The Saffron City skyline was much more intimidating that Josh had imagined. As he walked through Route 5, the grew from just a series of gray and blue squares on the horizon to a towering mess of buildings, towers, and skyscrapers. The most impressive of these was of course the Silph Co. Building. Josh could recognize the logo on the front of the building even from the distance he was standing at. The building was massive, more glass than steel, and had a unique slanted roof that made it look almost like another mountain rather than a building.
Navigating Pewter and Cerulean had been easy enough. The people were always kind enough to point Josh in the right direction of the Gyms or Pokemon Centers. He never liked the idea of riding around on the metros or public buses. But something told Josh he wouldn't be able to get by in Saffron as easily.
The entrance to the Underground Path caught Josh's eye. Josh remembered seeing on TV when the massive system of tunnels was built under Saffron City to relieve the heavy traffic. Without Ryan or Ash to judge him, there was no harm in taking a detour. Most of all, Josh had no desire to face a bunch of Psychic-types with Pan.
Route 7 was more idyllic than most of what Josh had seen on his journey. A wide dirt path flanked by large patches of long grass; along with big, green trees that swayed with a gentle breeze. Josh wanted to try out his newest capture, the Golduck he had caught on Route 6 — as well as give her a name — but Josh hadn't gotten to a PC yet. Instead, Josh called out his Eevee to train him instead, but the Normal-type simply yawned and began to chase his own tail.
Josh started to chuckle, but he immediately froze up when he heard the grass behind him stir. Josh whirled around, and his Eevee scampered forward and puffed its fur in a battle stance. Josh gripped Eevee's Poke Ball tightly in his hand — he could see that the grass was stirring from multiple spots, if multiple wild Pokemon were attacking him he may need to switch to Pan in a pinch.
The grass parted, revealing six figures — three boys, three girls — dressed in Trainer School uniforms. After traveling to three different cities, Josh had learned to distinguish them by the color of their skirts and ties: teal for Viridian, blue for Cerulean, and evidently red for Vermilion.
Josh loosened his grip on his Poke Ball, and then immediately regretted having done so as the three girls began to pet and fawn over Eevee.
"His fur is so soft!" one of them squealed.
"Do any of you want to battle at least?" Josh said.
One of the boys with spiked black hair and cargo shorts called out his own Pokemon, a Nidoran.
"I'm Yuuta," he said. "I'll take you on!"
Josh's Eevee dodged the Poison Sting and knocked out the Nidoran with two Quick Attacks, then Josh switched to Pan to deal with the boy's Krabby. Josh grinned as Pan finished off the Water-type with a single Vine Whip. Only after Yuuta withdrew his Krabby did Josh notice the other Trainer School kids were all staring at his Ivysaur.
"Best field trip ever," Yuuta said.
"Sorry, we never introduced ourselves," said the tallest girl, with blue eyes and brown hair that reached down to her waist. "I'm Nazuna, and we're from Vermilion City Trainer School. Our teacher assigned me and Kouta here to take some of the junior students out to catch Pokemon and maybe battle a few Trainers."
"I'm Josh Dale, from Pallet Town," Josh said, "and this is Pan."
"I'm Arumi," another girl said, "your Eevee doesn't have a name?"
"I'm waiting until he evolves."
"You should go to Celadon," the oldest boy said, "I'm Kouta, I go there every year. You can get just about anything at the Department Store there, every Evolution Stone — except Moon Stones, of course."
The image of Ash limping away with the duffel bag came to Josh's mind. What was she going to do with those, anyway?
"Thanks for the tip," Josh said, "any tips for challenging Erika while I'm there?"
"I challenged her after I got my first Badge," Kouta said, bringing out his Badge case and showing it to Josh. There was only one, what looked like a yellow sun with an orange core. "She completely trounced me when I tried. I'm trying to train more before I challenge another Gym. I've heard Misty's even tougher."
Josh recalled Pan and brought out Hermes.
"How about a battle to train both of us up?" Josh suggested.
As a senior student, Kouta put up much more of a fight. His Fearow easily had the advantage against Hermes with its larger wings and long beak, but Hermes screeched when Josh tried to withdraw him.
"Okay, Hermes, if you want to evolve then you have to give it everything you've got!" Josh shouted, "Quick Attack!"
The two Flying-types flew into each other, Hermes slamming his entire body into the Fearow even as the Fearow dug its beak into Hermes's side and took out a chunk of feathers. But eventually, the Fearow took another Quick Attack to the side of the head, throwing it off balance and sending it crashing into the ground. And with that, Hermes also began to glow, and evolved into a Pidgeotto.
"I knew you could do it," Josh exclaimed, running and hugging his newly evolved Pokemon.
Hermes chirped and nuzzled Josh with his beak.
