"Riley!" called Lilly. "Have you seen Derreck?" She looked around. "He said he was going to be in the museum, right?" The fashionable young girl sighed. "Well, if he won't battle me, will you at least? Ramrock is raring for a battle!"
Riley agreed, and let Bluntooth jumped out of his arms. The cute cat sniffed the armoured dinosaur Pokemon, then jumped back when it realized it smelled the scent of aggression. Bluntooth growled, icy-cold air bellowing out from its throat through its teeth.
"Ramrock, start us off! Use Iron Tail!"
The Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon ran up to Bluntooth and used Iron Tail, swinging its armoured tail at the feline Pokemon and landing a super-effective hit!
Bluntooth looked back at Riley to receive its order. When it did, it used Ice Fang! It clamped its sharp fangs down on Ramrock's neck and dealt hefty damage with its critical hit!
Ramrock then used Rock Smash, but its attack missed! Using the shocked dinosaur's misstep to its advantage, Bluntooth used Superpower! It was enough to make Ramrock faint! "Ramrock! Return and get some rest!" Lilly cried out. "Okay, out comes Hermiflage!"
The Normal- and Grass-type Pokemon would be weak to Bluntooth's Ice-type attacks. Riley ordered Bluntooth to use Ice Fang again!
But Hermiflage's Ability kicked in when it walked near a field of grass. It became practically invisible in the grass! Bluntooth simply couldn't find it to attack it!
From underneath Bluntooth's paws, the Hermiflage used Rock Smash! It was super effective against Bluntooth, and the feline Pokemon fainted!
Riley gasped. He hadn't expected Bluntooth to faint. But he knew what to do. Hermiflage would be weak to Burndillo's Fire-type moves. He sent out Burndillo! Burndillo tried to use Ember, but like Bluntooth, it couldn't find its target!
"Hermiflage, withdraw! Go Elelel!" Lilly sneered.
Elelel hit Burndillo with a Water Gun, and Burndillo nearly fainted completely! It held on with little health remaining. What could Riley do now!? He was so stressed out that he would lose. He withdrew Burndillo and sent out Concealpillar. Concealpillar would be weak to Elelel's Water-type attacks, but if it could pull off a Grass Knot, a move it had recently learned, Elelel would be in trouble.
Elelel used Water Gun!
But Concealpillar protected itself!
It quickly used Grass Knot on Elelel, and the eel's health was cut clean in half! Elelel tried to land another attack, this time Aqua Jet, but its attack missed, just barely! Concealpillar pulled off another Grass Knot, causing Elelel to faint!
"Eek! Elelel, no! Get some rest!" Lilly put her hands on her cheeks in shock. How could she take care of this pesky bug? "Hermiflage, it's your turn!"
Hermiflage came back into battle, still unharmed! If Concealpillar could land a Bug-type attack, Hermiflage could possibly faint! Hermiflage jumped out of the grass to use Leaf Blade! It covered its sharp claws in leaves and swung them at Concealpillar! It wasn't very effective, though, and Concealpillar caused Hermiflage to faint when it used Bug Bite on it!
"No! It's really getting down to the wire! Stoath!"
Lilly sent out Stoath, who looked aggressive. It was ready for an intense battle!
Stoath used Protect, and it was successful! Concealpillar's Grass Knot did absolutely no damage!
Stoath used Shadow Claw. Its tail was cloaked in shadows and it swung it at Concealpillar. A critical hit! Concealpillar was down!
Riley had only one Pokemon left, but so did Lilly. Riley sent out Barksky, who had learned a new move since it had evolved! Brick Break! It used the Fighting-type move on the Normal- and Ground-type prairie dog Pokemon, and its super effective power caused Stoath to faint!
"Wow! You're still as strong as ever, Riley!" Lilly squeaked, defeated.
"Agreed. That was quite the battle."
Huh!? Who just spoke?
"I should hope you bring that sort of power with you to my Pokemon Gym."
"Yes sir, Mr. Derreck!" Lilly said obediently. But then she groaned, angry. "Hey, you're finally here! You sure kept us waiting, huh!"
"Last time I checked, the world revolves around the sun, not a single Pokemon Trainer," Derreck remarked with sarcasm. "For your information, I was discussing funding for the tram system on Route 7. It's not going to get repaired for free, and as a budget manager, it's my job to get funding for important projects like this."
"Then why did you say you were doing 'research' at the Prehistory Museum?" Lilly asked, getting pushy.
"I was, technically." Derreck was getting exasperated now. He explained, "I don't get to visit other places very often because of my jobs. I wanted to experience the Prehistory Museum for the first time in a long time, so I did. We were holding our meeting in the Community Centre right next to the Prehistory Museum and the Pokemon Centre, anyway."
"Oh..." Lilly sighed. "I'm sorry for getting pushy."
"No apology necessary. The tram repairs should be done by morning. Here, I'll get us a motel room here so we can rest briefly before you two visit my Pokemon Gym in the morning."
"I'd like that," Lilly smiled.
The motel here was much different than the one in Suncoast City. This one was modest and cheaply-furnished. Despite this, Riley felt particularly at-home in his motel room. It wasn't like he'd be staying here long. It reminded him of his small home back in the small New Moon Town.
And judging by the way Barksky was playing around on the bedsheets, it reminded him of it too.
Riley sighed and curled up in the fresh-smelling sheets. He drifted off into a nice, relaxing rest that he woke up from feeling completely refreshed. The rest of his Pokemon also woke up beside him on the bed.
