Chapter 10- VIP Trainer
This gym was different than the others I'd been to. The main hallway made the building look kind of small and insignificant, even though it was about the same size as the Pokemon Center on the outside. All the way down to the huge double doors at the end, I counted about four rooms, two on each side of the hallway. I guessed they were probably dorms or something, since I saw a few people coming in and out of them that had to have worked here. I knew they had some purpose before being here by their outfits. Also unlike the other gyms I'd been to so far, everybody here was in military uniforms. The camo jumpsuits gave me the idea that I was walking through some kind of barrack. Looking along the walls I noted that there were several posters that looked like promo adds for the gym. Most of them had a huge muscled man with a buzzcut and a Raichu posing; and recruiting slogans littered all of them. Towards the end of the hall, there were a few pictures of electric-type Pokemon on either side of the hallway with the initials "Lt. S." in the bottom right corners of them. It had to be the initials of the gym leader.
Lieutenant Surge...I only heard one rumor about him, but I never thought I'd actually meet the man. I had heard about him from an old trainer who stopped by my hometown, Viridian City. He was bragging about gym leaders he'd taken on in his travels and one of them happened to be "a man with a buzzcut that looked like it had been spiked with electricity". The man went on to comment on how strong he was. Even though the guy used ground and rock Pokemon against the gym leaders electric types, he barely made it out with his badge. Remembering that made me a little nervous about this whole battle. That guy was experienced with battles. Me on the other hand...I was just starting out. I had told myself this was just to test my own limits, but now it almost felt like one of just plain old survival. I could already feel the electricity in the air and I hadn't even entered the gym yet. And I didn't mean that as a figure of speech. I could actually feel the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. That was kind of weird though. Why would just the hair on my neck do that and not the rest of it?
I didn't have time to worry about it. Fern finally led Eve and I to the end of that decorated hallway to the double doors, where a man in uniform stood guard. He had three pokeballs at his side, so I knew he was a trainer. He looked at me with a stare that felt like it would burn a hole through my head. After studying me for a second, he looked to Eve, who almost instantly shrank behind me. She had seemed kind of edgy about halfway down the hall-about the same time I started getting that weird feeling along the back of my neck. As carefully as he was looking her over, she seemed to hide before he realized anything...different about her. After giving us both the evil-eye, the man sighed heavily and turned to Fern with disappointment clearly painted on his face. "As if we didn't have enough rookies coming through here." he muttered. "This is a gym, Fern. You know, for fighting? When you told me you had somebody skilled with you, I didn't think you meant that kind of skilled! He's not even your age! Honestly, no shame at all!"
"Get your mind out of the gutter." Fern huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "And for your information, he happened to save me from Team Rocket back on the road. I think that deserves some kind of recognition!"
I gave the two of them an odd look. I was afraid to ask what the guy meant by "that kind of skilled". I wasn't that naive though. After hearing Fern's remark, I had a good idea of what he meant, but I still didn't want to think about it. After hearing that I'd battled with Team Rocket and came out on top, the man's mood seemed to lighten some. A look of surprise and intrigue crossed his face "Is that so?" he said after rubbing his chin for a while. "Maybe he'll actually last more than two seconds then."
I gulped at this. The gym leader sounded pretty hardcore. The man saw my expression and grinned evilly as if trying to make me feel even more nervous about this battle. "Either way, more fresh meat for the grinder I guess. Try not to get your butt kicked too fast, kid. Fern's a friend of mine and I hate to see you embarrass her."
"He'll do just fine." Fern said, showing a lot more confidence in me than I could muster for myself. The uniformed trainer shrugged his shoulders slightly and stepped off to one side to open one of the double doors. I blinked when I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced towards it. It was Fern's. She was ushering me inside ahead of her and Eve.
