Here's the next chapter to this story. Hope it goes well! Enjoy!
Time has passed, and... Tess made up pretty easily. I dunno if she was always like that, but I'm not the kind of person to keep an argument going.
Because arguments get out of hand real fast if they keep going on. And they better not.
My voice was still feeling fine, even after all that singing. Like, it did do a lot to my vocal chords or whatever, but I still feel fine. Should I ease up next time I sing?
We are near the gym.
"Well, Sonic? Are you ready to get your third Gym Badge?" Tess asked with a smile on her face.
"Yeah... I guess." Sonic replied, a bit anxiously. We managed to spot that tone easily.
"Are you ok, Sonic? You don't sound like you're ready." Jake pointed out. Togepi lightly pokes her trainer, slightly confused.
"Well... I just feel a little nervous. That's all." Sonic said. I put my hand on one of his shoulders.
"Dude, we have fought the gyms in Silvent and Brimber City, and we won them with ease. This one will not make a difference. I know you can do it." I explained, doing my best to cheer him up. While lots of people need practice before they battle a Gym, Sonic and I are very strong trainers.
There's no doubt this will be a good match.
Sonic looks down at the ground, and then he looks at me with a soft smile.
"Yeah, you're right, Nifty. I need to be determined, I shouldn't be worried anymore." He said, trying to hide his worriness. It was easy to hear though. I just look at him, to make sure he doesn't feel uncomfortable.
"I'm ready." Sonic said with a sigh. Togepi smiles cutely.
"Now that's the spirit, bud! Come on, let's go." I exclaimed. I am just happy to cheer my friend on again in another one of these tough battles. Sonic nods, and we enter the Gym.
Still... I do wonder how this is gonna turn out.
On the bright side, at least I didn't have to do these freaking puzzles again. It was way different than a normal jigsaw... which I hate. I just hate puzzles in general, like I have mentioned before.
After walking across 3 bridges from the last time, Quentin looks at us. He seemed interested, even though the bandanna was covering his mouth.
"Well. I was expecting you guys to come. I was sure your other friend would want to battle next." He reminded.
"Yep. I'm ready to get my third badge." Sonic cheered, and Togepi giggles along.
"Very well then. Let's go to the battlefield, shall we?" Quentin insisted. Sonic nods.
"Just give me one second." He said. Quentin nods back in understanding.
"Hey, Tess. Can you take care of Togepi for me?" Sonic asked as he held the baby star to his friend. Tess carefully took Togepi in both of her arms, holding her carefully.
"I will, Sonic. Good luck. We know you can do this." Tess complimented.
"Heh, I know. Thank you, and Jake, and Nifty... for having my back." Sonic chuckled.
"You're welcome, Sonic. We're always happy to help." Tess said with a smile.
"That's what friends are for, amirite?" I added. Sonic winks and nods.
On the battlefield, Sonic was on one side, while Quentin was on the other.
"Well. I can tell you're being serious right now." Quentin stated.
"Yeah, that's right!" Sonic yelled excitedly, "I'm going save my parents, and Nifty's as well! We're gonna stop Team Eclipse! And I am gonna prove Kevin wrong, that Pokémon are our friends, and not tools just to battle!"
I smiled at every word Sonic was shouting at his point.
"I still have to meet Kevin." Tess whispered to me as she poked my arm.
"We might. He's a little ahead. I have a feeling we'll see him again someday." I responded. I took my attention to the other conversation happening right now.
"Such inspiring words," Quentin said, "I can tell that you will be more determined when you're battling. Same with being much more smart, to make decisions quicker."
Quentin smirks as he pulls out a Poke Ball.
"But enough with that, let's see if you can defeat this Gym. Go Wailmer!" He yelled, and sent out his first Pokémon. So this guy should be... pretty easy. I mean, it is the first one.
"Alright then... I'll start this battle with you, Lycanroc!" Sonic shouted, and his first Pokémon was sent out. The wolf dogged his claws right on the small platform, to prevent himself from falling.
"Oh my Arceus! Are we sure Lycanroc can do this? He's at a disadvantage!" Jake exclaimed. I just chuckled to myself. Classic Jake.
"Dude, you saw my Charizard defeat a Water type Pokémon, so I'm pretty sure the same will be for Lycanroc." I said in between laughs.
"Well, yeah, but that was because Charizard can fly. Lycanroc can't." Tess reminded.
"You do have a point. This will be trickier." I said, agreeing with her statement. Our eyes were now on the field. The only thing Lycanroc has to stay afloat is with the small platforms. Other than that, it's gonna be really hard.
"Okay, Lycanroc! Use Accelerock!" Sonic shouted. Lycanroc charges an attack, and unleashes it at full speed, colliding with Wailmer. Well, the wolf is pretty fast, considering the last battles he has been through.
But the water will give him that disadvantage. Will he be able to pull through?