"How can you tell they're close to evolving?" Yuuta asked.
Josh looked into Hermes's eyes as he stepped back and admired him. He now stood as tall as Josh himself. The red plumage on the top of his head swooped backwards and almost looked like the ornament on a war helmet.
"I don't really know," Josh said, "it's just kind of a feeling. I could tell Pan and Hermes were getting really restless lately. Every time they battled, they would really go all out without me having to say anything."
Nazuna stepped forward and called out her own Pokemon. Two Pidgeottos now stood in front of each other. Hermes looked the other one up and down squawked.
"Yours is even bigger than mine," Nazuna said, "you've really been training them hard, haven't you?"
After defeating Kouta, it was obvious none of the other Trainers were eager to battle Josh, and so they settled into a sort of picnic with all their Pokemon. Two of the students, a boy and a girl, went off on their own to share their lunches. Kouta rolled his eyes and Nazuna shrugged.
"Kids," she remarked, as she unboxed her lunch.
Josh picked at his homemade sandwich as he watched his party play. Eevee jumped on Geodude's head, and then bounced onto Pan's foliage once the Rock-type started to roll around in circles. Zubat immediately pushed the button on his own Poke Ball in order to recall himself. Oh right, Josh thought, Zubats don't like sunlight.
Most of all, Josh watched Pan and Hermes. They were so much bigger now, even bigger Josh himself. But even now, they were nothing compared to Ash's Nidoking. Josh could still hear the massive, earth-shattering sound it had made when it evolved and landed in the middle of that cave on Mt. Moon. That Nidoking had sent those two Rocket grunts running with their tails between their legs. Josh also remembered the way Pan had shied away when Ryan revealed Vulcan's new form. Let's see how Ryan reacts once he sees I have two evolved Pokemon of my own. That'll show him.
Pan looked over, and met Josh's eyes. He ran up and sent a vine forward, wrapping it around Josh's arm and gently pulling him to his feet. Josh smiled and broke off a piece of bread from his sandwich and held it in his hand. Pan opened his mouth, and Josh let the bread drop into it. This only led to all of Josh's other Pokemon pouncing on him as well, and Josh soon lost the rest of his sandwich to them.
The students suppressed giggles as they watched Josh walk back to them.
"Guess they're not that well-trained," Yuuta quipped.
"Some things never change," Nazuna said with a smile, offering Josh a rice ball.
"Thanks," Josh said, taking it and sitting down with them. He bit into it and looked his team over again. Hermes pecked incessantly at the ground where the last piece of bread was sitting. Eevee nibbled a slice of tomato between his paws. But Pan walked back to Josh and began to play with Josh's shoelaces with his vines. Josh grinned as he watched his Ivysaur. They may look different, but they're still mine.
#
The Vermilion City skyline stretched out across the horizon as Josh crested the last hill on his walk to the port city. Josh could see the waves gently lapping against the harbor. And, as promised, the S.S. Anne was docked there.
It was hard to miss — the ship was massive, and even from a distance Josh could recognize the Pokemon battlefields that were built into the top deck. Josh made his way through the city and to the harbor, gave his ticket to the attendant on the pier, and was escorted inside.
The S.S. Anne really was as luxurious as the ticket advertised. There were casino tables, a huge pool, entire restaurants, and a price for the rooms that had far too many zeroes for Josh's meager budget. Josh silently thanked Bill again for the ticket he had given him, an all-inclusive pass to the entire voyage.
Josh hit a restaurant first, but quickly learned that they were as fancy as they were expensive. Josh stared uselessly at the menu written in a foreign language and with no descriptions. The words like "Bagna cauda" and "Prosciutto di Parma" seemed to mock him. Finally, Josh surrendered and sheepishly asked for a pepperoni pizza while trying to ignore the way the waitress raised her eyebrow at him as she took his order. His embarrassment was quickly forgotten, however, as Josh enjoyed the best pizza he had ever eaten.
Finally, Josh made his way to the upper main deck, signed himself up for the tournament at the organizers' desk, and enjoyed the smell of sea salt in the air as he walked to the edge of the deck and looked out at the ocean. He could see schools of Magikarp and Goldeen just below the surface. The sun was close to setting, just beginning to dip under the horizon, and the whole world seemed to be bathed in an orange glow. Josh smiled to himself. He had always dreamed of battling strong wild Pokemon, getting into exciting battles, the cheer of the crowd in a packed stadium. He had never imagined the sunsets being so perfect.
"Well, well, well," Ryan said.
Josh's smile disappeared as he slowly turned around. Ryan Oak stood there, hands on his hips, a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes. They were surrounded by Trainers. Some of them had their Pokemon out, getting some last-minute training in before the start of the tournament. Others hung around the edges of the boat, quietly watching the competition.