"Okay! It's Gym Battle time!" Lilly yelled, jumping up on alternating feet.
"Indeed," Derreck nodded. "I shall see you at my gym in Eclisse City."
Riley nodded and waved as Derreck and Lilly headed off for the tram system that would take them up the cliff, much more safely this time.
Riley stopped at the Pokemon Centre and checked the catalog in the PokeMart section. There was a new item called a Super Potion. He ordered a handful of them, paid, and bid farewell to the cashier before bidding farewell to Dinohlr Town.
He headed to the tram station. There was an ovoid woman standing behind the counter. She had a joyous expression on her face as she greeted Riley. "How may I help you today? Lookin' for a ride?"
Riley nodded as he was, indeed, looking for a ride up to Eclisse City.
"You're that kid!" the woman behind the service counter gasped. "You helped that girl when she almost got her Pokemon stolen, and on top of that you partook in a Pokemon Contest with Elric and Polleniah, two of the most well-known people in Chinocko!"
Riley blushed. He was obtaining a following.
"Here's your ticket," smiled the woman, handing Riley his ticket. "The next tram shuttle should be here shortly, kid."
The ride was short and calm, and the staff member who was inside the tram with Riley kept bringing up conversation with him.
"I used to work in the Unova region. There's a town called Nimbasa City. I worked at the theme park there. But then I realized there was a way cooler theme park in Eclisse City, so I just had to move here and work here!" The girl, in her twenties likely, sighed, adjusting the skirt of her uniform. "Then I realized how much I miss the sights of being in a shelter high above the ground here, so I moved in to Dinohlr Town so I could work here. Nothing compares to the feeling of flying, but knowing you're safe."
She started blushing, "I'm sorry, I got carried away talking about myself. We're here."
Riley waved goodbye after giving a mild tip to the friendly staff member. Right through the tram station on the top of the mountain was the amusement park. Riley thought he'd give a ride or two a try before his gym challenge.
Thankfully for him, the lines were pretty short today for most of the rides. He pulled the bar over his thighs, jumping in his seat. He managed to get the first seat on the train, and he was-
Off, apparently! The coaster attached itself to a chain that pulled it slowly, agonizingly up its track. It was at its peak when Riley got his first great look at the Eclipse Mall. The Eclipse Mall was the biggest shopping attraction in Chinocko, and one of the biggest in the world. He gazed at it, and time seemed to slow as he took in the beautiful sight.
Its exterior design was clearly inspired by castle architecture that would look right at home in the Kalos region. Except it was spilling out lights of every imaginable pastel-bright colour possible. It blended well with the amusement park's futuristic design and its endless lights. Above the mall was the gigantic moon, leaving its glow as a silhouette around the colossal mall.
The main entrance was no less than extravagant. The mall boasted an Ice Rink, Pokemon Centre, numerous hotels, stores in the hundreds, Eclisse City's unique fashion store, Moonlit Looks, a swimming pool, a huge PokeMart, a cafe, and even a Pokemon Contest Shop. There was even more that Riley couldn't remember reading about on the newspaper ads.
Nope! That was all Riley got before he was sent flying downwards in his seat. The momentum from the huge drop lasted the coaster almost its entire track's length, and it almost never slowed down. Riley was mesmerized by how the coaster incorporated the design of the terrifying Coffagrigus into its aesthetic.
The train pulled up to its end, and Riley got off, amazed. He wanted to go on another ride, but it was Gym Battle time! as Lilly had said!
He approached the location that Derreck had given him. It was a towering skyscraper that looked to have a penthouse at the very top. It had a horizontally-large building at its base to support the tower. Riley walked inside, curious to see what awaited him.
"Going to Derreck's Gym?" asked a teenage guy standing next to the elevator. Riley responded with his usual nod. "Alright, I've got it for you." The boy typed a code onto the touch-screen on the wall next to the elevator doors. "Right inside, sir."
Riley stepped into the elevator, excited to see what Derreck had done with his gym. He walked out onto the gym floor. The walls were painted dark-grey, and there was plenty of modern furniture in the room. There was a desk overlooking Eclisse City, and Derreck was sitting on it, as opposed to his expensive-looking chair.
At first, Riley didn't realize what this design had to do with Dark-type Pokemon, but he was sure Derreck had an explanation. And he did. When he heard Riley take a handful of steps towards his desk, he flipped up a glass box that was encasing a button that was black and had the Moon Badge's design painted stylistically on it.
The light from the moon outside stopped brightening the dark room as a metal wall slammed in front of the window. On it were two lights, in the shape of intimidating eyes like those belonging to a terrifying Pokemon like Gengar or Pangoro.
The office went completely pitch black, save for the intimidating red glow of the eyes on the wall. A dim spotlight flickered, making visible a Trainer standing in the middle of the PokeBall-designed rug in the center of the room. Gah! Riley gasped. He wasn't standing there before! How did he even get there!?
The Trainer had a black outfit that covered most of his body except his face. His hair was blonde, and he wore around his neck a thick black scarf that covered his jaw, mouth, and nose, and flowed behind him, which should have been impossible for the lack of breeze in the chilly room.
"You have fought much to make it this far, young one," the Ninja claimed calmly. "But I shall be one of your last trials before fighting for the Moon Badge." He held two fingers from each hand in front of his forehead and lifted his right leg, standing on his left leg like a flamingo. Maintaining that stance, he threw a PokeBall onto the PokeBall rug as if throwing a shuriken.