My goal is to complete this story by May 8th, when I go on vacation. Can I do so? I have no idea, but I'll be giving it my best. Wish me luck, I guess. There's a Radical Red moveset featured in this chapter, by the way.
Back to Business
Sunrise. That was how long Chris and Cynthia had been in the Distortion World. They jumped in the portal at Spear Pillar close to midnight, and then made it through to the end when the sun came up over Sinnoh. Adrenaline was no doubt what kept them going at a hundred percent up to this point, but that Adrenaline crashed once the doctor left after finishing up with Chris's nose. She also told him that with Togekiss's powers, he'd be safe to fly on her back with said broken nose. The same would be true while riding his Harley, as long as he had something covering his face.
Despite their defeat at Spear Pillar, Team Galactic was still all over the news. Any information leading to the arrest of Mars, Jupiter, and the short man Chris saw speaking to Saturn would be rewarded. His name seemed to be Charon, and it seemed as though any attempt to free Saturn had failed. When Chris watched the news in Snowpoint, the prior day, his anger boiled hotter the more he watched. Now he just felt indifferent. What could Team Galactic do without Cyrus was all he could ask himself.
Exhaustion was claiming them both by noon, and yet Cynthia was the one that gave into it. She laid down to rest for four hours, and Chris was awake the entire time as he laid down on the couch looking up at the ceiling. As much as he needed the rest, he never got it until nightfall. He ate dinner Cynthia had ordered for them both, but when he was alone he was thinking about how insane it was how far he had come this past year. From being a hermit in the woods with only a Mudkip to keep him company, to capturing a legendary Pokémon. Such a far cry from the boy who had bounced around the foster care system countless times. All his reflecting kept him awake until he couldn't stay awake any longer, which was when he was watching a movie while resting his head on Cynthia's lap as she helped him to finally relax.
Chris woke up the next morning much better rested, but still aching quite a bit. Cynthia had gotten some breakfast from the same restaurant she and Chris had first spent significant time together. A short while later, after a good stretch, Chris was ready to eat on his Togekiss's back. He goes to say goodbye to her before leaving. "Will you be heading to see Professor Rowan?" She asks him.
"Yeah. Then after that, it's time for me to get back to work." Chris looks at Cynthia, a woman who he has spent a rather peaceful day and a half with at this point. That time spent made it easy for him to forget that she was the champion he hoped to defeat one day. "Back to chasing you down, I guess."
Cynthia nods, and lets out a gentle sigh. "I don't consider that many things to be inevitable. but If there was ever something I believe is inevitable, its the day I have to defend against you, Chris. But you still have much more to do."
Chris nods. "I know. Still, I'll see you again before the month is over."
"I believe it." She then comes up to Chris as he pulls his Togekiss's Poké Ball off his belt, and gives him a kiss on his cheek. "You were phenomenal, Chris." Then she gives him a hug. Chris returns it with a smile, a smile that stays on his face as she softly caresses his cheek when she pulls back. "Take care of yourself."
"I will." He walks backwards away from Cynthia, and activates the Poké Ball in his hand. He sends out his Togekiss, and climbs up onto her back. Chris feels her power protecting him as she lifts off into the sky. "Alright Jetfire, to Sandgem Town!" Togekiss lets out a melodic cry as she begins to soar through the skies. Chris highly doubted that being in the air on the back of any other flying Pokémon would be as enjoyable of an experience as it was on Togekiss's back.
The actual flight was much like the last one, in that it felt much shorter than it actually was. The doctor was correct when she said that Togekiss's power and love for him would ensure that Chris's nose would not start bleeding again. It was just a shame that same power couldn't help to heal his nose faster, as breathing through his mouth was getting annoying. Jetfire landed outside the Pokémon Center, which was just a few buildings down from Professor Rowan's lab. Chris pulled out his phone, and sent Rowan a text saying, "I'm back, Professor. Come outside." He then began to walk over towards the lab, and the Professor had stepped outside as he was approaching the front door, along with Lucas.
"Chris! You've come back!" The Professor says, as the realization that Chris was behind the positive news of Team Galactic's downfall sets in. As had the newest arrival to Chris's captured Pokémon no doubt. "You... you leave me speechless! To not only defeat Team Galactic, but to capture a legendary Pokémon... you've done it, my boy! You have completely surpassed my expectations. Never has my heart pounded this hard for so long in my sixty years of living!" Now that he has started to slow down, he notices Chris's nose. "But... are you alright?"
