Chapter 5: Showdown in Pewter Gym!

Outside Pewter City Gym

The sun shined warmly in the partly cloudy afternoon sky. Kids were running up and down the sidewalks to head back home from school and spend the rest of the day with their friends and family. As they ran, adults were walking around to their local spots for their lunch breaks from work. When the crowd began to die down a bit, me and my group walked out of the Pokémon Center, and arrived at the front of the Pewter City Gym. We stood by the front of the doors and looked through the glass. "There it is. The Pewter City Gym." said Celina. "And Brock is in there. Waiting for you." Sora replied as he and the group turned to me. "You ready, Tay?" Zach asked. "Yeah. I'm ready." I replied. "You nervous?" Zuzu replied. "A little bit. This is going to be my first Gym Battle. I'd never thought that I would be this nervous." I replied. "You shouldn't be. You have all of us to cheer you on. We got your back, no matter what." Pat replied. "He's right. If you're going to challenge your brother one day, you're going to get all the support from us in order to help you reach to the top." Celina replied as she put her arm around Pat's shoulders; making him blush. "Aww. Thanks, guys." I replied. They smiled happily at me and then most of our Phones started to beep.

Pat, Celina, Zuzu, Zach, and I picked up our phones and saw new texts in our group chat. "Did you guys tell them?" I asked them. "Yeah. We told them yesterday when you were training with Solar and Nidoran." Pat replied. I lightly smiled and looked down at my Phone; seeing the texts.

Yuya: Good luck, Tay! I know you can do it! Give it all you got!

Yugo: Good luck, Tay-Tay! Show Brock what you're made of!

Yuri: I wish you the best of luck, Taylor. I want to see what the future Champion is made of.

Rin: Good luck, Tay! I wish I was there on the sidelines with everyone there. Cheering for you!

Lulu: You got this, Tay! I believe in you! As long as you and your team believe in each other, you can win it all!

Yuto: This is it. The first Gym Battle. Good luck, Taylor! Rooting for you all the way in spirit!

I smiled warmly at the texts and then put my Phone back in my pocket. I looked at my group and saw the smiles on their faces. "That help boost your confidence a bit?" Zach asked me. I nodded my head yes to him; making him happy. We did an arm bump and showed confident smiles. "You got this. We're all here for you. Just remember all the training that you did. Brock will never know what you have in store for him." he said. "Right." I replied. "Pika-chu!" Tetrax replied as he jumped up on my shoulder. We ended the arm bump and then went inside the Gym.

"Taylor? What are you doing in this building?" said a voice in my thoughts. "Oh. Hello there, Necrozma. I'm here to have my first Gym Battle." I replied in my thoughts as I saw it appear from it as well; spiritually walking beside me. "A Gym Battle?" Necrozma replied curiously. "Mhm. It's a kind of battle where Trainers challenge the one who runs the Gym of their respective village, town, or city; they are known as the Gym Leader. The Gym Leader battles the challenger with a certain number of Pokémon depending on how many Badges the challenger has. After the challenger wins the battle, they earn that Gym's official League Badge as result of their victory in order to progress to the Region's Pokémon League." I replied. "Hm. Interesting? How many Gyms are there in this Region?" Necrozma replied curiously. "There are eight official Gyms in this Region." I replied.

"Do these battles also test the Trainer's bond with their Pokémon?" Necrozma asked. "They do." I replied. "Hmm... incredible. Very well. I wish you luck on this challenge." Necrozma replied. "Thank you, Necrozma." I replied.

Inside Pewter City Gym

"Welcome to the Pewter City Gym. If you are here to battle, step onto the field. If you are here to watch, please go to the stands over there." said the official. I walked onto the field and watched the group go to the stands. They sat down and saw me looking up at them. I then turned to my right, took out my PokéBalls, and let out Aurasoul, Dragonfire, Hurricane, Nidoran, Caterpie, Weedle, and Solar. They looked around and saw the rock-themed Gym for the first time. They then turned to me and nodded their heads in understanding. Tetrax and I did the same to them and then looked straight ahead of us; seeing the lights of the Gym turn on. "Well, well. Look who's finally here." said a voice. I looked up at the stone pillar across the room and saw Brock stand up from there. "Taylor. You made it. Right on time." he said. "Hey, Brock." I replied. "You know why you're here, right?" he replied. "To challenge you in battle and try to win your Gym Badge." I replied. "Correct. Usually with beginner Trainers like yourself, I would only use two Pokémon in this match. But when I saw you and your Lucario over there... and when we talked about my Omanyte... I thought of something. Instead of using only two Pokémon, I'm going to use three... no... four Pokémon." he replied. "Fine by me." I replied. "What!?" said my group in shock.

"He's going to use four Pokémon!? That's insane! She only has three Pokémon that have an advantage." said Sora. "But why? Does he have a Pokémon specifically to use only against Aurasoul?" Pat replied. "I think so? But whatever it is... it might be his strongest Pokémon overall. If I were Tay right now, I'd try to stay calm and face the pressure before he buries her in the rubble." Zach replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement and then looked back at me as I stared Brock down. "Okay. Trainers! Send out your first Pokémon!" said the official. Brock smiled and looked at the PokéBall in his hand. "Let's do this. Geodude, go!" he said as he threw the PokéBall. It opened and Geodude appeared on the battlefield. "Geo-dude!" said Geodude. "A Geodude, huh?" said Celina. Pat took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. A Rock and Ground type. Commonly found near mountain trails and the like. If you step on one by accident, it gets angry." said Pat's PokéDex. "Huh. Now knowing that, I wonder who she's going to choose first?" he replied.

"Nidoran, I choose you!" I said. "Ni-do!" my Nidoran replied as he ran onto the battlefield in front of me. "A Nidoran, huh? Interesting choice. Well then. Let's see what he's made of." said Brock. "Let's just say he and I have something special for ya." I replied. "Ran." Nidoran replied with a smirk. "Dude." Geodude replied with a smirk. "Alright! Battle, begin!" said the official.

Battle! Taylor vs. Brock!

"Geodude, use Tackle!" said Brock. "Geo! Geo-dude!" Geodude replied as it charged towards Nidoran. "Dodge it!" I said. "Ni-do!" Nidoran replied; dodging the attack. Geodude stopped in its tracks and turned around; seeing Nidoran away from it. "Now, run up on the rocks!" I said. "Ran!" Nidoran replied as he looked at the rocks surrounding the field and ran towards them. "I don't think so. Geodude! Rollout to catch up to him!" Brock replied. "Dude! Geo-dude!" Geodude as it curled into a ball and rolled towards Nidoran with incredible speed and power. "Here it comes!" I said as Nidoran got upto one of the tall, flat rocks. He quickly turned around and saw Geodude coming towards him. He got into a battle stance and saw Geodude launch itself up in the air and aim down at him. "Water Pulse!" I said. Nidoran smirked confidently as Geodude was coming closer, dodged the Rollout, got up on another flat rock, leapt up in the air, and watched Geodude stop the attack. Nidoran's eyes glew light blue and he made a light blue orb of water appear in front of his mouth. "Ni-do-ran!" he said as he launched the attack. The waves of water that surrounded the bottom of the orb came in as strong as a tidal wave and hit Geodude.

"Geodude!" said Brock in a shocked tone. Geodude landed back down onto the field, slowly stood up, and shook off the water. "Geo." it said as Nidoran jumped back down onto the field. "That's a powerful move there, Taylor. I've never seen a Nidoran use Water Pulse before. I gotta say... I'm impressed." said Brock. "Thanks." I replied. "But is your Nidoran prepared for this? Geodude! Bulldoze!" he replied. "Dude! Geo-Geodude!" Geodude replied as it used the attack; making the ground shake. "Ni-do!" said Nidoran as he was hit by the attack. "Nidoran!" I said worriedly. Nidoran stumbled and took a few steps back. "Now we gotcha. Let's end this, Geodude! Mega Punch!" said Brock. "Dude! Geo-" Geodude replied as it clutched its fist, charged it with energy, quickly moved towards Nidoran, and punched him in the gut; sending him flying towards one of the rock pillars and breaking it. "Oh no!" said Zuzu, Sora, and Pat in shock. "Nido!" said Celina's Nidoran in a shocked worried tone. My Nidoran fell down to the ground and stayed down on his side. "Geodude." said Geodude as it stood in front of Nidoran.

