Man I was planning to make this chapter way shorter, but hey once you're in the zone you can't stop writing. But expect future chapters to be much shorter. Any way enjoy.
Chapter 21: Things are Looking Up.
From what Lyra and I could tell, the city of Ecruteak was in a state of shock as we made our way to the Gym. It was quite ominous to see barely any people in the streets, and what few who were wore distressful looks on their faces. The trip to Morty's Gym was long and uneasy; the city must be frightened and scared since what little remained of the Brass Tower was just set ablaze again. When we found the entrance to the forest path that led to Morty's Gym, we stopped for a second.
"What do you think Morty will say when he sees us?" Lyra asked uneasily.
"He'll probably freak out or something. I mean, he . . . he probably thinks we're dead," I said dismally.
"Please don't say that; it freaks me out that someone thinks I'm dead." Lyra shuddered as she looked down and held her arms.
I shouldn't have said that—I didn't think she'd be freaked out by it.
"I'm sorry I . . . I didn't mean to upset you," I said, motioning toward her.
"No, it's okay. You're right. Morty probably does think we're dead. Let's just find him quickly and get this over with," she said hurriedly, still looking down.
Great, now I feel like an ass for bringing up the whole "thinking we're dead" thing. I hate when I say things without really thinking; I keep saying things to Lyra that I regret. After a few moments of silence, we both made our way down the path into the forest. It wasn't long till the surrounding area got dark again due to the thick canopy, even though it was daytime. The talk of death and the darkening atmosphere were an awful combination, and it didn't sit well with me. Lyra still looked upset, and the ambient darkness of the surrounding trees only amplified the sad expression on her face.
I need to think about something else, get my mind off what I said.
But that didn't help much, because I began to wonder if our parents know anything about this. If any of our moms found out about half the things we've been through, they wouldn't hesitate to hunt us down and take us home, never letting us leave New Bark again. Lyra has always wanted to break free of the borders of New Bark, and this journey means a lot to her, but that would end if our mothers caught wind of this. I don't want to ruin Lyra's chance to see the world; we have to find Morty as quickly as possible and make sure this doesn't spread, so that Lyra doesn't have to go home.
As we were walking, I began to wonder what we should say when we find Morty, but my thoughts were interrupted when Lyra spoke up.
"Gold?" she said softly.
"Yeah?" I replied as I turned my head to look at her.
"Do you think we should tell him?" she asked timidly.
"Tell him what?"
"You know . . . about what happened to us." She raised her head to look up at me.
"You mean the fall?"
"No, not that . . . I mean . . . about us being able to talk to Pokémon," she said in low tone, nervously holding her arm.
"Oh, that. . . . I, uh . . . I don't know." I scratched the back of my neck.
"Should we keep it a secret?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"I mean, when Naoko told us she could talk to them, she . . . she seemed very reluctant to tell us." Lyra stopped in place.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, stopping as well.
"I mean, didn't it seem like she only told us because she thought we needed to know, like it was her secret?"
What was she talking about? I don't remember Naoko being reluctant about telling us at all. Although, she was crying when she told us, but that was only because she was afraid of what was going to happen to Duke, right? Or did Lyra notice something that I didn't when she told us? I mean, I'm not the best at reading subtle things in people, so maybe Lyra picked up on something I didn't?
"Lyra, are you sure about that? She was practically crying because Duke was going to fight Tsar when she told us. You sure you're not mistaking that for her being reluctant?" I asked.
"Look, Gold, I. . . . Can we please just keep this between us? I'm . . . I'm afraid of what other people will think of us," she said nervously as she tugged on my sweatshirt, like she was begging me.
Oh wow, she's serious. This is weird; I thought Lyra would be the first person to boast to the world that she could talk to Pokémon. If she's so concerned about this, then I have no other choice but to promise not to tell, because I'll do anything for her.
"All right, I won't tell anyone, okay?" I said, trying to cheer her up.
"You promise?" she asked, looking at me with her chocolate eyes.
