With a flash of red light, Benjamin the Mudbray emerged from his Pokéball and stepped out onto the battlefield. A look of mild interest was on the donkey Pokémon's face as he took a glance around, gathering his senses about where he was and the situation he currently found himself in. It didn't take long for the Mudbray to realize that he had been called out into a trainer battle, something which would have sparked some interest if his opponent did not happen to be just a Bug-type Pokémon. The sight that it was something as small and unimpressive as a Ninjask caused Benjamin's ears and tail to droop down in disappointment. He even went as far as to let out an annoyed huff before slowly taking a seat on the large rock he had been called out onto.
Viola tilted her head in confusion at the sight. "Um... No offense, but was this part of your strategy? Your Mudbray doesn't exactly look too thrilled to be called out into battle..."
Avril laughed nervously in response. "D-Don't you worry about that. I assure you that Benjamin is more than ready to wipe the floor with your Ninjask! Let's go, Benjamin! Start things off with a Mud-Slap!"
Benjamin merely glanced over his shoulder in response to Avril's command. A rather bored sounding yawn escaped the Mudbray's mouth as he simply sat there, not looking too interested in doing a single thing to help combat Viola's Ninjask. Once more, Viola watched on in curiosity.
"Are you sure you don't wanna call him back?" she questioned. Avril shook her head, that look of determination still not leaving her face. "Have it your way, then... Ninjask, Fury Cutter!"
The Ninjask quickly zipped forward towards Benjamin. Before the Mudbray had even the slightest chance to react, he felt the sharp sting of the bug's two blade-like appendages slash down into him. The Mudbray grunted, glaring at the Ninjask as he almost fell over from the sudden sting of the blow, but somehow just the same he managed to stay up. Viola wasted no time in ordering the Ninjask to repeat its actions. Once more, it delivered a fierce slash in the Mudbray's direction, but once more he managed to easily shrug it off. This began to continue for a bit, but each blow seemed to bother the Mudbray less and less. Each time the Ninjask went in for an attack, Avril ordered Benjamin to counter with some form of attack, be it a Mud-slap or a Bulldoze. However with every command, Benjamin chose to ignore his trainer and merely keep staring down the Ninjask. This continued for a few turns, which finally caused the gym leader to start getting a bit suspicious about the whole situation.
"Some people might start to think this is Pokémon cruelty," Viola mused, crossing her arms over her chest. "Your Mudbray has not obeyed a single command since you sent him out into battle. And your response to the whole situation is to allow my Ninjask to beat on him over and over? There are better ways to train a defiant Pokémon, Miss Morris."
"Yeah...? And there are better ways to fight back against that Ninjask rather than trying to outspeed it," Avril replied, placing her hands on her hips. "Like tire it out! I didn't need Benjamin to attack, because his Stamina ability gave him enough time to let your bug spend up some of that energy!"
"Stamina...? Of course!" Viola exclaimed. "So every hit was just making his resistance stronger!"
"Now you got it," Avril explained, "And now it's time to wrap this battle against your Ninjask up!" Without a moment's delay, Avril called her Mudbray back to its Pokéball. She then quickly sent out her Hoothoot, quite ready for the owl Pokémon to finish the battle up for her. "Anise, quick! Attack with Peck!"
The Hoothoot quickly took to the air and began to fly straight towards Viola's Ninjask. Viola did not seem to be the very least concerned about her Ninjask, however. In fact, a rather confident smirk graced the lips of the gym leader as Anise began to close in on her target. Placing her hand on her hip, Viola sighed and made her next move.
"Ninjask, Baton Pass!" she shouted. Avril watched in surprise as Ninjask suddenly went flying straight back to its Pokéball. The bug managed to return just in time to dodge Anise's attack. In its place, came Viola's Surskit, who seemed to be jittering around almost as fast, if not faster than Viola's Ninjask. "You're not the only one who can play that sort of game. Thanks to Baton Pass, I'm afraid this battle is all but over!"
"Anise, don't listen to her! Go for a Tackle!" Avril shouted.
"Surskit, use Rain Dance!" Viola commanded.
The little Surskit began to dance around, its body spinning with glee all the while. Before long, Anise managed to slam her feathery body right into the Surskit. The blow managed to knock the Surskit back a bit, but it managed to hold its footing all the while. Suddenly, rain began to drop all around the area. For a moment, the rookie trainer began to think that the sprinkler system in the gym must have been set off. It was only a moment later that she realized that the strange change in weather, despite being indoors, had to do with the previous command Viola issued to her Surskit. Avril was quick to follow up her orders. She quickly ordered Anise to attack with another Tackle, but Viola was no slouch either.
