Joe reached the city center of Pewter, aiming himself at the Rock-type Gym using street signs. Along the way, he'd put some thought into his roster. Thanks to Jasmine, he knew how the number of Pokemon each side used in a Gym battle depended on how many Badges the challenger had. Since this was Joe's second Gym battle, each side would use three Pokemon.
As a brief aside, Joe considered how the battle would turn into a full six versus six for his final, eighth, Gym battle. He assumed he'd have a fully evolved team by that point, so it would be quite the fight. Maybe it'd even be worth using Absol at that point.
But more immediately relevant was that he needed a third member for his second Gym. This made Joe realise that a lot of his Pokemon were weak to rock. He had three Flying-type Pokemon, plus Cyndaquil. Four out of his ten Pokemon were at a disadvantage.
Perhaps Butterfree could counter the weakness through sheer power? Sure, she was a bug, and bugs were notoriously weak compared to other types, but she had the benefit of being fully evolved already. With evolution came a boost in energy.
No. No Butterfree. Joe was already at a disadvantage with Cyndaquil, and he suspected Fomantis could also be in trouble. As evidenced by Gary's Trapinch using Bug Bite, Gym Pokemon had moves to counter their weaknesses. Trapinch was weak to grass, but grass was weak to bug. Joe expected a counter for Fomantis.
After some more thinking, Joe settled on Sandshrew. The shrew was a fighter and, while it took Joe some time to remember the difference between rock and ground, he did eventually realise that Sandshrew was resistant to this Gym's primary type.
These were just some of the thoughts Joe would have to run through whenever he entered a fight. There were countless variables to think of.
Thinking about Butterfree again, Joe remembered how he'd called her out as he jumped off Talonflame. He knew nothing about Pokeballs. He didn't know his Pokemon could hear him while tucked away inside their Pokeballs. It was just an assumption he made, like talking to a ball back in the Amethyst tournament. But this was good information to have. Shouting one of his Pokemon's names was faster than throwing a ball. He had no doubt that, in a pinch, this would come in handy.
Joe spotted a PokeCenter on his walk so he got his team fully healed for the fight. When he exited, he eyed a sign. The Gym was just around the corner. He followed the sign and saw a giant boulder at the end of a path. The boulder was bigger than some hills. It had to be if an arena was going to fit inside.
"Some years ago, while training, a previous Gym Leader discovered this giant rock and demanded to have it moved to Pewter. He wanted his arena carved into it." Rotom explained as Joe looked at letters carved into the massive rock, above the open entrance.
This was more like it. During their stay, Gym Leaders had a say in what their Gym looked like and how it functioned. Gary, being a pragmatic man, just wanted a plain sports arena. No frills. Gary didn't want the success of his Gym to be based on how unique it looked. He instead believed his Gym would succeed due to having a strong Trainer as its leader. Gary wasn't wrong.
Joe walked up some stairs and entered the arena. The doorway had no doors. When it could be avoided, Pewter's Gym avoided more advanced materials like glass. The desk in the reception area was rough looking, like someone's first attempt at carving wood.
The man behind it called to Joe. "Are you here to challenge Brock?"
"Yeah."
Joe had heard the name before, but it had slipped his mind. He had to suppress a laugh. He had to assume that Macro Cosmos had a sense of humour. Candice ran an Ice-type Gym. Brock ran a Rock-type Gym. Surge ran an Electric-type Gym. Someone had to be doing it on purpose.
"Then please go ahead." The receptionist gestured at a hallway. "There are currently no other challengers."
Joe nodded and did as was suggested, soon entering a big arena with bright lights beating down on him from the four corners. A surprisingly short man rose from a bench. Despite being smaller than a lot of women Joe had met, this man radiated strength. Joe could see it through his arms. Well kept muscles, like Joe.
The man put a hand out. "I'm Brock."
His grip was strong. His eyes reminded Joe of the Olivine PokeMart manager. Appearing closed, yet somehow seeing everything. Brock's spiky hair looked sharp enough to pierce.
"Joe."
"How many Badges do you have?"
"One."
Like Gary, Brock eyed Absol with a furrowed brow of confusion. He moved on quickly. "Very well. At least you know how this works. As for my gimmick, you'll be carrying extra weight in battle."
With no further instructions or explanations, Brock walked to the other side of the arena and Joe took his spot opposite, Absol sitting by her Trainer and watching. Joe appreciated that, so far, Gym Leaders were all business. No messing around. Straight to the fight.
