*office chair squeaks*

*turns around*

Hola, it's me, bruhmeister! Welcome back to another chapter of Roadtrip! Before we begin, I'd like to say something:

HOLY SHIT WE'RE AT 2K VIEWS

Honestly, fellas, that's insane. Less than two weeks ago, I never thought my little story would get as much as even a few views, let alone 2k! Sincerely, I can't thank you guys enough!

Disclaimer: you get the point.

On to the chapter!

"Aww, c'mon! No fair!" Jewel grumbled as she failed to flip the cube of meat before time expired. She was in the lead in the points, but not by much. Now, she was right behind Autumn, who was giggling lightly at the sight.

Unfortunately for Jewel, that was the last minigame, which meant she lost. She groaned in defeat before slumping down on the bed, her forelegs outstretched in front of her and her Joycon off to the side. Tyler chuckled and walked over to turn off the TV and console, before picking her up and pulling her over to him, stroking her back.

Jewel loved it every time Tyler did this, as her content crooning proved. Not leaving Autumn behind, he pick her up by the torso and plopped her on his chest, running his hand over the longer hair on her head. Autumn greatly enjoyed this as well, leaning into his rubs with a great grin.

"Alright, girls. I think it's time for bed. We have a great day ahead of us." Tyler spoke as he glanced over to his phone, which showed the time as 9:47 PM. He let out a yawn and shuffled under the covers with Autumn still on his chest. Jewel scooted over to his side and hugged his chest, enjoying the warmth as a blush formed on her face.

"Goodnight, girls." He mumbled as he turned off the light beside him, drifting off to sleep soon after.

…

Tyler woke up with a furry sensation on his nose, almost getting him to sneeze. As he opened his eyes, he noticed Autumn's tails which were all up in his face. He tapped Autumn on the back a few times, getting her to wake up with a yawn. Jewel still gripped his chest in a hug with a smile on her face. Tyler tapped her on her forehead, waking the Sylveon up.

"Morning, you two. Today's the day." He said with a hint of glee, which spread into both Pokemon. Jewel perked up happily, her pink tail swishing behind her. Autumn did so as well, her six bushy tails wagging lightly.

"Aw man! I'm so ready for this!" Jewel exclaimed as she hopped off the bed, followed closely by Autumn. "Me too! Can't wait!" Autumn said as she sat down and grinned.

"Yeah, same here. My first gym badge, man that'd feel great. And all done with my girls, I can't ask for more." He said as he knelt down and scratched both Pokemon on their best spots, both of them grinning widely. "We'll take a quick bath and we'll head over there."

A quick shower later, the group left their room with a spring in their step, stopping to wait for the elevator. As they got in, Tyler can't help but think.

Hmm, two seem to be pretty lacking for a team, since people can hold up to six….. we should be fine for this battle. But I should try to gather more members soon. First, I gotta talk to the girls about this.

The doors opening dragged Tyler out of his thoughts. The group walked out of the elevator and the Pokecenter soon after. Going down the street, Tyler decided to ask the girls.

"Hey, girls. How do you feel about getting more members in our team?" Tyler asked, waiting for a response. Autumn mulled over the question for a bit, before smiling.

"Sounds like a good idea. More friends and more help!" Jewel responded quickly. Autumn nodded in agreement. "Yeah, why not?"

"Hmm, where's the nervous Autumn I know and love?" Tyler teased, getting her to blush. Tyler chuckled a bit and patted her head. "C'mon, I'm joking. I love you the way you are."

"T-thanks, I love you too." She spoke through her blush. Tyler gave her a toothy grin, before noticing the large building in front of them.

The Gym was in the shape of a large stadium, roughly four stories tall, with white outer walls and an open roof. This was the newer Gym style as the previous form was deemed too restrictive and unfair, since the gym leaders could customize the layout as they see fit. After the regulations passed, all Gyms from all the main regions except Alola conformed to this standard, with the first region being Galar, followed closely by Unova, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto and finally Kalos.

Tyler looked with awe at the size of the building before looking down at his equally astonished Pokemon. Tyler chuckled at their reactions.

"Pretty damn huge, eh? Oh man, now I'm getting nervous about this. What if we lose?" He spoke, his smile no longer on his face. A cold bead of sweat dripped from his forehead at the sudden realization. He believed in his team, no doubt. But is it enough?

"Hey, don't worry Tyler. We can do this! I know we can!" Jewel encouraged, wrapping her ribbons around him in an attempt to reassure him. Autumn who was on his shoulder leaned her head on to his, nuzzling it for a bit.

