Glancing at his pokégear, he realizes with a start that enough time has passed for him to enter the Gym and enter its reserved waiting area. Ran moves to do just that, surprisingly not running into Spencer along the way, as Violet City's Gym offers a handful of small private waiting rooms for challengers, rather than a single larger lobby like Azalea Town's Gym. Ran spends another ten or so minutes waiting idly. He brings out Ekans, the feel of his purple scales under Ran's fingers a familiar comfort as nerves start to set in. Before he can get too worked up however, the previously red light above the door leading to the arena turns green.
"This is us buddy. You're sure that you're okay with Zubat starting us off, right? If he does well enough, you might not end up seeing the field at all." Ran tells Ekans, for what is probably the tenth time at this point.
Like the previous times, however, his starter merely hisses comfortingly, tail winding around Ran's ankle for a moment to give a comforting squeeze, before releasing and waiting to be recalled into his pokéball. Doing just that, Ran finally walks through the door and out towards the arena.
Walking out onto the battlefield, he's jarred by the commentator's broadcasted voice, the expected distraction still rattling him slightly now that he's actually on the other side of it.
"Also coming to us from Azalea Town, another trainer who has only just received his CGC-license, Ran Carr is… also challenging Gym Leader Falkner for his first badge! With fellow Azalea Town trainer Spencer Curtis surprising us all with an Onix that blew through our Gym Leader's team, perhaps Ran will also represent his village with an equally… memorable showing?" The deep female voice reverberates throughout the room, drawing ominous murmurs from the limited crowd.
Ran doesn't spare the stands more than a single look as he strides towards his assigned area, only just catching a glimpse of Josie because her red vest contrasts sharply with the white seats. He doesn't pay her attention, unwilling to let her presence distract him right now. There's other spectators scattered into small clumps here and there, but it's clearly not a high-traffic morning for Violet City Gym. Of course, with the season still young and Violet City nearly drowning in challengers at the moment, that's hardly surprising.
"And his opponent, give it up for the Elegant Master of Flying Pokémon! Violet City, we are proud to present to you your very own Gym Leader, Falkner!" The announcer calls once more, gaining a slightly more enthusiastic response from the crowd as Falkner merely offers a brief wave from where he's already standing in his own assigned area, clearly not having bothered to vacate the spot in the time between his previous challenge and this one.
Analyzing the field properly, Ran can only conclude that there aren't any real stand out features to the field. It's the usual rectangular dirt field, white chalk delineating the outer boundaries, halfway line and the two trainer boxes. Above, the roof is closed, though everybody knows that the Violet City Gym's roof is a sliding one, allowing for it to be opened up if the Gym Leader feels the need for it.
A referee steps up into the chalk box drawn off to the side. Then, a Mr. Mime starts to sketch out barriers alongside him as the man speaks up, "This will be a two-on-two battle. Both trainers may use one substitution. Both trainers will send out their first pokémon at my signal. Challenger, ready?"
"Ready." Ran calls back, unclipping Zubat's pokéball as he does so.
"Gym Leader, ready?"
"Ready." Falkner replies coolly, likewise unclipping a pokéball.
"3…2…1… Release!" The referee counts them down, before shouting out the final word.
Ran throws Zubat's pokéball enthusiastically, catching the rebounding ball as his only flying-type materializes above the field, wings already beating to stay afloat. On the other side, Falkner sends out a Hoothoot, which hops in place idly, as it looks up quizzically at its opponent.
Tuning out the announcer as she despondently announces Zubat to the audience after only just building up their expectations by mentioning Spencer's Onix, Ran's focus instead shifts to Falkner.
"A flying-type huh? Bold." The Gym leader speaks conversationally, voice carrying easily across the arena.
Before Ran can respond however, the referee speaks up, "Trainers, on my mark! Begin!"
"Supersonic!" Ran commands immediately, Zubat obeying swiftly by opening his mouth and letting out a cry outside of the human hearing range.
"Echoed Voice, disturb its attack." Falkner orders easily, Hoothoot hopping in place for a moment, before opening its beak, visible sound waves radiating out as it starts hooting loudly in Zubat's direction.
Supersonic is invisible, but the rings of sound produced by Echoed Voice visibly bounce against something, distorting slightly before seemingly overpowering Zubat's Supersonic.
