Josh had hardly left the Fuchsia Gym before he caught sight of a familiar pair of colors: dark red hair and bright blue headphones. The woman who had been complaining about the Snorlax was walking down the sidewalk toward him. Her headphones were on and her eyes were glued to her phone. She didn't glance at Josh until she caught sight of the small puddle that was around his feet — he was still dripping wet from the two Surf attacks he had taken inside the Gym. The woman stopped and looked up from her phone, locking eyes with Josh. Then, she removed her headphones.
"You again," she said.
"Hey," Josh said meekly.
The woman glanced at the Gym, and then to Josh.
"I guess I don't need to ask how it went," she said.
Josh said nothing. Only now, after leaving the Gym, did he notice that there was some black soot and purple ooze clinging to his wet clothes as well. The poison had lost its sting, but it still smelled awful. The woman nodded to herself and then walked past Josh. Josh listened to her receding footsteps for a moment before they stopped.
"Kid."
Josh looked up. The woman was looking at him again.
"Come on," she said, as deadpan as ever. "You can't go back to the Poke Center looking like that."
#
The woman led Josh around the back of her shop and to the leaky hose that was wrapped in a spool attached to the wall. Josh pulled the hose out and turned the faucet. The water was lukewarm, but it was clean. Like the last time, Josh turned sheepishly to ask for some privacy, but the woman was already gone.
The back of the shop had a fence around it, so it was reasonably private. Josh stripped down to his underwear and hosed himself down, the soot and sludge slowly sloughing off of him. Josh brought the hose to his face and let the water spray his hair while he ran his other hand through it. Then, Josh hung his clothes on an unused clothesline and sprayed them down. It would take them forever to dry at night, but he'd rather spend a few hours waiting than walk into the Poke Center and let all the other Trainers there judge him any sooner than he had to.
Just as Josh was closing the faucet to finish up, the woman appeared with a pair of towels. Josh turned bright red and tried to cover himself with his hands as much as he could, but the woman didn't even spare him a glance.
She stared at the sky while Josh dried himself. Then, he wrapped one towel around his waist and threw the other one over his shoulders.
At least the nights here are warm, Josh thought to himself, summers in Fuchsia are just like the ones in Pallet Town, I guess.
Josh's thoughts were interrupted by a can of Coke held out to him. He turned to see the woman, holding a beer in one hand and the Coke in the other. Josh took the Coke, and the two of them opened their cans simultaneously.
Seriously, how does she open those with one hand?
"So what were you doing in the city?" he asked, not knowing what else to talk about.
"I was invited on a group date, of sorts," she said. "But it was a drag. I was only there to even the numbers, so I left."
"'Even the numbers'?"
"Between the girls and the —" she began, but then shook her head. "Not important. You'll understand when you're older."
Josh shrugged. He had heard that about a thousand times from his parents. At 13, he still didn't have a clue what any of them were talking about. Josh sipped his Coke in silence while the woman looked him up and down.
"Where are you from, kid?" she said.
"My name's Josh."
That came out with a little more bite in his voice than Josh had intended, but the woman gave the slightest nod.
"Tsubaki," she responded. "So where are you from, Josh?"
"Pallet Town."
"Where's that?"
"South of Viridian City."
"Seriously? And your parents are okay with you doing stuff like this?"
"Not really," Josh said. "My mom wants me to be a doctor."
Tsubaki let out a snort. "Yeah, so did mine."
"Why aren't you?"
Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at Josh. Normally, Josh wouldn't ask questions like that. But his latest loss was still an open sore inside his memory, and he frankly couldn't have cared less what happened to him for the rest of the night. Tsubaki took another swig of beer before she answered.
"My dad was a construction worker. He got injured on the job, and workers' comp wasn't exactly generous, so I had to help out here."
"That sucks," Josh said. "Is your dad okay?"
"Yeah," Tsubaki said, "he's still ticking."
Josh nodded as he took another sip. He looked at Tsubaki. Up close, with nothing else going on, Josh realized she looked nothing like Avery, or Ash — or any girl he'd ever met, really. She was tall but stick-thin. Her face was pretty, but her brown eyes were even harsher than Koga's. Her skin was tan, but Josh could see faint tan lines where less revealing shirts were usually worn. There was the curved edge of a tattoo poking out from under her right sleeve. Josh had the distinct feeling nothing he did or said would phase her.
