Jason Creight awoke to the sight of the sun setting.
He turned to look out the sheers of the window in his cabin and yawned. He'd decided to have a nice little siesta after missing all that sleep the night before, worrying about his battle with Adam.
*Not much I can do about it now,* he thought. *The battle's finished, and I have a new traveling partner. Reluctantly, of course, but still...*
He'd not even bothered to sleep under the sheets, but rather on top of the entire thing. He had depended on waking up somewhere around dinnertime, though since his PokeGear alarm hadn't awakened him, he imagined that it was not yet time. His shirt was wrinkled, and he was somewhat grateful that he couldn't feel whatever torture his pants were inflicting on his legs.
He pushed himself out of bed and got into his wheelchair. It might not be dinnertime yet, but he was hungry.
He left the cabin and made for the nearest dining hall.
***
Kelly, meanwhile, was entertaining herself by talking to Adam, the curious new boy whose eyes seemed to capture hers in an instant. They sat on the aft deck, admiring the sunset, much as they had the night before.
"How did you first hear about Jason?" she asked.
"When he began competing in the Indigo League championships. It was on practically all the news channels. No one had ever heard of a disabled trainer before, and it would probably be a while before one came along that was as good with his Pokemon as Jason. I made it a point to watch each and every one of his battles. Of course, I wasn't too thrilled about what Travis Johnson had to say about him..."
"Yes..." Kelly's face clouded over as she recalled the stinging remarks that the prejudiced trainer had made, both on the TV and in Jason's face, now more than five years before.
"And you can imagine how happy I was when I saw him win the championships. I almost knocked my wheelchair over, I was so ecstatic."
Kelly leaned closer, resting her elbows on her knees. "And what made you decide to train? Was it just Jason, or something else?"
"A good part of it was Jason," Adam admitted. "I didn't think I could do it because I didn't think disabled trainers would be accepted. But after seeing Jason win it, and seeing the good graces everyone was presenting, I thought that maybe I could do it, too. I love Pokemon, love them with a passion. I loved them in my infancy. I grew up in Celadon City, and I loved going around in the park all the time, where there'd be the harmless ones like Caterpie and Weedle. So I psyched myself up for it, and now here I am."
"Yes, you are. So now what?"
Adam spread his tanned arms wide. "What else? I'm going to battle the Atlantis League."
She noted his tan. "I see you've been catching some rays as of late."
"I was on hiatus for a while. I took some of my Pokemon to the beach to battle high-level water Pokemon, and trainers, too. Used up nearly half a bottle of suntan lotion during the time I was on that beach, and there's not much color left in my hair, as you probably noticed." Adam reached up and rubbed his head, agitating the short, bristly hair atop it.
"It'll come back, I'm sure."
"Yeah, but I sort of like this color. For now, anyway."
They sat in silence for a moment. Kelly was the one who broke it. "What do you do it your spare time? When you're not training and battling, I mean."
"I write. Poetry, specifically. Although a lot of my poems have despair and loss involved, so not many people want to read them when they're feeling upbeat. I'm getting popular among the more morbid crowds."
"Oh?" Kelly grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Have you been published?"
"On a couple of occasions," he responded. "In compilations, things of that sort. I don't get paid for it, but I don't mind. I make up for it by battling. Maybe I'll publish my own book of poetry."
"Now, *there's* a great goal to go for. One that doesn't have to involve Pokemon battling." Her smile widened. "Do you have any samples with you, right off-hand?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not; they're all back at my cabin. I tend to write them in solitude. Isolation has always been my thing whenever I'm writing. Just can't do it when someone else is around."
She shrugged. "Another time then." She sat back in a more relaxed pose, and she grinned. "So, what kind of social life does a guy like you keep up?"
"Not much of one. I've always journeyed alone. It's a bit tough with prosthetics, but I suppose it could be worse; the ones I'm wearing are reasonably comfortable and they're designed for high stress."
Adam saw that she was planning to ask another question, but she seemed hesitant to ask. He raised his eyebrows and a smile crept across his features. "What?"
Her face contorted. "I was going to ask if you've been lucky enough to have a girlfriend."
His smile disappeared somewhat, and his curious expression was replaced by sad resignation. "No. I keep up a rather busy schedule, so it's never allowed for time with a girl. Much less time for a girlfriend. And not many girls I knew really liked me, anyway. Except for my mom, and she hardly counts as that type."
