With the amber now tucked securely in his bag, Jack gathered the evolution Pokémon into his arms. Her body was warm, and felt terribly uncomfortable when combined with the sun's bitter rays. She, too, suffered from the heat, and struggled within the boy's grip. As his hold loosened, she ascended his arm to settle on his left shoulder. The fur that smothered his neck caused perspiration to roll down his forehead, but the Pokémon beside him was what really mattered now. After all, he wasn't going to waste time by ferrying her to the Pokémon Center, so she needed to be at her best in order to claim victory. Just this once, he was willing to put aside his selfishness for…more selfishness. It wasn't her safety he concerned himself with, rather, it was her condition. But his reasons for doing what he did had never been important in the past, and they weren't important now. With a final look back at the museum, now brimming with police (including one rather luscious policewoman with teal hair), Jack began to make his way towards the gym, which just so happened to be closer to the museum then he had initially thought.
The building was grey, and, like the rest of town, was made almost entirely out of stone. The doors appeared heavy, and, in this case, appearances were not deceiving. The brunette had to hurl the majority of his body weight into the tablets in order to gain entrance. The interior was dark, almost pitch black. As if on command, the overhead lights flipped on, rays plummeting downwards to reveal a dirt arena. On the side opposite Jack, a boy who couldn't have been terribly older than him stood, arms crossed, eyes clenched shut. Spiky brown hair darted in all directions. Momentarily, Jack mused on the boy's sight – he seemed to be blind. This thought was quickly dispelled, however, when the boy spoke with words he could only use if he were capable of sight.
"I hope you don't plan on fighting me with that Eevee. My Rock Pokémon will crush it!" He grinned, withdrawing a Pokéball from his belt. "Though, I suppose introductions come first. I'm Brock, Pewter City's gym leader. And, by the look of things…" He gestured to the stone walls, as well as the rock-laden arena before continuing. "…I'll bet you've already guessed that my specialty is Rock Pokémon!"
Yeah…not to mention the fact that you just got done telling me you used rocks. Forgetful old fart. Jack's emerald eyes spun sarcastically at the thought. "Yeah, yeah," he interjected, his tone impatient. "Let's just get on with this. I'm just itching to destroy you." He finished his sentence with a cocky smile, taking the posture of a man getting ready for a twenty-man bar brawl. Brock grinned coolly.
"Settle down, kid. This isn't a fistfight. I'm assuming by your ignorance that this is your first gym match." Jack shut his mouth, lowering his hands to take the stance of a normal human being. "Let me tell you some things first of all. Gym matches aren't like normal Pokémon battles. They're a lot tougher. If you don't think you're ready, back out now, because your Pokémon could get seriously hurt. The battle here will be two-on-two, so if that Eevee's your only Pokémon, you'd better think twice about challenging me. You're a newbie, so I would assume you haven't faced any Rock-type Pokémon. Don't underestimate them. Now, I'd better stop before I give away any secrets, right?" There, he gave Jack what could only be interpreted as a wink, despite the fact that both his eyes remained firmly shut. "So, you still want to take me on?" Jack's face gushed determination.
"Do you really think…that after all of this, I'd back away now? After coming this far?" He grinned, pointing at the lightly tanned boy with his left index finger, allowing Eevee to run down the length of his arm before hurling herself towards the center of the arena. Brock smirked, tossing a Pokéball high up into the air, allowing it to come crashing down onto the pavement. As soon as it hit, the Pokéball itself shot back into Brock's awaiting hands, leaving only the forming ball of evanescent light. The final form wasn't much different then the ball of light that had once enveloped it. In fact, it was just a boulder…with arms. Levitating a few inches above the ground, it seemed to lack a need for legs, which was quite fortunate, seeing as it didn't have any.
"You think that stone can beat me? Eevee! Tackle it!" The evolution Pokémon wasted no time in launching herself at Geodude, her body making a direct hit with his. Quick to jump to conclusions, Jack pumped his fist in the air. The victorious gesture came too soon. Eevee froze, still pressed firmly against the Rock type. Suddenly, she staggered backwards. Jack blinked. She appeared to be in pain, most likely due to the intense collision with Geodude's solid frame. Soon enough, she regained her composure, and appeared ready to attack once more. Brock grinned.
