Step 1: Challenge the First Gym
"Alright guys, let see what you can do"
The gang had set off towards Petalburg City early morning. Right now it was around late evening and Alistor had decided to have everyone train for today to get ready for the gym that Pedils mentioned. Alistor had already got Jack and Brooke to face off, which explained why they were laying on their backs breathing heavingly. Calida and Anna were sparing each other now. Anna was doing very well against the Typhlosion. All that training with Varten did a lot more than get her to evolve a bit early. Calida jumped over Anna as she tried to wrap around her in a tight grip. The Dragonair swung her tail at her which had resulted in it being grabbed. Calida smirked as she pulled her in and grabbed her around her neck. Anna thrashed around trying to get her off.
"Calm down Anna! Try to think of a way out!" Alistor called out. The Dragonair growled and started to roll across the ground. Calida lost her grip and Anna slithered away. "There you go!" Anna grinned and rushed at Calida for a tackle. Everyone was refrained from using any pokemon attacks on the count that Alistor didn't have enough potions for everyone. Calida grinned and moved aside from her tackle and went for her tail again. This time though, Anna quickly slithered around Calida and bounded her.
"Gah! Dangit!" the Typhlosion yelped. Anna giggled and gave her a quick squeeze.
"Say uncle" she chimed.
"Never" Calida chuckled. Anna grinned as the tip of her tail slithered between her body and started to tickle Calida's underside. "What?! Hahahahaha!! No don't-hahahaha!!"
"Say it" Anna giggled, tickling her more. Calida kept on laughing and fell to the ground. She rolled around again to lose her, but she had a good grip. She laughed even louder as she kept on getting tickled. "Say it and I'll stop"
"Hahahaha-oh-okay! Uncle! Uncle!!" Calida laughed a bit more before Anna finally lets her go. Alistor laughed a bit as he declared her the winner. Calida was gasping for breath and stood up. "That...was...unfair" she panted out.
"There were no rules against it" Anna giggled. Calida glared, a smile on her face, as she took a seat against a tree, still trying to catch her breath.
"Alright, I believe that is enough for today" he said. Everyone camped around the fire that Pedils had set up, fish being cooked. Calida sat very close, wanting to be the first to dig into the food. Alistor noticed that the sky was already dark. The training Calida and Anna had taken longer than he expected. "After dinner let's get some sleep. We want to be up bright and early so we can make the rest of the trip."
"Sounds like a good idea" Pedils said as she checked on the fish, "Almost done. Just a few more minutes and it'll be ready."
"How about a few second?" Calida asked as she leaned toward the fish. Pedils lightly slapped Calida's snout. She may not understand pokemon speech, but she knows to well what the Typhlosion was thinking.
"Oh no! Remember what happened last time? You did more than cook our food you burned them to ashes"
"But I will be careful this time!"
"The fish are done anyway" Pedils said. She took the fishes out of the fire. Calida was quick to swipe one from her hand and started eating it quickly. "Jeeze! Careful or you might eat my hand!" Alistor laughed out and took his piece and ate. Pedils wasn't much of a cook. In fact, fish was the only thing she can cook that wasn't out of a plastic wrap or cardboard box. Pedils also knew to get plenty of food for Calida. She had a stomach of a Snorlax and if Pedils didn't have enough, they would starve.
"I hope we get to the city soon" Calida said, "fish may be good, but I don't want to have it every day" Alistor was quick to finish his fish. The others were done soon after. Calida had about three times as much each had. Pedils had crawled inside her tent to get some sleep. The others were busy cleaning up the area a bit. Alistor took out his book soon after he was finished and continued to read through it. Calida, after setting up the sleeping bags, noticed him reading it. She seen that book plenty of times but she never actually saw him read it.
"Finally reading that book?" Calida asked.
"Yup" Alistor said as he flipped a page, "It's the story about Harris. You remembered stories about him right?"
"Not that much. But aren't there like only two copies of his book besides the one in your family's museum"
"Oh, my family had earned one copy. My mom gave it to me right before I started out."
"Well Alistor, mind if you read the story to us? I heard that his story gets people pumped for anything!" Alistor looked to see that everyone gathered around him. Each took a seat on a sleeping bag as they watched him intently.
"You guys sure you want to listen to the story?" he asked. It wasn't that he didn't want to share the story. He was actually glad that his team wanted to know much about his ancestor.
"Yes everyone wants to Al! Come on, share it out!" Alistor laughed out a bit before he went to the first page.
"Alright alright. I don't mind starting at the beginning. Do you?" Everyone shook their head in unison. He smiled more as he started to read the very first line of the story.
'The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true'
I finally decided to start this book. My dear friend, Tia, had suggested the idea. For those who want to know, Tia is a Gabite who I had rescued from a group of bandits who wanted to her skin for money. I must admit that kind of behavior was unacceptable. I took all of them out with ease. Tia didn't have a name when I brought her in, and I didn't want to keep calling her 'Gabite'. It seemed too informal. I asked if I can call her by a name and she agreed. I named her Tia, a name after the mighty dragon Tiamat. After some time spent getting her well, she grew fond of them name and decided to keep it. It has been about three years since the event and I never regretted it.
Forgive me. I got a little distracted with memories. Well let me introduce myself now. My name is Harris. Harris Gracidea. I am what most people call a Spartan. I didn't have parents and I got my title due to having to take care of myself and learn how to fight. I didn't do it all myself though. I have strong brothers with me who are willing to teach me new ways. Their names are Irvine, Jeremiah, Kurtis, and Lancer. Each has their own ability and each have great strength. Can't believe it's been months since I last saw them. Tomorrow is when I start looking for them. And if anything were to get in my way, they would have to face me with my sword, Inferno.
Inferno, a great sword, has been with me for years. It's not as wide as most great sword, but it's just as long. It maybe even longer. It was something I made myself. The material that I used for its blade made sure that it'll last for eternity. The hilt was my own design. It was a bit hard to do of course, but I succeeded into making it look like a phoenix, a symbol of my family line.
As I was saying, Tia and I will soon be heading out to our travels. I wonder what kinds of people I will meet. I also wouldn't mind knowing what my brothers had done during these past months. Well, whatever's going to happen, I know we'll have a grand time setting out.
Something strange happened when I was writing this. I had a feeling like someone was watching me, but I took it as just Tia checking up on me like she usually did. But when I noticed the shadow, I knew it wasn't her. Before I could even try to meet with this person, he disappeared. Whoever it was left a bad omen in the area. I thank the gods that whoever-or whatever- it was didn't became aggressive. I didn't know if I could defeat it. Just hope that we won't come across it later on.
"We'll end it here" Alistor said, closing the book. Anna had fallen asleep in her spot while Jack was settling in.
"That it?!" Calida asked surprisingly.
"Well I thought stopping here will get you to want more" he said. Leila perked her head up.
"So your ancestor was a Spartan?" she asked.
"Yup. A very strong one. You should see what his adventures bring him. Not just that, but also what he does to overcome them."
"Well we should be getting some sleep" Brooke said as she crawled inside her own bag, "Very important day you know"
"She's right" Alistor said as he climbed into his own sleeping bag. He had his own tent to sleep in, but he always rather sleep outside under the stars. Calida settled in next to him as Leila slept on the other side. Alistor took a deep breath, excited about tomorrow and his first gym challenge.
-----
The gang was arrived in Petalburg City. This was a lot larger than what they had seen in the last town. There were tall buildings and many civilians in the streets. Alistor and Pedils had seen places bigger, but were still amazed at how lively the place it.
"Wow, bigger than I expected" Alistor said.
"It'll be a bit hard to find the gym by ourselves" Pedils mentioned, "so lets ask around so we won't get lost."
"Sounds like a plan. Okay guys, stick together" They all began looking around the city, looking for the gym and asking around. They were led to one way and then to another. Seemed like some of them were just messing with them. It was until they came across a massive building. Even more massive than the others. Alistor stood there, looking at the very tip of it in awe.
"Wow...is this the gym?" he asked.
"No it's not" Pedils said, "If I remembered right, this is a very new building. It seemed very important because they had build this massive thing for about a month and a half."
"A month and a half?!" Alistor gasped, "for something this big?"
