What's So Great About Second Love Anyways? {Pokemon Romance}

Chapter 4 - What's The Best Way To Travel?

Ira rolled over off her pillow and into the dewy grass underneath. It was almost literally a cold splash of water to the face, so it woke her up without problems. She shivered and opened her eyes.

"Good, you're up," said Elron, stretching out. "Get your stuff packed back up and let's go."

"Already?!" She pulled a poketch out of her bag and tapped it on. "It's only seven in the morning!"

"Welcome to being a trainer," he said with a smirk. "I'm just passing on the tradition."

"Some tradition," she groaned, sluggishly standing up and stuffing things into her bag.

"You'll get used to it. I'm surprised you're not used to this sort of schedule from working in business."

"We generally don't go hiking as soon as we wake up in the business world."

Elron smiled. "Maybe you should change that then."

As soon as Ira rolled up her sleeping bag and hastily packed everything else into her bag to the point that it looked like it would explode, they headed out. It was a few hours before they reached the bustling city of Nimbasa.

Neon lights and the smell of cotton candy plagued the senses before they even crossed the city limits. Not the entire city was like this, but the tourism industry attacked people soon as they got close enough. Mimes and clowns were just normal civilians here, earning their small wages painstakingly throughout the days.

Elron immediately set his eyes on the gym across the city, as if he had a gym radar built into the back of his head. "Well, time for a gym battle! Are you ready?!"

She looked at him wide-eyed. "I haven't even had my first battle yet, let alone my first gym battle! Isn't this supposed to be the fourth gym in a trainer's path upwards?"

"Oh shoot." He shook his head at himself with his hand on his face. "I can't believe I forgot about that. We'll have to go all the way back to Striaton City to take care of that first!"

"A-all the way back?!" She panicked. "But it was tough enough walking here! That's several times the distance! And we'll have to backtrack!"

He laughed nervously. "Oops. Guess I'll have to let you fly sooner than I planned..."

That made it all better. "What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

"Not yet!" He looked back across the city. "There is a gym that's calling my name!"

-----

The loud pop music permeated the walls of the gym, letting the steady bass drum beats pulse through the passerby.

Elron was gleaming. "Ready to go in?"

"Why are you asking me? I'm not the one battling."

"I don't know!" He, clearly giddy from the upcoming chance to show off, walked forward and the doors slid open.

There was a clerk at a lectern who was writing on some notecards. He was a middle-aged man by the looks of him, and he stood out amongst the scores of teenage girls behind him in the crowd and on the stage. He saw the two and didn't greet them all too kindly. "What do you want?!"

"I wish to challenge the gym leader, Elesa," Elron responded as politely as possible.

"Aren't you a bit old to be doing this?" he asked, not impressed. "I can't have any of you virgin fanboys getting up close and personal with Elesa. I'm sorry, just a security precaution."

Elron exposed the inside of his cloak, displaying rows of badges from several different regions. He smiled condescendingly.

The clerk's jaw dropped. "Well... Alright then. What's your name?"