"Well, now you've got some time with a girl. How about that for a deal? Traveling with Jason and a girl, too."
His smile returned, if a bit restrained. "Sounds good to me. Just as long as it's all platonic."
"Oh!" She started giggling. "Oh, oh, yes, of course. Sorry if I--"
Adam waved it away with a smooth swoop of his hand. "No, no, you didn't come across as that way. I'm just wanting to confirm that it'll stay that way."
"Yeah. Of course. I've already got a boyfriend, and he and I love each other. Platonic. No problem."
Adam nodded. "Glad we got that cleared up."
Without missing a beat, Kelly's PokeGear alarm began to go off. She glanced down at it and turned it off after a second. She looked back up at Adam. "Jason and I were planning to have dinner at the forward dining hall. Want to join us?"
Adam considered, then shook his head. "No, thanks. Not yet. I think I'll just head back to my cabin. I had a really big lunch, and I have no legs to be hollow."
She shrugged again. "Suit yourself. But, you know, you're welcome to eat with us anytime. You're part of the group now."
He nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
They both got up and headed to their respective destinations.
***
Adam hit the lights, then closed and locked the cabin door behind him. He walked slowly over to his bed, his head swimming in thoughts, many having nothing to do with Pokemon or battling.
Many having to do with relationships.
He'd never felt confident in them.
He didn't think he ever would be.
Perhaps that was why he'd refused Kelly's invitation. He'd lied, of course; he was feeling hungry, just like almost everyone else aboard this ship.
He sat down on the bed, picked up the phone, and ordered room service.
He thought back to when he'd first chosen to go training Pokemon. He'd submitted the idea timidly, afraid it would be rejected and he would be humiliated for all to see.
But no. His mother had supported and encouraged the idea. She, too, had seen Jason battling in the Indigo League, and knew it to be the answer to all of Adam's prayers, the realizing of his dreams.
His stomach rumbled, but he paid it no mind. He told it that food would come soon, and that it should calm down.
Adam opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out his poetry notebook. He never wrote on a computer; his best work had always come from the moment, from his notebooks, many of which had become worn and faded throughout the years. This one was relatively new, no wear and tear to be found on the covers yet.
He'd not written in a while.
But now, he felt inspired.
He picked up his pen and began to write.
"She leans forward, looks straight at me
But I feel blind, feel I can't see
What such a beautiful creature is she
And there are so many feelings still to be..."
He slammed the notebook and pen down on the bed and shoved them away. They slid across the slick blanket's top and dropped down to the floor.
But the words were still there.
They'd been etched into the paper in ink.
They couldn't be erased.
They would remain.
He passed a hand over his face.
*Don't do that to yourself, Adam. That's forbidden territory.*
There was a knock at his door. When it came to room service, the Atlantis ships were renowned worldwide for their speed.
Adam slowly got up and answered the door.
He'd lost his appetite.
***
Jason and Kelly were taking advantage of the amazing selection of pizza at the forward dining hall's bar. The cooks in the back sure knew how to cater to trainers. How to cater to anyone, really. Kelly said as much.
"Tell me about it," Jason mumbled, around a mouthful of Hawaiian pizza. "I'm going back there as soon as my plate's clear."
Kelly's right eyebrow went up as she spied Jason's plate, on which he had piled at least half a dozen pieces of pizza... all different kinds. "You're actually expecting to eat that much?"
"Well, I gotta put meat back on my legs somehow."
"For what? You planning to get them fixed?"
He groaned. "Don't get me started."
"Fine, fine."
Silence reigned only for a moment, waiting for Jason to break it. "So, Adam decided not to join us, eh?"
"No. He said he had a big lunch."
Jason shrugged. "More for us, then. You talked to him?"
"For a while, yeah. I asked him at one point if he had a girlfriend, and--he was smiling, too--all of a sudden, his smile just vanished and he got this sad look. He said no, but after seeing a reaction like that, I'm wondering if that's not really true."
Jason's eyebrows worked up and down for a second. "Well, it's not really our business whether it's true or not."
Kelly went on, not paying any attention to the statement. "And then when I said he's fortunate enough to be traveling with you and a girl, he almost seemed to think I was trying to come on to him or something."
Jason's eyebrows stayed up this time. "Were you?"
"No, and that's the thing. It was weird. Conversation got awkward. I was glad to have my alarm go off."
