ONESHOT REQUEST: Hikari and Takahiro, Survivalshipping
Pokemon AU, Part 1
-O-O-O-O-
"Leader! There is a challenger who has bypassed both of the top trainees, and the three beginners! He wishes to battle you!"
A young aide by the name of Alton stood at attention in front of her. Hikari was crouched, feeding a group of Poliwags.
"Alton, I told you to call me Hikari, not Leader," she said as she stood, stretching her legs. The Poliwags whined, crowding around her feet. She handed the bag of food to Alton, who immediately took over her task.
"But you're the Gym Leader!" Alton protested, lowering a hand of food to the ground. The Poliwags gathered happily around him, pushing for the food.
"I'm only the leader of the fourth gym in the circuit, and the youngest one too," she argued, pulling her fingerless battle gloves over her fingers. She checked the condition of her Pokeballs, smiling when the one holding her Pidove shook.
"19 isn't that young," Alton shot back. "You're still a leader."
"You're just saying that because you're 14. Are you calling me old?" she loomed, pinching his cheek. He blushed, flustered.
"No! I meant, uh, I wasn't saying that you're old, just that you're-" he stopped trying to justify himself when he saw the teasing grin on her face. "Leader!"
She shot him another smile. "Take care of those Poliwags for me. They need to rest after eating, and-"
"-exercise for 15 minutes. I know, Leader, I've been doing this for a year."
"Well, aren't you the little expert." Hikari left the Poliwag habitat and headed down the corridor leading to her gym's battle stage.
"Hikari!"
A boy and girl ran up to her.
"The challenger is really good! He beat me, then Udon!" said Moegi. "He's really cool too!"
"I recommend proceeding with caution," Udon said, pushing his glasses up with a finger. "He knows what he's doing."
Interesting.
"Thanks for the warning. For now, why don't you two rest? You've worked hard, trying to beat the challenger," Hikari suggested.
"No way! We wanna watch your battle!"
She shrugged and stepped through the doors. Upon entering the arena, she saw a male with straw-colored hair and brown eyes jumping fidgeting, jumping from foot to foot. He saw her and smiled.
"Wow, you're as pretty as you look on TV! A little shorter than expected, though," he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh, bad move," Moegi whispered behind her.
Hikari's eyes narrowed, and she straightened her back.
"What's your name, challenger?" she asked, placing her hand on her waist near her belt holding her Pokeballs.
"My name is Takahiro, and I'm going to become the next Champion."
"Well, Takahiro, by the time this battle is over, you'll know I'm more than a pretty face," she said, glaring at him icily. "How many Pokemon do you have in your party?"
"Oh, um, four," he replied, thrown off by her hostility.
"I'll use four as well. One-on-one battle, allowing for swaps when your Pokemon is unable to continue battling. The first to run out of Pokemon is the victor." Hikari jumped off the Gym Leader's platform and landed on the arena floor.
"And one more thing," she said, picking a Pokeball off her belt. "Unlike some other Leaders, I fight alongside my Pokemon."
She threw the Pokeball down at her feet, and the battle began.
-O-O-O-O-
"Whoa, she began with her Skarmory right off the bat!" Moegi raved, shaking Udon's arm.
"Yes, but her challenger is using a Rhyhorn. He has a type advantage," Udon replied, brows furrowing.
"But she's flying on Skarmory. If Rhyhorn can't reach them, it's a matter of shaving down the points."
"You seem to have forgotten," Udon sniffed, "that he has beaten the entire gym except for our Leader. True, his Pokemon may be tired, especially if he doesn't have any Potions or Restores, but he is skilled."
"Hikari is good too," Moegi persisted. "She could have been Champion of the Elite Four if she wanted to."
"But she didn't, for some reason," Udon's frown deepened. "And no one knows why."
-O-O-O-O-
Sometimes, Hikari disliked her job.
She loved battling. She loved her Pokemon. But sometimes, just sometimes, she found herself loathing the string of challengers who entered her gym, expecting an easy win and pretty smile. There were too many challengers who were in it for the glory and money, for arrogance, and most of them weren't good enough to give her a thrill.
Leaders weren't just obstacles for aspiring trainers and Pokemon masters. They were judges. Occasionally, even if a challenger with weak Pokemon approached with the right personality, the right heart, and the right motivation, leaders lost on purpose. Leaders were a system of requirements, passing on the challenger to the next gym to be tested on another characteristic or trait, and eventually try to become the Champion. Leaders created the Champion.
