A/N: Damn, I gotta work on my fics more… Btw, I realized I had a bit of an error with N's eye color and description. I've gone back and fixed it before this chapter, but fear not, good readers! I shall apply the changes to this chapter, too. Enjoy~
Disclaimer: I own nothing but this version of N & Black pairing up.
Journey Of Heart
Chapter 3
It was getting dark again by the time I made it through the gate to Castelia City, which surprised me, but then again, I hadn't been able to tell the time while in Pinwheel Forest earlier due to the tree covering. As I walked, I began to get somewhat overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of the large city. I looked down, noticing Zorua had woken up by this point, and he was eyeing the darkened alleyways nervously as we passed.
"Don't worry, pal. We won't go down those alleys yet," I assured him, stroking his head gently. He smiled up at me, appearing grateful for the assurance. We made our way to the Pokémon Center, where I got a room for the night. This one was fancier than the others had been, as it had nicer furniture, and even the bathroom looked fancy, too. I set Zorua down on the bed, smiling at him. "Let's get the gang out to eat, shall we?" The little black fox pokémon wagged his tail and yipped happily, eager to see the others again. I let my team out of their pokéballs, and they cried out happily at the sight of me. "All right, I'll fix you guys up some food, okay?" They nodded, and Servine followed me to my bag, where I pulled out the poké food I'd bought on the way in to the room. I pulled out some bowls from the cabinets that were provided to guests, and poured in some food to each one before handing Servine three, two of which he carried with his vines, and the third he held in his hands, as I carried the remaining three out to the others. The six pokémon ate their meals happily, and I watched them with a content expression as I ate my snack bar. Suddenly, Zorua looked out the window, excitement in his eyes, and his tail wagging joyfully.
"Hmm? What's up, Zorua?" I asked, looking out the window as well. My eyes widened when I saw N standing outside the glass, his stormy grey eyes watching us. Quickly, I went over to the window and opened it. "Come on, get inside before you get soaked," I told him, noticing the rain outside. After a moment of hesitation, the green-haired teen complied, climbing into the room. "What were you thinking, staying out in the rain like that? You'll get sick like that." I went to the bathroom and grabbed a large towel before returning to N and handing it to him. "Go ahead and dry off. Don't need anyone catching a cold, now do we?" I chuckled.
"…Sorry…" he apologized after a moment.
X*X(N's POV)X*X
'Why is he being so nice to me? He just caught me watching him and his pokémon from the window, after all…' I thought to myself as I wrapped the towel around me. Soon, I felt a sudden spike in the warmth, and I looked down to see Black's Pignite carefully warming the dampened towel with heat from his hands. "Thank you…" I smiled down at the fire-type pokémon. He merely gave a pleased oink in response, and I heard Black chuckle.
"Seems Pignite likes you," he commented. I didn't reply, but instead smiled warmly as his Zorua yipped happily, wagging his tail as he approached me.
'It's good to see you again!' the little fox pokémon grinned.
"It's good to see you again, too, friend," I told him.
"So you really can understand them, huh?" Black asked.
"Yes, since I was young, I've been able to understand what pokémon say," I nodded.
"I gotta admit, I'm jealous," the brunette confessed. "I can kind of…sense how my pokémon feel, that's how close I am to them." My eyes widened slightly at this, and I drifted off into thought, feeling that maybe he could be the one they had told me about…
X*X(Black's POV)X*X
"N…?" I said after a few seconds when he didn't reply. He appeared to be deep in thought, and even though I didn't want to disrupt him, I had a feeling he needed to rest. "Hey," I murmured, stepping towards him. This seemed to snap him out of his thoughts, and he looked up at me in question. "Would you like to stay here tonight? Ya know, at least until the rain stops…" The older teen seemed somewhat unnerved by the idea. "Don't worry, I'll sleep on the couch if that helps."
"No, it's not that, I just don't know if I should…" he assured me, biting his lip nervously.
"Hey, it won't do you any good to go back out in that," I pointed out, gesturing to the downpour outside.
