CHAPTER 18

Geodude was slower, and he looked tired. Frillish had done a great job, but now it was time to finish this.

“Rollout!” Roark said immediately.

The Geodude scrunched up into a ball and began to roll toward Togepi. It was incredibly fast thanks to Rock Polish, but if it was going in a straight line, that wasn’t a problem. I waited as much as I could until I slammed my foot twice against the ground hard.

A pink heart hit Geodude, prompting it to veer off course and ram into Kadabra’s barrier.

“Fairy Wind as long as you can!” I said.

“Geodude, get up!”

Pink mist began swirling around Togepi and then rushed toward the Geodude. It keened in pain, but was still too disoriented to do anything. For the next few seconds, I thought that this was it. That there was no way he’d be able to withstand such a move after that onslaught he had suffered fighting Frillish.

I was wrong.

“Snap. Out. Of. It!” Roark bellowed.

Geodude shook itself, and then faced Togepi, who was too tired to keep up her Fairy Wind.

“Now Rollout again! Zig zag randomly to avoid Sweet Kiss!”

“Dodge with Rollout! Run away!”

Togepi retreated into her shell and fled, but the Geodude was faster than her. It caught up and rammed into her, sending her headfirst into a rock.

“Togepi!”

She slowly got back on her feet, but she was staggering now. One more hit and she was done. I clenched my fist.

“Fairy Wind! I know you have another one in you!”

“Get behind something!”

The Fairy Wind was weaker than it had been before, but it still hit the Geodude before he managed to take cover.

“Now, get ‘em!” Roark continued.

Geodude rushed toward Togepi, grabbing her and slamming her against the ground. My hand hovered over her Pokeball as I wondered—

Snap out of it! There’s still hope—

Geodude threw her high into the air before using Rock Throw and hitting her.

Ah. It’s over.

But suddenly.

High up in the sky.

A light began to shine.

She was like a star.

Togepi was surrounded by a blinding light as her body morphed and elongated. She never hit the ground.

“Togepi, you’re— you’re flying!”

“Geodude, Rock Throw, crush variation!”

I snapped out of my daze. There was no way to know if she had learned a new move, so I stuck to what I knew.

“Try to dodge! Then Fairy Wind!”

Togetic clumsily beat her wings and dodged whenever she could as she gathered fairy energy around her. Rocks began to swirl in the wind as she gathered everything she had into one last attack.

“Go!” I said.

“Getic!”

The wind was faster now, and thicker. Geodude rolled behind a rock, but Togetic could control it better now. The wind curved around the boulder and slammed Geodude against the psychic barrier.

It didn’t get back up.

I had won.

The stands broke into thunderous applause as I stood there, wondering if I was dreaming. Still in my dazed state, I returned Togetic to her ball while Roark made his way around the battlefield at a brisk pace.

“Congratulations, challenger, that was a great battle. May I have your ID?” He asked.

I stared at him for a few seconds before slowly giving him my trainer card. He scanned it using some kind of device, and when I got it back, my first badge was displayed near the bottom left.

“I’ve handed you the coal badge and transferred five thousand pokedollars to your account. Your Pokedex, please?” He continued.

“Uh— yes.”

He inserted a disk into the TM compartment and gave it back to me after a few seconds.

“You’ll be able to teach the TM Rock Polish to Pokemon that can learn it. Again, congratulations. Feel free to catch your breath in the waiting room for a few minutes before leaving. I can tell you’re shaken.”

“Wait! I—I have something to tell you. Ah, the microphone—”

“They’re disabled as soon as a match end. What is it?” Roark asked.

I felt like telling him about what happened at Lake Verity would make me lose all of my credibility. Looking at it from his perspective, who would even believe what a random fifteen year old said? Unfortunately, I still had to forego all common sense and try.

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“Could we do this in private? It has to do with something that happened near Twinleaf. There’s a criminal organization in Sinnoh— or at least I believe so. They threatened to kill me and my friend.”

Roark frowned. “Is this a joke?” I shook my head. “You’re serious then. Meet me back in the gym lobby when I’m done battling for the day. Bring your friend.”

“But the gym will be closed—”

“I’ll have someone let you in. And this better have some substance to it. I don’t take nicely to people wasting my time. Now go.”

I nodded and left. I was happy I even managed to get the story out. Passing through the waiting room, I saw a nervous trainer waiting for her turn. That had been me ten minutes ago, and now I was on top of the world. It hadn’t sunk in yet, that I had gotten my first gym badge. Fifty percent wouldn’t make it past their first gym badge. That meant I was better than at least fifty percent of trainers.

I made my way to the lobby and waited for Denzel. He came out of the stands with a radiant smile.

“Grace! You did it! You were fantastic— you and your team! I can’t believe Togepi evolved!” He said with his hands on my shoulder.

“I can’t believe I won. I mean, I worked like hell for it, but I think there was a part of me that just expected me to flounder and lose miserably. I’m… so happy,” I said softly.

“Cheer up, dude! You’re looking all morose when you should be celebrating! In fact, let’s go out tonight, I’ll treat you to something,” Denzel cheered.

“What about your training?” I asked.

“I still have tomorrow. I want to celebrate with you, come on!”

I broke into a smile. “Fine!”