"It seems like it. And look, they seem to be getting ready for something" Indeed they were. Workers were all around, lining up decorations and setting up flowers outside. There were worker putting up a big banner over the entrance. Written decoratively were the words "Paradise Formal" surrounded by different flower designs and stars.
"Hey, I remember hearing about that in the last town" Alistor said. Pedils took a peak at a man walking past and tapped his arm.
"Excuse me. We're new around her and we're wondering if you know anything about the Paradise Formal"
"Paradise Formal?" he repeated, "Oh yes it's a party on the president's behalf. Some people are invited while others need to guy tickets to get in. But those things are expensive. Real expensive. You'll be lucky to get in yourself." The man's cell phone rang and he left as he took it out of his pocket.
"The Paradise Formal" Alistor muttered, "I guess it would be lucky if we did got into it."
"Yeah" Pedils muttered, "but right now we need to find the gym and we won't find it just standing here"
"Good point" With that done, they had asked people who looked more trustworthy where the gym was. After a awhile, they had finally found it. The gym was a very huge place, with stone stairs leading up to the entrance. An emblem of a pokeball stood at the tip of the house's front structure. Alistor's body shivered with anticipation, along with Calida. The Typhlosion was nearly blazing with the fire on her mane, almost cooking up Anna in the process.
"Woah! Watch where you burst Calida! You almost roasted me!" Calida chuckled a bit.
"Sorry, but after waiting for so long, our first gym battle of going to happen!" Her flames only grew much like her adrenaline. Alistor could barely keep himself still.
"So who are you going to use for the gym battle Alistor?" Leila asked through human tongue.
"Well, I promised Calida, Brooke, and Jack that they will have the first gym battle" Alistor told them, "So for now I will use them for this gym"
"The gym doesn't show much of what type of pokemon they use here" Pedils said, "So make sure you are ready for whatever is coming alright?"
"Oh don't worry so much Pedils. I can handle whatever the gym throws at us" Alistor turned to his team of choise for the gym, "Are you guys pumped?!"
"Yeah!" they cheered.
"Who's better than us?!"
"No one!"
"Who's going to win?!"
"We are!"
"Lets do this!" Alistor pumped his fist to the air as he and Calida stormed up the stairs. The rest just followed them slowly. Alistor opened up its doors. The arena was the first thing they say. He can see the white outlines of the field as well as the pokeball design at the center. Two rectangular boxes were at both ends to show where the trainers would be standing. He and Calida looked around the gym, trying to find the gym leader.
"No one is here" Calida pointed out.
"Well the front door was opened" Alistor said, "Someone must be here." Just then, the door in the back of the gym opened up and came out a man. The man was short haired, wore a reddish looking jacket and blue pants. Next to him was a small boy. He wore glasses and a green shirt, along with brown shorts. Both their hair colors were purplish-blue. The man spotted Alistor at the door.
"Oh? A trainer" he said, "Welcome to the Petalburg City Gym!" The little guy pushed up his glasses.
"Been awhile since you faced a trainer right Dad?" Alistor now realized that the little guy was the man's son. Not only that, but also the man was the gym leader.
"Hey!" he called out, "My name is Alistor! The one behind me is my little sister Pedils. I'm here to obtain my first gym badge!"
"Name's Norman" the man replied, "You'll have to beat me in a gym battle if you want it so badly." Alistor stood tall, his team behind him with Pedils. Norman looked at him and let out a loud chuckle. "You know, your enthusiasm reminds me a lot of the last trainer who was able to beat me in a battle."
"And ever since my dad hasn't lost a match" the kid said.
"Now don't go underestimating the trainer Max. We hasn't even started the battle yet" Alistor laughed quietly.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything by barging in here" Alistor said, "But I'm just so excited right now about my first gym."
"No worries. We were just checking on the pokemon in the greenhouse. I'm happy to accept your challenge Alistor" Max poked his father's arm to get his attention.
"Mind if I be the referee Dad?" he asked, "Kenny is out for today and I thought I can fill him in"
"Oh right I forgot about that" Norman said, "Alright Max, you can ref this match." Max smiled as he rushed to the side of the arena and took the flags in his hands. One flag was red, indicating Norman's side, and the other was green, indicating Alistor's.
"So we're having our battle right now?" Alistor asked, "Awesome!" He looked to Calida, Jack, and Brooke. He wondered which one he should bring out first.
"I'm not going out first" Jack said.
"Oh! Me first! Let me go!!" Calida said. Alistor smiled as his decision was made.
"Calida, sorry to say, but I will have to save you for last" he told her, getting a low growl and a pout.
"So that means I'm first up!" Brooke cheered as her tail wagged.
"That's right! Now lets show him what we can do!" Brooke practically skipped to the arena. Alistor could barely keeps his arms still as they pumped. Alistor smiled at Norman as Brooke stood ready. The gym leader smiled at his enthusiasm with his first battle. He took out his first pokeball and released a Tauros. It bucked and snorted, staring her down. Brooke suddenly flinched at his gaze and backed up a bit. Alistor noticed this and figured that it's ability, Intimidate, had kicked in. Brooke's physical attacks won't give as much damage as before. Max look at the pokemon in the arena.
"The battle between pokemon trainer, Alistor, and gym leader, Norman, will begin. Only the challenger is able to substitute pokemon. No time limit" he called out loudly so both of them can hear. "Begin!"
"Alright Alistor, I'll let you have the first move" Norman called out. Alistor smiled and rubbed under his nose.
"If you say so" he said, "now Brooke let start this off with a Water Gun!" Brooke opened her mouth a shot a torrent at the Tauros. Norman ordered it to dodge and watched as it took a step to the left, away from the attack. He then told his pokemon to use Take Down. The Tauros bucked and charged at Brooke at full speed. She noticed it coming and blasted a Water Gun below her to make her high in the air, dodging the attack. "That's the ticket! Now use Ice Beam to stop it in its tracks!" Brooke shot out a blue beam at the Tauros's feet, encasing it in ice and enabling it to move. It snorted and tried to break free, but it was no good. Brooke grinned and was readying another Ice Beam attack.
"Quick Tauros use Strength!" Norman shouted. It roared out as it became clear that its muscles were growing. It bucked just once more before the ice had shattered. It dodged Brooke's Ice Beam and charged with another Take Down, ramming into her and sending her flying with a thud.
"Uh oh! Be careful Brooke!" Alistor shouted, "try and use Water Pulse!" He hoped that the secondary effect of the attack will help him out a bit. Brooke raised her head as a ball of water formed and launched it at the Tauros. The attack hit, but it didn't seem confused. Norman grinned out.
"You'll have to try harder Alistor if you wish to get my badge. Now Tauros use Thunderbolt!" Alistor gasped. Tauros's fur were standing on end as electricity sparked through.
"Brooke, dodge quickly!" he shouted. The Tauros shot a Thunderbolt and struck Brooke. She yelped in pain as she skids across the floor from the attack. Alistor winced when she was struck hard. The gym leader was much stronger than he had realized. Brooke stood up rather oddly. The Tauros bucked as its fur started to spark again. He was readying another Thunderbolt attack. Brooke took notice of this right before it shot electricity. She used Water Gun under her to make herself fly to the right. The Tauros didn't let his attack down though. She knew so she turned and used Ice Beam on the ground, turning it into ice. She skids across it, keeping herself moving as the attack followed her.
"Come on Brooke! Fight back with Aurora Beam!"
She swerved her body and fired a colorful ray at the Tauros, hitting it on its side and making it stumble. She smirked and used another Water Pulse attack.
"Tauros, Protect!"
A bubble of green light surrounded the Tauros just before the Water Pulse hit it. It was successful in blocking Brooke's attack. The Tauros dragged its hoof across the ground as it snorted out. Normal smiled a bit. "Lets end this now with this new move. But first. Tauros use Scary Face!" Tauros' eyes glowed red and an omen crept behind it. Brooke gasped as she could've sworn it grew five times its size and staring down at her with killer intent. Brooke backed away out of fear. "Now use Thunderbolt!" Before Brooke knew it, she was hit with another surge of electricity. Her whole body sparked up as she got to her feet slowly.
"Come on Brooke! Be careful out there. Try using Water Pulse again!" Alistor called out, bit worried now. Brooke stood up but winced as her body sparked again. Alistor realized that she was paralyzed thanks to that last attack. Norman smiled.
