A Forked Road

I don't own Pokemon, except the main characters in this story.

My chapters just keep getting longer.

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Chapter 7: Nerdboy

The next morning was wasted interacting with the other competitors over breakfast in the hotel. I had wanted to rush to the stadium and check out the pairings as usual, but Louie wanted to listen to every single competitor's story of the battle they had fought the day before.

Half the competitors, all eight of yesterday's losers, were set to go home after breakfast. I wondered if I would be doing the same tomorrow morning. What if my opponent had a type advantage against me? What if I goofed up? What if my Pokemon refused to listen to me?

Just then, a weedy bespectacled boy ran into the hotel, panting. He held a notebook in his right hand, a ballpoint pen in the other. To my surprise, he started staring at me and taking down notes feverishly, while leaning on the wall.

"Um, who is that guy?" I turned to Gordon, who, after much interacting with the other competitors, knew everyone pretty well. "He can't be a competitor right? He has no Pokeball belt, for one, and he looks too… inept! Is he a reporter some school sent here?"

"Oh, that guy. He IS a competitor," said Gordon, to my surprise. "His name is Trevor or something like that. Wait, I'll leave him to his schoolmate to describe. Kelpsy! Kelpsy! Someone wants to know about the Trevor guy!"

The person who Louie had beaten yesterday came to our table, before looking at Trevor leaning by the wall (apparently still taking down notes while looking at me every now and then) and snorting. "That's Nerdboy. Goodness knows how HE's in the competition – I have a suspicion that he got in purely through currying favour with the teachers, who adore him and his work attitude." Kelpsy laughed, before continuing. "He doesn't really have Pokemon with him, but he has a collection of many Pokemon! Apparently, he researches his next opponent before choosing Pokemon that can best counter his opponent's Pokemon. I know, that's cheap of him. But… it HAS won him a resounding victory yesterday."

My heart sank. I muttered my thanks to Kelpsy, before dashing off to the stadium. The area around the noticeboard was not crowded today, probably due to the halving of the number of competitors. I ran up to it, scouring it for my name. There it was:

Battle 3

TREVOR vs ROY

I wasn't surprised. I sat on the edge of the battling platform and began to think. So, he would make a counter team for my team? And what types would he use?

Louie had been paired with Patrick in Battle 2, and he managed a narrow win over the guy we had befriended two days ago, his Trapinch saving the day with a string of nicely executed Bites and Faint Attacks. As they shook hands and walked off the platform, I smiled at them even though I could feel my lips going cold and numb, and walked up the steps as calmly as I could. Trevor was already on the opposite end.

"Trevor versus Roy! Trainers, you know the rules. On the count of three – "

He would use Ground Pokemon against me, I am sure of that.

"Three! – "

It was the best type to counter a team like mine.

"Two!"

I would have to use –

"ONE!"

"Mudkip!"

"Gloom!"

WHAT?

"It was a double-bluff, Mr. Roy. And you are dead meat." Trevor's eyes glinted through his thick horn-rimmed glasses. "Gloom, Stun Spore!"

I was too surprised to counter with any move of my own. Mudkip received the full brunt of Stun Spore, and trapped by the pricks of the offending spores, lay where it was, unable to struggle.

"And go in for the kill! A Mega Drain to sap all the energy of that pesky mudfish!"

Mudkip had no chance. I recalled it. This was the earliest my Pokemon had ever died. I was suddenly reminded of all the bluffs and slow cruel deaths I had played on my opponents. Now… I had to pull a bluff of my own, and flirt with the limits of the battling rules.

"Go on, summon a Pokemon!" Trevor sneered in an irritating way. I stood there calmly. Meanwhile, Gloom was prancing around in a small victory jig.

"Wait. You must have other Pokemon! Send them out, or I win – "

I threw a Pokeball high in the air. It was time to place all my trust on the brains of my chosen Pokemon.

The release mechanism of the Pokeball operated while in midair. Charmeleon was in the air.

Gloom noticed Charmeleon, and attempted to shower spores on it. Charmeleon, being in the air, had the advantage in speed, and dodged the spores, while firing a Flamethrower with precision. At the flower on Gloom's head.

Charmeleon finally landed on the arena with a 'thump'. At the same time, Gloom's flower burnt out. Gloom tottered around the arena unsteadily, before losing its balance and falling off the platform.

Irritated, Trevor released another Pokeball from his belt. "Earthquake!" A Sandslash popped up and began shaking the platform with immense rigor.

"Jump and Flamethrower the ground, toward Sandslash!" I had faith in the power of Charmeleon. But would my brazen strategy pay off?

