"Excuse me?!"
Kidd yelled as he saw another trainer stomp towards the group.
"Yeah!"
The other trainer hollered across the route, his voice booming like an Exploud. He was a brown and beige songbird with wide black eyes. He wore light green pullover with earbuds, and grey basketball shorts. He held his arm up so Wingull could fly down and perch on his hand.
The bird death glared at the group
"You heard me, pretty boy. Your friend here was trying to steal my Pokemon!"
"Hey, man, I didn't KNOW it was yours"
Tank tried to defend himself. He lifted his hooves up near his face
"Look, I'm sorry about your Wingull, but-"
The bird hollered loud enough for his Wingull to fly off of him
"I don't care how sorry you say you are! Don't go around stealing other trainer's Pokemon, you selfish jerk!"
He flashed a smug grin, placing a hand up to his chin
"You know I'm surprised you don't work for Cottage, they'd LOVE to have you on their side"
Tank wanted to stomp this guy in the balls
"How DARE you compare me to those guys!"
Benedict put himself between the two guys, blocking Tank from any danger.
"Will both of y'all cut it out already!" he screamed "Tank already said he was sorry! What more do y'all want from him?!"
The bird rolled his eyes
"Well I want-"
"Hey, there you are, Sparro!"
A familiar orange monkey hollered, happily waving to him.
"I got your text, is something wrong?"
"It's about time, Flip!" Sparro snapped. He sneered as he pointed at Tank
"This jerk here was trying to take my Wingull!"
"Wait a second. THIS guy?! A thief?"
Flip had a confused expression on his face before bursting into laughter. He shook his head in disbelief
"I don't believe it!"
"Oh so you're not even gonna take my side? Great"
Sparro rolled his eyes. He was already done with this day
"He threw a Pokeball at MY Wingull and he won't apologize for it!"
"I already said I was sorry!" Tank hollered at him.
"Why are you being so… so ungrateful?!"
"Yeah, Sparro. That's not the Tank I know" Flip tried to clear things up.
The Tank that I know is a nice guy. He's a great researcher, AND we even traded Pokemon today"
"...Yeah, so what?"
Sparro shook his head, refusing to believe what he was hearing.
"Just because he was nice enough to trade with you doesn't mean I have to think he's a good trainer!"
"Will all y'all cut it out already?!" Benedict snapped. He jabbed a finger against Sparro's chest
"Okay, you know what?! I have an idea on how to get all of y'all to stop arguin' over that Wingull.
We're battlin' right here, right now "
"WHAT?!"!
Everyone was confused from this sudden challenge. Typical Unovan behavior.
"Yeah, y'all heard me" Benedict explained as he pulled out one of his Poke Balls.
"Tank and me, versus both of y'all. If we win, Sparro's gotta apologize. An' if y'all win-"
"Are you kidding?!"
Kidd lashed out. There he goes AGAIN with his impulsiveness...
"Okay, first off, Benedict, your Pokemon are still fainted! You can't battle if they're fainted!"
"Oh, right!"
Benedict realized how dumb that plan was before he facepalmed and laughed
"Well, guys, I'll go to the Pokemon center first and-"
"Don't worry about it. I got a spare revive on me"
Flip reassured him as he pulled a yellow diamond out of his left pocket.
He handed the diamond to the rooster
"I can always buy more"
"Oh! Heh, wow, thanks so much, y'all!"
Benedict shook his hand after taking the diamond. He held the crystal up to one of his Poke Balls and watched as it slowly dissolved in his hand. Torchic released himself, chirping in joy.
"Glad y'all are okay"
Benedict said as he hugged his Pokemon. Torchic chirped again, nuzzling himself against his trainer's hoodie.
He looked back at the other trainers
"We're still battlin', right?"
"Of course!" Flip nodded. "I know just which Pokemon to use too!"
He held his Poke Ball up and released his Pokemon; a sleepy grey sloth who splayed out against the ground.
Sparro scoffed and turned his beak up
"Flip, it doesn't matter which Pokemon you're using. The one I have could wipe these two out like no tomorrow"
He pulled a blue Poke Ball out from his pockets.
"You wanna go already!"
Tank yelled before backing away and throwing one of his Poke Balls in the air.
"Poochyena, let's show them!"
Poochyena landed onto the ground and howled, his teeth sparkling under the daylight.
"Hmph"
Sparro grunted as he carelessly released his Pokemon into the air. A yellow cicada Pokemon hovered in the air. It had a large black stripe on its body, bright red eyes, sheer white wings and long grey claws that furiously swiped at the air.
Tank used his Rotom Dex to scan the new Pokemon
"Ninjask, the Ninja Pokemon. A bug and flying type. Because it darts about vigorously at high speed, it is very difficult to see. Hearing its distinctive cries for too long induces a headache. Rumors have it that every seventeen years, a horde of Ninjask swarm entire cities"
Kidd sat on a nearby rock, his legs crossed and hooves placed on his bag.
