Big creepy crawling things... lovely.
Well, sometimes, I had been accused of wasting money. True enough, I did blow off my allowances on items I would later lose interest in, but there was still a limit to these things.
Was I the only person that visited this gym that was simply shocked that they had recreated a forest inside it? Sure, bug types thrived for these, but it was not like Azalea Town was a in a coastal area or something; it was in the middle of the woods! Why didn't they just get out of town and battle there instead of wasting money on maintaining an artificial forest in the middle of a natural one!
«Though luck, champ, » Martin commented as the opponent's kakuna dodged Levys' attack.
«It was a nice try. » Anna shrugged, seemingly not interested by the battle.
To think she had insisted to come…
Of course, that had led Martin to insist that he would come with us as well. The end result was that I was now plowing through the gym trainers (no, not exactly) with an overcrowded audience. Neither of the two had returned their pokémon and it was really enervating to have them follow me around.
Fortunately, it also had an effect on my opponents. Seeing such an army cheering up on me (not that they really did that…) took its toll on their enthusiasm. At some points, the younger gym trainers – which really were just my age or younger – screwed up because of the stress.
Every time it happened, I tried to restrain myself from taking advantage of it. That was just unfair. It got me a look from Anna and another one from Levys, though the latter's was much more of the confused variety than the former's.
Then again, I said I tried…
«Tail Slap! » I yelled, doing my best to ignore my audience's reactions.
«Dodge it! » The gym trainer ordered, getting quite angry himself.
Once more, Levys' tail only hit the ground, the cocoon creature moving out of the way just in time. How did it manage to move like that? It was in a cocoon!
«Now Poison Sting! »
«Oh no, you don't! Levys, Splash! »
One good hit against the ground and he was soaring through the sky (which included everything over my head in my point of view).
I superbly ignored both my opponent's and Anna's surprise at Levys' performance. To add insult to the injury, he landed exactly in the middle of his tank and looked in an insolently good health.
«No! » The gym trainer screamed. «No, no, no! I will not be defeated by a guy with a magikarp that uses inexistent attacks and Splash! And what kind of attack is Tail Slap anyway, huh? It's nowhere in the pokédex, you cheater! »
Oh, he did not just call me that!
«Hey! Falkner himself said it was a valid way to fight! Is it my fault that everyone brags about being able to use Tackle? Is that really a feat worthy of celebration? »
«Ah, you just say that because your magikarp is not strong enough to use it! » The idiot taunted me!
«THAT'S IT! Levys, tackle that fool's kakuna into oblivion! » I pointed to the cocoon pokémon, completely enraged.
Levys jumped and span, dodging an array of Poison Sting.
I recognized the way he was diving instantly. It gave me the very definite feeling that he was going to crush his enemy with his next attack. Although this time, there was something completely off about the way he moved.
I did not see any of his muscles contract as he prepared to turn around and slap the kakuna. Instead, he was resolutely charging headfirst into the battle.
My jaw dropped and so did a few others.
The kakuna was stuck between a magikarp and a hard place and fainted.
And that was so far from the epicness that I had always pictured him to be that I should not be unable to speak. Then again, so was the gym trainer.
«Karp! » Levys smiled and hopped back into his tank.
«YES! » I ran to him and high fived him as hard as I could (…and I was still the one pushed back). I then eyed the gym trainer smugly. «You wanted a Tackle, you got it. Happy? »
Without a word, gritting his teeth and grumbling under his breath about the death of all smug newbies, the trainer left after handing me some money.
I counted the bills with a grin. I was finally starting to get my momentum.
«Good job, champ! » Martin swoop me off my feet and hugged the life out of me. «Levys finally learned how to use Tackle. »
«Yeah, that was impressive enough to blind me. » Anna added, no hint of emotion whatsoever in her voice, though I knew better. She was happy for me behind that sarcasm.
«Indeed. The last time it happened to me was when Linda used Flash before I closed my eyes. It took me a good five minutes of wandering with my eyes closed to see anything. »
Somehow, picturing Martin stumbling over rocks, trees and rivers with his eyes closed was really easy to imagine, not to mention it was good stress relief.
«But that's not today's lesson. What you learned today is that you can do anything if people taunt you into it. » He grinned and his exeggutor looked away in shame while every other pokémon Martin owned started laughing.
