PokeWild

Getting to the Fuchsia gym was a challenge.

Unlike in Celadon or Saffron, the signposts for the gym were not laid out in an array, all pointing inwards towards the gym, but a line. Small pink hearts led the way, embossed on signs that were attached to random, convenient surfaces.

David was directed north, east, south, through narrow alleys and across busy thoroughfares only to be sent back west. He lost track of the number of times the line twisted back across itself and turned around. It was no easier on the second attempt, and the landmarks with markers that he had memorized now lacked any kind of sign or indication for the gym.

It had to be on purpose - a light trick or hazing for gym challengers. He did not envy the poor workers who had to redesign the maze every day or week. That was a lot of signs in awkward places to move.

Thankfully, he’d left early, planning on some time before the challenge to steady himself. There was none left by the time he’d arrived in front of a nondescript door. It looked like any other house in the city, only the pink heart carved into the wood gave him confidence that he wasn’t lost. There was barely time to catch his breath inside before a gym trainer introduced themselves as Taketa, dipped into a half bow and jabbed their light blue hair into David’s face before spinning on the spot and striding past the reception into the gym. He was left half jogging to catch up.

Hurried as he was, it took a little longer than he’d like to admit for him to take in his surroundings. Celadon gym was built around or made of a series of gardens. He still remembered the amphitheater near the entrance where a challenger got to experience four seasons before stepping out on their own path. Fuchsia wasn’t so extravagant. Taketa led him through room after room, each with the same screen walls and gray-white wood plank flooring. What was interesting was that every room was a different size, some rectangular, others square and some leading around corners you couldn’t notice until you were further into the room.

The strange layout held his attention until in one room large enough for a battle, David looked up. There were six ceilings - or more realistically, one ceiling made to appear as six from above. Instead of a uniform roof to cover the area, the ceiling was split up into four blocks of triangular roofing separated from the other two by a narrow flat section, about as wide as an alleyway. From above it might appear as any other area in the city.

There might be a reason behind the changing signs and directions for the gym after all.

As Taketa led further, the room layout continued to change, but the pattern of the roof above remained steady. The Fuchsia gym was hidden from above and disguised in the city.

David was still deciding whether he was impressed, worried or perplexed by the fact someone had designed a complex as big as the Fuchsia gym with secrecy in mind when Taketa stopped at an entrance.

“We will battle in here. I will take the far dais and you the near. The battle will begin on my count. Any questions?” Taketa had chubby cheeks that made him seem younger than he was. He was shorter than David, but his spiked light blue hair balanced them out. His neck was slightly angled as if he was fighting a crick.

“Two Pokemon?” David confirmed trying to steady his nerves. It was early in the day and Venonat was still awake, but they were pushing his endurance.

“Yes.” A bead of sweat dripped down Taketa’s cheek. The gym trainer twitched, seemingly fighting the urge to wipe it away.

David wasn’t sure if it was his nerves spreading to Taketa, or the opposite, but the man was visibly uneasy. Maybe it was Taketa’s first challenge - or did they call it an acceptance? Taketa seemed to be a year or two older than David, but who knew. Taketa might just be a nervous person.

Whatever it was, it was not helping David to relax.

Taketa took a deep breath and pulled open the screen to step into the room. David followed him in and stepped up to the ‘dais’ - a box carved into the wooden planks for a trainer before the flooring stepped down into a massive sandbox arena. While Taketa walked across the room, he had time to inspect the room. Some areas of the arena were dirt, and a thin channel of water cut the rectangle diagonally. It was all well maintained and pristine.

Taketa and David were alone in the room - actually there was a short man standing against the left wall. Like Taketa he wore the dark gray-purple gym outfit. It was a mix of the Saffron dojo’s gi and modern elastic exercise clothes. The man blinked as David took him in.

Were they there as an observer - monitoring Taketa’s first challenge? Or certifying that Taketa was following the rules?

Taketa gave the man no greeting or welcoming as he crossed the room. Was it a ‘pretend I’m not here’ situation? If the man was a teacher or an examiner it might explain why Taketa was so nervous, and why he had explained things to David before they entered the room.

Three lilac rods poked out from behind the man’s back. Some kind of equipment? Was the man a healer or a specialist in poison in case the battle went a bit far? Or was it for recording-

“We will begin. Patience and Principle.” Taketa called, interrupting David’s train of thought.