"If you're planning on entering the blitz tournament here," he said, "you better have beaten Misty. There's a two-Badge-minimum rule here."
"I did beat her, so hah."
Ryan huffed. "You better have, you have a Bulbasaur, after all."
Josh felt the urge to reach into his bag and bring out Pan, but thought better of it.
"If we're both entering the tournament, and we both have two Badges, we can use this to decide who's really better."
"I've already beaten you twice," Ryan said, "not like beating you again is going to make a difference to me, especially not in a blitz."
Ryan turned on his heel and walked back into the crowd.
"Wait, what's a blitz?" Josh asked.
"Figure it out," Ryan said without looking back, "I'll see you in the finals if you do."
#
The S.S. Anne Blitz Tournament is hosted every year, and is organized by the Pokemon Fan Club, which is headquartered in Vermilion City. Entry is restricted not only by Trainers needing to have a minimum of two Badges, but also are limited to a maximum of four.
The eight participants' names were listed on a giant projector screen at one end of the main deck, filling the eight slots on a tournament bracket. Josh felt a rush as he saw his own name appear in big capital letters. This is just like the Indigo Plateau, he thought to himself. According to the projector, Josh's first opponent was someone named Arthur. On the other side of the bracket, Ryan was facing someone named Takafumi.
"Are you Josh Dale?"
Arthur was an old man — about Professor Oak's age, Josh guessed — with a thick, white mustache that curled upwards at the ends. He was wearing a brown three-piece suit, with a beige scarf draped over his shoulders and held a cane. Except, upon closer inspection, Josh saw that the tip of the cane was a miniaturized Poke Ball.
Arthur held his hand forward and Josh shook it. The way Arthur shook reminded Josh of his father's firm grip. "Arthur Haywood," he said, "it seems the Trainers who enter these get younger each year!"
Josh looked around. It seemed an even split between adults and kids his age. He could see a pair of sailors with biceps as big as a Tauros's leg, a lanky old man with a fishing rod and wide-brimmed hat, a Jr. Trainer wearing shorts and a baseball hat, and a young girl in a fancy dress with ringlets in her hair that bounced with every move of her head. The Trainers met, shook hands, and gradually took their places on the battlefields. The ship's deck had four battlefields painted onto the wood floor, the projector updated in real-time as each Trainer took their position. A crowd had gathered, and Josh could even see some people watching from the dock on more projector screens.
Most of all, Josh watched as Ryan walked to one end of the battlefield, opposite the lanky fisherman. Josh's eyes widened as the Fisherman called out his first Pokemon, a Gyarados, which took up almost half of the battlefield on its own. But Ryan didn't hesitate as he threw out his own Poke Ball and called forth a Kadabra. The Gyarados reared back and roared into the sky, but the Psychic-type seemed to look past the Gyarados and simply closed its eyes. It held its spoon in one hand and gently traced the edge of it with its fingernails. Josh gulped as the memory of his own encounter with a Gyarados on Route 25 came to mind.
"Shall we?"
Josh looked back. Arthur was still standing there, cane in hand, gesturing to the battlefield on the other end of the deck.
"Um," Josh said as he stared at the Poke Ball attached to the end of Arthur's cane, "could I ask you something really quick?"
"Of course."
"What's a blitz?"
"Oh!" Arthur chuckled, "is this your first tournament?"
"Yeah," Josh said, shifting in his feet.
"Well, a blitz simply means battles involving no more than two Pokemon for each competitor. It's the most popular format for tournaments like these, helps keep the matches short so the whole thing can end in one afternoon, such as this."
"Oh," Josh said, sighing in relief. For once, he felt more than prepared for a challenge. He had a full party, plenty of options.
"And these matches are also double-blind," Arthur continued, "that means we will call our first Pokemon at the same time, do you understand?"
"Yeah," Josh said, reaching into his bag and bringing out his Poke Ball, "keeps it fair, right?"
"Just so," Arthur said with a smile. "Good luck!"
The two walked to their respective ends of the battlefield, and called forth their Pokemon.
"Let's go, Pan!"
"Stand at attention, Ponyta!"
Josh's heart sank as he watched the Fire-type emerge, the flames on its back seeming to burn even brighter as the sunlight hit it. The way the Ponyta proudly stood, with its hooves together and its chin up, reminded him of Ryan standing in Professor Oak's lab while holding the Charmander he chose in his hand. Oh right, Josh thought to himself, I totally forgot to get my Golduck from the PC.
"Ponyta, Flame Wheel!"
The flames on Ponyta's back grew, and Ponyta spat out a stream of fire from its mouth. The two streams began to spiral and connected into a circle as the Ponyta charged forward, scorching the wood floor underneath it.
Josh immediately held his Poke Ball forward in his hand while he reached for his second one.
