As Indigo and Margo walked to the gym, their atmosphere— despite the general open road they walked on and the sunny disposition of the day— felt tight, uncomfortable, and clouded. Indeed their only exchanges were occasional sullen glances towards each other and mutters about where the gym was. It was an awkward and unpleasant venture.

[color=8882be][i]What am I gonna do... She just wants to kick my butt or something,[/i][/color] Indy thought, furtively stealing a glance at Margo's furious expression as she marched beside him, unrelenting. [color=8882be][i]Well, I can't say no now. But maybe after I get some pointers from the gym trainers, I'll be able to have a better chance of taking her on? Maybe I'll even get to see her pokemon. Wait a sec, she's gonna be able to see my pokemon. Drat. Plus if Hawka even hears the word battle, she's going to do all the challenging for me. Augh.[/i][/color] He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. All he had said was to chill out— but then again, he had picked his word choice to be condescending so he couldn't pretend he was completely innocent either. 

But they reached the gym in about a half an hour and Indy gulped at the imposing building before him. It was large and dome shaped, with the top of the dome being made out of glass. Through the windows, the tops of trees could be seen. It was like an enormous greenhouse of sorts. [color=8882be]"This is supposed to be the earth and grass gym, or something,"[/color] Indy said, momentarily forgetting his feud with Margo. [color=8882be]"I know that there are sections for trainers to specifically train in, sections besides the main arenas where the leaders or head coordinators battle or whatever. And that's where I was gonna go to."[/color] He trailed off. Why bother telling her anything? [color=8882be]"Not that it matters."[/color] He was stalling. He still hadn't opened the door.

But he didn't have to.

As if the day could possibly get even worse, the doors opened themselves revealing a familiar pair of twins, Jack and Jill. Noooo, not the 13 year old kid that had just beaten him!

[color=8882be]"Huh? Yeah,"[/color] Indigo fibbed without even thinking about it. Of course he was here to challenge— whoever! [color=8882be]"Oh, you beat 'em? That's cool. Glad to know they weren't that tough."[/color] If Jack challenged him to a battle, could he have won, Indy wondered. 

"Well," Jack spoke up smoothly. "They might be tough for [i]others[/i], but my sister and I can handle ourselves well." He smiled at Indy. "Who were you planning to challenge, by the way? Mbali or Jomo?"

[color=8882be]"I dunno. Who's who?"[/color] Indigo suddenly felt very, very stupid, and very aware that an observant Margo was watching the exchange with a critical eye.

"Mbali is the Head Coordinator, and Jomo's the Gym Leader," Jack informed Indy, not quite laughing but it [i]seemed[/i] like he was amused in some kind of way. 

[color=8882be]"I haven't really decided..."[/color]

"You came all the way here, you said you were going to battle one of the leaders here, but you haven't decided?" Jill asked, a genuine confusion clouding her face.

[color=8882be]"I keep changing my mind,"[/color] Indigo smiled weakly. He knew he looked more unprepared by the second.

"Well, whatever you do decide," Jack said after a pause. "I'm a coordinator and since I've beaten the Head Coordinator here, I'll be competing in this week's upcoming contest. I'll be honest— you're not really that worthy of an opponent for me, so don't hold your breath thinking you've got a chance." Another smile, friendly as ever. "See you later."

Indigo turned, trying his hardest not to fume. Who did this kid think he was? [color=8882be]"Hey, what was [i]that[/i] for? No, you know what, why wait? Let's have a battle tomorrow."[/color]

"If you want to lose that badly," Jack shrugged. "We're staying at the pokemon center. I'll be out in front waiting around 10 am. Bye." With that, the twins left, the sound of Jill reprimanding Jack for his rude behavior, fading away into the distance.

Indigo didn't dare look at Margo. [color=8882be]"I'm... just gonna go inside."[/color]