Chapter 6- "Battle Begin!"
"Battle... begin!" the woman cried, raising her arm to signal that the Trainers now had free reign.
Alright, here I am. It's my first Gym Battle! Boy, am I excited! Jonathan thought, his mind racing a mile a minute. Okay, Jonathan, just breathe. This isn't gonna work if you're hyperactive and aren't thinking. Now, what do I do? Jonathan analyzed the situation, taking in the scenery of the battlefield. It was in a greenhouse, so the sun offered plenty of light, and there were numerous trees just outside of the white boundary lines on the sandy battlefield. Many of their branches extended to where they were accessible to even terrain-bound Pokémon, if they had the agility. And Froakie sure does, Jonathan thought. "Froakie, start it off using Bubble!" Jonathan called. As Froakie shot an array of translucent bubbles, Surskit jumped and nimbly dodged the bubbles. "Hmm, Surskit's fast," Jonathan concluded. "Froakie, use Bubble again!"
Viola was confused. "Dodge the attack!" she called.
As Surskit jumped to dodge the bubbles, Jonathan called, "Use Quick Attack!" Froakie sprinted on the ground and propelled itself into the air and lunged into the Bug-Water type, sending it back. "Awesome, Froakie!"
"Surskit, use Ice Beam on the ground!" Viola called. A beam of ice shot from Surskit's antenna and covered the battlefield. The ice reflected the light coming into the greenhouse and gave a rather harsh glare. "Now, skate around the field!" she exclaimed. The Pond Skater Pokémon easily maneuvered around the battlefield, doing circles around the Bubble Frog Pokémon.
Froakie slipped on the ice and fell. It then got up and turned to face Surskit. "Froakie, use Bubble, once more!" Frokaie aimed its attack where Surskit was bound to skate and shot another spew of bubbles. Surskit skidded to a halt on the ice as the bubbles flew past it, none of them touching the Pond Skater Pokémon. Jonathan grumbled, his gears continuing to turn as both Pokémon skated parallel to each other. Surskit has quite a tough distance game, Jonathan thought, but Froakie can hit it with attacks that are in your face. I'm sure of it. That's what I need to do to knock it out. But if I do that now, Viola's gonna adapt to it and figure me out. I'll play her game first. "Froakie, skate to the center of the field!" he cried confidently.
Olivia looked at Jonathan, whose confident smile caught her off guard. "What's he doing?" she asked quietly.
Froakie did so with great speed and little effort. It then looked to its sides to eye Surskit. "Now spin around and use Bubble!" Froakie spun around and shot many bubbles as rapidly as it could, eventually hitting Surskit in the process.
'Nice,' Miles thought.
"Surskit, use Signal Beam!" Viola cheered. A beam of light shot from Surskit's antenna, hitting Froakie. "Awesome! Use Signal Beam once more!" Another beam of light emitted from Surskit's antenna, hitting the Water Type again.
Froakie was phased by the attacks and had visibly been damaged. "Froakie, are you okay?" Jonathan asked. The Water-Type shook it off and turned around, giving a thumbs-up to its Trainer. "That's great to hear, Froakie! Now, jump on to that branch!" the Trainer called, pointing about 20 degrees to his left. Froakie took a massive leap and just barely grabbed the branch with its tiny hands. It swung back and forth for momentum, and Viola saw her opening.
"Now, use Ice Beam, Surskit!" Viola called. Surskit fired a ray of ice towards Froakie, who looked at it in horror.
"Froakie, snap the branch!" Jonathan called. Froakie looked back in skepticism. "Froakie, just do it, okay?!?!" Jonathan yelled. Froakie did as ordered, using all of its might to snap the branch before falling. "Now, use it to block the ice!" The Trainer commanded further. Froakie obeyed without hesitation, protecting itself with the tiny twig it was holding on to. It was overpowered by the ice after mere seconds, and Froakie was left defenseless. Jonathan couldn't think of a counter in the short margin of time he had, and the ray of ice knocked his Water Type to the ground.
Viola simply chuckled. "You've proven you have quite the potential if this is your first Gym Battle," she stated. "You're very quick-witted, and you've definitely used you and your Pokémon's abilities to your advantage."
"Thanks, but I'm not done with this battle just yet," Jonathan replied, feeling more motivated. "I've still gotta defeat two of your Pokémon, and your first hasn't run out of gas. Viola, giving it your all won't help, because I'll win this battle and get my Badge!" he cried.
