Touko's fingers flew over the screen's keyboard as she typed in choice information about herself. Behind her, Don George chuckled as he watched.
"You've almost filled up your page," he told her, as she stood back to look. She had registered herself on the device, and had her own trainer page added to the list. A smiling photo of her was placed in the centre of the page, and her newly-typed paragraphs of information framed it. The bottom of the screen displayed pictures of Calypso, Jade, and Tempest.
"Is that good?" she asked, and Don George chuckled again. "It's perfectly fine. We'll leave it at that if you want, and then you can start training or battling."
At that, the brunette perked up, starting to grin. "Already?"
"Exactly right," said Don George. He leaned over, and tapped a combination on the screen. It beeped and flashed green, before returning to the homepage. "There we go - it's locked, so no one can edit pages anymore."
He turned to her. "So, what would you like to do now? Battle? Train in the gym, or swimming pool with your milotic?"
"There's a pool?" Touko was impressed. "But I think I want to battle someone right now. How does it work, exactly...?"
Her question trailed off, as Don George returned to the screen and began scrolling down the list of trainers, stroking his mustache thoughtfully as he did so. Touko peered over his shoulder, and realized something about the trainers' names. Each trainer had a certain amount of stars beside their name. Some had three, some one, some six, and the highest she saw - eight. Her own name had one.
"What are those stars?" she asked, and Don George didn't look up when he replied. "The stars represent your amount of gym badges," he said, eyes still fixed to the screen. "That's how we match up trainers for battles, based on the number of badges. That way, it's somewhat fair."
He tapped on a trainer's profile, and glanced over it. "Looks like Seraphina's here right now. She's got one gym badge as well - here, take a look."
Muttering a thanks, Touko moved over to read the profile. The photo showed a teenage girl with blond hair and blue eyes, grinning a mouthful of braces at the camera. She looked really quite cheerful. Apparently she had an oshawott and a pidove on her team, and enjoyed battling. A green circle next to her name had text beside it saying, Currently in the building.
"We can tell who's in the building, because our device picks up signal from your battle club ID card," Don George explained, seeing her puzzled expression. "We can call her right now and request a battle, if you'd like. This device connects to XTransceivers."
Still scanning the profile, Touko nodded. "Okay, I'm ready."
Don George pressed the call button on the screen, and the screen changed into a loading screen while he moved forward to look down at it. A moment later, there was a beep, and a girl's face appeared on the screen, grinning up at them. She very closely matched the girl on her trainer page.
"Got a challenger for me, Don George?" she asked excitedly.
"Indeed I do," said Don George, smiling. He moved back and ushered Touko forward. "Here she is. She's got one gym badge like you, and she's new to the battle club."
Seraphina grinned widely. "I'm Seraphina, but most people just call me Sera. So you've got one gym badge too, huh? Are you hoping to train for your second badge? That's what I'm doing."
Touko nodded. "Yep - I heard about the battle club from my friend."
She suddenly realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "I'm Touko, by the way. Touko White - from Nuvema Town."
The girl on the screen gasped. "I've always wanted to visit Nuvema Town! I've heard that it's very rural, and near the sea. It'd be a nice change - I grew up in Castelia City, you see. Completely the opposite of rural - it's the largest city in all of Unova!"
"Wow - " Touko started to say, but Don George interrupted with a small cough.
"Let's not spend the whole day chatting, shall we?" he chuckled. "Seraphina, are you ready for a battle?"
"Never been more ready," she responded, flashing him a peace sign. "Alright, meet you two in the battlefield - I'll be heading out of the training gym now, I guess."
She hung up, and the screen returned to her trainer page. Touko straightened up from the device, and turned to Don George. He nodded to her and said, "Well, come along. You know where the battlefield is now, I presume?"
She nodded. They both set out walking, and soon were in front of the doors of the battlefield. Don George pulled them open, and ushered Touko in.
"You can take your place at one of the sides of the battlefield," he suggested, following her inside. "We'll just wait a few minutes for Seraphina."