A bright orange crab with a twirling rock shell covering the back half of its body waddled up to Joe, looking up with black eyes on stalks. Dwebble.
Another Dwebble skittered to Brock as the Gym Leader finished grabbing some balls from a shelf. Brock pocketed two and tossed one, releasing a green Pokemon onto the field. It had one long horn atop its head and a red belly. Black marks like scars around its eyes. Larvitar.
Challengers had the benefit of going second in Gym battles, allowing them to choose an advantage. This changed in the League where it became a coin flip to decide who went first.
Joe decided to lead with an advantage, sending out Fomantis. She wanted to make Cyndaquil's fight easier so he felt a need to use her immediately.
With both sides having sent out their Pokemon, the Dwebble's role became clear. They were key to the gimmick. Joe watched as the Dwebble by his feet created a floating rock in front of itself. Spewing String Shot from its mouth, Dwebble attached the rock to Fomantis' back. The extra weight was to test balance and how fast a Pokemon could get used to change. The rock was custom made on a per Pokemon basis and was designed to be half the Pokemon's weight. So in Fomantis' case, it was half a kilogram.
To Joe that weight was nothing, but to Fomantis it was a lot. She fell onto her rear the moment the rock was attached to her, letting her backpack rest on the ground. She took some deep breaths and used all her efforts to stand. She was a little shaky but forced herself to deal with it.
With both challenger and Gym Leader ready, the stadium's Rotom whirred to life and booted up a livestream. The battle commenced.
Seeing his Pokemon was still unsteady on her feet, Joe opted for range first. Fomantis pointed her leaf arms forward and between them green orbs were created. They shot towards Larvitar. Brock's Pokemon raised its stubby arms with a shout, rocks coming from the ground and spinning around it. Rock Throw. It tossed the rocks into Bullet Seed's path, kicking up dust as the moves collided.
Through the cloud, Joe could see Larvitar burst into a sprint. He was still unsure about Fomantis moving with the extra weight, so the little Grass-type used Grass Knot roughly in the direction Joe indicated. Roots sprang out of the arena floor and tripped Larvitar. With it laying on its belly, unable to defend itself, Fomantis used Bullet Seed. Joe saw four green orbs strike true as his opponent tried to stand. Larvitar winced at being struck, growling.
The dust cloud cleared and Larvitar glared at Fomantis. It jumped forward, brown energy around its hands as it used Brick Break. Joe now feared he'd played it too safe. Keeping distance meant Fomantis hadn't moved. She hadn't been given a chance to get used to the extra weight.
Fomantis' arms glowed white with Normal-type energy, defending against a side swipe with Slash. She fell back, rolling over her backpack while flailing her tiny limbs. At the same time the top of her head touched the floor, Larvitar's other swipe tore through Fomantis' rock and shattered it. Fomantis fell onto her side and rushed to stand now that she was freed of the added weight.
Once she stood up, the rock began to reform thanks to Dwebble on the sidelines. It attached itself to her back once more.
"Fomantis, Slash! Move with the rock, don't fight it." Joe called out.
Fomantis obeyed, herself and Larvitar entering a contest of strength. Larvitar swung down with Brick Break and she brushed it aside to the left as the rock on her back reformed on her left, weighing that side of her down. Joe was right. Don't fight it. Her backpack was her new core. Move with it.
Larvitar attempted a jab, still with Brick Break. Fomantis repelled it with Slash and moved forward as fast as she could. It was a strange sensation. Like her body was lagging, the rock core taking a moment to move the way she wanted, but when it did so it practically propelled her. She landed a Slash as Larvitar brought its head down, its forehead bright with energy. It used Headbutt to slam Fomantis into the ground. An even trade.
Larvitar went to use Brick Break again, but as it adjusted its stance to lunge down, it tripped from Grass Knot and fell backwards. With the enemy down, Fomantis backed off, rolling and jumping with the weight of her rock. She used Bullet Seed as she sailed through the air, Larvitar countering a couple but not all of them.
When she landed, Fomantis bounced to try and keep the core moving, then rushed at her foe who was running at her. Slash collided with Brick Break again. Due to the size and strength difference, Fomantis was on the retreat. She kept parrying until she saw an opening, only to be struck in the side by Rock Throw. When the move was first used, it spun around the creator, so technically Fomantis had been struck by the summoning of the move.
As Fomantis fell, disoriented, she spat Bullet Seed. It wasn't aimed. Not a single orb struck her opponent. But the wild spray was enough to keep Larvitar in check, forcing it to use Rock Throw as a shield for the few seeds that got close.
