[X] My Assistant

[Douken Sota]

After a small chuckle, Douken replied, "Yeah," as he watched him stumble away. Still, even like this, he wasn't going to get answers about Oaty and his game plan, so all he could rely on was judgment from his gut.

With the change of subject, however, he turned his attention back to Pan and replied, "You make it sound like this is my first time here," he said with a laugh, even though she was technically right. All he knew of was the island that his home was. Everything else was new to him, and it was all a great experience. "Still, its not that bad. What about yourself? You having fun here?"

AN applause broke though the building as the song ended. The singer bowed to the audience and went off stage, letting the next couple up for a lot more cheery song.

[Toogee]

“What, you think Fidona gives you everything Furoh has to offer?” Pan said almost mockingly. “Trust me, I’ve been there; it’s a pretty unique place. Hell, every place I’ve been to in Furoh has it’s own feel. Barley has all the shops and beaches, while the Underground is a labyrinth of tunnels largely undiscovered. Best of all, this continent is still young. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve found.”

Pan was in her comfort zone upon talking about her adventures in Furoh. She leaned forward towards Douken, her elbows on the table.

“I discovered the Wooden Skyscraper, the largest tree found in Fidona, possibly in all of Furoh. There was a forest of mushrooms inside the tree! And while getting carried around by a diglett colony, a friend and I found a shrine dedicated to Groudon! Stick with me, and you’ll have your own adventures to talk about.”

Just then, the music changed. On stage appeared a group of three men who started singing a certain reggae song (to much applause from the crowd)…

Red Red Wine- UB40

It was a similar routine to the other karaoke players until about 2min 40sec into the song when a particularly drunk man appeared on stage with a mop head over his once-styled hair. The crowd went while as he did his best impression of the singer. Being really drunk, he didn’t do a particularly good job. Pan couldn’t even tell what some of the lyrics were. Just then, she noticed the clothes he was wearing.

“Troy?!”

Red red wine
you make me feel so fine,
Monkey pack him rizla
Pon the sweet dep line.

The song ended when Troy took another swig of Spitfire. He spit out through another torch, causing more flames to stretch over the stage. Unfortunately, the fire came too close to the sprinklers, causing water to rain down upon everyone within the lounge.

“Ah!” Pan quickly dived under the table for shelter, waiting for Douken to join her.

“We need to get Troy out of here before he causes more trouble!”

[Douken Sota]

"And if you stick with me, you may learn something about some Amazon culture," he said with a smile. "I will warn you now, I may start dedicating some things to the golden bird we saw on that fateful day. My mom's tribe believes that we should be thankful for every great encounter we have, and if they give us something, we should return the favor. So if we ever see that bird again, I should at least return the favor for saving our lives."

It was then the drunken voice could be heard, which had the duo turned their heads to see Troy's drunken body imitating the singers, before using the Spitfire to set off the sprinklers. To avoid getting wet, Douken dove under the table next to Pan as the room began to become dark. The water that was triggered from the Flamethrower imitation was putting out the flame torches, soon to have only the light from the television which showed an Aipom on a trampoline hitting lights and turning them off.

"Yeah. Looks like Troy here either can't hold his liquor, or the bartender made the stuff way too strong. Either way, I don't think it will be sold very long," he chuckled, joking at the situation. "So, got any ideas to get our drunk Hall Leader out of here safely?"

[Toogee]

“I‘ll summon Chi-Chi and get some light in this place. He’s probably still on stage, so I’ll need your help leading him out.”

“Sounds like a plan! Who are we getting?”

Pan looked behind her to see that Troy had taken shelter under the same table. She grabbed the hall leader by the arm and dragged him out of the building. Douken grabbed his pokeballs and followed.

“Let’s get you to the pokemon center. Hopefully, Nurse Joy will know what to do-”

“Nonsense, I’m fit as a fittle,” Troy rebuked. “Wait, that’s not the right word. Should be one though. Fittle fittle fittle!”

As Troy put himself in a laughing fit, he was stumbling all over the place, almost taking Pan to the ground. It was clear that walking wouldn’t get them far. Luckily, an alternate mode of transportation was available. A ponyta-drawn carriage stopped in front of the Phoenix lounge, the driver waiting for a young couple (or anyone who would pay him) to board. The outside had gold-colored rims around the roof, though most of the exterior was an ivory color. It appeared as if it came off a carousel, giving an enchanting appearance to what would hopefully be a comfortable ride.

“Great, lets get on that. I think I have enough for the ride.” Pan started going through her pockets to pay the fee, but Troy took initiative.

“Allow me. You are my guests, and I shall pay to give you kids the night of your life. Here you are, good sirs.”

The drunken hall leader presented a bottle cap, a wrapper, and a crumpled piece of paper to the pair of ponyta. By then, Pan had paid the driver. She and Douken boarded onto the carriage and sat upon the soft red velvet chairs.

“Come on Troy. We should really get back to the pokemon center.”

“Bonzai!”

The hall leader quickly climbed next to the driver, kicking him off and taking the reins. With a loud battle cry from Troy, the ponyta rushed forward, causing Pan to jerk forward and fall onto the carriage floor. The carriage rushed through the town, causing the girl to tumble left, right, up, and down. Pan couldn’t even get herself up.

“We’re going to tour Arasam in five minutes flat! Flat flat flat!”

[Douken Sota]

"I thought you were supposed to make sure the drunk didn't drive!" Douken yelled as Troy's reckless driving threw the duo around the carriage, the Pontya in a panicked run. "We need to get Troy away from the reins and calm down the Ponyta. Think, Douken, think! What was it that Dad used to tell me?!"

It was hard to focus on all the stories his Dad told him from the many years of being a trainer himself, sicne he would either hit the wall, or Pan and break his thought. However, in about half a minute, he remembered it. "That's right, my dad calmed down crazy Ponyta with Shuca Barries! All we need is some of those..." he went over to grab the bag that is usually on his shoulders, but then he remembered it was in the Center ever since they went for the contest! "Figures... We need to find another way to calm them down, but first get the control of the reins." This only meant one thing: climbing out of the carriage and crawling on the walls to Troy, while moving at high speed...