"I'll be fine. The doctor says that my nose will heal quickly, as long as I ride with my face covered." Chris then grows curious. "Speaking of Giratina, where is it's ball?"
"Oh, yes. Come inside."
Rowan leads Chris and Lucas back inside his lab, and the old man is moving faster than either of the two rookie trainers had ever seen before. While they lingered behind, Lucas spoke to Chris. "The professor did a lot of checking up after you left. He was really worried about you, Chris. He contacted acquaintances looking for help, and..." Lucas stopped in his tracks, and placed a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Chris, I'm glad to see you safe. Welcome back." Chris nods to Lucas to thank him, and his good friend gives him a warm hug.
"Thank you, Lucas."
"Ah, here it is." Rowan says, as he turns around to present the now occupied Master Ball to Lucas. "Giratina. The Renegade Pokémon is how the Pokédex has described it. I must study the ruins of Spear Pillar to see if I can discover why."
"I'll take care of that for you whenever you want me to, Professor." Lucas says, and then looks back at Chris. "So, what do you want to do with it."
Chris sighs, and shakes his head. "I don't know. For now, can you keep it safe professor? Make sure no one hears about it?"
"Of course my boy. But with something this powerful, wouldn't you rather have it with you?"
"If I can control it, sure. But I don't know if I can."
"You bested it in battle. That may be all the evidence you need to say that you can control it."
"Maybe. I want to take some time to think about it."
"That's fair. I'll be waiting to send it to you, should you request as much." Rowan puts his hand on Chris's shoulder, as he remembers something as well. "There was something I had to tell you. The three Pokémon of the lakes appear to have returned to their homes."
"I hoped as much."
"Hey Chris," Lucas interrupts. "How many badges have you won at this point?"
"Seven. What about you?"
"I only have six at the moment. Professor Rowan's assignment was one I took seriously. I'll be heading to Snowpoint in the next couple of days."
"Since you have seven Chris," Professor Rowan starts. "That only leaves Sunyshore's Gym. You've come this far, my boy. Don't let anything stop you now. Challenging the Pokémon League will broaden your horizons further than ever before."
Chris nods, and cracks a half smile. "That's the plan." The engine of a truck can be heard powering down outside, and a heavy door opens and closes. Chris knows that its Dawn, and he quietly lets out a soft breath of air.
"One last thing Chris. Your friend from the International Police stopped by yesterday, and dropped off your Harley-Davidson. It is parked on the side of the building."
"Thank you, Professor. I'll see you guys later. Hopefully with the title of Champion to call my own by then." Chris responds, as he turns to leave the building and brace himself.
Walking outside the lab, Chris immediately runs into Dawn. It was the first that these two had seen each other since they went their separate ways in Snowpoint. And one look at Chris bandaged nose was enough for Dawn to become concerned. "Oh fuck." She let slip, as she quickly approached Chris to hold his face. "Chris, what happened to you?"
"I decided not to let Cyrus get off with just a battle. He looks a lot worse than I do."
"Jeez, Chris. Did you really have to go that far?"
"Dawn, after you left Snowpoint City, I started watching the news. Seeing all the coverage on Team Galactic, and feeling like I couldn't do anything for a while there... I just started to let my frustration build. In the end, I couldn't keep it under wraps. I might regret that it came to what it did in the future, but right now I'm just glad I stopped them."
"Fair enough. Will you heal alright?"
"I will. Tell me something, have you been to Sunyshore City yet?"
"Not yet. I'm spending a couple of days with my mom at the moment."
"Okay. I'm gonna start heading that way now. Might spend the night in Hearthome City, or maybe even Veilstone City, then get there hopefully in the morning."
"Wait, you're leaving already." Dawn says, as Chris starts to walk towards his motorcycle.
"No, just getting on the bike." Chris says, as he approaches the bike. He pulls out a bandanna from his saddle bags to cover his face. "I won't stay for long, but I have some things that I want to say to you." He sits down on the bike, and sighs before continuing. "Dawn. I... I care about you. I know you care about me to. And... you and I are always going to have a special place in each other's lives. But as hard I might try sometimes, I can't move on from the past." Dawn tightly closes her eyes, knowing that it means that she doesn't get what she wants today.
