Chapter Thirty-nine: Sights

Fighting For Everything

After a long day of flying, and a quick stop in Veilstone, we finally arrived in Sunyshore. We landed on the 'outer shore,' as Volkner called it, and spent some time on the beach. It was getting somewhat close to sunset time, so the sky took on an orange-and-blue state. The waves were unreal. The sapphire-like color, the green sea foam, and the creamy sand all mixed together for a beautiful sight. I kicked my shoes off and let my toes soak in the sand. It was so relaxing and calming.

I got very engrossed in the sight. The sound was hypnotizing; it put you in a different place in your mind. Volkner didn't really seem too engrossed, he actually seemed bored. But he stood there with me anyways. I finally realized I was too focused, and snapped out of it. We started walking towards the town.

And it was a sight to see. It looked so much like a Golden City. Tall buildings, lights everywhere, and it was a two-story town. That may seem illogical, but it was the truth. There were staircases that led up to glass walkways. There were buildings and houses set up there. The first level was filled with tall buildings and important building, the Center, Mart and lighthouse. But where most of the houses were located was towards the far side of town, where the mountain met the city. There were multiple rock levels, and quaint houses spotted it.

The only difference from a Golden City was the fact weird-haired freaks didn't roam around. And there was a sense of freshness and hominess. It was spectacular. The waves and beaches, along with the mountain, surrounded the town perfectly. I already didn't want to leave.

"This is amazing." I gaped.

"Meh, you get used to it." Volkner shrugged. "Want to see my place?" He smirked.

"Sure, I'd love to see the gym." Getting a feel for the battle arena made me a tad less nervous.

We began walking throughout the city. We came to the walkways and went up to the second level. The view was just as amazing. I kept making comments until Volkner was really annoyed. I shut my mouth then. Actually, I continued making comments, except more dramatically. Until we stopped walking and he said "Want me to walk off this glass walkway to my plummeting death?" And then I shut my mouth.

Soon, we came to the gym. It was yellow and black…And huge. We walked in. The floor was black with yellow paint, the walls were grey with beams lining the walls. The beams were glass. "Watch this." Volkner said. "Go Raichu." He released his Pokémon. "Thunderbolt." Raichu used Thunderbolt on a giant coil on the ceiling. Electricity sprung out and danced through the glass beams. It was really cool.

"That's just amazing. Everything here is." I looked around at the beams. It was like magic, maybe better.

"My apartment is upstairs, it's practically empty. I don't spend anytime up there. The only thing is, I don't have much space for an extra person."

"It's alright, I'd rather stay at the Center anyways."

"So when do you want to battle?" He asked.

"Tomorrow, maybe. I want to get a good bit of training done." I answered.

He nodded. "I have to admit, I'm excited about our battle." His smirk grew, and then fell. "But not excited about you facing Lea." Me either, Volky.

"I know." I said. "But I'll train for a while until I face him. It's not like there's a huge rush, the attacks have been put on hold, the camera crews haven't faced me in a good while, I just need to be physically and mentally ready."

"True, but how will you know when you're ready?"

I thought for a moment. "No idea. But how does anyone know they're ready? They just…Know."

"So that's what you're relying on? Just knowing?" He was aggravated, and I knew it was because he was worried about me.

"That's right."

He made a face then sighed. "Miss Cynthia, you confuse the crap out of me."

I laughed. "Yeah I know, and you confuse me a bit too."

He smirked. "Maybe that's a good thing."

"Maybe it means you're a dork."

"Well maybe…" He frowned. Then chuckled. "Maybe it means you're a dork."

"Nice comeback, sir."

"Anytime."

We laughed. "I better get settled in the Center and find some dinner. Any recommendations?" I smirked.

"Doesn't matter, just stay away from the marketplace."

I cocked my head. "Why? I want food, the marketplace seems like a good place for that."

"The marketplace is also the black market, if you talk to the wrong people it could get you in trouble. Stick to the Mart, they have good tropical food. I could go with you, if you'd like."

"No, I think I can do this on my own." He nodded, and I said my goodbye and left. I didn't want him constantly tagging along with me, I'd be leaving in the next week or so for the League, and I didn't want to 'lead him on' so much. I decided against flat-out breaking it to him that we can't even be friends, and decided to slowly ease out of it. I was going with my gut, or my heart…Something around that general area. And this seemed right. So I was going to follow it.

