“What… are you eating?” Cole remarked, prompting Charlie to turn towards his companion with bulging cheeks as he tilted the contents of his pot for the other boy to see

“Hwant shome…” Charlie offered, only to receive a look of disgust in return. The boy shrugged and continued shovelling food into his mouth.

Charlie was on a budget, which meant he needed to have priorities. And number one on his list was definitely the wellbeing of his Pokemon. Both Nina and his mom made it very clear that if Charlie were to ever neglect his Pokemon ever again, the two of them would join hands and make him regret it. Not that he would repeat that mistake ever again, even without the threat of the two scary ladies. Nope. Definitely not.

So he made sure to stock up on good quality Pokechow for his Pokemon before he left the city for this secluded training camp. He already got an extensive list of appropriate feeds for Typhoon from Nina, and he just had to continue feeding Murphy Jr what his dad was feeding her. For Growlithe, since they were very common, it wasn’t hard to come up with a diet for her through trial and error. He had to learn how to do some things by himself after all.

Although, the most helpful advice that he got from every dependable person in his life was to consult the Pokemon Center on his Pokemon’s diet. Which he did do for his recently acquired Goldeen. That said, he also made a call to his mom and Nina to be doubly sure. And thank goodness as well, because Nina actually provided him with an alternative brand of Pokechow used in the Cerulean Gym that was as good as the one that the Nurse Joy recommended to him, but at nearly half the cost.

“Yeah, Violet is a real cheapskate, so she tries to save a buck whenever she can. Especially since the Cerulean Gym has to buy the stuff in bulk.” The girl said at the time.

Unfortunately, properly providing for all four of his Pokemon was a huge strain on his budget. So in an effort to save money, Charlie slashed his own food allotment and made due with whatever he could find at the best value for nutrition. His most recent obsession was with natto, because it was actually a local produce here in Pewter City.

Thanks to the population of Pewter being more on the aging side, there was actually huge demand for the fermented beans. And since production of natto only required soybeans — which were imported — starter spores, and some space for the beans to ferment, a good number of producers have popped up to meet the demand. Which meant that Charlie could buy them for cheap.

The boy had taken to eating it with rice, a super tasty brand of fermented chili sauce that he found, and furikake — crispy rice seasoning, just for some added texture and complexity. Best of all, not only were all those ingredients super affordable, they were highly nutritious as well. Charlie also made sure to supplement his diets with Berries of course, since he had to buy them for his Pokemon anyway. 

“Aren’t you gonna eat.” He asked Cole, after he properly swallowed his mouthful. It was currently lunchtime, and Charlie had settled down to eat after preparing his Pokemon’s feed. Cole on the other hand, was just lounging around and heckling at Charlie like he usually did.

Cole shook his head with scoff. “Watching you eat that slop is enough to make me lose my appetite.” He said, barely hiding the disgust in his voice.

Charlie smiled wryly in return. “It’s not that bad, the natto is from one of your local producers, you know? I thought you Pewter folks love this stuff.” He said, eliciting groans and a sneer from Cole. “Welp, it's your loss.” The boy continued. “What about your Pokemon though? Don’t you need to feed them?”

The edgy teenager, who was indeed a couple years younger than Charlie, snorted. “None of your biz.” He spat.

Charlie chuckled. “I get it, you’re too bad of a trainer, so Brock didn’t entrust you with any Pokemon.” Either Charlie’s words, or the mention of Brock must have triggered him, because Cole stood up with a face full of rage and yelled at the boy to “Shut up!!!”

“As if a loser like you knows the first thing about me!” Cole exclaimed, looking like he was about to pin Charlie to the ground and strangle him.

Charlie reeled back in shock. “Hey, relax… I was just kidding.” He murmured, but held back on apologizing on account of how mean and rude the other boy was usually. “It’s not nice to call someone a loser, you know?” He added quietly at the end.

“Hah! If you’re not a loser, then why else would you be here? And just so you know, I’ve already finished my conference run so don’t you dare sass me, you loser!”

Charlie frowned. “I didn’t lose, you know… But I was screened for the beginner challenge and wasn’t happy about it. So I decided to train and do better.” His honest response took Cole aback and pacified him somewhat as he sat down on his log with another huff.

