It's Our Destiny

Chapter 4:

The smoke was thick in the air. Dan and Phil both held their breath, but not because of the suffocating dust. Who had won? Had Phil managed to knock out Brock's last Pokémon, or had Brock proven to be a strong gym leader and ripped away Phil's victory?

Eventually, the smoke cleared, revealing both Pokémon were still standing. Gardevoir and Kabutops were breathing heavily. Both were injured and doing their best to stay standing for their trainers. Then, Kabutops' knees gave out, and the prehistoric Pokémon fell the ground. All three men gasped.

Brock sighed in defeat, "Kabutops, return." Brock looked up and smiled, "Congratulations, Phil. You won."

Phil stood with wide eyes. He turned to face Dan, his mouth still open in shock. "I won."

Dan's look of shock turned to sheer joy, "You won!"

Now Phil was smiling widely like Dan. "I won!" Phil couldn't resist, and he embraced Dan. Dan hugged him back, grinning ear to ear.

"What?" shouted a voice. Dan and Phil looked to see the same man from before. He just wouldn't go away. However, his friends weren't with him this time. "You can't give a badge to someone like him! He's a contest fag!"

Brock's look of neutrality changed immediately to a very angry and defensive expression. "He won fair and square. Not to mention he did better than you. You couldn't beat me in a level two match. Not to mention you only have one badge. Phil beat me at a level four battle. So if I were you I'd leave while you still have the smallest amount of dignity, Lesley."

Dan and Phil burst out laughing. Dan could have lost his balance. "Lesley? No wonder you've got so many issues!"

Lesley stormed out of the gym. Phil turned to Brock and tried to catch his breath. "Thank you, mate. I appreciate it."

"Sheesh! He looked so wounded; it was great!" exclaimed Dan. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

Brock shrugged, "Probably not, but it's my word against his."

"Fuck yes."

"So, are you ready for your battle, Dan?" asked Brock. Dan's smile faded. He felt scared and nervous after watching Brock almost defeat Phil. "You can take some time to gather your thoughts. Until then," Brock walked across the field and approached Phil. "It is my privilege to present you with the boulder badge." Brock held out a silver badge in the shape of an octagon.

Phil took the badge from Brock. He stared at it in awe. "Thank you so much."

"Also," Brock handed him a case to hold badges. "I assume you'll be needing this."

"Oh, I doubt I'll try my hand at gym battles again."

Brock placed the case in Phil's hands. "Don't kid yourself. You're talented."

"He's right," said Dan speaking up. "You're a strong, talented trainer, Phil."

Phil blushed. "Well, thank you."

"I'm ready to battle whenever you are. I'll be at my side of the field," said Brock. He walked away and took his spot on the field.

Dan took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You just made me do it!" exclaimed Phil.

"I mean win! How am I going to win?"

"He'll use weaker Pokémon for one thing, and also," Phil's voice fell into a whisper. "Your Charmander has been learning metal claw, which is super effective against rock Pokémon.

"What?" asked Dan also lowering his voice.

Phil nodded his head, "Yeah. I saw it. When you had it use scratch on Nidoran, its claws lit up like a metal claw. I think you can win with that combined with double kick."

"…Okay." Dan raised his voice, "I'm ready."

"Please join me over here so I can select my Pokémon," said Brock. Dan and Phil stood by Brock next to the slots filled with poke'balls. "Have you ever competed in a League or Grand Festival?"

"No," answered Dan.

"How many badges do you have?"

"None."

"Have you ever battled against a gym leader before?"

"No."

"Lastly, how many Pokémon do you have?"

"Two."

"Thank you." Brock opened up the slot labeled "one" and chose two Pokémon.

Dan and Brock took their positions on the field. Phil stood close to Dan, just like Dan had done for him. Brock spoke up. "This battle is between I, Brock, the gym leader, and Dan, the Pokémon trainer. We will each use two Pokémon. You may switch out as much as you like. The first person with no remaining Pokémon will lose. The challenger may not take any assistance from audience members, with the exception of poke'dex information. There will be no time limit. I will choose my Pokémon first. Let the battle begin." Brock threw a poke'ball out onto the battle field. "Go! Geodude!"

A Pokémon shaped like a large rock with two arms took its stance on the battle grounds. Dan scanned it with his poke'dex.

"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude has incredibly high defensive power, making it virtually resistant to any physical attacks."

"Well that's not good," said Dan. He grabbed Nidoran's poke'ball and held it tightly. "Here's hoping for beginners luck. Go! Nidoran!" Dan threw his poke'ball, and his tiny, purple companion came out of the ball.

"Geodude use tackle!" shouted Brock.

"Double kick!" commanded Dan.

