match is Jackson Alpphire!"
"Awesome, Ledian!" Jackson cheered, racing to his partner and giving him a hug, which Ledian returned happily. Eevee bounded forward, happy for their win.
"Heck yeah!" Ethan cheered.
"That was an amazing win!" Kris cheered.
Jackson relinquished his hug on Ledian to watch Cypher approach Prinplup, his eyes shadowed from view. He pulled out Prinplup's Pokéball and placed him back in it. He looked to the ball, tightening his grip on it. Finally, he growled, "The only reason you won today was because my team is weak. That's all there is to it. That, and you got lucky."
"It's more than that." Jackson argued, "I treat my Pokémon with respect. I don't call them out as weak. If we fail, that just means we weren't at the level of strength needed to take on that level of a challenge. I already learned that lesson the hard way." He spoke, of course, of the time he faced Clair in Blackthorn City.
"And that's why you are a weakling!" Cypher barked at him, "You are too nice to your Pokémon! That alone will do NOTHING to make your Pokémon strong! Same goes for being in a group, like Team Rocket! They act all tough together, but they are weak individually. You and your friends are no different. I, alone, will be the strongest there is!" He turned and walked off.
"Hey, where are you going?!" Ethan demanded.
"Wherever. Just stay out of my way!" Cypher answered, looking back at the group, "I don't need interference like you in my path!" With that, he left the scene.
"Jeez, I really hate that guy!" Ethan snapped.
"Let him go, Ethan." Kris stopped him, "I doubt we could do anything to stop him."
"But he still stole that Bayleef when it was a Chikorita in the first place!" Ethan argued, "I mean, sure, it now obeys him pretty strongly, but I don't like how he treats his Pokémon."
"Every trainer has their own way of treating their Pokémon and getting them stronger." Bugsy stated as Jackson, Eevee, and Ledian rejoined the team, "Cypher believe in one way of getting stronger, while you three have your own way of improving yourselves and your Pokémon. In due time, he will come to understand who's methods are better. And speaking of which..." he turned to Jackson and Ledian, as he continued, "I can really see Ledian is a really gifted bug Pokémon. However, as an expert in the subject of said Pokémon, I bet I can pull out even more from him."
"What are you trying to say?" Jackson asked.
"I'm not taking away your Pokémon or anything. However, I was curious if you would like to have Ledian stay with me so I can train him?" Bugsy requested.
This took everyone by surprise, as Jackson asked, "Wait, you want me to give you Ledian to train? But don't you think I can train him just as well?"
"You could, but I can tell you're no bug expert." Bugsy stated, "Besides, it's as I said, I know a really gifted bug Pokémon when I see it. I bet with my research and training, Ledian could go the distance!"
"That actually sounds pretty awesome, Jackson!" Ethan told him, "A gym leader is so impressed by one of your Pokémon, he plans to help you train it?"
"And who better to train Ledian than a bug expert like Bugsy?" Kris pointed out, "His research has even impressed Professor Oak, the leading expert in Pokémon research."
"Well..." Jackson muttered. He can see the reason in their words, but still had trepidations. Ledian was his very first Pokémon he caught. They hadn't been together long, but as a trainer, he had been there almost as long as Eevee. He didn't want to let go of him so quickly.
"If you are worried you will never see him again, don't worry." Bugsy assured him, pulling out a Pokégear, "I can give you my phone number so we can call each other, and I can send you Ledian anytime you want from any PC in a Pokémon Center. Will that ease your worries?"
Jackson was eased by this fact, but still concerned. He then turned to Ledian, deciding that he should have a say in this matter, since it did involve him. "Well, it's your choice, buddy." Jackson told him, "Do you want to go and train with Bugsy or not?"
Ledian looked between Jackson and Eevee to Bugsy, thinking about it. After a few seconds, he answered, "If...if it's okay with you. I mean, I was able to barely win that battle with Prinplup, but I still can't get over that I wasn't able to hold out in gym battles before. Not to mention...that one against that Dragonair still torments me."
"I get it." Jackson answered, having the same feeling as well.
"That's why I want to be a great Pokémon for you." Ledian finished, "And I don't doubt your ability to train me, but I witnessed his skills when I fought Metapod and Beedrill. I bet I can become someone strong enough to take on future battles with you! So is it okay for me to go?"
Jackson could feel the honesty in Ledian's words, and smiled at him. Taking out Ledian's Pokéball, he turned to Bugsy and held out the ball to him. "Guess it's unanimous. He'll be in your care until I need him again." he told the gym leader.
"Great!" Bugsy answered happily, taking Ledian's Pokéball as the Pokémon went to his side, "I promise, you won't be disappointed by your choice. When you see Ledian again, he'll be strong enough to take on even the Elite Four!" Jackson nodded in response, counting on him to make this a reality. He pulled out his tablet, and the two exchanged phone numbers with each other.
"So where to, next?" Ethan asked, now that the moment was over, "We were planning to go to Goldenrod City to reach the next gym."
"Ah, you're going after Whitney?" Bugsy asked, "Good luck with that. People consider her one of the toughest hurdles for young trainers to get over."
"I heard that, too." Kris noted, "Still, that won't stop us from trying to beat her."
"You two go on ahead." Jackson told his friends, "I need to double back to the Pokémon Center and recover my team."
"Good call." Kris answered, "To get to Goldenrod, you'll need to go through Ilex Forest, which is quite a trek. After that, it's just through Route 34, and you'll reach the city."
"Got it." Jackson answered, walking away from the team, with Eevee at his side, as he waved them goodbye, "I'll see you in Goldenrod, then!"
"Take care of yourself, Ledian! You two, you guys!" Eevee followed up.
"See ya!" Ethan waved goodbye in return, with Kris mimicking him. With that, the two young trainers took off towards the path to Ilex Forest, while Bugsy walked off with Ledian at his side, talking about what he has in store for the Pokémon. Ledian took one last look at Jackson, before flying after Bugsy. While they were parted from one another, Jackson and Ledian would still be connected, and both knew this would not be the last time they saw one another.