Chapter One - The Seven of Hearts
2024/07/01?
Chapter One - The Seven of Hearts
“Geez, is this guy that afraid of me or something? I swear, it’s like he wants his gym to be a secret.”
The young trainer, Makia Lymantria, grumbled as he walked down the cobbled stones of Route 17. The path was dim and constricted. To his left stood a stone wall topped with trees. To his right, a drop, a short fence of dark wood, and even more trees. He must have walked miles. And yet, nobody was around. If it weren’t for the circumstances, a trip like this could be enjoyable.
Finally, he spotted a sign of his target. Light shone through a small gap in the trees, highlighting a switchback of worn, muddy stones leading to a low clearing. At the top of the switchback, there was a gate, with an attached sign reading “Pedestrians Only!”
“So, this is Citrine Town.” Makia stood before the entrance. On the other side of the gate, he could count several buildings – all built with gray bricks and dark brown logs. Three of them were clearly labeled: the Pokemon Center, the Gym, and the town inn. The paths through the town were a group of straight lines at odd angles, eventually meeting at a small lake. Along their edges, small channels ran down into said lake. The whole town had a pleasantly damp sound. But none of that mattered. Makia knew exactly where to go.
He stuck out like a sore thumb in the town, or at least his bright green hair and scarf did. His jacket was a fleece patchwork of earthy greens and browns, and it could easily get lost against the forest backdrop. The few townspeople wore plain outfits: wooly jackets and jeans. He rushed to the gym. Sand danced along the path in his wake. Tourism could wait. It was time for him to end another leader’s reign, and he grinned as he opened the door. Then, a horrid sound struck.
“Yo! Champ in making!” shouted a man behind a counter.
Startled, Makia gave the gym guide a murderous glare. But this man was unlike any gym guide he’d seen before; he was pink-haired with a goofy grin. His wore a white dress shirt, buttoned up neatly and tucked into a baggy pair of otherwise matching dress pants - stylish, compared to the townspeople. Psychic trainers are strange, huh?
“You gotta yell like that every time someone walks in?” Makia asked.
“Oh, sorry, did I overdo it?” the guide stammered, hiding behind his counter. “I guess I got a little excited, I mean--”
“You’re giving me a headache,” Makia grumbled. “Can we get to the point?”
The gym guide went quiet. Makia crossed his arms, leaning against the wall near the door. He faked a yawn.
Finally, the guide started his explanation. “W-Well, there are a few things! First of all, to open this,” he said, gesturing to a glowing pink door behind him. The door’s hue matched his hair, and glowing white lines formed the shape of the gym’s badge on it. “You’ll need three cards. One’s red, one’s blue, and one’s green,” the motor-mouthed guide explained. “And there are five trainers scattered throughout the gym, all reached through these,” he continued, pointing to a few glowing colored tiles. “Just gotta step on them and you’ll be in a new room. Oh, and it’s one-on-one battles, until you get to the leader. Anyway, so, if you’re lucky, you get to fight three! And if you aren’t lucky, well...”
After stepping on the first panel, Makia was already gauging his opponent’s strength. Now, what did he have? Three ordinary Poke Balls. And no sense of style. A typical weak opponent.
“I’ll be your opponent!” he yelled, and Makia took a moment of thought before throwing forward a Friend Ball.
“Go! Cacturne!” Truthfully, it was Makia’s weakest Pokemon. It joined his team just a few days ago as a special treat for this gym’s leader. But this scrub would make a good test subject.
“Go! Kadabra” his opponent replied.
An unexpectedly strong pick. But it wouldn’t matter. In a short fight like this, everything would go exactly as planned.
“Are you ready?” the opponent asked.
“Of course,” Makia replied, with the biting impatience of someone who was just on hold for thirty minutes.
“Okay, then. Kadabra! Focus Blast!” his opponent commanded, and the Psychic Pokemon started to ready an attack.
Then, Cacturne rushed forward. It swung at Kadabra with a cheap, prickly clothesline. And Kadabra fell, all before even a single attack. One trainer down.
As Makia recalled Cacturne, he grinned proudly at his foe’s perplexed look. “What’s wrong? Never seen someone fight like that?” And without a reply, he was happy to continue gloating. “Heh, well, I’ll share my trade secrets. I know I can trust my Pokemon to make the right choice. Unlike you, apparently, or most other trainers.”
By this point, the young trainer was fuming. Without a word, he held up a red keycard. Makia walked forward and happily snatched it, before leaving for the next room. On the way, he got to pass the gym guide again, who looked to be recovering from the earlier shock.
