Battle Against Gym Leader, Brock(2)

Cinder didn't waste any time. "This is it, Hercule! Icy Terrain!"

Forrest started at the loud volume of the challenger's voice, carrying an aura of passion and power in it that he had never heard before from any opponent that he had been refereeing on, except for his brother - Brock, of course.

Hercule immediately followed the command, he let out a high-pitched tone as the tadpole released Ice Beams all over the rocky battlefield. In no time, most of the rocks that were all over, either protruding or laying around, turned into ice.

"What... Is this?" Brock asked a question that wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, both irritated and interested in the ice that encompasses his battlefield. The gym leader was evidently surprised by this, and he didn't regain his composure before it was too late...

"Hercule, stay in place! Use Water Gun, be careful not to slide back!"

"Ughh!!"

A jet of water slammed into his rock-type opponent in full force, making it tumbling and sliding through the ice, letting out occasionally groans as his body sailed through a few protruding rocks, destroying them as Geodude was pushed back by the impact of the jet of water further and further, it only stopped when Hercule ceased his attack.

Seeing the situation his pokemon was in, Brock perked up and commanded unperturbed, as if Cinder got lucky with the attack. "Geodude, use Mega Punch to destroy the ice below you, then use Dig!"

Geodude punched the ground with a glowing-rocky fist, after that it swiftly dug underground using its hands.

Brock didn't follow up a command, as he remained stoic as he stood in his place with arms crossed.

Cinder clenched his fists in nervousness, he could feel Brock's scowl piercing into him from across the battlefield. It almost caused him to wince in pain, as though he had just been stung, but that was likely subconscious, he ignored Brock altogether as he reminded. "Hercule remain your alert on the ground! Your opponent may be going to attack you below!"

"A water-type, how typical, do you know how many trainers I battle using that typing just because they thought it would help? heh, let me tell you, almost all of the lot. Additionally you prepared a technique so the battlefield would be in your favor, huh, that's surprising, that's not enough though, you have to show more than that, rookie. Still... Not bad, but don't fool yourself into thinking that you're the only one here who is capable of doing a modification on techniques."

"Now, Geodude!"

Hearing Brock, Cinder knew something was quite not right, so he quickly reacted. "Hercule skid through the ice, whenever Geodude pops up use Bubble Bleam!"

Hercule nodded, but was too late, since as soon as he lifted his tail to push himself, cracks formed at the frosted ground in front of him.

Cinder was perceptive enough on that spot that he immediately noticed it. "Hercule use Water Gun on the glacier in front! Get away from there!"

Releasing another jet of water, the tadpole pushed his body away from Geodude who appeared half a meter in front of his original spot, Geodude was quick to action as it fired off an already prepared stone shards in short bursts. To Cinder's shock, they were aimed with great precision, and Hercule's surprised cries filled the room as he was constantly forced to jerk left and right on ice, occasionally up and down with the assistance of his fin-like tail, to avoid the onslaught of his opponent.

The days of practice with Icy Terrain paid off, as it allowed Hercule to dodge almost all of them except one, which hit him hard on the back.

Cinder was in a bit of a problem, Geodude can use dig, if their opponent wasn't on the surface, then how would they win this battle with the confrontation they were going at? The only way is, an attack that would be long lasting even when Geodude was going to dig underground.

Thankfully, they had just the technique to do so.

"Scald! Burn that ugly piece of boulder, Hercule!"

Brock scowled at the insult, but nevertheless, commanded. "Dodge it!"

Unfortunately for the Gym Leader, Geodude wasn't well known for their speed. They have Roll Out, but because of the icy terrain, they couldn't use the move because of the risk of slipping, which would happen 100%.

Geodude evaded the first Scald as it leaped to the left, unfortunately, it slipped because of its weight and the uneven slippery ground.

"Continue on using Scald, Hercule!"

Geodude couldn't get up in time, as Hercule releases a stream of scalding hot water surrounded by steam from its mouth at the rock-type.

"Get away with Mega Punch and Dig!" Brock growled.

"Don't let it get away, Hercule! Keep on using Scald!"

All the scalding water that came out of Hercule's mouth connected with his target. Because it was a water-type move, it was immensely effective against Geodude's disposition, not only that, the move has a chance to inflict burn to the opponent, which was why Cinder had Hercule use Scald, so that whenever Geodude would dove underground once again, Burn status would slowly damage the rock-type from below.

And it seemed like the Gym Leader got aware of this, much quicker than Cinder hoped for.

"Geodude intercept Scald with Rock Blast!"

Geodude's mouth opened as shards of stone came shooting outward and around Hercule. The rocks formed a screen-like defense in front of the rock-type that Scald couldn't get through to hit the target, the young Poliwag swiftly skid through the ice to find a much better position to once again continue on the same tactic, but Brock finally acted fast enough to shout out a command.

"Dig!"

