"Welcome, to Pewter city!" May declared as we crested the final hill on the road, only to see a massive sprawling city below us.
"Wow..." I uttered in awe while taking in the entire city.
Unlike Viridian, Pewter city had a very discernable theme going on as every single building seemed to be carved from some type of stone with clay tiles for roofing. Even the Pokemon Center. Dominating the view of the city though were two large, impressive, and imposing buildings. One being the Pewter city Museum, carved from what looked like pure marble, while the other was the Pewter city Gym.
"Its amazing." I told her, and May beamed back at me.
"This is why I like to journey. Because no matter where you go in the world, there will always be amazing sights to see." She said in a sage-like voice, before grabbing my hand. "Come on~!"
"Careful! I have a baby on board!" I reminded her, taking care not to jostle my bag too much with the egg inside of it.
Together, May and I entered the city and quickly began to explore based off of the pamphlet that May had. Don't ask me where she got it, I still have no idea.
The first place we went to was the stone market, a place where vendors were selling and trading stones from all over the world, though most were from the Kanto region. Rocks, gemstones, metals that were both precious and mundane, and something that immediately caught my eye.
"Mega Stones..." I uttered in awe of the display, which showed dozens of colorful stones that were needed for Mega Evolution, each one with a tag for the specific pokemon that they belonged to. And above them were matching stones that shimmered like rainbows, the Keystones that the trainers needed to pair with the Mega Stones.
"Let's see..." May muttered as she began to seriously examine the gathered stones.
"Please little missy, take a good look at my selection of stones~! We have stones to Mega Evolve plenty of Kantonian pokemon! Victreebelite, Slowbronite, Pidgeotite, and even Aerodactylite!" The vendor declared as he smelled a possible sale.
"Any Altarianite?" May asked hopefully.
"Unfortunately, no."
"What about Cameruptite?"
"No..."
"It looks like he has a Blastoisinite." I pointed the blue and brown stone out to her, which made May beam.
"You're right Noah, this will be perfect for when Squirtle eventually evolves! I'll take that one!" She said while pointing to the stone.
"Excellent choice miss! Will you take it as is, or shall I wrap it up for you?"
"I'll take it as is." May replied, and she accepted the stone from the man after paying for it.
As she did that I glanced over some of the others, Charmeleon, Magikarp, Pidgeotto, Kakuna, Pinsir, Scyther, Bellsprout... There were stones for several of the pokemon I had that were capable of Mega Evolving, though the only one that realistically could at the moment was Pinsir. The rest needed to evolve into their final forms first.
Despite that, I kept looking at the Charizardite they had on display, both variants at that. And I could afford one.
All thoughts of saving my money for a Pokeblock maker had vanished as I pointed to the stone I wanted. "And I would like that one please."
"Coming right up sir~!" The vendor declared with visible excitement from making another sale.
"Getting ahead of yourself, Noah? You don't even have a Keystone." May pointed out as I accepted the Charizardite X, and tucked it away in my bag after paying for it.
"I prefer to think of it as investing in my future." I replied, while secretly lamenting the hit my bank account took. But it was worth it to be able to give my boy a decent boost when he eventually reaches his final evolution, and I was able to get my hands on a Keystone.
May and I continued exploring the stone market for a while before we headed to a cafe, where they sold specialty roast Pidgy and Spearow. Once we were done eating, she surprised me with what she said next.
"I think we should split up for the rest of the afternoon."
"Huh?" I asked confusedly, not sure if I heard May correctly.
"Let's split up for a while. I have some things I want to work on by myself. We can meet back up for dinner." She explained as we rose from our seats.
"If you want to. I guess I can take the time to look for some city dwelling pokemon." I said while thinking of a few in particular, such as Meowth, Voltorb, Grimer and so on.
"That's the spirit! I'll see you later." May said as she gave me a kiss on the cheek, before turning around and walking off.
