Part 23: Grounded

                ‘Oh my God! Look, it’s the ocean!’ Aly shrieked with excitement.

                We all gazed in awe at the picturesque scene as we began our descent towards Vermilion City, a city full of buildings and skyscrapers spread across the land to one side. A stretching mass of blue dominated the other, mirroring the bright sky above. A vast array of sailing boats and cruise liners dotted the harbour, guided by a sharp southerly breeze.

‘Finally, we’re almost at Vermilion City! I’ve waited so long to get my next badge and now I’m so close’ I said, brimming with excitement. I faced Kiro who sat proudly on my shoulder. I grinned and screamed ‘LET’S GO!’

I was just about to run when a firm hand gripped the collar of my jacket and pulled me backwards.

 ‘Oh no you don’t!’ said Aly sternly.

I was hurled backwards. Kiro fell off my shoulder and landed on my stomach, almost winding me. I moaned and glared up at the dragon tamer ‘Hey, what’s the big deal?’

‘Robin, stop being a stupid butt face and think about it for a second. You’re about to go rushing into a gym battle without a strategy. You don’t even know who the gym leader is. Seriously, where would you be without me?’ she said in a snobbish manner.

‘Probably in the Indigo Plateau already’ I smirked slyly.

Her face turned bright red in anger as she contemplated strangling me.

‘AJ’ Salvadore interrupted.

Our focus immediately turned to the breeder who was scanning the trainer guide as he cradled Cubone in his free arm.

‘The gym leader’s name is AJ’ he continued ‘according to the guide, he trains ground type Pokémon and is notorious for his brutal battle style and counter strategies. He only received gym status in recent times after competing against the old gym leader of Vermilion, Lt. Surge’

I thought carefully about what Salvadore had said and smiled confidently. I jumped to me feet and placed Kiro back on my shoulder. ‘Well we’ll just see how tough he is when his Pokémon get a face full of Toto’s water gun’

‘Robin, don’t be so naive’ Aly snapped and flicked my nose. ‘He’s a gym leader for a reason. He probably has a million ways to combat his weaknesses’

I rubbed my nose and gave her a reassuring wink ‘Relax, I’ve got this! With all the stuff Toto and I have been through together, I’m sure we can overcome whatever this guy throws at us.’

Aly shook her head and sighed deeply.

We continued down the steep path; the colourful trees fluttered in the autumn wind. The air was still fresh as we approached Vermilion City, cleansed by the ocean breeze. The forest path lead us to the harbour where the ocean dominated the city. The wind was even cooler here and whipped sharply through our hair. The port was crowded with merchants, sailors and Pokémon, all working hard at their duties. Engines from steam boats and cruise liners roared as they left the docks, beginning their own journey.

A strong smell of salt and fish from the local fishmongers reminded me of our time in Cerulean City. We had come a long way since then, growing in experience and learning about the Pokémon world. Little did we know how much we still had to learn about life and the responsibilities of being Pokémon trainers.

Out attention suddenly turned to a mass of people gathering further down the harbour. Spectators cheered as battle cries and electricity cracked through the sky. It had to be a Pokémon battle!

We quickly made our way over to the crowd and nudged our way through the hoards of viewers and their Pokémon. I held on to Kiro tightly as I waded my way through the bystanders. Aly and Salvadore followed closely behind me, also cradling Togepi and Cubone. The strikes of electricity seemed to be getting brighter with each stride I took. Something unexpected must have happened in the battle as a chorus of gasps cheers rang out again. This made me even more excited. Maybe I could challenge the victor of this match? A bit of practice before my gym battle wouldn’t go astray.

Suddenly, I spotted a gap in the crowd. I had now lost sight of my friends, although I thought I heard them calling my name. Looking at the space in the crowd I noticed that there wasn’t much room. All the same, I really wanted to see what was happening so with one final push I surged forward and-

WHACK!

‘Hey! What’s the big deal!? You can’t just- Wait! Robin?’

I rubbed my throbbing head as I looked up to the familiar voice. ‘Kiwi’ I smiled weakly through the pain, ‘we really have to stop running into each other like this. What are you doing here?’

She did not answer.

I soon realise that the two trainers in battle were glaring down at both of us, annoyed that we had interrupted their match. It took me a moment to realise that one of the trainers was Juni! She stared at me for a moment before looking back at her fainted Pikachu. She silently raised her pokeball and withdrew her Pokémon. She then frowned across at her opponent, gritting her teeth in anger.