I went back down to the first level and headed to the Mart nearby. I bought a few berries and happily ate them. Volkner was right, they were tropical. It was a nice change.

After, I went to the Center, got my room, which was an ocean view, popped the window open and curled up in bed; listening to the soft sounds of the waves.

"Do it now!" I yelled. Roserade swung her arm back and slammed it into Gabite. She fell to the ground. Her chest turned a purple color and she threw up purple. That's what I wanted. "Great job Roserade." I was trying to teach her to use her own weapons, her arms, instead of waiting for me to command her. She was the worst of that. When I started teaching Gabite that, she happily started adding things to attack. Lucario was just a bit awkward when she attacked, it took her a few hits to loosen up. Once she did, she was deadly.

Roserade was fast and flexible, she could dodge pretty good. And now with trying to make her even more powerful, she should be one of my best Pokémon. Milotic was tough, but she wasn't a dodger. She might have come from contests, which meant she somewhat believe in 'waiting your turn.' Waiting your turn is a rule for every battle, but gym battles, you're allowed to sneak in a double hit. Or a triple hit, if you could pull it off. In beginner battles, you had to wait your turn, and so did you in contests. Togekiss was ready for battling now, he was a great fighter. He didn't give up easily. But with double-hits? Not his strong point. He's not a very good thinker to do things on his own, either. Spiritomb was a wicked fighter, she didn't mind the 'improvise' lesson I taught.

Nevertheless, my Pokémon were tough. I had no worries about being able to beat Volkner. The Elite Four? Yes. Lea? Oh yes.

I smiled at Roserade. I had returned Gabite, hoping to get her out of her agony from Toxic Touch. "Great job, my Grass Type." I returned her and started back for the city. I had walked about a half an hour away from the place to find a good training spot. I found many on the way, but it wasn't far enough away. Really, I didn't want a certain blue-eyed Electric Type trainer to be able to find me, he already knows my battle style, I didn't want him to know anything else.

Soon I was walking on the outer beach. It was so bright outside it was crazy. That's one reason I woke up so early this morning; the bright light at sunrise. I had probably been training for five hours or so, it was a good session.

Once I made it back to the city I was instantly relaxed. I headed to the mart for an early lunch, and then to the Center to heal my Pokémon. Today was going to be spent training. I needed my Pokémon at their absolute best. Not only to beat Volkner, but for the Elites. For Lea. For everything.

The next morning I woke up the same: Early. Some might complain over this, but I liked waking up early. I showered, put on fresh clothes, had breakfast and went out to the beach. I wanted to relax some before I trained and challenged the gym. Yesterday, all I did was train. My Pokémon hated me by the time we went to bed. But it was needed. Gabite was so close to evolving, so close. I needed to get her there.

I sat down on the sand, close enough so the water and roll up and touch my feet. It was so wonderful out there, I wondered why Volkner didn't care for it. Maybe some people feel this way about forests or mountains, but the people who live there are used to it. I don't know how anyone could get used to this, though. You can get used to a big mountain, a grouping of trees, even cold white stuff covering everything, but not this. Not this.

I sighed and lay back. A few Flying Type's filled the skies, other than that it was empty. Not a cloud anywhere. I smiled. This was nice.

Unfortunately, I couldn't let myself focus on this for too much longer, so I stood up. I started my walk out to my training spot. Once I got there, I released Gabite.

"Alright Gabite, we're going to get you to evolve today." She growled. Even though she didn't growl at me anymore, growling was her favorite thing to do. Possibly favorite thing ever. I released Lucario. "I'm going to command only Lucario. Gabite, it's all you. Give it your all."

They readied themselves. Lucario held out her palm, that was her battle pose. Gabite just stood there growling…Yeah, she didn't have the best pose. "Bone Rush." Lucario quickly leapt towards Gabite, calling her bone to her hand, and knocked it across Gabite's head. She growled and hissed, and tackled Lucario to the ground. Don't let Gabite double-hit! "Force Palm." Lucario shoved her hand on Gabite's chest, pushing her off of her. Lucario jumped up and ran towards Gabite. "Bone Rush again." Lucario listened, she slammed the 'bone' on Gabite. Gabite lunged towards Lucario and sliced a glowing claw down her stomach. Then, she spewed Dragon magic and knocked Lucario to the floor. Lucario didn't stay down, though.