"Pan, come back! Eevee!"
Pan disappeared into the red glow just in time, the Ponyta's charge faltering and losing its power as it reached the end of the battlefield. Josh threw his next Poke Ball high, allowing Eevee to emerge and land behind the Ponyta. Josh gave the order, and Eevee immediately hit the Ponyta with a Quick Attack, knocking it over.
"Quick thinking, boy, but you've chosen your two Pokemon for this battle already," Arthur said, "Once I've dealt with your Eevee, your Ivysaur will fall just as easily. Flame Wheel, Ponyta!"
"Sand Attack!"
The Ponyta got back to its feet and whirled around. It began to spit fire again to make into a wheel, but Eevee lunged forward and kicked up a flurry of sand and ash from the burnt wood on the ground. The debris hit the Ponyta in the face, the Fire-type reared back and coughed, its fire breath seemingly smothered, and its eyes shut tight against the soot and ash in its face.
"Ponyta! Use Stomp!"
"Quick Attack, Eevee!"
The Ponyta couldn't react in time. Eevee charged forward, visible only as a brown blur as it moved towards the Fire-type and jumped into its face. The Ponyta whined in pain as it was thrown back and landed on its back, defeated.
Arthur straightened his tie, then recalled his Pokemon. "It seems I have underestimated you," he grumbled, "quite the first tournament you're having here. But this battle is not over. Pikachu, come forth!"
The Electric-type sprang out of Arthur's Poke Ball and stood on its hind legs, it growled and let out sparks of electricity from its red cheeks. Somewhere in the crowd, Josh heard a man whistle.
"Eevee, Quick Attack!"
"Pikachu, use Spark!"
Even the Pikachu couldn't keep up with Eevee's speed, but it had already electrified its body as it moved forward, and Eevee crashed into the Electric-type head-first, then stumbled as it tried to regain its footing.
"Excellent! Now, use Thundershock!" Arthur called.
"Dodge it, Eevee!"
Eevee whimpered, but only managed to bend its knees and hug the floor. The Pikachu got on all fours and puffed up its cheeks again. It's entire body became electrified again, the fur on its back standing on end and its tail pointing up and forward. The Pikachu sent a bolt of electricity arcing through the air, which struck Eevee. Only once the attack ended did Josh realize that Eevee hadn't even moved as it took the attack.
"Eevee, return!" Josh said, then held the Poke Ball in his hand for a moment, "I'll get your paralysis healed up after this. You've done enough. Now, let's go, Pan!"
"Pikachu, Spark!"
"Razor Leaf!"
The Pikachu charged forward again, radiating yellow electricity; but Pan launched two crescent-shaped leaves with deadly accuracy, striking the Electric-type in the face and knocking it backwards.
"Now, use Take Down!" Josh said.
Pan charged forward as the Pikachu scrambled to get back on its feet, but Pan had already jumped and tackled the Electric-type with its entire body, the wooden floor beneath them cracking from the pressure. The Pikachu went limp, and Pan stood over it triumphantly.
Arthur recalled his defeated Pokemon and walked forward, meeting Josh in the center of the battlefield. Josh shook Arthur's hand, but his attention had already returned to the projector screen, and couldn't help but smile as he watched his name become highlighted and appear in the next slot in the bracket.
Next was the girl Josh had seen earlier with the ringlets in her hair, Kaya. She met Josh at the healing center just as he finished retrieving his Poke Balls from the machine. She shook Josh's hand with a light touch, simply grasping at his fingers rather than holding his hand entirely. Only once he was up close did Josh see she was wearing an intricate diamond necklace that bobbed up and down just as much as her hair. Josh wondered how expensive it must have been.
Again, Josh's heart sank as he watched Kaya call out her first Pokemon; a Farfetch'd.
"Air Cutter!" Kaya called out.
"Pan, return!"
This time Josh's starter was not so lucky. The Farfetch'd flew up and brought its wings together in an X shape, sending a blast a wind that flew down towards Pan and hissed through the air. Pan recoiled in pain as he was flattened against the deck, and small splinters sprang up from all around him. Once he had recalled Pan, Josh sent out his Geodude. But no sooner had he given the order for Rock Throw that Kaya again beat him to the punch.
"Whirlwind!"
The Farfetch'd quickly landed and held its stick in its beak as it flapped its wings furiously, kicking up a flurry of wooden splinters that Josh had to shield his eyes from. After he brought his arms down, Josh saw to his horror that Pan was back on the field.
"Now, Air Cutter, again!" Kaya said.
"Pan, Sleep Powder!"
Pan planted his feet firmly and lifted his hind legs, aiming his bulb forward and shot out a green, hazy cloud of smoke that arced slowly through the air. Josh let out a sigh of relief as the cloud not only flew over the Air Cutter that Farfetch'd launched, but also landed right in the Flying-type's face. The Farfetch'd let out a strangled squawk before keeling over and landing on its face, asleep.