She nodded again, now feeling slightly nervous. Her hands had started to sweat during the trip to the battlefield. She hadn't battled for a while, and how experienced was Seraphina? Maybe she only had one badge, but she could be really talented. Tempest had a type advantage over both of Seraphina's pokemon, but she hadn't trained him up at all. What if he wasn't strong enough?
Quit it, she chided herself. Stop worrying.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the doors were flung open again, revealing several girls in gym outfits. The first girl she recognized as Seraphina - the girl's blond hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and a big grin was plastered onto her face. The other girls she didn't know, but they were obviously Seraphina's friends.
Seraphina waved at Touko, and headed to her spot on the other side of the battlefield. "Good luck, Sera!" one of the girls was saying, before flouncing over to join the crowd of other girls. They glanced briefly at Touko, but didn't say anything to her relief, before heading up the stairs into the balcony seats.
Touko turned back to face Seraphina, clutching Tempest's pokeball in her hand. So Seraphina had a crowd of supporters...that did not help out her nerves at all. Her hands had started to sweat even more rapidly, and she quickly wiped them on her tank top.
"You two are both familiar with the rules, I presume?" Don George called out from his position on the sidelines. Both Touko and Seraphina nodded, and Don George smiled.
"Then let's see your pokemon!" he declared. Seraphina wasted no time - she threw a pokeball, and out came an oshawott. This was no surprise for Touko; she tossed Tempest's pokeball, with a determined look on her face.
"Blitzle, blitz!" Tempest whinnied, upon coming out. He stamped a hoof, and spotted oshawott. The pokemon's face lit up, probably at the prospect of meeting a new friend.
"Tempest, this is your first pokemon battle," Touko told him, petting his mane. "Don't freak out, don't overwhelm yourself. It's okay if we lose. Just try your best and have fun, okay?"
"Blitz," he agreed, tossing his head.
She straightened up to face Seraphina; the girl was talking to her oshawott too. She gave Touko a thumbs up, and nodded at Don George. "We're ready."
"You may begin!" Don George proclaimed, and immediately Seraphina called, "Use tackle, Pearl!"
The oshawott sped towards Tempest, surprising Touko with its speed. "Intercept with shockwave!" she shouted, desperately praying it would work.
But it was clear that Seraphina's Pearl had a huge level and experience advantage over Tempest. The shockwave barely stopped the oshawott in its tracks, before it kept going and rammed into Tempest, sending him back and onto his back.
"Tempest!" Touko cried, dismayed. Seraphina's oshawott looked triumphant, and no more tired than before; Tempest, on the other hand, was struggling to get up. A look of determination was on his face, but he seemed to be breathing quite heavily.
"Water gun blitzle into the wall, then follow up with tackle!" Seraphina commanded next, grinning widely.
Pearl grinned a grin to match its trainer's, before shooting a jet of water straight at Tempest. "Dodge!" Touko said desperately, and she felt a pang of relief when Tempest skidded out of the way. But her relief was short-lived when Pearl simply redirected her water gun, hitting her blitzle full force. She saw his hooves dig into the ground in an effort to stand against the attack, but as his strength gave away he was flung back into the wall, just as Seraphina had wanted.
"Now tackle, to finish!" came Seraphina's call from the other side of the battlefield, and panic rose in her.
"Get up, Tempest, and interrupt with shockwave!" Touko shouted, now positively feeling hopeless. She watched hopelessly as Tempest sent a small shockwave at the oshawott, before he was knocked out by a direct tackle. Cheers were heard from the balcony seats, and Don George was declaring Seraphina's oshawott the winner, but she barely heard them.
It was my fault, she thought numbly, as she ran over to Tempest. He looked upset, and very tired. I shouldn't have set him up against Seraphina's oshawott. Now he'll just feel useless, when it's my fault that I didn't bother letting him train.
"Good job, boy," she whispered, as he was sucked into his pokeball. She slipped it into her bag, before straightening up and taking Jade's out. Seraphina was waiting, and to Touko's relief she wasn't gloating about her victory.
"Jade, it's your turn!" Touko said, as she tossed the pokeball. Her snivy came out, crossing her arms upon her release, and gave Pearl a cool look. Despite being upset, Touko couldn't help but smile at her pokemon's attitude.
