Author's Note: So in the course of writing this chapter, it didn't take me long to realize that putting three battles in on top of the amount of description I give would push the word count higher than what I've been trying to keep it at (around the 4k mark). I've never really liked jumping straight into action because I feel that it takes away from the main focus of the story: the characters and their triumphs/struggles/development/whatever. So for future gym battles—since I pretty much put in the "three per day" rule and would like to stick to that as I think it adds to the realism—I expect they will be longer-than-normal chapters, or at least broken up into parts. I know some of you were hoping for longer chapters anyway so in light of this, wish (somewhat) granted! :)
Shout-Outs: Thank you Kuranui for your review! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you continue to do so as the journey continues!
Chapter Six: A Buggin' Showdown, Part One
For the second night in a row since he had started his journey, Zayn barely slept at all. The mattress beneath him was stiff and the room a little stuffy, but those minor inconveniences were not the reason he lay wide awake so early in the morning, staring with wide eyes at the ceiling as sunlight trickled in through small cracks in the blinds. His mind was still reeling from the impromptu bet he had made with Jared the Giant.
It wasn't even fair, he thought bitterly as he tucked his hands behind his head. It was not a question of money but a matter of principle for him; he had been tricked into making that bet. Had he and Squirtle been given adequate time to train, it wouldn't have been a problem. But he was not about to back down. He had given his word, after all, despite the quick drop that the older kid had laid on him. No, he would have to somehow make it work.
Zayn sighed and glanced down at Ghost. The houndour was passed out on the edge of the bed, his muzzle wrinkling into a snarl and his paws twitching and kicking as he chased some poor bunnelby across the fields of his dreamscape.
"At least you got to sleep," Zayn muttered, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. If he wasn't going back to bed, then he might as well get up. He had so much that he needed to do, and very little time to do it. It was going to be a long three days...
A low gurgle rumbled in his stomach, rousing Ghost from his slumber as it echoed throughout the room. Zayn placed a hand on his belly and sighed. They had all skipped dinner last night in favor of going to bed and resting their tired bones, but he hadn't realized just how hungry he was until now.
Scratching his head, Zayn threw the thin sheet off of him and climbed out of bed, the mattress creaking as he got up. As he pulled some clothes together and dressed for the day, his mind raced with the training tips he had seen televised over the years on the Pokémon Trainer's Educational Network. Out of the episodes he could remember, he made mental notes of the tactics he could use in preparing for his upcoming battle.
His stomach growled again, demanding its breakfast, and Zayn opened the door to his room and stepped out.
The lobby of the Pokémon Center was a bit busier than last night as Zayn descended the stairs. There were a few locals gathered around the phone booths, young kids laughing and waving to their friends on the screen as they kept one another up to date on the goings-on of the world, and an elderly couple embraced each other on the couch as they anxiously waited for the nurse to return with their sick pokémon's diagnosis.
"Good, you're awake," a thick, gritty voice rumbled from behind.
Zayn turned around as a broad-shouldered woman with close-cropped fiery red hair and a flat nose emerged from the nurse's station. She was wearing the same type of pink-and-white uniform that Nurse Joy had worn last night—though it did little to flatter her figure—and was accompanied by one of the clinic's wigglytuffs.
Taken aback, Zayn looked down at Ghost and then pointed to himself. "Me?"
With a brisk nod, the nurse picked up a clipboard and motioned to him. "Here," she muttered as Zayn approached the counter, becoming all too aware of the hairy mole that dotted her chin as he grew nearer. "Nurse Joy forgot signature." Her accent was foreign, the words grating against his ear as if her throat was heavy with phlegm, and her breath reeked of tobacco and coffee. She jabbed a thumb at her chest and smirked. "But Gayla always remembers signature!"
"Signature?" Zayn echoed, struggling to piece together her broken sentence as he glanced down at the clipboard on the counter.
