Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Rain Dance ❯ Registration ( Chapter 7 )

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The skies remained a dull grey for the entirety of the day. As Batoy stepped out into the open air, tiny raindrops pelted his cheek. Jet glanced up at the stagnant sky and whimpered, moving so close as to almost get under Batoy’s heel. It stood to be somewhere around four in the afternoon, though time was hard to tell.

Yet, despite all of that, the mood of the streets was surprisingly festive. Though the streets were not crowded, Batoy had some difficulty finding his way through. Sturdy decorations were being strung between the tall buildings; multicolored lanterns that hung from steel tethers swayed in the gentle wind. In the inside of one building, a store that sold all matters of antique items, there stood an inflatable Relicanth, its body glowing orange from the lights inside it.

Batoy smiled, despite himself. The decorations were somewhat familiar; Lavaridge often decorated for traditional holidays. One in particular, Tremor, was his absolute favorite, a celebration praising the revitalization of the hot springs and sand baths that happened years before his birth. He especially enjoyed the Castle Contests. “Heh… I remember building the most beautiful one that year…” he mused to himself. It was a fond memory; Jet was still an infant Cyndaquil at that time. Batoy glanced down at the now-Quilava. Jet treaded through the streets carefully, leaping from dry stone to dry stone, but wading when the puddles grew too large. Batoy grinned. Years ago, as a Cyndaquil, Jet would’ve been paralyzed, too afraid of getting wet to even dare to move. He’d come a long way.

They both had.

Sensing a change in his owner’s disposition, Jet glanced up and chirped curiously. Batoy shook his head. “I’m just thinking how much this reminds me of home.” Jet lowered his head and trotted on with a low ~Laaav…~ “Don’t worry, buddy,” Batoy said comfortingly, “I’m sure everyone back home is alright. I bet Mom’s thinking about us right now!” Jet did not look back up, and Batoy’s face fell. The two walked in silence.

In front of them, three children ran out, chased by two small blue tadpole-like Pokemon. But though Jet tensed up, Batoy just watched. The children were laughing, and the Poliwag were not attacking them. Rather, the two little Pokemon squirted small streams of water that the children tried to avoid. One child, a girl no older than eight with a flower skirt, got caught by a glancing blow from the smaller of the two Poliwag. She shook herself off and pulled out a water gun of her own. The smaller Poliwag rushed off, now chased by the girl. Batoy gave a bitter smile. He used to play a similar game with his friends when he was younger. He wondered where they’d gone.

An older woman shooed the children off, and Batoy and Jet continued on. The city looked so much different now. It didn’t seem so empty as it had been before. There was life all around him, and despite the large buildings, it seemed very quaint and comfortable. “It’s really a lot like home….” Jet gave a muffled humph.

They reached the Pokemon Center within a few moments later. Even as they stepped in, though, Batoy found the reception lobby almost as busy as the outside. There were some fifteen people, mostly trainers by the look of their well-worn apparel. Some were chatting amongst themselves. Others were busy grooming their Pokemon; Batoy’s eyes fell on to a rather beautiful Ninetales. The golden Pokemon stayed eerily still as a boy in his late teens brushed her fur. “That’s a good girl,” he said as the brush glided easily through her fur. “You’re in peak condition. There’s no way you can lose!” The Ninetales gave a bark of agreement before returning to her statuesque position; though her eyes were align with determination.

Bending down, Batoy scooped Jet into his arms. “I wonder… if they’re gonna be in the show, too. She’d be tough competition, huh?” he said with a sigh. Jet licked his cheek and gave a chirp, ~Quil!~, and a grin. Batoy looked at the weasel. “So you’re really looking forward to this.” The Quilava gave a nod. “Alright, I guess there’s really no turning back now.” Batoy forced a smile on his face. If Jet really thought they had a chance, then maybe they did.

The two made their way through the trainers in the lobby and approached the main reception desk. The slightly slumped over woman shifted her gaze from the shimmering sheen of the counter to glance at the newcomers. Even though she smiled, her body slumped, probably with exhaustion. And why wouldn’t she? After all, she had to keep track of all the trainers that would be staying over for the show, either to watch or compete. And even at this time in the evening, close to the end of her shift, things had only continued to come in waves and droughts. She could only hope that this one wasn’t the beginning of another wave.

