--- Rick’s Saffron City Gym Win (by Michael Keens/ Exodus) --- Well, these few weeks have been interesting, I’ve been around a few places, and then returned to Fuchsia City, only the Gym there was closed, according to Blossom, but at least the trip wasn’t totally uneventful, I went to the Safari Zone and caught me a Pinsir, but also, there were a couple of scientists from Team Rocket doing some tests on a Dratini, she was totally at their mercy and was too scared to fight back, so my Pokémon beat everyone that the two brothers had, and sent them back to where they came from, actually they were flung into the air by Crusher and I don’t care where they landed. I invited the Dratini to come with me, with the promise of helping it with its self confidence and to help her get stronger, and now she’s slowly regaining her courage and becoming more powerful. When I visited Blossom’s place, she gave my Pokémon a good check-up and organised dinner for me, I asked about her other sponsored trainers just to make conversation and she had a lot to say, it was finally revealed that the Growlithe had been stolen by a powerful Rocket, a large bully by the name of Bryan, but she wasn’t particularly upset, I guess this Rocket was at least taking care of the Pokémon even though he was raising it for evil. And the trainer that picked the Staryu was a prodigy in the making called Tetsubo Capture, he’d dealt with many Rockets and accomplished a lot, though he was facing some hard times it seemed. Later, I rode on Ostrio along a narrow forest path towards my home, Saffron City, but I got ambushed by a lesser known Rocket group by the name of the Lunar Crew, I did surprisingly well considering there were five of them, but a sixth member made herself known and beat my Pokémon with her very advanced ones, and then they captured me, I’m not ashamed of that, there were six of them. I was taken to the Silph Co building, though I didn’t know it at the time, and Vertigo, the leader of the Lunar Crew had the nerve to ask me to join them, she let me out anyway and proved that she had some good in her, in return, I told her to leave, and I really hope she listens to my advice. I kind of took advantage of her generosity, but I had to, Rockets had seized control of Silph Co and kidnapped a lot of the workers, Silph Co belonged to my uncle and I couldn’t let them use his work for evil. I swiped a Rocket’s Key Cards and freed a couple of able trainers, and together, we beat those Rockets, but it was my quick thinking that led the group to many arrests. I simply hid in my uncle’s office while the boss of Team Rocket ordered him around, he told the operator exactly where we were, and what he was after, and the police put two and two together and arrived in time to handicap the Rocket group by imprisoning most of their members. I stayed with my uncle for a while and was given some Hyper Balls even though I asked not to be given a reward, but uncle was a persistent man, he had to be, when creeps like the Boss were after his products. There was a celebratory party the next day which I felt obligated to stay through, and that night, I went to the Saffron Gym for my forth Gym Battle at last. I’d never been here as a challenger, but as a guest, the Gym Leader, Sabrina wasn’t one of my closer friends, but we were still friends, ever since a year ago, after a Haunter broke her calm dark nature and made her laugh, for the first time in years. She became a much better person after that, and though remained the same towards challengers, she was quite open with friends. Sabrina had long dark green hair, a red uniform and skirt with black boots. “Come on in challenger, oh, its you Rick. What do you want? No wait, let me see... Ah... You’re here as a challenger this time.” “Uh huh.” I smiled, though I was a little hesitant to ask in the first place because she was a good Pokémon Trainer. “I don’t know whether to act nasty or polite with a challenger that’s a friend.” smiled Sabrina. “You don’t have to be nice on my account.” I replied. “Okay then, I won’t.” I said quickly. “I was being polite you know.” I frowned. “Pokémon Battles are never challenging if the challengers care about each other, so for the next ten minutes or so, we’re enemies. We’ll