Haruka of Hoenn
Rolling writer
- 297
- Posts
- 17
- Years
- Yes.
- Seen May 12, 2024
When the hour of their battle came, they went to the Gym and were directed all the way to the back of the complex, where Michael saw the largest battling house by far — a tall brick building that had been painted brown, with double doors and no windows. The strange glass dome he had seen when looking at the Gym from a far distance was actually its roof.
The boys pushed through the doors and entered a hallway, dim and smelling of chlorine. Henry had his new pokéball belt strapped around his waist, while Michael made do with a brown pouch. At the end of the path was a wooden bench and hooks for their personal belongings, after which they emerged into an enormous, sunlit battle room. The floor, which was lined with rough tiles, terminated after several yards for an Olympic-sized pool, which stretched all the way to the side walls, mirroring paintings of coral and sea grass, and the vast, domed ceiling overhead. The water was broken every so often by flat stone surfaces of various sizes, which looked like pools of dark tar, but appeared to provide sturdy ground for walking and jumping. Nevertheless, the battlefield was overwhelmingly dominated by water, making land travel a complicated maneuver.
It's probably her defense against Water's weaknesses, Michael thought. He knew that the Water type was one of the more vulnerable ones, and so he didn't consider such a tactic to be above Marie's capabilities. His battle with Lona had taught him well — he'd never rush into a battle blindly now. Every little thing, he knew, had to have a purpose.
Marie herself awaited them at the opposite end of the pool, standing with her arms crossed, idly checking her watch. A row of fountains played behind her for show, filling the room with sounds of rushing water. Upon hearing their approach, she looked up and smiled.
"Welcome! Right on time, too. Splendid!"
Marie clapped her hands, and opened the flap of her cross-body purse, which held her pokéballs.
"Um, Mrs. Wickham?" Henry said. "Which one of us will be battling first?"
Marie smiled. "Both of you. You'll be battling me together."
The boys drew back in surprise, and Marie gave a cackle. "Ah, I get that reaction all the time. Priceless. But yes — together. I find it gives trainers a whole different perspective on the thing, something they don't normally get in Gyms. It's twice the fun when your partner is someone you don't know, of course, but I figured that since you two are already a traveling group, why not send the both of you off together? That is, if you win." She winked. "As the river flows and is flexible, so must you be! Send out your first pokémon, each of you. I'll send two of mine, and the games begin!" She took out two pokéballs, one in each hand, and held them open. "Go!"
Two bolts of light fled from the mouths of the opened capsules and crashed down into the water, shattering its glassy serenity with foamy splashes. Moments later, two heads appeared from beneath the water: a Quagsire and a Floatzel.
Michael and Henry immediately turned to face each other.
"Quagsire," Michael whispered. "That's what Wooper grows into."
"And Bertha caught a Wooper," Henry said. "The guy at the Great Marsh said it was Ground."
"And Quagsire has to be Water for Marie to be using it, so it must be a dual-type with Ground. Which means… it's extra weak to Grass!" Michael snapped his fingers. "Use Burmy. I'll take Floaty with Turtwig."
Henry gave an affirmative nod. They took several steps away from each other and sent out their battlers, holding their pokeballs high aloft to make sure they landed onto dry land. Burmy plopped down on a circular slab in his cloak of leaves, face tucked away to leave two blinking eyes peering out from it. Turtwig landed on a large patch of sand, where he shook himself awake, and began to survey the vicinity. The abundance of water seemed to intrigue him, and after a moment he seemed to grasp the limitations of the tiny field he had been cast upon. Turtwig turned his head back towards the shore, and when his eyes locked on his trainer's, Michael gave his command: "Turwtig, you get the Floatzel! Use Razor Leaf!"
Henry joined in a moment later. "Burmy, use Leaf Storm at Quagsire!"
There was a loud rush that sounded like flapping pages as the two Grass-types whipped up a storm of leaves. Burmy's spun around his body like a storm cloud, and Turtwig's flew out from his bushels in tiny bunches. They drifted in the air for a moment, then Turtwig stomped his front feet against the ground, which made them launch forward like daggers. The Floatzel dove underwater before they could strike it, but the Quagsire wasn't so lucky. Burmy's cloud of leaves engulfed its head before it could go under, making the pokémon flinch back. It dove underwater seconds later, though its formation with the Floatzel was broken.
"Use Water Gun!" said Marie.
The Floatzel's open mouth reappeared in front of Burmy, blasting him off his feet with a jet of water. Michael knew the attack would do little damage on its own, but seconds later he saw Marie's motive. Burmy landed in the pool and began to flail about helplessly, his limbs too tiny to keep him afloat. The Floatzel grabbed Burmy with its paws and threw him up into the air, while it flipped over onto its back and prepared to give a kick.
But fortunately, Henry had come prepared. "Burmy, use Protect!" he said.
Burmy withdrew his arms and legs into his cloak of leaves, which solidified around him into a smooth green shell. When he fell within range, the Floatzel kicked, and the shell elicited a metallic clang which made the Floatzl withdraw its foot in pain. Burmy splashed into the water, where he bobbed like an empty egg, washing up onto another patch of land.
"Great job! Burmy, come out and use Razor Leaf!"
Burmy loosened the top layer of leaves and whisked them at the Floatzel, just as the pokemon lunged forward. The Floatzel fell back into the water, but just as its body disappeared beneath the surface, the waves around it began to swell, collecting into a swift tide that swept Burmy away in a powerful rush.
"Burmy!" Henry ran to the edge of the pool, trying to follow the still-encased pokémon with his eyes, but Burmy was soon lost in the torrent of water.
Meanwhile, Michael was standing a short distance away, egging on Turtwig, who was caught in a landlocked battle with Marie's Quagsire. Both pokémon were roughly the same size, and were butting heads — one round, scaly and slimy, the other a chiseled, golden helmet. Despite its plump, flabby build, the Quagsire clearly had muscle, and managed to give Turtwig a hard enough time to push him just a few feet away from the water's edge. Nonetheless, Turtwig held his ground, stirring up clouds of leaves and shooting them at the Quagsire at every chance he got. The super-effective Grass attack made a striking difference — the leaves hit the Quagsire full in the face, each time breaking its grip on Turtwig's shoulders and making it stumble back. Turtwig would take advantage of the opening and lunge forward, butting his head into his opponent's chest. At first, the Quagsire was able to gather its wits in time to push back, but gradually, its reactions grew slower, and its resistance to Turtwig's advances began to falter.
All throughout, Michael watched with narrowed eyes, fist clenched at his side. "That's it, nice and easy…"
He was so focused on the struggle that he didn't notice Marie watching, until without warning, she broke her silence: "Hydro Pump!"
With a swift heave, the Quagsire pushed itself away from Turtwig and staggered back, shooting a blast of water from its large mouth. The jet hit Turtwig with such force that he was forced to turn away, succumbing to his own momentum and backing away towards the edge of the stone slab. Michael gritted his teeth. If Turtwig fell into the water, he would sink like a rock.
The Quagsire kept shooting water blasts at Turtwig every few seconds, drawing from some inner reserve in its body. Though they were weaker than the first, they kept Turtwig from advancing so much as a single foot from his place. Head ducked and eyes closed, the only thing he could do was step back even further, till he was standing just a few feet away from the ledge.
"Stay on the ground!" Michael shouted. "You can still cut through the water with your leaves!"
Turtwig cracked open an eye, just as the Quagsire had thrown its head back to prepare another blast, and sent a spurt of leaves whipping through the air. They struck the Quagsire's belly right as the creature released another Hydro Pump, which Turtwig met head-on, leaping forward with his head ducked. For a moment, his entire body was swallowed by the torrent, then the tip of his glittering helmet sliced through. He landed before the teetering Quagsire and rammed into it with all his might, throwing the pokémon into a heap in the dirt.
Michael clapped his hands. "Yes! That's what I'm talking about!"
But his elation lasted for hardly a moment before a shout came from his left: "Michael!"
Michael turned, and saw Henry pointing to the other side of the pool, where Floatzel was knocking Burmy against the walls, using Aqua Jets and Surfs to do the pushing for him. The tiny Grass pokémon was still inside his self-made shell, unharmed, but likely losing more nerve every time he struck the hard stone.
"He can't get out!" Henry cried. "I kept going over the move with him but I think he's too scared to drop his shield in the water! Do something!"
"Hang on." Michael pressed his finger to his chin, working out a possible logistics for escape, when suddenly a flash of light burst forth from Marie's pokéball and made him turn.
"Not so fast!" said the Gym leader. Michael caught a final glimpse of the Quagsire before it was sucked away by a beam of white light, and a second, larger body was deposited into the water. It was a Gastrodon.
The pokémon landed with a heavy splash, its flippers smacking the water and coasting over the choppy waves. Its body was almost the same shade of blue as that of the water, which from a distance made it look like a huge floating shell. Its face looked impassive, but dangerous. Immediately after gaining its balance, the Gastrodon launched a jet of water at Turtwig, propelling itself towards the island where the turtle was marooned.