He was a young, stocky man with green spiky hair and wore a red shirt with cream chinos. He had a cocky smile stretching across his face. A small Pokémon with three heads protruding from the ground bobbled menacingly in front of him. I checked my Dex:

Dugtrio, the mole Pokémon and the evolved form of Diglett. Dugtrio’s three heads move at alternative times in order to loosen the soil. It can dig to a depth of 60 miles, even through even the toughest of soils.

‘Pity, I thought you would have least given me a challenge’ the man taunted.

‘Oh, you want a challenge, huh? Fine, here’s your challenge!’ Juni screamed as she tossed another pokeball into battle.

Kiwi and I gawped at her, dumbfounded by her sudden burst of anger. I had never seen her like this. The Pokémon she summoned confused us even more. Its prism shaped limbs seemed to spin somewhat disembodied from the rest of its body. It took me a few moments before I managed to break my gaze and check my Dex:

Porygon, the virtual Pokémon. This is the first artificially created Pokémon that can move freely through cyber space. It has been programmed with basic motions.

‘I see you’re just as stubborn as your old man’ her opponent said coldly.

‘His name is Lt. Surge. He is a great trainer and twice the man you’ll ever be!’ Juni yelled back at him.

I stood in disbelief, amazed by what I just heard. Juni’s father is Lt. Surge, the former gym leader of Vermilion City. I glanced over at her opponent who just snarled. I had never seen this person before, but he was already in my bad books. I noticed the disgust in Kiwi’s eyes too. Who was he to disgrace Juni and her father? My jaw almost hit the floor when I heard someone behind him shout in support,

‘Show her who's boss, AJ!’

I couldn’t believe it. This jerk was actually AJ, Vermilion’s current gym leader. I continued to ponder to myself how such a crude person could have achieved this position and why Juni would waste her time battling him in the first place.

‘Dugtrio, it’s time to put this Little Missy in her place, just like her old man. Use earthquake!’ AJ roared.

‘Quick, Porygon, use magnet rise!’ commanded Juni promptly.

The mole Pokémon began to bob up and down in its mound of earth, each head moving in a different rhythm to the other. The crowd surrounding the two trainers began to edge back, including Kiwi and I as the ground began to shake. In the midst of all this commotion Porygon became enshrouded with a yellow glow and levitated on the spot, avoiding the earthquake attack with ease.

AJ grimaced in anger.

‘Good job, Porygon. Now use tri attack!’ ordered Juni.

We gazed in amazement as three ominous orbs appeared in front of the Porygon. They seemed to connect to each other, forming a bright triangle. Cocking its head forward, the Porygon sent a triangular beam of light towards the bobbing Dugtrio.

‘Dugtrio, get out of there!’ AJ yelled in a panic.

The bright tri attack screeched as it progressed towards the mole Pokémon and made a loud explosion on impact. Curious murmurs rippled through the crowd as everyone waited for the smoke to clear. My eyes bulged in surprise as the dust dispersed and revealed there to be nothing but a large whole where Dugtrio once was. Everyone seemed to be baffled, all except AJ who chuckled out loud.

‘Nice work, Dugtrio. Now surface and show her what a real attack looks like!’

For a moment there was silence. Everyone held their breath, still gazing at AJ anxiously.

Suddenly, Dugtrio erupted from the earth right beneath Porygon, hurtling large pieces of rock and debris into the virtual Pokémon. Porygon was blown backwards and crashed to the ground. It was barely able to struggle upright under Juni’s pleas. Its odd shaped head twitched slightly before refocusing on the opposing Dugtrio.

‘That’s the spirit, Porygon. Never give up! Now use-’

‘Stop this right now!’ a sweet, yet demanding voice cried out amongst the crowd. Spectators parted way, making room for the intruder. I knew the voice had seemed somewhat familiar, although I had technically never met her. It was Nurse Joy! ‘AJ, you should know better than this. If you want to battle then you can do it in your gym. Damaging and unearthing Vermilion’s harbour for the sake of a battle is not acceptable’

AJ returned Dugtrio to its pokeball and nodded respectfully at Nurse Joy, ‘I’m sorry. This battle is over anyways’ he said in a low, apologetic tone. He then gave one final glance at Juni before turning to leave.

Juni glared silently at the gym leader as he slowly walked away, followed by the cheers and chants of his supporters. She then returned her Porygon to its pokeball and sighed resignedly.

Kiwi ran up to her and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. ‘You did great Juni! You almost had him. Next time, you’ll win for sure’ she reassured the professor. Juni continued to stare at the ground in silence.

‘Kiwi!’

I turned around to face Aly, who was smiling cheerfully as Togepi inspected her surroundings. Salvadore was right behind her with his Cubone resting on his shoulder.

