Chapter 5

I watched my girlfriend pace in her little room and couldn't help the feeling, that I should be pacing right alongside her.

And, yet, here I was almost as cool as a cucumber, not resigned or anything just strangely relaxed despite this being my last night in the city for the foreseeable future given that I was departing tomorrow morning.

"We covered the basics yesterday," Christy muttered under her breath, while I kept quiet and let her think about anything we might have forgotten. "Tweety is ready, and Master Kiyo got you up to speed on Machops this morning." Here I held up my steadily filling notebook for emphasis but still refrained from commenting.

"He still thinks you should look in the mountains northeast?" She asked, her pacing had ceased, and she gazed at me with a pensive expression.

"Yeah, he even gave me a pretty solid run-down of the signs to look out for. You know, caves, trails, and such." I answered, not quite seeing the problem, aside from the fact that mountains weren't made with comfort in mind and that I would be spending considerable time there.

"It is good advice," She relented somewhat resigned, and plopped onto the bed next to me. "it's just…I know, I mean, I heard of the area. The power plant where Dad works is in there."

"The few times he talked about it made it sound pretty harsh. He had said something, that the plant was so far out of the way by design and that it's only accessible via Teleport or going upstream by boat." Suddenly her eyes widened as if struck by a sudden realization.

"When you go up there you have to stay well clear of the plant!" She said forcefully and grabbed my hand, making me look up into her concerned face.

"Apparently a lot, and I mean a lot, of electric pokemon have been migrating or breeding there since the beginning. Dad even told me, that he had seen wild Raichus and Magnetons roaming the area."

Suddenly I knew where she was going with this and nodded quietly in understanding.

"If one of them gets you while you are riding Tweety…" The pensive look was back in full force, and I gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Don't worry, I got a pretty good flyer-map at the store. I will fly around the plant and the surrounding area, I promise." I told her earnestly, having no intentions of getting zapped out of the sky by an angry rodent myself.

My eyes still on her face I watched how most of the tension left her and she gave a minute sigh of relief.

"That said," She finally carried on, her eyes now on the wall opposite her bed. "the area has merit. A Pokemon-Center is only a couple of hours away from the power plant further upstream. Apart from hikers or scientists, trainers apparently don't really bother with the area." Watching her side profile I noticed to my surprise, that the pensive expression was back yet again, but this time it was less worry and more of a calculating look.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow in anticipation and question as she ripped her gaze from the wall and locked eyes with me.

"Gym Battles," She began, obviously trying to formulate her sentences despite her mind still racing in the back. "aren't as straightforward as you might think."

"Remember, you are dealing with official league representatives that spend most of their time battling challengers, be it rookies or advanced trainers." She continued, her voice now gaining confidence, a sign that she had her thoughts in order.

And suddenly, there was a smile, too.

"They know what they are doing…they know when to let a trainer win."

I blinked in surprise when she suddenly jumped up and resumed her pacing.

"Think about it, what trainer earns more points in their eyes?" She asked the apparently rhetorical question, given that she carried on immediately. "Someone that bets everything on type advantage or someone that truly accepts the challenge and uses his pokemon with strategy?"

"With Gyms the way they are, imagine you walk up to the challenge with the same type, it's bound to raise your chances even more! Seeing a promising trainer use their style is a win in their book, too."

She exclaimed, enthusiasm clear, while I struggled to see where all this was going.

"However," She kept going, and slowly but surely, I got the impression, that my pink-haired girlfriend had turned into a weird mix of schoolteacher and sports-coach. "type advantage can be your insurance in a pickle. Don't lead with it though!" She warned and turned to check if I was still following, which I signaled with an affirmative nod. "If you lead with something like this, the Gym Leader will react accordingly and probably look at you less favorable compared to you using, for example, the same type to the best of your abilities."

Seeing her wind down somewhat I hesitantly took it as my cue to get back into this whole process.

"That's…good to know." My tone suggesting that I got the gist of it but was unsure what got this whole spectacle of her rolling.

"The area around Routes 9 and 10!" She exclaimed. "You can get all the Pokemon perfectly suited for your Gyms." She enthused and launched herself onto the bed and me, seamlessly carrying on with her strategy for me despite her position straddling my stomach.

"Fighting, rock and ground, water, and electric. All types useful for the first three gyms in close proximity and you have almost a month still to work on them."

Ignoring Tweety, who was currently burning a hole into the back of my head with his impatient stare was a bit of a challenge. Coupled with his antsy hopping on the spot, not unlike an overly excited Pidgey, gave the unmistakable impression that he was really desperate to finally get going.

Just because I understood him, however, didn't mean I wouldn't give my girlfriend a proper goodbye or my full attention. Bros before hoes had its limits after all.

"You got my old tent?" She asked in a manner that was eerily similar to a mother sending her child to their first overnight school trip. Better not think too much about it, I reckoned, just nod with a smile and I should be golden, shouldn't I?

"You collected the survival and first-aid-kit at the Pokemon-Center I prepared for you?"

"I did." I dutifully replied. I might have lost count on the various items and survival rules she had rattled off on our way to the city limits, but I couldn't help but appreciate the way she worried for my sake.

"I called my cousin to expect you, oh…, and don't expect a shiny Pokemon-Center, apparently it's a log cabin at the foot of a mountain."

"Don't worry," I gave her a quick hug when I noticed, that she seemed to run out of stuff to remind me about. "I mapped out a simple flight, it isn't the shortest route, but the landmarks should be pretty obvious. Tweety and I still have to get used to this navigating thing anyway, I'll be careful, and I didn't forget the power plant."

"That's good." She replied absently, mind still racing apparently.

"Hey, I'll be fine." I tried to inject her with the same confidence I was feeling. "I'll call regularly or leave a message. Oh and don't think I forgot." I paused, my voice had gained a serious edge towards the end, which made her look up startled.

"The second I'm back with my three badges we are off to some tropical island. You, me, and that white swimsuit." I smirked when I saw a mischievous smile grow on her face, ready to engage in naughty banter.

"I can't…" She began when suddenly an ear-piercing shrill punctured our romantic farewell and told me quite clearly that Tweety was now at the end of his rope.

"I better get going before he flies off without me." I muttered with a sigh.

"You better." She stepped on her toes and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before I finally made my way to the impatient bird, that was already in the position for me to slide onto his back.

Last check, yep, map and compass were secured in my jacket.

"Let's go, buddy, show me what you got." I challenged him with an eager smile.