"I promise," I answered, knowing that I couldn't say no to her when she looks at me like that.
"Thank you." She let go of my sleeve, and I could see a slight smile on her face.
I'm glad I could make her feel a little better; she must really trust me when I make a promise to her. I don't plan on ever betraying that trust, either. She's my best friend, and I'd never do anything to hurt her. We didn't talk much after that as we continued on our way to the ghost Gym.
Once again, the pagoda-looking Gym seemed to appear out of nowhere and caught us both by surprise. This place is just creepy; how it manages to seemingly appear out of nowhere—even though I remember roughly where it is—confuses me. Without as much as a single word, we both started walking towards the entrance. We pushed open the large dark-colored doors that swung to the side with an eerie creak like the hinges were rusty. When we set foot into to the Gym, we heard Morty call out from the back.
"I'm sorry—I'm not having visitors today. I thought I made it clear that the Gym was closed until further notice; it's disgraceful to want to fight when something so sacred was burned," Morty's voice echoed from the darkness dismally.
"But Morty, it's—" Lyra called out into the dark room before the Gym Leader emerged from the darkness, a grimace on his face.
"I said we're closed! So go home and—" Morty said angrily before he realized who we were. "Oh my God . . . you're . . . you're alive." His scowl then vanished in an instant, "I'm so sorry; I didn't know it was you two. I'm so glad that you made it out as well," Morty apologized quickly.
"As well? Wait, you don't mean Kris, do you?" Lyra exclaimed.
"You mean that girl, Crystal?" Morty replied.
"Yes—is she okay!?" Lyra and I both asked.
"She's fine—a Pokémon Ranger found her and some other kid named Silver out in the forest," Morty replied.
"Wait, Silver was with her!?" Lyra and I shouted.
"You know him?" Morty said as he stepped back a bit from our reactions.
"Know him?! He's the reason the tower burned in the first place! Where is he now? You have to stop him!" I exclaimed.
"Relax, Gold, the Rangers have taken him in—Crystal told us the whole story. It's because of her we sent a team of Rangers to find you in the tower's basement, but when we couldn't find you there, we feared the worst."
"But we're all right; we woke up out in the woods, just like Kris and Silver," explained Lyra.
"You too?" Morty replied as he raised his eyebrow.
"Did Kris tell you anything about what moved her and Silver from the tower?" I asked.
"No. Unfortunately, she was clueless as to how she got there, and Silver refuses to respond to any of our questionings, but I'm certain he doesn't know either. Hmmm, this is definitely strange . . . the Brass Tower burns a second time, and the occupants were miraculously saved . . . could it be?" Morty pondered as he turned to the side and held his hand up to his chin like he was recalling something.
"Be what?" I asked.
"What? Oh, it's nothing—I'm just glad that you two are safe. I'll tell the Rangers to stop looking for you," Morty said as that pleasant expression he wears all the time reappeared on his face.
"Can we see Kris?" Lyra asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry—she recently left with that Ranger who found her. They went to Olivine City, and she told me that she was going to recruit at the Rangers HQ," Morty replied.
"Oh, really? Then what do we do now?" Lyra asked, almost in a rhetorical manner.
"I guess we just go back to what we were doing before this whole mess started," I said, turning to Lyra and giving her a smile in an attempt to move on.
She looked back at me, and after a few moments, I could see a slight smile appear on her face.
"Well, if you plan on fighting me again, I suggest you go train some more before you do," said Morty with a small grin.
"Yeah—I guess you're right." I replied meekly, scratching my neck.
"Hey, Gold, you know those hot springs we found in the woods? Wouldn't that be the perfect place to train?" Lyra suggested excitedly.
I was glad to see that Lyra was her usual cheerful self again, and her idea wasn't half bad, either.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun." I replied.
"Well, sounds like you two have a plan. I hope to see you soon; I'll be waiting for you, Gold. Please try to stay out of trouble you two. . . . And I'm really glad that you're both okay." Morty waved good-bye as he turned around and disappeared into the dark Gym.