"…"
"Will it help if Zorua sleeps in the bed, too?" I asked, now feeling almost desperate to have him stay.
"…All right, I'll stay," he finally conceded, exhaling a little shakily. My pokémon cried out happily at his answer, making him smile.
"Thank you," he murmured, and I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"It's no problem. I just need to change, and then I'm gonna go to sleep. If you want, you can take a shower to warm up. I'm sure that'll help," I offered, and he nodded.
"I'll do that," he said, and I grinned before grabbing my bag and heading to the bathroom to change into my sleep clothes, which was just a pair of black shorts and a dark blue t-shirt. When I stepped back out to the main room, I was surprised to find N surrounded by my pokémon as they seemed to chatter to him while he sat on the bed. Servine and Zorua ran over when they heard me walk out, and smiled brightly up at me.
"Seems they all really like you, N," I chuckled, noticing how my pokémon seemed to be quite happy.
"I would certainly hope so," he replied, a faint smile curving his lips. That small smile warmed my heart, and I even thought he was cute when he smiled. Wait, what? How could I think a guy was cute? Well, I was never really attracted to girls, so I guess this means I'm gay…? I'll have to think more on this when he's not around…
"Better go hop in the shower so we can both get some sleep," I urged, and he nodded.
"Thank you again, Black," he told me gratefully, still giving that same, small smile.
"Of course," I said. "You're my friend, N. I always help my friends, especially if they're in need." This seemed to take him by surprise, but he was quick to recover and regain his composure.
"I'm surprised you consider me your friend, despite having only known me for such a short time," he admitted.
"Well, I think any trainer bonds with others through battles, but besides that, you just seem like a good person," I shrugged. N seemed to tense at the mention of battling, but didn't say anything, and then relaxed at the latter part of my statement.
"You're very trusting, aren't you?" he guessed, making me blush slightly out of embarrassment.
"Yeah…well…I tend to trust anyone unless they give me a good reason not to," I laughed lightly, ruffling the back of my hair a bit. "Sometimes it comes back to bite me in the ass, but usually it ends up being a good thing." Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning followed by a loud rack of thunder, and Zorua yelped as he dove into my arms and buried his face into my chest, seeking comfort. "Hey now, no need to be so scared. I'm right here," I murmured, stroking the dark-type pokémon's head soothingly.
"Will you all be okay while I clean up?" N asked, and I nodded.
"Yeah, but you better hurry before the power goes out, just in case," I suggested, and the green-haired teen nodded in agreement as he turned and left to the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. Once I heard the click of the lock, I looked at the rest of my team, and they got close to me, huddling around my legs. "You guys had best sleep in your pokéballs tonight, okay? I'll feed you all in the morning, but for now, it's time to sleep." The five pokémon nodded, and I returned them to their pokéballs before clipping said objects to my belt and crawling under the warm comforter with Zorua settling himself in my arms. I listened to the shower as it ran, waiting for it to stop so I could turn on the lamp for N to see when he was done. As I lay there, watching the lightning flash outside, I couldn't help but wonder about my sexuality now. Was I really interested in N that way? If so, was I actually gay, or was I attracted to only him? It was so confusing, but as I pondered it more, thinking about why I was attracted to him, I realized it might just be only N. There was his stormy grey eyes, which drew me in when I looked at them, and his lean yet slightly muscular body beneath his clothes. I had noticed the slight muscle definition earlier when he was soaked, seeing his abs through his wet clothes. Thinking about him like that now, though… I blushed deeply, hoping to Arceus that I didn't become hard, lest Zorua and N see that. Arceus forbid if I had to try and somehow explain that to them…
Finally, the lock clicked again, and then N came out of the bathroom, wearing only his black boxers and a white t-shirt with black trim along the bottom hem, sleeve cuffs, and neckline of the shirt. I swallowed almost audibly at the sight of him wearing no pants, just his boxers, and I knew I'd fallen for him hard. When the hell did that happen?