"Ready?" asked Don George, and both trainers nodded. "Then begin!"
"Vine whip, hurry!" Touko commanded quickly. She didn't want Seraphina to start out the battle like before - even with a type advantage, she was cautious of her oshawott.
The battle seemed to be going well, with Pearl sustaining several vine whips from Jade. The oshawott was starting to look tired, and Touko was starting to get a little cocky. As Jade landed on her feet after another vine whip, she commanded, "Use vine whip one last time!"
But something strange happened just as Jade leapt into the air. Seraphina's oshawott had started to glow blue, and when Jade tried to lash down with her vines, she was flung back into the ground. As Touko watched, she realized with panic that oshawott was evolving. It was growing bigger and taller, and when the blue light faded away, a dewott stood in its place.
"Dewott! Awesome!" Seraphina exclaimed, pumping her fist. "Pearl, can you do a razor shell?"
Razor shell! Oh crap, Touko thought immediately, as the dewott started to run at Jade. It removed both scalchops from its body, and both scalchops were glowing blue as well. Jade was still struggling to get up. Touko cried, "Jade, watch out!"
She didn't have to look to realize that Jade had been hit. Her snivy let out a cry of pain, as she was flung back, this time into the wall. When she hit the bottom of the floor again, her eyes were closed and she did not stand up again - she was obviously knocked out.
"Snivy is unable to battle, so dewott is the winner!" Don George said, to cheers from the balcony. Seraphina's dewott landed back on its feet, looking very tired, but still standing. Touko returned Jade to her pokeball, feeling even more numb than before. She'd been so sure that Jade was going to beat Seraphina's oshawott - now dewott - but she'd suffered another loss. Touko rolled Calpyso's pokeball between her fingers, her heart thumping silently. Pansear, let's show them that type advantages aren't everything! Chili's words echoed in her head. He'd been right after all.
"Calypso, you'll be fine," she told her milotic softly, hiding the panic on her voice. "Dewott's almost down - a water pulse should be enough. A couple more on her pidove, and the battle's won."
"Milotic," Calypso agreed, looking peaceful.
If only she could feel as relaxed as her pokemon.
The battle started again, and dewott, though tired, seemed to be fighting as fiercely as it could. A couple of razor shells hit Calypso, before it finally collapsed from a well-aimed water pulse. Touko didn't realize she'd been holding her breath, and let it out when Seraphina stepped forward to return her dewott. Now there was just a pidove left.
"Go, Ana!" Seraphina called, throwing a pokeball. Just like Touko had expected, a pidove materialized onto the ground, and hopped up and flapped its wings.
"Pi, pidove!" it cooed, fixing a steely gaze on Calypso.
"Start out with air cutter!" Seraphina commanded. Her pidove flew into the air and began flapping its wings hard, sending currents of razor-like winds straight at Calypso. The serpentine pokemon tried to dodge, but was battered by the attack before she could. If only the battlefield was underwater, Touko thought, biting her lip.
"Use wrap, Calypso!" Touko called. If she was thinking correctly, maybe a tight wrap around the pidove would stop it from using its flying attacks, since it wouldn't be able to use its wings any longer.
"Stay in the air, Ana!" said Seraphina, shooting a look at Touko. "Don't let the milotic get you with wrap!"
"A nice water pulse, then!" Touko decided, nodding at Calypso. "Hit her out of the air!"
The brunette watched, eventually starting to grin, as Calypso's water pulse landed successfully on Seraphina's pidove. Ana's bubble popped, and the bird pokemon was left to fall to the ground, looking dazed.
"Air cutter, once more!" Seraphina said determinedly. Gritting her teeth, Touko knew that the girl had probably realized that Calypso was a slow mover on the ground, therefore Ana's air cutters were more likely to land.
"Intercept with wrap!" she called, crossing her fingers. If Calypso could get to Seraphina's pidove before it started to attack, that would prevent it from attacking.