“Fucking dumbass, just take the win and move on already. Also, you’re fine with me calling you a dumbass, but not loser? What a dumbass…” Cole murmured.

Charlie laughed in response. “That’s ‘cause I AM a dumbass. A dumbass who got too into his own head, got abandoned by his Pokemon, and dropped out of trainer school.” He said, every word and syllable pricking at his heart as he was saying them. 

“But I’m not a loser.” The boy declared. “A loser is someone who gave up. So long as I haven’t given up yet, then I won’t lose!” Charlie vowed that he would keep going, even if he fell into a deep dark pit, he would claw his way out. If he failed to do so, then he had faith that his friends and family would go in and drag him out. After all, he had already fallen once, what’s a few more times.

Cole frowned at Charlie’s words and fell silent. Sensing that his companion was deep in thought, Charlie opted not to speak, and continued with his lunch.

After what felt like an eternity amongst the awkward atmosphere, Cole stirred and produced a lunchbox from a sack that he had by his side. Charlie looked over in curiosity and watched in awe as the other boy unveiled a gleaming jewel of myriad dishes surrounding a glistening bed of rice.

“Wow, did your family make that for you? Lucky…” Charlie sighed in envy, feeling a wave of homesickness wash over him.

However, Cole simply scoffed in return, in his usual haughty manner. “As if. Why would I let someone else cook my food for me.”

“Wait, are you saying that you made that lunchbox yourself? I thought you were gonna say you bought it or something?”

Cole clicked his tongue in response, which Charlie took to be a yes.

“Wow, you must be a great cook. How long did it even take you to make so many dishes? And they all look so tasty too…” Charlie looked at the colorful contents of the lunchbox with a face full of longing, eliciting a sneer from Cole as he plucked a piece of fried tofu with his chopsticks and tossed it into Charlie’s pot. 

The boy instantly lit up at the charitable gesture, thanked his companion and gingerly placed the piece of tofu in his mouth. Charlie made sure to savour each bite, focusing his palate on the earthy sweetness that he was tasting.

Seeing how much Charlie was appreciating his cooking, Cole grumbled incoherently and begrudgingly tossed another piece to the pathetic looking boy. This time, it was a piece of mini croquette filled with minced meat stuffing.

Charlie was almost about to cry out of gratitude at this point, it had been too long since he last had meat. “Thank you…” He sniffled, running his sleeve across his nose to prevent the snot from dripping onto his food.

“Urgh. Get your shit together already! How the heck are you going to taste the food if your nose is all stuffy?” In response to Cole’s admonishment, Charlie nodded fervently and went away to clean himself up.

***

“Congratulations, you’ve earned the right to challenge our Gym Leader at the intermediate difficulty.”

Charlie pumped his fist and grabbed hold of Typhoon’s hand to dance around in celebration, eliciting chuckles from Forrest who screened him. “Don’t celebrate too early,” the Gym Trainer warned. “You still haven’t beaten Brock yet, this is just the first step.”

Charlie ceased his merry-making and returned Forrest’s concerns with a grave nod.

“Now then,” Forrest continued. “If you want to do your best then you need to have your Pokemon in their best condition, so go and get your Pokemon healed up. I’ll schedule you for a match two hours from now. That ought to be enough time.”

“Thanks, Mr Forrest.” Charlie said as he ran off to the Pokemon Center to have Typhoon and Lance checked. Charlie couldn’t tell if Forrest went easy on him or if his training did indeed pay off, because he passed the screening battle with more ease than last time. “Don’t doubt yourself like that Charlie. Mr Forrest doesn’t look like he plays favorites.” After all, his Goldeen did get fainted, so maybe it was just the perks of having a Type advantage.

“You went easy on him.” Brock remarked, once Charlie left the room.

Forrest snorted at his brother. “Not really, the kid would have done just fine even if I hadn’t called it early. I just didn’t want to wear him out before the big match. Besides, he did us a big favor with Cole, whether he intended to or not…” That last sentence was said in a barely audible murmur, one that his older brother picked up on just the same.

Brock smiled. “You’ve mellowed out a bit. That’s good.” He said, eliciting chuckles from Forrest.

“Haven’t you always been nagging me to ease off on the newbies? Well, there you have it. Not that the elders are gonna be happy if they ever catch wind of this.”