Turtwig continued to retaliate with Razor Leaf, his leaves spinning in a frenzy over the sprays of water, but whenever he stopped to aim at a certain spot, he found that the Gastrodon had already sailed past it. The pokémon circled the island with surprising speed, shooting white jets at Turtwig from every possible direction, scattering soil and wet leaves all over the pool. Turtwig soon stopped retaliating and began to scamper around the shore, bogged down by the sheer force of water, closing his eyes as the waves surged and hissed around him. Michael watched in shock as Turtwig's strength wavered, his motions growing clumsy and feeble.
Without preamble, the Gastrodon delivered a final blast, which struck like a spray from a fire hose and knocked Turtwig off his feet. He sailed past the ledge and landed belly-first into the pool, first freezing out of sheer surprise, then hastily tried to keep himself afloat with his bulky legs. Nevertheless, his body began to dip down, sinking tail-first beneath the water.
"Hurry up there!" Marie called. "You don't want him to drown!"
Belatedly, Michael became aware of himself again, and took Turtwig's pokéball from his pouch. He held the capsule aloft, and a beam of light rushed to snatch the pokémon out of the water. Once he had closed the capsule, Michael looked back at Marie. "So… do I send him out again?"
Marie shook her head. "Nope. League rules, kiddo. Once you send back a battler, you can't bring them out again."
Michael gave an inward groan, feeling both cheated and humiliated. His only Grass pokémon had been beaten by its own type matchup — not a good way to start.
He looked over to Henry, but the boy didn't seem to be doing much better. Burmy was currently being thwacked like a ball against a coral painting, his Protect-coat thinned to produce a rubbery bounce. The Floatzel was using its paws now, lying on its back as if it were in a country club pool. With a sink of the shoulders, Michael realized that Goldeen would have come in handy. He studied the Floatzel for another split second, then looked back at Marie, who was tapping a finger against her wristwatch. Finally, he realized what he needed. He needed speed.
Reaching into his pouch, Michael grabbed another pokéball, one labeled with a musical note in permanent marker. He held it aloft. "Go, Ringo!"
The Chatot dove out of the capsule, wings unfurling as he glided upwards, till he was gliding among the tops of the painted sea-grass. Ringo flew a single loop around the pool, scanning the field beneath him with his large narrowed eyes, ones Michael knew could glimpse the smallest splash produced by the cresting waves. Turning around to keep the bird in view, Michael cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ringo, get Burmy!"
Ringo's gaze locked on the green shell, and he swooped down, wings tucked against his body to form a torpedo. He dodged an Aqua Jet from the Floatzel, and when he got close enough to the water's surface, spread his wings again and plucked Burmy right out of the pool with his talons. The Floatzel snarled in fury, launching blast after blast of water at the bird, but they fell through empty air as Ringo looped gracefully out of their way.
Elated, Henry jumped and pointed at the Floatzel. "Burmy, Razor Leaf!"
Burmy's arms and legs emerged from his shell, and he sent spirals of leaves down at the Floatzel, slashing its belly and arms. Ringo changed his trajectory, swerving to the side to pass over the Gastrodon, where Burmy sent another wave of leaves, sprinkling cuts across the sea creature's skin. The Gastrodon howled and swayed, turning its head to glimpse its attacker, but was cut short as more leaves struck its face and neck. Michael felt a rush of satisfaction as the Gastrodon was reduced to the same state that Turtwig had been in moments before, shooting jets of water sporadically at the air while trying to avoid the spinning leaves. He smiled. How do you like me now, ugly?
Beside him, Henry was smiling as well, watching the contest with his hands on his knees. All of a sudden, he seemed to get an idea, and began to hop on his toes again. "Oh, Michael, I know what we can do! Put Burmy on his back!"
Michael hailed Ringo with a snap of his fingers. "Hey Ringo! Drop him!"
He indicated the spot on the Gastrodon's shell, and Ringo set Burmy down, then immediately turned his attention to Floatzel. The otter pokémon had been trying to get to its teammate, but the storm of flying leaves had clearly forced it to rethink its tactics. The Floatzel was still swimming from side to side, trying to find the safest angle to blast Burmy away, when Ringo landed on the back of its neck and began to peck. The Floatzel grabbed at the air with its paws, but for a lack of speed, couldn't counter with anything besides a smack or scratch. In the meantime, Ringo switched to more sophisticated pestering, blasting the Floatzel with sharp gusts of air from his wings, performing high-dives to strike it with Aerial Ace. After one of his talon-swipes, the Floatzel's strength finally gave, and it sank limp beneath the waves. Its body rose belly-up moments later, eyes closed.
From her end of the pool, Marie shook her head, and returned her fainted battler. But she didn't look as disappointed as Michael would have hoped. As she took out her next pokéball, the ever-present smile returned to her face, and she tossed the capsule into the air.
"Go!"
The beam of white light shot into the air, molding into a bulky blob which became a Mantyke. Seconds after the pokémon fell into the water, another storm of Aqua Jets shot through air in rapid sequence, only this time the beams were slender and agile, like liquid daggers. They caught up to Ringo in a matter of seconds, one managing to strike him in the side, which broke him briefly from his flight path. The Mantyke skimmed along the tops of the waves for a few moments, eyes following Ringo as he regained his balance, then it thumped its large flippers against the water and lifted itself into the air.
Michael's face fell into a scowl as the Mantyke began to glide over the water, moving its two antennae to psychically roughen the waves beneath it. Though it flapped its flippers from time to time, the Mantyke's trajectory remained eerily level, which made it look like an alien hovercraft. It continued attacking Ringo from below, while the bird circled over its head in agitation, trying to figure out what to do. He began to beat his wings faster, stirring up a gust of wind to sweep the Mantyke away, but Michael shook his head.
"It won't work — the thing's too heavy! Just slice at it!"
Ringo clicked his beak, and switched from his previous tactic to perform an Aerial Ace. His claws sliced the Mantyke across the back, causing the pokémon to swerve aside with a cry. Gaining some measure of resolve, Michael turned his head to glimpse the other half of the struggle — Henry's Burmy was still clinging to the Gastrodon's back, amid a shower of slicing leaves, crawling to every slip of bare skin he could find to Bug Bite it. The Gastrodon's frustration had driven it insane, and it was now rocking from side to side, coming inches away from tipping itself over just to get Burmy off.
The beast's howling grew so enraged that the Mantyke turned its attention from Ringo, firing a desperate blast of water to strike Burmy. The spear missed by inches, but gave Burmy enough of a shock to make him let go. Without an anchor, he began to slip, rolling around the Gastrodon's shell as the pokémon flailed about.
Henry grabbed both sides of his head. "Michael, pick Burmy up again!" he said. "He's slipping!"
"Not now, I'm busy! Aerial Ace!" Michael grinned, his eyes following Ringo as he delivered another slice across the Mantyke's back.
"I'm serious!"
When Michael didn't answer, Henry let out a huff. "Unless you want our only Grass counter to faint—"
Michael waved him down. "Fine, fine! But I have a better idea." He pressed his thumb and forefinger to his mouth and whistled. "Hey, Ringo! Change course! Get to Gastrodon!"
Ringo chirped in affirmation, swerving over to the Gastrodon with the Mantyke's Aqua Jets still following him . He swiped his claws against the Gastrodon's face, and flew out of the way just as Mantyke gave another blast, which hit the Gastrodon in the same place and caused the pokémon to flinch away. Its rocking stopped, and Burmy continued to bite, till his venom kicked in and the Gastrodon's neck drooped. At that point, Ringo swooped down and grabbed Burmy, who sent a cloud of leaves in Mantyke's direction, striking it dead-on with their pointed edges. Michael gave a smile. Their pokémon knew how to work.
But moments later, in the corner of his eye, he saw the Gastrodon stir. The pokémon lifted its head, gathering its final ounces of strength, and produced a Hydro Pump that engulfed the flying duo, knocking them down with the force of a raging waterfall. Ringo managed to regain his altitude, taking off for a far-flung corner of the room, but Burmy kept falling, and without the shield of Protect, fell on a patch of soil and fainted.
"No!" Henry lunged forward, but Michael held him back.
"It's fine. You still have Pachirisu. All we need to do is take out one more pokémon after this, then we're done."
After a moment, Henry bit his lip. "Right." He fumbled for a slot in his pokéball belt, and returned Burmy to his pokéball. He switched him out for Pachirisu, who emerged onto the floor beside the boys, then sprang onto the nearest patch of land. White static crackled around his cheeks, which were lifted in his perpetual, eager smile.
The Gastrodon had rolled over onto its side in the meantime, and after five seconds had passed, Marie sent it back. She brought out a Starmie, from which Michael glimpsed a gleaming red gem before it cut into the water and disappeared.
Seconds later, out of nowhere, a spinning blue disc whizzed out of the water and struck Ringo, knocking the bird out of the air. Mantyke shot a Water Gun before Ringo had time to recuperate, and he landed into the water.
Henry smiled. "Not so fast! Pachi, use Thunderbolt!"
"Ssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pachirisu's tail began to quiver, and the static that was jumping around his cheeks began to rise up from every hair on his fine fur coat. The sparks combined and thickened into a yellow aura, then suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed out from the haze, tearing through the air and striking the floating Mantyke. The pokémon seized up and began to twitch, its antennae bending at random. Seconds later Pachirisu launched another bolt at the Starmie, who fled underwater for cover.
