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

Chapter 14

The moment I stepped onto the field, I felt my breath being stripped away. This was the first time I'd been in a gym challenge that presented their participants publicly, especially being on live TV as we were. Meowsie had returned to her luxury ball, and I could feel her rattling around in my pocket as I hung behind with a few other gym challengers about 20 years of age or so.

"Glad to see the ankle's feeling better," Milo's cheery voice came out of the blue. Jumping slightly, I turned and smiled back. "I heal quickly," I smiled. "It's really incredible, being up on stage in front of the whole region...maybe even the world! It kind of blows your mind, when you think about it."

"I wouldn't dwell too much upon it," Nessa chimed in, walking over to us. "Overthinking things can make you nervous. And if you're nervous, how will you be able to think straight during our gym battles?"
"I think I'll manage," I chuckled, looking up to the huge crowd. "I've got a long way to go before I can battle here."

"And it'll take even longer to reach me," a cocky and velvety voice laughed from behind me. Turning on my heels, I almost spun nose-first into Raihan's hoodie pocket. "S-sorry," I mumbled, standing back to take in the gargantuan size of the Dragon-type gym leader.

He was 6'8", incredibly confident with his head held high, and totally shredded. Even with his baggy hoodie on, I could see the outline of his abs. And, unfortunately, I was comically short, topping out at barely 5 feet tall, so the fact of the rather embarrassing matter was that I had to take a few steps back and look straight up just to make eye contact with his cyan irises.

Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind multiple times about how my future operatives would ever respect me when they could literally pick me up, shove me in a sack and drop me off the nearest cliff, but most of them would never dream of it while my father controlled them. Except maybe X, but he was a total bootlicker.

"Well, then, I guess I'd better hurry and get started," I smiled, taking a slightly flirtatious tone. From what I'd heard from loose strings of gossip and poking around on social media, Raihan was a total player. So, I figured, to get what I wanted I'd just have to start talking a little less and tease a little more.

"Say, Raihan, you're one of Leon's best friends, right?" I asked slowly, turning on the charm.
"Eh. We're more rivals than anything," he smirked.
"But you know each other well."
"You could say that," he smiled, leaning down closer to me.
"And he knows the Chairman well, correct?"

"All this talk of the Chairman and Leon," a high-pitched male voice groaned. "Do you really think this is an appropriate time to fantasize about them?"
"Whoever said I was fantasizing?" I asked, turning to the person who spoke. It was the Fairy-type gym leader from Ballonlea, Bede, crossing his arms and frowning at me.

"I was simply asking if he knew the Chairman. How does that read as 'fantasizing'?" I asked, sassing him right back. "Your flirtatious tone is a dead giveaway," he deadpanned before walking off. I rolled my eyes and wandered away from the other gym leaders, looking to socialize a bit with the other gym challengers. I was about to interrupt a conversation between two guys around my age when a voice shouted, "Look out below!"

Learning from the last time something was almost dropped on me from over 100 feet in the air, I scrambled backwards just before a giant Charizard landed just where I had been standing before. A man in his mid-20's slid off its back, and as he turned to face the crowd, everyone immediately cheered at the arrival of their Champion.

Leon grinned and waved wildly to the huge crowds of people in the stadium, purple hair and fur-lined cape billowing wildly in the gusts his partner's wings were creating. "Hello, Galar!" he shouted, and if it were even possible for the crowd to cheer even louder, they did.