From: Rob (robfrompw@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] The Fury of Gym Leaders Scorned Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2003-11-16 23:24:26 PST Robert marches happily down the street of Violet City, on his way to the tower that is Falkner's Gym to earn a Badge. He's feeling rather confident since Falkner is known throughout the land as the first Gym Leaders trainers should face on their Johto Journeys. "I've already earned four Johto League Badges - Falkner should be a piece of cake!" Robert hears a high-pitched male voice grunt, "Hey, I know that voice!" "So do I..." A female voice comments in reply to the first. "And I know *both* of those voices!" Robert exclaims as he turns to face two humans approaching the intersection he was about to cross - a short purple-haired young man wearing a Bug Catcher's outfit and a tall woman with light brown hair who's wearing a white dress and sandals. The woman happily shouts, "Robert!" Robert smiles, "Jasmine!" The kid snarls, "ROBERT!" Robert frowns, "Bugsy." Jasmine wonders, "Bugsy?" "Jerk," explains Bugsy, pointing at Robert. "Robert?" Jasmine asks. Bugsy nods, "Robert." "You're the jerk!" Robert points an accusing finger at Bugsy, "You're the one who sent out that disgusting Spider Pokemon to scare me!" Bugsy starts breathing heavily due to frustration, "You STILL haven't learned to respect Bug Pokemon, huh?!" "Robert! I thought you had learned to not insult other people's Pokemon after we last battled," Jasmine frowns, starting to share Bugsy's anger, "You... you shook my hand on it! How dare you call my good friend's Ariados disgusting? That's even worse than what you said about my beloved Sparkles! It seems you didn't learn your lesson, after all!" "I'm sorry," Robert's statement brings some hope to Jasmine's face, "But it really is disgusting." The hope vanishes. "That's it! Let's battle!" Bugsy and Jasmine shout at exactly the same time. Freaked out by their shared sentiment, and not sure of how to proceed, Jasmine and Bugsy face each other to figure out what to do. "He insulted YOUR Ariados," reasons Jasmine, "You should have the honor of wiping the streets of Violet City with his sorry butt." "Yeah, but he betrayed your trust," Bugsy argues, "He made you think he had learned his lesson when he clearly hasn't. You should be the one to make him wish he had never come to Johto." "Hey! I have an idea," Jasmine offers a compromise, "Let's BOTH battle him together. You send out one of your Pokemon, I'll send out one of mine. He'll have to counter with two of his. We'll keep going until either he's all out of useable Pokemon or the two of us are all out." As she withdraws a Pokeball from her dress, Jasmine tells her friend of small stature, "That's a great idea!" "I disagree," Robert's declaration is followed by a frown - while he was confident he could win a match against Falkner, he's not so sure he can beat two Johto Gym Leaders at once. Regardless, he plucks a Pokeball off his belt with one hand and a Heavy Ball off his belt with the other. As Robert prepares himself, Bugsy grabs a Pokeball out of his pocket. All three Gym Leaders throw their Pokeballs at once. A hopping Kakuna and a bored Magnemite materialize on one side of Violet City's Main Street. A barefoot Hitmonchan and a fat Pineco materialize on the other side. Jasmine and Robert both wonder, "A Kakuna?" Bugsy defends his Pokemon selection, "I didn't think I was going to get into a fight right before the Gym Leader conference! And besides, my Kakuna's much stronger than typical Kakuna. So's my Metapod. So there." "Hitmonchan, use Fire Punch on that stronger-than-the-average Kakuna," Robert starts issuing commands, "Pineco, do anything whatsoever - hopefully something along the lines of Tackling one of your opponents." Bugsy shouts, "Kakuna, use String Shot on Hitmonchan!" Jasmine says, "Magnemite, Thunder Wave that Pineco." Hitmonchan is the first to snap into action, leaping towards Bugsy's Kakuna as one of her gloves bursts into flame. The instant the Hitmonchan Punches the Bug Pokemon with her flaming fist, he catches fire, along with the String he Shoots from his mouth. Blue sparks of electricity emit from the magnets on both sides of Jasmine's Magnemite and hit Robert's Pineco, paralyzing him. The sluggish Pineco doesn't move, whether it's because he's paralyzed or because he's just so lazy that he doesn't feel like moving. The burn Bugsy's Kakuna is currently suffering is so damaging that he faints at the end of the first round of attacks. Robert remarks, "That was fast. Typical Kakuna