Part 12: We Will, We Will...
Alright team...
Let's
rock.
The trainers inside just had a bunch of Geodudes; formidable in their own way, but they were no match for Genji's sheer power or the funny little kick Nina picked up from somewhere. The rest of the team were providing support in their own way, all having been trained up to provide interference if needed. Before long, I was standing in front of Roxanne herself. A young woman in a purple dress, she welcomed me with a smile.
"Hello there, trainer! I'm eager to see how your training is progressing." She then tilted her head to the side slightly, regarding me with an inquisitive look. "You look a little familiar. You wouldn't happen to be related to Norman, would you?"
I nodded. "He's my Dad." I was surprised that Roxanne knew my father's name, but I suppose it made sense that Gym Leaders would keep in touch with each other, if only professionally.
She frowned a little at that, but her smile soon returned - if a little colder than it was before. "Time to see how well you're raising your Pokemon. Are you ready?"
"Ready!"
"Then let us begin!"
I chose to open the battle with Nina, figuring that if she got hurt, I could switch her for Genji and give her a chance to rest. Still, I wasn't expecting anything too dangerous.
My mistake. Not only was Roxanne's Geodude much tougher than her Trainer's, it had a powerful new move which involved throwing an entire pile of stones. It hurt and was difficult to maneuver in, but Nina refused to back down.
Argh! One more kick would have defeated it!
The Geodude curled into a ball to try and defend itself, but Nina was relentless. The Geodude fainted, and round 1 went to us! Nina was pretty badly banged up, so I let Genji out instead.
Another Geodude. Although it was a rock, I could swear I saw its face pale when it realized just what it was up against.
And that was that. This was going better than I expected, and I couldn't keep a grin off my face. Roxanne noticed, and tutted softly.
"You should know better than to assume you've won, young man. I still have one Pokemon left, and it's nothing like the previous two. Prepare yourself!"
What the hell is that? Whatever it is, I don't like looking at it. Bubble it to death, Genji!
Uh oh.
The creature opened its eyes for a brief moment, performing the Rock Tomb move as it did so! Was this thing psychic? It didn't even touch the rocks with its body! Thankfully, Genji mostly shrugged off the damage, but I was starting to think he wouldn't be able to defeat this Pokemon on his own.
The Pokemon opened its eyes once more, glowing red this time, and a shimmering barrier appeared between me and Genji! Roxanne chuckled sadly at my shock. "It's his Block attack. You won't be able to switch your Kingler out now until one or the other falls. Nosepass must be in one of his moods again..."
I gritted my teeth, but refused to surrender. "You can do it, Genji! Keep it up, and it'll go down soon!"
The battle between titans continued unabated. Whenever Genji managed to gain the upper hand, the Nosepass would simply eat a berry (why didn't I think to do that?!) or get some medicine from Roxanne. Rejuvenated by the potion, the Nosepass's eyes turned as cold and blue as the stone it was made out of!
The pile of stones hit Genji square in the face. Only his great physical toughness even kept him conscious, but he was obviously in great danger. Praying that the Block field wouldn't stop me from helping, I pulled out one of my precious Super Potions and sprayed the miracle medicine towards my Pokemon.
It worked! Now at full strength, the two were back at it once more. However, it finally looked like the Nosepass was running out of steam, as its attacks grew weaker and weaker while Genji continued to soak it with bubbles and smash it with his claws.
Eventually it was reduced to flailing weakly at the angry crab before being broken to pieces. We won! With the Block field gone, I ran forward with the rest of the team and gave Genji a big hug in celebration.
Roxanne recalled the shattered remnants of her Nosepass and looked as me. "So...I lost. It seems my impression of you was wrong after all." Her stony expression broke into the warmest smile I've yet seen on her face. "You're a much better trainer than your father was, and in more ways than one! I present to you this Stone Badge, and the special move Rock Tomb. Good luck in your journey!"
One down...