I watched her as she left, before pulling my phone out to see what there was to do around the city. Especially when you were broke like I was.
The answer came to me almost immediately as I noticed the Gym on the other side of town.
"Time to get my first Gym Badge." I said to myself, feeling my adrenaline start to spike as I started towards it. But I didn't take the direct route.
As I said to May, I planned to look for some urban dwelling pokemon while I made my way there, mostly by cutting through allyways and taking side roads. It was by doing this that I managed to find one of the pokemon I was looking for, a Meowth.
"Meow?" It trilled while looking at me warily, the bones from a flayed Magikarp in it's mouth.
"Hey there little guy." I said while cautiously approaching it, deciding to try a different approach than just battling it. "How would you like to come with me?"
"Meow!" It yowled at me while arching it's back threateningly, preparing to fight if I didn't leave it alone.
"I'm not gonna hurt you... But If you decide to come with me, you won't need to dig through the trash for food anymore." I told it in a soothing voice, slowly reaching into my bag to pull out some of the pokemon food I had on me as I did so.
"Meow?"
Eyes widening when it saw the food, the Meowth dropped the bones as it approached me with notably less hostility.
"That's right..." I told it. "If you decide to come with me, you'll never go hungry again." I promised it as the Meowth eagerly ate.
"Meowth? Meow!" It declared, readily agreeing to my proposal once it finished eating.
"Good." I said while pulling out a pokeball, and tapping it to Meowth's head gently. It immediately fell still after sucking the Meowth inside with a small ding.
~~~
Meowth- The Scratch cat pokemon
This pokemon loves shiny things, and will obsessively collect any shiny coins it discovers. They mostly sleep during the day, but will prowl the edges of it's territory at night to defend it from trespassers.
~~~
"Nice~!" I whistled happily as I read Meowth's data, before sending it to professor Oak since I already had my team ready to face Brock. Regardless of if we decided to go through Mt. Moon or Diglett Tunnel, Meowth would be good to have since he had the Pickup ability, which helped them find objects on the ground.
With a spring in my step I hurried on to the Gym, which sat atop a hill that overlooked the city like a massive rocky sentinel. The walls looked as if they were carved from massive slabs of limestone, while the roof was a single massive boulder with the word GYM carved into it and painted.
"Well, it certainly LOOKS intimidating." I said to myself in awe, though a small voice in the back of my mind said that appearances could be deceiving.
I entered the Gym and made my way to the interior, where a massive stadium filled with rocky terrain and several large boulder awaited me.
"Impressed?" A voice asked, drawing me out of my awe as I turned to see a couple of kids standing before me. Both appeared to be either in their early teens, or close to it, with healthy tanned skin, brown unruly hair, and eyes narrowed into slits.
"Yeah I am. This is the first Gym I've ever been to." I told them seriously, and both boys smirked.
"Its only natural that you would be impressed, the Gym Leader is OUR brother after all!" The one that I figured to be the older of the two said with pride.
"I'm Salvador, and this is Forrest." The other said, introducing himself and his brother. "We train under our aniki as Gym trainers, and we have the important job of testing perspective challengers!"
"Think you have what it takes to challenge our brother?" Forrest asked as they both smirked at me cockily.
"I think the better question is, do the two of you think you can stop me?" I asked them back, my blood pounding in my veins as my adrenaline began to spike in excitement.
The two brothers led me down to the arena as the shorter of the two, Salvador, stood across from me in the Gym Leader's spot on the arena. I however moved to the challenger's spot across from him as we prepared to battle, with Forrest taking the place to officiate.
"This will be a typical one on one Gym test battle! As per the standard protocol, the Gym trainer will send their pokemon out first!" Forrest declared, and Salvador held out a pokeball.
"Bring the house down, GEODUDE!"
"GEODUUUUUDE!"
I studied the living boulder with arms curiously for a moment as it appeared opposite me, flexing it's arms as it did so.