"Hmm," Viola said, chuckling. "You're quite cocky for a rookie. Bring it," she said menacingly.
"Froakie, jump and use Pound!"
"Surskit, hang in there!" Froakie skated throughout the field and propelled itself in the air, then slapping Surskit with great force. Surskit's legs made a trail in the ice, and the Pond Skater Pokémon looked bruised. However, it stood confidently. "Ice Beam, let's go!"
Now it's time to play my game, Jonathan thought, a smile growing on his face,"Skate around it and use Quick Attack!" Froakie nimbly dodged the beam of ice and swiftly skated throughout the field. It then lunged into Surskit, knocking it back. "Now, finish it off with Lick!" Froakie opened its mouth as its tongue extended, wrapping around Surskit.
"Surskit!" Viola called in panic. However, Surskit was barely hanging on, much to Jonathan's dismay. "Amazing, Surskit! Now use-" Viola was cut off by a little show of sparks coming from Surskit.
Olivia looked at Miles in confusion. "What the-"
"That's paralysis," Miles immediately answered, no emotion shown in his voice. "It lowers the chance of a Pokémon being able to attack," he added.
"Surskit," Viola stammered, losing hope. "Use Bubble Beam." A line of bubbles shot from Surskit's antenna and was abruptly ended by Surskit's paralysis. "Oh, dear. This'll be an issue. Use Signal Beam," Viola called.
"Froakie, jump and use Bubble!" Froakie jumped in the air, dodging the beam of light without effort. While in the air, Froakie inhaled and released an array of translucent bubbles, all of which were hitting Surskit. "Now, finish it off with Pound!" Froakie skated toward the Pond Skater Pokémon, whom was looking very weak and wounded, and slapped it with a great deal of force.
Then, the referee looked at Surskit, who had swirls in its eyes and could barely move. "Surskit..." it moaned.
"Surskit is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Froakie is the winner!"
"Awesome!" Olivia cheered from the stands. "That's one win for Jonathan and Froakie's not even tired yet!" She then had a flashback from her childhood. She remembered Jonathan talking about his dream to be the best Pokémon Trainer out there, and she smiled involuntarily. "You can do it, Jonathan!" she yelled suddenly.
"Hmm... Jonathan needs to keep himself levelheaded at this point," Miles commented. "He doesn't know what Viola's next Pokémon is. If he gets cocky now, it'll come back to bite 'im."
Viola then pulled out a Poke Ball from her pocket and whispered, "You're all I've got." She then raised her voice and yelled, "Go, Vivillon!" Then, a butterfly Pokémon with pink, white and blue scales materialized from the Poke Ball.
"Vivillon!" it cried.
Miles then stared at the Scale Pokémon. "Vivillon, huh?" he pondered. "I wonder what Viola's got planned with this kind of Pokémon."
Jonathan then smiled. "Alright, Froakie, make this job quick with Quick Attack!"
Olivia face palmed.
Then, Froakie lunged for the butterfly-like Pokémon, hitting its wing and spinning it out of balance. "Vivillon, use Struggle Bug!" Many dark-green seeds soon launched rapidly at Froakie.
"Counter it with Bubble!" The seeds from Vivillon's attack were all destroyed by Froakie's bubbles, and steam covered the field. "Pound!" Jonathan called energetically. Froakie soon found its opponent in the smoke and slapped it with great speed. "Awesome job!" Jonathan called as the smoke cleared up.
"Blow Froakie away with Gust!" Soon, a strong wind came from Vivillon and Froakie was sent back to its side of the battlefield. "Now, charge up a Solar Beam attack!" Soon, particles of light were being drawn to the Scale Pokémon, and it was absorbing them, preparing a massive attack.
Miles' eyes widened, his jaw dropping. "No way!" he cried.
"What is it?" Olivia asked in confusion.
"Solar Beam is a really powerful attack, and what's even worse for Jonathan is that it's super powerful against Pokémon like Froakie!" Miles answered promptly.
Jonathan was contemplating his next move. He stood confidently, a frown on his face. He then nodded, but didn't speak. Then, the attack was released from Vivillon, and Jonathan's mouth opened. Right as the attack was in range of hitting the Bubble Frog Pokémon, Jonathan unexpectedly called, "Jump!" Froakie did so, avoiding the Solar Beam attack altogether.