"That's better," he murmured, tying his hair back once more as I clicked on the lamp. Looking at me, he said, "I hung my clothes over the shower rod to dry, if that's okay…"
"Yeah, it's…it's fine," I managed to get out, trying desperately to resist the temptation to lick my lips. What the fuck is wrong with me? I can barely keep my damned hormones in check right now! Carefully, so as not to wake Zorua, I rolled over, scooting along the bed a bit so N could have room to sleep. Now I was starting to reconsider sharing a bed with him, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I knew I'd have to man up and live with it.
"Are you all right?" the green-haired teen asked, frowning slightly in concern as he slid under the comforter, his back pressing lightly against mine once he was settled.
"Yeah, just tired…" I mumbled, silently praying that he would just accept my answer, clicking off the lamp as I did. Mercifully, he did, not saying anything more. He soon fell asleep, as I could feel and hear his deep, even breathing as he slept. Zorua, still in my arms, was also asleep, for which I was thankful. Closing my eyes, I decided to try and get some sleep, too. Hopefully this will make more sense to my sleep-muddled mind in the morning…
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
I woke up the next morning to the sound of a flock of Pidove cooing outside the open window…wait, why is it open? Frowning, I opened my eyes, but immediately regretted it, as the sun's morning light outside blinded me. Cursing softly, I made sure Zorua wasn't in my arms before getting up and closing the window and blinds. I was only when I turned back to the bed did I see why the window was open; N had left earlier this morning…
"Dammit," I mumbled, hoping I hadn't done something stupid to him in my sleep. The one word was enough to wake Zorua, who blinked his eyes open before yawning widely, and then smiling sleepily at the sight of me. "Good morning, Zorua," I greeted, and the little fox pokémon yipped in response. "Ready for another day?" He nodded eagerly, but then looked to where N had been sleeping in the bed with a saddened look. "I'm sure we'll see him again," I assured my friend. "After all, there's really no such thing as a true goodbye when you're friends with someone." This made Zorua smile again, and then he looked at my belt, where my pokéballs were clipped, causing me to chuckle. "Okay, let them out, and I'll get dressed before I get you all some breakfast." Zorua yipped again, and then began to tap the button on each pokéball with his paws until everyone was out. Meanwhile, I went to the bathroom to get dressed in my usual attire, and after slipping my hat on, I went back out to the little kitchenette to prepare my team's breakfast and then get my own. Once they had all eaten, I returned them to their respective pokéballs, clipped the pokéballs to my belt, and then packed up before grabbing Zorua and heading out to find a place to eat. I waved to Nurse Joy on the way out, and she waved politely in response.
Finally, I managed to find a small café in one of the alleys, where I was able to get some tea and a slice of coffee cake. After eating, I paid the tab and then left, carrying Zorua with me. I made my way to the Pokémon Gym, where I knew Burgh was waiting for me to challenge him. Right before I could open the door to the large building, however, Burgh suddenly ran out, very nearly bowling me over in the process, and I yelped in alarm at his sudden appearance as I staggered back so I didn't fall.
"Black?" he said, appearing confused.
"Yeah, that's me," I replied, quirking a brow at him. "I came by to challenge the gym.
"Sorry, Black, but it'll have to wait for now," he told me, an apologetic look on his face. "I just got word from a friend that Team Plasma has stolen someone's pokémon here in the city."
"Seriously?!" I gaped at him, and then I glared at the ground, angry with the foolish group for stealing someone's pokémon, again. "Let me come with you."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Things might get a bit hairy…"
"I helped out in Pinwheel Forest, didn't I?" I pointed out. "I can handle them pretty easily."
"Valid point," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "All right, then my friend and the victim are at the pier."
"Sounds good," I nodded, and I followed the artistic gym leader to the pier, where Bianca was standing with another girl, my friend having been reduced to tears. "Bianca?!"
"Black!" she cried, and latched onto me, hugging me tightly. Fortunately, Zorua was quick enough to jump onto my shoulder before he got crushed. "Team Plasma stole my Musharna!" Gritting my teeth together at her words, I bit back the urge to growl from my growing rage.
