Oh, Pokemon battles, how I hate writing you.
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Chapter 7: Game: On
In the normally peaceful and lively beach of Slateport City, a fierce Pokemon battle raged on. Two grunts from the mysterious Team Lunar fought with a Muk, Slugma, and Houndour; their opponents, Hisa, Takahiro, and Michiru, fought with Chikorita, Buizel, and Skitty. This was no average battle, it wasn't for fun or training, it was very serious. The strange Mudkip-girl, Taki's, fate pretty much depended on the winner.
"Chikorita, razor leaf Slugma!" Hisa called.
Chikorita obeyed, sending a flow of sharp leaves at it's opponent. The leaves burned to ash as they hit Slugma's goopey body; leaving the fire Pokemon unharmed.
"Buizel, water gun Slugma, then Houndour!" Takahiro instructed.
His Buizel nodded, and shot water out from it's mouth at the Slugma. Once hit, Slugma flew back. The water had managed to do some damage to it, though not enough to take it out. After a moment, the orange Pokemon got up and faced forward once more. Buizel growled, and shot another water gun at Houndour, who attempted to dodge, but still got grazed by the attack. This also caused some damage to it, being a fire type, but it was also still capable of fighting.
"Good, now use swift on Muk!" Takahiro called.
Buizel shot out the star-shaped rays at the grungy Pokemon. Muk was just barely affected by the attack, but it was still something.
"Mako-Skitty, tail whip Slugma!" Michiru called.
Her Skitty swiftly ran to Slugma, dodging a small ember that was shot out at her. She rammed her tail into the Pokemon, knocking it back.
"Good job!" Michiru praised.
"Slugma, use smog on that Skitty." the brown-haired grunt ordered.
Slugma opened it's mouth, letting out the smog attack. It hit Mako-Skitty, causing the little Pokemon to cough, and hop back a small bit. Meanwhile, Muk fired a sludge bomb at Buizel, throwing the water Pokemon back onto it's back. Houndour then ran at Chikorita with a bite. Chikorita dodged, as Houndour shot another ember at it. The grass Pokemon fell, struggling to get up.
"Chikorita!" Hisa shrieked, nervously.
Buizel shook off the sludge bomb and rose to it's feet again, though the attack had caused significant damage. It quickly shot a water gun out at Houndour, which hit, and caused the fire dog to fall back in pain. Meanwhile, Slugma hit Mako-Skitty with an ember, and Muk shot a mud bomb at Chikorita. Mako-Skitty did it's best to shake off the fire, trying to stay strong. Chikorita, however, was almost done. The little grass Pokemon desperately tried to pull itself up again, wincing with pain.
Hisa worriedly looked down at her Pokemon. She knelt down and picked Chikorita up, hugging her close. Eevee hopped in Chikorita's place, and growled forward. Taki looked down at the battling Pokemon, and then to Hisa and Chikorita, a concerned expression on her face. She wanted to try and help, but was too scared to move away from Hisa.
Back in the battle, Buizel dodged a mud bomb from Muk, as Mako-Skitty dodged a bite from Houndour; only to be hit with another ember from Slugma. Eevee ran at Houndour, kicking sand into it's eyes, causing the larger Pokemon to yelp as it tried to heal it's vision. The little fox-like Pokemon then rammed into Slugma with a quick attack, and regained it's place by Mako-Skitty and Buizel.
Slugma shook off the attack, and shot an ember at Buizel. Luckily, it didn't do too much, as Buizel was a water type. However, Buizel was weakening with every attack that hit, thanks to Muk. Mako-Skitty ran at Houndour with a tackle, only to be stopped and thrown back by a mud bomb from Muk. Eevee prepared to go at Muk, but the sludgey Pokemon quickly fired a sludge bomb at it, throwing Eevee back. The attack hit hard, and Eevee struggled to get back up.
Their foe's Pokemon were weakening, and the two Lunar grunts smirked at this. The amateur trainers were complete idiots to even try challenging Team Lunar. Now, it was time to end this pathetic 'battle' and do what they came to do.
