A/N: Its chapter 9 two days after chapter 8 (wow)! I took a bit of a risk with something new in this chapter so please tell me what you think.
Chapter 9
The crisp morning breeze tossed my hair around playfully as I stepped outside. The sky had been overcast yesterday when I had arrived in Loden City, but It seemed to have cleared for the moment. I had originally intended to head out after we had all rested a bit, however, after finding that the road had been closed due to muddy roads I decided we could afford to stay awhile.
I didn't feel quite as at home in this city, with its tall building and paved streets, but there was something about strolling down a busy street that made me feel safe. I could tell Luna was a bit on edge though, so we walked down the street with my hand resting on her head and it appeared to calm her down as we wandered.
The people of Loden were very friendly as I soon found out when I was approached by a few different trainers, all looking to battle. After breezing through another fight with the third trainer that morning I realized just how far I'd come with my team and wondered about what Jocelyn had said about this 'gym'.
After a few more minutes of wandering, I came to a conclusion and began asking around for directions to the gym. People gave me more than a few quizzical looks, but I eventually found the gym, tucked away in the southern corner of town. It was early afternoon when I got there, but I wasn't the first to arrive.
Standing in front of the large building, staring up at the imposing glass structure was a girl about my age. She wore a creamy white shirt, plain brown pants, and an old leather satchel that looked much like my old one. She had wavy red hair that fell to her shoulder blades and her pale skin was only slightly darker than mine.
I approached the girl and stood next to her to gaze up at the building. She didn't appear to notice me until I spoke.
"Think It'll be very hard?" I asked.
I must've startled her because she jumped a bit and turned toward me, her ginger hair bouncing into her face as she did. I was about to make some silly remark about how she'd jumped when I spoke, but as soon as I saw her face I forgot everything I'd been about to say.
She had a slightly round face but a rather pointed chin and her nose and cheeks were dotted with hundreds of small brown freckles. Beneath her thin eyebrows were a pair of light brown eyes that caught the sunlight so beautifully I could've sworn they were made from amber. Her nose was small and her thin lips were parted in a surprised 'O' shape.
I felt like an idiot, standing there with a blank look on my face, but she didn't seem to notice my reaction.
"Oh, uh, well I wouldn't know really." she said, looking away, "This will be my first gym battle."
"Oh," I was genuinely surprised, she didn't look any younger than me. "Wow, me too actually," I said after an awkward pause. I lost my words again as we made eye contact but then, to my relief, she noticed Luna and I was let off the hook.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, crouching before Luna, "It's an Absol! I've never actually seen a real one before!" She reached out as if to touch her but stopped and looked up at me. "Ah, I'm sorry, may I?"
"Well, If Luna allows you to I can't see a reason why you shouldn't."
She turned back to Luna. "You have a very pretty name Luna," she said sweetly, rubbing the Absol's furry head. Luna purred and stepped closer to her.
Unable to turn down a bit of attention, Crystal appeared from behind Luna and began to nudge the girl's leg. She laughed and rested her other hand on Crystal's head. "I don't recognize you, but you're very cute," she said in a cheerful voice.
I watched with some amount of jealousy as my Pokemon reveled in her attention until I finally suggested that we go inside.
Inside it was surprisingly warm, so much so that I had to shrug off my new black jacket and tie it around my waist. The building acted as some kind of greenhouse and the interior was filled with all manner if plants. There were large trees that cast shade down onto the path, small bushes that grew all sorts of bright berries, and more flowers than I'd ever seen in one place before. It was almost like walking through a jungle.
The girl and I walked side by side down the dirt pathway. I let her carry Crystal while I focused all my attention on keeping Luna away from the berries.
"Are you nervous?" I tore my gaze away from Luna and found the girl watching me almost shyly.
"Well, I suppose I am a bit," I said, "I'm not really sure what to expect."
"Yeah, me neither," she sighed.
My eyes traveled upwards as we passed a tree that looked suspiciously familiar, but I decided to ignore it and continue walking.
"You know, I never got your name," I said, trying to act casual.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself didn't I?" She sounded somehow guilty as if forgetting introductions was an awful thing to do. "My name is Raylian, and I'm from Smalt Town."
"Ah, Raylian, it fits you," I said smiling at her. "My name is Alice."
"Alice...," she repeated, nodding as if she agreed. "I've always liked that name you know." Before I could respond to her comment, however, she looked up, pointed to a tree and said, "We've passed that same tree at least twice now I'm sure of it."
"Are you saying we're going in circles?" I joined her in gazing at the tree in question.
"I'm saying It's possible."
"No way," I argued, "we haven't passed any alternative paths, so this has to go somewhere, right?" I turned back towards her.
"I'm not so sure, what If this is meant to be a test?" She looked down at Crystal who had apparently fallen asleep in her arms.
"Well, If this is a test then what do you suggest we do?"
"If this path only goes in circles, then clearly, we were meant to leave the path to find the gym leader." She looked at me, head slightly tilted as if looking for affirmation.
I sighed, "Alright, but If we get lost it's your fault."
She looked upset for a second and I worried that I had offended her, but she soon realized it was a joke and smiled before heading off the path.
I crouched down next to Luna, rubbed her head, and whispered, "Stay close to me." Before following Raylian.
