Part 27: Taming of the Slash

It was a cool, crisp morning as we said our goodbyes to Trixa and the rest of the students at the Pokémon ninja school. Although it had only been a days training, I had learned so much about battling with my Pokémon as a team. Now, my mind was fully focused on my upcoming rematch with AJ.

‘Sorry about the delay’

I spun around to see Evian walking over to us with a tray of five pokeballs. Kiro trotted happily by his side.

‘We’re not quite as good as Nurse Joy, but you’re Pokémon should be fit enough to battle’ Evian reassured me.

I took my pokeballs and attached them to my belt. Kiro dashed over to me, leaping up my body and perching himself on my shoulder. ‘Thank you so much’ I said earnestly, shaking hands with the ninja.

‘Any time’ Evian said and leaned in to whisper something into my ear. I listened carefully to his words nodding at what he said.

Aly strolled over to Trixa with Togepi in her arms ‘Thanks again for everything, Trixa and sorry about Sir Duke. He can be a handful sometimes, but he always means well. Oh, and... umm... I’d also like to apologies for what I said before, ya know, about ninjas being creepy people who just like to sneak up on people. It’s not true at all. You guys are great!’

Trixa blushed and smiled nervously. ‘Oh, don’t worry about it. I can see why some people might think that sometimes, but I appreciate your new view on ninjas’

‘And I appreciate you!’ Salvadore screamed and nudged Aly aside, clasping Trixa’s hands in his own. The breeder’s face went bright pink and he spoke in a pronounced manner. ‘Trixa, you may conceal yourself from others, but you can never conceal your beauty from me. Your beautiful eyes strike me like swift shurikens. Your ninja toxins taint my heart with irrevocable love. We could flee silently into the night together, just you and I?’

-Woodo?-

Salvadore glanced up and almost fainted when he realised he was not holding Trixa’s hands, but Sudowoodo’s branch-like limbs. The imitation Pokémon had mysteriously replaced Trixa and was now dressed in a red tunic and skirt. He continued to stare blankly at his trainer.

-Sudowoodo!-

Sudowoodo suddenly swung his arms around Salvadore and squeezed him tightly with affection. The breeder gasped and struggled for air as his Pokémon hugged him even tighter.

Trixa giggled as she suddenly appeared beside Aly. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass’

Everyone burst into laughter.

After we said our final goodbyes, Evian lead us away from the Pokémon ninja school and out of the vast forest. It wasn’t long before we reached the main path which would lead us back to Vermilion City. We began to descend down the winding path which rose above the gaping ocean.

‘Robin, don’t forget what I said and call back anytime you want. Good luck!’ Evian called after us.

We smiled and waved back at the ninja. I then turned to face Vermilion City which lay in the distance. A few of the city’s skyscrapers shined in the horizon, towering beside the rugged ocean. Looking at the city in the distance made me realise that we had come along way, not just from Vermilion, but also from home. I wondered how my mother and Mia were getting on.

Beep!

Somewhat startled, I glanced down at my wrist where my Pokegear was flashing, signalling an incoming message. It was Prof. Oak! It read:

Please call me when you get a chance. Nothing urgent, would just like an update on how you’re doing. Also, your mother was looking for you, again, nothing urgent. Talk to you soon.

I smiled as I read the message. It was nice to know that they were thinking about me too. I decided I would ring my mother and Prof. Oak, right after I win my next badge from AJ!

* * *

My fists rapped hard against the tall iron doors of Vermilion Gym and I immediately jumped backwards, anticipating the doors to swing open like the last time. It was a good decision as they swung out towards us. With a calming breath, I slowly entered the gym, closely followed by Aly and Salvadore.

It was almost like a déjà vu. Both Pokémon and trainers were working out using weights, machines, medicine balls and various other pieces of equipment to tone and strengthen themselves. A dance track blared in the background, accompanying the moans and grunts of those who had come here to train. The air was humid and the atmosphere of the building was intense, enough to unease any unprepared trainer, but not me. I was ready.

My eyes immediately fell on the back of the gym, where AJ was roaring out orders to his Sandslash, pushing it to the limits as it lifted a weight at least twice its size. Sandslash panted heavily with every rhythmic movement it made, keeping in perfect time with every slap AJ made with his whip. My fists balled in anger at the sight of the gym leader over working his Pokémon. Someone had to put him back in his place.

‘AJ!’ I screamed across the gym.

Everything went silent.

Sandslash dropped the weight in exhaustion and AJ turned his head, surprised.

