Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 3 chapters ahead.
Back at it with chapter 19, and our first Gym battle! The opponent, Rock-Hard Brock! Wait...
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It was finally time.
I bounced on my toes as Trainer after Trainer was called, disappearing into the darkness that laid behind the door. I'd gotten up early, even by my standards, nerves making me unable to sleep. I was lucky Siren was such a sweetheart. Neither Betty nor Sol would have put up with my unending ranting about various strategies, most of which were for circumstances incredibly unlikely to happen.
Though if Brock did whip out a Rhydon and Golem, I was so fucking ready. I was going to get my ass whooped, but we'd go down swinging.
"Calm down, lad! It's just the first fucking Badge, nothin' ta get excited 'bout. That fish of yars is gonna sweep right through!"
I managed to keep enough of my balance to only take a single step when Grant slapped me on the back. The old timer had volunteered himself to come with me, though I didn't really protest. The crazy octogenarian had grown on me, like a fungus. A mildly insane, somewhat threatening fungus that always seemed ready to kill someone at the drop of a hat.
The training he'd given my team alone would have endeared me to the man, yet he hadn't stopped at just getting Betty and Sol started on Brick Break. After he was satisfied that I understood enough of the theory, little as there was, to teach my Pokémon the rest myself, we'd left them under the far from tender tutelage of 'Punchy', the not-so-subtly named Hitmonchan.
Seriously, what the fuck was up with the nicknames? First Oak, then Gary, and now Grant?
Weirdos, the whole lot of them.
Anyway, while he'd obviously kept a lot to himself, Grant had walked me through the most likely Pokémon that Brock would field for a first Badge newbie, like Geodude, Rhyhorn if I was unlucky, and probably Onix. The giant rock snake was known as Brock's ace at the lowest levels, often appearing if the Gym Leader felt a first or second Badge challenger was having too easy of a time of it.
Which, given Siren's relative strength and Type advantage, was almost a certainty.
Still, I was fairly confident that Grant was right and my feebas would clean house. If she didn't, it fell to Sol and though he'd made enough progress with Brick Break that even Grant was impressed, I didn't feel great about his chances against a 30-foot sentient pile of stone. Natural tendency towards Fighting-Type energy or not, it took more than two days to be ready for something like that.
So, though I was sure it was going to be fine, I was still tripping with anticipation. Trying to distract myself, I decided to finally ask a question that had been on my mind since I first learned about Grant's familiar connections.
"Hey Grant, I have a question."
"Go for it."
"If you all hate Blackthorns so much, how come Bruno is a part of Lance's Elite Four?"
A dark expression flashed over the old man's face, and he spat on the floor, as was his custom. Several of the people around us looked askance at him, yet most of them turned away when they saw who the senior was. One kid around my physical age opened his mouth to say something, only for an older girl to put a hand on his arm and shake her head.
Guess they were familiar with Grant and his… eccentricities. Being one of the oldest members of the founding Clan, as well as the grandfather of an Elite Four, came with some benefits, apparently.
"That's a long tale, lad, longer than we 'ave time for now. In short, the lad got a dumbass idea in 'is 'ead and nothin' I could say would change 'is mind."
Before I could follow up on that mysterious statement, the door opened again and an older teen boy stuck his head out, the dark gray uniform proudly displaying the Boulder Badge on his chest.
"Periwinkle? Is there a Periwinkle?"
"Y-yes! Here!"
Grant gave me another spine-rattling back-pat as I headed for the door.
"Knock 'em dead! I'll be watchin' from the stands, so don't disappoint me!"
Any other time I'd have shot back with something incredibly witty, no doubt, but my heart was in my throat and its beat pulsed in my ears. The trip across the foyer passed in a blur, the trek through the hallways as the Gym Trainer led the way, the same. Before I knew it, we stepped into a large, mostly empty room. The flooring was bare rock, with the only furniture being a couch and a table with some diced up berries and a few bottles of water. Beyond that, there was only another door directly across from the one we'd entered from. I could hear and feel a low brrr! coming through the thick wood, the sound of what I knew to be a whole crowd ready to watch and dissect my every move.