"Wailmer, use Brine!" Quentin yelled. Giant streams of water were shot upwards. More and more came.
"Quick, Lycanroc! Jump to different platforms to avoid those attacks!" Sonic exclaimed. Lycanroc does as he was told. As the water stream was coming to one platform, Lycanroc would move to the other. At least he's good on land, since he's a Rock type.
"Great job! Now use Rock Tomb!" Sonic yelled excitedly. And giant rocks were formed, and the fall down, onto the water. These rocks were huge, so the rocks took up almost all of the deepness of this pool.
So in short, wherever there was a giant rock, it was used as land. There was only a tiny bit of water on each of them, but I don't think Lycanroc is afraid to get his paws a tiny bit wet.
"Wow. This looks interesting. Never have I seen a Rock type do this before." Quentin complimented.
"Well, it's a long story." Sonic said with a nervous chuckle.
"But let's continue our battle. Wailmer! Use Rollout!" Quentin shouted.
"Lycanroc! Counter!" Sonic yelled. Once Wailmer got close, Lycanroc raises his paw, and smacks it at all force, doubling the damage on the whale.
"I'm speechless! It's almost too much for me to comprehend!" Tess shrieked.
"Eh. I mean, when he evolved, it became one of the strongest members of Sonic's team. And that was very early in our journey." I explained.
"I think all of you are great battlers!" Jake said gleefully. But we haven't battled Tess yet. Well, yep. Jake still wants to try and impress her. I appreciate him for that.
"Wailmer, use Scald!" Quentin yelled.
"Dodge it, and then use Accelerock!" Sonic exclaimed. The Water attack got really close, which worried Sonic a little. But the Rock type trusted him, so he dodges the attack, then proceeds to use his own.
"Heh... Wailmer, dive under." Quentin demanded. And now Wailmer was unseen. Lycanroc saw he was about to land in the water (where the rocks were not there), and his eyes were as wide as plates.
Luckily, he uses his hind legs to push up against one of the rocks, and push himself back into it.
"Lycanroc, be prepared! We'll never know what to expect!" Sonic warned.
"Roc." The Pokémon barks.
"Okay, now this is getting a bit nerve wracking." Tess winced.
"Yeah. It's like Dig, but you're worried even more." I added.
Lycanroc looks around, waiting to see where Wailmer will pop up.
"Now! Scald!" Quentin yelped. Wailmer jumps out of the deep water, and unleashes his stream of hot water. Lycanroc had no time to dodge that, so he was forced to take the attack.
"Lycanroc! Are you ok?" Sonic asked. Lycanroc gets up, and shakes the water off of him.
"Lycan! Roc, roc!" He started barking rapidly.
"So determined. I suppose you're not gonna stop there." Quentin assumed.
"Not a chance! Lycanroc, use Accelerock one more time!" Sonic commanded. And the charged up attack came.
"Wailmer, you know what to do." Quentin said with a smirk. And Wailmer dives underwater again. But Lycanroc caught himself again, so he's still fine.
"Alright, make sure to look again, Lycanroc." Sonic said. And the same thing form before happened.
"It's happening again. I'm afraid he'll suffer the same fate..." Jake cried.
"Eh, don't worry. As long as Sonic changes his plan in the middle of looking, it'll be fine. Else he'd become too predictable." I explained.
"Scald, one last time!" Quentin screamed. I saw Sonic with a smile on his face. Ooh, I sense a plan coming alone.
"This is your chance, Lycanroc! Dodge!" Sonic yelled. As the violent water attack came, Lycanroc dodges it at the last second.
"And now use Thrash!" Sonic continued. A bunch of rapid punches were thrown at Wailmer as Lycanroc got close to him.
After that was over, Wailmer fainted, leading up to a huge splash as he landed.
"Wailmer is unable to battle! Lycanroc wins!" The referee yelled, and he points to Sonic's side.
"Yes! What a great start!" Sonic cheered. Lycanroc just smiles.
"Don't celebrate too early. Your battle has just begun." Quentin warned.
"Yeah. It certainly has." Sonic said with a nod.
"Next up, you're going to deal with... Gorebyss!" Quentin shouted, and he sent out his next Pokémon.
"Ooh. This is gonna be more tricky. The Gym Leader's other Pokémon are much faster and better," I thought, "This is gonna get more harder by the minute. Hope Sonic can do this... he does get worried easily sometimes."
Togepi giggles as she waggles her pointer finger.
"No, stop. You're not in the match, Togepi. Save it for another time, ok?" Tess said softly. Togepi understood, so she stopped.
Lycanroc ran up to Gorebyss and used Thrash again. After all, the move continues until the user gets confused due to the fatigue.
"Gorebyss, use Psychic!" Quentin shouted. Gorebyss's eyes glow, and Lycanroc was lifted in the air. This interrupted the Thrash attack.