The official looked at Nidoran for a moment and was about to raise his flag, but then saw Nidoran slowly start to stand back up. "Guys! Look!" said Sora. "He's getting back up..." Celina replied. "Nido. Nido-ran!" Celina's Nidoran replied. My Nidoran opened his eyes, looked over to the stands, and saw Celina's Nidoran looking at him and hearing her voice calling out to him. "R...Ran... Nido-ran. Ni-do-ran!" he said as he turned back to Geodude. "Geo!?" Geodude replied. "What!? How... how did he withstand Geodude's Mega Punch?" said Brock. Nidoran blinked his eyes and then turned to me; seeing the worried and relieved look on my face. "Nidoran? Are you alright?" I asked him. "Ran." he replied as he nodded his head yes to me. He then turned back to Geodude; ready to battle again. "Heh. Your Nidoran is a tough little guy, huh Taylor?" said Brock. "Yeah. He sure is." I replied. "He truly has the fighting spirit in him, just like you. It's no surprise that you two work together perfectly. But now... this is where it ends. Geodude, one last Mega Punch!" Brock replied. "Geo-dude! Geo-" Geodude replied as it began to use Mega Punch again. Nidoran stared it down silently, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and dodged the attack on his own without my command.

Geodude's attack punched another rock pillar and turned it into rubble. "Geo-dude!?" it said surprised. "What the!? He dodged it without any command!?" Brock replied in a surprised tone. "Double Kick!" I said. "Nido! Ni-do-ran!" Nidoran replied as he charged at Geodude and used Double Kick on Geodude's face. After the attack, he saw both of Geodude's fists try to punch him. "Dodge the fists and use Double Kick again!" I said. "Ran!" he replied as he got out the fist's way and used Double Kick from behind. Geodude was pushed back by the surprise attack, blinked its eyes, turned around, and saw Nidoran's eyes glowing light blue and the orb of water again. "Geo!" said Geodude in a shocked tone. "Oh no!" Brock replied. "Water Pulse!" I replied. "Ni-do-ran!" Nidoran replied as he launched the attack at Geodude; hitting it perfectly. The mist of the attack disappeared and we saw Geodude blink its eyes and fall down to the ground. "Geodude!" said Brock. The official went over to Geodude and saw that it had fainted. "Geodude is unable to battle! Nidoran is the winner!" said the official.

"Alright! Way to go, Nidoran!" I said happily. "Nido-ran!" he replied happily as he ran over to me, jumped up in my arms, and let me hug him. My team was celebrating on the sidelines with each other; proud of what Nidoran had done in battle. "Great job, Nidoran. I'm so proud of you." I said to him. "Nido!" he replied happily. I gave him an Oran Berry and watched him eat it happily. "Alright! One down and three more to go!" said Sora as he and Zuzu cheered with pom-poms in their hands. "Yep. And if I were her right now, I'd let Nidoran take a little break to catch his breath." Celina replied. "Yeah. I don't think she would want to tire him out to quickly." Zach replied. "Geodude, return." said Brock as he took out Geodude's PokéBall and returned it safely. He looked down at it and smiled warmly at it. "You were great out there, old friend. Now take a good rest." he said. He put Geodude's PokéBall away and took out a new one. "I have to admit it to you, Taylor. You've trained your Nidoran very well. I don't how you taught him to use Water Pulse, but that was one surprise attack I would've never expected from it." he said.

"Thanks, Brock. I knew that starting off with him would be a very bad type disadvantage; even with Double Kick. So, I found someone in Viridian Forest to teach us how to use Water Pulse for this battle and test his speed and defense when it comes to taking physical hits." I replied. "Huh. Very impressive. Looks like you've planned that one out from the very beginning. You know, when I first took on your brother... he never thought of strategies like that before. He got really lucky when he beat my Onix when he had Charmander as his last Pokémon." he replied. "With Charmander? That's a surprise." I replied curiously. "It was. But that Charmander had a gentle and fiery hot battle personality in battle." he replied. "Yep. That sounds just like his Charizard, alright." I replied. "And what about yours? This is the first time I've seen him since he was a Charmander. Does he have the same fiery passion of battle as your brother's?" he replied as we turned to Dragonfire. "He does. But... he wants to be better than his older brother. He always lost to him in every battle and training session we had with them. To him... battling his older brother is his main goal. And you're going to beat him in battle someday, right buddy?" I replied.

Dragonfire nodded his head yes to my response and then we looked back at each other. "Wow. That was a interesting conversation." said Pat. "Yeah. But now we know something about Dragonfire that Taylor never told us about before." Zuzu replied. "Yeah. I never thought one of Taylor's Pokémon would have a sibling rivalry with one of Red's Pokémon. Hmm? I wonder if Tetrax has a rivalry with Red's Pikachu as well?" Pat replied. "Who knows? If we see him before the League, maybe we'll find out if that is true." Zach replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement and then Zach felt something ruffle his hair. "Huh? What the? Blue! What are you doing here?" he said as he turned around; seeing the person sitting behind him. The group turned around and saw Blue show a smile to his little brother. "I'd thought I would come visit and watch this match." he said. "So that means you saw Taylor's Nidoran defeat Brock's Geodude?" Pat asked him. "Yep. From what I saw them do to withstand both Bulldoze and Mega Punch, I can see the potential they have together." he replied. "You do?" Zach replied. Blue nodded his head yes to his question, and then both brothers saw Squirtle and Blastoise interact with each other; making them happy. They turned back to the battlefield and saw my Nidoran jump out of my arms and back onto the field.

"Looks like he's ready for more. Alright then. Go, Omanyte!" said Brock as he threw the PokéBall in the air. Omanyte appeared onto the field and stared down Nidoran. "Oman-yte!" said Omanyte. "An Omanyte?" said Blue. "Brock's had Omanyte since he was a kid. It's watched all his battles on the sidelines, and Taylor encouraged Brock to use it in battle; wanting to see what Fossil Pokémon are made of in battle." Zach replied. "Huh? Is that so? Alright then, let's see what this little guy is made of." Blue replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement and watched Nidoran get into his battle stance. "You ready, Omanyte?" said Brock. "Nyte!" Omanyte replied. "Okay. Omanyte, use Water Gun!" Brock replied. "Om! Om-anyte!" Omanyte replied as it shot a spiral of water from its mouth. "Dodge it!" I said. "Nido!" Nidoran replied as he dodged the attack. "Now use Poison Sting!" I said. "Ran! Ni-do-ran!" Nidoran replied as he fired multiple glowing purple darts from his mouth. "Protect!" said Brock. "Nyte!" Omanyte replied as it tucked itself into its shell and made a forcefield of green energy around it to stop Poison Sting. "Nido!?" said Nidoran in shock. "What?!" I replied in shock.

Brock smirked at my reaction and saw Nidoran take a couple steps back. "Now use Shell Smash!" he said. The forcefield dropped and Omanyte untucked itself from its shell, surrounded itself in red energy, and gave itself a power boost. "Water Gun!" said Brock. "Om-anyte!" Omanyte replied as it fired a spiral of water again and hit Nidoran; this time pushing him back. "Now use Ancient Power!" said Brock. "Nyte! Om-an-yte!" Omanyte replied as its eyes glew light purple, and used its prehistoric power to summon ancient-looking rocks, and throw them at full power at Nidoran; hitting him successfully. "Ni-do!" said Nidoran as he fell back. "Nidoran!" I replied in a worried tone. He tumbled on the ground for a few seconds, slowly stood up, stared at Omanyte for a moment, and then fell down to the ground. The official ran over to Nidoran, knelt down, and saw that he had fainted. "Nidoran is unable to battle! Omanyte is the winner!" said the official. "Pi-ka-pi!" said Tetrax as he jumped off my shoulder and both he and I ran over to Nidoran. I picked him up in my arms and gently hugged him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at me. "Ni... Ni-do." he said tiredly. "You were great, Nidoran. You did an amazing job out there. I'm so proud of you." I said.