[Toogee]

“Look! There’s the local Pokemart, which has everything a traveling trainer needs! And over there! The Hot Springs, powered by geothermal energy or something. Hey, an ice cream shop!”

Troy was rambling about locations as the cart zoomed through the city. A crowd of tourists dodged the incoming carriage as Troy yelled at them in some incoherent babble. Pan was still trying to stand on her own two feet, while Douken grabbed onto the outer edge of the vehicle. It seemed he was going to attempt to climb across the side to get to the driver’s seat to commandeer the carriage. That was quite brave of him considering the speed they were traveling at. Douken probably would have been able to pull it off had Troy not made a sharp right turn. The carriage was traveling precariously on its right wheels. One wrong move and the carriage would tip over and fall off of…

“Sky’s Edge! The only thing separating the city from the sky! It’s a pretty long drop from here. Hey cool! I’m doing a wheelie on Sky’s Edge! WOOOHOOO!!!”

While Troy was enthusiastic about his cool trick, the sober people among the group were seeing a completely different picture. Pan used the momentum of the acute turn to stand up and hold onto the doorway. From there she was able to see Douken hanging on for dear life as his feet dangled over the distant base of Mt. Carello. Seeing that his plan took a turn for the worst, he was climbing back towards the passenger portion.

“Hang on Douken!” Pan shouted, hoping that the carriage would stay on the solid side of the cliff’s edge. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but the prospect of certain death was enough to get anyone’s blood pumping. It would really suck if, after everything they’ve been through in Furoh, their adventure ended with a drunken joyride gone wrong.

Troy made an equally sharp left turn, abruptly putting the carriage on all four wheels. The sudden change caused Douken to fall safely into the passenger area. He wasn’t hurt too much as Pan broke his fall. He tried to get off of her, but the carriage made an abrupt stop, causing Douken to slip and fall back onto Pan. She coughed as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Strangely enough, after the traumatic experience, Pan started laughing.

“We really need to stop meeting like this,” Pan said in between her laughs.

They were interrupted when Troy came by to greet his passengers. He too was smiling, but in a goofier manner.

“Uh, ew. Get a room.”

He then proceeded to fall asleep against the carriage, still standing on his feet. Pan looked up to see that they had parked in front of the pokecenter.

“I say we let Nurse Joy take care of Troy for the rest of the night. Phew…” Pan was not making an effort to get up; near death experiences took a lot out of a person.

[Douken Sota]

With everything calmed down, and his heart beating like crazy from the near-dangerous fall, Douken rolled over off of Pan to catch his breath. He felt lucky that his body found some strength from out of the blue to help him hang on for the moment. If he didn't, he would of been a bloody red mess laying on the mountain side. "Good... idea..." he said, a pause between words being replaced by a huff of air.

"Maybe... we should call it a night too," his breathing calmed down a bit, but it was still rough. "I think relaxing after a near-death experience is good. I mean, it won't be fancy, but we could see if we can order in some dinner... I mean, I do owe you," Douken said with a chuckle.

Luckily, there was a Pokegear number on the carriage to call the owner and tell them where they were and that we were all fine. As they waited for the owner to arrive, Douken decided to call up a local pizza place, number provided by the night shift Nurse Joy, that was was up at this hour and delivered and ordered up a half pepperoni/half pineapple pizza. With two people to wait for, Douken took to his room to gather all the Shuca Berries he could muster and head back out to feed to the Ponyta to relax them.

After the carriage was returned to the owner and the pizza arrived, the duo returned inside where Douken placed the pizza box on the table, opening it to show the simple dinner. Sure, he bet that Pan was expecting something a little more than a pizza for the dinner he owed, but he just wanted to relax as he took one of the pepperoni slices and took a bite from it. "What a day," he merely sighed.

[Toogee]

Pan and Douken dragged Troy into the pokecenter, his arms over their shoulders. The hall leader was mumbling something in his sleep; it sounded like he was saying, “You smell good.” This was shortly after he started smelling Douken’s hair. They never found out how much Troy liked Douken’s hair: Nurse Joy took over. Judging from her relative calm demeanor, this likely wasn’t the first time Troy went too far in his festivities. With the hall leader in capable hands, Pan and Douken decided to call it a night.

Douken had set up the perfect way to end the night: pizza in a private room. Pan loved pizza as well as quiet evenings after a grueling adventure. Sure, this wasn’t anything like her escapades in Fidona or the Underground, but a day of training, contests, and traumatic carriage rides was enough to qualify as an adventure in her book. The two stayed in Douken’s room, just them and their pokemon.

Since the small table was only large enough to hold the pizza box, Pan took her plate of pineapple pizza and lay down upon the floor. Her pokemon weren’t far off: Fenrir was eating his meal of pokefood, while Chi-Chi was munching on a particularly large piece of pineapple from the pizza. Pan motioned for Douken to join her down on the floor.

“I don’t expect to have an adventure like that for quite a while,” Pan added to Douken’s sigh.

“Let’s get back to catching up though. Have you kept up with the others from Castle Vonmoto?”

[Douken Sota]

"Yeah, life-threatening events are bad for your health," Douken laughed, labeling this the second dangerous thing he went though ever since he left, the first was the avalanche. Who knows, maybe the mountain was just bad luck for him. With half a slice in hand, Douken walked past the bed where his Growlithe rested on the foot of his bed and over to the window, looking down at the people walking by. I wonder if this is what Maxy meant when he always said, "Find your own path." Every day carries a new trail. Every trail carries a story. Every story carries an experience. Every experience will follow you for a life time.