“Hello,” she said kindly, despite her obvious fatigue. “Welcome to the Eterna City Pokemon Center. How may I help you?”

“Well… um…” Batoy swallowed, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He was ashamed of himself and didn’t know why. His gut had been twisting into a painful knot with each step, and now that he’d finally arrived, his heart was racing. His eyes flicked once, twice, trying to find something that would take his mind off of this unnatural fear. In that whole room, there was nothing. “I was just wondering if… well… um… I’m supposed to be taking the place of someone named Gidan in a show?”

The woman gave another kind, tired smiled. “Ah, I see. Mr. Ustan called earlier and already confirmed everything. What’s your name? He only described you, but never caught your name.”

“Um… Batoy… Batoy Guilderos,” he stuttered out. So Gidan had already made the necessary arrangements?

“Alright, Batoy,” the woman said, running on fumes now. “I’ll just need to know your Trainer Identification and the Pokemon registered to you.”

“My… trainer ID?” Mentally, Batoy blanched. He’d never had a use to remember that information, and though it was just a simple five-digit number, it had been years since he last used it. “Um… 40512, I think... My buddies are… Jet, Ollie, and Manual. Um… a Quilava, a Jolteon and an Eevee… uh… respectively.”

The woman nodded as her fingers typed rapidly on the keyboard close to her. “Alright, Batoy Guilderos, you’ve been registered in Gidan’s place. It’d be my suggestion that you use the upcoming days to rest up and train; you have a lot of competition this year. There are a lot of regulars, and a bunch of newcomers like yourself.” She glanced at her screen. “There’s even a representative of the Saffron City Gym participating here. You know how tough Gym Trainers can be. Plus, you’re in Gidan’s spot, so people will be expecting a lot from you.”

“R-really? W-well, I just love attention…” Batoy forced a smile. He’d never even been inside a Gym before, despite living in a town with one. He had met the town’s Gym Leader though, soon after he’d received Jet. She was a vibrant girl, for certain. The smile turned genuine before disappearing. It was nostalgic, thinking of Jet as a Cyndaquil, learning to ignite his fires with the Gym Leader’s Slugma. The little fire-type was so timid back then.

Leaving the desk, Batoy surfed the crowd to find an empty seat somewhat away from everyone else, facing towards the darkened windows. Jet squirmed uncomfortably in his arms at the sound of raindrops hitting the windows. Batoy let the Quilava jump down, muttering an offhand “Don’t get into trouble,” as he continued to stare into the darkness. Things had gotten so complicated for him. “I wonder… why I’m here… right now…” he muttered, resting his chin on his hands. “I just want to go home….”

Jet immediately trotted away from the darkened glass, moving into the crowd. The sheer volume of humans and Pokemon made it difficult to resist flaring up. A grin was smattered across his face, and he trotted quicker and quicker, absorbing everything he saw. Pokemon much larger and fierce-looking than him were everywhere, but he wasn’t scared. There was no way a proud fire-type like him could lose.

As Jet walked past a released Rhydon, distracted, he bumped into something. Shaking his head in recoil, he turned to see what appeared to be a small green sphere rolling from the impact. Two red talons sprouted from the sphere, and the bird Pokemon Natu hopped back up. Their eyes locked, and Jet realized with a start that, no matter what, he couldn’t look away. The Natu’s pupils were dark and clear, and he felt himself drawn into them, almost as if he would fall if he let go of the ground.

“Um… excuse me.” Batoy glanced up to see an older girl with absolutely vibrant blue hair gazing back at him. “Do you own a male Quilava, maybe four, five years old?”

“Uh…” Batoy blushed slightly. The girl’s eyes matched her hair. Her face was very fair, with skin that could still use a little bit of attention. She wore a white windbreaker with blue strips that matched her hair. “Yeah… that’s Jet. Why?” He shuffled a bit. “Is he okay?”

“Well…” the girl looked over her shoulders. “If he keeps staring at my Natu for much longer, he’ll probably end up brain dead or something.”

“What?!” Batoy immediately jumped up, and his eyes fell on the staring contest that was going on. Jet was teetering from side to side while the Natu remained unmoving. “Jet, geez, cut it out before you get hurt!” Batoy picked up the Quilava, who, after a short moment, snapped out of the daze he’d fallen in. His ears sagged as he glanced down at the Natu, which was chirping in victory.

