A couple of hours after the museum scuffle, James sat in a conference room across from the officer who'd brought them to the station. Jen sat in the hallway outside with another officer; she hadn't been as involved as James had, so her interview had been very short. Since they were still underage, the Pewter Police had contacted their families to let them know the situation and ask permission to question them. Fortunately, Matt Enfield had answered the call, and approved James' involvement. Emma Richards had scolded her daughter for not informing her of the Triassic threat sooner, but also agreed to let Jen talk to the police. Since James had actually been involved in the incident, his interview lasted a lot longer.
“So, these Team Triassic guys were after...what, exactly?” the officer asked, checking the recorder on the table. James coughed a little before starting.
“Something about notes. Their Admin said if anyone read them, their plans would be wrecked.” The officer nodded.
“And this Dr. Rexel? Do you know who he's talking about?” James shook his head.
“No clue. The name sounds kind of dinosaur-ish...”—the officer struggled to keep from laughing at the last word—“but I've never heard of the guy before.” The officer nodded again.
“So, let's run through this one more time. This Admin leads a group called Team Triassic. Their goal is to...” He checked his notebook. “...to revert the planet to the time of the dinosaurs?” James nodded. “And these notes by Dr. Rexel outline the whole thing?” James shrugged. “Well, as so-called evil plans go, this one is pretty out there, but we'll stick a pin in it all the same. I'll make sure we get the word out to other city departments and tell them to be on the lookout for this guy.” The officer stood up. “Well, Mr. Enfield, you've helped us figure something out. We'll do our best to keep those crooks under wraps for as long as we can. Thanks for the assistance.” James and the officer shook hands, and they walked out into the hallway. Jen and the officer sitting with her turned as they exited the conference room. “Okay, Mr. Enfield and Miss Richards, you guys are free to go. Good luck with your travels.”
“Thanks, Officers,” Jen said, as the two youngsters shook hands with the pair of cops. “Hopefully you can catch that Triassic Admin.” The officers nodded, and James and Jen left the police station and returned to the Pokémon Centre.
It was late evening when they finally returned to the Centre, and Typhlosion looked impatient when they entered their room. James walked over to the Fire-type and scratched his ears.
“Sorry about the wait, buddy. We got a little sidetracked.” Typhlosion growled a little, and James decided not to mention the battle with the Admin. “We'll get some training done in the morning. The Pewter City Gym is gonna be tough.
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Since Jen's team was more set than James', she agreed to take on the Gym first. She stepped up her training as a result, preparing her team to take on the Rock-types they would encounter. She was much more confident than she had been in past battles, since her team had the clear advantage for once. Of course, types weren't everything—her first match with Pryce had been a brutal lesson—but she was looking forward to the challenge.
The Pewter Gym was a large stone building on the west side of town. Large grey boulders were supported by a rust-flecked iron frame, and a pair of double doors led to a foyer lined with rough stone pillars. A young woman sat at a desk near the entrance to the battlefield, and Jen approached with James and Typhlosion behind her.
“Um, hi,” Jen said, as the woman looked up from her computer display. “My name is Jennifer, and I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader.” The woman nodded, and pressed a button next to a speaker.
“Brock, a challenger is here to see you.” Moments later, a tall young man walked through the battlefield entrance door. He had a swarthy face, with spiked brown hair and thin eyebrows sitting above eyes that looked permanently closed. He observed the two youngsters and grinned when he saw Typhlosion.
“A previous challenger told me you guys were coming,” he said. When James and Jen looked confused, he continued. “Let's see. He said he was friends with a tall kid with a Typhlosion...”—he nodded towards James—“and a cute girl with black hair. That's you, right?” Jen flushed and nodded as Brock pointed to her.
“Hunter said that?” she whispered to James, whose eyebrows had shot up at the comment. Brock chuckled.
“I may be paraphrasing a little. So, you guys came from Johto?” Both youngsters nodded. “So, there's two ways we can do this, depending on your team construction. If you're using a less experienced team, I'll use less developed Pokémon, or I can go more advanced if you've got a stronger team.” James and Jen nodded their understanding. “So, which one of you is my challenger today?” Jen raised a hand.
“I'm Jennifer, and I'm up first.” She considered. “I've still got my stronger Johto Pokémon in the team, so if you want to go more advanced, I'm up for it.” Brock grinned.
“All right, let's head through to the field and get started.” James gave Jen a clap on the shoulder, then headed for the stands, while Jen walked through the battlefield entrance.
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The battlefield, like the foyer, was lined with rocky pillars, and the technical areas on the field were raised rock platforms. As Jen stepped onto hers, Brock entered and did the same on his platform.