"No doubt he was, too," Jason muttered. He recalled more than his share of awkward moments when talking to her, most of them before he'd quit his job under Professor Oak.
He shook his head and took another bite of pizza.
***
Adam knew that his gym match was scheduled for tomorrow morning, so he decided to go to bed early. His dreams did not give him respite; whirling, dizzying images of battling, the past, and imagined futures spun about him so quickly he was afraid he would go insane.
He woke up gasping several times during the night, each nightmare and collection of images worse than the last. He finally chose not to go back to sleep and instead pondered what Pokemon he would use for the coming battle.
Adam knew the rules of the Atlantis League. He'd reviewed them over and over again, each time more carefully than the last. The first gym was the kicker; the gym leader and the challenger were allowed one and only one Pokemon to use. This meant that while the gym leader was limited to the unique restrictions of their gym, he undoubtedly had a high-level Pokemon, meaning beating it would be extremely tough, if not impossible.
Beyond the first gym, it got somewhat easier. The second gym allowed two Pokemon per trainer, the third gym allowed three, and so on. It made sense that the champion would carry six. But the more members a team was allowed, the more freedom the gym leader had to change up the composition. There was a fine line between diversity and strength, and the gym leaders tread it with extreme care.
Facts that were not lost on Adam.
He had one out of his collection of sixty-two to choose from.
And half an hour later, he made his choice.
***
Spectators were not allowed in the gym matches. The badge was all that mattered here; it would determine who was worthy to go on and who wasn't.
Adam entered the expansive gym, his artificial right kneecap clicking loudly in the darkness. His dark gray hooded sweatshirt and black jeans seemed to provide perfect camouflage in this environment. There were no borders to the gym that he could detect. A single dim strobe light hung above one of the corners of the gym.
A deep, meditative voice echoed throughout the huge room. "You wish to challenge?"
Adam reared his shoulders back. "I do."
"Approach the light."
He did so, until he stood directly under it.
"Brace yourself."
The ground under Adam's metal feet began to shake, and it took him a moment to realize that he was being raised up on a platform. A barrier wall nearly a meter tall rose at the front of the wedge-like platform, which itself rose to a total of about five meters.
A light even dimmer than the one behind Adam flickered to life, and he found himself staring at a stout, muscular-looking silhouette with unkempt hair on another platform level with his. It was almost reminiscent of an Ursaring, if about three-quarters the height of such a Pokemon.
But this silhouette was recognizably human. Adam could see the shadow shifting as the voice rang out, giving further evidence to cinfirm his suspicions. "You know the rules?"
"I do."
"Then call forth the challenger."
*Not a conversationalist. Shame.* Adam knew now that this could only be the gym leader known as Darth. Adam doubted that this was his real name, though the nickname was appropriate; his voice was every bit as deep and imposing as those of a thousand Darth Vaders in unison.
Adam pulled the one capture ball he possessed from his belt, enlarged it, considered it for a moment, and then dropped it almost casually into the ring.
His Vaporeon appeared in a brilliant flash of neon light.
The light was cast on everything except, curiously, any defining features on Darth's person.
Adam saw and heard no reply for a moment, and he wondered if perhaps he'd made a mistake in choosing Vaporeon.
He shrugged mentally. *I won't know until I know.*
Darth made a slow, deliberate movement, and Adam heard the small *whoiee* confirming that Darth's capture ball had enlarged correctly.
Adam prepared himself for the worst.
And in a flash of neon light, he got a Tyranitar.
He gaped at it for a moment, not believing his luck. He had the type advantage; Tyranitar was as much a rock type as it was a dark type.
Darth wasted no time. "Tyranitar, Crunch!"
"Vaporeon, Hydro Pump!"
Tyranitar's huge jaws clamped down onto Vaporeon's lithe body, but not long enough for them to do very serious damage; Vaporeon was spraying water instantly, forcing Tyranitar to retreat.
Vaporeon was limping, something Adam had few problems believing. *High-level Pokemon. But still, that doesn't make it any less clumsy, stupid, or slow.* "Vaporeon, Agility!"
"Tyranitar, Earthquake!"
Even as Vapreon moved to comply, Tyranitar punched the ground with all the force it could muster, creating a giant split across the ring. It caught Vaporeon for a moment and the ground threatened to engulf it...
No. It remained outside the influence of the attack.
"Vaporeon, Aurora Beam!"
