Chapter 10- Trolling in the City
Jake/Black's POV
I sighed as I woke up and rolled over, nearly crushing my Oshawott. Sunlight was streaming in the window and the clock said it was 9:18. Once again, I was the first awake.
'That makes three times in a row. Chris owes me waffles,' I thought with a grin, sitting up. Christina's family makes the best Belgian Waffles, and it seems to be their mission to give everyone a waffle iron. Pity it wasn't with her when we came here.
Patrat climbed onto my lap and poked at my stomach until I pet him, pushy Pokémon. I sit there with Patrat in my lap, mind wandering. I flip through names, trying to find one for mine.
"Name him Snarry," White said, sitting up in her bed.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"Name Patrat Snarry," she said, running her fingers through Yorkshire's fur.
"Why?"
"Because Snarry is a crack pairing and Patrat are like Rattata on crack!" she said, grinning wildly. I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned, shaking my head at the fangirl. Patrat looked up at me, blinking questioningly.
"Yeah, I'm just messing around," she said, laughing. I glare at her.
"Just for that, I might just name him Snarry," I said, making her stop abruptly.
"You're going to nickname the first Pokémon you caught Snarry because I was screwing around?" she asked with an undertone of laughter.
"Maybe. What do you think, Patrat? You want to be called Snarry?" I asked my Pokémon. He looked up at me and nodded, eyes solemn.
"Alright, Snarry it is!" I said happily. White burst out laugh, falling over and nearly landing on her Lillipup.
"Black, I don't know how to break this to you, but I think Snarry's gay!" she gasped through her laughter.
"Huh?" I asked, completely confused. Snarry gave her a weird look.
"Snarry is the ship name for Snape and Harry. So if your Patrat likes the name, then he could be gay," White explained. I shook my head at her.
"He might just like the sound of the name, White," I said with a sigh. She grumbled a bit and sat back up.
"Fine, be that way. I'm gonna get dressed," she said, hopping out of bed. She woke her Pokémon up as she made it before heading to the dresser and pulling out some clothes. She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her confused Pokémon behind.
I got up and made my bed as well, letting my Pokémon sit on the blanket. I pulled some clothes out of the dresser and changed while White was in the bathroom. She walked out as I was tugging my black tank top on.
"Now there's a sight I didn't need to see so early in the morning," she said as she yawned, stretching her arms over her head. I bopped her on the head as she passed instead on answering.
She rolled her eyes at me as she sat down on the edge of her bed and tugged on her boots, the two loose strands of hair hanging from her ponytail falling in her face. I pulled on my red sneakers before pulling on my hat.
"Alright guys, let's go get some breakfast," White said, standing up and tugging on her hat, pulling her ponytail through the open spot in back
"Before we do that, when's your dad's birthday?" I asked. Her blue-green eyes widened slightly before answering.
"September 16th."
"And your other dad?"
"March 18th. When's your dad's birthday?"
"February 19th. And my other dad's birthday is June 25th," I responded.
"Good. Now let's go get food," White said. I nodded, leaving my coat in room as I followed her out.
Our Pokémon followed us down to the cafeteria, which was much quieter than last night. Few trainers were there with their Pokémon, since they were there earlier and were out training by now. A quick glance at the clock showed me it was 9:43, giving us about an hour and a half to eat, wander around, and get back to meet Cheren and Bianca.
"Here, I'll take the Pokémon and find a table. You go get us some food," White said, pulling me from my musings.
"Sounds good. Snarry, Oshawott, go with White and listen to her," I told my Pokémon, who gave their respective cries in agreement.
"Ok guys, let's go over there!" White said enthusiastically, leading the five Pokémon over to a corner near a big window. I joined the short line to get food.
I picked up some breakfast sandwiches and berries without a problem, paying the lady before heading over to the corner White had pointed out earlier. I handed her a sandwich and a cup of chopped fruit in return for a bottle of milk she had bought.
"Time for breakfast guys," I said with a smile, pulling out bowls of food for my three Pokémon. Once all five had food, they pushed their bowls into one group instead of the two like last night.
Shiny Oshawott's POV
Once we had our food, Black and his female friend unwrapped theirs and began to eat. Osha was chattering away with Purrloin, who was chattering back. I sighed through my nose. Females, I thought, were all the same. Chatty, giggly creatures.
"Did you hear what our trainers were talking about last night?" Yorkshire asked after swallowing a big bite. Snarry nodded, munching on his. I shook my head.
"I didn't, I wasn't paying attention," I said before putting a piece of food in my mouth.
"They were talking about what other Pokémon they wanted to get for their teams," Snarry said, waving his tail distractedly. I looked up to see some other Pokémon a few tables away giggling. I roll my eyes. Females.
"Oh really?" I asked, eating another few bites.
"Yeah! My trainer wants to get a Petilil, Tynamo, and Meinfoo!" Yorkshire said, wagging his tail excitedly.
"Hm, sounds interesting. Wonder what else she'll pick up before the last few gyms," I said.
"She said something like a Gothitelle or Victini. I've never hear of a Victini though," the puppy said, ears drooping.
"I'm sure we'll find out what a Victini is soon enough," Snarry said, patting his friend on the head.
"So what's our trainer planning on getting, Snarry?" I asked. The Patrat looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Pansear, Blitzle, Rufflet, Deerling, and he said he'd either get a Sawk or Throh. I haven't heard of or seen a Rufflet, Pansear, Sawk or Throh before though," he said, nibbling on a piece of food thoughtfully.
"Pansear sounds like a Fire type. Rufflet, Sawk and Throh I have no idea about," I replied.
