Alfornada's observatory was largely defunct now—with the more recent constructions it left little starlight for the observatory to capture. Even with a lights-off curfew.
Linh and Tulip stood opposite each other. Each had an audience to them. Linh; Poppy, with her Pokémon out and watching. All of them carefully sitting on Tinkie's hammer handle. Poppy sat the prettiest, preening with her new Badge, pinned to her key-bag. Tulip; with a small gaggle of photographers, seeing if anything done during the battle was publicity worthy.
Linh fidgeted with his Pokéball.
The battle wasn't the only thing Linh was nervous about. He wanted to talk to Tulip about something serious, and privately. But he could pretend it was only battle-nerves.
"—So, I wanted to follow you up on—yep, that. Delays? For how long? Unfortunate. Well. Light some fires your end, and I'll see what I can do over here. Reschedule the—? No no no. That won't do at all. Change subcontractors if you must—all of these problems have solutions." She sighed. "Call back tomorrow, I have commitments, chat later."
Tulip snapped her phone shut. "Hello Linh, it's time, then?" She took in his stance, then commented quieter. "Let's relax—this is just the first badge, yes? Show some confidence, that you have battle-sense is good enough at this level."
Linh inhaled, then exhaled. He nodded. "That's. Thank you. I'm ready."
She jerked her head to the referee, and the referee spoke the rules and the conditions.
"This will be a three on three, single battle! No switches! As the challenger does not have three Pokémon he shall win double knock outs!"
The referee continued, speaking the expectations of fair conduct, the notice of recording, the formalities. The official words to signify this is official. Until, with a sharp swipe through the air, she swung her flag.
"BEGIN!"
They threw. Light flashed. Casket stood opposite a Ralts. Looking like a toddler with a bowl cut and a dress that drags on the floor.
"Hey!" Poppy cried out, from the sidelines. "I thought you used him against me!"
Tulip called back, laughing inside, "No no dear! This is a different one. Ralts! Use Hypnosis!"
Ralts slapped her arms against her head and a light purple glow emanated from her horns. Shooting out as darts of energy. That'll induce sleep in those it hits.
With one small weakness. Slow moving darts, easy to dodge. "Walk away and Roar."
Casket slid to the side, sinking down into her shadow by an inch, and then dragged by its stretching. She popped out a moment later as the darts went wide, spiralling off and breaking apart like smoke rings. In her throat a power built, and escaped with a bark—a Roar, a wall of sound.
"Why would you?" Tulip started to ask.
Ralts had no time to react as it slammed into her, and carried her in the air as a bolt of white glittering light. The bolt slammed into Tulip's Pokéball. A forced recall.
Tulip frowned, brows furrowed, and she reached down to her waist. An attempt to direct who gets released next. Unfortunately, the process is too fast to allow that—another Pokéball at her waist triggers, and what comes out makes Tulip fumble.
A Flabébé twirled in the air, spinning around her flower. Then she beeped in confusion. The little fairy clinging to the stamen tilts her head. Tulip stared at Flabébé, then muffled a swear, digging through her pockets.
Linh leaned forwards, "Just to set the tone. Follow through." Casket dipped into her shadow again, lancing towards Flabébé and diving out towards her.
"Wait wait wait—Flabébé dodge!" Tulip scrambled, she wasn't looking at the battlefield, all her attention drawn to her own person.
Flabébé floated upwards, not as a dodge, but as a response to getting smacked in her underside by a leaping dog. She floated high, then drifted down as Casket lost momentum, and hit the ground.
"Now, Headbutt," Linh commanded, "Keep the momentum—charge!"
Tulip shouted, eyes wide, stance straight, "Wait! Wait wait!" She held up a Tera Orb, a sphere onyx like. "Challenger! I need to—there's a script I need to—"
Linh paused, "Wait, really? Casket hold on—for what?"
Tulip waved her Tera Orb wildly. "It's in the contract—we have to Terastalize our ace."
Linh looked over to the referee, she was nodding. "Okay?"
"Thank you." Tulip took a breath, then held up her Tera Orb daintily. "Come here, my little Flor—Flabébé! It's time for a makeover. You'll become a new you!"
Streaks of energy flowed around the orb, and it shook wildly as power inside it built up. Tulip's hand shook and she held the orb away from her, wary. Until the orb made a shimmering chime, and Tulip threw the orb.
