“So what made you decide to travel through Kanto first?”
James, Jen, Kimmie and Chelsea had returned to the Pokémon Centre once the contest ended. The final battle had been quite spectacular: the winning coordinator's Venomoth had used powder combinations and various ranged Bug-type attacks to overcome its Magneton opponent. Kimmie had applauded the loudest of any of the group, and the winner's face was sure to be all over the various fan magazines. Now, the group was in the canteen, discussing their various travels.
Chelsea swallowed a bite of her sandwich before answering Jen.
“To be honest, I didn't just want to travel my home region first. I wanted to experience some new things, meet new people and Pokémon, that sort of thing. That way, when I do get back home, I'll have a better chance of winning the Ever Grande Conference.”
“I see what you mean,” James replied, gulping some water. “I mean, I always planned to go through Johto first. After seeing my brothers take it on, I wanted to show them I could do it too.” Jen nodded her agreement.
“If I hadn't moved, I would've tackled Sinnoh first. But then again, I've had a great experience so far, and I'll get there eventually. No rush, right?”
“Right,” Kimmie chimed in. “So Chelsea, you said you got beat at the Vermilion Gym. What's that challenge like?”
“It's rough,” Chelsea replied quietly. “The Gym Leader had me battle two on one. Something about not being able to handle him with just one Pokémon. It's annoying, but after the fight he and his Raichu gave me, he was probably right. I've gotta train hard and maybe catch one more team member before I go take him on again.”
“The Vermilion Gym Leader has a Raichu? He must be strong if he can handle something like that.” Jen looked down at her own half-eaten sandwich. “It's gonna be a while before Pichu gets to that stage.”
“You have a Pichu?” Kimmie exclaimed, her eyes brightening. “You've got to show me, they're so adorable!” Jen smiled despite herself, while James looked confused and Chelsea rolled her eyes.
“Let's finish up here, then we can meet the teams. This sandwich isn't going to finish itself.”
----------------------------------------
A short time later, once Chelsea had gotten her Pokémon back from Nurse Joy, the four trainers went to the small training yard behind the Centre to introduce each other's teams. Chelsea went first, and released a small raccoon-like creature with alternating stripes of white and brown fur. Its brown eyes were almost hidden behind a black mark across its face. Next, she let out what looked like a brown sausage with a pink nose and small black eyes. The earth was distorted next to its body, as if it was buried in the ground. Jen gave a small gasp of recognition.
“Is that...a pre-evolved Dugtrio?” Chelsea nodded.
“It is. This is my Diglett. The cave outside of town is full of them. How'd you recognize her?”
“I fought against a Dugtrio at the Silver Conference,” Jen replied. “It sure gave me a lot of trouble.”
“I caught her when I found out that the Vermilion Gym uses Electric-types. Figured the book move was to counter them with a Ground-type,” Chelsea explained. She turned to the raccoon. “Zigzagoon here is my first Pokémon; I like to call her Ziggy. I found her wandering through an alley near Rustboro Ball Park. Took me a little bit to convince her to come home with me, but as soon as I was able, I made her my partner.” Zigzagoon cooed happily as she nuzzled her trainer's leg.
Kimmie, it turned out, had two Oddish, not just the one she'd used at the contest. For whatever reason, they kept bumping into one another as they marched back and forth, small clouds of powder falling from their fronds onto the ground.
“Why two Oddish, Kimmie?” Jen asked as she watched the clumsy Grass-types. Kimmie giggled at her Pokémon's antics.
“Oddish has a split evolution path. One kind of element stone will net me a Vileplume, and the other a Bellossom. I feel like they'll both help me out in future contests.”
“Still don't know where you're gonna get the stones, Kim,” Chelsea remarked, as she stroked Zigzagoon's ears. “Leaf Stone, okay, you can buy them in Celadon City, but they don't come cheap. As for the Sun Stone, they don't exactly grow on trees.” Kimmie frowned, but stuck her tongue out at Chelsea all the same.
“I'll think of something. Maybe we'll have to...ohmygosh, that's your Pichu?!” Kimmie broke off as Jen started letting her own team out. As Pichu emerged, Kimmie dashed over and scooped her up. Pichu cried out in fear as the coordinator hugged her, and Elekid started to march over before Jen stopped him.
“Elekid, no. Kimmie is our friend, so don't shock her.” She turned to Kimmie, who had put Pichu down when she saw the other Electric-type coming. “Sorry, Pichu's kind of skittish around strangers...well, around everybody, really. And Elekid won't hurt you, he's just really protective of her. He sees himself kind of like her big brother slash bodyguard for some reason.”
