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The next couple days saw me engaging, or being engaged by other trainers in Pokémon battles. Victory was a sure outcome in many cases, mainly due to the strength that Mara, Lucario, and even Charmander possessed. This combined with the years of battle theory, understanding of various Pokémon, and other knowledge that was crammed into me during previous years by my mother gave me a level of supremacy over the other trainers that many could only dream of having. My winning streak only lengthened as I got closer to Cerulean City, and with it, the rumor of a hot-shot trainer that few could touch in battle.
At long last, I arrived in Cerulean City just as afternoon was egressing to make way for evening. Mara, Charmander, and Lucario were walking beside me, as was a new custom that we agreed upon ever since the incident at Mt. Moon. The air had a moist feeling to it since an inlet of the ocean came running right next to the city. It was a relaxing feeling to have air like this around, though the scent of fish was something I could have done without. The Pokémon center was easy enough to locate, despite the density of the city.
"You'd think a city like this would have a problem with pollution…" said Mara as a bus passed by with exhaust billowing out the rear and slamming us all with a fresh wave of it.
"This place gets a lot in the way of rain coming through, so nothing gets a chance to accumulate in the air long enough for it to be a problem... I hope." I returned, waving the smell away from us with my hand. "It does take a toll on the quality of the rain water though, which up until now was a go-to source of unquestionably clean water."
The conversation between us continued until we walked through the door of the Pokémon center. The inside was as busy as ever, with trainers now taking the rest of the evening off from training, battling, or some combination of the two activities.
I made my way to the front desk where Nurse Joy was waiting. She quickly led my three companions past the desk and into a check up room where their physical evaluations were to begin. Before Joy had left to return to her duties, she set a room key in front of me and gave me my directions to my room. Without wasting another moment, I made my way upstairs to the trainer's quarters and into my room where four bunk beds lay made and ready for use. After dropping my things off beside my bed, I flopped down on the nearest bed and let myself lay there for another couple minutes as the immediate stress of the road flowed out of my mind.
After a couple minutes, I pulled myself up and returned downstairs to find Lucario and the others having finished their check up. I was met with the pleasing news that no one was in need of any serious medical leave and I was free to bring the gang over to a set of couches by the TV, which was showing the evening news.
I barely paid any attention to the news, as all that was on was the usual rabble of weather having another chance at being unusual tomorrow, politicians finding another reason to hate each other, and one-win wonder trainers being taken down a notch by the more accomplished trainers. At the time, I couldn't have cared less about such things since my friends were all beside me. We passed most of that evening, staying snuggled within each others arms, or in Mara's case, coils. This continued until an older trainer who obviously knew his way around came up to me.
"Hey kid, whats up?" he asked looking down at me.
"Just settling down for the evening." I responded, not sure what his intention was thus far.
"You're a trainer right?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, why?" I asked, getting a little worried. This kind of question was asked among trainers when they were seeking a battle.
"Just curious is all. In case you're wondering, I'm not trying to battle. I was just training earlier and I'm too exhausted to do much of anything else right now. Are you trying to challenge the gym here?"
"Mhmm." I nodded in response.
"Do you want help with the leader a the gym?" the boy asked.
"Yes please." I returned, sitting up straight.
"Do you want help with the leader a the gym?" the boy asked.
"Yes please." I returned, sitting up straight.
"Alright." said the trainer, now mentally calling up what he knew. "The gym leader is a master at using water types and is known for being fairly aggressive in battle. He's an athlete who knows how to hold his own if things begin taking their time. Do you have any Grass, or Electric-type Pokémon with you?"
"N-no…" I sheepishly responded.
The boy thought for a moment before responding. "Alright. This gym battle is gonna be tough, but it won't be the first time that a trainer pulled a victory without a type advantage."
"Thanks… I guess." I said as this info struck my ears. "But why are you telling me this?"
"Its an unspoken obligation that the better trainers have to other trainers. We help each other out. Not all of them do it, but I do." explained the boy.
