The Chasm

“It just does not feel right…” Serina sighed, looking away from Dawn and gazing towards the east, “Being this far from him. What if something happens and I am not there to assist? I could never forgive myself if that happened.”

Dawn let out a chuckle, “You only just learned that he existed a month ago. I think you’ll be fine. Besides, I thought you were all about me,” she giggled, poking Serina’s arm from beside her.

Serina sighed again. “You will always be special to me, Dawn. But there’s just something about him… I felt it the minute I laid eyes on him that day at your home.” She turned to face her again. “He is special.”

It was now Dawn’s turn to look away, directing her eyes at Cameron, still asleep with Lartar leaning against him. After a long pause, Dawn spoke again.

“Do you remember what Cynthia told us when we came back from Hoenn? About keeping to ourselves and not saying anything to anyone?”

“Yes.”

“And how the others need to find out things for themselves, and how we’re not to interfere?”

“Yes, but this is different…”

“No, it’s not. You were already pushing it by making that comment about Kira back in Jubi-”

“Oh do not get me started on Kira!” Serina hissed, “Is it not enough that she is already off with my Jemkyn while I am stuck here? If you ask me we should have left her back at the laboratory.”

“Would you calm down about her?” Dawn urged, “I get your anger, but you’re with me right now. And we don’t even know if it is Kira. It’s still too early to tell…”

“Trust me, I can tell. Have you not seen the way she looks at him?!”

“You mean with love and kindness?” Dawn asked sternly. “Serina, until we have proof, I’m going to have to ask you to stop being so mean towards Kira. If anything, it’s going to drive JC further from you.”

Serina looked sharply at Dawn, but when their eyes met she quickly shied away.

“Very well; I shall go along with your whims yet again. But know this: the very moment I learn that he needs me, I will go to him. And you cannot stop me.”

“What are we stopping Serina from doing..?” Cameron mumbled, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Lartar tumbled across the sleeping bag.

“Oh, nothing!” Dawn said, quickly getting up off the ground and shooting Serina an end-of-discussion” look. Serina turned her nose from them and left the campsite, leaving a trail of flattened grass behind her.

“What was that about?” Cameron asked, rising from his sleeping bag.

“Oh it’s just Serina being Serina,” Dawn dismissed, kissing him on the cheek. Now come on and get ready, we’ve got to get to Floaroma as soon as possible!”

“Why?” he asked.

“Why not?” she winked back at him. “Actually, the sooner we get to town, the sooner you two get breakfast…”

“Tar!!” Lartar exclaimed, suddenly wide awake.

“You said it, buddy!” Cameron said excitedly, “I’m starving!!”

◄►

Kai cautiously scampered over the rocky ground, taking care not to lead his Trainer and Kira into danger. Despite the flames of his back lighting the surrounding area, his companions were having a difficult time navigating the dark tunnels that composed the Oreburgh Gate.

“Aren’t you glad we have Kai to lead us through places like this?” JC asked, prideful. “Fire-types really are the way to go.”

“Unless  you’re challenging a rock-type Gym…” Kira retorted. “Fire-types really aren’t going to help you there!”

JC laughed, “But with Bells I’m sure to win!”

“Right, how could I forget her,” Kira laughed back as she nudged his arm. After breaking camp that morning, the two of them had followed route 203 until they came face to face with a wide cave opening, and a large wooden archway labeled “Oreburgh Gate”. On the post below the arch was a sign:

Route 203 to Oreburgh City

Use Oreburgh Gate

Travelers Beware: Wild Pokémon will attack on sight.

Please use caution when navigating caves.

Lower Sinnoh Ranger’s Office

Despite the ominous tone the two Trainers marched on, using Kai as a walking torch to light their path. Using a fire to light their way did have its disadvantages: the still air was becoming increasingly warm, and both JC and Kira were starting to sweat after only 30 minutes.

“How much longer do you think it’ll take?” Kira asked as she fanned herself. It can’t be much farther…”

“Oh, yeah, not too much longer to go…” JC said, nervously looking at his Pokégear that had since lost its satellite signal. “Do you need to rest? You’re sweating.”

“No, I’m fine,” she answered, smiling at him. “Hey, do you remember what that sign said; about the wild Pokémon here? What kinds do you think live in a place like this, so dark and lonely?”

“Well you could easily find out,” JC nodded towards her bag.

“Oh, right!” Kira laughed, digging out her Pokédex and flipping it open. 

BingBing! “Multiple species in range: Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat avoids sunlight because direct exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the day, it stays in caves or under the eaves of houses, sleeping while upside down.

Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon. It is virtually useless in terms of both power and speed. It is the weakest and most pathetic Pokémon in the world.”

“Well that was kind of harsh…” Kira said, apologizing for her Pokédex. “But Magikarp are water-types, so where..?” she thought, looking around in Kai’s dim light. She followed her Pokédex off to the right as it tracked the fish Pokémon, finally stopping as the ground rippled in front of her.

“Oh wow, look at that!” she said excitedly, “This must be some sort of lake! A lake under a mountain!!”

At the mention of water Kai quickly ran to its edge, lapping it up thirstily. JC followed him, scooping up some water and washing his sweaty face clean.

“Well that’s pretty cool,” he said, watching the low light glint off of the ripples. “I guess your Magikarp are here, then.”

“Eww no, not my Magikarp!” she winced, “You heard the Pokédex, they’re about as lame as they come!”

“Wait a minute,” JC said, suddenly freezing in place. “Didn’t it say there were Zubat here, too?”

“Yes…” Kira squeaked, catching on. Slowly lifting their heads they looked at the ceiling, seeing the countless small bodies hanging from in between the stalactites.

As if playing a cruel joke on them, Kira’s Pokédex suddenly binged back to life,

“Zubat are blood-suckers and will often attack the first target they sense. Exercise caution when confronting large groups.”

“Uh oh…” JC moaned as a few of the Zubat began to stir. “Now what do we do?” he asked, pulling out his own Pokédex.

“To clear the area of Zubat, use a Pokémon to display a powerful attack, thus frightening the Zubat and causing them to scatter.”

“Okay… Kai, what do you say we turn up the heat a bit more?” he nodded. Kai jumped forward, clenching his muscles as the flames on his back pulsed up and down. The Zubat sensed the temperature change and several left their perches to circle the Trainers.

“Keep going, Kai,” JC pushed as Kai’s flames grew brighter and brighter. “Duck Kira!” he shouted, just as his Pokémon let out a loud “Quiiiiiiill.” Kai’s flames burst into the air and climbed all the way to the ceiling, sending most of the Zubat flying for cover and scorching a few others, the burned bats falling to the cave floor with a dull thud.

“Wow…” Kira said in awe, “I didn’t know Kai had that kind of power behind him…”

“He’s a special little guy,” JC smiled, Kai squeaking in agreement. Kira walked up to the small pile of Zubat smoking on the floor and nudged one of them with toe of her shoe. It twitched, letting her know they were still alive.

