The Healing Machine in the Saffron City Gym clicked as Jake Dale shut the lid. The touchscreen lit up and displayed the six Pokemon that were inside it: Poliwrath, Sandslash, Electabuzz, Scyther, Dodrio, and Kangaskhan. Josh watched as his brother selected four of his Pokemon on the touchscreen, and then pressed the option for "FULL HEAL" on the menu. The Machine began to hum.
"It's pretty straightforward," Jake said.
Josh nodded. He had never used a Healing Machine himself, and he had never seen exactly how they were used at the Poke Center. The nurses did all that behind closed doors and then brought the Poke Balls back. They usually came back so quickly that Josh often wondered why they didn't just keep the Machine at the counter.
"Are some Machines slower than others?" Josh asked.
"No, but it takes longer depending on your Pokemon," Jake said, "if they're fully evolved, how bad they're hurt, that kind of thing. You'll see once your Pokemon get older. Also, don't touch this part while it's working — it heats up like crazy."
Josh had never thought of his Pokemon aging before. Whenever Josh had gotten hurt playing baseball, he had always bounced back faster than the doctors said he would. Once, the stitches for a cut on his leg from sliding to home base popped out of his skin two nights later. But, Josh remembered, he had also always heard of pro players having to miss games because of torn rotator cuffs or ACLs.
The Healing Machine stopped humming and gave a beep. Jake lifted the lid and retrieved his Poke Balls.
"Mr. Dale?" a voice behind them said.
Josh and Jake turned. One of Sabrina's apprentices was there, the young one who had refereed the match, with a tablet in his hand.
"Do you want to set a time for your next challenge?" the apprentice said.
"Yeah," Jake said, "when's the first opening?"
"June 2nd, 7:00 AM," the apprentice said.
"I'll take it," Jake said.
"Okay," the apprentice said as his fingers danced across the screen of the tablet. Then, he turned to Josh. "And do you want to schedule a challenge?"
"Uh," Josh said, glancing at his brother.
After watching Sabrina mop the floor with his older brother, Josh could think of a hundred things he would rather do than challenge Sabrina himself. He'd rather face down that Gyarados again on Route 25. He'd rather walk through Mt. Moon with no shoes. He'd rather do burpees on the baseball field back in Pallet Town until he collapsed.
"You don't have to," Jake said as he scratched his eyebrow, "but Sabrina's really popular. You won't be able to just walk in."
"Okay," Josh blurted out a little too loud, which made the apprentice jump, "put me down for the next open spot."
"Right… that'll be June 10th, at noon," the apprentice said, "see you then."
"Plenty of time to prepare, at least," Jake said as the apprentice left them, "and Gym Challenges aren't so bad when it's your fourth Badge that you're going for."
"Fifth," Josh said.
"Huh?"
"It'll be my fifth. I got the Rainbow Badge yesterday."
"You've gotten four Badges in four months?"
Jake stared at his younger brother. But Josh looked away as Ash stepped out of Sabrina's office and walked toward him. She looked ridiculous lugging around that briefcase.
"Where are we headed?" Josh asked her.
"You tell me," Ash said as she waved her phone at him with her free hand.
Josh dug around his pocket and fished out his flip phone. The tiny screen on the front said there was a text from Ryan.
The building looked like something out of a museum or one of those black-and-white photos they had looked at in a textbook at school. It was an old building made of wood and with one of those classic slanted-but-also-curved roofs. It was bizarre seeing such a traditional building nestled between the modern buildings of Saffron City. The three of them — Josh, Ryan, and Ash — stared up at the time capsule in the middle of the biggest city in Kanto.
Most of all, Josh stared at the big, bold Kantonese characters that were painted on the wooden gateway.
正武館道場
The characters looked vaguely familiar, but Josh couldn't remember where he had seen them before. He also had no idea what they meant. But Ash immediately spoke up.
"Shoubu-kan Dojo?" Ash said.
"Seibu-kan Dojo, actually," a voice behind them said.