“I'm sorry, Pichu,” Kimmie said as Pichu hid behind Jen's leg. “It's just that you're so cute, and I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.” Jen smiled.
“Don't worry about it. She'll get used to you.” Off to the side, Chelsea smirked, and turned to James.
“What about you, Electabuzz fan? Let's see your lineup outside of your Typhlosion.” James raised an eyebrow before he let the others out. Electabuzz's horns sparked, Doduo gave an excited chatter, and the Poison-type siblings vocalized greetings. Nidoran glared at Zigzagoon, who returned the expression with interest. Chelsea noticed and tried to calm the Normal-type down. “Whoa, easy, there, girl. We're here to make friends, not get into a fight.”
“She's right,” James added, holding a hand out to keep Nidoran at bay. “That, and Zigzagoon's already been in a match today, right?” Chelsea looked at Nidoran, then a sly grin crossed her face.
“They wouldn't be able to handle us anyway, Ziggy. That Nidoran doesn't look so tough.” Nidoran bristled at the comment, and James stiffened.
“Are you looking for a fight? Because we'll take on anyone, any time.” Chelsea nodded, her eyes glinting.
“Boys are so predictable. C'mon, then. Just a one on one match, Nidoran against Ziggy here.”
“You're sure about this? I don't want her to get seriously hurt from overdoing things.” Chelsea's smirk became more pronounced.
“I think you're just scared that you might lose to a girl.” James felt his face grow hot as his eyes narrowed.
“You know what? You're on. Let's do this thing.”
----------------------------------------
Moments later, James and Nidoran stood across from Chelsea and Zigzagoon, ready for battle. Jen and Kimmie stood off to the side, both looking concerned.
“Ready when you are!” James called to Chelsea. Chelsea grinned.
“At least you're a gentleman, letting me go first. Ziggy, Headbutt!” Zigzagoon ran toward Nidoran, her head slightly lowered. James grinned too.
“Jump, Nidoran!” Nidoran tensed, then leaped high into the air, and Zigzagoon ran underneath him. Kimmie gasped as Nidoran hung in the air above them. “Now, Double Kick!” Nidoran aimed, then drove his body down, his hind feet glowing.
“Hold steady, Ziggy! Tail Whip!” Zigzagoon wagged her tail up at the falling Nidoran, whose body seemed to loosen just a bit. Chelsea watched as the Poison-type plummeted to earth, then pointed. “Dodge to the right!” Zigzagoon stepped away as Nidoran kicked out at her, striking the ground twice and kicking up a cloud of dust. “Okay, Headbutt before he can recover!” This time, Zigzagoon jumped a little bit in the air and drove her forehead into Nidoran's side. The strike barely missed one of the barbs on his back, and Nidoran slid to the side, growling in annoyance.
“Stay calm! Keep her in your sights and use Horn Attack!” Nidoran turned until he spotted Zigzagoon, then charged, aiming the point of his horn at her.
“Sand-Attack!” Chelsea shouted, and Zigzagoon turned her back on Nidoran, using her hind feet to kick up more dust. Nidoran faltered as the dust stung his eyes, and Zigzagoon darted to attack him from the side. “Tackle!”
“Sidestep and use Horn Attack!” Nidoran ignored his order to sidestep, and instead spun to face Zigzagoon, lowering his head again. “Really? We're doing this again?” Chelsea snickered at Nidoran's disobedience as the two attacks collided.
“Sounds like your Nidoran needs a talking-to. Ziggy, one more Headbutt!” Zigzagoon jumped up again, and dove towards Nidoran. The hit knocked Nidoran off his feet, and he struggled to get back up. “Tackle, one more time! Finish them off!” Before Nidoran could respond, Zigzagoon crashed into him, and he slumped to the ground, his eyes glazed over.
“Nidoran!” James ran over to the Poison-type and checked him over. “You okay?” Nidoran growled a subdued affirmative. “Relax, pal. You're gonna be all right. Let's have Nurse Joy take a look at you.” He recalled Nidoran and looked up at Chelsea. “Nice moves. Zigzagoon's pretty fast. That's one up to you, for now.” As James walked into the Centre and Jen began recalling her team, Kimmie walked up to Chelsea, who was stroking Zigzagoon's ears.
“What was that?” Kimmie asked, as Chelsea fixed the zipper on the side of her boot. Chelsea frowned.
“Huh? What are you...”
