"Shiro, use Moonlight!" cried Zachary.
"With pleasure." replied the shiny Umbreon, tone as smooth as silk.
His body rings started to glow, and a corona of sparkles surrounded him. His eyes flashed several times. Shiro's scratches healed, and his energy was reinvigorated.
"Stop him, Venipede! Use Bug Bite!" ordered their foe.
"Like I didn't already know.“ muttered Venipede.
Just as Shiro finished Moonlight, Venipede tackled Shiro and bit him all over, trying to find the sensitive spots.
"Augh!" cried Shiro.
"Hang in there, Shiro! Try using Dig on Venipede!" advised Zachary.
"Roger."
Despite being inside an office complex, Shiro dug into the floor with confounding speed. Soon, all that was left was a hole.
"Dangit! Venipede, flush Umbreon out with Toxic!" growled their foe.
Venipede, simply not very loyal to its trainer, just sat there and did nothing.
”Do it, or I won't let you play Minecraft!"
"Fine, sir." hissed Venipede. Half-heartedly, it started to move, but before that could revert into a move, Shiro came up underneath Venipede and tackled it.
When the dust cleared, Venipede was down for the count.
"No!" cried their foe.
"Challenger Zachary wins. Jester Maxwell, please take your Pokemon to the infirmary in the Gym."
"Yes!" cheered Zach.
Venipede retreated to its Pokeball, and Maxwell ran out through a side doorway,slipping through the honey.
As Shiro headed back to Zachary's side, Sylvie smiled nervously.
"Great job, Shiro! I like how Venipede went like 'I hate my job' and you went like BAM!" she congratulated.
Shiro smiled, and his rings flashed.
"Thanks, Syl. Me and Zach worked super duper hard on that technique! Like you and Lindsey do that sorta thing!"
Quickly seeing the hurt in Sylvie's eyes, Shiro reassuringly clapped her on the back.
"Oh, come on. I was just teasing you, Syl! Why would I ever hurt or be sarcastic to you?"
Sylvie tried a faux laugh. Shiro frowned, but continued.
"Still, you boosted my self-esteem. Most girls just tease me to death. Thank you."
Sylvie made a poker face, but on the inside she was smiling. Her feelers wrapped around Shiro, gave him a squeeze, then wafted by her side.
Zachary and Lindsey were already making for the honey doorway leading to Burgh's room.
As they followed their masters, Sarah laughed.
"Sylvie, come on. If you're trying to flirt, you're obviously horrid at that. Just stay calm and let our trainers do the labor, m'kay?" assured her sister.
"If only it were that simple..." muttered Sylvie.
Glancing into Sarah's eyes, she saw more sadness than she anticipated. Her seashell necklace jangled on her neck, in a sort of hollow harmony with her heartbeat and movement. A deep, deep sadness inhabited her conscience, although she was trying hard to hide it.
Sylvie recognized that melancholy.
She saw it whenever she looked in a mirror.
Sylvie glanced at Shiro.
The shiny Umbreon seemed to be wondering about his very existence at the moment, his yellow eyes engaged in a blank, unseeing stare. He walked in the same manner as Sylvie and Sarah, trying to prance around and be jolly, but was secretly harboring a deep, unbearable sadness he tried to hide.
Had truth and ideals start to clash? If so, Sylvie wanted Sarah to be at her side, but a feeling told her that that was as likely as Delphox's stick going out.
"I wonder if we'll, one day, have our descendants see the children the Kalos Professor, Sycamore, sends out. Maybe, they will." Sylvie wondered aloud.
She was yanked back to earth with her "family" skidding to a stop.
Burgh stood on his platform, facing them.
"Ah, the marvel of two trainers! I'll be ready to paint your portrait at a minute's notice, so please stand still. Good! Now, I rarely get a party of challengers, so I'll willingly double battle this time, but I only have three Pokemon with me, so it may be 2 on 1 at one point."
Although Burgh had a slight Kalos accent that slowed his speech down, he still overwhelmed Sylvie with information. She didn't like people who flew from Point A to Point Z in a single bound.
Sylvie, Sarah and Shiro receded into a corner as Burgh sent out Whirlipede and Swadloon, and both Lindsey and Zachary sent out Dewott and Snivy.
