Pewter City III - Battle for the Boulder Badge

The inside of Pewter's Gym reminded Slate of a cave.

He could see how rocks had been molded to form rough pillars and walls, disguising the human elements beneath them. Even the lights had been hidden beneath recessed points, giving the illusion that some other worldly light was illuminating the area. Across the field from Slate stood a young man wearing dark colors. A referee stood between them.

"This is a Challenger Level Challenge by Trainer Slate against the Pewter City Gym! The challenger is permitted one Pokémon and no items for this portion of the challenge! Is the challenger ready?" the referee asked.

"I am," Slate replied.

"Gym Trainer Bentley, are you ready?" the referee asked.

The older boy stepped forward. "I am."

"Trainers, release your Pokémon!"

Instantly a Geodude dropped from the ceiling, landing with a crash on the Gym floor. Slate released his Scyther, who raised her scythes high and screeched. The Trainers stared each other down.

"Begin!" the referee shouted.

"Aerial Ace!" Slate shouted. "Be prepared to dodge, Scyther, and-"

"Gym Trainer Bentley is defeated!" the referee cried. Slate blinked in confusion.

On the field below Geodude was sprawled out, completely out for the count. Scyther looked at it curiously and tapped it with one sharp scythe as if trying to wake it up. The Gym Trainer sheepishly returned his Pokémon.

"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have had him drop from the ceiling. It probably did most of the damage needed and the Aerial Ace put it over the edge," Bentley explained.

"We will talk about this later," an adult said from the shadows. Bentley walked away with his head ducked in embarrassment. The referee cleared their throat as another Trainer, who Slate recognized as the receptionist from yesterday, took Bentley's place. The boy crossed his arms and furrowed his brow while pressing his lips together. On any other person it would project confidence but on a child it only looked adorable.

"Gym Trainer Brock, are you ready!"

"I am!" the now named Brock said, breaking his stance to jump in place with glee. "This is my first battle!"

Slate smiled at Brock's excitement. "Then let's make it a good one."

"Begin!" the referee shouted.

Slate almost blinked in confusion at Brock's empty field but heard the distant rumbling of earth moving. "Jump!"

Scyther jumped out of the way just in time for a four armed boulder to dig out from right underneath her. It snatched nothing but air as she landed safely away. Slate recognized it as a Graveler, the evolved form of Geodude.

"Use Rollout!" Brock shouted. His Graveler immediately began to roll forward at a high speed, zeroing in on Scyther.

"Dodge and use Fury Cutter!" Slate countered.

Scyther obeyed but her furious swipes had no effect on the rolling boulder. Worse, the Graveler showed no sign of slowing down as it somehow turned to keep pursuing Scyther.

"Try to get some distance!"

"Chase it down, Graveler!" Brock shouted, a wide grin on his face.

Scyther did so but it helped little. Graveler could smash through rocks in its never ending quest to follow Scyther with Rollout, somehow keeping track of Slate's Pokémon. Worse, the longer it went on the faster Rollout became and Scyther was slowly losing ground.

As Graveler shattered another pillar, causing stone shards to fly in every direction and Gym Trainer Brock to laugh in delight, Slate had another idea.

"Scyther, stand in front of Brock and prepare yourself!" Slate ordered. Scyther, exhausted from all the fleeing she had done, obeyed. She stood there calmly as a ball of speeding rock hurled toward her, completely trusting that her Trainer had a plan.

Graveler sped forward a blur of gray rock barreling toward Scyther's doom. Slate wished he had her use Counter earlier in the battle, even if it meant her taking damage, but only Psychic-Types had Foresight. He miscalculated and now he had to do this right or Scyther would pay the price.

Brock's Pokémon was almost there yet it still wasn't close enough. Slate had to wait for just the right- "jump!"

The word echoed across the room, bouncing off the scattered stones. Scyther, so brave and trusting that her Trainer had a plan, stood still even as Graveler barreled toward her. She jumped, her feet barely clearing the rolling Pokémon.

