So after a brief hiatus due to family illness and not having my laptop, let us continue!
Part 15: Everybody was Kung-Fu FightingSo anyway, I walked into Mr Briney's house to find him chasing Peeko around a coffee table. I was about to excuse myself when he noticed me and ambled over without a hint of embarrassment. When I explained that I couldn't go any further north on Route 115 and didn't know where to find my next badge, he immediately suggested Dewford Island, and offered to take me on his boat. Considering I had a letter to deliver there, it sounded as good a place as any.
Wheee!
Damn, that was a fast trip. I can't imagine how long it would take to swim all that way
Briney offered to sit tight while I take care of my business here, which was nice of him. I mean, I'm pretty sure he's retired and has nothing better to do, but still. Let's check out the sights!
Everyone here is really nice! One guy gave me a scarf for my Pokemon to use (he said it increases the power of Normal-type attacks...maybe I'll give it to Champ for now), and this guy gave me a fishing rod! Okay, so it's basically a stick with some string attached, but it's the thought that counts.
I wonder what I can catch...
I guess it was...going for a swim? Thera mauled it so badly, everyone thought it was a Sharpedo attack. No catching Pokemon here in Dewford, I guess
Hey, what gives? The inside of the Gym here is completely dark. I stumble my way through what feels like a maze until...
AAAAAHHHHHH WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!
I don't know what that thing is, but Thera ripped it apart after it used Bide. Good work!
Aw c'mon, two on one? That's not nearly enough; Champ and Genji took these fools out.
Even if Champ lacks power, he's still got his strong points. This Makuhita kept throwing sand into Champ's face, yet he connected every single one of his tackles. I've seen other Pokemon miss every single one of their attacks after even one sand attack!
***
After a while, I began to notice that my eyes were adjusting to the darkness. I could see further ahead and could figure out where I was. Before long I was in front of the Gym Leader himself.
Let's do this thing!
Portia was to be my secret weapon for the opening round. However, she was somewhat less effective than I had hoped; Seismic Toss apparently doesn't do reduced damage to Bug-types such as her, and her defense wasn't quite high enough to shrug off karate chops as well as I would like. I was forced to use a couple of Super Potions to keep her fighting, but she eventually prevailed.
Champ's phenomenal accuracy came in handy in round two. I don't know what that silly Meditite was thinking, but it kept trying to focus only to be knocked out of it when Champ's next attack hit. We basically made a clean sweep of the second round, but having to keep Champ on the offensive meant that I didn't have time to heal Portia.
Tara got sent out for the final round. I was hoping that her defensive power would allow her to survive the last Makuhita's physical moves. Once Brawly's Pokemon got poisoned by Smog, it was only a matter of time, especially once she started using Curse to lower her already-pathetic Speed in order to grow more powerful.
As Brawly handed me the Knuckle Badge, the lights in the gym suddenly came on. Apparently it was all part of his daily training regimen, and all of the trainers here followed his example. He also gave me the move Bulk Up, which I'm thinking of giving to Champ. We've got two badges now, only two to go!
...So now where do I go?