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- Seoul, South Korea
- Seen Dec 10, 2024
Chapter 26: After the Storm
Fuchsia City
It took some waiting in masks for the rescuers to get there, who used a cutter to fully open the door while the others hosed down the gas. And Lee couldn't have felt better when the firemen who came to rescue them told them both that it was safe to breathe now without the gas masks. However, his joy was short-lived as the group made it out of the entrance, and the trainer, saw for himself, the extent of the damage: Some of the houses were on fire despite the fire brigade trying their best to control the situation, and the police, suited up in full riot gear, was leading away both people and Pokemon who had still not awakened from the poisonous gas. The medical staff, dressed in biohazard clothing, were busy carrying away injured or knocked-out people in ambulances to another city, and Lee could have sworn he saw one of the responders drape the blanket over one of the injured. But the worst thing was the sound—Sirens blaring all around him, interspersed with crazy growls, moaning, crying, shouting for backup, and the cries of pokemon. Lee could do nothing as his mouth swung open in shock, dumbfounded at the unfiltered carnage dominating his senses.
"This is horrible..." That was the only word Lee could speak out in this situation, over and over, which just made the situation look even more horrible.
"Thank you, team." Meanwhile, Janine thanked the other rescuers by her heart, and even then, journalists, aiming to do something to her PR, were there like Beedrills drawn to sugar—Not even the gas had fazed them, and the weight of the microphones and cameras were not even close to a hardship of that scale. "But I'll be fine from here now on, please go rescue more people."
"Ms. Gym Leader! What would you like to say about this incident?" With one question asked by the reporter, the questions ensued like a hail of machine gun fire, and Lee could see that they were slowly surrounding her like a wall, her troubled face slowly sinking in the crowd.
"Reports suggest that a misidentification of the type of trap led to this tragedy, is this true?"
"Casualties are in the thousands, would you like to make a comment on what evil organization or person is behind this act of terror?"
"Ma'am, countless officers have fallen in the line of duty, what is the reimbursement plan for the bereaved families?"
"Lee!" While the carnage distracted him, Gray came to Lee's side. "It's absolute chaos out here-"
"Yeah, not the best time. MOVE!"
Before his friend could say any more words, Lee barged in through the closing gap of the reporters, before standing next to Janine.
"STOP! Just stop, okay!? She did her best today!" Lee yelled out in frustration. She made mistakes, yes—but this was just a witch hunt for readers to feast their eyes on. She stopped the Rockets. And that was all that mattered. The shout, for a moment, shut the reporters up, before murmurs continued on who this kid was to say such a thing.
"...Uh, who are you, kid?" One of the reporters, with a camera, crouched down to his level, all the while keeping the sights focused on Lee, who was silently sending a glare, and Gray, who had confusion evident in his eyes, having been dragged into the mess.
"...They're trainers who helped the Game Wardens during the raid on the facility." Janine suddenly spoke up, causing Lee to turn to her in confusion. If she spoke one word in front of these people they were gonna bury her for sure, but before the boy could say anything, Janine continued her words. "And I would like to thank these two personally for breaching deep into enemy defenses and gaining information about the contamination, while the game wardens distracted the ground forces to great effect."
"What the-" Lee was about to accuse the gym leader of making him into a new scapegoat when she leaned over and talked with her voice down, silent enough to not be heard by the journalists.
"I'm sorry about this, Lee, there's no dodging them. Whatever we do in situations like this, they'll come like packs of Houndour to get a piece." Janine said. "There's no way you can drive them off permanently."
"Wanna bet?" The trainer rebutted her with his voice similarly down, as he moved his left hand to reach the Pokeball with Hydro in it.
"Don't be like that! Look, everyone's looking at you and your friend, not me. They won't mind me as much as they did before and there will be much fewer questions about whatever crazy real stuff I say. Again, I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to take the fall for me while I make a few controversial statements."
"I just hope I don't end up on the front page." Lee grumbled under his breath, as some of the reporters focused on the two kids.
"Anyway, I will explain the concrete details that the investigation has brought to light. We are certain this case is the most recent in a chain of Team Rocket-related incidents that have rocked several cities, and we have just been notified that the Pokemon League will provide assistance in investigating the case." Janine resumed her words, now having fewer journalists to be concerned about. "It is inferred by current evidence that this is part of a bigger operation, but the details are still scarce and we refuse to make any comments that could result in baseless conjectures and paranoia. What we do know is that they built a bunker in the Safari Zone for continued operations, and that this attack was a long-term plan, which was..."
As the cameras recorded what Janine was saying, those who were focusing on the kids asked a string of questions, to the frustration of both.
"Okay, what are your names?" The broadcasting cameras were especially disturbing, as their black screens were pushed up to the kids, ready to catch anything that would put dirt on Fuchsia's governing party.
"......Gray Cale...sir."
"Lee Hahn, mr."
"Okay, okay, Gray, did you see any wrongdoing done by the police forces? Reports state that an officer attacked a defenseless suspect."
"Lee?" Silently, he turned to his friend.
"Just answer questions that don't involve stuff that they gossip about." Lee whispered.
"But they all involve gossip!" That was the last word of Gray before the shouts of the journalists buried the rest of his words.
"Lee, what was your opinion of Janine and the entry crew?"
"Lee, could you describe what happened?"
"Gray, would you mind telling me if Janine's assessment of the tripwire went wrong?"
"Lee!..."
"Gray!..."
"SHUT UP!" It was then Gray suddenly had an outburst, surprising Lee and making everyone turn to the kid, including Janine, who was announcing all residents to stay calm. "I've had enough! Everyone tried their best today and you guys are trying to blame people! Yeah, there were mistakes, but you people want to judge now and not then! You. Weren't. There! I'm done with you all!"
"And I'm with him!" Lee, after raising his left arm to accuse the journalists, poked one of the cameras with his forefinger, causing the cameraman to back off in surprise. "Gray, wait for me!"
"We're done here. No questions." Seeing the children run off, making a gap able to escape the journalist scrum, Janine quickly put her hands together and disappeared into a puff of smoke, walking away while the journalists could not see. With the main target gone, the group split up in an attempt to find the runners, but their speed was not fast enough to observe the directions they went.
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Lee followed Gray into a deserted building, yet to be repopulated by people after the incident. It was spacious and was with good interior, and frankly, a bit eerie considering there were no people around in a building as large as this. But after all that hounding, it was a good thing there was such a place as a refuge for those under fire, at this time. The boy hoped the people were safe somewhere else as Gray climbed the stairs and entered a room on the right. He held the door open long enough for Lee to get in, before closing and locking the door.
"I can't believe you dragged me into that mess, Lee!" Angered, Gray slumped into a nearby couch. "Those reporters were even lousier than Team Rocket, and you brought me into talking with them!"
"I was trying to save Janine from bad PR! Hers couldn't get any worse, with the mistake she made back at the Safari Zone!" Lee rebutted and sat on the couch on the opposite side. "If they had pressured her even a bit more...she would have cracked, and they would have made a scapegoat out of her. That she was too weak and ineffective to deal with the current crisis in a better way, and that she can't lead the town properly like Koga."
