Misty gritted her teeth as she stood at one end of the fairly uninteresting playing field. Rocks and boulders really weren't her idea of fine décor, but it seemed to suit the Pewter Gym's style, and the trainer wasn't planning on staying any longer than she had to. "If you're ready then," the burly fellow at the other end of the field replied with a shrug, almost absently tossing a pokeball a few feet away and calling out his pokemon, "Time to defend our Gym's honor, Grinder!" Grinder turned out to be the second biggest onyx Misty had ever seen. And this one also seemed to have been through a whole lot more than the others. The enormous stone serpent had many large scars across his body as testament to the many years that he and his trainer had been traveling the world, avoiding the responsibilities of family life and battling against others who knew them only by reputation. Misty glanced over at Miranda, who was calmly leaning against the wall, her arms folded across her chest with a confident smile upon her face, her eyes half closed. Upon her shoulder Nezumi sat on his haunches, mimicking his trainer's pose. "I have faith in you," said Miranda quietly, speaking softly even as her voice echoed off the vaulted ceiling. Misty smiled, knowing the fight would be one sided. She knew that the old onyx was tough, but his kind was known for their incessant hydrophobia. "Shadow," she commanded, holding a small pokeball up with two fingers in an attempt at copying Miranda's sense of melodrama, "Time to win you first badge!" She tossed the ball into the air as it expanded before popping open with the characteristic mechanical noise they all made. A half second later, a wash of crimson light spilled forth from the split sphere, forming a large five-pointed pokemon out of seeming nothingness. The trainer at the far end of the field gave a stern look to hide his disappointment. "A staryu, eh?" he commented, rubbing his stubbly chin, "alright then, let's get this over with! Grinder, tackle attack!" "Shadow, power-up!" Misty ordered in response, causing her levitating staryu to turn sideways and begin spinning in a counter-clockwise direction as the stone snake bore down upon him. The onyx roared, a sound akin to a mountain avalanche, as he arced his way into the air before slithering quickly across the field and swooping down upon the smaller pokemon, his jaws agape. Seemingly undaunted by the prospect of becoming a star shaped stain on the rock strewn floor, Shadow's speed increased, spinning faster until his five arms were but a blur, the red orb at his center glowing fiercely with the exertion. "Now, Shadow!" called Misty, the tension coming across in the slight quaver in her voice, "Neptune's Might!" The staryu gave a quick affirmative that was lost in the cacophony of sound that followed the powerful water technique he unleashed. The spinning pokemon now appeared to be more of a circle than a star, and with an exclamation akin to a battle cry, Shadow let loose with quintuple blasts of high-pressure water. The onyx, now doing something of a power dive let out a roar of terrified panic, even before the spinning wall of water bisected him. Unable to pull back from the attack, the silicate-based pokemon followed through, although it seemed that he more fell forward more than actually attempted to tackle, but the effect was similar. However, as he hit the spinning arms of Shadow, Grinder's head was violently jerked upwards in a movement that would have given a creature with an actual spine whiplash. He let out a sound that could have been construed as a yelp of surprise, but sounded more like two rocks crushing a diamond, as the staryu hit him several dozen times in the jaw. Misty smiled at the effect. "Just as I planned," she replied, knowing that the water would more than soften the onyx's armor, allowing her pokemon to knock the nearly invulnerable beast into unconsciousness. Just then, Shadow's multiple jets of water slowed to a dribble, and the starfish pokemon flew off into the air on sheer momentum, leaving the wounded Grinder to fall beneath him. "Not a bad victory," Flint replied, returning the onyx before he turned in to mud, "But I'm getting a little sick of being beaten on by you water obsessed trainers." "Try getting more diverse pokemon," replied Miranda, running onto the field with open arms just in time to catch the falling staryu, "Ah! Gotcha! Oh goodness you're heavy!" The staryu almost seemed offended by the comment, but levitated slightly as Miranda set him down on the ground. "Nice going, Shadow!" his trainer exclaimed happily, holding up two fingers in the traditional symbol