The multicolored beam of energy flew toward Tyranitar... and bounced off.
*God, that was stupid!* Adam smacked himself in the forehead. He'd forgotten that Aurora Beam was as much psychic as it was physical.
Darth emitted no snickers of satisfaction, made no snide comments on Adam's intelligence. Adam silently thanked him for that... the last thing he wanted was the leader getting cocky while Adam was still in the throes of humiliation. Instead, he simply issued his next command: "Tyranitar, Hyper Beam!"
A dime-sized, red-orange ball of glowing energy formed in Tyranitar's beak-like mouth, grew tenfold, and blasted forth in a roiling, contained explosion of pure concussive force.
Vaporeon was smacked backward by the head-on hit. It licked its wounded shoulder, then turned back to Adam for further instructions.
*Crap, the Agility must've been counteracted.* "Let's try it again. Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon bounced across the gym almost playfully, teasing Tyranitar as it blasted water from its mouth. Tyranitar did nothing; it simply waited for a command.
A command which took no time in coming. "Tyranitar, Mega Punch!"
Adam shouted, "Watch out, Vaporeon!" but the shout was late in coming; Tyranitar was upon Vaporeon in a split-second, and the move had already been completed by the time the warning had gotten out of Adam's mouth.
*Jeez, this thing's fast!* "Vaporeon, one more Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon once more blasted water at its opponent... but missed its target.
"Tyranitar, Crunch!"
The huge rock-armored lizard-like creature made a feast of Vaporeon's tail, biting down on it as if it were a slab of ham.
Vaporeon was starting to get tired. Adam could tell.
He had to act fast.
"Vaporeon, you've got it! Use one more Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon's tired head lolled to the side, and it defiantly fired off more water at its gruesome opponent.
Tyranitar took the water head-on, and couldn't take it for more than a few seconds. It slid off Vaporeon's tail and gasped for breath without moisture.
Adam felt the faint tingle of impending victory in the back of his mind, but he ignored it as he shouted, "Quick Attack!"
Suddenly, Vaporeon was off like a shot, bolting around the arena and bearing down on Tyranitar at unbelievable speed. Adam himself would not have thought it possible were he not Vaporeon's trainer, but he had seen it done before.
Vaporeon slammed its head against Tyranitar's. This was a mistake, as Tyranitar's head was many times harder than Vaporeon's own.
But the water had done the trick; Tyranitar was softened just enough to be affected.
It tipped backward...
And fell.
It remained.
After a moment, Darth aimed his capture ball at Tyranitar and muttered the recall command. That done, he looked at Adam for a moment... or, at least, that's what Adam figured. How could he tell by nothing more than a shadow?
"You have won the match and the Shadow badge."
A small, hidden door in the floor of the platform opened up to reveal a hidden compartment. Inside the compartment was a sack of credits and a badge. The badge was a perfect circle, black at the core and gray along the edges.
Adam bent down and picked up the badge gingerly, almost as if he were afraid he might drop it. He unsnapped the pin attached to the back of the badge and pinned it to the inside of his hood, where no one would find it without some serious digging. He picked up the credit bag almost as an afterthought.
He looked back up.
Darth had disappeared. The strobe behind his platform had gone dark.
He silently scoffed. *So much for Darth.*
The massive entrance to the gym opened, and Adam's platform lowered to deck level.
He recalled Vaporeon and left the gym.
***
That evening, Jason and Kelly were pleasantly surprised to see Adam taking up their offer of eating with them. He took the opportunity to show off his Shadow badge, which he had since pinned to the inside of his gray vest.
"Wow," said Jason, his eyebrows somewhere about three meters above the ceiling. "I'm impressed. What Pokemon did you battle?"
"Check your Atlantis League rulebook. I can't answer that question. It's sort of a code of honor. The gym leader's already been humiliated by being defeated; there's no need whatsoever to give other trainers easier opportunities. That's why there's no spectating allowed. Besides, for all you know, the gym leader could change his Pokemon before you have a chance to battle him."
Jason shrugged. "Fine. I'll just hammer it out myself, then."
"Much obliged, on behalf of myself and the gym leaders."
"I'm sure. Still, I'm impressed and encouraged that you got that badge. Now all I have to do is win one, too."
Adam grinned and nodded.
Maybe this friendhsip wouldn't turn out too badly after all.
Jason Creight marveled on.