"How long ago was this, Bianca?" I asked, rubbing her back soothingly like a good friend would.
"Not even ten minutes ago," the other girl answered, approaching us. "So you know Bianca here?"
"Yeah, she's one of my best friends that I grew up with," I replied.
"Good to know there are some friendly faces somewhere around here, at least!" the girl smiled, and I chuckled. "What's your name, anyway?"
"I'm Black. What's yours?" I said.
"My name is Iris!" she grinned. Iris almost seemed like a bit of a wild child, as she had long, fluffy violet hair tied in a few places, golden brown eyes, tanned skin, and she wore light clothes meant for traveling quickly.
"Nice to meet you, Iris, but I wish it was under better circumstances," I sighed, glancing down at my sobbing friend. Looking at her, I said, "Bianca, we're all going to help you get your Musharna back, I promise."
"You mean it?" she sniffled, looking up at me.
"Of course! I wouldn't lie about something like that," I smirked. "Besides, I'd like to teach those idiots a lesson in pain." She giggled at that, and then let me go before noticing Zorua.
"Oh! The egg hatched!" the blonde squealed excitedly. "He's soooo cute!"
"Yeah, he's pretty strong now, but Zorua's still learning," I smiled.
"So he's a Zorua, huh? I've heard of them, but never seen one in person!" she told me excitedly.
"Well now you have," I laughed, taking the little dark-type back into my arms. "Look, we'd better get your Musharna back, and quick."
"Right," Burgh agreed, but that's when a Team Plasma grunt came casually walking back over, appearing completely cocky, but the look completely vanished as soon as she saw us with Bianca.
"Gah, this isn't good!" she yelped. "I thought I'd be able to steal another pokémon as easily as last time, but with the gym leader around, I don't think so!" And with that, she quickly fled, running off towards the gym.
"After her!" Iris yelled, and Burgh took off after the grunt, weaving through the city crowds with ease. "I'll protect Bianca, and you go after Burgh!" she ordered me.
"Right," I nodded, and quickly chased after the bug-type user. When I caught sight of him again, he was looking down the street that led to his gym before dashing down it, so I had to kick it up a notch to catch up. When I managed to, he was glaring at three Team Plasma grunts standing guard in front of the building across from the gym. I was quick to join Burgh's side, Zorua growling angrily in my arms.
"Crap, the gym leader has help," one of the grunts complained. "We'll take the gym leader, and you take the scrawny kid there!" he ordered one of the grunts as he and the third grunt moved to battle Burgh.
"Good thinking!" the second grunt grinned evilly before whipping out one of his pokéballs. He sent out a Sandile, and Zorua barked at it furiously, struggling in my grasp.
"All right, this one is all you, Zorua," I said, setting him on the ground. He growled again at our opponents, and the ferocity of it made the grunt flinch.
"Control that thing, would ya?!" he yelled at me.
"Only if you give up on trying to steal pokémon," I smirked.
"Never!"
"Then I guess Zorua's gonna enjoy this. Zorua, use Fury Swipes!" The small fox pokémon raced towards Sandile, striking it with several harsh scratches to the face and causing the ground-type to cry out in pain. The Sandile hardly had any time to counter, though, as I yelled, "Use Leer, and then follow it up with Scratch!" Zorua barked, acknowledging my command, but then he suddenly struck his opponent with a more powerful attack I recognized as Faint Attack. "Awesome job, Zorua! You learned Faint Attack!"
"So what? That runt's gonna go down!" the grunt spat. "Sandile, Sand-Attack!" His pokémon shot sand in Zorua's face, and my partner whined as he tried to get the sand out of his eyes.