"Surskit, attack with Aqua Jet!" the gym leader yelled.
As soon as Anise began to make her way towards the Surskit, the bug launched itself forward while encased in what one could describe as a protective barrier of water. With amazing speed and force, the bug managed to slam itself straight into Anise. A loud, pain-filled hoot echoed throughout the battlefield as Anise quickly began to fall out of the sky. She landed roughly on one of the rocks, but before she had the chance to pick herself off the rocks, Viola ordered her Surskit to attack with another Aqua Jet. Once more, the spider-like creature charged straight for the Hoothoot and slammed its body right into the bird. Anise was sent flying back and right off the rock, before plummeting through the webbing and to the out-of-bounds area before.
"Looks like that's it for your Hoothoot!" Viola cheered, clearly pleased with how quick she managed to dispatch of the Flying-type. "Well let's get your next Pokémon out, yeah?" Avril hesitated for a moment. That bug managed to take down Anise so quickly, and it was moving so fast... How could it be possible for it to do without even using one speed-tactic like the Ninjask did. Viola seemed to be able to pick up on Avril's confusion and nodded. "Baton Pass. It allowed my Ninjask to return safely to its Pokéball and sub with my Surskit. Oh, and all the status buffs that Ninjask performed earlier? They all got passed down to Surskit as well."
"Damn it... Then all that effort I had Benjamin make to try and tire it out..." Avril muttered.
"Was for nothing," Viola confirmed. "And I'm sure I don't need to tell you that with your Mudbray already carrying some damage and being a Ground-type...? Well, it wouldn't be a good idea to send him back out. Especially with Rain Dance making Water-type moves stronger!"
"She's right. Stamina or not, I doubt he could take many more hits... and he probably wouldn't listen to me anyways. That means all I really have left is Shino..." Avril thought as she recalled Anise to her Pokéball. Slowly, she took Shino's ball back into her hands, a feeling of dread starting to creep up in the pit of her stomach.
"Well... here goes nothing."
Without further delay, Avril sent Shino back out onto the battlefield. The little Froakie still seemed to be a bit tired from his earlier exchange with Ninjask, but the rest that Benjamin and Anise provided seemed to give him at the very least a bit of his stamina back.
"Alright, Shino! Attack with Quick Attack!" Avril ordered.
Shino croaked in agreement and dashed off quickly in the direction of the Surskit. Viola was quick on the defense, though. She ordered her Surskit to counter with Aqua Jet yet again. The spider-like Pokémon shot off like a rocket in the direction of the Froakie, managing to connect with its attack first and send Shino staggering backwards. Avril tried to fight back by having her frog Pokémon attack with Bubble, but the Surskit easily managed to dodge the attack by jumping over it and then countering with a strong Bug Bite right on Shino's right hand. Avril watched in shock as the bug dug its fangs right into Shino, causing the frog to wallow in pain.
"S-Shino... Just hang in there, I know you can do it!" Avril shouted, trying her best to support the Froakie with encouragement.
Shino managed to slap the Surskit away with a quick Pound attack, but it was clear that the gym leader's Pokémon was not about to let up just like that. Viola quickly ordered the Surskit to attack with Aqua Jet one more time. Avril tried to have Shino counter with a Quick Attack, but much like before Surskit just managed to out maneuver the Froakie. Taking a powerful blow in the left side of his body, Shino was sent toppling off the rock he was standing on. By some strange luck, the Froakie managed to grab hold of the edge of the stone. With a grunt, he managed to pull himself back onto the platform. The Froakie was obviously tired and battered, yet he still continued to try and fight.
"...Shino..." Avril whispered, her heart racing as the frog Pokémon tried to stand up properly.
"This match is finished..." Viola sighed. "Surskit, finish him off with one final Aqua Jet!"
"Shino... I know you can do it! Stay strong!" Avril shouted.
The Surskit took off like a rocket once more, its aim set entirely on Shino. The Froakie was breathing heavily as it watched his opponent zipping closer and closer to him. A look of fierce determination seemed to overtake the normally cautious Shino's features. Suddenly, without warning, the frog Pokémon's little hands shot straight out and grabbed hold of the Surskit right before it landed its attack! Viola and Avril both stared in shock and awe at Shino, his little legs shaking as he struggled to hold back the Surskit from landing its attack. The scene only seemed to intensify as a strange aura began to surround Avril's Froakie, before it began glow with a bright, white light.