After a couple seconds of struggling of trying to attack, Lycanroc got confused. The fatigue. That's he one thing that worries me about this move.
When the confusion was final, Gorebyss threw Lycanroc at one of the small platforms.
"Oh Arceus! What do I do, what do I do?" Sonic seemed very worried. He had to plan quick. This is a battle, after all.
"Okay, Gorebyss! Use Scald now!" Quentin commanded. Unfortunately, Lycanroc couldn't dodge it. The confusion, first of all. And the fact that it's super effective.
I look closer. Lycanroc fainted when the attack landed. Ouch. Just that one hit. And the referee didn't really seem surprised.
"Lycanroc is unable to battle! Gorebyss is the winner!" He called out. The giant rocks just disappeared, so now there's less room for land.
"Phew. With enough damage on that one, that last attack from Wailmer did do something, you know." Quentin reminded.
"Yeah. Nifty did tell me a couple tips about stuff like that before." Sonic replied.
"Anyway, you gonna send out your next Pokémon? To continue our battle?" Quentin asked.
"Yep! Go Chesnaught!" Sonic shouted, and his next Pokémon was sent out. Now this will be better with the advantage, and the new moves.
"Heh, can't wait to see how Chesnaught's new strength comes into this battle." I chuckled.
"You can say that again. I'm really excited!" Jake squealed.
"You're always pretty excited, ain't cha, Jake?" Tess teased.
"W-Well, u-um..." Jake stammered as he started blushing.
"Dude. Say something." I insisted. I just wanted to see if he'll be able to impress his crush.
"YOU'D DO JUST AS GOOD!" Jake screamed. Everyone else that was watching the battle were confused by the outburst. Even Togepi was.
"Y-You think so? T-Thanks, I guess..." Tess said quietly as her face turned a little red.
I smirked. What a nice little start. But what is more important right now is to see how Sonic's Gym Battle will go.
"Okay, Chesnaught, use Seed Bomb!" Sonic demanded. Chesnaught roars, and a bunch of giant seeds were formed, highlighted with a green outline. One by one, he shot each of them at his opponent.
"Gorebyss, block em with Psychic!" Quentin shouted. And the seeds were floating in one place. Soon after, they were thrown aside as if they were not even a bother.
"Oh gosh!" Sonic exclaimed. I watched with close examination. Here's my thought: if Sonic tries this again, it's very likely Quentin will do the same thing. So Sonic should be ready to throw another attack to gain the advantage.
But I can't just blurt out a plan, I'd most likely get booted.
"Okay, now use Scald!" And there was that TM move. Now, the attack landing isn't the problem I have. It's if the attack makes a burn.
"Chesnaught, Pin Missile!" Sonic yelled. And Chesnaught blocks the opposing attack with his own.
"Okay, now use Seed Bomb! One more time!"
Okay, this was what I predicted if it would ever happen.
"Gorebyss, you know what to do. Psychic." Quentin said. And the pink fish did the same thing from before. I snapped my fingers.
"Huh? Nifty?" I got Sonic's attention. I raised my hand up a bit, and I pointed to the other side of the battlefield. I am terrible at sign language, so this was all I could come up with.
"O-Oh! Do it again!" Sonic exclaimed. As Gorebyss was done with the first set, another set was thrown at em. Super Effective.
"That was sick." I mumbled, happy to see that my little sign language worked. As much as that might be unhelpful, it might be as well, since I known Sonic for a long time, and he's that person who can get nervous at times.
He may be just a great as me, but if there's one thing he has a problem with... it's anxiety.
"Okay, Gorebyss. Time to show some swimming skills, why not?" Quentin chuckled. And Gorebyss dove under, now unseen by the public.
"Chesnaught, be on your guard." Sonic warned. It was just like before.
"Gorebyss, use Draining Kiss!" Quentin shouted. Unlike Wailmer, Gorebyss is way faster, so Chesnaught couldn't dodge it in time.
Some of Chesnaught's energy has been drained from the kiss, and Gorebyss gained some health back.
"Woah! Gorebyss is really fast!" Jake yelled.
"Yeah. That Fairy type move sure did a lot, now that Chesnaught is here, considering he's part Fighting type." I ranted.
"Yet Gorebyss is so beautiful. I don't know a lot about the Gym Leaders, and seeing this is so... amazing." Tess said in awe.
"It really is. The Gym Leaders are one of the toughest trainers here, along with the Elite Four. And let's not forget about the Champion." I reminded. And my attention was back again.
"Hang in here, Chesnaught! Can you keep on battling?" Sonic asked.
"Naught... Ches, Chesnaught!" The Grass starter roared.
"Glad to see your determination is back. Gorebyss, use Scald!" Quentin yelled.
"Chesnaught, quick! Block it with Spiky Shield!" Sonic exclaimed. Chesnaught turns around, and the shield around his back has gotten much more sharper.
It tore right through that water attack. But it's a special attack, so it didn't damage Gorebyss a bit.