"Now for the new move. Use Wild Charge!" Alistor hadn't heard of that move so he didn't know what to expect. The Wild Bull pokemon started to spark again. It bucked and charged at Brooke. She saw it coming toward her and tried to move. Unfortunately, the paralysis took effect and stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't do anything as Tauros' whole body got engulfed by electricity and she was slammed hard and set back, hitting the wall with a hard thud. Alistor team winced as if they can feel that impact themselves.
"Brooke!!" Alistor shouted. Her body slid off the wall and fell to the floor. Electricity sparked out of her body. She couldn't go on.
"Vaporeon in unable to battle! This round goes to Norman!" Max called out. Alistor sighed sadly and returned Brooke to her pokeball. "You did great Brooke. Take a good rest"
"I must say Alistor" Norman called out, "You are one heck of a trainer. Most water-types would go down after the first Thunderbolt from my Tauros. But for your Vaporeon to actually stand after the second one, that's impressive." Alistor smiled at the admiration from the Gym leader. His son smiled big as if he knew that the first battle would be in Norman's favor.
"The match is still not over yet" Alistor said as he turns to his team, "I am counting on you Jack. Beat that Tauros for Brooke" The Lopunny cracked his fingers and went to the arena, actually making sure he doesn't hop there. The Tauros took a good look at him and it seemed as if hearts appeared over its eyes. Jack sweat drops and groaned, knowing that look oh so well. He doesn't make a single move and already most of the male opponents are already infatuated with him. He took his stance and was readying the signal. Norman noticed Jack as he came in and chuckled.
"My I haven't seen that pokemon around here" he said.
"That's a Lopunny dad" Max told him, "they aren't from this region. They live all the way from Sinnoh" Alistor laughed a bit.
"You got one smart son Norman!" Max crossed his arms and smiled as if her was a big shot.
"I have my way around information" he said, "Now lets get this battle started. Tauros versus Lopunny. Begin!"
"Tauros go for a Take Down!" Norman shouted. The Tauros shook its head out of his fantasy and charged at Jack.
"Use Bounce to dodge!" Alistor told him, which got him a glare, "Don't look at me! You can either do the attack or take the hit!" Jack appeared to think before he sighed and jumped in the last minute, hopping off the Tauros' back and go high in the air. He fell back down and landed on it's back again, but hard. The Tauros yelped as it fell off its feet and skidded across the ground. Jack hopped off of it and landed gracefully, dusting off his feet.
"Tauros don't give up! Use Thunderbolt!" The Tauros stood up and fired another wave of electricity
"Use Agility to dodge!" Jack left an afterimage of himself as he used Agility to move away from the Thunderbolt. The Tauros kept the attack going, but Jack was to quick. One bolt went out and nearly hit Max. He yelped loudly and fought for balance.
"Hey be careful where you shoot Tauros!" he said. Jack ran around it, still using Agility. His hand glowed white and bright as he focused his energy in her fist.
"Now use Sky Uppercut!" Alistor shouted with a grin. As the Tauros spun its head around, Jack appeared in front of it. He swung his glowing fist up and rammed it under its head. It roared in pain and went flying back up. It crashed against the ground hard and kicked up dust. The Tauros tilted its head up, but it came back down.
"Tauros is down! Lopunny is the winner!" Max declared, sighing a bit afterward. Jack dusted his hands and went back to his corner. Norman drew back his Tauros with a small smile on his face.
"Took me by surprise" he said, "but that won't happen again." He drew out his next pokemon, which turned out to be a Vigoroth. Much like the others, hearts appeared in its eyes as it caught sight of the feminine pokemon in front of it. Jack face palmed himself. Boy did he hate it when this happened. Max began the battle and Norman started off with a Flamethrower attack. Vigoroth opened its mouth wide after he stopped drooling over Jack and attacked with a stream of flame. Jack jumped off to the side and rushed at it using Agility with his hand glowing again.
"Careful Vigoroth! Dodge and use Retaliate!" The Vigoroth dodged just in the nick-of-time and its fist glowed brightly like Jack, but with both hands. It roared and launched a barrage of punches at close range, hitting Jack repeatedly with little trouble. Max pushed up his glasses with a grin.
"A nice choice of move as always" he said, "Retaliate gets an extra boost in power from Tauros' being knocked out from the last match" Jack took about every hit before he was sent back from the last punch. He skidded to a halt and gripped on his stomach as he fell to one knee.
"You okay?!" Alistor called out. Jack stood up and just nodded. He sweat dropped as it seemed like even bigger hearts were in the Vigoroth's eyes. Jack groaned loudly and his ears drooped. (Damn my Cute Charm ability) he thought. Even though Cute Charm only works with those opposite of the wielder's gender, due to Jack's very feminine features it also applied to his own gender as well. In its eyes, the Vigoroth was seeing a sexy Lopunny with puffy lips and slender figure, giving him sexy looks and often even winking at him with a giggle.
"Vigoroth! Concentrate and use Crush Claw!" Norman's command only went through one ear and out the other since his pokemon was to infatuated to make a move.
"Okay then use Dizzy Punch!" Alistor shouted. Jack's ran to the Vigoroth and threw his fist at his head, a puff of smoke and starts appearing on contact. It spun around and held its head in pain.
"Yeowch. That's got to hurt" Norman said, "and with that Silk Scarf the attack has more kick-er punch- to it" Alistor smiled and rubbed his chin.
"That's one of the reasons why I gave it to Jack. Makes his attacks more effective" Norman, Max, and the Vigoroth stared at Alistor confusingly.
"Jack?....as in a guy?" Max asked.
"Yeah. My Lopunny is male" he told them. The look on the Vigoroth's face. Its jaw dropped as if it was going to hit the floor. A loud shatter of glass went through his ears as his dream of being with the Lopunny before him were broken. Norman chuckled a bit at the sudden fact as Max had a look of disbelief. "Surprise anyone didn't notice" The Vigoroth let out a low growl before letting out a roar. Feeling humiliated, its rage built up. Jack stood ready.
"Jack! Use Dizzy Punch! Try and keep it up!"
"Vigoroth use Fury Swipes!"
Jack and Vigoroth's hands glowed and they charged each other. They exchanged vicious blows to each other, receiving bruises and cuts in Jack's case. Jack was getting a bit angry at the fight since it was ruining his fur. He may hate how others think he was a female, but dangit how he hate his fur getting ruined.
"Vigorth use Slash attack and finish it quickly!"
Roaring out, Vigorth's claws grew out larger. It swiped at Jack, aiming for his head. But thanks to it having so much anger, it wasn't very focus as much as Jack. He grinned and ducked under as his hand glowed again. He swung his fist at Vigorth's chin with a Sky Uppercut. It went flying up high and landed with a thud. Jack landed on his feet, but fell to one knee. The countless Fury Swipes as taken a good toll on him. The Vigorth laid there quietly and knocked out cold.
"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Lopunny is the winner" Jack panted tiredly on his knee. Norman returned Vigoroth to its ball and brought out his next one.
"Jack, you look tired! Do you want to take a break?!" Alistor called out.
"What? Me tired?" Jack said as he stood up straight, "don't underestimate me Alistor. I can keep going!"
Norman brought out his next pokemon, his Slaking. It towered over Jack as it scratched its belly. He looked down and saw him, and like many other males, hearts appear over its eyes. Jack sweat dropped as he looked at the massive ape.
"Yeeeaaah...I'm gonna...sit this one out" he mumbled as he backed away and quickly hid behind Alistor. The boy grinned as he looked back at Calida.
"Ready to go Calida?" he asked. She smirked and cracked her neck.
"Been waiting for this moment you know" she said as she got to the arena. She grinned up at the Slayking before her as it stared back lazily. Max fixed up his glasses as he looked to both competitors.
"Alright, match between Slayking and Typhlosion" Max shouted out. Alistor's fingers clenched with anticipation, waiting for the call. Norman's smiling face showed that he was enjoying the match as well. "Begin!!"
"Use Flame Wheel Calida!" Alistor shouted. Calida went on all fours and charged, her body getting engulfed by searing flame. The Slayking watched he advance with little interest.