"Faint Attack!" I yelled, and Zorua cried out before lashing out blindly, striking Sandile with perfect accuracy, making it faint. "Great job! Come on back, Zorua, and take a rest." He quickly retreated to my side, watching intently as the grunt returned his Sandile to its pokéball. He whipped out his second pokéball and sent out another Sandile. "Watch this," I whispered to Zorua once I scooped him back into my arms. "All right, go, Servine!" Servine cried out as he popped out of his pokéball, and then glared at Sandile.
"You're not getting in there!" the grunt growled determinedly.
"Your efforts are futile," I smirked. "Servine, use Leaf Tornado!" With a loud battle cry, my first partner whipped up leaves around his tail before striking Sandile, taking it out with one hit. The crocodile pokémon collapsed to the ground, down for the count, and the grunt returned it to its pokéball, beginning to panic. His fear increased when he saw that the other two grunts had been beaten by Burgh.
"This is bad for Team Plasma!" they wailed, and the trio fled into the building to warn the others inside. Suddenly, Iris and Bianca joined us, out of breath.
"Jeez, even with directions from the Xtransceiver, I still got lost!" Iris complained when she caught her breath.
"We found them, but they're inside there," I said, pointing into the building.
"Then let's go! This time, I'll join the fight!" the violet-haired girl declared, and she, Bianca, and Burgh ran inside, but as I made to follow, Zorua whimpered before using his Illusion ability to disguise himself as an Emolga.
"You okay?" I whispered to him, but he shook his head, wanting to remain in disguise for the time being. I nodded minutely, and my friend moved to perch on my shoulder when we entered. Burgh glared at Team Plasma as he confronted them, and then I heard Ghetsis's voice, making me have to bite back a growl again as I moved to the front. That damned weirdo spewed some fake shit about how stealing pokémon is for the good of the pokémon, and I quirked a brow at that, questioning his sanity. He also mentioned having the power of the legendary dragon pokémon of Unova, which concerned me. The entire time Ghetsis spoke, though, I could feel Zorua on my shoulder trembling ever-so-slightly, and I knew something was wrong. He had never even met Ghetsis before now, so how could he already be so scared of him? Finally, though, the twisted bastard had the grunt who had stolen Musharna give her back to Bianca, and she began to cry happily when the psychic-type rejoined her, hugging her partner tightly.
"Th-thank you!" Bianca stammer, but Iris was quick to criticize.
"Bianca, why are you thanking them? They steal people's precious pokémon!" she yelped.
"I…I'm sorry, but I'm just so happy to have my Musharna back…" she whimpered, and I placed a comforting hand on my friend's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it," I told her. "Musharna's back with you. That's what matters."
"Right!" the blonde nodded, smiling at me with Musharna still in her arms.
"Touching," Ghetsis remarked with a sneer, and I glared at him, curling my lip slightly in disgust. "We shall leave today, but do not forget, Team Plasma is for the benefit of all pokémon." Then one of the grunts threw a smoke bomb, but once the haze cleared, they were all gone.
"Gah! They're gone!" Burgh growled. "What about the stolen pokémon?!"
"We'll get them back, somehow," Iris replied.
"I'm just so happy to have my Musharna back," Bianca said, returning the evolved pink pokémon to her pokéball.
"What are you going to do now, Bianca?" I asked as Zorua returned to his original form and settled himself in my arms.
"I'm thinking about looking around the city again, maybe figure out what I should do…" she answered, and Iris jumped to her side.
"Then I'll continue to be your bodyguard!" the wild girl declared, quickly dragging my childhood friend out of the building and into the city street.
"They'll be able to benefit each other, as Iris isn't quite at home in the city, whereas Bianca seems to need protection," Burgh chuckled before looking at me. "Are you ready to challenge my gym, Black, hmm?"
"You bet!" I grinned. "But first, I'll need to stop by the Pokémon Center to heal Zorua and Servine so they'll be ready to battle."
"Sounds good," he nodded. "I'll heal my team at the gym, but I'll see you once you get through!" And with that, we left, the bug-type gym leader returning to his gym while I trekked to the Pokémon Center. When I got there, Nurse Joy gladly healed my pokémon with some assistance from her Audino. I had to return Zorua to his pokéball for it, but he knew it had to happen eventually.