"Houndour, ember Buizel!" the brown haired grunt called.
Houndour, who had managed to get most of the sand out of it's eyes, quickly obeyed. It shot an ember out at Buizel, as Muk came closer to attack Eevee and Mako-Skitty.
The brown-haired grunt looked to Hisa, who was returning Chikorita into it's pokeball. He smirked darkly, and looked to his Slugma. "Slugma, ember that brat with the Chikorita." he ordered.
Slugma quickly shot out a powerful ember at Hisa. Her eyes widened, and she tried to think fast as it came closer and closer to her. The fire flew so fast, she barely had time to think or run or anything as she felt the heat on her face grow as the attack neared her.
Just as Hisa shut her eyes tight, thinking she was done for, something stopped the fire. Hisa opened her eyes and blinked, seeing a somewhat large ball of dark energy fly into Slugma and Houndour, knocking both Pokemon back, hard. Takahiro, Michiru, and the Lunar grunts gasped. They, along with Hisa and Taki, looked back to see the cause of the sudden attack.
Standing behind them and slowly walking closer was Ryoku. Umbreon and Espeon at his side, the boy walked forward. They walked in front of Hisa, Takahiro, and Michiru, and he gave the two Lunar grunts an annoyed look.
"You!? What the hell are YOU doing here!?" the black-haired grunt yelled.
"I should be asking you the same question." Ryoku replied, icily.
"What the hell do you want, Ryoku?" the brown-haired grunt questioned.
"Leave these people alone. Get out of here, if you know what's good for you." he replied, his tone still cold and icy.
Hisa looked up at him, a mixture of shock, fear, and relief in her eyes. "R-Ryoku.." she started, struggling to find words.
He glanced back at her. "Let me handle this. I won't let them hurt you." he assured, lifting his sunglasses up. Hisa's cheeks turned red, and she nodded in reply.
"You have so much nerve talking to us like that!" the black-haired grunt exclaimed, angrily. "You little punk, I'll make you eat your smug words."
"Umbreon, Espeon." Ryoku called, calmly. That was all he had to say, for his Pokemon knew what to do.
Umbreon ran at Houndour, knocking it back with a faint attack. Meanwhile, Espeon used confusion on Slugma, and shot a psybeam at Muk. The two Lunar grunts were greatly angered by this, and called for their Pokemon to attack the Eevee evolutions.
Muk shot a sludge bomb at Espeon, while Slugma shot an ember at Umbreon. Espeon easily dodged, shooting another psybeam at Muk. Umbreon avoided the ember, as Houndour ran at it with a bite. Umbreon met the fire dog head on with a quick attack, knocking it back again.
"Finish them." Ryoku ordered.
His two Pokemon nodded, and prepared for their final attacks as the opponent's Pokemon struggled to get back in the game. Espeon swiflty shot out another psybeam, as Umbreon fired a shadow ball. The two attacks combined hit all three Pokemon, and they were thrown back at the grunts, defeated.
"You..! Damn you.." The black-haired grunt cursed, returning his Muk.
The brown-haired grunt glared at Ryoku, returning his Pokemon as well. "You're a fool."
"That title is reserved for the two of you. Get out of here." Ryoku replied.
The two grunts hesitated a moment, but then quickly ran out from the beach, not wanting to suffer any more humiliation. Their boss wasn't going to be happy. Not at all.
Ryoku turned back to face the group he had saved, his expression still calm and somewhat cold. He looked at Hisa, who he could see was shaken up from the whole thing. Taki stood behind her, almost trying to hide herself behind the girl, it seemed. Michiru collected her Skitty into her arms, as Takahiro glared over at Ryoku.
"Are you alright?" he asked Hisa.
Hisa nodded, trying to compose herself. She looked up at Ryoku, her cheeks turning pink with blush. "I'm okay... T-Thank you, Ryoku.. You came just in time." she replied, smiling gratefully at him.
