*Updated December 2021"
Finally time for the first gym battle!
Chapter 7
Grounded
"I swear if we see one more freaking Zubat, I'm going to scream!" screeched the voice of Melanie Emerald.
"We're in the middle of a cave. What do you expect?" Chris laughed. The duo had camped at the foot of Mt. Everstone the prior night, and was now trekking through Everstone Cavern.
"Seriously, who builds a town in the middle of a mountain," Melanie moaned.
"I dunno, ask one of the locals," Chris murmured. Evertown was built deep within Everstone Cavern. Large glowing stones provided the only light in the caves. It really is rather beautiful. I wonder if there is anything else like this in the world, he mused to himself.
"I probably look like such a mess. This damp cave air can't be good for my hair," Melanie whined, running her hands through her lilac hair in a mild panic.
"You look good, Melanie," Chris deadpanned, getting sick and tired of her constant complaining.
"You really mean it, Chris?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, you look good. You shouldn't worry so much, you are a very pretty person," Chris replied.
"T-t-thank you, Chris," Melanie stuttered, blushing furiously. "That means a lot, coming from you," she said, regaining her composure.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris pressed.
"I really respect your opinion," Melanie answered simply.
"Thanks, Melanie. We're almost there, thankfully. We can go to the gym, and then the Center. I can't wait to see the nurse! I hope she is as pretty as her Auburn Town counterpart," Chris chirped excitedly.
"Just what is your attraction with them?" Melanie demanded.
"What is it to you?" Chris replied sharply.
"I was just curious, that's all," she muttered quietly.
"I'm sorry, Melanie," Chris soothed, realising that his tone upset her.
"It is alright, Chris. I won't be so pushy next time," Melanie whispered.
Suddenly, Chris stopped walking and turned towards her. "Melanie, I was wrong. I shouldn't have snapped like that," Chris said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"It's really okay, Chris. I'm fine," she replied, and continued to walk down the path.
I think I screwed up, Chris thought, and ran to catch up to Melanie.
"Look, Chris. I see brighter lights. We must be near the town," she told him, changing the subject. Yup, I screwed up, Chris confirmed.
"Sweet! I can finally do my first Gym match!" Chris cheered.
"Shouldn't you get your Pokémon checked out, at the Pokémon Center, first?" Melanie asked him, putting a begrudgingly amount of emphasis on Pokémon Center.
"I suppose you are right," Chris sighed. Sometimes I wonder if I'd still be alive if the two of us had never met.
"Aren't I always?" Melanie asked cheekily, apparently regaining some of the life she had earlier.
"Do you want the honest answer, or the one that makes you happy?" Chris poked back.
"Aren't they the same answer?" Melanie asked again.
Chris stopped for a second, and put a hand to his chin. After about a minute, he took off down the path, at a speed that would make a Ninjask jealous.
What is that supposed to mean? Melanie pondered. Wait a secon- "Hey!"
Ignoring her screams of protest, Chris ran straight down the path towards the lights of Evertown. Despite being nestled deep within a mountain cave, the town appeared rather lively to Chris. The townsfolk were strolling about along the main road, and enjoying themselves just as much as any other town Chris had ever been to. Chris had become aware while reading a few nights ago, that there was not much to do and that it was a small town. The gym was about the only notable destination.
Eventually, Chris arrived at the red roofed Pokémon Center. The decor of this Pokémon center seemed much darker than the one in Auburn Town. The walls were a dark red, and the floor was very much the same colour. Seems like the kind of place you hold a black magic ritual, Chris deadpanned. Suddenly, he was broken out of his thoughts, as somebody suddenly jumped on his back.
"I don't believe I heard your answer earlier, Christopher. Would you mind repeating it?" Melanie asked darkly.
"I said "Most definitely," Chris gulped.
"That's what I thought," Melanie replied happily, all traces of the darkness that earlier enveloped her vanishing. "Now why don't you give me your Pokémon, and I'll heal them for you. Then you can give that Professor you were telling me about a call."
"That's a good idea, I suppose. I'm sure Professor Hemlock would like to hear how the first trainer she licensed is doing," he agreed.
"Well, now that it is settled, go make the call. I'll heal our Pokémon," she replied with a smile.
Chris made his way over to one of the video phones available for trainers, and began to dial the number the professor had given him. Almost instantly, the red haired woman appeared on the other side.
