Author's Note: This one was a little long to type because I had to keep up with the storyline in my game. But, it's finally done at last! Not to mention, Poké Ronpa might update pretty soon since I'm almost done the chapter I've been putting off due to no drive! Enjoy the reading, and expect the PR update soon!
As soon as I crossed the gate, my Xtransceiver started ringing. I picked it up to see the call was coming from Taylor.
"What's up, Tay?" I asked.
"Uh, hello? You left in like three seconds!" Taylor snapped. "And to think you'd actually have time to sit down with your favorite roommate!"
"I'm your only roommate, Taylor."
"Anyways, I just wanna wish you luck. I heard the Gym Leader uses Poison-types, so be careful with physical attacks. I tell ya, the Pokémon I've treated with so many poison effects…"
"Thanks and bye, Taylor! See you soon!"
I hung up the Xtransceiver and walked ahead. But, Tidus and I stopped in our tracks when we saw a white-haired rocker girl arguing with an older man.
"Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she snapped. "Who's gonna man the harbor if you quit?!"
"Roxie, I'm not quitting," the man insisted, taking off his captain's hat for a beret. "I'm gonna do both jobs! I'll be a captain, and a movie star at the same time! So, when you see your old man up on the silver screen, you'll see! Besides, it's just like when you manage the Virbank Gym and your band, isn't it?"
"I guess, but being a rockstar is different from managing ships in which people depend their lives on! What if you can't do both, huh?!"
"You'll see, Roxie! I'll prove you wrong! Goodbye, sweetie! See you in the movies!"
Roxie's father left without another word. Although she tried to stop him, there was no getting through to him. The white-haired girl slammed her fists on the ground with an angry shout and started yelling in the direction where the man went.
"Argh, you… you damn dense literal motherfucker!" Roxie roared, "Multi-tasking isn't why I'm angry! YOU'RE PUTTING PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER! HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE THAT?! Ugh, forget you! I'll be at the Gym!"
Roxie stormed off in the other direction. I was rather put off by their argument, reminding me all too well of how I once acted when my own dad did something that didn't sit right with me one bit.
"Well, someone has a rocky relationship with their parent," Tidus commented nonchalantly.
"Understatement, Tidus," I said back. "Big understatement. Let's just get some training done."
After a trip to the Pokémon Center and buying some Potions, I tried to find the nearest Route, but the new one was closed off and had a sign that said "PokéStar Studio auditions; do not enter". Sighing, Tidus and I went back to Route 20 to train instead. In the dark grass, we saw that Haley was still training Ace.
"Hi, Haley!" I greeted, waving and smiling.
"Ah, hey, Hynden!" Haley greeted back, turning to face me. "I thought you were going to face the Gym Leader?"
"I am, but she had a little spat with her old man. So, I'm just gonna train for now until things cool down."
"Great idea! That way, your Pokémon can get more experience and make things easier for the battle! Say, why don't you train with me? I've always been your perfect training partner, after all!"
When I nodded yes, Haley grabbed my hand and pulled me close. I accidentally fell forward into his chest, and I was able to hear his heart beating fast in his chest. I lifted my head, and saw Haley turning bright pink in the face as he turned away shyly.
"Sorry," I said to him.
"I-It's okay, Hynden," he insisted, twiddling with his fingers. "Next time, try and be more careful. I wouldn't want you getting hurt, okay?"
"Got it! Now, let's get started."
I smiled, and Haley's blush deepened, his face this time forming a smile from his lips. He cleared his throat and walked through the dark grass a little more with me and Tidus. We encountered a Patrat and a Purrloin at the same time, so we tag-teamed to defeat them
"Ace, Ember on the Patrat!" Haley proclaimed.
"Tidus, use Vine Whip on Purrloin!" I told my Pokémon.
Contiguous to each other for a minute, Ace and Tidus separated to attack their opponents with their instructed moves. Since the wild Pokémon weren't too high a levels, taking them down only took a few hits.