"Okay, get ready Gorebyss. Dive again." Quentin commanded. And once again, the water Pokémon was unseen by us.
"We're gonna have to be faster, Chesnaught. I hope you're ready." Sonic whispered. He better be faster. Else there'd be a big amount of damage taken from a Draining Kiss.
"NOW!" Quentin screamed.
"Use Needle Arm! Make it fast!" Sonic shrieked. At just the right time when Gorebyss jumped, Chesnaught punches Gorebyss with his spiky arm.
The knockback was by so much, it actually made Gorebyss land on the ground. The swirly eyes were seen. Sonic has won this round as well.
"Gorebyss is unable to battle! Chesnaught wins!"
"Woah! That was incredible, Chesnaught! Your strength has gotten a huge boost!" Sonic cheered. Chesnaught smiled to see that his trainer was happy.
But Sonic had to worry about one more Pokémon left.
"I'm not finished just yet. Huntail, it's time to finish this fight!" Quentin yelled, and his last Pokémon was sent out.
Okay. I'm excited to see how this will turn out.
"Chesnaught, use Seed Bomb!" Sonic shouted.
"Huntail, dodge em." Quentin demanded. As as each of those seeds were coming, Huntail swims along the giant pool to dodge each of them.
"And now, jump and use Ice Fang!" Quentin continued. Huntail does so, his icy teeth crushing right on Chesnaught's right arm.
And somehow, there was white smoke formed. And as it disappeared, Chesnaught was frozen. Holy crap. That was a lucky shot.
"Oh no! Chesnaught!" Sonic yelled in worry.
"Woah! It's a rare chance that the opponent gets frozen if that move lands!" Jake shouted.
"That is true. I'm surprised that actually happened." I responded.
"I hope Sonic is okay." Tess said with a sigh. There's a rare chance. Getting unfrozen in this situation is... pretty much luck based.
"Huntail, use Scald." Quentin said. And the water makes contact with the iceberg that Chesnaught was stuck in. The water thawed right through it, and it took down Chesnaught easily.
"And now Chesnaught cannot battle anymore! Huntail wins this round!" Referee yelled. And now Sonic is down to one Pokémon.
"How did the one attack do so much?" Jake asked, totally confused by that.
"Well, there was a plan behind that," I reminded, "You see, Ice Fang did neutral damage because of the types. With the freeze, it got more lucky to take him down. Scald can burn the oppponent, so it just went right through the ice, like a boss. Because of both attacks really doing much, that's why Chesnaught was taken down. That, and Draining Kiss was a lot to handle when Gorebyss was still battling."
"How do you know about all that?" Tess asked.
"I just do. Studying really does a lot, you know?" I replied.
"Okay, now I'm done to one more Pokémon." Sonic mumbled, though I was able to hear him. I had lots of hope for my friend.
"Okay, Brionne. It's up to you!" Sonic yelled, and his last Pokémon is sent out. Brionne did a little twirl as she landed on the platform. But this will be a perfect advantage since Brionne can swim.
With the amount of water, this'll make this battle way more easier.
"Brionne, start off with Aqua Jet!" Sonic shouted. Brionne surrounded herself in water, and rushed herself right at Huntail.
"Huntail, block it by using Scald." Quentin said. And hot water meets regular water collided. Unfortunately, Huntail got the advantage, so the attack pushed Brionne back.
"Woah. That was savage." I exclaimed in surprise. I mean, the Gym Leaders are pretty tough guys. That's a true fact.
"Okay, Huntail. I want you to prepare yourself and run off." Quentin commanded. Huntail nods, then dives underwater.
"I got it! Brionne, follow him!" Sonic yelled. And Brionne did the same thing. Unlike for me, I couldn't tell where those two were.
Yeah. Probably because I'm watching.
"Do you see her yet, Huntail?" Quentin mumbled to himself. Well, looks like he also has a good bond as well. That's what makes him keep on going.
There was a few seconds of silence. None of us could tell what is gonna happen.
"Now Huntail! Use Crunch!" Quentin yelled.
"Brionne! Don't let up! Try and counter it!" Sonic exclaimed. There was some more silence. The next thing I saw was Brionne being jumped out of the water, taking the attack that I heard earlier.
"And now Scald. Once again." Quentin reminded. As Brionne was falling back down, Huntail jumped out and hit her with another attack.
Brionne landed on one of the platforms once the second attack landed.
"Brionne! Can you still battle?" Sonic asked.
"Bri, bri!" The sea lion barked.
"We can't give up just yet! Use Disarming Voice!" Sonic shouted. Brionne yells, a pink heart attack being shot at her opponent.
"Huntail, dodge it, and then use Ice Fang!" Quentin yelled. Huntail's teeth turned an icy blue, and then dodge the attack. He swam up to Brionne in very fast speed. As a Water type, that's what makes him fast, as long as he's in water.