Kiwi managed a weak smile and nodded back at them ‘Nice to see you guys again. It’s been a while’

‘Hey Juni...’ Salvadore drooled at the sight of the young professor as love hearts formed in his eyes.

-Cubone!-

WHACK!

Cubone smacked his trainer’s head with his bone and the breeder collapsed to the ground. The lonely Pokémon then proceeded to drag him away by the scruff of his shirt. The rest of us watched wryly before continuing the conversation.

‘So, how are you getting on? Did you battle AJ for his badge yet?’ I asked Kiwi eagerly. I soon regretted it as she gritted her teeth and stared off into the distance.

‘I’ll never battle that jerk! There are plenty of gyms out there where I can challenge noble, reputable trainers and earn my badge with respect. That snot nosed melon face can keep his stupid badge. C’mon Juni, there’s no point hanging around here. We’ll talk to you guys some other time’

Aly and I watched as Kiwi guided a silent Juni away. The professor in training never looked up as they slowly walked down the harbour.

Salvadore crawled weakly along the ground and stretched out a hand ‘Goodbye, my fairest Juni. Call me- uh!’ The breeder’s face slumped to the ground in pain, still feeling the effects from Cubone’s attack.

I glanced down at Salvadore and then back to Kiwi and Juni. I gestured a small wave before the disappeared out of sight.

‘So, what now?’ asked Aly.

I turned to face her ‘A jerk or not, I still need that gym badge. If AJ battles tough, then I guess I’ll just have to do the same!’ I clenched my fist tight with determination as I reflected on what had just happened and focused on my up coming gym battle.

* * *

‘So, this is the Vermilion Gym?’ I said aloud to myself as I raised an eyebrow at the towering building. The top half of the gym looked quite modern, much like the rest of the architecture in the city; it had clean, glossy windows and the wall looked freshly painted. However, the bottom part of the building resembled more of a cave, rather than a gym. Consolidated rock and earth arched over the cast iron doorway. It was a uniquely constructed building to say the least.

After a moments hesitation I approached the giant doors and rapped firmly on the cold metal. They immediately began to open outwards. Kiro and I had to jump backwards to avoid being rammed by tonnes of metal. I quickly recomposed myself walked anxiously inside.

The floor of the building was made completely out of rugged earth. Holes of various sizes dented the surface. However, what really surprised me were both the Pokémon and trainers working out, using weights, machines, medicine balls and various other pieces of equipment to tone and strengthen themselves. A dance track played in the background, accompanying the moans and grunts of those who had come to train here.

After observing the gym, my attention immediately fell on AJ, who roaring was words of encouragement at a Sandslash. The Sandslash wore a strange brace around its body and lifted a weight with several dumbbells at either side. Its face was full of concentration, fighting through its pain.

With a deep breath I edged over to the stern gym leader. I hesitantly cleared my throat ‘AJ, my name is Robin and I request a gym battle’ I stuttered. Even I was surprised at how weak I sounded.

AJ continued to spur on his Pokémon. I was unsure if he had heard me and was just ignoring me, or if I hadn’t introduced myself loud enough. Either way, I felt angry that he hadn’t responded to me, an anger which was carried in my voice.

‘AJ, my name is Robin. I come from Viridian City and I challenge you to a gym battle!’ I yelled assertively.

Everyone in the gym suddenly stopped exercising and turned to face me. Even the background music came to an instant stop.

AJ turned his head and gave me a cold stare. He then slowly rose to his feet and gave me a curious look. He smirked in amusement.

‘So you’re that kid who interrupted our battle earlier’

‘Well... umm... I guess...’ I stuttered as I thought back to that moment where I crashed into Kiwi and everyone’s attention fell on us.

‘And you want a battle, huh? Well, you don’t seem like much, but as a gym leader, I am obliged to accept your challenge’ AJ said cockily.

I bit my tongue and nodded. I hated been looked down upon, but then again, this gave me the advantage. If he thought I was weak, then maybe I could catch him off guard. Without another word we both made our way to opposite sides of the gym.

A muscular man with a ripped sleeve jacket took his position to the side of the field and announced himself as the referee. ‘This gym battle is between AJ, gym leader of Vermilion City and Robin of Viridian City. This will be a two vs. Two Pokémon battle. There is no time limit and only the challenger may switch Pokémon. Let the match begin!’

‘Sandslash, you’re up!’ AJ grunted.

-Slash!-

The Sandslash which had previously been lifting weights leaped in front of AJ and whet its claws in preparation for battle.