"Yeah, trust us. We'll definitely win!" The Vulpix yipped, getting him to smile. Tyler scratched her under her chin, getting her to grin. He then went over and caress Jewel on her cheek, earning a yip and a blush to form.

"Thanks, you two. I guess you're right, we've got this in the bag! C'mon, let's go!" Tyler exclaimed with newfound confidence as he speedwalked to the gym, his Pokemon following closely.

He entered the building and walked over to the registration counter, which a man stood behind. He perked up as he heard Tyler shuffling to the desk.

"Good morning, sir. I'm assuming you're here for the Gym challenge?" The man asked with Tyler nodding in response.

"Yeah, I am. So, how do I register?" Tyler asked as he fumbled in his pocket, grabbing his wallet and pulling out his trainer ID.

"Just hand me your trainer ID and you should be good to go. So, if I may?" The man replied, extending his hand. Tyler gave him the card and after a few minutes of keyboard clacking and mouse clicks, the man gave his card back. "So, that's it?" Tyler asked, grabbing his ID and putting it back into his wallet and pocketing them both.

"That should be all. Your battles starts in an hour. The waiting room is down the hall to your right, then go through the sliding doors. You can't miss it. Good luck, Tyler." The man spoke, with Tyler nodding in response. "Oh alright. Thank you." Tyler said as he walked away.

"Oh, by the way. Before entering the arena, do keep your Pokemon in their balls. You know, rules and regulations." The man added. Tyler simply looked back and nodded, continuing his walk.

A short stroll later, they entered the room. It was fairly large, adorned with a marble floor and cream walls. A few sofas laid around the room, a few surrounding a large TV that hung on the wall. The pièce de résistance though was the huge window that covered the whole far wall.

Outside the window was the arena itself, which was huge, roughly three fourths the size of a soccer pitch (football for everyone else). The interior walls were painted light grey, not as dark as Josh's Porsche but just enough to convey the typing of the Gym. The arena itself laid atop a green field of short cut grass. This type of grass is special, since it repairs itself very quickly. It also didn't give Grass types a boost or weaken Water and Ground types, ensuring a fair fight for every type.

"Woah, it's huge! I mean, I've watched Gym battles before on TV and saw how large the place is. But in person? Arceus damn." Tyler mumbled as he walked over to a sofa, sitting down on it, looking out at the arena.

"Mhmm! How can something be so huge!?" Autumn exclaimed, as she never saw a Gym before, let alone the interior of one. "Well, that's what we humans are good at. Working together to achieve amazing things. Humans aren't strong by themselves since we don't have amazing powers. But when we work together, well you get this." Tyler said as he trailed a finger over the scenery, emphasizing the building. "That's also what makes humans and Pokemon great partners."

"Yep! Definitely!" Jewel yipped as she jumped up on to Tyler's lap, laying down and stretching her legs. Tyler laughed and ran his hand along her back, petting her gently.

Tyler stared out at the arena, studying it carefully. A few rocks jutted out of the ground, good for cover against projectiles, but also pretty good as projectiles themselves if they were broken down. A moat surrounded the arena, cutting it off from the rest of the open area. This would be pretty effective for a few types, such as Water and Grass, and bad for others like Rock and Ground. The moat was mandatory for every gym since it proved as the only source of mobility for some Water types.

Before long, it was time for the battle. Tyler glanced up at the TV screen which now showed 'Get ready to battle! Estimated 5 minutes.'. Tyler sighed and took a deep breath, getting both Pokemon to look up at him.

"Alright, girls. It's almost time. You two gotta go in your balls for a bit." Tyler spoke, grabbing both Pokeballs from his belt. Autumn nodded with a smile and Jewel hopped up and down excitedly.

"Ooh, I can't wait!" She said, getting Tyler to smile. He tapped her with her ball, returning her. Then he did so to Autumn as well. Now he began waiting.

After a few minutes of waiting, the PA system spoke up.

"Challenger Tyler, please proceed to the arena." It said. Tyler got up from the sofa and looked out of the window again, noticing the fairly big crowd that had gathered on the grandstands. He exhaled and walked out the door leading to the arena.

Soon, he found himself inside a tunnel that ran under the grandstands that lead to the arena. Before long, an announcer can be heard.

