Chapter 7: Bug badge, battle at the Santalune gym! Pt 2

"And then they were gone, just like that." Jack made a gesture with his hand accompanied but a vocalised pooft as the girl sat opposite him watched, rapt with attention. For a short while they sat in silence, allowing the spectral steam billowing from two identical coffee mugs set on the table between them to form a shifting barrier between their faces.

It was fair to say Jack was slightly uncomfortable, a mood that mixed with the frustration of being torn away from his training by an eager stranger in a volatile and unsettling cocktail of emotions.

Deciding to break the silence he took off his cap, running his fingers between locks of brown hair - slightly damp with sweat due to the events of the the day - to give it the windswept look he'd seen in the movies, before putting on the most impressive voice he could muster: "However do not fear, for I shall not rest until you are delivered safely to your destination, or my name is not -" He stopped himself, peering through the veil of steam emanating from their boiling coffees he saw the girl's eyebrows raised as her mouth twitched with traces of a smile.

"You're pathetic." She shot back with a subtle grin. "First you let them… him walk away whilst you wallow in your pit of self absorbed pity, then you claim to be able to simply find them again with no problem all the while protecting me like some noble knight of the land." she teased.

"Yeah thats the gist of it." Jack returned, shaking off her ridicule. "How else do you plan on finding your way there?"

This seemed to catch the girl off guard as she struggled for words through a series of 'errs' and 'uhms'.

Jack regarded the girl with amusement: she must have been about his age, 15 or maybe slightly older? He couldn't be sure; however, despite his uncertainties, in Jack's eyes the girl was undeniably cute. Two long curtains of honey coloured hair draped themselves elegantly either side of shimmering blue eyes, reflecting with the same striking shade he had seen in the waters of Vermillion beach in some distant memory. Atop her head rested a stylish bright pink hat finished with a contrasting black ribbon from which her hair sprung forth in neat locks complementing the attire she had clearly chosen carefully but also seemed mismatched with the thick foam moustache that had formed above her upper lip, an addition that seemed to go unnoticed and gave her an almost comically odd appearance made funnier by her obliviousness.

Jolting back to reality, Jack realised he had been gawking at the girl for slightly longer than he had initially intended, unfortunately the girl had evidently noticed this which sparked an uncomfortable pause between the two before she seemingly conjured but a plausible retort to his previous question.

"Well by the looks of things i'll be better off trying to find them myself, clearly you can't stop yourself from staring long enough to read a map." She stated cooly.

"Oh really?" Jack said, quite flustered. "By some divine miracle you've ran into one of the very few people able to help you find who you're looking for and you're telling me you want to cast that opportunity away because i was…. because i was daydreaming… yeah daydreaming!"

They continued to playfully bicker as their coffees were taken away, slowly breaking down the wall of steam that partitioned the two teenagers as the dull hammering of rain began to strike the windowed walls of the cafe signalling an oncoming storm.

Jack watched as the girl sat back against the padded seating of the secluded corner booth in which they had chosen to sit, sighing as she crossed her arms and watched him closely.

"Well it looks like nobody's going anywhere for a while." she said as she watched the rain fall steadily chill the window panes with mist. "Which means whether we like it or not we're stuck here. Together."

"God forbid." Jack grunted, ignoring the slight tingling feeling of relief that welled in the pits of his stomach. "i hope the others are alright caught out in this weather."

"I wouldn't lose sleep about it, i mean its only a bit of rain." She replied, sensing an opportunity for antagonism. "I thought you were meant to be the brave hero who is going to guide me to my goal without fear." She mimed being a traditional damsel in distress, "Yet here you are, stressing about a little water."

"Ok jeez, way to fault a guy for being concerned." Jack said slightly taken aback

"Anyway." She continued disregarding his reaction entirely, "We've got enough to think about here… i mean we're stuck here until the rain blows over with entirely nothing to do, it's hardly the ideal situation."

"That's not entirely true." Jack replied with a smile. "I assume you're a trainer right?"

"Right?" The girl replied with mounting curiosity.

"Well then you'll surely be wanting to challenge the Pokémon Gym here in the city like me." He said with certainty. "So its probably the best thing for us to be stuck here together because it means we can focus on training."

He waited for a response as the girl seemed temporarily stunned by this assumption.

After a while she seemed to gather her answer, replying with an anti climatic. "Yes i suppose so." which she said without a shred of belief in what she was saying "I hadn't really given it much thought." she added airily.

"Hadn't given it much thought?" Jack repeated as if the words had been spoken in some strange unknown language. "I always thought that a Pokémon trainer's dream was to become the strongest and compete in leagues, that's my dream after all."

