Battle Against Gym Leader, Brock (Finale)

"Storm…" He said, almost up tearing with joy. A smile was on his young sheep pokemon as the electric-type turned around, still panting from the fight, and took a look over to his trainer. Storm was smiling back. 'We did it!"

Even the injuries that Storm had sustained from Onix were briefly forgotten, replaced with the pure adrenaline of joy.

And in that joy, something unthinkable happened.

Using the last of his strength, Storm pumped a hoof at Cinder's way with a powerful look of determination.

Suddenly...

Storm's body suddenly began to glow. Cinder had to close his eyes shut from the sudden flash. The sheep's body grew, ever so slightly, until he was noticeably taller, bigger, and wider than he was before. The wool on his body parted apart as it moved on the neck area and head part, his mostly yellow body replaced with pink.

Cinder and all the spectators, including Brock and Forrest both started when Storm's body began to envelop in bright, white light.

As the light finally died down, Cinder Lark was left gawking at the newly evolved Flaffy that was now standing on his hind legs on the partially destroyed battlefield.

"Storm… evolved..." he said, stunned.

But before the celebration could escalate, they turned their focus to Brock from the sudden voice that interrupted in.

"Oh? What's this? It evolved huh..."

Both Cinder and Storm turned to Brock. The still exhausted, but now evolved Storm, looked on vigilantly.

A red beam of light engulfed Onix as the beast was sucked back into Brock's pokeball. Holding the orb in his hand, Brock lowered his arm as he eyed Cinder evenly, this time, a trace of acknowledgement was added that Cinder could notice.

"So… perhaps your little monologue wasn't just for the sake of hearing yourself talk after all." His gaze intensified. "You still haven't proven that it's going to change anything, though, evolved or not" He began reclipping Onix's Poke Ball and unclipping another.

Cinder glared back at him, his fists clenching as the now Flaffy pokemon, Storm, took another battle stance, the young Flaffy doing his best to remain stoic despite his obvious exhaustion and injuries.

'Don't let him intimidate you, Cinder.' The young boy thought to himself. 'That is exactly what he wants. Fire back!'

"Then we'll just keep fighting until we have."

As Storm nodded the affirmative, Brock's lips tugged upwards, the man holding up his pokeball.

"Heh. You're starting to amuse me a bit. But it will take a lot more than that to get me to lose focus."

Geodude reappeared on the rocky field.

Cinder looked down at the partially recovered and healed Storm that was caused by the evolution, nonetheless, was still exhausted and was doing his best to hide his condition.

"Storm… can you keep going?"

At Storm's nod, the newly evolved, Flaffy, turning his head slightly to give his trainer a determined look, Cinder nodded back with equal determination before raising his head to observe their opponent.

Both Pokemon were injured from their previous battles. Storm was tired, but was powering through his exhaustion with everything he could. Geodude was wounded pretty badly, but kept itself upright and fought through the pain.

This was a contest between two Pokemon who refused to give in.

"Storm… that Geodude beat Hercule before. But he left behind those injuries. Focus on the gash. One Iron Tail should do the trick."

Storm nodded firmly, fixing his glare onto his rock-ground type opponent.

Storm didn't waste any time as Forrest gave the signal. With unrivaled defiance, the ovine pokemon began, bolting towards the opponent, however, it's sudden evolution evidently showed a new problem, with it's current form, Flaaffy was more comfortable running on its hind legs, which greatly reduced his running speed, coupled with the exhaustion and injury he got from battling Brock's Onix, he wasn't in a great shape for battle right now, fortunately, same goes for their opponent, they still got a chance.

A much deep metallic coating surrounded Storm's now pink tail, charging up his Iron Tail to end the fight quickly, whilst he, as fast as the pokemon could, bolted towards his opponent supported by Agility.

But Brock was already giving orders. "Stone Blockade!"

Brock's next order surprised Cinder.

'Stone Blockade?'

Stretching out its massive hands, Geodude glowered up at Storm as a large rock suddenly began to materialise in between its palms. It was at least as big as Geodude itself, and Geodude, despite its painful injuries, held it with ease as it raised the stone in front of its face, but still holding it closely.

Acting as a makeshift shield, the large stone took the brunt of Storm's Iron Tail, providing the Geodude with an extra, and powerful cushion against the force of the attack. Cinder snarled in frustration as Geodude was only slightly pushed back, but not even remotely caught off balance or winded. Geodude leered towards him dangerously.

