A/N: I'd like to thank Alakazam17, or A17 for short, for providing me with a description of Suicune.
Chapter 4: Brock's Beast
Part 1: Josephine VS Brock
A loud roar filled the air outside of Mt. Moon. It came from a large cat-like creature, coloured yellow with black stripes on his legs. Distinguishing him as none other than Raikou was his un-naturally long claws and fangs. Combine that with the fact that his face was hidden by a black triangular plate, which covered the forehead and nose, as well as four metallic-looking whiskers which spread out from the front of his face and the beast looked very scary. As Raikou paced up and down through a long patch of grass, the creamy white tufts of fur — which were on the sides of his head — ruffled slightly in the breeze.
Snarling his annoyance at the tiger's pacing was a hefty auburn-coloured, lion-like Pokémon. An object resembling a star surrounded his face; it was yellow at the top, white at the bottom and red on the sides. A greyish-white cloak, which somewhat resembled smoke, kept changing its form on the Fire-type's back. Stalking away from the creature of thunder, Entei released a burst of flame on some grass which instantly started a fire.
An Ice Beam doused the small fire. The third was a large, canine-like creature, with a lush coat of fur of a pale blue colour that nearly outclassed the very sky above, along with various white markings, all in the form of diamonds, seemingly emphasizing the Pokémon's rarity and value. She stood there, with her deep red eyes scanning her surroundings, as that magnificent, royal purple mane rustled with the wind, encompassing the Pokémon's three metre length. And from behind, two thin, snow-white tails waved majestically from either side of the creature, almost as if held in place by the wind itself. This could very well be the case, seeing as Suicune was said to be the embodiment of the north winds.
<It is known inter-regionally now,> Suicune stated with composure.
<What is?!> Entei snapped, quite clearly agitated.
<Do you even have ears, Entei?> Raikou's voice crackled with laughter at his joke. <Suicune said it is known inter-regionally that Team Rocket has resurrected. Our role as Legendaries is to begin the Uprising.>
<Raikou's right. As the Johton Beasts, we need to select our own humans, so that they can help the Rising Chosen.> Suicune added.
<Who do you have in mind?> Entei questioned, starting to settle down.
<Lt. Surge,> Raikou answered. <Because he's a master of Electric types. What about you, Suicune?>
<Misty,> came the response. <And you, Entei?>
Entei looked in his companions' eyes before replying. <The firebrand, Blaine.>
<It is done,> Raikou concluded. <Let us go to Cerulean, Vermillion and Seafoam Islands. There we will bond with them and battle for them if need be.>
With the meeting finished, the three beasts raced off in different directions. Suicune headed towards Cerulean; Raikou, Vermillion City and Entei bee-lined for the Seafoam Islands which was Blaine's new place of residence since the volcano erupted years back.
*****
Since emerging from the Viridian Forest the previous day, the three trainers had gone their own ways.
"This place sure is... grey," Josephine said as she entered Pewter City.
"That's why it's known as the Stone City," a voice said from behind her.
She turned to see a girl, who appeared to be a year or two older than her, patting a Rhyhorn. He was a rhinoceros-like creature. His skin was layers upon layers of slate-coloured rock with a single horn jutting from the tip of his nose.
The Rhyhorn trainer stood proudly, her long brown hair flowing behind her. A skin-tight short-sleeved top and a pair of slim-fitting denim three-quarter pants was her outfit. Her huge socks, almost like leg-warmers, perfectly matched her shirt, while her sporty shoes were accented with a solitary streak.
"I'm Serena, cousin of the Pewter Gym Leader, Brock Stone. This is my partner, Rhyhorn; I call him Rhyne."
"Wow... he's an impressive Pokémon," the redhead said. "Could you please tell me where the Pewter City Gym is?"
"It's in the northern part of town, but I recommend that you heal your Pokémon first at the Pokémon Centre, seeing as how you just got out of the Viridian Forest. The Pokémon Centre is just ahead if you follow this path," the girl pointed down the dirt road.
"Thanks for the information, Serena." Josephine answered.
She walked towards the Pokémon Centre, arriving at the Centre and went up to the Nurse to heal her Pokémon. The teen noticed that the Nurse looked very familiar.
"Nurse Joy, you remember me. It's me, Josephine!"
"I'm sorry; I don't believe I've seen you before," the Nurse said, looking at her.
"You were at the Pokémon Centre in Viridian City..." she said.