"Thank you…" I began as I realized that I hadn't caught or even asked for his name.
"Jasper." He responded. "And whats your name?"
"Call me Ted please." I responded.
"Nice to meet you Ted." Jasper responded. "So I'm pretty sure I know how you came across Charmander, but how did you manage to get a Milotic, and a Lucario?"
I proceeded to recount the events of meeting Mara; about the two men that tried to capture me, and how Mara stopped them and saved me from drowning. Jasper hand a hand placed against his jaw, letting one finger rest against his nose and between his eyes, while the others rested across his mouth. It was obvious that he was studying Mara and I, as well as the bond that we shared. When I finished, he nodded in approval, smiling.
"Thats amazing. And it looks like you two get along well together." he said, admiring the bond that Mara and I were displaying.
The clock against the wall struck 9 and everyone was beginning to migrate upstairs toward the rooms if they had them reserved. I could hear a couple of the groups of girls passing by, giggling at something. Jasper looked up at them, and then back at Mara and I before smiling in a manner consistent with understanding of a hidden piece of knowledge.
"What are you smiling about?" I asked, wondering what had caused this sudden shift of expression.
"Oh… nothing." he responded, obviously concealing something.
Before I had a chance to press him on the matter, Mara lifted me on to my feet with her hair-fins and began herding me upstairs. Lucario and Charmander quickly followed in behind me, so as not to get separated in the crowd of trainers making their way upstairs for a night of long awaited sleep.
After a while, I had arrived back in my room. The noise from outside soon died out as we all settled onto our respective bunks. Lucario and I took the top bunks, leaving Mara and Charmander on the lower bunks, given the size difference that we had from each other. Within minutes I had fallen asleep.
Before I knew it, I felt myself being poked lightly by something sharp, as if to get my attention. I looked up to see Lucario hanging off the side of my bed with one of his paw spikes in the shape of a metal claw. As this happened, my eyes were assailed by the morning light that was pouring through the windows. Morning had come quick, but my mind had only just laid itself down to rest.
"Hey Ted, lets go." exhorted Lucario.
"Ugh… " I replied, piqued for not being able to enjoy the down time that slumber usually gave, and still sleepy. "Do I have to?"
"Ted, don't make me come and get you out of there…" said Mara, who must have been across the room, judging from where her voice was coming from. I knew better than to leave it to Mara to get me up, for as I discovered within the first couple weeks of her living with me at home, her methods of waking me up included latching her mouth over my feet and ankles, and pulling me out of bed that way. She would then playfully 'nom' at my feet like she was eating me alive, which was an awkward experience to put it mildly, though she took amusement to it and I wasn't in any position to stop her from doing it.
Without any further argument or protest, I roused myself from bed and made my way to the bathroom to wash up for the day ahead. Before long, I was walking out the door to my room with all three of my Pokémon beside me. As I entered the cafeteria of the Pokémon center, I was met with a copious amount of observation from those already present. I gathered breakfast for everyone and we took a table that had yet to be occupied.
The cafeteria was ablaze with the hubbub of challenges for battles being made, daily regimens begin discussed and compared among other trainers, and things of that nature.
I hastily finished the rest of my breakfast, with the rest of the gang not taking their time with breakfast either. We all cleared the table and began making our way outside. I was careful to avoid the trainers that were seeking challenges so as to save my strength for the trial ahead.
Since today was the day that I was going to challenge the Cerulean gym, I made my way toward the towns pool which was doubling as the gym. The signs were clear enough in their direction toward the place as this gym was about all that the whole city had in terms of making it truly unique.
I soon arrived at what looked like an amusement center for young children. It was a building with a yellow & pink striped dome shaped roof that was graced with the figure of a Dewgong posted over the entrance, giving it's puppy-like gaze to any who should approach.
I made my way inside to find out where the challengers were supposed to go. There were a couple aquatic displays of generic undersea life on display, though they were a little intrusive with the way that they were arranged. I kept close to Mara, Lucario, and Charmander and led them down a set of stairs.
