Time seemed to slip away from Abby and Green as they explored the Pokémon Centre together. Together they wandered the barren halls, rummaged through supply closets and read some of the trainer guides behind the lobby desk. While ordinarily, such mundane tasks would have bored either of them to tears, doing them with each other made them fun and exciting. Eventually, they found themselves back in Green's room. They were sat on the end of the bed, going through Green's large collection of clothes she had packed for her journey. T-shirts, leggings, skirts, dressed and swimsuits all lay scattered about around them. Machoke sat behind Green, keeping her between his legs with a protective arm around her waist. He watched the girls with vague interest, his focus more on Dratini. He was still wrapped around Abby's shoulders, gazing back up at Machoke. The two pokémon said nothing to each other, analysing the other curiously with neutral faces.
"So you have three Pokémon?" Abby asked, holding up Green's belt in front of her with an awe-struck look.
Green beamed proudly and pointed to each of the three pokéballs.
"Yup! Machoke, Graveler and Mankey." She reaffirmed to Abby.
Abby lowered the belt, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"So are you going to be a fighting trainer?" She asked, her voice shrill with excitement, "Fighting trainers are always so cool from what I've seen online! Like Bruno! He's so powerful and mysterious! Apparently, he refuses to speak to trainers he considers beneath him in strength!" Abby continued, the words pouring straight from her mind to mouth unfiltered.
Green thought about it for a moment before shrugging.
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it really." She confessed, specialising was something she often forgot most trainers did.
The only trainers she knew well were Red and Blue, both of them mix typed trainers. A rarity amongst typical trainers. It was something she often took for granted about those two, that the things that seemed ordinary about them to her were considered extraordinary by everyone else. While in most cases she didn't relate to their awe, in this case, she at least understood it. Each type of pokémon required a specific style of training to best make use of the unique strengths they possessed. A successful mix trainer would often be called a Pokémon Master. Green looked down at Machoke's hand around her waist and to the ball holding Mankey. She considered the title, Pokémon Master. It had been what they called her brother and blue once they had become champions, the title had stuck too. The words followed her brother everywhere he went. In truth, Green liked the sound of the title but the fact Red had pursued the title so hard made her reluctant to want it herself. She wanted to become stronger than her brother in her own way not by copying his path to success.
"Actually," Green said in the small silence that had followed her answer,
"You know what? Yeah, I think I will be a fighting trainer." She declared with an excited grin.
Abby bounced up and down on the bed, making Dratini's eyes widen with fright.
"Alright! You've become at least twice as cool now!" Abby exclaimed, giggling wildly.
Machoke seemed quite chuffed with Green's response too, squeezing her waist and beaming down at her happily. Green laughed and lay back against his chest, warm happiness rising through her. Suddenly a loud clanking interrupted them as the metal sheaths covering the window behind Abby rolled open. The gentle orange light of the rising sun cast down upon them, glowing off of their bodies. Abby whirled around to face the open window, her face hardened. She took a long deep breath before facing Green with a serious look.
"Alright, let's go get your gym badge and get out of here." Her voice was stern, her eyes empty of any wonder or delight.
She tossed Green's belt to her and began collecting the scattered clothes off the ground, folding them and returning them to the big black trash bags. Green gripped the belt firmly and got up from the bed with purpose. She helped Abby collect the clothes, tossing the ones she wanted to wear onto the bed. In the corner of the room, she found the rags of what used to be her chest wrapping, she glanced back at Machoke who was watching her pick it up with a sheepish look.
"You're lucky I have a spare." She said with a smirk not able to be annoyed as she remembered how horny it had made her when he had torn it from her chest.
She tossed the rags into the small bin by the desk before tying up the trash bag full of clothes and stuffing it back into her bag. In the rush of things, she lifted her baggy shirt over her head without thinking. Only after she had stuffed it into the bag in Abby's hands had she realised what she had done.
"Whoa, I knew your boobs were big but god damn that shirt wasn't doing them justice." Abby blurted out, gawking at Green's naked breasts.
Green blushed and quickly grabbed her spare chest wrap from her bed, quickly tying the black cloth around them with practised movements.
"Sorry, wasn't thinking." She answered, mumbling as she ducked her eyes in shame.
Abby laughed and shrugged.
"Hey if we're gonna be camping together I'd probably have seen them eventually, especially with how much sex you two will be having." She chortled, stiffing her laughter.
Dratini chuckled at that and shot Machoke a knowing smirk, bringing out a gentle laugh from him. Machoke rose from the bed and watched Green dress, not able to hide his loving smile. With the final click of her pokéball belt, Green was dressed. She wore a black t-shirt along with a pleated black skirt that hung halfway down her thighs. Her black pokéball belt would have blended in seamlessly if had not been for its silver adornments. In her haste, she had accidentally picked mismatching thigh socks, one black and one white. She had quickly noticed as she pulled them on but chose to accept the mistake and move on. With a hurried urgency, she hoisted her huge backpack onto her shoulder and gave Abby a determined nod.
"Alright, let's go." She said after getting a similar nod back from Abby.
Together they hurried into the lobby with Machoke walking briskly behind them, his long legs keeping pace easily with their light jog. Only Nurse Joy was in the lobby, behind her desk plugging in a small plasma lamp. The plastic sphere that contained the small arms of plasma had an odd hatch in the top. Before turning the lamp on she opened it and guided a tired-looking Magnemite with her hand, helping him to hover inside. She closed the lid and turned it on, the small purple arms of plasma shooting from the central sphere. Rather than meeting the plastic shell around them, they shot up and connected with Magnemite. He closed his eye and buzzed happily, his magnets spinning around excitedly. Joy giggled before noticing the girls and their pokémon hurrying past.
"Nurse Joy?" Green asked, interrupting her as she was about to greet them, "Is Misty at the gym yet?"
Joy blinked at her before smirking.
"No not quite yet dear," she answered, glancing over at the doors she had come from herself.
Green and Abby shot each other worried looks.
