Chapter 14: The Cheerfully Electrifying Man

The force with which the little Ralts could bring to bear was astounding. It took everything I had just to stay on my feet from the psychic onslaught. "It's all your fault!" the little pokemon screeched in my head. "All the shame and humiliation I've had to suffer at the hands of this ignorant trainer!" I tried to fight back, tried to claw together a cohesive thought and get an argument going. Bridget wasn't having any of that. "Do you have any idea how emasculating it is for me to be called by a females name? After already being locked in this form!? And for what? A stupid joke on your part!"

It was at that point that Leroy decided he needed to get involved. He let loose a powerful Mud Shot attack, catching Bridget off guard completely. In one hit the frail pokemon was knocked out and I was able to think again, though I did have a lingering headache. "Ow, damn! What the hell Brendan?" I groaned, rubbing my temples. "No need to sick your viscous little Ralts on me."

Now that I was able to get a good look at his face, Brendan actually looked extremely confused. "I have no idea where that came from, honestly" he admitted. "Somethings been up with her for a while."

I instantly realized what the problem was, as if it wasn't just screamed psychically into my head. "Oh for Gods sake Brendan, have you even looked at your PokeDex? That Ralts is male, always has been. No wonder he's so pissed."

Brendan stared at me for a full five seconds before what I had said finally hit him. His face turned beet red and he gave me a glare so full of fury it was almost comical. "You told me he was a girl!" he shouted, flailing his arms wildly in his anger. "You fucking asshole, no wonder he hasn't been listening to me! Do you know how many matches I've lost because he won't listen? I can't believe this! You piece of shit!" He took a step towards me, probably looking to sock me in the mouth. Leroy stepped in his path, arms crossed and giving Brendan a glare of his own. Brendan looked like he was almost mad enough to pick a fight with the Marshtomp, but apparently he decided against it. He recalled Bridget and stalked passed me out of the city. "I'm going to change his nickname. Next time I see you, you're gonna pay" he spat as he left.

I watched, making sure he wasn't going to attack me when my back was turned. Seeing that he was really gone, I let out a deep sigh, scratching the back of my head. "What kinda mess did I get us into this time?" I asked, looking over at Leroy.

"Doesn't matter, we'll beat them just like everyone else" Leroy said confidently, punching his palm.

"That's right" I chuckled, patting his head before setting him back on the bikes handlebars. "Let's get back to the center."

The next day I slept in for a bit before heading out for some more last minute training. Sasuke was now on par with the rest of the team from yesterdays battles and Leroy had already been up to snuff but the rest of them still needed a bit of work. I had Cooper and Banzai working together, much to their mutual dismay. Together they fought in quite a few double battles, strengthening their teamwork despite their constant snarking.

I let Bruce out to be trained. It was the middle of the day, and he hated it, but I knew just as much as he did that he needed to get used to battling in the daytime. We found another large swarm of Volbeat and Illumise, and I set him loose to take them down with Wing Attack and Bite. I couldn't tell for sure, but I thought that the stoic bat was actually having fun, a suspicion that proved true when he evolved for the second time in as many days.

"Holy shit, I've never seen a pokemon evolve so fast!" I cried as my new Crobat flew over. His four wings beat furiously to keep him in the air, but Bruce looked as proud of himself as he could be. "How did this even happen, I thought Golbats evolve from happiness. You're the sourest pokemon I've ever met."

Bruce flashed a hint of a smile. "Just because I haven't said so doesn't mean I'm not having fun" he explained.

"Uh huh" I scoffed. "Well hope you're happy in the pokeball smart-ass, cause I'm not letting you within ten feet of the electric gym"

Finally, Nala I trained on her own, battling to local trainers who specialized in Flying types. She eagerly zapped the poor bird pokemon with her electricity, using a lot of the same moves as Mufasa back in Hoen. Noticing the similarities, I taught her some tricks that Mufasa had learned while he was on my team, such as catching an opponent in her jaws before shocking it repeatedly. She caught on quick, and soon enough she was a force on equal footing with the black lion. Reminiscing about Mufasa reminded me of another of my old pokemon, and as I was healing the team at the PokeCenter in preparation for the gym, I made a quick phone call.

"Good afternoon Nick, long time no see" Professor Rowan said in his usual gruff voice. "Your latest catch has arrived, the Illumise. I trust you don't need to take her back so soon?"

I chuckled softly. No matter what, Rowan was always on my ass about being careful. "No Professor, hopefully I won't be withdrawing her anytime soon" I replied. "How is she? And the others from Hoen? Are they fitting in alright?"

