"So, where are we going?" asked Taylor, as she
and Brandon left the hall.
"I know a breeder over in Cerulean City," said
Brandon. "She can hook you up with a Pokémon that'll be much stronger than
what they're handing out in there. They'll still be a low enough level that you
can control them, but they'll stomp a Squirtle or Bulbasaur into the dust.
Trust me on that."
"Isn't Cerulean, like, two routes away?" asked
Taylor. "How are we going to get there?"
"Fly, of course," said Brandon casually.
The pair exited the buildings, heading back down the
front steps. Seth, the spiky-haired blond man Brandon had been talking to, was
standing there with his own mentee, seemingly waiting for the pair of them. "Hey,
Brandon," he said, waving. "So, who'd you get?"
"Uhh…" Brandon turned back to Taylor.
"What was your name again? Taylor?"
"Yeah," said Taylor, who was starting to think
that maybe Brandon wasn't all he'd been hyped up to be.
"Yeah, this is Taylor," said Brandon, gesturing
in her direction. "Taylor, this is Seth Voltaire, my friend and
rival."
Seth stepped forward, seizing Taylor's hand and shaking
it. "Pleased to meet you, Taylor. Don't worry," he added, perhaps
noticing the concern on Taylor's face. "Brandon might be a dick, but he's
a great trainer. I'm sure he'll make a great trainer outta you as well."
"Uhh… I guess," said Taylor, a little surprised
by Seth's forwardness in taking her hand.
Seth let go of Taylor's hand and turned to address his self-proclaimed
rival. "You taking her to Ellen?" he asked.
"Yep," said Brandon. "You taking
him?"
"Yep," said Seth. "Wanna race?"
Brandon snatched an Ultra Ball off his belt, grinning.
"What's the prize?" he asked.
"Winner gets first pick," said Seth, removing a
Great Ball from his own belt.
"That it?" said Brandon, smirking.
Seth scoffed. "What else you want?"
Brandon's smirk grew wider, almost becoming a grin. "You
know what I want," he said.
"Oh," said Seth, rolling his eyes as though
something obvious had just occurred to him. "He wants my Zapdos," he
clarified for Taylor and Kieran.
"You have a Zapdos?!" exclaimed Kieran.
"Holy shit!"
"Not for long he doesn't," said Brandon smugly.
"Yeah, you wish," retorted Seth, cracking a
grin. Taylor saw now what Brandon had meant when he said they were
"friends and rivals". Both men were clearly enjoying the continuing
repartee, relishing each others' competitiveness.
"Come on, then," said Brandon, "let's go!
First one to Ellen's gets Zapdos!"
"You're on!" said Seth. "Go,
Skarmory!" Seth threw his Great Ball, and Skarmory emerged from it with a
metallic cry, its steel wings flapping.
"Go, Charizard!" Brandon threw his Ultra Ball, and
Charizard burst forth in a flash of light, roaring as its own wings unfurled.
In an instant, Seth and Brandon began clambering onto their respective Pokémon,
each eager to take off as soon as possible. "Come on, get on!" Brandon
called out to Taylor.
Taylor, who had never flown on a Pokémon before, was
feeling rather nervous and startled, especially given Brandon's sudden haste.
"Uhh… okay…" Nervously, she climbed onto the Charizard's back,
shuffling forwards along it and wrapping her arms around Brandon's torso for
safety.
"Hold on tight," said Brandon, and with an
almighty flap of its wings, Charizard took off. Taylor let out a brief squeal
as she was suddenly ferried upwards towards the brilliant blue sky, the wind
rushing past her at incredible speed. She tightened her grip on Brandon,
clinging to her mentor for dear life. Seth and his Skarmory were only a second
behind them, Kieran also holding on tightly to his mentor.
"Alright, buddy," said Brandon, patting
Charizard's neck, "take us to Ellen's, and fast!"
Charizard let out another confident roar, executed a
nimble banked turn, and with another almighty flap it suddenly rocketed through
the skies above Viridian like an orange missile. Taylor's scream was quickly snatched
away by the on-rushing wind, her blonde hair billowing behind her. She shut her
eyes, clinging onto Brandon even tighter.
"Too fast, too fast!" she cried out. These
words were also snatched away by the wind before Brandon could hear them, and
even if he had, he wouldn't have slowed down. This was a race he was determined
to win, even if it meant terrifying his new protégé. And so Charizard continued
its blistering pace, tearing through the skies above Kanto with Seth and his
Skarmory in hot pursuit.
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