"They were after her, I'm assuming?" he asked, gesturing to Taki.
Hisa glanced back at the Mudkip-girl, and nodded. "Yeah... Are you okay, Taki?"
Taki nodded slowly, and gave a small smile to Hisa. "Taki is okay.. Hisa protected her."
Takahiro continued eying the silver-haired boy. Even if he had saved them from the Lunar grunts, he couldn't help but still feel suspicious of him. "How did they know you?" he questioned.
Ryoku looked over at him, his expression unchanging. "I've had some run-ins with them before."
"Oh? What kind of 'run-ins'?" Takahiro continued.
"They've tried to get in my way, steal my Pokemon. Things you'd expect from people like them."
"..Is that so." Takahiro replied. "They seemed more familiar with you than just someone they've tried to steal Pokemon from before. And..weren't you wearing something similar to them befo--"
"Takahiro, stop it!" Hisa shouted. "Are you trying to imply that Ryoku is one of those Team Lunar people? That's ridiculous! If he was, why would he save us like that?!"
"It's a little too suspicious for me! Stop being blinded by your crush and look into things a little more! I swear this guy was wearing something like those two grunts were!" Takahiro retorted.
"...I-I have no crush! Shut up, idiot!" Hisa fumed, her face turning red. "Ryoku is an amazingly strong trainer! Of course these Team Lunar people would want to steal his Pokemon! You're just jealous of his skills!"
"iWho's/i the idiot here!? And I am not jealous of this show-off!" Takahiro yelled.
Ryoku watched the two argue back and forth. They truly were a bunch of idiots. However, Hisa's stupidity was to his advantage. Even though Takahiro was right, and there were suspicious signs about him, the girl refused to believe it. Everything was going according to plan. Aside from the unexpected attack of his fellow teammates, at least.
"Enough!" Michiru exclaimed, hopping inbetween the bickering Hisa and Takahiro. "Won't anyone introduce this guy to the Skitty Princess?"
Hisa sighed, and looked back over at Ryoku. "Ryoku, this is Michiru. She's following us and has a weird obsession with Skitty. Don't listen to most of the things she says. Michiru, this is Ryoku-- OW!" she squeaked as Michiru stomped on her foot.
"Mako-Skitty and I are pleased to meet you, Ryoku! Thank you for helping us out back there! If I had my Skitty army, we could've taken those guys on easily.. But it looks like Mako-Skitty needs more training." Michiru said.
Ryoku had no idea what to reply with, so he just nodded, and then looked back over at Hisa. "You should take your Pokemon to the Slateport Pokemon Center, that battle was rough." he suggested.
"Yeah..good idea." she replied, looking down at Eevee and remembering how bad Chikorita got beat up.
"Then let's go." Takahiro said, returning Torchic and Buizel into their pokeballs.
"Ryoku, will you come with us?" Hisa, somewhat nervously, asked.
The boy nodded, and walked closer to her. "Sure."
Hisa smiled widely. "Yes!-- I mean, great! Let's go.."
With that, the group left the beach and made their way back into the city. Once they reached the Pokemon Center, Hisa, Michiru, and Takahiro left their tired Pokemon with Nurse Joy. It was early afternoon, so now it was time to figure out what to do while their Pokemon healed.
Ryoku looked to Hisa. "Would you like to go around town with me for a while? I do still owe you that motorcycle ride.." he asked.
Hisa blushed, and tried her best to hold in her excitement at the question. "Y-Yes! I'd love to!" she replied.
Ryoku smirked, and looked over to Takahiro. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked.
Takahiro shot him an annoyed look. "Why would I? I'm not her keeper. She can do whatever she wants, I don't care." he snapped.
"Heh, alright then. Shall we go?" he asked Hisa.
She nodded happily, and hopped over to his side. "I'll be back later!" she called over to the others.
Taki followed the two out of the center, staying silent. After a moment, Hisa looked back at her.