After descending the stairs, I found myself in a hallway filled with much more extravagant undersea exhibits that featured more exotic breeds of water Pokémon, too numerous for me to name. The hallway was eerily quiet, except for the humming of the machinery that kept the tanks functioning, and the tumult from upstairs that bled it's noise down to where I was.
"Are you sure this is the right place Ted?" Lucario asked, certain that we had taken a wrong turn in heading down the stairs.
Before I had a chance to respond, the sound of foot steps echoed from farther down the hallway. I looked over to see a rather burly looking man walking toward me.
"Hey kid, is your name Ted?" he called out.
"Yeah." I responded.
"Word on the street is that you're looking to challenge this gym. Am I right?" he asked.
"Hey kid, is your name Ted?" he called out.
"Yeah." I responded.
"Word on the street is that you're looking to challenge this gym. Am I right?" he asked.
"Y-yes sir." I said.
"Very well, I accept your challenge. I do have to compliment you on having built a reputation like the one you have in only a couple days. Are you nervous?" he asked.
"Well..." I started hesitantly.
"Hmmm, this'll be easier than I thought." the man said, a little put off by my insecurity.
I didn't even bother responding as the feeling of Beautifly in my stomach began coming on.
"Well I uh..." I started, but he turned away and strode off, leaving me to wallow in my own stupidity.
"Very well, I accept your challenge. I do have to compliment you on having built a reputation like the one you have in only a couple days. Are you nervous?" he asked.
"Well..." I started hesitantly.
"Hmmm, this'll be easier than I thought." the man said, a little put off by my insecurity.
I didn't even bother responding as the feeling of Beautifly in my stomach began coming on.
"Well I uh..." I started, but he turned away and strode off, leaving me to wallow in my own stupidity.
After a moment, I shook my head in disbelief at my own stupidity. I then felt a paw tap me on the shoulder, prompting me to look up.
"Come on Ted. Lets give this guy a battle he'll never forget." Lucario said, in an upbeat tone.
"We'll show that rotten Magikarp what it feels like to be washed up." Charmander said. (I'll admit it, that was terrible XP)
I picked my head up and stood myself straighter. A warm, reassuring feeling swept though me as I heard all of my friends speaking to me. At that moment, I felt truly blessed to have them at my side.
"Come on Ted. Lets give this guy a battle he'll never forget." Lucario said, in an upbeat tone.
"We'll show that rotten Magikarp what it feels like to be washed up." Charmander said. (I'll admit it, that was terrible XP)
I picked my head up and stood myself straighter. A warm, reassuring feeling swept though me as I heard all of my friends speaking to me. At that moment, I felt truly blessed to have them at my side.
I nodded to everyone present and we all made our way through the hallway. Several signs were posted with the indication that any trainer that was challenging the gym should follow them. Heeding their advice, I led everyone up several flights of stairs, until we reached a doorway that led onto the pool deck.
The moist air of the pool deck swept across us all as well as the smell of chlorinated water that usually accompanied an indoor pool. Charmander seemed less than pleased that this kind of moisture was in the air, though he took comfort in the likely scenario that I wouldn't be pitting him against any opponents that we would face here.
The moist air of the pool deck swept across us all as well as the smell of chlorinated water that usually accompanied an indoor pool. Charmander seemed less than pleased that this kind of moisture was in the air, though he took comfort in the likely scenario that I wouldn't be pitting him against any opponents that we would face here.
I looked around the large pool area where sets of elevated bleachers lay empty, with the exception of a handful of trainers that were seated in them, likely trying to study the battles that were taking place so as to improve their own battling skills. The acoustics of the pool were such that any sound I made came reverberating back at me for several seconds on end.
The gym leader stepped out onto the opposite side of the pool deck, signaling me that it was time for me to prepare myself for the battle. I stepped into the trainer's box that the challenger was supposed to use.
