Coumarine's Gym
#2 of Cassidy's Journey
Cassidy took a deep breath while advancing deeper into the city. She stopped at the pokémart to buy a few potions before heading to the gym. Her pokémon were battle-ready, but there was so much more Cassidy had to teach them, and her party needed more battle experience overall.
"Just... mh... two potions please," she told the cashier at the mart's front counter and paid for the items accordingly. Cassidy felt confident about winning this gym over, or else she'd have purchased six potions. She was able to fit them into her black bag and pulled out one of her labeled pokéballs. The ball had an 'F' engraved into it just above its button release. It let her know which of her pokémon was which. Cassidy stood outside of the pokémart in a small grassy field by a group of trees and extended her right arm, releasing her braixen from his ball and giving him a moment to gather his composure.
He gazed at his surroundings and out at the deep blue water before looking up at Cassidy. His height stopped at her chest. Cassidy was average. 'Where are we?' He didn't speak aloud, but telepathically, using psychic.
"Coumarine City," Cassidy replied. While training her pokémon last year, she delved deeper than ever into psychic-type pokémon and their corresponding movesets and abilities. Over time, it gave her the odd and unique ability to communicate with her braixen deeply, but Cassidy felt more steps were involved in redeeming such an ability, that there had to be a mutually secure connection involved. "I let you out to talk about an important battle, Fenny." She reached her hand down and adjusted the cute green ribbon he wore around his neck. Cassidy had put it on him when he was a fennekin.
'Battle?... I've gotta battle?' Fenny was never enthusiastic about it. It was apparent in his eyes.
"Mhm, you need more experience, and we'll be up against grass types this time. It'll be easy." If more people were passing by, they'd probably think Cassidy was crazy. Fortunately, it was only a few that paid no mind.
Fenny nodded and looked down. Cassidy was right, he did need more experience, and Fenny had to get used to battling, although it seemed to him like he never would.
"You'll do just fine, Fen." She held his chin up with her right hand and gave him a reassuring kiss on his soft, furry head before returning him to his pokéball for the time being. Cassidy put the ball inside of her bag and sauntered toward Coumarine City's gym. There wasn't a way to prevent the small amount of apprehensiveness she always felt before going up against a gym leader, but Cassidy had a significant type advantage over Ramos' grass types.
She saw the substantial, tall tree the gym was inside of from several miles away. It looked beautiful, but Cassidy held a more serious mindset right now. She continued walking until reaching its entrance, climbing the small flight of steps leading to it. "Here we go..."
Cassidy entered the gym through its large open entrance and gazed up at a massive tree towering over her. Ahead of her was a rope she would have to climb to get onto the platform built around the tree's sides. "Oh, come on..." Cassidy sighed. That had to be a safety hazard. Hesitantly, she approached the sturdy rope and pulled herself up the obstacle until reaching the top. She safely hopped off of it and landed on the floor beneath. If Cassidy weren't in shape, that would have been a lot harder. After wiping her clothes down, she looked ahead at another obstacle to cross and a trainer waiting for her on the other side. That would be Fenny's warm-up battle. Cassidy easily swung over the netting beneath the next rope and landed on the other side. It took her a moment to regain her balance this time.
"You ready?"
She heard the trainer say as soon as she landed on the platform. Now that Cassidy got a better look at him, he looked to be a pokémon ranger. He had short brown hair and wore a white cap. "Sure," she replied and took out Fenny's pokéball. She watched the ranger toss out a simisage. Cassidy held her pokéball and released Fenny a few feet in front of her.
He quickly adjusted to his surroundings and focused on the opponent in front of him.
The simisage gave Fenny an intimidating glare, and Fenny returned it with as much confidence as he could muster.
Suddenly, Fenny heard his opponents trainer shout a command to his pokémon. 'Vine whip?...' What came next were two vines speeding toward him. One whipped him on the right side of his torso and the other on his left thigh before he or Cassidy had time to react. He flinched from both strikes. 'D-Definitely vine whip...' He winced and held the injury on his side. There wasn't much time given for him to recover.
"Okay, Fen, hit 'im with flame charge!" Cassidy ordered.
Fenny obeyed. He built a wall of fire around his being and sent himself flying at the simisage. It hit without fail, even with its trainer telling the simisage to dodge it, and his fiery attack affected the grass type a lot more than his had Fenny. He found himself grinning at the simisage falling over, but that faded in seconds once its trainer told it to use fury swipes this time.
"Dodge it if you can, Fen!" Cassidy forewarned as she didn't want Fenny to take too much damage.
The simisage swiftly ran at its opponent and began to swipe vigorously at Fenny. It gashed his chest twice, but Fenny was able to hop back at a well enough distance to avoid a third scratch or more.
'Ghn...' The pain radiated throughout his entire chest, but Fenny still had a lot more left in him.
"Finish with one more flame charge!" Cassidy pointed at the simisage.
Again, Fenny brought up a wall of fire around his body and swiftly tackled the monkey with it. The simisage seemed to freeze. It was terrible at dodging attacks. This time, as the flames dispersed from around the simisage, it revealed a fainted pokémon.
Cassidy sighed and watched it get returned to its pokéball.
"Good battle, but it doesn't end here," the ranger said.
"Yeah..." She didn't return Fenny and kneeled in front of him with a potion in hand. "You did well, Fen. Where does it hurt?" Cassidy asked.
Fenny pointed out his three injured areas, and that's where Cassidy lightly sprayed the potion before stuffing it back into her bag.
"It'll heal in a few. Good job." Cassidy placed her right hand on top of his head, cupping it around the base of his ear while returning Fenny back to his pokéball.