Battle of the Sexes

As the spectators cheered the end of the match between Gary's Wartorle and my Charmeleon, I recalled him back to his Pokeball and whispered to it,

"You did really well. Take a nice long rest, and next time you'll kick that Wartortle's ass."

I then placed the ball back onto my belt and directed my attention back to Gary. His Wartortle may have beaten Charmeleon, but our battle wasn't over yet.

Wartortle was Gary's last Pokemon, and it was still standing. On the other hand I still had my own Wartortle and Cranidos that were still able to fight, plus I had one more Pokemon I could send out as well.

But, Wartortle was obviously exhausted after its battle with Charmeleon. Even if I sent out Cranidos with the type disadvantage, he'd probably win.

So Gary had to choose between admitting his loss to me here and now, or somehow trying to win against three more Pokemon with an exhausted Wartortle.

A choice I could see going through Gary's head right now as he struggled to choose the one he wanted to go with.

"Gary Oak. Do you wish to proceed with the battle, or call it quits now?" Nurse Joy asked him.

Gary clenched his hands into fists at the question as he looked between Wartortle and myself, before finally lowering his head in defeat.

"We'll stop here..."

"War!?!" His Wartortle exclaimed in surprise, before Gary recalled it back to its Pokeball.

"This is your win.....Ace." He said with a bitter tone, before trudging off with his cheerleaders following like baby chicks.

"Congrats Ace!"

"You did it!"

""Master is the best!""

May and Dawn both exclaimed as they clung to my back, from which I could feel the envy of every guy still in the arena.

"Licky!"

"Dos!"

Lickitung and Cranidos added since they were still out, the former being covered in a Rawst berry paste for its burns.

"I'm proud of all of you." I said to them, as well as the three on my belt.

"If you wanna give me Meowth, Wartortle and Charmeleon, I can go and get them treated for you." Joy said as she finished putting away the supplies she used to treat Lickitung.

"Thank you Joy." I told her while removing the aforementioned Pokeballs.

And as she ran off to one of the other Nurses Joy, I told May and Dawn,

"Why don't you two head up to the room and I'll join you in a minute."

"Ok~! It'll give us time to change~!" Dawn practically purred as she shook her pompoms with her hips.

"Actually...." I said while looking the two of them up and down. "Leave them on."

Both girls flashed me a look with mischievous glints in their eyes, before they ran off up to our room.

Meanwhile I made my way to one of the doors leading outside, pausing only when I received a notification that the money from beating Gary had been deposited into my account. Once outside I grabbed one of the Pokeballs remaining on my belt and activated it.

"Zu zu!" Zubat cried as she appeared, before landing atop my head.

"Hey there Zubat." I greeted her while also reaching up to scratch the top of her head.

That only lasted a moment though I told her, "I have a bit of a job for you tonight."

Immediately she was standing to attention as she awaited whatever assignment I'd give her.

"There's something I want you to find, that should be northwest of the city."

I then explained exactly what it was I wanted Zubat to find with her listening attentively the entire time.

"Understand?"

"Zu zu!"

Giving a cry of affirmation, Zubat spread her wings and promptly took off into the night sky to begin her search.

I watched her go with aura enhanced sight until she disappeared into the night, at which point I took in a deep breath while taking a moment to enjoy the nicely chilled air. But, right as I was about to go back inside, I sensed an aura approaching the Pokemon Center.

"Well it's about damn time." I said to myself as I went to go and greet Lucario.

"Hey! Where have you been? You missed my battle with-!!!"

"What the hell happened to you!?!" I demanded when I actually saw the way Lucario looked.

His fur was discolored and matted in numerous spots with what looked to be either mud or blood, one of his eyes was so swollen it was almost completely shut, and there was a distinct limp as he hobbled towards the Pokemon Center.

I quickly called out Happiny and Miltank while rushing to Lucario's side to support him, while the latter did the same on his other side and Happiny started using Heal Pulse.

"I was just training." Lucario growled irritably, not at us, but at whatever he'd done to render himself in such a state.

But even as we helped him get back to the Pokemon Center, I saw Lucario clench his paw while I could feel the determination within him building.

