Brock Gonna Rock Yah Part 2
"Hello." Humans
"Pika-chu." Pokémon addressing humans
"Hello." Pokémon addressing Pokémon
"Ash! Be careful!" Lillie cried out as Ash made his way down the bleacher steps.
"Lillie, you're a good friend, but give it up. He's gonna go in Blastoise a blazing." Gary replied, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You weren't even trying with that pun." Lillie answered, giving him a side eye.
"Because I'm worried too, okay." Gary replied, making sure Ash was out of earshot.
Ash smiled as he walked down, adjusting his backpack and making sure his Pokéballs were on his belt properly. He felt his hands get sweaty under his gloves, forcing him to adjust them. His heart began to pound, and his blood ran hot. As he walked down, he saw Isaac come up from the battlefield. However, as they crossed, the young Bushi stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Best of luck out there Ash. And be careful. His Pokémon aren't easy to hurt, even with a type advantage. You might need to come back after getting some more…" Isaac said, before Ash cut him off.
"I don't need more Pokémon. I'm not going to do that." Ash replied.
"Why don't you want to add more Pokémon to your team? It makes it more versatile and able to handle…" Isaac explained, before Ash turned to look at him and strongly answered him.
"I'm not going to just catch a Pokémon because I can or use it to get over a hurdle. I want Pokémon by my side that want to be with me." Ash asserted.
Isaac sighed and shook his head. "Fine. Don't listen to me. See what happens…" He replied before heading up to the stands and taking his seat.
As Isaac walked up, Ash stared at him a bit before turning and heading down to face Brock. As he did, he looked at his surroundings. He remembered all those times during shifts at the lab or late at night, he watched battles in this exact arena on the TV. It felt so surreal to finally step down into the arena. As he settled into his spot on the field, he had to wait for Brock. Up in the stands, Isaac sat down next to Lillie with a sigh.
"Are you okay, Isaac?" Gary asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Isaac sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm not. It's not that I don't understand where Ash is coming from, but him refusing to do the wise thing because of his own sentiments is going to cost him this battle." He replied, sounding a bit frustrated.
Lillie looked over Isaac as he sat there before finally speaking. "You don't want him to lose, do you?" Lillie asked.
Isaac shook his head. "Of course I don't. In Gym Battles to qualify for the League, you're only allowed to lose three times in a row against the Gym Leaders before you're disqualified from participating in the League. I know how much it means to Ash for him to make it to the League and I don't want him to be crushed because he let his own stubbornness keep him from being wise. Especially since some Gym Leaders can be pretty merciless with their challengers…" He explained sadly.
"Three times in a row?" Lillie asked in confusion.
"You get a loss either against three Gyms in a row, or three times in a row against the same Gym Leader, you're disqualified. Though, honestly, I think you two are worrying too soon." Gary explained, which caught both of them off guard.
"Why aren't you more worried!? If Ash loses it will hurt him!" Lillie snapped.
Isaac then seemed like he got where Gary was coming from. "If Ash does lose here, it'll be important for his growth as a trainer." He said, as if partially reading the young Oak's mind.
"And let's be fair to Ashy-Boy, you two! We don't know if he will lose! Isaac, you've yet to take a clean win off him, and you haven't even tried to take him on Lillie! Ash is a Kantonian through and through! Win or lose, he's gonna stand his ground and give it everything he's got!" Gary said, standing up and posing with bravado.
"Squirtle Squirt!!!" Gary's Squirtle chipped in, mimicking his trainer.
Isaac gave a small smile and nodded, looking down at Ash seriously. "You've got this, Ketchum…" He quietly said.
Down in the Arena
"Pikachu, where is he?" Ash muttered to his partner.
"Pika Pika." Pikachu replied lazily from inside his backpack.
"This is our first Gym battle and you're about to take a nap!? I need you!" Ash snapped.
Pikachu's ears perked up at that as he immediately bolted awake. Hopping from Ash's backpack, he landed down on the floor of the arena beside his trainer. A flame burned in his eyes as sparks danced off his cheek pouches, showing how fired up the little electric Mouse Pokémon was.
"That's it, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.
