Chapter 8: The Third Gym Part 1
After obtaining her Cascade Badge, June wasted no time setting off for Vermilion City to claim her next badge.
She'd been out for at least an hour after fainting from getting Ash and Misty's autographs but eventually, she came round and was able to watch Trace win his Cascade Badge. As the two teens returned to Cerulean Gym, they'd been surprised to see Ruby and Hop were there with Ash and Misty. They quickly explained to the kids what they were doing and June was both surprised and excited to hear that Ash was joining them on their mission.
"This is amazing! My biggest idol working with my parents to stop Team Rocket?! It's like a dream team made reality!" she squealed.
"That's one way to look at it." Ruby joked, "But remember, we're not in this for fun June. We are still dealing with criminals after all. But with Ash aiding us, I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"I've had plenty of practice dealing with them in the past." Ash sneered, "This'll be a piece of cake!"
"Pika!" his Pikachu agreed.
"You just remember to be careful out there." Misty insisted, "I'd hate to have to tell the children that their daddy won't be coming home again."
"You and they won't have anything to worry about." Ash insisted, "Team Rocket will be no match for the three of us! You take care of the kids and the Gym while I'm gone."
"As always." Misty said with a loving smile as she pulled Ash close, "Good luck to you, Ruby and Hop."
The two shared one last kiss together. After that, Ash hugged and kissed his children goodbye and waved to June and Trace as he left the Gym with Ruby and Hop. The Silverlocks waved to June and wished Trace luck in his Gym battle as they left the building. June only watched, feeling a little sad to see Ash go but still feeling happy to know he was with her parents to track down Team Rocket. It made her head spin just thinking about it. When she'd decided to become a trainer, she never thought her life would lead to this!
Once Ruby, Hop and Ash had gone, Trace and Misty got down to their Gym Battle. June noticed that unlike her, Trace didn't immediately use his best weapon against Water-types right away. Instead he'd chosen to use his own Pidgeotto to fight against Gyarados while saving Ivysaur for later. His Pidgeotto fought well but Gyarados emerged victorious, prompting Trace to use Ivysaur now to finish the job. It managed to beat Gyarados and it fought hard against Starmie but unfortunately, Starmie was able to exploit its weakness to Psychic attacks and take it down. However, the damage had been done and Trace was able to use Eevee to finish the job. Amazingly, his Eevee seemed to miraculously learn an Electric type attack during the battle and had used it to finish off Starmie. June wondered if his Eevee had managed to just invent its own move like Ray had done. Ray imagined Eevee had been thinking of the times they'd battled together and it had been determined to use an Electric type move like him, and that determination had manifested into an attack. With that surprise attack scoring the final knockout, Trace was rewarded with his Cascade Badge and now he and June could go to Vermilion City together to tackle the next Gym.
"It's a shame we have to go now. I've loved meeting you, Ash and your children." June said solemnly, "Thanks so much for the great battles you gave both me and Trace Misty."
"And thank you in return." Misty said brightly, "You two have been the most fun I've had in a while in challenging new trainers. I hope we meet again someday. Good luck over in Vermilion City! I can tell you first hand that Lt. Surge will make you work for that badge."
"Oh we know!" Trace exclaimed, "But we can handle it! Bye Misty, and thanks for the battle!"
"Bye June, Bye Trace!" Veronica cried, waving merrily to the duo.
"It's been great to see you both!" Eric cheered.
"I especially hope YOU come back soon cutie pie." Rachel purred seductively at Trace.
Trace could only blush and chuckle bashfully in response. He and June waved goodbye to the family and headed back out of the Gym to let Trace's Pokémon rest at the Pokémon Centre. Once they were recovered, they headed back to Mt. Moon so they could find a Moon Stone each. June didn't want to go to Vermilion City without evolving Victoria into a Nidoqueen and Trace decided that he needed to evolve his Nidoran into a Nidoking to give him a Ground-type to use. They spent a few hours searching in the caves of Mt. Moon until eventually, they were able to find a Moon Stone each. June was tempted to use it but she decided to wait until Trace's Nidoran became a Nidorino so they could evolve him and Victoria together. With the Moon Stones in their possessions, they left Mt. Moon and headed back to Cerulean City to rest until the next day. Come the next morning, they left Cerulean City and headed off to Vermilion. It would take them a couple of days to walk there but in order to speed up their journey; the two purchased a bike each from the local bike shop so they could cycle there.