"This better be important! It's seven in the morni- Oh, Chris!" she said. Chris suddenly realized he must have woken her up. Her normally sleek red hair was so very messy; it reminded Chris of an angry Tangela.
"Sorry if I woke you, Professor," Chris murmured apologetically.
"No, no, it is quite alright. I was just getting up, anyway," she soothed. "So? How is your adventure going?"
"It's going great! I'm in Evertown!" Chris answered excitedly.
"Already? Congratulations, Chris! Oh, and I have some other news that might please Charmander. Bulbasaur was taken not long after the two of you left," she told Chris happily.
"Really? That's great for Bulbasaur. Who took her?" Chris asked.
"A girl named Sakura Tsukimono," Hemlock replied.
"That's great! I hope we run into her at some point. I'm sure Charmander would enjoy that," Chris muttered.
"Speaking of which, how many Pokémon do you have now?" she asked.
"I have three, Charmander, Snorunt and Chatot," Chris replied, his voice not even trying to conceal the pride he felt for his Pokémon.
"That's wonderful! I take it you are going to challenge the gym soon?" she pondered.
"As soon as we are done here," Chris replied.
"Well then I will let you go. By the way, Chris, have you phoned your mother since you left?"
Oh. Shit.
"You better have a damn good reason to be calling me so late, Chris!" screamed the angry voice of Selena Davis.
"I'm sorry, Mom! I just kind of got caught up in my adventure," Chris cried defensively.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she demanded.
"I'm really, really sorry, Mom. I didn't even think," Chris sighed.
"No you didn't!" Selena yelled. "But I forgive you. Where are you now?"
"I'm in Evertown. I'm going to the gym after our call is done," Chris replied, happy his mother was calming down.
"Wow! I'm so proud of you, Sweetie. How is little Charmander doing?" she asked.
"She's doing great! I've even caught a Snorunt and a Chatot!" Chris replied, his voice once again swelling with pride.
"That's great, Chris! I can't wait to meet them," she replied happily.
"Chris, your Pokémon are heale- Oh, who is this?" Melanie asked him.
"Hey, Melanie. Mom, this is Melanie; Melanie, Mom," Chris said.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Davis," Melanie cooed.
"You as well, Melanie. I've been looking forward to finally meeting Chris' girlfriend," Selena murmured, causing Melanie to go red.
"Mom! We're just friends," Chris muttered incredulously, his cheeks tinged in a light shade of pink.
"I know, Honey. It is just fun to tease you," she replied slyly.
"Well, I best be going. I'll call you again soon, Mother," Chris told her.
"You better!" Selena demanded.
"I will," Chris laughed, and hung up the line.
"She seems nice," Melanie said.
"I suppose she is, although I'm sorry if she embarrassed you," Chris answered.
"No, it was all good. Do you think she liked me?" Melanie asked hopefully.
"I'm sure she did, why?" Chris replied.
"Oh, I'm just wondering," Melanie chuckled. "So what do you say we head towards the gym? I'm sure somebody would enjoy watching a great friend of theirs battle."
"Really? Who?" Chris wondered.
"Me, you idiot!" Melanie teased.
"You really think I'm one of your best friends?" Chris asked. He was rather shocked by this revelation.
"Of course! I never really made a lot of friends back home, and the ones I did weren't as good as you," she replied happily.
"I'm truly honoured you think of me that way," Chris replied. We've only known each other for a handful of weeks now, but we're already great friends, Chris thought.
"Now let's go! I'm sure my Pokémon will enjoy watching you just as much as I will!" Melanie cheered.
"Let's hope so," Chris muttered.
"Why does the boss want us to collect Everstone? Why would we want to block evolution?" muttered a deep masculine voice.
"Shut it, Biff! We don't have the authority to question orders," muttered a higher pitched voice.
"But Morgan doesn't this seen kind of pointless?" Biff whined.
"My opinion doesn't matter, and neither does yours! Now help me set these into place. We need as much Everstone as we can get!" Morgan snapped.
"What if someone catches on? It won't be quiet," Biff moaned.
"Will you quit whining? Nobody of importance will figure this out," Morgan sighed.
"I hope so," Biff murmured, and began to unload another crate. This is gonna be messy, he mentally sighed.
"This is it," Chris whispered. After a short walk from the Center, they had arrived in front of the Gym. It was a large, grey building with a dome roof.
"You can do it, Chris. Remember, in your first real battle, you beat me without technically losing a Pokémon," Melanie reminded him.
