Chapter 5
"Master..." Erika stood over her sleeping trainer's bed, watching him as he slept. Moonlight softly filtered in from the windows, illuminating the room with just enough light so that the Cacturne could see. In the glow of the moonlight, J.C.'s metallic green hair shimmered slightly, drawing Erika closer to him, like a moth to a flame.
"Nghh...Mmm..." J.C. stirred slightly, causing his Cacturne to retreat somewhat. Erika glanced over her shoulder at her bed, and then looked back at her trainer. It was past midnight, and her bed seemed to be beckoning the tired Pokémon towards it, to leave her "Master" alone for the night, to fall asleep. Yet, her love for her trainer compelled her to stay by his side, to protect him, to keep him safe as he slept.
The next morning, Erika's eyes opened slowly as she felt a hand on the side of her face, stroking her gently. The Scarecrow Pokémon looked up, to find J.C., sitting up in bed, gently caressing her as she slept. She had fallen asleep on the side of his bed the night before, exhausted from the previous day's activities. Erika tried to explain herself, but each time she tried to say something, J.C.'s hand ran down and up the length of her neck, causing her to moan softly.
After awhile, she drove herself to stand up, and walk straight into the bathroom, trying as hard as she could to not look at her trainer's face. As she stepped into the shower, she found herself stroking her neck, feeling the lingering warmth of J.C.'s fingers. Sighing, she turned on the water in the shower, still thinking about her trainer.
After she had finished taking a shower, J.C. went in next, causing Erika to glance slightly over her shoulder, as if trying to catch a glimpse of him undressing. Realizing what she had done, Erika quietly left the room, her face a bright red.
"Mark, are you there?" Sean's voice sounded from slightly down the hall. Erika shook her head; it was beyond her as to why Mark never woke up early. She watched as Mark opened the door, said something to Sean, and went back in, leaving Sean walking in her direction, towards the elevator lobby.
"Erika, is J.C. coming down later as well?" Sean stopped in front of Erika, asking her about her trainer. Erika shrugged slightly, before turning away, walking towards the elevator as well. After breakfast, the group left the hotel, to take care of the first and foremost thing on their agenda.
"Mosdeep Gym..." The group stood in front of the Gym, a near ominous feeling flowing out of the towering glass building. As they stepped into the building, a surprising sight greeted them: the Gym was filled with strange tiles, each one with an arrow pointing in a single direction.
Having read about it in a Mosdeep City tourist brochure, Sean explained how the tiles worked: Each tile, when stepped on, moved a person in the direction in which it was pointing. The group just had to get to the Gym Leader, by choosing the correct tiles to step on, but one wrong tile, and they might be shot back to the entrance of the Gym!
"Double battle?" After a while of flying uncontrollably around the Gym, the group finally reached the Gym Leader. Or, more accurately, the Gym Leaders: Tate and Liza, twin Gym Leaders who were in charge of the Mosdeep Gym, who took all challengers on in double battles!
Mark looked worried; he only had one Pokémon, would he be unable to challenge the Mosdeep Gym? The Gym Leaders shook their heads and smiled. If he only had one Pokémon, he could challenge them to a multi battle, with either Sean or J.C. as his teammate.
"Multi battle?" Erika seemed confused, so J.C. explained the rules to her: A multi battle was a lot like a double battle, but with four trainers instead of two, each sending out one Pokémon, to fight in a two-on-two style battle.
After a slight discussion, it was decided that Mark and J.C. would challenge the Leaders to a multi battle for their Mind Badges, while Sean would challenge the twin Leaders to a double battle for his Mind Badge.
The battlefield was simple: A field made of stone, with rocks suspended in midair by an unknown Psychic force flying around the field. The rules were just as simple: Each trainer used a single Pokémon, and once both Pokémon of either side are defeated, the battle would be over.
As the referee took his place at the side of the field, the two Leaders sent out their Pokémon: Solrock and Lunatone, the Meteorite Pokémon. Without even giving it thought, J.C. threw out his Pokéball, releasing Erika from it, the Cacturne more than ready battle.
"De'voir..." With a simple nod, De'voir stepped away from Mark's side, entering the battlefield as well. With all Pokémon on the field, ready to fight, the battle commenced!
"Solrock, Sandstorm!" Within a split second, the Solrock had whipped up a massive wall of sand, blocking Lunatone from their opponent's view! With this, Lunatone became virtually untouchable by both opponents, with just the Solrock exposed. However, the Lunatone wasn't idle either: Whenever an attack was launched against its partner, the Meteorite Pokémon simply used Psychic to redirect the attack!
