Chapter 65 - Napolitan
The ride from Saffron City to Viridian only took a couple of hours, and they arrived in the middle of the night. Seshiru managed to stay awake during the ride there, but Logan and Yurie weren't as strong as her, falling asleep. Logan rested his head on Yurie's, and Seshiru couldn't help but take a picture. She'd tease them later for it, but she was ultimately happy that her friends finally admitted their feelings for each other.
After arriving and then going to the Pokémon Center to get some rest, they woke up bright and early the next morning. Logan had his shoulder checked out and wrapped up by the Nurse Joy in Saffron City, and the Nurse Joy in Viridian City had no problem giving it a second look and fresh wrapping. He'd be healed in a few weeks, as the damage wasn't nearly as bad as it was when he broke his leg.
"Today's your last rematch," Seshiru said. "Are you sure you're ready? We can wait a week if you need to."
Logan shook his head. "If I fail now, then I'm not meant to go to the Indigo Conference. I can win. I know I can. And then, it's your time for your battle!"
Seshiru grinned.
"Are you asking that I wait a week so that you can have more time to train? I'm thinking that you think that you're not ready," Logan teased.
"I'm more than ready," Seshiru said while folding her arms. "I'm just concerned for you. After all, how can you battle with a messed up shoulder?"
"You've got this, Logan!" Yurie cheered louder than she probably should have. She stopped herself from jumping up and down. Now that she and Logan were on different terms, she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself.
Logan laughed to himself. "I'm sure that I can."
The doors to the Pokémon Center then slid open, and two figures walked through. It was a pair that they never thought they'd see, but they were happy to see them nonetheless as Logan's rivals, Sora and Maleah, came into view.
Now with it considerably hotter, Sora had chosen to remove his parka, revealing a tan t-shirt. He remained in his baggy pants. And Maleah wore her usual shoulderless flower-print dress.
Maleah's eyes widened when she saw the group. "Hey, Logan!"
"Howdy!" he responded.
Yurie shot him a look. She wasn't sure if Logan knew about Maleah's crush on him. He did, but he wasn't sure if it was okay to bring it up.
"What are you doing here?" Sora asked. "About to head off for the Indigo Plateau, I take it." His look remained deadpan.
Logan shook his head. "Nah. I'm actually gonna challenge Midori one more time today. Unfortunately, it's my last shot."
"Oh? Is that so?" Maleah wondered while raising her hand, revealing a green badge that was in the shape of a feather. "I won my badge this morning."
Sora nodded. "I won mine a week ago, but I've been kind of lost getting to Victory Road. Luckily, Maleah has a better sense of direction than me, and we'll be going together."
Maleah approached the group and looked at Logan's shoulder. Her eyes widened and she lunged forward, grabbing him lightly. This infuriated Yurie, but she did her best to hide it.
"It's kind of a long story, but we got in a fight with Neo Rocket again," he said.
This piqued Sora's interest. "And you were hurt? What's the damage?"
"Just popped my shoulder out of place. It's not the worst thing that's happened to me."
Maleah retreated slightly. "I saw that Neo Rocket was on the news. Of course, you dived straight into the fire. You're so dumb, but that's what people admire about you." She eyed him, and Yurie couldn't take anymore. She stepped in between them and lightly pushed them apart.
"I feel like we're not even a part of this conversation!" she stated, gesturing at everyone else. "It's nice to see you again!"
"It's nice to see you too," Maleah said with a grin. "Too bad about the Kanto Grand Festival!"
Yurie grinned. "I had fun, so it doesn't matter if I won or lost! Besides, I recently won something else!"
Maleah's expression changed. "What?"
Yurie reached for Logan's hand, but before she could grab it, the center doors slid open one more time, and another familiar figure revealed themselves.
He had pitch-black hair that was neatly kept, and he wore a nice black jacket with blue designs embroidered into it. His jeans were also black and kept to his form in a fashionable way. Upon seeing the group and locking eyes with Logan, he glared.
Yurie paused and retracted her hand. "H-Haruto! Big brother! I didn't expect to see you so soon!"
Seshiru couldn't help but start to laugh. Had she lost all control, she would have rolled on the floor, but she contained herself enough to not do so.
It then dawned on Logan what situation he just got himself into. He had claimed up and down that he and Yurie were nothing but friends, but now, they were a couple. Should he tell Haruto or would it be better for him to keep quiet? He had been face to face with multiple legendary Pokémon over the years, but the thought of having to face an older brother scared him more than he could explain.