As Geodude attempted to slam its body into Nidoran, Nidoran kicked its hind legs up and proceeded to alternate between feet, harshly kicking Geodude over and over. Geodude fell to the ground and was unable to get up. "Geodude, return," said Brock.

Dan felt confident, but then extremely nervous. That was almost too easy.

"Onix! Go!" Brock threw his poke'ball, and from it emerged a giant poke'mon. It was made of boulders that took the shape of a snake.

Both Dan and Phil took a step back in fear. Nidoran was petrified. Dan turned to Phil, "I'm fucked aren't I?"

"It's possible, mate," replied Phil.

"Onix use bide!" ordered Brock. Onix began storing up energy.

Phil took another step backwards. "Just remember it may be big but it's a low level!"

"Right," agreed Dan. "Nidoran use double kick!" Nidoran charged Onix and used its double kick attack. Onix did nothing but take the hit. "Again!" Kick after kick, Onix just continued to sit still. Then, a burst of white energy blasted from Onix's mouth and hit Nidoran dead on. Nidoran was sprawled out on the ground, knocked out. "Shit! Nidoran! Return, you did well." Nidoran was sucked back into the poke'ball.

"I feel it's only fair to tell you that bide is move that takes all the damage dealt, and deals it back twice as badly," informed Brock.

Dan gasped quietly. How much damage had Nidoran taken from that hit? No wonder it was knocked out. "Oh my god."

"You can still win this, Dan! Charmander is stronger than your Nidoran," encouraged Phil.

Dan smiled at Phil, "Thank you." He turned back to the field and held Charmander's poke'ball in his hand. "Go! Charmander!" Charmander landed on the field and looked up at its opponent. It was instantly scared and looked back at Dan. "You can do it Charmander!"

"Onix use tackle!" commanded Brock.

"Dodge it!"

Onix attempted to slam into Charmander, but luckily Charmander was able to move away in time.

"Metal claw!" ordered Dan. Charmander went to use a metal claw attack, but it only succeeded at using scratch. "Oh, shit!"

"Onix use bind!"

Onix wrapped its body around Charmander and began to squeeze it. Charmander cried out in pain, wiggling its arms around, trying to pry itself out.

"Charmander!" yelled Dan in horror. What was he going to do? "Try using metal claw!" Charmander scratched at Onix over and over, only managing a scratch attack, which was doing almost nothing. "Come on!" Charmander was getting weaker. "You can do this, Charmander!" Charmander tried one more time, and this time, its claws lit up white. Onix let out a cry of pain.

"Onix!" yelled Brock.

"Alright! Metal claw again!" Charmander attacked with its metal claw, and Onix dropped the lizard Pokémon.

"Onix tackle!"

"Dodge it!" Charmander dodged the tackle attack with ease. A new found confidence was making Charmander battle even better. "Metal claw!" Charmander used its attack, and hit Onix on a weak point. Onix crashed into the ground, making the arena shake a bit.

Silence fell over the room. The dust cleared, and Onix was passed out on the ground. Brock returned Onix to its poke'ball. "Well done, Onix. Congratulations, Dan."

"I won…" said Dan astonished. "I won!" This time it was Dan that couldn't help himself, and he hugged Phil tightly.

Phil embraced Dan and felt like his heart could burst. "You won! We both won!"

"I can't believe it!" Dan tightened his grip on Phil. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about Phil's embrace that made the victory more special. After a moment, Dan and Phil parted and turned to face Brock.

Brock held out a badge that was identical to the one Phil possessed, and he placed it in Dan's hands. "Well done, Dan. You may be new at training Pokémon, but you're doing well. I have faith that you'll grow to be a very talented trainer." He handed Dan a case for his badges.

"Thank you so much," replied Dan as he placed his badge in the case. He held his case open, and Phil held his own. Side by side were their badges, their first accomplishments as Pokémon trainers. "I can't believe this." Dan looked up and smiled endearingly at Phil. "Thank you, Phil. I couldn't have done this without your help and encouragement."

"Oh it was no problem," replied Phil with slight blush dusting his cheeks. "If anything I owe you my thanks. I'm a coordinator, but I have a badge now. Maybe that'll mean something eventually."

"It's people like you two that might be able to stop all this fighting," observed Brock. "In fact, Dan, you might want to compete in a contest."

Dan laughed for a moment, and then realized Brock wasn't laughing too. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Deadly. Phil battled here; I think it's only fair. Who knows, you might discover you like it."

Dan bit his lip and pondered the idea. He barely beat Brock. How would he compete against skilled coordinators? He'd make a fool of himself. "I guess it's only fair," he said, still very unsure of himself.

"I wish you both the best of luck for every challenge you face."

"Thank you," said Phil.

"Yes, thank you," repeated Dan.