That strange feeling on my neck returned as I stepped ahead of them and into the waiting room beyond the doors. Imagining what it was like with the crowd now, I thought about what it must have been like before we'd gotten there. The place was probably packed. Now it had dwindled down to about ten people. Most of them were junior trainers, but there were two dressed in business suits and another two sailors that had come to try their luck against the gym leader. I was about to find a seat and think up some kind of strategy while I waited my turn in line, but Fern's hand caught me by the shoulder again as I started walking off. "Where're you going?" she questioned, pointing towards the door on the adjacent side of the room. "The gym arena is that way."
I stared at her dumbfounded for a moment and looked at all the other people, who seemed just as puzzled as me. There was a line ahead of me. "I have to wait my turn, don't I?"
Fern shook her head. "I went ahead for a reason, you know. I've pulled a few strings and talked with Lt. Surge already. He's eager to see somebody who took on a Team Rocket member in action. He's expecting you right now, so don't keep him waiting!"
I was going to say something, but another look around told me to keep my mouth shut and just do it. The people who were first as confused as I was were now more interested than anything else to see how this would go. Maybe they'd gotten some idea I was some kind of bigshot or prodigy. Whatever the case, they were more inclined to let me go first. Everybody seemed thrilled about it except me; and of course Eve who didn't really have a clue what was going on.
Letting out a small sigh and steeling the resolve I had, a started towards the double doors that let into the battle arena, only to stop when I heard Eve let out a startled squeak. Thinking maybe somebody in the room was trying to nab her, I whirled around. But it was only Fern holding her back and talking with her. Seeing the concerned look on my face, the breeder chuckled. "What? We can't go out onto the floor with you. Don't worry, we'll be watching on the sidelines." With that, she pointed towards a side door which led toward the benches used for spectators.
I still didn't like it. I'd been so used to Eve being right there with me that it felt kind of strange when she wasn't. Still, I had to follow the rules or I'd be holding everything up. Fern didn't bother to wait around for me to make up my mind either. She started leaving through the side door with Eve, who seemed as reluctant about being separated from me as I was with her. Seeing her get taken away by Fern reminded me why I had come here. Had that been a member of Team Auron leaving with her, I wanted know I'd be able to save her. I was here to see how much progress I'd made in training so I could do just that. Keeping that thought in mind, I boldly pushed through the double doors and stepped out onto the field, the eyes of several trainers in the waiting room still on me.
The floor out here was kind of dark. Like every other gym, there was a field out in the center with lines painted all across it, but this one was completely torn apart. Even though the lines gave an idea of where everything was, it was still hard to tell. It was like my Pokemon would be fighting in some one of jagged, rocky terrain. Over to my right, I could see Eve and Fern taking a seat on a small bleacher to watch this, as well as a few other trainers who had crept out to get a closer look. Then suddenly the room lit up a little more, the sound of sparks turning my attention to the other side of the field. I hadn't seen him before, but now that there was more light, which was being powered by a Magneton hooked up to wires above the room- I could make out several more figures. More men stood there in military suits at attention; I counted five in total. And in front of them stood a man that made them all look like Geodudes to an Onix. Towering before them stood Lieutenant Surge with his arms crossed and studying me carefully. Right next to him, looking even smaller to the giant of a man, stood a Raichu in the same stance and with a smug grin on his face.
There was a brief silence before Surge smirked and ran a hand through his spiked blonde hair. "Private!" he called out.
Almost immediately, he was answered by the guy who had been watching the door to the waiting room. "Yes, sir!"
"You didn't tell me it was another kid."
"Sorry, sir! I just found that out myself!"
I fumed a little at that. It wasn't like they were talking so I couldn't hear anything. It was actually loud enough to leave a small echo in the room. Surge let out disappointed sigh and returned his attention to me. "What's your name, kid?"
"Kyle." I replied, making sure to keep my temper in check. "Kyle Evans."
"Evans, eh?" the burly man didn't seem too impressed...not like I was expecting him to be. "Sources tell me you took on a member of Team Rocket. Outside of gyms and the police department, I've rarely heard of a trainer that tries something like that and gets away with it. That's quite a feat for a kid."