The three of them jumped and turned to see a karateka. Josh recognized the white gi and red belt wrapped around his waist. He had a punching bag slung over his shoulder. The man was enormous and muscled, and he towered over the three of them. Josh gulped as he looked up at him. He looked down at the three of them and spoke again. "You kids here for the Jiyu Kumite?"
"The what?" Josh said.
"Yeah, we are," Ryan said, "it's open to everyone, right?"
The man grinned. "Yeah, it is," he said. "Follow me."
The man ambled past them, Josh could hear the sand in his bag shifting with each step, and the three of them followed the man inside. Dozens of martial arts movies came to Josh's mind as they entered. The place was nothing like Saffron City — there were square-shaped paper lanterns lit with actual candles which filled the dojo with a warm orange glow. The floor was lined with rectangular mats — Josh couldn't remember what they were called — and the walls were lined with vertical scrolls inscribed with more Kantonese. Most of all, Josh noticed the quiet. The bustle of the city was finally gone. Only then did Josh realize how distracting it had been. The dojo felt like home.
The karateka they had talked to was already rigging up the bag from a chain on the ceiling. There were dozens more dressed like him, all with the same logo that was on the front of the building emblazoned on the back of their gis. They were all barefoot, and quietly talking amongst themselves. There was also a group of Trainers, dressed in ordinary clothes. Josh sighed. With other Trainers around, he felt less out of place.
Josh took a step forward, but Ash immediately pulled him back by the back of the shirt. Before he could say anything, she stepped forward, took off her shoes, lined them up against the mats, unslung her bag and held it to her side, and gave a deep bow.
"Shitsurei shimasu," she said.
Then, she stepped onto the mat, found a shelf to store her bag, and joined the other Trainers. As he had done a dozen times they had gone on field trips anywhere 'traditional', Josh did his best to copy Ash's movements, and Ash murmured corrections to him as discretely as she could.
"First, the shoes," she whispered while watching him from the corner of her eye, "put them against the — no, no, no, other way; heels toward the center — okay. Bag in your hand. Bow — from the waist, eyes down — and say… close enough… Wait!"
Josh jumped, his bare left foot hovering over the mat. His head whipped around, expecting to see someone coming to scold him.
"What?" he said hurriedly.
"You washed your feet, right?"
Josh looked around. "Where am I supposed to do that?"
Then, Ash laughed. "I'm just kidding," she said.
"Screw you," Josh said as he stepped onto the mat.
"You gotta stop falling for stuff like that, dude," Ryan said as he joined the two of them on the mat.
Ryan had a point. Of the many trips they had taken when they were still in school, usually to some ancient temple or a nearby farm, Ash never failed to endear herself to the people working there with her near-perfect Kantonese while also sneaking a jab at Josh and Ryan's ignorance. Of course, Ryan never let that sort of thing bother him, anyway. Josh was jealous of the way Ryan would deliberately break off from the group and wander into the town they were visiting, only to find his way back to the class just in time for lunch. After failing to navigate Celadon and Saffron City, Josh missed having a teacher to chaperone him around.
The dojo they were in was quiet, candle-lit, and simple. The Pokemon battlefields were clearly marked on the mats, in rows and columns. The three of them stayed close, near the other Trainers. Most of all, Josh began to notice the belts of the various karatekas who were all stretching, and slowly practicing their forms. The brief time Josh had spent researching karate in his spare time on the family computer came back to him. How do the ranks go again? Josh wondered to himself. White, yellow, orange… or was it blue that came next? I can't remember.
Josh saw belts in almost every color. The white belts were mostly kids his age, or younger. But he couldn't find —
"The head honcho's right there," Ryan said, signaling with his hand from over Josh's shoulder.
There was one man in a black belt at the far end of the dojo, standing ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back. The other karatekas in the dojo dutifully walked around and behind him, instead of walking in front of him. He reminded Josh of Lt. Surge.
"And there's the prize," Ryan added.
Josh saw it — a single Poke Ball sitting on a table. Just like the Poke Balls the Professor had for us, Josh thought. But then, another memory came to Josh's mind.
"Wait a second," he said, turning to Ryan, "is this —"
"Where they filmed The Killer Fist? Yes, yes it is," Ryan said with a grin.