The nurse, Gayla, placed an elbow on the counter and stared at him pointedly. "Sig-na-ture," she repeated, emphasizing the word as she tapped one long red nail against the clipboard. "For room upstairs. Need signature so we know how many and how long."
Zayn hesitantly took the pen and signed his name next to the room number he was assigned. "I won't be charged for this, right?" he asked as he marked down the number of nights he would be staying in that room. It was common knowledge that the Pokémon Centers around the world provided their rooms to traveling trainers free of charge, and some even offered their road-weary guests breakfast in the mornings.
Nurse Gayla shrugged. "League pays us to house little trainers. League does not pay for furnishings. We keep tabs on items in room." She removed the clipboard from the counter and pointed an accusatory sausage-of-a-finger at him. "You steal from Gayla, little trainer, you pay."
"I won't steal anything," Zayn promised as his stomach grumbled again, reminding him of his hunger. He looked up at the nurse and sighed. "Did I miss breakfast?" Surely it was still early enough for the kitchen to whip him up something.
The nurse shook her head, diminishing his hopes with a wave. "No breakfast here. Too busy." She gestured dismissively to the clinic's entrance as she resumed her seat behind the counter, the fluffy wigglytuff bouncing behind her. "Try café across street. Good crumpets there."
He remembered seeing the café last night. It was a quaint little building, nestled on a ridge at the city's edge that overlooked the water fountain in the heart of town. Muttering a quick thank-you, Zayn called to Ghost and together they walked out the door and into the nippy morning air. As he strolled across the cobblestone streets and up a small hill, he caught a whiff of the treats hidden behind the café's ornate wooden door and his mouth began to water. "It might not be free," he said aloud as he opened the door and let Ghost saunter in ahead of him, "but it's breakfast."
The houndour grunted happily, his stubby tail wagging as they sat down in a corner booth and prepared to satiate their growing hunger.
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With their bellies full of scrambled ducklett eggs and sweetened gogoat milk, Zayn and Ghost returned to the Pokémon Center with lifted spirits. It was already half past nine, and he was more than sure that Officer Jenny was awake and waiting for his call.
"Hey, Harker!"
Zayn turned just as Ghost trotted across the clinic, greeting Morgen with an excited yap and an affectionate lick to her hand. Laughing, she knelt down to stroke his metal-plated back.
"What?" Zayn asked, crossing his arms as he propped himself against the nurse's counter. He was still uncomfortable with how close Ghost was growing to the older girl.
Morgen gave the houndour one last pat and stood up, stretching. "You gonna come watch Jared's match with us?"
He glanced at the ticking clock hanging on the wall above Nurse Gayla's lowered head and sighed. He wanted to call Jenny and let her know that he was OK, but he also wanted to watch Jared fight and the gym was on the other side of town. He still needed to work with Squirtle later on today, too, and that alone was going to take a lot out of him. There just isn't enough time in the day.
After a few moments of silence Zayn finally nodded and, with one last look at the vacant phone booths behind him, followed Morgen out the door and back into the morning chill.
As the time neared ten o'clock, the streets were slowly coming to life as the residents of Santalune City stirred from their homes and wandered into the bright new day. Zayn had to maneuver carefully around a group of young kids playing a game of hopscotch with a variety of young pokémon near the city's water fountain as he followed Morgen around a curve and up another small hill.
"Are you nervous?" Morgen asked as she sidestepped to avoid colliding with an elderly woman carrying an armful of grocery bags.
Zayn turned her question over in his mind. What would constitute as being nervous for him? Sweaty palms? Butterflies in his stomach? He had been happy before, and angry, and he knew all too well what fear felt like. But had he ever really been nervous?
"I-I guess," he muttered after careful consideration. Perhaps he was nervous, if being nervous was in any way similar to being worried about how Squirtle would perform the day after tomorrow.
Morgen nodded. "Yeah, me too. This'll be my first battle." She smirked as she cast Zayn a sidelong glance. "Not all of us were able to cheat before starting our journey."