“That challenge came out of nowhere. And you were taunting him like you wanted him to get mad or something. What's going on?” Chelsea said nothing, but tugged her stocking cap a little lower over her head. Kimmie thought for a moment, then smirked. “You...you like him, don't you?” Chelsea's ochre eyes flashed as her head snapped up.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“What? No! I barely know him, Kim. I just wanted to see how he stacks up, is all.”
“Don't lie,” Kimmie teased, her voice shaking with amusement. “I saw that look you gave him at the convention centre. You couldn't keep your eyes off him all afternoon.” Chelsea shook her head.
“I just...wondered what was up with his face. Those cuts were...hey! Jen!” Jen, who had been talking to Pichu, looked up in confusion. “What happened to your friend? How'd he get cut up like that?” Jen flushed.
“A...a Sneasel got him. He got a little too close to a nest, and the mom took a swing at him.” This was not, of course, strictly true, but Jen wasn't about to recount the real story to someone she hadn't known for more than a few hours. That harrowing evening still haunted her.
“So he's as reckless off the field as he is on it,” Chelsea said, trying hard to ignore Kimmie, who was still smirking. “Makes sense. He's just a kid, after all. He can't be older than twelve...”
“You've only been thirteen for two weeks,” Kimmie shot back. “Stop trying to deny it, Chelsea.”
“I'm not trying, I am denying it. I mean, he didn't even insult me back, or go out of his way to prove he was better. Who does that?”
“Most people?” Jen said, finally recalling Pichu. “James is reckless, but he's not typically going to rise to that kind of bait.” She checked the time. “I'm going to turn in, if I'm heading for the Vermilion Gym tomorrow.” Jen turned and walked into the Centre, and Kimmie stuck her tongue out at Chelsea before following her. Chelsea let out a frustrated groan as she recalled Zigzagoon and left the yard.
----------------------------------------
The Vermilion City Gym stood a short way from the docks. It was a bland, grey, utilitarian building with a few lightning bolts painted on the facade. A set of automated double doors admitted the group inside, James in the lead with Typhlosion at his heels. The foyer was just as featureless as the outside, with a small reception desk providing the only furniture in the area. No receptionist sat at the desk, but Jen found a small button and pressed down on it. A buzzer sounded through the gym, so loudly that everyone covered their ears, and a minute or so later, two figures emerged from a side door. A stocky man with a wicked grin and a buzz cut stood next to a slightly taller woman with short-cropped red hair and watchful dark eyes. Both wore military-style clothing, and neither looked to be in a particularly helpful mood.
“Whaddya want?” the man asked. His counterpart elbowed him in the side.
“Where's your decorum?” she asked with more than a hint of contempt. The man gave her a sardonic look as she turned to the group, nodding as she noticed Chelsea. “You, I recognize,” she said to the blonde-haired girl. “The rest of you, not so much.”
“We're here to challenge the Vermilion Gym,” Jen told her, fighting to keep her voice steady.
“Hey, boss!” the woman shouted. “A couple of pipsqueaks are here for a challenge!” A few moments later, the largest man either James or Jen had ever seen walked through the door leading to the battlefield. The only people James knew who were even close to this man's height were his own father and his brother Darrell. The man had spiked blonde hair and sharp blue eyes, and his muscles bulged beneath his dark green fatigues. A pair of metallic objects hung from a chain around his neck, and a silver bar sat on each point of his collar. Lieutenant Surge looked down on the group; despite his size, he had a wary, almost nervous look in his eyes.
“So, you're here for a Gym challenge?” His voice was low and harsh, and he had a distinct big-city accent. Jen nodded in response.
“Yes, sir. We...”
“I dunno why you're wasting time with these kids, Boss,” interrupted the male gym trainer with a grin. His voice was unlike his superior's, high and nasal, somehow amplifying his contempt. Surge frowned.
“Bash,” he said, throwing the other man a warning look, but his subordinate kept going.
“I mean, c'mon! They look like they'd never keep up with you, Boss! You already took down the girl in the hat!”
“Bash!” Surge's frown grew even harder, but the man called Bash didn't take the hint.
“I mean, okay, maybe this girl can hold her own,” he said, indicating Jen, “but this guy here,”⸺ he pointed to James⸺“this one looks like he'd have a hard time...” As Bash rambled on, Surge finally lost patience.
“Dismissed, Sergeant!” the lieutenant bellowed. The order reverberated through the foyer. Bash's grin faded as he blinked, embarrassment colouring his face, then he saluted.