By then, Ringo had regained enough energy to fly, and ascended towards the Mantyke, preparing to lunge. But right then, the Starmie lashed out of the water and struck him from behind, making him fall back down.
Michael spat. "Dammit!"
"You're going to have to be a lot quicker than that!" said Marie, as Ringo floundered amid the choppy waves.
Meanwhile, the glow from Pachirisu's body was intensifying every second, to the point where the sphere of electricity around him had doubled in size, and he shot horizontal lightning bolts into the air with hardly a second's pause. The majority of his attacks rained down on the Mantyke, who began to fly around erratically in an attempt to escape them, before finally being struck down into the waves. Marie called the pokémon back, shaking her head with the same expression of humored disappointment.
Her Starmie continued to roam free, a dark-blue dot zipping to and fro beneath the water. No matter how carefully Michael tried to follow it, the Starmie would always slip from his gaze, getting lost somewhere among the medley of rocks. Then whenever it seemed like Ringo was about to fly up, the Starmie would spring out from a spot just a few feet away, its pointed arms spinning a solid blur, and strike him right back down. Once Ringo had exhausted himself, and was drifting listlessly like a duck, the Starmie began to shoot Psybeams from beneath the water. They pulsed towards Ringo in circular ripples, adding the effect of drooping eyes and thick, unintelligible grumbles.
For complete lack of a plan, Michael could do nothing but watch the pathetic scene, eyes following the Starmie as if he could make it faint with sheer loathing. Now that its opponent was confined to sea level, the Starmie refused to leave the water, and continued to dart about in constant vigilance of an attack.
He considered calling Ringo back just to avoid a fainting, when suddenly Henry grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait, hold on Michael, I've got it!" He snapped his fingers and turned to Pachirisu. "Use Thunderbolt at the water!"
Michael's brain snapped awake a moment too late. "No!"
He lunged at Henry to stop the command, but the boy's words had already left his mouth. Pachirisu happily obeyed, and the aura around him pulsed as he drew even more energy from his inner reserves. The cloud began to drain away from his sides and condense into a tiny ball above his head, which in the blink of an eye produced a massive beam of lightning that shot up into the air. It climbed several yards overhead then came crashing into the water, dissipating into shockwaves that pulsed across the pool with painful brilliance. They struck the Starmie near the water's surface and knocked it out instantly, then coursed into Ringo through his underbelly. The bird gave a screech, wings snapping open and closed at odd angles, his tongue lolling out from his beak. He fell fainted seconds later.
Pachirisu's growl deepened and began to vibrate, as the beam of light connecting him and the water continued to flash, transferring a constant stream of energy into the water. It grew from yellow to white, singeing the air with the smell of burnt fur, but the squirrel's back remained bent, eyes closed in concentration. He stayed that way for another solid minute, till at last his strength gave out and he collapsed from exhaustion. The beam of light shattered apart and dissipated in the air, and the sparky haze cleared around Pachirisu's body to reveal a vacant, toothy smile. Henry had taken out three pokémon in a single move.
Michael slapped his palm against his forehead. "Henry, you ditz! I told you not to!"
Henry stared at Pachirisu in horror, lips forming soundless words. A moment later, the Starmie's body gave a shudder, and the pokémon stirred back to life. Leftover static crackled around its body as it recovered from the paralysis, and began to swim around the pool once more.
Marie crossed her arms. "Your move, boys!"
With a grumble, Michael returned Ringo and took out his final pokéball. Henry followed suit, and together they brought out their last two battlers onto the field — Machop and Clefable. The duo landed on separate patches of land just a couple yards away from each other, and exchanged a few glances as they took in their surroundings.
The Starmie rose up to the surface and launched an Aqua Jet without preamble, striking Machop in the chest and causing him to stumble. Machop turned around just as Starmie came up behind him, and cartwheeled out of the way of another oncoming blast. The water rushed on towards Clefable, but lost most of its momentum by the time it reached her, enabling her to burst straight through without stumbling. She turned, and before the Starmie could pin her down, broke into a run and hopped onto another ledge.
Machop followed her example, hastily jumping from his own starting pad onto a smaller, less-even surface. He turned around in place for a moment, trying to decide where to jump to next, when he was jarred by a sudden blast of water that shot right over his shoulder, missing him by inches.
"Look out, will you?" Michael shouted. "Go faster!"
Machop gritted his teeth and sprang onto the next nearest surface, launching into a panicky sprint as the Starmie shot more Aqua Jets after him. At last, the Starmie seemed to tire of the game, and dipped back beneath the water. Machop landed on another surface and turned around, searching the water with puzzled eyes.
Michael groaned. "Stop staring! Move out of the way! It's—"
But before he could finish, the Starmie sprang out of the water and flew towards Machop, its blade-arms spinning a frenzy. Michael winced in preparation for a shriek and a limp green projectile, but just as the Starmie was about to make contact with its target, he heard a loud boom. Smoke and static erupted from between the two battlers, and the Starmie ricocheted back, its red gem caved in and sparking.
It fell into the water with a heavy splash, exposing Machop, who was standing with one foot forward, his fist curled resolutely at his side. Michael let out a breath of relief, and smiled.
Machop shifted his stance. His eyes were now fixed on the surface of the pool, expecting the Starmie to reappear at any moment. But the dark blue dot had begun to dart uncertainly beneath the water, snaking around in a complicated path between Machop and Clefable. At last, the Starmie sprang out, this time launching itself at Clefable, though its spin wasn't as rapid. Clefable backed away a couple of steps and caught it by two of its legs. She spun around in with it and threw it into the air like a Frisbee, sending it back in Machop's direction. Machop Thunderpunched again, sending another boom rolling across the battlefield, and the Starmie flying back in an arc towards Clefable. Clefable drew back her arm, curling her tiny fingers, and punched the Starmie square in the belly. Lightning exploded around her fist, enveloping the Starmie as it fell into the water. It landed on its back and was overturned by a passing wave, which washed it up onto a nearby ledge, exposing its motionless body.
With a sigh, Marie took out her pokéball and returned the Starmie, whisking it away from the battlefield. Beaming, the boys exchanged a high-five. "Yes!"
They started to unscrew their capsules, but the Gym leader held up her hand. "Hold on there!"
The boys looked up, and she showed them another silver orb. "There's still one more to go."
Michael narrowed his eyes. "But Gym leaders have five!"
"Not all of them — I have six. That's why my staff told you each to bring three pokémon, to make it fair from a doubles-match standpoint. It'll be two against one for you fellas, but I'll assure you I don't go down easy!" Marie flashed a smile. "Go!"
She threw the pokéball into the air, where it reached its maximum height and froze for a moment, unlocking to release a torrent of light. Michael stepped back, holding up his arm to shield from the light, and through his fingers saw a giant serpentine body emerge into the pool. Moments after the light faded, he heard a low, rumbling growl, and lowered his arm to glimpse a giant opened mouth, and a chiseled, grimacing face. It was a Gyarados.
Older members of the species could have easily wrapped their bodies around the pool with length to spare. Thankfully, this one appeared to be young — its head loomed at the same height as Ringo had flown, and its belly was submerged in the water, leaving a small part of its tail to whip slowly from side to side. It dwarfed both Machop and Clefable in its shadow, and the pokémon had to back away to see its face in full.
"Let's see what you little ones are made of!" said Marie to them. "Use Hyper Beam!"
A ball of light gathered between the Gyarados's open jaws, and blasted outwards in a brilliant white beam, which crashed into the space between them and threw both pokémon back. Machop soared through the air and landed in the water, and Clefable plopped feet-first onto the edge of a rock, tipped over, and fell in as well.
The Gyarados began to swim around the pool, closing in on the two pokémon and trapping them in a cage with its body. The water began to cave inwards as it gained speed, exposing the pillars of rock that supported the patches of land, turning them into deadly river rapids. Machop and Clefable scrambled against the current to avoid them, though often they were pulled under and smacked against the rocks.
When they were sufficiently dazed, and the water had gathered enough rotational momentum, the Gyarados broke free of its formation and launched another Hyper Beam attack. The jet of light crashed into the middle of the vortex, throwing the battlers up with a large swell of water, which flung them into the air and dropped them back into the pool. Clefable came to first, shaking her head, and grabbed Machop by the arm before he could sink. Together, the pokemon paddled over to a patch of dry land and heaved themselves over.
The Gyarados slithered across the surface of the water and rose up before them again, another Hyper Beam gathering in its mouth.
"Look out!" Henry called.
Clefable and Machop jumped aside, and the Hyper Beam crashed into empty space, throwing up an angry tide of water against the wall. The pokémon landed together on another patch of land, and just as they turned around, the Gyarados lunged. Clefable leaped forward and struck its snout with a Thunderpunch, which threw back the beast's head, causing it to flinch away. At the same time, Machop hopped over to a nearby ledge and grabbed hold of its tail.
"Yes!" said Michael. "Get on its back! Climb on!"
Machop jumped into the water and pulled on the Gyarados's tail like a tug-of-war player, inching his way onto the pokémon's back. Clefable followed suit, latching onto its body with her claws. Realizing what was happening, the Gyarados began to thrash its tail against the water, throwing up a flurry of splashes. It dove underwater and snaked through the rocks, rolling on its side and bumping itself against the rocks. But each time it resurfaced, Machop and Clefable were still there, now latched on to the blue fins that ran down its back. The Gyarados continued till it had exhausted itself, and swam to the middle of the pool with its head turning, unsure of what to do.