Once she stood tall, she used Bullet Seed as Rock Throw came her way. Larvitar was on the run, circling around to attack her side. When she finally finished countering Rock Throw, she turned to see Larvitar was too close. She couldn't do anything but accept the Headbutt as her foe ducked its horn low and swung up. The horn hit her chin like an uppercut.
Fomantis was in the air for a moment but soon came down thanks to the added weight from her backpack. She felt rough. Her defence was getting low. But she wanted to do something with her life. She wanted to be someone. Wanted to be proud of herself. So she fought the embrace of the void and stood up. It took some effort, but she could still fight.
She fired Bullet Seed. Larvitar jumped out of the way, scrambling to its feet and running at her. Fomantis kept up the Bullet Seed assault, taking a page out of Cyndaquil's book and attempting to overwhelm.
It worked. Larvitar was surrounded by orbs of energy and couldn't dodge when another volley came right for it. With gritted teeth, Larvitar jumped back as an afterimage spawned in its place and took the hit. Substitute. The shade looked just like Larvitar, but with a slight transparency to it.
Larvitar's substitute and Bullet Seed colliding caused a big explosion. Substitute was a defensive move with good utility, the large burst of smoke afterwards working as a smokescreen for the user. Unfortunately for Larvitar, Joe had eyes on his opponent. Fomantis managed to land Grass Knot, tripping Larvitar. More Bullet Seed burst through the smoke and struck Larvitar.
Larvitar tried to hold on, taking a few steps forward and causing Fomantis to prepare to attack again. But when it collapsed from exhaustion, Fomantis cancelled Bullet Seed.
She won. She felt tired and didn't know how much further she'd be able to go, but Fomantis had achieved the goal she'd set for herself. To support the team as best she could. This gave her brain a burst of chemicals and cheered her up. It was just step one, and it was a small step at that, but she felt she could keep moving forward from here.
Brock returned Larvitar and tossed out another ball. A large and heavy quadruped thudded to the ground and scraped its front right foot against dirt. It was bulky and had what looked like armour plating across its body. At the tip of its long head, its nose, was a horn with sharp eyes on either side. Rhyhorn.
Three dense but not particularly large rocks were placed on it by Dwebble. One on each side and another on its back, between its ridges.
Fomantis didn't last much longer, but she landed some good hits before going down. Rhyhorn used Horn Attack and was surprisingly fast, albeit only moved in a straight line. Fomantis could jump out of the way easily enough. She landed Bullet Seed on Rhyhorn's side a couple of times. Despite being effective, these attacks didn't seem to bother Rhyhorn. Its defence energy was absurdly high. It could take attacks from effective types without issue.
Rhyhorn used Horn Attack again. This time it was stopped by Grass Knot tripping it. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. All that weight came crashing down, causing the Pokemon's body to protect it from itself. Defence energy sacrificed for no true harm caused.
In its weakened state, Rhyhorn roared and a bright orange energy burst from the ground and circled its feet. The energy channelled to its horn and it charged forward faster than before. Rhyhorn struck Fomantis before she could react. She went flying out of bounds, landing near the empty benches. She wasn't getting back up.
Losing defence energy was exactly what Rhyhorn wanted. It had used Reversal, which briefly filled the space of lost defence energy with extra attack energy, meaning it dealt more damage if the user was weakened. Reversal was a troublesome move. Now Rhyhorn had a strong move to use.
Joe returned Fomantis. He owed her a thanks and some big praise. She had done well. After a moment of consideration, there really were no other options so he threw Sandshrew into the fight. The shrew burst out of his ball and landed, immediately excited to be facing down such a big foe. Small hops like some sportsmen do when preparing for the main event.
Sandshrew was surprised when it sensed something at his back moments before String Shot attached a rock to him. He turned and tilted his head at Dwebble before realising he had seen extra rocks attached to Rhyhorn too. He managed to connect the dots, comparing this to the quakes in the previous Gym. Some kind of handicap to deal with. He welcomed the challenge.
Rhyhorn wasted no time and started with Reversal. Sandshrew had just enough distance to jump and dig into the ground, Rhyhorn passing over the hole right as Sandshrew's tail disappeared. Moments later, Sandshrew rushed into the sky and fell onto Rhyhorn's head. There was so much force behind the attack that Rhyhorn's chin struck the ground hard.