Brock gave his younger brother a reassuring pat on the back. “Don’t worry, those old farts have always preferred you over me anyway. Maybe it’s about time I passed on the mantle…” He murmured.

Forrest turned with a start and stared at his brother with a look of incredulity. A look that Brock responded to with a gentle chuckle and another pat on Forrest’s shoulder before heading back to the main arena to face his next challenger.

***

“Welcome Charlie, I hope you’re ready to earn your Boulder Badge.” Brock said, over the microphone on his platform. “And don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because your dad and I are friends.” The Gym Leader added, his smile disappearing to make way for a more severe look.

Charlie gulped, trying to suppress the jitters threatening to dominate his body as he slowly shuffled closer to the platform's control panel. “I… I’m not gonna lose! Not anymore!” The boy blurted, eliciting a nod of acknowledgement from Brock. 

“This match will be a four on four between Charlie of Cerulean and Brock, Leader of the Pewter Gym.” The referee declared. “Trainers, are you ready?”

“R-ready!” Charlie yelled, nearly biting his tongue in fright.

“Ready.” Brock responded. And the moment that he did, the referee counted down and declared the start of the match, prompting the Gym Leader to toss out a Pokeball, revealing his first pick in a bright flash of light — a Sandslash.

Charlie frowned as he considered his options. He was really tempted to send out his Growlithe to give her a chance of redemption, but quickly dismissed that notion. 

“Get your head in the game, Charlie! This is a proper Gym battle with a Leader, not some screening match!” He chided himself, before finally deciding to send out Typhoon for the match. 

It wasn’t ideal that he needed to use his ace in just the first round, but it couldn't be helped. Based on his prior experience with Sandshrew, he was expecting Sandslash to be a very hardy and melee focused Pokemon. Meaning, Lance would have a very hard time holding his ground against it.

“Sand!” Without needing to be told, Sandslash took action the moment that the match started, by burying its hardy claws into ground and gouging it out with a violent jerk to reveal earth covered claws covering its arms, each almost half the size of the Ground Type Pokemon as it crashed them together to shake off the loose dirt and stare menacingly at Typhoon.

Charlie sensed a sudden surge of urgency as he hurriedly called for Typhoon to “Make it rain!” If the terrain wasn’t to his favor then make it be. That was the biggest advice that his mom gave him, corroborated by all the videos of Poliwhirls in battle that Nina sent him.

“Whirl” At her trainer’s instructions, Typhoon pounded at her belly and began spewing mist into the air, which gradually coalesced into gloomy rain clouds.

Meanwhile, Sandslash wasn’t idle either as it curled its body and began rolling towards Typhoon with its comically large earth claws jutting out from the side, much like those scythed chariots that Charlie often saw on TV. It was a good thing the main Pewter Gym arena was so big, otherwise at the speed that Sandslash was going, Typhoon wouldn’t have had the chance to execute her Rain Dance before being struck by that violent Rollout.

Droplets of rain began to fall on two-thirds of the arena. It was unfortunate that Typhoon wasn’t powerful enough to cover the entire arena just yet, but it was good enough for now.

“Get out of the way and use Bubble Beam when you can, Typhoon!” Charlie called, and just in time as well, because Sandslash’s earth claws barely clipped his Poliwhirl’s belly before rolling past with its unstoppable momentum, only to collide against the arena wall, rolling up it and turning around to charge towards Typhoon again. But this time, Typhoon was ready as she shot a continuous beam of bubbles towards the spiky wheel of doom, killing its momentum and forcing Sandslash to end its Rollout early. 

However, it wasn’t time to celebrate just yet, as the seasoned Gym Pokemon was now in perfect melee range. A chance that Sandslash was not going to squander as it leaped towards Typhoon and followed up with a powerful Crush Claw, in an impact that was powerful enough to shatter both its makeshift earth claws and send Typhoon bouncing on the ground.

Charlie gritted his teeth and was just about to call out some dumb, knee-jerk order before he shook his head and reminded himself to stay calm. “Think Charlie, think! Don’t just blurt out whatever random thing that comes to mind!” 