"Good luck, guys!" he cheered on his friends.
Mudkip jumped up and down, wagging her tail and standing on two legs.
"Mudkip, mud!"
Each trainer commanded their Pokemon.
"Slakoth, Scratch on Poochyena!"
"Ninjask, use Screech ALSO on Poochyena"
"Poochyena, Sand Attack on Slakoth!"
"Torchic, Ember on Ninjask's underside!"
Ninjask took a deep breath in and released a long painful screech. Its body vibrated as white sound waves blasted across the air.
Poochyena yipped and cowered as he tried to block the sound waves. His fur spiked up from the waves that exploded against his body. He kicked up the sand in front of its paws, flinging several handfuls of sand into Slakoth's face.
Slakoth dragged itself over and yawned as it tried to scratch its opponent, but failed as it clawed the air instead.
Torchic opened his beak and blasted two small flames at Ninjask's thin wings. While Ninjask was able to swat away most of the flames, a few sparks attached themselves to its wings.
Sparro frantically checked his pockets. Well this was just fantastic! There's not a single Burn Heal to be found. Hopefully he could just take advantage of his Pokemon's speed to decimate both these cocky trainers in battle. He flashed an arrogant grin
"Ninjask, Fury Cutter on Poochyena!"
Benedict punched the air
"Torchic, use Peck on Ninjask!"
Tank zipped up his jacket
"Poochyena, Fire Fang on Ninjask!"
Flip snapped his fingers
"Slakoth, Scratch again!"
But to Flip's dismay, Slakoth yawned and fell asleep on the battlefield.
"I knew I should've just stayed home today" Flip thought to himself.
Ninjask stayed silent as both its claws glowed light green. It pulled its left claw back and swiped to attack Poochyena.
Poochyena's fangs glowed burning red as he clamped down on Ninjask's claw. Ninjask hissed and shook Poochyena off its claw before slashing its claws like a pair of scythes. Poochyena tried to dodge the attack, but failed when the last swipe slashed across his chest. He flew backward and crash landed into his trainer's chest.
Tank ran forward and caught his Pokemon in his arms. Poochyena weakly groaned as he passed out in his trainer's arms.
"Hmph. Told you I'd win"
Sparro crossed his arms and turned his beak up.
"Hey!"
Tank yelled.
"I didn't say I was done YET!"
He safely returned Poochyena to its ball and grabbed another Poke Ball, releasing Treecko for battle.
"Tank, what are you doing?! Treecko's a Grass type, he's weak against Ninjask"
Benedict whispered to his battling partner.
"I know" Tank explained and winked. "BUT I have this idea, just follow my lead"
Benedict nodded in understanding then turned to face his Pokemon. Both trainers commanded their Pokemon
"Treecko! Use your tail to lift Torchic in the air!"
"Torchic! Use Ember, then Peck to break up the flames!"
The gecko Pokemon lowered himself so Torchic could climb onto the base of his tail. He flipped his tail up and catapulted Torchic through the air
"Torr…...CHIIIIIIIIIIC!"
The chick Pokemon cried out as he blasted a large flame at his opponent. Ninjask flinched as bright red sparks and flames engulfed its entire body, faint smoke flying up from its body. The ninja Pokemon thrashed its claws around, trying to fan the flames away with no avail.
"Great job, Torchic!"
Benedict cried out as Torchic relentlessly pecked Ninjask's head and claws.
"Wait Torchic, NO, that's enough!"
After the final peck, Torchic blasted even more flames at Ninjask. Ninjask tried to fan the flames away with its wings, but couldn't stop itself from the last flame blasting into its underbelly.
"Okay, Torchic, that's enough Ember!"
Benedict called out to his Pokemon.
Torchic leaped up and headbutted Ninjask between its eyes, slamming it down like a cannonball. Ninjask weakly buzzed as it crashed against the ground, completely exhausted from the combination of flames and pecking. A crater had formed underneath its body.
Sparro's eyes widened as he screamed
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE FREAKING KIDDING ME!"
"Tor, tor!"
Torchic cheered and turned his head up in pride. He cried out before his entire body glowed white.
The group gasped and watched as Torchic's body changed form. His body and head feathers grew taller while two limbs emerged from the upper half of his body. Long claws could be seen emerging from the growing arms. A longer tail popped out from his backside.
The white light dissolved into sparkles, revealing a new Pokemon to the trainers. The Pokemon was a yellow bipedal chicken with a large orange crest on its head, glowing orange eyes, a sharper beak, stronger legs and most important of all, arms.
"Commmmmm-BUSKEN!" he cried out as he shadow boxed the air.
Benedict grabbed his Rotom Phone and scanned his new Pokemon.
"Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokemon, and the evolved form of Torchic.
A fire and fighting type. Its kicking mastery lets loose ten kicks per second. It emits sharp cries to intimidate foes."
"Oh now this is awesome"
Benedict cheered to himself. Having a fighting type meant he was one step closer to getting that Stone Badge.