Charmeleon had let rip with a belch of fire that split the wooden arena cleanly into two. Combined with Sandslash's Earthquake, the center of the arena was practically disintegrated, and there was a huge hole in the middle.. Sandslash, having stayed on the ground all the while, was the first to plunge into the darkness below the arena. A loud crash below – Sandslash was history. But Char –

"Return, Charmeleon!" just as Charmeleon was about to suffer the same fate as Sandslash.

There were now no Pokemon in play. Trevor looked at me with a collected expression, as if waiting for me to send a Pokemon out before he decided what to send out. It was time for another prank.

"Go, Nidorino!"

"Magneton!'

The crowd gasped. My 'Nidorino' was actually Pikachu, and I avoided suffering the fate of hitting harmless Poison attacks against the Steel type Pokemon. But it was now Electric versus Electric – who would break the deadlock, and what would spark it?

"Magneton, Charge!" Magneton remained stationary, but I knew it was charging up electric power enough to kill Pikachu in one hit.

"Pikachu, pounce on Magneton – Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu had the speed required to pull off my gambit. It dived onto Magneton and let loose the energy coursing through its radiant cheeks. The Charge from within Magneton lent energy to the attack, and what was supposed to be a Thunderbolt split Magneton into three pieces, destroying the 'glue' holding the three Magnemite together as one Magneton.

This was something nobody in the stadium had ever seen in their lives, and they displayed that through the noise they make.

"Why do Roy's battles always end up so exciting?"I could hear Louie shouting over the noise.

But Trevor was not done yet. "Um, Magnemite! Magnemites! Launch Tackles on that Pikachu!"

Pikachu was fast, but it could not dodge all three attacks closing in on it. One Magnemite hit the target – Pikachu got thrown off the platform.

Pikachu couldn't even take one hit? "No problem! Charmeleon!" And there he was again. One lash of its fiery tail on the split arena almost melted the three Magnemite. In any case, they were unable to battle.

Trevor was down to his last Pokemon.

"Go!"

Charmeleon pounced on the Pokeball and lashed it with its tail at once. But the Pokemon that emerged from within was almost unaffected.

"Kabutops, Body Slam!"

I should have known. A Water and Rock type Pokemon, with a double resistance to Fire. Trevor had made sure his last Pokemon gave Charmeleon a challenge.

Kabutops slammed into Charmeleon with stunning velocity. Charmeleon was strong, but the previous battles had weakened him greatly. It slumped to the ground – the fire flaring on its tail still burned, but the flame was now smaller.

Thrusting my only remaining Pokeball onto the arena, I shouted: "Nidorino, Fury Swipes all around Kabutops!"

Nidorino dashed around Kabutops, clawing at it viciously. Kabutops attempted Body Slam, but it was puzzled and lost sight of Nidorino, thus slamming itself onto the floor.

"Horn Attack!" Everybody that knew me knew that this was the trademark finishing move of my Nidorino. Nidorino jumped up into the air, and dived into the petite body of Kabutops, causing a dent in Kabutop's mid-body with its rock-hard horn.

Trevor took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt, before walking down the steps of the destroyed arena, leaving his fainted Pokemon where they were. I was later told that he did not want to keep losing Pokemon.

Stadium, Last row of seats:

"Once again, not a textbook strategy, but it has earned him success yet again."

"He has done the best with his Charmeleon, it is certain."

"He seems to have an aptitude for raising Fire Pokemon, especially. He knew just which parts and which moves of Charmeleon to use in different situations."

"I assume that you will be approaching this boy?"

"I already have, through one of my grunts. The boy will be presented with a Moon Stone. If he is smart, he will do well to evolve that battle-winner, Nidorino, into a Nidoking. Ground Pokemon are also our forte, as you know."

"But you will be having a little talk with him in person?"

"I will bide my time. You know those kids – always so goody-goody and principled. At the mention of us "evil" organizations, they cringe, and they pledge to defeat us when they grow up. No, my job of persuading this boy to join us… will be made easier when he has heard of the news."

"What news – ah. So his city is indeed one of those affected?"

"The very first to be struck, in fact. And I know a lot about his life – how he has a family whom he loved so dearly, and about his girlfriend, who had brought excitement to his dull life. When I tell him of his loss… he would HAVE to agree with me and do as I say."

"Your strategy is sound, Maxie."

"Hush. I am known as Mr. Gamma in this place."

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Lots of the plot was revealed in this chapter! Not that plenty of hints hadn't been given in previous chapters. Now you know that Mr. Gamma Maxie, you might just be able to spot an anagram in 'Gamma'…