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Chapter 6: Pewter City Gym Pt. 2
"Rock Throw."
"Dodge it, Nidoran!"
Onix formed a large boulder, using his tail to send it towards Nidoran. Skillfully, Nidoran got out of harm's way due to its small stature and impressive speed.
"Poison Sting!" Nidoran quickly fired a small purple needle from the horn on its forehead. The ranged attack connected, hitting Onix's head. Onix simply grunted, shaking his head just noticeably as if it was just a minor irritation.
"Change of plans. Rock Slide." Brock told the Rock Type, who moved closer to Nidoran.
"Stay away from Onix!" Ash shouted, knowing that Onix would have to be in a closer range to form the boulders overhead. It was an odd bit of information to know, as he had studied a Pokemon move manual in Oak's lab. Though, it was proving to be useful in this circumstance.
Unfortunately for Nidoran, Onix was able to get fairly close, since his larger size allowed him to travel ground easier. Several boulders formed overhead, dropping suddenly above Nidoran. Despite this, Nidoran expertly weaved between the boulders, showcasing his impressive agility yet again.
"Keep it up Onix. Don't let him get too far away."
Ash clenched his hands, not sensing any openings for Nidoran to fire any ranged attacks. "Focus on dodging for now, Nidoran!"
Onix kept up the pace, forming boulders overhead as they fell with a steady rhythm. Nidoran would occasionally be hit by some debris from the crashes, but was otherwise unharmed as he remained untouched.
Eventually, Nidoran became much more comfortable, as it was visible through his movements being much more fluid. After about a minute, Onix stopped the onslaught, now breathing heavily.
"Now, Nidoran! Keep hitting him with Poison Sting!
Nidoran took the opportunity to finally stop, lowering his head as he shot multiple Poison Stings. Once again, these attacks did little to affect Onix. Onix roared in anger, more annoyed than hurt.
"Keep it up, Nidoran!"
"Rock Throw, Onix."
Nidoran continued to hit Onix with Poison Sting. Not letting the Poison type attacks stop Onix, Brock's Ace formed a decent sized boulder yet again.
Throwing it towards Nidoran, the attack easily missed the much smaller Pokemon yet again. However, Brock smirked at this, weirdly pleased with the result. Not a second later, Brock shouted.
"Tackle, now!"
"Watch out, Nidoran!"
Nidoran had dodged the Rock Throw to the side, unconsciously moving within Onix's physical attack range. Nidoran's eyes widened, frozen as Onix's tail slid on the ground before connecting into his tiny frame. Nidoran cried out, tumbling through the ground as he crashed into the wall.
"Nidoran!" Ash yelled worriedly.
Nidoran rolled through the tough terrain, with his body being cut up and assaulted by the small rocks and boulders. Finally, Nidoran came to a stop as he crashed into a large boulder.
Brock waited patiently, not yelling out any commands as he waited to see if Nidoran was unable to continue. Ash grit his teeth, not believing how naive he was for not seeing Brock's set up. All it took was one attack by Brock to almost end the battle.
"Nidoran, you could do it! You have to get up!" Ash encouraged Nidoran, who steadily raised himself up on all fours from his trainer's words.
"That's a tough Nidoran." Brock whispered to himself, complimenting Ash's pokemon. It was rare for such a young Pokemon to be able to push through a direct hit from Onix. Although it was just a tackle, Onix's durable and massive frame made the attack much more deadly. Nidoran had also likely been slightly hurt from the harsh terrain of the battle field.
"Alright Onix, use-" Brock's voice cut off as Onix cried out, his body being enveloped in a purple hue for just a split second. Ash pumped his fist confidently, praising Arceus himself that Nidoran's Poison Sting finally paid off. It was all part of his strategy, banking on probability to defeat Onix.
Poison Sting has a success rate of thirty percent to poison its target. It was a large reason Ash and Nidoran were so set on using the move as much as possible. It also fit perfectly into their plan of fighting at range, so they wouldn't be hit from a physical strike such as the one just a moment ago.
"Great job, Nidoran! He's poisoned." Ash complimented Nidoran, who nodded at his words while keeping his eyes trained on Onix.