"Ohh, you must mean my cousin. She is the Nurse in Viridian," she said happily. "There is a Nurse at every Pokémon Centre in the region. We're all identical and we're all named Joy."
"Oh, okay..." I said, imagining all the Joys out there.
Just then, a tall woman with blue hair, in a dark blue police officer's uniform, walked up to Nurse Joy.
"Hello Officer Jenny; what brings you here?" Joy asked the policewoman.
"My department is trying to find Team Rocket. They've been stealing Pokémon from trainers," Officer Jenny said.
Nurse Joy brought Josephine her Pokémon, and the fourteen-year-old trainer thanked her. She bowed and Josephine exited the Pokémon Centre and went to the Gym.
Pewter City, Serena's home, wasn't beautiful by any standard, being dwarfed by Celadon's tranquillity, and the fast paced metropolis of Saffron. Originally a mining community, Pewter's buildings were old and constructed primarily of wood and simple materials that made the town look makeshift.
The surly, almost backwater vibe that was instilled in the atmosphere of the city was only a vibe.
A little further down the road was the Pewter City Gym. It was a large building, like all Pokémon Gyms, built specifically for housing the most intense Pokémon battles. Like every other building in Pewter, the Gym was constructed from badly cut stones that were probably quarried from the Pewter mines.
Having already seen the splendour of the Gym, she rushed inside, racing up the steps that led to the Gym's spectator stands. As she climbed, she heard chanting, which meant a Pokémon battle between Josephine and Brock was about to begin.
"I am Josephine Harris from Pallet Town and I challenge the Gym Leader here!" The trainer declared in a strong voice. Or as strong as she could get, considering that this was her first Gym battle and she was nervous.
"Another one from Pallet, huh? I just had one this morning," said a voice from the shadows. "Beat me pretty good too..."
"WHAT?! You battled another trainer from Pallet?!" Josephine yelled. "Was his name Paul?!"
"Yeah, as a matter of fact it was," the leader stepped out of the shadows. A teen stood on the opposite side of the arena. He wore baggy trousers and a t-shirt that covered his tanned torso. The teenager's perpetual squint hid the dark eyes that matched his spiky brown hair. With the crowd filling the dark stands above at his back, he raised a muscular arm and smiled, as he released his Pokémon.
"Paul is one step ahead of me, but that won't last for long," she muttered. "Anyway, will you accept my challenge?!"
"I do accept your challenge. Instead of the standard three vs. three, let's make it a two on two. I forgot to introduce myself. The name's Brock — I'm Pewter's Gym Leader," Brock said as he enlarged a Poké Ball. "Go Geodude!"
A small, round rock-shaped creature burst out of the red and white sphere, landing on the rocky arena and becoming still. The nose-less face was staring valiantly ahead, with both muscular arms having their fists closed. Punching the rocky floor in an attempt to intimidate, a deep, extended cry of "Dude…" was heard.
"Go Juri!" As Josephine threw the Poké Ball towards the centre of the arena with precise aim, the red and white sphere hit the ground and parted, separating the two different shades of colours. An extremely bright flare of light was emitted from that parting in the ball. As the light from this flare faded, a shadow of the Pokémon could vaguely be seen. As the final particles of light disappeared, the full figure of the Ground-type could be seen.
"Juri, Metal Claw!" She felt proud of her efforts to learn which attacks her Sandshrew knew; she had researched his moves the day she'd captured him.
Juri refused to move an inch.
"Geodude, Rock Slide!"
Geodude shot for the rocky floor, slamming the earth. His action loosened a rain of boulders, each the size of a large beach ball. The boulders rose a few metres straight into the air and then began to fall like immense raindrops upon the small Mouse Pokémon's form. Juri squeaked in pain as the deluge of stone pummelled and scratched every inch of his body they hit.
"Juri, why didn't you dodge?!"
The Sandshrew only stared at his trainer, with a blank expression on his face. Geodude continued attacking and, again, Juri wouldn't move.
Brock saw that the battle was pointless, so he decided to end it. "This isn't going anywhere. You clearly need to bond better with your Sandshrew, Josephine. Geodude, use a Rock Throw this time!"
Geodude hovered over to where Juri was and threw his hands out, sending out a pile of small rocks towards the male Sandshrew. Juri simply stood and took the attack, managing to push a couple of the rocks off him, before he fainted.
"Juri!" Josephine cried out when she saw her Pokémon on the ground.
