Author's Note: What's up? This chapter took a long time to finish, but it's finally up and about! Elesa was a pain to fight, but I managed to beat her last week. I don't really know what else to say other than "enjoy the chapter", so enjoy! Go ahead and leave reviews if you want!
"Leon, use Fire Fang!" I commanded.
My Growlithe took a huge fiery bite out of my opponent's Herdier, causing it to faint almost instantly from Leon's power. Rich Kid Keenan looked at his fainted Pokémon and recalled it, huffily paying me my winning reward of 3520 PokéDollars.
"Thanks," I said, walking off with Leon happily. "Just imagine if you were holding Eris' Amulet Coin!" I beamed, thinking of the payment I received.
"What can I say? The rich get richer, but the poor take their riches!" Leon misquoted.
"I don't think that's the saying, Leon."
Leon and I made our way out of Route 4 and back into Nimbasa City, where we dropped by the Pokémon Center. I healed him and everyone else on my team in their Poké Balls at the front desk where the Nurse Joy was. The health scan was quick and easy, so I was able to retrieve my friends and head over to the PokéMart desk.
"We're having a sale on Revives today," the clerk said. "Fifty percent off for only 750 PokéDollars, would you like some?"
"Yes, I would," I agreed. "I didn't know Revives were so cheap."
"Usually, they're not. But after the huge shipment accident two years back, none of the cities could get their hands on any. These actually came in just this morning, so we're throwing our customers some bones by having a celebratory sale!"
"That's convenient. I'll take about 15."
Due to the several Trainer battles I just got through earlier, I had quite a bit of cash to burn. The fact that Pokémon Breeder Irene's atrocious short-term memory prompted her to challenge me every time I walked by was one of the bigger reasons, combined with Eris' precious Amulet Coin. I paid for the three packs of Revives and left, immediately walking into Nimbasa Park.
"I think I'm gonna drop by here later," I noted mentally. "The last time I went on any rides, I had to fight Team Plasma…"
I continued walking through the park until I heard a slight CRUNCH from beneath my foot. I looked down and saw a lime green Xtransceiver, its screen somewhat cracked due to the contact with my foot.
"How do you lose a Xtransceiver just like that?" I wondered, examining it.
I nearly dropped the misplaced Xtransceiver the second it started ringing. I answered the call, but the person on the other line's face was obscured due to the cracked screen. From what I could see, it was a boy with light blonde hair and olive green clothes.
"Is anyone there?" he asked from the glitching screen.
"Yeah, I am," I said. "I'm Hynden, so who are you?"
"I'm Curt- I mean, they call me Christoph!" Christoph introduced.
"Is that short for 'Christopher', by any chance?"
"No, just 'Christoph'. Look, I'd love to pick up my Xtransceiver ASAP, but I'm at work right now. Would it be alright if you held onto it for me?"
"I don't mind. Just come try and find it as soon as you can, okay?"
"Yes. See you in the future, Hynden!"
Christoph hung up his borrowed Xtransceiver, and I stashed his real one away in my bag for safe-keeping. Past the giant Pikachu inflatable, I saw the entrance to the Nimbasa City Gym I remembered and went inside. As it had two years ago, everything was a giant indoor roller coaster. Gulping, I climbed inside of the blue pod until it sealed up and started moving.
"Here we go again…" I groaned, awaiting the obnoxious speed.
The roller coaster zipped at an intense speed, provoking screams of adrenaline and terror to fly from my throat. It felt like the ride was going on for an eternity, but much to my relief, it finally stopped at the main battle-floor.
"I hate roller coasters-" I began to say until I saw the platform. "Hey, you're not Elesa!"
"Well, you're not the first person today who's been met with that disappointment," the Nimbasa Beauty said. "Instead, you get her head stylist, Antoinette. However, it's a good thing you came here. There's something Miss Elesa would like for her challengers to do before I tell them where the new Gym is."
"What does she need?"
"Just follow me."
Antoinette herded me to a giant elevator-like lift, and down we went to the bottom of the Gym where everything was safe from the roller coasters. Behind a door was a familiar dressing room that once belonged to Elesa, where Antoinette used a reel of measuring tape to measure my rather busty front. Then, she showed me a rack full of extraordinary gowns and dresses all fit to a certain size.