"But what if I mess up?" Chris asked.
"Then you mess up. It's your first Gym battle. Nobody expects you to go in and dominate. Most people don't even beat one. You will do fine," Melanie soothed.
"I might lose though," Chris muttered.
"Then you will just have to try again. If you are going to give up your dreams, just because you might lose, then you were never meant to dream at all," Melanie said, giving him a small smile.
Chris stared silently at her, his mouth gaping slightly. I didn't realize she was so philosophical. She's right though; I can't let my nerves get the best of me. I can't let my fear of failure get in my way. I will fight, and I will win!
"You're right, Melanie. I can't let this get to me. A person's greatest glory is not in never falling, but in always getting back up again," Chris reminded himself.
"There you go! You can do it! I believe in you," Melanie cried happily.
"Thanks, Melanie. I needed that pep talk," he smiled, and wrapped her in a friendly embrace, causing Melanie to turn a slight shade of pink.
"What say we go in now? I think a certain Gym leader is about to get a bit of an ass kicking," Melanie said, shaking of her slightly pinkish expression. Chris gave her a curt nod, and pushed open the doors to the gym.
"Um, it's kind of dark in here, don't you think, Melanie?" Chris asked. They gym was pitch black, and the only thing they could see was their own bodies.
Suddenly, the entire building illuminated. Standing at the other side of the room, was a young woman with light brown hair. She wore a light brown dress that hung down to her knees, with a white rim around the bottom and the sleeves.
"Greetings, Challenger. I am Teren, Gym leader of Evertown. You wish to challenge me?" she asked, the large room causing her voice to echo.
"The whole thing with the lights and booming voice seems kinda clichéd," Chris muttered.
"I was informed of your impending arrival by the nurse," Teren answered. I would agree that is was still fairly clichéd though, Teren agreed to herself.
"Makes sense, I, Chris Davis, of Cianwood City, challenge you for your badge!" he yelled in an attempt to let out his left over nervous energy.
"Very well, this will be a three on three battle for the Stalagmite Badge. Are you ready, Challenger?" she asked in a condescending tone.
"I was born ready," he declared confidently.
"Then take your place on the opposite side of the field," she said, a hint of a smile forming on her face. "Ref!"
As if he had been there the whole time, a slightly pudgy man ran out of the tunnel and took his spot on the sidelines. He held both a red flag, and a green flag.
"This will be a three on three match for the Stalagmite Badge. The challenger is allowed substitutions, but the Gym leader may not. Are we clear?" the ref asked. The pair of combatants nodded, and turned to face each other.
Ground types, Chris reminded himself. Snorunt has the advantage, so I'll use him to close. Charmander is weak against them, but I'm not sure starting with her is a great idea. If I can take out her first Pokémon with Chatot, then I should have a good chance of winning the match. So Chatot, Charmander and then Snorunt.
Chris was abruptly broken out of his thoughts as he saw his opponents Pokémon appear on the other side of the field. It was a small, brown dinosaur looking Pokémon with a beige belly. It wore a skull on its head, and it held a small bone.
A Cubone, Chris thought. "Go, Chatot!"
(Good morning world!) Chatot cheered.
(We're in a battle, dimwit,) Cubone howled.
(Takes one to know one,) Chatot retorted, causing Cubone to growl.
"Chris, as challenger, you may have the first move," Teren told him.
"Don't mind if I do. Chatot, Fury Attack!" Chris cried.
(I'm gonna turn you into Chatot chilli!) Chatot squawked, as he took off towards the enemy Cubone.
"Cubone, block it with your skull!" Teren ordered.
(Yes Ma'am!) Cubone called, and leaned his head over, giving Chatot no time to change his battle tactic. Chatots beak crashed into Cubones skull, throwing Chatot back a few feet.
"What!" Chris cried in disbelief.
"It's quite simple; Cubone used its skull like a shield, minimizing the damage your Chatot was able to do," Teren replied.
"And it doesn't even count as an attack," Chris whispered. She still has all four of her Cubones attack slots empty, where as I only have three.
"Now, Cubone! Bone Club!" Teren ordered.
"Quick Chatot, dodge!" Chris cried desperately.
(Sir, yes sir!) Chatot joked, and took to the air quickly. This caused Cubones close range Bone Club to just narrowly miss.
(Coward,) Cubone hissed.
