Chapter 15: Why Do You Battle?

Morning found me eating a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham before I inquired Nurse Joy as to Eevee's condition. She permitted me a short visit to the intensive care unit, warning in an undertone, "Don't expect him to be up and about any time soon."

I was led by a Chansey into the more secluded hallway of the Pokémon Center, where each door was accompanied by a long window that allowed one to peer at the patients inside. Most of the rooms we passed were vacant, but the ones that were occupied contained Pokémon with bandages wrapped around their bodies, limbs, and heads—no doubt as a result from battling. The sight reminded me of the fact that there was a Gym in Celadon, one that I had not yet challenged.

Should I go get my Badge? I wondered, fingering the three that already resided in my belt. It felt wrong to do so with Eevee hospitalized and Lance and Riley missing from my perception of the world, but what else was there to do? My mind was no sharper than it had been the day before, and battling would help me relax. Besides, who knew when events were going to sweep the opportunity away? We'll have to see about that.

We traveresed through a pair of double doors and into a hallway that was void of windows in contrast to the former one. Chansey opened one of the doors, and gestured for me to go inside.

"Chan-sey!"

"Thank you," I said, and walked in. The room was bare except for some mechanical contraptions pushed into a corner and a sink with medicine cabinets lined up against a wall. In the center of it all was a small bed covered by a transparent dome, within which lay Eevee with an oxygen mask covering his small snout. I approached silently, only to find that the Evolution Pokémon was awake, his half-closed eyes flickering in my direction as I approached.

"Hey there, buddy," I greeted, not sure whether or not he could hear me through what appeared to be plexiglass. He didn't respond, in any case, and I soon noticed a row of neat stitches running up his side, the surrounding fur having been shaved off around the wound. "Looks painful…I'm glad you're alright though, Eevee. I have to admit, I was afraid you were going to die. When we were flying you here to the Pokémon Center, I kept wondering, 'What kind of irresponsible Trainer am I, letting a Pokémon come so close to death?' All along I'd never thought something like this would happen, but I guess it's my fault for being ignorant."

I paused, startled at the rush of words that had come pouring out of my mouth, and smiled bitterly at myself, shaking my head. Had my smoldering desire to become a Trainer overpowered any sense of caution for my Pokémon? I had been aware that "events" with Clan Seigen might occur again, but for the most part I had assumed it would only involve myself, Lance, and Riley. How was I to know that our Pokémon would get wrapped up in it? It was no excuse. "I need to do better, don't I? I guess that's why you've never respected me as your Trainer."

Eevee had not moved one bit, but had continued to stare listlessly at me from under his eyelids. After a while, he closed his eyes, and I sighed, though for what I didn't know. Maybe I was finally starting to realize how blinded I had been by childhood dream.

"I'll do better," I promised, clenching my fists. "And then I'll show you what kind of person I really am."

I was informed by Nurse Joy that Eevee would not be fit for travel for at least a few weeks. It was inevitable, but I could use the time to get some training in and look for clues as to the whereabouts of my friends. The former wouldn't pose as much of a problem, but the latter certainly would; I had no idea where to start. Ignoring that, I decided to begin training first. I needed to revitalize my senses and sharpen my mind so that I could better organize my time in Celadon.

"Go, Venonat!"

The Bug Pokémon answered my summons with a sharp "Veno!" standing on the tips of his toes energetically. I had once more decided to depend on Venonat for my victory against the Gym, which favored the usage of Grass type Pokémon. Not including Hisa, my only other Pokémon were Rhyhorn, who was at an extreme type disadvantage, and Eevee, who was out of commission. Having been accustomed to forest life, Venonat would be most apt in a setting full of foliage. Even the Pokémon Center's training grounds took on a more floral setting to help Trainers prepare for the upcoming battle.

"Venonat, I'm counting on you!"

"Veno-nat!" The Insect Pokémon nodded his body, his antennas twitching excitedly. With a bit of work, the Gym should prove to be an easy win for the both of us.

"Hey there, you look like a strong Trainer."

The feminine voice that had spoken made me whirl around in alarm, its sly tone causing me to half-expect seeing a gun pointed at my face. What I saw instead was an adolescent girl with dusky brown hair and a mischievous expression on her face. Her stature was one that I could only describe with the word "ninja", although I wasn't exactly sure what made me think so. She rather tall, and was dressed in a pink, half-sleeved shirt with black cargo pants and orange sneakers. Something about her made me feel uncomfortable, and I was immediately on guard.

"Do you need someone to battle with?" she continued. "It's been a while since I've had a decent match."

As she spoke, my eyes caught the sight of a gleaming pin in the girl's hair. It was a large, decorative accessory with the centerpiece shaped like a crescent moon. For some reason, it reminded me of the sword that lay concealed underneath my shirt, and I resisted the urge to finger it in her presence.