The journey to Vermilion was mostly spent cycling through the routes and training their Pokémon along the way to further build up their strength and hopefully learn new moves. Trace was lucky and managed to find a Charmander during their travels and during training, he'd quickly managed to evolve it into a Charmeleon. His Nidoran also evolved into a Nidorino during those training sessions. Now that had happened, June and Trace used their Moon Stones to evolve their Pokémon. Victoria and Nidorino had been quick to accept the stone and evolve for they wanted to get stronger and be the best they could be. Now the duo had a mighty pair of Nidoking and Nidoqueen between them.
As a Nidoqueen, Victoria now stood on two legs and sported large round ears, a row of spikes down her back, a thick powerful tail, powerful arms and a couple of spikes on her head. She was much larger than she was as a Nidorina too, standing tall enough to look June and Trace in the eyes. Nidoqueen were known to be more defensive compared to the offensive based Nidoking but they were also Pokémon whose battle prowess was to be respected. Victoria was awestruck with herself and admired her new form with pride.
"Goodness me, I feel so strong and powerful!" she gasped, "I feel like I could snap metal in two with these arms and like I could chew through concrete! I dare any uncouth ruffian to mess with me now!"
"Oh they'll regret it once you start swinging!" June exclaimed, "You look so awesome Victoria! With you as a Nidoqueen now, that Thunder Badge is as good as mine!"
"Same for us!" Trace agreed, patting his newly evolved Nidoking on the head, "No way will we lose with Nidoking on my side!"
Victoria and Nidoking both swelled with pride. They felt good knowing they were going to be valuable to their trainers in their next Gym Battle.
After evolving Victoria and Nidoking, the teens continued their way to Vermilion City while also training some more along the way. June knew that she couldn't just expect Behemoth and Victoria to carry the Gym between them so she wanted to see if anyone else could learn any Ground attacks. Trace did the same and between them, they learned that Ray, Eevee and Charmeleon were all capable of learning Dig. As a result, those three spent a lot of time learning how to use Dig. Behemoth already knew the move so he helped them learn by demonstrating himself. Victoria and Nidoking learnt a different move instead, both of them learning to use Drill Run instead of Dig. That gave them more variety to use instead of just digging all the time to beat Lt. Surge. Satisfied with the results, June and Trace carried on.
During their training, Trace's Eevee had also been practicing its mysterious electric attack it seemed to have learned. When it used the attack, its body was surrounded by electricity and then Eevee would fire the attack as a jolt of lightning, almost like Thunderbolt, and it seemed to have an added effect of always paralyzing opponents when it hit. Trace loved what he saw and was keen to keep honing his Eevee's mysterious new power to not only win his Gym Battles, but use it to beat Team Rocket too.
"I can already see it now: me and you faced with Rocket goons and then you use your new attack to paralyze them all so they can't fight back!" Trace cried eagerly, "We'll stop Team Rocket and save Tricia before you know it!"
"Eevee, vee, vee!" Eevee squealed excitedly.
"It's funny isn't it how our partners both pretty much invented their own electric attacks." June chuckled, "Any idea how Eevee did it?"
"Nope. It's still a mystery to me." the brunette boy murmured, "There is a theory that Eevees who are particularly close to their trainers will learn mysterious new attacks that are supposed to be a manifestation of their future desires. Given mine has learned a mysterious electric attack, I wonder if that's telling me it wants to become a Jolteon…" he thought.
"Could be." June agreed, "Maybe it's been inspired by Ray's electric attacks and it wants to be an Electric type as well."
Ray asked Eevee to confirm this for June and Trace. Eevee gave its reply and Ray translated.
"You're right. That's EXACTLY the case." he said, "Didn't think I'd inspire Eevee to learn an Electric attack but hey, I guess that shows how awesome I am." he preened.
"Don't start." June muttered, rolling her eyes, "I'd have thought losing to Misty's Starmie would've humbled you a bit."
Trace and Eevee snorted with laughter while Ray huffed and said nothing.
After a couple more days of travelling, the two eventually arrived at Vermilion City. Much like Cerulean City, Vermilion City was also near the sea with Vermilion Harbour being a popular sea port for many ships sailing to Kanto. The famous cruise ship, the S.S. Anne would dock here before sailing away and coming back once a year. June and Trace saw the magnificent ship docked at the harbour as they arrived. Vermilion City was the largest city June and Trace had seen yet with lots of tall buildings and bustling crowds everywhere. There was the usual Pokémon Centre and PokéMart but they could also see other buildings like a hospital, a police station, a Pokémon Fan Club house and they even saw Cerise Laboratories as they explored the city. June remembered learning about Ash's adventures which had seen him and a boy named Goh journeying around the world to carry out tasks given to them by Professor Cerise, the man who owned the lab. He was still running the place now with his daughter, Chloe Cerise, providing a helping hand every now and then. June fancied visiting the lab at some point, maybe to ask Professor Cerise about his times with Ash. But of course, her first priority was taking on the gym.
