She hated the staring. She really couldn't stand it. In just a short amount of time, she had grown to hate it. Staring meant she was drawing attention, and she had always wanted to be left alone.
Erin sighed and tried to shrug it off. At the moment Abadon, Chasm, and herself were sitting at a table on the patio of a bakery. Erin had bought herself and Abadon each a piece of cake. Chasm had refused. She had already had one hell-of-a morning to her birthday, and she would rather not let the passer-bys irk her further. Though with a bandaged hand and two pokemon, she certainly was a sight.
"It feels nice to sit down and rest without having a pack of psychos try and kill you, huh?" Erin asked with her head back so she could look at the sky.
Abadon replied by eating what was left of his cake and nodding in her general direction, and Chasm didn't bother to reply at all. Erin soon finished her birthday treat to herself and stood up to throw away her trash as well as Abadon's.
"I suppose we better get going then, right?" she asked, not expecting an answer. She didn't wait for one either, as she swung her bag over her shoulder and set off. Erin's pace was slow and unrushed, because there was nothing specific the group had to accomplish and she might as well take in the sights. This time Abadon took the lead. He was still in a slightly protective mood and wanted to make sure that no further harm would come to his friends. They had passed a sign when they first entered the New City that told them it went by the name of Lilnith. It wasn't exactly the easiest name to say in conversation, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Erin had no sooner turned the first corner when a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. "Hey!"
Still jumpy from their earlier encounter, she turned swiftly and easily knocked his hand away, at the same time grabbing it and twisting it behind her offender's back. She was about to wrap her free arm around his neck to complete the hold when she realized that she recognized his voice. "Ryan?" she asked, quickly releasing his appendage and stepping back.
"Gods, that was fast. What are you, some kind of government assassin?" Ryan, the friend Erin had made earlier in the week while battling, was rubbing a now-sore arm and was looking at her like she was halfway to insanity.
Abadon and Chasm had swiveled, ready to pounce as well, but now saw that there was no need for it.
"Oh, gods, I'm sorry!" Erin said, frantically attempting to apologize. "It's just that we had sort of a rough morning and haven't calmed down completely yet and I'm so sorry if I hurt you!" All of this was said extremely quickly with no time for a breath.
"No, it's okay, really. I didn't remember your name right away; it's Erin, right; and I kept waving and calling 'hey', but you didn't hear me," Ryan began. He then spotted her bandaged forearm. "What happened to you?"
Erin sighed. "It's a long story…"
"I've got nothin' better to do," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and straitening up. "You?" Erin couldn't think of anything, so she consented. She actually didn't mind spending more time with her new friend. "Alright, but first: where did you learn that move? You know, the one that almost killed me."
They found a bench near an area that was supposed to be a park, but looked more like the forest outside of town: dark and empty; and sat down. Erin first told Ryan that she had learned martial arts at her academy, and was most likely the best in her classification.
Ryan was impressed. "So you're like a blackbelt, right? Remind me not to get on your bad side."
Erin blushed and continued to tell him of her group's encounter with the gang in the Old City.
"Wow, you guys got lucky," he said, leaning back in his seat. "I know you might not like it, but the path you took was probably the safest. The only other way into New Lilnith would be through the Tunnels, and those are only safe if you're driving. That's why barely anybody travels in or out of their hometown anymore. Crazy, huh? You'd think the government would come and finally clear out all that crap in the outer rim of the city, but no such luck." He seemed genuinely concerned for her, and that made Erin smile. Ryan noted that she had a gorgeous smile.
"I'm kind of worried about Chasm though," she said, looking back at the umbreon. "She fought with the rabid poochyena and…" She trailed off, not wanting to go into detail about what she saw. "Well, some of its blood got into her mouth and probably into her cuts as well. I think I should take her to a Pokecenter and get her checked out. It probably wouldn't hurt to get Abadon looked at as well, just to make sure." Erin inwardly cringed, remembering her former encounters with a Pokecenter.
"You don't have to worry about Chasm getting rabies, if that's what you're thinking about," Ryan replied.
