[Chapter Three] Let's do this!

[Julia ♥♥]

ADIAN SAVAGE !!

  

Adian didn't necessarily mind the cold, he told himself repeatedly as he mad his way to the first gym. There was a light layer of frost covering everything, making walking treacherous due to the slippery footing. In his travel pack, the man had three pokeballs ready to be used when he made it to the gym. He and his team had trained hard to get to this point and the man felt confident that he would do well.

Of course that confidence ebbed as he got closer to the gym. The building loomed on the horizon, softly illuminated by the morning sun. It didn't take long for Adian to close the gap between himself and his goal but he found himself hesitating about entering. Mentally he knew he was ready, this would be his first big step towards becoming the champion, but trepidation held him at the threshold.

Taking a deep breathe, Adian pushed opened the doors in one fluid motion. The inside was not at all like he'd expected. Weird contraptions were used to travel him upwards towards the gym leader. His stomach dropped as he was pushed quickly upwards towards the walk way before the gym.

Stepping off the platform, Adian made the mistake of looking down and realizing how far off the floor he'd travel. This only added to the queasy feeling brought on by nervousness. By the time he reached Falkner, Adian was a whole new shade of pale.

He tried to shake off the feeling, putting on the bravest face he could muster before stepping up the arena. "Alright Falkner, I'm here to earn my first gym badge!" He cried out his challenge, hoping the slight waver in his voice didn't give away his nerves.

[The REAL Joey]

To Falkner, the appearance of another challenger to his gym highly likely meant one certain outcome. Defeat. "Tch... I'm getting fed up with this. I wish dad hadn't thrown all this on me. I want to be doing what so many other teenagers my age are doing. Flying out there free. Living my adolescent years. Socialising with friends, having fun... Chatting up girls." He blew hair out of his mouth so that his bang would flop out of his eye. He had come across a rather attractive looking girl in the last challenge but the least said about that the better. It ended as most of his battles usually did. "Instead i'm cooped up in this gym like some bird in a cage. How ironic."

Hearing the new trainer cry out for the gym challenge, Falkner lazily got to his feet and had one last look at the vastness of Violet City before him. His gym wasn't like many other gyms. Most were restricted to ground height. Instead, the Flying type gym spanned many stories to such a great height. By doing so, it made a statement. Additionally, by having it up so high, those who weren't graced with the ability to fly would unfortunately slip up and fall from such a great height. It also allowed Falkner to feel at one with his beloved bird Pokemon. He may have been a mere human without wings but the least he could do is train at such a high height to bond with his Pokemon.

Taking his time, Falkner decided he should yell out to Adian. "Yeah, yeah... I'm coming." The tone of the challenger didn't sit too well with him which in turn made his own tone of voice sound less than enthused about the prospect of a battle. "Pft, yet another one seeing me as some sort of side stop diversion and simply just want to get out of here on the double." He moved aside from one of the pillars he had been sitting in front of. As he came closer into view, he took in Adian's appearance. Assesing the trainer from head to toe, the disappointment in his face when he realised that Adian wasn't a girl became all too apparent. "Ergh, yet another guy. I wish more female trainers would grace this gym. Tch, oh well. Wonder what this guy will have up his sleeve..." Shrugging off his annoyances, he did his best to put on a neutral face and stood on the opposite side of the allocated battlefield arena.

"You there! I'm Falkner, the Violet City Pokémon Gym Leader! It would appear you're here for a challenge... Very well." Kneeling down, Falkner took out a Pokeball from his sleeve holster. "I'll show you the real power of the magnificent bird Pokémon!" With a swift strike of his fists, the first of his Pokemon went flying forwards. The ball opened mid air and revealed a scrappy looking Pidgey. "Your move, challenger!" The Pidgey fell to the floor and hopped out apprehensively. The last couple of trainers had tried one upping them with a slew of resistant and super effective types. In its mind it was eagerly praying for a Grass type it could easily peck on. "I hope you don't underestimate me. A gym challenge is a serious affair and not one to be taken lightly."

You have challenged Gym Leader Falkner to a battle!


He sends out Pidgey (Level 10) to fight!
Please select a Pokemon for battle.

[Julia ♥♥]

ADIAN SAVAGE !!

  

It took a moment or two before Adian heard any response. In those fleeting moments a massive internal battle happened. Half of him knew he was ready to take on the gym leader. The other half wanted to head back to the weird elevator thing and run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. If and when he won this battle, it meant he was truly serious about becoming a trainer. Granted, he had wanted to be a trainer for the majority of his life, but it seemed so real now.

Before he had spent countless hours roaming the grass outside in various routes, battling and catching various pokemon. That had been fun and allowed him to bond with his pokemon. The majority of wild pokemon he had met had been weaker and usually an easy battle. Now? Here he was, standing before his first real test as a trainer and he couldn't quite stop the terror creeping into his mind.

