When they finally arrived at Seaside cycling road Luna could not help but marvel at structure that was in front of her, she could not even se end of it. She could not even hear James who tried to say something to her but she was so focused on the cycling road, she snapped back to realty when James putt a hand on her shoulder.
“You ok there? You space out for a moment.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” She pointed at road. “How long is this road?” She asked James.
He just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you ‘don’t know’?”
“I’m a Pokémon trainer not an engineer, let’s just rent the bike already.”
They went into the shop and the first Luna saw was something she had never seen before bikes, many bikes. There were many different kind of bikes blue, green, red and yellow, some of them looked more advance than others.
“Do you remember how to use the phone?” James asked her, Luna just rolled her eyes by his question.
“Yes I remember, I’m not a complete idiot.”
“If you say so, while you are calling professor Birch lab I’m going to rent a tandem bike then we can meet outside the shop when we are done. Is that okay with you.” Luna nodded.
Both of them went their different direction, while James went to rent a bike Luna went to find the telephone. Once she found them she dialled the number to Birch lab, it did not take long before someone answered and it was Joshua.
“Hello Luna how’s your journey going?”
“Good, James aunt gave me a thunder stone earlier today.
“A thunder stone? Those are rare, anyway is there something I can help you with?”
“Yes, I caught Scyhter this morning did you get it?”
“Yes, don’t worry your Scyhter arrived safe and sound but he seems a little hostile towards me.”
“Yeah about that, you see that Scyhter has lost to a younger Scyhter for the leadership to a flock. I guess he still is angry about that.”
“That’s awful, well don’t worry I will take good care of your Scyhter until you need him. By the way where are you calling from?”
“Seaside cycling road.”
“You’re not far from Mauville City, trying to earn your third gym badge?”
“Yes, that was the plan.”
“Well I wish you the best of luck and let me give you a piece of advice, don’t underestimate Wattson, he may be old put he though.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good, look I must return back to work talk you later. Bye.
“Good bye Joshua.”
When she was done checking that her Scyhter was ok she looked around the shop to see if James was around, she could not see him.
‘I guess is outside the store.’ She thought to herself.
She went outside and there stood James and beside him was something that looked like a bicycle but it was longer than a normal bicycle and it had two sets and it was red.
“James, what is that?” She asked while pointing at it.
“It’s called a tandem and it’s use so that two people can ride it at the same time.”
“That’s great and all but I can’t ride a ‘bicycle’ and why can’t we walk to Mauville City.”
“Firstly, it does not matter that you can’t ride and the second, it will take us two days if we walked to Mauville using the cycling road will halve the time. Now stop complaining and do as I do.”
James got on the front of the bicycle, Luna was a bit unsure if it was safe but she trusted James. She got on the back of it, when her butt touched the seat it did not feel very comfortable.
“This seat is hurting my butt.”
“Don’t worry you get use to it, I suggest that you put your egg in your backpack.” She did as he said. “Now put your left foot on the left pedal, that black block.” Luna looked down and she saw a black block she put her foot on it.
“Now what?” She asked.
“Put both hands on the steering in front of you, ones that are black.” She did that. “Now do as I do.”
He stared to move his left foot and as soon as did Luna’s left pedal started to move, it put off guard for a second but she manged to collect herself.
“You could have warned me that would happened.”
James looked over his shoulder. “Where’s the fun in that?”
James steered the bike onto the road and with that they were on the way to Mauville.
While they cycled up the road Luna tried to get in most of the view, she saw many bird Pokémon flying above them and she saw many Pokémon on the ground. After a while she started to get tired.
“James, can we please stop and take a break? I’m starting to get tired.”
“Don’t worry were almost at the half point.”
Luna wondered what he meant by that but when they arrived at half point she could not believe her own eyes, she saw two Pokémon battle field and many vendors. There were many people there too, some had Pokémon battle’s while others simply enjoyed themselves. They parked the bike by a bench.
“James, what is all that?”
“It’s almost the same as the boat that we stayed the night, they mad this rest area so trainers and others could relax and have fun.” He pointed at the Pokémon battle field. “Like those two battle fields.”
Luna sat down on bench and son she did she wince James saw that.
“You okay?” He asked her.
“My butt hurts.” She started to rub it.
He sat down beside her. “That happens that first time, maybe I should have mentioned that. Sorry.”
“Maybe you should.”
Despite that he did not tell her she was not made at him, she took of her backpack and carefully took out her Poké egg and keep it close to her chest.
“Hey James, when will the egg hatch?” James just shrugged.
“Don’t know, it depends how you treat your egg.”
“How I treat my egg? What does that have to do with the egg hatching?”
“This is just a theory but many believe that the Pokémon that’s inside the egg can fell how you treat the egg, like I said it just a theory.”
Luna was about to ask how that work when she was interrupted by a very loud sound, everyone stop what they were doing and looked down the road. There came people riding something Luna had not seen before, it looked like they were riding bicycle but their feet did not move.
When James saw that he stood up. “Oh no, bikers.”
“Bikers?”
As the bikers got closer Luna got a closer look at them they were mostly men, some women. They had black pants and white t-shirts with a brown jacket and finally they had all Mohawk as hairstyle, Luna was actually freighted by them.
When they arrived at the rest area the people started to run away, the leader stopped at the center of the rest area he had the same clothes as the others but he had green hair.