"Up and over, then Air Cutter!" Ran calls out, Zubat immediately flapping his wings hurriedly to ascend over the incoming attack. His trailing tails just barely get clipped by Falkner's attack, which is enough to throw off his flight for a moment before he manages to recover. Then, his wings start glowing with an ominous silver hue.
Falkner frowns, looking at Zubat taxingly for a long moment, before directing another order towards Hoothoot, "Echoed Voice again, blow it back."
"Overpower it Zubat, you've got this! Get ready to close in and punish!" Ran orders, watching tensely as Zubat launches his attack.
Sharp, translucent white scythes of energy are launched from Zubat's wings, flying at high speed towards Hoothoot. The seemingly one-legged pokémon only manages to fire back a single ring of Echoed Voice, which barely manages to disrupt the first blade of Air Cutter, before getting torn up by its follow-up. Then, Zubat's attack connects.
Hoothoot is bombarded by a barrage of attacks, the small flying-type thrown from its foot and skidding back across the ground, before hurriedly flapping its wings to fly upward and away from Zubat's attack. Ran's pokémon isn't idle however, breaking off his own attack the moment Hoothoot loses its footing and speeding towards the brown ball of feathers at speed.
"Watch out! Reflect!" Falkner orders hurriedly, with Zubat closing in on the disoriented and defenseless Hoothoot at speed.
Hoothoot just manages to start glowing the faintest tint of pink, before Zubat arrives and, as Ran ordered, 'punishes'. The poison-type's maw frankly oozes viscous purple liquid as it bites down harshly on the other pokémon's left wing joint with Poison Fang.
Ran watches tensely, fingernails digging into the palms of his hands as he curls his fists tightly, as Zubat pumps toxins into Hoothoot's system. Falkner sharply orders the brown bird to Peck and chase Zubat off, but for a few crucial seconds it remains unresponsive due to the shock and pain of Zubat's attacks. Just as Hoothoot's eyes sharpen, seemingly growing alert once more, Ran sharply calls Zubat off, the typically cave dwelling pokémon retreating up into the air as the hurt Hoothoot remains behind.
Clearly on its last legs, Hoothoot lets out a plaintive sound towards its trainer, the little bird actually having to use both legs to remain standing. Falkner nods seriously, before bringing out its pokéball and recalling it.
"Hoothoot's been poisoned and won't be able to fight back meaningfully any longer. I withdraw her from this battle." The Gym Leader announces to Ran's delight, before he brings out a second pokéball.
"Which means it's up to you, Murkrow!"
With a baleful glare, the red-eyed black-feathered hat-wearing flying-type appears on the field, only giving Zubat a moment's attention before turning its aggrieved expression towards its trainer. Falkner sharply cuts a hand through the air, clearly signaling his disapproval of Murkrow's reaction.
"That Zubat just beat Hoothoot without taking a real hit, don't underestimate it!" He calls out, wasting time on motivating his pokémon even as the referee lowers his raised flag to indicate the start of the next round.
Some people might consider it poor sportsmanship to act whilst their opponents are distracted. There are even circumstances in which Ran shares that sentiment. This isn't one of those moments.
"Air Cutter! Aim high, keep it grounded!" He barks out a hurried order, Zubat's attack forming rapidly and scything through the air towards Murkrow, who turns surprised red eyes back in their direction.
"Fend it off with Gust and retreat, then get airborne!" Falkner orders sharply, Murkrow's wings obediently flapping harshly to send the Darkness Pokémon skating backwards along the ground, with Zubat's razorlike winds in hot pursuit.
The first two blades just about make it to Murkrow, though already weakened by the disruptive effect of Gust, they don't land as harshly as they might have. Then, it's entirely out of reach, the remnants of Gust enough to distort the remainder of Zubat's attack as Murkrow ascends and joins Zubat in the sky, the playing field properly leveled.
"Don't let up! Supersonic!" Ran orders confidently, pleased by the early exchange.
"Haze, Murkrow. It's time to fight on our terms." Falkner counters, black smoke starting to billow out from his pokémon with every beat of its wings.
Ran frowns, struggling for a moment to recall the effects of Haze, with how niche of a move it is. He's sure that its primary function isn't simply to serve as a smokescreen… Does it nullify status conditions, like confusion and poison? Against a Murkrow, which is known to be quite a strong attacker, that'd mean that it removes the two main equalizers on Zubat's side.