for victory, "Couldn't have done it without ya!" "And congratulations to you, dear," commented Miranda as she stood up, untucking her now wet t-shirt so she could wring it out a bit and smiled. Misty returned the smile as she walked past the woman. "It was easy," she told Miranda as their fingers entwined, "You were my inspiration..." Miranda turned as Misty continued on, her shoes making squishing noises in the now muddy floor as the two held out their arms to maintain contact for as long as possible. "I think that's my line," Miranda chuckled as their fingers slid over one another until contact was reluctantly broken, "But I'll let you get away with it this time." Misty glanced over her shoulder as she approached the gym leader. The girl caught Miranda's gaze and smiled mischievously. "That'll be one Boulder Badge, sir," she said, walking towards Flint without breaking eye contact with her lover. The man grunted in reply, holding out his large hand. Misty turned back to him and nodded as she reached out with her much smaller fingers to take the badge. "Thank you," she replied politely, her voice a sounding a little sad as she took the small object. "Not a problem, lady," said Flint with a shrug, in a tone that implied that he was getting too old for this, "Just make sure you tell my son to get his butt down here next time you see him." Misty shuddered involuntarily as she turned away, the look on her face causing Miranda's heart to sink. "I'll be sure to do that," Misty answered quietly before running over to Shadow and hugging him happily, covering her mood with a bright smile, "Look what you one us!" she laughed, but Miranda could see the turmoil in her eyes. "We'll talk later," the courier responded, putting a hand on Misty's shoulder. The water trainer glanced up, her expression becoming more serious, and nodded before standing up and leading her pokemon off the field. "It's just bad memories, dear," Misty said with a shrug as Miranda stood ready for her crack at a Boulder Badge. The gym leader met her calm, serious gaze with a slight shiver, and Miranda smiled a little at the thought of such a large man being afraid of her. "Are you ready?" she inquired politely, "Or would you like to establish some extra ground rules?" Flint nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, actually," he answered with a gruff, but not unfriendly tone, "One on one as with your friend there, but this time, please no water pokemon. Okay?" Miranda's half smile became a full-fledged grin. "Not a problem," she said glancing at the rattata on her shoulder, "You're up, dearest." The man nearly burst out laughing as the rattata leaped to the floor where he stood upon his hind legs. "Nez, umi!" he exclaimed in challenge, rolling one small forepaw into a fist and raising into the air. With a polite cough Flint pulled a second pokeball from his belt. "A rattata, eh?" he said rhetorically, tossing the sphere onto the field, causing a squat, round rock-type to materialize, "It'll be nice to have the advantage for once. Go, Krystal!" "Don't bet on it," chuckled Misty, kneeling beside her exhausted staryu on the sidelines, "That's no ordinary rattata!" "Indeed," replied Miranda, reaching into her shirt, and pulling out the small, rounded, and very well polished dark, stone she now wore on the end of a silver chain, "Nezumi, show the nice golem what you can do." With a confident grin, the rattata took a deep breath before firing an ice beam over the golem's head. Both trainer and pokemon ducked instinctively, their heads moving to follow the path of the beam as it struck the wall near the ceiling. Then, as the beam faded out, a small section of wall began making unpleasant crackling noises as a small sheet of ice formed upon it. "A- An ice beam?!" stammered Flint, looking back at Miranda in astonishment, "Where the heck did he learn that?!" Miranda folded her arms across her chest, shifting slightly as she put most of her weight onto her left leg. "Nezumi's quite an exceptional rattata," she said simply, keeping her smile polite, "You would do well not to underestimate him." "I see," the gym leader said thoughtfully, shaking his head in disbelief, "Oh well, at least if the rumors are true I won't spend so much time getting my butt kicked..." "Firstly," replied Miranda, raising her index finger slowly into the air, "Never assume you've lost until after the battle, and secondly," she lifted a second finger, "What rumor?" "Oh, haven't you heard?" Flint exclaimed in surprise as his golem sat down heavily and Nezumi yawned, looking bored, "They're opening a ninth gym." "Ninth gym?" inquired both Miranda and