"Throw it!"

Cinder started and took a light step backwards as Geodude raised the large stone over its head, bringing both of its arms back as it took aim at the Flaaffy.

It was already pretty darn precise with that Rock Blast, and the young ovine pokemon was now having more and more trouble maintaining her momentum with newly gotten form from the evolution.

And Geodude was obviously incredibly strong. Even with that rock's obvious weight, it was going to be chucked at high speeds with the force that the Geodude would inevitably be putting into it. Certainly far too fast for Storm to avoid…

"Don't give it breathing room! Iron Tail!"

Even though uncomfortable by the new form, Storm still has his moves and groove as it maneuvered to Geodude's blind spot and whacked the ground/rock-type on the back. Storm didn't stop there knowing that he couldn't let the battle go on further, with one tubby hand that has a, single white claw, he pinned Geodude on the back and unleased a move that Cinder and Brock haven't saw the pokemon performed so far.

Storm raised his free hand that was glowing with white and orange aura behind it, slamming Geodude firmly on the ground. He didn't stop, after the first, he reared his other hand and once again slammed his opponent with the same attack, mercilessly, Storm didn't stop from his frenzy as he channeled Iron Tail which he took his time to gain momentum with a leap skywards and dropped delivers the attack brutally with a summersault.

On the background, Brock was frantically calling out commands, but neither Geodude and Storm was able to decipher it from the loud cracking on the former's body as it received the attacks.

Storm ceased his attacks thinking that it was enough, he leaped back and waited for the dust to settle in.

As the dust dissipates, Geodude is now seen, gasping and clearly in so much pain, it's rocky hide was noticeably cracked and significantly damaged The ground/rock-type had been finished by that final Iron Tail, and although it had used what remaining strength that it could to let loose that final 'Stone Blockade' it was no longer able to ignore the pain.

Eventually, after a good few seconds, the pokemon, after struggling to give up, collapsed backwards halfway through.

"Geodude is unable to battle! Maree- Flaaffy wins!" The young boy corrected himself for a second, as he then gestured over to Cinder's side of the battlefield. "The victory goes to our challenger, Cinder Lark of Pallet Town!"

It had all come to an end now.

First shock.

Then disbelief.

And then… triumph. Satisfaction. Joy.

"STORM!!!" Suddenly unable to contain himself, Cinder scooped up his starter and pulled him into an ecstatic embrace. "You're the greatest, buddy! You all are!"

Had Cinder not been so overwhelmed with emotion, he might have heard the clapping from the stands, or noticed the look of respect and acceptance on Brock's face as Geodude was sucked into the beam of red light.

But all of that was completely drowned out by his racing thoughts, and the feeling of Storm's now white wool against his skin. He didn't even care that his starter's blood might get on him. That wasn't part of his thoughts right now.

Their first ever gym battle. Their most important battle yet. Their most difficult battle yet.

And they had won.

Exhausted but overjoyed, Storm let out a satisfied bleak as his cheek brushed against Cinder's. At the moment, there wasn't just trust between the two of them. Right now, as Storm snuggled up with his trainer, the sheep was feeling genuine affection.

The sound of footsteps brought them back to the world, and Cinder turned to see Brock making his way towards them, flanked by a slightly shaken Forrest. Storm turned his head to see the two approaching as well, and was set down by Cinder as gently as possible, returning to his sitting position as he craned his head upwards towards the humans.

"Impressive." Although the powerful aura in his voice remained, the tone was no longer harsh. "Using your opponent's strategy against them is fundamental to just about any kind of pokemon battle, but it is rare for a beginner level trainer such as yourself to take that kind of initiative in your first ever Gym battle."

Cinder eyed Brock carefully, but the joy flowing through him didn't leave his heart. He wasn't sure if the rush of their victory would ever wear off at this rate.

Brock reached into his pocket as he continued to speak. Forrest stayed slightly behind him as he watched the exchange.

"You had a rough start with your Poliwag, but something changed in you in the moment when everything mattered. When you were left feeling hopeless, when running away seemed like the perfect choice to make, you stayed and fought. And so did your team."

Cinder's eyes widened at the small object that the Gym Leader pulled out and held in his hand.