"Well." She said as she slid herself out of the booth and got to her feet. "I don't know if it's mine just yet." With that she started towards the exit, only stopping when Jack jumped to his feet and called after her. "Hey wait up, i didn't even get your name."

The girl smiled. "Serena… Serena Yvonne, and you?"

"Jack Robin." he called back

"Alright Jack Robin." Serena said coolly, taking a short pause in which she clearly deliberated something in her head. "Be at the Pokécenter by 9 tomorrow morning and don't be late!" And with a sweeping flash of honey coloured hair she had vanished into the rain and the night leaving Jack stood along amidst numerous staring café onlookers.

:***:

So much for a dramatic exit.

Serena pelted down the pavement, holding her dripping bag shakily above her head to form a shabby makeshift shield from the downpour. What had she been thinking running away like that? After all she had no place to go and that boy Jack had seemed nice enough… irritating sure but in a sort of lovable way.

"Snap out of it" She scalded herself, there was no use in dwelling when she should be focusing on finding a place to stay.

Up ahead the luminescent glare of neon shone through the haze of falling liquid. Serena squinted, eventually making out the vague outline of the very same Pokécenter that would be her arranged meet up spot the following day.

"Bingo." She thought as she hurried inside, cowering from the cold.

The interior of the Pokécenter was nice enough, a more modern feel than her home back in Vaniville town which felt odd considering she had little experience with the places and was more accustomed to the rustic nature of a cosy home in which to spend the night. It was also entirely empty, except for a single woman with startling pink hair dressed in a simple nurse's uniform emblazoned with a pokéball crest hunched over a glowing monitor mounted on a wide reception desk.

Despite the whole atmosphere giving her a eerie feeling, Serena approached the counter regardless.

"Hello?" She questioned "Do you perhaps have a room for the night?"

Nurse Joy visibly jumped as her close attention was broken, rather flustered she pivoted on her heel to face Serena.

"Of course of course." The nurse said rather distantly as she tore her eyes away from the screen and began hurriedly fumbling through the numerous sets of drawers that sat behind the main desk, eventually retrieving a slightly damaged and shabby looking key which she pressed into Serena's hand before unceremoniously shooing her away.

For a second Serena stood there confused, she'd heard that the Pokécenters in Kalos often provided a welcome haven to trainers looking for somewhere to stay as well as a place to heal and restore the health of their Pokémon. If that were true then why was this nurse Joy so uninterested. Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her Serena cautiously tip-toed her way around the desk and peered from a distance over the nurse's shoulder: there on the face of the computer where she had expected to see various medical documents there was instead an emboldened red R.

Serena shrugged - considering this to be more anti-climatic than interesting - and skulked away to find her room... meanwhile the nurse had stopped her observation of the monitor and now watched her departure with a sly grin.

:***:

Jack checked the time again and cursed.

"9:54." He chided himself "She set a trap and you walked into it like a moron."

"oh and don't be late!" Serena's words echoed in his head, playing on a periodic repeat as if to fuel his frustration.

Eventually, when he had figured he'd waited long enough he took off at a pace - deciding that he wouldn't waste any more time waiting around when he could be battling in a rematch with Viola.

After successfully navigating the streets he found himself again at the foot of the Santalune gym in better time than he had the previous day, allowing the anticipation to once again bubble up inside him as he marched up the steps, grasping the handle firmly and allowing the doors to swing open welcomingly in his face... except they didn't. He tried again with more force to pry open the doors to the gym but to no avail.

"Great." He thought to himself "Just my luck... what is happening to me today?"

Feeling defeated he set himself down upon the rugged stone steps and held his head in his hands.

"What's the matter champ-to-be?" a feminine voice called out.

"Viola?" Jack questioned, searching the surrounding area for the source of the voice.

"You guessed it, over here!" Viola called out again.

This time he was able to spot her perched delicately on the wall that lined the hedgerows outside the gym, only then to be blinded by the flash of an old fashioned camera.

Viola burst out laughing.

"Oh yeah you look a real charmer in this one Jack." She declared, holding out the picture in which Jack saw himself wearing a rather startled and unflattering expression.

"Ha ha real funny." He shot back sarcastically "What are you doing out here anyway? shouldn't you be inside waiting for challengers?"

"What? do you think we gym leaders live in our gyms and never leave? give me a break kiddo." She laughed "If you must know I was looking for Pokémon to snap pictures of in these hedges... you'd be surprised how many you can find in there." She added, reading his skeptical expression.

"I'll take your word for it." Jack replied, allowing himself to join in on her laughter briefly before asking the question that had been brewing in his mind.

"So.. um you still kinda owe me a rematch." He said breaking the informality.