Sandshrew bounced back and landed right as Rhyhorn charged with Reversal, tossing Sandshrew across the arena. He stood and had barely enough time to react. Rhyhorn was right by him, mouth open and fangs coated with ice. Sandshrew felt a wave of cold breath from his opponent. Ice Fang.
Right before he was bitten, Sandshrew used Fury Cutter against the fangs to redirect Rhyhorn's mouth as well as himself. He spun around Rhyhorn's side and started slashing, almost looking like he was dancing as he moved the way his extra weight dictated, spinning and twisting. When he got to the end, he crossed his arms across his body as Rhyhorn lashed out with a back foot covered in energy. Stomp.
Rhyhorn turned and used Reversal, charging at Sandshrew. The attack was stronger and faster now that Rhyhorn's defences were lowered further. Sandshrew was struck by a large amount of energy and rocketed into the wall behind Joe.
Joe turned, seeing Sandshrew land on his feet and stay standing. They nodded at each other, Sandshrew jogging back into the arena.
Brock was impressed by Sandshrew's hardiness. He selected Rhyhorn's fourth and final move intelligently. Curse. A purple haze burst from Rhyhorn's body, from under its armour plates. The haze rushed to Sandshrew, who clawed at the mist. Useless. Curse couldn't miss, it couldn't be combated. The haze surrounded and rushed into Sandshrew, vanishing as the shrew was forced to absorb the hostile energy.
Sandshrew's black eyes widened and he dropped to a knee, suddenly feeling weak. Then he heard a thud and looked to see Rhyhorn had collapsed from exhaustion.
Alongside being unable to miss, Curse used defence energy instead of attack energy. Rhyhorn had exhausted itself, taken itself out of the fight, to secure the win. Sandshrew would now have his defence energy drained until he, too, couldn't stand anymore. Cyndaquil wasn't the only one with a sort of finishing move.
A ball absorbed Rhyhorn, and out came perhaps the biggest Rock-type. Onix. It was a giant snake made of massive boulders. It let out a roar that shook the arena. A quick 'Ace' popped up on the numerous screens around the room. Onix was Brock's strongest, as expected. The Ace typically came out last.
Onix led by opening its mouth and spewing bright purple flame at Sandshrew. Dragon Breath. Sandshrew used Fury Cutter to slash through. He ran at the snake, jumping as hard as he could and aiming to reach Onix's face.
To meet the challenge, the horn atop Onix's head turned a shiny silver as it used Iron Head. It swung its horn down as Sandshrew used Fury Cutter.
The clash never happened. Sandshrew landed on Onix's large head right in front of the horn. He scrambled up and jumped along Onix's segmented body, slashing and dragging his claws all the way.
As if karma caught up with him for an underhanded tactic, Sandshrew was struck by an immense pain in the middle of his assault. A chunk of his defence energy was drained so rapidly that it distracted him. This allowed Onix to shift its body and fling Sandshrew into the air. Onix's tail, made of much smaller rocks, wrapped around the airborne shrew. Onix squeezed, using Bind. It slammed Sandshrew into the ground once. Twice.
After the first slam, Sandshrew managed to focus. One arm was pinned, but the other was free. When he struck the ground the second time, he scraped a claw into the arena floor, creating mud and flinging it up into Onix's face. Mud Slap had its uses.
Mud hit Onix in the eyes. The snake recoiled and let go of Sandshrew. It had a special film coating over its eyes, but it was still blinded and wanted to rub the mud away with its tail. Sandshrew dug into the ground. When Onix was done wiping its eyes clean, Sandshrew burst out and uppercut Onix's chin. A second later he received a purple Dragon Tail for his efforts, pounding him into the ground.
Curse didn't get another chance to activate. Sandshrew was out of the fight.
Joe didn't want to be negative, but the thought crossed his mind that he was going to lose. But he was going to fight until the end. Unlike pitting Cyndaquil against Rydell's Ursaring, this was winnable. He sent Cyndaquil into the fight. The hedgehog looked up at its giant foe and grinned. Fire burst from his back, inspired to try his hardest and thankful he was listened to. Joe respected his Pokemon and, in return, he was a Trainer worthy of respect.
Like Sandshrew, he was confused and looked back right before extra weight was added to him. Two rocks under his arms in an attempt to not get in the way of his back. Cyndaquil accepted the rocks and faced his foe.
Cyndaquil led with Ember, lighting up Onix's body. It was a giant, slow target. It wasn't hard to land a dozen attacks. Onix twisted and lay flat on the ground, then slid like a snake, its head shining silver from Iron Head.
