The battle was intense.
The two opponents faced each other, neither side willing to give into the other. The two were surprisingly focused, more than I had ever seen from either of them so far. I guess that patience was really more like stubbornness now that I think about it. They locked eyes and circled each other, making no moves beyond that, waiting for the other to become impatient and make a move. It was a battle of wits now, and whoever outsmarted the other was going to be the victor and they played out this real life game of chess. Suddenly, one of them charged.
"You're mine!"
"Noibat!"
Celeste lunged at Sasha, but the little Noibat deftly dodged out of her way, carrying a hat in her feet. Her trainer recovered quickly though, and whirled around to leap at Sasha again. This time Sasha wasn't able to react so quickly, and she squeaked in alarm when Celeste locked her arms around her.
"Gotcha! You little brat! Give that back!" Celeste said over her pokemon's angry squeaks. Everyone watched in stunned, and amused, silence as Celeste wrestled with Sasha to try and retrieve the had.
"Um, I have more of those in the back, she really doesn't need to go to all this trouble." Nurse Joy said, blinking at the spectacle.
"No trouble at all. Sasha doesn't want the hat she wants the attention. Besides, I THINK they'll tire out eventually." I responded.
"Is that Noibat new?" Asked a trainer standing next to us, he and his Fletchling watching the two with fascination.
"OW! You bit me! I can't believe you bit me! I'll tell Boomer!" Celeste yelped as she pulled her hand back, still clamping tightly onto Sasha with the other.
"Yeah, we caught her and her brother hours ago in Santalune Forest." I told him as Sasha broke free. Celeste grabbed onto the hat and held on tight, and the two were now playing Tug-of-War.
"Noibat!" Sasha squeaked angrily.
"Give it back!" Celeste snarled.
"What were they doing there?" Asked a female trainer who was standing behind her female Meowstic.
"Sasha was a nutcase even when we caught her. We think she and her brother got kicked out of the flock because of how crazy she is." I answered.
"Wow, they are still going at it. They are going to sleep very well tonight." Vixen said. Sasha flapped her wings hard to try and take back the hat, but she was no match for Celeste's determination. The coordinator glared hard at her pokemon, keeping a firm grip on the hat. Suddenly, she grinned at Sasha, and her fingers clenched even tighter.
"Okay, you can have it!" She said, letting go.
"Noi!" Sasha squeaked as she and the hat went flying across the room, smacking into the door of the pokemart. She slid down the glass surface slowly, and upon touching the bottom the door slid open, the bell inside ringing. We all giggled as Sasha moaned from dizziness while Celeste walked over triumphantly, snatching the hat easily from Sasha's loosened grip and then scooping up the Noibat in her other arm. She strutted over to the desk as we parted to make room, and she held her prize out to Nurse Joy.
"I believe this belongs to you." She said proudly. The pokemon doctor smiled and took the hat back, replacing it on her head.
"Thank you, um, would you like me to give her another checkup?" She asked. Celeste set Sasha down on the counter, and Nurse Joy gave her a quick lookover.
"I'm not a doctor but I think she'll be fine, I've seen her take worse before." Celeste said, frowning. She was probably referring to Sasha's spectacular fail against Sabrina earlier, and Nurse Joy hummed and nodded her head.
"Yes, she seems to be just fine. Give her a little while to come out of the daze before you try to battle with her." She told her. Celeste nodded and picked up Sasha, holding her against her chest and turning to us.
"Ready to go? I wanna see what this Gym Leader is all about!" Celeste chirped excitedly. Vixen and I smiled and we nodded at her, making our way out of the Pokemon Center.
"So, do we know where we are going?" Vixen asked. Celeste stopped immediately and turned to us with a sheepish grin.
"Um….I don't suppose you have a map?" Celeste asked. Vixen and I sighed at her in exasperation as we looked around.
"I guess we can just pick a direction and see where that gets us?" I said.
"Hello hello! You guys look lost, need a little help?" Called a voice. We turned around to see a tall, green-eyed woman beaming at us. She had short, cream-colored hair that was styled in loops, and her bangs were parted and curled by the sides of her face. A large camera hung from a purple strap around her neck, bouncing against her chest. She wore a white tank top and a pair of light blue capris with a white drawstring.