"Metal Claw." I commanded. Lucario's paw morphed into a steel claw, she lunged in, but didn't attack. This scared Gabite, so she jumped into the air. Lucario used her other arm to knock Gabite to the ground, and then use Metal Claw. It was a critical hit. Gabite didn't have much left.

Gabite went back to her feet. She hissed and waited for Lucario to strike, I wasn't going to command because I knew Gabite was planning something, but Lucario fell for it. She jumped towards her to attack, but Gabite jumped towards her, too. They slammed into each other, and Lucario flew backwards and hit the dirt hard. Gabite happily landed back on her feet, not harmed.

Then, light surrounded her. It engrossed her. I could see that she was taking on a new form; her last form. When the light subsided, I smiled at my Pokémon. "Garchomp."

I faced the large building. A crowd of people stood in front of it, cheering me on. A cameraman stood there with his camera pointed straight at me, and I suspected there were more inside. What would I expect from Jubilife? They needed to catch everything important. And my last gym was important. Wasn't it? I had two thought going through my head. Number one, it wasn't as important as I was thinking it was. I should've just turned around and walked away. Go home. My second thought, this is really important, I love battling, let's put Lea on his knees. I followed the second.

I took a deep breath and walked into the building. There were more crowds and a cameraman who met me at the door. I showed no fear. I knew Lea would be watching this. Even though I had mixed feelings about Mister Lea, I wasn't going to let him know that. Unless he was actually visiting me in my dreams and was the presence that haunted me and actually knew my deepest thoughts. Then that made everything more confusing. And I didn't need more confusing. So naturally, I pushed that thought away.

I made my way to the battlefield. Volkner stood at his place. He smirked at me when our eyes met, but otherwise he actually seemed…Sad. He always seemed sad, so I didn't look into it. I stood at my side of the field, him at his. I started to feel a bit intimidated. For the right reasons, though. One, he was a tough competitor. Two, he knew all my Pokémon, and I only knew one of his. Three, he knew my battle style, I didn't know his. And four, he was pretty intimidating anyways.

Volkner started walking to the middle of the field. I hesitated, then did the same. I was a bit confused. We met in the middle. "Hello, Cynthia." He said. Where was the 'Miss' before my name? What? He reached out his hand. "I'm Volkner, nice to meet you."

Then it made sense. All these people didn't know we actually had spent the past however long together. I smiled. "Nice to meet you too." I shook his hand. "Ready to lose?" My smile morphed into a grin.

His smirk grew into a…Bigger smirk. He wasn't necessarily one for smiles. "Not today." He winked and walked back to his side. As if I was supposed to know what that meant. I walked back to my place, faced him, and readied myself. You can do this. You've got this, you have the type advantage. You mostly have the power advantage. You just have to pull through and get the strategy advantage.

He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt. "Jolteon, go." The yellow Electric Type Pokémon came out. He growled and his skin rippled with electricity.

I decided to start with the obvious choice, Lucario. "Lucario, start us off well!" My Pokémon materialized and got into the battle stance. It wasn't as neat as rippling skin, but…It was something.

"Use Thunder." Volkner commanded. Jolteon focused and electricity busted out if him. It zapped over to Lucario and hit her. "Thunder Fang." Before the first move was over, Jolteon rushed over to my Pokémon. Then just as he approached, Thunder stopped and he lunged in and bit Lucario. She howled and pushed the Electric Type off her.

"Bone Rush." Instantly Lucario had the 'bone' in her hand. She whipped it around and knocked Jolteon with it. She pushed him a few feet to the side, almost meeting the end of the field. "Force Palm." I decided to get a double-hit in. Lucario ran to the foe and punched his chest. Jolteon was thrust into the air.

"Thunder." Jolteon shot electricity at my Pokémon. Lucario fell to the ground, but quickly recovered.

"Bone Rush." When the rival fell back to the ground, Lucario jumped up and slammed back down on him. Jolteon hissed and squirmed underneath her. She punched Jolteon's face and then leapt up.