«Hey! Don't use my moments of triumph to tease your pokémon! » I protested and gained the instant loyalty of Three.
Perfect, now that this was done, I could coerce with him to overthrow Martin and… well, do something… maybe give him a psychic hug? I still had to put more thought into it, really.
«Ah, sorry, cub, I couldn't resist. You're right though, it's a good moment to celebrate. It means Levys will evolve soon. »
I fell silent. Arceus, I had not thought of that. It was true though… magikarps evolve not long after they learn how to use Tackle.
Somehow, the image of a terrifying gyarados replacing Levys did not make me feel at ease, quite the opposite actually. It gave me shivers and I promptly pushed that image to the back of my mind.
«Karp! » Levys happily joined in on the hug and fell on my head.
I grinned at that. He really was much cooler than I could have possibly imagined before.
Anna was calmly observing the scene from a safe distance, not wanting to be dragged into it or to miss a single detail of it.
«You two are just like brothers, you knew that? » She remarked, to my absolute horror and to Martin's endless bliss.
«You think? » He asked, smiling from one ear to another.
«You think? » I cried, cringing thoroughly. I could not look related to him, could I? He was making the world mad and was slowly taking away my peace of mind and sanity.
And boredom.
…huh? Where did that come from?
«You definitely should marry her later, champ. She's a good person. » Oh Arceus, smite him!
«Enough with the insinuations already. » She flickered at his forehead and he pouted.
Well, it was true she was a good person… but marriage could not rely exclusively on bashing Martin. It was a good start, really; it just needed something more.
I freed myself from his grip and grabbed Levys. Just after that, I returned him and kneeled next to the aquarium. I took a few deep breaths before I lifted it. It was heavier than it looked!
«…how many more gym trainers are there left? » I turned to Anna.
She had challenged him yesterday, she had to remember at least this much.
«He was the last, » she declared and, noticing my mortified look, shrugged. «Well, you have to challenge Bugsy now, don't you? »
Yeah, I had to… if I wanted to get his badge.
…If I wanted to risk the same fiasco as what happened in Violet Town. No matter what Falkner had to say about it, I had not deserved that badge. I was not quite sure I was ready to take another blow like that to my self-esteem.
But Anna had to leave tonight. She had paid another trainer to teleport here and give her three days to try to beat Bugsy. After that, he would teleport her back to Mahogany, where she would try to get the Obscurity Badge.
Since I had promised to let her see my battle against him, I had to do it in the next few hours. Somehow, I doubted I could delay it more than by five minutes. This gym was a forest, not a maze.
Martin had interjected that Three was perfectly able to teleport her back to Mahogany if time was the constraint, but she had made a promise (contracts counted too for her) and she was no hypocrite. She did not break her promises.
I followed her and Martin through the artificially created woods. The few pet pokémon living there did not give us any trouble, even if Linda had one taken off to see a pair of baby ledybans once or twice.
In a matter of minutes, we had reached a clearing where a purple-haired man ten years older than Martin was waiting, feeding some caterpies and weedles with a smile on his face.
Bugsy, the bug type specialist and gym leader of Azalea City.
«Oh, a trio of… wait, you're not challengers. » He frowned, recognizing Anna.
«Oh, we're just the guides and audience this time around, » Martin easily explained.
A light of understanding went through his gaze and he put on a little smile.
«Good, I was afraid I would have to tell you two that you could not challenge a gym leader you had already won against. »
I froze.
What?
The image of the Zephyr badge floated in my mind, just as I dropped it in the lake. It had not been the end of the world then, since I had decided to challenge him later on.
But Bugsy had just made a dozen different alerts ring in my head!
The fact that he had recognized Martin, who had stopped training years ago, just made it worse! Arceus! I had to go back now and… no… that was not right…
«Admittedly, I would not have to worry too much about losing another badge to you, Sunny Martin, but… » He stood up, smug.
I saw Anna flinch, as if the nickname rang a bell.
«Oh come on, Bugsy, that was years ago. I bet I could take you on with just Skull now. » Martin indignantly pointed out at his fire type.
To Martin's credit, the gym leader did eye Skull with caution afterward. That probably would not have happened if he knew how much of a puppy the gigantic dog was.