"That is if you're ready." She returned with a knowing look.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Jack stated with determination "Now let's get this party started!"

The words had barely left his lips before he noticed Viola had clearly diverted her attention and was now peering inquisitively over his shoulder, glancing backwards himself he soon saw what had caught her eye.

"What the…" He trailed off as he and Viola became engulfed in the shadow of a sizeable hot air balloon that had expanded across the skyline and which bore the uncanny resemblance to a Meowth.

"What an earth are they thinking?" Viola questioned as she got to her feet, beckoned him to follow and started at a run "I mean what sort of sane person starts up a hot air balloon in the middle of busy city streets in broad daylight?"

"I might have an idea." Jack responded "But i really do hope i'm wrong."

They arrived at the scene eventually and were met with an outraged crowd (that was slowly mounting in size) surrounding the shabbiest looking Pokécenter Jack had ever seen: rather than the typical smooth and untextured walls set with polished glass this building had cracked and peeling paint alongside grimy windows, likewise the main entrance doorway hung ajar on rusty automated hinges which rounded up the rather sad and squalid feel of the place.

However this was not the most peculiar thing about the setting, as a large portion of the roof had seemingly been blown open to allow the prominent air balloon to erupt from the fissure.

Amidst the chaos three figures, clad in white and black could be seen rushing from the basket of the balloon carrying armfuls of small red dots indicating stolen Pokémon and the confirmation of Jack's fears.

"Team rocket." He muttered "Viola we've got to get up there quick, this is very bad news."

"Gotcha." She said, stepping forward through the crowd as he followed in her wake whilst reassuring onlookers that the situation was indeed under control.

Reaching the doors they slipped inside the Pokécenter and made immediately for the stairs which snaked throughout the structure and eventually opened into a maze of badly constructed corridors.

As he walked Jack reflected on the events of the morning, allowing realisation to wash over him as he pieced together a solid theory of events: due to the obscuring downpour of rain of the previous night Serena must've mistook this Pokécenter for a real one and taken shelter here only to be captured by team rocket. This revelation spurred on his search as he quickened his step, overtaking Viola in climbing the remaining set of stairs to reveal the final layer of the house.

The first thing he noticed was Serena, tied up beside the balloon with a miserable look on her face, secondly he saw the sack of Pokéballs in which James was now digging before finally taking in the image that was team rocket up to their usual criminal tricks.

"Hey team rocket!" He yelled, watching as the group came to an abrupt halt and simultaneously looked in his direction with startled faces that immediately turned to menacing scowls.

"What do you want twerp?" Jesse retorted "We're busy as you can probably see."

"Well those stolen Pokémon would be a nice start, then i'd really like you all to get lost and leave my friend alone."

"You mean this one here." James said with a taunting laugh "I think she'll be coming with us, team rocket is always looking for new recruits."

"Not so fast." Viola interjected "The names Viola, i'm the gym leader here in Santalune city, so i suggest you back down if you know whats good for you."

"Never heard of ya." Meowth fired back "James, Jess whatdya say we show these twerps why you don't mess with team rocket."

The other two mumbled in agreement, expanding in number as Jessie sent out Wobbuffet and Meowth took up its position in front of James.

"Viola, I'll handle these goons you go and help out Serena." Jack ordered as he drew a Pokéball "Chespin come on out!"

Viola nodded, making a break for the balloon.

"Where do you think you're going?" Meowth snarled before charging to intercept the gym leader.

Meanwhile Chespin had dropped out of it's Pokéball looking disoriented but quickly snapping back to reality as Jack commanded it to use pin missile.

"Wobbuffet counter it with mirror coat!" Jessie called to her Pokémon causing it glow with the familiar glittering aura proceeding a devastating blast of repelled energy.

"Chespin dodge it quick!" Jack instructed, observing as Chespin narrowly avoided the attack which blasted yet another hole in the framework of the building.

"Damn it." Jack thought to himself as he clenched his fists and grit his teeth "It's just like before…my every move deflected with ease." He continued to survey the battle, watching as Chespin cautiously got to its feet and Wobbufett stood waiting for the next attack… "Hold on, that's it!" He concluded as a plan formed in his mind.

"Alright Chespin time to increase our strength, use power up punch on Meowth!"

Chespin pivoted toward Meowth who was currently advancing upon Viola and Serena with its claws bared and lunged forward with surprising speed - all the while raising its fist which had become coated in a volatile and fiery orange light.

"Wha-." Meowth barely had time to utter a word before Chespin's blazing fist slammed into its cheek resulting in a blow that sent the Pokémon tumbling through the air and into the solid brick wall of the attic. "CHESPIN." Chespin cried as it was temporarily illuminated by a flickering aura that indicated an increase in its attacking power.