"Good, you made it!"
Zayn looked up to see Iona waving at them. Ghost barked, his tail wagging with enthusiasm. As they reached the top of the hill, Zayn's gaze lingered on the group for a moment before finally resting on the building that towered before them.
It was larger than he had expected; standing at about three stories high, it was just as tall as the many different trees surrounding the outside. Every brick that framed the structure had been painted a deep green, and pale green solar panels formed the building's roof. The more he stared at the so-called gym, the more Zayn became convinced that it was actually a greenhouse. If it were not for the symbol of the Bug Badge that had been painted on the face of the front archway, it would have been hard to tell the difference.
"So is the Giant ready to battle?" Morgen giggled as she stepped forward, slapping Jared playfully on the shoulder as she joined the group beneath the archway.
"Ready as we'll ever be," he replied, rubbing his arm as he glanced down at his partner. Charmander was standing by his side, the flame on its tail blazing brightly and a look of calm determination glistening in the orange salamander's blue eyes. Jared grinned, pleased with his pokémon's desire, and balled his hand into a fist. "I know we can do it!"
Harry paced back and forth between the group and the gym. "Where's the leader?" he exclaimed after a while, walking up and giving a sharp, impatient rap on the front door. "It's already ten! What could be taking so long?"
Iona rolled her eyes. "Shouting and banging aren't gonna make her open the doors any sooner," she huffed as she tightened the blue bandana on her head. "Geez, grow up."
Harry whirled on her. "You're just jealous because you know I'm better than you!" he accused with a smirk, laughing as Iona's cheeks reddened. "See? I'm right!"
As the two continued to argue, Angel shook her head and leaned closer to Zayn. "Those two are embarrassing," she confessed as Iona made some sort of gesture with her hand, to which Harry replied in kind.
Zayn scratched the nape of his neck and sighed. "Are they gonna be like this the whole time?"
"If they are, at least we won't have to worry about any wild pokémon attacks. They're obnoxious fighting is a natural repellant."
A soft click drew the group's attention, and even managed to put Harry and Iona's argument on hold.
"Hmm," the newcomer, a short girl with bright green eyes and a bob of unruly blonde hair, pondered as she examined the photo she had taken on her camera screen. "The redhead's a little blurry," she mumbled to herself, and Zayn could hear Iona groan behind him. The stranger then broke into a warm grin as she slung the camera strap back over her shoulder. "But I think overall the picture really captures your personalities!"
"What's the picture for?" Morgen asked, glancing nervously at Iona as she pushed her way forward.
"Yeah, and just who are you?" the redhead demanded, crossing her arms.
The newcomer tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she turned to address Morgen. "I always take photos of the trainers who come here to challenge the gym," she explained as she averted her gaze to Iona. "And I'm Viola, professional photographer and leader of the Santalune Gym."
In the short time that he had known her, Zayn had never seen Iona stiffen as quickly as she did just then. Her jaw clamped shut and her eyes widened in what he could only assume to be a mixture of shock and shame; the stunned silence was a welcome reprieve from her constant bickering with Harry.
"You're the gym leader?" Harry spoke up, pushing the glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he stepped forward in disbelief. "But...you're young!"
Zayn studied the girl standing before them. Dressed in a plain white tank top, green knee-length khakis and brown high-top hiking boots, she looked more like a would-be challenger than the leader of her own gym. From the televised battles he had seen, most gym leaders were well into their thirties; Viola, with her childish grin and smooth skin, looked like she was barely out of her teens.
Viola chuckled, breaking Zayn's train of thought. "I'll take that as a compliment!" She then glanced over the group, her eyes glowing with a growing excitement as she motioned to the gym entrance. "Are we ready to get this thing started?" There was a collective nod as everyone followed her through the doors.