"I think my parents only let me go out on a Trainer's journey so I would fail," Josh said suddenly. "That's how it goes for most Trainers. I think my mom thinks that if she lets me go, try it out, and lose enough times, that I'll come home eventually. That's basically what happened to my brother."
Tsubaki said nothing while she listened to him. Josh couldn't imagine why he was saying this to a stranger, but the words kept coming.
"I saw something from a community college in his room," Josh said, "a couple days ago when I visited home. He's applying to go back to school. He got seven Badges, but it's been over a year and he hasn't gotten the eighth… He used to be, like, the star of Pallet Town. I used to brag about him all the time. 'My brother, he's going to the Indigo Plateau. He's gonna be the Champion.'"
Josh took another sip of the Coke. Above them, the blinking lights of a plane silently crossed the sky.
"And there's this kid," Josh said, "he's my friend — he's a total jerk, but he's the best friend I've ever had. He always jokes that I would suck if I ever became a Trainer. He says I could never make it to the Indigo Plateau. Says I'm a loser. But nothing he's said ever felt that serious. It doesn't hurt as bad as my own parents still trying to push me, you know?"
Still, Tsubaki said nothing. But she nodded.
"I don't know," Josh said. "Maybe I won't make it. Maybe I'll hit a wall, just like my brother. But I have to try. Not because someone told me to, and not because someone told me not to. I want to be able to come home and say that I did something for me."
Josh brought the Coke to his lips to take another sip, but it was empty. He looked at his clothes. They were dry enough. Josh pulled his clothes off the line and slipped on the pants under the towel around his waist. He folded the towels and handed them to Tsubaki once he was finished. Then, he reached into his wallet and fished around for some money.
"Don't worry about it," Tsubaki said.
"Thanks, but I do need to buy something," Josh said. "I want a box of those Cokes. Also, do you have any horns?"
"Horns?" Tsubaki said, furrowing her brows.
"I need something that makes noise," Josh said. "The louder, the better."
#
The outer perimeter of the Safari Zone could be seen from far away, even at night. But Josh didn't want to risk being too close and disturbing the Pokemon inside. He just needed a place where he wouldn't be interrupted. The moon was big and bright in the sky, and Josh threw Dionysus's Ultra Ball high in the air, almost like he was trying to hit the moon itself.
The Ultra Ball snapped open, and Dionysus appeared, shaking every tree in the vicinity. Josh kept his legs firm even as the shockwave of Dionysus's landing made his bones ache. He glared at Dionysus with all the anger he could muster, but the Normal-type simply yawned and laid down on the ground.
By now, Josh had watched his Snorlax long enough to know when he was about to fall asleep. He could also recognize the tiny glances the Snorlax was making to make sure that Josh was watching as he fell asleep. This Snorlax didn't just ignore Josh's orders — he enjoyed Josh's anger.
Josh waited silently as Dionysus began to nod off. His eyes fluttered, and his chest began to rise and fall steadily. Then, Josh pulled an air horn out of his bag, walked up to Dionysus's ear, and blasted his ear with the horn.
The Dionysus jolted awake and growled angrily. Josh jumped back quickly and waited for Dionysus to remember where he was. The Normal-type looked down at Josh and frowned. Josh said nothing, and Dionysus huffed at him before laying back down. The Snorlax began to close his eyes and slowly nod off again — then Josh blasted him again with the air horn, held right next to his ear.
Again, Dionysus jolted awake and roared angrily. He glared at Josh, but Josh held his gaze. Once he was satisfied that Dionysus wasn't going to try to sleep again, he spoke.
"The last time I lost that badly, I stayed up all night training with my Pokemon," he said. "But only one of my Pokemon needs training — you."
The Snorlax growled and dug his claws into the ground next to him. His fur bristled. He was ready to fight.
"Try it," Josh said, "I already beat you once, I'll do it again. I don't care if I wake up the whole city doing it."
The Snorlax glared at Josh while he thought for a moment. Then, he opened his mouth, and a white cloud emerged. It slowly floated toward Josh, but he swiftly dodged it.
