The Mistralton City gym - a re-purposed airplane hanger - rose above King, blocking out the sun. The engine of a plane roared from behind him as it took off, the turbines causing his hair to toss about. The sound faded into the distance as he stared at the building. Thankfully, there were no people around to ask him why he'd been standing there minute after minute: Mistralton City was almost as small as Icirrus, and that place looked like it was a village out of a fantasy novel.
He'd prepared himself day and night for his third gym battle, trained until his Pokemon were collapsing from exhaustion. He would not lose, not ever again. Still, as he stood there, tapping his foot, hands in his pockets, he hesitated. What if his Pokemon weren't ready yet? What if he hadn't trained them enough?
He took a step back. Maybe I'll catch another one. Just to make sure.
No. King shook his head. It was now or never.
He went into the gym.
The inside was more extensive than both the gym in Opelucid and Icirrus; the floor white and shined to the point where he could see his reflection on its surface. It reminded him of a school gymnasium, other than the fact that the ceiling was open to reveal the puffed clouds on a blue sky beyond.
A flicker of movement in the corner caught his eye. Apparently, the gym leader had heard him come in, for she stepped out of a doorway and skipped toward him.
Well. She's certainly a cheery one, he mused, stopping next to the large Pokeball marked on the floor and raising an eyebrow.
She was young - probably around his age - and wearing some sort of modified pilot attire that exposed her tan midsection. King recalled her name as Skyla - fitting enough for a flying-type gym. When she got close enough, she suddenly froze mid-skip and balked at him.
His eyebrow raised further. "Right… I know I'm handsome, but this is a bit much."
She ran to him. "No! Wow, your hair is the same color as mine!" He frowned as she ran a gloved hand through his hair. "How cool is that? I've only ever met one other person with our crimson locks!"
"Yeah," he said, "could you not touch my head, though?"
She giggled and danced to the other side of the Pokeball. Jeez, she's almost as immature as zorua. How it was back when it talked, anyway.
"You came for a battle, right?" She took a Pokeball from her waist and threw it. It was one of two at her waist. "Let's go, emolga!"
The white and yellow rodent appeared and glided around in a circle. King frowned. "We need a ref?"
Skyla cleared her throat. "Each person can use a maximum of four Pokemon," she said, making her voice deeper to somehow mimic that of a referee. "The first to faint all of their opponents Pokemon wins! Only the challenger can substitute!"
She grinned at him, hands on hips. "Good, right?"
"You didn't even ask how many gym badges I have."
"Two!" She pumped an arm in the air. "Come on, let's do this! Send out your Pokemon!"
How does she… He shook his head. It didn't matter. The battle was starting.
He grabbed one of his three Pokeballs, tossing it in the air and catching it. He set his feet. "You're up, palpitoad."
Skyla didn't wait a single moment. As soon as palpitoad has its feet on the ground, she called out a move.
"Emolga, Acrobatics!"
The Pokemon was a blur as it darted for palpitoad.
"Bubble Be-"
Emolga hit. Palpitoad staggered back, crying out. Emolga flew back into the air.
King clenched a fist. A quick start.
"Bubble Beam!"
Palpitoad shook itself as bubbles formed at its mouth, that shot out in a quick-moving stream.
Emolga disappeared, dodging the attack. King cursed, looking around, only for it to appear again a moment later, then vanish, then appear. Palpitoad's bubbles popped against the wall. Emolga was using Agility without Skyla ever telling to do so.
"Emolga, Acrobatics!"
"Uproar!"
Emolga reeled back, stopping its flight as the bulges on palpitoad began to tremble. King threw his hands over his ears.
Over the loud, high-pitched noise emitted by palpitoad; he didn't know if Skyla had called a move or not, but a yellow screen encased around emolga. Light Screen.
Palpitoad's attack subsided. King pulled his hands away from his ears.
"Emolga, Acrobatics!"
Dammit. Again. He acted quickly, moving before the attack could strike. He held out palpitoad's Pokeball and returned it.
Skyla pouted as emolga flew through empty air. King switched palpitoad's Pokeball for rufflet's, then sent it out. It squawked a challenge at emolga.
"Emolga, Volt Switch!"
Again, he swapped out rufflet for palpitoad. Skyla frowned as the ball of electricity from Volt Switch zapped over King's head.
"Well, what was the point of that? Emolga, Acrobatics!"
"Foul Play!"
Palpitoad - or, zorua - leaped, catching emolga in its mouth despite how fast it was going. Zorua transformed and slammed emolga on the ground.
It cried out. Wind from above stirred through the arena.
"Wow!" Skyla exclaimed. "That's smart of you."
Emolga flew into the air.
"Alright, emolga, Volt Switch!"
"Dark Pulse!"
King expected the two moves to collide, but emolgas never came, and zorua's attack instead streaked into the sky. A cry from zorua pulled his attention back down.
Emolga had used Acrobatics. Even when Skyla called Volt Switch.
"How is this happening?" King demanded.
Skyla shrugged, smiling. "Who knows?"
He wiped his palm against the leg of his pants. Nothing he did was working. He needed a new-
Emolga flew toward zorua, moving so fast King could barely see. He opened his mouth to call out Foul Play, but without the queue from Skyla to notify him, he wasn't quick enough. Zorua tried to dodge. It failed as emolga crashed into it.
Zorua yelped, falling back. It struggled to stand, teeth gritted, feet wobbly. King took its Pokeball, meaning to have it return, when it ran forward, using Extrasensory over and over into the air, missing all of them aimed at emolga.
"Zorua!" King shouted. "Get your ass back here!" It ignored.
After it had begun to obey him so well, of course, of course, it stopped during a gym battle. He couldn't look as emolga slammed into zorua again and again, hitting each one of its moves and dodging every one of zoruas. Stupid fucking…
His nails bit into his palm. Control your anger. Control your anger.
Zorua fainted. King growled, holding out its Pokeball, returning it, and sending out palpitoad.
"Come on!" Skyla said. "This is fun!"
They continued to battle.
Palpitoad ended up fainting from Acrobatics.
King, panting, sent out his rufflet. It squared off with emolga in the air, both of them colliding at times.
Sweat dripped down King's face. His throat was hoarse from screaming out orders. A lump sat in his throat. He knew what was going to happen.
He was going to lose.
Emolga hit rufflet with Volt Switch. It tumbled to the ground, cawing, not moving so much as a single muscle as it fell in a heap to the found.
He lost. Again.
He sunk to his knees, knocking them against the cold, hard ground. He tilted his head back, watching the gusts of wind pull the clouds across the sky.
His father was right. King wasn't good enough.
Skyla came over to him. "You did really well! But… you're missing something. Something very important that every trainer needed. Come back and battle me again once you've found it."
"What?" He croaked. "What could I possibly be missing?"
She giggled and walked away. It flared the temper inside him. "That's for you to find out!"
He stood and went over to rufflet, returning it to its Pokeball. No. He would not let his father be right. He was good enough. He was. He could be a trainer.
He already knew what he needed to do.
Teach his Pokemon more discipline.