"That was a free hit. Now you see the superior defense of rock-type Pokémon! Now, Geodude! Tackle it!" It was a solid hit. Eevee was propelled across the arena, collapsing in a heap in the corner of the room.
"Eevee, get up!" The evolution Pokémon struggled to stand, eventually pushing her weakened body into an upright position. "Alright, that was a close one." He shot her a relieved smile, and she returned the gesture. "Brock's Pokémon may be tough, but if they can't hit you, they can't do anything. Kick up some sand!" The Pokémon turned, shooting an intense spray of sand towards Geodude. Physically, Eevee was unable to beat the Rock type, but its speed was no match for hers. The sand hit it directly, clouding its vision. Frantically, it swung its club-like fists in a futile attempt to hit Eevee, who had leapt far outside its reach. "More sand!" Upon command, Eevee made the equivalent of a dust storm within the arena. Sand swirled around, obscuring the view tremendously. Neither Pokémon could be completely sure where the other was, a fact that was made obvious as Eevee was struck by one of Geodude's swinging fists.
"Geodude can hear you, Eevee! You're making too much noise. Run circles around it so it can't determine your location!" The Pokémon obeyed, swiftly spiraling around Geodude. The Pokémon became frantic once more, and spun wildly about in order to hit its opponent. "Now, throw everything you have into it! Tackle, now!" Springing forwards, Eevee slammed the Geodude with her full body weight. A crash could be heard. Though visibility was extremely low, both Pokémon's shapes could be made out. Geodude was down, and Eevee was weakly staggering towards her trainer, making it to his shoes before collapsing. The brunette picked Eevee up in his arms. "You did so well, Eevee. Really, you did."
"Don't think it's over just yet," Brock scolded as he recalled his fallen Pokémon. "There's still one more you have to face, and I can assure you, it's much more powerful than the first." Jack swallowed rather loudly as he fingered the last Pokéball on his hip. It was up to Beedrill now, but since the ground was shrouded in dust, Beedrill would have the advantage, as he was aerial. Little did Jack know that Beedrill's flight wouldn't do him much good.
"Beedrill, your turn!" Right on cue, the Bug type burst from its Pokéball, positioning himself above the cloud of sand.
"Go, Onix!" Brock yelled as he hurled yet another Pokéball towards the center of the arena. Jack had to will himself not to run from the gym and give up being a trainer altogether. Before him was a mammoth snake made entirely from boulders. Just by laying eyes upon the Pokémon, he doubted Beedrill's ability to win.
And what would you do if he loses, Jack? "Go Old Amber!"? Like that'd go over too well. But how am I supposed to take this thing out? It's gargantuan! Jack bit his bottom lip as he mulled things over in his mind. Without warning, Beedrill began to attack, a spray of string exiting his mouth and wrapping around Onix. The attack was pointless, as it didn't inhibit Onix's movements in the slightest. Instead, it raised its tail and swatted Beedrill out of the air. He plummeted towards the ground, yet somehow managed to right itself just in the nick of time. He hovered in midair, his exoskeleton becoming glossy as he hardened his bones. Onix coiled its tail around Beedrill's form, raising him to its head as it gave a tight squeeze. Beedrill struggled, and, with much difficulty, managed to free his arms. In a rage, he began to furiously stab at the rock snake's body, causing the Pokémon to release him. Unfortunately, he was weak. He began to fall to the earth, landing at Jack's feet.
"Beedrill!" Jack rushed to his Pokémon. His last hope. He didn't even hesitate when he withdrew a Potion from his bag and applied it to Beedrill. The Pokémon hadn't regained full health, but it was a quick fix for the time being. Flying up to Onix's face, Beedrill released the attack upon Onix's jaw.
It seemed, for once, he had gotten lucky.
Onix toppled backwards, emitting a roar of agony as it collapsed. Brock was quick to recall this one.
"Despite winning by a fluke, a win is a win. Congratulations. You've earned the Boulder Badge. Oh, and…you need some better moves, kid. Take this TM. It contains Rock Tomb. It's pretty powerful…if you use it right." Jack grasped the objects in his hands, opening his mouth to say something. He was cut off by the gym leader. "One word of advice. You're going to need to get a lot stronger. Not every gym leader can be beaten by luck alone."
It was a good thing, then, that Jack rarely got lucky.
