A/N: Woo…college. I know right? Guh.
Let this be a formal address that college will make me write when I have time and feel like writing. I've been so burnt out this past few weeks, and have only just started this chapter 2-3 weeks after posting the last. (and then again months later ) I apologize for the slow updates that will proceed thus onwards.
I want to thank everyone that reviews, faves, and alerts this story. I'm amazed by how popular this story is and we don't even have the guts to it yet! Thanks so much for the commitment and please continue to be patient =3
Enough dallying! You've waited long enough!
[CHAPTER SEVEN]
"Oh my god," Snarky cooed and looked up at his owner, still sleepy from the long walk they endured through the day. His wide eyes looked away from the girls' vest to instead look at the broad, morning cityscape below them as they descended down Skyarrow bridge's stairs. He squealed, looking up more than his thin neck wanted to stretch in order to see the gargantuan sight. It was just becoming sunset, after spending the last night in the Pokémon center to recover from the adventure in the forest. The city was the largest thing he'd ever seen, considering he'd barely been able to climb onto Professor Juniper's countertop without a chair being present. "This place is amazing…" White took the last step off the bridge, hurriedly going through the gate.
Greeting the officer positioned at the gate, she briskly exited in favor of entering the city she'd never visited, only read about in the popular magazines. White was not disappointed, once she was walking the sidewalks with other business people returning home for the day she did realize how amazing it truly was. The water glistened in the dusk and waves hit the docks littered around the south end of the city, and the bridge stretching farther than she could see to the forest she was at only a day before. The crowd of businessmen and women dissipated as they arrived home after their long work days. The streets cleared, White could see everything at her level much more clearly—a building with Pokémon symbols over the windows, making proclamations of a tower of trainers, and near that the red-and-white building she'd gotten used to seeing.
"C'mon Snarky, we need to catch up on our sleep. Tomorrow we can go see Burgh." She smiled up at the now-wide-awake grass snake, who shrilled in objection for some time before yawning. Taking her time reaching the large, two-story Pokémon center as she observed the seascape, the automatic doors slid open in front of her and she almost collided with another businessman.
"Oh- pardon me!" She smiled nervously up at the bulky man, he smile catching itself as she noticed liquid-emerald eyes staring down into her blue, red hair peeking out from below a fedora-like hat. He gave no notice of her apology, brushing past her and down the street leading to the west end of the city, unvisited by White. Gulping, she happened to watch the muscularly large young man withdraw a white cellphone from his coat pocket, ringing someone for a short conversation before re-pocketing it as he disappeared down an alley. Snarky seemed suspicious, his drowsy, dark eyes watching the figure curiously before White patted him on the arm, retreating into the center. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Taking in the night's rest, White awoke in the morning feeling refreshed and most importantly: clean. The Pokémon center was enormous, having amazing accommodations for every room free-of-charge to traveling trainers for the gyms, and a small fee for any that were not. The nurse at the front (who looked exactly like Joy, of course) had been upbeat, a pot of coffee brewing on the desk next to her. She was fascinated with the small details of Team Plasma and all of White's "Small town" adventures as a kid. White wasn't sure if she wanted to reveal anything about the knightly gang, as she didn't know much herself other than them being meddlesome and all for Pokémon liberation. She thanked the nurse as she healed her three companions and waved goodbye, leaving the doors and entering the once-more densely populated sidewalks. Every person she saw was in the business attire, several speaking on a cell phone or Bluetooth device. Moving herself out of the way of a very rushed young woman, balancing folders and a briefcase while on the phone, she had no time to apologize for almost clobbering White to the pavement.
Snarky squeaked a few comments at all the people frustrating his trainer, also not used to seeing such a swarm of people. Still, White progressed down the street, practically hugging the wall to squeeze by. She didn't even realized she'd snuck down a street, lines of people entering tall buildings and less businessmen nearby, more so men with hardhats and of larger figure exiting a tunnel. Still heading to where there would be more room for her and her companions. Sneaking by into the tunnel, she breathed a sigh of relief at entering the north gate of the city where there was only a group of men in fluorescent suspenders relaxing at a table. The four of them glanced over as White took in a deep breath, not getting the cleanest air ever, but still enough to watch the scrolling electronic board over the gate.