As it made contact with Flabébé, it engulfed and trapped her in a crystal. Her form obscured and refracted in the surfaces. The crystal broke, and Flabébé gave a cry as new power formed around her.
She was also wearing a massive violet eye, made of crystals, atop her head.
It also sparkled, and shone brighter then the sun. The light reflected off of the metal and Linh winced, blocking the glare with his arm in a flinch. He dropped his arms just in time to watch the photographers behind Tulip flash their cameras. Another eyeful of light. He flinched.
"Now we can resume Challenger!" Tulip shouted, she pointed ahead, "Flabébé! Use Fairy Wind!"
Flabébé, dwarfed by her hat, spun and giggled. Somewhat menacingly because she's just been hit twice with no recourse. As she spun the petals of her plucked flower rippled like fans, and the air rippled and took on a pinkish hue.
The wind blew towards Casket. She barked and rolled, dodging what she could. Then she perked up as Linh snapped out, "Shadow Limbs—pressure up!"
"Vine Whip to the side!" And Flabébé whipped out a vine from the flower, wrapping around the metallic pillars and launching herself across the battlefield. Away from the peeled up inky paws. This also made the light refracting off of the Tera hat shine in dazzling patterns, every ray finding a home directly in Linh's eyes.
"Mother F—" Linh made a disgusted sound, "How is it I'm the only one getting affected by this?"
Tulip spoke ahead of him, a tinge of disapproval. "Handling the effects of Pokémon battling is a basic skill of Trainers. Stray projectiles, loud noises. It's simply part of the beauty."
"Skill issue!" Poppy cried out behind him.
Linh turned around, "Thank you, Poppy!" He turned around again, "Casket—Shadow close, repeat it!"
Casket barked agreement, fur ruffled and a bit glittery at the roots. The aftereffects of Fairy Wind. She sunk into her shadows and the shadows moved across the ground.
Tulip shook her head, "When she leaps out, Vine Whip away. Get distance and Wind!"
Casket did not leap out. She simply rose up. And she watched as Flabébé launched out another vine. Her head traced Flabébé's trajectory.
"Chase, stay close." Linh commanded. Casket followed, barking like she was chasing a stick. "Then—Turn around—Dig!"
Tulip frowned, "What are you trying..." She watched as Flabébé's vines run out, and Casket stood the wrong way around. She kicked the ground and dirt flung up into Flabébé's face. She shifted, realisation, "Alright that's clever. Show me a Fairy Wind!"
Flabébé spat out a dirt clod and started to spin her flower again. And then a dirty pebble smacked her in the face and she cried out, annoyed. The dirt stuck to her flower and her flower crown and in her ears. And in every crevice of her crown. Weighing her down by grams. But she's a Flabébé.
"Well, I had to see it myself. Escape again!"
She weighs grams. One hundred of them if she presses on the scale right. A vine lanced out, around another pillar. And it tugged her half the distance she did before. Closer to the ground, too.
"Shadow walk, Headbutt her to the ground!" Linh shouted.
Tulip frowned, "Shake the dirt off and drop, quick!"
Casket leaped towards Flabébé, a little too high, for she was dipping down and down, towards the ground in an attempt to make Casket overshoot.
It both did and didn't work. Because Flabébé got a white-glowing Headbutt to her forehead, and Casket got flipped over at the point of contact. Leap turning into a tumble that would collide with the crystal Tera eye—
No, straight through. The hat was intangible. The light cut out as Casket's body blocked it, and then shone back with a vengeance.
"Sh—" Linh held his and in front of his face, "—Nevermind, perfect Casket! Now, Shadow Limbs, surround her!"
Casket fell to the ground. Flabébé fell to the ground, harder. And then Casket's shadow reached out and lengthened, until Flabébé was in the middle. And four large paws emerged, ready to slam down.
"Well done Challenger," Tulip called out, "But I'm not letting Flabébé go down without anything! COPYCAT!"
Flabébé cried out cutely, and slapped the ground herself. Her own shadow rose up and shot between the falling paws. An extending leaf, with veins and ridges, sliced at Casket.
Casket yelped. Flabébé fainted. The hat shattering with the sound of breaking glass, and Flabébé putting her head down, eyes closed. Even in unconsciousness, she refused to give up her death-grip on her flower.