June and Trace cycled on the side of the road, keeping out of the way of cars and trucks that drove past them and being wary of civilians walking by on the pavement. They asked for directions to the Gym and cycled off once they've been directed. The city seemed full to bursting with people everywhere and every street had cars driving by hurriedly to get to their destinations. June felt a little overwhelmed. Pewter and Cerulean weren't quite as big, noisy and crowded as this place was and she could feel herself starting to get a little anxious. She supposed it was sensory overload and she'd need to find somewhere quiet to settle down. She turned down a junction and cycled off to find a quiet space to take a break from the noise. But as she did so, June and Trace found themselves unintentionally stumbling onto a crime scene. The teens stared in astonishment as they ended up coming across a couple of Rocket goons who were fighting against Officer Jenny. There as a huge black van nearby with the back doors open and a bunch of cages containing lots of Squirtle. Trace's blood boiled at the ugly sight. It was clear they'd come across a smuggling operation and Officer Jenny was trying to stop them. She had one goon pressed against the van and was trying to handcuff him but he squirmed violently and made it hard for her to get the cuffs on him. His partner, who had been knocked down by Officer Jenny earlier, was back up and he grabbed onto the policewoman to wrench her off the other grunt.
"Let go of me right now!" Officer Jenny growled, "You two will only make things worse for yourselves by resisting arrest and assaulting an officer!"
"We're making a clean getaway, copper, and you'll be going back to headquarters in a body cast!" snarled the Rocket Grunt.
He pulled Jenny away from his partner and knocked her down onto the ground. June grimaced, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her just watching. She leapt off her bike and charged in to help. Trace followed her.
"Oy! You two stop right there!" June shouted, "That's no way to treat a police officer!"
"You're not getting away with anything you jerks!" Trace growled, "Eevee, use Buzzy Buzz!"
"Ray, use Zippy Zap!" June commanded.
Both Ray and Eevee leapt off their trainer's shoulders and launched their attacks. Ray hit one grunt and electrocuted him while Eevee zapped the other. A couple of the imprisoned Squirtle watched from their cages, awestruck by what had happened. Officer Jenny sat up and watched as the two grunts were brought down by the electric attacks. She hadn't expected to receive any backup but she was grateful for it. She looked to see June and Trace approaching her. They helped her stand back up.
"Are you OK officer?" June asked.
"I am thanks to you two. Good timing!" Officer Jenny said graciously, "Those Rocket grunts were a bit too much for me to handle alone. While I'd appreciate it if kids stayed out of trouble, I'm not gonna be ungrateful. Thanks for the save you two."
"Anytime." Trace said casually, "Any chance to take down Team Rocket is worth it for me. What was all this about?"
"These two had kidnapped a group of Squirtle and were planning to sell them off on the black market." Jenny explained, "Squirtle are quite valuable due to their popularity so they thought they could profit off of them, but I wasn't gonna let that happen! And thanks to you, I can return them all to the police force and lock those grunts up for good!"
"I'm glad we could help when we did." Trace said happily, "I hope those poor Squirtle are OK."
The three went over to the van and helped carry out their cages between them to set them free. As soon as the cages were opened, two Squirtle leapt out and into June and Trace's arms. The teens were surprised by the gesture and nearly fell over backwards as a result. They wrapped their arms around the Water-type Pokémon so as not to drop them. Squirtle were small turtle-like Pokémon with hard red shells, a tail curled up at the tip, round heads, large red and black eyes and blue scaly bodies. Like Charmander and Bulbasaur, they were beloved for their cute appearances and their powerful evolutions. June smiled at the Squirtle in her arms. She had considered a Squirtle as her starter Pokémon in case she couldn't get a Pikachu back at the start of her journey. It felt wonderful to be holding one in her arms right now.
"Aww, you're such a big sweetie!" June cooed, "You're welcome! I'm glad I could save you from those goons."
"They seem very grateful about it!" Trace giggled as his Squirtle nuzzled his cheek, "Don't sweat it little guy, we're glad we could help."
"Heh, those two really want to thank you big time for that save." Officer Jenny said happily, "You know, those Squirtle ARE still wild so if you want, you can keep those two. Consider it a token of thanks for your help."
"Oh wow, we can keep these Squirtle?" June gasped, "I'd love that! Thanks very much officer! So what do you think little mate? You want to come with me?" she asked.
"Sure I do!" the Squirtle cried enthusiastically, speaking in a youthful male voice, "Watching you and your friend stop those grunts was very inspiring! Me and my bro would love to be as strong as your Pokémon you have and prevent ourselves being kidnapped again!"
