Disclaimer: Official characters referenced are property of Gamefreak and Nintendo.
I am British so there will be British spelling, mannerisms and slang used in this story.
"Italics" are thoughts and pokemon speech.*
Pokemon: A Rocket Adventure
Chapter 6: A Rocky Challenge
After at least a day's trek through the forest, Sarah and her pokemon exited the Gatehouse from Viridian Forest. They smiled as they were bathed in the warm unobstructed sunlight.
"Ahh, feels good to be out of that bug infested forest." Sarah sighed in relief. Her pokemon each agreed as the darkness and density of the forest felt oppressive to them.
Sarah let Medusa stay out of her pokeball and ride upon her shoulder while she walked along the dirt road toward Pewter City. The newly hatched Adagio yipped happily and curiously while being cradled in her trainer's arms. Lex and Medusa, riding on either shoulder, would point out things to the young Fennekin as they helped to teach her about the world.
It wasn't till early evening when Sarah and her pokemon arrived into the rock themed city. Many buildings had a light grey colour scheme with slate or black coloured roofs. This gave Pewter a sort of monochrome look.
Sarah used the Town Map app on her Rotom phone to find the PokeCentre and made a beeline to it. Once she arrived and got a room to stay in for the night, her and her pokemon settled in for the night.
Lex and Medusa began to play with Adagio as Sarah sat on the bed in the dorm room. She smiled as she watched her pokemon for a moment before she picked up her phone and called her parents to let them know how things were going. After the call to her parents she then phoned her boss, which was answered by his secretary, Domino.
"Oh! Hello Miss Domino,"
"Ah, Miss Townsend, good of you to call. I have been meaning to call you,"
Sarah blinked. "You have?"
"Yes, I've been meaning to call in regards to the conditions of your training,"
"Huh, that's what I've called to inquire about actually, specifically about who's supposed to call me for my training exercises,"
"Yes about that. Shortly after you departed with that Pikachu, Giovanni had realised that the majority of the training he wishes you to undertake requires pokemon involvement. He didn't want to throw you into the training while you were inexperienced so he has changed the conditions for your training,"
"Oh?"
"You will now be given your first training exercise upon the acquisition of your second gym badge,'
"Ah I see. I guess that's fair,"
"Indeed. Now then, since you called. Would you mind also updating me on your progress so I can forward it to Giovanni?"
"Oh certainly. I have made it to Pewter City and plan on challenging the Gym Leader tomorrow. I also have three pokemon on my team as of now. The new additions are a Snivy and a Fennekin,"
There was a short pause from the other end. "A Snivy and Fennekin?" Domino asked to clarify.
"That's right,"
"Those are exceedingly rare pokemon in Kanto. How did you manage to acquire them?" Domino asked disbelievingly.
"Errr, they basically fell into my lap…" Sarah then went on to explain the circumstances behind how she got the aforementioned pokemon.
"Hmm, Bikers… Thank you Miss Townsend. I will inform Giovanni of your progress and the reported Biker activity. Keep up the good work,"
"I will, thank you." And with that the call ended.
Sarah then noticed that all three of her pokemon were sat on the bed with her while looking at her expectantly. She smiled at them and reached over to gently pet all three of them. They each cooed and sighed happily at the pleasant feeling.
"Don't worry guys, we don't have to worry about getting thrown into the deep end," she then gave her pokemon an excited smile. "Ok, we got a big day tomorrow so make sure to get some rest."
The pokemon either voiced or nodded their acknowledgement and curled up together on the bed beside their trainer. Sarah smiled warmly at them as she slipped under the covers of the bed. She found sleep to be difficult as thoughts of the upcoming gym battle raged in her mind but eventually she drifted off.
XXXXX
Early the next morning, Sarah with Lex riding on her shoulder and Adagio in her arms, made their way over to the large rocky building that was the Pewter City Gym. The gym looked like an arrangement of giant boulders in an iron framework. There were no visible windows from the outside and a large set of double doors seemed to be the only way in at the front.
"They certainly double downed on the rock motive for this one," Sarah idly commented as she gazed up at the stoney exterior.
"Pika." Lex agreed with a nod of his head.
Sarah then walked up to the double doors and pushed one open. The door opened surprisingly easily despite the size and look of it and it opened up into a bright and welcoming lobby. A total contrast to its exterior. Sarah felt like she had been warped to another dimension with how different the interior was to the outside. The walls were smooth polished stone in various shades and types, outlined by satin black steel girders. The ceiling was the same as the walls with several light fittings that cast a warm glow down on the white and black marble tiled floor. The walls were also decorated with various Pokemon League issued posters and some posters that promoted some Pewter City specific things, such as the Fossil Museum.
Set into the back wall was an alcove that acted as the reception for the gym. The reception desk itself was made out of polished granite. A woman dressed in a grey suit looked up from behind her computer and noticed Sarah as she walked in. She stood up with a smile as she then welcomed the young woman.
"Good morning, welcome to the Pewter City Gym. How may I be of assistance?" The receptionist greeted warmly.
Sarah smiled at the warm reception. "Good morning," she said as she walked up to the desk. "I would like to challenge the gym leader,"
"Of course, however, due to Gym Leader Brock's work as a Pokemon Doctor he is rather busy these days so all challenges need to be booked in advance," the receptionist explained.