"Show them what we're made of, Bellsprout!" I called out, and the second grass type pokemon that I caught in Viridian forest appeared.
"Bell~!" Bellsprout declared as stood across from Geodude, his body appearing to be composed entirely of roots that supported the two leaves that functioned as arms, and his bell-like head.
"This battle will be Bellsprout versus Geodude, BEGIN!" Forrest declared.
"Geodude, use Rollout!" Slavador immediately ordered.
"Geodude!"
Crying in affirmation, Geodude shot forward like a deadly cannonball at Bellsprout as it carved a path through the dirt.
"Hold..." I told Bellsprout as Geodude got closer to him.
"Hold..."
"Hold........"
"NOW!" I yelled right as Geodude was about to hit Bellsprout, and the Flower pokemon swayed like a willow in the wind to just narrowly avoid Geodude while simultaneously counter attacking with Vine Whip.
"GEO!"
Geodude cried out in pain as it was lashed with one of Bellsprout's vines, sending it careening into one of the boulders.
"Now use Stun Spore!" I ordered Bellsprout, and he responded by expelling a cloud of spores from his bell-like mouth that enveloped Geodude entirely. And when it breathed in, the spores entered it's body and paralyzed it from the inside.
"Finish it off with Vine Whip." I ordered firmly.
"Bell~! Bell~! Bell~!"
Bellsprout cried out as he repeatedly lashed Geodude with vines, giving it no room to try and recover when combined with the paralysis. Until finally....
"Geodude is unable to battle! Bellsprout wins!" Forrest declared, signalling the end of the first battle.
"Dang it!" Salvador swore as he recalled Geodude, stomping his foot as he did so angrily.
"Should have seen that coming when he sent out a pokemon with dual type advantage over yours." Forrester said with a wry smile as he traded places with his brother, and Bellsprout returned to my side.
"You did excellently." I told him proudly.
"Bellsprout~!" He trilled back, before I recalled him to his pokeball. I then turned my attention back to Forrest, who was preparing to send out his own pokemon for our battle.
"Turn back the clock, Omanyte!" Forrest declared as he activated the pokeball.
"Omaaaaa~!"
I blinked as the prehistoric pokemon wiggled it's tentacles threateningly across from me, not having expected seeing one this soon into my journey.
"I wasn't expecting to battle against a fossil pokemon here." I told Forrest while also thumbing the rest of my own pokeballs.
"Really? I got Omanyte from my big brother as a birthday present!" Forrest said with pride before turning serious. "What about you?"
"I think I'll send out you, Oddish!" I declared while throwing out my next pokemon.
"Oddish, ODD!" Oddish declared as she appeared in the arena.
"This battle will be Omanyte versus Oddish! Begin!" Salvador declared, apparently taking the place as officiator since his brother was battling now.
"Don't think I'm as naive as my little brother! Omanyte, use Water Sport!" Forrest yelled to begin the battle.
"Oma!"
Omanyte cried in affirmation as it sprayed a fountain of water everywhere, not to attack, but to saturate the entire arena. To Oddish though, it was as if she were merely getting a pleasant shower.
"Oddish, use Acid!" I yelled in retaliation, and Oddish sparyed her own fountain, except she was spraying corrosive fluids that mixed with the water from Omanyte's Water Sport.
The result was immediate as Omanyte visibly recoiled from the sensation of the Acid eating through it's spiral shell, making it more suseptible to offensive attacks.
"Nice try, but I think this will be our win." Forrest stated cockily. "Omanyte, use Aurora Beam!"
A flash of genuine concern went through me as Omanyte unleahsed a multi-colored beam of light right at Oddish, composed of pure ice typing.
"Oddish, avoid it!" I ordered with urgency.
"Oddish!" She yelled back, right before she jumped up and performed a spinning flip through the air while the Aurora Beam hit the wet ground where she had been standing.
"Now return fire with Razor Leaf!"
