The sun shone over a traveling group of teenagers. The two taller ones walked hand in hand, girl and boy, in sync. The other two nervously glanced at one another back and forth as if in some sort of beat. They bumped fingers, trying to make it look accidental. The girl blushed violet and the arrogant boy smirked, flipping his chartreuse hair. Hidden behind his back, a rose, vividly red. Confident, were the steps he took, while the girl next to him was clumsy, tripping over the cracks in the sidewalk and on her own untied shoelaces.
I wake up with a head chock-full of memories, but I shake them away. The contest...er, battle starts in two hours.
I buy four cups of coffee, pay for them, handing the money to an acne-scarred adolescent who gives me an odd look, and I sit down at a table with Amy. A very cranky Amy. A very sleep-deprived Amy.
And I thought May was bad when she was sleep-deprived.
"So..." I yawn. "I got some extra coffee for the caffeine. You'll need it." I push a cup towards her.
"Drew, I'm ten. I drink tea."
"Oh."
I go back to the cashier, buy two teas, and sit back down.
"Here you go."
"Needs sugar."
"Okay." I go to the sugar dispenser, pick up two packets of Equal and sit back down.
"Equal? Try real sugar!"
"Yes, your majesty." I roll my eyes, get up, and return with two packets of sugar. Being proactive, I also bring a spoon and napkins.
"There. Happy?"
"No. I didn't sleep."
"Just have some caffeine. Coffee's generally the only reason I'm standing..."
Whoever had the brilliant idea to schedule a gym battle for nine AM on a Saturday is an utter idiot. I think I've developed a caffeine tolerance because my eyes flutter shut and I have to fight to keep them open.
Bri's just said something and Falkner and Freddie are laughing like maniacs. I just nod and smile. I have no idea what the joke is. Maybe they're laughing at me.
I'm sitting on the side of Falkner's tremendous aerial battlefield on a cold, metal bleacher, surrounded by the other spectators, namely Bri and her husband. The "Splash Zone", I like to call it. Front row seating, if you will. Amy stays over on the challenger side of the gym in the trainer's box. She goes through her bag meticulously, making sure she has not left anything important back at the Pokemon Center. That would be bad.
"What about you, Drew?"
I snap my head up to attention. "What about what?"
"Don't you think they're cute?" Bri demands, eyes twinkling.
"I'm sorry, what are we talking about?"
"Morty and Falkner. Haven't you been paying attention?"
Falkner blushes the color of Bri's hair.
"Morty and Falkner...?"
Falkner holds up his hand. On his left hand, fourth finger, is a shimmering, silver ring. Simple, yet extravagant. It would stop traffic in the sun.
I almost fall of the stands.
"Whoa. You're getting married, too?"
Falkner blushes harder. Freddie puts a beefy arm around his brother.
"It seems we've embarrassed Falkner into a nearly catatonic state," he guffaws. "It's a promise ring."
"Wow."
"Isn't it cute!" Bri gushes.
I force a smile. I'm not homophobic or anything, but I've reached that age. The marriage age. And it seems I'm the odd one out.
"This will be a freestyle, Pokemon League Regulation Battle. Each side can have up to six Pokemon. A Pokemon is out upon fainting and another one must be called out immediately. If a trainer runs out of usable Pokemon, then he has lost the battle. Best of luck."
The referee raises his right flag. "Gym Leader ready?"
Falkner tries to maintain any appearance of calm and fails miserably. "...Yes."
The referee raises his left flag. "Challenger ready?"
Amy nonchalantly tucks her hair behind her ears and gives a thumbs up.
The flag come down. "Let the battle commence!"
"Pidgeotto!"
"Cherrubi!"
Falkner struggles not to laugh. "She must be...joking!" With a new found cockiness, he orders his bird Pokemon. "Pidgeotto, aerial ace!"
Pidgeotto dives from its flight into Cherrubi and lashes out with freshly sharpened talons. Cherrubi yelps.
"Oh, Cherrubi! Stun spore!"
"Pidgeotto! Dodge and aerial ace!"
Once again, the Pidgeotto dodges and mauls the berry-shaped pokemon. Cherrubi cries out in pain and frustration.
"C'mon Amy!" I yell out from the sideline.
"I know we've got this, Cherrubi! Poisonpowder, let's go!"
The cherry pokemon launches a purple substance from the tips of its leaves as the Pidgeotto dives again, this time without orders.
Pidgeotto fails to dodge and is caught up in the mass of shimmering powder, coughs twice, and spirals to the ground.
