DPA: Rivals

Chapter 46: Alaka-scram!

"No," Sabrina said firmly.

She had been waiting outside the Saffron City Gym's doors just as the group arrived, almost as if she knew they were coming.

"You only have two Gym badges," she continued. "You're not ready to battle in my Gym yet. Get yourselves a third badge, and then you can come back and challenge me."

"This isn't fair!" Cameron said, clearly upset. "The Pokémon League in Kanto has no set order for completing the Gym Challenge."

"Chapter 15, Article 9 of the League Rules and Regulations grant individual Gym leaders the right to require a minimum number of badges for Gym Challengers, so long as the requirements do not prevent trainers from obtaining all eight Gym badges," Sabrina replied. "Don't try and throw the rule book at me. I was there when it was written."

Cameron looked down at his feet, silent. She was indeed correct.

"So what do we do now?" Daryon asked.

"Continue traveling south, and you'll arrive at Vermilion Harbor. There you can challenge the Gym leader Lieutenant Surge, and receive your third badge. Then return here and face me." Sabrina explained.

Daryon and Cameron looked at each other, then back at Sabrina, and both nodded simultaneously. "Okay," Daryon smiled, determined. "When I come back, I'll be even stronger, and I will defeat you."

Sabrina smiled. "I hope so." And with that she stepped back into the Gym.

"Whelp, we should stock up before we get back on the road," Daryon chuckled. "We should get as far as we can before dark."

"Oh no!" Skye cried suddenly, disappointment clear in her voice. "That's going to put us behind by at least a week. I'm not going to be able to make it to the Spooky Cup in time."

"Oh Krabby, you're right!" Daryon groaned. "I wasn't even thinking about your Pokémon pageants-"

"Contests!" Skye angrily corrected him.

"Your contests," Daryon continued. "We're going to have to miss it. There's no way we can sidetrack all the way to Lavender Town, to Vermilion Harbor, and then back to Saffron City."

Skye clenched her fists, speaking between her teeth, looking at the sky through blurry eyes. "I know that you've been planning the Gym Challenge since the beginning, and Pokémon Contests are new to us. I was just hoping that we could do something for me this time. Everything has always been about Daryon and Cameron, but what about Skye?"

Cameron looked into Skye's eyes, his heart sinking. "I-I'm sor-r-ry, Skye. I was so busy focusing on myself that I didn't even notice that you felt left out."

"I'm even worse," Skye replied, wiping her eyes. "You were struggling after Cerulean City, and it took me way too long to realize how hard things were for you. And instead of accepting that and trying to change, I took it out on Daryon."

"You think that's bad?" Daryon interjected. "Not only did I ignore how important Pokémon Contests were to Skye, but I didn't know my best friend was hurting until Skye was on the verge of slapping me."

"Can we just agree that we're all terrible people?" Ero spoke up. Everybody laughed at this.

"Yeah, but we're terrible together," Max said.

"Except for me. I am without flaw," Vince countered, causing everyone in the group to erupt into hysterical laughter. Vince watched the group laugh, confused for a moment, before seeming to shrug it off and join in.

"This is why I refused them as challengers," Sabrina said to her Alakazam as she watched the group laugh together through one of the Gym's windows. "I sensed that they were a fractured group, and they cannot be distracted by their internal conflicts when they face me. I want them to have every advantage I can fairly give them, especially in Cameron's case. After seeing the way he cared for that Bulbasaur earlier today, I feel he has earned it."

Sabrina's smartphone vibrated. She removed it from her pocket, answering. "Hello, sweetheart," she smiled. "Yes, I'll be sure to pick up some bread on the way home."