"Oh…well, we passed the gym." She smiled nervous at Snarky, who chattered and crossed his arms. Silly humans were always getting in the way.
"Yer goin' to the gym, girly?" White looked over at the gruff voice of the construction worker closest to her. "Ya passed it by a mile."
"I figured…there were a lot of people on their way to work." She smiled, looking at the map below the electronic board. She assumed that the stars were places of interest, and there were many, aside from one star with the Pokémon league symbol engraved in it. The man took another drink of his coffee, his group mates doing the same.
"If ya ask me," a lean-muscled, middle-aged man commented between drinks. "That Burgh guy is a pushover if ya just go through the desert."
"Why would you say that?" White frowned, having a good respect for the man who helped her, even if he appeared to not be the athletic sort.
"Well, he's a bug freak, and in the desert there's 'nuff fire Pokémon there."
"An' some really hard-hitters," another added.
"Really?" White withdrew her Pokedex, trying to scan through a list. The images of the Pokémon were silhouettes, but their names appeared.
"Yeah, Darumaka is a decent fire type, I guess." White nodded as she saw the figure of a small and very round Pokémon.
"I'd say Timburr is a good pick, he ain't weak or strong to any bug type but he can clobber em' real good." The second man added.
"Guys, Scraggy is still my favorite." The fourth and youngest of the four grinned. He couldn't be over thirty, and had shaggy blond hair while his hat rested in his lap. White scrolled to the Pokémon he was referring to, but the other men continued the conversation themselves.
"Scraggy's are hell'a 'nnoying! If they get in yer stuff they don't leave!"
"And they headbutt and break everything, they ganged up on Greg last week."
"Right, but that makes them good fighters. Don't give up, and hurt like'a bitch." The fourth grinned as the other men laughed, having to agree. White swallowed, putting her Pokedex away and headed to the exit of the city.
"Thanks everyone!"
"Good luck, girly!" Two of the men called to her, the youngest giving an assuring wink as his friends bickered about who had the worse injury from the elusive Pokémon they called Scraggy.
White was throroughly annoyed, her now clean and freshly curled hair was covered in blowing sand. She hadn't noticed it being so windy back in town! To add to that, Darumaka and Timburr were causing mounds of difficulties, injuring Snarky heavily and Panpour was really getting sick of using her water gun. Her brand-new running shoes were turning brown with sand and wet mud from the construction site blocking further access. She'd only been there the better portion of an hour, too! Not one Scraggy whatsoever.
"This sucks," she muttered for the umpteenth time, the Snivy on her shoulder cooing in agreement, laying down to rest his burns. "Let's go back, you all deserve to be healed." Panpour nodded at White's ankles, starting back towards the gate that was still within sight of the sandy path. Following Panpour, a loud crashing made White turn around. Three Timburrs were swinging their weapons at the construction's blockades, knocking them over. Sighing heavily, White continued to walk while keeping an eye on them. They were chasing a small, big-headed figure that wasn't using its hands to leap from beam to beam. White's Pokedex began beeping eccentrically as she watched, pulling it from her pocket and her eyes widened.
"Panpour, wait!" her frown flipped into a smile, looking at the colored image on her screen. "That's a Scraggy! Go, use water gun to get the Timburr away!" The monkey almost gave a groan but bounced to the site, blasting the three attackers with a burst of water and throwing them back into deep sections of blocked-off sand. They howled, struggling to their feet in the slippery sand. Panpour grinned in pleasure, going to look back at White when she was thrown to the side, landing harshly in equipment. The small, sand-colored lizard snorted, his head poised as he ended the headbutt attack on the blue creature. It began to stride away, successful in losing his attackers. "Hey!" White huffed, Snarky hopping off her shoulder and pursued the lizard as it waddled away.