The referee swung her flag. "Flabébé is down, One-none to Challenger!"
"Very well done, Casket!" Linh called out, then—"Wait wait, stay there! Not over yet!"
Casket stopped running. Tulip quirked a lip. Then she recalled Flabébé and tossed a different Pokéball in the air.
"Gym Leader, release your next Pokémon!"
"Well, Challenger. I've never had a Gym Test shake out quite like this. Splendid job." Tulip began. "But I had my own plan, and we better get back on track—Go, Ralts!"
Ralts appeared, with a distinctively peeved glare. She puffed her cheeks and set her arms on her hips.
"Light on your feet, wait for her to get close, then Hypnosis!" Ralts perked up, and waved her arms in a circular, slow, motion. Purple energy leaving glowing trails. Hypnosis ready to be released.
"Naturally, in response to that—Casket. Do not get close. Shadow limbs. Poke her."
"One trick? That's like having only one hand mirror!" Tulip laughed, "Oho! Ralts, be a doll and get over to the broken up ground, yes?"
Ralts ran, ducking under the dark paws that lunged at her. She tripped on the ground where Casket dug—the stone broken up.
"Perfect, Confusion on the rubble. Defend and counter!" Tulip cried out. And where Ralts lay her horns glowed red-purple. And up came the disturbed material. Tiles and bricks floated up. Smashing into Casket's Shadow Sneak.
Linh frowned, "Sneak some from behind as well, and get moving!"
Casket ran to the left, dodging the rubble thrown at her, breaking on the ground in plumes of telekinetic dust. Her shadow continued to peel up paws and race towards Ralts. Three darted forwards like wolfs on the hunt, two circled around and leapt for the back of the neck.
Both failed, dashed against lifting rocks, and Casket got a stone to her nose for the trouble.
"Ugh." Linh thought to himself; he had a few ideas to get Casket a solid hit, but he doesn't think any will work twice. One good hit... Make it count with—"Tail Whip!"
Casket wagged her tail at Ralts, Ralts gasped and dropped her stones, she waved her arm at the dog and babbled something angrily. Then slumped over as the move hit. A defence drop.
"Keep throwing with Confusion. She'll have to get close eventually."
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
True. "... Dig."
"Ralt's, Prepare Hypnos—no. There won't be time..." Tulip muttered. "Ah.Confusion on yourself, fling upwards on my mark!"
A silence on the battlefield, Ralts covering herself with a psychic glow, and glancing nervously downwards. Linh and Tulip watch quietly, waiting for—the rumble in the ground, the bounce of pebbles, the growing cracks—
"MARK!" Casket rips out of the ground, the dirt flowing with her and glowing bright strong brown. Ralts flew upwards before Casket could reach, and so she landed with a frustrated growl.
"She has to come down at some point! Follow, Headbutt!"
"Prepare Hypnosis, land it as she gets close!"
Ralts fumbled in the air as Casket chased her on the ground. Then, as if chasing a thrown ball, Casket leapt, throwing herself upwards with the white glow around her forehead.
She tackled Ralts soundly, and both fell down. A rolling tumble that brought them to the end of the battlefield, near the audience.
Ralts did not get up.
"Ralts has fainted! Two none to the Challengers favour!" The referee shouted.
Casket stumbled away from the Ralts, stepping unevenly. Linh asked, "Casket?" And then watched as she fell down. A flash of panic, before he saw Casket's little chest rise and fall, a snot bubble bloating out from her nostril.
"And the Greavard has fallen asleep." The referee continued.
Tulip nodded as she recalled Ralts. "Splendid. You've done well Challenger—your Greavard's just as hard to get rid of as caked-on mascara. But I have one last Pokémon and she's asleep—recall her or face Hatenna!"
Hatenna appeared with a cry greater then the buzz of her Pokéball. A small thing, bouncing on two feet with her twin tails flopping and her hat-like extrusion flapping. She made a cry somewhere between man and mammal, and with it a word appeared in the air, formed of fire. Mystical Fire. It faded away before it could go anywhere—performative.
"Let's not let Casket burn, shall we? I withdraw Casket!" Linh recalled Casket and glanced at the referee—waiting for her.
The referee obliged by calling out, "Greavard withdraws! Two one, Challengers favour!"
Linh raised his second Pokéball. "It's going to be awkward, but I need you to dodge. Go, Menace!"
