Chapter 6: In Which a Rival Appears
Andrea put the money pouch away as they left Oreburgh Gate, the mining town of Oreburgh stretching out before them. They had made it through the cave without any trouble and had run into a few trainers along the way who had added to Andrea's steadily increasing savings.
As they walked down the stairs to street level, Andrea got a good look at the large mining town. The place seemed a bit scruffy when she compared it to Jubilife, but it was nice enough. Most of the buildings seemed residential, although she easily made out the red and blue roofs of the local Pokemon Center and Poke Mart. In the distance was a huge, regal building, standing out against its drab surroundings. A few people, mainly women and children, were walking the paved streets.
"Lets head for the Pokemon Center, then I'll show you to the gym," Lucas said, leading them to the nearby Pokemon Center. This one was much smaller than the one in Jubilife but besides that looked the same.
They entered through the automatic doors into the well lit and sanitary interior of the building. Some trainers who were lounging in the waiting chairs looked up when the two entered but soon went back to whatever previous activities they had been doing, many of which involved staring off into space in a bored manner.
Lucas and Andrea walked up to the counter and dropped their Pokemon off with the resident Nurse Joy. As the woman collected their Pokemon, Andrea found herself examining the woman's hair to see if it was dyed.
"I'm going to give my family a call; you want to get us a room?" Lucas asked, interrupting Andrea's internal debate on whether or not she had seen blond roots.
"Sure," Andrea replied, walking over to the lady in charge of room check in. Lucas thanked her, although she was not paying him any attention, and hurried over to the video phones.
An hour later, the two of them walked out, Pokemon healed. "So, which way to the gym?" Andrea asked, looking up and down the street.
"This way." Lucas pointed before he started walking off, Andrea following close behind him.
After a short walk they reached a large, grey building, built entirely out of stone. The slate grey structure seemed to loom over the street in front of it, casting a dark shadow. A few thin windows marred the stone surface, dark and appearing to be more for decoration than to actually let light in. A large set of doors was the only sign that the place actually considered letting people in and was not some impenetrable fortress.
One of the doors opened as they approached the building. A boy, around Lucas's age by the look of it, came out. He was of medium height and build, with a mass of unruly, straw blond hair that hooded a pair of bright hazel eyes. His clothing was mismatched, a pair of grey pants with a bright red shirt covered by an equally bright blue jacket.
Not noticing the new arrivals at first, he walked forward, almost running into Lucas. "Sorry," he hurriedly said, looking distracted.
"Oh, no problem," Lucas politely reassured him as Andrea snorted softly from behind. The boy looked past Lucas to Andrea, his eyes widening slightly when he spotted Eve on her shoulder.
"Hey, are you guys here to challenge the gym leader?" the boy suddenly asked eagerly.
Lucas shook his head. "I'm not. Andrea here is though." He pointed to his traveling companion.
"He's not here right now. The guy in there," the boy jabbed his thumb in the direction of the gym behind him, "told me he's working in the mine and won't be back 'til tomorrow."
"I guess we'll have to come back tomorrow," Andrea said with a sigh, turning to leave. The boy rushed forward and grabbed her arm to stop her, an action that only resulted in him receiving an intense glare.
"Wait. I'm Nolan and I'm a trainer too. You want to battle? As, like, practice for the gym." Nolan looked at her excitedly, practically buzzing with energy. Andrea just looked at her arm, which he was still holding, before she yanking it away. Nolan seemed unfazed by this and continued to look at her with a mixture of pleading and excitement.
"Come on, please?" he begged when Andrea still did not answer. "Three on three. You have three Pokemon, right? You should by now, so there shouldn't be a problem." He continued to yammer on as Andrea watched him, a slight look of horror crossing her face. The boy was practically jumping up and down in his increasing excitement and it did not seem like he was going to leave any time soon. And he was talking just as much as Lucas in one of his lecture modes. There seemed only one way to get him to shut up and hopefully leave soon.