Calypso slithered forward and lunged, but in the time that it took to do that, Ana had flown into the air, and was launching an air cutter while hovering above Calypso. Though dewott had been strong, Touko could tell that pidove was stronger. Her milotic swayed back as the attack landed, and hissed in pain.
"Get in close for a quick attack, and one more air cutter to finish!" came Seraphina's call.
"Dodge!" Touko cried, panic beginning to set in again. Obeying her command, Calypso quickly slithered back, but quick attack was a very hard-to-dodge, almost impossible to dodge move, she reflected bitterly. In a mere second, a gray blur streaked through the air and rammed into Calypso.
"Water gun pidove away!" Touko commanded quickly. If Calypso managed to stop Ana's attack, it was possible she could turn the battle around.
"Dodge and do your air cutter!" Seraphina retaliated, her voice echoing loudly. The water gun managed to hit her pidove, but it managed to right itself and fly back, dodging the rest of the attack, before launching a barrage of razor-like wind straight at Calypso.
Touko knew without watching that her milotic wouldn't be able to dodge, even as she shouted for her to. Calypso swayed, and fell over onto the ground.
"Milotic is unable to battle, so pidove is the winner!" Don George shouted. "That means the match goes to Seraphina!"
No, Touko thought, as she fumbled around in her bag for Calypso's pokeball. She couldn't have lost that easily with so many type advantages, she couldn't have just been -
"Beaten like the rest of 'em, Sera!" said a girl sitting in the balcony. Touko automatically glanced over, seeing several of them jumping up in down in excitement. They were obviously pleased for Seraphina.
"Thanks for the battle, Touko!" Seraphina said cheerfully; she was returning her pidove to its pokeball, and had straightened up. "Hey, listen - I'm heading back to the gym with my friends - want to come, later? We can train together! Our dewott and milotic could do some training together in the pool!"
Touko forced a smile onto her face. "Er, yeah, that sounds good. Maybe I'll come."
She pretended to be busy organizing her bag as Seraphina and her friends left, determinedly ignoring the voices of her friends saying things like, "You were so good, Sera! That girl had two type advantages, and she totally blew it!" and "Pathetic - a snivy and a blitzle weren't enough to take down your dewott!"
She didn't hate Seraphina - no, it was nothing like that. She admired her, actually. But Touko was angry at herself for screwing up so badly. Her panic had gotten the best of her, and even though she hated to admit it, the other girls had been right. It was pathetic of her, having two type advantages, yet still losing.
"Ready to go, Touko?" Don George asked softly. He had come up to her, seeing that she was taking a while to leave.
She nodded, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Yeah. Thanks for helping me find a battle partner, Don George."
He smiled in return. "It's always my pleasure to help new battle club members. I should be off to my office to deal with some things - why don't you see what you would like to do now? I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding another battle partner now that you know how it works."
Touko thanked him again, before setting out of the battlefield. She paused in the lobby, unsure of what to do next. Should she join Seraphina and her friends?
A look at Calypso's pokeball in her hand gave her an answer - she had to make a trip back to the pokemon center before she did anything else.
"Thank you for waiting - here's your pokemon, all healed and healthy!" The nurse smiled at Touko as she handed her pokeballs back.
Touko thanked her quickly, before setting out again. She was planning to go back to the battle club and train, whether Seraphina was there or not. (The trip back to the pokemon center had taken a while, and she still had to make the trip to the battle club, so it was possible Seraphina had already left. It didn't really matter.) Training, so far, was her top priority.
The day had grown fairly hot, and she dug out her water bottle from her bag as she walked. Too bad I didn't refill it with cold water, she thought, wrinkling her nose as she took a sip of the warm liquid. Hopefully there'll be a vending machine somewhere in the battle club.
Touko made it back to the battle club in good time, and Don George was in the lobby when she entered. He was talking to a boy who looked a bit younger than Touko.
"But sir, can't you please lend me a pokemon?" the boy was pleading.
"I'm afraid not," said Don George, putting a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm very sorry, but I can't."