"De'voir, Psychic!" Erika stood there silently, her eyes fixated not even on her opponents, but on her teammate. Tate and Liza's combinations and synchronization were the best among the Gym Leaders, yet De'voir and Mark's teamwork was flawless:
De'voir kept her eyes fixated on the brief moments when Lunatone became visible from behind the sand, while Mark alerted her each time Solrock began to attack, making her fire a Shadow Ball at it. Then, when the Lunatone used Psychic to change the course of the attack, De'voir closed in on her target with another Shadow Ball, slamming it into the preoccupied Lunatone! Furthermore, this then broke the Lunatone's concentration on its Psychic attack, allowing the first Shadow Ball to hit its target as well!
"Erika, Payback!" Erika watched the duo for awhile, wishing to be, if for just a moment, that connected with her trainer, before taking the opportunity to smash the Solrock with a Payback attack. Solrock, heavily damaged by this point, collapsed in a heap on the floor, leaving its partner, Lunatone, to fight both the Gardevoir and Cacturne on its own.
"Solrock is unable to battle!" The referee's call seemed to be ignored by the entire field as the Pokémon continued their fierce exchange of blows. The Lunatone, now no longer protected by Solrock, resorted to using Cosmic Power to boost its defenses while dodging De'voir's endless barrage of Shadow Balls, enveloping it with a purplish light. Suddenly, the Lunatone, too focused on its enemies, collided with one of the rocks floating around the arena! Seizing the chance, Erika closed in, crushing the Meteorite Pokémon with a powerful Needle Arm!
"Lunatone is unable to battle! Victory goes to the challengers!" As the referee's call sounded, Tate and Liza returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, then conferring upon both Mark and J.C. the proof that they had won: the Mind Badge.
"Heh, I guess it's my turn." Sean stood up, brushed himself off, and walked onto the rocky battlefield, with Aegis following close behind him. As he crossed paths with Mark and J.C., they wished him good luck as they walked towards the spectator's seats. Gently stroking Aegis, who was in Ninetales form since they were in public, he patiently waited for the Gym Leaders to send out their new Pokémon.
"Go, Claydol, Xatu!" When the red light of the Pokéballs subsided, the Leaders' Pokémon stood on the field, the Claydol floated silently in place, while the Xatu simply stood there, preening it's feathers with its beak.
Without saying a word, Sean threw out two Pokéballs, sending out Mia and Aria, his Milotic and Altaria, onto the field, both Pokémon looking confidently at their opponents.
Running a hand through his golden blonde hair, Sean calmly began the match.
"Let's begin."
"Nghh...Mmm..." J.C. stirred slightly, causing his Cacturne to retreat somewhat. Erika glanced over her shoulder at her bed, and then looked back at her trainer. It was past midnight, and her bed seemed to be beckoning the tired Pokémon towards it, to leave her "Master" alone for the night, to fall asleep. Yet, her love for her trainer compelled her to stay by his side, to protect him, to keep him safe as he slept.
The next morning, Erika's eyes opened slowly as she felt a hand on the side of her face, stroking her gently. The Scarecrow Pokémon looked up, to find J.C., sitting up in bed, gently caressing her as she slept. She had fallen asleep on the side of his bed the night before, exhausted from the previous day's activities. Erika tried to explain herself, but each time she tried to say something, J.C.'s hand ran down and up the length of her neck, causing her to moan softly.
After awhile, she drove herself to stand up, and walk straight into the bathroom, trying as hard as she could to not look at her trainer's face. As she stepped into the shower, she found herself stroking her neck, feeling the lingering warmth of J.C.'s fingers. Sighing, she turned on the water in the shower, still thinking about her trainer.
After she had finished taking a shower, J.C. went in next, causing Erika to glance slightly over her shoulder, as if trying to catch a glimpse of him undressing. Realizing what she had done, Erika quietly left the room, her face a bright red.
"Mark, are you there?" Sean's voice sounded from slightly down the hall. Erika shook her head; it was beyond her as to why Mark never woke up early. She watched as Mark opened the door, said something to Sean, and went back in, leaving Sean walking in her direction, towards the elevator lobby.
"Erika, is J.C. coming down later as well?" Sean stopped in front of Erika, asking her about her trainer. Erika shrugged slightly, before turning away, walking towards the elevator as well. After breakfast, the group left the hotel, to take care of the first and foremost thing on their agenda.
"Mosdeep Gym..." The group stood in front of the Gym, a near ominous feeling flowing out of the towering glass building. As they stepped into the building, a surprising sight greeted them: the Gym was filled with strange tiles, each one with an arrow pointing in a single direction.