"Oh?" Sarah said in surprise as she was not expecting that.
"When would you like to challenge Brock?"
"Um, well, I'm kinda on a schedule, so really the sooner the better. When is the earliest available opening?"
"Hmm, let's see…" the receptionist sat back down into her seat and began using her computer. After several clicks from her mouse she had brought up the planner and began to scroll through all the bookings. She scrolled all the way to today's date so as to find the earliest opening and was immediately greeted with a notification. "Oh, you're in luck. It would seem we got a cancellation for this afternoon,"
"This afternoon? That would be perfect!"
The receptionist nodded and began the process of booking the gym challenge. "Ok miss, may I see your trainer card please?"
Sarah nodded as she dug out her trainer card and handed it over to the receptionist. After inputting Sarah's details she then handed it back to her.
"And one more detail, have you completed a gym challenge in the past or have acquired any Kantonian gym badges yet?" The receptionist asked.
"No, this will be my first gym battle,"
The receptionist nodded. "Ok, thank you. Your gym battle is booked in for two o'clock this afternoon and will be an entry level gym battle,"
"Entry level?"
"Yes, all gym leaders have several teams, all for various levels of skill to challenge the challenger and put them to the test,"
"Oh, I see, thank you so much,"
"You're welcome Miss Townsend, and good luck with your battle,"
Sarah and Lex nodded their thanks and then made their way out of the Gym's lobby.
"Ok Lex, we got some time to get in a bit of training before our battle. So let's get to work!"
"Pi pikachu!" Lex agreed with a determined nod.
XXXXX
Sarah returned to the pokemon centre with the intent of using the training field at the back. Just as she was about to reach the front door, it slid open to reveal a familiar face.
"Oh, Roy, hi!"
Roy blinked in surprise but then smiled. "Hey Sarah, glad to see you made it to Pewter City,"
"Yeah, you too," Sarah smiled. "When did you get here?"
"Hmm, bout an hour ago," He replied. "Hey, have you registered for your gym battle?"
"Yeah, just booked it and luckily they had an open slot for this afternoon so we were just about to do some training,"
"Nice, mine's tomorrow and training hmm, fancy a battle? Could be good preparation for you,"
Sarah looked to Lex on her shoulder. "What do you think Lex, wanna battle Roy again?"
"Pi," Lex nodded.
"Awesome, to the practice field!" Roy spun around while pointing the way he had just come and began to walk enthusiastically.
Sarah chuckled at his antics and followed him to the practice field at the back of the Pokemon Centre. They reached the field and took their positions on either end. Sarah knelt down to put Adagio down beside her and it was then that Roy finally noticed the little fox pokemon.
"No way, you got a Fennekin?!" He exclaimed.
"Huh, oh yeah, she's called Adagio,"
"Fen fen!" Adagio yipped happily.
"How the heck did you get a Fennekin?" He asked in astonishment.
"Honestly, she was given to me as an egg by a stranger who was being chased by Bikers,"
"I see, but damn, I hope that guy's ok,"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, me too,"
"Is she ready to battle?" Roy asked while indicating the Fennekin.
Sarah shook her head. "Nah, she only hatched the other day,"
"Ok, so how many pokemon do you have?"
"Just three, and Lex and Medusa are currently my only battle ready pokemon,"
"Alright then, let's make this a two on two,"
Sarah nodded her agreement and then released Medusa from her pokeball.
The Snivy materialised in a flash of white light and then stretched and yawned. She then folded her leafy arms and stood giving Roy the side eye.
"Heh, I like her attitude," Roy said as he took two pokeballs from his belt and released the two pokemon. In bursts of light a familiar Squirtle appeared and a small brown and beige bird pokemon appeared beside the water turtle. "I also have a Weedle…" Lex inwardly cringed upon hearing that as it reminded him of his first defeat. "...and you inspired me to name my pokemon as well. So far I've only named Leonardo here…" Roy gestured to the Squirtle that was currently giving Lex the stink eye. "...but I'm struggling to think up a memorable name for Pidgey,"
"Leonardo? As in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo?"
"Haha yeah. He's a turtle and blue so I thought it was fitting,"
Sarah chuckled. "I like it and don't worry, you'll think of something good for your Pidgey,"
Roy smiled and nodded his thanks. "Ok, who's up first?"
"Lex, do you wanna go first?"
The red and black marked Pikachu nodded and jumped onto the field and dropped down to a battle stance on all fours. His oddly triangular hexagon shaped cheeks sparked with small blue sparks as he waited to know his opponent.
"Either way we're at a disadvantage," Roy quietly mumbled to himself before he threw his right arm out and declared. "Pidgey, you're up!"
Leonardo had begun to take a step towards the battle ground when his trainer called out his chosen pokemon and nearly fell over. He whirled around and angrily yelled up at his trainer as he had fully expected to be chosen to battle against the Pikachu that had beat him before.
"Sorry Leo. I know you want a rematch but we need to give Pidgey a chance against him,"
Leo folded his arms and pouted.
Pidgey flapped its wings and jumped onto the field and then flared its wings to make itself look bigger in an attempt to intimidate Lex. Lex wasn't phased by this display since so far all the wild Pidgeys he's fought have fled after taking one of his Thundershocks. Seeing that the Pikachu hadn't reacted to its display, the Pidgey began to feel nervous.
