Route 206 - 1 PM:
If there's one thing the runaway girl had always desperately wanted, it was to get a bike of her own. Recent catastrophes in her life had made the prospect impossible before, and yet here she was, stealing one and riding it for her life to get away from the monstrosity pursuing her, all the while the other vehicles driving over the bridge honked at her for going the wrong way. Fate was funny sometimes.
What wasn't funny was the massive bat creature diving at her from above, its poisoned claws barely missing her back as she made a sudden right turn. The wheels screeched as the brakes tried to stop them from crashing into the handrail of the bridge, which would've sent her plummeting to her untimely death.
Choking on an insult, she stepped hard on the pedal and accelerated, the hills at both sides of the bridge becoming a blur of green and brown. One more minute, that's all she needed. If she could only get to the other side...
"The Crobat is approaching from the left. We will not be able to dodge this time."
Or maybe she'd just die right here. That'd certainly solve all her problems in a very drastic manner.
"I'm on it," she whispered to herself. "Lend me some power."
Her right hand, horribly callused and numb, grabbed onto the grip as strongly as she could while she rotated her waist, looking up at the purple bat. His four wings moved so fast they were almost invisible and his fangs were bared, eyes set on her. The horrible creature did a barrel roll and once again dove in her direction.
It was fast, really fucking fast. She held her breath and her entire body clenched in anticipation. Just a little more, he had to be at the right distance...
Once she could see the hostile gleam in his eyes, she raised her left hand towards him, and her entire body burst with a golden gleam. A stream of psychic energy was expelled from her hand, clashing into the Crobat like a hammer. His wings froze and a second after he was expelled backwards, disappearing in the distance.
She allowed herself a proud smile. That Crobat was the fastest of Saturn's Pokemon, if he couldn't keep up with them...
"Right ahead! Look out!"
She was too late by the time she managed to turn around. Her eyes set on a bell shaped creature that stood not too far from them, floating in the middle of the air. Its metallic body shone with a white glow as the round hole in it's stomach gathered light.
Of course, Teleport.
"Son of a..."
The screech of metal against metal rang in her ears as it shot a torrent of light towards them. She felt her body being lifted off the bike as the attack swallowed it whole.
Her eyes focused on the sky above, and then in the floor as she fell onto it. The impact made her ears buzz and she felt something warm running through her nose to her upper lip.
"That was close."
She wanted to reply with something crass, but she was too busy trying to will her legs to move. They eventually did, after she told them that acting as if they were made of jelly would not be acceptable right now. Death was not acceptable. Not until she finished her mission. She noticed the charred remains of the bike a few feet ahead, through the blur that was her vision. Slowly she got up, one leg at a time, and tried her best to focus on the enemy in front of her. The metallic creature was still floating there, and it still looked like a giant blue bell with two arms and red dots at the bottom which might've been its eyes. So she hadn't imagined that after all.
"You did a good job getting so far."
The voice caught her off guard, mostly for the familiarity of it. A short man stood next to the strange Pokemon, hands behind his back. He wore a modified version of the Team Galactic uniform, with a long grey tunic and black pants that reached to his ankles. His dark blue hair was combed backwards in a crescent shape, and his droopy eyes were focused entirely on hers.
"But I think it's time you give up this pointless insurgence. Give me back what you stole, Ursa."
She recoiled at the sound of her old name, its two syllables burning the inside of her chest. Of course they had to send Saturn himself to hunt her down, she should've predicted so ever since she ran away from the base. Still, she'd hoped they wouldn't have a need for the second in command until they deemed the situation to be that of life or death.
Then again, the boss had always been a savvy guy. He must've known that every second she was away meant another chance for her to interfere.
"Keep him occupied. I can gather enough energy to teleport us out of here, but you need to buy some time."
She laughed. A dry, bitter laugh that ended up serving as one of defiance without her realizing. Saturn raised an eyebrow.
Well, it's not like she had anything better to do. Preferable to die while telling your enemies to fuck off.
"You really think you can hold me here by yourself?" She shook her head, "I took out every single grunt you sent to find me. With this thing at my side there's nothing you can do to me."
She saw Saturn's shoulders raise slightly. She smiled; no matter how much he tried to emulate the boss there was no doubt that her words were getting under his skin.
He raised his chin even higher, trying to feign indifference. "After so long without its body, the power you can extract from it is very limited, and you know that."
"I'm good at rationing," she smiled. "Wanna flip that coin? Trust me, I have enough juice left to blow up this entire bridge with you on it"
An outrageous lie; not even in peak form could they accomplish such a feat. Still, Saturn didn't seem to know that and she saw the way his foot moved backwards slightly, as if he wanted to take a step back. The floating behemoth behind him let out a metallic growl.