Michael looked over to Henry, who in turn looked at him, eyes slightly narrowed.
"Time for the lightning show?"
Henry smiled back. "Let's do this!"
And they shouted in unison: "THUNDERPUNCH!"
Clefable and Machop raised their arms together, producing two balls of electricity that surrounded their fists, and jabbed them into the Gyarados's back. They punched and punched with rhythmic synchrony, sparks erupting at every contact, eliciting feral screeches from the Gyarados, which began to flail about in renewed rage. Michael squinted against the light's yellow glare, watching Machop as he fought to keep his hold. The fighter had inched his way up the Gyarados's neck, allowing Clefable room on its torso, and was now hanging on with all four limbs, which barely wrapped halfway around it. The faster the Gyarados thrashed, the more desperately Machop clung to it, until even Clefable was thrown off-balance and had to grab hold of the Gyarados's fin to keep from falling into the water.
The Gyarados began to swim around the battlefield, bumping its body against the rocks, contorting itself into seemingly every position it could think of. Finally, it turned its head all the way around to glimpse its back, which was covered in burns, and at the very top saw one half of Machop's body, along with one nervous red eye gazing back at it.
With a snarl, the Gyarados lunged at Machop, its jaws opening to display rows of teeth in a mouth that could have swallowed him whole. Right then, Clefable delivered another Thunderpunch, which caused the Gyarados to snap its head forward again, and allowed Machop to begin inching his way down.
But before he could, the Gyarados swiveled its head around again, its gargoyle's grimace flashing into view, along with one blue whisker that swayed ever so slightly forward as it growled. Without a second's pause, Machop leaped headfirst off the beast's neck and fell into a deadly plunge towards the rocks. For a moment, Michael thought he would land and shatter himself, but then he heard a wild cry, saw the Gyarados snake its head upwards in pain, and saw both of its whiskers float upward, held together by a tiny, wriggling body. Machop kicked the Gyarados in the snout with both legs, then before he could fall again, let go of its whiskers and climbed onto the pokémon's head. He teetered there for a moment, then sank to his knees for balance, and began to punch.
His Thunderpunches joined in with Clefable's, who soon picked up her pace as well, and the two pokémon began to jab at the Gyarados with stunning rapidity. The combination of their attacks plunged the whole room into a yellow haze, drowning out the Gyarados's shrieks with the sound of crackling electricity. Finally, the Gyarados sagged into the waves, and the sparks around it cleared to expose Marie, who was fanning herself with her hands. Her gray curls were sticking out at odd ends.
"Well, I must say, that was... electrifying!" She twisted open the pokéball, and once Machop and Clefable had found their way onto a patch of dry land, called the Gyarados back inside. "You boys certainly don't disappoint! Of course, I get a lot of trainers using Grass and Electric moves, so you weren't terribly creative in that regard, but when you've battled as much as I have you naturally get a taste for the really unusual victories, the ones that make you snap back and think — what?! Like a couple years ago, I had two kids who managed to beat Gyarados with a pair of Geodudes. They sort of linked arms and flung each other at him one by one, and somehow made it so that they always landed on the same ledges… and before I knew it, my friend was lying limp like a noodle. I never saw anything like it! I still tell the story every time I go to a leader convention and I always get someone who doesn't believe me." She cackled. "But ah, anyways, it's perfectly fine, don't think I'm criticizing you for your tactics. A win's a win, though I think it's fair to say I held my own. Didn't come across as a batty old lady who's behind the times, right?"
Michael and Henry nodded.
"Good, good! And I'll tell you why—" She held up a finger. "I know it's not hard to deduce an element's weakness after you've seen it in action a few times. Say, Water, for example, is weak to Grass and Electric. But that doesn't have to be the end of the story. If it were, my pokémon would've gone down in a matter of seconds. I won't tell you everything about how I train, of course, in case you two run off and form an underground Beat-Marie Coalition, but I will tell you that the key is to train your pokémon to have endurance. Both mental and physical. Getting your pokémon to trust you, and getting them to break their boundaries and reach their full potential, is where a trainer's craft really shines. There are as many styles of training as there are pokémon, so the trick is to determine what's best for each one. You can tell by just looking at a trainer and their team if they're started to form that bond." Marie looked down at Machop and Clefable, who were looking up at her like dutiful students. She smiled. "And you two made the grade! It helps of course that you're both adorable, but that's just an aside." She flicked her hand, and zipped up her purse. "Now here's how it'll work," she said to the boys. "I'll go freshen up, and tell Lace you've won. Then when you get to the lobby, she'll give you your badges. Sound like a deal?"
"Yeah," said Michael and Henry together.
"Great! And congratulations! It's not every day you get to battle a Gyarados, eh?" Marie winked, and turned to leave through a door behind her.
Machop and Clefable paddled their way to the shore, coming up to the boys scarred and soaking wet. Henry kneeled down and met Clefable in a bear hug.
"You were awesome! One minute I thought you'd both let go, but you hung on!" He pulled away to glimpse her face, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I remember when you were this tall." He indicated a spot below her waist, which had been her height as a Clefairy. "And you were battling those Shinxes and Glameows by Oreburgh. Now look, we beat the fifth Gym!"
Clefable smiled, covering her mouth as she giggled.
Michael looked down at Machop, who had approached him meekly, arms hanging at his sides. But when he stopped, he held them out and began to look them over, as if awed by what they could do. Michael took the pokémon by the wrists and held them apart. "See that? That's what you get from hard-core practice. It's fine to watch TV and hang around, but if you do that too much, people might start thinking you're a slack. So you gotta prove them wrong."
Machop fixed his large eyes on Michael's own. He spoke an incoherent sequence of phrases that all sounded the same — Ma-chop, chop-chop — and though they carried no meaning for Michael, they still somehow transmitted a faint, tightening resolve.
"You could've spent less time running, though," Michael said, and narrowed an eye matter-of-factly. "Lucky you had Clefable with you. If she hadn't pulled you out of those rough spots, you would've gone under. Not that that's a bad thing—she's a good friend to have. And sometimes, you're gonna face opponents that you can't take down by yourself, so you'll need your friends to help you. Even if they're stronger, or a bit weaker, you have to work with them, 'cause they're all you've got."
Machop stared back at him mutely, though when Michael let go, he gave a tiny nod. He and Michael looked askance as Henry was packing away his belt with Clefable. The two pokémon caught each other's eyes, and Clefable gave a wink.
Smiling, Henry hoisted his tote bag over his shoulder. "Come on, Michael, let's go!"
Michael went to get his backpack and zipped the pokéball pouch inside. He left the battle room with Henry, and emerged into the warm evening, where the sound of chirping Kricketune pervaded the air. The boys veered onto the lamplit path between the rows of battle houses, and started on the way towards the main building, Machop and Clefable ambling along between them. The sky above them glittered with stars.
"Sorry I made Ringo faint," said Henry after a minute. "I guess I got so caught up with teaching Pachi how to use Thunderbolt that I didn't think I'd have to teach him how to stop."
Michael gave a chuckle. "I guess you made up for it in the end. Though if we lost, I would've shunned you for a week."
Henry scratched the back of his neck. "Heh… I bet you would have!"
"Relax, I'm kidding." A moment later, Michael narrowed his eyes. "And speaking of Ringo…"
He slowed to a stop and scanned the vicinity for a nearby bench. When he found one, he dropped his backpack onto the seat and took out Ringo's pokéball, twisting open the cap to release him. Ringo plopped down in a seated position, and after a moment began to stir. His body was covered in burns from the electric attacks, but nevertheless he remained conscious, and peered out at the boys with a steady gaze.
Michael snapped his fingers. "That's what you were trying to tell me! Marie had a Gyarados!"
Ringo clicked his beak. "I asked my friends to come and see!"
Henry clamped his hand over his mouth. "So… Ringo flew into one of the staff people's office, looked at her papers, and saw Marie's team members?"
"I guess so." Michael looked back at Ringo and tapped the bird's head with his finger. "That was some good thinking, man. Spot on." He turned to Henry, meeting the boy's horrified stare with a grin. "That's my kind of pokémon."
Henry crossed his arms. He didn't say another word as they entered the Gym, though he kept casting Michael stern glances throughout. Once Lace saw the boys, she waved them over to the front counter. "Hey fellas. Mrs. Wickham just called me and told me about the battle. Great job!" She slid two shiny badges over to them. Then she leaned under the counter and placed two Rage Candybars beside them, showing their pristine silver wrappers. She winked. "They're Mrs. Wickham's favorite. I'm sure you can guess why."
Michael's lips spread into a tired, wordless smile. After putting away the badge, he unwrapped a candy bar and broke off a piece, savoring the flavor of chocolate that washed over him. "Sweet."
Henry gave in a moment later, and they left the Gym in contented silence, sharing only the crinkle of wrappers. They both finished by the time they reached the hotel, stopped to throw out the trash, then kept going towards the Pokémon Center. But midway, Henry stopped.
"Michael!'
The boy turned, and at the sight of his panicked eyes, Michael frowned. "What?"