"Fine, whatever. Just shut up will you?" Nolan gave Andrea a happy smile before walking over to Lucas, more bouncing really, and asking him to judge. Lucas of course agreed and soon both parties stood facing each other, ready to begin.
Putting Eve on the ground, Andrea picked out a Pokeball and released the Pokemon inside. With a loud cry, Roz materialized, every feather exuding her readiness for battle. Since she had officially joined the team Andrea had battled with the bird Pokemon a few times and learned quickly that Roz enjoyed a good fight. Andrea hoped this battle would please the aggressive little bird.
Nolan smirked and released his own Pokemon with a lazy and confident manner, a complete switch from the hyperactive boy of before. Once the red light cleared a little, white, squirrel like Pokemon appeared. Its twitching tail had a blue strip running up it with three large spikes at the tip. The blue strip ran up the Pokemon's back and onto its head. The twitching ears were also blue while the cheeks were a bright yellow. The little Pokemon gave Andrea and Roz a wide eyed look meant to melt the hearts of even the most hardened opponents. It failed to have any effect on either the trainer or her Pokemon.
"Let's see that scrawny Pidgey deal with Pachirisu here," Nolan said mockingly, continuing to smirk in an infuriating manner.
Andrea let out a noise that could only be described as a growl. "She is not scrawny and her name is Roz, you cocky little-"
"Trainers ready?" Lucas asked, raising a hand and stopping any verbal fight before it could get started.
"Just get on with it," Andrea snapped, glaring at her opponent. Nolan nodded his head at Lucas.
"Then battle," Lucas said, bringing his hand down.
"Quick attack Roz," Andrea ordered before Lucas's arm had finished its descent. Roz rushed forward in a zigzag pattern, going so fast at times she seemed to disappear from view. Finally she barreled into Pachirisu, sending the little Pokemon tumbling head over fluffy tail. Pachirisu got quickly to its feet, shaking its head slightly to clear it.
Nolan's smile just widened. "Spark Pachirisu." The squirrel Pokemon's checks began to gather electricity, stray pieces discharging into the air. The electricity continued to increase, the sparks finally coming from all over the Pokemon's body, jumping around like over exited puppies.
"Get out of the way Roz," Andrea ordered in a worried voice. Inwardly she cursed herself for not realizing that her opponent must have had some trick up his sleeve to be so confident. Why hadn't she realized it was an electric Pokemon?
Andrea's order came to late unfortunately. Roz was pumping her wings, trying to get air born and out of the way, when her opponent charged, the stored electricity discharging onto the bird Pokemon. Roz let out a pained cry, loosing the little air she had gained as her wings sized up and she fell.
"Good, now bite." Pachirisu scurried over to her fallen opponent, digging in strong front teeth where Roz's wing met her body. The little bird Pokemon let out another shriek and struggled, strong wings flapping around. Releasing his hold, Pachirisu swiftly backed off. After a brief pause an angry Roz had regained her feet and was glaring at her opponent.
"Get in the air and dive bomb him and watch out for any more electric attacks," Andrea ordered, keeping a close eye on the other Pokemon, watching for any movement that might signal the next attack. Roz flapped her wings in a labored manner and took to the air. Once she gained enough height she began a tight spiral down, beak aimed at the other Pokemon.
Pachirisu tried to scramble out of the way but tripped and fell, making the perfect target for Roz. Mercilessly she dived and stabbed with her beak, hitting the other Pokemon dead on. The white Pokemon let out a high pitched squeal but rolled out of the way before Roz could get another attack in.
Not waiting for a command from Nola, Pachirisu gathered the electricity needed for another spark and charged. Roz, tired and still stiff from the last electric attack, was unable to move out of the way in time and was hit head on. Without a sound she fell to the ground in a faint.
"Roz is unable to battle," Lucas declared, "Pachirisu is the winner."
With a frown and sigh Andrea returned Roz. After a moment of hesitation she grabbed Zora's Pokeball and released an electric Pokemon of her own. Nolan's smile only shrank slightly when he saw the Shinx.