After all, the Champion was the face of the Pokemon community. The Champion needed to be charismatic, authoritative, strong, and popular. The Champion needed to be a hero.
Hikari was the most resented by the community. She knew the hateful comments that the community, made up of mostly the wrong type of challengers who she prevented from advancing, aimed at her.
They said she got her job because she was pretty, not because she was skilled.
Because the Champion was her brother.
Because she had connections.
Because she slept with the right people at the right times.
The job of the fourth gym, the gym at the exact middle of the circuit, was the most crucial checkpoint. It was the gym that tested the resolve and reasons.
Most people, of any gender, approached her gym to see what she really looked like in real life, or to score a date. They either came with the sole purpose to impress her or insult her. Her claim to fame was her face and her family name.
But there was one thing the public didn't know.
Her gym had the most repeat challengers and losses of challengers recorded.
And Hikari was determined to put this Takahiro, this boy, down as another loss.
"No, Rhyhorn!" Takahiro cried out. She could see the confusion in his face as his Rhyhorn fainted. After all, Rhyhorn had a type advantage against Skarmory.
"Don't just saunter in with a type advantage and expect to win. It doesn't matter when my Skarmory is at a much higher level anyways. You probably used your Rhyhorn the entire time earlier, didn't you?" she taunted. "You expected to breeze through this gym and eventually become Champion for money and girls."
Takahiro gritted his teeth. "That's not why I want to become Champion."
She quirked a brow, landing her Skarmory. "Oh? Please, enighten me. Change my world with a new perspective."
He gripped a Pokeball tightly, fingers white from the force he was gripping it with. "I promised to myself when I was younger that I would become Champion, because I love battling. I love the thrill, the rush I get when my opponent is good, and I love Pokemon. I want to become Champion because I'd be able to battle anytime, with anyone!" He threw the Pokeball, and a Charmeleon came out. "Charmeleon! Flamethrower!"
She swore as her Skarmory bucked her off and extended its wings over her, shielding her from the flames. It groaned and collapsed.
"Thank you," she whispered, recalling it. She raised her head, meeting the determined eyes of Takahiro.
And then she knew what the outcome of the battle needed to be.
"Plan B," she told her Fearow as it emerged from the Pokeball with a flash. It dipped its head at her, and waited for her to mount its back.
"Alright," she called. "Let's see what you've got. Fearow, Peck!"
Fearow dove towards the scampering Charmeleon, neck extended. At the last minute, it turned its beak aside by the slightest angle, and missed.
Charmeleon shook its head, shaking off the fright. Takahiro's eyes watched Hikari and Fearow carefully, then darkened with anger.
"HEY! Don't go easy on me! Take me seriously!" he yelled.
"I am taking you seriously," she lied easily.
"No, you're not! Who ever heard of a flying type missing, with a Peck of all things? Your Fearow is in top condition, with no status condition, and it's at a really high level too, I bet! Don't go easy on me for whatever reason you decided!"
Well, this is new.
Takahiro picked up his Charmeleon and threw it at her Fearow. "Charmeleon, Self Destruct!"
Wait, what?! How does a Charmeleon know that move?
She grunted as she began to plummet to the ground. Recalling her Fearow, she called for her next Pokemon. "Gyarados!"
Hikari sighed with relief as her descent was halted by Gyarados's familiar head with a jolt. "Thanks, boy," she said as she pat his head. It grumbled in response.
"Prepare yourself," she warned, smirking at Takahiro's stunned and slightly fearful expression.
-O-O-O-O-
Alton hummed as he entered the stadium. He was met with the glaring face of a Gyarados.
"What the-!"
A hand yanked him to the side. "Alton, you missed so much!" Moegi exclaimed. "The battle's been going on for more than 30 minutes! They're down to their third Pokemon out of four!"
His mouth dropped. "Leader never lets her battles go over ten minutes though! What's so special about this battle?"
Udon interrupted Moegi before she could speak.
"Look closely."
He pointed at Hikari, who was panting on top of her Gyarados. Below them, Takahiro was wiping sweat off his forehead, shouting at a Ninetales.
"She's smiling. It's been so long since she smiled during a gym battle. She's having fun."
-O-O-O-O-
Hikari felt like doubling over with laughter. Takahiro's Ninetales refused to listen to him.
"You don't have enough badges to train that Ninetales," she said.
Takahiro gave her a grumpy look. "I know, I know! But if I could just get it to listen even once..."
"That's too bad, because I won't give you the time to do that," she grinned. "Gyarados, Watergun!"