Miles was stunned. "How did he-" he asked. "But, that was-" "How in the-"
Olivia just smiled. "You can do it, Jonathan!" she called.
Jonathan looked back at her, returning a smile, before looking ahead at his opponent.
"Vivillon, use Struggle Bug!" Seeds came from Vivillon's scales, some of which hit its target. "Now, use Gust!" the strong wind pushed Froakie back a little, but Jonathan remained silent. Viola furrowed her brow in confusion. "Um... Vivillon, Struggle Bug once more!" she called, still unsure of Jonathan's choices. The seeds hit Froakie again, and Froakie seemed to be getting tired.
Then, Jonathan spoke. "Froakie, use Bubble!" Froakie launched an array of translucent bubbles at a faster rate, and with more power, which hit Vivillon.
"Wow!" Olivia cried. She then looked at Miles. "What the heck just happened?"
Miles, still a bit dazed, responded, "Um, Froakie has the ability Torrent, which allows Water-Type moves to, um... what's the word... become more powerful as the Pokémon, Froakie, in this instance, becomes weaker."
"Ok," Olivia responded.
"Vivillon, use Seed Bomb on Froakie, quick!" Viola called.
"Froakie, jump into the trees to avoid them!" Jonathan countered. Froakie nimbly dodged the barrage of pellets and sprung itself into the trees.
"Vivillon, keep attacking! Don't stop until Froakie gets hit!" Viola commanded.
Vivillon would attack Froakie, who would nimbly dodge and jump into a nearby tree. Vivillon attacked, Froakie dodged. The cycle, despite being monotonous, continued for some time until Froakie tripped over a branch and was left vulnerable.
"Now!" Viola cried. "Attack with full force!"
Vivillon peppered Froakie with seeds, firing them faster than it had been before. Froakie fell out of the tree, landing on its backside and cracking the melting ice.
"Froakie, hang in there!" Jonathan called in desperation. Froakie lifted itself up slowly, its body shaking at it brought itself into a fighting stance. "Awesome, buddy!" Jonathan cheered. "Now, let's turn up the heat! Use Quick Attack!" Froakie skated on the ice before jumping and lunging at the opposite wing it had before, spinning Vivillon off balance once again.
"Froakie's losing steam," Miles told Olivia. "I really don't know if Jonathan can pull this out without another Pokémon."
"Finish off Froakie with Struggle Bug!" Viola commanded.
"Bubble, quick!" Jonathan called in panic.
As the seeds rapidly shot toward Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokemon shot bubbles at each of them to make them explode before reaching it. Once Froakie thought the barrage was over, more seeds came at it and they were too close for Froakie, or its Trainer, to do anything about it. Froakie was then sent flying.
"Froakie, no!" Jonathan cried.
Froakie struggled to get up. It was on its knees, wincing from the pain. It slowly stood up, and let out a weak groan. Jonathan was in pure shock. "Awesome, Froakie!" he called. "Keep holding out, and we've got this!"
"Now, Solar Beam!" Viola called. Vivillon was absorbing many particles of light and visibly was powered up by it, as it was radiating a light green aura.
"Froakie, be prepared!" Jonathan commanded. "On three, okay Froakie?" he asked.
"Kie Froa!" Froakie called.
"One!" Vivillon was bringing the particles of light, which had now collected and formed a ball, upward.
"Two!" Vivillon inhaled, and shot the forest-green beam at Froakie.
"Three!" Froakie jumped out of the way of the beam, but it was too late. It was dealt the full force of the attack, and after it was over, Jonathan knew Froakie was done. Little to his surprise, his Water-Type lay on the ground, motionless and with little swirls in its eyes.
"Froakie is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "That means Vivillon is the winner! Now, both the Challenger and the Gym Leader have one Pokémon left! Challenger, release your final Pokémon!"
Jonathan returned Froakie, his cap shading his eyes. He then took out a Poke Ball and threw it. "You're all I've got, so let's make this count!"
Fletchling then materialized from the Poke Ball. "Fletch!" it cried, staring at its opponent.
"Nice move, Jonathan," Miles whispered. "Now you've got an advantage."
Viola then smiled. "This whole time, I've been holding back a bit just to see what you could do," she informed. "I regret my decision, and I should have a long time ago. Struggle Bug!"
