A/N: Sorry for the long break, everyone. Moved back to the west coast (best coast), finished my first week of onboarding for the new job, and am currently looking for an apartment. But I'm good, the cross-country drive was a fantastic reset, and I'm ready for more. Poll after the chapter, enjoy!
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[Unknown POV, Chamber of Emptiness]
"Sir, we've brought in some more traitors!"
The Team Flux admins, Oly, Cas, and Ada, stood outside of an empty cave, a raised wall of stone separating them from their leader's preferred thinking spot.
"Take them to the other cavern. Mr. Hayden will see to them soon," a thick, resonant voice rang out, oppression radiating out with it. The three admins broke out in a sweat.
"Yessir!" all three called out before herding a dozen beaten grunts into the next hollowed section of the cave. Several minutes after trapping them in the room, Ada's strawberry blonde hair bounced as she turned to look back at Mara's impromptu office.
"Damn," she broke the silence. "You'd think I'd get used to it by now."
Oly clicked her tongue as she took off her varsity jacket, exposing her sun kissed skin. "You can't handle a bit of pressure like that? How are you planning on being the top admin?"
Ada glared at her as she replied, "You're the one with your hair sticking to the side of your face from all the sweat!"
Cas glanced at Oly, who's long brown hair was indeed glued to her forehead and cheeks.
"Don't even say anything, Cas," she growled. "You're the one that got beaten to a pulp back at the Day-Care. That's why we shouldn't recruit Senior Trainers. People like you don't take training seriously."
"Oh yeah, I don't take my training seriously. Maybe that's why my ace isn't threatening enough to force others to Mega Evolve. Oh, wait, that's you."
Ada rolled her eyes as she stepped between the two, stopping Oly before she exploded like a Voltorb. "Stop before-"
The air filled with murderous intent, freezing all three in place. They stood like Buneary surrounded by a Houndoom pack, unable to force breath into their lungs. The feeling passed just as suddenly as it appeared, and the three admin gasped for air.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out of the cavern Mara was in. His chestnut hair was perfectly trimmed short, leaving a small, curved-in tuft to line the top of his face. His square jaw made the eternal frown on his face more prominent. The temperature dropped just slightly as he walked closer, not returning to normal for several moments after entering the area with the grunts.
"Ladies, let's control ourselves," his gritty voice rang out as he walked to the other room. Before walking in, he looked over his shoulder and stared deep into Cas' eyes. "We wouldn't want things to get out of hand, right?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[Marco POV, Ambrette Town]
I woke up with a jolt, thirty minutes before my alarm. I tried to go back to sleep, for the tenth time, but the alarm screamed just as my body grew comfortable and my eyes started to feel heavy. My throat was scratchy and parched, but I'd already finished the water in my metal water bottle. I sat up and watched as the team slept through the alarm.
Tetsu lay between the wall and the bed with Nautilus on top of her as both slept without a sound. Nova curled up on the bed frame, positioned carefully to avoid setting anything on fire as she slept. At some point in the night, she'd snuggled closer to them and even held Nautilus' damaged tentacle to her face. Boaris…
His snores shook the bed lightly as the vibrations traveled from underneath and up through the frame.
'Today is gonna suck.'
I shook my head, deciding that negativity so early in the day would only hinder my performance during the Gym Challenge. Focus was the name of the game today, so I walked to the bathroom and got ready for the bike ride.
The next hour was a blur. I woke up the team and ordered breakfast for us, eating as I made my final checks on everything we needed. Before I knew it, I was standing in the lobby, holding onto the bike Grant gave me with one hand. Nautilus plopped himself onto my head, refusing to go into his ball.
"Are you ready for your Gym Challenge?" Nurse Joy asked, glancing at the clock.
I looked at the bike, making sure both water bottles were attached to the frame. My hands fumbled around the bike, my exhaustion leaking through as I, once again, checked to make sure the bike wouldn't fall apart.
"As ready as I'll ever be," I answered, stifling a yawn. I squeezed a fist, digging my nails into my palm. "I got this."
"Kay!"
