(Author's Note: Gym Leader Pokémon will have slight alterations, especially in moveset. Also, here is the moveset of Jackson's Pokemon)
Eevee: Refresh, Swift, Bite, Quick Attack
Ledian: Flash, Reflect, Mach Punch, Silver Wind
Weavile: Metal Claw, Icy Wind, Agility, Night Slash
Dewott: Night Slash, Water Pulse, Focus Energy, Razor Shell
Cyndaquil: ?
Azalea Town
The morning after the Team Rocket incident, everything was starting to go back to normal in town. People who had lost their Slowpoke from the incident got theirs back, tails or no tails. The police force had made sure that any hidden Team Rocket members were taken in. However, Jackson was already done with getting involved in that stuff. It was time for him to take on the next gym.
He walked out of the Pokémon Center, with Eevee on his shoulder, and Ethan and Kris at his side. "Man, I'm excited to know what Pokémon Bugsy uses."
"From what I discovered, they were a Metapod, Beedrill, and Scyther." Jackson recalled, thinking on the research he did last night, "Shouldn't be a problem. Metapod is more set for defense, Beedrill is set for offense, and Scyther based around speed. I need to plan around all that."
"Beedrill seems pretty scary." Ethan noted, "I heard they can get quite aggressive if you upset them. Doesn't that bother you?"
"Nah. I'm not bothered by bees like that." Jackson argued, "I got a friend back home named Charmy Bee. More annoying than scary. Plus, apart from that one incident where a bees nest landed on top of me when I was a kid, I had no problem."
"Why am I sensing foreshadowing?" Eevee questioned.
"Since you now have a Cyndaquil, that might give you an advantage over Bug-type Pokémon." Kris noted.
"Except I hadn't done any training with him yet." Jackson argued, "I'm not planning to have his first battle after I captured him to be a Gym battle. I need more time."
"But...you don't have any other Pokémon that'll do super-effective moves against Bug-types!" Ethan argued.
"Well, I'm just gonna have to wing it." Jackson argued, "I have faith in my team, so I know it'll work out." He marched ahead, with Ethan and Kris bringing up the rear. They were worried, but could tell he had some sort of plan in mind.
(Insert 'Never Give Up' By Sonar Pocket)
Instrumental Opening
(Jackson stands at the top of a cliff, looking out into the vast landscape of the Johto region. He turns to the camera with surprise, grins, then draws his sword and swipes it across the screen, transitioning to white with the logo appearing.)
What tough heart! Once I decided that I'd keep up the fight
My road has never stopped unraveling
(Camera circles around Jackson as he runs along an open-plain path with his Eevee, who after a couple seconds, leaps onto his shoulder as he activates his Extreme Gear and shoots even faster onto the path.)
Carrying a small bit of pride
With my fists clenched
(The screen shows a brief image of Professor Elm, dropping papers from his clipboard, and smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. It shifts to a visual of Kris, Ethan, and their starters, with Ethan punching his fist forward, while Kris spun around with her arms out wide.)
I aim for the goal again step by step
Racing towards it with all my might!
(The screen shifts to Sonic & Tails, the former giving a thumbs up, while the latter waved his hands above eagerly. The screen shifts to Cypher, who glared at the screen with a Pokéball held close to his face.)
Sometimes it'll be a bad day
Where nothing goes the way I want it to
But even if the sky blurs through my tears
(Jackson is sitting by a campfire, his expression full of emotional pain as shadows of his past with red eyes creeped all around him. He curled himself into a ball as the shadow of his father appeared over his head.)
I'm sure my smiles will come back tomorrow
So it's okay!
(Shadows started getting blown away one large piece at a time, until light broke out around Jackson, who looked up to see his Pokémon all standing there, protecting him from his trauma.)
There's nothing out there to fear
I'll keep believing that 'I'm strong'
And get going!
(Silhouettes of the Gym Leaders appeared as the screen scrolled upwards through a gold, silver, and crystal colors behind them. It shifts to the emblem of Team Rocket, with darkened faces of grunts, with the four admins in front, holding their Pokéballs. Jackson readies his blade, as he tosses a Pokéball forward, which opens up and blinds the screen in a white light.)