"Fletchling, fly up!" As seeds shot towards the Tiny Robin Pokémon, it flew up to avoid making contact with them. "Agility, let's go!" Fletchling then flew around the field, getting faster by the second. "Now, Quick Attack!"
Fletchling dove at Vivillon with a lot of speed and a great deal of force. The attack, upon hitting the Scale Pokémon, sent it flying. Viola then smiled. "Vivillon, use Gust!"
"Fletchling, avoid the wind by flying up!" As Fletchling did so, it got caught in the Gust and was sent back. However, Fletchling wasn't giving in. "Now, use Peck!" Fletchling's beak glowed as it charged for the Bug Type. Fletchling then poked Vivillon's body rapidly, setting its balance off. "Now, let's use those maneuvers you practiced! Go!" Jonathan called.
Fletchling dove into the trees, and only popped out for a mere second to Vivillon. It swopped below the trees, and then up into the shrubbery once again.
"Vivillon, spin around and use Seed Bomb!" Viola commanded. Vivillon twirled around rapidly, launching seeds from its mouth.
"Fletchling send them back with Peck!" Fletchling eyed the seeds, trying to find an opening. It eventually did, and swopped down towards them. It poked the seeds with its beak, reversing the momentum and sending them back towards Vivillon.
"Vivillon, use Gust to stop the seeds in their tracks!" Viola commanded with uncertainty. Vivillon held off the incoming seeds by flapping its wings, but only for so long. The seeds overpowered the winds and made small explosions on Vivillon's wing. "Vivillon, hold on just a bit longer!"
"Vi! Villon!" the Scale Pokémon cried.
"Fletchling, use Agility, go!" Jonathan cried energetically.
"Vivillon, Solar Beam!" Viola cried. "Give it everything you've got, buddy!"
Olivia then looked at Miles. "Why's Viola using it now? Does Fletchling take more damage from an attack like this?"
"No, Fletchling actually takes less damage from Grass-Type atacks like Solar Beam," Miles remarked. "Maybe she's trying to trick Jonathan in some way, but I don't see how. If anything, Fletchling's still raring to go through this fight."
Once again, Vivillon absorbed light particles and began to glow from them. Soon, Vivillon prepared an extra powerful Solar Beam, per its Trainer's commands. As Vivillon launched the attack, Jonathan smiled. "Fletchling, dodge it and finish this battle with Quick Attack!"
Fletchling dodged the attack at the right time and lunged for Vivillon, hitting it with a great deal of force. However, Vivillon was still flying, albeit that it was rather damaged. "Vivillon, use Struggle Bug!" Small, dark-green seeds were emitted from Vivillon, and they were sprayed across the battlefield.
"Fletchling, hit them back and dodge with Agility!" Fletchling flew around the battlefield at alarming speeds and knocked the seeds back towards Vivillon with its wings, keeping a steady rhythm and never losing a beat. The seeds came back and hit Vivillon, barely doing any damage as they rolled off of its wings like little raindrops. Jonatan growled. What am I gonna do? he thought. Vivillon's hanging on so well, and everything that I'm doing isn't finishing it off. Hmm... maybe another Quick Attack or Peck will work, and if not, it'll probably faint from holding on.
Let's try it.
"Alright, Fletchling, finish off the battle with Peck! Give it all you got, and don't stop movin'!" Jonathan called. Fletchling maneuvered around Vivillon for a little bit, swooping up an down. Then, its beak began to glow and it squinted, honing in on its target. Fletchling made a beeline for Vivillon, never losing steam.
"Vivillon!" Viola cried in desperation. "Give it all you've got into this Gust attack! Go!" Vivillon flapped its wings ferociously, creating a strong wind that went against Fletchling.
"Fletchling, keep pushing!" Jonathan called with confidence. "You can win this!"
"Vivillon, make the winds stronger!" Vivillon did so, making Fletchling move back just a bit.
Olivia held on to the seat in front of her. "It's gettin' quite breezy with that Gust attack, right, Miles?" she asked.
"Yeah," he stammered, holding on to his seat as well. "That Vivillon is powerful!"
The war of the wind continued slowly, as Fletchling was pushing forward ever so slightly. Eventually, Vivillon was overpowered by fatigue, and the winds stopped. Fletchling moved forward at an alarming rate, slamming into Vivillon's body. It couldn't slow down, and eventually rammed the Scale Pokémon into a tree. Fletchling retreated fro the fight and to its Trainer.