Douken looked over to Pan when she asked the question about meeting up with others. "The only one I can say off the top of my head would be someone that I got teamed up with. He went by the name of Malcolm. The visit didn't last, since he seemed to of been rushed to somewhere else. Other than that, no one, really." He then pulled out his Pokegear and switched it to the phone setting, showing a list of empty boxes. "I got this after the mountain event, and didn't register in my head back then to get numbers from anyone else. Besides, at the end of all that, my body didn't feel like moving," Douken told her with a silly grin on his face.

Douken took another bite from the slice he had, holding onto the fragment of crust remaining. "What about yourself? Seen familiar faces around?"

[Toogee]

“Me? I saw my friend Darryn over the videophone a while back. Last I heard, he just scored his second ribbon in Petropolis.” Pan didn’t get quite as much insight into the other aspect of Darryn’s life (that involving Troy), but at least she knew he was doing all right for himself. It’s not like he was running away from goons through a forest fire, right?

For a woman of small stature, Pan finished her half of the pizza rather quickly. She stretched herself outward upon the floor and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The girl flipped herself over to face the still-standing Douken. Fenrir joined her side to receive a friendly scratch behind his “special ear”. The growlithe thumped his leg happily while Pan continued her conversation with Douken.

“Anyways, let’s hear more about you. Were you a trainer your whole life or did you do something else before making this journey?”

[Douken Sota]

Well, I just started as a trainer, really," he told her after finishing off the rest of the crust, 3 slices of his pizza still sitting in the box. "Before all this, I helped my parents with their small business." He headed back to her and grabbed another slice and took a bite before continuing, "They're breeders, for the most part. My dad used to be a trainer, but retired when he came to here, and my mother took care of wild Pokemon along with her tribe of Amazons. Me, I get stuck in the middle, my dad wanting me to be a trainer, and my mom wanting to take a role in her tribe." He laughed off the end of that, just the idea of a male Amazon surprised him, but then again, there was Maxy Z.

"So most of my time was spent taking care of some Pokemon that were trusted to my parents, working on becoming a strong trainer, and getting on the good side of an army of women who wish not be part of the whole technology ordeal. A weird life, if you asked me.

"My dad thought it was weird that I didn't leave at ten, but my mom thought it was good to mature and get practice living in the wild. My dad tried to teach me some techniques to win battles, and my mom took me to the tribe to learn to rely on your surroundings. I swear, when I was thirteen, they had me live in the woods alone for six months, and even if I was nearby town, I couldn't step foot in!"

After the long rant about parts of his past, Douken let off a bit of a yawn. "I think I will save the rest for a quick breakfast tomorrow. For right now, I'm tired..."

[Toogee]

“Sounds like someone kept busy,” Pan commented on Douken’s story. He seemed to have a great background in pokemon. Growing up with breeders surely gave him the skills to understand pokemon (to an extent). That would most certainly come in handy one day. Pan also thought that it would be cool to hang out with the Amazon tribes. It would be a change of pace for one who grew up in modern civilization.

When Douken called it a night, Pan couldn’t help but agree. It had been a long day; she welcomed a good night’s sleep.

“That’s right, you have a big day tomorrow,” Pan added. Tomorrow was the big gym challenge; if anyone needed the sleep, it was Douken. She raised her arm to signal to Douken to lift her onto her feet. Being a gentleman, he did just that. Pan brushed herself off and headed for the door, her pokemon close behind.

“Good luck tomorrow,” she added as a final farewell for the day. She closed his door and entered her own room across the hall. Suddenly, the comfy bed looked very enticing. She took off her sandals and plopped onto the mattress. Pan didn’t even bother getting undressed as she curled up under the covers and rested her eyes.

***

The sun rose into the sky to begin another day. Pan was already in the computer room, checking her messages. Sure enough, Professor Stone had another task for her…

Pan,

I would like you to head over to Petropolis Museum. I won’t go into any details, but I do have a surprise for you. I also would like you there to witness our first test of the fossil revival equipment from Daioh. The scientists there created the technology and were more than happy to spread it across Furoh.

See you soon,

-Prof. Stone

P.S: Enclosed is the Fire Stone you found in the Underground. I have concluded my research on it for now. It’s still viable, so I hope you find some use for it.

Pan grabbed her Fire Stone from the item box, examining its features. It was still warm to the touch, just as it was when she found it. She slipped it into her bag, hoping it would become handy one day.

After grabbing her outfit for the day from her computer, Pan headed back to her room to change. When she reentered the hall, the young woman was in a mostly new outfit. While her brown leather boots, belt, and purple vest were retained, Pan was wearing a purple mini-skirt with short, form-fitting black bike shorts hidden underneath. Her short-sleeved black shirt was covered under the vest, though it bore the Celadon gym badge emblem on the front pocket. The new outfit served the same purpose as the old, though with a more feminine look. Pan liked the new look, not to mention the second glances from boys passing by.

Pan released Chi-Chi and Lima into the lounge for breakfast. They woke up in time to get their hands on the glazed donuts provided by the pokemon center. It was on a first-come, first-served basis, so Pan made sure she grabbed one for her and her two pokemon (and made sure Lima only had one). One could tell the donuts were fresh from the oven: the warm pastry practically melted in Pan’s mouth. While enjoying the sweet taste of breakfast, she waited for Douken to make his appearance.

(Sprite by Master Houndoom)

[Douken Sota]

Even though he felt tired, he had a hard time falling asleep. It was the anticipation in him that kept him awake. His mind racked over what the gym leader would be using to try and form up his team, eating the est of the cold pizza along the way. In the end, he couldn't really do anything except guarantee that Seel and Growlithe were going to be in there, just for the simple fact of the chance of fire or ice.

it was about eleven PM when Douken was finally able to fall asleep, but woke up at around five in the morning. From what he could hear, the only person up was the Nurse Joy. With that in mind, he decided to quietly slip by Pan's room, past the Nurse Joy who was distracting herself with a Pinball game (from what he could here) installed on another PokeGear, to head out for a morning run alongside the four Pokemon he had with him, and of course, the only one who disapproved of the idea was Seel, show was slowly flopping behind the rest of the legged beings. Luckily, Duskull was kind enough to use Trick Room around her in a small bubble, which made her all of a sudden feel like she was swimming though the air, catching up to the others.