'With you around, there's nothing to worry about now'
I felt as if the sky was saying that to me with a laugh
(Eevee leapt forward, unleashing a Swift attack from her tail, with Ledian flying next to her, using Flash to blind the scene. Dewott and Weavile shoot through the Swift attack, unleash double Night Slash, slicing the stars, before dismissing their blades, and Dewott angrily looking at the calm and collected Weavile.)
With the sweat and tears I build up
I'm sure I'll come out dazzling
(Cyndaquil turns to face the Team Rocket logo, before unleashing his Flamethrower. Cyndaquil sighed in relief as Scyther flew over him, before slashing with his mantis claws like a swordsman.)
Even if I end up feeling anxious after it all
As long as I believe I can do it
(An Aeroblast and Sacred Fire came from the sky, shooting down at Jackson's team, but Jackson stepped in and unleashed several sword beams, countering the attacks and making them explode. He and his team endured the shockwaves and smoke from the explosion, before looking up into the distance, and saw the silhouettes of the Tower Duo flying over the two towers that represented each.)
These footsteps have taught me to
Always
Never Give Up!
(Jackson's Pokémon come to his side as he looked to them, before grinning eagerly, and the group leapt up into the air, taking on the new threat and the new adventure. The screen goes white before showing Jackson standing with his sword stabbed into the ground, his Pokémon companions surrounding him.)
Jackson led the team to the entrance of the gym, which was circular, wider than Falkner's gym, and had a dome glass ceiling. However, it had the same Johto League symbol as the previous gym.
"This is the place." Jackson noted, looking up at the dome, "Figures a place that is close to nature would have a glass top to it."
"I bet the gym is pretty fantastic inside!" Kris stated, "Let's go inside!" The team entered into the building, wanting to see the interior.
What they found inside was amazing. The place was a forest, with the central part of it was the battlefield. The trees were either lime green or gold, with golden leaves on the ground here and there. It was as if Fall had taken place within this gym. On one end of the gym was none other than Bugsy with the referee of the place. He looked the same as before, but now he was carrying a bug-catching net. He noticed the trio of trainers approaching the scene, and told the referee to go to his position.
"I have been waiting for you, Jackson." Bugsy greeted the trainer, before looking to the others, "I am also pleased to see the two of you. First of all, I wanna thank you for saving the Slowpoke Well, as well as our town."
"Ah, it was nothing." Ethan answered, not hiding his less-than-humble nature, getting a glare by Kris.
"We're just glad nothing worse happened." Jackson replied, "That being said, I don't want you to go easy on me just because we saved you."
"Trust me. As a gym leader, I do not differentiate, no matter who it is. Plus, when it comes to Bug-type Pokemon, no one is better than me! My research in Bug-types has made me one of the best in my studies. So don't underestimate Bug-types, okay?"
"I have a Bug-type myself, so I don't underestimate them." Jackson replied.
"Right. Your Ledian." Bugsy recalled, "I'm anxious to see if you plan to use him or not."
The two trainers took their positions as Ethan and Kris stood on the sidelines, with the referee calling out, "This battle between Bugsy of the Azalea Gym and Jackson Alpphire of Ecruteak City will now begin! Each trainer will use three Pokémon each. The battle will be decided when one or both sides are unable to continue!"
"Scyther, I choose you!" Bugsy called out, tossing his ball, and out came a Pokemon that looked like an oversized, light green praying mantis, with two scythe-like claws.
"His ace, right off the bat." Jackson muttered, taking out his Pokédex. "Scyther. The Mantis Pokémon. Scyther is blindingly fast. Its blazing speed enhances the effectiveness of the twin scythes on its forearms. This Pokémon's scythes are so effective, they can slice through thick logs in one wicked stroke."
'There is a good reason why he sent that Pokémon out first.' Jackson told himself, 'From my research, there is one move that is the reason. So I'll start with this one.'
"Dewott, let's blade it up!" Jackson shouted, calling out his Discipline Pokémon to the field.
