Chapter Text
We spent two more days at the Pokemon Center.
I'll spare you most details, 'cause nothing really interesting happened (except maybe cuddling with Dave on the thunderstorm night).
Dave practiced his Performance Stage combo with Guinevere, and Lancelot looked ready for the Battle Stage.
I'm gonna sound like a major creep now (yes, I can acknowledge the fact, despite it hurting my pride) but watching Dave training with his Pokemon was truly a sight to behold. Especially when he decided to get involved and took off his jacket. Let me tell you - that tank top did justice to his body. And that arms! Arceus...
I'm getting off track, again! Bad, Xander! Leave those thoughts to yourself! Arceus, if he ever reads this I'll die of embarrassment!
Anyway, I battled some more Trainers (most of them complained that I 'don't play fair' but whatever).
Both Loki and Venus leveled up to level 13 (I battled with Venus more, to get her on par with Loki and to perfect her Sand Attack/Attract combo. Let me tell you - seeing people's pissed off faces was so worth it!).
Also, both of them learned Fury Swipes in place of Scratch.
Loki thrived with his new Hone Claws/Fury Swipes combo. As Hone Claws boosted both his Attack and accuracy, he had a bigger chance to land all five hits and therefore do more damage.
Venus made use of Fury Swipes mainly outside of the battle, as a method of brutally waking me up. Don't recommend it.
Today, we're leaving for Aspertia.
Dave's still sleeping. Not for long though. I see Guinevere's slowly waking up so she'll demand breakfast.
We will eat something, pack our things and leave the Pokemon Center.
---------------------
We were walking (almost hand-in-hand) towards Aspertia. Guinevere was chirping happily in Dave's arms, while Lancelot desperately tried to act mature, despite Loki's teasing. Venus opted for resting on my shoulder, which meant that on top of my backpack I had to carry 22 lbs. of additional weight.
We didn't say much until Dave broke the awkward silence.
"So... what we'll do once we're in the city?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... you have your Gym Battle and I have my Contest."
I was confused as shit. It must've been obvious, 'cause Dave added:
"I meant... I want to cheer you on during your Gym Battle and... would you do the same for me? Once I enter the Contest?"
"Of course! Tough I thought that was obvious."
"Oh... right, sorry."
I could tell there was more to it.
"Dave, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, really. Everything's fine."
I raised my eyebrow and sent him a 'don't lie to me' look. He just looked away.
"Look... if it's something really personal and you can't tell me, I understand. But if it's something connected to me, I could... I don't know... help somehow?"
Dave sighed.
"Promise you won't laugh?"
"Promise."
"It's just... After the Gym Battle and the Contest... Will we still be traveling together?"
I looked at him.
"That entirely depends if you want me to stick around."
"I mean... You do give nice cuddles. I might consider keeping you" he answered with a cheeky grin.
"Oh, so now I'm a property?"
He immediately started panicking.
"No, that's not what I meant! I'm sorry, I just wanted to-"
I started laughing.
"Relax, hot stuff, I'm just kidding. Though I have to warn you - a collar is too much, even by my standards."
He deadpanned and nudged Guinevere, who shot a Water Gun at my face.
"I regret nothing!"
-------------------
When we got to the city, it was already evening. We decided to spend the night in our respective homes and said goodbye to each other.
I kinda expected my parents to greet me, but I was not prepared for my sister to turn into a fucking missile and slam into me.
"Xander!"
"Hi, sis. Nice to see you too" I said, desperately trying to catch my breath.
Loki immediately hid behind my leg and he gestured for Venus to do the same. My poor Purrloin didn't know what was in store for her.
Then, Lisa spotted Venus, resting on my backpack.
Three...
Two...
One...
"SHE'S SO CUTE!!!!"
Venus hissed and jumped as high as she could. Loki snickered, while Lisa tried to catch my Purrloin.
As amusing as that was, I decided to end Venus's misery and took her into my arms.
"Lisa," I said. "Venus doesn't know you and to be honest, she's still getting used to both me and Loki. Stop chasing her or she might scratch you."
My sister stopped and nodded.
Venus sent me a 'why didn't you warn me?!' look. I chuckled.
"Hello, son."
Mum and dad came and greeted me too.
We sat at the dinner table and started eating.
"What's your plan, son?" asked dad.
"Well... I have a battle booked at 7:30."
"I see."
"If you could find a moment to cheer me on tomorrow...?"
Dad sighed.
"We have work. Both your mother and me. But the battles are broadcasted, remember? We'll be sure to watch, ok?"
"Okay, dad."
"Promise us you'll do your best, okay sweetie?"
"I promise, mum. We'll do our best. Right guys?"
Loki barked happily, while Venus just nodded, still shaken up after Lisa's 'surprise attack'.
