A/N: Hey it's crazywriter9 back with a new chapter. Switching up the perspective a little bit, this one is entirely told from the perspective of Melody. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of the revamped Alana's Trial. Once again if you have any criticism please make a review, or even DM me. Without further ado let up get back into the next chapter!
"WE HAVE CONQUERED THE FOREST!" I exclaimed as the tree line finally parted. Direct sunlight finally after all of this time!
True to her word, Alana had taken about a week to get us through the forest. It was a nice experience, but it was nice to be out of there. Baby steps in the grand adventure shouldn't overstay their welcome after all. Eve yawned on top of my head, and I could feel her struggle. Even with the tent and sleeping bags, sleeping was still rough. Bumpy rough ground and the sound of buzzing really made it hard to get into a deep sleep. Well, that wasn't the case. Alana was a super deep sleeper! I thought it had been a coincidence on that first night with Team Rocket, but no she genuinely sleeps like a log. It's actually pretty impressive. She seemed totally rested, but I was so ready to settle down in a Pokemon Center.
"Man as soon as we get to Pewter City I'm going straight to the Pokemon Center! I'm just imagining how awesome that nice fluffy bed is going to feel." I gush with stars in my eyes. "Especially after a long hot shower. I'm going to sleep like a baby!"
"It will be nice to sleep in an actual bed again. Think I've been sleeping funny, my neck is super sore." Alana replied, rubbing her neck. She was holding Monarch in one arm, and Dragna was curled up on her head. Fefnir was walking alongside Bubbles. It was nice to see how close Alana had gotten to her Pokemon in such a short time. "But I think I'm going to head to the museum. Brock brought back some more fossils, so they'll be a couple of new displays.
"That sounds pretty cool actually, wanna go together? I've actually never been to a museum before, so it'll be a neat experience."
"You've never been to a museum before? How?" Alana asked incredulously. "Next you're going to tell me that you've never been to a library."
"Yeah I've never been to a museum, have you ever been to a theater before?"
"No."
"You've never been to a theater before? How?" I asked, mocking Alana's shock. "Next you're going to tell me that you've never been to ranch."
"Point taken, when do you want to go?"
"Have it in you to wait like two hours."
A pouty expression instantly crossed Alana's face. She really wanted to go as soon as possible. I felt a twinge of guilt that was quickly stifled by a yawn. I stretched and stared at her with my sleep-deprived eyes.
"Fine, I could use the time to do some reading anyways," Alana said after sighing.
She took out her gym leader guide as we walked into the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy greeted us, and we handed our pokemon to her for some much-needed R&R for them. After we got room keys, we headed our separate ways and I floated onto the heavenly sight that was a nice clean bed. As soon as my eyes closed, an alarm began to blare, waking me up. I quickly popped up and headed out into the lobby. True to her word, Alana was sitting there book in hand. I walked up and got no response. I waved my hands in front of her, and still got nothing.
"Excuse me Ms. Alaw, you and Ms. Sky's pokemon are all healed up." Nurse Joy called. I walked up to her and collected both of our pokemon. "Are you a new friend of Alana's?" She asked suddenly.
"Yeah, we met about a week ago. Do you know her?"
"I've gotten to know her throughout the years pretty well. She usually likes to keep to herself. I'm guessing you two are due for the new exhibit at the museum?"
"You're spot on, how'd you know?"
"Well, whenever her class would come up here as a field trip that would always be her secondary goal. Her first was of course visiting the gym."
"She usually gets that focused while reading? Had to save her from smacking into a tree a couple of times on the road."
"Haha, one time she got so engrossed in a book she was left behind by her class. Caused a huge panic and everything. Anyway, enjoy your day Ms. Alaw.
I nod and quickly release Eve and Bubbles from their pokeballs. They both seemed well-rested and ready to go. Eve quickly hopped up to her usual spot, and Bubbles strode along with me.
"Oh! Nurse Joy, I almost forgot. Can I register for the indigo league while I'm here? I plan on taking on the gym challenge." I hand my pokemon license to Nurse Joy, and she quickly enters it into the computer.
"I see you are originally from the Johto region. Ecruteak City, correct?" Nurse Joy asked while tapping away at the computer.
"Guilty as charged."
After a few more taps on the computer, the nurse handed me back my license and alongside that, she gave me a shiny badge case. "You're all set Ms. Alaw, actually since you aren't native to Kanto there is an event that I should inform you about. Every year the luxury cruise ship, the SS Anne holds a tournament for several budding trainers. The only requirement is that obtain at leaKantoree Kanto badges to participate. It'll take place in three months on December 6th."
I nod and walk back towards Alana. Still within the hypnotic grasp of that book, eh? No amount of waving would snap her out of it, either. Eventually, I just roughly shook her shoulder. She slowly looked up from the book and made eye contact with me.
