"Dragonair, use Dragon Tail!" Clair's Dragonair fell from the sky, tail-first, onto the competitor's Raticate, and it dissolved into red light. The once-Raticate then retreated into its Poké Ball.
"Damn," the trainer said, before pulling out a Great Ball and throwing out her Quagsire. "Quagsire, Mud Bomb!" A sphere of mud shot, then, like a cannon from the Quagsire's mouth.
They were in the arena portion of the Blackthorn City Gym. Around the outside were a number of seats, with high rails separating the seating areas from the arena proper. Clair's cape was flapping behind her.
"I just don't see it," Beryl muttered, watching from the side. "I don't see what this 'bond' is between the trainer and her Pokémon."
Joy sighed, leaning over the railing and watching the battle below. "You can't be so impatient, Ber. And you can't be so narrow-minded." She turned to him, her back to the rail. "Sometimes there's just no physical representation for what goes on between a trainer and her Pokémon. See that girl down there, with the Quagsire?"
Beryl nodded.
"She's not going to win this battle. You know how I can tell?" He shook his head. "Because she doesn't have the connection to her Pokémon that Clair does. Look," she pointed to Clair. "You see how she and her Dragonair have the same look in their eyes? That same intensity? Now look at the other trainer."
A fierce look was in the trainer's eyes, but something else was there as well. Fear? Doubt, maybe? In her Quagsire's eyes, a lost, blank look.
"There's nothing there," she said.
"I thought that was just how Quagsires look," Beryl said.
"Well, yeah, that too," Joy said, turning her back to him and leaning over the railing again. "But there's more to it. You can tell when there's a bond between two people, just as easily as you can see a bond between a trainer and their Pokémon."
Beryl grunted noncommittally, looking back at the battle. His Dratini purred, reminding him of her presence at his shoulder. She had her body draped over his shoulders, a position that she'd grown to assume frequently. "What do you think, Dratty?" he asked her. She growled back at him. "Dratty's not a good name either, huh? Well, we'll figure it out." He scratched the back of her smooth, scaled head. "Do you think we could ever have a bond like Clair's bond with her Dragonair?"
The Dratini chirped happily then, and nuzzled his cheek. He chuckled slightly. He heard the click of a camera, then, and looked up at Joy. "Hey!" he shouted.
Joy cackled, looking at the image on the back of the camera. "Too late, the cuteness between you two is captured forever!" She ran away, then, and Beryl followed, both of them laughing.
As they ran, they paid little attention to where they were running. Through the many hallways of the Blackthorn City Gym, they ran until they couldn't remember why they were running anymore. Finally, when they were out of breath, they both stopped and fell on each other, laughing.
"Hey you," said a tall, teenaged boy, who looked no older than sixteen and carried with him a level of arrogance that only found its stride in adolescence.
"Huh?" Joy asked, looking up.
"Not you," the boy said, "the kid with the Dratini. You wanna battle or what?" He already had a Poké Ball pulled out, ready to throw.
"Oh, no," Beryl said, "I'm not here to challenge the gym leader."
The boy looked confused. "But you're a Pokémon trainer, right?" He pointed to the Dratini over Beryl's shoulders.
"Um, I mean, kind of?" Beryl shrugged, looking at his Dratini. A glint arose in the serpentine Pokémon's eyes, and it squealed happily.
"Looks like your Pokémon's ready to battle, even if you aren't," the trainer laughed. "The name's Reggie. Ace Trainer Reggie. How about I take it easy on you and only use one Pokémon, eh?"
He threw the Poké Ball in the air and caught it, tossing it repeatedly, as if in a taunt.
"Listen, Reginald, he said he's not here to challenge anyone, so leave him alone," Joy said, stepping between Beryl and Reggie.
"You let the girl fight all your battles, kiddo?" Reggie laughed.
"Joy, I think I can take care of this," Beryl said, looking his Dratini in the eye. She slid from his shoulders to the ground, and glared at Reggie.
"Beryl, he's just trying to trick you into battling!" She looked at him, unable to believe that he succumbed to the jab at his ego. "You know you can't win this, Dratini's only going to get hurt. You need more training before you face an Ace like him."
Beryl bristled at her words, his brow furrowed. He turned back to Reggie. "Let's battle."