After an hour's run, they soon got back to the center to see Pan sitting with Chi-chi and Lima, enjoying their own donuts. "Morning," he told them as a Chansey walked up to them, holding out a tray of warm donuts to them. Normally, he wouldn't think of giving them any human food, but he figured it would be good to help return some energy. "Alright guys, you can each have one," he told them as he picked one up himself, telling the assistant Pokemon, "Thank you," before joining the others.

"So, I take it you sleep well?" he said, taking a biter from the fresh donut. He couldn't remember the last time he had one this fresh, though. In fact, it was so long, it felt like the first time all over again. Douken's Pokemon ate them casually, not really minding the taste since none of them seemed to have a huge sweet tooth. However, the pickiest one out of them all was the Croagunk, who preferred sour over the sweet. "Cmon, Croagunk, don't make a huge fuss over flavor. At least be thankful for what they gave you." However, all he seemed to of gotten was a full of his cheeks with a slow croak.

[Toogee]

“Wait, you’ve been up this whole time?” Pan asked, surprised at Douken’s unexpected entrance. He and his team must have been out for some last minute training; at least, that’s what she suspected.

As Douken and co. were getting seated, Lima had already devoured her donut. The cleffa was eying Croagunk’s donut; no need for it to go to waste. She was about to crawl across the coffee table to obtain it, but Pan quickly summoned Lima back into her pokeball. One could hear a small pout as the cleffa disappeared into the red light.

“Anyways, is everyone prepared for the big match?” Pan asked Douken.

With just a simple question, the hour struck. Douken and his pokemon quickly looked upon the clock hanging on the adjacent wall. The time was now. The trainer gave a slow nod to Pan, one followed by each of his pokemon. Douken devoured the rest of his donut into the nearest trash bin and stood up, flicking off a sprinkle. Nothing could stop them now. Each of his pokemon followed their human out the door in a slow motion stroll, as if they were all listing to the same epic song.

“Hey, wait up!” Pan quickly headed after the group, stuffing the rest of her breakfast into her mouth.

Douken and co. sped up as they went through town. The rest of the town went about their own business, but they were on their own path. The path of champions…

***

Pan and Douken stood in front of Arasam gym, admiring its beauty. Like most of the Arasam buildings, it was built of black slate. Over the doorway was a pair of fiery wings, hung high for all to see. The walls continued into the mountain itself, the building’s small size all but an illusion. Douken returned his team to their pokeballs as they approached the inner reaches of the gym.

As the pair continued inside, they walked down a massive hall carved from the rock. At the end of the hall was a stone arena built atop thick rock pillars over a bubbling pool of magma. Up above, a domed roof opened up to the blue skies. Taking in the detail how the arena was set, as well as the emblem on the door, it was a good bet that he was going to use Fire and Flying Pokemon. The magma must act as a natural defense to most Ice and Water attacks, Douken thought to himself. The heat provided can easily melt or evaporate any of them before hitting an opponent from a long distance.

“Neat-o,” Pan said as she looked around. Her eyes landed on a man at the opposite end of the battlefield. His tall, lean figure stood to oppose the future contender for the badge.

“Challengers, I presume?” Otis remarked. “You’re just in time. My last opponent had just left empty-handed.”

“Actually, it’s just Douken here,” Pan replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Good luck,” she whispered in her friend’s ear. Pan then retreated up a stairwell, towards the spectator area. Otis remained in position, listening as the challenger officially introduced himself.

"The one you will be facing is me," Douken called out to him. "I am Douken Sota from Fidona, and I promise you that I will not leave here empty-handed. Now then, I take it a Gym like this has their own set of rules to go by?"

“Very well then,” Otis replied, knowing full well that every challenger tended to make big promises, only to fall well short of their goals. “There will be three Pokemon per side. Two shall take to the field, while the remainder replaces the fainted teammate. You may switch if need be, but if I see one healing item used, you will be disqualified.” Otis seemed adamant about the last point. He wanted this match to be based on skill, not the amount of money spent at the pokemart. In response, Douken grinned and took hold of his bag straps, removing them from his body before throwing it back into the cave entrance. "You know, I hate having to rely on items too. This will make sure you get the fight you want."

Otis then looked upon the trio of pokeballs before him. His team was ready to be unleashed.

“Mere words will not earn you a badge, Mr. Sota. You do not face a paltry trio of Pokemon. Lying before you are those that embody the spirit of the phoenix, Moltres. When you think you’ve won, my pokemon will demonstrate how they rise from the fires of defeat and soar to victory!”

With that, Otis pressed the button on each pokeball. Two pokemon appeared on the arena: a fearow and growlithe. Both cried out their names in a battle cry. The remaining Pokemon stayed at Otis’s side: a charmeleon of golden scales that shined in the sunlight.

Douken couldn't help but smile as he reached into his pocket to pull out a simple feather, one he got from the castle higher up. "You are not the only one who posses the fighting spirit of a famous bird." Placing the Rainbow Feather back into his pocket, replacing them with two Pokeballs.

***

Pan was watching the exchange between Otis and Douken from the bleachers. The audience was watching the match from above the arena, ideal for seeing all the action from every corner. The amount of spectators was surprising for a morning match. They were mostly kids fresh out of school, watching what could be one of their first exposures to pokemon battling. Pan, Chi-Chi, and Fenrir had front row seats to what could be an exciting duel.

Though there were some significant cheers when Otis’s shiny charmeleon appeared on the stage, several awes echoed around the room as Douken showed off his Rainbow Feather. She smirked as he flaunted the item towards the gym leader, but Pan also worried about who else would be seeing the item. The words of Mr. Vonmoto echoed in her mind.

“I fear certain people will catch wind of Ho-Oh’s existence. To return the favor, we must do all we can to keep Ho-Oh our secret, to keep him safe. This isn’t a mere souvenir; it is a physical representation of our mutual friendship and our vow of silence.”