"Ni-do-ran." he replied happily. I walked him over to Aurasoul and let him hold Nidoran in his arms. "Now you stay here and take a good rest. Aurasoul and Dragonfire will take care of you for now, okay?" I said as I gently patted his head. "Nido-ran." he replied happily. I smiled warmly at him and then I began to walk back over to my side of the field. "Bulba-saur." said Solar. I stopped in my tracks, turned around, and looked down at Solar; seeing the determination in his eyes. I blinked my eyes twice, smiled warmly, and knelt down to him. "Bul-ba?" he said. "You ready to go out there and give it your all?" I replied. "Saur!" he replied as he nodded his head yes to my question. We did a fist/vine bump to each other and then walked over to the field. Tetrax and Solar looked at each other for a moment, smiled with confidence, and nodded their heads in understanding. "Okay, Solar. I choose you!" I said. "Bulba-saur!" Solar replied as he jumped onto the battlefield. "A Bulbasaur? When did she get one?" said Blue curiously. "She caught him in Viridian Forest yesterday." Zach replied. "In Viridian Forest? How did it end up there?" Blue replied. "His former Trainer released him there three years ago after losing to Brock and his Onix. It made him mad for a while and let him not trust people for quite a while, until Tay found him and let him open his heart up too her after saving him from a violent Pinsir." Zach replied. "What!? She saved him all by herself?" Blue replied in a shocked tone. Zach nodded his head yes to his response. Blue was amazed from what Zach had said, and then they heard a couple cheers next to them. They turned to their left and saw Sora and Zuzu waving their pom-poms around and cheering happily.

"Yes! She's going with Solar!" said Pat. "You got this, you two!" Zuzu cheered. "Well this one should be easy. Omanyte is a Rock and Water type. Any one of Solar's Grass type moves are going to take it down instantly." Celina replied. "Yeah... but what about that Shell Smash thing? Whatever it did, it made Omanyte stronger. How is she going to beat that?" Zach replied. "Shell Smash increases the Pokémon offensive powers and speed, but loses strength in defensive power. And I think Brock knew to use it perfectly against Nidoran." Blue replied. "Huh? You mean he used Shell Smash in order to match Nidoran's power and speed?" Zach replied. Blue nodded his head yes to his response. "And now you're saying that Brock is now going to use Protect and Shell Smash to tire out Taylor's team?" Celina asked. "From the way I see it... yeah. If I were her, I would time it when Omanyte uses Protect and try to hit it before the move is used successfully." Blue replied. "But can Protect fail if it's used too much?" Sora replied. "Yep. If she sees that move fail, that's the time to strike." Blue replied. The group looked at him all surprised for a moment, and then looked back to the battlefield.

"Omanyte! Ancient Power!" said Brock. "Nyte! Om-an-yte!" Omanyte replied as it used Ancient Power again. "Solar! Grab one of the rocks with your vines!" I said. "Bul-ba! Bul-ba-saur!" Solar replied as he dodged the attack and grabbed one of the rocks with his vines. "Quick! Protect!" said Brock. "I don't think so. Throw it down on the ground on front of its eyes!" I replied. "Saur! Bul-ba, Bul-ba, Bul-ba-saur!" Solar replied as he threw the rock in front of Omanyte's face before it tucked itself into its shell; blinding its eyes with sand. "What!?" said Brock in shock. "Use Razor Leaf!" I replied. "Bulba-saur! Bul-ba!" Solar replied as he used Razor Leaf at Omanyte; hitting it successfully. "Ma-nyte!" said Omanyte. "Ah! Omanyte!" Brock replied. Omanyte fell back from the attack, slowly stood up, and then fell back down to the ground. The official went over to Omanyte and saw that it fainted. "Omanyte is unable to battle! Bulbasaur is the winner!" said the official. "Alright!" Zuzu, Pat, and Sora cheered happily as Sora and Zuzu waved their pom-poms and their Pokémon cheered with them.

"Two down, two to go." said Zach. "Yep. Now let's see what he has in store for her next." Celina replied. Zach nodded his head to her response and then looked at me silently. "You got this, Tay. Just two more to go and you'll win your first Gym Badge. Keep up the pressure on the field and you'll outmatch him." he said in his thoughts. Brock returned Omanyte to its PokéBall, looked down at it, and smiled warmly. "You were great out there, Omanyte. You did very well for your first ever Gym Battle. Now take a well deserved rest." he said. He put Omanyte's PokéBall away, took out a new one, and looked at me and Solar as we looked at him. "Your Omanyte did very well, Brock. I never expected it to use Ancient Power with the power boost from Shell Smash." I said. "Heh. Thanks, Taylor. That was something Omanyte and I worked on just for you and your team." he replied. I smiled confidently at his response. "That so? Very clever. It was something that I never expected you to do; especially with Shell Smash being a very risky move." I said.

"Indeed. With Shell Smash's power boost for Omanyte's Ancient Power, I had to show you the true power of Fossil Pokémon. A power that has been unstoppable since many millennia ago. But now I see many Trainers who use Fossil Pokémon in their teams, fighting side by side with their Trainers... it makes me proud to see that Trainers do respect these ancient Pokémon in battle." he replied. I nodded my head in agreement to his response. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you. You may have taken down two of my Pokémon, Taylor. Now you only have two Pokémon left to face." he said. Solar got into a battle stance; ready to go after hearing him say that. "You ready to see what I have next?" Brock asked me. "I was born ready." I replied. "That's the spirit! Now, get ready to face one of my strongest Pokémon! Go, Onix!" he replied as he threw a PokéBall up in the air. It opened and Onix appeared onto the battlefield; letting a powerful roar in the room. It then looked down at me and Solar; ready to fight.

"Whoa... so that's what an Onix looks like in real life." said Pat. Zach took out his Phone and activated his PokéDex. "Onix. The Rock Snake Pokémon. A Rock and Ground type. Onix has a magnet in its brain. It acts as a compass so that this Pokémon does not lose direction while it is tunneling. As it grows older, its body becomes increasingly rounder and smoother." said Zach's PokéDex. "Wow. For a Pokémon that big, it must be crazy when seeing one making burrows." Sora replied. "Mhm. But now Taylor has to deal with that thing... if Solar loses control of his anger... then she's done for." Celina replied. "What!? No way! They can handle Onix! I know they can do it!" Zuzu replied. "She's right. If they do exactly what they did with their training yesterday, they can beat it." Zach replied. The group nodded their heads in agreement and then looked back to the battlefield.

Solar looked up at Onix as its eyes looked down to him. Once they made eye contact, I could feel the anger flowing through Solar's veins. I clutched my fists and then looked down at Solar; seeing him turn his head to me. We made eye contact, closed our eyes, and took a deep breath in sync together; calming each other's minds. We opened our eyes and then nodded our heads to each other in understanding. "You ready?" I asked him. "Saur." he replied. He turned back to Onix and prepared for my next command. "Okay. Solar, use Razor Leaf!" I said. "Saur! Bul-ba-saur!" Solar replied as he used the attack. "Dragon Breath!" said Brock. Onix roared as light blue energy swirled around its body, and fired a thick light blue beam of energy from its mouth; aiming and burning the Razor Leaves. "Saur!?" said Solar in shock. "What!?" I replied in shock. Brock smirked at my reaction and then got into a battle stance. "Now use Rock Throw!" he said. Onix roared again, summoned rocks around itself, and used its power to throw them; hitting Solar. "Bul-ba!" said Solar in pain. "Solar!" I replied in a worried tone.