"Alright, here come our next opponents!" Haley announced when he heard a rustling.
I kept Tidus out and braced myself for what lied ahead. But, I stopped worrying when the Pokémon turned out to be a Pidove and a Sunkern, the latter of which made Haley and I both amazed.
"Haley, another Johto Pokémon!" I pointed out.
"I know! What are the odds we'd see another one?" Haley asked, just as in awe as me. "But, we can't let old memories of home distract us! That won't improve our skills while we train together!"
"Ah, you're right. Tidus, use Tackle on Sunkern!"
The power of Tidus' Tackle left moderate damage on Sunkern, and it was ultimately defeated by Ace's Ember attack. Haley and I congratulated our Pokémon on a job well done and I turned to the Pidove, ready to give Tidus the next command.
"Tidus, Vine Whip!" I told him.
Before my Snivy could use his attack, Haley stopped him and got closer to the Pidove. Tidus and I were confused at the reason until we saw Haley pick up the Pidove, who was red-faced and already looked weakened despite not having been attacked.
"It's sick," he deduced, "we can't fight it."
"Well, duh, Captain Obvious," I agreed. "Do you have any medicine on you?"
"I've got a bottle of medicine with me, but it won't be enough to cure it."
Haley took the medicine out from his bag, carefully parted its beak and inserted the liquid treatment into its mouth. Pidove slowly swallowed it, and Haley felt its forehead as the red color in its feathery cheeks dimmed down a little.
"It helped, but I'll have to get it to a Pokémon Center pronto!" Haley declared, hurrying out of the grass. "By the way, Hynden, there's… something I wanna ask you."
"Go ahead, Hales," I said.
"S-Sometime, when I'm free," he gulped, blushing again, "you wanna go out somewhere? Just the two of us?"
"You mean like a date?"
"N-No! I mean, it doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to. So, whaddya say, Hynden? Is it a yes or no?"
"Hmm, I dunno, is it?" I asked with an impish chuckle.
"Come on! Do you wanna go out sometime or do you not?!" Haley pleaded, exasperated by my sarcastic response.
"When I'm free. We'll spend a little day on the city together. See you then, Hales."
"Yes! I'll see you soon, Hynden!"
Although he ran off towards Virbank City, I could hear him exclaim "She said yes! She finally said yes! I'm going on a date with Hynden!" as he ran through the gates. I chuckled at my best friend's enthusiasm at our future meeting, but I focused more on training my team. I looked at Phoebe's PokéBall as I left the dark grass, and I decided that she needed a little battle experience.
"Phoebe, come out!" I called, summoning the small Sewaddle.
When she was out and about, Phoebe was just waking up from a nap. She looked around her surroundings, her face becoming fearful. Then, tears started welling up in her eyes as the baby Sewaddle started crying.
"Oh, bloody hell, she's crying!" Tidus squeaked, running over to Phoebe and rocking her gently with his vines. "Shhh, don't cry, Pheebs. It's okay, big brother's here!"
Phoebe continued to cry until she felt Tidus' soothing rocking motions, which is when she stopped crying. Tidus lowered her into his arms and continued to rock her gently.
"Loud little thing," he remarked. "But, she's still a hatchling, so it's only normal for Sewaddle her age to cry like that."
The lighter grass near us started to rustle. Phoebe crawled out from her adoptive brother's arms and inched closer to the grass as an Audino popped up. Tidus tried to stop her, but I held him back since this was a good thing.
"She'll get hurt!" Tidus insisted, worried.
"I've got plenty of Potions," I assured him. "Besides, she needs some training. You can't keep holding her back like that, Tidus. Also, according to my PokéDex, this Audino's extremely low leveled and doesn't know any physical moves."
Audino attacked with a fierce Growl, making Phoebe shudder before crying loudly again. The sound made Audino block its ears, and Tidus was able to soothe Phoebe with his vines, stroking the top of her head gently.
"It's alright, Phoebe," he assured her.
"Phoebe, use Tackle!" I commanded.