Before I went to bed, I saw a text from Dave:
'Mum told me to say 'hello' to you. She asked about everything we did. Everything. She's grateful that you saved me but pissed off that you 'went to bed with me'. She seemed more pissed off, so I'd sleep with your one eye opened if I were you.'
I chuckled.
'Will do. I'm heading to the Aspertia Gym tomorrow, about 7. Meet you there?'
He took a while to reply. I started to fear that I said something wrong.
'Sure. Night, bad boy.'
'Bad boy? Where did that come from?'
'You're a Dark Type Trainer, you gave me that 'bad boy' vibe when we first met and you already gave me a nickname, so I had to think of one for you. Plus, bad boys are hot.'
At that moment, my cheeks reddened and my pants became too tight for my comfort.
'I see how it is, hot stuff. I'd love to chat more, but I have to be awake at the Gym Battle. Goodnight.'
'Goodnight.'
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I woke up at 5 in the morning. I decided to let Loki and Venus sleep a little more. They needed the strength for our Gym Battle after all.
I entered the kitchen and made myself some breakfast. As I ate, I thought about our strategy once again.
I knew that Cheren has three Pokemon. We were at a disadvantage, so we had to be smart.
Loki and Venus woke up at about 6 and I gave them their Pokefood, along with some Berries.
My parents wished me luck in the battle and we left for the Gym.
Dave already waited for us, Lancelot by his side.
"Nervous?"
"Is it really that obvious?"
"A bit."
I sighed heavily.
"It's my first Gym Battle. Of course, I'm nervous!"
"You'll be fine. Just don't lose your cool."
About 7:10, I was asked to come inside the Gym. Dave took a place in the stands and gave me the thumbs up.
The guy named Clyde explained the rules to me (even though I already knew what to do). If I wanted to battle Cheren, I had to defeat his two Gym Trainers.
He asked me to smile at the camera, which was broadcasting my battle online.
I shot him a 'no way in hell' look and went on to battle the first Trainer.
It was a guy named Pedro.
"To defeat me, you have to beat two of my Pokemon!"
We took our positions.
"Patrat, go!"
"Venus, let's get this party started!"
The two Pokemon appeared on the battlefield.
"Patrat, use Leer!"
"Venus, Sand Attack!"
Thanks to her Prankster Ability, Venus moved faster than our opponent. Patrat received a blast of sand in the face, which lowered its accuracy and made Leer miss.
"Fury Swipes!"
From Venus's paws emerged white claws and she started attacking the Patrat. She managed to land three hits.
"Patrat, use Tackle!"
"Dodge it!"
She gracefully moved out of the way and stuck out her back leg. Patrat tripped over it and fell to the ground.
"Fury Swipes again!"
This time Venus needed only two hits. Patrat collapsed on the ground.
"Patrat is unable to battle! Purrloin is the winner!"
Venus purred, clearly proud of herself.
Pedro returned his Patrat.
"Not bad. But let's see how you do against my second Pokemon! Go, Lillipup!"
The Puppy Pokemon appeared on the other side of the battlefield.
"Lillipup, use Tackle!"
It barked and charged at Venus.
"Sand Attack!"
Our opponent received a blast of sand in its face.
"Feint Attack!"
Venus started twirling, confusing the hell out of Lillipup. Then, her body glowed purple and she attacked Lillipup.
"Lillipup! Tackle again!"
The two attacks collided. When the dust cleared, Lillipup lied unconscious on the ground.
"Lillipup is unable to battle! The battle goes to the Challenger!"
Pedro returned his second Pokemon and walked up to me.
"Good battle. Here - your reward." He handed me 160 Pokedollars.
"Thank you."
I healed Venus before our second battle with a girl named Serena. The battle looked more or less the same, the only difference being that she led off with a Lillipup and then with Patrat. But Venus didn't have any problems taking both of them down.
"Patrat is unable to battle! The battle goes to the Challenger!"
"Your Pokemon has leveled up!" came my Rotom Phone's voice.
So Venus was now level 14 and I managed to get past the Gym Trainers without revealing Loki.
Sweet.
Serena handed me 160 Pokedollars and left the battlefield. I healed Venus and returned her to her Pokeball. I'll lead with Loki this time.
Cheren - the Gym Leader of Aspertia Gym appeared on the other side of the battlefield.
"The rules of this battle are simple," said Cheren. "To win the Basic Badge, you have to defeat my three Pokemon. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Splendid! Just as this is your first Gym Battle, this is my first battle today! Let's both do our best and have a battle we can be proud of! Go, Patrat!"
His Patrat appeared in front of him.
"Let's get this party started!"
I sent out Loki, who was currently disguised as Venus.
"Challenger gets the first move!"
"Got it. Hone Claws!"