"Slayking use Thunderpunch!" Norman shouted out. The giant ape threw up its hands and electricity formed around its fist. It slammed it down as Calida's flaming body, both attacks colliding and making an explosion. The Slayking staggered back a bit as Calida was blown back from the blast. Calida charged out again, this time with great speed since she used Quick Attack. She hit the Slayking's chest with her shoulder, pushing it back more. It grunted and grabbed her by the foot. Although a bit lazily, it tossed her away like a ragdoll. She skidded on her feet and glared at it a bit.
"Slayking use Focuspunch!" Norman said. Unfortunately, it just scratched its chest and lay on the ground. Norman's eyes twitched a bit from that. Alistor was wondering what was happening.
"Hey, why is it laying down?" Alistor asked Pedils.
"Slayking are known to be slackers. They are sometimes lazy enough to ignore most of the commands of trainers. They are the laziest pokemon in any region"
"Really? Wonder why Norman chooses that pokemon than"
"Maybe because when it doesn't attack, it stores energy so the next attack it does is stronger." Alistor gulped a bit and told Calida to be extra careful. She smirked as she took a deep breath and fired a Flamethrower. It didn't even try to move at it took the hit and rolled across the ground. She grinned and charged at it with a Flame Wheel attack. Before she even came close, the Slayking's eyes opened up suddenly. Norman grinned big.
"Alright Slayking! Use Focuspunch now!" It let out a low groan as it reared its arm back and swung hard. Alistor tried to tell Calida to dodge, but she didn't realize it attacked until its fist collided with her jaw. She force of the punch was far greater than it was before and threw Calida back and hit the wall.
"Calida!" Alistor shouted out. Her body slid down as she let out a loud groan. A crater was left behind from the impact and it seemed as though she was down. But she slowly stood back on her feet just as Max was going to end the battle. "You okay Calida?!" Alistor called out concerned. She just smiled to him and rubbed her back. She gave him a look that says 'Don't you dare' all over it. Alistor sighed in relief and grinned up.
"Amazing Alistor" Norman started, "Not many can walk out of that attack like that. You raised them well. But, had you raised them well enough to beat me?" Alistor grinned as he looked over to Norman.
"You'll just have to see to find out. Calida use Flamethrower!" Calida drew in a deep breathe as she fired a stream of flame at Slayking. It lifted up its arm and blocked it, wincing as it didn't count how powerful it was.
"Slayking use another Focus Punch!"
"Calida Flame Wheel! All out!" Both sides roared out. Calida's body got engulfed with intense flame again as Slayking's fist glowed brightly. Calida charged at full force as Slayking's fist flew right at her. Both attacks collided again, a bigger explosion bursting out and engulfing the arena with smoke. The blast of the attack nearly pushed everyone off their feet. Max fixed his glasses as the smoke started to clear up. What he seen was Calida and Slayking standing tall, staring each other down. It was then when the giant ape let out a loud groan and fell to the ground hard. Calida sighed in relief, but started to pant hard from that hard battle.
"Slayking is unable to battle!" Max called out, "Alistor is the winner!" Alistor's smile grew so far out that it looked as though his face would've break.
"Yeah! We did it!" Alistor cheered. Norman returned his Slayking to its ball, his smile not leaving his face though. Alistor ran toward Calida and gave her a big hug, which got her to wince and yelp loudly. Alistor quickly put her down and apologized about it.
"Congratulations Alistor. That was an excellent battle" he said. Max went off to a table at the end of the room and came back with a small box in his hands. Alistor and his team stood tall as Norman came by with his son next to him. "And to prove that you had bested in me, here is the Balance Badge, You deserve it" He opened up the box, revealing the Balance Badge. He took it out and proudly handed the badge over to Alistor, who's smile only grew as he laid his eyes on it.
"Thanks Norman" he said as he turned to his team, "Alright guys! Our first badge!" Everyone on his side cheered besides Pedils, who just nodded her head. Alistor turned back to Norman, his smile still yet to be gone. "Thanks a lot Norman. That was a fun battle"
"Indeed it was. I hadn't had this much fun in a battle since one of Max's friends battled me"
"Oh yeah?"
"He did" Max said fixing his glasses, "though I wasn't so much happy about that." Norman laughed and ruffled his son's head.
"He took the badge from me right before I had a chance to give it to him. But thankfully I set him straight and he gave back the badge"
"Well luckily you did or we would be chasing him around the gym huh?" Alistor said, getting everyone to left out a laugh.
"Oh hey, had you heard about the Paradise Formal Alistor?" Norman asked.
"People mentioned it over at that big building we past through. They had a big banner and everything"
"Well, you see I was sort of hoping to come along with my wife as a special gift, but unfortunately her plans on returning were a bit delayed with our daughter having injured her ankle while on a walk"
"Never knew you had a daughter Norman. She must be a talented trainer"
"Coordinator to be precise"
"I heard about coordinators" Pedils spoke up, "they are trainers who train more on dazzling attacks then actually battles. Ribbons are obtained instead of badges and coordinators compete against others in a tournament style match ups" Norman chuckled.
"I see you got your very own Max as well Alistor" he laughed.
"That's my sister. A little know-it-all" Alistor chuckled.
"Anyway, I planned to go to the formal with my wife, but as I said she got delayed. I don't like to waste so I like to give you our tickets" Norman smiled as he pulled out two tickets from his pocket and presented it to him. Alistor took it from his hands and smiled.
"Wow. Thanks" he said
"Nice idea Alistor, only how are we suppose to get formal wear if we barely have any money to buy a good meal" Pedils pointed out.
"The formal does have a rental wear over at the place. But who knows who wore it" Norman chuckled, "How about this? I will give you some extra money from the battle so you and your sister can find something formal to wear."
"Really you mean it?" Alistor asked, receiving a nod from him, "Alright! We're set then! And the Formal doesn't start until tomorrow night, so lets all get some good rest. You guys need some after today" He turned to Norman and gave a slight bow. "Thanks again for the battle. We'll be at the pokemon center if there's ever a time you need us" And with that, they all left the gym, waving their goodbyes at Norman and Max. Leila hurried over to Alistor's side.
"Hey Alistor" she said, "About Brooke, why do we need to go to the pokemon center to heal her when you can do so yourself?"
"Well....in order to do that I need water, but my stock on it is a bit low" he said as he took out the canister from his waist and shook it once. The sounded indicated that there was indeed a very small amount from it. Alistor would be able to heal Brooke's wounds if he had some more. "And we can also use the rooms the center has to spend the night over. Their beds may not be as luxurious as the hotel we staid before, but it's better than nothing."
-----
Alistor had taken his team to the pokemon center. Calida and Jack had been healed, but Brooke had the most damage so she was taking longer to heal. They had to spend the night over until the morning. By that time, Brooke should be up and ready. The group were all settled in their rooms, with Alistor taking the one close to where Brooke is. But not everyone was asleep. Leila was up, staring out at the window right at the moon. It looked as though she had something on her mind, her body looking tense as she clawed on the window frame. She sighed as she looked over to Alistor and Calida's sleeping form on the bed. Anna was in the room to, but for some reason she preferred the carpeted floor. She looked back outside, looking very worried.
"I can't believe it" she muttered, "why does my past always come to haunt me?....Why?" She laid her head against the window frame, a look of sorrow in her eyes as she continued to gaze to the moon with all its shining glory. She had felt something a while ago, and it was getting to her.
In the road heading toward Petalburg city, a large line of cars drove by. Each car was heavily guarded by security on motorcycles and each car had only glass that lets you see from the inside. There were five cars in total, but two of them were most important. One car had two passengers; Zena and Cobalt. Cobalt had his back toward the front while Zena took the other seat. The Zangoose morph laid on her arm, just looking out the window, deep in thought. The Lucario took note of this, knowing all to well what she was thinking about.
