The title isn't necessarily true for my real life, as I'm pretty sure the first Pokémon game I ever played was Leaf Green. But for the context of this character's story, this is facts. Also, a quick recap on my Pokémon's nicknames: Mudkip: Hawke. Chimchar: Caesar. Shinx: Skarr. Starly: Ikaros.
The Very First Gym Battle
Oreburgh Mine's was definitely the place Chris had sweat the most at this point in his life. Mining was certainly one career path that he could safely rule out ever wanting to take in his life. Still, the training for both his Pokémon and his body was tremendous down here. The wild Geodude that attacked were trouble for Caesar at times, but he always came out on top in the end.
As Chris came to the lowest level of the mines, he had battles with some of the Miner's on break, Caesar evolved. After a miner's Geodude went down, Caesar started to glow with a brilliant blue light, and its body changed. Spikes emerged from around its neck, it tail extended out, and its body became a bit little more meaty as it evolved into Monferno.
Right after that battle, Chris could see who he assumed was Roark heading his way, a cart full of coal right behind him being pushed by another miner. Just then, a wild Zubat flew over to the cart, and stole a peculiar looking rock. Despite how small the Zubat was, it was starting to get away with the rock, as Roark tried in vain to catch up to it. "Ikaros, use Quick Attack!" Chris called out as he sent out his Starly. The Quick Attack landed flushly, as the Zubat dropped the rock as it fainted. Caesar seemed to read Chris's mind, as it dashed forward, and caught the rock before it could hit the ground.
Roark was about to thank Chris, when suddenly Ikaros glowed with its own brilliant blue light. Its body began to change, as it doubled in size and height, the feather on the back of its head curling up, and its feet now brandishing claws. Its cry echoed throughout the mine as it returned to Chris. "Wow." Roark finally spoke up. "It was impressive enough for you to save the fossil like that, but then your Starly goes and evolves."
"Right after my Chimchar, too." Chris says.
"You definitely seem to have potential as a trainer. Perhaps you came here hoping to test that potential, against me?"
Chris raises an eyebrow. "So you are Roark."
"Yes I am. And you are?" Roark asks, as he extends his hand.
"Chris Harper." Chris responds, shaking hands with the gym leader.
"Pleased to meet you. I've gotta get all this coal back topside, and get this fossil over to the museum. I'll see you at the gym tonight."
"See you then."
An hour later...
Chris heads back to the Pokémon Center, and proceeds to spend half an hour washing off his body in the handicapped stall of the bathroom. There wasn't any time to check into a motel room. There was barely any time to grab a bite to eat before his Gym Battle with Roark, but what little time he did have made sure that he wasn't going to the gym on an empty stomach.
Right outside the gym, Chris ran into Barry once again. "Are you ready for your battle, Chris?" His rival asks him.
"As ready as I'm gonna get." Chris tilts his head up at the blonde boy, a questioning look on his face. "Why are you here right now, Barry? Is Roark gonna battle you next?"
"I'm gonna challenge him in the morning. I just wanna watch your battle with him, so I know what I'll be up against tomorrow."
Chris nods. "Then come with me, I guess." Chris opens the door, and he and Barry enter the gym together. Barry spots the bleachers in the gym off to the left, and dashes over to take a seat. The gym's rows of lights illuminate the path as Barry goes ahead of Chris to his seat. Something about all of this has Chris suddenly stopping dead in his tracks, the nerves starting to finally get to him. This was no ordinary battle, not even a battle against a rival would ever give the rookie trainer this kind of feeling.
His Monferno may be too big now to ride on his shoulder, but the same could not be said for his little Mudkip Hawke sitting on his right shoulder. And because of how close their bond truly was, Hawke knew something was wrong. "Mudkip? Mud, Mudkip?" The little one voiced his concern for his trainer.
"I..." Chris tries to speak, but the words escape him for a brief moment. "I don't know if I can do this, bud."