‘I challenge you to a rematch!’

AJ snarled at me for a moment, before smirking and standing upright. ‘Well, well. What do ya know, the pipsqueak and his little friends have returned’

Most of the gym leader’s followers began to laugh and cheer at his condescending remark. The rest looked anxiously over at Aly who was glaring at them spitefully.

‘You can laugh all you want, but I’m not leaving this building without your badge’ I replied coldly.

‘Well if that’s what ya think, you’re gonna be very disappointed’ AJ said smugly and waved his hand, signalling one of his followers to referee the match.

It was the same man as before with muscles protruding from his ripped sleeve jacket. He strutted over to the side line with an obnoxious smile on his face and cleared his throat.

‘This is a rematch between gym leader, AJ and Robin of Viridian City. This will be a two versus two Pokémon battle with no time limit. The challenger can switch Pokémon at any time. Let the match begin!’ he grunted and signalled for us to start.

The hoard of AJ’s followers cheered and jeered, but I just ignored them. My mind was completely focused. I was going to win this battle. I was going to win it for me, my Pokémon, Juni, her father and everyone else who had been put down by this bully. This wasn’t just a battle; it was a vendetta!

‘Let’s finish this quickly. Go, Dugtrio!’ AJ growled.

-Trio!-Trio!-Trio!-

The mole Pokémon was summoned to the battlefield, its three heads bobbing up and down, out of rhythm. I never battled Dugtrio the last time I fought AJ, but I saw its power when they battled Juni. This win wasn’t going to be easy.

‘Looper, you’re up!’ I yelled with conviction.

-Tangela!-

The vine Pokémon cried out defiantly as it was summoned to the field. Her eyes furrowed and she whipped her vines threateningly off the ground. She knew this match meant a lot to me and her levels of maturity had risen significantly in the last couple of days. She was ready.

‘Oh look, it’s the happy little ball of snot again. Dugtrio give ‘em a magnitude!’ AJ commanded with a sneer.

Suddenly, Dugtrio was enshrouded with a dark brown aura and its three heads shuffled even faster. Before I had a chance to utter a single word, the whole battlefield erupted in a violent shake. I just about kept my balance, but Looper was knocked off her feet and shook helplessly along the ground. After a few moments, Dugtrio ceased its attack and the ground become steady once more. Looper struggled to her feet, but seemed disorientated from the quake.

‘Humph! Ya got lucky that that magnitude wasn’t a very strong one. But I’m tired of messing around. Dugtrio use earthquake!’ AJ grunted.

I was baffled to learn that the magnitude attack wasn’t even at full power. However, this was no time to be dwelling on that. If I didn’t act soon then this match would be over before we ever got a chance to even attack.

‘Looper, jump into the air using your vines!’ I ordered promptly.

The Tangela shook her head and regained her focus. Then, with all her might, she propelled herself into the air using a pair of vines, just in time to dodge the earthquake. It was a close call, as the whole gym started to rattle from the intensity of the quake.

‘Good job, Looper. Now use fine whip!’ I screamed, rising in confidence.

‘Dig!’ AJ roared.

The Tangela shot a vine at the Dugtrio at a great pace, but the mole Pokémon timely submerged underground, narrowly avoiding the attack. Looper landed safely on the ground, but began to cock her head around the gym frantically when she realised that Dugtrio had disappeared. She was starting to panic, unsure of where the Dugtrio was about to strike.

I took a deep breath and focused my mind, thinking back to what I had learned from training with Evian.

‘Looper, take it easy’ I said calmly. ‘Stop panicking and focus yourself’

The Tangela immediately stopped shrieking and closed her eyes, waiting for my command.

I closed my eyes as I had done before, blocking out all other noises except the movements of Dugtrio. The jeers of AJ and the cheers of the crowd were pushed out of my thoughts. I couldn’t even here my own breath, just the mole Pokémon shuffling along the ground. It moved fast, circling the waiting Tangela. She could hear it too. I could sense it. The Dugtrio came to a sudden stop right behind Looper.

My eyes flickered open and the gym was animated with roars from AJ’s supporters once again.

‘Looper, jump now and use vine whip at six o'clock!’

The Tangela leaped into the air at my command and spun around one hundred and eighty degrees, shooting two vines in the direction I ordered. Dugtrio suddenly burst through the ground, only to be ensnared by Looper’s vines.

‘No way!’ AJ gasped in astonishment. ‘Dugtrio get out of there!’

