Chapter 8: Proving of Worth

The Tempest Valley gym was separated from the rest of the city, as rather than being in the middle of the city, the gym was out in a nearby field among the farmland. Dozens of trainers who worked at the gym were outside, training with their flying pokémon, who performed beautiful acrobatics in the sky above. It was a spectacular sight to behold.

"Look at the way that Pidgeot is diving. It's so fast," Heather said in awe. Her own bird pokémon was fluttering excitedly about the two trainers as they walked. "That's going to be you someday, Feathers."

"I hope they can battle as well as they fly," Cody replied as he aimed his new purchase up at the birds above. The digital camcorder he had just bought wasn't recording anything at that moment, but he was messing around with the zoom as he tried to follow a Starly that zoomed by.

"How much did that thing cost you?" Heather curiously questioned.

"I'd rather not say, but it's an investment," Cody said as he continued to follow the birds that flew by. "If I want to get better, I need to revisit my battles and find out where I need improvement. I can do that if I record them. I can record yours too if you want."

"I'll consider it," Heather replied. The conversations between the two of them had been slightly awkward since their discussion in the cave, but it was manageable. Cody was more focused on his new goal of improving, and the camera seemed like it would be a useful tool.

The two eventually reached the building that was the gym. It was a pretty large structure with what looked to be a dome on top. Said dome must have been slightly open since various flying pokémon were flying in and out. Through the glass double doors, the first room they entered was a lobby where they were greeted by a receptionist.

"Welcome to the Tempest Valley Gym!" the woman greeted in a giddy yet scripted tone. "Are you two trainers interested in challenging this gym in the near future?"

"Yes, we are," Cody replied confidently.

"Great, then I will need your license." She took his license and scanned it with the machine before looking back at her computer. "Hmm… no Skitrex badges, three registered pokémon… everything checks out!" She handed him his card back. "We have a first tier battle opening for you on this day next week at 2 PM, assuming you beat a practice trainer between now and that date. Do you accept?"

"Yes," he replied, though he felt his heart sink. A week seemed like such a long wait. But then again, he needed it. Bastion was ready, but the Larvitar and Mars needed work.

"Okay then, you're registered for the battle! Can I help you next?" she asked Heather.

As the receptionist began the process again, Cody walked around in the lobby, looking at the various framed photos. They were of various gym leaders who had run the gym in the past, each of them standing with their best flying pokémon. Cody followed the pictures to the most recent photograph. The young man in the picture had shaggy, dirty-blonde hair and a goatee, and a beautiful Braviary stood by his side. The caption read "Eagle Ashton and Justice."

"He's more challenging than he looks," a familiar voice. Cody jumped and spun around to see Laurence standing behind him, looking as smug as ever.

"Laurence! What's up? Did you win the badge here already?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out, I'm just peachy, and yes I did," he replied, answering every question in one line before showing off a dark gray badge in the shape and design of a little tornado.

"Wow, awesome! How was the battle?"

"Oh it was incredible, bro. You should have been here a few hours earlier. It all came down to Flex and Eagle's Braviary. Flex had taken a beating, but he managed a Seismic To-"

"You honestly expect me to believe," Cody interrupted, "that he used Justice to fight you? He probably only uses him in 12th tier battles."

"Okay buzzkill, it was just a Fearow," Laurence sulked, pissed he couldn't get Cody to fall for the lie. "Point is, we won and we kicked ass doing so. So how about you? When's your turn?"

"Next week," Cody sighed, still bummed out by the wait. "But that's okay. I need the practice. The receptionist also said something about beating a practice trainer."

"Oh yeah, you do that whenever. Just go in there and Eagle will assign you someone to battle. But if you're decent, it shouldn't be a problem. The pre-battle trainers for the first tier are rookies like you. They're here to weed out those who aren't ready."

"That easy huh? Okay, where is he?" Cody asked.

"He's in a battle right now. A 6th tier battle to be exact. That's why I'm here still. They're both on their last pokémon. I just came out here for a drink."

"Well let's go in. I wanna see this! Heather! Meet us inside when you're done."

The two friends went through the entrance to the battle dome. The arena seating was semi-packed with spectators as the challenging trainer dueled with Eagle. The arena itself was simple: the floor of the battlefield was made of packed soil, but the space above was open and free, perfect for flying-types to battle in. Both trainers, leader and challenger, stood on platforms elevated ten feet off the ground as their pokémon battled in the middle. A Charmeleon shot flames at an ornamented Unfezant that dodged the bursts in the air. They eventually found seats and Cody managed to get a good look at the challenger. He was an older boy, 15 or 16, attractive but serious in appearance with neatly combed brown hair, contrasting Eagle's more rough-looking appearance.