Kaya withdrew her Farfetch'd and stomped her foot, her hair bouncing as she did. But she soon grinned and tucked the loose hairs that had come out of place behind her ear and brought out her second Pokemon.
"Growlithe, let's go!"
Josh heard a familiar laugh from his right as the Fire-type appeared, and he stole a glance in the direction. Ryan Oak was standing on another battlefield by himself, arms crossed, watching him struggle. Even worse, Josh could see Ryan's name on the projector above him. He was waiting in the finals for the winner.
Josh scowled, but the sound of Kaya's voice brought his attention back to the battle.
"Growlithe, Ember!"
"Pan, return; come back out, Hephaestus!"
The Rock-type hardly flinched as the fire splashed against its face.
"Hephaestus, Rollout!"
"Use Iron Tail!"
Josh watched as his Geodude tucked his arms into his body and started to roll, first to the right, and then made a wide circle, building up speed, and barreled towards the Fire-type. But the Growlithe's tail was glowing with shiny silver light, and it charged forward, jumped, and spun in the air, smashing its tail directly into Hephaestus and sending it flying back. Josh had to jump out of the way, and even some of the crowd recoiled as the Rock-type rolled backwards and finally slammed into the side of the ship. Its jaw was agape and its eyes staring up into the sky.
"Hephaestus, get up! Use Magnitude!"
"Now, Roar!"
Hephaestus shook his head and regained his focus, then swung his arms forward to right himself. But the Fire-type stepped forward and howled. Josh could barely believe such a small Pokemon could make so much noise that he had to plug his ears, but this time he could watch as his Geodude dissolved into a red light and receded back into his Poke Ball. Then Josh saw as Pan's Poke Ball — still attached to Josh's belt — opened and spat out the Grass-type.
Kaya clapped her hands in delight, "Now use Ember!"
"Dodge it, Pan!"
Pan yelped and dove to the side just in time, the fire landing on the deck just where he had been standing. Pan looked back and Josh could see its eyes widen at the fire that was now spreading on the deck. "Don't let it scare you, Pan!" Josh blurted out, "Type isn't everything, you can do this!"
Pan looked at Josh, then back to the fire, but his brow furrowed and nodded at Josh. "That's it," Josh said, "now, use Razor Leaf!"
"Ember!"
Pan sent two curved leaves at the Growlithe, one of which was promptly burnt to a crisp as soon as the Ember hit it, but the other leaf found its mark and slashed the Fire-type across the face.
"Quick, use Take Down!"
"Again, Ember!"
Growlithe's mouth welled up with fire, but Pan charged forward and threw its whole body into the Growlithe, knocking it over and sending them both tumbling into the ground. The Growlithe coughed and spat its fire uselessly to the side.
"Now, use Vine Whip, keep it down, Pan!"
The Growlithe struggled to get to its feet, but Pan sent four vines out of his bulb, grabbing the Fire-type's legs and one wrapping around its snout, holding its mouth closed. Once Pan had the Fire-type firmly in his grip, he began to lash its side with the vines — until the Growlithe dissolved into red light and returned to the Poke Ball Kaya held out in her hand.
"My daddy gave me this Pokemon, and I don't want to watch him faint," she said, "I surrender."
The crowd cheered, Pan jumped with excitement, and Josh ran to his Pokemon and knelt down to hug him.
"You see? It doesn't matter how many Fire-types we get, you can beat them," he said.
Pan nuzzled into Josh's chest, and Josh smiled down at him. Their celebration was cut short when Josh heard a voice come over the speakers and the crowd begin to hush. He looked to the projector screen, and saw a man in a suit standing with Ryan Oak to his side, and another man in military fatigues.
"That was a great match, and it looks like we have two fierce competitors ready for the finals!" the man said, "As always, I am your host and tournament organizer, the Chairman of the Kanto Pokemon Fan Club, and I have decided that these two young Trainers deserve more than just a simple two-on-two battle, what do you think?" The crowd cheered, and Ryan gave Josh a knowing look. "I thought you'd like that! So let's make this interesting — a three-on-three battle! But, a bigger battle calls for a bigger prize, don't you think? Simple money won't do — no, no. So, I have consulted with our very own Vermilion City Gym Leader, and he has decided that he is ready to award the winner of this battle their third Badge, on the spot!"
The crowd cheered even harder, and the man standing next to the Chairman reached into his pocket and held out a Badge, the same one that Kouta had shown Josh on Route 6, a yellow sun with an orange core. Josh watched as Ryan's eyes followed the Badge as the man held it up and showed it to the crowd, then put it back in his pocket.