"Well, I have to give you points for having a bold, if unorthodox strategy!" Came the booming voice of Brock from the tunnel.
Ash and everyone else in the arena turned to look at Brock came out again, his Pokéballs attached to his belt, and still shirtless. As he walked down, he kept his eyes squarely on Ash. His gaze was immediately felt by the young Kantonian, as his throat got a bit dry. This was everything he wanted… but now he was not so sure he was ready for this. Gritting his teeth, he dug his heels into the soft, dusty field.
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Ash said with a smile, trying to hide his own insecurities.
Brock smiled a bit. "I already like the cut of your jib. Let's have a good battle. What do you say?" He replied with an amused chuckle.
Ash gave the biggest smile anyone had ever seen from him. "I love the sound of that! Let's do this!" He cried out.
"Pik-a-chu!!" Pikachu chipped in.
The Referee looked between the two trainers. "This match is between the Gym Leader Brock and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! Each trainer will be allowed two Pokémon, though only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions! This battle will proceed until one trainer has no more remaining active Pokémon! Contestants, send out your first Pokémon!" The Ref let out, his voice echoing through the Gym.
Brock pulled out and enlarged one Pokéball before throwing it out. "Geodude, let's go!" He called out.
The ball popped open as blue light burst from it. From the light, out came Brock's Geodude. Punching twice before smacking the ground, Geodude then flexed as he let out a roar.
"GEOOOO-DUDE!" The Rock-Type Pokémon howled out.
Ash smiled at that, before turning his hat backwards and taking a Pokéball from his belt. "Butterfree! I choose you!!" He yelled as he threw the ball.
The ball arced up high before opening, revealing in a flash of blue light the resplendent bug type.
"Butter-frreeeee!!" He cried, before making a loop in the air.
Up in the stands, the other class members began to get confused, and some even began to snicker. However, before Isaac or Gary could get to their classmates, Benjamin stood up and addressed them.
"Shut yer yaps, all a' ya'! If he's sendin' out a Butterfree for this battle, he obviously has some kinda plan! Now stick a cork in it and watch!" Benjamin roared out, glaring harshly at the other students.
As the rest of the class began to simmer down, Isaac stood up to address him, a small smile on his face.
"Thank you, Benjamin." Isaac told the martial artist trainer.
"No problem. It's the least I could do." Benjamin replied with a smile.
"Big guy with a heart of gold. Don't normally see that these days." Gary chipped in with a small smile of his own.
Benjamin then took his seat and watched the battle intently. "Now let's see what kinda plan yer pal's cooked up fer this battle." He said seriously, watching closely.
"Come on Ash. You can do this…" Lillie muttered nervously.
The Referee looked at Brock, then back at Ash. Then he raised both his flags up high, leaving them up for but a moment. Then he swung them down hard as he called out.
"Begin!!" The Ref yelled out.
"Geodude! Start things off with a Tackle!" Brock ordered.
"Geo!" The rock monster replied, before using its arms to throw itself into the air at Butterfree.
As it launched itself forward, Ash soon then let out a cry.
"Dodge and use String Shot to throw it into the floor!" Ash cried out.
With a simple nod, Butterfree effortlessly fluttered out of the way, before shooting a string of silk from its mouth. The sticky webbing latched onto the flying Geodude's arm, but the sudden force threatened to pull Butterfree along with it. Lurching hard to the right, Butterfree began to spin Geodude round and round, faster and faster, before cutting the string with his teeth. Geodude then plummeted to the ground face first, even bouncing and skidding across the ground after it landed.
"Geodude! Are you all right!?" Brock cried out.
"Geo! Dude!" His partner replied, shaking himself off.
Brock let out a small smile at that. "Alright, they want to play rough, then let's play in kind! Get moving fast and ramp up to hit it with Rollout!" Brock ordered.
Geodude smiled as it threw itself with its arms forward, before tucking them in as he rolled around. He began to make circles in the arena, building up speed for the attack. While Butterfree could keep up with it due to his keen eyesight, Ash knew he needed to do something.
"Slow it down with Gust Butterfree!" Ash ordered, throwing his hand forward.
"Butterfree!" Butterfree cried out before beginning to flap his wings hard.
