I watched as Charizard Bridge slowly lowered, sunlight glistening over the water. A Swanna lazily circled overhead, and a warm breeze set the trees in motion and blew my hair into my face… I had long since tied my jacket around my waist, and I could hardly think of anything other than a cold shower at the first hotel we found in Driftveil.
Chase and Sadie were in the same boat, evidently; they were both uncharacteristically distracted, at the very least. Sadie had gone quiet a few minutes ago, when I got on the phone with Elesa and then with Clay to pull some strings and get the bridge lowered. She walked right up to the side of the water and sat down, and she buried her face in her Gogoat's mane, whispering into its ear.
Chase, on the other hand, had been somber all morning. At first, I didn't question it – after all, why would I look a gift Mudsdale in the mouth? But it was ultimately strange to see him like this. He was usually so cheerful… I certainly wasn't empathetic enough to get through, but he wouldn't even tell Sadie what was bothering him. Were they both already strung out from the distance travelled? Sure, it had been a long couple of days. But that was exactly it – it had only been a couple of days. And they had both been so gung-ho when we first left Castelia…
I'm not one to complain, but even Elesa had pointed out that our latest conversation was the longest that she and I had ever spent on the phone together. I realized that I was the one lingering on the call, just for the communion with another human being.
But as we crossed the great red drawbridge into Driftveil City, Sadie broke her silence.
"Krista, I think I'm going to try and battle Clay myself," she said.
So that's what was bothering her… she was trying to get psyched up.
"It's a good matchup," I pointed out.
Clay, the straight-talking Gym Leader of Driftveil City, specialized in Ground-type Pokémon. Sadie's strongest Pokémon was a Kingler; there wasn't any Gym Badge she'd have an easier time earning than Driftveil's Quake Badge.
"I have to start somewhere, right?" Sadie smiled at me.
"Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure you can learn a lot from Clay," I said. "In fact, he's the only other Leader in Unova I'd trust to teach you anything worthwhile."
"Non! Krista, that's mean," said Sadie. "What would Elesa say if she heard you talking about your colleagues like that?"
"She'd crack a stupid joke," I said. "Just like she always does. When she picked up the phone today, she wished me a 'good Eevee-ning' at two in the afternoon."
Sadie giggled.
"Chase, do you already have a Quake Badge?" she said.
Chase grunted, and Sadie pouted.
"Chase, you haven't said anything all afternoon. Now it's just getting rude… and I can't stand to travel with two rude companions," she said, glancing at me.
…I resented that, but I didn't say anything.
"Come on, what's gotten into you?" she continued, and she let the question hang.
Chase hesitated, but he answered, looking straight ahead. We were all on foot, now, and I was glad that I had opted to walk my scooter; otherwise I never would have heard him.
"Sadie, do you remember about that, uh, thing I told you about last night?"
Sadie nodded, seriously.
"Well, I got a call after you went to bed. I think Driftveil has something to do with that thing in question. Or at least, it did."
Sadie was quiet, but she cast me a furtive glance. I could tell from her expression that we were on the same page; Chase was talking about his missing cousin.
We walked on in silence for the next minute or so – the sounds of running water below the bridge and bird Pokémon calling above provided a bit of a buffer from what might have been an uncomfortable break in conversation… but nevertheless I sighed in relief once we stepped off of the bridge and neared Driftveil City's crowded square.
"Say, I'm gonna go check out the market."
I glanced over as Chase spoke up, and I shrugged.
"You do you, kiddo. Sadie, what do you think?" I turned to her. "Are you headed straight for the Gym? Or do you want an audience?"
Sadie gazed at Chase, who had picked up his pace. If he had heard me, he didn't show it.
"No, I think it's fine. We can all regroup after he does… whatever he needs to do." Sadie smiled, weakly.
Chase nearly bumped into a fat man in a nice suit as he ducked into a crowd on the sidewalk next to us… and I lost sight of him. What the hell had gotten into that kid?
"Uh… Krista? You're going to come cheer me on, aren't you?" Sadie touched my arm.
I grinned.
"Depends on your definition of 'cheer.' Let's go, I'll be in your corner."
Sadie took one last look back at the crowd into which Chase had disappeared. Whatever demons he was fighting, I hoped he conquered them… I wanted to be in his corner too, but I wasn't sure how I could help. Sadie was good at helping people solve their problems… I was only good at battling. So I did what was most familiar; I headed straight for the nearest Pokémon Gym to help somebody pick a fight.
The battle itself was fairly uneventful, if a little drawn-out. Clay seemed to like it that way; if you listened to the way he drawled out his words, you'd be surprised if he had rushed anything in his life.