"Nope! We're-ow! You bit me again!" Celeste said, glaring at a now-alert Sasha. I rolled my eyes as the newcomer tilted her head in confusion. I reached out to her, and she smiled and took my hand, giving it a firm shake.
"Don't worry about her, what she means is we'd be glad to have a little help. My name is Aldith, this is Vixen and that nutcase with the Noibat is Celeste. We're trying to get to the gym, do you mind telling us where it is?" I asked. The woman beamed and reached into her pocket, pulling her hand back out and held it out to us, showing us a small, beetle-shaped pendent.
"I'll do you one better, I'll show you where it is myself. My name is Viola, I am the Santalune Gym Leader." She beamed. Celeste and Sasha gasped in surprise while my eyes widened, and all of us grinned at her.
"Well that is very nice of you, thanks!" I said. Viola giggled and nodded at us, and she began to walk away with us close behind.
"Man they really do it right here in Kalos. I wish the Gym Leaders back home took me right to their gyms, would have made navigating the city much easier." Vixen said, making me chuckle.
"Oh? Where are you from?" Viola asked as we passed a Roselia-shaped water fountain.
"I live in Unova, I came here with Aldith to help her through a personal crises and now it's just a vacation." Vixen said. Viola chuckled warmly and turned to Vixen.
"Well that's very nice of you, I hope you enjoy your stay here. Are you going to take part in the Pokemon League here?" She asked. Vixen laughed and shook her head.
"No, I already went through the gyms in Unova, and I've got a new goal to work for. Technically, I'm supposed to be training to take over for my dad one day. I haven't been doing much of that over the last couple of days." She said, ending her sentence with a sheepish tone.
"Aww don't worry Vixy, I'm sure Grimsley will forgive you for enjoying yourself. You're his little princess, he can't get or stay mad at you." I teased. Viola stopped and whipped around, looking at Vixen in astonishment.
"Wait wait wait, Grimsley? As in, the Dark-Type user of the Elite Four in Unova? I didn't know he had a daughter!" She said excitedly. Vixen blinked at her and smiled, chuckling sheepishly at her.
"Um, well, I'm not actually related to him. I started out his apprentice and after my mom died, he and Shauntal adopted me so that I could live at the Pokemon League." She explained. Viola grinned and leaned in close, making Vixen nervous.
"Really?! They're married?! What a scoop! My big sister works for the Lumiose Press and she would LOVE to hear about this!" Viola said. Vixen blinked and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, silently begging me to help. I smiled and reached out to her, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind me, away from the overzealous Gym Leader.
"No, they're not married, I don't think they are even dating. The Unova Elite Four absolutely adore her, and the only reason Shauntal signed the papers and not Caitlin is because Caitlin's past is uglier than hers. Anyway why should a KALOS newspaper care about what happens in UNOVA?" I asked, raising a brow. Viola turned red and straightened herself up, looking away in embarrassment.
"Um, sorry. Alexa says that news has been slow lately and a column about other parts of the world might be refreshing." She said, walking away again. I blinked at her as we resumed following her.
"Why not just do an article on Xerneas? The Tree of Life was found, isn't that a good scoop?" Celeste asked as we came up to the gym. Viola groaned and hung her head and arms.
"Yeah, it would be if we could get anywhere near it. I tried to throw my weight as a Gym Leader around so I could go take pictures, but even Korrina and Grant aren't allowed in even though they are supplying the guards." She complained.
"Can't you ask Malva to pull footage from her site?" Vixen asked, peeking around me. We came up to a large building that had the Pokemon League symbol on it in an obnoxious, light green-yellow color that looked like something gross. Use your imagination to figure out what it looked like. Viola straightened up immediately and whirled around to face us with a big smile.
"Nah, she's a bit of a prick, she'd ask for a bunch of royalties and stuff. Anyway enough of that, welcome to the Santalune Gym!" she said. I smiled as she led us inside, only to see a small studio that had two huge photos on the back wall, one depicting a Butterfree landing on a flower, and the other depicting some leaves with dewdrops on them. In the middle of the room, there was a big hole in the floor, with a long rope reaching from the ceiling into it.