Rowan nodded affirmative. "Your old team is doing an excellent job of helping out. As is the little Whismur."

"Lars? I hope he's not upset about me putting him on the bench" I wondered, still feeling a little guilty about it.

Rowan shook his head. "If he is, he hasn't shown it. Hes grown quite attached to Dawn, won't leave her side when she's in the Lab." We both laughed at the mental image before settling into small talk. It wasn't long before the Nurse called my name at the station.

"Oh, I completely forgot!" I exclaimed, turning back to the video screen. "Would it be possible for you to send an item of mine over?"

The old mans brow furrowed in thought as he scratched his chin. "I suppose it wouldn't be to hard" he pondered. "What item did you have in mind? Not any of the healing items I hope, you promised not to use them."

"It's nothing like that Professor" I explained.

In no time at all I was on my way to the gym, Banzai at my side. I kept checking on him to make sure he was still wearing his new item. "Be careful with those, you're only borrowing them from Cerberus" I explained.

The black dog pokemon peeked up at me over his Blackglasses. "I like the sound of this Cerberus guy. He's got great taste."

"You two would get along great I think" I replied, stopping in front of the gyms double doors. "Honestly, I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

Heading inside, I noticed three things right away. One, the gym was yellow. Everything from the floor, to the walls, even the ceiling. All different shades of yellow. Two was the large tesla coils stood up across the large room I was in, blue arcs of electricity sparking between the active ones, forming a maze of sorts. Three, there were a lot more trainers than I had initially thought there would be.

"Okay Banzai, looks like you're gonna need some help" I said, reaching for a pokeball.

"Aw, not that damn mouse again" Banzai groaned.

"Who are you calling a mouse?" Nala asked, the green jackal-like pokemon glaring up at Banzai. She eyed his new shades critically. "You look like an idiot" she added.

"What!? No I don't, these glasses are cool!" Banzai insisted

Nala scoffed. "Yeah, they are. It's a good thing they raise you up to just an idiot."

Banzai couldn't find a retort for that one, at least not before the nearest gym trainer noticed us. At that point we were flung into battle, and all thoughts of fashion were left behind us. It quickly dawned on me that the Mauville gym was a bit of an oddity in the pokemon world. In all of the gyms I'd been to previously, the trainers had pokemon that matched the type of the gym leaders. Here, however, I was thrown for a loop as Banzai and Nala fought through not only electric-types like Voltorb and Electrike, but pokemon like Meditite and Zigzagoon. One trainer even had a Gulpin, the spherical poison-type posing a major threat to Nala, spraying her with a cloud of purple gas.

"Nala! Get out of the cloud quick!" I called, concerned about the possibility of poison. I was worried for nothing, apparently, as she roared out of the toxic gas, electricity flying forward to shock the other trainers pokemon into unconsciousness. "Excellent!" I cheered. I heard a cough behind me and turned to see that Banzai had dispatched the trainers other pokemon, a Zigzagoon. He wasn't looking at me, making a show of ignoring me until I praised him too. I decided to play along. "Oh, sweet! Great job taking out the other pokemon Banzai!" I cheered. He smirked, glancing in my direction lazily. Suddenly, his head whipped around, eyes wide and jaw slack. His reaction was enough to make me spin around, ready for some kind of monster.

What I found was just about the last thing I had expected. Nala was prancing towards us, no longer the shrimpy green-furred Electrike. She had grown at least as tall as Banzai, her pale green fur now a light shade of blue. Sharp tufts of fur stuck out across her chest and on her paws. The yellow streaks she used to have had now grown out, standing up in large spines on either side of her hind legs. Her head was also covered in the yellow fur, standing up straight in a kind of cone, her ears barely poking out of the sides. The newly evolved Manectric grinned menacingly at Banzai. "What was that you called me earlier? 'Mouse'?" she asked.

For once, Banzai was at a loss for words. I decided to put him out of his misery, stepping forward and scratching Nala on the back of her head, fingers prickling from static electricity in her fur. "Cut it out you" I chided, grabbing her pokeball. "Come on. I know you want to show off, but you need to rest a bit after evolving so soon". I returned her and looked back at Banzai, who was still staring where Nala had been. "Hey, wake up!" I cried, snapping my fingers in front of his face.

That certainly knocked him out of his funk. "Whoa, what? What's going on?" he asked, looking around wildly.

"Get a hold of yourself lover boy, I don't need you zoning out now that we're about to fight the big man" I warned. We moved through the rest of the gym, switching off the large tesla coils as we went until we finally arrived at the arena in the back room. Across from me stood a squat elderly man wearing what looked like a camouflage jacket over yellow coveralls. Upon closer inspection, the shirt wasn't camouflage at all. It was covered in lightning bolts of various shades of yellow with brown clouds behind them. He grinned behind a shaggy white beard as he ran a hand over his receding hairline.