Stifling a curse at the conclusion he comes to, Ran gives the only order he can, as he internally bemoans Zubat's limited movepool, "It's in there somewhere, Zubat! Air Cutter! Scatter your shots and blow that cloud apart!"
With Falkner remaining quiet, seemingly content to let Murkrow's Haze build up further for now, Ran watches tensely as Zubat's wings glow once more before blades of condensed air once more start getting lanced through the air. They tear through the cloud of black smoke and come flying out the other side undisturbed, the resulting openings filled again within moments.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Though Zubat's barrage continues unabated, evidence of the plentiful stamina training he's been put through by Ran during the past year in Azalea Town, the current status quo isn't one they can maintain indefinitely. Ran would normally be happy enough to wait for a lucky hit, but Haze is simply far less energy-intensive than Air Cutter, making every attack that gets sent out, only to miss, a waste of energy.
He hesitates for a few more seconds, feeling Falkner's taxing eyes on him, before finally gambling on Zubat's echolocation working inside the effect of Haze even if Supersonic doesn't, "Get in there with Poison Fang, Zubat! Latch on and don't let go!"
"Defend yourself with Peck and Wing Attack at your own discretion, Murkrow, show off your strength." Falkner speaks calmly, issuing his orders with the confidence of an experienced Gym Leader.
Obediently, Ran's third pokémon closes in on Murkrow's Haze, the black cloud seeming to surge forwards to eagerly engulf Zubat's little blue-and-purple form. With both trainers now blind to what's happening between their pokémon, tense seconds pass, as no new orders are given whilst the two flying-types seek each other out in the cloud.
Zubat's pained screech signals the moment the pokémon encounter each other, with the Dark-type clearly getting the jump on the smaller cave dweller. His pained screeches are shortly joined by the indignant and pained squawking of Murkrow, a clear sign that Zubat managed to land a retaliatory attack. Ran bites his nails worriedly as his gaze darts to Falkner.
The Gym Leader seems perfectly at ease, waiting patiently as Zubat's pained cries become more frequent whilst Murkrow's squawks start changing into mocking caws more and more regularly. Zubat clearly gives as good as he's got, Murkrow's Haze slowly starting to thin as their fight continues, but going by sound alone Ran's pokémon is clearly on the receiving end of a serious beating.
He hesitates for a few seconds more, Zubat's pained and weakening cries cutting him deeply, before he finally breaks and cries out the order to retreat, "Get out of there Zubat! You've done enough! I'll recall you!"
"Don't let it get away, Murkrow! Assurance!" Falkner interrupts sharply, which is followed immediately by an eager caw from Murkrow.
"No, Zubat! Look out!" Ran cries out futilely, still near-blind to the ongoing fight, only barely able to faintly make out two large indistinct blurs racing through the black smog of Haze.
Hurriedly pulling out Zubat's pokéball for the moment his partner makes it out of the Haze, Ran cries out in horror when the chasing blur catches up to its quarry and connects with an attack that causes Zubat to let out a pained cry, as his previously straight flight turns into a sharp nosedive.
"Zubat!" Ran cries out in fright, as the second blur doesn't let up but seems to attach to the first, seemingly accelerating the dive downwards.
Falkner lets out a surprised hiss, hurriedly calling out, "Enough, Murkrow, release!"
Watching in disbelief, Ran realizes that the Dark-type is going to listen to its base instincts rather than to its trainer, as it merely accelerates further, clearly intent on smashing Zubat's immobile form straight into the ground. Falkner's commands to Murkrow grow increasingly demanding, nearly frantic even, but Murkrow remains unresponsive.
"Zubat, please hang on! I'll recall you once you make it out of the smoke, just try and slow down!" Ran calls out frantically, eyes wide and unblinking as he watches anxiously for what feels like will be a too-short window of opportunity to recall his pokémon.
Moments away from tumbling out of Haze's obscuring effect mere feet above the ground, something miraculous occurs.
The thinning but still imposing black clouds of Haze are lit up from within, turning blindingly white in moments, as Murkrow lets out a pained and surprised squawk. Time seems to slow to a crawl as things happen all at once.
Haze's lingering effect is blown apart in moments, previously nigh-impenetrable clouds of black smog shattering into countless pitiful lingering little streams of white mist, which rapidly evaporate. Murkrow is sent hurtling through the air erratically, the Dark-type needing to struggle mightily to regain control of its flight. Most importantly however, mere feet above the ground, a white blur pulls an impressive one-eighty, going from hurtling nosedive to triumphant climb even as the blur's painfully bright silhouette grows larger.