"Here we are. It'll just be a couple of minutes; the field got a little messy during the last battle. Duo Earthquakes will do that. Best of luck out there." The Gym Trainer held out a hand, which I grasped absently with a murmured response.
And then he was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts and doubts.
Or as alone as I'll ever be.
Three clicks and flashes of light had my team arranged before me while I paced back and forth.
"All right, here we go. It's time. Time to fuck some shit up and get a Badge. Yup. Gonna be just fine, nothing to worry about, no sir. Just… gonna go in there and, and just… beat them. Yup."
Siren blinked at me for a moment before gurgling comfortingly, floating over to lean against my leg. I'd have protested the waste of energy, but I could honestly use the company as I sat down on the couch and lifted her to my lap. Sol had collapsed onto the floor the instant he realised we weren't fighting immediately, completely unconcerned.
Betty, meanwhile, didn't have the reaction I'd thought she would. Though she struggled a little due to her mass, she quickly scrambled up onto the couch that groaned worryingly under the weight, even though it was made of fucking stone. She didn't glomp onto me as she did when in a good mood, but it was a lot better than when I'd told her that she wouldn't be fighting against Brock.
She seemed understanding enough that Siren would be going first, however, Sol being the backup plan, hadn't gone down well. So seeing her contain herself despite the displeasure I knew she felt caused a warm feeling to chase away some of the pre-game jitters as I rubbed the bony dome atop her head.
While I doubted that it would last long, it still felt a little like my baby growing up.
I quickly withdrew my fingers when she made to snap after them.
Very, very little. Like a fraction of a percentage.
"This is fucking stupid. I've fought actual murderers and terrorists. I was a part of a whole-ass raid on a secret lab. It's just a fucking Gym battle, I don't know why I'm so fucking nervous."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, swiftly sinking into the ever-more familiar feeling of meditation. Though it had only been a couple of days, I had a feeling that Grant's teachings were the key to finally making some progress with my Aura. The airy, fleeting energy within eluded my mental fingers as it always did, yet rather than simply chasing it around fruitlessly, I imagined a forcefield around it, a transparent container that slowly forced the purple-ish Aura to compress. Slowly, nearly indistinguishably, the loose ball shrank, growing more and more solid. Heat spread through my body, pouring from my chest to my arms, from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. The nerves faded as focus took hold, eagerness and anticipation replacing them. There was nothing to be nervous about.
Finally, I was going to show the world my strength. It was time to stop hiding, stop playing. An enemy thought to impede my progress, to stand in my way, and he would be met with bared fangs and claws, his stupid fucking rocks crushed in my shadow as I spread my wings, turned to cinders at my feet and-
"-CALLING CHALLENGER TO THE FIELD! CHALLENGER, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE FIELD!"
Snapping out of my daydreams, I quickly recalled my team and rolled my shoulders. Most of the jitters were gone, but it was still my first time battling in front of so many people.
But it was fine. It was merely the first step on my path to the top.
Pushing open the door, I stepped out of the waiting room and into the dark corridor.
The impact of my soles against the stone floor echoed off the walls, muffling the ever-growing noise as I headed for the distant light. Soon, however, the cacophony of voices drowned out everything else.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, COMING AT THE HEELS OF LOUISE EVERGREEN'S BOLD DISPLAY OF MATCHING GYM LEADER BROCK TYPE-FOR-TYPE, WE HAVE A NEWCOMER!"
Halting at the threshold of the arena, I took one last deep inhale, steeled myself, and stepped out, blinking at the sudden brightness.
