Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, only Pokémon owns me.
Author's Notes: Sorry it took me so long to bring this chapter out. I'd promised it would be a few days, and then blew it. At least now that it's summer, I should have lots of free time and more of a regular schedule, so chapters will probably be posted much more frequently. Anyway, without further rambling from me, on with the fic.
Chapter 3 — Park Your Challenges... and Face Them:
Damian was really taken aback by this. One by one, he remembered what his friends had said, about how the Flareon was probably abandoned and left alone on the streets by his previous owner, and put two and two together. With a sudden fit of rage that surprised even himself, Damian lunged forward at Moise, grabbing him off his seat and pushing him onto the ground.
Damian: "What do you mean it was yours? How could you throw it onto the streets? How could you crush its Poké Ball? HOW AND WHY?!"
At these set of accusations, Moise started to look nervous and guilty. His eyes flitted away, looking at anywhere but the faces of the people in front of him, and he swallowed and gulped down his own saliva with great haste and intensity. Damian's impatiance at Moise not answering the questions hurled at him grew, and finally Damian's last ounces of self-control burst open and dissipated into thin air.
Damian: "ANSWER ME! YOU WILL START TALKING! YOU WILL TELL ME EVERYTHING NOW!"
Moise: "You w-w-w-wouldn't understand!"
As if that meant anything to Damian now, who with an uncontrollably exploding anger began holding the other teen by his neck, consequences be damned. Then, also seeing a hint of pride in Moise's face, Damian squeezed the teenager's neck even tighter, with Moise now also being held high enough that his leather jacket fell off of his shoulders. Finally, Gideon stepped in, aware that Damian was now acting with too much violence.
Gideon: "Release him at once. I don't care if you're right with your theory or if you're right in holding him like that, but release him now. Moise, tell us everything now, or I will not allow you another Gym Battle. Besides, I don't think they serve them in jail, so cough up now and I'll forgive you and let it slip by me, or you'll really regret it."
At this, Damian threw Moise down onto the ground with as much force as possible, and then let go of him. However, even with Damian's hand letting go of his neck, Moise knew there was no escape. He knew he had to confess, but that would look stupid, make him look stupid. He couldn't grovel and beg for forgiveness, it went against his image and was simply against his dignity. He-
Gideon: "If you don't act within the next five seconds, I'll act for your sake instead. Five. Four. Three. Two. O-"
Moise: "Alright! Alright. I'll tell you everything. I lost to you in our first match with that damned Flareon. He was way too weak, no matter what I did he simply would not obey me 9 times out of ten, and if he did then he would react way too slowly. I wanted a Flareon, not a Slakoth for Arceus' sake. He drove me crazy, so I got tired of him, and one night I rigged up his Poké Ball to a device that would keep it closed and threw it away as far as possible. I don't know what happened to that Poké Ball."
That did it. Moise's arrogant and selfish tone struck a nerve into the otherwise incredibly patient and calm Gideon. Gideon's words had so far run composedly enough, but here was a situation far too untame and sprayed far too much disgust into Gideon's mouth that he finally was left with no choice, no way to keep his zen. His anger lit up, and crescendoed the more he spoke.
Gideon: "Well considering that Damian, who has never battled before, had no issues with Flareon obeying him or his reaction times, it's almost a good thing that you no longer own it. Do not, I repeat, do not ever make that mistake again, or I will make you wish you were never born. I mean it. I will do much worse than what Damian here did to you. Don't challenge me again until you learn your lesson. And if you don't, I hope by Arceus that you will find yourself in a boundless desert like I once did, and find your insides being eaten by Mandibuzz until EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY'S FUCKED OVER! NOW SCRAM BEFORE I DECIDE TO DO ANYTHING RIGHT THIS SECOND!"
Moise picked up his leather jacket and ran off with a speed faster than even Flareon reached when used by Damian, automatically ending the situation. His pride had been completely blown away, his confidence blown into smithereens.
Gideon was the first to diffuse the situation. "I have an idea. Why don't we walk to Hyde Park? There's lots of Pokémon there, and I'm sure all of you would have at least something you'd want to catch there. Besides, I'm looking for a Durant, so I just might find one."