Powerful gusts of wind began to buffet Geodude as he went. He was not really hurt by the move, though he did feel his outer rocky hide sting, it made it harder for him to move. As Butterfree kept it up, the loose dust of the arena began to pick up a bit, making it so Geodude occasionally disappeared into a cloud of dust. Up in the stands, however, the battle was turning out far differently from what anyone thought it would.
"It looks like a stalemate…" Lillie muttered as she wrote down some notes.
Isaac smirked at that. "Not quite, Lillie. I have to admit, Ash is cleverer than I thought." He replied knowingly.
"I've neva seen anyone use String Shot like that…" Benjamin said in shock.
"Well, that's Ash for ya. He plays by only one set of rules. His own." Gary chipped in with a smile.
"True. But it looks like he's already moving in for the kill." Isaac said, seeing what Ash was about to do.
"What do you mean by that?" Lillie asked.
"Watch and see, Lillie. Watch and see…" Isaac replied cryptically.
Ash watched as the dust slowly rose up into low, cluttering clouds. He rubbed his own heel in it to test how it moved. Seeing it shift rather easily; he then got an idea.
"Butterfree! Use Gust at max power on the field!" Ash ordered.
This caught Butterfree off guard, but he nodded as he got to work. Straining hard, his wings kicked up the kind of wind one would see in an industrial fan. Brock stood there confused at what he hoped to accomplish, but he quickly found out. The loose dust soon billowed into a great dust cloud, to the point where Geodude, now free of the direct Gust, could not see in it. Soon getting so bad he rolled straight into one of the upright rocks in the arena, slamming into it with an echoing thud.
"Geodude! Are you all right in there!?" Brock called out.
"Geo!" Came a strained, gritted reply.
"Now, Butterfree! Use all your might to spread a Sleep Powder into the dust cloud!" Ash ordered.
"Sleep Powder!?" The class cried out in shock.
Isaac smirked. "Hah! I knew it!" He called out.
"When did Ash teach Butterfree Sleep Powder? It just evolved last weekend." Gary asked in confusion.
"It likely learned it soon after evolving. Ash has probably just been keeping it secret to train Butterfree in unique ways of using it. Very clever, Ketchum." Isaac noted with a grin.
"You never know what you'll get next with Ash." Lillie said with a big smile as she furiously began writing that strategy down.
As Butterfree flapped his wings hard and steadily, a greenish blue powder began coming off his wings as he flew over the dust cloud kicked up by his powerful Gust attack. Soon, the Sleep Powder began mixing in with the dust as Geodude coughed and waved his hand to try to clear some away from him. However, the Sleep Powder that mixed in soon began taking effect, lulling him off to sleep as he passed out.
"Geodude!" Brock called out only to hear his partner snoring.
"Go in for the finish, Butterfree! Hit him with a barrage of Bug Bites!" Ash cried out.
Flapping his wings to get some height, Butterfree went into a dive into the dust cloud as an image of a mouth full of ethereal light green fangs appeared in front of his face. As he dove into the dust cloud, a powerful impact was heard as the move connected only for him to swoop back out and go into another dive inside. This continued for at least a minute as Butterfree unleashed Bug Bite after Bug Bite on his sleeping foe, wearing down Geodude's strength and defenses little by little.
"Look at the little guy go. He's hitting them like a Beedrill." Scott said with a smile, crossing his arms.
"If Geodude doesn't wake up soon, the first round will go to Ash and Butterfree." Isaac noted with a smile.
"Go for the finish, Ash! Hit him hard!!" Gary called down to the arena, loud enough that Ash could hear him.
Ash grinned. "You heard Gary, Butterfree. Bug Bite, maximum power and speed!" He called out to his Pokémon.
"Butterr-freee!!" Butterfree cried as he looked around for one more pass.
"Geodude! Wake up! Quick!" Brock called out in concern.
With that, Geodude yawned as his eyes slowly opened. However, his eyes widened in shock as he found Butterfree in front of him, a massive maw of ethereal light green fangs shining in front of the butterfly Pokémon brightly enough to light up the dust cloud. When the move impacted, a massive light green explosion erupted, blowing away the dust cloud with a blast of air pressure.