"Nurse Joy sent in the battle rosters last night," Viola informed them as they passed between two pillars framing the entry to a brightly lit hallway. "So it looks like it'll be an exciting three days!" As Zayn stepped through the entrance, he noticed that several photographs lined the white walls, like a gallery in a museum.
"Are all of these yours?" Morgen asked, stopping in front of one display—a picture of a large moth-like pokémon hovering over a stream on a sunny day.
Viola nodded. "These are my own personal collection," she explained as the group examined the different pictures, some of pokémon and some of challengers. Zayn scanned over the pictures, recognizing a few of the trainers in the images as some of his classmates from school, but as his eyes came to rest on one he turned to Viola.
"Who's he?"
Viola leaned in and examined the photograph in question, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she searched through the depths of her memory. The boy in the picture was older, maybe in his mid-to-late twenties, with an easy-going attitude and his lips spread in a wide grin. He was standing on the water fountain in the center of town, pointing in the direction of the gym as a small yellow mouse perched on his shoulder, just as excited as its trainer. On a plaque next to the photograph was Viola's name, along with the title 'Confidence of a Champion'.
After a moment, Viola's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, that's Ash!" she stated. "He was my first challenger from the Kanto region. He said he was traveling the world, collecting pokémon and badges from all the regions. He battled really well with his pikachu, especially in their rematch." She tapped a finger against her chin and shrugged. "That was a few years back, though. Haven't heard much about him since our fight."
With one last look at the photograph of Ash, Zayn turned and followed the rest of the group through a set of double doors. That boy looked so at ease with his pokémon, and coming all the way from Kanto, he thought as he spared a glance down at Ghost. I just hope we can keep that kind of connection through this journey.
"Welcome, trainers, to the Santalune Gym!" Viola announced, spreading her arms wide as the lights flickered to life.
"Holy crap!" Iona exclaimed, and Zayn could only nod in agreement as he soaked in their surroundings.
The entire room was filled with trees and shrubbery of all types, some barely an inch taller than Ghost and others stretching their gnarled limbs close to the glass ceiling high above their heads. A group of fletchling fluttered between branches overhead while a butterfree hovered next to a flowerbed, and above the chatter Zayn could hear the gurgle of running water from the back. Descending one floor down in the center of the room, blocked off by a fence of polished white stone, was the reason they were all here: the battling arena.
Next to him Harry bounced on the balls of his feet, barely able to contain his excitement as Viola led them to the arena's edge. Turning to the group, she motioned to the center of the field, where a tall man in a green-and-black referee outfit was standing. "Only the challenger can enter the battlefield," she explained, pointing to a separate area to the left where several stone benches were erected. "The rest of you are more than welcome to watch from the benches up here."
Angel stepped forward. "Um, excuse me," she said, drawing Viola's attention. "What about the pokémon in the trees? Shouldn't they be returned before the fight so they don't get hurt?"
Viola waved her hand dismissively and grinned. "They're wild. I help the nurses at the Center with rehabilitation in my spare time, but don't worry. Just like any other wild pokémon, they'll go into hiding at the sounds of battle." Then, with a look that bade no more questions, she descended the steps and walked to the center of the field.
The referee stepped forward and held a brief conversation with her before nodding and placing a hand on his hip. "Will the challenger Jared Knighton please step forward!" His voice boomed from hidden speakers throughout the room, the echo sending a few fletchlings squawking to the highest branches in fright.
Morgen and Iona clapped his back as Jared took a deep, shaky breath. In the spirit of the moment, Zayn stepped forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Good luck," he whispered and, despite everything, he meant it. With a sharp nod, Jared motioned to his charmander and together they descended the stairs and stepped onto the arena floor.
As the group made their way to the viewing area, the referee shook Jared's hand and directed him to one side of the field. "Since the challenger only has one pokémon, this will be a one-round knockout between Viola the Gym Leader and Jared the Trainer," he began, his voice echoing across the room as he unrolled two red flags from his belt and stepped back. "I am Flynn and I will be officiating this match. No substitutions are allowed. The fight is over when the first pokémon to fall is unable to battle!"