Adian however, was no coward. Despite the nagging call to flee and come back when there was no doubt he would win, he couldn't back down now. Especially when a man quite a few years his junior walked to the opposite side of the field. He flipping his head, trying to shoo long blue bangs from his eyes. Even his tone carried an air of superiority, as if he was used to simply winning.

A smirk crept up on Adian's freckled face. He had been expecting an older gentleman, having not read up that Falkner had taken over once his father retired. The boy before him seemed bored already and this simply fueled Adian's fire. He would show this young teenager a real battle, one that would leave him cringing every time he remembered it.

Adian tilted his head curiously as Falkner bent down and then released his own Pidgey in a quick upward motion. The flying type appeared in a flash of red light, staying grounded and looking around. Adian mentally went over his own pokemon, two fire types and a normal type. His best bet was to use a fire attack, using their ranged abilities in case Falkner's pokemon decided to take to the air.

"Alright Falkner," Adian said as his own hand went to the pokeball clip on his belt, "Let's do this! Charmander, go!" He cried, releasing his strongest pokemon first. In his mind, Adian figured it better to knock out the weaker of his challengers easily, leaving the harder ones for his healthy pokemon. It was a strategy he had been obsessing over ever since he truly decided to take on the gym.

His own pokeball soared high, releasing the feisty fire type with a brilliant flash of light. Charmander landed opposite of Pidgey in an offensive position. His hackles were raised and a low growl escaped raised lips, accompanied by a brighter blaze at the tip of his tail.

Falker said it was his turn, no? Adian decided to use this moment to his advantage and strike first. "Alright Charmander, use smokescreen!" Adian commanded, watching with ever increasing confidence as his pokemon released a thick murky gas from his mouth. It slowly began to cover the battle field in a vile color, obscuring Adian's own view of his opponent. If both Pidgey and Falkner couldn't see him well, perhaps Charmander stood a better chance at dodging.

---

 lvl 14, growl&ember&smokescreen, ability - blaze, holding - charcoal
Battle Summary -
Falkner chose Pidgey.
Adian chose Charmander.
Charmander uses smokescreen.

[Morrigan]

Gym Leader Falkner
__________________________________

Unaware of Adian's initial nerves upon entering the Gym, a rather bored Falkner merely looked blankly at his challenger, as the freckled boy suddenly wore a smirk. Thinking he was another cocky trainer, Falkner had no need to hold back but he also doubted victory either. The usual scenario was something along the lines of using an electric type to zap his birds and then leave victorious. How he wished for someone to step in, naively unknowing of Pokemon battling and to lose so he could succeed for once. At first, it didn't seem like Adian would fit the bill, all until Falkner heard his first order. Squinting his eyes and leaning his head forward, had the Gym Leader heard correctly? Did the challenger really order a Smokescreen? Suddenly wearing a smirk himself, maybe Falkner had some luck on his side after all. "Hmm. I understand. Your strategy is a smart one." Deciding not to point out Adian's mistake straight away, he watched as the Charmander unleashed a bellow of thick smoke which soon crossed the battle field. Unable to now see one another through the cloud of smoke, Falkner was able to smile freely, unable to hide his amusement. It wasn't an obvious mistake but something like this didn't happen often, either.

Only being able to hear Falkner's voice at this point, the blue haired male finally pointed out the problem. Coming across as snarky and over confident. "But your strategy is flawed, for my bird Pokemon have very keen eyes. They are able to see through smoke, sand, anything that would usually impair the vision of a person or Pokemon. So my Pidgey can still see clearly, even through this smoke." Snickering, how Falkner wished to see the look on Adian's face at his next words. "I doubt your Charmander has the same ability or luck, for that matter." Throwing an arm forward passionately, Falkner made his command, "Pidgey, use Sand Attack!" With the Smokescreen acting as it's cover, the rough avian flew straight through the cloud, seeing Charmander as clear as day. Just as it approached, the Pidgey landed on the ground and using the sand that was scattered across the stadium floor, kicked up a wave which struck the fiery lizard in the face. Cooing as if to alert Falkner the attack was a success, he folded his arms slowly, "Now that your strategy has become my own, how will you proceed?" Feeling an adrenaline rush all of a sudden, it was a strange feeling for things actually working in his own favour for once.

Pidgey: | Level 10 |
Health: 100% (31/31 HP)
Status: Normal
Pidgey used Sand Attack!

VS

Charmander: | Level 14 |
Health: 100% (39/39 HP)
Status: -1 Acc
Charmander used Smokescreen!
Smokescreen was ineffective due to Pidgey's Keen Eye ability.