Pokémon Bloodstone | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 47: The Gem Badge

'Dude, you gave me this name. I didn't choose it.'

'I had nothing to do with it. Look at yourself! Look at your hair! Your eyes! Look at Hanila! You are not my daughter!'

'You're acting like a child, Dad.'

'Don't call me Dad. You don't get it, do you? You aren't my child! You were adopted! Not that I knew any better until four months ago!'

'Oh. So that's why you've been treating me like a piece of shit stuck to your shoe since. Real mature, Dad. Who are my actual parents, then?'

'We don't know,' Kleto stammered, 'You're our daughter to us, Chalcedony.'

'She is not. Not anymore. If she wants to take off to Sunset City to chase an imaginary career in acting and get knocked up by some director old enough to be her grandpa, so be it. She's not my problem. She's not our problem.'

Chalcedony had nothing else to say. Her bags were already packed. She took them from the room she shared with Hanila and left while her parents argued. Kleto ran after her. She begged her to stay. Chalcedony ignored her. She walked and walked, past Cail who asked if she was alright at the town's entrance, until she was out in the open desert and Kleto lost sight of her.

She never replied to their texts. Back then, Ruhul wouldn't have been any more impressed with Chalcedony doing the Gym Challenge than her failed career as an actress. So... did Cail ask him to show up? Whether he did or not... she remained determined not to let that throw her off. Not now she actually saw a hopeful sunrise in her future. Cail waved as he strode onto the battlefield.

'It's not every year we get a challenger from Pyrite. And that means you know damn well this is the town for battling! Get ready for this!'

Cail sent out Houndoom and Krokorok. Chalcedony chose Salazzle and Clauncher's newly evolved form, Clawitzer. She knew from Zileh's and Ivor's battles that Krokorok knew Swagger, but Houndoom did not.

'Salazzle! Use Taunt on that Krokorok! Clawitzer! Water Pulse!'

Salazzle's Taunt left Krokorok unable to use status moves. Houndoom let loose an eerie Howl to heighten its attack. It was blasted off balance by Water Pulse. Chalcedony switched Salazzle out for Umbreon. When Houndoom sank its fangs into Umbreon's dark fur with Bite, it didn't do much damage. Krokorok burrowed under the colosseum's loose, rusty tiles. The cleaners didn't bother to repair them. Krokorok would only wreck them again and besides, Cail quite enjoyed his reputation for paying staff to make the colosseum look as decrepit as possible. Water Pulse confused Houndoom. It knocked itself out in confusion on the next turn. Krokorok leapt out at Umbreon. It was wrestled to the floor, but it shook Krokorok off and rolled back onto its feet. Clawitzer blasted Water Pulse. A Focus Sash was tied around its waist. It allowed it to remain conscious before disintegrating. Umbreon used Confuse Ray. Krokorok was left chasing its own tail.

Cail smirked. This was his kind of battle, whether he won or not. He sent out Honchkrow. Chalcedony hesitated. Cail probably expected her to switch out for Salazzle so it could Taunt Honchkrow out of using Swagger, but switching out would give him the chance to use it. She left Umbreon there. Honchkrow indeed puffed out its chest to enrage Umbreon with Swagger. It was too late for Krokorok. It bit into its own arm. The blood loss drained what remained of its consciousness. Clawitzer's Water Pulse hit Honchkrow instead. Umbreon tried to use Confuse Ray, but it rolled over and slammed its head on the metal floor.

Chalcedony was sure her shoes were sticking to it. The afternoon sun, burning through holes in the colosseum's walls, baked the floor. No wonder the dirt wouldn't come off, even if someone tried. Cail sent out Shiftry. Chalcedony regretted not switching out. Now Honchkrow would confuse Clawitzer. It was a little late, but she switched Umbreon out for Salazzle anyway. Honchkrow didn't use Swagger. It flew to slam Clawitzer with Wing Attack. Shiftry sucked in a burst of the dazzling sunlight. The instantly charged Solar Beam blasted Clawitzer into the stands. It fainted.

'Sorry, Clawitzer! Go on, Raboot! I know you can do it!'

Salazzle directed Taunt at Honchkrow. Raboot was overjoyed to be battling another Gym Leader alongside Chalcedony. It cloaked itself in flames, leaving a burning trail as it charged at Shiftry, knocking it off balance and into Cail. A Gym Trainer's Sharpedo hastily put out his flaming shorts. He just cackled.

Shiftry hurled Shadow Ball at Raboot. Cail predicted Taunt. Honchkrow used Wing Attack, but even after Shadow Ball, it didn't manage to knock Raboot over. It was too determined. That made the rough old Gym Leader smile, too.

'Well, Shiftry... we gotta do what we gotta do!'

Honchkrow used Protect. Before Shiftry could move, it was scorched by Salazzle's relentless Flamethrower. Even after Raboot knocked it over again, it was too eager to complete whatever mischief Cail commanded to let itself faint. It stood and promptly exploded. Salazzle was hurled back. Raboot's burning feet skidded along the rickety tiles. Lumps of dirt caught fire. Some of the spectators, because it was such a 'Pyrite' thing to do, cheered. Everyone else groaned. If food wasn't blown from their hands, it was struck by flying debris or, worse yet, bits of Shiftry.

'Don't y'all know better?' a long-time fan called, 'Who eats during Cail's battles?!'

Salazzle was unconscious. It was already back in its Poké Ball by the time the air cleared. Raboot was not. Its legs trembled, but sheer determination kept it conscious. Cail was as astounded as the gawking fans. Their already-dead Grumpig hot dogs didn't fare as well as that little Raboot. Umbreon landed from its Poké Ball beside it.

Ruhul wasn't gawking. He was clapping.

'That's my girl! Strong enough to survive anything!'

If this was a test, it was a bizarre one. It was bizarre regardless. Chalcedony believed Ruhul really did hate her. If she ever thought one of her parents was sad to see her go, she thought it could only be Kleto, even though they were never as close as she and Ruhul were. Did he regret what he said? Or did he just feel guilty? He wasn't a bad man. Chalcedony knew that, but she remembered that day she set out from the Pokémon HQ Lab; concluding that love that disappeared so abruptly was never real, but she would find out what was. After all that... did his love really disappear? Not that it mattered now. Whether it was real or not, she had indeed found something else that was, because the most unconditional love she had ever seen was there in her Raboot.

'Go on, Raboot! Flame Charge!'

Honchkrow's feathers were set alight. It teetered and fainted. The referee's whistle blew.

'Challenger Chalcedony wins!'

Chalcedony remembered the day the Boltund bus stopped in Pyrite Town, too. She thought she might get bored before she even reached Pyrite and, if she did, that it would be the biggest anticlimax of the Gym Challenge. It was her favourite battle so far. When she shook Cail's hand, she almost felt proud to be from 'the end of the world.' The Orre League constantly peddled the metaphor of rising from the ashes stronger, like the desert sun. Wyatt thought it was inspiring. Chalcedony thought it was embarrassing, but maybe she was too eager to see the world through blackened glasses. The sun was so bright now that she couldn't deny it wasn't just a metaphor. She thought she was too sneaky for anyone to notice she was emotional, but Cail did. He hugged her when he passed her the Gem Badge.

'Good luck, kid. You better make this old town proud at Citadark Isle.'