"Trying to fight electricity with electricity, eh?" he said cockily, quirking an eyebrow in Andrea's direction. The brunet chose to ignore him, instead looking over at Lucas and indicating he should start the next battle.
Lucas quickly raised his arm in the air again. "Trainer's ready? Battle." He quickly dropped his arm as the next round commenced.
The two Pokemon eyed each other warily, waiting for their trainer's commands. Pachirisu was panting and the dried blood from one of Roz's attacks was like a banner on his white fur. Zora however was fresh and stood her ground, every muscle tensed as she waited for a command.
Nolan was the first to bark an order. "Bite Pachirisu." The white Pokemon darted forward with sharp incisors ready to bite into flesh. Zora nimbly dodged out of the slower Pokemon's way.
"Use bite yourself Zora," Andrea commanded. Zora whipped around and bit down on her opponents passing tail. A high pitched squeal of pain escaped Pachirisu's lips but the little Pokemon had soon turned on its tormenter, trying to sink its teeth in.
Zora released her grip, backing away from the snapping teeth of her opponent. The white Pokemon had been able to get a few nips in during their struggle from which a trickled a little blood.
Without hesitation, Pachirisu charged at Zora, still trying to dig in his teeth. Once more Zora dodged. "Tackle Zora," Andrea commended, watching the other Pokemon try to regain footing after another missed attack.
Zora backed up slightly before charging at the other Pokemon, the impact sending the smaller Pokemon fly for a short distance. When Pachirisu hit the ground in a small cloud of dust, he tired to get back to his feet but quickly collapsed.
"Pachirisu is unable to battle, Zora is the winner."
"Good job Pachirisu," Nolan said, returning his Pokemon. For a second his hand hovered over one of his Pokeballs before he changed his mind and picked another one. Grinning again he released his next Pokemon.
Out came some kind of odd plant. "Budew," said the small, smiling creature. Andrea just raised an eyebrow and ignored Nolan's grin. She was sure he had something up his sleeve again but was hoping she could deal with it in some way or another.
"Ready? Battle," Lucas commanded, starting the next round.
"Zora, spark," Andrea commanded. As Zora charged up for her attack, Andrea realized something was wrong the moment she saw Nolan's grin grow even wider. Zora was already heading after the grass Pokemon so her trainer had no choice but to hope whatever happened would not be too bad.
Zora's attack hit and it obviously took some toll on the other Pokemon, but not as much as Andrea knew it should have. As Andrea was trying to figure out what was going on, Nolan gave Budew the order to attack. "Absorb Budew."
The plant Pokemon opened its smiling mouth and shot seeds in Zora's direction. Upon her trainer's order, Zora tried to move out of the line of fire but Budew was persistent. When the seeds finally hit their mark they quickly took root and sent up little tendrils that ensnared Zora. The electric Pokemon struggled to break free but was having little luck.
The tendrils began to pulse with a green light and Andrea noticed that as they did so Zora seemed to become increasingly lethargic while Budew might as well have just had a cup of caffeine. "Zora, bite your way out of there or something," Andrea said with the slight edge of panic as she watched her Pokemon loosing strength.
Stopping her useless struggle against the tendrils, Zora turned her sharp teeth to the task of biting through the plants. This strategy was far more successful and she soon escaped from the clutches of the creepers. She was staggering on her feet in exhaustion however, causing Andrea to worry about how much longer she would last.
"Zora, can you-"
"Yes. Just tell me what to do next," Zora said calmly. Andrea was taken aback briefly, shocked to be hearing Zora's voice. She quickly brought her thoughts back to the battle at hand however.
"Okay then, go in for a tackle and follow up with bite." Nodding, Zora rushed her opponent and took down Budew, sinking in sharp teeth before the other Pokemon had any chance to recover.
Budew, still filled with stolen energy, got back up after the attacks and upon Nolan's order released a yellow powder into the air. Zora backed off as quickly as she could but still ended up inhaling some of the powder.