Cyndaquil rushed to jump and wrap himself in fire, spinning like a wheel and moving out of the way. He was unsteady due to the added weight. Looked like a wobbly, runaway tire. But the important bit was that he succeeded in evading. Onix twisted and rose, pointing its mouth at Cyndaquil and firing off a stream of purple dragon fire that struck the hedgehog. Cyndaquil kept rolling, Flame Wheel being useful for both movement speed and defending against an attack.
Cyndaquil turned to Onix with the intent to ram the snake using Flame Wheel. He jumped over a swing of Dragon Tail and barrelled into a section a bit below Onix's head. What could be classed as the torso on a person. As he fell away, he burst out of his wheel and used Ember again, aimed at Onix's head. He was falling, unable to react to the tail coming for him. Cyndaquil was grabbed, wrapped up in Bind.
Cyndaquil quickly realised squirming was useless, so he spat fire at Onix's face. It worked. Again. It was the only thing to do when wrapped up in Bind. Onix recoiled from its eyes being attacked, loosening its grip on Cyndaquil. The hedgehog took the opportunity and wriggled free, jumping to the ground.
When he landed, it turned out Onix had recovered faster than expected. Cyndaquil was consumed by Dragon Breath, pushed into the ground by the force, unable to escape. Eventually the purple stream of fire ended and Cyndaquil rose, static buzzing around him. He'd been paralysed. Dragon Breath had an electrical charge to it, and it had stuck.
Cyndaquil winced as he tried to use Flame Wheel, the electricity attached to his body getting in the way and causing his energy to not work the way he wanted. He was wide open, taking a Dragon Tail to the chest and flying across the arena.
The fire on Cyndaquil's back grew stronger, Joe able to feel it from ten feet away. Blaze had activated. Cyndaquil was heavily weakened and throwing all his energy into his fire. Joe had to consider if it was too early or not. Would Flare Burst defeat Onix right now? Because if not, Cyndaquil would be wide open for an attack. Flare Burst took all of Cyndaquil's remaining energy. There was a chance he could land some more hits before using Flare Burst.
Cyndaquil looked over his shoulder briefly, then turned back to Onix and roared. Whether Joe wanted to use it now or not, it seemed like Cyndaquil was ready. And then Joe felt it. Goosebumps. Whether his Pokemon realised it or not, Cyndaquil had enough energy to evolve.
Joe sent Cyndaquil forth, the hedgehog barely dodging Dragon Breath with Flame Wheel in time, purple flames trailing him. Cyndaquil bounced and got close to Onix's face. Just a few feet between them. Flame Wheel dissipated. Cyndaquil turned, back towards his opponent. He used Flare Burst. A massive amount of energy coursed through Cyndaquil and out into the surrounding area, catching Onix in a massive explosion that filled a third of the wide room. Joe's jacket flapped about from the wind pressure, Absol turning her head to avoid dust getting in her eyes as her white fur danced.
Cyndaquil left the lingering smoke, landing on the ground, unsteady but still standing. Onix wasn't toppling. Cyndaquil grit his teeth in annoyance and tried to summon more energy, but he had none. His mouth opened and he tried to use Ember, but no fire came. The fire on his back was petering out.
Onix, still capable of fighting, lunged through the smoke with Iron Head. Cyndaquil barely jumped out of the way in time, Onix striking the ground and tearing it up, blowing rocks out in all directions. Some struck Cyndaquil.
Cyndaquil landed and couldn't stay standing. He fell onto his belly. Through vision that was turning black, he saw Onix rise. Cyndaquil ground his teeth together. He was going to fight until he won. He was out of defence energy, causing intense strain through his body, but still he stood. He took a couple of shaky steps towards Onix, determined to be the last one standing, trying to figure out a way to still attack despite his lack of energy.
Joe's face hardened, bringing a ball out and returning the hedgehog via a blue stream. Cyndaquil was too stubborn for his own good. Joe could tell Cyndaquil was out of defence energy. He wasn't going to allow his Pokemon to fight beyond this point. He wasn't going to be responsible for scarring a team member.
The ball shook in his hand, so he held it tightly, his fingers and palm coming together to stop the ball from opening. It took a minute but Cyndaquil eventually figured out Joe wasn't letting him out. When Cyndaquil begrudgingly settled, Joe shrunk the ball and holstered it.
It was Joe's loss, fair and square.