Menace the Bramblin appeared, his eyes floated out of his roots, waking up blearily. He rasped.
"Mystical Fire." Hatenna cried out the same word, and the fiery kanji was spoken into existance. It soared.
"PROJECT, and keep dodging!" Menace rasped, a vine reached out and pushed against the ground—Menace rolled right. The kanji soared by him, searing the ground and spilling steam as it passed. Linh stepped to the side and it continued out of the battle court, into the open air behind them. He muttered quietly to himself, "That's one."
Menace rasped something that sounded cruel at Hatenna, and Hatenna gasped, bouncing up.
Tulip did not say anything else. She clicked her fingers, and Hatenna took that as permission to launch another Mystical Fire. A few degrees right.
Linh nodded. "That's two. Stand and bite back."
The kanji formed, and streaked towards Menace. It sizzled in the air and left sooty ash on the ground and spat sparks as the brush-stroke like shapes twisted closer and closer to Menace and—
—flowed right through. An illusion. The kanji continued past the battlefield and only stopped when Tinkie stood up and in the way. The fire wasting on her flesh.
Menace cackled, on the other side of the battlefield. Hatenna listened to words, rasping tongue against stalks, and slumped again.
Tulip frowned. "Again."
Linh grinned, "Again."
Hatenna puffed up, and said the word to conjure. Yet when Menace hollered something rough and dry, she flustered. Tongue flicking and fumbling. Fire started to form in the air, before turning into puffs of smoke.
Tulip drew back, surprised. "What?"
"Three. Mystical Fires a strong move, yes? Strong enough it's exhausting. Especially if you keep eating Spites afterwards." Linh started to explain. "Sure would be a shame if Hatennas too—"
"Spite!" Tulip snapped. "You—I—Hatenna, Confusion!"
"Bullet Seed." Linh said. "Finish this."
Menace cackled even as a blast of telekinetic force sent him rolling. His thorns shook merrily as he bounced along the floor. Coming to a stop, his eyes rotated back around, and from the depths of his roots a cluster of seeds shot.
All five hit. Hatenna fainted.
"Hattenna goes down, three one to the Challenger; And I declare him the winner!" The referee waved her flag again. One side, a bush's scraping skittering laughter and his Trainers pleased grin. On the other, an unconcious puffball and an annoyed Gym Leader.
Tulip's fingers twitched at the unexpected loss. And then she sighed. "Very well. I must be gracious in defeat. Your strength has this magic to it. And, I suppose I can see the beauty you see in your Bramblin." She strode forwards and gently picked up Hatenna, holding her comatose body against her chest. "Trainer Linh! Approach and receive your badge."
Linh approached.
Tulip held out her Gym Badge, a small silver-coloured badge with a brass wreath surrounding it. The face depicting a pink six pointed star. "With this badge I recognise you as the winner—congratulations." She also held out a disc, "I also award you with this TM, for Psychic. I'm not sure if either of your Pokémon are inclined to it, but with some training you could achieve something wonderful with it."
Linh took both with a quiet thank you. Behind him. Poppy cheered. Before him, Tulip's photographers captured the handover. Tulip smiled to the cameras and Linh got one final flash to the face.
"Now," she continued. "I would say I have to dash, but, this battle was done very fast. So I actually have some free time. Which is a rarity, I admit. Do you have any questions or, would you like to talk?"
Linh glanced at Poppy, then back at Tulip. "Actually, could I talk to you in private?"
Tulip raised an eyebrow, "What for?"
Linh glanced at Poppy again, more meaningfully. "I'd just like to know some things from your perspective. About Poppy's position."
Tulip nodded, in the sense of someone who wasn't quite picking up what the other was putting down. "Now, I did just say we have time, so—follow me?"
By the time Linh left Tulip's office—the unused one she's mandated to have in the League building—it was raining. A light drizzle to match his disappointed mood. He took the building's stairs, with raindrops trailing down the high window's on each floor of the stairwell.
The bottom floor had the expected. Desk. Lounge. TV hanging in the air and decorations everywhere, community sourced.
