“I know the island had the volcano thing happen, but this is far from what I expected!” Theodore said out loud.  He climbed off of Twist’s back, returning the Buizel to his pokeball as he got to the shore.  

He had heard that most the island was destroyed, and that they only had a pokemon center left.  And yet, up on the deep red rock that covered over half the island he could see buildings.  Some of them looked like houses, but there was a bigger one right next to the pokemon center too.  But the one that had his attention was a rather lengthy one that was set higher up than the others.  It had the gym symbol plastered on the side, as if it was put there in a hurry.  

“That’s the gym huh…?” Theodore mused to himself, taking a step forward.  

“You there!  Young… man, are you perhaps here for the gym challenge?” A voice from the side immediately grabbed Theodore’s attention, making him turn and look up.  An old man was looking down at him with a beaming smile.  He carried a cane that was bent to look like a question mark.  His shirt was white with long red sleeves, but it looked like it had some ashes clinging to it, and he wore a pair of reddish pants.  He crouched down, just about to Theodore’s level, staring at him intently through those round shades.  “Don’t tell me!  I can tell you are by just looking at you!  How many badges do you have so far?”

Theodore squeaked in surprise, taking a step back as he nodded his head.  “U-Uh, two?  And I-I just expected it to be more… abandoned, is all.  After the v-volcano went off, I thought everyone left…”

“Ha!  We did!  But we came back as well!  It’ll take more than one eruption to keep Cinnabar off the map!  The rebuild is slow, but that’s the price for improvement!” The old man laughed, standing up again and leaning on his cane.  “I hope to see you at the gym soon!  You’re going to be an interesting one I’m sure!” 

“H-Huh?” Theodore blinked.  “Wait, who are you?  The gym leader?” He asked.

The man’s grin seemed to get bigger then.  “The one and only!  You can call me Blaine!” And with that, he was on his merry way to the reddish stone, taking a stairway up to the higher points.  

“That was… weird.” Theodore said to himself.  He shrugged his shoulders then, turning to go to the pokemon center.  Today was going to be interesting.

“Whoa, wait, what??  You’re on Cinnabar?!  Theodore that place went volcanic!”

“Well I thought you’d think it’s cool!” Theodore said with a pout, staring down at the screen of his pokedex at Alvin.  His big brother looked more surprised than anything, as if his travels didn’t take him anywhere crazy!  

Alvin scoffed.  “Of course I think it’s cool!  I just, you know, thought you’d be somewhere… less cool.  But anyway, how have you been?  Been a while since we met up.” 

Theodore’s pout softened as he settled down in his seat.  “I’m fine… Just been doing a lot of thinking lately.  I… don’t know what I’m gonna do next, but I’ll figure it out.” He said, swaying his feet a little.  “What about you?  You haven’t said anything since you were on that ship.”

“Ehehe… let’s not worry about that, huh?  Let’s just say I’m not gonna be on a boat for a good, loooong while.” Alvin spoke.  “But I’m glad you’ve made it this far, Theo.  I dunno what you’ve got planned, but don’t hesitate to call if you need some confidence you hear?  I’ll come wherever you are if you need me.” 

“Thanks Alvin… wish me luck.  I’m gonna challenge the gym here.” Theodore said with half a smile.  “Think I can do it?”

Alvin went quiet for a bit.  “I dunno Theo… If ya have an advantage, make sure you use it a lot okay?  That’s a Fire gym for sure.  You remember what works against it right?”

“Yeah, I know!  Don’t worry, I’ve got some surprises I bet~” Theodore boasted with a happy smile now.  “Maybe me and you ought to battle some time, huh?  It’d be fun!”

To that, Alvin snorted.  “Oh Theo, you know champions don’t lose~  If you’re gonna step to me, you’d better bring your A game, little bro.  I’m not gonna go easy just cuz we’re related.”

“Good!  If you go easy, i’ll just win even faster!  I trust my team a lot, so we’re gonna win before you can even blink~” Theodore boasted with a smile.  

“Ohhh it is ON!  I’m gonna be training all day now, and I’m gonna hold you to that battle Theodore!  You better watch that big butt of yours, cuz we’ll be kicking it straight back home to Cerulean!” Alvin challenged, hanging up then and there.