The battlefield was primarily water, with a couple of sturdy floats set up though out the water to allow land-based Pokémon a chance to battle. Even with this accommodation, the battlefield was nothing more than a repurposed pool and anything that required solid ground to operate was at an astronomical disadvantage because of it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Cerulean Gym!!!" Boomed someone over the PA system of the gym. "We are proud to be the host of what promises to be another exciting battle for the Cascadebadge. Our match up today is will be between our esteemed gym leader, and Olympic medalist Mel, and the hot-shot challenger from Pallet Town, Ted!!! Mr. Referee..."
The trainers present began watching intently, as the atmosphere of the whole room changed. Soon, a man dressed in black slacks, and a bright blue and black striped shirt stepped onto a soapbox with a green and red flag in each hand.
"This will be a two on two official gym battle with no time limit. The battle will be over when both of one trainer's Pokémon are ruled unable to battle. Only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions during the course of the battle. Trainers, release your Pokémon." bellowed out the referee.
I turned and gave Lucario a nod. Lucario confidently nodded back to me and jumped out onto the nearest float on my side of the pool. Mel procured a Poké ball from his belt and expanded it to its baseball size before throwing it out to the pool. The ball opened to usher forth a bright red flow of light that took the shape of a Golduck. The Golduck landed on the float that was in front of Mel, taking a stance that displayed his readiness to battle.
-EDIT-
-EDIT-
"Begin!!!" Called out the referee, making a criss-cross motion with both of his flags.
"Golduck, to the water!" called Mel.
Golduck immediately dove underwater. The pool was clear enough that I could see him, even at my angle.
"Lucario, move up!" I answered. Lucario began hoping from float to float, gaining significant ground on Golduck.
"Now Golduck, use Water Pulse!!" called Mel. Golduck suddenly shot out from the water with a clear orb of water suspended in one of his hands. Golduck shot the orb and struck Lucario with it, causing him to stagger.
How could he know that Lucario was right there? Was it just luck that he was able to do that, or was I missing something?
"Lucario, make your way back to me." I said, now taking a more defensive approach. Lucario began jumping on the floats, making his way back to the starting float.
"Aqua Jet Golduck!" Called Mel.
Just as Lucario was leaping off another float, Golduck came zooming out from under the surface, encased in a watery cone and barreling toward Lucario.
"Behind you Lucario!!" I called.
Lucario caught the warning and aimed a kick straight at Golduck to try stopping the attack. This was only half successful as Lucario was launched a notable distance because of this, but this maneuver served to avert the damaging effects of the attack.
There it was again. Golduck knew exactly where Lucario was, but- I stopped mid thought as Lucario landed on the float he started on. I watched as he landed on the float, sending a steady ripple across the water. Thats it! Thats how Golduck knows where Lucario is.
"Lucario, use aura sphere on that float over there." I said, motioning to a nearby float.
Lucario did as instructed, charging and firing an aura sphere at a near by float. A ripple came out from under a float and spread across the water.
Lucario stayed where he was, careful not to budge an inch from where he stood. The trainers watched on curiously, wondering what I was doing.
"Hit’em again Golduck. Aqua Jet!” called out Mel.
Golduck sprang forth from the water, but was aiming for the float that Lucario had hit. Golduck saw this mid flight, but was powerless to stop himself from continuing along his trajectory.
"Golduck, get out of there!!” shouted Mel, realizing the predicament that Golduck had gotten into.
"Hit’em now Lucario. Aura Sphere!!” I called out, trying to seize my opportunity while it lasted.
Lucario charged an aura sphere in his palm and fired it at Golduck as the last of the water dissipated from around his body that he was using to spearhead his attack. The sphere hit it’s mark on Golduck's chest and sent him hurling across the battlefield, coming to a crashing halt on a near-by float.
Golduck quickly pushed himself up. I was initially surprised by this since that would have been the end for most Pokémon, but then I came to bear with the fact that I was in a gym battle and that these Pokémon were truly ‘a cut above the rest’.
"Golduck use water gun, and close that gap!" Called Mel.