Oh man… what am I gonna do? Juri's gone… and the only Pokémon who can effectively attack is Riley. Breona knows Steel Wing, but Rock types are strong against Flying Pokémon. What good is Riley against a Rock type…? I'm gonna get creamed… she almost panicked.
"This is just the first round, Josephine." Brock said, as both trainers returned their Pokémon. "The next one will decide the battle. Go, Omanyte!"
The creature that emerged from the red and white sphere was one from Kanto's past. A small spiral-shaped white shell rested on the Pokémon's blue body. Below its two large eyes was a mass of writhing tentacles, and hidden underneath two of the front appendages was a beak-like mouth.
The red-haired trainer took out her Pokédex and pressed the scan button. "Omanyte, the Spiral Pokémon — a Pokémon of the Rock and Water types. Omanyte was resurrected from a fossil using modern science. It swam in ancient seas."
"Well Riley, this opponent is a Pokémon from when Kanto was newly formed, so I hope you can take him down!"
With that, she sent the female Shinx out and the cat looked ready for anything.
"I'm sure that you can beat him if you put your mind to it," Josephine said this mainly to reassure herself.
Riley stepped up to face the spiral Pokémon. For a moment, there was nothing but silence, then… "Omanyte, Tackle it!" Brock yelled.
Omanyte rushed towards the feline but, at the last second, Riley only just dodged it due to her agile reflexes.
Phew, that was a close call, Josephine thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Try your Thunder Fang attack on it, Riley!" She yelled, thankful that her partner hadn't been hit.
The dual Rock and Water type was still in close proximity, due to being a slow mover, so the female Shinx seized the opportunity. She bit the tentacled section of Omanyte and electricity coursed through the fossil Pokémon's body, which led to a grimace been seen on Brock's face.
The teenaged Gym Leader knew he would have to up the ante if he wanted to win this battle. "Rollout!"
With these words, it became Josephine's turn to look concerned. If Omanyte were to hit Riley with Rollout, especially after taking the time to use Defence Curl without anyone noticing, a fact that caused her to rub her forehead in frustration, the female Electric type would be felled like a sackful of Meowth.
Omanyte began to roll around the giant area, slowly at first, but faster and faster as he skimmed across the smooth bedrock that made up the Gym floor. Riley could only stand uncertainly and wait for him to make his move, which would undoubtedly be an attack. Rocks exploded beneath Omanyte as he circled the stadium in an effort to gain enough momentum to launch himself towards the feline and hit Shinx directly. It was only a matter of time until Josephine would have to deal with the onslaught that was Omanyte's Rollout and she knew that.
The entire crowd watched the circling Rock and Water Pokémon with hushed silence; they were anxious to know what Josephine would do to counter Omanyte's attack.
"Riley," Josephine began uncertainty in her voice. "Thunder Fang."
Seeing the opportunity Omanyte presented to him, Brock acted without hesitation. "Now!"
At the sound of his master's voice, Omanyte dashed forward, spinning dangerously close to Riley at an angle that left the cute lion-cub with nowhere to go. The entire crowd joined Josephine in gasping when Omanyte struck the feline, knocking her backwards to the hard stadium floor.
Riley struggled to get moving after she recovered from the initial shock of being knocked between rock and rock. The black and blue feline looked desperate to get out of her current situation, aware of the ever-present Omanyte who was lining up for another Rollout attack. Since he had successfully hit with the first attack, his speed had increased even more, so hitting Shinx again would most likely result in a knockout. Both Brock and Josephine knew this and the two of us were frantic to protect our interests.
It was pure luck that Josephine protected her interests more thoroughly, as Riley somehow managed to get herself away from the rocks, narrowly avoiding Omanyte's attack, but avoiding it nonetheless. With his rhythm ruined, Omanyte had to begin again, so he made one quick circle of the room, while Riley fought for breath.
It was then a bright white glow overtook Riley.
Josephine watched in amazement as her Pokémon started to glow! Could it be that all of the hard work finally paid off, and she was being rewarded? She could only stare as the light became brighter, and her friend grew in size.
Riley's body had elongated into something more streamlined. The blazing light faded enough for me to see. Standing roughly at a human teenager's knee, the bigger feline had slightly larger rounded ears and she now had two yellow bands on each of her front legs. The blue spike of fur that had been on top of Shinx's head was now a more pronounced black mane, her yellow eyes were half closed from tiredness and she had traded in her cute and cuddly look for a more serious one.
