Pokémon: Dark Armor

Chapter 7

"Well if it isn't the twat who stole the champion spot!" Raihan said sarcastically as I walked out of the Hammerlocke Pokémon Center.

"Well if it isn't the Prince of Narcissism!" I countered.

"Self-confidence, Champ, not narcissism," Raihan said, wagging his finger.

I scoffed. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that. You using the same team this time around?"

Raihan shrugged. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I winced slightly. "Yeah, and if it doesn't have any bloody dragons, don't call yourself a Dragon Leader!"

Raihan laughed, a sound that may have carried across the entire city. We were already attracting attention, being a Gym Leader and the Champion, plus the fact that he's about double my height. "So, what brings you to Hammerlocke anyways?"

"You, actually. Well, more specifically the girl you endorsed," I said.

"Ah, you met Orchid. What a kid, am I right?" He asked, his grin widening.

"For once, you are. She's from here, I assume?"

Raihan nodded. "Yeah. I've seen her around town in the past - It's kinda hard to miss a head of pink hair - but I didn't know much past her being a major battling fan. I do remember seeing her discussing last years' challengers with her friends. She was fangirling over you even before you beat Leon."

I laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, it was quite an experience just witnessing her reaction to me."

"Here comes the best part," Raihan said. "Both of her parents used to be trainers. I caught her battling with her parents' old Pokémon in the Wild Area. Let me tell you, that girl is a natural. She may give you a run for your money. As soon as I saw that, I offered her an endorsement without hesitation."

"Well, now you've gotten me excited. That's about all I was wondering. I'm gonna head out," I said, dialing a Corviknight Taxi.

"Well, I'll be sure to let you know when Orchid makes her way here!" Raihan said, walking away.

*****

I hopped out of the carriage right in front of Circhester Stadium, taking a second to take to drastic change in. The white and blue colors of the building had been changed to brown and gray, and the Ice symbol had of course been replaced with Rock. Even the walkway had changed. I quickly made my way inside to escape the cold piercing my skin.

"Welcome, Champion!" The receptionist said politely. "Unfortunately, no challengers have shown up yet, but they're expected to be here in just about an hour."

I shook my head. "Ah, no. I'm just here to meet the Gym Leader."

The receptionist nodded. "Of course. I'll call him for you."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later, the doors opened, and Gordie walked through, still wearing his tacky glasses despite being inside.

"Champion! It is so nice to finally meet you," he said, offering a handshake. "I'm Gordie."

I shook is hand, nodding. "Likewise. I'm Shield."

"I don't mean to rush you or anything, but we're expecting the challengers to start showing up soon, so I'd appreciate it if we made this short," Gordie said.

"Oh, of course. I just thought it'd be good to formally meet you," I said.

"That makes sense. It is nice to meet the girl who took down Leon," Gordie said with a smile.

Gordie and I talked for a few more minutes before I left, heading for Stow-on-Side.

*****

The Stow-on-Side stadium had likely been changed from it's purple theme to an orange theme befitting of the Fighting type.

This time, when I entered the gym, I found the new Gym Leader speaking with the receptionist, turning to face me when the door opened.

"Ah, you must be the Champion," she said, walking over. She was noticeably still barefoot, but I decided against questioning her. Unlike Gordie, she kept a cold, calm frown on her face, completely unrelenting.

"Yeah. You're Bea, right?" I asked, shaking her hand, though it was a stiff handshake.

"Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said.

I awkwardly smiled. She was certainly weird. "Yeah, same here. I just came by to introduce myself, so if you're busy I can just leave."

"I am busy right now, but thank you for stopping by," Bea said, waving politely as I left the building.

*****

I laid in my bead, scrolling through social media with a bored expression on my face. Despite all the preparation that went into the Gym Challenge, I didn't really do much. Sure, I was supposed to travel around the cities, handing out autographs and otherwise satisfying fans, but that was all stuff I had already been doing. The only difference was the slight increase in people bothering me everywhere I went, and having to wear my uniform everywhere. It was honestly kind of boring.

My phone dinged as a notification popped out from the top. My eyes lit up when I saw that it was a text from Marnie.

Marnie: Hey

I quickly texted back. Hey. What's up?

Marnie: Nothing, really. I'm just bored.

I laughed to myself slightly. Tell me about it. I've been laying here doing nothing for like an hour.

Marnie: You doing anything tomorrow?

Nah. I don't have much to do until the semi-finals start.

Marnie: You wanna come hang out at the gym? I'm supposed to stay there in case challengers show up but it's getting really boring.

I smiled brightly, tapping out my response. Sounds good. Any particular time?

Marnie: Just whenever you can I guess.

Cool, I'll come over when I wake up.

Marnie: Alright. See you then.

I lowered my phone, holding it against my chest and smiling, my heart beating with excitement. I always felt this way when I hung out with or talked to Marnie. Though, I guess that's exactly what a crush is.

I thought about the advice my dad had given me, rolling the words over in my head again and again. They seemed so simple, but I guess it was easier to say than to do. I glanced at my phone to check the time, reading 11:00 p.m., and decided to turn in for the night.