"We can't stay too long, doing this challenge is pushing it as it is. Who knows when they'll come for me?" Abby fretted, turning to Joy with a pleading look.
Realisation flooded Joy and she turned so her whole body was facing them now.
"I see, you've decided to travel together then. Alright stay here I'll go-" Joy began with a mixture of elation and seriousness, only to be interrupted by the doors flying open.
A ruckus of giggling, gasping and thundering heavy footsteps erupted out into the lobby. Jasmine and Sam came through the doors on either side of Misty, her arms draped around their shoulders. Behind them, Blastoise, Golduck and Poliwrath followed. Each step Blastoise took shook the ground under his enormous weight. All three of them had satisfied looks on their face, Blastoise and Golduck sporting stupid grins while the mouth-less Poliwrath's eyes were bright with joy. Sam and Jasmine, while similar in appearance with their matching blue eyes and blonde hair, couldn't have been acting more different. Jasmine matched Misty's wild, hungry smirk. They kissed aggressively, seeming to be trying to outdo the other. While Sam laughed and squealed with delight as Misty turned, slapped her ass, and kissed her neck.
"Misty!" Abby yelled to her, the elated tone she greeted her with the night before gone, "Green needs to challenge you, right now!" She commanded, marching right up to her and interrupting her fun.
Misty chuckled awkwardly and glanced apologetically at the other girls.
"Alright?" Misty responded unsure, looking over at Green as Abby grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.
Green smiled sheepishly at her, her cheeks burning red from the second-hand embarrassment. Machoke folded his arms and watched Abby with an approving smirk. Misty shrugged off her confusion and pulled her arm from Abby's grip.
"Okay okay! Don't drag me I'm going!" She exclaimed with a laugh, "hope you two sorted yourselves out!" She called to Green and Machoke as she made her way out of the centre with Abby.
Green followed after and as she was exiting the centre she heard Joy call out to her.
"Good luck dear!"
Green and Machoke hurried into Cerulean Gym only a few paces behind Abby. As they pressed open the glass doors they saw as Misty disappeared past reception and into the arena through the challenger's door. Abby waited, facing them with an anxious look. Green frowned and grasped her hand as she approached.
"Hey don't worry okay? Machoke and I won't let anyone take you." She assured Abby, softening her anxiety only slightly.
She gave a small nod to Green, peered past her and once she was satisfied took a step back.
"Just sign in and beat her so we can leave." She said abruptly and stiffly.
Dratini also looked on alert, no longer his usual calm self. His eyes scanned the town centre behind Green and Machoke, his gaze stopping on even the slightest bit of red. Green nodded and plucked Machoke's pokéball from her belt.
"See you inside buddy." She gave Machoke a reassuring smile before recalling him into his ball.
She approached the desk and Abby walked past, making her way through a door the left of the challenger's entrance marked, "Spectator's Entrance"
"Back again so soon I see? Oh and with a bigger team too, good for you young one!" The man behind the counter exclaimed with an innocent, encouraging grin.
Green gave a thin and courteous smile, her eyes shifting the entrance door anxiously.
"Can I go in?" She asked quickly.
The man roared with laughter.
"Oh ho! Eager too, good for you! But I'm afraid someone has beat you to the first match this morning, you can go after he's finished. If you like, you can watch the match from the spectators' area." He explained, gesturing to the entrance Abby had gone through.
Green pursed her lips and gave him a pleading look.
"Can't I go before him? I'm in a hurry, it's important." She begged.
The man shot her a curious look.
"If it's that important why are you here? The gym isn't going anywhere." He asked slowly, trying to understand her.
More trainers were queuing behind her now, familiar faces of the trainers who had failed their first challenge with Brock. Green's chest tightened, not wanting to make a scene she reluctantly hurried through the spectators' entrance. After climbing a tall set of stairs she came out onto the seats, finding Abby looking down at the forming arena with a frown.
"Sorry, hopefully, this guy loses quickly so we can-" Green stopped midway through her apology as she saw who the guy in question was.
Wearing his wide-brimmed safari hat and light brown Khakis was Jackson, a cocky smirk on his face as he eyed Misty emerging into the arena in her green bikini. In all the chaos between Pewter and now, Green had forgotten all about him. A relieved smile spread across her face as she slumped down beside Abby.
"Don't worry, he'll definitely lose quickly." She assured Abby confidently.
Abby looked over at her with a curious look. Dratini glanced at her unconvinced.
"You know him?" She asked.
Green giggled and nodded.
"Yeah he's a bratty kid from Pewter, don't worry if I couldn't beat Misty first try neither will he." She declared.
Abby took her word at face value and allowed herself a relieved smile. She sat back in her seat and watched as the last bits of the arena clanked into place. The squeal of a microphone split the air, making everyone wince.
"Challenging leader Misty Williams of Cerulean City, Jackson Hokori of Pewter City." The announcer stated, his bored voice booming around the arena.
Jackson grinned wildly hearing his name and looked up at the stands around him. Like yesterday they were mostly barren. Only the same officials with clipboards as well as the trainers waiting their turn watched from the stands. The yellow hexagonal light grid formed in front of Jackson and Misty, rippling down from the ceiling to the floor. Misty stepped forward and dropped into the water, two pokéballs clipped to her bikini bottom. Jackson unclipped one of four pokéballs from his belt and readied himself.
"Trainers, release your first pokémon." The announcer instructed.
The cameras on the edge of the arena zoomed in on Misty and Jackson. Their feeds appear on four big screens hanging above the arena. Misty tossed her pokéball into the air, it arched over the catwalk above her, hanging in the air before opening with a burst of red light. Psyduck plopped down onto the metal catwalk with a puzzled look, his hands gripping his head.
"Duck!" He cried out before falling back onto his butt and rocking back and forth.
Misty smiled sympathetically.
"I know I know, sorry for waking you, buddy." She apologised, looking up at Psyduck through the small holes in the grate-like floor of the catwalk.
Psyduck peered down at her and considered her for a moment.
"Psyeye-eye..." He muttered, shaking his head violently as he stood back up to face Jackson.