Sparro looked down as he returned Ninjask to its ball.
"...Give me a freakin' break."
He left for Rustboro without another word.
Flip returned Slakoth to its ball, then held his right hand out to both trainers
"Thanks for the good battle, guys!"
"It's no problem, dude!"
Tank shook his hand.
"Hey wait, you're not fighting back?"
"Not really"
Flip shrugged before laughing.
"I don't think Slakoth is too much of a battler"
"Now, wait one second" Kidd asked both of them as he hopped off the rock, Mudkip trailing behind him with a wide smile on her face.
"Why'd you two trade Pokemon in the first place?"
"Well, my girlfriend's coming here from another region, and"
Flip sighed as he put the ball back in his happi coat.
"It turns out she's allergic to the Makuhita line"
"Wait, you can be allergic to specific Pokemon?"
Benedict whispered to Kidd.
"Yep, and I caught two Slakoth by accident"
Tank grinned.
"So it's a win-win for both of us!"
"Where's she from?" Kidd asked the monkey.
He kneeled down to pick up Mudkip and carried her in his arms.
"Nimbasa City, if I remember right"
Flip checked his blue and white striped Rotom Phone for the map.
"Nimbasa, huh?" Benedict was intrigued.
"Hey, I'm from Castelia City!"
"Oh cool!"
Flip asked. "I've never been to Unova myself. What's Castelia like?"
"Pretty awesome!"
Benedict was flooded with good memories
"Really good Casteliacones, lotsa boats to travel on, plenty of cafes, the only thing that place was lackin' was a good ramen shop"
"Ramen, huh? Well, lucky enough, there's a great place here in Rustboro for it"
Flip pointed back at the city.
"Here, just follow me, guys"
The trio looked at each other and shrugged. Sure, what the heck, it's been hours since they ate anyways. The group walked back into city limits without any problems.
"And trust me. This is the best place in town!"
Flip happily skipped as he led the trio towards a small neighborhood, with colorful flowers on each windowsill and a red brick road. He led everyone to the house in the middle, opening the door with his tail.
The place was cozy compared to most buildings in Rustboro City. There were only three tables, all of which were filled up with customers enjoying their meals. Four bookshelves were propped up near the door, every shelf filled with countless volumes of tankobon.
Tank grabbed a copy from the closest bookshelf- the cover depicted a wolf and tanuki sitting on a city rooftop. He flipped through the book before setting it back on the shelf. The smell of salty broth and sizzling meat filled the air. The bar area was completely empty.
Flip grabbed the seat closest to the door and stretched as everyone else took their seats at the bar. Kidd grabbed a menu from the other end of the bar and looked up and down the small sheet of paper. Green tea, water, and ramune for drinks, easy enough. Gyoza looks and sounds good, but maybe for another day. Eight different kinds of ramen?!
A strange looking bull stood behind the counter, his blueish-gray fur standing out against the brown walls. He wore a bright blue hanten jacket with a matching blue hat. His deep voice bellowed from behind the bar
"So what'll it be today?"
"Green tea and one bowl of tonkotsu ramen!"
"Same as him"
"Also the same but ramune instead of green tea"
"I'll just get water as my drink, thanks. Oh, and also tonkotsu ramen"
"Aight"
The bovine hollered to the kitchen.
"HEY! FOUR ORDERS OF TONKOTSU!"
While the chefs were busy in the kitchen preparing dinner….
"Hey, I forgot to ask earlier, but where are you two from?"
Flip asked the other animals.
"I'm from Fortree City!"
Tank explained
"Although, my mom and I moved to Littleroot a few weeks ago after the Team Cottage incident"
"I think I heard about that"
Flip remembered what he had read in the news- a domestic attack by Cottage left the city with several missing Kecleon, one resident dead, three others injured, one having to be hospitalized.
"And I'm from Lumiose City" Kidd said before popping open a blue ramune bottle.
He sipped from the glass before coming up with a convincing lie
"I moved here for the contest scene"
"Contest scene, huh?" Flip sipped from his glass of water. "Not really my thing, but I know a lot of trainers usually go to Slateport for that stuff. In fact-"
The monkey got interrupted by some loud whistling. The bull behind the bar placed four large green bowls in front of his customers. Each bowl was filled with thick white broth and long thin noodles. The noodles were topped with two slices of Spoink loins, chopped green onions, two sheets of nori, pickled ginger slices and half of a soft boiled Chansey egg.
The guys grabbed their chopsticks and dug into their feast.
Kidd picked up a small amount of noodles with his chopsticks and slowly sipped at the small portion. Benedict loudly slurped from his bowl, not even bothering to pick up the chopsticks.
Tank used his chopsticks to eat the ginger and nori first while Flip went for the Spoink slices and Chansey egg.
As the guys ate their dinner, a bell rang above the door. A brown hamster walked in and looked around the small restaurant- no seats available again?!
Benedict turned around to look at the other animal. He still had a beak full of broth, stringy noodles dangling from his chopsticks.