“Okay, Jennifer, the rules are pretty standard here. We'll each use three Pokémon, only challengers can sub, you know the drill.” He took out a Pokéball and tossed it onto the field. “Rhyhorn, go!” A four-legged Pokémon with thick grey armour and a sharp horn on its nose appeared. It pawed the ground, eager for battle. Jen scanned the creature with her Pokédex.
“Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon. Rhyhorn's bones are 1000 times denser than a human's, but its low intelligence leads it to charge recklessly at its opponents.”
“So we'll have to use that to our advantage,” Jen murmured as she stowed the device. She took out her first Pokéball and threw it. “Togetic, let's go!” The Happiness Pokémon squealed as she flitted towards the ceiling, and Rhyhorn's eyes narrowed. Brock pointed to Togetic.
“You have first move, Jennifer. Let's rock!"
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Jen Richards
A: ★★
D: ★★
S: ★★
Brock
A: ★★
D: ★★
S: ★
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Jen grinned as she and Togetic eyed Rhydon.
“Togetic, dive!” Togetic dropped down towards Rhyhorn, who kept glaring.
“Horn Attack!” Rhyhorn bent its head and charged, the tip of his horn glinting. Togetic was about to get hit when Jen acted.
“Up and over!” Before Rhyhorn could strike, Togetic changed direction at speed and ended up right behind her opponent. “Now, Magical Leaf!” Rhyhorn was floored by the super effective move, and got up looking furious.
“Use that rage, Rhyhorn! Take Down!” Rhyhorn ran towards Togetic, who looked out of reach. To Jen's shock, it managed to leap into the air and hang in midair, then crash down into Togetic, who squealed in pain.
“Get out of there!” Togetic tried to fly away, but Rhyhorn pinned her foot to the ground with one of its own. “How did it do that?”
“Very few trainers expect a Rhyhorn to jump like that. But it's come in useful before, just like it has now. Rock Blast!” The rocky barrage slammed into Togetic, who squealed even louder. Jen's hand made an instinctive move to her belt, but then she pulled it back.
“You can do this, Togetic! Use Magical Leaf to get out of there!” Togetic knocked Rhyhorn back with the glowing leaves, and flew up and well out of reach.
“Nicely done. Rhyhorn's not easy to escape from.” Brock said. “Rhyhorn, another Rock Blast!”
“Metronome!” Jen thought she could hear James smacking his forehead as she called the move, but she hoped Togetic could produce a counter. Togetic's fingers waggled, and a ticking noise seemed to fill the Gym. Moments later, and a bladed wind current cut through some of the rocks, reducing the damage she took. “Air Cutter? I could've used Golbat for that.”
“Rhyhorn, let's slow her down a bit. Scary Face!” Rhyhorn's eyes glowed violet, and Togetic cringed away from the fierce gaze. “Okay, back at it with Take Down!” Rhyhorn leaped upwards again, and Togetic tensed.
“Blast it away with one more Magical Leaf!” Togetic screwed up her face as she released yet another volley of glowing leaves. Unable to change direction in midair, Rhyhorn was caught head-on, and it landed hard on the Gym floor, its eyes glazing over. Brock frowned as he recalled it.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
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“That was quick,” James said as he watched from the stands. “She's lucky Magical Leaf can't miss, or she might be in some trouble. And if the next two can shrug it off better than Rhyhorn, or get in closer, Togetic will need to think fast.”
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“Graveler, go!” Brock took out his next Pokéball, which revealed a familiar craggy boulder. “Your Togetic is quick, Jennifer. Let's see if she can avoid Graveler's attacks. Defense Curl!” Graveler curled into a ball, and Jen gulped. She'd seen James do the same thing many times before. “Now, Rollout!” The Rock-type spun quickly forward and bounced towards its opponent.
“Togetic, up!” Togetic raced towards the ceiling, and Graveler's attack barely grazed her. “Phew. Now we can...” Before Jen could react, Graveler had bounced off the Gym floor, the impact rocking the whole building, and rocketed up towards Togetic again. This time, it crashed straight into her, and she slammed hard into the floor. As Graveler plummeted to earth, Jen reached for Togetic's Pokéball again, recalling her before she could be squashed. Jen's breath was faster than normal as she watched Graveler slam down, leaving a big crater in the floor. “Take a break, Togetic. I have a feeling I'll need you later.” She looked at Graveler, whose toothy grin was as big as ever. “Time to break out the big guns. Tentacruel, that's you!” The jellyfish landed with the usual splat on the floor, and Brock looked puzzled.
“Tentacruel, huh? But isn't it dangerous to use a Water-type with no water?” Jen shook her head.
“Nope. Watch this. Use Surf!” Tentacruel generated a small wave beneath his body, and floated a little above the floor. “All right, now use Acid!” Bright green fluid sprayed from Tentacruel's body, smoking a little as some of it spattered the floor. The bulk of the fluid landed on Graveler, who didn't look too bothered.
