Author's Note:
This story still lives! We're beyond excuses at this point, but I'll just say, the writing has been slow. I'm getting there, though. I didn't start this to just sit idle for months at a time. Enough on that, though...let's get to the story!
Chapter 8: A Petalburg Reunion
It had been quite a long trek to Petalburg City, and as the days went on between their departure from Oldale Town, and their arrival there, Bonnie had been growing increasingly frustrated. Travelling without Clemont's cooking, Serena's desserts and late night games, or Ash's entertaining antics on their long walks...it just wasn't the same. She was tired, hungry and frustrated with how slow things seemed to be going. Heading towards a destination in order for her to progress in her journey, it all seemed to be going much slower with how excited she was to make progress.
However, after a few days, they did finally reach their destination, Clyde spotting the city up ahead from the path they were travelling on and pointing towards it. Bonnie and Dedenne didn't hesitate upon spotting it themselves, and the two ran ahead as fast as they could, reaching the entrance to the city long before Clyde. They did wait for him, and Rotom, to catch up, but Bonnie was still able to see ahead into the city, watching as the various people and Pokemon went about their business.
Petalburg City was much larger than Oldale Town, but far from the biggest city that Bonnie had ever been to. Actually, in comparison to Lumiose City, it was quite small, with nothing like a Prism Tower on display, but Bonnie could definitely see how she might get lost if she didn't know exactly where to go. Luckily for her, she did have the PokeNav, and she was sure Clyde would know a little more about where to go, even if he wasn't from here.
After a couple of minutes, Clyde and Rotom finally managed to catch up to her and Dedenne, the former looking exhausted after clearly attempting to run to keep up, and apparently failing. Bonnie exchanged an embarrassed look with Dedenne as he scurried up onto her shoulder, while Clyde sat down on the ground to catch his breath. Meanwhile, Rotom started darting around to snap some quick pictures of a couple of Pokemon that were poking around.
"I guess...you're excited...to finally...be here," Clyde finally wheezed out, staring up at Bonnie while Treecko hopped off of his shoulder to join Rotom. "Think you're gonna challenge the gym now?"
Bonnie shrugged, looking back towards the city. After her battle with Sadie, her confidence was a little shaken when it came to the idea of challenging any of these gyms, but particularly one that sounded like it was quite tough. Even Wally was planning to bypass it for now, which made her think that it was going to be difficult even once she had more experience. However, there was no point in not seeing it at all while they were here. Besides, her rival had begun his journey here, and knowing how Max had started out might give her some ideas on how to beat him.
"We should probably get to the Pokemon Centre first, but I definitely want to see what the gym is all about. Maybe it'll help me out with getting to know some of the other Hoenn gyms a little better," Bonnie pointed out, smiling at Dedenne as she decided. "Maybe we'll even see Max, and then we can try to settle the score, right Dedenne?"
"Nene!"
With that, their group was off again, Clyde sighing as Bonnie quickly made her way into the city. As they were walking, Bonnie looking around to take in more of the sights, she noticed how many trees were around, noting how different it was to the big city feel of her hometown. She could see plenty of Pokemon up above her, including a strange one with lanky arms that was hanging from a branch near one of the buildings, where someone was reaching out a window to give it some food.
Rotom was quick to analyze it. "That is a Slakoth, known as the Slacker Pokemon!" he informed their group. "It is generally found sleeping, and very few ever witness it in motion." This was quite evident by the fact that the Slakoth they were watching didn't seem to be budging at all, even with the food being presented to it.
After another moment of watching it, Bonnie realized that she'd seen something like it before, her mind going to the Kalos League battle between Ash and Sawyer. "Do Slakoth evolve into Slaking?" she asked, looking back towards her PokeDex, who now seemed to be loading some more information onto his screen.