‘Robin, that Sandslash is wearing a macho brace’ Salvadore warned ‘Don’t underestimate its strength’

Staring at the menacing Sandslash I checked my Dex:

Sandslash, the mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Sandshrew. Sandslash can curl up into a ball to assist its defence, while the spikes on its back inflict damage to the opponent.

‘This Pokémon looks tough, but you can take it’ I said confidently as I tossed a pokeball to the battle field ‘Toto, I choose you!’

The Croconaw danced on the spot before coming to a halt and folding his arms, ready for battle. Both Pokémon glared at each other, waiting for their commands.

‘Ok, Toto, let’s finish this one quickly. Use water gun!’ I ordered.

AJ chuckled out loud before composing himself ‘Seriously? Water gun? Your Croconaw should know hydro pump at this stage. This just tells me what sort of trainer you really are. Sandslash, use rapid spin!’

I gritted my teeth as Toto sent a gush of water towards the mouse Pokémon. Sandslash promptly sprung in the air and curled up into a ball. It then began to spin at a fast pace in midair, deflecting the water attack. I gasped in disbelief as Sandslash landed back on its hind paws, unscathed by the water gun.

‘Haha, nice job Sandslash. Now use your roll out attack’ AJ yelled.

The Sandslash nodded and curled up into a ball once again. This time it began to spin on the ground, even faster than before.

‘Block it!’ I ordered Toto.

The Croconaw spread his stance and widened his shoulders, bracing himself for the oncoming attack. Sandslash spun faster again, slicing the compact soil beneath it. It then surged towards Toto at a blinding speed. The Croconaw didn’t get a chance to blink. Sandslash barged into him, knocking him off balance and sending him high into the air.

‘Toto!’ I cried out desperately.

The Croconaw crashed into the ground and moaned in pain. He struggled to his feet, but found it hard to steady himself.

‘So he wants some more, huh? Give him another dose of your roll out attack, Sandslash’ AJ snickered.

Before Toto could even turn to face the mouse Pokémon he was blasted into the air again by an even stronger roll out attack. I looked on, speechless. It was like the Sandslash was building up momentum with every second it spun. I was completely baffled and didn’t know what to do.

‘Robin, you have to do something or else this match is over!’ Salvadore urged.

I glanced at the breeder and then back to the battle. I watched as Toto bundled helplessly through the air. My mind started to race frantically. What could I do?

‘Sandslash, finish this with your slash attack!’ AJ commanded.

The Sandslash spun along the level earth and after building up enough momentum; it unravelled itself and leaped into the air. I stared in horror as it bore its arm back before thrusting its sharp claws into Toto’s chest.

-Naw!-

Toto cried out in pain as he was propelled to the ground by the deadly slash attack. He landed with force and an explosion of dust dispersed across the battle field. I stared motionless as the dust cleared to reveal Toto lying in a heap- fainted.

‘Croconaw is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Sandslash!’ the referee announced.

A chorus of cheers rang out around the gym, all of them praising the AJ.

‘Thanks, Toto. I know you did your best’ I said as I returned the defeated Croconaw to his pokeball.

‘Well kid, any more Pokémon of yours that want a thrashing?’ AJ taunted.

I snarled at his mockery, although I was unsure if any of my Pokémon were strong enough to take on that Sandslash. I hung my head in defeat.

‘Robin, don’t you dare let this jerk bully you around!’ Aly screamed at me. I looked back at the dragon tamer in surprise ‘You have to give it a shot, if not for yourself, at least do it for your Pokémon. You have to trust them like they trust you’

-Vee!-

Kiro shouted up at me as if to reassert what Aly had said.

I thought for a moment and then smiled. They were both right. I had to trust my Pokémon. I had to believe we could win this. I checked my belt and hesitantly unhinged a pokeball.

‘Robin, what are you thinking? She’s not ready to battle yet. Use one of your more experienced Pokémon!’ Salvadore warned.

‘Wait, he’s not actually going to use her, is he? Robin, don’t be an idiot! Use Sir Duke or someone else. You only just caught her. You don’t even know what any of her attacks are!’ Aly screamed impatiently.

­-Togi- Priiiii!-

Togepi yelled at me angrily, mimicking her trainer.

‘You told me I have to trust my Pokémon so that’s what I’m gonna do! Listen, buddy. I know we’ve only known each other for a short while, but I know we can do this. We just have to try!’ I whispered to the pokeball in my hand.

‘We’re waiting...’ AJ muttered, impatiently tapping his foot against the ground.

I stared up at the gym leader and frowned in concentration. Exhaling deeply, I threw the pokeball with purpose.

‘Looper, I choose you!’

To be continued...