"Nice try," Josh said. Then, he pulled out a Coke from the 12-pack he bought at Tsubaki's store. He cracked it open and took a big swig. "Not gonna work."
He took another swig.
"My mom never lets me drink these," Josh said. "She always says 'sugar is bad for kids, and kids are bad for sleep.' Well, guess what? I'm gonna be bad for both of us."
Josh chugged the rest of the Coke, crushed the can, and threw it to the ground. Dionysus roared and charged at Josh. But Josh threw out Hermes's Poke Ball and hopped onto his Pidgeot's back, flying out of the Snorlax's reach and into a circling pattern above him.
"We're doing this the hard way," Josh called down to him, "You decide when it ends, Dionysus — and trust me: I'm way more stubborn than you."
With that, Josh threw down Ares's Poke Ball. Josh's Primeape emerged and immediately began to pepper Dionysus in the face with Karate Chops. The Dionysus slapped Ares away with a swing of his arm that sent the Primeape flying into the forest a ways away — but from his high vantage point, Josh could see the trees rustling and parting as the Fighting-type made his way back to the battle. Meanwhile, Dionysus was grabbing handfuls of rocks and throwing them at Josh, but Hermes swiftly dodged each rock.
"If you really want to hit me, you're going to have to learn actual Rock-type moves!" Josh called down. "You're just throwing stuff around, even my Geodude had better aim than that!"
Ares returned from the forest and sprinted at Dionysus, hooting and chanting loudly — but Dionysus swiftly turned around and Body Slammed him away. Ares was sent tumbling back across the battlefield. Then, Dionysus looked back up at Josh. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and jumped, the ground below him cratering into a massive hole from the force of Dionysus's legs. The Snorlax flew at Josh and his Pidgeot with terrifying speed, and Hermes was just barely able to veer off and dodge the Body Slam before it hit him.
But Josh lost his grip on Hermes in the process and tumbled off his Pidgeot's back. For a moment, he fell head over heels toward the ground, until he felt Hermes's beak grab him by the collar and break his fall at the last second. Josh landed hard on the ground and almost fell over, but he immediately broke into a run and called out Helios. He climbed onto his Arcanine's back and the Fire-type immediately dashed away from Dionysus, who had created another massive crater with his landing.
"Hermes, Brave Bird! Helios, Take Down!"
Josh hopped off Helios's back, and his Arcanine broke into a charge. Meanwhile, the sky above them gave a massive BOOM as Hermes initiated a dive, glowing with light blue energy, and slammed into Dionysus. The impact of Hermes's attack created a cloud of dust, but Josh didn't wait for it to clear before sending in his next Pokemon.
"Zeus, get in there, Double Kick!"
Zeus barked and dashed into the cloud. For a moment, Josh only heard the sounds of his Arcanine and Jolteon fighting the Snorlax inside the dust cloud. Finally, the dust cleared, and Josh saw his two Pokemon circling the Snorlax; taking turns attacking him while dodging before Dionysus could retaliate. Zeus jumped at kicked Dionysus in the face with his hind legs and sprang away just as quickly. Helios rammed his head into Dionysus's side, knocking the Normal-type over.
Josh was about to open his mouth to taunt Dionysus again, but the Normal-type rolled onto his feet and roared so loud that Josh could hear various wild Pokemon fleeing the area all around him. Dionysus brought down both his fists and slammed them into the ground, sending a shockwave in all directions so powerful that the ground cracked and began to vibrate like a trampoline. Zeus and Helios cried out in pain as the ground under them cracked into jagged edges and crushed them. The ground around Josh began to crack as well, but at the last second Hermes's claws grabbed Josh by his shoulders and lifted him into the air, the ground collapsing into a pit of uneven, jagged boulders where Josh had been standing a second ago.
As Hermes carried Josh higher into the sky, he saw the entire area around him had been flattened. Every tree had fallen over, and the ground looked like a bunch of shattered plates. His three Pokemon — Zeus, Helios, and Ares a little ways off — were all lying on the ground, defeated.
Holy crap, Josh thought, was that an Earthquake? Is that what it does?