My Sewaddle inched closer to Audino and harshly rammed it in the stomach with her body. Audino was left winded, but Phoebe didn't yield. She believed this was some sort of game, so despite Audino's constant Growls and fruitless Helping Hands, Phoebe kept using Tackle until her opponent was weakened.
"Great job, little Phoebe! Now use-"
I couldn't give out my next command. Instead, Phoebe started nibbling at Audino's body until it fainted with several teeth marks in its body. My PokéDex told me that Phoebe was growing much stronger, and just learned the move Bug Bite. I picked Phoebe up into my arms and started hugging her with pride.
"Nice work, Pheebs!" I said to her before putting her down. "Now, let's go find us another place to train. You and Tidus won't be very good against Roxie's Pokémon, but you'll be great in future battles!"
"Ah-ha, gah gah, yay!" Phoebe cooed happily. "Ba-el! Ba-tel!"
"Sh-She said her first word!" Tidus choked, proud. "My baby sister is starting to grow up."
"Well, I did hear that some Pokémon age faster than others," I added.
"That's besides the point, Hynden. The point is, Phoebe's on her way to becoming a great fighter! And that makes me the proudest big brother ever!"
Smiling, I recalled both Tidus and young Phoebe to their PokéBalls and returned to Virbank City. I went into the Pokémon Center for a quick healing trip and to buy a few needed items for our training and eventual battle. When my Pokémon came back in their PokéBalls after being healed, I went to the PokéMart counter to buy some Potions and Antidotes. Then, I left the Pokémon Center in favor of a southern part of the city called the "Virbank Complex". There was wild grass around, so it was a magnificent training spot.
"Let's see, I think I'll train… Eris!" I decided, calling my Purrloin out from her PokéBall. Much to my dismay, she was once again sound asleep despite the morning being not quite over yet. "Eris!" I snapped.
"Hu-nyuh?" she yawned, waking up. "What is it, Hynden? You're disturbing my little cat nap!"
"Nap later, train now. Besides, you've gotten your needed amount of sleep already! Now you're just pushing it!"
"I told you, I have no interest in battling. Whatever I have done before was out of instinct. I simply lack the intention of actually training for such trifles, so count me out."
"But I need you for the Gym Battle! Tidus and Phoebe can't fight this one, so I'm counting on you and the others to do it!"
"Nyah… nah, I don't really feel like it. Why don't you ask me later?"
Eris' laziness was pushing me to my limit. I held back my frustration when I saw an Audino pop out of a rustling bush. I pointed to it, and despite Eris seeing what I was doing, she didn't move.
"Quit stallin', Eris!" I snapped.
"Ugh, very well. I'll humor you again. All I have to do is take down this weak pink thing, and I can sleep-"
Audino used an excess of Growl, followed by a brutal set of DoubleSlaps. The smile never once left its face, though it showed no mercy when giving Eris the beatdown of a lifetime, leading to her fainting from her injuries. I knew she was alive due to her breathing, so I hurried to the Pokémon Center to heal her up. Afterwards, I returned to the training spot.
"Now do you see why you gotta try, Eris?" I asked.
"Oh please. That was one little time. I just have to use my claws, and I'll win."
This time, a bunch of Pokémon showed up. I was fascinated at the Elekid next to the Patrat due to it being more common back in Johto, but I froze up at seeing one Pokémon: Magnemite. I may have learned to be less hostile towards Steel-types over the past couple of years, but my anathema and fear still had yet to subside.
"Shoo! Get out! Go on, go away now!" I told it, shooing it away until it flew off. "I hope Magnemites aren't too common around these parts…" I sighed. "Eris, use Scratch on Patrat."
Without very much effort in her, Eris sharpened her retractable claws and charged out at Patrat. But, Patrat used Leer, which made Eris freeze up briefly. As my Purrloin was vulnerable, the wild Normal-type used Tackle on her. Before Eris could get up, Elekid struck her down with Thunderbolt.
"Hang on, Eris," I sighed, "I'll take care of you."