(What? Not my fault you're slow,) Chatot teased.
"Chatot, Fury Attack again!" Chris called. Chatot dove towards Cubone again, causing Cubone to go back into its earlier shielded position.
"Now Cubone, Bone Club!"
(I'm gonna enjoy this,) Cubone snickered, and smashed his club upside Chatots head.
"Chatot! Are you okay?" Chris asked desperately, as he watched his Pokémon land in a heap a few feet away from Cubone.
(I see birdies,) Chatot cooed. He quickly shook his head, and hopped back to his feet.
"Wait a minute; Bone Club is a ground type attack! It shouldn't have hurt Chatot!" Chris yelled.
"What do you think this is, a video game? Cubone hit your bird with its bone, of course it's going to hurt," Teren sighed.
Makes sense, Chris thought. "Can you still fight, Chatot?"
(Please, any guy who hits another guys with his bone should be beatable,) Chatot snickered. (I won't give up yet! This guy is just lucky I haven't lawyered up yet!)
So you haven't lost your big mouth, or your fighting spirit, Chris thought, slightly amused. Alright, now I need to focus again. I need to get around Cubones skull. Every time I call an attack, she uses the skull to defend, and I haven't taught Chatot any ranged attacks yet. Chatot knows Mirror Move, but I don't know which of Cubones attack would be able to break that defence. And I know Chatot won't appreciate being returned. If only it would stop defendi- I got it!
"Chatot, use taunt!"
(Hey Skull Boy, little late for Halloween, isn't it?) Chatot teased.
(Shut up! This was my Mothers!) Cubone screeched.
(Well then it's amazing it fits,) Chatot muttered.
(What's that supposed to mean?) Cubone demanded.
(After all, your Mother was so fat, that she jumped in the air and got stuck!) Chatot squawked.
(Shut up! Don't talk bad about my Mom!) Cubone screeched.
(Why not? Is she ugly?) Chatot asked.
(No! She's dead! This mask is my memento! She wore it!) Cubone cried.
(Oh, was that because she was so ugly?) Chatot laughed. Oh shit! Chatot, buddy, you just crossed the line, Chris mentally sighed.
(That's it!) Cubone screeched, and threw his bone at Chatot. Chatot, who was completely unprepared for the attack, was hit straight in the face. A loud THUMP was heard. He was out cold.
"Excuse me Miss, is there a Mr. Christopher Davis here?" inquired a grizzled male voice.
"I'm sorry, but Chris left for the gym a while ago," replied another voice, a beautifully feminine one, belonging to Nurse Joy.
"I see. I shall meet him there then," the man replied, and began to walk back to the exit, leaving the nurse with a confused look.
"Wasn't that..."
Well that backfired, Chris thought. I had hoped Chatot would be able to take care of the first Pokémon. It looks like I'm going to have to deviate from my initial battle plan. She's used Bone Club and Bonemerang, at least technically, so I shouldn't use Charmander.
"Snorunt, battle time!" he called, throwing the red and white orb forward.
(Woot! Go Snorunt!) Tangela cheered from her spot on the sidelines, as Melanie had let her Pokémon out to watch the match. They sat in a small viewing room, behind some sound proof glass.
(You didn't cheer for Chatot like that,) Sandshrew pointed out. (He is a guy too.)
(Yeah, and he's cute, but he's too much like you,) Tangela teased, causing Sandshrew to growl.
"I may not be able to understand you guys, but shut up! The match is starting again," Melanie ordered, and turned her attention back to the match. I know you can do it, Chris.
"An ice type; a wise move. I hope this poses more of a challenge then your potty mouth Chatot," Teren teased.
"I promise," Chris replied.
"Good. But I'll be the judge of that. Cubone, Bonemerang!" Teren cried. Upon orders, Cubone hurled his bone towards the former sheriff.
"Snorunt, jump!" Chris ordered.
(You got it, Pardner,) Snorunt replied, and leapt directly off the ground, right over the Bonemerang.
"Now Duck!" Chris added, causing Snorunt to dip under the now retreating bone.
"Cubone, catch your bone!" Teren ordered. Bingo! Chris mentally chimed in.
"Now Snorunt! Icy Wind!" Instantly, Snorunt let out a massive exhale of frost at the skull wearing Pokémon.
"Cubone, side step it!" Teren ordered. Cubone gave an abrupt nod, and stepped to his left, narrowly avoiding the icy gust.
