CHAPTER 13: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS!

Encouraged and happy by their encounter with the enigmatic Bill and the successful fusion experiment, Haru and Kasumi continued their journey with renewed determination. Their path now led them to the bustling city of Vermilion, where the renowned Electric-type Gym awaited their challenge.

"At last! We're finally at Vermilion City!" Kasumi sighed in exhaustion though her eyes are filled with happiness.

Haru nodded his head, "Yeah, we're finally here. Let's go to the Pokemon Center first and contact our parents before we go to the Gym."

"Okay!" Kasumi hastily nodded her head.

As the two of them are heading to the Pokemon Center, the system suddenly flashed before my eyes.

[Ding! Host reached his Second City after adventuring!]

With the system's notification before when I first arrive at Cerulean City, I know that there'll be rewards so I quickly said, "System! Roll the rewards!"

But as it was a wishful thinking of mine only, the system quickly said, [No rewards this time, Host. As it's normal to reach the another City after your first City. Goodbye for now and Good luck in your next gym battle!]

Then the system quickly go as he went, making me speechless by what happened.

"... I really love what you did there." Though Haru said that, He quickly shook his head off as he also remembered that he haven't even claim some of the system rewards. So he just put this behind now and looked at Kasumi who is full of energy once she saw the Pokemon Center.

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After some time, they decided to go to the location of the Vermilion City Gym. Excitement and nerves mingled within them as they entered the impressive Vermilion City Gym. The air crackled with electricity, setting the stage for an intense battle. Haru and Kasumi exchanged determined glances, their confidence was greatly boosted by their recent victories.

"Come! Let's Go and finish this battle, Haru!" Kasumi looked at me with great eagerness and confidence in her eyes.

Infected by her words and fiery eyes, I also felt that blood-boiling energy within me. "Yep, Kasumi. Let's win this one!"

Both of us take a deep breath and we looked at each other and smile and shouted, "LET'S GO!!"

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Their opponents were no pushovers though. Lt. Surge, the Gym Leader, a former commanding officer in the Army a couple of years ago, stood before them—a towering figure exuding an aura of authority. His team of formidable Electric-type Pokémon awaited the young trainers' challenge. As Lt. Surge looked at us with those cold, electrifying gaze that send chills to our bones.

"Welcome to the Vermilion City Gym. I, Lt. Surge, will give you two an electrifying battle." He looked at us and stayed silent for a while then said, "Battle me, the two of you. I'll use only one Pokemon. If you win, then I'll give the badge."

With our hearts pounding, I and Kasumi chose our Pokémon and stepped onto the battlefield. Haru sent out Eevee, its tail poised and ready for action, while Kasumi called forth her loyal Piplup, its determination shining in its eyes.

"Hmmm, An Eevee. Quite a good Pokemon, kid. But a Piplup? Are you mocking my Electric Pokemon?" He looked at Eevee with a hint of admiration in his eyes. 'He's probably thinking that I'll evolve it to a Jolteon.' He then looked at Piplup while frowning for a bit. Then we saw that his chosen Pokemon, is not what I expect it to be.

"I choose you, Electabuzz!"

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The battle commenced, and Lt. Surge's Electric-type Pokémon, Electabuzz displayed its power and speed. Haru and Kasumi fought valiantly, employing strategies they had honed throughout their journey. Eevee and Piplup unleashed a flurry of attacks, dodging lightning-fast strikes and launching their own counterattacks.

"Electabuzz, Thunderbolt Attack!"

"Eevee! Dodge it with Quick Attack!"

"Piplup, Dodge it too!"

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As I looked at the battle, I saw that both Eevee & Piplup dodge that powerful Thunderbolt. I then decisively said, "Eevee! Quickly launch Swift!"

Kasumi saw what I did, then she also chose to command Piplup to attack, "Piplup! Full power! Bubble beam!"

!!!BANG!!!

However, despite our best efforts, Kasumi and I found ourselves outmatched by the sheer strength and experience of Lt. Surge's Electabuzz. We saw it was unfazed by both of our attacks and Wave after wave of electric assaults overwhelmed our team, leaving us on the back foot.

