"Heracross!" he screamed, ready for action. Marco's face turned serious immediately. He released his starter without a word. His Inkay also gave a battle cry, though it was much quieter.
Stag snickered. He was strong for his age, and he knew it. Now it was time to give his strength some much needed direction. One of my Gym Trainers ran to the referee box. She held a hand in the air. "Are both Trainers ready?" she called out. When we both nodded, she brought her hand down. "Begin!"
Stag Leered at the tiny Inkay. Instead of freezing him in fear, the Leer seemed to energize the squid. Of course. Contrary is an amazing ability for Inkay and Malamar.
"Hypnosis!" Marco called out. It was amazing how quickly they mastered the move. Unfortunately, there were many ways to counter it.
"Night Slash," I said simply. Stag cut the attack in two, causing the energy to diffuse into the air.
*click*
"Pin Missile."
"Peck!" Marco responded without missing a beat.
Stag flew closer with each spike that shot out. Marco had his Inkay Peck through the attacks. His reaction time was remarkable. Inkay's was even better. He weaved through the air like a Flying-type, piercing the razor-thin pins with precision befitting an Inteleon. It looked like Inkay mastered the attack already, which was impressive for anyone with less than six months of Trainer experience.
*click*
Once Stag was a few paces away, it was time to change the pace. "Aerial Ace."
"Payback!" Oh, gutsy. If Inkay withstood the attack, Stag would take heavy damage from retaliation. Seeing that that's how Janice lost…
"Seismic Toss!" Stag changed attacks without a problem. With some distan-.
"Hypnosis!" Marco shouted. I blinked as Inkay also switched mid-move without a problem. Stag closed the distance, grabbing Inkay and throwing him away. Inkay released rings of Psychic energy into Stag's face as he zoomed away. He fell asleep and plummeted the rest of the way. Inkay rushed forward as Stag crashed, faster than before. They recognized and took advantage of the opportunity beautifully.
*click*
"Pluck!" Inkay followed his Trainer's command and Plucked with all the fury a tiny squid like him could muster. Even asleep, Stag cried out in pain. I didn't expect Inkay to have learned Pluck already. At least not to a battle-ready level. The pair really were something else. It reminded me of Calem' and Serena's battles.
"Sleep Talk!" I shouted, hoping for something good. I smiled when I saw the telltale sign of Megahorn, but then Marco smiled.
"Back away and Disable!" His Inkay fled the attack and moved behind Stag, blasting him with the move. The Bug-type energy Stag collected dispersed, leaving him defenseless until he woke up.
"Psyshock!" he commanded, and Inkay followed through. The odd wave of Psychic energy practically exploded out of the squid. It almost looked like it was too much energy for the little guy to handle. Inkay kept the attack up. Stag woke up, but he was too tired and in too much pain to move.
Another new move that was appropriately trained for battle. That he sustained the stronger attack for more than three seconds after everything else showed how much power the little Pokémon had.
*click*
It didn't take long for Stag to faint from the Psychic attack. I lost, but I smiled. I was right about him, and Calem saw it all.
"Victory goes to the challenger, Marco!"
*click*
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[Marco POV]
"Inkay!" he roared into the air. He rushed to me, his face bright with pride and joy.
"Hell yeah!" I cried out, hugging Nautilus. "You did it, buddy. I knew you had it in you."
We stood there for a moment. I let go when I heard clapping and approaching footsteps. I saw Viola, a wide smile on her face. "Congratulations, Marco! That was a fantastic example of the skill and strength Trainers should have for their first Gym Badge."
She stood right in front of me and lowered her voice. "If I'm being honest, you're pretty close to second Badge level already."
My mind blanked for a moment. Almost at the level of the second Gym Badge already? "Really?"
Viola's camera flashed right in my face. "That was a great look. And now I have a nice photo collection to remember this fight by."
"Wait, collection?"
"Marco, you have earned the Bug Badge," she spoke over me, raising her voice for the cameras. "With it comes a cash prize of 6,000$, a TM for Infestation, slightly better treatment in any business that caters to Trainers, and access to Three Star Tasks."
"Three Star Tasks? That means more money," I commented absent-mindedly. Viola laughed, letting the camera hang from her neck.
"Of course that's what you focused on," she said, still chuckling. She motioned for me to follow her. "Join me for lunch. I have someone I want you to meet."
I returned Nautilus. He needed some rest, and I doubted the pain would let him relaxfollowed her across the field and through the Gym Leader's door. The hallway was brightly lit and well ventilated. There was a wide range of photographs on the walls, from scenes of Santalune city life to the natural happenings of Santalune Forest. The hallway split into three, and I followed Viola straight down.
"Most Gyms have the same basic layout," she said. "Down right is the Gym Leader's office. Left takes me to the lobby. This goes to our common area, where the Gym Trainers relax, train a newbie, or watch the battles on the TV. Past that is the kitchen, where our chef whips up deliciousness every day."
"That sounds like a fantastic schedule," I commented. That's the life I could see myself settling for.
"Yeah, it's great most days," she replied, pushing through the double doors to the common area. A few of the Trainers waved at us as we walked through. One was watching a recording of our battle. It felt weird to see myself through a camera. Did I always look so serious? One trainer took our PokéBalls and slotted them into a machine labeled 'HEALING.'
"The only problem is that we take care of any emergency in the city, as well as crimes the Jenny clan can't handle," she complained. "And there are a LOT of emergencies. People don't realize that we take care of threats to the city before they become bigger issues. Like the army of Electric types trying to enter the city for our generators last month. We had to hire more Trainers for the ones that got through!"
"I remember that," I said. "I caught a Plusle and Minun causing trouble for the news station." We stepped into the kitchen, where a lanky chef was busy sharpening a knife.
"Thank you for that," she grimaced. "I wouldn't have heard the end of it if they lost power. Hey, Claude. Can you whip up a lunch for three and our Pokémon, please?"
"Mais oui, mademoiselle," he nodded and continued sharpening the knife.
"Merci," she responded with a smile. We continued walking toward a table, where a man already sat. A very recognizable and powerful man. My brain short-circuited as I stared at the Kalos Champion.
He sighed and covered his face. "This always happens."
*click*
"And it never gets old," she smirked. "What did you think of the battle?"
"You watched our battle?" I asked, mortified. Why did the Champion watch my battle?
"Yeah," he said, still sitting. "Viola asked me to. It was good. Pretty classic strategy counters. A bit too slow for me, but that's what happens when you only battle others at my level."
I nodded. That was fair. I couldn't expect him to be super into a fight that looked like child's play to him. We sat down, Viola next to him and me across from her. "C'mon, be nice," Viola said, nudging him.
Calem smiled, if barely. "It was a good battle. Can't say I expected him to take Stag down," he told her. He turned to me before continuing. "Your Inkay is particularly gifted. There are very few Trainers that catch a wild Pokémon and upgrade its starting moves within six months, let alone three."
"Wait, upgrade moves?" I asked, confused.
Viola and Calem looked at each other for a moment. Viola burst out laughing, while Calem hung his head back and groaned. "He doesn't even know that!" she said between breaths.