«Anyway, I assume that the boy is the challenger this time. A friend of yours, perhaps? »
«Yes, he is, to both these questions, » Anna confirmed his guess, but nothing else.
«Alright then, you'd be my third challenge of the day. This period of the year is always a bit slower, if only because the Slowpoke Well is closed for a few more days. »
Ah, I wasn't aware of that.
«The Rockets are probably not going to rise from their ashes after fifteen years, you know? » Martin said casually, shrugging.
«No, but what they did was actually profitable for them and it is this town's duty to ensure that the law was enforced and that these poor slowpokes don't go through that again. »
I shot Anna a look and I was relieved to see that she was apparently just as lost as I was. History… nah, not my cup of tea.
«You are probably right about that, but the new regulations should allow you to get a bit more control over that problem, no? »
«Not really. » Bugsy dismissed his supposition with a simple gesture and that was that.
Something pushed me in the back, not forcefully mind you, but enough to make me stumble forward.
«Oh, right, the challenger. » The gym leader turned to me, displaying a dull surprise.
«Huh… » Okay, I knew it would come down to this sooner or later, but this was not what I had in mind.
What I had in mind did not involve an audience watching me almost trip while I was trying to take place on the battlefield. Even better, what I had in mind did not involve an audience, period.
«Now, this is going to be good. » Martin grinned and led his team to the side of the clearing, where a bench was waiting, inviting.
«I certainly hope it will, » Anna replied and took place next to him.
I gulped down nervously and faced Bugsy.
«Alright, I take it this is your second gym battle? » He inquired, mostly as a formality than anything else it seems.
I nodded and waited for him to continue.
«In that case, do you need me to remind you of the rules of the gym battles? »
«Y-Yes please. » I agreed and tried not to stutter, without much success.
«Oh, as you wish… » He frowned, taken a bit by surprise.
The fish tank was already built and the water, inside, but… if I could delay it just a bit more…
«I will use three pokémon, you may use as many as you wish. The battles will be one-on-one, where you will be allowed to switch once per battle. I will not switch my pokémon during our fight. Returning a pokémon means that you must call out a different one next. The first person to have no pokémon to call out next is the loser and he will hand over a certain amount of money to the winner. If you do win, I will give you a badge and a technical machine as well. Do you understand? »
I nodded, my mouth dry from the anxiety.
I could not delay this any further. I could not back down either. They would never let me do this. Especially not Anna. This was a compensation for a broken promise.
Now, if only I could remember what Bugsy used with the added bonus of knowing it could not injure Levys seriously, I'd be set.
«Come on out, Metapod! »
Wow, that was more than what I asked for…
Time to wipe the floor with a gym leader then.
I called out Levys and grinned, confident in his capacity to defeat that big cocoon.
I did not, however, see the look of surprise on Bugsy's face coming.
Really? Really! «A… magikarp? » He slowly commented, not realizing how irritating that was after the fiftieth time!
«No! No, nO, nooooo… no! » I could feel my left eye twitch as I tried not to simply explode out of annoyance. My instinct told me Anna would not be happy to have to clean out guts and blood today.
«What? » The gym leader wondered, clueless. «I just thought it was unusual to use a magikarp in a gym battle. »
Oh, how original. That's only the hundredth time I heard that this week!
«Well, you thought WRONG! » I lashed out, half of me horrified for saying that to a gym leader. «Because Levys is not a magikarp! »
Arceus… what was I doing?
Clearly, the thought crossed the mind of every single other sentient being on the battlefield, Levys included… or should I say especially Levys.
I had to admit the baffled look on him was new. That was only the second time I really saw it.
Well, it was not like I could back away and sink down into a hole just now, right? The best to do was to dig myself into a deeper hole. With some luck, it'd be too deep for anyone to ever find me again.
«No! Levys is actually a ditto IN DISGUISE! It was all to lure you into a false sentiment of security! Now, BEHOLD as he takes his true form! Levys, jump into the air and show us all who you really are! » I pointed to the sky, taking on the biggest villain cliché I could find as my persona and charming my audience with my acting talent.
It just fell a little bit short when Levys hopped in the air once and landed into his fish tank without the glamorous special effects I had imagined.