"Sarah, heads or tails?" Roy asked as he readied his coin flip app on his phone.
"Tails,"
Roy nodded and then tapped the screen. The coin twirled around before it landed and came up as heads.
"It's heads," he announced and then issued his first command to start the battle. "Pidgey, let's start things off with Gust!"
The bird pokemon squawked and beat its wings hard and fast. A miniature tornado formed in front of it and then it was sent barrelling towards Lex.
"Quickly, dodge it with Quick Attack!" Sarah called out.
Lex nodded and zipped out of the way of the Flying Type attack but Roy had been expecting that.
"Now Sand-Attack!"
The Pidgey began to rapidly flap its wings while aiming them at the ground. Shortly thereafter a cloud of dust and sand was kicked up in Lex's path. Lex was moving too quickly to avoid the cloud and ended up going right through it. He coughed and sputtered as he came out the other side and immediately began rubbing at his eyes when he stopped. Sand-Attack is a stat affecting move and by blowing dust and sand into the opponent's face and getting it in the eyes, it lowers that pokemon's accuracy.
"Nicely done Pidgey, now Tackle!"
The little brown bird pokemon chirped in acknowledgement and took off. It flew low to the ground as it sped towards the blinded Pikachu.
"Lex, look out!" Sarah shouted in warning.
Lex's large ears twitched as he heard the Pidgey closing in and managed to jump back in time to avoid the attack. The Pidgey missed its target but it quickly banked around and came in again. This time, Lex was too busy rubbing at his eyes to notice and cried out in slight pain as the bird pokemon slammed bodily into him. Lex was thrown to the floor as the Pidgey returned to its position in front of its trainer feeling proud of itself.
"Good job Pidgey,"
Pidgey chirped happily.
"Lex, are you ok?"
The Pikachu stood back up. He hurt a little but the sand in his eyes actually felt worse. He nodded his head as he resumed rubbing at his eyes. Eventually he was able to see again but his vision was slightly limited as the dust and sand from the Sand-Attack were making his eyes water.
Sarah sighed in relief. "Ok, let's try Quick Attack again, but be ready to change direction quickly,"
Lex nodded his head as he jumped forward and broke into a sprint. In a flash of white light he shot off at an exceedingly fast pace.
"Sand-Attack, once again!"
The Pidgey's keen eyes tracked Lex and it estimated where his speedy attack would take him and beat its wings in that direction. As the cloud of dust and sand billowed up to cross his path, Lex pivoted and sped off in another direction. Pidgey squawked in alarm and turned to try and track him again but Lex changed direction again and put himself on a collision course with the bird. Pidgey was too slow to react but Lex had veered slightly off course and as he struck the Pidgey, his shoulder brushed against the Pidgey's breast in a glancing blow. It knocked Pidgey back a little but hadn't hurt too much.
"That was close, quickly, Gust!"
Pidgey quickly recovered and kicked up another little whirlwind that hit Lex from the close range and knocked him back. Due to Lex being an electric type, Gust had little effect on him, what with it being a flying type move, so it didn't really hurt him at all. The Gust attack just pushed him back to give the bird pokemon some breathing room.
"Lex, we gotta try a Thundershock!"
"Pidgey, you gotta stop him, quickly use Tackle!"
Lex began to concentrate as began to gather his energy. The Pidgey chirped loudly as it beat its wings and flew at Lex. Through his watery eyes, Lex could see the Pidgey flying at him and realised that it would hit him before he could get his attack off. He also realised that with his eyes being so watery from the Sand-Attack, he'd likely not be able to hit the Pidgey with his Thundershock either and so he began to formulate a plan. He quickly jumped to the side to avoid the pokemon and turned around to follow it. The Pidgey banked hard as it turned around to attempt its Tackle again. As the Pidgey drew near, Lex began to glow with his blue electrical aura and held his arms out wide.
"This is gonna hurt." He thought to himself.
Roy saw how Sarah's Pikachu stood there with his arms open and began to wonder what he was doing. It wasn't until he saw the blue electrical aura that he realised what was happening.
"Pidgey, stop! It's a trap!"
Unfortunately the Pidgey was moving too fast and was too close to do anything about it and crashed into Lex. Both pokemon made pained cries, one more than the other, and Lex grabbed onto the bird pokemon and held onto it tightly. They tumbled and rolled for a moment and the Pidgey, knowing what was about to happen, frantically tried to break out of the Pikachu's hold. Unfortunately it didn't have the strength to break free. With a cry, Lex unleashed his Thundershock, striking the Pidgey at point blank range. The poor bird pokemon took the super effective hit and screamed in agony before a small explosion separated the two pokemon. Lex moaned in pain and slowly got back up but he was breathing hard as he was starting to run low on stamina. That Thundershock was a considerable drain.
The dust from the explosion settled to reveal the Pidgey sprawled out on the floor. The small bird pokemon was covered in little burns from the close range Thundershock. It eventually stirred and painfully rolled onto its front and used its wings to help it stand back up but the Pidgey was in a bad way. One eye was clenched shut from the pain it felt throughout its body and it was so tired now that it couldn't hold its wings up. It stood there with its wings drooping down at its sides, legs spread wide to maintain its balance and it was breathing heavily.