...

*Rumble!*

*Crash!*

I clung to Tauros' fur tightly as he charged his way through the brush like a one bull stampede, making sure to hold onto Joy in front of me at the same time while May and Dawn flew above us on Tropius.

To the side was a now recovered Lucario after he'd spent the night meditating while using Life Dew, nimbly hopping and running alongside with much more grace and subtlety than Tauros. And behind us a short ways was Charmeleon, running on all fours to try and keep up with our pace.

Currently all of us were following Zubat's lead to the place I'd had her look for last night, Cerulean Cave.

But even as we headed there at a steady pace, I couldn't help but to eye Lucario worriedly.

No matter how much I dig at him, he still won't tell me what he'd done to receive all of those injuries yesterday outside of 'training'. I just hope he isn't overdoing it, and will end up injured without anyone there to help him.

Probably sensing my concern for him. Lucario glanced at me from the side before saying with a wry smile, "don't worry about me. I'm not a bitch that will keel over from just a bit of intense training."

I smiled back at him as I remarked over the noise, "true you're not a bitch.... You're a pussy."

"What was that, bitch?"

"Pussy!"

"Bitch!"

"Pussy!"

"Bitch!"

We continued on like that for a few more minutes, until I noticed the girls beginning to drop lower on Tropius above us. And a moment later, Tauros burst out of the brush to show us a wide stretch of the same river from yesterday, but quite a bit further downstream from where we were yesterday.

"So where to now?" May asked as she and Dawn landed beside us.

"Zu!" Zubat declared as she landed atop my head, and pointed one of her wings.

"Now we cross, and the entrance to the cave we're looking for should be right behind all of that brush." I answered while returning Tauros to his Pokeball, and also pointing to the other side.

"Um... Are we going to have to swim?" Joy nervously as she looked out over the current.

"No-"

"CHAR!"

Charmeleon cut me off as he cried out, and leapt from the shoreline as far out into the river as he could.

"What the-!?" I exclaimed at the suicidal action, as if the flame on his tail goes out then he'd die.

But a second later Charmeleon's hard popped up out of the water along with the tip of his tail, on which the flame had diminished, but was still burning. And from there, he began to try and perform the freestyle stroke to swim to the other side.

"That lunatic..." I exclaimed in exasperation.

"What's up with him?" Lucario asked curiously, as Charmeleon had been moody all morning.

"He's still sore about losing to Gary's Wartortle, despite the fact that he also weakened it to the point that it hadn't been able to keep fighting even after he lost." I answered while rubbing the back of my head.

"I see..." Lucario answered as we watched Charmeleon swim.

"Shouldn't we go and get him?!" Joy exclaimed worriedly.

"Nah, he'll be fine." I answered while also directing a look to Lucario, who just barely nodded his head in affirmation of my unspoken request. If need be, he'd fish Charmeleon out of the river since Pidgeot wasn't here.

"But, as I was saying before being interrupted, we'll walk across." I finished explaining to Joy, before creating an amber colored platform made out of aura.

"Ohhh!" She exclaimed in surprise, before I set foot on it with May and Dawn.

"See? Perfectly safe." I told her as we continued walking forward, before I created a second platform when we reached the end of this one.

Meanwhile, Lucario was also creating aura platforms for himself to use off to the side, which he could only now do after he evolved.

Together we all crossed to the other side of the river while I also kept an eye on Charmeleon. But I didn't need to worry since he managed to reach the other side before us, and proceeded to collapse on the beach from exhaustion.

"Here." I said as I tossed him some Tauros jerky, which Charmeleon readily grabbed before tearing into it greedily. And when he finished eating it I said, "I'm going to return you for now to recover, so take a nice long rest."

Though Charmeleon tried to protest, I ignored it while returning him to his Pokeball. I did however say to him before placing it back on my belt, "remember that rest is just as important as hard work. If you only push yourself without giving your body time to recuperate, you'll only do more harm than good to yourself."

My piece said, I placed his Pokeball on my belt before looking forward at the brush surrounding the cave entrance.

