Fire Red, Leaf Green
Chapter 7
"... So, can I ask why you're not wearing your robes?" Green finally ventured to ask, looking over to him. He'd finally gotten comfortable with walking next to her, instead of behind her. He was silent for a few minutes, a contemplative look crossing his face.
"I discovered some things about the church that I really didn't approve of. And to be sure, it wasn't the entire church. Most priests and hardly any of the normal masses knew. They tried to 'initiate' me into the higher ranks. And... I didn't approve of their beliefs or methods." And then he fell silent. She decided not to probe any farther, as this was the most she'd gotten him to say about it in a while. Green glanced down at her watch. By her calculations, they should arrive at Mt. Moon in under ten minutes. They could already see the mountain clearly, and the sun was shining down warmly - though it wasn't hot.
"You know, Val, you look a lot younger without your robes. How old are you?" She asked. And it was true. Maybe it was because she always pictured old people as Priests, but he looked much younger now. He smiled at her and chuckled.
"I'm twenty-two." He answered simply. Green was taken aback.
"I feel so embarrassed. I assumed you were close to thirty." She chuckled sheepishly. Val got a good laugh out of that. They walked on the rest of the way in silence, just enjoying the quiet scenery and the gentle rushing of the brook beside them. The ground they were walking on was starting to slant uphill, meaning it was getting harder to keep up a steady pace.
"Well, we're here... but shouldn't there be a cave that goes through it somewhere?" Green asked. Val thought for a moment. He wasn't too familiar with the area.
"Oh! We should move over to the beaten path, now. The path leads to the cave entrance." He said, and then changed direction. Green followed. Within a few minutes, they were walking along the dirt path, up towards the mouth of the cave.
"... Something's wrong." Val said, stopping suddenly. Green stopped, as well.
"What is it, Val?" She asked, looking between him and the cave.
"There are lights in the cave... Mt. Moon is dark inside, and without the darkness, certain kinds of Pokémon living in the cave will be confused and otherwise badly affected..." He mumbled. Green happened to catch all of it, though, and headed for the cave at a jogging pace. Val was right behind her, and they reached the entrance of the cave at about the same time. And what they found there surprised both of them greatly. Set up directly outside the mouth of the cave was a team of Scientists. There were about twenty of them, doing various tasks on the machines they had set up all over. Val was the first to break the awe-struck silence shared by the two.
"Um, excuse me... somebody? Who's in charge here?" He called. Most of the scientists turned to look at him for a moment, and then most went back to work. A young woman - probably in her early thirties, came up to them with a gentle smile - although obviously forced.
"I'm Doctor Frahn, and I'm in charge here. Can I help you?" She asked.
"Yeah. What're you doin' here? With those lights in the cave?!" Val about jumped out of his skin when he saw that they had lights strung up in the cave.
"We're doing a study on the Moon Stone. This isn't a place for kids to be playing. If you're en route to Cerulean City, you'll have to go around the mountain. It'll only delay you for about a day. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." She was anything BUT sorry. And it was apparent.
"... Okay." Green said after a slight pause, and turned to walk away.
"What? No!" Val grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"What the?! What's wrong with you? C'mon, let's get going." Green protested.
"Ma'am, I cannot, in good heart, let you keep those lights up in the cave!" Val stated firmly as she turned to walk away. She stopped abruptly, but didn't turn around.
"... Ooo. You're in trouble now." Green muttered.
"You cannot LET me? I have a permit from the Cerulean City police that says I have every right to be here. Now I'd appreciate it if you'd move along." Doctor Frahn had risen her voice slightly. Val looked troubled, but determined to stand his ground.
"Is there a problem, Doctor?" A silky voice called. Green and Val both looked past Doctor Frahn. Val uttered a cry of distress, and he turned pale. The voice belonged to a girl who could be no older than Val herself. She was dressed quite oddly. Her fiery red hair was pulled into a long, thick braid that fell to the backs of her knees. Two tresses of silky, shiny hair fell down either side of her face. She was a beautiful girl... but her clothes were, less than attractive. She wore a pair of dark green khaki pants, the left pant-leg ripped off from the knee down. She also wore a white men's Oxford shirt with blue pin-stripes, which she ripped the sleeves off of. Covering her arms was a pair of black baseball socks that she'd cut the ends of, so that her hands could fit through. To top it all off, she wore a pair of black-and-white Chucks on her feet. She stood, one arm crossing over her chest with her other elbow propped up on it, hand on her chin. Her crimson lips pursed into a smile.
"Something we could help you with?" A deeper, yet just as silky male voice asked. He stood next to her, and he too was dressed... interestingly. A pair of black jeans with green stitching, two times his size, was held up by a white leather belt, studded with silver pyramids. Various chains crossed over the pants, some almost dragging the ground. He, too, wore a pair of black-and-white Chucks on his feet. His shirt, unlike his pants, seemed to be a size too SMALL. But he was flat-stomached and tone-chested, so it wasn't an unpleasant sight. His shirt was black as well, also with the green stitching. The short sleeves gave way to white-and-green striped long sleeves, which were actually stitched into the sleeves of the T-shirt, giving it the appearance that he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under the short-sleeved shirt. His lips were shiny with black lipstick, his penetrating blue eyes defined by black eyeliner. Around his neck was a black leather choker with silver spikes. His fingernails also sported a coat of black. His hair was cut short, and was black with lime green highlights. The one thing they both had in common was a pin on the far-left of their chest, under their shoulders. It was a polished white, and depicted a cross with small angel wings. Green raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong, Val?" She asked. He looked as if he might puke.
"You... you're... you're Paladins!" He cried in a choked voice.
"Very good. But how would you know?" The girl with the red hair raised an eyebrow in amused confusion. Dr. Frahn just shook her head and turned to walk away, going about her business. The two 'Paladins' approached Val and Green... though Val moreso than Green.
"My name is Risa Daishi, Paladin of the Third Class." She extended her hand. He shook it reluctantly, and introduced himself as 'Valentine Wheeler'.
"And my name is Gekko Wakana. I'm also a Paladin of the Third Class. Is there something we can do for you?" He asked. He didn't seem as amused as Risa did.
"Yeah, You can get your lights out of the cave. Wasn't hat what you wanted, Val?" Green showed little to no interest in what was going on, but seeing as Val apparently wasn't going to answer, she decided to answer for him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm afraid we can't do that. We're busy here. Good day." Risa answered sweetly, and then they both turned away. Val swallowed hard, and grabbed her shoulder.
"I am Father Valentine Wheeler, Class One Priest of Hyne, candidate for Paladin of the Fourth Class." He managed to get out, before taking his hand from her shoulder.
"... You're the Priest from Lavender Town." Gekko said with a tone that Green didn't much like. Risa narrowed her eyes; but she clearly wasn't amused.
"You're the backslider, who denounced the Faith." She muttered, taking a Pokéball from her pocket. She held it menacingly in front of her, pointed at Val.
"You. We're supposed to take you down if we find you." She smirked, again amused, but in a sickening sort of way. Green was getting a bit nervous, now.
"Now... prepare to die!" Gekko took out a Pokéball, as well. Almost by instinct, Val produced his own Pokéball. Green knew he only had one Pokémon to their two. So she stepped up beside him, taking out her own Pokéball.
"If you're going after him, you'll have to go through me, as well. One-on-two battles are prohibited, unless one Pokémon faints amid a Double Battle. So let's play by the rules, shall we? A Double Battle - you two versus us!" Green challenged. Truth was, she was quite nervous. After what had happened in the battle with Jiroo, she was concerned for her Pokémons' safety. But she couldn't just let Val face them alone... right?