"I know that isn't what you want to hear. But the reality is that I've had two goals for some twelve years now, and they aren't going to change." Chris noticed that the two goals statement caught Dawn's attention, but he continued. "I want you to know something. Regardless of if you and I ever become something more, or if you find your true love somewhere else, I wish nothing but the best for you. Because I truly believe you deserve it." Chris then puts his keys into the ignition, and kick starts his engine.
"Wait." Dawn says, before he can get moving. "You said you had two goals. I know about the first one, but what's the other one?"
"There's a Pokémon that I don't know the name of, but it was indirectly responsible for my parent's deaths. I want to track it down, and now that I've done what I've did yesterday, I want to capture it."
"What did you do yesterday?"
"Ask Professor Rowan." Chris begins to rev his engine as Dawn nods. "Just make sure you keep it a secret. I'll see you later, Dawn." She nods at him, as slowly rides out of the driveway of Rowan's lab, and then takes off heading towards Sunyshore.
Noon of the next day...
After leaving his hotel in Veilstone at six in the morning, Chris arrived at the gate of Sunyshore City half an hour before noon. Certainly none of the cities in Sinnoh were as surrounded by nature as this one; with trees towards the opposite side of where Chris pulled into, and the beach that led out to the Pokémon League. And even as he stopped at a gas station to fill up his Harley, he could faintly hear the sound of the waves beating against the land. Yet at the same time, the electric currents running all throughout the city were apparent. Then there was the lighthouse in the distance.
As he examined his surroundings, the first character Chris would meet in this city would make his presence known. A man approaches him, dressed in black and yellow with a massive red afro walks up to Chris as he fills his tank. Chris recognized this man from an old edition of Trainer's Weekly. This was Flint, of the Sinnoh League's Elite Four. "Yo! Fellow trainer!" Flint brashly greets Chris. "Your Pokémon are secure inside their Poké Balls, but there's no masking that aura of serious toughness!"
Chris nods, keeping his composure. "High praise, Flint."
Flint gives a toothy smile, and nods back to Chris. "Yeah, you sure are a serious trainer. Getting a read on your aura gave me an idea. Maybe you can pull it off. It's about the Sunyshore Gym Leader." Flint pauses for a moment to look away from Chris, towards the lighthouse. "He's really lost his enthusiasm lately because there've been so few good challengers 'worth his time'." Flint looks back at Chris before he continues. "He's been so bored, he spends all his time renovating the Gym. And then there was a major blackout... that sure didn't help lift his mood." Flint sighs, stopping himself from his rambling. "I'm guessing you already know where I'm going with this, don't you?"
"Maybe." Chris responds, although he quietly wonders why this means so much to Flint. "But maybe I'd like to hear you say it anyway."
Flint chuckles. "I like that. What I need from you is to give him a battle that's so hot, it will reignite his passion for battling. I'm counting on you, hotshot!"
Flint goes to leave Chris alone, but the orphan stops him. "Hang on! Before you go, I'd like to know why this means so much to you."
Flint sighs, but then nods. "Fair enough. The Gym Leader, Volkner, and I have known each other since we were kids." Just hearing Flint say that struck a chord with Chris. "He's the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. And lately, it feels like my brother is turning into someone I'm not too fond of. I'd challenge him myself, but our conversations lately have been very short, and he always steers the topic away from battling."
"You had me when you told me that you've been close since you were both children. I understand. I'll do this for you, Flint."
Flint cracks a half smile at Chris. "Thanks, kid. I look forward to the day you and I battle." Flint then returns to his truck, and drives off from the gas station. Even though Flint never mentioned it, Chris knew that he was staring up at the lighthouse for a reason. Now that his tank was full, Chris fired up his engine and rode on over to the lighthouse. Sunyshore's was the first one he had ever heard of that was open to the public, and Volkner had Chris suspecting that he was the one responsible for the infrastructure of the city. He dismounted his Harley, and rode an elevator right to the very top.
"Volkner?" Chris said, as he approached a blonde-haired man, decked out in all denim. There definitely wasn't a spark in the man's eyes, but there did seem to be a bit of recognition in them once he laid eyes on Chris. Maybe Chris had developed more of a reputation that he thought?
"So, you're the latest challenger up against the Sunyshore Gym." Volkner started, as he sized up Chris.
"Yes. And I'm not someone who takes no for an answer when I want a battle."