"Why are you doing this, Ursa?" he whispered only loud enough for her to listen. There was a plea in that voice, a sadness that she wasn't able to ignore. "Why turn away from what we've given you? We were your family. We all cared for you."
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Something was forming a knot in her throat.
"Come on, just a bit more time. Keep this up."
The voice, as annoying as it was, gave her enough strength to respond.
"What can I say? I'm in my rebellious phase." She did her best to smile. "You're not gonna get me back, Saturn. I've seen what you people are planning and I'd die before I let it happen."
The man took a step forward, stomping the ground as his hands appeared from behind his back, turning into fists. "What we are planning is for the good of all! A new world, one free of everything that holds us back! How could..." His voice shook, as well as his lower lip. "Ursa, how could you betray something as beautiful as that? How could you choose to side with them? I thought you understood..."
"I'll end Team Galactic with my own hands," she growled back. "And my name isn't Ursa, it's Metchi!"
She defiantly took a step forward, the voice ringing inside her head.
"What are you doing? That's the opposite of distracting him!"
"If... if that's the road you choose..."
Saturn inhaled deeply, and when he opened his eyes again they had changed into a cold, deep intensity that froze her where she stood. He raised his right arm and pointed his index finger at her.
"Blowing up the bridge, was it? I belive that will be a fitting end for you."
Metchi realized at that point just how much she'd fucked up. The Bronzong extended its arms outwards and pointed its stomach once again towards her, gathering light until she was almost blinded by it.
"Airgetlam, Flash Cannon! Let this sacrifice be in the name of Team Galactic!"
It fired the attack before she had time to react, and all she saw was white as the light started to envelop her body.
"NOW!"
With the voice came that golden glow again. Her body shifted and dissipated into thin air just moments before it could be incinerated by Bronzong's attack.
Her entire being evaporated, and everything turned black.
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Route 203 - 9 AM:
On one hand, Inyssa thought Pokemon Centers were great for starting trainers. One could use them as a free hotel, the food was cheap and the staff were sickeningly sweet to everyone. On the other hand, free pancake Sundays meant that Barry had to be dragged away when it was finally time to leave the city. The nurse had felt so bad for the boy that she let him take a plate full of pancakes for his travels, along with a fork and honey.
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"I've never been more embarrassed in my life," Inyssa muttered under her breath as they made their way east.
"Look Niss, the point of a Pokemon journey is to try new things and explore the world," Barry explained while still holding the plate, "and the world presented me free pancakes; what did you expect me to do?"
She sighed deeply, earning herself a small pat from the Kricketot walking at her side. "Try to act like with a modicum of class?"
"Life's an adventure Niss, and I'm gonna throw myself right at it, face first." He clenched his fist in front of him, eyes closed.
The further east they walked, the more the vibrant green of Twinleaf and Sandgem, so often covered in rime frost, was slowly replaced by the dark, dusty brown of stone as the titanic shape of Mt. Coronet grew in the horizon, hiding the sun from view. Oreburgh couldn't be too far off. She knew it to be a mostly barren mining town, which meant the closer to the mountain they went, the closer they would be to their destination. They hadn't seen too many trainers around, at least when compared to the previous routes, but it made sense. This wasn't nearly as scenic.
They were almost at the entrance of the Oreburgh Gate when something emerged from the grass in front of them. A small, cub-like Pokemon was staring directly at them, yellow eyes sparking. The Shinx seemed to want a fight.
"Oh hey, look at this little guy," Barry said with food in his mouth. "You think he wants pancakes?"
Inyssa noticed something touching her leg. Behind her, Shadi was hiding from the Shinx, eyes closed and arms strongly grabbing her trainer.
She got on her knees to be on her level, and put one hand over her head. "You okay there? You don't have to fight if you don't want to."
It took Shadi a long time to respond. Her small hands were shaking, but little by little she walked forward until she was standing in front of Inyssa and facing the Shinx.
"You're really brave. I'm glad you're my Pokemon," Inyssa complimented the Kricketot, knowing very well she needed all the encouragement possible. "Hey Barry, you don't mind if I get this one?"
"I can't eat and fight at the same time," he shrugged.
The Shinx did not seem amused by their idle chat; as soon as Inyssa had looked away he began running toward Shadi, eyes flashing maliciously. There wasn't much time to react, but luckily she had a plan.
"Shadi, use Bide!"
