A/N: One cast member left to introduce...and she's in this chapter! WOOT!
I'm astounded at all the support I'm getting for this project, you are all AHMAZINGG. That's right, two g's! Because you guys deserve it. WORD.
Only a handful of chapters left until our cast loses their 'I'm just on my journey for the hell of it' innocence and become immersed in the battle against Team Triad. Enjoy it while it lasts.
This chapter, our cast will run around figuring out the gym's puzzle, meet our last OC (for now), and the first battle will begin. YAY EXCITEMENT! Also I'm taking pity on y'all and dropping a big hint about Team Triad's plans/the legendaries' roles in the story. Well, it's a bigger hint then anything I've given so far.
Heroes of Unova Book One
The Race to Save the Region
Chapter Eleven
Battles for the Basic Badge Part I
NACRENE CITY POKECENTER
"So...let me get this straight," Andy said at nine a.m. the following day in the Pokecenter cafeteria. "The Nacrene gym is inside a...a museum?"
"What, like Hoenn doesn't have crazy layouts for gyms?" Cinnamon asked.
"But...a museum!" The Hoenn native reiterated.
"Yeah...and?"
"A-hem," Landon interrupted. "Who's teaming up for the double battles, and who's going to fight solo?"
Dead silence spread through the group of ten.
"Uh..."
"Weeeeell..."
"...Maybe we should...er, well..."
"Draw names?" Lolita proposed, pulling out a pouch that held seven little strips of paper. She shook it a few times, set it down on the table, and withdrew two of the slips.
ANDY, one read; while the other said MIKAELA.
"Sweet, I'm battling with the new girl," Mikaela smiled. The Hoenn native shrugged, obviously not caring that much.
"Next," The blackette said, pulling out two more pieces of paper. "Kyo and Vikkiy."
The brunette grinned, hugging her childhood friend. The male's cheeks colored slightly, much to the amusement of the rest of the group.
Lolita pulled out two more slips. "Felix and Toby. Looks like Lucas is the solo battler."
"Fine with me," The blue-haired male said, chewing on a piece of toast.
NACRENE CITY MUSEUM-MAIN LOBBY
"Cool..." Vikkiy said in an almost awed tone of voice as she stared up at the gigantic draconic skeleton that was one of the museum's main attractions.
"It's just a Dragonite skeleton," Andy said. "Nothing shocking there."
"Some of us have never seen a Dragonite before," Toby reminded her.
The punk tch'ed lightly.
"Hello there!" A perky voice said, and the ten teens turned to see a museum attendant standing behind them in her crisp blue uniform, a smile plastered across her face. "Are you here to challenge the gym, or maybe I can revive fossils for you?"
"Actually we're here for battles," Mikaela spoke up.
"I'll give Lenora a call then," The attendant smiled. "Head all the way to the back of the museum, and you'll find a door that leads you to the library. Solve the puzzle there and you'll be led straight to the gym!"
"That was a lot of excitement for one sentence," Felix muttered as they walked away.
"Cynical much?"
NACRENE CITY MUSEUM-LIBRARY
Hidden amongst the many bookshelves of the library, a young female with wild jet black hair tucked under a black and white cap was perusing a volume entitled LEGENDS. Many other books lay around her, discarded, as they had not held the information she sought.
Since the beginning of time humans have sought the company of a legendary in order to prove their strength. Legendaries are said to partner only with those who prove themselves worthy. There have been many instances of a legendary partnering temporarily with a trainer to save Pokemon or to prevent something bad from happening, but a true companionship is for the entirety of the trainer's life. Further, since legendaries live an extended amount of years before dying-and being reborn-it is logical to say that a legendary could have two or three companions during one life cycle.
No more then three or four legendaries have been companied with a trainer at one time, though there is an old legend that speaks of the day all the legendaries, save Arceus, will become partnered with trainers in the face of a great period of many evils. To read more about this legend please see volume eight.
The young female, known as Valerie Gale Yang, sighed as she shut the thick book closed with a soft thud. The book had been only a bit more helpful then the previous volumes in the LEGENDS collection. The answers she hoped to find were probably in the elusive eighth volume, which wasn't in the library.
The sixteen year old sighed again, rising to her tingling feet. She brushed off her stone-washed jeans and black coat before she began to return the books on the floor to their proper shelves.
She was halfway through reshelving the Draconic Tales collection when the unmistakable sound of the door to the museum opening rung through the room, followed by several voices.
"Ugh. So many books."
"Be careful what you say, Felix, Mikaela might hit you for insulting her beloved books!"
"I would not!"
"Guys!" A sterner, more experienced voice came. "Focus. The clues are hidden in different bookshelves."
"Are you KIDDIN' me?"
"Yay scavenger hunt!" came a happy-go-lucky voice, followed by rapid footsteps and a body swinging into view.
The newcomer was a brunette, her hair swept over her left shoulder. She had emerald green eyes and seemed to be rather cheerful.
"Oh hey! Sorry, we didn't know that anyone else was here!"
"Who are you talking to Vikkiy?" A male voice spoke, and nine more bodies rounded the corner.
NACRENE CITY MUSEUM-LIBRARY
"You made another new friend?" Cinnamon asked incredulously, and the brunette chuckled nervously.