"If you want," I answered, trying to hide my distraction. The girl didn't seem to notice, however, and merely smiled.

"Great! My name's Larine, by the way."

I shook her hand, her fingers gripping mine like steel.

"I'm Swift Firestorm."

Larine froze for a moment, and I stiffened. Did my name mean something to her?

"That's a nice name," she said, recovering so fast that I began to think I had imagined her hesitation.

Our makeshift battlefield consisted of the largest clearing we could find that wasn't entirely full of grass. I retained my instinctive suspicion for Larine as we positioned ourselves on it, watching her closely. Maybe I was unsettled because I'd never had many female friends, although that usually didn't stop me from associating with them.

"Alright now, who should I use?" my opponent mused, snapping me out of my thoughts as she tapped her fingers along the tops of the minimized Poké Balls on her belt. After a minute, she plucked one off, twirling it on the tip of her index finger with a satisfied smile. "Come forth, Lumineon!"

From the dazzling flash of the Poké Ball emerged a rather large, aquatic figure. The Pokémon's scaly body was colored in a dark, almost-black teal, fringed by a pale turquoise. Its four dorsal fins were shaped like the wings of a Beautifly, while the two on its chest kept it balanced on the ground. I had never seen a Lumineon in person, but I knew enough about them in general to think it was a rather unusual Pokémon.

"We've gotta watch out for that one, Venonat," I admonished.

"Veno-nat!"

"You're welcome to have the first move," Larine began, still beaming. I wasn't sure whether or not the invitation was a trap, but I decided that it would be better if I tested Lumineon's abilities first than to wait for them to show it to me.

"Alright then, let's start out with a basic Tackle attack!" Venonat proceeded to charging forward as fast as his little feet could carry him, heading straight for Lumineon.

"Not taking me seriously yet, eh? Dodge it with Bounce!" Larine ordered.

Bounce? I echoed, somewhat alarmed. I had been quite aware that Lumineon were capable of learning such an attack, but I didn't expect this one to know it. That's a Flying type attack!

As Venonat threw himself at the Water Pokémon, the target suddenly pushed itself off the ground with its chest fins, soaring high into the air by plastering its fins to its side. The Bug Pokémon paused, appalled at the sight, watching as Lumineon's shadow temporarily blotted out the sun.

"Look out!" I shouted, astonished that a Water type could jump so high. Venonat leapt aside just as the Neon Pokémon came plummeting down at breakneck speed, barely avoiding the attack.

"You're not going to get away that easily. Whirlpool!" Larine commanded, regardless. I fully expected the attack to form at Lumineon's mouth, as it did for almost all Water Pokémon, but to my dismay water began to collect underneath it, torrents forming within seconds and sweeping Venonat away with the current. The Insect Pokémon trilled in panic as he was primarily thrown up into the air before landing back in the tide, getting washed closer and closer to the center of the Whirlpool in the middle of which sat Lumineon with a nonchalant look on its face.

"Use Confusion to neutralize the tide!" I ordered, thinking quickly. Venonat's body lit up with a blue radiance, suffusing the water with it as well. Even as I watched, the current slowed, came to a stop, and then began to spin in reverse. Larine's expression turned incredulous, and even her Lumineon looked confused as to why it could not control its attack. The Whirlpool soon unraveled itself, sending droplets of water flying in every direction. "Psybeam!"

Still in midair, Venonat fired a pair of multi-colored beams from his eyes. I had hoped to use their confusion to land the first attack on Lumineon, but Larine had already gotten her acts together.

"Counter with Silver Wind!"

"Luuuu!" the Neon Pokémon cried in its somber, melodic voice. The larger fins on Lumineon's body took on a silver glow, and when they were thrust forward, a gust of what looked like glitter shot forward, colliding with the Psybeam with a loud crash. For a moment, both forces struggled to gain the upper hand, but then Venonat's Psybeam dissipated, and the Silver Wind struck his helpless form.

"Venonat!" I called, concerned. The Insect Pokémon tumbled to the ground, but managed to maneuver himself back into standing position. Thankfully, because of the Poison half of his type, the attack hadn't been very effective, but he still looked a bit shaken. Dang it, she's good, I observed. We can't even come near her...

"You're not giving up yet, are you?"

"What?" I demanded, feeling somewhat offended at the question. "I'm not going to forfeit to someone who's wearing my least favorite color in the whole entire world."

Larine instinctively looked down at her shirt, which was (to my dislike) pink.

"What's wrong with pink?" she burst assertively. I guessed that pink was her favorite color. "It's my favorite color!" Go figure...

"Pink is so…so….bleh," I sniffed frankly. "I don't know how people can stand it." I didn't know what made me loathe the color pink so much, but every time I looked at it I felt irritated. Maybe that was why I had originally felt suspicious towards Larine, but the reason felt odd to me. In any case, I had semi-intended to offend her, and succeeded.