This is it, Zayn thought as he scratched Ghost behind the ear. The houndour nipped at his fingers playfully, unaware of the severity of the moment. Let's see what they're made of.
Flynn, raised one flag and pointed it in Viola's direction. "Is the gym leader ready?"
Viola held out her thumb and winked. "You know I am!"
With a nod, Flynn then directed his gaze to Jared and held up the other flag. "Is the challenger ready?"
There was a moment of silence as Jared looked down at his charmander. The orange salamander returned his gaze, bright blue eyes glimmering with a burning desire. "Are you ready, pal?" Charmander nodded its head, the flame on its tail blazing intensely as the pokémon stepped forward. With a grin, Jared turned his attention back to the referee. "We were born ready!"
"Char!"
Flynn nodded and raised both flags above his head. "Then let the battle," he started, his voice growing with intensity as he slashed the flags through the air in a downward motion, "begin!"
"Let's start things off right!" Viola declared as she tossed out a pokéball. "Come on out, Surskit!"
When the red light subsided, a tiny blue bug-like critter glided back and forth on its four spindly legs. It had a semicircular pink marking beneath both of its eyes and atop its round head was a yellow cap with a single antenna protruding up from the middle. "Surskit!" it whistled, narrowing its beady black eyes in concentration.
Zayn leaned forward on the bench, withdrawing his pokédex. "What is that?" he wondered, pressing the button in the middle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some of the others do the same.
"Surskit, the Pond Skater pokémon," the encyclopedia stated as an image of the pokémon appeared in the screen's center. "Surskit can walk on water as if it was skating. It attracts prey with a sweet aroma it produces."
Next to him, Harry and Iona waved their arms in excitement. "You can do it, Jared!" they hollered, and Morgen chuckled as she joined in on the cheering.
"This battle will be interesting," Angel spoke up, drawing the group's attention. She shrugged as she pointed to the two pokémon on the field. "Jared's charmander is a fire-type, while Viola's surskit is a dual bug-and-water-type. The odds are slightly in his favor, though, assuming he doesn't make any mistakes."
"Well, he managed to beat Harry pretty easily." Iona smirked as Harry stuck out his tongue.
"Alright!" Jared exclaimed, bringing everyone's attention back to him as he gestured to his pokémon. "Let's go, Charmander! Use Tackle!"
"Charmander!" the salamander roared, lowering its head as it charged forward at a surprising speed.
"Dodge it, Surskit!" Viola commanded, watching as her pokémon skated to the side just in time. Charmander stumbled as it struggled to a stop, but Viola did not hesitate. "Now use Signal Beam!"
A bright pink ball of energy began to form at the tip of Surskit's antenna, growing in size as the bug pokémon planted its legs firmly on the ground.
"Don't let it fire!" Jared hollered. "Hit it with your tail!"
The charmander whirled around, growling as its hardened tail crashed into surskit, breaking its concentration and sending it sliding back a few paces. The energy it had gathered dissipated as the surskit wobbled unsteadily on its legs, reeling from the forceful blow.
"Surskit!" Viola cried, her brow furrowing as the pokémon fought to regain its composure.
"Great job, Charmander!" With a grin, Jared pumped an enthusiastic fist into the air. "Tackle it again while it's stunned!"
"Char!" The salamander slammed its body into the surskit, swiping at it with extended claws as the bug pokémon struggled to dodge the attacks. Several bruises began to emerge on the surskit's body as it was tossed this way and that, evidence that the charmander was landing most of its hits.
Viola narrowed her eyes as she sliced a hand through the air. "Knock it back with Sticky Web!"
Finding a narrow opening, the surskit slid away from Charmander and arched back, shooting a web of silvery thread from its antenna. Because of its close proximity, Charmander was unable to dodge the attack in time and as a result it was tossed backwards, its arms and tail bound in the sticky webbing.
