Battle Against Gym Leader, Brock(3)

He slowly looked up as he heard Brock's voice calling out to him harshly.

"You kept using the same strategy to try and hurt Geodude." The Gym Leader's voice echoed judgmentally across the battlefield, filling Cinder's ears seemingly from all directions, as though the space and distortion themselves were now judging him for his failure. "You should have known better than to not realize that I wouldn't find a way to counter it eventually. It doesn't matter if something works the first time, or even the second. If you fall yourself into repetition, your predictability will make you into an open book that anybody could read. You're never going to win an official battle like that. You're overlooking every devastating hole in your battle style, like the rookie you are. You could have a much better showing if you bought your Poliwag a Double Team TM, it has no way of defense at all, the change of battlefield was commendable, however, that's just that, a worthless attempt."

Cinder snarled as he clenched his eyes shut. The images of an unconscious Hercule with a bashed in chest flashed on his mind.

This lose that could have been avoided had it not been for his failure as a trainer, and his alone.

He wanted to become a trainer that they would truly want to be commanded by. Somebody that they could be happy to be with. Somebody that could lead them throughout their journey through Indigo, and to new heights. A trainer that was irreplaceable to them. Just like how he was beyond satisfied with the team that he currently commanded. A team that he wouldn't trade for the world. A team that he happily called his own. His teammates were the most valuable companions that he could ask for, and he truly felt the benefit of having them by his side.

He wanted to be the same thing to them. For them to truly feel like training under him had been good for them. That he was more than just their companion. That he wasn't just a trainer. That they, together, could take on the world and win.

He thought he'd been ready to prove that to them today… was he?

Brock's voice filled his ears yet again as he was consumed by his thoughts.

"Are you going to send out your next pokemon? If you have no resolve left in you, then surrender. Or are you going to start making excuses to make yourself feel better?"

Cinder gradually raised his gaze back up to the battlefield as he desperately tried to find something, anything, that could act as a comeback line against Brock. But he kept finding himself coming up short. Just like with Blue and Red. Against them, he was always coming up short, always.

Had he really not changed? Three days worth of training his team solely for preparation for this fight… was all of that really not enough?

Professor Oak, the grandfather of somebody who he detested. Korrina, a girl he had just met one night. Marcia, a woman who had cheered for him when he informed him of his plans. Were all of their words of encouragement really for naught?

His teachers… his mother… his father… was he really only capable of letting them all down?

This feeling of hopelessness had turned to him. Maybe he really wasn't ready for this. Maybe Blue had him pegged. Maybe that obnoxious boy really was as talented as they dubbed him as, along with Red. And maybe Brock was too-

(*Inferiority complex much?*)

And then he caught sight of Brock's Geodude.

To the pokemon's credit, its resilience really was off the charts. Most pokemon probably would have been kneeling over by now, maybe even unconscious. But this Geodude… was still upright. It bore it's injuries and powered through the pain by every minute. A true warrior worthy of fighting in a Pokemon Gym.

But it was the sight of those injuries that truly caught Cinder's attention.

That snapped him out of his insufferable state of self loathing and detestment.

That brought him back down to earth and reminded him of what was going on.

That gave him the strength to remember the big picture. And what they were here for.

Those injuries…

Hercule had done this. Hercule had continued to fight until the bitter end. Just as he had vowed to do so. Just as Storm had vowed to do so.

If he gave up now… and wasted all of the effort that he had put in… he really didn't deserve being their trainer.

After everything that Hercule had accomplished against that Geodude. After coming so close to victory. After utilizing everything that he had learned from his training… there was no way he could disrespect him like that.

There was no way that he could disrespect Storm like that, either.

He had failed him. Which is why he was going to have to somehow make it up to his tadpole pokemon. Starting with winning this battle, and continuing to push forward, and capitalize on what he had done.

Viciously, he reclipped Storm's pokeball back to his belt, and immediately took out his next one.

"Cut it out, Brock." His voice was surprisingly aggressive. Not even all those who knew him saw this side of him.

The sudden aggression was enough for Brock to perk up a bit, his brow raised in surprise as Cinder glowered at him from across the battlefield, his expression suddenly matching Brock's own.

"I'm not letting you push me around anymore! You've been trying to get under my skin this entire time, and I'll admit you succeeded for a moment, but this means too much to me, and to them, for me to let you walk all over me. There are many people out there who believe in me… A couple I barely even know… and I'm not wasting their faith. And I'm certainly not wasting my team's efforts!" He held the pokeball out in front of the battlefield defiantly. "So suck it up, because we're not losing!"

He was going to become a Trainer worthy of everyone who has put his faith and trust on him.

Most importantly of all, he was going to become a trainer worthy of Storm, Fafnir, Hercule, and even that Starly he haven't met yet, weird.

...And if he didn't mean that before, then he definitely meant that now. A trainer that... Reaches heights which never have been reached before along his pokemon, that is his true goal!

Storm appeared in front of him in a triumphant flash of light white.