"Well, we didn't do a very good job, did we? Wait till you see the boys that Janine praised be denounced on media as someone who hates the free press." Gray slumped into the seat even more, depressed at public opinion still being swayed. "They would have tried to bury Janine anyway, Lee, that's what the press naturally does."
"Maybe. But I was not gonna let them assume that we did the worst in the raid." Lee sighed. "That's just insulting to all of us, even, dare I say, that warden."
"You know what? I need to agree with that too." Even Gray nodded his head at that. "Speaking of the raid, I need to ask you about the thing that you were gonna tell me."
"Yeah, that...can we talk about this later?"
"Lee, I'm tired of you hiding things from me!" Gray snapped at the words, leaning forward from his seat. "I want to know why this is all happening. Why the gas wasn't affecting me, why you ended up in the hospital too! Things just don't make any sense!"
"...Promise you won't tell it to the others?"
"Duh! What kind of idiot do you take me as!?" His anger rising, Gray got up from his seat and walked over to Lee. "You know me! I'm your friend!"
"Alright! It's just that Janine told me to be careful." Both boys calmed down, seeing that this will not be helped. "The gas...it's made from Mewtwo's incubation water. And they found traces of Mewtwo's gene in the Pokemon that went mad, too-"
"WHAT!?" In surprise, Gray collapsed back into his seat. "That explains the hatred things the affected people were saying! But then why wasn't I-"
"I don't know! But the important thing is that you're immune, and that this has been going on for some time. Team Rocket was making sure whatever they were making had an effect. Something that, for now, I know is related to Mewtwo-"
It was then the door suddenly rattled, startling both kids to get up from their seats. To their surprise, a Crobat came flying in, followed by Janine.
"G-Gym Leader!" Gray stuttered in shock. "I swear I locked that door!"
"I know, it always helps to have a Pokemon with sharp hands or feet. A few of my ninja techniques to the Pokemon, and he knows how to lockpick." Janine slightly smiled at the incident, looking back at her Pokemon fluttering near her. "Well, that and, having said Pokemon able to find other people as well while flying around. Thanks for the help earlier, the media should have a lot less things to talk about."
"But still..." Lee groaned.
"Believe me, Lee, working as the town's leader makes clashes with reporters common, just not of today's scale." Janine continued, as her smile turned into a laugh full of self-pity. "But you managed to shrink them down, and that's enough for me. Let's go, I have something planned for you guys."
"Okay, I'll come." Still filled with doubt about the events that had happened in the town, and the length people went to cover it from him, Gray couldn't throw away his doubt, even for friendlies. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see..."
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Fuchsia City Gym
Checking for any hiding journalists still out for her, the trio made it to the gym, still standing in the city for over a decade. No fixes, no changes, just a league tradition going on in the city, maybe even for hundreds of years considering the history of ninja skills. Still, with the recent...cataclysms, it was hard to see why the boys were brought here, when they noticed a figure in the gym that had been here long before them.
"Father."
At the mention of his name, the figure turned around, revealing his dark blue hair, and the fully blacked-out ninja clothing. The two trainers put the two and two together, and the end result was: Koga, former gym leader and current Indigo League Elite Four, standing right in front of them.
"Ah, Janine. This battle will be worth my time, I can tell." Koga walked over to Gray and Lee, eyeing them with careful ninja eyes and exerting pressure onto the kids. "Thank you both for helping my daughter. Lee and Gray, was it? You boys sure do hold your own against strong foes."
"Thank you, Mr. Koga." Lee smiled at the honor of meeting such a legendary figure.
"No offense, Mr. Koga, but shouldn't you be at the Plateau?" Gray carefully asked, wondering why one of the Elite Four came all the way here.
"Ah, on that, the League has sent me down here to investigate after the...recent events. They have been keeping a watchful eye lately on the newly risen Team Rocket. I'm not allowed to reveal too much, but I'll just say we've had problems." Koga sighed. "As much as I'd hate to admit it, we've rusted in the peaceful years. That's why I think of new trainers like you boys as very important for Kanto."
"Thank you sir." Lee replied. "But I'm sure we'll win in the end."
"Someday. Let's hope that day's not too far." Koga said bitterly, holding his Pokeballs. "But enough complaints-we have to act, and I couldn't have been more thrilled when my daughter came to me saying that you kids were the best at fighting those Rockets. And the recent news doesn't lie. You're all heroes, both of you."
"Just doing what had to be done, sir." Gray rubbed his shoes against each other, humbled at the remarks. "Anyone would have done the same."
"Believe me, Gray, I've seen plenty of those who don't. You are the good few." Koga finished his words, taking out his Pokeballs as he did so. "It's an honor to battle you two, alongside my daughter-and for my very gym at that. Reminds me when I battled that Red kid..."
"We're gonna be the best combination there was, Pa." Janine dashed over to Koga's side. "No one can beat us, not on our homeground!"
"Don't hold back, show me your full potential, all of you!" And the father was ready, too. "Show that you are ready, to destroy the Rockets who did this to our city!"
"Ready for this, Gray?"
"Always was. Let's do this!"
Gym leaders Koga and Janine want to battle!
"Venomoth, get out there!" Koga threw his ball first, and the Poison Moth Pokemon flew up into the air, spraying powder that glittered in the air.
"Weezing, you're up!" Gym Leader Janine threw her ball too, and with a puff of smoke, both heads of the Poison Gas Pokemon cried out, ready to battle.
"Winger, Go!"
Gray threw his ball, and Winger came out as a newly-evolved Pidgeot, its crests fluttering in the air as the wind from its wings rained down onto those on the ground.
"Eggshell, I'm counting on you!"
Finally, Lee threw his own Pokeball, hoping that the Grass Stone he used on Eggshell during the stay at the hospital would pay off now. For now, the intimidation was immense as the 120kg Coconut Pokemon shook the ground as he landed!
"Winger, use Wing Attack on the Venomoth!" At the trainer's command, the Bird Pokemon brought down its massive wings onto the Venomoth, but mid-air, the pokemon dodged the attacks professionally.
"Venomoth, Poison Powder!" Quickly flying above Winger, Koga's Venomoth even flapped its wings to drop poisonous powder onto the Pidgeot, making the Pokemon barely flap as the poison slowly took over him.
"Lee, don't worry about me, I'll take care of the Venomoth!"
"Good luck." Lee looked around, assessing the situation at every moment. This was not going to be an easy fight, but easy fights were not something to look forward to anyway. "Eggshell, use Confusion!"
The heads on the Exeggcute nodded, and the heads in the back told the heads in front the plan. They all nodded in the language of Pokemon and laughed to each other, before firing a powerful Psychic attack toward the Weezing! The pink wave of psychic energy hit the Poison Gas Pokemon, making both of its heads frown.