"Geodude!" Brock cried out before coughing from the oncoming dust.
Soon, an object of some kind was sent flying through the dust. It crashed through multiple rocks before slamming into the wall, cratering it on impact. As the dust settled, the object was revealed to be Geodude, unconscious from that final, explosive Bug Bite attack. Seeing this, the Referee raised his green flag in Ash and Butterfree's direction.
"Geodude, no!" Brock said in shock.
"Geodude is unable to battle! This round goes to Butterfree!" The Ref declared.
"Good job, Butterfree!" Ash cried out.
"Pika Pika Pi!!" Pikachu chipped in.
Butterfree, however, did not respond, as his flapping began to slow, and sweat began to pour down his body. It was clear to all Butterfree was tired, but at the same time, with only two Pokémon available, he could not substitute him. Ash grit his teeth as Brock returned Geodude to his ball before addressing him.
"That was quite the strategy, Ash. Using Butterfree's speed and flight to stay out of our reach, then kicking up a dust cloud to mix with Sleep Powder before going on the attack. Never would've seen that coming." Brock praised him with a smile.
"Thanks! I've been working on it all week!" Ash replied.
"If I'm gonna win this match, then I'll really need to start to rock and roll." Brock replied before pulling out his ball for his ace Pokémon. "Go, Onix!"
In a flash of light, the colossal rock leviathan appeared, letting out a thunderous roar. Butterfree gulped and shivered at the mere sight of it. Every instinct in his body was telling him that this was a tough situation. But he also felt Ash's confidence behind him. Steeling himself, Butterfree stood his ground as the Ref raised his flags again.
"Begin!" The Red declared.
"Start things off strong, Butterfree! Give it all you've got and use Sleep Powder!" Ash called out.
"Don't let that little guy do it, Onix! Hit it with Rock Tomb, now!" Brock ordered rapidly.
"Butter-freeeee!" Butterfree called out as he flapped his wings as hard and steadily as he could in his tired condition, whipping up a thin cloud of Sleep Powder. However, Onix roared as he glowed with a white light, floating rocks appearing around him. With another roar, the rocks were launched at Butterfree, plowing straight through the cloud of sleep powder.
"Dodge, Butterfree! Then use Gust to blow one of the rocks right back at 'em!" Ash called out.
Dodging and weaving, Butterfree dodged around the stone projectiles as one began soaring at him. Putting all his strength into it, he flapped his wings hard and fast to whip up an industrial strength gust of wind. The wind blast slowed the rock down for a moment before launching it right back at Onix, nailing him square in the face as he roared in pain.
"You got this, Onix! Don't let that stop you! Piledrive it into the ground with Tackle and finish this!" Brock ordered.
"Dodge, Butterfree!" Ash ordered.
"OOOOON!" Onix roared before launching himself at Butterfree with all the force he could.
Butterfree flapped as hard as he could to try to dodge, but the force of Onix launching himself made him too fast. The stone leviathan slammed hard into Butterfree headfirst, causing Butterfree to cry out.
"FREEEEE!" Butterfree cried in pain.
"Butterfree!" Ash called in concern as Onix prepared to finish it.
When Onix smashed Butterfree into the ground, the force created a shockwave that kicked up a massive amount of air pressure. The blast wave shot stones and dust through the air as Ash and the crowd covered their faces and called out in shock while Brock stood stoically with his arms crossed. When the dust settled, Onix rose up to his full height again as Butterfree lay in a crater, weakly crying out as he was left unconscious from the force of the impact.
"Butterfree!!" Ash cried out as he rushed over to his Pokémon's side.
"Butterfree is unable to battle! This round goes to Onix!" The Ref declared.
Ash cradled Butterfree in his arms gently. "It's okay, Butterfree. I'm here." He said as he held him.
"Freeee…" Butterfree called weakly, looking saddened by his less than stellar performance against the stone-cold Gym Leader's ace.
"You did great, Butterfree. What other Butterfree can say they beat a Geodude and knocked a rock in an Onix's face?" Ash said with a smile.