must be REALLY weak." "Quiet, you." Bugsy recalls his Kakuna into his Pokeball, embarrassed by his Pokemon's poor performance, "You may have defeated my Kakuna, but now it's time for you to face the wrath of my Metapod!" The Pokeball he throws on the street next releases an unmoving green Metapod. "Hitmonchan, use Fire Punch on that supposedly-stronger-than-Kakuna Metapod!" Robert pleads, "PLEASE, Pineco, this battle is really important to me! Perform any sort of attack - anything you want!" Having already leapt towards the side of the street Metapod emerged on, Hitmonchan simply lifts her fist, which once again catches fire. Jasmine calls out, "Magnemite, hit Pineco with Swift! That never fails." Bugsy decides to battle offensively this time, "Metapod, start off with a Tackle attack!" Hitmonchan's Fire Punch hits Metapod, hurting him considerably but not burning him severely. The Metapod hurls his stiff body at the Fighting Pokemon, knocking her off her feet. She mutters, holding her head with her gloved fist, as she stands up for the next round of attacks. Jasmine's Magnemite does send a barrage of small white stars at Robert's Pineco, but the lazy Pokemon has actually obeyed Robert's request for once, as is evident when the Pineco manages to Protect himself, stiffening to deflect all of the stars of the Magnemite's Swift attack. "That was amazing! Good job, Pineco!" Robert is truly surprised that his Pineco can actually defend himself that well. "Do whatever you just did again, Pineco! Hitmonchan, finish that Metapod off with Ice Punch!" "So, your Pineco is hard to hit, is it?" Jasmine narrows her eyes, "I'll have my Magnemite fix that - Magnemite, Lock On to Pineco!" The fist that Hitmonchan hasn't used thus far becomes quite cold before she attacks Bugsy's Metapod with it. "Chan!" The Ice Punch knocks him out on contact! Robert's Pineco is paralyzed into inaction as the large eye on Jasmine's Magnemite Locks On to the heavy Pokemon. Eager to have her Magnemite knock out Pineco, Jasmine shouts her next command before Bugsy can send out another Pokemon, "Zap Cannon!" Not sure what the Electric attack will do, but afraid that it's rather powerful based on the name alone, Robert shouts, "Quickly, Hitmonchan, use Fire Punch on that Magnemite before it can attack Pineco!" "Hey, wait for me!" Bugsy protests as recalls his fainted Metapod and fumbles to get the Pokeball of his strongest Pokemon. Electric bolts start gathering around the Magnemite's magnets as the Hitmonchan's glove catches fire for the third time today. Bugsy's Scyther emerges on the battlefield just as Hitmonchan's Fire Punch impacts Magnemite's body in a critical hit which softens Magnemite's Steel body. The electricity dissipates as Jasmine's Pokemon faints. Jasmine sighs as she pulls her Magnemite back into its Pokeball and withdraws another Pokeball from her dress, "Okay, no more messing around. Sparkles, time to remind Robert why he shouldn't have made fun of you!" She drops the Pokeball on the street and an Ampharos emerges next to Bugsy's Scyther, who's proudly holding up his two scythes. "Jasmine, I think we should team up to defeat Robert's Hitmonchan," Bugsy suggests, "His Pineco's not a threat to our Pokemon." "Agreed," Jasmine nods before ordering, "Sparkles, show that Hitmonchan what a good punch really feels like - attack her with Thunder Punch!" Bugsy commands, "Scyther, Slash Hitmonchan!" Hoping to weaken the Ampharos that cost him a Mineral Badge last time he battled Jasmine, Robert shouts, "Hitmonchan, Mega Kick Ampharos as soon as possible! Pineco, don't just sit there - do something!" Hitmonchan raises her foot, but Sparkles the Ampharos grabs it and pulls her opponent towards her. With her other hand, currently balled into a fist, Sparkles slams Hitmonchan with a devastating Thunder Punch! Still feeling the pain of the Electric attack, Bugsy's Scyther Slashes her across her back. When Sparkles releases Hitmonchan's foot, the fighting Pokemon falls to the ground, unconscious due to the consecutive attacks. Pineco manages to overcome his paralysis enough to blink. "Hitmonchan!" Robert frowns upon seeing the fighter who just took out three Pokemon in a row faint. He recalls her into her Pokeball, says, "You did an excellent job and deserve to rest," and attaches the Pokeball to his belt. He plucks another Pokeball off his belt and hurls it onto the street. "Swinub, go!" The small Swinub that emerges from within it looks up at her opponents and shudders at the size of them. Bugsy says, "Scyther, do a Swords Dance to make your next Slash even stronger!" Due