"Discharge." Volkner shouted. Jolteon shot more static electricity towards Lucario. She easy avoided the attack by leaping into the air.

"Bone Rush!" I took the opportunity. She landed then sprinted to the foe. She hit him with the bone, sending him flying backwards and landed somewhere behind Volkner in a crowd of people. It was either a critical hit, or Jolteon was just too weak to use any defense. The crowd formed around the fallen Pokémon, and Volkner returned him. He looked unfazed, like he was used to seeing his Pokémon go down. This was a bit perplexing in its own sense.

He switched out Pokéballs. "Raichu." His trusty Electric type was released.

"Metal Claw!" I yelled. Lucario swiftly met the foe. She swiped her claws across Raichu's stomach, leaving red lines in their tracks. Raichu hissed and pushed Lucario backwards.

"Quick Attack." Volkner commanded. Raichu quickly tackled Lucario, they fell to the ground. "Charge Beam!" Electricity exploded out of Raichu and Lucario cringed. She threw the Pokémon off of her and jumped up.

"Force Palm." She continued forward and punched Raichu. He was thrust out of the battle zone, the crowd around were both excited and shocked at the sight. They clapped for me, and I grinned. Raichu jumped up and started sprinting towards my Pokémon.

"Quick Attack." Volkner called. Raichu obeyed, and the two Pokémon met the ground. Lucario coughed and used Force Palm and pushed the opponent off of her. She rolled on her stomach and pushed herself up. When she did this she looked very human-like. But when she roared, that quality went away.

"Bone Rush." I commanded. Raichu started to charge at my Pokémon, but she lifted her paw into the air, and the energy bone appeared. Lucario waited for just a second as the rival approached, and then she whipped the bone around and knocked Raichu to the floor.

"Get up!" Volkner shouted. He wasn't vindictively yelling this, more like he was worried I would take the upper hand. "Focus Blast!" Raichu got back up. He put his paws together, and a light sphere started to form. The sphere grew and then shot towards Lucario.

"Dodge it," I tried, but the blast hit Lucario. She fell to the ground, her eyes rolling back in her head. I returned her and contemplated my next Pokémon. I decided to go with Roserade, she had been on her game a lot recently. "Roserade, let's go!" She came out and twirled around. The crowd cheered and chanted mine and Volkner's names. I looked to my right, a cameraman stood there with the camera pointed right on me. I focused forward and back on the battle. I met a pair of blue eyes from across the field. He was staring me down. I couldn't read him from across the way, but I got the feeling he wasn't exactly happy. But what did I expect?

"Raichu, Charge Beam." Roserade covered her face with her flower hands, but she still took a good hit.

"Magical Leaf." I commanded. Colored leaves spun around Rosrade, then they swarmed over to the foe and attacked. Raichu fell to the ground and hissed. He got back up and showed his teeth.

"Quick Attack!" Volkner yelled. Raichu tackled Roserade, she squirmed underneath him. She escaped him quickly and jumped backwards.

"Mega Drain." Roserade focused, and then started sucking the energy out of the opponent. She breathed in, and when she breathed in, Raichu fell to the floor and curled up in a ball. He cried out, and then stopped. And so did Roserade, she had finished him off. I slightly smiled. The crowd roared.

Volkner returned Raichu and grabbed his next Pokéball. "Luxray, go!" The blue feline came out and roared. The roar was weak, but the Pokémon was very built.

"Magical Leaf." Roserade used the move perfectly, Luxray slumped to the floor. He quickly got back up and looked at his trainer.

"Thunder Fang." Luxray lunged toward my Pokémon, mouth agape and showing electricity bouncing about. He chomped down. Roserade screamed. She always was dramatic. "Ice Fang." Luxray kept his jaw locked on Roserade's neck, but when Roserade screeched louder, you could tell something changed.

"Roserade, come on, fight him off!" She pushed him off and changed the table completely, she was on top of him. "Mega Drain." She breathed in, he cried out.