“A Poison-type move isn't going to do much to Graveler. Go after it with Rollout!” Graveler rolled up again and sped at Tentacruel, who floated calmly in front of it. Instead of making contact, however, Graveler pulled up short and hopped into the air.
“What the...?” Jen gasped as Graveler grinned down at Tentacruel. Brock's smile grew wider.
“Let's change things up a little. Magnitude!” Graveler's landing sent shockwaves through the Gym floor, jarring Tentacruel and nearly breaking his concentration on his Surf cushion. Jen groaned as she tried to think of a counter.
“Use another Acid!” Graveler rolled away from the harsh fluid, and several smoking holes formed in the floor. “No way! Try Waterfall!” As Tentacruel sped towards Graveler, Brock sprang into action.
“Magnitude again!” The resulting tremor was even stronger now, and Tentacruel's cushion broke, leaving him helpless on the floor. “Now, two Mega Punches!” Graveler rolled to Tentacruel's prone body and lifted it off the ground. A swift left jab and a powerful right uppercut sent the jellyfish soaring through the air, and he landed with another, more decisive splat in front of Jen, his eyes unfocused.
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“How did Graveler learn to do that?” James asked Typhlosion in the stands; the Fire-type tilted his head in confusion. “Right, forgot you can't actually talk. But that Graveler moves faster than mine ever did. Throwing two Mega Punches in one sequence can't be easy.” He watched Jen recall Tentacruel and frowned. “She's gonna have to really reach back and generate some power now, or she'll get overrun.”
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Jen watched Graveler roll back to its position in front of Brock's platform and sighed. She didn't want to repeat the same strategy over and over, but Togetic had helped her claim one victory. There was no reason she couldn't beat Graveler too.
“Togetic, back at it!” Togetic squealed at Graveler, who just grinned. “Let's go back to what works. Togetic, Magical Leaf!”
“Stone Edge!” Pointed grey stones slammed into the glowing leaves, scattering debris over the field. Graveler remained where it was, while Togetic tried to avoid falling pebbles. “Now, follow up with Rollout!” The boulder spun in place for a moment before rocketing up at Togetic.
“Up and out of the way!” Jen cried, and Togetic just avoided the attack. As Graveler fell towards the ground, Jen grinned. “Alright, we've got it where we want it! Magical...”
“Stone Edge!” More pointed stones flew at Togetic, and several connected, knocking her out of the air. Togetic landed with a cry of pain.
“Togetic, hang in there!” Jen shouted, but saw to her horror that Graveler was in position above the Happiness Pokémon.
“And now, finish this with Gyro Ball!” Graveler rolled up as if about to use Rollout, but a blue-white ring appeared around its body as it spun down toward Togetic. The resulting crash shook the Gym again, and Togetic lay beaten as Graveler rolled back to his starting spot.
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Jen's body trembled as she pulled Togetic. Her plan had been a good one, the moves and types had added up in her favour, yet here she was, down to her last Pokémon without seeing Brock's final choice, just like against Pryce. She began thinking quickly.
“Magmar and Golbat's moves don't work. Pichu's not ready for this kind of fight. Elekid can only use Brick Break. What do I do?” She though for another few moments, then shrugged and took out her final Pokéball. “I'm gonna go with my first team member. Magmar, that's you!” The Spitfire Pokémon landed in front of Graveler and spat several embers on the ground in challenge. Graveler's body tensed, wary of the coming fight.
“A Fire-type next? That's unusual.” Brock grinned. “But we're ready for anything! Graveler, Magnitude!”
“Magmar, jump!” Magmar leaped into the air as the ground shook. “SmokeScreen!” Thick black smoke covered the field, shielding Magmar from view.
“Don't panic! Use another Magnitude!” As Graveler made to launch the move, Magmar jumped out at it from its left.
“Fire Punch!” Magmar slugged Graveler near its left eye with a burning fist. The flames spread across Graveler's body, but it shook them off.
“Mega Punch!” Graveler tried to punch Magmar back, but she ducked the blow and slipped back into the smoke.
“Flamethrower!” This time, a stream of fire engulfed Graveler, making it shrink back. “Alright, now Smog!” Choking grey smoke mixed with the black SmokeScreen, and violet sparks jumped from Graveler's body as the move hit. Brock groaned.
“Magnitude! Try to clear this smoke!” The impact of Graveler's body hitting the ground did little to dissipate the thick miasma, but it did allow Magmar to leap into the air again, her eyes widening in delight.
“Okay, girl, this is it! Full power Fire Punch!” Magmar landed in front of Graveler, and put her full weight behind the blow. Jen watched in awe as the Fire Punch hit Graveler directly between the eyes, and the boulder was knocked back, bumping Brock's platform and nearly making the Gym Leader lose his balance. Brock checked on Graveler, and recalled him.
