Victory Road
#28 of Cassidy's Journey
"That's it, the entrance to Victory Road," Cassidy said. In front of her and Fenny was a quaint, gray tall building with a wide entrance. From where they stood, they saw a few flights of stairs inside. Cassidy entered, eyeing the old tiled stone floor and walls with carved out panes for windows. Bright sunlight shone through their small holes and illuminated the interior.
'I guess they never remodeled...' Fenny walked up the steps and nearly bumped into Cassidy after reaching the top as he wasn't paying attention.
She was turned right, staring straight ahead at a lengthy, dark corridor adorned with colorful hanging banners on the walls displaying all eight badges one had to earn in Kalos. A purple-haired male trainer dressed in black blocked her path. Cassidy approached him.
"Welcome, this gate is the entrance to Victory Road. Pokémon trainers who've collected all eight badges may pass. May I see yours?"
Cassidy unzipped her pouch and pushed aside her packed waters and supplies, taking her black case out and opening it to present her collection to him. She, fortunately, polished her badges last week, so they glinted.
He scanned them and nodded briefly. "Hm, you seem to have all eight! You may go. Good luck to you." He stepped aside, allowing Cassidy to pass.
"Thank you..." she replied while closing and slipping her case back into her bag. They ambled down the dimly lit hallway in silence, their footsteps lightly rebounding off the walls. Cassidy saw a large door made from stone ahead. The closer they got, she could make out the imprint of a large pokéball at the top of the door, and under it in two vertical rows, all eight gym badges.
'What's that?' On the floor, several feet before the door, was a circle emitting bright white light.
"I'm guessing I have to stand on it," Cassidy replied. She did once they arrived at the end of the corridor. A vibrant glow slowly faded in on each badge to its corresponding color, one by one.
'I think it's reading your badges.' Fenny stepped beside her to watch.
After all eight badges were aglow for several moments, the pokéball at the top spun clockwise, and the large door opened to what appeared to be a pitch-black room. Shortly, they heard rumbling, and emerging from the darkness was a long flight of stairs building themselves up to Victory Road's path, granting access. She took a silent, deep breath. "Ready?" Cassidy glanced at him.
Fenny nodded. 'Kind of... you?'
She started forward. "Not at all." Cassidy saw the sky above while standing in front of the stairs and slowly climbed them with Fenny behind.
He felt how tense and apprehensive Cassidy was by her aura, not to mention how silent she had been. Fenny wished he could console her, but he knew it was something only she could overcome, as Fenny had to when it came to battling in general.
Greeting them at the top of the flight was the start of Victory Road. In front of them lay fertile, grassy terrain, full trees and bushes with white flowers off to both sides, and multiple stone stairs leading up to a dark cavern entrance. "Pretty..." Cassidy eyed their surroundings.
Fenny still wasn't sure what to say, or if he should at all. He decided not to and followed Cassidy up the steps. The area was as tranquil and vacant of people as Pokémon Village, but Fenny felt about as uptight as Cassidy inside. The Elite Four would be battle at the highest level.
Cassidy stood at the top of the steps in the grass while gentle breezes rushed past, eyeing the huge cave ahead. She saw its rocky walls flickering, lighted by what seemed to be fire. "Do you want t-"
'I want to walk with you,' Fenny said while standing beside her. Every time, he would.
Cassidy grinned subtly and looked at him. "All right, Fen." Without dithering, they headed into the cave. As assumed, two torches were on each side of them against the walls, and two more far ahead. "This'll be quite a trip. I should have bought some repel."
'I'll be your repel, no charge,' said Fenny as they advanced.
"Heh, I know you will."