"Oh my God, is that seriously why we're here?" Ash said as the memories came back to her.
The first lunch they had eaten together at Pallet Elementary had led to sitting next to each other in class, hanging out at recess, and inevitably hanging out at each other's houses. Ryan's house, usually, since he had the biggest TV and the best video games. Ash had spent countless nights watching Ryan trounce Josh in Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros, and Pokken. Then, there were the days they had spent watching movies — also mostly featuring lots of Pokemon battles, regular people fighting, or both. Ash had enjoyed some of them. But The Killer Fist included a scene where the hero ripped a guy's heart out and crushed it in his hand while it was still beating. Even the cheesy special effects couldn't make Ash like that one.
"That movie was so dumb," Ash muttered.
"Whatever," Ryan said, "I'm here for the prize, not to watch you hide under the blankets on my couch."
Ash scowled at Ryan, but the black belt shouted something in Kantonese before she could respond. All the karatekas stopped what they were doing and lined up, each taking a spot at one end of the battlefields in the dojo, facing the Trainers.
"Thank you all for coming," the man said in a booming voice. "As always, we here at Seibu-kan Dojo invite you to test your strength, as well as a chance to win a specially-trained Pokemon. Please form three lines."
The Trainers murmured among themselves. It seems no one was eager to line up first while being stared down by a whole dojo of karatekas. Eventually, the Trainers formed three lines. Josh, Ash, and Ryan each taking a spot at the back.
"What Pokemon is the prize?" Josh asked.
"Doesn't matter," Ash said, "we don't have any Fighting-types, so whatever they've got in there, we need it."
"And whoever gets it can add it to their team," Ryan said.
Josh could feel Ryan's eyes on him, daring him to challenge him. But Josh didn't need to say anything or even make eye contact with Ryan to tell him that he was going to be the one walking away with that Pokemon, not him. Ash, standing between them, gave a huff to blow a loose strand of hair out of her face.
"This exhibition will be Jiyu Kumite," the black belt continued, "you will face one of our students in one-on-one matches. If your Pokemon is knocked out of bounds or defeated, you're out. If you win your match, you advance to the next row, then the next, and so on."
Now the rows of battlefields and karatekas facing them made sense. Each row was a different color, and the black belt stood alone at the far end, along with the Poke Ball on the table. Josh could already guess what he was about to say next.
"The first one to reach and defeat me will receive the prize," the black belt said, "if there are no questions… Begin!"
The first group of Trainers stepped forward and called forth their Pokemon. The karatekas facing them responded with their own Pokemon. Each defeated Pokemon was followed by their owner withdrawing them into their Poke Ball and stepping aside. The dojo was soon filled with the cacophony of battles and footsteps. It made Josh think of a factory full of moving parts and conveyor belts. Except the finished product was an unconscious Pokemon sent flying and a Trainer stalking away in frustration.
One trainer made the mistake of trying to use Reflect against a red belt. The blue screen was shattered instantly, his Mr. Mime getting nailed in the face by a Brick Break, and sent flying out of the ring. The red belt seemed especially proud of himself for that one. Of course, Josh could see why. The Dojo used to be the Gym of Saffron City years ago. That was probably why they could afford to build such a massive dojo. But when Sabrina came along, she took their title — and their money. Psychic-types weren't welcome here.
Josh, Ash, and Ryan stepped forward as each Trainer ahead of them joined the battles, and were eventually knocked out. About 20 Trainers had already been eliminated. It seemed none of them could make it past the red belts. But Josh could see why. Even though the lower-ranked karatekas may have weak Pokemon, no Healing Machine in the dojo meant that the Trainers had to make it through the gauntlet without healing their Pokemon. Any damage we take here is permanent, Josh thought to himself, and if you start with your best counter against Fighting-types, it'll get too tired before you reach the tougher belts.
Josh stepped forward. He was at the front of his line. He glanced to his right. Ash and Ryan were waiting for their turn as well. This is a race, Josh thought to himself.
The Trainer in front of Josh withdrew her Gloom as a Karate Chop from the opposing Machoke sent it tumbling out of the battlefield. Josh gave her a sympathetic smile as he took her place.