Snarky caught up to it and used his vine whip, catching it by the feet and making the shedding skin he constantly help up drop. Shrieking, the wild Scraggy pulled them up to his chest, the square-toothed grin snarling and giving a glare to the weakened snake. Releasing the skin that served as pants, it jumped up and steadied itself on its tail, low-kicking Snarky back into the sand. He howled in pain, staying back where he lay with his eyes swirling about. White gasped, running over to pick him up when the Scraggy got in her way, snorting in rage.
"You know, Panpour was just helping you lose those Timburr!" She retorted to the snort, not getting a fond look back from the young reptile. "Fine, go, Inu!" She retrieved her final Pokéball, about to throw it when she gasped, the Scraggy headbutting her shins and making her stagger back. Inu's Pokéball dropped, rolling about in the sand before the lizard picked it up, seeing his wide-toothed reflection in the clean, red surface. "Give that back!" White gasped, going to take it from the Scraggy when he squeaked in shock, stuffing it into his pants and running off. Her eyes now wide, she picked up Snarky and carried him after the lizard as he snuck through the destroyed blockade and making a b-line for the gate. White recovered Panpour from the deep sand, being wary of the Timburrs position as she turned and ran after the lizard, returning Snarky to his Pokéball.
Scraggy escaped into the gate, one of the construction workers choosing an inopportune time to return from his break. "What the—?" He was cut off as White pushed past him and indoors.
"Sorry sir!" White managed to call, echoing through the long tunnel. "I can't let him get into the city!" She gulped, running past the other three workers.
"What's the hurry?" Another worker called as White herded the Scraggy away from the city's gate.
"He's got my Herdier!" The Scraggy squeaked and jumped behind the dozing guard's desk, causing him to squeak as the short lizard headbutted him as well. The youngest of the workers stood, watching in disbelief as the Scraggy once more dashed to the exit White was guarding, faking her out by going to the left then dashing to the opposite side, pushing the door open with his head. "No!" She ran after him, still keeping Panpour in her grip as the worker followed behind her.
The city streets were only mildly filled, business workers staying in their offices, the only others on the street being shopkeepers and those running late. Scraggy weaved through their feet, causing an uproar from the frustrated city goers. White apologized as she rushed through a small crowd, a hand on her shoulder a moment later as the bulky worker caught up, dirty blond hair in his eyes as he drew a Pokéball from his bright orange vest.
"Get him closer, you run faster than me," he said under his breath to her, and White nodded. She took off, managing to slip around a crowd that Scraggy was having difficulty getting passed on the ground. He headed back towards the gate, pushing through anyone else in his way—except the worker. "Go, Palpitoad!" In a red flash of light, a large, armless and bulbous frog Pokémon trilled, bouncing on his tail. "Use muddy water!" At that call and the passersby realized the situation. They ducked behind buildings and into store fronts. The Scraggy did not, a rush of brown water leaving the blue and tan toad and crashed onto the street. He yelped, the water reaching past his chest as he struggled to keep his pants on. White gasped, the water lapping at her shins as she was further from the epicenter, but she tromped through the water uncomfortably. As the water reached its height, the Pokéball floated out of the shed skin of the Scraggy, receding back towards the Palpitoad that's attack ceased. The waterlogged Scraggy gulped, looking back as White approached him and he dashed down an alley, knocking over a trash can as he disappeared.
White got past the water, her shoes squeaking and making sloshing sounds. The worker picked up the Pokéball, retrieving a cloth from his pocket and wiping the surface clean of the brown liquid before handing it to White. "Keep an eye on that one."
"T-thank you…" She took it from him, holding it close to herself and Panpour. The worker nodded, a smile appeared.
"C'mon, I told ya Scraggys were trouble. I'll do damage control; you get your fella's healed. Okay?"
"…Yes sir." She nodded, managing a small smile and back out of the area as angry shop keepers took out their frustration on the worker and his Palpitoad for getting their advertisement signs wet. She sighed, once turned away the fake smile faded, feeling horrible for causing so much trouble and making her Pokémon suffer for her carelessness. "I'm sorry, Panpour." She knew Panpour had been most upset, having to bail her out of tough and fiery situations. Panpour shook her head, getting the fox-like smile and nuzzled her to accept the apology. White shivered, the water escaping her shoes but making her socks have that uncomfortably cold and squishy feeling. Everything below her knees was getting marks from how the water had left residue of mud, and everything above that was still blown with sand and sweat from the midday heat and running.