"Can you believe these two have just two Badges each?" the Chairman said, "and they've been training for just two months! These boys are the stuff Champions are made of, ladies and gentlemen, now let's get ready for a great match!"
#
Ryan was waiting for Josh, already standing at his end of the battlefield, Poke Ball in hand. Josh had checked the Pokedex while he waited for his team to be healed in the machine; there were 38 Pokemon recorded in it, and only nine of those were his own. How many were Ryan's? Wait a second, Josh thought, Ash said she had caught more Pokemon than both of us. So Ryan can't have that many to choose from. I know he doesn't have a Nidoking, at least.
Josh logged out of the PC, grabbed his Poke Balls, and re-attached them to his belt. Being limited to picking just three Pokemon, Josh had agonized over his choices. Josh began walking back to the battlefield. Somehow, the ship deck felt longer than the last time he'd been on it. Josh took each step with caution, as though the deck would give out from under him at any moment. The crowd was unusually silent.
Finally, Josh took his place at his end of the battlefield. He looked around. The sun was close to setting, there was a burning shimmer on the surface of the water. The clouds were an incredible canvas of pinks, yellows, and reds. Everything on the deck seemed to be bathed in an orange glow. The projector screen now only listed Josh and Ryan's names, and the final blank area for the winner along with a crown above it. He could see the Chairman and Lt. Surge standing to the side. The Chairman was standing next to a pedestal with the trophy, Surge stood with his hands behind his back.
"Three-on-three, double-blind, free substitutions," Surge shouted, like a drill sergeant. "The winner gets a Thunder Badge. Is that understood? Begin!"
Surge had hardly waited for them to respond, but both boys jumped into action when Surge said the word.
"Let's go, Apollo!"
"Eevee, I choose you!"
The two Pokemon came forward and faced each other. Eevee regarded the Psychic-type warily, pacing from side to side. But the Kadabra only watched Eevee in silence.
"Eevee, Bite!"
"Kinesis!"
Eevee ran forward, bearing its teeth, but the Kadabra didn't move. Instead, he held out his spoon in his hand. Josh watched as the spoon twitched, and then bent forward; the very air around the Kadabra seemed to shift and blur, as though Josh were looking through a rainy windshield. Eevee jumped and sunk his teeth into the wooden deck, several feet to the right of the Kadabra. Eevee lifted his head and spat out a mouthful of wood chips, confused.
"Now, use Disable!"
Kadabra's eyes flashed with pink light, and Josh knew better than to try another Bite after his experiences in Cerulean.
"Eevee, return!" Josh said. "Come out, Amphitrite!"
"Apollo, Psybeam!"
Josh's Golduck emerged from her Poke Ball, but she was immediately struck by the Psychic-type attack. Kadaba held its bent spoon forward again, which abruptly righted itself and launched a cone-shaped beam at Amphitrite. The beam was a brilliant kaleidescope of blues, yellows, purples, and greens; each color shimmering and mixing with the others so quickly that it was almost dizzying to watch.
Amphitrite covered her face with her arms and gave a strangled quack in pain.
"Amphitrite, Water Pulse!" Josh said.
"Charge Beam!"
Amphitrite lifted her hands and gathered up a glowing blue bubble of water above her head, but Josh watched in horror as electricity crackled from the Kadabra's spoons. A beam of yellow light shot out from the spoon and struck Josh's Golduck, who fell to her knees and face-planted onto the deck with an ungraceful thump.
Josh was stunned. That Golduck had taken three of his own Pokemon to subdue. And Ryan had beaten it with two moves. But then, an even worse thought came to Josh's mind.
Oh, crap, crap, crap! I just lost my Charmeleon counter!
"Amphitrite, return," Josh said, he thought for a moment as he felt the sweat form on the back of his neck, "… Eevee, come back!"
"Apollo, Psybeam!"
"Quick Attack!"
Eevee rushed forward and struck the Psychic-type in the center of its face, sending it rearing back in pain. Josh wasted no time, and immediately gave the order for Eevee to attack with Bite. Josh threw his hands in the air and cheered as he watched Apollo's eyes roll to the back of his head and proceed to fall over, defeated.
Josh's celebration was cut short when Ryan quickly withdrew his defeated Kadabra and sent out his next Pokemon.
"Go, Neptune!"
Josh stifled his cheer mid-jump and landed, almost confused, as he watched Ryan's Tentacool emerge. It was unevolved, for one thing. It also looked rather out of place on the deck of the ship, simply lying there with its two tentacles outstretched and its small gelatinous body slightly sagging to one side.
"Use Acid!"
The Tentacool planted its two tentacles firmly on the deck and lifted itself up, its bulbous head shifting and sagging backwards as it did. Before Josh could warn Eevee, the Tentacool sprayed a stream of purple gunk right into the Nomral-type's face. Josh's eyes teared up — it smelled like vinegar, the stench was so strong that it felt as though he couldn't breathe for a moment.
