And I'm finally back. It took a while, wrestling with real life and my own writer's block, but I finally managed to start working on this again. So I decided I might as well post this at the start of the year. Hope everyone enjoys.
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"We've gone through a lot of things haven't we?" Ash said, panting a bit.
"We found a hidden village, met a bonafide sociopath, helped a town with a local issue and even saw the world's biggest Dragonite," Misty agreed, sounding a bit tired too.
"But through it all, it seems our biggest enemy remained the same...our TERRIBLE navigation abilities…" Brock groaned.
"Even so…" Ash sighed.
"WE'RE FINALLY HERE!" all three shouted in a mix of happiness...and exhaustion, punctuated by the two Pokemon who fell over with happy cheers. The reason for their joy? After leaving Bill's Lighthouse having bore witness to the slightly eccentric but very much nice researcher making contact with the giant Dragonite, they set off the next morning for what should have been a straight shot to Vermillion. However, their usual luck hit and between their lack of navigation skills and shenanigans happening, they ended up only arriving in Vermillion City...2 weeks later. Needless to say they were relieved as anything.
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One trip to the Pokemon Center later…
"I am so glad we finally made it," Misty sighed as by now everyone had been cleaned up...and gotten some food in their bellies. "If this is a prelude to what our journey is going to be like, we'd better get every bit of navigation gear there is."
"Way ahead of you," Brock said, pulling out a compass. "We shouldn't have to worry about going the wrong direction anymore at least," he sighed.
"And we'll make sure to double check our maps to make sure we're reading them right," Ash added, causing all of them to groan in embarrassment regarding the couple of times they'd accidentally read their maps...upside down.
"...so, what's the plan now?" Misty asked, sorely wanting to change the subject. "Going to scout out the Gym first, or start training?"
"Normally I'd say I want to train first, but I'm not really sure how to prepare for an Electric-type Gym. Not to mention if what Dad said is right, and I'm gonna be up against military style combat...I might want to at least see exactly what I'm dealing with here," Ash frowned.
"Probably a good idea. Even when it's a regulated match, it's common sense to NOT take military based fighting styles lightly," Brock nodded in agreement.
Likewise Pikachu and Charmander who were sitting on the table, helping themselves to some Pokemon food nodded in agreement as well. Pikachu...did NOT feel like learning first hand what a military trained Pokemon could do without some kind of plan.
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A short while later saw the group looking through the city for the Gym. Locating the Gym, they found what appeared to be a mainly warehouse-like building, with what appeared to be a number of lightning bolts painted on it. "Huh, not quite what you'd expect from a Gym run by a former military type," Ash mused.
"He probably took over the Gym and decided not to bother renovating it," Brock mused. "Not every Gym Leader bothers to customize the Gym to fully suit their style, though its usually good practice to make some kind of field that benefits their Pokemon specialty...if possible anyway."
"I don't think any particular field would really benefit Electric-types, so it should be a fairly normal arena," Misty said.
"Well, only one way to find out," Ash sighed as they soon went in.
The first room they entered was a fairly standard reception area that was connected to the deeper parts of the Gym, though the door to the side was unsurprisingly a fairly normal training area and gym.
"May I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"Ah yeah, we were wondering if the Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, was in? Specifically if he has any matches scheduled?" Ash asked politely.
The receptionist nodded and checked the computer. "You're in luck. The Gym Leader will be participating in a special match within half an hour. Are you looking to spectate?"
"Yes, I would like that," Ash nodded, before looking at the details...and his eyes widened in surprise at what the venue apparently was. If this was right then this was one match he DEFINITELY wanted to see.
"We'd like to spectate too," Misty said, Brock nodding in agreement.
The receptionist nodded and after paying a small fee, they were given receipts with time set on them. They didn't have to be here on the dot, but any later than 10 minutes and they would risk the match being over already. Gym Battles could go anywhere from a whole hour to a little over 10 minutes depending on the terms set and skill level of the participants.