"Brionne! Icy Wind!" Sonic exclaimed. Brionne tried to counter the attack with her Ice attack. But Huntail knew that was gonna happen, so he dodges to the side, and attacks Brionne from there. It didn't do a lot, but it was enough to cost that much damage.
"Ah! Brionne!" Sonic shrieked. Brionne struggled to get up. She did, but she was getting weak will all those attacks coming way.
Sonic fell to his knees, and he lowered his head. The audience gasped, and began to whisper amongst themselves. Jake, Tess and I just stood there, shocked.
"I can't do this... I'm gonna lose..." Sonic mumbled. His voice was filled with a little fear.
"Is he okay?!" Tess shouted.
"He's getting really worried, Tess. I'm concerned for him just by looking at this!" I replied.
"But we have to help him! He needs to try and win this battle!" Jake yelled.
"Well then, we must cheer him on! That's what we're here for!" I yelled back.
"Sonic, come on! You can win this!" Tess called out.
"He won't here you like that! MAKE SOME NOISE! GET THE HELL UP!" I screamed. I got up as quickly as I can, then circle my hands over my mouth so I can make my words travel farther.
"Sonic! Come on! You can do this, bro!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
"Sonic! We believe in you! We made it this far!" Jake screeched.
"Don't give up, Sonic! We know you can do it!" Tess yelled, while Togepi tried doing the same thing.
"DON'T GIVE UP! TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!" I screamed. (Star Fox reference, btw)
Sonic looked at us. It seems we have gotten his attention. Sonic smiled at us, and nodded. Then he got up and dusted himself off.
"Yeah, I will win! I won't lose! I will give everything I got!" Sonic yelled. Everyone cheered.
"That's the spirit, young trainer." Quentin responded. Me and my friends just sat down, surprised by this. Even I was shocked.
"Is Sonic... always like that?" Tess asked.
"Actually, no! Like I said, he gets nervous at times. But now he's more determined than usual! I'm impressed and speechless!" I ranted.
"Okay, Brionne, don't give up just yet! Use Bubblebeam!" Sonic shouted. And Brionne shot out a line of bubbles. Huntail prepared to dodge the attack.
But the bubbles already hit, it was way faster. This surprised all of us.
Brionne jumped into the air and yelled. Then it started glowing.
"Oh my Arceus! She's evolving!" Jake yelled.
"Aw yeah! This is gonna be cool!" I shouted in excitement. The evolution process began. When it was over, Brionne changed her appearance. Now she has white skin, is much bigger in size, has a long tail, and mermaid-like light blue hair, along with a pink starfish on the side of her head.
Brionne evolved into Primarina.
"Yay! Primarina! You have officially evolved!" Sonic cheered. Primarina just giggled and waved at Sonic.
"Impressive," Quentin complimented, "Evolution is most certainly the most awe inducing process in this world. And it can make this time much better. I'll be the judge of that. Huntail, use Scald!"
And Huntail shot its attack again. If there's anything about starters, it's that some of them have exclusive moves at their final evolution.
"Primarina, use Sparkling Aria!" Sonic yelled. Primarina's hair let loose, now flowing around. She stood taller with her tail, and a giant, blue orb was made. It was thrown, and Huntail couldn't prepare itself for that. Instead, the Scald just went inside the bubbles, making the attack more powerful.
"Woah! What was that move?" Jake asked.
"That is Sparkling Aria. It's Primarina's signature move," I explained, "It's a Water type attack that really does a good amount of damage. And in double battles, it goes for more than one person."
"Woah, dude. That's a long explanation right there." Tess giggled, slightly nervous by that.
"Hey, it's my thing. And I stick to it." I said with a shrug.
"Huntail, use Crunch." Quentin said. Huntail approaches to ready its powerful bite.
"Hee, Primarina! Use Icy Wind!" Sonic yelled. And Primarina blows her icy attack. But unlike last time, it was Huntail that was taking the hits. It seems the ice is more powerful than is was in her previous evolution. Well, evolution does improve some strength.
"Woah. I must say, I'm underestimating the power." Quentin said, pretty surprised.
"So am I. It's shocking." Sonic responded.
"Anyways... Huntail, use Ice Fang!" Quentin yelled.
"Quick, Primarina! Use Aqua Jet!" Sonic shouted. And the Aqua Jet is no different in this situation. The two Water types were getting close to each other.
"Now Primarina!" Sonic yelped. As soon as Huntail was about to chomp down and try to freeze Primarina, the mermaid Pokémon dodges out of the way, hitting Huntail with her tail in the process.
"And now finish this with Sparkling Aria!" Sonic screamed. Primarina's hair is loose again, and she lets out a high pitched note as many powerful bubbles form. And they all unleash right at Huntail.
Since Huntail was not prepared, he took the attacks one by one.