"Weezing, use Poison Gas!" Determined to do her best, Janine commanded her Pokemon to spray gas all around, but the confused Pokemon failed to affect any surrounding Pokemon.
"That's it! Keep going, Winger, I got you!" Gray yelled out, hoping his Pokemon could go on a few more turns before he could administer the antidote. "Use Fly!"
"Venomoth, don't let the Pidgeot get above you! Aerial Ace!" Koga watched as Venomoth landed the unavoidable attack on the Pidgeot, whittling down its health with the poison already at its effect. But the gamble failed as Gray's Winger, even with the poisoned body, flew up into the air higher than the Poison Moth and dived straight down, stabbing Venomoth with its beak and driving it down into the ground, before barely pulling up as Koga's Pokemon crashed into the ground and flopping on its entire body in front of Gray, panting and in pain.
"Winger! Great job, buddy." Seeing his pained Pokemon, Gray immediately crouched down and hugged it in the neck, as the bird chirped weakly. "Come on, back into the ball you go, rest up until we can get to a Pokemon Center."
"Hurry up Gray, I don't think I'll be able to hold this one on my own soon—Eggshell's a Grass type!" Lee looked at the battlefield again. His ally was switching, Janine's Weezing was confused but still standing strong, and Koga was throwing out another ball, this time releasing a gigantic ball of pink slime: Muk, the Sludge Pokemon. He had to hold until Gray could get his Pokemon out. "Eggshell, use Psybeam!"
"Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
The Weezing, this time understanding the commands, fired a ball of smoke that exploded mid-air, which came down to cover the entire area with dark soot. His vision blocked, Lee could only fan the smoke in desperation, not knowing what was going behind the smoky curtain. Having lost accuracy, the eggs all closed their eyes and shot the Psybeam in a random direction, landing a hit, not on the desired target, the Muk, but on the Weezing again. The Pokemon was now almost done with its HP, but unbeknownst to Lee and Gray, the Pokemon hid in the gas too—and in the fog, the Eggs had no way of confirming anything, not until the Weezing appeared behind them with its teeth gritted. The Eggs on the back let out panicked cries, but it was too late as the Weezing exploded in the move that was Self-Destruct! The explosion blew away the smokescreen, revealing both Pokemon as knocked out.
"I...you did your best, Eggshell." Lee quickly took out Eggshell's Pokeball and put him back in, gritting his teeth at the consequences. It never got any easier. But who should he use next? Then he remembered that Janine had a Crobat; maybe, that could work.
"It's good to be back!" Koga laughed in joy of the humble battle, away from the routine flashy ones of the Indigo League. "You kids are worthy. Show me more, give us your all!"
"Will do, Elite Four and Gym Leader!" Readying a stance, Gray stretched his right arm back before throwing the Pokeball in his hand. "Duggy, make me proud!"
"Sandslash!" Duggy, Gray's Mouse Pokemon, readied its claws at seeing the enemies in front of him.
"I'm glad to see father proud...thank you both." Janine had a smile on her face as she threw her Pokeball, which whizzed through the air like a shuriken. "Crobat, make this happy moment last!"
"Okay...let's see what you can do, lil' buddy." Lee looked down at the ball he had chosen. No turning back now, it was now or never. "Hardtack!!"
The ball, after gaining airtime for several seconds, fell down and rolled onto the dirt ground, releasing his Rhyhorn and all its 115kgs gently onto the ground. Seeing himself in battle, Hardtack raised its horn, and growled in pure hostility. He was ready for battle, but would his power support the spirit? His trainer was optimistic about it.
"Muk, use Gunk Shot!"
"Muuuk!" Hearing its master, the Sludge Pokemon immediately sent a shot of poisonous dust toward the two Pokemon, which hit like bullets to the two Pokemon and drained a considerable amount of their health. Meanwhile, Janine took out an X Special Atk, and used it on her Crobat, immediately buffing its poison type attacks.
"Crobat, Cross Poison!" At the command, the Bat Pokemon crossed its feet together in an X-fashion, before unleashing a slash attack directly on Hardtack! It fazed the Rhyhorn for a few moments, but fortunately failed to poison.
"Hardtack, Rock Blast!" Gotta take Janine out of the game, Gray can deal with Koga! Lee thought to himself as Hardtack stomped its feet on the ground, focusing all its energy on standing its ground, as he fired energized orbs of solid rock toward the flying Pokemon. Although the Crobat managed to dodge by weaving through them mid-air, it failed to dodge about 2 times, sustaining massive damage in the process.
"Duggy, use Dig!" The Sandslash started clawing at the ground with its long, sharp claws, before diving into the resulting hole. There was no way to know where he was going, unless someone used earthquake, but its goal was clear. "Lee, cover for me!"
"Okay, okay! I got you!" Lee had to prevent anyone from attacking Duggy after he came out of the ground. "Hardtack, get ready, I need you to fire Rock Blast when I say so!"
"Rhyhorn!" Hardtack nodded at the command and readied his aim for the Crobat, spreading its rocky legs out wide to get the most balance. But with expert senses, Koga knew what was going on quickly.
"Muk, Minimize!"
"Muk!"
At Koga's words, the Sludge Pokemon compressed its outer body, sucking in its fluids and decreasing the surface area he was on until he was in the size of a regular Grimer. Seeing this move, Gray's hands faltered in shock, and as the Muk shrunk, Duggy sprang out of the hole, in what was the area that the part of Muk used to occupy before the Minimize move. And with that move, the Sandslash looked down as he flew into the air from the inertia of the attack, as the Crobat homed in on him, seeing a chance...
"I'm sorry, gray!"
"Wha-?"
"Hardtack, now! Fire in the general direction of Duggy!"
The chance could only last seconds, and Lee made the risky call. Perceiving his trainer's intentions of protecting his fighting partner with acceptable damage, Hardtack launched a series of Rock Blasts toward Duggy, and the Crobat, only focused on attacking the Sandshrew, was taken by surprise when the rocks came flying! Although a couple of the Rocks hit Duggy, he took considerably less damage due to his ground typing, and was able to roll himself into a ball while landing on the ground, to cope with the landing shock. It was a completely different story for Crobat, though, as, by sheer luck itself, 3 out of the 5 rock blasts hit the Bat Pokemon, and she was struck into a downward spiral, eventually crashing into the ground at eyewatering speeds, enough to put the Pokemon out of commission.
"Crobat! Back in here. You did your best!"
Janine put her Pokeball back in her hands, having run out. Only Koga stood now, with Lee and Gray against the Elite Four. But both knew that this was the last of their straws: There was no way a overleveled Elite Four Pokemon could be beat with regular 1x damage, not with the Pokemon they had now, and with them heaps of good luck. And right now, with their good cards all drawn out, they had to play good, before Koga played the joker.
"Muk, use Disable on that Sandshrew!"
"Muk!" With that, Muk emitted poisonous energy from its body, which, quite unluckily, managed to hit Duggy.
