Chapter 103: Hot Tempered
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Lavaridge Gym Main Stadium
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Brick pavers in a darker shade of red line the path around the center field. Building sized torii gates, lined with red neon, frame each section of stadium seating. Strung from every post or ledge is a web of lanterns. Locals and tourists alike flood the gym grounds alongside many a partner pokemon.
Food stalls have lines I'd rather not try no matter how divine the kababs smell. I spot an Alolan man doing a street performance of fire dancing in sync with his Marowak. Somewhere I can't see there's even a traditional drum group carrying their beat across the venue.
Citro gives a nervous chuckle, "Is this a festival to celebrate me getting crushed in ten minutes?"
Jane gives him an encouraging tap on the shoulder while Naomi snorts, "It's Torch's first full day of challenges. I'm sure the gym being closed for any amount of time caused all kinds of schedule delays. The town needs to make up for the slump in tourist spending too."
"That's not the important bit," I chide Princess before taking the lad by the shoulder, "It's just badge number three kid, I think you're over prepared if anything bud."
Cheers come from the stands beyond the gates. Citro sighs, his back still slumped, I could push him over like a toy block tower.
"Citro," He turns back to me, "You know it's okay to lose right?"
An immediate scowl, "No it's not!" He points in a general south direction, "I wanna show my bastard brothers I'm worth something. That I'm not just an unwanted painful reminder."
Ya, no, "Fuck those idiots."
His face looks like I just threw a cactus at him, "What do you mean?"
"Well," I start but Jane cuts in.
"Do you plan on ever even going back to that island?"
Nodding, "Exactly."
Naomi looks between us before turning back to the boy with a slight head tilt.
"Um," He struggles.
There it is, we just told him the world isn't flat.
Naomi hops a bit with a megawatt smile, "Right, so fuck those Rattatas!"
I give the heiress a quick smack to the back of the head, "No, bad princess."
"My hair!" hands immediately fish out a compact mirror.
The boy smirks a bit, "Alright," his phone alarm goes off, "I'd still rather win. See you guys after the match!"
He's smiling as he dashes to the challenger waiting area.
Jane rolls her eyes, "Okay, can we get our seats now? Look, the pre-match show is starting."
Screens above the food stalls and lining the entrances to the stands flick from a slide show of Lavaridge sights to the same commentator as yesterday's match. Although this time the young man is seated at a beautifully carved desk and joined by a young woman in a red kimono with matching glasses framed by flowing black hair.
"Welcome, Welcome, one and all to today's match ups here at our fantastic Lavaridge Gym! As always, I'm your announcer, Shoji! My Co-host for the day is the lovely Miko Sarada! Miss Sarada is visiting our lovely town on her tour of all the fire gyms affiliated with the WPC. Would you like to tell the folks a little bit about what you've learned on your journey so far?"
We enter the main field and I get a good look at the stark stone terrain with the sporadic puff of steam escaping from cracks in the ground. In each corner is a three story pillar of stone glowing with heat from within. Circling each pillar are black ropes with red talismans fluttering in the breeze.
A larger screen/scoreboard let's everyone taking seats in the stands catch the show.
The gal takes her cue while adjusting her glasses, "Thank you Shoji. After this coming worlds competition I will be inheriting the Indigo league's sole, all levels, Fire Gym. We've worked hard over the last fifteen years to really build something from the remains of the Burned Tower. In preparation for succeeding my mother, I've been visiting each fire gym and master as you mentioned."
She pauses as several fire themed badges flash across the screen, "From volcanoes, iron works, and even temples, fire type fields always bring the heat! I've noticed this field has vents from the hotsprings system that makes Lavaridge such a relaxing place to visit."
All of the locals cheer at the compliment.
Shoji picks up the que, "All those vents and the super heated pillars mean that none of our challengers today will be relaxing if they can't take that heat! Our first victim, ah, haha, Challenger today, is Citro from the Red Rebels team. He has a bit of catching up to do compared to his teammates. This will be his Third Badge challenge. Which means it will be a classic, 3v3 singles match!"
Sarada nods, "Classic is right. One of the lessons I've realized I always took for granted growing up at a gym, is the sheer number of pokemon on roster. Did you know the average regional circuit gym has up to 100 pokemon in rotation!"
The lad chuckles, "As someone who's done their share of Numel pen cleaning, believe me, I know!"
Laughter rolls across the crowd just before the drummers from a now visible stage pick up a loud and steady rhythm.
Cheers erupt, notably louder from the female demographic, as Torch takes his side of the field.
"That's our new gym leader folks, Torch is picking up the, well, torch, from Flannery to become our official new, Lavaridge Gym Leader!"
Naomi rolls her eyes, "We get it already."
"Now for the Challenger," the drums pick up again, "Let's give a warm welcome to Citro! All the way from Alola!"
Our boy steps out to his side of the field from a tunnel in the stands. He seems calm enough, smiling and waving to the crowd.
Flannery must have smacked Torch upside the head because he is the picture of professionalism today. Holding a polite smile and nodding towards his opponent.
"Lavaridge, are you ready?!" The crowd roars again, "Trainers, are you ready?!"
Both take out pokeballs and enlarge them.
"Begin!"
Red, orange, and white, fireworks launch from the stands in tandem with the two flashes of pokeballs.