On our way back to the Center, I spoke to him about our meeting with Roark tonight, turning him into an uneasy mood— a far cry from his joyful attitude just minutes ago.

“So that’s it, huh? This is our last chance to make our pitch. There’s no one else to rely on.”

“Well, there’s still the other gym leaders, but if Roark doesn’t take us seriously, there’s no reason to think the others will. So yeah, you’re right.”

I handed in my Pokemon to Nurse Joy and took a long-awaited shower in my room. My clothes were soaked in sweat, something my body did without my consent whenever I was nervous. You’d think I had just gone for a run in a marathon. I sighed as I let the warm water wash over my skin. The water was free after all, and I was going to take my sweet time.

——

Thirty minutes later, I stepped out of the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes and noticed that I had a grand total of twelve missed calls on my Poketch. Eight from dad and four from mom.

“Arceus… you guys are so extra,” I muttered as I called my dad.

“Grace! I’m so, so proud of you! Legendaries, I was so nervous the entire battle, I thought I was having a heart attack! Hell, I want to go out in the streets and tell everybody that my daughter’s got a badge!”

I smirked. “Dad, don’t embarrass me.”

“I’ll have an entire selection of cakes when you come back! Chocolate, carrot, vanilla, name it, and it’ll be on the table! And I can’t believe our little Togepi’s all grown up. That evolution came in the nick of time, eh?”

“Yup. I think I would have lost without it, I don’t know if she was getting up after that Rock Throw.”

“And your Frillish was great too! I don’t want to look like I’m playing favorites— although between us, Togepi— ah, Togetic now, will always be my little princess. I’m so happy for you two.”

“I was a nervous wreck. I hope nobody remembers that.”

“If I hear or see anyone talking about you in a bad way, I’ll knock ‘em out.”

“And then you’ll go to jail for assault,” I chuckled.

“Worth it. But seriously Grace, don’t let anybody take this way from you. This is your accomplishment. You worked hard for it, and you deserve it. Enjoy the win.”

It was finally sinking in. I was a good trainer. I wasn’t a prodigy or even a top contender, but I was fucking good.

“Thank you, dad. I love you.”

“Love you too, future champ,” He said. I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. “Make sure to treat yourself to something.”

“I will. Denzel’s taking me somewhere— although I still don’t know where.”

“Alright, well I won’t annoy you any longer. You kids have fun! Bye!”

I hung up, and after a few moments, I started skipping around my room.

“I’ve got a badge! I’ve got a badge!”

——

A few hours later— just before we were supposed to head out to meet Roark— I got my Pokemon back. I brought them out and brought them into a tight hug as soon as we were back in my room.

“You guys… you did so good,” I said, feeling tears well up in my eyes. “I’m so happy we’re partners.”

Togetic let out a familiar chirp, and Frillish wrapped his cold tentacles around my back.

“I love you,” I told them both.

After a small heart-to-heart, I freed them from my grasp.

“We’ll review the battle later to see what we can improve on,” I said. “Mind if you go in your ball again, buddy?” I asked Frillish. He shook his head, and I returned him. “Now, let’s take a look at you,” I told Togetic.

She had grown so much. She stood slightly taller than two feet, and her shell had been absorbed into her body. Every Togepi had a unique pattern on their shell that would be imprinted onto them when they became a Togetic, and this was no different.

“Can you try flying for me?” I asked.

“Toge!” She answered right away.

She began flapping her wings and clumsily got into her air, knocking over all kinds of items I had laid on the room’s counter. She continued until she hit a wall and then fell on her back.

“Alright, we can work on that,” I said. “I wonder how you even fly.”

Togetic’s wings were small for a body of her size, and she shouldn’t have been able to fly under any realistic circumstances. Maybe she was using some kind of fairy energy to help her float. Either way, I scanned her with my Pokedex.

Togetic, the happiness Pokemon. Togetic is said to be a Pokémon that brings good fortune. When the Pokémon spots someone who is pure of heart, it is said to appear and share its happiness with that person. No records exist of Togetic being seen in the wild. It evolves under the loving care of a trusted human companion, upon whom the Pokémon then bestows great joy. It can float in midair without moving its wings.

Type: Fairy, Flying.

Ability: Hustle

“Seems like you think I’m kind-hearted. I’m flattered,” I joked.

“Tic!” She cheered.

“Let’s try this again. Apparently, you’re supposed to be able to fly without your wings. I think they’re just for maneuverability,” I explained.

Togetic nodded and began to float like Frillish could. When she was unable to stop, she wiggled her feet and arms around. It didn’t help. She hit the ceiling and then fell to the ground again. I crouched at her side and caressed her face.

“You okay, princess?”

She smiled as she wrapped her tiny arms around me and snuggled into my chest.

Still as cute as ever, I thought. Now it was time to check for any new moves. My Pokedex displayed the moves Extrasensory and Ancient Power, which surprised me. I had no idea Togetic could be this versatile, but I wasn’t going to complain. Still, that meant two new moves to work on, along with her flying. And that wasn’t even adding Frillish to the mix, who I wanted to start working on too now that I didn’t have to focus so much on Bubblebeam.

But that was all in the future. For now, it was time to go meet Roark.