OoO( 9 )OoO

After stopping at the breeders and Mr. Pokemon's houses again, as well as visiting the lovely nurse Joy, the pokemon trainer Felix had finally made it to Violet City. Following his pokegear, he walked in through the city gates and the atmosphere changed entirely. Nearly his whole life, he had been confined to a small town. And even when he visited Cherrygrove City, it had been a small quaint town.

Violet City however was a vast, open city with lots of people. As soon as he walked into the town, the wind seemed to pick up and shift. He looked on in awe at the city, as did the growlithe at his side. Finally, he stepped forward and walked through the entrance and down the street. Eevee followed as well, though less enthusiastically than the puppy on the opposite side of the trainer did.

Seeing a familiar sign, the trainer walked up and entered the Pokemon Center. "Go ahead and take a rest guys." said Felix as he walked up to the counter. As soon as the words left his mouth, the two pokemon immediately jumped onto the soft couch. Eevee dove into a bowl of food set out for pokemon and Growlithe rolled onto his back, enjoying the soft cushions.

Felix approached the counter where one of the nurses stood at the communications console. He stood and waited as she finished her call. "Yes, your Chansey will be good as new when you get here." she said as a man's face on the screen talked to her through the receiver. "As you wish." she said, then hung the receiver up and turned to Felix. Unlike Joy, this woman was shorter and had short dark hair. "Sorry for the wait, what can I do for you?" she asked.

The trainer scratched his head and looked at the ground. "Well...I'm a trainer...and I'm kinda new to the whole trainer thing. I was wondering if you could help me out." he said, getting a knowing smile from the nurse.

"Of course!" she said excitedly. "You must know about collecting badges and the Indigo Plateau correct?" she asked, getting a nod from him. "Wonderful. As a trainer, you come to the pokemon center in any city that has a gym, and you have to schedule an appointment to battle the gym leader." she said as she showed him a list of names. "When it is almost your turn, you will be called on your pokegear and informed that you are to be at the gym at a certain time. Until then, you are free to do as you wish. You can go to the gym to train your pokemon, you can shop at the pokemart, or just visit the city and see the sights. In Violet, we even have a school of pokemon that you can go to to learn more." she said cheerfully.

The boy smiled at her. "Thank you! You've been a great help." he said. "Would you mind making an appointment with the gym leader for me?" he asked.

She nodded and began typing on the console in front of her. Then, she stopped suddenly and turned to him, her cheerfulness now replaced with a cautious expression. "I must warn you though, the gym leaders of Johto are very skilled with their pokemon. And new trainers should be warned that if your pokemon are inexperienced, then you might want to wait until you get more training under your belt. Or else they could be injured from the battle." she warned.

Felix turned and looked at the two pokemon who were now both curled up and snoring on the couch. The trials they had been through together now ran through his head as he thought it out. Finally, he turned to her and smiled. "We're ready." he said. She smiled once more.

"Good. Do you have your trainer card?" she asked. Felix reached into his bag and pulled out the pokedex that Professor Oak had given him. Opening it, he took the ID card that Mr. Pokemon had made for him out of the flip door of the machine. Taking his identification, she swiped it in the console and his information came up on the screen. "There you are. You are scheduled to battle the gym leader in three days. In the meantime, you are free to stay here at the pokemon center to rest." she said as she bowed to him. "Have a wonderful day."

He bowed back and thanked her, then went back to where his pokemon were laying on the couch. "Are you ready for training to begin?" he asked. Both of them immediately got to their paws and looked up at him, both of them wearing the same confident smirk that he was well known for. Smiling back at them, he clenched his fist. "Good. Let's get to it."

OoOoO

As they entered the gym, Felix was once again awed at the sight of the formidable building. The outside seemed so small, but the inside was enormous. Trainers of all kinds were in the gym training their pokemon. Some were battling other trainers, some were simply exercising the pokemon using the various tools around the gym.

Felix looked up and saw a platform that was elevated above the rest of the gym. On the platform, there were two trainers, one was about Felix's age, the other was older with dark hair that covered one of his eyes as he battled. He watched through the transparent platform as the younger trainers ape like pokemon faced off against the older ones bird. Felix immediately recognized the bird as Pidgeotto, one of the main pokemon of the first gym leader, Falkner. He was so fascinated by the battle that he barely saw the flying type blast the younger trainers off the edge of the platform with a gust of wind.

It hit the ground hard right next to him, almost startling him back to reality. Pulling out his pokedex, he pointed the eye at the unconscious creature.

[#190 Aipom: This long tail pokemon lives atop tall trees. This pokemon's tail is used both for balance, and for holding onto branches. It is believed that it is even more adept at using its tail than even its own hands.]

Closing the dex, he watched as the downtrodden trainer took an elevator down to the floor and picked up his pokemon to rush it to the pokemon center. Soon to follow was the dark haired trainer that had won the battle. He noticed Felix standing near the door and walked up to him with a smile.

