The slogan for Oreburgh city is supposedly the City of Energy, but that's stretching the truth. Oreburgh is known for pretty much one thing.

Coal. And lots of it.

The whole city had been built near the base of Mt. Coronet, in order to support the coal mine. And when I say the coal mine, I mean the, as in the singular, enormous mine that provided the livelihoods for most of the people who lived there. The sheer scale of the operation was unbelievable. Even large cranes and bulldozers looked like toy versions of themselves when compared to the cliffs they were working on. And seemingly everywhere you turned, there were people and Pokémon, mostly Fighting and Rock-types, working on something: poring over maps and blueprints, moving mountains of rubble or coal, constructing a new building, or using pickaxes and shovels to excavate by hand.

While the city had a blue-collar, working man's type of pride and charm, the nature of the city also meant that there were some unfortunate side effects.

Firstly, the noise pollution. The sheer amount of construction, movement of heavy objects, and the sound of metal repeatedly striking rock meant that your head was constantly pounding like if your next-door neighbors were practicing rock music, complete with a full drum set and speakers. Add that to the loud explosions caused by more of the mine being opened up, and it was no surprise that the local Pokémon Center offered earmuffs to all visitors, and their Pokémon.

Add that to the clouds of dust caused by the amount of rock being shattered on a daily basis, and from the slag heaps, giant piles of sand that are the waste product from sorting coal, and you had a city that would not be on a top ten list of must-see destinations in Sinnoh. Maybe a bottom ten.

All sorts of buildings had sprouted up around the mine, small businesses taking advantage of the traffic, such as apartment buildings to house workers, barbershops, a bowling alley, pool and table tennis halls, and an assortment of restaurants. The only problem is no one brought their kids with them to Oreburgh. So, most of the businesses are, how should I put this, adult oriented. Every single restaurant had a bar that was by far the bigger hit, where the workers could buy alcohol, exchange work stories, and watch the latest gym matches. Most of the establishments also provide "gentleman's entertainment" which was basically code for doubling as strip clubs. Therefore, most of these places were well and truly off limits for a couple of teenagers.

Ursula took one glance at the city and informed me in no uncertain terms that she would only leave the Pokémon Center to view my gym battle. Privately, I agree with her; I wouldn't mind leaving this place behind as soon as possible either. Unfortunately, when I went to register at the Gym, after revealing that I currently had no gym badges, I was informed by the receptionist that the earliest match I could get was tomorrow morning. I decided to leave all of my Pokémon at the Pokémon center the whole day, so they could benefit from the extra day off and get the maximum amount of rest. I didn't think that training them into the ground the day before would be proper preparation. Reviewing my Pokémon's movepools, I should have everything I need.

Glaceon: Quick Attack, Icy Wind, Helping Hand, Sand-Attack, Water Pulse, Frozen Water Pulse

Charmander: Ember, Scratch, Smokescreen, Leer, Metal Claw

Oddish: Magical Leaf, Acid, Stun Spore, Sweet Scent

Admittedly, it wasn't the most impressive arsenal in the world, especially for Oddish, who I had discovered was female. But at least all three of my Pokémon have a super effective move, and if Roark was going to bring some Rock/Ground-types, Water Pulse and Magical Leaf were going to be doubly as powerful.

I should not be nervous. This was the first freaking gym. In game, it's just a matter of spamming some super-effective moves over and over until Roark's rock-types have eroded away. But what was actually eroding away was my confidence, as I keep thinking about this upcoming battle.

I just had the feeling that it's going to be nothing like in game. First gym leader or not, you didn't get that title without being a serious trainer. Everyone in the town had the utmost respect for the man as well, calling him the strongest trainer in the town by far, and someone they could always count on to deal with a difficult situation.

It made sense. Everyone in Eterna spoke about Gardenia in the same light. There's no way that random hikers throughout Sinnoh are better Rock-type specialists and have stronger Pokémon than a gym leader.

This was going to drive me crazy if I kept thinking about it. With a whole day to get through, and not many options to pass time Lucas and I ended up going to the only two places that were both mildly interesting and age appropriate.

The first is the Oreburgh Museum of, you guessed it, coal mining. It starts off surprisingly well, with the world's largest lump of coal. The misshapen lump almost reached the ceiling, and its length and width easily surpassed the height of even a professional basketball player.

One of the members on our tour group, a young boy probably from a nearby town with his father, couldn't contain his excitement. "Whoaaaahhh!" He yells, hopping up and down as his eyes go huge. "How did they manage to dig that out!"

"It was mined through the cooperation of people and Pokémon!" our tour guide explains cheerfully. He points to a stack of index cards and pens near the base of the exhibit. "If you want, you can write down on those note cards what Pokémon you think was able to lift this chunk of coal. If you guess right, I think I can get a prize for you!"

Force of habit compels me to look at Lucas's card, who eyes me with disdain, pulling his card out of my view. "Oh, come on," I complain, trying to stand on my tiptoes to see the taller boy's answer. "Just tell me what direction you're thinking. Machamp maybe?"

He holds it straight above his head before answering. "Maybe," he replies vaguely. "It would have had to be an extremely strong Pokémon to be able to move it."

That was good enough for me. "Well, if you're gonna choose Machamp, I'll just pick Conkelldur," I say, pausing while writing to try and remember if Conkeldurr was spelled with two Ls or two Rs. I'm pretty sure it's two Rs, since Timburr and Gurdurr had two in their names as well.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" Lucas asks in interest.

I shrug before answering. "Basically just Unovan Machamp, I guess. Big, muscular Fighting-type, physically imposing, likes to carry these giant stone pillars around. No point in picking the same answer, right?"

"Right," he agrees, as we hand in our notecards, names on the front and answers on the back to the tour guide, who flips through them carefully before his eyes light up.

"We have a winner!" He declares, holding the correct card aloft. "The correct answer was Metagross!" He flips to the reverse side. "Will Lucas please come up to receive his prize!"

He gives me an unapologetic grin before heading to the front of the group. "Fighting types are strong, but they aren't always delicate," Lucas explains, pointing at the base of the rock. "It takes some powerful psychic energy to move the coal without damaging it at all."