The boy racked his brain and considered his options. Sandslash was about on par with Typhoon as a brawler, but Charlie couldn’t risk having his Poliwhirl be so worn down by a slug fest this early on in the match. “Which means, I have to slow it down.” He concluded.

“Keep your distance and use Icy Wind, Typhoon!”

Typhoon grunted as she forced herself up, taking in a deep breath before blowing a gust of freezing winds from her mouth. This caused Sandshrew to cry out in pain and raised its arms to defend itself. It tried to Dig into the ground to seek shelter, but its Icy Wind induced sluggish movement allowed the Poliwhirl to slam an Ice Punch into her opponent and stop its maneuver.

“Sand!” Sandslash was sent tumbling across the ground. Meanwhile, Typhoon’s skin was glistening as her latent Water Absorb ability combined with the continuous rainfall slowly reinvigorated the Poliwhirl from its prior damage.

At the other end of the arena, Brock nodded in approval and considered his options as well. “I commend you on the use of Icy Wind, Charlie. However, in this case, that will likely be your downfall.” He remarked. “Gyro Ball combo, Sandslash.” 

Charlie yelled at Typhoon to keep her distance. “Gyro Ball… What the heck is Gyro Ball again?” There was no point knowing a move’s name if Charlie didn’t know what it was. But his instincts were screaming danger at him so he opted to play it safe. “Don’t just let Sandslash set up for free, bombard it with Bubble Beam!”

Sandslash slammed its claws into the ground and did a flipping motion to summon a Rock Tomb from the ground in an effort to block Typhoon’s ranged assault. And on the other end of the barrier, Sandslash sharpened its claws with Swords Dance as its entire body took on a metallic gleam from being infused with Steel Type Energy.

Seeing the sight of Sandslash powering up made Charlie panic in spite of himself. “Hydro Pump, Typhoon! Wash Sandslash away!” Charlie’s Poliwhirl didn’t have enough endurance to abuse Hydro Pump too much. At most she could do three in perfect condition, and two in her current battle worn state. So the boy was reluctant, since he wanted to save it for the later matches. But there was no point saving it if it meant his ace gets knocked out early.

The violent stream of Water steadily broke apart the Rock Tomb weakened by rain and crashed into Sandslash. The Ground Type let out a struggling yelp as its set up was disrupted,  the Pokemon washed away and crashed into the arena wall.

Once the flood of Water settled, Sandslash tried to force itself up with a shaky poise and a spiteful look in its eyes. “Don’t let it get up, Typhoon! Finish it with a Bubble Beam!” Charlie called, putting an end to the round with a win in his favor. The boy let out a sigh of relief, a little bit more and Typhoon might have been in big trouble.

Brock chuckled and returned his fainted Sandslash with an amused smirk. His next selection was an average looking Geodude, so Charlie opted to return his Poliwhirl to save her strength, but not before asking Typhoon to dismiss her Rain Dance. Because his next Pokemon was going to be…

“Growlithe, I choose you!”

“Arf!” With a bright flash, Charlie’s energetic Fire puppy was deposited onto the arena. The first thing she did was jump into a puddle and get mud all over her fur, eliciting groans from her trainer. “Dammit, I’ll have to clean her later.” He sighed. Quite the chore, given how much Growlithe hates baths.

One thing that Charlie learned about Geodudes was how slow they were, albeit incredibly sturdy. So the plan was to take advantage of Growlithe’s faster speed to keep juking Geodude and stall their way to victory. 

So right off the bat, Charlie told Growlithe to build up some speed with Agility, this time accounting for the rough terrain as Charlie made sure to train his Fire puppy on a self devised obstacle course during the two weeks he spent in relative seclusion. He used logs and whatever else he found lying around at first, but at one point, he managed to get Cole to help out by having his Graveler create a bit of rocky terrain for Growlithe to play on.

“Just like we discussed, Growlithe! Keep running and use Flamethrower!” Charlie called.@@novelbin@@

However, Geodude was unphased as he simply buffed up with Defense Curl and Rock Polish, before beginning to methodically crush the boulders surrounding it and scattering sharp splinters all over the arena. This was Stealth Rock, but the inexperienced Charlie was blissfully unaware of the sabotage that was currently happening.