"CHALLENGING FOR HIS FIRST BADGE, DURING HIS FIRST CIRCUT, WE HAVE A TRAINER SPONSORED BY THE POKÉMON PROFESSOR HIMSELF, SAMUEL OAK! AFTER THE IMPRESSIVE SHOWING OF GARY OAK AND JONATHAN BERRIBELL, CAN THIS NEW CHALLENGER KEEP UP PALLET'S UNDEFEATED STREAK!? EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOOOOOR, PERIWINKLE!"
I had to suppress the desire to cover my ears as the crowd indeed did 'give it up'. A hollering of support, heckling, well wishes, and insults poured forth as I walked into the arena and took a look around. Rather concerningly, I was reminded of a colosseum. Stands rose on either side of where I'd emerged, filling both walls from floor to ceiling. Only the bottom rows were visible, lit by the lamps and spotlights that shone on the battlefield, while the top part was hidden in shadows. I wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing as I took a few steps up to my designated platform. It was a simple booth of more granite, no surprise there, raised a foot or two off the floor of the wide field before me. One of the spotlights was directly above me, and I noticed a microphone and speaker embedded into the front of the platform.
Speaking of the battleground, I gazed out over the football field-sized area that we'd be fighting in. A variety of rocks were spread throughout the square, some as small as my head, while others could cover me entirely. The surface was more granite, like every-fucking-thing else in the Gym, and the whole thing clearly favored Rock and Ground-Types.
But I'd expected that. There was plenty of footage online of Brock's matches, so I was well prepared for the environment. The only thing I wasn't familiar with was the tall rock pillar that stood in the place of where the opposite booth should've been, rising upwards until it disappeared into the darkness of the roof. I frowned in confusion.
Where was Brock?
"AAAAAND OF COURSE, PERIWINKLE'S OPPONENT NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, THOUGH I WILL GIVE ONE ANYWAY! THE DEFENDER OF PEWTER, THE YOUNG MAN THAT STEPPED UP AND KEPT A THOUSAND YEARS OF TRADITION ALIVE, THE UPHOLDER OF THE PEBBLE CLAN'S LEGACY, YOU KNOW HIM, YOU LOVE HIM, IIIIIIITTTTTTSSSSSS BRRROOOOOOOOCK PEEEEBBBLEEEEE!"
The rock pillars shuddered at the announcement. It took me a moment, but I saw the base slowly start sinking into the ground as it vibrated. Four crisscrossing projectors kicked on with a snap!, highlighting the summit as the man-made stalagmite descended.
And standing on top, feet spread wide and arms folded over his chest as his sediment steed brought him down, was an older teen, on the cusp of adulthood. His dark brown, nearly black, hair stood up from his head in spikes, like a hedgehog, bangs hanging down over his forehead. A green vest covered his orange t-shirt stuffed into sturdy brown cargo pants, held up by a belt with a Pokéball on either side, and finished off with a pair of hiking boots. His skin was tan, partly from birth, yet also bore the clear signs of a life spent in the sun.
But by far the most attention-grabbing for me was the closed slots the teen had for eyes, not as much as twitching as the crowd went nuts. Where they'd been mixed on me, there was nothing but love for the local Gym Leader. Children held up big signs with 'BROCK 4 EVER' and other messages painted on them, people were clad in replicas of his vest, and I swore I saw a woman crying at his appearance.
Fucking shit, people REALLY cared about Gym battles, huh? It made sense, considering how crazy some were about actors or athletes back in my original world, but it didn't feel great to so clearly be the underdog.
THUNK!
Brock's booth slid into place with a heavy noise, whatever Rock-Type that was controlling it from out of sight, letting it settle. The Gym Leader let the crowd have another few beats to pop off before raising his hand. Like it was choreographed, which it basically was with around a dozen matches each weekday, the onlookers fell silent at the signal.
"You are my challenger?"
His voice echoed both from the speaker in front of me, as well as the larger ones pointed at the masses. The double effect gave him a creepy vibe, and I glanced at the spectators, feeling my mouth drying out and my palms getting sweaty. It was a lot.
Just focus on the battle. That was the only thing that mattered.
"I am."