Morgen and Iona jumped up as Charmander struggled against its restraints. "Oh no!"
But Jared was far from impressed. Smirking, he commanded Charmander to melt away the web. "We're not going down that easy," he exclaimed as Charmander flexed its newly-freed arms. "Use Ember again!"
The salamander inhaled deeply, flames licking at its lips as it threw back its head and let loose a powerful blast of fire from its mouth. The flames shot towards the surskit at an incredible speed, but just as they neared their target the bug pokémon pointed its antenna to the ceiling and sprang through the air, dangling by a thread as the attack sailed past beneath it.
Viola grinned, her eyes glistening with excitement. "Don't count yourself lucky just yet, kid!" Motioning to her pokémon, she waved her hand through the air. "Surskit, use Bubble Beam!"
Surskit dropped to the ground and lowered its head, aiming the antenna in the salamander's direction as little bubbles began to froth at the tip. "Sur," it hissed as the bubbles began to intensify, building up into a rapidly spinning ball of foam and water. "Skit!"
A spray of large water-injected bubbles erupted from the bug pokémon's antenna, sailing across the battlefield with incredible precision. Charmander dove to the left, keeping the flame on its tail out of reach as it ran along the wall. Another stream of bubbles sent it ducking and running the other direction, only to be turned around once again by another onslaught.
"Charmander!" Jared called, his jaw clenching in thought as he watched his partner flail helplessly across the field, awaiting a command from its trainer as it dove and ducked to avoid the assault.
From the viewing area, Angel shook her head and sighed while Iona and Harry rooted the panicked charmander on. Morgen leaned into Zayn. "I don't like this," she whispered, her eyes clouded with worry. "I've known Jared for a long time, he's never been one to buckle under pressure!"
Zayn glanced back down to the battlefield below. Jared's jaw was still clenched tight, his back rigid and his hands balled into fists as he followed his pokémon's frantic movements, and for the first time since Zayn had known him the Giant looked completely unsure of himself.
"He still has the advantage," Zayn reasoned as his eyes flickered to the two pokémon. Even though Charmander was being corralled by the threat of the Bubble Beam attack, despite its declining pace it was still in much better shape than its opponent. A quick glance at the bruised surskit was more than enough; it would not survive another close encounter. "Fire attacks won't work against Surskit since it's part water, and I think Jared knows that. But if he can get Charmander in close enough, another strong body shot might just win the battle."
Morgen raised a brow as she followed his gaze. "You really think so?"
"I may be talking outta my ass here," Zayn smirked, nudging her shoulder. "But then again, I do have some battling experience."
Chuckling, Morgen nodded and joined Iona and Harry in their cheering. Ghost yapped in excitement, his tail wagging as he stood on all fours and stepped closer to the arena wall.
"Houndour!" the pup barked, joining in on the sideline cheers. "Dou! Dou!"
As Zayn watched on, it seemed that Charmander was drawing strength from the houndour's encouragement—was Ghost giving the charmander pointers? As another jet of bubbles hurtled towards it, instead of diving to the side and running again the salamander braced itself against the wall and jumped over the stream, tail held high in the air and arms extended on either side as it lowered its head and dove at the bug pokémon with incredible agility.
Viola hollered for her pokémon to slide out of the way, but the surskit was still firing its Bubble Beam attack, unaware that its intended target was no longer on the ground. Finally shaken out of his doubt, Jared regained his composure and, grinning, called for Charmander to end the match.
"Charmander!" it screamed, blue eyes burning with determination and white-hot flames snaking from between its lips. Surprised, Surskit glanced up just as its opponent's body smashed into it, and the ground under the two pokémon erupted into a cloud of dust upon impact.
As the dust settled, the surskit lay motionless on its back a few feet from where it had been standing, its entire body bruised and its legs splayed awkwardly. Lying on its side next to the bug pokémon, battered and unmoving, was Jared's charmander.