"Welcome ladies and gents to today's Gym challenge! Today's challenger will be Tyler Whiting from Twinleaf Town! Will he be able to take down Oreburgh's own Roark!? Who knows!? Ladies and gents, Tyler Whiting!" The announcer yelled, prompting Tyler to exit the tunnel and walk towards the arena. Cheers and clapping filled the air as the teen tried to keep his composure, in which he was doing pretty well.

From the other side of the arena, a young man with cordovan hair exited the opposite tunnel. He wore a black undershirt atop which was a gray mining vest with yellow accents. He had matching gray mining pants and black boots. Under his mining cap and behind his black glasses, he wore a proud and excited grin.

The two met at the middle of the arena, shaking each other's hand. The man grinned even wider as he felt Tyler's hand, detecting his determination.

"Good afternoon, Tyler. I'm guessing you're pretty pumped for this battle, huh?" Roark asked, Tyler nodding as an answer.

"Yeah, I am. It's my first proper Gym battle after all. But whatever may come, know that I will give it my all." Tyler spoke with a confident demeanor. Roark gave him a sure nod.

"Well that's great! I can already feel your winning spirit, so I won't be holding back!" Roark exclaimed as he moved to his side of the arena. Tyler took the hint to do the same.

Both men stared intently at each other for a short moment before the announcer broke the silence.

"Alright! Are both battlers ready!?" The announcer boomed, getting the crowd to cheer.

"Yeah!" Tyler yelled.

"Yep!" Roark yelled.

"AAaaannnndd…BEGIN!" The announcer yelled as a bell rang through the whole arena. The crowd's cheer only getting louder.

"Go, Onix!" Roark yelled as a flash appeared in front of him, culminating into a huge rock snake that towered over Tyler. He felt his heart tighten a bit in fear but didn't let it get to his head.

"Take em down, Jewel!" He yelled as his own flash of light appeared, with the Sylveon materializing in front of him. The crowd collectively gasped before cheering again, even louder this time. Jewel reveled in the attention and got into a battle pose.

"A Sylveon, eh? Don't see many of those around here. Doesn't matter! Onix, Stealth Rock!" Roark commanded. The Onix opened it's maw and released a few sharp stones that hovered a bit before disappearing.

"Jewel! Swift, then Draining Kiss!" Tyler yelled. Jewel fired off a barrage of pink stars and immediately began running at the Onix, right behind them.

"Rock Blast!" The Onix shot rocks at a steady fire rate at Jewel, destroying a few stars at the same time. She dodged most of them, but taking the full brunt of one. This did little to slow her down however, as the remaining stars impacted the Onix. Unfortunately, the Onix took only a little damage. However, Jewel's Draining Kiss landed. The Onix glowed pink for a bit as his energy was sucked out.

"Screech, then Rock Throw!" The Onix screeched it's body segments harshly, fazing Jewel and knocking off her kiss. He then launched a huge rock at the now weakened Sylveon. Thankfully due to her speed, she dodged it.

"Sand Tomb!" Before she could recover however, a highly concentrated sandstorm appeared and whirled towards her. "Quick Attack to dodge! Then Baby-Doll Eyes!"

Catching on to his commands quickly, Jewel used her superior speed to dodge the rushing sand, albeit barely. She then faced the surprised Onix at looked at him with a pleading look, staggering him a bit.

"Now, Double Kick!" Tyler commanded, now with more confidence in his voice. Jewel ran up and threw her feet at the Onix. "Nuh-uh! Screech, then Dragon Breath!" The Onix screeched his body segments together and shot a deep blue flame from his mouth.

"Shit!" Tyler yelled, preparing for the worst. What came, however, was the Onix yelling in pain as Jewel's kicks landed. He looked over and noticed what had happened. Apparently, Jewel caught herself quickly and hid behind a fairly large rock that jutted out of the ground, as the now toasted boulder proved. She then executed her move right on to the Onix's forehead.

Unfortunately, the Onix wasn't out for the count just yet, as it was still standing, though weakily. "You're good, Tyler. But are you good enough? Screech, then Stealth Rock!"

The Onix screeched hard and immediately the levitating stones reappeared, pelting the dazed Sylveon. Jewel took it like a champ though, as she was still standing, though her breathing had turned heavier and she began panting lightly.

"Swift now!" Jewel opened her maw and shot a barrage of stars. "Nope, Rock Blast!" Roark yelled. The Onix shot off his own rocks.

"Gotcha, Quick Attack to get close, then Double Kick!" Jewel shot pass the chaos caused by the stars and rocks striking each other. Through the smoke, she leapt. The crowd gasped as the kicks landed, knocking the Onix to the ground with a thud. He tried getting back up but to no avail.

