(So, there's no proper excuse for my absence. In this time, though, my writing style has improved. It has probably also changed. I hope you still like it! In other notes, this is my first proper battle scene, and, from now on, at the end of chapters, there will be preview blurbs. Enjoy! Insert disclaimer here.)

Chapter Nine: Rockin' the Rock Gym

Jade realized that she must stand out, quite a bit. She was in fairly nice clothes, compared to most of the people around her at the moment. Her trainer's license was brand new, and she hadn't used it simply to get food. More than that, though, none of her Pokemon were in Pokeballs. She wasn't one to find that strange, really, as she had heard that the greatest trainer of all time never kept his Charmander and Pikachu in a Pokeball. Then again, the Togepi in her arms and the Growlithe following her weren't exactly normal. For one thing, she had discovered that China had no nose whatsoever- no, not like that! He just couldn't smell half as well as other Growlithes Jade had seen. Those other Growlithes were police dogs, though. They also weren't humans mysteriously transformed into Pokemon who happened to be from another world. For another thing...

"Jade, I'm scared! Jade, I've changed my mind! China, I've changed my mind! JADE! CHINA! I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!" shouted the Togepi, also known as the lovable Italy (these people had the most bizarre names...). He was, of course, panicking after making a decision to help Jade win gym badges. China sighed. He wished he knew Italy better, but he didn't, so he had no idea how to calm the Togepi down. He was also exasperated.

"Italy, we haven't even left the Pokemon Center yet, aru! By the way, did we just get that room for free, aru?" This promted an explaination of how Pokemon Centers actually worked from Jade, one that she had already given to Italy at an earlier time. However, China had just unintentionally given Italy something to distract himself with. Italy nervously folded the bag of marbles in his hands, pulled one out and turned it over, before he finally jumped when it burst. China and Jade looked over at him, startled as well.

"S-sorry. I'm just scared! I still don't know what I'm doing!" Jade paused, before just shaking her head and smiling. She pulled out her Pokedex and pointed it at China.

"You don't have to fight, Italy," she said. "China knows Bite and Reversal, so he ought to be fine on his own." At this, China got the worried look.

"Why would I bite a rock, aru? That sounds very painful!" Jade grinned slightly.

"Maybe, but Pokemon attacks work in strange ways, and I can assure you that Bite is, in fact, a dark-type move, and will do plenty of damage." As an afterthought, she added, "Reversal would even be super-effective, though it would really only be powerful if you were low on health." Italy looked up at Jade again here, and she found herself giving an impromptu lesson on type matchups as they left the Pokemon Center. At least Italy had stopped crying. That made Jade's life a little easier.

They all stopped in shock upon seeing the second section of the city, though. The old mining houses ended abruptly. Instead, buildings that looked like they belonged in a science-fiction novel slid across the earth. They were still painted with grey streaks, if only to match the general theme of the town, but it was clear that they weren't the gloomy buildings from before. It almost made Italy angry, seeing this, though wonder pulsed through him as well.

"This isn't fair..." He looked behind himself. "This isn't fair." China, strangely enough, was just looking guiltily down at his feet.

"Let's just keep going, aru."

"China?" Jade asked, turning to look down at him. "Are you okay?"

"I've just seen it all before, aru," he muttered. Italy's own eyes fell.

"Si." Jade looked between the two of them, silently asking what they were thinking about. They failed to elaborate, and she shook her head. Sometimes those two felt like the most contradictory Pokemon she'd ever met, or perhaps the most contradictory humans as well. They acted like children half the time, before acting like they were older than every war the next. Italy was once again playing with the marbles from her arms, and China was trying to figure out how to use the 'Reversal' move that Jade had mentioned. They were both cute and terrifying while doing that. After all, this just reminded her of why they were stronger than average.

Upon arriving at the Gym, Jade was once again hit with how different the all must look. No one else had their Pokemon out of their Pokeballs while waiting for Roxanne to be ready. Jade rather expected that no one else had to try to comfort their Pokemon before the match, either, as she pet Italy's head. He was shaking. She sighed. Perhaps Italy was more nervous about China now than he was for himself? She could think of no other reason he'd be so nervous. Sure enough, Italy wiggled out of her arms and went down to the Growlithe.

"Be okay, okay? It'd be scary if there wasn't another n- wasn't another one of us with me!" China smiled back slightly.

"Westerners. Always getting worked up about stupid things, aru." He made a show of huffing at Italy and rolling his eyes. Italy smiled a little in return.