"Alright! Time for me to shine!" Dewott called out, readying his scalchops, "I'll show up Weavile why I am the stronger Pokémon! He may have won you that last gym battle, but now it's my turn!"
"Pretty talkative Pokémon." Bugsy noted, not understanding what he said due to not having a translator.
"You have no idea..." Jackson, Ethan, and Kris all answered.
"Battle begin!" Referee shouted, and the match started.
"Use Leer!" Bugsy called out. Scyther flew in close to Dewott, his eyes glowing. Dewott shuddered, as a downward blue hue glowed on him.
"Dewott's defenses decreased from that!" Ethan noticed.
"Shake it off, and use Razor Shell!" Jackson called to him. Dewott did as he was told, making a scalchop produce a blue curved energy blade, before shooting at Scyther.
"U-Turn!" Bugsy ordered. Scyther's blades glowed as they hit Dewott's attack, and the two moves canceled each other out. As they backed off, Scyther suddenly called back to his Pokéball. "Okay, Metapod, go!" Bugsy followed up, tossing out a green cocoon with eyes onto the field.
"What happened?!" Ethan asked in shock.
"U-Turn is a move that, once hitting the opponent, causes the Pokémon to retreat into their Pokéball, replaced with a different Pokémon." Kris explained.
Jackson pulled out his Pokédex, examining the target. "Metapod. The Cocoon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Caterpie. The shell covering this Pokémon's body is as hard as an iron slab. Metapod does not move very much. It stays still because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the hard shell."
'Scyther's initial specialty is in hit-and-run tactics.' Jackson told himself, 'Metapod is all about wearing down targets while using tricks here and there. Better ready myself.'
"Dewott, let's pierce his defense. Focus Energy!" Jackson called out.
"Fine then!" Dewott answered, crossing his arms in front of him as he glowed a yellow hue.
"Great strategy. Metapod's shell is always tough, so getting a boost in critical hit rates will get through it!"
"Metapod, use Bug Bite!" Bugsy called out. Metapod leapt forward, summoning insect fangs in an energy form in front of it. Dewott braced itself as it took the bite, but his defenses were weakened, so he was knocked backwards, causing him to fall on his back.
"Hold your ground, Dewott!" Jackson called out, "Use Water Pulse!"
"Get wet!" Dewott called out, unleashing a ball of compressed water at Metapod.
"Use String Shot to dodge!" Bugsy ordered. Metapod shot a sticky string towards one of the branches of the trees nearby, and pulled itself away from the attack.
"You are not escaping me!" Dewott roared, pursuing the Metapod as it ran.
"Dewott!" Jackson called out, before groaning as he muttered, "Oh, man. Let's just go with it. "Stop him with Night Slash!" Dewott kept pursuing Metapod, trying to slice him down. However, the pinpoint accuracy and retracting ability of Metapod's String Shot was making it difficult to attack it.
"I NEVER expected Metapod to be so quick and evasive!" Kris exclaimed.
"He's throwing off what a typical Metapod is known for, and instead of defensive, it's incredibly fast!" Ethan stated, looking to the gym leader, "Bugsy sent us for a loop!"
Dewott nearly rammed into a tree while in pursuit, but was able to spin around and plant his paws on the tree, turning to Metapod. "Use String Shot on Dewott!" Bugsy shouted, seeing the moment. Metapod unleashed more String Shot, this time bounding Dewott to the tree.
"Hold on! What?!" Dewott questioned, struggling to break free, but not even able to move his arms.
"Dewott got trapped!" Ethan gasped.
"Now, Tackle him continuously!" Bugsy followed up. Metapod then started pouncing off the ground towards Dewott, hitting him over and over again, while he was unable to do anything to stop them from hitting him.
"Dewott!" Jackson cried out.
"You have to do something!" Eevee cried out.
"Jackson, call him back!" Kris suggested.
"Good plan. Dewott, come back!" Jackson shouted, pulling out Dewott's Pokéball, and with the red beam, sucked Dewott back into the ball. The String Shot that bound him, went limp on the tree.