"I would have caught a few more zzzzs if I knew you were heading to dreamland too," I say slightly teasing her.
"Oh, didn't see you there. Are you all ready to go?" She asked, shutting the book.
"Yeah, let's hit the road."
We made our way towards the big museum. Pewter city was a lot bigger than Viridian City. The other city had a very tranquil feeling. It was all green, and peaceful. Like a place where you started or ended a long journey. In contrast, Pewter City instead seemed like a stone-colored city. It was a lot more developed, as well. Not as big as her hometown, but it felt a lot more energetic. When we got inside the museum, my jaw hit the floor. The skeleton of what looked like an armored pokemon right there on display! I marveled at it until I heard someone clearing their throat. My head whipped in the direction of it to see a clerk sitting there.
"Excuse me, ma'am, it's 50 poke per person." She said politely.
Alana and I paid, and got these weird little bracelets, and were shuffled deeper into the museum. I quickly went back to looking at the fossil, while Alana quickly shuffled up to the podium to read the plaque.
"Melody! This is a fossil found in Hoenn with the collaboration of Roxanne!" Alana gushed with an excited expression on her face. "It's called Armaldo! It was an ancient bug-type pokemon that had rock-hard armor. Isn't that just amazing?"
"Yeah, it's cool. It would be fun to meet one wouldn't it?"
"If you think that's cool then I've got to show you all the other ones!"
Alana grabbed my hand and roughly dragged me deeper into the museum. For a dainty-looking gal, she was actually pretty strong when she wanted to be. Needless to say, I learned quite a bit about different types of fossils that day. The main thing that I took away was that she was super passionate about them. She rattled off the facts with a glow in her eyes and a smile on her face. It was honestly a bit infection.
"You sure know a skeleton of information about these things Alana," I said cracking a smile at my own pun. Alana paused, rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide the smile that crossed her own smile. "Are you going to study fossils while you're a gym leader?"
"Oh no, it's just a hobby of mine," Alana explained. "Fossils are a way of finding out more about the Pokemon of the past. Sure I've seen pictures of them, but seeing them in person is always much more fun. Besides, I think it's so awesome that Brock funds this place as a part of his gym leader duties. Actually, it's amazing about any gym leader! How close they are with the community. Misty's family runs an aquarium, Lt. Surge funds shipping via the SS Anne, Erika is a teacher and a community leader, Koga and the Safari Warden worked together to create an amazing pokemon safari, and Blaine was a respected scientist within his community!" Alana marveled. However, her expression quickly sank a bit. "But even though my home has a gym, it's run down. There's barely any reason to visit us, besides a stop to go to the Pokemon league, Pallet town, or Pewter city. It feels like whoever is in charge of the gym doesn't care about the town." Alana said pouring her heart out to me. "Oh sorry, I'm talking your ear off."
"Hey, you don't have to apologize for something like that. That's what friends do. They listen to each other."
A surprised look flashed onto Alana's face, but it quickly faded into a smile. "Yeah, I guess that's what they do. Oh, there's this amazing exhibit on the ancient language of past Kantonians over here!"
So we spent a good chunk of the day just viewing various exhibits. We shared lunch at the cafeteria of the place as a short break at one point before Alana continued to drag me to each of her favorite displays. After a while, I looked down at the clock, and realized it was almost eight at night! I still needed to get my badge today!
"Yo Alana, I really want to continue this tour, but I need to go battle against the gym leader real quick," I say.
Alana was in the middle of showing me a rare case of proof of a primordial pokemon when I interrupted her. She blinked in confusion before checking the time on her phone. Her eyes widened when she realized how much time had gone by.
"Oh! I should have set an alarm or something. I'm sorry Mel. Let's head over right now, he doesn't shut down for another hour."
We quickly exited the museum and shuffled over towards the gym. Standing in front of the door, my heart began to pound furiously. This was it, this was the first major hurdle. It was time to make my debut! I threw the doors open.
"I AM MELODY ALAW! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MATCH BROCK!" I yell with all of the fire in my stomach.
The gym referee and Alana seemed slightly shocked by my entrance, but Brock seemed to take it in stride, and even let out a laugh.
"An enthusiastic trainer! That's nice. Don't see energy like that all of the time." Brock commented. He stepped up towards me with the exaggerated swagger of a gym leader. He turned to look at Alana, who shyly turned away. Flashing her a grin, he turned his attention back to me. "So Melody, how many gym badges do you possess, or are you new to the challenge?" He asked.
"Don't have a badge to my name yet, but I plan to get one today."
"Well, it seems that you are pretty confident."
"May I see your trainer's license Ms. Alaw? Will you be challenging the gym today Ms. Sky?" The referee asked.