To Be Continued
He turned to look out the sheers of the window in his cabin and yawned. He'd decided to have a nice little siesta after missing all that sleep the night before, worrying about his battle with Adam.
*Not much I can do about it now,* he thought. *The battle's finished, and I have a new traveling partner. Reluctantly, of course, but still...*
He'd not even bothered to sleep under the sheets, but rather on top of the entire thing. He had depended on waking up somewhere around dinnertime, though since his PokeGear alarm hadn't awakened him, he imagined that it was not yet time. His shirt was wrinkled, and he was somewhat grateful that he couldn't feel whatever torture his pants were inflicting on his legs.
He pushed himself out of bed and got into his wheelchair. It might not be dinnertime yet, but he was hungry.
He left the cabin and made for the nearest dining hall.
***
Kelly, meanwhile, was entertaining herself by talking to Adam, the curious new boy whose eyes seemed to capture hers in an instant. They sat on the aft deck, admiring the sunset, much as they had the night before.
"How did you first hear about Jason?" she asked.
"When he began competing in the Indigo League championships. It was on practically all the news channels. No one had ever heard of a disabled trainer before, and it would probably be a while before one came along that was as good with his Pokemon as Jason. I made it a point to watch each and every one of his battles. Of course, I wasn't too thrilled about what Travis Johnson had to say about him..."
"Yes..." Kelly's face clouded over as she recalled the stinging remarks that the prejudiced trainer had made, both on the TV and in Jason's face, now more than five years before.
"And you can imagine how happy I was when I saw him win the championships. I almost knocked my wheelchair over, I was so ecstatic."
Kelly leaned closer, resting her elbows on her knees. "And what made you decide to train? Was it just Jason, or something else?"
"A good part of it was Jason," Adam admitted. "I didn't think I could do it because I didn't think disabled trainers would be accepted. But after seeing Jason win it, and seeing the good graces everyone was presenting, I thought that maybe I could do it, too. I love Pokemon, love them with a passion. I loved them in my infancy. I grew up in Celadon City, and I loved going around in the park all the time, where there'd be the harmless ones like Caterpie and Weedle. So I psyched myself up for it, and now here I am."
"Yes, you are. So now what?"
Adam spread his tanned arms wide. "What else? I'm going to battle the Atlantis League."
She noted his tan. "I see you've been catching some rays as of late."
"I was on hiatus for a while. I took some of my Pokemon to the beach to battle high-level water Pokemon, and trainers, too. Used up nearly half a bottle of suntan lotion during the time I was on that beach, and there's not much color left in my hair, as you probably noticed." Adam reached up and rubbed his head, agitating the short, bristly hair atop it.
"It'll come back, I'm sure."
"Yeah, but I sort of like this color. For now, anyway."
They sat in silence for a moment. Kelly was the one who broke it. "What do you do it your spare time? When you're not training and battling, I mean."
"I write. Poetry, specifically. Although a lot of my poems have despair and loss involved, so not many people want to read them when they're feeling upbeat. I'm getting popular among the more morbid crowds."
"Oh?" Kelly grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Have you been published?"
"On a couple of occasions," he responded. "In compilations, things of that sort. I don't get paid for it, but I don't mind. I make up for it by battling. Maybe I'll publish my own book of poetry."
"Now, *there's* a great goal to go for. One that doesn't have to involve Pokemon battling." Her smile widened. "Do you have any samples with you, right off-hand?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not; they're all back at my cabin. I tend to write them in solitude. Isolation has always been my thing whenever I'm writing. Just can't do it when someone else is around."
She shrugged. "Another time then." She sat back in a more relaxed pose, and she grinned. "So, what kind of social life does a guy like you keep up?"
"Not much of one. I've always journeyed alone. It's a bit tough with prosthetics, but I suppose it could be worse; the ones I'm wearing are reasonably comfortable and they're designed for high stress."
Adam saw that she was planning to ask another question, but she seemed hesitant to ask. He raised his eyebrows and a smile crept across his features. "What?"
Her face contorted. "I was going to ask if you've been lucky enough to have a girlfriend."
His smile disappeared somewhat, and his curious expression was replaced by sad resignation. "No. I keep up a rather busy schedule, so it's never allowed for time with a girl. Much less time for a girlfriend. And not many girls I knew really liked me, anyway. Except for my mom, and she hardly counts as that type."
