Virbank Arc: Maki

Jacky walked slowly to Medicham. "Hi, I'm Jacky. You were great just now, so I really want to take you with me on my journey." Mari looked at her, puzzled. "You're serious?" she asked. To her surprise, Medicham put a hand on its chest and bowed, as a sign of respect. "You want to come?" Jacky grinned with delight and tossed a Pokéball into the air. "Then I look forward to our journey with you." Mari watched the scenario play out, somewhat speechless. "Ehm... I guess you impressed it with your selfless efforts. After all, it defended you, Absol, and Shinx earlier..." Mari was interrupted as the Pokéball in her hand began to shake wildly again. Mari curled her fingers tighter around the ball, afraid Gabite might break out again. "Gabite, keep calm!" she said, slightly panicked.
"Why don't you let it out of the Pokéball?" Jacky suggested, picking up Medicham's Pokéball from the ground.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Mari asked. "I can't let it out, it would just cause more trouble...!" That's as far as Mari got before the Poké Ball opened on its own and Gabite materialized in front of her. Jacky was mute with astonishment. Gabite growled and looked at Mari with hostility. But it did not attack. Mari stood in one place like a stone statue for a moment or surprise and shock, then, she carefully moved a hand towards Gabite. It showed her its teeth. "I'm crazy, I'm crazy..." Mari muttered. She paused, but then, Gabite's forehead touched the palm of her hand. Gabite closed its eyes and it its mouth, its posture relaxing a little. Jacky, Absol and Shinx looked at each other and had to smile. "Yeah, that's good..." Mari said in a calm but shaky voice. She gently stroked Gabite over its forehead and then on its chest, but when she extended her hand to the dragon's belly area, it growled and gave her a nasty look. Mari quickly put her hand back on Gabite's forehead. "Okay, fine..." Mari said.
"Um... we should maybe go now", Jacky reminded her, smiling apologetically. "Oh, uh, yeah sure." Mari nodded and tried to withdraw Gabite. It refused at first, spewing a Dragon Rage at the red return beam, but then, it went back into the Poké Ball. Mari breathed a sigh of relief. "Ouf... Alright, let's go."

They reached Virbank City in the evening. They had taken a break in Foccesy and fortified themselves with food before tackling the next big city. Virbank was quite large, but since it was already dusk, there were few people on the streets. Mari and Jacky had taken a room at Virbank's Pokémon Center and were now staying there. "We made it after all." Jacky dropped into a bed. "Great! Hey Mari, how about some training tomorrow?" She turned to her friend, who was fumbling the hair ties out of her hair. "You and I are going to challenge the Virbank Gym after all, aren't we?",
"I don't mind", Mari said, her hair falling down her back as she undid her pony tails. "Good, I'm looking forward to it. I'm so excited to see how strong Medicham is." She leaned against the wall. Mari looked down at the floor. "...",
"What's wrong?",
"I'm having second thoughts", she said. "I think it might be a little too risky to use Gabite in a battle for now. You surely can guess how it would react then, and I'm sure it won't listen to me at all.",
"Gabite is a wild Pokémon. It needs to get used to its new life. You just can't expect it to be in its new role right away. You're right. You need to be there for it, show it you're a good trainer", Jacky said smiling.
"Huh... Yeah, that's true. But I also feel like I'm inferior to you", Mari admitted. "I mean... Your Absol is a blast. I can't do that much against it yet, I'd have to fight it more often to beat it eventually." Jacky stood up and walked over to her. The Tranquill circling in the sky reminded her of something. "There was a tournament in Driftveil City, my dad took me once. That was before he and my mother broke up... It was indescribable and everyone was looking at the battlefield with anticipation.",
"What are you trying to tell me?" Mari asked in surprise.
"It was a tournament that everyone could participate in." Jacky leaned forward slightly. "Really everyone. There were so many different people and two of them battled next. One had a Whimsicott and the other had a Croagunk." She looked at Mari. "Whismicott had a total disadvantage and won. The trainer resembled you, you know.",
"Oh really?" Mari's face brightened a bit. "I guess I still need to find my confidence... Someday, I'll make it out of this insecurity. And then I'll kick your ass." She lightly punched Jacky's shoulder.
"I'll never let you beat me so easily." Jacky winked. "But neither should you. Type advantages and disadvantages aren't everything in battle."
Mari nodded. But then her face suddenly changed. She sat down on the bed and looked at the floor. "There's something that's been bothering me for quite some time, but I've never told you...",
"Then tell me now." Jacky raised her shoulders with a smile. "I'll listen."