"Crunch!" Luxray threw her on the ground again, and re-sunk his teeth into my Pokémon. She responded better by calling Magical Leaf and fighting him off. This was one of those times where I actually didn't mind my Pokémon using their moves without my consult. Roserade stood in front of me, and Luxray took his place in front of Volkner. It was like we were starting over, which wasn't a bad idea anyways.

"Magical Leaf!" I shouted. Roserade used the move, and Luxray avoided only some of the hits.

"Fire Fang." That wasn't good. Luxray, with flames spilling out of his mouth, met Roserade and bit her arm. The flames ate up her flower body, she fell to the ground and fainted. I frowned and returned her.

"Garchomp, win for me!" My trusty Dragon Type came out with a growl. I was ready to take this battle home.

"Ice Fang!" Luxray started to sprint.

"Dig!" Garchomp jammed her body under the cement floor. How she managed to do that…I will never know. Then, she shot up out of the ground, right under Luxray, and sent him flying into the air. He slammed back down on the ground, with one last huff, he fainted.

Now, the battlefield was disheveled, and Volkner was down to his last Pokémon. I took a deep breath. My heart picked up. Final Gym battle. Final Gym battle. I was more than ready.

"Go, Electivire." The big yellow and black Pokémon came out.

"Dragon Rage." Garchomp blew blue energy at the rival. He roared and started towards my Pokémon.

"Fire Punch." He made his hand into a fist, and then it erupted in flames. He swung his arm up and punched Garchomp. She stumbled backwards then growled.

"Dragon Claw!" Her hand lit up and she sliced her claw across the foes body.

"Electivire, use Quick Attack." The Pokémon tackled Garchomp. She quickly pushed him away and returned to her face. She spewed blue stuff, using Dragon Rage. I wasn't complaining.

"Dig!" She made another hole in the ground. My eyes cut to Volkner, he seemed unfazed about this. Garchomp shot up and knocked the rival down. Electivire roared and tripped Garchomp, she smacked the ground. She let out a big dragons roar and got back up. Electivire got up at the same time, and they stared each other down.

"Fire Punch!" Volkner yelled. The opponent punched Garchomp in the stomach. She doubled-over. "Giga Impact!" Electivire started to glow. Then, he tackled Garchomp and pushed her to the ground. She grimaced at the impact, but the Dragon Clawed down his chest, and he jumped away. She got on her feet, not as quickly as she had been, and looked at me.

"Dig." I commanded. I hoped that would be the end. She jumped into one of the holes, and we waited. We waited for a long while. Sinnoh, what's going on? Electivire started sending electricity down every hole. I knew that wouldn't effect Garchomp, but I thought that would at least scare her out. It didn't. "Garchomp?" I called. I looked at Volkner. He shrugged and looked just as confused as I did. Electivire became restless. He ran around, roaring, electricity bouncing off of him.

Then, Garchomp exploded from the ground. She came right form under him, bringing all the dirt and cement with her. It knocked the foe to the ground in one big bang, and he was out for the count. I grinned. Everything went in slow motion. Garchomp looked at me and nodded, Volkner staying back as a crowd of people circled me, along with a few cameramen. A Jubilife News reporter shoved a microphone in my face and asked me questions like "How are you feeling? Are you excited about the League? Are you going to continue? What's Next?" I normally would have flipped out at these questions, but I kept calm. I answered things with no sweat, and soaked in my victory. I looked across the field for Volkner, he had a cameraman and fan club around him, too.

So, what's next, now? I had answered the question nonchalantly, as I should have, but the question did itch in my mind. The answer that popped into my head was to move onto the next step, The Elites. It would take a while of training, but I would get to that point. I would face Lea.

I would keep fighting for everything.

Authors Note: Whoo! Yeah! Thirty-nine chapters later, we're done with the gyms! Who's ready for the final chapters?! Mmmhhmm. Yeah. Eat up that good juicy lamb chop.

...Sorry you had to read that. Moving on.

Hah, I bet I confused you all with that 'dream' last chapter! Was it a nightmare? Vision? OR REALITY?! What are yalls theories? Hmmm? Well, you're wrong. Hehe. Here's a hint: It has to do with Pokémon. Crazy, right?

Alright I'm done with that. Sorry for the delay, but I have a hot date with two hotdogs, or I would yap some more. Leave a pretty little review while you're at it.

Thanks for reading!