Granted though that usually if a Gym Battle was scheduled in a way that you could book a spectator seat, odds were they wouldn't be some amateurs. Or at the very least they had the connections to allow such a booking. Either way they had some time, so the three of them decided to hang around the Gym, see how things are. They even got to try out the gym, though they noted the special area that was used to help train the Gym's signature typing was unsurprisingly covered in warning labels. No doubt there would be something literally shocking in there, which none of them were interested in checking.
Eventually the time came for the match, and they soon gathered at the spectator seats that were setup in the Gym Battle Room, revealing a sparse field that had no obstacles whatsoever there thus making it so that the combatants would only have their own skills to rely on rather than any possible terrains.
Down below they could see on one side an Electabuzz Pokemorph dressed in military-style garb complete with combat boots and gloves all of which did little to hide the strong build underneath, with spiky faded blonde hair. He had rather piercing looking eyes, and all in all looked every bit what you'd expect from someone who was once in the military. This was without a doubt Lt. Surge of the Vermillion City Gym.
His opponent was no doubt the reason why the spectator seats were packed. After all...it wasn't every day that one saw a Gym Leader from another Region. The Gym Leader in question was none other than the Gym Leader of Cianwood City in Johto, Chuck.
Chuck was a Throh Pokemorph with a hefty and muscular build, though somehow it also seemed like he had a bit of a potbelly on him. He had short brown hair on his head with a large spiky moustache on his face. He was dressed...even simpler than a regular Throh, his upper body completely exposed revealing the red skin with a rocky texture and the T-shape black mark that ran over his eyebrows and nose. Covering his lower body was a pair of worn red pants which were secured to him with a black martial artist belt.
"Been a while since I've had a fellow Gym Leader as an opponent in my own Gym," Surge smirked a bit. "I'll be sure to give you the Vermillion City welcome."
"Not if I show you how we show our gratitude in Cianwood first," Chuck smirked back.
With the atmosphere 'heating up' quite a bit, the referee decided now was time to step in. "This Match will be a one on one Fighter Battle between Lt. Surge of Vermillion against Chuck of Cianwood!" the referee declared before looking at both of them. "All of us look forward to a battle to remember from both of you. Fight well and do your cities and regions proud," the referee smiled.
"You don't even have to ask for that," Lt. Surge chuckled lightly.
"It's the least we can do," Chuck agreed as both of them got into their starting positions and got ready.
The two of them stood at the ready before the referee sounded the start of the battle. The moment the signal was given, Chuck surged forward, arm glowing with energy as he quickly closed the distance.
However, Lt. Surge was ready, and fired a Thundershock at him. Chuck tanked the attack, barely breaking his stride as he closed the distance completely, and slammed a Brick Break into Lt. Surge's chest, pushing him back.
Lt. Surge took the blow and was quick to roll back on his feet. Quickly rebounding, he countered with a Thunder Punch to the cheek, knocking Chuck back. However, before Chuck could get knocked back, Lt. Surge grabbed him by the arm, and in a quick motion, kicked his leg out from under him, causing him to lose all balance and fall to the ground.
With Chuck on the ground, Lt. Surge acted quickly, charging up another Thunder Punch, aiming to strike at the downed Throh, but Chuck quickly regained his wits and slammed a hand on the ground, triggering a Stone Edge that forced Surge to jump back to evade the attack, giving Chuck the chance to get on his feet quickly. Once he was stable, he gathered his energy and fired a Focus Blast which flew after the retreating Lt. Surge who'd just managed to finish avoiding the Stone Edge.
Gritting his teeth, Lt. Surge focused whatever energy he could on short notice and fired a small Electro Ball. The two spheres clashed, but eventually the Focus Blast won out, still hitting Surge, nearly pushing him out of the arena. However, the power had been greatly weakened, and that was more than enough to keep him firmly in the fight.
Glaring, Lt. Surge focused his energy again and was soon covered in electricity to which he charged forward in a Wild Charge. Chuck saw it coming and used Bulk Up to strengthen himself as he braced.
The two Gym Leaders soon grappled each other, pitting their strength against one another, but Chuck was having a harder time as Surge's electricity was running through him. Acting quickly, Chuck shifted the grapple, and gritting through the electricity, he managed to pull Surge forward and throw him over his shoulder, followed by a Rock Tomb, which soon had Lt. Surge seemingly covered in the rocks, the electricity built up for the Wild Charge discharging harmlessly around.