"Caterpie! You left her by a window!"
"So?"
"Butterfrees have to practice using their wings before they can fly! We forgot to close the window, and we're on the eighth floor! If she falls, she'll hit the concrete!"
The boys pushed through the doors and entered a hallway, dim and smelling of chlorine. Henry had his new pokéball belt strapped around his waist, while Michael made do with a brown pouch. At the end of the path was a wooden bench and hooks for their personal belongings, after which they emerged into an enormous, sunlit battle room. The floor, which was lined with rough tiles, terminated after several yards for an Olympic-sized pool, which stretched all the way to the side walls, mirroring paintings of coral and sea grass, and the vast, domed ceiling overhead. The water was broken every so often by flat stone surfaces of various sizes, which looked like pools of dark tar, but appeared to provide sturdy ground for walking and jumping. Nevertheless, the battlefield was overwhelmingly dominated by water, making land travel a complicated maneuver.
It's probably her defense against Water's weaknesses, Michael thought. He knew that the Water type was one of the more vulnerable ones, and so he didn't consider such a tactic to be above Marie's capabilities. His battle with Lona had taught him well — he'd never rush into a battle blindly now. Every little thing, he knew, had to have a purpose.
Marie herself awaited them at the opposite end of the pool, standing with her arms crossed, idly checking her watch. A row of fountains played behind her for show, filling the room with sounds of rushing water. Upon hearing their approach, she looked up and smiled.
"Welcome! Right on time, too. Splendid!"
Marie clapped her hands, and opened the flap of her cross-body purse, which held her pokéballs.
"Um, Mrs. Wickham?" Henry said. "Which one of us will be battling first?"
Marie smiled. "Both of you. You'll be battling me together."
The boys drew back in surprise, and Marie gave a cackle. "Ah, I get that reaction all the time. Priceless. But yes — together. I find it gives trainers a whole different perspective on the thing, something they don't normally get in Gyms. It's twice the fun when your partner is someone you don't know, of course, but I figured that since you two are already a traveling group, why not send the both of you off together? That is, if you win." She winked. "As the river flows and is flexible, so must you be! Send out your first pokémon, each of you. I'll send two of mine, and the games begin!" She took out two pokéballs, one in each hand, and held them open. "Go!"
Two bolts of light fled from the mouths of the opened capsules and crashed down into the water, shattering its glassy serenity with foamy splashes. Moments later, two heads appeared from beneath the water: a Quagsire and a Floatzel.
Michael and Henry immediately turned to face each other.
"Quagsire," Michael whispered. "That's what Wooper grows into."
"And Bertha caught a Wooper," Henry said. "The guy at the Great Marsh said it was Ground."
"And Quagsire has to be Water for Marie to be using it, so it must be a dual-type with Ground. Which means… it's extra weak to Grass!" Michael snapped his fingers. "Use Burmy. I'll take Floaty with Turtwig."
Henry gave an affirmative nod. They took several steps away from each other and sent out their battlers, holding their pokeballs high aloft to make sure they landed onto dry land. Burmy plopped down on a circular slab in his cloak of leaves, face tucked away to leave two blinking eyes peering out from it. Turtwig landed on a large patch of sand, where he shook himself awake, and began to survey the vicinity. The abundance of water seemed to intrigue him, and after a moment he seemed to grasp the limitations of the tiny field he had been cast upon. Turtwig turned his head back towards the shore, and when his eyes locked on his trainer's, Michael gave his command: "Turwtig, you get the Floatzel! Use Razor Leaf!"
Henry joined in a moment later. "Burmy, use Leaf Storm at Quagsire!"
There was a loud rush that sounded like flapping pages as the two Grass-types whipped up a storm of leaves. Burmy's spun around his body like a storm cloud, and Turtwig's flew out from his bushels in tiny bunches. They drifted in the air for a moment, then Turtwig stomped his front feet against the ground, which made them launch forward like daggers. The Floatzel dove underwater before they could strike it, but the Quagsire wasn't so lucky. Burmy's cloud of leaves engulfed its head before it could go under, making the pokémon flinch back. It dove underwater seconds later, though its formation with the Floatzel was broken.
"Use Water Gun!" said Marie.
The Floatzel's open mouth reappeared in front of Burmy, blasting him off his feet with a jet of water. Michael knew the attack would do little damage on its own, but seconds later he saw Marie's motive. Burmy landed in the pool and began to flail about helplessly, his limbs too tiny to keep him afloat. The Floatzel grabbed Burmy with its paws and threw him up into the air, while it flipped over onto its back and prepared to give a kick.
But fortunately, Henry had come prepared. "Burmy, use Protect!" he said.
Burmy withdrew his arms and legs into his cloak of leaves, which solidified around him into a smooth green shell. When he fell within range, the Floatzel kicked, and the shell elicited a metallic clang which made the Floatzl withdraw its foot in pain. Burmy splashed into the water, where he bobbed like an empty egg, washing up onto another patch of land.
"Great job! Burmy, come out and use Razor Leaf!"
Burmy loosened the top layer of leaves and whisked them at the Floatzel, just as the pokemon lunged forward. The Floatzel fell back into the water, but just as its body disappeared beneath the surface, the waves around it began to swell, collecting into a swift tide that swept Burmy away in a powerful rush.
"Burmy!" Henry ran to the edge of the pool, trying to follow the still-encased pokémon with his eyes, but Burmy was soon lost in the torrent of water.
Meanwhile, Michael was standing a short distance away, egging on Turtwig, who was caught in a landlocked battle with Marie's Quagsire. Both pokémon were roughly the same size, and were butting heads — one round, scaly and slimy, the other a chiseled, golden helmet. Despite its plump, flabby build, the Quagsire clearly had muscle, and managed to give Turtwig a hard enough time to push him just a few feet away from the water's edge. Nonetheless, Turtwig held his ground, stirring up clouds of leaves and shooting them at the Quagsire at every chance he got. The super-effective Grass attack made a striking difference — the leaves hit the Quagsire full in the face, each time breaking its grip on Turtwig's shoulders and making it stumble back. Turtwig would take advantage of the opening and lunge forward, butting his head into his opponent's chest. At first, the Quagsire was able to gather its wits in time to push back, but gradually, its reactions grew slower, and its resistance to Turtwig's advances began to falter.
All throughout, Michael watched with narrowed eyes, fist clenched at his side. "That's it, nice and easy…"
He was so focused on the struggle that he didn't notice Marie watching, until without warning, she broke her silence: "Hydro Pump!"
With a swift heave, the Quagsire pushed itself away from Turtwig and staggered back, shooting a blast of water from its large mouth. The jet hit Turtwig with such force that he was forced to turn away, succumbing to his own momentum and backing away towards the edge of the stone slab. Michael gritted his teeth. If Turtwig fell into the water, he would sink like a rock.
The Quagsire kept shooting water blasts at Turtwig every few seconds, drawing from some inner reserve in its body. Though they were weaker than the first, they kept Turtwig from advancing so much as a single foot from his place. Head ducked and eyes closed, the only thing he could do was step back even further, till he was standing just a few feet away from the ledge.
"Stay on the ground!" Michael shouted. "You can still cut through the water with your leaves!"
Turtwig cracked open an eye, just as the Quagsire had thrown its head back to prepare another blast, and sent a spurt of leaves whipping through the air. They struck the Quagsire's belly right as the creature released another Hydro Pump, which Turtwig met head-on, leaping forward with his head ducked. For a moment, his entire body was swallowed by the torrent, then the tip of his glittering helmet sliced through. He landed before the teetering Quagsire and rammed into it with all his might, throwing the pokémon into a heap in the dirt.
Michael clapped his hands. "Yes! That's what I'm talking about!"
But his elation lasted for hardly a moment before a shout came from his left: "Michael!"
Michael turned, and saw Henry pointing to the other side of the pool, where Floatzel was knocking Burmy against the walls, using Aqua Jets and Surfs to do the pushing for him. The tiny Grass pokémon was still inside his self-made shell, unharmed, but likely losing more nerve every time he struck the hard stone.
"He can't get out!" Henry cried. "I kept going over the move with him but I think he's too scared to drop his shield in the water! Do something!"
"Hang on." Michael pressed his finger to his chin, working out a possible logistics for escape, when suddenly a flash of light burst forth from Marie's pokéball and made him turn.
"Not so fast!" said the Gym leader. Michael caught a final glimpse of the Quagsire before it was sucked away by a beam of white light, and a second, larger body was deposited into the water. It was a Gastrodon.
The pokémon landed with a heavy splash, its flippers smacking the water and coasting over the choppy waves. Its body was almost the same shade of blue as that of the water, which from a distance made it look like a huge floating shell. Its face looked impassive, but dangerous. Immediately after gaining its balance, the Gastrodon launched a jet of water at Turtwig, propelling itself towards the island where the turtle was marooned.
Turtwig continued to retaliate with Razor Leaf, his leaves spinning in a frenzy over the sprays of water, but whenever he stopped to aim at a certain spot, he found that the Gastrodon had already sailed past it. The pokémon circled the island with surprising speed, shooting white jets at Turtwig from every possible direction, scattering soil and wet leaves all over the pool. Turtwig soon stopped retaliating and began to scamper around the shore, bogged down by the sheer force of water, closing his eyes as the waves surged and hissed around him. Michael watched in shock as Turtwig's strength wavered, his motions growing clumsy and feeble.