“Sir?  Your pokemon are all healed up.” Nurse Joy’s voice took him out of his thoughts, but Theodore still had that boost of confidence in him.  He wasn’t gonna let Alvin win so easy.  But first, he had a badge to grab.  

“Thanks Miss!” He said as soon as he had his pokemon back, tucking the balls into his pockets.  “Fire gym huh…?  We’ve got this.”

As Theodore walked through the automatic doors, he found himself entranced by the building’s inside.  The walls were painted a fierce, fiery red, with images of pokemon and flames painted on top of it with bright, vibrant yellows and oranges.  There were no windows, the entire inside of the place was kept alight by countless candles and torches throughout the whole building.  

Alvin would LOVE it.

It was a straight path from beginning to end, with several trainers in lab coats lined up leading to the very back of the building.  He would have gawked more, but a squeal of static from overhead shocked him enough to make him jump.

“Greetings challenger!  Welcome to the new Cinnabar Gym!  Step forward if you dare, because this gym functions differently than others!” Blaine’s voice boomed.  “You will be tested on your knowledge about Pokemon and everything about them!  Answer correctly and you can move forward if you wish!  Answer wrong, and prepare for battle!  Do you accept?”

Theodore had covered his ears, groaning as he rubbed his ears in an attempt to get rid of the slight ringing. 

‘If I knew there was gonna be a test, I would have studied!’  He thought to himself while trying to prevent a headache from forming.

“Y-Yesss…” He said, walking forward on the tiled floor. 

“Perfect!  The Quiz Master awaits!” The voice was gone now, and Theodore made his way to the first trainer.  He’d definitely have a headache after this…

“Sorry about the sound system, kid.  It’s supposed to be quieter than that.” The man spoke, adjusting his coat some before putting his hands in his pockets.  “First question!” He paused for a moment, looking Theodore up and down.  “Does Caterpie evolve into Metapod?”

Theodore bit his lip.  He knew the answer, but thinking about those two made him also think about Butterfree, and what he had done just a few days before-  

He shook his head, hoping he didn’t have a blush on his face.  “Yes it does!” He blurted out.  

The man seemed to be studying him, but soon enough he nodded his head and stepped aside.  “That is correct!  Yet you still have the option to battle, or preserve your pokemon’s strength for Blaine.”

“Hmm…” Theodore pondered, his brow furrowed a bit.  “I… think I’ll pass this time.” He says with a little nod, waving to the man before walking ahead.

The next trainer looked down at Theodore as he approached. He greeted him with a nod of his head, pushing his glasses up to his face.  “Next question.  Does Poliwag evolve three times?”

“U-Uhh…” Theodore looked down at his feet in thought. “Poliwag, Poliwag, lemme think…” he closed his eyes.  ‘First Poliwhirl… then Poliwrath right?  And there’s uh…’ he furrowed his brow.  ‘Oh, wait!  Politoed too!” Theodore gasped, smiling proudly as he answered with a bold “Yes!”

The trainer didn't seem very convinced, however.  He reached into his pocket, drawing out a pokeball.  “Incorrect.  Poliwag can evolve twice.  You’re counting the branched evolution, Politoed.”

Theodore whined a little, pouting as he retrieved a pokeball.  “Yeah…”

After making room, they both threw out a ball, the two nearly colliding before they burst open.  The man had sent out a Ponyta, whereas Theodore send out his Teddiursa. Upon seeing the Fire type, Theo gasped as his eyes went wide.

“W-Whoa!  That’s so cool!” He squeaked out, quickly reaching into his bag and fishing out his dex. “Do you mind if I scan it?” He asked. 

The man smiled, shrugged, and waved a hand.  Theodore smiled as he held up the dex’s camera towards the fiery horse. “Alvin said horse pokemon were big, but that's still more than I expected!”

“Ponyta, the Fire Horse pokemon. It is a weak runner immediately after birth. It gradually becomes faster by chasing after its parents. Its hind legs, which have hooves that are harder than diamond, kick back at any presence it senses behind it.”

“Thanks!  Oh, uh, sorry for interrupting the battle…” Theodore said sheepishly.  