"Hey Osha and Purrloin!" Yorkshire yapped at the girls. They turned and moved over to join us.
"You females done gossiping yet?" I asked. Osha batted at my arm.
"Be quiet Oshawott! I haven't had another girl to talk to in ages!" she cried. Purrloin chuckled.
"You were with that Snivy yesterday," she purred, a mischievous gleam in her green eyes.
"Yeah, but Snivy's all closed off. She's not as chatty," Osha said, popping some food in her mouth. Purrloin laughed while I exchanged a look with Snarry.
"Anyways, either of you know anything about a Pokémon called Sawk or Throh?" I asked. Osha shook her head.
"I've heard the name, but I don't know anything about them. Purrloin?" Osha said before turning to the cat.
"I do. They're Fighting Types that don't evolve. They're very strong, Sawk being stronger but Throh having more endurance," she said, blinking emerald eyes at the rest of us.
"I see. Know anything about Rufflet?" Snarry asked.
"I've heard it's a Flying Type that evolves into a much bigger and stronger bird, but other than that, no."
"What about Victini?" Yorkshire asked, blinking shiny black eyes at the cat.
"No, but since I don't I'm going to guess it's a Legendary," she said before dipping her head down to eat her food. I nodded before returning my focus to my food, ignoring the conversation around me.
Yorkshire's POV
Oshawott returned to his food after his questions we answered, ignoring the rest of us. If Snarry or Osha were put off by this at all, they didn't show it. I twitched my ear before nibbling at my food.
"So Purrloin, how do you know much about other Pokémon?" Snarry asked, putting a piece of his food in his mouth. Purrloin chewed and swallowed her mouthful of food before responding.
"I traveled around and have relatives who live in different places. They tell us about Pokémon in other places. Plus I listen to the bird Pokémon who pass through," she said before continuing to eat.
"Oh, ok. We didn't have a lot of visitors in our neck of the woods," Snarry said. I nodded in agreement, swallowing my last bite.
"We might want to finish quick; our trainers look about done," I said, looking up at White and her male friend, who were speaking intently in low tones.
Everyone murmured their agreement and began to eat with a fury. Oshawott filled my bowl with water using Water Gun so we could drink. I shot him a grateful look and lapped at the water before steeping back and giving Snarry and Purrloin a turn.
Christina/White's POV
"You really think it's gonna work?" I asked, brows furrowed. Black nodded, taking a sip of his milk before answering.
"Yeah, we just need the others to understand that there are three of them and four of us. It would be better if it was only me or only you, but we can make this work," he said, popping a bit of Oran Berry in his mouth.
"Mmm. I just hope they show themselves," I said, nodding.
"Oh, they will. So long as we walk in with our starters out, they'll be sure to pop up," he said. I ate my last bit of toast before draining the dregs of my milk.
"Alright, let's go wander. The city seems different and bigger than in the game, so they're could be some cool stuff around," I said, standing up and turning to our Pokémon.
"You guys ready to go?" I asked them. They gave cries of agreement, jumping around.
"Mind picking up their bowls while I send Purrloin to the Professor?" Black asked.
"I got it. Yorkshire, return," I replied, calling back the Lillipup. Black returned Snarry and the Purrloin, letting Oshawott walk beside him as he went to the PC.
Oshawott stacked the bowls while I tossed our trash out. I then picked up the bowls in one hand and my Pokémon in the other before heading back to the room. There I washed the bowls and dried them in the sink before picking up my bag.
"Ready to go, Oshawott?" I asked her. The little Pokémon began to hop around excitedly. I laughed and called out Yorkshire.
"Alrighty you two, let's go," I giggled as they began to chase each other. I scooped up Black's bag and locked the door behind us.
"Hey Black, got your bag," I said as we found him. He was standing near Nurse Joy, looking around.
"Thanks. Ready to go?"
"Yup."
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After about a half hour of wandering around, we were dead bored.
"Urgh, we have another half hour to kill and we've seen most of the sights!" I groaned, leaning against a nearby building. Black mimicked my position, looking at the ground.
"There has to be something we haven't seen," he said, adjusting his bag strap.
I looked around the bright, bustling street full of people from all walks of life. Children were running around and yelling, parents were buying food, and others walked from shop to shop. A curious little shop at the end of the road caught my eye; it had a wooden brown storefront instead of the bright plastics of the others. There were little trinkets and sparkly baubles in the window instead of clothes or goods.
"Hey Black, let's go check that out," I said, pointing at the shop. The brunette looked where I was pointing arching an eyebrow.
"Looks weird next to all the bright colors," he commented as we started to walk towards it. I nodded absently, watching our four Pokémon dart ahead.
"Well, who said weird was bad?" I asked with a dry grin.
"I never said that," Black replied evenly. Once we reached it, we loitered outside for a few minutes.
"You gonna go in or just stand there?" Black finally asked. I sighed and opened the door, walking in. Oshawott and Yorkshire stayed right at my heels as I wandered around.
I came to a stand with odd and unique necklaces and stopped so suddenly that Black and the Pokémon crashed into me. Yorkshire yapped at me while Oshawott just fell on her butt.
"Oi! Why'd you stop?" Black squawked.
"Lookit this," I said, tugging him over to the one that caught my eye. It was kind of like those cheesy 'Best Friends' necklaces, except they were like some deviant Yin-Yang symbol, with three instead of two.
"Look at what?" he asked.