"Zena, lets focus on the formal preparations okay?" he told her, "it'll take your mind off of her." She sighed sadly, looking at the moon. Zena always loved staring at the moon with 'her' and ever since that day, she wouldn't get that chance again. Cobalt sighed in defeat. This depressive state she's in is really effecting her duties, and he knew that his leader was taking notice of it. (I hope we'll get through to her before he decides to dispose of her) he thought. The sound of the engine was the only thing heard as they progress to Petalburg City, where something bigger than the Paradise Formal will take place.Chapter End Notes:Looks like Alistor and Pedils got some tickets for the Paradise Formal =P Wonder what will be there
The gang had set off towards Petalburg City early morning. Right now it was around late evening and Alistor had decided to have everyone train for today to get ready for the gym that Pedils mentioned. Alistor had already got Jack and Brooke to face off, which explained why they were laying on their backs breathing heavingly. Calida and Anna were sparing each other now. Anna was doing very well against the Typhlosion. All that training with Varten did a lot more than get her to evolve a bit early. Calida jumped over Anna as she tried to wrap around her in a tight grip. The Dragonair swung her tail at her which had resulted in it being grabbed. Calida smirked as she pulled her in and grabbed her around her neck. Anna thrashed around trying to get her off.
"Calm down Anna! Try to think of a way out!" Alistor called out. The Dragonair growled and started to roll across the ground. Calida lost her grip and Anna slithered away. "There you go!" Anna grinned and rushed at Calida for a tackle. Everyone was refrained from using any pokemon attacks on the count that Alistor didn't have enough potions for everyone. Calida grinned and moved aside from her tackle and went for her tail again. This time though, Anna quickly slithered around Calida and bounded her.
"Gah! Dangit!" the Typhlosion yelped. Anna giggled and gave her a quick squeeze.
"Say uncle" she chimed.
"Never" Calida chuckled. Anna grinned as the tip of her tail slithered between her body and started to tickle Calida's underside. "What?! Hahahahaha!! No don't-hahahaha!!"
"Say it" Anna giggled, tickling her more. Calida kept on laughing and fell to the ground. She rolled around again to lose her, but she had a good grip. She laughed even louder as she kept on getting tickled. "Say it and I'll stop"
"Hahahaha-oh-okay! Uncle! Uncle!!" Calida laughed a bit more before Anna finally lets her go. Alistor laughed a bit as he declared her the winner. Calida was gasping for breath and stood up. "That...was...unfair" she panted out.
"There were no rules against it" Anna giggled. Calida glared, a smile on her face, as she took a seat against a tree, still trying to catch her breath.
"Alright, I believe that is enough for today" he said. Everyone camped around the fire that Pedils had set up, fish being cooked. Calida sat very close, wanting to be the first to dig into the food. Alistor noticed that the sky was already dark. The training Calida and Anna had taken longer than he expected. "After dinner let's get some sleep. We want to be up bright and early so we can make the rest of the trip."
"Sounds like a good idea" Pedils said as she checked on the fish, "Almost done. Just a few more minutes and it'll be ready."
"How about a few second?" Calida asked as she leaned toward the fish. Pedils lightly slapped Calida's snout. She may not understand pokemon speech, but she knows to well what the Typhlosion was thinking.
"Oh no! Remember what happened last time? You did more than cook our food you burned them to ashes"
"But I will be careful this time!"
"The fish are done anyway" Pedils said. She took the fishes out of the fire. Calida was quick to swipe one from her hand and started eating it quickly. "Jeeze! Careful or you might eat my hand!" Alistor laughed out and took his piece and ate. Pedils wasn't much of a cook. In fact, fish was the only thing she can cook that wasn't out of a plastic wrap or cardboard box. Pedils also knew to get plenty of food for Calida. She had a stomach of a Snorlax and if Pedils didn't have enough, they would starve.
"I hope we get to the city soon" Calida said, "fish may be good, but I don't want to have it every day" Alistor was quick to finish his fish. The others were done soon after. Calida had about three times as much each had. Pedils had crawled inside her tent to get some sleep. The others were busy cleaning up the area a bit. Alistor took out his book soon after he was finished and continued to read through it. Calida, after setting up the sleeping bags, noticed him reading it. She seen that book plenty of times but she never actually saw him read it.
"Finally reading that book?" Calida asked.
"Yup" Alistor said as he flipped a page, "It's the story about Harris. You remembered stories about him right?"
"Not that much. But aren't there like only two copies of his book besides the one in your family's museum"
"Oh, my family had earned one copy. My mom gave it to me right before I started out."
"Well Alistor, mind if you read the story to us? I heard that his story gets people pumped for anything!" Alistor looked to see that everyone gathered around him. Each took a seat on a sleeping bag as they watched him intently.
"You guys sure you want to listen to the story?" he asked. It wasn't that he didn't want to share the story. He was actually glad that his team wanted to know much about his ancestor.
"Yes everyone wants to Al! Come on, share it out!" Alistor laughed out a bit before he went to the first page.
"Alright alright. I don't mind starting at the beginning. Do you?" Everyone shook their head in unison. He smiled more as he started to read the very first line of the story.
'The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true'
I finally decided to start this book. My dear friend, Tia, had suggested the idea. For those who want to know, Tia is a Gabite who I had rescued from a group of bandits who wanted to her skin for money. I must admit that kind of behavior was unacceptable. I took all of them out with ease. Tia didn't have a name when I brought her in, and I didn't want to keep calling her 'Gabite'. It seemed too informal. I asked if I can call her by a name and she agreed. I named her Tia, a name after the mighty dragon Tiamat. After some time spent getting her well, she grew fond of them name and decided to keep it. It has been about three years since the event and I never regretted it.
Forgive me. I got a little distracted with memories. Well let me introduce myself now. My name is Harris. Harris Gracidea. I am what most people call a Spartan. I didn't have parents and I got my title due to having to take care of myself and learn how to fight. I didn't do it all myself though. I have strong brothers with me who are willing to teach me new ways. Their names are Irvine, Jeremiah, Kurtis, and Lancer. Each has their own ability and each have great strength. Can't believe it's been months since I last saw them. Tomorrow is when I start looking for them. And if anything were to get in my way, they would have to face me with my sword, Inferno.
Inferno, a great sword, has been with me for years. It's not as wide as most great sword, but it's just as long. It maybe even longer. It was something I made myself. The material that I used for its blade made sure that it'll last for eternity. The hilt was my own design. It was a bit hard to do of course, but I succeeded into making it look like a phoenix, a symbol of my family line.
As I was saying, Tia and I will soon be heading out to our travels. I wonder what kinds of people I will meet. I also wouldn't mind knowing what my brothers had done during these past months. Well, whatever's going to happen, I know we'll have a grand time setting out.
Something strange happened when I was writing this. I had a feeling like someone was watching me, but I took it as just Tia checking up on me like she usually did. But when I noticed the shadow, I knew it wasn't her. Before I could even try to meet with this person, he disappeared. Whoever it was left a bad omen in the area. I thank the gods that whoever-or whatever- it was didn't became aggressive. I didn't know if I could defeat it. Just hope that we won't come across it later on.
"We'll end it here" Alistor said, closing the book. Anna had fallen asleep in her spot while Jack was settling in.
"That it?!" Calida asked surprisingly.
"Well I thought stopping here will get you to want more" he said. Leila perked her head up.
"So your ancestor was a Spartan?" she asked.
"Yup. A very strong one. You should see what his adventures bring him. Not just that, but also what he does to overcome them."
"Well we should be getting some sleep" Brooke said as she crawled inside her own bag, "Very important day you know"
"She's right" Alistor said as he climbed into his own sleeping bag. He had his own tent to sleep in, but he always rather sleep outside under the stars. Calida settled in next to him as Leila slept on the other side. Alistor took a deep breath, excited about tomorrow and his first gym challenge.
-----
The gang was arrived in Petalburg City. This was a lot larger than what they had seen in the last town. There were tall buildings and many civilians in the streets. Alistor and Pedils had seen places bigger, but were still amazed at how lively the place it.
"Wow, bigger than I expected" Alistor said.
"It'll be a bit hard to find the gym by ourselves" Pedils mentioned, "so lets ask around so we won't get lost."
"Sounds like a plan. Okay guys, stick together" They all began looking around the city, looking for the gym and asking around. They were led to one way and then to another. Seemed like some of them were just messing with them. It was until they came across a massive building. Even more massive than the others. Alistor stood there, looking at the very tip of it in awe.
"Wow...is this the gym?" he asked.
"No it's not" Pedils said, "If I remembered right, this is a very new building. It seemed very important because they had build this massive thing for about a month and a half."
"A month and a half?!" Alistor gasped, "for something this big?"
"It seems like it. And look, they seem to be getting ready for something" Indeed they were. Workers were all around, lining up decorations and setting up flowers outside. There were worker putting up a big banner over the entrance. Written decoratively were the words "Paradise Formal" surrounded by different flower designs and stars.