"If that's the case," a voice calls out. "Then it seems we're already done here." Roark steps out of the shadows, and his expression is very different in comparison to when Chris first met him. His demeanor made it obvious that he didn't want to make time for Chris, if Chris wasn't serious about it. "I appreciate what you did to get back that fossil from the wild Zubat, but if you aren't absolutely sure that you're ready for this challenge, then I've got better things to do."
While Chris could feel himself getting discouraged with every word Roark said, his partner on his shoulder was having none of it. "Mudkip!" The little one suddenly snaps, looking intensely into Chris's eyes. "Mudkip, mud, mud, Mudkip!"
Despite the blatant language barrier, the reassuring and determined look in Hawke's eyes was enough to spark the confidence in Chris. He nods to his partner, then continues his walk down to the gym's battlefield. As he stands on the challenger's platform, he calls out to Roark. "Roark! I've come for the Coal Badge!"
Roark cracks a smile, then pulls a Poké Ball off his belt and activates it. "Then lets see if you're worthy of taking it! Go, Geodude!" Roark throws the ball, and out comes his own Geodude. This was distinctively stronger than any of the ones Chris's team trained against in the Oreburgh Mines, and Chris knew that from one single glance.
After his observation, Chris looks over at Hawke. "Post up, bud." Hawke nods at him, then hops down from Chris's shoulder, ready for battle. "Hawke, use Water Gun!" Chris commands, as his Mudkip fires off a bullet of water from its mouth right at Geodude.
"Geodude, use Protect!" Roark's Geodude surrounds itself with a protective barrier, that completely absorbs the Water Gun attack. "Now, use Stealth Rock!" Seemingly- but not literally- shedding rocks from its body, Roark's Geodude lays down pointed stones all around the battlefield. Chris doesn't make heads of tails of what exactly was accomplished by that move, and neither does he get a chance to before Roark's next move. "Now, go at it with Tackle!"
As Roark's Geodude begins to charge, Chris regains his focus. "Hawke, use Water Gun again!" Chris's Mudkip fires another bullet of water right at Geodude, who takes the hit, but continues charging at Hawke and lands its own hit. Hawke staggers back, but continues on. "Use Mud Slap!" Chris calls out, as Hawke forces mud into Geodude's eyes.
Geodude is barely holding on at this point, but Roark doesn't give up on it. "Rock Throw, Geodude!" Geodude goes to hurl a rock at Hawke, but misses horribly due to its sudden blindness.
"Too late, Roark." Chris states, before going in for the finish. "Take it down, Hawke. Use Water Gun!" One more bullet of water gets shot right at Geodude, who cannot withstand the pain any longer. It crashes down to the ground, and cannot continue the battle.
Chris gets a chuckle out of Roark. "Yeah, you've definitely got potential, kid. It sure helps that you and your partner there seem to really trust each other." Roark calls his Geodude back, before activating another Poké Ball. "Now lets see what you two really got. Go, Onix!" Roark throws his ball, and out comes the gargantuan rock snake Pokémon Onix, with a roar that shakes the walls of the room.
"Holy hell." Chris says quietly, as he marvels at the sheer size of this Pokémon. He quickly regains his composure, and looks down to his, partner who stands fearless in the face of something that outsizes him like Onix does. "Ready Hawke?"
"Mudkip!"
"Alright, lets blind this one too! Use Mud Slap!"
As Hawke prepares to launch mud at its much larger foe's face, Roark issues a command of his own. "Screech!" On cue, Onix's lets out a roar even more violent than its initial one. The shaking could likely be felt from outside the building, as the sheer force not only completely negates the attack of Hawke, but also puts him on his back. "Now, Rock Throw!" Unlike Geodude, the stone that Onix throws at Hawke lands hard. He just barely stops at Chris's feet before he can hit his ankles.