"Well, now you've got some time with a girl. How about that for a deal? Traveling with Jason and a girl, too."
His smile returned, if a bit restrained. "Sounds good to me. Just as long as it's all platonic."
"Oh!" She started giggling. "Oh, oh, yes, of course. Sorry if I--"
Adam waved it away with a smooth swoop of his hand. "No, no, you didn't come across as that way. I'm just wanting to confirm that it'll stay that way."
"Yeah. Of course. I've already got a boyfriend, and he and I love each other. Platonic. No problem."
Adam nodded. "Glad we got that cleared up."
Without missing a beat, Kelly's PokeGear alarm began to go off. She glanced down at it and turned it off after a second. She looked back up at Adam. "Jason and I were planning to have dinner at the forward dining hall. Want to join us?"
Adam considered, then shook his head. "No, thanks. Not yet. I think I'll just head back to my cabin. I had a really big lunch, and I have no legs to be hollow."
She shrugged again. "Suit yourself. But, you know, you're welcome to eat with us anytime. You're part of the group now."
He nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
They both got up and headed to their respective destinations.
***
Adam hit the lights, then closed and locked the cabin door behind him. He walked slowly over to his bed, his head swimming in thoughts, many having nothing to do with Pokemon or battling.
Many having to do with relationships.
He'd never felt confident in them.
He didn't think he ever would be.
Perhaps that was why he'd refused Kelly's invitation. He'd lied, of course; he was feeling hungry, just like almost everyone else aboard this ship.
He sat down on the bed, picked up the phone, and ordered room service.
He thought back to when he'd first chosen to go training Pokemon. He'd submitted the idea timidly, afraid it would be rejected and he would be humiliated for all to see.
But no. His mother had supported and encouraged the idea. She, too, had seen Jason battling in the Indigo League, and knew it to be the answer to all of Adam's prayers, the realizing of his dreams.
His stomach rumbled, but he paid it no mind. He told it that food would come soon, and that it should calm down.
Adam opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out his poetry notebook. He never wrote on a computer; his best work had always come from the moment, from his notebooks, many of which had become worn and faded throughout the years. This one was relatively new, no wear and tear to be found on the covers yet.
He'd not written in a while.
But now, he felt inspired.
He picked up his pen and began to write.
"She leans forward, looks straight at me
But I feel blind, feel I can't see
What such a beautiful creature is she
And there are so many feelings still to be..."
He slammed the notebook and pen down on the bed and shoved them away. They slid across the slick blanket's top and dropped down to the floor.
But the words were still there.
They'd been etched into the paper in ink.
They couldn't be erased.
They would remain.
He passed a hand over his face.
*Don't do that to yourself, Adam. That's forbidden territory.*
There was a knock at his door. When it came to room service, the Atlantis ships were renowned worldwide for their speed.
Adam slowly got up and answered the door.
He'd lost his appetite.
***
Jason and Kelly were taking advantage of the amazing selection of pizza at the forward dining hall's bar. The cooks in the back sure knew how to cater to trainers. How to cater to anyone, really. Kelly said as much.
"Tell me about it," Jason mumbled, around a mouthful of Hawaiian pizza. "I'm going back there as soon as my plate's clear."
Kelly's right eyebrow went up as she spied Jason's plate, on which he had piled at least half a dozen pieces of pizza... all different kinds. "You're actually expecting to eat that much?"
"Well, I gotta put meat back on my legs somehow."
"For what? You planning to get them fixed?"
He groaned. "Don't get me started."
"Fine, fine."
Silence reigned only for a moment, waiting for Jason to break it. "So, Adam decided not to join us, eh?"
"No. He said he had a big lunch."
Jason shrugged. "More for us, then. You talked to him?"
"For a while, yeah. I asked him at one point if he had a girlfriend, and--he was smiling, too--all of a sudden, his smile just vanished and he got this sad look. He said no, but after seeing a reaction like that, I'm wondering if that's not really true."
Jason's eyebrows worked up and down for a second. "Well, it's not really our business whether it's true or not."
Kelly went on, not paying any attention to the statement. "And then when I said he's fortunate enough to be traveling with you and a girl, he almost seemed to think I was trying to come on to him or something."
Jason's eyebrows stayed up this time. "Were you?"
"No, and that's the thing. It was weird. Conversation got awkward. I was glad to have my alarm go off."