Graveler smashed into an invisible barrier that sprang into existence just before Brock. The young boy flinched, falling to his feet in shock at the sudden realization that his Pokémon almost flattened him.

"Put it down," Slate calmly ordered. Scyther obeyed and sent the probably concussed Graveler into the world of unconsciousness with a single strike.

Scyther couldn't do any large amount of damage to Graveler and couldn't outrun it as it built up momentum. But seeing the flying shards of rock stopped by almost translucent barriers told Slate that a Psychic-type was employed by the Gym to keep things safe. Those same barriers were to be treated as walls by Trainers, as described in the Trainer rulebook.

Slate privately thanked Maggie in his mind for recommending to brush up on the rulebook. He'd have to do something nice for her the next time he saw her.

From there it was just positioning Scyther just right and having her jump at the right moment. That he chose to have Graveler impact the barrier just in front of Brock was to knock a little humility into the brat.

Brock returned his Pokémon and slowly stood, trying to take deep breaths to calm himself down. He glared at Slate. "That was mean."

"Remember it the next time you think of laughing at an opponent you believe to be beaten," was Slate's dark reply. A scar on his arm burned in remembered pain.

Brock very maturely stuck his tongue out. He threw another Poké Ball, "Go Onyx!"

The whole room shook angrily as a massive worm made of stones appeared and roared in Slate's face. He shook his head in annoyance, trying to clear the ringing. He looked up just in time to see Onyx lunging toward Scyther who deftly flew out of the way.

Grinding his teeth, and knowing this was just another method Trainers used to get under each other's skin, Slate shouted, "fly up!"

Scyther obeyed, landing a blow on the Onyx's stone cheek on the way. It barely moved the Pokémon and Scyther narrowly dodged Onyx's Headbutt by flying close to the Gym's ceilings.

"Follow it!" Brock ordered. Onyx did so, winding around a sturdy pillar and using it to move closer to Scyther. Unfortunately for him, Slate was counting on that.

"Air Slash on its head!"

"Use Bind!" Brock shouted. Slate frowned as he saw Scyther's strike hit solidly. While the Onyx grunted in pain, its face was intently focused. He knew he needed to get his Pokémon out of the danger zone.

"Scyther, move away, get some space!"

"Follow it!"

Scyther buzzed around the pillars in the room but Onyx pursued it without any issue, winding its impressive bulk through the pillars with ease. Slate wondered if it had been long enough, if Bind had drained itself without a target to hit. He found out.

"Unleash Bind now!" Brock cried. Onyx roared and suddenly charged through the air, much faster than it had any right to be.

Onyx slammed into Scyther without slowing, pushing both Pokémon into the Gym floor. A blast of dust and rocks shot up, filling the air and causing everyone to look away. But the dust settled quickly to reveal Scyther, bruised, bleeding, and with dented armor, standing victorious over Onyx who was unconscious.

"What happened?" Brock asked the question that was on everyone's mind. Footsteps approached revealing an older man who clapped Brock's shoulders reassuringly.

"His Scyther knows Counter. It used it to send all the damage Bind doubled back with twice the force. Onyx's skull is thick but not that thick," the man, Gym Leader Flint, said. "Go sit with your siblings."

Brock returned his Pokémon and gave Slate a cheery wave before he left, leaving Slate to stare down his final opponent.

"Well done, challenger!" Flint shouted. Scyther returned to Slate's side of the field. "You've conquered the first part of my Gym but now it's time for you to face me, your true test! Prepare yourself!"

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Scyther cried out, even as battered as she was, and flexed her scythes. "We're ready!" Slate shouted.

A Poké Ball appeared in Flint's hand. "Good, because here we come," he said with a smile. "Go, Shuckle!"

A small Pokémon appeared with a bright red shell and four wriggly yellow limbs. It looked almost completely harmless which was why Slate and Flint were so surprised when Scyther became enraged and immediately started to attack it.