“3.”

At least David couldn’t second guess the order of his team. Venonat was both nocturnal and running out of energy and his less trained Pokemon. The longer he waited the weaker Venonat would get. There was also the fact that if Cloudburst lost to a Pokemon, there was little chance Venonat would triumph.

“2.”

This would be his first double battle. He’d checked the rules in the library, with Louis and with the gym reception. It was like the set style in the games. There was also a limited number of switches you could make during battle - the number of Pokemon you were bringing minus one.

David would get only one switch. If Taketa was about to release a Flying-Fire type, he had one chance to swap Cloudburst into play. Taketa could then switch to an Electric type and David would be stuck.

“1.”

His finger twitched on the button.

“Go.”

David opened his eyes a little early, straining against the bright light to try to eke out whatever advantage he could. The flash across the arena was smaller, and the Pokemon smaller than Venonat. It was yellow-gold with a smooth angular body that could have been metal but for the way it flexed. Kakuna. A larger Kakuna than the few he’d seen before, but the Bug-Poison type was a head shorter than Venonat still.

“Harden!”

“Close.” David ordered but Venonat was already moving. It had taken a while to adapt to the paradigm shift. Cloudburst was best suited to building distance in a match. Venonat needed to get close to be successful. Venonat’s line were ambush predators. Open matches were to their disadvantage and the longer a match lasted the larger the handicap grew.

Venonat dashed forward, hopping side to side in his signature jerky pattern.

A gray film settled over Kakuna’s carapace. It was fast. Concerningly fast for all that the Pokemon remained still. It could move, dragging itself forward on those short scythe-like arms, but it was not quick. Perhaps that lack of mobility made it better at managing its type energy.

To David’s surprise, once the Harden was complete, Taketa did not call another order. Given Venonat’s current speed, there was time for another round of the Move. Then again, Taketa didn’t know that for sure. If Venonat was faster, it would be an easy thing to move at two different speeds. Sandbag to gain an advantage in the first clash.

He was not, but David would remember the idea.

Neither trainer called anything out as the two Pokemon came within five meters of each other. Both watched each other as much as the battling creatures.

Taketa blinked first. The nerves playing in David’s favor again.

“Bug Bite!”

David remained silent. Venonat had two moves, and given Kakuna was a Bug type, both the Normal type Tackle and Bug type Bug Bite were likely to be as effective as the other.

As lime flickers appeared around both Pokemon’s mouths, it became clear what Move they had chosen. Unfortunately, one Pokemon both had bright sparks and was ready faster.

Purple fur floated in the air and Venonat bounced back with a rattle.

David was ready. “Nope into Bug Bite!”

This wasn’t a battle that they’d win by drawing out.

Taketa hesitated. It cost him the advantage as Venonat reeled from the previous attack. By the time he spoke, Venonat was advancing again. “Poison Sting. Keep them back.”

Purple darts formed between the Pokemon even as Venonat charged. There was no dodging the growing darts. There was no avoiding the lime sparks.

Venonat twitched. Kakuna cried, and golden yellow carapace cracked.

“Again!” David shouted, tightening his fists and leaning forward.

“Scratch.”

Both Pokemon clashed once more. It was more even this time. Venonat was thrown back, and the impact pushed his attack to the side and away from the already damaged carapace. More purple hair fell to the floor.

“Bug Bite.”

“Fury Cutter.” Taketa called, then winced.

Lime sparks struck again, but this time they were answered by two vibrating scythes. Twin lines were etched into David’s vision, leaving fuzz behind. The hair on his arms rose.

Venonat rattled in pain. It was heavy. Gut-wrenching. Their fur was matted down their front in two straight lines. More carapace fell to the floor.

David’s hands shook. He remembered purple marbling and a warning. “Again.”

Taketa said nothing.

Kakuna squeaked in pain, rolling back and forth. Venonat’s rattle was weaker than before. They stumbled, falling back with each step until... a bright flash took them away.

“Withdrawing Venonat.” It was a short sentence, but each word was hard to get out. He wanted to scream instead. His arms shook as he returned Venonat’s still ball to his belt. Pidgey’s scarred pokeball slipped into his hand easily. She felt eager. Angry. Angry like he was.