"This!" I cried, pointing at the three. One was pearly white with a small, fiery red gem in the center of the curve. The second was jet black with an electric blue stone in the same spot. The third was a shiny grey with a pale yellow pebble. The red stone looked like it could have been taken from the volcano in Hoenn, the blue looked like it was taken from Chragestone Cave, and the yellow looks like it could be from the Orange Islands.
"They look like they represent-" Black began.
"Oh, you've found them! I just simply love this set! Aren't they just the most wonderful pendants, my dears?" a middle-aged woman with pale green hair asked, appearing from mid-air. We gaped at her for a few seconds before responding.
"T-they are rather nice…" I said awkwardly. I was a bit taken aback by this random lady, to say the least.
"Oh, I just knew I wasn't the only one who thought they were lovely! Would you two dears like to know what they mean?" she asked, taking our hands in hers.
"Uh…sure?" Black answered, phrasing it like a question. I glanced down at our Pokémon, who were peering at the green haired lady from behind out legs. They look terrified to say the least.
The lady launched into a tale, describing the legendaries of Unova. She then went on to tell us the story of how Reshiram and Zekrom had come from Kyurem and how Kyurem was rumored to be stronger than the Yin-Yang Pokémon.
"So centuries ago, a set of triplets-ancestors of this city's gym leaders-who were jewelers created these necklaces. The eldest made one for Reshiram, making the backdrop the purest white and placing a most beautiful red gem from the Hoenn volcano in the curve. The youngest made this on for Zekrom, using the deepest black for the background and placing the loveliest blue jewel from the Chragestone Cave in the curve. The middle brother made the final in honor of Kyurem, making it a silvery gray and placing a gem of the palest yellow in the curve here. The gem was rumored to come from where the Orange Islands currently stand.
"These necklaces have been passed down through families since they were created. I found them in my travels and have saved them for whomever I decided to sell them to. Since you two dears have been patient enough to listen to my tale, I implore you to consider purchasing them. I will sell you two dears all three necklaces for a total of 2,000 Poké," she finished, gazing at us with a faraway look in her eyes.
"What should we do? Should we buy them or leave her hanging?" Black asked in a whisper. I glanced from the lady to the necklaces to Black.
"I dunno. If this were the game, I'd pass this up until late. But since we're in the game…" I muttered back. Black grimaced.
"Let's just split the cost. We'll run out of time if we debate this anymore," Black mumbled. I nodded, reaching into my bag and pulling out my money.
"We'll take 'em," I said louder so she could hear us.
"Wonderful! I'll go wrap these up for you dears! I'll be right back," she promised, whisking the necklaces away.
Black and I each counted out 1,000 Poké, our Pokémon venturing out from behind our legs.
"What should we do with them?" Black asked.
"I think that before we battle N in Nacrene City we'll offer him the first choice, since the one we get should match up with our respective Legendary. If he picks the black one, I'll take the white and you the gray. If he takes the white, you take the black and I'll take the gray," I answered after thinking about it for a bit.
"But what should we do with them once that's been done?!" he asked.
"Wear them, what else?" I said, looking at him, arching an eyebrow, "They're not that feminine and you can always tuck yours under your shirt."
"But isn't that, I dunno, kinda weird and a tad fruity? I mean, these pendants are kinda girly."
"No, guys wear Yin-Yang type necklaces all the time. These seem to be based off that idea, so they're genderless. But the fact that you know and can correctly use the word pendant is rather girly and fruity," I replied, smirking.
"It's not my fault! I spend too much time with you and Courtney!" he cried despairingly. I laughed at his despair, which made him look even more depressed.
"You had plenty of guy friends who you would constantly ditch us for! And you also hung out with Michael all the time!" I responded, still smiling.
"That makes it even worse!" Black groaned, dropping his head against my shoulder in despair.
"Hey, did you get shorter?" he asked suddenly, popping his head up.
"Noo-o-oo! It's not just me! I really did shrink!" I moaned, dropping my head into my hands. I was on the taller side back home at 5'5 and still growing, but here I seem to be a few inches shorter.
"You're not that short, maybe two or three inches smaller than before," Black said, patting me on the back. I made a sound like a strangled cat.
"Noo-oo…" I sighed. I take after my mom and her family-who are all uber tall. I'm not even kidding, my grandpa's considered short by his cousins and he's 6'1!
"Here you go dears! That'll be 2,000 Poké!" the lady said, coming back with a brown wrapped package. We handed her the money and she pressed the package into my hands.
"Thank you dears! Have a lovely day," the lady said, putting our money somewhere.
"You too," Black said, turning to the door. I made to follow him, but the lady's voice stopped us short.
"You two remind me so much of my son; so full of life and wonder, completely in awe of the world you live in. If you happen to meet him in your travels, tell him where I am and that he is always welcome," she said distantly. I turned back in confusion.
"You have a son?" I asked. She nodded, a faraway look in her eye. Then picked up a picture frame from a nearby shelve and held it out.
"This is my son. He was about three when his picture was taken, but it was the last time I saw him. His father ran off with him while I slept," she said. I took the frame and nearly dropped it in surprise. Black peered over my shoulder and gasped quietly.
"That's…" he breathed.
"…N as a child," I murmured. I kid you not; the picture looked exactly like N when he was young-or at least the human version of the fanart of him as a child.
"We'll keep an eye out for him, miss," I said, handing the frame back.
"Thank you dears. Good luck on your journey," she said, taking the frame and disappearing into the back. Black and I left quickly, nearly tripping over our Pokémon in our rush.
Once we were outside, we called our Pokémon back into their balls and set off at a good clip for the Pokémon Center.