Butterfree gave a small, weak smile of his own as Ash pulled out his Pokéball.
"You rest up. You've earned it." Ash said before returning Butterfree to his ball. Then he stood up and returned to his spot.
"Your Butterfree did well, Ash. Geodude went down like a ton of bricks, so Onix and I couldn't afford to hold back." Brock told Ash with a smile.
Ash nodded and clenched his fists. "Then I can't hold back either. Pikachu! You ready!?" He replied.
"Pikaaaaaa…!" Pikachu growled, glaring at Onix as sparks danced off his cheeks.
"You have to be one of the most unorthodox trainers I've ever seen." Brock replied with an amused chuckle.
Ash smiled. "You sound like Isaac. He always says that about me." He replied with a hint of his own amusement.
"Well then, show me what you're made of Ash Ketchum." Brock responded, before looking at the ref.
"Can Pikachu beat Onix? Butterfree went down with one attack…" Lillie asked in concern.
"I don't know, Lillie. Like I said before, some Gym Leaders can be vicious when they want to be. But they have to try…" Isaac replied solemnly.
"From your fight, I didn't see Onix use any ground moves. So, the trick is just breaking through Onix's defenses." Gary explained.
Isaac nodded in agreement. "The problem is that Pikachu doesn't have any attacks strong enough to do that. They'll need to rely on their speed and some quick thinking to have a shot." He said, watching intently.
"Let's just hope they can…" Lillie muttered, her heart pounding. Snowy soon lay on her lap and snuggled her to try and calm her down.
"Begin!" The Ref cried as he swung both his flags.
"Alright, Pikachu! Start this out with Fake out!" Ash ordered.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Brock called out.
"OOOON!" Onix roared out, preparing to rear back for a Tackle.
However, Pikachu was faster as he leaped up into Onix's face. Using his hands, he clapped them together over Onix's cheeks, making him flinch and creating an opening.
"Now use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered, throwing his open hand forward as he said it.
Landing on the ground, Pikachu became coated in a white light as he took off at high speed. Zipping around as he ran up Onix's body, he slammed into the side of the serpentine stone goliath's face. Rearing back a bit, Onix shook his head to steady himself.
"Onix, use Rock Tomb!" Brock called out.
"Use Double Team, Pikachu!" Ash called out as well.
With a roar, Onix began glowing with a white light as large stones began appearing around him. With another roar, the stones were launched at Pikachu. However, the electric Mouse began moving quick enough to make illusionary copies of himself, confusing Onix as he tried to look around to find the real one, none of the stones landing. Onix looked around in confusion, unable to tell the real one from the fakes.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Brock called out.
Onix reared back and slammed headfirst onto a copy, dissipating it and revealing that they had missed. This left Onix open as Ash capitalized on their mistake.
"Now! Quick Attack!" Ash cried out.
The crowd of Pikachu's continued calling out as they merged into one, right behind Onix. As Onix lifted his head back up, Pikachu glowed with white light and took off at lightning speed. Slamming hard into Onix's face, Pikachu's Quick Attack did a little more damage than before as Onix cried out a bit.
"He's doing it!" Lillie chipperly cheered.
"Vulpix Vul!" Snowy shouted out.
"For now, yes. But Pikachu can't keep this up forever. Using all those high-speed attacks without a break is gonna take its toll on his stamina." Isaac commented grimly.
"And Brock's not using some of the other moves he has either." Gary said worriedly.
"This ain't good. Something needs to change or they're gonna start to slow down and lose…" Benjamin commented worriedly.
Pikachu panted lightly as Brock smirked. "Onix, use Rock Tomb!" He called out.
"Dodge it and get in there with Quick Attack!" Ash cried out, determined to keep up the pressure.
"OOOOOON!" Onix roared as he began to glow, large rocks appearing around him before they went flying at Pikachu.
"Chuuuu!" Pikachu cried out as he glowed white before taking off at lightning speed towards Onix.
Great rocks crashed all around Pikachu like a meteor shower. With the added speed from Quick Attack, Pikachu was able to duck and weave through the hailstorm of masonry. Then, after running up a particularly large rock, Pikachu launched himself at Onix. The resulting blow was enough to cause Onix to roar in pain and stagger back. Yet, as Pikachu was in the air, Brock let out his next command.