"Hey, aren't you the guy I battled earlier?"
The hamster asked him.
Benedict swallowed and wiped some broth off his face.
"Yep, sure am. Hey I didn't know y'all came here too!"
"I mean, this is only the best place in town,"
the small rodent said. "Oh, T-Bone, I'm here for my pickup"
"Right here, Clay"
The bull reached behind the counter and grabbed a heavy plastic bag.
He had one hoof on the bottom and the other holding the handles.
Clay squeezed his way through the seats and effortlessly picked up the large bag.
"Thank you!"
He squeaked out before he headed to the door and left in a hurry.
The group went back to finishing their meal.
"Huh, didn't know Clay worked at the gym now"
Flip broke the awkward silence.
"Y'all know 'im?" Benedict asked before eating the Spoink slices in one bite each. He finished up the ginger slices next, leaving behind only the Chansey egg.
"Yeah, I went to school with him, Sparro and Coco" the monkey explained to the group. "I'm not really one for gym stuff myself, but I respect anyone who works there."
"Hey, are you gonna eat that?" Tank whispered as he pointed at the egg left in Benedict's bowl. The bird shook his head and held the bowl up to his friend.
"Thanks!"
Tank snatched up the egg and ate it in one bite.
"So, I assume you're taking on the gym challenge?"
Flip asked the bird
"Yep!"
Benedict nodded in confirmation
"I battled Clay earlier today, but I lost pretty bad to the other trainer inside. An' I was 'bout to head over and rebattle him before the sun sets"
"Well if I were you I'd get going then"
Flip pointed with his thumb at the door.
"I'll see y'all later then!"
Benedict waved as he walked to the door.
"Good luck!" Tank called out as his friend left the restaurant.
"I hope I don't screw this up again"
Benedict thought to himself as he walked down one of the streets. He felt his heart race underneath his chest.
"Maybe a Pokemon Center visit is what I need first"
He walked into the Pokemon Center and headed towards the counter. He handed both Poke Balls over to Nurse Shizue, noticing that she wore a blue and purple gemstone barrette on her left ear. Did every Nurse Shizue have some sort of identifier, he thought. The hairclip was pretty cute, maybe cute enough to get for Ralts to wear...
"All done!"
Nurse Shizue smiled as she handed the balls back to their trainer.
"Hope to see you again!~"
He put the Pokeballs away in his pockets and headed outside to walk up the Rustboro streets. The street lamps gradually turned on as clouds filled the skies.
Benedict walked inside of the gym. He looked around the area- the lights were still on, but nobody else was in sight. None of the exhibits were messed around with since he was last there...
"Here for a rematch, huh?"
The elephant's voice boomed through the entire building.
Benedict turned around to face his opponent.
The elephant in front of him calmly tossed a poke ball up and down. His face was flat and unnerving.
"No, I'm here to check out the fossils"
Benedict snarked, untying his hair and putting his hair tie on his wrist
"Where's everyone else at? Not ready to see you lose yet?"
"They're on break for the rest of the hour. But I'm not really a 'taking a break' guy, so"
The elephant sat down on a squeaky brown chair on the other side of the gym.
"You ready to lose again?"
"I don't know," Benedict raised an eyebrow and snapped back.
"Are you ready to lose?"
Both trainers glared at each other before releasing their Pokemon for battle. Geodude pumped a fist into the air while Combusken positioned himself like a Hitmonlee, neatly balancing on one leg.
The elephant stood back up and shouted
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!"
Benedict stepped backwards
"Combusken, counter it with Double Kick!"
Geodude summoned a small rock between its palms and chucked it across the gym. Combusken leaped up and kicked the rock with his left leg, smashing it into pieces. Before Geodude could even react, Combusken dived down and kicked Geodude in the face.
"You've gotten a little bit better"
the elephant snorted in amusement.
"Geodude, Defense Curl and Rollout!"
"Combusken!" Benedict shouted. "Ember!'
Geodude curled itself into a tight ball before rolling across the gym like a bowling ball. Combusken took a deep breath in and shot small embers from his beak, forcing Geodude to pause in the middle of its tracks.
"Geodude! Rollout!"
Geodude looked around in its spot, trying to figure out if it should jump over the embers or roll through them anyways.
Benedict had an idea
"Double Kick"
"Com-BUSKEN!"
Combusken cried out as he hopped over the flames and kicked Geodude twice, catapulting his opponent through the air like a soccer player about to win a big match.
Geodude flung backwards, crashing into one of the walls.
"Geo..." it groaned as it rolled down the wall, completely exhausted from the
Combusken chirped and whistled as he jumped up and down to celebrate his victory.
He happily ran back to his trainer, holding one of his arms out for a high five.
"That was awesome, Combusken!"
Benedict high fived his Pokemon.
"Wow…."
The elephant gasped as he kneeled down to his Pokemon. He returned his Pokemon to its ball.
"Take a good rest."
"Well, congrats on winning"
The elephant towered over Benedict. He held his hoof out for a handshake.