Erin glanced up. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Ryan looked at her incredulously. "You're kidding me. Didn't you take Dark Creatures 607? Well, sure it's an advanced course, but it's one of the more elementary concepts that you learn." His voice trailed off when he saw Erin shaking her head.
"No, it must have been one of the courses that Final Students take. I wouldn't have had a chance." Final Students were students at an academy that were in their last year and would be given their pokemon and begin their journey within the next few months. Erin never made it that far, but Ryan didn't know this. She realized this only after it was too late to fake it and make something up.
"What do you mean; I thought you said you went to an academy."
Erin took a deep breath. She wasn't proud of what had occurred and now realized that there was probably something else she could have done besides beat up a Former Student to save the pokemon from his trainer's stupidity. "Ryan, I'm only seventeen," she confessed. "I was a little over one year away from graduating and I got kicked out. I was never given a pokemon." She said this with disgrace and looked down at the ground, ashamed at herself. She was overjoyed that she had discovered such friends as Abadon and Chasm, but it still hurt her a bit that she had never earned her own at the academy.
Ryan was shocked at this new development and wondered what could have been bad enough to get her expelled. Although, he remembered his academy was extremely strict and people were suspended frequently. "What did you do?"
Erin looked up at him sheepishly. "I beat someone up," she said flatly. "He had been a trainer for about two years and his poliwhirl had only just evolved. He was pushing it too hard and started to hit it when it didn't do as good as he wanted. I couldn't stand for it so I hit the trainer instead. We got into a fight, I won, and I was expelled."
"Wait, a water pokemon? What do you have against swimmers?" Ryan knew that students were given a pokemon based on the strengths and weaknesses of the student themselves. The pokemon type always matched with the positive highlights of the student's life. Like himself, a person who had earned a water pokemon was likely to be a swimmer.
"Huh?" Erin said, confused. She didn't have anything against swimmers, and wondered from where Ryan had grabbed this idea.
"Well, first you try and tear my arm off while strangling me, and now you tell me you tell me this? I think you have a personal vendetta against swimmers."
Erin smiled and rolled her eyes, realizing his sarcasm. "So you're not disappointed with me?"
"No, not really. I didn't expect it, but I think I see where you were coming from. I don't think fighting was necessary, but I see why you were angry."
"Yeah, I agree now, but I'm really passionate about some subjects and sometimes I act before I think."
They sat in silence for a while before Ryan spoke again. "Anyway, about Chasm and the rabies…"
"Oh, right." Erin had forgotten that he was about to enlighten her on the subject.
"Well, they're moonlight pokemon, right?" Erin nodded. She knew that much, and the pokedex had reminded her again when she had turned it toward Chasm. "Umbreon are connected to the moon somehow, in the same way that espeon are connected to the sun. No one's really sure how, but they are." Erin nodded again. "Being connected to something like that gives them strange abilities, just like every pokemon with their specific element. Like, Abadon would probably be able to bathe in molten lava and barely be fazed, whereas it would kill other pokemon. The sun and moon protect the espeon and umbreon from certain diseases. Not all though, just ones that mess with the mind. Chasm would be perfectly susceptible to a cold or a fever, but rabies screws around with their head, so their protected in that way. In order to fully honor the moon in the way they were created to do, their minds must be sound." He paused for a moment, and then chuckled. "I said it was one of the more elementary concepts, but no one can explain how it works, just that it does. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, thank you," Erin replied, smiling herself. "What about you?" she asked suddenly. "What brings you to Lilnith?"
Thankful for the sudden change in topic, Ryan answered. "The gym, of course. Isn't that why you're here?"
Erin raised her eyebrows in surprise. "No; I didn't know there was a gym anywhere near here. I wonder what kind of pokemon the Leader has?" When she said this, Erin glanced at the two pokemon who were sitting behind bench, listening to the humans' conversation. Since Abadon and Chasm weren't exactly her pokemon, she couldn't order them to fight a gym match for her. That meant she was stuck with Celeste, and if the Gym Leader had a high level plant- or electric-type, then she might as well not bother going to the gym at all.
"The only ones that I saw were a shiftry and a zangoose."
"What? You already fought him?"
