Hey guys! This one's a long one, and I mean, over 6000 words, long.
IT'S OVER 9-...
So, sit back, sit tight, and enjoy! Take a break or two while you're at it.
Chapter 7: An Unlikely Team
Marie and Anastasia walked calmly with each other in the forest together.
"I can't wait till we get to the ship heading for Dewford town!" Anastasia said, hopping happily with every step. Marie chuckled in amusement.
"Yeah, this time I'll do my best to beat you!" Marie said.
"You sure?" Anastasia said, hopping ahead and turning around with a sly grin. "You've already lost three times in a row to me! Why not just let me take you under my wing?"
"Just because I lost three times doesn't mean I'll lose a fourth time!"
"Oh yeah!? You're on!" The two shared a laugh.
Meanwhile, in the bushes, two hooded figures watched them both. They both pulled down their hoods and revealed themselves. One was a turquoise colored short-haired young man with black glasses and emerald eyes. The other had long raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes along with a single diamond earring.
"You think we should take the girl now?" The diamond earring wearing man asked, brushing his hair to the side. The man in glasses shook his head.
"No. We have to be smart about this. Marie used to be the Champion, alongside her Pichu. If we try taking Anastasia here and now, she'll use her invoker, and take us down before we can blink."
"All right then, then why not take Anastasia when the girls separate? They have to separate at some time."
"And if they don't?"
"You're not thinking of any solutions yourself, Zennon," The raven-haired man said in annoyance. "So, I'd like it if you pitched in, it'd be real nice."
"Quiet, I'm trying to think!" The man named Zennon cried. After a brief silence, the glasses-wearing man bent a finger and raised it to his lower lip. "We have to do this in a way that grabs Marie's attention, so she knows we have the girl. We also have to do it in a way that she wouldn't be able to react to us taking her. With how fast she can become with her Pichu- even the Abra we have with us may not be able to teleport in time. We can't underestimate this one. We need to be quick and efficient, or else our mission will be over in a literal flash."
"Hmph, if we had this conversation in any other situation, I'd think you have a crush on her."
"I- I don't have a crush on her!" The man named Zennon's face became red. The earring-wearing man turned his head in sudden suspicion. "I- I'm serious!" Zennon cried. "Aiden! Don't look at me like that! Stop smiling!"
"What's that noise?" Marie said, turning around. The two of them ducked deeper into the bushes.
"...Literally the funniest thing I've heard all day. " Aiden said, holding back his snickering.
"Shut. Up. Focus. On. The. Mission." Zennon said.
Lucia walked out of the Pokécenter alongside Machoke, who was now a part of her team, and Shelgon. The human and fighting type were both fully healed and ready to fight- and Machoke's monk robe was put back together. Lucia on had the biggest smile she'd ever had in her life. She was more confident than she ever had been- and had no shred of fear.
She felt like a movie star slowly walking away from an explosion.
The one thing Lucia wished for during all of this was for onlookers to see how confident she was. For the first time in her life, she wanted to be the center of attention, like a shining star bright enough to inspire awe. For a moment, the trainer imagined people watching her from the sidelines.
"She- she's the champion!" She imagined one person saying.
"She doesn't even use invoker armor, and still beats her enemies...! How strong is she!?" she imagined another person saying. She wanted her name to be the one that everyone must mention. The one that everyone adored and looked up to. As Lucia neared the front door of the Gym, she nodded to herself. She was going to crush this gym challenge and begin her legend! She pushed open the door and widened her eyes.
"Wha-!?" Lucia cried.
The inside of the building was several times larger inside than out. The battlefield looked large enough to be a football field, maybe two. The roof above the trio's heads was extraordinarily high, so much so that if a Pokémon were to Dynamax, the stadium would remain intact. The bleachers on the sidelines looked clean to perfection- so much so that the windows behind them shone them like beacons.
Despite all this, the inside of the gym wasn't what surprised her. What surprised her was that she saw the Gym Leader standing face to face with Beatrice.