Amidst Geodude’s setup, it was also using Rock Blast to fling larger chunks of rock towards Growlithe, the spread of which was deliberately wide to account for the wiliness of Growlithe, causing her to sustain a decent amount of damage since Charlie’s puppy had a lot of trouble avoiding the random projectiles aimed towards her.

Charlie frowned in consternation. “Leer and Howl, Growlithe!” He called, in an attempt to weaken the opponent Rock Type. And while Geodude did falter a little in response, it still stood its ground as one would expect from a well disciplined Gym Pokemon.

Seeing that Geodude remained unphased, Charlie began to lose his patience. “Get in there and use Reversal, Growlithe!”

“Arf!” An orange aura of Fighting Type Energy suffused Growlithe as she charged towards Geodude with a determined look, eliciting a mild smirk from Brock on his platform. Charlie, sensing that something was wrong, wanted to open his mouth and abort the attack. But it was too late. 

With an eye-searing glow, Geodude exploded in a burst of Normal Type Energy, completely fainting both itself and Growlithe with a Self-Destruct. Charlie was aghast, he had not expected a Gym Leader of all people to resort to such a frowned upon move. The boy clenched his fist and recalled his Growlithe with an apology to her Pokeball. “If only I just stayed patient and stuck with the plan. This is all my fault…”

However, there was little time for the boy to wallow in regret, because Brock sent out his next Pokemon immediately after recalling the fainted Geodude — a sturdy looking Graveler.

“GRAAA!!!” The four armed boulder Pokemon emerged with an aggressive, gravelly roar, knocking Charlie out from his self-loathing.

The boy sniffled and renewed his determination. “I won’t let Growlithe’s hard work go to waste…” He murmured, before tossing out a Pokeball of his own. “Go, Lance!” The Goldeen emerged, billowing, floating a few centimeters above the ground and with a hard gaze, one that turned into a wince, when shards of rock fragments levitated from the ground and converged on the Goldeen like he was a magnet against nails.

However, Lance was undeterred as he renewed his determined gaze. The goldfish Pokemon had been training hard in preparation for this match and refused to allow himself to be treated as fodder. However, that might end up being the case since a Graveler was no joke. One trained by a Gym Leader especially.

Right off the bat, Graveller charged forwards with a Bulldoze, before transitioning into a roll to create a Bulldoze/Rollout hybrid. The entire arena rumbled in Graveler’s wake as large swathes of earth and rock were churned and dug up in its path. Charlie even had to hold on to the railing to steady his jelly legs from all the shaking.

“Return, Lance!” Charlie yelled in a panic. It was very cowardly and lame of him, but it couldn’t be helped. Charlie would have liked for Lance to at least weaken Graveler before returning him, but as it stood, he was probably going to be flattened before he could do anything meaningful.

“Oof!” The boy grunted. Right as the Goldeen left the arena, Graveler violently slammed against Charlie’s platform, causing the boy to stumble and crash into the railing to steady himself. Charlie could feel his heart pounding at the prospect of nearly toppling over and falling into the arena. 

“Gra…” The disappointed Graveler huffed and looked up at its opponent’s trainer with barely veiled disdain, upset that its target was yoinked from it at the last minute, eliciting a sheepish look from Charlie as he shrunk back to the middle of the platform.

“Sorry…” Charlie muttered over the microphone. But Brock did not seem to mind, merely shrugging at the kid without saying anything else. Charlie took in a deep breath to steady himself, feeling his heartbeat slowly subside until the referee reminded him that he was on a timer.

“Fifteen seconds remaining, challenger.”

Charlie fumbled at his belt and tossed out his Pokeball. “Use Rain Dance, Typhoon.” Charlie called out his first order before the Pokeball even landed, while making sure to create a bit of distance with his throw, since Graveler was still camping at his side of the arena.

“Whirl!” Typhoon landed on the ground and immediately spewed mist into the air amidst rhythmic belly pounds, restarting her Rain Dance once more while enduring the barrage of Stealth Rocks. Meanwhile, Graveler smirked at the emergence of a new target and restarted its violent charge.

“Hydro Pump! Don’t let it get near you.” With a loud crash, Typhoon’s pressurized jet of water collided against the rolling Graveller, dissipating its momentum.