Having read about it in a Mosdeep City tourist brochure, Sean explained how the tiles worked: Each tile, when stepped on, moved a person in the direction in which it was pointing. The group just had to get to the Gym Leader, by choosing the correct tiles to step on, but one wrong tile, and they might be shot back to the entrance of the Gym!
"Double battle?" After a while of flying uncontrollably around the Gym, the group finally reached the Gym Leader. Or, more accurately, the Gym Leaders: Tate and Liza, twin Gym Leaders who were in charge of the Mosdeep Gym, who took all challengers on in double battles!
Mark looked worried; he only had one Pokémon, would he be unable to challenge the Mosdeep Gym? The Gym Leaders shook their heads and smiled. If he only had one Pokémon, he could challenge them to a multi battle, with either Sean or J.C. as his teammate.
"Multi battle?" Erika seemed confused, so J.C. explained the rules to her: A multi battle was a lot like a double battle, but with four trainers instead of two, each sending out one Pokémon, to fight in a two-on-two style battle.
After a slight discussion, it was decided that Mark and J.C. would challenge the Leaders to a multi battle for their Mind Badges, while Sean would challenge the twin Leaders to a double battle for his Mind Badge.
The battlefield was simple: A field made of stone, with rocks suspended in midair by an unknown Psychic force flying around the field. The rules were just as simple: Each trainer used a single Pokémon, and once both Pokémon of either side are defeated, the battle would be over.
As the referee took his place at the side of the field, the two Leaders sent out their Pokémon: Solrock and Lunatone, the Meteorite Pokémon. Without even giving it thought, J.C. threw out his Pokéball, releasing Erika from it, the Cacturne more than ready battle.
"De'voir..." With a simple nod, De'voir stepped away from Mark's side, entering the battlefield as well. With all Pokémon on the field, ready to fight, the battle commenced!
"Solrock, Sandstorm!" Within a split second, the Solrock had whipped up a massive wall of sand, blocking Lunatone from their opponent's view! With this, Lunatone became virtually untouchable by both opponents, with just the Solrock exposed. However, the Lunatone wasn't idle either: Whenever an attack was launched against its partner, the Meteorite Pokémon simply used Psychic to redirect the attack!
"De'voir, Psychic!" Erika stood there silently, her eyes fixated not even on her opponents, but on her teammate. Tate and Liza's combinations and synchronization were the best among the Gym Leaders, yet De'voir and Mark's teamwork was flawless:
De'voir kept her eyes fixated on the brief moments when Lunatone became visible from behind the sand, while Mark alerted her each time Solrock began to attack, making her fire a Shadow Ball at it. Then, when the Lunatone used Psychic to change the course of the attack, De'voir closed in on her target with another Shadow Ball, slamming it into the preoccupied Lunatone! Furthermore, this then broke the Lunatone's concentration on its Psychic attack, allowing the first Shadow Ball to hit its target as well!
"Erika, Payback!" Erika watched the duo for awhile, wishing to be, if for just a moment, that connected with her trainer, before taking the opportunity to smash the Solrock with a Payback attack. Solrock, heavily damaged by this point, collapsed in a heap on the floor, leaving its partner, Lunatone, to fight both the Gardevoir and Cacturne on its own.
"Solrock is unable to battle!" The referee's call seemed to be ignored by the entire field as the Pokémon continued their fierce exchange of blows. The Lunatone, now no longer protected by Solrock, resorted to using Cosmic Power to boost its defenses while dodging De'voir's endless barrage of Shadow Balls, enveloping it with a purplish light. Suddenly, the Lunatone, too focused on its enemies, collided with one of the rocks floating around the arena! Seizing the chance, Erika closed in, crushing the Meteorite Pokémon with a powerful Needle Arm!
"Lunatone is unable to battle! Victory goes to the challengers!" As the referee's call sounded, Tate and Liza returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, then conferring upon both Mark and J.C. the proof that they had won: the Mind Badge.
"Heh, I guess it's my turn." Sean stood up, brushed himself off, and walked onto the rocky battlefield, with Aegis following close behind him. As he crossed paths with Mark and J.C., they wished him good luck as they walked towards the spectator's seats. Gently stroking Aegis, who was in Ninetales form since they were in public, he patiently waited for the Gym Leaders to send out their new Pokémon.
"Go, Claydol, Xatu!" When the red light of the Pokéballs subsided, the Leaders' Pokémon stood on the field, the Claydol floated silently in place, while the Xatu simply stood there, preening it's feathers with its beak.
Without saying a word, Sean threw out two Pokéballs, sending out Mia and Aria, his Milotic and Altaria, onto the field, both Pokémon looking confidently at their opponents.
Running a hand through his golden blonde hair, Sean calmly began the match.
"Let's begin."