Hermes is my trump card, Josh thought to himself, I've got to save him for last. Pan has the most experience, I can keep him in the back as well. Helios is too green for this.
"Go, Zeus!" he said, throwing his Poke Ball out.
Josh's Jolteon sprang forward and landed on the mat in a blur of motion. To his right, Josh heard the familiar sound of Ash's Clefairy emerging. Of course, Josh thought to himself, she's got a Fairy-type to resist Fighting-types. And she's still got her Nidoking ready for later.
"Go, Apollo!"
Josh's head whipped around to the battlefield on his right at the sound of Ryan's Kadabra emerging.
What is he thinking? Josh wondered. He can't get through all of this with just one Pokemon. There's no way.
"Machoke, Karate Chop!"
Josh's head whipped back around to his own battlefield. The Machoke was charging forward.
"Dodge it, Zeus, and Thunderbolt!"
The Machoke jumped and brought his arm down like an axe, but Zeus disappeared in a flash, and the Machoke's hand simply sliced a hole in the floor where the Electric-type had been standing a moment ago. Then, Zeus reappeared behind the Machoke and shot a lightning bolt at the Fighting-type that lit the entire dojo with a brilliant yellow that overpowered the candlelight.
From the corner of Josh's eye, he saw a shadow fly across the far wall, and an unconscious Graveler roll across the floor and out of bounds. Ryan's Kadabra floated forward in a cross-legged meditation position, and Ryan followed. He was already on his next match.
"Machoke, Seismic Toss!"
The Machoke growled and whipped around. He charged for Zeus, his arms spread wide.
"Pin Missile, don't let him get close!"
Zeus barked, and the fur on his body bristled. Josh could hear the crackle of static electricity as Zeus fired a barrage of needle-like hairs at the Machoke. In an instant, the Machoke's entire face and upper body were covered in needles. The Fighting-type yowled in pain, fell over, and went limp.
The white belt in front of Josh withdrew his Machoke. Josh ran forward to his next opponent, a blue belt, then glanced to his right. Ash was fighting her second opponent as well, facing down an Onix. The Rock-type was so massive its head almost reached the roof of the dojo. But Ash's Clefairy was floating in the air, waving her glowing white fingers back and forth in the air. Suddenly, a massive gout of water erupted from the Fairy-type's fingers — a Hydro Pump — and blasted the Onix. It was knocked out instantly, and Josh heard the crowd of Trainers behind him gasp as the massive Rock-type fell over, disappearing into the karateka's Poke Ball before it hit the ground.
"Primeape, Screech!"
What felt like two nails being hammered into Josh's ears brought his attention back to his own match. Josh covered his ears, but it didn't help. He could see his own Jolteon writhing in pain as well.
"Zeus, Double Kick!" Josh shouted as loud as he could, although he couldn't hear his voice.
Luckily, Josh's Jolteon sprang forward and smashed the Primeape with both his feet — silencing the Primeape's Screech and back-flipping away to land in front of Josh.
"Primeape, Rock Tomb!" the blue belt said.
"Zeus, Thunderbolt!"
The Primeape punched a hole in the ground and dug out a perfectly round stone from below. Then, he hurled the stone, hitting Zeus in the leg. But Zeus only growled, and shot a lightning bolt back, knocking out the Primeape.
The blue belt withdrew his Primeape, and Josh ran forward — only to whip his head around when he saw Zeus wasn't following. He looked behind him. His Jolteon was limping. That Rock Tomb, Josh said, I won't have Zeus's speed to rely on anymore.
"You did good, Zeus, return," Josh said, withdrawing his Jolteon. "You're up next, Pan!"
Josh's Ivysaur emerged, and the red belt facing Josh called out a Hitmonlee. The Fighting-type bounced on his feet and watched Pan with narrowed eyes.
To Josh's right, Ash was facing a red belt right alongside him — and Ryan was already facing a brown belt. Crap, he's almost to the end already!
"Pan, Sleep Powder!"
"Detect!"