"Seconded!" cried the other Squirtle.
"Then I don't see why we shouldn't keep them." Trace said brightly, "Now with this one on the team, I have the entire starter trio, just as I was hoping for!"
"That's brilliant!" June said happily, "And with you, I get to have a strong Water-type I can use in future battles. I was going to pick Squirtle if I couldn't start with Pikachu so this works out for me." she said brightly.
"Glad you're happy with that." Officer Jenny said with a smile, "Thanks once again for all your help. I'll handle the rest from here now. You two go about the rest of your day."
"We will." the teens replied, "Bye officer!"
But just as June and Trace were about to leave, an incredible thought crept into June's head and made her hesitate. Wait a minute! This provided a huge opportunity for her parents to find Team Rocket's hideout! Trace seemed to have the same idea for he turned to Officer Jenny and called to her.
"Wait, hang on! I've just thought of something!" he cried out.
"Oh? What's that?" Officer Jenny asked.
"This might sound incredible, but the girl with me? She's actually the daughter of Galar's current Champion." Trace explained, "You've heard of Ruby Silverlock, haven't you?"
"I'd be worried if I hadn't." Officer Jenny chuckled, "As a police officer, it's my job to know the names and faces of ANY Champion in the world. You never know if they might go rouge someday."
"Good point." June took over, "Well, my mum and dad are actually hunting down Team Rocket as we speak. If you hold those grunts for them and call them over, they can question the two and hopefully get the location of Team Rocket's hideout from them."
"That's a great idea!" the policewoman said approvingly, "I'll need your mother's phone number first."
June gave the officer Ruby's phone number.
"Thanks again. I'll be sure to call her once I'm back at headquarters." Officer Jenny informed, "I'm curious to see how Ruby will make them talk."
"She has a Noctowl that hypnotizes people into spilling the beans. She'll no doubt do the same for them." June replied, "We'll leave you to carry on from here. Bye officer!"
She and Trace left the policewoman to arrest the paralyzed Rocket Grunts and release the Squirtle back into the wild while they carried on their way to Vermilion Gym. The teens were feeling very pleased with themselves. They'd not only helped a police officer stop a Team Rocket scheme, but they were helping Ruby, Hop and Ash in their mission at the same time! They could already imagine the trio visiting the Rocket grunts in prison and getting them to talk. Team Rocket's hideout wouldn't remain secret for long! June patted her Squirtle on the head. The Squirtle smiled contently, enjoying the soft feel of June's hand. With Squirtle in her possession, June now had a full team of six Pokémon to use in battle.
"Welcome to the team my mate." the silver-and-purple haired teen said kindly, "We'll be glad to have you with us. Now to give you a name. This is a no-brainer of course." she chuckled, "I'll name you after one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirtles. And I think Leonardo would be the perfect name for you! What do you think?" she asked.
"Leonardo…sounds pretty cool! I like it!" the Squirtle said brightly.
"I guess you'll want me to call his brother Raphael, Donatello or Michelangelo in return?" Trace joked.
"If you want to give your Pokémon names that is." June said with a laugh.
"I'm OK with them as they are." Trace said casually, "Still, glad we could get these Squirtle and keep the brothers together. Under our care, they'll become powerful Blastoise in no time!"
"Oh yeah!" Trace's Squirtle cheered.
An hour later, the teens finally arrived at Vermilion Gym. The building had once looked like a warehouse with lightning bolts painted on the front, but had since gone under major renovations to keep up with the evolving landscape of the modern world, causing it to look very different from when Ash had challenged Lt. Surge for the Thunder Badge years ago. It had a picture of the Thunder Badge above the doors with lightning bolts surrounding the badge and had large, sloping roofs that sloped down to the right hand side of the Gym. June imagined standing on top of that roof and sliding down it like a helter-skelter at the fair. Appropriately, the Gym was coloured white and orange on the outside, making June think of a Raichu's orange fur and white underbelly. With the colours outside and the lightning bolts above the door, it was as if the Gym visually represented Lt. Surge's star Pokémon. It also made June wonder what the Gym Leader would think if he ever met her Aunt Emerald's own Raichu. He'd probably take an immediate shine to it, especially if he knew this Raichu had carried Emerald to the finals on her journey and helped her fight Ruby to a draw.
The two entered the Gym and were immediately greeted by a group of people in military uniforms. June and Trace recoiled. Was this a Pokémon Gym or an army barracks they'd walked into?! The men and women saluted the trainers, welcoming them to the Gym. One of them turned, seemingly looking at nobody but the kids soon saw that there was another man at the far end of the room shrouded in shadows. No doubt that was the Gym Leader, feeling the need to make a big first impression for the Challengers.