Jackson was stifling laughter, watching Psyduck with an amused look.
"Is that pokémon meant to be strong?" He asked, chortling behind his hand.
Misty shot back with an amused smirk as she treads water. Green smirked too and crossed her arms.
"You won't be saying that soon." She muttered to herself.
Jackson released his pokémon, he held out his pokéball and pressed the button with his thumb. Jigglypuff appeared, still with the same vacant stare. However she wasn't bouncing aimlessly anymore, she stood firmly planted on her feet. Her vacant eyes scanned the arena before lazily finding Psyduck. A wide, stupid grin formed on her face and she began hopping from one foot to the other, floating between each hop.
"Jiggly Jiggly Puuuuuuff!" She sang slowly in a high pitch melodic tone.
Green heard Abby giggle beside her.
"So cute." She giggled, leaning forward on her seat to peer down at the arena floor.
Green was glad the battle was distracting her from all the pressure's outside, something about seeing her all tense and stressed upset her. The booming of the announcer's voice interrupted her thoughts, however.
"Are both trainers ready?" He asked.
Misty nodded, giving a thumbs up to the camera focused on her. Jackson grabbed the brim of his hat and straightened it while grinning. He gave a small nod, focusing intently on Psyduck.
"Are both pokémon ready?" The announcer asked again.
Psyduck grimaced, clutching his head tight. He closed his eyes, groaned and gave a nod. Jigglypuff didn't respond, instead, she just kept staring blankly at Psyduck with glassy eyes. An awkward silence lingered. Jackson cleared his throat, looking around nervously.
"Jigglypuff?!" He yelled out to her.
Jigglypuff turned around slowly, hopping from foot to foot as she did. She beamed at Jackson and began floating up and down in the air, cocking her body to the right slightly.
"Stop that! Feet on the ground remember?" Jackson hissed with a pained look, "are you ready?" He asked very slowly.
Jigglypuff planted her feet on the ground and brought her tiny, stumpy arm up to her mouth. She looked up to the right, considering the question. After a moment her eyes snapped back to Jackson and she held out both her arms up in the air, jumping up excitedly.
"Puff!" She sang excitedly, nodding as she jumped.
Jackson sighed and looked up at the announcer's booth desperately. The man looked down at him with a bored look, noted Jigglypuff's response and flipped a small switch on his dashboard. Two identical overlays appeared on both Jackson's and Misty's perspectives on the screen's above. Six circles were in the top right of the screens, two had pokéball symbols for Misty and four for Jackson. While the rest remained blank. On the left was their respective names and city.
"Begin." The announcer instructed plainly, a siren sounding out after.
Hearing the siren, Jigglypuff spun back around and faced Psyduck with an exciting look.
"Water gun!" Misty ordered.
Psyduck grimaced but did as he was told, throwing back his head, opening his mouth and whipping it forward to shoot a stream of water across the arena. Jigglypuff watched it shoot towards her with a dumb grin. The stream hit her, sending her flying back into the barrier. Yellows hexagons rippled out from the point of impact. However, when Jigglypuff hit the light barrier, her body compressed like a rubber ball before bouncing back up into the air. Jackson smirked and pointed a finger at Psyduck.
"Get him, just like we practised!" He ordered with a wild grin.
Jigglypuff exclaimed happily as she flew through the air, her small arms and legs waggling gleefully. Once she reached the arc of her bounce her eyes fixed on Psyduck and her mouth opened wide.
"Jig-galee-puff!" She sang, the notes chiming and ringing out around the arena.
The frequency made everyone except Jackson wince and cover their ears. Psyduck cried out, running around in circles while clutching his head. Jigglypuff's dumb smile twisted into a smirk, she suddenly curled her round body into a ball, tucking in her stumpy arms and legs. She began spinning in the air, her body glowing white. As white sparks began flickering off her she abruptly shot through the air and slammed down on Psyduck. She slammed into his chest, knocking him hard onto his back. Psyduck bounced and skidded across the catwalk, not once hitting his head. He waggled his arms, flailing unhappily. A vein began throbbing in his head and he grasped his head once again, his eyes shut tight with pain.
"Psyduck snap out of it! Get into the water!" Misty cried out but it was no good, Psyduck wouldn't listen.
Jackson smirked cockily and sneered at Misty.
"Alright enough Jigglypuff put him out of his misery!" He called out.
Jigglypuff untucked her arms and legs, hopping up onto the point of one of her feet. With a delighted look, she began singing a soothing, melodic tune. The notes chimed and rang like bells around her. They didn't pierce the air like last time, rather they floated gently from her. Psyduck's flailing slowed, his grip on his head weakened before eventually his hands fell to his sides and he lay there still. His eyes were closed gently, with a smile plastered on his bill. The vein in his head was gone as he slept peacefully. Misty waited for a moment, with a hopeful look before sighing and returning Psyduck. Above them, the first pokéball symbol on Misty's overlay faded to grey.
"For a bratty kid, he's doing better than you did," Abby said with a laugh, nudging Green teasingly.
Green pursed her lips, the sting against her ego sharp as she found herself one-upped by Jackson of all people. She scowled and clutched Machoke's ball on her belt, the sting only making her more determined to win.
"Round 1 has been passed by the challenger." The announcer stated,
"Leader Misty, release your last pokémon. Challenger, you may switch pokémon now if you wish." He continued plainly as if reading from a script.
They both nodded and as Misty went to unclip her next pokéball, Jackson held out Jigglypuff's pokéball and returned her. Without a second thought, he reached for his next pokéball and tossed it into the air before Misty could release hers. A small Zubat materialised from the ball, the purple bat pokémon fluttered about in the air, his small purple wings flapping furiously to keep him up. After a moment of dazed fluttering he screeched in all different directions, he considered the feedback and flew under the catwalk. The two small thin limbs hanging from the back end of his body clutching onto the small holes in the catwalk. The confidence in the switch made Misty pause with surprise, she gazed at Jackson thoughtfully before releasing her own pokémon. From the ball Starmie appeared, the light blue starfish pokémon dropped from the air into the water. The two layers of five points rotated, propelling her through the water. She swung out into the open water on the left side of the arena. The octagonal, red gem in the middle of the front of her body glowed. A pink spot, much like an iris, fixated on Zubat. Zubat's large ears, for its small body, twitched and turned to face Starmie. They followed her, turning with her as she swam past Zubat.