"Meowth, GET UP!" Team Rocket pleaded, observing helplessly as Chespin veered around with a confident smirk and readied its still glowing fist again, but alas Meowth lay still.

"Chespin you know what to do, use power up punch again!" Jack said with mounting confidence, clearly revelling in the success of his strategy so far.

"Wobbuffet get ready to use counter!" Jessie barked at her Pokémon clearly sensing the magnitude of the oncoming threat.

Wobbuffet responded by tensing its blob-like blue body in a weak defensive position anticipating the attack that landed moments later, an attack that collided with such unbelievable force that the surrounding flooring was torn up and blasted in the form of dangerous wood shards in all directions. At this it was immediately clear that Jack had prevailed as Jessie's Wobbufett crashed to the floor completely unconscious due to the impact of the devastating one-hit KO.

"Uh oh." James sighed as he was backed slowly toward his companions by Viola, her Pinsir and a recovered but clearly enraged Serena, clutching the fallen Meowth under his arm. "Looks like we'll be blasting off again Jess."

"Not if we can help it!" Jessie shot back, returning Wobbuffet to its Pokéball and making a dash for the air balloon to which James promptly followed suit.

"They're getting away!" Serena cried, drawing a Pokéball as she said so "We've got stop them."

Surprisingly Viola held up a hand and blocked her attempt to continue the fight. "Let them go, we've got the stolen Pokémon back… we did our bit." She paused for a moment as she watched the balloon rise gradually into the air "Besides i wouldn't recommend shooting down a hot air balloon in the middle of an active city, especially not mine."

"You're right i suppose… Viola? it was Viola wasn't it?" Serena replied

"Spot on." The gym leader chuckled "Your friend is quite quick on the uptake Jack." She directed at the boy.

"But not so good with directions." Jack joined in "I wondered why you didn't show this morning Serena."

"You try being held captive for an entire night Robin, and then see if you've still got that cheek." She scolded causing Jack to nervously laugh and scratch his head as a sweatdropped down his face.

"Anyway Jack you said something earlier about a rematch." Viola said evidently steering the conversation elsewhere to ease the tension.

"Oh yeah the rematch, let's get right to it." Jack said hurriedly still watching the intense glaring look on Serena's face with caution. "Just give me a minute to heal up Chespin and we'll be good to go."

"Excellent." Viola said "I'll be waiting for you at the gym when you're ready, oh bring your A game because you can be sure i'll be bringing mine!"

With that she made a beeline for the exit, pausing as she reached the door and addressing the two trainers respectively: "One more thing, does anyone know the way out of this place? its a maze."

Serena giggled and shook her head, walking past Viola with a smile "Follow me, i daresay I'm an expert when it comes to this place." At this Jack and Viola shared a look and shrugged before slipping through the doorway behind her.

:***:

"Here you go, Chespin and Riolu should be just fine." The real Nurse Joy announced, handing Jack his Pokéballs

"Thanks Nurse, i appreciate it." Jack called back over his shoulder as he strode across the length of polished tile that made up the flooring of the Pokécenter, catching the attention of Serena who looked up from the chair she had been perched on and peered over the top of a magazine she had been pouring over.

"Ready?" She asked. When Jack responded with a nod she neatly folded the magazine and stood up and started at a steady pace allowing him to catch up in the process before striking up conversation.

"So gym battles what are they like?" She questioned with curiosity

"Totally awesome!" He passionately replied "Quite a step up from regular battles though… why are you considering taking on the gyms now?"

"No i think i'll leave the battling to you for now, i'm merely interested to hear more about what you're up against and what sort of match i'm going to be watching here." She said with sincerity.

"Well you'd be better off asking Ash those questions, he's got tons of experience with battling in gyms and even Pokémon leagues, all I've managed to do so far is lose."

At the mention of Ash's name Jack noticed Serena hid her face under her hat, a poor effort to disguise the intense blushing that had illuminated her cheeks and made his heart inexplicably drop in the process.

"So what's the deal with you and Ash anyway? why'd you want to track him down so desperately?" He questioned, trying to understand her situation better.

The girl didn't answer this; she did however reach backwards to retrieve a bundled piece of fabric from her backpack which she then proceeded to press into Jack's hand without a word. Jack ran the material (which he assumed must be some sort of handkerchief) through his fingers, confused as to how this answered his question.

"I mean it's nice and all but how exactly does it link to Ash?" He asked

It was at that Serena finally spoke, "A gift." She paused "I simply want to return a gift given a long time ago."

"Seems to me like an odd reason to start your journey." Jack commented "If you say it was a long time ago are you even sure he's gonna remember this?" He continued holding up the handkerchief.