"You think you have what it takes to earn the Boulder Badge?"
"I do." And I wasn't fucking leaving without it. Even if I lost, I'd fucking jump him in an alleyway afterwards.
"Then show me."
The referee stepped forward from where he'd been standing at the side, raising one of the flags he carried in each hand, red for me and green for Brock.
"This will be a two-on-two battle for the Boulder Badge! Gym Leader Brock, release your first Pokémon!"
Taking the ball on his left side, Brock enlarged it and hurled it with near-perfect accuracy into the middle of the field, shouting the name of his Pokémon as he did so.
"Crush them, Geodude!"
In a red flash, the small Rock-Type materialized, flexing its oddly muscular arms to the pleasure of the crowd. Its cracked lips opened, and it let out a sound like gravel crunching together.
"GEOOOOORRRR!"
"AND WE'RE OFF TO THE RACES, FOLKS! BROCK OPENS UP WITH HIS USUAL, GEODUDE! THE TOUGH LITTLE GUY HAS FELLED MANY UNPREPARED FOES! HOW WILL PERIWINKLE RESPOND!?"
The hidden announcer boomed across the stadium while I took in my first obstacle.
As I expected. He almost always opened with Geodude, according to both Grant and my research. Just had to follow the plan.
Taking a deep breath, I grasped Siren's ball, ignoring the minor tremble of my fingers. I was fine. Nothing to be concerned about so far.
"Go, Siren!"
My throw went a little wide of where I wanted her to be released close to my booth, and I had to stretch to catch the ball on the bounce back. I grit my teeth at the resulting chuckles, both at my throw and at my Pokémon.
"A Feebas?"
"Loool!"
"This is fuckin' over."
"Type advantage won't save you with that!"
I could see Siren slumping at the insults, where she was resting on the floor between the large rocks. I wanted to snap back at them, but before I could, the speaker in front of me crackled to life.
"Ignore them." Brock's voice rang out, though nothing came out of the larger crowd speakers. I was the only one who could hear him. "Hecklers are everywhere, and you'll have to get used to them. Shut them out and focus on the battle. That's the best way to prove them wrong."
"AND PERIWINKLE SENDS OUT A FEEBAS! SEEMS THE CHALLENGER HOPES A TYPE ADVANTAGE WILL CARRY THE DAY! HOW WILL GYM LEADER BROCK RESPOND!?"
"Geodude, Rock Throw!"
And then there was no more time to think.
"Siren, dodge!" The feebas swiftly levitated to the right as the rock Pokémon reached out and grabbed a fist-sized chunk of stone. I could barely follow the blur as it cocked its arm back and sent the projectile hurling forward like a bullet, shattering on impact with a boulder.
"Water Gun!" The attack built quicker than ever, and in less than three seconds, the compressed stream of liquid blasted forward towards the Rock-Type.
"Shield, follow up with Dual Throw!"
The Geodude tucked in its arms and rolled behind a larger stone, letting the Water Gun gouge a small hole in it. Another pair of Rock Throws came screaming around the barrier, one slightly after the other, hoping to lead Siren into the path of the next. She dodged them both at my command, but the slight pause was enough for Brock to get off another move.
"Defense Curl!"
My jaw hurt from clenching it so hard. Range wasn't working; Geodude was too used to using the environment to its advantage.
So we had to take that away from it.
"Siren, close the distance! Zigzag!"
Brock raised an eyebrow as Siren shot forward over the gravel, tail beating furiously as she poured her energy into movement. Rocks came continuously, some getting closer than others as my Water-Type juked between covers. A jagged piece scraped across her side, a few scales glinting in the lights as they spun through the air, but she quickly managed to get close to the Geodude's naturally formed barrier.
"Geodude, ready a Tackle!"
"Water Feint left!"
Unfortunately for Brock, his order was the wrong one. Siren shot a short blast of water to the left side of the boulder, even as she moved around it the right way. Geodude turned, ready to throw himself in the direction the attack came from, completely missing Siren emerging at his back.