What? Was a giant robot transformation too much to ask?
«Well, I guess champ's hit his head hard when he almost tripped. » Martin broke the silence when he confided, very loudly, to Anna.
To my greater embarrassment, she shrugged and continued to destroy my reputation.
«I don't think so. He was always like that whenever we played superheroes. » She calmly pointed out and proceeded to look even more nonchalant than before. «I bet he's even happy inside. »
If by happiness, she meant feeling like I was dying on the inside, then yeah, that would be extremely accurate. Tauros' eyes, right on, that kind of accuracy.
In front of us, Bugsy looked very uneasy with my outburst and was trying to figure out a way to ask me nicely if I needed to be checked at the nearest hospital.
«Are you okay? » He hesitated, a tentative smile on his lips.
«That's it. I need to call Dora. » I fumbled my hands into my pockets, trying to remember where I had left her pokéball.
«…what? »
It was really getting weird now. I was struggling to find Dora's pokéball and I could not remember where I had left it and I was starting to shake under the pressure of everyone just staring at me! I could just feel a burn where Orion, Martin's starmie, had to be staring at me. And I was not even sure that pokémon had eyes!
Okay, I had to get Dora out! She was part ground type; she would surely be able to dig me a hole so deep people would travel to Unova without trouble just by jumping in it.
Operation «hide forever»: starting now!
…Or a second later, when I was not being lifted without consideration like a bag of veggies, for example.
«Calm down, cub. » He sounded a lot less like the normal Martin and a lot more like a sane person. That was freaky enough to distract me. «You're way too nervous. Just relax. »
A few meters away, Anna was suddenly assaulted by a powerful yet brief fit of coughing which sounded amazingly closed to «Bros forever. ».
More aggravating yet, Bugsy chose that time out of all possible times of the Universe to comment.
«You two are quite close, aren't you? » And he had the gall to smile like a kind adult walking in on a scene of loving brothers bonding over their new videogame!
«Three! Save me! » I begged the grass-type, which was thankfully nice enough to help.
By help, I mean separating us with its psychic power and throwing Martin into the nearest bushes.
Arceus be thanked for rebellious coconut trees.
Note to self: find a way to develop psychic power. That would undoubtedly come in handy later.
Unfortunately, Big Ma rescued him and brought him with her Vine Whip back to his place on the bench. It was also followed by a powerful smack to the back of the exeggutor's heads and snickering from the rest of the team.
Yikes, after careful consideration, I might not be that jealous of Martin's team after all…
«Sorry to interrupt you, but we were supposed to have a gym battle here. » Bugsy remarked rather casually, though his concern was still obvious.
My expression slipped down slightly. If I had a say in it, no, that gym battle would not be happening at all.
A quick glance in Anna's direction was all the incentive I needed. I did not have the right to back down from this challenge.
«Bring it on. » I hardened my resolve and grinned.
«Technically, the first move is yours, » Bugsy replied.
Great, just great…
My ears and my cheeks burned, even more when I heard my audience restraining itself from laughing out loud.
«Levys! Tackle! »
He leaped out of his aquarium with a surprising speed and dove unto the unmoving metapod. I even thought he would be able to get the first hit before it reacted, but my opponent was a gym leader after all.
«Harden, » Bugsy said, a bit too calm to my liking.
I saw the pokémon's armor glitter for a second and I gulped down. That was not good.
Levys' attack connected without trouble, though I could swear that Bugsy's metapod had not been phased.
On the plus side, he had been pushed back a few feet backward with the hit. On the other hand, Levys had fallen to the ground and was flopping on the ground instinctively.
«Now, counter it with Tackle. »
«Splash! » I yelled as fast as I could.
Once more, my magikarp skyrocketed, spinning more than usual to dodge an incoming attack.
«Quick, Tail Slap! »
Like many before him, Bugsy tilted his head on the side in incomprehension. «What now? » He asked.
I was certainly not going to answer in the middle of battle, or, more precisely, in the middle of said attack.
The metapod did not move in time to dodge and Levys' tail smacked it square in the face (if it had one…).
It was sent flying, with more force than I first remembered. It literally rocketed through the air, going fast.
I breathe a sigh a relief. That should be enough to knock it off, right?