Misty in unison. The aging Gym Leader nodded. "I thought you trainers were always up on such news?" he pondered, "Oh well. Hasn't been officially confirmed yet anyway." "We've been on the road for a while," replied Miranda with a shrug, "And this badge collecting thing is just a hobby for me. Misty's the one who's serious about it." "Irregardless," he continued, glancing down at his golem as she staggered awkwardly to her feet, "Shall we begin?" "So be it," answered Miranda dramatically, as the previously prone Nezumi kippupped to attention and grinned toothily at his opponent, "Nezumi, prepare for battle." "Go!" exclaimed Misty from the sidelines, as anxious to see Miranda win, as she was to leave the town of Pewter behind. Without hesitation, the Pewter Gym's leader pointed dramatically at Nezumi. "Krystal! Avalanche attack!" The golem didn't hesitate to obey her trainer, withdrawing her stubby limbs and even head like some strange round turtle made of stone, and beginning to spin in place. "Nezumi, 'there not there'," Miranda replied simply in a calm voice. Flint blinked loudly as his golem spun off with the sound of scraping stone, hurtling herself at the little rattata. Nezumi narrowed his eyes slightly as the spinning boulder barreled towards him before leaping into the air at high speed. The golem flew past his original position, but stopped herself after only a few feet, before sailing off in the direction Nezumi had leapt. "Nice variation on the 'quick attack'," the gym leader commented, having trouble following Nezumi as he bounded off several large boulders and short stone pillars. "Effective use of the 'withdraw' technique as well," Miranda complimented, enjoying the game as Krystal smashed her way through the rocky outcroppings that Nezumi began continually using to propel himself through the air, dodging the giant sentient boulder without much of a problem. "But your pokemon is running out of room to maneuver," the man replied, watching with satisfaction as Nezumi barely rebounded in time to avoid becoming a part of a pile of dust that was once a boulder. "Ne! Ratta!" taunted Nezumi, the purple blur streaking towards the final stationary object on the field. Krystal gave an angry exclamation, turning at such a high speed that she dug out a small trench in the stony ground before rocketing towards the infuriatingly rebounding rattata. "Now, Nezumi!" exclaimed Miranda, expressing a rare emotional outburst, "Cone of cold!" "Raaaa!" Nezumi shouted triumphantly as he hurtled towards Krystal, the unstoppable force verse the immovable object, and let loose with the crackling blue hued energy wave known commonly as an ice beam. Krystal's trainer gritted his teeth, and nearly had an aneurysm as the beam went wide, sailing overtop of the rock pokemon to impact with the far wall. "Nezumi!" exclaimed both Miranda and Misty in unison as Nezumi went flying end over end through the air. "Give up?" the gym leader inquired as Krystal rolled after the rattata, the loud stone on stone noises of her passage almost drowned out by Nezumi's unhappy wail. "I-! I-!" stammered Miranda, her mind too focused on Nezumi's well-being to think straight, but as her mouth began to form the words, Nezumi's blur began to glow. "Nezumi!" called Miranda, "What are you-?!" But the woman cut herself off, understanding perfectly her pokemon's intentions and motivations as his form expanded in size. The rattata's mass becoming at least ten times its former stature for the second time in his life. Then, just as the glowing white light dissipated, and Nezumi landed on his feet, the golem gave out a loud surprised shriek. "Nez!" exclaimed the raticate as he leaped forward and grabbed hold of the golem's round body before using Krystal's momentum against her, tossing the huge boulder into the air behind him. The three humans followed the suddenly airborne pokemon with their eyes as she sailed up into the air and crashed into the wall, taking a considerable chunk out of it. "Nezumi! You evolved again!" commented Miranda, uncertain as to whether to be happy or just amazed. "Nez, nezumi," the raticate replied, with a nonchalant shrug. Meanwhile, Krystal had managed to unfurl her limbs and was glowering darkly at the over grown rodent before her. "Goooolem," she growled menacingly, grabbing a fair sized chunk of rock from the ground in front of her, and hefting it into the air. The raticate looked from his trainer to the golem with his usual confidence, and smiled as he filled his lungs, anticipating the attack. It came in short order, with a loud exclamation from Krystal. Nezumi watched the hurtled rock as it flew