"Are you alright, Hawke?" Chris asks in a bit of a panic as he kneels down beside his partner. Hawke manages to get back to his feet, confirming that he can continue. Despite this, Chris goes a different route. "Come here and rest beside me." Reluctantly, Hawke listens to Chris's request. Chris looks to his left, at his Monferno standing beside him. "You ready, Caesar?"
The mid sized fire monkey clenches his fists. "Ferno!" he confirms.
Chris nods. "Take the field, Caesar!" His Monferno leaps into the air, and does a front flip. Before it can land on the ground however, the rocks that Geodude littered onto the battlefield suddenly collide into Monferno to cause damage. "Wha- What's going on?" Chris asks in total shock as Caesar lands on the ground already having taken damage.
"The move that I had my Geodude use at the start of the battle, was called Stealth Rock. It litters a battlefield with Stones that immediately target any Pokémon you send into battle." Roark explains.
From the bleachers, Barry remembers something that his father once taught him about battling. "So its an entry hazard. My dad taught me about that when someone used it against him in the Battle Tower."
"You okay, Caesar?" Chris asks his Monferno.
"Mon, Monferno!" His partner says to relax him. Caesar remains ready to go.
"Alright then, use Mach Punch!" At Chris's command, Monferno suddenly moves at an incredible speed, and punches Roark's Onix right on the money. Despite this, Onix stays upright, showing that this might be the toughest Pokémon Chris has faced to this point.
"Good shot, but not good enough!" Roark exclaims. "Use Rock Throw!" Onix hurls another stone right at Caesar, who surprises everyone by punching right through the stone. Roark chuckles at the sight. "You've certainly trained all of your Pokémon well, by the looks of it. Now lets see how they handle pressure. Onix, use Screech!" Roark's Onix has the building shaking yet again, as the violent roar the Onix lets out forces Caesar off balance, and puts him on his back. Before Chris can react, Roark issues another command. "Rock Throw!"
Right as Caesar rises back up to a knee, another stone is hurled right at it, and lands hard. Caesar crashes down on his back yet again, and the next thing he and Chris know, the Onix is closing in on him. Chris thinks he sees an opening from here, however. "Caesar, Ember!" Caesar fires off a burst of embers at Onix's chin, and nails it directly for a critical hit. With the Onix reeling, Caesar kips-up back to his feet, fighting through the pain. "Now, finish it off with Mach Punch!" Chris exclaims, as Caesar moves at mach speed again, to punch Onix right on the face. Onix screams in pain all the way down, crashing to the ground and making the building shake yet again. With all the shaking, Barry on the bleachers can't help but admire just how well built this gym is.
Roark is laughing, and clapping at the progress of the battle. "Well done Chris. Whatever nerves I know your probably still feeling, you most definitely pushed them down to do this well against me."
"I just needed to get into the battle Roark." Chris starts. "My nerves are calmed, and I've got you right where I want you."
"It's not over yet, Chris." Roark states, as he pulls one last Poké Ball off his belt to activate it. "I've saved my best for last. Go, Cranidos!" Roark throws his ball, and out comes the Head Butt Pokémon, Cranidos. Its cry somehow manages to show its experience, as well as its fierce loyalty to Roark.
"You ready, Caesar?"
"Monferno!" The fire/fighting-type exclaims as he stares down Roark's Cranidos.
"You sure better be. Cranidos, Leer." Cranidos stares down Caesar intensely, and Caesar can't help but respond with a bit of trepidation.
"Your okay, Caesar! Use Mach Punch!"
"Zen Headbutt!" Roark manages to time his command right at the same time as Chris. Cranidos runs forward with the dome of its head glowing with mystical energy. Although Caesar's attack lands cleanly, Cranidos's attack lands critically. Caesar goes down, and he's out.