"I guess everyone is collecting. It's a sign that everything is wrapping up," Haruto said. "Congrats on second place in the Kanto Grand Festival. Yui only made it to the semi-final rounds." He looked around at the group, feeling the unease in each and every one of them. He observed Sora and then Maleah momentarily. "They say that your brutality in battle matches my own, Fujiwara Sora. You don't look like the kind of person who takes joy in it though. And Maleah Kalani? The King of Kanto. It's only a title, and if we meet at the Indigo League, then I'll have to put down a king. I look forward to it."
"Cuts straight to the smacktalk?" Maleah wondered. "I can respect that. If I'm correct, you're Haruto Kawahara? You're one of the trainers that has a target on his back. Anyone would love to take you down."
Haruto grinned. "I'm the only trainer with a target on my back." He shot a look at Logan. "Everyone else isn't worth the time."
"I take it that you've won your last badge?" Logan wondered.
Haruto nodded. "Yeah. I was able to crush Midori, and now I'm off for training. I hate to ask you this, but it's part of the catchball of conversation. How about you?"
Logan didn't know how to answer. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't won his last badge, but he knew that if he lied, he'd get called out by Seshiru. However, his hesitation was just enough for Haruto to get his answer.
"I see," Haruto said. "Good luck. You'll need it."
Sora turned and looked at Haruto in the eyes. "His bond with his Pokémon is strong. He'll be okay." He adjusted his wrist slightly and then sneered. "And I should tell you, I take joy in my brutal battle style. If I get the chance, I'd love to show you sometime."
Seshiru put her hands in her pocket and nodded. "Competition is lookin' real good right now! I miss having rivals! Logan, you better win your next gym badge and get to the conference. If you don't, then I'll find a way to enter and beat all of your rivals for you!"
"I'd like to see you try," Logan muttered. He glanced at his three rivals. He considered them three of the strongest trainers that he had met, and up until this point, he didn't have any luck with any of them. In his first battle against Maleah, he was crushed by her Persian. Sora surprised him in the King of Kanto tournament and knocked him out quickly. And Haruto. Haruto always had his number. They only had short battles up to this point, but he was aware that had they been full battles, the results would probably be the same. He had a lot to improve and one more hurdle before he could get into intense training. But he knew that he could get to their level. It would take time, but it was his last shot, and he wasn't going to waste it.
Yurie clapped her hands together. "Well, with everyone here, how about we do lunch? How about napolitan! It's a special kind of pasta from Viridian!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Still getting into the swing of writing. Things have happened in my life, and I've been very distracted recently. I think this chapter kind of reflects that. I'm gonna put a little bit more thought into Logan and Yurie's relationship and where I want it to go by the end of KiiK. Right now, I don't have any direction for it, and I think that I can make something interesting if I have an overall end goal for this story (I have an end goal for where they end up ultimately, but not for KiiK).
Short chapter just to serve as a reminder of the rivals and how ahead they are compared to Logan. He has some catching up to do. Next chapter, Logan has his last chance to earn his badge.
REVIEWS:
pokemonking0924 - "Wonder if their new relationship will change Logan's retirement plans a bit, maybe he could take a break from the gym circuit and just travel with Yurie to offer support. Then there their families I can't wait to see their reactions to those two dating especially Yuries siblings since their baby sister stated dating before them." - I don't see Logan changing his plans, but the future is unknown.
CrescentApple - "It was great reading everyone just interacting. I learned Logan like wrestling, finds baseball boring. Haha. Cyan and Skylar paint as best friends, I like that." - One of the things I had connected with my two main characters are the sports that they like/don't like. It's a small detail, but it's something I've referenced a few times.
pokestets23 - "Friend! This was a great wrap up to the arc. I am excited for Cyan's new adventure. Logan will definitely get this badge. His Pokemon are on a whole new level. I think I can see Yurie competing in Sinnoh next! That'll be so awesome, if so!" - If I can get back into my writing mode, then I definitely intend for Yurie to go to Sinnoh or Johto. Not saying where yet.
wisdom-jewel - "So they are now a couple. I wonder how it would work if Logan wins and Yurie decides to keep going into a different region. I want to know. Good luck with the next chapter." - From experience, long-distance is hard, but love is love, no matter how many oceans are in between you.