"GEODUDE, BEHIND YOU!"
"WATER GUN!"
Too slow. The concentrated jet of super-effective energy struck it in the side of the head as it desperately tried to spin around, sending it flying back into its own cover, splintering the rock as it crashed into it.
CRASH!
"YES!" That had to have done it. Geodude was 4x weak to water, and even if it didn't work quite like that in the real version of Pokémon I was in, it should still be more than enough.
"Geodude! Hit it back with Thunder Punch!"
My eyes widened. I'd fucking forgot about Sturdy. And what the fuck do you mean, Thunder Punch!?
"JET!"
The Rock Pokémon extracted itself from the shallow crater it had gotten stuck in and cocked back an arm. It was clearly hurt, cracks spreading throughout its stone body, and panting heavily. Yet, despite its obvious pain, yellow sparks sprang to life from its fist, a coating of electricity crackling as it threw the attack forward. Unlike me, however, Siren was too smart to let down her guard that easily. Even with the small delay where she had to understand what I said, as soon as the words left my mouth, she gathered another Water Gun and, with seconds to spare, let it loose.
The two attacks met, the Thunderpunch easily carving through the water, yet striking nothing but air as Siren used the force of her own move to help send her flying backwards. Jet was a move we'd spent the last couple of days working on. It was essentially just a Water Gun, but rather than directing all her energy towards damage and holding herself in place, she instead used it for propulsion, like her own little jet engine.
It still wasn't perfected, Siren flying backwards uncontrollably and hitting a rock with a smack!, but it did the trick. Geodude shuddered as the residual effects of the Water Gun that its attack didn't disperse washed over it, its eyes rolling back in its head as it collapsed onto its back.
"OOOOOHH, A SAVAGE HIT! A CLEVER MOVE BY PERIWINKLE SENDS GEODUDE TO THE FLOOR! IS IT DOWN AND OUT!?"
I wondered much the same, keeping my eyes on it as Siren regathered herself. I doubted Geodude could repeat its trick; the Thunder Punch had been fairly slow from the damage it had taken. But it wouldn't fool me twice.
Click!
Red flashed over Geodude as it returned to the Pokéball Brock held out. The referee waved his flag towards his boss.
"Gym Leader Brock has withdrawn his Pokémon! The score is 1-0 in favor of the challenger! Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!"
"AND GYM LEADER BROCK RECALLS HIS GEODUDE! THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN THE NUMBER OF REMAINING POKÉMON! WILL THE CHALLENGER GET THE CLEAN SWEEP!?"
I tilted my head at the words of the announcer, something familiar tickling the back of my mind, but the noises of the crowd distracted me.
"Come on!" A group of men started trading bills back and forth.
"Yaaaah, go feebas!" A kid waved his arms excitedly.
"Boooo!"
"That was a nice move!"
"Please, it was just a Water Gun!"
"THERE YA GO, LAD! FUCK 'IM UP!" A couple was violently shoved apart as Grant threw them aside. I didn't know where he'd been, but seeing the bottle in his hand as he gave me a double thumbs up with a big gap-toothed grin, I had a decent idea.
I wrenched my attention back to Brock as the older teen surveyed the field and Siren thoughtfully.
The battle wasn't over yet, as proven when he picked his last Pokéball off his belt.
"That was well done. Your feebas is obviously well-trained, and you know how to use your moves to your advantage, even if it's not the traditional way they're utilized. But how do you handle something with a little more power?"
There could only really be one thing he was talking about.
If the spectators had been excited before, they completely lost their shit when Onix burst out of its ball with a bone-shaking roar of two mountains grinding against each other, the earth vibrating as the 32-foot-long stone serpent crashed into the field. Beyond pictures, it was my first time seeing the Pokémon, and holy fucking Mew was it big. The dark gray body of the Onix was made up of enormous boulders, the largest of which was wider than I was tall, and even the smallest at the tip of the tail was bigger than Siren. A tall stone spine rose from the top of its head like a crest, as big as a man, and capable of crashing through rock like it was water.
