~Tring~
~Tring~
~Tring~
The sound of the alarm woke Daemon from his sleep.
The black-haired boy opened his eyes, which were clear even though he had just woken up from sleep. He turned his head to look at the psychic fairy who was up already and calmly meditating.
"Ready?"
Yes.
The thought popped into Daemon's mind as he got up from the bed with a smile. He checked the time, and it was 11:00 am. His gym battle was at 1:00 pm. He had allowed himself to sleep in for the day.
He scrolled through all the notifications, the majority of which were from his dad, who was way too excited to see his son on TV for the first time.
Eddard Aragon was a simple man who lived a simple life...until he had a son who wanted to conquer the world. So, what did he do? He made sure his son could dream as big as he could and supported Daemon as much as his financial conditions allowed him to.
Sending his son to trainer school, buying him a setup to play Pokémon games to get good at battling, and planning were only just the tip of the iceberg. And now that Daemon was finally going to fight a gym leader, a battle that would be broadcast like every other gym battle, Eddard had set up a huge projector and invited all the village residents to the central square.
Daemon chuckled when he saw his dad send him a selfie with the huge projector, already fired up and displaying another trainer's ongoing battle against Flint.
Dad:No one has beaten Flint for the day. I know you can do it. We are all cheering for you.
The hand that gripped his phone tightened unconsciously as he read the message.
If he succeeded in defeating Flint in a single try, the success would not just be his, but of all the people back at Clover Village who were cheering for him. To those people who did not dream too big because they could not fail, or else they would not be able to support their families.
So, now that someone among them had dared to do so...they had all come together to cheer for that 'one' person.
But...he still hadn't told his parents about the Team Rocket incident.
'I should keep that to myself.'
Daemon put the phone away, getting shivers after imagining the face of his mother, which was no less terrifying than a Tyranitar using [Hyper Beam].
It did not take long for him to get ready, and very soon he was standing in front of the mirror, looking at himself for one last time before heading off to the gym.
Thanks to the use of [Heal Pulse], his physique had grown, and so had his height. While he was always stronger than average due to working on a farm, his strength was now beyond average for sure.
He wore black pants and black boots with a black t-shirt.
If he was going to a gym battle, he wanted to be as confident as possible, which meant wearing his favourite colour.
Make sure to smile for her.
Ralts teased her partner since a certain golden-haired woman might come to watch this battle.
Daemon rolled his eyes at her and recalled her back to the pokeball that was now fashioned into a necklace. It was something he had decided to do since having Ralts close to his heart made him feel safe...
And you think it looks cool.
...And it looked cool to pluck the pokeball from there and release her. Daemon grudgingly admitted after his starter reminded him...like always.
"What are you, my mom?"
*Slap*
The mental slap made sure Daemon spoke no further and left his room. He pulled out his headphones, tapped the side of his glasses and started to play music to get himself fired up.
Name of the music? Slaughter.
The ever-so-famous "background" music to the boss battle when he challenged Cynthia in generation four games. As much as it gave him ptsd, it also got him fired up.
The walk to the gym was peaceful, and he was on time even after grabbing a coffee and a bagel to go along. Though he made sure to finish them before reaching the gym.
"Daemon Aragon? You are right on time." The receptionist confirmed his Trainer ID and made sure the boy had cleared the test against a gym trainer. Once all the formalities were done, the receptionist pointed behind him. "Go in and have a seat."
Daemon walked past the receptionist.
He was alone in the locker room, where the lights were dim except for the brightness of the TV displaying Flint's battle with another trainer.
~Tap~
~Tap~
~Tap~
His right foot tapped the floor in a rhythm until the door to the locker room opened with a jolt.
"Daemon Aragon?"
The black-haired boy raised his head towards the gym trainer, his black eyes filled with intensity, unlike someone coming here for their first official gym battle and nodded.
"How good are you with lights?" The gym trainer asked.
"I can manage."
