Chapter 12

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

Huge stalactites hung high on the cave’s ceiling. The air felt colder than it had been outside, but more humid, and the ground was slick with moisture. Geodude could be seen camouflaged against the cave walls or among rocks, and a pack of Zubat could be seen hanging upside down on the ceiling. Oreburgh gate was often a trainer’s first caving experience, and I found it to be an oppressive, anxiety-inducing experience. My throat felt clogged up, and I had to remind myself how to breathe often. Plus, even with how cold it was, I found a way to sweat.

Stupid nervousness making me sweat everywhere, I thought.

Luckily, the cave was also mostly a straight path, just like route 203 had been, and it was lit up all the way through by gas lamps to help new trainers.

“Ahh!” I squealed as I heard flapping wings right behind me. I waved my hands around wildly and ran away, ignoring the pain it brought to my abdomen. “What the hell was that?”

“I think that was a Zubat,” Denzel said. Eevee was on his shoulder and barked at the bat Pokemon, chasing it away.

My mind flashed back to the Golbat that I had seen at Lake Verity, and I shuddered.

“Zubat, Golbat, I hate all of them. What was nature thinking when it made that Pokemon line? First, there’s a creepy little guy with no eyes and whose mouth basically takes up its entire face, and then there’s its evolution that’s basically just a mouth! That’s literally what it is! How does it survive?! It’s a flying mouth!”

“Nature doesn’t think,” My friend deadpanned.

“Please indulge me for at least a second,” I groaned. “How much longer do we have to go?”

Denzel opened his Poketch. “Eh, Eighteen hours or so, including breaks. More if you keep panicking at every noise you hear.”

“Fine,” I sighed. “Let’s keep going.”

Eevee barked in agreement. I wished I could have my Pokemon out, but Togepi was absolutely terrified of the cave— even more than I was. When we first walked in, she had just grabbed my leg and pulled, begging me not to go. I decided to carry her, but she kept crying, and I couldn’t bear to see her scared like that, so I recalled her to her Pokeball. Meanwhile, Frillish just felt lazy and wanted back in the ball as soon as I released him. In the end, that meant that all we had to defend us was Eevee, but he was doing a pretty good job so far.

“Hey, on a scale of one to ten, how stupid would it be for me to find a Geodude and train with Eevee against it?” Denzel asked after a few minutes of silence.

My eyes almost fell out of their sockets. “One hundred!”

“That’s not on the scale,” Denzel chuckled. “I was just wondering. I’ve never fought any rock types, and even though I know normal type moves aren’t very effective— or most physical moves in general— I’d like to see how Eevee fares against one of them.”

“Dude... no, just no. I’m not getting hit by another Pokemon attack trying to help you. I’ve had enough of that for the entire League Circuit.”

“Think about it—”

“I already thought about it. No. Or at least wait until we’re closer to Oreburgh.”

“I feel like I could be doing more to train,” Denzel grumbled.

“You’re fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. Denzel was in a better mental space than he had been a few days earlier, but I could tell he still thought a lot about that trainer who beat him. “Hey, why don’t we play a game to pass the time? Truth or dare?”

“Next!” I heard.

Finally, after an annoying wait, it was my turn. I walked up to the receptionist with a smile.

“Good afternoon, and welcome to the Oreburgh gym,” He said, almost by reflex. “Are you here to sign up for a gym battle?”

“Yeah,” I said, suddenly feeling very small.

“Alright. Trainer ID, please.” I quickly handed him my ID. “Grace Pastel...” He muttered as he typed something on his computer. After ten seconds or so, he handed me a piece of paper and a pen. “Read through this and answer the questions honestly. Lying on any of these is grounds for disqualification from the Circuit.”

I understood right away what the questionnaire was for after reading the first question.

Is this your first time participating in the League Circuit? If not, how many times have you done so and how many badges did you get during your most successful year?

They were gauging our skill level to know what Pokemon to use against us. The questions I found the most interesting were these ones:

Have you joined any of the Circuits in other regions? If so which ones and how far did you get?

Have you had any experiences battling before joining the League Circuit? If so, please state how many years/months/days.

How many Pokemon do you currently own? (Make sure to warn a gym official if you catch another Pokemon while waiting for your match)

I answered all of them honestly and handed back the paper. The receptionist typed away for another minute or so and then placed my form in a drawer full of them.

“Alright, ms. Pastel. Let me explain how this gym works to you very quickly. In five days at 2:40 pm, you’ll have to battle one of our gym trainers. If you win, you move on and get a battle with Roark, but if you lose, you have to wait two weeks to sign up again. This also applies if you miss your battle, by the way. We’ll only wait for five minutes until you’re counted as missing, so don’t be late.”

I absorbed the information as best I could. The receptionist clicked his mouse a few times, and a small slip of paper came out of a device to his side.

“This is your ticket with the date and time. Do not lose it, or you have to wait the full two weeks. Any questions?”

I shook my head.

“Next!” He yelled.

I walked past Denzel and winked. I decided to wait for him outside, and as soon as he came out, we walked back to the Pokemon Center to grab our teams back.

TEAM:

Togepi - Pound, Sweet Kiss, Rollout, Growl, Headbutt

Frillish - Bubblebeam, Night Shade, Absorb, Water Sport