"Lt. Surge sir, you have two new challengers!" barked one of the soldiers.
The Electric Gym Leader detached himself from the shadows and stepped into the light. June and Trace balked at the mighty appearance of Lt. Surge. He was the largest man they had ever seen. He towered over everybody in the room with his great height and he sported a muscle structure so impressive that he looked like he stepped out of a superhero comic. June could outright imagine him dressed up as Captain America with how strong and beefy he looked! Lt. Surge had a brutish grin on his face that radiated confidence and arrogance and he had short, spiky yellow hair that further added to his status as an electric Gym-Leader. He was dressed in military uniform as well. Lt. Surge had once been a soldier in an army back in Unova. He was even known as "The Lightning Unovan" to his skills as a soldier and an Electric Gym Leader. He was no longer on military duty and his time was spent just being a Gym Leader nowadays, but he still took his past work seriously and quite literally wore it openly for everyone to see. He looked down at the awestruck teens.
"Welcome to Vermilion City Gym kids! Da name's Lt. Surge, da Lightning Unovan himself!" Surge boomed, his voice so loud and powerful that June swore he was really an Exploud in disguise, "I warn ya, I ain't goin' easy on ya both. As Gym Leader, it's my solemn duty to push all challengers to der limits in order to bring out der true potential! So who's going first?"
June wanted to speak but she'd been so thrown by Surge's appearance that the words just wouldn't come out. It was as if her voice had been stolen from her throat. Trace wasn't so thrown. He looked up at Surge with determination on his face.
"I'm going first!" he cried, "I'm gonna beat you and win that Thunder Badge!"
"Oh, a gutsy one ain't ya? I like that!" Lt. Surge boomed with enthusiasm, "Dis oughta be a fun match! Alright little man, let's have our battle!"
June eventually recovered from her surprise and followed Trace as Lt. Surge led him to the battlefield.
"Good luck out there!" June cried.
"With my Pokémon beside me and you cheering from the audience? I think I've got this." Trace said confidently.
He went onto the battlefield while Surge's men directed June up into the audience seats so she could watch. She and Ray sat down on the front row of the stand with Surge's men and women also taking up seats so they could watch too. The battlefield was huge with metal plating around the sides, presumably meant to protect the audience from any electric attacks. The Gym's logo was sculpted on the wall behind where Lt. Surge stood, a visual reminder that he held the badge that the challengers would be fighting for. Trace breathed in slowly to ease his nerves. He already felt his pulse pounding and the fight hadn't even started yet. He knew that from here on out, the Gyms would continue to get tougher and tougher. Brock and Misty gave him a good go, but Surge would be a sign of greater challenges to come.
"Given you currently have two badges, I'll be challenging you using three Pokémon while you get to use all da Pokémon you have on yer person!" the lieutenant barked, "And only you will be allowed to substitute a Pokémon! If ya can knock all of my Pokémon out, da Thunder Badge will be yours! But don't get yer hopes up because yer journey ends here at da hands of Lt. Surge!"
"Oh no sir. My journey's far from over!" Trace declared, whipping out his first Pokéball, "Let's go!"
"Now dat's da right attitude for this Gym!" Surge said approvingly, "Very well, let da battle begin! Magneton, CHARGE!"
He threw his first Pokéball and it released its occupant to the field. Magneton materialized out of its ball and waved its six magnets together, eager to show off its electrical powers. Seeing Magneton immediately made June and Ray think of Tricia. Last time they'd seen a Magneton, she'd been using it to battle them.
I hope Tricia's OK… June murmured in her thoughts.
"Magneton's up first, huh?" Trace mused, "Perfect. This is a great chance to show your fiery potential Charmeleon!"
He threw his Pokéball and brought Charmeleon to the field. June smiled excitedly. Trace had made a great choice! Magneton had a double weakness to Ground attacks and his Charmeleon knew Dig so that would already do a lot of damage and Magneton were half-Steel type, making them also weak to Fire attacks. Charmeleon could exploit TWO weaknesses at once with the moves it knew! But this was a Gym Leader's Magneton so chances are, it wouldn't be easy even with a type-advantage.
"Now dat's interesting. Not many challengers bring a Fire-type to my Gym." Surge mused with interest, "Dis'll be a fun one. Magneton, give it a Discharge!"