each use two Pokémon. Go, Hypno.” explained Sabrina. “Go Wyvern!” I shouted. “Tini...” said Wyvern a little nervously. “Don’t be scared, Wyvern, I know your diverse range of attacks will be of use here, and she won’t be able to target a weakness.” I said to motivate her. “Maybe so, but I’ve never needed to rely on types, because Psychic Pokémon are the most deadly types around.” explained Sabrina. “Go!” we both shouted. “Wyvern! Use your Leer.” I said. “Pound it.” said Sabrina. The Hypno shot forward but stopped itself and backed away from Wyvern’s intimidating eyes, she smiled at being able to scare away the opponent and lunged forward. “Use your Wrap attack!” I shouted. “Tini!” she wailed, and curled around the Hypno and squeezed. “Use your Confusion.” said Sabrina. “No!” I shouted. “Tini!” said Wyvern decisively, and tightened around the Hypno’s arms so that it couldn’t shoot the Psychic-type attack and seriously hurt her at such a close range. “Poison Gas.” said Sabrina. “Tini...” said Wyvern nervously. “Hypno!” said the Hypno as it coughed up some purple gas that overwhelmed Wyvern. “Meditate...” said Sabrina. “Hypno...” “Use your Agility!” I shouted. “Tini...” growled Wyvern. “Use your Head Butt.” said Sabrina. The Hypno dived forward and Wyvern swayed its body to the side, the Hypno crashed down on the floor. “Slam attack!” I shouted. “Tini!” she yelled as she threw her weight down on the Hypno, which wasn’t a great deal, but she was trying her best. “Use your Confusion.” said Sabrina. “Tini!” wailed Wyvern as she was thrown into the ceiling, she glared at the Hypno with a fierce expression and scared it, and then came down on it, wrapping her tail around it and using Thunder Wave on it, I was glad she was showing initiative but not in the way that would make her unruly. She flew forward for another Slam, but then started coughing, she was being affected by poison. “Now use your Disable.” Wyvern was frozen on the spot. “Pound it, and then use Psychic.” Wyvern was totally helpless to do anything to save herself, and was hit by the double-fisted attack and then lifted into the air and crushed by the psychic waves. “... Wyvern! Use your Dragon Rage!” She hadn’t been able to initiate this attack before, but sometimes moments of need, or trouble could speed up a Pokémon’s learning rate. “Dra... Ti... Ni!!!” she squealed, and a spinning beam of blue flames were blown from her mouth, which surrounded the Hypno and collapsed on it. “Hypno!!!” it wailed as the flames burnt it. “Dra... Ti... Ni...” panted Wyvern, and then flew forward, but as she did, she glowed with a marvellous light. Her body grew longer and her tail had some additions to it, and Wyvern’s head sprouted two angelic wings around the ears. “Nair!!!” she cried out happily, and slammed down on the Hypno after finishing her evolution. “Alright Wyvern!” I cheered. “Return. I’m going to need more power for this, much more. Go, Alakazam.” said Sabrina. “Ala!” it shouted. I was in for it now, Alakazam was one of the most powerful Psychic Pokémon around, but I had a chance, if we could fight through the special attacks and beat it with strength. “Wyvern, use your Slam attack!” “Nair!!!” she wailed and rammed the Psychic Pokémon into the wall. “Psybeam.” “Kazam!” “Naaaaiiirrr!!!” Wyvern was thrown back by the rainbow beam and travelled across the entire arena, before crashing into the wall. Even after evolving, she was totally out of strength now. “Return Wyvern. I guess the only way to win now, is to use a little of my schooling. The only sure-fire way to beat a Psychic Pokémon, would be to use a type advantage that can’t be targeted by a Psychic weakness. I choose you Crusher!” “PINSIR!!!” screamed the enraged beetle. “Crusher, use your Vice Grip attack!” “Confusion.” “PINSIR!” He charged forward and the Confusion couldn’t lock down on it. “What?” questioned Sabrina. “You don’t get a lot of Bug Trainers in here, do you?” I smiled, “Otherwise you’d be more prepared for a Psychic Pokémon’s greatest weakness.” “But... Pinsirs don’t have any Bug-type attacks.” “Who needs ‘em? As long as he can resist your attacks, his brute strength can take care of the rest. Strike it down!” “PINSIR!!!” Crusher first charged into the Alakazam and kept on running