From: William Rendfeld (warendfeld@aol.com) Subject: Re: [PW!] The Fury of Gym Leaders Scorned Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2003-11-20 17:38:15 PST >"Hello, Falkner! My name's Robert," Robert tells the Violet City Gym Leader as he and Alex approach >him, "And this is Alex. We're here to challenge you for whatever the Johto League Badge you give out is >called." > >"It's called the Zephyr Badge, and I accept your challenges. Larry, act as referee." Falkner pets the >Hoothoot standing on his shoulder as he asks, "Who will battle me first?" > >A brown-haired Flying Pokemon Trainer on the roof pulls a green flag and a red flag out of his pockets, >then takes his place at the side of the roof-top Arena to referee the matches that will be held there. > >Robert turns to Alexandria and asks, "Would you like to go first, Alex? I'm still a bit sleepy, so that would >be great." > "Sounds good to me," Alex replied as she stepped forward, Surtur and Daraxis still at her sides. As Falkner and Alex took their respective positions on the field, Alex asked, "What's the format for the battle?" "We'll be battling two-on-two," Falkner replied. "However, I somehow doubt you'll last through the first Pokémon I send into battle." With a small grin, Alex responded, "We'll see." Falkner pulled a Poké Ball from his robes and cried, "Go, Pidgeotto!" From the Poké Ball was released the familiar form of a medium-sized bird Pokémon. The bird cried out "Pigeooo!" and soared above the arena floor. "Just as I expected," Alex noted. She then dramatically pointed towards the field with her left hand and cried, "Daraxis, I choose you!" "Squirtle!" Daraxis cried out, eager to regain some lost footing from his previous battle. "Pidgeotto, use Tackle attack!" Falkner cried as his bird went into a power dive. "Daraxis, Withdraw!" Alex cried out. Daraxis retreated into his shell mere seconds before Pidgeotto completed its swoop. The attack knocked Daraxis from his previous position, sending him rolling towards one corner of the arena. Daraxis soon emerged from its shell and stood upright, shaking himself a bit after the attack. "Well done, Daraxis," Alex said in support. "Now, use Water Gun!" Daraxis inhaled, then aimed and let loose with a massive burst of water. The blast hit Pidgeotto dead-on, sending the bird to the ground but not knocking it out. As his Pidgeotto righted itself and attempted to shake the water from its feathers, Falkner replied, "Not bad, but Pidgeotto's still more than enough to take that Squirtle down. Pidgeotto, Gust!" With those words, the bird flapped its wings, creating a massive cyclone of air and sending it towards Daraxis. Daraxis took the blow head-on, but still managed to regain his footing. "Better finish this quickly," Alex said. "Daraxis, Water Gun again!" Daraxis once more inhaled, then launched another watery attack. Pidgeotto attempted to run out of its path, but the massive blast still hit, sending it to the ground nearby and leaving it unconscious. "Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" Larry called from nearby, holding up his green flag. "Squirtle is the victor." Alex clenched her fist in victory, softly saying to herself, "Yes," before crying out a bit more loudly, "nice job, Daraxis!" "Squirtle!" Daraxis replied with a thumbs-up as Falkner recalled his Pokémon. "You put up a courageous fight, Pidgeotto," Falkner said to the Poké Ball in his hand. He concealed it within his robes, then called, "Not too bad, Alex. I didn't expect that Squirtle of yours to defeat Pidgeotto so quickly." "You don't need an Electric-type or an Ice-type to handle a Flying Pokémon," Alex replied. "Sometimes you just need to be creative." "Hoot hoot," the Hoothoot upon Falkner's shoulder cooed, seemingly in agreement. "Well, creativity only goes so far," Falkner replied as he pulled another Poké Ball from his robes. "Considering your Combusken, you're most likely familiar with this next Pokémon. I just received it from a colleague in Hoenn." He then threw the ball and cried, "I hope you enjoy it!" The Poké Ball opened, and from it emerged a Flying Pokémon which was, as Falkner said, unfamiliar to the region. It was small, and looked vaguely reminiscent of a dove with the beak of a parrot. Its feathers looked fluffy, like cotton or clouds, and a pair of feathers jutted from its head like water from a fountain. "Swaaa!" the small Pokémon cried. "Wow!" Robert exclaimed from the sidelines. "What kind of Pokémon is that?" "A Swablu," Alex answered. "Small, agile, and a fair bit stronger than the usual basic stage Pokémon. Tough as it is, it has a weakness. Daraxis, Water Gun!" "Swablu, Sing