"Charmeleon! Focus on his movements! Flamethrower again!" the challenger commanded.

"Unfezant! Detect it!" With a spectacular movement, the Unfezant avoided the Flamethrower with ease and dove at an angle parallel to that of the flame and slashed at the Charmeleon with razor-sharp wings. The lizard retaliated by smacking the bird with its flaming tail.

"Who's winning?" Heather asked as she sat in a seat behind the boys.

"Right now, it's pretty even, but I put my money on the challenger," Laurence replied. "That Charmeleon is pretty crafty."

"Is that the challenger?" Heather asked as she gazed at the teen on the challenger's platform. "He's pretty cute."

"Yeah, he is," Laurence said. He then leaned over to Cody. "Heads up Cody," he whispered. "Your woman is interested."

Cody pretended to ignore Laurence as he watched the fight. He would eventually have to tell his friend what went down between him and Heather, but right then, the battle was much more interesting.

"Air Cutter!" Eagle shouted.

The Unfezant shot waves of air that broke through the flying flames and followed the parting of the fire with a quick attack, hitting the fire pokémon in the chest.

"Atta boy, keep it up! Aerial Ace!" Eagle ordered confidently.

The bird flew directly at its target, but on its approach, the Charmeleon opened its mouth and spit out a cloud of smoke, surrounding it in a black fog. The Unfezant flew directly through it and looked back. Did he hit his target?

Suddenly, by his trainer's command, the Charmeleon leaped from the smoke and hit the bird dead on with a powerful claw attack, leaving deep cuts on the bird's breast. The Unfezant shook off this blow and the two pokémon began trading blows from wings and claws, both taking cuts on their faces and chests. It was pretty gruesome to watch, but neither pokémon was giving in. However, the Charmeleon was winning the battle of brute force. Eagle ordered his bird to back off, but this gave the challenger the opening he needed.

"Tail Whip!" the challenger commanded. The Charmeleon smacked the Unfezant again with his flaming tail, sending the pokémon skyward. "Now finish the job!"

The Charmeleon shot flames at the falling bird, engulfing it in fire. It landed in a heap on the ground, feathers ablaze. He stood up and managed to shake the fire off, but as he tried to fly again after the crash, he fell on his face.

"Unfezant is unable to battle!" The referee called. "Charmeleon is the winner! Therefore, victory goes to challenger Jared Rossinger!"

The spectators in the audience clapped and cheered on the winner. The platforms lowered and the two trainers went to tend to their pokémon. After Eagle returned his Unfezant to his pokeball, he went up to the challenger and shook his hand before saying something to him that nobody else could hear before handing him the badge. The challenger then returned to his Charmeleon and patted it on the head before spraying him down with a super potion.

"That was incredibly smart how that Charmeleon got the edge in the end," Cody said in awe as the three of them walked down to the ground level of the arena. "I thought the Aerial Ace technique was a sure hit maneuver!"

"That was the Unfezant's error," Laurence explained. "That last minute shake up threw him off, and he missed. Smart thing too. It could have been the beginning of the end for that Charmeleon if it had been hit."

"Well, that makes sense I guess," Cody said in response. Already in his mind, he began to imagine the kind of battle he would have with Eagle. Obviously, it wouldn't be against an Unfezant, but what would be waiting for him?

Just as they reached the bottom, Eagle was heading out, but Cody managed to get his attention. "Hey, Mr. Eagle?"

The leader laughed. "Don't be so formal, dude. What do you need?"

"Yes, um, my name is Cody Storm, and I'm facing you next week for the badge and stuff."

"So am I!" Heather cut in.

"Well, it's nice to meet you two," Eagle responded jovially. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to get my pokémon to a nurse, so-"

"Wait, before you go," Cody asked, "the receptionist said something about practice trainers?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. How many badges do you both have?"

"Neither of us have any yet," Heather answered.

"Oh, good! I have just the trainers in mind!" He turned to two young kids who were standing in the seating nearby. "Lavar! Janice! We got two rookies here ready for battle! Meet them out on the field for a test drive!"

"Okay!" both kids said at once before running for an exit door that led to the field.

"That was easy enough," Cody stated. He turned around to see the previous challenger walking towards the exit door they were standing by. His Charmeleon was walking next to him with a slight limp. The super potion had worked quite well, as the cuts from the Unfezant's wings and talons were scabbing up quite nicely.

"Hey, Jared, right?" Cody asked. "We saw the end of that battle. Your Charmeleon was amazing."