"Hey, I remember hearing about that in the last town" Alistor said. Pedils took a peak at a man walking past and tapped his arm.
"Excuse me. We're new around her and we're wondering if you know anything about the Paradise Formal"
"Paradise Formal?" he repeated, "Oh yes it's a party on the president's behalf. Some people are invited while others need to guy tickets to get in. But those things are expensive. Real expensive. You'll be lucky to get in yourself." The man's cell phone rang and he left as he took it out of his pocket.
"The Paradise Formal" Alistor muttered, "I guess it would be lucky if we did got into it."
"Yeah" Pedils muttered, "but right now we need to find the gym and we won't find it just standing here"
"Good point" With that done, they had asked people who looked more trustworthy where the gym was. After a awhile, they had finally found it. The gym was a very huge place, with stone stairs leading up to the entrance. An emblem of a pokeball stood at the tip of the house's front structure. Alistor's body shivered with anticipation, along with Calida. The Typhlosion was nearly blazing with the fire on her mane, almost cooking up Anna in the process.
"Woah! Watch where you burst Calida! You almost roasted me!" Calida chuckled a bit.
"Sorry, but after waiting for so long, our first gym battle of going to happen!" Her flames only grew much like her adrenaline. Alistor could barely keep himself still.
"So who are you going to use for the gym battle Alistor?" Leila asked through human tongue.
"Well, I promised Calida, Brooke, and Jack that they will have the first gym battle" Alistor told them, "So for now I will use them for this gym"
"The gym doesn't show much of what type of pokemon they use here" Pedils said, "So make sure you are ready for whatever is coming alright?"
"Oh don't worry so much Pedils. I can handle whatever the gym throws at us" Alistor turned to his team of choise for the gym, "Are you guys pumped?!"
"Yeah!" they cheered.
"Who's better than us?!"
"No one!"
"Who's going to win?!"
"We are!"
"Lets do this!" Alistor pumped his fist to the air as he and Calida stormed up the stairs. The rest just followed them slowly. Alistor opened up its doors. The arena was the first thing they say. He can see the white outlines of the field as well as the pokeball design at the center. Two rectangular boxes were at both ends to show where the trainers would be standing. He and Calida looked around the gym, trying to find the gym leader.
"No one is here" Calida pointed out.
"Well the front door was opened" Alistor said, "Someone must be here." Just then, the door in the back of the gym opened up and came out a man. The man was short haired, wore a reddish looking jacket and blue pants. Next to him was a small boy. He wore glasses and a green shirt, along with brown shorts. Both their hair colors were purplish-blue. The man spotted Alistor at the door.
"Oh? A trainer" he said, "Welcome to the Petalburg City Gym!" The little guy pushed up his glasses.
"Been awhile since you faced a trainer right Dad?" Alistor now realized that the little guy was the man's son. Not only that, but also the man was the gym leader.
"Hey!" he called out, "My name is Alistor! The one behind me is my little sister Pedils. I'm here to obtain my first gym badge!"
"Name's Norman" the man replied, "You'll have to beat me in a gym battle if you want it so badly." Alistor stood tall, his team behind him with Pedils. Norman looked at him and let out a loud chuckle. "You know, your enthusiasm reminds me a lot of the last trainer who was able to beat me in a battle."
"And ever since my dad hasn't lost a match" the kid said.
"Now don't go underestimating the trainer Max. We hasn't even started the battle yet" Alistor laughed quietly.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything by barging in here" Alistor said, "But I'm just so excited right now about my first gym."
"No worries. We were just checking on the pokemon in the greenhouse. I'm happy to accept your challenge Alistor" Max poked his father's arm to get his attention.
"Mind if I be the referee Dad?" he asked, "Kenny is out for today and I thought I can fill him in"
"Oh right I forgot about that" Norman said, "Alright Max, you can ref this match." Max smiled as he rushed to the side of the arena and took the flags in his hands. One flag was red, indicating Norman's side, and the other was green, indicating Alistor's.
"So we're having our battle right now?" Alistor asked, "Awesome!" He looked to Calida, Jack, and Brooke. He wondered which one he should bring out first.
"I'm not going out first" Jack said.
"Oh! Me first! Let me go!!" Calida said. Alistor smiled as his decision was made.
"Calida, sorry to say, but I will have to save you for last" he told her, getting a low growl and a pout.
"So that means I'm first up!" Brooke cheered as her tail wagged.
"That's right! Now lets show him what we can do!" Brooke practically skipped to the arena. Alistor could barely keeps his arms still as they pumped. Alistor smiled at Norman as Brooke stood ready. The gym leader smiled at his enthusiasm with his first battle. He took out his first pokeball and released a Tauros. It bucked and snorted, staring her down. Brooke suddenly flinched at his gaze and backed up a bit. Alistor noticed this and figured that it's ability, Intimidate, had kicked in. Brooke's physical attacks won't give as much damage as before. Max look at the pokemon in the arena.
"The battle between pokemon trainer, Alistor, and gym leader, Norman, will begin. Only the challenger is able to substitute pokemon. No time limit" he called out loudly so both of them can hear. "Begin!"
"Alright Alistor, I'll let you have the first move" Norman called out. Alistor smiled and rubbed under his nose.
"If you say so" he said, "now Brooke let start this off with a Water Gun!" Brooke opened her mouth a shot a torrent at the Tauros. Norman ordered it to dodge and watched as it took a step to the left, away from the attack. He then told his pokemon to use Take Down. The Tauros bucked and charged at Brooke at full speed. She noticed it coming and blasted a Water Gun below her to make her high in the air, dodging the attack. "That's the ticket! Now use Ice Beam to stop it in its tracks!" Brooke shot out a blue beam at the Tauros's feet, encasing it in ice and enabling it to move. It snorted and tried to break free, but it was no good. Brooke grinned and was readying another Ice Beam attack.
"Quick Tauros use Strength!" Norman shouted. It roared out as it became clear that its muscles were growing. It bucked just once more before the ice had shattered. It dodged Brooke's Ice Beam and charged with another Take Down, ramming into her and sending her flying with a thud.
"Uh oh! Be careful Brooke!" Alistor shouted, "try and use Water Pulse!" He hoped that the secondary effect of the attack will help him out a bit. Brooke raised her head as a ball of water formed and launched it at the Tauros. The attack hit, but it didn't seem confused. Norman grinned out.
"You'll have to try harder Alistor if you wish to get my badge. Now Tauros use Thunderbolt!" Alistor gasped. Tauros's fur were standing on end as electricity sparked through.
"Brooke, dodge quickly!" he shouted. The Tauros shot a Thunderbolt and struck Brooke. She yelped in pain as she skids across the floor from the attack. Alistor winced when she was struck hard. The gym leader was much stronger than he had realized. Brooke stood up rather oddly. The Tauros bucked as its fur started to spark again. He was readying another Thunderbolt attack. Brooke took notice of this right before it shot electricity. She used Water Gun under her to make herself fly to the right. The Tauros didn't let his attack down though. She knew so she turned and used Ice Beam on the ground, turning it into ice. She skids across it, keeping herself moving as the attack followed her.
"Come on Brooke! Fight back with Aurora Beam!"
She swerved her body and fired a colorful ray at the Tauros, hitting it on its side and making it stumble. She smirked and used another Water Pulse attack.
"Tauros, Protect!"
A bubble of green light surrounded the Tauros just before the Water Pulse hit it. It was successful in blocking Brooke's attack. The Tauros dragged its hoof across the ground as it snorted out. Normal smiled a bit. "Lets end this now with this new move. But first. Tauros use Scary Face!" Tauros' eyes glowed red and an omen crept behind it. Brooke gasped as she could've sworn it grew five times its size and staring down at her with killer intent. Brooke backed away out of fear. "Now use Thunderbolt!" Before Brooke knew it, she was hit with another surge of electricity. Her whole body sparked up as she got to her feet slowly.
"Come on Brooke! Be careful out there. Try using Water Pulse again!" Alistor called out, bit worried now. Brooke stood up but winced as her body sparked again. Alistor realized that she was paralyzed thanks to that last attack. Norman smiled.