The three trainers sighed in relief from Dewott being saved, before hearing Bugsy call out, "Surprised by Bug Pokémon, aren't you? Metapod is a lot more than defense. He is incredibly accurate with his String Shot, and can move quickly by using it!"
"In other words, speed is more its game." Jackson muttered, replacing the Pokeball, before pulling out another one, "In that case, let's match that. Ledian, I choose you!" He called out his own Bug-type to the field, ready to battle.
"Ah, so you're using Ledian already, huh?" Bugsy questioned, "I can't wait to see how well-trained you made it."
"Ledian, let's not disappoint him!" Jackson called out, "Use Mach Punch, now!"
"Try outpacing this!" Ledian shouted, making a fist glow brightly, before shooting himself at Metapod at such high speeds, he punched Metapod hard, sending him flying.
"That looked tougher than it should have." Ethan noted, "Aren't Fighting-type moves not very effective against Bug-types?"
"True, but Jackson told me that Ledian has the Iron Fist ability." Kris explained, "That means all punching moves do extra damage."
"Not bad, but you'll have to do more than that!" Bugsy noted, "Use String Shot on him!" Metapod shot a string at Ledian, to which he dodged when Jackson called out to him to do so. He was swerving around the air, evading the strings that came at him as Metapod continued to fire, trying to hit him.
"He may have accuracy on stationary trees, but not against fast moving Pokémon like Ledian!" Ethan noted.
"Go into Silver Wind!" Jackson called out. Ledian flapped its wings fast enough, and created silverish winds come out of them, blasting at Metapod, who was struggling to endure it, but ended up getting flown away from it.
"Metapod, pull yourself together with String Shot!" Bugsy shouted. Metapod responded, shooting a String Shot at the trees, and pulling himself out of the way, disappearing into the indoor forest.
"Go into the trees, yourself!" Jackson called out to his partner, and Ledian flew into a different part of the forest.
Metapod was going from tree to tree like he did before, while Ledian was flying around all the trees and branches, dancing about the place. Jackson closed his eyes, hearing the rustling around the trees, waiting for the ample opportunity. Bugsy took a moment from watching his Metapod as he saw Jackson's expression, wondering what he was doing. Finally, when he heard the two get close, he snapped his eyes open.
"Ledian, Flash!" he shouted.
"Light it up!" Ledian shouted, unleashing a burst of light from his body. The result got to Metapod in the woods, causing him to miss his next String Shot, and hit a tree hard, causing him to fall down.
"Mach Punch him back into the field!" Jackson called to Ledian, who caught sight of Metapod. He flew in and with a glowing fist, knocked him out of the forest, and tumble along the ground. When he came to a halt, he had spirals in his eyes, signaling he went unconscious.
"Metapod is unable to battle! Ledian is the winner!" the referee called out, waving to Jackson as his Ledian reappeared by his side.
"That's how it's done!" Jackson cheered, turning to Ledian, "You were awesome out there, buddy."
"Yeah! You did incredible!" Eevee followed up.
"I am grateful at your praise." he responded.
"Yes! Jackson scored one win." Ethan cheered.
"True, but Dewott took a ton of damage in the process." Kris noted, "I wonder how he'll recover from that."
Bugsy called back his Metapod into his Pokéball, looking to it as he stated, "You were amazing out there. Take a good rest." He pocketed the ball. He looked to Jackson and Ledian, stating, "Your Ledian is pretty amazing. I can see great potential from him!"
"You think?" Jackson asked, looking to Ledian.
"True! Your Ledian has some incredible skills. I bet if train him more, he can be a pretty strong bug." Bugsy stated, pulling out another ball, "But don't think my love for bugs will stop me from beating him. Beedrill, go!" He threw out a ball, and out came a large bee with spear-like hands. It buzzed as it appeared, looking menacing as it prepared to fight Ledian.
"Oy, that is one scary thing..." Jackson muttered, pulling out a Pokédex, examining the new Pokémon. "Beedrill. The Poison Bee Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kakuna. Beedrill is extremely territorial. No one should ever approach its nest-this is for their own safety. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm."