The lab intern gets an official Oreburgh hardhat, the same one that all the miners wear, as his grand prize. Lucas gives it to the boy who asked the question, who gleefully accepts and plops it right on his head, grinning widely despite constantly having to push it up so it doesn't cover his eyes.

The tour progressively gets more boring from there. First, we go through the lifecycle of coal, detailing how ancient organic matter turns into coal by being subjected to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. That was at least the same process as I had learned back in my sixth-grade geology class.

We then view some samples of coal, ranging from an ordinary looking brown rock which is apparently the lowest quality, to a shiny black one that looks like obsidian and is the highest quality. Next up is a bunch of artifacts used by miners in the olden days. All I can think is thank goodness for Pokémon. It would have really sucked to mine for coal with only a wooden pickaxe and an ordinary candle for light.

But after a series of convoluted directions, where we go up escalators, down elevators, and across a moving sidewalk, we finally reach an exhibit that gets everyone buzzing again. "This," the tour guide says once we reach a large metal tube, pausing dramatically, "is the fossil restoration machine. With the power of science, we can resurrect a Pokémon that lived in ancient times. If you're in town to challenge Roark, I would pay extra attention. Our Gym Leader is an archeology enthusiast and loves to use fossil Pokémon against challengers."

That's right! Roark had a fossil Pokémon on his team, a Cranidos. His team was Geodude, Onix and Cranidos! At least, his in-game team was. I don't really see the point of including two Pokémon with identical typings on your team. They both lost to the same Pokémon, after all. If I were a gym leader, I'd mix up the typings to cover a better range of opponents.

Maybe he'd include another fossil Pokémon. I watch the tour guide pick up a fossil, showing everyone a claw that had been preserved as a fossil, before putting it into the machine. We wait in hushed silence as white smoke covers the fossil for several seconds, until a cross between a lobster and a shrimp is sitting in place of the fossil, eliciting pointing, murmuring excited chatter from the assembled audience. The Anorith chitters at us, clicking its mandibles, the piece of the creature that had been preserved as the fossil.

Anorith is Rock/Bug, so it would be a decent choice for a Rock-Type gym. It's neutral to Grass, Ground and Fighting, and can hit Grass-types super effectively. I was fairly certain it could learn Water-type moves as well to help against Ground-types as well. But its counterpart Lileep, was Grass/Rock, and had an immunity to Water due to its ability. Oh, but Aerodactyl was immune to Ground, and neutral to Fighting and Grass while being strong against them. I think all of those were better options than the Rock/Water fossils, which traded a Water and Steel neutrality for being extra weak to Grass…

I slap myself in the face, playing it off like there was something on my cheek when I get a strange look from Lucas, as we finish up the tour. I gotta stop this theorycrafting, or I am going to go insane with the possibilities. I need to keep my brain occupied, so I tell my companion that I'm not interested in the gift shop, and we head down to the mines to see the workers in action.

We're forced to wear safety vests, hardhats, goggles, and earmuffs because people are working whilst our two-person tour is being conducted. The earmuffs help dull the sound of the mining going on around us, but the unfortunate side effect is that we have to yell at the top of our lungs to make ourselves heard. That isn't a problem for our tour guide, a mountain of a man with vocal cords like a tuba and a beard that probably never has seen a razor in its life.

He points out ground zero for the mine, the very first place coal was discovered, and a few other points of interest, including a chilling story about a collapsed shaft, where, in the early days of the coal frenzy, several miners angered a wild Rhydon, who trapped them inside the mine shaft and attacked all the people and Pokémon who attempted to free the workers from the outside. No one was able to drive off the berserk Pokémon, and all those miners suffocated to death in that very shaft.

"And that's why," the guide miner says, voice uncharacteristically soft, "all of our mining operations are done very carefully, so we don't impact the Pokémon that make this mountain their home." He gives us a half-hearted smile, and leads us on, to where the modern workers were operating.

It's surprisingly automated, all things considered. There's a giant conveyor belt that takes the mined chunks of rock from a crane or a bulldozer to the site where they begin to separate the coal. The only real backbreaking work is by choice, when the Fighting-types try to compete on who can lift the largest rock. The two most powerful looking Pokémon, a Machamp and a Hariyama, manage to lift it without even showing strain on their face. That leaves only one way to settle who is stronger between the two. Everyone stops working and clears the area in anticipation of the show.

This had suddenly got interesting. But wouldn't a battle here destroy some of the equipment?

Not quite, because neither Pokémon uses any types of moves or attacks, just pure martial arts. Machamp strikes with the speed of two professional boxers, launching an unbelievable number of high-speed punches at its far bulkier opponent. They have power behind them too, judging by how Hariyama is forced back inch by inch with every punch. Still, the Sumo Pokémon remains upright. When it's time to reverse positions, Machamp isn't able to stand up to Hariyama's repeated arm thrusts, eventually stumbling back on the ninth and the Superpower Pokémon is put on its back by the tenth.

Everyone gives a big cheer as Hariyama goes to help its fallen opponent up, as our guide turns to us with a genuine grin on his face. "Anything else you want to see 'fore you get out of here?" He booms.

Lucas shakes his head rather than try and speak over the din, but I yell out a question that had been bothering me since I had arrived in Oreburgh. "What happens when you guys run out of coal?"

Somehow, the miner times his full-bodied laugh with a machine drilling into the bedrock, so it sounds like his laughter is shaking the mountain. "We'll never run out of coal here!"

Famous last words. I'm sure all those people who rushed to California in search of gold thought the same. "You will eventually!" I insist.

The guide jerks his thumb at the mountain. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing, little lady. Ol' Roark's got us covered! Between you two and me, his old man was a bit of a stickler for tradition, but Roark's found a way for us to make coal even if the mine runs out! Here, I'll show ya."