And Sadie… well, Sadie's style of battle was a little different from mine. She didn't have a real powerhouse like Hilda to lean on, or a Pokémon with the same dangerous mix of instincts and technique that Mitzi possessed. No, Sadie seemed to favor Pokémon more like the Krokorok I had recently caught. Steady, deliberate, relentless.
Her Furfrou was tentative and timid, utterly lacking in fighter's spirit, but there was no mistaking how quickly it bounced up to its feet after taking a punch. And her Kingler didn't have the stamina to slug it out, blow for blow… but it loved to grapple its foes with that massive claw, provided they did not move so quickly.
All in all, it made for an extended (if not quite captivating) battle in which Sadie never truly lost the upper hand.
Clay was a professional, through and through; his wide-brimmed hat largely masked his face, but I thought I saw him crack a smile when Sadie's Kingler caught his Sandslash in its claws. The rodent-like Pokémon made a raspy sort of squeak and Clay quickly withdrew it… and he tipped his hat to Sadie.
"I'm afraid you have me on the ropes here, Little Miss. That Kingler ain't half bad! Brings me down to m' last Pokémon," he said.
Sadie nodded, her face the picture of concentration.
Clay was bullshitting her, just a little bit. I had seen him battle with stronger Pokémon in the past, and even Sadie knew he hadn't been going at her with 100% of his strength. It was common practice for Gym Leaders to calibrate their battles based on the number of Badges their challengers possessed… sometimes that meant choosing weaker Pokémon, and sometimes, if the difference in power was great enough that your own Pokémon ran no risk of getting hurt, it meant deliberately instructing your team to go easy. Ultimately, it was the Leader's decision whether or not to award a Badge; how did the battle go? Given the Badges the challenger had, should they be proud of the battle they fought?
The difference was that Clay was a little more liberal about giving out Badges than I was. Call it a difference in maturity – he was less of a sore loser. I was of the opinion that if you couldn't defeat me fair and square then you didn't deserve my Monochrome Badge… but not every Leader felt that way.
Clay tossed a Ball into the air and loosed his final Pokémon, and I caught a glint of metal in the air as a large brown Pokémon dropped to the ground. Sadie gritted her teeth and pulled out a Poké Ball of her own, and she withdrew her Kingler.
Clay cocked his head in confusion, and Sadie managed a smile.
"Excadrill is your ace, right? I'll use my own ace to fight it."
The Excadrill in the ring paced impatiently as Sadie loosed her Furfrou, but Clay laughed a great belly laugh.
"I like the cut of yer jib, Little Miss! Ye've been spendin' too much time around that crusty old Krista over there, you sound just like 'er!" Clay winked at me, and I stuck out my tongue.
I didn't like that Furfrou's chances against Clay's ace Pokémon any more than I liked its chances against my Ursaring… but Sadie was determined to make something out of that mutt with the finely coiffed fur. I felt a little vindicated when the Excadrill rushed forward and caught Sadie's Furfrou with a dual-fisted strike, its metal claws glinting all the way down…
But just as I wrote the Furfrou off, it hopped back up to its feet. Was it a battle? Not quite. The Excadrill led with its head, and its headbutt sent the Furfrou skidding across the floor.
"Furfrou, remember what we talked about," said Sadie. Her voice was calm, much calmer than usual. She brushed a red lock from her face and watched her Pokémon intently.
The Furfrou did not waver, not even as the Excadrill lunged forward again. The Furfrou slid to the side, dodging one Metal Claw, and then a second, but the Excadrill's third strike connected. This time, the Furfrou didn't rise. I sighed…
But Sadie did not react. Clay peered at her, and he nodded at his Excadrill. The Mole Pokémon crept towards the downed Furfrou, as if to investigate…
And I blinked as Sadie's Furfrou leapt into the air and clamped its jaws around the Excadrill's neck. That was… a Feint Attack! The same move Mitzi and I had drilled a thousand times, the same move that had helped us out of dozens of jams… the same move that Sadie had evidently studied and practiced on her own initiative.
I couldn't help it; I swelled with pride.
The moment couldn't have been that meaningful for Clay, but evidently, he recognized its significance in the flow of the battle; just as the Excadrill managed to shake free of the Furfrou, Clay whistled. His Pokémon was evidently no worse for the wear, despite the surprise attack, but he withdrew the Excadrill all the same.
Sadie squinted at Clay in confusion, and the Leader spread his hands.
"And there ya have it, folks. I reckon that's about good enough for a Quake Badge." He nodded at Sadie. "It ain't really fair of me to use my Excadrill in a Gym challenge like this, not at full force anyhow."
"Are… are you sure?" said Sadie. "Krista doesn't usually let her challengers off easy."
