The excited Pokémon trainer bounded out of the gym, clutching his badge case, containing the float, brimstone, and arc badge. However, when Play came out of the gym, he happened to bump into an unexpected person. Professor Cypress!
"Well look who it is!" He said, warmly. "What a nice surprise." Cypress wore his previous attire, a black professor's uniform. Short, slicked brown hair, and a pair of small glasses.
"Professor!" Play exclaimed. Cypress adjusted his glasses.
"I wasn't expecting to run into you." Cypress said, changing his word play. "I was just in the neighbourhood to talk to someone about some Pokémon related issues."
"Hold on." Play blurted. "What about Cheshma town?" Play vividly remembered the professor recommending he go to see his 'friend' Lynda. She turned out to be part of team Eclipse, and tried to take his Bronze necklace. The last thing his parents gave to him before they were kidnapped.
"Ah yes." Cypress said, the smile turning into a slightly fake one. "I just wanted to take the time to apologise."
"Lynda was part of team Eclipse." Play said. "I thought she was your friend." Professor Cypress fidgeted nervously with his glasses.
"Anyway." He stuttered, beads of nerves sweat trickling down his head. "It was nice to see you, Play!" And with that, he walked off. Suspicion sparked in Play's mind.
Play headed east of Rosecove gym and came down a paved pathway that went on to route 9. (He studied this before hand on his map). It was onto the afternoon now, and it seemed silly to wait until tomorrow. Plus, there was a Pokémon centre on route 10. It wouldn't be that far of a walk. Just at the entrance, he saw Jake and Tess talking. But before he could figure out what they were saying, Tess spotted him.
"So, how was the gym?" She asked.
"Well..." Play began. "There sure was a lot of water."
"No kidding!" She replied. And they all had a laugh.
"Speaking of types." Tess said, breaking the laughter. "I don't mind water types, but my ideal specialty are of course dragon types."
"Say Tess." Jake said. "Do you have any gym badges?" Tess made a weird face.
"Nah." She stated. "I like adventuring more than battling." Jake tried to take the spotlight back.
"Well there's plenty more where that came from. We've still got so much of Roria left to explore." And with that, the trio set on to route 9. And when Play saw it, he was slightly breathtaken. This route was so full of nature and life. Bug type Pokémon like Venipede, Sewaddle, Kricketot and Paras roamed around the place, without a care in the world. Sewaddles were weaving web and leading on top of them, their leaves looking strong and healthy. Paras were crawling across the floor, with sturdy mushrooms. Venipede were climbing trees and hanging upside down from branches. Kricketot were cheerily bouncing around singing. It was an attractive place. But the most wonderful sight of all, was the massive white tree in the middle of the pathways surrounding route 9. A young boy passed Play.
"You seem pretty memorised about that tree, huh?" He chirped.
"I guess." Play exclaimed.
"Well let me tell you the story." He said conveniently. "A long time ago, the destruction Pokémon, Yveltal attacked this place, until Xerneas, the life Pokémon fought it off, and then it turned into a tree to rest there for supposedly a century, in order to regain it's strength." Then he bounded off, looking like one of the Kricketot that inhabited this place.
"Now I don't know about you." Tess announced. "But I want to know if the people I'm travelling with are tough."
"I'm definitely tough." Jake said, a little to loudly.
"Good." Tess said. "But I want to know which one of you is stronger, then that guy can face me." Jake turned round like a whip had cracked him.
"Alright Play!" He bellowed. "Get ready for the battle of a lifetime." Both got into positions and became ready to start to battle.
"Go Solosis!" Jake cried. "Umm, use, err."
"Go Flaafy!" Play cried, before acknowledging Jake's lack of command. "Use cotton spore." Flaafy shot tufts of it's fleece at the cell Pokémon, and Jake didn't do anything. It was trapped.
"Now use electro ball!" Play commanded. Flaafy shot a strong electro ball at Solosis, and the wool absorbed and conducted the electricity. Solosis had taken a lot of damage already.
"Oh, dodge!" Jake blurted, as though as he wasn't paying attention. Through the damage. Play swore he could see Solosis roll it's eyes. Tess wasn't impressed at all.
"Well, use takedown!" Play said. Flaafy took a step back and charged full force into Solosis, knocking it out. Jake rather quickly returned it.
"Go Zebstrika!" Jake said. "This time, I'll beat you!" Then he fell silent.
"Oh yeah, flame charge!" Zebstrika surrounded itself with fire and charged forward.
"Jake isn't up to his usual standards." Play thought.
"Flaafy, dodge!"
Flaafy jumped and swerved out the way just in time and Zebstrika didn't stop however, it's flame charge continued, backfiring as Zebstrika's speed was raised. The thunderbolt Pokemon's eyes grew wide with terror as the increased momentum caused it to crash into a tree. It was knocked out.
"That's all you've got?" Tess scoffed. "My grandpa could beat you." Jake looked mightily nervous.
"Zebstrika, return!" He cursed. "Nidorina, GO!" Jake's evolved Nidoran was sent out and narrowed it's eyes at Flaafy.
"Let's change things up a bit." Play murmured. "Nidoking, GO!" The much more bulky, and counterpart to it's evolved form, opposed. Nidorina's confidence was replaced with ultimate fear. It took a few steps back.