It narrowed its eyes at Siren, black pupils hanging alone in the middle of the whites. It opened its rounded snout and let out another earthquaking bellow, like a landslide rumbling to eradicate everything in its way.
"OOOOOOOOOOONNN!"
-A deep, low rumble reverberated through the boat, like a hundred tigers growled at the same time-
I closed my eyes and pushed the memories away. It wasn't the same. It wasn't even a Gyarados. It was just a big, dumb target. If I couldn't even handle that much, I'd have no chance going forward.
And I would be going forward. My team counted on me. The gang, Ra, counted on me.
My eyelids snapped open, and I readied myself.
"AND BROCK UNLEASHES HIS ACE, THE PEWTER FAVORITE, ONIX! WHAT WILL PERIWINKLE AND HIS FEEBAS DO AGAINST SUCH A POKÉMON!?
"GOOOO ONIX!"
"YEAAAH!
"OONIX, OONIX, OONIX!"
If I weren't so focused, I'd probably have done a double take as the Onix seemed to preen at the words from the masses, twisting its huge body around to show it off with booming sounds of rock grinding against rock, the spotlights reflecting off its polished boulder segments.
Someone loved the attention.
"Are both Trainers ready!?"
"Ready." My opponent called out.
I nodded.
"BEGIN!"
"Water Bullets, stay away from it!"
"Rock Tomb!"
Onix screeched as the glops of water struck its thick frame, Siren skirting around as she fired a continuous barrage. Each pellet wasn't anything to write home about, yet little by little, the super effective energy seeped in, each blow leaving small indents. Onix was clearly distracted by the pain; however, it wasn't enough to put it completely off. The ground glowed a dull red, four huge slabs of minerals wrested from the arena by the rock snake's geokinesis. They arched high into the air and came crashing down like meteorites. Gravel and shrapnel exploded outwards as they hit the floor, Siren abandoning her attack flurry to frantically try and evade. One, two, three were avoided, but the shockwave of the fourth caught her in the last moment, sending her careening, bouncing through the battlefield.
"SIREN!"
My feebas came to a stop and struggled to get back up. She was panting pretty heavily, some from the accumulating damage, but mostly from all the maneuvering. She'd come incredibly far from where she started with levitation, but it was still draining.
I kept waiting for the inevitable assault of rocks, yet surprisingly, it never came. Brock and Onix merely waited, gazing at us indecipherably.
Right. It was a Gym Battle, not life or death. He was testing us, not just trying to win.
I eyed the monstrous Rock-Type. It was hard to tell, however, I thought its head hung a little lower as it slumped. There was little physical evidence, but Onix hadn't gotten out of the exchange unscathed.
"Siren, same strat. Be ready to Jet, though."
She was noticeably slower as she took off again, her Water Bullets still packing a punch, yet her movements were slow and unsteady. I worried about another Rock Tomb, uncertain if she'd be fast enough even with Jet.
Brock apparently didn't feel like finding out, however.
"Tail sweep!"
My eyes widened as the 30-foot, nearly a thousand-pound sapient stone reared back its tail and sent it hurling forth in an arch across the ground, dirt, sand, and boulders splintering like wood. A storm of debris was left in its wake as it wiped the surface clean, the deceptively fast Pokémon scouring the field to lay Siren low. She tried to reverse, but her momentum was too great and Onix too fast for her to make it.
"ICE BEAM ON THE GROUND!"
The second it took my command to sink in was like an eternity, Siren still on a collision path with the incoming tail. At the last moment, however, her head lowered as icy energy gathered in front of her and lanced out to freeze a clump of earth in front of her while turning the speed up to 11. The club-like ass-appendage that Onix called a tail smashed through the ice with no hesitation, barely missing Siren as she skated up her improvised ramp, flying over the blow and spinning through the air uncontrollably.