"Wahahahahaha! Why what do we have here?" he cried boisterously. "Someone's managed to get through my traps. Guess I'm going to have to upgrade them again soon, won't I? But that's something for later. Welcome challenger! I am Wattson, leader of the Mauville City Gym. Are you ready to battle?" He produced a pokeball from the pocket of his coveralls, still grinning broadly.

I looked over at Banzai, who nodded affirmative. "Hell yeah we are!" I called back. Wattsons mood was infectious, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The last time I was in an electric gym, I lost one of my best team members I reflected sourly. I can't afford to loose here!

Oblivious to my inner apprehensions, Wattson tossed the pokeball revealing his first pokemon, a Voltorb. The pokemon was about the size and shape of a bowling ball, and colored like the pokeball it was contained in. Sharp, triangular eyes glared at Banzai as small sparks flew from its metal body. "Go on and show them what we can do! Use Spark!" Wattson ordered.

"Banzai, counter with Bite!" I called, the large black dog already moving. However, neither of us took into account Voltorbs speed. It rolled across the arena floor, sparks flying off of it as it closed the gap between it and Banzai much faster than we intended. It landed a solid blow on Banzai, but for all its speed it couldn't get away before my Mightyena lashed out with his fangs. Both pokemon retreated a fair distance, now much more wary of the other.

"Waha! Good show!" Wattson applauded. "Now that we know how strong they are in close quarters, better to keep them far away. Voltorb, use Shock Wave!" Voltorb began to glow ominously, small bursts of electricity arcing off of it.

I knew about this attack, a favorite among electric-type trainers. I exchanged a glance with Banzai, and he sprinted towards the enemy pokemon without a word. As he closed in, the ball pokemon unleashed the stored electricity in a wide arc, hitting Banzai full force. The long range attack was much weaker than the previous physical one, however, and Banzai powered through it, scoring another hard hit on Voltorb with his jaws, fainting it.

"Nice work! You knew better than to try and avoid an unavoidable attack like Shock Wave" Wattson complimented. "But you're not the only one with a mean pup. Electrike!" He released his next pokemon, a mirror of what Nala had been just a little earlier. This Electrike growled at Banzai, clearly not intimidated by his superior size.

Before I could give an order, Banzai started laughing. I had forgotten that he was more like a hyena than a dog, and the high-pitched laugh was pretty unnerving. It even made the tough little Electrike flinch back. Catching his breath, Banzai grinned evilly at the green dog. "Oh, this is going to be fun!" he cried before rushing forward and scooping the enemy pokemon up in his jaws. The poor thing could only yelp in surprise before Banzai started shaking it roughly in his jaws. As a last-ditch effort, Electrike released a small spark. It was weak, not only because of the damage already done to him but the fear Banzai had instilled in him. Regardless, it got the job done, causing Banzai to release the mangled pokemon. Wattson quickly tended to his hurt companion while I took a hard look at Banzai.

Electricity was arcing over his fur, causing it to stand on end. I could tell he was paralyzed, his muscles seizing up and making him unable to move. Despite this, he strained to move forward, to continue his assault on Wattsons Electrike. I decided to end the fight there, recalling Banzai. Wattson had long done the same with his pokemon, and now an awkward silence had fallen on the arena.

I decided I should be the one to break it. "I'm sorry about that" I apologized. "I honestly don't know what got into him. Rest assured that he'll be punished for his behavior."

Wattson watched me for a while, the ever present smile now turned into a frown. For a while I was afraid that he was going to end the match, but eventually he nodded. "I believe you" he said, his smile returning, albeit not nearly as broad as before. "Shall we continue then?" He threw the next pokeball without waiting for my answer, revealing his Manectric. It roared at me, eager to prove itself as Wattsons strongest.

He's not holding back anymore I thought. Then again, whose fault is that? I decided to test exactly how strong Wattsons Manectric was, sending out Cooper. "Alright Cooper, let's start things off with a Headbutt!" I called.

"Quick Manectric, use Thunder Wave!" Wattson barked. The electric-type was faster, sending out a small pulse of electricity. It wasn't enough to cause damage, but that wasn't the point. Wattson wanted to slow Cooper down, keep him still so Manectric could take him out. Cooper was able to avoid most of the wave and connect with a solid Headbutt. Manectric howled in pain, shaking its head as Cooper backed away. I noticed that he hadn't completely avoided the Thunder Wave, as his movements were a little shaky.