Solar rolled on the ground for a moment and then layed still. "Onix, use Dig!" said Brock. Onix roared and then burrowed its way into the ground. Solar stood back up and saw what Onix was doing. He shook his head for a couple seconds, and then closed his eyes silently. He took a deep breath as his mind began to clear up and focus. As he did this, he tapped his feet on the ground; trying to sense the vibrations of Onix moving underground. "What in the world is he doing?" said Blue curiously. "Feeling the vibration of the ground." Zach replied. "But... why?" Blue replied. "So that he and Tay can figure out where exactly Onix is. She taught him this technique during their training yesterday." Zach replied. "I see. So he's using the vibration of the ground to track Onix's movement, and then once he senses it coming, he'll get out of the way before it can attack him." Blue replied. "Yep." Zach replied as his Squirtle sat back down on his lap. "Taylor's playing smart here. I wonder if she's got something to counter that Dragon Breath." Blue replied. "I hope so too." Zach replied.

Solar tapped his feet on the ground again and then felt a strong vibration of the ground to his left. He opened his eyes, saw a part of the ground begin to crack, and he jumped away from it; seeing Onix appear. "Quick! Dragon Breath!" said Brock. Onix used the attack again and made it follow Solar as he ran away from it. As he ran around, I looked up at the beams on the ceiling and then saw the window up top; seeing sunlight shining through it. "I got it. Solar! Use Vine Whip to climb to the top!" I said. "Saur? Bul-ba! Bulba-saur!" he replied as he looked up at the beams, smirked, and then used Vine Whip to climb up to the beams. "What!?" Brock replied in shock. Solar climbed up with ease and hid behind one of the beams; watching Onix from above. "What!? What is she doing!?" said Pat in shock. "This is crazy! What is she planning to do up there?" Celina replied. "I don't know? But whatever she's doing, it's something very risky. Let's just hope no one gets hurt from this." Zuzu replied.

Onix growled slightly as it looked for Solar. As it slithered around, it was hit in the face by a Razor Leaf. It roared in pain for a moment and then shook its head. It opened its eyes and then saw Solar on the beams. "Now we got you. Solar, use a combination move of Razor Leaf and Vine Whip as you run around it!" I said. "Saur!" he replied as he spun around the Razor Leaves on his vines and began to run from Onix. "Oh no you don't! Onix, Dragon Breath!" said Brock. Onix roared and prepared to use the attack again. It then fired the attack as Solar ran and dodged the attack. As he ran and threw Razor Leaves at Onix, he looked at the window that was aiming below me. He thought about what to do for a moment, and then smirked confidently. He ran towards the window as Dragon Breath stopped, jumped up on the railing of the beam, and threw the final Razor Leaves on his vines at Onix; making it roar in pain again. Onix turned to the window all agitated at Solar and then used Rock Throw at him without Brock's command; shocking all of us. Solar jumped out of the way as the glass shattered by the attack and safely made his way down to the battlefield; making his way back to me.

"Solar. You okay?" I asked him. "Bul-ba." he replied with a nod of his head. We smiled warmly at each other and then turned to Onix as it looked down at us. As we stared at it, I saw the bulb on Solar's back absorbing energy from the sunlight shining down on Solar. I blinked my eyes, looked up at Onix, back down to Solar, and smirked confidently. "Use Dig!" said Brock. Onix roared and burrowed itself underground again. "Get ready, Solar. We gotta time it just right." I said. "Bulba-saur." he replied. As we slowly looked down, we saw some rocks moving around on the ground. Solar tapped his feet on the ground and then felt a vibration from under his feet. "Ready?" I asked him. "Saur!" he replied as we felt the ground shake. "Now! Jump with Vine Whip!" I replied. "Saur!" he replied as he used the attack to dodge and jump very high from the attack as Onix appeared from underground. They stared at each other as Solar's bulb glew brighter. "What!?" said Brock. "Solar Beam!" I replied. Solar smirked at Onix as it stared at him and its reaction when I said the attack name.

"Saur! Bul-ba-saur!" he said as he fired the beam of solar energy from the bulb on his back at Onix's face, pushing it back, and making it fall down to the ground in front of Brock. "Onix!" said Brock in a shocked, worried tone. Solar landed back down on the ground and looked up at Onix; seeing it slowly lift itself back up and look down at him. They stared at each other silently for a moment, then Onix let out a tired roar and fell down to the ground. The official ran over to Onix and looked at it silently. "Come on... let this one be it." said Pat. "Bulba-saur..." Pat's Bulbasaur replied. The official went upto Onix's face, saw its eyes were closed, and then raised his hand to my side of the field. "Onix is unable to battle! Bulbasaur is the winner!" he said. "Saur..? Bul-ba... Bulba-saur!" Solar replied in silent shock at first, and then cheered happily with tears in his eyes. "You did it! You finally did it! Great job, Solar!" I replied as Solar turned to me, ran up, and jumped into my arms; hugging him happily. "Pi-Pikachu!" Tetrax replied as he joined in on the hug as well. My team celebrated happily at Solar's victory against Onix; some dancing and some doing high fives.

"He did it! He beat Onix!" said Pat happily. "Way to go, Taylor and Solar!" Sora and Zuzu replied happily. "Munch-Munch-lax!" Sora's Munchlax replied happily. "Vulpix!" Zuzu's Vulpix replied happily. "I can't believe it... that strategy that she did to get Solar sunlight to use Solar Beam... it actually worked..." Celina replied in a soft, shocked tone. "She knew how to use the environment to her advantage... just like in the battle she had with you." Zach replied. She turned to him and nodded her head in agreement to his response. "I wonder how Yuri's going to think of that strategy?" he asked her. "He's going to be very surprised. Heh. Looks like he and I got some competition now when it comes to strategies?" she replied. "Heh. Yeah you do." he replied with a small smile; making her do the same. They turned back to the field and watched Brock return Onix to its PokéBall. "You fought well out there, Onix. Now take a good rest." he said. He put the PokéBall away and then took out a new one.

"Brock. I'm sorry for all the damages done to the place." I said. "It's alright. Stuff similar to this has happened here in the past with Onix. Don't worry about it." he replied. I nodded my head in understanding. "Though I have to say? Using the strategies of finding where Onix would pop up underground, and then making it chase your Bulbasaur, make him get more sunlight to use Solar Beam... I've never seen anything as risky like that before. It felt like you knew how to use the whole battlefield to your advantage." he replied. "Heh. Thanks." I replied with a small smile. He smiled warmly at me and then looked at the PokéBall in his hand. He then turned back to me and saw Solar back on the battlefield. "Looks like he's ready for more, huh?" he said. "Yep. He sure is." I replied. "Bul-ba-saur." Solar replied. "Heh. Well let's see if he can take on my strongest Pokémon! Give it all you got, Steelix!" Brock replied as he threw the PokéBall in the air. It opened and Steelix appeared for the first time; letting out a powerful roar to the sky. "Saur!?" said Solar in shock. "What!?" I replied in shock.

"What the!? What is that thing!?" said Pat in shock. Zach took his Phone back out and activated his PokéDex. "Steelix. The Iron Snake Pokémon. A Steel and Ground type. And the evolved form of Onix. Steelix lives even further underground than Onix. This Pokémon is known to dig toward the earth's core. There are records of this Pokémon reaching a depth of over six-tenths of a mile underground." said Zach's PokéDex. "So... is that the Pokémon he wants Taylor to use Aurasoul to test his strength?" Sora asked. "Yeah. It has to be. But what got him so interested in Aurasoul?" Pat replied. "Maybe Brock had never seen a Lucario before?" Zuzu replied. "Probably. Lucario are very rare Pokémon to find in the wild. But Taylor has had him since he was a Riolu, which is a even harder Pokémon to find in the wild. Maybe seeing him with her made him that she is a very powerful Trainer to take on Red?" Sora replied. "Probably. Have you, Celina, and Yuri met someone at the Academy that uses a Lucario?" Zuzu replied. "Nope. To be honest, Aurasoul is the first Lucario that I have ever seen in my life." Sora replied.