Watching her Pokemon closely, Andrea gave the next plan for attack. "Another bite and spark again." She knew that spark was not having as much effect as it should but it was still one of Zora's more powerful attacks and Andrea was hoping it could do more damage than a simple tackle.
Zora went in to sink her teeth in once more but froze up, not a muscle moving. Nolan just continued to grin as he watched. "Razor leaf Budew." The two twisted vines above Budew's head opened slightly and out shot a stream of leaves. Luckily for Zora the stun spore wore off slightly and she was able to dive to the ground and roll out of the way. Getting back to her feet she shook herself and went at Budew again, this time biting the other Pokemon. Teeth still firmly in her struggling opponent, Zora gathered electricity over her body and discharged it all on the other Pokemon.
Budew let out a small noise of pain as Zora let go and backed away. Her muscles were freezing again and she knew that she probably would not be able to last another attack. In one last desperate move that surprised her opponent, Zora tackled once more, knocking the other Pokemon off its feet.
Zora watched as Budew struggled up, unable to move because the paralyzing effect of the stun spore had taken over once more. Budew swayed back and forth, taking a shaky step forward. Just when Zora was expecting another razor leaf Budew fell face first onto the ground.
"Budew is unable to battle," Lucas announced. "Zora is the winner."
Nolan recalled Budew, his smile now gone. "Good job Budew," he whispered before clipping the Pokeball back to his belt. Releasing his final Pokemon his smile returned as he watched the creature materialize from the red light.
Now standing in front of Zora, his fluffy tail proudly waving like some banner, a smile to equal that of his trainer's, stood an Eevee. "Eee, eeveee vee" the little Pokemon said smugly as he faced Zora. The electric Pokemon's tail twitched slightly, but otherwise she made no response to whatever the other Pokemon had said.
Eve however began fuming. "How dare that little twerp. So help me, if Zora doesn't finish him off…" She continued mumbling to herself as Lucas raised his hand, about to start the final round.
"Wait," Andrea said, getting surprised looks from everyone. "Zora, come on back, Eve can take this one." Both of her Pokemon gave her disbelieving looks.
"Andrea, I am quite capable of handling this myself," Zora informed her seriously, almost primly. Andrea resisted the urge to smile. Since she had been captured it had been obvious that Zora was much more serious than Eve or Roz but now that Andrea could hear her talking that personality trait was even more apparent.
"No arguments," Andrea said firmly, pointing a finger at the ground near her feet. "You're a mess. Get over here and watch if you want." As Zora sighed and made her slow progress back to her trainer, Andrea turned to Eve, lowering her voice. "Looks like you'll get a chance at that Eevee after all."
Eve just twitched an ear before getting up and walking in front of the other Eevee. As she passed Zora Andrea heard a mumbled, "Tough luck," from Eve. Andrea just rolled her eyes before nodding to Lucas, finally ready.
Zora lay down near her feet, paws tucked under her body, tail swishing gently behind her. Andrea looked down briefly, noting that Zora had her gaze locked intently on the other two Pokemon in front of her.
"Ready?" Lucas asked, hand raised once more. When no one interrupted him this time he brought his hand down, "Battle."
"Eevee against Eevee huh?" Nolan commented, watching as the two Pokemon eyed each other warily. "This should be a synch for my Eevee," he commented, his infuriating grin returning in full force.
Andrea ground her teeth and clenched her hands into fists but did not retort. Instead, she gave the first command to attack. "Bite Eve."
"With pleasure," Eve replied as she rushed forward and sank her teeth into the other Pokemon. Eevee let out a cry and kicked dirt up into Eve's face. Sneezing and shaking her head, Eve backed off hurriedly. Blinking, trying to clear the dirt from her eyes, she missed the oncoming tackle from Eevee and was knocked off her feet.
"Vee, eee," said Eevee, smiling down at his downed opponent.
"You want me to tear that dammed smile off your face, don't you?" Eve growled as she scrambled to her feet. She charged at Eevee but the smug little Pokemon easily dodged out of the way.