"Ve~! Okay! You're really old and stuff, so I'm sure you know what you're doing!" he said, looking somewhat relieved.

"HEY! I'm not that old, aru!" said an indignant China in response. Jade laughed.

"Had this sort of argument often, have you?" she asked.

"Yep! We argue all the time at home~!" said Italy in response. "Well, not China and I so much as just everyone and each other, really! I'm not very close with China! I think he argues more with his brothers than with anyone else!" For some odd reason, Italy stopped smiling. "Germany normally breaks them up by yelling really loudly… Japan normally just stays quiet and agrees with someone else, though he'll freely argue with China… My brother normally yells at people too, but not as loudly…" He paused, pulled another marble out of the bag, threw it into the air, and watched it explode.

China looked pensive as well for a moment, before just sighing. "We'll find them all soon, aru, or at least get home." Jade looked at them, looked at Italy, and scooped the Togepi back into her arms.

"You'll both be fine, I'm sure," she said, though she wasn't really smiling. "We're working to get you back to your friends and family. Now, China, why don't you go back to practicing some? You don't want to go into battle in a mood like that."

All three of them were silent for several minutes, excluding the occasional noise from China as she practiced and the tick-tick-tick of Italy's marbles clacking in their bag. He hadn't opened it again, but he was moving it. Jade realized that the other challengers had left the waiting room at that point, and that they were alone. She supposed that was well enough. It meant it would be their turn to fight soon. They could go ahead and beat Minerva's one-level team, get one badge, and get off on his journey.

"Um… Jade Kibo?" a woman with an odd, miner-themed outfit called out. "Minerva is ready to see you." Jade nodded. It was time.

The gym, Jade noiced, was made from solid stone, and there was no water system in sight. The gym, she noticed, was covered in the stalactites and stalagmites of a cave. The gym leader, she noticed, was much less intimidating than the gym she stood in. Minerva was a woman with dyed grey hair and a short stature, wearing a painfully skin-tight miner's outfit that resembled nothing a real miner would wear. She had a cheery, naive look about her that begged to be taken advantage of. Her eyes, though, were thin and narrow, and it was in this that her relation to the famous leader Brock could be seen. She was a younger sister, right?

"Hiya! My name's Minerva, and you should be prepared to be rocked!" Jade took a moment to bask in the worst rock pun she had heard in a while. China did not.

"What? How is that something a respected gym leader would say, aru? That's ridiculous!" Jade grinned at this.

"It's a bit of a tradition in Kanto," she answered. She then looked back up at the girl. "I, Jade Kibo, formally challenge you to a gym match!"

Minerva's grin suddenly became a bit less innocent, and Italy shivered. "Very well. I, Minerva Takeshi, accept your challenge. I select the Geodude known as Quartz as my first. Who do you select?"

Jade answered, "I choose the Growlithe known as China as my first." They both bowed, took the proper location on the field, and prepared. Then, with a loud roar that changed the tone of the battle bank away from a formal duel-

"GO! QUARTZ!"

"CHINA, I CHOOSE YOU!"

"I feel like I've heard that before, aru..." muttered China, looking accusingly back at Jade. She shrugged apologetically.

"It just seemed appropriate," said Jade. She might have said more, but at that moment Minerva interrupted.

"As challenger," she proclaimed, "it is your right to take the first attack." Jade swallowed. This could be as important a moment in battle as any. Waiving the right to take the first attack is said to be how a trainer with a baby Ratatta vanquished Lance's Dragonite, after all. However, maintaing it was how many more battles were won, for a powerful first move could cripple for an entire battle, or even end it before it started. Jade didn't have a Focus Sash or anything around China's neck, and, since Growlithe was faster, moving first had to be the way to go.

In Pokespeak, Jade uttered, "China, use Bite." China nodded once before springing forward in front of a somewhat surprised Minerva, straight towards her Geodude. Despite the surprise on Minerva's face, she still remained oddly cheerful. She had to have a wonderful poker face.

"Quartz, Defence Curl ahead of whatever they're going for," she said, taking advantage of the huge distance between her Pokemon and China that had existed at the start of the battle to get a command in before the graceful Growlithe openned sharp fangs coated in darkness and leaped to the levitating rock and bit.