"Oddish dish dish dish!" She yelled while spinning at higher speeds, sending a barrage of bladed leaves right at Omanyte before it could react.
"!!!"
I could see the surprise in it's eyes right before the leaves hit it, not even giving Omanyte time to withdraw into it's shell before they began leaving wicked slices on it's tentacles and shell.
"Omanyte, use Water Pulse then Withdraw!" Forrest yelled urgently as Oddish landed on the now frozen ground. And with a cry, Omanyte unleashed a miniature wave of water that flooded the arena before buffeting Oddish to dash her against the rock/icy spires dotted around it.
"Shake it off, and use Absorb!" I ordered her as the water subsided.
"Odd!" She replied, before waves of energy flowed from Omanyte into her, draining it's health while healing her own slight injuries.
"Odd.... Odd..... Odd....." She groaned while Absorbing the energy, before her entire body began to glow.
"Nice~!" I exclaimed excitedly as Oddish's body began to grow, gaining at least a foot in height while her leaves lengthened, and arms sprouted from her sides.
"Gloooooom!" My Oddish, now Gloom, declared as the evolution finished, before a terrible stench began to fill the arena.
"What is that smell?!" Forrest exclaimed, even as both he and his brother covered their noses in disgust.
"That is essence of Gloom." I told them, even as I fought the urge to cover my own nose as well.
"Gloom~!"
Despite the smell, I couldn't help but to smile at my newly evolved Gloom. But that smile quickly vanished when I noticed her swaying oddly.
"Are you alright Gloom?" I asked her worriedly.
"Gloom gloom, glooooom."
I frowned at her dreary response, which she was basically saying that her new form felt too off and weird than when she was still an Oddish. Basically nowhere near as nimble and movable as she was before.
"I'm sure that you'll be able to move better when-"
"What is going on here?!"
I looked up as a new voice boomed through the Gym arena, and both boys suddenly stiffened up at the same time while looking incredibly nervous.
"A-aniki!" Forrest said while turning towards the newcomer. He looked like he was around the same age as me, so maybe twenty or late teens. Like the two boys his skin was incredibly tan while his dark brown hair stuck up all over his head. He was dressed in brown cargo pants, and an orange shirt under a green vest that also had several pockets. Completing his look were the fingerless gloves he wore on his hands, and the numerous pouches around his waist that looked as if they were being held up by his belt.
"Brock?" I asked the man as he stood between Forrest and I.
"Yeah. That's me." Brock confirmed before fixing his little brothers with a firm look. "And what did I tell the two of you about accepting challengers for me?"
""Not to..."" The boys answered in unison.
"That's right. I don't mind you two participating in Gym battles, but only when there's supervision and after I officiate them." Brock continued scolding his siblings, even as several more appeared from deeper within the Gym. But as he did so, a certain question started eating at me.
"So does that mean the last two battles are invalid?" I asked Brock worriedly.
"Hm? Nah. I'll still battle you if you want. They just need to understand that they can't keep accepting challengers for me." Brock answered as he approached me for the first time.
"As you already know, I'm Brock." He said while holding out his hand with a warm smile.
"Noah." I replied while accepting his hand, and giving it a quick shake. I noted as we did so that his hand felt like tough leather with numerous callouses.
"So are you ready for that battle? Or do you and your team need some time to recouperate?" Brock asked while glancing down at Gloom.
"I think we're as ready as we'll ever be." I replied while also glancing down at Gloom, who nodded in agreement. We never actually finished that battle with Forrest after all.
"Alright then. Forrest, you'll officiate!" Brock declared as he replaced his sibling on the other side of the arena.
"Right!" Forrest answered, recalling his Omanyte and hurrying to take Salvador's place.
"This will be an official Pokemon League Gym battle between the challenger, Noah, and the Gym Leader, Brock!" Forrest declared once everyone was where they needed to be. "Each side will use three pokemon, and only the challenger may substitute pokemon! The Gym Leader will send their pokemon out first!"