Chuck took a moment to take a deep breath, hoping to recover from the electric shock, but a Focus Blast shot out of the stone prison, slamming into him. Chuck grit his teeth as he was pushed back but with a roar he managed to redirect the attack away. Even so that was all Surge needed to get out of the cage, another Thunder Punch charged up.
Chuck acted quickly and countered with a Brick Break, the two attacks ending up cancelling each other out. However, Surge quickly took advantage of this and grabbed hold of Chuck, pulling him close and kneeing him in the gut. That...sort of worked, as the growing pot belly actually dampened the blow enough for Chuck to quickly recover and aim to grapple Surge again, but this time Surge was ready...and countered with a Thunder Wave, causing Chuck to freeze up. Before he could start to try and break free of the Paralysis though, Surge kicked his leg out from under him, and with several quick movements, pushed him down to the ground, and restrained his arms behind him, keeping him down.
Chuck struggled to get free, but as it was, Surge had him in a position that he couldn't get any leverage, while the paralysis made it so he couldn't muster any real strength. Eventually he sighed and stopped struggling, a clear sign that he conceded the match.
"The winner is Lt. Surge!" the referee declared, earning a round of applause from the audience who'd been rooting for him. With that done, Surge quickly got off of Chuck, and even helped him up.
"That was a good battle," Chuck said, though he winced a bit at the paralysis still in effect, to which one of the medic that were always prepared in Gyms came by and offered him a Cheri Berry which he gratefully accepted.
"I can say the same to you," Surge grinned. "Feel free to come again anytime. I'll take you on any day."
"And the next time I'll be the winner," Chuck smirked a bit, before the two Pokemorphs shook hands, a good show of sportsmanship between two Gym Leaders.
Still though, as great as the match was, seeing it first hand made Ash frown a bit. Sure he wouldn't be fighting Lt. Surge himself, but if whoever is taking his place uses the same or a similar fight style...he might have to go for something unorthodox if he wanted to win.
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"So, what did you think of the match?" Misty asked as they left the Vermillion City Gym.
"What do I think? I'm thinking I might be in trouble if whoever's fighting me in his place uses the same style," Ash said dryly. Pikachu also sweat dropped at that, feeling a bit sorry for his trainer who had to deal with directly fighting someone who used that style.
"Glad to know you're taking the Gym seriously," Brock said.
"If I didn't, then I'd be looking forward to bruises and a black eye or two," Ash said dryly. "Any suggestions?"
"Well, we knew that Surge would be using Military based combat…" Misty frowned.
"CQC," Ash nodded. "I've heard that it's focused on disabling opponents, and after what we saw I can believe it. The question is how do I counter that."
"Well one option is to focus completely on long range, but that's...going to be difficult," Brock suggested.
"Yeah, my ranged moves are a little limited to be effective," Ash sighed. To begin with Riolu like him didn't have all that many ranged options that could be easily learned. Add in the fact that both his parents focused on short ranged combat, and well...yeah.
As he thought that though, he realized something else. "Hm...wouldn't CQC only work if he can actually catch the target?" Ash mused.
"Well...yeah, most styles like that do work best when you can actually grab hold of your opponent," Misty nodded, though she wasn't FULLY sure she understood what he was going at.
"Then I think I might have a way to win," Ash smirked, before turning to Pikachu. "Come on buddy, we got some training to do."
Pikachu didn't quite understand, but he liked the enthusiasm his trainer was showing, and that was usually a good sign. So he gave a determined 'Pika!' and nod before the two ran off to find somewhere to train, leaving a bewildered Misty, Brock, and Charmander.
"...any idea what he's planning?" Brock asked, with a sweat drop.
"Not a clue," Misty sweat dropped as well.
Charmander just looked at where the two had ran off...before deciding to follow along. He was curious as to what Ash and his Pokemon were up to.