The two animals shook hands underneath one of the lamps.
"Thanks" Benedict nodded. His throat tightened as he looked away in embarrassment
"Sorry 'bout storming off earlier"
"It's fine!" The elephant brushed it off.
"Hey if it makes you feel any better, you're not THE most immature trainer I ever deal with. Heck, I've had my share of trainers just straight up punching me or cussing me out. Those types usually don't win Gym Badges anyways"
Both trainers had a good laugh afterwards. The gym's door swung wide open, making both animals turn around.
A beige rabbit stood in the doorway. She wore a white collared blouse with short sleeves, an olive green pinafore with gyroid patterns trailing the hem, a green and yellow scarf under her collar, short white socks with a green stripe, and black penny loafers. Her hair was cut into short waves, framing her round face.
In one hand, she carried a pile of textbooks. In the other hand, she clutched the strap of her brown leather messenger bag.
"Oh, greetings Tucker"
The rabbit let go of her bag and waved.
"Clay and I went out for some milk tea at Crazy's. Are you still working yourself like a madman?"
"I don't know, Coco" Tucker snorted as he picked up a brown gingham duffel bag and threw it over his shoulders
"Are you STILL studying like the schoolgirl you are?"
"Tucker!"
Coco gasped, gently placing her books down on the closest table. She stomped towards him, jabbing a finger into his chest
"I'll have you know that I can't just go around traveling to other regions like Apollo with his daddy's business and his precious silver Metagross! I get what I get with my education, unlike SOME animals. The trainer school's gone to hell, my replacement's a petty jerk, and I'm two cups of espresso away from a heart attack! For Arceus' sake I haven't had a good battle in days!"
She stopped to take a deep breath in
"BUT aside from that, Tucker, I'm doing quite fine. Now, tell me. Who's the trainer?"
"Oh, me?"
Benedict waved to her
"I'm Benedict Sussex! I'm doin' the gym challenge an' I was told y'all was the gym leader. So, ya wanna battle already?"
"...Well, yes, I am Rustboro's gym leader"
After her lashing out, Coco's demeanor was now cool as a cucumber.
"And I'd be honored to accept your challenge" she placed a hand on her chest, then pointed at the door. "But, to make things more interesting, I'd prefer to hold this match outside"
"Hey, it's y'alls gym, y'alls rules"
Benedict shrugged and followed Coco and Tucker outside. The door automatically closed and locked itself.
The sky slowly turned a vivid shade of orange as they walked down the streets. While Coco looked for the perfect spot, several Rustboro residents huddled around and whispered to each other.
"Is that-? No, it can't be Coco, she doesn't have a single book on her"
"It is her. I swear you're blind as a Zubat. But who's that guy walking with her?"
"The elephant?"
"No, not the elephant, you idiot. The bird!"
"A new boyfriend, maybe?"
"No way. I don't think Coco would be interested in dating somebody so plain"
"Plain?"
"Well, yeah, he's not HIDEOUS but he's certainly not as attractive as Champion Apollo~"
"You think every guy isn't as attractive as Champion Apollo!"
"Yeah, and what of it?"
Coco stopped at a brick park with a lovely white fountain in the middle.
"Hm. I know Rock-types are weak to water, however I think this'll be an interesting place to battle"
"Yeah, I agree"
Benedict nodded. He looked up and down the white fountain- the top tier had two Luvdisc sculpted on top into a heart, while water cascaded from all three layers.
"And it's far away from those nosy neighbors of y'alls"
"Don't mind them" she reassured him, waving a hand in his direction
"Their lives are so uninteresting that they need to gossip about-"
"Benedict! There you are!"
The three animals turned around to face whoever was yelling their way. Phew, it was just Tank and Kidd.
"So that's where you ran off to" Kidd looked at the fountain. Mudkip popped out of her ball without being told to, and she jumped into the water to splash and play. The mudskipper splashed her water away from the trainers.
"Yep! We were gonna battle right 'bout here"
Benedict explained to his friends.
"Yes, just about to"
Coco corrected him.
She pulled out a brown and white striped Rotom Phone
"However, for certified Gym Battles, we're required to have a referee. Generally, we gym leaders use our stationed trainers as referees"
"That's why I came along" Tucker explained as he set his duffel bag down. The elephant kneeled down and unzipped the bag, pulling out two large flags in different colors.
Kidd walked over to the fountain. He rolled his sleeves up, scooped Mudkip out of the water and carried her to a nearby garden bench. The duo sat down at a good spot, Mudkip jumping off her trainer's lap so she could shake more water off.
Tank sat on the back edge of the bench, the soles of his sneakers squeaking against the seat.
"Are you even comfortable sitting like that?"
Kidd looked up and snarked at his friend.
"Yep!"
Tank laughed.
Tucker stood against grey wall with both flags in his hands. He loudly yelled
"Today's match is Coco Haniwaki of Rustboro City versus Benedict Sussex of Castelia City. Both challengers may use two Pokemon, and are allowed to freely switch between Pokemon. You may release your Pokemon now"
A few passerbys stopped in their tracks to watch the battle. Two of them started filming with their phones.