"Gah! Lee, I'm disabled!" Gray grabbed at his hairs, as his Sandshrew fell on its fours when he tried to use Dig!
Darn it, I have only one Ground type move too...! Lee thought to himself. Although Disable was hard to hit, once it did hit, it was bound to become an annoying move, and once both Pokemon were disabled, it was only a matter of time before the rest of their team would fall with no Super Effective moves. But he had to use it, to the maximum effect. "I'll see what I can do, Gray! Hardtack, Bulldoze!"
"Rhyhorn!" The Rhyhorn stomped on the ground repeatedly, shaking the ground underneath the Muk even as it shrunk! At the shaking, the ground cracked upwards and pierced Muk, giving him damage but also lowering his speed by creating rough terrain.
"I feel it! Give me everything you've got, this energy can defeat the Rockets!" Koga curled his hands into a fist in excitement, before pointing at both opposing Pokemon. "Muk, use Minimize!"
"We won't disappoint you sir! Hardtack, Bulldoze it again!"
"I'm going in, Lee! Duggy, use Sand Attack!"
This time, the Rhyhorn lifted himself up on his hind legs using his front legs, before slamming into the ground! The battle arena's floor soon broke into many pieces, barely hitting the shrunk Muk as its speed was lowered again. To add the insult to the injury, Duggy managed to spray sand into its eyes, lowering its accuracy for attacks as it cried out in pain, with something in its eyes.
"Rgh...! Muk, use Gunk Shot!" His vision obscured, Muk fired the Gunk Shot, but while it missed Duggy it managed to hit hardtack, poisoning him.
"Gray, how long does Disable last!?" Lee asked frantically as he looked at Hardtack taking the brunt of the attack, being poisoned despite the 1/4 damage.
"Not sure, 4-5 turns? Maybe 7 if things get really bad." Gray tilted his head, unable to remember the details of the move. "Could you protect Duggy for now? You have 1/4 typing, and I've got 1/2."
"Yeah, 2 more turns I can hold, if we're lucky." With that, again, Lee looked at the battleground to plan out his next move. Should I focus on healing my Pokemon, or should I go on the offensive risking fainting next turn? But he also looked at Duggy, who had lost a considerable amount of health himself. Maybe he could...It was a risky move, but maybe, it was worth trying.
"Gray, take this!" Lee called out, throwing a can of Lemonade toward his friend.
"No way! What about you?"
"I'll hold. Just a little bit more, Hardtack!"
"Rhy...HORN!" Hardtack looked at the little Sandslash, and determined to keep his buddy safe, roared despite the poison stinging him. By now the Muk was considerably slowed down and had lower accuracy, but it was hard to hit now that it had Minimized itself to occupy a much smaller space.
"Duggy, are you ready? Use Sand Attack again!"
"Sandslash!" Finished with the healing, Duggy threw the empty can away, and kicked sand into the Muk's eyes once again, now red from the continued disturbances in eyesight.
"Disable! On the Rhyhorn!" And due to that, this time around the disable completely missed its intended target, which gave Lee a fighting chance!
"Hardtack, I got you!" After rummaging through his bag, Lee managed to find his last Antidote, and quickly sprayed it on Hardtack, relieving him of his condition. "Gray, little help?"
"No worries, Lee. Take this."
Quickly, Gray threw his friend an X Sp. Defense, for the Poison type attacks that Hardtack would have to endure. Quickly, Lee opened the capsule, and the aroma quickly strengthened his Pokemon's special defense. As he did so, Duggy stretched out its body and let out a series of cries toward Gray: It was time for the final blow.
"Muk, use Minimize!" Having taken blows to accuracy needed for the Disable, Koga decided that it would be better to go into defense for maximum effectiveness.
"Hardtack, use Bulldoze!" Lee shouted, but this time move completely failed to hit as the ground sprung out from the previous position Muk was occupying. "Gray, the Disable! Is it over?"
"Sure is. I have a plan. Leave it to me!" Gray then turned to Duggy, formulating a strategy that would crush anyone. "Duggy, Ready? Directly target that Muk!"
"Sandslash!"
Duggy took a step back, and got on all his fours as he launched himself at speed, recognizing the situation much faster than Muk could ever react with its speed practically destroyed by Bulldoze. The trainers watched as Gray's Sandslash, now with momentum, did a light hop and sprung upwards, before joining his claws together and spinning mid-air, down onto the slowed down enemy Pokemon! Time seemed to slow down as the Pokemon drilled into Muk's liquid body, and through the transparent purple mucus, Koga saw Duggy pierce through the body of his Pokemon and used whatever speed was left to dig into the ground, before in less than a second, the Sandslash pierced itself out of the ground and went upward through Muk, getting itself airborne again before crashing into the gym's wall, and sliding off. Just like that, the arduous battle was over.
"Duggy!" Without even taking a second to hear Koga or Janine say about the victory, Gray ran toward his flopped Pokemon and picked him up, finding him unconscious. "I'm sorry I commanded such a move..."
"...And you love your Pokemon. I'm loving you kids ever more now!" Koga smiled, walking toward Gray. "Here, use this, Gray, it should heal him right up."
"Thank you, sir!" Immediately, Gray used the revive, which fully healed his Sandslash that immediately hugged him in the neck. "Ow, Duggy, loosen your grip a bit!"
"Heh! You did much better than me, Gray!" Lee tapped his friend in the shoulder, in gratitude for the help that he had received alongside him. "You fought to the end, even with Pokemon that was weaker to poison than Hardtack. No worries though, Hardtack, you did a great job out there as much as Duggy did."
"Rhyhorn." Flattered, Hardtack purred as he turned his head away, rubbing the soft part of his horn against Lee's right leg.
"Janine, will you do me the honors?" Koga turned to her daughter, both accepting their loss in a ninja's calmness.
"Will do, father." Janine pulled out two metal badges from her pocket. "As per Pokemon League rules, please take these badges as proof you won on the 5th gym."
Lee and Gray received the Soul Badges from Janine!
"Be proud of yourself—you two, with your power, will be kicking the Rockets' butts in no time! As far as you have the drives to do so." Koga put his hands on the boys' shoulders, now beaming with confidence that the losses of their town will be avenged by the forces that be. "And take these, too-these will help you on your quest.
Lee and Gray received TM06 Toxic!
"You kids give me hope! I'll see you in the league next time, if we're lucky."
"Will do, sir!" Gray nodded, holding Duggy in his arms. "Lee, let's go."
"Wait, Gray! Could you stay here for a moment?" Janine called him out when he was about to leave. "Lee, why don't you go out and wait? We need to do a serious conversation."
"......No problem, Gym leader, will do."
As Lee left the gym, he couldn't help but wonder if Gray was the key to all this madness. It was quite scary, how Belle and that family of hers roughed up Gray, when Lee himself had been let go countless times. Maybe he meant something to them, compared to Lee who was just a vigilante thorn on their side. What was clear was his influence on Lee, as a driving force behind the crusade against the Rockets, more dauntless than Lee. Gray was a hero. And the Rockets won't let him get away with this.