“Well done. You've taken down Graveler at last. Your Magmar is pretty strong.”
“Thanks,” Jen answered, breathing hard. Two down, one to go, she thought.
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“Magmar's gonna have to pull another win now,” James said quietly. “Whatever Brock's got in reserve, he's ready for her now. Jen can do this, it's just gonna be a long, hard fight.”
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Down on the battlefield, Brock took out a final Pokéball.
“This last Pokémon has been my best friend since well before I took over running this Gym. He doesn't lose often, and he won't today.” Brock threw the ball. “Onix, go!” The Rock Snake Pokémon roared as he emerged, and Magmar blew a stream of flames into the air in response. Jen gulped.
“I never did battle Hunter's Onix, or see it fight, so I don't know what to expect.” She looked at Magmar, who was staring Onix down. “But we're not scared of anything, right? We'll take down Onix and win that badge!” Brock smiled.
“Then let's get going. Onix, Tackle!”
“Fire Punch, Magmar!” The two attacks collided, and Magmar shook her fist in pain. “You're okay! Flamethrower!”
“Screech!” Onix took the scorching fire attack, then dropped to the ground and let out a deafening roar that generated visible distortions in the air. Magmar covered what passed for her ears as the sonic wave buffeted her. “Now, Rock Polish!” The rocks that made up Onix's body glowed for a moment, then faded, leaving their pitted surfaces smooth.
“SmokeScreen!” Magmar blew more black smoke onto the field, hiding her from view.
“DragonBreath!” Onix reared back and breathed a greenish vapour onto the field, cutting through the black SmokeScreen. Magmar darted around, trying to avoid the attack.
“Flamethrower!” Magmar's stream of fire met the Dragon-type move, and the attacks cancelled. “Okay, now use Smog!”
“Iron Tail!” As Magmar exhaled the thick grey smoke, Onix swung his glowing tail at her, striking her in the midsection. Magmar flew backward, smog still trailing from her mouth, and she landed hard in front of Jen.
“Magmar!” The Spitfire Pokémon shuddered as she stood up, glaring at Onix. “C'mon, girl! You aren't gonna let that snake beat you, right? Let's dig deep and win!” Magmar grinned, and Jen did the same. “Okay, go after it with Fire Punch!” As she ran towards the Rock Snake, Magmar's body glowed bright orange, and a fiery ball of energy formed above her head and rocketed into the sky. The whole field was illuminated by the new move, and Magmar's Fire Punch generated a roar as it connected. Onix shrank back, and Brock nodded despite his disappointment.
“It looks like Magmar's learned Sunny Day. Her Fire-type attacks will be powered up while it's in effect. Onix, Double-Edge! Let's take it out fast!” Onix's body took on a golden yellow glow as it sped towards Magmar.
“Steady, Magmar! Dodge that attack!” Magmar sidestepped the move, and Onix flew towards Jen. “Grab its tail and toss it up!” Magmar caught the end of Onix's tail, which nearly slipped through her clawed hands. Undeterred, she swung her arms upward, throwing Onix towards the ceiling.
“Wrong move, Jennifer!' Onix, Double-Edge again!” Onix tried to increase the power of the move using its weight and momentum, but Magmar dove out of the way, and it crashed into the floor, rocking the Gym once more. Jen smiled as it fought to get up.
“Now, Flamethrower! End this!” Magmar's stream of fire exploded across the field, amplified by Sunny Day, and hit Onix in the head. The Rock Snake roared in pain, then its head dropped to the ground, its eyes closed.
“No, Onix!” Brock shouted as the snake collapsed. After a few moments, he shook his head and recalled it. “Well, Jennifer, it looks like you've won. That was quite the comeback.” Jen's eyes widened, then she rushed out and hugged Magmar.
“Way to go, girl! I knew I could count on you for the win!” As she recalled her first Pokémon, Brock hopped off his platform and walked over to her.
“Congratulations on winning your first Kanto Gym match, Jennifer.” He held out a hand, where an octagonal grey badge sat in his palm. “This is the Boulder Badge, the prize for victory here at the Pewter Gym. You've earned it well.” Jen took the badge, and shook hands with the Gym Leader.
“Thanks, Brock. It was a tough battle. We had to work hard to win that.” She watched as James descended to the field.
“Hey,” he said as he reached them, “way to go. You did a good job adapting your tactics.”
“It's your turn next.” Jen answered.
“Yeah,” James said, looking at Brock. “I've got a lot of training to do, now that I know what to expect.”
“Most of it,” Brock replied. “Remember, a Gym Leader doesn't always use the same tactics, especially if there were witnesses to the last fight.”
“I'll remember that.” James said, and he and Jen left the Gym to rest. Tomorrow, his training would have to step up.