Lex was impressed to see that the Pidgey had taken his point blank Thundershock and hadn't been knocked out as well as not running away. He respected it for its strength and determination.
Roy sighed in relief to see that his Pidgey was ok but he could tell it couldn't really continue the battle. He could see how it was taking everything it had now just to keep standing, so he had to concede defeat.
"Pidgey, you're in no shape to continue after that Thundershock. Return,"
Pidgey sagged with relief but began to struggle to leave the arena. Its legs were shaking greatly with the effort just to stay standing so trying to walk was exceedingly difficult. Lex noticed how much it was struggling and he rushed over to the bird pokemon and gently held onto it to help support it and helped it hobble back to its trainer.
"Thanks,"
Lex smiled softly. "Hey don't worry about it. You're quite strong, tanking my Thundershock like that,"
"Yeah, that hurt more than I expected,"
Lex nodded. "Yeah, I'm kinda strong in that regard," he said matter-of-factly.
"Don't I know it. Thanks for giving me a hand," Pidgey thanked Lex as they made it to Roy.
Lex nodded and gently patted Pidgey on the back before he hurried back over to his own trainer.
"Well done Lex," Sarah praised for both his performance and his good sportsmanship while she also knelt down to give her Pikachu a gentle pet.
Lex cooed softly at her touch before he backed away and sat down beside Adagio to rest. Medusa walked by him and patted him on the shoulder and gave him a smile to show she agreed with Sarah and then took her place on the battlefield as she was up next.
"Good luck Medusa," Lex called out to her.
"Thanks,"
Roy recalled his Pidgey to its pokeball so it could rest and then looked down to his partner.
"Alright Leo, you're up,"
Leonardo nodded and walked onto the battlefield. As the two pokemon looked at one another to size each other up, Medusa shifted to stand sideways to him. She crossed her leafy arms and stuck her nose up while only looking at him through a half lidded eye. Leo growled to himself as he saw how the Snivy was standing and looking at him, it gave him the impression that she was looking down her nose at him, like he was inferior to her.
"Who does she think she is?!" he thought to himself as his ire grew.
Medusa inwardly smirked as she could see the irritation on the turtle's face growing.
"Heh, that's it, get mad," she mentally chuckled. "Let's see if you can stay focused,"
"Medusa, let's start things off with Razor Leaf!"
Medusa nodded as she turned to face Leo fully and leaned forward while her collar flared out.
"Leo, defend with Withdraw!"
"Squirt!" Leonardo popped into his shell quickly.
The moment he retracted into his shell, Medusa unleashed a flurry of leaves that raced toward him. The little turtle pokemon cringed inside his shell as he could feel the leaves slicing at his shell. Thankfully it was bearable as the Razor Leaf was hitting his hard shell instead of his soft flesh. Getting hit by something that could cover you in many papercut like injuries did not sound fun at all. After the stream of leaves ended, he popped back out of his shell and winced slightly. Even though it hit his shell, it was still a super effective move and hurt, but on the plus side, having just performed Withdraw, his defence went up. Sarah watched as a red aura flowed upwards around the Squirtle for a moment. She understood that it meant a stat increase.
"Be careful Medusa," she warned her pokemon before she issued her next command. "Ok, get in close with a Tackle!"
"Quickly, wide spread Water Gun and follow it up with Tackle!"
Leo inhaled deeply and then let loose with a Water Gun, but unlike regular Water Guns that were pressurised streams, this one was more like a thick spray. There was no force behind it and it became like a mist that obscured Medusa's view. The Snivy barrelled through the harmless spray of water intending to ram into her opponent but instead, she ground to a halt as Leonardo wasn't there. She looked around frantically but couldn't find him. That was until he crashed into her from behind in a shoulder barge. He smirked as his plan of side stepping and running into his spray of a Water Gun to avoid Medusa's Tackle worked and allowed him an unguarded hit. Medusa cried out in pain and surprise as the Squirtle hit her from behind and threw her forward. She recovered quickly and caught herself with her leafy arms before she pushed herself back up and flipped around to face her opponent and glowered at him. His response to her glower was to give her a smug smirk. Seeing as the Squirtle was unfazed by her leering scowl she sighed and drooped.
"Um, Medusa?" Sarah asked in confusion.
"I think she tried to intimidate Leo with 'Leer' but it doesn't look like it worked," Roy commented.
"Squirtle squirtle," Leo taunted mockingly that made Medusa glower angrily at him.
"Medusa, let's go with another Razor Leaf and follow it up with Vine Whip!"
"Quick, Withdraw!"
Medusa's collar flared again and released a stream of leaves. Leo quickly retreated into his shell again as the leaves cut across his hard shell. He endured the hit and when the attack ended he popped back out of his shell. As he popped out of his shell he saw Medusa's two vines heading straight for him.
"Squirtle!" He shrieked and jumped to the side. He managed to dodge them but quickly found himself on the defensive as she brought her vines around to follow him. He raised his arms to block the individual vines as they came at him. He grit his teeth and winced with each whip strike against his arms as he blocked them. Thankfully despite Vine Whip being a super effective move against him, his two Withdraws have raised his defence stat enough that it wasn't as harmful as it would have been. However, Medusa was being relentless with her Vine Whip and his arms were getting incredibly sore. Eventually he had had enough and when he blocked both vines with one arm, he quickly grabbed onto them with both hands.