Watching that move used at the Indigo Plateau on TV hadn't prepared Josh for what that move would feel like to see in person.
But most of all, Josh saw Dionysus watching him, glaring at him. He was still standing, defiantly.
"Put me down, Hermes," Josh said, "let's finish this."
Josh saw the ground rush toward him as Hermes lowered him to the ground. Once he was at a safe height, Josh tapped Hermes's claw on his shoulder, and Hermes released him. Josh landed hard on one knee but ignored the pain as he readied his last Poke Ball.
"Hermes, Brave Bird!" he yelled. Then, he tossed the Poke Ball, "Pan, Sleep Powder!"
Dionysus charged forward, but Hermes dive-bombed him with another Brave Bird before he had managed to take a step. Pan ran forward and shot a cloud of green mist where Dionysus had been standing, and Josh held his breath. The smoke and debris cleared, and Dionysus was lying facedown, asleep. Hermes was standing next to him, disheveled and bruised from the two Brave Birds, but he puffed up his chest in pride.
Josh breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good job, you guys," Josh said.
Pan jumped in excitement, and Hermes held his head high. Josh reached into his bag and pulled out a foot-long sandwich. He split it in half and gave them to his two Pokemon, while Dionysus lied unconscious on the ground. Josh rewarded himself with another Coke, savoring each sip. Once his Pokemon were finished eating, Josh stepped forward and blew the air horn right into Dionysus's ear.
The Snorlax groaned as he woke up, but was too battle-worn to even get up. He craned his neck up to look at Josh.
"I saw a ramen place downtown when we were leaving the gym," Josh said. "So, truce?"
The Snorlax let out an annoyed murmur.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Josh said, "no tomatoes, I got it."
#
Josh entered the Fuchsia Gym early in the morning, removed his shoes, put his bag away, and picked out the four Pokemon he was going to be using. Then, he approached the apprentices. They showed no surprise, or any emotion at all when Josh asked that he'd like to challenge the Gym again. Like before, an apprentice walked off to bring the Gym Leader, and Josh was left alone for a moment. He looked up, then he glanced around. The purple-haired girl he had battled before was nowhere to be seen.
Eventually, Koga appeared, walking briskly to meet Josh in the center of the battlefield.
"Hello again," he said.
"I want a rematch," Josh said.
"My apprentice isn't here today. I'll be your opponent."
Josh gulped, but then nodded.
"The same conditions will apply for this match," Koga said. "Four against four, double-blind opens, you have free substitutions, I have none. Understood?"
Josh nodded again. Koga swiftly turned around and walked to his end of the battlefield. The apprentices in the Gym formed a neat line of spectators on one side, and a referee took up the flags on the other side. Josh walked to his end of the battlefield while trying to keep his hands from shaking too much. He had really overdone it with the Cokes.
Josh turned on his heel once he reached his place, and watched the referee out of the corner of his eye. But he kept his main focus on Koga, standing on the other side of the battlefield, holding his first Poke Ball behind his back.
"Begin!" the referee shouted, bringing both flags down.
"Go, Hermes!"
"Go, Arbok!"
Koga's Arbok sprang out of his Poke Ball and landed on the ground, raising his head and spreading his massive hood, and making a high-pitched hiss. The two massive eye patterns in the Poison-type's hood made Josh jump, and even his Pidgeot gave a startled squawk. But Josh clenched his fists and shook his head at himself.
"Hermes, Brave Bird!"
"Arbok, Thunder Fang!"
Hermes flapped his wings to get airborne and sped across the battlefield, shining with bright blue energy as he did, but the Arbok's massive fangs glowed yellow with jolts of electricity jumping between them as he unhinged his jaw and opened his mouth wider than Josh thought would be possible.
Hermes flew into the Arbok's gaping mouth, knocking the Poison-type over and sending it to the ground. The Arbok let out an angry hiss and slithered after Hermes with surprising speed. The Arbok sprang into the air and sank his fangs into Hermes's wings, sending a shock of electricity that coursed through the Flying-type's body. The two Pokemon were locked together, landing back on the ground, and the Arbok quickly sank his fangs in deeper and began to wrap the rest of his body around Hermes.
"Fight through the pain, Hermes, Wing Attack!"