"Thank you for waiting," she smiled brightly as she handed me back my team's pokéballs. "Please come again when your pokémon aren't feeling in tip top shape!"
"You bet! Thanks, Nurse Joy!" I told her gratefully as I ran out. When I entered the gym, I looked around in awe at the large space, but when I saw the solid-looking walls of what appeared to be honey, I quirked a brow. "How the hell am I supposed to get to Burgh?" I frowned. That's when a harlequin spotted me and approached.
"Seems you're here to challenge Burgh, eh?" he guessed. "Then to get through, you need to step on switches to get through the blocked honey walls, but beware the trick switches and my fellow harlequins!" The harlequin then laughed as he sent out a Sewaddle. "Let's see if you have what it takes!"
"Fine, then let's battle!" I yelled, sending out Pignite. He gave a determined oink, exhaling a puff of smoke from his nostrils. "All right, Pignite, use Ember!" The fire-type shot the small flames at Sewaddle, knocking it out in one hit.
"Ah! No!" the harlequin wailed, dropping to his Sewaddle's side. "Are you okay?" His Sewaddle smiled up at him, and he sighed in relief. "Thank goodness." Getting up and turning to me, he grinned and said, "You shouldn't have any problems facing Burgh, so keep on moving!"
"Thanks," I nodded, and returned Pignite to his pokéball before heading further into the gym. I pushed my way through honey walls that surprisingly weren't sticky, battled the harlequins I encountered, and unlocked all of the gates blocking my way until the final gate was revealed. Once through there, I climbed up the stairs, where Burgh was waiting at the top, standing on one end of an arena.
"Welcome to my gym, Black!" he greeted. "How did you like my layout? Did you have fun?"
"Sure did! And I'm ready to challenge you and earn my badge, Burgh!" I grinned.
"Excellent! Then prepare yourself, because I certainly won't go easy on you!" he laughed, and then sent out his first pokémon, a Dwebble. It cried out happily, and I smirked, knowing who to send out first.
"I wouldn't have expected any less from a gym leader!" I called to him, and sent out Dewott.
"Ah, good choice, but let's see how it fairs against my Dwebble," he said ominously.
"Challenger makes the first move!" the referee announced.
"All right, Dewott, we can do this! Use Razor Shell!" I ordered. The water type ran at Dwebble, the water power already charged along his scalchops. When he got close, he slashed at Dwebble with both of them, making an X shape with the slashes. The rock and bug type squealed in pain, skidding back several yards before digging its pincers into the ground and stopping itself.
"Dwebble, use Sand-Attack!" Burgh shouted, and Dwebble shot a harsh spray of sand into Dewott's face. As the otter pokémon rubbed at his eyes to try and rid them of the blinding sand, Burgh had Dwebble attack. "Struggle Bug!"
"No!" I yelped, as Dewott had no chance or time to move out of the way. Dwebble's attack struck my pokémon, and he cried out as he was sent flying back. He slammed into the wall, and slid down to the ground, weakened. "You okay?" I called to him. He nodded once, getting up determinedly, and I smiled. "All right, then let's finish it off! Use Water Pulse!" He cried out, and threw the bright water sphere at Dwebble with perfect aim, striking it before the little rock and bug type could move. Dwebble flew into the air, landing with a crash several feet away, and when the dust cleared, we all saw that it had fainted.
"Dwebble is unable to battle, so the winner is Dewott!" the referee announced, waving a blue flag towards my side.
"Well done, Black!" Burgh grinned. "Your Dewott is a determined little one. But let's see how that determination fairs against my next pokémon. Go, Whirlipede!" He then sent out the round poison and bug type, and I became serious. From what I knew of them from battling the harlequins in the gym, they could be very enduring if the battle dragged on.