"Now Snorunt, Headbutt!" Chris yowled, causing Terens eyes to fly wide open. She could only watch as the point of Snorunts cone came in contact with Cubones unprotected stomach. Cubone crumpled to a knee, but it was still in the game.
"Now hit it with a point blank icy wind!" Opening his mouth, Snorunt released a furious breeze directly into Cubones face. It didn't stand a chance.
"Cubone is unable to battle. This round goes to Snorunt!" the ref declared.
"Way to be, Chris. That's more like it!" Melanie cheered, happy that her friend had managed to even the odds.
"I concur, that was marvellous," chimed in a different voice. Melanie turned to her side, and noticed an older man wearing a reddish purple shirt, and brown pants. He wore a white lab coat over his shirt, and his hair betrayed his old age.
"Aren't you, Professor Oak?" Melanie asked, her voice betraying the sheer awe she felt about meeting a living legend.
"I am indeed, and who might you be?" Oak inquired.
"My name is Melanie Emerald. I am friends with Chris," Melanie replied.
"Oh, so are you travelling with Mr. Davis?" Oak asked her.
"Yup!" Melanie replied happily.
"I see," Oak murmured.
"Not to be rude or anything, but how do you know Chris?" Melanie wondered.
"Well, I don't know him personally, but I arranged a meeting with him in this town through an old friend," Oak answered, giving her a small smile.
"Why though?" Melanie asked, starting to sound a little suspicious.
"Hannah arranged a meeting between us to talk about Chris' abilities," Oak replied, obviously unaware that Melanie herself knew of said abilities.
"You mean how he can understand Pokémon?" Melanie questioned, causing Oaks eyes to widen. "I found out by mistake," Melanie reassured him.
"Yes, but this is not the place to discuss it," Oak replied, gesturing to the area that Melanie and he were in.
"I'm kind of curious though, why do we need to be behind soundproof glass to watch the match?" Melanie asked, gesturing to the glass that she, the professor and her Pokémon sat behind.
"The Gym leaders made many complaints about spectators giving advice during battle, so we installed these rooms in all league approved Gyms," Oak replied.
"I see- oh jeez, I'm missing the match!" Melanie muttered, and turned back towards the battle.
"Phanpy, Rollout!" Teren called. Cubones replacement, a small blue elephant with a few red markings along its ears and trunk, curled up into a ball and took off towards Snorunt.
"Snorunt, avoid it!" Chris called. The momentum he had taken from the match versus Cubone was slowly slipping away. Damn rock type attack, Chris cursed.
"Can't say I see a lot of Ice types, Chris, but it never hurts to be prepared. I'm not a Gym leader for nothing," Teren taunted. "Phanpy, keep at it!"
"Snorunt! Keep avoiding it!" Chris yelled.
"You can't run forever, Chris. Rollout only gets stronger, and it will only get harder to avoid. Then your little snow cone is toast," Teren teased.
(She's right, Pardner. We need a plan!) Snorunt confirmed, narrowly avoiding Phanpys attack yet again.
I know we need a plan, but I'm not sure what we can do. I can't subject Snorunt to stand up to the attack, and Charmander wouldn't fare any better. Maybe an Icy Wind?
(Chris?) Snorunt asked nervously. Chris looked at his ice type, and noticed the fatigue was starting to set in. He can't keep this up. If I get him to keep dodging he's just going to wear himself out, Chris confirmed.
"Snorunt, try your Icy Wind attack." Chris suggested.
(Got it!) Snorunt replied, and exhaled a long frozen breath, towards the elephant, forcing the rolling Pokémon back a few feet.
"Phanpy, keep going!" Teren ordered. Without even uncurling, Phanpy started rolling towards Snorunt again.
"Damn it! Snorunt, dodge it!" Chris cried. Icy Wind was supposed to slow it. I can't think of any other options right now. Maybe it will wear down eventually, Chris hoped.
"You can't keep dodging it, Chris. Not many Pokémon have that kind of stamina," Teren reminded him.
"No, but Snorunt does!" Chris replied, not even trying to hold back the pride his voice was betraying.
"You have great faith in your Pokémon, but faith will only get you so far," Teren said. "Phanpy, speed it up!"
(Thanks, Pardner. I'd gaze at you happily, but I reckon I'm kinda busy,) Snorunt joked, dodging yet another Rollout.