"Way to go Nidoran!" Leaf shouted from the stadium, encouraged from Onix's now poisoned status.
"Are you okay, Onix?" Onix gruned in response, glaring at Nidoran from his elevated height. "Alright, Dragon Breath!"
"Dodge and use the field to your advantage!" Ash advised Nidoran once again. Nidoran sprinted on the rocky floor, unable to stop as the colorful attack followed Nidoran at a close range.
It was a game of cat and mouse, with Nidoran doing everything in his power to escape the predator. Although he was outmatched in nearly every way, Onix was now fighting with a time limit.
As Nidoran ran slightly towards a boulder in front of Onix, Ash sensed an opportunity. It was risky, but the boy couldn't bet on winning the match alone just from Onix being poisoned.
"Fire a Poison Sting at his head!"
While sprinting still, Nidoran skillfully fired yet another Poison Sting. Barely missing Onix's eye, the large Rock and Ground Pokemon still moved his head to the side in irritation. In doing so, Onix's Dragon Breath was cut off. Before Ash's words even left his throat, Brock had somehow recognized the boy's plan.
"No! Onix, don't let Nidoran out of your sight! Use Dragon Breath again!"
"Jump off the boulder and hit him with Peck!"
Nidoran was airborne by the time Onix finally turned his head. It was too late for Onix to fire the Dragon type move, as he cried out in pain from the first time. Nidoran had nailed Onix in the face with Peck, possibly resulting in a critical hit.
"Great job Nidoran, now get out of there!" Ash remarked, smiling widely as Nidoran landed, sprinting away quickly to gain distance. Even better, Onix roared in anguish, purple shocks and bubbles emerging from his body.
'We don't have much time. That Poison is slowly doing damage.' Brock thought, watching Onix tremble slightly from its aftereffects.
"Poison Sting again."
"Dragon Breath."
Nidoran's small needles were completely engulfed in Onix's attack. The attack barely missed Nidoran, his agile reflexes saving the small Pokemon.
'Shoot, that was way too close for comfort.' Ash mentally stated.
"Rock Slide!" Brock yelled out, forcing Ash to put his all attention to the battle once again.
"Keep moving and don't get hit." Ash advised, feeling slightly useless at his commands. There was not much he could do, though, as Onix easily outpower him in both Physical and Special attacks. The Pallet Town native wasn't even sure Nidoran could survive one more attack.
The stream of boulders kept coming, with Nidoran weaving through each as he had done earlier. His movements were much slower and sloppier, likely a result from the damage he had experienced.
Just as Nidoran began slowly down, Onix's onslaught stopped suddenly as the Poison effects returned. Onix's head dropped slightly, attempting to adjust to the effects.
"Nidoran, Fury Attack!"
Nidoran forced itself to reach Onix, completely exhausted from the battle. Pushing through, the much smaller Pokemon rammed his head into Onix's body, hitting him three times. Onix grunted in pain, but otherwise showed no signs of being hurt too much.
Ash grimaced, watching Nidoran barely avoid Onix's sliding tail, watching Nidoran maintain a respectable distance between the two. Ash thought that Onix looked close to being done for, but he wasn't too sure considering the circumstances. Although Nidoran had successfully hit the larger Pokemon with Fury Attack and Peck, both moves were not very effective on Onix. On top of that, Onix already has an extremely high defensive stat.
"Get ready to move, Nidoran!"
"Rock Throw, into Dragon Breath." Brock shouted, attempting to switch up attacks to throw off Nidoran. Nidoran easily dodged the boulder, before almost being hit by the Dragon Breath as it trailed behind him.
"It's right behind you, Nidoran! Don't stop!" Leaf yelled, attempting to help Ash and Nidoran in any way possible. Nidoran continued to sprint, panting heavily as the beam of energy trailed just a foot away from his constantly moving feet.
Sweat trailed down Ash's forehead, a clear symptom of the boy's stress and worry. He was betting everything that Onix would either stop his attack from exhaustion, or from the effects of Poison. Unfortunately for him, none of these were occurring as Nidoran continued to barely avoid the attack.