"Indeed! Slakoth evolves into Vigoroth, which then evolves into Slaking, who is one of the strongest Pokemon around. However, Truant can make it very difficult to command in battle." Bonnie nodded, remembering how Sawyer's Slaking had been very slow to get into the battle with Ash and his Hawlucha. Of course, it had been Sawyer's strategy, the thought making Bonnie realize how clever her old friend had been to use the disadvantage as an advantage.
"Never seen a Slakoth before, huh?"
Bonnie and her companions quickly turned around at the sound of the strange voice, looking up at the girl who had asked the question. She was a few years older than Bonnie and Clyde, probably about the same age as Clemont, Ash and Serena. She had brown hair, with a green bandana tied into it, matching her green fanny pack, which was around her waist, under her orange tunic. She smiled, waiting patiently as their group looked at her, her blue eyes meeting Bonnie's.
"Yeah," Bonnie finally said, looking back at the Slakoth, before returning her gaze to the other girl. "I'm from the Kalos region, so a lot of the Pokemon around here are new to me."
"Oh wow," the girl said, eyes lighting up with interest as she noticed Dedenne on Bonnie's shoulder. "Kalos sounds so beautiful, and I've heard they've got great food!" Bonnie nodded, biting back a laugh at how excited the girl suddenly seemed. She seemed almost as enthusiastic as Ash about the idea of food. She managed to recover a moment later, though, looking towards Slakoth again and shaking her head quickly. "Uh...sorry guys! I've gotta go run a couple of errands and then head back home for something. Hopefully I'll see you around again. I'd love to hear about Kalos some more!"
"Huh?" She ran off so suddenly that Bonnie barely had time to react. Unfortunately, the girl was gone too quickly, not even mentioning her name before disappearing around a corner.
"Strange girl," Clyde muttered, a dazed look in his eyes. Bonnie rolled her eyes, realizing it wasn't much different than how he'd been acting around Sadie. "We should try and find her."
"Later," Bonnie said in a stern voice. "Let's get to the Pokemon Centre first."
Fortunately, it didn't take them too long to figure out where the Pokemon Centre was, and without too much wandering around, they found their way there. When they arrived there, they quickly headed up to the front desk, noticing three trainers about Max's age picking up their Pokemon from Nurse Joy. As they passed them, one of the trainers, a nervous looking boy with blue hair and a yellow shirt, looked towards Rotom, clearly fascinated, before his companion, a boy in a purple tracksuit, pulled him away. The girl that was with them simply rolled her eyes, calling for them to stop fighting as they all exited the building.
"We'd like for you you to check up on out Pokemon if you could, Nurse Joy," Clyde said as the Pokemon nurse greeted them at the desk. "We haven't been at a Pokemon Centre since Oldale Town, so they're pretty tired."
"Of course!" Nurse Joy said, Treecko and Dedenne hopping onto her cart, before Bonnie passed her Silcoon's pokeball. "We shouldn't be too long. I'll make sure everyone's feeling their best."
As they waited, Bonnie, Clyde and Rotom headed over to the lounge area and sat down on one of the couches. A news story on one of the TVs was playing, and although Bonnie wasn't really interested at first, she realized that it seemed to be a story on Oldale Town. That was confirmed a moment later as a reporter appeared on screen, standing next to Professor Alden, nearby where the ruins were, where some damage was still visible.
"We're joined here by Professor Alden," the reporter said, looking into the camera as she held up her microphone. "Professor Alden has been working at these ruins for many years, studying their historical significance and even publishing a book on the origins of the ancient Pokemon Relicanth. The events of last week were most definitely a shock to him, as the thieves, who appear to be a newly developing criminal organization similar to old Hoenn gangs such as Team Aqua and Magma, attacked him here at the site of his work. Professor, could you describe what these attackers were like?"
"Well, they got to me pretty quick," Alden said, taking a deep breath as he seemed to be recalling the events. "I'm assuming they were lying in wait for me, so that when I came here, and appeared alone, they could attack as quickly as possible. They appeared to be wearing uniforms that signalled they were from a new organization I've heard some rumours about, known as Team Archaic. If it weren't for a couple of friendly trainers coming to help me, and the attackers making so much noise, who knows where I could be right now? Unfortunately, they did escape with some of the fossils from the excavation site. I hope people stay cautious out there, as these guys seem to be a pretty organized group."