“GRAAA!!!” However, with a determined yelp, Graveler soldiered on, gritting its rocky teeth against the pain as it slowly pushed back against the Hydro Pump.

“Dodge out of the way, Typhoon.” Charlie chose to concede that exchange, he didn’t want to risk Typhoon meeting the same fate as Growlithe. And by this point, Graveler was slowed enough that his Poliwhirl could easily avoid it.

“Whirl…” With an exhausted cry, Typhoon stopped her Hydro Pump and ran off to the side, keeping a healthy distance from the potentially volatile Graveler, who merely frowned in frustration.

The good news was, after tanking that Hydro Pump, Graveler did not seem to be in the best condition either as cracks began to form on its body, exacerbated by the droplets of rain, loose bits of rock and gravel fell to the ground with every movement it made. Water Type moves were super effective against the Rock Type Pokemon after all.

“Finish it off with a Bubble Beam, Typhoon!”

“Earthquake.” Brock commanded. And all of a sudden, the entire arena began shaking once more. This time, Charlie made sure to crouch down low to avoid getting tossed around again. Brock on the other hand, was steady like a rock, coolly standing on his platform and merely watched as Graveler was assaulted by an unfocused stream of bubbles from Charlie’s Poliwhirl, who had crouched down on all fours at some point.

Typhoon’s efforts were admirable, but she still got tossed around and bounced repeatedly off the ground against the surrounding terrain eventually, looking bruised and haggard by the end of the ordeal. It was clear that the Poliwhirl was barely hanging in there by a thin thread, thanks to the ongoing Rain Dance feeding into her innate Water Absorb.

On the other hand, Graveler, having expended the last of its energy reserves, wobbled in place before crashing face first onto the ground.

“Whirl! Poliwhirl!!!” Typhoon forced herself up shakily and cried out hoarsely at the hard won victory, prompting Charlie to get back on his feet and cheer alongside her. 

“Good job, Typhoon! You’re the best!” He yelled, making eye contact with his Poliwhirl as his longtime partner returned the sentiment with a happy smile, her swirls spinning in pride. And for just a brief moment in time, a connection was formed between them as their emotions synchronized and a bright light took over Typhoon’s silhouette.

Charlie was mouth agape at the sight, tears welling in his eyes. His partner had been stuck at the Poliwhirl stage for years by this point. For a species of Pokemon that were notoriously fast growers, Charlie had long since reached the conclusion that it was somehow his fault that Typhoon was unable to reach ner next evolutionary phase.

But at this very moment, the boy felt vindicated, as all the grief and frustration he experienced over the years flashed through his eyes. “Finally… I finally did something right for once…” Charlie choked as tears streamed down his face.

Typhoon grew in size, her originally thin limbs bulging as her muscles rapidly developed from a sudden infusion of Fighting Type Energy, padding out her physique with added bulk. And when the Light of Evolution subsided, a newly evolved Poliwrath was unveiled to the world.

“Poli. POLIWRATH!!!”

Charlie pumped his fist and cheered out once more.

“Congratulations, Charlie.” Brock said, with a genial smile, eliciting an excited exclamation of “Thanks!” from the boy.

“However, while I would love to test out your new Poliwrath, as a friend, I must advise you to return her and withdraw her from the match for the sake of her wellbeing.” The Gym Leader continued.

Charlie tilted his head in confusion and turned his gaze to have a more thorough look at his Pokemon. He knew better than to ignore any well-meaning advice. Especially if it came from a seasoned Gym Leader like Brock.

Typhoon was clearly exhausted, she had a sharp and determined look in her eyes, but her posture was wavering and it was clear that it took everything she had just to remain standing, despite the constant rain steadily rejuvenating her. Charlie frowned and did as he was advised. 

While newly evolved Pokemon tend to be reinvigorated by the sudden influx of Type Energy, that state was merely transient. Forcing a volatile new Evolution to undergo strenuous battle when they were already in an exhausted state was bad for their long term development. Or at least that’s what Brock explained to Charlie, after the boy withdrew his Poliwrath.

“I’m sorry, Typhoon. But your health means the world to me…” Charlie murmured to Typhoon’s Pokeball. The boy would not allow himself to repeat past mistakes. “But then that means…” Charlie sighed. Brock’s next Pokemon was likely going to be an Onix, and there was no way that Lance could handle an intermediate tier Onix on his own. Which meant that Charlie would have to rely on his dad’s Donphan after all.