"Eevee, Quick Attack!" Josh gasped in between coughs.
Eevee shook himself from head to toe, his fur shaking off the most of the Acid and giving everyone, including the audience, a fresh dose of the smell. But Eevee did not hesitate as soon as he was done — he charged forward and slammed into the Tentacool, sending it flying back and tumbling across the deck.
"Neptune, Supersonic!"
Neptune threw his tentacles up and forward, forcing his body back upright. Suddenly, an ear-piercing shriek drowned out all the noise from the crowd and Josh had to press his hands against his ears. He could see Eevee also tense up and shut his eyes in pain.
"Eevee, again, Quick Attack!"
"Wrap!"
Eevee charged forward, this time each step seemed to send him in a zig-zag, but Eevee quickly shook his head and then lunged forward, hitting Neptune again. But the Water-type reacted quickly, immediately latching onto Eevee's face and front leg with each tentacle, and pulled it closer. Both Pokemon tumbled together, and the crowd crept closer to watch.
"Eevee, Bite!"
"Use Bubble Beam!"
Neptune kept his grip on Eevee while he aimed his mouth directly into the Normal-type, and spat a stream of bubbles that collided violently into Eevee's body. But Eevee growled and shook its head free from the tentacle that was grasping him and bit down on Neptune's body, forcing its mouth off target and ending the Bubble Beam. Neptune let out a strangled gurgle of noise before both his tentacles went limp.
Ryan withdrew his defeated Tentacool and took his last Poke Ball from his belt. Josh bolted upright. He's down to his last one! I'm about to win!
"All right, Vulcan," Ryan said, without a hint of concern in his voice, "time to close this out."
The sun had nearly set, and the orange glow that had bathed the ship's deck was now the deep blue of dusk. But that changed once Vulcan appeared. The flame on his tail burned bright and illuminated the deck, and Vulcan's own shadow danced wildly in front of him, stretching across the deck and making him seem like a giant. Eevee took an involuntary step back.
"Dragon Rage, Vulcan!"
Vulcan inhaled and his mouth welled up with fire, but this fire was nothing like anything Josh had seen before. It was blue, but somehow eerily distinct from the blue of the sky and shined even brighter than the fire on Vulcan's tail. Vulcan spat out the blue flame, it flew across the battlefield and splashed across Eevee's face, sending him stumbling backwards and tripping over his own feet. The crowd gasped.
"Eevee! Are you okay?" Josh said.
Eevee's body sat motionless on the deck. Only then did Josh realize — now he was down to his last Pokemon, and he could see from the look on Ryan's face that they both knew how this particular match-up would end. But Josh thought of Kaya. Her Growlithe was a good Pokemon, an expensive gift from her dad, and Pan had won.
"I know you can do this, Pan, let's go!"
Pan took no notice of anything but Vulcan as he emerged. The two Pokemon locked eyes, and the crowd backed up a few paces as the flame Vulcan's tail suddenly brightened and Pan's leaves began to rustle incessantly.
"Vulcan, Ember!"
"Dodge it, and use Razor Leaf!"
Pan lunged to the side just in time to avoid the flame that Vulcan spat out, and immediately launched two razor-sharp leaves flying at Vulcan. But the Fire-type ducked, and the two leaves just barely sailed over his head.
"Smokescreen!"
Vulcan opened his mouth, but this time a cloud of black smoke emerged, quickly engulfing the Fire-type — blocking out the light from his own tail — and covering Ryan's side of the field. Pan looked back to his Trainer.
"Use Vine Whip, aim wide and low, Pan, find him!"
Pan nodded and turned back. He launched a vine and plunged it into the black cloud, then swung it back and forth in a wide arc. But Josh could see that the vine hadn't hit anything. Suddenly, he heard Ryan's voice shout something. Vulcan appeared from the top of the cloud, mid-jump, and spat out an Ember that hit Pan in the face.
"Stay close, Vulcan," Ryan said, as he ran through the cloud himself, right behind his Pokemon, "use Scratch!"
"Pan! Sleep Powder!"
Pan howled in pain but planted his feet and aimed his bulb forward — but Vulcan was too quick, he closed the distance between them and slashed Pan across the face with his claw. The force of the attack threw Pan's whole body on his side, and the Sleep Powder puffed out uselessly onto the deck.
"Now finish 'em off, Ember!"
"Pan, use Razor Leaf!"
Pan rolled onto his side, but it was too late. Vulcan moved on top of the Grass-type and planted his feet on his side, keeping him in place. Then he launched another Ember into Pan's face. Josh watched Pan's eyes roll into the back of his head and go limp.