Lucas and I exchange looks as the miner leads us down a different shaft, and this one is at a much higher temperature than anywhere we had been previously, like a furnace was at the end of it. He stops at an ordinary looking location, spreading his arms wide in glee. "Welcome," he shouts, "to the future of Oreburgh City. Even when the mines run dry, we'll still have coal. All thanks to this guy right here." He pats a conveniently placed minecart affectionately.

Lucas states the obvious. "That's a minecart full of coal."

"Go on an' scan it with one of those fancy Pokédexes y'all have," he challenges.

This thing is a Pokémon? I oblige him, pulling out the Pokédex and focusing the camera on the minecart. After a few seconds delay, it starts talking. "Carkol, the Coal Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rolycoly. Carkol forms coal inside its body. Coal dropped by this Pokémon once helped fuel the lives of people in the Galar region."

Well, if it produces coal, that certainly explained where his confidence was coming from. But what was far more interesting to me was its typing. Fire and Rock? Good thing Glaceon knows Water Pulse, or this thing would have run through my team.

"How did you get access to these Pokémon if they're all the way from Galar?" Lucas asks in wonder.

Our guide strokes his voluminous beard before replying. "Well, Roark tells us that Galar's gym system is different from here in Sinnoh. There, they have a major and minor circuit, and gyms battle it out for who the top eight are. He got a call from a fella named Gordie, another Rock-type expert looking to beef up his team and his gym trainers' 'fore the next tourney rolls around. We sent him some fossil Pokémon in exchange for some Rolycolys. Course, they're good for us too. Once they all evolve, we'll still have coal to send out even when the mines go dry while we transition this city to somethin' else. And Roark wants one of them for his gym, since it'll surprise all those Turtwigs and Piplups these kids get from the professor. "

Turtwig I get, but why would this thing beat Piplup if it was four times weak to water? I shouldn't ask, but I'm just too nosy not too. "Why would it surprise Piplup?"

The miner eyes me knowingly. "Challenging the gym, are we?" He continues before I can defend myself. "Ah, it's fine. Carkol here has one more evolution, something called a Coalossol."

Coalossol?

He has a sinister twinkle in his eye. "Whoever named it was right, 'cus it's even bigger and taller than a Rhyperior!" He raises his arm as high as it can go for maximum emphasis.

What?!

"It's just like a volcano, you know! It blasts fire right out of its back!"

"And," his voice drops to a loud whisper, as if telling us a sacred secret. "Coalossol has some crazy ability that activates when it gets hit by a Water-type move, that gives it a giant power boost!"

I just had to open my fucking mouth. Now I'm going to have nightmares about some monstrous looking volcano of a Pokémon that dominates my whole team on its typing and ability alone.

Our guide wishes me good luck as the mine elevator closes to take us back to the top. At this rate, I might just need it.

----------------------------------------

The Oreburgh Nurse joy hands my Pokémon with a cheery smile. " Your Pokémon are all in tiptop shape," she assures me, handing me a tray with three Pokéballs on it. "And I must say, they are all very excited to battle."

"You're the best, Nurse Joy," I thank her, as I shrink the Pokéballs and return them to my pockets. I had been taking to putting some stickers on my Pokéball, just so I was sure who was who. Nothing fancy, just a green dot for Oddish and a red one for Charmander, to make sure that I didn't look like a total imbecile by sending out the wrong Pokémon. My companions are waiting for me at the outside entrance. Lucas looks me up and down as we start the short walk towards the gym. "Nervous?"

I stuff my hands into my pockets in case they were shaking. "A little." I answer honestly.

"Don't worry," he encourages me. "You battle really well, and you have a great grasp on typings and matchups. You'll be just fine."

Ursula's pep talk is far less supportive. "You had better," she says irritably. "I shan't be associated with a loser, and I will not stay in this miserable excuse of a city for any longer than is absolutely necessary. We shall leave tomorrow, once you have beaten this Roark and earned the gym badge," she finishes, leaving no room for argument.

"Right." I mutter, refraining from bringing up Ursula's own less than stellar contest record in favor of trying to settle myself. Fifteen minutes later, we are at the gym entrance, which Ursula, unsurprisingly, has much to say about.

"This is the Pokémon gym? Why, it's nothing more than a rock!"

She's not wrong, considering the building that is the gym is actually built into a small mountain. Or plateau, I suppose considering it was flat at the top, and at least looked somewhat like a stadium. "It's a Rock-Type Gym," Lucas reasons, looking around at all the rocks surrounding the road and the entrance. "It fits."

Ursula still looks aghast. "But where is the architecture, the polish, the substance? It fits, as you say, for the brutishness of Pokémon battles, but you would think that the official league circuit would have some type of flair."

Contest halls were probably a lot more elegant than this, but I tended to agree with Lucas on this one. Having it built into the face of the mountain like this not only fits the typing of the gym but gives off an intimidating aura as well. As for the substance… "Don't judge a book by its cover. The flair comes from the Pokémon and trainers battling inside."

I glare at the coordinator and dare her to tell me that I had no flair, but she holds her taunt in favor of issuing a challenge. "How poetic. Let us see if your battling can match your words."

The automatic doors slide open, and I walk on through, fishing out my trainer ID and presenting to the receptionist, a different one from yesterday. "Good morning, I'm registered to have a gym battle today at nine-thirty?"

The man takes the proffered ID card and hums for a couple of seconds, clicking away with his mouse until his face lights up. He hands me back my trainer card, standing up and pointing me down a specific hallway. "Head down there and someone will be there to take you to the battlefield. Good luck, challenger!"

The person who ends up greeting us isn't another employee of the gym. Well, I guess he is technically, since it's Roark himself. The Gym Leader looks like he was in his twenties and is dressed in the same gray and neon getup as all the miners I had seen throughout the town and in the mines. His red hair even was partially covered with a hardhat, with the headlamp and everything. Roark's face breaks into a smile when he sees us. "Hey! Welcome to the Oreburgh Gym! I'm Roark, the gym leader here, and you must be my first challenger today. Luna, right?" He holds out his hand for a shake, but frowns when I don't immediately take it. "Is something wrong?"