"Eve, stay clam. You won't be able to do anything if you keep charging madly," Andrea informed her enraged Pokemon.
"She won't be able to hit anything if she faints too," Nolan interjected. "Eevee, quick attack." Covering the distance between himself and Eve in movements almost to fast for the eye to follow, Eevee barreled into Eve, the force sending her to the ground once more.
Eve quickly got back up but instead of charging stood, waiting for the next order to attack. "Eve, go in for another bite. Get out of there quick and then attack again."
Eve nodded and dashed forward, digging in her teeth once more. Eevee tried to shoot more dirt into her eyes but Eve had already gotten out of the way. In little darting movements Eve continued to dash in and sink her sharp teeth in and back off before the other Eevee could retaliate.
Eevee got in a few more attacks of his own but Eve continued to wear him down, biting and biting, tackling on occasion so her moves did not become overly predictable. Eventually, after both Pokemon had started panting heavily, one of them staggered forward, lost footing, and fell. Unable to get back up, the match was ended.
"Eevee is unable to battle, Eve wins," Lucas declared. Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and smiled back at a shocked Nolan. The other trainer stood there, mouth agape, before snapping back to reality and rushing forward to pick up his Pokemon. The Eevee, quickly recovering from the faint, moved weakly in his arms.
"You win this time Andrea," Nolan said, looking at Andrea. "But from now on we are rivals," he continued, pointing a dramatic finger in the direction of the female in question. Arms still crossed, Andrea just raised a skeptical eyebrow. "It is now my goal to beat you. Just you wait, I'll train my Pokemon to be so much stronger than yours it will be unbelievable." His Eevee looked down at Eve and said something, making the other Pokemon swish her tail in a violent motion.
Before Andrea could say anything in response Nolan rushed off, throwing the promise of her future defeat over his shoulder. Everyone watched him retreat with varying degrees of disbelief.
"You did really well Andrea," Lucas commented, walking over.
"I didn't do anything but yell orders," Andrea said with a shrug. "Really it was-" Stopping, she looked in the direction Nolan had run off in. "Hey, that cheapskate gypped me. I'm supposed to get money for that battle." She took a step forward but then stopped and shook her head. "It's not worth it," she mumbled angrily under her breath.
"Come on, let's get back to the center. You need to heal your Pokemon," Lucas said.
"I know that," Andrea snapped, taking out her frustration on the younger teen. "Come on Zora, time for you to return." She held up the Pokeball and Zora was retuned, her ball secured to its normal position on Andrea's belt. Picking up Eve she began to walk back to the Pokemon Center until Lucas coughed politely and pointed in the other direction. Grumbling she turned in the direction he indicated.
"What was that other Eevee saying that got you so mad?" Andrea asked as they walked, looking down at Eve.
"He just called you some names," Eve mumbled, showing no signs of wishing to elaborate.
Andrea just sighed but did not question further. Instead she turned to Lucas, who was walking slightly ahead. "Hey, what was up with that battle? That Budew thing didn't seem to be very affected by Zora's spark."
"That's because Budew is a plant type Pokemon. Electric attacks aren't very effective against plant Pokemon," Lucas explained.
"That's weird."
"Not really. Every type has its weaknesses and advantages. Take flying type Pokemon. They are weak against electric attacks but their flying type moves are super effective against fighting type Pokemon." Lucas continued talking, once more in his lecture mode. Andrea resisted the urge to tell him to shut up or to tone him out, knowing this was one of the few explanations he gave that she would actually find useful.
And so they made their way to the Pokemon Center, Lucas happily going into detail about type advantages and Andrea trying to pay attention and wondering if it was possible to make a law against talking so much.
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AN: Just wanted to make a comment about Nolan. He is based off of that annoying rival from Pearl, Diamond, and Platinum, yes, but he is not the actual rival himself. That character bugs me to no end but I honestly thought it would be fun to have Andrea have to deal with some overexcited rival who pops up all over the place. Thought I'd just let you all know that. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and for reading this, I hope you have enjoyed the story so far.