"He will." Serena said with determination

"I'll take your word for it… here i think you better hold on to it." He said handing her back the cloth.

The rest of the journey was entirely uneventful, it was clear that the mention of Ash had sent Serena into a brooding spiral of self contained thought which Jack chose to not interfere with for the interest of his own safety - so naturally they instead walked in silence.

When they eventually reached the gym they were met, much unlike the previous day, by Viola who swiftly steered them inside. At this Jack noted she must've been feeling the same itching urge to battle that had been eating him from the inside all day, and so when he made his way out of the entrance corridor and once again onto the field as she took her place opposite him he had to make a conscious effort to contain his adrenal rush.

The referee, who had been dozing leisurely on one of the sideline benches, came to life suddenly and hastily jogged to his position nodding at Viola to signal his readiness.

"The battle will be a 2 on 2, the gym leader may not switch Pokémon whereas the challenger may, the battle is over when 2 of either party's Pokémon is unable to battle." The referee announced. "Trainers please send out your first Pokémon."

"Alright Riolu this one's on you!" Jack exclaimed sending out his first Pokémon with a sweeping throw "Let's show em what we've got!"

"Dwebble, it's your time to shine, come on out!" Viola said as she also called upon her first team member.

"Battle begin!"

For a moment neither trainer gave an order, both merely waited as they sized up their opponent. When the battle truly commenced it was Viola who gave the first command.

"Dwebble use shell smash into fury cutter."

Dwebble yet again let out a fierce blue aura which transformed into the familiar fiery orange glow which signified a stat increase before launching itself with increased speed at Riolu.

"Riolu wait right there." Jack said calmly, giving his Pokémon a reassuring grin when i looked around questioningly.

"Aren't you even going to try to dodge?" Viola questioned, hollering across the field as Dwebble came closer and closer with every passing second.

"Don't need to." Jack shouted back "Riolu force palm dead ahead."

Viola's eyes widened as she realised too late the obviousness of the trap she'd walked blindly into. Riolu stuck out a glowing paw casually countering the breakneck advance of the hermit Pokémon in its tracks as well as dealing substantial damage as Dwebble's own momentum was used against it.

"Don't stop now Dwebble… use fury cutter!" Viola ordered

"Riolu keep it there." Jack countered as Dwebble began to slash away that Riolu's body with elongated luminescent green claws.

"Rio." Riolu grimaced as the attacks became increasingly more potent, forcing Jack to make a change to his plan.

"Riolu dig!" He called to his partner, causing Riolu to release Dwebble and burrow straight down.

"Dwebble follow it, use dig as well!" Viola shot back as Dwebble likewise dissapeared underneath the earth.

Time passed as the two Pokémon clashed under the earth in a tunnelled pursuit that shook the ground slightly and kept both trainers as well as their audience on edge.

it was only then that Jack, who had grown increasingly frustrated with his incapability to help his partner decided to eventually decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Riolu, i don't know if you can hear me buddy, but you've got to throw it off your trail… double team now!"

Silence crept uneasily forward as Riolu did not respond to Jack's command which only added to the trainer's anxiousness. Serena however did not feel the same way as she cried out from the sidelines, breaking Jack's thought and bringing him back to the present.

"Cmon, do something Robin!" She shouted encouragingly.

But what could he do? it's not like he could shout out orders… if only there were another way to communicate.

"oh but there is" he thought to himself "why didn't i think of it right away?"

At that he shut his eyes and once again focused his mind, reaching out into the now familiar blue void until he found his target - allowing his surroundings to melt away and reform until he was somewhere entirely different.

He was now scrambling rapidly through the earth but it was if he was not controlling his movements, an effect that provided an overall strange and entirely new bodily sensation, and at once he realised that he was now instead seeing through the eyes of his Pokémon instead of his own.

"Riolu?" he asked, feeling momentarily stupid as he talked to himself.

There was again no response but instead he felt a sort of instinctual reply which was then mirrored in the sudden stop to his digging.

"Hey bud, it's me Jack… just don't ask me how ok? i just need you to do as i say."

He felt the same response which confirmed Riolu's agreement.

"Alright i want you to turn around and use double team, have your clones dig in different directions whilst you track Dwebble."

Riolu moved at once, hastily shuffling its body in a full circle and bursting into a dozen clones which all began to immediately burrow in different directions. Then concentrating the aura Pokémon sent out a pulse of energy through the earth which somehow alerted it and Jack that Dwebble was a short way above them honing in on the bait clone.

"Go." Jack thought as Riolu shot through the ground, appearing directly below a surprised Dwebble that was caught by the full force of the tunnel beneath it exploding as Riolu burst through.