"Are both trainers ready?" The announcer asked.
Misty and Jackson nodded together, staring the other down intently.
"Are both pokémon ready?" He asked again, the inflections in his voice sounding nearly identical to how he asked the previous round.
Starmie stopped in the water and let out a chime that reverberated off the walls. The announcer seemed to understand that and noted it, flicking his eyes back to Zubat. Zubat nodded, letting go of the catwalk and fluttering back up above it.
"Begin." The announcer droned, the siren sounding again.
Immediately Zubat took off, shooting through the air away from Starmie. As he zipped through the air he ducked and weaved, tucking in his wings to roll to the side through the air as if he was trying to dodge something. His ears remained pointed backwards, focused solely on Starmie. Starmie sped off through the water, white foam spraying as her body churned the water. The pink spot in her focused on Zubat.
"Psybeam Starmie, we just need one hit so take your time!" Misty called out, swimming to the left to get a better look past the catwalk.
Jackson ran along his side to the right, following Zubat with an excited grin.
"Dodge and supersonic!" He called back gently, not raising his voice.
Zubat's ears twitched and Starmie ducked down into the water. His ears scanned back and forth, losing Starmie as the water muffled her movements. Suddenly Starmie erupted from the water behind Zubat, her body still spinning as she arced through the air. As she reached the peak of her arc, the pink spot in her gem expanded and the whole gem began to glow a vibrant pink. Zubat's ears twitched and he ducked out of the way swiftly as a pink beam of energy shot out in the blink of an eye at where he had been. Zubat spun around in the air, bracing in the air and falling down towards the water. His mouth glowed white and three white rings shot from his mouth at Starmie. They sailed past her as she fell back into the water, missing only narrowly. Jackson clicked his tongue but didn't deter.
"Miss! Don't give up keep trying!" He called out to Zubat.
Green watched with a puzzled look as Jackson and Zubat worked together, their movements practised and clearly thought out. She could hardly believe this was the same Jackson she had left back in Pewter. Something about the passionate gleam on his face unnerved her, a feeling that only confused her more. Zubat and Starmie danced, firing attacks back and forth at each other, narrowly missing each time. Misty and Jackson could only watch and shout encouragements them. Clenching their fists anxiously as psybeams and supersonic rings flew through their air. However, the dance could only last for so long. Zubat zoomed along the length of the catwalk, Starmie rapidly stalking him underneath. With a huge burst of speed, Starmie sped ahead of Zubat, using all her might to propel herself fast enough. She swung out to the side and arced up over the catwalk into his path. Zubat braced with wings and tried to duck out of the way but it was too late, the psybeam was fired at him. Just before it hit him, in a desperate last-ditch effort he fired one last supersonic at Starmie. The rings flew towards Starmie around the beam and after only a split second after the beam hit Zubat, all three rings hit Starmie in the gem. They were seemingly absorbed into her body and three white ripples of energy coursed through her body. She shuddered, her pink eye losing its glow, shrinking back down to an iris. The iris darted back and forth wildly across the gem, struggling to focus on anything. As Zubat hit the catwalk, knocked out instantly by the psybeam, Starmie sped around the water in a blind, confused panic. The second pokéball on Jackson's overlay faded to grey.
"Yes!" Jackson exclaimed excitedly.
Quickly he recalled Zubat and released his next pokémon.
"Go Beedrill!" He yelled.
Green's eyes widened as she heard the words and could only watch in disbelief at what had been Jackson's small Weedle now emerged as a fully evolved Beedrill. The large was pokémon hung in the air, his wings buzzing. He raised the two large drills on the end of each arm and cried out with a furious buzz.
"Quick use Twineedle!" He ordered, pumping his fist into the air.
Alarm spread across Misty's face and she cupped one hand around her mouth, using the other to stay afloat.
"Psybeam! Push through it!" She called out to her panicked and confused Starmie.
Beedrill sped towards Starmie, his large, red insectoid eyes glowing with rage. Both drills glowed bright, light green and began to spin rapidly. Starmie's gem tried to fire a psybeam but the gem sputtered, shooting out a burst of sparks. The gem cracked in the centre and all Starmie could do was cry out a pained chime before Beedrill's left drill slammed into her. It dug into her, puncturing her hard armoured body. She flew up out of the water and through the air, the impact sending out a ring of light green energy through the air. In a flash Beedrill sped through the air, intercepting Starmie. He struck her with his right drill, creating another burst of light green energy and redirecting Starmie's momentum in the opposite direction. Starmie slammed into the water, skipped across the surface and crashed into the barrier before Jackson. For a moment she floated on the surface of the water, unconscious before the red beam of her pokéball hit her. Misty shook her head with a frustrated frown. The last pokéball on her overlay faded to grey and the siren sounded.
"Leader Misty Williams has been defeated by Challenger Jackson Hokori." The announcer stated.
The barriers fell, rippling away. Beedrill sped towards an elated Jackson, tacking him to the ground and buzzing happily. Jackson cried out, laughing ecstatically on the ground. He ruffled the top of Beedrill's head before returning him, hopping up off the floor and to his feet. Misty pulled herself from the pool and sat on its edge while she watched Jackson with a thoughtful smile, her eyes considering him.
"Green Isamu, make your way to the challenger's podium and prepare for your battle." The announcer ordered.