The report continued on, but there wasn't really anything else that Bonnie and Clyde didn't know, other than the precautions Officer Jenny was putting into place. The story did seem to have created some unease amongst some of the trainers in the lobby, though, many of them murmuring nervously about Team Archaic. Even Rotom seemed to have a scared face on his screen, lowering himself between Bonnie and Clyde, the latter also fidgeting uncomfortably.
"How bad do you think these guys are?" Bonnie asked Clyde, thinking of the destruction that Team Flare had caused in Lumiose City. And they didn't even succeed with their real goal, she realized, feeling a pit in her stomach. "Do you think Hoenn is in danger?"
"Can't really know for sure," Clyde said, sitting up a bit and glancing nervously at the TV again, before looking back at Bonnie. "You and Wally did do pretty well against Boggs and Cassidy, so we just have to hope that not many are stronger than that."
Bonnie nodded, turning back towards the TV, even though she wasn't really listening at this point. She knew she shouldn't worry about something she couldn't change right now, but she knew what these kinds of organizations were like. Even if Butch and Cassidy were just like Jessie, James and Meowth, they could still cause plenty of headaches. She was glad that Oldale Town seemed to be putting some precautions in place, but she still had a feeling that more was coming from this group known as Team Archaic. She could just feel it.
They waited in relative silence after that, and after a few more minutes, Nurse Joy emerged from the back room with her cart. Bonnie, Clyde and Rotom quickly headed over to the front desk to meet her, Dedenne and Treecko hopping up onto their trainers' shoulders, while Nurse Joy handed Silcoon's pokeball over to Bonnie.
"Your Pokemon are all in perfect health," Nurse Joy told them happily. "They just needed a little boost of energy after your journey from Oldale Town. Are you two planning on heading over to the Petalburg City Gym?"
Bonnie nodded, guessing that Nurse Joy had plenty of visitors prior to their gym battles over there. "Yeah, I'm not too sure if I'll challenge the leader yet, but I definitely want to see what Hoenn gyms are like," she said excitedly.
Nurse Joy smiled at that. "I take it you're from the Kalos region?" she asked, looking towards Dedenne. Bonnie nodded again, before she continued. "Well, the gym battles should be fairly similar here," the nurse said, "although many of the Pokemon will likely be unfamiliar to you, which is a new challenge on its own. Norman will make things clear for you, though. He's very good with the young trainers that visit. You might meet some more when you're there."
Bonnie was intrigued by that, looking towards Clyde, who raised his eyebrows, looking curious himself, and after a quick goodbye to Nurse Joy, the two of them made their way out of the Pokemon Centre, Rotom trailing behind, snapping a couple of quick photos. Bonnie was excited about the thought of seeing some other trainers at the gym, hoping that she might be able to see another gym battle in progress before she truly tried it out herself. She wondered if she might even get herself another rival, knowing that with how Ash pushed himself to get better when comparing himself to a rival, it was a valuable thing to have.
As they started to head towards their destination, Clyde taking Bonnie's PokeNav to look for the route, while Rotom darted over to some surprised people to ask for directions, Bonnie took a deep breath, looking confidently towards Dedenne. "We might not have our first gym battle together, Dedenne," she said, not wanting to promise something she wasn't sure of yet, "but we'll do it soon. This is our next step towards it!"
"Nenene!" Dedenne cheered out excitedly, sparks flying from his cheeks as he looked ahead.
As their group made their way through the city, Bonnie grew a little nervous, wondering what it would be like to walk into a gym and not just be there to watch Ash in action. Even if she waited till Rustboro City, this was a completely new experience for her. She was still heading towards this gym with the intention of challenging it one day, and that day wasn't really that far ahead if she continued to work hard. And perhaps by the next time she was here, she would have a whole team of cute and powerful Pokemon to go up against Norman with. So many more experiences were ahead, and perhaps this one visit would shape how she approached them.