"Pink is a great color!" she insisted fervently. "Pink is for girls."

"That's just a stereotype," I argued, convinced and determined that I could never bring myself to like that color. "I hate pink." I punctuated the sentence by sticking my tongue out at her. Larine glared at me, frozen on the spot. The expression on her face made me want to laugh.

"Lumineon, Water Pulse!" she ordered briskly.

Our Pokémon, who had been waiting dumbfounded between our banter now jolted themselves awake. A large sphere of water materialized at Lumineon's lips, which was fired deftly in Venonat's direction.

"Psybeam, max power!" I called. Venonat obliged by repeating his former attack, this time with nearly twice as much energy. The offenses clashed loudly for a brief second before the Water Pulse exploded and Psybeam surged forward, hitting Lumineon in the face.

Yes!

"Bounce!"

Somehow using its miniscule flippers to stop itself form skidding across the grass, Lumineon propelled itself into the air, this time flying forward.

"Dodge!" I ordered even though I knew he couldn't make it. The counterattack had been too swift, and Venonat did not have the speed to react against it. Try as he might, the Insect Pokémon squealed with pain as the Neon Pokémon slammed into his side. Then I had an idea.

"Stun Spore!"

Despite his pain, Venonat managed to twirl his body like a drill, releasing a cloud of golden powder that soon enveloped Lumineon. The Water Pokémon whined as its mobility was suddenly restricted, small sparks flying from its hide.

"One more Psybeam!" I called just as Venonat regained his footing. His body shuddered with fatigue as he executed the attack, its chromatic rays landing dead-on. The Water Pokémon let out a mournful "Luuuu!" in pain as it was catapulted through the air, landing with a plop onto the grass. Wincing, Lumineon managed to prop itself shakily upright on its fins once more.

"Enough," Larine said finally, still looking irked about our argument over her favorite color. "You've done well, Lumineon."

"Luuu…"

I stared incomprehensively as the Neon Pokémon was withdrawn in a flash of red light.

"We weren't finished," I protested.

"That's okay." Larine said, her previous, mischievous demeanor returning as she smiled. Again I was on guard for any suspicious action. "Tell me, Swift, why do you battle?"

"What?" I blurted. The question was so unexpected.

"Why do you battle?" she repeated inquisitively. "In other words, why did you become a Trainer?"

I paused and thought about it. I have never actually considered that question, and as I thought about it, I realized that I didn't have an answer.

"I could ask you the same," I retorted briskly to defend myself. But Larine simply smirked.

"So you don't have an answer, don't you?" I answered her with a glare. She stretched, yawning, ignoring my gaze as she began to depart in the direction from which she had come. "Anyway, I'd better get going. It was nice meeting you...Swift Firestorm." Flashing me a look, she added, "I have a feeling we'll meet again."

The way Larine said my name made me stiffen as I watched her go, and I shook my head. I hoped by all means that I would not see her again, and shuddered as I felt her strange presence leave.

"That girl just gets on your nerves, doesn't she, Venonat?" I asked, shaking my head. Hearing no response from the Bug type, I turned around.

"Veno…nat?"

Venonat was no longer there. Instead, hovering above the spot where he had been standing was a Pokémon with large, lavender wings, a narrow body, and a crown-shaped crest above his head.

"Ven…Venomoth!" I exclaimed as the white glow of evolution faded from his body.

"Venomoth-Venomoth!" trilled the Poison Moth Pokémon happily with his newer, more sonorous voice. I cheered, sharing his exuberance. It must've been the first good thing to happen so far on our journey.

After Venomoth's evolution, we discovered that the Poison Moth Pokémon had learned a couple of new moves, and spent some time familiarizing ourselves with the techniques. Then I moved on to train with Rhyhorn, even though I wouldn't be using him at the Gym. I wouldn't have been fair to only train Venomoth, and I wanted to make sure that I gave each of my Pokémon sufficient attention. I had the Spikes Pokémon run circuits around the training grounds to improve his agility, trying to distance ourselves from other Trainers so as not to disturb them. I flew for a while with Hisa as well, and put him through a few conditioning exercises to make sure he was still in shape. Other than the battle with Larine, I trained by myself for the entire day.

As we trained, I frequently began to refer back to Larine's question. Why did I battle? Why did I train? To anyone else, I would've simply said, "To get stronger", but the way Larine had asked the question made me ask myself, "Why do you want to get stronger?" As a ten year old, I would've mentioned something about the Pokémon League and wanting to be the best Trainer ever, but I felt like I had outgrown those reasons. There was another reason now, but I couldn't quite determine what it was. All I knew was that I had to keep training.

Author's Note: Not much happened, but I believe updating speed is picking up. The action and more interesting parts of the story should start showing up soon, and I hope I won't have any more writer's block on those parts. Hope you're all having a great summer, despite the heat. :D