"So, I am assuming everything is down there?" I asked, Celeste groaned as she saw the rope.
"Aww man, do we HAVE to climb the rope?" She complained. Viola chuckled as she walked around the hole to the Butterfree picture.
"Nope! Well, you do, but I don't." She said, rapping the wall next to the picture with her knuckles. The picture suddenly pushed forward and slid to the side, revealing a secret passageway.
"Oooo, that reminds me of that secret compartment in my room that Lola sleeps in." Vixen said. Viola smiled at her, beckoning over to the portrait.
"Since you aren't challenging my gym, you don't have to do the puzzle either, you can wait at the end with me if you want." She offered. Vixen squeaked and hid behind me again.
"Um, no thanks, I like puzzles." She said nervously. Viola nodded understandingly at her and giggled at us.
"Well, good luck you guys! See you at the end!" She said, disappearing into the passageway. As the picture slid back into place, Vixen heaved a sigh of relief and stopped hiding behind me, making her way over to the rope.
"You okay Vixy? She didn't scare you, did she?" I asked. She smiled as Romeo looked down the hole, leaping into it while Vixen grabbed the rope.
"We're seriously going to do this? What if I get rope burn?" Celeste complained. I ignored her as I made my way over to the rope while Vixen leapt up, climbing down the rope.
"Reporters make me nervous because I don't know how to do interviews, and they can trap me with their questions. Plus, I don't like being in the spotlight anyway." She said as she slowly moved out of sight. I reached out and grabbed the rope firmly.
"Hold still and hang on tight, I'm getting on." I told her. When I felt the rope stop moving, I quickly leapt up and clung to it, and I slowly started moving down.
"We're seriously doing it. I can't believe it." Celeste said. I continued to ignore her as I looked down to make sure I didn't bump into Vixen.
"Go ahead now. And I can understand not wanting to give an interview. Some reporters can be slimy, but you know, there is a way to tell the difference between a trap, and someone who is genuinely curious." I told her. She started moving, and slowly but surely, we descended enough to see the gym. To my surprise, there was a giant spiderweb underneath us, with the rope reaching down to the middle. There were plants scattered around the outside of the web, and dew covered the leaves and some of the strands of the web.
"How is that?" Vixen asked, looking around in wonder. I smiled as I looked at a platform on one side of the web with a line reaching out to it. Viola stood on it and seemed to be on the phone, but she did look up at us and waved at us. Beside her, Romeo stared at the web in fascination and swished his tail around.
"The reporters who want the truth for the sake of telling the story will get really, really excited when they think they've hit on something big, just like Viola. No one can really fake that. Not around you. You live with Sarah, Sorrel, Summer and Pepper. You know what real excitement and curiosity is." I told her. We finally reached the bottom, and after stretching her leg out tentatively to it, Vixen jumped onto the center of the web. She stepped back a little to give me room to drop down as well, and the web bounced when I did.
"Oof, this is going to be fun. Hey Celeste! Don't come down yet! There's not enough room for three people!" Vixen said. She smiled appreciatively at me, silently thanking me for my reassurance. I smiled back and patted her head softly, looking around.
"Um, Viola? What do we do?" I asked. She looked up and smiled, still on the phone.
"Can I call you back in an hour or so? I've got some challengers. Yes, yes I am a Gym Leader. Haha yes, I'll be happy to tell you about my matches today as long as you tell me about that Sanctuary. Thanks, yes thank you, yes, goodbye." She said, hanging up her phone. She sighed as though she were exhausted.
"Everything okay?" I asked. She smiled and waved dismissively at me.
"Yes, it's just a never-ending grind when it comes to collecting news. Anyway, this puzzle is a demonstration of the how alike my two professions are. Photography and Pokemon Battling are almost one in the same, there are many angles to look at, there are so many details to what you see, and sometimes there is even chaos that makes it hard to focus. There is always one perfect solution though, whether it is for a winning strategy or for the perfect shot!" She began, gesturing to the web.