The older man came and started preparing the challenger. "You will have a light focused on you, for the camera crew to get a clear view." He attached a microphone to him. "Make sure to choose your words wisely, as everything is Live. You say something embarrassing, you live with it being broadcast to the world."
Daemon nodded.
"And please don't touch the psychic barrier of Kadabra...it can mess with it, and we would like to avoid that. Understood?"
Daemon nodded.
"Any other questions?"
Daemon nodded.
"What?"
"Do I get extra money for wiping the floor with Flint?"
"Y-You w-what?" The gym trainer tried to process the question, but at the same time, he got the cue to send the next challenger in. "It's your turn."
The black-haired boy closed his eyes, took a deep breath and walked out of the locker room, towards the light at the end of the tunnel he was in. And for the first time...it hit him.
He was a Pokémon trainer.
The stadium was jam-packed with people since it was a saturday which meant people had nothing better to do, and when they saw the next challenger walk in, they all cheered as loudly as they could.
"Now, towards one end, we have a new challenger! Daemon Aragon, from Ransei Island!"
The crowd of Kantoians went silent for a second.
"Sponsored by the Indigo League, he will be challenging Leader Flint for his first badge."
The cheers once again multiplied when they learnt he was from Kanto...yeah, people in Kanto were like that. The desperation of not having their own champion for over ten years could do that to people.
Daemon stood still in the small box meant for him. His eyes darted around...the crowd, the cheers, the craze for Pokémon battling...it all crashed into him like a wave.
He even saw Misty and Ash up in a corner, but his eyes...they only searched for golden hair, somewhere in the crowd. And there she was...
Right behind where Flint would stand, her golden hair let loose behind her. She wore an outfit similar to his. Black pants with black heels and a black t-shirt. However, today, a black cap with the golden insignia of a dragon-type Pokémon sat on her head, hiding her golden eyes. Her lips were pressed into a soft smile...as if she knew he had noticed her all the way from his trainer's box.
But then he walked in.
Watching him from a distance or in a video was quite different from facing him head-on. Even as far as they stood, the crushing pressure, just the sheer presence of this man, created on him was mind-baffling. He was like a rock; heavy and unmovable.
Facing him like this was a battle in itself...a battle Daemon did not lose as he stood before the gym leader and guardian of Pewter City with clear black eyes.
"Welcome, challenger," Flint said with his deep and heavy voice. "This will be a two-on-two battle with one switch-in allowed to you. I reserve the right to use any Pokémon in my arsenal that I deem fit, and killing any Pokemon will get you disqualified from the League Circuit. Are you ready?"
Was he ready?
Daemon looked at the gym leader who had posed him that question, and his hands, which were gripped into a fist, shot outward before he pulled out a pokeball from the necklace he wore.
He tapped the button on its centre and stepped forward with his left foot.
Under the surprised gazes of spectators and the gym leader, the black-haired boy threw the pokeball as far as he could.
Swoosh
"Alice, I choose you!"
The pokeball opened near the centre of the battlefield, and from within appeared a psychic fairy.
There were no theatricals in her entrance; the psychic fairy just stood there with a soft smile on her face as the rebound function on the pokeball brought it back to Daemon's hands.
"You are as impatient as that brat from last night." The gym leader clicked his tongue.
"Does not matter who goes first, the result would not change."
Flint paused, and so did the crowd, before the gym leader let out a booming laughter. "It does not happen often that I get excited for a battle against a rookie." He took out a Pokeball and pointed it forward. "Then show me if you are all talk, or bite as well."
The gym leader pointed forward a Pokeball from which appeared a large and round Pokémon.
*Thud*
It did not land but crashed on the battlefield, its weight cracking the ground beneath it.
Daemon showed no surprise and remained calm, but his mind was working. '[Rock Polish] twice and then [Defence Curl] into [Rollout].'
"Both of you ready?" The referees asked, and then he announced. "Begin!"