"He's right. We've only heard stories of Riolu and Lucario at the Academy, but never seen one of them in real life until we met Aurasoul." Celina replied. "But we all saw what he can do in battle? What kind of strength does Brock want to see from him?" Zuzu replied. "His bond with Tay. He wants to see if they are completely in sync with each other." Zach replied. "And probably how strong his Aura is against Steelix. Just look at it. It looks like it has a very strong Defense." Pat replied. The group nodded their heads and then saw both Steelix and Solar ready to battle. "Solar, use Razor Leaf!" I said. "Saur! Bulba-saur!" he replied as he used the attack. "Knock them away with Iron Tail!" Brock replied. Steelix roared, made its tail glow white, and then knocked away the Razor Leaves away from it. "Saur!?" said Solar in shock. "Earth Power, now!" Brock replied. Steelix roared again as a light gold aura surrounded it, slammed its tail to the ground, and made the ground shake with golden cracks appearing with it; hitting Solar. "Ain't nowhere to run now. Double Edge!" said Brock.

Steelix surrounded itself in a clear white aura, charged at Solar at full speed, and hit him with the attack; sending him to the wall behind me and knocking him out. "Solar!" I said in a shocked, worried tone. The group stood up in shock as the official ran over to Solar, checked on him, and raised his hand to Brock's side of the field. "Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Steelix is the winner!" he said. The group went silent after the result was said and sat down; watching me kneel down and gently pick up Solar in my arms. "He lost... but he did so well... taking down two of Brock's Pokémon... especially Onix..." said Zuzu. "Yeah. He may have lost... but in his heart... the battle against Onix meant more for him than any other battle he had in his life." Pat replied. The group turned to him as his Bulbasaur jumped up on the rail and looked at Solar. Pat reached out his hand and gently patted his Bulbasaur's head. "Solar gave it all he got, right buddy? He showed you how powerful every Bulbasaur can be?" he asked it. "Saur." it replied as it turned to him and nodded its head to him. He nodded his head and smiled warmly in understanding, and then turned to the group.

"Well... is she going to do it? Is she going to use Aurasoul now?" Sora asked. "If she does, she's giving Brock exactly what he wants." Blue replied. "Toise." Blue's Blastoise replied as it nodded its head in agreement. "Have you seen her use him in battle before?" Zach asked him. "Not so much in battle. I've seen her and Red train with him before. I asked Red if he caught him, and then he told me that she caught him." he replied. "Wow... so you knew before we all did." Zach replied. "Found out what? That she became a Trainer before all of you in your group?" he replied curiously. The group nodded their heads yes to his question. "Wow. It must've been hard for her to keep that a secret for 5 years, huh?" he said. "What!? 5 years!?" Celina and Sora replied. "Yep." Zuzu replied. "Really? I thought she had them for a year?" Celina replied. "Nope. She's had her three main Pokémon for 5 years. She received them as Eggs from Professor Oak." Zach replied. "Whoa! From Professor Oak himself?" Sora replied. Zach and Blue nodded their heads yes to his response. "Sora. Professor Oak is also Blue and Zach's grandfather." said Pat. "Really!?" Sora replied in a surprised tone. "Yep." Zach and Blue replied. Sora was in awe to their response; making them lightly smile.

After their conversation, they turned over to me and saw me walk over to my team. Tetrax jumped off my shoulder and landed on Dragonfire's shoulder as I handed him Solar. Solar opened his eyes and saw me looking at him. "Bul-ba?" he said. "You were great out there, Solar. You gave it all you got against both Omanyte and Onix. I'm so proud of you." I replied with a warm smile. "Saur? Bul-ba-saur." he replied with a warm smile. I opened up my Bag and gave him a couple Sitrus Berries. He gently took them from my hand with one of his vines and laid them down beside him. "Now you stay here and take a good rest alongside Nidoran. Okay?" I said. He nodded his head in understanding and looked at all his teammates. They nodded their heads in understanding, and then Aurasoul and I stared at each other. "...You ready?" I asked him. He let out a grunt and nodded his head yes to my question. I smiled warmly at him and then we did a fist and arm bump. "Let's do this. Let's show Steelix what you're made of." I said. He made a sound in response and then we walked to the field together.

"There he is... the famous Lucario that I heard Red talking about." said Brock. We stared at him as Aurasoul stepped onto the battlefield; looking up at Steelix as it made a low growling sound at him. "No way... she's actually doing it. She's actually using her Lucario..." said Blue. "Yeah she is. Knowing them, they'll break through Steelix's defense and strike it down for good!" Zach replied with a confident smile. "Squirtle!" Zach's Squirtle replied with the same smile as it's Trainer. "That so? Well then... let's see what they can do against something like this." Blue replied. "She'll win it all, Blue. I promise you that." Zach replied. Aurasoul got into his battle stance and watched Steelix get into it's stance too. "Alright, Trainer's! These are your final Pokémon! Whoever faints first is declared the winner! Are you ready?" said the official. "Ready!" Brock and I replied. "Battle, begin!" the official replied. "Come on, Tay! You and Aurasoul can do it!" Zuzu cheered. "Vul-Vul!" Zuzu's Vulpix cheered. As my group was cheering, Blue looked at me in silence for a moment, and then lightly smiled. "Red. I hope you're watching this battle at the League right now. I know that you must be proud of her. From what I've seen her do here so far... I think she has the skills to take your title. Just you wait, bud... this is only the beginning." he said in his thoughts.

"Aurasoul! Use Aura Sphere!" I said. Aurasoul made a few sounds, charged the Aura Sphere in his paws, and then fired it at Steelix; hitting successfully. "Nice shot! One more should do it." I said. Aurasoul made a sound and used Aura Sphere again. "Dodge it!" said Brock. Steelix let out a growl, dodged the attack, turned its eyes to it, hit it back with its tail, and launched it at Aurasoul; hitting him. My eyes widened in shock to what Steelix had done; making Brock smirk. "Use Iron Tail!" he said. Steelix roared as its tail glew white again and charged at us. "Bone Rush!" I said. Aurasoul let out a battle cry as his paws made a light blue-green bone of aura, then used it to defend himself from the Iron Tail. They pushed each other away with the strength of their attacks and stared at each other again. "Blaze Kick!" I said. Aurasoul made a couple sounds, set his right foot ablaze, ran upto Steelix, jumped up in the air, and kicked Steelix in the face. Steelix let out a roar and shook off the pain and saw Aurasoul try to use Blaze Kick again. "Use Screech!" said Brock. Steelix let out a piercing roar at Aurasoul; making him cover his ears and stop his attack. "Now knock it down with Iron Tail!" said Brock.

Steelix roared again and used Iron Tail on Aurasoul; hitting him on the head and quickly forcing him down to the ground. "Oh no!" said Sora, Zuzu, and Pat worriedly. "Aurasoul!" I said worriedly. Steelix lifted up its tail, looked down, and saw Aurasoul stand back up and shake off the pebbles and dirt on his fur. He looked up at Steelix and clutched his right paw into a fist. "Double Edge!" said Brock. Steelix roared and charged at Aurasoul with quick speed. "Dodge it!" I said. Aurasoul jumped over Steelix and turned to its back. "Aura Sphere!" I said. Aurasoul charged up the Aura Sphere, threw it at Steelix's back, and watched it hit it. Steelix shook off the pain and watched Aurasoul get back down on the ground. "Now use Iron Tail!" said Brock. "Block it with Bone Rush!" I replied. Both Pokémon used their attacks and made them collide; pushing each other back with force. They then charged at each other again and used the same attacks against each other for a few minutes; keeping each other at bay. As we all watched, Brock smirked as he watched Aurasoul's movements.