«Now, Metapod, String Shot! »
The bug type pokémon shot that disgusting thin web at a tree and used it as a sort of vine to orient its track. Namely… right back onto the field, in Levys' direction.
«Harden. »
This time, the glittering really made me sweat.
It rammed into my starter at full speed.
«Kaaaaaaaaaaaarp! » Levys screamed out in pain.
«LEVYS! » I took a step forward, barely able to stop myself from running onto the battlefield.
He jumped back into his tank without waiting for my order. By the way he was swimming, he was not feeling well. I really wanted to take his pokéball and call him back.
«Karp! » He said, without even needing to look back.
In that word, there was a powerful imperative and I had no trouble imagining what it meant.
Do not return me!
I grimaced. I did not like where that was going, but I also knew I would subject myself to some slaps if I dared call him back now.
Levys wanted to fight. He wanted to prove that he was strong; he wanted to be useful to me.
He jumped into the fight as soon as I called his attack. Fighting with a rough eagerness that even impressed me.
His movements were sharper than before, despite the obvious pain he was in. He did not give in to it, even after the metapod successfully attacked him on the very same spot. I almost called him back right there, protest or no protest.
He kept fighting, responding to every assault with a brutal counterattack. The battle, which I had foolishly believed would be easier, turned into a fight of attrition. Levys gave it his all until…
«Meta…pod… »
Bugsy's pokémon fainted; a strong blow to the head had finally brought it down.
Levys jumped back into his tank, his eyes narrowed at the gym leader, issuing a silent challenge.
On the outside, I was concerned, really. On the inside though, my most prominent thoughts were about the fact that Levys had won another fight against a gym leader's pokémon.
«Well done, » the bug type specialist commented, returning his pokémon with an encouraging smile. «However, your pokémon looks a bit tired. Do you think he will be able to defeat my two other pokémon? »
He had to. He deserved it for pushing himself so hard!
«In any case, here comes my second pokémon: Kakuna. »
…did he only have cocoon pokémon? Really? That was a gym leader in front of me, right?
«Magikarp! » Levys taunted his enemy and it noticeably frowned.
For some obscure reason, it managed to look threatening.
I did not like the promise of violence those black soulless eyes contained.
«Kuna… »
«Alright, Kakuna. Let's start things up by a succession of Harden. » Bugsy's voice brought me out of my contemplation.
Oh crap…
«Levys, don't let it finish that! » I almost panicked right there. Two or three Harden and that metapod had been a pain to deal with. I certainly was not going to deal with another battle of stamina.
Levys might lose if that was the case.
He came extremely close to stopping the kakuna right in its track. So close…
But Bugsy's pokémon had been faster and Levys' attack did little to no damage.
This was not good at all.
It got worse.
The pokémon's counterattack consisted of a face full of Poison Sting.
But why stop there? If things were not going my way, they would be going the completely opposite way, without looking back and faster than I could say anything.
«Careful, champ! That attack just poisoned your pokémon. » Martin pointed out from the sidelines.
When he got back into his aquarium, Levys was not looking good, at all.
His eyes were halfway shut, even if he was still eagerly preparing himself for the next attack. The grass supporting his fish tank was wet, proof of the energy he had put into each and every single one of his jumps.
«You can do it! » I cheered, my voice trembling.
I was not convinced. Bugsy was not convinced. Neither Martin nor Anna were convinced.
But I could not say anything else.
He was giving this fight everything he had. He wanted to be strong. How could I respond to that with anything but doubtless support? I could not do that to him…
«Tackle! » I ordered, biting my lips as I watched my starter fight with everything he had.
It was not enough.
He did manage to hit the cocoon pokémon quite a few times, with both quick witted decisions and reaction, but Bugsy's kakuna was tough enough to shrug them off. And to top it off, it soon became apparent that the poison in Levys' system was slowing him down.
Twice in a row, he failed to dodge an incoming attack I had warned him against. Without a doubt, he should have succeeded on his second attempt. The kakuna had not even moved that fast…
Levys would not stay down.
He hopped around, with an increasing difficulty, but refused to give up. His eyes were showing that despite all his pain, he would win the fight for me, he would not fail. From where we were standing, his determination was as bright as a Flash.
On that very spot, I understood what I had to do, what I should have done already.