"We've got you now." Jack said aloud this time "Follow it up with bullet punch!"

Both Pokémon erupted out of the floor in a flash of silver fists being continuously fired from Riolu, an attack that sent Dwebble flying far into the air and subsequently plummeting down to the ground in front of its trainer.

Oddly enough however Viola was smiling, a smile that then spread into a fully fledged laugh.

"Oh you're good Jack… what was that? some glowing eyed superpower? Even still its not enough to keep us down." She said through her chuckles.

As if on cue Dwebble lazily rolled over and clambered unsteadily to its feet.

"It's time we hit back." She said, replacing the laughter in her voice with determination. "Dwebble use shell smash again and follow it up with rollout."

Dwebble responded with another round of shell smash before withdrawing into its shell and breaking into a stampeding roll.

"That's not good." Jack muttered realisation dawning as it became clear he would have to think of a counter attack quickly. "Riolu dodge!" He instructed, trying to buy himself some extra time. This was no use however as Riolu was struck head on by the attack and was forced backwards by the impact, miraculously managing to remain upright as Dwebble veered around to continue its assault.

"Alright Riolu force palm now!" He tried desperately but was once again demoralised as Riolu bounced off its attacker without leaving a scratch.

"Damn it, its just too quick" he thought "if i could slow it down maybe i could land a hit."

"Carry on Dwebble you've almost got it!" Viola meanwhile shouted from the other side of the pitch, clearly enjoying the moment as Dwebble crashed forwards to seal her first victory of the match.

"Riolu force palm again straight down." Jack countered.

Riolu did as he said, slamming its hand down into the earth to create a small crater and bracing for the oncoming impact. An impact that never came. Dwebble it seemed had been thrown by the uneven ground and had suddenly and quite violently shifted its trajectory, instead it had slid into the ground scoring deep grooves in the battlefield before coming to a stop a short distance away.

Seeing this as an opportunity Jack closed in for the finishing blow. "Riolu hit it with force palm and don't stop!" He yelled, fuelled by a newfound excitement.

Riolu advanced allowing its paws to catch ablaze with orange light and unleashing a volley of attacks upon the grounded Dwebble before backing away and returning to its trainer, once again taking up its signature fighting stance.

"Dwebble is unable to battle which means Riolu is the winner, will the gym leader please send out her second and final Pokémon." The referee announced.

"Yeah! Go Jack! Go Riolu." Serena beamed from the sidelines before flushing a deep shade of pink and hurriedly silencing herself due to the diverted attention of the grinning trainer now looking in her direction.

Viola strode across the field and crouched down before her Pokémon, frowning slightly. "Dwebble, you were awesome, take a nice long rest now." she said, returning her Pokémon to its Pokéball. "Pinsir it's up to you now."

With that Viola threw her last Pokéball and Pinsir joined the battle.

"PINSIR-SIR-SIR" The stagbeetle Pokémon bellowed with a rattling roar, crashing onto the battlefield and staring down its opponent with a ferocious look.

"Rio." Riolu grunted, tensing its comparatively small blue body as if preparing to pounce.

"Pinsir sure is tough Viola!" Jack confirmed passionately. "Although this won't just be another repeat, we've gotten much stronger since last time so get ready for everything we've got… Riolu bullet punch!"

Riolu shot forward, once again covering the stretch of the battlefield with ease.

"Pinsir parry it with brick break!" Viola ordered.

The two Pokémon clashed and for a short while all that could be seen or heard was the continuous blur of blue brown and black accompanied by the frustrated groans of the two combatants, eventually however Riolu seemed to gain the upper hand - narrowly avoiding the blunt force of Pinsir's descending forearm and delivering a volley of silver punches to its midsection.

"Hang in there Pinsir!" Viola said with steeled tones as Pinsir recoiled with pain.

"Don't stop Riolu hit it with a full powered force palm!" Jack cried.

Sensing the same window of opportunity Riolu ignited its paws with orange light and charged once again.

"Get it together!" Viola called at her Pokémon in desperation, snapping Pinsir back to the battle and restoring its focus. "You've got this Pinsir, time for an all in attack! Use guillotine!"

"PINSIR." The colossal bug type pokémon growled, lowering itself onto all fours and opening its two barbed pincers expectantly as its adversary rushed ever closer until eventually the two attacks collided, kicking up a storm of dust and shattered battlefield in all directions which temporarily obscured the pair from sight.

When the dust eventually settled to reveal both Pokémon (spaced a slight distance apart facing their opposing trainer) the outcome of the clash was not immediately clear, both seemed strained as they struggled to maintain balance but both continued to stand tall… until one no longer could.