"No doubt he was, too," Jason muttered. He recalled more than his share of awkward moments when talking to her, most of them before he'd quit his job under Professor Oak.
He shook his head and took another bite of pizza.
***
Adam knew that his gym match was scheduled for tomorrow morning, so he decided to go to bed early. His dreams did not give him respite; whirling, dizzying images of battling, the past, and imagined futures spun about him so quickly he was afraid he would go insane.
He woke up gasping several times during the night, each nightmare and collection of images worse than the last. He finally chose not to go back to sleep and instead pondered what Pokemon he would use for the coming battle.
Adam knew the rules of the Atlantis League. He'd reviewed them over and over again, each time more carefully than the last. The first gym was the kicker; the gym leader and the challenger were allowed one and only one Pokemon to use. This meant that while the gym leader was limited to the unique restrictions of their gym, he undoubtedly had a high-level Pokemon, meaning beating it would be extremely tough, if not impossible.
Beyond the first gym, it got somewhat easier. The second gym allowed two Pokemon per trainer, the third gym allowed three, and so on. It made sense that the champion would carry six. But the more members a team was allowed, the more freedom the gym leader had to change up the composition. There was a fine line between diversity and strength, and the gym leaders tread it with extreme care.
Facts that were not lost on Adam.
He had one out of his collection of sixty-two to choose from.
And half an hour later, he made his choice.
***
Spectators were not allowed in the gym matches. The badge was all that mattered here; it would determine who was worthy to go on and who wasn't.
Adam entered the expansive gym, his artificial right kneecap clicking loudly in the darkness. His dark gray hooded sweatshirt and black jeans seemed to provide perfect camouflage in this environment. There were no borders to the gym that he could detect. A single dim strobe light hung above one of the corners of the gym.
A deep, meditative voice echoed throughout the huge room. "You wish to challenge?"
Adam reared his shoulders back. "I do."
"Approach the light."
He did so, until he stood directly under it.
"Brace yourself."
The ground under Adam's metal feet began to shake, and it took him a moment to realize that he was being raised up on a platform. A barrier wall nearly a meter tall rose at the front of the wedge-like platform, which itself rose to a total of about five meters.
A light even dimmer than the one behind Adam flickered to life, and he found himself staring at a stout, muscular-looking silhouette with unkempt hair on another platform level with his. It was almost reminiscent of an Ursaring, if about three-quarters the height of such a Pokemon.
But this silhouette was recognizably human. Adam could see the shadow shifting as the voice rang out, giving further evidence to cinfirm his suspicions. "You know the rules?"
"I do."
"Then call forth the challenger."
*Not a conversationalist. Shame.* Adam knew now that this could only be the gym leader known as Darth. Adam doubted that this was his real name, though the nickname was appropriate; his voice was every bit as deep and imposing as those of a thousand Darth Vaders in unison.
Adam pulled the one capture ball he possessed from his belt, enlarged it, considered it for a moment, and then dropped it almost casually into the ring.
His Vaporeon appeared in a brilliant flash of neon light.
The light was cast on everything except, curiously, any defining features on Darth's person.
Adam saw and heard no reply for a moment, and he wondered if perhaps he'd made a mistake in choosing Vaporeon.
He shrugged mentally. *I won't know until I know.*
Darth made a slow, deliberate movement, and Adam heard the small *whoiee* confirming that Darth's capture ball had enlarged correctly.
Adam prepared himself for the worst.
And in a flash of neon light, he got a Tyranitar.
He gaped at it for a moment, not believing his luck. He had the type advantage; Tyranitar was as much a rock type as it was a dark type.
Darth wasted no time. "Tyranitar, Crunch!"
"Vaporeon, Hydro Pump!"
Tyranitar's huge jaws clamped down onto Vaporeon's lithe body, but not long enough for them to do very serious damage; Vaporeon was spraying water instantly, forcing Tyranitar to retreat.
Vaporeon was limping, something Adam had few problems believing. *High-level Pokemon. But still, that doesn't make it any less clumsy, stupid, or slow.* "Vaporeon, Agility!"
"Tyranitar, Earthquake!"
Even as Vapreon moved to comply, Tyranitar punched the ground with all the force it could muster, creating a giant split across the ring. It caught Vaporeon for a moment and the ground threatened to engulf it...
No. It remained outside the influence of the attack.
"Vaporeon, Aurora Beam!"