"That was beyond freaky," I said as we dodged people. I had put the package from the lady into my bag in the shop so I wasn't worried about it getting stolen or something.
"Way beyond freaky. I though N's mom was dead or something," Black agreed, nearly running into another person.
"Same here. But it makes sense, what she said about Ghetsis taking N away in the middle of the night," I commented, jumping over a low stand instead of going all the way across the street due to the crowd. Black apologized to the owner before catching up.
"I can see him doing that. He probably had a real name too, but Ghetsis just got rid of it," he said. I nodded.
"The name N might just be the first letter of his real name. It's probably buried deep in his subconscious, and N is just what's left," I agreed.
"Wonder what his real name is…" Black commented. I shrugged.
"Hell if I know. Probably something normal, like Nathan or Nicholas," I replied.
"I can't see Ghetsis letting N's mom name him something weird like Nemo; but Nathan sounds likely," he agreed. We came to a stop near the center, where we could see Bianca and Cheren waiting.
"Ok, so we don't say a thing about the shop or N's mom, got it?" Black said. I nodded.
"Got it. Don't mention freaky green haired lady or the necklaces to Cheren and Bianca," I confirmed. We nodded before turning the corner and walking towards them casually.
Cheren's POV
"Where are they?! They're five minutes late!" I exploded, beginning to pace.
"There there Cheren, calm down. They probably got lost and are right around the corner," Bianca reassured. I continued to pace, running my hand nervously across the Pokéballs that contained my Purrloin and Snivy. Those two had been behaving odd recently; White was reading, Black wasn't, both were more observant, and they were both just acting…off. Out of character even.
Almost like two very different people had taken up residence in their bodies. Two people who knew each other. Two people who knew enough about them and us to get by.
"Bianca, have you noticed Black and White behaving odd recently?" I asked, turning to the blonde.
"No, but then again, we haven't seen much of each other. We've all been off doing our own thing," she replied, shaking her head.
"But that's exactly it! We've been off on our own, but every time we bump in to one of them, they're always with the other!" I exclaimed, "Think back to the first day on Route 1. They strolled up together, laughing and chatting. I doubt they met as they left."
"You're right! When I battled Black on Route 2, White was with him! And they were together last night when we met them at the table!" the blonde cried.
"But it doesn't mean anything, right Cheren? They were always together anyway," she added after a moment of thought. I considered it for a moment; they were nearly always together when we were kids. They had been friends before Bianca and I came on the scene and was always sleeping over each other's houses.
"Yeah, but I always chalked it up to their parents being very close friends and having birthdays within days of each other," I commented. Bianca nodded, looking thoughtful.
"I always thought they stuck together because they're both missing a parent. And they parent that they don't have the other does. I always figured they were always together because they figured they were like siblings," she said, fixing her hat. I shrugged.
"I dunno, maybe I'm reading too far into this," I admitted, taking my glasses off to clean them.
"Hey guys, sorry we're late!" White called, coming around a corner with Black. Both looked like they had run to get here.
"Hi guys!" Bianca called, waving excitedly at them.
"You two are ten minutes late. Be happy we waited," I said, fixing each with a half-hearted glare. White rubbed her left arm sheepishly while Black grimaced.
"Sorry about that man, we got lost," Black said, looking apologetically from Bianca to me.
"See Cheren, I told you they were just lost!" the blonde said, smacking my arm playfully, "And here you were coming up with conspiracy theories!"
"Conspiracy theories?" the two brunettes asked, smirking at each other.
"What was he saying, Bianca?" White asked, a playful grin on her face.
"Just that you two were acting weird and stuff," she said, smiling.
"Psh, we're not acting weird," Black scoffed.
"Well, maybe we are a tad more excitable of the late. But I've chalked that up to getting Pokémon," White said, fixing her ponytail, "Anywho, let's go find the gym!"
Bianca agreed quickly, and soon the two girls had linked arms and had walked off down the street, chattering. Black had caught up and walked beside the blonde, joining in smoothly. My eyes narrowed as I followed them; I had been right, they are acting weird. White had never spoken like she just did before, with the 'tad more' and 'of the late' or 'anywho'. I'm not even sure 'anywho' is a word!
I soon caught up with the others, joining in the conversation normally. I did keep a swift eye of both Black and White, ready to confront them about this later.
Christina/White's POV
I laughed as the four of us walked down the street, trying to push the odd little shop from my mind. I was only half focused on the conversation, counting on Bianca's chattiness to keep it going.
I had noticed Cheren looking oddly at Black and I earlier. Even as we were walking now, he was still looking at us like he was trying to read us. The small, paranoid part of my brain whispered that he might notice something's off, but I squashed it. Acting like I suspected something will definitely draw unwanted attention to my behavior.
"So where's the gym anyway?" Bianca asked. I looked around before shrugging.
"Dunno. It should be around here somewhere. Any ideas Cheren?" I replied, turning to the be-speckled boy. He pulled out a map and studied it.
"We should have passed it by now. The map says that it's within two blocks of the Pokémon Center," he replied, trying to find where we were on the map.
"We've definitely passed it then. I think we must have gone at least four blocks by now," Black said, looking around. I nodded in agreement.
"Four if not five," I agreed, freeing my arm for Bianca's and joining Cheren at the map.
"We're right in front of Miss Lindy's Second-Hand Shop, right here," I said, pointing it out to him, "So that means we need to go that-a-way and look for the gym symbol." I pointed back the way we came. Cheren nodded in agreement.
"Nicely spotted White," he said, folding the map up and putting it in one of his pockets.