"Beedrill, use Twineedle!" Bugsy called out. Beedrill shot at Ledian with both stinging hands at the ready.
"Ledian, Reflect!" Jackson shouted, and Ledian produced a barrier that halved the damage of the physical attack. Ledian was pushed back, but grimaced, as purple bubbles started seeping from its body, and his face looked sick. "Crap, he got poisoned." Jackson growled.
"Use Toxic Spikes!" Bugsy shouted, and Beedrill's needles suddenly turned a poisonous purple as it shot something into the sky, before falling down all over the field, surprising Jackson and Ledian.
"Toxic Spikes?!" Ethan questioned.
"Right. A move that causes anyone that enters the battlefield to be poisoned." Kris explained, "While there are ways to get rid of it, like other Poison-types, it's difficult to deal with."
"Ledian, get some distance and use Silver Wind!" Jackson called out. Jackson called out.
"Gotta fight through this...!" Ledian grimaced, getting some distance from Beedrill to fire off his long-ranged attack.
"Use Pursuit!" Bugsy called out. Beedrill suddenly moved at quick speeds as Ledian turned to face him, only to have him in his face, and the blunt end of its needle hands, sending him hurdling to the ground with a crash and a dust cloud. When he reappeared, Ledian was struggling to get back up, trying to continue the fight.
"Ledian..." Jackson muttered, before shaking his head and declaring, "Come on, buddy! We got one last stand! Let's show them we won't go down fighting! Let's blade things up a notch!"
"Jackson..." Ledian muttered, seeing his confidence radiating off of him. Finding a bit of strength to move, he got to his feet, flapping his wings in preparation.
"Sorry, but as a gym leader, I can't be soft on you guys." Bugsy told Jackson and Ledian, "Use Pin Missile!" Beedrill's needles glowed, before firing off a salvo of green energy streams down at Ledian.
"Silver Wind!" Jackson called out.
"Take all of this!" Ledian shouted, unleashing a blast of silver-colored wind at Beedrill. Both attacks crossed each other, and impacted both sides, causing explosions of damage. Everyone watched carefully at what happened. The first thing they saw was Beedrill flailing out of the sky, before regaining himself. Meanwhile, Ledian was on his back, spirals in his eyes, down for the count.
"Ledian is unable to battle! Beedrill is the winner!" the referee called out.
"Poor Ledian..." Kris muttered, as Jackson raced onto the field to his partner.
"Yeah, but he did deal some good damage to Beedrill before he fell." Ethan noted, "Hopefully that'll do something for Jackson and his team."
Jackson lifted Ledian up, holding his Pokéball. "You were incredible, especially in that last stand." Jackson told Ledian, "Leave the rest to the team."
"Thanks, Jackson..." Ledian thanked him, and Jackson placed him back in his capsule, putting it away.
Jackson walked back to his place again, turning to Eevee, who was sitting at her position. "Eevee, I'm counting on you." Jackson told his partner, "And remember, Refresh when you feel it."
"I understand." Eevee answered, running onto the field, ready to go. Suddenly, she felt the ground suddenly unleash the poison from the Toxic Spikes, and she got poisoned.
"Oh, no!" Ethan exclaimed, "Eevee got poisoned, too!"
"You know what to do, Eevee!" Jackson told her.
"Refresh!" Eevee cried, glowing brightly, before curing herself of the poison.
"I saw you use that move before." Bugsy noted, "Figured you would use it now. But it won't stop me. Use Pin Missile!" Beedrill shot a series of green streams at Eevee.
"Counter with Swift!" Jackson shouted. Eevee leapt up and swung her tail, unleashing a stream of stars that countered all streams, causing an explosion. "Go into a Quick Attack!" Jackson followed up, and Eevee leapt high at Beedrill.
"Dodge it!" Bugsy called out, flying high above to evade the attack. Eevee landed on the ground, growling at the overgrown bee.
"Eevee can't reach Beedrill when it's flying like that!" Kris stated.