Clay shot me a sidelong look, mockingly.
"Different strokes for different folks. Ultimately? It's the Leader's call who gets the Badge. And I say ya made the cut. One Quake Badge…"
Clay rummaged in his pocket and flipped a small trinket in Sadie's direction. She caught it, barely, and she stared down at the Badge in her hands.
"Actually, make it two. Krista, one for you too." Clay tossed a Badge my way.
I cocked my head.
"Sadie here is yer Gym trainer, right? If she made the cut, I'm gonna assume both of ya did. We can skip the rigamaroo…"
Clay trailed off, and I smiled.
"You sound almost like you don't want to battle me."
"Actually, on the contrary. I want to battle ya more than ya know. No sense in letting a Badge get in the way, right?" Clay tipped his hat again.
"Very good. You need some time to heal your team?" I said.
Clay nodded.
"That, and I have a meeting with some shareholders coming up in a few minutes. Are ya free tonight? We can rumble, then I'll take yer crew out to the best steakhouse in town."
I agreed to meet Clay later that night for a battle, no holds barred, and I pocketed the Quake Badge he had given me preemptively. One down, two to go – I'd just have to prove I deserved it.
Sadie and I boarded he elevator to exit the Gym, and she sagged against the railing.
"Feels good, right?" I said.
"Feels great." Sadie's eyes sparkled.
I tried to keep my face neutral, but I just couldn't. I felt like I was glowing… and why was that? Sadie had earned the Badge, and she hadn't even technically won. And yet, that battle was the first time I had seen Sadie look like a proper trainer. Sure, I had seen her battle before. She beat Burgh months ago, back in Castelia, and the trio of Leaders in Striaton City too. I had been there for both battles, and she frequently showed flashes of potential in my own Gym…
The other Leaders were bush league; Clay was serious. Clay's stamp of approval meant something. Of course, that also meant I was vindicated, having taken a chance on a trainer who might pay off yet. But there was no sense in lying to myself. I was mostly just proud of the kid.
"I wish Chase could have seen it," said Sadie. Her tone was casual, but her face was sad.
"Good point, actually. I wonder where he went." I frowned.
"I'm worried he's sticking his nose into something sketchy," said Sadie. "Have you seen any Team Plasma people in town?"
I shook my head.
"You think that's it? He's got a score to settle with Team Plasma?"
"I think it's the only lead he has on whatever happened to his cousin," said Sadie.
I rolled my eyes.
"Well, whatever it is… I'm not really interested. I need two more Badges. If Chase wants to rumble with a gang in the alley then that's his prerogative, he's an adult."
"Krista! Don't be like that," said Sadie. She paused. "He isn't an adult."
I didn't press the subject, and neither did she… because it went unspoken, but we both agreed I was wrong and she was right. We stepped out of the Gym into the afternoon and Sadie yawned a big yawn.
"I'm going to go and make a stop at the Pokémon Center. I'll meet you back here for your big battle?"
I smiled.
"Sounds like a plan. You won't want to miss it…"
I hesitated.
"Sadie… great job, by the way. That was some of the best battling I've ever seen you do."
Sadie beamed.
"I learned from the best!"
We went our separate ways, and I found myself smiling as well. Now all that remained was how to best kill a few hours before my battle with Clay…
I took a walk up the street and strolled through the market, and I let Mitzi out of her Ball to stroll along at my feet. The Umbreon's head swiveled back and forth, unfamiliar sights and sounds all around. An old man in traditional Johto clothing selling herbal medicine, a fat farmer with a fatter Miltank, a woman singing the blues and hawking pots of incense… all interesting vendors, but nothing I particularly wanted to spend money on, not even Grimsley's money. And no sign of Chase…
Something tugged on the leg of my pants; I looked down, and saw that Mitzi's hair was bristling and the golden rings on her fur were softly glowing. My eyes widened. I nodded at her, and she took off ducking and weaving through the crowd. I did the same, running and pushing my way through the people milling about. Pedestrians yelped and swore at me, but I didn't have time for politeness or apologies. Mitzi didn't cry wolf; those keen ears of hers had picked up something she didn't like.
She was running straight to the south - I could tell, because the sun was beginning to set over my right shoulder. We burst out of the market and took off down the road, towards the water… and Mitzi stopped abruptly, ears twitching.
Then, I heard it: a rumble, and the cry of a Steelix up ahead.
I cursed, and we took off running again. There was a foot bridge up ahead, and across the channel it looked like some sort of industrial zone…
I couldn't imagine there were too many more Steelix in Driftveil City than the one Chase had brought in, and I didn't like any of the implications that were dancing around in my skull.