The words were barely out of Forrest's mouth when Brock tossed out a pokeball into the arena. "You're up, Graveler!"
"GRAAAAVE!"
I blinked as I found myself looking at the evolved form of Salvador's Geodude, which was significantly larger than it's preevolution, had legs, and a second set of arms.
"Graveler, huh?" I muttered in contemplation, though I couldn't deny my excitement from getting to experience my first ever Gym battle. "I choose you, Mankey!"
"Key key!"
Mankey gave a shrill cry as he appeared in the arena, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he did so in anticipation.
"The first match will be Graveler versus Mankey! Begin!"
"Mankey, close the distance!"
"KEY!"
At my command, Mankey dropped to all fours and shot forward across the rocky ground at Graveler.
"Graveler, use Rock Throw." Brock calmly countered.
"GRAVE!"
Without hesitation, Graveler dug it's hands into the ground to pull out numerous jagged stones. It then began to chuck said stones at Mankey with enough force that the air whistled.
"Look out!" I warned Mankey worriedly, right as one zipped right by his head. The little pig-face just ignored it though as he continued charging forward without even the slightest bit of fear.
"Grave! Grave! Grave!"
Graveler grunted as it threw the remaining stones it had at Mankey, who used his entire body to dodge only the ones absolutely necessary as he scrambled over the ground. The next thing we knew, Mankey was right in front of his opponent.
"Now use Low Kick!"
"KEY!"
Mankey snarled as he quickly swung out his leg at Graveler's, sweeping them out from under the large boulder to send it crashing to the ground.
"Use the momentum with Rollout!" Brock quickly countered to recover the situation, prompting Graveler to tuck it's arms and legs in as it began to carve out massive trenches in the arena.
I watched warily as Graveler carved it's way through the arena, before it swung back to make a pass at Mankey.
"Hold..." I told Mankey in a low voice, waiting until right until Graveler was right up on it. "NOW! USE SEISMIC TOSS!"
"MANKEY!"
I watched as Mankey reached out and caught Graveler right before it could hit him, making his entire body strain from the effort required, before he lifted it up and chucked it into the air.
"No way!" Brock exclaimed across from me as his Graveler literally flew through the air across the arena. I couldn't help the smile on my face though as I watched it fly, before the large boulder came crashing back down to earth with enough force that the entire arena trembled.
"Get up, Graveler!" Brock yelled to his pokemon. And, shockingly, I watched as it struggled to get up.
"Mankey, finish it now with a Karate Chop!" I quickly ordered him, lest Brock take back the momentum of the battle.
"Key!"
Mankey shot forward with a shout, his desire to end this battle practically radiating from his entire body as he honed in on Graveler. But then, Brock said something that made my heart stop.
"Graveler, use Explosion."
It was as if time itself had slowed to a crawl.
I could only watch as Mankey got right in Graveler's face to finish the battle, right as it suddenly started to radiate an intense light.
Then there was a bright flash, and the entire arena was filled with light and noise as Graveler Exploded.
I was only just able to brace myself against the concussive force that buffeted my entire body, barely a second before the heat reached me as well. At the same time I could feel several small rocks pelting my body all over as dirt and debris went flying. The largest of which was the body of Mankey, who landed at my feet while covered in soot and dust from the Explosion. And was completely unconscious.
"Both Mankey and Graveler are unable to battle!" Forrest declared a second later, and I looked up to see Graveler as well was completely still as Brock recalled it.
"Come back, Mankey." I said dejectedly while recalling my pokemon as well. "You did everything you could." I whispered to the pokeball, before returning it to my belt.
"I never expected such a tactic from you, Brock." I said to the Gym Leader suddenly.
"I rarely use it. But something tells me that you and your pokemon are going to be tough. If Graveler was already done for, then the least I could do was try and take his opponent with him." Brock replied, which was actually sound advice. It just didn't sit well with me to willingly sacrifice one of my pokemon. Maybe my opinion will change in the future, but not right now.
