First Battle Against A Future Rival

Elekid had pretty solid reflexes, however, and Storm's Focus Punch was met with a Thunder Punch. As the two attacks clashed, Elekid winced in pain as he was propelled upward, now clutching his fist somewhat painfully.

As Storm landed, Cinder quickly followed up yet again. "Iron Tail!"

"Brick Break!" Paul countered.

Elekid ran forward, once again bolstering its momentum with Quick Attack (Cinder wouldn't be at all surprised if he learned that it was pretty much a universal tactic among Trainers and their Pokemon for speed attacks to be used regularly to get around the battlefield faster and also increase the force behind blows) as it raised an orange, glowing fist. Storm dashed forward as well, ducking under Elekid's punch as his tail became coated with metal, before swinging it painfully into Elekid's chest.

Elekid lurched backwards, teetering a bit before righting itself, and, on Paul's command, fired a second Charge Beam. At Cinder's immediate orders to dodge the attack, however, Storm quickly drove his still metallic coated tail into the ground, propelling himself upwards in a backflip to avoid the blow.

"Thunder Shock, now!"

At Cinder's command, Storm gathered electricity into his wools while sailing into the air, before firing the bolt of lightning into Elekid. Elekid strained against the blow, but was mostly unfazed. Electric-types could sometimes absorb other electric-type moves into their bodies if they were skilled enough, but it most often took time to do so, and the effort that Elekid was putting into it was leaving it wide open.

Cinder wasn't going to give it that needed time as he immediately followed up. "Focus Punch!"

As Storm hit the ground, he immediately sprinted forward as he drove an orange fist into Elekid's gut. The opposing electric-type weezed as he was driven back, clutching its stomach painfully as Storm raised a metallic tail.

"Quick Attack!" Paul called out.

Ignoring the pain in its stomach, Elekid rocketed forward and barreled straight into the sheep. With its much smaller bulk in comparison colliding with Storm's body, the attack only sent the sheep groaning in place, slowly taking three steps backwards.

As Storm prepared to attack at Elekid with another Iron Tail, Cinder was already responding. "Double Team! Then Focus Energy!" Changing up tactics, never using the same strategy too consecutively.

Neglecting the importance of that had cost them dearly against Brock. But the same thing would not happen here.

After landing, Storm split himself in two, beginning to run circles around the now confused Elekid.

Both of them would rush it from different directions. It would have no way of knowing which one to block.

But Paul was grinning now. "Clever, but it won't save you. Elekid, use Protect!" If Cinder didn't know better, it almost sounded like Paul was actually starting to enjoy this…

As Storm rushed forward, along with his clone, his orange, glowing fist was met with a green, spherical barrier. Much like Storm's Reflect, this Protect was far from a mastered one, but it was still just barely strong enough to stop the young sheep right in his tracks.

As his clone fizzled out, the electric sheep took a few steps backwards while clutching his aching fist. Glaring up at the Elekid, Storm saw his rival dispel its barrier as the opposing electric-type grinned sadistically, showing major signs of fatigue but no signs of quitting. Storm met its vicious expression with an even fiercer glare, the competitive spirit in his eyes stronger than ever as Cinder and Hercule both looked on.

The young Poliwag was staring intently between the two, and if Cinder had looked down to observe his tadpole companion, he would have probably noticed the rather competitive expression on Hercule's face.

Hercule spend quite a lot of time time with Storm and Fafnir as they did with each other, although he does prefer sticking closely by Cinder's side, but the young Poliwag was sure that he knew his sheep companion well enough to understand his personality quite a lot. And yet he had never seen Storm quite this worked up before. Not even in regards to the Gym Battle.

It was almost as though this was… personal for him, and as he continued to observe the ongoing battle between the two combatants in full, Hercule couldn't help but wonder if it was simply due to their mutual typings. Was it natural for a pokemon to become so competitive when facing off against an opponent of the same exact typing? Would he be experiencing these same exact emotions if he went up against one of his own typing as well?

"Dual Chop!"

Purple fists raised and glowing, Elekid went on the assault, but Storm, ignoring the pain in his fist, sidestepped the blows as best he could, before attempting to drive a Focus Punch into Elekid's stomach.

His rival took a small leap backwards, however, and after ducking under a Thunder Punch, Storm once again went for another Focus Punch. Elekid caught the blow with a Brick Break of his own, however, and with no Quick Attack to boost his momentum, Elekid was pushed back easily, crying out in pain as the opposing electric-type's blow easily overpowered his own and grinded against his fist.