The Kricketot took a deep breath and planted her feet firmly on the ground, preparing herself for the impact. The tackle coming from the Shinx hit her dead in the stomach, only slightly budging her.
"Wow, that thing is tough," Barry commented between bites.
"Damn straight she is," she smiled, a spark of pride flowing through her. "Use Bide one more time! Come on, you can do it!"
The Shinx took a couple of steps back, realizing that his attacks weren't doing enough damage. He stood still for a second, thinking. His body started glowing yellow and the air around him sparkled with power. Once again he ran towards the Kricketot, this time covered in a mantle of electricity.
"Oh shit, he knows Spark," Inyssa whispered."I mean, you can do this Shadi! Just stand your ground!"
The clash was enough to lift the bug Pokemon off her feet, sending her to the ground. She was still for a moment, but after a few seconds she pushed herself to her feet. Her body was now glowing red, energy coming from every pore of her body.
"That's the spirit! Now hit him with all you've got!"
Shadi focused all her energy into her head, and with a single jump she tackled the Shinx with enormous strength, almost burying him into the ground. When the dust settled Inyssa saw the small Pokemon laying completely unconscious, ready for catching.
"That was brutal," Barry said with worry pasted on his face. "Though it must suck to get hit a lot just so you can hit back once."
Inyssa was about to speak when she noticed a glow behind her. Shadi was now covered in light so strong it was almost impossible not to look away; her body started changing, her torso getting slim and taller, arms extending until they were long enough to reach the ground, the upper half becoming thin and sharp like the blades of a scythe. Once the light subsided Inyssa could see her Pokemon's new form, along with her giant new mustache.
Inyssa patted her head, now being able to do that without being on her knees. "I had no idea you were so close to evolving, you look amazing!"
"She has scythes and a mustache?" Barry's expression was full of indignity. "Why do you get the best Pokemon!?"
"Because I'm the best trainer dummy," Inyssa replied while giving a hug to her Pokemon. "And I'm about to get another one too."
She walked towards the unconscious Shinx, and got a Pokeball from her backpack.
"Your name will be Kuro," she told him even though he couldn't hear her. "Hope you like being with the best."
She threw the ball at the Pokemon, and after three wiggles it locked up, sealing the deal. She grabbed it from the ground and added it to her belt.
"Well I'd say that was a lovely turn of events," she said, enjoying Barry's worried expression. "Now let's go to Oreburgh, I feel ready to challenge the gym."
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An hour later they exited the cave that connected the previous route with Oreburgh city. Inyssa had her hands on her eyes and was breathing heavily, while Barry guided her with his arms.
"I hate caves I hate caves I hate caves." Inyssa kept repeating under her breath, her body trembling, "Is it over now?"
"Yeah, we're past the cave," Barry gave her a pat in the head. "You could've told me that you were claustrophobic, you know."
"Well I didn't know it until now." She finally opened her eyes, and felt that she could breathe now that she was in the open. "I just hope there aren't many more of these in Sinnoh."
In front of them lay a giant stone gate, welcoming them to Oreburgh. As usual there was a small sign with a map that described all the important locations in the city.
"Let's see, we have a mining museum, we have the mines and we have... uh... some buildings, I guess," Barry exclaimed as he read the map.
"I don't want anything to do with caves." Inyssa pushed him aside and studied the sign herself. "Oh come on, there's nothing worthwhile here either!?"
"Hey, the museum might be..." Barry started talking, but he stopped himself with a sigh. "Ah, who am I kidding, this place is boring."
Inyssa tried to ignore the heat rising to her face; she didn't want to admit it but she really expected there to be someplace where she and Barry could have a nice lunch in the city. "Let's just go to the gym. I'll fight my frustrations away."
The trip through the city was quite depressing; Inyssa thought Jubilife was dull but at least it had some class to it. Oreburgh didn't even look like a place people might be interested to live in; it seemed like a city that existed simply so that people could work on extracting minerals from the stone around it, which was clear by the amount of miners running around everywhere. All the buildings were small and old, as if they'd been constructed a hundred years ago and they hadn't bothered making any more since.
They found the Gym before they expected it, only about fifteen minutes after they entered through the main road. It was a small, black building made of black rock, quite a lot smaller than the ones Inyssa had seen on TV.
"I feel like I've been lied to. This isn't nearly as cool as it should be."
"I mean... yeah it looks bad but it's only the first gym," Barry argued. "We have to climb our way up to earn all the fancy, like trainer titles and stuff."