Well, that sounded like a compliment. At least until he went on...
"Don't even think about getting cocky though! Just because you managed to bash some scumbag doesn't mean you've got what it takes to make it as a trainer. I wanted to see you because I was hoping you'd be a guy worth fighting more than everybody else that comes through here, but it turns out you're just another kid that managed to get lucky."
The Raichu next to Surge gave a "Hmph!" as if to second his opinion. Now wait a minute. I was talked into coming here, put in front of an audience, and all so I could be insulted by some guy who couldn't make up his mind between getting a punk hairdo and a buzzcut? That tingling sensation on my neck was back yet again. This just ticked me off. I had a bunch of other things to do than stand here and get ridiculed over nothing. The problem was, I was getting too hot-headed to say anything.
Lt. Surge went on. "And as all the other pups that left with their tail tucked between their legs," he reached into the chest pocket of his uniform, pulling something too small for me to see from a distance. Although I could hardly make out the shape, but the glint of gold from the dim lighting gave me an idea of what it was-a gym badge. "You're here for one of these babies, right?"
Come to think of it, I didn't even bother to realize I'd get another badge if I won. It would mean I'd be five more away from the Pokemon League, but since the day I met Eve, I never gave that a second thought either. For me to lose track of a goal I left home for...was that really what I wanted to do if I forgot it so quickly?
Surge seemed to be waiting for an answer. When he didn't get one, he simply pocketed the badge and snapped his fingers. The Raichu gave another grunt as it stepped out in front of him into the ring. "Well, you're obviously here for one reason or another, so show me what you got, kid! This'll be a two on two Pokemon match, no-holds barred. Let's see how much better you pair off to those other punks that came through here!"
I stood there while the referee moved into position-one of the soldiers that were behind the lieutenant. The others moved to fill the gap he left. Once he reached his spot on the sidelines, the Magneton lit up as if on cue. More light flooded the room, showing just how severe the landscape had become from previous battles that day. The small crowd in the bleachers watched intently to see how well I did, including Fern. Eve looked a little worried about the surroundings. I doubt she'd ever been in a place like this before.
Surge and his Raichu waited on the other side of the arena for me to make my move, both with a smug grin painted across their faces. I didn't know if I was going to be good enough to actually win this. I hadn't exactly come to do that. But one thing was certain- I was going to fight hard and make them wipe those smirks off their faces.
Lieutenant Surge...I only heard one rumor about him, but I never thought I'd actually meet the man. I had heard about him from an old trainer who stopped by my hometown, Viridian City. He was bragging about gym leaders he'd taken on in his travels and one of them happened to be "a man with a buzzcut that looked like it had been spiked with electricity". The man went on to comment on how strong he was. Even though the guy used ground and rock Pokemon against the gym leaders electric types, he barely made it out with his badge. Remembering that made me a little nervous about this whole battle. That guy was experienced with battles. Me on the other hand...I was just starting out. I had told myself this was just to test my own limits, but now it almost felt like one of just plain old survival. I could already feel the electricity in the air and I hadn't even entered the gym yet. And I didn't mean that as a figure of speech. I could actually feel the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. That was kind of weird though. Why would just the hair on my neck do that and not the rest of it?
I didn't have time to worry about it. Fern finally led Eve and I to the end of that decorated hallway to the double doors, where a man in uniform stood guard. He had three pokeballs at his side, so I knew he was a trainer. He looked at me with a stare that felt like it would burn a hole through my head. After studying me for a second, he looked to Eve, who almost instantly shrank behind me. She had seemed kind of edgy about halfway down the hall-about the same time I started getting that weird feeling along the back of my neck. As carefully as he was looking her over, she seemed to hide before he realized anything...different about her. After giving us both the evil-eye, the man sighed heavily and turned to Fern with disappointment clearly painted on his face. "As if we didn't have enough rookies coming through here." he muttered. "This is a gym, Fern. You know, for fighting? When you told me you had somebody skilled with you, I didn't think you meant that kind of skilled! He's not even your age! Honestly, no shame at all!"