"Onix has been defeated! Roark now has two Pokemon left!" The announcer yelled, getting the crowd to cheer harder for the teen from Twinleaf. Roark's smile grew wider.

"That was good, Tyler. Totally had me there. But can you do that twice more? Go, Geodude!" A flash then a thump followed, as a Geodude appeared, looking excited for a battle.

"You've done good, Jewel. You should rest." Tyler said as he rubbed the smiling Sylveon on her head, getting her to giggle. "Thanks, Tyler!" She exclaimed with a smile before returning to her Pokeball.

"Go, Autumn!" He said, before letting the Vulpix out of her ball. The crowd surprised her for a bit, before she composed herself as she looked at the Geodude. The crowd muttered to themselves for a bit.

"You sure? Fire doesn't play nice with rock." Roark asked, to which Tyler nodded. Roark smiled once more. "Alright, have at it! Geodude, Sand Attack! Follow it up with Earthquake!"

The Geodude launched a handful of sand at Autumn, which stung her eyes. While she was still blinded, the ground began to shake violently, thrashing her around. Tyler looked on with fear as the helpless Vulpix began to get tossed around. He then had an idea.

"Confuse Ray! Hurry!" Autumn quickly leapt away from the trembling ground and her eyes flashed quickly as a ray shot out from them and struck the Geodude. The now confused Rock type couldn't focus on his attack, causing the earthquake to subside.

"Hit em with Extrasensory! Then Flame Charge!" Autumn looked back and nodded before her eyes glowed pink, distorting the Geodude, causing him to hiss in pain. She then enveloped herself in fire and rammed into the still dazed Geodude, knocking him with incredible force, launching it straight into a large boulder and shattering it into pieces. The Geodude clearly wasn't getting up from this.

"Geodude has been defeated! Roark is down to his last Pokemon!" The announcer exclaimed, the crowd cheering louder than ever.

"Holy shit! Autumn, that was amazing!" Tyler exclaimed with bubbling excitement to which Autumn responded with a huge smile. Roark gave Tyler an impressed look, tipping his hat a bit.

"Damn, that was good. But I'm not out just yet. Go, Cranidos!" He yelled as he returned Geodude and pulling out another Pokeball. After the flash, a Cranidos materialized in front of them, a burning fire of determination in it's eyes.

"Hey, Autumn. You did enough, you can rest now." Tyler said, to which surprisingly Autumn shook her head. "No, Tyler.I…can still battle. I have to be strong for us." She said, panting fairly heavily but with a reassuring smile on her face.

"Look, I know mean well, but you're pretty hurt right now. You've done much more than I ask from you. I'd like you to rest since your wellbeing is much more important. Please." Tyler pleaded. Autumn pondered for a bit, before relenting.

"Alright, I guess your right…" The Vulpix said, fairly disappointed. Tyler gave her a smile and returned her, before grabbing Jewel's ball and releasing her. Jewel looked over at Tyler for a sit rep.

"He's the final one. Let's finish this!" Tyler encouraged, Jewel responding with a determined nod. "Hell yeah, let's do this!" She said with a determined look and a grin on her face as she turned around to face the Cranidos.

"Cranidos, Scary Face! Follow it up with Take Down!" The Cranidos glared at Jewel with a scary glint in his eyes, causing Jewel to shudder. He then ran with high speed towards her, aiming the top of his head forwards.

"Quick Attack left, Swift then Double Kick!" Although much slower than before, she still managed to dodge the attack, shooting a barrage of pink stars at the confused Cranidos and landing two kicks at him, knocking him into a rock.

He looked at Jewel with a gaze filled with a desire for revenge. "Scary Face! Then Ancient Power!" Roark commanded. The Cranidos glared at Jewel who closed her eyes in response. Taking the opportunity, he launched multiple rocks surrounded by purple energy at Jewel, all of them hitting true.

"Gah!" Jewel hissed in pain as the rocks connected, hurling her into a large boulder. She stumbled to her feet, panting fairly heavily. She shot back a look at the Cranidos, who was smirking. She was mad.

"Quick Attack for speed! Then Disarming Voice!" Tyler yelled. She shot forward with much higher speed than expected, even after a full force Scary Face. She yelled as loud as she could, rattling the Cranidos' psyche.

"Now! Draining Kiss then Double Kick!" She kissed the Cranidos, who blinked pink for a moment. She broke off and prepared for a kick.