"Keep the pressure on Cooper!" I encouraged, hoping to end this battle quickly. The previous headbutt had seemed to be more annoying than damaging to Manectric. The battle was joined again, electric dog and lithe ferret swiping at each other as they ran circles around the arena. Manectric was periodically unleashing blasts of electricity that Cooper couldn't avoid in such close quarters. It was after the third such shock wave that I noticed that Cooper was focusing his attacks on a specific area of Manectrics fur. What the hell is he... I thought before his latest swipe knocked something out of the loose fur.

"Gotcha!" Cooper crowed, scurrying towards the fallen item and ignoring his enemy entirely. This proved foolish when Manectric sent him flying with another Shock Wave. Cooper struggled to get up, the Thunder Wave and other attacks taking their toll. "Come on, it's not fair" he whined as Manectric strolled over to the item and picked it up in its mouth. Now that I could see it clearly I discovered it was a Sitrus Berry, which Manectric promptly ate. "Oh man!" Cooper complained, head hung low at the sight of his prize taken away.

I was about to start yelling at the reckless pokemon when booming laughter rang out across the arena. Wattson was clutching his portly stomach, practically rolling with glee at Cooper antics. "Wahahaha! Oh, that's great! All that for a little Sitrus Berry!" His grin was back to its normal level of cheerfulness, much to my relief. At least he isn't still mad about Banzai I thought before turning my attention back to Cooper.

"Come here Cooper!" I yelled, eyes narrowing at my wayward pokemon. "What have I told you about stealing? Now get back in the pokeball, you're to hurt to battle any more. I hope it was worth it" I added as he disappeared in a beam of light. I released Nala, the newly evolved Manectric causing Wattson to pause.

"Oho! You've got a Manectric too, huh?" he cried, spraying his with a Super Potion. "Well, this should be interesting then, eh? Let's show them how a real Manectric fights!" His pokemon howled in response, stalking towards Nala.

To her credit, Nala was having none of it. "Ooh, tough guy" she growled, matching the other pokemons pace as they began to circle one another. "Won't be talking so tough when I've knocked out your fangs". With that the battle began. I was surprised to discover how similar their fighting styles actually were. At once, they both unleashed Thunder Wave attacks in an attempt to slow the other down. Obviously this didn't work, as they both ended up paralyzed from the attacks. They then launched into a series of physical attacks, each knowing that electric abilities were all but useless here. They each moved almost in synch with one another. It made me wonder if it was because they were both Manectric. I did notice one key difference.

While Wattsons Manectric would occasionally falter due to its paralysis, Nala never once paused in her attack. At first it made me question if she was paralyzed at all, but a quick look at my PokeTech confirmed that she was. Then why isn't she being slowed down? I thought, watching as she took another opening given to her by her opponents condition. I finally got my answer as Wattsons Manectric was knocked to the ground, Nala standing over him in triumph. "You know why you lost?" she asked. I was proud to note that she wasn't using a mocking tone, but one a teacher uses for a disobedient student. "It's because you think your natural electricity was useless in this fight. I was able to cancel out the shocks the Thunder Wave left with ones of my own. It wasn't a matter of strength, but strategy. Learn, and grow stronger. Then we can fight again".

Wattson chuckled as he withdrew his fallen pokemon. "Don't think you're out of the woods yet, I've still got one last card to play" he said, sending out a Magneton.

I couldn't help but sprout a grin of my own to match his as I returned Nala. "Oh, I think it's safe to say that this match is over" I retorted, sending out Leroy. I could see the smile fade just a little from Wattsons face as he saw the Marshtomp. Even his Magneton hovered a little lower to the ground.

One Mud Shot later and Wattson was handing my the Dynamobadge, alongside a TM for the move Shock Wave. I placed the badge in the case, admiring it. It was circular with a smaller, raised circle inside of it. A prong stuck out on either end, making it look like a slash was going through it. As I closed the case and stuffed it back in my bag, I turned back to Wattson. "I apologize again for my Mightyenas behavior. I've never seen him get like that".

Wattson shrugged. "Electrike may be a little shaken, but he'll survive. Unlike what would have happened to any of your pokemon in the same situation." I sputtered, giving him a shocked look as he burst out laughing again. "You can't fool me Nuzlocker! I've been around the block a few times, I know who you are. I didn't mention it 'cause I didn't want to put any more pressure on you. Pokemon battles are supposed to be about testing your abilities, not worrying if you're going to survive or not." He patted me on the back roughly before heading out the back door. "You've gotta learn to relax kid! Laugh a little! Wahahahahaha!"