Without preamble, the Gastrodon delivered a final blast, which struck like a spray from a fire hose and knocked Turtwig off his feet. He sailed past the ledge and landed belly-first into the pool, first freezing out of sheer surprise, then hastily tried to keep himself afloat with his bulky legs. Nevertheless, his body began to dip down, sinking tail-first beneath the water.
"Hurry up there!" Marie called. "You don't want him to drown!"
Belatedly, Michael became aware of himself again, and took Turtwig's pokéball from his pouch. He held the capsule aloft, and a beam of light rushed to snatch the pokémon out of the water. Once he had closed the capsule, Michael looked back at Marie. "So… do I send him out again?"
Marie shook her head. "Nope. League rules, kiddo. Once you send back a battler, you can't bring them out again."
Michael gave an inward groan, feeling both cheated and humiliated. His only Grass pokémon had been beaten by its own type matchup — not a good way to start.
He looked over to Henry, but the boy didn't seem to be doing much better. Burmy was currently being thwacked like a ball against a coral painting, his Protect-coat thinned to produce a rubbery bounce. The Floatzel was using its paws now, lying on its back as if it were in a country club pool. With a sink of the shoulders, Michael realized that Goldeen would have come in handy. He studied the Floatzel for another split second, then looked back at Marie, who was tapping a finger against her wristwatch. Finally, he realized what he needed. He needed speed.
Reaching into his pouch, Michael grabbed another pokéball, one labeled with a musical note in permanent marker. He held it aloft. "Go, Ringo!"
The Chatot dove out of the capsule, wings unfurling as he glided upwards, till he was gliding among the tops of the painted sea-grass. Ringo flew a single loop around the pool, scanning the field beneath him with his large narrowed eyes, ones Michael knew could glimpse the smallest splash produced by the cresting waves. Turning around to keep the bird in view, Michael cupped his hands around his mouth. "Ringo, get Burmy!"
Ringo's gaze locked on the green shell, and he swooped down, wings tucked against his body to form a torpedo. He dodged an Aqua Jet from the Floatzel, and when he got close enough to the water's surface, spread his wings again and plucked Burmy right out of the pool with his talons. The Floatzel snarled in fury, launching blast after blast of water at the bird, but they fell through empty air as Ringo looped gracefully out of their way.
Elated, Henry jumped and pointed at the Floatzel. "Burmy, Razor Leaf!"
Burmy's arms and legs emerged from his shell, and he sent spirals of leaves down at the Floatzel, slashing its belly and arms. Ringo changed his trajectory, swerving to the side to pass over the Gastrodon, where Burmy sent another wave of leaves, sprinkling cuts across the sea creature's skin. The Gastrodon howled and swayed, turning its head to glimpse its attacker, but was cut short as more leaves struck its face and neck. Michael felt a rush of satisfaction as the Gastrodon was reduced to the same state that Turtwig had been in moments before, shooting jets of water sporadically at the air while trying to avoid the spinning leaves. He smiled. How do you like me now, ugly?
Beside him, Henry was smiling as well, watching the contest with his hands on his knees. All of a sudden, he seemed to get an idea, and began to hop on his toes again. "Oh, Michael, I know what we can do! Put Burmy on his back!"
Michael hailed Ringo with a snap of his fingers. "Hey Ringo! Drop him!"
He indicated the spot on the Gastrodon's shell, and Ringo set Burmy down, then immediately turned his attention to Floatzel. The otter pokémon had been trying to get to its teammate, but the storm of flying leaves had clearly forced it to rethink its tactics. The Floatzel was still swimming from side to side, trying to find the safest angle to blast Burmy away, when Ringo landed on the back of its neck and began to peck. The Floatzel grabbed at the air with its paws, but for a lack of speed, couldn't counter with anything besides a smack or scratch. In the meantime, Ringo switched to more sophisticated pestering, blasting the Floatzel with sharp gusts of air from his wings, performing high-dives to strike it with Aerial Ace. After one of his talon-swipes, the Floatzel's strength finally gave, and it sank limp beneath the waves. Its body rose belly-up moments later, eyes closed.
From her end of the pool, Marie shook her head, and returned her fainted battler. But she didn't look as disappointed as Michael would have hoped. As she took out her next pokéball, the ever-present smile returned to her face, and she tossed the capsule into the air.
"Go!"
The beam of white light shot into the air, molding into a bulky blob which became a Mantyke. Seconds after the pokémon fell into the water, another storm of Aqua Jets shot through air in rapid sequence, only this time the beams were slender and agile, like liquid daggers. They caught up to Ringo in a matter of seconds, one managing to strike him in the side, which broke him briefly from his flight path. The Mantyke skimmed along the tops of the waves for a few moments, eyes following Ringo as he regained his balance, then it thumped its large flippers against the water and lifted itself into the air.
Michael's face fell into a scowl as the Mantyke began to glide over the water, moving its two antennae to psychically roughen the waves beneath it. Though it flapped its flippers from time to time, the Mantyke's trajectory remained eerily level, which made it look like an alien hovercraft. It continued attacking Ringo from below, while the bird circled over its head in agitation, trying to figure out what to do. He began to beat his wings faster, stirring up a gust of wind to sweep the Mantyke away, but Michael shook his head.
"It won't work — the thing's too heavy! Just slice at it!"
Ringo clicked his beak, and switched from his previous tactic to perform an Aerial Ace. His claws sliced the Mantyke across the back, causing the pokémon to swerve aside with a cry. Gaining some measure of resolve, Michael turned his head to glimpse the other half of the struggle — Henry's Burmy was still clinging to the Gastrodon's back, amid a shower of slicing leaves, crawling to every slip of bare skin he could find to Bug Bite it. The Gastrodon's frustration had driven it insane, and it was now rocking from side to side, coming inches away from tipping itself over just to get Burmy off.
The beast's howling grew so enraged that the Mantyke turned its attention from Ringo, firing a desperate blast of water to strike Burmy. The spear missed by inches, but gave Burmy enough of a shock to make him let go. Without an anchor, he began to slip, rolling around the Gastrodon's shell as the pokémon flailed about.
Henry grabbed both sides of his head. "Michael, pick Burmy up again!" he said. "He's slipping!"
"Not now, I'm busy! Aerial Ace!" Michael grinned, his eyes following Ringo as he delivered another slice across the Mantyke's back.
"I'm serious!"
When Michael didn't answer, Henry let out a huff. "Unless you want our only Grass counter to faint—"
Michael waved him down. "Fine, fine! But I have a better idea." He pressed his thumb and forefinger to his mouth and whistled. "Hey, Ringo! Change course! Get to Gastrodon!"
Ringo chirped in affirmation, swerving over to the Gastrodon with the Mantyke's Aqua Jets still following him . He swiped his claws against the Gastrodon's face, and flew out of the way just as Mantyke gave another blast, which hit the Gastrodon in the same place and caused the pokémon to flinch away. Its rocking stopped, and Burmy continued to bite, till his venom kicked in and the Gastrodon's neck drooped. At that point, Ringo swooped down and grabbed Burmy, who sent a cloud of leaves in Mantyke's direction, striking it dead-on with their pointed edges. Michael gave a smile. Their pokémon knew how to work.
But moments later, in the corner of his eye, he saw the Gastrodon stir. The pokémon lifted its head, gathering its final ounces of strength, and produced a Hydro Pump that engulfed the flying duo, knocking them down with the force of a raging waterfall. Ringo managed to regain his altitude, taking off for a far-flung corner of the room, but Burmy kept falling, and without the shield of Protect, fell on a patch of soil and fainted.
"No!" Henry lunged forward, but Michael held him back.
"It's fine. You still have Pachirisu. All we need to do is take out one more pokémon after this, then we're done."
After a moment, Henry bit his lip. "Right." He fumbled for a slot in his pokéball belt, and returned Burmy to his pokéball. He switched him out for Pachirisu, who emerged onto the floor beside the boys, then sprang onto the nearest patch of land. White static crackled around his cheeks, which were lifted in his perpetual, eager smile.
The Gastrodon had rolled over onto its side in the meantime, and after five seconds had passed, Marie sent it back. She brought out a Starmie, from which Michael glimpsed a gleaming red gem before it cut into the water and disappeared.
Seconds later, out of nowhere, a spinning blue disc whizzed out of the water and struck Ringo, knocking the bird out of the air. Mantyke shot a Water Gun before Ringo had time to recuperate, and he landed into the water.
Henry smiled. "Not so fast! Pachi, use Thunderbolt!"
"Ssssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pachirisu's tail began to quiver, and the static that was jumping around his cheeks began to rise up from every hair on his fine fur coat. The sparks combined and thickened into a yellow aura, then suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed out from the haze, tearing through the air and striking the floating Mantyke. The pokémon seized up and began to twitch, its antennae bending at random. Seconds later Pachirisu launched another bolt at the Starmie, who fled underwater for cover.
By then, Ringo had regained enough energy to fly, and ascended towards the Mantyke, preparing to lunge. But right then, the Starmie lashed out of the water and struck him from behind, making him fall back down.
Michael spat. "Dammit!"
