Here's the next chapter- we've seen both James and Lilac fight, but not Seo-yun... Let's see her fighting style!
I loved this chapter- It made me all warm and fuzzy~ :D New characters introduced next chapter, I've gotten so many submissions XD
James took in a ragged breath, eyes flashing with distaste. He hadn't expected for the pain to be so fresh behind his eyelids, he hadn't expected this much pain. It had been over a decade, and it hurt like yesterday.
"You think we can do this, Baurus? It's our first gym!" James asked the Axew, a silly smile on his face. Baurus nodded excitedly, hopping up and down.
"Axe! Axew!" He yelled, tail wagging.
"Then let's do it! One step closer to beating Red!"
He was brought back from his memories by Luna, who had nipped his ankle. James exhaled quietly, shaking off the memories like a bad dream.
The gym was strange. Webbed floors, darkened rooms- he could only see in front of him. Behind him, Seo-yun pepped talked her Litwick, and even further behind was Lilac, who seemed bored.
"I know you hate your pokeball, Luna, but I don't see how we can both walk on this," he said, glancing down at her. The Ninetails nodded in understanding as James drew a Luxury ball from his belt. Within a flash of light, she had disappeared- leaving James and his newfound acquaintances.
For a moment, he feared the web wouldn't hold his weight- he was a hefty, muscular 6-foot man, after all- but the webbing was thick, the cords as wide as his wrist. Holding his breath, James took a cautious step on the rope-like substance, and found it held his weight quite easily.
He continued on this course for a mere four seconds before he was stopped once again- and by three new paths. He felt nervous, uncomfortable without Luna, and the anxiety curling in his chest was painful. The sooner he got of this stupid web, the better.
"Any idea where to turn?" He asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. Last thing he needed was them thinking he was afraid of heights. He wasn't afraid of anything- besides losing Luna.
Suddenly, the clearing was illuminated by a flickering light- Litwick had come to the rescue. He waved his stubby arms and smiled a gummy smile, hovering shakily in the air. His light burned brighter than before, and all was seen.
Two of the webs lead to a dead end- and trainers waited at each one. But the middle one lead to the center of the stage, where a Gym leader stood.
"We can't fight him all at once- how about we split up? Each of us take a trainer," Seo-yun offered from behind. James, although he didn't like the idea, and definitely not her, had to agree.
"Fine. You take the gym-leader first; it's time we figured out who's the weakest link," James snapped, stomping down the left side of the web. Lilac went to the right, and Seo-yun was left with the center.
Seo-yun wasn't much a fighter, either. She'd much rather spend her days doing more peaceful things, like drinking tea and working and playing with Pokemon. She just didn't see the point, the excitement, of having Pokemon fight to the verge of death.
Even if they enjoyed it.
She had seen Malachite's eagerness to do battle, the hungry glint in her eyes. She had seen Luna's reaction as well- the way she curled protectively around her trainer. As if- almost as if she'd die for him.
Her Litwick was adorable, sweet, and... well... Not very bright. She doubted his ability to actually battle, and so she figured she'd have to use Flygon.
Not that she was complaining, it's just that he could get a little carried away at times. Seo-yun stepped off the web and into the stage at the center, wincing at the sound of the substance clinging to her sneakers.
The stage was large, but not nearly large enough for a pokemon battle. There was hardly enough room for her and her Flygon, let alone his own Pokemon.
Above, Litwick hovered, providing light. On either side, pokemon battles ensued, and she got glimpses of both Malachite and Luna- before Malachite was withdrawn mid-battle for another Pokemon. Lilac's grin was devious, and he drew an ultraball from his belt. "And now, for my strongest Pokemon! Behold the power of an ultra-rare beast!" He cackled, and Seo-yun blinked. She didn't know what she was expecting- A Dragonite, Mewtwo, Snorlax, Haxorus..
And out came...
A Wimpod.
Seriously?
Seo-yun rolled her eyes, praying that Lilac didn't just screw himself over in the battle.
"Welcome to the bug-type gym! I hope you came prepared, because I won't hold back- even if you're completely photogenic!" The gym leader exclaimed, coming forward. She was of medium height, with sandy-blonde hair and a camera hanging loosely around her neck.
"My name is Viola! And my bug-type pokemon will destroy all!" She said, pointing a finger at Seo-yun. "I hope you came prepared!"
Lilac beat the trainer easy, fair and square. The kid was no match for Malachite, even though he did managed to bring his Wimpod down.
So he now had time to watch Seo-yun battle. James had finished in time with him, Luna hardly breaking a sweat. They sat on the sidelines, watching her move.
Seo-yun in battle, Lilac realized, was something else. She came to life. Her brown eyes burned with a fire, unable to be extinguished, her every movement was fluent and strong. There was no sadness, no hidden secrets, nothing but pure determination in her face. It wasn't a bad look- it was quite beautiful. Valerie in battle was peaceful, serene- and Seo-yun was everything but.