"You never would have accomplished anything if you took the easy way out like that. And you seemed to know that. Not many rookie trainers can clear a Gym this early, but since you've passed the test, I'm proud to give you this." He extended his hand, the small object resting safely in his palm. "The symbol of your victory today. The Boulder Badge."

Cinder gazed at the object for a good few seconds.

It was something that he was never sure he'd see in person. Something that his subconscious had told him was just an ideal that he could never properly pursue. A symbol of success. Something that he could never achieve.

But it was here. Right now. In front of him. And it was for him, specifically.

Reaching out slowly, as if afraid that the badge would disappear the moment his hand got too close, Cinder took hold of the object delicately, raising it in front of his face with a trembling hand.

His cheeks felt wet.

Locking eyes with his starter once again, Cinder found himself and Storm exchanging smiles. A small nod was made by the young trainer as his starter's smile grew into a beam.

A week together. Including around the week's worth of training for this specific battle. The fruits of their labor had come in the form of something so small, so tiny, and yet, so meaningful.

They had taken their first step towards the Indigo Plateau. Towards the ultimate goal for all pokemon trainers under Kanto and Johto's joint operational League.

And they had done it together.

Him. Storm and Hercule. They'd earned this. It was all theirs.

Brock's voice brought him back to reality as the young trainer locked eyes with his ruthless opponent, who had pushed him and his team farther than he could have ever thought possible. The first of many Gym Leaders that they would have to face and overcome, and an opponent that none of them would ever soon be forgetting.

"Not even a month into the season and you've already earned your first badge. That puts you more than thrice as far as your average rookie." His lips were sticking up. "Way to go, kid."

It didn't matter if Blue or Red were better. It didn't matter who was destined for greatness. Cinder Lark was not at the bottom anymore. And he never would be at the bottom, ever again.

And he was just getting started.

They were just getting started.

This time, the young boy brought himself back to reality.

"Thank you…" He eyed Brock carefully. His voice was trembling a bit, but he was getting better now. All of a sudden… it felt like his voice was coming out… a lot more clearly. "I've dreamed about this for so long… and…"

Brock's arms were crossed. "Yes… it must be… nice… to have so much passion for something like this." As Cinder knelt down to put the badge in the back pocket of his bag, Brock pulled something else out. With an outstretched hand, he presented it to Cinder. "Two more thing I would like to give you."

Standing back upright and eying the object in the Gym Leader's hand, Cinder blinked. "A TM and a Badge Case?"

"The Badge Case is for you, you have officially entered the road towards the League, which means this would be the start of you trying to qualify on the upcoming season's conference. The TM is Rock Blast, one of my own personal favorites." As Cinder took the disc and casing carefully, Brock continued, watching the young trainer carefully placing it in his possession. "It's perfect for quick rapid fire offense. If you ever get a pokemon that can learn the Move, I'd recommend it."

Nodding in silent thanks, a thought suddenly occurred to Cinder. "How did your Geodude do that?"

Brock frowned. "Do what?"

"That… technique… where it created the large boulder shield? I think you called it Stone Blockade…"

Brock perked up in understanding. "Oh, yeah, that. That was a modified form of Rock Throw. Instead of forming multiple rocks at once, I had Geodude focus all of his energy into creating a single, larger rock. It's great for defense, and counterattacks as well." He frowned slightly. "I couldn't figure out the details of your Storm's fighting style at first, so I decided to use that after much deduction from how it battled. An error on my part. Just like how I fell for your last trick with that Double Team against my Onix."

Cinder nodded in understanding.

"You'll be facing off against a lot of opponents with unique techniques that you won't be prepared for." Brock warned. "You've already started developing them yourself. If you want to keep up, you'll have to keep making more. Don't stop growing."

Cinder nodded. He would never stop. He could never stop. Now that he knew what it was like, to rise above everything that stood in his way, he would continue to do so.

And he would ensure that he helped his team to do the same. They were all in this together, and he owed all of this to them.

As he prepared to walk off, Brock made one last statement. "I can tell that something changed in you today, Lark. You're not perfect, but you're definitely a stronger person than when you first came in here." Eying the boy crucially, he continued. "It feels like a fire was lit in you." He turned around, looking back to the young boy as he prepared to leave. "Now that you've proven yourself, the rest of the Gym Leaders are going to be pushing you far harder than myself today. Don't disappoint them. Keep tempering that resolve of yours. And make sure that fire never gets snuffed out. Find out how to make it blaze even brighter. You'll need to. If you can do that, I'm sure that the Indigo Plateau will be in your future." With those final words of advice, he walked off, Forrest giving Cinder a quick thumbs up and a friendly grin before following after him.