"WATER GUN! STEADY YOURSELF!"
Like the shittiest Catherine wheel ever, the compressed aqua shot out of the big, cartwheeling fish like a hose, dousing everything in water. Some of it managed to make it to her opponent, Onix groaning at a frequency that made my ears hurt, but most of it splashed harmlessly on the ground or struck the Psychic barriers that flared to life at the edge of the arena. The most important part, though, was that using it much like she used Jet, Siren managed to flip the right way up and cushion her landing, though she still hit with a smack! that made me wince.
"Quick, hit with another!"
The second Water Gun went a little wide to start, Siren's eyes spinning in her head from the dizziness, but she swiftly got it on target.
And then Brock decided to piss all over my parade with the move I'd been biting my nails over.
"Onix, Dig!"
Shit.
I barely had time to react before the Rock-Type dove headfirst into the ground, vanishing at speeds something that size had no fucking business moving at. In a blink, Siren was left alone on the field, with a predator stalking her from beneath.
Fuck.
My eyes scanned the ground frantically, darting this way and that for the slightest movement.
Other than simply being fuck-off huge and strong, with skin literally as tough as rock, Brock's Onix was most known for its excellent usage of Dig. No matter where the opponent was, on the ground or even flying, the stone serpent had an uncanny ability to emerge at the exact right spot. I'd scoured the forums for any hint of how it did it, but that info was something Pewter Gym was very careful about keeping secret. There were dozens of deleted posts about it, whole threads that had been shut down, and users banned. The only thing I found was that there was definitely some kind of trick to it, beyond just Onix being great.
A silence fell over the room, even the crowd quieting down in suspense. Glancing at Brock, nothing about the teen seemed to have changed. His arms were still crossed, eyes still closed, legs spread wide, and feet planted-
RRRRUUUUMBLEEE!
-Taking my eyes off the field proved to be a mistake. In my instant of distraction, a giant stone crest burst from the ground directly under Siren, the rest of Onix's monstrous body following as the Rock-Type gained insane air in record time, like one of those fake snakes in a can. The tiny moment for reacting that levitating granted Siren wouldn't usually have been enough for my somewhat slow fish to respond, but her senses were dialed to eleven and she was locked the fuck in. It still wasn't enough to dodge, yet the horn just barely scraped along her side before the giant head smashed into her. She went sailing across the arena with a pain-filled gurgle, skidding and bouncing off rocks and gravel before she came to a rest on her side, nearly back at my podium, while Onix crashed back down like an earthquake.
"Siren! Get up, come on, girl!"
"AND ONIX LANDS A DIRECT HIT WITH ITS FAMOUS DIG! IS FEEBAS DOWN AND OUT!?"
"YAAAAA BROCK!"
"No way it's getting back up!"
"FEEBAS NOOOO!"
Shaking with pain and exhaustion, Siren panted on the ground for a long moment before weakly rolling over to her front, eyes squeezed shut while Brock gave us another moment to recuperate. She trembled with the effort to try and levitate, yet barely got more than an inch before falling back down.
Something cracked in my mouth from the pressure of my jaw. Siren was clearly at the end of her rope, and while Onix looked rough, it was still raring to go.
And Brock was a little fucking bitch of an opportunist.
"Onix, again! Dig!"
Or at least he thought so. Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice and I'm the stupid one, or whatever.
The point was, repeating that move was a mistake. Looking at Brock may have cost Siren a big hit, but it also gave me the match.
"Siren, get ready. As soon as it comes out, hit it with everything you've got." I kept my voice low to not give away the game. My beautiful, beautiful Pokémon bubbled back weakly, cheeks bloating and lids closing in concentration.
Then I started bouncing on my feet, heels smacking into the ground repeatedly. A fierce grin took over my face as Brock actually opened his dark, nearly black eyes a sliver in surprise, his own, much more rhythmic tapping halting for a second.
Directing the underground Pokémon through foot taps. Very clever, but also easily disrupted.