"Alright! Let's go!" Black cried with unnatural enthusiasm, grabbing my hand in one hand and Bianca's in his other and dragging us behind him. I snatched Cheren's wrist as he tugged us off, a half annoyed, half amused expression on my face.
"We don't need you to guide us Black. We can walk fine on our own," I called with a grin.
"Yeah, but we passed it last time you two girls were leading. Mine turn to lead!" he called back, grinning wildly. Bianca giggled, allowing herself to be pulled along.
"Did you let him have coffee this morning?" Cheren asked.
"No, I gave him milk. I don't know why he's so hyper," I answered, looking back at him. He shrugged in response.
Soon enough we came to the gym and Black let Bianca and I go. I dropped Cheren's wrist and massaged my sore right hand. Black's got a grip of iron and it nearly crushed my hand.
"So are we gonna go in or just stand here?" Cheren asked after a bit.
"Go in, obviously," I said, walking up to the doors and opening them.
"C'mon! We don't have all day you guys!" I called, waving them through. Black walked through last, waiting for me as I shut the door.
"Cheren's watching us," he breathed in my ear as we went to join them.
"I know. Act normal," I breathed back, barely moving my lips. No sense alerting Cheren that we're on to him.
"So where's the leader?" Bianca asked, looking around. We were standing in a small waiting area, much like that of a restaurant. The carpet was a deep plush maroon, so thick and soft that my boot sank into it slightly. The walls were stained wood with gold trim. Soft armchairs lined the room, and a small podium sat near the door leading into the rest of the building.
"Nevermind the leader, where are the people?" I asked.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" a high feminine voice called. A blonde girl about a year or two older than us stepped into the room, smiling apologetically. She was wearing straight leg black slacks, a button up top much like what Cilan, Chili, and Cress wear, and a black vest with gold buttons over it. A white apron was tied around her waist and a hot pink bowtie was around her neck.
"It's not problem, really," Bianca said, smiling at the girl.
"My name's Cameron and I'll be your server today," she said. I then noticed her eyes, which were nearly the same shade as her bowtie. A little unnerving, to say the least.
"Server? We're here to watch some gym battles," Cheren said, confused.
"Oh! You don't know? The gym doubles as a restaurant! Since you four came for the battles, I'll see if I can find you a table near the battle arena," Cameron said with a little laugh, turning and disappearing through a different door.
"Looks like we're killing two birds with one stone here," Black commented, flopping into a chair to wait.
"Aye. Lunch and we can observe the leader battling. Maybe we can talk to him or her a bit," I said, sinking into another seat. Bianca perched herself in the chair between us, while Cheren sat beside me.
"I wonder what the leader is like," Bianca said, crossing her ankles and leaning back, "Are they nice, or are they cruel?"
"I highly doubt a Gym Leader would be cruel Bianca. The champion wouldn't allow them to lead if they were mean and harsh to people or Pokémon," Cheren said with a sigh.
"Well then Mr. Smarty-Pants, what do you think the leader is like?" Bianca asked, turning to the be-speckled boy. He moved his glasses up his nose a bit before answering.
"I think it's pointless to wonder, since we'll be meeting him or her soon," he said, glasses flashing. Black sighed and I rolled my eyes.
"Ok then buzz kill," I said, waving him off. Before anyone could respond, Cameron came back with a big smile.
"It's all set! Follow me and I'll take you to your table," she said, leading up into the main restaurant. We rose and followed her into the main dining room.
This room was very similar to the waiting area, except much larger and filled with tables. People sat around each circular table, chatting and laughing over delicious-looking food. I noticed how most of the patrons we teenage girls-which made me sigh internally.
Two other girls wearing the same getup as Cameron came over with smiles. One had ice blue hair tied back in a spiky low ponytail-except for two bits that stuck up behind her head like antenna. Her eyes were a pale blue, matching her bowtie. The other had purple-blue hair and pale yellow eyes, with a matching yellow bowtie. The front bit of her hair was tied behind her head, while the rest was worn loose, hanging down to her shoulders.
"These are the ones who requested a table near the arena?" the girl with purple hair asked, looking us over. Cameron nodded.
"Yes. I'm taking them to their table now," she said, nodding.
"Did you get their names, Cameron? I'm sure the leaders would like to know who's watching them today," the blue haired one asked, smiling at the blonde. Cameron smacked her forehead with her hand.
"Oops, I didn't," she said, making the other two sigh.
"Don't mind our sister, she's such an airhead," the blue one said apologetically.
"It's no problem," Black said uncomfortably.
"Anyways, my name is Sora, you've already met Cameron, and the one with blue hair is Crystal," the one with yellow eyes said.
"We're the gym leaders' younger sisters. We're triples," Crystal said.
"Cool. I'm White and these are my friends Black, Bianca, and Cheren. None of us are related though," I said, pointing at each one in turn. Each gave a little wave when pointed at.
"Good. Now that we all know each other, I'll show you to your table," Cameron said, leading us off, "You two get back to work."
He sisters made faces at Cameron before heading off. The four of us exchanged looks before following here. She led us to the back and through a door onto a balcony. The balcony overlooked a large battlefield, which was currently empty. There were four circular tables spread across the large space, each with a view of the field.
"Here you are! Since no one else has requested to sit back here, you get your choice of table," the blonde waitress said with a smile. Cheren nodded before walking off to the one with the best view. I followed after flashing Cameron a quick smile.
"Thank you!" Bianca trilled before following with Black. Cheren was standing near the table, looking at us impatiently.