Rather than focus on that though, I turned my attention back to the battle. Both Brock and I had two pokemon left after all.
"You're up, Onix!" Brock roared as he threw out his next pokeball, which opened to reveal a massive serpentine pokemon that looked as if it were made of boulders.
"OHHHHHHHHN!"
I flinched involuntarily as the Onix roared out a challenge to everyone present, before fixing me with a look that dared me to respond. So I turned my attention to the pokemon that still stood at my feet from earlier.
"Gloom?"
The little grass type asked me hesitantly, appearing unsure of herself in her new form.
"Do you want to dance still?" I asked her.
"Gloom?"
"I can help you become stronger, while also letting you dance better than before." I offered, pulling a certain object out of my bag.
"Gloom? Gloom!"
Growing excited when she saw what I had, Gloom readily reached out and grabbed the stone in my hand. Once she did so, her entire body began to glow once more.
"Bell~!" She declared once she finished evolving, now a beautiful little Bellossom that was smaller than Gloom, with twin red flowers on her head and what looked like a grass skirt around her waist.
"Bell~ Bell~ Bellossom~!"
Bellossom sang with glee from how happy she was with her new evolution, bouncing out to the arena as she did so to face Onix now that she was ready.
"The second round will be Onix versus Bellossom! You may begin!" Forrest declared once it was evident we were ready.
"Onix, use Screech!"
Right out the gate Brock pushed the offensive, prompting Onix to unleash a horrible noise that made the rest of us cringe. Imagine if nails on a chalkboard and scratched glass had a lovechild, and then you might understand what it was Onix was doing.
Poor Bellossom, the focus of the attack, slapped both of her hands over her head to try and dampen the noise. Unfortunately, this left her wide open as Brock barked his next order.
"Now Onix, use Tackle!"
"OHHHHHHN!"
I watched with wide eyes as the massive Onix charged forward at Bellossom, carving a path through the arena as it did so.
"Bollossom, MOVE!" I yelled, snapping her out of the daze Onix put her in as the little grass type leapt up into the air, with a flip and a twist at that, while simultaneously summoning a swirling cloud of red petals.
"Yeah! Petal Blizzard!" I yelled as I realized what move she was using.
"Bell~!"
Bellossom cried in affirmation, even as she continued dancing within the storm of petals that she had summoned.
I couldn't help but to watch the display in awe as Petal Blizzard engulfed Onix, dealing continuous damage to it while Bellossom continnuously danced within to avoid retaliation.
"Onix, use Stone edge!" Brock yelled from the other side.
I swear, the entire damn arena shook as Onix slammed it's tail against the ground, sending up a literal wave of jaged stone spires in every direction.
"BELL!"
Bellossom cried out as she was engulfed in the spires, sending her flying across the arena before hitting the ground. Then she tumbled several more feet before finally coming to a stop face-down in the dirt.
"Now finish it!" Brock urged his Onix, who began to charge Bellossom as she started to rise to her feet.
"Get up Bellossom!" I yelled to her, and the Flower pokemon quickly rolled to her feet right as Onix was about to hit her.
"Good job!" I yelled victoriously. "Now use Absorb!"
"Bell~!"
Dodging Onix's attacks like an acrobat, Bellossom flipped herself back up onto her feet before her body began to glow. Unlike the glow of evolution though, this time Bellossom glowed as she Absorbed energy from Onix. A LOT of energy...
A staggering amount of energy..
"!!!"
I blinked as realization dawned on me. Bellossom wasn't using Absorb. She was using Mega Drain, the superior version of Absorb.
"OHHHHHHN!"
Onix roared as Bellossom drained it of energy, healing some of her minor wounds while also restoring her energy.
"Fight through it Onix! Finish it now with Iron Tail!" Brock ordered it urgently.