“Dammit!” Charlie gritted his teeth in frustration but quickly shook it off. He couldn’t quit right now. Not after all the work his Pokemon put in to get him this far. The young trainer was determined to secure that Boulder Badge, whatever it took. His pride was nothing compared to Typhoon and Growlithe’s suffering.

And sure enough, Brock summoned an Onix as his final Pokemon. Lance fought valiantly but still fell short in the end, despite the advantage of Typhoon’s lingering Rain Dance. The Goldeen’s limited speed while air swimming meant that he couldn’t effectively dodge the rock snake’s ruthless attacks. The damage was further compounded by the sheer difference in mass between the two Pokemon. 

Brock’s Onix was a fairly aged one, which meant that it possessed a decent length. “I think dad once told me that the older the Onix, the more segments get added to its body…” The boy recalled.

And speaking of Charlie’s dad. The boy sighed in resignation and finally released Murphy Jr, his dad’s Donphan, onto the arena. The elephant Pokemon didn’t require much training on Charlie’s part. During their two week long training camp, he only needed to condition the Donphan and ensure that the gluttonous Pokemon did not grow lazy and lose practice in the interim. Of course, he also had Murphy Jr spar with Typhoon to temper the Donphan line’s innate battle aggression.

Charlie’s Donphan and Brock’s Onix were fairly well matched as they clashed in a brutal melee, completely destroying the surface of the arena in the process. But in the end, it was Murphy Jr who emerged victorious, since Onix, as a pure Rock Type, was severely weakened by Typhoon’s Rain Dance. Donphans were weak to Water as well, but it was a two times difference compared to the roughly four times weakness of the Onix, allowing Murphy Jr to defeat the rock snake with a final Bulldoze.

“Congratulations, Charlie. You have earned yourself a Boulder Badge. And at the intermediate tier as well, just as you wanted.” Brock said, when the two Pokemon Trainers met in the middle after the match.

Charlie thanked the man and received the angular silver badge with mixed emotions. He was elated that Typhoon evolved, but felt bad about needing Murphy Jr to clutch the victory. “Fucking dumbass, just take the win and move on already.” Cole’s words echoed in Charlie’s mind, causing the boy to inexplicably chuckle. “Right, better a dumbass than a loser.” He mused.

“So what’s next for you?” Brock asked, interrupting Charlie’s reverie.

“I… I’m not sure.” Charlie responded “I want to head to Fuchsia City, to visit the Safari Zone and seek guidance from Mr Masayuki. You know Mr Masayuki right? He used to be a Gym Trainer here.” 

Brock nodded with a nostalgic face. “Yeah… Masa used to always sneak candy for me and my siblings whenever Flint wasn’t looking. Good times…”

Charlie let out a warm smile at the Gym Leader. “Yeah, that’s my next destination. After that, I want to go to Celadon to look for a friend.” Charlie had tried reaching out to Nobita after his return to Cerulean, but his childhood friend was not responding. Thinking back on his own dark experiences, Charlie couldn’t help but worry about him a little. 

However, there was always the chance that they just became estranged after being apart for so long. So for now, he decided to give Nobita the benefit of the doubt and persisted with his sporadic communications in hopes of getting a response at some point.

“Not sure how I’m going to get to Fuchsia though, since there’s no direct path from here.” The boy added with a furrow. He didn’t exactly have the money to take the Magnet Train or a Sky Taxi.

“You may consider going through Diglett’s Cave to Vermilion and taking a ferry to Fuchsia from there.” Brock suggested, eliciting an odd look from Charlie. The boy was disinclined to return to Vermilion City so soon. 

“Otherwise, you could try going down to Pallet Town and see if any of the fishing boats are headed that direction. The fishermen are all pretty friendly, so you might be able to convince some of them to take you in exchange for some labour. Maybe you can even try your luck with the Viridian Gym while you’re at it.” The Gym leader added.

Charlie lit up at the second suggestion and thanked the man. He wouldn’t try to challenge the Viridian Gym just yet, since he was still harbouring hopes for a potential Star Badge. But he kept such conceited notions unspoken, to avoid making a fool of himself.