"Pidgeotto! Get up. You're tough!"
Pidgeotto laboriously returns to the sky, shaking the powder off. Without warning, it quick attacks Cherrubi, its beak angle to a dagger-like point.
Cherrubi shrieks and faints.
Amy holds up a Cherish ball. "Take a rest, Cher." She takes a Pokeball off her belt. "Alright, Beautifly, get out here!"
The rainbow colored Beautifly explodes out of the white light with its trademark battle-cry, "Beautifly!"
"Really? Another forest-dweller?" Falkner chuckles slightly.
"He shouldn't be so haughty," a voice behind me accuses.
I spin around, only to encounter a fashionably dressed blond who smells like a combination of smoke and perfume.
Bri jumps from her seat and hugs him. "Morty! I haven't seen you in forever."
Smirking slightly, I return focus to the match.
"This isn't just any bug," Amy declares. "This one's special."
Indeed. Not only to her and Masquerain, but really to me as well. Although those roses back when we were ten weren't always only for Beautifly.
"Aerial Ace!"
"Psychic!"
Pidgeotto stops in its tracks at the humming sound emanating from Beautifly. The bird falls to the ground and promptly to the ground.
"That bug must be on steroids!" Freddie announces.
"I told you that would happen!" Morty asserts.
"Shut up, Morty. I can hear you!" Falkner calls from the battlefield. He's starting to look worried as he picks a new Pokemon to bring into play. "I need you, Noctowl!"
Amy gulps. Psychic would no longer be effective.
"Beautifly, Silver Wind!"
The Beautifly, I realize, was trained as a contest Pokemon. It had no experience from battles and was raised to make every attack beautiful, true to its name. That's why the Silver Wind attack, though dazzling, had very little effect on the Pokemon it was aimed at. Noctowl looks like it had hardly been touched. That is the flaw of Amy's Pokemon.
It was the flaw in May's battle style as well.
"Noctowl, whirlwind!"
Beautifly diappears and Skitty is dragged out. Confused, the kitten ambles around. Amy is shocked.
"Skitty?"
"Skit skit?"
I face-palm.
"Well, that was stupid on Falkner's part..." Morty muses.
"What do you mean?" Bri wonders.
"Noctowl doesn't have a type advantage over Skitty like it did with Beautifly," he explains. "For one thing, Skitty could easily use assist and be well off."
May did the same thing. Assist was practically Amy's last hope.
"Assist, Amy!"
Amy stares at me blankly. "Is that a move?"
"Yes, hurry!" Falkner looks about ready to attack.
"Skitty, use assist!"
I cross my fingers.
"Skit!"
A thundershock comes out of nowhere and sweeps down dead center of Noctowl, who remains air-borne, splayed out like a pentagram.
"'Towl!"
The Noctowl crashes to the ground, twitching. It rolls over and passes out. Falkner appears mortified and briskly glances at Morty who has his head in his hands. Flakner sighs.
"Noctowl is unable to battle. Leader Falkner is out of usable Pokemon. Amy of Cherrygrove is the winner!"
"Return, Skitty!"
Bandanna and all, the Skitty dissolves in a flash of sharp, red light.
Silently, she packs the Pokeballs of various shapes and colors into her bag, tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, pulls her caps on tighter, and exits the gym into the waiting lobby.
"Congrats. I'm very happy for the two of you."
"Chill, Drew," Morty says, exasperated. "We're not getting married...yet!"
Falkner blushes for the third time that day.
I sway slightly, the adrenaline from watching the battle slowly leaving my body and weariness from the morning setting back in.
"Tell Amy it was a lovely battle and I hope she does well in the league," Falkner tells me. I promise to carry on the message.
As I start to leave, Bri grabs my arm. For a second, it feels as thought she's back to her old stalker ways, but then again, I'm a washed-up retireee. Who am I kidding?
"Drew, anytime you're passing through Violet, make sure to give me a call! And tell me how Amy does. I think she's got real potential." Bri smiles and Freddie crosses his arms over his broad chest looking awfully menacing.
"I will. Thank you, both of you."
She waited for me in the gym lobby.
"Fantastic battle, Amy. See, you didn't need my help at all!"
"I'm tired, Drew. Can we just go back to the Pokemon Center and sleep?"
Slightly dismayed, I reply, "Yeah, whatever you want kiddo."
She doesn't look well, but I assume she's just exhausted. Here I am as well, about to pass out. Perhaps we're both just tired.