Magneton unleashed a colossal surge of electricity that swept over Charmeleon and electrocuted it. The fiery lizard Pokémon winced in pain and staggered back but Trace wasn't deterred. Magneton had no super-effective moves to use against Charmeleon whereas Charmeleon could exploit two of Magneton's weaknesses so he still had the upper hand. He made his move by commanding Charmeleon to use Fire Spin. The reptilian Pokémon opened its jaws and blasted a tornado of flames towards Magneton. The flames struck the Steel/Electric Pokémon and upon impact, a funnel of fire whirled around Magneton and blazed away at its metal body. A low electronic wail escaped from Magneton as it was burned. Lt. Surge didn't falter, his stance remaining rigid and upright. Having fought in a war before, nothing ever fazed him in life anymore. But he was quietly impressed with Trace's power so far. He was sure this kid hadn't been a trainer for long and yet his Charmeleon seemed to have Magneton on the ropes.
"Not bad kid. But can ya handle dis?" he crowed, "Use Thunder Wave!"
Magneton aimed its magnets at Charmeleon and fired a funnel of electrical waves at the Fire-type Pokémon. Upon impact, Charmeleon was instantly paralyzed by Thunder Wave. It grimaced in pain as its muscles contracted and its body seemed to lock up for a second. Charmeleon shook its head and clenched its fists. It didn't look as if the paralysis was going to stop it for now. Satisfied, Trace ordered Charmeleon to follow up on its last move with Flamethrower. Charmeleon blasted Magneton with a jet of flames from its mouth and once again scored a direct hit. June and Ray cheered for their friend, happy that things were going well for now. But in spite of everything, Magneton seemed in no mood to give up. It fought back by using Discharge again and Charmeleon was left stumbling back after being electrocuted a second time. Trace ordered Charmeleon to fight back but unfortunately, paralysis from Thunder Wave kicked in and left it unable to move. Charmeleon was stuck as Magneton used another Discharge on it. A powerful electrical surge swept over its opponent and Charmeleon collapsed onto one knee as it was left weakened by the blow. Trace was worried. A bead of sweat snaked down his forehead. One more blow and Charmeleon would surely lose!
"It's now or never buddy!" Trace said desperately, "Use Dig!"
Charmeleon jumped up into the air and came back down with its claws stretched out ahead as if performing a dive into water. It ploughed straight down into the ground and tunnelled away, leaving Magneton stuck waiting for it to come back up again. Surge gritted his teeth nervously. He had to track down that Charmeleon before it could attack! Magneton observed the arena for any signs of its opponent but it couldn't detect any trace of Charmeleon. June and Ray held their breath, waiting for the big moment to occur. A minute later, Charmeleon erupted from underground and rocketed straight up into Magneton. Paralysis had forced it to wait for a moment while digging, which was why it took longer than expected to strike. It was better late than never in any case as Magneton collapsed onto the ground unconscious and unable to battle anymore while Charmeleon stood victorious over it, worn out but triumphant. Trace punched the air excitedly, a whoosh of joy sweeping through his body.
"Alright, we nailed it! What a win that was!" he screeched.
"Way to go Trace and Charmeleon! You two were incredible!" June cheered.
The giant army man returned his Magneton and whipped out his next Pokéball. Despite this loss, he still had his arrogant smile on his face as if everything was still under control and this was his match to win.
"Yer good kid, but ya ain't seen anything yet!" he boasted, "Electabuzz, CHARGE!"
He brought out his second Pokémon. Electabuzz materialized onto the field and flexed its strong arms. Electabuzz were unusual looking Pokémon that didn't seem to resemble any particular animal, though the striped arms and tail did make it look a little tiger-like. It had yellow and black fur, a pair of antennae on its head, a black lightning bolt shape on its stomach, two-clawed feet, large hands and eyes narrowed into a vicious glare. Trace knew this match would be tougher since Electabuzz only had a single Ground weakness and his Charmeleon had already taken a beating. He knew it was foolish to keep up the battle so he recalled Charmeleon and substituted it for Nidoking. At least with Nidoking in play, Electabuzz's electric attacks were useless. The purple dinosaur-like Pokémon balled his fists and lowered his head, aiming his sharp horn directly at Electabuzz. June clapped her hands together excitedly.
"This'll be a done-in-one!" June declared, "No way can Electabuzz beat Nidoking given its immune to Electric attacks! One Drill Run should finish it off easily!"
"I dunno June. Lt. Surge doesn't seem worried about this match up…" Ray said uneasily, feeling unnerved by how the Gym Leader was still smiling confidently in spite of clearly being at a disadvantage.
June dismissed it. She just thought the lieutenant was being smug and trying to act like he was in control. Trace had this in the bag! Even Trace was certain that he couldn't lose with a Nidoking on his side.
"This'll be quick and easy! Nidoking, use Drill Run!" the Kantonian boy yelled.