"Yeah, I fought her yesterday, and she's really strong. Her name's Clair, but I don't think she has any set type of pokemon that she fights with. It's more of a generalization with the more basic types, I guess. We had a double battle; you know, when you each have two pokemon on the field at once. Geyser was taken down by the shiftry, though he weakened it. I never would have made it if it weren't for Soru."
"Soru?" Erin asked. "I thought Geyser was your only pokemon."
Ryan looked up. "Oh, sorry. I forgot we met before then. Soru is an absol that I found. Or rather, he found us. He said that he would battle for me if I would help train him. It seems as though most of the pokemon in this area have left, since the land is so barren. Pity."
"An absol," Erin said. "Cool. Those are strong pokemon." Absol had become known as the Disaster Pokemon, because they always seemed to be around right before any natural disaster. "Where is he?"
"Here," came Chasm's voice.
Erin and Ryan both turned to look behind them. Sitting between Abadon and Chasm was a well-muscled absol obviously in its prime. Its skinnier legs and larger feet allowed for speed and dexterity over just about any kind of terrain. Most of his body was covered in short white fur, save for the bushy mane around his neck. His glare was indifferent and uncaring. 'He and Chasm will get along great,' thought Erin.
"Hey," Erin said, waving. She got no response.
"Er, sorry, he's not to fond of strangers," said Ryan. "He's still getting used to me."
"No problem," Erin replied, turning back around. "That's how Chasm treats everyone too."
"I guess you'll be headed for the gym soon, now that you know it's here, right?"
"Actually, I'm not so sure. Celeste is really the only pokemon that's mine. Abadon and Chasm both joined me for the same reason that Soru joined you. They're not technically mine, and I can't force them to battle for me if they don't want to."
"I'll fight," came the voice of Abadon.
"Really?" said Erin.
"Why are you acting so surprised? The whole reason I started traveling with you was so I could battle more and grow stronger. There wouldn't be a point in standing around while there was a perfectly good match waiting for me." He smiled at this, as if he had said something humorous. He then turned toward Chasm. "What about you Rattata? You up for it?"
Chasm's eyes became nothing more than glowing white slits on her head. "Call me that again and you will no longer have any vocal cords with which to speak, that you won't." Soru smirked at this remark.
Abadon decided that now was a good time for his legs to suddenly feel cramped and stood up to stretch. "Whelp, if we're going to a gym today we better get going…"
Erin was smiling and Ryan was slightly unnerved. "I'm not so sure I want a dark-type as a friend anymore."
"Be sure not to take along a smart-mouthed Char and you'll be fine," Erin said in reply. "I would like to go to the gym now though. Where is it?"
"I'll take you there, if you don't mind me watching," he said. Erin made no objections, so the group set off. Erin and Ryan made small talk in the front, Chasm and Soru said nothing to each other, and Abadon picked up the rear, pouting because he had no one to talk to. He wondered what had come of Nero, for he knew the little mew would talk to him.
After about a thirty minute walk, they arrived in front of a building with a sign beside it that read: Lilnith City Gym, Leader: Claire. By this time Erin's stomach was in knots. This was completely new to her; she had never had a gym battle. Who knows how many badges Ryan had earned? As she neared the door, her steps became shorter and shorter and her breath came quicker and quicker. Erin thought she might hyperventilate, and that made her angry. She had been to countless martial arts competitions and never experienced anything like this before. She forced her pulse to calm and her breathing to slow. Everything would be fine.
Finally, Erin reached out and opened the large metal doors and entered the gym. She stopped and looked around for a few seconds. They had entered a small reception area with a single desk and three chairs. There was a lady sitting at the desk and she looked up as they entered.
"Hello again young man, may I help you?" she asked with a fake smile.
"Yeah, my friend here wants to battle Clair now. Has anyone else been in today?" Ryan answered, pointing at Erin.
The receptionist picked up a file and leafed through it. "No, you're in luck. She has a scheduled battle for tomorrow, but today is free. Your name?" Erin answered. "Alright, go right on in; I'll call and tell her you're coming." As the group walked through the door the receptionist had motioned toward, she picked up a phone and began to talk to a person on the other line, presumably the gym leader.