Green rose unsteadily from her seat, watching with envy as Jackson strutted back through the doors proudly. Abby patted her arm with a supportive look, her eyes darting past her at the large clock hanging above the large glass doorway challengers entered through. She watched the hands tick steadily on, wincing as the minute hand ticked over. As Green made her way down the staircase, back into the lobby of the gym she felt a great weight on her shoulders that made her feel small like she was shrinking. Her mind raced to try to come up with a battle strategy to beat Misty's team but it was too clouded to think straight. She knew she was in a losing situation, both Misty's pokémon had psychic abilities. The worse matchup for fighting types. Although her Graveler would fare evenly against their psychic abilities he would be destroyed by their water attacks. The water would melt the rock of his body to mud and easily stop any attack he tried to muster. Her frantic mind was penetrated suddenly by the snarky voice of a triumphant Jackson.
"Looks like that pedigree pokémon could only carry you for so long huh?" He sneered, his mouth twisted into a weaselly grin.
He stood before her, his chest puffed so he stood as tall as possible. Still, he only came up to her shoulder. He held in his hand the Cascade Badge, the light blue waterdrop badge of Cerulean Gym. It glimmered the cerulean blue quartz that formed the round droplet cut in half down its length catching in the still-rising sun. Behind the reception desk, the receptionist fastened the lid on a small container branded with the sigil of the Indigo Plateau, a pokéball with the base of a triangle jetting out from the bottom, like a leg kicking up into the air. Inside it was a hundred identical badges. He gently stuffed the box back into a draw by his side. A hand waved in front of Green's face as she watched the box disappear.
"Hey! Did you hear me? I said-" Jackson began again but Green sighed and pushed past him.
"Yeah, I heard. Congrats on winning." She muttered through gritted teeth, flinging open the doors to the arena and stomping inside.
Jackson watched her with a smug, satisfied grin and turned to leave. He stopped, glancing back at the spectator's entrance. He considered it for a moment before turning around again and heading for it, making his way up the stairs.
"Water beats Rock, Water beats Ground, Psychic beats Fighting." The words raced through the Green's mind as she stood on the challenger's podium.
Misty had disappeared back through the set of doors on her side of the arena to heal her pokémon, leaving Green a few minutes to try and think of something. In her hands she held her three pokéballs, her eyes jumping back and forth between them. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes trying to clear her mind. The theory and battle strategies she had studied with Professor Oak returned to her mind but in hazy, muddled and jumbled tidbits. Desperately she opened her eyes and tried to break down her pokémon into simple terms.
"Mankey is fast." She whispered, "Graveler is sturdy. Machoke is strong."
However, any plan she tried to conceive up the looming truth of her team's utter vulnerability to Misty's tore them up before they had a chance to develop. Green refocused her attention and as much as it pained her, she went over Jackson's victory in her head. Jigglypuff was neither vulnerable nor weak to any of Misty's pokémon, her neutral normal typing not having any effect. Zubat and Beedrill had both been vulnerable to Starmie as their poison typing was weak against Psychic. However, Jackson had overcome it by using Supersonic to impair Starmie's judgement. That truth pained her even more and she clenched her pokéballs in her hands. Her pokémon didn't have status moves to throw off Starmie. The image of her speed and precision made Green shudder with fear. Her pokémon only knew how to attack.
"Okay, okay, think what can I achieve?" She asked herself, desperately trying to wrangle her frantic mind.
She thought and then found her answer.
"Psyduck..." She whispered.
She nodded to herself, the beginnings of a plan forming. Being allowed to mature in her mind, pushing past the looming presence of her type disadvantage. Although a smile did not cross her face, instead her face hardened with deep thought. Misty reemerged back into the arena, both pokéballs at her hip. She grinned at Green as rather than dropping into the water she mounted her own podium.
"Don't think I'll be going easy on you!" She called out, grinning wildly.
Green didn't react, her eyes fixated on her pokéballs as she rolled them around into different orders on her palms. Misty shrugged and stepped down from the podium, dropping into the water. The announcer began to run through his list of orders.
"Trainers release your pokémon."
Misty released Psyduck with a casual throw. He appeared in the same spot as before, still clutching his head. However, he didn't look as puzzled this time, his eyes flashing with recognition as he saw Green. A confident look crossed his face and he readied himself for battle. Green switched the pokéballs around one last time, grimaced wearily before slowly looking up.
"Challenger release your pokémon or you will be disqualified."
Green could feel the eyes of the people who had laughed at her last time bearing down on her. Although the finer details of their faces were muddled by the distance between them, she felt as if they still looked at her with amused disregard. Green clipped her second and third pokéball to her belt before releasing her first. She did not throw it, instead, she pointed it out and pressed the button with her thumb. The top of the ball popped open and erupted into a flash of red light. Mankey appeared before her, just beyond where the yellow light barrier had re-materialised. He looked around with confusion at what to him was completely alien. Green crouched down before him.
"You wanna fight Mankey?" She asked with a wavering smile.
Mankey grinned and hopped from foot to foot, crying out excitedly. Green allowed herself a small, pained laugh before pointing at Psyduck.
"That's your enemy, make sure not to hit his head okay?" She asked, her words trembling slightly.
Mankey looked at her confused but nodded, slowly, as he turned around to face Psyduck. Misty, meanwhile only shot Psyduck a grin and gave him a thumbs up. He glanced down at her from the catwalk and nodded, his hands slowly falling to his side off of his head.
"Are both trainers ready?"
Misty have a confident thumbs up while Green simply nodded.
"Are both pokémon ready?"
Psyduck cried out affirmatively, his cries furious and vicious. Mankey returned the same energy, screaming and hollering wildly. He scampered forward, stood up on his legs and banged his body with his fists. His tail was stiff and sharp, pointed out straight behind him. Above them, on the screens, their overlays appeared. Misty with her usual two pokéballs while Green now had three.
"Begin." The staring siren blared throughout the arena.
Mankey began to scurry across the catwalk towards Psyduck on all fours. He kept his body low but his eyes remained fixed forward on his enemy. Without command, Psyduck threw back his head and began to ready a water gun attack. Expecting this, Green shouted her counter command.
"Go under the platform!" She cried out to him.