Geodude was once again underground. It was once again, the waiting game. Hercule learned from his lesson and has taken the initiative to skid about on the ice with his tail as a Ski Pole. Looking around at the battlefield in caution of where his opponent would appear.

"Mega Punch!"

Cinder acted fast enough to shout out a command for a solution.

"Propel yourself with Water Gun!"

Hercule had begun rising to his feet as he released a jet of water below him to send himself towards the air, and the second he did, the ground below cracked and had narrowly avoided a fist glowing with white brilliance.

If that Geodude was reflexive enough to catch Hercule's tail despite the small tadpole's speed, then he would have to knock it off balance first.

"While in the air use Bubble Beam!"

"Oho, not so fast Lark! Geodude use your Rock Blast on the ground! Then use Roll Out, pin that tadpole down!"

Cinder started in shock, with a mixture of helplessness, as the rock-type throw rocks he materialized on the icy ground and its arms suddenly retracted into its body,

Geodude charged through the spot where Hercule had once stood, but to Cinder's surprise, the rolling Pokemon made a sharp turn and launched itself into the air, seemingly using a nearby rock as a makeshift ramp.

Gurgling out in shock, Hercule propelled himself up downwards, taking the initiative to save himself by using a water gun on the ceiling, and Cinder felt a deep sigh of relief escape from his breath, which he hadn't even realized that he was holding, as his tadpole companion just barely avoided the blow.

Despite thinking that he had come prepared, actually being in a Gym battle was very different from imagining it.

Hercule, now on the icy terrain, circled around the battlefield as Geodude attempted to follow his movements. Cinder took a deep breath. This was it. No time to freeze up at the last second. That's when he heard Brock say:

"Don't give it breathing room! Rock Blast!"

Still in mid air, Geodude extracted his hand from the rolling position and its mouth opened as shards of stone came shooting downwards and towards Hercule. Barely having any time to react, the young Poliwag cried out as he instinctively rolled to the side, still not on his feet yet. Geodude angled itself slightly and took aim at him again, because of the position the tadpole was in, he didn't have enough time to dodge it this time as the shards of glowing rocks impacted his body hard.

Geodude ceased firing as it had to land on the ground, before Brock called out to it once again with a follow up, not giving Cinder the luxury to turn the tides around if given the chance.

"Keep going!" The rock pokemon complied, and kept on shooting at the smokes where Cinder's Hercule was.

"Finish it Geodude! Create a path using Rock Blast, then Mega Punch, speed yourself up with Roll Out!"

Geodude glowered ceasing his aim at the opponent, as it stretched it's rocky arms to blast the icy grounds in front of it with shards of rock, having enough he once again retracted his arms and rolled towards the path that would lead to his opponent, all the while his fist were glowing with an energy channeled by Mega Punch.

"Try to dodge it, Hercule!"

Despite being winded from the impact of the previous blow, and the pain in his body, and the overwhelming g-force of the bombardment of Rock Blast, Hercule still took Cinder's orders. Scrunching up his face and squeezing his eyes shut in pain, he moves his flip-flop-like legs and tail to continue skidding through the ice, in an attempt to dodge the incoming ball of pokemon heading his way. Unfortunately...

BAM!

Geodude's glowing fist smashed into his spiralling belly, and he was sent flying backwards at breakneck speeds, possibly as fast as Storm when he was in the middle of using Agility.

And had it not been for the protective barriers, he would have slammed right into Cinder.

The upside down Poliwag slid down the barriers and onto the ground, Cinder looking on hopelessly as his gaze followed his tadpole companion.

His body was motionless, his eyes closed, and his chest bloodied. He showed no signs of getting up, or even trying to, as he hit the ground with a thud.

Raising a hand, Forrest called out at the top of his lungs.

"Poliwag is unable to battle! Geodude wins!"

It took a few moments for Cinder to process it. Gazing in defeat at his tadpole companion's unconscious body.

Was there anything more that he could have done?

Slowly, he reached for his belt. Slowly, he pulled out Hercule's pokeball, and returned him in a red beam of light.

As the pokeball let out a high pitched beep to signal that Hercule had been returned, Cinder held it up to his face, staring into the red and white orb with a blank expression on his face.

The look in his eyes was one of defeat. One of failure. Unfulfilled.

"You were… wonderful out there, Hercule. I'm sorry I let you down."

It was true. He had let him down. Not the other way around.

Hercule had… given everything hee could, truly. Tenaciously until the very end, like how they first encountered each other in Viridian Forest all those days ago.

And Cinder had failed him.

*A water-type being defeated by a rock-type? I know that's what most of you would complain about, but still, this isn't a game guys, it's a more realistic setting where tactic and wits mattered in any second and every second as the battle continues, besides, our MC just started out, no matter how he studied or how he scored on the battle stimulation, inexperience is still a factor, not to mention this isn't a reincarnated MC 'wink'. So please, stop it. Get some help.*