When Storm appeared in front of him, his starter letting out a battle cry and immediately sinking down onto all fours upon realizing where they were.

Time for a comeback.

"Storm," Cinder spoke in a steady tone of voice. "Hercule was just defeated. He gave it his all. Let's win this next one for him, okay?" He smiled at the Mareep's' immediate nod.

To his surprise, Brock's lips tugged upwards. "Your attitude puts on a good show, but I'm more of a fan of actions than speeches." A red beam of light shot out from his pokeball and sucked in Geodude. Clipping Geodude's pokeball back to his belt, he immediately unclipped another, and held it out for Cinder and Storm to see. "We'll see how long your new demeanor lasts."

Before Cinder could think of a response, Brock's pokeball opened.

And out came…

The white light materialized into a new creature, and Cinder and Storm suddenly gaped in shock as the forming pokemon continued to rise, higher and higher.

And then the light dissipated, and an immense shadow was suddenly casted over a great portion of the battlefield, when it appeared, the icy terrain below cracked, and eventually, the area the Onix slithered got crushed like a snowflake because of the rock serpent's heavy weight.

In the stands, a couple of the spectators were snapping pictures of the giant creature that had been spawned from Brock's pokeball.

There, right on the battlefield, towering over Cinder and Storm, easily over two dozen feet high, the final hurdle between them and their first ever gym Badge, letting out an earth shattering roar that shook the building…

Was a giant serpent of stone.

Onix were not commonly used for a variety of reasons. Such creatures were incredibly difficult to train and raise because of their sheer size alone, and although there were areas in Kanto and Johto where they could be easily found, these places were all incredibly hard to reach. These pokemon were most often found in the deepest depths of the most mountainous areas, although they were not native to every Region.

They were among the most rare pokemon to be used on the battlefield as a direct result of their incredibly high difficulty to raise and extreme habitats, but were nevertheless some of the most iconic pokemon out there. Some of the most popular and iconic nature documentaries were focused with great dedication on the exploration of their habitats, and any Onix that was used in an official battle was given almost immediate attention.

Storm was back on his hind legs now, backing away slowly until his back pressed against the barrier, his face pale from the emergence of the frightening foe and the behemoth serpent's thundering roar.

"Storm…" Cinder just barely managed to squeak out. Shaking his head vigorously, he did what he could to snap out of it as he looked down at his starter. "Remember… this is our moment."

Looking up at his trainer's eyes, Storm locked eyes with Cinder, the two holding each other's gaze for a moment before the young sheep's eyes matched Cinder's increasingly determined gaze.

If Brock wanted to throw an Onix at them, then so be it. They were still not leaving this Gym without that badge.

"Listen Storm…" Cinder's breath caught in his throat as he attempted to inhale and calm his nerves. Struggling, he exhaled deeply, feeling an unrivaled surge of emotions wash over him as he continued to gaze down at his starter. It was time. "That Onix is part Ground Type. Your electricity won't do anything. Try to get on top of it and strike with Iron Tail every chance you get." He turned his gaze upwards, doing his best to look tough in front of the towering serpent glowering down on them. "One direct hit from that goliath and you'll probably fall for sure… luckily, we have Reflect for that, but still, avoid its every attack. Keep Agility going as much as you possibly can, never stop maintaining momentum. And don't forget about Double Team." He looked back down at his starter, and the two locked eyes again. "This is it. This is our team's victory and no one else's."

The sheep's wool were blazing again, lightning crackling along Storm's entire body. Letting out yet another battle cry, he returned down to all fours, and stalked forward.

Brock's arms were crossed as he eyed Cinder stoically. Cinder met his gaze, and didn't back away from an intense stare down.

Onix eyed Storm with malice, as if the sheep was nothing more than prey to it. Storm raised his head to meet the gaze of his adversary, the two pokemon locking eyes as they glowered into each other's gazes with a fierceness that radiated throughout the room.

Their first ever Gym battle. Their first ever Gym badge. All decided by one final bout, that Geodude almost doesn't matter now, but Cinder mentally noted that there were still two pokemon on his opponent's disposal, while he only have Storm.

Two trainers and three pokemon. Nothing more, nothing less.

There was no hesitation. The moment Forrest gave the signal, both parties blazed into action.

The battle was on.

And there was no warm up.

Storm launched himself forward, bounding across the battlefield as Agility did its thing.

It was almost as though the young sheep was twice as fast as he once was.

Seemingly endless training navigating rocky terrain, maintaining Agility, and bolstering his speed.

This was where all of that had finally reached its climax.

The sheep was a yellow blur.

The Onix roared.

Both trainers watched.

The electric sheep zipped through the battlefield as though he were a bolt of lightning himself, and suddenly, Onix moved.

The behemoth let out another roar.

And made an abrupt diving motion as it charged head first towards Cinder's starter.

Before Cinder could react, Storm had moved too, Onix sailing past him and head first into the ground.

The shockwaves.

The battlefield trembled more than Geodude could ever make it, but Storm's dexterity and training in maintaining his balance allowed him to keep his bearings just long enough to plant himself firmly into the ground with Iron Tail.