"Beedrill, use Pin Missile again!" Bugsy shouted, and Beedrill fired off another salvo of streams at Eevee.
"Evade, quick!" Jackson shouted, and Eevee began running around the field as the streams hit the ground all around her. One ended up kicking her up into the air, and she flew before tumbling onto the ground, grimacing as she tried to get back to her feet again.
'Not good. This was something I learned about Bugsy's style with Beedrill.' Jackson noted, 'It evades any grounded Pokémon's attacks while utilizing that Pin Missile with finesse. If I try to replace my Pokémon, not only will it use Pursuit to damage me more than usual, but it will also utilize Toxic Spikes effect to poison my team. Swift will be countered by Pin Missile, so what does that leave me with?'
Jackson thought very strategically, thinking of a good plan to deal with Beedrill. "You can't stand there or think, or run away from me!" Bugsy noted, "Use Pin Missile again!"
"Run away? That's it!" Jackson gasped to himself, realizing a good plan, "Eevee counter with Swift!" Both Pokémon fired off their long-ranged attacks again, and canceled each other out. "Eevee, get back to me!" the swordsman trainer called out.
"Already?" Eevee asked. She then saw Jackson's expression, his eyes shadowed from view, realizing, 'He has another plan in mind. I can see that!' She began racing to Jackson.
"Wait, that's not a good idea!" Ethan exclaimed.
"Sorry, but you won't get away that easily!" Bugsy noted, "Use Pursuit!" Beedrill shot in an instant at Eevee, ready to punish her for the switchout. However
"Gotcha!" Jackson called out, "Use Bite!" Eevee could see the plan a second before, and pivoted on one front paw with glowing fangs in front of her, biting down the close-ranged Beedrill, damaging him hard.
"What?!" Bugsy gasped, "You tricked me?!"
"In battle, even deception is key!" Jackson exclaimed, "Now hit him with a hard Quick Attack!"
"You can't escape me now!" Eevee shouted, unleashing a point-blank, high speed bash into Beedrill, sending him falling helplessly backwards, sliding on the dirt floor, consumed in a dust cloud. When the cloud dissipated, Beedrill was unconscious.
"Beedrill is unable to battle!" the referee announced, "Eevee is the winner!"
"Nice shot, Jackson!" Kris cheered.
"Wait, wasn't Jackson switching out Pokémon at that moment?" Ethan asked.
"He was only PRETENDING to switch out. But he ended up deceiving Bugsy and Beedrill in order for them to use Pursuit to get in close. That's how he got them close."
"Dude, I never thought of that!" Ethan stated.
"Great job, Beedrill. We just got careless." Bugsy stated, calling back his partner to the Pokéball, putting it away, "I am very surprised. I never had anyone deceive me like that. I could've sworn you were switching out."
"Except I only told Eevee to 'get back to me'. That never meant I was switching her out." Jackson explained, "Taking it out of context, it could've also meant for her to be near my position. My masters in martial arts taught me well in pulling off feints."
"You are pretty strategic, no doubt about that." Bugsy recognized, pulling out the first Pokéball, "I want to see you try and pull that off with this one. Scyther, ready yourself!" He tossed out the ball, calling out Scyther to the field.
"Since that is your last Pokemon, Scyther can't U-Turn out of battle anymore." Jackson noted, "Now, it's just us!"
"Scyther, use Leer!" Bugsy called out, and Scyther unleash a harsh glare at Eevee, who felt the gaze as a blue energy went downward on her, lowering her defenses.
"Use Swift, now!" Jackson shouted, and Eevee swung her tail, unleashing the storm of stars.
"Block them with Fury Cutter!" Bugsy shouted. Scyther's blades glowed, before slicing down the stars one after another. He kept going, even if a couple stars did hit him. "Get in close, and continue your Fury Cutter!" Bugsy followed up, and Scyther launched himself towards Eevee.
"Use Bite to counter!" Jackson shouted. Eevee went in on the offense, and the two Pokemon collided with their moves, the result causing shockwaves that blew them away from each other.