"If my father can see how good I am with one, he might finally let me go on a journey when I'm thirteen!" the boy said, sounding a bit bitter now. "He told me I'm not allowed to go on a journey after what happened to my sister, you see. Gramps gave her a pokemon; she was always his favourite. Father refuses to have both of us go on journeys after what happened to it - "
"Give him time," said Don George, sounding firm but sympathetic. "A lot can change in two years."
"My father won't," said the boy, stubbornly. "You don't know him."
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the permission to," Don George answered; this time, his tone made it clear that the conversation was over. "You live nearby, don't you?" When the boy nodded, he gave him a firm little push. "Then I trust you'll make it home safely by yourself. I hope to see you soon, as a pokemon trainer. I'm sure your father will change his mind."
His tone held no sarcasm, yet the boy snorted as he turned to leave. His crimson eyes startled Touko as he pushed roughly past her, sending her stumbling against the wall, and strode through the doors.
Don George sighed once he'd left, and caught sight of Touko, who was against the wall.
"Touko," he greeted warmly. "You're back."
"Yeah, I was just at the pokemon center to heal my pokemon," she answered, straightening up. She didn't ask about the boy - maybe it was something Don George was sensitive about. That boy had seemed quite angry, though.
Don George raised an eyebrow. "You do realize you could've done that here? We have a device similar to what they use at pokemon centers here in the office, which trainers use to heal their pokemon after battles."
"Oh."
It seemed so obvious now - of course they would have something like that, to avoid the inconvenience of having to travel to the pokemon center and back constantly. The more Touko thought about it, the more stupid she felt. She laughed feebly. "Well, now I know!"
"Indeed you do," said Don George; he looked deeply amused. "Well, I'll leave you to your business now, shall I?"
He waved and left, turning around the corner, heading somewhere. She watched him go, before heading off herself. She wandered around for a bit, thoughts occupied, before she realized she'd been walking in circles. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Touko headed towards the gym, and pulled open the door.
Seraphina's gang was gone, and there were only three trainers occupying the big space. Touko headed towards the treadmills, deciding that her pokemon could do with being a little more fast. She stepped onto one, and found the start button. Pulling Calypso's pokeball out of her bag, she sent her milotic to the treadmill beside hers.
"We're going to work on our speed, since the battlefield definitely won't be underwater," she told Calypso, who nodded her head in response. "Ready?"
They started out slow, and Touko wasn't having any trouble. Calypso was slithering forward; the pokemon's brows were furrowed. As the speed increased, her milotic began to have a bit of trouble, and as it got much faster, Touko began to have trouble, too.
The harder you fall, the stronger you rise, she told herself, over and over, as she stumbled on the treadmill. The harder you fall, the stronger you rise...
According to the nurse in the pokemon center, the Nacrene Gym was only a couple of blocks away.
Touko's fingers had started to sweat in the time that it took to walk there. About a week had passed since her battle with Seraphina in the battle club, and she'd trained up a lot ever since. She'd lost several more battles, which had fuelled her motivation to train. A recent XTransceiver call with Hilbert had revealed that Lenora - the gym leader - had a watchog, which was apparently a pain to beat. Then she had a herdier, the evolved form of lillipup. Touko had no type advantages over her, but she didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
At least it won't look pathetic if I lose, she thought, before mentally berating herself for thinking that way.
She wasn't going to lose. She couldn't afford to.
Touko crossed another street and squinted ahead, seeing a large, white building up ahead. It was surrounded by trees, and looked quite majestic. She stopped in front of it, catching sight of a sign. Nacrene City's Museum and Gym, the sign read.
A museum? she inwardly mused. It must be the one Hilbert talked about.
"Touko! Wait up!"
She paused, her hand on one of the door handles, and turned around. A familiar blonde was running towards her, dress flapping in the wind. She stopped right beside Touko, catching her breath.
"I was told from Hilbert that you'd be challenging the gym today," Bianca babbled, once she'd caught her breath. "I just got here earlier this morning from Striaton City; I did get my gym badge, by the way. I don't have anything to do right now, so I decided to come along to support you! Not that you need it, of course, but guess what - challengers get a free tour around the museum, and they're allowed to bring a friend! That's what I'm here for, Touko! Of course there's still the entrance fee, but there's no escaping that, it benefits the museum anyways, so I'd gladly pay. I was really worried when I was running here, I kept thinking, 'Oh dear, what if I'm too late?' But I'm glad to see I'm not, on time for the first time in forever!"