"Keep your distance Lucario, but keep the pressure up. Aura Sphere!!" I called.
Golduck and Lucario proceeded to hop about from float to float. Sometimes one would score a hit, and then the other would return the favor. This was not to last as Golduck began closing the gap. He was getting closer and closer, and Lucario was running out of time to pull a victory out.
Come on Ted, think. This defensive posture can't work forever, he's too aggressive.
I turned these thoughts, along with similar ones over in my mind, until a thought struck me.
Carefully biding my time, I found my opening just as Lucario was about to be pushed off of his last float.
"Lucario!! Get in close and use Metal Claw!!" I called.
Golduck opened his mouth to unleash another jet of water, but Lucario quickly ducked under it. With a powerful uppercut motion, Lucario struck Golduck under the jaw and stopped his attack, and causing him to stagger backwards.
"Finish him with Force Palm!! I called out.
Lucario quickly slammed the palm of his paw straight into the gut of his adversary, causing him to curl up on the epicenter of the blow and keel over into the pool. A chorus of 'ohs' came as the trainers that were there as they witnessed Golduck tumble into the water. A constant murmur went up as people began whispering amongst themselves, trying to guess whether Golduck would be able to pull through. Soon, the shadowy outline of a Golduck appeared under the water's surface. After a while, he rose to the surface. He was clutching the spot that Lucario had struck him, and was in no condition to continue fighting, particularly on this kind of a field.
The referee raised the red flag and pointed it toward me. "Golduck is unable to battle. Lucario is the winner!!"
A chorus of oohs and other sounds of mixed approval and disapproval came from the trainers present. Mel still had one more Pokémon up his sleeve, and I could only guess at how powerful it was if he started off with a Pokémon like Golduck.
Mel raised Golduck's Poké ball and aimed it at the now beaten defender of the Cascade Badge. A red finger of light shot from the ball and hit Golduck's side, causing his form to dematerialize and return to the confines of the Poké ball. "Ted, I must say that I didn't expect much from you when we first met, but I can see that you have the power needed to overcome the challenges presented to you." Mel said, looking over Golduck's Poké ball. "But will that be enough for your next challenge?"
He seemed so sure of himself, despite the fact that he was down one and I still had two Pokémon that I could switch out at anytime for this battle. A wave of uncertainty crept through me as I turned these words over in my head, but I made sure not to show it.
Mel procured another Poké ball from his belt and tossed it up in the air. The ball opened and a torrent of light burst forward, settling itself on a nearby float. The light soon faded and had taken the shape of a Gyarados.
The massive sea snake glared at me menacingly before letting out a savage roar. It seemed that my very bones were shaking as the roar rocked the interior of my body. This must be Gyarados's intimidate ability.
Mara slithered up beside me, keeping her gaze fixed on Gyarados. As I looked up at her, I saw a fiery determination in her eyes that would tell even the most clueless person that she had her heart set on victory and nothing was gonna stop her from trying for it.
"Mara? Do you really wanna-" I started
"He's mine Ted." she said, displaying a firmness and resolution that I had previously thought she had never had, or was within her.
Without any further debate, I gave Mara a nod. She leapt onto the main float in the pool, giving Gyarados a stare that was arguably unbecoming of her kind. Gyarados gave a snarl and flicked his tail, also ready to battle.
"Begin!!" bellowed the referee, swishing both flags in cross formation to signal the start of the battle.
"Use Dragon Rage." Called Mel.
Gyarados shot a giant ray of whitish-red energy at Mara. Mara ducked out of the way and dove underwater.
"Get in the water and use Ice Fang." Called Mel. Gyarados dove under as his teeth began glowing. It was difficult to see down into the water due to the glare that the lights above were giving off on the surface. Sweat began trickling down my body as my nervousness set it.
Come on Ted, think. Mara needs your help.
"Mara, use Dragon Tail and drive him towards the surface!!" I called out, trying to do anything I could to
I wasn't sure if Mara could hear me or not, but I soon saw a blueish-purple flash below the surface of the water slam against something. My heart began racing even more as I watched that happen. Was Mara okay? Was she hurt? Who was winning?