"Pick your favorite, and let me see when you have it on," she instructed. "I'll be in charge of your hair after."
"Wait, I'm getting a makeover?" I wondered. "Can't I just go to the Gym and fight in the clothes I'm wearing now?"
"Miss Elesa's new Gym is one where you don't just wanna walk down in plain old street clothes. Trust me on this."
Rolling my eyes, I shifted through the plethora of dresses and found one that suited my interest. The dress had rhinestone-pleated short sleeves that acted as straps, its shining silver fabric flowed around my ankles, and the waist was adorned with beautiful dark blue beads. I slipped into the dressing room and removed my outfit and hat in favor of the gown, and I came out to see Antoinette's judging look.
"Hmm… very nice!" she said. "The color really brings out your eyes! Now, I'm going to get you a pair of matching shoes, and I can get started on your hair, dearie!" Antoinette pulled out a matching choker for the dress, but I refused it by shaking my head no.
"I'm fine with my locket," I insisted. "For personal reasons, I'm not comfortable with taking it off."
"Oh, but you'll look so much better with this!"
"I said no. The locket stays."
"Are you sure? Because I think-"
"No! I don't want your tacky choker!"
"O-Okay… the locket stays I guess. Just put these on and follow me."
When I slipped and fastened the white gladiator ankle-heels onto my feet, Antoinette seated me into the spinning chair in front of the mirror. She removed the hair tie and my long chestnut-colored locks flowed down all the way to the bottom of the cushion. Antoinette carefully moved the hairbrush through each group of hair strands all over my head until my hair was straightened out and free of potential knots. Once that was over, Antoinette plugged in a curling iron and waited for it to heat up.
"Hold still," Antoinette instructed me, spraying my hair with a protective liquid. She grabbed the heated iron and took my peek-a-bangs in front of my right eye. "Try not to fidget while I'm doing this. You've got a LOT of long hair, so one wrong move could burn you. When I'm done, you'll look amazing!"
The torrid curling iron started its journey the moment it made contact with my peek-a-bangs. It turned outwards and released when my hair curled up and into itself, concealing the vertical eyelid scar once more. Soon, the curling iron faced the rest of my hair, twisting and turning each strand so it bounced with its new curls. Antoinette flipped my hair a little so most of my hair was out of my face.
"And now, it's time for the final touches!" Antoinette chirped, pulling out a drawer full of makeup supplies.
Makeup didn't bother me too much, so I didn't mind what she was doing. However, I told Antoinette not to go overboard with it since i wanted to be able to see when I battled Elesa. She made my eyelashes look fancier with an eyelash curler before applying mascara, eyeshadow consisting of shades of indigo and violet, and nude makeup went onto my face to bring out my slight olive skin tone. Finally, a coating of magenta lipstick was spread over my lips after a light layer of saccharine lip balm.
"Voila!" Antoinette declared, moving so I could see my new appearance. "Now you are ready to battle!"
"Wow, I look… different," I remarked, surprised by how the makeup made my face appear.
"Not just different, you look fabulous, my dear! Go on! Go face Miss Elesa, and come back here to pick up your clothes! The new Nimbasa Gym is the black building with the yellow flashing lights further down in the park. You can't miss it! Also, you have to wear this cloak until you get inside."
Nodding, I took the black cloak and put it around my body until the dress and my face were concealed. I went out the other exit in the dressing room, and I found myself back outside. Walking carefully in the heels, I went all the way down into the park until I discovered the building Antoinette described and entered.
To my half-surprise, I learned I was standing on a runway in the dimmed room full of loud people. As I progressed through the path, the floor seemed to light up with each step and made a somewhat clearer trail.
"So far, so good- AH!" I yelped when I felt my foot go through a large fissure in the runway.
I was ankle-deep into the floor, but I wriggled my limb carefully and freed it from the hardened prison. Stepping over the fissure, I took just as careful steps across the runway until I walked up the steps, past the two Nimbasa Beauties, and onto the battling platform, where Elesa was waiting for me. This time, though, her hair was black and longer in the front; she wore a blue and yellow outfit resembling that of an Egyptian queen's, dandelion-colored cloud coat, red and blue flats, and red visor shades.
"Elesa, long time no see!" I greeted, removing the hood from my face.