As soon as everything is silent for waiting to see what happens... Huntail fainted. Wow, not a single dive from the new evolution, and this was an amazing sight.
"Huntail is unable to battle! Primarina wins, which means the victory goes to the challenger!" The referee yelled, and confetti was thrown at Sonic's side as everyone cheered. Including me, and my other two friends.
That truly was an intense battle.
"Yay! We did it, Primarina!" Sonic cheered. Primarina bounced over to Sonic. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and hugs him, rubbing her arms around Sonic's body. Sonic blushed slightly and chuckled.
"I'm glad you did good as well, Primarina." He said as he gently pushes Primarina off of him, to not get overwhelmed by her... feelings for him. Not those kind of feelings, if I think I know what you're thinking.
"Great job, Sonic! You did awesome, as usual!" I shouted as I ran over to him, with Jake and Tess following right behind me.
"Nifty's right, Sonic! That was a great battle." Tess complimented. Togepi cheers as well, and she extends her arms to Sonic. Sonic grabs Togepi and carries her.
"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it." Sonic said bashfully. And then Quentin walked to us.
"Impressive work, Sonic. But like I mentioned, your journey has just begun. So don't let up, no matter what gets in your way." He said.
"I won't! I got my best friends by my side!" Sonic replied, his smile wide as ever. All of us smiled back.
"And as a reward for defeating me, take the Float Badge, and the TM for Scald." Quentin responded as he hands Sonic the two items. Sonic put the TM in the TM case, and the badge in his badge case. Now we have here badges.
"Along with Team Eclipse, I know about Kevin. He challenged this Gym before you guys even came." Quentin reminded.
"Oh?" I asked.
"Yeah, He was a pretty challenging trainer. Just as strong as you four," Quentin explained, "And with Sonic's determination, he's worth coming back on Kevin for the last battles that they have been through. Word does travel fast, so remind me of what'll happen the next time you two meet."
"I'll show Kevin how much stronger I have gotten." Sonic said, determination filled in his tone.
"Alright. Let's get ready to leave. The next town awaits us." I suggested. My friends nodded, and we left the Gym, while Quentin waves at us as we leave.
We've gotten so far.
We stood outside the Gym. 3 down, 5 more to go. This is one of the best times of my life that I've gotten to experience.
"Huh? I see something over there, at the beach." Sonic said as he pointed to something. But the beach was too far away.
"The heck do you see?" I asked.
"Let's go find out." Sonic replied. H walks ahead of us as we walk to the beach to see what Sonic sees exactly.
We finally made it to the beach, our shoes coming in contact with the hot sand. By the ocean waves, here was something that washed up on shore. It almost looks like...
a Pokémon egg. It was blue, and there was tiny yellow dots on the sides. And a huge red dot in the middle.
"It's a Pokémon egg." Sonic said, as he picked up the egg in his hands.
"What kind though?" Jake asked.
"I dunno." Sonic replied with a shrug.
"You know, I think I've seen this kind of egg before. I just don't remember what, though. I can't put my finger on it." I explained.
"Well, How about you take care of it then?" Tess suggested.
"Are you sure?" Sonic asked.
"Dude, you made me take care of Frillish. I think it's fair that way." Tess exclaimed with a fake pout look. All of us just chuckled at that.
"Sure. I'll do it." Sonic agreed. And that's the second egg that's coming with us. We're gonna have an army soon, against Team Eclipse.
"You know, this reminds me. Of a certain memory that I find myself proud of." Tess said.
"What kind of memory?" Jake asked.
"I actually went free diving in that ocean one time." Tess replied as she pointed to it.
"Wow! That's cool! You're a free diver, I never knew that!" I exclaimed.
"Heh heh... free diver in training, actually." Tess giggled nervously.
"I still think it's cool." I said bluntly, shrugging my shoulders.
"And about that memory... I've actually found a treasure chest underwater." Tess reminded.
"Woah! Can you tell us about it, Tess?!" Jake begged.
"Hee hee... sure." Tess let out a small giggle again. This seems interesting.
-Tess 12 years old POV-
"Please Grandpa? I wanna try it this one time!" I begged as I looked at him.
"I'm really not sure, Tess, sweetie. It seems a little too dangerous, and I don't want you to risk it." He explained. Of course. He's always like this...
"Come on, Grandpa! Just this once. I just want to dive in the ocean. I've been training! I can do it!" I continued my pleads. And I just kept on doing it.
After some more begging, he finally gave in as he sighed.
"Alright. Let's see if anyone else is going out as well." Grandpa said.
"Yippee! Just give me a minute to get ready, I'll be right there!" I cheered. Ooh, this is exciting! I can't wait to try this out.
5 minutes later*
We are outside Rosecove City, in front of the beach. I wore my traditional clothes (it's the same, but just no hat or scarf). I saw a white boat that was heading out to head out to the sea. The owner of the boat turned out to be my free diving coach. He wore traditional life guard clothing, and he had brown hair and blue eyes, along with white flip flops.