"You're going to have to be a lot quicker than that!" said Marie, as Ringo floundered amid the choppy waves.
Meanwhile, the glow from Pachirisu's body was intensifying every second, to the point where the sphere of electricity around him had doubled in size, and he shot horizontal lightning bolts into the air with hardly a second's pause. The majority of his attacks rained down on the Mantyke, who began to fly around erratically in an attempt to escape them, before finally being struck down into the waves. Marie called the pokémon back, shaking her head with the same expression of humored disappointment.
Her Starmie continued to roam free, a dark-blue dot zipping to and fro beneath the water. No matter how carefully Michael tried to follow it, the Starmie would always slip from his gaze, getting lost somewhere among the medley of rocks. Then whenever it seemed like Ringo was about to fly up, the Starmie would spring out from a spot just a few feet away, its pointed arms spinning a solid blur, and strike him right back down. Once Ringo had exhausted himself, and was drifting listlessly like a duck, the Starmie began to shoot Psybeams from beneath the water. They pulsed towards Ringo in circular ripples, adding the effect of drooping eyes and thick, unintelligible grumbles.
For complete lack of a plan, Michael could do nothing but watch the pathetic scene, eyes following the Starmie as if he could make it faint with sheer loathing. Now that its opponent was confined to sea level, the Starmie refused to leave the water, and continued to dart about in constant vigilance of an attack.
He considered calling Ringo back just to avoid a fainting, when suddenly Henry grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait, hold on Michael, I've got it!" He snapped his fingers and turned to Pachirisu. "Use Thunderbolt at the water!"
Michael's brain snapped awake a moment too late. "No!"
He lunged at Henry to stop the command, but the boy's words had already left his mouth. Pachirisu happily obeyed, and the aura around him pulsed as he drew even more energy from his inner reserves. The cloud began to drain away from his sides and condense into a tiny ball above his head, which in the blink of an eye produced a massive beam of lightning that shot up into the air. It climbed several yards overhead then came crashing into the water, dissipating into shockwaves that pulsed across the pool with painful brilliance. They struck the Starmie near the water's surface and knocked it out instantly, then coursed into Ringo through his underbelly. The bird gave a screech, wings snapping open and closed at odd angles, his tongue lolling out from his beak. He fell fainted seconds later.
Pachirisu's growl deepened and began to vibrate, as the beam of light connecting him and the water continued to flash, transferring a constant stream of energy into the water. It grew from yellow to white, singeing the air with the smell of burnt fur, but the squirrel's back remained bent, eyes closed in concentration. He stayed that way for another solid minute, till at last his strength gave out and he collapsed from exhaustion. The beam of light shattered apart and dissipated in the air, and the sparky haze cleared around Pachirisu's body to reveal a vacant, toothy smile. Henry had taken out three pokémon in a single move.
Michael slapped his palm against his forehead. "Henry, you ditz! I told you not to!"
Henry stared at Pachirisu in horror, lips forming soundless words. A moment later, the Starmie's body gave a shudder, and the pokémon stirred back to life. Leftover static crackled around its body as it recovered from the paralysis, and began to swim around the pool once more.
Marie crossed her arms. "Your move, boys!"
With a grumble, Michael returned Ringo and took out his final pokéball. Henry followed suit, and together they brought out their last two battlers onto the field — Machop and Clefable. The duo landed on separate patches of land just a couple yards away from each other, and exchanged a few glances as they took in their surroundings.
The Starmie rose up to the surface and launched an Aqua Jet without preamble, striking Machop in the chest and causing him to stumble. Machop turned around just as Starmie came up behind him, and cartwheeled out of the way of another oncoming blast. The water rushed on towards Clefable, but lost most of its momentum by the time it reached her, enabling her to burst straight through without stumbling. She turned, and before the Starmie could pin her down, broke into a run and hopped onto another ledge.
Machop followed her example, hastily jumping from his own starting pad onto a smaller, less-even surface. He turned around in place for a moment, trying to decide where to jump to next, when he was jarred by a sudden blast of water that shot right over his shoulder, missing him by inches.
"Look out, will you?" Michael shouted. "Go faster!"
Machop gritted his teeth and sprang onto the next nearest surface, launching into a panicky sprint as the Starmie shot more Aqua Jets after him. At last, the Starmie seemed to tire of the game, and dipped back beneath the water. Machop landed on another surface and turned around, searching the water with puzzled eyes.
Michael groaned. "Stop staring! Move out of the way! It's—"
But before he could finish, the Starmie sprang out of the water and flew towards Machop, its blade-arms spinning a frenzy. Michael winced in preparation for a shriek and a limp green projectile, but just as the Starmie was about to make contact with its target, he heard a loud boom. Smoke and static erupted from between the two battlers, and the Starmie ricocheted back, its red gem caved in and sparking.
It fell into the water with a heavy splash, exposing Machop, who was standing with one foot forward, his fist curled resolutely at his side. Michael let out a breath of relief, and smiled.
Machop shifted his stance. His eyes were now fixed on the surface of the pool, expecting the Starmie to reappear at any moment. But the dark blue dot had begun to dart uncertainly beneath the water, snaking around in a complicated path between Machop and Clefable. At last, the Starmie sprang out, this time launching itself at Clefable, though its spin wasn't as rapid. Clefable backed away a couple of steps and caught it by two of its legs. She spun around in with it and threw it into the air like a Frisbee, sending it back in Machop's direction. Machop Thunderpunched again, sending another boom rolling across the battlefield, and the Starmie flying back in an arc towards Clefable. Clefable drew back her arm, curling her tiny fingers, and punched the Starmie square in the belly. Lightning exploded around her fist, enveloping the Starmie as it fell into the water. It landed on its back and was overturned by a passing wave, which washed it up onto a nearby ledge, exposing its motionless body.
With a sigh, Marie took out her pokéball and returned the Starmie, whisking it away from the battlefield. Beaming, the boys exchanged a high-five. "Yes!"
They started to unscrew their capsules, but the Gym leader held up her hand. "Hold on there!"
The boys looked up, and she showed them another silver orb. "There's still one more to go."
Michael narrowed his eyes. "But Gym leaders have five!"
"Not all of them — I have six. That's why my staff told you each to bring three pokémon, to make it fair from a doubles-match standpoint. It'll be two against one for you fellas, but I'll assure you I don't go down easy!" Marie flashed a smile. "Go!"
She threw the pokéball into the air, where it reached its maximum height and froze for a moment, unlocking to release a torrent of light. Michael stepped back, holding up his arm to shield from the light, and through his fingers saw a giant serpentine body emerge into the pool. Moments after the light faded, he heard a low, rumbling growl, and lowered his arm to glimpse a giant opened mouth, and a chiseled, grimacing face. It was a Gyarados.
Older members of the species could have easily wrapped their bodies around the pool with length to spare. Thankfully, this one appeared to be young — its head loomed at the same height as Ringo had flown, and its belly was submerged in the water, leaving a small part of its tail to whip slowly from side to side. It dwarfed both Machop and Clefable in its shadow, and the pokémon had to back away to see its face in full.
"Let's see what you little ones are made of!" said Marie to them. "Use Hyper Beam!"
A ball of light gathered between the Gyarados's open jaws, and blasted outwards in a brilliant white beam, which crashed into the space between them and threw both pokémon back. Machop soared through the air and landed in the water, and Clefable plopped feet-first onto the edge of a rock, tipped over, and fell in as well.
The Gyarados began to swim around the pool, closing in on the two pokémon and trapping them in a cage with its body. The water began to cave inwards as it gained speed, exposing the pillars of rock that supported the patches of land, turning them into deadly river rapids. Machop and Clefable scrambled against the current to avoid them, though often they were pulled under and smacked against the rocks.
When they were sufficiently dazed, and the water had gathered enough rotational momentum, the Gyarados broke free of its formation and launched another Hyper Beam attack. The jet of light crashed into the middle of the vortex, throwing the battlers up with a large swell of water, which flung them into the air and dropped them back into the pool. Clefable came to first, shaking her head, and grabbed Machop by the arm before he could sink. Together, the pokemon paddled over to a patch of dry land and heaved themselves over.
The Gyarados slithered across the surface of the water and rose up before them again, another Hyper Beam gathering in its mouth.
"Look out!" Henry called.
Clefable and Machop jumped aside, and the Hyper Beam crashed into empty space, throwing up an angry tide of water against the wall. The pokémon landed together on another patch of land, and just as they turned around, the Gyarados lunged. Clefable leaped forward and struck its snout with a Thunderpunch, which threw back the beast's head, causing it to flinch away. At the same time, Machop hopped over to a nearby ledge and grabbed hold of its tail.
"Yes!" said Michael. "Get on its back! Climb on!"
Machop jumped into the water and pulled on the Gyarados's tail like a tug-of-war player, inching his way onto the pokémon's back. Clefable followed suit, latching onto its body with her claws. Realizing what was happening, the Gyarados began to thrash its tail against the water, throwing up a flurry of splashes. It dove underwater and snaked through the rocks, rolling on its side and bumping itself against the rocks. But each time it resurfaced, Machop and Clefable were still there, now latched on to the blue fins that ran down its back. The Gyarados continued till it had exhausted itself, and swam to the middle of the pool with its head turning, unsure of what to do.
