When I entered the Cerulean City Gym, the first thing that hit me was the distinct scent of sea salt and cool, damp air. The interior of the gym didn't resemble a traditional battlefield; instead, it looked like a vast aquatic center. Most of the floor was occupied by a deep pool filled with crystal-clear saltwater, reflecting shimmering patterns of light onto the walls.
In the spacious pool were only three stone platforms, positioned directly across from one another. Their surfaces glistened faintly with moisture, offering solid ground for non-Water-type Pokémon.
Standing across from me was Misty. Her bright red hair was tied in a ponytail. She wore a simple, light blue cropped tank top that exposed her toned, flat stomach, paired with extremely short denim shorts. She had flip-flops on her feet and a confident smile on her face. She was no longer the little girl from strange memories on TV, but a mature, attractive woman and a powerful Gym Leader. Various magazines consistently ranked her as one of the most appealing trainers in the world.
On the right side of the arena, the bleachers were about a quarter full. Surprisingly, quite a few people were interested in watching a battle for a second badge. I noticed some had even brought snacks.
On the opposite side sat the referee in a sports jersey. He held a white flag bearing the city logo in one hand and a whistle in the other. While Brock's Pewter Gym was a simple, stark test, the Cerulean Gym felt like a carefully staged performance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the official Cerulean Gym battle for the Cascade Badge!" the referee boomed, and the crowd responded with a brief round of applause.
"The rules are as follows: The battle will be a three-on-three format. Only the challenger has the right to substitute their Pokémon during battle. The match concludes the moment all three of a trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. The use of healing items is prohibited."
The referee raised his flag high and looked toward Misty.
"Leader Misty, are you ready?"
Smiling, Misty simply nodded, reached for her belt, and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Challenger Patrik from Pallet Town, are you ready?"
I gave a calm nod.
My team and I were ready. We had discussed our battle strategy in detail, and every member knew their role. Unhurriedly, I unclipped a Poké Ball from my belt and weighed it in my hand.
The referee snapped the flag down and blew his whistle.
"Begin!"
Calmly, I tossed the Poké Ball onto the first stone platform. In a flash of red light, my chosen Pokémon appeared, greeting everyone with a loud battle howl.
A massive black hellhound stood composed on the wet stone, lazily flicking his tail. My Houndoom was ready for battle.
Misty's smile widened, and she let out an amused huff while her chosen Pokémon—a Poliwag—submerged beneath the water's surface.
A Fire-type Pokémon wasn't exactly the best choice for a water battle, but that was precisely why I picked him. For the past week, we had been ruthlessly training his mobility and fire moves. Houndoom was significantly stronger than the Pokémon trainers usually brought to a second badge match, and what we needed most was experience. If I had wanted a simple and easy battle, I would have sent out Haunter to sweep the whole thing.
Between the glinting overhead spotlights, the natural refraction of light, and the thick foam on the surface, Poliwag was perfectly hidden. Although most of the water in the pool was crystal clear and highly transparent, a murky barrier churned up around the wide radius where he swam.
It didn't take long for Poliwag to strike. Just ahead of Houndoom's platform, only his black eyes and red mouth hastily broke the surface. With a loud splash, he immediately launched a Water Gun attack.
The stream headed straight for Houndoom, who lazily stepped aside, letting the blast of water miss him completely.
Poliwag vanished beneath the surface once more, while the hellhound lazily flicked his tail.
The Water-type waited a moment before attempting the same tactic, attacking head-on once again.
Houndoom lazily turned in the opposite direction and gave a satisfied thud of his tail against the stone.
He was enjoying himself.
"Stop attacking head-on, Poliwag!" Misty yelled across the gym.
This was a major drawback for Water Pokémon in a pool. A trainer had to shout for their Pokémon to hear them underwater, which meant the opponent heard it too. Not that I minded in the least.
Poliwag changed tactics, turning the battle into a game of cat and mouse. The Water Pokémon tried sniping at mine with sharp bursts of Water Gun, but to no avail. He simply lacked the endurance to sustain a continuous jet, meaning he couldn't adjust the beam's direction on the fly. They were just short bursts of water that Houndoom had zero trouble dodging.
After several attempts, Poliwag began to slow down. His Water Guns became slower, shorter, and weaker in volume.
Houndoom cast a yearning look back at me. With his long black, arrow-tipped tail, he pointed toward the water. I knew full well what he wanted.
I shook my head in disapproval.
Houndoom slapped his tail discontentedly against the water's surface and turned his head away from me with a low growl.
Amused, I chuckled softly, shaking my head.