"Ow, hey, let go!"
"Hell no, you're not whipping me again with these!"
Medusa grunted and tried to pull her vines free but the Squirtle wouldn't budge. He dug his feet into the ground and pulled back. It devolved into a tug-of-war that Leo seemed to be winning as he was physically stronger than Medusa. She winced at his vice-like grip on her vines and tried to think of a way to get herself free. As she struggled to pull free, Leo then pulled back hard, let go with one hand and reached further along to grab onto her vines again. In doing so, a good two feet of her vines were free to move and she quickly acted.
"Alright, if you won't let go, I'll make you!" She growled. She then realised the irony at this moment, she had attempted to make him mad but instead she was the one getting frustrated.
"Big talk from a tiny snake," he taunted her. It was at that moment that the free section of her vines tightly wrapped around his leading arm. "Huh?" He said as he looked at the vines tightly squeezing around his arm and then looked up at Medusa and saw her giving him a smug smirk and he realised that he was in trouble. "Uh oh…"
"Gotcha!"
Suddenly, Leo found himself being hoisted up into the air by his arm. He cried in alarm when she began to swing him around in the air. Medusa grunted with effort to hold the weight of the Squirtle and swung him around faster and faster to build up momentum. When she felt like she had built up enough momentum she swung him down directly into the ground.
"LEO, WITHDRAWN NOW!" Roy shouted with urgency.
Leo managed to pull himself into his shell, minus the arm trapped in Medusa's vines, and braced himself. Medusa with all her strength, coupled with his momentum, slammed him into the ground. He hit the floor so hard, he left a small crater but Medusa wasn't finished with him yet. After slamming him into the ground she picked him back up and proceeded to slam him down again and again. Upon the fourth one, she released him so he crashed into the floor and bounced away.
"Leo, are you ok!"
The Squirtle slowly emerged from his shell. He hurt all over and felt especially dizzy but he still had enough stamina left to stand back up, although a bit wobbly. Medusa on the other hand was panting as it took a lot out of her to pick up and throw Leonardo around like she did.
Leo shook his head to stop the world from spinning. "Arceus, you're crazy," he grumbled.
Medusa harrumphed in indignation and crossed her arms and stuck her nose into the air to show her annoyance.
"Leo, are you good?"
The small blue turtle turned to his trainer and despite his own fatigue nodded.
"Alright, keep your distance and hit her with Water Gun!"
"Medusa, defend and then strike with Razor Left!"
Both pokemon voiced their acknowledgement of the orders given. Leo inhaled and fired a pressurised stream of water at the grass snake pokemon while she fired off a stream of leaves. Both attacks met halfway and began to push against each other. Unfortunately for Leo, with Razor Leaf being a super effective move against him, it soon began to push back his Water Gun. Medusa grunted with effort and put everything she had left into her Razor Leaf which then completely overcame the Water Gun. Unable to keep his attack going, Leo watched as the leaves burst on through his attack and then rushed towards him.
"Oh this is going suck…" Leonardo muttered as the leaves bore down on him. There was no time to dodge or withdraw into his shell. He did the only thing he could think of and that was to cross his arms and duck his head. He grit his teeth as the leaves washed over him as it felt like multiple Meowths were scratching him all at once. After a few seconds of this he cried out in pain and was struggling to keep his arms up. Mercifully the Razor Leaf stopped and he sighed in relief but the damage had been done. He was covered in fine scratches that were the equivalent to a papercut and were quite painful.
"Leo, you ok buddy?" Roy asked as he noticed his Squirtle was still standing.
"Squirtle," he shook his head in the negative before he let himself fall over onto his back. "Squir…tle…"
"You win again Sarah. You're good. I gotta step up my game here," Roy grinned excitedly. He knew starting all over again was going to be a challenge and he's glad he's met someone that can keep pushing him to do better.
"Thanks Roy. That was a close battle," Sarah said as she picked up the exhausted Medusa from the battle ground while Roy did the same for his Squirtle.
"Though to be fair, your pokemon did have the advantage,"
Sarah nodded as she set Medusa down beside Lex. He then reached over and patted his teammate on the shoulder supportively.
"Well done Medusa." Lex smiled. "Remind me to not get on your bad side,"
Medusa tiredly chuckled.
Adagio, who had been sitting quietly watching the battle, pushed herself in between the two pokemon. She yipped happily and nuzzled them both affectionately now that the fighting was over.
"Sorry, did you say your gym battle is this afternoon?" Roy asked as he recalled Leo to his ball.
"Yeah, this afternoon at two o'clock," Sarah confirmed.
"Awesome. I'll be there in the stands cheering you on,"
Sarah smiled warmly. "Hehe, thanks Roy."
XXXXX
Pewter City Gym
Sarah gulped nervously as she looked up upon the stoney exterior of the gym. It was almost time.
After her battle with Roy and getting some extra training in with Medusa and working on Lex's Double Kick, she had made her way to the gym. Now she was as nervous as she was on the day Giovanni specifically wanted to see her.