"Look through my eyes, challenger. There is only one correct path along the strands of my web to reach me. If you can manage to see things the way I do, you will find it." She finished, smiling. I looked at Vixen and saw she had started to scan the web with her electronic eye. I chuckled and snapped my fingers at her.
"Nuh-uh-uh, Vixy. Don't help us. Call out Lola and go wait with Romeo and Viola." I told her. She smiled as her eye readjusted for normal vision, and she reached up to grip her pokeball tightly.
"Are you sure? I wasn't kidding when I said I liked puzzles." She said. I chuckled as I reached for the rope, grabbing it tightly.
"Then figure it out from the platform, but don't help us. I like a good puzzle myself, Celeste and I will figure this out." I told her. She smiled and plucked her pokeball off, throwing it up and summoning her Hydreigon out.
"Drei?" Lola asked. Vixen patted her side, and after Lola helped her onto her back, the three-headed dragon carried her over to where the Gym Leader waited. Upon dismounting, Vixen sat down on a chair that Viola offered her and petted Romeo when he moved to greet her.
"Good luck Aldith!" Vixen called. I smiled and looked up at the hole in the ceiling.
"Hey Celeste! Can you hear me? Vixen's off now, come on down so we can get started!" I yelled. Her head appeared in the distance, looking down at me. She was too far for me to really make out her expression, but given the complaining earlier, I'm sure it was something along the lines of disgust.
"Do I have to? Can't you send that Hydreigon over to come get me? I could get calluses." She yelled down. I rolled my eyes and sighed in exasperation.
"Either you climb down here, or I will climb back up and push you. Either way, you are getting on this web with me." I yelled back, making Vixen laugh from her spot.
"But but but! Ow! Sasha, stop it! Wait, wait what are you-? OW! Ow ow ow stop! Stop stop stop! Okay okay, I'm on! Happy now?!" Celeste cried out, clinging to the rope while her Noibat fluttered a little ways away. Satisfied with her handiwork, Sasha fluttered down and settled on my head.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks Sasha." I said.
"Bat." She replied with a snort. I kept my grip on the rope as I stared at Celeste's unmoving form, feeling myself grow impatient.
"Seriously? Celeste, get down here. I'll start swinging if you don't get moving." I told her, wiggling the rope a bit to make my point.
"You wouldn't dare!" Celeste snapped.
"Wanna bet?" I replied. Celeste huffed, but she still refused to move. I rolled my eyes again and went to carry out my threat when Sasha left my head, fluttering in front of me. I blinked at her and tilted my head as she got closer, batting at my hands with her wings. I let go of the rope and started backing up as she fluttered over to me, and when I stepped on a strand of web, she stopped. She nodded and squeaked at me, turning around to flutter up to Celeste.
"Oh no. Celeste, you might want to get moving NOW." I warned. She looked up at Sasha above her, smiling wickedly at her.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't like it, Sasha. No, no no no, no. Sasha, no. Sasha-AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Celeste began to scream as Sasha bit at her hands. Loosing her grip, Celeste fell and came flying down, Sasha flying back to me. I knelt and grabbed the strand I stood on as Celeste hit the web, making it bounce violently. She flipped over and reached out for a strand, pulling herself over to it and hugging it for dear life. The web slowed down, and when it stopped bouncing, Celeste turned her head and glared hard at me and her now-cackling Noibat.
"Um, are you okay?" I asked.
"Shut up." She growled, shakily pulling herself into a standing position. I smiled innocently as I stood up as well, reaching out to Sasha, though she pulled away with a huff. I shrugged and turned to a very angry Celeste.
"So, we might as well get going. Let's figure out how to do this." I said, looking at the web to try and figure out how to navigate it.
"We walk on the glowy lines." She grumbled. I blinked and looked up at her, seeing she was staring angrily at the web.
"How do you know?" I asked. Her gaze intensified as she looked around before starting off in a direction.
"I had an Ariados that knew Spider Web, and used it for an appeal that involved us dancing on it. I kept breaking the web when we started, and Spike had to make it thicker so that it would hold us both. This web has some kind of cable inside to make it stronger, which is what makes it glow. Walk on the glow." She said, walking away. I blinked again, marveling at her cleverness, and started after her. It was oddly quiet as we walked on the web, and the longer the silence went on, the more uncomfortable I got. I walked a bit more quickly to catch up to her.