From Loki's paws emerged golden claws. Then, his body became surrounded with a red aura - a sign that his Attack and accuracy were raised.
"I see... Use Work Up!"
Patrat's body became surrounded by a red aura, which then intensified, as a sign of its Attack and Special Attack being raised.
"Use Fury Swipes!"
"Use Detect!"
From Loki's paws emerged white claws. He then tried to attack the Patrat, but our opponent just dodged all of them without breaking a sweat. Loki growled.
"Patrat, use Tackle!"
"Dark Pulse!"
As Patrat charged at Loki, my partner managed to land a close-range pseudo-Dark Pulse, blowing Patrat away. Though the little fucker still stood on its feet.
"Impressive. Patrat use Bite!"
Its teeth glowed white and it charged at Loki.
"Dodge and use Fury Swipes!"
Loki jumped out of the way and aimed the attack at Patrat.
"Use Detect!"
"Keep using Fury Swipes!"
I knew that Detect has a higher chance of failing if used in succession. And with Loki's accuracy raised by Hone Claws, Patrat couldn't really deliver another attack right after using Detect, or it'll get hit by Fury Swipes. So it had no choice but to keep dodging.
Finally, Loki landed the Fury Swipes. One... two... three hits. Not the highest number of attacks he could deliver. But it was enough.
Patrat collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
"Patrat is unable to battle! The winner is Purrloin!"
We just took down Cheren's first Pokemon and we still had our illusion in place.
I could hear Dave cheering in the stands.
"Your Pokemon has leveled up!" came my Rotom Phone's voice.
Cheren returned his Patrat.
"Thank you, my friend. You battled well. Take a good rest."
He then looked at me.
"You have two Purrloins on your team? Not the most versatile if I might say."
I rolled my eyes.
"You're not really in the position to judge me. You use only Normal Types and your Gym is full of Patrats and Lillipups!"
The Gym Leader smiled.
"Perhaps. You managed to take down my Patrat. But you won't be so lucky this time. Pidove, let's go!"
On the other side of the battlefield appeared a Tiny Pigeon Pokemon.
"Use-" I started but Cheren was faster.
"Use Quick Attack!"
Pidove's body glowed white and it charged at Loki before he could do anything.
My partner was blown back. His illusion faded, revealing his true form. Cheren's eyes widened.
"A Zorua? Now that is something you don't see often."
"Loki, Torment!"
My Zorua glared at the Pidove, making it unable to use Quick Attack twice in a row.
"Loki, return!"
I pulled out his Pokeball and returned him.
"Changing Pokemon, are we?"
"I can, so I'm taking advantage of it" I replied. "Venus! Let's get this party started!"
My Purrloin appeared on the battlefield.
"Pidove, use Leer!"
"Venus, Sand Attack!"
Thanks to Prankster, Venus's move went first, making Pidove's accuracy drop. Despite that, Leer still hit the mark, making Venus's Defense drop by one stage.
"Quick Attack!"
"Attract!"
She winked and sent hearts in Pidove's direction. Soon, our opponent was infatuated.
"Pidove! Use Work Up!"
Pidove broke through infatuation and increased its Attack and Special Attack.
"Quick Attack!"
"Sand Attack!"
Pidove broke through infatuation once again, but his Quick Attack missed thanks to the previous accuracy drop. Another Sand Attack only furthered the drop.
"Venus, Fury Swipes!"
"Dodge it, Pidove!"
Our opponent didn't react in time, due to infatuation. This allowed Venus to land four hits with Fury Swipes. It wasn't enough to take it down, but it's better than dealing no damage at all.
"Pidove, Quick Attack!"
"Feint Attack!"
The two moves clashed. After the dust cleared, Venus was the only one standing. Barely, I might add but still standing.
"Pidove is unable to battle! Purrloin is the winner!"
Cheren sighed and returned Pidove to his Pokeball.
"Thank you, Pidove. You battled excellently. Take a nice, long rest."
I gestured for Venus to come up to me.
"You're exhausted, girl. You want to go on?"
She nodded.
"Okay. We need to drop that damn Lillipup's accuracy and use Attract on it. That way, Loki will be able to take him down, okay?"
She nodded once again.
"Are you ready?" asked Cheren.
"Yes," I answered.
"Good. Then here's my final and strongest Pokemon. Go, Lillipup!"
His ace appeared on the other side of the battlefield.
"Use Work Up!"
His body became surrounded by a red aura, which then intensified, as a sign of its Attack and Special Attack being raised.
"Venus, Sand Attack!"
Lillipup dodged the Sand Attack and went for an attack.
"Use Tackle!"
"Dodge and use Attract!"
Venus barely dodged Lillipup's Tackle and managed to infatuate him.