Nidoking thrust himself into the air and held his arms to his sides while aiming his horn straight ahead at Electabuzz. Then he spun around through the air, becoming a purple blur spiralling straight across the room like a drill. But just before he could land a hit, Electabuzz held out its hands and conjured up a barrier in front of itself. Despite this, it didn't stop Nidoking's attack. Electabuzz grunted as Nidoking skewered it and knocked it clean off its feet. Electabuzz winced and rubbed at the spot where Nidoking hit. But despite the super-effective hit, Electabuzz didn't seem too badly hurt. Trace was amazed it was even standing after that attack. How was that possible? Then he realized. He played back what had happened before Nidoking hit.
"Ah…now I get it!" he cried, "Electabuzz has set up Reflect! Now all physical attack damage is halved! Dammit…Nidoking's Drill Run won't do as much damage as I hoped for." he muttered.
"Dat's right kid!" Surge crowed, "But Electabuzz's battle prowess will remain unimpeded! Let's show you what we can do! Electabuzz, Ice Punch!"
Trace and June gasped while Ray rolled his eyes, not even surprised that Surge had a back-up plan for Ground-types. Electabuzz wasn't able to use any Electric attacks, but it still had other moves it could use and Ice Punch was its greatest weapon against Ground-types for it was at least one attack it could learn that was super-effective against them. Electabuzz sprinted towards Nidoking and socked him hard in the stomach with its frigid fist. Nidoking doubled over from the punch, feeling both pained and chilled by the blow. Nidoking were durable Pokémon and could take a beating but if Electabuzz kept this up, it would win the match. Trace knew that this had become an endurance battle. Who would fall first? He hoped it wouldn't be him.
"OK so Electabuzz has a back-up plan. No problem." Trace muttered, "We'll just have to take it down first! Use Drill Run again!"
Nidoking drilled towards Electabuzz for the second time, hurling straight towards it with his massive body spinning rapidly through the air. Electabuzz was hit again but just like before, Reflect halved the damage it took so Nidoking wasn't able to hurt it as much as Trace hoped for. Electabuzz even seemed to shrug off the powerful hit thanks to Reflect's effect. Where was Brick Break when he needed it?! Electabuzz retaliated with Ice Punch. The electric Pokémon drew its hand back and icy energy formed around its fist. It threw the punch but Nidoking had expected it so he dodged to one side, leaving Electabuzz to miss its attack and then Nidoking lashed out with Horn Attack. His sharp horn jabbed Electabuzz in the ribs, startling it with the sudden jab of pain it could feel surging through its side and then Nidoking kicked Electabuzz backwards with Double Kick. Lt. Surge continued to be impressed by the tenacity of Trace's Pokémon. Even with the odds against them, they just didn't give up and kept up the fight.
I can read dat kid like a book. He's clearly fighting for something, and it ain't just a Gym Badge he's after… he thought, I'd be curious to know what's going on in dat head of his…
He ordered Electabuzz to use Ice Punch again. The electric Pokémon sprinted towards Nidoking and braced itself to attack again. Nidoking retaliated by using Drill Run again. The Poison/Ground Pokémon jumped towards his opponent and spun across the battlefield once more. Electabuzz threw its punch and both Pokémon ended up colliding with one another. Electabuzz's ice powered fist came into contact with Nidoking's drilling body and the two were caught in a sumo match as they pushed against each other. Electabuzz dug its heels in as firmly as it could to keep its ground while Nidoking kept on pushing back. It seemed nobody had the upper hand for now. Then after what seemed like an eternity between the clashing opponents, Electabuzz finally gave up the struggle and Nidoking was able to win the match. His Drill Run carried on and skewered Electabuzz in the chest. Luckily for Nidoking, he'd managed to land a critical hit on his opponent, completely wiping out the remainder of its health in spite of Reflect still being in play. Electabuzz reeled back from Nidoking's attack and collapsed onto the floor, completely unable to battle any longer. Trace cheered happily, feeling incredibly joyful about his current performance. Two Pokémon down already and he had his whole team left still to use! That Thunder Badge was as good as his!
"Alright, that was awesome Nidoking! We did it again!" Trace cried.
Nidoking punched the air triumphantly, sharing his trainer's enthusiasm. June smiled with awe from the stands, happy and excited that her friend was doing so well. She also had a theory on how Trace won that last struggle. She supposed because Nidoking was using its whole body and Electabuzz was only using its arm, Nidoking had more weight and power behind its attack so despite being weak to Ice Punch, Nidoking's size ultimately made the difference.
"Surge is down to his last Pokémon. I think Trace will have this easily!" June cried eagerly.
"Unless his last Pokémon has some surprise move it can use to cover Ground-types, then yeah, this'll be wrapped up in no time." Ray agreed.
The lieutenant returned Electabuzz.