"Yay China!" shouted Italy from Jade's arms

China cleanly landed on his front feet, grinning. "I feel like a young man again, aru!" he said. "I've not done something like that in at least a few centur- decades, aru! It didn't even hurt!" Jade frowned, but ignored the skip. Her companions were weird. She'd leave it down to that.

"China! Do it again!" He nodded before deftly leaping back into the air to bite this defensive rock. Minerva smiled wider.

"Let him, then number 78." Jade frowned. Move numbers? Only TMs had readily available move numbers, and they changed with each new edition of the official TM Yearly Collection. She'd never bothered to memorize them. What was seventy-eight?

China's teeth once again mysteriously slipped into the Geodude's hide (a true marvel of end nature of move typing), but as soon as they disconnected, the Geodude slammed its weight across China, earh and rock raised around him. China fell back in pain. Jade's eyes widened as she looked at her Pokedex. That had done almost 45 percent damage in a single hit, and China was no slouch!

"Aiyah... I feel like I was hit by a truck, aru," said the disoriented puppy Pokemon. Jade's eyes widened.

"Or a Bulldozer... That's a ground TM! How does this gym even have that? They're supposed to have Rock Tomb!" China have Jade a confused look, clearly about to ask why, exactly, Bulldozer was such a bad thing in this situation. Because of this, they both nearly missed the next wicked grin of Minerva. The Geodude reared back again, and Jade paled. "You're still faster, I think! Focus on dodging, only try to land hits if it's not moving!" China nodded.

Two Pokemon began an utterly intricate dance. The Geodude moved slowly, pushing against China's steady leaps back and forth, rolls, and dashes. Italy was watching, slightly panicked, and Jade tried to ignore the headache this was giving her as she continued to watch for an opening for China to take. To Jade's surprise, fire began dancing beneath China's feet as the Pokemon flipped from dodge to dodge. She didn't think on this much; she just assumed it was like Italy's rampant Extrasensory.

There. That was the moment. The Geodude was clearly tiring. It wouldn't be able to attack fast enough like that... "China! Now! Use Bite, one last time!" China leapt into the air. Minerva realized what was happening.

"Quartz! Dodge it!" Unfortunately for the Geodude and fortunately for China, Geodudes are not meant to move quickly. China's teeth hit the Geodude one last time, and Jade watched in awe as they lit up from inside of the Geodude, glowing with flame. China unattached himself and dropped to the ground. The Geodude tried to remain aloft, but it, too, fell from the sky, several times less gracefully than China. Minerva recalled it.

"Point, Challenger!" blared the scoreboard. China preened. Jade smiled.

"Good job, China!" she said. Italy smiled as well.

"Ve~! That was so cool, China!" he cried out.

"Now," Jade continued, "are you ready to continue? Are you going to be okay? Here, let me use this Potion really quickly..." Jade was glad that match rules allowed the trainers to continue to act, even if the opponent was not. It had given her the opening she needed to spray a Potion on China and recuperate some of the damage the Geodude had caused. China smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, aru-"

"Go! Worldshaker!" Minerva interrupted the inter-turn period to continue the battle. Italy yelped.

"Waaaah! Save me!" he shouted on instinct, wiggling deeper into Jade's chest. Jade herself was rather intimidated. Worldshaker was an absolutely massive Onix, spiraling up into the ceiling of the gym.

"I- I'm fighting that?" murmured China. He was absolutely dwarfed by the massive rock snake (though not as massively as Italy was).

Jade could only nod. Minerva's cheerful smile looked utterly sinister as she gave the opponent a moment to be shell-shocked. "It's possible. People have gotten badges here before. You can do it, China... Start with Bite?" China nodded weakly. He then started running as fast as he could, fire leaping up behind him.

Minerva only grinned, and Worldshaker only stood, stoic.

China didn't have to run as far this time, due to the Onix's massive size. He bit the Onix's tail, the only part easy enough for him to rest. Suddenly, the Onix flicked its tail back, earth powers coating it. China was flung back into a wall, where he struggled to stand up.

"China! China! Are you okay?" cried out Italy as Worldshaker let out an unsettling laugh.

"Barely..." said the Growlithe. "Forget a truck, aru, that was a Boeing..."

"Can you keep going?" asked Jade, nervously wringing her hands. If you can- look out!" China only barely leaped out of the way. Minerva had decided to end their conversation by choosing that moment to have Worldshaker start throwing rocks. Jade suspected that this one was Rock Tomb, though she couldn't be certain. She watched as China winced with every paw that hit the ground. He wouldn't last through another super-effective hit. Though...