‘Not so fast!’ I yelled, brimming with determination, remembering one of the things that Evian had whispered to me. ‘Looper, use giga drain!’

Everyone in the gym stood speechless as a bright green light flowed down her vines and enshrouded the trapped Dugtrio. The mole Pokémon cried out in pain as all its energy was sapped from its body. Eventually, the movement of its three heads slowed down and unable to resist no more, they came to a complete stop- fainted.

There was a ring of silence as Looper untangled her vines from the Dugtrio and happily hopped over to my side.

‘Umm... eh... Du-Dugtrio is unable to battle. This round goes to Robin and his Tangela’ the referee announced, dumbfounded.

AJ glared at me for a moment as I hugged my Pokémon and congratulated her victory. His eyes then widened in horror, almost as if he had seen a ghost. Everyone in the gym gasped and stared at me. I stood there, confused and somewhat scared. It was then I realised that they weren’t staring at me, but someone behind me. I slowly, turned my head, not knowing what to expect.

My jaw dropped in awe as a man easily twice my size towered at the doorway. He wore a dark green shirt with matching combat pants and had spiky blond hair. His face seemed a bit aged, but his smile was contrasting; confident and youthful. The most surprising thing about this man was his eyes. They looked so bright and yet... familiar.

 A Raichu stood boldly at his side, mimicking the same confident look as its trainer.

‘I’m sorry for interrupting you’ the man said in a deep, profound voice that echoed through the gym. ‘I don’t mean to start trouble. I would just like a word with you when you’re finished here’ he said and with those words, he and his Raichu strolled over to the tiered seating and took a seat.

‘Fine, do make yourself at home’ sneered AJ sarcastically. He then returned the fainted Dugtrio and continued to glare at me. ‘Your luck has just run out, kid. This match is over!’ he growled and nodded at his Sandslash.

The Sandslash nodded back and leaped onto the dusty battlefield. It honed its claws and waited patiently for a command as it eyed up Looper. Looper frowned back, still confident after her last win.

‘Ok Looper, let’s start with another vine whip!’ I ordered.

The Tangela cried out and shot two vines at Sandslash.

‘Catch ‘em’

Without warning, Sandslash reached out towards the approaching vines and gripped them tightly in its firm claws.

‘Good, now use rapid spin!’ he urged his Pokémon.

Sandslash jumped into the air while still clasping Looper’s vines. The Tangela was forcefully tugged to the ground from the rapid spin. The mouse Pokémon spun at a fast pace in mid air and sucked Looper closer, like a deathly vacuum. I pleaded Looper to escape, but there was nothing she could do.

AJ waited until the last second before ordering an attack ‘Use slash now!’

The Sandslash stopped spinning and hauled the Tangela closer. With one swift movement, it swung its claw, hacking Looper across the ground.

‘Finish this with roll out!’AJ roared.

‘NO!’ I screamed.

But it was too late.

Looper had barely hit the ground before she was trampled over by Sandslash’s roll out attack. The Tangela bundle over- fainted.

A chorus of cheers erupted in the gym as the referee announced, ‘Tangela is unable to battle. The round goes to AJ and Sandslash!’

I sighed deeply and returned Looper to her pokeball. ‘Thanks Looper, you were amazing!’ I then unhinged another pokeball from my belt and tossed it into the air. ‘Toto, you’re up!’

-Croc!-

The Croconaw jumped up and down in excitement before focusing himself.

‘Not only are you weak, but you’re also predictable. You should have given up after the first time. Sandslash use roll out attack!’ AJ ordered.

‘Toto use hydro pump!’ I commanded promptly.

Sandslash rolled into a ball and began to accelerate towards Toto. The Croconaw widened his stance and unleashed a powerful jet of water, but the attack completely missed Sandslash, who continued its attack, barrelling into Toto. Toto was hurled into the air and landed on the ground in a flop. Sandslash looped around, still spinning and ready to strike again. Toto struggled to stand up, panting heavily and glaring at the Sandslash.

‘Haha, the one time he uses a good attack and it completely misses. Man, you are pathetic. Finish this, Sandslash!’ bellowed AJ.

At his trainer’s command, the Sandslash took off at a fast pace towards Toto.

I smiled, knowing that it was about to roll right into our trap. ‘Toto use hydro pump on the ground!’ I yelled confidently.

‘What’s he doing? Toto can’t control his hydro pump’ Aly gasped nervously and squeezed Togepi closer to her chest.