"Riolu is unable to battle which means Pinsir is the winner, will the challenger please send out his second and final Pokémon." The referee spluttered through a series of dust-induced fits of coughing.

"Riolu you were great, take a good rest now we've got this." Jack said softly, recalling Riolu to its pokéball and unclipping a second from his belt. "Alright it's all or nothing now… Chespin i choose you!"

"Che Che." The grass type starter hollered as it materialised from its pokéball mid-air and collided with the Santalune battlefield for a second time.

"Using a grass type against my Pinsir? honestly Jack i'd have thought you'd rely more on better matchups this time around."

"Don't underestimate us Viola." Jack called back. "Besides i wanted to give Chespin another shot instead of bringing any new pokémon." He added with a casual shrug.

"You've got heart i'll give you that." Viola chuckled. "Let's see if it'll be enough to stop me though… Pinsir swords dance!"

"Not again!" Jack abruptly bellowed. "Chespin propel yourself with your vines and use power up punch!"

Chespin dug its vines deep into the battlefield, swaying gradually backwards before jolting its tendrils sharply forward propelling it across the battlefield toward a now glowing Pinsir.

"Ok Pinsir get ready to grab it!" Viola responded hastily, prompting Pinsir to take the same hunched position it had used to render Riolu unable to battle.

"Use your vines again Chespin, force those pincers open and use power up punch!"

In a flash of green a pair of vines sprung from Chespin's neck once again before coiling themselves constrictively around Pinsir's horns.

"Pinsir get out of there quick, brick break on the vines!" Viola cried in vain as Chespin's illuminated fist slammed into Pinsir's forehead causing the stagbeetle pokémon to roar with a mixture of pain and frustration.

"Chespin don't let up now!" Jack encouraged as his pokémon landed several feet away, propelled by the force of its own attack and now glowing with a shimmering red aura that meant its attack had increased yet again.

"Oh no you don't." Viola said with an odd sense of calm despite the heated battle unfolding before her. "Pinsir use X-scissor."

Following its trainer's command, Pinsir darted forward - lowering itself down onto all fours and charging with frightening pace whilst elongating its pincers amd cloaking them in green light.

"Not good." Jack thought to himself as he watched Pinsir grow ever closer to a now panicked Chespin. "Can't let that attack connect, bug type moves like X-scissor would mean trouble for a grass type like Chespin."

"Vine whip and spin!" Jack ordered, formulating a somewhat risky strategy just in time for Pinsir to get within range of his final Pokémon.

"CHESPIN." The spiny nut pokémon yelled, trusting its trainer's judgement completely by extending its grassy tendrils from its neck and spinning rapidly on the spot. Pinsir -caught off guard by its opponent's unpredictable counter attack - hesitated for a brief moment allowing Chespin's vines to repeatedly collide with its insectile body and send it crashing backwards once again.

"Yeah! Good job Chespin." Jack applauded as his pokémon retracted its fines and began to jump around in celebration. "Now let's wrap this up with pin missile!"

"Not so fast." Viola grinned from across the room, watching closely as Chespin puffed out its chest and fired a volley of luminous green projectiles from its head. "Pinsir dodge and use X-scissor again!"

At this, Pinsir miraculously mustered the last of its strength - rolling over just as the miniature missiles collided with the earthen battlefield and starting yet another charge towards Chespin.

"Alright Chespin dodge it with-" Jack started only to be interrupted by Pinsir smashing headfirst into his Chespin with a monumental force that momentarily shook the very ground beneath his feet.

"Chespin!" It was all Jack could muster as he watched the comparatively small grass type pokémon sail through the air, its body limp and altogether lifeless.

"Again? What kind of trainer am I if I can't even overcome my first gym leader? Is it fair to let my pokémon continue to suffer as I continue to lose?"

These Questions bubbled repeatedly in the boy's mind as he became almost entirely desensitised to his surroundings, sound ebbing away into a continuous and deafening ringing as his vision blurred into a distortion of colour and blinding light.

"Che..Che…CHESPIN."

Three words cut through the haze as Jack was sharply brought back into the moment. There suspended several feet off the ground, held unsteadily by a set of familiar vines gradually snaking their way around a struggling Pinsir, was Chespin.

Jack laughed aloud. Letting free all the doubt that had filled his mind previously and replacing it instead with newfound optimism.

"Throw it and then use power up punch!" He yelled, punching his fists forward in a gesture that was reflected in Chespin's outstretched and glowing forearm.

Surprisingly Viola did not react, maybe she didn't have the time or maybe she knew better than to push Pinsir beyond its limits when the outcome was already set in stone. So as Chespin heaved its opponent into the air and brought down a single devastating blow onto its bug-like body, the gym leader merely smiled and readied herself to recall the pokémon soon sprawled unconscious amidst the wreckage of a fractured field.