We could see the foot of the mountain stretching out on either side before us, with a thick line of brush and trees lining the cliffs several feet away from the water.

"I think I can see a cave up ahead!" Dawn exclaimed while pointing through the brush.

"Then let's go." I said while stepping forward. However, as we stepped through the first layer of brush, we found ourselves standing in a small clearing with trees and brush all around us.

But that wasn't what caught our eyes.

"What are these?" May asked as she examined numerous scratches and gouges on the ground.

"They're up here as well." Dawn said as she pointed out some that were in the trees around, and above us.

"Whatever it is, it's watching us." I said as Lucario and I both strained our attention while scanning our surroundings.

Though small, whatever it was was fast as it darted through the brush while avoiding us making visual contact. But, as I analyzed its familiar aura, I figured out what it most likely was.

"Partner..." Lucario uttered.

"Yeah, I'll probably catch it." I told him eagerly while pulling a specific Pokeball off my belt, as this one was the most suited to help me catch this Pokemon.

"What is it Ace?" Joy asked as she stayed toward the middle of our group, behind Lucario, Combusken and Piplup specifically.

"Well, if I'm right, then it's most likely..."

"NIDO!"

"GO!"

As a blurry purple figure darted out and fired poisonous barbs at us, I sent out the Pokemon I wanted to deal with this, who blocked the poisonous barbs with her own body as she appeared.

"Nidorina!" She cried out challengingly towards our assailant, while shaking off the barbs since they hadn't done any damage to her.

"Nido!" Cried our assailant as it squared up to face her, it's large ears twitching while the horn on its forehead remained aimed at us.

"Oh! It's a Nidoran!" Joy exclaimed when she laid eyes on our assailant.

"Yep! And one of the very Pokemon I've been wanting to add to my team for a while!" I answered in a declaration, while also grabbing an empty Pokeball from my bag to use.

"Is that the male variant?" May asked curiously, since this was probably her first time seeing one.

"Yep, as well as their first stage. Eventually it'll evolve into a Nidorino, and then into a Nidoking with a moon stone." But with each word I spoke, I was growing increasingly excited as I looked the Nidoran up and down.

"Niid nido!" He cried out indignantly at me.

"Wow. He seems mad." Dawn commented.

"Yeah. He's says he's not gonna just be any Nidoking, but a KING of kings." I answered her with my excitement still growing if its size and words meant what I thought they did. After all, it was still in the baby stage, yet was just as big as Nidorina.

"Nidorina, Growl and Tail Whip!" I ordered her.

"NIIDA!" She growled cutely in response, before waggling her tail at the Nidoran in an endearing manner.

"Nido..." Nidoran grumbled from the display, before shaking its head to clear itself. It then charged Nidorina while the horn on its forehead began glowing, to use the move Peck.

"Nido!" It cried as it hit Nidorina.

"Now Nidorina, hug him!" I cried out.

"Nida!" She cried while doing as I commanded, though she must've hurt from that Peck. Judging by the numerous marks around us, that attack was probably far stronger than what one would usually get from a Nidoran.

"Now, Bite!" I ordered without caring about his Poison Point ability, as it wouldn't affect Nidorina.

"Nida!" She cried before nibbling his ears cutely without doing any actual damage.

"Nido!" He cried out indignantly wile trying to squirm out of her hold. But he couldn't with the training I had put her through.

I then had an idea, though she didn't have this move, and told her, "Nidorina, use Charm!"

"Nida Nida~." She cooed at Nidoran while fluttering her lashes, making him visibly uncomfortable while he struggled less and less.

And when he finally stopped fighting her, I asked Nidorina, "how about it? Is he a keeper?"

"Nida~ nida~." She cooed affectionately without loosening her grip on Nidoran.

I then knelt down beside the two of them, and looked Nidoran in the eye.

"You say you'll become a king of kings. I can make sure that happens." I told him, as his eyes regained their previous intensity as he looked at me.

"How about it?" I asked while holding up the Pokeball.

For a moment Nidoran looked between me, the Pokeball, and Nidorina and he contemplated my offer. And finally, after looking back at Nidorina one last time as she smiled down at him, he relented.