Ninetales flicked its tails in an annoyed manner, and quickly evaded. Its eyes glinted with annoyance, and it rammed Gyarados at the base of its tail, finally bringing its HP down to zero. Then, it returned to its Pokeball, to the dismay of Takahiro.
"Ah, well, I guess I can't do anything about it," he sighed.
They stood across from each other, the wind from the backlash of Gyarados and Ninetales's returns brushing their hair away from their faces. They threw their last Pokeballs at the same time.
"Go, Eevee!"
"Growlithe, let's light this place up— wait, what? Why do you have an Eevee? Aren't you a water and flying type gym leader?"
She smiled genuinely. "Eevee is special to me. It was my first Pokemon. Besides, if you're really going to be Champion, you'll need to be ready for surprises."
"My Eevee may not be evolved, but it's strong. Don't take it lightly."
"I didn't plan on it. My Growlithe has abnormal HP, so you should be careful too." He shot her a charming grin.
Something warm fluttered in her pleasantly at the sight, but she ignored the feeling and ordered Eevee to attack. "Do whatever you want, just take his Growlithe down." It chirped in affirmation.
"You too, Growlithe! Do whatever you want! I'm trusting you on this!"
The two Pokemon circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Growlithe lunged, and the fight began.
At first, Eevee fared better than Growlithe. It used Secret Power, keeping its distance from the bigger Pokemon. Then, Growlithe began closing the distance. It used Take Down, Bite, Flamethrower, and Agility, gradually whittling away at Eevee's HP. Finally, it bit down and didn't let go.
The Eevee cried out, looking towards Hikari, but Hikari didn't give any directions. All she said was, "Plan B."
Then suddenly, both Pokemon were on the ground, fainted.
Takahiro gaped at the Pokemon. "What just happened?"
Hikari sighed with a wry grin. "Eevee used Double Edge and knocked both of them out. A double K.O."
"Damn," Takahiro pouted. "I guess I'll have to try again next time."
She paused in putting Eevee's Pokeball away. "Actually…"
She strode up to him, surreptitiously pulling her Badge, the Chain Badge, out of her pocket. She stopped when she was right in front of him, close enough that if she leaned a little bit closer, her nose would touch his chest.
She tilted her head to one side, examining his face and eyes. He was startled, eyes a bit wide, and he reflexively took a step back.
"Here," Hikari said, picking up his hand and dropping the Chain Badge into it. "You earned this."
"But—"
"You're lacking in technique. Your Pokemon need to be a little more balanced in terms of your party, and you really need to work on thinking before talking to Gym Leaders." His face fell.
"But," she continued, voice softening, "I remembered, finally, when I was battling you, how fun battling could really be. We weren't Leader versus Challenger; we were equals, Trainer against Trainer. And that's something I haven't felt in a long time. So thank you. You helped me remember, and through that, you earned the Chain Badge."
She geared up for the lecture that she always gave about the Chain Badge, and how it stood for unbreakable bonds and protection of resolve, but Moegi suddenly intervened and pulled Takahiro away.
"It's getting late! We have extra lodgings in the Gym, and a place where you can heal your Pokemon, so you should stay the night!" Moegi looked over her shoulder and winked at Hikari's stunned face.
"Wait, Moegi—"
Udon appeared at her side. "We've decided to keep him here for another day. You'll be spending time with him tomorrow for the entire day, a date, if you will, and we'll close the gym. We'll take over your usual chores as well."
"Don't worry, Leader! I'll take care of all the Pokemon for you!" Alton chirped from the stands.
"Udon, I honestly don't understand what's going on. Why would you do that?"
"Haven't you noticed?" Udon asked. "He makes you happy."
"Besides," he continued, "You're attracted to him, and he's attracted to you. It's obvious," he smirked.
His smirk fell when Hikari slapped him upside his head.
"I liked you better when you weren't such a cheeky kid," she grumbled.
Hikari closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She remembered how her heart had raced with anticipation during the battle, and how it fluttered when Takahiro had shot that rogue-ish grin at her. She remembered the heat that had risen to her cheeks, partially from her anger when he mentioned her appearance, but also from how attractive he'd looked running a hand through his hair.
"Alright," she conceded. "I'll give it a try."
-O-O-O-O-
A/N: Wow, I had fun writing this.
Don't worry, there may be a Part 2 after this! Anon, I hope you enjoyed this, since it was your request.
Reaching will be updated sometime soon.
See you next time!