"Careful, Dewott," I warned. "This Whirlipede is strong." He nodded his understanding, and then I shouted, "Use Water Pulse!" The water type hurled the attack at Whirlipede, but before it could hit, Burgh told his pokémon to do something, but I couldn't hear it. Dewott's Water Pulse hit, but when the dust cleared, I gasped before gritting my teeth in frustration. Burgh had had Whirlipede use Protect!
"Be careful with your attacks, Black," the bug type user smirked. "Whirlipede, use Poison Tail!"
"Ah! No!" I yelped, but his Whirlipede was faster than I thought. Before I could have Dewott dodge, the poison and bug type struck my pokémon with the attack, making him faint with that one hit. "Dewott!" I ran over to him, propping him up carefully. He smiled up at me weakly, and I sighed in relief. "You did amazing. Get some rest, 'cause you earned it." Once I returned him to his pokéball, I stood on my side of the arena again, and then sent out Tranquil. "You can do this, Tranquil!" She gave a determined cry, spreading her wings wide before hovering on our side of the arena.
"Don't underestimate my Whirlipede, Black!" Burgh laughed. "Go, use Poison Tail!"
"Dodge and use Air Cutter!" I yelled before the round insect pokémon could move. Tranquil swiftly darted away from her opponent, narrowly avoiding being hit, and then flapped her wings rapidly, blowing the Air Cutter attack at Whirlipede. It was a successful strike, as Whirlipede cried out in pain from the repeated blows. "Awesome! Now, follow it up with Quick Attack!" She streaked towards Whirlipede, landing the hit, but when she flew away, I noticed she seemed to be hurting.
"Ah, so you've noticed my Whirlipede's ability, eh? Poison Point can be your worst enemy sometimes," Burgh called to me.
"We'll still get that badge!" I shouted. "Tranquil, use Air Cutter again!"
"Protect!" Whirlipede complied, the glowing green barrier quickly shielding itself from harm. "Now, use Poison Tail once more!"
"Counter it with Quick Attack!" The bird pokémon raced to meet Whirlipede, and they ricocheted of each other upon impact, both of them flying back into the opposite walls. When the dust cleared as they slid to the ground, it turned out they had both fainted.
"Both Whirlipede and Tranquil are unable to battle! Challenger Black is still in the lead!" the referee declared, and we returned our pokémon to their pokéballs. I knew who my last shot was, and it would be the only way for me to win this battle and earn my Beetle Badge.
"Go, Pignite!" I yelled, sending out my fire type. He gave a determined oink before looking back at me. "You can do this, Pignite! Just stay focused!"
"Type match-ups don't always matter, you know," Burgh commented as he pulled out his third and final pokéball. "Go, Leavanny!" The tall grass and bug type stood on Burgh's side of the arena, ready for battle.
"That may be true sometimes, but here they will!" I smirked. "Pignite, Flame Charge!" The pig pokémon charged up the flames, stamping the ground repeatedly as he did, before racing towards Leavanny while cloaked in those flames. Leavanny's eyes widened in horror, as did Burgh's, before he gave his lead pokémon an order.
"Use String Shot!"
"Not gonna work! Keep moving, and use Ember to burn that String Shot!" I shouted. Pignite gave a loud battle cry, and then shot out a trio of flames at the sticky thread, even going past the thread and burning Leavanny a bit. I realized his Ember had become Fire Pledge, which was awesome! Finally, my friend slammed into Leavanny, striking it hard, and the grass and bug type cried out in pain. Leavanny was sent flying, covered in flames as it skipped along the ground like a rock on water. Finally, it stopped moving, and when the smoke from the flames cleared, Leavanny was revealed to be beaten.
"Ah!" Burgh gasped. He ran to his pokemon, kneeling by its side and checking that it was okay before returning it to its pokeball and approaching Pignite and me. "Well done, Black. Your Pignite is a strong one, or else that Flame Charge wouldn't have defeated Leavanny in one hit."
"Thank you, Burgh. We wouldn't have given up anyway, would we, Pignite?" I asked, patting him on the head. The fire type grinned as he oinked happily.