Volkner scoffs, obviously not overly impressed by whatever reputation Chris had amassed. "All right, I've decided! If I find you to be weak, I'm going to challenge the Pokémon League. I'm all done with renovating the Gym, so I don't need to be here. More than anything, I want to have battles that can thrill me again. As the toughest Gym Leader in Sinnoh, I'm going to unleash everything in my arsenal on you."
"I would have it no other way." Chris says, with no signs of intimidation to be found within him at all.
"Then I'll see you at the gym. Whenever you're ready, as you'll be my only challenger today." Volkner leaves Chris behind, with not even a bit of acknowledgement to him. It makes Chris healed, but still pained nostrils flare up, and yet it's enough for him to ignore the pain. Chris takes a short moment to look through the binoculars. As thick as the fog in the distance was, he could just make out the shape of the League's building, sitting atop the landmass that was the source of a waterfall. He gives the sight a nod, before exiting the lighthouse himself. He just barely caught Volkner driving off as he walked towards his bike.
Before he'd advance towards the Sunyshore Gym, Chris wanted to have a Nurse Joy ensure that Pokémon were fully ready for battle. He also went through a few articles on his phone that spoke of Volkner's history, and preferences whilst he waited for their check ups to be concluded. Once he put the phone down, he noticed that Barry had just left the bathroom, and he kept his eyes on his rival. It wasn't surprising to Chris that Barry didn't return to Sandgem Town, but it was rather surprising that Flint didn't find Barry first.
Chris kept on looking at Barry as he spotted him, and surprisingly didn't sprint to join him. "Hey Chris. How are you?"
"Good. Got a time set to challenge the gym today."
"You managed to find the guy?" Barry says in surprise as he sits down in a chair across from Chris. "I've been here since you jumped into that portal at the top of Mt. Coronet. I haven't even seen the Gym Leader."
"A friend of his indicated I could find him at the lighthouse. I threw down the challenge, and he accepted. Said I'd be the only one he has today."
"I'll see if I can change his mind."
"Maybe." Chris becomes a bit curious, as there is a short pause in the conversation. "Barry, how did the Galactic admins get away?"
"We don't know, actually. We were so concerned about you and the Champion when you two disappeared, that we forgot about them for a moment. They did seem concerned about their boss from what little I noticed, but that didn't seem to stop them from giving us the slip."
"Shame, but without Cyrus, they can't be any real threat."
"What happened to Cyrus?"
"He broke my nose, I beat the hell out of him, and he escaped from us. The portal we returned through closed after Cynthia and I stepped through it, so I don't know what happened to him. And it may sound heartless, but I also don't give a shit."
"Fair enough. That guy seemed like he was a few cards short of a full deck."
"No. He was intelligent. Highly intelligent. But he was also a total narcissist, and a nihilist. And all of that is a terrible combination."
"I'll take your word for it."
"So what changed your mind? Why did you decide to help?"
Barry looks towards the ground, as he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "A combination of what you said to me in Snowpoint City, and a phone call I made to Dawn. I checked up on her, and she told me everything she knew. All of the news I missed out on because I never made the time for it. I knew I could help you, and I also knew after my call with Dawn that I had to help you. I just wish I had helped a lot sooner. Maybe then Cyrus would've never gotten as far as he did."
"Maybe. But all that really matters is that he was stopped." Chris leans forward, and puts his hand on Barry's shoulder. "And you were the x-factor in that one. Thank you, Barry."
Barry nods, and smiles at Chris. "You're welcome. If you ever find yourself in a saving the world scenario again, don't hesitate to call me."
Chris laughs, and shakes his head. "I don't think I'll ever find myself in that exciting of a situation again. I sure hope not, at least. Playing the hero can be real nerve-racking." Just then, an announcement gets played over the intercom, telling Chris that his Pokémon are ready for pickup. "Guess it's time I got a move on." Chris says, as he and Barry both stand up. Chris holds his hand out to his rival. "Meet up with me at the Pokémon League, Barry. Let's have one more battle."
Barry nods, as he shakes Chris's hand. "For sure. Good luck against Volkner, Chris."
Chris smiles, then goes to collect his Pokémon. The ride to the Sunyshore Gym is not a long one from the Pokémon Center, but it is one that somehow goes by in total silence for Chris. And that silence stays all the way up until he stands on his end of the battlefield inside the Gym. The rows of lights flickering to reveal Volkner is the next thing Chris hears again as the silence finally breaks.