“So what are we going to do with these?” she asked, already reaching for her bag to retrieve a burn heal.

“What else can we do?” JC shrugged, dropping a handful of empty Poké Balls on the defenseless Pokémon. Three bright flashes later, JC’s Pokédex began to vibrate.

New Pokémon captured: Zubat

Quantity: 3

Gender: Male, Female, Male

Condition: Weakened and Burned

Immediate Medical Attention Recommended.

“Classy,” Kira joked, playfully rolling her eyes at him. “They need to get to a Pokémon Center though; are we almost out of here?”

JC thought to himself for a moment. Then he smiled, “Actually, if you have a burn heal, I think I have a way to get us out of these tunnels.”

◄►

“HA!” JC laughed as he shielded the sun from his eyes, “I told you I’d get us out of there!”

Kira scoffed at him “We were LOST. And you didn’t even tell me!!”

“Sorry…” he shrugged sheepishly, “I didn’t want you to panic.”

“Well… okay,” Kira sighed, hugging him. “That was kind of sweet.  And I have to admit, your plan to get us out was pretty smart.”

“Aw, it was nothing,” JC blushed.

“No really, using your new Zubat as a sonar beacon to lead us to the exit; pretty clever!” she winked.

“Oh stop,” JC laughed. “But speaking of which…” he said, turning back towards the cave exit as Kira headed on forward, “Thanks for all your help, Zubat.”

JC’s new Pokémon flitted happily back and forth just inside the cave’s exit, being careful to avoid the sunlight streaming in.

“Oh right, the Pokédex says you don’t like the sun,” he remembered, returning Zubat to his ball.

“So that must be Oreburgh,” he said as he rejoined Kira on a hilltop overlooking the city. They could see the tail end of route 203 winding down the backside of the mountain they had just passed through, stopping at a large chasm that separated Oreburgh City from the rest of western Sinnoh. A large red bridge arched over the ravine, providing the only link to the mining city. Finally, nestled into the side of a mountain was Oreburgh itself; tall smokestacks rose high throughout the city, evidence of the vast mining operations occurring deep below the surface.

“I’ll race you,” Kira said quickly, suddenly speeding off towards the city.

“Wait, no fair!” JC shouted, returning Kai to his Poké Ball and chasing after her. They ran the entire distance to the bridge, but walked hand in hand over the chasm as Kira “claimed” she was afraid of heights, holding tightly to JC’s arm the entire way.

It didn’t take them very long to discover the primary occupation of most Oreburgh’s inhabitants; nearly every person they came across was dressed in an orange and black jumpsuit, carried a hardhat, and was covered in soot. However, despite being dressed for work, the citizens seemed to have all the time in the world to stand and talk, and JC and Kira quickly found someone who could help them.

With “Miner Bob’s” directions they easily found the Pokémon Center and healed up their Pokémon, even leaving their eggs with the Nurse for safe keeping. But even with the directions from Nurse Joy they struggled in finding the Gym; it was literally carved into the mountain side at the farthest edge of the city, marked only by a small sign and a pair of automatic doors that seemed to slide out of the solid rock. JC signed up and requested to challenge the Gym; now they were sitting comfortably in the lobby, awaiting his match to be called.

“Alright so let me recap; I transferred Twiggy to you, and I got one of your Zubat?”

“Not just one of my Zubat, my main Zubat!” JC laughed.

“Ooh my mistake,” Kira mocked back, letting Zubat out of his ball, “That totally changes things!”

“Oh chill out, it’s not like this is permanent. And please be gentle; you know he doesn’t like sunlight.”

“Artificial light,” Kira monotoned, pointing to the overhead lighting.

“Well, whatever. And you’ll get Twiggy back as soon as the match is over.”

“I’d better,” she sighed, listening to the beat of Zubat’s leathery wings, “This thing kind of creeps me out.”

Kira had expected a quick retort from her companion at that last remark, but JC was surprisingly quiet. She watched him rub his palms together and sigh heavily, looking all around the lobby. Then it came to her; he was nervous.

“So,” she began, “What’s your plan for this?”

JC sighed again, “I don’t really know… I’ve never had a Gym battle before. I’m not too worried about the opening trainers, but to go up against a Leader…”

Kira gently touched his hand. “You’ll do fine. Kai is strong, and Bells and Twiggy have the type advantage. If you play it right, there’s no way you can lose.”

He still seemed unconvinced, so she flashed him a big smile. “Come on, let’s plan it out. The theme here is rock, so you’re probably going to face a lot of rock/ground combos; lots of defense, but not much of anything else. They’ll probably be expecting grass and water types so..?”

“I should counter with Kai and Bells agility, and use Twiggy’s tanking abilities to deal out special damage.”

“Good! See, you’re thinking it through!” Kira smiled again. She tapped her C-gear, the device automatically retracting to display the screen; she tapped it again, and a virtual keyboard appeared, materializing above it. Before JC had a chance to ask what she was doing, Kira had her C-gear in front of him, scrolling through the highlights.

“Alright it looks like this Gym runs its opening Trainers on a rotation, so you’ll get a different combination each time you challenge it. But here’s a readout of all their Pokémon and their abilities. And down here,” she said, scrolling down, “Is the Gym Leader himself: Roark. It says that for your level bracket he uses a Geodude, a Cranidos, and an Onix.”

“Okay, what?” JC said, overwhelmed. “Wha… how do you know all this?!”

“The Pokémon Association’s website? They keep detailed data on all their Gyms…”

“And when did you become such a tech savvy trainer?” JC laughed.

Kira pulled back her arm, “Well if you don’t want my help!” she teased.

“No no,” JC assured, “I want your help!”, gently taking her wrist and moving her C-gear back in front of him. He looked over the page again, “Alright, it doesn’t look too hard!”

“That’s the spirit!” Kira cheered, happy to see a smile on his face again. Just then, the Gym’s assistant poked his head into the lobby.

“Mr. Kalmikov? They’re ready for you now.”

“Now go kick some Gym Leader butt!” Kira shouted. JC gave her a confused look, surprised to hear her so outspoken. But he smiled at her comment, and waved to her as he headed through the doorway.

“I’ll be watching from the stands!” Kira called after him, waving to the closed door. “Come on, Zubat, let’s hurry and get a seat!”

Despite being carved from solid stone, the walls and floor of the dim hallway were surprisingly smooth as JC followed close on the assistant’s heels. Construction lamps lined the long hall, reminding him that he was walking deeper into the mountainside. When the hall ended in a set of steel doors, the assistant stopped and turned to him.

“Good luck, Mr. Kalmikov. As this is your first Gym battle I can only encourage you to do your best and to have fun with it all. Looking over your roster for the matches, I believe you have a very good chance of winning,” he nodded. “But again, good luck!”

