***********

Pokemon: Asylum of the Damned

Chapter VII

Saga II-Crestbadge Saga

Chapter II-The Chapter with no Name

Part I-Battle with Jennifer

***********

Tom walked right by the Pokemon center. There was no need to heal his 
Pokemon since they were at full health since they left St. Baers. Tom 
stopped at a sign giving directions to the Plaiton Pokemon Gym and was just 
about to walk by it when he heard a familiar voice behind him say, "Hey 
there, Tom!" It belonged Jennifer. "You still owe me a rematch. You've been 
avoiding it long enough!"

Tom groaned and rolled his eyes. "Oh, fine," he moaned, taking out a 
Pokeball from his belt. Jen pulled a Pokeball from her leg band and let it 
open, sending a beam of light shooting fromt he Pokeball that materialized 
into Totodile.

"Totodile!" the Pokemon cried.

"Go, Machop," Tom groaned as he opened up his own Pokeball, irritated at 
Jen's persistence.

"Machop!" exclaimed the small gray Pokemon.

"If you wanna' get to the Gym leader here, Tom," Jen said, "You'll have to 
get through me one on one!"

"Fine with that," Tom replied.

"Alright, Totodile, Water Gun, now!" Jen commanded her Pokemon.

"Machop! Submission!" Tom ordered his Pokemon likewise.

Machop dove at Totodile, but Totodile manage to dodge out of Machop's way 
and shoot a blast of water at Machop, smacking him upside the chin. Machop 
staggered back a few feet as he nursed his jaw, then he charged at Totodile 
again. Before Totodile could counter attack, Machop grabbed Totodile by the 
jaws and forced them open. Totodile struggled to resist Machop's Submission 
attack, but it was of no use. Within seconds, Totodile was pleading for 
mercy.

"Let him go, Machop," Tom said. Machop obeyed, and let Totodile go.

Totodile whimpered back off to Jen, defeated and disgraced. Jen sighed. 
"Totodile return. You just got lucky, Tom," Jen grumbled.

"Now will you leave me alone?" Tom asked.

"No way!" said Jen. "I'm not gonna' rest until my Pokemon beat the crap 
outta' yours. See ya'," Jen said as she walked off in a huff again.

"Good work, Machop. How about you stay out for awhile?" Tom proposed.

"Machop!" Machop smiled.

*******************
Part II
*******************

Tom stood in front of the Gym. Porygon, Machop, and Pinsir were all eager to 
get a good fight, especially Machop who was jumping up and down on the spot. 
Tom spoke, "Okay, guys-" Suddenly, Pinsir clashed her claws angrily. "...and 
gals," Tom said, "let's kick some ***!"

"Machop!"

"Ye-a-h!"

Pinsir clashed her claws again. With his Pokemon all fired up, Tom and 
company entered the Plaiton Gym.

The Gym was much more lit and overall more cheerful than the St. Baer's Gym. 
In the middle of the room there was a short dark-skinned man in a robe was 
sitting on a futon, painting weird Japanese symbols on a scroll. Tom called 
out to him.

"Hey!" Tom called.

The man turned to him, put his hands together, and bowed. "Greetings, 
stranger," He said in a low, solemn voice. Tom, not wanting to be impolite 
against such a sweet old man, did the same.

"I'm Tom. And you?"

"My name is Hiro," The man said. "I am Gym leader here. I assume you wish to 
challenge my Crestbadge," Hiro guessed.

"Ummm, right," said Tom.

Hiro bowed again. "Well, good luck to you, my friend, for you shall be 
needing much of it." Hiro walked backwards five steps, behind his end of the 
battlefield border, and grasped a Pokeball from within his long robe sleeve. 
"I propose a Pokemon contest to you. Of three Pokemon, the first contender 
to defeat two of the other's three Pokemon shall be declared the winner. Do 
you accept?" Hiro challenged.

"Sure," Tom said. Under his breath he muttered, "Hell yeah."

"Then let the contest begin!" Hiro exclaimed, as he enlarged his Pokeball. 
"Prepare for battle, Tauros!" Hiro's pokeball shot out a beam of energy, 
which formed into a large, bull-like Pokemon. Tom pulled out his Pokedex.

"Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokemon," the Pokedex said. "Using it's three tails, 
Tauros will run at an opponent, and flail them with it's tails. When on the 
attack, Tauros will lower it's head, and charge opponents. This is called a 
Skull Bash attack, or a Take Down attack. Tauros are extremely high- 
tempered, especially when provoked. Tauros also travel together in herds. 
Approach with caution."

Tom put the Pokedex back in his jacket pocket, and looked at Pinsir. "Go on 
Pinsir. Show that Tauros who's boss." Tom said, smiling. Pinsir clashed her 
claws again, and trudged onto the battlefield.

"Tauros, Take Down!" Hiro commanded.

"Pinsir, Vicegrip!" Tom ordered.

Tauros charged at Pinsir, knocking her in the teeth. Pinsir got back up and 
spat out a knocked out tooth with blood trickiling from her broken gums. "I 
receive first blood victory. This is bad omen for you, Tom," Hiro smirked.

Tom grimaced. "Pinsir! Keep trying Vicegrip!" Pinsir tried to catch Tauros 
in her claws, but Tauros was too fast and nimble for her to grip.

"Tauros, Fire Blast!" Hiro commanded. Tauros reared up on his hind legs, 
took in a deep breath, and then shot out a large blast of fire, which looked 
like a little stick man.