"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching for her shoulder. She wrenched it away from me and sent a chilling glare at me, turning away to continue forward.
"Fine." She muttered. I frowned at her as Sasha flew over to land in her hair, and was shocked when Celeste ducked before the Noibat could. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, anything, that would make Celeste herself again. I didn't know what exactly I could say though, and I had to be careful not to upset her further.
'Those who are full of life need to be reminded how wonderful it is every now and again.' I blinked as I took a quick glance around the gym. Would I ever find this voice? I would love to ask it who it was and why it spoke to me, but every time it spoke, I couldn't track it. Perhaps if I focus on wondering who it was, it would tell me the next time it spoke to me.
For now though, I had to figure out how to interpret the advice it gave me. As it said, Celeste was very much full of life, but she was also in a lot of pain. It seemed to be exacerbated by the way Sasha was acting today. Perhaps she needs to see that Sasha has some good inside of her, she just needs a firm, kind hand to nurture that side of her. I think I knew just the pokemon to help her see that.
I reached down and plucked Boomer's Pokeball off my belt, holding it up to let him out. He appeared in front of me with a gentle smile. I smiled back and reached out to hug him.
"Boomer, play with Sasha, Celeste needs to see what you see in her." I breathed, barely able to hear myself. Just as I hoped, Boomer was able to hear me thanks to those fantastic ears of his, and he flew away to join his sister. He squeaked at her before he rushed her, and soon the two were playing an elaborate game of tag. I nodded in approval and looked at Celeste as she continued to lead us along the web. She snuck a glance at the playful pair, and I saw a faint smile appear on her lips. I reached out for her shoulder again and this time she allowed me to grab it and squeeze it tightly.
"I don't know what to do…" She said quietly. I squeezed her shoulder again as we began to approach the platform where Viola, Vixen, and Romeo waited.
"Just believe in yourself and in your pokemon, everything else will work out." I said. Celeste looked at me doubtfully, but said nothing as we stepped onto the platform.
"Welcome girls! Good job figuring out my puzzle, you made it here relatively quickly! So, who is going first?" Viola asked. Celeste turned to me and grinned, much to my relief. I nodded at her and let her in front of me as Viola led us to the battlefield below the platform, under the giant web puzzle.
Show me what you've got, Celeste!
TBC
Sorry this took longer than the last chapters. If you read "A Mother's Love", then you know I was staying with my mother this weekend (and that by putting that out, I technically didn't miss the deadline XD). I am very easily distracted by Youtube when I'm over there because she has cable internet, which means I can watch all the videos I want without worrying about getting capped.
So, Celeste is going to have her Gym Battle first, and then I am planning on Aldith going after. I need your opinions on something guys, do you want to see every gym battle onscreen, or are you okay with me alternating between the two girls? So like, for example, we'll see both girls battle for the Bug Badge, but when we go for the Cliff Badge, we'll only see either Aldith or Celeste's onscreen, and then when we go for the Rumble Badge we'll see the battle of the girl we didn't see last time. I feel like alternating is the best way to preserve my sanity so that I don't have to write the same battle twice. Double battles are out of the question because there is literally only one gym designed for that, and it's in Hoenn. Plus, it would be a cop-out in my eyes.
But hey, LDR wouldn't even exist if it weren't for you guys in the first place, so I think it's only fair that you get some say in how certain events are executed.
Also, I'm kinda sick right now (hence why I'm at home and not at Mom's anymore), so I don't know how diligently I'll be able to work on the next chapter. I won't try to push too hard, but I'm going to aim for my Sunday deadline at the latest.
By the way, I managed to do some work on the Wiki while I was at Mom's. Vixen and Aldith now have profiles with information, while the LDR Article has been updated. You should check it out when you get the chance! The URL should have Pokemonunderdogseries in it. Feel free to fill in missing parts of the wiki if you would like, I won't get angry at you for it, though I may correct any errors that get put up. ;3
Onto Chapter 10!