He pulled open the door, and JC reached to shield his ears from the deafening roar of screaming crowds. As his body adjusted to the overwhelming environment he stepped through the gateway into yet another narrow walkway, finding himself at the entrance to an enormous underground arena. Rows of stadium seating towered high on either side of him and encircled the entire arena, carved directly into the walls of the large cavern. The countless seats were completely filled with cheering fans, both Trainer and non-Trainer alike, all appearing as shadowy phantoms in the dim construction lights.

JC felt his pulse quicken as the excited air began to get to him. The roar of the crowds, the anxiety in the announcer’s voice; it was more than enough to get his blood pumping! Directly ahead of him were some stairs leading to a short wall, surrounding what he assumed to be the actual arena; a loud thud and a sudden dust cloud rising from the center, followed by a wave of cheers quickly confirmed his suspicions.

He quickly scaled up the stairs and leaned over the wall, finally seeing his first Gym battlefield. It filled the whole center of the stadium, lacking any sort of boundary lines except for the two Trainer boxes to either side. Spotlights shone down on the arena, focusing all attention on the two battling Trainers. JC watched as the two went head to head; a challenger’s Pikachu against the home Trainer’s gigantic Onix.

He knew which Pokémon would win, just based on the type disadvantage and the obvious size disadvantage. But the Pikachu seemed to be holding its own, its lightning speed outmatching the slow and bulky Onix.

JC could barely keep up with the electric Pokémon as it blurred across the field, scaling up the massive rock snake and smashing Onix’s stone head with its jagged tail, suddenly dark silver instead of its usual yellow.

“And another extremespeed by Pikachu followed by an amazingly executed iron tail!” the announcer called, his voice echoing over a loudspeaker. “That little rodent just won’t give up, even with all the damage it’s taken!!”

“You’re too right,” the second announcer said, “We’ve seen more than a few surprises from that little Pokémon. But all Onix needs is one more solid hit and that Pikachu will be down for the count!”

Sure enough, even from where he stood JC could tell the Pikachu was worn out, but Onix was still at its peak. He saw the home Trainer call an attack, and then saw Onix’s massive tail stiffen and shimmer like polish steel as it swept across the battlefield, colliding with the tiny Pokémon. The next thing JC knew, he was ducking to avoid an incoming Pikachu, the poor rodent crashing into the stone wall behind him.

“Oooh!” both announcers called, “Well, after one last iron tail from Onix, it looks like that Pikachu is out of here!”

“Literally!” the other announcer laughed, “And that marks yet another victory for the Oreburgh Gym! Unfortunately this poor Trainer didn’t make it to Roark; we can only hope the next challenger can hold his own!”

The home Trainer returned his Onix to its ball as he and the challenger shook hands in the center of the field. He turned and disappeared through another set of steel doors while the other Trainer headed up to where JC stood to retrieve his Pikachu.

“And it looks like the brackets are already in for the next Trainer! Mr. JC Kalmikov, of the Sandgem Kalmikovs is challenging this Gym!”

Suddenly, a spotlight fell on JC who stiffened at the sound of his name reverberating through the cavern. A gate clicked opened to his left and he nodded to the defeated Trainer and they passed each other on the stairs leading to the arena.

“Well would you look at that folks, son of the Vice President of the Silph Company, and heir to the Kalmikov fortune, Jemkyn Kalmikov! Well this is definitely a treat!”

“It certainly is, and wouldn’t you know it this is his first Gym Battle! Let’s all make him feel welcome, shall we?”

The crowds burst into cheers as JC took his place in his Trainer box. He couldn’t help but smile, waving sheepishly to the crowds.

“What a charming boy! JC’s first battle will be against Oreburgh’s own Jonathon, followed by a newer member to the Gym, Darius, after a short break. And if he manages to beat both of those Trainers, his third battle will be against Roark for the badge!”

“An exciting line up to be sure! And here comes Jonathon now…” the announcer said, a spotlight landing on the set of steel doors. A younger boy about Vika’s age came walking out, waving to the crowds as they cheered his entrance.

“So,” he said, taking his place, “This is your first Gym battle then?”

“Sure is,” JC answered, standing tall.

“Well, good luck to you. You’re gonna need it,” he laughed, tossing a Poké Ball into the air. His Pokémon materialized on the field in front of him; a small boulder with strong looking arms and a mean scowl.

From up in the stands Kira pulled out her orange Pokédex, scanning Jonathon’s Pokémon.

BingBing! “Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude has high defensive power, making it virtually resistant to any physical attacks.”

“Twiggy, Twiggy, Twiggy…” she whispered to herself, hoping JC could somehow hear her.

JC tossed his own Poké Ball, releasing his first Pokémon of the match.

“A very interesting matchup!” the announcers began, “JC has chosen a Grotle to combat Jonathon’s Geodude!”

“Yes!” Kira cheered.

“I don’t think that Geodude has even a fleeting chance against a special powerhouse like that Grotle; let’s just hope JC knows how to use it to his advantage!”

 The referee walked to the center of the field and raised his hand, “This is going to be a one-on-one match! The Trainers have selected their Pokémon, and the match will end when one of the Pokémon is no longer able to battle. Trainers ready…?”

JC clenched his fist; his first Gym match was about to begin, and it was all riding on a Pokémon he hadn’t even raised. This could go south really fast.

“Battle!!” The ref shouted, running back to the edge while blowing his whistle.

“Geodude, rollout!” Jonathon shouted, his Pokémon curling into a ball and rolling quickly across the battlefield. It crashed into Twiggy before JC had a chance to call an attack, but it didn’t seem to affect the grass-type much.

“Ooh and the first strike goes to Geodude with a rollout attack! How will JC respond to suddenly being on the defensive?”

“Alright, Twiggy, razor leaf!” JC called. Twiggy let fly a cloud of spinning leaves that quickly closed in on the retreating Geodude, slashing and cutting against its rocky skin. Most were deflected by its tough skin, but a few managed to leave decent incisions.

“An excellent counter by Grotle with a razor leaf attack! But that won’t do much against Geodude’s rock hard body!”

“So true, and with that rollout attack gaining momentum, let’s hope Grotle has a few better moves in his inventory!”

“There is NOTHING wrong with my Twiggy’s moves!!!” Kira shouted at the announcers as she jumped to her feet. The people around her all turned and gave her strange looks, causing her to slowly sit down, embarrassed.

“I mean… go Jemkyn, woo hoo…”

It was hard for JC to think while listening to the announcers going back and forth, but they did remind him of rollout’s catch: it grew stronger every time it was used, gaining momentum—and energy—each time.

“We’ll have to stop that before he can really get it going…” he said to himself, watching as Geodude turned around and started rolling straight towards Twiggy again.

“Okay Twiggy, I want you to catch that Geodude, do you understand? Don’t let it gather speed!”