"Now for the new move. Use Wild Charge!" Alistor hadn't heard of that move so he didn't know what to expect. The Wild Bull pokemon started to spark again. It bucked and charged at Brooke. She saw it coming toward her and tried to move. Unfortunately, the paralysis took effect and stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't do anything as Tauros' whole body got engulfed by electricity and she was slammed hard and set back, hitting the wall with a hard thud. Alistor team winced as if they can feel that impact themselves.
"Brooke!!" Alistor shouted. Her body slid off the wall and fell to the floor. Electricity sparked out of her body. She couldn't go on.
"Vaporeon in unable to battle! This round goes to Norman!" Max called out. Alistor sighed sadly and returned Brooke to her pokeball. "You did great Brooke. Take a good rest"
"I must say Alistor" Norman called out, "You are one heck of a trainer. Most water-types would go down after the first Thunderbolt from my Tauros. But for your Vaporeon to actually stand after the second one, that's impressive." Alistor smiled at the admiration from the Gym leader. His son smiled big as if he knew that the first battle would be in Norman's favor.
"The match is still not over yet" Alistor said as he turns to his team, "I am counting on you Jack. Beat that Tauros for Brooke" The Lopunny cracked his fingers and went to the arena, actually making sure he doesn't hop there. The Tauros took a good look at him and it seemed as if hearts appeared over its eyes. Jack sweat drops and groaned, knowing that look oh so well. He doesn't make a single move and already most of the male opponents are already infatuated with him. He took his stance and was readying the signal. Norman noticed Jack as he came in and chuckled.
"My I haven't seen that pokemon around here" he said.
"That's a Lopunny dad" Max told him, "they aren't from this region. They live all the way from Sinnoh" Alistor laughed a bit.
"You got one smart son Norman!" Max crossed his arms and smiled as if her was a big shot.
"I have my way around information" he said, "Now lets get this battle started. Tauros versus Lopunny. Begin!"
"Tauros go for a Take Down!" Norman shouted. The Tauros shook its head out of his fantasy and charged at Jack.
"Use Bounce to dodge!" Alistor told him, which got him a glare, "Don't look at me! You can either do the attack or take the hit!" Jack appeared to think before he sighed and jumped in the last minute, hopping off the Tauros' back and go high in the air. He fell back down and landed on it's back again, but hard. The Tauros yelped as it fell off its feet and skidded across the ground. Jack hopped off of it and landed gracefully, dusting off his feet.
"Tauros don't give up! Use Thunderbolt!" The Tauros stood up and fired another wave of electricity
"Use Agility to dodge!" Jack left an afterimage of himself as he used Agility to move away from the Thunderbolt. The Tauros kept the attack going, but Jack was to quick. One bolt went out and nearly hit Max. He yelped loudly and fought for balance.
"Hey be careful where you shoot Tauros!" he said. Jack ran around it, still using Agility. His hand glowed white and bright as he focused his energy in her fist.
"Now use Sky Uppercut!" Alistor shouted with a grin. As the Tauros spun its head around, Jack appeared in front of it. He swung his glowing fist up and rammed it under its head. It roared in pain and went flying back up. It crashed against the ground hard and kicked up dust. The Tauros tilted its head up, but it came back down.
"Tauros is down! Lopunny is the winner!" Max declared, sighing a bit afterward. Jack dusted his hands and went back to his corner. Norman drew back his Tauros with a small smile on his face.
"Took me by surprise" he said, "but that won't happen again." He drew out his next pokemon, which turned out to be a Vigoroth. Much like the others, hearts appeared in its eyes as it caught sight of the feminine pokemon in front of it. Jack face palmed himself. Boy did he hate it when this happened. Max began the battle and Norman started off with a Flamethrower attack. Vigoroth opened its mouth wide after he stopped drooling over Jack and attacked with a stream of flame. Jack jumped off to the side and rushed at it using Agility with his hand glowing again.
"Careful Vigoroth! Dodge and use Retaliate!" The Vigoroth dodged just in the nick-of-time and its fist glowed brightly like Jack, but with both hands. It roared and launched a barrage of punches at close range, hitting Jack repeatedly with little trouble. Max pushed up his glasses with a grin.
"A nice choice of move as always" he said, "Retaliate gets an extra boost in power from Tauros' being knocked out from the last match" Jack took about every hit before he was sent back from the last punch. He skidded to a halt and gripped on his stomach as he fell to one knee.
"You okay?!" Alistor called out. Jack stood up and just nodded. He sweat dropped as it seemed like even bigger hearts were in the Vigoroth's eyes. Jack groaned loudly and his ears drooped. (Damn my Cute Charm ability) he thought. Even though Cute Charm only works with those opposite of the wielder's gender, due to Jack's very feminine features it also applied to his own gender as well. In its eyes, the Vigoroth was seeing a sexy Lopunny with puffy lips and slender figure, giving him sexy looks and often even winking at him with a giggle.
"Vigoroth! Concentrate and use Crush Claw!" Norman's command only went through one ear and out the other since his pokemon was to infatuated to make a move.
"Okay then use Dizzy Punch!" Alistor shouted. Jack's ran to the Vigoroth and threw his fist at his head, a puff of smoke and starts appearing on contact. It spun around and held its head in pain.
"Yeowch. That's got to hurt" Norman said, "and with that Silk Scarf the attack has more kick-er punch- to it" Alistor smiled and rubbed his chin.
"That's one of the reasons why I gave it to Jack. Makes his attacks more effective" Norman, Max, and the Vigoroth stared at Alistor confusingly.
"Jack?....as in a guy?" Max asked.
"Yeah. My Lopunny is male" he told them. The look on the Vigoroth's face. Its jaw dropped as if it was going to hit the floor. A loud shatter of glass went through his ears as his dream of being with the Lopunny before him were broken. Norman chuckled a bit at the sudden fact as Max had a look of disbelief. "Surprise anyone didn't notice" The Vigoroth let out a low growl before letting out a roar. Feeling humiliated, its rage built up. Jack stood ready.
"Jack! Use Dizzy Punch! Try and keep it up!"
"Vigoroth use Fury Swipes!"
Jack and Vigoroth's hands glowed and they charged each other. They exchanged vicious blows to each other, receiving bruises and cuts in Jack's case. Jack was getting a bit angry at the fight since it was ruining his fur. He may hate how others think he was a female, but dangit how he hate his fur getting ruined.
"Vigorth use Slash attack and finish it quickly!"
Roaring out, Vigorth's claws grew out larger. It swiped at Jack, aiming for his head. But thanks to it having so much anger, it wasn't very focus as much as Jack. He grinned and ducked under as his hand glowed again. He swung his fist at Vigorth's chin with a Sky Uppercut. It went flying up high and landed with a thud. Jack landed on his feet, but fell to one knee. The countless Fury Swipes as taken a good toll on him. The Vigorth laid there quietly and knocked out cold.
"Vigoroth is unable to battle! Lopunny is the winner" Jack panted tiredly on his knee. Norman returned Vigoroth to its ball and brought out his next one.
"Jack, you look tired! Do you want to take a break?!" Alistor called out.
"What? Me tired?" Jack said as he stood up straight, "don't underestimate me Alistor. I can keep going!"
Norman brought out his next pokemon, his Slaking. It towered over Jack as it scratched its belly. He looked down and saw him, and like many other males, hearts appear over its eyes. Jack sweat dropped as he looked at the massive ape.
"Yeeeaaah...I'm gonna...sit this one out" he mumbled as he backed away and quickly hid behind Alistor. The boy grinned as he looked back at Calida.
"Ready to go Calida?" he asked. She smirked and cracked her neck.
"Been waiting for this moment you know" she said as she got to the arena. She grinned up at the Slayking before her as it stared back lazily. Max fixed up his glasses as he looked to both competitors.
"Alright, match between Slayking and Typhlosion" Max shouted out. Alistor's fingers clenched with anticipation, waiting for the call. Norman's smiling face showed that he was enjoying the match as well. "Begin!!"
"Use Flame Wheel Calida!" Alistor shouted. Calida went on all fours and charged, her body getting engulfed by searing flame. The Slayking watched he advance with little interest.