The multicolored beam of energy flew toward Tyranitar... and bounced off.
*God, that was stupid!* Adam smacked himself in the forehead. He'd forgotten that Aurora Beam was as much psychic as it was physical.
Darth emitted no snickers of satisfaction, made no snide comments on Adam's intelligence. Adam silently thanked him for that... the last thing he wanted was the leader getting cocky while Adam was still in the throes of humiliation. Instead, he simply issued his next command: "Tyranitar, Hyper Beam!"
A dime-sized, red-orange ball of glowing energy formed in Tyranitar's beak-like mouth, grew tenfold, and blasted forth in a roiling, contained explosion of pure concussive force.
Vaporeon was smacked backward by the head-on hit. It licked its wounded shoulder, then turned back to Adam for further instructions.
*Crap, the Agility must've been counteracted.* "Let's try it again. Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon bounced across the gym almost playfully, teasing Tyranitar as it blasted water from its mouth. Tyranitar did nothing; it simply waited for a command.
A command which took no time in coming. "Tyranitar, Mega Punch!"
Adam shouted, "Watch out, Vaporeon!" but the shout was late in coming; Tyranitar was upon Vaporeon in a split-second, and the move had already been completed by the time the warning had gotten out of Adam's mouth.
*Jeez, this thing's fast!* "Vaporeon, one more Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon once more blasted water at its opponent... but missed its target.
"Tyranitar, Crunch!"
The huge rock-armored lizard-like creature made a feast of Vaporeon's tail, biting down on it as if it were a slab of ham.
Vaporeon was starting to get tired. Adam could tell.
He had to act fast.
"Vaporeon, you've got it! Use one more Hydro Pump!"
Vaporeon's tired head lolled to the side, and it defiantly fired off more water at its gruesome opponent.
Tyranitar took the water head-on, and couldn't take it for more than a few seconds. It slid off Vaporeon's tail and gasped for breath without moisture.
Adam felt the faint tingle of impending victory in the back of his mind, but he ignored it as he shouted, "Quick Attack!"
Suddenly, Vaporeon was off like a shot, bolting around the arena and bearing down on Tyranitar at unbelievable speed. Adam himself would not have thought it possible were he not Vaporeon's trainer, but he had seen it done before.
Vaporeon slammed its head against Tyranitar's. This was a mistake, as Tyranitar's head was many times harder than Vaporeon's own.
But the water had done the trick; Tyranitar was softened just enough to be affected.
It tipped backward...
And fell.
It remained.
After a moment, Darth aimed his capture ball at Tyranitar and muttered the recall command. That done, he looked at Adam for a moment... or, at least, that's what Adam figured. How could he tell by nothing more than a shadow?
"You have won the match and the Shadow badge."
A small, hidden door in the floor of the platform opened up to reveal a hidden compartment. Inside the compartment was a sack of credits and a badge. The badge was a perfect circle, black at the core and gray along the edges.
Adam bent down and picked up the badge gingerly, almost as if he were afraid he might drop it. He unsnapped the pin attached to the back of the badge and pinned it to the inside of his hood, where no one would find it without some serious digging. He picked up the credit bag almost as an afterthought.
He looked back up.
Darth had disappeared. The strobe behind his platform had gone dark.
He silently scoffed. *So much for Darth.*
The massive entrance to the gym opened, and Adam's platform lowered to deck level.
He recalled Vaporeon and left the gym.
***
That evening, Jason and Kelly were pleasantly surprised to see Adam taking up their offer of eating with them. He took the opportunity to show off his Shadow badge, which he had since pinned to the inside of his gray vest.
"Wow," said Jason, his eyebrows somewhere about three meters above the ceiling. "I'm impressed. What Pokemon did you battle?"
"Check your Atlantis League rulebook. I can't answer that question. It's sort of a code of honor. The gym leader's already been humiliated by being defeated; there's no need whatsoever to give other trainers easier opportunities. That's why there's no spectating allowed. Besides, for all you know, the gym leader could change his Pokemon before you have a chance to battle him."
Jason shrugged. "Fine. I'll just hammer it out myself, then."
"Much obliged, on behalf of myself and the gym leaders."
"I'm sure. Still, I'm impressed and encouraged that you got that badge. Now all I have to do is win one, too."
Adam grinned and nodded.
Maybe this friendhsip wouldn't turn out too badly after all.
Jason Creight marveled on.
To Be Continued