"Well, I guess we should get going then. I hope we can still find that hot spring," I said as we left the Gym and made our way back to the city.
I was really glad that things turned out so well; I was so relieved when I found out Kris was okay, and better yet Silver was behind bars. It also sounded like Kris was going to finally become a Pokémon Ranger like she always wanted to. Maybe now things will be better for me and Lyra, too.
"Hey, Gold, can we camp out by the hot spring tonight?" Lyra asked as we made our way across the city.
"Sure, I don't see why not," I replied.
"Sweet! Let's make some s'mores while we're at it," Lyra said enthusiastically.
"Sure. Let's pick up some food before we go, though," I suggested as I pointed toward a nearby convenience store.
We quickly went across the street to the store to pick up the essentials before we finally left the city, hiking our way to the hot spring, guided by Lyra's Pokégear. After about an hour of walking, we finally found the hillside oasis.
"This place will be perfect for you to train in, Gold," Lyra said as she dropped her bag a looked around at the place. "Mmmm, the steamy air mixed with the scent of springtime is just wonderful here."
"Well, might as well get started, then," I said as I pulled out my four Poké Balls.
"All right, gang—let's get started." I tossed my Poké Balls into the air as they opened up, and a brilliant display of lights let my entire team loose.
Merlin and Ray appeared next to each other to my right while Duke and Nile took shape off to my left. Duke and Nile looked happy to see me, while Ray wore that rather grumpy—if not monotone—look on his face, his arms crossed. Merlin, on the other hand, was completely asleep, as usual.
"Hey, what's up, guys?" Nile remarked cheerfully as Duke looked around the place.
"Hey, what gives? I thought we were heading back to the city—why are we back here?" Duke asked.
"Guys, we're back here to train—we need to get ready to challenge Morty again," I explained to my Pokémon.
"Oh, okay. . . . So, uh, what happened with Morty? Did you guys find Kris?" Nile asked.
"Everything's fine. In fact, we found out Kris was rescued by a Pokémon Ranger and Silver was sent to jail," Lyra replied.
"Ranger? What's a Pokémon Ranger?" Duke asked, seeing that he has limited knowledge of things outside of the forest he grew up in.
"They're like the police, but much stronger, and they operate on a higher level," Ray commented as he glanced over towards the Nidorino from under the rim of his hat.
"Oh. . . .Wait, who are the police?" Duke asked.
"They're the people who stop others from breaking rules," Ray replied in a disinterested tone.
"Oh."
"Anyway, guys, you all remember the drill from Gold Gate—we'll start with some sparring matches," I said as I tried to get things going.
"Nile, you're with me—show me what you got," Duke challenged, looking up at Nile, who returned his challenge with a toothy grin.
I loved how Duke just blindly challenges the strongest out of any group, regardless if he thinks he can win or not. I like that tenacity of his, even though I knew Nile is probably going to trash him if they were to fight fo r real.
"You do sparring matches for training? You're more sophisticated than I thought you were," Ray remarked as he lifted the rim of his hat.
"You bet he is! Gold's a great Trainer, and he knows what he's doing, too," Lyra said cheerfully.
"Oh, come on, I'm not that great," I said humbly as I tried not to blush from Lyra's comment.
"Well, if Duke and Nile are partners, then I guess I'm with you, Merlin." Ray nudged the sleepy owl.
Merlin shook himself awake and yawned very loudly, ruffling his feathers.
"Lyra, can you watch over those two for me? I'm going to keep an eye on Nile and Duke," I said.
"Sure thing," Lyra replied as she went over to Ray and Merlin while I went over to Nile and Duke.
The way I train my Pokémon is a little different than how most Trainers do. You see, most Trainers go around and fight wild Pokémon in order to train their Pokémon and test their skills. I personally don't like doing that because, as Marill has taught me, not all Pokémon like to fight. So I would feel bad if I went around picking fights with Pokémon who were minding their own business.