"Pinsir is unable to battle, which means the victory goes to the challenger!" The referee piped up, signalling toward Jack's side of the court and giving the young trainer an encouraging thumbs up.

For a moment Jack stood still, processing his victory silently before leaping forward with a celebratory whoop and scooping up a fatigued Chespin that had taken to lying flat out on the battlefield in exhaustion.

"We did it Chespin! you were awesome." He beamed, tossing the unsuspecting pokémon into the air much to its annoyance - causing its trainer to laugh more before returning it to its pokéball for some well deserved rest.

"Congratulations." Viola grinned, striding across the room to meet Jack on the halfway line with an outstretched palm and a broad smile displayed proudly upon her youthful face. "You beat me fair and square which means that the bug badge of the Santalune city gym is officially yours!"

"Thanks Viola!" Jack replied, struggling slightly to contain the flood of euphoria that had washed over him as he grasped the gym leader's hand and shook it with an unintentional amount of force. "That really was an awesome battle." He added before finally allowing himself to return her smile.

"You bet it was kiddo." Viola confirmed, gesturing towards the referee who was now stood expectantly clutching a small black box lined with a plush material several feet away from the pair. At this Jack hurriedly left her side, rushing over to collect his reward - a near identical copy of the brazen bug Ash too had received - retrieving his badge case for his bag as he walked before clipping the ornate symbol into the first slot.

"One step towards the Kalos league." He thought to himself as he turned his back on the referee and headed instead toward the sidelines where Serena and Viola had taken up a casual conversation, all the while allowing yet another grin to play across his face.

It was in that moment the boy could not help but reflect on the bitterness of his defeat compared to a victory that had never tasted so sweet.

:***:

The sun had near completed its graceful descent beyond the horizon when Jack, Serena and Viola found themselves standing at the north-bound gates of route 4 with an odd air of finality.

"You two take care of yourselves now." Viola smiled. "And if you ever run into those team rocket goons again just make sure to not get captured again."

"I'll try my best." Serena chuckled, evidently trying to mask her embarrassment over what had happened.

"We'll be fine." Jack assured her. "After all i beat you Viola, team rocket should be a piece of cake."

"Don't leave me out Robin! I can handle myself just as well as you can!" Serena scolded causing the young trainer to laugh sheepishly.

"I'm sure it'll all work out." Viola assured them both before pausing briefly with a thoughtful look on her face. "By the way, where did you two say you were heading next?"

Jack and Serena looked at each other, temporarily stunned by the question they had been presented.

"Well i hadn't given it much thought." Jack said eventually. "I guess wherever there's a Pokémon gym, that's sure to be where Ash and the others are."

"In that case may i suggest checking out Cyllage city?" Viola hastily responded. "The gym leader there is a good friend of mine and those sunset views atop coastal cliffs are a must see." She added looking to Serena especially.

"Cyllage city it is then." Jack confirmed, pulling out a sizeable map from a compartment within his backpack and studying it thoroughly. "Looks to be quite a way away… maybe we should get going if we want to catch up with the others."

"Alright then." Serena nodded, wishing Viola a final hurried farewell before setting off down the earthen track as if the mention of Ash alone had given her an extra spur of energy.

Jack hastily turned to follow her, preparing his voice to call out for her to slow down; however he had barely taken his first few steps when Viola's voice drowned out his own.

"Hey Jack!" She yelled after him. "Let's have a battle again someday!"

"I'd like that!" Jack replied, pivoting on his heel to face her and beginning a steady backwards walk. "Next time i'll be even stronger so be ready."

To that she did not reply, only raised a singular thumb pointed directly in Jack's direction - a gesture of confidence as well as a solidification of a promise - and with that walked casually away.

"I already can't wait." Jack thought to himself before glancing back toward the road ahead and jumping with surprise to see Serena already disappearing from view.

"HEY WAIT UP, THERE'S TWO OF US Y'KNOW!"

With that he set off at a sprint, hastily chasing his friend's trail as the two gradually disappeared beyond rolling hills and off into the distance.

End of Chapter 7


Hey there,

So Kalos journeys is back for good.

Which is honestly a relief to say as i've realised that despite what i might've felt this story is ultimately what i enjoy, not some other project i take up through the feeling of obligation to create a new world full of new characters.

That being said i wouldn't expect regular updates as i think i'll primarily write when the mood catches me but rest assured new chapters will be out eventually.

Until then however, do enjoy this one as it did take a while to write and as always feel free to leave a review or PM me to tell let me know what you thought or anything you'd like yo see in the story going forward.

As always i hope you enjoyed.

Destros