Feeling ridiculous enough with the whole street glaring at her, and the next one giving curiously demeaning looks regarding her attire, she went to the front counter of the Pokémon center as quickly as she could. The nurse, recognizing her smiled, glancing about her attire. "Good morning, Miss White."
"Hi Nurse Joy. Could you heal y Pokémon for me…?" She set Panpour on her desk as well as her other two Pokéballs. The pink haired nurse's eyes widened.
"Goodness, what happened?"
"Well, we went out—"
"Never mind that; you need to be more careful! You could've really injured them seriously." White gulped, never seeing Nurse Joy or any nurse look that upset. She nodded, already feeling bad for hurting her partners over something silly. Joy disappeared with her Audino in back, carrying the small Pokémon and Pokéballs on a tray with her. White took a chair nearby, playing with the fringes on the end of her shorts. She felt disgusting, not just for her state of dress, but in general. A construction worker could solve a problem better. She didn't earn her last gym badge enough, her Pokémon too weak for the challenges of traveling. Sighing, she looked back at her bag and withdrew the Xtransceiver, looking it over before getting an idea. She searched through the information database, dialing the number once she found it.
"Hello?"
"Lenora?"
"Oh, is this White?"
"Yes ma'am."
"What do I owe the pleasure of a call?" The older woman must have been organizing her bookshelves. White gulped, twirling a piece of hair in her fingers.
"Well, I've hit a bit of a snag. Ya see, I was training and a wild Pokémon stole my Pokéball and made a big mess of the city and I didn't catch it and everyone's mad at me for being irresponsible. And I'm covered in sand and mud. That's the gist of it."
"Sorry to hear that. Well, if you need an inspirational speech I supposed I could hook you up with one," Lenora chuckled on the other end, giving a few words to her assistant while White waited. She heard a couch creak as Lenora sat in a leather seat. "If Pokémon trainers weren't having little snags, all Pokémon trainers would be successful gym leaders or league champions. Traveling isn't easy, and I imagine going from Nuvema town to Castelia city is a huge change to you."
"What am I supposed to do though?" White looked over as Audino exited the back room, not for her, but to return another younger trainer his Lillipup. Lenora "hmmed" on the other end of the line, thinking over an answer to give the trainer.
"Well, traveling isn't easy and neither is Pokémon training. There's not a lot of great trainers because they think they can't overcome these things. Believe me, White; you're a special kind of trainer. When I was yer age I took on the gym badge challenge too. After my third gym I lost the excitement, I'd lose to all my friends but beat a gym leader. So I went home, not wanting to stray any farther from home. After that I thought I'd be getting married and spending my time cooking at home and collecting antiques. But when Hawes told me to take on a challenge to replace the old city's gym leader, I didn't want to. Normal types aren't everyone's thing after all. But hey, I passed. I'm glad I didn't give up on training."
"But if you beat gym leaders why would you think you're not good enough?"
"Well, you can ask yourself that. You got my badge fair and square. You haven't even met Burgh yet. Us gym leaders aren't trying to overwhelm you and be super powerful like the Elite, we're there to teach you. If you beat us all, you've practically passed the most important test."
"Please don't say anything like "doing whatever you set your mind to" or anything cheesy like that."
"Okay, I won't. But, it's up to the trainer to decide the lesson they learn. Mine was that travelling wasn't for me, but teaching about history and what works and what doesn't is. The basics." White swallowed again, tossing ideas in her head but sighed.
"Okay Lenora, I'll try."
"Give me another call if you need a pep talk. Seriously though, don't cry over spilt milk."
"Muddy water, actually."
"Miss White, your Pokémon are ready." Nurse Joy called from the counter. White looked over and nodded.
"Thanks Lenora, I need to go."