to Scyther's speed, the Bug Pokemon starts spinning around instantly once the command is issued and floats up high. Jasmine tells her Pokemon, "Sparkles, Thundershock Swinub!" Also a very fast Pokemon, Sparkles sends a Thundershock flying towards Robert's Swinub before Robert can issue a command. However, the electric attack inflicts no damage as Swinub simply shrugs off the attack saying "Nub!" "Swinub's a Ground Pokemon!" Bugsy shouts at Jasmine, "You should know that! Didn't you tell me you used to be a Ground Pokemon Trainer?" "Hey, lay off, Bugsy!" Jasmine puts her hands on her hips, "I used to be a Rock Pokemon Trainer - don't you listen to me when I talk?" "Well, maybe if you didn't talk about yourself for hours on end I'd be able to listen to you without tuning out every once in a while." "Whatever," Jasmine shakes her head, "Let's get back to the battle." Remembering that Scyther's a Flying Pokemon, now that he's been watching the Bug Pokemon float while spinning for about a minute, and recalling that Flying Pokemon are weak to Ice attacks, Robert says, "Swinub, use Powder Snow on Scyther. Pineco, attack!" The little part-Ground part-Ice Pokemon does just what she's told and the flurry of snow and chunks of ice hits Bugsy's Scyther as he lands on the street. Pineco watches. "Scyther, Slash Swinub." Bugsy's Scyther Slashes Swinub, inflicting a critical hit that knocks out the Pokemon. Bugsy motions towards the fainted Pokemon and asks, "See? Was that so hard, Jasmine?" Jasmine frowns, "I'm starting to see why Robert doesn't like you. Sparkles, Thundershock Pineco!" After recalling his Swinub and as he reaches for another Pokeball on his belt, Robert says, "Pineco, do whatever you did to stop that Swift attack again!" The sparks that fly out of Jasmine's Ampharos' tail arc towards Robert's Pineco, but since Pineco has managed to Protect himself once again, as per Robert's request, the sparks deflect on contact. The Thundershock attack is finished and Pineco remains unharmed as Robert releases his Charmeleon, the only conscious Pokemon he has left, other than Pineco, who's not weak against Sparkles the Ampharos. At this moment, a brown-haired teenage girl and her Combusken, who also happen to be on their way to Falkner's Gym, stop in front of the street brawl between the three Gym Leaders. "Look, Surtur," the girl notes, "A two on one battle. You don't see one of those every day." "<Yes, and today should be no exception. We should hurry to Falkner's Gym before it closes, Alex.>" The Combusken says to his Trainer who understands every word he says, "<It'll be sunset soon.>" "Gym battles can wait." Alex points out, "This is the only chance I'll have to see how this particular battle pans out. If we're late to Falkner's Gym, I can always challenge him tomorrow morning." Surtur shrugs as he concedes, "<You're the boss.>" The next three commands are issued one right after another: "Charmeleon, use Flamethrower on that Scyther! And don't give me attitude! Pineco, do something offensive - ANYTHING!" "Ha - Scyther, block the Flamethrower with Swords Dance." "Sparkles, use Light Screen to deflect future fire attacks!" Robert watches the events that follow incredulously: First, Charmeleon snaps into action without further prompting, an event that rarely occurs. Then, when he shoots a Flamethrower at Bugsy's Scyther, the Bug Pokemon begins spinning and floating into the air as he did earlier and the huge flame does not damage the Scyther at all on contact. Robert sweatdrops, "What the heck was that?! That doesn't make any sense!" As the bulb on Sparkles' tail glows bright and she creates a barrier of light to protect her, Bugsy explains, "I've taught my Scyther to use Swords Dance in order to protect himself from Fire attacks. There's no way your Charmeleon can defeat him with his pathetic Flamethrower." Pineco burps. Robert scolds his Pokemon, "PINECO! I meant do some kind of offensive ATTACK!" He lowers his head in shame and adds, "Charmeleon, since Bugsy's Scyther is apparently a magician, use Slash on the Ampharos." "Char." Robert's Charmeleon shrugs, not really into Slashing the pretty Ampharos. He's much more fond of hurting Bug Pokemon. Robert's been releasing him to battle them for years so the red Lizard has developed a bloodlust for that particular species of Pokemon. Jasmine calls out to her Pokemon, "Sparkles, Thunder Punch Charmeleon!" Bugsy shouts, "Scyther, continue using Swords Dance just in case!" The Scyther continues spinning in mid-air, picking up speed as he builds his Attack power. Meanwhile, Sparkles the Ampharos