"Slayking use Thunderpunch!" Norman shouted out. The giant ape threw up its hands and electricity formed around its fist. It slammed it down as Calida's flaming body, both attacks colliding and making an explosion. The Slayking staggered back a bit as Calida was blown back from the blast. Calida charged out again, this time with great speed since she used Quick Attack. She hit the Slayking's chest with her shoulder, pushing it back more. It grunted and grabbed her by the foot. Although a bit lazily, it tossed her away like a ragdoll. She skidded on her feet and glared at it a bit.
"Slayking use Focuspunch!" Norman said. Unfortunately, it just scratched its chest and lay on the ground. Norman's eyes twitched a bit from that. Alistor was wondering what was happening.
"Hey, why is it laying down?" Alistor asked Pedils.
"Slayking are known to be slackers. They are sometimes lazy enough to ignore most of the commands of trainers. They are the laziest pokemon in any region"
"Really? Wonder why Norman chooses that pokemon than"
"Maybe because when it doesn't attack, it stores energy so the next attack it does is stronger." Alistor gulped a bit and told Calida to be extra careful. She smirked as she took a deep breath and fired a Flamethrower. It didn't even try to move at it took the hit and rolled across the ground. She grinned and charged at it with a Flame Wheel attack. Before she even came close, the Slayking's eyes opened up suddenly. Norman grinned big.
"Alright Slayking! Use Focuspunch now!" It let out a low groan as it reared its arm back and swung hard. Alistor tried to tell Calida to dodge, but she didn't realize it attacked until its fist collided with her jaw. She force of the punch was far greater than it was before and threw Calida back and hit the wall.
"Calida!" Alistor shouted out. Her body slid down as she let out a loud groan. A crater was left behind from the impact and it seemed as though she was down. But she slowly stood back on her feet just as Max was going to end the battle. "You okay Calida?!" Alistor called out concerned. She just smiled to him and rubbed her back. She gave him a look that says 'Don't you dare' all over it. Alistor sighed in relief and grinned up.
"Amazing Alistor" Norman started, "Not many can walk out of that attack like that. You raised them well. But, had you raised them well enough to beat me?" Alistor grinned as he looked over to Norman.
"You'll just have to see to find out. Calida use Flamethrower!" Calida drew in a deep breathe as she fired a stream of flame at Slayking. It lifted up its arm and blocked it, wincing as it didn't count how powerful it was.
"Slayking use another Focus Punch!"
"Calida Flame Wheel! All out!" Both sides roared out. Calida's body got engulfed with intense flame again as Slayking's fist glowed brightly. Calida charged at full force as Slayking's fist flew right at her. Both attacks collided again, a bigger explosion bursting out and engulfing the arena with smoke. The blast of the attack nearly pushed everyone off their feet. Max fixed his glasses as the smoke started to clear up. What he seen was Calida and Slayking standing tall, staring each other down. It was then when the giant ape let out a loud groan and fell to the ground hard. Calida sighed in relief, but started to pant hard from that hard battle.
"Slayking is unable to battle!" Max called out, "Alistor is the winner!" Alistor's smile grew so far out that it looked as though his face would've break.
"Yeah! We did it!" Alistor cheered. Norman returned his Slayking to its ball, his smile not leaving his face though. Alistor ran toward Calida and gave her a big hug, which got her to wince and yelp loudly. Alistor quickly put her down and apologized about it.
"Congratulations Alistor. That was an excellent battle" he said. Max went off to a table at the end of the room and came back with a small box in his hands. Alistor and his team stood tall as Norman came by with his son next to him. "And to prove that you had bested in me, here is the Balance Badge, You deserve it" He opened up the box, revealing the Balance Badge. He took it out and proudly handed the badge over to Alistor, who's smile only grew as he laid his eyes on it.
"Thanks Norman" he said as he turned to his team, "Alright guys! Our first badge!" Everyone on his side cheered besides Pedils, who just nodded her head. Alistor turned back to Norman, his smile still yet to be gone. "Thanks a lot Norman. That was a fun battle"
"Indeed it was. I hadn't had this much fun in a battle since one of Max's friends battled me"
"Oh yeah?"
"He did" Max said fixing his glasses, "though I wasn't so much happy about that." Norman laughed and ruffled his son's head.
"He took the badge from me right before I had a chance to give it to him. But thankfully I set him straight and he gave back the badge"
"Well luckily you did or we would be chasing him around the gym huh?" Alistor said, getting everyone to left out a laugh.
"Oh hey, had you heard about the Paradise Formal Alistor?" Norman asked.
"People mentioned it over at that big building we past through. They had a big banner and everything"
"Well, you see I was sort of hoping to come along with my wife as a special gift, but unfortunately her plans on returning were a bit delayed with our daughter having injured her ankle while on a walk"
"Never knew you had a daughter Norman. She must be a talented trainer"
"Coordinator to be precise"
"I heard about coordinators" Pedils spoke up, "they are trainers who train more on dazzling attacks then actually battles. Ribbons are obtained instead of badges and coordinators compete against others in a tournament style match ups" Norman chuckled.
"I see you got your very own Max as well Alistor" he laughed.
"That's my sister. A little know-it-all" Alistor chuckled.
"Anyway, I planned to go to the formal with my wife, but as I said she got delayed. I don't like to waste so I like to give you our tickets" Norman smiled as he pulled out two tickets from his pocket and presented it to him. Alistor took it from his hands and smiled.
"Wow. Thanks" he said
"Nice idea Alistor, only how are we suppose to get formal wear if we barely have any money to buy a good meal" Pedils pointed out.
"The formal does have a rental wear over at the place. But who knows who wore it" Norman chuckled, "How about this? I will give you some extra money from the battle so you and your sister can find something formal to wear."
"Really you mean it?" Alistor asked, receiving a nod from him, "Alright! We're set then! And the Formal doesn't start until tomorrow night, so lets all get some good rest. You guys need some after today" He turned to Norman and gave a slight bow. "Thanks again for the battle. We'll be at the pokemon center if there's ever a time you need us" And with that, they all left the gym, waving their goodbyes at Norman and Max. Leila hurried over to Alistor's side.
"Hey Alistor" she said, "About Brooke, why do we need to go to the pokemon center to heal her when you can do so yourself?"
"Well....in order to do that I need water, but my stock on it is a bit low" he said as he took out the canister from his waist and shook it once. The sounded indicated that there was indeed a very small amount from it. Alistor would be able to heal Brooke's wounds if he had some more. "And we can also use the rooms the center has to spend the night over. Their beds may not be as luxurious as the hotel we staid before, but it's better than nothing."
-----
Alistor had taken his team to the pokemon center. Calida and Jack had been healed, but Brooke had the most damage so she was taking longer to heal. They had to spend the night over until the morning. By that time, Brooke should be up and ready. The group were all settled in their rooms, with Alistor taking the one close to where Brooke is. But not everyone was asleep. Leila was up, staring out at the window right at the moon. It looked as though she had something on her mind, her body looking tense as she clawed on the window frame. She sighed as she looked over to Alistor and Calida's sleeping form on the bed. Anna was in the room to, but for some reason she preferred the carpeted floor. She looked back outside, looking very worried.
"I can't believe it" she muttered, "why does my past always come to haunt me?....Why?" She laid her head against the window frame, a look of sorrow in her eyes as she continued to gaze to the moon with all its shining glory. She had felt something a while ago, and it was getting to her.
In the road heading toward Petalburg city, a large line of cars drove by. Each car was heavily guarded by security on motorcycles and each car had only glass that lets you see from the inside. There were five cars in total, but two of them were most important. One car had two passengers; Zena and Cobalt. Cobalt had his back toward the front while Zena took the other seat. The Zangoose morph laid on her arm, just looking out the window, deep in thought. The Lucario took note of this, knowing all to well what she was thinking about.
"Zena, lets focus on the formal preparations okay?" he told her, "it'll take your mind off of her." She sighed sadly, looking at the moon. Zena always loved staring at the moon with 'her' and ever since that day, she wouldn't get that chance again. Cobalt sighed in defeat. This depressive state she's in is really effecting her duties, and he knew that his leader was taking notice of it. (I hope we'll get through to her before he decides to dispose of her) he thought. The sound of the engine was the only thing heard as they progress to Petalburg City, where something bigger than the Paradise Formal will take place.Chapter End Notes:Looks like Alistor and Pedils got some tickets for the Paradise Formal =P Wonder what will be there