Chris lets out an exasperated gasp, before activating Caesar's Poké Ball. "Get some rest Caesar." He says, right before the red beam absorbs Caesar back into its ball. "You've earned it." Hawke questions whether or not its his turn, and Chris shakes his head. "Not yet." He pulls his Shinx's Poké Ball off his belt, and activates it. "Skarr, take the reins!" He throws his ball, and his Shinx emerges ready for battle. right as it does however, the Stealth Rock from earlier scrapes its body for some damage.
"Interesting choice, Chris. I don't think I've seen this one before."
"I've got something in mind Roark. Skarr, use Spark!" Electrical energy surges around Skarr's little body, as it runs right at Cranidos.
"Headbutt, Cranidos!" Roark's Cranidos runs head first right at Skarr, and the two collide head on. Both take damage, and both prepare for another attack. "Leer!" Roark calls out, and his Cranidos stares down Skarr like it did Caesar.
"Push through Skarr, use Spark again!" The electrical energy surges through Skarr's body again, and it runs forward to collied head on with Cranidos.
"Push it off, then use Rock Tomb Cranidos!" Cranidos does as ordered, shoving Skarr of its body, then stomping at the ground to bring rocks up from the ground, and crush Skarr.
"Skarr!" Chris calls out to his Shinx, who when the rocks clear is unconscious. He cannot continue. The red beam from Skarr's Poké Ball absorbs it back within, and Chris deactivates the ball to put it back on his belt.
"You've done well Chris. Very well at that. But beginners luck is failing you now."
"Not yet." Chris interjects, right as both young men notice the aftermath of Spark on Cranidos. It is now paralyzed, and may be unable to move. While Roark is reeling from this realization, Chris looks down at Hawke. "Lets finish this fight, bud."
"Kip." Hawke says with a nod, before dashing back out onto the field, only to be met by the Stealth Rocks. He shakes it off quickly, however.
Roark can't help but smile at this situation. "It looks like you've fought better than I thought. May the best Mon win." He says.
Chris nods. "Hawke, use Water Gun!"
"Dodge!" Commands Roark, but Cranidos's efforts are futile, as its paralysis keeps it from dodging. The damage puts Cranidos on its last leg, but its still ready to attack. "Cranidos, Rock Tomb!" Cranidos manages to stomp on the ground to summon the rocks that bury Hawke below. Hawke seems to go down with a whimper, and an unsettling silence takes hold of the atmosphere. "It's over, Chris."
Suddenly, a familiar brilliant blue glow emerges from beneath the rocks, and Chris cracks a smile. "Not yet, it isn't." He states. The pile of rocks that Hawke finds himself trapped under begin to rumble around, and then clear off of his evolving body. The once quadruped Pokémon now stands on two feet, the tendrils on its cheeks have turned into spikes, and the fin on the top of its head has turned into what looks like a mow hawk. It has also spouted a second tail, with one tail for each leg. It's limbs become longer and thicker, and its belly has become bright orange. Hawke has evolved from Mudkip, to Marshtomp, and it lets out a proud cry to signify its newfound power.
"Truly amazing, Chris. Three evolutions in one day." Roark remarks, having been lucky enough to witness two of the three.
"It's not over yet. Hawke, use Mud Slap!" Despite Chris's command, Hawke does not use Mud Slap. Instead, it unleashes a large blast of mud right at Cranidos. Hawke's Mud Slap has evolved into Mud Shot. The increased power from the new move is far too much for Roark's Cranidos to withstand, and it faints from the blast. Cranidos is unable to continue, and Chris is the victor.
Roark closes his eyes, then bows to Chris. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit embarrassed," He starts. "after all, you don't have any badges up to this point. But you've spent all of today showing me just how much potential you truly have." Roark then pauses, and approaches Chris with something in his hand. "Between all of that, and what you've done in this battle, you've earned this." Chris holds out his hand, and Roark places the Coal Badge in his palm. "This is only the start of your journey, as there are seven other Gym Leaders in the Sinnoh Region. But I must say, you've made a believer out of me, Chris."