"Pinsir! That's a fire attack! Dodge it!" Tom yelled. But before Pinsir 
could even move, the blast had hit her, knocking her senseless. "Pinsir!" 
Tom cried as he ran out to his fallen Pokemon's side. "Are you alright, 
Pinsir?" Tom asked his fallen Pokemon worriedly. Pinsir coughed weakly, her 
outer body shell charred and black.

"You better come back, Pinsir," Tom said as he zapped Pinsir back into her 
Pokeball. Tom went back to his end of the battlefield. "Alright, Machop, 
go!" Tom commanded, letting his Pokemon out of his Pokeball.

"Machop! Low kick!" Tom commanded.

"Tauros! Ice Beam!" Hiro ordered.

Tauros took in another deep breath, but just as he was about to fire the Ice 
Beam, Machop caught him with a Low Kick to the jaw. Tauros stumbled over, 
firing the Ice Beam onto Tom's jacket, tearing the bottom corner away. The 
Ice Beam hit the wall and froze on impact with the corner of Tom's jacket 
perfectly frozen to the wall. Tauros stood back up and spat out a tooth and 
a little blood.

"That's it, Machop!" Tom cheered, "Low Kick again!" Machop ran at Tauros at 
full speed and leapt high in the air.

"Tauros, Skull Bash!" Hiro commanded. Tauros braced, and leapt up in the air 
on a collision course with Machop. Machop proved victorious as he kicked 
Tauros dead between the eyes, drawing some more blood. Tauros fell to the 
floor unconscious as Machop landed skillfully on his feet soon after. "I 
concede, my Tauros has been defeated," Hiro said as he zapped Tauros back in 
his Pokeball. No sooner than a few seconds afterwards, he had another in his 
hand and released the Pokemon inside. "Stand tall, Miltank!"

Miltank mooed as soon as her feet touched the ground and charged Machop with 
a Tackle attack. Machop got the wind knocked out of him and coughed up a 
little blood as the Miltank battered her head into Machop's chest. Machop 
lay dazed on the floor, his senses knocked from him. "Machop, are you okay?" 
Tom called, worried.

"Chop," Machop groaned weakly. Tom zapped Machop back inside his Pokeball. 
Tom looked at Porygon. "You're our last chance. Get 'im!" Tom said to his 
Porygon. Porygon drove forward to Miltank.

"Miltank, Headbutt!" Hiro ordered.

"Porygon, Blizzard!" Tom commanded. As Miltank rushed straight towards 
Porygon, Porygon's beak began to glow and a powerful blast of ice shards 
blew towards Miltank from it. One shard hit Miltank's hip, immobilizing it 
in ice. Another hit her elbow, freezing her whole arm solid. Miltank tried 
to struggle free from her icy trap, but to no avail. Sensing Miltank's 
defeat, Hiro returned Miltank back to her Pokeball. "Commendable 
performance, Tom. But my last Pokemon shall not be defeated so easily. Go, 
Fearow!"

A Fearow appeared from a flashy red light, and screeched, 
"Frrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaarrrrrr!"

"Fearow, Fury Attack!" Hiro ordered. Fearow flew at Porygon at full speed 
and furiously pecked its forehead with his long beak.

"Porygon, try to hold it off with a Blizzard attack!" Tom commanded. Porygon 
let fly the ice shards again, sometimes hitting Fearow, sometimes missing. 
But through it all, Fearow still furiously pecked Porygon.

"Fearow, Keep attacking!" Hiro commanded.

"Don't give up either, Porygon!" Tom called. Then Fearow stopped, it's beak 
completely frozen, and fell to the floor. Porygon, completely covered in 
dents, fell over too. Both had fainted.

Tom came over to Porygon and scooped him up in his arms as Hiro walked over 
to him. "Tom, it is an unusual co-incidence that both of our Pokemon have 
fainted at once," said Hiro, zapping his fainted Fearow back inside his 
Pokeball, "Indeed, you have lost, but you have also won, in another 
dimension of truth." Hiro reached into his robe, and pulled out a small, 
rectangular crest. "Here, my freind. You have indeed earned my Crestbadge."

*******

Tom was at the Pokemon Center, waiting for the Chansey nurses to heal Pinsir 
and Machop, while one of the super-smart Kadabra worked on Porygon's 
repairs. Soon after, Jen came in and gave her three Pokeballs to Nurse Joy, 
obviously for healing. Jen turned around and saw Tom. "Hey Tom! Imagine 
seeing you here," she said. Tom groaned.

"What do you want this time?" Tom muttered.

"Nothing. You beat Hiro?" Jen asked.

"Well, sort of," Tom muttered.

"Ha! That was one weak trainer!" Jen exclaimed.

Tom almost choked on his own surprise. "That's right," said Jen, sensing 
Tom's shock and smirking, "He creamed Clefairy and Totodile, but my third, 
my third cleaned house! You should've seen it!"

"What is your third Pokemon, anyway?"

"Puh-leez, like I'd tell you, loser."

"Tom, is Tom here?" Nurse Joy called from over the counter. Tom walked up to 
the counter, and Joy gave him the Pokeballs containing Machop and Pinsir. 
Porygon drove out from behind the desk.

Just before Tom left, Jen stopped him. "Oh, and Tom, I'm not gonna' rest 
until I finally beat you," She vowed.

"Sure. Just like last time, huh?" Tom said sarcastically, yet trying not to 
show his nervousness. Her last Pokemon sounded pretty powerful to Tom, but 
that was the least of Tom's worries...

-End

*********