unerringly towards him for a moment before unleashing his now much larger ice beam. The rock didn't seem affected at first as a thin coating of ice covered its dull gray surface, but as it fell towards Nezumi with all the force of a Second Impact, its intended victim sprang into action. With a sound that could have been a triumphant laugh as much as it could have been a smart assed remark, Nezumi spun on his heel and swung his now much longer tail around. He hit the rock while it was still in the air, eliciting a face-fault from Krystal as the projectile shattered into a thousand pieces. "Wow!" laughed Misty from the sidelines as Nezumi brushed the gravel from his shoulder like it was nothing, "When'd he learn that trick?" "You amaze even me, dearest!" agreed Miranda, laughing as Nezumi held up a paw, waving it dismissively. "He certainly is something," agreed Flint, focusing on his own pokemon, "Krystal! Underground, now!" The golem nodded once, before retracting her limbs again and spinning in place. As if by magic, the ground rumbled beneath their collective feet, opening up under Krystal before swallowing her up seemingly without a trace. Thus leaving Nezumi alone on the field. For a moment the silence was almost deafening. "Ratta?" the rodent pokemon exclaimed, looking at the golem's trainer like he was an idiot before leaping forwards and burrowing underground himself, his sharp claws ripping and tearing at the dirt floor in a method far less stylish than the golem, but no less effective. "That's quite a versatile pokemon you have," commented Flint in the dreadful calm that followed. "Normal types always have the advantage," assured Miranda, her eyes focused on the hole Nezumi had disappeared into. "Except of course, against fighting types," the man corrected her, causing the woman to flinch. "Don't remind me!" Miranda growled, her hands becoming fists as bad memories assaulted her mental defenses. "My apologies," the man replied a little too offhandedly, paying attention to the sudden rumbling sound beneath their feet, "What the-?!" "An earthquake?" inquired Misty rhetorically as the walls of the old warehouse that held the Gym began to shudder visibly. "No," responded Flint, looking thoughtful, "Definitely not an earthquake. More like our pokemon just found each other!" Both trainers glanced down at the floor as the rumbling became louder and more ominous. Just on the edge of their hearing they could hear scratching noises, interspaced by the voices of both pokemon scrambling around in the dark. "What do you suppose they're doing down there?" inquired Misty, looking worried and hugging Shadow protectively. Miranda shook her head, seemingly unconcerned. "I have faith in my Nezumi," she said simply, glancing up at Flint as a peculiar white light suddenly burst forth from both holes the raticate had dug. "Evolution?!" the gym leader exclaimed, immediately recognizing the source of the light. "Interesting," commented Miranda, her calm unbroken by the tension in the air, the strange light, or the fact that the rumbling was getting louder, and that the floor was cracking at its center. "But golems and raticates don't evolve any further," muttered Flint, shaking his head. "Perhaps they found another pokemon," Miranda postulated, smiling as the floor began to buckle and small jets of water began spraying out of the cracks, "Or maybe not..." With that, the center of the floor exploded upwards and outwards, sending chunks of rock and cold water flying in all directions. In the middle of it all, a large rounded shape was scrambling in mid air, its stubby limbs scrambling for purchase. "Krystal!" exclaimed Flint, running onto the field, becoming soaked and bruised in the process. "Nezumi?" inquired Miranda, sudden concern gripping her as a small shape became visible on top of a panicking golem. "Nez, ra!" the once again little pokemon called back reassuringly, laughing as he scampered across the continually rotating surface of Krystal. For its part, the water seemed unwilling to let up, traveling at high speed most of the way to the ceiling before raining down in all directions like a geyser. At first it seemed that a simple water main had burst, but as the smell caught up with them, all those present realized it was high-pressure sewer pipe. "Nezumi!" called Miranda, her voice sounding odd as she held her nose. "Krystal!" called Flint, his gruff voice almost comical as he followed suit. "Return!" commanded both trainers, each holding out pokeballs and sending out crimson beams of light that dematerialized their pokemon for easy storage...
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