In an instant Mankey understood, he coiled his tail around the rounded edge of the catwalk and used his tail as a fifth limb. He swung over the edge and clutched the bottom of the catwalk, his fingers holding on to the small holes. Swiftly and quickly he scurried along the bottom of the catwalk. The opposable fingers and toes of his hands and feet found each new set of holes easily, never once faltering and ruining his smooth pace. Psyduck whipped his head forward but his eyes widened with alarm as the high-pressure stream of water hit nothing. He looked around in a panic, trying to find Mankey.
"Below you!" Misty called out but it was too late.
As Psyduck's eyes fell down to see Mankey below him, Mankey's tail had already clung to the edge of the catwalk. He flung over back to the top in one smooth motion, extended out his leg and struck Psyduck in the side of his chest. Psyduck cried out and flailed as he was sent skidding across the catwalk towards to water. Misty grinned as he did but Green yelled out to Mankey quickly.
"Don't let him in the water!" She yelled.
Mankey leapt forward and somersaulted over Psyduck as he skidded. He landed between Psyduck and the edge, reared back his leg and kicked Psyduck in the back of his neck. Psyduck flipped up and landed on his feet with a thud, clutching his head with a dazed look. Mankey screeched and flew at him, clinging to Psyduck as he scratched and bit him. Psyduck cried out fearfully, swatting at Mankey with his flippers and trying to aim his bill at him. Mankey swiftly scurried around Psyduck's body, dodging the pathetic whacking of his flippers and keeping clear of his bill. A furious flurry of rapid blows rained down across Psyduck's body, catching him in the ribs, the neck, the back and the stomach. Never once did Mankey hit his head though. His strikes made purple bruises on Psyduck's golden body and Mankey made sure to strike them, only making them worse. Psyduck's feeble attempts to fight back weakened and his eyes drooped with exhaustion. His head hung as he weakened. Seeing his opening, Mankey grasped Psyduck's bill, pulled himself up, kicked off it and flipped up above him. His tail coiled around Psyduck's waist and stiffened before pulling Mankey back in fast. Mankey kicked Psyduck square in the back between the shoulders, sending him flying forward, dragging Mankey along as his tail clung to him tightly. Psyduck slammed down onto the catwalk onto his face. Pink sparks did flicker from his head but they sputtered out faintly as Psyduck groaned weakly, attempting to push himself up off his front. Mankey didn't let up, however, savagely beating on his back with wild violent blows. Until eventually Psyduck's eyes glazed over in defeat and the siren roared around them. The first pokéball on Misty's overlay greyed out.
"Round 1 has been passed by the challenger. Leader Misty, release your next pokémon. Challenger, you may switch pokémon."
As the words announcing her victory boomed from Above, Green's face remained tight. Perhaps if she hadn't seen what was to come next she would have been all smiles and laughter, celebrating her win with Mankey. Her concern for the real challenge Misty possessed did not stop her from allowing Mankey to celebrate. He hopped around mad with joy, hooting and hollering while hopping about excitedly. He turned to Misty, sneering at her with a triumphant look as she returned Psyduck. Misty gave him a courteous smile, faintly feigning what Green knew was in truth a mischievous grin. Misty calmly plucked Starmie's ball from her bikini bottom and released her into the water. Her gem was fully healed, the crack she had received from the backfiring psybeam gone completely as if it were never there. The pink, glowing iris found Mankey in the middle of the catwalk. It honed in on him as Starmie gently spun her body, slowly stalking through the water. She swam far from the catwalk, keeping close to the perimeter of the arena. Green grimaced, the distance Starmie was keeping was too far for Mankey to leap to. Her eyes met Misty's and Misty smiled sweetly at her, while her eyes challenged Green.
"Are both trainers ready?"
Misty again gave a thumbs up along with a confident smirk. Green glanced down the two remaining pokéballs on her belt. Her hand hovered over them, her eyes glancing back up to Mankey. Solemnly, she lowered her hand to her side and raised her other giving a thumbs up of her own. However, her face remained tight, her jaw clenched as she grit her teeth.
"Are both pokémon ready?"
Starmie chimed affirmatively and Mankey screeched excitedly. After a small pause, the siren rang out.
"Begin."
"Mankey run! Get to an island!" Green screamed out immediately.
Mankey looked over at her, startled by the fear in her voice. His confident aura faltered for a moment and he hesitated, glancing over at Starmie as she sped through the water. She headed straight for the island closest to Mankey. Mankey smirked, taking it as a challenge and began to race Starmie. He scampered across the catwalk, running as fast as his arms and legs would allow him.
"Psybeam Starmie!" Misty yelled as the two pokémon raced.
Mankey leapt from the catwalk towards the small island, his arms and legs outstretched, his eyes scanning the ground before him to plan his landing. However, Starmie had beat him to it. As he leapt, Starmie was already in the air. She flew between him and the island, her iris expanded and her gem glowed bright pink. A beam of pink energy shout out and hit Mankey at nearly point-blank range. He cried out, his momentum is stopped immediately by the blast. He was shot back across the arena, slamming against another island. Starmie continued through the air, arcing back down into the water below. Mankey winced, the white fur on his chest burnt black, the skin underneath seared. He struggled to his feet before crying out in defeat and collapse. Green returned him and held the ball to her chest.
"Sorry buddy, I needed to confirm how fast she is. You did great." She whispered to the ball sorrowfully, feeling a twang of shame.
She clipped is ball back to her belt and watched as the first pokéball on her overlay greyed out. Green grabbed her second ball and grimaced, pressing it against her forehead with a pained look.
"Sorry." She whispered, outstretching her arm and releasing the ball.
The ball's top few open and released Graveler out onto the catwalk. Then, up until this point silent, the crowd began murmuring. A few soft laughs rang out from the stands above. Green did her best to not look up at them. Even as she saw Misty look at her with a puzzled look she didn't let her resolve to falter. Misty shook her head and regained her focus.
"Aqua Jet!" She called out to Starmie.
Starmie dipped under the water and Misty followed suit, diving down with her. A faint blue glow began to twinkle under the surface of the water. Green inhaled sharply and took a step forward.