The second room was a near identical repeat of room one. The only difference was his opponent’s Pokemon choice. But much like before, a well-timed Sucker Punch ended the fight in a hurry. So, on to room number three.
Room three’s opponent was a young woman with a mix of Ultra and Premier Balls. So, not the most frugal type, but someone who’s happy to use something free. That, to Makia, said his Sucker Punch trick wouldn’t work. So, it was time for a different plan.
“Bisharp!” he shouted, tossing forward another Friend Ball.
“Go, Mr. Lime!” his opponent responded. And true to that strange nickname, a shiny Mr. Mime with green accents came out.
So, his opponent would at least get a chance to attack. Makia nodded towards Bisharp, who seemed to nod back.
“Mr. Lime, Reflect!”
A light pink barrier appeared in front of the silent creature. In a vacuum, this move made sense – the barrier would slow Bisharp down, letting that Mr. Mime take a few attacks. But it was too obvious. Bisharp crossed its arms in an X shape across its chest, and light blue swords appeared in the air around it. They jumped in a circle, then vanished as Bisharp swung both arms back down to its sides. And with the power of Swords Dance, the barrier wouldn’t matter.
“Not too talkative, are you?” the woman asked.
“Oh, no, I just don’t feel the need to order my Pokemon around,” Makia replied in a huff.
“Well, then how about we see how that works for you? Dazzling Gleam!”
Far from ideal. Makia shielded his eyes, covering a wince as Bisharp fell back. But then, it charged forward, taking the mime out with a violent headbutt. Three trainers down.
“Looks like it worked better than your strategy,” Makia said, beaming.
“And it looks like you’ve won this,” the trainer replied, pulling out a green keycard.
As Makia returned to the main hall, he felt a certain peace in the air. So he looked around the room. Soon, he made a realization: that irritating gym guide had left. Well, that’s a nice break. As was the fourth fight – another trainer who easily fell to Cacturne’s Sucker Punch. But his mission didn’t give him time to relax. He stepped forth onto teleporter number five.
This room’s trainer was well-dressed, with a dark gray corduroy jacket over a yellow jacket. He had short hair, parted from the middle, and a yellow turtleneck. Something about his looks infuriated Makia, though. So, no holding back.
Before his opponent could explain a thing, Makia threw a Luxury Ball his way. “Volcarona!”
“Oh, no introductions?” the gentleman asked, shrugging. “Fine. Go, Gardevoir!”
This guy needed knocking down a peg. Time for overkill.
“Quiver Dance!”
Volcarona happily followed Makia’s command. Unlike many of Makia’s Pokemon, it had been with him nearly his whole life. Though, admittedly, much of that time was as a Larvesta. Still, if Makia were the type to have a best friend, it’d be that moth. And their synergy was perfect.
“Psyshock!”
A good counter. But it wouldn’t be enough. This time, Makia left the choice to Volcarona: attack, or build up to something even bigger. The bug rushed forward to the foe, twirling around it at lightning speed. A second Quiver Dance.
“Psyshock, again!”
Oh? Was that a hint of fear Makia picked up? He grinned, already savoring his victory. While he would’ve loved to see just how much damage Volcarona could do, it was time to end this fight.
“Flamethrower!” he yelled, and his friend seemed to move before the word even left his mouth. And that was it for the battle.
“Well… you’ve earned this, I guess,” the stylish man said, holding out the blue keycard. Makia took it without so much as looking at his foe.
Back in the lobby, it was time for a little healing break. Once he found a place to sit, he let all his Pokemon out. Then, all sorts of treats poured from his backpack. There were lemonades, water, Pokeblocks… and for himself, an apple and red tea. Though, as he sat back against the wall, watching the Pokemon munch, he couldn’t help but offer Volcarona a bite.
After that break, it was finally time to open the door. Makia stood before it and pulled all three cards from his pocket with a flourish. Then, the bright pink door glowed brightly, before vanishing a moment later.
“Hey, you made it, Makia!”
“You again? And who told you my name?”
“Oh, nobody told me. But you’re underestimating my psychic power!” the gym guide said. Then, he spun around and drew a Luxury Ball from his messenger bag.
“What, you gonna challenge me, too?”
“Well, if you want the badge, you’ll have to go through me, because…” and with arms spread wide and a goofy grin, the guide continued, “I’m the gym leader, Noah Lampert! The Psychic Phenom of Citrine Town!”
“You’re the gym leader?”
“That’s right! Had ya fooled, huh?”
Makia simply stared. Was this guy trying to drive him nuts? Who has time for this kind of nonsense?