"Giorno! Let's rock and roll!" Coco shouted as she spun in her spot, releasing her first Pokemon.
Benedict jumped up, tossing his Poke Ball like a baseball pitcher
"Combusken! Show 'em whatcha got!"
Both trainers released their Pokemon for battle. Benedict's composure kept calm- yep, it's just a Geodude, just dealt with several of them today. He untied his ponytail and put the hair tie on his right wrist. His red hair rustled slightly in the slow wind.
Coco clapped her hands and said
"Rock Polish!"
Benedict shouted
"Combusken! Focus Energy!"
Giorno curled into a tight ball as his body shined and glistened underneath the sunset.
Combusken took a deep breath in and positioned one leg back. His body faintly glowed yellow as he focused on his opponent. Where would Giorno's weak-point be...
Coco smoothed out her dress and commanded
"Rock Tomb!"
With lightning speed, Giorno flung a flurry of stones at his opponent. Combusken got pelted by two of the rocks, but dodged the other rocks to land two strong kicks against the rock Pokemon.
Giorno looked like he was about to pass out, but he bounced back with a strong cry. He grabbed an Oran Berry off the ground and ate it in one bite.
"I should've mentioned this earlier, Benedict, but"
Coco explained as she dug into her satchel for another Poke Ball.
"My Geodude is quite sturdy, so one hit knockouts mean absolutely nothing to him"
"Makes sense. Y'all did say rock types are hard"
Benedict nodded before flashing a cocky grin
"But can they handle this?! Combusken, another Double Kick!"
"BuSKEN!"
The young fowl Pokemon cried out as he flipped across the pavement. Geodude turned around and summoned small rocks between his palms. Before he could even throw the stones, Combusken leaped forward and rapidly kicked his opponent. The stones turned to dust and filled the air.
Once the air cleared away, Giorno went stiff and landed on the street with a massive thud.
Tucker held a flag up on his right side
"Giorno the Geodude is unable to battle, Combusken wins this round!"
More animals had shown up to watch the battle, some of them harshly whispering to each other with hands covering their mouths.
Coco kneeled down and reassured her Pokemon with a gentle pat to the head
"You did well, Giorno. Let's recover for tomorrow"
She returned Geodude to his ball.
"Outlandos" Coco's voice tensed as she hollered "destiny is on our side!"
She released her other Pokemon, an angled blue block with a bright red nose. He landed with a huge thud that echoed through the air, the ground slightly rumbling underneath. Mudkip leaped out from the fountain and ran towards her trainer.
Tank scanned the new Pokemon with his Rotom Dex
"Nosepass, the Compass Pokemon. A rock type. Nosepass's magnetic nose is always pointed to the north. If two of these Pokémon meet, they cannot turn their faces to each other when they are close because their magnetic noses repel one another"
"If it's magnetic, then why isn't part Electric-type?"
Tank whispered to Kidd.
"...Just watch the fight."
Kidd scolded him.
Combusken turned around and chirped at his trainer.
"What? Y'all wanna take a break already?" Benedict asked his Pokemon, who nodded in confirmation. He sighed and got Combusken's Poke Ball out.
"Alright"
Benedict returned Combusken to safety, then pulled out another ball.
"Come on out, Ralts!"
Ralts delicately floated onto the battlefield, landing with a dainty curtsy.
"Battle, start!"
Tucker hollered to both trainers.
Coco stepped backwards
"Outlandos, use Thunder Wave!"
"Noseeeeee-
Outlandos lifted his stubby arms up and formed a small bolt of electricity above his head.
PASS!"
The rock type threw the waves at his opponent, trapping Ralts' body in a vortex of shocks.
Ralts tried to move from his spot, but winced from the jolts rubbing up against his white skin.
Benedict shouted
"Ralts, use Confusion!"
Ralts flipped his helmet up and launched a small telekinetic orb at his opponent. Nosepass shook back and forth from the attack.
"Not bad, but"
Coco winked
"You'll find out my Nosepass is faster than an average one of its species. Now, Outlandos, Rock Tomb!"
"Noseeeeeeeeeeee-"
The compass Pokemon took a deep breath in, lifting three boulders telekinetically.
"PAAAAAASSSSSSSS"
He cried out as he hurled all three rocks at his target.
Ralts felt frozen in place. Move now and get zapped, or stay still and take the hits? The jolts felt uncomfortable but fainting would feel worse...
No!
Ralts ducked below the first two rocks, but paused in his tracks. He held his small white hands out in front of his body, and-
The crowd gasped- Ralts actually caught the boulder!
"Great job Ralts!"
Benedict cheered on his Pokemon
"Now, use-"
Ralts threw the rock out of sight, making sure not to hit the fountain. The boulder crumbled into pebbles that landed through the battlefield.
Here's my chance!