“As...as ordered, Lieutenant.” Bash walked away through the side door, and Surge turned to the female gym trainer.
“Go with him, Tilda. Make sure he stays in the building.” Tilda saluted as well, and followed Bash out of the foyer. Surge sighed, then turned back to the group.
“Sorry about him. He never knew when to shut up, even when we were on deployment together.” He looked them over. “You, in the hat. You're not looking for a rematch this soon, right?” Chelsea shook her head. Surge turned to James and Jen. “As for you two...I apologize if this sounds rough, but I think Bash might be right. You came via Cerulean, correct?”
“That's right,” James said, wondering where Surge was going with this.
“Let me tell you this, then,” Surge continued. “I have a lot of respect for Brock and Misty. They're good kids, strong competitors. But this gym is a step up from them. I don't hold back, whether a trainer's got one badge or seven. My Raichu isn't exactly a casual fighter, either.” He looked them over once more. “So here's what we're gonna do.” Surge pointed to each of them in turn. “You two are gonna team up. You'll send out one Pokémon each, against my Raichu. Win, and you'll both get a badge. Lose...and we'll talk about what's next. What do you say?” James looked over at Jen, whose eyes were wide, but she nodded quickly.
“You're on.” James' eyes flicked to the insignia on Surge's collar and added, “Um, sir.” Surge waved his hand dismissively.
“Surge is fine. You're not under my command, so I'm not worried about titles.” He gave the pair one last searching look. “Whenever you're ready.”
----------------------------------------
As Surge left the foyer, Jen turned to James.
“So...how do we approach this? I'm thinking Magmar for my pick, since she's my strongest Pokémon.” James nodded.
“I'm gonna go with Blue. She just evolved, so she'll be the most eager to tackle that Raichu.”
“What about Typhlosion?” Jen asked. “His firepower could really put us over the top.”
“I don't want to make the fight too easy,” James said. “I'm kind of holding him back until we hit the later gyms. That way, the others can catch up.” Jen frowned, but couldn't find an argument.
“Okay. Magmar and Blue. We'll have to really watch each other's backs out there.”
“We'll be pulling for you guys,” Kimmie said, and Chelsea nodded her assent. “Good luck.” The two girls headed for the stands. James sent Typhlosion to sit with them, and he and Jen walked through the doors into a dimly lit room. Surge stood on the other side of the battlefield, his arms folded over his chest. A rodentine Pokémon with orange fur and a long tail ending in a lightning bolt stood by his side, a smug grin on its face. Jen took out her Pokédex to scan it.
“Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon,” the device announced. “Raichu is the final evolved form of Pichu. This Pokémon is capable of storing over 100,000 volts of electricity in its body, but it becomes aggressive if it has stored too much electricity.”
“So that's what I have to look forward to,” Jen murmured as she stowed the device. “I'm in no rush, but Pichu's gonna be strong when she evolves all the way.” As she spoke, industrial floodlights in the ceiling snapped on, illuminating the whole area. Both youngsters briefly screwed up their eyes against the sudden brightness. As their eyes adjusted, a familiar nasal voice sounded over a loudspeaker.
“Attention, please!” Bash's voice called. “This is an official Vermilion Gym match! The challengers will choose one Pokémon each for this battle. The Gym Leader, Lieutenant Surge, will be using a Raichu. This is a two-on-one battle. If Raichu is knocked out in the course of battle, the challengers will each win a Thunder Badge. If Raichu knocks out both of the challengers' Pokémon, Lieutenant Surge is the winner. Challengers, please select your Pokémon.” Jen looked at James, then tossed out her Pokéball.
“Magmar, let's go!” The Spitfire Pokémon blew out a mouthful of flames as she emerged, squaring to face Raichu. James grinned as he threw his own ball.
“Blue, come on out!” Blue reared up on her hind legs as she emerged, trying to intimidate her opponent. Since she barely reached Magmar's shoulder, it didn't have the effect she intended, but James liked her spirit. The loudspeaker sounded again.
“The challengers have chosen a Magmar and a Nidorina. Let the battle begin!”
----------------------------------------
Jen Richards
A: ★★
D: ★★
S: ★★
James Enfield
A: ★★★
D: ★
S: ★★
Lt. Surge
A: ★★
D: ★
S: ★★★
----------------------------------------
A bell sounded, and Jen turned to James.
“Who starts? Me?”
“Don't ask me, just go!” James answered, watching Raichu already starting to target them. Jen nodded quickly and called to Magmar.