Storm was suddenly forced to roll to the side to avoid an Electro Ball. Before Cinder could call out any more orders, however, Elekid was already upon him again, this time with yet another order from Paul.

"Low Kick!"

The opposing electric-type reared its leg back before sadistically attempting to drive it into Storm's face, the sheep reacted in time, much to Cinder's relief, as Storm produces a transparent screen in front of him that blocked the incoming fighting-type move which was Reflect, this time, it was Elekid's turn to taste his own medicine as he clutches his foot a bit painfully as he took a few steps backwards. Storm didn't give his opponent any breathing room as he slammed another powerful Iron Tail on Elekid, sending it bouncing painfully on the ground.

Cinder quickly took note of Elekid's own condition. Despite its obvious talent in mastering a dragon-type move, the opposing electric-type was still beginning to more clearly tire out and was more than beaten enough, Cinder was amazed at how tenacious the baby pokemon was. Storm's blows had not been for naught, and the Elekid's light pants were becoming increasingly noticeable, and the bruises on its body from Storm's successful blows were also hard to ignore.

On the opposite end, Storm was currently less banged up than Elekid was, moreover, he was not that tired.

Their advantage was clear.

Positioning himself at ready, Storm growled at the rival electric-type, who met the glower in the young sheep's eyes with one of his own, his face twisted into something akin to an angry grin.

The mutual animosity between the two had become palpable, as the two gave each other a silent challenge with the nonverbal exchange, the surrounding mood intensified.

At this point, both of them were beginning to reach the climax, and although Elekid was closer to his, Storm and Cinder were in no position to relax, and both of them knew this.

It was now or never. Either their opponent turned the tide of this fight, or lost in the attempt.

"Iron Tail!"

"Brick Break!"

Putting everything that they had into Agility/Quick Attack, both pokemon shot forward, Storm's tail encased in metal and Elekid's fist glowing orange.

BAM!

The attacks both slammed into each other head on, Storm's metallic tail shielding him from damage and Elekid's fist pushing against the powerful steel-type attack. Both pokemon's faces were clenched as they continued to put their all into the assault, desperately trying to overpower one another, noticably Storm was doing a good job at it.

The advantage in bulk was a nice feeling in his chest, but he couldn't focus on it right now, unfortunately. Turning his gaze back to the battlefield, he shouted out his own words of encouragement, while Hercule did the same.

But Paul was already back at it. "Elekid! Use your other arm to hit it with Thunder Punch!"

Cinder growled. A clever tactic. He wasn't sure if Storm would be able to deflect it with Focus Punch and manage to do so in time to intercept the incoming Thunder Punch.

But he believed in his starter. And he had another idea.

"Static! Then keep Iron Tail going!"

Storm let out a jolt of static from his tail, causing the fist that Elekid was using to strike with Brick Break to painfully recoil backwards as the opposing electric-type let out a growl of pain and frustration. This didn't stop it from swinging its other fist, however, but Storm quickly spun around and rammed the metallic tail against the electrical fist.

In fact, since Elekid was still reeling from the slight, yet painful jolt of electricity that Storm had suddenly hit him with, the Thunder Punch didn't have quite as much force behind it, and Cinder grinned triumphantly as Storm's full force Iron Tail began slowly yet increasingly pushing it back. As Storm continued to push against it, its progress slowly but surely became faster, before completely deflecting the blow away, leaving Elekid's arm outstretched, and the growling Elekid itself vulnerable.

This was their chance. And they were going to take it.

"NOW!"

Not giving Paul any chances to react, Cinder let out his order at the top of his lungs, and with a loud battle cry, Storm spun himself around yet again, this time ramming his still full power Iron Tail right into the Elekid's gut.

The opposing Electric Type Pokemon recoiled in pain as it let out a pained cry of anger, Storm's tail digging into its stomach with all of the force that the electric sheep could muster.

Both Pokemon were gritting their teeth as the struggle continued, the two rivals snarling in mutual defiance of one another. Neither would give in, but Storm was continuing to drive his opponent back with the force of his powerful blow.

It was time to end this.

"Give it all you got, Focus Punch!"

"Fight through it and use Brick Break!" The tone in his voice was final, as though he wouldn't accept any other result than triumph, but Cinder could have sworn that he had detected a hint of desperation in the other boy's normally callous voice.