until it crashed into the wall, and then tightened its front claws around the Pokémon and crushed it, hence the nickname. “Teleport.” The Alakazam vanished from Crusher’s grip and reappeared behind it. “I don’t usually resort to a type I hate so much but, Seismic Toss!” said Sabrina. The Alakazam picked up Crusher and jumped into the air, turned upside down and spun, until Crusher’s front claws were buried a little into the ground and the Alakazam landed upright and safely. “Crusher, use your claws! Get out of there!” “Its very much stuck, let’s see just how much Psychic your bug can take.” The Alakazam directed an ongoing Psybeam that ploughed into Crusher and didn’t stop, even with his advantage, he was vulnerable and powerless, and would lose at this rate. “Crusher! Use your Vice Grip to claw the ground!” His claws moved around until the floor was weakened, he leapt right back up and came down on the Alakazam while spinning fiercely: Submission. The Alakazam fell back but not so much damaged by the Fighting-type move. I had to use physical attacks, and this would help. “Focus Energy!” “Kazam!” shouted the Psychic Pokémon teleporting constantly to get close. “Swords Dance!” The Alakazam tried to grab Crusher but he spun out of the way while charging his attack power. He was as charged as he was going to get now. “Use your Slash attack!” “PINSIR!” “Psychic.” A powerful force that rippled the area around Crusher surrounded him and tried to push him back, usually this would crush a Pokémon but Crusher was strong, he had a hard time pushing through, but slowly stepped forward, the Alakazam looked scared now and Crusher broke through the force and flew forward. The beetle ploughed his claws across the Pokémon as it charged past him, and then rolled back and trapped the Alakazam between his claws for a Bind attack. “Teleport.” The Alakazam vanished again, reappeared, then vanished, Sabrina was trying to catch me out, to use Crusher’s attacks and miss, so as to wear him out. He was growing tired and started walking towards the Alakazam, jumped, and missed, and again and again. “Crusher! Stop!” I shouted. “PINSIR!” he retaliated. “No, you shut up, and calm down!” I yelled. “Pin?” he questioned, surprisingly quiet since I’d never shouted at him before. “Use your Guillotine, but concentrate on the Alakazam, as a Bug Pokémon, you should be able to sense where its teleporting to.” “... Pinsir.” he nodded, and leapt into the air. From his point of view, the Alakazam was below, and teleported left, right, and then rose in height, and teleported under, around and over. Crusher had touched down on a wall, and clung to it while he actually thought about the situation. I never thought shouting at Crusher would be the method for calming it. The Alakazam teleported above Crusher and disappeared, and then Crusher leapt and pointed down and dived. The Alakazam appeared right where he had sensed, and Crusher came down with the force of a killing blade. He scrapped down the Alakazam, and both fell to the floor, the Alakazam failing to rise up. “Well friend, I can safely say you’ll go far as a trainer, don’t be too cocky when you win your first trophy... Oop!” spluttered Sabrina. My eyes widened and my mouth hung. “You’re saying I’m going to win, and you’re psychic so its going to come true!” I cheered. “Not with that attitude. I may have spilled a future secret but it can still be altered, when one knows the future, they can change things, and sometimes it’s not for the better.” “I’ll keep that in mind Sabrina. Thanks for your support.” “You’d better come and visit me, you know all about my darker side.” “Of course.” I left Saffron City with my Marsh Badge and more hope than ever, it might not happen at all, or right away, but it was possible for me to win a League, if I just remembered that and trained hard, I could make that scenario a reality. I smiled as I once again left my hometown, and remembered the turquoise-headed trainer I’d worked with, his Pokémon was very able and his views and compassion were similar to mine, I know he’ll be in the Kanto Pokémon League, and maybe then I’ll introduce myself properly to him. --- Emily's Fifth Gym Battle Emily's Sixth Gym Battle Back to the Side Stories Back to the Pokézone