"Good luck!" The line ended and White put the Xtranceiver back into her bag, pulling it back over her shoulder and retrieve her Pokéballs from the Audino that brought them out. Thanking the pink Pokémon, she called out Snarky as he appeared on the chair nearby, yawning. His burns all treated, it was hard to tell where they'd hit.
"Hi Snarky…I'm sorry you got so hurt," White gave a small smile as the grass snake waved his tail, dismissing the whole ordeal in favor of hopping onto her arm and climbing to his trainer's shoulder. She snickered, Snarky nuzzling her cheek as he made himself comfortable. "I'm glad you're alright. Let's see if we can find the gym, alright?" He nodded excitedly, feeling ready to go. White exited the sliding doors and back into the city, that already seemed to have forgotten about the mess from before. The piers were beautiful, though White was marveling at a gorgeous gold cruise liner towards the east, and a peculiar black ship on the dock next to it.
"Stop!" White jumped at hearing the cry, a darkly dressed person rushing past her and almost being thrown to the ground. Going to snap back at the man, she stopped as a familiar girl in green and yellow rushed past as well.
"Bianca!"
"White!" She turned, adjusting the hat back onto her head. "I-it's horrible! That man—he took Munna!" White looked perplexed, not even aware her friend had a Munna. Tossing that thought aside, Bianca seemed near tears. "I…he just challenged me to a battle…he defeated Pansage and wen I sent out Munna he snatched her and ran off!"
"It's okay, Bianca. C'mon, we'll catch him." She pulled Bianca along with her, running down the street in the direction the man took. He'd already taken off out of their sights, White checking every street for any sign of disturbance. She reached the last alley near a boat and its dock, still seeing nothing. Bianca choked on a sob as White pat her shoulders. Before she could try to calm her down and give an explanation on the man's looks, a young girl ran towards them.
"What's going on here?"
"My…my Munna…!" Bianca gulped and White pat her again, looking back to the short, tan skinned girl with raging and long violet hair. The girl frowned, looking around erratically. "C'mon, I bet he went to that weird boat that pulled up an hour or so ago!" The girl took Bianca's wrist and started to drag her away. "Hey, you! Go find the gym leader and get him on the case too! We'll be down there!" she waved and dragged White's childhood friend with her to investigate. Frowning, White looked at Snarky, but ran up Gym Street (as it was called) in the direction the map from before had pointed, spying a luminescent Pokéball sign illustrating the Castelia city gym. She was about to enter the gym, when a certain person stepped out.
"Cheren?"
"Hi White, come to challenge Burgh? He's a tough guy, for sure." White gulped, wondering how Cheren had beaten her there again. She shook her head.
"No, there's trouble. Bianca's Pokémon was stolen and I need to see him."
"Oh… Bianca? Well he should be right inside," Cheren turned to reenter and escort White through when the tall figure exited.
"There's a party out here? Oh! White! Good to see you again! Get your sleep?"
"Yes Burgh, thank you. But there's trouble and I need you to follow me."
"Trouble?"
"A stolen Pokémon," Cheren butted in, nodding to White. Burgh looked between them both and nodded. "Those thugs might be a part of it."
"Lead the way, White." The gym leader hurried after White, as she was in a hurry herself. If they wasted any more time, he could get away. Reaching the pier where the short girl was tending to Bianca and her story, Cheren went over to comfort her as well. Burgh looked at the purple haired girl curiously before going to the group, putting an arm around Bianca and she ceased crying.
"Okay, you know what this guy looked like?"
"He…he was just wearing this grey suit, and had red hair." White gulped, thinking it over the group of villains may have stooped low enough to steal Pokémon in need of that dream dust, and they had a horrible habit of hiring those of lighter pigmentation.
"Okay, well, Ir…erm, I'll go check down Castelia Street. You two girls look down Mode Street, Cheren can check Narrow Street, and White checks Gym Street. Good?"
"Right." The two girls nodded, Cheren soon following, obviously knowing which street he was assigned and why. White nodded, assuming that gym street was the one she'd just come from. Burgh waved to White, silently wishing her luck as he ran off, his street being the busiest he needed to catch up quickly. Taking the westward path, she went by the narrow road properly named Narrow Street, dumpsters making it even more difficult to pass by, though Burgh knew if there was any trouble Cheren could handle himself. The last road bordered Liberty dock, heading up to the sign of the Pokémon gym. Taking confident steps, White proceeding, looking around every corner and trash can, her Snivy doing the same avidly.