"Get your mind out of the gutter." Fern huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "And for your information, he happened to save me from Team Rocket back on the road. I think that deserves some kind of recognition!"
I gave the two of them an odd look. I was afraid to ask what the guy meant by "that kind of skilled". I wasn't that naive though. After hearing Fern's remark, I had a good idea of what he meant, but I still didn't want to think about it. After hearing that I'd battled with Team Rocket and came out on top, the man's mood seemed to lighten some. A look of surprise and intrigue crossed his face "Is that so?" he said after rubbing his chin for a while. "Maybe he'll actually last more than two seconds then."
I gulped at this. The gym leader sounded pretty hardcore. The man saw my expression and grinned evilly as if trying to make me feel even more nervous about this battle. "Either way, more fresh meat for the grinder I guess. Try not to get your butt kicked too fast, kid. Fern's a friend of mine and I hate to see you embarrass her."
"He'll do just fine." Fern said, showing a lot more confidence in me than I could muster for myself. The uniformed trainer shrugged his shoulders slightly and stepped off to one side to open one of the double doors. I blinked when I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced towards it. It was Fern's. She was ushering me inside ahead of her and Eve.
That strange feeling on my neck returned as I stepped ahead of them and into the waiting room beyond the doors. Imagining what it was like with the crowd now, I thought about what it must have been like before we'd gotten there. The place was probably packed. Now it had dwindled down to about ten people. Most of them were junior trainers, but there were two dressed in business suits and another two sailors that had come to try their luck against the gym leader. I was about to find a seat and think up some kind of strategy while I waited my turn in line, but Fern's hand caught me by the shoulder again as I started walking off. "Where're you going?" she questioned, pointing towards the door on the adjacent side of the room. "The gym arena is that way."
I stared at her dumbfounded for a moment and looked at all the other people, who seemed just as puzzled as me. There was a line ahead of me. "I have to wait my turn, don't I?"
Fern shook her head. "I went ahead for a reason, you know. I've pulled a few strings and talked with Lt. Surge already. He's eager to see somebody who took on a Team Rocket member in action. He's expecting you right now, so don't keep him waiting!"
I was going to say something, but another look around told me to keep my mouth shut and just do it. The people who were first as confused as I was were now more interested than anything else to see how this would go. Maybe they'd gotten some idea I was some kind of bigshot or prodigy. Whatever the case, they were more inclined to let me go first. Everybody seemed thrilled about it except me; and of course Eve who didn't really have a clue what was going on.
Letting out a small sigh and steeling the resolve I had, a started towards the double doors that let into the battle arena, only to stop when I heard Eve let out a startled squeak. Thinking maybe somebody in the room was trying to nab her, I whirled around. But it was only Fern holding her back and talking with her. Seeing the concerned look on my face, the breeder chuckled. "What? We can't go out onto the floor with you. Don't worry, we'll be watching on the sidelines." With that, she pointed towards a side door which led toward the benches used for spectators.
I still didn't like it. I'd been so used to Eve being right there with me that it felt kind of strange when she wasn't. Still, I had to follow the rules or I'd be holding everything up. Fern didn't bother to wait around for me to make up my mind either. She started leaving through the side door with Eve, who seemed as reluctant about being separated from me as I was with her. Seeing her get taken away by Fern reminded me why I had come here. Had that been a member of Team Auron leaving with her, I wanted know I'd be able to save her. I was here to see how much progress I'd made in training so I could do just that. Keeping that thought in mind, I boldly pushed through the double doors and stepped out onto the field, the eyes of several trainers in the waiting room still on me.