"Welcome, challenger," Elesa responded, turning around until she made eye contact with me. "Oh! Now there's a pretty face I haven't seen in a while. How has your soul-searching gone, Hynden?"
"Pretty good. By the way, I think your stage might be a little… broken," I said, pointing to the fissure with my thumb.
"Ah, you're the fourth one today. I could have sworn I had it fixed… Oh well! I guess we all 'go through a stage' at one point in our lives!"
While Elesa chuckled at her joke, I didn't really understand it that much. I thought about it a little more until I let out a few chuckles when I got the joke in Elesa's words. Soon, the two of us ceased our laughter.
"Nonetheless, I'll have to get that fixed up," Elesa decided, placing a hand on her somewhat flat sacrum. "I wouldn't want my future mini-me getting hurt before it comes."
"Future mini-me? What do you-" The realization hit me like a pile of bricks as my face lit up with excited surprise. "Elesa, are you having a baby?"
"Yep! In about 37 weeks, I'll be a mom! That's why I had to take a break from the hair dye and go back to my real hair color."
"Wait, Burgh told me you were gonna be 'out-of-sorts'. You seem fine to me."
"He's probably talking about my nausea and fatigue. But hey, I'm still holding up. My soon-to-be wife's got it worse than I do right now. I really wish she'd just swallow her pride and take more breaks."
"You're getting married too? Congratulations! Who's the lucky lady, hmm?"
"That's a secret. But I can guarantee you'll have met her by the time you get your last badge. Are you ready for your fourth Gym battle, Hynden?"
"You know it! Let's go!"
When she disposed of her puffy cloud coat, Elesa's first Pokémon of choice was her Emolga. I was aware of the possibility of it using a Flying-type move, so to fight it, I chose to use Eris first. When she came out of her Poké Ball, her emerald green cat eyes lit up with wonder at the very sight of Elesa.
"It's her!" she beamed, face breaking into a huge grin. "It's the one and only, Miss Elesa-"
Eris was interrupted when Emolga used a powerful Volt Switch on her. She was trembling from the electric current surging through her very being, each step attempted resulting in aches. Before I could spray her with a Super Potion, Eris attacked Emolga with Pursuit at the very moment it was still out.
"Can you keep up?" Elesa asked as Emolga retreated to its Poké Ball, "I may be pregnant, but that doesn't mean I can't fight. Let's see if you'll be the first to conquer my team's Volt Switches. Flaaffy, let's go!"
I treated Eris' wounds using a Super Potion and told her to use her newly-learned Hone Claws attack. She unsheathed her retractable claws and began scratching at Elesa's discarded yellow coat to sharpen them.
"Ah, so soothing!" she purred when she ripped away from the coat one last time. "Alright! Now it's time to fight! Bring it on, sheep!"
"Oh, boo," Elesa groused. "That was my favorite coat…"
"Sorry about that, Elesa," I apologized, scratching the back of my hat. "Eris just needed to sharpen her claws. I could get you a new one if-"
"No, don't apologize. It's alright, Hynden. Let's focus on the battle at hand, shall we? Flaaffy, use Volt Switch!"
"Eris, Pursuit!" I shouted.
In unison with Flaaffy striking Eris with its electrified body, Eris riskily pounced onto her battling adversary and forced herself through the field of sparks and electric bolts. She stood when Flaaffy took damage and switched out for Zebstrika, but my Liepard became wobbly and fell unconscious from the amount of damage she had taken.
"Return, Eris," I said, recalling my fainted Liepard and sending out my Growlithe. "Leon! Use Flame Wheel!"
"Zebstrika, Flame Charge," Elesa instructed.
As the Electric-type stomped its hooves furiously, Leon spun himself in a circle until his body caught fire. Zebstrika and Leon charged at each other at the same exact moment and collided. They fought and pushed through to gain dominance, which was ultimately won by Leon when he bulldozed Zebstrika.
"Zebstrika, Volt Switch!" Elesa shouted.
Zebstrika's body illuminated with sparks and charged right at Leon the moment he started to use another Flame Wheel. Both Pokémon made harsh contact that resulted in mutual critical hits, but the victor of the round was Zebstrika when Leon fainted at the same time it switched out for Flaaffy.