"Hurry up would you?" he said, annoyed. I rolled my eyes and picked a seat on the right. Cheren plopped himself down next to me, Bianca on his other side. Black took a seat between Bianca and me, removing his hat. I tugged mine off as well, nearly ripping my hair out in the process.
"I hope there's gonna be a battle," Bianca said as she removed her hat. I put my hat in my bag before slipping it off and putting it on the floor.
"Same here," Black said, doing the same.
"Good morning you four! How are the next challengers doing this morning?" a happy male voice asked, clapping Cheren and I on the shoulder. I jumped and spun around to come face to face with Chili.
"We're doing fine, thanks for asking. Now, who are you?" Cheren asked. Chili let out a laugh and went to stand between Bianca and Black, facing the rest of the room.
"I'm Chili! I'm one of the three leaders of the Striaton Gym!" he cried, running a hand through his red hair, which stood up straight. Cheren's eyes widened momentarily before he nodded, while Bianca gaped at the older teen.
"Th-there're three of you?! How're we supposed to get a badge if there're three leaders?" the blonde asked, looking worried.
"I'd imagine we'd fight one of them," Black said with a shrug. I nodded in agreement.
"The gentleman with the messy hair is correct! We decided who you'll be facing based on your starter Pokémon. So if you chose Snivy, you'd be facing me," Chili explained, leaning forward and propping his arms on the table.
"What if our first Pokémon wasn't a starter? Like if we had an older sibling who gave us one, like a Deino?" I asked. Cheren shot me a quizzical look before returning his attention to the leader he'd be facing.
"That is where our younger sisters come in! They help us run the restaurant, but they are also back-up gym leaders in case my brothers and I get tied up with something. If someone comes in with, say, a Deino, he or she would have to fight Crystal. If someone came in with something like a Roggenrola, they'd be fighting Cameron. If someone came in with a Timburr, they'd be put up against Sora," the red-head explained. As he was talking, Cress and Cilan came and stood on either side of Chili.
"Crystal trains Ice Types, while Cameron trains Fighting Types. Sora trains Flying Types. They take care of Dark, Dragon, Flying, Fighting, Normal, and Poison Types; types that would have had an advantage at this gym," Cress said, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. Cheren and I nodded in understanding, while Bianca began firing questions.
"Who're you two?" she asked first.
"I am Cress, and that green haired lad on Chili's other side is Cilan. We're also leaders of this gym," Cress responded.
"Do other trainers come through with different types as their first Pokémon often? Or are your sisters here as a precaution?"
"A bit of both, actually. In recent years we've noticed an influx of new trainers with types that we had no immediate counter for, typically a year or two after older trainers who look much like the new ones. We guessed that older siblings figured out this gym and gave their younger siblings Pokémon that we had no counter for so they could sweep this gym," Cilan explained, tripping over his words a bit. Bianca looked a bit concerned as he stumbled, while Cheren looked a tad annoyed.
"Sounds reasonable. I'd probably do a similar thing if I had a younger sibling and didn't know about your sisters," I said with a nod. Bianca then resumed asking question after question, and I tuned her out after a bit.
"Anyways, are we going to see a battle today?" Cheren cut in impatiently after a little bit. Bianca stopped firing questions and the here brothers exchanged a look.
"Well, we heard a rumor that some people would be stopping by today for a battle. When we heard Cameron lead you four in we assumed it was you guys," Chili said, looking from Cress to Cilan. The two nodded, leaving us confused.
"Then who's going to be challenging you guys?" Black asked, scratching his head in confusion. Cress shrugged.
"We don't know," he said.
"Well then," I said, "You mind if we call out Pokémon out?"
"No, we encourage it actually. We'll go grab chairs for them. How many Pokémon do you have collectively?" Cilan asked.
"Eight," Cheren said, reaching for his Pokémon. Cilan nodded, hurrying off with his brother behind him.
I let out Oshawott first, getting her situated on my lap before calling out Yorkshire. Both were thankfully able to perch on my lap while we waited; I was uncomfortable with putting them down. Too many play-throughs of various Pokémon games taught me that kids who put their young Pokémon down got them snatched. And I was not at a level to be fighting through a base with one Pokémon to get the other back. We'd get massacred, I thought, flinching internally at the double meaning.
Black also kept his Pokémon on his lap; Snarry and his Oshawott were sitting quietly, looking around. Cheren, on the other hand, let his Pokémon climb off his lap and play about under the table with Bianca's. Snivy had opted to stay with Cheren while Porky and Bianca's Lillipup were both under the table.
The trio triad soon returned; eight chairs collectively carried between them. They set them so that we each had two chairs on each side, allowing us to keep an eye on them.
"Thanks," we intoned, placing a Pokémon on each side. My Oshawott, Porky, and the two Lillipups complained about the chairs, but hushed up when Chili gave them each an Oran Berry.
"Thanks," I said for Bianca and I, helping Yorkshire eat the berry.
"Not a problem, miss. May I be so rude to inquire your name?" Chili asked with a fake bow and huge smile. Bianca giggled and I smiled.
"But of course, sir. My name is White, and this is my good friend Bianca," I said, grinning.
"How do you do?" Bianca asked in a posh manner, holding out her hand for a handshake. Before Chili could respond, Cheren cut in.
"Alright, alright, that's enough you three," the be-speckled boy said, irritated. I rolled my eyes at Cheren, while Bianca gave Chili an apologetic look, withdrawing her hand.
"Anyways," Black said loudly. We turned to look at him and he pointed at a pair of trainers standing behind us, looking at us. A small boy stood behind them, mouth agape, staring about with curious blue eyes.