“Gro!” Twiggy nodded, bracing himself. As the Geodude neared him, Twiggy rose up on his hind legs, bringing his front legs down on the Pokémon. Geodude tried to keep up its rollout, spinning itself furiously against Twiggy’s grip, but it only managed to dig itself into the ground.

“Are you seeing this folks?! That Grotle actually stopped Jonathon’s Geodude mid-rollout! Now that’s something you don’t see every day!”

“Great job, Twiggy!” JC shouted, “Now absorb!”

Twiggy let out a labored cry, using his full weight to push the other Pokémon into the ground. Geodude started to slow down and glow a subtle green, and JC smiled as the announcers seemed to finally catch on to his plan.

“Folks I’m not sure if I’m seeing this right, but it looks like JC is using Grotle’s absorb attack to drain Geodude of the energy it built up from rollout! What a genius idea!!”

Geodude had stopped moving altogether before JC called Twiggy to release him. After a final tackle attack that landed Geodude unconscious in front of its Trainer, the match was called with JC and Twiggy as the victors. The two Trainers shook hands, and Jonathon left through the doors, clearly disturbed about losing to a newbie like JC.

As the announcers discussed the match, JC called the ref over to him in the center of the arena.

“What seems to be the problem, Mr. Kalmikov?” he asked.

“Oh no problem,” JC said, “I was just wondering if we could skip the break and go straight to the next battle. See with Twiggy absorbing all that energy… we’re kind of ready to go again.”

The ref smiled, “I understand.” He pulled a walkie-talkie from his belt and phoned the announcer box, filling them in on JC’s decision.

Kira had been cheering louder than anyone in the stands, proud of both her boyfriend and her Pokémon. She was listening to the announcers excitedly as they talked about JC’s match, sharing the moment with her Zubat.

“Come on, Zubat,” she said, rising from her seat, “Let’s go see JC on his break!”

She was just about to step over another spectator when the announcer’s voice suddenly rang throughout the arena.

“Well folks it looks like in a surprising turn of events, JC will not be taking a break in between battles…”

“Oh,” Kira said, “Well, okay then!” she added, sitting back in her seat.

“Yes it seems like this young man can just keep going and going without a rest!”

“Oh you have no idea…” Kira smirked.

“Let’s bring out his next opponent! As mentioned JC will be battling Darius, the newest member to the Gym here in Oreburgh City. Because he’s new, we don’t know much about Darius’ battling style, so this will be even more exciting than usual!”

JC saw Darius exit from the same doors Jonathon had passed through. He was an older boy, maybe even as old as he was, but with dark brown skin and a little stubble on his face.

“So you’re a Kalmikov, right?” he asked.

“That’s right, you know of us?”

Darius chuckled, “Who doesn’t? I’m a big fan of your dad’s old legacy as a battler; he was really good. Let’s see how his son measures up.”

“Let’s,” JC grinned.

Darius tossed a Poké Ball, releasing his own Geodude. It was larger than Jonathon’s, and it looked a lot tougher.

“This will be a two-on-three match,” the ref announced, “The challenging Trainer is free to use all of his Pokémon. The Trainers have selected their starting Pokémon, and the match will be over when all of one Trainer’s Pokémon are unable to battle. Trainers ready…?”

JC looked to Twiggy who gave him a reassuring nod.

“Battle!!”

“Twiggy, razor leaf!” JC shouted. Twiggy let fly with another razor leaf, the swarm racing towards the Geodude.

But Darius was quick to respond. “Geodude, defense curl.”

Geodude curled itself up into a tight ball, covering any weak spots it might have exposed. Twiggy’s attack was a direct hit, but not a single leaf left a scratch on the Geodude.

“Nothing?!” JC said, mouth slightly agape, “That’s like Twiggy’s strongest attack…”

“And JC starts out his second battle the same way as the first, with a strong razor leaf from Grotle!”

“But this may not turn out the way he expected; that Geodude looks even tougher than the last!”

Darius laughed from across the battlefield. “Surprised? That Geodude of Jonathon’s is one of his newer ones. But mine… well, I’ve put a lot of effort into training this guy.”

“There seems to be a lot of chatter going on on the battlefield…” one of the announcers commented, “Let’s hear what they have to say.”

“I’ve spent countless hours training him against grass types, just like your Grotle,” Darius continued, his voice now projected over the loudspeakers. “We’ve taken much stronger razor leaves in our time.”

JC thought on what he said for a moment. He and Twiggy made eye contact, and JC nodded to him.

“Well, I only just got this Grotle today, so I haven’t spent much time training him myself. And to be honest, he’s going back to his Trainer after my Gym matches are over…”

The stadium was surprisingly quiet as the audience hung on what he would say next.

“But, he belongs to someone I love very much. And I trust her training to win my match more than anything.”

Kira melted in her seat as a unanimous “awww” washed over the two Trainers on the battlefield.

“Well folks, you heard it here first: Mr. Kalmikov has a special someone his heart goes out to! I sure hope she’s watching!”

“Who knows, she might even be here right now! But wherever she is, I’m sure her heart goes out to him as well!”

Kira’s heart was about to burst from all the talk of her and Jemkyn. Even the people sitting around her were talking amongst themselves, expressing their own feelings on the matter. Finally, she stood up in her seat and cupped her hands by her mouth.

“YOU CAN DO IT, JEMKYN!!!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.

The entire stadium turned to look at the fiery redhead standing on her chair, a lone Zubat hovering around her head. A spotlight quickly found her and focused its gaze, sending Zubat flying for safety.

“Well it looks like she is here after all, folks,” the announcer said.

“It sure looks that way, and what a beautiful one she is, too!”

JC smiled at that comment and looked up to where Kira stood in the stands. He laughed at her sudden disregard of embarrassment and waved to her.

“I LOVE YOU TOO, BABY!” she shouted back to him, waving her arm hard. She plopped back down in her seat as the spotlight redirected itself back to the arena, satisfied with herself.

“Wish him luck, Zuzu,” she said as her Zubat returned to her. “He might need it against this guy…”

“That’s quite the admirer you’ve got there,” Darius smiled. “It’d be horrible to lose in front of her.”

“Then I won’t lose,” JC smiled back. “Twiggy, tackle attack!”

Twiggy charged towards the Geodude, still wrapped up in a tight ball.

“Oh! Hold on everyone, it looks like that action has started up again! Grotle is currently rushing straight for Geodude in what looks like a tackle attack!”

“But with that Geodude still under the effects of its defense curl, I can’t see this ending well for JC. He must have something else up his sleeve…”

Twiggy collided with the Geodude, knocking it across the ground. Geodude uncurled itself, digging its hands deep into the rocky ground with its bulging arms. It flung itself into Twiggy and braced itself, the two Pokémon pushing hard against each other in a battle of strength.