"Okay Snarky, red hair, in a dark suit. You don't think Bianca meant grey, do you?" White looked up at her partner as he shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Right, they normally wear white…what if he was disguised?" the green snake raised an eyebrow at the comment, White rolling her eyes. "Was worth a guess." White continued to walk towards the gym, keeping an eye out until Snarky slapped the back of her head with his tail, pointing over at the alley across the street from the gym. White turned her head slowly, seeing the young man from before removing his fedora to show bright red hair, unbuttoning the top of his suit and revealed the grey and white uniform and chainmail. Under his arm was a sad looking Munna, immobilized by the strong arms of the man. He slipped around the corner and into the building, cobwebs and dust falling off the door as it shut with a squeak. Snivy jumped off White's shoulder and rushed to the door, it shutting right before his snout. White ran up to him and lifted him back into her arms.
"Don't run off like that!" She scolded him before looking in through the dirty windows, the people inside not taking notice. Wiping away some of the caked on dust, White gulped as she saw two men on either side of where she was peering in, obviously guarding the door as a shoulder was obstructing the view of left and right. Thankfully straight ahead of her she saw peculiarly robed men, one with long sea foam hair, and another in tan clothing, and another wearing dark navy, with a small hat on both of their balding heads.
"We've located one of the girl's Pokémon, sir. I was unable to get it's Pokéball to properly release it, however." The man from before said, the Munna under his arm cooing sadly. Snarky's tail thrashed behind White's head, almost knocking her hat off in the process. The green haired man said nothing, the taller man in navy scoffing.
"We cannot use it without its Pokéball!"
"Dreamdust is no longer relevant to our lord's plan, William. A more powerful Pokémon would have been satisfactory." The stout man in tan added harshly, their words not seeming to cut down the young man that could easily knock the elders out. He did not.
"Not only that," the green haired man who had remained silent, barely paying attention to the argument. He turned to face the three bickering men, facing the door precisely where White was peering in to. Snarky's tail dropped to White's shoulder, and the girl's skin turned pallid and her eyes widened. "You've robbed the wrong girl." The man finished, the golden crest over the collar of his cloak glistening in the decrepit building. He seemed to grin, White instinctively flipping herself around, her back against the filthy door and hiding behind the guard on the other side. Her heart rate speding up, she had difficulty hearing what the man began to preach, her only thought running through her mind was He saw me. He meant me.
Snarky began to prod her cheek, snapping White out of her mantra as she nodded. She peered over her shoulder, looking back into the door as the men were once more bickering, the green haired man facing them but certainly training the red device over his eye at the door. "Do I go get the others?" She thought, watching as the men turned and headed towards the elevator in the back of the room. The guards blocking the door followed last, and White gulped. "No! They'll get away!" She grabbed a Pokéball at her side and released Inu, the dog wagging his tail next to her.
"Inu, go find Cheren, Burgh, and Bianca. Bring them here, and fast!" The dog's ears perked up and he nodded, dashing off down the street at great speed, barking as he went to collect the trainers. Looking back in the glass, the group was already waiting for the elevator, the doors sliding open before ceasing. The machine must have been in disrepair like the rest of the building. White took in a deep breath and pushed the rickety door open, feeling as though it almost fell of the hinges. The three cloaked men all looked over gracefully, unlike the lackeys following under them that jumped in near panic. Will narrowed his eyes, the Munna squealing once White entered the near shot building.
"Well, we have guests." The stout man folded his arms, looking over the snake at White's feet that snarled at him.
"Very small guests, Sage Rood." The navy dressed sage tutted in correction, the shorter man shooting a sour glare. White looked at her feet, Snivy unknowingly doing the same. She glared back up at the sages, her fists on her hips.