«Levys, return. » I pointed his pokéball at him and I felt my heart twitch at the betrayal his voice held.
He moved out of the way.
«Karp! » He protested.
«Return! » I gritted my teeth and aimed at my starter again.
Only for him to dodge once more.
«Kaarp, magi karp karp! »
«LEVYS! » I screamed and the field fell silent.
He was stunned, shocked even. Had I ever scolded him like that?
«Y-You fought well… but I can't allow you to go any further than this. » I was shaking, but my mind was as strong as steel. I could not back down.
«Karp… » He replied weakly, looking down.
«Return. » This time, he accepted my command and he was absorbed back into the pokéball.
There was this tight knot in my throat. I… I really did not like the way this was going. It would be a repeat of my battle with Falkner all over again, right? I would battle well at first, but then something turned horribly wrong and I would show how incompetent as a trainer I was…
«That was the right decision. » Azalea's gym leader interrupted my train of thought with his usual simple tone. His words did make me feel a bit better too. «Well, I take it you decided to withdraw your magikarp from the fight rather than just switch it. If that is the case, will you send out your next pokémon? »
Hum… did I have to? We were talking about Dora here…
I certainly did not need to study how bad my luck was to determine if sending my little spoiled wooper princess out was a bad idea.
I just knew.
«Dora. » I only called her name. That way… well, maybe she would not spit mud at me right away?
«Woo? » She said questioningly as soon as she materialized.
She glanced at her surroundings quickly, not recognizing the place she was standing in.
Holy Arceus… was this really Dora's first official battle?
«Are you going for a theme? » Bugsy smiled when he saw my pokémon. He did not realize that he had just ticked off Anna. I could feel the neutral vibes of almost anger coming from her general direction. Of course, maybe he did not realize it because Martin was still sending waves of silliness all over the place. Yeah, that was the best explanation. «…Not exactly. »
Bugsy then shrugged, not particularly disappointed. It would have been a fun coincidence, probably, but nothing more.
«Anyway, let's get on with it. The first move is yours, » he declared. This was the moment of truth…
«Dora, Water Gun! » Hopefully, she was in a mood where she wanted to vent on a pokémon rather than me and she would fight.
She grinned evilly and I knew it was a lost cause.
I was even pushed back by the strength of the tiny stream as I struggle to prevent it from reaching my face with my hands. It was like Allan had gotten his hands on his giant water gun all over again. Eh… go figures.
«…Are you alright? » The gym leader was the only one that appeared concerned. Martin was gleefully cheering on me now (how the heck did he manage to write words that floated in midair with Danny's cotton spores?) and Anna had quickly understood the dynamic between myself and my wooper.
«Err… I guess? » I wiped my forehead with my arms and ignored the satisfied smirk on Dora's face.
«If that is the case, the battle can be resumed. Kakuna, Poison Sting! »
The volley of purple needles took Dora by surprise, that was for sure. Then again, she did just the same thing with all of us.
As soon as she noticed the attack, she seemingly panicked only for her to spit water at the last second with enough force to send them right back at the bug type, with the interest of a stream of water.
The kakuna did not recover from that attack.
While I was trying to snap out of it, Dora smugly did her little victory dance again. That had been a one-hit K.O.. Sure, Levys had weakened it, but it had resisted quite well the many attacks.
«Oh, so she is at a higher level than your magikarp? » The gym leader asked innocently, causing me to pause and reflect.
Not that I ever did that before, but…
Was Dora stronger than Levys? Really? Was it wrong that it bugged me?
«I hope for you that it is the case, otherwise… » He let his voice trail off and I picked up the threatening confidence he had in his last pokémon. «Go, Scyther! »
My eyes went wide.
That was a bug type? It was taller than me! Heck, it was at least Bugsy's height! And were those blades where its paws should have been?
My mind supplied me the image of Levys, having finally defeated the kakuna, only to fall prey to those sickles…
I had the conviction I turned green.
Dora was not looking much better herself. Even the boost to her ego that her victory had been was not quite enough to give her the guts to face such a monster.
«Fury Cutter! » Bugsy yelled and his scyther launched itself forward. I knew that Dora's panic was not an act this time. Her eyes went wide as she started running around.