At this, Tristan went wide-eyed, and revealed to the Gym Leader his rather large Mothim. It was easily twice, no, three times the size of Tristan's head.
Tristan: "Indeed. This is my very own Mothim that I found there as a tiny Burmy. You know it's impressive when even the professors I've met say it's unusual for them to grow this much upon evolving."
At this, Gideon was very impressed. "That is the largest Mothim I have ever seen. You're lucky to have him."
The quartet walked out of the gym, with Tristan recalling his Mothim. They continued engaging in conversation, both because they had a lot to talk about and out of necessity as Hyde Park was a 20 minute walk away.
Jackson: "When you don't specialise in Steel-types, what do you use? Tristan told me that you do sometimes use non-Steel-types."
Gideon: "I do have a Bellossom, which I caught in Hyde Park as an Oddish by the way, and I do also use a Krookodile. Krookodile befriended me all the way in America, out in the Mojave Desert. I went there for the World Championships, as I was ranked 62nd back then. I took a detour in the Death Valley when I was on my way to the stadium in Las Vegas. My rental car broke down, and I had no one else and neither the expertise nor the tools to fix it. Krookodile found me, and decided to save my life. He's been very helpful ever since, and everyone at the tournament was surprised when they learned that a Gym Leader who specialises in Steel-types brought out a Ground-type against their Fire-type. He almost even beat Sally Gregor, though ultimately her shiny Starmie outlasted just a bit more. Safe to say I still came in 17th place."
Practically everyone in the UK knew Sally Gregor nowadays. Unless you lived under a rock, it meant everything to you that she represented your country so well. In fact, she had almost beaten the number one trainer, a 24-year-old trainer from Brazil called Luciano Abreu. Her ace, her shiny Starmie, was practically the most versatile Pokémon you could meet, dependable in almost all environments and situations, and a trainer who utilised its speed better than anyone else ever could, with response times almost equal to that of the Starmie itself.
Jackson: "I knew you were strong, even more so after looking at your battles in the Gym, but I never knew you came that close. I'd love for all of us to really get to know you."
Damian: "That is so so cool! You've travelled the world over, you're ranked 17th in the world, and you've met some of the best trainers in the world. Trainers like Sally."
At that last sentence Jackson moved his eyebrows upwards and gave Damian a light nudge with his elbow, chuckling at what his best friend had just said.
Damian: "Hey, it's her battling that's so inspiring. I've known her since Year 3. Quit it."
Jackson: "Not the only thing of hers that's so inspiring to you though."
At that Damian went red as a tomato and looked down at the ground. Luckily Tristan changed the subject.
Tristan: "So anyway, how did Krookodile save you?"
Gideon: "He led me to an underground cave complex, which had water and was much cooler than the scorching heat outside. Once it became night, we set off, intending to get there as soon as possible. For better speed, he allowed me to ride on his back for quite a long time, though he eventually got too tired. At some point during the morning, I don't even know when, somebody passed by in their car, and was willing to take me to the stadium. He obviously couldn't fit Krookodile, but the Pokémon opened up one of my Poké Balls and joined my team."
Jackson: "Dude, you have Magnemite for balls. I don't think even I'd survive that long in Death Valley."
Tristan: "Honestly your Krookodile sounds like an amazing Pokémon. I'd really love to meet him sometime."
The quartet walked a bit and then some more, and finally arrived at Hyde Park. It was so colourful, with flowers of yellow, blue, purple, red, pink, white and more. It even boasted of rich expanses of plants like lavender, rosemary, sage, catmint and thyme.
Damian: "Woah. That looks so beautiful."
Gideon: "See. I knew you'd like it. There's lots to choose to catch from, so don't worry if you're unsure at first."
There were Oddish, Gossifleur, Eldegoss, Flabébé, Floette, Hoppip, Skiploom, Jumpluff... There were so many Bug-types alongside the uncountable amount of Grass, as well as some Normal-types, mostly of the bird-like or rodent-like Pokémon. He even saw an Eevee.
Just then a Heracross jumped out very close to his face and flew away, causing Damian to almost lose his balance in confusion.
Gideon: "Any ideas yet? Also everyone do tell me if you see a Durant."
Without a shadow of a doubt, Damian pointed at the flying Bug-type, and replied: "I want that Heracross."
