The Viridian City gym was humongous, probably rivaling the size of even the Pokemon Center. Well, not that there was one in this city anymore.

Every aspect of it was different, from its size all the way to the way it was decorated. It rivaled, no, it surpassed the grandeur of the Tanisha Bank.

But the number of trainers in the queue prompted his ecstatic expression to change for the worse.

The snaking queues extended all the way outside of the Gym. Heck, by the time he got to the end, he could barely see the Gym in the distance. “Why’s the queue so fucking long?” Noah grumbled, kicking a stray stone that was in front of him.

“Don’t you read the news?” The trainer in front of him replied, his face similarly frustrated. “A new League season started, no shit there’d be people signing up.”

“Geez, you don’t have to be so rude.” Noah said, his brows furrowed.

“And why don’t you shut the fuck up?” The rude trainer shot back, glaring at Noah, his hand resting on a blue-white Pokeball on his belt.

“Bro, just chill. Why are you so mad?!” Noah raised his voice, causing the other Trainers to look his way. He instantly regretted his instinctual explosion, and was about to apologize until:

“You ain’t got shit on me. 1 v 1 me, right here, right now!” The trainer shouted, his lips creasing into a mocking smile.

Oh, that’s it. Noah grit his teeth, “Try me.”

The Trainer threw the Great Ball into the air, and a Pidgey popped out. Noah struggled to hold in a laugh, “A Pidgey, seriously?” It was seriously underwhelming when compared to his haughty demeanor. Not to mention the fact that he had to catch a Pidgey in a Great Ball.

The Trainer, however, did not take too kindly to that. His face reddened, and steam erupted from his nostrils like a volcano. “Pidgey, Gust!” He shouted.

The queue roused, and soon once-tired Trainers were peeking their heads with renewed excitement as they struggled to get a good view of the battle unfolding.

However, there was just one minor problem. Riolu hadn’t stepped onto the concrete battlefield yet. The Pidgey, with a lack of instructions from its trainer, directed its Gust at the wrong target — Noah.

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The Gust rushed towards him with terrifying speed, closing the distance instantly. The Trainer’s face paled, turning to his Pidgey with a shocked expression.

“BOOM” An explosion echoed down the street, catching the attention of other trainers down the line. The attack threw up a smokescreen of dirt and dust, completely concealing Noah and Riolu.

The audience held their breath, as they worriedly anticipated the state that the poor victim would end up in. What they saw, however, left them awestruck.

Riolu completely blocked the attack, something Noah was confident about. His paw met the attack without so much as a sweat. He growled at the Pidgey in visible anger, his gaze staring daggers straight into the Pidgey’s soul.

“Riolu, use Bullet Punch and take it out!” Noah shouted as his fingers twitched subconsciously.

The blue canine flickered, reappearing next to the Pidgey, who turned its head in shock and confusion. It raised its wings in an attempt to lift off the ground and away from the Pokemon, but Riolu didn’t give it a chance.

With a vengeance to enact, he smashed his fist into the bird. To his anger, though, Riolu knew that he had to hold back.

It was sent careening back at the Trainer, catapulting him off the pavement, his body tracing a brief arc in the air before crash-landing in a nearby bush.

Everything went silent for a moment. This was unlike any wild Pokemon battle he’d faced up till now, yes, it was much more different. The feeling, it was just different, more…more intense.

Like playing a video game alone as compared to playing it against an opponent, even if it lasted briefly. He wanted more, he craved for more.

His heart beat roared in his ears. His eyes widened in anticipation, eyeing the Pidgey as though willing it to rise.

It was euphoric, like a fresh injection of dopamine into his brain. A feral grin clawed its way across his face, involuntary and ecstatic.

Every fiber of his being seemed supercharged; his pulse a galloping sprint, his skin buzzing as if electrified, every hair on his body a miniature lightning rod.

The opponent Trainer was stunned, no, he was dumbstruck. One punch had been all it took to incapacitate his Pidgey. Just one.

His eyes flicked to Noah, meeting a gaze so intense it felt like a predator sizing up its prey.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” The Trainer suddenly found the floor much more interesting.

Snapping out of his stupor, Noah couldn’t help but mutter with bated breath. “Anybody else…wants a try?”

The audience exchanged gazes, carefully observing one another’s actions. As if telling one another “No, you go.”

Eventually, a boy behind Noah raised his hand. “Come at me!” Noah said, a grin creasing his lips.

With the throw of a Pokeball, the Trainer unleashed an Oddish. “Oddish, spray it with Acid!” The Oddish sucked in air, gathering it in its mouth and unleashing it in one go.

A purple stream of liquid shot from its mouth, headed directly for Riolu. “Riolu, Detect!” Noah said, a grin plastered onto his face.

Riolu ducked below the stream of acid with ease, letting it fly over him. “Bullet Punch to close the distance and finish it with a Cross Chop!” Noah ordered, and Riolu executed it with scary efficiency.

Materializing mere inches away from the Oddish, his paws glowing a brown-hue as his attack manifested. The Oddish’s eyes widened in shock, stumbling on its foot and losing its balance.

“Oddish, get away from it-” The trainer wasn’t able to complete his sentence. Riolu’s attack struck the Oddish in the face and sending it flying.

The crowd went silent as they watched the Oddish skid along the concrete floor. “1” They all subconsciously muttered in their heads, “2” another and it would be Noah’s win, “3”.

The crowd erupted in cheers. The trainer behind Noah patted him on the back, and Noah wore a silly grin as he accepted the applause, his heart still racing from the Pokemon battle.

“This… this is so much more different than in the games.” He muttered, staring wide-eyed at his open palms. “Its…Exhilarating”

He thought the first time was a one-off experience, that the first trainer battle was bound to be exciting. But no, the second time held the exact same sense of ecstasy. It was electrifying.

“Oh, me! Can I go next?” A female trainer asked, waving her hand high. Noah, still in his daze, nodded, and the girl sent out a Pikachu.

Maybe the boredom was finally coming to an end.

They started gambling.