So, in order to prevent this, Lyra and I came up with a way to train back in Gold Gate Town. It involves a series of sparring matches, followed up with personal sessions where I point out what needs improvement and work on trying to teach new moves that I researched using my Pokédex. Although this method is a little slower when it comes to improvements than the traditional way, I prefered it over the latter.
We've been at this for quite some time now, and I've learned a lot from the sparring matches, especially from Ray. Unlike the rest of my team, who are either brawlers or a Special Attacker, Ray is actually a mix of the two. With moves like Thunder Punch, Thunder Bolt, and Karate Chop, he seems equally adapted to both forms of attacking. Although, he doesn't seem as durable as the others, because he gets pretty tired rather quickly when Merlin goes on the offensive.
As the sparring matches continued, I decided to look up Croconaw in my Pokédex and find out what Nile is capable of learning. Most of the things he could do seemed pretty normal like Surf, Aqua Tail, Aqua Jet, and even some Ice-type moves, but there was something at the bottom of the list that stood out:Dragon Dance. I remembered that move—Kate's Altaria used it back at the Contest. It certainly looked impressive, but what does it do? I quickly read the description of the technique to uncover its potential.
"Dragon Dance, the move that exemplifies the essence of hidden draconic power in most Dragon-types, as well as those with draconic heritage. The user delves deep into his inner well of power and unleashes it, giving the user a boost in speed and strength," the 'Dex entry read.
Speed and strength, huh? If Nile could learn how to do that, then that would definitely give me an edge in any battle.
"All right, that's enough for now," I said, motioning for Nile and Duke to stop their match.
"What's up?" Nile asked as he released Duke from a headlock.
"Nile, I was wondering if you could use a certain move I just read about," I said, walking over to him.
"Like what?" Nile inquired as he looked up at me, along with Duke, who was equally interested.
"Do you remember the Altaria back at the Contest?" I asked.
"You mean that weird bird thing with the clouds?" he replied.
"Yeah that one—remember the move it used? You know, Dragon Dance?"
"I think I do—wasn't that the thing where all that red and blue stuff surged through the bird's body?"
"Yeah, you think you can do that?" I asked, eager to see if he could, but he responded with a confused look.
"Wait, I thought only Dragon-types could use dragon moves," Duke stated, confused.
"Plus, I don't even know how I would even begin to try that," Nile added.
"Well, Nile, can you at least try? The description said something about delving into your inner power, so why don't you think about something that makes you mad?" I tried.
"Mad?" Nile asked, confused as he raised his scaly brow.
"How's that supposed to help?" Duke chimed.
"Well . . ." I nervously scratched the back of my neck, realizing how nerdy I was about to sound. "Whenever the hero in manga and movies gets mad, they always tap into some sorta 'hidden strength' and use it to defeat the bad guy."
"What's manga?" Duke asked.
"Uhh . . . it's like a comic book, but with a particular art style," I explained.
"A comic book?" Duke repeated, still confused.
"Look, I'll just show it to you some other time. Anyway, Nile, can you try thinking about something that makes you mad?" I said, trying to get back on track.
"Well, I guess I'll try, but I can't think of anything off the top of my head . . . well, except maybe. . . ." Nile said as a scowl began to show on his face.
"What?" I asked.
"Alpha, that freak of a Pokémon," Nile spat scornfully, "I hate him. You should've heard the things he says when he fights; he's twisted and evil, and I hate that I can't do a thing against him." Nile clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "I hate that I couldn't protect you from him, and that I 'm useless against something that I'm supposed to be naturally stronger than. I hate him, I hate him, I absolutely hate him!"
I glanced down at Nile, and I saw something happen for a split-second. It was a spark of red-and-blue energy that arced across his body. It was very faint, but I definitely saw it. Oh my God, did that crap about getting mad actually work?
"Whoa, it worked," Nile said in an astonished tone as he looked at his hands.
"Wow, that was weird," Duke commented.