It's impossible to look directly towards it, but Ran boldly tracks its ascent through his nearly fully-closed eyes. A final flare-up forces him to close his eyes for a second however. When his sight clears, it's to see the large flying form of his pokémon, who announces his presence with a confident and significantly deeper cry.
"Golbat!"
"Alright Golbat!" Ran cheers enthusiastically, "Are you ready to get even?"
Golbat turns his newly-evolved eyes on Murkrow, before, for the first time in his life, Ran's pokémon glowers.
"Close in and Poison Fang!" Ran orders with restored confidence, even as Falkner is still busy recovering from the facepalm he seemingly adopted sometime in the past half minute.
"Don't let it get close, Murkrow! Gust!" The Gym Leader orders, the smaller pokémon obeying to the best of its ability.
With adrenaline and fear relenting however, Ran finally gets a proper look at Murkrow and realizes that it clearly didn't come out unscathed from its fight with Zubat. Its wingbeats are slow and deep, its breaths panting and its feathers ruffled. The flying dark-type is visibly on its last wings.
Ran smiles vindictively as the Gust Murkrow launches is a pale imitation of its earlier efforts, Golbat bullying his way right through, significantly enlarged maw gaping wide as he closes in on the visibly scared Murkrow.
Just before Golbat bites down with Poison Fang, Ran issues a final cold order, his voice dripping with the venomous anger of the soon-to-be-vindicated, "Punish it, Golbat."
Poison Fang connects with a sharp hissing sound, the acrid, acidic poison audibly sinking into Murkrow's form. It only takes a second for its eyes to close, the Dark-type clearly unconscious, but Golbat doesn't relent and Ran doesn't change his order.
Falkner pulls out a pokéball and the referee announces Ran's victory, but none of that really registers with him, his attention instead firmly fixed on the limp form of Murkrow as Golbat transitions from merely biting down to shaking his prey around like a ragdoll.
Faintly, Ran realizes somebody is calling out to him, but the words don't register at first. Finally, a sharp order breaks through the silence, "ENOUGH! Call off your pokémon or I'll have to interfere!"
The words finally shake Ran out of the revenge-driven stupor he's sunken into, as he realizes that Falkner is striding into the arena properly with his hand on a weathered Ultra Ball. It takes a few more moments of faux-surprise on Ran's part, before, as Falkner unclips the ball of what has to be one of his actual Elites, he finally calls out.
"Enough, Golbat! Drop!"
Unlike Murkrow before, Golbat does obey instantly, the pathetic black ball of feathers dropping from his maw, before a quick move from Falkner manages to recall what was once a pokémon foolish enough to think it could hurt one of Ran's pokémon before impact with the ground. As the proud newly-evolved pokémon boldly cries out in victory, Ran watches Falkner unflinchingly, just daring the only slightly older trainer to reprimand him for the payback.
Falkner doesn't immediately address Ran however, instead hurling the pokéball containing the newly-recalled Murkrow towards the referee, who takes off with it deeper into the building at a dead sprint, clearly intent on getting it the urgent medical attention it requires. The Gym Leader doesn't pay that any further mind however, merely turning to meet Ran's unrepentant glare with a pensive look of his own.
For a few seconds, both trainers remain quiet, as Golbat tires of showing off for the mute crowd and circles downwards to alight behind his trainer. Finally, Falkner lets out a sigh before speaking up.
"As the Violet City Gym Leader, I hereby present you with the Zephyr Badge," He announces, pulling out said badge from a pocket on the inside of his vest, "You showed more than expected from a first-level challenger. That your Zubat has evolved into a Golbat at this stage in your journey speaks highly of your ability and patience, because Zubat are, as I'm sure you've gotten to experience firsthand, notoriously skittish and hard to train for traditional battling."
Falkner pauses for a moment, before continuing more slowly and, more importantly, at a volume too soft for the watching crowd to listen in on, "I also wish to apologize for Murkrow's behavior. He is a fresh addition for first-badge challenges and clearly hasn't been fully broken of his base instincts just yet. That's on me and I'm glad that, thanks to your pokémon's fortunate evolution, nothing bad could come of it. I would counsel you to watch your own base urges, however. Most trainers won't be as patient as I was today, when you pulled that final stunt. If you weren't at least somewhat justified in your actions, I wouldn't have given you more than a single warning before turning that Golbat of yours into a blue smear for how you kept it going after a defeated pokémon like that."