“There’s just kids here,” Pan thought to herself. Surely it’s all right to show it off here...

Those thoughts were quickly pushed back amid Chi-Chi’s cheers. The battle had begun!

[Douken Sota]

"Now then, let the fun begin!" Douken tossed the Pokeballs out into the air, bursting open to reveal his Seel and Growlithe. The pup growled at the competition to Intimidate them. "Now then, Growlithe, Helping Hand! Seel, Aurora Beam!"

With the opening command set, Growlithe let off a howl in support of Seel, raising her spirits and power as a ball of rainbow-colored energy formed on the tip of her horn, soon to be blasted at the flying type.

“All you’ve shown me is a feather,” Otis smartly replied. “I will show you what spirit looks like. Growlithe, Helping Hand! Fearow, Aerial Ace on the Seel!”

Otis’s Growlithe followed up his fellow pup with his own howl to support the Fearow. Fearow dove downward, performing a barrel roll to dodge the ice attack. He continued diving downward, aiming his sharp beak at the water Pokemon.

A direct strike, Douken thought as he watched the bird barrel forward. All I have to do is ground him. Just have to wait for the right moment. With how long he took care of Seel, it was almost like she knew what he was up to and got ready, getting ready to brace herself until the Fearow was close range. "Icicle Shard!" Being too close to effectively get out of the way and being a large target as well, it wasn't hard to send a barrage of icicles at the Flying-type's left wing without it melting before contact.

"Now Growlithe, charge in and use Roar on the other Growlithe!" Without having to worry which was which, the chance of having Flash Fire, AND to fight that golden Charmeleon right away, the puppy let out a booming roar, to attempt to scare the other pup into his ball.

Otis scowled as his growlithe ran back to him, his tail between his legs. At the same time, his Fearow was taking super-effective hits from the seel. Despite the hit, the Fearow stayed airborne, flying over the lava portion of the gym to warm back up. Though applause was clearly in Douken’s favor, the match was far from over. It was time to test the strength of his newest fighter.

When he wasn’t beating noobs to a pulp, Otis spent a lot of time breeding Pokemon to get prizefighters for his gym. His pair of Charizard produced many young back at Loch Ranch; almost all went to young trainers starting their journeys. This particular flame Pokemon not only had the right attributes of his champion Pokemon, he also had the rare golden sheen upon his scales. Otis was eager to show the world his latest addition.

“Fearow, Charmeleon! Divebomb Special!” Otis shouted, pointing at Seel and Growlithe in that order.

The Charmeleon stepped onto the field, roaring in delight as the Fearow grabbed him from behind. The two soared to the upper reaches of the gym, right up into the spectator stands. Then, they took a dive straight for their opponents. Fearow released Charmeleon mid-air, allowing gravity to take over. In a surprise maneuver, the Charmeleon headed for Seel, his fist crackling with electricity. Combined with his fall, the Flame Pokemon prepared to deliver a mighty Thunder Punch to the water Pokemon.

Meanwhile, the Fearow kept going down, making a sharp turn at the last second. He turned straight for Growlithe, unleashing his Fly attack. The crowd was going wild at the spectacular use of teamwork. Even Pan couldn’t help but smile (though she kept it a bit subdued for Douken’s sake).

"Growlithe, intercept, now!" Douken declared. He couldn't let the punch go through. Right now, he was letting them go with instinct maneuvers to help save each other.

With the simple command set, with no other moves to add to the list, Growlithe ran up to go block the falling Clarmeleon, rolling into a Flame Wheel before jumping to act as a shield to the electric-charged fist, using the spinning to block the punch and throw off the direction it was in as he landed, even if it did mean flying back a little with some injury. Meanwhile, Seel, kept her focus on the incoming Fearow to fire off another Aurora Beam at the incoming foe.

Charmeleon landed on his feet, furious that the pup deflected his hit. He roared in defiance, targeting his next opponent. Meanwhile, the Fearow was hit by the Aurora Beam, but remained airborne. This time, however, his flight pattern was a bit erratic; it wasn’t going to be able to take a hit like that again. If Fearow was going to go out, Otis was determined he would go out swinging.

“Team up! Fearow, Aerial Ace! Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!”

Both Pokemon targeted the Growlithe. Charmeleon spewed out purple flames at the pup, while Fearow dived in from above. The flying type zipped around to keep his target in his sights.

"Growlithe, Flame Wheel straight into the Charmeleon!" Douken called out. Taking the form of the ball of fire once more, he took the dark flames head on, forcing his body into the Charmeleon in hope for one thing: Fearow colliding right into his partner. Sure, there were some things to keep in mind like angle, but if successful, then the golden Charmeleon would also get hurt from it. Taking on a pincer attack like that would definitely hurt, most likely having Growlithe on the brink of fainting. However, Seel wasn't going to let the birdbrain stay around much longer and fired another Aurora beam at the Fearow’s injured wing, hopefully to ground him and maybe even knock him out.

The Charmeleon was surprised that the Growlithe charged straight through the purple flames. As a result, the Pokemon was knocked to the ground by the flame wheel. By being low to the ground, the Charmeleon managed to avoid the Fearow’s attack, leaving the Aerial Ace unimpeded upon impact.

Fearow wasn’t so lucky. As he rose up to the sky, he suffered another direct hit from Seel’s Aurora Beam. The bird Pokemon screeched in pain, falling abruptly onto the stage, where the gym leader promptly called back the fainted Fearow.

With the pup panting from the damage, Douken pulled out his Pokeball and called, "Rest up, Growlithe. You need it." There, a red beam struck him, sucking him in to switch out for his last choice. "Duskull, we need you!" With the toss of the ball, his Requiem Pokemon who managed to survive the Contest yesterday appeared, ready as ever.

[Toogee]

“Congrats on the first knockout,” Otis called out amidst audience applause. “This isn’t over yet though. Now, will audience pokemon remain seated please!”