"Catch him in a Bind, Onix!" Brock ordered.
"What!?" Ash called out in disbelief.
Onix smiled at hearing that as its massive body coiled into a tunnel of rock to where Pikachu was landing. Then, like a snare, he closed around the small electric mouse Pokémon. Pikachu cried out in pain as Onix used its massive bulk to begin crushing him. Yet, as he did, sparks began to fly from Pikachu's cheeks. Nothing that concerned Onix, he could not be hurt by them, but as it went on it began to concern Brock.
Then, everything happened in a literal flash. Pikachu, due to the pain, lost control of its power and sent a massive bolt of electricity into the ceiling. When the electricity made contact, it soon caused the fire alarm to go off and activate the sprinklers. Soon the room began to be showered in a monsoon of water, causing Onix to roar in discomfort. This gave Pikachu enough time to slip out of the titan's grip, and clammer back to the safety of the soft ground. It was then Brock noticed the Referee beginning to make a move.
"Stop! Don't call the match! It was clearly an accident!" Brock cried out to the Referee.
Seeing this, the Referee lowered his red flag and nodded. "Fair enough. Let the match continue!" The Ref called out.
"Water… that's it! Ash, use the rocks!" Isaac called out.
"What are you on about?" Gary asked, annoyed at getting soaked
"Onix is too big and heavy! With the ground all muddy from the sprinklers, he can't move well! If they jump along the rocks to maneuver, they can win!" Isaac pointed out.
"Thanks, Isaac!" Ash cried out to his friend.
"Don't think a bit of water and mud can save you from our rockin' onslaught!" Brock cried out. "Onix, use Tackle!"
"OOOOON!" Onix roared out as he reared back to use Tackle. However, the movement caused the mud to shift and made Onix slip, leaving him unable to get the move off as he smashed into a rock instead of Pikachu.
Ash grinned. "Pikachu, use Double Team on the rocks, then go for a Quick Attack!" He called out, throwing his hand out.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu called out before leaping onto a rock, causing a massive amount of illusionary speed clones to appear on the rocks as he moved as fast as he could. "Pika-Pika-Pika-Pika!" The clones all called out as Onix raised his head.
Onix looked around in confusion, unable to distinguish the clones even with the water coming down. Seeing Onix's confusion, Brock looked carefully to try to figure it out. However, One of the Pikachu's behind Onix dashed forward in a flash of white light before slamming into Onix's face, causing the stone goliath to cry out in pain.
"It worked…" Gary muttered in shock.
"You really got a talent for this, Isaac!" Benjamin said with a big toothy grin.
"Ash can do it! He can do it!" Lillie cried out.
"They just have to finish this before Pikachu's stamina gives out! Gor for it, you two!" Isaac called out.
The other members of the class quickly began to shift their tune, and some of them even began cheering for the underdog duo. Hearing the crowd cheering for him made Ash's heart flutter.
"Keep up the Double Teams and Quick Attacks, Pikachu! Wear Onix down!" Ash called out.
Pikachu nodded as he split himself up into illusionary speed clones again. Onix looked around in confusion only for the Pikachu's to all take off at him in bursts of white light. A barrage of Quick Attacks slammed into Onix as Pikachu kept using Double Team to confuse them before attacking with Quick Attack. While the Quick Attacks were not doing much damage, they were wearing Onix down. However, this also had the effect of wearing down Pikachu's stamina. It was all a matter of who would drop first.
Yet, as Pikachu readied himself for what he felt like would be the final blow, the constant downpour had made the rocks slippery. He gripped the tall rocky spire as best he could as he ran up it, but at the last moment, he felt his back feet slip. Pikachu shrieked instinctively as the jump he made turned into a flying tumble, unable to stop himself in time. Everyone's hearts then dropped in horror at the sight.
"NO!" Isaac called out in concern.
"Now, Onix! Rock Tomb!" Brock roared in relief, finally getting the chance he needed.
"Pikachu!!!" Ash cried out, reaching his hand helplessly forward.
