❤L 0 c k 3 d H 3 @ r t $

Ch 5- Definitely not dogfights

"Let me test the power of your pokemon."
  "Wait you don't mean..."
"Yes. We're going to battle," Gladion explained. 

 I looked at the pokedex to check what moves Silvally had. 

 "Silvally's moveset is: 

 Crunch

Thunderbolt

Flamethrower

Dragon Pulse

 The power statistics of this pokemon rank it at level 80." The pokedex chirped in an electronic voice. 

  "LEVEL EIGHTY! WHAT THE HELL! Whatever, battle me." 

 "...okay..." 

"Silvally, time to battle!" He let out his Silvally and awaited my own to be released. 

  "Silvally, you'll get a burrito after this," is what I said when I let him out. 

 "Whoooo! Let's win this!"  

  Gladion started the battle, but without a word. 

 Use crunch , I telepathically said to my Silvally. He ran up to his opponent and dodged all of the attacks being thrown at him. He jumped, ducked, dove, and rolled out of the way to get closer. As soon as he was close enough, he bit the other right in the neck. The victim of this attack wailed out in pain. 

  I gasped in horror at this event, but I had to keep going or else, Gladion was just going to leave me in the dust. I just knew it. I needed to be strong so that I could fight for the lives of many people.  

  Silvally must've read my emotion, because I only thought about him using his thunderbolt attack for a fleeting second. Silvally launched a devastating thunderbolt and it knocked out the opposer.  

  "W-what? H-how...?" 

  I couldn't control what he had done. I saw the opposing pokemon out cold, fainted from exhaustion and pain. It lay there unconscious, and I felt so bad for it. Is this really what being a trainer was like? Trying to make your opponents bow down to your feet, pleading for mercy? Did we really need to hurt the pokemon? 

  As I lost myself in thoughts, and felt something warm rub against my cheek. Well, it slid rapidly, and my nose started to clog up. A lump formed in my throat, and that is when I realized I was crying. I was crying because of that poor pokemon that didn't need to get hurt. I didn't think that Gladion would look at me the same way. My own Silvally looked happy about his victory, but concerned about how I was feeling. I instantly feel guilty once again because I didn't want to rain on Silvally's parade. I turned away so that no one saw the tears tracking down my face with a salt trail, so that no one saw my puffy red eyes, and so that no one saw me so weak. I wouldn't allow it. I didn't know why. Maybe my ego, or maybe because I didn't want to be left in the dust by this skilled trainer. I was only new, so I was lucky enough to have an experienced trainer let me in.  

  I furiously wiped away my tears, and I looked up to make sure he didn't see me. However, it was too late, as he had caught one of them in his hand. 

  "Cerise, what's got you so down? Don't cry... please...," Gladion said in a sweet, hushed tone. I had never heard it before. I surprised that he didn't want to leave me in the behind. 

  "Is this what b-being a t-trainer is all about? H-hurting p-pokemon?" 

   Gladion didn't say anything, but his actions did. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. The warm gesture sent warmth coursing through my body and my heart picked up it's pace. He softly rubbed my back and continued to soothe me. I was relieved to know that he cared about me, and that I had someone who understood. 

  "Cerise... it helps us deepen our bonds with pokemon. To further explain, a trainer is not strong when they have strong pokemon. They are strong when they have a deep connection-- when they care about all pokemon. These pokemon aren't getting upset over their loss, they get stronger from it. This is why they allow themselves, sometimes, to get pushed around. The trainer may not have the physical strength that they do, but they have the mental strength. My Silvally isn't upset by it's loss, it's happy that it got to learn and knows what to do," Gladion explained all of this bond stuff, and I was beginning to wonder if he was a textbook. He just seemed to unleash all kinds of information. What had he done, memorized it? DAMN! 

  "Oh, and your Silvally is actually at the level where it could take on the Elite four. It's insane, so I think you and Silvally should be fine hunting down beasts with me," Gladion chuckled. I wiped away the last of my tears and sniffled a little. I returned the smile to him and gazed into his eyes, green as an endless forest. Before, I noticed that they swelled with anger, hatred, despise. But now, I saw a whole new light to him. He was really just a determined person who had grown not to trust anyone, but trusted me. Everyone in his life had just used him to get what they wanted from him and then turned the tables. He always kept the stern look that would tell people to back off, but I knew the truth. 

   "Cerise... we need to go to Alola if we are going to get to the library. Are you up for this?" 

  "Y-yea..!" I was unsure, but I had to come off with a confident look so that he knew I really was sure about where we were to go. 

  "Alright, let's get to the airport. Pack all of your stuff. I'm gonna go contact Lillie and see if she is coming with us." 

  "Right." 

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 A/N: Sorry if this chapter sucked. I'm gonna make it less fluffy and emotional and more exciting, so you just wait. Any-ho, hope you enjoyed it either way.