"Charmander!" Jared hollered, stepping forward, but the referee waved him back.
"This is still an ongoing battle!" Flynn declared, his voice booming from the loudspeakers. "You can't step onto the field until the match is called!"
Iona stood up and moved to the edge of the arena. "It's a double knock-out!" she cried, gesturing to the fallen pokémon. "Both of them aren't moving!"
Flynn glanced at her. "According to League rules, if both pokémon fall at the same time during battle we are to allow a full sixty seconds before declaring a double knock-out."
Morgen looked down at her watch and sighed. "They still have thirty seconds to go," she whispered as she glanced at Jared. The Giant was standing stock-still, his hands shaking as he anxiously watched for signs of movement from his pokémon.
It was agonizing as they all waited, mentally ticking off the seconds in their heads as they stared intently at the unmoving pokémon in the middle of the field. Forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven. No one spoke as they nervously waited for something, anything to happen. Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two...
A figure stirred on the field, causing a collective gasp to erupt from the sidelines. Slowly, shakily, one of the fallen pokémon pushed itself up into a sitting position, legs sprawled out in front of it as it rubbed its bruised head with a sigh. Blinking the dust out of its eyes, the pokémon glanced up at its trainer as if in a daze. "Char?"
Flynn held up a flag and pointed in Jared's direction. "Surskit is unable to battle," he declared as Viola returned her pokémon into its ball. "Jared the Trainer wins the match!"
With a nod from the referee, Jared ran onto the field and scooped up his partner in his arms. "We did it!" he cried as Iona and Harry ran onto the field. "We won our first badge!"
Charmander wobbled unsteadily in his grasp, but smiled all the same. "Char! Char!" It grinned, wagging its tail excitedly.
A soft click drew their attention as Viola walked up. "That was a perfect shot!" she exclaimed as she slung the camera over one shoulder and extended her hand. "Congratulations, Jared. Your charmander fought very well." She motioned for Flynn to step over. "As a reward for your victory," she began as the referee handed her a sealed wooden box. She thanked him and pulled back the lid, exposing its contents. "I am happy to present to you the winner's purse of $500 and the Bug Badge!"
With a nod, Jared set down Charmander and picked up his prize. Pocketing the money and placing the badge inside his badge case, he returned Charmander to its pokéball and turned to greet the group.
"That was intense!" Morgen laughed as she clapped him on the shoulder.
"Dude, you were awesome!" Iona exclaimed, shooting Jared a thumbs-up. Behind her, Angel nodded and whispered a quick congratulation.
Zayn extended his hand. "Good battling out there."
Jared glanced at the houndour before turning his gaze back to Zayn and grasping his hand. "I couldn't have done it without Ghost," he confessed. "I froze in the moment, but that won't ever happen again!" With a smirk, Jared crossed his arms and gazed pointedly at Zayn. "Maybe for your battle we'll have Charmander root on Squirtle, in case you freeze up. We still have that bet, after all!"
Nodding, Zayn turned and headed toward the exit. He had seen how intense his first gym battle could be, and Squirtle still needed a lot of training. If he ever wanted to win that bet, he needed to start now.
"Can I battle you now?" He heard Harry ask as the group slowly made their way off the field.
"Harry!" Iona scolded. "She needs to heal her pokémon, too!"
Shaking his head, Zayn opened the door to the gallery. It was still early, and his battle wasn't for a few days. He still had plenty of time to train Squirtle. Recalling last night's bet, Zayn could only use Squirtle if he wanted to win. Matched water for water, the tiny turtle might stand a chance against Viola's surskit. But if things went badly for Squirtle then Ghost would have to be ready for her pokémon. If I play my strategy that way, he thought as he waited outside for the rest of the group to catch up, I might just have a chance at victory. Maybe not to win the bet, but at least to win the badge.
He would have to come prepared, though. He had no information on the leader's second pokémon, and he was the only one in the group who would be battling with two. Legends, I hope I'm ready for this...