Percy awoke to the sound of a small scuffle outside his tent. It sounded like two small Pokémon were fighting over something. He opened the flap of his tent to see Jormun wrestling a stick from Dustox, who had returned while Percy slept. It was immediately clear they were playing around.
Percy disassembled the camp and packed it up quickly. He recalled all of his Pokémon except Jormun and Fúria. It was about 12:30 by the time he set off. Dustox had confirmed that nothing out of the ordinary had happened to the group except that Zaria had done some late-night training.
Noctowl had left by the time he awoke. The next few days would be a cycle of late traveling and training. But Percy enjoyed the time anyway. The Honey clan group went to Viridian City just as Percy thought they would.
Three days later, Percy entered Viridian City. Noctowl had followed the Honey Clan to the hotel they were staying at. As Percy entered the city, he felt a large weight come off his shoulders. He no longer had to hide from anyone. If the Honey clan group saw him, it wouldn't be as suspicious.
Viridian City was the next stop on the trainer circuit, and it was likely Percy would stop there. As he passed under the entrance arches, he could see the city's beautiful culture. It was almost like the forest was a part of the city in many places. Of course, there were highly industrialized parts, but large trees were common.
Many buildings took advantage of the forest and leaned into the rustic treehouse vibes. It was a little like Oakdale City in the way the forest was part of the culture. Bug types were everywhere and chattered in the trees. There were even mostly domesticated Beedrill that buzzed around on the streets.
All the Pokémon in the city were born and raised there, and were much less aggressive than their wild counterparts. Trainers were everywhere and talked excitedly about their plans. Percy felt a small pang as he saw friends walking side by side. He missed his friends from the Prodigies.
Percy stuffed some of his feelings down and headed toward a hotel across the street from the hotel where the honey kids were. He fortunately got a window that looked across the street and had a direct view of the main entrance and exit of the hotel. He settled into his room and pulled a chair up to the large window.
He waited for about 45 minutes until he saw the group of kids walking out. They were heading toward the center of the city, where the gym was located. The gym was simply gargantuan. The building was a masterpiece of architecture that took many great minds to finish the compound. It was almost resort-like in size and grandness.
Several blocks encompassed the critical building. Percy jumped up and began to exit the hotel. He guessed they were going to register for a gym challenge, which he wanted to do as well. Walking a couple of blocks behind the group was a little nerve-racking, but there was no reason for him to be nervous.
Percy pulled up his Pokédex as he walked and checked the Prodigy group chat. A good few of them were in Viridian City for the modeling gig that was only a few days away. More of them were just in the area since it was their next big stop on the trainer circuit. They texted in the group chat about getting together and having lunch. Percy wanted to join, but just tucked his phone away. He had a job to do right now.
Soon enough, they arrived at the Viridian Gym. Swirling pillars of wood connected in patterns over the building. Bug types crawled all over the outer wood shell. The building was made out of polished wood and had large, slightly yellowish windows breaking up the wood. There was constant hustle through the entrance they went through, though there are a few more entrances all around the gym.
Viridian City is populated by millions and millions of people, and its gym is the primary arm of the city. They serve the citizens with their Pokémon related needs. Percy squeezed between people as he looked for the honey clan members. There were 5 lines leading to a reception desk that Percy suspected was the place to sign up.
Percy looked at the lines and saw that the one farthest from him contained the group of clan kids. They chatted solemnly amongst themselves. Percy felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. "Look who it is." A pretty teal-haired girl crossed her arms and looked Percy up and down.
"Hey Zoe, how are you?" Percy said, surprised to see her.
"I'm good enough. Kai brought Aurora and me to Viridian because most of the Prodigies are here. He challenged the gym, and is in his second battle right now." She explained.
Percy's eye twitched. "I'm glad I'm challenging then." He smirked.
Zoe looked at her phone. "I didn't see you say anything about going to lunch. Are you coming?" She asked.
Percy shook his head. "No, I have to challenge the gym, the lunch will start before I get to the front of the line."
"The food place is a couple of minutes away. It's in the gym because a bunch of us are challenging and don't wanna go too far. I can wait with you and go right after we're out of line. You won't get a battle for a few hours at least." Zoe explained. Her eyes bore into Percys.
Percy sighed, "Why do you want me to go so bad?" He asked.
Zoe smiled, "Aurora's going to be there."
"Ah, I see. You're a good wingwoman." Percy scratched the back of his head. "So did you challenge the gym already?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I just finished my first battle. Not a problem yet."
In the same room, Fay was staring ahead, her focus entirely on the line ahead. "Is that.."
"Percy?" Some of the group members whispered amongst themselves. Fay turned quickly, her eyes narrowing and her heart beating. She followed her members' lines of sight and saw the familiar curly head. They were in opposite lines. The three lines blocked sight most of the time, but as she caught more glances of him, she saw him in conversation with a girl.
"Is that a Jenny?" Billie questioned.
"It is.. she's young too," Elsa replied.
"She's pretty." William gazed. Zaria punched him. Fay couldn't see the girl he was talking to through the three lines of people. She bit her lip and faced forward again. The line inched forward, but her heart felt tight. She let Theo go in front of her and looked back at Percy. She still had a bad angle.
She let Ezra go in front of her and checked again. It was a Jenny. All 'Jennys' are pretty, but there were some who glowed. Their strong genetic history completely suppressed the male's genetics when creating a female. She was also in casual wear, which wasn't something seen often. The Jenny Clan was known for its strict rules and regulations. Such a young Jenny wouldn't normally be challenging gyms.
Fay knew more about high-class clans than most from her grandpa. She felt her face getting hot and turned back to the front. Their turn was coming up now, and Theo registered for the gym challenge. 'I'm the future of the Honey Clan. I'm no worse than her. He's unlucky, he can't have me… have me?' She thought to herself before the receptionist spoke.
"Hello?" The woman said.
Fay shook her head. "Yeah? Oh. I mean, I'm here to challenge the gym." She blurted. The receptionist cautiously asked Fay for her information. Fay signed up for the gym challenge. She will get notified when her battle is scheduled. She quickly walked out of line to Ezra and Theo, who stood to the side waiting for the rest of the group.
Ezra was tall and could see Percy over all the heads. He looked down at Fay and gestured to Percy. "You should invite him to train with us between all the gym battles." He said.
Fay glanced at Ezra and looked to Theo. "What do you think?" She asked.
Theo shrugged, "I liked training with him."
Fay's eyes set on Percy. "He can join us once." She began walking around the room, her eyes not leaving Percy for a second. Ezra and Theo watched with entertained expressions. "Percy," Fay called out.
He turned to her as she approached. Zoe tilted her head curiously at the blonde girl. "Hi?" Percy said.
"You should join us for some training in between the gym fights." Fay smiled.
Percy's eyebrows furrowed. "You kicked me out of your group." He muttered.
Fay shrugged, "That doesn't mean you can't come train with us. A lot of people want you there." She explained. She pretended to notice Zoe for the first time. "Who's this, your friend?" She said to Percy. She quickly held her hand out to Zoe, "I'm Fay Milacek of the Honey Clan. It's nice to meet you." She didn't wait for a reply from Zoe and turned. "I'll text you the details." She shouted as she left sight.
Percy froze and tried to understand what was happening. "Next!" The receptionist said. Percy shook his head. It was his chance to beat a gym.