"Graveler when she shoots up hang off the catwalk by an arm!" She called out, clutching her fists to her chest with a desperate look.
Graveler nodded, his eyes following the blue glow as it zipped through the water getting more and more bright. A silence fell over the arena as Starmie began to rocket towards the surface of the water. Graveler waited, still as a statue as he waited for the right moment to move. Just as Starmie broke the surface of the water he tucked up into a ball and rolled backwards. He zoomed back towards the edge of the catwalk as Starmie shot towards him, arcing up and over the catwalk. She was covered in a glowing veil of water that streaked behind her like the tail of a comet. Misty's head popped above the water and she watched with an astonished look as Graveler rolled over the edge, narrowly avoiding Starmie. His arms untucked and one of his longer upper arms reached, grabbing a hold of the catwalk. He dangled there, the metal creaking and groaning from his enormous weight. Starmie sailed overhead, her iris fixated on Graveler. She appeared to aim before giving up and spinning around to face the water. Green's eyes lit up seeing an opening.
"Rock Tomb!" She called out.
Starmie was hurtling towards the same island Mankey had crashed into. A small island made of small boulders. Graveler smirked and his eyes blazed with a brown fire, the same flame engulfing his other three hands. He held them out and flexed his hands, curling them into fists before bringing them against his chest. Three boulders were engulfed by brown energy and were flung towards Starmie with the flex of Graveler's arm. The first boulder struck Starmie on the hard blue armour that cased her body, bouncing off without so much as a scratch. The second missed entirely but the third struck Starmie square in the middle of her gem. The gem cracked but did not shatter. Starmie did not seem too affected by the attack, falling back into the water gracefully and whirling through the water back towards Graveler. Graveler's eyes widened and he scrambled to try and lift himself back up. He heaved and heaved but wasn't strong enough to lift his huge weight with one arm.
"Brine!" Misty called out as Starmie leapt up beside the struggling Graveler.
Around Starmie's gem were yellow plates of armour. They glowed a bright blue, changing their colour. A huge, powerful torrent of water erupted and blew Graveler away. He hit the water with a giant splash that almost touched the roof of the arena. The water around him turned brown as it turned his rocky body to mud. Quickly, with her pokéball already prepared, Green returned Graveler before he melted completely. The second pokéball on Green overlay greyed out, leaving only one more.
"Alright Machoke, give it everything you've got," Green whispered, taking a long deep breath before throwing the ball up into the air.
Machoke appeared, already raring for battle. He slammed his fist into his palm and bellowed ferociously, the ridges on his arm flickering with dim orange light as his hand came together. Green clenched her fists with a hopeful look.
"God I hope it worked." She muttered, pursing her lips.
Misty smirked when she saw Machoke and mimicked him, slamming her fist into her palm.
"Alright, let's see what you've got big guy!" She called, grinning at Green wildly.
Green allowed herself a faint smile getting pumped up herself, she leaned forward slightly and watched Machoke intently.
"Okay Machoke, grab Starmie and throw them hard!" She called out to him.
Machoke looked back at her and for a moment Green's stomach dropped, thinking he wasn't going to listen. Instead, he grinned wildly and gave her a thumbs-up before sprinting down the catwalk. Starmie slowly trundled around the edge of the arena, her cracked eye focused on Machoke.
"Psybeam Starmie!" Misty cried.
Starmie floated in the water still and aimed at Machoke, seeming to need to focus harder now to aim. After a flicker, the iris in her eye began to expand. Machoke leapt from the platform and onto the nearest island. He ran along it, preparing to jump from it to Starmie. His powerful legs gave him the reach to make it. A shower of pink sparks burst from the gem before a psybeam shot out. However, the beam was thinner than before and slower. Slow enough that Machoke had time to stop his jump before it hit him in the chest. He winced and his legs shook but he held his ground. Through gritted teeth, he took a few steps back and ran forwards. His calf muscles sparked orange as he leapt through the air. Starmie continued to fire the beam at him but it flickered and did nothing to stop him as he flew through the air towards her. Machoke grabbed Starmie before splashing down hard into the water. His huge hands grasped Starmie, his arms flexing as he struggled to keep her still. She flailed and spun her body trying to get free but it was no use. Machoke spun around under the water and flung Starmie with all his might. The ridges on his arms pulsing a powerful orange with the movement. He tossed her like a Frisbee, sending her shooting up out of the water. Starmie slammed into the top of the arena, hitting the light barrier and sending yellow hexagons rippling around in a cube. The point that hit the barrier cracked off and Starmie let out a shrill, piercing chime. She fell back down against the catwalk, stranded out of the water.
"Fuck." Misty muttered, "Squirm and flail! Get back in the water!" She cried out.
Starmie tried but it was no use. However, Machoke wasn't fairing much better either. He flailed and thrashed his arms in the water, trying his best to figure out how to swim. Green's chest tightened as her mind raced. Desperately she tried to think of a solution, a way for Machoke to get out of the water and finish off Starmie. With victory so close she felt rising anxiety creeping up from her stomach. She took long deep breaths trying not to hyperventilate as she began to panic. Suddenly, she stopped, a grin on her face as she stared at the Machoke's legs. The sparks still popped from them giving her an idea.
"Machoke! Sink to the bottom and push off the bottom as hard as you can!" She called out.
Machoke looked over at her with a panicked look, his face bobbing beneath the surface as he tried to stay afloat. He looked scared and he hesitated.
"Please, trust me!" Green pleaded.
Machoke gazed into her eyes before grimacing, taking a deep breath and sinking to the bottom. As he sunk Green held her breath and Misty ducked her head under to watch him. Silence loomed over the arena, with only the pathetic clanging of Starmie's hard body against the metal catwalk ringing out. After a moment of waiting a bright orange glow shone from the water, making the surface above sparkle. Machoke shot out from the water, flew high up into the air and landed on the catwalk with a massive clang. He gasped for air and clutched his chest with a giant smile. Once he caught his breath he strolled over to Starmie and stomped on her. The gem cracked in two and she stopped moving, only a dull groan of a chime coming from her. With that, the siren sounded and Misty's last pokéball faded to grey.