"Gym Leader Grant left me some rules to tell you before you get started, so please pay attention. One, this challenge must be completed by your own physical effort on the bike. He means no Pokémon moves are allowed if they give you an advantage in any way. Second, you must make it to the Gym Trainer in eight hours or less. Even one second over will mean failure. Third, shortcuts are not allowed. I believe this one is mostly integrity on your part, but I would not be surprised if he contacted the Rangers and set up some local Pokémon to watch and ensure you stay on the main path, barring any unusual circumstance. Fourth, which he stressed more than the others, is that you absolutely cannot battle others while biking during the Gym Challenge. Are the rules clear?"
"Yes, I understand them perfectly," I answered.
"Perfect!" she replied with a relieved smile. "I'll record the moment you leave the Center's doors and send it to Gym Leader Grant. Good luck!"
I walked up to the doors, close enough that they slid open. Taking another deep breath, I got on the bike and rubbed Nautilus' head. "Let's go!"
I pushed the pedal forward, the high resistance surprising me for a moment as the gears turned and the chains pulled the wheels into motion. The bike sped forward, nearly throwing me off as we shot out of the Center. I gripped the handlebars and continued pedaling down a path on the other side of the aquarium. My Pokétch, already set to the map and with the directions toggled on, told me my current pace would get me to Cyllage City in just under ten hours.
'I need to push harder.'
I grit my teeth as I swerved between pedestrians, the path towards Cyllage City large enough to easily accommodate a sprawled out Gyarados. Ambrette Town's bright, coastal scenery stayed mostly the same for the first few minutes. The path took me toward the cliffside as I approached Route 8. I shifted down a few gears as the incline steadily grew steeper, looking for a sign to direct me.
Nautilus chirped and pointed toward a fork in the road. There was a sign labelled "Murraile Coast" with two arrows. One arrow pointed up to Connecting Cave, the other down to a path that eventually lined the side of a road. I chose to go down, the inclined bike path evening out for a moment before dropping. It led me to a beautiful beachside sight, the ocean glittering in the early morning. A ginormous cliff lined the right side of the route, giving me some assurance that Pokémon wouldn't jump out at us.
With the bike moving faster, I quickly found a speed that put me well under the eight hours needed to pass the Gym Challenge. Unfortunately, it was too fast for me to keep it up the entire time.
"Alright, Naut, I can't slack on this if we want to battle the next Gym. Watch out for threats for me." When I heard him chirp in agreement, the only things I let myself notice were the road in front of me, the bike, and my legs.
The first hour was fine. I pedaled at the highest gear available, weaving around obstacles and ignoring battle requests from Trainers walking in both directions. The second hour was mostly fine, but my back and legs were growing increasingly uncomfortable as I felt the burn. My back and groin were starting to hurt, and I noticed my speed fluctuating more. The warm morning air had turned hot and humid as midday approached, making my discomfort increase rapidly. At the end of the third hour, I'd slowed down enough to give me a fifty-fifty chance of making it in time. I was also struggling to keep my breath even, the sweat dripping down my face stinging my eyes. My legs and lower back really hurt now, almost getting to the point of being unbearable. I pushed through it all, forcing my legs to pedal as fast as they could move despite feeling like drying cement. As I moved along a curve, something nudged my brain.
On my head, Nautilus sat thoroughly relaxed. I felt the Psychic energy collecting around him as he practiced his meditations. I forced myself to focus back on the challenge, but I kept getting distracted each time he passively brushed the edge of my mind.
"Not… Now… B-buddy," I barely managed through gritted teeth. His nudges continued, quickly adapting to not be so noticeable as the Psychic Energy interacted with me.
I pushed myself harder, forcing my breathing into a somewhat steady rhythm. It hurt so much, and my time on the Pokétch kept ticking up. 'C'mon, Marco, don't slow down.'
Another wave of Psychic Energy entered my head, washing over my brain completely. Lyla's bloody, terror-marred face appeared in my vision, freezing my body for a moment and almost causing me to crash. I blinked rapidly.
Her mouth opened, her lips forming words that didn't reach me. It quickly morphed into the young man with a ponytail, his face still twisted with rage and hate. He snarled something, but even without sound I knew what he was telling me. The mental image then transformed into the young redhead, her gentle face smiling encouragingly.
"It's not your fault, love."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Where should Marco get his last four Badges?
Sinnoh
Kalos
Alola
Paldea