waddles over to where Robert's Charmeleon is standing and Thunder Punches him in the face. Flames literally appear in the Charmeleon's eyes as he extends his claws through the Light Screen surrounding the Ampharos and rakes them across her chest in retribution. The critical hit forces Sparkles to her knees. Pineco attempts to hop towards Bugsy's Scyther, but he ends up tipping over instead since he's so fat. Robert sighs at his Pokemon's failure to transport himself, "Well, at least you're actually trying to move now, Pineco. That's a start. Now get back up and attack that Scyther! Charmeleon, finish off Jasmine's Ampharos with another Slash!" Bugsy points, "Scyther, now that you've built up your Attack power, use Fury Cutter on that Charmeleon to finish him off!" Jasmine encourages her Pokemon, "C'mon, Sparkles, you're faster than that Charmeleon - Thunder Punch him before he can Slash you!" Sparkles the Ampharos' fist does make contact with Charmeleon's face for a second time before Charmeleon's claws reach Sparkles' body, but the Thunder Punch doesn't paralyze Charmeleon nor does it knock him unconscious. Even angrier than he was before, this time Charmeleon uses both of his claws to Slash Sparkles the Ampharos, forcing her to faint. "Sparkles!" Jasmine cries out, experiencing sympathy pains, "Return..." She recalls her fainted Electric Pokemon, then pulls out the last Pokeball she has stashed in her dress and chucks it onto the street. Her enormous gray Steelix appears in a bright white flash of light. Not distracted from his goal of ripping into Charmeleon by the titanic Pokemon that's just appeared, Bugsy's Scyther flies up to the Fire Pokemon and punctures his flesh with both of his Scythes. Charmeleon manages to look down at the scratch marks on his chest before covering them with his arms, falling over, and passing out on the street. Pineco rolls around, failing miserably at his attempt to stand up. "Charmeleon, return!" Robert wipes some sweat off his forehead, "Now that Sparkles is gone, I can bring out a Pokemon that might be able to defeat that magical Scyther." After attaching Charmeleon's Pokeball to his belt he grabs his Great Ball and releases the raven-feathered Murkrow hiding within, who takes to the air the moment he appears. "Murkrow, Peck Scyther! Pineco, get up before that Steelix eats you! Also, just in case, try protecting yourself like you did earlier." "You think that little Murkrow can defeat me?" Bugsy scoffs, "Hahaha! He lost against my Ariados last time we fought - he'll lose against my powered-up Scyther even faster. The power of Scyther's Fury Cutter builds with consecutive turns, you see. Scyther, another Fury Cutter!" "Bugsy!" Jasmine reprimands her little friend, "Stop being such a jerk to Robert. Just because he called your Bug Pokemon disgusting doesn't mean you should stoop below his level." Bugsy's rapid Scyther hovers over to where Robert's Murkrow is flying. "Whatever, woman." Bugsy rolls his eyes, "Tell your Steelix to finish off his Pineco so we can end this." One Fury Cutter later courtesy of Bugsy's Scyther, the Murkrow crashes on the street, fainted. Robert recalls his Dark Pokemon, disappointed that the Bird wasn't able to avenge himself against Bugsy. "Grrr! I should have my Steelix attack your Scyther. But I won't since I agreed to be on your team and it wouldn't be right. I care about doing what's right and how you're acting right now certainly isn't right." Jasmine orders, "Steelix, hit Pineco with your Iron Tail!" Still face-down on the street, Pineco manages to use Protect once more before the Steelix's Iron-hard Tail swings towards him. The tail is deflected by the invisible barrier now surrounding the fallen Pokemon. Taking another Pokeball off his belt, Robert says, "Seadra, you're my last hope! I hope you're ready to face the Steelix that beat you when you were just a little Horsea on my first week in Johto." He releases the Seadra, who balances herself on her tail and freaks out the moment she sees Jasmine's Steelix right in front of her. "Don't be scared, Seadra - use Water Gun on Steelix! Pineco, if you've got any tricks up your bark-hard shell, now would be the time to use them on Scyther!" "Sorry, Robert, you're out of luck." Bugsy smirks, already celebrating, "Protect doesn't tend to work when used twice in a row. My Scyther's next Fury Cutter will easily knock out your Pineco then Scyther and Steelix should make short work of your scared Seadra. Scyther, show that incompetent Pineco the power of a third Fury Cutter in a row!" Jasmine slaps Bugsy upside his head, "Stop