"I don't know her name yet?" Vikkiy squeaked.
"How does this not surprise me?" Mikaela laughed.
The newcomer just raised an eyebrow at them. "Challenging the gym?"
"Some of us are," Landon said, eyeing Lucas and Felix, who were perusing a book entitled Nice to Meet You, Pokemon!
"Good luck," the female said earnestly. "Her Watchog's tough."
"Right, Retaliate," Cinnamon nodded.
The blackette gave a half smile. "Valerie Yang, at your service."
"Nice to meet you!" Vikkiy piped up. "I'm Vikkiy Black, and these are my friends; Kyo Averis, Cinnamon Rays, Andy Purdy, Lolita Brown, Toby McCallan, Mikaela Cody, Landon Noire, and those goof balls over there are Felix Gale and Lucas Taylor."
"Nice to meet all of you. Unfortunately, if any of you aren't challenging the gyms you have to stay up here. It's one of Lenora's rules," Valerie said.
"I found the first clue!" Lucas yelled excitedly, waving a red slip of paper in the air.
"You mean WE found it," Felix reminded him.
"Whatever, same difference," The blue-haired teen muttered.
NACRENE CITY MUSEUM-GYM
After spending another forty minutes searching for the other clues, the seven gym challengers descended into the gym arena.
"Welcome to my gym!" Lenora smiled widely at them, standing at the far edge of the battlefield. "Who will fight me first?"
They looked between themselves for a moment before...
"We will," Andy said, gesturing to herself and Mikaela.
"Wonderful!" The gym leader said as she reached for her Pokeballs, releasing her Herdier and Watchog. "Then shall we begin?"
The two females moved onto the battlefield while Vikkiy and the guys went to sit on the bleachers.
"Go ahead, Rain," Mikaela said to her Dewott (who had evolved late yesterday afternoon during training).
"Wott!" The otter replied cheerfully, hopping into the arena.
Andy pulled out a Pokeball, releasing the creature inside in a beam of bright red light.
"Vulla!" The Dark-and-Flying type chirped, flapping its undeveloped wings proudly.
"That's a rare Pokemon you've got there," Lenora mused. "Not that it's going to help you win."
"We'll see about that," The goth-punk smirked.
"Herdier, Work Up! Watchog, Leer!"
"Let's get a Gust going in here, Devin!" Andy said, re-attaching the Pokeball to her belt.
"Water Gun, Rain!" Mikaela ordered.
The water type flew across the battlefield, releasing a blast of water from his mouth. His partner added his flying typed attack to it, making a cyclone of water that wreaked havoc across the arena-and both Herdier and Watchog.
"Herdier, Bite that annoying otter! Watchog, Super Fang!" Lenora ordered.
"Razor Shell!"
"Devin, Dark Pulse!"
The normal-types met their opponents in the middle of the field; Rain drew down his shell across the dog's back as he bit down on the otter's stomach, and Devin fired off a small pulse of dark energy seconds before Watchog drew close, raking his glowing orange fangs across the flying type's plumage.
"Rain, quick, another Razor Shell!"
"Watchog, cover Herdi-nevermind," Lenora sighed, recalling her down-and-out Herdier. "Well then. Watchog, Retaliate."
"Rain!" Mikaela cried out. "Do-" Her voice died in her throat as Watchog rammed hard into Rain's side, sending him flying across the gym, over Vikkiy and the boys' heads, and straight into the wall.
Andy grimaced, but patted her co-battler's shoulder. "Return him. I got this."
"You sure?" The brunette said as she put Rain in his Pokeball so he could rest.
"Yep," The Hoenn native grinned. "Devin, do it now! Retaliate!"
Moving at a speed most Vullaby couldn't attain, Devin shot across the battlefield, combining the element of surprise with the sheer power of Retaliate, slamming into Watchog.
"Deja vu," Vikkiy laughed as Watchog made contact with a wall, clearly passed out.
"It seems I've been beaten at my own game," the blue-haired female sighed, returning her heavy-hitter. "Let me go heal these guys, and I'll return with your badges." She walked over to a door and disappeared into her office.
"Nicely played," Lucas called, and Andy just smirked.
"It's what I do."
NACRENE CITY MUSEUM-GYM
"Alright, who's next?" Lenora said as she emerged from her office.
"We are!" Vikkiy called eagerly, tugging Kyo to his feet, bouncing excitedly
"Good luck," Mikaela smiled as she and Andy passed the two on their way to the bleachers.
Lenora released Herdier and Watchog.
"Whenever you two are ready..."
A/N: I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG...I blame college...and the snow my city had last week!
So, all eleven OCs are assembled! And Andy and Mikaela got their badges! YAY!
...Can anyone tell I like exclamation marks...!
Thanks to my reviewers: Thunder of Life, AshKetchumDarkSide, Stanislavic, KingOfStories01, NAY (yes, I know who you are), Ashley Eon, WritingMage008, UmbraFox, Mikaela the Cat, lightwolfheart, and GothMaureen. You all are so epically fantastical!
I think I'm getting the hang of writing gym battles. GO ME!
Who else hated Lenora and her Watchog? That thing killed me three times in my Black version. EVILLLLLLLLLL!
Please review and make my day.
Loves,
iamRAWRkaythanks