“No worries.  Always good to see young researchers.  Now, Ponyta, attack with Stomp!” The man ordered.  The Ponyta whinnied, let out a snort of smoke through its nose before running straight at Teddy, closing the distance in no time.  

However, Theodore reacted quickly.  “Teddy, dodge it with Dig!” He said.  Unfazed, the little bear let out his own growl, slamming his paws hard enough against the ground so a hole would form beneath it, disappearing inside right as Ponyta’s foot swung down.  

Ponyta stumbled, but took several steps back, regaining its composure.  Ponyta was looking around the room with worry, huffing as it tried to locate Teddy.  

Theodore smiled, proud that he thought ahead with teaching Teddy that move.  “Now come up as fast ss you can!”

“Ponyta get ready with Fire Spin!”

As soon as the surface beneath Ponyta showed cracks, the horse had leapt up in the air, releasing a spiral of red flames straight down the hole.  Teddy got caught in it, but groaned as he powered through, claws out at the ready as he managed to catch up to Ponyta, striking the fire type right in the gut and sending it higher while he fell to the ground.  

Teddy landed on his back with a groan, still surrounded by the intense flames.  Wherever he moved, they seemed to follow his movements.  

“I-It’s okay Teddy!  They’ll wear off eventually!” Theodore encouraged, watching Ponyta finally land on the ground. “I know you can do it, just stand up!  You’ve got this!”

“Ursaaaa…” Teddy snorted as he shook his head, teeth grit into a snarl as he stared through the flames at his target.  Ponyta was dragging its hoof along the floor, returning the stare.  

“Flame Wheel, go!”

The flames that made up Ponyta’s mane and tail grew larger, crackling with life and filling the room with heat as its entire body was engulfed within a swirling fire, then it launched forward, charging straight for Teddy.  

“Alright, let it get close, and give it your Return!” Theodore squeaked out.  

Teddy took in a deep breath, paws curled up into fists and glowing a bright pink as the Ponyta got closer and closer.  Dodging was not an option now.  He stomped the ground and, as soon as Ponyta’s body made contact, delivered the best punch he could manage. 

The moment the attacks collided, it was a power struggle between the two pokemon, with Ponyta surprisingly on the ropes trying to push against Teddy.  But the little bear wasn't letting up. In fact, the glow seemed to become brighter, bursting into three large heart shapes as Ponyta was sent flying back, falling over at the feet of its trainer.  

The man gawked in surprise, looking between Theodore and Teddy as the Fire Spin finally dissipated from the bear.  “Well.  That was faster than expected.  But nonetheless, you’ve beaten me.  You can proceed.”

Theodore smiled, running over to Teddy, scooping up the little bear in his arms and hugging him tight.  “Good job, little guy!  I knew you could-” he stopped himself as a familiar bright light enveloped Teddy’s entire body.  At this point, Theodore knew full well what that meant.  He set his pokemon down, shielding his eyes from the brightness.  

He never thought it’d happen… And yet here it was, right in front of him.  

“Ursaaaa… Ring!” The growl made Theodore's eyes open.  The tiny bear that he could easily cradle in his arms was now towering over him. Shaggy brown fur everywhere, a stern look in the eye, and a distinct ring of lighter fur on his chest.  Teddy, now an Ursaring, let out a growl as he crouched down, getting low enough so he could press his face up against Theodore's chest. 

“Uhhm… D-Did I say little?” Theodore joked, smiling at his new pokemon as he pat him in between the ears. 

The man cleared his throat to get their attention.  “Pardon the intrusion, but… your challenge?” He spoke, gesturing to the next.  

“Hehe, right.   Let's go!” Theodore cheered, hopping up on Teddy’s shoulders as they moved forward.  

The next few questions were easy, or at least Theodore already knew the answer thanks to Simon insisting he study more.  A question about Steel types against Fire types?  Easy. Another about Electric moves on Ground types?  Even easier.  Knowing which pokemon was the Spitfire one?  Between Growlithe and Magmar, he could have guessed and got it right. The only one he slipped up on was the final question, where he thought Tombstony was a real move…

The battle against a Torkoal was tougher than expected, but at least he now knew what the pokemon he saw back at the beginning of his journey was!

But now… he was standing at the very end of the building. 

Blaine wasn't looking at him.  The old man was staring at the wall, both hands on his cane.  