"Finish it first Bellossom! Razor Leaf!" I ordered her at the same time.
"OHHHHN!"
"Bell~!"
Onix roared while Bellossom leapt up into the air, spinning elegantly as she did so to send a shower of bladed leaves at her opponent. Unfortunately for Onix, Bellossom was significantly smaller than it. Not only did this make her a harder target to hit, but it meant that Bellossom didn't have to bother aiming much as she assaulted Onix with a barrage of lethal blades.
Soon, Onix fell to the ground. Defeated.
"Onix is unable to battle! Bellossom wins!" Forrest declared, putting an end to the second round.
"Bell~!"
Bellossom cried out happily as she leapt up into my arms, forcing me to catch her as she snuggled up to me.
"Yes, you did really well." I told her placatingly, though part of me did feel a bit bad as I watched Brock recall his Onix. I don't know why, but it felt wrong to defeat his Onix for some reason. Like it was familiar somehow.
Whatever the reason for those feelings, I knew I couldn't dwell on them as Brock then held up his third pokeball.
"Alright. This is the final round!" Brock declared with a smirk. "Its all up to you, Aerodactyl!"
"!!!"
Shock filled me as one of the last pokemon I expected to see entered the arena.
"SCREEEEEEYA!"
A shrill voice filled the arena as another fossil pokemon appeared, one that flapped it's powerful wings to create a downdraft that buffeted Bellossom and I. I don't know why, but I felt as if it were trying to intimidate us with the display.
"Alright Bellossom, time for you to get some rest." I said, recalling her to her pokeball as well before reaching for the next one I planned to battle with.
"Time for you to shine, Poliwhirl!" I yelled while throwing the ball out to the arena.
"Poli!"
Poliwhirl flexed his arms as he appeared, staring down Aerodactyl as he did so without the slightest bit of fear. At the same time, I palmed the Water Stone from my bag in case it would be needed.
"The next match will be Aerodactyl versus Poliwhirl! Begin!" Forrest declared to start the match.
"Ancient Power!"
"Bubblebeam!"
Right out the gate, both Brock and I gave our commands to our pokemon.
Aerodactyl let loose another ear-plitting scream as massive blocks of stone were dragged up from the ground, and hurtled at Poliwhirl with some kind of mysterious power. At the same time, Poliwhirl expelled a powerful stream of bubbles that hit the Ancient Power head on. And did nothing.
"Look out!" I yelled to Poliwhirl in warning when I saw his attack being over powered.
Poliwhirl however appeared unbothered, as he braced himself to take the attack head-on despite how dangerous it was.
"Poli!" He yelled back, even as his body was bombarded by jagged chunks of stone that weren't impeded in the slightest by the mucus covering his body.
"Retaliate with Mud Shot!" I told him.
Poliwhirl didn't reply, only firing a powerful blast of thick mud into the air at Aerodactyl that not only hit it, but also stuck to it's body to weigh it down and impede it's movement.
"Dive down and use Thunder Fang." Brock cooly commanded next.
I watched as Aerodactyl tucked it's wings and used the added weight from Mud Shot to increase it's momentum as it dove down at Poliwhirl with electricity crackling in it's jaws. A split second of thought, and I threw the Water Stone in my hand to Poliwhirl.
"CATCH!" I yelled as I threw it, drawing Poliwhirl's attention as the stone flew through the air at him, before he reached out and grabbed it.
"Poli!" He declared with triumph, his entire body glowing with evolution right as Aerodactyl was about to make contact. What happened next was nothing short of shocking, as Poliwhirl's glowing form spun while evolving into a larger figure, and slammed one of his hands right into Aerodactyl's mouth to force it shut with what looked like a Dynamic Punch.
"Aerodactyl!" Brock cried out in alarm fom the sudden turn of events. Not that I could blame him, though it wasn't as if we had cheated. After all, other pokemon were able to evolve during battle, so why couldn't we give them a stone if needed during a battle as well?