"Grab him!" he said. Steelix stopped its attack and tightly grabbed Aurasoul with its tail; binding him into its grasp. "What!?" I said in shock. "Sorry, Taylor... this is the end of the line. Steelix, use Steel Beam!" Brock replied. Steelix roared as it made a orb of bluish-silver energy in front of its mouth and fired the beam at Aurasoul; injuring him and sending him back to my side of the field. "Aurasoul!" I said worriedly. Steelix went back to Brock's side of the field and began to feel some pain from the attack. "What... what was that did Steelix just do?" said Pat. "That was Steel Beam." Celina replied. "Steel Beam?" Pat replied curiously. "Mhm. It's one of the most powerful Steel-type move to ever exist. It uses up the energy of the Pokémon's body that has used the attack and, in exchange, releases vast amounts of power; causing it to lose their stamina." Celina replied. "But isn't Aurasoul's species part Steel-type? That move shouldn't affect him as much... right?" Pat replied. "True, but Brock's Steelix seems to be trained to its maximum level. And with a move like that... I don't think they stood a chance." Celina replied sadly. The group looked at them in shock after hearing their conversation, and then turned to me as they saw Aurasoul stand down on one knee; slowly trying to stand back up.

"Come on, Tay... I know that you can do it. You can't let him get to you now... you can't let him stop your dream here." said Zach to himself. He clutched his fists tightly and closed his eyes; not wanting anyone to see him upset. Blue looked down at him and then put his hand on his shoulder; trying to comfort him. As the group was watching me, I saw Aurasoul get back up on his feet and look up at Steelix. He blinked his eyes at Steelix growled at him, and then slowly turned to me; seeing the worried look on my face. As we looked at each other, something in our minds and hearts began to click. I put my right hand to my chest and Aurasoul put his right paw to his chest; feeling some kind of power connecting us to each others hearts. "What..? What's going on? What is this?" I said in my thoughts. "It's your powers. They're trying to connect with Aurasoul's Aura." Necrozma as it spiritually appeared next to me. "With his Aura?" I replied as I turned to it. "Yes. His Aura is trying to Synchronize with your powers. This was something both Adam and Eve have done many times. They used their abilities to Synchronize with their Pokémon whenever they were caught in a tight pinch of battle; connecting their mind and heart as one. As long as they have powerful bonds with their Pokémon, they can fight together as one and become unstoppable." Necrozma replied. I was surprised at its words and then turned back to Aurasoul; seeing his Aura flow all around him.

"Do you feel it? The power of his Aura, mind, and heart connecting to you, as if he is trying to speak to you?" said Necrozma. "I... I do." I replied. "Then you know what he wants to do. Connect your heart to his and fight as one!" Necrozma replied. I nodded my head in agreement to its response and then felt my Mark under my glove glow. As it glew, Aurasoul and I felt our hearts connect to each other with our abilities; strengthening our bond. We then let out a powerful battle cry together; making everyone shocked and surprised. "What!?" said Sora surprised. "What's going on with them!?" Celina replied. "I don't know..." Zuzu replied worriedly. After letting out our battle cries, we lowered our heads, turned to Steelix, and looked at it as we opened our glowing green eyes together. "What the!? Guys! Look! Look at their eyes!" said Pat. "They both have green eyes! And they're glowing!" Sora replied. "Could this be... could this be her powers doing this?" Zuzu replied. "I think so? But how?" Celina replied. Zach and Blue were stunned to silence as they saw what me and Aurasoul had done.

Steelix roared at us and was ready to fight again. "Steelix! Double Edge!" said Brock. Steelix roared again and used the attack. As it got close, Aurasoul dodged the attack and leapt up in the air. Steelix looked at Aurasoul's glowing green eyes in shock; wondering what has become of him. "Meteor Mash!" said Aurasoul and I together as his right arm glew in a blue aura and punched Steelix hard in the face; pushing it back away from with a new powerful force. "What!?" said Brock surprised. Steelix shook off the pain and then looked down at us. "Did you see that? As he used the attack, Taylor did the same punch as well? As if they were in complete sync or something?" Sora told the group. "Yeah... and that was amazing! Maybe this is what they planned all along!" Pat replied. "Yeah!" Sora replied happily. "In complete sync, huh?" Blue replied to himself. He looked back down to me and Aurasoul and saw us do the same battle stance as he did together. "That's amazing... looks like she does have the one thing in battle to take him on after all." he said in his thoughts.

"Earth Power!" said Brock. Steelix roared and used Earth Power again. "We don't think so. Let's see how you like this!" me and Aurasoul replied as he used Bone Rush combined with Meteor Mash to jump out of the way of Earth Power; shocking Brock and Steelix. "Blaze Kick!" we said as Aurasoul's feet went ablaze and kicked Steelix on its head and its body; giving Steelix damage. Aurasoul landed back down on the field, slowly raised his paws into the air, and began to form a giant Aura Sphere. I raised my arms into the air as well; copying his movement. Steelix shook of the embers on its body and looked at the Aura Sphere forming in Aurasoul's paws. Steelix roared loudly and prepared for Brock's command. "Steel Beam!" said Brock. "Steelix roared and used Steel Beam again. This time, Aurasoul threw the Aura Sphere up in the air and dodged the Steel Beam. "This power... the bond I see those two have... it's incredible... Taylor! How are you doing this?" said Brock. "It's from our hearts. When we battle together, we fight as one; pushing ourselves further beyond any Trainer has gone before." I replied. "I see. Well then... if that is true, then give us all you got!" Brock replied. "And to you as well." Aurasoul and I replied. "Steelix! Double Edge!" Brock replied.

Steelix let out a piercing roar and charged at Aurasoul. We smirked as it came close and Aurasoul leapt over its head. "Time for the grand finale! Take this! Blazing Bone Rush!" we said as Aurasoul combined the blazing embers of Blaze Kick onto Bone Rush and hit Steelix with it; pushing it back and burning it. "Whoa!" said most of the group in awe. "She's got him now!" Blue replied with a smile. "Come on, Tay! This is it!" Zach replied. We looked up at the giant Aura Sphere and smirked confidently. Aurasoul the leapt up onto the rocks and jumped up high in the air; going into the center of the Aura Sphere. The group stood up from their seats as Brock and Steelix looked up at the Aura Sphere; seeing Aurasoul inside it. "No... way... are they going to make it move?" said Celina. "Yeah... yeah they are!" Zach replied. "Oh, this is going to be good! Come on, Tay!" Celina replied. "You got him on the ropes!" Zach replied. Aurasoul looked down at Steelix and then made him and the giant Aura Sphere move towards it. "This is our final chance, Steelix. Steel Beam!" said Brock. Steelix roared and used Steel Beam again; aiming at us.

"Now we gotcha!" said me and Aurasoul. We put out or right hand and paw together and then used the Aura Sphere's energy to absorb the Steel Beam; shocking everyone. "Meteor Aura Mash!" we said together as we made fists of our right hand and paw and Aurasoul crashed down onto Steelix; making an explosion with attack. "Steelix!" said Brock in a shocked, worried tone. The smoke cleared out and everyone saw Aurasoul jump out of the smoke and land back on my side of the field. We looked at each other silently for a moment and then turned to Steelix as the smoke faded away. We stared at each other silently for a few moments, and then Steelix grunted in pain and finally fell down to the ground. The group held onto the rails and the official ran over to Steelix to confirm its status. My team ran over to me and stood by me as the official stood up and looked around the room; seeing everyone standing up and looking at him."Steelix is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner! And that means that the victor of the battle is Taylor!" he said. "Yes!" Pat cheered. "Woo-hoo!" Sora cheered as he and Pat high-fived each other. "Alright! Congratulations, Tay!" Zuzu cheered. "I knew she could do it!" Celina cheered as she and Zuzu hugged each other. "She did it... she won... she really won... Alright! Way to go, Tay! You did it!" Zach cheered. He then went to celebrate with the group; high-fiving and hugging them. Blue looked at me and Aurasoul and showed a proud smile; knowing now how far I can go with my team.