“You know… Tombstony would be a great move.  Shame it doesn't exist, huh?” He turned around, his shades gleaming a bit in the candlelight as he smiled.  “Someone ought to find a way to make it happen!  But that’s for another day!”  He reached into his shirt’s pocket, producing a pokeball from inside. “Young one! I am Blaine, the red-hot Leader of Cinnabar Gym! My fiery Pokémon are all ready with intense heat! They incinerate all challengers! Hah! You better have Burn Heal!"

Theodore bit his lip, taking a few steps back as he reached into his bag, knowing full well who he would start with.  “Teddy, let’s go!” He called, releasing the Ursaring from his pokeball.  

“Mmm.  Not bad, but we aren’t worried about that!  Magcargo, go!” Blaine called, tossing out his own ball, the light bursting to reveal the fiery snail pokemon, flames puffing out of its shell as it moved about slowly.  

“Wow…” Theodore looked over the new pokemon.  “How are we gonna do this…” He says to himself.  

“Hah.  Gotta think fast in here, boy!  Magcargo, Earth Power now!” Blaine ordered, tapping his cane on the floor.  As soon as he did, Magcargo let out a grunt, taking on a golden glow as the ground below began to shake.  Both Theodore and Teddy stumbled, only to stare in shock as the ground burst, cracks forming along it that glowed with the same energy seeping from Magcargo’s body.  

“D-Dodge it, fast!” Theodore ordered.  Teddy growled, leaping off to the side to avoid the approaching cracks.  But right as he did, the attack followed him, making the ground burst upwards as the energy struck from below, knocking the Ursaring up into the air.  

“Faster than that.  Magcargo, again!”

Right as Teddy landed on the ground, the cracks were chasing him down again.  Theodore stared at the approaching attack, letting out a little huff through his nose.  He had an idea… it was dangerous, but if it’d work it’d be effective.  Especially when he noticed Magcargo wasn't moving around too much.  

“Hnn… Teddy!  Quick, get underground with Dig!” He called out.  The Ursaring turned to stare at him, but obeyed anyway, crouching down before striking the ground in front of him, burrowing inside and going deep under the ground.  

“Hiding from a ground type attack… in the ground?” Blaine questioned, leaning forward on his cane.  “Strange tactic, but okay.  Magcargo, don't hold back!”

“Caaaargoooo.” The snail groaned, its golden glow becoming more intense as it chased down Teddy.  

The bear growled, clawing away at the earth in front of him and tossing it behind, moving closer and closer to where he thought the Magcargo was standing.  Once he had gone a far enough distance, he began to surface again, aiming straight for his target.  

Back above the ground, Magcargo had started to move away from the spot, letting out low grunts as it felt the ground began shaking beneath it. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough.  By the time it had moved a few inches, Teddy had burst from the ground, having to strike the snail right on the shell when he came up, knocking it over on the side.  

The hit was so hard it made Magcargo retreat into its shell, rolling around a little before clattering on the ground.  Theodore smiled at the result. “Way to go Teddy!” He praised, though his smile faded as he noticed the reddish tint that covered the Ursaring’s paw now.  “Oh, gosh, are you okay?” He squeaked. 

Teddy grunted, but turned to Theodore, raising a thumbs up with a grin.  He didn’t seem phased by the burn at all…

“Well, if you can keep it up, then we’ll keep the pressure!  Hit it with Return!” Theodore commanded.  

Magcargo came back out of its shell, shaking its head a little with a groan, just in time to see Teddy approaching.  Unlike the usual pink glow the attack gave, his was noticeably tinged red, pulsating even.  The snail like pokemon tried getting away to no avail as Teddy raised up his paw, swinging it down in a devastating blow that knocked it away, a large red heart shape forming from the strike.  

The fire/rock type was send careening back to Blaine’s feet, knocked out.  “Well… no surprise from a pokemon with a ground type move.  But we aren’t fazed at all.” Blaine spoke as he returned his pokemon to its ball.  

Theodore smiled.  “I just thought it’d be a useful one.  Guess I was right~”

“I like the confidence.  However, it isn’t going to be that easy all the way!  Growlithe, you’re next!” Blaine said as he threw out another ball, releasing the Puppy pokemon right in front of Teddy.  Despite the bear growling and showing off his fangs, Growlithe didn’t back down.  Instead, it growled right back, barking and flicking his tail side to side.