The small boy looked to about eleven or so, short dirty blonde hair peeking out from under his backwards green and gray hat. He fidgeted with his light gray bag strap, occasionally knocking the white strings of his green and white short sleeved hoodie. A pair of scuffed black, white, and green running shoes peeked out from his baggy jeans.
An older girl with lighter blonde hair tugged the younger boy up to stand next to her, her light blue eyes silently telling him to pay attention. Her bangs were held back with a plain clip, keeping them off her face elegantly. The sleeves of her purple shirt were rolled up, leaving her forearms bare. A brown belt with silver bags held up her straight legged jeans, which were capped with a pair of black, gray, and purple running shoes. Her glasses gleamed as she turned back to us, coolly examining our group. Her icy eyes lingered for a moment on Black's Oshawott, widening slightly. She looked from my Oshawott to Black's once more before leaning forward and whispering something in the other boy's ear.
The other boy's green eyes widened, looking to Black's Oshawott before sliding back and muttering to the younger boy. The green eyed boy's spiked up bangs flopped about with each movement, making them a little distracting. A faded blue and gray beanie kept the rest of his hair down. He tugged at the sleeves of his baggy blue and gray sweatshirt down, covering his black fingerless gloves. He scuffed his gray and blue skate shoes against the carpet, rustling his black jeans. He adjusted the strap of his brown and green bag before picking a Pokéball from his belt and tossing it up and catching it.
"So which one of you is the gym leader?" the older boy asked, eyes canning the group. I was staring at his bangs; they were rather distracting. I thought absently that this is what it must have been like for Skulduggery when Fletcher joined them, being constantly distracted by his hair. Only difference here was Fletch's hair is blonde, and this guy's hair is brown.
"That would be us," Cress said, moving smoothly to stand alongside his brother. Cilan stumbled a bit before continuing.
"So you must be the challengers we've heard about," Cilan said, straightening his bowtie.
"We are," the girl replied quietly, "I hope it's ok that my younger brother's also here to challenge you, since he's only eleven."
"That's perfectly fine," Cress said before either brother could reply, scanning the motley group.
"Which Pokémon did you guys start with?" Cheren asked, smiling at the three.
"Sabrina started with Snivy, Aaron started with Oshawott, and I chose Tepig," the older boy said, tossing his Pokéball up and catching it like a baseball.
"I thought Sabrina didn't want to go on a journey," Bianca said, confused.
"I didn't, but Aaron guilted me into it. He said if I didn't go now, then he wouldn't be able to go for another three years and I'd have to put up with his whining and sulking. I also wouldn't have had another chance until Aaron could get a Pokémon as well," the blonde girl-Sabrina-said quietly, fiddling with her bag straps, "Aaron also wanted to travel with Brendan, and Brendan wouldn't wait another three years before leaving."
"Basically Aaron and I sat Sabrina down and said, 'Look here girlie, you can either sit home in this little town and never do anything ever, or you can tell the professor to send over three Pokémon and we can all leave together. Because I'm out no matter what, but Aaron's stuck here because he's eleven,'" the older boy-Brendan-said, flipping his bangs up.
"So Big Sis went over to the professor's and told her and the two were able to get me qualified to get a Pokémon!" Aaron said happily.
"Oh good. So who's first?" Chili asked eagerly, peering at the three trainers.
"Me!" Brendan and Aaron called at the same time, causing Sabrina to smile slightly.
"You go first Brendan," Sabrina said, tugging her younger brother back, "Aaron can wait."
"Excellent! Cress will take you three down to the battle arena and I'll tell someone to get a table ready for you!" Cilan said, clapping his hand once before scurrying off to the kitchens. Chili followed the green haired gym leader sadly while Cress led the three trainers down a side stairwell.
"Oh yay! We're gonna see the gym leaders battle!" Bianca said happily, petting her Lillipup absently.
"Bianca, watch this battle carefully. You'll have to face Cress soon, so you might as well learn how he fights," Cheren said in a teacherly fashion. He then turned to Black and me.
"You two watch Cilan, since you'll have to fight him," he continued, "He seems like the weakest of the three-or at least the least confidant."
"And you watch Chili," Black said.
"He seems to be the most battle happy, so be careful," I continued. He nodded, adjusting his glasses.
"Sorry for the wait you guys! Here's your menus!" Cameron chimed, handing us each two menus. She then placed a glass of water in front of our places and a bowl of water in front of each Pokémon.
"Take your time decided. Sora will be out in a bit to take your orders," the blonde waitress said with a smile before bouncing off.
I opened the second menu and began browsing the options for Oshawott and Yorkshire. There were dishes containing fish Pokémon like Goldeen and Magikarp-neither of which I felt bad for letting Pokémon eat. Magikarp are flipping everywhere and Goldeen are just goldfish!
One dish that looked particularly interesting contained Magikarp and Krabby; and the little description said that Oshawott particularly enjoyed this dish. I made a mental note to order it for Oshawott, and then began to look for Yorkshire.
I ended up choosing a dish containing Pidove and an array of various berries. It looked like he would enjoy it, so I pointed it out to Bianca, who admitted to choosing the same one for her Lillipup.
"I just thought that Lilli would enjoy it, since she loves berries and all," the blonde said with a small smile, "She really liked the Pecha Berries I gave her yesterday."
This led to Cheren lecturing Bianca on the uses of each berry and how it was bad to waste useful berries like Pecha and Oran.
"Looks like someone spent his morning at the Trainers' School," I muttered, causing Black to laugh.
"Oh Black, did you see the Magikarp and Krabby dish?" I asked, leaning around Cheren's back to point out the item on the menu.