Poliwag tried to take advantage of the distraction, this time successfully. A feeble Water Gun struck Houndoom right on his turned cheek. However, the hit was so weak that the hellhound tanked it without issue.
He shot me an accusing glare, as if it were all my fault, so with a sigh, I nodded.
"Go ahead."
Poliwag was weak and exhausted, whereas Houndoom was still fresh. And even if he ended up losing while fighting in the water... I had other Pokémon that were far too strong for a Gym at this level anyway.
Houndoom let out a resounding howl that filled the stadium, patted his paws on the damp platform, and with a brief "Woof!", charged forward and leapt into the pool.
Across from me, Misty broke into laughter, clutching her stomach. Muffled applause and amused giggles echoed from the stands.
Houndoom is going to make us famous one day, I thought with a smirk.
"He's in our domain now, Poliwag!" Misty shouted. "Double Slap!"
Houndoom was happily paddling through the pool, enjoying the water. From the surface, he waved his tail toward the crowd, who waved back in response.
"Get Bite ready," I said calmly.
Even at this distance, I could feel the dangerous dark energy coiling in his maw. My spiritual aura certainly had its perks.
Poliwag burst out of the water with his whole body, flipped in midair, and slapped Houndoom across the snout. He tried to pivot midair to strike again, but at that exact second, the hellhound struck.
With his powerful jaws, he clamped down on the right side of Poliwag's body, just above the swirl, and tore into him. A crunching sound, a ragged howl, and a shriek from the Water Pokémon echoed through the air. Within a second, dark red, almost purplish blood stained the surrounding water.
Houndoom wasn't finished. With his jaws locked onto his opponent, he flung Poliwag into the air and unleashed an Ember with a growl. This was no weak, sparse flame; in density and temperature, it resembled a Flamethrower.
Poliwag screamed as the flames consumed him midair. Before he could even hit the water again, he dissolved into a flash of red light.
Misty glared at the satisfied Houndoom before directing an accusing glare at me.
I merely shrugged.
"Houndoom, back onto the platform," I commanded calmly.
With his eyes narrowed—a clear mark of satisfaction—he leapt from the water onto the stone ledge and waited.
"One-zero for the challenger!" the referee boomed in a neutral tone. "Leader Misty, prepare your second Pokémon."
Misty nodded. Keeping her gaze locked on mine, she drew a Poké Ball from her belt and summoned her Pokémon in a crimson flash. It was a Staryu, the Starfish Pokémon. It had a brownish-gold coloration with a massive red gem at the center of its body.
I recalled from memory that although it was roughly half the size of my Pokémon, its weight surprisingly rivaled his. It was far heavier than it appeared.
Physically, it was exceptionally durable. I knew it could boost its defenses even further with Harden. Houndoom couldn't afford to engage it up close, even if Bite wasn't purely physical.
While it stood on the platform, I watched Misty relay instructions. Staryu nodded with its upper tip and leapt determinedly into the water.
My Houndoom howled fiercely once more, ready for action. However, I had a hunch this Staryu knew Recover.
"Houndoom, every time it tries to snipe at you, dodge and immediately return fire with your flames. Massive flames," I commanded.
"Hound!" he barked in agreement with a nod.
We had to deal enough damage in a single blow so it wouldn't have the chance to simply cast Recover.
At least this will be solid fire-training, I thought with a smile.
Instead of repeating Poliwag's mistake, Staryu struck from the flank. Quietly and forcefully, like a predator.
Rather than exposing a large, visible portion of its body from the water, it only needed to poke out a tiny fragment of a tip, instantly unleashing a Water Gun. In both power and volume, the attack was larger, stronger, and faster than Poliwag's.
Houndoom barely managed to jump in time. The jet of water shot beneath his body, leaving him no window to counterattack.
Staryu repeatedly attacked from the flank or blind angles where my Pokémon couldn't see it coming. Silent and lightning-fast.
It still wasn't as powerful as Houndoom. It was still at the level of an average second-badge Pokémon, but the environment—along with the fact that it only needed to break the surface with a tiny tip to attack—gave it a massive advantage over my Pokémon.
Houndoom darted side to side, leaped, crawled, and rolled across the platform. He still looked relatively unscathed, though he was breathing heavily with his tongue out.
It seemed to me that with each volley, he was adjusting to its strategy and tempo. There was no way I could advise him mid-fight. All I could do was trust him, so I waited patiently.
At the next Water Gun, Houndoom rolled sideways and instantly returned fire with a massive Ember.
