Pokémon : Black Rising

54. Mossdeep City

It felt good to be back in the boundaries of civilization. I spent like what, two days in the wild? Oh, the Team Black headquarters are included in that 'cause its the wildest place imaginable.

Riolu exhaled when we crossed the bridge which lead to Mossdeep Island. Taking a deep breath, I savoured the scent of fresh air and sweet flowers. I was particularly excited to take on the Gym because it is like no other. I headed for the Pokémon Center.

" Auraze! "

I heard my surname being called a minute after I handed over my Pokémon to Nurse Joy. Looking back, it was a familiar face I haven't seen in a while. Brant Brooly was his name?

" Oh... It's you... What brings you here?"

" Let me guess. You forgot me, didn't you? "

" Umm... Not exactly. You're the one with a Quilava right? "

Brant shrugged. " You got that right. But I don't mind you forgetting me. After all, I didn't strike out much in our first encounter. So, I plan to change all that. I've trained everyday till my Pokémon were perfect. It would take the Elite Four to beat my team now!"

" Then what are you doing here? Go challenge them instead of the Gyms."

His shoulders dropped on my reply. Regaining his composture, he stated, "For your information, Gym Badges are necessary for challenging the Elite Four. If it weren't the case, I would be at the top already. "

I rolled my eyes. " Yeah man, whatever you say. "

He seemed annoyed at my disinterest. "Anyway, I'm here to challenge you. I want to know how much stronger I've become."

I raised my eyebrow. " Didn't you just say you are quite strong now?"

He appeared to be at a loss for words. I spared him the embarrassment with a straightforward, "No. "

" Alright! ... Wait, what did you say?"

" I said, no. "

" Why not? "

I shrugged. " 'Cause my Pokémon are healing up and deserve a day's worth of rest? "

Brant looked stunned. " Uh... Oh. I see... In that case, I'll be back for a battle soon... "

I didn't feel like replying so I gave him a thumbs-up instead.

I was left alone for a few minutes before another set of familiar faces caught my eyes. My instinctive reaction was to duck behind a table and hide. Why? Because it was Tiyana and Margret.

I had no idea why I was hiding in the first place. Since I was, I decided to go with it. They headed straight for the counter. After giving their PokéBalls to Nurse Joy, they slumped on the nearby chairs. On closer inspection, I found that thier clothes were soiled and a bit of dirt was stuck to their cheeks. Looks like they've been training. Which is a good sign.

Ignoring the fact that I was eavesdropping on my former comrades, I listened in. Tiyana began, "Well, I'm tired. Our Pokémon trained hard today. "

Margret nodded. " Right. We sure have grown stronger together."

After a few seconds of silence, Margret asked, "Do you think... he might have passed through here?"

Tiyana's expression turned hard. "Well, if he wanted to challenge the League, he HAS to pass through here. "

Margret ran her fingers down her silver hair. "I hope he is alright..."

I heard Tiyana snort. " Hmph! He said he'll be fine so don't worry about him. Mr Overconfident..."