Will you get your act together! I tell myself, as I give a nervy chuckle and shake his hand. "Sorry, I was just wondering if I should have brought a hardhat as well," I quip.

That turns his frown into a smile. "Not for this," he laughs, leading us down to where the battlefield is. "But if you want to join me in the mines after our battle, I'm sure we have some that fit you in the back."

"So, you work in the mines in your free time?" Lucas asks, somewhat incredulously, a sentiment that I agreed with.

But it seems that Roark has heard that question before. The gym leader turns around for a second and flashes us a grin. "Weird hobby, huh? I usually serve as the foreman these days. Mostly what I do is look for underground treasure."

"Treasure?" Ursula says, probably thinking of jewels and precious metals. But I had a better idea after seeing this city of what Roark was talking about.

"Pokémon fossils," he clarifies. "I just love bringing them back to our time, since each one is like a little window to the past, giving us a glimpse of how the world used to be."

That sounded like a man who liked to battle with fossil Pokémon, but I don't have any time to dwell on it, as we arrive at another sliding door which reveals the gym arena.

Even though this was the first Pokémon gym that I had been in, I had seen some training grounds and battlefields, at the training school, and around Pokémon centers in basically every town, but in comparison, Oreburgh's arena was massive. It must have been the width of a football field, and probably half of the length. The floor was mostly dirt, as were most of the standard arena's that we had experienced so far. The glaring difference was that there were rocks everywhere, which was fitting for a Rock-type gym. They were all different shapes and sizes, with some being pillars of stone that were significantly taller than me, while others were just boulders piled up a foot or two off the ground. They were haphazardly strewn about throughout the battlefield, and while some looked like they had just been put in place, there were others that are nearly falling apart or have massive chunks taken out of them from previous battles. I guess one of the benefits of a being Gym Leader is being able to pick where you battle, and Roark had set this battlefield up to give himself the homefield advantage for sure.

Also present are the cameras that were going to record and televise this match. There's only one camera man and his Luxio manning the equipment, probably because I was still a no name trainer fighting for her first badge. Still, if the battle turned out to be exciting, the people of Oreburgh would be watching the replay in every single bar and restaurant in town tonight.

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Lucas and Ursula go to sit down in the viewing area, which was some stone bleachers to the right of the arena floor, just behind the proctor for the match, a man with long green hair that looked a lot like seaweed. While it would seem a bit unsafe to be that close to the action, with the potential for rock flying everywhere and whatnot, official league matches have some sort of energy force field that protects the trainers and all viewers despite their proximity. Keeping with the Rock-type theme of the gym, when the referee sends out his Pokémon, it was a Lunatone who put up the protective barrier to cover the field in a protective bubble. Then, to my shock, the metal roof of the gym opens up like the sunroof of a car, letting sunlight wash over the battlefield, with the largest of rocks still casting long shadows. Once all that has been done, the proctor begins to speak, explaining the official League rules.

This Gym battle is between Gym Leader Roark and the challenger, Luna of Eterna City! This battle will be three-on-three. Each round will end when one Pokémon is unable to battle, and the battle will conclude when all three of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue! The challenger may substitute, but the Gym Leader may not! Does the challenger have any questions?"

"No."

"Then let the battle begin!"

"Onix, let's go!" With a flick of his wrist, he sends out his first Pokémon by throwing the ball right into the protective bubble. Oh good, things are already not going as planned. Instead of the Geodude I had expected, a massive rock snake appears instead, composed entirely of different sized boulders, with the largest being the head, which curiously has an appendage like a shark's fin on top. The Onix sizes me up with its tiny pupils before the snake draws itself up to its full height and roars monstrously, its deep and gravelly voice reverberating through the entire arena.

You get it? Gravel? Because it's made out of rock.

My terrible attempts to lighten my mood aside, why is he starting with Onix? I mean, I figured he had one, and it's not like I can tell Roark "You're supposed to lead with Geodude, like all the Rock-Type Gym leaders do." He's welcome to lead with or use whatever Pokémon he feels like.

Then what was it? I knew Onix wasn't that strong, but I can imagine not having much experience, coming into your first gym battle and being confronted with a giant, ten-meter-long rock snake as your first opponent. It would be terrifying for the trainer and their Pokémon, especially considering we hadn't encountered any Pokémon even close to Onix's size so far. With all that in mind…

I let Oddish's and Charmander's Pokéballs fall back in my Pocket and palm the first, expanding it and throwing it out into the bubble as Roark had done, letting Glaceon materialize on the battlefield.

"It's faster than it looks, Glaceon, so always take that into account, Ok?"

Roark looks surprised at my words, and at my choice of Pokémon. "An Ice-type! That's an interesting choice of Pokémon when you're battling a Rock-type gym."

"Onix is a Ground-type too, so its weak to Ice-type moves?" I say back, somewhat confused.

We stare at each other in awkwardness, until Roark gestures to the proctor.

"Onix vs Glaceon. Begin!"

"I'll let you have the first move, as the challenger." Roark says graciously.

"Thanks. Glaceon, use Icy Wind!"

Glaceon puts some extra oomph into this attack, seeing the size of our opponent, increasing the scale so it was like a vortex of howling, freezing air, to try and make sure that some part of the massive Pokémon would get hit by the attack. Roark chooses to counter instead of dodge.

"Dragonbreath!" he orders. Onix rears its head back, breathing out a bluish yellow flame. The attacks collide, but even though they are technically flames, Ice-type moves dominate Dragon-type ones, not to mention how much stronger Glaceon is as a special attacker than Onix. Our attack easily pushes back that of Onix's, causing its body to start to crystallize with ice.

"Bulldoze, Onix! Interrupt that attack!"

The rock snake slams its tail against the battlefield while still using Dragonbreath, and after a short delay, the ground under Glaceon shakes treacherously, causing her to stumble and stop channeling Icy Wind.

Roark gives a thumbs down. "Now use Heavy Slam!"

"Quick Attack, Glaceon!"

Roark doesn't look impressed. "You know Normal-type moves don't work well against Rock-types, don't you?"