Except, this floor had a geriatric core. There were many thin blankets folded neatly on the table by the chairs. On the carpet below the TV there were four rectangular divots, each one matching the wheels of the trolley in the corner. And atop that trolley was a well-used bingo cage. The TV was running reruns of an old show, set to mute so it didn't disturb the two Grandma's knitting together. At their feet flocks of Natu hopped around or stared. Stared at them. Stared at nothing. Stared at Tinkie, uncomfortably fiddling with Poppy's bag. Stared at the receptionist and stared at the tourists who dared to think that they are part of Alfornada. Why, they didn't even live here before Tulip became Gym Leader! Pfeh.
They also stared at Linh as he approached Tinkie. "Where's Poppy?"
Tinkie looked up at him, then pointed towards the far edge of the room. Where two doors were. With a sign showing a man and a sign showing a woman.
Linh huffed, and went to the lounge to wait. He sat near the Grandmas, on the couch.
Near immediately, a flock hopped towards him. Natu's with wings too weak for long flight. Instead preferring their quaint little hops and their great flapping leaps. The little birds stared unblinkingly up at him, from the floor, on his feet, on the couch, on the couch's backrest, on his shoulder, on his la—
—No. Casket could not take that. She refused
to have these strangers claim the place of honour! She puffed out of Linh's shadow, and swelled herself up as high as she could. Illusions lengthening her limbs. And she barked aggressively. Horrible. Raggedly.
The Natu did not move, they did not flutter their red wings or their green feathers. Their red feather crests did not twitch either. Casket barked again, loud enough to turn the dead in their graves.
Again, no response.
Casket whined, turned in a circle, then reached up with a Shadow limb. It batted at Linh's waist. At Menace's Pokéball.
Menace appeared in a flash of light. Claiming Linh's lap. He took in the situation, looked at Casket and rolled his eyes. Along all three axes. He rasped something at the Natu.
One of the grandma's smiled as the Natu fled to them.
"Natu like you," the other grandma's remarked. Her needles clacking away. "They don't do that to just anyone. You feeling down, sonny?"
"Why do you ask?" Linh ran a hand through Menace, fingers tracing thorns and coming out untouched.
"Natu like you. They don't try to reach out unless they think someone is hurting."
Linh looked down at the birds again. "It's. Well. Just a momentary set back. She proved unhelpful so I'm just moping."
"Hmph." The needle's came down, mechanically. A weathered hand went into a well-worn pocket and held out a strawberry candy. The individually wrapped kind. "It's not good to mope, have a sucker, sugar's good for feeling better."
Linh took the strawberry bon-bon, and then grumbled and dug into his own pockets. He came out with a lemon drop. The sugar coated kind that were candy, not medicine.
The grandma took the candy seriously, and then returned to her needles. The other grandma found that funny, and fell into giggles.
"Hehehe—Oh, I'm sorry!" she said to their curious looks, "It's just, oh. Forget me. Here, young man." She dug into her own pockets and withdrew a butterscotch.
Linh took it with pursed lips, then nodded grimly. He gave back haw flakes. A paper roll filled with coin-shaped candy. A favourite of his, and something rarely found in Paldea.
The grandma fell into greater giggles at the second trade. The other grandma continued knitting stoically, and Linh looked away awkwardly. The bathroom door at the far edge of the room swung open.
"Ah, there's Poppy. Well. I'll leave you two to your business. Thank you for your candy—and see you later." He walked away before either responded.
"Heya Poppy!" Linh knelt down slightly, "We got the Badges, yeah?"
"Yeah!" Poppy grinned. She grabbed the key-shaped bag hanging like a necklace and lifted it up, showing off the badge pinned there.
"So, where to next?" Linh took out a large Map and unrolled it. "Which Badge do you want?"
"Ummm." Poppy looked down at the map. "Brassius next! He's tall!"
"And where is Brassius?" Linh placed his finger on the map at Alfornada, on one corner of the map. "Is he here?"
Poppy giggled, "No." She grabbed Linh's finger and dragged it allll the way across the map, to near the opposite side of the region. "He's over here!"
Linh lifted his finger and read the name under it. "Artazon, huh?" The map closed with a rolling snap, and he straightened up. "Well. We'd need to get more supplies, it's quite a hike."
Poppy nodded, then ran towards the exit of the building.
At the door she stuck her hand out into the rain and felt the droplets on her skin. Then she turned to Tinkie and put on the small plastic raincoat Tinkie gave her. A copper ochre lining, and Cufant embosses on the clear plastic.
They left the building, Poppy looking for puddles to splash in, as the League building faded behind the rain.