"Nido..."

"Welcome aboard." I said while tapping the Pokeball on his body, sucking him inside.

It gave one small twitch before it fell still with a small ding, signaling he had been captured. And as my Pokedex chimed to alert me that I was past my carry limit, I quickly scanned him.

~~~

Nidoran- the poison pin Pokemon

Type- poison.

This Pokemon is constantly using its large ears to detect any possible threats. The horn on its forehead contains a potent poison, and it will fight even to the death to defend the female its friendly with. This Pokemon has the Poison Point and Rivalry abilities.

Moves- Leer, Poison Sting, Peck, Focus Energy, Fury Attack, Toxic Spikes, Double Kick.

~~~

"Nida Nida!" Nidorina cried out as I was reading his information, making me look down to see her reaching up towards the Pokeball possessively.

"Don't worry. I'll send you both back to professor Oak for now, and you'll be able to spend some time together." I told her reassuringly, which made her smile happily.

First I sent Nidoran back so I'd be back at my carry limit, and then I returned Nidorina to her Pokeball and sent her back as well.

With that done, I glanced over the rest of my Pokemon to see which one I wanted to replace her with, when I noticed I was two Pokemon short.

"What the...?" I uttered in confusion, looking over every single one of my Pokemon to double check, before realizing what was causing the discrepancy.

"What's up partner?" Lucario asked, probably from sensing my confusion.

"I'm two Pokemon short, but it's alright." I told him while adding a certain Pokemon to my team, and then brining it out for everyone to see.

"Congratulations on evolving, Magneton." I said to my Pokemon, which hummed back at me happily for the praise.

Though confusing for some people, Magnemite evolved when three of them became powerful enough that they became permanently magnetized to each other, creating a Magneton. The trio would then become one entity, as proved by the numerous failed experiments researchers carried out trying to separate and de-evolve them.

"Now we just need a thunder stone..." I muttered to myself, as I planned to evolve Magneton further into Magnezone. But that'll have to wait.

Everyone took a moment to congratulate Magneton on evolving, before we returned to the task at hand as we headed to the cave opening.

"Go Luxio!"

"Go Pichu!"

Dawn and May cried out as they released their Pokemon, both of which began to glow as they readily used Flash. The result was that the interior of the cave was immediately lit up, and all of us, both human and Pokemon, were struck silent at the sight.

All around us massive glittering crystals protruded from the walls, ceiling, and floor as if we had entered an entirely different world, with the light from Flash reflecting off of all of them to give them an ethereal look.

"How beautiful..." Joy uttered in awe of the sight.

"I bet you never saw anything like THIS back at the Pokemon Center." I said wryly, to which she slowly shook her head without looking away from the crystals around us.

"Combusken, try to use Double Kick on one of them!" May ordered her Pokemon.

"Ken!" Combusken cried out as it did as she commanded.

*CRASH CRASH!*

*SHATTER!*

The sound from the impact of Combusken's kicks echoed throughout the cave, followed by the sound of one of the crystals shattering as pieces of it skittered across the ground.

"Maybe you could try being a little louder?" Dawn said to her sarcastically.

"Sorry~!" May said half apologetically, though she didn't seem like she really meant it.

"But on the plus side there's enough for everyone to have some~!" She added as she began scooping as many crystals as she could into her bag, while both Combusken and Pichu helped to collect them.

I just rolled my eyes and shook my head wryly, before I noticed numerous auras surrounding us.

"Lucario-!"

"I feel them." He stated calmly beside me, even as he entered a battle ready stance while moving between us and the rapidly approaching Pokemon. But then he appeared confused.

"What are they?" He asked me, though I couldn't answer him. Their auras were unlike anything I ever felt before.

The girls all also became alert as we became surrounded, but I still hadn't seen any actual Pokemon yet. We could only feel their auras.

"What are they Ace?" Joy asked nervously.

"I'm not sure..." I answered truthfully, though thankfully the exit was right behind us if we needed to fall back.

But then something happened I never expected, as no less than thirty Lucario stepped out from behind the crystals, and glared at us as they prepared to do battle.