“Magmar, SmokeScreen!” Magmar inhaled deeply, then let out a cloud of choking black smoke that obscured the whole battlefield. James squinted into the dark gas as Blue disappeared behind it.
“Can't really see...Blue! Find Raichu with Poison Sting!” Violet spikes shot erratically from the smole, none of them finding the target. Through it all, Surge watched calmly as Raichu stepped into the black cloud.
“Raichu! Use your tail to clear that smoke!” A second later, the bolt-shape on the end of Raichu's long tail slammed onto the ground, blowing the smoke aside. Blue growled as she kept searching for her enemy. “Okay, now give that Nidorina a ThunderShock!” Raichu gathered a small cloud of electricity around its body, then fired it at Blue. The shock drove her to her knees, and her body shuddered as the attack dissipated.
“Blue! Raichu's to your left! Get after it and use Bite!” Blue spun to match James' instruction, then ran towards Raichu with her jaws wide. Jen watched Blue and turned to her own Pokémon.
“Magmar, Flamethrower! Box it in!” Magmar unleashed a stream of fire to try to cut Raichu off, and Blue caught Raichu's arm in her jaws as it was forced towards her. Raichu growled in discomfort from the heat and the bite pressure on its arm, but couldn't move quickly because of Blue's weight. Surge just kept watching calmly.
“Raichu! Try to get close to Magmar!” Raichu struggled to move towards Magmar, dragging Blue along the floor; the Poison-type twisted her neck, trying to cause more damage.
“Hit it with Fire Punch, Magmar!” Jen cried, and Magmar ran up to Raichu and slugged it in the face with a burning fist. Raichu slid back a few inches, but Surge smiled for the first time.
“Okay, Raichu, we've got 'em where we want 'em! Discharge!” Raichu's body glowed yellow, and a massive cloud of electricity exploded from its body. Magmar was thrown backward and struggled to get up, and Blue released Raichu's arm as she took the worst of the blast.
“Blue!” James looked at Jen, whose eyes were wide in panic. “We might be in over our heads here.”
“Oh, you think?” Jen responded, looking back to Magmar. “Magmar! Get back up and use Flamethrower!”
“Blue, get after it again with Bite!” Blue, visibly slowed by the recent damage, tried valiantly to charge Raichu, but the mouse easily sidestepped her attack. Surge pointed to Blue.
“ThunderShock on that Nidorina!” Raichu jolted Blue with another short burst of electricity, and she fell to the floor.
“Challenger Nidorina is unable to continue!” Bash's voice sounded over the loudspeaker. “Challenger Magmar remains conscious.” Jen groaned as James recalled Blue.
“Magmar, we've got to pull it together! Jump and use Smog!” Magmar jumped up and exhaled a cloud of thick grey smoke. Violet sparks jumped through the choking fumes, but Raichu seemed unaffected.
“Raichu, use your tail to jump, and use Focus Punch!” As Magmar dropped back to the ground, Raichu used the lightning bolt-shaped end of its tail to push itself towards her. Its left fist glowed blue-white, and Magmar received a powerful blow just below her beak. The attack knocked Magmar to the floor, and she struggled to get back up again.
“Magmar, hang in there!” Jen cried, but as Magmar tried to climb to her feet, Raichu was all over her.
“Give it another Discharge, Raichu! End this fight!” Raichu's body glowed again, and the next electric blast dropped Magmar for good.
“Challenger Magmar is unable to continue! The victory goes to Lieutenant Surge and Raichu!”
----------------------------------------
Jen recalled Magmar and turned to James. Her best friend looked stunned. They'd been completely unprepared for this kind of battle, and it had shown. Surge's reputation for being a difficult matchup had been well earned.
Surge approached the pair with Raichu at his side.
“You guys all right? I wasn't joking when I said I don't hold back.”
“We're...okay,” James said, his eyes still wide. “Looks like we need to do a lot more training.”
“Yeah,” Jen agreed. “I think we'd better swing back to this gym after we've done some more traveling, too.” Surge nodded.
“Word of advice: work as a team more often. In any battle, Pokémon or, heaven forbid, a real war, you need to work well with your compatriots. If you guys want to win in this format, your teamwork has to be fluid and coordinated. Fighting a two-on-one as two individuals will lead to an easy defeat.” Jen smiled sadly.
“Thanks, Lieutenant. We'll definitely keep that in mind, and we'll be back eventually.”
“I'll look forward to it.” Surge turned and headed towards a door at the far end of the battlefield, and Jen followed James to meet Kimmie and Chelsea. They'd figure out their next move once they'd rested.