The gym leader’s attention was directed to a pachirisu standing upon the railing, waving a red #1 foam finger around. Pan quickly pulled Chi-Chi back into her lap so the battle could continue.

As Douken’s Duskull entered the field, Otis’s growlithe returned to it. His charmeleon was ready as well, back on its feet and awaiting orders.

“Growlithe, Roar on the duskull. Charmeleon, Thunderpunch the seel!”

With the growlithe forcing a switch, it was a prime opportunity for Charmeleon to rush the water type. His fist cracked with electricity as he aimed for Seel’s side. In response to the echoing roar, Duskull panicked before retreating back to her ball before she could pull off another Trick Room. Douken could feel Croagunk's Pokeball shake; in response, he held onto it to prevent the pokemon from bursting out. "Calm down. I already sent out three, and it’s a three on three match. You being a forth would disqualify us." The ball still shook as it tried to escape. However, Seel was in trouble. "Seel, use Headbutt!" With the Charmeleon charging forth, she readied the horn on her head to strike the midsection of the Charmeleon as she took a strong hit from the punch, feeling the electricity flow through her.

When Croagunk's ball finally calmed down, he took Growlithe's and threw him back on the field, growling at the foes to Intimidate them once more. "Now Growlithe, I need you on guard duty. Seel, Rest up." With those commands, Seel plopped her belly onto the stone floor, laying flat as a small bubble began to appear on her nose, as if she was sleeping the pain off, when Growlithe stood in front of her, ready to Bite anyone who would dare to get close.

Charmeleon stumbled backwards from the headbutt attack, but the damage was already done. The attack convinced Douken to Rest his seel. With his growlithe back on the field, the match turned into a two vs. one fight. Otis liked his odds.

“Your foe is weak, Charmeleon! Dragon Rage!”

Once more, the flame pokemon spewed purple flames towards the Growlithe. Should the pup move out of the way, then the seel would take the hit. Otis would be satisfied with either scenario.

“Growlithe, Helping Hand!”

The other growlithe howled in support of his ally, preparing the charmeleon for an inevitable counterstrike.
Douken didn't like doing this, but all he could do was tell Growlithe, "Brace yourself!" He had to make sure Seel didn't get hurt from the flames, even if the attack knocked him out.

"You did well, now rest." he said, returning his ally. "Now Duskull, return to the field!" The Requiem Pokemon returned t the field in front of Seel, taking a quick look around to understand the situation. "Now, Duskull, place things in our favor. Use Trick Room!" Just like in the Contest Hall, Duskull created a warped dimension around them in a sense of a blue hue. However, this time was different. With Seel on land, and Duskull being Duskull, the dimension warp would place everything in his favor once Seel woke up.

Both of Otis’s pokemon looked around in confusion as the room was enveloped in a blue haze. The gym leader immediately took notice of the differences in movement speed of his team and Douken’s.

Trick Room…interesting, Otis thought to himself. The tides were changing once more.

“Charmeleon, Ember on Growlithe. Growlithe, Flame Wheel!”

In a surprise move that caused several audience members to gasp, the charmeleon swung his tail towards his teammate, launching a large ember into him. The growlithe jumped a bit in surprise of the attack, but recovered as soon as he was fired up. Flash Fire had activated, giving the pup a boost for his next attack. The growlithe charged towards the duskull, a hamster wheel of fire forming above and below him.

Thought so, Douken thought, seeing how his Growlithe never tried to Intimidate his foe in the beginning. This only meant his other ability was Flash Fire, which only surprised him that Otis didn't go to trigger it earlier. "Duskull, Confuse Ray!"

Duskull's eye glowed a bright blue as as wave of energy pulsed from her, messing with Growlithe's mind. She went to rewrite what he was seeing. Instead of what was out there, she placed everyone (besides trainers) as Seel, everything as Seel, even what wasn't there as Seel. It would make his judgment on who to attack hard, that's for sure. C’mon girl, wake up soon.

Confusion. Every trainer’s bane. For several turns, any attack the growlithe made would be a risk to itself. Still, Otis couldn’t simply let him stand idle; he would adjust after several rounds at most. The sooner Charmeleon could take out one of the other pokemon, the better.

“Growlithe, bite the duskull! Charmeleon, Thunderpunch that seel!”

With this tactic, the pup would distract the duskull while Charmeleon would take out the seel. A perfect tactic…had it not been for the confusion. Instead of the duskull, the growlithe bit down upon the charmeleon’s fist. The growlithe yelped as electricity went through his body, while the charmeleon roared in pain from the bite. The two quickly separated, but this did nothing to dull the lizard’s ire.

The flame pokemon did not take attacks like growlithe’s lightly. He was charging his target when he was stopped by one of his own. Punishment would be swift. In his rage, Charmeleon used his Dragon Rage attack. He overwhelmed his former teammate, his anger in physical form.

“CEASE! CEASE!” shouted Otis, but the growlithe had enough. The pup slumped down on its side, fainted. Charmeleon put his foot down upon the pup, roaring in victory to the audience above. He completely ignored his actual foes.

*POP* The nose bubble popped all of a sudden before a yawn could be heard as Seel woke up from a delightful nap, feeling completely refreshed. "Morning, girl. Feel better?" She stuck out her tongue and gave a little clap, showing she was full of energy. "Good, because now its time to finish things here. Aurora Beam, Night Shade, lets go!"

Seel launched her rainbow-colored beam from her horn at the gloating Charmeleon. Sure, it wasn't going to have a strong effect anyways, but that was why Night Shade was there. To tease the golden-scaled foe, Duskull made mirages of multitudes of Growlithe around him, all grinning before they charged to simulate the Bite attack, over and over again.

Charmeleon was knocked off his trophy by both attacks. As he lifted himself off the ground, the dozens of growlithe tackled him from all angles. The flame pokemon swung his tail wildly in all directions, launching embers across the arena. With his Blaze ability activated, the attack would be a bit more dangerous to get caught in.