Fuchsia City
It took some waiting in masks for the rescuers to get there, who used a cutter to fully open the door while the others hosed down the gas. And Lee couldn't have felt better when the firemen who came to rescue them told them both that it was safe to breathe now without the gas masks. However, his joy was short-lived as the group made it out of the entrance, and the trainer, saw for himself, the extent of the damage: Some of the houses were on fire despite the fire brigade trying their best to control the situation, and the police, suited up in full riot gear, was leading away both people and Pokemon who had still not awakened from the poisonous gas. The medical staff, dressed in biohazard clothing, were busy carrying away injured or knocked-out people in ambulances to another city, and Lee could have sworn he saw one of the responders drape the blanket over one of the injured. But the worst thing was the sound—Sirens blaring all around him, interspersed with crazy growls, moaning, crying, shouting for backup, and the cries of pokemon. Lee could do nothing as his mouth swung open in shock, dumbfounded at the unfiltered carnage dominating his senses.
"This is horrible..." That was the only word Lee could speak out in this situation, over and over, which just made the situation look even more horrible.
"Thank you, team." Meanwhile, Janine thanked the other rescuers by her heart, and even then, journalists, aiming to do something to her PR, were there like Beedrills drawn to sugar—Not even the gas had fazed them, and the weight of the microphones and cameras were not even close to a hardship of that scale. "But I'll be fine from here now on, please go rescue more people."
"Ms. Gym Leader! What would you like to say about this incident?" With one question asked by the reporter, the questions ensued like a hail of machine gun fire, and Lee could see that they were slowly surrounding her like a wall, her troubled face slowly sinking in the crowd.
"Reports suggest that a misidentification of the type of trap led to this tragedy, is this true?"
"Casualties are in the thousands, would you like to make a comment on what evil organization or person is behind this act of terror?"
"Ma'am, countless officers have fallen in the line of duty, what is the reimbursement plan for the bereaved families?"
"Lee!" While the carnage distracted him, Gray came to Lee's side. "It's absolute chaos out here-"
"Yeah, not the best time. MOVE!"
Before his friend could say any more words, Lee barged in through the closing gap of the reporters, before standing next to Janine.
"STOP! Just stop, okay!? She did her best today!" Lee yelled out in frustration. She made mistakes, yes—but this was just a witch hunt for readers to feast their eyes on. She stopped the Rockets. And that was all that mattered. The shout, for a moment, shut the reporters up, before murmurs continued on who this kid was to say such a thing.
"...Uh, who are you, kid?" One of the reporters, with a camera, crouched down to his level, all the while keeping the sights focused on Lee, who was silently sending a glare, and Gray, who had confusion evident in his eyes, having been dragged into the mess.
"...They're trainers who helped the Game Wardens during the raid on the facility." Janine suddenly spoke up, causing Lee to turn to her in confusion. If she spoke one word in front of these people they were gonna bury her for sure, but before the boy could say anything, Janine continued her words. "And I would like to thank these two personally for breaching deep into enemy defenses and gaining information about the contamination, while the game wardens distracted the ground forces to great effect."
"What the-" Lee was about to accuse the gym leader of making him into a new scapegoat when she leaned over and talked with her voice down, silent enough to not be heard by the journalists.
"I'm sorry about this, Lee, there's no dodging them. Whatever we do in situations like this, they'll come like packs of Houndour to get a piece." Janine said. "There's no way you can drive them off permanently."
"Wanna bet?" The trainer rebutted her with his voice similarly down, as he moved his left hand to reach the Pokeball with Hydro in it.
"Don't be like that! Look, everyone's looking at you and your friend, not me. They won't mind me as much as they did before and there will be much fewer questions about whatever crazy real stuff I say. Again, I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to take the fall for me while I make a few controversial statements."
"I just hope I don't end up on the front page." Lee grumbled under his breath, as some of the reporters focused on the two kids.
"Anyway, I will explain the concrete details that the investigation has brought to light. We are certain this case is the most recent in a chain of Team Rocket-related incidents that have rocked several cities, and we have just been notified that the Pokemon League will provide assistance in investigating the case." Janine resumed her words, now having fewer journalists to be concerned about. "It is inferred by current evidence that this is part of a bigger operation, but the details are still scarce and we refuse to make any comments that could result in baseless conjectures and paranoia. What we do know is that they built a bunker in the Safari Zone for continued operations, and that this attack was a long-term plan, which was..."
As the cameras recorded what Janine was saying, those who were focusing on the kids asked a string of questions, to the frustration of both.
"Okay, what are your names?" The broadcasting cameras were especially disturbing, as their black screens were pushed up to the kids, ready to catch anything that would put dirt on Fuchsia's governing party.
"......Gray Cale...sir."
"Lee Hahn, mr."
"Okay, okay, Gray, did you see any wrongdoing done by the police forces? Reports state that an officer attacked a defenseless suspect."
"Lee?" Silently, he turned to his friend.
"Just answer questions that don't involve stuff that they gossip about." Lee whispered.
"But they all involve gossip!" That was the last word of Gray before the shouts of the journalists buried the rest of his words.
"Lee, what was your opinion of Janine and the entry crew?"
"Lee, could you describe what happened?"
"Gray, would you mind telling me if Janine's assessment of the tripwire went wrong?"
"Lee!..."
"Gray!..."
"SHUT UP!" It was then Gray suddenly had an outburst, surprising Lee and making everyone turn to the kid, including Janine, who was announcing all residents to stay calm. "I've had enough! Everyone tried their best today and you guys are trying to blame people! Yeah, there were mistakes, but you people want to judge now and not then! You. Weren't. There! I'm done with you all!"
"And I'm with him!" Lee, after raising his left arm to accuse the journalists, poked one of the cameras with his forefinger, causing the cameraman to back off in surprise. "Gray, wait for me!"
"We're done here. No questions." Seeing the children run off, making a gap able to escape the journalist scrum, Janine quickly put her hands together and disappeared into a puff of smoke, walking away while the journalists could not see. With the main target gone, the group split up in an attempt to find the runners, but their speed was not fast enough to observe the directions they went.
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Lee followed Gray into a deserted building, yet to be repopulated by people after the incident. It was spacious and was with good interior, and frankly, a bit eerie considering there were no people around in a building as large as this. But after all that hounding, it was a good thing there was such a place as a refuge for those under fire, at this time. The boy hoped the people were safe somewhere else as Gray climbed the stairs and entered a room on the right. He held the door open long enough for Lee to get in, before closing and locking the door.
"I can't believe you dragged me into that mess, Lee!" Angered, Gray slumped into a nearby couch. "Those reporters were even lousier than Team Rocket, and you brought me into talking with them!"
"I was trying to save Janine from bad PR! Hers couldn't get any worse, with the mistake she made back at the Safari Zone!" Lee rebutted and sat on the couch on the opposite side. "If they had pressured her even a bit more...she would have cracked, and they would have made a scapegoat out of her. That she was too weak and ineffective to deal with the current crisis in a better way, and that she can't lead the town properly like Koga."