“Alright, Twiggy, absorb!” JC called, enacting the second half of his plan. As Twiggy and Geodude struggled against one another, the rock Pokémon began to glow green, and Twiggy started to get the upper hand.

“Get out of there, Geodude!” Darius commanded, realizing what JC was doing. “Mud sport!”

Geodude suddenly spit up a flood of mud, coating Twiggy and the ground around him, and causing him to lose traction on the ground. Geodude quickly curled up and rolled safely out of his reach, breaking the connection of Twiggy’s absorb.

“Well what do you know, he did have something up his sleeve!!”

“Sneaky…” Darius nodded, “Props to you for that little maneuver.”

“Thanks,” JC laughed, “We needed some way to get past those defenses.” He pulled out his Pokédex and checked something, quickly slipping it back into his pocket.

“What’s he up to…” Kira said to herself.

“Twiggy, try another razor leaf!”

Twiggy obeyed, releasing the familiar storm of spinning leaves. They glanced against Geodude, this time though, a handful left slices in its skin.

“So it has been weakened,” JC said quietly. “Great job, Twiggy!” he shouted. “Now, use curse!”

Twiggy nodded and braced his feet in the mud. His body pulsed a deep red as his muscles flexed under his hard shell.

“It looks as though JC isn’t wasting any time in finding ways to bypass Geodude’s defense stat!”

“Curse…?” Kira said, looking it up in her Pokédex.

BingBing! “Curse: a ghost-type move. Curse raises the attack and defense stats of non-ghost Pokémon at the expense of the Pokémon’s speed stat. This move works differently for ghosts.”

“I didn’t know Twiggy knew curse…” she shrugged.

“Alright, Twiggy, another razor leaf; let’s go!”

The turtle Pokémon reared up on its back legs, stomping back to the ground and releasing the largest cloud of leaves JC had ever seen. It swarmed towards Geodude who attempted to cover himself, but to no avail. Geodude was cut and sliced on nearly every facet of its body, lying passed out in the mud once the leaves subsided.

“Geodude is unable to battle!” the ref announced, “The round goes to JC!”

“And that’s an amazing victory for JC! But Darius still has one remaining Pokémon; how will he fare?”

“Pretty impressive,” Darius said, returning his fainted Pokémon. “But I don’t think you’ll be so lucky against this one.” He tossed a Poké Ball high into the air, releasing his own Onix onto the field. The powerful creature towered over the arena, its body composed of a 30 foot chain of large boulders. A lone spine rose from atop its head, continuing into a ridge that ran between the Pokémon’s two fierce-looking white eyes.

“And Darius has chosen his Onix as his final Pokémon for the match! This is truly one exciting battle, folks!!”

JC instinctively pulled out his Pokédex.

BingBing! “Onix, the rock snake Pokémon. It tunnels through the ground which shakes when it raises its thunderous roar. It can move through the ground at up to fifty miles per hour.”

The enormous rock snake reared back its head and let out a roar that shook the entire cavern, causing everyone in the stands to cover their ears. JC just stared up at it, at a loss for words.

Finally, he managed to choke out two.

“It’s… big…”

◄►

Inside the Floaroma Pokémon Center, Cameron and Dawn stood at the counter with Lartar, waiting for Nurse Joy to finish with their Pokémon. Serina sat off by herself, gazing out a window at one of Floaroma’s flowery fields; having not said a word since they broke camp that morning, she quickly split from them the moment they entered the Center so the other two didn’t press her. As Dawn talked with Nurse Joy, Cameron leaned his back against the counter and looked across the center at one of the screens playing various television broadcasts. One of the screens was divided into four sections, each playing a different live Gym battle currently going on somewhere in Sinnoh, and one particular section caught his eye.

Cameron tapped his hand on the counter behind him, not taking his eyes from the screen.

“Nurse Joy, can you make that bigger?”

“Cameron…” Dawn chided, “Don’t bang on the counter, that’s rude…”

“Yeah yeah, sorry,” he said, still not turning around, “But really, can you make that bigger?”

“Can I make what bigger?” Nurse Joy sighed.

“That screen, that one there,” he pointed. Nurse Joy tapped away at her computer, the sections on the screen disappearing as the one section maximized.

“Turn it up too, please,” Cameron added, the volume suddenly rising over the P.A. system.

“And now we’re back, folks! If you’re just joining us we’re already neck-deep into Jemkyn Kalmikov’s second preliminary match! He’s already defeated Darius’s Geodude, and now he’s face to face with his Onix!!”

Cameron and Dawn both stared up at the screen, their mouths agape. Even Serina looked up at the mention of JC’s name, her eyes locking on the screen.

“No. Way,” they all said in unison.

◄►

JC cursed himself for expecting his battle to be easy. But after the simple win against Jonathon, and even the not-so-difficult defeat of Darius’ Geodude, he couldn’t help but feel a little overconfident.

I’m definitely paying for it now… he thought angrily to himself. Darius’ monster of an Onix was wiping the floor with his Pokémon, literally. Twiggy had been knocked out after taking quite a beating; after a few solid physical blows from the rock snake, Onix had finally constricted him with its tail and dragged his face across the rocky battlefield in a rather brutal manner.

With his heavy hitter down, JC was beginning to feel unsure about bringing out his second, rather spindly grass-type.

“No, she can do it. At least, I hope she can,” he sighed, sending Bells into the battle.

“And it looks like JC has chosen his Bellsprout to follow up Grotle. He’s obviously trying to use the grass type to overwhelm this Gym’s rocks!”

“And he’ll definitely have to use that advantage to its fullest if he’s going to beat that Onix! No offense to JC, but that little plant is sure going to get a run for its money!”

JC saw Darius stifle a laugh from his Trainer box.

“Come on, Onix,” he said, “Let’s wrap this up this round. Rock throw.”

Onix roared, slamming its tail into the ground and throwing up a cluster of small boulders. It swung its tail again, batting the stones towards Bells.

“And it looks like Onix is starting off the match with a rock throw, a good choice!”

“Dodge it, Bells!” JC shouted, wincing in anticipation of her impending defeat. But, out of a squinted eye he saw her dancing her way around the falling boulders, gracefully avoiding each one.

“Well would you look at that, turns out that little Pokémon can fight! Well, dodge anyway…”

Even from the opposite side of the arena, JC could see Darius’ brow furrow. A smile slowly grew across JC’s face; he had a chance.

“Bells, vine whip!!”

Bells charged towards Onix, her small root feet propelling her surprisingly fast across the rocky terrain. Two vines began to sprout at the base of her arms as she ran, quickly growing to twice her size as she approached the Pokémon. She leapt into the air, swinging her vines with tremendous force, and striking Onix square on the jaw.

Onix let out a deafening roar as it shook its head back and forth furiously, shaking off the attack. It quickly retaliated of its own accord, striking out at Bells with its tail. She managed to sway and dodge it several times, narrowly avoiding getting flattened each time.