Wordlessly, Josephine took out her Pokédex and tapped the scan button. "Luxio, the Spark Pokémon — a Pokémon of the Electric type. Luxio rests its forelegs on others to communicate with rhythmic electric pulses from its claws."
WHOA! Like… WOW! Riley finally evolved! Josephine felt as though she were on a sugar high, and wanted to dance, but she became serious. She was, after all, still in a battle.
"No way… she evolved…" Brock was surprised, as was Omanyte. But neither was more surprised than me. The redhead checked her Pokédex for a second time to discover that this was Riley's first evolution.
"Riley, use your Thunder Fang attack again!"
"Omanyte, watch out!" Brock warned his Pokémon. Omanyte tried to avoid the clone, but it was no use. Riley was much faster and stronger, as Omanyte was about to find out. She went up to Omanyte and, with her teeth crackling with electricity, bit his tentacled blue body. In a matter of seconds, Omanyte fell on his side, defeated.
Prompted into announcing the victory by the crowd's clapping, Jerry, the match official, stepped forward. "Omanyte is unable to continue. Shinx… uh, I mean Luxio… is the victor."
"I can't believe it — you won Josephine," Brock said, amazed that a Luxio had defeated his Pokémon, Omanyte.
It took a few seconds before Josephine realized what had happened. "WE DID IT! WE WON OUR FIRST GYM BATTLE!" She released her other Pokémon, Breona. Breona stayed where she was. After a little celebration, the teenager stopped and asked Breona to come over and celebrate the victory.
Breona flew over to her and said, <You've earned my respect, Josephine.>
She smiled at her Pokémon, knowing that their friendship was growing.
And from his pocket, Brock produced a small badge of carefully cut rock. It was grey, almost silver, and octagonal in shape. Although plain, it meant a lot to Josephine.
She accepted it, too happy to express herself. "Well Brock, it was a pleasure to battle you, but I really must be going."
The trainer left and went to the Pewter City Museum.
Later that night, she was in her room at the Pokémon Centre with all of her Pokémon healed and sleeping, except for Riley. They were talking about the battle, as well as the Museum they saw afterwards.
<I can't believe that some Pokémon came from outer space!> Riley said, recalling one feature from the space exhibit.
"I'm more interested in the ancient Pokémon," the girl said, remembering the bones she saw at the glass display. "I wonder if I'll ever see one."
<Maybe in your dreams, Josephine.> Riley yawned, but Josephine could tell that she was making fun of her.
"You evolved today, Riley, but your personality hasn't changed from when you were Shinx." Josephine said, also yawning.
<Let's argue in the morning – I battled a tough one today, and it's taken a lot out of me.> Riley said, yawning longer this time and finally put her head at the end of the bed.
As they settled down for the night, the female Luxio's mind drifted almost unwillingly to a memory that had floated up to her relaxing mind, hidden beneath a layer of what had previously happened and the possible outcomes of what could.
She had been sleeping with her pride, which consisted of two alpha Luxray (one male and the other female), nine Luxio and seven Shinx — she was one of them. The night passed without anything major happening. It was the next day, however, that would turn out to be the most traumatic.
Her Luxray parents had just brought down a Staraptor and were ripping it to pieces, when an armoured truck pulled up alongside the hungry pride. Two men dressed in long white robes stepped out of the vehicle; one scanned the Shinx cubs, while the other aimed his rifle at the two Luxray.
"Rob, here," the first one said, picking one of the Shinx cubs up. "It's a female, she'll do just fine. Well, we got what we came for — let's go."
"Sure thing, Dave," the second man answered, returning his weapon to a neutral position and getting back into the truck.
When Dave clambered back in, he became aware of the Shinx cub meowing pitifully. He was unaware, however, that the female cub was communicating with her parents.
<Mother, Father — help me!> was what the cry said.
As the armoured truck sped away, the haunting, calling roar of her mother was to be the last thing she'd hear in regards to her pride ever again — at least, until she returned.
Summoning all of her energy, she managed a pathetic sounding roar, but it was one that said thus: <I will return one day, that much I can promise.>
"Yeah, good night Riley, and thanks for helping me win my first badge." Josephine said with a smile, before falling asleep. Not knowing, though, that she would need it because of the perils that her path would present to her. As she slept, an entire gang of men and women could be seen near Pewter City's edge, running towards a mountain known as Mt. Moon.