One more trip to the Pokémon Center later, and I was ready to try again with Eris. But, with each consecutive training match, she kept slacking off, being defeated by wild Pokémon, and I wound up rushing her to the Pokémon Center every time.
"Okay, time for Plan B," I groaned, calling out Perseus. "Perseus, can you help Eris with her training?"
"You mean her?" Percy sneered as he and Eris gave each other looks of disgust. "It's bad enough I have to work with a human, but now you expect me to work with this lazy fat cat?"
"What did you just call me, mutt?!" Eris shrieked, sharpening her claws and lunging out at Perseus. "I'm gonna make you eat those words!"
"Break it up, break it up!" I called, pulling Eris off of Percy. "You guys need to put aside your differences and help each other. If you don't, we can't leave Virbank because we don't have the badge!"
"Ugh, fine…" Eris and Percy groaned before glaring at each other again.
From the grass popped another Patrat, to which Eris did nothing but sharpen her claws at while still lying down. When the wild Patrat jumped at her, Percy quickly defended Eris with Counter before shooting her a glare.
"Pull your weight, you stupid cat!" Percy snapped.
"You know, sophisticated ladies such as myself don't start petty fights," Eris retorted, "but we sure as heck can finish them!"
"Oh, so you wanna go, do ya? Bring it!"
I tried breaking up the squabble between my Pokémon, but they kept at it no matter how much I attempted to separate them. Just then, the grass started rustling again. Out came another Audino, who proceeded to use an instant DoubleSlap on Eris and Percy.
"Grr, stupid Audino!" Eris hissed.
Percy attacked with Counter the next time Audino tried using its move again, and he left a critical hit on it. But, Audino then attacked with Growl, which made Percy' punches become weaker. Suddenly, Percy was pinned to the ground by Audino's foot. The smile not leaving the wild Normal-types face, Audino raised its hand, ready to attack.
"Perseus!" I cried, running over to stop Audino from using DoubleSlap.
Although I did stall its hand for a few moments, fighting back and forth with it stubbornly, I was tossed aside by the Audino's strength, and it continued to try and attack Percy. But, what surprised me greatly was Eris slashing its hand with Scratch. Audino abandoned Percy for Eris, but my Purrloin used an Assist attack.
"Let's see how you like this!" Eris shouted, firing Michi's Water Gun and defeating Audino. Afterwards, she reveled in the experience. "Well, I'll be, that actually felt rather satisfying."
"Are you guys alright?" I asked them, helping Percy off the ground.
"Yeah, thanks for trying to save," Percy said to me. "Maybe you're not totally despicable after all. But, that doesn't mean I'm gonna lower my guard to you."
"It's a start," I sighed, smiling. "Does that mean I can call you 'Percy' now?"
"Don't even think about it, human! I'm Perseus to you!"
"Ahem, I believe there's something you'd like to say to me as well, Mutt?" Eris asked, "I believe it was I who took down that fat pink ruffian."
"Ugh. Thanks, I guess. Whatever," Percy said with little effort.
A pout came from Eris, rolling her eyes and curling up again until I picked her up. She gave me another look, even when I put her down again and made sure she didn't try to fall asleep again.
"We've still got a little more training to do," I told her, recalling her and Percy. "I'm gonna see what's down there."
I headed further into the Virbank Complex until I reached some sort of metal plant. I looked around at the several pipes, Trainers, and Pokémon up ahead. I was suddenly stopped by a man when I walked in.
"Hey, you!" he called, "My name's Theo, and I need some help."
"What kind of help?" I asked.
"See, I run this here complex, and three of my best workers aren't doing their jobs. Can you convince 'em? They love battling just to shirk their work. I'll give you this Hidden Machine if you do."
I looked at the maroon disc that said "Rock Smash", and I nodded. I went off into the Virbank Complex and searched around for the workers. I found one up on one of the platforms, so I ran to find a way up. I discovered a staircase and the only way to get to the worker was to walk on the red pipes.