"Oh, thank you," he responded in a bland sounding voice. "It wasn't all that difficult for us really. We've fought stronger opponents before. His Unfezant was rather predictable."

"Oh… okay then," Cody said, narrowing his eyes a little bit. For some reason, he felt an aura of arrogance from the trainer's last statement, but he didn't say anything.

"That thing you did with the smoke was incredible!" Heather said as she stepped forward. "That was so smart! Did you train your pokémon to do that?"

"Well, yes we did. It's a trick we've been working on for quite some time now to throw off opponents who outspeed us with attacks that…" Cody suddenly noticed that Jared's tone had grown a lot more enthusiastic the moment that he had Heather's attention. She seemed enthralled by his very presence.

Well, that was a fast turnaround for her, he thought to himself. He turned around to head out the door, he felt a firm hand grip his shoulder. He turned around to face Laurence, who looked pretty upset with him.

"You're gonna leave her in here with him?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

"Yeah, I got a battle to win," Cody replied. He tried to turn around again, but Laurence held him still.

"Hey, Heather!" Laurence called out in a much friendlier voice. "Be a doll and tell Storm's practice partner that he's going to be a little late. We gotta have a little heart to heart." With that, Laurence walked with Cody outside of the building before abruptly getting in his face. "What the hell's the matter with you? She's all over that guy, and you're acting like a total beta! I haven't seen you talk with her, let alone do anything else since you got here! What's up?"

"Look, Laurence, please just mind your own business for once," Cody said in an exasperated voice. He really didn't feel like having that conversation with him. "I have a trainer to battle, so if you mind-"

"My business to you as a bro is to make sure you don't do anything stupid, so what's up with you and her?" he demanded.

"Look, things just didn't work out and-"

"Didn't work out?" Laurence repeated annoyed. "Cody, last time I saw you two together, it looked like she wanted you, and I ain't seen any girl look at you like that before, ever. I mean, I had to convince Angie to give you a chance because you were acting like a complete tool with her. You're not telling me something, and I'm 95% sure you fucked up on this one, so lay it on me."

"It's a long story, so maybe-"

"So maybe I got time," Laurence interrupted once more, crossing his arms.

Cody sighed. He knew he wasn't going to be able to lie his way out and there was no way he could convince Laurence to leave him alone, so he began to recount the story of the other night. After telling him the tale, Laurence just stood there dumbfounded.

"So let me get this straight," he said as he was compiling the knowledge in his head. "You two hold hands under a bunch of butterflies, only to not make a move there, and when she gives you another chance by cuddling up with you in a cave, you turn her down because you want to focus on training?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, Cody… Let me ask you something… Are you an idiot?" Laurence shouted at him inches away from his face.

"Shut up!" Cody snarled. "Where do you get-" he was cut off as Laurence smacked him across the face. After stumbling back, he looked back at Laurence with a pissed-off expression to match his friend's.

"What was that for?"

"For being an idiot!" Laurence shouted back. "I guarantee you're never gonna get a girl that hot to like you ever again!"

"I have priorities, Laurence!" Cody shot back. "And right now, they're my pokémon. I can't get distracted right now."

"It's called time fucking management Cody! I've already banged a chick since hitting the road, but I'm doing fine because I'm managing my time! It's not like I'm spending every moment of my time reading battle logs, and I know you don't do that either."

"Laurence, you sleeping with some random girl is different from a relationship. I'm talking about a long-term commitment with a girl I'm friends with! Not some random five minutes with a stranger!"

"Wow Cody, you think I only lasted five minutes?"

"No, I didn't mean it like tha-"

"You're a douche," Laurence interrupted. He was getting even more frustrated, if that was even possible. "Cody, I know it's not just a distraction issue. It's your mom, isn't it? Since when have you been such a momma's boy?"

"Since my parents are on the verge of divorcing!" Cody blurted out. Silence overtook the conversation.

"Wait… what?" Laurence asked. His voice had dropped quite a few decibels.

"My parents have been fighting more, and it's worse than before," Cody began again. "I was talking with my dad, and he told me that if I'm out here, I need to take this training thing seriously. I just reopened all of the Derrick wounds, and I might not be able to fix them. Honestly, neither of them want me dating Heather, so for the time being, I have to listen to them and prove that I can make something of myself as a trainer."

"Wow…" There was a deep pause as Laurence calmed himself and began again. "Cody, are you sure it's actually gotten worse? You always used to talk about your parents fighting, so maybe you're reading this wro-"

"I can tell by talking with them," Cody replied, cutting his friend off. "I called home last night and talked to both of them. My mother burst into tears half way through our conversation. She knows I'm doing fine, but I guess that's what's killing her; that I might get so caught up in this, I never come back."