“Vine whip again, Bells!” JC commanded, “Then come back!”

“Now what’s this?” the announcer asked, “Could JC be switching out his Pokémon already…?”

Bells obeyed him, striking Onix again and quickly running back to her Trainer.

“Now growth!”

“No! It’s growth!! JC is obviously sticking with his Bellsprout!!”

“And not just sticking with it, he’s buffing it up!!” the other announcer said.

Bells planted her feet, her roots digging deep into the rocky soil. JC kept one eye on the Onix while Bells’ body grew a little thicker, and her leaves slightly bulked up; the minute Onix moved on her, he was ready.

“Charge it, Bells!!” he shouted. Bells quickly snapped her legs at the ground, freeing herself from the roots that had buried themselves into the dirt and took off towards Onix, her vines raised.

Onix was charging towards her, building momentum as it sped across the battlefield. Darius and JC both waited until the Pokémon were too close to avoid each other, then called their attacks.

“Onix, slam!!”

“Bells, vine whip!!”

Onix dove its head straight at Bells, throwing its full weight at the flower Pokémon. Bells did the same, her vines glowing a strong green hue as they made contact. The two attacks struck, head-to-vine, in a collision of pure power. Bells’ vines didn’t give an inch, the sheer strength of their impact forcing a network of cracks in Onix’s stone face and breaking off its stone horn. Despite the power of her attack, Onix’s momentum threw Bells high towards the cavern ceiling, the tiny Pokémon disappearing in the darkness.

JC’s Pokédex vibrated in his pocket, so he discreetly flipped it open to check it.

“Bellsprout has learned Power Whip.”

“Cool,” he smiled to himself.

Onix’s horn crashed to the ground in front of Darius, throwing him backwards from the force of the impact. The rest of the people bounced in their seats as Onix slammed into the battlefield, pieces of its head chipping off in large chunks.

The ref ran onto the field, looking into one of the rock snake’s glassy eyes.

“Onix is unable to battle! The match goes to J—OW!!” he shouted as Bells crashed into his head, falling back to the arena.

The uproar from the crowds was deafening, and JC painfully covered his ears, looking up into the stands at Kira. She stood with a huge smile on her face, cheering right along with the rest of the crowd.

“Unbelievable!! After an amazing victory, JC has managed to beat both of his preliminary Trainers! Next up he will be facing Roark, the leader of Oreburgh Gym!!”

“And we’ll definitely be looking forward to that! But right now, I don’t care what he says; that kid has definitely earned a break!”

JC chuckled at that, taking Bells from the disgruntled referee.

“Great battle,” Darius said from behind him. JC quickly turned around and shook his outstretched hand, nodding to Darius’ Onix lying on the battlefield.

“Sorry about that, but your Onix was one tough Pokémon to beat. We really had to pull out all the stops to win that one.”

“Oh don’t worry about him,” Darius said, returning his Onix to its ball, “We learned quite a bit from our little match. I’ll be watching out for little Bellsprouts now, for sure…” he laughed.

“You’re quite the little battler,” he continued, looking down at Bells in JC’s arms. “You must have one amazing Trainer to have done what you did today.” Darius rubbed Bells’ head, the small Pokémon closing her eyes in enjoyment. “You tell all your little teammates that I’ll be rooting for them, okay?” He reached out to shake JC’s hand again, “Good luck against Roark.”

“Thanks. And thanks for that,” he nodded down at Bells, “She needs that.”

“Not the way I see it,” Darius smiled. “I’ll be seeing ya!” he called, heading through the same doors he’d entered.

“Well, guess we’d better go rest up. This next one’s gonna be the hardest battle we’ve ever had.”

“Bell!” his Pokémon agreed, waving her leaves happily.

◄►

“Hey, you,” Kira said, slipping into the break room and closing the door behind her, Zubat circling around her head.

JC, Bells, Kai and Twiggy quickly turned to face her, their mouths stuffed with complimentary food from a table.

“Um.. We’re planning…”

“Sure you are,” she smiled, sitting down on a couch. All of the Pokémon ran up to her happily, excited to share their stories of their first gym battles.

“Yes, yes, you all did wonderfully!” she said, trying to quiet the collective noise of their voices.

JC swallowed hard, clearing his mouth. “So, what did you think? Twiggy looked pretty good out there, didn’t he?” he winked.

“Oh yeah, he was great! But that’s my Twiggy!!” she said in a baby voice, squeezing Twiggy’s face in her hands.

All the others instantly jumped on her, eager to be praised themselves. Zubat flew circles around JC though, congratulating his previous Trainer on his victories.

“Good to see you, too, Zubat,” JC smiled, swaying to the side to avoid the excitedly swooping Pokémon. “Were you out the whole time, watching with Kira?”

Zubat screeched as it hovered in front of JC, Kira translating for him.

“He sure was. He was really involved with your battles.”

“Hmm,” he said, watching the small blue Pokémon flit about the room. “Maybe we could make a battler out of you after all…”

“You can think about that later,” Kira interrupted, patting on the couch next to her. “Right now we need to talk about your battle against Roark! Can you believe it?!”

“It’s pretty exciting, but really nerve-racking, too…”

“Oh you’ll do fine! With Twiggy and Bells on your belt, there’s no rock type that can stand against you!”

“That Cranidos might…” JC sighed heavily. “Even if I have the advantage with types, the one he uses for my tier is a level 20. Even Twiggy’s not that experienced yet…”

“True. But what about Bells’ power whip?” Kira asked, getting up and moving to the table.

JC laughed to himself. “You saw that, huh?”

“I think everyone saw that,” Kira winked, popping a bluk berry into her mouth, the small blue fruit bursting on her teeth. “I wasn’t really sure what it was; I checked the Dex.”

“It was weird,” JC said, “I was looking it over on our way over here after the battle; apparently it’s an egg move, so she was born knowing it. But the Pokédex never showed it and I’ve never seen her use it before. I guess just using a powered up vine whip triggered something in her and she just used it by accident.”

“I remember Rowan talking about egg moves once in a breeding class I took…” Kira added, turning to JC and resting on the table, picking at a handful of berries. “It’s not uncommon for some baby Pokémon to be born knowing really powerful moves, especially if the parents belong to Trainers. But Bells was wild, so this whole thing’s strange from the start!”

Bells looked up at the mention of her name, her leaves drooping as “Bells” and “strange” were said in the same sentence. JC couldn’t help but laugh and Kira coughed on her berry as she realized what had happened.

“Oh, no, Bells! I didn’t mean you were strange! I’m sorry!” she apologized.

Bells shrugged her leaves, scampering back to the table to eat a bit more before the next battle. As she stuffed her face, the intercom in the room clicked on.

“Mr. Kalmikov, please report to the battle arena for your final battle.”

JC and Kira looked at each other, hopeful.