As Otis returned his growlithe, he knew his charmeleon was not far off. His spirit said “Fight!” but his body was clearly saying “Rest”. The lizard was panting after the ember attack, yet he refocused his attention upon the duskull and seel.

“Keep up with the embers,” Otis commanded, pointing at the duskull. They would have to take advantage of the pokemon’s type and ability to even hope for the match to continue.

"Disable!" With Duskull's eye glowing bright blue, she locked the small flames in mid-air and had them dissipate as she locked that skill away, taking advantage of seeing it earlier with the mirage attack. "Now, finish this with Headbutt!" Although she was wobbly upon hopping forward, her movement was as fast as her swimming, which allowed her to move in close to jab the lizard with her sharp horn once more as the finishing touch, cause by the look of his tail, he had Blaze going, which meant he was almost out of steam.

The charmeleon was knocked backwards by the headbutt, the sharp horn poking his underbelly. It appeared that the lizard wasn’t about to give up yet. He leaned his head back, preparing to launch another Dragon Rage attack. He had the seel right where he wanted him.

Then his entire body leaned back, causing the pokemon to land on his back. This time, however, he did not get up. His rage had finally surrendered to his weariness. The charmeleon was reabsorbed in red light amidst an ecstatic crowd.

Douken had won his first gym match.

Otis walked across the stage to greet the successful challenger. Rather than harsh words on luck, he offered a handshake. Within that hand was the beautiful Emberwing Badge.

“Well done,” Otis said. “You have no idea how few people make it this far. And you better go much farther or I’ll demand a rematch.”

"Thank you," Douken replied, shaking his hand and accepting the badge. "I plan on it. You did was powerful as well. If we do have a rematch, it will be a good one."

Letting off a whistle, Seel hopped her way back to him. With Duskull, Growlithe and Croagunk joining his side, Douken revealed the badge they earned. "Look guys. Its what we came here for." All but Croagunk was ecstatic about it, cheering happily. "I know, you wanted in on it too, but this place wasn't for you. Besides, the Nurse said you needed some days off to recover." His cheeks puffed up, as if accepting that fact, but also demanding he gets in the next fight.

Behind Douken, Pan managed to beat the crowds and be one of the first to greet the winner. Chi-Chi was still wielding her foam finger, waving it around like a maniac.

Once his team got a good look, Douken felt like he had to show everyone watching, so he stood up and held the badge high, letting it shine in the sunlight. Lowering it down, he returned everyone and turned back to Otis. "Thank you. Take care now." With those words, he walked back to the entrance to pick up his bag and left the gym with Pan.

[Douken Sota]

“That was a great battle!” Pan told Douken. They were on their way back to the pokemon center, enjoying the bright morning rays of sunshine. “You still had two pokemon at the end. It looked pretty hectic down there.”

Chi-Chi was perhaps the most excited of the group. She loved cheering and loud excited crowds. Her foam finger waving continued; every time the group passed someone, the pachirisu would erupt in cheers and finger waving. After the fourth time, it was starting to get annoying, so Pan took the finger away, allowing Chi-Chi to sulk inside her vest.

They had accomplished a lot in the past two days; she wished she could explore the city a bit more. But duty called once more; the professor wanted her in Petropolis. He wouldn’t specify as to the reason; he claimed it was a surprise. That was enticing enough for Pan to head over there. It would also be the first time she set foot into her workplace, not to mention into Petropolis itself.

Baby steps for now though. There was a huge distance between Arasam and Petropolis. There was still a lot of adventure to be had.

“So, after the pokemon center, where are you off to? I have to be in Petropolis for work stuff.”

"Petropolis, huh?" he repeated before reaching into his other pocket, pulling out his Pokegear and opening it up. Sure, it only had two features on it currently, but he was lucky that one was a map. After tinkering around with it, he soon got information on the ciy's information. "According to this, there seems to be a Gym there as well. And besides, a journey with allies is more fun than a journey alone, right? Mind if I tag along?"

“Allies?” Pan said, feinting astonishment with a grin. “I guess we will have to travel together some more if all I am is an ally.”
"You know what I mean," Douken said, grinning back at her, realizing he chose the wrong words right there.

When they arrived at the Pokemon Center, she held the door for Douken, playfully shaking her head at him for his choice of words.

“Alright, you go heal your pokemon. I’m going to pack. My door’s open if you need me.” With that, Pan walked up the stairs to her room to gather her things.
***

There wasn’t anything major to pick up; Pan was careful to put things back in her backpack when she was done with them. The only things that needed to be done were picking up clothes and making the bed. The dress she wore for the contest was still lying on the bathroom floor (Darryn would have died if he saw that), while the bed looked as though a tornado went through it. Though they were just a couple of chores, that didn’t mean she would do them alone. Pan grabbed two pokeballs and released her cleffa and growlithe.

“Fenrir, make sure I didn’t leave anything behind. Lima, Chi-Chi. Let’s make this bed.”

The growlithe started sniffing around the room for lost items, while the cleffa and pachirisu climbed up on the bed. Both looked up expectantly at their human. Pan grabbed one of the sheets and smiled, causing her pokemon to smile. She quickly lifted the sheet, causing Lima and Chi-Chi to launch into the air. They landed back on the bed in a sea of giggles.

Chores were fun when Pan’s pokemon were around.
***


When Pan headed off to her room to clean everything up, Douken headed back to the counter, placing the three Pokeballs on the counter.

"My, what happened to you to be back so early for healing?" she questioned as a Chansey ran up to take the balls in hand, heading back for healing up. Douken only replied by showing the badge he won with a grin. "Oh, congrats! Good luck with your future Gym challenges."

"Thanks, Douken replied. "Any chance you have a phone to call my parents?" She pointed him over to a computer sitting out there with a mic and camera attached. Taking her word, he headed for the computer and dialed his home number.

"Hello, this is Sota Daycare," came a reply as the screen turned on, showing an old man's face who had a large scar on his left eye, "How may I he- Oh, why hello there Douken. How is your journey going?"