"You know I have a younger cousin, right?" Mari began. Jacky nodded. "Yeah, you told me about her. Maki was her name, correct?"
Mari nodded. "Yes. Maki lives with my Aunt Lyra on Route 7, near Mistralton City. A little while ago... before I had gotten Ralts... Aunt Lyra called my mother. They talked and then, Mom came to speak to me." Mari paused. "Maki's Mareep had run away. Maki cares a lot about her Pokémon, even if she doesn't train it. So, she went looking for it right away. Alone." Again she stopped and clenched a hand into a fist.
"Then what happened?" Jacky asked, blinking.
"Maki didn't come back. Up to this day." Mari replied. "Police searches were unsuccessful. Mareep, however, returned a day later. It was very frightened, for some reason. It became very sick. Route 7...you know what that means, right?"
Jacky looked away. "I... yeah, sure.",
"You probably remember the page from your magazine. The kids who disappeared... They all lived in the area around Route 7 and Mistralton City. And... Maki's name was on that page. I now know who is responsible for my cousin's disappearance. I'm worried as hell about Maki...",
"Hey, listen." Jacky put both hands on Mari's shoulders. "I don't know how much something like this hurts, but no one deserves it. We both know what's going on and we can stop it. We're not strong enough for that yet, though, and winning a gym badge gives us the strength we need to finally end this horror and get your cousin back."
Mari looked at her. Then she smiled. "We will hunt down Hypno together. Forget what I said earlier. Forget my doubts." She stood up. "For you and Maki, I just have to get better. I have no other choice." Then, she looked out the window. "I will save her. When we feel ready, we'll defeat the gym here and get the badge. You can't imagine how much something like this hurts, and whatever Hypno may have done to Maki, it's unforgivable. And it really pisses me off. But that doesn't stop me from looking forward to the future. Not anymore. It just can't be too late for Maki..." She put a hand on the window glass. "I'll save her... I have to...",
"That's the right attitude", Jacky said. "We need to train and get comfortable with our new partners." She stepped up next to Mari and tapped on Gabite's Pokéball.
"Difficult enough as it is, but I'll get it done. Somehow..." She took Gabite's Pokéball into her hand and sent it out. Appraisingly, the dragon looked around the room before turning to Mari. "Gabite? Can I talk to you?" Mari asked it. Gabite tilted its head and opened its mouth slightly. It looked at Mari before taking a step closer. Jacky nodded encouragingly to Mari and walked around her to her bed and sat down. But as Mari started to talk, two beams came shooting out of her backpack and materialized in front of her. Zorua stroked around Mari's legs while Kirlia knelt beside Gabite. Gabite eyed it suspiciously and growled warningly, but Zorua seemed to have nothing but fluff in its head at the moment. It jumped on the bed next to Jacky and ducked. Then, it jumped at Gabite and knocked the dragon over. Gabite let out a surprised growl as it was tackled to the ground. Kirlia giggled and Mari burst out laughing. "Oh, Zorua! You have nonsense in your head right now, haven't you?" Tears came to her eyes from laughter. Zorua looked at Mari and wagged its bushy tail. Jacky giggled softly. "Careful! The room must still be in one piece when we go out tomorrow." Gabite straightened up again, but Zorua wouldn't leave it alone. It bit his arm playfully. Gabite hissed and tried to get rid of Zorua by dragon clawing it. Zorua let go before it was hit and jumped behind Mari. Gabite growled at Zorua furiously. Mari looked at it sternly. "Well, Gabite?" She reached out to it, but the dragon turned away. Mari sighed, knowing talking to it now would go nowhere as it was too upset. She sat down next to Jacky. Zorua jumped onto her lap and made itself comfortable there. Mari tickled it behind its ear. "I'll feel better in a minute. Don't you?" Jacky yawned softly.
"Yeah, I feel great." Gabite showed its teeth and then lay down on the floor as unconcerned as possible. When Mari offered it a Poffin, Knarksel snatched at it and Mari quickly withdrew her hand to prevent to get bitten. Gabite gobbled up the Poffin. Mari smiled slightly and then stretched her arms above her head. "We should get some rest. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. Good night!"
Jacky nodded. "Totally agree."
Mari picked Zorua up and walked over to the other bed, stretching out there.