"Technically legal," the referee reminded the stunned Trainers as they watched Scyther punt a surprised Shuckle across the field. They looked at the referee. "Well it is. Gym Leaders can start battles by sending forth their Pokémon. It's just considered bad mannered to start before I call to begin."

The entire time the referee spoke Scyther was attacking Shuckle, who had retreated into its shell to protect itself. That didn't deter Scyther, as she began to kick the red-shelled Pokémon as hard as she could into every intact pillar remaining.

Slate slapped his forehead. "Scythers hate the color red! She's trying to get rid of the offending color," Slate explained, pointing to where Scyther was trying to scratch the shell with her scythes.

"I can't get Shuckle to fight like this, it'll turtle for hours until it feels safe, which is definitely not here," Flint muttered before returning Shuckle to its Poké Ball. "That'll be a withdrawal for me. But don't get so confident! I have one more Pokémon! Go, Sudowoodo!"

A strange tree-like Pokémon appeared, wriggling its body in an odd manner. Scyther, calmer now that Shuckle was gone, flexed her scythes in preparation.

"Begin!" the referee shouted, eager to do their job before either Pokémon acted. Sudowoodo calmly swayed while Scyther charged forward, swinging her scythes.

Slate and Scyther were unprepared for the sound of stone to echo in the room as Scyther's scythe met Sudowoodo's skin. Instead of breaking away like tree bark as they expected, it looked completely unmarked.

"Sucker Punch," Flint said. Sudowoodo slammed an odd, tree-like limb into Scyther's face, sending her to the ground. He grinned at Slate's shocked face. "Sudowoodo is a deceptive Rock-type! It looks like a tree, sways like a tree, hits like a rock."

Slate shook his head as Scyther got back to her feet slowly. "You got this, Scyther!"

Scyther hissed but Slate could see her body shaking in exhaustion. They'd have to make this quick if they wanted to win.

Unfortunately it seemed as though Flint had the same idea. "Grab it and squeeze it Sudowoodo! Don't let it escape!"

Scyther was too exhausted to dodge and Sudowoodo grabbed her and began to squeeze. "Fight it, Scyther! Fight back!" Slate shouted.

Scyther jerked in Sudowoodo's grasp, hitting it solidly in the side of its face with her head. Was that Slate's imagination or did Sudowoodo flinch?

"Keep hitting it! As hard as you can! Focus on hitting it as hard as you can!" Slate ordered.

Flint furrowed his brow in confusion. "What are you doing? Scyther can't escape now, it's trapped."

"Yes she can! Focus, Scyther!"

Scyther obeyed. She began to glow with a soft green light that spread from her chest to cover her whole body. She smashed her head into her foe, causing Sudowoodo to groan at the surprise assault. She did it again and again and again, each time causing her captor to flinch more and more. She headbutted Sudowoodo so hard that she broke free.

"Air Slash!" Slate ordered. "Get in close!"

Scyther's Air Slash sped through the air, knocking Sudowoodo to the side. It staggered, trying to regain its footing, while Scyther sped forward. Scyther swung.

Sudowoodo swung first, using another Sucker Punch move. Slate grinned as Scyther glowed with the light of Counter, returning the hit two-fold. Both Pokémon collapsed to the ground.

Everyone leaned forward to see the results of the mutual knockout. Sudowoodo lay sprawled on the ground, completely unconscious, while Scyther lay on her side, awake but panting heavily. But that was enough.

"The Challenger wins!" the referee shouted, raising a hand to Slate. Slate didn't wait for a moment, throwing himself out onto the field to skid next to Scyther.

"You were magnificent, Scyther," he murmured, running his hands gently over injuries, checking them. Thankfully none of them seemed life threatening. "Thank you."

Scyther crooned softly before passing out. Slate grinned, giving her another thankful smile, before returning her. She earned her rest.

A shadow covered Slate and he looked up to see Flint looking down at him with a grin. The Gym Leader offered him a hand up and Slate gratefully took it.