Reggie laughed. "That's what I like to hear!" Joy stared at him, confused and disappointed.
"I'll bring out my Seadra, then."
Beryl smiled and looked at the periwinkle serpent at his side. "Dratini, you ready for this?" She chirped and nodded.
"Let's go."
With that, Reggie threw the Poké Ball he had been toying with earlier, and a four foot tall seahorse creature emerged, glaring as it twitched its wing-like fins.
"Dratini, use Dragon Rage!" the Dratini inhaled deeply, and purple flames began to fill her mouth.
"Seadra, Twister!"
As Beryl's Dratini was just about to expel the flames of Dragon Rage, a powerful cone of spinning air spewed forth from the Seadra's tube-like mouth. The Dratini shrieked as she was thrown into the air, leaving a trail of purple flames in her wake. She thudded against the wall, groaning as she fell.
"Dratini!" Beryl shouted, rushing over to her.
"Beryl, I told you, you can't do this!" Joy shouted to him, just as his Dratini was wearily looking up and readjusting itself.
"Yeah, Beryl, listen to your emo girlfriend," Reggie sneered. Joy glared at him.
"You think you can do this, Dratini?" Beryl asked her, fear and concern in his eyes. She looked up at him, then at Reggie's Seadra. Glaring, she nodded. "Okay then," he answered, already questioning the soundness of her decision.
"Dragon Rage, this time hit that Seadra where it counts!"
"Another Twister ought to take care of this kid real quick," Reggie said, smirking. The Seadra inhaled, and began to spew forth another cyclone.
Terror in his eyes, Beryl immediately leapt to the quickest idea he had. "Dratini... Spin your fire opposite the Twister!"
The Dratini sent the fire forth, purple flames mingling with the rush of air that was launched her way. As the two mingled, the fire grew, spreading with the wind. Eventually, the combined forces exploded, sending both the Seadra and the Dratini flying. Beryl rushed to his Dratini once more, flames licking his jacket. Joy and Reggie both looked at Beryl with varying degrees of surprise.
"Dratini, are you all right?" Beryl asked, patting out the flames that lingered on her body. Tears began to well in his eyes. "Arceus, I have no idea what I was thinking. I can't believe I even wanted to be a trainer. I can't believe I let this happen to you."
"Um…" Reggie began, just as his Seadra was beginning to rise. "I hate to be the bad guy, but…"
"Reginald!" came a shout behind him. Turning, it became clear that Clair had seen enough of the battle to find something to anger her. At her left and right were two aides carrying clipboards. "What are you doing, accosting two people who are clearly not here for a gym battle?"
"Well, I…" Reggie began, quickly recalling his Seadra.
"No excuses," she said, beginning to speak to an aide at her side. "Have Mr. Seager placed on suspension until further notice." The aide to her left scanned the page, and began scribbling something.
"Yes, ma'am."
"But," Reggie started again.
"But nothing, Reginald. You could have killed this boy's Pokémon, and you may just have done so, from the looks of it."
"This is such bull…"
"Leave, Mr. Seager," Clair emphasized, her glare stifling his protests.
Joy had run over to Beryl and his Dratini at this point, and was injecting a Revive into her.
"I'm afraid that won't be strong enough, Miss…" Clair began, a question mark implied.
"Joy," she answered, shortly. "Just Joy, ma'am."
"Of course, I should have known," Clair answered, a small smile. "Allow me to take a look at her." She walked over, then, and knelt down, looking at the wounds.
"Will she be okay?" Beryl asked, his face contorted. A light sheen of tears covered his cheeks.
"Max Revive, please," Clair said, over her shoulder. An aide lightly touched the syringe to her shoulder, and she grabbed it, quickly removing the cap in her mouth and easing the needle into the serpentine Pokémon's body.
"She'll be fine," Clair answered, through gritted teeth, "but you and I need to have a conversation when she's well." As the contents of the syringe emptied into the Dratini's body, her eyes began to flutter open.
"She's been very badly damaged, you understand," Clair said, handing the used syringe and cap to her aide, "and the Max Revive can only accomplish so much. You'll have to get her to the Pokémon Center, now. I'll accompany you."
"But, what about the gym?" Joy asked.
"It will be fine while I'm gone."