"A new trainer I see. Have you come to challenge me for my badge?" he asked the trainer curiously.

The question momentarily stunned the boy. "You mean, you're the gym leader?" he asked.

The young man nodded. "I'm Falkner, the gym leader of Violet City." he said, then turned to the other trainers in the area that were hard at work training their pokemon. "All of these trainers you see here have come to test themselves and see if they can win a badge from yours truly." he said, turning back to Felix. "Is that why you're here?"

"I am. But the nurse said that I had to wait a few days before I could battle." said the trainer.

"Of course. There are people from all over Johto who have come to get a badge. They all have to wait until they are called as well. But don't worry, likely they'll all be quick, so you may not have to wait as long as scheduled." he said with a confident smirk. Though respectful of the leaders skills, Felix wasn't to keen on his attitude towards the other trainers. Finally, the gym leader turned to the rest of the gym and held up a small datapad that he had obtained from his belt. "Joey!" he shouted.

Felix stood straight at hearing the name. Turning to the figure walking up to the leader, he immediately recognized the schoolboy. "I'm here!" said the younger boy as he stopped next to them. Looking over at the trainer, he immediately smiled. "Felix! There you are!" he said excitedly.

"Hey Joey, good to see you." said Felix with a smile.

"You're here to battle for the Zephyr badge too?" asked the schoolboy, getting a nod from the trainer. "That's great! But, it's my turn to battle right now. So wish me luck." he said as he stepped onto the elevator. Felix nodded to him and watched as they both ascended to the battleground above.

Screens all around the room lit up, showing the two trainers above about to battle. Felix immediately ran over to one and began watching.

OoOoO

Joey took a pokeball from his belt, as did Falkner. The gym leader smiled at the younger trainer. "You know the rules kid. If your pokemon goes below the platform, it has forfeit and can't be used anymore." said the leader.

Joey nodded and threw the pokemon onto the ground. "Pidgeotto! I choose you!" he shouted. As soon as it was free, the bird pokemon immediately took flight and gave the gym leader a predatory gaze.

Falkner smiled widely. "Ah, a boy after my own heart." he said as he threw his own, letting out another Pidgeotto. But, as this one took flight, everyone in the gym could feel the wind shifting around them. Suddenly, a countdown appeared on the screens around them.

3...

2...

1...

BEGIN!

Immediately, Joey went into action. "Nephy! Use tackle!" he shouted. His pidgeotto soared towards the opponent.

Falkner merely crossed his arms. "Pidgeotto, dodge it." he said calmly. As soon as Joey's pokemon was about to strike, the bird vanished. Flapping wildly in confusion, the pidgeotto looked around for its opponent. "Gust." said the leader in an equally calm tone.

Joey looked above his head just in time to notice Falkners pokemon flap its wings violently, causing the wind to pick up to an almost unbearable level. He watched in horror as his own bird struggled to stay in the air. "Nephy, no! Fight it!" he shouted.

"Finish it off with a wing attack!" said Falkner over the din of the wind. His pidgeotto flew like an arrow and past the opposing bird, striking it several times with its wings. To Joey's horror, the bird pokemon dropped from the sky down to the ground below.

Felix immediately ran when he had looked up through the transparent floor and saw the attack happen. He dove forward as the feathery bundle plummeted for the ground, catching it just as it was about to hit the ground. He held it against him as he skidded across the floor on his back. It was only a few seconds before Joey ran up to the trainer.

"Felix, are you alright?" he asked.

Immediately, the trainer stood and handed the stunned bird to the schoolboy. "I'm fine. Get him to the pokemon center." said the boy. Joey immediately nodded as he held the feathery creature close, then ran out the door of the gym.

"See what I mean?" asked Falkner from behind him. Felix turned to him with a glare. "People come here because they believe that this is the easiest gym in the region. But time and time again, they get proven wrong." he said as he donned his typical smirk again.

Felix said nothing. Turning from the leader, he walked out of the gym and set off for the pokemon center with both of his pokemon following him.

OoOoO

"Everything's fine. He was just a bit startled." said Joey as the nurse handed a now happily chirping bird back to Joey.

"That's good. I was worried that that last attack did some damage." said Felix as he smiled at the bird on the boy's shoulder, who had decided it was time for a good preening.

"Yeah, that gust attack was intense. I didn't think it would be that strong..." said the schoolboy disappointedly.

Felix smiled. "Don't worry, you'll get him next time. You just need more practice." he said patting the younger boy on the shoulder. Then, a thought entered his mind. "Hey, speaking of practice, would you mind helping me train for my battle?"

Joey looked up at him happily. "Of course! I don't know how much help I can be though. After all, I did lose to him."

The boy smirked confidently. "Don't worry, I've got an idea." Both growlithe and eevee looked at each other worriedly...