"I think that's the gym up ahead," Clyde said to Bonnie after a few minutes more of walking, pointing towards a large building down the road, with stone steps leading up to it. It seemed a little more old fashioned in comparison to some of the Kalos gyms Bonnie had seen, but she was impressed with it. She could tell that the leader took care of it.
As they approached, Bonnie's pace quickening, she started to hear a noise from behind the building, in what was presumably some kind of backyard. She paused, nearing the steps that led up towards the building, waiting for Clyde and Rotom to catch up. "Hear that?" she asked, tilting her head curiously as she heard it once more. It sounded like a crashing sound, followed by a yell. For a moment, she thought that maybe some kind of attack was happening, potentially from Team Archaic, but a moment later, she also heard what sounded like joyful laughter.
"Let's go see," Clyde suggested, leading the way up the stairs and towards the side of the building to go around to the back.
Bonnie quickly followed, even though she wasn't so sure about just barging in on whatever was going on without permission. However, she did suppose that if a gym leader was going to be expecting any challenges, they would have to assume a trainer would seek them out in ways like this. So, she and Clyde quickly made their way around, the noises of what Bonnie now realized was a battle becoming more and more evident. As they rounded the corner, it became clear, two people standing across from one another in an outdoor training field, while four people watched from the sidelines.
"Pidgey, use Tackle!" one of the trainers called out, Bonnie recognizing her as the girl that had been at the Pokemon Centre earlier. She was wearing a pink shirt, with a yellow skirt, her maroon hair flapping in the wind generated by the previous collision of the two Pokemon.
Her opponent, the timid boy Bonnie had seen with the girl earlier, quickly called out his own order, seeming a little panicked as he shouted out for his Poliwag to dodge the incoming bird. Unfortunately for him, Pidgey was too quick, darting down and striking the water type head on, leaving it unable to battle.
"Poliwag is unable to battle!" someone suddenly called out, one of the four bystanders, a man with short black hair, stepping forward and raising his arm. "The winners are Pidgey and Anita! Wow, you kids will be ready to take on the gym pretty soon, won't you?"
"I wouldn't be so sure about Kenny, Anita and Max, but I will," the more assertive boy from earlier said, stepping out in front of the man, which Bonnie realized was Norman, the Gym Leader. "I'll be your first challenger, just as soon as I've caught some more Pokemon."
"Give it a break, Tommy," another voice broke in, immediately getting Bonnie's attention as she realized it was Max. "Me and my Pokemon could beat you easily."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!" Max raised his voice, taking a step forward and holding up a fist.
"Now now, boys, don't get too worked up," a woman said, moving over towards Max and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're friends, remember that."
"Hmph!" they both answered, turning their heads away from one another, as the girl, Anita, looked in the direction where Bonnie and Clyde were.
"Oh hello," she greeted, smiling kindly, clearly not bothered that they'd been watching something that wasn't really their business.
"B-Bonnie?" Max called out in surprise, stepping away from the woman Bonnie assumed was his mother. He and his friends, or whatever that boy Tommy was, approached her and Clyde, his parents following behind. "What are you doing here? You don't actually think you can beat my dad already, do you?"
"Stop it, Max," Norman said, smiling as he looked at Bonnie, Clyde, Rotom and the Pokemon. "Bonnie is it?" he asked.
"Y-yes," she answered a little awkwardly, bowing a little. "It's nice to meet you Mister. Norman, sir. I'm friends with Ash Ketchum, like Max, and I'm here from Kalos to start my journey." She then looked at a somewhat confused looking Clyde. "And this is my friend Clyde, my PokeDex Rotom, and our Pokemon, Dedenne and Treecko," she said, pointing to each in turn. "I'm not sure if I'm actually ready to challenge you yet, Mister Norman, but...I just wanted to see what the gym was like."