David scanned the arena for a second. If it wasn’t for the purple hair, light scuffs and small flecks of gold in the sand you wouldn’t know a battle had happened.

That was about to change.

Cloudburst appeared in a burst of light. She squawked, throwing her wings out to declare her displeasure before powering them down and taking off.

A bright flash answered her call.

“Withdrawing Kakuna,” Taketa shouted with a scowl.

Withdrawing, not changing or swapping. The match was over for Kakuna.

Why? It made no sense to take them out of the running. Even if they were tired, they could be the deciding factor in a double knockout. Had Venonat done more damage than he’d thought? Was it the bad type match up? Or was it over confidence?

Cloudburst let out a shrill squeak, anger and annoyance warring as she gained height. She was close to the ceiling now. A good seven meters off the ground and gliding under the fake roof. It was a large distance when most Pokemon were less than a meter tall. It was a small height when compared to the open sky.

For the first time since entering, Taketa scanned the room. His gaze didn’t linger anywhere, and after a second of indecision his mouth contorted, and he pulled a battered and dull pokeball from his belt.

After a withdrawal or change, a trainer had ten seconds to release their Pokemon. Up to an hour if he’d declared a medical emergency for the withdrawn Pokemon, but that was a forfeit if the Pokecenter didn’t confirm the emergency.

A TV sized flash obscured the field in front of Taketa. Light blue fur shivered. Two small eyes looked around dazedly as a gaping mouth stretched wide.

David grit his teeth until his gums hurt. Above him, Cloudburst let out a shrill, and then a squawk.

Golbat.

Sharp white fangs stabbed out from the dark. They were trapped. Feathers swirled to the ground. Long wings flexed, sending sand swirling below.

Sand.

Sand, the arena.

Breathing, David pulled himself back. This wasn’t Saffron. The Golbat lacked the scars. It lacked the height, wings reaching only up to his chest and not over his head. Taketa wore no white and red armband. They didn’t have that look in their eyes.

“PIIiiiid-Geeey!” They steadied. This wasn’t that fight. This was a new battle.

“Leer,” David called. Golbat was stronger than Cloudburst. They needed to even this out.

Taketa said nothing. Had he missed an order?

Cloudburst would need to rely on speed to keep away from the Golbat and its fangs. It was a tough challenge under a roof with limited space. This would be the second Golbat they’d fought, but Zubat was more familiar and it was an agile Pokemon. Fly slow and the Golbat would run rings around them. Cloudburst needed to be fast, let the Golbat chase them.

Most importantly, they couldn’t get caught by a Supersonic. Confusion was death here.

“Screech.”

The air shimmered in front of the Golbat. It was a Move that would make Cloudburst weaker. A trainer had used in combination with Supersonic before. Cloudburst needed to move now.

“Through the trees,” David shouted, praying he hadn’t missed an order for Supersonic earlier.

Cloudburst began to fly. She had two stories vertically, but about six houses worth of floor space. David could almost see the trees and their branches as she swooped and banked, following a course only in their heads.

“Double Team.”

The Golbat began to shiver. It vibrated, flickering side to side and leaving faint beige impressions of its shape behind.

“Cannon!” David shouted. These were their chances. They needed to get the hits in while Golbat was distracted.

Cloudburst swerved, turning to the side and pulling her wings back without stopping. It was a beautiful display of control. Her wings swung forward, and lavender swirls sped through the air. She was knocked back afterwards, the grace disappearing, but the twists of energy continued unhindered.

The flickering stopped. The Golbat dived, but some lines of lavender carved into blue flesh.

David grinned. First blood was theirs.

“Pursue,” Taketa ordered. He looked furious.

Slow, powerful flaps of Golbat's huge wings propelled it forward in dead silence. The disturbed sand below was the only sign of passage.

The chase was on. Cloudburst had recovered from the blowback of her Move, and was flying for all she was worth. Golbat fell in behind her as she began to lap the arena. The bat went high and she dived low. As it followed, she rose with quick wingbeats. Slowly but surely, she pulled ahead. Golbat was stronger, and likely faster in the open. It was also more agile, pulling deft turns with flexes of its huge wings. What it couldn’t do, was be both at the same time. Each of its wings beats was a huge burst of power it needed time to control. Each turn was a careful adjustment that couldn’t be converted to instant power.