Pan shot out a puff of green mist from the flower on his back, but the Hitmonlee's right eye shone with a light blue flash. The Fighting-type immediately back-flipped away from the Sleep Powder, then did a roundhouse kick. The force of the kick alone sent a gust of wind that dissipated the Powder into thin air.
"Pan, Razor Leaf!"
"Blaze Kick!"
The leaves on Pan's back lashed forward, and two crescent-shaped leaves flew forward. But the Hitmonlee's foot spontaneously caught fire. The Hitmonlee kicked the leaves out of the air, leaving behind two sizzling puffs of smoke. Then, the Hitmonlee jumped forward, foot still alight with fire, and brought the blazing kick down onto Pan's face.
Pan squealed in pain and scurried back. He was about to cross out of bounds —
"Pan, focus!" Josh said. "Use Vine Whip, aim for his legs!"
Pan shut his mouth to stifle his squeals, and two vines shot out from his back. Pan wrapped them around the Hitmonlee's ankles and yanked hard. The Hitmonlee was thrown forward and landed flat on his back.
"Hitmonlee, Blaze Kick!"
"Pan, use Take Down, don't let him get back on his feet!"
The Hitmonlee's foot caught fire again, but Pan ran forward and slammed his head into Hitmonlee's side, sending the Fighting-type tumbling across the floor and out of the battlefield.
The red belt withdrew her Hitmonlee and bowed as Josh ran forward, withdrawing his singed Grass-type as he did.
Ash was up against a brown belt. At this rate, she might beat Josh, too. Ryan's Kadabra was glowing yellow, and golden bubbles of energy were growing on his skin where bruises were, then disappearing, leaving perfectly healed skin behind. Of course, Josh grumbled to himself, Recover. That's why Ryan can face multiple Trainers without even switching out. His Kadabra can heal himself.
Ryan's opponent was too tired to exploit the pause. The brown belt was shouting frantically at his Pokemon to attack, but the poor Magmar looked about ready to keel over — the flame on his tail was burning precariously low. Ryan was just one attack away from getting to the black belt first — and with that, the prize. If Josh was still going to have a chance, he needed to beat this last opponent fast.
"Go, Hermes!"
"Go, Hitmonchan!"
Josh's Pidgeotto appeared and quickly flapped his wings to get airborne. Some debris — clumps of dust, chipped pieces of wood — flew across the battlefield as Hermes flapped his wings. That's when the idea came to Josh's mind. There is one way to end this battle quickly, he thought to himself, not the most honorable strategy, but I need to beat Ryan to the black belt if I'm going to get that Pokemon.
"Hermes, Whirlwind!"
"Hitmonchan, Fake Out!"
Hermes began to beat his wings to kick up a blast of wind, but the Hitmonchan lunged forward and clapped his fists together, making a loud crack and sending Hermes tumbling back down onto the ground. The wind blast dissipated, and Hermes scrambled to his feet.
"Hermes, Quick Attack!"
"Hitmonchan, Thunder Punch!"
Hermes rushed forward, a blur of brown feathers with a pointed beak at the tip, but the Hitmonchan's fist glowed yellow and crackled with electricity. Hermes flew face-first into the Hitmonchan's punch and was sent flying backward — straight out of the ring — defeated.
Josh thanked Hermes as he withdrew him back into his Poke Ball. Then, he returned the brown belt's bow as he tried not to feel the eyes of all the Trainers behind him, watching. Moves to break screens, moves to reduce speed, Fire-type moves, Electric-type moves, Josh thought to himself, the really good Trainers have moves to cover everything you can throw at them.
Josh knew no Trainers were coming to take his place after him. He had been the last one in his line.
On the battlefield to his right, Ash was still facing the brown belt with her Nidoking.
"Lory, Thunderbolt!" Ash said.
"Ice Punch!"
The tip of Lory's horn crackled with electricity. But the Poliwrath ducked and rolled forward with surprising speed, dodging the Thunderbolt and rising with a fist glowing with pale-blue energy. The Poliwrath struck Lory in the center of his chest, sending the Poison-type flying. The entire dojo shook when Lory landed, half his body frozen, and his eyes staring up at the ceiling in a daze.