She drew in a deep breath, as if about to continue, but Touko interrupted her, chuckling slightly.
"I get it, Bianca. Look, let's waste no time, shall we?"
"Oh no, of course not!" the blonde said immediately, skipping past her and pulling open the other door. She beamed, holding it open. "Ladies first!"
"You're more of a lady than I am," Touko pointed out, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Oh, whatever!" Bianca pouted. "Okay then - challengers first! How 'bout that?"
Laughing, Touko made to walk in, but before she could she saw that someone was coming out of the open door. And it wasn't just someone.
It was N.
She stopped short where she stood, staring at him. He was looking around dreamily, before his gaze fell on her. She couldn't tell what her first feelings were in the moment their eyes met - was it fear? Shock, that out of all people she ought to run into, it was him? Confusion?
Horrified, she found herself getting lost in his blue eyes. She shook her head, and met his gaze again with a glare. "What do you want?"
"You're N, aren't you?" Bianca piped up, from behind her. N ignored her, and kept looking at a Touko.
"You're different...I can sense it," he murmured, more to himself. Touko was now frowning at him - he was making no sense at all. "I...I want to see things no one else can see. The truths of pokemon inside pokeballs... The ideals of how trainers should be. And, finally, a future where pokemon have become perfect..."
By now, Touko and Bianca were both staring, mouths wide open. N looked as if he was not expecting them to answer, and continued on.
"Do you feel the same way?" He seemed to be talking more to Touko than Bianca.
"I don't know, just let us pass," she growled in return, stepping forward. But before she had gotten very far, he had flung out a hand which captured her wrist. He was surprisingly strong.
"I'll get help, Touko!" Bianca yelped, and ran into the museum past N, who didn't make a move to stop her. His gaze was still on Touko, even as she heard Bianca's voice arguing with the museum assistants inside.
"I want to hear the voices of your pokemon," he said, at last. He pulled out a pokeball. "Let me show you my friends. Show me yours."
"I don't want to fight you," Touko snapped at him, struggling in his grasp. "Listen to someone else's pokemon."
He didn't let go, and for the first time, fear settled in her. Bianca better get back quickly! She didn't dare take her eyes off N - who knew what he'd do?
Just as N tossed his pokeball, there was a shout. Touko looked up in relief to see Bianca and some museum assistants running out, all holding pokeballs in their hands.
"Let go of her, sir," one of them, a woman said sternly. "We order you to."
To Touko's surprise, N did without complaint. He stepped back without saying a word.
The woman looked taken aback, like she had expected a fight. Her right hand, which was clutching a pokeball, dropped to her side. The other assistants did the same.
"Please leave my friend alone," said Bianca, now stepping forward bravely. The blonde looked determined, and she was the only one who still held her pokeball in a ready position. Touko felt a rush of affection for her.
"I need the power of zekrom," was all N said in return. This caused murmurs of confusion among the assistants, and Touko's eyebrows shot up her head. Zekrom, one of the legendary dragons?
He was walking away before any of them said anything, and the woman who had confronted N straightened up.
"We best get back inside," she said briskly, and stepped back into the museum, along with her other assistants. Once they had gone in, Bianca turned to Touko.
"He'd better leave us alone," she said, before brightening up. "So how about that tour?"
Touko shook her head slowly. "Sorry, Bianca, but I really want to get to the battle now. Is it okay if we get to the tour afterwards?"
The blonde faltered, but her cheery smile returned. "That's okay! Come on, let's go!"
And Touko let herself get pulled in, smiling to herself.
What she didn't expect was a library.
Lenora and Hawes led her straight to the back of the museum, where they entered through a large door that Hawes tapped a password into. Bianca was sent to enter a separate room, where she'd be able to access the balcony.
The door had slid open, and revealed not a battlefield, but a room with shelves crammed full of books. Lenora and Hawes led her through it, and they stopped beside a bookshelf. For a few moments they were silent, until Touko got the hint.