"Two starters! So you're bearers of the Pokedex, ya. I take it you needed permission to leave Nuvema Town from your families, and needed a Pokemon to protect you. I have no idea why the professors send out mere children to collect important scientific information, but that's no matter of the Gym Leader Association. Swadloon, use String Shot! Whirlipede, use Rollout! Be sure not to hit the challengers!"
Whirlipede and Swadloon complied, obviously used to fighting alongside Burgh.
"Dewott, use Razor Shell to cut the string shot! Snivy, dodge the Rollout!" said Zachary and Lindsey in unison.
"Jinx." muttered Zachary.
Dewott lunged forward, but before he could withdraw his shells and cut the string, Swadloon held him down in good time. Dewott was soon wrapped in white, sticky filaments, looking like a mummy that freshly emerged from a Cofagrigus.
Snivy wasn't so lucky. Trying to dodge out of the way, the Grass-Type snagged onto Dewott's heap of string, and was soon stuck to Dewott's back. Whirlipede rolled over them with ease, leaving a large cut in Snivy's chest and a struggling Dewott.
"No!" cursed Zachary. "Dewott, hang in there!"
"Snivy, use Leaf Tornado to counter that devastating attack!" cried Lindsey.
"Roger." replied the snobby snake.
Snivy twirled around as Whirlipede and Swadloon congratulated themselves, and took Dewott with her.
"MmmmmFFMmMMMMmm!" protested Dewott, which probably meant: "Get your filthy hands off of me, fiend!"
Soon, Snivy and the wrapped Dewott were merely blurs, spinning around in a cyclone of leaves. Snivy made one last round, then launched the tornado at the Bug-Types.
FOOM!
The large cyclone slammed into them just as they listened for Burgh's orders, and shoved them into the wall, where they left large indentations in the honey and cement.
"Swadloon, Whirlipede, its not over! Swadloon, use Leaf Blade on Dewott! Whirlipede, barrel over Snivy with a good Flame Charge!"
They nodded in unison, and launched their next volley of attacks.
Vomit seeped from Dewott's filaments, but nevertheless the now-Confused Dewott broke free of his bonds.
Snivy quickly followed up with Vine Whip, catching Swadloon and slamming the Pokemon into the ceiling before Swadloon could use Leaf Blade.
"Swadloon has fainted!" cried the referee.
Swadloon receded into his ball, and Leavanny replaced it.
"Swadloon, you did wonderful. Leavanny, you can do it!"
Leavanny appeared, and smiled, as if to suggest she were about to weave them some clothes instead of wallop them to Kingdom Come.
"Snivy, use Wrap on Leavanny! Dewott, use Water Gun to counter the Flame Charge!" cried Lindsey and Zach.
Snivy and Dewott quickly nodded, then did their moves.
WHAP! WRAP!
While a flaming Whirlipede was held back by an incredible jet of water, Snivy wrapped its vines around Levanny, who struggled, then started to glow.
Lindsey's eyes were full of fear for Snivy as she realized what was about to happen.
"Snivy! Get out of there!" she screamed.
FOOOM!
A white, sparkling beam slammed into Snivy, pushing it right into the honeycombed wall. Hundreds of pounds of honey collapsed onto Snivy.
"Snivy is out of the count..."
Suddenly, a glow penetrated the honey, and a shape underneath it started to wriggle.
"What is happening?" cried the referee.
BLAM!
In the blink of an eye, an elegant Servine emerged from the pile of honey and crashed into Leavanny, who screeched and landed next to Burgh, down for the count.
Burgh quickly had Leavanny return to its Pokeball while Whirlipede was overcome by the water and also having to retreat.
"Leavanny and Whirlipede are down for the count! The challengers, Lindsey and Zachary, win!" the referee shouted.
"YES!" cried Lindsey and Zachary at the same time, hi-fiving.
Sylvie walked over to Servine and applauded slowly. Shiro did the same for Dewott.
While Dewott pounded his own chest and said he did all the work, Servine simply sniffed indignantly and turned her head away.
"I guess Pokemon and humans alike never do really evolve..." sighed Sylvie.
Lindsey and Zachary held out their palms, and Burgh gently placed Insect Badges in their hands, smiling.
"You were very brave today, challengers, and with gusto, I present you my masterpiece... the Insect Badges!" he proclaimed.
As the two trainers smiled in happiness, though, they didn't realize that a small Pokemon was watching them far above, invisible...
"Mel!" it said before floating out.
Author's Note: Sorry for my hiatus, XD