"Steady… steady now…" I told myself, holding my arms out for balance in each step.
I managed to make it to the platform without falling down. I approached the worker, who took a minute to notice me. I had a competitive look on my face as I tossed Eris out to fight.
"Oh, so you wanna battle?" he asked me, sending out his Patrat first. "Bring it on! It's more fun than working right now!"
Eris started with an Assist attack, which was a Tail Whip originating from Michi. Patrat's defense got weaker from it, leaving it open for Eris to attack with a new attack. She slashed her claws at Patrat over and over until it fainted, and I recognized the move as Fury Swipes.
"When did you learn that?" I asked her, impressed.
"Probably from that Audino," Eris guessed. "No matter, I feel as though I'm invincible! I'll tussle with one more opponent, then it's a nice nap for me."
The worker's next Pokémom was an Elekid. My awe died down when Elekid attacked Eris with a critical Low Kick, causing her to nearly lose her balance. Before she could completely faint, I recalled her and sent out Phoebe, who quickly trapped Elekid with String Shot.
"Phoebe, use Bug Bite!" I commanded.
Phoebe's Bug Bite was strong enough to cause the Elekid to faint due to its inability to attack after being tied up tight. The worker returned his Pokémon to its PokéBall and hung his head in shame.
"Back to work, I guess…" he sighed, turning around and working on the generator.
"You did so good, Phoebe!" I cooed, picking her up and smiling cheekily.
"Yay! Thane, thane!" she replied, which I assumed to be a way of saying "Thanks".
I returned Phoebe to her PokéBall and crossed the pipes again to search for the second worker. When I spotted him below the pipes, I jumped down and shakily landed on my feet like a Glameow. I approached him with a PokéBall in my hand, and when he turned around, he caught my drift and sent out his first Pokémon.
"Riolu, go!" he exclaimed.
"Perseus, let's fight!" I shouted.
Percy glanced at the other Riolu before becoming fierce. Riolu struck Percy with Feint, which dealt moderate damage to Percy's body. My own Fighting-type retaliated with his Frustration attack, but it wasn't nearly as strong or angry as when he used it before.
"Perseus, what gives?" I asked him, "Did you channel your anger?"
"I tried! But nothing came up for some reason," Percy told me.
"Why's that? Never mind! Use Quick Attack."
Percy ran so swiftly around Riolu that he was practically invisible. When Riolu least expected it, Percy struck him from behind and defeated him. Percy cracked his knuckles and smirked at his victory. Even when the worker sent out Lillipup and it attacked with Tackle, Percy was able to take it down once I told him to use Counter.
"Great job, Perseus," I told him, holding out my hand to see if he was going to shake it.
"...Thanks, you too," he responded, nodding at me positively instead of reciprocating the handshake.
"Now, isn't there someone who needs to do their job instead of goofing off?"
"Yeah, you're right, sorry," the worker sighed, resuming his job.
I trudged through the tall grass, but Percy and I stopped when a Pokémon sprang from the shrubbery. It was a Growlithe, who looked at both of us for a moment before trying to pounce at Percy. But, his pounce was rather weak since Percy was able to dodge it without much effort.
"Gah! Why'd ya do that?!" Growlithe demanded to know, "You didn't even lemme attack ya!"
"Like hell I'd do that, stupid!" Percy objected. "What kind of Growlithe can't even use an attack properly?"
"I can so! Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the great Leon, the most feared Growlithe in the entire Virbank Complex!"
Suddenly, a wild Patrat popped out of nowhere from behind Leon, who shrieked in fear before hiding his face in his paws uttering "Don't hurt me" over and over again. Percy defeated it with an easy Quick Attack and loomed over the cowering Leon.
"You're pathetic," he insulted. "If you're really so 'big and bad', then get stronger."
"Perseus is right," I agreed before restating myself. "Err, not the pathetic part, that was just mean. I'm talking about you getting stronger. How about you come with us, and I'll train you?"