She had stood outside long enough that Lex patted her on the head. She squeaked from the unexpected touch and snapped out of her thoughts.
"Chu pika pi?" he asked in concern.
"Huh, oh, yes, I'm fine Lex, thank you," She smiled to reassure him. "Just nervous."
Lex nodded in understanding. He was nervous too and he understood these gym battles were more of a big deal than the random battles they'd have with another trainer.
After a few more seconds of gathering her courage, Sarah walked forward and through the doors. Inside the lobby, a man dressed in a suit approached her and held out his hand for a friendly handshake. Sarah shook hands with the man as he introduced himself.
"Good afternoon challenger. I'm a Pokemon League representative here to help new challengers,"
"Uh, thank you,"
He nodded. "As you are a new trainer and currently do not have any gym badges, Brock the Gym Leader will be using his beginner team. This team consists of a Geodude and an Onix. I hope you have pokemon that are strong against Rock and Ground Type pokemon,"
Sarah nodded. "I do,"
"Ok then, are you ready?"
Sarah nodded despite her nervousness.
The representative gestured for her to follow him. Sarah hugged Adagio a little tighter in her arms from her nervousness and the little vixen responded by gently licking her hands in the hopes of soothing her trainer. Sarah then gently petted Adagio on the head.
"Thanks Adagio,"
Eventually they emerged into the gym's battle arena. The rectangular field looked like a rocky landscape instead of the usual flat, open field. A raised perimeter wall surrounded the battleground and above that were the stands. There were a fair few people in the stands already and a green Rotom possessed camera drone hovered around.
"Good luck challenger," the rep said before he left.
A well defined man with brown spikey hair approached his box on the opposite side of the arena. Sarah noticed him and approached her box and set Adagio down beside her. Sarah was familiar with Brock as he was also a well known Pokemon Breeder and Doctor. Brock appeared to be dressed in casual clothing but it was an outfit she had seen him wearing plenty of times in the past. He wore a pair of dark blue trainers, brown jeans, an orange t-shirt and a sleeveless green jacket with several pockets on the front.
"Welcome to my gym Sarah," he greeted her warmly. "I hope this experience will help you as an aspiring trainer,"
"Me too, thank you," Sarah replied with a nervous gulp at the end.
Brock's already heavily squinted eyes widened ever so slightly as he noticed the long haired Pikachu on his challenger's shoulder. He inwardly chuckled as the situation brought back fond memories for him. "Hmm, I wonder if history will repeat itself today,"
A man dressed in black shorts and a black and white striped t-shirt approached the battle ground. He stood around the centre line on one side while holding a red flag in one hand and a green flag in the other. He was the Referee.
"This is an official Pokemon League Gym Battle!" He announced loudly. He then pointed his green flag toward Sarah. "The challenger, Sarah Townsend of Vermillion City,..." he then pointed his red flag towards Brock. "...is up against the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock!" A small group of similar looking people to Brock started cheering with great enthusiasm which made Brock blush in embarrassment. When the group settled down the referee continued. "This will be a two on two battle, there will be no substitutions for the Gym Leader and no time limit. Begin!"
Brock smiled as he pulled a Pokeball from his belt and enlarged it. "Good luck Sarah. Geodude, you're up!"
A large rock with a face and large arms materialised onto the rocky battleground.
"Dude!" It cried.
"Ok, Lex, I want you in reserve for now," the Pikachu nodded as she pulled off Medusa's ball from her belt. "Medusa, let's go!"
In a burst of light, Medusa the Snivy materialised onto the battleground facing the Geodude.
Again, Brock's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise. As a Kantonian beginner, a Snivy was not a pokemon he expected her to have. But it confirmed to him that this would be an interesting battle.
"Brock has chosen his trusty Geodude and the challenger has surprisingly chosen a Snivy!" An announcer called out as the battle began.
Sarah took a moment to look around at the people in the stands and smiled when she saw Roy sat on the front row towards the middle to her left. He waved at her and she smiled back and nodded.
"As the challenger, you get the first move!" Brock called out.
Sarah nodded. She looked at the rock with arms that mysteriously floated a few inches off the ground. It being a living rock she suspected it had a good defence. "Medusa, let's try a Leer!"
Medusa glared at the Geodude to try and intimidate it so it would lower its guard, but just like Leonardo, it failed and Geodude looked nonplussed. "Snivy…" she sighed in annoyance.
"You're too cute to intimidate anything," Geodude said flatly.
Medusa puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Geodude, Tackle, let's go!"
"Dude!" The floating rock yelled as it shot off towards the Snivy at a surprising pace.
"Medusa, quickly use Razor Leaf and dodge it!"
Medusa's collar flared and she released a torrent of razor sharp leaves. The Geodude made no attempt to dodge and barrelled on through. It crossed its arms over its face as it flew into the leaves. It winced in pain from the super effective attack but it endured. Suddenly the floating rock pokemon burst out of the leaves with its arms still crossed as it sailed right toward the Snivy.
"Sni-snivy!" She cried out in surprise and jumped off the rock she was stood on. She managed to get clear just as the Geodude crashed into rock.
"Medusa, Razor Leaf again!"
"Stop it with Rock Throw!"
