let my soul travel

      "I'm sure... it can't learn any flying or psychic moves... we should, hah, be okay...."

             "Kree kree mankreeee!"

Chat bounced back and forth on her shoulder, pounding her fists together and blowing puffs of hot air out of her nose. Well, at least she didn't seem particularly daunted by the challenge. Mankeys. 

“Well, your Pokémon certainly seems raring to go.”

Lily jumped at the voice, glancing around quickly to see Brock standing there, only a few feet away. She hadn’t even heard him approach. Lily floundered for a moment, then nodded, reaching a hand up to steady Chat on her shoulder.

            “Um- ah- yeah, yes, sir, that is, erm, I mean, she is definitely…                   but then, most mankeys would, and she’s no exception.”

“Then let’s get started,” he said, turning slightly and gesturing for Lily to follow him as he headed towards a panel on the wall. He pressed a few buttons, then reached out a hand towards Lily again. “Could I see your pokédex for a moment?”

“Oh - yeah, sure.” Lily reached into her bag, fishing out the device from one of the side pockets and handing it over to Brock, curious. What could he need her pokédex for? She watched as he slid it into a slot off to the side of the panel, and the lights on the panel and her pokédex lit up at the same time, her trainer information springing up on the screen in the middle.

                                        Lillian Panetier, the computer said, from Celadon City.                      Journey started from Pallet Town on the 26th of February,                      2014.                      Unique Pokémon obtained: 4. Badges earned: 0. 

“Alright, that’s all I needed,” Brock said, pressing a button to release the pokédex, and he handed it back, and two pokéballs sprang up from a compartment near the bottom of the computer.

             “We’ll each use two Pokémon each. The first trainer to defeat        both of their opponent’s Pokémon is the winner. When you’re          ready, go to the other end of the arena.”

When you’re ready.

Lily breathed out a heavy sigh of relief; at least she had a moment to collect herself before the battle started. She looked at the pokéballs on her belt, biting down on her lip slightly as she considered them. Hopefully, Chat would be enough to bring down whatever Pokémon Brock sent out against her — but if not, what was she supposed to do? 

She’d already lost her weedle to a hungry pidgey, so there was no way she was going to send out Ifritt and risk another loss due to a type disadvantage. But could she really risk one of her rattata? If either Gimrik or Emelie got in over their heads, the other would never forgive her… No.

She’d have to just win with Chat. It was the only option.

“You’re on standby, Gimrik,” Lily whispered, “…but hopefully you won’t have to do anything.”

Lily nodded once to herself, firmly, then half-jogged to her end of the arena. Chat chittered excitedly in her ear, gripping a handful of her ponytail. She could feel the mankey’s toes curling into her shoulder, and Lily knew what it was — anticipation. It was all the reassurance she really needed.

“—We’re ready!” Lily called over to Brock, and Chat leapt off of her shoulder to go out into the arena, leaning forwards and balancing on a balled fist as she scratched at the dirty floor with the other, like a bull preparing to charge.

                             "Kree!"

“Coming out with your heavy hitter first. It’s a gutsy move. Let’s hope you don’t regret it— Geodude! I choose you!”

                        "Geodude-dude-dude!"

A geodude — that was much better to face than its powerful evolution. But it was still going to be tough to crack, even with a fighting Pokémon. But this wasn’t a time to hesitate — she had to act, and now.

               “Okay!” Lily shouted out, “If it catches you off guard, it doesn’t matter what moves you know — you won’t be able to shake it’s grip! You’re faster than it, Chat, so stay ahead of it! Now quick — use a leer, and scratch it! See how good its defence is!”

                  "Mankreeee!"

Chat dove at the geodude, narrowing her eyes menacingly at the boulder with arms. The other Pokémon seemed to hesitate, but only for a moment before it held its ground, shutting its eyes tightly as Chat landed on top of its head and scratched at the surface of its craggy skin. One scratch, two -- it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Geodude was a bulky Pokémon, and it was going to take a bulky attack to bring it down.

          "Geodude, shake it off! Rock throw!"

     --How exactly was that supposed to help him? The geodude definitely couldn't throw a rock at himself to get Chat off... but that didn't seem to be its plan. 

        "Geo!"

       The geodude lifted its body up into the air on top of its arms, bouncing in place for a moment before it threw itself, right towards one of the rocks that set up the scenery for the gym. Chat screeched, clambering over the flying rock as fast as she could before eventually tumbling off right before Brock's Pokémon slammed itself into the boulder. Chat rolled to her feet, shaken for a moment before gathering herself and puffing up her body, angry and more determined than ever.