"Hey! Wh-What's going on!?" Lucia cried, running to the two of them alongside her Pokémon. Beatrice turned and narrowed her eyes at Lucia in disgust.
"It's you," The red-haired trainer said with frustration. "Why don't you go away? The adults are talking."
"Adults!?" Lucia cried. "You're not an adult! Neither of us are adults!"
"How old are you?" Beatrice asked.
"I'm 14!" Lucia cried. Beatrice grinned at this.
"That explains your immaturity. I'm 16. Do you not see it? There's a certain air of maturity Roxanne and I share," Beatrice said. "You're nothing but an annoyance, while we're dignified and well-mannered trainers."
Lucia glared furiously at Beatrice.
"Yeah!? Well, you're-...uh-!" Lucia stammered. "You're- You're a jerk!"
Beatrice moved her hand over her mouth before chuckling loudly. "Your retorts are like your fighting style- absolute garbage."
"Why you...!"
"It seems like you two have a history with each other," Roxanne said, crossing her arms and smiling.
"Allow me to apologize," Beatrice said, turning back to the gym leader. "I was distracted by that piece of filth. As I was saying before-"
"I am NOT a piece of filth!" Lucia cried.
"I have come here to challenge you," Beatrice continued, completely ignoring Lucia.
"Don't you ignore me!"
"I do hope that the both of us can gain something from this battle," Beatrice continued.
"You dirty liar! You don't care about her feelings! If you won, you'd just call her trash!" Lucia cried. Beatrice turned around.
"There's a reason why people like you should only speak when spoken to..." She grumbled.
"Excuse me!?" Lucia roared.
"That's enough, both of you," The girls' swung their heads to Roxanne, who looked slightly annoyed. The gym leader sighed deeply. "You two remind me of students I had before. You know how they settled their differences?"
"How?" Lucia asked. "By talking to each other and resolving the issue?"
"How naïve. The answer is obvious," Beatrice said, flipping her hair sassily. "By fighting each other to see who's best, of course,"
"You're both wrong," Roxanne raised a finger and wagged it. "I made them work together. In the same team."
"...I see." Beatrice said. "Excuse my rudeness, but what does that have to do with this situation?"
"I'm suddenly in the mood for a double battle," Roxanne said. "I want you both to challenge me together. As a team."
"WHAT?!" The rivals cried at the same time. Roxanne smiled in amusement.
"NO!" Lucia cried. "No, no NO! There's absolutely no way I'm ever going to work with her!"
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Beatrice said, "But I actually agree with her! The two of us!? Working together!?" Preposterous!"
"Well," Roxanne shrugged. "I, as a Gym Leader, have the ability to decline your challenge for any reason. I refuse to fight unless you both work together to defeat me."
"Grrr!-" Beatrice spun to Lucia. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't walked in here, I could have challenged this gym leader without you! You're going to slow me down!"
"You think I'm going to slow you down!? You're going to slow ME down!"
"Fighting each other isn't going to get you the gym badge," Roxanne said with a grin.
"Tch'! Fine!" Lucia cried.
"If I must," Beatrice grumbled, gritting her teeth in annoyance.
"There you go," Roxanne said. "Now move to your places, choose your Pokémon, and let's do this!"
Aiden and Zennon continued watching Anastasia and Marie, who were still casually walking with each other.
"They still haven't separated…" Aiden said impatiently. "Any bright ideas?"
Zennon stared at Marie with wide, awestruck eyes. "Zennon?" Aiden continued. "Zennon!"
"Wha- What?" Zennon turned to Aiden again. "Sorry- uh, you were saying something?"
"I said if you have any bright ideas, now would be the time to say them."
"We wait for them to separate. And if they don't, we'll wait for an opportunity to present itself."
"...You're really going to do that?" Aiden sighed deeply. "And if it doesn't?"
"It will." Zennon said, still staring at Marie. "It… will."
"Uh-huh." Aiden said with a sigh.
"Y'know, it's a shame we can't use invokers while we're competing." Marie said. "If we could, I'd show up with Pichu and do some spectacular things!"