Medusa's collar flared in preparation to release her Razor Leaf while the Geodude dug its hands into the pile of broken rocks that had been the rock it crashed into. Just as the Snivy was about to release her attack, the Geodude launched a rock at her.
"Sni!" She shrieked as she cancelled her attack to dodge the rock. Unfortunately that was the first and she narrowly dodged two more. After dodging the third she turned to face Geodude but caught the fourth in her face. She cried painfully and spun around and then cried out again as the fifth rock struck her in the back of the head.
"Medusa, are you ok?" Sarah called out worriedly.
"Sni," Medusa replied as she recovered and turned to face her opponent with a glare.
Sarah sighed with relief. "Ok good. Medusa, Vine Whip!"
Medusa's collar flared and her two vines shot forth.
"Geodude, dodge and then Defence Curl!"
"Geo!" It cried and slammed both hands into the ground with such force, it propelled itself into the air. It jumped clear over Medusa and managed to avoid her vines that struck the ground where it had been moments ago. While it was falling back down to the ground it crossed its arms defensively over its face again. This time however a ball of energy formed around the Geodude and it faded away shortly after. The rock pokemon then landed back onto the ground as it was surrounded by a red aura to signify the boost to its defence.
"Tackle is now definitely out as a viable option after that." Sarah thought to herself. "Medusa, Razor Leaf and follow it up with Vine Whip!"
Brock smiled to himself as Sarah seemed to know what she was doing considering this was her first gym battle.
"Rock Throw again!"
Geodude punched a fist into the rocky ground and pulled up a sizable rock and launched it at the Snivy. Medusa had to cancel her Razor Leaf a split second after she started it as the rock burst on through the leaves, heading straight for her. She squeaked in shock but quickly retaliated with her Vine Whip and managed to bat it out of the air. She couldn't relax though after stopping the first rock as more were soon lobbed at her. She used her vines to bat two more out of the air and jumped to one side to avoid another but when the fifth rock came at her, she caught it with her vines.
"You can have this back!" She shouted as she twirled the rock around to build up some momentum before she then launched it back at Geodude.
"Defence Curl!"
Geodude crossed its arms in front of itself again and was surrounded by the bubble of energy. The rock crashed and exploded against it and Geodude winced slightly from the hard impact while his defence stat increased a little more.
"Well played." Both Geodude and Brock thought.
"Geodude, Tackle!"
"Dude!" It cried as it crossed its arms again and flew at Medusa.
Sarah thought back to her battle with Roy earlier and how Medusa handled his Squirtle and it gave her an idea.
"Medusa, catch it with Vine Whip!"
Medusa quickly slammed her vines into the rocky ground and catapulted herself over the rock pokemon, mimicking how it dodged her earlier. She avoided his Tackle attack and then shot her vines out toward it. As it came to a stop, her vines wrapped around its spherical body.
"Geodude!" It gasped in surprise.
"What's this?" Brock asked no one in particular.
Geodude struggled in her vine's grip but found it couldn't break free.
"That's it, now Razor Leaf!"
Brock's eyes widened slightly and smiled as he was reminded of a friend who was quite creative in battle like this. He quickly shook his head to refocus himself.
"Geodude, you gotta break free!"
Geodude struggled. It twisted and turned as it tried to get out of the vines but they were like boa constrictors and seemed to tighten around it the more it struggled. Its eyes widened in worry as the stream of leaves were released and came flying at it. Thinking quickly in a last ditch effort to escape, it grabbed a rock and threw it towards Medusa. Unfortunately this time, Razor Leaf had had time to fully be released fully and it stopped the rock from getting through. Realising it had no other options, Geodude crossed its arms over its face and took the attack. It gritted its teeth in pain from the super effective attack scratching him all over but mercifully it ended after a couple of seconds. To finish off the attack, Medusa heaved the rock pokemon into the air with her vines and threw it back towards its trainer.
"That's it!" Sarah said to herself as she watched Medusa handle the Geodude. "Medusa, remember how you beat Leo, try that when you get an opening!"
Brock raised an eyebrow upon hearing that as he didn't know what that entailed. He would have to be extra careful now.
"Geodude, Defence Curl and then Tackle!"
Geodude crossed his arms as it performed its third Defence Curl. Medusa, seeing an opportunity fired off a Razor Leaf. Geodude managed to complete its move and then dodged the incoming leaves. However that had been exactly what Medusa had wanted it to do as the moment it got clear of the Razor Leaf, her vines shot out at it. Geodude's eyes widened as it realised the Razor Leaf was a distraction and it raised an arm to block the vines. It winced as the vines cracked against its arm painfully but then to its surprise, wrapped around its arm tightly.
Medusa smirked. "Gotcha!"
She then began to lift her vines up. Geodude saw the vines rise in the middle which told it she was going to lift him into the air and it responded by punching its free arm into the ground to anchor itself. Medusa gritted her teeth with effort as the rock pokemon was certainly heavier than Leo was and unfortunately she didn't have the strength to lift it while it had itself anchored like it was.
"Tackle it!"