"Taki, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Taki is going with Hisa.." she replied.
"Um..you should stay back with Takahiro and Michiru.. Ryoku and I are going out for a bit. By ourselves." Hisa explained, wanting badly to say they were on a date.
Taki looked down a bit. "But.. Taki wants to stay with Hisa.."
Hisa frowned. "Taki... We can't be together iall/i the time.. Go back to the Pokemon Center, okay? I'll spend time with you later, I promise."
"Kip..." Taki said, but did as Hisa wished. She turned back and headed for the center.
Hisa sighed, feeling bad, but also relieved to finally be alone with Ryoku.
"She really likes you, doesn't she?" he said.
"Eheh..yeah. She's clingy." Hisa replied, looking back at him.
Ryoku smiled at her. "Should we go?"
"Yes!" Hisa replied, following him happily.
The two began making their way around Slateport. Hisa marveled at all the shops and stands, while trying to restrain herself from buying anything. Her spending problem was what got her into the mess with Taki in the first place. She didn't really need anything, anyway, she found herself perfectly content just looking at everything while at Ryoku's side. She could deny her feelings to Takahiro all she wanted, but Hisa knew she had the biggest crush on the handsome trainer. He was cool, strong, collected.. And very kind to her. Hisa couldn't believe she was practically on a date with someone as cool as him.
"This is really fun.." Hisa said.
"It is." Ryoku replied, smiling at her.
Hisa could barely contain her joy. Ryoku just said he was having fun with her! It made her so happy, she thought her heart could burst.
The two continued walking along the city, talking and laughing about things. Hisa told Ryoku about herself, where she'd come from. She also told him a bit about Taki, as he'd mentioned her seeming to be not quite normal. Ryoku was very understanding about it, and that made Hisa feel relieved.
"So.. Ryoku.. Where do you come from? I'd..really like to hear more about you.. Y-You're so interesting! I-I mean..your Pokemon are so strong, you must have been training for a long time. I bet you have alot of awesome stories.." Hisa said, hoping she didn't sound too stupid.
"Awesome stories? Heh, not really.. But I have been training for a pretty long time now." he replied. "I come from Petalburg. I..don't really live there anymore, though."
Hisa looked at him. "You don't?"
"No. Since I've become a trainer, I've been traveling all around.. I don't call any place home anymore."
"Ah.. I see.. But isn't that hard? Not having anywhere to go back to once in a while? Somewhere that is home..that you can rest from your training and traveling at? And..spend time with family and friends at?" Hisa asked.
"You have a good point. I don't need a place like that, though. I don't have much family to begin with. Just my mother..who I haven't been on the best terms with." he replied.
"Oh... I'm sorry.." Hisa replied, feeling like she brought something bad up.
Ryoku smiled at her. "For what? It's fine, don't worry."
She smiled at him, and decided to change the subject. "Your life must be so exciting.."
"I guess so. I'm used to it, so it's not all that amazing to me anymore."
"Ah.. You're so cool.." Hisa giggled, but then blushed and shut her mouth.
Ryoku chuckled. "And you're cute."
Hisa nearly fell back into the flower stand behind her. Her blush went from red to a deep crimson color, and she struggled to regain composure. "I-I-I-I'm..c-cute..? Y-You really think so..?" she stuttered.
Ryoku laughed some more at her. "Yes, you are."
"T-Thank you.." she replied. She felt as if her heart could burst out of her chest, she was so happy, and surprised.
Ryoku smirked at her. "So, Hisa. How about that motorcycle ride?"
Hisa perked up and nodded joyfully. "T-That would be great!"
Ryoku took her hand, causing her to blush even more, if that was possible, and led her over to where he'd parked his bike. He got a helmet and handed it to Hisa, who quickly put it on. Ryoku then hopped onto the motorcycle, and held his hand out to her. She took it, and hopped on behind him.
"Hang on to me." he instructed.