"China. You had a super-effective move, remember? One that's stronger the weaker you are? Use it!" China stood up, and for what Jade knew would be the last time, hurled himself into the air. She just hoped it was enough. The Onix threw one last rock, but it barely missed China. China made contact. Cracks ran up the opponent as a powerful fighting-typed Reversal landed.

Worldshaker did not faint.

Jade cried out to Chiba desperately to move, but it was plain that it was in vain. China could barely stand up. Worldshaker hit China with its tail once more, and the Growlithe flew to Jade's corner of the arena, falling to the ground and unable to stand up. Jade let Italy down from her arms and they both ran over.

"Point, Minerva!" the scoreboards blared.

"China!" Italy somehow reached him first. "That was so scary you're alive, right, you're okay?" China weakly stared up.

"I'm... Aiyah, I won't be doing anything like that in a long time..." Jade reached him and picked him off of the ground.

"We'll get you to a Pokemon center soon," she promised.

"Challenger, do you have another Pokemon ready to battle?" Minerva suddenly asked. The team froze.

"Challenger, do you have another Pokemon ready to battle?" Jade sadly stood up. She was about to forfeit when Italy tentatively raised his hand.

"I- I trained! Si, she does!" Jade looked at Italy in shock.

"Are you sure?"

"No!" he sobbed, even as he stood out onto the battlefield. Worldshaker must have been more intimidating than ever to the tiny Pokemon, in that moment he would have to fight him. Jade swallowed heavily, a lump in her throat forming for Italy's sake.

"China did a lot of damage," she managed to stutter out, "so just go for it with Extrasensory, okay?"

"O- okay," he said in return.

Minerva looked down at Worldshaker. "Worldshaker," she said calmly, "crush it with Rock Tomb."

Rocks fell from the sky as the tiny Togapi scrunched its brow together, trying not to panic. Suddenly, the rocks glowed, shivered, and burst into shards. Worldshaker roared, and then collapsed. Minerva looked on in shock. Two voices ran out in shock.

"W- what?" Both Minerva and Italy looked on in shock.

"Point, victory, challenger!" The automated scoreboard, however, was not in shock, and loudly declared the true winner of the match. The weak China, now stronger due to a few medicines Jade had given him, and the trainer Jade, grinned.

"You did it, Italy! You won!" Jade shouted, and she ran out onto the field to congratulate him.

"I- I won?" he whispered.

"Congratulations, challenger Jade Kibo. I hearby present you with the Boulder Badge and the TM Bulldozer." Jade nodded, smiling.

"And I accept them, leader Minerva Takeshi." Jade took the prizes.

"I won?" repeated Italy. "I won!" Suddenly, the stadium was lit with a radiant smile. "I won! I won a major battle! I didn't need to be rescued- I rescued someone else! I won! I won! I'm not useless!" He laughed. "I can do this, ve~! I'm good at something!" And then, a truly bright white light surrounded him.

"What? Jade! Jade! What's happening?" Jade watched on in happiness as the Togepi changed forms. Suddenly, the light faded, and instead of a small egg Pokemon, a white, winged Pokemon with a radiant happiness stood in its place. It had a curl of hair on the right side of its head.

"Italy?" asked China.

"What happened to me? I'm taller!" Jade suddenly laughed.

"Italy! You evolved!" Remembering that neither he nor China knew what that meant, Jade added, "Sometimes, when certain conditions are met, a Pokemon will evolve. That means that they change forms into an entirely new Pokemon, one that's stronger than before! Italy, you must have gotten happy enough to evolve! You're a Togetic now. You can fly now! You're stronger now! China, you can evolve too, but I'll have to buy a special rock to help you do it." She smiled. "It's a good thing! It's a really good thing!" Italy tried to look curiously at his back. He could fly?

"Congratulations, Jade," said a somewhat miffed Minerva, "but can you get out of my gym?" Jade sighed.

"Fine. Let's go, guys." As they left the gym, Italy's voice suddenly cried out:

"I'm flying! Wow! I'm flying~!"

Jade's laugher and Italy's happy cures followed them all the way to the Pokemon Center, where they'd heal China.

(Next time on Poketalia: An Adventure in Kanto...

It's collectively unconsciously confusing! Our heroes and the party of Canada, Nais, and Due, make contact for the first time. However, there's something messed up about this situation, and something's starting to fall apart! What will happen to our heroes? Stay tuned!)