Taking a deep breath, Cinder watched as the two of them walked off. Keep the fire lit. Blaze it even brighter. Continue growing.

Brock was the strongest opponent that they had ever faced. If they had rushed into the battle without their days of prior training, any one of his pokemon could have easily mopped the floor with his entire team. And single handedly, at that. The Pewter City Gym Leader had challenged them in ways that nobody else ever had up to this point.

And this was only just the beginning. But they were going to be ready.

Kneeling down, Cinder smiled at Storm again as he held up his pokeball.

"Thanks, buddy. I'm going to be taking you guys to the Pokemon Center, now. Then we can pick up some treats to celebrate, with Dom and Diana."

At the young sheep nod, Cinder tapped the pokeball against Storm's forehead, and the Flaaffy was sucked it.

As Cinder made his way out of the room, through the hallway, and passed the older boy at the counter, he felt something new inside of him as he approached the doors leading to the outside world. It felt… different. And he preferred it.

The prologue to his journey had come to an end.

The real adventure was only just about to begin.

/

Brock stood in the center of the devastated battlefield with his arms crossed. The last bout had done some incredible damage to it. It would take at least a few hours until the battlefield was ready for challengers again.

By now, all of the spectators had left, and returned to work. Pretty soon the maintenance crew would be here to fix up the battlefield for the next chapter. There were likely to be at least a few today, as per usual.

Standing beside him, Forrest looked upwards at his older brother, eying him carefully as Brock surveyed the scene.

"Did you enjoy the battle?" he asked casually.

"...About as much as I'd be able to." Brock answered honestly.

Pokemon battling had never been his passion. But battles like this one, at the very least, prevented him from disliking his current profession outright.

Forrest smiled, looking ahead as his grin defined his face. "That guy was pretty talented. I really didn't think he was going to win at first."

Brock nodded at that. "He certainly showed some signs of potential. I was almost certain that he was going to be just another newbie to be sent packing, but he really did come through in the end. Before him, only four other rookies had managed to get the badge so far."

Only that grandson and pedigree of Professor Oak's, along with a mysterious girl, and that foreigner boy from Sinnoh.

And now this seemingly unremarkable kid. Hopefully more of the rookies showing up would end up being like them. Then this job would remain quite tolerable. But he could only hope for such a thing right now. Either way, until Forrest was ready, it was still going to be his job to take on every challenger, and either grant them his approval, or teach them a lesson. It was his responsibility for now. One that he would continue to carry out with the utmost dedication. The job was more demanding than most. Ironically, it was likely part of the reason why it was coveted so much.

"By the way," He said, turning to his younger brother with an approving smile. "You did a good job as referee. You just need to carry your voice a bit more. It'll be especially important when you're the one commanding the team."

The boy nodded. "I think I learned a lot, too. About strategy, I mean."

The Gym Leader certainly couldn't disagree with that.

"Yes, that's a big part of why it's so important to watch these battles. You need to see how somebody with the skill level of a Gym Leader fights, and how the challengers will respond. In the end, our ultimate responsibility is to test the trainers."

Looking over at the remnants of a shattered boulder, Forrest rested his chin against his palm. "All of your Pokemon were stronger than his. He seemed to favor maneuverability and knocking them off balance…and he was able to take advantage of the dust clouds when they were supposed to prevent the fight from turning in his former Mareep's favor..."

Brock nodded. "Competent enough. He's got a long way to go before he will be ready for the likes of LT. Surge or Koga, though."

The Gym Leader flinched at the thought of his two ruthless colleagues. For Cinder's own sake, the boy had better hope that he'll have improved astronomically once the time came for the trainer to face the two of them.

Glancing at his watch, Brock turned to face his brother in full. A smile appeared on his face. "You should do this more often. It's good for you, and… it'll give us a little bit more time to spend together, at least in some way."

Forrest beamed up at his brother and nodded as Brock place a hand on the boy's head. Turning away, Brock made his way back to his office.

Another challenger had come and gone, and now, it was back to doing what he usually did in between bouts.

'Gotta file that report for the battle first.' he thought to himself. 'After that, it's back to the magazine column.'