Alana shook her head no, and I handed my license off to him. After confirming it was legitimate, I got it back and was led to the arena. It seemed to be the basic type of arena with more rocky terrain. Thanks to my bookworm friend, I knew he used rock types, and I had the perfect way of fighting them. Brock took his place on the opposite side of the arena, and Alana in the stand. Moving in the middle, the announcer cleared his throat.
"This will be a two on two battle with the gym leader Brock Ortiz facing off against Melody Alaw! The challenger will have the right to switch pokemon, while the leader shall be restricted. Without further ado let the battle begin!"
Alright, it's showtime! It was obvious who I was going to use. Bubbles had an amazing type advantage against his specialty, so this should be a piece of cake. I threw my Pokeball as hard as possible, and so did Brock. The balls collided with each other and split off into different directions. They opened in mid-air and out popped Bubbles and Brock's Pokemon, Geodude.
"Alright let's start this out strong Bubbles hit it with a water gun," Melody commanded with enthusiasm in her voice.
"Ah, so I see you already know about proper type advantages," Brock noted. "But that won't win the match that easily. Geodude mitigate the damage with a rock throw."
Bubbles took a deep breath and blasted out a stream of water. The Geodude countered the blast by throwing a chunk of rock at its opponent. It was able to block a good majority of the stream, but it still did critical damage to the Geodude.
"Good job Bubbles you're doing great!" I exclaim happily. Bubbles turned around and smiled, then I gave him a thumbs up.
"It would be wise if you kept your focus on the battle," Brock commented. "Geodude take this opportunity to use a rock tomb."
"Oh! Watch out Bubbles… um, use withdraw."
Geodude threw a mound of rocks at the enemy Squirtle. They were thrown at a staggered interval to make it harder to dodge. Bubbles retracted into his shell as the group of rocks slammed right into him. The damage was reduced by the defensive advantage, but it still dealt quite a bit.
"Bubbles great job holding out, now let's try to finish him off with another water gun."
"Geodude get one more Rock Throw off."
He quickly popped out of his shell and fired off another water gun. Geodude also threw another rock, this time aiming at Bubbles directly. The attacks hit their respective targets. Bubbles was thrown back, and the Geodude fainted.
"You've done well, Geodude, get some rest," Brock commented, returning it to its ball. He put that ball back on his belt. He grabbed his last Pokeball from his belt and threw it. "Alright time for my ace in the hole. Let's rock, Onix."
In a flash of red, a large rock snake pokemon appeared. It seemed to tower over the small Squirtle making it seem like a midget in comparison. I felt my nerves start to fry a bit. That was a pretty big boy. Maybe I should switch to Eve? Now that seemed like it would be unfair to Bubbles. Yeah, I should tough it out with him. He had been doing amazing in the fight, too. So what is going to be my next move? I should probably just keep going for super-effective attacks right? Yeah, that seemed like the best way to go.
"You can't just daydream in the middle of a battle like that, Melody. Onix use bind on her Squirtle."
While I was distracted, the giant rock-bound up Bubbles, and began to squeeze him hard. Bubbles began to cry out in pain. This was bad. What was I supposed to do? I tried to return him to his Pokeball, but the giant body of the Onix blocked the beam from reaching him.
"Freezing up in the middle of a battle. That's a sign of your immaturity as a trainer. When your strategy goes awry, you should quickly switch to a new one." Brock advised. "The damage that your Squirtle is taking now is a direct consequence of that."
I watched as Bubbles got squeezed harder and harder. What could I do in this situation? He couldn't move, and I couldn't return him to his ball. Come on, come on there had to be something… OH!
"Bubbles hang in there, use Withdraw. Then use Bubble."
"Too little, too late. Onix throw that Squirtle away, then use Rock Tomb."
Bubbles retracted into his shell as Onix continued to constrict him causing damage. Bubbles started his counterattack by blasting bubbles from inside his shell. However, it seemed brock was right. Bubbles was thrown into the wall of the arena and bombarded with rocks. Dropping to the floor, he lost consciousness.
"Thanks, Bubbles you did awesome. I'm sorry for freezing up. You go ahead and get some rest." Well, it was time to go big or go home. Gonna finish this with my first partner. Pulling back I threw the Pokeball containing her with all of my strength. "LET'S DO THIS EVE!"
Eve came out of her Pokeball ready for a fight. This was going to be tough, the type matchup wasn't the best, but we got this in the back. The Onix should be weakened from Bubbles that did hit him.
"Alright, start it off by getting closer Eve. If he attacks you know what to do!"
"Not good enough, use Bind on that Eevee, too."