Vivillon soon fell to the ground, sliding against the bark of the tree. It wasn't moving, and had swirls in its eyes.
"Just like Froakie and Surskit earlier when they fainted," Jonathan murmured. "I'll have to remember that."
"Vivillon, no!" Viola screamed.
"Vivillon is unable to battle, which makes Fletchling the winner! This means that the match goes to Jonathan, the challenger!" the referee cried. "This means that he will receive the Bug Badge!"
"Awesome!" Jonathan cheered. He threw a Poke Ball, which materialized a somewhat rested Froakie. "Hey, Froakie, we did it!" He cheered.
"Kie Kie Froa!" Froakie cheered, applauding Fletchling, who blushed.
"You guys did great!" Jonathan complimented, taking a knee in front of his tiny Pokémon. "For your awesome battle today, here you go!" Jonathan threw two Oran Berries in the air, and Froakie and Fletchling caught one for themselves. Riolu jumped off of his Trainer's shoulder and begged for one silently. "Alright, fine, here you go," Jonathan said sarcastically, throwing another in the air. Silly Riolu, Jonathan thought.
After the battle, Viola and Jonathan met in the middle of the battlefield. It was a bit soggy because the ice had melted and flowed into the ground. Viola smiled. "You gave me a good challenge today, Jonathan. As I said earlier, you've used your abilities, as well as your Pokémon and their abilities, to their fullest extent. You've grown in this battle alone, and I think you really have potential. For your great efforts and your success at the Santalune Gym Challenge, it is my honor to present you with this." Viola pulled out a case, and inside, there was a little badge with a ladybug on it. However, the ladybug was brown and its spots were green. "The Bug Badge," she concluded.
Jonathan smiled, and took the Bug Badge out of the case. He studied it for a minute, unable to take the smile off of his face. He then took his Badge Case out of the front pocket of his backpack and put the badge in the top left slot. "Looks great," he said, admiring it.
"Way to go," Olivia complimented, high-fiving Jonathan. "You were on fire today," she added.
"I haven't seen a battle like that in a long time," Miles stated. "Viola's right. You do have a lot going for you already."
Viola smiled. "May I ask, now that you've gotten your first Gym Badge here in Kalos, where do you plan on fighting for your next one?" She asked.
"Another badge?" Jonathan asked, dazed.
"Yeah," Viola stated with confidence. "You have to collect at least 8 badges to be able to compete in the Kalos League, right?"
"Well, yeah," Jonathan stuttered. "But, I haven't really thought about it."
"Well, there are a lot of Gyms around Kalos, so I don't think it'll be hard to find one!" Viola stated. "However, I do recommend fighting the Cyllage City Gym or the Lumiere Valley Gym. Both of their Gym Leaders are rather strong, and the Gyms are perfect for people trying to get their second or third badges! Maybe you can challenge them both!"
"Miss Viola," Jonathan started. "They're so far away! It'll take me months to make it over there!" he complained.
"Oh, you'll be fine!" Viola reassured. "Many people have made the trip and are still fine! Hopefully." Something buzzed in Viola's pocket. She pulled it out, and looked at it for a minute, apparently reading a long paragraph on it. She put it back in her pocket and receded from the group. "Sorry, guys, that was my phone," she apologized. "I gotta bounce." She walked out of the Gym, leaving the three alone.
After the trio had left the Gym, they were unsure of what to do next. Miles, always the type who wanted to wanted to be doing something, brought this up when the three were hanging out in Santalune City Park. "Well, Viola said that we should head to Cyllage City or Lumiere Valley," Miles stated. "Where are those places?" he asked.
Olivia whipped out her phone, which was rather small and had a purple, glittery case, and tapped away at the screen. After a moment, she smiled. "Like Jonathan said, it is far away. From here it's almost 100 miles, so we could make it over in two weeks to a month, depending on how fast we move. Then again, that is if we walk."
"Ok," Jonathan affirmed. "So, let's start going there in two days. It'll make sure we can see Olivia's showcase tonight and have a day to recuperate and do what we want."
Miles and Olivia nodded. "Smart plan," the latter stated.
"We'll need to rent a hotel for those nights, though," Miles stated. "Luckily, they aren't that expensive here."
"Alright, let's go," Jonathan requested. He stood up from the bench he was sitting on and looked around, before walking away. "Time isn't gonna slow down for us, you know?" he stated, looking back at his friends, who stood up and followed him.