Teddy winced from the radiating pain from his paw, but otherwise held his stare.  “Hey… there’s nothing wrong with coming back for a bit.” Theodore said, loud enough for Teddy to hear.  “Don’t push yourself too much!”

“I’m afraid he won’t have much of a choice.  Growlithe!  Attack with your Flamethrower!” Blaine commanded.  

“Teddy, use Slash!” 

Growlithe was the first to move, leaping backwards to dodge the Ursaring’s claws before releasing a large stream of flames right at the bear, striking him right on the chest. 

“Ursaaa!” The bear groaned, taking several steps back as he gripped his chest.  He growled, staring down the little dog as it bounded forward.  

“Now use Take Down!” Blaine ordered, Growlithe’s entire body giving off a bright white streak as he broke into a run, muscles bunching up before he jumped up towards Teddy.  

“Slash again!”  Teddy growled, flashing his claws as he swung them down at the approaching dog.  He struck the Growlithe, but it wasn't enough to stop the attack. Growlithe did spiral out, but it still collided with him, sending both pokemon down to the ground.  

Teddy groaned as another wave of pain ran up from his paw and through his body.  He stood up, stomping the ground and letting out a roar, ready for the next command.  

“Hnn… Teddy…come back.” Theodore spoke.  The big bear turned around to protest, but Theodore already had the ball raised, pointed at him. He let out a huff, staring Theodore down longer before resigning to his trainer's wish, not moving away when the ball’s red beam hit him and brought him back inside. 

“You like battling a lot more now that you aren't little… but you still need a break.”  Theore said as he tucked the ball away. “I’ll bring you back out later.” He said, looking up at Blaine and his Growlithe.  

The little dog was barking, running around Blaine’s legs as its tail wagged like crazy.  Theodore almost cooed, until he remembered they were in the middle of a battle.  

“Alright… Let's go Cookie!” He called, grabbing the ball and tossing it.  The dark type burst out with a “Bree!”, her rings giving off a proud glow as she landed evenly on her paws.  “We’re not gonna hold back, no matter how cute that Growlithe is!  Cookie, use Swift!”

“Breeeon!” Cookie’s spots kept their glow, only getting brighter as they produced countless golden stars around the Umbreon, all spinning around for a moment before firing straight at Growlithe.  

Growlithe let out a bark and, with Blaine’s command, released a Flame Wheel attack, curling up in the ball of flames and rolling head first into the oncoming stars.  Most of them ended up disappearing in the fire, but the rest struck enough to throw off Growlithe’s path.  At least enough for Cookie to jump off to the side in time.  

‘Why the heck would he do that…?’ Theodore thought.  He almost wanted to ask, but he forced himself to stay in the battle.  ‘No Theo!  If he wants to make weird calls, leave it at that!  Focus!’ 

“Keep it up!  Use Swift again!”

“Growlithe, Overheat now!”

Cookie glared down Growlithe as it began to glow with a red aura.  The air around the fire type heated up, radiating around it as it opened its mouth, releasing a blast of flames that were almost pure white, circled with deep red fire that spiraled straight for Cookie. The Umbreon’s ears drooped down then, crouching down a bit. 

“Cookie don’t freeze up please!  Dodge it with Dig!” Theodore called out to her.  Cookie looked back at him and, noticing he was in the line of fire, she let out a growl, turning to face down the approaching flames. 

Instead of following orders, she instead tilted her head back.  For a brief moment, all of her rings stopped glowing, and a ball of darkness formed right in front of her maw.  It crackled with a purple energy, and as soon as it was about as big as her head, Cookie fired off the attack straight into the fire.  

The two attacks collided, and they eye mingled together for a moment, but inevitably the flames engulfed Cookie’s Dark Pulse, roaring forward before an explosion from within caused the flames to burst out as well, filling the battleground with dark smoke.

Theodore coughed and covered his eyes, taking several steps back until he was out of it, taking deep breaths.  “Cookie?  Cookie!  Turn on your lights!” He called, trying to locate the Umbreon.  