"Challenger Green Isamu has beaten Leader Misty!" The announcer cried out and Green looked up swiftly to see him standing in his booth with a shocked, gawking look.
In fact, as she looked around the arena, the people who had laughed her out of the arena yesterday were all standing and gawking at her. The shocked looks on their faces brought out a prideful smirk on her face and finally, she felt the enormous weight on her shoulders lift. She sighed with relief and pumped her fist into the air.
"Yes!" She exclaimed excitedly, feeling a rush of joy overcome her.
Suddenly she found herself hoisted into the air as Machoke picked her up by the waist. She giggled and hugged his head tightly.
"We did it, buddy! Great job!" She exclaimed and Machoke roared with victory, his chest rumbling against her stomach.
He twirled her around once more before putting her back down. However, not soon after her boots were on the ground she was half hugged, half tackled by Misty. Green gasped and laughed happily, hugging her back. She blushed lightly as she felt her hands touch Misty's wet, bare skin.
"Alright, Green! Amazing job, I knew you could do it!" Misty congratulated, leaning back while still holding on to her, "come on, let's get your badge!"
She grasped Green arm and dragged her back into the reception area.
Green laughed and allowed herself to be pulled along, looking back at
Machoke with a wide grin. Misty dragged her over to the reception desk and beamed at the receptionist.
"Mike, this one's earned her badge hand it over!" She exclaimed, hardly able to contain her excitement.
Green giggled as she saw Mike's bewildered expression.
"Misty, you're more excited than I am!" She laughed, pushing her playfully.
Misty turned to her grinning madly.
"What do you mean?! This is the best part of being a gym leader, seeing trainers grow from battling you." Suddenly a sly smirk crossed her face and she leaned close, "and I've helped you grow in more than one way huh?" She added, prodding Green's chest.
Green pursed her lips and blushed hard, only nodding in response. She could tell that if nobody was around Misty probably would have fucked her right there and then. Mike interrupted the sexual tension by clearing his throat and holding out a badge.
"For you uh," he glanced at his computer screen, "Miss Isamu." He said with a courteousness.
Green reached it for it timidly, shuddering with excitement as her finger closed around the smooth surface of the blue badge. Misty flung an arm around her shoulder and leaned in to look at the badge too. She whistled and shook Green excitedly.
"Beauty isn't it?" She asked with a proud look.
Green quickly pinned it to her belt, right next to the silver Boulder Badge. A huge wave of pride overcame her as Green looked down at the two badges side by side. Machoke came up behind her and placed his large hand on the badges gently. Green smile softly and touched his hand.
"These are as much yours as they are mine." She whispered, stroking his hand.
They gazed at each other lovingly both having to fight with themselves not to embrace right there and then. Again, the tension was interrupted.
"I bet you're travelling with Green huh? I'm right, right? You should travel with me, my team is way stronger than hers. I mean I even have more pokémon than her!" Jackson's snarky voice rang out as he came out from the spectators' exit.
At his side was Abby, awkwardly smiling and nodding along with him. Her teeth gritted as she cringed. Dratini was gazing down at Jackson with a bored expression, slumped lazily on Abby's shoulder. Abby's eyes met Green's and they pleaded with her silently.
"Sorry Jackson, I've got dibs on her as my travel partner." She said, standing next to Abby and clutching her shoulder.
Jackson narrowed his eyes at Green and relented, turning his nose up at her.
"Fine. Gotta respect another trainer's dibs." He grumbled.
He quickly glanced at Abby with a soft look before turning and hurrying out of the gym. Abby breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head against Green's shoulder.
"Thank you." She sighed, "He wouldn't stop talking to me about how strong of a trainer he is, kept flashing his gym badges at me." She complained, burying her face into Green's shoulder.
Green laughed and smirked at her.
"Cut him some slack, you're probably like his first crush or something." She joked, giving her a hug.
Abby seemed to shudder at the thought but Dratini just snickered and grinned at Green. Misty slunk up behind them slyly before putting either arm around their waists.
"Well how about we celebrate this victory back at my place with Poliwrath girls? Kill some time while Green's pokémon heal?" She whispered sensually, keeping her voice so low that only Green and Abby could hear.
Green gave her a sorrowful, pained look and Abby patted her shoulder awkwardly.
"Sounds fun but we don't have time, we gotta get out of here quickly before the rangers come looking," Abby explained, a reluctant look on her face as she rejected the offer.
Green nodded with a frown.
"Yeah, sorry Misty." She whispered.
Misty stood up tall and gave them puzzled looks.
"What? Rangers? What are you talking about?" She asked confused.
Abby glanced out the glass walls of the gym with an anxious, impatient look. Green grimaced and glanced outside too before turning back to Misty.
"Abby's running away, sorry but we don't have time to explain." She blurted out hurriedly.
Misty's eyes widened, that was enough for the situation to make sense. She nodded seriously and gripped their shoulder firmly.
"Hold on wait just a second." She commanded before rushing over to the desk, hopping over to the shock of Mike and rummaging through the draws.
Green and Abby shot each other worried looks, desperately glancing over their shoulders as they waited for Misty. Suddenly she shot up with a serious, determined look. She hopped back over the desk and shoved a machine with a handle on top into Green's hands.
"This is a portable healing machine, use it to heal your pokémon once your safe okay?" She explained before glancing outside herself, "well, go one then! Go! If they come round here, I'll tell them you went down Route 9." She exclaimed.
Abby and Green nodded stiffly with alarmed looks on their faces.
"Thank you! We'll see you again I promise!" Abby called out.
Machoke followed them, running beside them as they hurried through the town centre towards the south of Cerulean. Misty ran out onto the steps of the gym and watched them, she folded her arms and grinned ear to ear.
"Damn right you will." She whispered to herself, her eyes on Green's ass, staring hungrily.