Brock put his hands in his pockets and began to walk back to his seat across the arena. "I'll be watching the contest on TV. I better see you there Dan!" he shouted to make sure he was heard.

Dan sighed, "You will!"

Dan and Phil were back at the Pokémon center. They were sat on a sofa in the lobby waiting for their Pokémon to be healed. Phil began to explain how contests worked in more detail.

"The preliminary round is all about beauty. You want to use a routine, like the one I performed, to show off how beautiful your Pokémon is. If you score high enough, you'll make it to round two, and that's where things get tricky." Phil held up a magazine called "Coordinator Weekly" and showed Dan a page that had a picture of a contest battle taking place. Two Pokémon were battling, but their style showcased beauty alongside strength.

"Contest battles are based on points. You both start with a full bar that you see here," Phil pointed to a yellow bar beneath a coordinators picture and name on a screen. "When you land an attack, or dodge while showcasing beauty, basically when you do anything to one-up your opponent, they lose points, and vice versa. There's a five minute time limit. If you lose all your points, or your Pokémon is unable to battle, you lose. If the time runs out, whoever the most points wins."

Dan took the magazine from Phil's hands and laid down the sofa, his feet hanging off the edge so that they wouldn't be on Phil's lap. He flipped through the magazine, studying everything that was happening in the pictures, and reading the articles that focused on tips and tricks for being a skilled coordinator. "What are these things?" he asked pointing to colorful blocks surrounded by various berries.

"Oh! Those are poke'block," said Phil with slight excitement in his voice. Dan looked at him with a very confused expression. "Sorry, I love making poke'block. It's really fun. Basically you collect berries, and you make these square shaped treats for Pokémon. I feed my Vivillon lots of blue poke'block, which is why her wings are super shiny."

"Oh, that makes sense. Will I need to do this to enter the contest?" asked Dan feeling more intrigued.

"I would recommend it. I can show you how to make poke'block, and help you make some good ones to give to whichever Pokémon you decide to compete with."

Dan leaned his head back onto the sofa, and he held the magazine in the air so he could continue scanning through information. "Which Pokémon should I compete with? Neither of them are exactly 'beautiful.'"

"They don't have to be to win. It's all about showcasing them. Remember how I used the seal on my poke'ball to make the glittery flowers appear?" Dean simply looked at Phil as if to say yes. "You can do that. Work with the seal and show off. I'd suggest competing with Charmander. Since there is battling in the second round, you'd be better off using him since he's stronger."

"That's a good idea," Dan agreed. "I'll go with that. Where do I get seals and stuff? And don't you have some weird blue casing around your poke'ball?"

Phil took a poke'ball and blue casing out of his bag. He snapped the plastic around the poke'ball and showed it to Dan. "It's called a ball capsule. They're free here at Pokémon centers. I can go grab you one if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that. I've assumed my browsing position and I can't be bothered to get up right now," said Dan as he snuggled down into the couch even more. Phil laughed as he got up and walked over to the front desk.

Dan continued flipping through coordinator weekly. He eventually found a section that featured up and rising coordinators. The coordinators posed for pictures, and had a small article about their success. It never occurred to Dan that coordinators were famous, but why only some of them? Some of the coordinators featured hadn't even won a Grand Festival yet.

"Phil?" started Dan when he noticed Phil making his way back over. Phil's eyebrows rose expectantly. "How come these people are featured in Coordinator Weekly? I mean some of them haven't even won a Grand Festival. Hell, for trainers, to be even recognized as a breathing human you have to win a league."

Phil sat down and handed Dan a ball capsule. "One ball capsule as promised. To answer your question, contests are all about beauty. Notice that every person featured is usually pretty hot."

"So it's just about pretty faces?" asked Dan feeling a bit more skeptical. He took a closer look at all the featured coordinators and realized that they all were indeed very attractive.

"No, I mean they're all talented, but what you have to remember is that contests are televised. Gym battles are a more private event. That's why trainers aren't really seen by the media until they compete in Pokemon League Championships. You can enter one contest, and if the media thinks you're worth it, they'll put a lot into getting your name out there."

Dan set the magazine down and tried to understand the purpose. "But why would they do that? Coordinators that are famous don't get anything but their personal lives invaded."

"Not true. Some end up on talk shows, some endorse contest products and get money for it, and some even go on to star in movies." Phil sighed. "Personally I'd love to be recognized as a coordinator, but I'm just too shy. I was asked to do a quick interview and I practically ran the other way."

At that point, Dan sat up and looked at Phil, his expression calm but serious. "You shouldn't be shy. You have so much talent and more people should see that."

Phil chuckled, "I think you're being a bit too kind."

"No, I'm serious. If you can get the media's attention, then you could say you've won a badge. Maybe then trainers will see that coordinators are just as strong and stop being such dicks to you guys."

