Arata's POV
"We did it,
" I thought giddily, a rush of adrenaline coursing through me as I stood there, heart hammering against my ribs. The roar of the crowd finally broke through the haze in my ears. I took a few deep breaths, trying to center myself, then looked over at Caesar and sent him a strong wave of pride and victory.
He turned to me after he finished his victory posing, huffing as if to say, What did you expect? I smirked at him, then slowly lost it as I noticed his labored breathing, the frost-ridden scales that looked brittle to the touch, and, are those fractures on his tusk? I thought, alarmed. He had emerged superior in the fight, but he had undeniably taken damage.
I left him unprepared against Ice-types...
It wasn't done deliberately; I just hadn't had the opportunity to do so. Ice-types were rare in Kanto, and though a few resided at Oak's labs, Caesar had been too young for type-resistance training at the time. Moreover, Ice-types were notoriously harmful to dragons in general. Still, it was a glaring hole in our preparation. Something I'd need to fix soon.
Should I try and acquire an Ice-type? I thought, returning him to his Poké Ball, watching the red light pull him back inside with a few more whispered words of thanks. The platform beneath me slowly lowered back to the ground.
The second I stepped off, a Gym employee approached me with a polite smile.
"Mr. Ishida? The Gym Leader would like to speak with you and also present you with the badge. She's on her way over now."
I nodded, wiping the sweat from my brow, a testament to the battle's exertion.
A few moments later, Lola Harrison strode across the battlefield with a confident gait, expertly navigating the broken terrain. Up close, I could see she was fairly muscular, with broad shoulders and strong arms. She waved casually at the cheering crowd as the commentator's voice echoed through the arena.
"That concludes today's Gym challenges! The next televised match will begin at 6 PM!"
Lola stopped in front of me, flashing an energetic grin.
"Arata! I can call you Arata, right?" she laughed. "That was a wonderful battle. Truly impressive. I even had to pull out most of my stops for a first-level badge."
Her expression turned a little more meaningful as she looked at me.
"Then again... we should expect nothing less from a protégé of Champion Oak."
Interesting, she calls him Champion, I thought, as I accepted her compliment graciously. She gestured to an assistant who brought over a small tray. Lola picked up the gleaming Boulder Badge and a TM disk, then proceeded to hand them to me.
"Here's your Boulder Badge, denoting you've achieved victory over my gym. We don't normally do this, but here's a TM for Stone Edge. Use it well," she said, enjoying my surprise. She was right; Gym Leaders didn't usually give out TMs. "Your prize money will be transferred to your account shortly."
I straightened and accepted both with a respectful nod. "Thank you, Leader Harrison. It was an honor."
She studied me for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Will you be staying in Pewter for a while?"
"Yes," I replied. "I need to get my team healed up at the Center, and I'll be sticking around for a local contest. A friend of mine is planning to participate."
Lola's face lit up. "That's great! Pewter City is always happy to welcome exceptional trainers. Enjoy your stay."
With that, she gave me a firm pat on the shoulder and walked off. Seeing as I was done, I let out a long breath and started heading toward the exit.
"Arata!!"
I looked up just in time to see Maggie sprinting toward me, straw hat bouncing wildly on her head.
"Arata! You were so cool!" she yelled, launching herself at me for a hug.
I laughed and caught her mid-air, ruffling her hair. The motion knocked her hat off, which made her immediately pout and scramble after it on the floor. Marrie walked up behind her, trying and failing to hide the awe in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something but was holding back.
Maggie, of course, had no such restraint. She bounced on her toes, still clutching her hat. "Livia was so cool! She was zooming everywhere and then—bam! And Caesar! We could feel his roar from the stands! It was awesome!"
Amused at her enthusiasm, I said, "I'm glad you were entertained, kiddo."
Marrie let out a soft laugh and nodded along as I looked at her. "Maggie's right. The other matches we watched weren't even close to that. People in the stands were whispering that this had to be at least a sixth or a seventh badge challenge, and not a first badge match."
A little spark of pride warmed my chest at that. I tried not to grin too obviously.
"What did I tell you?" I said, spreading my hands. "We were going to win."
Marrie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Sure you did. You were definitely not nervous at all before the match."
I shrugged innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
She gave me a knowing look but didn't push it.
I glanced toward the exit. "You guys can leave if you have anything else to do. I need to go to the Pokémon Center and get Livia and Caesar checked out properly."
Marrie shifted her weight, looking a little hesitant. "We don't really have anything else to do... If you're free in the evening, maybe you could give me some pointers? For tomorrow's contest, I mean."
I smiled. "Yeah, I'd be happy to."
Her shoulders relaxed in visible relief. "Thanks."
The three of us left the Gym together, stepping back out into the afternoon sun as we made our way back to the Pokémon Center.
One badge down, I thought, a small smile tugging at my lips. Seven more to go.