attack!" Falkner countered. As Daraxis again inhaled for a third attack, Swablu began to coo a soothing melody. "This isn't good," Alex noted as Daraxis became noticeably drowsy with the attack. Attempting to stifle a yawn, Surtur concurred, "(You...have a mastery of the obvious...)" Within a few short seconds, both of Alex's Pokémon fell to the ground, sound asleep. "Well done, Swablu," Falkner replied. "Now, show them the power of a Flying Pokémon! Aerial Ace!" With those words, Swablu flapped its cottony wings and soared into the air, performed a loop-de-loop, then swooped down towards the sleeping Daraxis. "Oh no," Alex said to herself. "Daraxis, wake up! DARAXIS!" Alex's near scream, aside from snapping Robert out of his own drowsiness, caused Daraxis to stir slightly. As he noticed the small parrot-like Pokémon diving towards him, Daraxis's eyes opened wide in alarm, and he Withdrew into his shell. Swablu's attack didn't miss, and Daraxis was knocked into a far corner of the arena. As Surtur began to stir once more, Daraxis emerged from his shell, got to his feet, and said somewhat shakily, "Squirt squirt squirtle Squirtle." Despite her relief at seeing Daraxis emerge safe and sound, Alex realized that the fight couldn't last much longer; the more it dragged on, the less likely that she'd be victorious. "This ends now," Alex said. "I was hoping to keep this a secret until the Silver Conference, but it looks like I'll have to use my trump card, otherwise lose. Daraxis, finish this! Surf attack!" Falkner looked at her in surprise, not expecting to hear those words from someone facing him. Thinking quickly, he ordered, "Swablu, another Aerial Ace!" As Swablu once more took to the air, Daraxis raised his arms and chanted, "Squirrrrrrrr..." charging up his attack. A massive wall of water materialized beneath him, partially engulfing him in its waves, as Swablu came in for a dive. With a cry of "Squirtle!", Daraxis finally struck, sending the massive burst of water towards the nimble Swablu. Despite its agility, however, the small bird couldn't hope to avoid the attack. Swablu was engulfed in the wave, and as the Surf attack subsided, Daraxis remained, weak but standing, with the small parrot unconscious nearby. "Swaaaa..." the small Swablu could barely coo. Holding up his green flag once more, Larry called out, "Swablu is defeated! Squirtle is..." Larry was interrupted as Daraxis's body began to take on the telltale glow of evolution. The small turtle grew larger, his fingers became far more noticeable, his tail more elegant, and two large fin-like ears grew out. As the glow faded, Daraxis noted in surprise at what just happened, "Wartortle!" "Check that," Larry corrected himself. "Wartortle is the winner! Alex wins the battle!" A smile forming on her face, Alex cried out, "Yes! One down, seven to go! Great job, Daraxis!" "Wartortle!" Daraxis replied, flashing a 'V' for victory. Shaking his head in slight dismay, Surtur noted, "(Allow a Pokémon to evolve, and it thinks it's a Legendary.)" "Let him have his fun," Alex replied as she rushed towards her newly-evolved Wartortle and happily scooped him up in her arms. "You did great out there, Daraxis. I'm proud." "Warrr..." Daraxis noted, brushing it off. Having already recalled his Swablu, Falkner joined Alex just as Surtur caught up with her. "A well-fought battle, Alex. It's not often that I see one of my Pokémon defeated by a Water-type." "That's one biological weakness of all birds," Alex explained. "Water condenses a bit on the feathers, causing them to become heavier. I figured it'd even the odds a bit against most of your Pokémon." With some thought, Falkner noted, "I'll have to remember that," before finishing, "still, a job well done." He reached into his robes once more, and brought forth a small, glittering Zephyr Badge. "You've earned the Zephyr Badge. Wear it with pride." "I will," Alex replied, holding Daraxis with one hand while taking the badge with her other. "And thank you." Daraxis hopped out of Alex's arms, and the two with Surtur walked off the battlefield. Robert quickly added, "Hey, congratulations Alex, you won!" "Yeah, thanks," Alex replied, taking the badge and pinning it within her jacket. "Sorry about the yelling." "It's okay, no harm done," Robert replied, brushing it aside. With a relieved smile, Alex then said, "Glad to hear it." With a quick glance back to the waiting Falkner, Alex then said, "Well Robert, you're up. Break a leg." (TBC) William Rendfeld Creator of Echowarrior, the Pokémon Resistance, and Alex Masters 178,000 Excellent Author Points 1 'I knew odd pokefacts that confused a bread crumb' point. 20 Y2Tech Points