Eve nimbly ran straight towards the big snake-like rock Pokemon. It crashed down and attempted to bind her up, but Eve gracefully danced out of the way of the attack. I smiled and Brock seemed to be pretty shocked.
"Didn't seem like you saw that coming. That's our special tactic, right from our home at the theater. Keep on dancing Eve, and sneak in a couple of bite attacks while you're at it."
All that time spent getting the rhythm down had paid off. Eve was looking wonderful out there dancing in and out of Onix's guard. Brock seemed utterly baffled by the battle style bringing a smile to my face. Most trainers were confused when they were confronted with it. I couldn't help but notice we were still just a bit off. It was so aggravating. Mom and the others made it seem so easy. Eve finally slipped up a little.
"Onix right there counter with Tackle."
I cringe. That was not good. The huge pokemon slammed right into Eve doing a ton of damage. Dang Brock was good. He was able to exploit an opening in the dance that quickly. Were we that bad, or was he that good? Maybe a combination of both. However, I did notice something else. The Onix was panting pretty heavily. It was on its last legs! We could do this!
"Eve finish it off with a quick attack."
Eve quickly recovered from the tackle and nodded back towards me. She ran picking up massive speed and rammed straight into the Onix. It was able to stay upright for a few moments, but ultimately it succumbed to the damage and fell over.
"Onix is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Eevee and Melody Alaw!"
"EVE WE DID IT!" I exclaim running up to her. I lifted her off the ground and jumped up.
"You performed so well Onix. You deserve a nice long rest after that." He said after returning it to its Pokeball. He walked towards me and tapped me on my shoulder. "You have done well Melody. If I were to advise you in one area, it would be more decisive action. You froze a little during the battle, and it caused your partner to take some unnecessary damage. However, you were able to recover, and that dancing strategy that you had was amazing." Digging into his pocket he pulled out a small metal object. It was fashioned in the shape of a boulder. He put the cool badge into my hand. "That is the boulder badge. It's proof of your victory here today. Your battles with the gym leaders will only get more difficult from here on out."
"You weren't so bad yourself," I say happily accepting the badge. I admired it for a second before putting Eve down and placing it in my badge case. "That's one down and seven to go."
"Keep that enthusiasm up Melody, and you'll go far," Brock said with a smile. "So you have any plans on where you're going next?"
"No, not really. Kinda just flying by the seat of my pants."
"Oh, then I have a suggestion if you don't mind. If you go east from here you'll end up in Cerulean City. After scaling the Mountain Moon of course."
"A mountain! That sounds exciting!"
"Hey Melody, you were amazing!" Alana interjected. "
"Yeah, and it's your turn next buddy! You can do it!" I flash her the double thumbs-up sign.
"Oh, you want to battle, too Alana? I think I have one more battle in me if you're ready to battle right now."
Alana sort of averted her eyes. That wasn't a good sign. What could be wrong? We got plenty of strong going through the forest.
"I'm not ready. I still have some training to do before I'm ready to fight you, Brock."
"Alana's a smart girl. Always has been. When she's ready I know it will be a heart-pounding battle." Brock commented earning a blush from Alana.
"I almost forgot!" I exclaimed excitedly. I quickly released Bubbles from his ball. Holding him in my arms, I put the Boulder badge in his hand. Eve jumped on top of my head, and I pulled Alana then Brock in close. "Smile for the picture!" A selfie of epic proportions! Celebrating my first gym badge.
After this, we made our way back to the Pokemon Center. On the walk back I pondered my next move. I didn't want to stay in Pewter. It was cool, but climbing a mountain would be so cool! I could hardly wait! So just before we got to the Pokemon Center I tapped Alana on her shoulder to get her attention.
"Hey, A gotta be upfront with you. I'm going to head towards Mt. Moon first thing in the morning." I say. It was a hard thing to say. Traveling with her the past week had been so much fun. Alana seemed to get disappointed as well.
"Well, that makes it a lot easier to tell you this." She replies. "I'm going to be staying in Pewter for the next week. I need to do so much more training to fight Brock. I haven't even come up with a plan yet. I didn't expect you to stay and wait on me." She admits shrugging her shoulders. "But we should keep in contact. Want to exchange numbers?"
"Alana Sky, it would be my absolute pleasure," I say with a bow, earning a laugh from her.
After exchanging numbers, I entered the center, dropped Eve and Bubbles off with Nurse Joy, and was finally back in my room after a long day. I set my backpack on the desk, pulled out my laptop, and opened it. Since I was here, it would be a good time to get everything together now. I connected my phone to it and began to upload all of the pictures that I had taken onto it. I organized my pictures into my digital scrapbook. At the close of chapter one, I smiled at the various moments I'd captured. Mom and all of them were going to be so psyched when I got home. I closed the laptop and curled up in bed.