CHAPTER 12
FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE
He set foot in Blaine's new 'Gym,' and was slightly disappointed. It was a small cave, no more, no less. To keep it lit, Blaine had torches in the corners on the cave, and a black metal chandelier with small candles in it hanging from the center of the gym. Kamon approached the stone Blaine was sitting on.
Blaine had a white coat on, with white pants and a white shirt. Kamon thought that he resembled scientist. Blaine was also bald, except for the rather large white moustache he had.
"Ah, another trainer," said Blaine. "How nice to see someone after my GYM WAS DESTROYED BY A VOLCANO!!!!!" Kamon was startled by this remark and almost fell backwards. Blaine cleared his throat. "Ahem. Excuse me from that last remark. I'm just sorta…resentful of the BLASTED VOLCANO!!!"
"Uh…er…why don't you just turn a part of the volcano into a gym? Wouldn't it be easier, I mean, for your Fire Pokémon?"
"…Um…uh…er…yes…" Why didn't I think of that… Blaine thought. "Well, no matter. This place suits me fine. Now, lets start. Rapidash, go!" Blaine threw a Pokéball onto the rocky surface, and from it came the Fire-type Pokémon, Rapidash. It was a whitish-yellow horse, with flames for a mane and tail.
"Golem, go! Use Rock Slide!" Golem leaped up into the air and then started spinning around. While he did that, rocks flew from him, and struck Rapidash broadside. This attack did an incredible amount of damage; Blaine highly underestimated Kamon's Golem.
"Rapidash, Exteme Speed, now!" Blaine yelled. Rapidash started galloping around the cave, and then with a burst of speed, rammed into Golem, knocking him back several feet. It did much, much more damage than Kamon thought it would. "Now, Fire Blast!" Flames gushed out from Rapidash's mouth, leaping at Golem, igniting and burning him.
"Golem, finish it! Use your Rollout!" Golem curled up into a ball and then rammed into the flaming horse, knocking it out.
"Uh-oh. Well, er, Rapidash, come back," Blaine said, as the red beam of light refracted off of his Pokémon, and it was returned to the Pokéball. "So you want to use a Rock Pokémon, huh? Well, then, I'll use my Rhydon! Now, use Earthquake!" Rhydon, a greyish-looking Pokémon with a sliver horn on its nose, came out and slammed its tail on the ground of the dimly lit cave, making it shake and some rocks to fall from the roof. "Nice job. Now, finish it with Iron Tail!"
"Golem, quick! Use your Seismic Toss when Rhydon's tail is about to hit you!" Kamon yelled. Golem tried to get hold of Rhydon's tail, but it was too much for him to handle. Golem was overwhelmed by the super-powerful attack, and fainted. "Golem, return. Now, Delibird, go! Use Blizzard!" Delibird launched a hailstorm of snow, wind, and ice at Rhydon, doing a very, very large amount of damge.
"Rhydon, don't give up! Rest, and then Sleep Talk!" Kamon was slightly worried. Last time he encountered a Pokémon with a Rest and Sleep Talk combo, Lance's Dragonite, he had lost. Rhydon, performing a random attack, used Thundershock. Not very powerful, Kamon thought, but it means that he can learn Electric-type attacks. Which leads me to believe that he could also learn other elemental attacks as well. This could be a bit of a problem.
"Delibird, Fly!" Kamon commanded. His red-and-white Pokémon flew to the top of the rather cramped cave, and awaited Rhydon's next attack.
"Rhydon…" Blaine said. Just then, with a small white flash, Rhydon was back on his feet. "Yes! I knew the Mint Berry would work. Now, Fire Blast the room! Delibird cannot escape this one! Hehehehe…" Rhydon blew flames out from his mouth, filling the entire grotto with fire! Delibird was falling to the ground, but then, it swooped back ip and went at Rhydon, full speed. "No!! My Rhydon!!!" Delibird was performing the move Sky Attack, the ultimate Flying-type attack. Delbird zoomed toward Rhydon, and hit him in the belly, making him slam into a wall.
"Yes! Great going, Delibird," Kamon said.
"Aww…my Rhydon…return. Well, Kmaon, you proved yourself to me. I won't take it easy on you now. Meet me in the volcano if you want to continue the match."
"What?" Kamon exclaimed. Blaine left the cavern, and then left to go back to Cinnabar Island.
* * *
"Well, I see you are determined to get my badge," Blaine said after Kamon had met him inside the volcano. "You aren't going to have such an easy win this time, young trainer. My Fire-type Pokémon will perform much better here."
"Doesn't matter," Kamon responded. "I'm going to win anyway. Now, I believe I was using Delibird, correct?"
"Affirmative."