“Well, I guess this is it,” JC said. “Wish us luck!”

Kira kissed him on the cheek. “You don’t need it,” she smiled. “Now go on out there and make me proud.”

JC smiled, nodding to her. “We will.”

◄►

“Well folks we’re back again, and this time Jemkyn is taking on the Oreburgh Gym Leader himself, the one and only Roark!!”

“This is not going to be an easy fight, that’s for sure!” the other announcer added. “And here comes Jemkyn now, making his way onto the arena!”

Sure enough, JC walked right back to his Trainer box, resuming his position on the field. Moments later, the steel doors across from him began to open, and JC got his first view of the Gym Leader in person.

He was a slightly taller man of strong build, dressed in the gloves, boots, and gray uniform of a miner. A red hardhat sat atop his auburn hair, sitting slightly above his heavy, dark-rimmed glasses. He slipped a hand into one of his many pockets, pulling out a small Poké Ball and changing it to functional size.

“So, you’re the son of the Silph Company’s vice president, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice not near as gruff as JC had expected.

“Oh, yes, yes I am,” he responded. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir.”

Roark smiled and tipped his hardhat. “Oh, no, the pleasure’s all mine! I’ve been watching your battles so far; you’ve got quite the team there! I can’t wait to battle them,” and at that, he tossed his Poké Ball into the air, releasing his Geodude onto the field.

JC grinned, tossing his own Poké Ball and starting the battle off with Twiggy.

“Both Trainers have chosen their beginning Pokémon: Roark with his Geodude and Jemkyn with his Grotle. Let’s see how this will turn out!!”

The referee stepped onto the field, turning to face as much of the crowds as he could.

“The final battle between the challenger Jemkyn Kalmikov, and the Leader of the Oreburgh Gym, Roark, will now begin. The battle is over when all of one Trainer’s Pokémon are unable to battle. Trainers ready…?”

JC and Roark both nodded to each other, eager to begin.

“Battle!!”

“Geodude, rollout!!”

“Don’t let it hit, Twiggy!!” JC countered, Twiggy bracing himself against the incoming boulder. He ducked his armored head, the Geodude making contact with it as Twiggy flipped his head back, launching the Geodude over his back and nearly out of bounds. Geodude managed to grab onto the tip of a boulder before losing to a technicality, swinging back towards Twiggy and crashing into him.

Kira cringed from the stands as Twiggy took the hit, managing to stay grounded by digging his claws into the stony soil. He growled angrily at the Geodude, pawing at the ground before charging at it.

“Rock throw, Geodude!” Roark commanded, still calm from his side of the field. Geodude thrust its arms into the ground and pulled up clods of dirt, crushing them in its powerful grip and forming hard stones. It then threw them with a sniper’s precision, one stone knocking Twiggy’s front leg out from under him, and the other slamming him square on the head.

Twiggy tumbled over himself and landed on the back of his shell, and rocking back and forth in an effort to right himself. Laughter erupted from the crowds as JC covered his face in embarrassment at Twiggy’s predicament.

“Finish it, Geodude,” Roark nodded, smiling at the ease of his victory. His Pokémon rolled over to Twiggy, clasping its hands above its head to deliver a final blow.

“It looks like Roark has already managed to eliminate one of Jemkyn’s Pokémon from this match; and in under 30 seconds! That’s got to be a new gym record!”

JC was frantic; if he lost Twiggy, he’d lose the battle for sure. He quickly thought of something desperate:

“Razor leaf!!”

Clouds of leaves billowed from the ground around Twiggy, the attack flowing from the shrubs on his back that were currently pressed into the dirt. The force of the attack was enough to right himself, and Twiggy was finally back on his four feet.

Geodude scrambled to shield its face, the storm of leaves cutting and slicing all over its body as a dust cloud quickly sprung up all around them.

“Keep it up, Twiggy!” JC shouted, the dust swirling fiercely as hundreds of leaves swirled about inside until it suddenly grew calm. The dust slowly settled as everyone looked on anxiously, eager to see the winner of the round.

The ref ran out onto the field, “Geodude is unable to battle! The round goes to Grotle!”

“Well folks I can’t believe what I’m seeing here, but it looks as though Jemkyn, seconds from defeat, managed to make a complete turnaround and take out Roark’s Geodude!!”

“And to bump Roark down to only two Pokémon in under 40 seconds!! Now that’s a new Gym record!!”

“Well, I’m pretty impressed,” the Gym Leader smiled, returning his Geodude to its ball, “You can think quick on your feet, I’ll give you that. But…” he grinned, releasing his next Pokémon, “Being quick on his feet is just what my Cranidos is good at.”

JC pulled out his Pokédex as he looked the small Pokémon up and down. Definitely reptilian, it was gray with blue markings, bipedal, and had a ring of spikes circling its hardened, bony blue cranium.

BingBing!! “Cranidos, the head butt Pokémon. Cranidos lived in forests during prehistoric times. It downs prey with powerful head butts from its iron-hard cranium.”

“An extinct Pokémon, huh? That’s pretty cool…” JC said aloud, quickly skimming the data on Roark’s Pokémon. “Twiggy, return,” he said, drawing the Pokémon back into its Poké Ball.

“What’s this? It looks like Jemkyn is switching out his Grotle!”

“Well after what happened against Geodude, I doubt he wants to take another chance like that!”

JC sighed at the announcer’s comments; it was almost comical to listen to them. He shook his head and smiled as he switched out Twiggy for Bells.

“Ah, the Bellsprout…” Roark said excitedly, “I’ve been waiting for this one! I saw that move it used in your last battle; power whip, wasn’t it? That was pretty impressive!”

“Thanks,” JC nodded, “She’s just full of surprises.”

“Well, I’m always up for a good surprise! If you’re ready that is…”

JC grinned, “Get him, Bells,” and his Pokémon was off, her small roots propelling her towards Cranidos.

“That’s what I like to see,” Roark said, pleased, “Headbutt, Cranidos!”

Cranidos squawked and lowered its bony head, charging at full speed towards the incoming Pokémon. The two quickly closed in on each other, JC ordering Bells to use vine whip. Her vines immediately sprouted and swung down hard, smashing Cranidos’ head into the ground as she rolled gracefully over the downed Pokémon.

Cranidos struggled to get up, its powerful hind legs fighting to succeed in lifting itself when its stubby arms failed.

“Again, Bells,” JC commanded, his Pokémon turning and sweeping her vines over the ground, knocking Cranidos’ legs out from under it and dropping its heavy head to the ground once again.

“Cranidos, headbutt again!” Roark shouted, his Pokémon scrambling to its feet and nearly tripping over itself as it broke into a run. It lowered its bony skull at Bells and let out a small roar, but the grass-type easily bent her body out of the way. Then without even a command, she slapped one of her vines at Cranidos’ backside.