"Well done, Challenger. It's not often I get a Challenge level battle so I've never seen a Scyther headbutt a Sudowoodo before. Or see one go ballistic on a Shuckle either," Flint said with a chuckle. "Makes me yearn for my travel days, seeing the world and new Pokémon..."

Slate said nothing as the man trailed off in thought. Flint shook himself. "Regardless, you've earned this!" he said, handing out a small badge. The Boulder Badge was simple, a shiny gray minimalist rock, but the gold lining excited Slate. It was proof of his ability as a Trainer.

He took it reverently, handling it with care. From his pocket, Slate pulled a slim case that Maggie had handed to him before he left. Within it he placed the Boulder Badge before carefully closing it and returning it to his pocket.

Flint nodded to him. "You'll find some money deposited to your account, and a reduction to your loan if you had to take one of those, feel free to check it later. And since you beat my Gym on the Challenger level I can give you this," he said, holding out a slim round case. Slate took it.

"That's a Technical Machine or TM for short. Silph Co. and a few other companies got together a few years ago and standardized the list of moves offered, which is literally hundreds now. You can use them with a Pokémon's Poké Ball to teach them a new move at any Pokémon Center," Flint explained.

Slate's eyes widened with glee. He knew what TM's were but before today he never held one. He checked the label and saw that it was for Rock Slide. Even if he never used it, he could sell it for a decent amount of money. "Thank you, sir," Slate said.

Flint laughed. "Thanks for the battle! And for battling my Gym Trainers. They're good but they still have lots of room to improve, especially Bentley. It's helpful getting them to fight something other than each other or Rock-types. Figures that Brock did better, I guess he's a chip off the old boulder," he said with another laugh.

Slate nodded and shook Flint's hand. "I'll be back one day. To challenge your true team," Slate promised. Flint had a vicious grin on his face.

"Looking forward to it."

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Entering a Pokémon Center always felt like home to Slate. It was comforting and familiar in a way that very few things are and the fact there was at least one in almost every city in the world brought a smile to Slate's face. Healing, and places of healing, was something that should always be encouraged.

He immediately dropped off Scyther to be treated. Thanks to Maggie's lessons Slate knew Scyther would recover even without medical attention but there was no need to risk her health under that assumption. Free healthcare was free healthcare and it was something to take advantage of whenever possible.

Satisfied Scyther was safe in Nurse Joys' hands, Slate went to the nearest unoccupied video phone and called Maggie. Two rings later, a familiar face appeared.

"Blissey! How have you been? I've missed you," Slate said, smiling fondly at the Blissey on screen.

She chirped at him in a pleased manner before giving him a cross look. He hastily held up his hands. "It wasn't my fault! I called as soon as I was able, Maggie should have grabbed you."

Blissey huffed before giving Slate a smile. He returned it and spent a few minutes telling her all about his Scyther and their recent victory over his first Gym Challenge. He was still a Rookie Trainer but now he had proof to others that he was a Trainer.

Maggie finally showed up, sitting beside her Blissey and giving her Pokémon an affectionate headrub. She smiled at Slate. "Judging by your pleased expression, I take it you won your Gym Battle?"

Slate nodded. "Scyther was everything I could have hoped for and more. She's a strong Pokémon and smart too. I'm glad she was my first capture."

That made his guardian smile. "I look forward to meeting her then. Well, if that's all I suppose I could go," she said with a small hint of humor in her eyes.

That didn't stop Slate from glaring. "I would like to request my Pokémon now."

Maggie's coy smile wouldn't melt ice. "You already have your Scyther."

"My other Pokémon," Slate almost growled.

"Your other Pokémon? I'm not sure you have the Carry Limit for that," she said playfully. Slate rolled his eyes.

"I won my Gym Challenge," he said. Maggie gave him a faux impressed look.

"Oh, my! Well, it seems like we have ourselves a proper Trainer among us. We're so blessed."

"Blissey, use Double Slap."

"No!"

The sound of two smacks echoed through the call and Slate gave his guardian's Pokémon a thumbs up. She chirped at him before waddling off frame. Maggie rubbed her head while grumbling under her breath.