gloating, especially before you've won. It's very rude. Steelix, hit Seadra with Iron Tail!" Bugsy's furious Scyther swoops down to where Robert's Pineco is lying and swings his scythes at him to inflict a devastating Fury Cutter attack! However, in his blind rage, the Bug Pokemon's attack misses. Seadra manages to find the courage to shoot a Water Gun attack out of her snout and it hits Jasmine's Steelix in his eyes! Recoiling in pain after being hit by water, the angered Steelix attempts to hit Seadra with his Iron Tail, but the water in his eyes blinds him and he misses, creating a pothole in the section of street next to the Water Pokemon. Scyther doesn't bother moving away from the fallen Pineco at his feet as he awaits the next round of attacks, considering the Pokemon to be no threat. However, the amount of experience Pineco has gained from participating in the long battle against Bugsy and Jasmine from the start has allowed him to learn two new attacks, one of which he now decides to inflict on Scyther. One that doesn't require him to stand up. Robert's Pineco rolls onto Scyther's feet and Self-Destructs. When the cloud of smoke created by Pineco's self-sacrificing act clears, both Pineco and Scyther lie unconscious on the street. "WHAT?!" Bugsy's eyes go wide at the sight of his most powerful Pokemon lying unconscious on the street, "NOOOO! That's not fair!" "Seadra - there's no time to waste!" Robert commands, "Use Water Gun on Steelix! Now that you're evolved, it does more damage!" Ignoring Bugsy's immature reaction, Jasmine shouts, "Steelix, Dig to avoid the attack!" But Seadra has the speed advantage over Steelix, even on land, so the Steel Pokemon isn't able to dodge in time. Seadra's second burst of Water Gun is even more powerful than her first and the Steelix grunts loudly in pain before his head crashes to the ground and he faints! "Have... I won?" Robert clasps his hands, hoping the battle is over. "Well, I'm all out of Pokemon." Jasmine concedes defeat, "And judging by Bugsy's reaction to Scyther's defeat, he is too. Robert, I'm sorry I fought alongside Bugsy. You were right about him - he really is pretty arrogant and immature, I just never noticed it before now. For defeating three of my Pokemon, I think you deserve a Mineral Badge. You also deserve a Hive Badge, for that matter - don't you think so, Bugsy?" "This wasn't an official Gym battle!" Bugsy mutters, "I told Robert he could never go back to my Gym and I meant it! Why should I give him a Hive Badge? He just got lucky. Fury Cutter should've hit - his Pineco wouldn't have been able to Self-Destruct if it had hit." "But it didn't hit. You sound like Whitney." Jasmine grabs Bugsy's ear, "Now give Robert the Hive Badge he deserves or I'll find it hard to continue being your friend, Bugsy." "FINE." Bugsy produces a Hive Badge from his pocket and gives it to Robert, mumbling, "You've earned this or whatever." Jasmine places a Mineral Badge in Robert's other hand, "Congratulations, Robert - few people are able to defeat two Gym Leaders in one day!" "I'd like to try for three!" Robert admits, now smiling down at the two recently-earned Badges in his hands, "When I ran into you two, I was on my way to Falkner's Gym. I think now I'm going to head back to the Pokemon Center, have my Pokemon rest for an hour, then head to the Gym." "Bah," Bugsy shakes his head, "Don't even bother. Falkner's the most punctual Gym Leader in Johto. He was probably already at the Sprout Tower for the Gym Leader Conference when our battle began. You should find a room at the Pokemon Center and challenge him tomorrow." "Bugsy speaks the truth, Robert." Jasmine nods, "In fact," She looks down at her watch, "Bugsy and I are running a bit late now. Congratulations again on your victory! Goodbye for now, Robert!" "Yeah, later." Bugsy waves as both he and Jasmine continue on their path towards Violet City's Sprout Tower. "Have fun, you two!" Robert calls out as he pins his Hive Badge and his Mineral Badge onto his black shirt, "Thanks for the amazing battle!" Surtur the Combusken, who's been watching the battle with his Trainer since they arrived at the scene, comments, "<It seems we will have to wait until tomorrow to challenge Falkner, after all. That fellow there who just earned two Badges seems knowledgeable...>" When the two Johto Gym Leaders are out of sight, Robert starts dancing the Cabbage Patch in celebration, cheering, "Wooo! Wooo-hooooo!" "<...if a bit odd.>" Surtur suggests, "<Perhaps we should hang out with him until tomorrow morning to learn from him. It's your choice, Alex.>" -Robert