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A short while later saw Ash and his current on hand Team were gathered just outside Vermillion City. "Alright, so we have an idea what to expect, even if we didn't see Lt. Surge use any of his Pokemon. Still, he's an Electric-type specialist, so I think we can at least form a basic plan," he said, earning various nods from his team. "For this Gym, type wise at least, I think we all know who's the first choice," he chuckled, to which his team looked at Wooper and Bulbasaur who seemed quite pleased at the idea of getting their time to shine.
"We're gonna try and plan for theoretically everyone to fight, but you two are going to be our go to members," Ash said, earning nods of agreement from his team.
Preparing a training regiment required a bit of planning. Pidgeotto and Squirtle were basically out of the question for the Gym, so they were basically just regular training to work on their own existing abilities. Pikachu was training with Bulbasaur and Wooper in turn, helping them work on their main weaknesses, namely that while they had resistance/immunity to Electricity, they both weren't exactly the fastest Pokemon on his team. On top of that, just to add some extra stakes, Butterfree was up above, using his Stun Spore to act as an extra hazard for the Pokemon to train with.
Needless to say the first few attempts…needed work. Butterfree sometimes went overboard and ended up paralyzing everyone training, or Bulbasaur and Wooper ended up unable to keep up with Pikachu at all. Still, that was the point of the training, which ensured that any mistakes would be ironed out now.
Both of them were by no means weak. Wooper had been with Ash's team since he'd caught her in Cerulean, and thus had a bit more experience than Bulbasaur did. Still though, she wasn't really one of the Pokemon Ash used as much, mostly due to the fact that being a water Pokemon, she was better suited to fighting when water was nearby, an issue shared with Squirtle. As such, now was the time to properly address that, hence why Ash helped her work on her dodging. Bulbasaur on the other hand was still new to the team, relatively speaking, but he had some decent experience from protecting the village he'd come from. His combat abilities were above average, but he still had some issues with coordinating with orders, still being used to taking actions on his own. Oh well, nothing they couldn't work out gradually.
"Glad to see you're getting prepared as always," Brock said as he and Misty came around.
"If I didn't then I'd better look forward to losing my first try," Ash shrugged. "The thing I'm more worried about is the Fighter half," he frowned.
"Right...fighting Electric Pokemon is one thing, but fighting someone with military training is another," Misty frowned.
"The good news is, I got an idea how I could fight. The bad news is, I'm gonna need to work on it quite a bit before I can actually try it," Ash sighed.
"Anything we can do to help?" Brock asked.
Ash was about to decline...before he thought about it. "Actually...you could help me set up a basic training area," he said after a moment.
"Sure, we'll help," Misty smiled, to which Brock nodded in agreement.
"Thanks you two," Ash nodded with a smile.
"Hey, what are friends for?" Brock chuckled.
The three of them soon got to work, using some of the nearby trees and moving some of the rocks, and before long they'd assembled…
"Is this...an obstacle course?" Misty blinked.
"Something like that," Ash said, before moving a few things around, and triggering one of them, causing several stones to come flying through the course. "Let's just say I'll need to be fast AND be able to react quickly if what I've got in mind is going to work."
Pikachu and Charmander who were nearby tilted their heads in confusion at that one.
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Training continued for the Pokemon and that was going fairly smoothly. As for Ash…
WHAM!
"Ooooh…" Ash groaned where he'd taken a rock to the chest, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Are you SURE this is helping?" Misty asked with a sweat drop. "I mean, there are easier ways to train endurance, right?"
"It's to help me get used to using that move at the drop of a hat. I gotta get this right and with the right amount of power too, or it's no good," Ash said as he got back up.
"What move exactly are you going for?" Brock asked.
"Substitute," Ash said simply. "And not just any Substitute, it has to be one that uses only the barest minimum amount of energy."
"What kind of fighting style ARE you practicing for your match?" Misty finally asked.
"Honestly? I've had some basic training with it, but it never quite came easily for me," Ash sighed. "I just always had an easier time taking after Dad's style than Mom's," he said.
THAT got their attention, remembering the fight Misty had with Delia a while back.
"But...Riolu can't use illusions, and I don't think I've ever seen you use Poison moves," Misty frowned.