Tristan, who somewhat leaned on Bug-types, as shown by his team, said: "That's a good one. Since you clearly work well with fast Pokémon, Heracross would suit you."
Damian pulled out his Flareon, and Heracross noticed, proceeding to swoop towards the trainer's Pokémon. He came charging at Flareon with Megahorn.
With just enough time, Damian uttered, "Dodge it with Quick Attack, and then use it once more to get closer before switching into Flame Charge!"
Flareon deftly dodged the powerful attack at the last second, and then pounced at the Single Horn Pokémon with a quick Flame Charge. Heracross was surprised by the quick dodge, and looked intrigued. He was nonetheless determined to beat the Fire-type, a battle flare beating from his wings and chest.
Damian: "Now use Fire Fang and then Fire Spin."
Heracross countered with Pin Missile, with some of the projectiles hitting Flareon, but nonetheless, Flareon was able to get close and use both moves. The Fire-type moves , being super-effective, had done quite some damage, and Heracross was now also trapped inside Fire Spin, the fiery vortex enveloping him and further sapping him of energy. It was thus not at all surprising to Damian that Heracross started to look tired. The Pokémon tried to use Pin Missile once more, but Flareon was more ready this time, dodging all of the pins easily, before Damian called out his next strategy.
Damian: "Use Flamethrower and then Flare Blitz to end this."
Jackson meanwhile had already found a Pinsir, and was busy battling her.
Jackson: "Come on out Hitmonlee! Use Blaze Kick on that Pinsir!"
Hitmonlee hit the large Pinsir fair and square, but Pinsir seemed to absorb most of the damage from the super-effective move, and responded back angrily with Superpower, pushing Hitmonlee back. Hitmonlee could keep his stance on the ground, but the move was powerful enough to create skid marks on the ground from where Hitmonlee originally had been. This worried Jackson, but it also showed him that this was a powerful Pokémon at stake that he might be able to get if he just played his cards right.
Jackson: "Use High Jump Kick!"
Hitmonlee leaped at the Pinsir, but Pinsir quickly responded back and caught his leg, and whirled him around using Storm Throw until he was thrown onto a nearby tree. This was surely a very powerful Pokémon, and to Jackson, the Pinsir appeared to be very defensive and analytical, waiting for her opponent to move first before responding with an effective counter. It was unusual for a Pinsir to be so defensive, so it intrigued him. He had to catch her.
Jackson: "Use Double Team and then Mach Punch!"
Jackson now took on a more varied approach, intending to have some defense. Pinsir took notice of this, and decided to use Earthquake instead, which eliminated the illusionary Hitmonlee from the Double Team. Despite this, however, Hitmonlee had already managed to hit with Mach Punch, and avoided the attack.
Jackson: "Now use Blaze Kick, back-to-back!"
Hitmonlee did so, catching the Pinsir off guard. Pinsir finally looked like it had taken some damage, and so it dodged the final set of kicks with Quick Attack.
Jackson: "Nice. Now use Mach Punch once more and then Low Kick."
Hitmonlee quickly moved at Pinsir with Mach Punch, with it hitting Pinsir simultaneously as Pinsir's Quick Attack hit Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee then used Low Kick on Pinsir, successfully making her fall to the ground.
Jackson: "Now finish it off with Stone Edge!"
Giant stones erupted out of the ground, hitting its intended target with a lot of force. Pinsir looked extremely worn out, so Jackson threw a Poké Ball. It spun on the ground, with red flashing from the centre, before it stabilised and made a sound, indicating that she had been caught. The Poké Ball glew with a blue light around it before it was sent back to the living quarters of Jackson's sponsor. He met back up with the group.
Damian was running in circles, shouting, "Let's goooooooo! I just caught a Heracross!" over and over again. Gideon appeared to be amused at his most recent challenger and friend's antics, laughing and smirking along. Damian looked so ecstatic that he might as well have jumped at his friends with a High Jump Kick. Tristan had instead sweatdropped, but did acknowledge that your first few captures were usually a lot more exciting than your 12th, and smirked at the scene, considering the similarity on display between his friend now compared to himself a few years ago. Meanwhile, Jackson was walking back to the quartet, and had some news of his own to share. With super-sharp hearing, he announced this, also indirectly replying to Damian.