"Electabuzz, Thunderbolt Attack on Piplup and Cross Chop that Eevee!"

Electabuzz shot a powerful thunderbolt to Piplup and a strong Cross Chop on Eevee. Before we even command our Pokemon, both of them are hit by the attacks and what we can only do is look as our Pokémon fell one by one, Both of our spirits wavered. Doubt crept into ourminds, and frustration threatened to overtake us. We realized that victory was not assured, and defeat became a bitter pill to swallow.

With a final thunderous blow, Lt. Surge's Electabuzz emerged victorious, and the battle came to a somber close. Haru and Kasumi stood, defeated and dejected, as their dream of claiming the Gym Badge shattered before their eyes.

"W-we..... real-really... lost?" Kasumi said with a blank look at her face. As she is saying those words, tears flowed in her eyes and she cried silently at her lost.

As I, Haru, though was sad that we lost, am very familiar with Lt. Surge battle style but simply cannot land a finishing blow. Looking at the battle, what we lack is experience and quick thinking of a Pokemon Trainer. Though we show flashes of those, we can't close out the match, leading to an expected defeat. But in the face of such battle, we both found an unexpected glimmer of hope as Lt. Surge was impressed by our resilience and determination, approached us with a kind smile. He offered words of encouragement and invaluable advice, reminding us that defeat was a stepping stone on the path to growth.

"What a beautiful battle it was! Though you lost, you showed flashes of a great Trainer." Lt. Surge's words surprised both of us as we looked at him.

"Hey kiddo Haru, little Kasumi! You electrified me in our battle! Though I was the one who electrified your Pokemon at the end, you gave me a great fight! What both of you lack are the confidence of being a gutsy trainer. Although the two of you are confident enough, you two are not bold enough to create a great combinations in battle. I tell you, kid, electric Pokémon saved me during the war! I only know to be on my own and only join others as I was a commanding officer before but because of those Electric type Pokemon, I know that I, who was known to be a gutsy and bold person, felt that I was a coward and did not show my true potential at all. As years passed, those electric Pokemon became my partners and showed me a true battle. A true unification of a trainer and Pokemon. As I saw in our battle, it kinda reminded me of my past self. Due to that, It made me change my mind about you!" He then walked a little away from us and turned again and said, " Train, be confident, be bold in decisions, be fearless and unafraid! Those are traits of a great Pokemon Trainer! But also, don't forget to exercise cautiousness as unrestrained person can always attract danger to their own selves. If the two of you wants to be the very best, training is not enough, you must enhanced those character of yours! Then........ I shall battle the two of you. Separately. To see if you've improved or not. Understood?"

"We Understood Lt. Surge! We'll definitely challenge you once again and defeat you with me and our partners!"

"HAHAHA!!!! GOOD YOU KNOW! NOW GET OUT OF HERE AND START TRAINING! I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOUR RETURN!"

Haru and Kasumi absorbed his words, realizing that defeat was not the end but a catalyst for improvement. They acknowledged their weaknesses and vowed to train harder, to strengthen their bond with their Pokémon, refine their battle strategies and to be gutsy - the bold, fearless and not afraid of anything trainer yet have a cautious and calm mind.

Leaving the Vermilion City Gym with heads held high, Haru and Kasumi found solace in the knowledge that their journey was far from over. They understood that every challenge was an opportunity to learn, to evolve, and to become better trainers.

With renewed determination, they set their sights on the road ahead. Their defeat at the Vermilion City Gym served as a reminder of the challenges that awaited them, but it also ignited a fire within them—a burning desire to rise above their shortcomings and emerge as true champions.

Haru and Kasumi knew that the path to victory was paved with obstacles, but armed with the lessons learned from their defeat, they were ready to face whatever lay ahead. Their spirits rekindled, they ventured forth, eager to continue their quest for triumph and grow stronger with each step they took.

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"Hey system, I forgot to ask, both Kasumi and I had the Protagonist's aura. It should enhance our luck by a lot but, why did we lose?" Haru confusingly asked the system.

[ Because Protagonists lost a lot then use that as a motivation to get stronger? I saw that in some novels ]

"......."