Salvadore smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I think he’s got a plan’ he reassured her.

Everyone looked on anxiously as Sandslash swiftly approached the Croconaw. Toto acted fast and launched another hydro pump, this time at the ground, pushing him high into the air. AJ cursed in disbelief as Sandslash rolled under the Croconaw, missing him completely.

‘ENOUGH! FOLLOW IT WITH ROLL OUT AND THIS TIME FINISH IT!!!’ AJ thundered manically at his Pokémon.

The mouse Pokémon continued to spin and skid across the gym, until it finally looped around and surged towards the Croconaw once more. Suddenly, the Sandslash began to stumble out of control, unravelling its body and sliding across the battlefield which was now caked with a thick mud. It tried to prop itself up, but its legs were buried deep in muck.

‘Oh, I get it! Robin knew that Toto wouldn’t be able to hit Sandslash with hydro pump, so he used it to change the entire field instead, using it to his advantage’ Aly said excitedly.

AJ glared at me furiously while he screamed at his Sandslash to escape from the sticky mud.

‘Toto, finish this with aqua tail!’ I yelled.

Water began to spiral around the Croconaw’s tail as he lunged at Sandslash, ready to strike. However, just as he bore down his tail, the Sandslash managed to loosen his leg from the soft earth and skilfully rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.

AJ smiled smugly. ‘Good effort kid, but not good enough. Use you slash attack!’

‘Ice fang!’

Sandslash swiped its razor sharp claw at the Croconaw.

CHOMP!!!

-Slash?-

The entire gym went silent.

Sandslash slowly raised its head, meeting the determined eyes of Toto. Sandslash’s claw was now in the firm grip of Toto’s jaw. His fangs glistened and a cool haze evaporated from his mouth. Sandslash struggled, desperately trying to free itself, but to no avail as its arms started to become encased with a thick layer of ice. The movement of ice continued to travel up its arms until it was completely frozen over.

I stared across the gym at AJ. A small smile crept across my face when I saw his shocked expression. ‘Hey, AJ!’ I called over to him.

The gym leader stared blankly over at me, a look of defeat.

‘Predict this! HYDRO PUMP!!!’ I screamed with all my might.

At my command, Toto sprang into the air and with a swing of his head, shot the helpless Sandslash backwards with a powerful torrent of water. The hydro pump attack flushed Sandslash across the gym, passed AJ and burying it into the wall of the gym. The Sandslash crashed into the wall with a huge explosion of dust and debris. As soon the cloud of dust dispersed, it revealed the Sandslash lying flat on its back- fainted!

Silence.

After a few moments, the referee managed to speak again and cleared his throat. ‘S-S-Sandslash is unable able to battle. I declare Robin and his Croconaw the winner of this round and the over all winner of this gym match’

AJ and the rest of his followers continued to stare in silence, not able to comprehend at what had just happened. I ran over to Toto and flung my arms around him, hugging and congratulating him on a hard fought win. Kiro pranced over to our side to join in on the celebration. Aly and Salvadore cheered from the side line, along with Togepi and Cubone. The spike haired man who had interrupted our battle earlier was also applauding us, as was his Raichu.

Our celebration came to a swift end as a shadow towered over us. I looked up to see AJ standing in front of us, expressionless. He then sighed deeply and offered me a hand. I was surprised at first, but nervously took his hand and he hoisted me upright. He then dug his hand into his pocket and took out a small, golden object. He stared at it momentarily, before holding it out to me in his palm. Its sandy texture seemed to glisten, even in the dim gym light.

‘Here, take it’ AJ said in a low, solemn voice ‘this is the Richter Badge. You out battled me. You deserve it’

I nervously reached out and took the badge from his hand. Holding it up to the light, I smiled and fastened it onto the inner lining of my jacket, next to all the other badges I had won. I then stared deep into AJ’s eyes and nodded sincerely.

‘Thank you. I learned a lot from our battles. You’re a great trainer. I can tell that from the way your Pokémon fight for you, even after intense hours of training. But you need to realise that everyone on this earth is equal and should be respected, no matter how strong or weak they are. I have a request from a friend of mine. I want you to apologise to Juni and her father, Lieutenant Surge for the way you disrespected them and shamed their family’

AJ’s eyes widened in shock and his lower lip quivered at my words.

‘That won’t be necessary, kid’ a deep voice boomed from behind me.

I spun around, only to be towered over by the old man with spiky blond hair, his loyal Raichu by his side. He offered one of his massive hands. Feeling somewhat intimidated I shook his hand firmly.