I wasn't intending to tell Glaceon to bash her head against Onix's boulders. That would be just plain idiotic. "I'm not using it to attack," I tell the gym leader. Glaceon darts out of the way before Onix brings down the hammer, closing the distance with the giant rock snake.

"Use Icy Wind again!"

Glaceon breathes out another swirl of freezing wind, this one more focused than the last, and launches the wind at the midsection of Roark's Onix, keeping up the pressure as ice crystals again begin to form of the rock surface that composes its body, causing it to groan in pain.

"Use Thrash to break out of it!" Roark calls out, causing Onix to flail wildly in an effort to break Glaceon's channeling of Icy wind, but Icy Wind did not have a nasty slow effect for nothing. Covered in a thin coating of ice, and with ice getting in between the crevices of its stone body, the rock snake's actions are slow and predictable and despite its best efforts to throw around its body to try and interrupt Glaceon again, my Pokémon is easily able to sidestep whenever Onix tried to slam into her.

The gym leader's eyes grow wide behind his glasses when he hears me call for our next attack. "Use Water Pulse to finish it off!"

"Onix!" He shouts urgently. "You have to block that with Rock Throw!"

Glaceon charges up a blue sphere of water, launching it at our opponent, while Onix roars, tearing a nearby cracked boulder from the earth with its tail, compromising its integrity further by squeezing it before flinging it in response. Rock Throw was quite aptly named, since all it seemed to be is… throwing a rock. But anyways, why did everyone and their mom think they could just smash our Water Pulse? Time to teach this gym leader a lesson.

"Punch right through it!"

Roark's eyebrows are furrowed, trying to figure out what I mean by my command, but he only realizes what is happening once Glaceon turns the orb of water into one of pure ice, crashing through the thrown rock in a shower of dust and stone. The attack lands on Onix, right on its lower jaw, causing a visible crack to appear on the gray stone.

"One more Water Pulse, Glaceon. Finish it!"

"Dragonbreath this time Onix! Stop it!" The rock snake tries to angle its head to use the attack, but there's simply no time. Before it can even start to breathe out the attack, the Water Pulse crashes into its face like a mini-tsunami, and his first Pokémon topples backwards onto the ground with an enormous crash, body unmoving and its eyes unfocused.

"Onix is unable to battle, and the winner is Glaceon," the proctor proclaims after waiting several seconds to see if Onix would raise itself. That… wasn't all that hard, honestly. We kinda dominated that fight from start to finish, and really didn't take a whole lot of damage in the process. Even though in the back of my head, there's always the fear of him sending out something like that Coalossal that I had heard about, I could feel much of the anxiety that I had built up in anticipation for this match starting to drain away.

My opponent has a wry grin on his face as he recalls his Pokémon. "Onix, rock solid work. You really battled hard out there." He looks over to me. "I like your measured battle style. You have a great grasp on matchups and typings, and use your moves in creative ways. Not only that, but I can tell that you like to not give away your hand until the opportunity presents itself. It's obvious that you and your Pokémon have been training hard."

Quite the high praise, and it's especially nice to hear from a gym leader. There's just one problem. "Not that I don't appreciate the compliments, but shouldn't you save them until after the battle is over?"

He shakes his head. "You misunderstand. What I mean is that even in our short battle, you've proven your skill as a trainer, and that of your Pokémon. It means that I have to go harder on you."

Uh…"I don't follow."

"Normally, gym leaders gauge the strength of their opponent, and select what Pokémon to battle with based on that. Hence, why you have to tell us how many badges you have before registering. Of course, how many badges someone has isn't always an accurate way of telling a challenger's strength." He gestures across the field to me. "As with you. Onix is a strong Pokémon, don't get me wrong, but the way you handled him means that the other two Pokémon I had initially prepared for you wouldn't fare much better."

Roark pauses. "So I want to use some different Pokémon than the ones I originally planned too. If you agree, of course. You're not obligated to do anything."

In the end, despite my nervousness about going up against a Coalossal, or a Tyranitar, or something equally insane, it's not even a question. I want the challenge. It's all I ever wanted from a Pokémon game, and here I was, being presented the opportunity that I had craved?

"Let's do it. Show me what a gym leader can really do."

The Rock-type specialist grins from ear to ear. "That's the spirit! Shieldon, lend me your strength!"

With that, his second Pokémon is sent out, this one a cute little tan four-legged dinosaur, with a black shield for a face. Despite its hide being marked with the aftermath of many battles, demonstrating that this Pokémon had seen several strong opponents, and was probably well on its way to evolving, its face remained remarkably unscathed. That's interesting.

I'm pretty sure Shieldon is a Steel-type, but just to be sure…

I pull out my Pokédex. "Shieldon, the Shield Pokemon. Shieldon is a Pokémon that lived in jungles around 100 million years ago. It constantly polishes its face by rubbing it on tree trunks. Its facial hide is as hard as tempered steel." Steel and Rock, and don't attack its face. Got it.

"I'm substituting," I tell the proctor, returning Glaceon back to her ball. "Go, Charmander!"

My fire starter cocks its head at its opponent, upon seeing a brand-new Pokémon. Shieldon paws at the ground, while the flame on Charmander's tails burns more intensely, signaling both Pokémon's eagerness to scrap.

"Shieldon vs Charmander. Begin!"

"Don't attack head on!" I holler. "Move to one side and hit it with Ember!"

He does just that, running to his right and firing off a barrage of fire pellets, aimed at Shieldon's relatively unarmored sides.

Roark surprises me with his first move. "Iron Defense!" he calls. His Pokémon buckles down in a defensive stance while its face glows slightly with energy. Ember easily connects with its unmoving target, causing the steel type to flinch slightly as the fire attack repeatedly stings with its side.

I know it's not weak to fire, so it can stomach a couple of Embers, but why bother taking free damage when you don't have to? I wasn't planning to have Charmander go in with Metal Claw… There must be more to his strategy than this. Only one way to find out.

"Ember again, aimed at its side like before!" I shout.

Roark doesn't look the least bit concerned. "Use Sandstorm!"