I recalled my fainted Fire-type and from my bag I took out one Revive. Crushing the sensitive diamond into dust, I sprinkled its remains over the center of Eris' Poké Ball, which went from gray and dim to a brimming crimson and white color. I tossed her Ball high and out she came, concluding a peaceful snooze as her eyes snapped open.
"Flaaffy, Volt Switch!" Elesa commanded.
"Eris, dodge and use Pursuit!" I exclaimed.
Flaaffy electrified its body and charged at Eris. But, she was able to move out of the way in time and strike Flaaffy before it could get away. The Pursuit attack was critical and resulted in the Wool Pokémon's defeat. Elesa sent out her Zebstrika again, so I recalled Eris for Percy.
"Percy, use Force Palm!" I told him.
Percy grabbed Zebstrika by the muzzle and forcefully tossed it aside. Zebstrika shakily got back onto its hooves and attempted a Flame Charge attack, but Percy put an end to its terror by finishing it off with Rock Smash.
"You're still the shining star I faced two years ago," Elesa commented, recalling Zebstrika. "Or rather, you shine even brighter than your past self! But, who will win this glamourous battle? Your Lucario, or my Emolga?"
Elesa called out her remaining Electric-type. I told Percy to use Quick Attack, so he was able to inflict damage first. Elesa healed her Emolga using a Hyper Potion, leaving a dejected Percy to start over.
"Perce, use Force Palm!" I commanded.
"Emolga, Volt Switch," Elesa said.
Emolga illuminated itself in a force field of electricity and soared towards Percy. Percy grabbed a hold of Emolga despite taking damage from the hot crackling sparks of its body. He endured it long enough to toss Emolga downwards, inflicting damage onto its body.
"Alright, Percy!" I cheered, "Use Quick Attack!"
Percy summoned as much strength as possible and lunged out at the weakened Emolga. With one mighty punch, Elesa's Emolga fell unconscious. When she recalled it, Percy fell to his knees, only to buttress himself using his fist to prevent slipping into unconsciousness.
"Great job, Percy," I told him, calling my Lucario back to his Ball. "Take a long rest, and I'll go to the Pokémon Center ASAP."
"Bravo, Hynden," Elesa commented. "You've once again defeated me and proved how much of a shining superstar you still are! As a reward, I humbly give you the Bolt Badge!"
Elesa handed me the small lightning bolt-shaped badge, which I proudly placed into my Badge Case as a symbol of my fourth victory. I was about to make my leave when Elesa stopped me from doing so.
"Wait," she said. "There's something the winner has to do now once I've been defeated."
"Yeah?" I wondered.
"Well, this is a runway, so show the world what you've got!"
I nodded once and removed the baggy cloak from my body, revealing the silver dress and my overall makeover. The spotlights shone on me and Elesa, causing the crowd to erupt into wild applause and cheers at the sight of us. I was instructed to try out my best poses as Elesa and I started strutting down the runway. Several camera flashes and shutters went off as I kept making poses to the adoring crowd.
"Hynden! Hynden! Hynden!" the crowd cheered as my image and name appeared on the screen behind us.
I made it to the end of the runway and stopped posing for the crowd. The spotlight was still shining brightly on me and Elesa, so I joined Elesa in waving to everyone around me.
"It's such a shame Antoinette put so much makeup on you," Elesa sighed. "No one got to see your true beauty! No matter, I'll have to find a way you can makeup for it!" she chuckled at her joke.
"Haha, good one!" I laughed genuinely. "I never took you for the comedic type, Elesa! Thanks for the battle!"
"Anytime, my girl. Good luck with your other ones!"
Elesa turned her back on the exit and resume walking across the runway, stepping over the fissure before making her way back to the main platform. I exited the Gym and headed back to the old Gym's dressing room to reclaim my clothes, eager to keep my word on visiting the Battle Subway before leaving Nimbasa City.
Pokémon obtained: None.
Badges earned: 4/8
Boxed/Unboxed: None.
Author's Note: I realized halfway through writing that Elesa probably dyed her hair black. But, I changed it so her real hair color is black. Besides, I read you're not supposed to dye your hair while pregnant, so that's another reason. Stay tuned for the next part of Hynden's time in Nimbasa City; I do plan on tweaking a few things. See you then!