“So if you want a badge, you’re just one six-on-six battle away! But I won’t make it too easy for you. Let me show you the true power of a psychic!”
“Fine by me. Don’t bore me too much, okay?” Makia replied, drawing a Level Ball.
“I won’t. Let’s go, Chalice!” Noah said, tossing his Luxury Ball forward.
And Makia replied “Bisharp!”
As it turned out, Chalice was an Orbeetle. Good for Noah, managing to surprise Makia early. Now, what would Orbeetle do here? Maybe try a powerful Bug-type attack? Or was this more of a support lead?
“Psychic Terrain!” Noah yelled, as though he was answering that question. And at the same time, Makia simply looked on. The room filled with a strange pink glow, and the walls seemed to contort. But he’d seen it all before. Meanwhile, Bisharp chose to rush forward, then stopped on a dime. It pivoted quickly to the left, catching Orbeetle off-guard with a blade swipe. And already, it was six to five.
“Hey, letting your Pokemon decide what to do? That’s pretty cool!”
Makia scoffed. Down a Pokemon so early, and yet Noah was so cheerful? Fine. Let’s see him keep it up when he’s handing over his badge. There was an awkward silence. Then, finally:
“Alright, Metagross, your turn!”
Oh, a real threat for once. Makia nodded to Bisharp. “Do your best.”
The scythe-armed Pokemon obliged, repeating the same attack from before. Only, this time, instead of moving to the side, it paused before rushing straight in. That did serious damage to Metagross, who replied with a slam of its heavy metal body. Bisharp fell in a hurry, but that was in line with Makia’s plan. Now, if he could just finish Metagross off…
“Let’s go, Sharpedo!”
The shark appeared from a Lure Ball. Perplexed by the Psychic Terrain, it glanced around the room. So, for once, Makia would offer a move.
“Close Combat!” he yelled. And before Metagross could get another attack off, Sharpedo pummeled it with a barrage of bites and headbutts. Five to four.
Noah winced. It took a moment before he decided on his next move. “Go! Slowbro!”
Looks like it’ll be a battle of water types. That was fine by Makia. Even with the Psychic Terrain, it wouldn’t take much to get Slowbro out of the way. And a Water type like that was the biggest threat to his beloved moth.
“Scald!”/”Crunch!”
Sharpedo rushed forward with a savage bite on Slowbro’s arm. It responded with a blast of steaming hot water. And from Sharpedo’s pained reaction, Makia could tell it was burned. So, Slowbro was that kind of foe, huh? Fine. But with Metagross down, the battle was over anyway. Sharpedo rushed in with another bite, then fell to a blast of water. Four to four. It was time to deploy the moth.
Truthfully, it was a risky move. But Slowbro’s high-temperature water couldn’t phase the moth. Then, Noah would be swept. So, it was time for the moth to dance.
Makia could tell that the scalding water stung. So after just one blast, he nodded. Volcarona obliged with a loud screeching buzz, finishing off Slowbro. Even with just one Quiver Dance, what would stop Volcarona?
“Alright, good job, now let’s go, Wobbuffet!”
Surely not that.
Surely.
Makia couldn’t help but laugh. “How’s it feel, Noah?” Makia asked, pacing to the side of the room. His arms and scarf were stretched wide behind his back, almost outlining a pair of wings. And Volcarona continued to flutter about the room, practically humming with energy.
“Huh?”
“How’s it feel to have your fate in my hands? You’re not gonna stop Volcarona now. And I mean, all you gym leaders are the same, right? Always trying to shield the Elite Four… how’s it feel to be on the other side of a hopeless fight?”
“Makia…” Noah looked at him with sorrowful eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s the same thing every time. Anyone who wants to teach them a lesson gets caught up with clowns like you. But Volcarona and I will put an end to that!”
“Teach them a lesson?”
“What, you don’t know what I’m talking about?” Makia asked, twirling back as he reached the room’s edge. “Fine, I’ll tell you when I win. Volcarona, let’s finish this!” “Now, Wobbuffet, Mirror Coat!”
Predictable enough. But if Noah thought it would work, he was in for a rude awakening. By now, there was nothing in the world Volcarona couldn’t take down. By now, the strategy was perfected. Let Volcarona get pumped up, then watch it go to work destroying an entire team.
The moth of flame rushed at Wobbuffet, letting out a buzz that shook the entire room. It filled with dust as photos and paintings slammed the walls. Makia stood with a smug grin, scarf fluttering behind him. The dust scratched at his nose, but he didn’t care. Badge number seven would finally be his. And from there, it was only one more badge before the Elite Four would fall, too.