The crowd cheered and Ryan took a grand stage bow. Even Vulcan followed his Trainer's example, and the crowd cheered even harder as the Fire-type bowed and then blew a fireball into the air in triumph. The Chairman stepped forward, congratulated him, and handed him the trophy. Then, Lt. Surge gave Ryan a firm handshake and handed him the Thunder Badge.
Josh barely saw most of this through the crowd that immediately gathered around Ryan. No one so much as spared a glance in Josh's direction. Josh recalled Pan, then turned around, walked to the edge of the ship, and looked out at the now pitch-black horizon. He tried to ignore the projector, but from the corner of his eye he recognized Ryan's name as it appeared in big, bold letters at the top of the bracket.
Josh put his hands on the railing of the ship, but didn't even know what he intended to do there. Scream? Cry? Throw his Badges into the sea? Misty had told him. Two Badges is hardly an achievement. Ryan was still better than him. Ash was still better than him. She had beaten Team Rocket with zero Badges and gotten herself a fully evolved Pokemon as if it were nothing. Josh wasn't the stuff Champions are made of, he was barely Trainer material.
"Hey, kid."
Josh turned around. Lt. Surge was standing there. Up close, Josh felt even smaller. He had to crane his neck to look him in the eye, and he almost felt like he was back in school. Josh glanced around, the crowd was still mostly gathered around Ryan, but some had started to peel off. It seemed none of them wanted to interrupt.
"Hey," Josh mumbled.
"Tough battle," Surge said, "I assume that wasn't the first time you two have faced each other."
"It's not," Josh said, "we grew up together. We just started as Trainers together."
Surge nodded, but said nothing. His face was impassive. "My brother's a Trainer, too," Josh said, not wanting to talk but somehow feeling that the silence was worse, "he started training three years ago, he—"
"I know," Surge said. "Jake Dale. I recognized your name."
Josh looked down.
"Oh."
They stood there in silence. Josh wanted nothing more than to walk away, but for some reason he felt like he needed to be excused.
"I remember when your brother challenged me, that was a while ago," Surge finally said, "Last I heard, he still had to get the Marsh Badge."
"Yeah," Josh said.
"Do you know how many times he's challenged Sabrina?" Josh looked up. Surge was still looking at him. Suddenly, he didn't feel like he was in school anymore. This was much worse.
"Uh, no?"
"Four times," Surge said.
Josh wasn't surprised. At a certain point, not too long before the Professor had called him offering him a chance at his own Trainer journey, Jake had stopped calling. He seemed less excited to talk about Pokemon, about battling, about his own journey. Josh used to stay up all night by the phone, talking to his hotshot big brother. His brother the Trainer. His brother the Ace Trainer — that's what they're called, Jake had explained.
"When you get five Badges, it's official," he had said over the phone. Josh could feel the grin on Jake's face over the phone. It was deserved, that was the coolest thing he had ever said. "You're an ace. An Ace Trainer has five Badges. That's the big checkpoint, you know? That's how you know who's the real deal."
The real deal. The stuff Champions are made of. That was it, right? If you get five, surely you'll get eight. Surely you'll make it to Victory Road. Surely you'll make it to the Indigo Plateau… right? But not long after that, Jake had stopped calling. And he had stopped answering when Josh called him.
"Yeah, Sabrina tends to do that," Surge continued, startling Josh from his memories. Surge walked past Josh and looked out across the horizon. Like a general surveying a battlement. "Every Trainer has to learn the hard way. That's why we're here. Gym Leaders need to teach, and the best way to learn is through hard lessons. Sooner or later, in everyone's career, there comes a time when it's not all fun and games anymore."
Josh felt a pit in his stomach. He felt seasick, but he knew it wasn't from the ship. Surge wasn't looking at him, but he still felt like there was a giant finger pointing down at him. He could feel the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
"For your brother, it's Sabrina. For your buddy Ryan Oak's grandpa, it was Agatha. I remember watching those matches when I was your age. Every one of us hits a wall, a wall that won't go down, no matter what," Surge said.
"Why are you telling me this?" Josh said, not bothering to wipe away his tears.
"I told you, we're here to teach," Surge said, finally turning back to face him, "That wall is never going to change, you understand? That kid is never going to slow down. Which means you need to take a hard look at yourself and ask if you're really cut out for this. Are you man enough to change yourself so you can get through that wall, or are you just gonna quit? You've gotta decide, kid. Either push yourself harder than you thought was possible, or give up. It's that simple."
Josh stood there, silently sobbing, but Surge let the silence linger again.
"I'll be at my Gym tomorrow at oh-700 hours," Surge finally said, "if I see you there, I'll know your answer."
Josh said nothing, and could not meet Surge's eyes again. Surge took one final moment, then walked away, his hands still clasped behind his back.