"Well that's perfectly fine," Norman said, laughing as he looked to Max and his friends. "The more the merrier! Max and his friends are here for the same reason. Well, his friends are. Anita, Kenny and Tommy have all finished up at the Rustboro City Pokemon Trainers' School, and they're starting their first journeys as well."
"Kenny and Tommy are entering the league as well," Max said, pointing to the two of them. "Anita's not so sure yet."
"I'm more into the travelling," the girl said, smiling towards Bonnie, looking interested in Dedenne as the Antenna Pokemon tilted his head curiously. "We'll see, though. Maybe I'll try battling more if I can beat someone as good as Kenny!"
"Anyone can beat Kenny," Tommy muttered, snorting as he pointed his nose up in the air. Bonnie was quickly realizing that she didn't like this boy. Max bugged her, but he didn't seem as cruel as this boy was to someone who was supposedly his friend.
"Max mentioned meeting you in Littleroot Town," the woman said, Norman quickly introducing her as Caroline. "Have you had any trouble on your journey here? I know it must seem very different compared to the Kalos region."
Rotom started to speak up at that, but Bonnie quickly interrupted him, not wanting to get into everything about Team Archaic just now. "It's been fun so far. I met Clyde along the way, and I've managed to catch my first Pokemon, so I think things are going pretty well."
"Unfortunately, Pokemon trainer Bonnie has a dismal battle record!" Rotom couldn't help but blurt out. "In her most recent battle against Pokemon trainer Sadie, she suffered two defeats!"
"That's nothing to worry about," Kenny spoke up, stepping forward and peering closely at Rotom. "I've had about ten battles, and I haven't won any of them so far. I'm good with the theory, but when it comes to the actual fighting..."
"You'll get the hang of it, Kenny, don't worry," Anita said, patting him on the shoulder, Max nodding in agreement. "Remember what Ms. Roxanne said about always learning. Even though you finished at school, you're still going to be learning every day on your journey."
"That's exactly right," Norman said, looking back over to Bonnie. "I'm sure Bonnie can attest to that, given that she's just starting out her journey. And like Max, she travelled with Ash before going out on her own."
Bonnie nodded, glad to help out Kenny, who seemed nice enough. "Yeah, there's a lot to learn. I learned a lot from Ash, and my brother and other friends, but actually going out on your own is a lot different."
"Books can only teach you so much," Clyde added, patting his backpack, which held his collection of books that he was apparently talking about.
"Kenny, you should've come here and joined me in training with my dad," Max broke in, stepping up next to his friend. "Roxanne is strong, but my dad is one of the best trainers in all of Hoenn. Plus, I could've helped you."
"You're not as strong as you think, Max," Tommy laughed out, suddenly pulling out a pokeball and glaring at his "friend".
"Is that a challenge?" Max asked, smirking as he pulled out his own pokeball.
"I suppose it is your turn," Norman sighed out, while Caroline shook her head in disapproval. "Very well, back to the training field everyone!" he called out with a laugh. "You're welcome to join us, Bonnie and Clyde."
They nodded in thanks, while Rotom quickly flew over to hover next to the gym leader as they all made their way back over to the field. "Gym Leader Norman, sir," he said, sounding very excited. "I would very much like to analyze the Pokemon here if you do not mind."
"Of course!" Norman said, smiling at the PokeDex. "Feel free. My Slakoth, Vigoroth and Slaking are in the gym. I'll be glad to show them to you after the battle."
"Excellent!" Rotom cheered out, turning to face the field as Max and Tommy took their positions. "I will be able to update my data with very strong Pokemon to measure against Bonnie's in the future."
Bonnie frowned, unsure whether to take that as an insult or not, but she decided to ignore it as Norman stepped forward to call out the rules of the battle. "This will be a one on one battle between Max and Tommy. The winner will be decided when one Pokemon is declared unable to battle. Do you both agree?" Both nodded, holding up their pokeballs as they prepared to throw them forward. "Then let the battle begin!"