Still with a disinterested look on his face, Volkner welcomes Chris to his Gym. "Alright, challenger. It's not often, but some trainers manage to come and challenge me. But they've all been boring battles. I didn't break a sweat beating them."
"They weren't me." Chris responds, already with his first Poké Ball active in his hand.
"That's not original, kid." Volkner says in retort before letting out a sigh. "I'm Volkner, the Gym Leader. They say I'm the top Gym Leader in Sinnoh, but... anyway, I guess we'd better get this done. I hope you're the trainer who'll make me remember how fun it is to battle! Four-on-four!" Volkner then activates his first Poké Ball, and launches it into the air. Out pops medium-sized, spike yellow and white Pokémon. Chris recognizes it as Jolteon, and then cracks a smile as he realizes what Jolteon and his first Pokémon have in common.
"Zyra, post up!" Chris sends out his Leafeon, which lands gracefully on the ground.
"Interesting, as first Pokémon go." Volkner pipes up. "But let's see how well you've trained this one. Jolteon, use Charge Beam!" Jolteon sends a focused electric charge careening at Zyra.
"Zyra, Dig!" Zyra quickly burrows her way underground, and avoids the Charge Beam attack. Chris watches the bolt of electricity stop dead in its tracks, and then seemingly return to within Jolteon's body. Jolteon and Volkner both try to pinpoint Zyra's location, but it is to no avail. She bursts forth from the ground, and lands a super effective strike on Volkner's Jolteon.
If Chris didn't have Volkner attention before, he certainly had it now. "I get it! You guys are tough! But we can match your toughness! Thunder Wave!" Jolteon now fires a much weaker, but also much swifter jolt of electricity at Zyra. The jolt does its job, and now Zyra is moving much slower due to partial paralysis.
"Damn." Chris mumbles to himself.
"It doesn't end there. Use Iron Tail!" Jolteon's tail begins to shine brilliantly, as it runs forward and strikes Zyra hard.
Zyra gets backed up, barely digging her paws into the ground to slow her own momentum. "Zyra, Razor Leaf!" Zyra does her best to fire off the attack, but the paralysis has gotten the better of her. And now she is left vulnerable.
"Jolteon, Charge Beam!" Another focused electric charge goes right at Zyra, who cannot avoid the attack this time. The electricity is crackling through Jolteon's fur at this point, and Volkner is ready to capitalize on his Pokémon's vigor. "Now, Quick Attack!" Jolteon picks up immense speed, but that speed ends up working to its detriment.
"Zyra, Razor Leaf!" Zyra can push through the paralysis this time, as she launches sharp-edged leaves right at Jolteon. Going head on right through the leaves does nothing but bad things for Jolteon, who crumbles before it can even reach Zyra. Although Chris's Leafeon is in terrible condition for the rest of the battle, she topples Volkner's first Pokémon.
"Well," Volkner starts, as he recalls his Jolteon. "This one is certainly well trained. But you've done nothing yet." He activates his next Poké Ball. "Allow me to introduce you to my very first Pokémon, Raichu!" Volkner sends out a large, orange rodent-like Pokémon, its tail looking like it could wrap around its own body twice. This Pokémon's demeanor made it seem like it was where Volkner stored his passion.
"Zyra, are you ready for this?" Chris watched his Leafeon nod. "Alright then, use Dig!" Zyra was moving slower than she had before, but she was still able to make her way underground. This time however, Volkner and his Pokémon remained completely calm and still. It was almost like they knew what would happen next.
Underground, Zyra stopped moving, her paralysis grinding her to a halt. Volkner's Raichu began to move forward slowly, obviously scanning the ground with its senses. It let out an affirmative cry, and Chris knew that Zyra had been tracked down. "Raichu, Brick Break!" Raichu raised its paw into the air, and brought it down at full force. Sure enough, Zyra was in that exact spot, and the force of the attack sent her flying out in defeat. She couldn't take any more, and was out of the battle.
"Great job, Zyra." Chris said, happy with the performance she had put on. "Get some rest." He said, as he activated his next Poké Ball.
"You've got some neat tricks up your sleeve, kid. But now that I've exposed those tricks, what have you got."