"Not my fault Blissey likes me more," Slate said.

"She's my Starter, why does she listen to you," Maggie complained. Both knew she was whining for the sake of whining.

"I beat Gym Leader Flint at the Challenger Tier," Slate explained, going back to the point of the conversation. "So my Carry Limit should be increased by three because of that."

Registering as a Trainer automatically gave a Trainer one slot in their Carry Limit on their Trainer Card. There were a variety of ways to increase this for Trainers, ranging from serving in the Pokémon League to winning in the annual regional tournament to certain professions such as Ranger, Professor, or Healers. However, the most common way was through defeating Gyms.

Each Tier gave different increases to a Trainer's Carry Limit. Should a Trainer beat a Gym at the Trainer Tier they would gain a single slot for the first three Gyms they beat. This increased at the Challenger Tier, giving the victorious Trainer two slots for the first two Gym they beat. Finally, should the Trainer conquer the Gym Leader's elite team on the Champion Tier, the Trainer would gain a one-time reward of three slots. And best of all, these rewards were cumulative.

Due to his victory over Gym Leader Flint, Slate's Carry Limit was increased from one to four. Meaning Slate could take more Pokémon with him.

Maggie smiled. "So your plan is starting off well, then?" she asked, as her hands began to type. A ding popped up on Slate's screen, asking for confirmation for Maggie to move his Pokémon from her Pokémon Center to his. He quickly clicked yes.

Slate nodded. "Caught a strong Pokémon, beat my first Gym, got away from your cooking-"

"-hey!"

"Things are going well," Slate confirmed. His eyes flicked over to his replacement backpack. "Well, Scyther did destroy my backpack and most of its contents but I still have the first aid kit you built for me."

"I'd hope so, it wasn't cheap. Still, I'm glad your Journey has such a promising start." She clicked something on her screen. "There, your Pokémon should be waiting for you at the front desk. Although if you ever want to leave her here with me, I'd gladly suffer through such a burden."

That earned her another eye roll. "Get your own. I won her fair and square."

"But Alola is so far away," Maggie whined, "and I never get time off these days."

"Sounds like a you problem," Slate ignored her outraged face, knowing it was faked. She was the one to teach him humor after all. "I'm going to go pick her up, I'll drop you a message at the Mt. Moon Pokémon Center but I don't think I'll be able to speak to you until Cerulean."

Maggie suddenly gave Slate a grin, causing his eyes to narrow. "What did you do?" he asked. His eyes immediately darted for the empty corners of the room, looking for traps.

"I got you a little present. It's waiting for you in Cerulean," she said, looking as pleased as a Persian catching the Pidove.

Slate's mind raced. The only time Maggie looked as pleased as she did now was when she had pulled off a prank so successfully no one suspected her somehow. But if it were a prank she wouldn't give him this much of a warning. But what else would excite Maggie… It clicked.

"You got me a spot?" Slate asked, his heart pumping in his chest.

For a long moment Maggie's face remained neutral. But then the gleam entered her eye, a smile grew on her face, and Slate whooped for joy.

"Your acceptance was contingent on you gaining one Badge. You've got it so now you've got your chance. I hope you haven't forgotten everything we've taught you," Maggie said. Slate pretended to think about it.

"You taught me about cooking, right?"

"If you try to cook during the exam please take a picture of the examiner's face before they throw you from the building."

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Time Tracker:

Days passed in Chapter: 3

Total Days: 29

Trainer Card:

Name: Slate

Occupation: Trainer

Ambitions:

To find his long lost Starter

To become a Generalist Master, a Master of all Types

Badges: Boulder(II)

Trophies: Inter-Regional Rookie Tournament Qualifier (3rd)

Carry Limit: 2/4

Key items: Walking Stick

Pokémon: 2

Name: Scyther (F)

Type: Bug/Flying

Potential Moves: Counter, Fury Cutter, Air Slash, ?

Core Moves: Rest

Name: ?

Type: ?

Potential Moves: ?

Core Moves: ?