"Let's try something else. Try your Powder Snow!" Chris offered. Giving a quick nod, Snorunt exhaled a small snowstorm from his mouth toward the rolling Pokémon. It didn't do very much, but Chris noticed something from the attack. It stuck!
"Measly attacks won't win you this match," Teren teased.
"Snorunt, Double Team!" Chris ordered. Instantly, three separate clones appeared, including the real one. "Now use Powder Snow!"
"Professor, do you have any idea what he's doing?" Melanie asked.
"I do, in fact. Have you ever made a snowball?" Oak asked back.
"Yeah," Melanie replied, unsure what he was getting at.
"Well, how did you make it?" Oak asked again.
"Well, I started with a bit of snow, and I rolled it up- I get it! He's going to turn that Phanpy into a Snowball!" Melanie declared.
"I think so," Oak replied.
Indeed, the floor of the gym had begun to be blanketed in a thin layer of snow, causing Chris to smirk. Thanks to double team, Phanpy keeps attacking the wrong Snorunt, giving time for him to really cover this field. Time to change tactics though.
"Now Snorunt, Headbutt!" Chris ordered. Snorunt charged the white covered, yet still rolling, Phanpy.
"Phanpy, keep at it!" Teren encouraged. Right into my trap; three, two, one…
"Snorunt, dodge!" Upon command, Snorunt dipped to his left, causing the snow covered Phanpy to keep rolling, picking up more snow as it went. As it picked up snow, Phanpy began to get sluggish. It's moving slower now, this is our chance! "Now, Snorunt! Headbutt!"
Snorunt charged the slow moving snowball, throwing the sharp tip of his snow cone straight at it. The momentum of the Headbutt sent the snow covered Phanpy straight into the wall of the gym. The snow encasing it fell off upon impact, revealing a swirly eyed elephant.
"Phanpy is unable to battle. The winner is Snorunt!" the ref declared, holding up the green flag. Chris couldn't help but give off a smile. He actually managed to take the lead in the battle. Just one more, he told himself.
"Can you keep battling, bud?" he asked Snorunt. The snow hat Pokémon was showing massive signs of fatigue. Chris didn't want to subject him to anymore fighting if Snorunt didn't want to continue.
(Don't think so, Pardner. I won't win, but I sure as hell ain't sending Charmander in to fight the next match alone. I will fight till I can't fight no more, you hear?) Snorunt told him.
"Are you sure?" Chris asked.
(Darn right I'm sure,) Snorunt reassured.
"That was impressive, Chris. That was a nice strategy to finish of my Phanpy, but do you think you can beat my next Pokémon? Go, Sandslash!"
(Now we're talkin!) Sandshrew declared, upon seeing his evolution take the field. Sandslash was a fair bit bigger then Sandshrew. It was a very similar yellow brown colour, with longer claws and brown spike like spines along its back.
(Shut up, Sandshrew!) Tangela yelled, and smacked him with a Vine Whip.
(Is that good or bad?) Yanma asked, looking on in worry at the larger Sandshrew.
(Bad. Chris is fuc-) Sandshrew began.
(Shut up, Sandshrew!) Tangela yelled more forcefully, hitting him even harder with a Vine Whip.
(Tangela, what word was Sandshrew going to say? It sounded like a cool word,) Yanma cooed, completely oblivious to the words actual meaning.
(It's a bad word! Now let's actually watch the match!) Tangela declared. You can do it, my hunky men, and of course Charmander!
"Snorunt, kick it off with your Icy Wind attack!" Chris decided. Snorunt began to exhale a long, cold breath towards his target.
"Sandslash, use Protect!" Teren decided.
(Yes, Teren,) Sandslash replied, and began to form a protective shield around itself, shielding itself from the Icy Wind attack.
"Damn Protect," Chris muttered. "Snorunt, Double Team!" As before, multiple Snorunt copies appeared, encircling Sandslash. "Now hit it with your Icy Wind!"
Snorunt gave a slight smirk, and exhaled a long chilly breath at the mouse Pokémon. Protect rarely works in succession, so this should deal him a nice blow, Chris thought triumphantly.
"Decent strategy you used there, Chris, but you forgot one very major detail," Teren chided him.
"What do you mean?" Chris demanded.
"While the clones can fake using the attack, only the real one actually hurts," Teren declared.
Chris stared quietly for a second, before it finally set in. Oh shit!