«Behind you! Duck! » I said as fast as I could.
She plunged headfirst into the grass, escaping the bug type by a hair length.
«Not bad, but this is not good enough yet. Scyther, Focus, then follow it up by a set of Fury Cutters! »
The bug type took a stance that distressingly reminded me of martial arts, its eyes closed, before staring at my covering wooper.
It took precisely one attack for her to get pissed off.
She narrowed her eyes dangerously and spit mud right in the scyther's eyes, without me saying anything. Then, while her enemy was blinded, she turned to Bugsy and ran up to him.
My heart skipped a beat when I understood and I promptly shouted at her to stop.
Dora superbly ignored me and made quite an impressive jump, putting her somewhere around the height of Bugsy's shoulders. Without losing a second, she used Mud Shot on the gym leader.
He did not react.
Time froze for a second.
My pokémon had attacked a gym leader.
I let the thought sink in for a second.
I had no idea where my internal organs were supposed to be inside my body now… stomach down to my knees, heart in my throat, guts on fire, fingers glued together, head spinning…
The sole implications of that…
«This battle is over, » Bugsy declared very calmly as he cleaned his face with a towel lying around.
I almost fainted on the spot.
He returned his scyther and ordered me to do the same.
I never whipped out that pokéball faster than at that moment.
He walked up to me, his expression expressing an obvious anger.
«This was an illegal move. » His voice was not even that loud, but it boomed in my ears. «It is forbidden in all matches, whether they be official, sanctioned by the government or a simple challenge in the street. Trained pokémon must never attack another trainer. Under. Any. Circumstances. Do you understand that? »
I nodded very quickly, not noticing the fact that I was on the verge of crying.
«You did not order this. I know that. If you had, I would have requested that your license be taken away right now. However, this does not mean there are not consequences; your pokémon escaped your control. It should not have happened. A wooper may not be able to do much damage as it is, but can you imagine the disaster that would ensue if I lost control of my scyther? »
Yes, yes I could. It was very vivid. To traumatizing levels even.
«You are forbidden from returning here. » His words exploded in my mind.
…forbidden? I could not return? But that was impossible! I had to win against all eight gym leaders to fight the champion! I could not…
«Until you are able to perfectly control your pokémon, I refuse that you step in this gym again. » He cut off my destructive train of thought and limited my panic somewhat. «If I hear of this sort of incident happening again, I will follow on my threat of taking your license away. »
Just like that, he turned around and left me… empty. Just a young trainer desperately evading the gaze of others.
I knew it. I just knew it would happen again.
I felt my eyes water and I did my best to fight the tears, but to no avail.
I was a failure. I could not train pokémon well. Levys was a loyal and incredible pokémon, but I kept hurting him in battle and Dora… she just refused to listen to me.
I felt a sob rise in me and I could not hold it in either. Was every gym going to turn out this way? I would not… I could not put up with that for much longer.
If every time I tried to prove my worth as a trainer turned into a display of my incompetence then I'd rather not… continue to suffer like that…
I caught some movement from the corner of my eye, but it was too blurry. Nonetheless, I turned to face the trees. I did not want my best friend to see me like this.
It was a big and strong hand that fell on the top of my head.
I was at a loss for word for a second, until he just whispered it would be okay.
Something broke inside me. It was as if a barrier that was keeping my reticence away had been destroyed.
I turned around and hugged Martin as strongly as I could, burying my face in his chest, just listening to his repeated words of comfort.
«There, there. Everyone has bad days, cub. » One of his hand gently stroke my hair in a way reminiscent of my late father and that was the last straw. I cried without a single ounce of shame; it was okay if it was Martin. «You know what, cub? After a little trip to the pokémon center, we're going for ice cream again. My treat. »
That made me snort. Twice in a day? Was his next plan about making me fat?
«Three. » He snapped a finger and I felt pulled away from the gym, away from this place full of my humiliation.
And everyone else followed.
Angela Joy had to hide her surprise when half of the local gym's trainers suddenly appeared in her lobby, but a quick look at Martin was all the explanation she needed.I could hear her mental sigh behind the professionalism and the inviting smiles.
Bugsy and his gym trainers were very embarrassed and confused to have been sent here without notice, though I suspected it had not been quite accidental.