Michael looked over to Henry, who in turn looked at him, eyes slightly narrowed.
"Time for the lightning show?"
Henry smiled back. "Let's do this!"
And they shouted in unison: "THUNDERPUNCH!"
Clefable and Machop raised their arms together, producing two balls of electricity that surrounded their fists, and jabbed them into the Gyarados's back. They punched and punched with rhythmic synchrony, sparks erupting at every contact, eliciting feral screeches from the Gyarados, which began to flail about in renewed rage. Michael squinted against the light's yellow glare, watching Machop as he fought to keep his hold. The fighter had inched his way up the Gyarados's neck, allowing Clefable room on its torso, and was now hanging on with all four limbs, which barely wrapped halfway around it. The faster the Gyarados thrashed, the more desperately Machop clung to it, until even Clefable was thrown off-balance and had to grab hold of the Gyarados's fin to keep from falling into the water.
The Gyarados began to swim around the battlefield, bumping its body against the rocks, contorting itself into seemingly every position it could think of. Finally, it turned its head all the way around to glimpse its back, which was covered in burns, and at the very top saw one half of Machop's body, along with one nervous red eye gazing back at it.
With a snarl, the Gyarados lunged at Machop, its jaws opening to display rows of teeth in a mouth that could have swallowed him whole. Right then, Clefable delivered another Thunderpunch, which caused the Gyarados to snap its head forward again, and allowed Machop to begin inching his way down.
But before he could, the Gyarados swiveled its head around again, its gargoyle's grimace flashing into view, along with one blue whisker that swayed ever so slightly forward as it growled. Without a second's pause, Machop leaped headfirst off the beast's neck and fell into a deadly plunge towards the rocks. For a moment, Michael thought he would land and shatter himself, but then he heard a wild cry, saw the Gyarados snake its head upwards in pain, and saw both of its whiskers float upward, held together by a tiny, wriggling body. Machop kicked the Gyarados in the snout with both legs, then before he could fall again, let go of its whiskers and climbed onto the pokémon's head. He teetered there for a moment, then sank to his knees for balance, and began to punch.
His Thunderpunches joined in with Clefable's, who soon picked up her pace as well, and the two pokémon began to jab at the Gyarados with stunning rapidity. The combination of their attacks plunged the whole room into a yellow haze, drowning out the Gyarados's shrieks with the sound of crackling electricity. Finally, the Gyarados sagged into the waves, and the sparks around it cleared to expose Marie, who was fanning herself with her hands. Her gray curls were sticking out at odd ends.
"Well, I must say, that was... electrifying!" She twisted open the pokéball, and once Machop and Clefable had found their way onto a patch of dry land, called the Gyarados back inside. "You boys certainly don't disappoint! Of course, I get a lot of trainers using Grass and Electric moves, so you weren't terribly creative in that regard, but when you've battled as much as I have you naturally get a taste for the really unusual victories, the ones that make you snap back and think — what?! Like a couple years ago, I had two kids who managed to beat Gyarados with a pair of Geodudes. They sort of linked arms and flung each other at him one by one, and somehow made it so that they always landed on the same ledges… and before I knew it, my friend was lying limp like a noodle. I never saw anything like it! I still tell the story every time I go to a leader convention and I always get someone who doesn't believe me." She cackled. "But ah, anyways, it's perfectly fine, don't think I'm criticizing you for your tactics. A win's a win, though I think it's fair to say I held my own. Didn't come across as a batty old lady who's behind the times, right?"
Michael and Henry nodded.
"Good, good! And I'll tell you why—" She held up a finger. "I know it's not hard to deduce an element's weakness after you've seen it in action a few times. Say, Water, for example, is weak to Grass and Electric. But that doesn't have to be the end of the story. If it were, my pokémon would've gone down in a matter of seconds. I won't tell you everything about how I train, of course, in case you two run off and form an underground Beat-Marie Coalition, but I will tell you that the key is to train your pokémon to have endurance. Both mental and physical. Getting your pokémon to trust you, and getting them to break their boundaries and reach their full potential, is where a trainer's craft really shines. There are as many styles of training as there are pokémon, so the trick is to determine what's best for each one. You can tell by just looking at a trainer and their team if they're started to form that bond." Marie looked down at Machop and Clefable, who were looking up at her like dutiful students. She smiled. "And you two made the grade! It helps of course that you're both adorable, but that's just an aside." She flicked her hand, and zipped up her purse. "Now here's how it'll work," she said to the boys. "I'll go freshen up, and tell Lace you've won. Then when you get to the lobby, she'll give you your badges. Sound like a deal?"
"Yeah," said Michael and Henry together.
"Great! And congratulations! It's not every day you get to battle a Gyarados, eh?" Marie winked, and turned to leave through a door behind her.
Machop and Clefable paddled their way to the shore, coming up to the boys scarred and soaking wet. Henry kneeled down and met Clefable in a bear hug.
"You were awesome! One minute I thought you'd both let go, but you hung on!" He pulled away to glimpse her face, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I remember when you were this tall." He indicated a spot below her waist, which had been her height as a Clefairy. "And you were battling those Shinxes and Glameows by Oreburgh. Now look, we beat the fifth Gym!"
Clefable smiled, covering her mouth as she giggled.
Michael looked down at Machop, who had approached him meekly, arms hanging at his sides. But when he stopped, he held them out and began to look them over, as if awed by what they could do. Michael took the pokémon by the wrists and held them apart. "See that? That's what you get from hard-core practice. It's fine to watch TV and hang around, but if you do that too much, people might start thinking you're a slack. So you gotta prove them wrong."
Machop fixed his large eyes on Michael's own. He spoke an incoherent sequence of phrases that all sounded the same — Ma-chop, chop-chop — and though they carried no meaning for Michael, they still somehow transmitted a faint, tightening resolve.
"You could've spent less time running, though," Michael said, and narrowed an eye matter-of-factly. "Lucky you had Clefable with you. If she hadn't pulled you out of those rough spots, you would've gone under. Not that that's a bad thing—she's a good friend to have. And sometimes, you're gonna face opponents that you can't take down by yourself, so you'll need your friends to help you. Even if they're stronger, or a bit weaker, you have to work with them, 'cause they're all you've got."
Machop stared back at him mutely, though when Michael let go, he gave a tiny nod. He and Michael looked askance as Henry was packing away his belt with Clefable. The two pokémon caught each other's eyes, and Clefable gave a wink.
Smiling, Henry hoisted his tote bag over his shoulder. "Come on, Michael, let's go!"
Michael went to get his backpack and zipped the pokéball pouch inside. He left the battle room with Henry, and emerged into the warm evening, where the sound of chirping Kricketune pervaded the air. The boys veered onto the lamplit path between the rows of battle houses, and started on the way towards the main building, Machop and Clefable ambling along between them. The sky above them glittered with stars.
"Sorry I made Ringo faint," said Henry after a minute. "I guess I got so caught up with teaching Pachi how to use Thunderbolt that I didn't think I'd have to teach him how to stop."
Michael gave a chuckle. "I guess you made up for it in the end. Though if we lost, I would've shunned you for a week."
Henry scratched the back of his neck. "Heh… I bet you would have!"
"Relax, I'm kidding." A moment later, Michael narrowed his eyes. "And speaking of Ringo…"
He slowed to a stop and scanned the vicinity for a nearby bench. When he found one, he dropped his backpack onto the seat and took out Ringo's pokéball, twisting open the cap to release him. Ringo plopped down in a seated position, and after a moment began to stir. His body was covered in burns from the electric attacks, but nevertheless he remained conscious, and peered out at the boys with a steady gaze.
Michael snapped his fingers. "That's what you were trying to tell me! Marie had a Gyarados!"
Ringo clicked his beak. "I asked my friends to come and see!"
Henry clamped his hand over his mouth. "So… Ringo flew into one of the staff people's office, looked at her papers, and saw Marie's team members?"
"I guess so." Michael looked back at Ringo and tapped the bird's head with his finger. "That was some good thinking, man. Spot on." He turned to Henry, meeting the boy's horrified stare with a grin. "That's my kind of pokémon."
Henry crossed his arms. He didn't say another word as they entered the Gym, though he kept casting Michael stern glances throughout. Once Lace saw the boys, she waved them over to the front counter. "Hey fellas. Mrs. Wickham just called me and told me about the battle. Great job!" She slid two shiny badges over to them. Then she leaned under the counter and placed two Rage Candybars beside them, showing their pristine silver wrappers. She winked. "They're Mrs. Wickham's favorite. I'm sure you can guess why."
Michael's lips spread into a tired, wordless smile. After putting away the badge, he unwrapped a candy bar and broke off a piece, savoring the flavor of chocolate that washed over him. "Sweet."
Henry gave in a moment later, and they left the Gym in contented silence, sharing only the crinkle of wrappers. They both finished by the time they reached the hotel, stopped to throw out the trash, then kept going towards the Pokémon Center. But midway, Henry stopped.
"Michael!'
The boy turned, and at the sight of his panicked eyes, Michael frowned. "What?"
"Caterpie! You left her by a window!"
"So?"
"Butterfrees have to practice using their wings before they can fly! We forgot to close the window, and we're on the eighth floor! If she falls, she'll hit the concrete!"
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