"O-Okay!" Hisa replied, wrapping her arms around his stomach. She was currently in heaven. If time froze right then and she never left that spot, it would be perfectly okay with her.
She was snapped out of her dreamy state by the sound of Ryoku starting up the motor. After starting it up, the bike began to move. Ryoku rode forward, not too fast at first. Hisa was nervous, never having been on a motorcycle before, but she felt safe hanging on to Ryoku. However, Ryoku then sped up a great deal, racing through the streets. Hisa squeaked with surprise.
"A-Aren't you going a bit too fast..?" she asked, nervously.
"Nope. You wanted a motorcycle ride, didn't you? It's no fun if you go slow." he replied. "What, can you not handle it?"
Hisa blushed under her helmet, and shook her head. "N-No! I..was just surprised, that's all! Keep going!"
Seconds after she said that, Ryoku sped up yet again. They zoomed through Slateport, nearly knocking into the poor people in their way. Ryoku skillfully dodged them all, luckily.
"R-Ryoku..! We're going to crash! Or hit someone..!" Hisa shrieked, hanging onto him for dear life.
Ryoku laughed. "You don't trust me? I've been riding this thing for a long time, I promise I won't hurt you. Or anything else." he reassured.
Hisa sighed. "Okay.." she replied, trying to relax herself.
Ryoku turned, and continued riding at the fast speed. The two rode all around the city, and Hisa relaxed more and began to really enjoy the ride. He was right, and she did trust him. Even if it was dangerous, being with Ryoku and knowing he wouldn't let anything happen to her made her really happy.
/
A while later, it began to rain. First a few drops, then more and more until it was pouring. Taki sat on a bench outside the Pokemon Center. She had been there waiting for Hisa to get back all day. Takahiro and Michiru had tried to get her to come inside the center, but the Mudkip-girl refused. Taki looked up at the sky as the raindrops hit her face and clothes.
"Water.." she said. She then stood up, and held her hands out. Drops of rain water fell into them, and she studied them curiously. Water falling from the sky wasn't somthing she had seen before. She found it strange, but she also felt very peaceful. She liked the feel of the water. It was very calming to her.
Ryoku then appeared on his motorcycle with Hisa. He let her off, saying he had to be going or he'd go in with her. Hisa was saddened by this, but she let him go on his way. She was lucky to be able to spend the time she did with him. After watching him ride off, she looked back and saw Taki, who was still staring up at the raining sky. Hisa blinked, walking over to her.
"Taki? What are you doing out here? You're soaked.." she asked.
Taki looked over to her, and smiled softly. "Kip! Hisa is back! Taki was waiting for Hisa.."
"Waiting for me? Dummy.. You should have stayed inside, especially since it started raining.. You'll catch a cold." Hisa replied.
Taki shook her head, still smiling. "Taki does not mind the sky water..it feels good to her."
"It does? Oh, yeah, Mudkip.." Hisa said. "Taki, it's not sky water. It's called rain. Right now, it's raining." she explained.
"Rain.. Taki likes the rain." Taki replied.
"It's okay.. I don't know how you can stand staying out here though, it's so cold!" Hisa said, shivering a bit.
Taki looked at her, concerned. "Kip.. Hisa should go inside."
Hisa shook her head. "Nah.. I'll stay with you. You waited for me.. If you want to stay out in the rain, I'll wait for you. Plus.. I don't want those Team Lunar people to come get you, or something.."
Taki smiled, and hugged Hisa tightly. "Kip!" she chirped.
"Gah, Taki! You're cold..and wet.." Hisa said, prying her off.
From inside the Pokemon Center, Takahiro and Michiru watched the two. Michiru looked over at Takahiro, who was sitting on one of the couches there, an annoyed look on his face. The whole day had put him into a pretty bad mood.
"Shouldn't we go outside and get them?" she asked.
"Taki doesn't want to, and Hisa is capable of coming in on her own. If she wants to stay out there and get sick, that's her choice." Takahiro replied.
"Someone's in a bad mood." Michiru said. Takahiro didn't reply.
