noah chugs water from his squeeze water bottle. its royal blue hue and gray, textured grips have begun to fade, and white cracks where colour once was stretch across its shape. he finishes his gulp, a drop of water on his chin.

"hey! noah." he wipes his chin. "i've seen you around before." the ruckus of the new year rings faintly— but he does not bring it up, in case his challenger suffers from the same melancholy Adrian Malcolm did.

he leans down to a squat. clutching his knees, noah greets the girl's kubfu with a smile.

"hey buddy!" noah peers up at ruby. a hand fiddles with the pokeballs on his holster as he speaks, "so, ruby! you signed up for a two versus two doubles, right?" he springs up to a full stand like a slinky released.

"this gym challenge is supposed to teach you how to battle all up and personal. close quarters combat. if you don't have any questions, send your pokemon out into the ring, aight?"

Ruby Walker

"it's been awhile," noah's eyes scale upward as if searching for a memory, "but i can show a beginner the ropes. hit me up about that after the challenge, and maybe we can arrange something."

noah is already cycling through his pokeball holster. after ruby delivers her choices into the ring, noah is quick to follow. a medicham and hariyama appear on the other side as the red bolt subsides.

"we've been waiting long enough, man!" noah declares. tightening a fist, his posture galvanizes into a stance flavored with a martial mirth. "remember! there's no running from this!"

the gym leader's pokemon begin battle. their starter is practiced— and as his hariyama delivers a deluge (SURF) across the enclosed ring, his medicham runs along the tide, fists raised in preparation.

Ruby Walker

"thing is, doesn't matter where my pokemon are." noah shouts. "we're sharing the same space!"

as ruby's pokemon protect and prepare, noah's do not stop moving. they close in, clearing distance without faltering— and as the mat fades after the SURF, the gym leader's medicham lunges with fists.

however, the medicham does not strike the greninja. its BULLET PUNCH leads it directly to the indeedee, while the hariyama behind it summons boulders. clapping its hands together, stones fall toward and around the greninja (ROCK TOMB) to hinder its movement if not trap it entirely.

noah is unaware that the kubfu is copying his gestures. still, he does not disappoint the bear. with animated shape, noah cheers for his pokemon and his competitor with every move made.

Ruby Walker

the medicham's punches do little, as if the pinkish mist pads the pokemon's hard knuckles. as ruby calls out, noah is quick to usher an order. the medicham DETECTS and leaps onto the indeedee's shoulders to grasp chainlinks on the cage's ceiling.

as the powerful wave of energy surges across like the hariyama's surf moments before, the whole ring rattles. rock chips off from the boulders of the previous ROCK TOMB. hariyama is not so lucky. as the sumo pokemon moves in line with one of the remaining boulders, it hopes some of the damage can be lessened.

"huh? not bad, ruby!" it's a move has has never seen before, but he does not let his spirited performance falter.

his hariyama is knocked off its feet and collides with the canvas. as ruby's pokemon stay focused on noah's medicham, the bruised hariyama hoists himself up. large palms extend outward like fans as another SURF courses across the ring.

the medicham is brought back to the ground as it's struck by the greninja's SHADOW SNEAK.

catching wind of the kubfu's mimicry, noah shouts with a raised fist. "PSYCHO CUT!" in the close-quarters of his medicham and greninja, psychic blades rush from fists to strike the frog as a wave of water rushes closer.

Ruby Walker

the EXTRASENSORY hinders hariyama's focus. as the sumo wrestler attempts to recover, his medicham leaps to the cage's roofing as the EXPANDING FORCE pulses towards the ends of the ring. the medicham moves across ceiling as if on monkey bars, grey digits clutching the chainlinks as they rattle.

his hariyama does not flinch; however, it does take the EXPANDING FORCE. however, his hariyama does not retreat from the range. instead, it lunges toward the wave. taking incredible damage, the wrestler sends large a WHIRLWIND before slumping to one knee— having suffered much.

as the cyclone threatens to pin ruby's pokemon toward the other cage wall, his medicham releases from the ceiling with a leap. as it descends, PSYCHO CUTS are released from its feet as it flips in the air before landing close to her pokemon.

while the battle continues, noah wonders too. does this gym have drains?

noah quickly coos at the kubfu, allowing some time to compliment its owner: "looks like your kubfu's full of personality. you're taking care of her real good, ruby!"

Ruby Walker

"enclose yourself!" noah shouts with his open palm thrust toward his hariyama. as if willing the next action with sorcery, his fingers snap inward to mimic movement.

the greninja bounces around the cage. metal links rattle like winter bells. however, multiple bounces means compounding time. to defend itself, noah's hariyama claps its palms with a loud thwack. boulders fall in place around the wrestler. they jut over the hariyama. like a stoney bunker, a tough ROCK TOMB forms around it and over its head to defend itself from the greninja's BOUNCE.

simultaneously, noah's medicham engages with the other's indeedee. his medicham runs toward the indeedee too. although it recognizes its earlier BULLET PUNCH does little within the PSYCHIC TERRAIN— the speed of the technique is more valuable. distractions compound upon distractions with every fist thrown. and so, the medicham attempts to harrass the indeedee with fast punches that do not aim to connect, but to disrupt.

"hah, thanks! don't need to compliment me back, ruby." noah watches intently as the lights of the ring brush the purplish mist.

Ruby Walker