Jackson: "Nice. I myself caught a Pinsir."
Gideon: "I saw your battle. I have to say that Pinsir looks very strong and reliable."
Just then, the quartet saw Professor Arauco, who appeared to be painting the stream and the surrounding area on his easel. Damian couldn't wait to show the professor his first Gym Badge and his Flareon and Heracross, not to mention his Gastly that was now a Haunter.
Professor Arauco: "Welcome back, Damian. I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Say, who are the people next to you? Could I get your names?"
Each person in turn introduced themselves, with the professor making an exceptionally excited "Oh I know you" when he got to Gideon. Gideon replied with a confident "Yes, that's me, the one who almost beat Sally Gregor."
The namedrop once again got Jackson to elbow Damian in the arm, causing him to groan in annoyance at the teasing. Meanwhile, the Professor appeared to be almost done with his painting, which had effectively captured all of the plants, as well as nearly all of the stream, Pokémon and people. It was a beautiful concoction of oil paints that had been applied with the deftest of hands and with the amplest amount of personality, perfectly capturing the scenery, colour, contrast and tone of the whole area. You could tell that everyone was impressed, even Damian, who had already seen the man's countless artworks before. To Damian, it was no less stunning than any of his other masterpieces, containing many of the same puffy, soft stylistic brush strokes, and yet was still uniquely memorable just like the rest. Just then, with a final deft stroke of his brush, he completed his masterpiece, and with an air of grandeur he finally allowed the remaining other parts, the more major parts of his attention to focus elsewhere, at his audience.
Professor Arauco: "So what have you gotten so far, Damian? I assume you've gotten at least something by now."
Damian: "I caught a Flareon earlier and just now caught a Heracross. My Gastly also evolved into a Haunter in the Gym Battle I had with Gideon here."
Gideon: "I was so proud of him in that battle. He won against me with such skill. 90% of my challengers don't fight like that."
The professor was impressed at how easily Damian had adjusted to being a trainer. Most people would not have won their first Gym Battle, especially not on their first day, nor would they have come into the possession of any of Damian's Pokémon at such an early stage. Suddenly, an idea flashed into his mind, which he was immediately keen to announce.
Professor Arauco: "Now why don't you try out that Heracross on one of my Pokémon? We could try to learn Heracross' strengths and weaknesses."
Damian was rather interested to see what Pokémon the professor owned, so he agreed. Besides, it would be the perfect way to test out his new Heracross.
Damian: "Alright. Come on out Heracross."
Professor Arauco: "You're a bit hasty. Let's firstly go to one of the battle courts in this park to practice. Don't want to destroy the environment around here do we?"
Jackson proceeded to sweatdrop. Nervously, he replied, "Well, about that. My Hitmonlee used Stone Edge and the Pinsir I caught used Earthquake. So I'd say it's a little bit too late."
Professor Arauco: "Well you can always avoid it starting now. Besides, I'm sure there's enough Grass-type Pokémon in this park that can induce plant growth that it won't be a problem. Just don't get caught doing something like that."
With that, the quartet headed to a battle court nearby with the professor; and Tristan, Jackson and Gideon sat down on the nearby benches to watch the battle. Since Damian's Heracross was already out of his Poké Ball, only Professor Arauco had to bring out a Pokémon to battle with.
Professor Arauco: "Let's go, Arboliva."
Tristan had quickly but studiously taken notice of the professor's Pokémon, and decided to voice his detailed observations, announcing, "Professor, you really do take care of your Pokémon extra well. That's a really healthy-looking Arboliva. Never seen one with such good-quality olives growing from it."
Professor Arauco: "Thank you Tristan. She's a real beaut ain't she?"
And then, with a quick flash of movement, he tossed his brown jacket onto a bench on his left with style, and the look in the professor's eyes suddenly changed, replaced with a display of confidence and strength. He was ready for anything his opponent might do, and was willing to display his all. He made quick eye contact with Damian, indicating to his opponent to start.
Damian: "Start off with Pin Missile!"
Professor Arauco motioned for his Arboliva to dodge using just his hands, which the Pokémon did with dramatic flair. No doubt its speed, or lack thereof, contributed to this flair. It was clear to Tristan just how close the bond between the professor and his Pokémon was.