"Yeah, right!" Anastasia said.
"And there's our opportunity," Aiden said.
"Sorry, did you say something?" Zennon asked.
"Stop staring and start listening, doofus!"
"What'd you say? I didn't quite-"
Aiden slammed his fist onto Zennon's head.
Gym leader Roxanne was wearing her armor, crossing her arms and waiting patiently. From the other corner of the gym stood Lucia and Beatrice. Beatrice was clad in her Invoker armor, and her Slowpoke was lying on his back.
"Poke, Poke, Poke..." Slowpoke chanted to himself as he began moving his legs as though he were swimming. Lucia stretched her arms and legs alongside her Machoke, who was sitting on the ground with his arms and legs crossed. Lucia spun to Beatrice.
"What's the plan?" Lucia asked.
Beatrice turned and stared at her as though she asked the dumbest question ever conceived in human history.
"I have a Slowpoke that uses Future Sight more than it blinks. Just do whatever you want- I'll foresee it and follow through."
"All right." Lucia said.
"Miss Lucia?" Lucia spun around once she heard the butler Harold ask for her. He was standing right behind her, briefcase in hand, and bowed slightly to the young girl. "Our saying in the Auburn family is this: an ally of ours will be treated like royalty. Would you like to entrust your Shelgon to me?"
"What?" Lucia's eyebrows rose in surprise. Her cheeks reddened. She'd never been called 'miss' before. "I uh…"
"I will be treating it with the utmost care." Harold continued. "Such as polishing its shell as the two of you fight. So, will you allow me to take care of him?"
"...That's not up to me, hold on." Lucia pulled her Pokéball out and tossed it. Out came Shelgon. His eyes shot about in confusion, for he didn't think he'd be let out of the ball so soon. He looked up at Lucia, wondering what was going on.
"Do you want to hang out with this guy?" Lucia asked, pointing a thumb at Harold. "He said he'd take care of you while we fight. Do you wanna do that?"
Shelgon looked at Harold, then back at Lucia. Then at Harold, then back at Lucia. He then walked closer to Harold.
"I assure you, Shelgon, that I will treat you with the best care you ever will receive." Harold said. "The best of the best intended for the best of the best."
"Hey- I don't want you spoiling Shelgon, okay?" Lucia said.
"I will do no such thing. I promise you, Miss Lucia." Harold bowed one last time before turning to Shelgon."Right this way, Shelgon," Harold gestured for Shelgon to lead the way, and the two of them headed to the bleachers.
"Let me go over the rules for this special battle one more time for you both," Roxanne said. "Because this is a two-on-one battle, I'm allowed some liberties. I can use two Pokémon in this fight, while you both can only use one. You have to defeat both of my Pokémon to win. If you defeat the Pokémon I'm synched with before defeating my second Pokémon- my invoker will weigh me down just like normal. But after a few seconds, it'll automatically link itself to my other Pokémon, and the battle will continue."
"I understand," Beatrice said with a nod. "Let's begin,"
"My pleasure! Lucia, are you ready?!" Roxanne asked.
"Yeah!" Lucia cried.
"All right!" Roxanne pointed a finger at the two of them "Beware! My Pokémon are battle hardened- and have resolve as solid as stone! If you're going to beat me, you'll have to hit me with an attack that can topple even mountains!" Machoke sprung to his feet. Slowpoke's feet stood up on end as his eyes started glowing red. The two rivals entered their battle stances.
"Let the Gym battle begin!" Roxanne cried. She pulled out two Pokéballs and threw them into the air. When they landed, they flashed a brilliant white light revealing Onix, who cried out furiously, and Kabutops, who brandished its scythe arms threateningly. "I'll sync with you, Kabutops!" Roxanne declared. Her invoker armor shined with a brownish light, and then a blue light- corresponding with Kabutops' type.
"Let's go Machoke!" Lucia roared, entering a battle stance. Machoke nodded. Beatrice crouched and put her open hand on the ground. Her armor shined with a blue light, then a pink light.