"Uh…yeah. And I had just knocked out your second Pokémon, Rhydon, correct?"
"Yup, that just about sums it up."
"All right. Just checking. Okay, Delibird," Kamon said, releasing his Ice-and-Flying-type Pokémon, "let's do this."
"Ha, you'll be sorry. Flareon, go! Use Flamethrower!" The familiar orange-and-yellow Pokémon came out, and then blew a stream of flames at Delibird, knocking it out.
"What!?" Kamon exclaimed. "How'd that happen so quickly?"
"Inside the volcano," Blaine started, "it's like a permanent Sunny Day, without the effects of a one turn Solarbeam. Or that Morning Sun, Synthesis and Moonlight are powered up."
"So, all it does is power-up Fire moves?" Kamon asked.
"Um…yes. But it also prevents the move Rain Dance from being used. Now, send out your next Pokémon!"
"Whatever you say. Umbreon, go! Use Mud-Slap!" Umbreon come forth from its captivity inside the Ultra Ball. She then kicked mud in Flareon's face, lowering his accuracy and did double-damage from being super-effective.
"Flareon, use Fire Blast!"
"So, Fire Blast is like your special attack, huh?"
"Yes, as a matter-of-fact it is," Blaine responded. Flareon blasted flames at Umbreon, doing mediocre damage because of Umbreon's awesome defense.
"Umbreon, now! Use Faint Attack!" Umbreon disappeared from Flareon's sight for a second, but then hit it from behind. "Now, Bite!" Umbreon then bit Flareon, only to be counter-attacked with a Zap Cannon. Zap Cannon, however, missed.
"No! Flareon, use Iron Tail!"
"Umbreon, Detect!" Kamon shouted. The Steel-type attack bounced off of Umbreon. "Now, use Hyper Beam!" Umbreon launched the golden energy beam at Flareon, making it slam into a wall, and was knocked out.
"Flareon, return. Ahem," Blaine cleared his voice, "now I will use my Magmar! Magmar, dive into the lava!" The flaming yellow and red Pokémon with a yellow tail with a flame at the end of his tail emerged, and then proceeded to jump into the lava, disappearing.
"Whoa, unreal! Umbreon, look out in all directions! He could come up from anywhere." Just as Kamon had predicted, Magmar could emerge from the lava and onto the small piece of land that Umbreon was on. Magmar did just this, and knocked Umbreon off the side, hurling toward the lava. "Umbreon! NO!!!" Kamon pulled out his Ultra Ball as fast as he could and pointed it at Umbreon, the red beam of light calling him back into the sphere. "Well, now. I think I'm gonna use…Electabuzz." Kamon hurled another Ultra Ball onto the small 'island' where the lava would serve as the water. "Electabuzz, Thunderbolt, now!" Electabuzz leapt up into the air and then released an electric shock at Magmar.
"Magmar, counter-attack it with a Flamethrower!" Blaine commanded. Magmar spat flames out at Electbuzz, knocking her to the side of the arena. "Now, Iron Tail it off the side!" Magmar soared through the air and over to the spot where Electabuzz was recovering from the previous attack, and, whilke in mid-air, swung his flaming tail at her.
"Electabuzz, watch out," said Kamon. Electabuzz glanced up in time to see Magmar's attack, grabbed hold of him, and then threw him to the other side of the arena, where he rolled off the side and back into the lava.
"Fool! You cannot knock out my Magmar by merely throwing him into the lava! That's where he's best at! Like a fish and water. Or an Marill and a pond! His abilities are boosted there!" Blaine exclaimed.
"Oops," Kamon responded. Just then, Magmar emerged from the molten liquid fire, and then proceeded in attacking Kamon's Electric-type Pokémon. Magmar tackled Electabuzz, burning her and sending her flying to the other side of the rocky mass. "Electabuzz, quickly!" Kamon shouted, "use your Hyper Beam, now!" Electabuzz got back onto her feet, and the blasted the golden beam at Magmar, finally knocking him out.
"No, my Magmar! Return. Well, Ninetales, it's your turn! Attack it with your Flamethrower!" Between being burnt and being attacked from a burning flame, Electabuzz stood no chance of being victorious.
"Electabuzz, come back! Now, Corsola, its your turn! Use your Rain Dance, now!" said Kamon. Although Blaine stated that the technique Rain Dance would not work, Kamon believed that he was bluffing. With a small cry, rain came down from the sky and onto the flames and lava, making steam and haze rise from it, filling the volcano and engulfing the two Pokémon. "Corsola, now! Use your Earthquake attack!"
Corsola, along with Kamon, did not know exactly where Ninetales was, so, it would be easiest to use an attack that would strike everyone that was on the ground. Once the ground started vibrate, the small patch of land they were standing on started to crumble, and both Pokémon plummeted toward the ground! Kamon had to not only think but act very, very quickly.