Professor Arauco: "Use Bullet Seed."
Damian had a counter in mind, and said, "Use Night Slash to cut the seeds!"
A dark blade of energy cut through the air, making an almost metallic sound and slicing with such vigour that it might as well have been a broadsword. The attack was unsurprisingly nullified, with the seeds slashed in half and losing all momentum and power. The professor smiled at himself, knowing that Damian was a very naturally skilled trainer. He hadn't met, let alone battled a person like that in ages.
Professor Arauco: "Use Sunny Day, and then launch Solar Beam!"
As Sunny Day was being set up, Damian knew Arboliva was now vulnerable. He commanded, "Use Megahorn!"
Arboliva was suddenly hit whilst Sunny Day was being set up, but the professor was unphased, and smiled at the situation, confusing Damian. A moment later this confusion was answered as the battle court suddenly had tall blades of grass growing from it.
Professor Arauco: "Arboliva's ability is Seed Sower. If it's hit with any move, it will set up Grassy Terrain."
Now Damian was worried. He called out to Heracross to move back, but it was too late, as Sunny Day had already been set up, and Solar Beam was now being used, with Sunny Day charging up the powerful Grass-type move. Additionally, the terrain was giving the move even more power, all the while slowly healing Arboliva from the previous super-effective attack. Solar Beam was launched at the Single Horn Pokémon, hitting it with great force and sending it back against the wall of the battle court. Heracross, however, still got up, though was clearly hurt.
Damian: "Use Pounce and then Aerial Ace."
For the professor's Pokémon, Pounce was a potential death sentence, with it lowering his Arboliva's already crippling speed. Sure, Arboliva was more a defensive Pokémon that could tank blows before launching powerful attacks from the same position, but retaining that speed was still somewhat important in situations where the Pokémon could not effectively counter moves and needed to dodge them. It was also super-effective, but that was the least of his concerns. After all, Pounce by itself was not much of a powerful move. Then an idea lit up in his head.
Professor Arauco: "Use Seed Bomb to stop the attack, and then use Dazzling Gleam."
Despite his best efforts, however, Heracross seemed to be a quick learner, instinctively using Pin Missile to hit the Seed Bomb, and then launched Pounce at his opponent. Arboliva was hit, with her speed now lowered, and then an Aerial Ace struck. Being caught off guard and having already been hit back several times, Arboliva thus could not launch a Dazzling Gleam attack. Worse, Damian at this distance could do anything. The professor however still had an idea.
Professor Arauco: "Use Weather Ball on the ground, and then use Solar Beam whilst in the air."
Heracross, being in such close proximity was hit, with Damian not having anticipated the professor's move, and then before his Pokémon could get up, Arboliva also had fired Solar Beam. Heracross made an imprint of his entire on the ground, laying there as if incapacitated were it not for his half-open eyes and struggling limbs.
Arboliva landed back on the ground, prompting for a final attack from Professor Arauco: "Finish it off with Dazzling Gleam!"
Damian looked desperately at Heracross, as if staring any harder would get the Pokémon up from the ground, before the move hit. It was almost earth-shattering to think that he'd had almost every advantage not half a minute ago, before the tables were suddenly turned on him. With a final audible slam to the ground, Heracross fainted, his eyes in swirls and his legs having given up. The move had pushed him further into the ground. Damian recalled back his Pokémon, disappointed at the outcome of the battle but proud of his newly-caught Heracross already performing so well.
Damian: "You deserve a nice long rest, Heracross."
From the sidelines, Damian's friends had observed the battle, and Gideon was most impressed with the professor. Arboliva was quite a powerful Pokémon if used correctly, being able to set up many things on the battlefield to boost its powerful if shallow movepool. The professor had gone the extra step, however, utilising the Weather Ball on the ground to dodge and attack simultaneously while effectively ignoring the drop in the Pokémon's already crippling speed. The professor had used every trick in the book to ensure both sound offense and sound defense, while utilising strategies to prevent speed from becoming a limiting factor. To Gideon, Professor Arauco was every bit as talented as the likes of Sally Gregor or Luciano Abreu. He was definitely not one of your typical old fogey professors who recited poems down your throat all the time that they thought would help your troubles but actually just confused you and worsened your problems.