"Slowpoke, Future sight!" Beatrice cried as Machoke and Lucia ran into the fray.
"Here goes-" Roxanne closed her eyes as shards of rock rose and circled her. "Ancient power!" Roxanne cried. The Gym leader sent the rocks flying by punching and kicking them toward her pursuers. Lucia and Machoke ducked and dodged over the oncoming rocks and pressed onward. Beatrice, purposely lagging behind them, caught the rocks with psychic power and kept them close to her. Lucia and Machoke leapt into the air with their fists raised, ready to strike down with intense might.
"Onix!" Roxanne shot her hand at the flying duo. "Kabutops!" Onix roared and leapt after Machoke and Lucia with an open mouth, and Kabutops did the same. Lucia's eyes widened in shock before she gritted her teeth. Just when the four of them were about to clash- Beatrice teleported in between them. She then shot her arms out at her opponents to release the salvo of rocks she saved. It pelted Kabutops and sent him back toward the ground. Onix narrowly avoided the rocks and grabbed Lucia by its jaw plummeted into the ground. The earth shook as Onix began to carry Lucia underground. Machoke swung his head back in worry.
"Focus on Roxanne!" Beatrice shouted before teleporting away from sight. Machoke spun his head- his eyes locked onto her target- Roxanne, who looked prepared to fight. Their wrists clashed with one another once Machoke finally struck down. The fighting type grit his teeth in ferocity as Roxanne grinned like she was having the time of her life.
Meanwhile, Kabutops groaned as it stood back up. It swung its head to Roxanne and Machoke, who were both fighting each other with extreme precision- like two kung-fu masters going at it. His eyes then swung over to Slowpoke, who, despite the large hole that was present in the battlefield thanks to Onix, dopely moved his legs while laying on its back. Kobutops glared, charging straight for the Slowpoke. Just then- Beatrice teleported in front of Kabutops with her back turned to him and slammed her elbow into the Pokémon's jaw before kicking it away.
"With Future sight, I saw over one hundred outcomes of our fight," Beatrice said as she turned around to face Kabutops, who slowly stood up. Beatrice gestured with her hand for the Shellfish Pokémon to come at her. "You lose in every single one of them." She said. Enraged by her taunt, Kabutops lunged at Beatrice. Beatrice dodged every swing of the Pokémon's scythe arms.
She couldn't afford getting hit. Not even once. Not for perfection's sake- but because she knew Slowpoke wouldn't be able to take it. Her plan to beat him had to be perfect. Sweat began falling from her brow as her eyes widened with Psychic power. One of Kabutops's claws was a hair's breadth away from touching her chest before Beatrice's Confusion attack stopped him from moving.
"This is it! Whirlpool!" Beatrice clapped her hands together as water rose around the three of them. The water washed away Slowpoke, who rolled away with a wide unbothered grin, and surrounded Beatrice and her opponent. They were face to face, and Kabutops was unable to move because of Beatrice's Confusion attack holding him down. The whirlpool grew larger, large enough to nearly cover the entire arena. Beatrice leapt back onto the water- and began surfing the whirlpool, allowing the trainer to spiral around the Pokémon. Kabutops felt itself regain control of its body- then leapt into the water to swim after his enemy. The trainer was fast, but Kabutops was much faster- being born for swimming across any and all waters. Slowly but surely, the Pokémon was drawing nearer and nearer.
Meanwhile, underground- Lucia cried out in pain as Onix's tight jaws held her tightly. The two went deeper and deeper underground. The purple-haired trainer could do nothing but punch the rock type in the face again and again. Her punches weren't ineffective- but Onix managed to hold on. Once the two were deep underground, Onix finally released his grip and left Lucia behind. Lucia didn't have time to even collect her thoughts- for Onix came by like a bullet train and slammed its body onto her before passing by. Lucia reeled in pain before the Onix came again like a speeding arrow, tackling her and passing by once again. It was like a shark using its incredible speed to wear down its prey- again and again, Onix came by and slammed its head onto Lucia and passed by. She could do nothing against his amazing speed.