"Well, we didn't do a very good job, did we? Wait till you see the boys that Janine praised be denounced on media as someone who hates the free press." Gray slumped into the seat even more, depressed at public opinion still being swayed. "They would have tried to bury Janine anyway, Lee, that's what the press naturally does."
"Maybe. But I was not gonna let them assume that we did the worst in the raid." Lee sighed. "That's just insulting to all of us, even, dare I say, that warden."
"You know what? I need to agree with that too." Even Gray nodded his head at that. "Speaking of the raid, I need to ask you about the thing that you were gonna tell me."
"Yeah, that...can we talk about this later?"
"Lee, I'm tired of you hiding things from me!" Gray snapped at the words, leaning forward from his seat. "I want to know why this is all happening. Why the gas wasn't affecting me, why you ended up in the hospital too! Things just don't make any sense!"
"...Promise you won't tell it to the others?"
"Duh! What kind of idiot do you take me as!?" His anger rising, Gray got up from his seat and walked over to Lee. "You know me! I'm your friend!"
"Alright! It's just that Janine told me to be careful." Both boys calmed down, seeing that this will not be helped. "The gas...it's made from Mewtwo's incubation water. And they found traces of Mewtwo's gene in the Pokemon that went mad, too-"
"WHAT!?" In surprise, Gray collapsed back into his seat. "That explains the hatred things the affected people were saying! But then why wasn't I-"
"I don't know! But the important thing is that you're immune, and that this has been going on for some time. Team Rocket was making sure whatever they were making had an effect. Something that, for now, I know is related to Mewtwo-"
It was then the door suddenly rattled, startling both kids to get up from their seats. To their surprise, a Crobat came flying in, followed by Janine.
"G-Gym Leader!" Gray stuttered in shock. "I swear I locked that door!"
"I know, it always helps to have a Pokemon with sharp hands or feet. A few of my ninja techniques to the Pokemon, and he knows how to lockpick." Janine slightly smiled at the incident, looking back at her Pokemon fluttering near her. "Well, that and, having said Pokemon able to find other people as well while flying around. Thanks for the help earlier, the media should have a lot less things to talk about."
"But still..." Lee groaned.
"Believe me, Lee, working as the town's leader makes clashes with reporters common, just not of today's scale." Janine continued, as her smile turned into a laugh full of self-pity. "But you managed to shrink them down, and that's enough for me. Let's go, I have something planned for you guys."
"Okay, I'll come." Still filled with doubt about the events that had happened in the town, and the length people went to cover it from him, Gray couldn't throw away his doubt, even for friendlies. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see..."
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Fuchsia City Gym
Checking for any hiding journalists still out for her, the trio made it to the gym, still standing in the city for over a decade. No fixes, no changes, just a league tradition going on in the city, maybe even for hundreds of years considering the history of ninja skills. Still, with the recent...cataclysms, it was hard to see why the boys were brought here, when they noticed a figure in the gym that had been here long before them.
"Father."
At the mention of his name, the figure turned around, revealing his dark blue hair, and the fully blacked-out ninja clothing. The two trainers put the two and two together, and the end result was: Koga, former gym leader and current Indigo League Elite Four, standing right in front of them.
"Ah, Janine. This battle will be worth my time, I can tell." Koga walked over to Gray and Lee, eyeing them with careful ninja eyes and exerting pressure onto the kids. "Thank you both for helping my daughter. Lee and Gray, was it? You boys sure do hold your own against strong foes."
"Thank you, Mr. Koga." Lee smiled at the honor of meeting such a legendary figure.
"No offense, Mr. Koga, but shouldn't you be at the Plateau?" Gray carefully asked, wondering why one of the Elite Four came all the way here.
"Ah, on that, the League has sent me down here to investigate after the...recent events. They have been keeping a watchful eye lately on the newly risen Team Rocket. I'm not allowed to reveal too much, but I'll just say we've had problems." Koga sighed. "As much as I'd hate to admit it, we've rusted in the peaceful years. That's why I think of new trainers like you boys as very important for Kanto."
"Thank you sir." Lee replied. "But I'm sure we'll win in the end."
"Someday. Let's hope that day's not too far." Koga said bitterly, holding his Pokeballs. "But enough complaints-we have to act, and I couldn't have been more thrilled when my daughter came to me saying that you kids were the best at fighting those Rockets. And the recent news doesn't lie. You're all heroes, both of you."
"Just doing what had to be done, sir." Gray rubbed his shoes against each other, humbled at the remarks. "Anyone would have done the same."
"Believe me, Gray, I've seen plenty of those who don't. You are the good few." Koga finished his words, taking out his Pokeballs as he did so. "It's an honor to battle you two, alongside my daughter-and for my very gym at that. Reminds me when I battled that Red kid..."
"We're gonna be the best combination there was, Pa." Janine dashed over to Koga's side. "No one can beat us, not on our homeground!"
"Don't hold back, show me your full potential, all of you!" And the father was ready, too. "Show that you are ready, to destroy the Rockets who did this to our city!"
"Ready for this, Gray?"
"Always was. Let's do this!"
Gym leaders Koga and Janine want to battle!
"Venomoth, get out there!" Koga threw his ball first, and the Poison Moth Pokemon flew up into the air, spraying powder that glittered in the air.
"Weezing, you're up!" Gym Leader Janine threw her ball too, and with a puff of smoke, both heads of the Poison Gas Pokemon cried out, ready to battle.
"Winger, Go!"
Gray threw his ball, and Winger came out as a newly-evolved Pidgeot, its crests fluttering in the air as the wind from its wings rained down onto those on the ground.
"Eggshell, I'm counting on you!"
Finally, Lee threw his own Pokeball, hoping that the Grass Stone he used on Eggshell during the stay at the hospital would pay off now. For now, the intimidation was immense as the 120kg Coconut Pokemon shook the ground as he landed!
"Winger, use Wing Attack on the Venomoth!" At the trainer's command, the Bird Pokemon brought down its massive wings onto the Venomoth, but mid-air, the pokemon dodged the attacks professionally.
"Venomoth, Poison Powder!" Quickly flying above Winger, Koga's Venomoth even flapped its wings to drop poisonous powder onto the Pidgeot, making the Pokemon barely flap as the poison slowly took over him.
"Lee, don't worry about me, I'll take care of the Venomoth!"
"Good luck." Lee looked around, assessing the situation at every moment. This was not going to be an easy fight, but easy fights were not something to look forward to anyway. "Eggshell, use Confusion!"
The heads on the Exeggcute nodded, and the heads in the back told the heads in front the plan. They all nodded in the language of Pokemon and laughed to each other, before firing a powerful Psychic attack toward the Weezing! The pink wave of psychic energy hit the Poison Gas Pokemon, making both of its heads frown.
