6. Where's the popcorn?

[X] Stick to Blue's POV

"You know, I've never actually seen that part of the gym before. It's... pretty impressive."

"How the heck did your mum get permission to build an arena like that?! It's a freaking deathtrap!"

"I know, right? Isn't it awesome?"

"'Terrifying' is the word I would use. One little slip..."

"I'm sure there are safety measures in place, Gold."

"But still-"

"Shh! Shut up! I can't concentrate with you two talking!"

"The view from this angle sucks." you noted, seeing the tiny figures on the screen. The two pokegirls on the battlefield were too small and fast to be seen clearly. "Can't we switch to a different camera?"

Red shook her head, still focused on the battle. "Nope. That's the only camera in the room. We had to make it special so it wouldn't get damaged by the heat."

"Just how hot is that arena, anyway? It's right above a giant lave pool." Gold asked, leaning forward to try to get a better view. You narrowed your eyes at him as you spotted him glancing down Red's top. 

"Eh, can't remember the number, but it's pretty hot. If you don't have some kind of heat resistance, you'd probably die if you stay inside for too long." Red spoke casually, seemingly more interested in watching the Dragoness and Whorizard tear into each other with brutal efficiency. "If you pass out, it's considered a forfeit."

You stare at the screen and shudder. "I am suddenly reconsidering my job options."

"Hmm? What?" your female friend blinked. "Sorry, wasn't listening."

"I didn't know gym battles would be so..."

"Intense?" Red smirked. "It's pretty awesome, right? I can't wait till my first gym battle!"

"I'm honestly dreading it now." Gold admitted. "I mean, lava arenas? And this is supposed to be a small gym. What do you think they'll have in some of the bigger gyms?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Red said, pointing at the tamer on the screen. "My mum's going all out cause she know that he's a strong challenger. If he was a complete newbie she'd be fighting him in one of the normal arenas upstairs. And she wouldn't be using Jess either. A Whorizard would just crush any starter pokegirls, so it'd be totally unfair."

"Ah, I see. So stronger tamers get bigger challenges, then?"

"Yep." she said, popping the 'p' sound. "If the tamer has, like, one or two badges, the gym leader is supposed to go easy on them. Once they get more they start fighting the strong pokegirls. If you get five or six badges..." she pointed at the bubbling arena on the screen. "The gym leader goes all out."

"So every gym has a lava pit in their basement?" Gold joked. "At least it keeps the heating bill low."

Red shook her head. "No. Every gym's got a different thing. You know our motto?"

You racked your memory, trying to remember. It'd been so long...

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the fire, right?" Gold answered, sounding thoughtful. "I guess that fits the theme."

"It's a warning." Red explained. "The smart tamers see it and know that if they're not prepared, they're going to get roasted. Other gyms have other tests. There's one that has an arena hidden up in the mountains somewhere, there's one that makes you walk through a cave of feral Zubutt before you can enter the final room... heck, there's even one that got built as cheap and flimsy as possible."

"How would that last one be a challenge?" you asked. 

Red smirked."If the challenger's pokegirls damage the gym in any way, they're kicked out and made to pay for repairs."

You wince. That's actually pretty twisted of them. And clever. 

"Aaand he's down." Gold announced. 

"Wait, what?!" Red cried out, turning back towards the screen. "I missed it again?!"

"There, there," Gold said, patting her shoulder condescendingly. "At least you got the recordings, right?"

Her face brightened up. "Oh, yeah! I've got them right... oh."

Curious, you leaned over to see what she was staring at. On the screen in front of Red, there was a single line: 

Memory Full. Please replace with new disk.

"NOOOOOO!"

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What will you be doing after this?

[] Red is upset at the moment. Stay over for the night and see if you can make her feel better.

[] Gold's invited you to watch a movie in his house. You get the feeling that the show isn't the only thing on his mind

[] You're feeling kinda tired. Maybe you should just go back home...