RUMBLE!
Onix tore through the surface like it was made of paper with a thundering roar, ready to finish off its enemy. I wanted to laugh as its eyes widened in shock when it hit nothing but air, hanging suspended and unable to defend itself on the completely wrong side of the battlefield.
Then a Water Gun struck it right between the eyes with enough force that the huge Rock-Type was actually forced backwards, collapsing onto its back. The earth shook with such force that I had to grab onto the railing, despite being raised above it.
"Onix, no!"
I bit my cheek as the Onix seemed to move slightly, yet at its Trainer's shout, it went completely limp. Shortly thereafter, it shone red as it dematerialized into energy and returned to its Pokéball.
The battle was over.
We'd won.
"AANNNND THEEERE GOOOES THEEE BAATTLLEEEEEE! THE WINNER, WITH A 2-0 RECORD, IS THE NEWBIE, PERIWINKLE! WITH A CLEAN SWEEP IN HIS FIRST TRY, HOW FAR WILL HE GO!?"
"ARCEUS DAMNIT!"
"Not another one."
"The fuck they feedin' 'em Pallet kids?"
"YEEEES LAD, THAT'S THE WAY, HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
None of the words reached me as I vaulted the podium and landed on the field, rushing over to my Pokémon.
"Siren! You did it, oh my god, you actually fucking did it! You were so good!" She was damn near unconscious when I picked her up, but she still managed to lightly nuzzle into me as I spun around in circles, praise flying from me like a machine gun.
Having to stop when I got dizzy, I finally took notice of the teen standing before me with an amused smile.
I jutted my chin out at him. My girl had done fucking amazing, and if he thought otherwise, he could go fuck himself.
I refused to be embarrassed, not about that.
Rather than saying anything, however, Brock simply extended his hand.
"Congratulations. That was well fought and a well-earned victory."
Shifting Siren to a single arm. I returned the handshake.
"Thanks, you too. That Thunder Punch nearly took us out, not to mention the Dig."
He laughed lightly. "To be completely honest with you, I shouldn't have done that. Thunder Punch is a strat I reserve for second Badges and higher. It was unprofessional of me. It was just the thought of another Pallet kid coming in with an overpowered Pokémon that pissed me off, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."
"It's all good, kept us on our toes if nothing else. Also can't blame you if you had to deal with Gary. That would make anyone short-tempered."
"Yeah, confidence is one thing, but competing for a first-level Boulder Badge with a Wartortle and then bragging about it? A little much."
So Squirty had already evolved? I thought he might, but it was still surprising to hear.
It also raised a suspicion I had.
"Onix wasn't actually unconscious, was it?"
The Gym Leader merely smirked.
"Anyway," Brock fished around in his pocket for a second before coming back with a plastic square holding a disk, "you've more than earned this. It's Rock Tomb. Not the strongest move, but as you saw in our battle, it's plenty useful if you're a little creative, which you've more than demonstrated. I'm sure you'll take the move far."
I thanked him and stuffed the TM in my own pocket.
"And of course, what it's all about." Holding out his other hand, a small object rested in the middle of his palm. The small octagon was a silver-ish gray, with raised edges dividing each quadrant. Taking the Badge with lightly shaking fingers, I was surprised by how weighty it was. "You've more than proven yourself worthy of the Boulder Badge."
I barely noticed Grant having jumped from the stands himself before he slung an arm around me, screaming something I didn't quite catch. I was too busy staring down at my hand.
A Gym Badge. My first Gym Badge. It felt solid, like final proof that I hadn't just been in a years-long coma.
I was a Pokémon Trainer, with a Gym Badge and soon many more.
It was just the first step, but fuck me, did it feel good.
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It makes sense to me that Gym Leaders, especially during matches for lower-ranked Badges, would be more focused on testing and instructing than full-on trying to whoop your ass. Though that might change depending on the Gym Leader in question.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 3 chapters ahead.