/
That night, after Taki and Hisa had come inside the Pokemon Center and dried off, the group didn't speak much to eachother. Michiru played with Taki, and she and Hisa argued a bit, but for the most part, there was silence.
Later, after everyone had fallen asleep, Hisa sat up in her bed. She looked over at the peacefully sleeping Taki, and smiled a small bit. Carefully, she slipped out of the bed, and then out the door of their room. Hisa made her way downstairs, and then out the door of the center. Despite being such a big city, Slateport was very quiet. Everything was dark and calm. It had stopped raining, and Hisa admired the puddles that seemed to shine in the moonlight.
Moments later, Takahiro stepped out of the Pokemon Center. Hisa blinked and looked back, surprised.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he replied. "I heard you get up, so I followed. What is this, a secret meeting with Ryoku or something?"
"Takahiro, shut up." Hisa sighed. "I couldn't sleep. I felt like getting some fresh air."
Takahiro nodded, and looked forward. The two stayed quiet for a bit, each unsure of what to say to the other. They looked at eachother, intending to speak, but both stopped.
"..Why do you trust that Ryoku guy so much?" Takahiro finally spoke.
Hisa looked down a bit. "I..just..do.. I really like him.. He's nice..and cool.. I don't see how you can be so suspicious of him."
"I swear he was wearing a Lunar uniform when we first met him. That, and I just get bad vibes from the guy." Takahiro replied.
"He helped us earlier.. Taki might not still be with us if it wasn't for him.."
"That's true, but.. I just still don't trust him. I think you're being too trusting." Takahiro said. "And.. I don't want to see anything happen to Taki. ..Or you."
Hisa smiled at him a little. "You're worrying too much.. I don't feel anything bad from Ryoku at all. He wouldn't hurt me, or Taki.. I know he's a good person. And..even if something were to happen, I can take care of myself, Takahiro.."
"Yeah. Right." Takahiro replied, looking away from her.
"Listen.. Let me do what I want, okay? Ryoku's not putting me in any danger, so let me be friends with him. If something were to happen, I can deal with it, okay?" Hisa said.
"Fine. Do what you want. When he shows his true colors, I'll be sure to be there to make fun of you." Takahiro agreed.
"Haha, right." Hisa replied.
After another moment of silence, Takahiro looked back over at Hisa. "You're annoying, and can be an idiot, but.. we're friends, right? I'm just looking out for my friend." he said.
She smiled at him and nodded in reply. "Yeah, we are. Thanks, Takahiro."
Takahiro smiled back at her, then smirked mischievously. His hand wandered to her backside, and quickly smacked it playfully.
"My friend with a nice ass." he said.
Hisa squeaked with surprise and blushed, glaring over at her perverted friend. "Takahiro!" she exclaimed, hitting him. She kicked him in the shin, and then angrily walked back over to the Pokemon Center. She stopped at the door.
"You're annoying, and a perverted idiot, but you're my friend. Thanks for looking out for me." she said, looking back at him with a smile, then going back inside. Takahiro shook his head and smiled, running back inside after her.
/
Ryoku rode along on his motorcycle. He preferred the night time, he could get through without being bothered by people. It was usually calm and quiet out, and that's what he liked. He was headed to the Lunar base, and it was quite a ways away from Slateport City.
He had a bone to pick with his leader. Why were those idiots after ihis/i prey? This was his mission. There was no reason for them to think he needed back-up. He was one of their strongest members, and most competent. It made no sense, so he was going to figure out what was up. The Mudkip-girl was his.
Everything was going smoothly with his plan. Hisa was completely infatuated with him. She immediately shot down her friend's suspicions, it was too perfect. The girl's idiocy would be her downfall, and Taki's. Ryoku just needed a little more time, and then he could break her and take the Mudkip-girl..
/
HELL YEAH I'M DONE
Chapter is made of fail, sorry. This was hard to write, for some reason. ;; Really hard.