"You should have told me all of that earlier. I wouldn't have yelled at you. I guess you're only slightly moronic." They both chuckled at the joke, but Laurence frowned. "I feel as though this is my fault. If I hadn't pushed you into this, if I hadn't brought you to catch that Squirtle, maybe this wouldn't be happ-"

"Don't go there, Laurence," Cody said, stopping him once more. "If it wasn't you and Batsion, it may have been Paul and a Sandile the next week. Besides, I've been having the time of my life, despite the hardships. My pokémon and I are growing stronger together, and I know we can make it now. I see hunger in their eyes, just like the hunger I feel inside myself."

"Okay then," Laurence said. His smile was coming back. "You better get to that pre-battle then. You don't want to keep your pokémon waiting any longer." They began walk out toward the fields. They passed Heather, who was already battling Janice's Chatot with Somnos.

"Oh and Cody," Laurence continued. "Sorry I said that stuff back there. You know me: tough love."

"Sure thing, dick," Cody replied. It got a chuckle out of Laurence before he punched Cody in the arm. All was right with the world.

Eventually, they found Lavar waiting for them. He was a young, dark-skinned boy of about eleven or so in age, and he looked eager for battle.

"Finally, you show up!" he exclaimed in excitement. Come on, we're gonna battle near that tree over there!"

As they began walking, Cody began talking with the trainer. "Hey Lavar, can I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"I'm curious, how did you become a gym trainer?" he asked.

"Well my folks told me I'm too young to leave with pokémon, so they let me train here. I've been a trainer for four weeks now, and it's great working with Eagle. Eventually, I'll be allowed to train with second tier trainers!"

"What about the older trainers? Like the ones they use for twelfth tier practice?"

"Oh, they're just higher level trainers that are studying with Eagle. Every once in a while, he lets a few of them defend the badge too."

"That sounds awesome," Cody replied. "I wish Stone Rise had a gym." If that were the case, he would have been training at home for years by that point.

"Me too," Laurence said as he walked with them. "Beating Gordon's ass got really boring really quick." They finally reached the tree, and Lavar and Cody separated to alternate sides of the makeshift battlefield.

"Hey Laurence," Cody called out. "Do me a favor and record this. I want to look back on it later."

"Sure thing!" Laurence took the camera and Cody faced his opponent once more.

"Okay!" Lavar called out. "Since this is a first tier practice battle, you are only allowed to use two pokémon against me!" He pulled out a pokeball. "Let's go, Hoothoot!" A tiny owl appeared from the ball and hooted as it bounced around on one foot.

"Okay then," Cody said calmly. "Let's go La-" He stopped as a flash of light exited from his belt and Mars appeared on the field, squeaking boldly in his lust to battle. "Or Mars. You too…" He could hear Laurence snickering at Mars's entering the battle uncalled. "Mars! Sand-Attack!"

The mole popped underground and popped out in a split second to shoot sand at the owl with his mouth, but the owl didn't seem phased by the sand in the slightest. Its focus still on Mars, it flew at the Diglett head-on in a face-first Tackle. The mole saw the move coming and managed to pop underground before a quick reemerging to take a Slash at the owl from behind.

"Don't let him get the better of you, Hoothoot," Lavar called to his pokémon. The owl kept trying to peck at Mars, but the mole kept popping in and out of the ground at different positions around the owl. It looked like a game of whack-a-mole.

"Keep teasing him! Mud Slap!"

"Weik weik!" Mars squeaked as he popped up in front of his target and slapped the owl in the face with a claw full of mud. The owl looked flustered after the hit, but flew a foot above Mars's reach and began to use Hypnosis under its trainer's orders. Mars didn't respond fast enough to the Hoothoot's actions and began to get drowsy. He tried to dig back underground where he could be safe from the waves, but fell into a light sleep before managing to escape. The owl then began to pummel the drowsy mole with multiple pecks of his beak.

"You need to wake up Mars!" Cody shouted, causing Mars to eventually reopen his eyes. As the Hoothoot tried to tackle him once more, Mars managed to grab one of his feet and pull the owl partly into the ground. As the bird tried to escape, Cody commanded his Diglett to use Magnitude. The tremor began, and the owl was hit straight on by the shaking. It managed to wriggle free, but Mars popped up in front of his foe and slashed the owl with a critical Slash to the face. The Hoothoot lost flight and fell on its back, unable to stand.

"Good try Hoothoot! Come back!" Lavar called his owl back and picked out another ball. "You know what to do, Doduo!"