Chris cracked an evil grin, knowing that his next Pokémon was built for a Gym like this. "More than you can handle. Sandra, you're up!" Chris sends out his mighty Hippowdon out to battle, and she immediately has a sandstorm brewing on the battlefield.
"A Hippowdon?! That's one of the most difficult Pokémon to train that there is!" Volkner says, realizing just how extraordinary Chris is from his other challengers.
"And yet, here we are."
Volkner recomposes himself, realizing that he can only fight to make this less of a nightmare scenario. "Here you are. Lets see what your 'Sandra' has got. Raichu, Focus Blast!" Raichu begins to focus its power into the palms of its paws, and then blasts it towards Sandra.
"Sandra, Rock Slide!" Sandra lets out a roar that shakes the ground, and pulls stones from it to attack Volkner's Raichu. The attacks from each side find their mark, but Sandra's leaves Raichu extremely vulnerable. "Now, use Earthquake!" Sandra raises her massive hooves up off the ground, and then brings them slamming back down into it. She creates a controlled tremor that shatters the ground at Raichu's feet, and completely eliminates it from the battle.
His very first Pokémon now also tasting defeat, Volkner sighs as he realizes how great a challenge Chris truly is. "So often, I've won my battles by simply overpowering my opponents. It seems as though I'll have to outsmart you, Mr. Harper." He pulls his third Poké Ball off his belt, and throws it into the air. "Go, Luxray!" A sight Chris was familiar with, Volkner's Luxray seemed to look more ferocious than his own. But as ferocious as it may be, it was still highly vulnerable to Sandra. Despite that, the speed advantage was very easily on their side. "Luxray, use Fire Fang!" Flames drip out of Luxray's mouth, as it gallops its way to Sandra. It bites down on her hide as hard as it can, but Chris sees that it is in range now.
"Sandra, Body Slam!" Sandra attempted to leap onto Volkner's Luxray, but Luxray had managed to get its paws onto Sandra's big back, and leap off of it out of her range. Chris didn't see a problem with this, but then a problem did in fact catch his eye. Sandra was burned, and the pain was starting to sink in.
And then things went from bad to worse. "Luxray, use Double Team!" Shadow clones of the Gleam Eyes Pokémon surrounded the battlefield, and the damage inflicted by the sandstorm clearly being shown in all of them provided little comfort at the moment.
"Sandra, give everything you got into an Earthquake attack!" Those massive hooves of Sandra's rose up and slammed right back down again. Even though Chris wanted everything into the attack, the pain dealt by the burn made that difficult. Most of the clones vanished, but the real Luxray remained undamaged.
And then it made its own presence painfully obvious. "Now, Ice Fang!" Now an icy energy was dripping out of Luxray fangs, as the real one appeared and chomped down on Sandra's hide once again. Now dealing super effective damage, Sandra found herself against the ropes. It was the small amount of damage from the overexposure to the sandstorm for Volkner's Luxray, versus the super effective damage Luxray was doing to Sandra on top of her burns.
And the next round was much the same. Volkner once again commanded Luxray to use Double Team. Sandra did her best to strike the real Luxray down with an Earthquake, but all it did was damage the ground. Then came the follow up Ice Fang, and even the bulky Sandra was barely hanging on at this point. But then, Chris got an idea. As Volkner once again had shadow clones surrounding Sandra, Chris issued a different command. "Sandra, use Body Slam on the ground!" As Volkner's Luxray charged in with its icy fangs, Sandra launched herself up off the ground, and slammed her body weight right into where she stood. The impact of such a move made Luxray lose its balance right in front of Sandra. "Earthquake." Chris states calmly, as Luxray is right in front of Sandra as it summons a controlled tremor that beats Luxray. But the burns that Sandra has sustained prove to be the last bit of pain needed to take her down. Her legs give out from underneath her, and she collapses onto her stomach.
Both Gym Leader and challenger recall their fallen Pokémon, and reach for another Poké Ball, the last in Volkner's case. Chris goes for one particular Poké Ball, but then he overhears what Volkner says to himself. "Down to just Electivire." Suddenly, Chris doesn't reach for the Poké Ball he was going for before, and instead reaches for his own Electivire. "On the count of three?" Volkner gives the courtesy of asking his challenger.
"Works for me." Chris responds, as he activates Poké Ball. Both trainers count up to three, and then throw their Poké Balls into the air.
"Go, Electivire!"