"Whismur, go!" Tommy shouted, throwing his pokeball forward with a big smirk on his face.
Max was quick to respond, throwing his own out, and surprising Bonnie with his choice as he shouted, "Poochyena, let's go!"
"Ah, very nice, Max!" Norman praised, clearly not having seen Max's obviously new Pokemon yet. "When did you catch this Poochyena?"
"Professor Birch told me about a group of them near between Littleroot and Oldale Town, so I got it on the way back here," Max answered, looking pleased to get the praise. "Ralts had a hard time helping me catch it, but Poochyena's been loyal since and he's already helping me a lot."
"I bet it won't do much against my Whismur," Tommy taunted, smirking as the Whisper Pokemon, which Rotom was describing as a Pokemon often scared of its own noises, stood straight in front of him. Bonnie was surprised at how tough it looked, based on her PokeDex's description. "You're lucky I'm not using Magby."
Max didn't answer, instead, narrowing his eyes as his Poochyena tensed up, ready for its first order, clearly knowing his trainer was getting prepared. Bonnie was pretty sure Max wanted to wait for Tommy to act first, just as he had waited in their battle, but it was clear Tommy wasn't going to let Max get his way, so he had to act. "Poochyena, use Tackle!"
"Fight back with Pound!" Tommy countered, smirking again as Poochyena broke into a run, lowering his head in preparation to strike.
"Murrr!" Whismur cried out, tightening its long ears as though to block out the sound, making Bonnie realize why it seemed a little more emboldened. Smart, she thought, realizing that these friends of Max had clearly learned some useful strategies at this trainer school. She was wondering how their different paths would affect this battle, and she started to see quickly that Tommy was definitely confident for a reason as Whismur easily struck Poochyena back with a perfectly timed Pound attack, causing the dark type to yelp in response.
"Be careful, Tommy!" Anita called out, clearly concerned as Poochyena shook its head in discomfort. "This is just a training battle, remember?"
"No point training if it isn't like a real battle, right Max?" Tommy answered back, looking pointedly at his rival. Bonnie knew Max wasn't going to deny that, especially as he glanced at his father, who was looking slightly concerned.
"Of course not," Max replied, taking a deep breath and then pointing ahead. "Poochyena, use Sand Attack! Make it hard for Whismur to see!"
"Cover your eyes with your ears!" Tommy ordered, narrowing his own eyes as he watched. Bonnie could see he was thinking of a quick counter for whatever Max's next move would be as Poochyena ran forward, digging into the ground quickly to kick up sand towards Whismur.
"You should've seen these two work together when Team Rocket attacked the school back when we were a lot younger," Anita suddenly whispered to Bonnie, shuffling over to stand next to her. "That was back when Ash challenged Ms. Roxanne. Max and Tommy had a little rivalry before then, but then they teamed up and helped us all drive them away. Ever since we started hanging out together more, though, they've been really fired up to beat each other."
Bonnie was surprised to hear that, thinking of how Ash seemed to have gotten along so well with his rivals back in Kalos. She supposed she wasn't so good at being friendly with Max, but it was a bit frustrating that he acted like he knew so much. And...she could definitely see why Tommy would be tough to handle. He seemed to really relish every attack his Pokemon landed, laughing as Poochyena was struck hard again as it attempted a Howl, leaving it open for an Echoed Voice attack.
"Have you all been friends for long?" Bonnie finally asked, glancing back at Anita as Poochyena managed to land a quick Bite attack on Whismur's ear, before being hit by another Pound.
Anita shrugged, exchanging a look with Kenny. "I guess so," she said, looking back to the battlefield. "Tommy, Kenny and me went to school together for a few years, and we only just finished up, but when Max got back from his journey with Ash, he came to visit a lot, and we got to train together. Part of the reason he waited to start his journey was so that we could all start together."