"NOW! HEADBUTT!" Roark suddenly yelled. The Cranidos slammed her with all his might, knocking her a few meters away, knocking her out.

"Sylveon has been defeated! Tyler is now on his last Pokemon!" The announcer spoke. The crowd yet again cheered as this turned out to be a great battle.

"Dammit!" Tyler yelled, kicking away the gravel at his feet. He walked over to the injured Sylveon, who had a fearful look in her eyes. "P-Please d-don't hit me! I-I-" She spoke through her tears before stopping at Tyler's touch. He wiped away her tears and gave her a soft smile, one that showed no anger and disappointment at all.

"Hey, you know I wouldn't do that to you. I'm not the monster which was your previous trainer, remember? You did great, more than I could ask. You should rest now." He said, rubbing her between her ears gently, getting her to blush and nod with a smile. Tyler chuckled and gave her a toothy grin before recalling her. He grabbed Autumn's ball and let her out.

"Okay, they're on their last legs! Unfortunately, Jewel couldn't finish him off, but that doesn't matter. We can win this!" Tyler exclaimed. Autumn looked unsure for a second, but decided to steel up and nodded with determination. She faced the Cranidos with a hard gaze.

"Confuse Ray! Then Flame Charge!" Tyler commanded. Autumn's eyes flashed and sent a ray that struck the Cranidos, confusing him greatly. She enveloped herself with flames again and rammed as hard as she could into the Cranidos, launching it into a boulder.

He started to get up, quivering slightly. He then returned her gaze with an equally hard stare. "Scary Face, then Headbutt!" The Cranidos gave the Vulpix a stare with a glint in his eyes. Autumn caught on quickly, closing her eyes before she could fully look at him. The Cranidos rushed quickly at her.

"Aannnnd, now! Extrasensory!" Without opening her eyes, the Cranidos' image distorted heavily, causing him to hiss in pain. Unfortunately, the attack still struck Autumn, launching her fairly far. She got up, though with difficulty.

Now, both Pokemon panted heavily, both looking almost as they were about to fall over. The crowd looked on with a gasp, waiting with baited breath. Autumn fell onto two legs, shaking as she propped herself up. The Cranidos breathed heavily, occasionally falling over before catching himself before so.

Then a thud sounded through the whole arena. A heap laid on the ground as the victor stood. The victor let a huge sigh escape from her mouth, breathing a small bit of fire.

"Cranidos has been defeated! The winner is Tyler Whiting!" The announcer spoke with excitement. The crowd roared with claps and cheers, chanting his name. Tyler looked around him, taking in the sight.

He did it. No, they did it. His Pokemon and him.

"Yes! Hell yes! Autumn, we did it!" He yelled as he picked her up, hugging her tightly. "Yeah…we did…" Autumn said between pants, with a grateful smile on her face. Tyler looked at her with a huge smile on his face, before planting his lips on her forehead. Autumn blushed at the gesture.

"And we couldn't have done it without you." He said, ruffling her hair. Autumn giggled at his touch, before yelping at her aching body. "Ah, right. Gotta get you two healed up." He pulled out her Pokeball and recalled her, before noticing Roark approaching him.

"Wow, what a battle! I've never had one that incredible! Really, you've earned this badge fair and square. Congratulations!" He spoke as he handed Tyler the Coal badge. Tyler accepted it with a smile, barely containing his excitement at earning his first gym badge.

"Thank you, Roark." Tyler said with a smile, getting Roark to smile back. "Hey, I should be the one thanking you! Anyways, good luck on your journey!" He said, before waving goodbye and leaving the arena. Tyler sighed as he gazed at his newly acquired badge.

After a fairly lengthy walk which wasn't helped as he avoided any unwanted attention, he reached the Pokecenter. Upon entering, he shuffled over to the front desk.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The nurse asked. "Hello, I'd like to heal my Pokemon." He said while still inspecting his badge.

"Won the challenge, huh? Congratulations, not that many people win them anymore." She spoke as she placed Tyler's Pokeballs into the healing machine. "They should be done in 3 hours. Would you like me to deliver them to your room?" She offered, to which Tyler nodded.

"Yeah, that'd be great. My room's number 42." He said before walking over to the elevator.

He opened the door to his room and slumped on the bed, still not getting over the win.

Man, that was incredible… and I stink…great.

He went over to his backpack and grabbed a fresh set of clothes before heading to the bathroom.

And that's it for this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed the battle since I'm awful at writing them lmao. See you guys in the next one, bruhmeister out!