A storm of colossal rocks formed around Onix as he then flung them at him. The tightly packed rock storm hurled into Pikachu, combined with his tumble, caused the poor mouse Pokémon to hit one, and begin to bounce about the clustered rocks like a ping pong ball. Each blow hitting him and sending him into another nearby rock, unable to escape. Even when it finally stopped, Pikachu lay there dazed, only weakly being able to start getting up.
"Pikachu!! Get out of there!" Ash cried out, his voice hitching from worry. Yet to his horror, Pikachu did not hear him and was not able to move to avoid what was coming next.
"Now our chance Onix! Tackle attack, full Piledriver maneuver!!" Brock roared, clenching his left hand into a crushing fist.
"OOOONNNIIIIXXXXXX!!" The Rock Snake roared, as it lurched its head back like a man winding up a sledgehammer.
"PIKACHU!!" Ash cried out.
With speed unbecoming of something so large, Onix swung his head down at Pikachu, its face and the small yellow mouse disappearing into the mud. A muffled shockwave rattling the arena. For a few moments Onix did not move until, finally, he pulled his head out of the mud. Revealing an unconscious Pikachu in an Onix face crater that soon began to fill with mud.
"No…" Ash muttered in horror before running out into the arena to check on his partner.
"... Pikachu is unable to battle! Onix wins the round! Leaving the Gym Leader Brock as the winner!!" The Referee declared, though at first, he was almost hesitant to give the declaration.
As Ash rushed over to Pikachu, pulling him from the mud, it left his class deflated. So close, so close was the chance of victory. But in a single moment, it was gone. A sobering reminder to all of them of how battles can go. But, to Ash's friends, the result was heartbreaking.
"They almost had them…!" Benjamin growled out in frustration, his fists clenched in frustration as he slammed them down onto the arm rest of his seat.
"Is… Pikachu okay?" Lillie asked concernedly, instinctively hugging Snowy after watching that.
"This one is gonna be a hard one to swallow… and for once, I can't say I'd do much better with a loss like that." Gary said, hanging his head sadly.
Without a word, Isaac reached into his backpack and pulled out a little edible crystal and a purple spray bottle. Getting up, he rushed out of the stands and down to his friends. Much to the shock of Lillie.
"What are those?" Lillie asked.
"A Revive and a Potion. Isaac is going to heal Pikachu." Gary replied somberly.
As Isaac rushed down, Ash cradled the unconscious Pikachu. However, he then heard footsteps coming towards him. Looking up, he saw Brock standing over him, seeing the Gym Leader offering him a hand up.
"That was an amazing battle, Ash. You nearly had us." Brock told the young trainer, giving him a sympathetic smile.
Ash hesitantly took his hand as Brock pulled him up. "Thank you." Ash sadly answered, losing the loud and passionate tone it had before.
"You've trained your Pokémon well, Ash. To come so close to winning despite a type disadvantage through sheer strategy is no small feat. I'm positive that, if you work a little harder, you'll definitely get us next time." Brock told him, giving the young Ketchum boy a pat on the shoulder.
Ash gave him a simple nod as Isaac finally reached them. Soon the young man turned to his friend as Isaac saw what had happened to not just Pikachu, but also Ash. The sullen, deflated face of his Kantonian friend spoke volumes.
"You all did great, Ash. Please, let me see Butterfree and Pikachu. I'll get them fixed right up for you." Isaac offered to his friend.
"You were right, Isaac…" Ash glumly said, as he pulled Butterfree's ball off his belt.
Isaac shook his head as he pulled out a second Revive, a second Potion, and some bandages. "No, Ash. I was wrong. You did that well without a type advantage with nothing but strategy, tactics, and sheer faith in your team. You've taught me a valuable lesson today. One that I swear I'll take to heart." He replied, kneeling down to the two unconscious Pokémon.
"But it wasn't enough…" Ash tried to say but was cut off by Isaac as he worked.
"You were close, Ash. Remarkably close. All you need to do is find a way to get over that hump and you can win. And I think I know just the way to help you with that without catching a new Pokémon." Isaac said ominously, before getting consumed by the work at hand. Leaving Ash to solemnly wonder what he was talking about.