"So, you wanna do this? In the ocean?" He asked.
"Of course I'm ready! It'll be a whole new experience for me!" I replied, a smile on my face.
"Heh, the girl is always eager. She was even more eager when she was little." Grandpa said.
"Well, do you have your stuff ready, Tess?" Coach asked me.
"My swimsuit is under my clothing, and my equipment is in this small bag right here." I responded as I show my coach the bag.
"Very well. Let's head out." He said. We all go inside the boat. Luckily, someone else was controlling it, so we were already heading out as soon as we got comfortable.
After about 2 minutes, we stopped. We were now viewing the vast, blue ocean. And I can see the beach from the distance.
"Alright, Tess. Whenever you're ready. It's all yours, kid." Coach said, and then walks aside.
"Tess. Sweetie. Be careful, okay?" Grandpa warned.
"I know, I know. You say that all the time." I joked. He gave me a kiss on the cheek before he waves at me.
"And don't go out too far!" He called out.
"I won't!" I yelled back. I looked down from the area I was standing on. I looked down at the ocean.
"I guess it's time now. I'm so excited." I thought. I slowly take off my clothes one by one, revealing my purple one piece swimsuit. I reach down to grab the stuff from my bag. It was just my mask and my flippers.
I grab the mask and pull it over my eyes, and I put the tightening part underneath my hair, since my hair is pretty long. And I put each of my yellow flippers on my feet.
"Phew... okay, here I go." I said to myself. I take a few deep breaths, small ones to start with. After a couple more, I take a huge breath and jumped from the boat, landing in the water with a big splash.
I immediately felt the pressure. It felt so different than in a pool. I swam down just a small bit, and then in a straight line.
As I was looking down while swimming, something caught my eye.
"Mmm?" I mumbled. What I saw was... huge. It was brown, and almost looked broken.
"What is that...?" I thought. Before going down to it, I brought my head up to the surface for some air.
"I think I should check out what is down there." I said to myself. It seems like something worth exploring down there. I took a big deep breath, and flip myself forward, once again fully underwater.
I swam down to where the huge object was. I was kicking my feet slowly, but I was swimming pretty fast thanks to my flippers.
The object got bigger the closer I got to it. And I finally realized what it was.
"Woah! It's a sunken ship!" I thought. My eyes were wide. I have never seen a sunken ship in real life before. I knew this adventure would be great.
I kept on swimming around the ship. It looked old. Yet it looks so amazing, seeing it from under the clear ocean.
And then there was something else that I saw, and it got my attention real fast. In the center of the ship, there was a rusty red treasure chest.
"It even holds a treasure chest. Wow."
I thought some more as I slowly swam over to the chest.
"Mmmbllblb..." I let out a worried gurgle, putting one of my hands over my mouth as a few bubbles escape. Oh gosh. I'm getting a little low on air.
"And I better hurry." I thought. I remove my hand from my mouth, and I open the treasure chest with my two hands. Fortunately, there wasn't a lock, so it was easy to open.
There wasn't a lot inside it. But what was inside it... was truly amazing. I smiled at the sight. There were two objects: the first was a pearl necklace, and the second was a gold coin. And it had a heart in the middle of it.
Seeing it just made me very happy. I opened my mouth wide and let out a cloud of bubbles.
"Wow! This is amazing! A pearl necklace, and a gold coin!" I said in my mind, excited by the sight. But then... I realized the mistake I made.
"Gblblblblrrrmmmff!" I let out a painful gurgle, lots of bubbles coming out. I put both of my hands over my mouth and shut my eyes tightly. My lungs are burning. It hurts so much. I don't think I've been underwater this long before in my life.
"I need to get to the surface! I don't wanna drown!" I thought loudly. I grab the two objects with my right hand, and my left hand stayed over my mouth to prevent myself from inhaling the salt water.
With myself holding the objects tightly, I swam the fastest I can, back up to the surface.
"Blblblbpt! Mmmmmph..." Another moan was interrupted thanks to the water. My face turned a little blue, and my chest was heaving slightly. I felt a little scared. Ugh, why did I open my mouth? I should know better!
But I'm not gonna drown! I won't allow it!
After a few more seconds of swimming, I finally reach the surface, and I gasped for air. It felt so relieving now that air was being refilled in my lungs.
"Tess!" I heard Grandpa shout. But I barely heard him because of the amount of coughing I was having from being underwater for such a long time.
After my coughing died down, I slowly swam back to the boat. I climbed on, panting for my breath.
Both my coach and Grandpa walked over to us. I pull out the mask and put it over my forehead.
"Tess, sweetie? Are you alright?" He asked.
"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." I replied, still panting for air. I kept the objects in my hand. I wanted to surprise him.
"Tess, you know you should be more careful. How long were you underwater?"