"Don't stop!" Bugsy called out. Once Scyther found his footing, he pushed off, and slashed at Eevee when she was vulnerable. He kept doing this over and over again, barely giving time for Eevee to recover.
"Jackson, Fury Cutter gets stronger with every hit!" Kris shouted.
"Yeah, like a relentless swordsman." Jackson growled, "Eevee, Swift on the ground!" Eevee was able to hear him through the rush of slashes, and swung her tail while still in midair, and hit the ground with stars, causing an eruption that blew back Scyther from Eevee.
"You holding up, Eevee?" Jackson asked.
"Barely." she replied, struggling to stay on her feet, "I can't take another series of hits like that!"
"Then let's do it like Ledian, and put it all into one last go!" Jackson declared, "Use Quick Attack!"
"Sounds good to me!" Eevee answered, rushing at high speeds at Scyther.
"Coming at me head on? Then we'll do the same!" Bugsy told him, "Use Wing Attack!" Scyther flew at Eevee with his wings shining, the two Pokémon roaring as they collided against each other, taking each other's attack head-on. The force of their collision caused them to fall back from each other. Eevee hit the ground, going unconscious, while Scyther still held his ground, flexing his scythe hands to show he was still good to go.
"Eevee is unable to battle! Scyther is the winner!" the referee shouted.
Jackson raced out to the field, grabbing his partner off the ground, and coddling him. "You doing okay, Eevee?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah...sorry about that." Eevee apologized.
"Why are you sorry? You were amazing out there." Jackson noted, walking himself back to his side of the battlefield, "And you did some good damage to Scyther, too." He reached his area, and placed Eevee on the ground near his feet, looking to Scyther, who had shown signs he was damaged.
"Now all is left is Dewott, who took some damage from Metapod." Kris summed up.
"Yeah, and those Toxic Spikes are still out on the field." Ethan noted, "How can Jackson handle that?"
Jackson pulled out Dewott's Pokéball, thinking to himself. 'This is it. Dewott. You wanna show how powerful you can be? Then win this fight!' "Dewott, go!" he threw out the ball, calling his partner to the field, who looked injured from the battle with Metapod, but he was still able.
"Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy!" Dewott growled, drawing out his scalchops, "Time for me to get ser-!" He then grimaced as the Toxic Spikes on the ground triggered, causing him to be poisoned.
"Crap, not good!" Ethan stated.
"Scyther and I show no mercy to you guys! Use Fury Cutter!" At Bugsy's command, Scyther shot forward, raising his claws.
"Use Night Slash, Dewott!" Jackson called out.
"I'll knock you out with this!" Dewott roared, unleashing pair of purple energy blades and shot at Scyther. The two engaged in a clash of blades, trying to overpower the other.
"Dewott, remember! The best swordsmen are not the strongest, but the most skilled with the blade!" Jackson called to Dewott, "Find those openings, and get a strike in there!" Dewott understood his words, as he had dueled Jackson a couple times. He searched for the openings in Scyther's attacks, which were pretty one-dimensional. He saw them, and slashed at Scyther, hitting him hard with each one. True, he had to take a hit or two once in a while, but he was doing more damage than Scyther was to him. When they backed off from each other, panting in exhaustion. Dewott was still poisoned, and we was in a pinch.
"I don't know who will win!" Ethan exclaimed.
"This is too close to tell!" Kris stated.
Jackson frowned as he wondered what he should do to win. Suddenly, Jackson noticed something; Dewott was starting to glow a blue hue. "Dewott, you're glowing!" Jackson exclaimed.
Dewott looked at himself, before realizing, "Oh, right. Must've instinctively activated my Torrent ability."
Jackson then recalled what that ability did, and got determined as he called out, "Listen, Dewott, I know we said before we would finish off battles with your Night Slash. However, this battles too important to me and the rest of the team who fought this far. It's time to take advantage of your ability!"
Dewott glared back at Jackson, before looking at Eevee, who was very worn from her fight. He looked irritated he was gonna have to break his code of honor, but he felt like he had no choice. "Fine. I'll do it. BUT ONLY THIS ONE TIME!" Dewott roared, unleashing his Torrent even stronger.