Poliwhirl had finished evolving by the time Aerodactyl hit the ground, now standing over four feet tall as a Poliwrath.
"POLIWRATH!" He yelled out triumphantly while preparing to battle Aerodactyl once more.
"Aero..."
On the other hand, Aerodactyl appeared dazed and confused from Poliwrath's Dynamic Punch while also being grounded. So despite Brock's commands and warnings, it was wide open as Poliwrath pressed the attack.
"Bubble Beam!" I yelled, as Poliwrath blasted Aerodactyl with the stream of bubbles.
"Now use Water Pulse!"
"Dynamic Punch!"
Poliwrath gave no quarter. He hammered blow after blow into Aerodactyl with no pause, giving the prehistoric pokemon no room to move or retaliate. Then finally, after one last punch, Aerodactyl dropped.
"Aerodactyl is unable to battle, and the Gym Leader is out of usable pokemon! Poliwrath and Noah win!" Forrest declared from the side.
"We won..." I muttered as Poliwrath returned to my side.
"We won!" I declared louder as the realization sunk in.
"Poli~!" Poliwrath said in affirmation, before he slapped me on the back with enough force that I actually had to brace myself.
"Ow..." I groaned while rubbing the spot where he slapped me.
"Poli..." He said dejectedly while looking at his own hands.
"Its ok. You just need to learn how to control yourself better." I told him reassuringly. At the same time, I noticed Brock approaching us after he had recalled his Aerodactyl.
"That was quite the battle Noah." Brock said as he shook my hand once again.
"Back at you. It was definitely the most intense battle I've seen yet." I said back to him.
"I bet. Most new trainers are shocked when they battle a Gym Leader for the first time. But keep in mind that it only gets harder from here on out." Brock said seriously, even as he offered me a couple of items. "This is the Boulder Badge that I give to those who've beaten me. And this is a TM for the move Stone Edge. Keep in mind that it can only be used once, but any pokemon that knows it could also help teach it to any others you have that could learn it."
"Thank you." I told him, putting the TM in my bag for later while also grabbing the case the profesor provided for my Badges.
"Good luck with the other Gyms." Brock said as I turned to leave.
"Thanks. Good luck with your siblings." I replied with a smirk.
Thankfully after leaving the Gym there was a Pokemon Center nearby, where I was able to take my pokemon to get some attention after the battle. Bellossom was ok, and Poliwrath had a few scratches. Mankey however was suffering from a bruised ego more than anything.
Best of all though, the Nurse Joy taking care of my pokemon was more than happy to provide me with a portable incubator for the egg I got from Celebi. It was as I was admiring it that I got a message from May telling me to her at a restaurant in a couple hours, and to dress nice.
***
Pokemon Registered-24
Pokemon Caught- 17
***
#4- Charmander
Fire type
#5- Charmeleon♂️
Fire type
#10- Caterpie♂️
Bug type
#11- Metapod
Bug type
#13- Weedle♀️
Bug/Poison type
#14- Kakuna
Bug/Poison type
#16- Pidgey
Normal/Flying type
#17- Pidgeotto♂️
Normal/Flying type
#19- Rattata♀️
Normal type
#21- Spearow♂️
Normal/Flying type
#22- Fearow
Normal/Flying type
#23- Ekans♂️
Poison type
#43- Oddish♀️
Grass/Poison type
#44- Gloom♀️
Grass/Poison type
#56- Mankey♂️
Fighting type
#60- Poliwag♀️
Water type
#61- Poliwhirl♂️
Water type
#62- Poliwrath♂️
Water/Fighting type
#69- Bellsprout♂️
Grass/Poison type
#123- Scyther♂️
Bug/Flying type
#127- Pinsir♀️
Bug type
#129- Magikarp♀️
Water type
#182- Bellossom
Grass type
#595- Joltik ♂️
Bug/Electric type