Project: Titans -- A Pokemon Story (OC x Piers)

Chapter 13

The second we touched down in Motostoke, Meowsie burst out of her luxury ball and made a total scene about choking to death.

"Honestly, I don't know how the others do it," she murmured to me when the stares from passersby more-or-less stopped. "They sit on their butts all day, in a cramped, dark space with absolutely nothing to do. It's torture!"

"Really?" I asked. "Because it sounds just like your cup of tea." I continued as we walked down the streets, passing by dozens of people of all kinds with their Pokemon. "You're all for lazing about on my shoulder, watching the world pass by around you-"

"Well, duh! Luxury balls don't have windows. How am I supposed to enjoy the view if I can't even see it?"
"Eh, fair enough," I admitted as I spotted the lift to the gym. "Now stop talking. We're getting on the lift."

As we stepped onto the huge, metal platform, I immediately walked over and gripped the side of the railing. I'd heard a lot about the unpredictability of the Motostoke platforms, and frankly I didn't feel like risking falling into giant, grinding gears.

Injuries were rare and deaths were rarer, and mostly consisted of idiots getting the idea in their brains that ten-ton metal gears grinding your organs to a paste wasn't a big threat, so they stood on the edge of the rails, sometimes being really stupid and standing outside the railings. Over the years, the safety features had improved a lot more, but I really didn't feel like testing those waters.

A few more people were boarding the lift, casually standing around and chatting, but none were holding onto the rails. A part of me was tempted to let go, but the other part was welded firmly to the metal. In particular my hands. Steam hissing, and with the horrible shrieking of gears, the platform shuddered and began to rise, moving around in a clockwise motion on a giant gear. Thirty seconds later, and we had arrived at the next level of the city.

I felt a bit silly, clinging to the rails for dear life, but when the platform shuddered to a stop, I was not the one jumping up and down yelling, 'Let's do that again!'. Swiftly walking off the platform, I took a deep breath of relief to be standing on solid ground again. Then, Meowsie shrieked as she glanced at my wristwatch.

"Gia, we're gonna be late for the opening ceremony!" Thankfully, the lift had spit us out just a few blocks from the stadium. Sprinting at top speed, I barreled down the streets until the stadium was in sight. Slowing down so I could make a composed entrance, I gave a little nod of hello to the League staff on either side of the doors, and walked into the stadium.

The inside was huge, with little couches in the corners, presumably for the challengers who were waiting for their gym mission. There were little white pillars with golden Cubone statues on top of them (for what purpose, I couldn't tell you) near the entrance, and in the back was a large desk with a League staff member behind it. Usually, I would have drifted over to the challengers around my age to chat, but I couldn't. Primarily because there were no people in the lobby.

"Oh! Are you a last-minute challenger?" The man asked me when I approached the desk. "Yes," I nodded, no accent this time. "Here's my letter of recommendation." Accepting it without a second glance, he quickly slid a form in front of me along with a pen.

"Quickly, fill this out," he instructed. "And be sure to give me your uniform number, too. Then get changed in the locker room. Quickly, the opening ceremony will start any second!" Skimming over the form and signing where I needed to, he handed me a uniform with my chosen number.

Number 63. Goroawase for 'rose'. Sweet and beautiful, but will cut you with its thorns when you get too close. Personally, I felt it fit me to a tee. And with all the symbolic metaphors, it's almost impossible not to love. Usually I'm not one for poetry, but the rose was one I resonated the most with. Hurriedly slipping on my white uniform in the changing room, I burst out the door and hurried to the room connected to the pitch, and just in time, too. The Gym Leaders had just left to make their appearance.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you our Gym Leaders!" came Chairman Rose's voice from the loudspeakers outside. Immediately, cheers went up from outside the door leading to the stadium itself. There were dozens of people of all ages in the waiting room, casually conversing in the back or checking up on their partners. But most of their eyes were glued to the TV screen in the corner, which was a live broadcast of the field itself.

"It's the fighting farmer, and Turffield's own professional Wooloo wrangler, Milo!" I watched as the camera zoomed in on his face, his wide grin and green eyes sparkling with delight, casually walking onto the field with huge strides.

"Next up...the raging wave! It's the master of water-types, Hulbury's beautiful gym leader and part-time model, Nessa!" Her expression was a far cry from Milo's, her ultramarine eyes stoic and her posture serious and less casual, taking tiny yet meaningful steps.

"The ever-burning man of fire! It's the Hoenn veteran and Motostoke's own Gym Leader, Kabu!" Immediately a bunch of cheers went up when a man with grey hair, maybe in his early sixties, jogged onto the pitch, a white towel slung around his shoulders. He was a popular gym leader. Good to know.

"Now for the two gym leaders of Stow-On-Side! First up...it's the Galarian karate protege and Fighting-type expert! Please welcome Bea to the field!" At this, a relatively tall fourteen-or-so year old with ash-grey hair in a bob strode confidently onto the field in bare feet and a Fighting-type uniform.

"And now for the silent, school-boy wonder! Friend to ghosts and hidden from the world, it's Allister!" A few people cheered when a little boy, no more than ten with scraggly raven hair, shuffled onto the field, but for the most part the audience stayed silent.

I felt a small pang of sympathy for the poor kid; he was definitely not a people person. And if his shy, slumped walk didn't give it away, the pearly-white mask covering his face definitely did. He didn't even make eye contact with his fellow gym leaders when he reached them in the center of the field.

"And now, we welcome a new face to the challenge this year! First time Ballonlea gym leader and Opal's successor, the Fairy-type gym leader, Bede! Don't let the cute typing fool you; he is a real force to be reckoned with."

A man around twenty, with violet eyes and platinum blond hair swept up into neat curls on his head, smiled at the compliments and occasionally waved to the crowd as he walked. I nearly choked to death on my laughter at his cotton-candy scheme blue and pink uniform.

"And now, yet another duo! Mother and son, Rock and Ice, please welcome Circhester's family gym leaders, Melony and Gordie!" Immediately when they stepped onto the field, almost every girl in the stadium let out a terrific shriek of excitement. Melony, the mother, had corn-silk white hair and a very fashionable uniform; a huge, fluffy sweater with the Ice-type gym logo on the front, and an adorable beret-type hat to go with it.

Her son, on the other hand, was less than warm and snuggly. His classic uniform was covered by a large, dusty brown jacket, and the tips of his hair were dyed a bright yellow, like a yellow crayon had melted on his head. He also had a bright blue visor that blocked my view of his eyes. He sent multiple finger-guns in various directions towards the crowd, which swooned and shrieked whenever he looked their way. Melony was simply walking, occasionally waving and smiling at her fans.

"And, finally, the master of weather and tamer of dragons, it's Raihan!!" Huge cheers arose from the crowd outside, but a few of us were wondering aloud what had happened to the seventh gym. "Unfortunately, we're missing one right now, but....these are the gym leaders we in Galar are proud to call our own!"

Confused chatter arose from the locker room and people outside. I was confused even more when Rose failed to even mention the name of the missing gym leader. Even if he didn't Dynamax and had a bit of an attitude problem, Piers at least deserved a small mention.

"Now, I am very proud to present this year's gym challengers! Please, come out onto the pitch!"