Lucia cried out in pain as her body flailed out of control after each attack. As she screamed, she summoned a power welling deep within her.
Any move that Machoke could use- so could she. That was how invokers worked. So, if Machoke could use Superpower to increase his own strength...
Then so could she!
Lucia's eyes shined with red energy as a fiery red aura blazed within her.
"I WILL NOT LET YOU CLIP MY WIIIIIINGS!" Lucia roared at the top of her lungs as her aura exploded outward. She spun to Onix as he came toward her and shot her arms out to catch Onix. The two dipped deeper into the ground as Lucia pushed against Onix's tackle. Lucia roared like a battle-hardened warrior as she pushed hard against the Pokémon's hard body. Slowly she began pushing Onix closer to the surface.
Meanwhile, at the surface, Machoke and Roxanne traded blow after blow after blow. Surprisingly, Roxanne was well versed in hand-to-hand combat. She met every one of Machoke's blows and parried them well. The Fighting-type was starting to enjoy himself- But enough was enough! Machoke grabbed Roxanne by the face, then drove her body into the ground with enough force to crush the ground below. It was a devastating attack. One that directly affected Kabutops, who was still chasing Beatrice. Kabutops grunted in pain and slowed down a bit.
"Just as the future ordained it!" Beatrice cried before disappearing in a flash of light. She re-appeared in front of the raging whirlpool. "Ice beam!" Beatrice fired a beam of ice from her open hand and aimed it directly at the whirlpool, which slowly began to freeze. Kabutops, still buffeted by the earlier attack, was unable to leap out of the waters before it froze with him still in it.
"Now to end this!" Beatrice cried. The red-haired trainer cupped her hands and brought them close to her waist as ghostly energy gathered between her palms. As Roxanne's eyes shifted over to the frozen tornado and back to Machoke, she shot her hand at her aggressor.
"Mudshot!" Roxanne cried. A ball of mud formed and shot into Machoke's eyes, causing him to cry out in pain and cover his eyes, allowing the Gym leader to slip away. Roxanne leapt to her feet and ran toward Beatrice with her fist raised. c
"TAKE THIIIIS!" Beatrice shot her hands out and fired the shadow ball straight at the frozen whirlpool, shattering it instantly in a purple-colored explosion. Kabutops fell to the ground, unconscious.
Beatrice turned around, seeing that Roxanne's trembling fist was just mere seconds away from hitting her. The weight of the gym leader's invoker was beginning to overwhelm her, and Roxanne fell to the ground. Beatrice sighed in relief.
"Slowpooooke…" Beatrice spun around in alarm once she heard her Slowpoke yawn. Slowly, The Pokémon's eyes stopped glowing, and it began to go to sleep.
"Slowpoke! Wake up! The battle isn't over ye-"
Roxanne grabbed the girl by her ankle, and Beatrice's eyes widened in horror. The gym leader's armor shined with a brown light, then a yellow one, indicating its synchronization with Onix.
"This fight… isn't over yet..!" Roxanne cried.
"No- NO!" Beatrice swung her head back to Slowpoke, who slept soundly. "WAKE UP! I NEED YOU TO BE AWAKE SO I CAN- SLOWPO-"
Using Onix's move Strength, Roxanne's hand shined white as she stood up and lifted Beatrice off her feet and tossed her into the air. The redhead screamed in panic.
"And now..! Bulldoze!" Roxanne shouted. She crouched before leaping after Beatrice and tackling her higher into the air- so much so that they managed to fly toward the roof and break right through it.
After the girls flew off, Machoke finally wiped the mud off of his eyes. He hurried to Beatrice's still-sleeping Slowpoke, who endured the blows that Beatrice received. Machoke quickly hit it with a Wake-Up-Smack, and almost immediately, Slowpoke jumped to life.
It was then when the earth began to rumble.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Lucia's voice cried out from under the ground. Machoke's eyes widened in shock as Lucia plowed her way out of the ground and shot into the sky like a rocket, holding Onix by the tail and leaping right through the ceiling.