"I am not small! Now return Bianca's Munna!" She demanded, a knot catching in her throat just as she finished as Ghetsis gave an amused grin at what was unfolding. The Plasma grunts formed a wall between her and the Sages, Will being among them near the back. She gulped, doing a headcount to herself. "Inu, please hurry back, I don't know if Snarky and Panpour can beat all of them!" The Plasma members each grabbed a Pokéball from the side of their uniforms, about to throw when footsteps clamored behind White, barking soon following. Looking back over at the door, her Herdier returned to her heels, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. Burgh, Cheren, Bianca, and the violet haired girl all flanked him, blocking the exit to the building.
"Team Plasma!" Burgh spat, his fists clenched. "I had a feeling that ship at port was yours!"
"Munna!" Bianca gasped, the purple haired girl still hanging onto her arm. Munna behind the troops cried out, struggling to get free from the strong grip. Will did not falter.
"Grunts, get rid of these meddlers." The navy dressed sage waved a hand, the troop members nodding and moved to release their Pokémon.
"Wait, Sage Bronius," the grunts all ceased their calls as Ghetsis interrupted the tall sage. He frowned, glowering at the youngest of the cloaked men as he grinned, waving a finger to Will.
"Release the Pokémon."
"What!" Numerous people in the room said at the same moment. Will's eyes only widened, looking at his commanding officers. Ghetsis continued to grin.
"It is of no use to us. That girl seems to miss it, she shall relish the time they have together for now. Return it." Will nodded, stepping around the guards as Bianca broke free of the young tan-skinned girl. Will removed the large pink Pokémon from his underarm, holding it properly out to Bianca. She took Munna from him, her fingers brushing over his hands gently as Munna floated into her arms, smiling contently.
"Thank you…" She whispered to him, the pale skin of the other turning darker as he backed into his position in formation.
"Yes, thank you. Now, you're all under arrest under ordinance of castelia city!" Burgh announced and the grunts all readied themselves. Ghetsis sighed, putting his hands up in a surrendering position.
"Yes, we are all disrupting the peace of your city…all for the better to restore peace to all of Unova!" A small purple orb fell from his hand, clattering to the floor with the sound of glass. The orb released a thick, grey fog that filled the room, mass shuffling being heard as White and the other trainers coughed, covering their eyes from the harsh dust. Waving the smog clear from her face, White sprung forward, looking through the dust in time to see a sick grin on the green-haired sage's face as elevator doors shut between them. The smoke cleared, the remains of the broken glass orb on the floor as the other members of the room looked around. Burgh brushed past White, looking at the elevator. He hit the control pad several times.
"They rewired it. Must've happened when we weren't watching."
"Can't we head them off on their floor?" The purple haired girl approached, looking over the buttons. Burgh shook his head.
"This building has 35 floors. Even if we checked them all they could easily use their Pokémon to fly or teleport away. We'll have to let them have that one today." Burgh continued to observe the controls as White swallowed the knot in her throat, still stuck in her position with the man's expression burned into her vision. A hand set itself gently on her shoulder, jolting her from the sight.
"You okay?" White's spectacled friend asked, taking one look at her and sensing something was amiss. She smiled, nodding.
"I'm fine. This has been a long day, after all."
"I believe it. Nice hair, who did it for you?" Cheren got a devilish grin as White's face turned completely red. She'd completely forgotten that she hadn't even cleaned up after that ordeal with Scraggy!
"Oh shut up, Cheren!"
Burgh and the violet haired girl waved, heading back towards Burgh's gym.
"You sure you don't want to battle, White?"
"I'll meet up with you soon, don't worry!" She smiled, Cheren and Bianca back at her sides. It was good to have the gang together, even for a short while. Burgh nodded, wishing her well and entering his gym, the girl following and talking all the way. She must not have been there to battle him. Bianca hugged her Munna, waving back to Cheren and White as she went to get her Pokémon treated at the center, worried sick about them.
"And then there were two." White shrugged, looking up at Cheren. The boy nodded, pushing his glasses up.
"Only one, sadly. I need to get on my way to Nimbasa city. Good luck to you." White gulped, now wary that her friend had caught up to her so quickly. Still, she smiled and nodded.