I curse out loud as a whirlwind of dust and sand whips up around Shieldon. Ember collides with the defensive shield, but while it flickers for a few seconds, igniting some of the grains of sand, the attack is quickly smothered amongst the Sandstorm. Should I switch here? Even if Glaceon's ice can get through the sandstorm, it won't do much to a Steel-type.

Before I can figure out any sort of strategy, our opponents are going on the offensive.

"Now Shieldon, use Shock Wave!"

The steel dinosaur charges up with blue energy before releasing it in a similar colored bolt. I order Charmander to dodge it, but to our surprise, the bolt of electricity curves to follow my Fire-type, causing him to yelp in pain as he receives a painful jolt.

Shock Wave was one of those moves that didn't check accuracy, right? I didn't realize that meant it had homing properties. But that must mean Oddish's Magical Leaf is the same! I file that information in my mind for later. Right now, I need to figure out something to get through this stupid Sandstorm.

"Use Shock Wave again!" Roark calls.

"Intercept with Ember this time!" I order.

This time, fire and lightning crash together in a shower of red and blue sparks, neither one seeming to have the edge over the other.

"Fast learner, are we?" Roark says, smiling. "Ancient Power then!"

We cannot let that hit us. "Charmander, use Smokescreen!" Charmander breathes deeply, then spits out a cloud of inky smoke, spreading over Shieldon's side of the field like a black fog.

"Blow it away with Sandstorm before you attack, Shieldon!" Shieldon cancels channeling the orb of energy and whips up the Sandstorm again. But even though the smoke is drawn to the circular motion of Sandstorm and is channeled upwards through the open roof of the arena, it's slow going, because of the sheer amount of smoke and how dense it actually was.

I can't see our opponent at all, because the combination of Sandstorm and Smokescreen is a black vortex of smoke and sand swirling rapidly around Shieldon. Roark tries to tell his Pokémon to sense Charmander through the smoke, but when it ends up launching the Ancient Power, the ball of Rock-type energy misses wildly to the left, making it clear that the fossil Pokémon is not able to see Charmander or sense his location properly. It's good that we can throw it off, but the real advantage is that the swirling smoke has given me an idea about dealing with this Sandstorm.

"Charmander, see how the smoke is swirling around Shieldon? We need to do that with your fire."

He makes a questioning sound, probably remembering how Ember was so easily destroyed by the sand.

"Yeah, it is going to take a much bigger flame to light the whole sandstorm on fire. Remember seeing how Lucas's Chimchar was using Fire Spin? We need something like that. Try and concentrate on the hottest, largest flame you can make, alright?"

The next Ancient Power fired out of the smokescreen isn't any closer to hitting Charmander, who gives me a confident nod and starts (I assume) gathering the fire in his belly, if the way his tail flame flares up is any indication. The smoke finally starts to clear as a frustrated Roark calls for a different attack.

"Shock Wave!"

"Endure it Charmander! Don't let it stop you from building your flame. Once you are ready, let it rip!"

The blue bolt of electricity connects through the rapidly fading smoke and sandstorm, but Charmander holds his ground on my command, even as the electricity covers his entire body, causing red fur to stand up from the static shock and barely visible electric burns to appear on his skin. Finally, during the Shock Wave attack, for just a second, I see Charmander's orange tail flame turn a vivid blue. My Fire-type opens his mouth, releasing a cerulean orb of fire that definitely is not Fire Spin, or any other powerful Fire-Type attack.

It looks more like Onix's Dragonbreath than a Fire-type move, I think, watching the attack spin towards our opponent. Is that Dragon Rage?!

Roark looks stunned that we learned a new attack out of nowhere. "Sandstorm!" he calls urgently, as Shieldon summons the defensive shield once again. To the shock of everyone watching, Charmander's new attack blasts right through the sand shield, landing on its target and exploding in the Sandstorm, sending up a cloud of bright blue flame.

The Gym Leader cries out for his Pokémon. "Shieldon!"

Is it over?

When the dust finally clears, my question is answered with a resounding yes. The Shield Pokémon lies on its side, completely knocked out by the power of Charmander's new move.

"Shieldon is unable to battle. The winner is Charmander!"

"Shieldon, great effort out there. Take a long rest, okay?" Roark gives me a wry smile. I guess gym leaders like to have a conversation with their challengers in between battles. "I can't believe that someone with no badges has me down two Pokémon. But you and your Pokémon have battled better than me. That's all it is. This is where that changes, though."

He pulls his third Pokéball out, and I just have to ask. "You don't have a Coalossal, do you?"

Roark pauses mid throw. "Took the mine tour, huh? I'm working on that, but why don't you check this guy out instead."

In the end, while his final Pokémon is a monster, it's also probably one I should have expected. This Pokémon was another revived fossil, though instead of a shield for a face, this one had a bright blue crown upon its head, surrounded by large white horns. It had legs like tree trunks, red glowing eyes and a thick tail, but its intimidating appearance was diminished somewhat by its two embarrassingly short arms.

The blue and gray beast roars loudly, causing Charmander to flinch slightly, and for me to bite my lip in worry. Rock-types were known for their great defense, and Roark's first two Pokémon certainly fit that bill, but Rampardos was the complete opposite. This ancient Pokémon brought to our time is notorious in-game for being one of the hardest hitters of any Pokémon, even surpassing the likes of Groudon and Rayquaza in terms of sheer attacking power. It's known for annihilating an opponent in one hit, something like the meteor that took out all its dinosaur brethren.

I slide my tongue over my lips, which have suddenly become dry. "Charmander, I think we need to stay in and weaken it a bit."

My Fire-type agrees with me weakly, trying his best to look brave in the face of the much larger Pokémon.

"Charmander vs Rampardos. Begin!"

"Zen Headbutt, go!" Roark orders, wasting no time.

The rock dinosaur's head glows brilliantly before it lowers it like a battering ram and charges toward my Pokémon with a bellow.

"Use Smokescreen!" I shout, hoping the sight loss would throw Rampardos off.