“Everyone listen, from this moment this place belongs to use and if anyone has something to say about it they are throw out. Is that understood?”
He looked around to see if anyone had had anything to say nobody said anything, he had a winning smiled. Then he saw Luna.
“Well, well, what do we have her?”
He parked his motorcycle and walked over to her, he stopped right in front of her.
“Well hello there beautiful, what are lovely girl as yourself doing her?”
Luna did not answer him because she was afraid of him.
“I asked you a question.” Still no answer, the leader was getting impatient. “I’ll teach you not to answer me.”
He was about to grab her but before got the chance he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked to his right and there stood James.
“I think that you and your gang should leave.”
“Who the hell are you? Her boyfriend?”
“No and this rest area is not your place, so I suggest that you leave.”
“You are either incredibly stupid or incredibly brave to take to me like that.” He eyed James a little closer. “Don’t I know you?” He then had a devilish smile. “You’re the ex champion of Hoenn,” He stared to laugh, he then looked at the rest of his gang. “Hey guys the ‘ex champion’ of Hoenn is telling us to leave, a trainer how can’t even defeat a Darkrai.” He stared to laugh again and so did his gang to.
“Tell you what ‘ex champion’ if you can beat me in a battle then we leave but if I beat you, you hand over your Pokémon and your girl comes with use. Deal?”
James answered without hesitating. “Deal.”
When Luna heard that she was shocked, shocked that James had agreed to that without asking her. She stood up and walked over to him with an angry face.
“What are you doing? You can’t just say that without asking me first, what if you lose?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
He answered in a calm voice that made Luna relaxed a bit but she was still angry with him that he agreed to this
“Hey champion, let’s get this battle stared already.”
The leader was already standing at on the battle field James stood at the other end of the field.
“We use one Pokémon.” Said the leader.
“Fine by me.”
The leader took out a Pokéball. “Let’s rock Golem.” A giant rock with a head, two arms and two legs came out.
‘That’s a big Pokémon.’ Luna thought while she took out her Pokédex.
Golem the Megaton Pokémon. Golem is known for rolling from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon’s course.
‘Let’s rock Golem? Seriously?’ James thought while he took out a Pokéball.
“Let’s go Swellow.”
When the leader saw which Pokémon James had chosen he stared laughing hysterically, while Luna just wonder what James was thinking.
“You chose a Swellow, man you are dumb. This will be easy, Golem use stone edge.”
Rocks started to gather around Golem, Golem send them towards Swellow.
“Double team.”
All of sudden there were many Swellow and stone edge missed it target, when Golem saw all of those Swellow’s he started to panicked.
“Calm down Golem and use stone edge on all of them.” The leader ordered.
Again stones started to gather around Golem and he send them towards all of them, the only thing he hit was illusions.
“What’s just happened? Where is Swellow?”
Both the leader and Golem looked around to try to find the original Swellow.
“Look up.” James told them.
Everyone did and up in the air was the original Swellow soaring up in the sky.
“If you think that will help you, you are wrong. Use stone edge on more time Golem.”
Again Golem send stones towards Swellow.
“Dodge them Swellow then use steel wing.”
Swellow stared to fly towards Golem while dodging stone, then his wings started to glow until they looked like metal. He then hit Golem in the head knocking him out, everyone was silent they could not believe what they just saw. A Swellow knocked out a Golem with one hit.
“Why you little….”
The leader called Golem back to its Pokéball and started to walked towards James with anger in his eyes but he did not come very long for suddenly they heard sirens in the distance.
“Shit, is the cops.” The leader turned to his gang. “Let’s leave before they arrived.” The hole gang jumped on theirs motorcycles and drove away, the leader took one looked at Luna and drove away. Soon after, came officer Jenny riding her own police bike. She stopped beside James.
“I heard that it was trouble on cycling road.” She looked at James. “Was that you young man?” James did not react at all.
“No officer Jenny it was biker gang they drove that way.” Said an elder lady as she pointe where the gang had droved of to. “That young man stood up to the leader of the bikers.”
Jenny looked back and forth between the lady and James. “Alright, I trust your word.” She looked at James again. “And you, stay away from trouble.” With that she drove after the biker gang.
James could not believe that officer Jenny accused him for trouble the bikers did, he just shook his head. He then looked at Luna who was shaking, he walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder but at soon he did that she jumped a couple feet.
“Hey it’s me James.” He told her in a calm voice, then she did something that surprise him. She hugged him, he did not know what to do so he just returned the hug.
“Are they gone?”
“Yes they are gone.” They looked at each other. “Look, I’m sorry for what I did back there when he mentioned that he would take my Pokémon and that he mentioned Darkrai I just did not think clear.”
“That’s okay, you did ‘save’ me from their leader after all.”
“I promised professor Birch that I would look after you and I intend to keep that promised.”
“Either way you deserve this.”
She then did something James never saw coming, she kissed him on the cheek again. It was just a little kiss but it was enough to make James froze up, he could not believe that Luna just kiss him again.
“Let’s get moving, I would like to get to Mauville city before they came back.” She walked back to the bicycle she noticed James was not following her, she turned around and saw that James just stood there. “James are you coming?”
James shocked his head. “Yeah, I’m coming.”
He walked to the bicycle and both of them got on it, with that they were on the way to Mauville City. The old lady just smiled at James and Luna.
“Nice work kid.”