Heart of Steel [Pokémon Fanfiction]

15| Unwanted Attention

Thunder Wave and Spark won't have any effect, there's no point in raising Special Defense with Light Screen, so that means it's going to use...

"Manetric, use Bite!" my opponent commanded.

And there we go! I thought with a smile. The battle I was currently partaking in had been going extremely well, and victory was already within my reach. "Finish it with Metal Claw!" Silvette charged at the opposing Electric-type, the ends of her feet morphing into three-pronged claws of energy. She leaped at Manetric, slashing its left flank with her claws and sending it tumbling. It came to a rolling stop at its Trainer's feet in a small dust cloud where it didn't get up. I had won!

"Congratulations! You've defeated me and as the Hoenn League rules state, you have earned the Dynamo Badge," the gray-haired man I'd been battling said. He handed me a circular blue and yellow badge. I accepted it and pinned it to my jacket.

"Thank you, Wattson. Sorry if my challenge was so abrupt, I wanted to have a battle as soon as I arrived in Mauville," I said with an apologetic smile. I wasn't exaggerating. After the incident with Baltoy, it had taken us two days to get to Mauville City. The moment I caught sight of the Gym I wasted no time in requesting a battle. Wallace and Winona were waiting outside for me, and I felt kind of bad for ditching them like that.

"It's fine! I love it when Trainers are passionate in what they do, and you're a perfect example of that. Your passion was clearly shown through the skill you displayed," Wattson said.

"Oh, uh, thank you," I said, my face flushing. I wasn't used to receiving praise like this and it felt a little awkward. I didn't think my skills were anything amazing. Even if they were, I didn't want to flaunt them. If anything, Wattson should be praising Silvette and Meteor. They were the ones who did all of the work.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed over," Wattson said. "Most Trainers come and go, only caring about the badge and what earning it represents."

"They're both equally as important," I said. I personally thought the badge was the most important part of winning a Gym battle since earning one was a sign of strength. But I guessed the battle was something important in of itself. After all, a fancy piece of metal couldn't give me the same exuberance a battle did.

I left the Mauville Gym and met up with Wallace and Winona, who were waiting nearby. I told Wallace he could go battle Wattson if he wanted to and he gratefully accepted my offer. I had no clue how he was going to defeat an Electric Gym with all Water-types, but I was sure he would figure something out.

"So what did you two do while I was battling?" I asked Winona.

"Nothing," she said. She stuck out her lower lip and frowned, showing her dismay. "It was really boring! And it's gonna be worse now because Wallace takes forever whenever he battles!"