Charmander sends out the smoke cloud once again, but it doesn't have the same effect. A few seconds later, Rampardos flies out of it at full speed, not deterred in the slightest by the smoke.

Holy fuck. "Dodge!" I shout in panic, not wanting to see my Pokémon get run over by this monster.

Charmander manages to scramble out of the way in the nick of time, like a rookie matador whose self-preservation instincts kick in once they realize they were up against a raging bull. Rampardos runs straight past him, not stopping until the beast finally collides with a rock formation, which shakes with the force of the impact, causing several chunks of stone to break off. The beast looks around in confusion for a second, before spotting Charmander with a violent gleam in its blood-red eyes.

"That won't save you!" Roark says confidently. "Bulldoze, then use Double-Edge!"

Before I can react, Rampardos stomps its foot, causing the ground under Charmander to erupt more powerfully than Onix did to Glaceon beforehand. The only issue is that Charmander can't use a move to regain that speed lost, instead falling on his behind, a total sitting Ducklett, as I watch Rampardos running at him upright this time, all of its body glowing white.

"Use Dragon Rage, the one you used on Shieldon!" I call out in desperation. If we can get it off in time!

Since Charmander knows what he's trying to do this time around, he is much faster at releasing it but unfortunately, it still takes quite a bit of time. That means that Rampardos is only a few meters away before Charmander can actually launch the Dragon Rage. The dinosaur makes no attempt to dodge, running headlong into the attack. But again, unlike before, this Rock-type has not been put out of commission, and instead it barrels towards Charmander wreathed in blue flames, like a monster straight from the depths of hell.

"Charmander!" I scream, watching my Pokémon take a full body slam and be sent tumbling across the rock covered floor of the gym, coming to a halt several paces in front of me. I stifle my urge to run out there and check on my Pokémon once I see the rise and fall of his chest, demonstrating that it was breathing properly. I sigh in relief as my rapidly beating heart starts to calm down. Pokémon sure are tough. Getting run over like that must be the equivalent of being hit by a car, and while that kind of impact would most likely require a couple healing sessions at the Pokémon Center, Charmander would be just fine.

"Charmander is unable to battle, and the winner is Rampardos!"

"Charmander, return. You were awesome out there."

I hesitate on who to send out next. I was planning on saving Oddish for last, considering Grass wasn't weak to Rock and it's strong against a pure Rock-type like Rampardos. But the beast has already shown it knows Zen Headbutt, which is a super effective attack on Oddish. And to be honest, Glaceon is much stronger than Oddish at this point. I think Glaceon has a better chance of putting the dinosaur down after Oddish weakens it than the reverse. Especially if Rampardos is paralyzed, and we can charge up a powerful Water Pulse.

"Let's go, Oddish!"

The weed Pokémon materializes, her normally cheerful face turning dour once she realizes that the sun is shining brightly, and she scurries to the shade created by one of the large boulders. I can't believe that I've picked up a plant that doesn't like the sun. But to be fair, it could also be that I woke her up from whatever existence being in a Pokéball is to fight against a monstrous rock dinosaur five times taller and probably 200 pounds heavier than you. Still, Oddish shakes her leaves menacingly, trying her best to be a terrifying turnip.

"Rampardos vs Oddish, begin!"

"Use Magical Leaf!" I say to Oddish, who launches a barrage of glowing leaves at our opponent. Dodge this, you big brute.

Roark just chuckles calmly. "Flamethrower!" The Rock-type opens its maw and unleashes a torrent of flame which absolutely eviscerates our attack, leaving nothing left but a couple of blackened leaves on the arena floor. Oddish's jaw and mine drop in unison.

The gym leader smirks across from me. "Zen Headbutt!"

Once again, the crown of its head glows blue as it charges towards us, head lowered toward the ground in order to hit my much shorter Pokémon.

I guess there is nothing left to do but hope for some paralysis. "Use Stun Spore!"

Oddish ruffles her leaves before she releases a cloud of yellow dust at the enemy Pokémon. But I have much better visibility through the attack than I had previously with Dragon Rage or Smokescreen, so I watch Rampardos's reaction to this attack. I want to know exactly how it counters our moves every time.

Of course, the bastard doesn't give me much to work with. Rampardos literally has no reaction to the stun spore at all! It doesn't stop or pause or juke or even have a hitch in its step. It's like there is no type of defensive mechanism in its brain that tells it to STOP and think twice. Despite probably getting a lungful of the paralysis causing spores, the beast barrels toward us at full speed.

Do we juke left? Right? I feel like those are poor options, since Oddish is significantly slower than Charmander. That leaves only one option. "Hide underground!" I shout, hoping she would make it in time.

Oddish obeys, digging into the ground furiously, until only her leaves are visible. It won't win any awards for excellent hiding places, but after Rampardos takes out another pillar of stone, it looks around in absolute bewilderment, not even noticing about the extremely conspicuous bunch of leaves right underneath it that has no place in an arena made of dirt and rock. I'm not about to let Roark get the chance to educate his dimwitted Pokémon.

"Magical Leaf, again!"

Oddish jumps up, firing the barrage of glowing leaves again. This time, they connect on the Rock-type's underbelly, causing it to roar in agony at the super-effective hit.

"Rampardos, use a Flamethrower towards your feet!"

"Get behind it Oddish and go for Magical Leaf again!

Our adversary manages to tilt its head at an angle to blast the area directly underneath it with fire, but Oddish scurries behind the dinosaur and starts glowing again.

"Not a bad strategy, trying to get behind us! But you forgot about one detail. Use Iron Tail!" Roark orders.

Before either of us can react, Rampardos swings its suddenly glowing white tail like a mace, sending Oddish flying mid-attack into a boulder fifteen feet away. After a second, she slides off, unconscious from the sheer strength of the attack and the force of impact.

"Oddish is unable to battle, and the winner is Rampardos!"

"Oddish, return. And thank you," I say numbly to the Pokéball, in awe of the insane knockout power. One hit is all it took. One hit, from an attack that wasn't even super effective.