"Sandslash, use Metal Claw!" Teren yelled, a small smile gracing her feminine face. Within seconds, the ice-cold wind died off, and Snorunt was slumped over on the ground.
"Snorunt is unable to battle! Sandslash is the winner!" the ref cried, raising the red flag.
"Snorunt was knocked out so fast," Melanie whined.
"Don't forget, Snorunt already took out two Pokémon. I'm personally surprised at the strength it posses. Chris must be one great trainer. I can see what Hannah saw in him," Professor Oak replied.
"I guess Snorunt also got in a good attack before succumbing to Sandslash," Melanie added.
"Indeed, although the Icy Wind left Snorunt open, it did manage to do some damage to Sandslash, leaving it prime for the taking. Speaking of which, what is Chris' last Pokémon?" Oak asked.
"It's..."
"Charmander, it's prime for the taking," Chris yelled, throwing out the Pokéball containing his faithful orange lizard. The young fire lizard let out a small trill of happiness upon her release.
"You ready to win this, Charmander?" Chris asked her.
(Pfft, I was born ready!) Charmander declared.
"A Charmander! You might as well give up now," Teren taunted.
(You're kinda cute, Shrimp. We should get together sometime, after I beat your brains out,) Sandslash murmured.
(Flattering,) Charmander muttered. (I'd rather get together with a rock.)
(What's that supposed to mean?) Sandslash demanded.
(A rock would have better manners, and would be twice as good looking,) Charmander teased. (Smarter too.)
(That's it, Bitch! I'm going to enjoy this one,) Sandslash snapped.
I won't let you! Chris declared. "Charmander, Snorunt got him with an Icy Wind attack prior to this, so he should be more sluggish. We're gonna have to use speed," Chris summarized. Also known as, wait until the other trainer makes a mistake, Chris added mentally.
(Sounds like a plan!) Charmander cooed happily.
"Start off with your Ember attack," Chris offered. Charmander opened her mouth, and released three fireballs in the direction of Sandslash.
"Block them with your Swift attack!" Teren ordered. Sandslash gladly complied and shot a few star shaped beams towards the flames, causing a small explosion.
Strike one, Chris thought. "Again!" he ordered. Charmander complied, releasing a few more fireballs, which Sandslash instantly countered with Swift.
"Again!" Once more, Charmander released fireballs towards her opponent, which he again countered with his Swift attack.
"This annoys me! Metal Claw!" Teren ordered. Strike two, Chris added.
"Charmander, Smokescreen!" Chris yelled. The fire lizard opened her mouth, and released a large cloud of black smoke surrounding the mouse Pokémon.
"Sandslash, use Rapid Spin to blow away the smoke!" Teren cried desperately. Strike three; you're out! Chris declared mentally.
"You're up to bat! Iron Tail!" Chris ordered. Charmander charged the rapid spinning Pokémon, who was completely unaware of the charging lizard with the silver tail. When she had gotten close enough, she swung her tail as hard as she could, sending the spinning Pokémon towards the wall. Sandslash barely had enough time to brace himself, leaving a large cloud of dust.
"You did it, Charman- no way!" Chris stopped abruptly, as he saw the shaky figure of Sandslash appear from the dust.
(That's it! Time to bring out the big guns!) Charmander declared, and began to glow a shimmering white colour, leaving a simultaneous thought to everyone in the building.
Evolution.
"Is it time, Morgan?" Biff asked impatiently.
"Not yet, Biff. Shut up!" Morgan ordered, growing tired of Biffs idiocy.
"When will it be?" Biff whined.
"Soon, Biff. Very soon," Morgan cackled, and began to place the last of the devices.
It's finally happening. She's evolving. Chris watched in awe as the white light surrounded his first partner, only to be blindsided when it stopped and she was still a Charmander. What in the actual f-
"What! Why'd it stop?" Chris demanded.
"Chris, this town is built deep within Mt. Everstone. Nothing can evolve here. Furthermore, our buildings are made out of Everstone," Teren told him.
"I see," Chris muttered, his voice with a tad bit of disappointment in. "I suppose it can't be helped. Charmander, Ember."
Oh well, Charmander mentally cried, and launched her Ember attack.
"Protect, Sandslash!" Teren called, causing Sandslash to again envelop itself in the protective shield.
It probably can't take another good hit. Time to bring out the attack we've been working on, Chris thought. "Dragon Rage," he calmly ordered.
