Pokémon GS: The Johto League

11: Rival Showdown Part 2: Cyndaquil vs. Croconaw

by KentaMarina

        A young boy suddenly collided with Kenta as he just came out of the Gym.

        "Watch where you're going, will ya?!" shouted Kenta as he replaced his yellow and black cap on his head and picked up Cyndaquil, who jumped out of the way just before Kenta was hit. Obviously, the boy was already gone and didn't hear Kenta.

        "Thanks a whole lot for not taking the hit with me, buddy," said Kenta sarcastically as his Cyndaquil jumped on his shoulder again, pretending that nothing happened.

        Kenta wandered around town for a bit after that incident. As he came up to a house that acted as a gate of sorts, he found a familiar-looking boy with red hair who was wearing a black jacket, and white pants. Kenta suddenly spoke as if something else took over him.

        "You again," said Kenta, catching the attention of the boy, who was his rival, Hakujou.

        "That's right, and I've heard that Team Rocket was around here not long ago, and I've also heard that you saved all the Slowpokes."

        "You bet that was me, so what's your point?" said Kenta as he curled his hand into a fist.

        "My point? I can't believe that you would even go to the trouble of rescuing those...weak and worthless Pokémon!" replied Hakujou coldly. Kenta was trying his best to force himself not to attack him head on. Hakujou continued. "But then again, I guess saving all those stupid Pokémon shows how weak you really are, and that loss you gave me in Cherrygrove was just a fluke."

        "Shut up and battle. I'll show you that strength alone won't win a match!" shot Kenta back as he pulled out a PokéBall.

        "With pleasure, and you're gonna give me the opportunity to see how much Pokémon you have, plus you'll get to see my all-powerful team..."

        "That you've trained harshly to hate you?!"

        "You dare to prove me wrong?!" countered Hakujou. By this point, it seems as if the two just want to fight each other, but not with their Pokémon.

        "Cyndaquil, quil," said Kenta's Pokémon, who was trying to calm him down.

        "Well how can you expect me to calm down when we're facing this one uncaring creature?!" shouted Kenta angrily. Cyndaquil rolled up into a small ball, and Kenta felt it shiver on his shoulder.

        "Quil..cyndaquil..." it said.

        Kenta took pity on his Pokémon and decided to calm down. Kenta did not know it, but Cyndaquil did not like the last time his Trainer acted this way during their first battle with Team Rocket.

        "Ha! Would you look at that! It seems that you're not the boss of 'em, but they're the boss of you!"

        Kenta's voice changed slightly again, and his anger built up at this.

        "That's because I choose not to, you pathetic excuse for a human!"

        "What was that?!"

        "Cyndaquil, we have no choice but to fight," said Kenta to Cyndaquil, who was still in its ball form, "so please help me out!"

        "Nidoran, I choose you!" shouted Hakujou, releasing a beat-up male Nidoran. Kenta's PokéDex was somehow able to detect the Pokémon.

        "Nidoran♂, the Poison Pin Pokémon. This small Pokémon secretes venom in its horn. It stabs the opponent using its horn and injects the venom," said the PokéDex.

        "Mareep, go!" shouted Kenta as he sent out his electric sheep Pokémon.

        "A Mareep, huh?" began Hakujou. "What a u-"

        "Mareep, Thundershock! Show him that you're not just some weak Pokémon!"

        Mareep let out a long-range burst of electricity right at Hakujou's Nidoran, Paralyzing it easily.

        "Get up!" shouted Hakujou as he went over to his Pokémon and kicked it. The Nidoran let out a yelp in pain.

        "That's just sick! You even had the nerve to do that?! No wonder it looks all beat-up!"

        "I don't care about how my Pokémon feels! I only care about strong Pokémon that can win!"

        Kenta gasped in horror at this. "If he keeps on doing that, he's just gonna lose, and I don't want to hurt his Pokémon either," thought Kenta.

        "Well, what are you waiting for? My Nidoran is up and ready to fight again," shouted Hakujou from his side.

        "This match is over," said Kenta quietly as he recalled his Mareep.

        "What?!"

        "I don't see a reason why I should fight Pokémon that are in very bad shape. It would be too unfair," explained Kenta.

        "So what? To me, there's no such thing as fairness. Winning is the only thing that's important! Croconaw, attack that Cyndaquil with Water Gun!" shouted Hakujou as he sent out another Pokémon, which immediately knocked Cyndaquil off of Kenta's shoulder with a blast of water.

        "Cyndaquil!" it shouted as it fell on its back. This angered Cyndaquil and it decided to retaliate with a Flamethrower on Croconaw.

        "So," began Kenta, "you evolved your Totodile and taught it how to use dirty tricks like you? That's just unforgivable."

        "Well I see your Cyndaquil hasn't evolved yet, and as you might know, evolution makes a Pokémon stronger," countered Hakujou. "What's with your Cyndaquil?" he asked, noticing that Cyndaquil was charging up something.

        "Finish off Croconaw, but ease up on the gas too, I don't want to hurt it, I just want it and its Trainer," said Kenta, throwing Hakujou an almost evil glare, "to learn a lesson."

        Kenta saw Hakujou growl and grit his teeth.

        "Flamethrower."

        "Croconaw-"

        "Now the match is over."

        There was nothing, nothing a wide spread of scorching hot flame burning the area on Hakujou's side. When Cyndaquil stopped, neither Croconaw nor Nidoran♂ were there, as they somehow returned to their respective PokéBalls.

        "You," began a "well done" Hakujou, "you haven't seen the last of me!"

        Cyndaquil stuck its tongue out at the fleeing Hakujou. Kenta shook his head and suddenly got a headache.

        "Ow, what just happened?" he asked himself as his voice somehow returned to normal and clutched his head. Cyndaquil had an odd look on its face as if to say "You don't remember?" Then, they suddenly heard Matt's voice behind them.

        "Hey, big brooooother! I just got the HiveBadge! Plus, Bugsy said that we-"

        "Come on Matt," said Kenta, "we gotta get to Goldenrod City so we can challenge the next Gym Leader!"

        Matt suddenly hung his head low. "That's just what I was about to say."

        "And so I can find something to get rid of this headache," Kenta muttered to himself.

        "Quil?" asked Cyndaquil.

        "What was that?" asked Matt at almost the same time as Cyndaquil did.

        "Nothing," replied Kenta quickly to the two.

        After another match with his rival, Hakujou, and with Matt earning a new Badge, Kenta finally continues on his journey towards Goldenrod City, and the next Gym.

A/N: Many thanks again to Kenta Macauttum for allowing me to use his rival's name from his fics in mine. Go check them out, they're some of the best fics I've seen around the Tower.