"Take a good rest, Lory," Ash said, withdrawing her Nidoking.
"You almost won," Josh offered.
"You too," she said.
They smiled at each other. Then, they both jumped at the sound of a Magmar slamming into the wall. Ryan had just won his match. Ash took one look at Ryan and then shook her head, walking over to Josh. She didn't even need to say it, because Josh was thinking the same thing. He waited for us to lose just to make sure we saw him win, Josh thought to himself.
Ryan swaggered forward, and his Kadabra floated along with him. Apollo looked in no worse shape than after his first battle. Josh still remembered facing Apollo on the S.S. Anne. It had out-sped Hermes and knocked him out in one shot. Psychic-types really are strong, Josh thought, no wonder Sabrina took over Saffron from these guys.
The black belt nodded to Ryan and bowed.
"You are the youngest Trainer I've ever seen make it this far," he said. "But you'll need more than a type advantage if you want to defeat me."
The black belt pulled an Ultra Ball out of the sleeve of his gi and threw it forward. An Electabuzz emerged. Massive and muscled, it hooted and swung its arms in circles, making the air hiss with electricity.
Josh perked up, and he even felt Ash gasp next to him. Of course, Josh thought, it's not a Fighting-type, and it's fast. Maybe even faster than Apollo.
But Ryan didn't switch Pokemon. He nodded to his Kadabra. The Psychic-type floated forward and slowly planted his feet on the battlefield.
For a moment, nothing happened as the two Pokemon stared each other down. But Josh's eyes were on the Trainers. The black belt and Ryan were also sizing each other up. Both waiting for one to show their hand.
Then, Ryan smirked.
"Apollo, Psychic!"
"Thunder Punch!"
Apollo's spoon bent and twisted violently. The Electabuzz began to glow with a pink aura, and the Electric-type screeched in pain. But the Electabuzz still charged forward and punched Apollo. The punch sent Apollo reeling back, falling off his feet and nearly falling out of the ring. But at the last second, Apollo's spoon unbent, and the Psychic-type stopped just an inch above the ground. Then, Apollo floated back upright.
"Again, Thunder Punch!"
"Apollo, Protect!"
The Electabuzz threw another punch, but the orb of green energy appeared around Apollo just in time, blocking the attack. The shield dissipated, and Apollo floated away from Electabuzz to another side of the battlefield.
"You can't defend forever, kid," the black belt said.
"Sure I can," Ryan said, "Apollo, do it."
Apollo brought his hands forward, delicately holding his spoon between his fingers like a conductor's baton. The black belt reacted immediately.
"Electabuzz, Brick Break!"
The Electabuzz chased after Apollo, winding up his fist for a punch — and slammed straight into an invisible wall. Josh clearly saw the Electabuzz's face flatten and bounce off of something, and fall over. The one opening was all that Ryan needed. A second Psychic attack from Apollo picked up the Electabuzz and sent him flying out of the ring.
The crowd of Trainers behind them erupted into cheers, and Ryan was soon mobbed by them.
"That was awesome!"
"Who taught you that?!"
"Can you teach me?"
Josh stared in disbelief.
"I don't get it," he said, "what happened at the end there?"
"He used Barrier, not Reflect," Ash said. "I've seen that move before."
Now it made sense. Light Screen and Reflect could always be seen. They looked like glass doors that hung in the air. Light Screen was yellow, and Reflect was blue. But the wall that the Electabuzz had hit was completely invisible. And, most importantly of all, Barrier can't be broken by a Brick Break. All those moves were the specialty of Psychic-types like Kadabra and Mr. Mime.
Ryan had baited the black belt perfectly. He had used Protect first, to put the idea of Reflect in the karateka's head. Then he let the black belt believe he was going to use it, only to make the Electabuzz run into a wall he couldn't see.
"I have to admit, that was really smart," Ash murmured.
The two of them watched as the black belt handed the prize to Ryan. He took the Poke Ball and twisted the top. A hologram of a Machop appeared in the red half of the Poke Ball. The Fighting-type looked up at Ryan and bowed.
Another entry for the Pokedex, Josh thought to himself, and another win for Ryan.