I was up three Pokémon to one, and that lead has evaporated completely. Rampardos has taken some hits, and it's definitely breathing harder than it was once it was first sent out, but it looks fine to go for another round. But even if it had been weakened, what was I supposed to do? The absolute asshole just runs straight through anything that is sent its way! I'm one-hundred percent sure that Icy Wind won't slow it down at all. With its sheer power, I'm sure Rampardos could just barrel straight through a regular or even a frozen Water Pulse. Nothing I could do was going to stop it from attacking. Heck, if all these pillars weren't here to stop its charge, it might just run straight into the arena barrier, or even take out one of the walls of this place.

I pull Glaceon's Pokéball out, replaying those thoughts in my head. But maybe its commitment to the attack is the key to this whole thing. After all, Rampardos's signature move is Head Smash, which is exceptionally powerful, but also carries huge recoil. And I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any type of special ability that prevents recoil damage. What did Rampardos care about charging straight through the enemy's attacks? It's willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if that means inflicting extreme pain on itself.

So forget countering its attacks with our own. It won't stop or slow down for anything, and we don't yet have the power to outright knock it out mid-attack. But there is a window, albeit a small one, where Rampardos needs to reorient itself after it collides with something. Replaying the last two battles in my mind, a plan comes to mind, and I whisper to Glaceon before I release her into the arena.

"Get in front of a rock pillar, then duck underneath at the last second. We'll attack from below, okay?"

I get a shake of affirmation, and that's enough for me. She might be slightly confused now, but hopefully once she sees what we are up against, everything will be made crystal clear. This is going to be high-risk, but clearly sticking with the safe option wasn't going to cut it against this caliber of opponent.

"You're up, Glaceon!"

The proctor raises his hands for the final confrontation. "Rampardos vs Glaceon, Begin!"

"I've really enjoyed battling you thus far. But now I want you to watch this." Roark's voice hardens. "Rampardos, use Head Smash!"

So, it does know that move after all.

The revived fossil monster starts channeling blue energy, starting at the crown of its head but quickly cascading down until Rampardos's whole body is covered in a violently flickering aura. The dinosaur roars savagely, a sound that must even pierce through all the noise of the Oreburgh mines, before bringing one leg up and down in a powerful stomp. I don't think much of it, but for the third time in this battle, the ground underneath my Pokémon quakes, knocking Glaceon to the ground, although she manages to get back up despite her shaking legs.

Roark must have trained Rampardos to use Bulldoze before Head Smash. I'd do the same, since there's such a high risk associated with the move. But everything else makes my plan doable. Glaceon has taken a position right in front of one of the rock protrusions, as I had said. Our opponent lowers its head once again as it starts to run at us. But when it attacked Oddish, its head was almost scraping the floor. Now there was just enough space to squeeze underneath. I think.

Timing was going to be everything. "Water Pulse, Glaceon. The strongest you can pull off."

The beast is in full stride now, headed straight towards Glaceon, but she doesn't release the attack, face straining with effort as she grows the orb of water larger, until it was twice the size of a normal one.

If Roark is surprised that we haven't launched our move yet, he doesn't give any indication, instead folding his arms and watching intently. Rampardos is closing in on my Ice-type, but we have to wait for the operative moment. Too soon and it might change the angle of attack, and too late would mean Glaceon would be wiped out. It isn't hot in here at all, but I could feel a strand of sweat drip from my brow and run down my face as the monster closes in, ten feet away, then five, and right as it's upon her I yell for Glaceon to make her move.

"Now!"

Still holding the Water Pulse, Glaceon flattens herself like a pancake, tilting her head upwards to just keep the attack suspended mere inches from the ground, literally under the belly of the beast. Rampardos annihilates the rock formation as expected, turning it into rubble with the ludicrous power of its Head Smash. Despite being relatively shielded by our opponent's upper body, Glaceon still takes several hits from the debris caused by the pillar of stone being destroyed. But we had our opening. Just as the last two times, Rampardos needed a second to recover after such a vicious impact, but we weren't about to give it any sort of time.

It might be premature, but I pump my fist for emphasis. "Give it everything you've got, Glaceon! Water Pulse attack!"

She obliges, and in the confined space, the move erupts like a geyser, forcing our opponent higher and higher, until Rampardos is flailing helplessly, pinned to the top of the psychic barrier by Glaceon's super-effective attack. Finally, Glaceon lets up the attack, and rolls gingerly out of the landing zone.

Most dinosaurs were not made to fly, and Rampardos is not blessed with wings like some of its fossil brethren. Roark shouts in panic for his Pokémon, as it starts to descend rapidly. Compounding its misfortune, Rampardos's short arms do not help whatsoever in bracing for the landing, so the Rock-type crashes back to the ground in what was probably the world's most painful belly flop, sending dust and stone flying into a cloud around the Headbutt Pokémon.

Don't you dare get up, you bastard. There's no way we can pull off a stunt like that again.

Silence ensues for what feels like the most prolonged minute of my life as everyone watches the dust settle, until the totally unconscious form of Rampardos is finally revealed.

The referee clears his throat. "Rampardos is unable to battle. As all of Gym Leader Roark's Pokémon are unable to battle, the victory goes to Luna and Glaceon!"

My brain doesn't even have time to process that statement before I hear mismatched applause coming from the stands. Lucas is grinning like a loon and has risen to his feet to clap wildly, and while Ursula's is much slower and more reserved, the smile on her face tells me it isn't any less genuine. Roark, the Proctor, and even the cameraman, join in, serenading us during our victorious moment. Glaceon trots over to me slowly, but her expression is one of pure joy. I don't even need to take a picture of the moment, because I'll remember this forever.

----------------------------------------

"You and your Pokémon showed great ingenuity and resilience in the face of adversity." Roark says formally, though he has a very pleased expression, at the outside entrance of the arena. "It is my honor to present you with the Coal badge, the mark of your triumph at the Oreburgh Gym." The gym leader holds out a tray, where the badge sits on a red cloth. I pick it up reverently, letting the polished metal gleam.

So what if this is only the first gym? I fucking won!

And I couldn't be prouder.