"Hey, try that again—see if you can get it to last longer," I encouraged him.
"Okay, I'll try," Nile assented as he clenched his fists again and tried to focus.
A few moments passed and nothing seemed to happen, until suddenly another spark of convulsing red-and-blue energy jumped across Nile's body, which was quickly followed up by more and more streams of draconic energy that surged across the Croconaw's body. Duke and I took a step back from Nile as the energy that flowed through his body became more intense, until finally it dispersed.
"Whoa, I feel incredible!" Nile exclaimed as he held his arms up like he was declaring a challenge to the world.
He quickly turned to the side and found a nearby boulder. He then held his hands out and cracked his knuckles.
"Nile, what are you thinking?" I asked, looking at how large that boulder was.
"I'm going to break it in half," Nile said confidently.
"What!?" I bellowed.
"Just watch." Nile smirked as he dashed toward the large boulder faster than I have ever seen him move before.
"Holy crap, he's fast!" Duke cried as Nile jumped toward the boulder, his fist encased in ice, and smashed the rock to pieces.
"Oh my God, that was incredible!" I exclaimed in shock of how easily Nile just obliterated the boulder that looked like it weighed more than a ton.
"What's going on over here?" I heard Lyra say from behind me.
I turned around to see Lyra, along with Ray and Merlin, walking over to us. She must've heard the commotion.
"Nile just learned a new move," I explained.
"Really? What is it?" Lyra asked enthusiastically.
"He just learned Dragon Dance," Duke answered.
"And I feel like I can take on the world!" Nile proclaimed in an empowered voice as he threw a few punches like he was pretending to be a boxer.
"Wow, that's awesome! I knew you could teach them new moves, Gold," encouraged Lyra.
"Thanks. So, how did the sparring matches go with Ray and Merlin?" I asked.
"They went fine. I think you'll find them both ready to take on Morty—you should expect nothing less from moi," Lyra said, gesturing towards herself in a joking manner.
"And you make fun of me for being cocky." I snickered.
"That's because I'm allowed to be confident, 'cause I'm awesome." She giggled to herself.
"God, you're like a ten-year-old," I said under my breath.
"Hey, I heard that!" Lyra barked at me.
"Sorry," I said regretfully, knowing that I might invoke the prankster's wrath. "So anyway, I think we should wrap things up here for today. Wanna help me start a fire?"
As I looked around the area for any loose sticks on the ground, Lyra walked up to me like she was going to say something, but then she stopped in her tracks as she wafted air away from her nose.
"Oh God, speaking of fire, you smell like ash and sweat, man. Jeez, you reek," Lyra chastised, a disgusted look on her face.
"What? I don't smell that bad," I replied as I took a whiff of my sweatshirt.
"Yes, you do. You know what? Come with me." Lyra grabbed my hand and nearly threw me off my feet.
"Whoa, where are you taking me?" I said as I tried to steady myself, while Lyra brought me to the edge of the hot springs that were embedded into the side of the hill.
"Here—you need to take a bath," she ordered as she let go of my hand and pointed at the steaming water.
"What, you mean now?" I said in an astonished tone as Nile and Duke snickered behind me.
"Come on, haven't you ever wanted to take a bath in a hot spring?" she probed, tugging on my sweatshirt.
"Um, I don't know. I mean, that water looks really hot; you sure it's a good idea to get in there?" I questioned as I walked up to the edge of the water. "What if the water is so hot it burns me? I've read stories about people burning themselves in hot springs."
"Hey, Gold, can I see your bag?" Lyra asked, prompting me to turn around.
"Umm . . . sure. Why do you need it?" I said in a confused tone as I handed her my single-strap backpack.
"Oh, you'll see in a second," she said as she placed my bag on the ground next to her.
As I thought about what she was doing, I turned around again to look at the pool of hot water. Lyra must be crazy if she wants me to get in there.
"Lyra, I'm not sure—" I said, but was cut off when I felt Lyra push me from behind.