An impression that my big brother's hidden grin confirmed.
Through all that madness, Anna had remained stoic, even if part of it was heavily placated on her face. Judging by the compassion she sent me, she had decided that this was a bit too much for her.
The ice cream was delicious. The whole event was as hilarious as irritating. The merchant had been stunned to see Martin come back and pay for the whole gang again.
And the hijinks that followed with his team, mine and Anna's… well they were their own brand of surreal.
I deliberately looked away when Levys tried to get my attention though. I was not strong enough to face him now. I'd start crying again if I tried.
Long story short, my defeat at Azalea's gym was drowned under ice cream.
Anna's departure soon followed.
«I am glad we could finally see each other again. » She smiled sweetly and placed a hand on my shoulder.
«Y-Yeah, it was fun. » I smiled in return, even if I was a bit startled by so much emotion coming from her.
«Oh, and before I leave, there is something I wanted to give you. » She rummaged through her backpack for a moment before taking out a red bandana and a very small darkgreen earring. «This is something Allan came up with a few days ago. »
«Really? » I frowned, skeptical. Allan? Ideas? Riiiiight.
«Of course not, idiot. It was all me. » She rolled her eyes. «Since we are not traveling together, it would be best to have something to remind us of one another, right? Well, we decided that a code of colors would do. Green for me, red for Allan and blue for you, just like our starters. »
I blinked, surprised.
I had not noticed before, but her belt was a dark shade of green and her necklace held two beads, one blue, one red.
«Hum… » I was fixated on the earring she was holding. Was I supposed…?
«Okay, come closer. Your sweatshirt is already blue, so there's that already. » She walked to behind me and attached the red bandana on my forehead. I closed and my eyes hardened my resolve. Next was the…
Ouch.
That had hurt. Why would girls do that voluntarily (of course, some boys did that too, otherwise, I'd be a really deep shade of red)?
«There, you great hero. » She wiped a knitted tissue on my slightly bleeding ear and placed herself in front of me again. «Like this, it will be like we are traveling together all over again. » Her smile slipped a bit at that and her eyes hid a hint of sadness.
«I… I'm sorry Anna. » I hung up my head in shame.«I did not mean to break our promise. I should not have caught another pokémon. »
«Idiot. » She flung a finger at my forehead. «The whole point of not catching another pokémon was to rely on each other depending of the situation. It was all to get even closer. » There was a small sigh and she smiled a little. «I just wanted to continue spending time with you and Allan. »
Had she declared her undying love for the moon, I would not have been more taken aback.
«Sure I was angry at first… » Understatement much? «…but really, I'm over it. You did your best to repay me and I will say that it was really touching to see you and Levys torn between your own desires and your will to please the other. »
«Huh? »
«Anyway, it's alright for you to go on with more pokémon than Allan and I. It's fine if you can't reach the Elite Four at the same time as us and… » Her eyes widened, as if she suddenly realized something. She looked as if she was fighting the urge to look in someone else's direction for a moment, but it went away the next instant. «…well, I hope you will catch up to us someday. »
«Yeah… » I replied with a half-smile, a bit bugged by her very intense (for her) display of surprise.
«I'll see you around, Captain Ocean. Try not to break any other promise while I'm away, okay? »
Ah yes, now I remembered the nickname Allan and I had given her: Princess Guilt trip.
Well, it had to do that she was not always happy to play the damsel in distress and decided that if she had to be rescued, it would have to be flawless.
«Sure. » I grinned, more at the memory of a bickering Anna than anything else.
She just waved goodbye and left, going to meet the trainer she had initially paid to get here. In a few minutes, she'd be miles away.
«You are not following your girlfriend, champ? » His voice came from just behind me and made me jump.
«Martin! » I turned around, indignant.
«Oh, that's a neat bandana you've got there... and is that an earring I see? » He commented, sounding a bit mocking.
«No, it's a steelix. » I groaned in exasperation.
«Should I throw a pokéball at it then? » His expression turned sly and I paled.
Oh heck no!
I started to run through the city, chased by an overly enthusiastic guy in his mid-twenties.
It was really annoying to have him around (such as tripping in a fountain), but it had its perks (such dragging him in a fountain).
For now, I could forget my worries.
I would have more than my share of those later on.