The Barefoot, Fighting Genius!

[Kyuuketsuki]

Brawly joined the group somewhere in the distance between the Gym and Primeape, but Maylene was too concerned to notice. The raging Primeape had defeated the wild Tentacruel with ease, and knocked out Poliwrath without even intending to; how can her Riolu and Brawly’s Makuhita even hope to beat it?

It seemed hopeless, and for a moment, Maylene wanted to turn back and run away. This was dangerous, and Riolu could get seriously hurt; she herself could get seriously hurt.

“Makuhita, Force Palm!” Brawly ordered his Pokémon, and Maylene knew she would have to contribute to the battle; there was no turning back now.

“Quick Attack!” Maylene commanded, forgetting that she had already ordered an attack.

The sand, the rain, and the wind seemed to work against Riolu and Makuhita. Primeape glared at both of the approaching Pokémon, before rushing to meet them. With one fist, he propelled Makuhita backwards, causing it to crash into the mud, while he grabbed Riolu with the other by the neck.

“Riolu!” Maylene called out for her Pokémon, desperate for his safety. She ran forward as the Primeape brought Riolu down, and crashed him into the mud as well, before his gaze switched to Maylene.

Without a second of thinking, she jumped up, legs first, attempting to kick the Primeape away from her partner, only for her to feel a sudden rush of wind, and the see world spinning around her; Primeape had grabbed her ankle, and she was now flying towards the sea.

*

Surrounded by whirlpools, under the rain, and at night; this wasn’t Gardenia’s best day. Roselia was by her side, and she wasn’t too pleased with their situation either.

“You can stop complaining!” Gardenia argued with Roselia, who would sigh at every drop of rain that hit her, and groan at every thunder that shot itself from the sky. “I know we’re in a bad situation! It isn’t my fault.”

Roselia’s eyes widened and she turned her face slowly towards Gardenia; a dramatic gesture her trainer had taught her. “Oh, don’t do that!” Gardenia insisted. “We’ll just wait for the storm to finish! And no! For the last time, there might be ghosts in there!”

Gardenia shouted at her Pokémon, and pointed at the cave behind them. “I wanted you to stay with me! Not because I needed you, but because I knew you would be worried about me!”

Roselia scoffed, and got up slowly before shaking her body, and sending all of the sand that was on here flying towards Gardenia. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Gardenia cried. “N- No! You. Are. Not. Going. Into. The. Cave!”

*

Maylene felt the seawater rush into her lungs. She remembered when she fell off of that cliff, and how she lied about it to stay here; was it her decision that will kill her? It can’t be; she’s too young. She suddenly felt something grab her, and pull her down. No. Something had tackled her, and was now swimming her up.

She gasped for air as her emerged above the surface. A pair of strong hands wrapped themselves around her, and upon further inspection, she recognised them as Poliwrath’s; he must’ve regained consciousness while she was battling the Primeape, as much as getting thrown into the ocean counted as a battle.

Riolu and Makuhita were still battling, with Brawly commanding the both. Chuck and his students watched, and as Maylene looked around the island, she recognised several Fighting Pokémon helping the people out of the Pokémon Center.

The island approached Maylene as Poliwrath kept of carrying the little girl to the island. “Riolu!” she shouted, unable to contain herself from joining the battle. “Copycat!”

Primeape knocked Makuhita to the mud again, and targeted Riolu. The two Pokémon’s actions became mirrored; Primeape raised his right fist, and Riolu copied. The pair exchanged several quick punches, and the raindrops rippled in the air between the two. For several seconds, they were locked in combat, until the wind became colder, and the air around them started to freeze.

Maylene was now on the beach, set down by Poliwrath, who started approaching the Primeape, but stopped at the sudden coldness of the weather. Primeape’s wet fur started to harden, his fists to slow down, and his movement eventually stopped.

“Good job, Snorunt,” Candice said, but her voice was devoid of the Candice Maylene knew as her friend. “It’s over.”

And it was. Riolu delivered the final punch, and Primeape fell to the mud, motionless. Chuck quickly seized the opportunity, and returned his still Pokémon to it’s Poké Ball. “Thank you, Candice,” he said. “That was a great move.” Chuck then turned to Maylene, who was almost collapsing due to the weight of her wet clothes. “Maylene, you really are made of tough stuff,” he laughed. “And Brawly, great job with Makuhita’s endurance, and with being able to command two Pokémon; must be a skill from Hoenn!”

“That’s it?” Candice said as the last bit of rain turned to snow. “Good job? How about you learn to control your Primeape? Everyone was in danger!”

“Don’t talk back to me, little girl,” Chuck’s voice took on a more serious tone as he turned to Candice. “I am your elder, and your superior.”

“No,” Candice said. “No. I don’t care anymore. I’ve been nice to people for too long.”

Chuck stared at Candice; she was defiantly too young to be thinking like that. “I think there’s someone you would like to meet,” he said. “But right now, we’ll put the Tentacruel back in the sea, and deal with the damage.”

As he finished his sentence, he glanced at where Tentacruel lay, only to see it missing, with Poliwrath emerging from the sea one more time. “Everyone, rebuild the Gym!” Chuck ordered his students. “Maylene, Brawly, and Candice, follow me.”

*

Roselia scoffed, and got up slowly before shaking her body, and sending all of the sand that was on here flying towards Gardenia. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Gardenia cried. “N-No! You. Are. Not. Going. Into. The. Cave!”

Roselia shrugged off Gardenia’s pleading, and walked into the darkness of the cave, leaving her trainer alone in the middle of the storm, wondering why everyone seemed to leave her. Seconds later, there was a thud, and Roselia rolled out of the cave.

“Oh, now you decide to come back,” Gardenia exclaimed. “Well, guess what, we’re no longer-“

She turned her head to see that Roselia was unconscious, and to her shock, someone kicked her away from the entrance. “You’re too annoying, kid,” a barefoot, shirtless man said. “Why don’t you leave?”

“What is wrong with you?!” Gardenia cried in disbelief. “What did you do to Roselia?! Are you crazy?!”

In her moment of rage, Gardenia threw a punch at the man, only for him to catch it. “I’m guessing you’re from Sinnoh as well.”