Ralts hovered above the small sparks. He summoned a small tornado of leaves in his hands, glared at his opponent, then screamed as he pointed at Nosepass.
The leaves sparkled and changed size as they blasted through the air. Outlandos tried to inch backwards, but the leaves changed colors as they got closer to him. He inched back as the leaves attacked from left and right, moving him around like a swaying windsock. The last of the leaves blasted his legs, forcing him to fall over in defeat.
"Pass..."
Outlandos flailed his arms around, his eyes fading shut as he fell to the ground with a mighty thud.
Tucker counted three times before announcing to the crowd
"Nosepass is unable to battle! The winner is Ralts, and today's match goes to Benedict Sussex of Castelia City!"
He held a flag out to Benedict's side of the field.
Coco held her Poke Ball out to Outlandos
"I guess our speed wasn't all cracked up to be, huh?"
She safely returned her Pokemon to its ball, then looked down with a smile
"Let's call it a night, huh?"
The crowd booed afterwards. Several animals complained to each other.
"Really? I bet twenty dollars on this fight?! Talk about a joke!"
"Serves me right. Coco should've won but noooo that stupid Unovan had all the advantages"
"What kind of gym leader just lets a random kid win?"
Benedict raised an eyebrow in concern
"Um Coco? Did I do somethin' wrong?"
He asked as he tied his hair back into a ponytail.
"No, it's not your fault" Coco assured him.
"Some animals don't take kindly to seeing a gym leader lose a match, but don't take—"
"Ow, what the hell?!"
Benedict flinched as SOMETHING whacked him on the head.
He looked down at the ground; there was a dented drink can next to him. That would explain a lot.
Kidd gasped and ran towards his friend.
"Here, let me see that quick" he said to him as he brushed some hair out of his face.
Benedict blushed a little as Kidd looked at his injury- good, no cuts, only a small bump that will fade away overnight.
Coco snatched the can from the ground. She crushed it in her hand and stomped towards the crowd.
"Which one of you hooligans threw this at my challenger?!
"Yeah, that'd be me"
One of the animals, a red and beige gorilla, said. He smugly grinned as he crossed his arms.
"What? That guy didn't deserve to win"
Coco fumed in her spot. She threw the can into a trash can, then stomped up and grabbed him by the shirt collar
"I don't care what you think! Throwing things at my opponents is incredibly disrespectful!"
The crowd went silent from her outburst. Coco huffed before continuing to rant
"Look, I get it. Your lives are so sad and pathetic that you assault other trainers for daring to beat me in battle. I'm a gym leader, I'm supposed to lose occasionally so trainers can show they're worth the Pokemon League. And let me ask something.
How many of you even own a Pokemon?!"
No one in the audience dared to raise their hands. Some of the animals snuck away onto the streets.
"That's what I thought" Coco sneered. "I hope you're all happy with yourselves!"
The crowd mumbled to themselves, splitting up so everyone could go home.
"Anyways, that was a wonderful battle, Benedict"
Coco calmly smiled, feeling relieved from getting everything out of her system.
She reached into her satchel to grab a grey box filled to the brim with badges. She handed him one of the badges.
"Here's your Stone Badge"
"Aw why thanks y'all!"
Benedict said as he gently held the badge in his palm. The brown rectangular pin shone underneath the bright streetlight.
One down, seven to go.
He grabbed a small black case from his left pocket, neatly securing his badge inside the black velvet. He looked down at his badge in awe; the first step closer to Champion Apollo!
Tank ran up and lifted Benedict up in his arms.
"Congrats on the badge!"
Benedict's face flushed just from being picked up. His feet dangled off the ground, and he felt nearly suffocated from how tight the squeeze was.
"Heh, thanks Tank"
"Yeah, that was pretty impressive"
Kidd calmly nodded.
"I had no idea Pokemon could learn new moves just like that"
Loud shouting and hissing echoed. The four animals ran up to the commotion.
"Get offa me, you maniac!"
A hamster shouted as he tried to shove his attacker off.
"No, I need this!" The blue cat hissed. He clawed at the hamster's face, leaving cuts sharp enough to bleed. The cat grabbed a parcel from the hamster's lab coat, then ran away before anyone could catch him. Several items fell onto the ground.
"Oh my Arceus, what happened?!"
Coco gasped. She kneeled down and helped the hamster up on his feet.
The hamster shuddered. He stumbled to a nearby park bench and sat down.
"It was awful," he shuddered, speaking like he had a mild head cold. He grabbed onto his lab coat, pulling it tightly over his body.
"That Pastel grunt broke through our security systems, assaulted our guards, dragged me out of my office and ran off with several of our goods"
While Coco comforted the other animal, the boys grabbed several things off the ground.
"Hey, look at this" Benedict whispered to his friends. He held up a wallet with a green wormhole pattern, then pulled a card out. The holographic card read; "Hawkian Corp. Head Web Developer: Graham Hodgson. 324 Beautifly Street. Rustboro City, Hoenn."
