Chasing

There was a time in their life that every person wanted to experience as a Pokemon Trainer. Some may approach it through their younger years as a teen, while to others the event may never even happen to them. It's a dream that few are able to achieve, but with the right amount of determination, perseverance, and coordination, it can be possible for anybody. The even more select few that just so happened to be the ones to dole out this unforgettable memory also have to experience toil and joy, despite not possibly having completed the turmoils of what the badge owners painfully went through. Such is the life of one of the guards of the eight badge gates in the Unova region.

Standing straight with their back flat against the wall, it is these men garbed in blue uniforms that enact the beginning of the final road to the ultimate destination of a Pokemon Trainer's career. With stony, expressionless faces mimicking that of Moai statues, these guards are unforgiving to the pleads of those begging for entry past their designated gate. It is not out of line for the guards to use force when they have to, as it was only rightful that those that attained the correct badge for the gate could pass through. But it is not those that are refused from the gates that instill feelings of pity and sadness from the otherwise stoic guards.

It was like looking at the skylines of Castelia City for the first time. There was that faint chill that went up right through your spine and that feeling of exhilaration tingling through your skin... It was an uncomfortable feeling but a sensational and breathtaking one nevertheless. It was that similar feeling that she felt when she first saw the eight gates that led to Victory Road, and beyond that... the Pokemon League.

"I can't believe that I'm here..." said Bianca, hushing her own voice as if she were speaking on holy grounds. "This is simply incredible..."

She wondered what Hilbert, Hilda, and Cheren would have thought if they could see her like this in front of these gates. She desperately wished to see the looks on their faces when she showed up, at the Pokemon League with all eight regional badges in hand. But they were probably already at the League already, preparing for the confrontation against the Elite Four, she thought. It was just like her to lag behind the others. Bianca was used to that by now. She didn't mind it much, because even if she was a bit slower than her friends, she took pleasure in her blind journey. It didn't detriment from the experience at all, she often said to herself. She had learned a lot from her adventure.

Now that it was going to come to an end, Bianca still had one of the toughest trials ahead of her, and that was getting through Victory Road. But first things first: she had to present her badges to each of the guards at the gates in order to even gain entry.

"Alright. Enough talking to myself. I think I'm ready," Bianca said to herself in a firmer, slightly louder voice.

Bianca walked towards the first gate located not far from the grassy path she was on right then and there. She could spot the guard staring on into the distance, glassy-eyed but with a relentless frown creasing his face. As she approached, the guard snapped his eyes onto her, intimidating Bianca enough to cause her to flinch. Once she had stopped in front of the massive oak doors emblazoned with what seemed to be the Tri Badge, the guard spoke up for the first time.

"Halt! You shall not pass without the proper qualifications! The key to opening this gate is the Tri Badge!" bellowed the guard, forcing Bianca to cover her ears at the sound of his loud voice.

"You don't quite have to shout, we're not even three feet away from each other, y'know," Bianca told him somewhat irately. Suddenly, she began to smile at him. "But okay, I'll get the badge out, just wait one moment."

The blonde and cheeky girl grasped inside her bag for her badge case. Inside the endless depths of her bag she felt bottles of medicine, a few stray coins, extra Poke Balls, two angular sticks with spheres attached to the ends, a bag of freshly picked Cheri berries, and of course, her treasured Poke Balls containing her precious Pokemon. However, the item that she was searching for – her badge case – was nowhere to be found. Startled, Bianca opened the flap of her bag and scrutinized its contents, but it was impossible to be able to discern her badge case amongst the piles of items and money and junk. She was starting to feel bewildered. Unbelieving that her badge case was gone, she stuck her hand through the cluttered bag once more, and once again, it came up empty. There was no mistake. Her badge case was gone.

"No. Oh no. No no no no no! This can't be happening," Bianca whimpered anxiously. "My badges! Don't tell me they're all gone!"

The guard looked at her with an unconvinced look. It wasn't hard to tell that the guard was simply waiting for Bianca to ask him if he could let her in, as was the case with countless trainers in the past. People seemed to have the idea that they would be able to lie their way through. Some people even forged badges to try and get in, but with today's technology – in Unova it was particularly advanced, all it took was one scan with a scanner to see if the badge was genuine or not. Of course, there were a few exceptions, such as the occasional ambassador or diplomat that came roaming through, surrounded with a battalion of guards.

But this girl was definitely not an ambassador or diplomat, that he was certain of. Agitated, he began to think of a way to try and get her to go away. However, in the midst of preparing how he should phrase his blunt refusal to her, he was caught off guard when the girl suddenly ran back into the grassy path, moaning in despair.

"I can't believe I dropped my badges! Maybe as I was walking it fell out of my bag onto the side of the road. Yes, that's probably it," Bianca mumbled to herself as she strenuously retraced her steps.

The guard watched Bianca get on her knees and brush her hands through the grass, saying repeatedly, "Come here, badge case!". She apparently seemed to have the naïve idea that her badge case would turn up eventually if she simply called for it. After a few minutes or so of this, the guard began to wonder if the girl was right in the head. Bianca confirmed his suspicions when she suddenly dropped her bag in front of him and asked him if he could keep watch over her belongings for a moment.

"You'll do it? That's so nice of you, thanks!" shouted Bianca from the edge of the path, not giving him a chance to say no. "I swear I'll be back soon with my badge case in hand!"

The guard looked at her skeptically. What kind of person in their right mind would just let their bag be watched over by a random stranger? Judging by her earlier behavior, she may have placed foolish faith in him simply because of the fact that he was a guard, and all guards are deemed responsible and honest. It was a foolishly conceived notion. Still, it baffled him. Surely a girl as ditzy as this one couldn't have gotten a badge, much less all eight! Just what was she up to, running away like that, claiming to search for a badge case? And how did she say that she'd return with it definitely in her hands? Either that was stupidly bold confidence, or it was just all a cover up. This might be some elaborate plot for her to sneak past the gates. Then again, she still would have had Victory Road lying ahead of her, not to mention that she left her bag with him...

The guard shook his head, deciding not to try and make sense out of things. With a sigh, he set the bag gently down onto a nearby bench, and resumed his duties.