My gut felt like it was going to burst with anxiety until Gyarados came shooting out of the water. He landed on a near by float, doubling over on himself as if he had been struck hard by something. Mara leapt out onto another float. She was out of breath, as if she had been fighting hard. The two were an even match and it was now anyone's guess as to who the victor of this battle was. Mel was also nothing short of surprised by this turn of events. He pressed his lips together a moment as he thought.
"Mara, are you okay?" I called out.
A wink and a nod was all I could get from her before she returned her attention to the battle at hand.
"Ted, I must say that it has been a pleasure battling with you. You've more than exceeded my expectations and you should be proud of that." Mel said, no longer in his condescending tone, but one that showed admiration. "But every battle must have a victor, and I plan to be just that. Now Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!!"
Gyarados began accumulating a ball of energy within his gaping jaws. Few had this attack used against them, and even fewer would find victory afterwards.
"Counter it with Ice Beam!!" I called out.
Mara parted her jaws and a teal ball of energy began forming. As I looked her over, I could see the fatigue of battle having taken it's toll on her. Some of her scales had been scuffed and were discolored. It hurt to see her like that, but I was powerless to do anything about it now.
Both Mara and Gyarados unleashed they're attacks, resulting in them to collide in mid air. The resulting tumult was sending ripples through the air and the water down below. Where both attacks collided, there was a ball of energy that was steadily getting bigger, as if threatening to burst.
"Counter it with Ice Beam!!" I called out.
Mara parted her jaws and a teal ball of energy began forming. As I looked her over, I could see the fatigue of battle having taken it's toll on her. Some of her scales had been scuffed and were discolored. It hurt to see her like that, but I was powerless to do anything about it now.
Both Mara and Gyarados unleashed they're attacks, resulting in them to collide in mid air. The resulting tumult was sending ripples through the air and the water down below. Where both attacks collided, there was a ball of energy that was steadily getting bigger, as if threatening to burst.
Both attacks continued until the epicenter of the attack collapsed momentarily, then erupted in an ear-splitting explosion that temporarily blinded everyone in the room. As the light cleared, everyone looked on with their mouths agape as the results of the battle became known. Lucario set a paw to his mouth as he looked.
"I don't believe it..." was all he could say.
Here is the long overdue next installment that I broke new ground on in the realm of procrastination. It seems that its business as usual for now with the gang of four... for now.
Series Start
Previous: Mayhem At Mt. Moon
Previous: Mayhem At Mt. Moon
Next: Bill-ding Roads
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Comments29
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I's a good cliffhanger.
The battle between Lucario and Golduck was good, as that show of cunning on both sides was quite unexpected.
Another thing I can say is that both battles had their theme of sorts. The first was a battle of guile, first Golduck had his method of locating Lucario and then Ted used that to his advantage. The second battle seems to be a battle of pure strength, as those colliding attacks showed. But you already knew that.
Great job on this chapter. And while that cliffhanger tempts me to go to the next chapter, I still wanna try and leave some room in between each chapter, as so not to cram it in my head without savoring it.
I want to enjoy this as a gourmet dessert, to be enjoyed slowly, and each element examined, not like a bag of chips where you just stuff your fat face and you can never have enough.
The battle between Lucario and Golduck was good, as that show of cunning on both sides was quite unexpected.
Another thing I can say is that both battles had their theme of sorts. The first was a battle of guile, first Golduck had his method of locating Lucario and then Ted used that to his advantage. The second battle seems to be a battle of pure strength, as those colliding attacks showed. But you already knew that.
Great job on this chapter. And while that cliffhanger tempts me to go to the next chapter, I still wanna try and leave some room in between each chapter, as so not to cram it in my head without savoring it.
I want to enjoy this as a gourmet dessert, to be enjoyed slowly, and each element examined, not like a bag of chips where you just stuff your fat face and you can never have enough.