It was a natural reflex at this point. Whenever Storm was in danger of falling, his Iron Tail would be there to save him.

Onix's massive body continued to sink into the ground, the massive beast burrowing underneath the battlefield. As it's body continued to descend, Storm returned to his dashing as the tremors began to subside just barely enough for him to no longer be obstructed.

The battlefield started shaking even more as Onix completed its descent, its entire body now underground as the last of its massive tail disappeared underneath. Storm maintained his glare.

And then Onix burst out from under the rocks.

It had attempted to launch itself upwards headfirst, right from under where Storm was. But Storm's movements were too quick.

But this Onix was quick too. Cinder couldn't help but wonder if it would have been just as much of a blur as Storm was if its massive size didn't make it so much easier to notice.

As Onix continued to rise from underneath the rocky terrain, the shockwaves of its movements radiated across the arena. Cinder was almost convinced that the barriers were the only things keeping the building from collapsing.

Storm maintained Agility throughout it all. No matter how many times Onix tried to put him down, he would never stop moving.

Blitzing forward at breakneck speeds. Bounding with each pair of hooves. Landing on the uneven terrain just right to not lose his balance while still maintaining speed. Traversing the rocky landscape with perfection. Maintaining Agility the entire time. Never running out of stamina. All what he had trained for.

The monster's eyes followed the sheep like a predator, waiting to snatch the Mareep at any moment. But Storm kept on running, never showing any signs of slowing down.

Onix made another diving motion.

This time it had predicted where Storm would be, charging downwards towards the very spot that the electric-type would be at when it struck.

But Storm flawlessly changed direction as Onix's head smashed down into a jutted boulder, the rocky serpent once again descending underground.

The tremors were back. Another Iron Tail to keep himself planted within the stone.

And then running again.

When Onix rose this time, it kept itself half buried in the ground, charging after Storm with a mighty roar that was partially filtered by the ground itself, but still only added to the tremors.

Opening its maw as it closed in on its target, Onix let out a roar of triumph as Storm was forced to halt himself, slamming an Iron Tail down on the ground in order to cancel out his momentum.

But then Storm pushed himself upwards, using the force of the Iron Tail to sail through the air and above Onix's head. As the creature's frustrated roar at its infuriating failure echoed throughout the room, Storm brought the metallic tail down onto the massive behemoth's back.

The cracking noise was almost deafening as Storm dove downwards with Agility before flipping himself over to deliver the blow.

The Onix howled in rage.

Storm once again used the force to propel himself upwards and landed on all fours, breaking into a sprint the moment his hooves touched the rocks, and tiny suspects of ice shards.

The beast rose upwards.

Storm's Iron Tail was fully mastered now. After using it as much as he did throughout Viridian Forest, and the time that he had spent honing it in Pewter City in preparation of this battle, his tail was now fully coated in metal whenever he used the powerful move. Not to mention the amount of practice that he had put into the move had been great exercise for his tail itself, strengthening the young sheep's tail, and, by extension, strengthening the move even more.

Brock shouted at the top of his lungs, in order to ensure that he would be heard.

"Rock Blast!"

The behemoth's mouth opened to let lose a bombardment of stone shards that rained down on the battlefield after Storm.

Not slowing down his run, the young sheep darted from side to side, evading the stones as they came.

Thanks to Storm's regime he made for them, Storm was now capable of avoiding attacks without slowing down his traversal of the uneven terrain.

Ceasing its assault, the Onix switched tactics upon hearing Brock's next order.

"Slam!"

The still running sheep gazed upwards as Onix's tail rose into full view. A massive tremor shook the very core of the battlefield as the serpent's tail was brought down in full force.

This time, although Storm had once again managed to avoid the blow, it was a much closer call than before. The young electric-type was unable to avoid the shockwave that was unleashed by the sheer force of the blow, and cried out in pain as the shockwave slammed into him, hitting his side and launching him into the air.

A Pokemon as light as a Mareep, hit by a shockwave created by a pokemon as heavy as Onix. Cinder clenched his fist tightly, feeling the sweat dripping down his cheek, but sighed in relief as Storm steadied his landing by once again slamming an Iron Tail into the ground as he approached the terrain, and then immediately afterward, used that same Iron Tail to propel himself forward, and resumed running with Agility.

Yet another reason why the days worth of training had benefited the team so much: It was the whole reason why Storm had developed that habit in the first place.

Repositioning itself, the massive stone behemoth looked to around to get Storm in its sights again…

Only to see two Mareeps darting across the battlefield instead of one.

Cinder grinned. Double Team had done its job.

With the Onix bewildered by the sight of two mareep sprinting across the rocky battlefield at the same time, Cinder capitalised on the moment of confusion.

"Get on top of Onix and use Iron Tail!"

Whether Storm had actually heard Cinder's loud shout over the frustrated roar of the beast, or if the young sheep had simply gotten the same exact idea, Cinderella would never know. Nevertheless, the sheep had done exactly as he wanted.