“Wow…” The girl appeared in front of Batoy, picking up the Natu and cradling it in her arms. “I didn’t think you’d actually bolt like that. I was just kidding. The most your Quilava would’ve gotten was a big headache.” While Batoy turned red with fluster, the girl rubbed the Natu’s head. “This little girl here is Elyia. She’d never hurt anyone unless I told her too.”

“So… that’s your Natu?” Batoy asked, ignoring Jet’s complaining grunts and folded paws. “And… you were kidding?”

“Yup! The name’s Mia. Who’re you?” the girl asked with a grin.

“Um… well, I’m Batoy… I guess… you’ll be competing in the show, too?”

“Well, sorta. I’m here for the battling. I don’t need to showcase my Pokemon to anyone. And you’re gonna be fighting, too, eh?”

“I… guess so….” Batoy flushed again.

“Aww, you’re blushing! That’s so cute… in a boyish kind of way.” Mia gave a grin that could send shivers down any male’s spine. “You must have a crush on me or something. It wouldn’t be the first time. Hey, you’d only be the third person to ask me out today!”

“But… I…”

“But I think this’ll be fun. I suppose I’ll take you up on your offer, and we’ll hang out tomorrow. Maybe have a dinner and a show. But trust me, if we room together, separate beds.”

“I… never…”

“So, I suppose that’s a date, huh Batoy? Heh, that’s really cute. This must be your first one. You couldn’t be any older than fourteen, could you? Trying to date a girl five years older. That’s so cute!”

“Fif…teen…” It was all Batoy could do under the assault.

“Ah, that’s not too bad either. So, you hanging out here with the other trainers, or maybe you booked a hotel somewhere.”

“I… don’t know…” Batoy swallowed, trying to regain his composure after his mind sorted through the baffling conversation he was in. “I haven’t… um… had time to really make any preparations….” He could always return to the breeding center.

“Wait, so you mean you don’t have anywhere to go?” Mia’s tone changed slightly. “That’s kind of irresponsible of you. Are you a beginning trainer or something? If so, I think a few of these trainers are a bit out of your league.”

A spark of anger flowed through Batoy’s system. “Look, I’m not gonna ask for anyone’s help or anything. I’m fighting because I have to.” He glanced at Jet. “We don’t need help from anyone and we’re not beginners, either.”

Mia’s eye sparkled, and rather than retreat, she leaned forward, a predatory look in her eyes. “Oh, is that so? Then tomorrow, during our date, I say we have a little sparring session. One against one. It’d be good to get the blood flowing.” She rubbed the Natu’s head. “Elyia seems energetic. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having a bit of exercise tomorrow.” Elyia chipped and flapped her stubby wings.

“You mean… a battle?”

“Well, it’s getting late. I suppose I’ll leave you to your own devices for tonight, then, since you are clearly self-sufficient. I’ll see you tomorrow, Batoy!” Mia grinned at the boy before partially unzipping her windbreaker and nestling the Natu inside. She pulled the hood over her head, and with a final wave, walked outside into the dark rain.

Batoy watched her go in silence before sighing and making his way to the distant seat he’d first sat on. “What… just happened, Jet?” he asked, his mind reeling, trying to make sense of the last few minutes. The Quilava shook his head, the fires burning lowly. ~Quil… quilava…~ he muttered, and Batoy rubbed his head, his fingers passing through the fire without harm. “It was kinda weird…”

For a few moments, Batoy and Jet sat in silence, watching the trainers amble about. He counted the different kinds of Pokemon about; about twenty he knew, and another ten he’d never seen before. As the night wore on, trainers came and went, some retiring to their rooms while others left in the fashion Mia had to go to their own quarters in hotels. “I told Peter I would, but….” Batoy shouldered off his backpack and set it beside him. “I just get a bad feeling about it….” Jet nodded in agreement.

“I guess… we’d better find a place to sleep, huh, Jet?” Batoy said softly. The lobby had almost completely emptied, and the woman had been replaced by another shift. Very few trainers remained, and those that did were fast asleep. “I guess it’s too late to really find a room at this time of night, too… I guess we’ll have to just do with what we have.”