Bonnie couldn't help but respect that, knowing that if she'd had a few friends she could've waited for, she probably would've been tempted to do the same. Of course, with the way Max was going at it with Tommy in this battle, it definitely seemed like the need for a strong rival played into that choice. He seemed a little outmatched, and Bonnie could tell that like her own desire to beat Max, he had a desire to beat Tommy.
"Poochyena, Bite, let's go!" he shouted, his dark type just getting past a Pound attack to get a good opening while Tommy was forced to avoid another Tackle attack.
"Howl!" Tommy yelled, looking extra focused now as the battle heated up. Bonnie could tell the others around her could sense it as well, with even Anita looking a little more excited.
"Murrr!" Whismur cried out loudly again, shaking its head as it stood up straighter, the cry giving it a boost of energy.
Poochyena cried out as well as he charged forward, clamping his jaws on one of Whismur's ears and taking hold as the Whisper Pokemon refused to let up, attempting to shake him off. Tommy looked a little more nervous now, seeing that Max was starting to land a few more attacks, but Bonnie could see he was still confident, smiling soon after as he made his next order.
"Echoed Voice! Right in Poochyena's ears!"
"Uh oh," Kenny muttered, looking nervously over to Max, who was grimacing as he noticed he was trapped. "Tommy loves that move. He likes to get his opponents frustrated and then once they think they have him trapped, he uses a direct attack."
"Hmm, I can see that," Norman noted quietly, watching as Poochyena yelped in pain at the loud noise in his ears, their group also wincing from it. "It looks as though you kids learned quite a lot at Roxanne's school. I can see why Max was always so motivated to train."
Bonnie was wondering if he was feeling guilty for not having trained Max well enough, considering how Tommy seemed to be controlling the battle, but as Max managed to respond with a quick Tackle attack, she could see the excitement in Norman's eyes. He clearly felt Max was ready. Of course, the more Bonnie watched, the more she wondered if she was ready. She'd been beaten easily by Max, and then Sadie, and now even Max was struggling in a battle. And if Anita and Kenny had been training with the same teacher...
"I'm really behind," she muttered, Dedenne pawing at her cheek as he sensed her uneasiness. "How am I supposed to catch up to them?"
Nobody seemed to hear her, which she was glad about, as they all seemed to focused on the battle now, with both Poochyena and Whismur growing more and more tired. Anita, however, did glance over at her, perhaps sensing something. Bonnie put a fake smile on her face, though, watching on as Max and Tommy called out their next orders, their exhausted Pokemon tensing up for what appeared to be one final clash, with Whismur looking a little more ready.
"Bite, Poochyena!" Max yelled, pumping his fist.
"And Whismur, you use-"
"I'm baaack!"
As both Pokemon were running towards each other, Max and Tommy quickly called them off as the group turned their attention towards the side of the gym, where Bonnie and Clyde had arrived earlier, and someone else was approaching. Bonnie's eyes widened immediately as she recognized who it was, exchanging a puzzled glance with Clyde. It was the girl they'd briefly met earlier, and Caroline was quick to run to her, pulling her into a hug.
"Oh May, it's so good to see you! How was your trip to Sinnoh?"
"Haha, it was fine, mom! I was only gone for a couple of weeks. No need to get all excited."
May? Bonnie narrowed her eyes, looking up at Dedenne as the rest of the group headed over towards May, Max and Tommy looking irritated, but seemingly ending their battle. "I guess that's Ash's friend," Bonnie whispered to Dedenne, smiling as she followed Clyde over to the gathered group.
"How did Dawn do in her contest?" Norman asked, stepping forward and looking proudly at his daughter. Bonnie hadn't noticed it in their brief encounter earlier, but there was a clear air of confidence around May. It was clear that she was quite experienced, and had likely learned a great deal from Ash.