Pidgey, with her shorter wingspan and smaller body could do both. Her lead increased. She dipped down, close to the trench of water running across the arena. Ripples were left in her passage.

The Golbat followed, screeching in frustration. Waves were left in its passage.

At the corner, Cloudburst spun, rising up as she turned to the left. It was a chance.

“Cannon!”

Spirals of lavender threaded through the air. Golbat dodged of course, but it was following close behind. There wasn’t many places to go. More cuts appeared on its blue fur, and as it went right, Cloudburst flew towards it and escaped the corner.

Golbat let out a hoarse cry.

David grinned.

“Astonish.”

The Golbat faded from the world. Less and less of it was there until...

His eyes widened.

Cloudburst turned in the air, not understanding why, but feeling something. She could rotate fully, but spinning vertically was enough.

A huge mouth opened behind her, fangs glittering.

She shrieked as it brushed against her. Shuddering, she fell into a dive, fear weakening her wings.

The faint outline began to solidify. It was still vague, unfocused but with each second it took on more color, more detail. The Golbat began to return.

“Cannon!” His thoughts were racing, unbelieving, but there was no time for that.

It took longer for Cloudburst to respond than usual, but lavender filled the air once more.

The Golbat didn’t move. It was a direct hit now, carving lines across the Pokemon’s body and stabbing deep into the Pokemon’s mouth. The latest screech was filled with pain. The Golbat solidified and launched forward, furiously beating wings.

David could hear them now. Echoing whoops.

It was a stalemate. The Golbat wasn’t gaining on Cloudburst, but she wasn’t pulling ahead either.

“Poison Fang.”

The Golbat abandoned all subtlety and struck.

Cloudburst lashed out in a panic as the huge shape spun into her, glitching forward in a shimmer of beige.

Golbat wheezed, but even as it folded forward over her small form, the trap was sprung. Blue wings closed over brown feathers. Shadow darkened until all light was blocked.

Wing fangs glittered purple in the dark.

A terrible shriek filled the air even as the Golbat clicked, and a bright flash pushed its wings back.

Cloudburst’s pokeball shook still in his outstretched hand.

“Forfeit.” David said softly.

-.-

Once they were sure that Cloudburst and Venonat were in no immediate danger from Poison, Taketa led him through the corridors back out. David followed, as numb as his Pokemon felt. They had been close, even after everything they were close. Weren’t they?

Christ though, two evolved Pokemon? Neither Venonat and Pidgey had evolved yet. Was it expected?

No. If it was, he would have no Poke left at all. Everyone else training for their second badge would have wiped the floor with him. And someone would have said it to him. He’d only seen a single evolution happen in this world. It wasn’t a frequent thing. Evolutions didn’t happen every day.

So what was it? Had he gotten a particularly difficult battle? It wouldn’t be an odd thing, for someone under inspection to push a little harder, increase the pressure to look good.

Or was he just grasping at straws to ignore the real problem.

“Through here,” Taketa said, indicating to a room hidden by a thin screen.

So this was it. This was where the gym trainer left him to be managed by the receptionist while they dealt with their own Pokemon, before they too turned him out onto the streets. It would be quick. There would be less paperwork than in Celadon. The gym awarded nothing for a loss.

David stepped into the room, giving Taketa a short nod guarded with a poorly hidden glare. It likely wasn’t Taketa’s fault, but he couldn’t help the suspicion. It was his.

The screen closed behind him with a scrape. It was not the reception, or even the exit to the street.

To his surprise, Taketa had led him to another room, though smaller than where they had fought. A short table had been placed in the center of the room. Three cushions were placed around it, but only one was occupied. There was nothing else in the room.

The sitting man was hard to focus on. He was small, especially now that he was sitting. His face was angular, but not remarkable. David had trouble pointing out any particular feature that was distinguishable. The man wore the same outfit as the rest of the other gym staff.

David turned back to the screen behind him, thinking he was in the wrong place, but Taketa had pulled it fully closed. Why was he here?

When he looked back, the sitting man was looking right at him.

“What-”

He froze as he recognized the plain man.

It was Koga, Gym leader of Fuchsia.