"Good luck!"
"And I expect a battle, soon. I know you want to get back to training so you can leave for Nimbasa first thing."
"Right, I'll camp outside tonight if I have to, but Burgh is going down!" White grinned, Inu barking from his seat on the ground and Snarky clapping his small paws in unison. Cheren laughed, patting Snivy on his head as he adjusted his shoulder strap, taking the road up towards the central park and to the desert route. White sighed, looking at the gym doors longingly. "You think we should try, just us three?" Snarky and Inu looked up at her, leaving the decision up to their trainer. She could see the uncertainty they held, but firm determination also lingering in their eyes. About to give a motivational pep talk, the trash in the alley next to them clattered to the pavement, making all three jump from their positions. Inu stared to bark, snarling at the loud thing in the alley and Snarky bristled, ready to leap into action as well. A yellow, wobbly figure soon emerged from the shadows, dizzy from his fall. Snarky and White both had wide eyes, smiling.
"Scraggy!" The desert Pokémon looked over at them, recognizing his pursuers he chattered, looking ready to run. White withdrew a Pokéball from her bag, this one empty and ready to catch the little lizard. "You're mine—ack!" She almost tripped as the Scraggy headbutted her again, Inu's barking mantra continuing fiercely. The Pokéball fell from her hands, landing on the sidewalk with a few clicks. The startled Scraggy jumped away from the yapping dog, picking up the red and white ball in front of him so he would not trip. Instead, his sticky fingers pressed the center button, a red light enveloping his short form and the Pokéball closed. It teetered on the cement, once, twice, and dinged successfully, silencing the Herdier from his barking.
White stared in shock, picking up the Pokéball and looking it over, and began a mad squealing spree along with Inu's parking and Snarky chittering on her shoulder. "Watch out Burgh! I'm going to get your gym badge! Right after I shower!" White held the Pokéball in her hand up to the sky, making a proclamation that anyone nearby heard and looked very confusedly at her. Realizing this, she dashed off to her room in the Pokémon center, getting all of her troupe members healed and herself refreshed.
The walk to the gym was silent, Snarky on White's shoulder and the newest member hobbling after her. He seemed bitter, but after hearing the plan, he was determined to prove himself to his girl he was stuck to. Scraggy was now known as Hoodie, named after the image of his evolved form White saw on a poster in the center only minutes before they departed. The three entered the gym, Burgh giving them free pass over his dripping honey on the walls as he saw White had taken special care in cleaning herself up just for this battle.
Leavanny was causing her difficulties, having overwhelmed Panpour easily and Herdier was wounded drastically. Hoodie entered the battle, Leavanny's ungraceful moves being lost on a clumsy and reckless Pokémon. He headbutted the bug to the wal, using his low kick to finally defeat the artistic bug Pokémon Burgh put all his faith to. Smiling, he awarded White the Insect badge, and a pat on the back to not let Cheren get away.
"You can make it past the desert tonight. Don't spend the night there, wait until the sand stops before calling it a night. The road to Nimbasa is too long to finish tonight."
"Why can't I sleep there? Sand sounds comfortable!"
"Regarding what happened to you and sand last time, I'd think you'd enjoy a nice grass field under the stars."
"Thank you, Burgh. For everything."
"Thank you, and don't worry, we'll catch those guys. As long as you catch up to Cheren!" Burgh pat her shoulder, Snarky squeaking at the new determination he had for the goal he proposed. White grinned and nodded, picking up Hoodie and nuzzling the cowlick on his head.
"I will!" She waved and ran out of the gym, stopping at the Pokémon center for a quick heal before dashing past all construction workers, getting an epic high five from a certain worker that saw her carrying a disgruntled Scraggy.
A/N: AGH, I wrote like 3k words one day and the last 2 ½ right now! I'm tired lol, but I knew I owed this to you guys!
I went about writing this because I've basically lost hope in completing my 50k words for national novel writing month XD Bye November! Now to catch up on drawing…and of course taking care of you all!
Thanks for being patient and for all the watches! R&R!