"No, I didn't. Looks good though. Pity Krabby are such good Pokémon," he said conversationally. I nodded absently.
"Yeah, but it like everyone and their mother has a Krabby in Kanto and Johto," I commented, flipping through the menu for people.
"Especially in Cianwood."
"Oh don't even get me started about Cianwood."
"Don't forget Shuckle," Black singsonged. I glowered at him for a moment before returning to my menu.
"What are you two squabbling about?" Cheren asked, ending his lecture to Bianca, leaving the blonde to her menus.
"Oh, this and that," I answered airily, skimming the menu. I might just go for the salad; it looks really good.
"Food, mostly," Black added, turning his menu over, "Pizza looks good."
I shot Black a look, causing him to grin. I'm a bit of a pizza snob-do they even exist?-since my family makes pizza from scratch. I actually didn't eat lunch one day in second grade because I had gotten school pizza. (In my defense, I was seven and it tasted like cardboard. Ew.)
"The salad looks really good White," Bianca ventured, pointing it out on the menu. I nodded.
"Yeah, it does. I think I'm gonna get that," I replied, putting the menu down. Cheren nodded, scanning the menu.
"I think I'll get the grilled Basculin with mashed potatoes and green beans," Cheren said with a tone of finality, shutting his menu and putting it down.
"Well aren't you the fancy-pants," Bianca commented, "I'm torn between the salad and the smoked Goldeen."
"We can always come back another day," I said, flipping through the menu idly.
"We should come here every day we're in the city. Make it our little thing, lunch at the gym," Black added, nodding in agreement.
"And once we're able to use Fly, we can make it a weekly thing, like every Wednesday or something come here for lunch and just catch up," Bianca said, getting excited.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Bianca. We might not even catch Pokémon that can use Fly," Cheren said, bringing her mood down.
"Oh course we will, silly! We might not always have that Pokémon on hand, but we will catch one!" Bianca said with an airy laugh.
"Besides, having a Pokémon with Fly is dead useful. You never know when you'll need to jet back somewhere that would take you a week to travel to," I said, closing my menu and putting it down.
"Sorry to keep you folks waiting!" Sora chimed, gliding up to the table, "Are you ready to order?"
"Yes, I'll have the Chef's Choice Salad please," Bianca said politely, handing her menu over. Sora took it with a smile, jotting down the order before looking up.
"I'll take the grilled Basculin with mashed potatoes and green beans," Cheren said, double checking his order before handing over the menu. The purple haired waitress wrote down the order before taking the menu, looking at me next.
"I'll have the Chef's Choice Salad as well, thanks," I chimed in with a smile, waiting as she wrote down my order before handing her my menu. She took it, turning to Black next.
"I'll have the smoked Ducklett with a side of spinach and mashed potatoes please!" he said with a large smile. He also waited until Sora had written down his order before holding out his menu.
"And for the Pokémon?" she asked, flipping to a different sheet.
"An order each of the Seafood Delight for the Oshawott," Black said.
"An order each of the Pidove Special for the Lillipup," I added.
"And an order for Purrloin," Cheren added. Sora scribbled down the orders quickly.
"An order of Mixed Berries for Tepig," Bianca said.
"And Patrat," Black added.
"And Snivy," Cheren finished. Sora smiled as she finished writing.
"You're orders will be ready soon. I'll send Cameron over with a bread basket in the mean while," Sora said, smiling briefly at us before she left.
"Oh good, we're getting our food soon," Bianca commented, "I was just getting hungry." I nodded vaguely, looking down at the gym arena, wondering when the battles would start.
"I think the battles will start soon, since Sabrina, Aaron, and Brendan need to be briefed on the rules," Cheren said, taking a sip of his water.
"I swear, it's like I have a thought bubble over my head that only Cheren can see," I said, "Because whenever I have a question, Cheren answers it when I don't say anything!"
"I think his glasses allow him to read our minds," Bianca replied.
"That's a good theory, and it would explain a lot," Black commented.
"I'm sitting right here you guys! Quit talking about me like I'm not here!"
"Did you hear something?"
"Not funny White!"
"I was just kidding!"
"Yeah, right," Cheren said, rolling his eyes. I stuck my tongue out at him, making a face.
"Can you two stop flirting for all of three seconds?' Black asked with a sigh. I huffed back, exaggerating it.
"Oh please, you wouldn't know flirting if it came up and punched you in the face," Cheren said, cleaning his glasses with the edge of his shirt.
"Here's your bread! I brought some snacks for your Pokémon too," Crystal said, walking up to us and placing a covered basket in the middle of the table. She then put some steaming biscuits on our Pokémons' plates.
"Your orders will be out soon, but in the mean time enjoy the bread!" she chirped before sliding off.
End~
A/N: Son of a fuck. Holy fucking shit that took ages. I just couldn't find a stopping point, and the one I chose kinda sucks…but damn it I was edging on twenty five pages in Word! Fuck this.
Next time we shall view some gym battles and other shenanigans. And eat lunch. Yes. We shall eat lunch as well.
Sorry for the long wait! I got distracted and then lazy and then Sherlock and Supernatural happened and then I started shipping people in my gym class and then I got lazy again. Whoopsidaisy.
Heads up folks, there may be a long wait in between chapters. I haven't started chapter 11 yet (SHH!) and I'm playing that fun game where I train for my black belt whist studying for finals, working 2-4 times a week, and trying to finish Supernatural before November and Homestuck before August! I'll do my best to be timely, but don't get your hopes up.
Kthxbai
~Wildfire