Kidd cringed
"Benedict, why are you looking through his wallet?!"
"That ain't the point!" Benedict argued back. "I was tryin' to figure out who this guy was!"
"He has a point, Kidd" Tank pointed out. "It wasn't like he was trying to take some cash"
Graham hopped down from the park bench, Coco walking next to him.
"Excuse me boys" he explained.
"This nice young lady's taking me back to Hawkian Corp. Could you three do me a favor and track down that thief?"
"Oh, of course, sir!" Tank smiled as he handed Graham's belongings back to him.
"Thank you so much" Graham sniffled. "Usually I could handle those guys, but I left my poor Magneton in the office."
Coco nodded,
then led Graham back to Hawkian Corp.
The boys looked at each other, not quite sure on what to do now. Just where could that thief have run off to?
"I got it!"
Tank gasped. He pulled up a map on his phone, zooming in on Rustboro City.
"You guys see how there's one route to the top and one to the right?"
"Yeah?" Kidd asked.
"Okay, hear me out!" Tank explained.
"The route on top's mostly cliffs, while the route on the right's flatter and closer to another town"
"An' that means we're goin' on the right one?"
Benedict crossed his arms in doubt.
"Yep!"
Tank stayed as cheery as ever
"We're gonna catch the guy!"
"Think, Samuel, think"
The cat stashed the parcel under his elbow, then ran through the long trails of Route 116. Grass clippings and dirt stuck to his flashy purple pants and boots.
"You got the goods, but what did Judy want with them in the first place?"
He remembered just days ago, being lined up next to several other cats in uniform. A disembodied voice commanded orders from the intercom
"Grunt Forty, you are to raid Petalburg Woods for Ariados silk. Grunt One Hundred Twenty One, head to Meteor Falls for any Star Pieces and Stardust. If any of those ruthless Cottagers see you, relentlessly beat them. Grunt One Hundred Eighty Four? Go to Rustboro City and take any technology that could benefit our headquarters"
"YES MA'AM, YES!"
The crowd of animals hollered and saluted.
Samuel looked up in the air for a minute. He saw several things in the sky- a huge bird Pokemon soaring in the sky, a few sparkling stars, and a fascinating looking Wingull in the air- did one of its feathers have a different color?! He could make bank off of this one!
The cat crept through the thick grass and whistled to a Pokemon in the air.
"Gull?" The lone Wingull flew towards the cat in curiosity.
Samuel hollered
"You're mine now!"
He yanked Wingull down and stuffed it into a dark brown bag. That one feather meant gold!
The cat dashed into a nearby hole in the mountains, disappearing from sight.
"Peeko-chan!"
Cousteau called out as he walked down the route.
"Come on Peeko! It's time for dinner!"
He saw several Wingull in the dark blue skies, but none of them were his beloved Peeko- Peeko had a small black dot below her right eye, and one green feather on her left wing.
"Just where the heck did she fly off to now?!"
he thought to himself. This was incredibly out of character for her, he thought.
"Peeko-chan!" he yelled again, hoping she'd come back eventually.
Cousteau turned around to see the boys running through the grass.
"Oh, pardon me boys!"
he called out to the trio.
"Could you help me find Peeko-chan? I think she went missing again"
"Again?"
Kidd asked, a hint of skepticism in his tone.
The frog sighed, taking his hat off
"Yes, again. She's usually a good Pokemon but lately she's been flying off on her own without a care"
"Don't worry, we'll help!"
Tank reassured him.
Benedict and Kidd looked at each other in confusion. We will?
"Thank you boys so much"
Cousteau's tired frown changed into an upbeat grin. "Arceus bless you"
The boys sprinted into the caverns that is the Rusturf Tunnel. The tunnel felt seemingly endless and slightly damp. Fog filled the lower air. Several small rocks fell from the ceiling. A colony of round pink Pokemon slept peacefully in a pile in the corner. Tank made a mental note to catch one of them after this errand.
Samuel stopped in his tracks and looked in front at the rocks blocking his way. They were too tall to be climbed over, yet too short to be easily destroyed by a Pokemon. At least he had some spare Pokemon on hand from the boss, in case of any annoying trainers coming his way.
The cave was silent, except for the occasional drop of water, until the sound of running feet broke its silence.
"What do you assholes want from me?!"
The cat snapped as he turned around to face the trio.
"We want the Wingull back!"
Tank hollered at him as he grabbed a Poke Ball from his backpack.
"An' that thing y'all stole from the Hawkian guy!"
Benedict yelled.
"Ohhhh"
Samuel chuckled. He placed a paw on his chin, looking excitedly.
"You little boys are running some errands? How adorable. "
He slowly clapped his paws.
"But I'm not afraid of pesky little schoolboys!"
He flashed a maniacal grin as he released three Pokemon from their balls; an orange and white fish, a blue and white rabbit, and a pink fish shaped like a heart.
The boys glared at him. Who was this prick to taunt them?! They had to settle this the only way a trainer could!