In the sky, Beatrice grit her teeth, hoping that Slowpoke hadn't fainted as Roxanne carried her higher into the sky. From over the Gym leader's shoulder, Beatrice saw Lucia who looked like she was flying toward them with skin redder than the rich girl's hair, and eyes whiter than snow. While bellowing like a madwoman, Lucia threw the Onix like a projectile after Roxanne. The Gym leader turned around and separated herself from Beatrice to dodge. Just before Onix collided with Beatrice, Lucia used her insane speed to move behind Beatrice and nab her just in time. As the two plummeted toward the ground, they saw the heavier Onix falling faster than them. Lucia noticed that Roxanne was standing on Onix's falling body and yelled louder than ever, trying her best to plummet down closer to the falling rock-snake Pokémon.
"Throw me over to the Onix!" Beatrice cried.
"Got it!" Lucia cried. With an intense roar, she threw Beatrice down at the falling Onix, and she quickly landed on the rock-snake's body.
"Okay, Onix..!" Roxanne cried, seconds away from pressing the Dynamax activation button located on her chestplate. "Time to Dynama-"
"Oh no you don't!" Beatrice came in swinging, throwing punch after punch at Roxanne, who quickly dodged and ducked under every attack. The two went at it, delivering punches and kicks at each other with intense speed. Beatrice was skilled, but Roxanne proved the better- pushing back her opponent with her incredible movement. As attack after attack landed on Beatrice, she moved to the defensive, trying her best to parry all of Roxanne's attacks.
"TAKE THIIIIS!" The girls turned their heads to see Lucia coming fist-first like a torpedo across from them. Beatrice shot her hands out at Roxanne as her eyes shone with pink psychic energy.
"I can't move-!" Roxanne cried out before getting hit directly by Lucia's oncoming punch and swept off of Onix's body.
Once they were out of the picture, Beatrice cupped her hands together and brought them close to her waist as she ran up Onix's body. Water type energy stored and charged between the girl's hands. She leapt off of Onix's head to get ahead of it, then shot her hands out.
"HYDRO PUUUUMP!" Beatrice roared. An enormous torrent of water blasted out and carried Onix down to the ground- all the way back down to the Rustboro gym.
On top of the Rustboro Gym rooftop stood Machoke, staring at the Hydro pump that carried Onix toward it. Machoke clenched his fists as the top of his monk's robe instantly ripped into shreds. In an instant, an intense aura raged around the fighting type as his skin became crimson red.
Meanwhile, Roxanne and Lucia exchanged blow after blow as they violently plummeted toward the ground. The two grunted and screamed with every punch that landed- except Lucia could feel every one of Roxanne's attacks. Shrugging off every blow taken, Lucia raged on, landing a punch on Roxanne's face that sent her flying.
"You want an attack that can topple mountains?! FINE!" Lucia grabbed Roxanne by the legs, spun like a top, and sent her flying to the ground. Roxanne's body bounced once it hit the ground falling. "I'VE GOT ONE FOR YOU!" Lucia roared.
At the same time, like a mirror image- Machoke and Lucia shot their arms out, cupped them and brought them to their waist.
The Pokémon and trainer summoned a ball of brilliant red light in size at the same time: The Focus Blast attack.
"HAAA!" Lucia shot her arms out and fired the focus blast down at Roxanne.
Machoke let out a war-cry before shooting his hands out and firing the focus blast straight at the plummeting Onix being carried by the raging Hydro Pump. The focus blast Machoke fired hit Onix directly, merging with the waters of Beatrice's attack before exploding in a magnificent explosion.
Meanwhile, Lucia's Focus blast fired at Roxanne was strong enough to make a volcanic-like eruption where Roxanne was lying. Intense winds blew across all of the land, trees shook violently. Soon, the winds slowly calmed. The noises ceased. Lucia landed on the ground with a crouch and walked to the edge of the giant crater she created. Roxanne lied in the middle of the crater and had a bright and proud smile on her face.
"...I can't move,.." Roxanne said. "That must mean... you knocked out Onix, too.. That means you win.