They walked up the steps until they reached the entrance; it was a simple metallic door without any windows to look inside. In front of the door there was a single person, an exhausted-looking young woman staring at her nails, clearly bored. She wore a white tank top and some big yellow overalls, the top part of which was unzipped and dangled down onto her legs. Inyssa would've found it difficult not to stare, or blush for that matter, but what the girl said next completely took her out of her bi stupor.
"Sorry kids, but the leader isn't here right now," she said without even looking at them.
"W-what?" Inyssa couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But it's the middle of the day, it's supposed to be open until midnight!"
"Well tough bits, the man's not here," she shrugged. "What do you want me to do? He went to the mines to spend some time alone. If you want you can go and tell him to move his ass to work, then I can let you in."
Both kids angrily walked away from the gym, being denied the only thing they could possibly do in that city. Inyssa's ears were red and she seemed like she was about to explode.
"That's such bullshit! How can he not be here, the gym is his responsibility!" She yelled to no one. "He can't just go do whatever the hell he wants, it's his job!"
"I guess we'll have to go look for him," Barry sighed, looking down.
"And in the mines on top of it," she scratched her head through her cotton hat. "When I find him and I get his badge I'll shove it right up his..."
"Now now, that's not the language I expect from someone like you, Inyssa."
They froze as they turned the corner, met with the last two people they would've expected to see here. A middle aged woman was with short black hair and blue electric eyes, as well as the man who'd just spoken. He was almost six feet tall, his hair blond and spiky, a large green overcoat reaching to his shins. His eyes were full of the same boundless energy as Barry's.
"Mom! Dad!" Barry yelled, jumping in place.
"Sarah? Palmer?" Inyssa narrowed her eyes. "What are you two doing here?"
"Well, we heard you two were about to reach Oreburgh and..." Sarah began to speak, but the man interrupted her.
"We came to spectate your first Gym battle of course!" His voice was even more booming than Barry's, and his pose was full of confidence. "It's a very important moment for a young trainer, and we wouldn't want to miss it."
"Oh my gosh that's amazing!" Barry's eyes became starry, and his smile was huge. "Thanks! I'll make sure to win my first battle for sure!"
"Well, I had to look for your father for a while, he rarely sits idly in one place for too long," Sarah admitted. "But it's going to be worth it to watch you two battle here."
Inyssa smiled at her, although she didn't really feel like it. So Barry's parents had come to see him, she wondered if...
"Hey, Sarah..." She spoke barely above a whisper, embarrassed. "How's... have you talked to my mom recently?"
Both Palmer and Barry heard that and tried to look away in the least subtle way possible, which actually made her want to laugh They were so alike.
"She's been getting better," said Sarah, forming an apologetic smile. "But not enough to accompany us, I'm afraid."
"Yeah... I figured."
"Come on kid, let me see a smile!" Palmer clenched his fist strongly. "We came here to see you too, so you better not disappoint me! As an aspiring trainer I have to keep an eye on you if you ever wish to visit my Battle Facility."
Inyssa smiled, happy that she had a chance to change the subject.
"You better watch out Palmer, Barry and I are going to dethrone you pretty soon." She put her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Unfortunately the Gym Leader doesn't seem to want to work today; the receptionist told us he's down in the mines."
Palmer held his chin, frowning.
"Ah yes, that would be Roark right? It doesn't surprise me that he's not at his post most of the time."
"What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" Barry asked.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, just family issues." He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll go talk to him and remind him of his status as a Gym leader."
"OH! OH! Can I come with you, dad!?" Barry grabbed his father's arm, shaking it strongly. "It could be like an adventure, just you and me!"
"Ah, but of course! It's been a while since we had some bonding time." He brought his hand down on Barry's shoulder with enough force to make him flinch. "I'll teach you a couple things that'll help you against your rival, I have a suspicion you'll need it." He winked at Inyssa. "You want to join us, girl?"
Inyssa refused politely. She didn't want to interrupt Barry's time with his father; he didn't see him enough as it was. Besides, she wanted to spend some time with Sarah and ask her a few things.
"Alright then, to the mines!" Palmer pointed south, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Are you ready son? This is going to be intense!"
"I'm ready!" Barry looked like he had flames coming out of his eyes. "For glory!"
"For glory!"
They yelled together as they began to run toward the mines, looking like a couple of Tauros in the middle of a stampede.
"They're going to cause so much trouble," Sarah sighed.
Inyssa wanted to tell her that they could take care of each other, but knowing the two guys as well as she did she couldn't just lie to her like that.
"Yeah, they wil," she admitted. "But at least they'll have fun. Come on, let's get some coffee while they run around."