"Whoa, what the heck?!" I yelled as I fell into the hot water in front of me.
My mind flooded with fear of how hot the water was going to be, and I braced myself for the worst. I was practically ready to curse Lyra for doing something so dangerous, but after the initial shock of hitting the water, I was surprised to not feel my skin being scalded; rather, I felt a pleasant warmth, like getting into a hot tub that's just the right temperature. In hindsight, I probably should've seen this coming.
When I resurfaced, I looked back towards Lyra, who was giggling along with the rest of my Pokémon; except for Ray.
"So, how's the water?" She snickered to herself.
"What the heck, Lyra!?" I hissed.
"Well, you weren't going to get in, so I took action," she said in her sly voice.
"Uggh, God, I can't stand you sometimes. Look—now my clothes are soaking wet," I said irately.
"Oh, calm down. That's why I grabbed your bag—you have spares in there," she explained, walking over to the other side of the pool, toward the rocky wall at the other end.
"Hey, where are you going?" I asked in a lackluster tone.
"I'm going to take a bath in the other pool," she replied as she started to undo the straps of her overalls.
I felt my checks blush as thoughts of Lyra taking a bath instantly rushed through my head.
"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed.
"Jeez, relax—it's not like I'm going to do it in front of you. There are two pools of water separated by that wall." She pointed toward the rocky formation that divided the two pools of steaming water.
"Oh . . . right. Heh," I said meekly.
"Plus, I think the hot water will be great for the Egg," Lyra added as she disappeared around the rocky wall.
"Well, if everyone's taking a bath, then count me in! CANNONBALL!" I heard Nile shout from behind me as I felt a large splash of hot water hit me.
"Nile, what the heck, man?" I said, turning around to see my Croconaw with big grin on his face.
"Oh, stop being a sourpuss—you're already wet." Nile snickered.
"Uggh, whatever," I grumbled as I pulled off my wet sweatshirt, along with the rest of my clothes.
I figured I just couldn't win, and should just take a bath like Lyra said. She's probably right, anyway. I most likely do smell pretty bad, considering all that I went through recently. But taking a normal bath wasn't easy, though, and it wasn't because I'm in a hot spring, granted this is the first time I've ever been in one. No, it's something a little more blatant. It's the fact that Lyra is literally naked on the other side of this rock wall!
Goddamn my perverted imagination—her slim, petite body is the only thing I can think about! Why is Lyra completely fine with taking a bath when I'm literally ten yards away from her with a rock wall the only thing separating us? Dear God, she must really trust me to not do anything.
"Hey, Gold, do you have any shampoo in your bag?" I heard Lyra call out from the other side of the rocky formation.
"Huh? Wait—what?" I said as I snapped out of my fantasies.
"Shampoo—do you have any? I could've sworn you stole some of those tiny bottles they have back at the hotel."
"Oh, I, uh . . . I, um . . . I think I do," I said timidly as I swam over to my bag to see if I did.
I pulled out a small bottle of shampoo that I took from the last hotel we were in and threw it over the ten-foot rock wall.
After hearing a splash of water, I heard Lyra say, "Thanks."
After that, I sank back into the warm water, but the thoughts of Lyra returned with a vengeance. I tried to think of something else, but those thoughts were not going away. She's so cute and pretty—everything from her brown hair to her brown eyes is perfect. And the fantasies of seeing her wash herself filled my mind. It's just like what that movie said: the most infectious thing is an idea. And the idea of Lyra doing naughty things was definitely infectious.
Thankfully, my naughty thoughts were interrupted when I saw Nile surface from under the steamy water as he exclaimed, "Dude, you won't believe this, but there are freaking tunnels down there!"
"What? Really?" I asked with intrigue.
"Yeah, they go all over the place down there," Nile explained.
"I guess that's where the hot water comes from," I commented as those damn thoughts of Lyra came back.
Nile gave me a confused look and tilted his head to the side.