"S-Shino!" Avril shouted, the girl clearly worried about her Froakie's sudden change of state.
The scene on the battlefield seemed to slow down for everyone in the gym. Slowly, Shino's form began to change. Avril watched as the frog Pokémon's limbs began to grow longer and much more sturdy. His body began to take on a much more sleek and slender form. His eyes narrowed. His head now coming to more of a point as opposed to its round, more child-like state. His white, bubbly attachment on the back of his neck now seemed to resemble more of a scarf of sorts. Whatever happened... it became abundantly clear that the Pokémon before Avril was no longer Froakie. With a sudden new burst of power, Shino quickly pushed the Surskit back and away from him. Despite the battle in progress, Avril quickly grabbed her Pokédex from her bag and gave the strange creature a quick scan.
"Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. Its swiftness is unparalleled. It can scale a tower of more than 2,000 feet in a minute's time."
"Frogadier... Shino, you evolved!" Avril shouted in celebration.
Shino glanced over at Avril in surprise and then down at himself. Slowly, a small smile crept to the frog Pokémon's mouth. It was easy to tell that Shino suddenly felt a lot stronger and more confident about his situation that he found himself in. The Frogadier hopped forward, taunting Viola's Surskit to try and attack him now. The bug Pokémon in question sent a nasty glare in Shino's direction.
"We can do it, Surskit!" Viola shouted, trying to cheer on her Pokémon. "There's no way he's going to be able to keep up with you, still! We can still finish it with Aqua Jet!"
The Surskit dashed forward, water once more enveloping the bug as it aimed at its opponent. Shino remained perfectly calm as the Surskit approached it, as did Avril. The blonde quickly ordered Shino to attack back with a Quick Attack, and he was more than happy to obey. The evolved Pokémon nimbly jumped over the propelling Surskit, before diving his whole body into the bug with great force. Viola widened her eyes as the Surskit came crashing down into a nearby rock. The Surskit tried to pick itself off the ground, but the heavier weight and stronger force of Shino's attack caused it to faint right on the spot! Viola recalled her Surskit, thanking the Pokémon for a battle well-fought, before sending Ninjask back out onto the battlefield. Without missing a beat, both trainers ordered their Pokémon in unison.
"Ninjask, Double Team now!"
"Shino, use Bubble!"
Shino launched a stream of bubbles right in the direction of the Ninjask. However, the Ninjask was able to easily dodge the attack thanks to it's Double Team. Avril quickly ordered her Pokémon to try and attack with Quick Attack, but once more the Ninjask managed to dodge with ease and attacked back with a Fury Cutter. Shino staggered backwards, his eyes narrowing in on his target.
"This is it, Ninjask! Fury Cutter and end this!" Viola ordered.
The Ninjask took off at lightning speed towards Shino. Both the trainer and her Frogadier remained vigilant as the Ninjask dove in towards its target. Both of its blade-like appendages seemed to gleam in the light as they raised up to strike the frog Pokémon. Avril smiled as the bug Pokémon was right in front of Shino. It was now or never.
"Shino, Water Pulse!" she shouted.
Right as the blades swung down to slash at Shino, the Frogadier managed to jump back and dodge the attack. All the while a blue sphere of energy began to form between his hands. Without warning or delay, Shino launched the sphere forward! It slammed right into the Ninjask, exploding into a wave of water that washed across the bug Pokémon with great force. The Ninjask swirled around in the water helplessly, before it finally cleared... and the Ninjask fell into the web below. The battle was over... Avril had won.
The blonde girl was silent as she stood there, letting it all soak in. "I... I won...? We won...? We did it... We did it!"
Throwing caution to the wind, Avril hopped her way across the various rocks and made her way towards Shino. The Frogadier croaked a tired, yet happy croak as he hopped into Avril's arms, the duo hugging celebration of their victory. Viola smiled softly as she recalled her Ninjask to its Pokéball. Slowly, Viola walked forward and began to applaud the duo.
"Impressive... Very impressive," the gym leader stated. "I have to admit, you have a... very unique way of battling. But still, a victory is a victory. As the gym leader of Santalune City, it is my duty to present you and your Pokémon with this, the Bug Badge! Congratulations, Avril Morris!"
Avril smiled brightly as she happily accepted the badge from Viola. With excitement, she showed off the badge to Shino who croaked in happiness over his accomplishments. The blonde trainer couldn't keep a straight face as she carefully placed the badge into her badge case for safe keeping. She had done it. Her first gym battle was a success... and the first steps towards completing her goal of reaching the Kalos League had finally been completed...