"That's because I don't know any," Ash admitted. "But then...if I can get this right, at the very least I'll be able to give whoever I'll be fighting a surprise," he said.
"Considering what Mrs. Ketchum could do with her style, I can see how that'd throw most off balance," Misty mused.
"And exactly why I gotta practice to get it right," Ash said, and before long he continued his training, Misty and Brock continuing to watch.
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A few days soon passed, and training proceeded fairly smoothly. The Pokemon were quickly adapting to their training, and Ash and his team had drawn out a battle plan for the Gym. As for the Fighter half of it...Ash couldn't say he'd exactly mastered the style, but he was confident that he could apply key parts of the style when needed to make do.
With that in mind they'd decided to give the Gym a shot, having been about as prepared as can be. He'd already considered his team for the match and had a rough plan on how to fight. All he could do now is put his best effort into getting it right. "Well, wish me luck," Ash sighed, looking at Misty and Brock. The two of them had stuff they needed to take care of, so they couldn't watch his match. But they were rooting for him.
"Good luck, you'll probably need it," Brock said, half jokingly, earning a few chuckles of amusement, to which Ash nodded at them and went into the Gym, Pikachu following after him while Charmander remained with Misty and Brock.
"I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader," Ash said to the receptionist.
"Certainly," the receptionist smiled. "May I ask how many Badges you have? As Lt. Surge is a former soldier, there are certain rules in place regarding who he can and cannot fight."
"Yeah, I heard about that," Ash nodded before showing his two Badges and submitting his Pokedex to verify that they were his.
"Yes, we've confirmed your current progress as a Trainer. I imagine you were already expecting this, but I'm afraid Lt. Surge won't be allowed to battle you. As such, one of his students will be taking his place for the Fighter Battle," the receptionist explained.
"Right," Ash nodded.
"Very well then, please proceed to the Gym Challenge area. I shall contact the Gym Leader and inform him of your challenge," the receptionist said to which Ash did as he was told.
As with the previous two Gyms he quickly changed into his battle outfit and stored anything he didn't need into the locker room. Once he was done, he and Pikachu continued on and soon saw the Gym Challenge of this Gym.
"...somehow I'm not surprised," Ash sweat dropped. The reason for this was because the challenge before him was a military style obstacle course. "Still...seems simple enough," he said...right before a screen said 'Keep up the pace!', before a screen of sorts made of energy appeared behind them. 'Take too long and fail the course!'
Ash's eyes widened at that, before he quickly picked up Pikachu and put him on his shoulder. "We're gonna need to move fast, buddy," he said, earning a nod from Pikachu as they immediately started the course. The first of the course was a rope net, with the goal being of course to climb it. Grabbing hold of the net Ash immediately started climbing, Pikachu at his prompting going ahead, the smaller Pokemon able to climb more deftly than his larger Trainer. The moment they hit the first obstacle, the screen began moving albeit slowly. Ash didn't think about it as he scrambled up the rope net, eventually reaching the top to reveal a set of hanging bars over a pit of water. The goal was obvious so with that in mind, he immediately leaped forward and grabbed hold of one of the bars which shifted a bit when he grabbed hold. Even so he didn't have time to wait for it to fully stabilize as he moved from one to the other, Pikachu holding on to his back for this part due to it being harder if both of them did this at the same time.
Eventually they reached the end of the bars, and found the next set of obstacles ahead. It was a ramp and at the end of the ramp was a high wall, one that he'd have a hard time just jumping over. Taking a moment to check how far the screen was from them, Ash took a moment, before running down the ramp, building up momentum, and when he reached the wall, he used the momentum to run up the wall slightly before pushing forward and grabbing the edge of the wall, using it to pull himself up. He was mildly pleased to find that one the other end was a drop with a large cushion, though after that were a series of tires that he clearly had to run through. Quickly jumping down, he wasted no time in starting on the next course. He needed all the time he could get with this one as he had to move quickly, moving along the tires quickly but carefully, knowing if he moved too carelessly his foot would get caught in the tires and he'd probably faceplant painfully into the ground, and probably cost him the Challenge too.