A tall, wingless bird with two heads emerged from the ball. Both heads began chattering with each other, but once their attention focused in on the squeaking Mars, a look of pure deviousness shone in their eyes.

"Quick Attack!"

The twin headed bird chased down the Diglett, but Mars managed to pop under the ground before it reached him. Mars then dug up under the Doduo's feet, making it trip, but the bird quickly regained its footing.

"Don't lose your cool, Doduo! Peck him!"

"Get underground before he reaches you!" Cody commanded. Mars managed to dig underground, but before the hole closed behind him, the left head of the Doduo managed to reach in and grab the mole, yanking him out of the ground with its long beak. As the left head held the mole above the ground, the right head began to peck at Mars's wriggling body.

"Finish it with a Fury Attack!" The left head tossed Mars into the air and the heads pecked at the mole with lightning speed. The Diglett lied in a limp heap.

"Good work Mars!" Cody returned the Diglett to his pokeball and began to think of his next move. Sure, Larvitar needed the experience, but Bastion would be able to win this fight. He just wanted the pre-battle over with.

"You're up Bastion!" The ball exploded and the Squirtle broke into a sprint to tackle the bird in its chest. It fell backward, but leaped up once more and grabbed the turtle by the shell.

"Withdraw!"

Bastion pulled into his shell, but the bird didn't give up. The head that wasn't holding the Squirtle reached its beak into the shell and began to peck. This didn't last long, however, since a blast of water shot out of the shell, hitting the pecking head in the face and creating enough force so that he managed to escape the bird's grasp.

"Very clever, Bastion! Use Iron Tail!" As the Doduo and Squirtle ran towards each other, Bastion made a low jump and clubbed the bird in the kneecap with a silver flash of his tail. The bird let out a screech and tried to peck at the turtle again, but Bastion managed to dodge these strikes.

"Finish it off with an Aqua Jet!" Bastion pulled into his shell and shot water out through the back openings to strike the Doduo in the chest again, knocking the bird out cold.

"Great job, Bastion! You make this look easy," Cody said as his Squirtle ran up and hugged his leg. "You get all that?" Cody asked Laurence as he picked up Bastion.

"Yup, it's all here," Laurence said, patting the camera. "Good work, man. That didn't take you long at all."

"Yeah, good work Cody," Lavar said before shaking his opponent's hand. "I'll tell the receptionist that you won. Good luck to you next week!"

"Thanks, kid," Cody replied.

"Hey Cody, you didn't tell me that your Squirtle knew Iron Tail," Laurence commented, impressed with what he had seen.

"Yeah, he used it once without me telling him to and I've been training him to use it on command ever since. To be honest, I don't know how he learned it. TMs are pretty expensive, and he didn't have any special training or anything."

"I have a theory," Laurence answered. "That creek where you caught him at runs through an old steel mill further upstream. It's possible that your Squirtle's drinking water was filled with metallic minerals, allowing him to use the attack naturally."

"Really? Is that even possible?" Cody asked. It wasn't unusual for pokémon in certain environments to adapt to said environments, thus learning special techniques, but it seemed too good to be true.

"Totally," his friend confirmed. "I saw an ad on TV the other day about giving young bird pokémon a special diet so they can learn Steel Wing at an early age. That ad might have been bullshit, but in theory..."

"Wow, you're an extremely lucky little guy," Cody murmured to his Squirtle, who was now playfully chewing on his tail. He set the turtle down on the ground and looked over to see Heather walking up to them with a smile on her face.

"I assume you won?" she asked.

"Yup, you too?" he asked in return.

"Of course! But Nadine tweaked her knee in the finish, so I need to get her back to the pokémon center right away. You guys want to go get some food after?"

"Honey, I'm a man. Of course I want food!" Laurence replied. "All in favor of the woman making us sandwiches?" Both he and Cody raised their hands.

"Yeah right," Heather laughed. "That's really sexist."

"Hey, I wasn't talking about you," Laurence said smartly as he looked over at Cody with an evil grin. "Two against one, Cody. Looks like you're in charge of lunch!"

"I'll die before I make you a sandwich," Cody shot back.

"Well, you better start running then, boy," Laurence falsely threatened. The two boys stared at each other for five seconds before Cody bolted off into the field.

"Get back here, Storm! I want my sandwich!" Laurence screamed like a maniac. But Cody kept running with Bastion by his side while laughing. Despite all of life's dilemmas, he was in a moment that felt priceless.

This chapter was edited on 1/10/18. There may still be continuity or grammatical errors. If you notice any, please alert me in a review or a private message.