"Is that Torrent ability?" Ethan asked, "The same as your Croconaw?!"
"Yep. When low on energy, Torrent gives a boost to a Pokémon's Water-type moves." Kris explained.
"Scyther, use Wing Attack to take him out!" Bugsy shouted, as Scyther shot towards Dewott.
"Water Pulse!" Jackson roared, and Dewott unleashed a compressed sphere of water, which looked far more powerful than before, and shot at Scyther, making contact with him, and causing an explosion of steam. Scyther was flung back from the attack, in pain.
"Let's finish the job! Dewott, Razor Shell!" Jackson roared.
"You pushed me to not finish the job with Night Slash, and now you're gonna pay!" Dewott roared, unleashing blue energy curved blades from his scalchop, larger than before. He shot at Scyther, who heard Bugsy shout, "We still have a chance! Hit him with U-Turn!" Scyther managed to regain himself, and his blades glowed as he flew at Dewott, unleashing a slash as Dewott did the same. They crossed paths as they slashed each other, landing on the ground, looking composed and sure of themselves.
Everyone watched with baited breath as they wondered if the attacks took out one or the other. Finally, Dewott felt a sting, and dropped one of his scalchops, falling to his knees and one hand, grimacing. A second later, Scyther felt the pain of Dewott's attack, and fell forward, crashing to the ground, with spirals in his eyes.
"Scyther is unable to battle! Dewott is the winner!" the referee called out, waving a hand to Jackson, "The victor of this match goes to the challenger, Jackson Alpphire!"
Ethan and Kris cheered as they saw Jackson's victory. The winning trainer raced over to Dewott, with Eevee at his side, as Jackson said with a beaming smile, "Dewott, you were incredible!"
Dewott was able to get in a sitting position, sighing in relief as he stated, "What do you expect? I had it in the bag."
"You even put your pride aside for finishing with Night Slash." Eevee noted.
Dewott looked frustrated at hearing this, before snapping, "I said this is the only time I do it, and I won't have any argument from you on that!" Jackson and Eevee chuckled at his words.
Bugsy had already called back his partner, thanking him for the hard work he put out, before he went over to Jackson and his Pokémon, while Ethan and Kris joined the other side. "You went from being strategic in the battle to just going all-out in force." Bugsy stated, "You showed all sides of you and your Pokémon in battle. As a result, you were able to best me. Good job!"
"Thanks, Bugsy." Jackson thanked him, "I gotta say, that was a pretty close match. I'll take this experience with me into the future."
"Same here." Ethan added, getting the two's attention, "You came up with some awesome strategies in there. I got some ideas from that as a result."
"I did, too." Kris added.
"That's pretty humbling." Jackson stated, rubbing the back of his head. Both of them should be more experienced with Pokemon than he was, but now he was teaching them a thing or two.
"As a result of your win in the gym, I present you with this; the Hive Badge." He pulled out a badge he had in his carry case, which resembled a lot to Jackson's Ledian, circular and red, with a black part on top and three black dots.
"Thanks, Bugsy." Jackson thanked him, taking the badge. He flicked it into the air, making it spin like a coin, before it fell and snatching it, using the momentum of his arm to spin around with it in fist, and giving said fist a pump. Dewott and Eevee gave their cheers at their victory.
"Now you have two badges!" Ethan stated.
"Yep. And now I've got to get my third." Jackson stated, turning to the pair, "But first, I think I'll stick around to watch the two of you win your badges. Sound good?"
"Sure! I would love that!" Kris answered.
"We'll take what we saw from your match, and win the next one!" Ethan followed up.
"I like your enthusiasm." Bugsy told the team, "Let me go and recover my Pokémon before we go into your matches." The two challengers understood as Bugsy walked away, with referee on hand.
"Let's go through the strategies while we wait, and get ready to earn our badges!" Kris told Ethan.
"I'll help you out, as well." Jackson added.
"Great. Let's go!" Ethan told them, and they raced out of the gym, going to strategize, so they could all be on equal level with each other.