Even worse, Nidoran accidently stumbled on a small rock he must have not seen. Due to this slight hitch, Onix's Dragon Breath made direct contact with Nidoran. Nidoran tumbled through the ground yet again from the powerful ranged attack, making no noise as he finally stopped.
"No! Nidoran!" Ash shouted powerlessly.
Nidoran stayed on the floor, barely lifting his head. Onix panted heavily, holding his head up at a much lower height than when he was released.
"Your Nidoran is one of the strongest Pokemon I've faced, despite its disadvantage to my Pokemon. Still, this ends now." Brock stated seriously. "Finish this with Smack Down!"
Onix moved towards Nidoran, quickly gaining ground. Ash's heart felt like it was beating out of his chest, uncertain what to do. His hand gripped his Pokeball, ready to forfeit the match by recalling Nidoran. It wasn't worth it for him to take unnecessary damage. However, a part of him stopped himself, holding out faith that Nidoran would be able to continue.
Nidoran remained on the ground, struggling to get back on his feet. Onix reached Nidoran in less than a few seconds, raising up his tail above even his own head.
Ash shouted for Nidoran to move.
Brock frowned, not enjoying having to attack the struggling Pokemon.
Leaf lowered her head, unable to watch anymore.
An enormous crash sounded, with Onix's tail slamming into the ground one last time.
Only, everyone looked on in shock, as Nidoran remained untouched, laying down right beside Onix's tail. Onix roared violently, shaking from the purple shocks he was experiencing. Just a second later, Onix's eyes rolled to the back of his head.
Onix's head crashed down into the floor, unmoving as the referee called the battle.
"Onix is unable to continue. The winner is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
"Nidoran!" Ash shouted happily, sprinting to his Pokemon, who had gotten back to his feet. Nidoran's wobbly legs finally relaxed once Ash picked him up, asking him if he was okay.
Leaf huffed a sigh of relief before descending down to the battlefield.
"Congratulations Ash. Both you and Leaf have proven more than worthy of victory against me. It's my honor to present to you the Boulder Badge." Brock stated, handing the smaller boy the Gym Badge. Ash thanked Brock, pocketing the badge while still keeping his full attention on Nidoran, making sure he wasn't in horrible condition.
"Take a nice, long rest buddy." Nidoran nodded weakly, returning back to his Pokeball.
"Whew! That was close!" Leaf remarked animatedly, eliciting Ash to deadpan at the girl. "Good job, though." Leaf complimented seriously, patting Ash's shoulder while grinning.
"Thanks." Ash returned a smile, thanking the brunette.
"I've got to know what they feed you kids in Pallet Town. It seems like every single one of you guys is an up and coming trainer." Brock joked.
"I'd like to know too, since some of us are bigger assholes than others." Ash quietly insulted the absent trainer, which whom he shared a rivalry with. Leaf elbowed Ash in the side rather harshly, making the boy wheeze comically.
"Well, Professor Oak is a great teacher." Leaf replied. "Still, you didn't make it easy on us. How long have you been the Gym Leader here at Pewter City?"
"I actually have only been the Gym Leader for about a year now. I'm only seventeen anyways." Brock laughed, his words making both teens widen their eyes in surprise. Although he didn't look extremely old, Brock's tall stature and position as a Gym leader led both of them to suspect he was in his twenties at the very least.
"That must be really cool, being one of only eight Gym Leaders in the region at such a young age." Ash replied with a newfound interest. However, his words surprisingly made Brock's smile drop just barely.
"It has its appeal. Though it isn't really my dream."
"So what is?" Leaf asked curiously. Brock smiled softly, pausing for a moment as he contemplated to himself.
"I've always envied trainers, but not because of the exhilarating battles and Pokemon League competitions they partake in. It's the freedom that you have, being allowed to travel the world doing what you love and chasing your passions." Brock stated, before continuing.
"If circumstances were different…. My dream would be to travel Kanto and become a Pokemon doctor, but not in the traditional way. I would learn about Pokemon myself, experiencing them first hand in the world. I could also learn from other people as I traveled, from all kinds of different backgrounds." Brock finished passionately.