"Yer really making me work hard for dis win little boy." Surge barked, "It's actually been a while since I had a REAL challenge so thanks a lot for giving me a battle worth fighting for da first time in forever!"
"Anytime! Glad I could provide it!" Trace said enthusiastically.
"But ya better not get full of yerself, punk. I'm down to my last Pokémon and it's gonna turn dis match around!" Surge crowed, "Raichu, CHARGE!"
He sent out his last Pokémon. As expected, it was his trademark partner and usual ace, the electrifying Raichu. The electric mouse Pokémon adopted a battle ready stance and let out an enthusiastic battle cry. June could see already that this Raichu was very different to Thor back in Galar. This Raichu acted like Lt. Surge in a Raichu's body, sporting the same cocky grin and rigid stance that one would expect from a soldier. She knew how strong Emerald's Raichu was, now she'd see how strong this one was. Trace regarded his opponent with a curious and cautious gaze.
"After Electabuzz sprang that surprise Ice Punch on us, I'm willing to bet Raichu might have some secret weapon too." Trace murmured, "I have a type-advantage, but that doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to win. That Raichu's gonna be a tough one, even against a Ground-type like Nidoking, no doubt about it…"
Nidoking and Raichu stared each other down and awaited their trainer's commands. June and Ray watched anxiously from their seats, curious to see how the battle would unfold…
Meanwhile, Ruby, Hop and Ash had just been flying over Route 11, a route that connected to Vermilion City and was also home to Diglett's Cave. Doomsday sailed over the route, keeping a steady pace and providing a smooth ride for its passengers. It was heading for Lavender Town for Ruby had a feeling they might find some Team Rocket grunts hiding there. Ash felt it was a good idea for he'd heard of Team Rocket activity going on in that town.
But before they could arrive, Ruby suddenly received a call on her Rotom phone. She answered it. At first she was surprised to hear a voice she didn't recognize and wondered how this person managed to get her number. But once the caller identified herself as Officer Jenny and explained she'd been helped by June and Trace, Ruby understood and listened on as the policewoman informed her of her latest catch. Ruby thanked Jenny for the news and hung up.
"Change of plan boys. We're going to Vermilion Police Station." Ruby announced, "June and Trace helped the local police arrest two Rocket Grunts so we finally have someone to question."
"Alright! Well done to those two!" Ash cried, "They're helping us out big time!"
"Funny considering this is our mission, yet they've succeeded where we've failed so far." Hop chuckled, "Well, thanks to the kids, we can get somewhere."
"Those Rocket Grunts will talk, I guarantee it." Ruby said coldly, "Doomsday, turn around and fly back! We're going to Vermilion City to ask some very important questions to a couple of criminals there…"
Doomsday obeyed and turned around. With Ruby and Ash guiding the way, it headed on back towards Vermilion City. Ruby grinned darkly to herself as the wind swept over her and played with her hair. Once she got to that police station, the Rocket Grunts would spill everything and Team Rocket's hideout would be hidden no more…
Trace seems to be in a good place so far but Lt. Surge's Raichu might change all that. Can he win his Thunder Badge? And will Ruby, Hop and Ash get anything out of those Rocket Grunts? Find out in Part 2...
Trivia: I was originally going to make this just another June Gym Battle but I feel this story would be doing Trace a huge disservice if I didn't give him at least one Gym Battle focused chapter and given June's team contains two Ground-types, Lt. Surge is basically a sitting duck for her so I felt it would be more interesting to give Trace the focus here and glance over June's win. I mean you're not missing much guys, it's obvious she's going to win with an Onix that knows Dig, a Pikachu that knows Dig and a Nidoqueen that knows Drill Run. =P So Trace got the focus here and June's battle will be briefly covered afterwards. This chapter wasn't going to be two parts originally but it started to feel long and I didn't want to rush the battles too much to try and cram everything in so the conclusion to Trace vs. Surge will come next time.
Also Trace's Eevee using an electric move is a reference to Let's Go Eevee! where the partner Eevee can be taught a variety of moves corresponding to the types of its evolutions, one of them being an Electric move called "Buzzy Buzz". Yeah the moves aren't very creatively named. XD Trace's theory is my in-universe explanation behind Partner Eevee's moves it can learn: an Eevee with a particularly close bond with its trainer can learn an attack that is based on the Eeveelution they specifically want to become in the future. Sounds stupid I know but I think it works. ^^
Oh and Lt. Surge doesn't use Magneton or Electabuzz when you battle his Gym in any of the Kanto Games. I'm changed his roster up to make the battle more interesting. Besides, I wouldn't have thought facing a Magneton and an Electabuzz with only three Gym badges was that unreasonable or unrealistic.