The moment her vines relaxed after her failed attempt to lift it, it let go of the ground and rushed at her. She gasped upon seeing the pokemon rush at her and she quickly dodged to the side, however it stuck its arm out and caught her in a clothesline. She cried out painfully as she was slammed into the ground as the Geodude passed her by. Unfortunately, her vines were still wrapped around its arm and it practically hauled her back up and then began to drag her across the ground. Medusa hurt from the hit to her face but managed to refocus herself. As she was being dragged, she dug her little feet into the rocky terrain and caught herself between two rocks and came to a dead stop. She cried out in pain from crashing into the rocks and her vines being pulled taut and Geodude gasped as its arm was wrenched back as it too came to a stop and crashed down onto the ground. Medusa cringed from the feeling of her vines almost being pulled from her neck and then grit her teeth with effort as she then began to hoist Geodude into the air. Geodude shook its head as it recovered but by then it felt itself rising higher and higher.
"Dude? Geodude!" It shrieked as it found itself about ten feet off the ground whilst being held up by the Snivy's vines.
Medusa began to sweat with effort as it was taking everything she had to keep ahold of Geodude and keep it in the air. She then gritted her teeth in exertion as she began to swing the rock pokemon around in the air. She swung it around, slow at first but grew faster and faster as she built up momentum.
"Ah, Geodude, break free now!" Brock shouted as he realised what was about to happen.
Geodude unfortunately couldn't do anything as it swung around quickly. It then suddenly felt its direction change, making it feel sick from the sudden change of momentum, and found itself on a collision course with the ground.
With an almighty crash, Medusa slammed Geodude down into a rock and obliterated it. She retracted her vines and began to pant from the exertion. She wiped her brow of sweat while she waited to see the outcome. The referee and Brock both leaned forward in anticipation, and worry in Brock's case. When the dust settled, Geodude was half buried by rocks in a shallow crater.
"Geodude!" Brock gasped.
The referee looked at his watch and checked the second hand as it ticked by. He then flicked his gaze from his watch back to Geodude and back again as he counted the seconds that Geodude hadn't moved. After several seconds he moved his hand holding the red flag in preparation to raise it when Geodude finally stirred and got back up.
"Are you ok Geodude?"
Geodude held its head with one hand while it turned to look at Brock and gave him a thumbs up gesture.
"Alright, let's finish this with Rock Throw!"
"Medusa, stop it with Vine Whip and then hit it with Razor Leaf!"
Medusa panted tiredly as shot out her vines again. Geodude scoped an armful of rocks from the crater it made and threw one at Medusa. One of her vines cracked against its arm and coiled around it, preventing it from using that arm to throw another. Unfortunately Medusa didn't have the stamina to dodge and the thrown rock smacked her in the chest. She cried out painfully and went to grab the rock pokemon's other arm with her other vine. Geodude dropped the rocks it held in its arm, grabbed one, then launched it at the vine. The rock smacked the vine, making Medusa gasp in pain but she tried again. It threw another rock but that one missed and it then found its other arm wrapped up.
"Tackle it!"
"Dude!" Geodude confirmed and began to rush at Medusa.
Medusa leaned forward and flared her collar. As Geodude closed to within three feet of her, she released her vines and unleashed her Razor Leaf. She grunted with effort as she poured everything she had left into her final attack. Geodude had no time to dodge and crossed its arms over its face as it was engulfed by the leaves. Geodude screamed in pain from within the leaves and its momentum was stopped. After a few long seconds the Razor Leaf ended and Geodude collapsed to the floor on its back.
The referee checked his watch again while watching the rock pokemon for movement but after several long seconds of no movement he raised his red flag. "Geodude is unable to battle. Snivy is the winner!"
There was a cheer from the crowd and a collective gasp of despair from the group behind Brock. He turned to them and smiled reassuringly before he smiled proudly towards Sarah.
"Well done Sarah and Snivy, but now comes the real challenge!" He declared confidently. He returned Geodude to its pokeball and thanked it for its performance and then pulled out another ball. He held it out and released the pokemon it contained and a ginormous snake made of boulders with a large spike atop its head materialised onto the battlefield. The moment it appeared it let loose a loud, earth shaking roar.
"Holy heck, that thing's huge!" Sarah gasped out in shock. "Videos and pictures don't do Onix any justice for how big it is." She mentally added.
Medusa looked up at the giant rock snake in fear. She was tiny compared to this thing. She estimated that it filled a quarter or a third of the battlefield with its size alone. She looked back at her trainer and gestured with her leafy arms.
"Are you crazy, you expect me to fight this thing?!"
"You got this Medusa!" Lex shouted in support.
"Fen fen!" Adagio yipped.
"Try your best, ok Medusa, we got this." Said Sarah with a hint of nervousness.
Medusa heard the nervousness in her trainer's voice and she herself felt her nerves intensify as well. She was almost on empty and now she had to fight a literal giant. She gulped as she stared up at the large Onix as it stared back down at her. Both pokemon and trainers waited for the call to continue the battle.
"Begin!"
To be continued…
Author Notes:
I hope everyone had a happy Christmas and New Year.
I wanted to get this done in January but I got distracted with Castlevania: Nocturne.
As I am now driving to and from work, I don't have as much time to write as I used to do and when I'm at home I don't feel like doing much of anything. Having said that, I'm going to try and aim for a chapter every month or two.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Did I do the battles well? Please review and leave your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you.