Flint stood like a boulder and commanded without much theatrics. "[Rock Polish] twice, then [Defence Curl] into [Rollout]."
"Alice, set it up." The black-haired boy ordered softly, and the psychic-type closed her eyes before raising her hands into the air. Even as the Geodude rolled over at blinding speed, the psychic fairy cared little for it and stuck to the plan.
Daemon watched as Ralts reached the limit of how much energy she could currently put in the move, and then, at the rock-type rolling over.
And since Daemon had carefully calculated everything, the moment Geodude jumped into the air and came crashing down, Ralts opened her eyes.
'[Thunder Punch],' the challenger thought.
"[Thunder Punch]," the gym leader commanded.
His lips parted into a wide grin as Daemon gave the next command. "[Reflect] and [Psychic]."
The fist covered in lightning stopped three inches from Ralts's face as the Geodude was stuck in the air with a baffled expression. The circular shield separating the two Pokémon had decreased the strength of the crackling [Thunder Punch] to a mere flicker of electricity.
From every Pokémon Flint would use, to every move these Pokémon knew and how the gym leader used these Pokémon...Daemon had seen and memorized everything.
Rather than panicking when the Geodude increased its speed and then defence, Daemon waited for the usual combo Flint loved to use.
Flint loved to make his "rolling" Pokémon increase their speed and defence, then rush forward, jump in the air and come crashing down with a [Hammer Arm] or [Thunder Punch]. If the attack landed, good, otherwise, he would have commanded the rock-type to use [Rock Throw].
With chunks of rocks floating in the air after the [Hammer Arm] or [Thunder Punch], the real [Rock Throw] would be hidden, taking the Pokémon and its trainer by surprise.
'Not today.' The challenger thought.
Today...everything would go, just as he planned.
The psychic focus of Ralts was not strong enough to extend quite far from her body, but it was very much capable of handling a Geodude at such proximity. Of course, the rock-type was heavy enough that the psychic-type could not hold it for a long time. So, Ralts tossed the Geodude in the air and then brought her hands together.
Her eyes shone purple as concentrated psychic energy gathered in her palms.
"[Psybeam]."
A concentrated beam of psychic energy slammed into the rock-type as it smashed into the psychic barrier behind Leader Flint.
"Impressive." The gym leader commented on the psychic control and energy reserves of the Ralts. Stopping a boulder rolling over at you at high speeds was easier said than done.
However, the psychic type not only caught the rock-type in the air, but she also flung it up and then used an energy-intensive move for her current evolution. Yet, the psychic type had enough energy to send out a [Shadow Ball] right after the [Psybeam].
~Boom~
The ghost-type attack slammed into the rock-type that was trying to get back up.
While the [Defence Curl] had increased its defence, its special defences were still as weak as before.
~Boom~
And because she loved to make sure her opponents remained downed, Ralts always sent an extra attack...in this case, another [Shadow Ball] at the Geodude.
"Geodude is unable to battle. Leader Flint, please send your next Pokémon." The referee announced.
Flint recalled the Geodude back to its pokeball before staring at the Ralts that was dusting her hands off the imaginary dirt. "She is very close to her evolution."
Daemon, his smile tugging at his lips, looked at the gym leader.
"I have never seen a Ralts so strong...well...I haven't seen many Ralts, honestly, but my point stands." Flint smiled as he pressed a button with which the set of pokeballs in front of him dipped back into the floor, and a new set of pokeballs was raised towards him. "So, I hope you won't mind if I test you a little."
Flint looked at the three Pokeballs displayed before him; he turned to the Ralts and then back towards the pokeball before choosing the one to the far right.
"Are you ready for round two?"
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[Author's Note]: (2 of 2 Chapters/Week) - anything else after this will be decided on how much I can write.
[1]: Hope you all like the chapter and the gym fight so far.
[2]: I will release the second part of this gym battle once it's fully done and edited. Will not keep you guys hanging on a cliffhanger for long...I promise. Give me a few hours.
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