"Don't go for the top this time," Lily called out, "go for the bottom! Low kick those hands out from under it!"

            “Kree!” Chat agreed, building up momentum as she ran towards the geodude, and throwing out one of her feet as she got within a good distance. Her foot collided with one of the geodude’s arms with a resounding crack!!, and the Pokémon went tumbling backwards as it lost its balance. Geodude struggled for a moment to right itself, but with a broken arm it was more or less out for the count, and it collapsed in a heap on the ground.

              "Geodude, return!" Brock called out, and his Pokémon          disappeared back into its pokéball as he brought out his second.             "That was pretty smart, going for its arms. But let's see how you               fare against this! Onix, go!"

      "Ohhnnnnn!"

It was so huge. Lily couldn’t imagine how a Pokémon like that could fit inside something as small as a pokéball. The rock snake slithered through the arena, taking up most of the room, and barely fitting as it was. She wasn’t sure who that would be worse for — the onix with getting its attacks to hit, or Chat with trying to manoeuvre around it.

           Chat seemed unsure, too, looking back at Lily over her shoulder and chittering at her. “Kree mankree kree?”

         “No, you can do this. It’s big, but it’s going to be slow, especially in            here. You've still got the advantage! Now go! Karate chop it!"

Chat sprang into action, literally, jumping onto the onix’s bulky rock body and clambering up the rugged surface like she had done it before — and she probably had. Lily wouldn’t put it past a mankey to rock climb for sport or amusement, or just to get to some better-tasting berries. 

           --But this was a battle, not some gallivanting race to get to the               best fruits first. Chat scurried as fast as she could to get to the               top of the onix. She leapt off of the horn jutting out from               between its eyes, doing an acrobatic spin in the air before               falling back down towards the onix with her hand extended like               a blade.

                                "Kreeeeeee!"

"Onix!" Brock shouted, while Chat was in mid-fall. "Screech!"

        "Niiiieeeeeeeeeeeexxx!"

The sound the onix emitted was loud and shrill, the enclosed space doing nothing to help dull the sound. It echoed off the walls, and Lily raised her hands to cover her ears, cringing as they rang, deafening everything around her. She could only watch as Chat faltered in her strike as her hands went up to her ears, too. The mankey landed heavily on her opponent, tumbling down the long, serpentine body and to the floor below.

                                 "--Chat!!"

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, it was happening again -- she was losing another Pokémon. She should have trained more, watched more of Brock's battles. This was her fault. Again.

         --Except, was Chat still moving?       ...Yes, she was! Quivering, maybe, but moving, definitely moving.                           ......no, she wasn't quivering......

         "--Oh no."

Brock had seemed to reach the same conclusion. Chat wasn't quivering; she was shaking. Shaking with a rage that only mankeys and their evolutions were known to have. Her eyes almost seemed to glow red as she looked up at the onix, nostrils flaring.

                               "...kreeeeeeeEEEEEEEEE!!"

Chat bounded towards the onix with a rage-renewed determination, her hands and feet kicking up a trail of dirt and dust behind her.

——Lily had to give a command, otherwise it wouldn’t count. She straightened up her back, cupping her hands around her mouth as she shouted out—

        “Chat! Low kick! Now!!”

             The mankey was more than happy to concur as she vaulted towards the onix, trapped in Chat’s path by its bulk. The kick connected with a resounding noise that almost sounded like a sonic boom, and the onix groaned in agony, head crashing against the side of the wall before it slumped to the floor of the arena.

      "Onix, return." The behemoth of a Pokémon disappeared in a flash and fizzle of red light, and Lily fumbled for her pokéball, quickly returning Chat before she could redirect her battle rage elsewhere. Brock dusted himself off, before crossing the arena towards her.

"That was a good battle," he told her, "that mankey of yours sure packs a powerful punch -- well, kick."

                          "Yeah... she's not usually like that.            She's normally much more mild-mannered, for a mankey.                       --Sorry about your onix. I hope it's okay."

    "Don't worry about it. He's tough -- he can take a hit. Here, this is for you."

Brock held out the Boulder Badge for her, and Lily stared at it for a moment before realising what exactly that meant -- and then she snatched it out of Brock's hand. 

                   "This is mine? Really?!"

"Of course -- you earned it. Just be careful, in the future. Most trainers you can't use just one pokémon to defeat. You should try expanding your team -- balancing it out some more."

        "But I think you'll be just fine. You'll want to head east from here. You have to go through Mount Moon to get to Cerulean City, where the next gym is. It's a hike, so you might want to stock up on supplies and rest for a day or so before you head out. Good luck, Lillian."

       "--Thanks."

              "See you around. Maybe we'll battle again sometime."