Aurasoul and I stopped our Synchronization and then ran over to each other; giving each other a hug. "We did it! We really did it! You were awesome out there, Aurasoul! I'm so proud of you!" I said. He made happy noises back at me and then we were ambushed with hugs and snuggles from the rest of the team. After that, we saw the group and Blue run down to us. "You did it!" said Pat happily as he hugged me. "Taylor, you were awesome out there! You and your team were amazing!" Sora replied. "Thank you. We gave it our all. Right, guys?" I replied. "Nido!" my Nidoran replied. "Bulba-saur!" Solar replied. Aurasoul nodded his head and made a sound in agreement. "Tay? How did you and Aurasoul do all of that? With your eyes glowing and everything?" Celina asked me. "Oh... that... uh...?" I replied. "Was it with your powers?" Zach asked. I nodded my head yes to his response. "It's something I'll tell you guys later." I said. They nodded their heads in understanding. "Taylor." said a voice.

We turned to the field and saw Brock walking upto us. I walked upto him and we stared at each other. We smiled warmly and then shook hands for a moment. "Congratulations. You and your Pokémon put up an incredible battle. The strategies that you came up with were something that I have never seen before in all my years of running this Gym. I haven't felt this happy about losing a Gym Battle in a long time. You and your team were something special to watch." he said. "Thank you, Brock." I replied. "And as a result of your victory, you've earned this: the Boulder Badge." he replied as he revealed the Badge with official. My eyes lightly widened in awe, and I gently took the Badge. "Wow... this is incredible. Thank you very much, Brock." I replied. I looked at it in awe for a moment, and then raised it up high in the air. "Alright! I got the Boulder Badge!" I said. My team cheered happily alongside the groups Pokémon. We all laughed happily together and then decided to have lunch together. As we ate, we watched all of our Pokémon interact with Brock's Pokémon; seeing them all happy with each other. I mostly kept my eyes on Solar and Onix; making sure that no drama would start between them. Once I saw them smile at each other and talk happily to each other, I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled warmly; knowing that the pain of Solar's past is officially gone.

Outside Pewter City Gym

"So? What's next for you guys? Where are you going?" said Blue. "We're heading to Vermilion City next for Zuzu's next Contest." Celina replied. "And Yuya is waiting for us there!" Sora replied. "Oh? You guys are meeting up with him? That's good. Well, when you see him, make sure to tell him that I've been looking for his older brother." Blue replied. "Older brother?" Sora replied curiously. "Zarc Sakaki. He's the older brother of the quadruplets. Same age as Blue, Red, and Leaf." Celina replied. "Oh." Sora replied. "Vermilion City, huh? That's a big spot to go to." Brock replied. "Yeah. You guys might even run into Lt. Surge there if you're lucky." Blue replied. "Lt. Surge? Who's he?" Pat replied curiously. "What!?" me and the group replied in shock. "Ah! What's gotten to you guys?" Pat replied. "Dude... you seriously don't know who Lt. Surge is?" Zach replied. "Yeah... was he in the military or something?" Pat replied nervously. "Oh dear Arceus..." I replied as I lowered my head and gently slapped my face. "Pat. He's one of the Gym Leaders in the region. He specializes in Electric-type Pokémon after some of them saved him during a war many years back." Celina replied. "Wait what!? That's the guy!?" Pat replied surprised. "Yes!" the group replied. Pat was stunned by our responses and then lowered his head in embarrassment. Celina and Zach patted his back as the group comforted him.

I picked my head up and heard my phone ring. I took it out of my jacket pocket and saw the person that was calling me. "Hello?" I said as I answered it. "Hey, sis." the voice replied happily. "Hey, Red. What's going on?" I replied happily as everyone looked at me. "Not much. Just wanted to call and congratulate you on your first ever Gym Battle victory." he replied. "Aww. Thanks, big bro." I replied. "You're welcome, Tay. When Mom and Blue told me that the battle was today, I wanted to fly over there and watch you give it all you got. But I had to be stuck here all day today for title battles since early this morning. But once I watched the battle from the League, me and my team were rooting hard for you as much as we could." he replied. "Wait? You were watching the battle in your League room?" I replied. "Yep. Even Mom, Leaf, and some of our family were here too. Let's just say that Mom made it a big deal that we would watch your battle here on the big screen. And I gotta say... I'm very impressed with you. The strategies that you had against Brock's team were something that I had never thought of when I took him on the first time." he replied. "I bet. Brock told me during the battle that you defeated his Onix when your Charizard was just a Charmander." I replied. "Heh. I sure did. Sometimes you gotta take advantage of the type disadvantage in battle." he replied. "Yep. That's what I did with my Nidoran." I replied.

"I noticed. Teaching him Water Pulse was something unexpected. And seeing the way how he withstood Geodude's Mega Punch, it made me wonder how you taught him to endure attacks like that." he replied. "Well... when you give your Pokémon their Vitamins and help them practice their strength, defense, and speed... they will become healthier and stronger." I replied. He laughed happily to my response. "How did you know that?" he said. "What can I say? I've learned from the best." I replied. We laughed happily for a few seconds and smiled. "So? Where are you and your friends off to now?" he said. "We're about to go to Vermilion City to meet with Yuya and watch him and Zuzu perform in the next Contest." I replied. "Really? Well. Tell them that I wish them the best of luck." he replied. "Will do. And tell Leaf that I said hi, and that her brother is doing fine." I replied. "Will do. Oh! Before you head there. You should go to Cerulean City." he replied. "Cerulean City?" I replied curiously. "Mhm. It's a city that is known for Water-type Pokémon. And their Gym Leader, Misty, specializes in Water-types. It would be the perfect Gym for you to use Tetrax in." he replied. "Huh? You're probably right. It would be the perfect one to use him in. Thanks for the advice." I replied. "You're welcome. Alright, I better get going. Whenever your battle with Misty happens, make sure to let me know." he replied. "I will. Love you." I replied. "Love you too. Hey? Please stay safe. Mom told me about the Fearow and Pinsir incidents. I don't want you to risk your life too much, okay? Especially if there are still people of you know what out there?" he replied.

"I'll try my best." I replied. "Good. Alright, bye Tay." he replied. "Bye." I replied. The call ended and I put my phone back in my pocket. "Tay? Was that your brother you were talking too?" Zuzu asked me. "Mhm." I replied as I nodded my head yes to her question. "What did he say?" she replied. "He congratulated me on the battle and wanted to know where we were going next." I replied. "Well, now you know he's keeping his eyes on you when it comes to the Gym Battles." Celina replied. "Mhm." I replied with a nod of my head. "Wait!? So he was watching the battle!?" said Pat surprised. "Yep. He was watching it at the League with my family. Even your sister was there." I replied. "Huh!?" he replied in shock. He fell down to the ground and passed out for a moment; making us awkwardly look at each other and help him wake up. He opened his eyes and was lifted up by Zach and Celina. "You okay?" Sora asked him. "Yeah... I'm okay." he replied. "Okay? He's still shell-shocked that his sister is dating Taylor's brother." Blue replied. "Huh!?" most of the group replied in shock. "Yep." Pat and I replied. "No way..." said Zach. "How long they've been together?" Zuzu asked. "6 months." Pat and I replied. "Wow. That means you two have seen them in both your houses together pretty much all the time now?" Celina replied. We nodded our heads in agreement to her response.

After that, we said our goodbyes to Brock and walked with Blue to the beginning of Route 3.