"She did great. Got herself the ribbon, which was expected. Sinnoh should be a piece of cake for her now, after training in some of the other regions." May smiled, holding out a bag towards her mother. "I picked up some things at the store. I'm starving, so I thought we could have a big meal. I figured since Max's friends were here, it would be fun."
"We were having fun, but you interrupted our battle," Max muttered, sounding upset, but also clearly trying to show off his Poochyena to his sister, who seemed to get the idea.
"Oh wow, Max! A Poochyena!" She immediately knelt down in front of it, petting it as it wagged its tail, clearly glad to get the moment of rest after the tiring battle. "Sorry about interrupting the battle, but maybe we can have one later."
"You should battle me," Tommy butted in, pointing to himself proudly. "I was beating Max anyways, so you'd have more of a challenge against me."
May raised an eyebrow at that, eyes drifting over to Kenny and Anita, who both seemed exasperated, before she then noticed Bonnie and Clyde. "Hey...I remember you two! The trainers looking at the Slakoth!"
"Oh, so you've already met Bonnie and Clyde?" Norman asked, smiling.
"Well...sort of," May laughed out. "I kind of ran off before we could properly meet. So...you're the Bonnie that's going to be Max's biggest rival, huh? The one Serena mentioned. I didn't think you'd be coming to Hoenn so soon, though."
"She's not my-"
"Yeah," Bonnie interrupted, not bothering with her own refusal. "Serena seemed to have a really good time here, so I ended up deciding that I'd come here as well for a new challenge."
"Nene," Dedenne added in, nodding in agreement as May looked to Clyde.
"I'm Clyde," he said, introducing himself a little awkwardly, getting that goofy grin on his face again. Fortunately, Rotom was distracting May momentarily while he recovered himself. "I met Bonnie on the way to Oldale Town."
"It has been a very poor start for Pokemon trainer Bonnie," Rotom started saying, "but I am aiding her in improving her knowledge of Pokemon and battle techniques."
"Well, you're at the right place to learn," May said happily. "My dad's one of the best gym leaders in Hoenn. Why don't you guys eat with us, and then we can do a bit of training together?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea!" Caroline said, quickly holding up the bags May had brought. "I'll get things started."
Bonnie and Clyde both accepted, while Max and Norman murmured their agreement. Tommy didn't seem too pleased, but Bonnie was relieved to see he wasn't going to try to get the battle going again so soon. Perhaps it was only due to Anita's watchful eye, though.
As they started to all head inside, Bonnie looked back at the battlefield, seeing the dirt on the nearby grass and the marks from where the Pokemon and launched their attacks. She was excited to see what May could do when it came to battling, only knowing that she was a Coordinator. If what Serena had said was true, then there would be plenty to learn from her.
Only a few days into her journey, and Bonnie could already see how far she had to go, just to catch up to a few trainers. And she knew that as her journey continued, she would meet more, and it would only get harder. That didn't make her nervous, though, as she remembered that this was why being a trainer was so exciting. It was everything that Ash loved about the challenges that he faced. If it was easy, it wouldn't be rewarding. She would catch up, and then she'd get ahead, with Dedenne at her side the entire time.
"Dedenne," she said, narrowing her eyes as she followed the others, "let's rumble."
Author's Note:
This chapter didn't really have too much in it, I know, but it introduces the Trainer School kids that Max met from way back in AG when Ash and co. were in Rustboro City. If you remember, or don't know, Tommy was the cocky one, Kenny the timid one, and Anita the helpful happy one. Tommy did kind of come around towards the end, but I'm going with the idea that he still kept some of that personality around and is a bit of a jerk still as a...11-12 year old. Anyways, all three are rather important, and I was pretty excited to put them in. The battle wasn't much, but I didn't want it to just be about Max and Tommy, so it was background to get a little more about Kenny and Anita in there.
And obviously May showed up as well. She's not super important, but she'll have a bit of a role at various points. Not just a role model for Bonnie...*cough* Anita *cough*
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed. Lumiose University is next...and hopefully not next month...ha...ha...ha.