"Uh... I think if I remember, it was about 1 minute and 18 seconds."
"You should really be careful of the time, Tess. You don't wanna go over your limit. You'll damage your lungs that way."
"I know. But I found something interesting."
"What did you find?" My coach asked me.
"While I was swimming, I ended up finding a treasure chest," I explained to them while smiling, "I went down to check it out, it was by a ship that sunk underwater. I opened the chest, and I found these: a pearl necklace. And a gold coin that had a heart shape in the middle of it. You don't see those every day. I could've explored some more of the ship... that is, if I could hold my breath for a longer time."
I showed the two the objects that I found on my little adventure.
"You're gonna go far, Tess. That's a start of what you'll be able to accomplish." Coach cheered.
"I'm so proud of you, Tess. Though it is wary to be careful the next time, I think that's really good of what you found." Grandpa added.
"Thanks, guys. I'm glad you think that." I said while smiling.
This is a day I will never forget.
-Nifty's POV-
*present time and scene*
"Wow! I'm impressed! That was a cool find, Tess!" I complimented as she finished the story.
"I gave my Grandpa the pearl necklace. But I still have the coin." Tess said, and she pulled out the coin. She was right. It did have a heart in the middle.
"You should do it again sometime, Tess! And we can come with you!" Jake cheered.
"Excuse me?" I exclaimed with a scowling look. While that seems good, I have no experience on diving. So keep that in mind.
At least I know how to freaking swim.
"Of course you can! Maybe some other day, if we ever get the chance!" Tess agreed. And we all just shared responses. Perhaps it seems nice, to try something once with a friend.
As soon as all of our reactions are done, I heard chattering. I look over by the city, and I saw three people. They each had light skin, and they had similar, yet different clothing. One had a yellow shirt, one other had a blue one, and the last guy had a red one. The same color goes for each of their other clothing, including pants and shoes (actually, that's the only ones.)
The yellow one's hair color is blonde, the blue one's being brown, and the red one's being black.
"Do you think maybe they know about the egg?" Jake asked.
"Let's go talk to them." Sonic replied. And we walk to the three guys.
But... why do I feel something familiar? That I know too well.
"Excuse me. Do any of you know what this egg is?" Sonic asked, interrupting the conversation. Luckily, they didn't seem to find that offending.
The men turned around. I noticed the logos on their shirts. The yellow one had the logo of Team Instinct. The blue one had the logo of Team Mystic.
And the red one was Team Valor.
Oh my freaking Arceus. A Team Valor member, right in front of me. I just stared at them.
"I dunno, dude. It's not like any egg I've ever seen." The person with the yellow shirt replied.
"Yeah. It looks different." The blue shirt guy added.
"Maybe you should view it in a book to find out. And... huh?" The red guy noticed me. Mostly towards my shirt.
"Yo, we got a Team Valor member over here!" The guy laughed. It was with us though.
"Actually, I'm a fan. Not a member." I reminded him.
"Ah, that's fine. You've been into us for a long time?" The man asked.
"Since I was little. The team inspired me." I replied. Jake, Tess and Sonic seemed happy to see this. Even they were surprised to see those members just wandering around town.
"Well, if you liked Team Valor for a long time... would you like me to put a signature? On a notebook or anything?" The guy suggested. I held my pointer finger up. I inhale deeply through my nose, and exhale it out, through my mouth.
"It would be an honor." I responded. I quickly got out my phone, and then I opened some drawing app. And the guy put in his name on the blank touch-sensitive page.
I turned the phone back to me. The person's name is "Antonio". Oh my Arceus, seeing this nearly made me pass out. But I managed to keep my cool.
"Anyway, me and my pals of the other teams got other stuff to do. Catch ya later, if we see you guys again." Antonio said, and then walks away, with his friends following him.
"Woah! You must be happy to see a Team Valor member, Nifty!" Sonic said as the group walk away completely.
"Hell yeah I'm happy! This has been such an amazing day! If that was Candela who signed, I would've passed out." I shouted in excitement. Jake and Tess just chuckled.
"You're on step closer to seeing them, Nifty. Maybe it might come true." Jake cheered.
"Yeah. I'd certainly like to see it." Tess added.
"I sure hope so, you guys." I said with a nod. And so, we make our way to the next part of our adventure.
First stop was the Pokémon Center. To heal after that battle Sonic has been through. It was an awesome experience this day. I saw Sonic win, he got an egg, Tess had that little treasure from 4 years ago, and I met an actual member of Team Valor!
Can this day get any better?
A/N: So, there we go :D. Antonio is a minor character, so he won't play many parts. But he will make a couple cameo appearances later on in the adventure. I'm so happy this chapter is made, it really made my day. :p
Anyway, have a great day, y'all! See you next time! ;)
P.S: The Manaphy egg is a reference to the event, and Pokémon Ranger: Temple of the Sea. Make sure to remember that. :D