From within the haze, the golden glow of rings and spots shone through.  Cookie had survived the blast. “If you can, use Swift to find him!”

“Hahah!  No need!  Growlithe, Flame Wheel!” Blaine commanded.  “Take her down!”  

“Ah!  Wait!” Theodore squeaked, reaching for Cookie’s ball.  But… he stopped himself at the last second.  A Trainer trusts their pokemon no matter what…  he gulped, watching the smoke clear away where Growlithe was barreling down towards Cookie.  

The Umbreon looked scathed here and there, but still stood her ground even on shaky paws.  Cookie summoned as many stars as she could manage, having them swirl around her body at high speeds, parting just long enough for her to take aim.  Then, every last star she had was launched towards the approaching fireball.  Some just hit the ground.  Others merely glanced off of Growlithe’s fiery form. But a few of them struck it dead on, hitting hard enough to make Growlithe stumble and lose its balance, veering off to the left before falling over.  

“Breon!” the Umbreon huffed out, staring down at her opponent. Growlithe wasn't moving.  

Theodore looked over at Blaine then.  The old man had started to clap slowly.  “Two in a row!  And it's only your third gym battle?  You certainly came prepared.” He commented, returning Growlithe to its pokeball.  “Either you’re rather smart, or rather lucky.”

“I-I dunno… my big brother just told me all about type match ups and all…” Theodore admitted, a blush coming to his cheeks from the compliment. “How are you holding up, Cookie?” Theodore asked. 

The Umbreon turned around, her tail wagging a little as she smiled at him.  “Bree!”  

“Heh.  Good… I want you to rest too.” Theodore said as he held up Cookie’s pokeball.  She gave him a confused gaze, but the red bean had already struck her, bringing her back into the ball.  

Theodore tucked it away, taking out a great ball.  “Now’s a good time if any…” he says as he threw it out.  “Shelly, your turn!”

As he called her name, the Omanyte popped out of the pokeball, still tucked away inside of her shell.  Slowly, Shelly’s tentacles slid out, lifting herself off the ground a bit. “Oman…”

“Finally a Water type?  I was wondering what was taking so long.  Just not the one I expected.” Blaine spoke. “We aren't finished yet though. I’ll show you the spirit of my new Gym!  Magmar, you’re next!”

When the fire type came out, Theodore immediately had second thoughts about sending out Shelly. He couldn't quite out his finger on why, but he just felt unnerved. 

“You can do it Shelly, don’t worry!” Theo encouraged.  

“Bold. But were you expecting this?  Magmar, use Sunny Day now!” Blaine ordered. 

Theodore remembered vividly what that move did.  He watched as Magmar brought its hands together, a ball of intense light formin within seconds and being thrown up into the air.  The candles that kept the gym lit weren't needed anymore, the ball had filled the whole building with warmth and light!  

“Always have a backup plan, just in case!” Blaine spoke with a wide grin. “I've been around this island for years.  Think I don't have a way to deal with Water types?  Now Magmar, use Thunder Punch!”

“Shelly, Withdraw!” Theodore blurted out before he could think.  Following orders, Shelly hid away inside of her shell completely, a soft, pale blue glow covering it for a moment.  

Magmar still stomped along, one arm held back with a fist completely covered in electricity. “Maaagmar!” It grunted out, coming to Shelly’s stationary form, swinging its crackling fist down right on it. The impact caused the Omanyte to start spinning out, teetering around the arena.  

“Keep going Magmar!  Don't let them recover!”

“Use Mud Shot, quickly!” At Theodore's call, Shelly peeked from within her shell, just long enough to spew out a hefty glob of mud straight at Magmar’s eyes, causing the fire type to stagger, tripping over her shell.  “Now you don't stop Shelly!  Follow up with another Mud Shot!”

Shelly grunted, sliding backwards away from Magmar as she released another ball of mud from her mouth, colliding with Magmar’s back enough to make it stumble.  

Theodore smiled.  Shelly was holding up better than expected!  

“Impressive, bringing coverage moves.  How helpful will they be if you keep missing?” Blaine asked.  Theodore tilted his head a little, looking down at Shelly. 

“Magmar, use Confuse Ray!”  Turning around to face Shelly, the fire type glared down at her, its eyes giving off a bright gleam.  One second, Shelly stood firmly in place, next second she was stumbling around a little.  