Ran's unrepentant stare turns to a glare at the threat, Golbat growling supportively behind him. Falkner's hand nonchalantly returns to the Ultra Ball at his side however, which is enough to cow Ran, Golbat falling into line along with its trainer.
"Secondly, there is another matter I'd offer you fair warning on. I don't know why you decided to leave Azalea Town without challenging the Gym. I assume perhaps some kind of loyalty to Walter, now that he has perhaps unexpectedly retired? No matter your reasoning, I'd strongly suggest you return to Azalea at once to challenge Bugsy for your second badge. Not having it doesn't just reflect poorly on you. With two of you leaving Azalea Town in similar circumstances, it also puts Bugsy in a bad light, which damages Azalea by association." Falkner continues, sharp gaze continuing to pin Ran in place, before finally easing up, as he appears to have finished delivering the most important parts of what he felt like sharing.
"Now, under the circumstances, I won't stop you if you wish to leave. However, it's tradition to offer some advice and I do feel like I have some to give, if you're willing to listen to it. So, do you wish to hear what I have to say?" The young Gym Leader asks more kindly as his expression softens, finally falling quiet entirely as he awaits Ran's answer.
It takes significant effort on Ran's part to unclench his jaw and form a polite answer, the combination of the reprimand and the unwelcome suggestion sitting poorly with him. But he manages an affirming nod well enough eventually, to assure the Gym Leader that he's willing to hear the offered advice.
"First, work on your Golbat's maneuverability and movepool. You've clearly done fine work on its speed this far, but until it eventually evolves again, it's a large and not-particularly agile target. Second, I assume your other pokémon are also poison-types?" Falkner asks, pausing to wait for Ran's begrudging affirmative nod before continuing.
"I figured. A shame, as I'm curious to see what you could have done by specializing in flying-types, but no matter. My second piece of advice is, as I said earlier, to watch your instincts. Not just because you'll make enemies, but also because of just how quiet the crowd is right now. If you wish to make it far as a professional battler, casting yourself in the role of the villain will leave you facing an uphill climb. Poison-specialists are already amongst the least popular trainers out there, not resisting your instincts will only worsen your reputation. For my third and final point, don't hesitate so much." Falkner explains, before his tone lightens for his final piece of advice, leaving Ran to look at him in surprise.
"You've got solid instincts and, assuming your Golbat isn't miles ahead of your other pokémon, you've got a well-trained team for the level you're at. Don't doubt yourself like you did during our fight a few times. At this level it's forgivable, but gain another badge or two and Gym Leaders will start punishing you for doubting yourself and second-guessing your orders in the heat of battle."
Ran nods in polite acknowledgement, not verbalizing his mutinous thoughts that he'd figured out as much about himself already.
"Oh, right," Falkner fumbles after a moment, when his wait for Ran to verbally respond turns to an awkward silence, "I also award you this TM for Roost and of course the cash prize associated with winning your first Badge. Congratulations on your accomplishment!"
"Thank you," Ran replies shortly, before finally raising his voice for the benefit of the crowd, "It's been an honor and a pleasure to fight you."
"The honor was all mine," Falkner answers gallantly, his own volume also picking up to match Ran, now clearly speaking as much to him personally as to the crowd, "I'll be keeping an ear out for news of your accomplishments on the circuit this year."
Finally allowing a proud smile to slip onto his face, Ran turns to face the crowd, as a smattering of polite, though noticeably muted, applause greets Falkner's final words, the audience clearly ready for Ran to shuffle off already so they can be entertained by the next fight. He doesn't oblige them immediately however, instead seeking out two familiar figures in the crowd.
He notices Josie first, who meets his eyes unflinchingly as she slowly claps along with the audience. Spencer sits a few rows away from her, the pair clearly not wishing to sit together. Where Josie's acknowledgement of his attention is straightforward enough however, Spencer is harder to read, his attention not on Ran but rather locked onto Golbat's form behind him.
It's hard to tell exact expressions due to the distance, but something in Ran's gut that's been feeling off for a while curdles further, as he watches Spencer staring at his first evolved pokémon with what can only be called envy.