Opening her mouth wide, Charmander launched a large green fireball towards Sandslash, whom never got the chance to defend itself as its protect attack dissipated. This battle was over.
"Sandslash is unable to battle. The winner of this match is the challenger Christopher Davis!"
("He did it!") Melanie cheered, along with Tangela and Yanma.
(Sandslash lost,) Sandshrew whimpered, but nobody paid him any mind. They were all way to happy about Chris' victory.
"You can go see him now, if you wish," Professor Oak told her. Upon hearing this, Melanie let out a feminine giggle, and ran out of the little audience room.
"Chris!" she screamed, and hugged him.
"You were right, Melanie. I could do it," Chris told her, a huge grin plastered on his face.
"That was a fantastic match, Chris. As Gym leader of Evertown, I hereby award this Stalagmite Badge. I also would like to give you Technical Machine, also known as TM, twenty-eight as a gift from me. It will teach one of your Pokémon the attack Dig, and thanks to new advances in technology it will never break either," Teren told him, handing the two items over to Chris carefully.
"What? No victory pose!" Melanie teased.
"Nah, they seem kinda childish," Chris replied.
"That was a marvellous match, Christopher," declared a new voice. Chris turned to the unfamiliar voice, and immediately knew whom it belonged to.
"Professor Oak!" Chris cried happily. "You saw my battle?"
"Most of it. He sure put you in your place, Teren," Oak told the Gym leader.
"Yes indeed. I made a few too many mistakes," Teren sighed. "I guess I'm still fairly inexperienced as a Gym leader."
"Yes, but you also gain experience through battling. I believe I explained that at the last meeting of the Leagues," Oak replied.
"Yeah, you did! I'll be better for it next time! Then we'll battle again, Chris!" Teren declared happily.
"I look forward to it," Chris replied, his tone just as happy as Teren's.
"We should head back to the Center, Chris. I would like to speak to you," Oak told him.
"Sounds like a plan," Chris replied, and headed towards the exit.
Suddenly, a loud BOOM was heard, and the walls began to shake, causing Chris to stumble.
"Is this an earthquake?" he asked no one in particular.
"It doesn't matter! Take cover," Melanie ordered. Chris ran towards the alcove at the opening of the gym. He finally arrived there, only to notice something that didn't quite make it.
"Charmander!" Chris screamed. The young flaming lizard had tripped on her dash to cover, and had her foot stuck in a little crack. Without even thinking, Chris charged out for her.
"Chris!" Melanie screamed, and began to run after him, but was cut off by another BOOM. Parts of the roof began collapsing, and small stones were pelting Chris. He hoped he was the only one that was.
"I'm almost there, Charmander!" Chris cried desperately.
"Chris, look out!" Melanie cried, equally desperate.
Upon hearing her warning, he noticed a small sharp piece of rock falling straight above Charmander. He could only watch in horror as his starter Pokémon had her arm impaled by the rock.
A few hours later, a distraught Christopher Davis sat in the waiting room of the Pokémon Center, along with Melanie Emerald and Teren.
"I failed her. She got hurt because I was too scared to do anything," Chris cried, his eye sight being completely blurred over by his tears.
"There's nothing you could have done," Melanie soothed. She had spent the better part of the past few hours trying to comfort Chris. "Besides, Charmander is tough. She will pull through."
"She's right, Chris. Your Charmander is tough. She is the spitting image of her trainer," Teren added. She had spent much of the past few hours trying to calm Chris down as well.
"I know you're right, but still..." Chris tailed off. He was spared any more of a wait as Nurse Joy and Professor Oak appeared.
"How is she?" Chris demanded.
"She is doing fine. Her arm will be able to work normally in a matter of days. She is one of the most resilient Pokémon I've ever treated," Nurse Joy said.
"That's a relief," Chris replied, some of his tears beginning to dry up a bit.
"However, we couldn't remove every part of the stone, without damaging Charmander heavily," Nurse Joy murmured.
"That's okay. I'm just glad she's fine," Chris replied.
"Chris, I'm not sure you completely understand the consequences of that," Professor Oak whispered.
"What do you mean?" Chris demanded, his nerves starting to rack up again.
"The stone that got lodged in Charmander was Everstone," Oak muttered.
"So? What's so bad about that?" Chris cried, the tears starting to well up again. His stomach was slowly dipping, and he was certain that it could drop at any minute. He didn't realise how right he was.
"I'm sorry, Chris, but Charmander will never be able to evolve."