“We’ll just have to make sure we don't miss then!”  Theodore countered. “Shelly, Rock Slide!” 

“Maaanyte…” Shelly staggered some, but nonetheless her eyes took on a bluish tint, all tentacles raised up towards the ceiling. 

Once the glowing rings had formed overhead, Magmar had little time to dodge the falling stones that came soon after.  And now that it was moving slower, Magmar was hit more times than not, grunting and groaning from each impact it took.  

With the attack done, Magmar was noticeably battered all over, barely managing to stay up.  

Blaine looked… surprised, in some way.  “Very impressive work for just the third gym… Magmar!  Thunder Punch one more time!”

Theodore waited.  Magmar was making slow steps towards the Omanyte, lightning crackling in hand as it formed a fist.  Shelly blinked, her eyes coming into focus just in time to properly make out Magmar’s approaching form. She grunted, tucking into her shell and tipping herself over. 

“Shelly!  Use Brine now!”

From within the Omanyte’s shell came  narrow, albeit powerful stream of water.  It struck Magmar directly on the chest, making it stagger backwards at first.  But then it got stronger, enough to knock Magmar right off its feet, launching the fire type backwards until it slammed into the adjacent wall with a grunt. Magmar stayed there for a moment, dropping down to the floor seconds later.  

“Whoa… we won!”  Theodore squeaked, going onto the field and scooping up Shelly in his arms, tightly hugging her shell to his chest.  “I knew some of those moves had to be useful!” he praised.  

“Amazing!  Shame the battle couldn’t go longer.” Blaine said as he returned Magmar to its pokeball.  He started to make his way over to Theodore.  “Awesome. I have burned out... Take this Volcano Badge!"  With that, he reached into his pocket to produce the badge.  Deep red in color, and styled like a flame, the badge gave off a little gleam as Theodore took it.  

“Here, I will give you this, too. It's called Overheat! It has a slight drawback, but it's powerful and well worth it!” Blaine quickly added a red box to Theodore’s earnings, taking the young munk’s dex to hand over money.  

While he did, Theodore looked over the box.  It was a nice bright reddish orange color, and each side had a 50 on it.  “Overheat huh... ?  What’s the drawback?” Theodore asked.  “I think it’d be great for my Charmeleon.”

“Mmm?  Well, if you’re considering it, you ought to know it’s best when used once.  Then I recommend you switch out.” Blaine replied.  “After the first use, it’s considerably weaker.”

“Oh… well, thank you for the battle!” Theodore said with a smile, taking his dex back and returning Shelly to her ball.  

“And hey.  Maybe some other day we can have a remake!  My fire type pokemon will be much stronger!” Blaine spoke.  

Theodore nodded, turning away and making his way for the exit.  “We’ll see!” He called, waving.



With the battle out of the way, of course Theodore was quick to tell his brothers about it.  They were both impressed, though Alvin seemed more surprised than anything.  Theodore didn’t mind, though.  Now he was sitting at the edge of the island, his feet dipped into the water.

“Okay so it goes in here and…”  Theodore poked out his tongue as he placed Matchstick’s shrunken ball into the side of the TM.  It went in with a little click, and the box’s surface gave off a little shine before it projected a screen upwards.

“Matchstick is trying to learn Overheat.  Please choose a move that will be replaced with Overheat.” it read.

Theodore started to hum as he tapped through the screen’s instructions, having Match forget Scary Face for the new move.  When it was all done, the box stopped glowing, and the pokeball popped out from the side.  

“Huh... neat.” He said, blinking as his dex began ringing.  Fishing it out, he raised it up t observe the screen.  “Professor Oak…?” He answered the call, holding it to his ear.  “Hello?”

“Young Theodore, it’s me, Professor Oak!  I don’t have much time, so I need you to meet me in Lavender Town soon.  Can you be here by tomorrow?” 

“Wait, Lavender?  I was there weeks ago!  What do I need to go back for?”


“No need to spoil the surprise!  Just come as soon as you can.  Bye!”  

And just like that, the call was over.  Theodore pouted a little, looking out at the sea.  “Well… Next stop Lavender, I guess.”