"Gold, I know the water's hot, but your cheeks look like they're on fire. You okay?" Nile asked concernedly.
"What? No, I'm fine," I said embarrassedly as I scratched the back of my neck.
Nile gave me a confused look, clearly confused by my frantic response. He then Tilted his head like he was trying to piece something together—until he snapped his fingers.
"Wait a second. . . . Oh, I know what's going on here," Nile claimed in a cocky voice, like he just figured out something.
"Uh, what are you talking about?" I asked as I sank a little lower into the water.
"Wow, I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. You have a crus—" Nile said before I instantly slammed his jaws shut before he could say anything else.
"Nile, shut up!" I whispered agitatedly.
"Oh, so you do have a crush on her," Nile mumbled through his teeth.
"No, I don't," I retorted quietly.
"Sure, whatever you say, lover boy," Nile taunted sarcastically as he turned around and started sinking into the water.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, you'll see," Nile said as he disappeared under the water.
Where the hell is he going? As I thought about what Nile was doing, I heard something surface from under the water on the other side of the rocky wall.
"What the hell?" I muttered under my breath.
"Oh, hi, Nile!" I heard Lyra say gleefully.
Nile!? How the hell did he get over there? Wait—did he use those tunnels he was talking about? What the heck is he doing?
"Hey, Lyra. How's the Egg?" Nile asked.
"Oh, it's doing fine. I get the feeling it's going to hatch soon," she replied with glee.
"Need any help with the Egg?" Nile asked.
"No, but aren't you the thoughtful one! Oh, you're so cute I could give you a hug—come here," Lyra cooed in her cute voice.
A hug? Wait a second . . . oh my God . . . Nile, you lucky son of a bitch! I felt myself clenching my fists as I realized that this was his plan right from the start. That's just cruel, man—I thought we were bros.
I then heard something surface from underneath the water behind me, and I turned around to see what it was. It was Nile, and he wore the biggest toothy grin on his face, and his scaly cheeks were a little red.
"Jealous?" Nile jeered, chuckling.
"I'm not talking to you." I crossed my arms and turned around, which only prompted Nile to burst into laughter.
"Hey, what's so funny over there?" Lyra asked from the other side.
"It's nothing; Nile's just being stupid," I replied as I slumped down into the warm water.
"Lyra and Gold sittin' in a tree, K-I-S—" Nile sang quietly to himself before I shot him a glare.
Nile just chuckled as he began to float on his back. God, this is going to be a long night.
Why did I lose? Why did I lose to that blue-haired girl and that stupid Ranger? I don't get it—why does this girl constantly get in my way? What makes her keep going when she knows I'm stronger than her? And how did she make that stupid Chikorita unafraid of me? And that Ranger who beat me—Jordan Wake—why does his last name seem familiar? Furthermore, why can I hear Pokémon talk when no one else does? What did that beast do to me? He called it a curse. He also called me the Pariah, like what those two Pokémon talked about in my dream about the mountain. They said I was the other one that bore the weight of Fate. What does that mean?
So many questions left unanswered, and I'm not going to figure them out from inside this fucking jail cell. I need to get out. I have to become better than my worthless father—I'll show him that I can become stronger than he ever was.
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the tapping of claws against concrete, like something was walking down the hall. These sounds were also accompanied by the jingle of keys being spun around. Whatever it was, it didn't sound very tall. Looks like my ticket out of here finally showed up.
"Well, it's about time you got here." I grumbled as my Sneasel came down the hall with the keys.
So after doing some surgery on my original copy of my second favorite Pokémon game, emerald, by replacing its old battery I decided to start my first nuzlocke challenge. And as I was going around the world looking for the first Pokémon in a certain route I had an incredibly stroke of luck and found a Ralts as my first encounter on that route. As you could probably guess I squealed like a little girl. I'm such a man.
My current team is:
Ripely the Grovyle
Alicia the Kirlia
Delphine the Lombre
And Stein the Mighyena (hehehe I like Soul Eater)