Hermes let out a strangled cry but quickly stomped on the Arbok's tail with one of his talons. The Arbok croaked and released Hermes's wing from his jaws, and Hermes immediately swung his entire body around to smack the Arbok across the face with his other wing. The Arbok's head was sent flying away, but Hermes's foot remained planted on the Arbok's tail, which caused the Poison-type's flight to stop mid-air and fall back to the ground. The Arbok's face landed with a resounding plop.
"Arbok is unable to battle!"
"Arbok, return. Go, Nidoking, Thunderbolt!"
Josh didn't have any time to celebrate. In a flash, Koga's defeated Pokemon disappeared and was replaced by a Nidoking that was even bigger and more muscular than Ash's. The Nidoking shook the battlefield as he landed, and the horn protruding from his forehead was already crackling with electricity.
"Hermes, return! Pan, Razor Leaf!"
The red beam to recall his Pidgeot came just in time, and Hermes disappeared a millisecond before the Thunderbolt reached him. Josh's Ivysaur took the Pidgeot's place, and he grunted in pain as the Electric-type attack stung him, but he slashed the Nidoking in the face with two crescent-shaped leaves in response.
"Nidoking, Ice Beam!"
"Pan, Take Down!"
Pan charged forward, but the Nidoking shot out a beam of icy-blue energy that hit the Grass-type in the face and forced him back. Pan tried to stay on his feet, but after a moment he was tumbling head over heels and sent flying back at Josh's feet. His mouth was gaping open, his eyes dazed, and his body was covered in thick frost.
"Ivysaur is unable to battle!"
I really need to evolve you, Josh thought as he withdrew his Starter Pokemon.
"Go, Hermes, Brave Bird!"
"Nidoking, Thunderbolt!"
The Nidoking's horn glowed yellow and gathered electricity — but Hermes was too fast, and he slammed into the Nidoking with his entire body. The Nidoking was thrown from his feet and sent flying, the two Pokemon tumbled across the ground together, but only the Nidoking was able to arduously bring himself back to his feet.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" the referee said, holding up the green flag.
Josh withdrew Hermes and held his Poke Ball close to his mouth. "I know you hate getting sacrificed," he whispered, "but you kept me in this fight."
Josh stowed Hermes's Poke Ball and then reached for his next one.
"Go, Helios, Take Down!"
"Earth Power!"
Josh's Arcanine broke into a run as soon as he touched the ground, and Koga's Nidoking was far too worn out to respond in time. Helios slammed into the Nidoking, and the big Poison-type was sent flying. Koga swiftly side-stepped his own Pokemon to avoid being hit, and the Nidoking landed with a crash behind him.
"Nidoking is unable to battle!" the referee said, holding up the red flag.
Helios shook his head and scampered back to Josh's side of the battlefield, his fur ruffled but he was none the worse for wear. Koga withdrew his Nidoking, and he stood as still as a statue for a moment as he regarded Josh from across the battlefield. Then, he threw out his next Poke Ball.
"Go, Muk!"
"Helios, Flamethrower!"
Koga's Muk had barely landed with a messy plop before it was immediately engulfed in flames. The entire Gym was illuminated with bright orange light as Helios ran forward and bathed the Poison-type with so much fire that Josh couldn't even see his opponent anymore. The flames crackled and danced across the battlefield, and Josh kept the referee at the edge of his vision — the referee didn't declare a knockout or raise a flag.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Helios caved in, and Josh's Arcanine tumbled into the hole that appeared below. Josh ran forward so he could see where his Pokemon had gone. The hole in the floor gave way to ground and rock beneath the Gym, and both Pokemon were locked in close quarters — Josh understood immediately what had happened.
Dig, Josh thought, Koga got his 'mon away out of the fire and closed the distance with one move.
"Helios, Crunch!"
"Poison Jab!"
Helios jumped and bit down onto the Muk with jaws that oozed black energy, but a glowing purple fist made out of ooze shot out from the Muk's side and punched Helios right on the nose. The two Pokemon traded blows, but it was obvious to Josh that Helios wouldn't win this fight. The Muk's gelatinous body made it hard for Helios to land a hit, and even when he managed to do so, the Muk easily slipped out of Helios's jaws.