A snail made of lava, Magcargo takes the field across from Citro's giant catfish, Wisca the Whiscash.
Magcargo immediately makes a gurgle filled roar to the sky, beams of sunlight peek through the clouds to brighten up the field.
Citro grimaces but shouts his opening move, "Muddy Water!"
A murky jet of water to make a fireman worry about their pump filter, sprays across the field towards the stationary snail.
Torch grins, "Intercept with Lava Plume and begin your Rollout combo!"
Magcargo hacks up a lava lugy that collides with the murky water just before it hits. An instant cloud of steam shrouds the fire pokemon just long enough for it to roll up and begin racing across the field like a flaming tire!
The crowd whoops and cheers for the burning ball.
"There it is folks, Torch's innovative strategy with our poor, oft-forgotten fire snail!"
Citro scowls further, "Come one Wisca! Hit it with a Mud Shot!"
Whiscash begins firing a rapid salvo of mug balls at the incoming rock wheel, about half of them finding their target as Magcargo weaves about the field avoiding steam vents.
Torch calls out, "Scrape it off with Rock Polish!"
Suddenly accelerating beyond how a snail has any right to move, Citro and Wisca don't have time to respond before Magcargo slams into the catfish with a heavy blow.
Clenching his fist, the boy shouts, "Use the vents for bounce!"
Whiscash rolls with the hit before hopping onto a steam vent like a bouncy fish and launching into the air.
Her aim looks great only for Torch to call out, "Flame Charge."
Magcargo accelerates even further, dashing out of the attack range and pulling a Sonic the HedgeHog, rolling up one of the super heated pillars and launching back with the force of a burst of flames!
Citro smirks, "Batter up Wisca!"
Whiscash spins, visibly grinning as she Mud Slaps the shit out of Magcargo, sending it right over second base.
Torch's brow jumps, surprised as the rest of us. Although it doesn't look like Whiscash got out of that for free, a burnt fish smell reaches the stands.
"Magcargo, Shell Smash and continue Roll Out."
The snail bounces with the landing, shattering pieces of its molten shell across the field before spinning out. This time, the turbo snail is going too fast to maneuver!
Citro points, "Mud Shot!"
Several of the mug globs manage to impact the Magcargo but it's not enough to stop it.
"Wisca Bounce with an Aqua jet!"
Hopping over the snail, the blue fish strains to get the height. She sprays a gout of water towards the shell of Magcargo while propelling her away.
An iron command, "Overheat."
Water hits as flames and lava explode in every direction, catching Whiscash and sending her careening out of control.
While the fish skids with a hard landing, the snail collapses, both pokemon deflating like balloons.
The crowd sits on the edge of their seats. After a five count, neither pokemon moves to get up despite still being conscious. The ref calls it, "Neither Pokemon are able to battle. Send out your next picks."
Up on the scoreboard, the split screen images captured the last second of battle for each pokemon before both cams go grey.
Thunderous cheering erupts!
Jane growls, "Everyone loves a Double Knock Out except the trainers battling."
"No," Naomi points to Torch's smirk as he returns the Magcargo with words of praise, "He needed to stop Whiscash, a DKO was worth it."
Flashes signal the match continuing. From Citro comes his Noibat, she trills with excitement before hovering steadily across from the forming… floating playdough ball?
"It's a Noibat versus Torch's Castform!"
"Oh, I've never seen a Castform used in a gym!"
The clay ball begins to glow red hot in the beams of sunlight which themselves start to expand.
"Begin!"
Torch grunts out, "Weather Ball."
Citro's opening, "Agility into Tailwind!"
Miniature fireballs shoot from the now Jello mold Sun. Noibat dodges with ease as she makes a wide arc around the field towards Torch's side.
As she closes in, "Now Noibat, use Supersonic with a follow up Air Slash."
"Heat Wave." is the response.
A solar flare of hot air bursts out just as Noibat starts to screech. She chokes on the intense heat but still barrel rolls to send arcs of air pressure that cut through the flames and slam Castform aside.
She quickly loops about to send another spiral of air pressure. Castform gets spun around again.
"Heat Wave again then follow up with Morning Sun."
Citro shouts, "Back off and use Twister!"
The flames get snuffed out by the air current whipped up by Noibat racing in circles. She uses another Tailwind to steer and increase the cyclone effect.
Torch tries another move, "Break free with Flame Wheel."
Castform blindly smashes out of the developing twister only to slam into one of the nearby rock pillars!
The little sun ball is barely hanging on. Torch gives one last call, "Morning Sun and create distance with another Flame Wheel."
But the wind has reached up to the broken clouds and pulled them shut. Castform is in a complete daze and with a final Air Slash it's taken out of the fight.
Many of the women in the crowd seem upset and some even Boo towards Citro. One shouts, "How could you do that to little Sunny?!"
The winds are still whipping about the field, sending hot air everywhere and sucking up steam. I doubt Citro could even see the gym leader's next pokemon appear.
Torch sounds off, "Wild Charge into a Full Combo! Nova Roundhouse!"
As Noibat banks for another tailwind, a four foot white rabbit rockets out of the Twister gyroscoping with arcs of lightning into a flaming kick that makes a brutal connection against Noibat's head, sending her cratering into the rocky stadium floor.
"Torch's Cinderace enters the match with a vengeance, ladies and gentleman!"
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