Pokémon Center
South Pewter
We made our way back to the Pokémon Center in record time. I pushed the pace a little, wanting to get Caesar and Livia checked out as quickly as possible. The girls headed straight for the elevator to go up to our room while I stopped at the front counter.
I paused a little as I saw a pink-haired, beautiful woman looking at me with a smile. This was the first time I'd seen a Nurse Joy in person, and... yeah. The rumors were true: They all look the same.
"Welcome to the Pewter City Pokémon Center," she said cheerfully. "How can I help you today?"
I placed Caesar's and Livia's Poké Balls on the counter. "I'd like to get these two checked out and healed, please. They took some heavy hits in a Gym battle."
Nurse Joy picked up the balls, scanning them quickly. Her eyebrows lifted slightly when Caesar's data came up. "Oh... this one is marked as a high-risk Pokémon due to his size and species. We'll be extra careful with him."
I nodded but felt compelled to defend my oldest friend.
"He might look dangerous, but he's perfectly behaved and mostly calm."
She smiled softly. "I'm sure he is. And I can see you already have rooms booked for a few days, correct?"
"That's right."
"Perfect. I'll take good care of them. They should be ready in a couple of hours if they aren't in terrible shape."
I sent a quick, reassuring pulse through the bond to both Livia and Caesar. You're in good hands. Rest up, fellas.
With that settled, I thanked her and headed for the elevator. As the doors closed, I leaned against the wall and let out a long breath and smiled.
I did it! I felt the badge inside my pocket, thinking I really should get a case for them, and let Hailey and the Professor know. The elevator dinged open on our floor. I made my way down the hallway and opened the door to our room.
Marrie and Maggie were already inside, excitedly introducing themselves to a boy around my age, who was unpacking on the top bunk above mine. He had that effortlessly vain look: carefully styled hair, expensive-looking clothing, the whole package.
"Oh, Arata!" Maggie waved excitedly. "This is Kai! He's staying in our room too."
I gave him a nod and a small smile. "Hey. I'm Arata. Looks like we're bunkmates."
Kai grinned back. "Nice to meet you, man. Congrats on the win earlier," he said, nodding to the girls, indicating he'd heard it from them.
"Thanks," I said, genuinely appreciative. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower. Make yourselves at home, I guess."
After a much-needed hot shower, I came back out feeling a lot more human. The girls had stepped out to grab some food, so I dropped onto my bed, finally letting myself relax. I pulled out my Pokédex and opened it with a soft mechanical chime.
First, I sent a quick photo of the Boulder Badge to Hailey along with a short message:
-I Won
Then I typed out a message to Professor Oak:
-I got my first badge. Caesar and Livia did great. The match was televised; you could probably get a copy of it.
I paused for a moment, then opened the old group chat I hadn't touched in ages. I saw Haru had left it some time ago. Only three of us remained now — Rin, Mira, and me. I had already connected back with Mira some time ago, and I couldn't see any reason not to with Rin as well. A strange wave of nostalgia hit me as I stared at the old messages.
I typed before I could overthink it:
Hey guys. Been a while. Just got my first badge in Pewter. How've you guys been?
I hit send, then closed the Pokédex and set it aside. The girls still weren't back yet so I laid back on the bed to get some rest.
Later that evening, I headed downstairs to grab a sandwich and check on my Pokémon. The nurse at the counter told me Caesar and Livia still needed a bit more time, so I wandered over to the small café corner.
That's when I spotted Marrie sitting by herself near the window, clearly waiting for me, sipping a drink.
"Hey," I said, walking over. "Were you waiting long?"
She looked up and gave me a small smile. "Not at all."
I sat down across from her. "Where's Maggie?"
"She's on the PC upstairs. She talked the staff into letting her book a training session for us in the back field," Marrie said.
We finished our food quickly and made our way to the training area behind the Center. A few other trainers were scattered around, but we found a quiet corner and ignored them.
I turned to Marrie. "So, what's your plan for tomorrow's contest?"
She shifted her weight, looking a little self-conscious. "I already have a routine planned for the Appeal round with Princess. We've practiced it a lot. But the Battle round..." She trailed off, biting her lip. "I'm not sure we're strong enough. If we even clear the Appeal stage."
I gave her a steady look. "Hey. Have some confidence in your Pokémon. That's half the battle right there."
She nodded slowly, still looking unsure.
"Realistically," I continued, "we can't build up raw power, strategy, or experience in a single day. But we can work on smart tactics—like dodging with Quick Attack, or using Thunder Wave or Nuzzle every time there's contact in a match. It might not sound grand, but it could be the difference between winning and losing."
Marrie thought about it for a moment, then gave a firmer nod. "Okay. Let's try."
She reached for her Poké Ball and released Princess. The little Pichu popped out with an energetic "Chu~!" and immediately climbed onto Marrie's shoulder, cheeks sparking happily.
I smiled at the
sight. "You'll need a training partner," I said, reaching for my belt. "Come out, Orin!"
"Alright," I said, cracking my knuckles lightly. "Let's get to work."