He successfully dodged the water move and scorched Staryu. I didn't know it from any sound it made, but rather because the rhythm of its attacks was broken. It took a moment before it poked a tip out again to attempt another strike.
And so the duel wore on. With every attempt, Houndoom fiercely returned fire, even as he began to grow more tired and sluggish.
The sharp dodges and elemental attacks were taking their toll. Yet I was certain Staryu was feeling just as drained, so I anticipated an end to this match very soon.
After two more exchanges, I caught the sudden scowl on Misty's face.
"Full power—Swift!" she yelled abruptly.
"Get Ember ready, maximum output," I said calmly, despite wanting to shout. It wouldn't do to let her hear me.
Houndoom immediately began gathering power. His maw started glowing with a vibrant orange light, tiny embers escaping from his lips now and then. The glow steadily intensified.
When Staryu suddenly surged out of the water, it didn't immediately use the move we expected.
It slammed into Houndoom at full force, drawing a painful whimper from him as he was blasted off the platform. The fire in his jaws flickered down slightly, but even while airborne over the water, he maintained control.
Before he could hit the water, however, Staryu fired off Swift—a volley of sharp, glowing golden stars spinning through the air.
Right before crashing into the water, Houndoom unleashed a concentrated, precise torrent of fire straight at Staryu. It could hardly be called an Ember anymore.
The flames completely swallowed the Water Pokémon, but through the blaze, the razor-sharp stars cut forward and struck Houndoom.
The water surrounding his splash began to turn a bloody red.
Staryu hit the water and floated motionlessly on the pool's surface.
A tense silence fell over the gym. Not a soul in the arena made a sound; we all waited with locked eyes on the bloody patch floating atop the water.
I had the urge to recall Houndoom into his Poké Ball, but it didn't look like those stars had hit any vital spots.
So I waited, just like everyone else.
Meanwhile, Misty recalled the unconscious Staryu, as it was plain to see it lacked any remaining strength to continue.
After a moment, Houndoom surfaced with a fierce howl that instantly broke into a pained whimper. Instead of signaling that he wanted to be recalled, he swam back toward the platform with grim determination.
Pain was evident on his face. Yet with a low growl, he hauled himself back onto the ledge, making me want to recall him on the spot.
Embedded in his front left leg, left flank, and chest were several sharp stars, still maintaining their solid form. Blood trickled down his black fur and dripped onto the damp stone beneath him.
Houndoom trembled on his feet, but without a moment's hesitation, he began pulling them out of his body with his jaws.
In the silence of the arena, the only sound was the sharp, metallic clinking of stars hitting the stone platform. Thin streams of blood ran down his black fur, individual drops splashing onto the stone beneath him.
I noticed that as soon as he pried them from his flesh, they began to dissolve. Once he pulled out the last one, a deep, primal battle howl tore from his throat.
I respected his choice. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to keep fighting, so I didn't even offer to recall him.
"Outstanding job, boy," I praised him sincerely.
His howl echoed throughout the entire gym. The crowd filling the bleachers began clapping enthusiastically in respect for my Pokémon. Houndoom thoroughly enjoyed the attention, proudly wagging his tail at them.
"Two-zero for the challenger!" the referee boomed passionately, any trace of his prior neutrality gone.
"Leader Misty, prepare your third Pokémon."
Misty shot me an amused smirk, but then her gaze turned to my Pokémon. Her eyes softened slightly, offering him a fond smile before giving a firm nod.
She pulled a Poké Ball from her belt and tossed it calmly out in front of her. In a flash of red light, her third Pokémon materialised, and only one thought crossed my mind.
Fuck.
***
Author's note:
Even though Bite is classified as a purely physical move in the games, in my world Dark-type energy has additional properties beyond simple physical damage.
The pool water itself was clear, but the Pokémon moving through it, combined with the lighting and reflections, made them extremely difficult to track beneath the deeper sections. I hope I managed to portray that clearly.
Houndoom definitely proved today that type disadvantage is just a state of mind—even if he had to pull a few sharp stars out of his own fur to prove it. Who needs an easy sweep with Haunter when you can have a dramatic, crowd-loving hellhound taking a swim?
Also, did you know Misty actually has a very powerful Gyarados?
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
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Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
49. Beneath the Surface
50. Gearing Up
51. Borelli's Forge
52. Two Badges and a Persian
53. Steel, Silence, and Whispers
54. Steel and Blood
55. The Spoils of War
56. The Price of Survival
57. A Heavy Debt
58. Into the Dark
59. Where Dragons Feed
60. Heart of a Dragon
61. Time for a Training Arc
62. Shadows in the Thunder
63. Forging Champions
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