"Good to hear. You'll need that determination for the remaining five gym leaders. But in recognition of your victory against me, I present to you the Beetle Badge!" he declared, and gave me a Beetle Badge. I grinned widely as I placed the badge into my case, and then shook hands with Burgh.
"Thanks again, Burgh. It was a great battle, and I know my team certainly enjoyed it," I told him, glancing at Pignite, who smiled up at me. "I'd better get moving, or else I'll be stuck here again for the night, and I'd like to get to the next city before it's too late."
"Then you'll be aiming for Nimbasa. Good luck to you, Black!" the bug type gym leader replied as I left. I waved to him, and then Pignite and I left, with me returning him to his pokeball before heading to the Pokemon Center so I could heal my team before leaving for Nimbasa City. As I was getting ready to leave Castelia through the gate, however, I spotted Cheren waiting by the entrance to the gate. Zorua and Servine popped out of their pokéballs when I clenched my fists, and Servine stuck close to me while Zorua crawled into my arms to comfort me. I decided to ignore him so I wouldn't have to deal with him, but unfortunately, he decided to approach me.
"Black!" he called out, but I ignored him as I entered the gate. "Black, you can't ignore me like this forever."
"And why not?" I snorted, glaring at him. "How did you even know I was here, anyway?"
"Bianca told me you helped her with her Musharna when Team Plasma stole it. And because we've been friends since we were little, growing up together," he pointed out. "Look, will you please just hear me out?"
"Why should I? You made it a very clear point that I should just abandon a pokemon when it was still just an egg, and to not trust someone when you know damn well how I treat people," I growled, lightly tightening my grip on Zorua, who refused to look at Cheren. The dark-haired teen noticed the little fox pokemon in my arms, and he stared at him for several seconds before speaking.
"N gave you a Zorua egg?" he breathed.
"Yeah, so what?" I asked, quirking a brow.
"N has a Zoroark, and it's a powerful one. I had no idea he'd bred it," he told me.
"What's the problem? Yeah, Zorua's a rare pokemon, but that doesn't mean you need to make a big deal out of it," I spat. "Besides, I'm his trainer now, not you, so piss off."
"Black, I'm trying to protect you!" he yelled, reaching out to grab my shoulder, but Servine stopped him with one of his vines.
"Cheren, do me a favor and leave me and my pokemon alone," I said coldly. "I understand that you're trying to protect me, but I don't want or need your protection. Just because you got an earlier start on your adventure compared to me doesn't mean that you're better than me at all. In fact, maybe you should stop acting superior to me."
"I'm not acting like I'm better than you!" he snapped. "For crying out loud, Black, what I'm trying to tell you is that N is part of Team Plasma!" I turned at stared at him when he said that, and then my expression morphed into a glare.
"Don't even think about lying to me like that again, Cheren, or you'll regret it immensely," I threatened. "I can't believe you're just blowing smoke up my ass to get me to abandon Zorua!"
"I'm not, dammit!" he cried out in frustration. "I'm telling you the truth!"
"Then if what you claim is true, then why would he give me an egg, knowing I would battle with Zorua and raise him?" I demanded. He fell silent at that, seeming uncertain of what to say. "Now leave me the fuck alone." I stormed off, Servine sticking close to me after letting go of Cheren's wrist. Once we were through the gate and out into the desert, I sighed heavily. I just can't believe Cheren would lie to me like that! N would never be a part of a foolish group like Team Plasma! He's too nice for that! I felt Servine's leafy hand grasp mine, and I gave him a sad smile.
"Sorry, pal. Thanks for helping me," I told him, and he trilled happily in response. "Guess Cheren's just gonna be an ass about this whole thing, huh?" My first partner nodded, and I sighed again. "Well, we'd better keep on moving, or else it'll be dark before we reach Nimbasa." Servine trilled again, so we trekked through the desert, toward our next destination and victory.
A/N: I apologize right now for any spelling errors or anything of the sort, I was working on this in Google Drive/Docs and I copied it over to Word so I could post this. Anyhoo, R&R, peeps!