With seemingly newfound adrenaline, Elekid let out an angry battle cry as it suddenly lurched forward, its voice becoming even more pained as it leaned against Storm's Iron Tail even further in order to attempt to drive in the a blow. The tenacity was amazing, but also quite concerning.

It was commendable, however, it was unfortunate for their opponent as Storm was much faster.

Its fist glowing a bright orange, Storm roared with all he got as he swung the fist downwards, taking aim right at Elekid's face. Before Paul and Elekid could even react to the attack, the blow had already connected. The fierce Elekid's cry of pain was immediately silenced as Storm's fist drove him face first into the ground, the Focus Punch grinding violently against the young baby pokemon's cheek.

The crunching noise was audible, and was enough to make Hercule lurch backwards with a scared flinch, and Cinder grimaced for their opponent.

Lifting its fist off of his opponent, Storm stumbled backwards a bit, forcing a hand to clutch its now exhausted and bruised body, before looking down at its opponent.

Elekid was still, the side of his face that had been struck by the Focus Punch somewhat swollen, and Cinder including Paul couldn't see the other side, as it was planted firmly into the ground, but both doubted that it would be pretty.

Cinder tried not to think about how painful it had been. How brutal it had been. He didn't even want to know what Elekid had felt in that moment, and he highly doubted that Hercule did, either. The battlefield for trainers are always brutal, that they knew, it was either get beaten or give someone a beating.

Some things were just better left unsaid.

Paul and Elekid were ruthless. They were concerned only with winning the battle, now with how merciless that their tactics were. Professional Pokemon training was tough, and, above all else, without relent. What had happened to Elekid was hardly the worst to ever come out of the profession.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop the queasiness in his stomach, as Cinder tried and failed to fight off the thoughts of what their opponent had just gone through. The urge to have the events continuously replaying through his mind. Paul was a strong trainer for sure, Cinder couldn't deny that, if Storm was still pre-evolved then he couldn't confidently say they could win the match, Storm's superiority in bulk was a tool in the match that was a significance that Paul and Elekid couldn't deny also. If the Elekid evolved into an Electabuzz then that would be a match Storm couldn't be sure on winning yet.

"Storm, good job. Come here, bud." Cinder got his tired pokemon on his side and complimented him for the amazing battle.

The other trainer dipped his head. "It was a good battle. Congratulations on your win, however, don't think I was giving it my all, I still have my starter that didn't get into battle."

Cinder was startled, 'Elekid wasn't his starter but another pokemon?' Cinder frowned a little, but didn't dwell too much on it.

"Thanks." Cinder nodded back. "Though we'll have to train harder than ever. If Storm hadn't had the advantage, I'm pretty sure you would have won that."

"No point in worrying about what might have been." Paul grunted. "I'll just have to train Elekid more. He's close to evolving as well—he should get there by the time we reach Cerulean City." He paused before continuing.

"Perhaps you see what I mean, now. My Pokemon all have natural talent that I've honed from their already stellar starting points. They had the potential, and that's why they put much of a good showing in battle. Still though…" He turned away slightly. "You won the battle fair and square." Turning back to Cinder, he added. "I'll admit, you're not half bad compared to the other rookies that I've wasted my time on since coming here." He said begrudgingly. "But I'd recommend being a bit more careful about your team's additions in the future." Without another word, he returned his Elekid inside his pokeball.

Paul was quiet for a moment. "You intend to participate in the Indigo League Tournament, right?"

"Of course."

"Good. In the event we don't encounter each other on the road again after this, I expect to meet you there on the battlefield," Paul gave him an even look. "You've got more talent than the other scrubs I've seen here in Kanto. Don't disappoint me. If you can't keep up, I'll knock you out of the tournament before it even gets started."

Storm let out a growl and Cinder's eyes narrowed. "I don't plan on losing."

Paul cracked a smirk. "Good. Make sure you're stronger next time—and I suggest you capture some more pokemon. The four pokemon you have now won't be enough to get past any more than maybe four Gym Leaders."

"Don't worry about me." Cinder replied. "You'd better work on your own team."

"True." The other trainer agreed. Then Paul left without another word, making his way towards the depths of the tunnel, maybe to catch pokemon or to heal his pokemon from the battle, Cinder doesn't know. He just stared at Paul, he couldn't help but think of what he said about pokemon's potential and whatnot over his head.

But then, Cinder thought of a matter which he forgot. He ran after Paul while loudly calling out. "HEY! What about my monetary winnings!"