"Don't forget about me!" Barry says, as he has now come down from the bleachers. "After our battle tomorrow, you'll believe in me more than anyone else in the world."
"I'm sure I will, Barry. For tonight though, all of us should be getting some rest for the night." Roark turns his attention back to Chris. "Two more things. You may have notice a hotel on your way to the gym from Oreburgh Gate. If you show them your badge, then you get one night stay for free. Keep in mind that only the room is free however. That's number one. Number two," Roark extends his hand to Chris. "Congratulations, Chris Harper."
Chris shakes his hand. "Thank you."
Later that night...
Before Chris goes into his hotel room for the night, he goes to buy a cheap meal at a convenience store. Because Chris's hunger didn't outweigh his thirst, he bought three bottles of water, and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from the heater. As he went to get in line to pay for his items, he noticed the rows of lighters at the front desk, and the cigarettes behind the clerk. His notice of this items is enough to force an old memory to dance in his mind.
It's his Sophomore year of high school, and Chris has just turned fifteen a week ago. He had been in the Veilstone City school district for just four months at this point, and he had done better making friends in this district than any other he went to. These friends were far from a good influence on him, though it wasn't something he realized at the time. Nor did he care. Any friends he made since the last time he saw Danielle filled the void.
After school on Friday, Chris rode his bicycle over to the skate park on the outskirts of town to meet up with his friends. They were waiting for him at the back of the park. "Hey Chris!" One friend calls out when he sees him. "Happy late birthday!"
"Thanks man." Chris responds, as he sees his friends for the first time in a while. He had been unfairly grounded by his foster care system for two entire months, so it had been a while since he'd seen his two new friends.
Chris pounds fists with his two friends, knowing that these two might be his best chance at filling the void he's felt since he saw Danielle for the last time. "We know you wouldn't have asked if you could have," His other friend starts. "But we got you a little something."
As Chris's friend pulls out the present, it turns out that it's not so little after all. It is a decently sized present. "You guys didn't have to do this." Chris says.
"Yeah, but we wanted to. Open it up."
Chris opens the present, and it's an acoustic guitar. It's not a brand new one, but it is in good condition. "What?!" Chris exclaims. "How'd you guys get this."
His two older friends look at each other, and smirk. "We did some odd jobs." They answer, knowing that Chris is young and naive enough to believe that.
"Thank you both." Chris says as he pulls the guitar out of the box.
"You deserve it, bud. Your talented enough that you need to have your own."
"Play for us." His other friend says, as all three sit down in a circle.
As Chris starts to tune the guitar, he looks to see one of his friends pull out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. As he doesn't need to look at the guitar while tuning it, he watches his friend pound on the pack as his other friend pulls out a lighter. His friend pulls out two cigarettes for him and his other friend, then takes a look at Chris as he pulls out a third cigarette. Chris takes the cigarette and puts it between his lips, as his other friend lights his lighter.
"I know you've never had one before," his friend with the lighter says as he lights Chris's cigarette. "So I'll tell you to be gentle with the first puff."
Chris does as he's advised, still coughing from the first puff. Once the intense feeling fades, he starts to play while the cigarette rests between his fingers.
As the memory fades away, Chris finds himself at the front of the line, placing his water bottles and sandwich on the counter. The attendant at the front desk scans his items, before asking, "Will that be all?"
Chris takes another look at the lighters, and the cigarette packs behind the attendant. "No, let me also get a lighter, and a pack of Marlboro's."
"Do you have I.D?" The attendant asks, as Chris can still be mistaken for underage. Chris pulls out his Trainer card, and shows it to the attendant. "You just turn eighteen recently?"
"A month ago." Chris responds.
The attendant nods his head, and gets Chris a new lighter, and a pack of cigarettes. He gives Chris his total, Chris pays, and then exits the convenience store. Once he's outside, Chris immediately lights a cigarette, and takes a puff. He takes a short moment to look around the night sky of Oreburgh City, and then heads back to his hotel.