Route 3

"Okay. In order for you guys to get to Vermilion City: you have to walk through Route 3, Mt. Moon, Route 4, Cerulean City, Route 5 and 6 through the Underground Path, and then you'll arrive at Vermilion City." said Blue. "Got it. Thanks, Blue." Zach replied. "No problem. And hey, if you guys see anyone doing something that doesn't feel right, don't be afraid to give us a call. We'll handle it for you." Blue replied. "Okay." Zach replied. After that, he and Blue did a fist bump to say goodbye for now. Zach's Squirtle and Blue's Blastoise did the same thing happily, and then Blue's Blastoise patted Zach's head. "Bye, Blastoise." said Zach. "Blas-toise." Blastoise replied. It then turned to me and then gave me a boop on the nose with one of its claws; making it laugh happily. I lightly laughed happily at its reaction and gave it a boop on the nose back. "Bye, Blastoise. We'll see you and Blue again soon. And maybe you'll see your little brother fully evolved and challenge you at the Gym one day?" I said. "Blast? Blas-toise!" it replied happily. "Squirtle!" Zach's Squirtle replied happily. After that, we all said our goodbyes to them and watched them leave. Moments later, we began walking down Route 3.

"Hey, Celina? Did the group see the photos and videos of the battle yet?" Pat asked her. "Hm? I don't know? Let me check." she replied as she took out her phone and looked at our group chat. She looked at it for a moment and then lightly smiled. "Yep. They saw it." she said. "What did they say?" Pat replied. "Check it out on your phone. You'll see it. Hey, guys? You might wanna see the group chat." she replied. "Huh? They saw it?" Zach replied. Pat and Celina nodded their heads yes to his response. "Can I see?" Sora asked. "Sure, Sora." Zuzu replied. We all looked at the group chat and saw what the others had to say.

Rin: Just finished looking at the pictures and watching the videos with Yugo, and all I can say is: Wow! Congrats on winning the Gym Battle, Tay! We were screaming our heads off when you and your Lucario took down Steelix. Can't wait to see more battles from you!

Lulu: Congratulations on your win, Tay! You were incredible! The way you battles Onix and Steelix was amazing! Even my brother was impressed with you and your strategies. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet up with him and battle him one day? Like Rin said: Can't wait to see more Gym Battles from you!

Yuya: Tay! Congrats! I knew you could do it! Your team was awesome! The training that you did yesterday was worth it! That battle even got my Charizard fired up! When we meet, let's have a battle! Oh, and you should listen to the group's commentary. Looks like we all have to learn a lot from you :D

Yuri: Wow... I... I'm actually very impressed. These strategies... how in the world do you come up with strategies like that, Taylor? Anyways. Congratulations on your first Gym Battle victory. I promise you that me, Celina, and Sora will learn your strategies and use them against our opponents at the Academy. They'll never know how we can do it.

Yugo: Tay-Tay! You did it! Congrats on the win! You and your Lucario were awesome! Whatever battle strats you two came up with, it sure taught that big Steelix a lesson of how strong your bond is with your team! And Yuya is right on the commentary part. The group thought you were a little crazy with some of the stuff you did.

Yuto: You did it! You really did it! Congrats, Tay! You had me, Lulu, and Shay on the edge of our seats watching you! Now Shay wants to find you and challenge you, but I told him that he wouldn't stand a chance against you ;). I gotta admit, you did some pretty risky stuff, but you managed to pull through; especially against Steelix. With strategies like this... we might have a future Champion on our hands! Congrats on the win again, and I can't wait for the next battle at Cerulean City!

"Cerulean City?" said Sora. "Mhm. That's the next place to go to after we go through Mt. Moon." Zuzu replied. "But what is Cerulean City known for?" Sora replied curiously. "It's well known for the Bike Shop. Maybe we can buy our own bikes there if we want to?" Zach replied. "Yeah." some of us replied. "And Cerulean City is right next to Cerulean Cave." Celina replied. "Cerulean Cave?" Pat replied curiously. "Mhm. I've heard rumors that a very strong Pokémon lives deep inside that cave. When Trainers went in there to challenge it; it defeated them with one powerful attack, and told them that it was waiting for someone special to challenge it." she replied. "Someone special?" Zach replied. "Yep." she replied. "Who told you these rumors? People from the Academy?" Pat replied. "Mhm. Some were rumors, and some are true. We've had a couple people from the Academy actually sneak inside Cerulean Cave to challenge that thing." she replied.

"And it was really that strong?" Zuzu asked. Celina nodded her head yes to her question. The group got nervous after hearing the little story and looked at each other; wondering how strong is this Pokémon is. After I heard the story, I began to have a flashback of escaping Team Rocket's Lab and seeing the strong Pokémon wipe out all the grunts around me to save me. The flashback ended and Necrozma spiritually appeared beside me. "Taylor? Is something wrong?" it asked me in my thoughts. "That strong Pokémon they were talking about... I know who it is..." I replied in my thoughts. "Who is it?" it replied. "...Mewtwo..." I replied.

Inside Cerulean Cave

Mewtwo opened its purple eyes and looked out to the depths of the cave; seeing a adult Trainer wearing a hooded cape appear on a Lapras. The Trainer leapt off Lapras and looked at Mewtwo. "You're still here. That's good. I see that no Trainer hasn't even tried to capture you yet." said the Trainer. "They have no match against me and my power. They haven't learned that lesson for five years now. You should know that, ever since you created me." Mewtwo replied. "Indeed." the Trainer replied. "What brings you here now? Are you trying to tell me that we are still being hunted by the ones that betrayed us?" Mewtwo replied. "No. I came here to tell you... that the special Trainer you've set your eyes on... she has started her journey." the Trainer replied. Mewtwo's eyes widened in shock to this news. "She just won her first Gym Badge, and she is on her way to Cerulean City. This would mean by your test of strength, she would need seven more Badges to challenge you and Mew." said the Trainer.

Mewtwo was stunned by the Trainer's words, used Psychic to grab its cloak, put it on, and Teleported to the top of the cave; looking out to Mt. Moon. Mewtwo levitated in the air, closed its eyes, and used its powers to find me. Once it sensed me, it opened its eyes and lightly smiled. As it looked out where I was walking, it heard something appear behind it. It turned around and saw the Pokémon that was behind it. "Mew. So, you've heard it too?" Mewtwo asked it. "Mew." Mew replied. Mewtwo nodded its head in understanding. After that, they both looked out to Mt. Moon as the midday sun shined down on them; knowing someday soon they and I will reunite.

Thank you so much for reading Chapter 5 of the story! Man... what a Chapter. I gotta admit, scripting up the battle and putting a couple twists in it is not as easy as it looks. But I'm very proud of the result; especially with putting in Steelix as a twist. I was originally going to put in Rhydon as Brock's last Pokémon, but I decided to go with Steelix because it is Brock's strongest Pokémon in the anime and his secret weapon if he is challenging more powerful Trainer in his Gym. Plus, I really didn't want this battle to be a 3-on-3 battle. I wanted this battle to be a introduction to her Synchronization ability with her Pokémon, just like how Necrozma described it. Just like with her Fusion ability, her Synchronization only happens when she is in a pinch during battle; giving her Pokémon a power boost and fight the same way together.

And what did you guys think of Blue showing up at the Gym? I decided to bring him here in this Chapter because he hasn't seen Taylor battle before and see what she's made of before they have their eventual face-off. I think after seeing what she can do against Brock, I think he's pretty excited to challenge her. Maybe he will put her powers to the test before she can get to challenge Red and the Elite 4? That'll be something to watch when the time comes ;)

Now for the Mewtwo scene. I decided to do this as a little post-credit scene just to see what it has been up too for the past five years since rescuing Taylor. And for this Trainer that told it the news about her, who is this Trainer's identity? All we know now is that they worked for Team Rocket and created Mewtwo. Hmm? I wonder what their true connection is with our heroine? We'll just have too wait and see as the story goes on.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading Chapter 5 and have yourselves an awesome day, as the Journey continues!

Next time, Chapter 6: A Sugary Discovery. The group finds a bakery near Mt. Moon and meet Gong and Aura there as they prepare for the big Contest. As they bake, they deal with a infestation of Rattata and Raticate; stealing and eating all the sweets! How will they stop the infestation? Find out in Chapter 6!