"Its going great, Dad," he said, holding out the badge.

Oh, your first Gym badge, I see! I must say, congrats! A celebration, I say!"

"Dad, there isn't enough time to hold a party. Besides, I am all the way in the middle of Furoh while you are on that island."

Right, right... Well, I guess the next best thing would be a reward, then. Tell me, how many Pokemon do you have on hand?"

"Only four. Why do you ask?"

"A trainer is allowed to have six on hand. The rest are sent to a caretaker, which would be us. Still, with room for two more, I am sure I can send this to you," he said, holding out a Pokeball, before placing it out of sight. "Just wait and look to your left. It should come to you there any moment now."

Almost on command, a bright light shined out of the device next to it, a Pokeball appearing from there. It popped open to reveal a floating ball with magnets on the side. "This is a Magnemite who goes by the name Rusty. It was left here from a trainer who thought this was a foster home. We think it would be better if it came with you instead of sitting here."

Douken looked at the Magnemite, and the Magnemite looked back at him, before shocking him and hiding behind the computer. "I forgot to say it a little timid to new faces, but I am sure it will get used to you."

"Right..." he said, recovering from the shock.

[Toogee]

With her room finished, Pan and her pokemon headed back downstairs to put away the dirty laundry. As usual, she went into the computer room, logged into a terminal, and deposited her clothes into her box. That was when she noticed Douken having a conversation with his own computer. Curious, Pan made her way to her friend’s side to investigate.

“Hey Douken,” Pan said, “Who’s on the other line?” She peeked at the screen to see an older man wearing a beret and sporting an awesome mustache. He also seemed to have trouble winking; his left eye refused to open.

“Why is he winking at us like that?” Pan asked quietly. It was curious at first, but the wink was starting to creep her out.

"Hey Pan, this is my Dad, Sven. Dad, this is a friend I met earlier named Pan. She's doing some research around here for a professor."

"A pleasure," he replied. It was then a question relating about the eye came up. "You know, there is an interesting story with that. You see, when I was 15 in Sinnoh -"

"Dad fought with a Scyther, one of the blades got to his eye, and he still won." Douken had to interrupt, having heard the story so many times.

"Aww, that's no fun now. She didn't hear any of the good parts!"

"Sorry Dad, but i am sure we have to leave soon. I am sure if she wants to know, I will tell her the whole story."

"Right, right. You two lovebirds go on and have an adventure then. Don't forget to send your parents an invitation to the wedding! I'll tell Mom you said hi!"

"Dad!" Douken called out with a slight red as the screen went blank, him hanging up. Pan giggled as Douken blushed in reaction to his father’s comments. Parents could get that way sometimes. She was a little embarrassed that she thought he was winking at them, but the man took the mistake quite well. Perhaps they would meet in person one day.

"That's my Dad for you," he said with a slight chuckle before picking up the Pokeball from the machine.

"Cmon, Rusty. Stop hiding and let’s go. You will have fun." The small Magnet Pokemon looked over from behind the computer before slowly moving out, before being taken in by the red beam.
After heading to the desk to get everyone back from Nurse Joy, Douken asked, "So Pan, I take it you are all set?"

“Yep, I’m good to go,“ Pan replied, straightening her backpack out. “Hey, where did that magnemite come from?”

"My dad sent it over as congrats for my first badge,” Douken replied. “It won't respond to any name besides Rusty, which I can guess is the nickname the old trainer gave it. I mean, the only reason why I don't give nicknames if because I have trouble thinking of new ones," he said laughing.

“Well, if nicknames are a problem, I can help you out,” Pan added. “In my experience, pokemon like it when you give them names. It’s another bond between you and them.” Pan always made it a point to nickname any new pokemon of hers, if they didn’t have one already. It set them apart from all others; they were uniquely her friends.

Both talked about Douken’s new Pokemon and nicknames as they left the Pokemon Center and headed back to the tunnels. Just then, Pan spotted an old man setting up a hot air balloon. Joining him was a pair of Chimchar, who were playing around before they had to get back to inflating the balloon. The balloon was still deflated, obscuring its design. The sign next to him read ‘Balloon Rides Down the Mountain: $20 One Way, $35 Round Trip.’ It would cost them some money, but the trip would save the two time, not to mention be much more scenic than the caves.

“Ooh, let’s go on that!” Pan said, pointing to balloon.

Looking at the sign and the prices, Douken pulled out a small wallet and looked through what he had. "Well, I think I have enough to pay for myself," he said with a light chuckle. He was glad he had that much, seeing how he had no job.

When it came time to pay, Pan brushed Douken’s hand aside and handed the man her debit card.

“I’ve got this,” she said to Douken. He did pay for last night’s dinner after all.

After he handed Pan her card and a receipt the man shouted at his chimchars in what sounded like gibberish. Immediately, the fire monkeys scrambled, using the fire on their bottoms to get the balloon into the air. Fully inflated, the balloon resembled the head of a meowth with its paw raised as if waving.

The man and his pokemon entered the large basket, the chimchars taking position above the humans. He offered a hand to Pan and Douken to help them inside.

“Up!” he shouted, causing the chimchar to unleash their fire to raise the balloon into the air. Higher and higher they went. Arasam was beginning to become distant in the physical realm, but the city would always be close to the trainers’ hearts. Under them was a massive highland rainforest surrounding the mountain. A flock of pidgey flew by the balloon; Pan had her camera ready to capture the moment.

Pan kept leaning on the side with Chi-Chi in her vest and Lima in her arms. None of them were afraid of the great heights they attained (though they were technically descending). She smiled widely as she looked upon the cloudless sky.

“It’s beautiful,” Pan said, taking pictures of the scenery. Unexpectedly, she turned around to stand next to Douken. She set Lima on her shoulder so she would be between the two humans, while Pan held the camera towards them. The scenic background would provide a nice picture to round out their adventure.

“Smile.”

Douken caught a magnemite!

RP is finished!