‘The name’s Lt. Surge. What’s yours?’ he asked, though it almost sounded like a demand.

I stared at him in disbelief, slowly realising that this was Juni’s father and the former gym leader of Vermilion City. ‘Uh... R-Robin’ I stuttered.

‘Robin, I don’t know who put you up to this, but I’d like to apologise on their behalf. I’d never ask someone to defend my own honour. I’m an ex soldier and I like to fight for myself. But I appreciate your courage’

‘No problem. It was Juni who encouraged me to continue on my Pokémon journey. I was just doing this as a favour to her’ I explained.

‘Oh, you’re a friend of my little girl? I guess that explains something. She’s quite a little spark; a chip off the old block’ Surge smiled proudly and then turned to AJ. ‘Listen, AJ, I only came here to-‘

‘I’m sorry!’

Without warning, AJ threw his arms around the surprised Lt. Surge and sobbed uncontrollably. Tears rolled off his cheek as he almost choked on his words ‘I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! You were like a hero to me. The father I never had. You helped me train my Pokémon, to become stronger than ever. And what did I do? I pushed you away, wanting to become stronger, wanting impressed you. I was jealous of Juni. No matter how hard I tried, she was always came first. I took the gym, truly believing that I deserved it, but no! It’s not mine. It’s yours. Just take it!’ AJ burst out into another bout of tears.

Lt. Surge suddenly shook the young man firmly by the shoulders. ‘Hey, what do soldiers never do?’ he asked sternly.

AJ quickly stood up straight and wiped the tears away from his face. ‘Soldiers never cry, sir!’ the gym leader saluted Surge, fighting back the tears.

Lt. Surge’s stern face eased and he rested his large hand gently on AJ’s shoulder. ‘Listen, son, I haven’t come here for your forgiveness or for the gym. I’ve come here to make things right. Ya see, when I was young, around your age, I was arrogant and naive thinking I knew everything. Of course, I soon learned that the world didn’t revolve around me. When you’re in a war, you have to look out for others as well as yourself, but heck, even after the war I still had a show boatin’ ego. Then, one day, I got cut down to size by a small fry, just like Robin, here. It was a huge blow to me, but I learned from it. I learned how to respect others, regardless of their size. Anyways, what I’m trying to get at here is that life is full of lessons. Some are tough and hard to accept, but it’s what you learn from them that make ‘em important. When you took over this gym, sure, ya hurt me. But after a talk with a close friend, I learned to accept and cherish what I already got. You should do the same. Look around you. All your friends around here really care about ya!’

AJ looked around the gym. All his friends and followers were nodding at him and giving him thumbs up. The gym leader sniffed a smile.

Feeling I had over stayed my welcome, I turned and began to walk over to Aly and Salvadore, who were now waiting patiently at the door way. I suddenly froze on the spot when Lt. Surge called out to me.

‘Hey Robin, where abouts are you kids going?’

I glanced over at my friends who were unsure where our next port of call was. I then thought back to something else that Evian had whispered to me. Some place called...

‘Fuchsia City... I think?’

The Lieutenant smiled back and dug deep into his back pocket, taking out three slips of paper. ‘The fastest way to get to Saffron from here is by boat. Luckily, I happen to be good friends with a few of the captains around here. The SS. Anne departs harbour one tomorrow at eleven hundred hours sharp. The best way to Fuchsia from there is to stop off at Gringey City. It’s only a few days hike after that’

My mind started to race at the mention of Gringey City. I thought back to when I was in the Pokémon Centre in HopHopHop Town. In a mournful rage over the death of Marowak I had accidentally turned on the television where a news reporter described a chaotic scene of Magnemite infesting Gringey City. In an amateur video clip I saw my rival, Gary facing off against several Magnemite with his Charmeleon. How had he gotten into that situation and what was he doing there?

My attention suddenly snapped back to the present time, where Lt. Surge was giving me a strange look as he held out three tickets for the SS. Anne.

I gave him a nervous smile and took the tickets from him. ‘Thank you... uh... umm... sir!’ I said gratefully and saluted the lieutenant.

Surge laughed heartily ‘Hey, any friend of Juni’s is a friend of mine. See you around, kid!’

I nodded back at him and then turned to catch up with Aly and Salvadore.

Fuchsia City was our next port of call and with my fifth badge secured (again), I was one more step in the direction of becoming a Pokémon Master!