"It seems cruel." Play whispered to Nidoking. His Pokémon agreed. Nidoking casually strolled over and gently knocked it over with the Poison type's huge tail. Nidorina was so scared that it ran up to Jake and tapped it's Pokéball, a red net like beam covered the fellow poison type and returned itself.
"Oh, come on!" Tess groaned, stomping her foot. Jake's cheeks flushed redder than a Groudon. He nervously coughed and attempted to send out Nidorina, but she was having none of it. Tess rolled her eyes one final time, before announcing.
"That's it, I'll fight Play." A strange feeling leapt in his heart. He had beaten Jake, but not in the way he intended, but default. Jake had been so confident and outgoing to be strong, but just then, he fought like it was his first battle. It was then that Play understood what was going on
Tess and Play lined up for battle.
"So how many are you using?" Play questioned. He had no idea how powerful the wannabe dragon master was, but you can never be too sure.
"Only two" She answered simply. "But my duo is stronger than anything!" Knowing hat Tess only had dragon types, Prinplup wasn't a viable option. Water is resisted by dragon. So was Flaafy, and Tess had two against his viable two. The odds weren't looking good to start of with, however he had no idea the strength level of her Pokémon, on the other hand, anything can happen in a Pokémon battle.
"GO Kirlia." Play yelled.
"GO Axew!" Tess yelled.
Axew, the tusk Pokémon. This small but mighty dragon type uses it's tusk to crush berries, causing them to sometimes break, however, they always grow back, sturdier and stronger. Axew leave marks in the bar of tree to mark their territory, and when their tusks do break, they grow back extremely quickly.
Tess's Axew looked mightily strong, and it tusks looked like they were made form the thickest ivory. None the less, Kirlia was slightly faster, and had a movement advantage. But it was then that Play realised that Tess's dragon type moves were useless! Kirlia was a fairy type, and they were immune.
"A fairy type!" Tess exclaimed. "Axew! We're gonna have to try even harder! Use slash!" Axew rushed forward and nailed Kirlia before it had time to react.
"She's so in sync." Play thought.
"Use Hypnosis." Kirlia shot a hypnotising shaped psychic circle at Axew. Surprisingly, the tusk Pokémon fell straight asleep. Snoring away.
"Great!" Play contemplated. "Now use psybeam." Kirlia seemed to float a little and blasted Axew a good distance with psybeam. Tess clenched her teeth.
"Axew!" She shouted. "Get up." Axew let out a particularly loud snore.
"Use another psybeam." Play commanded. Tess hastily returned her Pokémon, just as the psychic type move hit the field.
"GO Gabite!" Tess said, glancing at her Pokéball and smiling. Then she sent out the nastiest Gabite Play had ever seen. It's skin was the deepest blue, and the sharpest fangs, it narrowed it's eyes at Kirlia.
"Use bulldoze!" She said with a sneer. Gabite moved like a truck as fast as a jet boat. It kicked up dirt as it moved, and when it cleared. Kirlia had fainted.
"Nothing's more satisfying that crushing a fairy!" Tess cheered. Play took a deep breath, and returned his fallen Pokémon. He selected Prinplup's Pokéball, he needed to do as much damage as it took, Flaafy's electric type moves would be useless against a ground type.
"Go Prinplup." He yelled. But then his heart gave a nervous twinge as he remembered that it might freak out in front of his new acquaintance. He was even nervous when it entered the field. However the penguin Pokémon ruffled it's feathers and prepared itself.
"Use Dragon claw." Tess commanded. Now making use of it's STAB moves. Gabite was a menace slamming full force into Prinplup along with the damage.
"This is it." Play thought. "I'm going to be humiliated." However, the water type took a deep breath, and it's body glowed a pale blue, not evolution blue, this was different. It kept taking deep breaths. Tess was as confused as determined to win.
"Again." Tess said, without hesitation. Gabite rushed again.
"Prinplup, what are you doing?" He whispered. But then, as the dragon claw connected. The Penguin Pokémon's eyes flashed pure white for a moment. Then it unleashed a powerful blue tsunami of power! In no time, it engulfed Gabite. And in a few seconds, smoke was literally coming off it's body, as it keeled over and fainted.
Prinplup: Moves: Bide learnt
"What a cheap trick!" Tess moaned, returning Gabite. Play didn't listen though. He looked at Prinplup, and for a moment, he swore he saw his first pal smile.
"Go Axew!" She said with a sigh. The sleeping Axew was ejected out, and it was still sleeping.
"Use Metal claw!" Play commanded, about to finish the job, but then Jake did something astonishing. He ran into the middle of the battle and blocked Prinplup.
"Okay! Okay! Time out!" He said, waving his arms. "We need to move along." Tess looked almost...thankful?
"Ummm, thank you?" She said, without thinking.
"Anytime." Jake winked, with a weird smile. Leaving Tess unintentionally creeped out. As they packed up their things, Play strode over to Jake.
"What's the big idea!" He exclaimed. Since the last time he had a conversation with his friend, something had changed in his eye, like he was constantly sniffing a bad smell. His eyes were darker, somehow, and his voice around Tess was a few pitches to high.
"I don't know what you're doing!" He snapped, with such aggravation that he made Play jump. "But stop it! It's not working." He then had the audacity to walk away. The worst thing was, that Play had no idea in the name of Arceus he was talking about.