"R-Really?" Leon asked before perking up with confidence. "Alright! Though I gotta warn you, don't be surprise if I blow you away with my awesomeness!"
"Obviously. There's nothing cooler than cowering before a stupid little Patrat," Percy spat sarcastically.
"Ah, who asked ya? I just got me a new home, so get used to my presence!"
I turned on my Xtransceiver and opened the new-and-improved PC Storage app. I decided to box Timon, leaving an open slot in my party. I tossed a PokéBall at Leon, and his capture was a success. Recalling Percy, I marched to the other side of Virbank Complex and found the last worker below. Walking down the stairs, I challenged the final worker immediately.
"You're on!" he decided. "Koffing, Magby, go!"
I sent out Leon for his first fight, and thought about my second Pokémon. Spraying Eris' PokéBall with a Potion, I called her out. When Leon noticed her, his eyes widened with amazement and his cheeks flushed slightly. Licking his paw, he slicked his mane back a little and inched closer to her with smooth confidence.
"Well, now who may you be, cutie?" he purred, "The name's Leon, I'm new. Is your name as pretty as your face?"
"I'm Eris," she introduced with a smile. "I'm very pleased to meet a gentleman like you, Leon. You're a much nicer dog than that mutt, Perseus."
"Oh, tell me about it. That brat needs to take a pill!"
"Hey, guys, flirt on your own time!" I snapped. "We've got a battle to do!"
Magby's attack was an Ember on Eris, and Koffing used Assurance on Leon. Both sustained moderate damage, but still stood proud and strong.
"Eris, Fury Swipes on Magby!" I commanded, "Leon, use… Ember on Koffing!"
Slashing her sharp claws across Magby's body, the Fire-type fainted after the final three swipes. Leon's Ember attack only did half the damage, and Koffing attacked with a Poison Gas attack. Leon cringed in pain as poison began surging through his veins, each movement hurting badly.
"Damn Poison-type…" he winced.
"Eat this," I told him, taking out a Pecha Berry and showing it to him.
"Blech! You expect me to eat that pink piece of crap? I hate sweet berries!"
"Eat it," I said sternly, forcing it into his mouth.
Despite his gags, the swallowed Pecha Berry quickly took effect, diminishing the poison in Leon's body. My Growlithe was still dry-heaving from the sweet taste, but he was able to use another Ember attack on Koffing. I told Eris to attack Koffing, and she had a new move: Pursuit. The combined power was enough to defeat Koffing once and for all.
"Damn, I lost…" the worker groused. "I'd better get back to work before I get fired!"
"You guys did wonderful!" I cheered at my Pokémon, hugging them both tightly and letting go afterwards.
"You were quite brave out there, my dear," Eris purred, licking Leon's cheek. But, his face went from bliss to pain when Eris ran her tongue up his face.
"Ouch! Are all Purrloin tongues that rough?!" he winced, rubbing his sore cheek.
I recalled Eris and Leon and headed towards the exit. At the gate, Theo saw that the generators were up and working again, so he rewarded me with Rock Smash as I walked out. I sent Leon out of his PokéBall after thinking things over a little.
"So, what's this?" he asked as I placed a pair of padded headphones over his ears.
"I'm gonna teach you a new move," I told him, inserting the instructional Hidden Machine into the newest model of the Move Tutor CD Player.
The disk only ran for half a minute, and Leon learned the move after that time. I recalled him and stashed away the Player and the headphones. I took a trip to the Pokémon Center, healed up my team, and bought a few Potions and Antidotes for what lied ahead at the Virbank City Gym.
Pokémon obtained: Leon the Growlithe, Male, Quiet nature, Likes to fight.
Badges earned: 1/8
Boxed/Unboxed: Timon the Patrat (Boxed).
Author's Note: When I first started the game (before I started over), I actually called my Growlithe "Leon" before I even knew about Dangan Ronpa. So, I guess back then, you could say I named him before Leon Kuwata! But, this Leon's personality is supposed to lean a little more towards my dear Souda's, but still hints of his namesake. See you next time, everyone!