Erin walked through first and entered into an open-air battlefield. A portion of the field still connected to the building itself had a roof and three walls, but the forth wall was gone. This was in case of rain, than the trainers could direct their pokemon and stay dry. The field itself was a giant arena in the open. The ground around it had been cleared of grass and boulders, and was completely flat. The boundaries were marked by white powder drawn in a strait line. The gym leader emerged from around the corner and both her and Erin stopped short and stared.
"You!" they both said at once. Abadon and Chasm glared in the Leader's direction, and Ryan simply looked confused. Soru made no attempt to show any emotion.
"You!" the leader of the gym said again. She was around Erin's height and had short blonde hair that came to the top of her shoulders. "You're the ass of a kid that got me kicked out that Pokecenter!" It seemed as though the gym leader was the same person whose zangoose had fought with Chasm in the last Pokecenter the group had visited.
Erin stood her ground and folded her arms, defiantly glaring in Claire's direction. "It's not my fault that your zangoose was so weak. I thought gym leaders were supposed to be smart. You should have stopped your pokemon before it got tangled up in a situation that it couldn't handle."
There was a slight pause as mental knives were thrown.
"Wait, you two know each other?" asked Ryan, trying to shed some light on the subject.
Surprisingly, Chasm answered the question. "Her foolish lab-bred zangoose insulted me and then attacked me. Both were idiotic decisions and I had no choice but to retaliate, resulting in his destruction. This human believes it to be the fault of Erin, and is just as foolish as her pitiful pokemon for thinking thus." At this, Chasm stepped forward. "I will fight."
Erin and Abadon glanced at each other, neither understanding where this sudden hatred came from. Erin guessed it had something to do with the lab-bred species of pokemon that the girl owned that offended Chasm, but there was no way to be certain without asking the umbreon, and this was neither the time nor the place for it.
"All right, you can battle if you want to. Thank you," Erin said in reply.
"We'll do a two pokemon battle," Claire cried from across the field, malice in her voice.
Erin was grateful that it would not be a double battle like it had been for Ryan, for she had no experience in such things. Abadon and Chasm didn't exactly work well together either.
"Each of us will use only two pokemon. You may switch out the pokemon as many times as you choose, but the trainer with the last pokemon standing is the winner. If you're ready, send out your first pokemon." When she said this, Chasm slinked forward and Claire withdrew a pokeball from her coat and maximized it in her hand. She extended her forearm and a red laser emerged from the center of the ball. When the laser withdrew, a shiftry was left in its place.
Erin knew the strengths and weaknesses of a shiftry because of her classes, but just to make certain that what she knew was complete, she took out the pokedex and opened it. "Shiftry: a pokemon that was feared as a forest guardian. It can read a foe's mind and take preemptive action. Its large fans generate stong gusts of wind at a speed close to a hundred feet per second."
"Gods, that's fast. Careful, Chasm!" she called. "Stay out of the path of its fans." Chasm was quick enough to handle that; the only problem now would be how to block the mind reading.
As she put the pokedex away, Ryan was standing farther back, squinting at the device in Erin's hands, attempting to figure out what it was. Later, if he remembered, he would have to ask Erin about it. It was definitely not technology that a normal First-year trainer had access to.
Before anything else could be said, Gym Leader Claire called to her pokemon. "Siftry! Razor Wind!"
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A/N: Hello all. Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but the chapter was (once more) taking longer than I had originally planned. (It's because so much happens in a chapter; I swear.) I would have continued until the end of the battle, but there's a place where I want to stop the next chapter and there wouldn't be enough plot to write in front of it so the chapter would be really short. Short chapters aren't any fun, so I ended it here. I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter, so I hope you like reading it.
And I lied: I don't have a picture ready for you. I didn't mean to lie though; I really did plan on finishing it. I have started it though, so don't think that I just got lazy. I'm over half-way done too, I just didn't want to delay the update further. Next update will have a link to a picture: I really promise this time.
And who else is a nerd out there? The Thursday that FireRed and LeafGreen came out, I drove to the store after school to get me one. pets her Charizard I'm hopeless, what can I say? It's been a few days since I've played it though, because of school.
And don't forget to review!