Visibly infuriated, Cranidos charged again and again at Bells, each miss met with a sharp smack somewhere along its exposed back. JC watched as the prehistoric Pokémon grew weaker after each charge, its stamina draining.

“Let’s wrap this up, Bells,” he said confidently, “Power whip!”

Bells acknowledged, her vines flexing as they started glowing a strong green. She leapt into the air and spun around, her vines crashing into Cranidos and launching it across the battlefield and into the surrounding stone wall.

“Cranidos is unable to battle!” the referee shouted from the Pokémon’s side, “The round goes to Bellsprout!!”

“Incredible folks! Jemkyn has defeated TWO of Roark’s Pokémon without losing a SINGLE one of his own!!”

“This is amazing! This Trainer isn’t giving an inch to the Gym Leader! And Cranidos is one of Roark’s strongest Pokémon for this tier, too!”

Cheers drowned out the commentators as Roark returned his Cranidos to its Poké Ball, the crowds anxious to see what they would get to see next.

“They’re right, you know; Cranidos was my ace in the hole,” Roark smiled, tipping his hard hat to JC. “That Bellsprout really is one of a kind.” The Gym Leader then pulled another ball from his pocket and tossed it, “But that doesn’t mean my Onix is a pushover.”

JC inhaled sharply as the enormous Pokémon took shape and towered over them. “I hate these things,” he muttered to himself.

◄►

From Floaroma’s Pokémon Center, Cameron, Dawn and Serina all watched wide-eyed at JC’s match against the Oreburgh Gym Leader. Their cheering during his preliminary battle had caught the attention of many Trainers in the Center, and now a crowd had gathered around the largest viewscreen in the Center to watch and cheer for JC.

“You can do it, man!” Cameron shouted at the TV, watching JC shout orders to Bells as she danced around the battlefield, desperately trying to avoid Roark’s Onix. The rock snake was barely missing as it dove at her and crashed into the ground, but quickly slithering back into a striking pose and diving again.

“Ooh, this could be bad…” Dawn cringed as the Onix struck again. “JC had better land an attack soon or Onix is going to beat him to it…”

“JC can do it,” Cameron encouraged, “Did you see Bells take out that Cranidos?! Awesome!!”

“Onix, rock throw!” they heard Roark shout, his Pokémon slamming its tail hard into the ground and launching loads of small boulders at Bells. The chunks of stone fell heavily all around her, one striking her as it ricocheted off of the ground. The force of the impact sent her flying across the arena, but she was able to pick herself back up again without much difficulty.

JC shouted for Bells to advance on the Onix and she quickly complied, racing towards Roark’s Pokémon with great speed.

“Ooh here it comes…!” Cameron said excitedly, his fists shaking in anticipation.

“Vine whip!” JC commanded, his Pokémon leaping towards Onix with her vines raised. She struck it hard on its body, the tiny impact having a much greater effect on the giant rock snake than expected.

Onix let out a deep roar, shaking its head back and forth in pain. It quickly lashed out with its tail, randomly striking the ground around itself to ward off any more attacks.

“Again!” JC shouted. Bells rushed up to Onix once more and struck hard, driving the Pokémon back towards its Trainer. She lashed out again and again, the sound of her whips echoing throughout the arena as Onix started to fight back less and less. Finally, mere feet from Roark, Onix fell to the ground unconscious, its body succumbing to its injuries.

Cameron, Dawn, Serina and the whole Floaroma Pokémon Center erupted in cheers as the referee called victory for JC.

“That’s our JC!!” Dawn shouted while Serina and Cameron jumped up and down happily. The two met in the excitement and hugged, suddenly realizing the situation and releasing each other.

“Look, he’s getting his badge!” someone shouted over the cheers, and everyone quickly hushing and watching the TV again. One of the Gym attendants walked up to Roark and JC standing in the center of the arena and held out a small pillow to the Gym Leader. Roark picked up a small pin sitting on the pillow and turned to JC, holding the pin in front of him.

“I Roark, hereby present you, Jemkyn Kalmikov of Sandgem Town with the Gym Badge of Oreburgh City: the Coal Badge!”

Waves of cheers washed over JC and Roark as the Gym Leader affixed JC’s new badge to his outer shirt. The two bowed to one another and turned to face the crowds to wave.

“Well you saw it here first; Jemkyn Kalmikov has officially started his Pokémon career, challenging his very first Gym today and winning the coveted Coal Badge!”

“I’d say he’s already well on his way, wouldn’t you? With one Gym already under his belt, I can’t wait to see what battles he has in store for us next time! And that concludes this match, so now for a word from our sponsors…”

“Well that was exciting,” Nurse Joy smiled as she returned to TV’s back to their original setups. “But I’m guessing you all want your Pokémon back now, correct?”

“Oh, right!” Dawn laughed, having completely forgotten about why they were there in the first place. “Yeah, how did everyone do?”

“Wonderful; they’re all fit as a Machamp! Including that new Lapras of yours. A very lucky catch I may add!”

“Thanks,” Cameron said as he eased up to the counter. “It was tough, but I managed to catch that beauty for myself!”

“Oh, my mistake,” Nurse Joy apologized, “Will we be adding him to your party then?”

“Nice try, sweetie,” Dawn patronized, patting him on the head, “But this guy is going to JC.”

“Hold on!” Cameron exclaimed, stopping slamming his hands on the counter, “I was there! If anyone deserves that rare gem it’s me!!”

“Sorry babe, but a Lapras just really isn’t your style… Besides, JC doesn’t have a water type yet, as far as we know. You do. You have two, actually.”

“If it’s inventory we’re talking about, I’ll give him Piplup and Feebas.”

“Come on, let it go,” Dawn said, kissing him on the cheek. “You don’t need it.”

“But…”

“Shhh…” she said, putting a finger to his lips “Actually, Nurse Joy, is there any way you can deposit that Pokémon into a friend of ours’ Storage Box? It’s kind of a gift for him.”

“Well I suppose that wouldn’t be too much trouble for such important visitors,” she winked. “What is the name of the recipient?”

“Um, Jemkyn Kalmikov…” Dawn smiled.

Nurse Joy laughed to herself. “Of course. I’ll have it stored immediately and send a message along to my sisters to alert him the next time he checks into a Center.”

“Thanks so much,” Dawn smiled, turning from the counter. “Come on, Cameron.”

Cameron started after her, but sneakily shot back to the counter to whisper to Nurse Joy, “You know, you could just leave it with me, I wouldn’t tell any—OW!!”

“Come ON!” Dawn ordered, her nails digging into his arm.

“Just think about it!!” he shouted back to the nurse as Dawn dragged him out the door.

“You too, Serina!” Dawn called behind her, Serina jumping at the mention of her name. Having been leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, she rolled her eyes and huffed as she turned her face from them.

“Come, Lartar,” she mumbled, picking herself up and following them out the door.