She was already beautiful- not quite the type to make you forget about Valerie- but the type that made you forget about a lot of things.
"Flygon, use dragon-tail!" She yelled, jumping in the air. The dragon-type Pokemon swooped down, wings outstretched, and swung it's mighty tail. It hit the Kakuna with a mind-numbing crack, shattering the defenses, and fainting the Pokemon in one hit.
Lilac watched on in interest, a faint smile pulling at his features. Viola, on the other hand, wasn't so happy as she threw out another Pokemon.
"Surskit, water and bug type," James muttered. Lilac deducted that while James wasn't too fond of Seo-yun, deep down he was rooting for her. "And stop looking at me like that," the man snapped.
"Surskit, use Ice beam!" Viola yelled. Lilac's eyes widened at the sight of the ice-move hitting Flygon square on. While it wasn't enough for the massive Pokemon to faint, Lilac could see the fear in it's red eyes.
And then, the ice spread across Flygon's entire form, encasing him in the frozen substance- he was frozen.
"Come on, Flygon... We can do this!" Seo-yun yelled, but it was no use. Flygon was unresponsive.
"Withdraw him!" James yelled from next to Lilac, his deep voice echoing throughout the gym. "No use in causing him more pain!"
Viola grinned. "One more time, use Ice beam!"
The Surskit slid over quickly, focusing an icy beam once more on Seo-yun's Pokemon. It was over in an instant.
"Is that all your pokemon?" The gym leader asked, snapping a picture.
Seo-yun glowered, but above them, Litwick was still burning strong. Lilac deadpanned.
"Go, Litwick! Use Attract!" Seo-yun called.
Viola, not really worried, snapped more pictures.
"Is she serious?" James asked, glancing down at Lilac.
Lilac shrugged. "I hope not. Litwick isn't really the type-"
And, there it was. Surskit ceased it's rapid movements and focused on the Liwick, before smiling and coming closer.
"No, Surskit! Use Watergun!" Viola shouted, but it was no use. Surskit was immobilized by love. James snorted.
Seo-yun grinned, pumping her fist in the air. "Now, Litwick! Use Will-O-Wisp! Follow it with Confuse ray!"
Next to him, James sucked in her breath. "So that's her strategy. Leave the foe completely immobilized," He trailed off. "That crazy bitch."
The Litwick charged forward, ghostly spheres dancing around the Surskit and burning it. Finally, it did a little victory dance, wiggling it's stumpy end as it confused the foe.
"Surskit! Snap out of it!" Viola cried. "Use Bubble!"
"Litwick, use Swagger!"
Litwick taunted the foe, raising it's attack sharply. Lilac grinned- he knew her game now. Her goal was to raise the fucker's attack so high that when it finally attacked, it would most likely hurt itself.
Surskit hurt itself in it's confusion, and fainted. Lilac's cheer was so loud that other trainers turned to look, but he didn't care. Even James was smiling, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You haven't won yet... Vivillon!" Viola snapped, throwing a pokeball in the air. A beautifully designed Pokemon danced out, hovering in the air with wide eyes.
"Litwick, use fire blast" She yelled, going in for the kill. A ball of fire erupted from Litwick's flame, hurdling into the Pokemon's lithe body. It was over in an instant.
Viola frowned. Lilac grinned.
"That's right! Hand over the bug badge!"
"You won by shit-dumb luck," James grunted, crossing his arms. Seo-yun stuck out her tongue, unable to wipe the grin from her face.
"Doesn't matter- I still won."
James rolled his eyes, shrugging his massive shoulders. "Took you long enough."
Seo-yun rolled her shoulders, stepping out into the light. The sun was starting to set, and god, was she hungry. Lilac ran out, holding his newly obtained gym badge.
"That makes three for all of us. Where to next?" Seo-yun asked. Lilac handed a photograph to Seo.
It was a Polaroid, with bugs around the edges. But that wasn't the thing that surprised her- it was the contents.
It was a picture of James and Lilac. Lilac was in mid-air, fist raised, a wild grin on his face, hair flying. Beside him was James, eyes wide with disbelief, a slight smile pulling at his lips, grass still stuck in his russet brown beard. While he wasn't as happy as Lilac, there was no hiding the excitement in his blue eyes.
The whole time, they were cheering for her.
She flashed Lilac a knowing grin. "I won by shit-dumb luck, huh?" She asked. James's face flashed with irritation.
"That's what I said."
Seo-yun shoved the picture in his face, jubilant. "You were pretty happy that I won, though!"
The man's face changed from surprised to mortified in record time. "Give me that!" He snapped, reaching for the photo. Seo-yun danced out of his reach, dancing down the road to the hotel. And throughout the night, you could hear her voice, Lilac's laugh, and James's angry curses.