When the haze cleared, though, Wobbuffet was still standing, with the largest grin imaginable. Volcarona hung in the air weakly for a few seconds, then fell back next to Makia. The prickly pear of a trainer turned his attention to the moth. He gave a ruffle and pat to the warm fuzz on its upper body. Then, he called it back into its ball.
“How…?” he mumbled. Though, in a room this small, it was still loud enough for Noah to pick up.
“You’re familiar with Focus Sashes, right?” Noah asked in a smug yet empathetic tone.
Oh, that’s a dirty trick. Time to take things seriously. Makia threw forward a ball, and from it came Absol. The scythe-horned creature swung its head around, knocking Wobbuffet out in a hurry. Three to three.
“Good work, Wobbuffet,” Noah said. “Now, Gardevoir, it’s your turn!”
Inconvenient. Absol wouldn’t be able to get a strong attack off. So, the only option was a cheap hit.
“Gardevoir, Moonblast!”/”Sucker Punch!”
As Gardevoir let loose an orb of energy, Absol hit it with a rapid headbutt. But it wasn’t enough. While Gardevoir had taken a big hit, Absol had taken an even bigger one. Two to three. Things were getting too close. Makia sent out his next Pokemon, Umbreon.
“Foul Play!”/”Moonblast!”
Before Gardevoir could let loose another devastating hit, Umbreon rushed forward and let forth a tricky kick from behind. Two to two. Noah seemed to ponder his next move for a moment. Then, he threw forward a Luxury Ball with a green mark on it. “Exeggutor, let’s go!”
“Again!”/”Giga Drain!”
Umbreon was able to pull off another dirty attack. But the attack left it wide open for Exeggutor’s energy beam.
“Again!”/”Giga Drain!”
And the same thing repeated itself. But Exeggutor wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever.
“Again!”/”Once more, Giga Drain!”
This time, Umbreon wouldn’t get hit. Two to one. By now, Makia’s heart was rapidly pounding.
“It’s down to this, Makia! Armarouge!”
If it wasn’t too close for comfort before, it was now. Makia didn’t notice it, but his breathing was heavy. He had an intense look in his wide eyes.
“You know what to do, Umbreon!” he shouted, and the black and yellow Pokemon seemed to nod back.
“Now, Armarouge! Armor Cannon!”
Exactly as predicted. Umbreon moved in close, managing to sneak in a rapid hit right before the armor’s blast. It wouldn’t be enough to knock Armarouge out – not even close – but it meant victory was still within reach. One to one.
“Cacturne, let’s go!” Makia tossed forward his final ball. His win streak was in the lap of the gods. If Noah attacked, a Sucker Punch would win. And if he didn’t, a Dark Pulse would. Everything came down to this one read.
Noah had spent the whole battle fighting trickily. So, if that pattern were to continue, he would use some kind of status move here. But, wouldn’t it be trickier if he broke that pattern? Or maybe that’s what he wants Makia to think. Finally, without a moment to spare…
“Dark Pulse!”/”Armor Cannon!”
And Cacturne fell. The final result was zero to one.
Makia moved a hand to his chest. His heart wasn’t beating so quickly anymore, but the pounding was too intense. This prompted Noah to sprint his way with a frightened face.
“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching for Makia.
A forearm swing that could’ve could’ve knocked the scrawny “gym guide” out, had it hit, answered. “Don’t touch me!”
“Is there anything you need? You can lie down here for a bit if you need to.”
“Yeah, a rematch.”
“Er… well…” Noah stammered. “I have a strict policy about those…”
“So? I don’t give a shit.”
“Well, for your Pokemon’s well-being… I always wait a week before any rematches.”
Isn’t it an awful feeling, when you want to argue with someone but you know they’re right? In fact, that might be the first time he’s ever heard a gym leader say anything reasonable or true.
“Fine,” he replied, already moving for the door. “You better be ready.”
Noah couldn’t tell what he was getting himself into. He’d heard of Makia, but if anything, the rumors undersold just how strange this man was. But, for what it’s worth, it was a fun battle. So, time for a little nap before he cleans up the gym.
Meanwhile, Makia was already halfway to the inn. He knew he needed to keep a low profile for the next week. On the bright side, there wasn’t room to fall much further. All he needed to do was win next week, and convincingly, and he could call this the fluke it was. At least now, he could tell himself he was through the worst of it. With his win streak gone, all that pressure would vanish. So, with a week of training in the woods, it’d all be uphill from here.
“Heeeey, Mothman! Long time no see!”
I suppose there’s always room for things to get worse.