"Weezing, use Poison Gas!" Determined to do her best, Janine commanded her Pokemon to spray gas all around, but the confused Pokemon failed to affect any surrounding Pokemon.
"That's it! Keep going, Winger, I got you!" Gray yelled out, hoping his Pokemon could go on a few more turns before he could administer the antidote. "Use Fly!"
"Venomoth, don't let the Pidgeot get above you! Aerial Ace!" Koga watched as Venomoth landed the unavoidable attack on the Pidgeot, whittling down its health with the poison already at its effect. But the gamble failed as Gray's Winger, even with the poisoned body, flew up into the air higher than the Poison Moth and dived straight down, stabbing Venomoth with its beak and driving it down into the ground, before barely pulling up as Koga's Pokemon crashed into the ground and flopping on its entire body in front of Gray, panting and in pain.
"Winger! Great job, buddy." Seeing his pained Pokemon, Gray immediately crouched down and hugged it in the neck, as the bird chirped weakly. "Come on, back into the ball you go, rest up until we can get to a Pokemon Center."
"Hurry up Gray, I don't think I'll be able to hold this one on my own soon—Eggshell's a Grass type!" Lee looked at the battlefield again. His ally was switching, Janine's Weezing was confused but still standing strong, and Koga was throwing out another ball, this time releasing a gigantic ball of pink slime: Muk, the Sludge Pokemon. He had to hold until Gray could get his Pokemon out. "Eggshell, use Psybeam!"
"Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
The Weezing, this time understanding the commands, fired a ball of smoke that exploded mid-air, which came down to cover the entire area with dark soot. His vision blocked, Lee could only fan the smoke in desperation, not knowing what was going behind the smoky curtain. Having lost accuracy, the eggs all closed their eyes and shot the Psybeam in a random direction, landing a hit, not on the desired target, the Muk, but on the Weezing again. The Pokemon was now almost done with its HP, but unbeknownst to Lee and Gray, the Pokemon hid in the gas too—and in the fog, the Eggs had no way of confirming anything, not until the Weezing appeared behind them with its teeth gritted. The Eggs on the back let out panicked cries, but it was too late as the Weezing exploded in the move that was Self-Destruct! The explosion blew away the smokescreen, revealing both Pokemon as knocked out.
"I...you did your best, Eggshell." Lee quickly took out Eggshell's Pokeball and put him back in, gritting his teeth at the consequences. It never got any easier. But who should he use next? Then he remembered that Janine had a Crobat; maybe, that could work.
"It's good to be back!" Koga laughed in joy of the humble battle, away from the routine flashy ones of the Indigo League. "You kids are worthy. Show me more, give us your all!"
"Will do, Elite Four and Gym Leader!" Readying a stance, Gray stretched his right arm back before throwing the Pokeball in his hand. "Duggy, make me proud!"
"Sandslash!" Duggy, Gray's Mouse Pokemon, readied its claws at seeing the enemies in front of him.
"I'm glad to see father proud...thank you both." Janine had a smile on her face as she threw her Pokeball, which whizzed through the air like a shuriken. "Crobat, make this happy moment last!"
"Okay...let's see what you can do, lil' buddy." Lee looked down at the ball he had chosen. No turning back now, it was now or never. "Hardtack!!"
The ball, after gaining airtime for several seconds, fell down and rolled onto the dirt ground, releasing his Rhyhorn and all its 115kgs gently onto the ground. Seeing himself in battle, Hardtack raised its horn, and growled in pure hostility. He was ready for battle, but would his power support the spirit? His trainer was optimistic about it.
"Muk, use Gunk Shot!"
"Muuuk!" Hearing its master, the Sludge Pokemon immediately sent a shot of poisonous dust toward the two Pokemon, which hit like bullets to the two Pokemon and drained a considerable amount of their health. Meanwhile, Janine took out an X Special Atk, and used it on her Crobat, immediately buffing its poison type attacks.
"Crobat, Cross Poison!" At the command, the Bat Pokemon crossed its feet together in an X-fashion, before unleashing a slash attack directly on Hardtack! It fazed the Rhyhorn for a few moments, but fortunately failed to poison.
"Hardtack, Rock Blast!" Gotta take Janine out of the game, Gray can deal with Koga! Lee thought to himself as Hardtack stomped its feet on the ground, focusing all its energy on standing its ground, as he fired energized orbs of solid rock toward the flying Pokemon. Although the Crobat managed to dodge by weaving through them mid-air, it failed to dodge about 2 times, sustaining massive damage in the process.
"Duggy, use Dig!" The Sandslash started clawing at the ground with its long, sharp claws, before diving into the resulting hole. There was no way to know where he was going, unless someone used earthquake, but its goal was clear. "Lee, cover for me!"
"Okay, okay! I got you!" Lee had to prevent anyone from attacking Duggy after he came out of the ground. "Hardtack, get ready, I need you to fire Rock Blast when I say so!"
"Rhyhorn!" Hardtack nodded at the command and readied his aim for the Crobat, spreading its rocky legs out wide to get the most balance. But with expert senses, Koga knew what was going on quickly.
"Muk, Minimize!"
"Muk!"
At Koga's words, the Sludge Pokemon compressed its outer body, sucking in its fluids and decreasing the surface area he was on until he was in the size of a regular Grimer. Seeing this move, Gray's hands faltered in shock, and as the Muk shrunk, Duggy sprang out of the hole, in what was the area that the part of Muk used to occupy before the Minimize move. And with that move, the Sandslash looked down as he flew into the air from the inertia of the attack, as the Crobat homed in on him, seeing a chance...
"I'm sorry, gray!"
"Wha-?"
"Hardtack, now! Fire in the general direction of Duggy!"
The chance could only last seconds, and Lee made the risky call. Perceiving his trainer's intentions of protecting his fighting partner with acceptable damage, Hardtack launched a series of Rock Blasts toward Duggy, and the Crobat, only focused on attacking the Sandshrew, was taken by surprise when the rocks came flying! Although a couple of the Rocks hit Duggy, he took considerably less damage due to his ground typing, and was able to roll himself into a ball while landing on the ground, to cope with the landing shock. It was a completely different story for Crobat, though, as, by sheer luck itself, 3 out of the 5 rock blasts hit the Bat Pokemon, and she was struck into a downward spiral, eventually crashing into the ground at eyewatering speeds, enough to put the Pokemon out of commission.
"Crobat! Back in here. You did your best!"
Janine put her Pokeball back in her hands, having run out. Only Koga stood now, with Lee and Gray against the Elite Four. But both knew that this was the last of their straws: There was no way a overleveled Elite Four Pokemon could be beat with regular 1x damage, not with the Pokemon they had now, and with them heaps of good luck. And right now, with their good cards all drawn out, they had to play good, before Koga played the joker.
"Muk, use Disable on that Sandshrew!"
"Muk!" With that, Muk emitted poisonous energy from its body, which, quite unluckily, managed to hit Duggy.
"Gah! Lee, I'm disabled!" Gray grabbed at his hairs, as his Sandshrew fell on its fours when he tried to use Dig!