The floor out here was kind of dark. Like every other gym, there was a field out in the center with lines painted all across it, but this one was completely torn apart. Even though the lines gave an idea of where everything was, it was still hard to tell. It was like my Pokemon would be fighting in some one of jagged, rocky terrain. Over to my right, I could see Eve and Fern taking a seat on a small bleacher to watch this, as well as a few other trainers who had crept out to get a closer look. Then suddenly the room lit up a little more, the sound of sparks turning my attention to the other side of the field. I hadn't seen him before, but now that there was more light, which was being powered by a Magneton hooked up to wires above the room- I could make out several more figures. More men stood there in military suits at attention; I counted five in total. And in front of them stood a man that made them all look like Geodudes to an Onix. Towering before them stood Lieutenant Surge with his arms crossed and studying me carefully. Right next to him, looking even smaller to the giant of a man, stood a Raichu in the same stance and with a smug grin on his face.
There was a brief silence before Surge smirked and ran a hand through his spiked blonde hair. "Private!" he called out.
Almost immediately, he was answered by the guy who had been watching the door to the waiting room. "Yes, sir!"
"You didn't tell me it was another kid."
"Sorry, sir! I just found that out myself!"
I fumed a little at that. It wasn't like they were talking so I couldn't hear anything. It was actually loud enough to leave a small echo in the room. Surge let out disappointed sigh and returned his attention to me. "What's your name, kid?"
"Kyle." I replied, making sure to keep my temper in check. "Kyle Evans."
"Evans, eh?" the burly man didn't seem too impressed...not like I was expecting him to be. "Sources tell me you took on a member of Team Rocket. Outside of gyms and the police department, I've rarely heard of a trainer that tries something like that and gets away with it. That's quite a feat for a kid."
Well, that sounded like a compliment. At least until he went on...
"Don't even think about getting cocky though! Just because you managed to bash some scumbag doesn't mean you've got what it takes to make it as a trainer. I wanted to see you because I was hoping you'd be a guy worth fighting more than everybody else that comes through here, but it turns out you're just another kid that managed to get lucky."
The Raichu next to Surge gave a "Hmph!" as if to second his opinion. Now wait a minute. I was talked into coming here, put in front of an audience, and all so I could be insulted by some guy who couldn't make up his mind between getting a punk hairdo and a buzzcut? That tingling sensation on my neck was back yet again. This just ticked me off. I had a bunch of other things to do than stand here and get ridiculed over nothing. The problem was, I was getting too hot-headed to say anything.
Lt. Surge went on. "And as all the other pups that left with their tail tucked between their legs," he reached into the chest pocket of his uniform, pulling something too small for me to see from a distance. Although I could hardly make out the shape, but the glint of gold from the dim lighting gave me an idea of what it was-a gym badge. "You're here for one of these babies, right?"
Come to think of it, I didn't even bother to realize I'd get another badge if I won. It would mean I'd be five more away from the Pokemon League, but since the day I met Eve, I never gave that a second thought either. For me to lose track of a goal I left home for...was that really what I wanted to do if I forgot it so quickly?
Surge seemed to be waiting for an answer. When he didn't get one, he simply pocketed the badge and snapped his fingers. The Raichu gave another grunt as it stepped out in front of him into the ring. "Well, you're obviously here for one reason or another, so show me what you got, kid! This'll be a two on two Pokemon match, no-holds barred. Let's see how much better you pair off to those other punks that came through here!"
I stood there while the referee moved into position-one of the soldiers that were behind the lieutenant. The others moved to fill the gap he left. Once he reached his spot on the sidelines, the Magneton lit up as if on cue. More light flooded the room, showing just how severe the landscape had become from previous battles that day. The small crowd in the bleachers watched intently to see how well I did, including Fern. Eve looked a little worried about the surroundings. I doubt she'd ever been in a place like this before.
Surge and his Raichu waited on the other side of the arena for me to make my move, both with a smug grin painted across their faces. I didn't know if I was going to be good enough to actually win this. I hadn't exactly come to do that. But one thing was certain- I was going to fight hard and make them wipe those smirks off their faces.