Damian's friends came over to him for reassurance, as did the professor. He had still performed amazingly, no less with an untested, newly-caught Pokémon, against almost all odds. Besides, it was his first day, and he had still done so much more on it than most people would or could. Seeing the amazingly vivid sunset's reds and oranges and yellows and purples reminded him of just how jam-packed this day had been, not to mention just how tiring. The professor waved them a goodbye, citing that he still needed to do things back at his lab, and wished for them to see him again soon.
Tristan: "Now that he's gone, what should we do?"
Jackson: "I could use something to eat. No idea where we could go to though. Damn it, there's so much to choose from."
Gideon: "I know a place nearby called Churchill Arms. It's this pub that has an amazing menu. It doesn't just have what you'd find anywhere, they also have a special Thai menu with noodles, chicken and curry, and it's all authentic. I go there all the time now, the food's amazing."
All this talk of food was making Damian even hungrier than he already was, and before he could voice a verbal agreement, his belly responded instead, causing the quartet to laugh.
"Mm-mhm," said Damian as he slurped his Pad Thai noodles. He had chosen it in a mix of beef and prawns, and it was so incredibly delicious. The chili sauce on them wasn't too strong, but added a certain flavour, a certain tang to the amazing dish. The ground peanuts, spring onions and beansprouts added some crunchiness and extra flavour to the food, with carrots and egg complementing the rest of the dish. It was the best noodles he had ever tasted.
"See? I knew you'd like them," said Gideon, "How's your Pad Kee-Mao, Jackson?"
Jackson was struggling not to be overcome by the extreme spice on his noodles, but nonetheless very much enjoyed them. In fact, braving the heat was very much part of the enjoyment for him. He replied, "This is so amazing! We should come here more often. Tristan, how's that Duck Curry doin' for you?"
Tristan meanwhile was enjoying the Duck Curry, which was unusually nice for him considering his normal disdain for spicy food. He'd sighed in disappointment when Jackson had once again ordered the hottest food on the menu, but it was worse when he'd also decided to place Tristan's order himself, and so without any warning had told the waiter something completely different to his order on purpose. Still, he had to admit, the taste was amazing, and it made Tristan reconsider his stance on spice. Neither his taste buds nor his stomach could tolerate the kind of spice that Jackson would slurp without a sweat, but something more mild in spice like his Duck Curry actually tasted really nice with the added heat. He worked up the courage to say, "This is actually really nice. I never would've imagined in a billion years that your "misunderstood" order would've been helpful, but here we are."
Gideon himself was eating Pad Priew Wan. He'd chosen the chicken variant, and would also occasionally eat some of the dumplings and prawn crackers that he'd ordered as side dishes. All of this was his usual order whenever he came here, but now shared among his friends. He felt glad to be eating food here with them. "What should we do tomorrow?" he asked.
Tristan: "I'd like to have a gym battle with you first, but after that we could head out to Southend-on-Sea. We can change from the Northern line onto Jubilee, and then change from there to National Rail's c2c to get there. I think the beach would do us some good, especially with the weather forecast looking like it's very hot. Besides, it'd be the perfect place for my camera."
Everyone agreed, though Gideon was understandably tired after having had so many challengers today, on top of the extra drama that had ensued with Moise. Still, Tristan seemed like an interesting opponent, someone understandably knowledgeable, even somewhat nerdy, when it came to battling. He had no idea about Tristan's strategies or how much of his knowledge was applied to actual battle scenarios, but at least he knew that the teen leaned heavily on Bug-types. It would be an interesting battle.
Jackson: "So I take it then you'd like to capture some beauties in the limelight at the beach with that thing?"
Tristan: "You know what I mean, it's not that. I'll explain it also so that Gideon knows. I'm trying to take a picture of every Pokémon possible. So the beach should offer me plenty of opportunities. Unlike what Jackson thinks, not everyone's a perv, camera or no camera. Care to explain your fantasies, Jackson?"
It was Jackson's turn to go red, not having expected Tristan to deflect the teasing in such a way. Normally, he'd come out on top, but Tristan wasn't having it this time. It was no surprise then that everyone laughed at the scene, and Gideon decided to diffuse the situation, suggesting they head back to the Pokémon Centre to book a room for the four of them for the night.