Lucia shot her fist at the sky in triumph and took a deep breath before crying "YES!" at the top of her lungs. She breathed heavily as she lowered her arm. Her blood was pumping. Her body was on fire. Her legs were trembling. Lucia crumpled to the ground, laughing heartily and breathing hard. The victorious trainer heard the ring of the move Teleport- and soon, everyone else remaining in the Gym appeared in front of her. Beatrice, who had no armor on now and held Slowpoke in her arms like a newborn baby, had teleported everyone else along with her. Machoke grinned and stepped forward as Harold held Shelgon and rubbed his back.
"We did it, Machoke!" Lucia cried, raising her fist to Machoke. Machoke marched over to his trainer and fist-bumped Lucia Lucia's eyes then met with Beatrice's.
"C'mon, not even a 'good job?" Lucia said as she finally stood up. She shot a glare at the girl. "All right- fine. Be that wa-"
"...without your help..." Beatrice mumbled, looking away.
"What?" Lucia tilted her head in confusion, then furrowed her brow. "Were you going to say something mean? Because that'd be-"
"I- I said-!" Beatrice spoke louder. "You did better than I thought you would, and I wouldn't have won without your help!" Lucia's eyes widened in shock once Beatrice blurted this out. The red-haired girl then looked away in embarrassment.
"Oh," Lucia said.
"S-Speak of this to anyone, and I'll grind you to dust, understand?" The older girl cried, red in the face. Lucia chuckled a bit, relieved to see a bit of humanity in this girl.
"You did good too," Lucia said.
"Don't speak to me as though we're friends," Beatrice said, shooting a glare.
"Oh, trust me- we'll never be friends!" Lucia cried. "But hey- you've gotta admit we did well there. We were a pretty good team. I almost wouldn't mind it if we teamed up again. Almost."
"If I have to team up with someone like you again, I'll vomit."
"I sure as heck would rather punch you in the face than help you."
"Sounds like you two are getting along!" Roxanne walked out of the massive crater Lucia's attack left behind with her Invoker armor unequipped. "You two should travel together!" Roxanne put her hands on her hips. "You two make an amazing team!"
"NO!" The two of them cried at the same time.
"Well… since you both earned your badges, you both will be headed to Dewford Gym next, right? Why not travel together? You're both going to the same destination."
"I'll travel by plane, then so I don't speak to this child," Beatrice said, placing a hand near her chest. "I have the money to-"
"Madam Beatrice, you said it yourself, vehicles are for emergency use only."
"What!? When!?"
Harold placed Shelgon on the ground, and Shelgon ran over to Lucia's side. The butler then pulled out a tape recorder, and pressed play.
"Do not under any circumstances," It was Beatrice's own voice that played. "-allow me to use a vehicle for anything that's not an emergency! I want my journey to be as authentic as possible! A message to the future me who wants to use a vehicle: Suck it up! Quinton didn't have a plane or a limo! So neither should you!" The recording ended.
"NOOOOO!" Beatrice cried out and started hopping up and down like a child with a tantrum. "I don't want to walk over there! If we go now then we'll have to walk together with that filth!"
"Man, that's funny, it's almost like I'm standing RIGHT HERE AND CAN HEAR YOU!" Lucia cried.
"Please, please PLEASE let me use a plane! A limo! Anything!" Beatrice cried.
"No." Harold said.
"AAAGHHH! I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNA!" Beatrice fell to the ground and grabbed Harold by the ankle, flailing her legs about like a child. "I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNA I DON'T WANNAAAA I DON'T WANNA...AAAAAAAHH!"
"Wh-..Wha.."Lucia stared in sheer shock.
"Give her a minute," Harold said.
"I WANNA TAKE A PLAAAAAAAAAANEEEEEEEEEE!" Beatrice whined.
"Wouldn't having a companion that isn't me be more authentic to being a trainer?" Roxanne said.
"I DON'T WANNAAAAAAAAA!" Beatrice cried. Lucia couldn't stop staring with an open mouth. She'd never seen Beatrice like this. Any and all expectations she had of this girl were blown out the window and shattered.