"I never thought of that…" Phil trailed off as he thought deeper about the scenario.

Dan held up Coordinator Weekly, "Because from what I'm seeing, a lot of famous coordinators are bashing trainers, and that's not going to help."

"I really wish they wouldn't do that. I wish everyone could just get along. Why is the fact that gyms are being renovated such a big deal? Yes, it's been setting things back a bit, and the gym leaders have had some days they can't battle, but that's not our personal fault."

"A lot of trainers are entitled pricks; I can agree with that. So maybe we can work to fix it. I think we should at least try."

"I think we should," said Phil with a small smile. Dan smiled back, having no idea how entranced he looked. Luckily for him, Phil didn't notice. The two just stayed that way for a moment, but Phil felt himself getting a little self-conscious and embarrassed, so he cleared his throat and turned his attention to the magazine. "So, uh, tomorrow I'll help you make some poke'block."

Dan cleared his throat as well, and immediately mentally slapped himself. Smooth. Moron. "Right, thanks. Um, where are we going to get berries though?"

"Every city that hosts contests has a community garden where they're grown. There's a limit of course, but it's really nice. All you have to do is a little work to help out and everything will be free."

Dan looked surprised, "Wow. That's actually a pretty cool system."

"Yeah! So, shall we go tomorrow?"

"I'd like that. Meet me here in the lobby saaaay…noon?"

"That gives me plenty of time to sleep in," observed Phil. "I'll see you then."

The sun was in the center of the sky, and Dan was sitting on the same sofa that he and Phil had been on the previous night. He was leaning back against the cushions as he read more issues of Coordinator Weekly. Every time he heard footsteps coming from the corridor leading to the rooms, he would look up to see if it was Phil. It wasn't long before he was kicking himself for that habit. You are getting way too excited over this. He's just a cool guy. Calm the fuck down. Despite this, when he heard steps again he looked up, and this time, a wide grin appeared on his face when he saw the familiar obsidian haired man walking his way.

"Hey," greeted Phi as he made his way over.

Dan stood up and set the magazine on the nearby table, "Hey."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Dan followed Phil out of the poke'mon center. They walked side by side with Phil leading the way to the garden. Dan walked with his hands in his pockets, trying to keep his eyes on the side walk in front of him instead of Phil. If he constantly stared at Phil, it would be pretty obvious. He tried focusing on how beautiful of a day it was. The sun was making the earth warm, and the light breeze was cooling the air to the perfect temperature. Dan glanced to his left and noticed how Phil's eyes seem to shimmer. Fucking stop.

After walking for a while, Dan and Phil arrived at the community garden. Dan had to admit, it was impressive. A large field was covered with fruitful bushes and trees. There was a large chalk board set up outside a small shed. The board had writing on it that said, "Oran berries need to be planted. Limit: 10 berries each."

"Okay, so all we have to do is plant a few berries to grow, and then we pick whatever we want," said Phil picking up the berries that were in a bucket next to the sign.

Dan and Phil spent the afternoon in the garden. There were a few coordinators around, and everyone was very kind. Dan made small talk with a few people that were going to be competing in the contest. When they found out he was a trainer interested in contests, they became ecstatic and began giving him pointers. Phil became quick friends with another coordinator that also had a Vivillon. They let their butterfly-like Pokémon out, and the two Pokémon enjoyed each other's company.

Phil held the ladder for Dan so he could climb up and pick ripe berries from the trees, and Dan did the same in return. Dan needed to climb higher than the ladder would allow, so he carefully maneuvered through the tree, and was thankful for his conversation with another coordinator, as it was keeping him distracted from the height.

Dan stood with another person as they watered the plants, and they discussed the preliminary rounds of contests. He listened carefully when given advice. Deep into the conversation, he was so focused on processing all the information that he didn't notice Phil sneaking up behind him with a hose. It was too late before he noticed, and Phil sprayed him in the face. Dan wiped his face and held up his own hose. "You twat!" he said with laughter.

It wasn't long before everyone in the garden was having a water war. Everyone was soaking wet after just a few minutes. They all decided to take a break and lay in the grass to dry off. Conversations buzzed around like Beedrill. Dan found himself wondering why trainers could be so rude to these people. They were all so kind. It was in that moment that he decided that he would find a way to make sure that the fighting would stop, or at least lessen. He turned his head and looked at Phil, whom was chatting away with the coordinator that had a Vivillon. The corners of mouth rose, and he felt a little more lighthearted.

Hey guys! I apologize for this chapter being a bit slow, but the information about contests and stuff was necessary because I know a lot of people don't know much about contests if they didn't watch the anime and only played the games. I hope you at least liked some of it *sweats* Be sure to let me know! Thanks! Bye bye~