"Go, Zapsquatch!"
Although Chris has a unique name for his Electivire, the fact is that both trainers have sent out the same species of Pokémon, and Volkner can't keep himself from smiling at the sight. "Well, I'll be damned." He looks past both Pokémon to his challenger. "You've certainly got good taste, Chris."
"This is one my very best, Volkner."
"But is it better than mine? Electivire, Quick Attack!" Volkner's Electivire moves at a speed similar to what his Raichu had moved at earlier.
"Zapsquatch, Protect!" Chris's Electivire surrounds himself with a force field that blocks the Quick Attack. At that moment, the two Thunderbolt Pokémon lock eyes with each other, and both of them snarl. Once the force field drops, they get into an exchange of fisticuffs. Zapsquatch pushes away Volkner's Electivires jabs before going for an elbow strike. That strike is dodged, but then followed up by a backfist that gets blocked. Volkner's Electivire goes for the body, but gets shoved off right before each trainer issues a command. "Zapsquatch, use Ice Punch!"
"Electivire, Fire Punch!" The icy energy dripping from Zapsquatch is answered by a fiery energy from Electivire. Both punches land flush, but the brawl isn't over yet. As the two towering Electric-types double back, Volkner amps up the aggression. "Electivire, use Giga Impact!" Sheer power engulfs Electivire's body, as it runs right at Zapsquatch.
As risky as the strategy was, Chris decides to answer that aggression with even more aggression. "Zapsquatch, Close Combat!" Dropping his guard completely, Zapsquatch eats the Giga Impact whilst throwing all out haymakers at Volkner's Electivire. Both Pokémon have to double back just to survive, and both are struggling to catch their breath now. But this battle isn't over yet.
"Electivire, Thunder Punch!" Volkner calls out, as his Electivire charges at Zapsquatch once again.
As Chris sees Volkner's Electivire's fist sparking with a wild electric charge, he decides that two can play at that game. "Zapsquatch, Thunder Punch!" Now Chris's Electivire has a wild electric charge sparking his fist, as the two powerhouses meet right in the middle of the battlefield. And despite having taken relatively the same amount of damage, Volkner's Electivire takes the advantage. The punch lands true on Zapsquatch's cheeks, somehow also managing to negate his own Thunder Punch.
And yet, the electricity still surged through his fist. And then Chris saw that same electricity surge through his other fist as well. Then it became more powerful. A realization hit Chris right afterwards, as he realized exactly what was happening. And he couldn't help but let the smile paint his face. "Zapsquatch, Plasma Fists!" At the sound of Chris's voice, Zapsquatch's fists practically turn into bolts of lightning. He back fists Volkner's Electivire with one fist, before absolutely dropping it with a wicked haymaker. Volkner's Electivire hits the ground hard, and it cannot get up.
Zapsquatch slowly comes out of the heat of battle, and then lets out a victorious roar that shakes the walls of the entire building. If Hawke's clean sweep of Byron's team back in Canalave City was his crowning moment, this moment was Zapsquatch's. And it was exactly what Chris needed to win his final Gym Badge. He carefully stepped onto the shattered battlefield, and stood next to his Electivire as Volkner recalled his. "You did it. And it was something to behold." He said to his Pokémon.
"It was." Volkner speaks up, as he walks up to Chris with a tray in his hand. "It truly was. Your Electivire... all of your Pokémon. You are as good as the other leaders have all said you are, Chris Harper. Your desire, and the noble way your Pokémon battle for you... I haven't felt that thrilled for a battle in a long time."
"I'm going to be honest. Flint asked me to bring that feeling out of you."
"Did he?" Volkner chuckles. "He always has done his best to look out for me." Volkner then chuckles some more, and has a smile on his face now. Then that chuckle turns into a full blown laugh. "That was the most fun I've had in a battle since... I don't know when! It's also made me excited to know you and your team will keep battling to greater heights!" He holds the tray out, and a badge rests comfortably in the center. "This is your eighth Gym Badge. You've earned this Beacon Badge!"
Chris takes the badge, letting a deep breath in and out as he grabs it off the tray. "Thank you for the great battle, Volkner."
"No, thank you my boy. In all of about twenty minutes, you've made me love my job again. But like I said, this isn't the end for you. The Elite Four await you. Cynthia awaits you." Volkner holds out his hand, and he and Chris shake hands. "Good luck."