Soon enough, Five minutes pass.
Beatrice was back on her feet, standing like a dignified person and clearing her throat. "I hate to admit it, but Roxanne does have a point. Having a companion would be more authentic to being a trainer. So, if I have to travel with this piece of filth,"
"Lucia," Lucia corrected.
"Filth," Beatrice said firmly. "Then I will endure."
"ThEn I WiLl EnDUre-" Lucia mocked Beatrice by speaking in a doltish manner. "mY naMeS BeAtRicE, i'M PerFeCt! I HaVe DiGniTy! I AlSo WhiNe LiKE A BaBy-"
"I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!" Beatrice roared. Lucia started laughing. "GRR! Harold! Let's be on our way!" Beatrice stormed off in a massive huff. Harold bowed before leaving.
"You know, it'd be better if you didn't prod her like that." Roxanne said.
"I've been seeing that girl be nothing but perfect for the past few days. Let me have this," Lucia replied.
"I won't lie. You two remind me of sisters."
Lucia turned around and narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "...I was seconds away from telling my Shelgon to headbutt you on the shin, but I don't like to do that to people who aren't my Dad. But take it from me: getting headbutted on the shin? It's more painful than it sounds." Shelgon growled and glared at Roxanne, who started laughing.
"Do you dislike your dad?" Roxanne said.
"No, I love him more than anything! It's just that at the same time he's got a really punchable face. I just get into this mood to just mess with him in any way possible. Speaking of which, the first thing I'm going to do when I see him is drop kick him in the face." Lucia nodded and smiled at this thought. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"Sounds like you both have an interesting relationship. I feel it won't be long until you have that same familial bond with Beatrice if you treat her the same way."
"No, I won't. I hate her, and she hates me, that's how it'll stay." Lucia said quickly. Roxanne laughed.
"It's too bad Beatrice left before I could give her this badge." Roxanne dipped into her pockets and pulled out two Stone Badges. "This is yours." Roxanne placed one badge in Lucia's hands. Lucia like a million bucks, holding the badge with a giant grin on her face. She pulled out her badge holder and stored it there. "Be sure to give the other badge to Beatrice!"
"Hmmm... Nah."
"Wha-"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm not that much of a jerk- don't worry." Lucia stared at the badge. "Buuuuut-... il give it to her only if she says please," Lucia said with a smirk. She was slightly surprised at herself. She hadn't been this devious to anyone other than her father. Why was this? It was probably because of Beatrice's stupid face. Yeah, that's it, she thought. Beatrice just awakens something in Lucia, that makes her want to mess with her as much as possible. Roxanne smiled.
"I'm sure you two will become the best of friends. Take care of each other, okay?"
"If by taking care of each other, you mean tearing each other into pieces, then yes, we will. See you!" Lucia waved Roxanne goodbye. She shot her finger at the sky. "Next stop: Dewford town!" She cried.
"Next stop, Dewford town!" Anastasia cried, pointing her finger at the sky.
"Why did you just randomly do that?" Marie asked.
"Because the author wants to make a joke out of it,"
"What?"
"I dunno, cause' I felt like it."
"Ohhh- that's what I thought you said," Marie said.
"C'mon, say it with me! Next stop, Dewford town!" Anastasia pointed at the sky. Marie shrugged.
"Next stop, Dewford town!" She said.
"Hey! Put more feeling to it!" Anastasia pouted.
"...Next stop Dewford town, did you hear that, Zennon?" Aiden asked, turning his head to Zennon, who was red in the face and staring blankly.
"Huh? What? Did you say something?"
"Oh my god," Aiden groaned.
Author's notes/thoughts
This one was REALLY long. Hands down the LONGEST chapter yet. I'm really sorry if it was too long. Also, I'm hoping that last part with Machoke and Lucia using their Focus Blasts at the same time but at different enemies was clear and coherent. I took a few risks, writing like that.
I hope all of you have a really good day. Stay safe out there!