“You’re welcome,” said Brock. “Just make sure to take good care of Cole for us, will you?” He murmured at the end, before giving Charlie a solid pat on the shoulder and turning on his heels to leave.

Charlie tilted his head in confusion at Brock’s words, but ultimately shrugged and returned to the reception area to eagerly claim his prize money. 

“Finally I can treat myself to a good meal!”

***

“Oh, hey Cole. Whassup?” 

It was the day of Charlie’s departure from Pewter City. And on his way to check out of the Ranger outpost, he stumbled upon Cole, who was all dressed up in green hiking gear and carrying a bulky looking backpack.

Cole scoffed in his usual manner and told Charlie to “Hurry and check out already.” Charlie was confused, but shrugged and did as he was told. That was his original intent anyway.

“So where are we headed?” Cole asked, eliciting an even more confused look from Charlie.

“What do you mean ‘we’?”

Cole clicked his tongue in impatience. “We as in we! Don’t you know the common tongue, you dumbass!”

Charlie was taken aback. “Wait, are you meaning to say that you want to join me on my journey?”

In lieu of a response, the other boy merely rolled his eyes and walked towards the direction of Route 2, leaving Charlie stunned in place. “W-wait for me!” He yelled, before hurrying to catch up with Cole.

“Does this mean that I get to eat your cooking from now on?” asked the excited Charlie, eliciting groans from Cole, who was already starting to regret his whimsical decision.

***

Into the Unown SS: Charlie Part 5 (sneak peak)

Charlie stumbled as a violent wave crashed against the hull of the boat. For a moment there, the boy felt like the world was nearly turned upside down as the vessel he was on briefly lifted into the air.

“Heave, boy! Heave! Don’t let up just yet!” One of the burly fisherman urged, as he too began pulling at his section of the net.

Charlie sputtered, a spray of saltwater spewing from his mouth. The boy did his part with a strained groan, his palms in searing pain from rope burn aggravated by seawater.

“Keep at it lads! Almost there now. One last heave!” called Larry, the lead fisherman of this fishing vessel as he yelled out a traditional fisherman’s chant. 

“Dokoisho, doikoisho!”

“Soran! Soran!” The other fisherman responded, with renewed vigor.

And with one last pull, Charlie fell onto his butt as the net was finally lifted, pouring a deluge of colour marinelife onto the deck of the ship, almost burying the boy alive in the midst.

“We snared some Tentacool! Machoke, get in there and deal with them!” Larry yelled, prompting his Pokemon to burst into action as a battle ensued on deck. “Everyone else on Tentacruel watch! I want every Water Pokemon on deck right now!” He added, before turning to look down at the struggling Charlie.

“You have a Poliwrath with you right, boy?” Charlie nodded with an anxious look. “Get ‘em out right now!” Larry ordered as he tossed out another Pokeball to unveil his own Poliwrath.

But before Charlie could ask why, the turbulent waters surrounding the fishing boat churned and bulged, unveiling two bright red orbs casting a menacing light on the ship’s occupants. Charlie gawked as a Tentacruel the size of their mid-sized boat emerged from the waters and stared him down with sharp eyes full of hate and loathing.

“Defensive positions!” Larry yelled, prompting every member of the crew to burst into action, and Charlie to scramble for his Pokeball. The boy felt immense regret at his decision to hitch a ride with these fishermen.

***

Author's Note:

Hope you guys enjoyed this little tangent so far. Part 5 of the Charlie side story onwards will be Patreon only unfortunately. But no need to worry, Charlie and Cole will return to the main story eventually. And when that happens I'll provide sufficient context for their involvement.

Another thing is that I have an Announcement.

Next week's schedule is going to be a bit irregular.

The reason being, I need to work on rewriting some chapters before they get released. In particular Chapter 100 and Chapter 101.

Aside from those two, I've also been struggling with a lot of life circumstances at the moment and all those piled up frustrations have bled into my writing. So among all the recent chapters I've written of the Part 2 Finale, about 5-6 of them need to be rewritten.

All of that takes time, and I don't want to go on a break so soon after my last one, so this is sort of a middle ground. You might only get 1-2 chapters per week in the following two weeks as a result.

Anyways, as always, thanks for reading.