He moved quickly, managing to clear the tires for the most part, but at the last tire he moved a bit too fast, and caught his foot on the tire, causing him to stumble forward, just BARELY managing to avoid falling over...and he winced when a slight pain went through his leg too. Even so he kept going, and for better or worse...the next and from the looks of it last challenge was...a salmon ladder. "...this might be a BIT much," Ash winced, but quickly started using it. He had to pause before each attempt, and thankfully he was strong and focused enough to pull each off. Unfortunately this pace gave the screen time to get closer, to which Ash just BARELY cleared the ladder before the screen came, to which he was dashing through the last stretch. An upward incline that had no obstacles, but gradually got steeper while the screen was hot on his heels. Ash pushed his legs to keep up the pace, wincing every few steps thanks to his foot that had caught in the tires, but even then he managed to endure it, reaching the end that had a buzzer on a pedestal, to which he reached out and managed to press it just seconds before the screen hit him, clearing the challenge.
With the screen gone and the challenge cleared, Ash allowed himself a moment to sag in relief, Pikachu coming over to him and looked at him with a slightly concerned 'Pi?'.
"I'm okay Pikachu. Just...don't want to have to do something like that again too soon," he sighed before slowly pulling himself up. "Let's keep moving," he said, earning a nod as they continued onward. Once in the next waiting area, Ash quickly took a steam shower to refresh himself a bit before getting into the healing pod. Thankfully the injury from the course was minor enough that after a few minutes, his foot felt just fine again, meaning he didn't have to worry about having problems during the fight. Either way that was a small comfort as it didn't change the fact he still had a tough match ahead. "Well, now or never," he said, Pikachu psyching up as well before they soon stepped through the doors, and ready for their next Gym.
They soon found themselves inside of the same arena that they'd seen Surge battle against Chuck. "Welcome to the Vermillion City Gym. You've done well making it this far," came Lt. Surge's voice as the Electabuzz stood at the opposite end of the room, arms folded.
"Considering the challenge you put, I can believe not everyone can make it this far," Ash smirked a bit, earning a smirk in return.
"You got a good look in your eyes, kid," Lt. Surge smirked. "Almost a shame I can't Fight you myself. But, rules are rules. Your opponent is gonna be the strongest trainer in this Gym, next to me of course," he said, as another figure stepped forward. They were...okay, at first glance he thought it was a muscular male Raichu Pokemorph, but when they spoke, it was clear they were a female. She was dressed in a tanktop of sorts and long pants with an open sleeveless jacket of sorts over her top, easily showing off her very masculine looking body. She had long spiky pale hair with her ears poking out from them, while the back of her hair was styled into a long braid...which for some reason had an ornament at the end that made it look like an electric plug.
"I'll be your opponent," she said with a confident grin. "The name's Visquez. Show me what you got."
"If I wasn't then I probably shouldn't even be here," Ash smirked as he and Pikach stood at the ready. Their Gym Battle was about to begin.
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And done, I should be able to start posting chapters at a relatively decent rate again. Sorry for the long wait, and I hope everyone enjoys the story some more. And of course, here's another Retold File on more of the world of Retold.
File No. 7: Government
The Government Structure of the Pokemon World is fairly reminiscent of the Government system of the real world. Most Regions have a President, Galar is the last with a Monarchy, the Queen, and Alola lacks a more clear government, having a more community based way of governance. For Regions that use a Presidency, the President and various major government officials are chosen via elections that are done at a regular interval so as to ensure an avoidance of abuse of power, and to give power to the people. In contrast, Galar being the last Monarchy in the world uses a system of succession, though even then absolute power isn't in the hands of the King and/or Queen in power at the moment, with several other government figures to balance out the power system of the Region. Finally, Alola's unique system makes it a bit of a head scratcher for some visiting the Region. Unlike the others, Alola has no centralized government as the strong communal bond of the locals, as well as their long standing traditions, makes it so that they are able to settle various disputes in their own ways, with the closest to a highest authority present being that of the Island Kahunas, albeit acting more as spiritual leaders due to their ties with the four Guardian Deities.