"Lillipup, use Bite!"
"Sand Attack!"
This time Sand Attack landed, but Lillipup managed to break through and land a powerful Bite.
"Venus!"
When the dust cleared, Venus lied on the ground, unconscious.
"Purrloin is unable to battle! Lillipup is the winner!"
I rushed to Venus and picked her up from the ground.
"You okay, girl?"
She mewled weakly.
"You were amazing. We'll win that fight, I promise you."
I returned her to her Pokeball.
"Don't make promises you can't keep!" said Cheren.
"You underestimate me" I answered. I took out Loki's Pokeball and held it tightly.
"It's all up to you. Loki, let's go!"
My Zorua appeared on the battlefield once again.
"Lillipup, use Tackle!"
"Dodge and Torment!"
Lillipup's Tackle missed (thank Arceus!) and Loki's Torment made him unable to use Tackle twice in a row.
"Lillipup, use Bite!"
Our opponent immediately turned around and charged at Loki once again.
"Use Fury Swipes!"
The two attacks clashed, making both Pokemon slide back. It was clear that both of them took significant damage.
Suddenly, Lillipup shook his body, and from the fur on his back fell an Oran Berry. The little fucker ate it and almost all the damage was healed.
"Held Item... Shit..."
"I'm a Gym Leader for a reason, you know!" said Cheren. "Lillipup, Tackle!"
"Dodge, then Hone Claws!"
Accuracy drop from Sand Attack made Lillipup miss his attack. Meanwhile, Loki's Attack and accuracy were raised.
"Fury Swipes!"
"Bite!"
The moves clashed once again. Lillipup looked far better than Loki. One more move and we're losing the battle.
I had to think of something. Fast.
My panicked look must've been evident because Cheren said:
"You said that I underestimated you, huh? It looks to me like you've overestimated yourself. Let's finish this! Use Tackle!"
At that right moment, Venus's infatuation kicked in. This was our chance.
But I knew that I couldn't go for Fury Swipes, because once that thing snaps out of infatuation, and we're in a close-range - we lost. I decided to take the risk and said:
"Loki, Dark Pulse!"
Arceus must've taken pity on us because Loki released a fully-fledged Dark Pulse. Attack hit its target. Once the dust cleared, Lillipup lied unconscious on the ground.
"Lillipup is unable to battle! The winner is Zorua, which means the battle goes to the Challenger!"
Dave screamed 'Yes!' from the stands. And I just stood there, shocked.
We won...
We won.
WE FUCKING WON!
Loki ran into my arms and I hugged him tightly. I even ignored the robotic voice that announced: "Your Pokemon has leveled up!"
Cheren returned Lillipup and walked up to me.
"Congratulations. You and your Pokemon showed strength, strategy, and cunning. You earned the Basic Badge."
He handed me the Badge and I put it in my Badge Case.
"Here's your money for winning the battle," said Cheren, handing me 1680 Pokedollars. "And TM for Work Up."
"Thank you."
"Both your Pokemon are Dark Types. Is it a pure coincidence or was it intentional?"
"I want to be a Dark Type Trainer."
"I see. Challengers specializing in one type are rare. You won't have it easy."
"I know. But I like the challenge."
Cheren smiled.
"In that case, I wish you good luck on your journey."
---------------
We met up with Dave outside the Gym. He immediately ran up to me and hugged me tightly.
"You were awesome! And Loki mastered Dark Pulse! I nearly fell out of my seat from excitement!"
"Thanks. Having you around was a great boost" I flashed him a smile.
"Be honest, you were so focused on the battle, that you forgot that I was there."
"I felt your positive vibes. Good enough."
He chuckled.
"Come on. Let's go to the Pokemon Center and heal your Pokemon."
"Right."
We started walking towards the Center.
"You know... since I won my first Badge, I expect you to win your first Ribbon."
"I'll try."
--------------
When Nurse Joy healed Venus and Loki, Dave decided to take me out for dinner to celebrate my victory and insisted on paying. I tried to argue with him, saying that I can pay for myself.
"You'll take me out once I win the Ribbon. Or do you think I can't do it?"
That shut me up immediately.
Dave took me to a nice cafe. We laughed, flirted a lot, and I asked Dave about his upcoming Contest.
"I'm really nervous. There'll be a lot of Coordinators, possibly with far better combos than mine."
I took his hand and squeezed it.
"You'll be fine. You, Lancelot, and Guinevere worked too hard not to win this. You'll blow them all away."
He blushed and I winked at him.
We were about to finish eating when some guy came up to us and said:
"I watched your Gym Battle online. Good stuff."
I opened my mouth to say 'Thank you' but once I saw who was standing there, I was out of breath.
Dark Type specialist of Unova's Elite Four.
Grimsley fucking Reed.