Darn it, I have only one Ground type move too...! Lee thought to himself. Although Disable was hard to hit, once it did hit, it was bound to become an annoying move, and once both Pokemon were disabled, it was only a matter of time before the rest of their team would fall with no Super Effective moves. But he had to use it, to the maximum effect. "I'll see what I can do, Gray! Hardtack, Bulldoze!"
"Rhyhorn!" The Rhyhorn stomped on the ground repeatedly, shaking the ground underneath the Muk even as it shrunk! At the shaking, the ground cracked upwards and pierced Muk, giving him damage but also lowering his speed by creating rough terrain.
"I feel it! Give me everything you've got, this energy can defeat the Rockets!" Koga curled his hands into a fist in excitement, before pointing at both opposing Pokemon. "Muk, use Minimize!"
"We won't disappoint you sir! Hardtack, Bulldoze it again!"
"I'm going in, Lee! Duggy, use Sand Attack!"
This time, the Rhyhorn lifted himself up on his hind legs using his front legs, before slamming into the ground! The battle arena's floor soon broke into many pieces, barely hitting the shrunk Muk as its speed was lowered again. To add the insult to the injury, Duggy managed to spray sand into its eyes, lowering its accuracy for attacks as it cried out in pain, with something in its eyes.
"Rgh...! Muk, use Gunk Shot!" His vision obscured, Muk fired the Gunk Shot, but while it missed Duggy it managed to hit hardtack, poisoning him.
"Gray, how long does Disable last!?" Lee asked frantically as he looked at Hardtack taking the brunt of the attack, being poisoned despite the 1/4 damage.
"Not sure, 4-5 turns? Maybe 7 if things get really bad." Gray tilted his head, unable to remember the details of the move. "Could you protect Duggy for now? You have 1/4 typing, and I've got 1/2."
"Yeah, 2 more turns I can hold, if we're lucky." With that, again, Lee looked at the battleground to plan out his next move. Should I focus on healing my Pokemon, or should I go on the offensive risking fainting next turn? But he also looked at Duggy, who had lost a considerable amount of health himself. Maybe he could...It was a risky move, but maybe, it was worth trying.
"Gray, take this!" Lee called out, throwing a can of Lemonade toward his friend.
"No way! What about you?"
"I'll hold. Just a little bit more, Hardtack!"
"Rhy...HORN!" Hardtack looked at the little Sandslash, and determined to keep his buddy safe, roared despite the poison stinging him. By now the Muk was considerably slowed down and had lower accuracy, but it was hard to hit now that it had Minimized itself to occupy a much smaller space.
"Duggy, are you ready? Use Sand Attack again!"
"Sandslash!" Finished with the healing, Duggy threw the empty can away, and kicked sand into the Muk's eyes once again, now red from the continued disturbances in eyesight.
"Disable! On the Rhyhorn!" And due to that, this time around the disable completely missed its intended target, which gave Lee a fighting chance!
"Hardtack, I got you!" After rummaging through his bag, Lee managed to find his last Antidote, and quickly sprayed it on Hardtack, relieving him of his condition. "Gray, little help?"
"No worries, Lee. Take this."
Quickly, Gray threw his friend an X Sp. Defense, for the Poison type attacks that Hardtack would have to endure. Quickly, Lee opened the capsule, and the aroma quickly strengthened his Pokemon's special defense. As he did so, Duggy stretched out its body and let out a series of cries toward Gray: It was time for the final blow.
"Muk, use Minimize!" Having taken blows to accuracy needed for the Disable, Koga decided that it would be better to go into defense for maximum effectiveness.
"Hardtack, use Bulldoze!" Lee shouted, but this time move completely failed to hit as the ground sprung out from the previous position Muk was occupying. "Gray, the Disable! Is it over?"
"Sure is. I have a plan. Leave it to me!" Gray then turned to Duggy, formulating a strategy that would crush anyone. "Duggy, Ready? Directly target that Muk!"
"Sandslash!"
Duggy took a step back, and got on all his fours as he launched himself at speed, recognizing the situation much faster than Muk could ever react with its speed practically destroyed by Bulldoze. The trainers watched as Gray's Sandslash, now with momentum, did a light hop and sprung upwards, before joining his claws together and spinning mid-air, down onto the slowed down enemy Pokemon! Time seemed to slow down as the Pokemon drilled into Muk's liquid body, and through the transparent purple mucus, Koga saw Duggy pierce through the body of his Pokemon and used whatever speed was left to dig into the ground, before in less than a second, the Sandslash pierced itself out of the ground and went upward through Muk, getting itself airborne again before crashing into the gym's wall, and sliding off. Just like that, the arduous battle was over.
"Duggy!" Without even taking a second to hear Koga or Janine say about the victory, Gray ran toward his flopped Pokemon and picked him up, finding him unconscious. "I'm sorry I commanded such a move..."
"...And you love your Pokemon. I'm loving you kids ever more now!" Koga smiled, walking toward Gray. "Here, use this, Gray, it should heal him right up."
"Thank you, sir!" Immediately, Gray used the revive, which fully healed his Sandslash that immediately hugged him in the neck. "Ow, Duggy, loosen your grip a bit!"
"Heh! You did much better than me, Gray!" Lee tapped his friend in the shoulder, in gratitude for the help that he had received alongside him. "You fought to the end, even with Pokemon that was weaker to poison than Hardtack. No worries though, Hardtack, you did a great job out there as much as Duggy did."
"Rhyhorn." Flattered, Hardtack purred as he turned his head away, rubbing the soft part of his horn against Lee's right leg.
"Janine, will you do me the honors?" Koga turned to her daughter, both accepting their loss in a ninja's calmness.
"Will do, father." Janine pulled out two metal badges from her pocket. "As per Pokemon League rules, please take these badges as proof you won on the 5th gym."
Lee and Gray received the Soul Badges from Janine!
"Be proud of yourself—you two, with your power, will be kicking the Rockets' butts in no time! As far as you have the drives to do so." Koga put his hands on the boys' shoulders, now beaming with confidence that the losses of their town will be avenged by the forces that be. "And take these, too-these will help you on your quest.
Lee and Gray received TM06 Toxic!
"You kids give me hope! I'll see you in the league next time, if we're lucky."
"Will do, sir!" Gray nodded, holding Duggy in his arms. "Lee, let's go."
"Wait, Gray! Could you stay here for a moment?" Janine called him out when he was about to leave. "Lee, why don't you go out and wait? We need to do a serious conversation."
"......No problem, Gym leader, will do."
As Lee left the gym, he couldn't help but wonder if Gray was the key to all this madness. It was quite scary, how Belle and that family of hers roughed up Gray, when Lee himself had been let go countless times. Maybe he meant something to them, compared to Lee who was just a vigilante thorn on their side. What was clear was his influence on Lee, as a driving force behind the crusade against the Rockets, more dauntless than Lee. Gray was a hero. And the Rockets won't let him get away with this.