"Helios, return!" Josh said. "Dionysus, Earthquake!"
"Muk, Acid Armor!"
Helios disappeared back into his Poke Ball, and Dionysus appeared high in the air right above the hole. The massive Normal-type fell into the hole and created a shockwave so strong it knocked Josh over.
Josh sprang to his feet and scrambled back to his side of the battlefield, and thankfully he heard the referee's voice:
"Muk is unable to battle!"
Josh returned to his end of the battlefield and turned around to see his Snorlax slowly climbing out of the hole. The floor creaked with his every movement, but he eventually clambered out of the hole and began to lounge on his side.
Koga recalled his Muk and then pulled out another Poke Ball — his last one.
"Go, Venomoth!"
Koga's Venomoth emerged and spread her massive wings, letting out a puff of fine pink mist in all directions. The Bug-type chittered noisily, and her massive, beady eyes locked onto Dionysus immediately. Dionysus gave a scoff and scratched himself behind his ear.
"Dionysus, Earthquake!"
"Protect!"
Dionysus lazily sat up for a moment, and then let his body fall back to the floor, creating another shockwave that shook the building and sent a wave of rocks and dirt towards the Venomoth. But the Venomoth wrapped her wings around her body and an orb of green energy surrounded her, shielding her from damage.
"Venomoth, Toxic!"
"Dionysus, Body Slam!"
The Venomoth unfurled her wings and spat out a massive cloud of purple smoke. With a single beat of her wings, the purple smoke flew forward and directly into Dionysus's face. Dionysus growled in annoyance, then charged forward. Once he was close enough, Dionysus threw himself forward — belly first — and slammed into the Venomoth. The Bug-type was sent tumbling to the ground, but quickly crawled away on her six legs and took flight again.
"Hit her again, Dionysus, Body Slam!"
"Signal Beam, aim for his eyes!"
Dionysus let out a nasty cough but charged forward again. The Venomoth kept her distance and shot out a pair of brilliant red and green energy beams. The beams coiled and twisted around each other like strands of DNA, and struck Dionysus in the face. Dionysus threw his weight forward, but he flew just past the Venomoth and crashed into the ground. Dionysus grunted loudly and then coughed again.
Just like Jake's Electabuzz, Josh remembered. This poison hurts more the longer the Pokemon tries to fight.
"Dionysus, return! Helios, come back out!"
Dionysus disappeared back into his Poke Ball, and Helios took his place, still panting from his scuffle with the Muk.
"Venomoth, Toxic!"
"Dodge it, Helios, and use Flamethrower!"
The Venomoth shot another poison cloud at Helios, but the Arcanine swiftly side-stepped it and sent a stream of fire at the Bug-type. This time, the Venomoth wasn't fast enough, and she was quickly engulfed in fire and fell to the ground. The Venomoth struggled to take flight again, but eventually she let out a strangled cry and fell limp.
"Venomoth is unable to battle!"
Koga withdrew his final Pokemon and strode briskly to meet Josh in the center of the battlefield. The apprentices watched in silence as Josh walked to meet him, but Josh was keenly aware that all of them were staring at him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed — as though he had just done something that wasn't supposed to be possible.
"Well done," Koga said, "I can't say that I've ever seen that much improvement in such a short time. You have earned this."
Koga handed Josh a bright pink heart-shaped Badge. Josh took it and stowed it in his case.
Six down.
"And I would like you to have this," Koga said.
Koga handed Josh a deep purple CD. "This contains the TM for Toxic, it is a secret technique developed by my family over 400 years ago. The damage the poison inflicts is unlike any other."
"Oh, I know," Josh said as he took the disc. "Thank you."
Koga put his hands together and gave a deep bow, which Josh returned. Josh turned around and began to leave the Gym. It wasn't until he had nearly reached the door that a framed photo on the wall caught his eye — a younger Koga, with the slightest hint of a smile forming at the corners of his mouth, and a little girl sitting on his shoulders. The girl was holding the TM for Toxic in her hand and waving it like a fan. She had deep purple hair and the same piercing eyes as Koga, although she seemed to be laughing.
Josh recognized her instantly.
That apprentice I fought the last time was Koga's daughter.