Ash was about to ask what Brock had meant regarding his circumstances, before he stopped himself, not wanting to pry into his personal life. It was likely Leaf thought the same, as she simply stated that she admired his dream.
After a few more minutes, both Ash and Leaf wished Brock well, departing back to the Pokemon Center to rest for tomorrow's departure from Pewter City.
"All I'm saying was that luck played a major role in why I defeated Brock." Ash shrugged, sitting on his bed while facing Leaf's back. Leaf groaned at his words, her back still facing Ash as she stood across the room, currently packing up her bathroom products.
"Of course, but you're being too hard on yourself." Leaf said, finally zipping up her bag dedicated for makeup products and brushes. Ash shrugged once again, with the two of them leaving the room to head off to Cerulean City.
After Ash had earned his first Gym Badge yesterday, the two walked around the city for a couple hours. In the evening, they settled for eating at a local restaurant, despite the expensive cost. However, they had a bit more money to spend, since their trainer accounts received a payment for defeating the first Gym in the Kanto region.
That evening, while Ash lay in bed, he played back the battle countless times. There weren't many words he could use to describe how proud he was of both Charmander and Nidoran. They were able to pull off the upset, regardless of type disadvantages and other unfortunate circumstances.
Still, they had won by a hair. Nidoran was still conscious, but he also had not been in any condition to continue. It was sheer luck that Onix experienced the effects of poison when he did. Without it, Nidoran would have been hit yet again. Only difference is he wouldn't have been able to continue, and the match result would be different.
He was content with the victory, but it was in his and his Pokemon's best interests to limit that risk in the future. They had to be much stronger, like Leaf was to continue advancing through Kanto.
"We have a ways to go to finally arrive at Cerulean City." Leaf stated, drawing Ash back to reality as the two walked outside. It was a beautiful day as the sun shined brightly. Pidgeys' flew overhead and chirped loudly, clearly enjoying the weather as well.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, first we have to travel through Route 3." Leaf replied, having her head buried in Ash's map. Seriously, why did she always have to do that whenever she looked at it? It's not like his best friend had bad vision at all.
"It has pretty tough terrain, so it should take at least a couple of days to pass through."
"So no real food for a while." Ash muttered, already fearing the absolute atrocities Leaf would somehow manage to cook. Fortunately, Leaf remained oblivious to his words.
"Then, we have to get through Mt. Moon. It's too tall and the conditions are pretty rough, so we have to go through the caves inside the mountain." Ash nodded along, remembering Professor Oak talking about the famous landmark.
"How long will that take?"
"Shouldn't take longer than a day, depending on if we get lost. So that means your definitely not getting the map inside there." Leaf giggled, making Ash push her playfully.
"Once we get out, we have one more route, right?"
Leaf nodded, folding the map neatly before sliding it into the pocket of her jeans.
"Route 4. That should be about the same length as Route 3. Add on an additional couple of days and we're looking at about a week."
"Well, that's not bad progress. Besides, we have about nine months for the Pokemon League Committee to close the entry of the Pokemon League Tournament." Ash remarked happily.
It was true that the two trainers had plenty of time. They only departed from Kanto a few weeks after the League Committee declared the annual Tournament to be open. In doing so, all gyms in the Region opened up once again.
Before the teen could respond, a deafening alarm sounded across the city. Instinctively, Ash and Leaf crouched down, completely caught off guard by the sound. A few seconds later, a police car sped past the two trainers, signaling its own siren.
"Is that the city alarm? Why is it going off?" Leaf asked.
Ash didn't have to answer her question, as the two looked to where the police car was heading. Sure enough, an easily visible cloud of rising smoke hung over a recognizable building.
"Shit. That's the Pewter Museum of Science."
"How did it- Hey! Where are you going?!" Leaf shouted, chasing Ash, who had already begun sprinting in the direction of the fire.
Looks like Ash and Leaf aren't leaving Pewter City just yet! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please REVIEW any feedback or what you'd like to see, as it motivates me to update quicker. See you all soon!