"I didn't come here to read," she protested, now looking up at Lenora. The gym leader looked amused, but didn't budge.
"You'll have to, if you want a gym battle," Lenora answered, with something like a smirk on her face. She rested her hand on the spine of a book near her. "I recommend reading this one. This'll be your best bet if you want to save some time."
Touko followed her gaze, seeing a quite thick book on the shelf under Lenora's hand. The title on the spine read, A Long and Extended History on the Unova Region. Normally, she was not so against the idea of reading, but history books bored her to death. And Lenora was telling her she had to read it to get her battle?
She looked back up at Lenora, who was still smirking in that amused way, studying her. Something didn't seem right. It seemed like Lenora knew something she didn't. The more Touko thought about it, the more something seemed off. But what else was she to do?
"I guess I'll read it," she muttered at last, reluctantly walking towards Lenora. The gym leader stepped back, and Touko reached up. The moment she started to tug the book off the shelf, the shelf started to move. With a startled gasp, she jumped back, watching with wide eyes. The bookshelf was moving up, revealing stairs in the ground. It stopped moving with a slight creak, and all was still.
"I...what?" was all Touko managed to say. Lenora chuckled, and she and Hawes exchanged a look.
"Welcome to the battlefield," was all Lenora said, in response. She was still smirking, and as Touko continued to gape, said, "You see, Touko, I've been testing you since you entered this building. You probably thought everything would be straightforward, didn't you?"
The brunette nodded slowly.
"I like to set up my gym differently from others," Lenora explained. "I don't like to have my challengers battle other trainers before they reach me, so I can see their battling techniques. What I prefer is to see a trainer's personality play out way before the battle begins, so it gives me an idea of how your personality affects you in battle, not the exact portrayal."
"What she means, Touko, is that she likes to be surprised by a trainer's battling style," Hawes cut in, smiling at her.
"You explained that perfectly, dear," said Lenora, putting a hand on her hip. "Most challengers, when I tell them that to get to their battle, they have to read up, choose books that they're interested in, or small ones that look quick to finish. I, however, show them the quickest way to get to my battlefield. How a trainer reacts to that gives me an idea of how you'll act in battle. And you, Touko, seemed to be thinking the whole time, trying to figure out exactly what my intentions were. You're a thinker, aren't you?"
She turned to face Touko, with a challenging smile on her face. "I'm excited to see how your thinking affects your moves in battle. Are you ready to go?"
Touko nodded determinedly, and Lenora started down the stairs, Hawes behind her. It was dark, but they emerged into a brightly lit battlefield, closely resembling the one back in Striaton City. Touko took her place at one of the sides, and Lenora took the other.
"The gym leader must only use their designated pokemon, but challengers are able to substitute, should they feel the need to," Hawes began. "The battle ends when either the challenger's pokemon are unable to battle, or the gym leader's. Upon the challenger's win, they will receive the Basic Badge and a TM."
He stepped back, and Lenora tossed two pokeballs into the air. Out came a herdier and a watchog (as expected).
"These are my two pokemon, Touko," Lenora said, flashing her a grin. Her herdier yipped playfully. "For now, I think I'll be using herdier. Watchog, return!"
She held out one of the pokeballs, and the watchog was sucked into it. That left herdier in the field. Who would be tougher to beat - herdier or watchog? Touko considered her choices, and pulled out Tempest's pokeball. He was much stronger now, and she wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself.
"Tempest, come on out!" she shouted, and in a flash of red light, her blitzle materialized on the ground.
"Blitz, blitz!" he whined excitedly, stomping his hooves.
"Ready, Tempest?" she asked, and her blitzle nodded in return, looking eager. She directed her gaze to Hawes, who was standing in the referee's spot. He raised his arms high, and proclaimed -
"Let the battle begin!"
AN: I'm sorry it took so long, it's been two weeks ah oh my goodness! I've been quite busy with trips, camping, work, and etc. I'll try my best to keep up with weekly updates if I can, and I should be able too - school's almost over for me, which is awesome! Thanks to all of you who are keeping up with this story :)