"Uh, Corsola, use a Surf at the ground! Try to make the lava cool and harden!" Kamon shouted. Corsola turned around and discharged a wave of water the magma down about 10 ft. below. The water solidified the boiling lava. Both Corsola and Ninetales hit the rocky bottom. There was still vapor rising from the earth, and it made it slightly hard to see. "Corsola, now! Use Ice Beam on the ground!" Although this seemed rather odd to do, Kamon knew perfectly well what he was doing and why. The ground comletely froze over, and the fumes stopped emerging from the volcano. Corsola could also do 1 more thing now; make it into a swimming pool. "Surf attack, now!" Kamon recalled this technique from when he faced Pryce. The artificial floor to the volcano started to fill with water, weakening Ninetales.
"Ninetales, jump around on the rocks above!" Blaine commanded. Ninetales, being light and nimble, easily abandoned Corsola in the pool of water.
"Yeah, okay," said Kamon, smiling, "just try that. Corsola, freeze the sides so that Ninetales will slip!" With the sides iced over, Ninetales easily lost its grip and then plunged once again to a watery fate. Ninetales, making a big splash when she hit the water, stood up and decided to get rid of it. She blasted flames out at it, making enough turn into water vapor so that she could melt away the ice and the rock below. Blaine's, more like Ninetale's, plan seemed to work, and all of the water was drained. "Fine then. Corsola, finish it with your Hydro Pump!" Corsola shot a wall of water at Ninetales, knocking it out.
"Strategy won you that one, kiddo. Well, this next Pokémon will win this match for sure! Arcanine, go!" Arcanine, an orange and black striped Pokémon that slightly resembled a tiger's fur on a dog-type of creature, came from Blaine's Pokéball. "Now, use Fire Blast to finish Corsola off!" Blaine said. Flames gushed out of Arcanine's mouth, and knocked out Corsola easily. Kamon figured that Arcanine is close to level 70.
"Corsola, come back! Typhlosion, go! Use Smokescreen, and then Swift!" said Kamon. Thick haze flowed from Typhlosion's mouth and filled the hole. Neither Pokémon could see, but Typhlosion's Swift would never miss; Kamon had an advantage. Although the attack did little damage, Arcanine could not strike Typhlosion, and so Swift would, eventually, K.O. Arcanine.
"Arcanine, Exteme Speed, now!" Blaine commanded. Arcanine dove through the gas and then hit Typhlosion. This was highly unexpected. Apparently the speed that Arcanine obtained through the attack cleared some of the smoke away, so that he could strike Typhlosion.
"Typhlosion, your Fire Blast!" Kamon commanded. Flames poured from Typhlosion's mouth, creating a fire barrier, slamming Arcanine into a wall. Just then, there was a rumbling sound, and then the ground started to crack, revealing lava!
"Oh! Now I remember why I didn't want to have a gym in the volcano! It is still highly active!"
"Well, that information could have been of some use before now, ya know," Kamon replied. "Come, on, Blaine. Call your Pokémon back so that we can get outta here!"
"No, way! My Arcanine has been trained to survive magma. The molten lava won't affect my Arcanine in the slightest bit!"
Uh-oh, Kamon thought. This could be bad. If I recall my Typhlosion, I'll lose. But, if I don't, I might lose anyway. My Typhlosion has a slight chance of winning…
"Typhlosion," Kamon started, "keep fighting Arcanine! Just try not to fall into the lava! I'll meet you outside the volcano!" Kamon and Blaine ran outward, a watched in suspense as the volcano trembled, and erupted.
Meanwhile, Typhlosion was punching Arcanine, going mediocre damage. Arcanine lost his balance, but, almost touching the lava, used Exteme Speed and ricochet off of it, and then rammed into Typhlosion. The small rock they were on was then blasted into the air, being forced upward by the oncoming rush of the molten magma. Typhlosion hung on to the side as Arcanine bit and nipped at his hands. Typhlosion did a flip and kicked Arcanine in the face, making him fall backwards. While he was down, Typhlosion Low Kicked him tripping Arcanine and making him plummet into the lava.
With a sudden explosion, the volcanic fluid soared through the air, along with the two Pokémon.
"Typhlosion, are you okay?" Kamon asked.
"Arcanine, you survived, right?" said Blaine. Both trainers approached their Pokémon. After a couple of seconds, Typhlosion stood up. Arcanine did not. "Well, Kamon. I believe that you won. Here-take this. It's the Volcano Badge."
"The name sure suits it," Kamon said. He recalled his Pokémon, and then headed north to Pallet Town.